Promote Equality and Inclusion in Health Essay

Understand the importance of diversity, equality and inclusion 1.2 Describe the potential effects of discrimination Discrimination on the grounds of age, gender, race, sexuality or ability can damage a person’s self esteem and reduce their ability to develop and maintain a sense of identity. The potential of effects of discrimination are likely to vary between different people, these could be emotional or physical or potentially both at times. Possible effects could be: – Depressions – Low self esteem – Stress – Feeling isolated – Fear of rejection – Humiliation – Weight loss or gain – Anger Long term effects could be: – Long term depression – Increased behaviour problems – Difficulty communicating – Lack of acheivement – Restricted opportunities 1.3 Explain how inclusive practice promotes equality and supports diversity Inclusive practice promotes an indiviuals rights to acess equal opportunities. By ensuring that this happens promotes diversity. There are various pieces of legislation which have been put in place to promote equality and reduce discrimination. These include: – The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 – The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 – The Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 – Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 – Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN, 1989) – The Human Rights Act 1998 – The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (as amended) – Employment Equality Regulations 2003 Inclusive practice is about the attitudes, approaches and strategies taken to ensure that people are not excluded or isolated. This means welcoming people’s differences and promoting equality by ensuring equal opportunities for all, most of all, aspects of diversity. Inclusive practice is about providing the support that people want in order to live their lives as fully as possible. Examples of inclusive practice are: – Providing a ramp to allow wheelchair access to a building – Providing information in a range of languages and in audio format Responding sensitively to an individual’s diverse needs supports them in developing a sense of belonging, well-being and confidence in their identity and abilities. It also helps them to acheive their potential and allow them to take their rightful place in society. Be able to promote diversity, equality and inclusion 3.3 Describe how to challenge discrimination in a way that promotes change Throughout our social care setting it is important that discrimination is challenged if it has been witnessed. There are many different ways discrimination can be challenged to promote change. Some examples are: – Practicing Active Participation – By doing as much as possible to support only the parts of people’s lives that they really cannot manage for themselves, we can allow individuals to realise their value and reduce a feeling of isolation. This can help an individual gain self esteem and encourage them to take control and make their own decisions which will help  to reduce any form of abuse and discrimination. – Quick and Effective Complaint Procedure – This will help to let the individual know how seriously the act witnessed had been taken and the consequences of discrimination. Discrimination is less likely to occur if others have a strong understanding of the consequences. – Meeting and Discussion – Discussing and energisin g issues in day to day tasks help individuals to challenge discrimination.

Marketing Environmental Analysis

PEST, SWOT and Porter’s five forces analysis are three very useful tools for both identifying the threats and opportunities in general and competitive environment and setting up company’s marketing strategy. What are PEST, SWOT and Porter’s five forces and their usefulness. PEST is an acronym for political, economic, social and technologic. 1. The political area has huge impact on the operation of the firms(e. g. tax, business law, political stability) 2. The economic condition can also directly influence the general performance of the company(e. g. conomy depression, interest rate, exchange rate, inflation rate) 3. As for social factors, by fundamentally determining the target market, it can also be essential for the success or failure of strategies. (e. g. religion, culture, demographic issue) 4. Finally, the technological factors are becoming the majority for mostly organization, which can increasing the benefit as well as decreasing the time and cost. (e. g. the pace of technologies change, incentive of technology) Usually prior to competing SWOT, PEST helps to spot the four elements for better understanding the macroenvironment faced by firms. After analyzing the four factors, it is important for company to identify the key drivers for change, thus focus on that to shape its strategies. Meanwhile, by scanning the general environment, co. can therefore also detect weak signals that make the discontinuity of the environment, which may fundamentally change the competitive environment (Johnson et al, 2011). Ginter and Duncan (1990) argue that macro-environment analysis can act as an early-warning system by giving org. time to anticipate opportunities and threats and develop appropriate response. SWOT is structured planned method used to evaluated strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats. By using matching and converting, company can either find or develop their competitive advantages. Matching is used to find competitive advantages by matching the strengths to opportunities. Converting is to apply conversion strategies to convert weaknesses or threats into strengths or opportunities. Porter's five forces analysis is a framework for industry analysis and business strategy development formed by Michael E. Porter at 1979. More precise than PEST, it helps the industrial organization to illustrate the competition intensity in competitive environment (microenvironment) thus decide the attractiveness of specific market. Combining three analysis In corporate strategies level, all three of them can be used to audit the marketing environment in order to get a systematic, critical and unbiased appraisal of its operation. (where is the co. now, where does the co. want to go and how should the co. rganize its resources to get there) In business strategy level, it also important that because of the increasingly rate of change in market environment, three of the analysis need to achieve contingent approach to shape the strategies to avoid overcome by competitors. Example: PEST e. g. construction firm: operating on narrow profit margin, react to change I interest rate. Johnson &Johnson: baby-care product, react to change in birth rate, thus change the target market to adult female(being kind and gentle to woman’s skin as well as that of babies) SWOT A consultancy firm S: Reputation, expertise W: Unable to deal with multi-disciplinary assignments because of size or lack of ability O: Well established position with a well defined market niche T: Other small consultancies looking to invade the marketplace Five forces Coca-cola: Present a detailed analysis of the various positioning strategies that may be pursued by a firm (20 marks). What are the keys to successful positioning (30 marks)? 1. Positioning is to shape the org. o suits the preferences of customers and lead to high consumer loyalty thus building a powerful brand. 2. Market mix, perceptual map 3. There are two levels of positioning strategies: a. Business level strategies (Brand positioning) Business level strategies are positioning the org. among other org. It is market oriented and can be either market-wide or directed at a particular market (niche approach). b. Generic business strategies (Porter)— (competitive advantages) 4. Key to successful market positioning a. A well-positioned brand should appeal to the particular needs of a customer segment because a differential advantage proposition is created. b. There are four key dimensions for a successful positioning: Clarity, Consistency (Favorability), Competitiveness (differentiation), Credibility (Explain†¦.. ) c. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of brand-positioning strategies, there are three components we need to consider: intended position, actually position and perceived position. Perceived position is the most important, which will lead to the above-normal performance of the corporate. According to research, benefit positioning and user position is more effective than feature positioning and direct benefit positioning is more effective than indirect benefit positioning (Fuchs et al, 2009). d. To keep the brand equity, repositioning is very important. We need to realize that positioning is a ongoing process. Competitive advantage is positioning of a single offering in relation to a unique set of potential customers and competitors. For an organization to achieve consistently above-normal market performance, it must create a sustainable competitive advantage (Aaker, 1989). The logic of SCA is that a buyer to purchase offering X, the buyer must perceive the expected utility to him of that offering exceeds the value to him of any alternative solution, that is it must create superior value for its customers. The basis of competitive advantage is increasing the benefit receive by the customers or decreasing the cost. Which lead to different strategic focus on either low cost or differentiation (additional product benefits). So competitive advantages can be porter’s generic strategies or market orientation. (explain†¦. )

Employability & Personal Development Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Employability & Personal Development - Article Example Modern day leading industries like electronics and telecommunication are based on the basic principles of Quantum physics. This conference and Max Planck institute not only provides a common ground for experts all over the world to share their innovations but also created an opportunity for companies and individuals that want to choose and earn greatly in the businesses related to this field (Joas, Lehner & Renn, 2008). Content: The major content besides presenting a tribute to the rightly said father of modern physics Max Planck, were research papers regarding different innovations made by experts present all over the world. This conference was also held to raise awareness in business professionals and companies aware of the importance of modern phenomenon in physics for the progress of them as companies and individuals (Joas, Lehner, & Renn, 2008). In the attended conference experts and business professionals from all over the world were gathered at single place. Properties like in vestigation of the issue were addressed at the conference as most of the modern industry is based on the basic instinct as business professional must have. ... Dignitaries from all over the world present in the conference. It also helped understanding the concept of inter-race communication. Research papers by major scientists and people relating to industry were presented in the conference. I can feel a great enhancement in my written communication skills by reading these research papers. Modern day phenomenon of informed consent is also improved by reading the papers written by business icons (Joas, Lehner, & Renn, 2008). Personal development skills on employability: It is a common sensed argument that one can excel greatly in the business profession if he knows basics and modern innovations made by industries and individuals all over the world. Innovative steps are taken on every day basis regarding electronics and telecommunications. Knowledge of the product or service provides a great aid when talking about development of personal development skills and their impact on employability. As an example one can drive a car more safely and ef ficiently if he/she knows basic limitations of engine, brakes and suspension of the car he is driving. Other personal development skills are like one skill to work as an analyst, planner and organizer, team leader and technical knowledge regarding the business one is involved are dependent on the basic knowledge and innovations that are done in the field of that specific business. Another personal development skill required greatly by organizations and as a satisfaction of an individual as business professional is the ability to investigate. One can do critical analysis, critical thinking and profit based analysis of the product produced by its own self or company he is working for if he has basic and new ideas

Human Cloning Philosophy by Aristotle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Human Cloning Philosophy by Aristotle - Essay Example In this paper, we shall highlight the ideas and philosophical concepts of Aristotle about human cloning practices. When in Switzerland the first clone of sheep that was named Dolly made many individuals consider it against human ethics and they believed that such practices contribute to devaluing the natural processes of childbirth. Aristotle has opposed practices of human cloning and supported his thoughts with the claims of psychological influences of human cloning (Aristotle). He explained that babies, who are produced through artificial means by utilizing cells of a single parent, remained deprived of the love of both parents. When they see other children around them with mother and father both they become a victim of complex and depression (Aristotle). Additionally, he highlighted that there is a risky situation for the mother who gives her cells for artificial reproduction process because the procedure of taking out cells from mother`s body is dangerous for her health as well as for the embryo, which is used to making a genetically identical copy of the mother (Aristotle). Moreover, human c loning goes against the natural system and authority of childbirth that has been given to men and women by the God within the boundaries of the legal relationship. However, an advanced system of making human clones or reproduction of test tube babies has degraded rights of men and women and has interrupted the God made procedures of baby production (Aristotle). Aristotle has also supported such claims because he has presented his philosophy that totally disagrees with the ethical nature of human cloning. His philosophy explicitly highlights that human cloning is unethical because unfair and painful means are used to give birth to the baby (Aristotle). He considered that methods of human cloning are bad and it is evident from the first experiment of sheep cloning, which employed more than a hundred scientists to work day and  night in order to make an experiment of cloning successful.  

Management issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management issue - Essay Example Naturally, business environments are dynamic and volatile; however, information systems have to deal with the volatile nature of business requirements thus Information systems in an organization can easily be outdated. IS environment is changing at an increasing rate since technology which is apparently up-to-date becomes outdated at a high speed. IS flexibility is the ability of an information system to respond to changing technology and business environments. For instance top enterprise technology companies like Microsoft, Citrix, Dell, IBM, HP, and Cisco embrace NVIDIA GRID thus offering organizations flexibility of the GRID enabled solutions and servers. Use NVIDIA GRID technology is crucial in helping companies grasp the gains of virtualization like flexibility, manageability and security, while at the same time offering a complete PC experience to users. IT departments grapple with the challenge of employees increasingly bringing their gadgets to work expecting great mobility a nd experience offered by virtualization through secure and consistent access to company resources; however, this is often done at the expense of performance and features nevertheless, GRID eliminates the compromise. Enterprises are taking advantage of the globalization trend and mobility through virtualization of desktops together their applications to offer users the ability to work anytime, anywhere on any gadget while ensuring security of company IP address (NVIDIA, 2013). To operationalise information system flexibility, there are three categories of application and they include personnel, integration of data and functionality and the module of system components. With the multidimensional nature of information system flexibility, recognizing and assessing the necessary levels of flexibility required to respond to change is changeling for organizations. Nevertheless, contingency theory emphasizes the fact that managers make decision in accordance with the prevailing conditions an d act on aspects that are vital to the situation. For instance managing IS flexibility in an organization various aspects are considered like IS requirements, IT staff and the end-users. Management has to consider the degree of fit between ideal IS and its capability; even though, the environment is conceptualised with uncertain forces like complex competition, global challenges and market shifts as well as the rapid technological developments like e-commerce. Due to the changes in environmental forces, there is need to address the turbulent changes in order to effectively deal with opportunities brought by the changes. Since there is increasing pressure on businesses to respond and deal with the environmental changes efficiently, it is essential that organizations be flexible and adaptable. A flexible information system is a crucial element of organizational flexibility; thus, IS has to quickly and inexpensively adapt to new situations in the business. Information system changes in volve changes in both internal and external business requirements and changes in IT in the implementation of information systems. The system theory states that a system consists of objects, attributes, internal relationship with its objects and it exists in an environment; thus, a system is a set of entities that affect one another in an environment to form a large pattern different from any of its parts. In an open system, information is received which

Why is College So Expensive Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why is College So Expensive - Research Paper Example Tuition, books and housing are enormously expensive and take the biggest bite out of the higher education budget but it doesn’t end there. It never ends. There are lab fees, dorm needs including computer, clothes and stereo, commuting costs, parking fees, tutoring and food. Forget entertainment expenses, no money left for that. College is expensive, very much so but just how expensive and why? According to experts, the cost to attend a four-year public university is about $16,000. That includes tuition, housing and general fees but not books. A private university is more than double that amount. Add to that other expenses such as dorm room accessories, electronics and clothing. Then there’s commuting which includes gas, maintenance and parking fess which can total up to $500 per semester. Tickets for outdated stickers handed out by the campus police push the cost higher. Getting a little tutoring help for that physics test will run about $30 per hour. The â€Å"luxuryà ¢â‚¬  of living on campus costs more than anyone can possibly anticipate. â€Å"The main reason why people who go to public universities end up in debt, is not the tuition, but the living away from home expenses, which at a public university, are three or four times more than tuition.† (Hacker, 2010) The price of books is another expense that is always higher than anticipated, shockingly so. The cost of books sometimes determines a student’s major. The difference in price of books can total $1200 depending on the field of study. (Beeman, 2011). There is a legitimate justification for why college textbooks cost more than paperbacks at discount book stores. Producing a new textbook is often very expensive. The market for these books is limited and has become increasingly so. In days past there were more buyers for new textbooks. Publishers could, therefore, distribute production expenses over a larger number of buyers. The relatively recent expansion of the rental and u sed textbook market has diminished the number of new books sold which has kept the price of new editions inflated. Publishers now generate updated editions. In this way they sell more books which acts to spread the production costs over more buyers. The total cost of college textbooks has actually fallen recently even as the price for new books has risen. (Weston, 2011). â€Å"Student spending on textbooks has been decreasing since 2006 because of the rise of electronic books, rentals and the used book market† (â€Å"Why,† 2011). During the 2010-11 scholastic year the average amount spent on books at a four-year college was $534. During the 2005-06 year that amount was $644. Students spend more on gasoline and going to the movies during the academic year and twice the amount on cell-phone use as they do on book expenditures. (Weston, 2011). Tuition costs are high for many reasons. Colleges have expenses which may or may not be obvious to the casual observer. The high-e nd salaries paid to employees have risen. The expense of employing well educated people began to increase substantially about 30 years ago for every industry. Colleges are an industry that cannot readily cut back on labor and much of its work force is well educated by necessity. (Goldstein, 2010). Salaries of faculty and supportive staff account for the largest piece of the college expense pie. The second highest expense can be classified as building maintenance which includes paying the electric bill, ongoing construction, cleaning and furnishing classrooms, libraries, gyms, labs, dorms, student centers and supplying computers, software, IT needs and books. (Trachtenberg, 2011) Colleges have been allocating more for support

Repot based on prepared financial statment Essay

Repot based on prepared financial statment - Essay Example The company’ profitability position was strong. It generated strong ROCE of 17.9% and ROA of 15.73. It implies that the company was efficiently utilizing its assets to generate high profits from its operations. It was reflected from operating profit margin of 10.4% and gross profit margin of 48.70%. The liquidity position of the company was reported to be strong. Both current and quick ratios had values greater than one, which is significant as the company had a high value of current assets that could cover its current obligations. The company’s converted its inventory into sales in 76.6 days, which suggested slow movement and inventory turnover of just 4.77. However, the company was efficient to collect cash for its receivables. On the other hand, the company paid its suppliers in 46.7 days. Moreover, the company only generated  £1.51 of sales for every  £1 invested in assets. The company’s leverage position was very weak. The gearing ratio value was 21.28, which suggested that the company highly depends on external borrowing to meet its business requirements. Moreover, it incurred high interest costs that consumer most of the company’s operating profits i.e.

The Employment Relations Environment in France Essay

The Employment Relations Environment in France - Essay Example France is characterized by heterogeneous employment relations prevailing in different firms, yet unionization has achieved significant status and recognition in the country (â€Å"Eurofound†). The French government has provided full legislative and legal support to its workforce in the form of strict and enforceable laws. Essential elements of French employment relations structure are: Employment is provided on written contract based agreements and minimal wages are authorized. Employment is also guaranteed and no worker can be thrown out of a job without sound reasons. Employees are also guaranteed sick and paid leaves with maternity leaves for women in addition. France is faced with many serious problems and challenges with respect to its employment relations structure due to some inherent shortcomings and governance loopholes which are discussed as below (Jenkins 17): There is no provision of either insurance or hygienic working conditions. In addition to this, women do not get proper representation in the workplace as they should get. The communication gap between management and union with respect to recruitment policy and other information details is a common problem. Collective bargaining is a well known and established tool of dispute and grievance handling which is not implemented in its entirety in France. People are either not aware of their roles or possess little knowledge of the legislative remedies available to them. Employees feel fearful of losing their job and so do not raise their voice and similarly, managers are hesitant in delegating decision making authority to others to avoid any hassles. This has resulted in many stark conflicts and battles between union and management in bigger firms.

Contemporary Management Principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contemporary Management Principles - Essay Example The contemporary manager must devise ways of incorporation of information communications technology, handle diversity, put up with frequent conflicting claims from stakeholders, and abide by charters that correspond with the business functions. The list of organisational challenges has become nearly incessant. As such, the process of management consists of controlling and directing a team of one or additional entities or people for the reason of harmonizing and coordinating that team towards achievement of a goal. Therefore, management frequently covers the manipulation and deployment of financial resources, human resources, natural resources, and technological resources. Various theories of management have been employed from earlier times. However, as the business world keeps changing, different concepts are continually applied in the contemporary era (Saxena, 2009, 1). In this context, one case study will be discussed with regard to the contemporary management principles. Different features of the principles will be applied to comprehend the drivers behind the occurrences in the case scenario. This essay aims to comprehend the main drivers of contemporary management principles when applied by different organizations. Task 1: Understanding and application of principles The Main Drivers for the Merger of AOL and Time Warner with regard to Contemporary Management Principles The case regards the leading merger ever to occur in the United States history with 2 completely distinctive organizations, Time Warner and American Online. The two organisations merged to create a $97 billion international information technology and entertainment media giant, AOL-Time Warner. Providing cable and internet service to 126 million consumers, a colossal management challenge is experienced by the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the organisation, Bob Pittman (Verma No Year, p. 4). The Time Warner and AOL merger ties the bind to the old economy infrastructure with the candidness an d content of the novel-fangled economy. The AOL-Time Warner merger, which required nearly 12 months to be acknowledged through the FCC, triggered a flurry of online-offline mergers. Simply below three years later, investors of Time Warner, investments in the merged organisations were only worth $36 billion, incurring a $50 billion loss. The novel AOL-Time Warner anticipated to apply its numerous divisions to enhance group products, although ran into obstacles when in 2001, advertising income fell. Amid lawsuits from the organisation’s shareholders claiming that there was overstatement of the AOL’s value prior to the sale, Mr. Steven Case resigned as the organisation’s chairman in 2003. Under Richard Parsons, the named chief executive, Time Warner had to experience an obstacle from a notorious â€Å"corporate raider† Carl Icahn, who was not content with the organisation’s approach in early 2006. The company was expected to be made smaller by Jeff Be wkes, who was to succeed Mr. Richard Parsons in 2008. The management running these two organisations have still been incapable of obtaining the synergy benefits, which actually were the key drivers behind the activities of the merger. Underachievement of the organisatio

The Business of Beer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The Business of Beer - Essay Example It must be stated then, that beer has a prominent place both in history and the present culture. Given its popularity and significance in society, it was only a matter of time before the profit-driven human being made a business out of this widespread drink. According to Wikipedia, the first breweries in history were actually the brewers' homes, specifically their kitchens.1 When brewing became industrialized, breweries were built as a different construction from the house. The brewery, Weihenstephan (in Germany) is believed to be the longest-standing brewery. While in Manhattan, Adrian Block and Hans Christiansen were the ones who established the first brewery in the New World. The year was 1612. Today, there is a long list of the current top breweries of beer. The Webtender index cites the following in its top 5: Aldaris, Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. (brewer of Budweiser, Michelob and Busch beers), UK's Aston Manor brewery, BO's Brewery and Bistro and Brewerania. The success of beer companies in the U.S. shows how the country is a favorable market for the beer industry. Paul Gatza, director of Brewers Association, states: "The craft beer segment has grown steadily over the past ten years, but in 2004 it showed its biggest increase since 1996. The strong growth in craft beer sales shows American consumers' continuing interest in flavorful American beers." Below is the table2 of the Top 10 craft brewers in the United States: We can see the Boston Beer Co leading the pack of the top breweries. Headed by Jim Coch, the Boston Beer Company is the award-winning brewer of the popular Samuel Adams Lager among its many styles of beer. The Success of Samuel Adams The company's interactive annual report in 2003 gave us a preview of the tactics used by a powerful beer brewery to further solidify its place in the industry. First, it is important to establish what kind of beer does the company specialize in. In the case of the Boston Beer Co, the answer is Better Beer. Simply put, the Better Beer category is defined as the opposite of the regular, mass-produced beer. We can identify Better Beer by its contrast from the rest of the market-usually it is imported, highly advertised and more expensive. The Boston Beer Co aims to lock the top position in this product category. Innovation, commitment and meticulous evaluation have paved the way to success of the company. The company put fervent focus on its products and its marketability. Its flagship brand, Samuel Adams Boston Lager and Sam Adams Light are the company's standards, already guaranteed to appeal to the consumers because of its reputation and having passed the test of time. Then like a special treat, the company also came up with its "Limited Edition Beers", this includes Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, Samuel Adams Triple Bock and Samuel Adams Utopias. These products were sold at a higher price due to its "in short supply" appeal. These strategies, along with venturing to other innovations (i.e. Twisted Tea), have helped the Boston Beer Co guarantee its place in the Better Beer competition. Having established its standard products (Samuel Adams Bosto

Automobile and Scientific Inventions Essay Example for Free

Automobile and Scientific Inventions Essay There are many scientific inventions in our world. Some of these inventions are even in the houses that we live in. There are inventions such as computer games, the microwave oven, and even the Moto vehicle. These inventions make our lives much easier but it destroys the world as well. Everything and everyone gets harmed some way by these inventions. Let’s start off with this. The computer is entertaining but yet dangerous to our eyes. Children of our world love being on the computer. But they shouldn’t love it too much, because if you stare and are too close to the computer for far too long, your eyes begin to hurt and you become shot sighted. This is so because your brain decides that you don’t need to be able to see things far away and only see thing that are close to you. The computer is one of the best inventions because it helps you with a lot of things. Number one is work. It allows us to save all our important document and keeps them in a private file. The microwave oven. This is a machine that heats thing. It’s great in homes for when you want to heat foods. About 1/3 of the world has one. I’ll say this; microwave oven heats your foods but also destroys your health. As the microwave heats up, it sends of radiation inside and out. Your foods become polluted with radiation and if you’re too close to it you as well. Who likes eating cold food? I mean we all like food nice and hot, so we should have a microwave oven in our houses. I personally can’t go without a microwave. It one of my favorite scientific inventions. One of the most used scientific inventions would be the motor vehicle. Now this is brilliant! The motor vehicle or should I say, cars are very common to our modern day lives. EVERYBODY has one. Well if you have a license of course. Now cars are a complex piece of machinery. It’s like you’re basically holding a fully loaded gun. Almost every day there is an accident that occurs. We may not see it, but it happens. People get greatly injured or even die from car accidents. On the positive side, cars do have its advantages. People use cars to transport themselves around. It takes you from one place to another. Instead of having to walk, you drive. Another thing about cars, it pollutes the air badly. This is so because cars give off a great deal of smoke sometimes. This affects the greenhouse gases and even worse, the ozone layer. If the air is completely contaminated people with die. People that believe these machines are not good for our lives are somewhat correct but wrong. I believe that it has made our lives really easy and less complex. I think it has done wonders to the world and we should all appreciate the advantage we get from this.

Effective Communication Essay Example for Free

Effective Communication Essay For the past six weeks being back in the classroom has help me to shift my focus when it comes to communicating. There was a point and time when I felt like what I said and how I said it was the only thing that mattered. However, I have learned throughout this course that Communicating an authentic self requires consistency between your presentation of self and your self – concept. Our presentation of self depends on whom we are communicating with and is called facework (Dobkin (2006). Communication in a Changing World). In this essay, I am prepared to show evidence of how I have learned to communicate better as well as the things that I need to improve within my methods of communication. After reviewing my Personal Skills Inventory Chart, I am not where I want to be but I am better than what I use to be six weeks ago. These changes will not happen overnight but, I am bound to improve them prior to me advancing to my next level as a student of Walden University. My grandmothers always use to tell us that there are three sides to every story, your story, the other person story and then the truth. This old age theory still holds truth when communicating whether, it’s online or face-to-face. I have learned that in order for me to be effective in communicating that I have to be face-to-face with an individual so that the other person would be able to see and notice the sincerity that I pose within the conversation. While communicating face-to-face, I can feel assured that my point is being communicated with validity as well as the other person(s) can know that I have received their message as well. I have notice that when online I can hide my true feelings, emotions and persona. The hidden quadrant represents those things that you know about yourself but that others do not (Dobkin (2006). Communication in a Changing World) is what I find that I am able to hide behind when communication online. When communicating online whether if it is in an email or chat communication for me personally is rather difficult because there are time that the message you are typing could not be received in the manner that you intended to say it. I often communicate with my wife throughout the day via email and depending on the nature of the conversation she tries to read between the lines of the email to find my emotion in what I am saying. When she or other persons do this they tend to think that I feel a certain type of way about the conversation and most likely that is not the case. When communicating online I am also able to hide behind those emotions and not say what I really would like to say to the person. However, when communicating face-to-face that emotion cannot go unnoticed and the receiving party would have to respect your stance. As I plan to move ahead within my course of degree work, I am hoping to improve my writing skills. For some time I have always struggled with grammar and writing to be proficient and professional whether if it was an email or a paper due for class. While in seminary, we were taught to write our sermons as we would be speaking to someone so therefore you conversation style would not always match your grammar. To help me to improve in my writing I am going to continue using the tools provided for me as a student of Walden such as Grammarly. Grammarly (formerly Sentenceworks) is an automated grammar and writing revision tool for academic writing (Walden Writing Center. (2009). Scholarly writing). I have started to use this tool since week 3 of this course and I have found it to be a great help prior to submitting papers to be graded. There is another source that I would continue to use which is turnitin  . This tool has become a valuable tool for me because it assures that I am submitting my assignments to the highest degree of academic integrity that is expected of me as a student of Walden. Lastly, I would continue to employ the help of my wife who has looked over majority of my assignments to assure that I am writing with clarity and my grammar is in order. In the next term I have been enrolled in an English Composition course that I am certain is going to challenge not only my thinking but, my writing as well. I am looking forward to challenge as this is one of my main goals and focal point at this time. While Walden University offer persons like me who have a very busy personal, family and career life the opportunity to learn from home and at your time schedule it can still be a change. Therefore, going forward I plan to improve my Time Management Skills. Since this was my first time back in the classroom in 12 years, I found it hard in the beginning balance my job, family, church and other social outlets that I belong to while trying to complete assignments. My enrollment advisor was very effective in helping me manage getting assignments in on time. Going forward, I plan on working ahead, reading the material and having an understanding of the assignment prior to the due date. Now that my children are back in school that would help me out a lot as well because we can all sit down at a designated time to complete assignments instead of me trying to complete mine and entertain them while they were on summer break. In my household we have a standard of Academic Excellence that everyone who is in class is upheld to. So with this charge to my children I plan to lead by example which would help me to improve in the area of time management. Even though this course only lasted for six weeks, I am very grateful for the knowledge and information that I have learned about communication. I am now more aware of verbal and non-verbal communication and also how other people can perceive information just by â€Å"judging a book by its cover. † The challenge has presented itself in completing assignments on time while trying to manage other areas of life but for the most part I have adhered to those deadlines but look forward to improving in that area as well. Lastly, I am excited about using the tools and methods that are provided to me to help me along the way with my writing skills. I recall one the first couple days of class and looking at some other classmates discussions, at first I felt bad because I thought my writing was horrible but, then I realize I wasn’t alone. However, in due time I plan to be very proficient in my writing skills that I would only produce scholarly work.

Effect of Resource Diversity on Joint Venture Performance

Effect of Resource Diversity on Joint Venture Performance A STUDY OF RESOURCE BASED VIEW: HOW DOES RESOURCE DIVERSITY AND RESOURCE SHARING AFFECT INTERNATIONAL JOINT VENTURE (IJV) PERFORMANCE? ABSTRACT The study of resource based view (RBV) has transcended the limited focus of a single firm by arguing that RBV can be applied to the area of strategic alliance. As the most instrumental alliance form, IJVs are susceptible to the resource characteristics of parent firms. Albeit RBV has been used to explain research topics from IJV formation to performance measurement, more in-depth study is needed for exploring the association between resource characteristics and IJV performance. By analyzing data from 82 IJVs in China, the present research proposes that resource sharing mediates the positive relationship between Resource diversity and IJV performance. And cooperation effectiveness moderates the relationship between resource diversity and resource sharing. INTRODUCTION Barney (1991) believes that the resource based view (RBV) theory can be used to explain the relationship between firm resources and sustained competitive advantage in that valuable, rare, inimitable and unsubstituted resources have the potential to bring sustained competitive advantage to a firm. Transcending the limitations of excessive focus on the study of a single firm, Das and Teng (2000) further contend that resource based view can be applied to explain the entire mechanism of strategic alliance on a continuum from alliance formation to performance measurement. Their research takes RBV study to the next level by introducing more perspectives in studying strategic alliance which has been admitted as a critical device loading corporate strategy (Wassmer, 2010). As the most instrumental alliance form, international joint ventures (IJVs) combine both tangible and intangible characteristics of parent firms that allow resource sharing (including knowledge sharing and tangible resourc e sharing) to happen within the partnership because employees from the parent firms literally work together in IJVs (Kogut, 1988). It is critical for researchers and practitioners to understand how the characteristics and dynamics of two parent firms resources affect IJV performance. Why do firms form IJVs? Resource sharing and inter-organizational learning are the key reasons (Lane, Salk Lyles, 2001). By bringing diversified valuable resources into the IJV, both parent firms strive for a balance between protecting their own valuable resources and absorbing the partners resources (Das Teng, 2000). Therefore, the cooperation effectiveness of IJVs would inevitably affect the way resources are synthesized and shared between partners. However, when an IJV is formed, how are the resources of partner firms synthesized? How do both parties share their resources to maximize the IJV performance? These questions remain underexplored. The present research focuses on studying the dynamism of resource diversity, resource sharing and IJV performance and the moderating role that cooperation plays. Normally, an IJV is formed by two parties: a local firm and a foreign firm. These two parent firms possess different types of resources which are complementary to each other, so they could combine their resources to exploit mutual goals (Ren, Gray Kim, 2009). To contribute to IJV outcome, the resource of parent firms have to be dissimilar and complementary, and the utilization and similarity of resources should be considered synchronously (Das Teng, 2000). Extending their argument, the level of similarity and complementarity can be reflected by resource diversity, and how well the resources are utilized can be reflected by resource sharing. Moreover, to consider resource diversity and resource sharing synchronously, cooperation effectiveness plays an important role (Ren et al., 2009). As shown in figure 1, I propose that in an IJV, the resource diversity is positively related to IJV performance, the more resource diversity the partners have, the better IJV performance they are able to achieve. And resource sharing will mediate the association between resource diversity and IJV performance. Since two partners work in concert in an IJV, cooperation effectiveness inevitably moderates the relationship between resource diversity and resource sharing. Therefore, I put forth following hypotheses: The contribution of the present research is twofold. First, this research expand the resource based view theory by theorizing the model that tap into the relationship between resource diversity and IJV performance by examining the moderating effect of cooperation and the mediating effect of resource sharing. Second, this research also has managerial implications, it helps researchers and practitioners better understand the mechanism of resource diversity and sharing in an IJV, thus they can better deploy different types of resources and facilitate resource sharing accordingly. METHOD Data and Sample IJVs have played a critical role in helping China becoming the best player in the world absorbing foreign direct investment (FDI) (Fang Zou, 2009; Yao, Yang, Fisher, Ma Fang, 2013). Therefore, I draw samples of 200 IJVs in Guangdong Province because it is known as the economic engine of China partly by virtue of its capacity in attracting foreign investment. In their prior studies, Fang and Zou (2009), has adopted IJV sampling in a similar region Jiangsu Province. As suggested by prior researches, considering the validity requirement, solely rely on secondary data is not acceptable, a method combining both survey and secondary data here would be more accurate (Das Teng, 2000). Therefore, I administer surveys and draw on archival data for this research. Data are collected from IJV managers representing both parent firms. I measure IJV performance (the dependent variable) by using archival data. I also measure resource diversity (the independent variable), cooperation effectiveness (the moderating variable) and resource sharing (the mediating variable) by using survey data of CEOs, board members and senior managers from both parent firms to eliminate bias. Measures Resource diversity (the independent variable).As suggested by Das and Teng (2009), I assess the resource diversity by administering survey on IJV senior managers representing different parent firms to gather the response on the degree to which each parent firm brings different types of resources such as: financial resources, physical resources, human resources, technological resources, reputation and organizational resources (Grant, 1991, p.6). Adapting the method that Yao et al. (2013) used to measure knowledge complementarity, a survey on resource diversity will be used in the present research to ask senior managers representing each parent firm in sample IJVs how diversified the resources characteristics are from the parent firms by using a seven-point semantic scale. Since the method of Yao et al. (2013) is also conducted in similar regions in China, the content validity is ensured. In the survey, I ask questions such as: How do you compare your partys industry design with your a lliance partner? (strongly overlapping to strongly complementary). Appendix A includes the form of the items for resource diversity. Cooperation effectiveness (the moderating variable).Following the multi-step process (Churchill Jr, 1979) measure developed by Yao et al. (2013) on knowledge absorption effectiveness, I assess cooperation effectiveness in a similar way by asking top managers representing each parent firm in sample IJVs how effective the partners cooperate in the IJVs using a five-item, seven-point Likert-type scale. I ask questions such as: How do you rate the cooperation effectiveness between partners in your IJV: Our joint venture has been very effective in transferring resources among different partners? (strongly agree to strongly disagree). Appendix B includes the form of the items for cooperation effectiveness. Resource sharing (the mediating variable).Adopting the same rationale of measuring cooperation effectiveness, I develop my own items andassess resource sharing in a similar way by asking top managers to rate the level that the partners share the resources in the IJVs using a four-item, seven-point Likert-type scale. I ask questions such as: How do you rate the resource sharing level between partners in your IJV: IJV partners can easily acquire tangible resources occupied by each other for manufacturing activities? (strongly agree to strongly disagree). Appendix C includes the form of the items for resource sharing. IJV performance (the dependent variable).I will use secondary data to assess IJV performance by two constructs: its financial performance (Return on Investment), and also its longevity (Ren et al., 2009). Control variables.Following the study of Yao et al. (2013). I treat IJV size as control variable measuring by the IJV employee number. Since the market dynamism may be another confounding factor, I also control for market dynamism by using Miller (1987) five items. My data collection procedure is: gather the contact information of sample IJVs through the administrative offices of local development zones that are normally the administrative agencies and service providers of IJVs. Then phone calls and emails will be used to reach out to these IJV CEOs and other senior managers to explain the purpose of the present research and solicit participation in the survey. The ideal target response size of IJV is 82 according to GPower 3.1 test (Effect size = .30, ÃŽÂ ± = .05, Power = .80). Im expecting a 40% response rate which is at the high range of typical response rate (15-40%) since I administer the survey through officials of local development zones who are familiar with the IJV leaders. The questionnaires are distributed to participants in 200 IJVs through email, for non-respondents, the first round of following up phone calls or emails will be carried out two weeks after the distribution of the questionnaires, the second round will be carried o ut four weeks after the distribution of the questionnaires. Following the general method adopted by extant researches, I evaluate responses from the respondents and decide which responses to discard depending on the validity. Given the multinational background of respondents, my original questionnaires are designed in English, they are translated into Chinese when assigning to Chinese respondents, then the responses will be back-translated into English. Statistical description of means and standard deviations is provided. Analysis To test hypothesis 1, resource sharing and IJV performance are separately treated as dependent variables in regression analysis. To test hypothesis 2, I measure the moderating effects of cooperation effectiveness by using moderated regression analysis. To avoid potential multi-collinearity, I take both mean-centered independent and moderating variables into the regression (Aiken, West Reno, 1991). DISCUSSION Prior studies has proved that resource based view can be applied to the study in the area of strategic alliance for about two decades (Das Teng, 2000), yet little has been disclosed about the dynamic relationship between resource diversity, resource sharing and alliance performance. In this research, after examining 82 IJVs in China, the results support my hypotheses that cooperation effectiveness will moderate the positive relationship between resource diversity and IJV performance mediated by resource sharing. Theoretical and Managerial Implications The present research focuses on discovering the relationship between resource diversity, resource sharing and IJV performance, and the moderating role that cooperation effectiveness plays. The influence of resource sharing on IJV performance is examined subsequently. Resource based view has been proved a strong tool used to disclose the relationship between firm resources and sustained competitiveness. This research extended the study of resource based view to a more intricate and in-depth level: IJVs, in that compare with average firms, IJVs are formed by parent firms to utilize and share their resources thus achieve the goal of mutual benefits. Therefore, the research brings new insights about how firm resources are constituted and shared and thus affect firm performance in an ever-changing global context. Prior researches has shown that knowledge complementarity has positive effects on new product performance in IJVs (Yao et al., 2013). This research extends the study to a higher level regarding resources occupied by parent firms and bring more generalizability to researchers. It also helps top managers engaging in alliances better utilize their resources. LIMITATIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH As other researches, this research has its limitations. First, as pointed out by other scholars, the sample source is somewhat monotonous because it only reflects the IJVs in a certain region in China, and the resource diversity might be pre-established since the IJVs in my sample are all formed by a Chinese firm and a foreign firm, this fact shows a certain pattern of partnership that the Chinese firms offer resources to reach local market while the foreign firms offers technological and financial resources (Yao et al., 2013). Future research may extend the study of resource diversity patterns by examining how different resource diversity relationships effect research sharing and IJV performance. Second, I only discussed the model regarding IJVs, however, there are other equity and non-equity inter-organizational collaborations such as technical exchange and consortia (Majchrzak, Jarvenpaa Bagherzadeh, 2014). The effect in the other types of collaborations may vary a lot from the model I examine in IJVs. However, the limitation here also leads to fruitful future research. Study of the resource dynamism and alignment can be delivered on different forms of strategic alliance. APPENDIX A APPENDIX B APPENDIX C REFERENCES      Ã‚   Aiken, L. S., West, S. G., Reno, R. R. 1991. Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions: Sage. Barney, J. 1991. Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1): 99-120. Churchill Jr, G. A. 1979. A paradigm for developing better measures of marketing constructs. Journal of marketing research: 64-73. Das, T. K., Teng, B.-S. 2000. A resource-based theory of strategic alliances. Journal of Management, 26(1): 31-61. Fang, E. E., Zou, S. 2009. Antecedents and consequences of marketing dynamic capabilities in international joint ventures. Journal of International Business Studies, 40(5): 742-761. Grant, R. M. 1991. The resource-based theory of competitive advantage: implications for strategy formulation. California management review, 33(3): 114-135. Kogut, B. 1988. Joint ventures: Theoretical and empirical perspectives. Strategic Management Journal, 9(4): 319-332. Lane, P. J., Salk, J. E., Lyles, M. A. 2001. Absorptive capacity, learning, and performance in international joint ventures. Strategic Management Journal, 22(12): 1139-1161. Majchrzak, A., Jarvenpaa, S. L., Bagherzadeh, M. 2014. A review of interorganizational collaboration dynamics. Journal of Management: 0149206314563399. Miller, D. 1987. The structural and environmental correlates of business strategy. Strategic Management Journal, 8(1): 55-76. Ren, H., Gray, B., Kim, K. 2009. Performance of International Joint Ventures: What Factors Really Make a Difference and How? Journal of Management, 35(3): 805-832. Wassmer, U. 2010. Alliance portfolios: A review and research agenda. Journal of Management, 36(1): 141-171. Yao, Z., Yang, Z., Fisher, G. J., Ma, C., Fang, E. E. 2013. Knowledge complementarity, knowledge absorption effectiveness, and new product performance: The exploration of international joint ventures in China. International Business Review, 22(1): 216-227. Figure 1 Conceptual model of the current research

Jesus - Effeminate Liberal or Right Wing Republican? :: Argumentative Persuasive Argument Essays

Jesus - Effeminate Liberal or Right Wing Republican? In recent years, a popular slogan in the Christian world has been "WWJD?" or "What Would Jesus Do?" This poses a deep, probing question to all believers as we live to daily pattern our lives after the example of the Master. In every situation, Jesus always reflected His Father's perfect wisdom, mercy and justice. In this election year, we have an opportunity to look at this from some unique angles. A new question could be posed: "HWJV?" or "How Would Jesus Vote?" In today's world, it is very easy to allow our perception of Jesus to be skewed by our ideology, attempting to define Him in light of our preconceived views. As a Christian whose political views generally lean to the conservative side, I still must recognize that both conservativism and liberalism are man-made philosophies, both having their respective limitations in regards to biblical truth. As Christian sociologist Tony Campolo astutely points out: Republicans may dress Jesus in a Brooks Brothers suit while Democrats put Him in the denim work clothes of union workers...There is no better way for a political party to establish the legitimacy of its political point of view than to declare that Jesus is one of its members. This remaking of Jesus is not just some kind of harmless campaign technique...The Bible calls it idolatry! (see Romans 1:22-23, 25) (1) I sincerely hope my intentions in writing this message will not be misunderstood. Jesus was not a political figure, and I am not attempting to present Him in that manner. Nonetheless, the Bible does tell us that civil government is to be an instrument of God in bringing order to society (see Romans 13), and in order for it to accomplish this, it is important that it be modeled after the message and example of Jesus. Obviously, the political climate in which Jesus lived was vastly different from our own. To apply modern labels such as "conservative" or "liberal" to a person who lived on earth 2000 years ago is spurious to say the least. In fact, there were numerous political parties and factions in Jesus' day, yet there is no evidence that He ever joined any of them. Modern Christianity is sometimes criticized for attempting to tie the Gospel to a right wing political ideology. Unfortunately, some of this criticism is justifiable. As we will see, having a consistently Biblical world view will not always fit neatly into "left wing" or "right wing" categories.

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary Essay -- essays research papers

Their Eyes Were Watching God: Summary   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A caterpillar crawls along a desolate branch. His many appendages grip the gray bark as he undulates his body along the path in the shade. Creeping steadily forward he is looking for the proper place suitable enough for him to change his identity. Upon finding a twig sprout where he can get bilateral support, he builds his cocoon. After his cocoon is finished the caterpillar crawls in for his metamorphosis. If one is to see a cocoon on a tree it does not resemble beauty, it is a bland piece of wound thread like material with a hole in the top. When one sees a butterfly they may look twice or stop what they are doing all together and chase it around following each of their sporadic movements as the hot sun illuminates and watches from above. Identity has changed. What once was a little ugly caterpillar that kids would go around squishing and people would flick from trees when given the chance, went on to be an ignored sack secured to branch. Nobody pays attention to the fact that beautiful butterflies are the results of these common eyesores. As the caterpillar grew older it matured and changed, from being stuck on land to airborne, from being ugly to beautiful, from being young to old. All living things mature, all things change, wherever time is a variable identities are changing. Janie is no different from these things, she too has a changing identity that can be traced throughout four...