Solenoids – Physics coursework

Solenoids Permanent Magnet- Magnetic Field.http://www.diracdelta.co.uk/science/source/m/a/magnetic%20field/source.html Magnets have two poles called North and South.Similar (like) magnetic poles repel. Unlike magnetic poles attract. A magnet attracts a piece of iron. The most important of the two properties of attraction and repulsion is repulsion. The only way to tell if an object is magnetised is to see if it repels another magnetised object. The strength and direction of a magnetic field is represented by magnetic field lines. Field lines by convention go from North to South. A magnetic field is three-dimensional, although this is not often seen on a drawing of magnetic field lines.Electromagnets A magnetic field exists around all wires carrying a current. When there is no current the compass needles in the diagram shown line up with the Earth's magnetic field. A current through the wire produces a circular magnetic field. See what happens when there is a current in the wire. The magnetic field for a coil of wire is shown below. The magnetic fields from each of the turns in the coil add together, so the total magnetic field is much stronger. This produces a field which is similar to that of a bar magnet. A coil of wire like this is often called a solenoid.http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/standard/physics/using_electricity/movement_from_electricity/revision/1/slideshow-1/2/An electromagnet consists of a coil of wine, through which a current can be passed, wrapped around a soft iron core. This core of magnetic material increases the strength of the field due to the coil. ‘Soft’ iron is easily magnetised, and easy to demagnetise- it does not retain its magnetism after the current is switched off. Steel, on the other hand, is hard to magnetise and demagnetise, and so it retains in magnetism. It is used for permanent magnets. The strength of an electromagnet depends on:The size of the current flowing through the coil The number of turns in the coil The material inside of the coil Heinmann physics Domains – http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/solids/ferro.html#c4Ferromagnetic materials exhibit a long-range ordering phenomenon at the atomic level which causes the unpaired electron spins to line up parallel with each other in a region called a domain. Within the domain, the magnetic field is intense, but in a bulk sample the material will usually be unmagnetized because the many domains will themselves be randomly oriented with respect to one another. The main implication of the domains is that there is already a high degree of magnetization in ferromagnetic materials within individual domains, but that in the absence of external magnetic fields those domains are randomly oriented. A modest applied magnetic field can cause a larger degree of alignment of the magnetic moments with the external field, giving a large multiplication of the applied field.FerromagnetismIron, nickel, cobalt and some of the rare earths (gadolin ium, dysprosium) exhibit a unique magnetic behavior which is called ferromagnetism because iron (ferrum in Latin) is the most common and most dramatic example.

Huaneng Essay

Per capita beer consumption of Peru assumed to triple over 10 year time and matching global standards of 72 litres by terminal year. Income elasticity (0.498) incorporated into model as a lever of GDP Growth ( proxy for beer growth potential) This is multiplied with assumed increase of 3x in per capita beer intake to arrive at a macro economic proxy of 7.49% We subtract the given value with CPI Index ( inflation metric) factoring in assumed 5% price growth in beer * Negetive Price Elasticity( -1.676) arriving at net macro economic proxy= 6.89% CASH FLOW GROWTH RATE-II Cash flow growth taken as function of both fast growing macro economic factors + company specific performance Company Specific Growth Rate Historic EBITDA growth rate given in case =52.4% ( 50.4 mn USD(02) 31.69 mn USD(01) The rate is normalized and reduced gradually with power of 5% decrease to arrive at terminal value growth rate of 2.39% ( To account for rising estimated competition locally and South American Brewery industry and unfavourable govt policy) Terminal Value Growth Rate = Function of long term Peru growth rate* Industry Beta Cash flow growth rate arrived for first 10 years 6.89%( Macro-economic proxy)+ 21.6% ( Company specific revenue growth) The arrived growth rate is accounted for a inflation of 2.5% assumed. Final cash flow growth rate used in DCF Model= 25.5% DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW MODEL ( All figures in USD Mln) QUESTION 1(b) Can you think of an alternative way to value Backus based on the information of the case? Explain how you would do it, what the value would be and how it would differ from the DCF results. RELATIVE VALUATION -I ( Data Source-Exhibit 16)- All figures in USD Mln Approach-1 > Price/Sales Method †¢ First we get the comparable south American targets and compute the average P/Sales multiple. ( 2.12) †¢ We multiply average P/S multiple with Company Sales (137.19) to arrive at market determined Firm Value ( 290.82 USD Mln) †¢ Dividing by number of open class A shares(87.2 mln), we finally arrive at a Share price of 3.35 USD RELATIVE VALUATION-II ( Data Source-Exhibit 16) All figures in USD Mln Approach-2 > EV/EBITDA Method †¢ First we get the comparable south American targets and compute the average EV/Ebitda multiple. ( 11.8) †¢ We multiply average EV/EBITDA multiple with Company EBITDA (50.47) to arrive at market determined Firm Value ( 596.81 USD Mln) †¢ Dividing by number of open class A shares(87.2 mln), we finally arrive at a Share price of 6.84 USD RELATIVE VALUATION- A RECAP ï  µ We find our classic RV approach using (EV/EBITDA) & (P/S) Method returning a firm value less than that of DCF Method. FIRM VALUE

The Great Gatsby Final

In the novel The Great Gatsby, each heartache has very distinctive characteristics; all has life goals and dreams, and played an irreplaceable role in the novel. At first glance, the protagonists and antagonists are clear to see. One would place Jay Gatsby as the good guy, the one who has American dream, and who is a hopeless romantic who believes in everlasting love. For Daisy and Tom, they are definitely the antagonists, the bad ones, the one who tore Gatsby dreams and hopes apart.Nick on the other hand, has a great transformation throughout the novel; being the narrator of the novel, he seemed to have a fairly good view n himself while he's narrating the story'. Nevertheless, as the novel progress, there are parts and bits that could reveal how he may not be who he claimed to be. This paper would focus on the two characters, Nick Caraway and Daisy Buchanan. Their character will be viewed in an objective way, and attempt to see deeper into their life and why they did what they did. In the end, eventually find out whether they are actually the bad or good guy that people tend to view them, or perhaps there's something more to them. L. Nick Caraway: The narrator of this novel is Nick Caraway, a man who grew up in family of prominent, well-to-do people† in Chicago; he is a Yale graduate, loves literature and even considers himself as a â€Å"well-rounded man†. After he fought in the World War I, he joined the prosperous and fast-growing business world in New York.Somehow, he is the cousin of the tremendously wealthy Daisy Buchanan, and a college acquaintance of Tom Buchanan, they lived a luxurious life that was completely opposite of his. Being the narrator, it is easy to believe everything that he said, but there are signs that could show that he is not as simple or positive as he pronounce to be, as Peter L. Hays aid in his paper, Initially Nick's father tells him that â€Å"all the people in this world haven't had the advantages you've had† , presumably material advantages.But Nick interprets the statement to mean â€Å"a sense of fundamental decencies is parceled out unequally at birth†, something very different, and a belief that qualifies Nick very much as a snob. In the novel, Nick is a tolerant and open minded listener, and highly educated so is also an intellectual, people felt the urge to confide to him and trust him. However, while Gatsby made up his past and have illegal business in his present life,Nick's family also did something similar; they earn their money by selling hardware but cover it up by saying that they have ducal blood. When he describes his own house, he said his house is a â€Å"small eyesore,† and gives him â€Å"consoling proximity of millionaires. † Though sounding somehow self- mocking, he might actually feel like being near to the rich does make up for his own living standards, as if lying about his background and living next to the rich could take up closer to being one of the people in the high society.Nick's true thoughts over the rich and himself were never clearly identified, UT it seems possible that he does want to fit into the complicated high society, despite the fact that he views himself as morally more advance than all the rest The readers learn more about his personality by the way he speaks and how he described the others as the novel progress.Nick calls himself â€Å"one of the few honest people that I have ever known† In the beginning of the novel, he claimed that he would reserve all judgments while interacting with others, as quoted from the novel: â€Å"Whenever you feel like criticizing any One,† he told me, â€Å"just remember that all the people in this oral haven't had the advantages that you've had. † He didn't say any more, but we've always been unusually communicative in a reserved way, and I understood that he meant a great deal more than that. In consequence, I'm inclined to reserve all judgments [†¦J. In the above passage, Nick said that he would reserve judgment on all things, but throughout the novel, he seems to be making personal remarks on the other characters. For example, he said his gracious next door neighbor Jay Gatsby is â€Å"unaffected com†, and the Buchannan couple were â€Å"careless people†; even said that his lover Jordan Baker is â€Å"incurably dishonest. Nick is not only the righteous and objective narrator who he claimed to be, he is also someone whose sight is muddled by the lavish life Of the rich and famous.His internal conflict over the lifestyle of his new life in New York goes on throughout the book, and is especially represented by his romantic relationship with Jordan Baker. He is in love with her energy and sophistication, but he is repeatedly disgust by her carelessness and dishonesty. Towards the end of the novel, Jordan said, â€Å"You said a bad driver was only safe until she met another bad driver? Well, I met another bad driver, didn't l? I mean it was careless of me to make such a wrong guess. I thought you were rather an honest, straightforward person. Thought it was your secret pride. Perhaps in the end, the ones who seem the most trustworthy is the one that should not be trusted at all. I. Daisy Buchanan Daisy Buchanan is an interesting character to kick at. In common day terms, some people might view her as the head cheerleader who married the quarterback of the football team, a shallow beauty who cares about nothing but the superficial, money and good looks. Not exactly a scheming gold- digger, since she is already from the elite social class and has incredible lath of her own, but like what she said she wished her daughter would be, â€Å"a beautiful little fool†.Daisy was born in a rich and high class family in Louisville, where she had a short fling with the handsome young man Jay Gatsby who had a fake identity. When Nick described his cousin Daisy, he said she has a voice that m akes her untouchable and â€Å"full of money,† and made her sounds like someone who lives â€Å"high in a white palace, the king's daughter, the golden girl† She was the kind of girl who would make every girl feel jealous, who lived the life of comfort and had everything that any girl could ever wanted.To Gatsby, she is a symbol of wealth and social status, everything that he wanted and trying to achieve, and Gatsby fell in love with her, dedicated his whole life just for her basing on a faint hope that they could somehow be together once more. Unfortunately, the young lovers never got the chance to have their wishes come true, Daisy married another man when Gatsby was away at war. She did seem regretful though, before she got married, she drunkenly said: â€Å"Here, dearer'. â€Å"She groped around in a waste-basket she had with her on the bed and pulled out the string of peers. Take ‘me down-stairs and give ‘me back to whoever they belong to. Tell †˜me all Daisy change; her mind. Say: ‘Daisy's change' her mind! ‘†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ She still ended up marrying the rich Tom Buchanan, some may say she married for the money or did not had the patience to wait for Gatsby any longer, but perhaps all she ever wanted was to be loved and live an easy life, as Jordan described: â€Å"If he left the room for a minute she'd look around uneasily, and say: â€Å"Where's Tom gone? † and wear the most abstracted expression until she saw him coming in the door.She used to sit on the sand with his head in her lap by the hour, rubbing her fingers over his eyes and looking at him with unfathomable delight. Her love for Tom was not entirely based on his wealth or power, but she simply loved him. When she eventually fell in love with Tom after she reluctantly had got married, it was not that she only cared for the fabulous life and forgot all about Jay Gatsby, she merely wanted what every other 20 something girls wanted, to love and to be loved. Most readers have negative opinions of her.She killed a person by driving clumsily and decided to run away, leaving Jay Gatsby broken hearted and in the end, dead. She is overly rich which caused her to seem careless and did not have any constructive thoughts over other subjects beside love and money. But one must not neglect the fact that she was raised and lived in an environment that only taught her to act the way she did, she did not know any better. As a rich girl growing up, she was probably well protected and well loved, what was she to know what it meant to be responsible for ones actions?And yet, when her baby girl was born, she told Nick: â€Å"all right,' I said, ‘I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool – that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ It seemed that she was glad that her daughter was a girl, but in between her tears, a sadness also appeared, perhaps she ad wished that her chil d would be a boy, so it would not have to live as vulnerable as her. But since her child was a girl, she then wished that it was a beautiful fool like she is, to live a simple life and be blinded from all the unhappiness that she had to live with despite her wealth.Although not exactly not as complex and great as the â€Å"Great Gatsby', and very flawed, Nick and Daisy are still characters who are worth the reader's attention. They consist of complicated characteristics, both likable and repugnant, which made them seems like people who readers can relate to in their own lives. Novels are reflections of the realities, and having doubts and making bad decisions are things that everyone faces in their life.

Petrochemical Industry of Saudi Arabia Dissertation

Petrochemical Industry of Saudi Arabia - Dissertation Example The petrochemical industry is regarded as one of the most important of all sectors in the economy of Saudi Arabia owing to the volume and proportion of revenue that it contributes to the national income of the nation. The records of the year 2005 state that Saudi Arabia consists of almost 250 petrochemical firms of diverse sizes which invest a gross yearly amount of US$ 29 billion in the industry. In addition, the nation is accountable for exporting petrochemical products worth US$ 3.2 billion. The nation is also home to the Saudi Arabian Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), which is the world’s 11th largest producer of petroleum and also one of the world’s fastest growing companies (Shoult, 2006). At present, Saudi Arabia is the largest producer of oil in the world accounting for producing 10.5 million barrels per day annually, which serves the needs of one-tenth of the global population. The nation’s potential capacity is believed to be 262 billion barrels per day (Falola & Genova, 2005). The objectives of the present research paper could be stated as follows – †¢ Factors which enhance investment in a sector, i.e., what are the aspects that investors generally examine prior to making investments in a particular sector? †¢ Importance of investment behind the economic development of a nation. †¢ Petrochemical industry, being one of the pillaring sectors, deserves much of the government’s attention. This necessitates the purpose of the paper and the conclusion to be reached hence. Research aims will be – Figure out the extent to which petrochemical industry will be affected by market fluctuations Reach a conclusion regarding the appropriate step to be adopted by potential investors. Forecast the possible trend that the Saudi Arabian petrochemical industry is likely to adopt over the span of another quarter. This forecast could help the national

Easy Jet Airline Company Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Easy Jet Airline Company - Term Paper Example Easy Jet Airline Company Since its establishment in 1994, the company has undergone a lot of improvements including base openings and acquisitions. For a company to survive in the market, it should employ marketing strategies that are compatible with the market and profitability of the company (Koenigsber, Muller & Vilcassim 279). Easy Jet has applied a unique marketing strategy that has enabled it to survive in the competitive market (Koenigsber, Muller & Vilcassim 281). The mission of the company is to provide customers with exceptional value and point-to-point airline services. The company also aims at offering and effecting reliable and consistent fares and products that appeal to business markets and leisure on various European routes. By 2009, the company had employed more than 6107 employees. Easy Jet has been one of the most successful and competitive low-cost and short-haul airline with a clear pricing structure (Mayer 16). All prices for a given flight are quoted one way; this means that a single p rice prevails in any point of the flight. The prices of the airline are low early on, but increase as the date of departure nears. Easy Jet applies various and distinct strategies in its operations. First, the company does not offer a last minute deal. One cannot get a flight ticket at the last minute of the flight. Secondly, the company offers a single class of travelers unlike other airline companies where there are different travelling classes. Price is the only variant that controls the demand for flight tickets at Easy Jet Company (Mayer 17). The third strategy applies to the duration of sale of tickets. The company varies the time in which its tickets are offered on the market. The first two strategies can be contrasted to the traditional airline pricing strategy. Most of the competitors of Easy Jet Company offer the last minute deals through resellers or directly to customers (Koenigsber, Muller & Vilcassim 282). The prevailing pricing strategy at Easy Jet also aims to contro l the demand through seat allocation to certain classes of people. This is done by making price the only variable that controls demand for travelling tickets, and offering equal services to all customers. Ryanair is one of the airlines, which compete with Easy Jet. The two companies use the same pricing strategy that insists on providing air services that are cheaper than other competitors. The low prices set by the two companies are feasible through reducing all possible costs, and having no frills. They use indicative ways to reduce their costs such as little product differentiation, reducing the costs of research and development and reducing the advertising and selling costs (Jones 28). The two companies also use efficient scale facilities; any innovations can only be adopted when the other competitors have tried and implemented them successfully. This helps in reducing the risks that may arise after implementing these innovations. A competitive advantage of the two companies lie s in the fact that they have a combination of high frequency services and low cost fares (Mayer 17). They also have an excellent network of routes where they increase the number of flights. Having reduced prices, Easy Jet and Ryanair do not offer drinks, food, or other services offered by other competitors. This way, the company lowers the expenses thus reducing the prices. Easy Jet has succeeded in reducing the costs

Creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Essay

Creation of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence - Essay Example In the 20th century intelligence agencies of United States of America were named among the best in the business. The performance of United States secret agencies was commendable throughout the Cold War era. After the fall of Soviet Union the world became Uni-polar and there was no significant threat that the country faced, at least from another country. But this illusion of total control and dominance over the world was shattered with the attacks of 9/11. It was something no one in the world was expecting and it forced United States to rethink its overall intelligence capability. The 9/11 attacks were a blow to the confidence of United States and it led to major restructuring of intelligence agencies. After 9/11 United States decided to make a new intelligence institution called the Office of Director of National Intelligence. In this essay the details of this agency will be discussed alongside with the details of its creation. A general overview of the intelligence agencies of the c ountry will also be given. The need for this separate institution will be discussed and future threats this office may be able to counter will be explained. History and General Overview of Intelligence Agencies of USA Intelligence agencies of United States of America have a long history. Since the creation of United States of America secretive agencies have a large role in the government operations. Founding fathers of America knew the importance of a secret agency that will protect the country from foreign and domestic threats. George Washington in his first Presidential State of the Union address requested Congress to establish a secret service fund for different secret activities (Central Intelligence Agency 2007). Since then secret agencies have conducted activities in foreign countries for the short and long term interest of United States. For a major part of 19th century Britain was a great danger for United States therefore most activities of secret agencies of United States were targeted against Britain. Agents were also sent in different colonial regions in order to extend the influence of United States and protect the interest of the country. In the early and middle of 19th century the aim of United States was to protect itself and gain power. The Civil War was the first big hurdle United States had to face after the war of 1812. The war endangered the sovereignty of the country. Secret spies also played a great role in the civil war on both sides (Central Intelligence Agency 2007). Propaganda schemes were followed by both the side and secret agents were used. After the Civil War United States of America realized that the country needed a formal intelligence organization that could protect the interest of the state domestically and internationally. Before this informal intelligence missions were carried out but as the country developed there was a need of a formal intelligence structure. In 1880s the first two formal intelligence agencies were made. The first was the Military Intelligence Division and the second was Office of Naval Intelligence (Central Intelligence Agency 2007). Over the period of time intelligence agencies became more organized and acquired superior skills. More divisions were made and covert operations continued in the first half of 20th century. In the First World War the efforts of US intelligence agencies were not very successful mainly due to the lack of funding. But before the Second World War, United States had developed a great system of intelligence gathering and many agencies were working in order to collect intelligence. The intelligence failure of Pearl Harbor was the greatest intelligence fail

Leadership and Why it is Imperative to Enforce Rules and Regulations Essay

Leadership and Why it is Imperative to Enforce Rules and Regulations Set in Place - Essay Example The military culture is a unique environment that fosters leadership in each soldier as a consequence of traditions, standard sets of values and ideals and norms of conduct established over a long series of generation of a nation. In other words, leadership is nurture, not nature. Since a military leader operates within a dynamic and politically sensitive environment, it is important that a military leader must influence each and every member of his chain of command to accomplish missions with a sense of purpose, direction and motivation. Military leaders in all levels must be able to effectively communicate, coordinate and negotiate with different individuals and groups representing various organizations within and outside the government, as well as with the local and international media. It could not be more emphasized that a nation’s sovereignty and security depends on a strong military leadership. Military leadership, in peacetime and war alike, must also be solidly ground ed on moral responsibility and selfless service by placing the welfare and needs of the people above all else. It is the kind of leadership that heavily invests on the performance of duties to the nation with the highest of integrity and even at the expense of personal sacrifice by every soldier. A good soldier knows this; he understands the strategic implications of his actions and behaviors on national objectives and takes a professional oath to that effect. And like every professional, a soldier as a leader must remain competent and functional in their designated fields, especially in the midst of fast-paced information and technological advances, and must be thoroughly knowledgeable on the constantly changing national policies, laws, and rules of engagement, as it spells the difference between the life and death. Since a military leader must mobilize his subordinates as a cohesive team, he must develop and ensure a positive command atmosphere to encourage honesty and confidence within each member of the team enough to build trust that their personal wellbeing are being seriously taken care of as well. Although a military leader should not be also afraid to exercise their authority to punish their subordinates who behave counter to unit tasks and standards that may compromise their objectives and missions. The nature of leadership in the military is therefore a continuous and progressive process defined by careful and methodical planning and strategy. The process of cultivating leadership in every soldier starts by proper training and education. Numerous military academies all over the world vigorously prepare the best and the brightest students for a military career by offering specialized courses specifically designed to prepare each student for their chosen branch of service upon graduation in direct response to the need of their respective nations. Such institutions play a key role in instilling values such as loyalty, respect, honor, and commitment int o aspiring soldiers from the beginning aside from honing their tactical and technical skills as warfighters, which would serve them well in time particularly in the frontlines of battle. As developing leaders, soldiers must learn how to always anticipate and manage sudden changes followed by the ability to act quickly and decisively under pressure. Soldiers assuming leadership roles must first determine what is expected of himself and his team, to assess the

The case study will be send by file .pdf Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The will be send by file .pdf - Case Study Example Offering the employees with low food cost menu which are also known as â€Å"freebies† during their shifts can help to deter these employees from eating higher food cost items. Not using Consistent Portion Control- For keeping the business profitable, portions should be controlled with, consistent storage sizes, calibrated food scales and correct sized serving utensils Wasting Food- Utilizing maximum quantity of food can help to decrease food cost percentage. For example beef trimmings from the tenderloins can be purposefully used into satay beef tips, which can be sold as moderate entry special. Buying Food for Home- Using food from the kitchen restaurant instead from the grocery store on a regular basis will skew food costs and profits. Bulk pricing helps to use food for a personal use and also pay it back. Poor Staff Education- employees who burn food, does not practice portion control or rotating food according to first in first out basis will definitely increase the food cost percentage. Poor Bookkeeping- food suppliers often make mistakes on invoice like charging double of the amount , not reflecting the payments made or delivering the food that is listed on invoice. Weekly food orders should be checked to ensure all of it is accounted for and also matches the invoice. Copies of all the payments made and invoices should be properly stored in case of any disputes. Using only one Food Vendor- Prices offered by different vendors should be compared and asked for a match. 2. Do you think that the beverage cost percentage might be rising or falling? Why? The beverage cost percentage will rise because it is directly proportional to the cost percentage of food which is also rising. 3. What issues might Jack be discovering with the inventory levels in the central stores and Preparation kitchen stores? Inventory control is an important way to ensure that the appropriate products are available when required and to control cost. Two types of inventory methods are required: Perpetual inventory- It is a continuous record of the purchases and deliveries and issues of food supply. A system involving the use of computer program needs to be in place to ensure that a perpetual inventory is maintained. Physical inventory- It is an actual physical count of the product in hand that is done on a periodic basis usually monthly. Physical inventory helps to verify perpetual inventory. Someone else who maintains the perpetual inventory does not maintain the physical inventory. Jack might have faced the following problem with the inventory levels in the central stores and preparation kitchen stores: Central stores do not compare the changes in the beginning and ending inventory to net purchases, issues and write offs because the inventory management system is not programmed to generate reliable reports of the total purchases from the vendors. The systems also do not generate any report of the total issues to the departments which needs to be reconciled with the ending inventory. There is also no evidence of the fact that the comptrollers has verified that the accounting records match with the annual purchases and issues because summary of the general ledger reports that account for storeroom inventory issues are not generated by the accounting system. The ending inventory also do not account for the city wide purchase order. The accounting syste

Personal Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Personal Finance - Assignment Example For example, if demand for properties has gone up lately, hence mortgage rates will increase then. With the fixed rate deal, she could avoid such a risk. However, if she plans to repay the borrowed money faster than 2 years, which means short term financing; hence other financing opportunities may involve lower costs. Such as taking bank overdrafts (i.e. 5.90% at Alliance & Leicester Premier Direct1) or trade credits; trade credits is an available option if she borrows between 30 to 90 days and it's profitable for Jane since it does not include any interest charges. However, she must have a good credit record. Additionally, since the globalisation, deregulation of financial markets as well as technological advancements, customers around the world have now easier access to obtain finance around the world; which offers Jane an opportunity to choose the lowest rate possible. A good credit history enables Jane to reach a larger amount of financing opportunities. As illustrated above, trade credit does not involve any interest rates; however the customer should keep a good credit record. To ensure a good credit history, Jane should control her payments; such as ensuring that debts are paid by their due date, etc. Jane should gain information of the level of control of the lender. ... Both Annie and Gareth acquire a 10,000 lump sum. If they each put the 10,000 into a savings account paying 6% AER gross for one year, how much net interest would each of them receive after one year (50 words)) 6% of Pound Sterling 10,000= Pound Sterling 600 Tax is 20% on interest payable So, Pound Sterling 600-20%(Pound Sterling 120) = Pound Sterling 480 Hence, the net interest rate is 4.8%. If the inflation rate had been 3.5% over the year, what would be the real value of both Annie's and Gareth's total savings after one year (60 words) Real value equals to nominal interest rates minus inflation rate: 4.8% - 3.5= 1.3% 10,000+1.3%= 10,130 10,130 x 2= 20,260 (both Annie and Gareth) Annie is considering using her 10,000 to purchase shares in a large blue-chip company instead, with the idea that she would sell the shares after one year in order to purchase a car. Briefly outline the key factors that Annie should think about before making such an equity based investment. She should research about the company first. The risk involved of investing there, such as examining the company's financial performance, such as its balance sheet, cash flow, revenue statement, etc. How long the company has been established, is there any negative publicity, etc. These points assist Jane to avoid the risk of loosing her funds. She should also identify other opportunities, such as other companies which would be more profitable to invest in, such as established companies; i.e. Apple, Sony, etc. Additionally, she could also use her 10,000 to establish her own little business or join a partnership, etc; depending which one is more profitable and involves less risk. Moreover, she should also consider the flexibility of the company. Some companies require investors

Difference of treatment between American Slaves and British Slaves Research Paper

Difference of treatment between American Slaves and British Slaves (British Slaves in the Caribbean) - Research Paper Example Slavery is considered to be illegal in many countries around the globe yet it is functioning with an estimate of 29.8 million slaves. This research is intended to look at the comparison among the slavery of America and British. The trend of slavery can be traced back since the beginning in both the countries, therefore, the trends have been different diverse in both the countries. At some point they have been extremely rigid and at times it have proven to be beneficial in the case of vegetation. The essential thing is that despite all the differences slavery has marked out the impacts in their culture even today. By the 1833 Parliament eventually eliminated slavery in the British Caribbean and the Cape. The slave trade was believed to be ceased in 1807; yet, it took another 26 years to influence the restraint of the imprisoned. Out of 16 million 10 million Africans sustained the journey to the New world, approximately one-third grounded in Brazil and among 60-70 percent ended up eith er in Brazil or the sugar colonies of the Caribbean (Higman 1995, 397)1. Among all of this merely 6 percent landed in United States. However, by 1860, round about two thirds of all New World slaves resided in the American South. Since a very long time it was broadly believed that southern slavery was unsympathetic and unkind as compared to the slavery in Latin America, where the church of Catholic emphasized had the right to get married, to request for leniency from an unsympathetic master and to buy their own sovereignty. Spanish and Portuguese colonists were considered to be comparatively less contaminated by ethnic prejudice than Latin American and North American slavery was considered to be fewer subject to the demands of an aggressive capitalist economy. In reality, nor the Church neither the courts endowed security to Latin American slaves. Right to use to sovereignty was larger in Latin America, however, in most of the cases masters untied, old age, smashed or merely unnecess ary slaves in order to free themselves from the economic burden. Death rates amid slaves in the Caribbean were comparatively higher than that of South, and the trend of suicide were more common. Unusual the slaves in the South, the West Indian slaves were anticipated to make their own food whenever they had spare time and to take care for the elderly and the unwell. The biggest divergence amid slavery within Latin America and the South is based upon demographic. The population trend of slaves in Brazil and the West Indies consisted of fewer proportions of female’s slaves, a comparatively less birth rate and an elevated proportion of the immigrants from Africa. In a prominent distinction, southern slaves comprised of a fair ratio of sex, an increased birth rate and a principally American national populace (Lewis 2003, 299)1. The slave rate in the United States was mostly different in the capability of the population to raise its number by the process of natural reproduction. I n the Brazil, Caribbean and Dutch Guiana, the death rate of the slave was elevated and the rate of birth rate of the slaves was low to such an extent that they themselves could not resist their populace devoid of imports from. The approximate number of children born in the beginning of 19th century of southern slave woman was about 9.2 as compared to others (Hagadorn 1851, 31)2. As in the Caribbean out of

Dell's Value Chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Dell's Value Chain - Essay Example It has allowed its suppliers to view their orders and the current of inventory at the company. This allows for planning and providing components that are only needed. Besides, the strategy helps the company avoid excessive costs of market promotion. While it has remained a policy of reducing operational costs, this has enabled the company to establish to order model. Additionally, the company continues to expand its model through allowing consumers to seek queries and make purchases on the web platform. Although this comes with an additional transportation cost, it has over time proved relatively cheaper. In the current market where forces of demand and ever-changing customer specification, the company has shifted to internet sales and direct engagement of the prospective clients. Through virtual space, the company has continued to expand its sales and attract specific clients who value choice. Moreover, the company has expanded this chain through the creation of tracking system. The web pages have been customized. This allows bigger suppliers and larger customers to keep monitoring their purchases and make new orders. Notably, by investing in web pages and internet supply chain, it has created a unique customer base in addition to its traditional consumers. Blending to order supply chain help in reducing long chains that are often costly, inconvenient and ineffective. The web-based chain remains a critical-order supply chain. †¨ To measure process performance, three elements are of great importance. The priority is responsiveness to customer’s demands and changing the competitive environment. The company has improved its operations efficiency by customizing its web pages; this has allowed large businesses to view existing inventory and make orders based on informed point of view (Kumar & Craig, 2007). In addition, the company has adopted customer order tracking system that enables it to assemble its products upon

The Modern Prometheus Essay Example for Free

The Modern Prometheus Essay Such is the subtitle that accompanies Mary Shelley’s classic, Frankenstein. We’ve all heard of the famous monster created by Dr. Victor Frankenstein. But, not many know why the story is subtitled, â€Å"Or, The Modern Prometheus†. In fact, many may not even make the connection to the story of the ancient Greek god who brought fire to humans, his own creation, and was eternally punished for it. However, rhetorical analysis reveals quite a few similarities between the characters, and proves Shelley’s subtitle to be accurate. Both stories deal with topics of overstepping limits, harsh consequences, and lessons learned, which contribute to the overall theme of â€Å"don’t go against the rules of nature†; thereby validating the Prometheus allusion. The topic of overstepping limits stands out as one of the most obvious similarities in both stories. Victor Frankenstein was obsessed with unlocking the â€Å"mysteries of creation†. He expresses this by saying, â€Å"I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet.†For Frankenstein, this is an immoral act that goes against all the laws of nature, as he is in no position to be performing this practice. He is overstepping his limits as a mortal by performing the action of an immortal; essentially, he’s â€Å"playing God†. Shelley uses this as an allusion to the Legend of Prometheus. Prometheus was affectionate of his creation, man. For them, he stole fire from the heavens and gifted it to them, much to Zeus’s dismay. Here as well, Prometheus overstepped his limits by taking from a higher deity, just as Frankenstein did in a different way. Shelley uses this allusion to show that both characters have gone farther than their morals dictate, both through the underlying theme of creation. Blinded by their ambition towards creation, they both went against the laws of nature; Frankenstein through the actual practice of creation, and Prometheus through gifting the fire. By overstepping their limits, both Frankenstein and Prometheus have set themselves up for some severe repercussions to their actions. Of course, disturbing the laws of nature has some pretty harsh consequences. Both characters endure punishment for their actions. After abandoning his creation, Dr. Frankenstein is tormented by the monster murdering his brother, William. Frankenstein finds this out via a letter, in which his father exclaims, â€Å"William is dead! That sweet child, whose smiles delighted and warmed my heart, who was so gentle, yet so gay! Victor, he is murdered!†Frankenstein’s torture continues as the monster murders more of his loved ones, including his friend, Henry, and his wife, Elizabeth. This ends up being another allusion to Prometheus; as after finding out he stole fire from the gods, Zeus sentenced Prometheus to eternal punishment. He was to be bound to a rock and have his liver pecked out. His liver grew back each day, so he would have to endure this for all of eternity. Shelley uses this allusion to forward the point that one must suffer for breaking the laws of nature. Her allusion emphasizes that breaking these rules are fundamentally wrong, and that the perpetrators must pay for their wrongdoings. Through their misery, both characters learn their lesson, with each character being tested in a different way. Frankenstein is put into a situation where he is asked to craft a mate for his monster, but at the last minute destroys his new creation. The mental suffering he endured from his first creation killing his loved ones taught him to think twice before tampering with something he cannot control. This too is a cleverly crafted allusion to Prometheus, as Zeus ordered one of the gods to create a woman of stunning beauty, who was also capable of lies and deceit. He offered this goddess, Pandora, to Prometheus as a companion. However, Prometheus refused this gift, â€Å"knowing only too well that nothing good would come to him from the gods.†He learned not to take any more things from the gods. This allusion shows that the characters have indeed realized that going against nature can only have adverse effects, and emphasizes the point that going against these fundamental laws is wrong and immoral. They realize that ignorance towards these laws can have painful consequences, and that it’s just not worth it. Frankenstein had to learn this the hard way, as did Prometheus. In conclusion, Mary Shelley’s allusions to the Legend of Prometheus in her novel, Frankenstein, are totally valid and both apply to breaking the laws of nature. Both characters were involved with creation and suffered the consequences. After enduring grueling mental and physical punishment, each character also proved that they learned a valuable lesson. We can see that Frankenstein is a modern retelling of the Legend of Prometheus. Time and time again, Frankenstein is tortured by the adverse effects of creating life, and learns that going against the laws of nature can only lead to pain and suffering. He proves this by refusing to finish his monster’s bride, just as Prometheus refused to take Pandora from Zeus. Indeed, Mary Shelley’s decision to subtitle her book, â€Å"Or, The Modern Prometheus† is appropriate and allusive.

Video Game Addiction Effects

Video Game Addiction Effects Technology is one of the major assets in todays world. Some human being living in this world surely uses technology in their everyday living. However, there are some disadvantages that lead to Video game addiction. First, excessive use of computer there are some instances that they dont want themselves to be involve in other social activities. Second is the demand for violence that it may arise because of an innate boy desire to witness violence, males are looking for strong role models, whom they find in these shows and games. They may isolate themselves in the way that they dont want to focus almost entirely in-game achievements rather than broader life events. The first possible cause is that in the hypothetical world created by such games, gamers become confident and gain satisfaction which they cannot get in the real world. Second, many video games satisfy the basic psychological needs like rewards, freedom and connection with other players and lastly, video games are becoming i ncreasingly complex, detailed and compelling to a growing international audience of players. There are lots of effects of video gaming upon children, the physical, emotional and in behavior. Some gamer dont care if they dont eat just to play, some are being aggressive due to the violent game and Compulsive behaviors are rooted in need to reduce tensions caused by inner feelings a person wants to avoid or control. Video Game Addiction Technology is one of the major assets in todays world. Some human being living in this world surely uses technology in their everyday living. Nowadays, technology does have many uses and advantages yet one cannot deny, it also has some disadvantages and one of this is video game addiction. Cause and effects of the video game addiction recommends some solutions Video Game Addiction is excessive or compulsive use of computer or video games that interferes with our daily life. Instances have been reported in which users play compulsively, isolating themselves from other forms of social contacts and focusing almost entirely in-game achievements rather than broader life events. (Retrieved June 25, 2007,http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/video_game_addiction), and Studies have indicated that males play video games more frequently than females. Television program producers and video game manufacturers may produce violent shows and games for this audience. This demand for violence may not arise be cause of an innate male desire to witness violence, but because males are looking for strong role models, which they find in these shows and games (Clark, 1993).The video game industry has existed for decades and it has begun with William Higginbothams tennis for two oscilloscope, which has been debuted in 1958. Video gaming is worldwide phenomenon that has been developed into a multi-billion dollar industry. The three largest markets for video games are the United States, Japan and the United Kingdom. Other significant markets are Australia, Canada, Spain, Germany, South Korea, Mexico, France and Italy. India and China are considered as emerging markets in the Video Game industry.   There are some possible causes that are related to this addiction. The first possible cause is that in the hypothetical world created by such games, gamers become confident and gain satisfaction which they cannot get in the real world. Second, many video games satisfy the basic psychological needs like rewards, freedom and connection with other players and lastly, video games are becoming increasingly complex, detailed and compelling to a growing international audience of players. And since the problem is a relatively new phenomenon, the exact cause of game addiction is unknown. However, this addiction appears to be most common among younger male players. It may also have a cultural component. In South Korea, video games were recently blamed for the deaths of four young men. One died after playing Star craft for 50 hours with few breaks. A four-month old baby also died after her parents left her unattended to play World of War craft. (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4137782.stm ) There are also some negative effects. First is that it displaces physical activity and the time spent upon studies, with friends and even with family. Psychiatrists are concerned about the wellbeing of children who spend much of their time with video games that they may not develop friendships, get some outdoor exercise or suffer in their schoolwork. For sure that a child who spends most of his time playing video games may be prone to violence and may be at risk for behavioral and other health problems. Second is an increase in physical, emotional and behavioral disorder. Among mental health professionals, there are those who maintain that in playing video games, certain children can develop a sense of proficiency which they might not otherwise achieve. However, other authorities speculate that performing violent actions in video games may be more conducive to childrens aggression than passively watching violent acts on television. According to this view, the more children practice v iolence acts, the more likely they are to perform violent acts (Clark, 1993). Some educational professionals, while allowing that video games permit children to engage in a somewhat creative dialogue, maintain that this engagement is highly constrained compared to other activities, such as creative writing (Provenzo, 1992) A problem shared by those who rate violence in television and video games is that the definition of violence is necessarily subjective. Given this subjectivity, raters have attempted to assess antisocial violence more accurately by ranking violent acts according to severity, noting the context in which violent acts occur, and considering the overall message as pro- or anti- violence. However, the factor of context is typically missing in video games. There are no grey areas in the behavior of game characters, and players are rarely required to reflect or make contextual judgments (Provenzo, 1992).Among mental health professionals, there are those who maintain that in playing video games, certain children can develop a sense of proficiency which they might not otherwise achieve. Ratings of video game violence have developed as an extension of ratings of television violence. Among those organizations that have attempted to rate television violence, the National Coalition on Television Violence (NCTV) has also developed a system to rate the violent content of video games. The NCTV system contains ratings that range from XUnfit and XV (highly violent) to PG and G ratings. Between summer and Christmas of 1989, NCTV surveyed 176 Nintendo video games. Among the games surveyed, 11.4% received the XUnfit rating. Another 44.3% and 15.3% received the other violent ratings of XV and RV, respectively. A total of 20% of games received a PG or G rating (NCTV, 1990).Some educational professionals, while allowing that video games permit children to engage in a somewhat creative dialogue, maintain that this engagement is highly constrained compared to other a ctivities, such as creative writing (Provenzo, 1992) Excessive use of video games may have some or all of the symptoms of drug addiction or other proposed psychological addictions. Some players become more concerned with their interactions in the game than in their broader lives. Players may play many hours per day, gain or lose significant weight due to playing, disrupt sleep patterns to play and suffer sleep deprivation as an effect, play at work, avoid phone calls from friends and/or lie about play time. Relationships with family and friends and performance at work or school may suffer (Tanner, 2007). In the world of video game addiction theres an increasing evidence that people of all ages, especially teens and pre-teens, are facing very real, sometimes severe consequences associated with the excessive use of video games .Most adolescents like to spend their free time playing video games. But for some who starts out as innocent recreation can lead to addiction. Soon, friends, family, schools, and eve personal hygiene are neglected as nearly every spare moment is spent playing the game. When I first saw the game of my best friends I asked them curiously How to play that kind of game? because I dont really know how to play Depends of the Ancients commonly called DOTA I was a third year student when I had been influence by my best friends to play such game, since the day Ive watched them play, I was tempted to play too, it just looks like interesting and funà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦At first its really hard for me to learn that game, first of all we dont have computer at home. But, I learned f rom my companion because, in every time they play, I play too, even Im not as good as them. Since then I always play without realizing that Im playing too much, wasting time just playing. But Im not that kind of addict that can neglect their friends, family school and especially personal hygiene. I just play when I have nothing to do and I can even manage my time regularly. Even now, I just play whenever I have nothing to do such as schoolworks. It just happen before because when you are playing, you just can forget the things that you need to do first before playing and the feeling, its really different when youre playing the excitement, eagerness to win etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦According to Websters Dictionary, an addictive behavior allows a person to become dependent or compulsively obsessed with anything. Compulsive behaviors are rooted in need to reduce tensions caused by inner feelings a person wants to avoid or control. This fantasy world allows endless opportunities to the gam er to keep feeding their addiction, said Schaperow. It is not the game that is the problem; it is other problems in their lives that they cannot control. The game allows the person to escape from reality and take control of the fantasy world. Treatment for the disorder varies, however most therapists and professionals agree that the root of the problem is to find the progressive reasoning in the mind and create a solution. It involves recognizing unhelpful or destructive patterns of thinking and reacting, said Schaperow, then modifying or replacing these with more realistic or helpful.Scahperow said the video game addict should first recognize their problem, then they can replace the negative feelings that steer them toward the video games and progressively escape into a more positive reality. Schaperow gave the example of a person who has a negative outlook on their job and feels that they cannot ever perform at a high level. If that person instead, thinks it is possible, their con fidence will be restored to a higher level, allowing that person to see life different, and ultimately not need to escape to a reality world. (http://www.theparentreport.com/resources/ages/preteen/kids_culture/130.html) There are certain solutions regarding video game addiction. First, limit the time spent online. With unlimited access to the internet 24 hours a day, stopping an addiction is nearly impossible. Take the computer out of their rooms. Move the computer shared room so that you can see how much time they are spending online and much better to monitor their habits.

Total Quality Management And HRM

Total Quality Management And HRM This chapter provides the background to this project termed The role of human resources management in the implementation of total quality management; it consists of an introduction to total quality management and human resources management. It will also provide an introduction to problem/questions the research intends to resolve, highlight the reason for my interest in the research topic, indicate the possible benefactors of this research work, specify the locus and focus of the project and the methodology that will be adopted during the course of the project. The aims, objectives and deliverables of the study will also be clearly defined followed by the project outline. 1.1 Introduction to Total Quality Management and Human Resources Management Organisations that pay special attention to the quality performance of their operations are mostly rewarded in the global business world, for organisations to survive in the tough competitive market they must continuously improve the quality level of their products and services; it is onus on the management to find ways of improving their quality services the question is how? Fortunately the business environment have been able to define certain means of achieving and improving quality in their individual organisations, although different organisations implore variable tactics they all have one method in common which is Total Quality Management (TQM), researchers have different interpretation of TQM, but according to youssef et al (1996) they all agree that based on the proper implementation of TQM, it can improve quality of products and services, improve company performance level, reduce costs thus improving the companys competitive advantage in the global market, in addition to this previous studies all agree that TQM is an approach to improving the effectiveness and flexibility of a business as a whole i.e. its essentially a way of organising and involving the whole organisation; every single individual at every level or department. This implies that for any organisation striving towards continuous improvement, each individual of the organisation must acknowledge the other and recognise that each activity (small or big) matters. From the literature review, it will be established that Human Resource Management plays a crucial role in implementing TQM through reinforcing human relationships, improving employee competence, and achieving culture change. Quality gurus such as: W. Edwards Deming, Joseph M. Juran, Philip B. Crosby, Genichi Taguchi, Kaoru Ishikawa and Walter A. Shewhart amongst others all agree on the importance of a team based culture for organisations to continuously improve on quality, perhaps the most popular of the quality gurus is Deming for hi s contribution to the Japanese industry in the 1950s, all of their quality philosophies had the following points in common: Providing quality goods and services. Customer focused (internal external). Production is optimised through team-work, transformational leadership and statistical measurement. The central focus of Total Quality Management and related approaches is customer (internal external) based, The external customer is the reason for a business to exist, and by directing every operation of the internal customers (employees) of the of the organisation towards the external customer satisfaction through continuous improvement in quality. Research by Wilkinson (1992) and Collinson et al. (1998) amongst other researchers opine that there are two sides to TQM a hard side and a soft side, and that the soft side emphasizes on the management of human resources, relationship between employees and employers (teamwork), customer care and the hard side lay emphasis on the technical aspect of an organisation. The soft side of TQM is mostly adopted by service industries while the hard side is accustomed to manufacturing industries. The issue with this Hard and Soft TQM concept is that most organisations fail to integrate these two parts effectively, especially in the manufacturing industries which tend to focus on production first and quality second due to their desire to meet the schedule. According to Omachonu, V. and Ross, J., (2004) in the United states and other highly industrialised countries the economy has shifted from manufacturing to service industries, indicating that 80% of workers globally are employed in the service sector. This suffices to say that quality improvement can only be achieved through the actions of the humans in the organisation, HRM is the practice adopted by organisations to achieve this goal, HRM can be defined as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organisations most valued assets i.e. the people/humans working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of the organisations objectives (Michael, A. 2006). The notion sustaining the practice of HRM is that people are the organisations key resource and organisational performance largely depends on them. Therefore if an appropriate ra nge of HR practices and processes are developed and implemented effectively, then HR will make a substantial impact on an organisations performance. Although previous research has established the fact that HR is crucial to performance, the general consensus from most of the research especially that carried out by Purcell et al (2003) is that HR can make an impact by contributing to the following: The development and successful implementation of high performance work practices, particularly those concerned with job and work design, flexible working, resourcing (recruitment, selection and talent management),employee development (increasing skills and extending the skills base),reward, and giving employees a voice. The formulation and embedding of a clear vision and set of values. The development of a positive psychological contract and means of increasing the motivation and commitment of employees. The formulation and implementation of policies which, in the words of Purcell et al (2003) meet the needs of individuals and create a great place to work. The provision of support and advice to line managers on their role in implementing HR policies and practices. The effective management of change (Purcell et al, 2003.) From the above it is obvious that HRM plays a huge role in TQM, hence this research will be focused on the identifying the HRM practices that are most effective to TQM and how best this practices are implemented in the industry today, the research will focus its attention in the oil service industry of Nigeria thus the topic The role of human resources management in the implementation of total quality management in the oil service industry the research will be done using a multinational oil servicing company (Hercules Offshore) as a case study, the reason for this is that most developing countries still fail to recognise their employees and the role they play in the quality of goods and services, my interest in this topic arose from my experience working in the Nigerian company I realised that most employees lacked commitment to the managerial goals and objectives, emphasis are made more on individual performance rather than a holistic approach which is the main concept of TQM, there was a huge gap between the front office and the back office, this research aims to identify how this gaps could be closed to encourage continuous quality. Most companies in Nigeria and other developing countries that are yet to grasp the advantage of a committed work force will find this project useful, even the country as a whole would benefit from what this project aims to achieve because if every individual lives and performs for a general goal not an individual goal the country would move forward. 1.2 Project Aim The aim of this project is to identify and study the impact of Human resources management in the implementation of Total quality management and the role of the humans (employees) in quality attainment and improvement. 1.3 Project Objectives There are some objectives that fall within this specific aim and the objectives include: Does the Nigerian average worker know what TQM is? What are the perceptions of the companies customer service in Nigeria? How are these practices implemented in Nigerian oil servicing industries? What are the exact HRM practices that assist in the implementation of TQM in the oil service industry? What are the factors influencing employees to adhere or refute company quality policies? The determinants of employee responses to TQM 1.4 Deliverables Understanding the role of HRM in the implementation of TQM Understanding total quality management and the need for organisations to have an effective and efficient TQM model. Understanding how management strategies for continuous quality improvement can reach the roots of the organisation Improving employees commitment to quality in the Nigerian oil industry identify the major limitations to quality improvement practices in Nigeria Recommendations for further improvement. 1.5 Project Methodology This study is descriptive in its entirety rather than experimental. It entails collecting data in the form of literature review survey, questionnaire survey, and interview questions from some selected HR managers including the managers in the organisation for the case study (Hercules offshore). The methodology to be developed will focus on the mechanism through which high service level can be achieved by efficiently managing the human resources available to an organisation, the role of the human in TQM implementation, how TQM practices are implemented using HRM practices in the oil service industry in Nigeria, and to assess the average workers knowledge of TQM. This proposed project will involve a four phase design that will be used for implementation. The first phase of the project is the research planning, the second phase will involve the project planning, the third phase is for result analysis, fourth phase is the project summation. The main tasks to be completed at the end of the fourth phase plan are; i. Analysing the background of the survey through literature review ii. Selection of case study for the project iii. Carry out a feasibility study of the case study iv. Data Collection v. Data Analysis vi. Result Analysis vii. Discussion and Conclusion viii. Recommendation The methodology to be developed for the research and project planning, result analysis and project completion is illustrated in figure 1.1 Phase 1 Research Planning Phase 2 Project Planning Phase 3 Result Analysis Phase 4 Project Summation Figure 1:1 Methodology to be developed Source: Author This study addresses the importance of improving an organisations quality output through improving the efficiency and commitment of the internal customers (employees). Figure 1.2 shows a diagrammatic representation of the methodology giving the steps to be adopted. These steps are: understanding and knowing the aim of the project, designing questionnaires and arranging interviews, administering questionnaires and conducting telephone interviews with employees of an organisation in the oil services industry comprising of human resources managers, project managers, operations managers, vessel managers, shipyard managers and deck hands. Recommendation would also be made to enhance the organisations implementation of total quality management. This will be sent to the organisation in order to gain feedback from the recommended solutions. Understanding the direction of the project Designing questionnaires and arranging interviews Questionnaires and conducting interview Result Presentation and Analysis ng Discussion, Recommendations and Conclusion Figure 1.2: Diagrammatic representation of the Methodology Source: Author 1.6 Project Summary In this section the author provides a brief outline of the content of each chapter in the project. Chapter 1- Introduction to the dissertation, the project aim, objectives and the methodology to be adopted. Chapter 2 A literature review survey of the project that will comprise human resources management practices, total quality management, strategic management, and customer services. A summary of the literature review will be given at the end of the chapter. Chapter 3 A comprehensive study of the organisation background, including its products and services and an exhaustive insight into the oil servicing industry in Nigeria Chapter 4 The methodology to be used will be presented in this chapter. It will show the approach and other considerations that were made in obtaining data and result analysis for this project. Chapter 5 A compressive analysis of the empirical data and results of the study by describing the descriptive findings will be presented. Chapter 6- This will present the discussion of the work done, importance of the questionnaire, interviews and results to the project and issues encountered. The conclusion and recommendations are also presented in this chapter. The order of presentation for the chapters in this dissertation is shown graphically in figure 1.3 Chapter One Background of study Aim, Objectives and Deliverables Introduction Chapter Two Literature Review Related theories Chapter Three Company background and Oil service industry This chapter focuses on the concept of HRM and TQM in the Nigerian oil industry Chapter four Methodology Research design, approach and strategy Chapter five Results and Analysis of Data Results presentation Data analysis Chapter six Discussion and Future Work Discussion of findings Future works and Conclusion CHAPTER 2 Figure 1.3: Project Summary Source: Author LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction The role or effect of Human Resource practices on the implementation of Total Quality management cannot be over-emphasized, because it serves as a basis for ascertaining employees attitudes towards effective and efficient quality practices, simply put if the employees are not quality oriented, there is no quality hence the organisations ability to conform to its customers requirements is low, Several studies investigating the relationship of HRM and TQM have asserted the same ideology e.g. (Lammergeyer, 1991; Wilkinson, 1992; Oakland,1998; Palo and Padhi,2005). Additionally, according to Morrison and Rahim (1993) and Hoogervorst et al. (2005), TQM depends on the effective management of human resources. Considering the TQM model, Murphy and Cleveland (1991) state that the system that is used to appraise performance needs to be congruent with the culture and principles that guide the conduct of the organisation, unless congruence is retained, anything that is developed is liable to be rejected. Hence this chapter presents a literature review closely related to the project, the literature survey will be carried out in a topical format this is necessary to give an exhaustive background knowledge to the terms in the topic ; the first section will be on the definition and principles of human resource management, advantages of HRM in the global business world, the second section will consist of the definition and concept of total quality management, its origin and benefits to the industry, the third section will investigate the work done so far with respect to the role of HRM in the implementation of TQM and its importance, the fourth section will consist of the research background, proje ct justification and literature review summary. 2.1 Definition of Human Resources Management Presently in the dynamic competitive business environment, there has been reasonable doubt as to what the roles and functions of Human Resource Management (HRM) are in an organisation. According to Soderlund and Bredin (2005) previous research by American Business School Professors all identify HRM as an effective organisational tool, but due to the present volatile business environment there has been conflicts on the concept and role of HRM within an organisational structure. One of the main problems contributing to this is that there is no single unified concept of what is meant by HRM. There are a variety of definitions attributed in the literature as to what exactly HRM is. In addition to this philosophy, Brewster and Larsen (2000) stated that due to its diverse nature there is no generally accepted definition for HRM and what it entails. Less satisfactory definitions have been proposed by different authors Soderlund and Bredin (2005) classified HRM as a management philosophy tha t concentrates on people (employees) treatment, Dessler (2006) defined HRM as the process of acquiring, training, appraising, and compensating employees, and of attending to their labour relations and health and safety, Marchington and Wilkinson (2002) defined HRM as the management of employment. These definitions are perhaps simplistic in nature and failed to highlight the true concept of HRM (Michael, 2006). Michael (2006) went further to define HRM as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organisations most valued assets (humans/employees) the people working in the organisation who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives, Price (2007) also supports Michaels definition with his proposed philosophy of HRM, according to Price, HRM is a philosophy of people management based on the belief that human resources are uniquely important to sustained business success. In addition to his philosophy he stated that an organisation gains competitive advantage by using its people effectively, drawing on their expertise and ingenuity to meet clearly defined objectives. Prof P.S Nel et al (2001) in their book strongly supports Michaels definition of HRM with this quote HRM is the only resource in an organisation that reacts when acted upon i.e. with the exception of human resources all other resources of an organisation are static because other resources derive their dynamic character from human resources. Although there are diverse definitions to HRM, for the purpose of this research the definition proposed by Michael (2006) will be adopted considering the fact that it clearly states that HRM is aimed at recruiting capable, flexible and committed people, managing and rewarding their performance and developing key competencies. 2.1.1 Human resources management in practice Armstrong, (2000) highlighted that HR is of immense importance to modern day organisations, it provides an approach to inducing improved performance levels through the use of the humans (employees) by improving their levels of customers service, productivity, growth, profits and quality control. There are a number of activities, roles, processes covered by HRM, Lado and Wilson (1994) outlined the following to be the HR activities in contemporary organisations Planning. Recruitment and selection Training Performance management Benefits and rewards Compensation Career development Banhegyi et al., (2008) and Robbins and Coulter, (2002) also supports the HR activities stated above as the salient global HR activities in present day organisations. 2.2.1 Planning Planning in Human Resource has been a debated topic in different HRM contexts over the years (Wren, 1994). HR was initially a strategy used to determine the strength and weaknesses among employees and to develop the skills and competences they needed (Gallagher, 2000). With the era of individual career plans, organisations started recruiting individuals with certain desired skills and competences as a method of employing individuals who shared the same orientation or objectives with that of the organisation (Kuratko and Morris (2002), this means that HR planning is essentially a method of selecting employees that align with the succession plan of the organisation. This aspect of HR is still been exhaustively discussed by many researchers, Schuler (1986) proposed that HR planning is a complicated and complex issue of debate within the HR activities. Storey (1995) argues that HR planning today is a very important task of every contemporary organisations HR department. According to him, HR planning mainly involves the identification of skills and competence within the organisation, the filling of identified competence gaps, and the facilitation of movements of employees within the organisation. An essential part of the HR planning is the succession planning which aims to ensure the supply of individuals and filling of gaps on senior key positions when they become vacant and replenish competences to areas where they are most valued (Wolfe, 1996). 2.2.2 Recruitment and selection This is the process by which an organisation places the diverse talents at their disposal in different levels of the organisation. Analoui, (2007) defined the process as an ethical approach by an organisation to find and attract the most efficient individual with the desirable skills for an available position. According to Price (2007), the recruitment process is divided into three approaches: Suitability the most qualified applicant for the position, Malleability moulded within the cultural norms, and Flexibility the most reliable and versatile employee. These factors are quite complicating and can be easily mistaken during the process of hiring employees. Suitability is a critical aspect hence its mainly concerned with the process of hiring the most suitable applicant for the position. Pfeffer (1994) proposed that the ability by an organisation to select and retain talented employees is of great advantage in the global competitive market. It is obvious from the present global market that organisations who possesses the greatest talents prevail in the competitive market hence firms tend to employ renowned managers to lead the thriving future. 2.2.3 Training It is already a well-established fact from the above literature that employees skills and knowledge are of immense impact on an organisations level of quality in goods and services (Guzzo, R A. and Noonan, K A, 1994). Ostroff and Kozlowski, (1992) supported this idea by stressing that for organisations to overcome certain problems and to attain continuous improvement the employees have to be continuously trained individually or as a team, their research also suggested that training also serves as a socialisation tool for new employees to gain cultural knowledge about the organisation, learn about the necessary tasks and how to perform their responsibility; clarifying their roles and relate with others inside the organisation. Additionally, Hackman and Wageman (1995) identified training in their study as the second most commonly used HRM practice in implementing TQM. Rollag Cardon (2003) supported this philosophy in their research as they indicated that the process of socialisation within a firm enhance new employees to integrate speedily within the new organisation. Formal training is a wide-spread method for organisations to enhance the personnel performance level, as important roles are covered also by organisational socialization and multitasking (Chao, 1997 and May, 1997). Research by Bishop (2003) highlights training as a cost effective strategy especially when there is a shortage in talented or skilled labour, employees could be trained on the job (OJB) thereby saving cost in time and resources of finding a competent workers. 2.2.4 Performance Management The concept of performance management within an organisation is to determine how the employers can get the highest level of commitment from their employees (Dransfield, 2000). There are three steps of approaching the performance measurement within an organisation, the three steps are stated below: Objectives Appraisal Feedback (Dransfield, 2000) Dransfield (2000) described the first step (objectives) as goals that are quantifiable, easy to measure and simple to communicate throughout the organisation after which the performance appraisal takes place and subsequently feedback. Although quality gurus like Deming and Juran are of the opinion performance appraisals are deterrent to quality improvement, according to Deming (1986) there are many undermining factors of performance appraisal as stated below It nourishes short-term performance, annihilates long-term planning, builds fear, demolishes teamwork, and nourishes rivalry and politics. It leaves people bitter, crushed, bruised, battered, desolate, despondent, dejected, feeling inferior, some even depressed, unfit for work for weeks after a receipt of an unacceptable rating, unable to comprehend why they are inferior. Soltani (2003; 2006), also supports this idea he believes that performance appraisal disregards the existence of variability in the system, it holds workers responsible for errors that may be the result of faults within the system and it undermines teamwork However, other investigators conclude that performance appraisal is compatible with TQM if it is based on quality criteria (Blackburn and Rosen, 1993; Simmons et al., 1995; Wilkinson et al., 1994; Wood and Peccei, 1995). Shadur et al., (1994) in their research claim that some organisations still have some form of performance appraisal and there is evidence that this HRM practice is useful in implementing TQM. Other researchers affirm that although performance appraisal can be related to individual performance, it can be of more advantage to quality improvement if it should be focused on measuring organisational and group performance (Petrick and Furr, 1995; Schuler and Jackson, 1987; Simmons et al., 1995) 2.2.5 Benefits and rewards The major determinant of human behaviour is the consequences to their actions, if employees know there is a reward for their actions they tend to work towards earning that reward, most managers in contemporary organisations have adopted the benefits and reward system as an incentive besides the wages that would derive that extra commitment from their employees, according to Appleby and mavin (2000) attaining high levels of commitment from employees within an organisation is highly essential. Consequently employee considerable effort will manifest into an intended realisation and fulfilment of a specific desired outcome. Such manifestation enhances the explanation of the crucial aspect of organisational reward system and how it can be sustain and elicit the firm human capital investment Tannenbaum and Dupuree-Bruno (1994). As defined by Manus and Graham (2003), total reward includes all types of rewards/benefits-indirect as well as direct, and intrinsic as well as extrinsic. Each aspect of reward, namely base pay, contingent pay, employee benefits and non-financial rewards, which include intrinsic rewards from the work itself, are linked together and treated as an integrated and coherent whole. The concept of total reward has emerged quite recently and is exerting considerable influence on reward management (Michael, 2006). An equally wide definition of total reward is offered by WorldatWork (2000) who state that total rewards are all of the employers available tools that may be used to attract, retain, motivate and satisfy employees. Thompson (2002) supports this idea with his definition of reward management, where he states that total reward typically encompass not only traditional, quantifiable elements like salary, variable pay and benefits, but also more intangible non-cash elements such as scope to achieve and exercise responsibility, career opportunities, learning and development, the intrinsic motivation provided by the work itself and the quality of working life provided by the organisation. 2.2.6 Compensation According to Patel Cardon (2010) compensation is an essential tool for modern-day organisations as it contributes to attract and retain high skilled employees with superior salaries, and it encourages a desired stakeholder behaviour regarding recognition and legitimacy. Minbaeva et al. (2003) inferred that compensation would enhance motivation among personnel too. Even though non-financial compensation can really work as a positive incentive for the workers, providing monetary benefits is necessary to increase the productivity of the employees on the individual or group level (Gomez-Meja, 1992). Balkin and Swift (2006) suggest a more flexible approach toward the payment issue. They proposed to relate it to the life stage of the organisation with a higher rate of non-monetary benefits during the first years of activity, and a re-equilibration whenever the company enters the mature stage. Non-monetary paybacks are represented by stock options, stocks or other form of equity sharing that enhance the participation and the motivation of employees, while spreading the risks over a larger number of people (Graham et al., 2002). The aforementioned ownership sharing represents also a long-term planning for compensation, as Graham et Al. (2002) stated, but also short-term rewards exist. These are represented by profit sharing policies aiming to encourage the employees toward group work, or to control the organisational outcomes (Heneman Tansky, 2002). 2.2.7 Career development (CD) Many practitioners and scholars within human resource development (HRD) field have claimed that the utmost crucial aspect of the practices is career development (McLagan, 1989; Weinberger, 1998; Swanson Holton, 2001). However, this area of studies has been given little attention (Upton, Egan Lynham, 2003). With the intense competition in the 21 century, many organisations have realised that in order to remain competitive they have to improve their employees and enhance their career development as an holistic approach (Boudreaux, 2001); rather than individual career development (Swanson Holton, Upton, Egan Lynham, 2003). Hence, many organisations are now taking proactive measures towards equipping their staffs (Leana, 2002) or create a climate that supports their staffs at all levels of the organisation to be more resultant and productive (Sullivan, 1999); which Boudreaux, (2001); Brown, (1997) referred to as shared responsibility. However, learning within an organisation is quite critical and expensive (McDonald et al., 2002). According to Power et al (2001) the most common learning methods within organisations are informal (i.e. on-the-job coaching, sessions, lesson learned, development assignment) and formal learning (i.e. as training/workshop and other forms of professional training conducted by professional bodies internally or externally (McDonald et al., 2002). 1.3.1 Reservations about HRM As many other departments within an organisation encounter, HRM has its own challenges, according to Michael (2006) the main reservation have been that HRM promises more than it can deliver and that its morality is suspect, Michael

Schlieffens Plan :: essays research papers

In 1904 France and Britain signed the Entente Cordiale. The reason for this alliance was to get a few countries grouped together against the perceived threat of Germany’s powerful army. Talk also began to add Russia to this alliance bringing all three, France, Britain and Russia together. As a result of these alliances the German military began to fear the possibility of being attacked from both sides all at once from France, Britain and Russia. Germany gave Alfred von Schlieffen, the German Army Chief of Staff, the responsibility for coming up with a plan to defeat the allies. This plan was called the Schlieffen Plan. The Plan involved hitting France hard, with 90 percent of the total German army. The remaining 10 percent of the army would stay back and defend again any Russian advances on Germany. Schlieffen thought that taking out France was the key to winning the war as quickly as possible. He thought that if France was defeated then Britain and Russia would not want to continue the fighting. Schlieffen estimated that it would take at least six weeks for Russia to organize there large army for an attack on Germany. This meant that it was very important that Germany was able to invade and defeat France before then. In August 1914 the Schlieffen Plan was put into effect and the German Army invaded Luxembourg and Belgium. Germany thought they would have no problem taking out the two cities but were unexpectedly held up by the Belgium army. While being held up there they were again surprised as to how quickly the Russian army was able to advance into East Prussia. Soon after which the British force also reached France and Belgium to fight against the Germans. The French and British fell back to the other side of the River Seine and regrouped. After which, another French moved in and attacked the Germans at full force and managed to cut a huge hole in the German army splitting them into two groups. The French then entered the gap between the German forces trying to keep them divided. The Germans came very close to defeating the French army until the French brought in reserve troops to reinforce the front line. The Germans could not break through the French and were soon after ordered by the German Chief of Staff to stop and retreat from the French.

Pojmans View on Merit Essay -- Philosophy, ethics

In this paper, I will attempt to elaborate on situations where actions have a fitting response to deeds performed. It is my understanding of Pojman's view of which I agree, that "Every action in the universe has a fitting response" (Pojman, 1999, p. 96). I also agree that "Evil deeds must be followed by evil outcomes and good deeds by good outcomes" (Pojman, 1999, p. 96). Take for instance if you commit murder, I feel that you should be put to death. Yes, I know some people may argue this fact but just think about the grieving family of the person who is no longer alive, they are in pain and they suffer while the person who committed murder is still alive. This is why I feel the one who committed the crime should be harshly punished, That person did not think of the hurt that it would cause there family or loved ones so in turn the one who did the crime should be put to death as well. Now I know this will now make two grieving families but again think of the main family at hand. I feel just putting the person in jail is not good enough because they are still living, mean while the other person did not have a chance and is now dead. I also feel why should we as citizens pay for a murderer to be alive in jail and able to stay alive watching TV when the other person is not able to do anything. Yes this is cruel punishment but again it is also just as cruel to commit murder with out legal and just cause. Here are a few more examples of Evil and Punishment: Rape: If a person rapes another person, say it is a male doing the act then I feel it should be a severe punishment. The punishment should be castration of the penis. This form of punishment would prevent the person from doing such act again and not allow then to have... ...hey did serve for us and our/their country and they did their best. It should not matter if they were hurt or not and it should not matter if they only served 4 years or less, No matter what they should receive benefits. I feel a good way of showing our men and woman appreciation is to help them say a marriage happens I feel the military should help out with at least half, and if the person dies they should pay for the entire funeral. To me that really would show appreciation to them for what hey did. Any person who serves should be recognized and rewarded as for what they did they did for us and their country and they did not have to do it at all. So in conclusion yes, I would agree with Pojman we do deserve what get rather it be good or evil/bad. Works Cited Pojman, Louis P. Ethics: Discovering Right and Wrong. 5th edition. Thomson Nelson. Toronto: 2005.

Theater Arts

â€Å"Sitting in Limbo† is a play written by Dawn Penso and Judith Hepburn who are both Jamaican nationals living in London, the play was directed by Jo-Ann McCabe. â€Å"Sitting in Limbo† was held at the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination; in the Walcott Warner Theater. The moon reading featured a trio of Barbadian actors: Amanda Cumerbatch as Yvonne Campbell, Philip Eno as the judge and radio announcer and finally Loretta Hackett as Nita George, on Monday 25th February 2013.The theatrical piece starts out with a contrast between two women, one of a fairly wealthy background and the other struggling to make ends meet this portrays a conflict between both women based on their differences which in the end both women overcame. The play about a prison warden, Nita George and prisoner Yvonne Campbell depicts a political disruption in Grenada’s annals which led to the imprisonment of Grenadian Phllis Coard.Immu red along with her husband for assassinating Grenada’s elected Prime Minister, Nita presumes that Yvonne is a greedy woman with a thirst for predominance and that she is the main reason behind all the troubles in Grenada due to her pushing her husband into the overthrow of the Prime Minister. Nita openly affronts Yvonne, while Yvonne demands that she be respected because of her position in society and the â€Å"success† she has brought upon the country.Two years had passed and Nita’s views about Yvonne hadn’t changed but as the years went by for a total of seven years and they both opened up to each other and adapted to each other’s personalities Nita saw Yvonne as a woman with humanity and compassion. Although the play is mainly about the two characters Nita and Yvonne, the radio announcer plays a very important role, he notifies the audience about the amount of years passed and the fate of Grenada, the radio announcer practically gives viewers an idea of what was going on during the play.The trio has done an exceptionally great job on the piece ‘Sitting in Limbo†. The use of accents added a great effect on the nationality of the characters or the origin where the incident was being taken place. The use of costume was also great because one could identify which character was which , when Nita or Loretta wore the khaki shirt and the khaki pants it gave the audience a hint that she was some sort of guard or officer or in this case a prison warden.In Philip’s case the use of headphones gave the audience an idea that he was a Dj or a radio announcer. The use of the projection of bars gave the audience an idea that it was some kind of prison. The bars also reflected on how each woman felt inside, Nita trying to raise a family by herself in the economic struggles felt ‘imprisoned† because she wanted to live a better life, she wanted to reach for her goals but she could not do so because of the curren t situation but eventually ‘broke free â€Å"and decided to accept the offer her sister had given her.Yvonne although imprisoned literally felt† imprisoned† due to the fact that deep down inside she knew what she did was wrong but her arrogance and pride got in the way ,she’ broke free† by refusing to sign a contract which could have literally freed her by denying everything she had actually done. However they were some minor imperfections which were indeed noticeable, such as the backing of the audience, Phillip walking offstage before the fade had actually begun and where Loretta and Amanda had somewhat forgotten a bit of their lines.There were also some technical difficulties where as the fade would begin too early or a little too late but they but did not affect the theatrical piece it self. The play was a unique piece especially because it was my first time viewing a moon read play and because they tied in a fictional crisis into a play which I f ound very creative. The play also impacted the audience and made it an enjoyable play for them.

Colonization of Latin America and North America Essay

When Christopher Columbus led a Spanish expedition in 1492 to India, he came across a land that would change the world forever. This region was called the Americas, a land the Spanish, Portuguese, French and English saw as their own to change and rule. However, the two regions, Latin America and North America saw two vastly different yet similar colonization processes from the Europeans in their social, political and economic systems. North America and Latin America both developed a form of ethnic mixing and a caste system for social structure and stability. However, Latin America’s caste system was more based on skin color while North America’s social structure wasn’t defined by ethnic groups. The two of these regions were both colonized by Europeans but had different ways of being colonized. A similarity in these two regions would be the development of European migrants, leading to the emergence of two societies. Latin America and North America’s political processes were also a huge part of colonization. While in North America the decisions of who would rule and control the lands was in the hands of private groups in Latin America, however, the choice of who would take control was in the hands of viceroys or governors. Both of these regions were ran by Europeans who would make the decisions. Latin America was ran by European peninsulas and North America governed by higher class merchants, deciding for themselves who they wanted to be controlled by. Latin America and North America shared the similarity in political colonization of both wanting to have some sort of control in their lands creating a stronger society and community to live in. The importance of future rulers would also have a major influence in the economic process and future economies in both areas. The economic process during colonization in both regions led to better social ways and interaction with lands having an influence on the colonization process greatly. In both Latin America and North America both had produced cash crops. While Latin America developed maize, a sugar production, and rice, North America planted tobacco creating a need for coerced labor. However, the difference in the coerced labor needed for the new production of these items was varied. In North America, slavery was a much needed acquirement to keep the production of these items needed while in Latin America indentured slaves and slavery was their way of production used by the Europeans in these regions. In Latin and North America, the Europeans didn’t go there to look for raw materials such as gold and silver like the other explorers who thought the Natives had it everywhere and weren’t completely using it to their own advantage. The Natives living there, however, were more amazed at what the Europeans had and vice versa. In conclusion, I have stated the different and similar colonization processes of North America and Latin America. The political, social, and economic processes were all similar and different in the mixing of ethnic groups, the need for control of their lands, and the regions using coerced and indentured labor to stabilize their lands.