Stock Market for the Win Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stock Market for the Win - Research Paper Example It is time for the investment world to reap the benefits that we have seen transform and improve the rest of our world. (Kimmel and Hirsch, 2009, p. xiv). The time has come for those individuals who have yet to plunge into the welcoming waters of the stock market to do so. This paper will outline four principle benefits: financial return, the security of diversification, and the sense of control over one's financial future. The principal reason for investing in stocks flows from the likelihood of financial returns that are higher than one might earn through some other investment strategy. Investing in the stock market offers one the opportunity to take the money that they've earned and allow that money to work for them beyond the point of its acquisition. The stock market constitutes the most enduring system for assessing and contributing to the larger financial system, and provides one of the principle ways for informed consumers to earn a higher rate of return than would be possibl e through other investment or savings strategies. With an average return on one's investment of over 9% over 25 years (Observations 2009), the stock market makes even high fund money market accounts seem the choice of cowards or simpletons. Consider this particular case. A decade ago, a struggling computer manufacturer stood on the brink of bankruptcy, its stock price falling to historical lows. So real was the chance that the company would fold that its arch rival injected capital to keep them afloat, so worried was this rival about suits alleging monopoly control of the industry. The rescued company's stock price hit bottom at under fifteen dollars (Yahoo Finance 2001). Investors fled, but not all of them. Some committed themselves. Some bought in. These investors thought different. Today, that company, Apple, Inc., boasts a stock price of 570 dollars (Wall Street Journal 2012), the largest market capitalization of any company in history, and the more capital reserves than the U.S . federal government. For the investors that stuck with Apple, or who recognized opportunity in the collapse of their stock price and purchased new stock, the rewards have been substantial. Of course, one could lose money instead of making it. As with any investment, the possibility exists that the return will be negative and that the best laid investment plans will be more those of mice than of men, and that one's money will vanish on the next margin call. It would be a disservice to pretend as if this chance did not exist, precisely because it is the chance of failure that makes the reward for success so substantial. Indeed, some might describe the stock market as a â€Å"gamble† with your money, a sort of DOW and NASDAQ checkered roulette wheel. Dismissing stocks as a gamble would also be a disservice, for it misconstrues the structure of the stock market in order to stretch a metaphor to uncomfortable lengths. In a casino, for example, one gambles on games of chance, stru ctured such that the house always wins. But here the house, if one is to follow the dictates of the metaphor, are the composite of the companies themselves, and if investment dollars flow in, then the eventual likelihood of dividends flowing out increases in the aggregate. In addition, unlike games of chance, with stocks one can make an informed and researched opinion. The odds are not in the house's favor,

Career Path for Acounting Essay Example for Free

Career Path for Acounting Essay It is always so hard to give the exact number of people who have majored in accounting, but one thing that I know is that the demography is very wide and large. This is because they have different reasons for majoring in this career path. The most common reason to all people is because accounting is a marketable career and they merely want to find a job. The number of people majoring in this field is growing immensely and the most important thing is to consider the main reason of joining this profession. Some people will claim that when they were in high school, this was their best subject and they loved it and so they will need to major in it. I believe the best reason for majoring in accounting is because it has wide varieties of career path that one can major in. People should understand that this field is not all about debits and credits. It is more of a communicating language in the world of business and this is why many chief executive officers hold a degree in this field. In the day today life it is usually one of the most common undergraduate degree programs. The most important thing is to make certain that all of the people who are in this profession understand business and that is why many people who have ventured in accounting always have considerations for such posts. The most interesting part of this career choice is that most of the time the people who venture into it will always have the best job positions waiting for them because many people always have a notion that it is a difficult discipline. The employment opportunities are abounding for the graduates majoring in accounting. The government figures shows that at least 1.2 million of jobs are held by accountants every year. According to the Feldmann, 2009 and also the survey done by the Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA, 2000) the graduates are declining but after revisiting their research in the year 2005, it reflected an increase in number of the accountant graduates. This has become a relief to many accounting recruiters. According to the 2007 Employment dynamics and growth expectations (EDGE) 57% of the hiring managers have a difficulty when hiring qualified staff. This call for a necessity of accounting graduates, which fortunately is increasing day after the other as the business enterprises increase. After attaining a degree in this sector, most of the students always opt to become public accountants as the first career choice. The choice of either taking job as a private accountant depended on the fact that they had to make choices among the salary values offered to them. None of them like to work in the non profit organizations. They also venture to work in a CPA company because this will give them an opportunity to venture in areas that they want to experience especially in the write up sector and auditing. This will offer them the necessary experience and that is one of the things that have invigorated so many students in venturing in the public sector option. One may also opt to venture in the private sector which is immensely lucrative. Some of the student will always like to work for the company which is rising up in this sector, but this will be determined by the level of research one is willing to do. This will give them a chance to grow and nurture their career paths in different sectors. I would advise the graduates to incline towards the public sector especially the government and non profitable sector which will provide them with the best job security even if the salary is low. There are several things that an accountant can do after they have completed their undergraduate degree. One can choose to specialize in different areas of this field, but most of all have the kind of skills that can enable them in doing so. One of the areas that is very common for people who have done accounting. Auditing is one of the areas that one can venture in. It is one of the basic areas that people have chosen to build their careers in. This kind of job involves checking of ledgers and financial statements for an organization so as to determine if they are making losses and are they spending the cash that has been allocated to them accordingly. In the era that we are in today, the work of this nature has been automated and mostly they just need to key in the values accordingly and they are going to get the right kind of statement. They ensure that the values that are presented are for the financial year contains the right values. Accounting career paths are very varied and this is why many a times one has to consider the path that they want take. Many people after they have cleared school do not have an impression where to flinch their careers but the many options have in these career paths that can be taken. Book keeping is another thing that they can do. These are the people who keep records of invoices, payments and other revenue coming for a company or an individual. In many cases they will always want to venture in this area accordingly. Another area, which they would venture in is becoming general accountants. This is almost the same to a book keeper, but they make accruals and the necessary adjustments in the accounting records. In the large organizations, they are usually placed in departments like human resources department dealing with the payment of the staff. Another area is when one becomes a controller. These are the people who are responsible for the accounting department. They usually work in the public sector but also venture in the private sector and they are usually in charge of cash flow for the organization. For one to reach to such a position, one must work and put a lot of determination in the work that they do. The other job, which is available for them is becoming a forensic accountant. These are the people who work with the government or the persons who are accountable for auditing and investigating crimes which are related to accounting frauds and other related things. These people should ensure that they posses some level of law knowledge because this will assist them in identifying areas which have been altered and assist in prosecution of the culprits. A budget analyst is another thing that they can do. This is because they are able to interpret many things, which are recorded in the budget. This is a very crucial and involving work because they are the people who are responsible in the making of financial plans for businesses and other organizations especially the government agencies and other non profitable organizations. The professionals who have taken up these works can take up these jobs in both the private and the public sectors. The people who take these kinds of jobs should be very innovative when it comes to the negotiation process and that is why they should have good personal and interpersonal skills. Financial accounting is another sector that one can venture in. These are the persons who are accountable for the preparation of financial statements of the available businesses or any enterprise. These are the persons who are used to make decisions when there is a merger which is going to take place in any company. This is because these people Are gifted to study the fiscal statements of the two companies and determine if there is a need for merger and if one of the companies is taking advantage of the other or not. They are also responsible for forecasting to determine the returns that will be experienced by the companies when they merge. It is important to make sure that these people are responsible for the financial and accounting processes. Management accounting is a very busy position in any organization. This is why many people are able to have the kind of decisions that are deterministic in the process of capital budgeting and the area of analysis of contracts. Control on businesses on the expenses and the cost analysis is done by these people. They usually make sure that they work in close contact with the people responsible for the marketing sector since they assist in a big way when it comes to the making decisions which are good for the welfare of the company. Taxation is another area which they can take up. This is for persons who would like to become tax accountants. These are the people who work for both companies and individuals. They usually prepare statements which either for a corporation of personal income. It is a boost for the individual who is doing this kind of work to have good knowledge background of the necessary kind of economics which is being used by these people. Accountants are also responsible for advising individuals when it comes to venturing in different kinds of businesses. This is because they are the people who have the knowhow on the issues that are present and current in the business world. It is very good to ensure that the people who need services can be given independent and privately. Budgeting and other issues, which are associated with the business are given and offered to the people accordingly. This is very usual for the companies which need a lot of desecrate business especially those that are being faces with of competition. They need individuals who are trustworthy and can be able to keep a secret and the customer’s information private. Some individuals have also opted to continue with their studies even after becoming qualified accountants. They continue for MS to become licensed, Certified Public Accountants. This is a person who is approved by the state to finance financial information in the public companies to give accurate results. These are the individuals qualified to start their own auditing firms if they do not a favouring or well paying job opportunity (Felix 2010, 56). Thus the study found it advisable for the accountant graduates to continue to this level for better and higher chances of employment opportunities and also private or self employment enterprises. The study realized various career choices coincide with the accountant career path. Though the rate of accountant graduate seems to increase year after the other, the job opportunities are also increasing since many people are venturing to businesses which requires accountants to deal with the financial analysis. Each and every sector starting with the individual enterprises, the public, private and nongovernmental organizations cannot be successful without the accountants. These are important personnel since every business is after making profits and thus accounting careers like the auditing department are important to examine whether the business profitable or not. The private and public sectors also requires accountant staffs that are qualified to analyze their financial status and thus, realizing on the areas that needs improvement. Some students lack the opportunity of joining any of the discussed careers especially because of some issues like corruption and high competition. Nevertheless such students are not supposed to be frustrated but to come up with other activities that utilize their qualifications. A number of graduates who have lacked a position in the public, private, or the non profit organizations have started their own auditing firms. They run their own business as private auditors and are employed casually by these organizations. Other graduates have set their small microfinance businesses. These are industries which are growing at a high rate. For the qualified accountants their operations are easy and beneficial. These enterprises have become common in the rural areas and in areas with small scale business. Some of the accountants are joining hands to operate such businesses as partners. Some of these enterprises have grown to become Sacco’s and eventually banks. continue for MS to become licensed, Certified Public Accountants. This is an individual who is licensed by the state to finance financial information in the public companie s to give accurate results. These are the individuals qualified to start their own auditing firms if they do not a favouring or well paying job opportunity (Felix 2010, 56). Thus the study found it advisable for the accountant graduates to continue to this level for better and higher chances of employment opportunities and also private or self employment enterprises. For people who have advanced in these areas and actually had the best payment package compared to having a degree alone. This is why I would advice many people to make sure that they have taken the issue of taking CPA in an extra way to be able to make more money and have better jobs. Many people who have licences and certifications are able to have the best things in the career paths toward getting the best jobs possible. Every qualified accountant expects a salary that is higher than for any other undergraduate from a number of business schools. There is also an expectation of initiation into an exclusive professional club of the practicing accountants. This is a symbolic status that makes one feel to have an important and recognized rank in the society. Unfortunately these expectations are rarely met in the current society. Quite a number of students have joined the account career. This is making this field to have more than the required participants. In other words the supply is overtaking the demand. With high expectations of having a unique status, what happens when one fails to achieve this goal? One is also interested with the queries like where an accountant career path can lead one to or if there are there other industrial areas related to accountant career that such a graduate could get involved to utilize his knowledge. For students who are clearing from the universities i would advise that one who is trying to learn about a good accounting career path should have a wide variety of choices especially if he has a degree in accounting. One’s initial selection depends on the feeling about a primary direction that he believes is of interest to him. There are various general areas where one can choose to work in for instance private, public, government linked, or the non profit making organizations. For newer graduates, it is advisable to work with a CPA firm since it gives an opportunity to examine a number of industries and experience of both the audit and write up functions. One may also decide to join a private sector which is more beneficial, nevertheless it is advisable to first investigate on any industry that lies as a choice and go for the one that is fast growing. This gives an opportunity for expansion of ones career and thus wider rooms for advancement. Where one is inclined in a public service or a career in a government or non profit making organizations, one gets a good chance of exploring in various issues and can easily make changes which are beneficial to a the whole society or even the nation. All the government offices, in all departments, require accountant personnel that are talented. These offices include the FDIC, IRS, Comptroller of the currency, General services administration, military branches departments, health ministries, environmental ministries, to mention but a few. Any accounting working area, be it in government, public, or private sectors, will always lead to an interesting financial rewarding and beneficial careers. Though some of these careers overlap they vary in focus and lead to a challenging, professional life. In conclusion I would say that Accounting is a career that moulds accountants; these are persons that are responsible in the provision of data that is mainly required to make an assessment on the future and current economic activities. Accountants performs various duties, which include planning tax strategy, calculating the computing cost, preparation of financial statements, developing information technology, measuring financial performance, to mention but a few. This suggests that there are various and different accounting career paths which are beneficial in one way or another and can fit different people. Though some of them overlap, each of them has a specific focus. For successful career people should be able to do the best that they can do to advance this sector. Many technological advances have been made to ensure that these people who take up this course are able to save time and actually do their work better too.

Effect of Parenting Styles on Child Development

Effect of Parenting Styles on Child Development Yielding an ideal child goes beyond having the image of it. The parents’ manner of handling situations like when children accidentally break a glass, ask for concert tickets, or get low grades in the exam, determines if yielding a well-developed child is possible for them. Parents, in hope of making their child closer to what they expect, are continuously making attempts to shape their children and to achieve the version that will please them. These attempts are perceived through parenting styles, and the different styles are the different ways parents think could bring about results that would satisfy them. They vary on the level of freedom, control, warmth, and types of punishment, and affect children differently. Regardless of these variations, most parents believe that being either stern or lenient is the only formula to yield a pleasant, when, in fact, neither works. Every decision parents make for simple situations is a step away or towards yielding a pleasant child. Link between the family and the child’s outcome The family is the principal ground and vital figure for the child’s developments, and parents, as part of the family, are in charge of raising the child (Preethi Rosa, 2012). A child’s confidence, competency, and behaviour are honed and improved through the parenting style imposed by the parents or guardians. Developments results from parenting styles (Kopko, 2007; Kordi Baharudin, 2010). Terry (as cited in Ernst, 2013) said that a child’s outcome including ability to interact, performance in school, psychosocial development, and the way he or she behaves is predicted through the three parenting styles. Kordi and Baharudin (2010) added that parenting styles also predict â€Å"optimism, confidence, motivation, and attention problems† (par. 5). The four parenting styles The different parenting styles are characterized according to their level of demand and control, degree of freedom, degree response, and type of punishment. In terms of the degree of demand and control, freedom, and response, Samuel (2012) described authoritarian parents as someone who offer limits without freedom. According to him, these parents are very dominating and impose too much control. They demand order without freedom and offer no choice, making the decision-making contingent to the parents or guardians. They do not carry out discussion with the child and simply want their children to follow parental directives without question. For them, obedience is the most important aspect in discipline (Dewar, 2010a). They give low response or warmth to the child (Baumrind, 1966, 1991; Samuel, 2012). In terms of punishments, authoritarian parents impose restrictive, punitive, and harsh disciplinary practice. They punish through withdrawal of love or verbal abuse by way of scolding, thr eatening, ridiculing, shaming, or outburst of anger. Physical punishments like spanking and hitting are also used by this type of parents. Another style is the permissive parenting. Samuel (2012) described parents under this style offer freedom but lacks limits to the extent that their children are unrestrained. Permissive parents are not demanding and controlling, and often offer their children unlimited choices. They are passive in improving their child’s deeds because they value their display of affection and love to their child above all. Parents do not exercise obedience and imperatives upon the child. This type of parenting style imposes too high degree of response or warmth that they easily give in to their child’s requests. As a result, parents spoil their children. Permissive parents also hardly punish (Baumrind, 1966, 1991; Samuel, 2012). Children who have been spanked feel that they have paid for their misbehaviour and are free to misbehave again. Uninvolved discipline is also known as rejecting-neglecting discipline. This kind of parenting style is neither demanding nor responsive. They are emotionally detached and uninterested. Because they are disengaged, they do not impose punishments at all (Tiller, Garrison, Block, Cramer, Tiller, n.d.). Rational-authoritative discipline is described as democratic, where parents have high degree of demand and control. They inculcate to their children the importance of maintaining limit and control of their actions. Parents value the opinion of the children, so they allow discussion with them and engage their children in making decisions. Parents have high degree of response or warmth. Children under this style have both demanding and responsive parents who encourage verbal give-and-take (Baumrind, 1966, 1991; Dewar, 2010b). When punishing, parents use logical or natural consequences, grounding, reducing or withholding rewards, and carrying out penalties (Valya, 2009). The presented parenting styles differ from one another as the degree of demand and control, freedom, response, and the type of punishment also vary. The four parenting styles influence children in different ways due to certain factors. Methods of punishment First, the method of punishment has side effects to the child (Baumrind, 1991; Ernst, 2013). Authoritarian’s disciplinary methods punish too much and do not contribute to the child’s development. Valya (2009) and Gurian (2010) both agree that physical punishments do not work. The same mistakes will likely be committed again because the child thinks he or she has already paid for the misconduct committed by accepting these physical punishments. Instead of making the children reflect on their mistakes, the parents’ action of punishing physically instils to the child that problems could be handled through physical force. With the physical force being involved, children become more aggressive. Traumatic experiences and destructive remarks from parents cause depression upon children (Cole et al., 2008 as cited in Ernst, 2013). According to Georgiou et al. (as cited in Dewar, 2010a), self confidence is likely to decline because children under this style often get involved in bullying – both as victims and as offender. The punitive nature of authoritaria n parents who impose verbal abuse and physical punishment is no different than that of a bully’s nature. Harsh and spoken contempt, insults, and ridicule distort the child’s view about himself (Valya, 2009). Higher occurrence of depression and anxiety is due to corporal punishments (Dewar, 2010a), and the main reason for compliance of children is their fear for punishment. An effective discipline is not about being able to make children behave because they are scared of getting reprimanded. It is about teaching them of directing their behaviour in order to suit their deeds in a way that will reflect their distinction of what is right and wrong (Valya, 2009). Instead of a child with improved behaviour, authoritarian parenting yields a traumatized child. On the other hand, the lenient nature of permissive discipline does not punish and does not correct the child because parents overlook misbehaviours. Sears, Maccoby Levin (as cited in Baumrind, 1966) found out that after misbehaving, the child is most likely to commit the same mistake again, thinking that his or her parents approve of it. Uninvolved parents do not care whether their children behave or misbehave. Rational – Authoritative discipline’s nature addresses problem in misconduct. Seth and Ghromode (2013) affirm that through withdrawal of privileges and grounding system, children will not question the parents’ love. Valya (2009) said that the use of natural consequences is also good, although they do not apply to all situations, especially when the child’s health and safety are at risk. In such situations, logical consequences work where children take responsibility of the result of their actions. The outcomes of the actions are experiences that teach the child to be accountable with the conduct he or she shows (Valya, 2009). This makes the child a good decision-maker. In addition, the verbal give-and-take relationship between the parents and children makes authoritative discipline unique. Communication – a unique characteristic that the other styles lack – plays a crucial role. Authoritative parents allow discussion where children explain th eir side or reason for misconduct and, in return, parents point out and correct the children’s mistake to make them understand where they went wrong In this manner, the child is likely to reflect on his or her actions and learn from this or her mistakes after the punishment (Baumrind, 1966; Kopko, 2007; Dewar, 2010b). The differences in the degree of control and setting of limits or standards cause variations on the child’s behaviour. Too much control, limits, and high standards set by authoritarian parents trigger aggression on the part of the children as they feel their urge to break free. For instance, children of very dominating parents have greater chances of getting arrested for the first time (Chamber, Power, Loucks Swanson, 2001 as cited in Wittenborn, 2002). They are usually the delinquents, rebellious children, and drug users (Baumrind, 1991; Dewar, 2010a). Too much control, limits, and high standards may also cause children to become submissive and be dominated by fear. In the study by Lamborn et al. (as cited in Dewar, 2010a) in the United States, children under authoritarian discipline are less self-reliant and dependent with their parents’ decisions. This could be in fear of committing mistakes and getting harshly punished for it. They also found out that a child grows to be inert when the parents regard obedience above all (Valya, 2009). The lack of control, limit, and standards by permissive parents allows the child to be involved in self-detrimental activities. Parents are so lenient that decision-making is left to the child alone, which opens to higher possibility of committing wrong decisions. Children may show impulsive behaviours because there are only few standard set by the parents that the child has to conform with. No one controls them and sets limit that serve as guides for the children. The control, limit, and standards that are mutually consented by both rational-authoritative parents and their children open a higher possibility for the child to follow because the child’s viewpoints and opinions are being considered. When planning, parents apply â€Å"democratic practices† like asking for their child’s views, choice, or opinion (Dewar, 2010b). Discrepancies in some countries of authoritative parents in terms of democratic practices may be observed, but the nature of authoritative discipline lies on the â€Å"reasoning activity† that happens between the child and parent, which is a characteristic shared by all countries involved in the study (Dewar, 2010b). As the children get involve, they learn to participate in arguments, viewing that their opinions are of great importance, a healthy self concept. Third, the degree of freedom provided by the parents is an important factor for developing the child’s competency and assertiveness. The nature of authoritarian parenting makes the children highly dependent (Lamborn et al. and Steinberg et al. as cited in Dewar, 2010a). It does not help in honing the children’s competency because their actions are being restricted. In Turkey, Turkell and Tzer (as cited in Dewar, 2010a) found out that children of authoritarian parents are also less resourceful and less proficient in social skill. Children rely heavily on their parents’ decisions, so they likely to be inexperienced when it comes to decision making. Children also have hard time making friends. They are also often poor in academics (Dornbusch et al., 1987 as cited in Tiller, n.d.; Terry, 2004 as cited in Kordi Baharudin, 2010). This shows how authoritarian parenting poorly improves the competency of children. The lack of restrictions of permissive parents cause egocentric tendencies to occur. The child makes selfish decisions because they are often self-centered because parents easily give in to the child’s request, (Kopko, 2007; Dewar, 2010c). Uninvolved parents put their child to high risks because they are not guided. The â€Å"freedom within limits† nature of Rational-Authoritative discipline makes the child think first before doing something. The high value that parents place upon the child’s opinion (Samuel, 2012) makes them good decision-maker. In terms of moral thinking, the child’s ability to reason out is improved through the inductive discipline imposed in authoritative parenting (Krevans Gibb, 1996; Kerr et al., 2004 as cited in Dewar, 2010b). Lastly, the degree of responsiveness or warmth reflects the degree of support the parents provide their children in achieving individuality and overall development. The little warmth with high demands in authoritarian discipline provides little support on the child’s individuality and development. Authoritarian parents value obedience, not development, above all (Valya, 2009; Dewar, 2010a). The child’s opinion and emotions are often disregarded because the parents oppose discussion (Baumrind, 1991; Kopko, 2007; Valya, 2009; Dewar, 2010a). Too much warmth with low demands in Permissive discipline provides support only. Parents indulge their children too much because they find it hard to decline their child’s request. They believe that giving whatever their children wants is a way to show their love to them, and fear that not doing so would disappoint their children (Kopko, 2007). Uninvolved parents do not give warmth and do not provide developmental support to their children. Rational-Authoritative discipline’s ‘high’ degree of warmth balanced with ‘high’ parental demands gives the necessary ‘high’ degree of support needed to ensure the child’s development. Despite the support provided by the parents, standards mutually agreed by the child and the parents still exist that guide the child throughout the development process. The existence of these standards ensures not only that the child develops, but also that the child develops with high level of confidence, competency, and desirable behaviour (Dewar, 2010b). According to Klein et al. (as cited in Ernst, 2013), â€Å"there is a correlation to positive self-perception and authoritative parenting styles† (par. 10). Proper degree of demand, degree of freedom, degree of response, and the type of punishment result to competent, confident, and well-behaved children. The degree of demand must be high according to their capability. This ensures that children aim for high standards that are possible or within their capability, and encourages them to reach these demands because these standards consented by them. The degree of freedom must be within limits. Children will be engaged in critical thinking before making any decisions, and constant decision making will make them good decision makers. The freedom allows them to explore more, while the limits guide them. Freedom builds up competency and confidence, while the limit ensures proper behaviour. The degree of response must be high yet demanding. High response shows high support. High parental response is a confirmation to the child that parental love exists, and balancing response with demand will remind the child of the parents’ expectation of meeting certain standards. Punishment must be mild in forms of consequences and withdrawal of privileges or grounding system. These punishments neither hinder nor destroy child’s development. In addition, they do not inflict emotional and physical pains. Parents are often bothered by the unpleasant things they notice on their children, and most parents would blame everything except themselves. They seldom ponder where they could have possibly gone wrong in raising their child, when, in the first place, it was them who looked after the child. The characteristic of the rational-authoritative parenting style works because of â€Å"balance.† The ideal combination of the degree of demand, freedom, and response, helps develop confidence, improves competency, and ensures a well-behaved child. When a child gets low grades, stern parents punish at once, lenient parents let it slide, while balanced parents ask why. There is no perfect child, but it is never an excuse to not yield a good one. Some researchers claimed that kids of authoritarian parents are well-behaved, but these are based on self-reports and are subject to skepticism.

Codeswitching from English Essay example -- Language

The use of codeswitching between English and other languages is examined from a sociolinguistic perspective. It will be shown that codeswitching is instinctive and achieves overarching objectives such as serving the outcome of speech, defining identity and indirectly delineating aspects of the relationship between the participants, it 'lubricates' the conversation by making it more 'fluid', and when English is used, brings clarity and precision, particularly to formal arrangements. Finally codeswitching from English as a component of 'metrolinguistics' will be considered in relation to the data provided. The extracts are between G. D. Jayalakshmi, known as Jaya, who normally speaks English (but also Kannada, a south Indian language, Bengali, some Punjabi and Tamil), Nitin and Prathibha, who are work colleagues, and her brother Jagadish, known as Jaggu. The script of the conversations can be found in the U214 Assignments document pages 3 and 4, and the line numbering references are as used there. In the first conversation between Jaya and Nitin, Jaya points out in her commentary, that in 1.1 Nitin begins in English 'because the conversation is about work', in 1.2 she replies in Kannada, to demonstrate her friendliness toward him whilst observing that Nitin's use of English is due, not only to the work context, but also his knowledge that she has lived in England for many years and he too, wishes to show her friendliness by using English. Jaya concludes that they have used two languages to get closer, but they finish the conversation, 1.6 to 1.11 in English, which, talking to Pratibha in dialogue 2 she describes as the language of 'definiteness', or again in 4, with Jaggu, 'of arrangements'. The few words at the start of this ... ...OM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. English in the World, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University. McCormick, K. (2012), 'English and Other Languages' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 245-290. Meyerhoff, M. and Strycharz, A. (2012), 'Variation and Change in English' in Seargeant, P. and Swann, J. (ed.) History, Diversity, Change (U214, English in the World), Milton Keynes, The Open University, pp. 291-329. North, S. (2012), 'English a Linguistic Toolkit' (U214, Worlds of English), Milton Keynes, The Open University. Transcript, 'Clip 1.6.3 Codeswitching between English, Kannada and Hindi' printed from English: a Linguistic Tool Kit, (2012), (U214, Worlds of English, DVD ROM), Milton Keynes, The Open University.

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As it was mentioned that Mossier will use half of the proceeds from the sale to start a new fund to support socially minded entrepreneurship, and Bin will match his investment and continue the company's one-for-one shoe give away policy. The business has recently expanded beyond producing shoes, aware and coffee in Toms product lines- all with the same one for one theme. For every pair of eyeglasses purchased, Toms will help give sight to a person in need. For each bag of coffee beans sold a person will get clean water for a week.Tom's model is perfectly crafted for millennial consumers who wants to feel good about their purchases but needs a clear, simple and tangible means Of understanding the social purpose of the company through point-of-purchase marketing. Hence, it is evident that millennial are Toms' target demographic that are becoming social entrepreneurs in a big way too to make their own impact and for those who are with social missions, this development is a good step for ward to show that social entrepreneurship can do good and do well simultaneously. Document It is a pleasure to be here today and be part of such a distinguished panel. What I'd like to do in the time allotted is to share some thoughts on the influence of technology on learning in high schools. But first let me make clear what I'm talking about. The technology that is shaping our future and our children's is not, as many assume, the computer. These machines have been with us for decades and now, with their advanced multimedia capability, they deserve considerable credit for enhancing learning among people of all ages. But I propose that there is an even greater technology on the rise.I am speaking about the new and emerging forms of interactive communications, such as the Internet, that allow us to capitalize on our greatest learning resource -? the minds of people all over the globe. We are just beginning to experience the impact of this connection of people to people, and can only guess how transforming its effects will be in the coming years. I also contend, however, tha t if we make the right choices now, we can substantially change for the better how we and our children learn, and more important, how the young people of today and generations to come are taught to learn.To succeed at that task requires a concerted and coordinated effort -? a partnership if you will -? among our families, schools, youth organizations, and communities say that because I am mindful that technology itself is never the reason things change. Rather, it is how people choose to apply technology and whether they make wise decisions and address real needs that makes the difference in the long. There is a quote learned and here I quote: The real power of interactive communications is people as the ultimate source of knowledge.It is not the computers, the physical mass of wires, the complex of networks or the vast databases of information. Rather, it is people and their knowledge, relationships, insights, and spirit freely passed from one to another that engender the â€Å"ma gic† the Internet is making possible. Today, of this interconnected world that the fundamental question is whether we will share this â€Å"magic† with everyone , or only a privileged few. The answer depends on the decisions we aka and the actions we take from this moment on.We must come to understand that access to the Internet needs to be a reality for all our citizens, that the free and unrestricted flow of information and the ready availability of computers for everyone are not simply matters of â€Å"technology. † They are, in fact, one of the vital keys that will either open or lock the doors of opportunity for our children and ourselves. It is within our power to determine whether this generation is to experience the rewards of silverberry, a higher quality of fife, and a renewed sense of community that derive from an interactive sharing of information and knowledge.If we make that leap, and ensure that every citizen has access to the Internet and the chan ce to learn the skills to apply these new technologies for personal advancement as well as the common good, America will make a successful transition to the millennium. If we fail, We may leave a legacy smaller than Our own inheritance. We can get Involved with the New Technologies. Make it a priority. I imagine that getting access to networked computers and finding opportunities for practice and training on the Internet may not be easy for many of you.Investigate local community centers, nonprofit organizations, even corporations, who sometimes make space and courses available to the public. Or you might consider buying a recycled computer. Ask around. But don't give up. Because once you have experienced what I'm talking about -? instant access to information you can use and people with shared interests you'll begin to understand the power of this communications revolution. My friends experience demonstrate to me that, the Internet is a rueful tool for invigorating real communities , not just for building virtual ones.Charlotte Web's success in using communications technology to enrich the lives of an entire region, including the undeserved, so that everyone can participate more fully in community life, should inspire other cities and regions to embark on similar ventures. As a bright woman once told us, we need to ensure our children a head start in a difficult and forbidding world. Document The concert was phenomenal. I was an amazed by how Dry. Cure Ragman skills at playing the piano very agile as if he has been playing all his life. He played pieces by List, Suck, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin. Dry. Ragman played with an allegro style of playing in my opinion even when he had to stop playing in the beginning a note cause he sensed one of the microphones wasn't on.The first piece of music he played had an allegro tempo than slow turned and had a allegretto tempo to the piece he played by Franz List called Transcendental Statutes Harmonies du coir (Evening Harmonies). After the first performance Dry. Ragman thanked us for being a good audience. Spring by Josef suck started with a cheerful melody more relaxing as it started with an adagio tempo. Document The concert was phenomenal. I was an amazed by how Dry. Cure Ragman skills at playing the piano very agile as if he has been playing all his life. He played pieces by List, Suck, Rachmaninoff, and Chopin. Dry. Ragman played with an allegro style of playing in my opinion even when he had to stop playing in the beginning a note cause he sensed one of the microphones wasn't on.The first piece of music he played had an allegro tempo than slow turned and had a allegretto tempo to the piece he played by Franz List called Transcendental Statutes Harmonies du coir (Evening Harmonies). After the first performance Dry. Ragman thanked us for being a good audience. Spring by Josef suck started with a cheerful melody more relaxing as it started with an adagio tempo.

Repentance in Cry, the Beloved country Essay

Through Paton’s use of faith and forgiveness in Cry, the Beloved Country he demonstrates the concept of redemptive value through Kumalo’s suffering and Absalom’s repentance. Kumalo’s suffering makes the reader feel sympathetic because of the sudden, yet constant, uprising conflicts in the storyline. Absalom’s repentance makes the reader feel reflective because they start to consider the moral lessons being taught in the story. Faith and forgiveness are combined to create the redemptive value of suffering, or repentance. The concept of forgiveness in Cry the Beloved Country is very crucial to the plot because Kumalo has many family members that he needs to forgive before he can leave Ndotsheni to go and help them in Johannesburg. When Kumalo’s wife questions him about his well-being he replies angrily, â€Å"Hurting myself? Hurting myself? I do not hurt myself, it is they who are hurting me. My own son, my own sister, my own brother. They go away and do not write anymore. Perhaps it does not seem to them that we suffer. Perhaps they do not care for it. †(39) Here Kumalo comes to the realization of the importance of this trip to Johannesburg, he must go there to find them and forgive them for the suffering they have caused. When he first goes to find his sister, Gertrude, he is angry at her for shaming his family, â€Å"You have shamed us, he says in a low voice, not wishing to make it known to the world. A liquor seller, a prostitute, with a child and you do not know where it is? Your brother a priest? How could you do this to us? † (61) Kumalo becomes angry interrogating her about her sins hoping, possibly knowing, that between the fear, discomfort, and guilt she feels that she will repent and pray to become a better person. In Book two the perspective shifts to James Jarvis, Father of late Arthur Jarvis, James Jarvis doesn’t have any need to necessarily forgive but he does reconcile a bit while finding things around Arthur’s home and talking to Arthur’s father in-law. While speaking to Harrison, Arthur’s father in-law, James mentions â€Å"‘Although his life was different’, he said, ‘you understood it. ’ ‘Yes, James’ ‘I’m sorry I didn’t understand it’ then he said in a whisper, ‘I didn’t know it would ever be so important to understand it. ’†(175) He feels a bit guilty for not attempting to understand his son’s political importance in life and for not knowing all that he had accomplished during his time alive. In order for someone to forgive another you must also make amends with God, which is why faith is important in the novel. Kumalo talked to Father Vincent about amendment of life, â€Å"‘We spoke of amendment of life’, said the white priest. ‘Of the amendment of your son’s life. And because you are a priest, this must matter to you more than all else, more even than your suffering and your wife’s suffering. † (141) When Father Vincent says that he being a priest matters more than his suffering it demonstrates the important of faith. Father Vincent seems to be suggesting that having a member of Kumalo’s congregation commit murder is more devastating than having his son commit murder. As previously mentioned faith is more important and in this way Kumalo must grieve over the loss of his son and the loss of a member of his congregation. Courage, faith, and hope are all very closely related as courage and hope are commonly religious principle. Knowing the important of faith and forgiveness in Cry, the Beloved Country , after all has been said and done, Absalom is sentenced to death, â€Å"Still kneeling, the father took his son’s hands, and they were not lifeless any more, but clung to his, seeking some comfort, some assurance. And the old man held them more strongly, and said again, ‘be of good courage, my son. ’†(241) Kumalo gives Absalom this simple statement and soon after leaves him to go home and return to Ndotsheni. The first part of the quote, â€Å"and they were not lifeless anymore† is very important because he has transformed from this lifeless criminal into a guilty caring son through faith. Absalom had in fact repented for his crime and can die a forgiven man. The redemptive value of suffering is â€Å"the belief that human suffering, when accepted and offered up in union with the Passion of Jesus, can remit the just punishment for one’s sins or for the sins of another. †(ww. thedefender. org) repentance is equal to this which is mentioned several times through the trial of Absalom Kumalo. The trial is a frustration to the reader because of the honesty of Absalom, â€Å"‘There is no lie in it, for I said to myself, I shall not lie any more, all the rest of my day, nor do anything that is evil. ’ ‘In fact you repented? ’ ‘Yes, I repented. ’†(199) Absalom told the truth and committed a crime out of fear, which brings into question how did he deserve the punishment he was given? He was sentenced to be hung until death, even though this wasn’t ideal, he died with faith, and repentance, and a new family. His moment of true repentance appears to be when he chooses to name his child Peter, this is biblical symbolism for the story of King David, his son was named Absalom and he rebelled against his father. Absalom, soon repented by naming his child Peter, the disciple that denied knowing Jesus. Kumalo knows that Absalom can repent when father Vincent says, â€Å"‘A man may repent him of any evil. ’†(141)This is assuring to Kumalo as now he knows that if his son tries he will be forgiven by God which gives Kumalo peace within. Alan Paton successfully demonstrated the concept of repentance through faith and forgiveness and caused the reader to feel sympathetic and reflective. Paton creates the effect on the reader through Kumalo’s suffering and Absalom’s repentance. The element of repentance is very important to faith and to the story line. Absalom’s repentance is what helps his father and himself deal with the grave sentence of death. Kumalo returns before Absalom’s hanging and continues to live life and move on with the new members of the family.

Proportionally Resize an Image (TBitmap)

Proportionally Resize an Image (TBitmap) In graphics programming a thumbnail is a reduced-size version of a picture. Heres an idea for your next application: create a form picker to let users easily select and navigate through open forms by displaying thumbnails of them all in a dialog window. Interesting idea? Sounds like the Quick Tabs feature of the IE 7 browser :) Before actually creating such a neat feature for your next Delphi application, you need to know how to grab the image of the form (form-screen shot) and how to proportionally resize it to the desired thumbnail image. Proportional Picture Resizing: Creating Thumbnail Graphics Below you will find a block of code to take the image of a form (Form1) by using the GetFormImage method. The resulting TBitmap is then resized to fit the maximum thumbnail width (200 pixels) and/or height (150 pixels).Resizing maintains the aspect ratio of the image. The resulting image is then displayed in a TImage control, named Image1. const   Ã‚  maxWidth 200;   Ã‚  maxHeight 150; var   Ã‚  thumbnail : TBitmap;   Ã‚  thumbRect : TRect; begin   Ã‚  thumbnail : Form1.GetFormImage;   Ã‚  try   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbRect.Left : 0;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbRect.Top : 0;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  //proportional resize   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if thumbnail.Width thumbnail.Height then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbRect.Right : maxWidth;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbRect.Bottom : (maxWidth * thumbnail.Height) div thumbnail.Width;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  end   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  else   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbRect.Bottom : maxHeight;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbRect.Right : (maxHeight * thumbnail.Width) div thumbnail.Height;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  end;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbnail.Canvas.StretchDraw(thumbRect, thumbnail) ; //resize image   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbnail.Width : thumbRect.Right;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbnail.Height : thumbRect.Bottom;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  //display in a TImage control   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Image1.Picture.Assign(thumbnail) ;   Ã‚  finally   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  thumbnail.Free;   Ã‚  end; end; Note: The GetFormImage only copies the form client area - if you need to take the entire screen shot of a form (including its border) youll need a different approach ...more about it next time.

Behistun Inscription - Message to the Persian Empire

Behistun Inscription - Message to the Persian Empire The Behistun inscription (also spelled Bisitun or Bisotun and typically abbreviated as DB for Darius Bisitun) is a 6th century BCE Persian Empire carving. The ancient billboard includes four panels of cuneiform writing around a set of three-dimensional figures, cut deep into a limestone cliff. The figures are carved 300 feet (90 meters) above the Royal Road of the Achaemenids, known today as the Kermanshah-Tehran highway in Iran. Fast Facts: Behistun Steel Name of Work:  Behistun InscriptionArtist or Architect: Darius the Great, ruled 522–486 BCEStyle/Movement: Parallel CuneiformTextPeriod: Persian EmpireHeight: 120 feetWidth: 125 feetType of Work: Carved inscriptionCreated/Built: 520–518 BCEMedium: Carved Limestone BedrockLocation: Near Bisotun, IranOffbeat Fact: The earliest known example of political propagandaLanguages: Old Persian, Elamite, Akkadian The carving is located near the town of Bisotun, Iran, about 310 miles (500 kilometers) from Tehran and about 18 mi (30 km) from Kermanshah. The figures show the crowned Persian king Darius I stepping on Guatama (his predecessor and rival) and nine rebel leaders standing before him connected by ropes around their necks. The figures measures some 60x10.5 ft (18x3.2 m) and the four panels of text more than double the overall size, creating an irregular rectangle of approximately 200x120 ft (60x35 m), with the lowest part of the carving some 125 ft (38 m) above the road. Behistun Text The writing on the Behistun inscription, like the Rosetta Stone, is a parallel text, a type of linguistic text that consists of two or more strings of written language placed alongside each other so they can be easily compared. The Behistun inscription is recorded in three different languages: in this case, cuneiform versions of Old Persian, Elamite, and a form of Neo-Babylonian called Akkadian. Like the Rosetta Stone, the Behistun text greatly assisted in the decipherment of those ancient languages: the inscription includes the earliest known use of Old Persian, a sub-branch of Indo-Iranian. A version of the Behistun inscription written in Aramaic (the same language of the Dead Sea Scrolls) was discovered on a papyrus scroll in Egypt, probably written during the early years of the reign of Darius II, about a century after the DB was carved into the rocks. See Tavernier (2001) for more specifics about the Aramaic script. Royal Propaganda The text of the Behistun inscription describes the early military campaigns of the Achaemenid rule King Darius I (522–486 BCE). The inscription, carved shortly after Dariuss accession to the throne between 520 and 518 BCE, give autobiographical, historical, royal and religious information about Darius: the Behistun text is one of several pieces of propaganda establishing Dariuss right to rule. The text also includes Dariuss genealogy, a list of the ethnic groups subject to him, how his accession occurred, several failed revolts against him, a list of his royal virtues, instructions to future generations and how the text was created.   So, What Does it Mean? Most scholars agree that the Behistun inscription is a bit of political bragging. Dariuss main purpose was to establish the legitimacy of his claim to Cyrus the Greats throne, to which he had no blood connection. Other bits of Dariuss braggadocio are found in others of these trilingual passages, as well as big architectural projects at Persepolis and Susa, and the burial places of Cyrus at Pasargadae and his own at Naqsh-i-Rustam. Historian Jennifer Finn (2011) noted that the location of the cuneiform is too far above the road to be read, and few people were likely literate in any language anyway when the inscription was made. She suggests that the written portion was meant not only for public consumption but that there was likely a ritual component, that the text was a message to the cosmos about the king. Translations and Interpretations Henry Rawlinson is credited with the first successful translation in English, scrambling up the cliff in 1835, and publishing his text in 1851. The 19th-century Persian scholar Mohammad Hasan Khan Etemad al-Saltaneh (1843–96) published the first Persian translation of the Behistun translation. He noted but disputed the then-current idea that Darius or Dara might have been matched to King Lohrasp of the Zoroastrian religious and Persian epic traditions.   Israeli historian Nadav Naaman has suggested (2015) that the Behistun inscription may have been a source for the Old Testament story of Abrahams victory over the four powerful Near Eastern kings. Sources Alibaigi, Sajjad, Kamal Aldin Niknami, and Shokouh Khosravi. The Location of the Parthian City of Bagistana in Bistoun, Kermanshah: A Proposal. Iranica Antiqua 47 (2011): 117–31. Print.Briant, Pierre. History of the Persian Empire (550–330 BC). Forgotten Empire: The World of Ancient Persia. Eds. Curtis, John E., and Nigel Tallis. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2005. 12–17. Print.Daryaee, Touraj. Persianate Contribution to the Study of Antiquity: Etemad Al-Saltanehs Nativisation of the Qajars. Iran 54.1 (2016): 39–45. Print.Ebeling, Signe Oksefjell, and Jarie Ebeling. From Babylon to Bergen: On the Usefulness of Aligned Texts. Bergen Language and Linguistics Studies 3.1 (2013): 23–42. Print.Finn, Jennifer. Gods, Kings, Men: Trilingual Inscriptions and Symbolic Visualizations in the Achaemenid Empire. Ars Orientalis 41 (2011): 219–75. Print.Naaman, Nadav. Abrahams Victory over the Kings of the Four Quadrants in Light of Darius Is Bis itun Inscription. Tel Aviv 42.1 (2015): 72–88. Print. Olmstead, A. T. Darius and His Behistun Inscription. The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures 55.4 (1938): 392–416. Print.Rawlinson, H. C. Memoir on the Babylonian and Assyrian Inscriptions. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland 14 (1851): i–16. Print.Tavernier, Jan. An Achaemenid Royal Inscription: The Text of Paragraph 13 of the Aramaic Version of the Bisitun Inscription. Journal of Near Eastern Studies 60.3 (2001): 61–176. Print.Wilson-Wright, Aren. From Persepolis to Jerusalem: A Reevaluation of Old Persian-Hebrew Contact in the Achaemenid Period. Vetus Testamentum 65.1 (2015): 152–67. Print.

Leadership and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Leadership and Culture - Essay Example This editing paper mostly focuses on leadership, teamwork and collaboration of these. The researcher describes that they are not only vital components to the success of an organization, but also to the creation of the culture of the organization. Culture refers to the personality of an organization, and allows a group of people to address concerns and challenges that arise within the organization. This organizational culture forms as a result of members coming together with the common goal of successfully running their business and is primarily generated through communication. Language, stories, and rituals are used to form distinguishing group cultures and accomplish a shared vision that all employees can grasp. Teamwork and collaboration and their differences were analyzed in this editing. A team consists of two or more individuals with particular roles that are implemented to meet a valued goal. The collaboration term is when the parties involved share the responsibilities of comb ining the duties of the teams. However, the primary characteristic that they share is that teams must gradually come together to create a finished product, which is done under such collaboration. In conclusion, the researcher refers to several examples to describe how an organization grows and culture is formed and why teamwork shifts seamlessly to collaboration. The two cannot exist independently, the researcher states, but rely on each other if the organization desires to be successful.

The Importance of Distinguishing Between Acquisition and Learning in Essay

The Importance of Distinguishing Between Acquisition and Learning in Second Language Performance - Essay Example Yet we are now seeing greater importance placed on these issues and in turn a better understanding of the multiple and varying difficulties that a student of second language acquisition can face. Differentiating between learning and acquisition signifies that these factors have a special place alongside that of the traditional problems of language learning. It is important to highlight on the word 'alongside' because differentiating between the two should not mean that either takes predominance or that there should be some kind of theoretical showdown, but rather that each term find its proper place and do its proper job. By taking into consideration both acquisition and learning and making a differentiation between the two we are better able to understand all sides of second language learning. To better understand the nature of the discussion around the manners with which we learn to speak a second language it is important to first define the terms we are using. First and foremost it should be noted that 'acquisition' and 'learning' aggregate significant meaning to the word language. Acquisition is defined as the act of acquiring or gaining something through one's own efforts and/or experience.1 Learning, on the other hand is defined as the act, process, or experience of gaining knowledge or skill, usually through schooling or studying.2 The term second language learning has traditionally been used to describe the process of learning a second language through formal instruction. For example, adults taking English classes are described as learning a language, not acquiring it. In Krashen's (1981) theory of second language performance he works with the distinction between acquisition and learning.3 Second language performance would be the term that encompasses the two independent systems, the acquired system and the learned system. The former is described as being the product of the human subconscious and entails meaningful interaction, while the later is the product of formal instruction and results in conscious knowledge of the language. In Krashen's input hypothesis he puts forth his theory on how one obtains the knowledge of a second language through language acquisition.4 He explains that an individual perks up along the natural order of learning a language. For example, if a learner is at a stage 'i', then acquisition takes place when he/she is exposed to 'Comprehensible Input' that belongs to level 'i + 1'. Different learners have different capacity and competence for seeking knowledge or absorbing new material. Since not all of the learners can be at the same level of linguistic competence at the same time, Krashen argues that natural communicative input is the key to designing a syllabus, ensuring in this way that each learner will receive some 'i + 1' input that is appropriate for his/her current stage of linguistic competence.5 Krashen's ground breaking work called to the forefront the long ignored area of psycholinguistics which focuses on the pivotal role feelings and sentiments play during the accumulation of a second language. At the core of his work is the belief that language acquisition does not require extensive use of conscious grammatical rules but rather meaningful interaction with the target language, what he calls a 'natural

Social Security Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Security - Essay Example Full employment does not mean zero unemployment but means a situation where an economy experiences only structural and frictional unemployment and an absence of cyclical unemployment. This is because structural and frictional unemployment are considered unavoidable and work positively to some extent too. The rate associated with full employment is known as the full-employment rate of unemployment or as the natural rate of unemployment (NRU) and is considered to be consistent with a level of unemployment that predominantly comprises voluntarily unemployed workers.1 An economy at its natural rate of unemployment is said to be producing a non-inflationary potential output.2 Zero unemployment is not a desired state, because at this level inflationary pressures start to build in form of rising wages. This increases costs, which are in turn passed on to customers as higher prices, and this leads to inflation. Unemployment is an excess amount of labor on the labor market. An unemployed person is defined as one who is willing to work but is out of work. The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed workers divided by the civilian labor force, this includes both the unemployed and those with jobs. Frictional unemployment is unemployment which results from people moving between jobs and new workers entering the labor force.3 Frictional unemployment refers to workers who are searching for jobs and those that are waiting to work in the near future. A certain amount of frictional unemployment is unavoidable and inevitable, however this type of unemployment can be reduced to some extent by providing better information about job opportunities and availability of workers. Structural Unemployment Structural unemployment is more likely to be a longer term phenomenon than frictional unemployment and consequently have a greater impact. 2 Barbiero Thomas, Brue Stanley and McConnell Campbell. Macroeconomics: McGraw-Hill Ryerson Limited, (2002): 160 3 James, Elijah M. Macroeconomics: A Problem Solving Approach. Prentice Hall Canada Inc. (1997): 419 Structural Unemployment is caused by a mismatch between the skills (or location) of job seekers and the requirements (or location) of available jobs. It is the type of unemployment that arises when there is a decline in the number of jobs available in a particular region or industry, and this is caused by changes in the demand pattern of consumers. If there is a permanent decline in the demand for leather shoes, the

Sovereignty as Important Aspect to a Nation States Government Research Paper

Sovereignty as Important Aspect to a Nation States Government - Research Paper Example Some states such as the United States of America are more sovereign than others. According to Borensztein (2004:17), the U.S. has been at the forefront in declaring the significance of arsenal nuclear accumulation. The publicizing of nuclear proliferation by corporate media that is revolving around Iraq and the half of North Korea is a concern to the U.S. According to the U.S officials, this move by such countries that seem suspicious calls international intersection. Therefore, since the U.S is more sovereign than Korea, it deployed about thirty-seven thousand troops and stationed them in Korea. In addition, it deployed a massive number of military forces all over Iraq. When the U.S government orders other countries to cease nuclear proliferation, those countries must lower down their defenses and disarm with immediate effect. However, Iraq did not respond to this call by the U.S forcing the U.S to attack the country. After the war kicked off, Iraq could abide with the United Nation s Security Council Resolutions and call off the war, but insisted on keeping its nukes despite the understanding that only the U.S portrays its nuclear as a necessity to its national security. The legitimate purpose of establishing the United Nations was to ensure peaceful negotiations between quarrelling nations and come to a mutual understanding without necessarily resulting in war. However, the case of the USA and Iraq was different since Iraq did not want to resolute to the UN council. It considered the application of ‘Atoms for Peace’ program factoring itself out as sovereign with sovereignty guaranteed in the UN Charter that declares that a sovereign nation has a right to defend itself in case of an external attack. The application of power to control and curb possible risks by the United States depicts its sovereignty (Wilkins & Stark, 2010:41). Therefore, following this example, it is true to say that some nations are more sovereign compared to others. Some stat es are more sovereign than others are because politicians and globalists strive to acquire power by use of substantial resolutions.

Law for Non-Lawyers Summative Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Law for Non-Lawyers Summative - Assignment Example The task of interpreting falls on the judge ruling on a particular case. The interpretation of the statute will be aimed at discovering the true intention that the legislature intended and put that into practice. Judges have been interpreting statutes for centuries now. In the past, though, the statutes were being drawn by very competitive legislature people and made the issue of interpretation almost non-existence, the same cannot be said of today. The task of interpretation of statutes has become very critical in the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty first centuries. The courts always find it necessary to interpret the statutes even though they have been drafted by experts. Some of the reasons that may be attributed to the inconsistencies, and therefore the need for interpretation, include the following. First, words are not necessarily the perfect symbols of communication. Depending on the context and the time the words were written or spoken different meanings can be derived from the same words. Secondly, some situations that were unforeseen at the time of making the legislation will also necessitate adequate interpretation to give consideration to the recent development. These developmen ts may include change of culture and or technologies which make the application of a particular statute difficult. The third reason may be the need to take care or give special treatment to special interest groups (Kim, 2008). In their duty of interpreting the statutes, the judges may use several instruments at their disposal; these include rules and canons or doctrines that guide interpretations. Some of the rules include the literal rule, the mischief rule, the golden rule and the purposive approach. The doctrines include ejusdem generis and noscitur a sociis among others. This paper examines a case of Tom allegedly in breach of the Prohibition of Unsolicited Parties (Fictitious) Act 2010 that prohibited the gathering of more than a hundred persons on a

Case Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Marketing - Essay Example In most cases, different products are developed on the premise that people with similar interests as well as income levels tend to live in the same areas hence it would be easier to reach them. Hats and caps are perceived differently by different people in the local market. In some cases, they may be perceived as luxury which is a preserve for mainly those who constitute the middle class and the affluent by virtue of their income but just like American popular culture, they are gaining prominence. Benefit segmentation can be used as one variable where One Source Gear can group people on the basis of similar benefits they seek to gain from a product such as low price or quality product. This can be done at the level of educational institutions since they will seek something uniform. Kotler (1999) posits that benefit segmentation deals with characteristics such as personality, attitudes, opinions as well as life styles. Thus, according to Kotler, such segments are indicators though the y may not be perfect, of behaviour such as lifestyle, price sensitivity and brand preference. Another variable that can be used to segment the market by the distributor is occasion segmentation which primarily deals with certain events. This can be done on the level of sporting teams such as soccer or athletics. These are special occasions held during particular periods and the distributors should target such occasions given that they will an impact on the sales made. Another variable that can be utilised when segmenting the market is usage level segmentation which entails grouping people into whether they are heavy, medium, light users or non users of the product. This depends on the level of interests of a particular product by the targeted people in the market. Usually, people with similar usage levels of a particular product display the same behaviour as well as attitude towards it. 2.

Sovereignty as Important Aspect to a Nation States Government Research Paper

Sovereignty as Important Aspect to a Nation States Government - Research Paper Example Some states such as the United States of America are more sovereign than others. According to Borensztein (2004:17), the U.S. has been at the forefront in declaring the significance of arsenal nuclear accumulation. The publicizing of nuclear proliferation by corporate media that is revolving around Iraq and the half of North Korea is a concern to the U.S. According to the U.S officials, this move by such countries that seem suspicious calls international intersection. Therefore, since the U.S is more sovereign than Korea, it deployed about thirty-seven thousand troops and stationed them in Korea. In addition, it deployed a massive number of military forces all over Iraq. When the U.S government orders other countries to cease nuclear proliferation, those countries must lower down their defenses and disarm with immediate effect. However, Iraq did not respond to this call by the U.S forcing the U.S to attack the country. After the war kicked off, Iraq could abide with the United Nation s Security Council Resolutions and call off the war, but insisted on keeping its nukes despite the understanding that only the U.S portrays its nuclear as a necessity to its national security. The legitimate purpose of establishing the United Nations was to ensure peaceful negotiations between quarrelling nations and come to a mutual understanding without necessarily resulting in war. However, the case of the USA and Iraq was different since Iraq did not want to resolute to the UN council. It considered the application of ‘Atoms for Peace’ program factoring itself out as sovereign with sovereignty guaranteed in the UN Charter that declares that a sovereign nation has a right to defend itself in case of an external attack. The application of power to control and curb possible risks by the United States depicts its sovereignty (Wilkins & Stark, 2010:41). Therefore, following this example, it is true to say that some nations are more sovereign compared to others. Some stat es are more sovereign than others are because politicians and globalists strive to acquire power by use of substantial resolutions.

Case Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Marketing - Essay Example In most cases, different products are developed on the premise that people with similar interests as well as income levels tend to live in the same areas hence it would be easier to reach them. Hats and caps are perceived differently by different people in the local market. In some cases, they may be perceived as luxury which is a preserve for mainly those who constitute the middle class and the affluent by virtue of their income but just like American popular culture, they are gaining prominence. Benefit segmentation can be used as one variable where One Source Gear can group people on the basis of similar benefits they seek to gain from a product such as low price or quality product. This can be done at the level of educational institutions since they will seek something uniform. Kotler (1999) posits that benefit segmentation deals with characteristics such as personality, attitudes, opinions as well as life styles. Thus, according to Kotler, such segments are indicators though the y may not be perfect, of behaviour such as lifestyle, price sensitivity and brand preference. Another variable that can be used to segment the market by the distributor is occasion segmentation which primarily deals with certain events. This can be done on the level of sporting teams such as soccer or athletics. These are special occasions held during particular periods and the distributors should target such occasions given that they will an impact on the sales made. Another variable that can be utilised when segmenting the market is usage level segmentation which entails grouping people into whether they are heavy, medium, light users or non users of the product. This depends on the level of interests of a particular product by the targeted people in the market. Usually, people with similar usage levels of a particular product display the same behaviour as well as attitude towards it. 2.

Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria Essay Example for Free

Application of Lactic Acid Bacteria Essay In food industry Recent years the interest increased in using LAB by using bacteriocin-like inhibitory substances (BLIS) because of their potential use as a natural antimicrobial agent to enhance the food safety of food products and increase the nutritional values of the food. Foods that fermented by LAB such as cheese, kimchi, fermented sausages, wine, yogurt and pickles have not only a greatly extended shelf life compared to the raw materials from which they are derived, but also enhance the aroma and flavor directly or indirectly by the fermenting organisms. There have many lactic acid fermentation products that have been used since long time ago such as Kimchi (korea), Yogurt (eastern Europe), Dahi (india n Nepal) and cheese (Europe n middle east). Cheese The basic steps of cheese production are acidification, coagulation, dehydration, and salting. While acid production is the major function of the starter bacteria. LAB is responsible for the fresh acidic flavor of unripened cheese and is important in coagulation of milk casein, which is accomplished by the combined action of the enzyme rennet. During the ripening process the LAB also producing volatile flavor compounds such as diacetyl and aldehydes by releasing proteolytic and lipolytic enzymes involved in cheese ripening and by natural antibiotic substances that suppress growth of pathogens and other spoilage microorganisms. For Cheddar and Colby cheese production, starter cultures include strains of Lactococcus lactis ssp.cremoris and Lactocoocus lactis ssp lactis. While, blue cheese require both and the mold Penicillum roqueforti is also added as a secondary for the flavor and blue color. Health benefits of LAB LAB also known as probiotics because they can promote intestinal balance and strengthen the immune system. Managing Lactose Intolerance -LAB convert lactose into lactic acid, their ingestion may help lactose intolerant individuals tolerate more lactose than what they would have Effective diarrhea relief preventing and shortening the duration of several types of diarrhea LAB compete with pathogens for nutrients and space in the intestines By-products of metabolism may have a direct effect against the pathogens. For example, in vitro work shows that L. casei, L. acidophilus and L. bulgaricus can all produce antimicrobial agents such as acidophilin and bulgarican that can inhibit growth of pathogens Enhance immune system -LAB has been shown to increase B-lymphocytes or B cells, which recognize foreign matter -LAB also increase phagocytic activity which help to destroy foreign matter by the increasing the proportion of T lymphocytes and Natural Killer cells LAB can stimulate the immune activity in the intestinal mucosa and treat -Reducing inflammations and food allergies Potential Benefits Prevention of Colon Cancer: -LAB has ability to bind with carcinogenic substances (anti- carcinogenic effects) that can protect against colon cancer -Lower rates of colon cancer among higher consumers of fermented dairy products have been observed in some population studies However, more long-term studies on human is needed Lowering cholesterol -Lower serum cholesterol levels in animals by breaking down bile in the gut, thus prevent its reabsorption. However, various studies with fermented milk products have shown either no effect or a reduction in cholesterol levels.

Elementary Number Theory

Elementary Number Theory Bernard Opoku qCarl Friedrich Gauss, born into a poor working class family in Brunswick, now lower Saxon, Germany and died in Gottingen, Germany. He was a child prodigy with genius that did not impress his father who called him a star-gazer. His mother, Dorothea Gauss was the exact opposite of his father as she collaborated with his teachers who were impressed enough to find a him a scholarship at the at the local secondary school in Duke of Brunswick. At a very early age Gauss showed signs of great mathematical prospects. At the age of only three years old he noticed arithmetic mistakes his father had made in bookkeeping. (Eves 476) At the age of seven he started elementary school and it was not long after that his teacher, Bà ¼ttner, and his assistant, Martin Bartels, realized Gauss ability when he summed the numbers from 1 through 100 in his head. It had become obvious to Gauss that the numbers 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + + 97 + 98 + 99 + 100 could also be thought of as 1 + 100 + 2 + 99 + + 49 + 52 + 50 + 51. Thinking of it this way he had paired the numbers up so that there would be fifty pair of numbers which would each sum to be 101, or 50 * 101 which equals 5050. (OConnor) It was this that lead Gauss to joke that he could figure before he could talk. In 1788 Gauss began his education at the Gymnasium with the help of Bà ¼ttner and Bartels, where he learnt High German and Latin. After receiving a stipend from the Duke of Brunswick- Wolfenbà ¼ttel, Gauss entered Brunswick Collegium Carolinum in 1792 at the age of fifteen and then Gà ¶ttingen University at age eighteen. (Eves476). While in Collegium in 1797, he collected a very ripe and seasoned education filled with science and classical education way beyond those his age. It was on March 30, 1796, that Gauss began writing in his famous mathematical diary to which he commonly wrote encrypted messages about his mathematical achievements. His diary contains 146 entries, the last of which was dated July 9, 1814. The entry from July 10, 1796, reads EYPHKA! num = + + , which records Gauss discovery of a proof of the fact that every positive integer is the sum of three triangular numbers (0, 1, 3, 6, 10, 15,). All but two of the entries in Gauss diary have been deciphered. His dramatic achievement that marked him as a mathematician was in 1796, when he was able to figure out and show that any regular polygon with a prime number of sides can be drawn by using only a compass and a straight edge. And from then for five years until the year 1800,when they began to slow, ideas began to flood his mind so fast he could not write them down fast enough and always had more than he could produce writings for. During this epic time of discovery he came across a heptadecagon, which when he discovered it he requested to have it put on his tombstone, but that request was denied because, it would have ended up looking like a circle. He also discovered modular arithmetic, which is used to calculate check sums, and a heliotrope, which is a moveable mirror that reflects the suns rays; he also was not to mention the first to prove quadratic equations using modular arithmetic. He also had many breakthroughs with writings that of course had to go with these theorems such as in 1801 Disquisitions Arithmetica, which has very important contributions to the number theory. Along with theories of binary and ternary quadratic forms, not to mention he proved the fundamental theorem of algebra just a few days before he wrote this book. In this same year life began to change for Carl a tad when an Italian astronomer named Giuseppe Piazzi discovered a planet that had a celestial body and orbited the sun without disturbing the orbit of any other planet, the celestial planet was called Ceres. Which Giuseppe tracked for a couple months as it moved across the, but suddenly it disappeared and should had reappeared months later Giuseppe could not locate it. He studied his work trying to realize his mistake when he found that it had only moved three degrees which was less than one percent of its entire orbit, along with that his tools and math were not capable of this kind of precision and tracking with such small amounts of data and more to come. Carl, Twenty-Three years old at the time, heard about this discovery and the predicament and took matters into his own hands, and after three months of intense labor he predicted the next position of Ceres in December 1801, about a year after its first sighting. His prediction was only about half a degree off, and for this achievement he was designated Professor of Astronomy and Director of the Astronomical Observatory in Gottingen which was a position he held for the rest of his life.

Russia and Its Decision to Enter World War I Essay -- History, Geopoli

Did Russia’s diplomatic issues influence their decision in entering World War One? A. Plan of Investigation This investigation assesses how Russia’s Government and people influenced their country’s decision in entering World War One. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Ferdinand were assassinated by alleged Serbian Black Hand Terrorists. The assassination caused world turmoil. People and Countries saw Ferdinand’s death as an opportunity to invade and overcome new territories to claim as their own. Russia’s involvement was greatly influenced by the previous and occurring problems with the Czars, its people and its economic ties. Two sources used in this essay: The First World War, compiled by John Keegan and History of Russia: a Brilliant Chronicle of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to Present Day by John Lawrence are then evaluated for their origins, purpose, values and limitations. B. Summary of Evidence Prior to World War One, Russia lost their naval port, Vladivostok, to the Japanese during the Russian Japanese war; putting a huge strain on the already struggling government. During this time, Nicholas II ruled as a Czar of Russia. During his reign, Russia’s rich prevailed greatly, while the poor starved and went to war. The rich believed â€Å"The people have the need for potatoes but not for the least of the constitution† they stood strong in the belief that the illiterate agriculturalists should have no say in their government, but also strongly considered that â€Å"Russia could not be ruled effectively unless the tsar took at least a part of the nation into partnership.† In 1904, the prices of basic good increased, while the real wages declined a little over twenty percent. Within the... ...wed that even though the Czar was in control, he needed the people in order to rule and to keep the Russian economy thriving. It proved he was just one very corrupt man. And furthermore, it set new laws protecting the people from the Czar himself. Without this, Nicholas may not have thought he needed to spread and show his people the power they possessed; Russia itself may not have entered World War One. Works Cited Keegan, John. The First World War. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1992. Lawrence, John. A History of Russia: A Brilliant Chronicles of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to the Present Day. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. â€Å"The Ottoman Empire enters WWI on the side of the Central Powers 1914† thenagain.info (April 21,1997) Westwood, J.N. Endurance and Endeavor Russian History 1812-1986. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. Russia and Its Decision to Enter World War I Essay -- History, Geopoli Did Russia’s diplomatic issues influence their decision in entering World War One? A. Plan of Investigation This investigation assesses how Russia’s Government and people influenced their country’s decision in entering World War One. On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Ferdinand were assassinated by alleged Serbian Black Hand Terrorists. The assassination caused world turmoil. People and Countries saw Ferdinand’s death as an opportunity to invade and overcome new territories to claim as their own. Russia’s involvement was greatly influenced by the previous and occurring problems with the Czars, its people and its economic ties. Two sources used in this essay: The First World War, compiled by John Keegan and History of Russia: a Brilliant Chronicle of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to Present Day by John Lawrence are then evaluated for their origins, purpose, values and limitations. B. Summary of Evidence Prior to World War One, Russia lost their naval port, Vladivostok, to the Japanese during the Russian Japanese war; putting a huge strain on the already struggling government. During this time, Nicholas II ruled as a Czar of Russia. During his reign, Russia’s rich prevailed greatly, while the poor starved and went to war. The rich believed â€Å"The people have the need for potatoes but not for the least of the constitution† they stood strong in the belief that the illiterate agriculturalists should have no say in their government, but also strongly considered that â€Å"Russia could not be ruled effectively unless the tsar took at least a part of the nation into partnership.† In 1904, the prices of basic good increased, while the real wages declined a little over twenty percent. Within the... ...wed that even though the Czar was in control, he needed the people in order to rule and to keep the Russian economy thriving. It proved he was just one very corrupt man. And furthermore, it set new laws protecting the people from the Czar himself. Without this, Nicholas may not have thought he needed to spread and show his people the power they possessed; Russia itself may not have entered World War One. Works Cited Keegan, John. The First World War. New York, Simon & Schuster, 1992. Lawrence, John. A History of Russia: A Brilliant Chronicles of Russian History from its Ancient Beginning to the Present Day. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. â€Å"The Ottoman Empire enters WWI on the side of the Central Powers 1914† thenagain.info (April 21,1997) Westwood, J.N. Endurance and Endeavor Russian History 1812-1986. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

Comparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac Essay -- Authors Writers Big S

Comparing Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac I. Introduction It has never been an uncommon thing for one to retreat to nature in an attempt to ‘find one’s self,’ and somewhat clichà © these days is the retreat to nature to ‘find God.’ Hundreds of books, essays, seminars, and retreats devote themselves to helping one understand how to find enlightenment and healing through connecting with nature. It is a phenomenon that transcends religious boundaries—everyone, from Buddhists to Christian Mystics to Quakers, seems to think that the key (or, at least, one of the keys) to enlightenment lies in nature. As one may suppose, this is not a new concept. Throughout literary history, there is a distinct trend of authors praising the virtues of nature, singing of the peace that it brings and the enlightening attributes of these places away from the noise and clutter of the cities. Shakespeare tells of finding â€Å"tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, [and] sermons in stone†(Shakespeare); William W ordsworth implores us to let nature be our teacher; Goethe claims that there is rest and respite on the mountain top; and George Washington Carver admits that he tries commune with nature everyday. It seems that from Henry David Thoreau right down to contemporary authors, no generation or writing period has been devoid of at least one prolific author who takes to nature in order to find the answers. Two such authors, searching for†¦well, searching for that certain enlightenment and repose that can only be found in nature, were Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac. And despite the fact that Big Sur, California, is the chosen destination for revelation for both authors and that both authors are torn between the introspective qualities of being ‘secluded,’ and the desire for connectedness to society, they were from (moderately) different lifestyles and backgrounds and viewed the revelations that nature bestowed to them individually quite differently. By contrasting the situations and temperaments of the two authors, one can begin to see why their experiences differed so greatly. II. Henry Miller Henry Miller, born in December of 1891, spent the majority of his childhood in Brooklyn (†Henry Miller† 1). He attended high school, but never finished college; instead, he worked a variety of jobs that never lasted long, from driving a cab to working in a library (ibid.). In 1917, he ma... ...city (thus, they are very occupied with what is happening in their community.) This seems to be Miller’s salvation, while at the same time being Kerouac’s downfall. Regardless of why it worked for one and not the other, it is evident that both sought what so many today seek: to connect themselves with God and to find peace by submersing themselves in nature. Bibliography â€Å"Beat Page, The.† Rooknet.com. 4 December 2004. Ferguson, Robert. Henry Miller: A Life. New York: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1993. â€Å"Henry Miller.† 1. Levity.com. 7 December 2004. â€Å"Henry Miller.† 2. Literary Kicks. 7 December 2004. â€Å"Jack Kerouac.† Literary Kicks. 4 December 2004. Kenedi, Aaron and John Miller, eds. â€Å"Henry Miller-Big Sur.† Where Inspiration Lives: Writers, Artists, and Their Creative Places. Navato: New World Library, 2003. Kerouac, Jack. Big Sur. New York: Peguin Books, 1992. Miller, Henry. Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch. New York: New Direction Publishing Corporation, 1957. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"As You Like It.† 1623. Literature Online. Proquest Learning and Information Company. Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, MT., 2 January 2005.

Kyocera Case Study

B CASE ANALYSIS Kyocera Corporation Preface According to the footnotes on the initial page of this case study, it was written by Nancy Rothbard of the Harvard Business School for the purpose of discussion rather than for analyzing the handling of an administrative problem. The format is generalized and it gives a broad spectrum of information from which a student can extract pieces relevant to his or her area of study for a specific class. Since this case analysis is for a class in Strategic Cost Management, the main area of interest for this paper will be in the area of â€Å"cost management†.However, given the broad spectrum of information, the analysis is not limited only to cost management facts and issues, but also includes information that that is relative to other management topics. Rather than looking for a group of existing administrative problems, the focus is strategic in nature and addresses issues that could be problems in the future based on the status of the com pany at the time the case was written. The analysis includes information for the time period covered in the case study with a few references to Kyocera in the period of time after this case was written and up to the present.Introduction Kyocera Corporation was founded in Japan in 1959 as the Kyoto Ceramic Company. , Ltd. by Dr. Kazuo Inamori and seven colleagues. With Dr. Inamori providing strategic direction, the company grew from a small niche market player to an international conglomerate in a relatively short period of time. Within 30 years Kyocera was a world-class leader in their core product (electronics packaging) market. In addition, through mergers and creation of new business units Kyocera was able to successfully diversify into other areas of technical expertise.Seven product groups accounted for ninety-nine percent of Kyocera Corporation’s sales of approximately $2. 7 billion in 1990. (The additional 1% of sales was simply labeled â€Å"other† in the case study documentation. ) The products are divided among 80 companies in different geographical locations. The firm differentiated itself from competitors by providing world-class customer service. After establishing itself in a core product line and market, the firm was in a position to take the risk of entering additional markets, with additional products added to the mix. You can read also Thin Film Solar CellKyocera had a unique management system based on work cells called â€Å"amoebas† and a somewhat unique corporate philosophy and culture based on Dr. Inamori’s personal beliefs. The leaders of the company were very dedicated to the corporate philosophy and placed high value on making sure all newcomers were indoctrinated and accepted the corporate culture as well. The management philosophy, international business parameters, diversified product lines, corporate culture, and continued growth all have their challenges for the company. Some of these challenges are in the area of costing.Close examination reveals that there are both strengths and weaknesses in the way these business characteristics are handled by Kyocera. Corporate Profile/Background Key Personnel: †¢ Dr. Kazuo Inamori – Founder and architect of the firm’s business strategy. Dr. Inamori was a powerful force in the development and growth of the corporat ion. Without his leadership the company would likely not have grown as fast or been as diversified as it became by its thirtieth (30th) year in existence. †¢ Seven unnamed colleagues of Dr. Inamori who founded the company with him. They provided upfront capital, labor, and personal sacrifice to get the company started and on solid ground. Although these men had vision, they were no match for Dr. Inamori’s foresight, enthusiasm, and philosophical predisposition for success. †¢ Kinju Anjo (Vice Chairman) and Kensuke Itoh (Kyocera President) who stood in for Dr. Inamori when he could not be present at meetings. Kyocera’s Product Groups: Kyocera’s management referred to themselves as a high-tech solutions provider. This was because of the company’s focus on meeting the customer’s needs for specialized components.The list of products below is a testament to that high-tech solutions label. †¢ Electronic Components – The electronic c omponents product group provided discreet electronic components to industries that manufacture consumer electronics and to manufacturers who provided specialized products with stringent specifications to governments and industry. Chip capacitors, chip resistors, Hybrid IC’s, and quartz oscillators. In addition, thermal print-heads were included within the electronics components group. Most of these items are low-price, high-volume products. Semiconductor Parts – The semiconductor parts product group provided the substrates and components typically used in the more expensive integrated circuit packaging. These are used in expensive machinery that is used in industrial, military or other heavy duty applications where stringent specifications are desired. †¢ Electronic Equipment – The Electronic Equipment group manufactured and distributed communications and I/T (information technology) equipment in the form of computer peripherals, video conferencing systems, and memory for sale to manufacturers of computers and consumer electronics. Optical Instruments – The Optical Instruments product group made single-lens reflex cameras, 8 mm video camcorders, and compact cameras. †¢ Consumer Related Products – The Consumer Related Products group manufactured and sold jewelry, cutting tools, solar cells, dental and orthopedic implants, and ceramic knives. †¢ Industrial Ceramics – The Industrial Ceramics products group made pump and valve parts, semiconductor fabrications, Fiber-optic and optical communications equipment, and automotive parts. Ceramics Materials for Electronics – The Ceramic Materials for Electronics product group manufactured very specialized components for electronic systems. Glass for color TV’s, precision resistors, and thermal print-heads. Also ceramic substrates for specialized IC components were a product in this group. Management System: The management system at the Kyocera Corpora tion is very unique. It’s uniqueness is a result of the management ignoring standard management structure in other companies and developing a system to address problems that have been witnessed at other companies. i. e. runaway corporate bureaucracy. ) There were some inherent problems in the Kyocera management systems that manifested themselves as the company grew. (These are listed in the analysis section of this report. ) However, it is not likely that these problems would have merited scrapping the whole corporate structure, but implementation of minor changes could help improve profitability. The components of the management system are as follows: †¢ Amoebas – These components are profit centers with and average of 30 members.One official leader/motivator and very little or no other formal structure. The amoebas rated performance on a basis of hourly efficiency per month. This was calculate by dividing net profit before labor and taxes by the total labor hour s. †¢ Hans – These are smaller working groups that are under the Amoebas and do not have responsibilities as a profit center. †¢ Upper Management Reporting Structure – The upper management in each company or division would attend a series of meetings designed to update from the top down and provide status information from the bottom up. Company or Division Level Reporting Structure – The very top managers from each company or division would go to Kyoto or later Tokyo to update the headquarters level management personnel on the status of projects in their respective organizations. Corporate Philosophy/Culture †¢ Dr. Inamori’s Beliefs – The beliefs that are important in this analysis are the ones that were imported into the corporate philosophy and had the potential to affect the profitability or effectiveness of the company. For example, Dr.Inamori’s belief that a person should never give up when pursuing answers to technical p roblems is certainly admirable. However, when a project becomes unprofitable, it is sometimes wise to make a decision to cut the losses. Wisdom is the key to knowing when to give up. Dr. Inamori’s belief in Respect for the Divine and Love People serves as a motivational backdrop to the culture at Kyocera and has helped to make the company a success. (There is much more to cover on Inamori’s influence and it will be covered in the sections to follow. †¢ Centralized Management – Kyocera’s management system was very centralized in 1990 and the company was outgrowing the usefulness of such a system. With 80 companies and countless divisions, the old way of management meetings for reporting purposes was becoming unproductive and unmanageable. †¢ Problem Resolution – Problem resolution for transfer pricing and other issues was handled through the management system. No â€Å"final decisions† were forced on any organization, but the organi zations were expected to negotiated and solve problems among themselves.The problem was escalated up the chain of command until it reached Inamori himself. The information presented above and additional information in the the case study itself provide enough background for a person to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the corporation. Using this information one can do an analysis and make recommendations for improvement. Important Characteristics of the Kyocera Corporation The characteristics of the Kyocera Corporation listed below are important to the analysis of possible issues facing the company now and in the future. Continuous Growth – As Kyocera continues to grow issues will surface that are a result of the size and complexity of the corporation. The entire organization will no longer be able to report progress in management meeting the same way it has been done for the last 60 or so years. The reporting matrix will need to be re-vamped to allow more responsibilit y at the division or company management level with ultimate accountability for quarterly profits at that level as well. Also, costing and transfer pricing issues need to be handled as a team between organizations.Too much autonomy can be as detrimental to the organization as too little. A balance of power and decision making needs to be tempered with a team approach to making each company or division as profitable as possible. †¢ Diversification – One characteristic that is a result of Dr. Inamori’s risk taking philosophy is the diversification in the product line. The products are high-tech enough to be a good fit in the company, but different enough that the different divisions and companies that make up Kyocera don’t end up competing against one another in a way that is detrimental to the company as a whole. Kyocera is an International Corporation – Cost is a good reason why this is an important characteristic of the company. Being international a llows Kyocera to take advantage of labor savings associated with manufacturing in some countries, while selling products in countries that will bring in the most profit. Being international also gives Kyocera access to markets in differing countries without as many distribution headaches as other manufacturers. †¢ Minimization of Corporate Bureaucracy – Kyocera focuses on minimizing bureaucracy.This eliminates costs associated with red and gives the Amoebas the flexibility to manufacture at the lowest cost. †¢ Measurement System – The measurement system is good in some respects and bad in others. Production targets are set internally by the same group that is attempting to make its goal a reality. This is a concern due to the lack of standardization and potential for poor targeting. †¢ Never Give Up Mentality – Dr. Inamori’s â€Å"never give up† philosophy is both a strength and a weakness.It is good for sharpening the focus of work groups, but at the same time could encourage unwise decision-making. Strategic Cost Concerns – Early in it’s existence, Kyocera was focused on keeping sales, general, and administrative expenses below industry standards. However, the management reporting practice and philosophy, as well as lack of standardization of costing methods within divisions or companies may work against the company in the area of cost. – Retraining costs with the frequent break-up of Amoebas is a concern. Purchasing parts at market prices on the open market that are also made by Kyocera-owned companies is a problem. – The cost of monthly reporting meetings is minor, but may be a growing expense across the board (for all divisions and companies) as the organization grows. Kyocera’s Inherent Strengths Quality of Leadership: Kyocera had strong leader in Dr. Inamori. His philosophical outlook and decision making abilities set the tone for success at the company.This type of lea dership cannot be taught, but is inherent in an individual. Technical Expertise: The company’s technical expertise is due to their focus on individuality and specialization. This helps the company in the area of new product development. Diversified Product Line: The products are high-tech enough to be a good fit in the company, but different enough that the different divisions and companies that make up Kyocera don’t end up competing against one another in a way that is detrimental to the company as a whole.Reputation: Kyocera’s reputation for quality and getting the job done will help them retain earned market share. Tenacity: Tenacious competitors in business always fair better than those who give up easily. The spirit of tenacity at Kyocera earns them the respect of their customers Working Environment Positive Attitudes: The positive environment at Kyocera helps retain expertise with employee retention and it fosters a non-threatening creative environment. Au tonomy: The autonomy of the Amoebas fosters creativity and lack of bureaucracy costs.International Status: Being international allows Kyocera to take advantage of labor savings associated with manufacturing in some countries, while selling products in countries that will bring in the most profit. Being international also gives Kyocera access to markets in differing countries without as many distribution headaches as other manufacturers. Areas of Weakness Some Elements of the Corporate Structure Centralized Management: The corporation is getting too large to maintain the current management reporting structure.The complexity will slow decision-making and be costly. Autonomy: Retraining costs with the frequent break-up of Amoebas is a concern. Product Overlap among Companies or Divisions: Repetitiveness in product lines is costly due to the repetitive support structures. Measurement System: Top-down setting of goals for Amoebas would be more appropriate. This would ensure some standard ization among expectations placed on workers. Transfer-pricing: Kyocera to Kyocera pricing should be lower than open market-prices.This would help sister organizations be more competitive. Additional Analysis Threats from New Competitors: Kyocera will have to be aware of new competitors at all times in the high-tech marketplace. Each division or company in the corporation must be aware of who the players are in their market. It would hard for any one niche player to become threat to Kyocera as a whole since they are very diversified. Rivalry among competitors: Kyocera must be careful to make sure this does not take place within its own corporate umbrella.There is no immediate rivalry of outside competitors that is obvious in this case. Substitute Products: Kyocera does a good job of battling this by taking on tasks that nobody else wants or has the tenacity to tackle. Suppliers Power: In many cases this firm is their own supplier. It is unfortunate that sister divisions or companies do not work closer together and become a powerhouse together. Buyer or Customer Power: Ditto the comments above. Also the buyers from outside have their purchasing power/threat to Kyocera limited by Kyocera’s diversification.Value Creation: Inbound and outbound logistics are strengths in Kyocera due to their international presence. They provide their own marketing channel through salaried sales professionals and have the product base to support using outside channels when possible. Advertising, pricing, etc. are handled by the individual divisions and companies. Service activities fall in the other column that makes up 1% of sales on the product organization list. This column does provide value to the customers and the company to the tune of $27 million. Current and Future OpportunitiesRe-alignment of the reporting structure: By re-aligning the reporting structure Kyocera can save cost and improve communications in the corporation. High-Tech changes in the Macroenvironment: New opportunities to be first in the area of communications are coming available with the internet, cable, and wireless communications areas. Transfer-pricing changes: Kyocera to Kyocera pricing should be lower than open market-prices. This would help sister organizations be more competitive. Expense Reduction: Administrative costs could be reduced by realigning the reporting structure.Product Overlap among Companies or Divisions: By combining operations for overlapping product lines Kyocera can save support costs. Potential Threats Current High-Tech changes in the Macroenvironment: Technological change does not stand still. New communications products and technologies make old ones obsolete every day. Corporate Growth: Communications and repetitive costs may become issues. Repetitive organizations as a result of mergers and acquisitions should be analyzed and handled appropriately. This may mean dismantling some organizations to save money.Action Items to be considered Change the M anagement Reporting Structure: The management reporting structure change could improve communications and help reduce administrative expenses Combine Support Operations for Different Companies in the Same Product Group: Repetitive support structures cost money. By combining support operations expenses could be reduced. Establish new corporate transfer-pricing guidelines. Corporate Guidelines for transfer-pricing could help make some of the business units more competitive.Reduce the autonomy of the Amoebas: Amoebas do not need to be doing their own costing and profit or production target setting. Recommendations Establish new corporate transfer-pricing guidelines base on sound judgement and principles: Focus on competitiveness and provide special pricing to sister business units to help make them more competitive. Focus on cost reduction in the administrative expense area: Implement conference calling, eliminate as much travel as possible, and combine support operations for multiple units to produce cost savings.Reduce the autonomy of the Amoebas: The amoeba level is too low on the management structure to make decisions on production targets and profitability. Move costing up to a higher level and allow input on production and profit targets from the amoebas, but put accountability at the next level of management up. Bibliography Kyocera Corporation, Nancy Rothbard, Harvard Business School, Publishing Division. 1991. Document #9-491-078,. Revisioned July 1993.