Proposal Truancy Essay

Truancy can be defined as (a) phenomenon where student skip classes or lectures without permission or acceptable reason. Lately, we observed that every single class that we attended has students who skipped lectures. In other words, the classes never have a full attendance. We realised that this matter has become a serious problem in UTM. The lecturers are also concerned regarding this trend because they feel that this problem could affect the student’s performance. According to the UTM’s examination regulations, student who come less than 80% of their attendance are barred from taking final examination. However, in certain cases, some lecturers do not take the attendance seriously. Consequently, some students would take advantage of this situation and did not attend their classes. Therefore, as part of UTM’s students, we decided to treat this problem seriously by conducting a research about truancy problem among UTM’s student. 2. Statement of problem The problem arises when the student feels that they do not need to attend classes as they manage to study on their own. Besides that, some students do not have the motivation to go to class because they think that the class itself is not interesting. To tackle this problem, we want to know the effects of truancy, especially to the student’s performance throughout the semester. Moreover, we would like to know the student’s and lecturer’s opinions regarding this matter. These are the main questions that need to be answered in order to solve or come out with a solution to this problem. 3. Objective of the research The purpose of this research is to determine how frequently students do not attend their classes throughout the semester. In addition, we would like to compare the CGPA between students who come to classes and those who do not come to classes. Furthermore,the research will explore what the students did when they do not attend classes. The scope of this study is limited to the UTM’s lecturers and students. At the end of this research, we will recommend useful solutions on how to ease the truancy problem among UTM students. 4. Research question 1. What are the reasons for students to play truant? 1. 4. 2 What the effects of truancy on students? 1. 4. What is the CGPA between students who come to classes and those who dont’? 1. 4. 4 What students are doing when they don’t attend classes? 1. 4. 5 What are the subjects that students often like to skip? 1. 4. 6 When is the time students mostly skipped their classes. Is it morning, afternoon,or evening? 1. 4. 7 What can be done to ease truancy problem? 5. Significant Study Many good outcome or benefit we can obtain by conducting this resea rch. One of them is to create awareness among UTM students on how important it is to attend classes so that they can improve their grades. Next, it is easy for lecturers to recognize students who are weak and be able to help them. Besides that, it can make learning process in class more interesting as student can participate by asking question or give opinion to the whole class. Moreover, it would be a waste of money because student pay for their tuition fees which is not cheap that is RM 700. Lastly, it will also benefit students in the future especially during their working days. This is because it can avoid them from easily getting fired by their employer’s for not coming to works. 6. Scope of Research In order to collect data,60 questionaire will be distributed among the students from three faculty which is Faculty of Electrical Engineering ,Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Faculty of Civil Engineering. Whilst,the interview is limited to 6 students from Faculty of Electrical Engineering which three of them are the type of student who always skipped classes and the others are the type that always attended classes. Besides that,we will interview 4 lecturers only from Faculty of Electrical Engineering. The observation will be carried out in our section which is Section 02,3SEE,Faculty of Electrical Engineering. . Research Methodology In this research,we will considering two sources which is primary sources and secondary sources for data collection among the respondents. The primary sources would be base on questionnaire,interview and observation. On the other hand,we will collect the additional information from journal,newspaper,textbook and article from internet about truancy p roblem to support out primary data. 1. 7. 1Primary data Our primary data will be from questionaire,interview and observation. In order to know why this problem oocur in the first place, we’ve decided to sk the students directly by asking them to answer questionaire regarding the matter. 60 questionaires will be distributed among the student. In addition, we’ve come up with the method for collecting information from the students and lecturers which will be by interviewing them directly. We will be interviewing two types of students . The first one will be the type of students who always follow the rules, that is in this case, never skipped lectures. Then,We will ask he or she why he or she never skipped any classes and we will ask their performance throughout the semester as well. Meanwhile, for the second type of students who always skipped and missed classes, we will ask them why they decided to do this and what they actually do during the time they skipped the classes. Furthermore,we will interview some of the lecturers about their opinion regarding to this problem and ask them on the solution how to alleviate truancy among UTM’s students. Besides that,we will also collect data and information through observations. This will be carried out by observing the attendance of students in certain clasess as well in particular period of time. Firstly, we will count the number of students in the class and then, we will ask permission from the lecturer to see the attendance list at the end of the class. This is to ensure that the number of students in the class correlates with the total number of students who sign in the attendance list as sometimes students ask their friend to sign on their behalf. From these observations, we aim to know when is the time students mostly skipped their classes, whether it is in the morning, afternoon or in the evening. Then, we hope to come up with a reasonable conclusion based on the data obtained as well as to think of some measures to encounter this problem. 1. 7. 2 Secondary Data Besides collecting data from the primary sources,we will also find the additional information about truancy from journal,newspaper,textbook and article from internet. All of these references are categorised as secondary data. Furthermore,from all of the secondary resources we obtained,we will paraphrasing and summarizing the material in order for us to enhance better understanding on this research.

Global Project Management

Similarities and Differences between Domestic and Global Project Management. Global business practices are becoming increasingly common both for large multi-national organizations as well as small domestic businesses. Many businesses outsource work to other countries or contract people of organizations globally to complete project work or provide offshore services (Eberlein, 2008, p. 27). A better understanding of how to manage global projects is important to the body of knowledge about project management. The purpose of this study is to explore the similarities and differences between domestic and global project management. The research questions used to guide this study are 1. In what ways are domestic and global projects similar and different? 2. What are some mediating variables that contribute to global project failure or success? Domestic Project Management In the United States the Project Management Institute (PMI) project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) and the Association of Project Manager’s (APM) body of knowledge (bok) are used as guides for planning and controlling projects (Burke, 2001). According to the PMBOK a project is â€Å"a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service. Temporary means that every project has a definite end. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products or services† (PMBOK as cited in Burke, 2001, p. ). All projects share the same basic components: (a) a project manager or single individual responsible for the outcome of the project, (b) a beginning and an end, (c) distinct phases, budget of allocated financial and physical resources, (d) unique set of activities specific to the project, (e) fast tracking to getting product or process completed before the competition, and (f) identification of team member roles and responsibilities (Burke, 2001). The role of the project manager is â€Å"to set up a management structure which not only meets the needs of the project, but the needs of the organization, the needs of the stakeholders and the needs of the individuals working on the project† (Burke, 2001, p. 1). Projects range in size and scope from small domestic projects to large multi-national global projects. The first, and often critical task of the project manager is to identify the stakeholders of the project and what their needs and expectations are in relation to the urpose and the scope of the project (Kerzner, 2003). According to the PMBOK, there are nine components that the project manager must consider: (a) integration, (b) time, (c) quality, (d) scope, (e) cost, (f) human resource management, (g) communication, (h) procurement, and (i) risk. This involves the project manager articulating what has to be completed in order for the project to be a success. This includes outlining how long the project will take, how much it will cost, what resources are needed, and what technical or subject matter experts are needed. Prior to implementation, the project manager works with others on the project team to develop a plan and how it will be implemented. Throughout the planning, implementation, and completion phases, the project manager is responsible for managing techniques and tools used as well as integrating, monitoring and maintaining the process and personnel from concept to completion of project objectives (Burke, 2001). Project integration involves the planning, execution, and control of the project and how the inputs from different knowledge and technical experts will be coordinated (Kerzner, 2003). Project scope management involves ensuring that all the tasks required for the project are defined, the resources required are identified, and controlling processes are in place (DeLone et al. , 2005). Project cost management includes understanding budget allocation and restrictions and planning how resources will be used, cost estimates and budgeting, cash-flow and control. Project quality management involves indentifying and maintaining the necessary conditions to ensure quality assurance and control during all phases of the project life cycle. Management of project personnel is also an important responsibility of the project manager. Project human resource management involves identifying, recruiting, and maintaining a project team with the right mix of technical and knowledge experts (Kerzner, 2003). Project communication management involves creating a work environment that facilitates the proper communication channels for the collection and dissemination of information related to planning, implementation, and completion of the project. Project risk management involves identifying risks and incorporating processes and procedures to mitigate against risks to the completion of the project. Finally project procurement management involves identification and implementation of processes that facilitate the planning and procurement of resources and necessary documentation for completion of the project (Burke, 2001, pp. 8-9). During the project life-cycle, project managers are responsible for oversight of such tasks or processes as work breakdown structure, critical path methods (calculation of all the activities from start to finish to determine the duration of the project), resource smoothing, earned value, and configuration control (Burke, 2001). Many organizations are turning to management-by-projects approach because it provides flexibility, decentralized management responsibility, a more holistic or global way of conceptualizing problems and solutions, and problem solution processes that are goal oriented (Burke, 2001, p. ). One benefit of management by project is that it allows for the inclusion of temporary, part-time or full-time workers as team members. Another is that this approach has been endorsed by the International Project Management Assoc iation (IPMA) (Burke, 2001). This is important for global project management scenarios. Global Project Management Global project management often involv es program management in which a project office is designated to mange a large capital project that is subdivided into smaller project teams each with a specific goal to achieve as part of a larger plan. Often the project manager will be involved with one or more of the following, either personally or through designated representatives: (a) recruitment of project team personnel, (b) human resources and personnel issues, (c) identification of economic factors related to the project, (d) computer or other technical systems to be used, (e) legal contracts or other required documentations, (f) sales and marketing issues if applicable, (g) and costs (purchasing, sales, and employee) (Burke, 2001, p. 5). Finally, the project manager either serves as the technical expert or identifies and includes on the project team the necessary technical and knowledge experts required to complete the project. The project manager is key to the success of any project. The project manager sets the overall tone and creates the environment in which the work is to be completed (Delone et al. , 2005). The project manager must contend with and integrate the different expectations of outside forces that influence the project development, implementation, and completion. This includes stakeholder goals and expectations as well as the immediate client or sponsor requirements for the project (Delone et al. , 2005). It also includes understanding how the project fits within the economic cycle, market requirement, and the competition. In addition, the project manager must complete the project within the culture and structure of the organization or organizations while adhering to any rules and regulations governing the industry (Espinosa et al. , 2003). Finally, and sometimes neglected, the project manager must be mindful of the political forces that can affect the completion of the project, both internal to the organization as well as the external environment (Burke, 2001, p. 6). These factors are static and the manager must be able to deal with uncertainty, change, and risk within the project environment. In a growing global business environment, projects often involve international partner and project teams composed of members from different geographical and cultural areas (Eberlein. 008). Global project managers are faced with a different set of challenges than faced by the domestic project manager. â€Å"Conducting projects in different countries, with their unique legal and political environment, security issues, economic factors, and infrastructure limitations and requirements, increases complexity far beyond that of projects executed in domestic settings† (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 1). Many of the issues discussed in relation to domestic project management are applicable to global project management. However, in addition to the PMI and PMBOK in the United States, there are others organizations that provide project management guidelines such as the Association of Project Managers (AMP bok) in the United Kingdom, The AIPM Competency Standards for Project Management in Australia, the ISO 10006 Guideline to Quality in Project Management, South African unit standards, and the International Association of Project Managers (IPMA’s BOK) (Burke, 2001, p. ). The purpose of these resources is to provide a body of common knowledge that can be used in domestic as well as international projects Compared to the PMBOK used in the United States, the APM bok from the United Kingdom employs a broader approach to project management, utilizing 55 knowledge areas compared to the nine knowledge areas of PMBOK. The APM bok: Incorporates not only inward focused project management topics (such as planning and control techniques), but also broader topics in which the project is being managed (such as social and ecological environment), as well as specific areas (such as technology, economics, finance, organization, procurement and people as well as general management). (Burke, 2001, p. 8) Global project management involves an understanding of the industries and types of projects that are used in the countries involved in the project (Burke, 2001). When involved in global project management, a key issue is ensuring a common understanding and competence of project managers who come from different project management certification of licensure programs Delone et al. , 2005). Project managers and team members will have to work out a common business language and set of common practices and procedures that will be adhered to during the planning, implementation, and completion of the project. This is especially important when dealing with different legal systems and requirements of the countries involved in the project (Burke, 2001, p. 10). The Influence of Culture to the Success of a Project Global project managers must effectively deal with differences in language that could be barriers to communication and understanding. Cross-cultural differences can also pose challenges when cultural conventions are violated. This lack of attention to language and cultural will show up at any point in the life cycle from planning to the completion stage in the form of differences in quality standards adhered to by technical and knowledge experts as well as misunderstandings over goals and task requirements (Henri & Sousa-Poza, 2005). Differences in labor relations, governmental agency involvement must also be addressed when forming a project team and setting the project deadline (Freedman & Katz, 2007). A critical mistake a project manager can make in working with an international team is neglecting cultural variables than can pose a risk to planning and execution. For example, assigning a high-risk project to a team composed of members from a risk-averse culture (e. g. Germany, Japan, and China) may result in excessive time spent in the planning and risk assessment phase of the project life cycle, changing processes, procedures, and performance aspects to mitigate against low probability risks that results the wasting of time and resources, and negative attitudes about the success of the project (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 2). In countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, and some African nations, the successful completion of time-intensive and time critical projects can be jeopardized by a culture that places an emp hasis on being patient and bending to the will of fate. It is therefore vital to review such cultural characteristics in the context of a project’s priorities, considering alternatives where appropriate† (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 2). Who the stakeholders are in a global project are also important considerations. While this is often neglected in domestic projects, the negative repercussions pose a greater threat to global projects (Freedman & Katz, 2007). To mitigate against the negative risks associated with a global partnership, it is important to establish shared goals and objectives from the start. This is often a difficult process because of cultural differences between the countries involved. While all cultural differences cannot be eliminated, identifying and mutually acknowledging these differences can help decrease misunderstandings and insults that could threatened the completion of the project (Freedman & Katz, 2007). Therefore, a project manager involved in any international partnership would take into consideration several factors that start with an assessment of the cultural values of the country and organization from which some of the team members would be recruited. Questions that the project manager would ask include: 1. How complex is the project? 2. How complex is the project infrastructure? 3. What are the key risk areas of the project? 4. How time-critical is the project? 5. What are your long-term objectives? 6. Which cultural barriers will you have to address? (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 3) Once the team has been established, time should be taken to clarify and align the technical and knowledge competencies required by team members as well as the intentions and expectations from both the domestic and globally based team members for how the project will proceed. Since communication may be more difficult when working with a global partner, it is incumbent on the project manager to take the extra time to clarify and confirm information shared between project team members and key stakeholders in the project (Delone, 2005). This process will help the project manager identify and deal with differences in values that might threatened effective collaboration (Freedman & Katz, 2007). Project team leadership can be influenced differently in domestic and global project management. Approaches to leadership that work well in domestic projects may fail when working with culturally diverse team. For example, there is a hierarchy of communication between workers, supervisors, and leadership that are strictly adhered to in some countries (e. g. , India and Japan) that is not a part of the organizational culture in the U. S. Ignoring these cultural conventions could lead to project delay or even failure (Freedman & Katz, 2007). In addition, some cultures are highly authoritarian, group-oriented, and use indirect communication; these cultural practices are different from U. S. practices that tend to be more egalitarian, individualist, and use direction communication. This can result in situations where project team members are confused about how to interact with others and how to approach project tasks, often leading to delay or project failure (Freedman & Katz, 2007). If problems or conflict does occur, a project manager who understands the cultural differences at play, can work with team members to develop strategies that help adapting behaviors to accommodate differences in expectations about leadership, decision-making procedures, work styles, and rule/tactics of negotiation (Freedman & Katz, 2007). Some cultures expect their leaders to be more egalitarian than is common among US leaders (e. g. , Scandanavia, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand). When leaders are perceived as too autocratic, team members often will resent the leader’s actions and ignore a leader they consider arrogant and overbearing. On the other hand, some cultures expect the leader to be more directive and autocratic (e. g. , most countries south of the US, Russia, China, India, Mid East, and Far Eastern countries) (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. ). When a leader is perceived to be too friendly or casual with subordinates, team members will react to the project manager with confusion and distrust (Freedman & Katz, 2007). It cannot be understated the importance of project managers to accommodate their behaviors to the cultural and organizational expectations. â€Å"It is entirely possible to behave in a way that will be viewed as weak and ineffective in one culture and viewed as boorish and ineffective in an other† (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 4). Palvia and Vemuri (2002) stress the key role that trust plays in the successful completion of a project. This is especially relevant to global project management were trust is built and strengthened by a project manager who recognizes the language, culture, local customs of the international partners and teams members in addition to knowledge about legal or regulatory requirements (Kliem, 2004). Project managers also must be prepared to work with leaders in other countries who are not familiar with working in cross-cultural teams and are unaware of how to interact in these situations. Project managers facile at â€Å"influencing, negotiating, and adapting their behavior to different people and contexts† (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 5) are best suited from global projects. These managers are able to build relationships and understand the important role that these relationship are to the success of a global project. These managers are able to tap into relationships formed with partner organizations to help resolve issues or expedite solutions. Project managers who have difficulty in the following areas would be poor choices for leading a global project: (a) building relationships, (c) knowingly or unknowingly ignores or insults foreign team members, (d) have poor communication skills, (e) views foreigners as lazy, stupid, or unable/unwilling to adapt, (f) unwilling to adapt his/her own behaviors, (g) takes for granted the importance of coming to consensus on issues related to project tasks, times, and quality (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 6). On the other hand, Freedman and Katz (2007) outlined several behaviors of the â€Å"uninformed† superior working for a foreign company that could threaten the collaboration, functioning, and success of a project. These disruptive behaviors include: ? Delegates completely, doesn’t see any reason to get involved. ?â€Å"They work for us—you make that clear to them! † ?Asks if the project manager is keeping â€Å"banker’s hours† when he/she comes in later after being on the phone from 11-3 the night before. ?Sees no reason to be selective (except technically) in placing people on an international project. Selects high risk/high collaboration projects for international work. ?Assumes the time required is the same for international and domestic projects. ?Is unwilling or unable to change leadership style to meet cultural expectations. (Freedman & Katz, 2007, p. 5) Another factor that is different from domestic projects is that members on a global project team often are geographically and sometimes organizationally dispersed (Orlikowski, 2002). It is not uncommon for these project members to meet in â€Å"virtual teams† using telecommunications and information technology (Eberlein, 2008, p. 9). Bell and Kozlowski (2002) point out that the use of virtual teams add an additional layer of complexity to any program. The lack of personal contact hinders team development and constrains performance management. At present, â€Å"there have been few efforts to include the culture variable in the theoretical frameworks† (Gurung & Prater, 2006, p. 24). Conclusion Being the manager of a globally based project can be exciting and rewarding with the project manager has the knowledge and skills to deal with culturally diverse work situations. In order to increase leadership effectiveness and the management of risk, uncertainty, and complexity, the project manager must become familiar with the guidelines for the project process that is common in the country where the project will be completed. In addition, cultural awareness and the ability to engage members of the team in effective communication that considers and respects cultural customs of the hosting country is critical to project success. Different countries respond differently to peers and those in positions of authority. A little â€Å"homework† about the culture and customs of the host country will serve the project manager well. References Bell, B. S. , & Kozlowski, S. W. J. (2002). A typology of virtual teams: Implications for effective leadership. New York: Cornell University, Faculty Publications: Human Resource Studies Burke, R. (2001). Project management: Planning and control techniques (3rd ed. ). New York: John Wiley & Sons. DeLone, W. , Espinosa, J. A. , Lee, G. , & Carmel, E. (2005). Bridging global boundaries for IS project success. Proceedings of the 38th Hawaii International Conference on Systems Science, Big Island Hawaii, IEEE. Eberlein, M. (2008). Culture as a critical success factor for successful global project management in multi-national IT service projects. Journal of Information Technology Management, 19(3), 27-42. Espinosa, J. A. , Cummings, J. N. , Wilson, J. M. , and Pearce, B. M. (2003). Team boundary issues across multiple global firms. Journal of Management Information Systems, 19(4), 157-190) Freedman, S. , & Katz, L. (2007). Critical success factors for international projects. PM World Today, 9(10), 1-8. Retrieved April 18, 2010 from http://www. pmworldtoday. net Gurung, A. , & Prater, E. (2006). A research framework for the impact of cultural differences on IT outsourcing. Journal of Global Information Technology Management, 9(1), 24-43. Henri, M. , & Sousa-Poza, A. (2005). Project management: A cultural literary review. Project Management Journal, 36(1), 5-14. Kerzner, H. (2003). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Kliem, R. L. (2004). Managing the risks of offshore IT development projects. Information Systems Management Journal, Summer, 22-28. Orlikowski,, W. (2002). Knowing in practice: Enacting a collective capability in distributed organizing. Organization Science, 13, 249-273. Palvia, S. C. , & Vemuri, V. K. (2002). Global e-commerce: An examination of issues related to advertising and intermediation in Palvia, P. C. , Palvia, S. C. J. , & Roche, E. M. (eds. ) Global information technology and electronic commerce: Issues for the new millennium. New York: Ivey League Publishing.

Synopsis of Killer of Sheep

Stan, the family man as the protagonist of the story/film, is decent, hardworking, and enslaved by poverty.   He works in a sheep slaughterhouse.   His is a story of the 70’s that encapsulates what African-American life is all about in the Los Angeles ghetto of Watts.The whole tapestry of the lives of Stan’s family; his neighbors; his friends; his community was so vividly depicted in the film.   Various episodes transpired in his life in the story.   Some of Stan’s friends tempted him to participate in a murder; a white woman flirts with him; Stan and his friend buying a car engine, the consoling moments Stan spend with his wife and child.   The entire story is about perseverance, patience, desperation, abuse, hope, despair, pride in work, joy in austerity, and integrity even in poverty.Synopsis of Days of GloryFour men of Algerian nationality were the focus of the story about recruitment of North Africans to serve in the French Army to wage its campaig n against the Nazi across Europe during World War II.   Each of the four recruited soldiers has different reasons for joining the army.Amidst the war, their experiences became varied as they witnessed the atrocities of war; the discrimination; the savagery; the despair and the intolerances; the indignities.   The war made them confused and seeking justice for their rightful place for the courage, dedication and commitment they gave in service of France.The Comparative AnalysisKiller of Sheep is an American drama film of human element that was shot in black and white in 1977.   It runs for 81 minutes.   It was first presented as a feature film thesis by its Writer Director, Charles Burnett, for his Masters Degree in Fine Arts.   Inspite of the excellent reviews, the film originally shot in 16 mm was not able to be commercially released due to some music infringements that Burnett could not afford to cover.The film was finally restored and re-issued for full 35 mm screen in 2007, with the appropriate compensations for copyrights of the music used.   The film has got a very poetic treatment of the scenes; the drabness was intended to give realism to the feelings evoked by the story.Burnett was masterful with his shots and camera work, â€Å"He operated the 16-millimeter camera himself, edited the black-and-white images into a visual poem and added the ballads, the jazz and the moody blues that seep into your head like smoke. The result is an American masterpiece, independent to the bone.† (Dargis, 2007)Days of Glory is a French drama film, also of human element, shot in color in 2007.   The film runs for 120 minutes.   â€Å"With strong visuals and even stronger emotions, Rachid Bouchareb's â€Å"Days of Glory† makes a powerful war film about a particularly unique subject scenes of combat are well staged and shot†.   (Honeycutt, 2006).   The film was created as straightforwrd as it should be about the tales of the characte rs.   It exuded honest emotions and vivid narration of what the environment of war was.The portrayals adopted in the filmmaking is classical wherein there was no overplaying of the issues of the story.   Insuch manner, the message of the story stay as relevant in times that will come and go. The camera work on comat sequences are precise.   The scenes truly expressed the dramatic impact that the moral lesson of the film intended to portray.   The film was nominated to the Oscar’s Foreign Language Film Category in 2007.References:Dargis, M.   â€Å"Whereabouts in Watts? Where Poetry Meets Chaos†.20 Mar 2007.   The New York Times.http://www.movies.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/movies/30kill.htmlSchwarzbaum, L.   â€Å"Movie Review:   Killer of Sheep†.   Entertainment Weekly.   28 Mar 2007http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20016243,00.htmlhttp://www.killerofsheep.comHoneycutt, K.   â€Å"BottomLine:   A Strong Film for SpecialtyVenues†.The Holl ywood Reporter.   26 May 2006http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/film/reviews/article_display.jsp?&rid=295Turan, K. â€Å"Movie Review:   Days of Glory†.   Los Angeles Times.   6 Dec 2006http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/d-et- days6dec06,0,6442085.story?coll=d-mreview)Scott, A.O.   â€Å"Yes, Soldiers of France, In All But Name†.New York Times Review, 6 Dec 2006http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/movies/06glor.html?ref=movies)   

Unit V Assignment (Training and Development) Essay

Unit V Assignment (Training and Development) - Essay Example This proposal is rooted on the fact that the demand for software designers is at its peak in the current economy. For this reason, there is a need for training to equip professionals with relevant skills that workforce desires. The apprentice is guaranteed a variety of skills to learn from this program. One of the most prevalent programming languages is the C language, and it is among the skills acquired in the apprenticeship. It turns out that the C programming language is the foundation of many operating systems hence the training equips workforce with latest updates in this area. Another relevant and essential skill from this apprenticeship is mastery of the C++ language. The complexity and convolution of this programming language requires adequate preparation to handle unexpected changes (Sinha, 2009). In addition, this apprenticeship enables mastery of JavaScript with an aim of making the web an interactive place. Next on the list of skills is an understanding and application of HTML. However, the most significant skill developed from this apprenticeship is the language of SQL. This comes from the idea that SQL server developers have skills, which are in high demand, and comes with better job prospects than any other programming language. The entire process of training deems to follow a definite path. With the apprentice’s development in mind, the apprenticeship focuses on dividing classes according to various programming languages, and allows employees specialize on what they best understand. The process of training then ensures that employees are more committed to success in respective jobs (Sinha, 2009). It instills on employees a sense of confidence and the ability to handle various challenges. Even though all programming languages are essential for an all-round computer programmer, this apprenticeship ensures a clear

Brainstorming for Research Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Brainstorming for Research Proposal - Essay Example The writers discuss the consequences of electronic publishing and recommends on how publishers, writers and readers can assess electronic materials. Three Views of the internet written by Ann Marie and Wendy Wicks is another book that I will put into consideration since it has articles about the use of internet in publishing Industry. In addition, I will combine books and an eBook: The misuse of information systems by John P D’Arcy and Encyclopedia of Internet technologies and applications by Mario marques respectively. Other relative important articles that I have found helpful in doing the research include: Impact of Technology in Publishing by Hanna Ronte; impact of internet in the newspaper industry by George Wilbert.; and Effects of Information Technology on the Publishing Industry by Otuoma Sanya. The above articles will provide information on impacts of internet technologies in different publishing sectors. The articles will also provide information on how the internet has benefited and advanced publishing. Many questions have emerged on the effects of internet publishing. I am actually confused and wondering how publishers and writers earn yet their work is downloaded free from the internet unless in some few cases like in Amazon where books are sold. I tend to think that the amount of money used by a reader in downloading the materials is shared among the internet administrators, publishers and writers. Many writers are earning a lot of money through posting their creative work. I wonder what the internet has done to publishing industries. Yes electronic publishing has made the process simple and flexible. Nevertheless, I wonder about what effect internet has resulted in publishing hand cover books. Companies producing raw materials for publishing company are operating on losses since the printing of books is getting lower every day. I wonder what

Abstract for an article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Abstract for an - Article Example Musculoskeletal upper limit side effects and dissentions of neck, shoulder and arms are regular in the overall public and around computer clients in numerous streamlined nations. Lately, workstation related office work has heightened in western created nations. In Germany for instance the 2004 registration uncovered that machine related work constituted a substantial a piece of the everyday working normal for give or take 21 million individuals. The etiology of neck, shoulder and forearm/hands grievances in workstation workers is still not totally caught on. A few danger elements identified with diverse physical exposures at work and psychosocial conditions have been distinguished as potential causes for neck, shoulder and forearm/hands protests. These exposures might be physical exposures identified with static neck and arm postures, monotonous assignments, work environment outline and likewise psychosocial variables identified with employment aspects, high quantitative occupation r equests, having little impact on ones work circumstance, and restricted backing from associates or bosses (Hassan et al, n.p). This aims of this paper is to draw on past studies and break down the vicinity of neck, shoulder and forearm/hands grumblings in connection to impacts of both exposures to physical components and to mental variables (employment requests, occupation control, social help and strain). In like manner, this study endeavors to test the accompanying exploration questions: What exactly degree are employment requests, occupation control, social help and occupation strain in the work environment, connected with the event of indications in the neck, shoulder and forearm/hands? Whatever degrees are physical form carriage and the outline of the working environment connected with the event of manifestations in the neck, shoulder and forearm/hands Regress analysis or Logistic relapse was

Trace character vs. fate theme Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Trace character vs. fate theme - Essay Example Nevertheless ancient civilizations of Europe: Greece and Rome had presented new outlooks, new philosophies and ethics which were based on humanism and materialism. Ancient Greek philosophers and dramaturges had presented a new, liberal and unique idea of human's place in the universe. It was a human-centered philosophy, based on ration, sensualism and freedom of thought. Plato's Allegory of the Cave has become classical example which presents the world we live in: "Behold! Human beings living in an underground cave, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the cave; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets." (Plato, 2000, p.297) Allegory of the Cave is a symbolic name as it implies that human's world is not a world of darkness, where there is no way out, where everything is preplanned and where everyone has his own fate. The word "cave" means that there exists a way out, and this way is will power, confidence and knowledge based on rationalism of enquiring mind. There exists a sun at the end of cave, and sun of knowledge and reason shines for everyone and creates harmony, confidence and promotes social progress. The freedom-loving and democratic spirit of Plato's works and of Allegory of the Cave in particular case witnesses about original and new philosophy of human-centered universe, where the fate meant nothing but a cave or prison, as it was only a "prison" of human's will and mind. Plato stated that: "the man who truly worships the stars does not need to enquire what fate they weave for him, he is lifted above the reach of fate in his communion. By becoming one with the stars, he becomes one with his own fate." (Plato, 2000,p.194) Plato continues his discourses about human will, human nature, feelings and reason in his another work The Symposium which is written in the form of dialogue (like "the allegory") of several prominent citizens of Athens: dramaturges and philosophers. The theme of conversation is love, a very contradictory theme and very subjective. Nevertheless The Symposium remains to be a classical reference for study of this theme. As every participant in the dialogue presents his own point of view, presents his arguments, myths and discourses about love, we see the diverse ethic atmosphere in Ancient Greece, such triumph of human reason and ethical thought. Through logical and exhaustive discourses about love in the dialogue of famous Greeks we observe the power of subjective thinking and power of speech through arguments. It's a dialogue of people who are confident in their ethical principles and are confident that they are able to change something in the surrounding word. Their speeches do not contain elements of mysticism in the volume we can find in works of earlier authors such as Homer for example, their

Panama Canal expansion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Panama Canal expansion - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that most infrastructural mega projects are prone to suffer from cost overruns, delays, poor performance or inability to give customer satisfaction if inadequately managed. Interaction of several factors such as governance of such projects, their financing, human management, and financing can cause complexities which can either promote their success or inhibit it depending on how they are approached. It is, therefore, crucial for project managers to thus critically analyze a mega project before undertaking it. This report takes an in-depth assessment of the expansion of the Panama Canal which is one of the busiest waterways internationally. Panama expansion project is also of key interest given that it plays a critical role in maritime trade and brings together international concerns. The initial construction of Panama Canal went underway in 1880 under the leadership of Ferdinand de Lesseps who built Suez Canal. This was a large scale proje ct undertaken by people who had little prior experience in canal construction. They faced several challenges including minimal workforce, diseases and lack of funding. The geology of the region also posed a challenge to the construction work. A second company, the Compagnie Nouvelle du Canal de Panama, was contracted to complete the construction. After the American government the requested French machinery for construction, work officially began in 1904. Despite the challenges encountered in constructing the canal, Panama Canal was completed a decade later.

Investing in foreign hospitality industry in Switzerland Research Paper

Investing in foreign hospitality industry in Switzerland - Research Paper Example Swiss Statistics observes that the uncountable benefit has attracted more than 6,500 international foreign companies that are currently located in Switzerland. It has an attractive market, offers unique production skills, and serves as a gateway to Europe. It is strategically located at the centre of Europe, which ensures easy accessibility of all European markets. It is referred to as the centre of competitiveness in Europe, as it plays an important function in financial markets internationally. It is also the center for many international organizations like World Trade Organization, WHO and UN, among others. Therefore, the hotel industry can do well here as there are many potential customers who have to eat and spend in hotels. Presence of international trading companies, law firms, and insurance companies, freight forwarding companies, security firms and surveillance firms certify Switzerland as a true global business center. Switzerland has greatly improved over the past years as an investment center. It continually enhances foreign and domestic investments through improvement of circumstances and conditions. Expansion of Mirvac group of hotels to Switzerland will improve the company’s reputation and image. Switzerland is an international country and presence of these hotels will ensure its loyal customers get their services, away from home. It will also make it be recognized internationally, as many foreigners come here. Therefore, it will market it internationally, and hence, investing in other countries will also be easy. Investing in Switzerland is therefore an important strategy for the company’s future prospects.... Investing in Switzerland is therefore an important strategy for the company’s future prospects. Current Global Trends Globalization has had various effects on the industry of hospitality. The positive impacts are exposure to diverse cultures, large market, economy development, technology advancement, promotion of creativity, increased job opportunities, development of travel industry, and availability of international services. Exposure to different cultures will help managers in the hospitality industry to learn different cultures as they interact with people from different walks of life. Globalization has increased customer base, as people travel for businesses and holiday, health and other purposes (Swiss Statistics, 2000). This increases the market for the industry of hospitality, with major income from international visitors. Visitors from various cultures, cuisines, customs and languages ensure variety of services that meet their needs. This greatly improves the hospital ity industry, and Mirvac Group of hotels will reap this benefit. Globalization also has negative effects on the hospitality industry like language barrier, cultural barrier, disasters or events in other countries, seasonal environment, bad habits, and crime rate increase. Though these may be a barrier to the hotel investment in Switzerland, the management should still invest here but employ people with wide language and cultural knowledge. These employees will effectively handle and serve different people from different cultural and language backgrounds. PESTLED Analysis of Switzerland Political System The tri level political system in Switzerland is very effective, because county and state governments are highly controlled. They are very understanding situation as well as

Ethics and Asylum Seekers in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics and Asylum Seekers in Australia - Essay Example The majority of the refugees ended up in the two Pacific Island nations which the Australian government hurriedly organized. Australian immigration official stated that at the time, there was an influx of illegal boat arrivals which pushed the federal parliamentary government of Australia to come up with the â€Å"Pacific Solution Policy† in February of 2001. Australia’s immigration department stated that in February 2002 there were 356 asylum seekers from Iraq mostly, whose status was being processed in the island of Manos in Papua New Guinea, and there were 1,159 refugees in Nauru which overall total is 1,500 asylum seekers. These Islands were happy to take these refugees in an exchange with the financial aid coming from Australia. Though there has been no official report on the figures it has been reported that the president of Nauru Rene Harris negotiated a $15m for the accommodation of more than 1000 asylum seekers (BBC Q&A, 2002). â€Å"In the harshest border pol icy in the Westernized world, the Australian Navy was then deployed to intercept asylum-seekers at sea. The government also excised Australia's offshore islands from its immigration zone in order to deprive boat people of the right to claim asylum†( Marks, 2007). Where do we draw the line on helping the unfortunate? What should be the guiding rule on welcoming and accepting people running for refuge in our more fortunate land? What are the human rights of an individual? The United Nations declaration of human rights proclaims the right: 1.) To life, to freedom from subjection, to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, or to slavery, servitude or forced labor.2.To liberty and security of the person. 3.) To a fair trial. 4.) To freedom from retroactive criminal law or punishments. 5.) With respect to private and family life, home, and correspondence. 6.) To freedom of thought.

Summary of patents and standards Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of patents and standards - Essay Example This invention comprised readable data for a computer, which represents an encoded pixel collection. The collection comprises several pixels organized to form a source graphic symbol of the part geometrically similar to an exclusive attribute of the intended graphic symbol. In addition, it is possible to pixel the target graphic symbol using one or more coded pixel cluster. This is the major assertion that the owner of this patent claim, which is similar to other claims. The main objective of this innovation is to encode graphic symbols founded on both the keyboard printable characters for instance letters and numbers and on other printable graphic symbols. Consequently, this will render the decoding more precise even when the printed symbols are only partly clear. The above assertion explains the first and second feature of the invention. The third feature of the invention, involves a technique for processing a printed document containing the intentioned computer legible graphic sym bols. This method can help in identifying the intentioned graphic symbols. This method serves various functions. First, it has a pixel collection fashioned by vision photographing, which are adequately identifiable even at high resolution.

Managers Function, Skills and Role Essay Example for Free

Managers Function, Skills and Role Essay

Distribution of Foreign Direct Investment in Kazakhstan

Distribution of Foreign Direct Investment in Kazakhstan In his book author (RRRRR), wrote that domestic investors of any particular country who engage in investments activity outside their country of residence and this investments earn them returns which are then repatriated to their domestic country are engaging in foreign direct investment. From the point of view of a country, foreign direct investments are the investment made by non-citizens of that country or investment made by citizens in other foreign countries. Foreign direct investment is attainable where there is a good business relationship between the investing company or parent company and its subsidiary company located abroad. This kind of business relations has led to the emergence of multinationals company that engage in foreign direct investment in many parts of the world. According to (DDDD), a business analyst whose studies refer to only those companies which have a minimum of 10 percent shareholding in foreign subsidiaries as companies that participate in foreign direct investment, also companies which have voting rights in the annual general meeting of foreign subsidiaries engage in foreign direct investments. Types of Foreign direct Investments As by the definition, foreign direct investment can be classified in two categories namely the internal FDI and external FDI, the classification of the two categories is mainly guided by the restrictions that are imposed for these investments and the requirements involved for such investments to take place. External FDI also known as direct investment abroad usually supported by the local government due to the benefits it will bring to the country one among them is foreign exchange that will help the country to have a balance of payments in its international trade. The government offers there support by giving such investments tax incentives that will reduce the cost of doing business and as well as make the investment worthwhile without eroding their income. External investments become unfavorable when companies abroad get special treatment by their local governments which in a way give them competitive advantage over the external FDI by granting them subsidies and covering of their risks. Internal FDI is encouraged by the host country in different manners which include; subsides, elimination of trade or investment barriers that makes doing business for foreign investors hard, lowering of interest on loans granted to them and tax allowances. Other classifications of foreign direct investment are vertical FDI and horizontal FDI. Vertical FDI occurs when a multinational company that owns more than 10 percent of foreign subsidiary, engage with its subsidiary in business activities whereby the foreign subsidiary is the main supplier of raw materials to the multinational company or it uses the goods and serviced produced by the multinational company. Horizontal FDI is when a local multinational company engages in the same business activity in different parts of the world. Motives behind Foreign Direct Investment FDI which are driven by the motive of establishing a strong market presence or venturing into new markets are termed as market-seeking FDI, while FDI which are driven by the motive of tapping into factors of production like labor, human resource which are in foreign countries and are more efficient in operations and cost are termed as resource -seeking FDI. FDI motivated by maximizing the opportunities available and reaping on the benefits of economics of scale are termed as efficiency seeking FDI. Determinants of foreign direct investment The main factors which will determine if a foreign direct investment can take place are the economic prospects of the foreign country and the size of the potential market. If the foreign country has wide market then foreign investors will assume that they will be able to grow their investments rapidly and get big returns of it. The foreign countrys population will also play critical part in making decision on whether to participate in foreign direct investment, because its the size of the population that determines the consumer size available thus a big population will mean a big consumer base. If the foreign country citizens have a reasonably higher per capita income it would mean that they would be ready to spend and to the foreign investor he or she would translate this to potential of good investments. Foreign investors will also be lured into investing in foreign country if the workforce thats available is well qualified and competent enough, who will offer to them big returns on their human capital. The availability of natural resources like gold, oil and diamond will attract foreign investors to these countries, an example is Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and other oil rich countries have all attracted foreign investors into their country to tap into the oil exploration industry thats unlimited and has good future prospects. The level of technological advancement and infrastructure that are available in a country will also influence on foreign direct investments. Recent reports and studies have shown that countries which have properly placed infrastructure facilities have experienced a high amount of foreign direct investment. (PPPPPPPP) studies noted that over the past countries have made tremendous reforms to their economic policies in bid to create conducive environment which can attract more foreign investments and companies that engage in foreign investments have altered their legal framework to make them more transparent and sensitive to their business environment. Advantages of Foreign Direct Investment in Kazakhstan According to statistics released by the Ministry of Economy and Budget planning of Kazakhstan they have shown that the country main benefit from foreign direct investment has being the economic development witnessed in that country, especially since the country was referred to as among those economically developing countries in the 1990s. Foreign direct investment has also being the source of financial assistance for Kazakhstan during times of economic hardships. Kazakhstan has also witnessed technological advancement since foreign investors who allocate a big percentage of their capital towards technology and research in the field that they plan to invest in. The workforce in that country has become more skilled and resourceful because the foreign companies bring in new skills and train their human resource according to their high standards, in addition they have contributed to the education development in that country because of the revenues they pay to the Kazakhstan government in the form of corporate taxes which are channeled to building of schools and technology-focused training institutions. New jobs have being created in the country which can be mainly attributed to FDI that has also led to the rapid development of the manufacturing industry in that country, e employees working in these companies are also paid according to international standards which affords them good lifestyle and increase in the living standards of the countries population. Kazakhstan revenue collection has shot up because now it not only relies on domestic taxes but also taxes that come from these foreign investment made in that country, the increase in revenue collection has played a big role in the growth of the economy. Companies in Kazakhstan that have ventured to foreign markets have being able to increase market for their goods and services thus have being able to earn the country foreign exchange that helps it to attain a balance of payment in the international trade. The Kazakhstan central bank reportedly has lowered it interest rates on loans made out to business ventures which is attributed to the influence of foreign direct investment. Business can now access capital from the local banks at a low interest rate level; the small and medium sized companies have tapped this advantage and have grown their business to a high level. Disadvantages of Foreign Direct Investment in Kazakhstan Operations of the companies, Human resource working for these FDI companies and the distributions of revenues made out of foreign direct investment are the main areas that are prone to suffer from the disadvantages of FDI. The fragile parts of the economy of the host country are also prone to any negative shift in foreign direct investment. Studies done by (GGGGGG) have indicted that negative consequences of foreign direct investment in a host country can be reduced if the government is strict in ensuring that these companies that participate in FDI in their country are engaged in business activities that environment friendly, they abide by the social and legal regulations that the government has established. In Kazakhstan foreign investment has forced the government to make some economic reforms that which have not being received well by the locals, some of the economic policies do not even favor the foreign investors themselves. The geographical location of Kazakhstan and also the fact that it is land locked has made foreign investors view it as an isolated region unfavorable for doing business because of the high transport fee to fly in and out of the country especially when moving goods or capital goods that need to be shipped or transported through the railway. In allowing foreign direct investment Kazakhstan will be placing their local companies at the disadvantage of being taken over by the large multinational companies who are exposed to huge amount of capital to invest. For Kazakhstan local companies which engage in direct investment abroad will be exposing themselves to the danger of nationalized in the foreign country. The government of Kazakhstan aims at making the economy more liberal to attract even more foreign investment into the country, in doing so they loss control of these companies that operate there as subsidiaries fully owned by multinational companies. When the government does not exercise control over these companies the environment and locals interest cant be represented and employees are exposed to potential exploitation by such companies. Some of the companies will even disregard economic policies set by the government. Foreign direct investment wont be of benefit to the Kazakhstan economy if the subsidiaries of multinational companies directly channel their profits to their mother country without making any developments in the country the invest in, there would also be imbalance of payment as more capital will be moving out of the country than capital coming into the country. Foreign Investment in KZ economy The foreign investment turnover in Kazakhstan has shown a continuous growth over the past ten years with an annual growth average of 19.1% with a significant growth being recorded in the years between 1995-2006, the rapid growth that was estimated to have reached more than fifty billion US dollars by August the year 2007 was largely associated with the sharp rise in prices of both oil and gas coupled with the significant increase in oil export volumes. Kazakhstan main partner in trade is still viewed to be Russia who are the country largest importers, the country basically enjoy a large export market in the western countries where there are leading in export of oil and metals that are used by industries there as raw materials. Foreign investment in Kazakhstan economy has increased because investors are attracted to the country by the fact that economy of the country has be experiencing tremendous growth, evidence is shown by figures which show that about eighty percent of all capital inflows that went to the central Asia region were direct towards the countrys economy with the European Union topping the list in terms of source of investments. Author (PPPP), in his studies show that this sharp raises in foreign investment is due to the economic reforms made, stable institutions that have being set up and the development experienced in the banking sector. Foreign investment led to about eighteen Kazakhstan companies being listed in the London Stock Exchange with four being listed at the main market in the period between the years 2005-2007. Foreign direct Investment in Kazakhstan; Sources: Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Foreign Inflow by various countries to Kazakhstan figures according to the year 2009; COUNTRY Japan France US Russia Netherlands China Italy UK Others % 3% 7% 16% 4% 28% 6% 4% 6% 22% Source: Ministry of Economy and Budget Planning of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Movement in the key economic indicators   Key economic indicators 2003   2004 2005 2006 2007 2008   Real GDP growth (%)   9.3   9.6 9.7 10.7   8.9 3.1   Consumer price inflation (av. %)   6.8 6.7 7.5 8.4 10.8 9.5   Exchange rate Tenge:US$ (av)   149.58 136.00     132.88   126.09   122.60   122.55   Exchange rate Tenge:à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ (av)   168.79   169.04   165.42   158.27   167.8   167.75   Budget balance (% of GDP) -1.7   -1.9 SOURCES: Kazakh Statistical Agency, Investors Guide, Nationalbank Kazakhstan  Ã‚  Ã‚   Main exporters and importers Main destinations of exports 2007 % of total   Main origins of imports 2008   % of total   Russia   9.8   Russia   35.5   Italy   16.3   EU   24.5   France   8.3   China   10.7   Switzerland   15.7   US   5.1   China   11.8   Ukraine   4.7   Others   38.1 SOURCES: Kazakh Statistical Agency, Investors Guide, Nationalbank Kazakhstan Main export and imports   Major exports 2007   % of total   Major imports 2007 % of total   Mineral products   69.8   Mineral products   12.8   Chemicals, plastics, rubber   4.1   Chemicals, plastics, rubber   10.7   Non precious materials, its products   17.3   Non precious materials, its products   13.5   Machinery, equipment transport, instruments and apparatus   1.8   Machinery, equipment transport, instruments and apparatus   46.8   Foodstuff   3.9   Foodstuff   6.8   Others   3.1   Others   9.4   SOURCES: Ministry of Energetic and Mineral Resources, Investors Guide, Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Investment Environment in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan located in the central Asia and Europe region is the ninth largest country in the world thats landlocked with a gross national income per capita of more than six thousand and a population of more than fifteen million whom according to reports released by United Nation are averagely in the income group of middle income earners. Kazakhstan currently leads the central Asia in terms of social and economic growth, it has the potential to make the region independent and an economic success, the European Union in the year 2000 elevated the country to the market economy status due to its attraction to international investors and multinational companies who prefer to locate their. The same move was followed by the United States of America who in the year 2002 also elevated the status of Kazakhstan to a market economy up from a non-market economy opening up for their local companies the wider western nations market that includes the US; this conclusion was arrived at after observing economic indicators that showed improvements such as the increase in level of wages for the workforce, convertibility of countrys currency, increase in foreign direct investment, drop in corruption level, control of production, public control and reduction in human rights violation. The transition to market economy is a journey that started 17 years ago from the former soviet economy to a free market economy. After independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the high rate of inflation and economic decline that was witnessed in the early parts of 1990s Kazakhstan engaged itself into a series of political, economic and social reforms. Currently the economic reforms are geared towards diversifying the economy more particular is to remove the economic reliance on natural resources and focus on developing other key sectors of the economy. Kazakhstan investment environment has seen an overall macro- economic stability coupled with economic reforms that are aimed at making the environment more investment friendly. Figures released by the Index of Economic Freedom show that over the past five years the country has witnessed a recommendable economic growth that can be attributed to the increased revenues from the Oil industry. The Kazakhstan high corruption level, unfavorable tax rates and lack of access to funds for investment are the main difficulties experienced in the investment environment that has made doing business even harder this is according to the 2009 reports by Enterprise Surveys. It is important to note that the investment environment in Kazakhstan has shown improvements in these three problematic areas making doing business easier in that country. The most notable improvements were in reduction of costs from 1,431 dollars to 119 dollars which are incurred when applying for construction permits, the other sectors that transformed so as to improve the investment environment was shown by the 10 percent fall in corporate tax, reduction in labor taxes and even compulsory contributions by the Kazakhstans working population was lowered. A new tax code and the Kazakh law were also introduced all aimed at making the country a good investment harbor, the new law mainly focused on ensuring that there was equality in the distribution of investment incentives to both local investors and foreign investors, safeguard the rights of investors and establish procedural system that was free and fair in settling disputes of investors. Some of the measures that the new tax code p ut into considerations included; adjusting the tax code so that it can be in line with the international financial reporting standards, eliminating the advance payments by all but three hundred biggest companies of their corporate tax, extension of loss deferral period to up to ten years, lowering of value added tax from 13% to 12%, gradual introduction of traditional payment scheme for value added tax and the implementation of a common social tax rate of 11% replacing the regressive scale. The drastic changes and economic policy reforms all paid of when the country was voted as the leading country in CIS because of its efforts in creating an investment environment that was conducive for doing business. International rating agency in 2002 rated Kazakhstan highly in terms of investment and due to the fact that Kazakhstan was the first Soviet Union republic to repay all the loan advanced to it by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the year 2000 which was seven years ahead of the repayment schedule, Standard Poors and Fitch confirmed the same in the year 2004 as other surveys and research done by international organizations all showed the same. In particular Fitch analyst pointed out that Kazakhstans finance and economy in general was better placed to deal with pressure from Oil and the ever changing oil prices than any other country in the world. The organization of top forty most industrialized countries (OECD) in the year 2003 put Kazakhstan at position four in terms of export credit rating which was an upward movement from the last rating done by OECD before 2003. The better ratings meant that the country could now enjoy good opportunities for doing trade. According to figures given out by World Bank business experts they show that out of all the foreign direct investment made in central Asia nearly eighty percent of these investments were made in Kazakhstan, the same report also showed that the country is regarded as being among top twenty countries which are most favorable to foreign investors. Recent years have seen research and survey place Kazakhstan in the top spot in foreign direct investment per capita which has being increasing steadily. In the period between 1993 and 2005 FDI was reportedly to have grown to be more than 37 billion US dollars, important point to note is that in the period of 2001 to 2003 there was only 4.5 billion US dollars worth of FDI made while in 2004 there was a drastic increase of up to 8.4 billion US dollars worth of investment made in Kazakhstan which was due to the increase in local companies that had foreign direct investment from 6,579 companies in 2003 to 7070 companies in 2004. Literature Review Regional distribution of foreign direct investment is the allocation of the investment opportunities and resources in economical manner so that every region gets a piece of the cake. When Kazakhstan is making strategic planning, they make a regional distribution plan considering the available FDI. It involves distributing FDI among the much needed projects or sectors of the economy and regions in the country. In the strategic planning decisions are made as to what areas or regions need FDI and what amount of FDI is needed, afterwards a contingency mechanism is established which sets out regions or area that should be given more priority than the others incase FDI is limited Regionally the country enjoys great leadership thanks to its close ties with the Russia, China and the central Asia region also the creation of customs union between the country Russia and Belarus this year has cemented its position as the regional leader. . Major Key sectors that Kazakhstan has mainly focused on improving through the help of foreign direct investment include; agriculture which offer investment opportunity in over twenty million hectares of farmland with more than a hundred and sixty five million hectares of pasture, the government has tried to promote these sector to investors by putting in place infrastructure facilities that offers smooth transport system. The textile industry also offers investment opportunities thats backed up by availability of qualified workforce, availability of processing factories that are already in place the government also make grants to these industry in form of tax holidays, favorable custom tariffs plus there is a wide ready market for textile products in East-Europe region and Russia, close links that exist between neighboring cotton producers like Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan make the sector highly capable of big returns. The telecommunication sector has being liberalized to attract more foreign investors enhanced by the growing number of information technology an internet penetration which has resulted to a sharp demand for broadband ISP services. The power generation sector will attract FDI due to high electricity consumption attributed to increased income/quality of life, infrastructure and hydrocarbon projects, recent reports show that a total of twenty two billion US dollars worth of investment are expected by the year 2015 plus the government has set aside thirteen billion US dollars that are to be channeled in the expansion program of power generation capacity a further nine billion US dollars will be invested in distribution and national grid. The other potential area that the Kazakhstan government focuses on distributing FDI to is the Metallurgy sector which produces huge amount of world-class base, precious minerals and metals, the sector has well developed infrastructure that are already in place and the closeness to biggest consumers of metallurgical products makes it worthwhile to channel FDI to. According to National Bank of Kazakhstan, the country is ranked at the 20th position in terms of its oil reserve, 13th position in terms of natural gas reserve and 24th in the world in natural gas production. Recommendation Kazakhstan should take the advantage of its strategic location which put it at a better place to become the centre of business in central Asia with ready markets form Russia and China. To gain competitive advantage over other country Kazakhstan should focus on creating conducive business environment together with political stability and increase the incentive granted their local companies that want to participate in direct investment abroad. All this will be attainable if there will be zero tolerance to corruption cases, improving of the education standards and the logistical infrastructure. Political institution should be strengthen by instituting professional training for government officials, engaging the local government in the developments of clusters, design a process to ensure that the political environment is transparent in its deal and consistent, institute professional civil service with transparent rules and performance based promotion. Zero tolerance to corruption will be achieved if the government institution eliminate the long tendering procedure that are involved with tenders, put in place comprehensive strategy to fight against corruption in national and local government, the other way to eliminate corruption is to ensure maximum punishment for those officials who engage in corrupt deals plus salary increment to government staff. The other recommendation that will see increase in FDI is removal of labor quota on expatriates; promote the transfer of skills as show of commitment to the growth of FDI, promoting the entrance of foreign banks in to the local banking industry, establishing transparent small and medium enterprises lending institutions, reduce the complexity in regulatory procedures that are involved in the licensing and registration process and the involvement of existing multinational companies in setting up private sector IFCs. Privatization of government owned industries and establishing a competition oversight authority that will make the country more attractive for foreign direct investments.

Case Study The Salad Bar Marketing Essay

Case Study The Salad Bar Marketing Essay The salad bar financial model will be based on the business concept of managing for the best, and planning for the worst. The projections of the first year will anticipate for a sales volume below average, salad cost above average, and seat turn below average. This will help us ensure adequate financial planning to cater for a ramp-up period that is reasonable, success of the business, and ensure that the business is not under-capitalized (McKeever 2008). Our financial plan is based on the assumptions that there will be a slow-growth economy that will be recovering from an economic decline. It also assumes that the business will experience a modest growth in the future. The Salad Bar business intends to increase profit margins per day. The businesses aims at reducing the variable operation cost as well as achieve a double growth rate annually. The Salad Bar marketing strategy will be aimed at developing visibility among the members of the community. This strategy will be achieved through a targeted advertising campaign. There will be advertisements placed in various newsletters. Its hoped that the advertisements will yield a reasonable amount of product enquiries since they are beleaguered toward the target population that uses Salad Bar products/services (Young 2007). The Salad Bar Marketing Objectives Salad Bar aims at reducing market costs as a sales percentage. The business intends to maintain steady and positive growth every month. In addition, Salad Bar plans to experience new customers increase and consequently have them as long-term customers. Marketing Strategy The Salad Bar marketing strategy will be aimed at developing visibility among the members of the community. This strategy will be achieved through a targeted advertising campaign. There will be advertisements placed in various newsletters. Its hoped that the advertisements will yield a reasonable amount of product enquiries since they are beleaguered toward the target population that uses Salad Bar products/services (Abrams Kleiner 2003). Target marketing The Salad Bars target population includes the middle class clients and the upper-class clients. The middle-class population has minimal disposable income. It recognizes that its expensive to get salad from a salad bar but its prepared to incur expenses though they will attempt to minimize them. On the other hand, the upper-class clients are characterized by high income level and its willing to have salad from a bar. This strategy will require a different menu for the two groups since the upper-class salad menu will be cost prohibitive for the middle class population (McKeever 2008). Positioning The Salad Bar will position itself as a high quality, innovative salad business. The members of the society will recognize the high quality and unique service/product offerings of The Salad Bar. The Salad Bar competitive edge will be founded in  its customer inventive and customer approach to members of the society. The Salad Bar customer attention will make it different from other salad bars that have a lot of demand. The disadvantage of having a high demand is that the business experiences a decreased pressure to accommodate extra clients. When The Salad Bar will start having plenty of customers, we will modify our business plan in order to handle them effectively McKeever (2008). The Salad Bar will approach the market as if there is considerable competition between the different product providers. We aim at making customer satisfaction our priority, and through this, local clients will come to be pleased about the attention given to their need and establish long-term relationshi ps with The Salad Bar. The main objective is to position The Salad Bar as the premier Salad business within the area, authorizing a market share majority in four years. The marketing strategy will aim first at creating customer awareness concerning its products, build up a customer base, and focus on building customer referrals and loyalty (Young 2007) Marketing Mix The Salad Bar marketing mix will consist of pricing, distribution, advertising and promotion approaches. The pricing scheme of the business is based on per person or per bowl charge. The Salad Bar aims at making product deliveries for customer far from the shop. On the other Hand, advertising and promotion will be done through television and radio adverts as well as brochures (Young 2007). Marketing Research Several focus groups were established and held during the initial marketing plan development phase so as to gain insight into a number of potential customers. The groups provided useful insight into potential customers decision making. Additional dynamic market research source is a feedback system based on a proposal card system. The proposal card will have numerous statements that clients are asked to rate as per a given scale. There will be numerous open ended questions that will enable a client to offer constructive criticism freely. The Salad Bar will focus on implementing suggestions that are reasonable so as to improve its product offerings as well as demonstrate its commitment to customer suggestions (Abrams Kleiner 2003).

costs and affects of quarrying in National Parks Essay -- essays resea

Mining and quarrying were the backbone of Britain’s economy since the start of the industrial revolution. Due to cleaner methods in energy production, which have been enforced during last 100 years and the course of developments in modern technology, Britain’s principle wealth is now governed mainly by the success of her tertiary businesses synonymous with the larger towns and cities. Nevertheless our standard of living also depends on the supply of aggregates, the most basic of building materials but most commonly used in the construction of buildings, transport networks, tunnels railroads and airports. According to Foster Yeoman (1994) the aggregates industry is five times the size of the domestic coal industry. However, such material often comes from quarries located in areas of high scenic value, which are often National Parks or Areas of Natural Beauty (AONB’s) and is raising cause for concern among environmentalists and local communities, but for different reasons. The National Parks of England and Wales were designated as such under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949. The purposes for which they were designated were to: ‘conserve the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage of its area and to provide for the enjoyment and understanding of its special qualities by the public’ Association of National Park Authorities (ANPA 2001). Furthermore the National Park Authorities (NPAs) are also required to foster the social and economic well being of the communities within the park.’ Scotland however had a much smaller population; therefore the pressures on the land were deemed not to be as great. Consequently places of natural beauty did not warrant the designation of national park status. Nevertheless, the new Scottish Parliament is currently implementing National Park areas throughout Scotland. Described by Simmons (1974) protected landscape is a non-consumptive resource: the crop is of a visual nature and when this has been taken in by the consumer; the source remains the same and it is the aim of the management to perpetuate this attribute. It is the duty of the NPAs (and their governing body ANPA) to promote methods of sustainable development, which is commonly achieved by each NPA having a ‘balanced membership’, consisting of local people and those representing the national interest by virtue of their individual knowl... ...01 http://www.qpa.org/profile_ohme.html  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  02 May 2001 http://www.peakdistrict.org/Pages/Facts/fz2tour.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  02 May 2001 http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/~visimp.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  07 May 2001 REFERENCES Wallis E.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Geofile: UK Mines and Quarries  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  April 1992   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edition 194 McGarvie M.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Foster Yeoman 75  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Butler & Tanner   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Pictorial History  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   1998 Simmons I.G.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Ecology of Natural Resources  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Edward Arnold   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1974 http://www.anpa.co.uk http://www.yeoman-poland.pl/e_ofirmie2.html http://www.qpa.org/profile_ohme.html

Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation Inventories Analysis :: essays research papers

Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation Inventories analysis A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a manufacturing company, Clearly Canadian Corporation, which produces and markets natural and flavored beverage products is expected to hold three kinds of inventories. These inventories are carried by Clearly Canadian in every phases (input, processing, output) in manufacturing the beverage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Inventories that are held by this company are raw material inventories, working in process inventories, and finished goods inventories. As we know, Clearly Canadian is a beverage company, the raw materials that are needed to make the beverages are natural water, sugar, artificial coloring, etc. While after all the raw materials have been collected, the company will face the processing phase, meaning converting the raw material into finished goods, example: mixing the ingredients. This phase is categorized as working in process inventories. Last but not least, the raw materials that have been processed and ready to be sold in the markets are the finished goods inventories. These are the inventories that Clearly Canadian distributes and sells in United States, Japan, Thailand, Great Britain, etc Conclusion, Clearly Canadian is holds this three inventories throughout the making and selling it’s beverage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   B  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After we define the Clearly Canadian inventories above, we know that those inventories are very important for Clearly Canadian, therefore they have to manage it properly. To hold an inventory a company is faced with risks, where it may face some losses too. The risks that clearly Canadian has to handle include storage costs, opportunity costs, peripheral costs, and depreciation costs. For storage costs, the costs in this category are storage charges, storage staff, equipment maintenance, and running costs. Storage charges include rent expense, lighting, heating, refrigeration, air conditioning, etc (Lucey 1988, p.185). The company needs to pay this cost because by holding the inventories it will need storage facilities and supporting staff. Opportunity costs will arise when the company does not choose the best alternative includes interest on capital invested in the stock (Lucey 1988, p.185). The company could have earned interest from the bank if they did not invest the money on these inventories. Supporting costs, which are also call peripheral cost, comes together with the storage cost that comes along with the storage costs. Peripheral cost means the cost that additional cost. Examples Audit, stocktaking, insurance, and security costs. Lastly, depreciation cost is the cost that incurred due to depreciation value of the inventories or maybe damages, which cause invaluable. Those kind of cost are deterioration, obsolescence, pilferage, and vermin damage (Lucey 1988, p.

Macbook Air About Essay

MacBook Air is unbelievably thin and light. But it’s designed to be powerful, capable, durable, and enjoyable to use, with enough battery life to get you through the day. That’s the difference between a notebook that’s simply thin and light and one that’s so much more. Even at less than an inch thin, MacBook Air sets a pretty high standard — by making flash storage standard. Flash chips are very compact, allowing MacBook Air to be incredibly thin and light. Flash is also solid state, meaning there are no moving parts. Which makes it reliable, durable, and quiet. And it takes up much less space — about 90 percent less, in fact. That creates room for other important things, like a bigger battery. So you have a notebook that weighs almost nothing and runs for hours on a single charge. That’s mobility mastered. Multi-Touch technology is part of practically every Apple product. It’s the best and most personal way to interact with your devices. And the optimal way to experience Multi-Touch on a notebook is through a trackpad. That’s precisely the case with MacBook Air. The trackpad’s spacious, all-glass surface doesn’t have a button because the whole thing is the button. And with Multi-Touch gestures in OS X Mountain Lion, you can interact with MacBook Air in ways that feel more intuitive and responsive than ever before. Anyone can try to make a notebook that’s thin and light. Success comes in doing it without cutting corners. That’s why MacBook Air features a full-size keyboard, not a condensed version of what you’re used to. When you type on the MacBook Air, it’s just as comfortable as typing on a desktop keyboard. And the keyboard is backlit, so you can type comfortably even in low-light conditions. A built-in sensor detects changes in the ambient lighting and adjusts the keyboard and display brightness automatically, giving you the perfect illumination in any environment. If you looked inside MacBook Air, you’d see something remarkable: how much space we devoted to the battery. That’s thanks to smaller components such as flash storage. And when the goal is to design the perfect notebook for everyday use, giving priority to the battery just makes sense. With MacBook Air, you can get up to 5 hours of battery life on the 11-inch model and up to 7 hours on the 13-inch model. Put MacBook Air to sleep for more than an hour, and it enters what’s called standby mode. That means you can come back to MacBook Air a day, a week — even up to an entire month — later, and it wakes in an instant. Time is on your side, courtesy of MacBook Air. MacBook Air features a unibody design for both the main enclosure and the display. Unibody construction means a higher-precision, less complex design with fewer parts. And that translates to a notebook that’s exceptionally thin and light, yet durable enough to handle the rigors of everyday use.

Lenny’s Monologue

Lennie’s Monologue: It’s them sycamores I remember. An’ the river, runnin’ deep and green, tinkling jus’ like the way Aunt Clara’s house keys used to when she was out on the porch about to unlock the front door. I’d hide my mouse in my pocket whene’er I heard them jinglin’ keys, because Aunt Clara ne’er liked ’em rodents hangin’ around her house. I was a smart boy, I really was. I see the clearing an’ I know I’ve found it, I’ve found the safe spot. George’ll come get me here before the water turns black and the sun goes down, he’s always been better at directions than me, plus he’s got an ol’ compass nicked from a farmer back in Weed.Maybe someday George’ll teach it to me. But not soon, he ain’t going to teach me no compass because he gonna be mad when he finds me. The bush is sticking into me like I’m wrapped up in barbed wire. If only I was in a softer bush, a bush made of hair maybe. Like her hair, the girl back at the ranch. She should grow it out and make a blanket for me, like Aunt Clara did with sheep wool. Except I know it ain’t gonna happen because hair don’t grow on people who don’t breathe. But I didn’t mean to do it! I jus’ wanted to touch it, I jus’ wanted to pet it like I pet my mice.I jus’ want to pet my mice†¦. The river still tinkles like ‘em keys, an’ I feel like I should hide my mouse, but I can’t this time. I can’t find me my mouse because she’s back at the ranch. She’s back there lying on the hay like one o’ those torn up beanie-dolls, the beans spillin’ outta her, prolly makin’ a mess o’ the barn. You weren’t so smart this time, Lenny, Aunt Clara couldn’t catch you but George’ll. George is cleverer than Aunt Clara, oh, George is cleverer than anyo ne. Soon he gonna come crashin’ inta here an’ he gonna give me hell over an’ over.He coulda’ had it so easy without me, he coulda’ gotten a nice lil’ place, maybe even a girl. I could go, I coulda gone any time. George, he don’t need me like I need him, why, he don’ need me at all. Here George comes, an’ he ain’t yellin’, why ain’t he yellin’? I like him yellin’ because that’s the only time he tells stories; not even at night when I ask him to, jus’ when he’s yellin’. I know George. I know he can make me feel as worthless as an empty can o’ tuna sometimes, but ever’ time he’ll tell me he needs me; he gonna tell me that I need him, and he needs me.An’ in the end, he does, he does need me because I’m the only one who gives a hoot in hell about ‘im. Thas’ right Lenny, you ain’t useless, George needs you. He says he’s not mad, he wants you to know that he ain’t ever been mad ‘bout you. He ain’t lettin’ you leave him because we gonna get a little place. He says we’ll have a cow, pigs and chickens, an’ he hadn’t forget about the alfalfa for my rabbits! Oh, I can see it now, I can see it right across the river! George promises that ever’body gonna be nice to me. There ain’t gonna be no more trouble, oh, George, can we go there now.I jus’ don’t want no more trouble. I jus’ want it to be me and him, him and me, George and Lenny, Lenny and George, the way it always is. An’ I’ll work harder than I ever worked before, I promise. Why, I’ll work all day and all night, an’ I’ll have the strength because we’ll have all the bread and milk we want. Nobody gonna kick us out because it gonna be OUR ranch. Guys like us got no fambly. They usually make a little stake an†™ then they blow it in. They ain’t got nobody in the worl’ that gives a hoot in hell about ‘em.But not us. Because I got you, George, an’ you got me. Messages from the book: 1. The Great Depression made life REALLY hard. 2. The American Dream is still what propels everyone forward, in the book it’s George and Lennie’s vision of their own ranch. 3. Racism is still prominent. 4. Sexism is also still prominent. 5. It is called Of Mice and Men because in the Great Depression there is nothing difference between mice and men, everything is all equally fragile, that everyone is in the same boat, making us feel for these characters.

The Truth On Empowerment

1. Empowerment has been criticized since it leaves no one in particular accountable. The goal of empowerment is to provide power to the individual. Each individual is trusted to make his or her own decisions regarding his or her life and work. In this way the individual is also provided with the opportunity to take responsibility for his or her own situation in life and work. Empowerment of course has many levels. Politically, it means that each group of individuals within a society is given the same power and rights as all others. All sectors of society are for example allowed to vote, voice their opinions and follow political channels for change without the need to fear unreasonable persecution or other repercussions. In work, empowerment means that all individuals are allowed to apply for jobs where the likelihood of being accepted for employment depends on nothing except their qualification level. In life, empowerment means that each individual has the same rights to do the same things in society, i.e. enter public places, make use of public transportation, and the like. In terms of accountability, I do not believe that the criticism leveled against empowerment is valid. Instead of only a single entity being accountable for the actions within the whole of society, every individual is now required to take his or her own responsibility for his or her own life and actions. Individual accountability means that responsibility for individual actions lies with the individual. Collective actions are accounted for by groups of people. In this way accountability cannot be required only of leaders or other empowered individuals. Empowerment has the advantage of placing accountability at the location of every person taking certain actions. Indeed, this results in a more responsible society where fewer crimes are committed. Individuals know that certain actions will lead to certain consequences, and this knowledge leads to the accountability necessary to ensure a stable society (Dewettinck, Singh, & Buyens, 2003). 2. â€Å"We practice empowerment because we don't expect our employees to leave their brains at the door.† In the current workplace situation, a business is held to function much better when individuals are given the opportunity to develop to their full potential. Workplace empowerment then means not only empowering individuals to enter any workplace for which they adequately qualify, but also that they function as intelligent beings within this situation. Employees are given the power to think critically about the tasks they are assigned, in order to do these tasks to the best of their ability (Dewettinck, Singh, & Buyens, 2003). Employees are therefore expected to think for themselves. This allows for much more creativity within the company. Leaders who empower their employees have the advantage of a large amount of creative energy to provide solutions to difficult problems. Sharing the power in this way therefore means that the collective company ultimately possesses greater collective power in the business world. Furthermore empowerment within a company means that individuals are recognized for their ability to think individually and creatively. A possible drawback of this approach is that all employees may not be ready to use their individual thinking skills in order to provide the company with creative energy. Indeed, empowering individuals who are not ready could mean disaster for such a company, as incorrect, unmonitored decisions and actions could be very detrimental. It is therefore probably a good idea to first monitor all decisions for which an individual is newly empowered (St. John's University, 1993). Basically, empowerment within a company can greatly enhance its decision-making and creative power. Such empowerment has to be handled with great care, however. Individuals need to be monitored for their readiness to take responsibility within the company. 3. Leadership Style(s)that are related to the statement â€Å"Empowerment has been criticized since it leaves no one in particular accountable†. There are mainly two leadership styles that may criticize empowerment for its apparent lack of particular accountability. These include the directing and coaching style of leadership. With all three of these, the ultimate responsibility lies directly with the leader, although the level of employee responsibility varies (Dewettinck, Singh, & Buyens, 2003). Directing leadership entails a high level of directing and low supportive behavior. All employee actions are directly supervised by the leader, and the leader also takes responsibility for all the decisions. Low supportive behavior then means that the leader determines the tasks necessary, and seldom listens to input from employees. Employees are expected to do what they are told without critically examining decisions. Accountability is then directly with the leader, as employees are in a state of receiving orders and carrying them out without question. In coaching leadership, there is a high level of both directive and supportive behavior. As in the directing style, the leader makes all decisions. However, this process contrasts with the first style, as employees are more actively included: decisions are explained, while the work is continually monitored. Feedback is also given on a continual basis, and employees are expected to learn from their work. All final decisions and responsibilities are with the leader, although employees are allowed to provide input (Chimaera Consulting Ltd, 1999). The argument against empowerment here is then that too many decision makers within a company could defeat the purpose of a company to act as a single entity. There would be no overall leadership paradigm, where a single entity could take the responsibility for any problems. Empowerment in this way would then undermine the collective purpose of the company to conduct their business in a single-minded and focused manner. 4. Leadership Style(s) that are related to the statement â€Å"WE practice empowerment since we don't expect our employees to leave their brains at the door†. Leadership styles that support the above statements include the delegating and supporting leadership styles. The paradigm behind these styles of leadership is, as mentioned above, to make full use of the inherent and creative brainpower of each employee for the benefit of the company. While the overall directive and responsibility for unity still lies with top management, leadership is seen to a great degree as a partnership rather than an unequal power relationship. The delegating style of leadership entails low directive as well as low supportive behavior. The leader provides each employee with tasks. The employee is then expected to carry these out individually, with responsibility, and with the minimum supervision. In this style, the ability of individuals to make critical decisions and carry out tasks unsupervised is recognized. Individuals are therefore empowered to make most decisions, because this leadership style recognizes their ability to do so. Low support means that monitoring is absent to a great degree, while employees are expected to implement their own thinking skills without necessarily first consulting the leader. Problems could arise when incorrect decisions are implemented. Nevertheless, the responsibility for such results then lie with the individual who made the decision, and not with the leader (Chimaera Consulting Ltd., 1999). The supporting leadership style entails low directive, but high supporting behavior. This means that employees are still empowered to make their own, self-reliant decisions, but that they are encouraged and given feedback while doing so. The risk of faulty decision making is lower, as supporting leaders take a more active role than delegating ones. Other behaviors included in this paradigm are collaborating and appreciating actions. Individuals are therefore empowered and recognized for their brain power, but also monitored and led more actively. 5. Situational Leadership and Empowerment. Situational leadership is seen as the new leadership style in order to optimize business practice and revenue. Not only employees, but also leaders, are empowered under this paradigm. Situational leadership means to incorporated whichever leadership style is most appropriate for particular situations. This is done by monitoring the development level of employees. Situational leaders recognized that not all employees may be ready at all times to receive full empowerment, and leadership styles are adjusted accordingly. It is furthermore recognized that development may cease or even regress, and once again leadership flexibility is of the highest importance (Chimaera Consulting Ltd., 1999). In terms of empowerment, situational leadership does not see this as the most important element of business. Although empowerment does play a powerful role, leaders recognize the changing nature of humanity, and adjust their leadership style accordingly. Employee development therefore plays a more important role than empowerment itself. Empowerment is only bestowed when employees are ready for it. Furthermore, the level of empowerment is carefully monitored in order to fit the development of the employee involved. If an employee is for example very developed in his or her assigned job situation, the delegation leadership style would be used. For employees just entering their profession on the other hand, a leadership style with a low empowerment level such as directive leadership would be used. Situational leadership therefore incorporates all of the leadership styles as it suits each particular situation. Flexibility rather than empowerment is the most important element in situational leadership. This requires continual monitoring of each employee situation within the company. Through situational leadership then, each employee is monitored for the maximum benefit of both employees and management.