Leadership Communication Styles Inventory Essay

As a manager or leader of an organization of any kind, the power and ability to effectively lead others are in the choices made to build a healthy, motivational, and productive relationship with people on your team. We all influence others in some way, its Just that we seldom realize that we do or how we do it. Power in the workplace has traditionally been defined as force, dominance, assertiveness, strength, invincibility, and authority. In forward thinking corporations, power requires a commitment and a plan of action (Hale, 2010). Power and influence are somewhat interchangeable. Power is the capacity of a person, team, or organization to influence others. Power is not the act of changing someonws attitudes or behavior; it is only the potential to do so. You might feel powerful or think you have power over someone else, but this is not power unless you truly have the capacity to influence that person (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). One of the hardest lessons of management is that practically everything that has to be done must be done by others. Manager ¤Ã‚ ¬ws duties not only include directing employees ut controlling the budget, assets, and other Jobs within the organization as well. Leadership is the ability to get people to do what they don ¬wt want to do and like it. In other words, the core problem for leaders in any organization involves getting others to do what is required to accomplish the organization ¤es goals (Michelson). The concept of power and its application to leadership and management has gotten a bad reputation. Terms such as power hungry, abuse of power and corrupted by power have diluted powerws real use and meaning and deprived some leaders f the opportunity to understand and use various forms of power to good purposes (Wood, 2010). I like to believe people misuse their power simply because they have it and are unaware of it. When used in a positive, moral, and ethical manner, power is an excellent resource. It requires the perception of dependence, so people might gain power by convincing others that they have something of value, whether or not they actually control that resource. Consequently power exists when others believe that you control resources they want (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 010). People rely on their emotion more frequently than they realize to make decisions, so to become a more powerful influencer, it is wise to consider othews values, personality, and intelligence and express confidence in the personws ability to accomplish the Job. The type of power applied affects the type of influence the power holder has over the other person or work unit. Everyone has power and I d believe that to be a bad thing. The issue becomes what kind of power a person has and how it is used. The most powerful source is based on one osition within an organization and the authority given in that position (Wood, 2010). An abusive boss can lose respect and influence from their team members. As a leader, your influence and power are not only about getting the Job done, itws about the relationships you develop in the workplace. A supervisor on my Job is retiring in a couple ot months and it seems ner whole attitude and demeanor nas changed. She seems to be on a quest to get all the people she wants out of the company and all that she wants promoted before she leaves. The influence and respect that she once possessed is no longer apparent or given to her and the orale in the office is very low. Her tactics to get the Job done are threatening, humiliating, and demeaning for some of the employees. They are afraid to go above her for the fear of retaliation, so they wait and hope that their Jobs are safe until she retires. French and Raven, social psychologists, identified five sources of power – legitimate, coercive, reward, expert, and referent – that help the dependent person directly or indirectly achieve his or her goals. Legitimate, reward and coercive are sources of power granted formally by the organization and informally by co-workers; hey are positional powers (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). Legitimate power is an agreement among organizational members that people in certain roles can request certain behaviors of others. It depends on mutual agreement from those expected to abide by this authority (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). True and lasting power comes from being a leader worthy of respect and admiration. If you treat people with dignity and respect, you will build a trusting relationship and people will look up to you, listen to what you say, and want to be like you. Reward power derived from the person ability to control the allocation of rewards valued by others and to remove negative sanctions. Managers have power over the distribution of organizational rewards such as pay, promotions, time off, vacation schedules, and work assignments (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). This power comes with the position and can be taken away if the position is removed. Coercive power is the ability to apply punishment. Employees also have coercive power to ensure that co-workers conform to team norms (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). You have this kind of power when youwre in a position to punish others if they don ¬wt do what you want. People fear the consequences of not doing what has been asked of them. Expert and referent powers are based on an individuws personal power. These powers are based on charisma, likeability, and positive feelings the leader generates among subordinates (Wood, 2010). There is research suggesting that charismatic leadership is negatively related to harmful behaviors in the workplace. For example, transformational leadership was negatively associated with safety accidents which harisma is a large component of (Hale, 2010). These powers originate from the power holders characteristics and are power bases brought to the organization. Expert power is an individualws or work uws capacity to influence others by possessing knowledge or skills that others value (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). This power is based on what you know and will quickly gain you respect and influence in the workplace. It is all about knowing your Job and doing it well and not being afraid in learning all that you can. It could potentially be the basis for a managerial role for an employee. Referent power is a function ofa perso ¬ws interpersonal skills which allows others to identify with them, like them, or respect them and is associated with charismatic leadership (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). People are well liked and are considered role models because of their connection and concern for other people. People who are well-liked and respected nave a tremendous amount ot reterent power. A wise leader knows now and when to apply the right amount of power to influence an individual, group, or situation to move an agenda forward (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). In order to be an effective leader, a person cannot rely solely on either of these positions of power. Leading by example, offering rewards, or threatening punishments all can be used as power tools to accomplish goals, however more power can be gained by sharing it among the team in a more subtle and counterintuitive way (Wood, 2010). If you want your team to be ethical and respectful of each other, I believe the example should start from the top. Using influence tactics well requires a healthy combination of interpersonal, communication, presentation, and assertiveness techniques, verbal skills such as asserting, probing, ersisting, speaking conversationally, and willingness to ask for favors ( (Selling and Persuaion Techniques ). Influence refers to any behavior that attempts to alter someonws attitudes or behaviors (McShane, Steven L, Mary Ann Von Glinow, 2010). You may try to exert your influence through coercion and manipulation and you might even get things done but that isn ¬wt really influencing. Thatws forcing people to do what you want them to do and often against their will. Effective leaders use combinations of various strategies for different purposes under different onditions which can be classified under three categories: retribution, reciprocation, and reason (Michelson).

Washington Redskins Mascot

WASHINGTON REDSKINS The Native American Mascot Controversy By Anna Yang Origin of â€Å"Redskin† The origin of the word â€Å"redskin† is debated. According to the  Oxford English Dictionary  (OED), the term â€Å"redskin† came from the reddish  skin color  of some Native Americans, as in the terms  red Indian  and  red man. The OED cites instances of its usage in English dating back to the 17th century and cites a use of  red  in reference to skin color from 1587. Multiple theories fight for prominence as to the true historical origin of the word.One theory, mentioned above, is that the term was meant as merely a physical indicator, similar to the words â€Å"white† and â€Å"black† for Caucasians and Africans, respectively. Another theory holds that it was first used by Native Americans during the 1800s as a way of distinguishing themselves from the ever-growing white population. An often mentioned third but not proven origin inv olves the bloody skins (red-skins) of Native people as â€Å"prizes,† in which they would be scalped after battle and their skins bought and sold in local towns.To date, there is no historical documentation or evidence to support this theory. Yet another theory is that the term â€Å"Red Indian† originated to describe the  Beothuk people  of Newfoundland who painted their bodies with  red ochre, and was then generalized to North American indigenous people in general. However, Smithsonian linguist Ives Goddard says the evidence to support such a claim is â€Å"unfounded† and further claims the term was first used in the 1800's. Washington Football Team: The Truth The Washington Redskins were originally known as the Newark Tornadoes and then the Boston Braves.Most accounts can agree that team owner George Preston Marshall changed the franchise name from the Boston Braves to the Boston Redskins in 1933 to recognize then coach, William â€Å"Lone Star† Dietz. Dietz, who claimed half-German, half-Sioux background, embraced what he perceived to be a Native American heritage. Marshall was a fan of his coach, Dietz, who was by most accounts a star in his day. However, one could surely debate if Marshall naming the team ‘Redskins’ in recognition of Dietz’s claimed heritage was truly an honor or not.Marshall himself had issues with race as the Redskins were the last NFL team to integrate in 1962. So, the age-old defense of the use of Redskins, regardless of the meaning behind it, goes that since the team was named in honor of â€Å"Lone Star† Dietz, and if he, being part Indian, didn’t mind, then everything is okay. But there’s the catch: Lone Star was raised as a â€Å"white man† who didn’t even become aware with his purported heritage until the latter part of his teenage years, upon hearing an argument between his adopted parents.In 2004, Linda Waggoner, a professor in American Mu lticultural Studies and Philosophy, wrote a 5-part series, â€Å"Reclaiming James One Star,† for  Indian Country Today  which investigated the validity of Dietz’s claimed Native American ancestry, bringing into light multiple false accounts from his early youth. The ultimate conclusion is that one can neither concretely confirm nor disprove that Dietz was any part Indian.But, Dietz embraced the Native American culture to the extent of dressing in full Indian regalia, including on the sidelines of some games, enrolling in Indian schools, taking a Native American wife, and becoming a well-known artist depicting life on the plains. Regardless, it seems silly that the use of Redskins hinges on whether one man may or may not have been a Native American in any way, shape, or form. Although Dietz’s true heritage has been questioned by some scholars, the Washington Redskins name and logo, which is a picture of an Indian, was officially registered in 1967.The Controv ersy In recent years, the name has become controversial, with some Native American groups and their supporters arguing that since they view the word â€Å"redskin† as an offensive racial slur that it is inappropriate for a NFL team to continue to use it, regardless of whether any offense is intended. Clarence Page of the Orlando Sentinel wrote in 1992 â€Å"[The Washington Redskins] are the only big time professional sports team whose name is an unequivocal racial slur. After all, how would we react if the team was named the Washington Negroes?Or the Washington Jews? †¦ It is more than just a racial reference, it is a racial epithet. † Many others believe that the name is a positive reference to the culture of Native Americans. Many Redskins’ fans say that it is a reference to the strength and courage of Native Americans. Some individuals who support the use of Native American mascots state that they are meant to be respectful, and to pay homage to Native A merican people. Many have made the argument that Native American mascots focus on bravery, courage and fighting skills rather than anything derogatory.Karl Swanson, vice-president of the Washington Redskins professional football team, declared in the magazine  Sports Illustrated  that his team's name â€Å"symbolizes courage, dignity, and leadership,† and that the â€Å"Redskins symbolize the greatness and strength of a grand people. † Steven Denson, director of diversity for  Southern Methodist University  and member of the  Chickasaw  nation, while not issuing a blanket endorsement, has nevertheless stated that there are acceptable ways to use Native American mascots if it is done in a respectful and tasteful manner.He states, â€Å"I believe it is acceptable if used in a way that fosters understanding and increased positive awareness of the Native-American culture. And it must also be done with the support of the Native-American community. There is a wa y to achieve a partnership that works together to achieve mutually beneficial goals. Despite vocal and legal action from Native American groups and scholars, the majority of people surveyed on the subject do not find the name offensive. Following the 1992 Super Bowl protests, the Washington Post posted a survey in which â€Å"89 percent of those surveyed said that the name should stay. In a study performed by the National Annenberg Survey, Native Americans from the 48 continental U. S. states were asked â€Å"The professional football team in Washington calls itself the Washington Redskins. As a Native American, do you find that name offensive or does it not bother you? † In response, ninety percent replied that the name is acceptable, while nine percent said that it was offensive, and one percent would not answer. Protests Soon after the name change, Native Americans started to write letters to owner Jack Kent Cooke, encouraging him to change the name.Others boycotted Redsk ins products and protested. At one protest, â€Å"Native Americans handed the fans redskin potatoes as they entered a Redskins game, suggesting that if the team will not change their name altogether, then they should at least change their mascot to the potato. Many of these events were led by  Suzan Shown Harjo  of the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Redskin’s owner Jack Kent Cooke responded to these pleas in an interview stating â€Å"There’s not a single, solitary jot, tittle, whit chance in the world that the Redskins will adopt a new nickname. There was a large protest at the 1992 Super Bowl between the Redskins and the Buffalo Bills. Since the game was held in Minnesota, the area's large Native American Population was able to voice their anger over the name. The American Indian Movement’s (AIM) Vernon Bellecourt was one of the main organizers and voices of the event. Before and during the game, approximately 2,000 Chippewa, Sioux, Winneb ago, and Choctaw, and other Native Americans and members of the local population protested. Some of the signs they carried read â€Å"We are not Mascots†, â€Å"Promote Sports not Racism†, and â€Å"Repeal Redskin Racism†. Legal ActionIn 1992, Susan Shown Harjo, President of the Morning Star Institute, joined forces with other prominent Native Americans as well as Dorsey ; Whitney law firm of Minneapolis and petitioned the U. S. Patent and Trademark office. They based their lawsuit on the idea that Federal Trademark law states that certain trademarks are not legal if they are â€Å"disparaging, scandalous, contemptuous, or disreputable. † The legal battle went on for seven years and in 1999, the judges canceled the federal trademarks of the Redskin name â€Å"on the grounds that the subject marks may disparage Native Americans and may bring them into contempt or disrepute. Upon the news that the Redskins had been sold, the owners appealed the decision to a district court in the District of Columbia in Pro-Football, Inc. vs. Harjo. The court reversed the decision on the grounds of insufficient evidence of disparagement. Subsequent appeals have been rejected on the basis of laches, which means that the Native Americans had pursued their rights in an untimely and delayed manner. If Harjo had won the case, the Washington Redskins would be able to keep the name and many of its federally trademarked rights, but they may have still lost out on millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise sales.

Sports Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sports Performance - Essay Example 17-55, 1987). The agents include the players, the coaches, as well as the referees. Ball allocation and play calling are examples of the numerous tasks involved, whereas the contexts can be during play as well as timeout. These factors interact together in different ways, and create several unique combinations, each of which requires a unique decision. This results in a wide array of situations in sports where decisions are required. One important step to learning about decision-making from sports is thus to weed out the main features of sports performance which make it practical and easy to study. Locating these features provides us with an essential step in comprehending the importance of sports as an epitome of decision-making situations. Studying decision-making (Diederich, pp. 157-166, 2003) in laboratory has one making disadvantage: the results may be inaccurate due to the unnatural environment. In sports, however, the player the researchers observe is under real pressure, and is fully responsible for his or her decision, which ultimately leads to their decision resembling the decision-making found in the real world. This advantage of studying decision-making is one that has only recently come into being appreciated for its worth (Bacharach, pp. 17-55, 1987). ... This feature of sports points out the danger of simulating a natural environment, and the importance of a naturalistic observation setting. The dynamics of sports decisions (Gold & Shadlen, pp. 10-16, 2001) are the second reason why they are ideal to study for the sake of decision-making research. The affect of this dynamism is twofold, to be found in both internal and external dynamics. Internal dynamics hold significance as they show that each decision is made over a course of deliberation, rather than spontaneously. Instead of simply making the decisions as they come, the player/decision-maker accumulates relevant information over a course of time and evaluates it at the time of decision-making. External dynamics, on the other hand, show that the situation itself fluctuates from time to time. At one moment, if the information is available (goalie position), it may be out of reach a second later due to obstruction in the view. These and other variables such as available options rev eal the dynamic nature of sports. Research (Gold & Shadlen, pp. 10-16, 2001) finds that decisions are made either ‘online’, or on a reflective basis. This also links the nature of sports to the dynamism earlier mentioned. Online-made decisions are examples of when the decision is made during the task, or under similar shortage of time. A player will make online decisions during the game. This is as opposed to the coach making the game strategy beforehand, using reflective decision-making techniques, which make thorough use of all the relevant information available. Movement control and decision-making (Mayes, pp. 441-461, 2003) go hand in hand when studying sports performance and this can be aided by cognitive modeling. Cognitive

Wal mart Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Wal mart - Assignment Example Walmart Inc. operates more than 11,000 stores across 27 countries around the globe. Most of the international stores of Walmart are in Africa, Argentina, Brazil, China, Japan, Canada, Chile, Mexico, UK, and Central America. This is because they enjoy monopoly in countries without such vibrant stores and the population of the countries is a source of customers. b. Provide a trend analysis for years 2011, 2012 and 2013 as to where Walmart expanded and/or divested in its domestic and international markets. That is, where did they open and/or close their stores. Also pay attention to the type of stores they are opening and/or closing. Walmart has six different types of stores opened across the world. Among them is the Supercenter, quick-trip to a convenience store, Discount store, Sam’s Club warehouse stores, Campus convenience stores. The company decided to enhance selling of groceries since they learnt that food sells as compared to other stuff Consolidated net sales for the entire fiscal year were $466.1 billion representing an increase of 5.0% over fiscal 2012. Net sales included about $4.0 billion from acquisitions and approximately $4.5 billion of negative impact from currency fluctuations of exchange rate. Membership and other income was $3.0 billion, showing a decrease of 1.6 percent from the previous year. The total revenue was $469.2 billion increasing by $22.2billion or 5%. Income from continuing operations connected to Walmart was $17.0 billion, which is a 7.8 % increase from $15.8 billion in the previous fiscal year. 2013 fiscal was $5.02 as compared to last year’s $4.54, a 10.6% increase. The effective tax rate for the wholeyear was 31.0 percent, compared to 32.6 percent for the prior year. The trend in the analysis shows that Walmart has a financial graph that is rising between 2011 and 2013. This comes as a result of having a fiscal policy that is organized

Evaluation of Canons Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Evaluation of Canons Strategies - Essay Example This mixture demands continuous and effective flow of information and the ability to adapt to change. All members of the company should be involved and strategy, when needed, needs to be changed accordingly. Robust measurement of strategic competences is critical. Canon has applied strategic planning since 1957. The strategic approach to achieving top market position involved everyone and there was a careful planning of the resources needed in order to achieve the market position. Canon has focused on the photocopying market in the beginning and it has focused on niche marketing i.e. producing small photocopiers. It has in parallel, developed new technology. Starting from photocopiers, Canon has developed since then core competencies in printers, scanners etc. The company emphasized customer satisfaction and it is customer oriented. Based on customer satisfaction, it has developed its growth plan which is called â€Å"Excellent Global Corporation Plan†. In this plan, the goal of Canon is clearly stated i.e. top share and profitable operations. The strategic planning process involved: highly automated manufacturing plant, high –technology products and synergy. So, the structure of Canon’s strategic plan was the following: the centre set the long-term strategy whereas the business units (product divisions) implement medium-term planning acting always within the constraints placed by the centre. Crisis management and contingency planning were important in Canon’s strategic process since the company wanted to be prepared in case of adverse events. These various plans were consolidated by the centre. Each business unit/division prepares its own budget, these budgets are gathered and then the centre prepares short-term plans. The company culture is quite distinctive: people are encouraged to talk and debate. The emphasis on people is shown in the objectives of Canon for the years 2001-05 among other objectives such as product leadership, development of R&D and strong financial position.  Ã‚  

III analysis of the Higher Education Act of 1965, by 4-10 Research Paper

III analysis of the Higher Education Act of 1965, by 4-10 - Research Paper Example The Higher Education Act of 1965 was a legislation which came on the heels of the Civil Rights Movement (1961-1965) and the wave of race riots spanning the same era. Protesting the inequalities and lack of freedom for advancement, the ethnic minorities in America particularly Blacks rebelled against government's system of segregation and discrimination. The Ole Miss riot of 1962, the Cambridge riots of 1963, the New York City riot of 1964, the Rochester riot of 1964, the Elizabeth riot of 1964, the Dixmoor riot of 1964, the Philadelphia riot of 1964 and the Watts riot of 1965 number a few of the spate of riots which manifest the open grievance of race minorities who were deprived of several human rights, one of which was education. Formerly, the high cost of higher education ensured that the poorer classes of Americans, among which included the Native Americans, Hispanic Americans and the African-Americans, got barred entry from scholastic institutions. These human rights encroachmen ts would retard social mobility and would keep a cross section of people uneducated and in depressed circumstances. The Higher Education Act became grafted into body of constituted laws under the U.S. Department of Education in November 8, 1965. This law represented a milestone of achievement for Americans who could not afford education beyond the secondary level. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) rose to the occasion, even during this turbulent era, to advocate the basic right of underprivileged Americans to be schooled, regardless of color, class or creed. The American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) is an organization derived from the Association of Teacher Education Institutions. The objectives of AASCU were to "to enable the members to make their influence felt in connection with national affairs, to present the strengths and services of state colleges and universities effectively to the public and to agencies and individ uals from which grants of funds might be available, to represent the members of the Association in the National Commission on Accrediting, and to conduct studies of educational problems of common interest to the members" (Hager). AASCU began its existence in 1961, established because the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC) and the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) did not respond comprehensively to the needs of Americans striving to better themselves though matriculation to four year colleges and universities. The public policy pronounced the want of funding for institutions educating minorities to satisfy provisions in Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965. The policy excerpt in focus underscores the AASCU’s goal to augment appropriation levels for minority institutions serving underprivileged students. The reason requiring increase in funding is the insufficiency of the Pell grants. Although the Pell Grant pro gram started streaming funds since 1975, the financial bestowal remained consistent for over twenty five years in the face of escalating college costs. Programs such as Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP), the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant Program

The Environment and Technology in Feed (responses) Assignment

The Environment and Technology in Feed (responses) - Assignment Example However, on the other, it is causes serious environmental problems such as the destruction of Jefferson Park. When more artificial elements are incorporated into life, the natural elements are apparently forced out. Therefore, Feed just like every other dystopian piece of literature shows how the future might end in apocalypse if necessary actions are not taken immediately. It shows how government uses technology to literally control the minds of people, thus, the story serves as a gentle reminder to make young readers see beyond the truth shown to them. The Teen Ink article as well as the Colson Article provide in depth information regarding the genre of YA dystopia and further exemplify how the genre has shifted throughout time. The latter furthermore identifies that it is the â€Å"courage and vision to begin anew† portrayed through stories of this genre that make it so popular among modern day teens (Colson 2012). Hope is identified as the â€Å"most powerful emotion† in YA dystopia, however, in Feed, Anderson does not seem to portray it too much, as in the end, the rebellious Violet dies and throughout the story her thoughts are always dismissed and no one listens to her (Teen Ink 2014). I completely agree with the plot and themes presented in the novel, however, I believe that Anderson could have inclined a bit more towards hope rather than truth so that his readers could end with a better note of â€Å"uplifting sense of triumph†

Comparitive politics Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Comparitive politics - Article Example Since North Korea has involved itself openly with the induction of nuclear weapons within its arsenal, the people living within the country are thought to be of evil nature and thus a sense of ethnic nationalism has come about with the passage of time as far as North Korea and North Koreans is concerned. Now the same could be avoided if the country faces these kinds of challenges in a head on manner and look to satisfy the world demands in a much more proactive manner than it is carrying out at the present. What this will do is to give a positive image to the world that North Korea is ready and geared up for the challenges ahead and there are not any ethnic nationalistic issues attached with the country in the long run. The challenges that globalization brings with it is that the localized flavor of the country or region is starting to get marred as more and more foreign outlets of expression, work and ethical values are initiating. What this is in essence doing is to pose a marked difference in the thinking mindsets of the people who are related with the globalization regimes as well as the ones who are being brought under the hold of the great globalization debate. China is one such example that has experienced the direct results of globalization since Chinese products have invaded the world markets by storm. They have targeted the South Asian countries in a very attacking manner and the result is that the Chinese authorities the reaping the rich dividends by going global rather than manufacturing for the local Chinese markets. This has opened up their revenue quarters and now the Chinese are thinking global more than ever before. (Kohler, 2003) They have nearly captured all the market domains wi thin South Asia through their strategic planning and it would not be wrong before they make their mark on the global front in a very attacking way. In the coming decades, globalization will shrink the world even further and there would be more opportunities to grow and explore what is on offer or sale for the different markets of the world. This is a fact that the new world order has brought with it and it is here to stay. Similarly, there has been a general perception that globalization means taking jobs away from a region. This is indeed true from a rational standpoint as when company shifts around 100 jobs to Indians, the same number of natives lose their jobs. The offshore movement of jobs has become an issue not only in travel but also in other industries. Two such nations which stand out in this scenario are India and the Philippines that appear to be the most popular locations for setting up call centers as these countries bid a lagoon of cultivated, scholarly English-speaking personnel who will do the same amount of work for much less money. References KOHLER, Horst. (2003). The Challenges of Globalization and the Role of the IMF. International Monetary Fund Word Count:

Endoscopy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Endoscopy - Essay Example Recent studies have come up with various technologies in the endoscopic world. Here is the summery of few. Self propelled endoscopy- It is a wireless technology wherein a small capsule is swallowed or inserted through anus. This capsule is less than half an inch in diameter and 2inches in length. This capsule swims into digestive tract so has been nicknamed as ‘Mermaid’. Capsule movements are controlled by remote. It works on magnetic propulsion mechanism. It can be directed wherever it is needed by its gear system. It has extensive battery life for better performance. Infrared based endoscopy- This endoscope is equipped with an infra red laser and a tiny mirror this is capable of taking pictures up to 2 mm beneath the tissue surface. Unlike conventional endoscopes which focus only on the surface area, this latest endoscopy technique will take you deep down to detect very early stages of cancer and will also be helpful during the cancer surgery as this will demonstrate the extent of the cancer tissue. High definition endoscopes- These high definition endoscopes with the help of wide screen sensor offer great imaging of the tissues. It also provides the physician better clarity and visibility during surgical procedures

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security Research Paper - 1

Internet Technology, Marketing and Security - Research Paper Example Social media, though an emerging trend is becoming part of everyday life and most businesses ranging from SMEs to corporate companies are now using social media marketing strategies. With today’s dynamic world social media platforms is also increasing tremendously with the current trends in information and communication technology (ICT) making the world more or less a global village. Businesses that have been swift to move with the current trend have seen great success whereas those that are not dynamic enough to embrace technology have often collapsed. Social media marketing has gained tremendous popularity and use in the recent past by entrepreneurs at all levels of business. There are very many companies that have succeeded and benefited from using social media marketing including Pepsi Co. and Ford just to mention a few, and others like Kodak have faced great decline because of not being swift in embracing technology and dynamism. There are very many reasons why social med ia has become increasingly popular among entrepreneurs in the recent past as the state of the art marketing tool. Many people have switched from the traditional telecommunication tools to adopt the emerging technologies in the ICT sector. There has been a paradigm shift from the traditional media such as television, radio, newspapers and magazines, which are seen as one-way and static communication technologies, to the current trend of online sources and social media as communication tools (Zarrella, 2010). In a way, it can be said that the traditional media has lost a lot of its popularity to the new social media thus, companies can only reach many people through the social media. The paradigm shift in communication has also shifted consumer markets to a great extent changing the orientation of the business playing field (Evans, 2010) People are no longer seeking News as it was in the recent past but instead News is looking for them, all this courtesy of the recent developments in ICT (Zarrella, 2010). People are no longer buying information and knowledge but it has become free in the social networks. The information has also become free of constraints of place, free of control of content and free of restrictive access on consumption. The social media dramatically levels the playing field by making the information plentiful and available just like it levels the businesses and organisations that work on the principle that make information scarcer (Evans, 2010). Social media platforms somehow create virtual communities by bringing people together in creating, manipulating and sharing information. Companies that use social media marketing are able to reach out to these social communities and interact with them more closely in a way that they share information thus strengthening the communities (Qualman, 2012). The organisation using social media has a more interactive and deep relationship with their customers compared to companies using traditional media. In th is way, the company can get instant feedback from the customers regarding their products and thus learn more about the feelings and perception of the people/consumers concerning their product and services. In this way, they can improve their products to suit the needs of their customers in a more appropriate manner (Zarrella, 2010). On the other hand, those companies using traditional media cannot have a deep dialogue with the customers because the communication is one-way. For instance if you do not agree with an advertisement

Three Types of People to Fire Immediately Essay Example for Free

Three Types of People to Fire Immediately Essay The article that I read was â€Å"Three Types of People to Fire Immediately† by Michael Maddock and Raphael Louis Viton from Bloomberg’s Businessweek. The authors of this article discuss how we are taught to be creative and innovative from the beginning when we are children. They also talk about how another key element to be successful is to teach managers how to fire people. Maddock and Viton talk about how letting someone go can be beneficial to your organization because some employees are part of the problem and not part of the solution. They say that the people who are innovative and willing to learn are the ones who will push your organization to the next level and that there are three types of people that will hold your organization back. These three people are the victims, the non-believers, and the know-it-alls. The victims are the people who say things like â€Å"Can you believe what they want us to do now? And of course we have no time to do it. I don’t get paid enough for this. The boss is clueless† (Maddock Viton 2011). They will often see problems as singling them out and punishing them rather than a challenge that they need to overcome and persevere. Victims are usually angry, annoyed, and always complaining about anything that they can. They are the ones at the holiday parties that are very negative and don’t really want to be there but come anyway just to bring everyone else down. Maddock and Viton say that victims are not looking for opportunities but instead look for problems because that is the frame of mind that they are used to seeing things in. The authors say that the non-believers think like this â€Å"Why should we work so hard on this? Even if we come up with a good idea, the boss will probably kill it. If she doesn’t, the market will. I’ve seen this a hundred times before† (Maddock Viton 2011). Maddock and Viton believe that the only difference between a winning team that is innovative and the losing one that comes up short can be attributed to the lack of willpower within the corporate culture. Good managers are those who can find the believers in the organization and promote them while weeding out the non-believers to make the organization stronger. The know-it-alls will say things like â€Å"You people obviously don’t understand the business we are in. The regulations will not allow an idea like this, and our stakeholders won’t embrace it. Don’t even get me started on our IT infrastructure’s inability to support it. And then there is the problem of †¦. † (Maddock Viton 2011). Maddock and Viton believe that the best innovators are those who are willing to learn and not those who think that they know enough to get by. It is management’s job to make and sculpt the culture in the way that they want. If management wants to have an innovative culture then they must convey a learning culture because that is the best way to be innovative. It is also said that the know-it-alls become very keen in using their knowledge to constitute why things are not possible rather than trying to find a way to make it possible. The authors say that managers should try to retrain or teach the Know-it-alls before firing them because they can be valuable if they can break their bad habits. In my opinion I would have to agree with this article for the most part. I do believe that it is necessary to get rid of certain employees such as the â€Å"Victims† and the â€Å"Non-believers†. The Victims and the non-believers will only bring your organization down with their negativity and poor attitudes. Not to mention the fact that they are usually incapable of seeing anything as a positive opportunity rather than a punishment or waste of time. There are a lot of things in the world that were seen as a waste of time or a crazy idea to people but because of the believers and dreamers we have a lot of new technology and innovation to this day. The part that I would have to disagree with is when they talk about the â€Å"Know-it-alls† and how they are not innovative. I believe that the know-it-alls can be very innovative and can solve a lot of organizations problems. However, I also believe that they might be more realistic in their thinking and this could be a good thing in that it could help keep the dreamers from getting their heads too far in the clouds. So in my opinion I do believe that it is necessary to fire people for the good of the organization but you should always evaluate what the employee brings to the table and how they negatively affect the organization before action is taken.

Touching Spirit Bear Essay Example for Free

Touching Spirit Bear Essay In the novel Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen he discuses the idea of morals. As the reader reads the novel it is filled with many important lessons from many perspectives. Understanding that all these lessons made Cole a better person. The most important lessons learnt from the book are life is what you make it, forgiveness, and that people can change. The lesson â€Å"life is what you make it† was a big part of the novel. But also this lesson was reflective. When Edwin asked Cole to go to the freezing pond, he gave him a stick and says that the right end of the stick represented happiness while the left end represented anger. Cole broke the anger side of the stick, until he recognized that everytime he broke off the angry side it appeared again. Edwin teaches Cole that anger could not be completely destroyed. â€Å"Yes, was a big deal. It was a party. It was a feast. It was a sharing and a celebration. All because that is what I made it. Yours was simply food because that is all you chose for it to be. All of life is a hot dog. Make of it what you will. I suggest you make your time here on the island a celebration. † (Pg. 166) The hotdog also represented that life is what you make it. Cole made his hotdog just a plain hotdog. While Garvey on the other hand made his hotdog with great care. Garvey’s hotdog was a celebration because that’s is what he intended it to be. Cole made his hotdog just a plain hotdog and it did just that. The sky also symbolizes this lesson. Cole had the decision to look at the clouds or the sun. If Cole had looked at the clouds he would think the weather would be cloudy. If Cole had looked at the sun it would seem as if it was sunny outside. If we were to look at life as a horrible and dreadful place that’s how life is going to be, because that is how we made it. If looking at life as a joyful, beautiful place that’s how life is going to be lived. It will be lived like a celebration! Celebrating every moment of life and living everyday to the fullest. Throughout the novel, Cole is challenged to forgive and to earn forgiveness. Cole had to be willing to forgive himself and those who had hurt him. A lot of forgiving had to be done before Cole could fully heal. First, he was to forgive himself. â€Å"You’ll dance that dance when you’re ready. † (Pg. 184) Garvey said to Cole associating to the dance of anger. For most of the novel Cole was full of so much anger, but by dancing the dance of anger, he let go of some of his emotions and forgiving those who had hurt him. After Cole’s infusion of rage of anger Cole was not as angry as before, he will always know that anger was inside of him but he had the choices to let go and forgive those who had hurt him. He was then ready to move on. Cole could not fully move on without Peter’s forgiveness. Next, Cole needed to help Peter. Cole was truly sorry for what he had done but needed to prove that to Peter and his family. He needed to show Peter that he trusted him, and he wanted to see if Peter could trust him. So before he started his healing, Cole asked to bring Peter to the island to give him a new start. He wanted Peter to get the second chance at life just like Cole had gotten a second chance in the circle justice. This lesson is very important to the book. It teaches that forgiveness is the start to moving on. It shows us that Cole got a second chance by forgiving and receiving forgiveness. Cole experiences extreme anger throughout the novel. He was even known and portrayed as a very angry person. As Cole gets to understand the idea of forgiveness and the beauty of life he changed to become a better and a peaceful person. There are no bad people in the world just people who make bad choices. Cole made several mistakes in his life but has learnt from them and is going through taking dips in the freezing pond, rolling the ancestor rock to get rid of his anger so he would not make the mistakes of anger taking over him again. The Cole first sent to the island was feeling consumed by anger, bitterness, and the feeling to unwillingness to change. While the Cole at the end on the novel is a normal boy that is trying control his anger problems and trying to earn forgiveness from others. After Cole had changed he seemed to think that the island could change anyone. Cole thinks to himself that he has really changed. â€Å"He felt like a new and a different person. † (Pg. 198) That’s why he wanted to bring Peter, the boy who had tried to commit suicide twice after Cole had beaten him up to the island to see if he can change on the island and have another chance at life, like Cole had received. At the end, both Peter and Cole changed spiritually and mentally. The lesson â€Å"People can change† is an important lesson from the book because even Cole the juvenile delinquent had changed into a normal teenage boy controlling his anger. The most important lesson that Cole learnt was that life is what we make it, to forgive and to earn forgiveness, and that anyone can change. Cole always had the options to live life happily but he never knew how to start. But as he learned from the lessons taught to him by many perspectives, he now knows how to start living life without the anger taking over him, he knows how to control his anger. Cole is now more knowledgeable looking at the right end of the stick, centering his life on the sun not the clouds, and making his life a celebration.

Influence of Language Contact on English Language

Influence of Language Contact on English Language To what extent has language contact affected the English language? In discussing the influence of other languages on the English language, the term language contact may be defined as the impact of other languages on English as a result of socio-historical interaction (Mà ¡rquez 90). Languages are dynamic entities, which are constantly evolving to reflect our needs and the state of the societies that we live in (Bex 26). This is certainly the case for the English language, which has been heavily influenced by many languages throughout history as a result of numerous invasions, proselytism, interest in so-called prestigious languages, and many other factors, with the code-switching that ensued as a result of these having a profound impact on English. Therefore, this essay will illustrate the enduring impact that language contact has had by looking at how aspects of the English language like lexicon, orthography, phonology and place-names have been greatly affected by Englishs interaction with other languages, with particular focus on the influence of the Italic languages of Latin and French. Regarding lexicon and place-names, Latin has undeniably left a lasting impression on the English language. For instance, Jonathan Culpeper states that the Romans most successful raid under Emperor Claudius in AD 43 was what successfully laid the foundation for the partial Latinisation of many of Britains Celtic place-names (2, 3). While it remained rare for British place-names to be mostly derived from Latin origins, rare exceptions such as Speen from the Latin Spinis do exist; however, one of the most prominent legacies that Latin left occurred through compounding, with certain elements of the names of numerous cities and towns having Latin roots (Nielsen 154, 155). For instance, the suffix -wich in place-names such as Greenwich was derived from the Latin vicus, meaning village (Ayers and Cherry 7). Regardless, while Latin certainly had an impact on many British place-names, it also left a more general mark on the English language in the form of borrowed lexicon and loanwords. According to Culpeper, while early Christian missionaries introduced approximately four hundred and fifty Latin words into Old English through religious texts, and thousands of Latin loans entered the English Language during the Middle English period from areas such as religion, science, law and literature, it was not until the sixteenth century that borrowing from Latin and Greek became extremely popular (36, 37), which became a defining feature of Early Modern English (c.1500 17000). This may be explained by the influence of the Renaissance (c. 1300 1600), which was a time of significant interest in the sciences and arts, and which led to a renewed interest in Latin as the language of scholars, scientists and philosophers (Minkova and Tunberg xxvi). However, as there were no English equivalents for man y of the complex scholarly terms featured in these texts, approximately seven-thousand Latin loanwords entered the English language, which often represented abstract concepts, unlike English words of Germanic origins (Culpeper 39). Also, several Latinate roots have been borrowed numerous times, resulting in doublets; for instance, the Latin word sal has inspired numerous English words, including saline and salary (Green 35). Nonetheless, borrowing from Latin decreased after the seventeenth century, mainly due to Englishs newfound prestige and status as the language of scholarship (Culpeper 37, 38). Regardless, it is clear to see that Latin has had a profound impact on the English lexicon through thousands of loanwords. On the other hand, because of the Norman invasion of 1066, French became the official language of law and administration in England and, due to its prestigious status as the language of the upper class and the code-switching that occurred after the invasion, approximately ten-thousand French words associated with warfare, rule, law and fashion (Millar 126) were adopted into the English language during the Middle English period (c. 1100-1500) (Mellinkoff 97). However, while some Norman-French terms completely replaced their Old English counterparts, such fortune replacing wyrd, semantic change occurred when both terms survived, with an example being the distinction between the Old English house and the French loan mansion (Culpeper 37). However, much like Latin, French borrowing has been in decline since the upper class stopped speaking French and English became regarded as the new language of administration (Culpeper 37, 38), yet the influence of French has lived on in various levels of borrowings, such as through borrowed food-related lexis like poultry, phrases such as mà ©nage à   trois, and bound morpheme suffixes like -ible (Fromkin et al. 358, 505). Unlike the written lexis of Latin, the fact that French influenced English mostly through spoken vocabulary is significant because it places French loanwords between Germanic and Latinate lexis in that they may convey a mixed register and refer both concrete and abstract concepts (Culpeper 39). However, while Norman-French generally had a small impact on place-names as most British places already had established names by 1066, some elements of French did inspire certain naming practices. For example, the French-speaking aristocracy routinely named castles and estates like Belvoir and Malpas directly after landmarks and places in France, Norman scribes substituted sounds for some more familiar to French (which is reflected in the spelling and pronunciation of places such as Cambridge), and the prevalence of double-barrelled named manors like Kingston Lacy can also be attributed to the French aristocracy, who often gave their properties recognisable names to distinguish their manors from others (Mills xvi). Consequently, much like Latin, it is undeniable that French has had an impact on the place-names and lexicon of the English language. Moreover, it may be argued that both languages have had a significant impact on the orthography and, in turn, the phonology of the English language. The fact that English spellings are not always phonemic, for example, may be attributed partly to the move from the Runic alphabet to the Latin alphabet used by the Romans during the Conversion Period (c. AD 597 AD 735), which meant that there were not enough orthographic counterparts for all of the Old English phonemes, as the Latin alphabet consisted of only twenty-three letters (Culpeper 22). Also, Doreen Scott-Dunne has noted that Latin impacted English orthography and phonology through etymological respellings. For instance, because of the renewed interest in Latin and Greek texts, many Renaissance scholars decided to respell certain words to make them orthographically resemble their Latin origins, which is evident in the change of words like the Middle English det to the modern debt, which now more closely resembles the Latin debi tum (62). However, while this simply resulted in the addition of silent letters to many words (Scott-Dunne 62), other Latin-inspired spelling changes were mirrored by significant changes in pronunciations. For example, Renaissance scholars often added the letter after in words to make English appear as prestigious as Latin, which changed lexis like the Old French loan trone to throne (Algeo and Butcher 155).   This resulted in a change of pronunciation, with the words first phoneme shifting from [t] to [ÃŽÂ ¸]; nonetheless, this was not a universal change for all words that contained the letter , and words like Anthony did not always change in pronunciation in British English, which exemplifies the fact that language contact can often result in a lack of regularity (Algeo and Butcher 155). Furthermore, French scribes during the Middle English period may have caused English spelling variations (House 243), which often led to phonological changes. For instance, the runic symbol , which represented the phoneme [w], was scarcely used after 1300, due to it being replaced by the symbols or , which originated in northern France (Culpeper 22). Also, the letter represented a vowel in Middle English, but a consonantal that was pronounced as [dÊ’] appeared during the Middle English period, which is often attributed to the influence of Norman-French (House 241). However, another significant phonological impact occurred because the importation of French lexis during the Middle Ages encouraged a separation of voiced and unvoiced fricatives into separate phonemes (Millar 126). While Old English had simply represented [f] and [v] as at the start of words and in other positions, the importation of French lexis like voice that began with the phoneme [v], along with the desire to speak with a prestigious French accent, meant that graphological distinctions between the phonemes naturally occurred (Millar 126). Similarly, while lexis such as centre was borrowed from the Latin centrum, the influence of French meant that the grapheme started to represent the phoneme [s] instead of [k] in some words (Culpeper 26), leading to a lack of regularisation. Additionally, while Old English had a strict stress pattern, in which stress fell on the first central (not prefix) syllable, the stress pattern of French was variable depending on each word and, therefore, prosodic changes had to take place during the Middle Ages so that French loanwords could be smoothly integrated into English (Millar 126). However, while etymological respellings of some words took place to show their French origins, scribes sometimes incorrectly assumed the etymology of words like island, meaning a was added to the Middle English iland to make resemble the Old French isle, even though the word was originally from the Old English iegland, and therefore had Germanic roots (Horobin 112, 113). By and large, the profound influence of Latin and French on the English language exemplifies the fact that languages are not static, and continuously evolve organically in order to meet our linguistic and societal needs. In fact, English itself has already split into separate variations like American English and Australian English, which each have unique variations based on their contact history. Moreover, due to advances in travel and technology, English continues to be shaped and changed by more languages in our modern world, as evidenced by recent additions to the Oxford English Dictionary such as dopiaza (dopiaza, n.) and maitake (maitake, n.), which have Hindi and Japanese roots, respectively. Therefore, while syntagmatic, paragigmatic, social and technological changes (including scientific discoveries and the development of the internet) are arguably the primary causes of language change in the twenty-first century (Algeo and Butcher 10), language contact has undeniably had a s ignificant impact on the English language overall, and will most likely continue to play a role in influencing various aspects of the English language for years to come. Works cited: Algeo, John, and Carmen A. Butcher. The Origins and Development of the English Language. Seventh ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2013. Print. Ayers, Donald M., and R. L. Cherry. English Words from Latin and Greek Elements. Second ed. Ed. Thomas D. Worthen. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press, 1986. Print. Bex, Tony. Variety in Written English: Texts in Society: Societies in Text. London, England: Routledge, 1996. Print. Culpeper, Jonathan. History of English. Second ed. London, England: Routledge, 2005. Print. dopiaza, n. OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2016. Web. Accessed 30 December 2016. Fromkin, Victoria, Robert Rodman, and Nina Hyams. An Introduction to Language. Ninth ed. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Green, Tamara M. The Greek & Latin Roots of English. Fifth ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. Print. Horobin, Simon. Does Spelling Matter?. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. House, Linda I. Introductory Phonetics and Phonology: A Workbook Approach. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 1998. Print. maitake, n. OED Online. Oxford University Press, December 2016. Web. Accessed 30 December 2016. Mà ¡rquez, Miguel Fuster. Working with Words: An Introduction to English Linguistics. Eds. Miguel Fuster Mà ¡rquez and Antonia Sà ¡nchez. Valà ¨ncia, Spain: University of Valà ¨ncia, 2011. Print. Mellinkoff, David. The Language of the Law. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2004. Print. Millar, Robert McColl. English Historical Sociolinguistics. Edinburgh, England: Edinburgh University Press, 2012. Print. Mills, A. D. A Dictionary of British Place-Names. Fourth ed. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 2011. Print. Minkova, Milena, and Terence Tunberg. Latin for the New Millennium: Level 2: Student Text. Vol. 5. Mundelein, IL: Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, 2009. Print. Nielsen, Hans Frede. The Continental Backgrounds of English and its Insular Development until 1154. Vol. 1. Odense, Denmark: Odense University Press, 1998. Print. Scott-Dunne, Doreen. When Spelling Matters: Developing Writers Who Can Spell and Understand Language. Ontario, Canada: Pembroke, 2012. Print.

The War on Drugs is Failing Essay -- George Bushs War on Drugs

The War on Drugs is Failing â€Å"Prohibition will work great injury to the cause of temperance†¦ for it goes beyond the bounds of reason in that it attempts to control a man’s appetite by legislation and make a crime out of things that are not a crime. A prohibition law strikes a blow at the very principle upon which our government was founded† Abraham Lincoln On January 16, 1920 the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by thirty-six states and became part of the Constitution. The intention of this new amendment was to lower alcohol consumption by Americans. At the time each American consumed on average thirty gallons of alcohol a year.[1] This new amendment took away the license to do business from the brewers, distillers, and the wholesale and retail sellers of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol consumption did taper off somewhat at the beginning of prohibition only to slowly rise back to pre-prohibition levels shortly before the end of the movement which took place on December 5,1933. Not only was the goal of prohibition never achieved, but it raised organized crime to levels of power unimaginable before and seriously disrupted both the legitimacy and revenue of the government. Just as Prohibition incited many unsavory activities, so has the War on Drugs. The easiest way to show the connection between these to movements is an excerpt from an article pertaining to Prohibition in America during the 1920’s: Bootleggers ran wild. Professional robberies began as soon as Prohibition did. Territories were divided by groups of organized crime that became the scum known as the Mafia. The territories were decided by violence and death, both against each other, as well as those in the public who may/may not have been innoce... ...equipped with state of the art learning tools. Teachers will receive pay raises. Students will be in an environment conducive to learning. Not to mention violence in schools will diminish drastically. Public schools across America would phase out drug addicts by teaching drug awareness, tolerance and moderation. It is quite clear that the War on Drugs is failing. A drug free country would be ideal. So would an alcohol-free country, a pollution-free country, and most likely a fast food-free country. None of these things will happen, so we have to make the best out of the situation as it is presented. The only practical method of dealing with this problem is the legalization of drugs. The government should take advantage of the money drug revenues will generate to supply the youth of America with the knowledge to make the right choice.

LVMH: Diversification Strategy into Luxury Goods Essay -- CGSE Busines

LVMH: Diversification Strategy into Luxury Goods Strategic Issues   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  By 2002, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton was the world’s largest luxury products company, enjoying annual sales of 12.2 billion euros. LVMH carries the most prestigious brand names in wine, champagne, fashion, jewelry, and perfume. Upon entrance of this luxury product industry, LVMH was aware that they produced products that nobody needed, but that were desired by millions across the world. This desire in some way fulfills a fantasy, making consumers feel as though they must buy it, or else they will not be in the moment, and thus will be left behind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The LVMH business portfolio began to take shape in 1987 with the merger between Louis Vuitton and Moet Hennessy which was a four billion dollar merger. Over the course of time, LVMH has acquired over 50 luxury brands, such as Donna Karen, Fendi, and Sephora. They called it, â€Å"a collection of star brands and rising stars.† LVMH found this industry to be timeless and modern, highly profitable, and very rapid growing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Despite all of the above mentioned, LVMH did experience some bumpy times. Some of these times were induced through internal problems, while others were caused by externalities, like Sept. 11. With such a wide range of product offerings, LVMH was on top of the industry in certain aspects, but has room for growth in other areas. One instance in particular nearly caused a division in the company. Hennessy believed the company should focus on wine, spirits, and champagne, however Vuitton wanted to focus on fashion and leather goods. The decision fell into the hands of Bernard Arnault, who became president of LVMH, and sided with Hennessy. Analysis and Evaluation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under Arnault, the company was the world’s leading luxury product group. Arnault believed that LVMH control of retail chains was critical to luxury brand success. The finer points of retailing were believed to be, influencing of the overall image of luxury products, as much as the product attributes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  LVMH was able to broaden the company’s media operations, create new retail outlet, enhance their line of champagne, and open fashion houses, like Fendi. LVMH found their corporate strategy was diversification into a wide variety of luxury products. They grouped all of their brands into six different business units. Their wine/spirits unit poss... ...at divulges attention to a few aspects in order to do it the best, as opposed to LVMH who does it all. Recommendations   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is important for LVMH to continue to distinguish themselves from other luxury brands, and by continuing to acknowledge that their products are desires and not necessities. They sell luxury, and image. It would be advisable to have better relations with their customers, to increase customer loyalty, but to also get into the minds of the consumer to give the consumer what they desire, all the while staying ahead of the competition. Researchers should be assigned to each specific business unit; it would be a good idea to treat each unit as a separate entity, all-contributing to the same end. By individually enhancing each unit, and eventually collaborating in the end, LVMH will be most profitable. Internet ventures are very important, we live in a time that thrives on technology, and making efforts easier for consumers will be key. Continuing to portray an image or a message with each product will contribute to the brand differentiation. The continual acquisition of profitable names and organizations will continue to increase the profitability of LVMH.

Doing Business in India Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We believe the single greatest risk of doing business in India is its bureaucracy. The Indian bureaucracy is often referred to as â€Å"babudom.† An Indian bureaucrat is often referred to as a â€Å"babu.† Today, babu may also mean â€Å"Sir† or â€Å"Mr.† The babudom was formed after India gained independence from Britain. It employs many more people than necessary and it is highly unproductive. Each geographic region of the babudom requires specific government permissions and taxes. Making progress in the babudom with limited local support is a difficult task, especially for a small U.S. firm with limited capital. The babudom wastes your company’s time. It will cause delays in the completion of your goals. It may take years before your company is approved to sell your products or services in India. Instead of selling your products and services, your employees will be spending time trying to get them approved. The babu do not have a vested interest in your company and often do not care how long it takes to make progress. For example, the bureaucracy in India can be compared to getting a driver’s license at the DMV in the U.S.; it takes an excessive amount of time get the license, the employees are not friendly to the customers or to each other, and there is an array of forms to fill out before any progress can be made. Dealing with the babudom will add costs to your company’s investment in India. These costs may be attributed to various taxes, consulting fees, and permits, among other things. These costs may not be obvious to someone who is not familiar with business practices in India. A company may not have planned for these added costs and may be forced to back out of a project if it exceeds its budget. These costs force companies to spend money that could have been used in more effective ways. For example, students are not always prepared for the many different fees that they will be charged for attending San Jose State. Besides tuition, students pay fees for books, the health center, activity cards, labs, and parking. India is a collective culture, meaning that individual’s decisions must be in harmony with family, group and social structures. This is not a bad thing, but it can add to the risk of an American dealing with the babudom. American culture typically values individualism and often business is deemed more important than family life... ...ve Indian that you can trust. This way, he or she can advise you on your decisions when dealing with the babudom or other Indian companies. It will take time to establish these relationships, but it will help you save time and money in the future. An Indian will have to trust you as a friend before he or she will make a deal with you. Be patient with Indian natives and make an effort to get to know them before doing business with them. Tell them about your family and your background. When negotiating a business deal, focus on more than just legalities. Natives will lose respect for someone that is only trying to establish a business relationship with them. When doing business in India, you must be patient. Aggression is not appreciated and it is considered to be negative. However, you must also set realistic time frames. Try to fix most of your appointments before you leave, and do not plan a trip close to a major holiday, such as Diwali or Republic Day, when business slows down for days. If you cannot get a confirmation that something will be done or if you believe that someone is stalling, take this as a sign that the company or person you are negotiating with is not interested.

Managerial Account

Multiple Choice Questions 1. Which of the following statements is true? A. The word â€Å"cost† has the same meaning in all situations in which it is used. B. Cost data, once classified and recorded for a specific application, are appropriate for use in any application. C. Different cost concepts and classifications are used for different purposes. D. All organizations incur the same types of costs. E. Costs incurred in one year are always meaningful in the following year. 2. Which of the following is a product cost? A. Glass in an automobile. B. Advertising. C. The salary of the vice president-finance. D. Rent on a factory. E.Both â€Å"A† and â€Å"D. † 3. The accounting records of Georgia Company revealed the following costs: direct materials used, $250,000; direct labor, $425,000; manufacturing overhead, $375,000; and selling and administrative expenses, $220,000. Georgia's product costs total: A. $1,050,000. B. $830,000. C. $895,000. D. $1,270,000. E. some o ther amount. 4. Costs that are expensed when incurred are called: A. product costs. B. direct costs. C. inventoriable costs. D. period costs. E. indirect costs. 5. Which of the following is not a period cost? A. Legal costs. B. Public relations costs. C. Sales commissions. D. Wages of assembly-line workers. E.The salary of a company's chief financial officer (CFO). 6. The accounting records of Reynolds Corporation revealed the following selected costs: Sales commissions, $65,000; plant supervision, $190,000; and administrative expenses, $185,000. Reynolds's period costs total: A. $250,000. B. $440,000. C. $375,000. D. $255,000. E. $185,000. 7. Yang Corporation recently computed total product costs of $567,000 and total period costs of $420,000, excluding $35,000 of sales commissions that were overlooked by the company's administrative assistant. On the basis of this information, Yang's income statement should reveal operating expenses of: A. 35,000. B. $420,000. C. $455,000. D. $567 ,000. E. $602,000. 8. Which of the following entities would most likely have raw materials, work in process, and finished goods? A. Exxon Corporation. B. Macy's Department Store. C. Wendy's. D. Southwest Airlines. E. Columbia University. 9. Selling and administrative expenses would likely appear on the balance sheet of: A. The Gap. B. Texas Instruments. C. Turner Broadcasting System. D. All of these firms. E. None of these firms. 10. Mideast Motors manufactures automobiles. Which of the following would not be classified as direct materials by the company?A. Wheel lubricant. B. Tires. C. Interior leather. D. CD player. E. Sheet metal used in the automobile's body. 11. Which of the following employees of a commercial printer/publisher would be classified as direct labor? A. Book binder. B. Plant security guard. C. Sales representative. D. Plant supervisor. E. Payroll supervisor. 12. Lake Appliance produces washers and dryers in an assembly-line process. Labor costs incurred during a r ecent period were: corporate executives, $500,000; assembly-line workers, $180,000; security guards, $45,000; and plant supervisor, $110,000.The total of Lake's direct labor cost was: A. $110,000. B. $180,000. C. $155,000. D. $235,000. E. $735,000. 13. Depreciation of factory equipment would be classified as: A. operating cost. B. â€Å"other† cost. C. manufacturing overhead. D. period cost. E. administrative cost. 14. Which of the following costs is not a component of manufacturing overhead? A. Indirect materials. B. Factory utilities. C. Factory equipment. D. Indirect labor. E. Property taxes on the manufacturing plant. 15. The accounting records of Diego Company revealed the following costs, among others:Costs that would be considered in the calculation of manufacturing overhead total: A. $149,000. B. $171,000. C. $186,000. D. $442,000. E. some other amount. 16. Which of the following statements is true? A. Product costs affect only the balance sheet. B. Product costs affe ct only the income statement. C. Period costs affect only the balance sheet. D. Neither product costs nor period costs affect the Statement of Retained Earnings. This can also be a true statement if the period costs were prepaid (i. e. , prepaid advertising, depreciation). E. Product costs eventually affect both the balance sheet and the income statement. 17.In a manufacturing company, the cost of goods completed during the period would include which of the following elements? A. Raw materials used. B. Beginning finished goods inventory. C. Marketing costs. D. Depreciation of delivery trucks. E. All of the above. 18. Which of the following equations is used to calculate cost of goods sold during the period? A. Beginning finished goods + cost of goods manufactured + ending finished goods. B. Beginning finished goods – ending finished goods. C. Beginning finished goods + cost of goods manufactured. D. Beginning finished goods + cost of goods manufactured – ending finishe d goods.E. Beginning finished goods + ending finished goods – cost of goods manufactured. 19. Holden Industries began July with a finished-goods inventory of $48,000. The finished-goods inventory at the end of July was $56,000 and the cost of goods sold during the month was $125,000. The cost of goods manufactured during July was: A. $104,000. B. $125,000. C. $117,000. D. $133,000. E. some other amount. 20. Carolina Plating Company reported a cost of goods manufactured of $520,000, with the firm's year-end balance sheet revealing work in process and finished goods of $70,000 and $134,000, respectively.If supplemental information disclosed raw materials used in production of $80,000, direct labor of $140,000, and manufacturing overhead of $240,000, the company's beginning work in process must have been: A. $130,000. B. $10,000. C. $66,000. D. $390,000. E. some other amount. 21. The accounting records of Bronco Company revealed the following information: Bronco's cost of goods manufactured is: A. $519,000. B. $522,000. C. $568,000. D. $571,000. E. some other amount. 22. The accounting records of Brownwood Company revealed the following information: Brownwood's cost of goods sold is: A. $721,000. B. $730,000.C. $778,000. D. $787,000. E. some other amount. 23. For the year just ended, Cole Corporation's manufacturing costs (raw materials used, direct labor, and manufacturing overhead) totaled $1,500,000. Beginning and ending work-in-process inventories were $60,000 and $90,000, respectively. Cole's balance sheet also revealed respective beginning and ending finished-goods inventories of $250,000 and $180,000. On the basis of this information, how much would the company report as cost of goods manufactured (CGM) and cost of goods sold (CGS)? A. CGM, $1,430,000; CGS, $1,460,000. B. CGM, $1,470,000; CGS, $1,540,000. C.CGM, $1,530,000; CGS, $1,460,000. D. CGM, $1,570,000; CGS, $1,540,000. E. Some other amounts. 24. Glass Industries reported the following data f or the year just ended: sales revenue, $1,750,000; cost of goods sold, $980,000; cost of goods manufactured, $560,000; and selling and administrative expenses, $170,000. Glass' gross margin would be: A. $940,000. B. $1,190,000. C. $1,020,000. D. $380,000. E. $770,000. 25. Variable costs are costs that: A. vary inversely with changes in activity. B. vary directly with changes in activity. C. remain constant as activity changes. D. decrease on a per-unit basis as activity increases.E. increase on a per-unit basis as activity increases. 26. Which of the following is not an example of a variable cost? A. Straight-line depreciation on a machine that has a five-year service life. B. Wages of manufacturing workers whose pay is based on hours worked. C. Tires used in the production of tractors. D. Aluminum used to make patio furniture. E. Commissions paid to sales personnel. 27. The fixed costs per unit are $10 when a company produces 10,000 units of product. What are the fixed costs per un it when 8,000 units are produced? A. $12. 50. B. $10. 00. C. $8. 00. D. $6. 50. E. $5. 50. 28.Total costs are $180,000 when 10,000 units are produced; of this amount, variable costs are $64,000. What are the total costs when 13,000 units are produced? A. $199,200. B. $214,800. C. $234,000. D. Some other amount. E. Total costs cannot be calculated based on the information presented. 29. Baxter Company, which pays a 10% commission to its salespeople, reported sales revenues of $210,000 for the period just ended. If fixed and variable sales expenses totaled $56,000, what would these expenses total at sales of $168,000? A. $16,800. B. $35,000. C. $44,800. D. $51,800. E. Some other amount. 30.The salary that is sacrificed by a college student who pursues a degree full time is a(n): A. sunk cost. B. out-of-pocket cost. C. opportunity cost. D. differential cost. E. marginal cost. Essay Questions 1. Consider the three firms that follow: (1) Southwest Airlines, (2) BMW, and (3) Target. These firms, examples of service providers, manufacturers, and merchandisers, tend to have different characteristics with respect to costs and financial-statement disclosures. Required: Determine which of the preceding firms (1, 2, and/or 3) would likely: A. Disclose operating expenses on the income statement.B. Have product costs. C. Have period costs. D. Disclose cost of cost good sold on the income statement. E. Have no meaningful investment in inventory. F. Maintain raw-material, work-in-process, and finished-goods inventories. G. Have variable and fixed costs. 2. Consider the following cost items: 1. Sales commissions earned by a company's sales force. 2. Raw materials purchased during the period. 3. Current year's depreciation on a firm's manufacturing facilities. 4. Year-end completed production of a carpet manufacturer. 5. The cost of products sold to customers of an apparel store. . Wages earned by machine operators in a manufacturing plant. 7. Income taxes incurred by an airlin e. 8. Marketing costs of an electronics manufacturer. 9. Indirect labor costs incurred by a manufacturer of office equipment. Required: A. Evaluate the costs just cited and determine whether the associated dollar amounts would appear on the firm's balance sheet, income statement, or schedule of cost of goods manufactured. B. What major asset will normally be insignificant for service enterprises and relatively substantial for retailers, wholesalers, and manufacturers? Briefly discuss. C.Briefly explain the similarity and difference between the merchandise inventory of a retailer and the finished-goods inventory of a manufacturer. 3. Consider the following items: A. Tomatoes used in the manufacture of Hunts ketchup B. Administrative salaries of executives employed by Jet Blue Airlines C. Wages of assembly-line workers at a Ford plant D. Marketing expenditures of the Atlanta Braves baseball club E. Commissions paid to Coca-Cola's salespeople F. Straight-line depreciation on manufactur ing equipment owned by Dell Computer G. Shipping charges incurred by Office Depot on out-going orders H.Speakers used in Sony home-theater systems I. Insurance costs related to a Mary Kay Cosmetics' manufacturing plant Required: Complete the table that follows and classify each of the costs listed as (1) a product or period cost and (2) a variable or fixed cost by placing an â€Å"X† in the appropriate column. 4. In discussing the operation of her automobile, a doctor once observed that gasoline is a fixed cost because the cost per gallon is relatively stable. Insurance, on the other hand, is a variable cost because the cost per mile varies inversely with the number of miles driven. Comment on the doctor's observation.

Uses and Gratifications Theory

USES AND GRATIFICATIONS THEORYThe uses and gratification perspectives takes the interpret of the media consumer. It examines how peopleuse the media and the gratification they seek and receive from their media behaviors. Uses andgratification researchers carry that audience that audience members are cognizant of and can articulatetheir reasons for consuming various media content.HistoryThe uses and gratifications b methodicalness on has its roots in the 1940s when researchers became concerned inwhy people engaged in various forms of media behaviour, such as tuner earreach or newspaper interlingual rendition. These early studies were in the first place descriptive, seeking to classify the responses of audience membersinto meaty categories. For example, Herzog in 1944 identified three types of gratificationassociated with earshot to radio soap, operas emotional release, wishful intellection and obtaining advice.Berelson in 1949 took advantage of a new(a) York news paper stri ke to adopt people why they read thepaper, the responses disappear into five major categories reading for information, reading for social prestige,reading for escape, reading as a tool for daily living, and reading for a social context. These earlystudies had little theoretical cohesion in fact many were providential by the practical needs of newspaperpublishers and radio broadcasters to know the motivations of their audience in order to serve them moreefficiently.The next step in the development of this research began during the late mid-fifties and continued during intothe 1960s, in this phase the accent mark was on identifying and operationalizing the many social andpsychological variables that were presumed to the antecedents of un exchangeable patterns of consumption andgratification. Wilbur Schramm in 1954 asked the question, what determines which offerings of mass communicationwill be selected by a given individualist? the answer he offered is called the fraction of se lection, and itlooks like