Manager's Role in an Organization's Ethical Policies and Practice Essay

Manager's Role in an Organization's Ethical Policies and Practice - Essay Example To better establish the prime importance of ethics in making organisational decisions, he first section of the paper centres on the following questions: How should ethics be defined and viewed in organisations and how do ethical and unethical practices impact on the organisation and society as a whole? However, understanding the importance of ethics for business organisations is one thing, but defining who shall take the lead to ensure ethical policies and practice in the organisation –the board or the manager – is another thing. The second section of the paper discusses this question by delving into the decisive role that managers play in the organisation. It asserts that the role of managers in the organisation’s ethical policies and practice is actually more compelling than that of the Board. In fact, the manager’s ethical misconduct and abuse of discretion had caused the downfall of many corporations. Although it is true that the Board takes the higher stake in the organisation than the manager; it is the manager who exactly deals with the in and out daily operation of the organisation. Organisational Ethics Policies and Practice Ethics essentially pertains to what is right and wrong (Sims 2003, p. 7; Lerbinger 1997, p. 293), good and bad, virtuous and evil or that which illustrates fairness, justice and due process, for example not harming others, respecting others, dealing honestly, helping those in need, fulfilling promises and contracts, and more (Lerbinger 1997, p. 293). When ethics is to be incorporated in organisational policies Whitton (2009) emphasises two dimensions: first, that policies should encourage ethical conduct by the rank and file – this includes specific policies on ‘giving and receiving personal gifts, ancillary employment, conflict of interest situations, patronage, political activity, fraud, harassment, political activity, and whistleblower reporting of defined wrongdoing’; and second , that policies should encourage ethical management to safeguard the integrity of the organisation – this concerns policies that define criteria for ‘competent financial management, merit based recruitment and advancement, transparent accountability for ... decision-making, effective protection of [those] who disclose misconduct, fraud and corruption, meaningful program evaluation, and workable disciplinary processes’. As such, Whitton furthers that organisational ethics policy is an assurance that the organisation will live-up to what it commits itself to promote, provide and serve and that it will conduct itself fairly, giving due consideration not only to itself but to society at large. (p. 2) Similarly, this is what Lerbinger (1997) refers to as corporate social responsibility, which to him transcends the law. (p. 293) Evidently so, Whitton (2009) has rightly stated that effective ethics policy must always be considered part of the organisation’s ove rhead cost, because failure to do so would be more costly to the organisation and the society as a whole. In other words, organisations should always pay attention to ethical issues to avoid greater loss. For example data show that, US businesses are losing $40 billion

Lenovos Entrance in Argentina for Mobile Phone Essay

Lenovos Entrance in Argentina for Mobile Phone - Essay Example was the initial name of Lenovo. Lui Chuanzhi was the founder of the company. In the initial stage, the company was mainly into selling of merchandising that ranged from television to roller stakes. The company has established a subsidiary in Hong Kong that mainly focuses on the PC distribution i.e. Legend Holding Limited. The success of the concerned brand was the key reason that facilitated the expansion of the company (Lenovo 2013). Correspondingly, in the year 1990, the strategy taken by the Chinese government was to reduce the rate of import tariffs. This further ensured effective international trade between the company and another company named IBM. This strategy led to the expansion of the Legend Group Holdings, which is a subsidiary company within the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. During these years, the company had flourished within the international boundaries. This is the reason the name was changed and reframed as Lenovo. 2.2 Lenovo’s Culture In the year 2005, Lenovo, t he Chinese company made acquisition of IBM’s PC divisions. This emancipated spectacular changes within the company’s history. This change within IBM was a cultural shock for the employees of IBM. The cultural shock of the employees was effectively mitigated by the management of Lenovo. In case of the Chinese management, they efficiently responded to the insecurity pertaining to the employees by hosting cultural events. In this regard, such cultural events helped in boosting the motivation of the employees. Moreover, it was effectively conveyed by the Lenovo’s management to the employees that they intend to expand the operations rather than liquidating anything. Correspondingly, on part of Lenovo’s culture, it has been ascertained that... This paper approves that Lenovo to get success in Argentina can use strategic alliance mode of entry for its mobile phone by collaborating with the leading market player in the mobile sector America Movil’s Claro. This alliance would help in creating a strong market base because of the brand name of Lenovo and its technological advantage. The reason for the alliance would be to derive the benefit of access to supplementary services. This entry strategy would help Lenovo to get success in the Argentina market similar to Unicom Telecommunications market entry strategy made it a huge success. This report makes a conclusion that the emerging demand of mobile phones in Argentina has been the major factor that motivated Lenovo to seek the expansion strategy. The political environment of Argentina as per the analysis is not very supportive for the new market entrants. Thus, to ensure a smooth entry in Argentina, Lenovo needs to use the alliance strategy with the market leader. Moreover, it is to be recommended that a proper internal and external environment market scanning is done through the research and development team to continuously understand the trend of customer preferences. Furthermore, the use of proper pricing strategy along with understanding of the cultural aspect of the country is to be followed by the management by proper entry mode strategy. It is also recommended that the awareness of the global brand should be created affectively in the minds of the people.

The Human Resources Management at Toyota

The Human Resources Management at Toyota Toyota Motor Corporation is one of the worlds second largest successful companies in making automobiles by sales and production after General Motors. The secret behind their success is that TMC management has relied on the right selection for their employees whereby TMC can differentiate between applicants which one can fill a particular job in terms of their performance in the job to achieve balance and harmony between the requirements and duties of the job and between their attributes, qualifications and characteristics as well as development of the human element which enables careers development in the organization because achieving the goals depends on it which is considered the most valuable resources to the management and the most influential in productivity at all. Also, TMC administration develops and improves the HR as it is the cornerstone to enhance the organization capacity and enable the organization to keep up with current and future challenges because they believe that HR is the reason for high profits or low profits in any corporation. HR can strongly contribute in achieving any corporation objectives and make it p rofitable and can be a financial burden on the corporation. TMC creates a good working environment for their employees and provide them with more career opportunities beside providing them with Øلن¦ÃƒËœÃƒËœÃ‚ ¯Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  ÃƒËœÃ‚ © ÙˆØلن¦ÃƒËœÃ‚ ¹Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ãƒâ„¢Ã‹â€ Ãƒâ„¢Ã…  ÃƒËœÃ‚ © incentives to mobilize their productivity and creativity. Also they organize educational programs. Moreover, the administration is committed to train and develop all of their employees through training programs because they believe that learning is essential to increase the efficiency of the organization and the employees, so TMC and its subsidiaries provides appropriate opportunities for its employees to pursue higher education and specialization in their fields. As to achieve the best investment in HR, TMC has developed a comprehensive policy for transferring and reassigning among their branches and offices in the world. Analyst in the automobiles sector estimated that if Toyota continued this way it will overcome General Motors and become the first largest automobiles manufacturer in the world. Three keys of HRM activities I would like to work in private sector organizations, and Toyota is one of these organizations. Their Human Resources Department Functions are interesting because it includes a variety of activities and they can manage all the HR functions. Compensation and Benefits Salaries, bonuses, sick leave pay, compensations of workers and insurance such as dental and life are covered by compensation and benefits. Developing and administrating a benefits compensation system are the responsibilities of TMC HR Dept. this system serves as an inducement and make them to guarantee that the recruitment and the retirement of talented and skilled employees will stay in the organization. The compensation and benefit manager explains for the hired employees their benefits package by meeting one by one or in small groups. Finally, employees are obligated to make an informed decision and their signature is needed for processing purposes. Employee and Labour Relations These days the unethical practices and misbehaviour has increased in workplace, this includes race, gender, religion discrimination and sexual harassments. TMC ensures that all of there employees are fairly treated according to their compulsory abidance to the law rules and regulations. Concisely, if there were any authority abuses by the supervisor to lower employees, they have a place to turn on and the TMC HR Department will get involved as arbitrator and liaison the employees and legal entity to solve this issue in a proper way. Safety and Health TMC is concerned for their employees overall physical and mental well-being and believes that healthy employees will provide the cornerstone for better quality of life. So, they do their best to provide them with additional opportunities and their families to receive medical treatment which will contribute to life quality for employees and maintain the effective contribution to the organization. HRM academic models Harvard Model This model sees that employees as resources but not like other resources as they cannot be managed. In other words, it concentrate on people outcomes and business performance and stakeholder interests are does not ranked This model states that diversity of the personal relation activities can be dealt with four human resources categories or polices Human resource flow This is about managing people flows into and out of the corporation which means decisions are made on recruitment, selection, placement and promotion. Employee influence This is bout how much authority, responsibility, and power is willingly delegated by the management and by whom. Reward Systems States how employees get rewarded for their work whether it was externally or internally and these rewards should be pay systems and benefits such as health insurance. These leads to motivation and employees job satisfaction. Work system Is the arrangement of people, information, activities and technology in all of the organization levels. These four HR policies, leads to other HR policies which are called the four Cs and these 4Cs are commitment, competence, congruence and cost effectiveness. I believe that TMC follow the Harvard Model because And agree or DIS both are committed to employees; needs as long as the measures taken to meet those needs remain consistent with the strategy of the organization and management aims. Guest claims his model is more straightforward that the Harvard model because he simply prescribes that improved implementation of just seven HRM policies will result in better HR outcomes Hard approach This model considered hard HRM one because it emphasizes that employees are treated as means to achieve the strategy of the organization. This approach focuses on the organization and how can it respond to the external environment. This approach argues that Human Recourses cycle affects the individual and organization performance. And there are four functions which are: Selection Select people who are able to perform a job in a best way Appraisal Appraising the employee performance to facilitate the fair distribution of rewards and linking these rewards to high levels of management Rewards Development Enhance employees current performance likewise to prepare them to perform in future positions that they might hold. Harder approach is considered hard HRM as it is based on strategic control, orgnizational structure and managing people systems conclusion Works Cited Baehr, Ann. Human Resources Development. 2010. 27 9 2010 . Human Resources Managment Contribution. 26 9 2010 < http://www.oppapers.com/essays/Human-Resources-Management-Contribution/289845>. Liker, Jeffrey K. and Michael Hoseus. Human Resources Executive Online. 1 11 2008. 28 9 2010 . McNamara, Carter. Human Resources Management. 27 9 2010 . Objectives of Human Resources Managment. 4 10 2010 . Strategic Human Resources In World Airline Industry. 30 9 2010 . Toyota. 27 9 2010 . Appendix 1 SEDD Organizational Structure

Toni Morrison and bell hooks - Society and the Media :: Biography Biographies Essays

Toni Morrison and bell hooks - Society and the Media There is a lot of misrepresentation of the black society as a whole in the media. The reason that this is true is because the mostly white society accepts this and prolongs s this misrepresentation in the media. Toni Morrison and bell hooks share some of the same ideas on sexism, racism and conformity. This American society is made up of mostly whites. The whites have an extreme effect on how the stereotypes of today relate with media. Sexism is a current issue that happens everyday. It is supported with the stereotypes that area ready preconceived and we just go along with them. In hooks analysis of Lees movie she explores how Carolyn is the care take she is the mother so that is her job. As hooks says. "Sexist/racist stereotypes of gender identity in black experience are evident in the construction of these two characters. Although Carolyn is glamorous, beautiful in her afrocentric style, she is portrayed as a bitch goddess"(hooks 103). She is the dominate on in the house hold because it is considered to be her job as the female. The father does not do much of anything to support her. He is not responsible for actions because he is an, "artistic, non-patriarchal mindset; he cannot be held accountable."(hooks 104). This is because the society say that it is O.K. for the man to do this and it should be accepted. While Carolyn was near death Carolyn talks to her daughter and, "Troy is given instructions as to how she must assume the caretaker role. Contemporary feminist thinkers are calling attention to the girlhood... No one in the film is concerned about the loss of Troy's girlhood, though her brothers remain free to maintain their spirit of play"(bell 104). So instead of the mother asking the father she goes to her ten-year-old daughter and instructs her that she is now the caretaker compared to her older brothers or her father. This is confusing, wouldn't the oldest take care of the youngest. I guess not, I think this is a prime example of sexism. Taking her girlhood away, because it is a woman's job.

Rebuttal Outline

REBUTTAL FORM OF PERSUASION The purpose of this paper is to argue against those perpetrators who are committing human rights violations against an oppressed group of people who are unable to defend themselves against the abuses. To defend the victims, you must know why and how the perpetrators are oppressing the group of victims and why these abuses are wrong. Your paper will be organized according to the rebuttal format for persuasion. This paper is organized the same way your persuasive paper last year was organized. Make sure you follow the form below for this paper. This format is required; it is not an option.Even though there are many forms of persuasion, we are learning the rebuttal format. I. Introduction a. Tell why the issue is important. i. Harm—What or whom does it harm? Identify the victims. ii. Significance—To what extent are the victims being harmed? 1. Quantity—List statistics indicating the number of cases in which harm can be found and the durat ion of the harm. 2. Quality—Cite individual examples showing the intensity at which harm occurs. iii. Inherency—Show how the current system of laws or government involvement are promoting the problem or prohibiting its removal. b.Background information—Give a short history of the issue. c. Defining value terms—Define controversial or vague terms. Include various possible definitions where necessary. (For example, you may want to distinguish between your definition of adult and that of those who use child soldiers to fight their wars. ) d. State your position on the issue. (thesis) II. Body a. Rebuttal i. Explain an important argument against your position. ii. Refute this argument against your position by offering evidence to support your rebuttal. 1. facts to show proof by induction 2. syllogisms for deduction 3. examples 4. easons 5. quotes iii. Explain a second argument against your position. iv. Refute it in the same way as above. v. Explain a third a rgument against your position. vi. Refute it in the same way as above. b. Defense—These are arguments that support the new way you want the oppressors to think. They support your position. This is where you make your strongest case. i. Present an argument in support of your position. Prove it by using 1. facts to show proof by induction 2. syllogisms for deduction 3. examples 4. reasons 5. quotes ii. Present an argument in support of your position. Prove it by using the above. ii. Present an argument in support of your position. Prove it by using the above. III. Conclusion a. Restate your position on the issue. b. Conclude with an emotional appeal for your position. What will happen if we don’t listen to your suggestions? Predict the future for your victims. c. AND/OR give your readers a call to action. What should they be doing to resolve this issue? IV. Works cited a. Evidence should be cited in your text. See the MLA Stylebook for help. b. Follow MLA style for creat ing your works cited page. c. Don’t forget to cite all Internet sources. V. Essay Parameters a.Essay Length: 1200-1600 words (not including work cited) b. Number of arguments: At least three rebuttal arguments and one defense. c. Number of CITED sources: At least three different kinds of credible sources (Example: a website, a magazine, a newspaper) d. Due Dates: See Angel Reminders †¢Use the vocabulary of your topic. †¢Choose words that have emotional connotation to help your cause. †¢Create an interesting and original introduction and conclusion. †¢Try to use rhetorical devices of parallelism and repetition for dramatic effect, especially in your conclusion. †¢Cite sources accurately. †¢No first or second person.

Importance of awareness of the security knowledge

This assignment attempts to show the importance of awareness of the security knowledge that will make us more aware about threats like escrow services fraud, spasms and spoofing. There's statistics demonstrates the recent trends of these types of threats that people usually face in the Internet. The impacts mostly negative and sometimes there are big losses. The research studies the potential of cybernetics's to increase loss, scams and spoofing, both locally and worldwide. Social networking sites turned to be at the top of the targets for attackers.Rafter said (201 1), these social network sites are like a treasure trove of prized information for cybernetics's. The reason why they're focusing on social network sites Is because It has million's of users which means a lot of fraud opportunities. In such a popular open software applications, it'll be easier for the hackers to reach and access personal information. One of the newest types of scams is email spoofing. Rafter defined email spoof as fake email messages, that looks Like it's a friend request.It comes with attached file as picture of the account asking for a request. These sorts of emails must carry some type of virus, for example a Trojan horse that tells password and other Important Information; It works If the receiver clicks on the attachment. Pushing campaign means, when the email Is demonstrating a page that's shows the login pages of any social network site in the content of the email. In addition, its fake, and any private information that entered in this page such as password is directly transferred to the hacker.In Youth scam, spammed create fake Youth accounts, and send requests to others Youth users through email asking them to see their profiles. For sure, if someone went to the link Its going to transfer them to he spammed website (Rafter. 2011). In the Gulf countries 25 percent of tablet users and 20 per cent of smartened owners received mails monthly with suspicious links. Also, 13 perce nt of mobile users had received letters from banks or social network sites. Statistics shows that 62% Of Emirates cannot Identify the Pushing Message (Bubbler, 2012).According to Speakeasy, about 35% of the PC's in the Gulf countries have been infected because the users opens any attachment in their e-mail, and 14 % of people entered their personal Information or financial Information In suspicious pages. Internet due to its publicity has been attracting fraudsters whose goals are embezzling users funds by using fake painful scenarios (Palfrey, et. Al, 2010). Owed to the fast respond from the users in the Internet, a fraudster could post fake and false Information or a story to gain money from people.Some of the well-known conducts include big donations under the name of poor country in Africa somewhere people are facing famines and starve to death. Fraudsters display videos and photos that users to donate finances for those poor countries. Unluckily, the fund doesn't go to the poor countries but to the cybernetics's pocket. This was the most common cybercafà © in the United Arab Emirates, which involve money fraud and extortion (Grab, 2014). According to official statistics in ABA Dhabi, â€Å"in 2011, 588 cases of cybercafà ©s were reported, while 792 cases were reported in 2012.The number of cases almost doubled to 1,419 in 2013†³ (Grab, 2014). Many local users have faced these kind of crimes, however according to Gun]obi (2011) Charity scams have been spreading between emirates users. Junior added (2011) these scampers goal is taking advantage of the locals kindness and their lack of awareness in the Internet field (Junior, 2011). According to Sultan AAA-Tamil, (201 1), Social networks sites have a huge number of users, thus, it will make a good fund from collecting money and donations to the victims.He said, there was a hash tag in twitter known by Dissocialized) that collect donations for the losses, they collect more than 70,000 SIR. The problem was that they weren't certain sure if these donations went to the victims and there families or not. An expert in ASK warned whoever wants to donate; they have to contribute with their money in a well-known donation organization to avoid sending their funds to an unknown organization that loud be a Fraudsters. He added, users in the Internet must look wisely into the online donations appeals even if they sound reliable, Just to avoid scampers.Many individuals felt that there should be authorized organizations to collect donations from social networks users to gain more aid for poor people to make sure that the money goes to those who really need it.

Learning Intelligences

Learning Intelligences Free Online Research Papers Many people can have an intelligence that even they didn’t know about. At literacyworks.org anyone could take a quiz-like assessment to find their own academic strengths. There are many different types of strengths that you could get. Some of them are Spatial, Logic/Math, Nature, and Self, just to name a few. I took this quiz and discovered that I have some strengths that I didn’t know about. My three highest strengths are body movement, social, and musical. The assessment said that my highest intelligence was body movement. I agree with this as one of my strengths because I know that I learn stuff easier if I put body movement into it because it makes it more fun and encourages me to keep playing AND learning. I also agree with body movement as being my highest strength because to do sports I have to keep my grades up; so sports push me to do so. I agree with social as also being one of my strengths because I’m relatively good at talking with people and sometimes do it too frequently. I also agree because I am really good at fighting with people. I’ve also thought of being on a debate team or being a lawyer because of my chatterbox. I lastly agree with this because I love talking to new and old people and making new friends which shows how social I am. Last but not least, my final top third strength is musical. As usual, I agree with this as being my third highest strength because I listen to music 24/7, well outside of school of course. I also think that this is correct because I have quite good rhythm for an Asian girl and I memorize songs very easily which could come in handy some day in the future. Sometimes it may not take an assessment to determine what your strengths are but it can help do so. My personal best strengths are first body movement, second social, and third musical. Research Papers on Learning IntelligencesAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaHip-Hop is ArtThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThree Concepts of PsychodynamicAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfResearch Process Part OneThe Spring and AutumnBringing Democracy to Africa

Indium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Indium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements Indium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 49 Symbol: In Atomic Weight: 114.818 Discovery: Ferdinand Reich and T. Richter 1863 (Germany) Electron Configuration: [Kr] 5s2 4d10 5p1 Word Origin: Latin indicum. Indium is named for the brilliant indigo line in the spectrum. Isotopes: Twenty-three isotopes of indium are known. Only one stable isotope, In-127, occurs naturally. Properties: The melting point of indium is 156.61  °C, boiling point is 2080  °C, specific gravity is 7.31 (20  °C), with a valence of 1, 2, or 3. Indium is a very soft, silvery-white metal. The metal has a brilliant luster and emits a high pitched sound when bent. Indium wets glass. Indium may be toxic, but further research is required to assess its effects. Uses: Indium is used in low melting point alloys, making bearing alloys, transistors, thermistors, photoconductors, and rectifiers. When plated or evaporated onto glass, it forms a mirror as good as that formed by silver, but with superior resistance to atmospheric corrosion. Sources: Indium often is associated with zinc materials. It is also found in iron, lead, and copper ores. Element Classification: Metal Indium Physical Data Density (g/cc): 7.31 Melting Point (K): 429.32 Boiling Point (K): 2353 Appearance: very soft, silvery-white metal Atomic Radius (pm): 166 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 15.7 Covalent Radius (pm): 144 Ionic Radius: 81 (3e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.234 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 3.24 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 225.1 Debye Temperature (K): 129.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.78 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 558.0 Oxidation States: 3 Lattice Structure: Tetragonal Lattice Constant (Ã…): 4.590    References: Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001), Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952), CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.)    Return to the Periodic Table Chemistry Encyclopedia

Analysis of fast fashion

Analysis of fast fashion Fast Fashion has been explored within the context of supply chain management (Ko and Kincade, 1997; Fiorito et al., 1995,1998; Sohal et al., 1998; Perry and Sohal, 2000; Guercini,2001; Azuma, 2002; Mattila et al., 2002; Birtwistle et al., 2003; Lee and Kincade, 2003). According to Barnes, L. and Lea-Greenwood, G. (2006, p259) â€Å"fast fashion is a business strategy which aims to processes involved in the buying cycle and lead times for getting new fashion product into stores, in order to satisfy consumer demand at its peak.† Saren,M. (2006) points out fast fashion refers to the time scale that exists between the emergence of a new fashion trend and the time it takes for a company to respond to that trend by having the product available in the market for sale. A commitment to fast fashion puts considerable strain on an organization. It requires that they are totally up to date with consumer trends and developments as these emerge and that they be fully prepared to respond to these developments with new product ranges in advance of their competition (Saren, M, 2006). Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G. (2010) states fast fashion is the company can recognize and respond to fashion trends very quickly, create products that mirror the trends, and get those products onto shelves much faster and more frequently than the industry norm. 2.1.1 The characteristics of Fast Fashion In recent years, the fast fashion rise rapidly to become the new bright spot in the world’s clothing market. Fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing collections which are based on the most recent fashion trends presented at Fashion Week in both the spring and the autumn of every year (Muran, L, 2007). One of the biggest retail success stories of the past decade has been the phenomenal rise of fast fashion, a shopping trend spurred by rapidly changing styles and the ready availability of cheap brands (Barrie, L, 2010). The characteristics of fast fashion are ‘fast’ and ‘fashion’, by capturing fashion quickly, launch new fashion design quickly, product updates quickly at a lower price to meet consumer’s demand for access to fashion. The growth in the fast fashion industry â€Å"seems to be phenomenal† (Arvind Singhal, 2010). The reason of the development of fast fashion increasing and soon occupied the market, the main characteristics are: compared with the traditional clothing brands, the product development of fast fashion to the market is short, with the flow and not create trends, seasonal design rather than to go further the design, focusing on breadth rather than depth of products and with frequently new product in the market. Fast fashion can also be treated as the inevitable backlash by consumers against the homogenization of the retail industry (Mya, F, 2006). Fast fashion, an evolving retail trend that has store chains filling their racks with new, gotta-have-it merchandise (Erin, W, 2004). The aim of fast f ashion is specifically at a culture of rapid purchasing and disposal (Fast Fashion, 2007). Fast fashion may be moving too fast for customers to keep up (Wilson, E and Barbaro, M, 2006). As everything is getting faster, which including fashion, but Robin Anson (2010) argues that there are still few things that influence fast fashion, he says that â€Å"fast fashion can’t happen without facilitators, while low prices might encourage more purchases, to get low prices you need low labour costs, low raw material costs, and high productivity – but the quality must still be good.† According to Lovejoy, J (2007), the characteristics of fast fashion are: Primary emphasis is speed with fashion

Conditions under which Exchange Rate may overshoot Even in the Research Paper

Conditions under which Exchange Rate may overshoot Even in the Presence of Rational Expectations - Research Paper Example    John F. Muth of Indiana University coined the theory of rational expectations in the early sixties. He used the term to describe economic situations under which, the outcome depends on peoples' expectations. For example, as discussed by Sargent J. Thomas (Rational Expectations) "The price of an agricultural commodity depends on how many acres farmers plants, which in turn depends on the price that farmers expect to realize when they harvest and sell their crops". The theory greatly applies to the stock markets around the world, as, if investors expect the price of common stock of a particular company to come down they go on a selling spree and the result is obvious, and when they expect it to go up they buy heavily and hence, the prices spirally. To conclude the cornerstone of the theory, we can suggest that, people behave or take decisions in order to maximize the value of an outcome and they keep getting feedback from the transactions, as to what they expected and what they ac tually received. In this way, their expectations over a period of time tend to stabilize because of the result of the past outcomes. In other words, their expectations become rational. To put the theory in mathematical perspective, let us assume that P* is the equilibrium price (a price at which demand equals supply) in a market, then according to the rational expectations theory (Pe) will be the function of P* + e, where (Pe) is the expected price and e is the random error term, which is independent of P*. (Sargent J. Thomas, Rational Expectations). The theory of rational expectations is often put into practice in many economic as well as finance models. One such execution of the model is related to The Efficient Markets Theory of Stock Prices, which states that there are three forms of the efficient-market hypothesis, namely, weak form, semi-strong form, and strong form (Fischer Donald and Jordan Ronald 540). Weak form, which is also known as the Random-walk theory suggests that there is no purpose of examining the charts as the share pieces fully reflect the historical sequences. Semi-strong form, on the other hand, suggests that current market prices not only reflect the historical chart patterns, but also reflect all the publicly available knowledge, so this kind of information is almost always useless for the analysts and the investors. The theory maintains that as soon as the information is made public, the price plays catch-up and soon starts to reflect the new announcement. Finally, strong form suggests that not only pub licly available information is useless, but also all the information concerning the company is useless, as that will have no impact over the stock price.  

UNICEF advertisement concerning the AIDS epidemic Essay

UNICEF advertisement concerning the AIDS epidemic - Essay Example Finally, seeking to understand this advertisement from yet another perspective, the rhetorical approach of logos, demands that the individual focus upon the moment in time it just prior to the advertisement concluding and/or the moments prior to the UNICEF emblem being flashed upon the screen. Within this brief period of time all of the preceding information that has been driven by thoughts and a sense of emotional distress and need for action is juxtaposed with the statement: â€Å"What we see as fiction... Is real in Ethiopia† (Unicef 2007). Such a statement of fact links all of the seemingly disjointed emotionally charged imagery and tax that was presented previously and the advertisement to a definitive and logical conclusion. Whereas it may be hard for the individual to accept the images of orphans, innately poor, struggling to survive in burned out towns with no viable means of support or education as a fictitious rendering of a post-apocalyptic world, this is very much unfortunately the case within many parts of Ethiopia and Eastern Africa that are heavily impacted by the AIDS epidemic. By referencing all of this information and utilizing all three of the previously denoted rhetorical strategies, the director and producer, and indeed all of the people responsible for the production of this ad, effectively integrated with as large a market audience as is possible. As has been denoted through previous levels of research, effectively representing these rhetorical stragegies in the making of a well nuanced case that can be effectively presented to the viewer was the primary goal that the director and producer/writer and composer of this... UNICEF advertisement concerning the AIDS epidemic Firstly, the pathos of the video is clear and apparent from the very first frame of the video; as the viewer is greeted with an expansive cemetery perforated by concentric lines of seemingly endless white crosses. This imagery serves to evoke an emotional response within the reader by accompanying this morbid sight with very slow moving and contemplative, one might even argue depressing, music. A very clear and apparent level of connection is found to exist between those images and sounds that the viewer sees and hears and the subject matter that is being presented. Moreover, by presenting a steady stream of images connecting homelessness, poverty, orphans, and a post-apocalyptic environment, each of these emotionally charged images is capable of invoking a response upon the part of the viewer; a response that the director and producer of this brief advertisement were fully aware could be evoked. By referencing all of this information and utilizing all three of the previously denoted rhetorical strategies, the director and producer, and indeed all of the people responsible for the production of this ad, effectively integrated with as large a market audience as is possible. As has been denoted through previous levels of research, effectively representing these rhetorical stragegies in the making of a well nuanced case that can be effectively presented to the viewer was the primary goal that the director and producer/writer and composer of this piece necessarily intended.

Bias and Heuristics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bias and Heuristics - Essay Example In the scenario presented, the supervisor clearly demonstrates bias when he uttered his statements regarding the Volvo and its unreliability. To be more specific, the supervisor's heuristic or bias was the availability bias or error. According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, the availability bias is described as, "The distortion of one's perceptions of reality due to the tendency to remember one alternative outcome of a situation much more easily than another." (2006) Furthermore, one's judgment about the relative frequency of an event often depends upon the availability or accessibility of objects or events in the processes of perception, memory or construction in the imagination In the case of the supervisor, he only recalled the bad experience of his brother-in-law. He failed to take into account the experiences of the larger group of people who may have had experiences different from that of his brother-in-law. The reaction of the supervisor also demonstrates another bias. In particular, this is the base rate neglect bias. The base rate neglect, otherwise known as the base rate fallacy, explains how humans, in making inferences about probability, often tend to ignore the background frequencies. (Garns, 1997) In the case of the supervisor, this was clearly demonstrated because he failed to take into consideration the various reviews that were presented to him. He instead focused on one occurrence of the failure of a Volvo car. By doing so, the supervisor neglected the numerous data that supports the good performance of Volvo cars. He was influenced by the base rate neglect which led him to react in the way that he did. With further research suggesting that the initial recommendations regarding the superiority and reliability of the Volvo, one will one be led to deciding that the Volvo should be the car to buy. In making decisions, it is imperative that biases or heuristics are avoided as much as possible. Decision-makers must at all times remain as objective and logical as possible. Biases and heuristics affect the way people view situations and choices. In certain cases, heuristics simplify the decision-making process by making the situation appear simpler. However, there are cases when heuristics, when viewed in the wrong way, may lead erroneous judgments or decisions. With additional information supporting the earlier claim that the Volvo is the better choice, the main heuristic that one must employ is the representativeness heuristic. According to Garns, "An event is judged to be probable to the extent that it represents the essential features of the parent population or of its generating process." In other words, what this means is that a certain sample of the population has the essential features in order for it to be judged as representative of the entire population. In this case, the information gathered through further research may be used to judge the entire population of Volvo cars. Using such a sample as basis for judgment, one can conclude that Volvo cars are indeed reliable and mechanically superior over other brands. Knowing that the supervisor is insensitive to the base rate and judges based on available information, one possible course of action that maybe taken in order to convince him to agree to the purchase of Volvo cars is to present him with all substantial information. It is essential that the available information that the supervis

Operations Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Operations Management - Research Paper Example The aim of this project is to identify key weaknesses in the operations management system of the Religious Health Care, review of literature on the topics, and offer recommendations that the firm could use to improve on its weaknesses. Religious Health Care has been experiencing continual decline in employee morale, which has resulted in reduced quality of services provided to clients; this phenomenon has been blamed on the poor or non-existent sense of leadership in the organization. Junior employees do not have models in the senior employees that they can use as a guide in their careers, or even in the provision of services in Religious Health Care. It is well known that the best way to lead people is by example, and though the firm has elaborate guidelines for the provision of health care, the senior employees do not abide by those guidelines, and junior employees do not see the need for doing so too. Moreover, there seems to be no consequences for not abiding by the company rules; in any case, recruits are not familiarized with these guidelines during induction, and with the passage of time, it is as if these guidelines are non-existent. Communication is another key functional factor that is underrated at Religious Health Care; the firm does not seem to have enough of it. For instance, decisions are made by the management without consulting internal or external stakeholders; which is destructive for the organization since the former are the implementers of company policies and the latter are the recipients of the effects of the implementation of these policies. The management holds meetings with employees only to inform them of decisions that have already been made, making employees, like any other business resources, to be exploited without caring about their feelings or welfare. Religious Health Care has a top-to-bottom management style, whereby employees do not have a role to

BUS 499 MoD-5 (SLP) Integation Causal & Strategy Essay

BUS 499 MoD-5 (SLP) Integation Causal & Strategy - Essay Example ooking at this strategy and its impact on financial performance, it can be concluded that this strategy will lead to an increase in revenues, which in turn would lead to greater operating profits and net income. Since the company will add new competencies in its operations; these competences, presumably will enable it to achieve economies of scale in its operation and reduce unit price of the product. This coupled with an increase in sales volume will lead to an increase in the company’s profit margins, which ultimately will be reflected on the company’s annual profits. In this way, the balance scorecard approach enables the company to achieve its two foremost financial objectives: increasing the company’s profitability and maximizing the returns of stockholders of the company. By accomplishing both these objectives, the company will ensure future survivability and growth. Kaplan, R. S., and Norton, D. P. (1992). The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from http://library.tmu.edu.tw/news/%5BHarvard%20Business%20Review%20-%20January-February%201992%5D%20-%20Kaplan%20&%20Norton%20-%20The%20Balanced%20Scorecard%20-%20Measures%20That%20Drive%20Pe.pdf Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P. (2004). Measuring the strategic readiness of intangible assets. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from http://www.cma-slp.com/onlinelibrary/OL_English/Strategy%20Implementation/Management%20Accounting/MeasuringTheStrategicReadinessofIntangibleAssets.pdf   Lawrie, G., and Cobbold, I. (2004). Third-generation balanced scorecard: evolution of an effective strategic control tool. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 53(7), 611 – 623. Palladium. (2011, June 8).  Palladium balanced scorecard hall of fame for executing strategy. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from Roos, G., and Roos, J. (1997). Measuring Your company’s Intellectual Performance.

Bias and Heuristics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bias and Heuristics - Essay Example In the scenario presented, the supervisor clearly demonstrates bias when he uttered his statements regarding the Volvo and its unreliability. To be more specific, the supervisor's heuristic or bias was the availability bias or error. According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, the availability bias is described as, "The distortion of one's perceptions of reality due to the tendency to remember one alternative outcome of a situation much more easily than another." (2006) Furthermore, one's judgment about the relative frequency of an event often depends upon the availability or accessibility of objects or events in the processes of perception, memory or construction in the imagination In the case of the supervisor, he only recalled the bad experience of his brother-in-law. He failed to take into account the experiences of the larger group of people who may have had experiences different from that of his brother-in-law. The reaction of the supervisor also demonstrates another bias. In particular, this is the base rate neglect bias. The base rate neglect, otherwise known as the base rate fallacy, explains how humans, in making inferences about probability, often tend to ignore the background frequencies. (Garns, 1997) In the case of the supervisor, this was clearly demonstrated because he failed to take into consideration the various reviews that were presented to him. He instead focused on one occurrence of the failure of a Volvo car. By doing so, the supervisor neglected the numerous data that supports the good performance of Volvo cars. He was influenced by the base rate neglect which led him to react in the way that he did. With further research suggesting that the initial recommendations regarding the superiority and reliability of the Volvo, one will one be led to deciding that the Volvo should be the car to buy. In making decisions, it is imperative that biases or heuristics are avoided as much as possible. Decision-makers must at all times remain as objective and logical as possible. Biases and heuristics affect the way people view situations and choices. In certain cases, heuristics simplify the decision-making process by making the situation appear simpler. However, there are cases when heuristics, when viewed in the wrong way, may lead erroneous judgments or decisions. With additional information supporting the earlier claim that the Volvo is the better choice, the main heuristic that one must employ is the representativeness heuristic. According to Garns, "An event is judged to be probable to the extent that it represents the essential features of the parent population or of its generating process." In other words, what this means is that a certain sample of the population has the essential features in order for it to be judged as representative of the entire population. In this case, the information gathered through further research may be used to judge the entire population of Volvo cars. Using such a sample as basis for judgment, one can conclude that Volvo cars are indeed reliable and mechanically superior over other brands. Knowing that the supervisor is insensitive to the base rate and judges based on available information, one possible course of action that maybe taken in order to convince him to agree to the purchase of Volvo cars is to present him with all substantial information. It is essential that the available information that the supervis

BUS 499 MoD-5 (SLP) Integation Causal & Strategy Essay

BUS 499 MoD-5 (SLP) Integation Causal & Strategy - Essay Example ooking at this strategy and its impact on financial performance, it can be concluded that this strategy will lead to an increase in revenues, which in turn would lead to greater operating profits and net income. Since the company will add new competencies in its operations; these competences, presumably will enable it to achieve economies of scale in its operation and reduce unit price of the product. This coupled with an increase in sales volume will lead to an increase in the company’s profit margins, which ultimately will be reflected on the company’s annual profits. In this way, the balance scorecard approach enables the company to achieve its two foremost financial objectives: increasing the company’s profitability and maximizing the returns of stockholders of the company. By accomplishing both these objectives, the company will ensure future survivability and growth. Kaplan, R. S., and Norton, D. P. (1992). The Balanced Scorecard: Measures That Drive Performance. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from http://library.tmu.edu.tw/news/%5BHarvard%20Business%20Review%20-%20January-February%201992%5D%20-%20Kaplan%20&%20Norton%20-%20The%20Balanced%20Scorecard%20-%20Measures%20That%20Drive%20Pe.pdf Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P. (2004). Measuring the strategic readiness of intangible assets. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from http://www.cma-slp.com/onlinelibrary/OL_English/Strategy%20Implementation/Management%20Accounting/MeasuringTheStrategicReadinessofIntangibleAssets.pdf   Lawrie, G., and Cobbold, I. (2004). Third-generation balanced scorecard: evolution of an effective strategic control tool. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 53(7), 611 – 623. Palladium. (2011, June 8).  Palladium balanced scorecard hall of fame for executing strategy. Retrieved May 17, 2012, from Roos, G., and Roos, J. (1997). Measuring Your company’s Intellectual Performance.

The importance of early formal education Essay Example for Free

The importance of early formal education Essay Early formal education refers to the education that children obtain during early stages of their childhood. Early childhood is a crucial time period for the development of the mental functions of children. This development, including the emergence of the abilities and skills in areas such as language, motor skills, psychosocial cognitive, and learning, is now known to be greatly influenced by exogenous factors, including the nature of the educational environment to which the child is exposed during the first eight years of life. The benefits of early childhood education have long been disputed. For many years it was believed that children who receive early formal education have an advantage over those who start school at age five or six. Today, some educators challenge that view. They speculate that intellectual and emotional harm can result from putting very young children into structured learning situations. It is hard to deny the opponents opinion that children have always grown up to be intelligent and reliable young adults without the benefits of early childhood education. However, in my opinion, I feel like children who receive early formal education will have advantages over those who start school at age five  or six because early formal education can provide a good foundation for real learning for young children, encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people, and develop children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. First, providing a good start for real learning for young children in the future is one of the reasons that I think children should attend early formal education before first grade. Children can attend early formal education, such as preschool or kindergarten before they begin elementary schools. All human beings learn to speak a language that they hear. The language children hear in their early years is the language they will reproduce, whether that would be English, Spanish, Nguyen 2 Swahili, Arabic, French, Vietnamese, or whatever. â€Å"In a country like ours, although English is the language spoken by the majority immigration has always brought us substantial groups who speak languages other than English. In addition, regional differences and educational levels present a variety of English-language dialects as models to children, so that there may or may not be homogeneity of language spoken in kindergarten classes in many parts of the country† (Cohen 58). Number of immigrants into the United States is increasing in recent years. Therefore, it is bringing different languages and affecting homogeneity of language in the preschool and kindergarten. Granting, however, that every language serves the purposes of its users, we must also concede that schools, the press, and the government in our country all use Standard English. There is therefore a unifying value in every citizens ability to relate to and to use Standard English, but not because it is better. Standard English is likely to be the first language for school for most children in the United States (Cohen 59). For instance, we are living in the United States, and of course we should know how to speak English. Also, children who grow up here should learn how to speak English fluently to get higher education and get a good job in the future. Especially, children who speak another language at home have to learn English as a second language. For example, my cousin, Nhung, was born in Vietnam. She had come to the U. S. when she was one year old. She spoke Vietnamese at home and did not speak English at all. Because Nhung’s parents did not know to speak English, they could not teach Nhung how to spell, read, or write in English. Finally, when she was four years old, her parents decided to let Nhung go to preschool. They wanted Nhung to have a foundation to begin with English in higher levels. From preschool, Nhung had learned a lot of things. After few months, she knew how to spell her own name, her parents’ name, read letters in ABC, or read a short story in a book. Her parents were surprised when their daughter could learn English fast in preschool like that. Day by day, Nhung has developed like other Nguyen 3 children in the United States. She had the foundation for English on time from preschool. Now,  she can speak English perfectly and fluently. As a result, I think that children who speak another language at home also benefit a great deal from early formal education, as they are the most prepared to learn English when they are very young before beginning elementary schools. Also, â€Å"educators often refer to the pre-reading and pre-math skills that a child will learn through play in preschool or kindergarten. These are the foundations on which a child will build competency in reading and math† (Borden 113). Children need abstract thinking in order to make the intellectual leap that words on a page represent ideas. â€Å"As a child learns to express herself/himself through art projects, telling stories, participating in dramatic play, she begins to understand that expressing ideas can be done in a variety of mediums, including the words on a page† (Borden 113). Many children enter preschool able to count to 10, 20, or even 100. However, â€Å"counting by rote is not the same thing as understanding that numerals are symbols for numbers. As a preschooler helping to prepare snack for his class puts out one napkin for each student, he begins to make the connection between the numbers he can rattle off and the concrete  numbers that correspond to napkins† (Borden 113). There is an educational component to the myriad of activities in the classroom. Day by day, the children are gaining knowledge each day while they are in the program with preschool or kindergarten. Children in early formal education can learn a lot of things before they go up for elementary schools. In fact, early formal education provide a good foundation in reading, writing, or pre-math for real learning for young children in the future. Next, an early formal education will encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people. â€Å"As children grow and develop, they are more capable of independent, abstract, and complex thinking. How they approach the subject, what they learn, and how they can use the information will change as they grow older† (Borden 171). Nguyen 4 â€Å"Children learn most effectively when they interact with people and materials in an environment that is carefully organized to facilitate. Children develop foundation skills and concepts through play, learning, creative development, and relationships within their environment. Knowledge of child development enables teacher to integrate learning across a curriculum. A whole-child environment stresses the importance of the integration of knowledge through the continuity of experiences during a child’s early years† (Cromwell 121). There is an educational component in each part of the normal preschool day. Whether it is sharing news during circle time, building blocks, reading a short story, or doing easy math, children is learning new skills, refining, and developing others. â€Å"As children continue to gain knowledge through experience, they become increasingly interested in and motivated toward their surrounding world. The facts, the attitudes,  and the consistent presence of nurturing adults in their lives provide a baseline for a child’s development, identity, and social maturation† (Cromwell 107). When a child feels good about herself/himself and her/his accomplishments, she/he will gradually view learning as a lifelong process. â€Å"The time to cultivate a foundation for learning is in the early years of development when children are receptive and responsive to their relationships and experiences† (Cromwell 107). In fact, most of children who are growing up in the United States do not spend a lot of times with friends before they are going to school. They just stay home and play inside their houses. Actually, they do not communicate with a lot of people. However, children develop the most about their communication, social, and emotion at the age from three to six years old. Going to early formal education, children can develop their communication. They have time to play with their friends who can help them to grow their social maturation and gain knowledge. Children learn to speak in a small group. This can help children learn how to talk, listen, or communicate with other people. Also, they have studied new vocabularies or have told a short Nguyen 5 story to friends in a group. Children are becoming social, and they are interested in playing with other children, beginning to share and take turns to play with friends. â€Å"From ages three to five, children develop increased mastery of language and begin to think symbolically and logically. These developments allow them to observe, investigate, and engage with the physical and social environment in new ways. Preschool-age children’s development of gross and fine motor skills enables them to move confidently through space; manage finer, more complex task; and take more care of personal needs, such as going to toilet and getting dressed† (â€Å"The Preschool Child† 15). Also, one of the major tasks for children in preschool is learning to form independent relationships of trust with adults outside the family. Another importance during the early education is learning how to interact with other children and develop positive social relationship. â€Å"These aspects of normal development in the preschool years move children away from the egocentrism typical of infants and toddlers and toward perspective of others. Other important aspects of this development include the ability to cooperate, negotiate, and practice greater give and take in friendship† (â€Å"The Preschool Child†16). Children have learned a lot of important things in the early formal education. Actually, children would learn self-regulation of emotions and behaviors. This means they learn not to act on impulse, especially on aggressive impulse. In addition, children will learn how to express feelings in socially appropriate ways and develop satisfying social relationships with other children and adults. Children gradually learn how to negotiate social relationships, enter into play with others and take the perspective of others. Early childhood education provides children  a means in which to learn to share toys, to communicate thoughts and ideas, and to deal with their emotions. By playing and learning with other children in early formal education, children will learn how to deal with day to day situations. Nguyen 6 Moreover, early formal education can help children in developing children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. During the preschool years, children will increase â€Å"the ability to represent real objects, people, and events mentally or symbolically. Through this stage, children can image a desired outcome and work toward it, can use drawings or dramatization to  represent to others what they know, and can begin to grasp that written words carry meaning† (Oser 9). â€Å"In combination with improved memory, more logical thinking and increased language skills, symbolic representation fuels overall development at this age (Wadsworth 1996)† (â€Å"The Preschool Child† 17). Attending early education, children can develop their cognitive abilities, such as â€Å"the ability to describe the conversation of matter (e. g. , ice melting to water), attempted explanations of cause and effect (e. g. , if a plant does not have water, it will die), and observations  and questions about natural phenomena (e. g. , noticing that there are different types of clouds, wondering why leaves are falling off trees)† (â€Å"The Preschool Child† 17). Children can understand more about things that happen around them. Therefore, their knowledge increases before they are actually in the formal education in elementary schools. â€Å"Preschool-age children’s cognitive development also results in the capacity to set aside one’s own perspective momentarily and to imagine the perspective of another person. This ability has profound effects on the social development of children because it enables them to  enter into the give and take required in cooperative activities and reciprocal friendships. Engagement in these relationships, in turn, stimulates further language and cognitive development, which then enriches social relationships and play† (â€Å"The Preschool child† 17). In addition, children will understand more about relationship with friends, the importance of friendships. â€Å"When children work together in small groups, there is spontaneous conversation exchange of ideas, acquaintance with one another’s interest and performance, and the experience of liking others and of being liked. Special friendships or lasting attachments may thus be Nguyen 7 formed† (Cohen 42). For example, Andy, just five years old, began kindergarten. â€Å"He spent twenty minutes in the class touching different materials on tables and floor, finding himself in the midst of playing, working children because he did not know anyone in class. To his surprise he noticed Bob, a neighborhood friend, in the class. Andy came and said â€Å"Hi†, and Bob responded. After that day, Andy got home and talked to his parents â€Å"You know what? I saw Bob in the class and I said hi and he said hi back to me† (Cohen 40). He repeated that several times with his  parents. â€Å"What made the strongest impression on Andy was to see Bob, whom he knew well, perfectly at ease there in the kindergarten—doing things, speaking to people, responding with a â€Å"hi† to him. Therefore, kindergarten is a place where children can speak to friends and do what they do. This concrete premise of being able to maintain or to create relationships was of first importance to Andy, as it is the same to many others† (Cohen 40). Having friends at schools to play with is also one of the reasons that children want to come to school. My cousin, Nhung, was four when she was in preschool. She did not want to go to school because she did not know how to speak English. However, after first day of school, she enjoyed and liked to go to school. She told us about her friends at school. Friendships helped her to love school. If children stay home until five years old to begin education, I feel that they might have a tough time to begin. While other children who had attended preschool and kindergarten will know lot of things, children who did not go to preschool will below that level. Day by day at the early formal education, children will learn more and more things. Children open mind about the friendship and increase  in developing children’s cognition as children continue to gain knowledge through experiences when they play with other children. It is easy to see that an early childhood education is essential for a child’s future. Early formal education will have advantages over those children who start school at age five or six because early formal education can provide a good foundation for real learning for young Nguyen 8 children, encourage the children to organize their thoughts, communicate and social with other people, and develop children’s cognition and know the importance of friendship. Day by day, the  children are gaining knowledge while they are in the program with preschool or kindergarten. In fact, early formal education provide a good foundation in reading, writing, or pre-math for real learning for young children in the future. Also, by playing and learning with other children in early childhood education, it provides children a means in which to learn to share toys, to communicate thoughts and ideas, and to deal with their emotions. In addition, children will become increasingly interested in and motivated toward their surrounding world because they are gaining more knowledge at early stage in preschool or kindergarten. Moreover, children open their minds in friendship while they are playing with each other day by day at school. However, parents who choose to place their child in education should be cautioned on a few things. Psychologists say that children should only attend part time. This is because it is important that the child spends time with the parents each day; which fosters security in the child. It is also important that the child does not become overwhelmed or too tired during a long day. Even a few days a week in early childhood education will provide a great deal of benefit to children.

Analysis Of The Cuban Missile Crisis History Essay

Analysis Of The Cuban Missile Crisis History Essay Introduction The Cuban Missile Crisis was an event occurred in October 1962 when the USA detected that the USSR had deployed medium range missiles in Cuba, which was ninety miles away from Florida. It was the period that the cold war reached its peak because of the possible confrontation between the two superpowers, the US and the USSR, at the time. The Cuban Missiles Crisis was a very important part of the world history because of the risk of nuclear war that could lead to the destruction of the world. Therefore, it is very fascinating to identify what happen before the crisis, the causes, the actual events in the crisis, and the impacts of the crisis (Rich 2003, 416-428). Prior to the Crisis The Cuban Revolution, began in 1956, was the outcome of extensive economic oppression of Cuba by the USA. During Batistas, the ruthless ruler of Cuba, regime, Cuba per capita income was twice greater than other countries in general. The Cuban economy was controlled by the USA, which owned 90% of Cubas telephone and electronic services, 50% of Cubas railway, and 40% of Cubas sugar production (Johnson 1965,p 443). Furthermore, the USA put a very strict controlled on Cuban sugar production. The USA also controlled Cuban import quota, divided lands in to estates, and forced the Cuban farmers to grow monoculture crop, which was sugar (Dye Sicotte 2011, p.674). These USAs investments in Cuba were massive. By the end of Batistas rule, Cuba had the highest investment from the USA than any other countries in Latin America at that time; thus, Cubas per capital income was the highest in Latin America (Johnson 1965, p. 445). However, the distribution of wealth was not equally distributed. The ma jority of people were illiterate, and the mortality rate was very high because the health care system was not extended to the poor in the rural areas, who remained in poverty (Mabry 2003). Furthermore, Batista was a corrupted dictator, and a pro western ruler. These political and economic oppressions from Batiste and the USA inspired Fidel Castro, the charismatic revolution leader, to revolt for reforms (Rich 2003, p. 417). Between 1956 to 1959, Fidel Castro, Ernesto Che Guevera, and his younger brother Rual used the tactic Guerilla warfare to fight against Batistas army at Mount Sierra Maestra in Cuba where he gained support from the local framers. The guerrilla warfare proved to be successful. On January 1959, Castro and his troops were able to overthrown Batista and his government. After the overthrown of Batista government, Fidel Castro set up a shadow government consisted of major Cuban political figures. Still, the majority of power was in the hand of Castro. When the shadow government failed to put forward his reforms, he dismissed them, and took control of the government as he appointed himself Cubas prime minister (Rich 2003, p 418). Two months after the victory of the Guerrilla force, Castro paid his first visit to the USA where his story was romanticized by the media. He was supposed to have a meeting with Eisenhower; however, the President refused to have a meeting with him, and went to the golf court. He was accommodated by Nixon, who was the vice president at that time. During the meeting, he refused to accept USA financial support because he believed that it would continue the USA influence in Cuba. After Castro visited the USA, the relation between the USA and Cuba began to decline (Rich 2003, 419). One month after the visit, Fidel Castro began his reforms. He nationalized Cuban lands, cattle ranch, bank, railroads, oil, and other utilities, which were once owned by the USA (Perez 2011, p. 230-231). On the other hands, the relation between the Cuba and the USSR had become more dynamic. In order to reach economic independency from the USA, Castro turned to the USSR for support. As a result, in 1960, Cuba trade with the USA declined to 0%; while, trade with the USSR increased to 43% (Leogrande Thomas 2002, p 325-363). The Bay of Pig Invasion The Bay of Pig Invasion, January 3, 1961, was the CIAs plan to overthrown Castro government by launching thousand of Cuban exiles on Cubas Bay of Pigs believing that only thousand of trained exiles would be able to overthrown Castro government. However, the mission was a total failure because the Cuban army was already waiting for the Cuban exiles at the Bay of Pigs. As a result, one hundred people were killed and thousands of people were taken as political prisoners. The Bay of Pigs invasion was the last Eisenhower administration plan, which took action during Kennedy presidency (Rich 2003,p. 420). There were several reasons for the causes of the Bay of Pigs Invasion. However, the main reason was the US insecurity of its decline in Latin America domination. The USA based their policy on Latin America policy accordingly to the Monroe Doctrine, which stated that the USA must contain its influence in the Latin America (Perez 2011, P.233). In other words, the idea that the communist Cub a could influence other Latin America countries to transform their political systems to communism was intolerable for the USAs standard (Ferguson 1961, 288-290). Causes The Soviet Unions Hidden Agendas There were several reasons for the USSR to installed missile in Cuba. According to Khrushchev, his two main motives were to balance the missile gap between the USA and the USSR, and to prevent any further America invasion on Cuba (Cimbala 1999, p. 199). Khrushchev believed that the only way to prevent Cuba from the USA invasion was to install missiles in Cuba (Allyn et al 1989-1990, p.138). He believed that it would protect the Cuban national pride. Moreover, in 1959, the US installed Jupiter and Thor missiles, intermediate-range ballistic missiles, in Turkey, which pointed directly at the USSR. Furthermore, during the 50s and the 60s the US had advanced the USSR in terms of the arm race, therefore, Khrushchev decided to deploy missiles in Cuba as a mean to for the USSR to reach symmetry with the USA, which would provide him with negotiation power for the missile trade. He wanted to propose to US that the USSR would remove missiles from Cuba if the USA would remove missiles from Turk ey (Allyn, Blight Welch 1989-1990, p.139). His motive to reach symmetry in terms of arm race with the USA could be seen as a mean for the USSR to boost its nation prestige. If the USA could deploy missiles in Turkey and Italy, the USSR could also deploy missiles in Cuba, which was ninety miles away from the USA (ibid). Nevertheless, President John F. Kennedy already planned to remove the Jupiter missiles from Turkey. (Berstein 1980, p. 120-121). Thus, there should be hidden agendas under Khrushchevs actions. According to many American scholars, the deployment of missiles in Cuba were Khrushchevs plans to test USA reaction for future war, to demonstrate the USSR nuclear superiority to the Soviet and Chinese governments, to persuade the USA that the arm race was useless, and to increase Khrushchev popularity at home and in the Communist bloc, so that he could have freedom to reduce USSR arm built (Cimbala 1999, p. 199). Cuban insecurity The main reason for Cuba agreement on the installation of missile with the USSR was its insecurity. After the Bay of Pig Invasion in 1961, the CIA planed many assassin plots on Fidel Castro. According to the BBC, the CIA and the Cuban exiles came up with more than 600 plots to assassinate him. The plots varied from poisoning, car bombs, to massive underwater explosion. The suspects involved in the plot varied from the mafias to one of Castros ex lovers (Campbell 2009, n.d.). One of the assassination plots that actually took place was a strafe in Havana hotel by Alpha 66, which killed several Cubans and Soviet technicians (Brenner 1990, p.121). On the same hand, the USA began a serious trade embargo against Cuba. If other countries trade with Cuba, they would not receive financial aids from the USA. The Cuban government viewed the USs policy as a mean to weakening the Castro government by weakening Cubas economy (Brenner 1990, p. 188). Moreover, the Cuban intelligent discovered that t he CIA planed another invasion on Cuba, Operation Mongoose, which would be more substantial than the previous invasion. In order for the Cuban government to protect Cuba sovereignty, they believed that they need military aids from the USSR (Brenner 1990, p. 189). Therefore, Castro decided to let the USSR installed missiles on their island. The Crisis and the Resolution In 1962, the USSR sent a cargo ship to Cuba. The ship carried sixty missiles with forty launchers, and 40,000 Soviet technicians for the deployment of middle range missiles in Cuba (Kozak 2009, p. 19). On October 14, the U-2, USA spy plane, spotted missiles in Cuba, which pointed directly to the US. The US intelligent informed the President on October 17 (Berstein 1980, p.9). After the President was informed, there was a meeting between President John F. Kennedy and the EXCOMM, the Committee of the national Security. Many plans were proposed during the meeting. One of the most obvious plans was the scheme to use air strike to remove missiles from Cuba. However, Robert Kennedy, John F. Kennedys younger brother, advised the President not to use air strike because there was no way to guarantee that the air strike could remove all of the missiles from Cuba. If the air strike could not remove all missiles from Cuba, it would give the Cubans time to deploy missiles against the USA. Similar ly to the air strike, any military strikes against the Cuban could lead the Cubans to deploy missiles against the USA. Therefore, President Kennedy and his advisors came up with the naval blockade method as a way to deal with the Cubans (Rich 2003, p. 422). On October 22 John F. Kennedy announced to the media that the Cubans had deployed missiles against the USA with the aid from the USSR. He informed the media of the quarantine, naval blockade, as a mean to bloc USSR ship that carried missile to Cuba, and if the USSR did not turn or stop its cargo ships from entering Cuba, there would be consequences (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 13). However, the USSRs cargo ships did not turn back, but its cargo ships did not break the USA quarantine. It seemed that the confrontation between the USSR and the US could happen anytime (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 13). Nevertheless, from October 22 to 28, President JFK and Chairman Khrushchev exchanged several letters. Kennedy received Khrushchevs second letter on October 26. The letter proposed that the USSR would remove missiles from Cuba if the USA removed the Jupiter missiles from Turkey and, and that JFK must make a promise in front of the public that the USA would never invade Cuba (Thinkquest Cuban m issile crisis: letters, 1997). On October 27, one day after Khrushchev second letter was sent, the USs U-2 plane was shot down in Cuba. This act was seen by some of American politician as an invitation to start war. This is the quote from Secretary of Defense McNamara `This means war with the Soviet Union. However, because of the secret meeting between Robert Kennedy and Soviet ambassador Dobrynin, the situation was able to cool down. Robert Kennedy assured that the President would remove the missiles in Turkey (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 21) On October 28, JFK sent Khrushchev another letter proposed that in exchange for the USSR to uninstall missiles from Cuban soil within the UN inspection, the USA would never invade Cuba, and secretly uninstall missiles from Turkey. Khrushchev accepted the proposal from President Kenndy; thus, both countries were able to resolve their conflicts. In essence, the Cuban Missile Crisis was able to resolve because the USA accepted the USSR proposal. I t removed missiles from Turkey, and made a public announcement that it would never invade Cuba. On the same hand, Khrushchev accepted the USA proposal, and uninstalled missiles from Cuba within inspectors from UN observation (Thinkquest Cuban missile crisis: letters, 1997). Nevertheless, JFKs motives to secretly remove of the missiles in Turkey and Italy should be emphasized. Why would he need to do it secretly? According to many scholars, he was afraid of national resistance from the government and the American citizens as well as losing support from them (Weimasma, Larson 1997, p. 23). Impacts The Cuban Missiles Crisis left several impacts on the USA and the USSR foreign policy. The first impact was the increase in communication between the US and the USSR. Because of the crisis, both superpowers had realized that they needed to improve communication between the two countries to prevent any forms of crisis from occurring again (Rich 2003, p.425). As a result, a hotline was installed between the USAs president and the USSRs chairman (ibid). Moreover, because of the potential confrontation between the two superpowers, which could lead to nuclear war, President Kennedy began to favor the idea of coexistence (Billingsley, p.6). Therefore, after the crisis, there was a temporary period of dà ©tente, the period that the cold war heat cools down (Billingsley p.7). In addition, in August 5, 1963, the USA and the USSR both signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. The treaty forbidden the testing of nuclear weapons on the earth surface, space, and underwater (Rich 2003, p.427). However, the treaty itself was futile because it did not stop the built up of nuclear weapons, and prevent China from obtaining the nuclear weapons on the following year (Rich 2003, p. 428). Subsequently, the USA and the USSR continue the arm race for another twenty five years. They also competed in terms of strategic gaining (Billingsley p.6). Furthermore, the treaty caused the relation between the USSR and China to decline. Because of the treaty, China concluded that the USSR was being weak, and more importantly, sold its soul to the capitalist camp. Hence, China broke out from the USSRs spear of influence and gained the status of superpower by itself. This caused the balance of power to become imbalance (Rich 2003, p. 428). After the Cuban Missile Crisis, most of the USs oversea policy was focused on the Americanization of Vietnam and the Vietnam War, which required full attention from the USA military resources (Rich 2003, p. 423). Conclusion In conclusion, the major events prior to the Cuban Missile Crisis were the Cuban Revolution, and the Bay of Pigs Invasion. The main causes of the crisis were the Soviet Union hidden agendas and the Cuban insecurity, which was caused by the United States of America. During the crisis, President John F. Kennedy and Chairman Khrushchev exchanged many letters before the resolution could be made. The period of the crisis was the period that the cold war reached its peak because both superpowers almost confront each other. If they had confronted each other, the use of nuclear weapons could have happened. After the crisis, the USSR removed missiles from Cuba under the UN supervision in exchanged for the USA to remove the Jupiter missiles in Turkey, and to never invade Cuba. The impacts of the Cuban Missile Crisis were the improvement in communication between the USA and the USSR. A hot line was established between both countries leaders. Moreover, President Kennedy began to view the USA rel ationship with the USSR in terms of coexistence. As a result, there was a period of detente, and agreement of the Nuclear Test Treaty Ban, which was signed by the USA and the USSR. However, the nuclear competition still continued for the next 25 years. Furthermore, both countries began the competition in the new area, which was the strategic competition.

Agriculture: Evolution or Devolution? Essay -- Environment Environment

Agriculture: Evolution or Devolution? Considering that the alarming excess and continuing growth of the current world population (of humans) is directly tied to food production and availability, the question of how and why we even developed the technology of agriculture in the first place is becoming more and more relevant to human survival as we collectively continue to destroy the environment in which we live due in part to these very agricultural techniques and strategies that we are continuing to employ today. Current estimations show that at around the same time that agriculture was beginning to develop and thrive, the population of our ancestors started to double at a rate that was far higher than what it had been previously for the more than 2 million years of prior human existence. What does this then mean, and what does it say about humans and their attitude towards the environment? This hinges largely on the viewpoints to which we allow ourselves to be open. The most common view taken is that most (if not all) technologies we create mark an "advance" for humankind. Perhaps because they are prized so much either for their practical or symbolic value, it has become difficult to regard the technologies without a bias towards their immediate effects on human society as opposed to the overall compatibility with the rest of the natural world. Within this mindset, it is very hard to put aside the very "advanced" tools that seem to form the foundation of what a complicated, sophisticated, intelligent human is supposed to be. In this light, a complex process like agriculture cannot be anything but an advance, and any lifestyle that dates prior to the agricultural advent must, by subtle implication, be inferior. This infe... ...e technologies we created, from market economy and weapons of mass destruction to the simpler-scale household appliances. This suggests that many do not really see the frictions such technologies impose on our surroundings as problems, but rather according to their perception of the way things are, the tools they use are only doing exactly what they were supposed to and it cannot be helped. And moreover, this is so ingrained in most modern human cultures that the constituents of said cultures do not even see a problem with that. Sources Ehrlich, Paul R. "Human Natures: Genes Cultures, and the Human Prospect". Island Press, 2000. Cipolla, Carlo M. "The Economic History of World Population". The Harvester Press, 1978 Ponting, Clive. "A Green History of the World: The Environment and the Collapse of Great Civilizations". St. Martin's Press, New York, 1991.

What Factors Control Carbon Mineralization and Flux in Bog Soils and Ho

I. Introduction: What is a Bog? The word "bog," from the old Gaelic "bogach," is commonly used to refer to any stretch of waterlogged, swampy ground. The words, fen, moor, muskeg, peatland, and mire are also used to describe these areas, which can lead to some confusion over terminology. Specifically, a bog is "a peat accumulating wetland that has no significant inflows or outflows and supports acidophilic mosses, particularly sphagnum" (Gosselink and Mitsch 1993). The vast majority of bogs are located in the moist, cool boreal regions of North America and Eurasia. Bogs are also called "peatlands" because of the peat they accumulate, but "peatland" is a more general term that includes "minerotrophic" and "transition" peatlands. These wetlands also accumulate peat, but they differ topographically and hydrologically from bogs. True bogs (ombrotrophic peatlands) are characterized by peat layers higher than their surroundings; they are often called "raised bogs." They also receive nutrients and minerals exclusively by precipitation, i.e. they are hydrologically isolated (Gosselink and Mitsch 1993 p.374). They form in a variety of ways, but once ombrotrophic (rain-nourished) peatlands develop they are stable under "fairly wide environmental fluctuation" (Gosselink and Mitsch 1993 p.372). This discussion will be limited to the true bogs, and they will be referred to as bogs or peatlands. II. Peat Soils and Carbon Mineralization Peat is the name for the soil that forms in bogs and other peatlands. It is an organic soil (Histosol), composed almost entirely of partially decayed plant matter. The high percentage of organic fibers in peat makes it a fibrist, which is a Histosol containing less than one third decayed organic matter... ... the peat." Journal of Ecology 81 (1993), 615-625. Siegel, D. I. et al. "Climate driven flushing of pore water in peatlands" Nature 374 (6 April 1995), 531-533. Singer, Michael J. and Donald N. Munns. Soils: An Introduction. 3rd ed. New Jersey, Prentice-Hall 1991. Soil Taxonomy USDA Soil Conservation Service Agricultural Handbook No. 436. 1975. T.R. Knowles and R. Moore. "The influence of water table levels on methane and carbon dioxide levels from peatland soils." Canadian Journal of Soil Science 69; 1 (1989), 33-38. Woodwell, George M. "Biotic feedbacks from the warming of the earth." Biotic Feedbacks in the Global Climatic System. New York, Oxford University Press 1995, p3-19. Yavitt, Joseph B. et al. "Control of carbon mineralization to CH4 and CO2 in anaerobic, Sphagnum-derived peat from Big Run Bog." Biogeochemistry 4; 2 (1987), 141-157.

Proposal for Innovation Day

Although there are many varieties of daikon, the most common in Japan, the aokubi-daikon, has the shape of a giant carrot, approximately 20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 in) long and 5 to 10 cm (2 to 4 in) in diameter. One of the most unusually shaped varieties of daikon cultivated in Kagoshima Prefecture is the turnip-shaped sakurajima daikon, which often grows as large as 50 cm (20 in) in diameter and weighs as much as 45 kg (100 lb)( Japan National Tourist Organization, 1975 p. 837). The flavour is generally rather mild compared to smaller radishes.Korean varieties are larger and rounder than the typical long, thin Japanese types and are often spicier. (Chronicle Books, 1999. p. 10) Radishes are moderately high in Vitamin C, carotene and contain properties that appear to be beneficial for symptoms of colds, flu, fever, cough, respiratory problems, and digestive disorders. Radishes also is a good appetizer, mouth and breathe freshener, laxative, regulates metabolism, improves blood circulation , is a good treatment for headache, acidity, constipation, whooping cough, gastric problems, gallbladder stones, dyspepsia etc.Radish is especially beneficial for liver and gallbladder functions. It regulates production and flow of bile and bilirubin, acids, enzymes and removes excess bilirubin from the blood, being a good detoxifier. It also contains enzymes like myrosinase, diastase, amylase and esterase. It protects liver and gallbladder from infections and ulcers and soothes them. [4] Laboratory analysis shows the juice of raw daikon is abundant in digestive enzymes ssimilar to the ones in the human digestive tract.These enzymes are diastase, amylase, and esterase, which are known to transform complex carbohydrates, fats and proteins into compounds that is easy to assimilate. Raw daikon is a staple of the Japanese diet; it is used to complement most meals. Shredded daikon is used with fish and tempura dishes, and helps those with a compromised digestive system. The scientists in Japan at Tokyo’s College of Pharmacy have discovered that daikon juice actually inhibits the formation of dangerous chemicals in the body.One such chemical nitrosamine, a type of carcinogen, can form in the stomach from the chemicals in both natural and processed foods. Daikon juice contains substances called â€Å"phenolic compounds,† which can block this dangerous reaction. [5] Kingdom| Plantae| Division| Angiosperms| Subdivision| Eudicots| Class| Rosids| Order| Brassicales | Family| Brassicaceae| Genus| Raphanus| Species| R. sativus| Vvariety| R. sativus var. longipinnatus[1]| Table 1 : Scientific classification of Raphanus sativus var. longipinnatus 2. Ananas comosus Figure 2-Ananas comosusAnanas comosus or pineapple is a tropical plant with edible multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries [6] as it is commonly known as is the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceae family. [Coppens d'Eeckenbrugge, Geo; Freddy Leal (2003)] Pineapples may be cu ltivated from a crown cutting of the fruit, possibly flowering in 20–24 months and fruiting in the following six month. [8][9] Raw pineapple is an excellent source of manganese and vitamin C, containing 44% and 58% of them per 100g respectively.Bromelain purified from pineapple stem or juice, has a wide vvariety of health benefits, and that many of these benefits may not be related to the different enzymes found in this extract. Excessive inflammation, excessive coagulation of the blood and certain types of tumor growth may all be reduced by therapeutic doses of bromelain when taken as a dietary supplement. Potentially important chemical differences appear to exist between extracts obtained from the stem versus the core fruit. However, the practical relevance of these differences is not presently understood.Although healthcare practitioners have reported improved digestion in their patients with an increase in pineapple as their â€Å"fruit of choice† within a meal pla n, we haven't seen published studies that document specific changes in digestion following consumption of the fruit (versus supplementation with the purified extract). [10] Bromelain also works to neutralize fluids to ensure that they are not too acidic. It also helps regulate the secretions in the pancreas to aid in digestion. Apart from that, since bromelain has protein-digesting properties, it can keep the digestive track healthy.

Industrial Grinders Essay

With the introduction of less costly plastic rings by company, Henri Poulenc, Industrial Grinders is faced with a decision of a total changeover from steel rings to plastic rings for their machines that would also fit similar machines manufactured by other companies. Henri Poulenc has introduced the less expensive plastic rings in a small market affecting 10% of Industrial Grinders’ sales . Industrial Grinders believes the market will eventually change-over to all plastic rings. Industrial Grinders must decide a timeline for changing production. It is estimated that production could begin by mid-September. With raw steel and steel rings already in inventory, IG must sell-off existing inventory before changing total production to all plastic rings. a. Plastic Rings versus Steel Rings Steel rings last approximately 2 months Plastic rings last approximately 8 months 100 steel rings cost $263.85 to produce 100 plastic rings cost $66.60 to produce At a weekly profit/Loss, Net income for 690 steel units would be $390.00 At a weekly profit/Loss, Net income for 172.5 plastic units would be $437.80 If sales continue at 690 units per week from May to mid-September, 10,350  units will have been sold, leaving 15,100 steel rings in inventory at a cost value of $39,713. This would require approximately 22 more weeks of sales to deplete inventory. As steel rings will last for two months, the sale of existing steel rings will have a faster turn- around time for continued depletion of stock. Knowing that Henri Poulenc is affecting sales in only a small portion of Industrial Grinders’ territory, retooling for plastics should also begin while steel rings are being phased out. Industrial Grinders can continue to charge the same amount, or more, for its plastic rings, as Henry Poulenc has set the standard in pricing. During the upcoming slack period, the company will employ workers at 70% of regular wages to finish all steel production, while full-time staff completes retooling on available machines. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. Rings account for a substantial portion of Industrial Grinder’s revenue. b. Plastic rings, sold by Henry Poulenc, are sold for at least the same amount as Industrial Grinder’s steel rings. c. Only 10% of Industrial Grinder’s market is affected by Henry Poulenc. d. Henry Poulenc is the only company producing plastic rings. e. Shipping weight for plastic rings is less than steel rings. f. As plastic ring use spreads, the customer will demand the longer lasting plastic ring. g. Steel ring production will be phased out due to market demand for plastic rings. As the future production of rings within the industry will undoubtedly change from steel to plastic, Industrial Grinders must take swift action to keep up with industry changes and customer needs – jumping ahead of further competition. However, taking into consideration the 8 month life of plastic rings and their lower production cost as opposed to the 2 month life of steel rings at a higher production cost, sales must increase to sustain the higher profit margin of plastic rings. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders should change to plastic ring production. As plastic rings have been introduced by competitor, Henry Poulenc, rings with a longer life will be in increasing demand by customers. Industrial Grinders must forge ahead and heavily market the plastic rings as a better product for their customers. The plastic rings are less expensive to make, less costly to ship but have a longer life on machines. Although some revenue will be lost due to the longer life of plastic, Industrial Grinders will recoup losses with added sales. 2. Inventory Analyzing the cause of the problem or situation A changeover to plastic rings poses a problem for Industrial Grinders. Its inventory of special steel and inventory of produced steel rings must be dealt with before or during the production of plastic rings. a. Raw Steel The raw steel inventory cost value is $26,444. The steel cannot be sold to another party and will have to be used or counted as a loss to the company. b. Steel Rings The steel ring inventory cost value is $67,149. These rings could be sold within the existing market.The total cost of raw steel and steel rings inventory exceeds $93,000.00. The decision whether to use all raw steel and sell all existing steel rings becomes a major concern within Industrial Grinder’s management. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. Industrial Grinders wants to change from steel rings to more cost effective plastic rings. b. Management does not want to absorb the cost of unused inventory. c. Not all management agrees on use of raw steel inventory. d. The introduction of plastic rings will spread throughout the industry. e. Industrial Grinders could produce steel rings while retooling some machines for plastic production. f. Industrial Grinders could sell existing steel rings and take a loss on raw steel. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders is faced with a financial decision regarding disposition  of current inventory. Believing that the future lies with the more cost effective plastic rings, IG should continue to sell existing steel ring inventory while producing further steel rings, using the raw steel inventory on hand. The plant down time could use excess labor to deplete the raw steel. During this period, retooling could also occur and plastic ring production would begin. The machining changeover would be possible with a minimal cost of $1800.With Henry Poulenc affecting only 10% of IG sales, Industrial Grinders should deplete stock and introduce plastic rings. 3. Management Concerns Analyzing the cause or problem of the situation: Within management, it is agreed that plastic rings should be produced. However, the disposition of inventory on hand is not agreed upon between sales management / engineering and plant management/ parent company management. a. Sales Manager, Harry Greiner, believes inventory could be counted as a loss. Plastic production should begin and steel rings should no longer be sold. Selling both steel and plastic would be cause for market retaliation. b. Development Engineer , Anders Ericsson, is concerned about inventory not being depleted by plastic ring production in September. c. German Plant General Manager, Lawrence Bridgeman, is concerned about inventory. He believes, at the onset, that plastic rings should only be sold in markets affected by Henry Poulenc. d. Parent Company Head, Hein Van Boetzalaer, agrees to plastic rings but states that IG must use inventory. Examine alternative theories, assumptions and ideas: a. All but the Sales Manager are concerned about inventory cost. b. Selling plastic rings within some markets may cause steel ring sales to slump when other customers learn of the plastic rings and their longer life. c. The raw inventory could be in production during plant down time. d. The existing steel rings could be sold while the raw steel could be accepted as a loss. e. Henry Poulenc is the only company producing plastic rings. f. IG has time within the industry to sell all existing inventory while retooling for immediate production of plastic rings. Determine the appropriate actions, alternatives or conclusions for the case: Industrial Grinders upper management should implement the course of using and selling the existing inventory while retooling for plastic rings. Although sales and engineering opinions are taken into account, the idea of taking a loss for inventory on hand is unacceptable in IG’s current position. Henry Poulenc only affects 10% of IG’s current market. Upper management must make the decision on the company’s future operations. It is not proven that IG’s total market must immediately receive plastic rings. Depleting inventory, while offering plastic rings in the affected market , is an acceptable alternative. Depleting inventory first, then changing to all plastic rings is also an acceptable alternative. However, the parent company must decide the fate of inventory and future plastic production.