Reaction to and Criticism of Behavior and Cognitive Therapies Essay

Behavior therapy and cognitive therapy are both popular methods used by counselors and therapists to change a person’s perception about themselves and situations surrounding them. In this essay, the writer will attempt to critique each type of therapy, as well as give a short personal reaction to each. Behavior therapy was developed from several older theories, but it has definitely gone its own way in terms of how â€Å"abnormal behaviors† are looked at and treated (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 243). For example, unwanted behaviors are not immediately classified as illnesses, and they are treated as normal behaviors are in terms of how they are developed (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 243). According to the chapter, abnormal behaviors are learned in much the same way as normal behaviors (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 243). It is human nature to learn through experiences, so bad experiences over a long period of time would logically lead to abnormal behavior. However, if someone is alerted that their behaviors are unacceptable and must change, behavioral therapy can give the person training in how to reverse that behavior (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 244). Basically, this writer draws from the reading that making someone want to change their behavior is behind the success of behavioral therapy. It is human nature to want to fit into society, and so making eliminating unwanted behavior seem like a way to achieve â€Å"fitting in† is enough motivation for most people to change. The behavior therapy chapter was full of good information on ways to make people change their behaviors. The authors admitted that this type of therapy usually takes quite a few sessions, and I can easily understand why that would be the case (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 263). In particular, if one reads the case study involving the man with the uncontrollable urge to expose himself, it is easy to see how a behavior that has spanned twenty years would be very hard to let go of (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, pp. 273-276). However, finding the basis of the behavior and taking steps to make it undesirable saved him from another confinement (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 276). I feel that behavior therapy plays on the primal human urge to not stand out. This would make it a good approach to use on a person who feels cut off from society, and a good way to make them feel more accepted. Cognitive therapy is based less on what a person does and more on how a person thinks (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 285). It is similar to the psychoanalytic method, but differs in that the thoughts of a person can be interpreted for what they are, not as vessels for repressed memories (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 287). Many people have distorted ideas about themselves and their world, and that is where psychological problems stem from(Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 286). The idea of cognitive therapy is to take those ideas and restructure them into views that are actually more in sync with what is true (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 287). This writer believes that many people could benefit from cognitive therapy, because many look down on themselves and think that they are less than what they are. Although cognitive therapy is based on thought, and seems to assert it is human nature to be led by one‘s thoughts, it is often combined with behavior therapy(Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 288). I believe this is because thoughts lead to actions, so undesirable thoughts would naturally lead to undesirable actions. The authors state that part of cognitive therapy is testing if thoughts are logical, and working on ways to change them if they are not (Corsini and Wedding, 2006, p. 287). The only concern I would have with this method would be using it with someone who is potentially suicidal. Having someone reflect on such dangerous thoughts might end in tragedy if the situation were not handled correctly. Overall, the cognitive approach along with the behavioral approach to therapy seems to be a good fit for a lot of the psychological problems that plague people.

Book Borrowing System Essay

Introduction Manual systems in libraries were used in the 1970s and early 1980s until computers became more prevalent and less costly. Manual systems tended to operate with a card index to monitor the books that borrowers had out. Libraries also used a manual card catalog system for indexing and tracking books. Manual operating systems are vulnerable to human error. For instance, a librarian who misfiles a borrower’s records or indexes a book incorrectly slows down the process and wastes employees’ time. Manual systems are also slow to operate. Instead of using a computer to issue and take back books, locating and updating a card index is slow and laborious. Manual systems are unable to store large amounts of data efficiently. With manual systems staff spends a lot of their time on mechanical, clerical tasks rather than liaising with library visitors. User’s Description Most likely the one that who will use the system are students, and teachers that has no time in going System Description Library Management System is a multi-user version and can take care of all the fundamental functions of a Library like borrowing books, searching for books and checking the books. It can satisfactorily cater to all the basic functions of a small library. A simple library management system that provides following facilities login, register, add Category, add / remove book, search / issue Book, return book. Library system keeps track of all the transaction that takes place in the library. Starting from book transaction to financial transaction. Purpose and Objectives The Purpose and Objectives of the project is to create a library management system which sorts the administrators, staffs and students separately. It empowers each with different levels of privileges. Users and administrators are allowed to search and lend/take books from the library. It also sorts the items in the library and lets administrator to monitor items/members and also generate graphical reports for them. Scope and Limitation Any education institute can make use of it for providing information about author, content of the available books. It can be used in offices and modifications can be easily done according to requirements. System’s Features < Only basic knowledge of computers is required for operating of Library Management System. As it has a user-friendly application interface. < An inbuilt Settings module makes Library Management System flexibility to cater to diverse organizational needs. < Keeps records of supplier’s and binder’s < Staff as well as student record is maintained ENTITY RELATIONSHIP DIAGRAM CONTEXT DIAGRAM USE CASE DIAGRAM USE CASE SPECIFICATION: login 1. Brief Description To interact with the system, LMS will validate its registration with this system. It also defines the actions a user can perform in LMS. 2. Flow of Events 1. Basic Flow The use case begins when the actor types his/her name and password on the login form. 1. The system displays the Main Form and the use case ends. 2. Alternative Flow(s) 1. Invalid username and/or password If the user enters an invalid username and/or password, the system displays an error message. The user can choose to either return to the beginning of the Basic Flow or cancel the login, at which the use case ends. 3. Pre Conditions None 4. Post Conditions If the use case is successful, the user can now log into the system. If not the system is unchanged. USE CASE SPECIFICATION: Search Books 1. Brief Description Search Books makes it easy to search for article on LMS. With this search companion, user can specify several search criteria. For example, type, book name, author name, publisher etc. 2. Flow of Events 1. Basic Flow The use case starts when the user/borrower wants to search what books he/she is looking for. 1. System will show searching screen. 2. User enters required information. a. It can be user name, book description ISBN etc. 3. By pressing search button system will list down all searching results. 2. Alternative Flow(s) 2. 2. 1. The User enters a invalid keywords. The system will display an error message. The user may choose to re enter the keyword or cancel the search. 3. Pre Conditions Actor must login to the system. 4. Post Conditions If the use case is successful the user can now view the desired results. If not the system displays an error. USE CASE SPECIFICATION: Manage Borrower 1. Brief Description From this use case the Librarian can manage Borrowers. 2. Flow of Events 2. 1. Basic Flow The use case starts when the Librarian checks the borrowers in the borrowing system. 1. The system will show the entire registered user in the system. 2. Librarian will select any user; system will list down all information of a current user. 1. Alternative Flow(s) 2. 2. 1. The actor enters a invalid name of the borrower. The system will display an error message. The Actor may choose to re enter the keyword or cancel the search. 2. Pre Conditions Librarian must login to the system. 3. Post Conditions If the use case is successful the actor can now manage the members in the system, if not the system is unchanged USE CASE SPECIFICATION: Manage Books 1. Brief Description Books have different details; Inquiry Books is used to inquiry all books or articles in the system, it also gives details of its transaction history, and current status. 2. Flow of Events 2. 1. Basic Flow The use case starts when the user will manage books or articles. 2. 1. 1. User enters the required information. 2. 1. 2. It can be author’s name, ISBN of the book, Label, Number of books available. By pressing the search button system will list down all searching results. 2. 2. Alternative Flow(s) 2. 2. 1. The user enters invalid information about the book. The system will display an error message, the user chooses to cancel or Repeat the search. 3. Pre Conditions The Actor must login to the system. 4. Post Conditions If the use case is successful the user can now view his/her desired results, if not the system is unchanged. USE CASE SPECIFICATION: Manage Borrowed Books 1. Brief Description  System will show members current issued books, transaction history and their deadlines. 2. Flow of Events 2. 1. Basic Flow The use case starts when the actor will check the Books Borrowed in the system. 2. 1. 1. The system will display all user history. 2. 2. Alternative Flow(s) 2. 2. 1. The user enters invalid information. The system will display an error message, the user will choose to cancel or repeat the information that he/she entered. 3. Pre Conditions The user must login to the system. 4. Post Conditions If the use case is successful the user can now view his/her desired results, if not the system is unchanged. ACTIVITY DIAGRAM:

Managed Care Organizations and Integrated Health Care Networks Assignment - 1

Managed Care Organizations and Integrated Health Care Networks - Assignment Example According to Kavaler & Spiegel the physicians have a duty to keep all the information from the patients as confidential as possible. The physicians should deal with information without interfering with the code of ethics and adhere to all the legal procedures. There are cases when the physician should not disclose the patient’s confidentiality unless required by the federal law. This can occur when a patient threatens to cause body harm to himself or the other partner. Therefore, the ethical requirements are not a set of rules but acts as a legal procedure. Health Maintenance Organization (HMOs) assumes fully the risk with the employer, insurer, and oneself. In this type, payments are done on each individual employee or member in a given population in a specific month. The staff model for this type of organization comprises the employees in HMO. Furthermore, they are supposed to be physicians from HMO and can only become specialists after approval. Either a doctor or a nurse administers the cancer drugs and it may require that before some drugs be administered before reapprove.

Advantages and disadvantages of presumptive test Essay

Advantages and disadvantages of presumptive test - Essay Example Presumptive test yields immediate results to the testing staff. The staff therefore acquires instant snapshots of results and consequently decides on whether to issue a normal remedy or not (Paik 2011 p. 78). It is imperative that the test enables forensic drug tests to identify the possibility of a particular drug substance. Presumptive test applies principles of gas chromatography in isolating suspected drug from a given sample of blood. The second advantage that comes with presumptive test is that it helps forensic drug test technicians to narrow down possibilities in the suspected substance (Grine & Rackley 2010, p.14). After narrowing down the number of possible tests, technicians can easily decide on which particular test to conduct rather than use of many unguided trial and error experiments. Limiting number of possible test is beneficial to an organization in terms of resource allocation and time. Similarly, presumptive tests help to minimize the amount of materials and test reagents that trial and error tests would have absorbed.Forensic drug test technicians benefits from ability of presumptive tests to identify evidences that naked eyes may fail to see. Ability to reveal chemical properties of sample analyte results from use of various chemicals such as barium chloride reagent, potassium hydroxide and silver nitrate reagent (Paik 2011, p. 78). These reagents give technicians specific observable results that enable them to observe what naked eyes cannot observe.

Selective Incorporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Selective Incorporation - Essay Example Selective incorporation has been applied in numerous instances to protect and uphold human rights especially in a criminal proceeding. This was done during the tenure of chief justice Earl Warren when the rights enjoyed by the criminal defendants were expanded. For example, in the case of Gideon v Wainwright, the defendant was accused of breaking into bay harbor pool hall and stealing cigarette change from the vending machines.Though Gideon requested a lawyer to be appointed by the states, the state of Florida declined, stating that this can only be done in capital offenses. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the 14th amendment allowed all defendants to access the services of an attorney. This right, as stated in the sixth amendment of the constitution was meant to protect the rights of the accused and ensure the provision of free trails. The Miranda v Arizona established the principle of equal access to legal representation during a trial and the determination was based on select ive incorporation. Failure to inform a suspect of his right during arrest constitutes legal subjugation of their legal rights as contained in the first 8 amendments and the 14th amendment of the United States Constitution. The 5th amendment of the united states indicates that a suspect has a right to remain silent during arrest as any pronouncement made can be used against them in the determination of the case.The sixth amendment indicates that a legal counsel must represent suspects during the determination of their cases.

The Estee Lauder Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

The Estee Lauder Group - Essay Example Estee Lauder Group was established in the year 1946 in New York by Estee Lauder and initially marketed four products along with a belief that â€Å"every woman can be beautiful†. The company operates in cosmetic industry and deals with luxury products. At present, it has many brands under its corporate authority (Estee Lauder Companies, 2011).Globalisation has made it possible for firms to expand their businesses in international market through extensive expansion of their products and services. The global expansion strategies of firms assist in gaining higher market share in the targeted markets within a short term period. Due to the global expansion strategy, the sales of the firms increase which result in increasing the profit of the firms.The Estee Lauder brands are well known and they have captured many markets. The global expansion will facilitate the existing brands to increase the sales that will assist in bringing more profits to the company with the existing product line.Mrs. Lauder had invented several products and brands. She had developed skin care solution and fragrance or scents that were accepted globally and gradually became famous.The Estee Lauder’s brand portfolio is diversified. The portfolio consists of classic, core brands, Lab Series, Aramis and Estee Lauder that have been able to set standards and has gained brand value in the entire prestige beauty industry. The origins, urban prescriptive and customized are the company’s category-defining lifestyle brand. ... The global expansion will facilitate the existing brands to increase the sales that will assist in bringing more profits to the company with the existing product line. Section 1: Estee Lauder: A Functional Domestic Structure 1.0 Internal & External Analysis 1.01 History Mrs. Lauder had invented several products and brands. She had developed skin care solution and fragrance or scents that were accepted globally and gradually became famous (Estee Lauder Companies, 2011). The Estee Lauder’s brand portfolio is diversified. The portfolio consists of classic, core brands, Lab Series, Aramis and Estee Lauder that have been able to set standards and has gained brand value in the entire prestige beauty industry. The origins, urban prescriptive and customized are the company’s category-defining lifestyle brand. From 2004, they had introduced several brands and have sold them through alternative distribution channels (Estee Lauder Companies, 2011). Aveda and Bumble and bumble, eac h in its own way, are foremost organisations in the prestige salon business. As men are more interested in grooming and treatment products, Lab Series Skincare and Clinique Skin Supplies for men are both balanced to confine a larger share of this emergent category (University of Pennsylvania, 2008). 1.02 Vision, Mission and Objectives The vision and mission statements of Estee Lauder is â€Å"bringing the best to everyone we touch†. By â€Å"the best† the company means the best products, ideas and people. These three foundations have been the trademark of Estee Lauder from the time it was established. These three pillars remain the foundation upon which the company has been able to succeed till date (Sample, 2006). The objectives of the

Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically Essay

Any student caught cheating on an examination should be automatically dismissed from college - Essay Example College life is an unforgettable experience because it requires hard work and determination in studies and builds on a person’s future career. However, the promise students normally make to study hard normally changes because of the social life that carries them away from the significance of their future making them to lose concentration. Unfortunately, they only get serious when the examinations begin, which greatly affect their performance. Some students will always settle for average after realizing that a sociable individual cannot compete for every field (Berschback, 2011). On the other hand, there are students who are self-motivated who usually drive themselves in work hard. The last group of students would always want to sail with little or no effort perhaps because the social life and the stressful nature of either college life or lack of self-esteem have overwhelmed them. This group of students strives to find various ways of passing exams and achieving better grades through cheating especially during their final examinations. Cheating simply implies that a student is more concerned with personal gain. However, every student, given an opportunity, would want to cheat in order to gain high grade. If any case of cheating goes unpunished then it would imply that a student is being encouraged to cheat (Gardner et al., 2008). Students may be encouraged to cheat even more because of either less severe or no punishment. However, the form of punishment differs depending on the impact of cheating. Responsible authority should weigh on the best option or remedy that can be instilled on the cheating students. Automatic dismissal may not be the best punishment to be given to the cheating students. There are other options that are more effective and efficient than automatic dismissal (Lau et al., 2012). There are several things that encourage students to

Contemporary Moral Problems of Nanotechnologies Essay - 1

Contemporary Moral Problems of Nanotechnologies - Essay Example As a result, the technology is rife with risks and corresponding hazards. The field entails numerous unanticipated effects that could be disastrous not just for people and the environment but for the technology itself as uncertainty impacts development and its regulation. Unit II outlined the conceptual apparatus that is designed to explain and address this challenge. The first component was risk. As has been explained, much of nanotechnology is still within the area of speculation and that the risks are nothing different. These risks, which are seen to impact the environment and human health especially, were classified first by the authors into four: unwanted event that may or may not occur; the cause of an event that may or may not occur; the probability of an unwanted event which may or may not occur; and, the expected outcome of unwanted events. (Alhoff, Lin & Moore 2010, p. 74) Clearly, all the classified risks are not clearly identified especially the first two as they both are qualitative in nature. The unwanted event as cited is quite ambiguous because there is an uncertainty as to its occurrence. It may or may not happen. There is a clear sense of unknowing, which, in itself, constitutes a great part of the risks already. After the risks, the precautionary principles were outlined. The fundamental issue in this respect is the fact that there are numerous suggestions being put forward and, worse, no consensus with regards to how to prevent risks. The UNESCO’s position, however, was given due importance, which states that â€Å"when human activities may lead to morally unacceptable harm that is scientifically plausible but uncertain, actions shall be taken to avoid or diminish that harm.† (Alhoff & Lin 2008, p. 80) Regulation, however, claimed some semblance of common ground in the debate. Unit II was clear on the fact that regulations on nanotechnology vary across the world that is why what they have outlined was a conceptual analysis of t he general debate and did not dwell on specific policy recommendations. A significant portion of this discourse was devoted to the pros and cons of the Stricter-Law argument, which posits that most laws relevant to nanotechnology are already outdated and that it is possible that they can no longer mitigate the risks involved; hence, new laws and regulations must be enacted to remedy the issue. (Alhoff, Lin & Moore, p. 103) Other alternatives cited were a total ban on nanotechnology, maintaining the status quo, and some interim solution that would perhaps balance all concerns and interests of as much stakeholders as possible. The final component of the conceptual apparatus was the equity and access to nanotechnology. It has been argued that it has tremendous potential that could revolutionize the way people live and perhaps solve many human and environmental problems across the globe. This, in combination, with the various elements found in Unit II as cited here, is roughly similar t o an attempt to depict a loose cost-benefit analysis wherein the risks and advantages are set side by side each other in order to determine the best course of action on how to treat nanotechnology as a discipline and how to judge it in ethical and moral terms. Part II: Use the conceptual apparatus you reconstructed in Part I to evaluate the ethical and social implications of one of the applications of nanotechnology we engaged in Unit III. In determining the ethical and s

Total Quality Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Total Quality Management - Essay Example Total quality management has changed the traditional management style forever. It was a very radical movement those days. Some of these changes are radical even today. Few of these changes are discussed below. The traditional way of management focused on internal activities. Quality had a meaning which was totally internally defined. Products or services provided by the organization were assumed to be good in quality if this organization has done its best in producing that product or service. But in total quality management, the focus is the customer. So that ultimate decider of the quality is the customer. Fitting to the customer requirement was the least requirement while delighting them is the ultimate goal. Traditionally people thought bad quality products are due to the workers who do not perform their job correctly. One of the major differences between total quality management and traditional management style is the assignment of the responsibility of the quality to the management. Especially responsibility of the quality goes into the middle-level management at the operational level. Total quality management is an organization-wide movement. All the organization has to be in unity to apply TQM principles. Total quality management, unlike traditional management, calls for a high amount of team working. ... Quality is inbuilt to the system so that products are assured to be in good quality. Some decision like narrowing down the supplier base is total quality management concepts used for this purpose, which is revolutionary still today.   Unlike in traditional management style, total quality management makes decisions on facts and figures. Therefore problems are identified correctly. Therefore solutions are well planned. TQM depends on cyclic thinking. Also, it is continuous. Therefore improvements are small, stable and continuous in nature. This is also known as Kaizen. These events are used in teambuilding, brainstorming, and decision making.  Ã‚  

The North Wind and the Sun Essay Example for Free

The North Wind and the Sun Essay The North Wind and the Sun is about two different personalities and how they operate to get things done. The North Wind is very arrogant and has a personality that is very strong. He is also very impatient, he wants things done immediately and he wants it done his way.   He is the type who intimidates people and could very well be the type to instil fear in his subordinates.   This type of â€Å"shotgun-in-your-face† approach will work against some people until you come across individuals who have a mind of their own.    Some people make it a point to resist very strong individuals and this could pose a problem especially when North Winds are leaders.   When that happens, it is the personality of the Sun which can win them over.   Personalities like the Sun do not impose their wants and needs.   Personalities like the Sun do not make demands nor put pressure on people.   They have realized that a better approach to getting what they want is to be subtle.   They have mastered the art of manipulating individuals into doing what they (the Sun) wants by making them (the individuals) think that they decide and act for themselves.   It is this subtlety that makes people like the Sun more effective leaders. The human in this story, like in most stories of Greek and Roman mythology, is the plaything of the Sun and the North Wind.   He is at the mercy of their whims.   So when these two entities decide to test their strength through a competition, this hapless man becomes their focus.   They were quite smart because in order to settle their dispute, they did not ask for the man’s opinion.   They did not come down from the heavens to ask â€Å"who is stronger?†Ã‚   Instead they decided to settle their quarrel by watching the human’s reaction to the force they exerted.   He, in essence, acted as a fair and impartial judge in a contest he did not know he was mediating.

Strategic Supply Chain Management Business Essay

Strategic Supply Chain Management Business Essay Abstract In early stages supply chains were seen as just the supply process from a companys immediate supplier through to the immediate customer. They had their own goals, targets, deadlines, margins, and policies and also all these were depend on them based on how to cater the market demand. It is easy to perform especially in a monopoly market with very few outlets which is spread in a limited area. But when the business is growing they have to take solid decisions about expansion policies as well as the integration of supply chain operations to survive in the market and to gain the competitive advantage with the rapidly changing competitive climate. The manufacturing industry faces great challenges equally as any other industry, which is a result of economic crisis, especially when it comes to the diversified, large-scale companies with huge expansions and a customer base, as Singer Sri Lanka PLC. In particular to perform in the current competitive environment its not only the existing methods are important, but the latest logistics and supply chain management practices are matters a lot as well. Time has changed and out thinking about the way we manage our improvement activities also has to change. Good is not good enough Only our very best will attract the customers in todays competitive environment. Producing an excellent product is not cut the mustard today. Over the years Singer (Sri Lanka) structure has strengthen immensely to incorporate with the strategies formulated to face the changes in the environment. A critical study was carried out to understand the major competitive priorities in current supply chain of Singer Sri Lanka PLC; the supply chain management principles, strategies and techniques that are used in achieving these competitive priorities; other possible tools which could be used for improving the present performance of the organization and how the company can go beyond the excellence by using these practices as well. (Abstract is not included in the word count) 1.0 Scope of the Assignment To investigate Singer Sri Lanka PLCs supply chain with a view to, Understanding the supply chain systems and operations and to assess its impact on the chain. Identify the current supply chain strategies and the influence from various market conditions. Make recommendations in order to improve the current supply chain in the company and over come the identified critical issues and challenges by applying strategic supply chain management principles. Company Overview Singer Sri Lanka Started its operation in 1872 in Sri Lanka and is a Company that has grown over the years into a benchmark entity in Sri Lanka in terms of popularity, modernity and reach. Singer today is synonymous with quality, wide reach, and wide product range across diverse lines and wide appeal to consumers across the entire spectrum of buying power. Source -Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC Annual report Singer Sri Lanka PLC is a diversified, large-scale company, which was established and started its operations with few shops and now Singer has nearly 550 retail outlets spread all over the country with a group of more than thousand permanent employees. Furthermore Singer has widely spreaded distribution channels, such as Singer Plus, companys largest distribution channel, Singer Mega ,which optimises true modern trade retailing, promising a shopping experience on par with the best in the world, Singer Homes, the furniture store contributed to offer high quality and stylish furniture, Sisil World, promotes mainly Sisil brand products and it is the second slot in the distribution hierarchy, Singer Wholesale, Satellite shops and Duty Free etc are the other channels of distribution. Singers product portfolio is highly diversified and consists of products across a range of household, industrial and financial categories. Singer product portfolio: (Source: Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC Annual report 2009) Organization Structure Pyramid Singer Organization structure consists of three main management levels which include Junior, Middle and Senior. Senior and middle levels has two sub layers as illustrated below. A Foreign Component Suppliers B Local Component Suppliers Prodimix International Germany Arpico Haffle Fittings Italy Regional Sharpeners Dolken Company Germany St. Anthonys Company Hevea Company Malaysia Laminex Company Australia C Other Local Suppliers D Foreign Suppliers Soft Logic National/ Panasonic Epsi Computers Sony Craft Suppliers Samsung Nilkamal Hitachi TCL Whirlpool Wedge Unix E Retail Outlets F Corporate Customers Singer Mega Dilmah Singer Homes Nestle Singer plus John Keels Holdings Sisil World Media Services (Pvt) Ltd. The Supply Chain Competition Supply Chain is a network of connected and interdependent organizations mutually and co-operatively working together to control, manage and improve the flow of materials and information from suppliers to end users (Source: Christopher 2005, p.6) It is clear that current world companies cannot act individually and survive or gain a competitive advantage in the market for a long run. Therefore supply chain integration is a powerful concept for survival and growth in todays business environment. A product or a service should have key attributes to be competitive in the market place, which are known as the competitive priorities. The competitive priorities may change with the market segment. For example, when consider the Singer customers in a rural area may be interested primarily in the cost of product while the customers in urban areas are interested in quality of the same product. 3.1 Identifying the Competitive Priorities Cost Advantage: This is a strategy where the company seeks efficient facilities and uses tight cost controls to produce products more efficiently and effectively than competitors. Singer Sri Lanka had only around 10 brands in early 2000 and mainly concentrated on market penetration by providing affordable products to the mass market. In order to bring down the price, the company has moved to strategic sourcing of its major brands through an intermediary which purchases for the entire south Asian region which affects economies of scale. Eg: i. Discontinued the TV plant at Singer Industries Ltd., Ratmalana in 2001 and started sourcing form China. ii. Started the factory in Piliyandala for furniture water pumps to reduce imports as well as duties and offered innovative products at a competitive prices. At the same time manufacturing plants should plan their systems in such a way that all resources such as material, labour and machines are efficiently used to bring down the cost significantly. Also company should make sure to keep sufficient margin to cover all other overheads before going to reduce the selling price to get more volumes. This can be illustrated as follows; Value Advantage: Customers dont buy products, they buy benefits Adding value through differentiation is a powerful concept of achieving a defensible advantage in the market. Singer has moved to a differentiation and multi brand strategy to enter into a new era of retailing. In all categories, different brands positioned to appeal different customer segments. Singer trade name has changed to SINGER plus from SINGER on 1st of January 2007 and the slogan to MORE BRAND MORE CHOICE. It enables to increase the appeal to customers and the message of choice available in the stores and adds differential plus over competitive offerings. Singer adds value through service by providing unmatched service to their customers by giving not just a product but with a full package which includes super shopping environment, friendly customer care staff, product demonstration, discount schemes, easy payment schemes, free delivery to the door step, free installation, customer training, free services for selected items like A/Cs, extended warranty scheme, excellent after sales service, etc. When considering the product designs, certain designs may increase inventory holding or transportation costs with long manufacturing lead time. In Singer basically in furniture factories this issue can be seen. This will be a huge impact on the whole production of Singer factories if not properly address the problem. Multi Channel Strategy (Source: Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC Annual report 2007) Delivery Lead Time : Consumers in all markets, industrial or consumer are increasingly time sensitive and this is reflected in their purchasing behavior. This should be visible from the time of manufacturing to the delivery of the item. In all the Singer factories they use Computer Numerical Control (CNC Programmable machines) to make sure speedy, efficient and reliable manufacturing process. As a policy they also maintain average three months finished goods inventory in all the stock keeping units (SKUs) in general and 1.5 to 2 months finished goods inventory for identified fast moving items in the sub warehouse. Singer also has the island wide distribution network with more than 500 shops and goods are transporting everyday to all the locations from the central warehouse. Shops are also permit to keep sufficient inventory in their stores. But here the main issue is that the uncertainty of holding more inventories. Though they have reduced their lead-time, with the volatility of the markets some times they have resulted in excess inventory situations, where sometimes the loss can be very high. This is mainly for the items such as televisions, refrigerators and white goods (washing machines, home theatre systems) etc. since these can be out dated with the new technology enhancements. This should be addressed for an immediate solution, because it can have a huge impact on the whole supply chain in the long run. Quality: Quality should be there in every aspect including design quality, process quality, product quality, service quality, etc. While maintaining ISO 9001:2000 standards Singer Sri Lanka factories make sure that every item produced up to the required or expected level in terms of both quality of conformance and quality of design. In overall companys point of view it is also a crucial factor to maintain the balance approach between the price and quality of all the products. So to have a full range of products in each category company has decided to go with multi brand strategy, where the company doesnt want to compromise quality and damage the brand image due to get the price advantage. Analysis of key areas in Singer Supply Chain Analysis of the above competitive priorities has given a clear insight about the issues that can be impacted on the current supply chain and also here I would like to draw the attention on major key areas which should be considered to have an effective and efficient integrated network for the business organization. Areas to be reviewed; Supply chain competitive strategy Supply chain agility, flexibility and responsiveness How well the supply chain is synchronized 4.1 Supply Chain Competitive Strategy Competitive context of business continues to change basically because of four major reasons; i. The new rules of competition ii. Globalization of industry iii. Downward pressure on price iv. Customers take power to demand on goods/ services Analysis of Current Situation Currently Singer Sri Lanka has an internally integrated system which provides mainly an end to end planning framework and they highly depend on the hierarchy. So there is a high possibility of delaying the decisions due to lack of confidence and authority levels. Also the focus on reducing obsolescence properly is also a major issue. Possible Strategic Recommendations Singer Sri Lanka has to move ahead with external integration with their international suppliers this will lead to manage better up stream and down stream interaction in order to maintain an effective and efficient value chain and to get a better cost advantage. By having an effective ERP system they can handle all the transactions and information regarding the manufacturing, logistics, distribution, shipping, invoicing, accounting, human resources, shop sales, market campaigns, bargain or auction sales, promotion activities, etc. through this and also by applying internet, intranet and extranet facilities the company can avoid having excess inventories and maintain a proper inventory which is aligned with customer needs, especially when it comes to the multi brand multi channel concept. The other important fact is to identify the power position of Singer relative to their suppliers and customers with regard to the scale matters. Finally in this aspect they have to focus on managing 4Rs (responsiveness, reliability, resilience, relationships) thoroughly to strengthen the linkages between the customers and suppliers, where the competitor would find hard to break. Best fit in an organization can be illustrated as follows; 4.2 Supply Chain Agility, Flexibility and Responsiveness Demand in todays volatile markets causes most of the current pressure on supply chains to compete as networks and to use planned network configurations to drive flexibility, agility and responsiveness. Agile or Lean? Analysis of Current Situation In the current status of Singer Sri Lanka, they keep sufficient stocks of finished goods in ware houses of each channel and also raw materials at the main Singer factories, where some times it can cause huge losses because of excess of stocks. Though the overall lead time is reduced when under taking special orders such as providing customized items for corporate clients locally or internationally, there can be situations where timely response may be poor. Possible Strategic Recommendations By making the supply chain more agile it can make the operation of the company more smoother. For this applying the seven principles which is given in Table 1will be important. Efficient responsiveness should be improved by de-coupling the up stream and down stream processes and utilizing the principles of postponement wherever possible. As the company strongly believe that there should be a flexibility and variability in all categories. It can be improved by developing new products, by incorporating some product changes to fit the customer specifications and also quickly able to respond increasing and decreasing demand due to the seasonal sales pattern and also can position different brads to appeal the different customer segments in terms of quality and the price. Table 1: Basic Principles for the creation of agile supply chain Principle Application Synchronize activities through shared information Needs to enhance the companys new IT systems (ERP system, Electronic fund transfer, Internet, e-mail etc.) which enable effective on line purchasing other services Work Smarter not harder Reduce non value adding activities such as manual activities identify the parallel processes in the company (already this is done up to certain level of transactions) Partner suppliers to reduce inbound lead times Work more closer with suppliers and share information about different demand schedules to reduce time delays Seek to reduce complexity Enhance the advance capabilities of information systems increase the transparency of processes to reduce confusion delays Postpone the final configuration This is already being used for certain range of items Manage processes not just functions Needs to manage across its supply chain or the inter related cross functional processes to be more flexible agile in responding to demand Utilise appropriate performance metrics Singer already uses performance monitoring metrics, but can make out the other possibilities which fits the structure of the organization do necessary modifications design improvements Enhance the supply chain strategies through agility: 4.3 How well the Singer Sri Lanka Supply Chain is Synchronized? Synchronization implies that each stage in the supply chain is connected to the other and that they all march to the same drumbeat. The way in which entities in a supply chain become connected is through shared information. (Source: Christopher 2005, p.177) Key processes that needs to be linked, up stream and down stream to supply chain synchronization of Singer Sri Lanka: Key Processes Analysis of Current Situation Possible Strategic Recommendations Planning Scheduling This is done by sharing information between each tier, but the main focus is on the first tier customers suppliers. Properly linked information system should be implemented with an integrated ERP system in order to have a proper control over the lead time inventory. Design Since the poor communication with the tier 2 suppliers it has lead to a lack of market innovation and confidence about new design developments IT based systems (e-mails, internet etc.) can be used to optimize the connectivity among all the tiers New Product Introduction Though this is done through the differentiation strategies, still there are loop holes where the trends are not clearly identified and communicated When this comes to the bulk production it is essential to identify obsolete items and replace them with new product designs. to gain competitive advantage For this properly linked network channel is essential Product Content Management When a change is required it has implemented after going through a very long process where totally based on the hierarchy of management, which is very time consuming and complex Should have a proper alignment with the strategies and the critical processes in the supply chain to minimize the impact over the customers Order Management Most of the main suppliers have their own individual order tracking systems and basically the order processing is done by basic methods as communicating via telephones, where timeliness is a question To increase the agility with the highly volatile market demands Singer has to be inline with new technological advancements where they can reduce the order management time and optimize the efficiency of the whole supply chain Sourcing Procurement This is performed well in the current system, but this is limited due to high confidentiality As some of the suppliers work with competitors this should be remain but can be improve the visibility by having strategic partnerships Properly synchronized system would be as follows: 4.4 Other recommendations for further improvements in supply chain management: Mini Warehouse Concept: Since singer has more than 500 retail shops islandwide, keeping sufficient stock at each locations is involving considerable amount of money. So its better to locate mini warehouses in each district to maintain required inventories. Be Green Through Reverse Logistics: Company can reverting back all outdated and obsolete goods directly from the customers and try to send these to their suppliers at a nominal amount, which they are sometimes in a position to upgrade the products again. This reverse logistic concept can extend into having a more greeny environment as a responsible corporate citizen. Convert Major Suppliers Into Strategic Partners: Singer can try to discuss with its major international suppliers and convert them to strategic partners via joint venture or partnership agreements, which would enable to have a long lasting business relationship to both parties. Optimize Supply Chain: By nature consumer durable market is categorized as a seasonal market. Singer sales pattern has two main seasonal effects throughout the year (Apr/May and Nov/Dec). Its quite common to run out of the stock during seasonal times and having excess stock during off seasons. Both ways this is not good for the company since they are loosing customers during the season while considerable amount of money tied up in the inventory during the off season period. Structure Vs Strategy: Companys typical tall hierarchical structure in not infavour of the decision making system since each minor decisions should go above the line to the top hierarchy, which takes lots of time to get the final decision to the down the layers. If the company can adequately empowered its middle and first line managers company can be more proactive than the existing situation. Red to Blue Ocean Strategy: Singer has number of head to head competitors in the market who are engaging in the business in similar nature. So company can immediately identify its strengths and competitive priorities (which can be experienced management team, islandwide network, etc) to be edge over the others in the competitive environment. In other words they can enjoy lots of advantages by following the Blue ocean strategy. 5.0 Conclusion Supply Chain Management principles and techniques are not common to all the industries. Some times it can be a complex scenario in which it also change time to time due to internal industrial factors such as union actions, product line changes, design changes, etc. and due to external factors such as changes in economic condition, other company rules and regulations imposed by the government, new market competition, international market forces, etc. Singer Sri Lanka has strong formulated strategies and also as per the analysis carried out considering the strategic recommendations will be more effective in achieving sustainable competitive advantage in the industry by efficiently managing its supply chain. So it is vital to be more realistic when selecting the proper supply chain management principles and tools in a highly volatile and dynamic environment. This also can be result in reflecting the bottom line profitability of the organization.

Grapes Of Wrath :: essays research papers

Released from an Oklahoma state prison after serving four years of a manslaughter conviction, Tom Joad makes his way back to his family’s farm amid the desolation of the Dust Bowl. He meets Jim Casy, a former preacher who gave up his calling out of a belief that all life is holy, and that simply being among the people as an equal is a sacred endeavor. Jim accompanies Tom to his home; when they find it deserted, fronted by withered crops, they travel to Tom’s Uncle John’s house, where they find the Joads preparing for a long trip to California in search of work. Large California landowners have poster announcement for employment throughout western Oklahoma, and Ma and Pa Joad have decided to move their family their; evicted from their farm by the bank that owned it, they feel as though they have no choice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The journey to California in a rickety used truck is long and arduous, and results in the deaths of both Tom’s grandparents. Traveling along Highway 66, which is clogged with cars making the same trip to California for the same reasons, the Joads meet the Wilsons, a couple plagued with car trouble whom Ma Joad invites to travel with the family. Sairy Wilson is sick with cancer, and, near the California border, is unable to continue on the journey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As the Joads near California, they hear ominous rumors of overcrowded camps and an overflowing labor market; one migrant tells Pa Joad that twenty thousand people show up for every eight hundred jobs, and that his own children starved to death in California. But the Joads press on, and eventually reach their destination. They move from camp to camp to squalid camp, looking in vain for work, struggling to find food, and struggling to hold the family together. Tom’s younger sister Rose of Sharon is pregnant and fearful that her child will be born deformed or even dead; eventually, her husband Connie abandons the family.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The environment in California is hostile in the extreme: the camps are overcrowded and full of starving migrants, the locals are fearful and angry at the flood of newcomers, whom they derisively label â€Å"Oakies,† prices are skyrocketing and work is almost impossible to find; when there is work, it never pays enough to keep food on the table. The large landowners do everything in their power to keep the migrants as poor and dependent as they can.

A Comparison of Michelangelos and Donatellos Sculptures of David Essa

A Comparison of Michelangelo's and Donatello's Sculptures of David Michelangelo and Donatello were the most respected and inspiring artists of their time. Michelangelo of the High Renaissance and Donatello of the Early Renaissance both hailed from Italy. Both tell the biblical story of David versus Goliath, as told in I Samuel 17:28-51, in their sculptures "David." David was a Shepherd boy who killed the giant Goliath with nothing but a slingshot in his hands. Michelangelo displays David before the battle while Donatello shows David after the battle with Goliath. Michelangelo and Donatello were two of four famous artists who have created a statue depicting their image of David; Bernini and Andrea del Verrocchio were the others, but Michelangelo's and Donatello's were far more famous. Donatello had a more detailed and wide-ranging knowledge of ancient sculpture than any other artist of his day. Some time between 1404 and 1407, he became a member of the workshop of Lorenzo Ghiberti, who taught Donatello how to sculpt in bronze. Donatello, the first to create a statue of David, did so between the years of 1430-1440. This bronze figure was life-size at 5'2Â ½" and was nude, which was done for the first time that we know of since antiquity. 4David is seen with a feminine body structure that serves both as a possible explanation for Jonathan's love for him as well as to show that David's accomplishment in tossing the stone at Goliath was not a result of his feminine physic, but rather of God's will. 1Donatello was a very homosexual person and might have drawn upon it in his characterization of David. 1The sophistication of the gleaming bronze, together with David's self-absorption, feminine pose, and slime, graceful, ad... ...isplays David before the battle while Donatello shows David after the battle with Goliath. 2Michelangelo shows the scene where David might have heard that his people are hesitating and he sees Goliath jeering and mocking them. Donatello shows the scene of David standing on Goliath's head, which he cut off his body with Goliath's sword after defeating the mighty giant. These two pieces of David are some of the best artworks in history. Michelangelo and Donatello are the best and most respected artists of their time. It is hard to compare and contrast these works since they are both very similar and so remarkable. I grew up knowing of only the David made by Michelangelo, but once I saw Donatellos, I was speechless. There are so many similarities, yet both tell their own story. I do not think we will ever see works as magnificent as these in our lifetime.

Personal Narrative Essay - The Ski Trip :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Ski Trip Standing in awe, cold air permeated through my hair. The smell of fresh and minty pine scent complimented the beautiful vantage of the wilderness. With my boots wedged in the snow, a shiver took over my body. This is was a place of peacefulness and tranquility. Never before had I been so close with nature. Facing the north was the vast forest. To the left and right, only the crystal white snow was visible. While looking up, I caught a glimpse of the old ski lift, the solo apparatus which was my passport to this great adventure. All that could be heard was the sweet chirping of birds nestled upon tree branches. "This is indeed a moment to remember." I thought to myself. Being that close to nature could put anyone in a state of nirvana. As I stood admiring the clear blue sky and the world around me, I was interrupted by my friends' constant taunting, "Come on, let's go!" They were not rookies. They had experienced the sport of skiing and the atmosphere around it and were not as enthusiastic toward the surroundings as I was. Their calls became louder, with annoyance. I stepped up to the edge of a great slope. The steepness of this colossal block of snow I stood upon, was frightening. The only was to go was down. I took a deep breath with no worries, for this was not the first time I was confronted with a suicide mission. In a heartbeat, the exhilarating feeling of going downhill on a pair of thin skis took over.

Economics at the University of Pennsylvania Essay

Although I want to major in Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, I have a passion for poetry and prose, and I would love more than anything to develop my writing skills in Penn’s School of Arts and Sciences. That program provides the disciplined and distinguished qualities that I seek. One must be a great reader before becoming a great writer, so I indulge in books of every genre to expand my range of knowledge. Literature brings me great joy, and I will strive to integrate my fondness for reading and writing into my college experience. Penn’s English Department is unique in that it provides the opportunity for students to place an emphasis on studies in creative writing. Within that framework, I want to channel my passion for poetry into academia. As founder and president of Shandong Normal University Literature Association, if accepted, I plan to visit the Kelly Writers House religiously as a way to satisfy my perpetual craving for remarkable literature. I envision myself grabbing a turkey and cheese sandwich with no mayonnaise at the 1920 Commons, then rushing off to the Kelly Writers House with an armful of books by Maya Angelou and Eric Schlosser. Gathered in a tight circle of chairs, I want to share professional works with fellow literature lovers. We will offer our own daring lines of free verse, swap suggestions, compliments, and light-hearted laughs. During workshops, my very soul seeps steadily through an invisible tube from brain to ballpoint. This complex phenomenon of input-output produces painstakingly arranged ink on paper, a painting made of letters. On my way to a morning class on modern American poetry, I will pass Oldenberg’s famed Split Button and acknowledge Mr. Franklin sitting upright in his chair. After the lecture, I can envision Professor Josephine Park and I conducting research by analyzing the influence of conflicts between America and East Asia on Asian-American texts. As part of the Penn family, I will converse with colleagues, sisters, and brothers that destiny forgot to recognize. Then, I will tutor secondary school students about reading and writing through the outreach program. Having been featured in a myriad of written works and publishing my own collections, I will roll up my sleeves and organize literary pieces in the weekly undergraduate magazine, First Call. As evening emerges, I will bike to the Van Pelt Library, work comfortably in my favorite armchair, and complete the finishing touches on a Second World War paper. Traveling to other parts of the City of Brotherly Love, study group friends and I will order a few Philly Cheesesteaks from Pat’s King of Steaks for dinner. My roommate, with lips coated in frothy toothpaste, will open the door when I get back. After taking a shower, I will dry my hair on a blue polka dot towel, sit on my bed, and chortle cheerfully while my roommate chatters about the highlights of her day. Then I will read an article about the Penn Museum from The Daily Pennsylvanian. After turning off the lights and setting my alarm clock for 6:00am, I will drape my jogging shorts and shirt on a chair for the morning. Before drifting off to sleep, I will fondly recall submitting my application to Penn, and smile in the quiet of my room, happy to be here at last.

A Soft Drink Tax According to John Stuart Mill Essay

The Coca-Cola brand has built itself into a staple of American culture. This is a terrifying thought for public health advocates who see Coke and other soft drinks as being major culprits behind a growing national health crisis. Empirical evidence shows that over-consumption of soft drinks clearly causes harm to the individuals who consume them, however, the waging battle over soda legislation will not be won on the grounds of health alone. The argument that Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other soft drink firms present is deeply rooted in American values and cannot easily be trumped. What they argue for is freedom of choice. In his book On Liberty, John Stuart Mill states, â€Å"over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign† (9). If an individual chooses that he wants to drink soda pop, he should be allowed a high degree of liberty to make that decision. Such is the foundation of a soft drink firm’s purported right to exist. If consumers demand it, Coca-Cola executives will get as red in the face as their soda cans stating that they play an innocent and vital role in fulfilling that demand. One method through which public health advocates wish to regulate soft drinks is in the implementation of a soda tax. Advocates for such a tax may argue that individuals who harm themselves by overindulging in soda should be limited in their consumption. Since supply and demand are sensitive to market conditions, a tax would undoubtedly lower the quantity of soda demanded, particularly in low-income families where obesity and diabetes are most common. Mill claims that â€Å"to tax stimulants for the sole purpose of making them more difficult to be obtained is a measure differing only in degree from their entire prohibition, and would be justifiable only if that were justifiable. Every increase of cost is a prohibition to those whose means do not come up to the augmented price; and to those who do, it is a penalty laid on them for gratifying a particular taste† (99). Soft drink firms would cite Mill here in their argument that individuals’ â€Å"choice of pleasures and their mode of expending their income, after satisfying their legal and moral obligations to the State and to the individuals, are their own concern and must rest with their own judgment† (99). While Mill’s line of reasoning would appear to speak against a soft drink tax, he goes on to remind us that â€Å"taxation for fiscal purposes is absolutely inevitable†¦ It is hence the duty of the State to consider, in the imposition of taxes, what commodities the consumers can best spare†¦ [and] to select in preference those of which it deems the use, beyond a very moderate quantity, to be positively injurious† (100). Being that over-consumption of soda pop is certainly injurious to the consumer, and especially in light of the current economic downturn in this country, Mill would approve of a soft drink tax as an effective means through which to produce revenue for the State. While a tax on soft drinks would be permissible by Mill’s standards, some proponents of soft drink legislation would go so far as to ban their sale altogether. However, even if the vast majority of the public were motivated to impose such a ban, Mill would hesitate to condone such a severe form of coercion. The basis for Mill’s harm principle is that â€Å"the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any members of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others† (9). Although soft drink firms have a clear interest in â€Å"promoting intemperance† (99) in order to generate profit, those firms will argue fervently that the consumption of soda is not such a great evil that the State would be justified in â€Å"imposing restrictions and requiring guarantees which†¦ would be infringements of legitimate liberty† (99). Therefore, in order to present a stronger argument for a ban on soft drinks, advocates would do well to prove that in drinking soda pop, individuals cause harm not only to themselves, but also to others. To consume soft drinks to the point of excess can lead to the deterioration of an individual’s health. This may appear to be a self-regarding action until one considers the cost such individuals impose on taxpayers. Citizens whose unhealthy lifestyles regularly land them in the hospital eat up government health care, at which point their actions cease to be self-regarding and become harmful to society at large. With this in mind, are we still to protect individuals’ liberty to drink soda pop? Soft drink firms may point to Mill in arguing that the accountability for such harm lies not with soda, but with the society that raises gluttonous individuals. If grown people are incapable of properly taking care of themselves, society must consider that it â€Å"has had absolute power over them during all the early portion of their existence; it has had the whole period of childhood and nonage in which to try whether it could make them capable of rational conduct in life† (80). It is on this point that we must consider the role that mass media plays in the world today. The pervasiveness of corporate advertising in the U. S. manipulates children’s impressionable faculties of reason, subverting the ability of even responsible parents and educators to impart rational consumption habits on their young ones. Mill writes that he could not see how people could witness an act of self-harm and think it â€Å"more salutary than hurtful, since, if it displays the misconduct, it displays also the painful or degrading consequences which, if the conduct is justly censured, must be supposed to be in all or most cases attendant on it† (81). This argument is undermined by the fallacy of soft drink advertising, which positively portrays the act of drinking soda without showing the adverse long-term effects of its consumption. When a world-class athlete endorses soda pop, susceptible consumers, particularly children, are inclined to associate soft drinks with scoring goals and dunking basketballs rather than with cancer and heart disease. In arguing against the proliferation of soft drinks, one should appeal to a fundamental component of Mill’s doctrine, which states that his harm principle does not apply to â€Å"children or of young persons below the age which the law may fix as that of manhood or womanhood. Those who are still in a state to require being taken care of by others must be protected against their own actions as well as against external injury† (9). In other words; children do not have the maturity to make rational, informed decisions that lead to actions that could potentially cause them harm, for instance, the act of guzzling down a 99 cent Coke. The American Beverage Association would echo John Stuart Mill in saying that â€Å"human beings owe to each other help to distinguish the better from the worse, and encouragement to choose the former and avoid the latter† (74). It is their argument that parents and educators, not government, are responsible for dissuading children to consume soft drinks. Indeed, parents and educators can form a partnership in banning the sale of soft drinks in schools, but it is beyond their power to prevent a non-responsible child from seeing a deviously enticing soda ad on TV and irrationally choosing to spend his or her allowance on soda pop. Therefore, the State would be justified in regulating children’s access to soft drinks by legally coercing soft drink firms to discontinue their advertisements geared toward children, as well as by imposing a minimum age requirement for the purchasing of soft drinks.

Breaking the hourglass (Evaluating time management’s importance) Essay

Time management, according to Marc Mancini (2003), is organizing one’s time in such a way that he or she will be more fulfilled, more confident, less stressed and less frustrated about his or her life dealings. Mancini (2003) pointed out the importance of managing time especially in this fast-paced environment where twenty fours hours is no longer enough for a day. How an individual manages his or her time is analogous to how he or she handles his or her life. Now that globalization has set in, time management is no longer an individualistic concern. Through the years, various business organizations have readily launched programs and trainings that would address time management problems. This situation can be attributed to the fact that efficient time utilization increases one’s productivity and has been instrumental in improving â€Å"service delivery (Politt, 2008).† Brooks and Schofield (1996) also implied that time management contributes to successful â€Å"product developments.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another importance of time management can be observed in balancing critical life endeavors to achieve one’s goals (Harvard Business School, 2005). It is a discipline of controlling one’s life through efficient allocation of time (Harvard Business School, 2005). When personal goals are achieved, this translates to satisfaction and high performance. This is most especially true as for the case of many employees who are constantly exposed to stressful and pressure-driven working environments. Time management can therefore aid executives in helping their subordinates realize and attain their personal goals via creating more flexible yet highly productive working arrangements and setting good examples (Line, 2002)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Darryl Davis (2003) also asserted that time management is more of an attitude-related issue than plain technical task. Time management is an issue of one’s willingness to utilize time more efficiently. It is a matter of creating concrete decisions in terms of prioritizing tasks and establishing attainable work schedules. With this regard, effective time management and positive outlook enable employees to experience a balanced life (Davis, 2003). Business companies, in return, can maximize their potentials.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ruth Klein (2005) also supported Davis’ contentions, stating that balancing priorities requires full determination to execute all the planned changes. These changes should be then incorporated in a serious time management effort (Klein, 2005). Time is so precious that if one is able to spend his or her time wisely through effective and efficient time management, it is as same as keeping gold bars in a vault. They say time is gold, but the truth is time is life itself. People live their lives by the ticking of the clock. Time also determines the success and failures of many companies. Under this context, time presents a double-edged sword. It can be an asset and at the same time, a liability. Therefore, it is highly important for individuals and business organizations alike to establish efficient time management. Time management ensures that tasks are properly executed. Likewise, this also contributes to achieving balance in one’s professional and personal endeavors. Reference List Brooks, B. and Schofield, N. (1996). Time-to-market: time equals money—but where does it   Ã‚   all go?. World Class Design to Manufacture. 2 (6), 4 Harvard Business School (2005). Time management: increase your personal productivity and    effectiveness. Massachusetts: Harvard Business School Publishing. Davis, D. (2003). How to become a power agent in real estate. New York: Mc-Graw Hill Companies, Inc. Klein, R. (2005). Time management secrets for working women: getting organized to get the most out of each day. Illinois: Sourcebooks, Inc. Line, M (2002). How Should Managers Spend Their Time? Part 2. Library Management. 23   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (1./2), 101-102 Politt, D. (2008). ISS rises to the challenge of effective HR Management. Human Resource   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Management International Digest. 16 (2), 34-35 Mancini, M. (2003). Time Management. New York: Mc-Graw Hill Companies, Inc.

Do critical approaches Marxism, feminism, constructivism improve our understanding of international politics?

Abstract In the contemporary era, the application of critical theoretical approaches is of significant importance if one is willing to develop a more comprehensive understanding of international politics and international relations. Theoretical approaches, such as Marxism, Constructivism and Feminism cannot alone provide such an understanding, but their convergence and can significantly contribute to our increased awareness of global inequalities and the dimensions in which they occur by placing emphasis in not only on the relationship between the structure and agency, but also question their very nature and scrutinised the normative codes which guide human agency. Despite some of the limitations which the theories have, their complementary use can be used successfully in order to gain a more critical perspective on the nature of world governance. Introduction In the contemporary era, the application of critical theoretical approaches is of significant importance if one is willing to develop a more comprehensive understanding of international politics and international relations. As this essay will demonstrate, although approaches such as Marxism, Constructivism and Feminism cannot alone provide such an understanding, their complementary use can significantly contribute to our increased awareness of global inequalities and the dimensions in which they occur. Marxism The impact of Marxist theory on the development of critical theorising in international politics is one the significance of which can hardly be denied. Despite this, Marxist theorist have often been accused of not taking into account factors such as nationalism, as well as the balance of power among states in order to sustain and structure world politics (Linklater, 2013). Moreover, Marxist theories in the late 1970s and early 1980s found it increasingly difficult to devise an analytical framework for explaining the relationship of nation-states and violence in period of increased globalisation, characterised by increased national fragmentation, as well the resurgence of violent conflicts based on ethnicity (Giddens, 1985). This can the attributed to the inability of traditional Marxist thought to move beyond theorising about the significance of class conflict and the importance of social relations in terms of modes of production. Despite this flaw, more contemporary neo-Marxist theo rists have attempted to revitalise this critical approach by placing emphasis on the relationships between states, markets and the capitalist world economy in the era of globalisation (Teschke, 2003; Halliday, 1994; Rosenberg, 1994; Gamble, 1999). The application of Marxist thought has increasingly drawn attention to the problem of global inequality which the capitalist system has led to (Wallerstein, 1979; Thomas, 1999; Linklater, 2013). Thus, the importance of modes of production have successfully been utilised in order to challenge the economic discrepancy, which is characteristic of contemporary world markets and question the power relationships which exist between states on the international level. Being mainly preoccupied with material deprivation and inequality, however, Marxism has failed to take into account the norms and values which governance the structures of economics and politics, a question which has preoccupied constructivist theories of international relations. Constructivism By contrast to Marxism, Constructivism places emphasis not only on the importance of material structures, but as well as the normative dimension which is associated with it, as well the importance of identity formation and manifestation (Price and Reus-Smit, 1998). Thus, constructivism attempts to remedy the Marxist’s neglect of the importance of agency and its relationship to structure in the process of devising and implementing decisions related to international politics and relations among states in the era of globalisation (Reus-Smit, 2008).Therefore, Constructivism is complimentary to both more traditional approaches of theorising about international politics, such as Rationalism, as well as more critical approaches such as Marxism (Reus-Smit, 2013). More importantly, the significance of human agency is not deprived from the structure which determines the manifestation of the actor’s interests; in fact it calls for the critical evaluation of the institutionalised n orms which are the mediator between structure and agency. This can be of considerable advantage of understanding the contemporary global inequalities which exists, between countries from the Third World and post-industrialist Western states, as it will question not only the existing states of affairs in international politics, but also the moral dimensions of the reasoning behind it. By placing emphasis on the development of normative frameworks which are used as guides and rationale for the implementation of specific decisions in relation to international politics, Constructivism can successfully scrutinise and ‘moralise’ the power inequality among states and if used alongside neo-Marxist theories it can question both structure and agency. What both fail to take into account, however, is that agency in the era of global inequality also has a specific dimension, a problem which is addressed by Feminism. Feminism By contrast to both Marxism and Constructivism, feminist theories of international politics and international relations took prominence only in the early 1990s, though their impact for the development of the academic disciplines has been considerable (True, 2003). Feminism as an intellectual tradition questioned the very nature of the agency which had an impact on the development of international politics and introduced in the notion of ‘gender’ as an empirical category and analytical tool through which global inequality and unequal power distribution could be understood (True, 2013). Thus, Feminism, alongside Constructivism could be considered as a major breakthrough as both of them questioned the more traditional discourse of power relations and moved beyond the singular focus on inter-state relations that characterised more traditional theories in the field of International Relations (ibid.). Feminist thought has attracted attention to the specific dimensions of globa l inequality, resulting from the transformation of economic world markets. In fact, it has been suggested that the process of globalisation has increased the inequality between men and women worldwide, ultimately resulting in a ‘feminisation of poverty’ (Chant, 2007; Chant, 2008). The increased emphasis on export and outsourcing reflecting the priorities of the global financial markets, have disproportionately affected women (Marchand and Runyan 2010). This rise in inequality and insecurity is also linked to the development of violent conflicts in states where inequality between genders is high (Goldstein, 2003). On the other hand, gender equality in states is said to reduce the likelihood of the use of violence in intra-state disputes (Caprioli, 2005; Caprioli and Boyer, 2001). Therefore, it could be argued that the use of more critical perspectives in theorising about international politics could significantly contribute to our understanding of global politics and cou ld potentially results in less violent conflicts in the future if emphasis is placed on the reduction of global inequality and its gendered dimension. Conclusion As this essay has demonstrated, the critical theories of Marxism, Constructivism and Feminism could further our understanding of the nature of global inequalities by placing emphasis in not only on the relationship between the structure and agency, but also question their very nature and scrutinised the normative codes which guide human agency. Despite some of the limitations which these theories have, their complementary use can be used successfully in order to gain a more critical perspective on the nature of world governance. Bibliography Caprioli, M. (2005). Primed for violence: The role of gender inequality in predicting internal conflict. International Studies Quarterly, 49(2), 161-178. Caprioli, M., & Boyer, M. A. (2001). Gender, violence, and international crisis. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 45(4), 503-518. Chant, S. H. (2007). Gender, generation and poverty: exploring the feminisation of poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Edward Elgar Publishing. Chant, S. (2008). The ‘feminisation of poverty’and the ‘feminisation’of anti-poverty programmes: Room for revision?. The Journal of Development Studies, 44(2), 165-197. Gamble, A. (1999). Marxism after communism: beyond realism and historicism. Review of International Studies, 25(5), 127-144. Giddens, A. (1985). The nation-state and violence. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Goldstein, J. S. (2003). War and gender: How gender shapes the war system and vice versa. Cambridge University Press. Halliday, F. (1994). Rethinking inte rnational relations. Palgrave Macmillan. Linklater, A. (2013) ‘Marxism’, ’ in Burchill, S., Linklater, A., Devetak, R., Donnelly, J., Paterson, M. Reus-Smit, C. and True, J., Theories of international relations (Fifth edition.). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Marchand, M. H., & Runyan, A. S. (Eds.). (2010). Gender and Global Restructuring: sightings, sites and resistances. Routledge. Price, R., & Reus-Smit, C. (1998). Dangerous liaisonsCritical international theory and constructivism. European Journal of International Relations, 4(3), 259-294. Reus-Smit, C. (2008). Reading history through constructivist eyes. Millennium-Journal of International Studies, 37(2), 395-414. Reus-Smit, C. (2013).’ Constructivism’(pp. 217-240), ’ in Burchill, S., Linklater, A., Devetak, R., Donnelly, J., Paterson, M. Reus-Smit, C. and True, J., Theories of international relations (Fifth edition.). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Rosenberg, J. (1994). The empire of civil society (p. 141). London: Verso. Teschke, B. (2003). The myth of 1648: class, geopolitics, and the making of modern international relations. Verso. Thomas, C. (1999). Where is the Third World now?. Review of International Studies, 25(5), 225-244. True, J. (2003). Mainstreaming gender in global public policy. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 5(3), 368-396. True, J. (2013). ‘Feminism’, in Burchill, S., Linklater, A., Devetak, R., Donnelly, J., Paterson, M. Reus Smit, C. and True, J., Theories of international relations (Fifth edition.). Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Wallerstein, I. (Ed.). (1979). The capitalist world-economy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

The Texan Who Conquered Russia Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Texan Who Conquered Russia - Article Example Van Cliburn's However, his talent was clear and could not be denied even by jaded officials.   His performance of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff's 3rd earned him an eight-minute standing ovation, not only because of the technicality and emotion that Van Cliburn offered the pieces but the audience appreciated his deference in choosing Russian composers' works. ,   When consulting Khrushchev on the unlikely decision they, the judges, were about to make, he asked plainly, "Is he the best?" After hearing that he was Khrushchev responded, "Then give him the prize."   This single sentence probably did more for a music career than any other in history. His victory reached the shores of the US almost immediately and was seen as no less than a victory in the Cold War.   Though Van Cliburn claimed that he was unaware at the moment he received the award what the cultural and political ramifications were going to be, it soon became clear as his guileless charm and obvi ous skill were respected and appreciated by the Muscovite crowds. Moreover, his first prize made him a national hero at home.   His heroic status is evident and unique as he was and still is the only classical musician ever to be honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City's Time Square.  However, his talent was clear and could not be denied even by jaded officials.   His performance of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto and Rachmaninoff's 3rd earned him an eight-minute standing ovation, not only because of the technicality and emotion that Van Cliburn offered the pieces but the audience appreciated his deference in choosing Russian composers' works. ,   When consulting Khrushchev on the unlikely decision they, the judges, were about to make, he asked plainly, "Is he the best?" After hearing that he was Khrushchev responded, "Then give him the prize."   This single sentence probably did more for a music career than any other in history. His victory reached the shores of the US almost immediately and was seen as no less than a victory in the Cold War.   Though Van Cliburn claimed that he was unaware at the moment he received the award what the cultural and political ramifications were going to be, it soon became clear as his guileless charm and obvious skill were respected and appreciated by the Muscovite crowds. Moreover, his first prize made him a national hero at home.   His heroic status is evident and unique as he was and still is the only classical musician ever to be honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City's Time Square.   There are some detractors who suggest that the results of the Tchaikovsky Competition were skewed because of the intense pressure on the judges and the creative scorekeeping that was involved. Furthermore, musically some suggest that his performance was not as technically proficient as others, but had an emotional appeal that was hard to resist suggesting that his playing style was a cross between "Horow itz, Liberace, and Elvis Presley."  Ã‚  

The Hughes H-1 racer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Hughes H-1 racer - Essay Example Hughes, Jr.1 In 1934, Hughes formed the Hughes Aircraft Co., a division of the Hughes Tool Company. Their mission was to build the best racing planes in the world. Hughes Aircraft did just that when it built its first internally designed airplane in 1934: the H-1 racer. Howard Hughes, along with Richard Palmer and a small team of engineers, designed the H-1 racer and Glenn Odekirk, together with his team, built it.2 The wood and metal single-seat monoplane was streamlining at its very best, designed for speed, pure and simple. Designing, building, and extensively testing the plane took the team 18 months but it was well worth the effort. On September 13, 1935, Hughes himself piloted the H-1 to a record-breaking 352 miles per hour at Martin Field, near Santa Ana, California. The previous record was 314 miles per hour. The H-1 was not only the fastest plane, but it was the fastest plane that could fly from standard runways, had practical flight characteristics, and had an almost unimaginable range of nearly 4000 miles (Parker, 2002). The H-1 had two sets of wings. The wings Hughes used to break the landplane speed record were of a low aspect ratio and shorter than those which he used for high-altitude transcontinental flight. The former was originally intended only for short flights at low altitudes; in the latter, Hughes set a new transcontinental record on January 18, 1937 for long-distance, high altitude flights when he recorded an average speed of 332 miles per hour over a course of 2,490 miles.3 The H-1 was powered by a Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp Junior radial piston engine rated at 700 horsepower at 8,500 feet but which could deliver 1,000 horsepower for high-speed flight. According to Hughes (as cited in Michel, n.d.), â€Å"the H-1 racer was fast because it was clean and yet it attained its speed with a Pratt and Whitney engine of perfectly

Leadership Blogs Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership Blogs - Assignment Example The progress of a leader is clear when the leader which an individual influences the group of individuals to attain a common goal/ One of the best attitudes that are seen in leadership is in the movie Remember the Titans. In one of the most exemplified films, leadership is depicted by both. Both men depict leadership development as they put aside their differences for the well-being of the team. It is clear to understand that this relationship extended beyond just football, it was a testament to the development of a collaborative effort. Leadership development is a process and not a sprint, it takes time to cultivate this experience as depicted by Julius and his teammate. Putting aside differences teaches a valuable lesson that collaboratively nothing is impossible. Leadership styles in different culture vary in midst of cultures because it is based on values that are different. For instance, eastern cultures often portray leadership via fear. Dictatorship for often is stemmed for embedding fear in people. Most people have leadership in other cultures have given a promise to people that have allowed them to be leaders. For instance, Hitler was a great leader because he promised people with incentives and glory. Leaders in other cultures have always tried to promote glory and nationalism which brought them power, prestige and wealth. In most cases, the people do not approve the leadership of these leaders and are forced to follow them. Dictatorship and autocracy in the Middle East and communism has been evident throughout history. Another great example can be depicted in leaders in Great Britain. Most British leaders are diplomatic, willing to compromise, and honest. However, at times they can also inflict they supremacy when necessary. From a modern perspective, leadership styles are more of followers pushing a leader to spearhead and take a proactive role. Leaders in the modern country are more prone to criticism and hence are more democratic.

Practical Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Practical Decision Making - Essay Example In HTAB there are three kinds of Hypothesis - Research Hypothesis, Statistical Hypothesis and Substantive Hypothesis. Research Hypothesis is a statement of what the researcher believes will be the outcome of an experiment or a study. Statistical Hypothesis is a more formal structure derived from the research hypothesis. Substantive Hypothesis is a statistically significant difference which does not imply a material substantive difference. (Business Statistics 4e by Ken Black). A preconceived conclusion is an inevitable outcome of Research Hypothesis. The researcher tends to become biased. For example, older workers are more loyal to a company. That may true in most cases. But it is still a hypothesis. There maybe some old workers who resent company policy to the extent that they have been nursing grievances or have not been allowing new employees to prove their potential in the company. Statistical hypothesis is to some extent also preconceived . Although it has a more formal structure it is essentially based on the preconceived notion of the Research Hypothesis. Substantive Hypothesis is the significant difference which does not always encompass material or quantitative difference. There are two parts of Statistical hypothesis - a null hypothesis ... There maybe some old workers who resent company policy to the extent that they have been nursing grievances or have not been allowing new employees to prove their potential in the company. Statistical hypothesis is to some extent also preconceived . Although it has a more formal structure it is essentially based on the preconceived notion of the Research Hypothesis. Substantive Hypothesis is the significant difference which does not always encompass material or quantitative difference. There are two parts of Statistical hypothesis - a null hypothesis and an alternative hypothesis. According to Null Hypothesis one might be tempted to conclude that nothing new is happening. However, according to the Alternative Hypothesis one would emphatically conclude something new is happening. The Null and Alternative Hypotheses are mutually exclusive. Only one of them can be true. They are also collectively exhaustive. They are stated to include all possibilities. While Null Hypothesis is assumed to be true, the onus of proof falls on the Alternative Hypothesis. Failing to reject a false null hypothesis and rejecting a true null hypothesis are the two types of errors which occur in HTAB system. Once the Hypothesis is made it is tested. Based on the test result statistical action is taken. Then the Business Implications are determined. The first step in Testing Hypotheses is to establish the hypothesis and state the null and alternative hypotheses. Then the appropriate statistical test and sampling distribution is determined. After specifying Type I error rate the decision rule is stated. Sample Data is gathered and the value of the test statistic is calculated. Once the statistical conclusion is stated and the business implications are determined a managerial

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Questions - Essay Example These incidences drive Esperanza to vow to move away from Mango Street but with an intention of coming back to take those who cannot get away. However, it is because of her life in the house on Mango Street that she finds her true self. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce begins with a vivid description of the scene just before the hanging of Peyton Farquhar. Payton thinks of his family and he is deluded into thinking that he can actually escape the hanging to be with his family. Bierce uses a vivid and plausible approach to describe the realities of life. The story then does into a flashback and describes Farquhar as a 35-year-old gentlemanly planter. It is implied that he was tricked by a federal scout, disguised as a confederate solder, into sabotaging the Owl creek bridge. We learn of Farquhar’s ironic and poignant estate, as he never imagined that others who were equally devoted to victory could ever deceive him. Farquhar’s life is the portrait of a doomed way of life. Sandra Cisnero was a Latino woman who realized the uniqueness of experiences as unique and outside the American culture realm in terms of the experiences and imagination. The characters on the House on Mango Street are real and she incorporates her major concerns of life into the novel; poverty cultural division, degradation, oppression, religion, feminism and love. It is through Esperanza that the reader gets a glimpse into the kind of person that Sandra Cisnero is; her views on herself, life and the effect of poverty on her present and future. By understanding this past, the reader can relate to the book. On of the most important events in my life was marked by the securing of a great job when I joined university. Even graduates dreamt of this great opportunity. I considered myself luck in many levels. I was experiencing financial stability that I had

Article Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article Analysis - Assignment Example He has used metaphors and vivid descriptions to highlight what he sees wrong in the practice of chain ganging. His strong language has made his article very appealing. Staples has used some very strong language to bring out his intended message. He does not beat around the bush when he wants to make a certain point. In his opening statement, he gives an example of how an animal’s survival instincts will make it chew off some part of its body in order to free itself. This alone gets the reader’s attention to what the writer is trying to say. He uses similes to show how brutal the chain gang practice is. For instance, on the first paragraph, he says: â€Å"Beaten and driven like maltreated beasts†¦Ã¢â‚¬  while referring to the way slaves were treated while chained together. He also uses some vivid descriptions to further illustrate the cruelty of the chain gang practice. He says â€Å"†¦prisoners turned to self-mutilation to make themselves useless for work. They slashed their bodies, broke their own legs, and crippled themselves by cutting their tendons.† He gives this description to show that chain gangs were so dehumanizing, the prisoners could go to any lengths to free themselves from this ordeal. One of the obstacles I think the writer faced in critical thinking was his bias and total abhorrence for the practice that he thinks is reminiscent of the slavery years. he does not want to give the prison warders the benefit of doubt, so all he does is attack them as though they are the system that permits such practices in prisons. He has spoken nothing of the legislation bodies that made it legal to have gang chains in prisons. He should not have placed all the blame on Southern prison warders. The author’s bias is obviously with the prisoners who have to be chained when performing their menial work. He also makes it look like the chain gangs are meant for black prisoners only. I do

Economic resources Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic resources - Essay Example These core resources serve all living beings by producing a variety of useful goods and services. Few examples are food (produced by plants and other agriculture crops), medicinal plants, transportation media, breathing air, picturesque views, oils, minerals etc from earth's mantle etc. IN-APPROPRIABLE RESOURCES that are used free of price and are costly to the society of living beings. They result in EXTERNINALITIES i.e. situations in which production or consumption imposes uncompensated benefits or costs on other living beings. MECHANISM is a system of controlled interactions of various inputs to produce useful outputs. Mechanism, as applied to PRICE can be understood as a system of interactive processes between needs of prospective consumers and prevailing /possible future market trends. Price mechanism, also called market mechanism is the basis to decide/determine resource allocation, types, quantity, quality of goods and services to be produced. Human wants and desires do not have any boundaries, once their basic needs of FOOD, CLOTHING and SHELTER are fulfilled. Wants/desires appear to be needs depending on the living environment. They are continually dynamic without any limits and influence the trends of market supply and demand chain configurations. Prices are agreed expressions of the value of products/services for exchange and every society that allows exchanges has prices. Inter relation of individual prices results in the existence of a price system. A variety of economic forces bind the prices to form a price structure. Price mechanism is a means to organize an economic activity by meaningfully linking the decisions of consumers, producers and holders of productive resources across the globe. In the modern economy, it enables economic agents to meet

Three Social Media Aggregators That Bring It All Together Essay Example for Free

Three Social Media Aggregators That Bring It All Together Essay Social media services facilitate connection of people via Facebook, Twitter and Flickr, for example, have opened enormous opportunities for people to interact and share ideas. As Pash (2009) puts it, managing the many updates is not an easy task; hence, must provide a viable way of managing the different social media services. In the article, 3 Social Media Aggregators That Bring It Altogether, Pash (2009) asserts that social media aggregators are the solution to the challenge of managing the different social media services that keep people connected. According to the author, social aggregators are significant in ensuring that there is a single entry point to access one’s social networking sites. This has long-term benefits by enabling one to keep monitoring his social network streams and keeping them in one dashboard. Through this, it will be possible for social network users to establish flexible ways of managing the network sites by categorizing them in terms of importance. People who rely on social media as a communication platform, for instance, business owners will find the concept extremely significant. This is because they have to communicate with their clients and expand their customer base. Through the social aggregator processes, it is possible for business owners to prioritize on their activities and establish long-term connections with clients. On a personal level, the idea of social media aggregation is important in enhancing the ability to monitor social media tools in my jurisdiction. The need to improve communication networks will certainly trigger me to join the social media aggregation exercises. Indeed, this is a valuable way of examining one’s social media influence. Reference Pash, A. (2009). Three Social Media Aggregators That Bring It All Together. Retrieved from: http://www.pcworld.com/article/169515/social_media_aggregators.html Source document