Effect of Economic Crisis Towards Politics in Malaysia

We have discussed the impact of economic crisis towards economy and social. But there are other consequences due to this subject. One of them is political. Malaysia is practicing the democratic system which all eligible citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Democracy allows people to participate equally either directly or through elected representatives in the proposal, development, and creation of  laws (Roberts, H. Cox. 2012) However, the economic crisis could lead to the destructible of the stable political status in the country.Malaysia now days have lists of political parties that have the same aim which is to rule Malaysia. On the other hand, economic crisis is one of the crimp to these political parties to rule the country or even to the dominant political party such as UMNO. When the Asian financial crisis 1997 hit Malaysia, the impact was traumatic. There was economic and political turmoil. The stock market, the currency and the property mark et nearly collapsed. That in turn affected the overall economy.UMNO, the dominant political party in the ruling alliance, experienced political turbulence when its charismatic deputy president, Anwar Ibrahim, was expelled from the party when he disagreed with the then president, Mahathir Mohamad, over, among other things, Mahathir’s rejection of loans from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Yet, Malaysia was not that badly affected as compared to some of its neighbors. It did not experience the extent of the socio-political distress as occurred in Indonesia where the rioting that broke out ultimately led to the overthrow of Suharto.Nor was its economic sovereignty that deeply compromised as happened in Indonesia and Thailand when both countries were forced to accept the conditions imposed by the IMF for the acceptance of their loans. Besides, there is a major consideration of questions is the view purported by some quarters that Dr. Mahathir has â€Å"overstayed† h is tenure and that heir apparent Anwar would have been the right successor of a more liberal Malaysia. The questions being around at that time is does it true that Anwar rejection is the consequences of he brings the economic down term in Malaysia and idea in conserving loan from IMF or because Dr.Mahathir is feeling discomfort or unsecure due to the trusts and confident level of the people is falling down? This questions has delivered main elements of events of the recent two years is that possibly what transpired between Mahathir and Anwar climaxed as a second â€Å"battle royale† in Malaysia’s political history. There is more than a hint that underneath it all was a political contestation fought with intense intrigue and complexity; one reflection observes that the â€Å"Anwar group† (some call it the Anwaristas, as opposed to the â€Å"Mahathirists†) had indeed been conspiring to take the mantle of power by contrived means.Accordingly, it was a  "plot† exposed in time by Dr. Mahathir’s forces. But yet, to suggest a real political division between â€Å"Mahathirists† and â€Å"Anwaristas† in the Malaysian political scenario is too neat an explanation of reality, and certainly these inchoate groupings are not mutually exclusive. As may be expected, there are also the â€Å"fence-sitters†. As we noticed, Anwar expels is due to the economic crisis. But if we storming deeper, the existence of opposition of the ruling parties in Malaysia (Barisan Rakyat), namely Parti Keadilan Rakyat.Parti Keadilan Rakyat is formed in 2003 by a merger of the  National Justice Party  and the older  Malaysian People's Party. Keadilan was led by Dr  Wan Azizah Wan Ismail ( Anwar’s wife)  and increased its parliamentary representation from 1 seat to 31 seats in the  Malaysian general election, 2008  until the five-year political ban imposed on former Deputy Prime Minister  Anwar Ibrahim  was lifted on 14 April 2008. Here we can see the existence of one more political party in Malaysia due to economic crisis. Anwar Ibrahim has been expels from the party and he form another party through his wife in the period of he was arrested in jail.Through this brings up another question to Malaysian. Whether Parti Keadilan Rakyat is really stand up on representing the public fate and rights? Or else, is just because of Anwar’s agenda to be the Prime Minister is failed because he was expelled from being Deputy Prime Minister by Dr. Mahathir Mohamad. Then he forms up his own political party? No matter what the question is, we can see that the existence of Parti Keadilan Rakyat giving a huge impact on the political environment in Malaysia. Large portion of society putting their trusts on Keadilan Rakyat and this is the warning and a big challenge to the government Malaysia in uling the country very well. The Malaysia government, Barisan Nasional is doing their best to society be cause they believe that Keadilan Rakyat have their own strength and ability in overcoming the government. In conclusion, economic crisis brings up too many negative impacts towards our politics in Malaysia such as expellation of Anwar Ibrahim, unstable of ruling political party Barisan Nasional, the disunity of public trusts in ruling political party due to lost in trust of the leader on that time.However, the existence of main opposition party Parti Keadilan Rakyat brings a very great impact to government on how they rule the country due to the possibility and ability of Parti Keadilan Rakyat to gain the public trusts. Thus, economic down term really brings a negative impact toward Malaysia in short run, but however the subject brings a cause of positive impact toward Malaysia political environment in long term.

Community Health Practice Essay

Community Description and Data Interpretation Pueblo, Colorado, also known as â€Å"The Home of the Heroes†, was given this proclamation in 1993 by the United States Congress, due to Pueblo having as many as four recipients of the â€Å"Medal of Honor† living here in the community. Pueblo dates back as far as 1842, and was known as â€Å"Fort Pueblo† (History of Pueblo). Over the years, Pueblo became the â€Å"backbone† of Southern Colorado due to the ore mines and is also the largest steel producing city in the United States, thus also being referred to as the â€Å"Steel City†. Pueblo has had a long and colorful history and has had five different countries and territories that â€Å"held dominion† over the area. These five areas are as follows: France, Mexico, Texas, Spain, and of course, the United States of America. (History of Pueblo) Pueblo County is 2,398 square mile area and is located approximately 112 miles south of the state capital of Denver, Colorado and approximately 100 miles north of the New Mexico border. Pueblo is geographically located at the intersection of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek and is approximately 4600 feet above sea level. Although surrounded by lots of mountains such as the Wet Mountains, the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Green Horn Mountains and Pikes Peak Mountain, Pueblo is very much desert land with annual precipitation being only approximately 12 inches. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo County has a land area of 2389 square feet and 9.0 square miles of water. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012) Population/Economic Assesssment Pueblo’s population according to 2012’s census is 159,063 which is a growth rate of 3.56% since 2000, and which rank it 246th for the most populated city in the nation. Pueblo is comprised of a very diverse mix of people with the majority being white non-Hispanics at 56.2% and the Hispanics or â€Å"Latinos† comprising 39.2% of the population. The remaining population is comprised of African Americans 2.4%, Native Americans 2.9%, Asian 1% and the remaining 2.4% of the population are those that are of two or more races  (American Fact Finder). The average age of Pueblo’s population is approximately 39 years old. The total population percentages of those 18 years and younger is 24.5% and with those 65 years and older comprising 15.3%. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) `As mentioned before, Pueblo is one of the nation’s top leaders in steel production, but the huge â€Å"steel-market† crash of 1982 left Pueblo with a fairly weak economy sinc e that time. According to the 2010 census, the average annual household income in Pueblo is approximately $38,780, which has Pueblo County’s income ranking far below Colorado’s average income of $47,510. With such a difference in the average annual income, Pueblo has a high percentage of the population that is living below the Federal Poverty Level, making Pueblo’s overall poverty rate is the 2nd highest in the state of Colorado. The average household size is 2.47 people. According to statistics from the American Fact Finder, Pueblo County has 18.1% total population below the Federal Poverty Level. Of that population, there are 26.3% that are children 18 years and younger, those 18 years to 64 years old is 17% and those over the age of 65 are 9.6% below the Federal Poverty Level (America Fact Finder, 2012). With almost 20% of Pueblo County’s population being below the Federal Poverty Level, it would stand to reason the increase in the number of people in Pueblo that qualify for food stamps and other public assistance. According to the 2012 American Community Survey, there were an estimated total of 11,976 households in Pueblo County that received food stamps. Of the households that received food stamps 45.7% of them had children 18 years or younger and 23.4% had at least one person in the household that was 60 years or older. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010) The unemployment rate in Pueblo County is 9.6% approximately 1% higher than the U.S. average; however, there has been a recent job growth of 1.38% in Pueblo. Even with the more than average unemployment rate and high population below the Federal Poverty Level, Pueblo County has a very low cost of living compared to the rest of the nation. The cost of living in Pueblo, CO is approximately 15.3% lower than the U.S. average with the median housing cost of $96,700. Even with the lower cost of living in Pueblo County, there are still about 175 individuals that are homeless that are living on the streets. With large international companies such as  Vestas pewag, and Rocla Concrete Tie choosing Pueblo, Colorado as new sites for their companies, unemployment rates will lower and this can only boost the economy and increase the population. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Before the inception of the current Affordable Care Act, Pueblo County had approximately 30,312 individuals that were on Medicaid. This number has drastically increased since January 1, 2014 since Colorado was a state that chose â€Å"Medicaid Expansion† to assist with aiding the health care costs and compliance of the Affordable Health Care Act. According to Colorado Health Institute, Pueblo County has done an amazing job getting the â€Å"uninsured† children in public insurance programs. Pueblo County recorded that 95.7% of children eligible for Medicaid/CHP+ is enrolled. Access to health care is largely affected by available and affordable health insurance. Pueblo County was noted to have a total of 13.6% of the population in 2010 that were uninsured. The amount of money that Pueblo County spent per capita on public health funding took a significant drop in 3 years from 2009 to 2011 of over $2.00 per person. Pueblo County also has a large percentage (18.8%) of individuals that not only are on Medicaid but are dually covered by Medicare. Dual coverage is based on income, health and disability; these individuals are usually in very poor health with chronic, complicated health problems and/or mental issues. Even with the public health funding, Pueblo County still has 17% of the population that have unmet health needs because of financial limitations. Hopefully with the new law of the Affordable Care Act the percentage of â€Å"unmet† health needs will completely diminish or at least significantly decrease. Cultural Assessment Pueblo, Colorado is a multi-cultural community with the majority of the population of Hispanics, Italians and Slovenians that have occupied Pueblo for generations. The Hispanic culture is the most prominent in Pueblo, which can be seen in the architecture, art, festivals and museums which pays great tribute to their Hispanic heritage. One of the largest pieces of the Hispanic culture that is enjoyed by all in Pueblo is the food. Pueblo holds annual festivals and celebrations that display the unique cuisines of the Hispanic culture, the most prominent cuisine being the â€Å"Pueblo Green Chili†. Food of the Hispanic culture and the health risks may contribute to the high number of adults that are overweight or obese. According to findings in the Pueblo Community Health Status Report of 2011, 23% adults over the age of 18 are overweight. With such a large Hispanic population comes a high percentage of the population that have genetic disposition for Diabetes Mellitus Type 2. (County Health Rankings and Road Maps, 2013) A large family unit which includes generations of â€Å"extended† family is a huge part of the Hispanic culture in Pueblo. The Hispanic population in Pueblo really holds the matriarchs and/or patriarchs to a high respect. Although not nearly as prominent in Pueblo, the Italian culture is a large part of Pueblo’s culture as well. Italian culture is seen predominantly in the culinary influences that paved the way for the unique â€Å"Pueboloan† dishes, such as the Italian Sausage sandwich that you can find at one of Pueblo’s oldest tra ditions, Pass Key Restaurant. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2013). The Slovenian culture is another influential part of Pueblo’s culture. The Slovenians migrated to Pueblo and settled here working in the steel industry. They introduced cultural and culinary traditions that are still very highly practiced and part of Pueblo’s culture even today. For example, Potica is one of the most popular culinary treats that is extremely popular around the holiday season, but can be found and enjoyed all year around. The Slovenian folk music and theatre can also be seen throughout Pueblo. (History of Pueblo) Catholicism is the predominant religion in Pueblo and is a huge part of the culture. Approximately 68% of Pueblo proclaims they are Catholic. In Pueblo’s culture, women are the largest majority of this population, although â€Å"Holy Orders† are the role of the men. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014) Genogram Interpretation From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The Median household income is $38,780 and 16.9% household at or below poverty level. The unemployment rate at 9.6% which is 1% higher that the U.S. average. With such financial difficulties there were approximately 13,760 individuals that receive food assistance, Pueblo is a multi-Cultural community consisting of Hispanic, Italian & Slovinian. All cultures brought together with food served at festivals and at restaurants. Pueblo is predominately Catholic religion at 68% with women playing a large part in Catholic & Hispanic Culture. Large Hispanic population diagnosed with diabetes type II and obesity. The crime rate is higher than the national average. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. Underage rates of drinking increased with age. Methamphetamine use in youth (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are higher than the national benchmarks. Pueblo has 95% of days with good air quality and drinking water safety at 1%. Pueblo County has a disaster/ emergency management preparedness plan as well as a chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program for the Pueblo Chemical Depot. Pueblo operates in an all-hazards disaster plan with Pueblo Health Department being the lead in the Emergency support function of Public Health. Pueblo County, Colorado is overall a healthy community. Nevertheless, the areas where improvements need to be made are determining a way to attend to each individual’s reaction to negative life events. These events are causing a rise in binge drinking and the use of methamphetamine abuse. Creating and implementing a plan to decrease the poverty level and being able to inform and address access and functional needs. Neighborhood/Community Safety Assessment As sad as it is to say, violence in Pueblo County is a huge â€Å"health† problem. Pueblo’s overall crime index as reported in 2006 was 6945 crimes which was higher than the national average and encompasses â€Å"violent† and â€Å"property† crimes. Violent crimes consist of murder, rape and aggravated assaults. Property crimes include burglary, larceny, theft , motor vehicle theft , arson, and vandalism. In 2006, Pueblo had a reported total of 628 violent crimes with breakdown as follows: Murders – 6; Rapes 49; Robberies – 170; Aggravated assaults – 403. Pueblo’s reported â€Å"property crimes are as  follows: Burglary – 6317; Larceny/Thefts – 4409; Motor Vehicle Thefts – 455 and Arsen – 55. (Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources, 2014) . Along with the high crime rates that fill Pueblo’s neighborhoods that have an effect on the safety and health of the county are the large nu mber of liquor stores that fill them. In 2006, Pueblo County had approximately 2.4 liquor stores per 10,000 people. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) With such a high density of liquor stores and access to alcohol, it can also contribute or be a large relation to the economic and social crumbling of the community and overall rate of crime. There are studies that report that the â€Å"over-concentration of liquor stores increases the perceived lack of safety and limits walkability in the community†. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). The excessive consumption of alcohol also leads to major health problems, such as, cirrhosis of the liver, cardiovascular disease, cancer, anemia as well as the effects due to injuries sustained in car accidents secondary to driving under the influence. Substance abuse, including alcohol, is another public health concern in the Pueblo community. One of the biggest concerns of alcohol abuse is that of â€Å"binge† drinking among individuals. Binge drinking is a major indicator of substance abuse and is defined as â€Å"Consuming five or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion in the pa st month†. From 2007-2009, there were 14.5% of adults in Pueblo that reported binge drinking, a rate that was well below the Healthy People 2020 objective. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). According to the website, Teen Drug Abuse, 90% of alcohol consumption by those that are underage is in the form of â€Å"binge† drinking. (Teens and Addiction, 2014). In Pueblo County, underage rates of drinking increased with age, indicating that teenagers are more likely to experiment or try alcohol around the ages of 16 or 17. (Community Health Status Report, 2011). In Pueblo County, methamphetamine use in youth ages 15-18 years was low (less than 10 percent), but showed signs of increase between 2005 and 2007 for the â€Å"15 or younger† category. Following national trends, results from 2009 indicate decreasing methamphetamine usage across the board for all age groups. This may be in part to successful prevention interventions, education campaigns about methamphetamine use, or inconsistent self-reporting (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Housing, water quality, and air quality are factors that can be classified as the environmental quality/safety of Pueblo,  County. â€Å"Homes† represent to most a place of safety, security and shelter and because these factors are so important they have the potential to help or harm the h ealth of the community. The United Way Pueblo County evaluation in 2009 reported that Pueblo County had a large shortage of â€Å"low income† rental housing. The estimated rental housing in Pueblo County reported in 2009 was 32% and home ownership was reported at 68%. (America Fact Finder, 2012). Sewage is another factor that can potentially be a huge source of water contamination. Waste water treatment plants in higher populated areas of Pueblo County are used to treat sewage before being released back into the environment; however, not all areas of Pueblo County are served by a treatment plant. Pueblo County has approximately 16,000 homes that have septic systems and are not serviced by a waste water treatment plant. Water wells can become contaminated due to improper septic system treatment. In Pueblo County, the majority of its population the drinking water comes from surface water. In some cases, the drinking water may come from shallow surface sources or underground wells. (Community Health Sta tus Report, 2011). The air quality in Pueblo is for the very good with the particle matter (PM2.5) being very low. Particle matter is defined by the EPA as the tiny particles directly emitted into the air and particles formed in the air by chemical transformation of gaseous pollutants. (United Stated Census Bureau, 2010). According to the Pueblo City-County Health Department’s Environmental Health Division, there were over 830 complaints in 2010 with the majority of complaints which were 41% of the total complaints were about the housing. (City-Data Pueblo County, CO , 2012). All in all the environmental Quality of Pueblo County is above average. The health factors and morbidity and mortality rates of Pueblo County are in lot of cases higher than the national benchmarks. Premature infant deaths in Pueblo County in 2009 were 8,767. Malignant neoplasms rank first in Pueblo County for the leading casue of death with heart disease being second leading cause of death in Pueblo County. (Community Health Status Report, 2011) Morbidity reporting of poor or fair health was 17% Health factors in Pueblo County such as smoking was 23% compared to the National benchmark of 13%, teen birth rate was 63% compared to National benchmark of 21%, sexually transmitted diseases reported in Pueblo County was approximately 352 with the national benchmark of 92. (County Health Rankings and Road  Maps, 2013). Disaster Assessment Pueblo has a Disaster Management Program which includes several support functions based on the emergency which includes the following: transportation, fires, wildfires, victim care, search and rescue, long-term recovery, hazmat, damage assessment, floods, mass fatality, terrorism, tornadoes and winter storms. The program’s goal is to prevent or decrease the impact of natural or human caused disasters. There are also additional support systems such as behavioral health response and an animal health response plan. The department staff and fire fighters are specially trained and ready to respond to any major disasters that may occur. The command staff members assist in the coordination of the disaster and emergency management training exercises in the local region. There are monthly meetings with the members and the Pueblo County Emergency Response Team (PERT) and with other local emergency reponse and support agencies. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). Pueblo also operates and â€Å"All Hazards† disaster plan that is designed to address the needs of the Pueblo Fire Department and the people of Pueblo in and efficient and effective manner if a disaster occurs. It is also serves as a supplement to the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Plan. (Pueblo, Colorado, 2014). The Pueblo Chemical Depot, a chemical weapons storage site is located in Pueblo County. Mustard agents HD and HT are stored at the Pueblo Chemical Depot. The chemical stockpile emergency preparedness program is the federally funded program administered by the Department of Defense and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The program was placed to prepare the local authorities for a possible chemical weapons incident. If such an incident occurs, Pueblo Chemical Depot will notify the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Communication Center in accordance between the agreement between Pueblo County and Pueblo Chemical Depot. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) Due to the hot dry summers, a fire or wildfire frequently occurs and there is an emergency support system that is in place. The following agencies included are the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Services Bureau, Public Works, the Colorado State Patrol, the Colorado State Forest Service, US Forest Service, Colorado State Parks, American Medical Response, both local hospitals –  Parkview Medical Center and St Mary Corwin Hospital. The Emergency Support Function and Wildland Fire Incident Annex is there to guarantee a correct response from the numerous agencies involved for containing and extinguishing fires. This is an effective system that was established to manage the various resources and agencies involved to fight structural and wild land fires in Pueblo County. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013). The Pueblo Activation Sequence establishes procedures for the activation and operation of the Pueblo County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). The EOC is activated to an anticipated or actual response that involves more than one area or jurisdiction and/or multiple response agencies. This includes agencies that respond to HazMat accidents, severe weather, flooding, earthquakes, civil disturbances or terrorism. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) The Pueblo County Health Department leads the emergency support functions for Public Health and Medical Services. Their supporting agencies are as follows: Local Hospitals, EMS, Behavioral Health Services, Emergency Service Bureau, Coroner, Agriculture, Education, Human Services, Law Enforcement Agencies, Military and Veteran Affairs, Public Safety, Regulatory Agencies, Transportation, Pueblo Community Health Center, American Red Cross, Salvation Army and COVOAD. This program provides a response and recovery action related to the lifesaving tra nsport, evacuation, treatment of the injured, controlling of the spread contamination, prevention of contamination of water and food supplies and the disposition of any dead. (Emergency Services Bureau, 2013) As you can see, Pueblo County is very well prepared with any type of natural, chemical, or human caused disaster. Summary From my observation of data, statistics and information gathered for Pueblo County’s Community assessment, I have found that Pueblo County overall is a fairly healthy community. The community is predominately white, non-Hispanic population with an increase of the Hispanic population in the past two years. The air pollution in Pueblo County is below the national average with 95% of days with good air quality and only 5% with moderate air quality. An area that could use improvement would be to find a way to attend to the individuals that make negative responses to traumatic or  negative life events. These responses and events may play a huge factor in the rise of homicides that are taking place in Pueblo County. The education of the public community about the emergency and disaster preparedness programs through community outreach will help to inform and develop functional needs for Pueblo. Works Cited (2013). Retrieved February 07, 2014, from Pueblo, Colorado: http://pueblo.org/history America Fact Finder. (2012). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from U.S. Census Bureau: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/08/0862000.html City-Data Pueblo County, CO . (2012). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from http://www.city.data.com/county/Pueblo_County-CO.html Community Health Status Report. (2011). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Pueblo.org: http://county.pueblo.org/sites/default/files/documents/Status%20Report%202011%20Final.pdf County Health Rankings and Road Maps. (2013). Retrieved February 8, 2014, from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/aIntpp/#/colorado/2013/pueblo/county/outcomes/overall/additional/by-rank Emergency Services Bureau. (2013). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office: http://www.sheriff.co.pueblo.co.us/esb/oem.html History of Pueblo. (n.d.). Retrieved 02 08, 2014, from Pueblo, CO – Official Website : http://www.pueblo.us/index.aspx?nid=119 Pa rticle Matter. (2013, March 18). Retrieved February 5, 2014, from EPA United Stated Environment Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/pm/ Pueblo Colorado Crime statistics and Data Resources. (2014). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Area Connect: http://pueblo.areaconnect.com/crime1.htm Pueblo, Colorado. (2014, January 31). Retrieved February 08, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo,_Colorado Teens and Addiction. (2014, February). Retrieved February 9, 2014, from Teen Driug Abuse: http://www.teen-drug-abuse.org/ United Stated Census Bureau. (2010). Retrieved February 2, 2014, from Current Population Survey: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/cpstables.htm

Othello, Macbeth, Hamlet Essay

Among Shakespeare’s tragedies Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth, the decision about which is best written ultimately needs to be decided according to the virtues of the plot, characterization, and the language. The three plays have very strong points. While Macbeth is extraordinary in Shakespeare’s use of language, its plot is also intricate and interesting. Othello stands out in the area of characterization, while Hamlet stands out in its language. However, when all areas of assessment are considered, Macbeth does appear to dominate as the best written of the three plays. Othello does possess a very strong and deeply intricate character in the villain Iago. Shakespeare displays his highly refined skill in the manner in which he infuses Iago with evil. Iago is the definitive two-faced traitor, as he feigns the most iron-clad friendship with his lord Othello, while harboring the most potent resentment against him. Shakespeare creates a masterpiece in this character because he achieves an effect in which Iago almost becomes evil incarnate. The poignant hatred represented in all his speeches and actions highlights the play as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies. However, the play does have a weakness that is fatal to its position. Its plot, though given strong impetus by the avenging cruelty and hatred of Iago, gains its momentum from what seems to be an impotent plan. Othello implicates his wife Desdemona of adultery merely because her handkerchief is â€Å"found† in Cassio’s room—evidence that amounts almost to nothing. The weakness of this link from Iago’s hatred to his ruin of Othello is too great for the play to be considered the best of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The tragedy of Hamlet excels in the language that Shakespeare uses to express the inner thoughts and confusions of the characters. Hamlet’s speeches represent a masterpiece of insight into the human soul as it processes pain and loss. The famous â€Å"to be or not to be† speech is so highly regarded because it probes the mind of a man who is so deeply affected by his father’s murder and mother’s betrayal that he mentally wrestles with death: â€Å"To die to sleep, to sleep perchance to dream; ay, there’s the rub. For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil must give us pause† (III. i. 73-77). The metaphorical mingling of sleep and death is a figurative achievement, and the expression of indecision as Hamlet lingers at the horizon of death gives the play a literary and lyrical edge. Still, this play has plot problems as well. It seems to drag on with Hamlet’s constant indecision and his antic disposition. His relationship with Ophelia is nebulous, yet its complications are not well expressed, but muddled and almost incoherent. The end in which Ophelia and all the family die leaving Fortinbras to assume the throne is unsatisfying at the very least. These problems cause Hamlet also to be prevented in the final analysis from being considered Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy. Macbeth, like Hamlet, boasts very well written and poetic lines. The expression of the guilt that Macbeth feels after committing his murderous act is expressed in all its detail and rondure. In addition, it also possesses depth and expression of character that is unexcelled in any of Shakespeare’s other works. Lady Macbeth rivals Iago in her capacity for evil—yet hers stems from nothing as petty as revenge. She seeks to exalt her husband’s position in an almost self-sacrificial effort to promote him. She shows clarity and decisiveness in a way that Hamlet does not, as she carries out her intention with no alloy of fear or hesitancy. In addition to the beauty of the language and the depth of characterization, Macbeth’s plot (though in some ways fantastical) carries itself naturally toward the end that it is given. Nothing appears contrived. The hubris that Macbeth assumes at the behest of the witches and Lady Macbeth propels him gradually and naturally toward his murder of King Duncan and eventually toward his death at the hand of Macduff. The combination of excellences in the three areas of plot, characterization, and language tips the scale in favour of Macbeth as the greatest tragedy written by William Shakespeare.

Financial Crises in the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Financial Crises in the United States - Essay Example These events have also led to major banks of the US creating an emergency package to rescue any ailing financial institution which is in need of assistance. The Federal government has also moved in to ensure that it has a bailout package to rescue financial institutions. The New York Times article expresses concern about the greater repercussions of these events. It worries that it would increase the unemployment rate (Sorkin, 2008). It also is concerned about the thousands of employees working at Merrill and Lehman Brothers. The precarious condition of these companies was because of their inadequate investments in real estate during an economic boom. These investments were not secure which weakened the financial conditions of both companies. Most banks did not want to purchase Lehman Brothers because of the essential risks associated with it. The article also expresses concern about the financial health of AIG (Sorkin, 2008). It can be concluded that these events have sent shockwave s throughout the American financial system. In this article, it is learned that the Federal Reserve has not reduced interest rates which has been demanded by Wall Street and financial institutions. But despite this, the Federal Reserve states in the article that it would closely monitor and observe the crisis. It has been investigating and analyzing the financial crisis which has slowed down economic growth in the United States of America (Reddy, 2008). Other major actions have included lending government support for troubled financial institutions. The main focus of the article is about whether further reducing the interest rates will have any impact on the economy or not. One school of thought believes that lowering the interest rates further would be risky and devastating for the US economy. Others blame the Federal Reserve for keeping low interest rates since 2001 (Reddy, 2008). They blame this for

Reflection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflection - Assignment Example Both of these processes are directly related to the organisations’ prospect for growth. Recruitment, on one hand, reflects the necessity of obtaining and retaining the most appropriate talent that the jobs require within an organisation. This aspect of the human resource department is of immense importance in the present world’s competitive market. Along with the market becoming more competitive, the level of skills among the people is also enhancing. In this situation, recruitment process is required to be conducted at its best without any failure (Richardson, 2002). Selection, on the other hand, reflects the most effective implementation of the process of recruitment. Selection of the candidates on the basis of information collected and evaluated about them enhances the chances of organisations’ success both in the short as well as long run. The processes of recruitment and selection are followed by the organisations for increasing the possibilities of the orga nisations to select the individuals with the right skills and attitudes for the organisations (Rioux & Bernthal, 2010). Comments on the Analytical and Reasoning Skills Applied The behaviour of people of remaining unaware of their weaknesses and their tendency of presenting themselves in the most socially pleasing manner keeps them away from accepting the truth about their weak points (Powers, 2002). However, I understand this fact quite well and thus I would comment on my analytical and reasoning skills to be moderate and apt to be enhanced. These skills are the most important traits of the persons which are required to be hold as an asset both in the present as well as later stages of life. From my performance on the case study analysis, I have realised the fact that these skills would have to be augmented to a greater extent for further development of my career. However, at the same time, I would like to mention that I should have made use of my learning and knowledge towards recr uitment and selection processes for critically analysing the case. This approach would have provided me appreciation and quantitatively superior marks. Learning Outcome from the Case Analysis Although I was not able to analyse the case in the most appropriate manner, I learnt a lot of effective things from my failure which I believed to be extremely helpful for my career. The first thing is related to the exhibition of ability towards identification of gaps between my skills and knowledge. This trait will help me in reducing the identified gap so that I can become capable enough to react to situations at the right time and in the right manner. The other thing that I learnt is related to the importance of identifying learning sources which are deemed to be the most effective for myself, both in my educational life as well as in my professional life. Above all these traits, the most important trait that I learnt from the failure is the gathering of ability towards formulation and impl ementation of the most effective plan for personal development (National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, 2010). Reflection: Is This Really Performance Development And Review? Learning Results from the Topic Covered The topic that was covered in the case is that of the evaluation of performance appraisal system followed in the organisation mentioned. The topic was related to taking up of the decision related to the

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND STRESS MANAGMENT Essay

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND STRESS MANAGMENT - Essay Example Oakland electorates passed the violence prevention and public safety act to facilitate community policing. Deployment of problem solving officers, which forms a very important part of community policing is always affected due to lack of available officers. The community’s participation has also been effective (Army G, Cox and Jeremy M, 2010). Since the 911 terrorist attacks on USA, the RAND has since shifted focus to helping soldiers with psychological problems. About 1.64 million US soldiers have been deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Evidence show that the psychological stress toll of these deployments is high compared to physical injuries combat. Several task forces and presidential commissions have been formed to examine the care of war wounded soldiers and make recommendations about their psychological stress. In the recent past, concerns have been centred to encounter post traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury. Due to increasing incidences of suicide and suicide attempts among soldiers, concerns about stress is also in the rise (Rand, 2010). Rand Corporation mainly focuses on post traumatic stress, depression, and brain injury not because of the current interest, but also due to the fact that these conditions are often invisible to health service members, family members and the public in general. All these conditions affect soldier’s moods and behaviour yet they often go undetected. The Rand Corporation leadership has since made recommendations on depressions affecting soldiers. The Rand recommends that the delivery of care to all soldiers with depression would be beneficial. These recommendations can even save money, improve productivity of the soldiers and decrease medical and mortality costs. Care to soldiers may also be cost effective way to retain a healthy, ready military force for the future. The RDA’s commitment in providing psychological stress stability will ensure soldiers feel motivated so as to offer quality service to the

Marketing and the Apple global organization Research Paper

Marketing and the Apple global organization - Research Paper Example The history of Apple Inc. dates back to the early 1970’s when Steve Jobs along with Ronald Wayne and Steve Wozniak established the technology firm. Apple is presently headquartered in California, USA. The company together with its subsidiaries develops and markets laptops, portable music players, desktop computers, mobile communication devices and several other gadgets. Apple has a global presence and functions with around 370 Apple exclusive stores. As of 2011 the company employed 60,400 people throughout the world (â€Å"Apple Inc.†). Some of the evident products that have made Apple one of the biggest technical giants of the world are I-Phone, I-Pad, I-Pod and various software products. The Mac OS X in the software category has been able to revolutionize the computing experience of the users. If reports are to be believed, within few years from now the company will be launching I-car, a four wheeler car with unique style and design resembling the official logo of App le. From the days of its inception Apple is highly sensitive towards its marketing strategies. The company tactically develops its business strategies for the purpose of retaining and gaining customers. This is the reason why we find Apple launching new products in every 2-3 years. Apple mainly distributes its product through whole sellers, retailers and Apple owned exclusive stores. The company has large number of competitors in direct and indirect form. Hewlett Packard, Dell, Google and Research in Motion Limited are the direct competitors of the company (â€Å"AAPL Competitors†).... In this article the author discussed about the unique marketing initiatives of Apple Inc. Furthermore the article highlighted some interesting facts about the company. In the introduction part of the article the author demonstrated about the hype that Apple creates before launching a product in the market place. To cite an instance it showcased how the brand loyal customers of Apple spend a night outside an Apple store, just for the purpose of buying the new product from the company. The article offered a number of unique marketing strategies of the company. Some of the evident among them are as follows: - Apple has been long facing issues with the product knowledge of its sales staffs. This problem made it more complex for the company to notify the potential customers about the unique features that it offers. Hence the company decided to open ‘a store just for Apple’ or an Apple exclusive store. In this article it has been also highlighted that the products of Apple com es in the form of a complete package, so that users do not have to search for any add-ons. In accordance to this statement the author mentioned the example of I-Pod and free music via Apple I-tunes. The product strategy of the company has been also emphasized in this article. Apple uses a varied product strategy, in which they offer various portable gadgets at a low cost to the consumer, with a feeling that these customers may consider buying an Apple computer in the near future. The author also clearly explains about the extensive research and development that the company carries out for the purpose of offering quality products. Furthermore in the article few promotional

Ethics In Information Technology Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics In Information Technology - Research Paper Example the human embryos. In addition, this is because embryos have status as divine creations and being potential persons. Moreover, taking a blastocyst and removing the nuclei to obtain an embryonic stem cell is equivalent to murder (Singer 45-97). Thus, I believe that furtherance of stem cell research would lead to a much greater potential harm, a lack of respect for all religious and cultural beliefs who believes that life begins at conception and are against abortion. This is in contravention to computer ethics that advocate for respect for societal values in the use of computer technology. Moreover, it leads to use of computers to destroy and harm other people, which is in contravention to the computer ethics. There are also ethical issues relating to use or applications of stem cells. This is because there should be respect for the donor who donated the stem cell in any future use and application of it. This should entail giving of informed consent, and respect for privacy and confid entiality of personal data. In addition, I am of the opinion that precautionary measures and ethical considerations should be considered in stem cell banks. This is because of the confidential and personal data involved and any bleach would leakage of such information would subject the donors to unwarranted exposure and persecution by opponents of stem cell research. Thus, these banks should be protected against computer hackers break-ins. Consequently, measures should be taken to defend and preserve the identity of both the donor and the recipient in stem cell research and use (Kristina and  Goran 232). This is in line with computer ethics, which requires that advocate for the maintenance of confidentiality of... Today, ethical standards may be categorized into copyright and intellectual property, Netiquette, and the general day-to-day ethics and have been summarized into the Ten Commandments for computer ethics by Computer Ethics Institute. In the current age of information technology, computers have been applied in varied disciplines including medicine in the field of embryonic stem cell research. Stem cell research has been the most remarkable latest advances. There have been a great debate relating to the ethical perspective of carrying out the stem cell research. There are several possible sources for stem cells, the utilization of human embryos as a source for stem cells has been the focus of strong moral dispute. In this research paper, I will seek to explore the ethical issues relating to stem cell research relating to computer usage stating my standing. There has been an immense deal of scientific concern recently created by research on human stem cells. The cloned embryo would then be used as a source of stem cells, which would be a genetic match for that donor. This procedure is intended to counter the problem of rejection immune system. In conclusion, whether destructive embryonic stem cell research is ethical or not depend on choices available, and how their specific advantages and weakness balance out. This means that ethical position is a substance of considering the danger of further eroding the respect due to potential life against the possible, therapeutic benefits that are hoped for from such research.

The Sign of Four and Murder on the Orient Express Research Paper

The Sign of Four and Murder on the Orient Express - Research Paper Example When you ask for the name of the most famous of detectives from literary history many people would probably say the clever, remarkable and rational 19th century British detective, Sherlock Holmes, created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and who was the basis for a number of Doyle’s novels. Another famous detective, that might rank a close second, popular among literary circles is Hercule Poirot, the rather quirky Belgium detective dreamt up by writer Dame Agatha Christie. These two authors set precedents in plot courses, mystery literature, developed classic characters, and earned them, both a large amount of notoriety and fame. The best way to understand these main characters is to compare and contrast their similarities and differences in two specific works: â€Å"Sign of Four† by Doyle and â€Å"Murder on the Orient Express† by Christie. Through these means we can compare and contrast their story styles and themes, their development of their protagonists, and the a uthors themselves. Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in May of 1859 to a strict Irish-Catholic family. Doyle’s father had little success in life and was struggled with alcoholism. His mother was an educated woman who enjoyed reading and telling stories.

Treatment of Tb Essay Example for Free

Treatment of Tb Essay Tuberculosis, they say, is a disease of the poor and truly it is a disease that puts us high above other nations in the world. We are currently among the 22nd high TB burdened countries and are under the WHO TB watch list. Tuberculosis is such a problem for us. Imagine, 75 of our fellowmen die each day because of TB. Tuberculosis, however, is not a terminal disease. Before, people thought once you have TB you’ll just die not cured with the disease. But now, it is actually very curable. Our government, in addressing to this dreaded disease, formulated the National Tuberculosis Program or NTP. This program envisions our nation as a country where TB is no longer a public health problem. The goal therefore is to reduce the prevalence and mortality from TB by half by the year 2015. Now, this is where DOTS comes in. At first, I thought DOTS is just about making sure that the patient is really taking in his TB regimens – like literally swallowing the medicines on schedule. It, however, is not just as simple as that. DOTS or Direct Observed Treatment, Short-Course is the WHO-recommended strategy for diagnosis, treatment and management of TB. Since TB is curable, the WHO believes that the best way to cure TB is through DOTS. It is a health strategy made up of five important components: Political Commitment for TB Control; Facilities for Microscopic Diagnosis of Sputum Positive Smear Patient; Unlimited Supply of Good Quality Anti-TB Drugs; Direct Observation of Therapy; and, Good Record Keeping. Through these components, it is made sure that the program is managed properly and that the sputum microscopy is of good quality. The program is embraced by the government and made sure it is implemented. Health professionals are taught and trained well on the importance of the program, precautionary measures, how to deal with the TB patient, and, most importantly, on the proper identification and reporting of sputum microscopy results. There is therefore uniformity in the reporting of laboratory results. The government has also allotted a specific monetary budget for the services of the health professionals under this program. There is also the regular supply of drugs, not only just drugs but medications that are of good quality and recommended by the WHO. More importantly, these drugs are FREE! All the patient has to do is to comply with the treatment. But, there are still patients who are, well, â€Å"human† – remarkably wise, talented entrepreneur (because some sell their TB medicines to others who also present with TB symptoms as they have). They have a mind of their own; they have their own treatment strategy. These make TB treatment difficult and pose threat on the development of resistant organisms because the medications are not taken on proper dosage and duration. It is because of this that there is this 4th element of the DOTS strategy – the direct observation of the treatment partner (treatment partners could either be a Staff of the Health Center, Member of the Community , or Member of the patient’s family (last priority)) of the patient taking in the TB medications. With good record keeping, the patients are properly monitored and followed up wherever they may be in the country. With just one missed appearance on treatment appointments, the in-charge health partner is alerted. There’s no reason at all for non compliance. What is more wonderful with DOTS in our country is that we have this PPMD or the Private – Public Mixed DOTS. This is very important because even the private health institutions apply DOTS so that wherever may the patient consult he or she is directed to the same treatment strategy for TB which ensures patient receives proper treatment and program benefits. Upon enrollment with the DOTS program, there is an allotted box of medications both for the intensive phase and the maintenance phase – the Stop TB Kit. With those new pulmonary smear positive cases and new seriously ill pulmonary smear negative cases, the intensive treatment is made up of four regimens: Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Pyrazinamide and Ethambutol. The number of capsules taken will depend on the weight of the patient (since usually the four drugs mentioned are formulated on a single capsule). Like for example, a patient weighing between 38-54 kg will be taking 3 tablets each appointment time with the treatment partner. The intensive treatment lasts for 2 months then a sputum smear will be requested. If patient is still sputum AFB smear positive there will be a month extension for the intensive phase. Afterwhich is the 4 months of maintenance phase. The regimen usually is composed of Isoniazid and Rifampicin. The kind and number of treatment regimens for tuberculosis is such because the TB bacilli, although TB is curable, is very difficult to eradicate and are prone to resistance. This is also why compliance is very important to prevent further development of resistant organisms. Whenever there are MDR TB patients (Multi Drug Resistant TB), they are referred to a higher center in Manila. There, patients are housed for 24 months, still free treatment. I think each MDR patient is budgeted with 500 1 million pesos such a huge amount. It is important therefore for us to prevent the development of such resistant organisms if we want our taxes serve the majority and give us better lives. Through the exposures regarding the DOTS, I now have a great appreciation for this program of the government. Whenever I will have an encounter with a possible TB patient, I could confidently refer him to a DOTS facility. I am hoping that we will truly be able to achieve our vision with regards to tuberculosis control as a nation.

Effective Leadership And Management Styles

Effective Leadership And Management Styles According to Ward S (2010) Leadership is the art of motivating a group of people to act in a specific way towards achievement of a common goal. A leader therefore is a person who has a combination of skills and personality that will make people want to follow his or her direction. The leader should have the ability to manage all the resources under his or her disposal. Successful leadership as a discipline involves communicating, supervising and inspiring people under his or her leadership. On the other hand, Management is the organization and co-ordination of the activities of an enterprise in accordance with certain policies and achievement of certain pre-defined objectives. As a discipline, it involves formulation of policies, organizing, planning, controlling and directing firms resources towards achievement of the policy objectives. According to Reh .J. (2010) a manager is a person who plans and directs the work of other individuals by monitoring their work and taking corrective action when necessary. Skills are the capacities and abilities obtained through deliberate and sustained efforts to carry out complex activities or job functions. It involves use of ideas (cognitive skills), interacting with people (interpersonal skills) and doing things (technical skills). Qualities are the attributes that define the degree of excellence. Something of quality is that which is free from deficiencies and ineffectiveness. Knowledge is the expertise acquired by a person through education or practice. Ability is the acquired or natural capacity, competence or talent that enables an individual to perform a particular job or task successfully any time. This paper will analyze the specific skills, knowledge, qualities and abilities that an individual will need to develop to become an effective leader and manager. MAIN BODY There is an argument that there is a difference between a leader and a manager. Indeed it is true that all leaders must be managers first but not all managers are leaders. There are several theories put forward to distinguish between leaders and followers. According to Cherry K (2010) there are several leadership theories. These include: Great man theory: It postulates that great leaders are born and not made. Leaders in this group are heroic, mythic and their destiny is to rise to leadership whenever needed. Trait theory: This theory assumes that people inherit certain traits and qualities that enable them to be best suited for leadership. The theory identifies particular personality and behavioral characteristics which are common for all leaders. Contingency theories: This theory focuses on variables related to the environment that determine the leadership style to be used in different situations. Thus leadership styles will have to be changed according to the situation. Success therefore depends on various variables like the situation in question, the qualities of followers, number of variables and leadership style. Situational theories: Leaders will choose leadership styles depending on the situation. Different leadership styles may be more appropriate for certain decision making than others. Behavioral theory: This theory is based on the belief that great leaders are made and not born. According to the theory people can learn to be leaders through observing and learning. Participative theory: In this style the output of others is taken into account in decision .Leaders will therefore encourage participation and contribution of the group members and make the members to feel more relevant and committed to the decision making process. Management theory: This theory is based on the system of reward and punishment. In this case, when employees succeed, they are rewarded and when they fail they are punished. The role of the manager is thought to be focused on supervision, organization and group performance. Relationship theory: This theory focuses on the connection between followers and leaders. Leaders motivate and inspire followers by helping the group members to see the importance of the task. Leaders in this group will have high moral standards because they are focused on performance of group members and they want everyone to fulfill his or her potential. Effective leadership An effective leader must have followers because the essence of leadership is to convince people to act the way you want. Therefore, a leader must have the ability to convince people to pull people towards his direction. This will entail good communication in order to explain goals clearly to the followers. This will bring about better results because the followers understand the goals to be achieved well. According to Walker .C.A. (2005) effective leadership must be built on a solid foundation which is in turn dependent on the qualities of integrity and humility. He goes further and defines integrity as firmness of character, honesty, uprightness, sincerity and good moral character. Integrity not only influences the goals that leaders chose but also the type of followers that they get. It means therefore that, high integrity builds trust, honor, respect and loyalty among followers. Humility on the other hand, has the effect of avoiding arrogance in the work place and also allows you to share glory and celebrate success with followers. Thus, to be successful as a leader, you should build your personal and organizational code of conduct on humility and integrity. According to White B. (2010), a good leader has several qualities that characterize him or her. These qualities can be summarized as: Availability: A leader should be available and in touch with the people he leads. This means that he should be sensitive to the needs of people and respond in time. Maintaining good relationship: Successful business leaders know the importance of good relationships. They will therefore prioritize on minimizing conflict and lack of harmony. Self motivation and development: Successful leaders will do anything acceptable to ensure that their skills and knowledge base is kept on track because they know the importance of personal and professional development. They therefore set and use goals for motivating themselves and others. Appropriate use of authority: Good leaders use their authority with wisdom and sensitivity to different circumstances. Authority should therefore not be used in gratifying or promoting oneself or even controlling or dominating others. Understanding of group dynamics: Successful leaders are good at using both the strengths and weaknesses of a group to achieve the best results. They also have the ability of bringing groups together by leading them without conflict and minimizing harmony. Having incentives and building team spirit: A result orientated leader will give his juniors incentives in order to improve their performance and maintain quality results. According to Burger (2004), there are certain abilities that a good leader should have several vital abilities. According to him, leaders are born leaders and develop according to their environment and education. Management on the other hand, can be learnt and obtained by sufficient training, education and acquiring additional skills. Leaders are necessary to drive the vision home and making sure that the drive stays alive in the hearts of the staff, members and contributors. The abilities which are very critical for leaders are: Encouraging workers to be creative and contribute: This is achieved by setting guidelines and encouraging them to participate at their level. People are individuals: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of the members of your group, listen to their fears and encourage them to achieve their aspirations. Lead by example: A leader should have the ability to build up a team to support him or her and this means that the leader should first volunteer. Therefore the example that is set by the individual is followed by the rest of the team. Effective Management According to Francis M (2007) the quality of a manager and effective management styles determine the culture of the organization, productivity of its staff and the ultimate success of the organization. As such a manager should striver to use the best Management styles. A manager should have the ability to direct supervise, encourage, inspire and co-ordinate and as a result facilitate action and guide change. In doing this the manager should develop his qualities and those of others. Managers use planning, Organizational and communication skills. There are certain other skills which must be possessed by effective managers. These skills are: Creative problem solving skills-A good manager should have the ability to describe and analyze a problem critically. During the analysis, there is need for a good manager to identify the causes of the problems in question and identify the best options and the best courses of action to take. The manager should then implement and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of his actions. Communication Skills-A good manager should be able to listen to the juniors and any other ideas from that may be of importance to the organization. He should also be able to make good presentations, give feedback on issues relating to running of the business and be able to write good reports. Conflict management skills.-The manager should have the ability to identify the sources of conflict in the organization and understand the personal style of conflict resolution. He should also develop the best strategy of dealing with the conflict and promote positive conflict in the organization. Negotiation Skills -The ideal manager should develop rational thinking in negotiation. By doing so, he will avoid various mistakes in negotiation and develop an effective skill in negotiation that assists both parties. Self-awareness and improvement-The manager should understand the importance of emotions in work and self-development. In addition, the manager should attempt to understand the importance of self-motivation and how to effectively manage self-learning and change. Successful managers must have certain qualities which should be able to define them. They should therefore be: Enthusiastic: This means that the manager should always be positive about everything because it helps to motivate those under them. Enthusiastic managers are committed to their goals because they express this through their optimism. Good communicator: The best managers who have good communication skills support individual and team achievements by creating guidelines for accomplishing tasks and career advancement for team members. Competence: Managers should have the ability to successfully lead others by having a past winning track record. A competent manager has expertise in management skills which enables him to inspire encourage, challenge and model. Ability to delegate: The way a manager checks and controls the work of others demonstrates his ability to delegate. A good manager should leave the other team members to participate in the work actively. Help employees set goals: Talking to employees assists in enabling them to understand the overall goals of the business. The manager should then help them to set individual goals which are geared towards achieving the long term business goals. Positively talking with employees and allowing them to participate in goal setting will motivate the workers to work harder. Effective management styles Managers are those people who can make the most out of their employees through their inspiration. According to the tutor2u business site (2010) Managers use different types of management styles according to the preference of the individual manager. These management styles are discussed below: Autocratic management style: There is close supervision and control of employees and all decisions are made by the manager. Workers are not trusted. They are just given orders which they are expected to follow to the latter. It means that in this style communication is one way. This style is very important when dealing with large number of semi-skilled workers who can not make certain decisions on their own. It may also be appropriate in time of crisis when fast decisions must be made. Paternalistic management style: Managers using this style give more importance to the social needs and view of workers. Decisions are therefore made in the best interests of workers. In addition, managers consult employees over issues and they listen to their feedback and opinions. Democratic Management style: Managers using this style trust their employees and will delegate to them some of the duties and encourage them to make some decisions. This requires two way communication and listening to employees advice. This means that the managers should encourage democratic discussion groups which form the basis of useful ideas. This style is only effective when decisions are made based on the major views of most workers. According to Vercillo K. (2010), there are ten traits that an effective business manager should have. These are: Self motivation: The manager should understand the goals of the business and develop individual strategies for achieving the goals. As such, he should be capable of doing the job with minimum supervision. Great customer service skills: An effective manager should be effective in dealing with customers and /or clients. He should thus be effective in handling problems which may occur with the customers. This means that the manager should be capable of making even the difficult customers happy in order to retain the customer and ensure business growth. Be a team player: The manager should be interested in making the business to grow. This means he should be ready to work with a team of people for the improvement of the overall business. Conflict resolution abilities: The manager should serve as a middleman between the lower employees and the company. He should therefore make an effort to solve any disputes that may arise between employees themselves or employees and the management. Knowledge of the industry: The manager should be able to answer all questions asked by customers, clients and even staff members. The manager should not only have advanced or specialized experience in the fields but should also have a thirst for more knowledge about the industry. CONCLUSION Although there are some people who still argue that leaders are the same as managers, there are some differences between the two concepts which can not be ignored. Managers have subordinates unless the title is honorary. This means that managers are paid to get things done and can therefore be said to be subordinates of other people. On the other hand, leaders have followers and it therefore means that when somebody is leading, he or she has to give up formal authoritative control because leading is majorly about voluntary work. There are however some attributes that must be possessed by both managers and leaders. For instance both the leader and the manager must have good communication skills to be able to clarify issues for attainment of overall best results. According to Clemmer J (1996), both management and leadership are important for a high performing organization. It is therefore important to understand the similarities and differences between the two concepts. This will help us to balance and improve the two roles. It is for instance important to understand that you can only lead people and manage people. According to Kotelnikov V (2001), leaders strive to seize opportunities and amplify strengths while managers avert threats and reduce weaknesses. As the old proverb says, leadership is doing the right thing while management is doing things right. However you should not dwell so much on the differences because both roles are required for corporate growth since the risk of leadership creates opportunities while the strictness of management turns them into tangible results. It means therefore, to be successful in business one must be both a good leader and manager because you will have to get followers who can easily listen to you and put the set goals into action .Proper management of organizational resources will minimize losses and in the long run maximize the value of the firm. Excessive use of managerial authority may deter the workers from doing their work well because they will be executing their duties with fear. The managers should thus device good communication mechanisms that will ensure that they are able to understand the fears of the workers and in turn help solve their problems in time. In conclusion, good management and leadership skills should be used effectively for the betterment of the organization because the two are inseparable and in most organizations leaders are the managers.

Which is Witch? Essay -- Character Analysis, Ron Rash

The novel, â€Å"One Foot in Eden† by Ron Rash, is an extravagant story that takes the reader into a tail of desperation, forgiveness and the inevitable change that comes with time. The novel is written in first person by four different novel characters who include: The High Sheriff Alexander, Deputy Bobby, Billy Holcombe, and his wife, Amy. The High Sheriff is looking for Holland Winchester, who is known as a local ruffian and war hero. The Sheriff soon learns from Holland’s mother that he had been having an affair with Amy Holcombe prior to his disappearance. Although Amy loves her husband Billy; he cannot give her a child because he is sterile. Amy goes to Holland Winchester, her neighbor, to give her a child because Widow Glendower promised he would. Widow Glendower is a minor character in the novel â€Å"One Foot in Eden.† However, she plays a vital role. Widow Glendower is often referred to as a witch throughout the novel, often associated with a devilish figure. Many believe that witches are dangerous. â€Å"For most of history, in most of the world, the prevailing view of witches is that they present some kind of threat (690 Joshi).† There are certain characteristics that represent the figure of a witch, however, Ronald Hutton states that there is â€Å"no general agreement on what a witch or witchcraft is supposed to be.â€Å" Though out the book, some of Widow Glendower’s actions could be interpreted to embody the characteristics of a witch. However, instead of being viewed as a witch or threatening figure, Widow Glendower should be seen as a part of a traditional herbal healing age, who cared for the sick and received a bad label because of history. She should be noted as a gentle midwife that wish es to invoke life, not take it away. Wid... ...tid=12777 Kontoyannis, M., & Katsetos, C. (2011). Midwives in early modern europe (1400-1800). Health Science Journal, 5(1), 31-36. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/845921670?accountid=12777 Nolan, J., & Robbins, M. (1999). Cultural conservation of medicinal plant use in the ozarks. Human Organization, 58(1), 67-72. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/201159123?accountid=12777 Rash, Ron. One Foot in Eden. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2002. Print. Joshi, S.T. Icons of horror and the supernatural: an encyclopedia of our worst nightmares. Greenwood Publishing Company, 2007. Volume 2. Ebook. Popkin, B. (1996). Wives, mothers, and witches: The learned discourse about women in early modern europe. Journal of Womens History, 8(3), 193-193. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/203245655?accountid=12777

The Assassination of President McKinley :: American America History

The Assassination of President McKinley In Cleveland, Ohio, on May 6, Emma Goldman, "The Anarchist," gave a speech. She outlined the principles and methods of anarchy in this beautiful speech, where she said, "We ... desire complete individual liberty, and this can never be obtained as long as there is an existing government." Toward the end of her speech, Goldman said that most Anarchists were not violent; she added that she believed in their motives, since some people are unable to act without force. All the while, police were ready to arrest her if she said anything too radical. The entire time, Leon Czolgosz was the most supportive of anyone in the audience (Berkeley 1). On September 5, 1901, Leon Czolgosz entered the Pan-American exposition. He blended in with the crowd, and surveyed the security, grounds layout, and crowds. An enormous crowd was gathered to see President McKinley, and Leon pushed his way through the masses until he was close enough to hear the speech. Leon pushed his way through the crowd, determined to get close enough to shoot the President. A security guard blocked his chance, and the President was escorted away (Assassin Arrived... 1). The next day, Leon and McKinley returned to the exposition. In the afternoon, the President began shaking hands with people lined up by the Temple door. Near the end of this line, Leon waited patiently. His hand was wrapped in a handkerchief, which he held close to his chest, but no one seemed to notice. When the President reached him, Leon extended his left hand, pressed it against the President's chest, and shot him twice with the gun he held under his handkerchief (Secret Service Guard...1). He did not have a chance to fire again, because a black man - next in line to shake the President's hand - had already tackled him. In seconds, more than a dozen men had tackled him and were beating him up. At the same time, Secret Service officers and exposition police seized Leon and tore the gun from his hands. US Artillery soldiers beat Leon after this. McKinley, in the middle of this panic, is reported to have said, "Go easy on him, boys" (Assassination of... 2). When news of the attack spread, the thousands in attendance began a riot; some shoved their way into the temple, trying to see if the rumor was true, while others demanded that Leon be hanged.

Terrorism - A Peaceful Jihad is an Oxymoron :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Terrorism - A Peaceful Jihad is an Oxymoron In June of 2002, when asked to give a graduation speech at Harvard, Zayed Yasin, a Muslim, wrote a speech in which he explained his definition of a Jihad. In accordance with the subject matter, Yasin titled his speech â€Å"My American Jihad.† When Harvard requested him to change the title, he complied. This action, though, stirred up many who believed Yasin had a right to use his original title. From the stance John Milton takes in his essay, Aeropagitica, one can clearly see that he would argue against Harvard’s decision to censor the title of Yasin’s speech. Milton, however, overzealously defends free speech and fails to recognize that the authorities must withhold some things from people under their governing authority. Though Yasin appears to attempt to portray a different aspect of the word â€Å"Jihad† in his speech than that aspect that has dominated America over the past year, he fails to recognize its more common meaning. Rather, he excuses the common meaning as having been â€Å"corrupted and misinterpreted.† In his speech, Yasin explains that to him, Jihad â€Å"is the determination to do right, to do justice even against your own interests. It is an individual struggle for personal moral behavior.† Yasin continues to explain his definition of Jihad and gives more details about it. According to author Abdullah Al Araby, although Yasin correctly describes Jihad as a personal, inner struggle, Jihad also means, â€Å"fighting in the name of Allah.† Al Araby explains, â€Å"In this sense Jihad is the struggle for the cause of spreading Islam, using all means available to Muslims, including force. This kind of Jihad is often referred to as ‘Holy War’.â₠¬  As a result of the recent September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, people refer to this definition when discussing the term Jihad. Contrary to popular belief, Islam does not teach peace to the extent most Americans think it does. The Qu’ran, the holy book of Islam, commands, "Fight (kill) them (non-Muslims), and Allah will punish (torment) them by your hands, cover them with shame" (Surah 9:14). Numerous similar commands exist in the Qu’ran (Al Araby). Not only does Yasin present a misleading and deceptive argument by explaining merely half of the meaning of the term Jihad, but he also, by using the term in conjunction with the adjective â€Å"American,† implies that Americans participate in Jihad.

The Jesus I Never Knew

What takes place when an esteemed Christian journalist chooses to put his presumptions aside and take a long look at the Jesus depicted in the Gospels? How does the Jesus of the New Testament measure up to the †new, rediscovered Jesus — or even the Jesus we suppose we know so well? In The Jesus I Never Knew, Yancey delved into the life of Jesus, as he elucidates, â€Å"‘from below,' to come to terms with as best I can what it must have been like to observe in person the extraordinary events unfolding in Galilee and Judea† as Jesus journeyed and taught. In fact, he stumbled on himself further and further detached from the person of Jesus, diverted in its place by flannel-graph figures and scholarly assessment. He single-mindedly used his journalistic flair to approach Jesus, in the perspective of time, surrounded by the context of history. Yancey investigates three essential questions: who Jesus was, why he came, and what he left behind. Step by step, scene by scene, Yancey explores the culture into which Jesus was born and matured to adulthood; his moral fiber and calling; his teachings and miracles; and his legacy not just as the historical account explained it, but as he himself planned it to be. This book by Philip Yancey is faith-building look at Jesus' life–his family, his teachings, the miracles, and his death and resurrection. Phillip Yancey says, â€Å"The Jesus I got to know in writing this book is very different from the Jesus I learned about in Sunday school. † In a number of ways he is more reassuring; in some ways more startling. Yancey puts forward a fresh and singular perspective on the life of Christ and who he was and why he came. Linking the gospel events to the human race and our cosmos that we live in today, The Jesus I Never Knew provides a poignant and invigorating description of the preeminent figure of history. With an eagerness to undertake the complex matters in the Gospels, Yancey comes across at the uncompromising words of this itinerant Jewish carpenter and inquires whether we are taking him earnestly enough in our own day and age. According to Yancey, â€Å"No one who meets Jesus ever stays the same. †

Dijkstra’s Algorithm Essay

1) Write short notes on: a) Pains of Partition b) Family bonding and disintegration Ans. a) India was a colony for over 200 years and this struggle for independence is deeply rooted in the Indian psyche. More than this, another momentous event of partition is taken up by the authors. Heinous activity, cruelty, barbarism have left deep scars in Indian minds. Different aspects of partition have been dealt with by many writers specially who have themselves undergone that experience. His most famous book is â€Å"Train to Pakistan†. Another important book by him is â€Å"Ghadar 1915: India’s first Armed Revolution†. There are some women writers who have also written about the partition of 1947. Manju Kapur has, in fact, made it the background of her novel â€Å"Difficult Daughter† that was published in 1998. Nina Sibal painted a vivid picture of partition in her novel â€Å"Yatra† and â€Å"What the body remembers† by Shauna Baldwain also throws light on the pains of Partition. b) Among all the countries of the world, the institution of family is of supreme importance in India. Even in this post modern world, Family still plays the pivotal role. There have been continuous twists and turns in the cobweb of family relationship. Many writers have written profusely on it but basically women writers have dealt with an extra edge. Shashi Deshpandey, Kamala Markandeya, Nayantara Sahgal , to name a few. Earlier, India had joint family system but with rapid industrialization and to meet out the search of better opportunities of employment, the families gradually acquired the shape of nuclear ones. Urban migration started with the shifting of masses from rural to urban areas to meet out the challenges of earning living. Such issues also dealt with seriously by many writers in all the languages in India. Both the genres of short stories and novels take up ‘Family’ as an important issue and then the different equations between members of the family always make interesting plot for the stories. Relation between mother and son, husband and wife, brother and brother, brother and sister requires minute detailing and a lot of sensitivity. 2) Write a note on basket-selling girl. Ans. The writer is shown as eighteen years old and studying in the Delhi University. The girl , that he meets at Deoli station, is very poor as her feet were bare but he was struck by the sheer dignity with which she carried herself. She had a typical charm about her personality. She had a beautiful , pale visage with shiny, black hair. The feature of profound attraction was her pair of dark, troubled eyes. In a way the writer was mesmerized by the simple beauty and grace oozing out of her personality. â€Å"She stood by my window for some time and neither of us said anything. But when she moved on, I found myself leaving my seat and going to the carriage door. † The use of the words â€Å"I found myself† amply suggests that he was motivated from within to follow that girl. The germination of love in this story does not seem to be unrequited as the girl also gets sparkled up looking at the writer for the second time. In fact her maiden meeting with the writer instills a spark of happiness within her. He writes, â€Å" I watched her as the platform slipped away. She was alone on the platform and she did not move, but she was looking at me and smiling. I watched her until the signal-box in the way, and then the jungle hid the station, but I could still see her standing there alone †¦.. â€Å" 3. What are the unique features of Desai’s prose style ? Ans. Desai is part of a new literary tradition of Indian writing in English which dates back only to the ’30s or ’40s. She explains that this is because â€Å"at one time all literature was recited rather than read and that remains the tradition in India. It is still rather a strange act to buy a book and read it, an unusual thing to do†. Her new style of writing is also different from that of many Indian writers, as it is much less conservative than Indian literature has been in the past. For these reasons, she says, she is not widely read in India, mainly in Indian universities if at all. Throughout her novels, children’s books, and short stories, Desai focuses on personal struggles and problems of contemporary life that her Indian characters must cope with. She maintains that her primary goal is to discover â€Å"the truth that is nine-tenths of the iceberg that lies submerged beneath the one-tenth visible portion we call Reality†. She portrays the cultural and social changes that India has undergone as she focuses on the incredible power of family and society and the relationships between family members, paying close attention to the trials of women suppressed by Indian society. Desai is praised for her broad understanding on intellectual issues, and for her ability to portray her country so vividly with the way the eastern and western cultures have blended there. 4) Write the character sketch of Daga . Ans. Daga was a contractor who earned huge amount of money. As money begets money, he piled up bundles of notes by hook or by crook. He was involved in the quagmire of immoral deeds like murder, kidnapping, trafficking etc. He had an unsatiating appetite for money and he blew it up on women and alcohol. There was nothing congenial or friendly in Daga’s personality. He did not think twice before slashing anybody from his scheme of life but if someone tried to leave his gang, he would akin it an act of treacherous absconder. For example, there was a man Kannan who wanted to leave Daga’s world of heinous crime but no sooner than this news reached Daga’s ear, he was murdered. When Kailas extricated himself from the company of Daga, he could not take it casually. In spite of Kailas’ escaping to a far off place, in fact a continent away, he managed to find him. To Kailas’ utter discomfort, his greed of money is not quashed. He demanded fifty thousand rupees from him. Kailas tried his level best to make him understand that his current job did not flourish him with unlimited money but Daga was not ready to listen. He was violent enough to have forgotten that Kailas once used to work for him. He used harsh body language while dealing with Kailas. â€Å"If you run again, I will kill you, no matter which gutter you hide in. Tomorrow this time. Fifty thousand. † This threat sent the shivers down Kailas’ spine. He knew that Daga was a killer and that hunting lodge was an ideal place for his murder to be taken place without any news of it to anybody. Finally Daga meets his death as a murderer should die. 5) Write a note on suitability of the title â€Å" Panch Parmeshwar’ . Ans. The story ‘Panch Parmeshwar’ deals with the supremact of

Project Management Principles Essay

Project management is the discipline of planning, organizing, securing, managing, leading, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals. A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and end (usually time-constrained, and often constrained by funding or deliverables), undertaken to meet unique goals and objectives, typically to bring about beneficial change or added value. Project management is a composite activity with multiple dimensions. Depending on the type and class of project this management activity can be very complex. To make a project successful, the following principles are necessary assets in creating a path to completion. These principles of project management can be applied to any level or branch of a project that falls under a different area of responsibility in the overall project organization. Project Management Principles Initiation During the initiation process, the nature and scope of the project is defined. Without careful planning of this process, the project is unlikely to meet the needs of the business. Here, need an understanding of the business environment and need to make sure that all controls are incorporated and all deficiencies pointed out and adjusted. Everybody working on the project needs to understand the nature of their involvement: for what is each person responsible, and to whom are they accountable? Without clear roles and responsibilities, nobody will know precisely what he or she is supposed to be doing (and everybody will pass the buck at the first sign of trouble). In such a chaotic environment, the progress of the project will be seriously jeopardized. Planning After the goals are set in the initiation phase, planning will incorporate details that are specific to make the project work. It is important to take the time to carefully plan out a project, as a poorly planned project will take much longer to complete. Important elements including budget, schedule, risk involved, activities needed, and resources are carefully planned in this phase. Planning is essential. It helps to: -Communicate what has to be done, when and by whom -Encourage forward thinking -Provide the measures of success for the project -Make clear the commitment of time, resources (people and equipment), and money required for the project -Determine if targets are achievable -Identify the activities the resources need to undertake. Execution This is when the plan is put into action. This phase will also need precise management of people, time and resources. Communication is essential to be successful in execution. It is vital that clients and customers think carefully about the products, or deliverables, they require, before the project begins. The clearer they can be about their requirements, the more realistic and achievable the plans that can be produced. This makes managing the project much easier and less risky. During the execution phase, issues should be carefully tracked so that the project manager and other team members are aware of any problems that come up during execution. Monitoring and Controlling Monitoring and Controlling a project is the process or activities whereby the project manager tracks, reviews and revises the project activities in order to ensure the project creates the deliverables in accordance with the project objectives. Project control really happens close in proximity with project execution. Project control involves monitoring the project for risks and keeping those risks at bay. It also involves keeping changes in the project to a minimum. Project control often mistakenly gets lumped in with project execution functions, but it’s important not to do this. At times, during the control phase, project managers may find that a given risk or problem forces them to revisit phase II – planning. This is because some risks or issues that come up and were unforeseen may make the project, as planned, unable to reach completion. Good project managers will implement a system to monitor and control their project’s progress to ensure project success. Closing Even a project needs to be closed. This is the phase where there is formal acceptance that the project has ended. This not only includes project closure, but contract closure as well. When a project is complete it is advisable to conduct a controlled closedown. This allows the formal handing over of the final product of the project to the staff responsible for its continued operation. Closing the project includes steps to ensure that all of the aims have been met. Formal acceptance and sign off procedures are carried out to check that all the project products meet the required quality standards.

Environment of Firms Essay

Environment of Firms Introduction Business environment consist of all those factors that have a bearing on the business. The term â€Å"business environment† implies those external forces, factors and institutions that are beyond the control of individual business organizations and their management and affect the business enterprise. These forces are customer, creditors, competitors, government, socio-cultural organizations, political parties national and international organizations etc. some of those forces affect the business directly which some others have indirect effect on the business. Types of Environment 1Internal Environment The internal environment is the environment that has a direct impact on the business. Here there are some internal factors which are generally controllable because the company has control over these factors. It can alter or modify such factors as its personnel, physical facilities, and organization and functional means, like marketing, to suit the environment. A) VALUE SYSTEM The value system of the founders and those at the helm of affairs has important bearing on the choice of business, the mission and the objectives of the organization, business policies and practices. B) MISSION,VISION AND OBJECTIVES Vision means the ability to think about the future with imagination and wisdom. Vision is an important factor in achieving the objectives of the organization. The mission is the medium through which the objectives are achieved. C) Organizational Structure It includes the values and expectations of your firm’s stakeholders; its mission, goals and objectives; and its resources. These factors combined  determine what your organization is trying to accomplish and how successful it is likely to be. 5 basic parts of organization: Operating core, Strategic Apex, Middle line, Technostructure, and Support staff basic organization structure: a) Functional b) Divisional c) Hierarchical d) Line and Staff Structuree) Task Force The Need for Organizational Structure Organizations needs structuring so that lines of authority along with individual duties and responsibilities can be understood by every company member. f) Matrix Structure TRENDS IN ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES The growth in retailing, both on-site and off-site, has required merchants to readdress their tables of organization so that they will better serve the needs of their customers and make their companies more profitable. Some of today’s trends in organizational structuring for the fashion-retailing arena are described in this section. Restructuring to Accommodate Multichannel Expansion When department stores in particular expanded their catalog operations, many initially opted to make this division part of their brick-and-mortar operations. Similarly, when retailers saw that the Internet had the potential to increase revenues, they changed their organizational structure to reflect this and to make the overall operation function more efficiently. Today, the trend is for the major multichannel retailers to adjust and expand their tables of organization and separate the three functions into separate channels. Macy’s, for example, is one of the giants in the industry  that has changed to that format. Consolidation of Divisions The acquisition of department stores by major retail groups has become a dominant trend. May Department Stores and Federated Department Stores, for example, are two companies that have expanded their operations by purchasing other retail companies. In their pursuit of maximizing profits, these groups have, in many cases, decided to merge the new acquisitions into some of their own stores. May, for example, purchased sixteen Wanamaker’s stores and three Woodward & Lothrop stores and merged some into their Hecht’s division and some into the Lord & Taylor group. Through this practice, fewer buyers and merchandisers were needed as were other executives who previously worked exclusively for one store. As this acquisition trend continues, this staff consolidation is likely to continue as well. Decentralization Much of the growth in large-scale retailing has come about by expansion into new trading areas. Although centralization was once the forte of the chain organization, this expansion has necessitated some decentralization of functions. Merchandise distribution, for example, has now been decentralized to include regional operations. When stores were so far from the single distribution center, the time it took for merchandise to reach many of the units was both inefficient and costly. SMALL STORE APPLICATIONS The manner in which small stores are organized is unlikely to change, because these operations require few employees to run them. The key roles are usually performed by the owner or partners with the remainder of the functions such as selling and stock keeping left to the sales associates. When there isn’t a store manager on site, as is often the case, a particular salesperson should be designated to take charge and assign tasks such as handling temporary changes in sales associates’ hours. When outside tasks, such as advertising and visual merchandising, are required, outside agencies should be hired to take care of them. The need for in-house specialists to perform these tasks is limited and is too costly for small businesses to afford. Strengths and Weaknesses Strength is any attribute or ability of the organization that may help it in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision Weakness is any attribute or ability of the organization that may hinder it in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision †¢For example factors relating to products, pricing, costs, profitability, performance, quality, people, skills, adaptability, brands, services, reputation, processes, infrastructures, etc †¢Factors tend to be in the present Starbucks SWOT analysis 2013 Strengths 1.Sound financial records 2.No. 1 brand in coffeehouse segment valued at $4 billion 3.Starbucks experience 4.Largest coffeehouse chain in the world 5.Employee management Weaknesses 1.Coffee beans price is the major influence over firm’s profits 2.Product pricing 3.Negative publicity Opportunities 1.Extend supplier range 2.Expansion to emerging economies 3.Increase product offerings 4.Expansion of retail operations Threats 1.Rising prices of coffee beans and dairy products 2.Trademark infringements 3.Increased competition from local cafes and specialization of other coffeehouse chains 4.Saturated markets in the developed economies 5.Supply disruptions 2External Environment It refers to the environment that has an indirect influence on the business. The factors are uncontrollable by the business. Two types of external environment: Micro Environment The micro environment is also known as the task environment and operating environment because the micro environmental forces have a direct bearing on the operations of the firm. a) Suppliers An important force in the micro environment of a company is the suppliers, i.e., those who supply the inputs like raw materials and components to the company. b) Customer The major task of a business is to create and sustain customers. A business exists only because of its customers. c) Marketing Intermediaries The marketing intermediaries include middlemen such as agents and merchants that help the company find customers or close sales with them. d) Financers The financers are also important factors of internal environment. e) Public Public can be said as any group that has an actual or potential interest in or on an organization’s ability to achieve its interest. Public include media and citizens. Macro Environment Macro environment is also known as General environment and remote environment. Macro factors are generally more uncontrollable than micro environment factors. When the macro factors become uncontrollable, the success of company depends upon its adaptability to the environment. a) Economic Environment Economic environment refers to the aggregate of the nature of economic system of the country, business cycles, the socio-economic infrastructure etc. b) Social Environment The social dimension or environment of a nation determines the value system of the society which, in turn affects the functioning of the business. Sociological factors such as costs structure, customs and conventions, mobility of labor etc. have far-reaching impact on the business. c) Political Environment The political environment of a country is influenced by the political organizations such as philosophy of political parties, ideology of government or party in power, nature and extent of bureaucracy influence of primary groups etc. d) Legal Environment Legal environment includes flexibility and adaptability of law and other legal rules governing the business. It may include the exact rulings and decision of the courts. e) Technical Environment The business in a country is greatly influenced by the technological development. The technology adopted by the industries determines the type and quality of goods and services to be produced and the type and quality of plant and equipment to be used. Financial System of the Country and Selected Items of Monetary & Fiscal Policies The structure of the Philippine Financial system is dominated by a banking system. Bangko Sentral is the official central bank in the Philippines. The structure of the financial system allows the option to take debts and buy bonds or stocks. There are many private banks present for this purpose. Financial Institutions are the intermediaries that mobilize savings and facilitate the allocations of funds in an efficient manner Fiscal policy refers to the â€Å"measures employed by governments to stabilize the economy, specifically by manipulating the levels and allocations of taxes and government expenditures. Fiscal measures are frequently used in tandem with monetary policy to achieve certain goals.† In the Philippines, this is characterized by continuous and increasing levels of debt and budget deficits, though there have been improvements in the last few years. The Philippine government’s main sources of revenue are taxes, with some non-tax revenue also being collected. To finance fiscal deficit and debt, the Philippines rely on both domestic and  external sources. External Sources of Financing are: 1 Program and Project Loans – the government offers project loans to external bodies and uses the proceeds to fund domestic projects like infrastructure, agriculture, and other government projects. 2 Credit Facility Loans 3 Zero-coupon Treasury Bills 4 Global Bonds 5 Foreign Currencies Domestic Sources of Financing are: 1 Treasury Bonds 2 Facility loans 3 Treasury Bills 4 Bond Exchanges 5 Promissory Notes 6 Term Deposits In 2010, the total outstanding debt of the Philippines reached Php4.718 trillion: Php2.718 trillion from outstanding domestic sources and Php2 trillion from foreign sources. According to the Department of Finance, the country has recently reduced dependency on external sources to minimize the risks caused by changes in the global exchange rates. Efforts to reduce national debt include increasing tax efforts and decreasing government spending. Monetary policy is the monitoring and control of money supply by a central bank, such as the Federal Reserve Board in the United States of America, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas in the Philippines. This is used by the government to be able to control inflation, and stabilize currency. Monetary Policy is considered to be one of the two ways that the government can influence the economy – the other one being Fiscal Policy (which makes use of government spending, and taxes). Monetary Policy is generally the process by which the central bank, or government controls the supply and availability of money, the cost of money, and the rate of interest. The Philippines’ inflation target is measured through the Consumer Price Index (CPI). For 2009, inflation target has been set to be 3.5 percent, having a 1% tolerance level, and 4.5 percent for 2010, also having  1% tolerance. Also, the Monetary Board of the Philippines announced a target of around 4 ±1 percent from 2012 to 2014. Opportunities and Threats Opportunities are any issue, event or trend that may help the organization in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision Threats are any issue, event or trend that may hinder the organization in accomplishing its mission and in fulfilling its vision †¢for example, factors relating to markets, audience, fashion, seasonality, trends, competition, economics, politics, society, culture, technology, environmental, media, law etc †¢factors tend to be in the future