Reconstruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reconstruction - Essay Example The above mentioned scenario, as well as the events that followed in the attempted reconstruction of the American South by the Republican Party, were catalogued by several historians, with each historian instilling their own perspective into their recording of events. For the purposes of this paper an elucidation of the views of the views of four historians and their texts will be provided. These include: Reconstruction by Thomas Wilson, The Negro in Reconstruction by Carter Woodson, The Ordeal of Reconstruction by Thomas A. Bailey, and Reconstruction: Unfinished Revolution by Mary Beth Norton. Overview The views expressed by the different authors are to an extent the products of their particular time and prevalent historical school of thought and as such are reflective of it in terms of the language used. Each text is also characterized by the amount of words dedicated to each issue depending on the particular perspective of each author. Wilson is generally extremely critical of the Northern carpetbaggers and derisory of the competence of the â€Å"negroes† while being wholly sympathetic to the plight of the Southern White. Woodson on the other hand, is focused primarily on the role of the â€Å"Negroe† and in attempting to absolve him of the corruption and mismanagement that plagued the era. Bailey highlights the incompetence and illiteracy of the â€Å"negroes† while painting a bleak picture of the government and policies of time, keeping in line with the other authors. Norton, is perhaps the only author to portray reconstruction and the Northern immigrants in a positive light, while being highly critical of the role of the Southern White gentry. Carpet Baggers Thomas Wilson in his piece Reconstruction places the blame for the failure of reconstruction solely on the carpetbaggers or opportunistic Northern immigrants and dedicates the majority of the piece to the exploitative activities of the above. Wilson states: â€Å"These men, mere â€Å"carpet baggers† for the most part, who brought nothing with them, and had nothing to bring but a change of clothing and their wits, became the new masters of the blacks.† Wilson’s implication here is that all Northern immigrants were â€Å"carpet baggers†, individuals who had little wealth to offer the South and instead came to exploit its resources. There is no mention of Northerners who may have possibly arrived to assist in the improvement of the conditions of African Americans. Another inference that can be drawn from the above statement is that Wilson had beliefs that the â€Å"carpet baggers† were perpetuating the system of slavery, albeit indirectly by manipulating the â€Å"blacks. Carter Woodson while taking a critical view of the role of the â€Å"carpet baggers† also accepts that some of them did have principled intentions: Referring to the â€Å"carpet baggers† he states: â€Å"They were in many respects selfish men , but not always utterly lacking in principle.† However, he does acknowledge that much of wholesale corruption during the era was a result of the greed of the â€Å"carpet baggers†: â€Å"Being adventurers and interested in their own affairs, the carpet baggers became unusually corrupt in certain states.† Thomas Bailey is for the most part silent on the role of â€Å"carpet baggers† but he does state: â€Å"Graft and theft ran wild, especially in states like Louisiana and South Carolina,

Why Go To College Essay Example for Free

Why Go To College Essay What influenced me to attend college? My Grandparents have tried to get me to go to college for many years. However, I didn’t have much interest in furthering my education. I was a nanny for almost seven years, and had hopes of making that my career, until I was charged with a felony. That put an abrupt end to a career in any form of childcare. So after spending the next two years in treatment, I came to the conclusion that going to college would be the best way for me to achieve my new interest of helping others with their chemical dependency addictions. â€Å"Your future starts here†(www.grad.pci.uta.edu). There are a lot of colleges that use that catch phrase. My future without college became clear to me when witnessing two brothers that came from the same background. One attended college and the other chose not to, and began his own transportation business. With the event of 9-11, his business went under. Without an education beyond High School, he has not been able to find meaningful employment and is currently living in a camper and doing odd jobs. The other brother, that attended college, is now an executive in a major corporation and is living in a ‘mansion’. It became clear to me that in order to get into the field I am interested in and make a decent living, I would need to further my education. The difference in the annual income between someone with just a high school diploma and someone with a Bachelor’s Degree is huge. Statistics show that High School graduates on average make $33,176 a year, and someone with a Bachelor’s Degree can make $54,756 on average per year.(www.ohe.state.mn.us, Facts About Income of Graduates, Minnesota Office of Higher Education, March 23, 2012, web, Aug. 2013) Now that’s quite a difference. I chose to compare these two things because a Bachelor’s Degree is what I would need to get into the field I may possibly be interested in. I’m still unsure of a specific major that I would like to pursue. Chemical Dependency Counseling is an interest of my mine, but I’m still undecided. So that’s another plus with going to college, they offer courses that are meant to help someone who’s unsure about what they want to do with their future, find something that interests them. I have found that college is not as easy as I once thought. There are many things or activities one must give up or put on hold while attending college, but a little studying now will lead to a better future later. Mainly what I hope to gain by attending college,  is not only a higher education, but also a skill set and the discipline to build a career in the field I choose, rather than just having a minimum wage job.

Government Plans Essay -- Essays Papers

Government Plans A look at the relationship between Small Business and the US Government The purpose of a democracy is to provide a form of government in which the people are the ones who give form the direction and the government serves their interest. The government’s overall goal is to preserve the American way of life. One major part of the American way of life is the economy, which was built by small businesses that were able to prosper in our system of government and become global corporations. In the current day, our economy depends on these conglomerates and the little guy is left to suffer. With the fragile state the economy is in, it is the small businesses that should be supported to stimulate jobs and economic growth. Just like when it was built, the economy will continue to rely on small businesses. A successful entrepreneur, Ben Gordon, informed me that more than 50% of all start-up businesses fail within 3 years. For a country founded by mom and pop stores, one would think entrepreneurs would receive more help starting out. Currently, the g overnment is failing to yield appropriately to the concerns of small business owners about health care, taxes and regulations, and the availability of federal contracts. Many small businesses are opposed to more government intervention in all areas except for health care. Small companies do not have the leverage that larger corporations do when it come to acquiring major policies. Keith Hasty, president and CEO of Best Foam Fabricators, a family owned manufacturer of foam for the auto industry says that it cost $7,000 a year per each one of his 95 employees for health care because of the rising cost of medical care (Ioannou). That is $665,000 per year to provi... ...the Home Front Reactions to the Bush Economic Plan Laments from the little guy.† Denver Post 12 January 2003:A1. Gordon, Benjamin. E-mail to author. 11 February 2003. Ioannou, Lori; Batterson, Len; Cooper, Paul; Cory, Andrew; Hasty, Keith; Herrera, Leticia; Kerns, Kevin; Schroeder, Tom; Suzenaar Jr., Max; Zugulich, Dan. â€Å"The Big Issues for Small Concerns.† Time 17 July 2000: B7. Mandle, Michael J.; Miller, Rich. â€Å"Is it Class Warfare?† Business Week 20 January 2003: Issue 2816, p26. Pear, Robert. â€Å"Bush Prepares Health Plan Aimed at Small Businesses.† New York Times 27 January 2003. Public Law 85-536. â€Å"Small Business Act.† http://www,SBA.gov. Salem, Nancy. â€Å"Small Firms can Snag Federal Contracts, experts say.† Denver Post 22 December, 2000: A28. Sanko, John J. â€Å"Owens Policy Adviser gets Regulatory Post.† Rocky Mountain News 28 November 2002: 25A.

The Most Popular Dance Genres Essay -- zumba, classical ballet

Dance is a universal expression. People can easily tell stories or express how they feel through this form of art. Just like an instrument, dancing is how a dancer makes music. In general dancing has changed throughout time. How we dance now is not how it was done in the fifties and sixties. Like music dance evolves according to what is popular. Something is constantly being added to all of the different genres of dance. Although there are many different styles of dances in the world, there are some that are more popular: Zumba, Ballet, Salsa, and the most popular, Hip Hop. Zumba is a dance craze that has become popular in the last few years, bypassing other genres of dances that have been being done for centuries. What is Zumba you ask? Well Zumba, Spanish slang for buzz or move fast, incorporates hypnotic Latin music with easy-to-do moves that leads to a dynamic and effective workout program. This is the reason to why Zumba has become so widespread, it’s fun, easy and it benefits your health in a major way. The way you do Zumba is by attending a Zumba class. There you are taught by an instructor different moves along with other women from ages thirteen to seventy years old. You can also buy the workout DVD’s and shake off your pounds in the privacy of your home. Like other dances it’s a combination of other genres of dances, mainly Latin or Spanish dance moves mixed with a little bit of hip-hop. This fun dance was an accidental discovery way back in 1986 by Alberto Perez. Perez was teaching an aerobics class in Santiago de Cali, Colombia when he used his personal music to teach class instead of using his normal music. Even though he did this back in 1986 this form of aerobics didn’t become popular in America until 2002. Today ... ...rrow. Each and every individual has their own personal favorite genre of dance weather it is Zumba, ballet, salsa, or hip hop. They all are just to express yourself so go out and enjoy dancing! Works Cited 1. "Anna Pavlovna Pavlova." 2014. Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC, .Web. Apr 10 2014. http://www.biography.com/people/anna-pavlova-9435343. 2. â€Å"Types and styles of Ballet.† pbt.org. Plumb Media. Web. Apr 10 2014. http://www.pbt.org/community-engagement/types-and-styles-ballet 3. Hanson, Rachel. â€Å"History of Hip Hop Dance†.dance.lovetoknow.com. LoveToKnow Corp. Web. Apr 10 2014. http://dance.lovetoknow.com/History_of_Hip_Hop_Dance 4. Sarnataro, Barbara. â€Å"Zumba: Fun Is Secret Ingredient of Latin Dance Workout†. webmd.com. WebMD, LLC. Web. Apr 10 2014. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/zumba-fun-is-secret-ingredient-of-latin-dance-workout

Euthanasia †Good Or Bad? Essay

Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable, deadly and incredibly painful disease or illness. Who is to decide for others? The government? Each and every person has the right to decide about issues such as euthanasia for themselves, nobody else should be able to decide for them as they are the ones in need – what’s it to others? It’s their suffering, their life and their choice. Wouldn’t you like to leave earth with the least amount of pain possible? Of course you would†¦who wouldn’t? Along with euthanasia being able to put a stop to ones agonizing pains, it’s also able to decrease the amount of grief that they and their loved ones experience due to seeing each other go through a vast amount of distress. Many (religious and nonreligious) people believe that it is wrong to keep people alive beyond their natural life span (e.g. a life support machine) because only god has the power to decide when ones life ends. Jesus once said ‘Do Unto Others As You Would Have Them Do To You’ therefore if you were suffering really badly then you’d want your life to end the easiest and quickest way possible. Another thing that may seem more important than passing away with the least possible amount of physical and emotional pain, is respect and dignity. Euthanasia enables terminally ill people to pass on with a small, but priceless, amount of dignity and self-respect they have left in themselves. Who in the right world of mind would want to die with no respect from others? Euthanasia will help prevent that to thousands across Britain – not just the incurable patients but also the patients friends, family and even the doctors jobs would be less stressful. In March 2002 a 43 yr old woman, named Diane Pretty whom had Motor Neuron Disease made the headlines with her plea for her beloved husband to be allowed to assist her in suicide (as she only had a few unbearable months to live) with no fear of prosecution. At her hearing she spoke with the help of a voice synthesizer and said ‘I want my rights to have a death with dignity’, but her plea was rejected and she died later that year in May, in a hospice. What are people who want euthanasia like? Selfish? They’ll make their decision while thinking about nobody but themselves. They don’t even think about how their family and friends will take the news and how much they’ll miss them. If the person wanting euthanasia loved them dearly then they’d live on for them. Religious people have a point of view for euthanasia but they also have views against euthanasia to. Christians have hospices around Britain, which are specially for looking after terminally ill people while making sure that they don’t lose their dignity, Christianity believes euthanasia is wrong as they believe in the ‘Sanctity Of Life’ and it is against the commandment ‘Do Not Kill’. Jesus suffered severely and painfully on the cross, but he did not cut short his suffering – therefore it is not down to us to end out life. Other religions, including Christianity believe that accepting suffering may have a spiritual value for your soul, in heaven, rebirth or the afterlife. Terminally ill people include people whom are in comas and unconsciousness; so the persons loved ones may commit euthanasia against their wishes and the patient might recover from an illness against all odds as the doctor’s diagnosis has a chance of being wrong. Doctors’ jobs are to save peoples lives – well to at least try, not to kill them; this will result in Britain’s doctors being murderers and no one would like to go to a murderer for help.

Goldcorp Strategic analysis Essays

Goldcorp Strategic analysis Essays Goldcorp Strategic analysis Essay Goldcorp Strategic analysis Essay Awake Nelson Parsonage Sang Tap Table of Contents Executive Summary The report contains the strategic plan for Colder to sustain their growth based on an in-depth analysis of their current situation and the industry in which they operating. Colder, one of the lowest cost and fastest growing gold producers in North America, is looking to find sustainable growth options that would Increase profits. They have a strong disciplined growth strategy, but there are three mines which are at the end of its lifestyle which would greatly impact the gold production rate and market supply. Competitors have begun to acquire the same targets of Colder. The Kiosk mine acquisition was lost to Gaining Eagle after an unsuccessful bidding process. Stakeholders have also begun to speculate suspicious activities within Colder that may put their reputation at risk. Recently, the company has been kicked out of Guatemala from overwhelming public protests about violations of local human rights. An unfavorable company image would create uncertainty in their stakeholders who may withdraw their funds from the company. Relations with the public have been well-executed due to community support programs that create jobs for the public. In addition to those who are hired, Colder manages the highest safety precautions for every employee to reach their operating goal of zero fatalities. Colder will implemental mill scats reprocessing project Into other mines to extract any excess steel that comes out of the gold explorations. : They will be process and refined to create a new and strong source of revenue in the sale of these materials in as the current mines are reaching the end of their useful life. Gold output is an important statistic for the company and keeping it at its peak will be critical to the success in the industry. Another way to increase the gold production and mine expansion rate is to re-launch the Colder Challenge which was implemented 14 years ago. Properties with abundant gold reserves will be identified from remote locations all over the world at the lowest cost possible highest return on investment. Within the next 5 years, Colder will be at its most successful position in its history with increasing gold production and mine expansions. Progress reports will be done secularly to ensure the company is heading towards a prosperous future. Company Presentation Colder Inc. , headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, is one of the lowest cost and fastest growing senior gold producers in North America. The company was founded in 1954 and employs more than 16,000 people (Colder, 2014). Colder is committed to responsible mining practices and developing sustained, industry leading growth and performance. The company is involved in the exploration, acquisition, and operation of gold properties in Canada, the United States, Mexico and Central and South America. In addition to gold, the Corporation also produces silver, copper, lead and zinc primarily from concentrate produced at the Pantsuit Mine and Lumbered Mine, which is sold to third party refineries. Goldenrods operating assets include four mines in Canada (Red Lake, Porcupine, Wharf Mushiest), one mine in the U. S. (Marigold), three mines in Mexico (Pantsuit, El Causal Los Fills), and three in Central and South America (Marlin, Lumbered, Pueblo Viejo). Along with these valuable assets, the success for company is well defined by its focus on five key attributes: growth, low cash costs, maintaining a throng balance sheet, operating in regions with low political risks and conducting business in a responsible manner. The companys strategy is to provide its shareholders, employees and business partners with sustainable prosperity with high quality assets. Colder is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (symbol: G) and the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company undergoes significant development projects some of which includes Cero Negro gold project in Argentina; the El ©Monroe and Connector gold projects in Canada; the El Morrow gold/copper project (70% interest) in Chile; and the Camino Roll gold/silver project in Mexico. On February 3, 2014, the Company announced that it had, in conjunction with its Joint venture partner, Barrack, entered into a definitive agreement to sell their respective interests in Marigold to Silver Standard Resources Inc. Internal Analysis Colder operates 11 mines throughout Canada, USA, Mexico, and South America. They produce 2. 6 million ounces of gold annually. The Red Lake Mine, Goldenrods top producer, produces over 2,400 tones per day. Despite a mid-year decrease in gold price in 2013, Colder was able to achieve its productions due to the Operating for Excellence program (Colder Inc, 2013). The program resulted in a significant efficiency and productivity gains, while maintaining a culture of safe and profitable production. Moreover, Goldenrods competitive advantage lies in the location of its mines. Goldenrods mines are exclusively located in Jurisdictions with low political risks mentioned in Appendix 2, Colder also has a strong relationship with local communities and are able to provide Jobs for them (Colder Inc, 2011). They understand the negative impacts of operating mines in the communities and were able to conduct their business that supports strong, vibrant and sustainable immunities. Colder received several accomplishments such as, safety awards in its Los Fills mine, being recognized as Canadas top 100 employers, and top 100 companies in the world in its sustainability practices (Colder Inc, 2014). One of Goldenrods strength is their disciplined growth strategy (Kramer-Miller, 2013). They have experienced a production growth of 10% per year. They further demonstrated their excellence in their growth strategy, with their development projects in Cero Negro and Lenore. These two projects are projected to increase Goldenrods production by 3. 5 million ounces annually. However, some of Goldenrods projects such as mines in Wharf, Marlin, and El Causal are nearing the end of their life cycle. They would have to address this by acquiring more assets to maintain its growth. On the other hand, Colder has a lack of stakeholder management. They received several human rights complaints in their mines in Mexico, and were kicked out of Guatemala for allegations including killings, attacks, and death threats against its opponents (Machinating Canada, 2010). Financially, Colder has a disciplined capital allocation strategy and has grown the value of its asset without assuming a lot of debt ($2. Billion in debt while having $20 billion in equity). However, Colder $2. Billion debt and a revolving credit facility of up to $2 billion has forced them to use a portion of its cash flow to service principal and interest on its debt, which limits their cash flow for other opportunities (Colder Inc, 2013). They also have a huge impairment at the Lumbered mine of over $276 million (Maintainer Index, 2014) due to changes in short term metal price assumptions. Along with declining gold prices, Colder incurred a net loss of $1. 1 billion in 2012. The analysis of the financia l statements shows that Colder had a difficult year. The large impairment that they recorded caused them to record a huge loss. While it is common for mining companies to use many estimates to determine assets, even without taking the impairment into account the financial are worse in 2013 as compared to 2012. The current ratio went down from above 2 to 1 . 1, although this shows that Colder can still pay off all its debt. In summation, Goldenrods financial while weakening are still strong enough to maintain their debt, and Colder looks to have a strong 2014 to counteract the weak results in 2013. External Analysis General Environment As mentioned in Appendix 3, in this environmental analysis of three regions, Canada, USA, and Latin America, we identified differences in the stability of governments between North America and Latin America. Refer to exhibit 1 for the full chart analysis. North America, a Senate and Congress operating under a democracy oversees Judgments made in fair and controlled environments, whereas Latin American governments are under heavy suspicions of corruption by third parties. All the regions have experienced a growth in economy; however, Canada lags behind in the end of 2012 with a disappointing growth rate of 1. Even with its title as the 10th largest economy in the world employing over 363,000 people in the mining zone known as the ring of fire. Therefore, the structure of the mines will greatly be affected and heightened safety precautions will take time and costs to deploy. Earthquake hazards will mostly affect the Western regions of the Americas, where weather patterns such as storms , droughts, and long winters will affect the working conditions. Technological developments play a big role in mining companies as they allocate a lot of resources, over $10 million into their RD departments. It is possible hat expenditures for RD will increase because the mining industry in Canada is the most technologically advanced sector. As Colder is a Canadian company, they will want to uphold their reputation and continue their innovation abilities. On the contrary, the United States focuses most on the retailing, space, and nuclear industry. Porters Five Forces As mentioned in Appendix 5, Colder is competing for dominance in the valuable metals and natural resources market. To participate in this industry, a very large amount of capital is required to operate mainly because of the technology and machinery needed. Human resource is also a big requirement to operate all the machinery and oversee the daily operations. Getting out of the industry is equally difficult because outstanding warranty or contracts must be honored. The sale of equipment or facilities which were purchased for long-term purposes might incur enormous losses if sold too soon. Competitors in the same industry generally attempt to effectively target the same clients as Colder. They are currently promoting their goods that attempt to provide higher value to gain market share. Colder has the abilities to support themselves as they are vertically integrated, supplying their own sources. This is crucial because controlling critical inputs affects a firms ability to compete and determines who will lead the industry. Colder can use strategic groups in an industry which can offer important insights to executives who can create unique strategies. Firms that follow the same strategies but differ in important ways from the members of other groups can change a firms ability to compete over time. One way of doing this is to borrow ideas from others to fit the company culture. Competitive Environment Analysis A full analysis of Goldenrods main competitors can be found in Appendix 6. We measured the process innovation, low cost structure, financial position, gold production, international expansion and location. Our analysis found that Colder Inc. Has competitive advantage in process innovation and low cost structure. Goldenrods strongest competitor is Barrack Gold. The analysis of the external environment and the factors within it shows that Colder Inc. Is fairly well suited to respond to the factors of the external environment. Appendix 6 shows an overall weighted score of 3. 91 . This illustrates an above average response rate to external factors. Matching (refer to Appendix 7 for SOOT Analysis) Goldenrods strong relationship with local communities creates local Jobs within the region. And as other miners retrench, Colder has the opportunity to acquire new mines. With this opportunity and their strength in community relations, Colder can take advantage of the community support to provide them with the HER needed for new mine acquisitions. Goldenrods disciplined capital allocation gives them the ability to spend up to $3. Billion for acquisition of new mines. This could be used to cost, and implement their innovative programs, such as the EWE. Currently, Goldenrods mines such as Wharf, Marlin, and El Causal are reaching the end of their life cycle. As gold prices are on the rise and with an opportunity to expand to foreign markets, Colder can expand to other foreign markets with large gold reserves to acqui re their new mines. Moreover, as demand for steel increases, they can implement Mill Scats Reprocessing Project (MSP) to extract steel from the mines at the end of their life cycle. This maximizes the utilization of these mines. Furthermore, Colder can use hedging strategy, to minimize the threat of gold price fluctuations. Also, as there has been an active competition in the acquisition market for lands with high reserves, re-launching the Colder challenge allows them to discover new mines with large reserves around the world. This creates new mines for the company to operate in while replacing the mines at the end of their life cycle. With the threat of tax and policy changes, Colder should acquire new mines that operate in low risk Jurisdiction to minimize these threats. Lastly, due to the lack of stakeholder management, managing stakeholder expectations about company growth and reference levels will allow stakeholders to continue to purchase stocks from Colder. Strategic Intent Goldenrods strategic intent is aimed at continuing to grow their company through increasing the efficiency of their gold production and acquiring new mines, while simultaneously maintaining the practice of gold mining responsibly and promoting the shareholder value and the health and well-being of its employees and host communities. Their mission is to be a low-cost gold producer with geographic diversification and low political risk while operating in a responsible manner with their neighbors, local communities, and the environment. In order to achieve its vision and mission, Colder has several strategic goals set to guide the company (Colder Inc, 2014): Develop meaningful and effective strategies for engaging with all stakeholders. Consult with local communities to identify effective and culturally appropriate development goals. Establish grievance mechanisms, based on international best practices. Partner with credible organizations, including non- governmental and civil society organizations. Identify and develop socio-economic opportunities that lead to sustainable prosperity in the communities and countries in which we operate. Integrate socio-economic, environmental, occupational health and safety, human rights, and governance best practices into our business processes. Make meaningful and sustainable contributions to the host countries and communities where we operate. Apart from the goals set by Colder, they also infuse several values to each individual within the organization: They believe in safe production, in which employees look out for one another in caring, acting, and thinking safely. They believe in a workplace with a safe environment and conditions for employees to work in. They believe in acting ethically, having integrity and treating people with respect, that discrimination, bribery and corruption are always wrong. They believe that doing the right thing starts from the ground up and is a state of mind not Just a set of rules. They believe in respecting all stakeholders, in building partnerships, being a team player, and treating people fairly. They believe in listening before acting, being a good neighbor, and open communication. They and taking straight from the heart. They believe in empowering others, leading by example, being a good mentor and a lifelong learner. They believe in innovation, in operating for excellence, questioning for possibilities, being resourceful, always looking for new and better ways of doing things. Leadership Colder believes in leading by example, mentoring, and taking responsibility. At Colder, although the main leadership role is played by the President and the CEO, Charles A. Jeanne, who has a broad experience in mining transactions, public and private financing, permitting and international regulations, the other senior level executives have well played the leadership role as well. Brent Burgeon, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, along with his team worked together with Winding catering, First Nations owned and operated business in the community, to build Windings capacity. With the increased capacity, Winding is now prospering and expanding in the other areas of the province. Also under the leadership of Brent Burgeon, the company partnered with several government organizations to help run a natural gas pipeline up to Airedale to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This will make cleaner, more efficient natural gas energy available to the local communities. In order to achieve operational excellence, Colder operates numerous programs including technical skills training, safety and leadership training, and executive development. Under the leadership of Charles Jeanne, the company designed various programs to boost up the leadership skills of the supervisors and the managers while continuing their focus on public and environmental safety in 2013 Supervisory Leadership Development Program: Designed for supervisors to develop their leadership skills Creating Choices: Specifically designed to develop leadership and communication skills for women in our workforce. Safety Leadership Training: Designed for supervisory and management levels to develop leadership skills with a remarry focus on safety. To inform employees of what is happening within the company and to guide or direct them in order to achieve a common goal , each year Colder regularly conducts Town Hall Meetings in which the President and Chief Executive Officer and other senior executives communicate directly with employees. Colder Inc. Provides an excellent example that you dont need to be at a senior level to become a leader. The Porcupine Gold Mine team implemented a Mill Scats Reprocessing Project in order to lead changes for a better Colder (Colder, 2014). This project allowed Colder to urn reject materials into recovered or recycled steel. They identified an innovative solution to remove steel with magnet. This solution leads to an increase in the net revenue of 4. 9 million in 2013. The company is looking for opportunities to implement this project at their other mines as well. Governance Colder is governed by a board of directors whose principal objective is to generate acceptable returns to their security holders. The board is comprised of Business people and former ambassadors. The chairman of the board Ian Teller was appointed in 2006, previous to that he was the CEO for one year. Teller has 25 years f experience in the mining industry, working previously for as CEO of Wheaton River Minerals Ltd. Their corporate governance is in compliance with Canadian and US order to avoid any agency problems. Control Mechanisms Ownership concentration Colder is a publicly traded company and the top 5 institutional shareholders are (Mornings, 2014): Institutional Shareholder % Held Van Eek Associates Corp.. 6. 1 Arnold S. Policyholder Advisers, LLC 3. 88 Royal Bank of Canada 2. 75 Franklin Advisers Management Inc 2. 30 BOOM Capital Markets 2. 23 The large stakes give the shareholders a stronger incentive to monitor the management and make sure they are acting in their best interests. Incentive Based Pay In order to align the interests of the members of the board with the interests of the shareholders, Colder has adopted a director share ownership policy. The director mu st hold common shares at a value of 3 times their after tax compensation. The governance committee is in charge of reviewing the level of shareholder requirements. (Colder Inc, 2012) Strategic Alternatives Alternative 1: Status Quo Goldenrods current strategy has allowed the company to grow into one of the largest gold producers in the industry. This option maintains Goldenrods strategy to continue to grow the company through acquisitions. Currently, they are in a good financial position, however, in 2013, they had a loss in operating income, which shows inefficiency in some of their mine operations. SF: gold production, innovative culture, KIP: profit growth, increase sales growth from previous year Cost: N/A Alternative 2: Implement Mill Scats Reprocessing Project into Other Mines This option will allow Colder to implement Mill Scats Reprocessing Project, a project that will turn reject materials with large amount of steel into recovered or recycled tell. Up to now, this project has been carried out only in their Porcupine mine through which Colder recovered 4,100 ounces resulting in net revenue of $4. 9 million in 2013. Mines such as Wharf, Marlin, El Causal mines, are near the end of their life cycle. They would have significant amount of excess material in the form of steel accumulated at their location that needs to be disposed. SF: Training by Porcupine mine team, geological surveys, low cost structure KIP: Additional recovered steel in ounces, Increase in additional net revenue Cost: Salvaging and processing costs will be within $50,000 $200,000. Alternative 3: Acquisitions and to replace mines that are nearing the end of their life. Colder currently has $3. 6 billion dollars to spend on the acquisition of new mines. In this option Colder would spend that $3. 6 billion on new mines to increase their gold output and help sustain them in the future. SF: Sizeable reserves in new mine, Close to the start of production or already producing gold, Low production costs KIP: gold cost per oz. < 1000$/oz. , 500,0000z of gold production per year Cost: $3. 6 billion dollars (based on their budget) Alternative 4: Re-launch the Goldcorp Challenge: The Gold Rush Reborn2 This option ill allow Goldcorp to reintroduce the "Goldcorp Challenge" that would change Goldcorp's profitability for decades to come. Colder did implement this challenge in the year 2000 when former CEO Rob Mclean addressed the company concerns of low gold production. And now when some of their mines are reaching the end of its life cycle, it is a good idea to implement the competition again considering the huge success of it in the past. The results of this competition revealed an excess of 110 possible mine locations. 50% of these locations were previously unknown to Colder and over 80% yielded significant gold reserves. The Colder Challenge will gather people of all backgrounds from all over the world to extract possible gold mine locations. Colder can provide their geographical data to the public. It will also give rise to the new concept of effective business from a remote location. Discovery of mines will be cost effective even though the researchers did not physically need to visit the property. The ROI on this project will be very impressive because of the absence of unproductive exploratory drilling. The structure will be the same as the previous, but the prize money will be increased to $2 million to attract more analyst refashions to Join. SF: Superior marketing capabilities, effectiveness of the data provided to the contestants, effective planning and budgeting KIP: Return on investment, market growth, increase in gold production Cost: $2 million for prize money Alternative 5: Hedging Gold Price This option will allow Colder to enter into a hedge contract where the price at which the gold will be sold at the future delivery date will be determined earlier. Since the future is unpredictable, this will prevent Colder from the loss if the gold price is to drop in the future. The risk for this option is that Colder would have en better off without the hedge if the price of the gold rises. SF: In-depth analysis of gold price forecast, worldwide Jewelry and industrial demand, gold production KIP: increase in profit margin, increase in sales growth Cost: Depends on gold fluctuation. The loss incurred due to increase in gold price at the delivery date compared to the pre- determined price would be the cost of hedging Alternative 6: Manage Stakeholder Expectations Colder has been under scrutiny in the past for unethical acts and suspicions of breaking human rights legislation and even suspected of killing a high ranking officer peeping them calm and confident in Goldenrods projects is important. Quiet stakeholders such as fenders dont excerpt a lot of effort into decision making, but without looking after their interests, they may choose to withdraw their funds from Colder and take their investment somewhere else. Also it is necessary to make the local communities happy as without their support Colder cannot run their projects successfully. There should be a meeting every quarter with Goldenrods investors, shareholders and senior level managements to maintain constant communication twine the company and the stakeholder to avoid frustrations or concerns in the company operations. Investors and managers across the country could be connected via phone or other communication medium. Regular updates about Goldenrods financial health or project progress can increase the confidence levels of expecting positive results. Also in order to enhance engagement to build up relationships with communities and investors, Colder could organize a program called Community first. Through this program Colder can make significant investments in community infrastructure and provide scholarships to local students. SF: Community support in human rights initiatives, government support KIP: Increase in stakes sold, increase in community participation Cost: Between 1-3 million which can be covered by 1% of pre-tax earnings from operation set aside as donation fund Proposed Strategy Based on the decision criteria matrix shown in Appendix 9, we recommend Colder to implement alternatives 2, 3, 4 and 6. By combining these four strategies, Colder will be able to maximize the utilization of mines by extracting unrecorded metals, maintain their growth strategy through acquisition of mines and maximize the geographical search for new mines. In addition to this, Colder will enjoy a healthy stakeholder relationship which is crucial for the success of their business. Implementation The proposed strategy should be implemented between now to next five years. Since stakeholders support determines the success of the other strategies, Colder should first focus on meeting the stakeholders expectation. They should organize a meeting within a month where all the investors, senior level executives and managers meet and discuss the companys future plan and solve any queries. They would implement the Community First program right away to improve relationship with the community and to gain their support. The Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for People and Safety will be responsible for implementing this program. This program will again be done once a location is determined for the new mines. The effectiveness of this strategy will be determined based on feedbacks from the stakeholders. After gaining the support from stakeholders, Colder can implement the MSP project in their three mines starting with the one that is closer o the end of their life cycle. This strategy could be fully implemented in the three mines by 2016. Once Colder generates revenue from the recycle steel, they can hunt for new mines implementing the Colder Challenge by 2017. The CEO, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President for Exploration should work together on providing geographical data and other data to the participants to make the competition effective. The success for this strategy could be measured by benchmarking with the previous results of 2000 when they first equability studies for the potential mines, Premium Resources, Argonaut Gold, Allied Nevada Gold, and Tahoe Resources, that they are looking to acquire. They should gather the required resources and project the capacity of each mine. After performing these tasks, they should present these options to the board to get their approval. To determine what mines we would acquire a factor analysis was done on 4 mines and is shown below. Based upon our decision criteria, we have determined that the best course for Colder would be to acquire Allied Nevada Gold and Argonaut Gold by 2016. The total cost for acquiring these companies would be 1 billion dollars. With the remaining $2. 6 billion, Colder would pay off all of Novenas outstanding debt at roughly $700 million and then use $1. 3 billion to expand the mine to bring production from 240,000 oz. Of gold per year to 800,000 oz. Of gold per year by 2020. The remaining $600 million would go towards bringing Argonauts mine to the production stage within 3 years from its acquisition. Projected Kips The following are the projected Kepis to measure success once the four recommended strategies will be implemented by Colder: Increased profits so sasss operating refits will be positive Increased gold production Higher return on investment Increased revenue from sale of recycled steels Reduction in number of complaints from local communities Positive company image for stakeholders Appendices Appendix 1 General Environment Analysis (GASPED) Dimensions Factors Canada USA Latin America Global Increasing investment in construction and infrastructure lead to an 8% increase in global demand for products like steel Demographic Population $34. 88 million $313. 9 million $589 million Age Age distribution is even Young population is dominate Ethnic Mix

Ethics of Memory Erasing Treatment Essay Example

Ethics of Memory Erasing Treatment Essay Example Ethics of Memory Erasing Treatment Essay Ethics of Memory Erasing Treatment Essay Whether it is postgraduates memories in a s older returning home from war, or a womans terrifying memory of her assault and rape at the e hands off violent an, many people live with horrible memories that they would benefit greatly from erasing. For much of history, this has only been a fantasy. However, recent developments have made this a possibility. While this technology could, and should, be used to help people us offering from postgraduates stress heal, it should be closely controlled. A study condo acted recently at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has s hon. that memories, even longer ones, can be erased through the use of HADDAM NIH option treatment (Tractor 1). HADDAM, Histories Decelerate 2, is a protein that plays a role in converting hornwort memories in the hippopotamus to longer memories stored in the cortex (MIM 1). Once the memory moves from the hippopotamus to the cortex, it is firmly inning aimed in the brain and is very hard to address using traditional psychotherapy technique uses. Howe ever, by inhibiting this protein through psychoactive drug treatment, memories can be transfer De from the cortex Strongman 2 back into short term memory in the hippopotamus (Tractor 1). Once the me Or-y is in the hippopotamus, it can be treated using traditional psychotherapeutic technique s to remove the negative association of the memory. HADDAM inhibitor drugs are currently FDA approved for use in certain cancer treatment techniques, making their approval for clinical trial s, and hopefully eventual market release much easier (Tractor 1). If everything goes well, these drugs could have the ability to remove traumatic, painful memories permanently from the min d. This ability would be very helpful in the treatment of sufferers of postgraduate c stress disorder. Soldiers returning from war often have terrible traumatic memories from their time in the service, and these memories can be triggered by activities, sounds, and eve ants in normal, everyday life. Living with postgraduates stress can be very difficult, as the debit litigating memories can be triggered at any time. Similarly, victims and witnesses Of horror rift crimes such as rapes, assaults, and murders can suffer the same postgraduates memories. According to the Mayo Clinic, sufferers of postgraduates stress disorder experience flashbacks, nightmares, severe emotional distress, depression, mood swings, and angry outbursts (OPT SD 1). These symptoms lead to a severe decrease in quality of life for sufferers, and often r ins the lives of those affected by it. Because postgraduates stress disorder can be so destructive to the lives of the SSE it affects, it would be the perfect target for HADDAM inhibition treatment. While s mom may argue that it would be unethical to artificially alter memory, in the context of those s offering from this disease, any moral ambiguities about removing the memories is far outweigh De by the drastic improvement in the quality of life that it would bring about for those affected. Removing these Strongman 3 memories, which cause legitimate medical suffering, is not only permissible, it would be required in cases Of severe postgraduates stress disorder. However, while the argument for use of this treatment for those severely fee acted by postgraduates stress is easily made, it should not be a treatment that is easily available to the public. While everyone has certain memories they would like to erase, almost all of these bad memories do not rise to the level of having a severe, negative impact on a per sons quality of life. While it would seem ideal for everyone to have only positive memories, the is would not be conducive to living a true life experience. While bad experiences, and the unplug asana memories they form, can seem unbearable at times, they are vital in growing as a peers n. While negative experiences arent anyones favorite, completely removing them from life expo eeriness would be dyspepsia. Like in Lois Lowry The Giver , living without any negative memories would be like living life in black and white. As with most things in life, the ethical nature of these situations is a dynamic, fluid one. Deciding which memories have a sufficiently detrimental effect on the suffer deeds quality of life to make memory erasure ethical is a very subjective process. Firstly, the me ROR would have to have been caused by an extraordinarily traumatic event, such as being involve De in a roadside ambush in Afghanistan or being a victim of sexual assault. The victim would al so have to be medically diagnosed with severe postgraduates stress disorder, and would ha eve to demonstrate that the condition caused a significant detriment to his or her quality of life. O once all of these conditions could be demonstrably met, the person would be eligible to receive e the memory erasing treatment. This process would inevitably be long but would hopefully prevent the Strongman 4 treatment from being abused by those looking to escape small problems thro ugh medication, and would help to prevent abuse. Memory erasure treatment could be a lifesaving innovation for those people suffering from postgraduates stress disorder and its myriad of debilitating symptoms. It could prevent the countless suicides that occur each year as a result of the suffering caused by postgraduates stress disorder. However, it could also be abused by those looking to escape the SMS all problems of the world through prescription drug abuse.

Elasmotherium Facts and Figures

Elasmotherium Facts and Figures The largest of all the prehistoric rhinoceroses of the Pleistocene epoch, Elasmotherium was a truly massive piece of megafauna, and all the more imposing thanks to its thick, shaggy coat of fur (this mammal was closely related to the contemporary Coelodonta, also known as the woolly rhino) and the huge horn on the end of its snout. This horn, which was made of keratin (the same protein as human hair), may have reached five or six feet in length, and was likely a sexually selected characteristic, males with bigger horns able to better attract females during mating season. For all its size, bulk and presumed aggressiveness, though, Elasmotherium was still a relatively gentle herbivoreand one well-adapted to eating grass rather than leaves or shrubs, as evidenced by its almost comically heavy, flat teeth and lack of characteristic incisors. Elasmotherium consists of three species. E. caucasicum, as you can infer by its name, was discovered in the Caucasus region of central Asia in the early 20th century; almost a century later, in 2004, some of these specimens were reclassified as E. chaprovicum. The third species, E. sibiricum, is known from various Siberian and Russian fossils excavated in the early 19th century. Elasmotherium and its various species appear to have evolved from another, earlier elasmothere mammal of Eurasia, Sinotherium, which also lived during the late Pliocene epoch. As to the exact relationship of Elasmotherium to modern rhinoceroses, it appears to have been an intermediate form; rhino wouldnt necessarily be the first association a time traveler would make when glimpsing this beast for the first time! Since Elasmotherium survived up to the cusp of the modern era, only going extinct after the last Ice Age, it was well known to the early human settlers of Eurasiaand may well have inspired the Unicorn legend. (See 10 Mythical Beasts Inspired by Prehistoric Animals.) Stories of a mythical horned beast vaguely resembling Elasmotherium, and called the Indrik, can be found in medieval Russian literature, and a similar animal is referenced in ancient texts from Indian and Persian civilizations; one Chinese scroll refers to a quadruped with the body of a deer, the tail of a cow, the head of a sheep, the limbs of a horse, the hooves of a cow, and a big horn. Quite possibly, these stories were imported into medieval European culture via translation by monks or word of mouth by travelers, thus giving birth to what we know today as the one-horned Unicorn (which, granted, resembles a horse much more than it does a rhinoceros!) Name: Elasmotherium (Greek for plated beast); pronounced eh-LAZZ-moe-THEE-ree-um Habitat: Plains of Eurasia Historical Epoch: Pleistocene-Modern (two million-10,000 years ago) Size and Weight: About 20 feet long and 3-4 tons Diet: Grass Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; thick coat of fur; long, single horn on snout

Controversial Health Information Management Issues Essay

Controversial Health Information Management Issues - Essay Example The HIPAA Privacy Rule makes sure those minimum standards for protecting the privacy of individually identifiable health information. This rule provides certain rights to individuals like the rights to access and amend their health information and to obtain a record of when and why their Protected Health Information (PHI) has been shared with others for certain purposes. Moreover The Privacy Rule sets certain conditions under which researchers can use the PHI when necessary to conduct research (What Are the Purpose and Background of the Privacy Rule?, 2007). The regulations with respect to the PHI is not made clear and even the hospital authorities don’t have enough idea about the PHI regulations. Thus they were forced to communicate the patient information or condition to the families of the hospitalized over the telephone even if the patient is critically ill. Many healthcare professionals lost their job because of the wrong interpretation of the HIPAA rules and many others forced to pay heavy amounts as penalties. Nurses who don’t have much idea about the HIPAA regulations are staying away from disclosing the personal details of their patients even when it is badly needed for somebody else who might be a close relative of the patient. Gross, (2010) has mentioned that HIPAA regulations place a large and expensive burden on companies who have access to private health data by adding to the workload of health care providers and others (Gross, 2010). As protection of privacy is taken as a serious matter in the HIPAA regulations, big companies and researchers were forced to take extreme care while using the private data. The HIPAA act thus raised many concerns and fear among medical practitioners in conducting research. The increased liability and unwanted expenses may force them to stay away from researches which will affect the healthcare system drastically. HIPAA also put some

Behavioral Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Behavioral Economics - Essay Example Generally beliefs concerning the uncertain events are expressed by statements like "I think thator chances are etc. These are sometimes expressed in numerical form as odd or subjective probabilities. Heuristics are simple, efficient rules, fine-tuned by evolutionary processes or learned, which have been proposed to explain how people make decisions, judgments and solve problems, typically when facing serious problems or in case of inadequate information (Tversky, Kahneman,1124). People often follow a limited number of heuristic principles in day-to-day life, which reduces the process of assessing values and probabilities to much more simple judgmental operations. These heuristics are very useful but at times can leads to severe and systematic errors (Tversky, Kahneman, 1124). In case of representative heuristics (Tversky and Kahneman, 1126), the likelihood of an event is judged based upon the extent to which it represents the essential features of the parent population or the generating process. Representative heuristic is generally used by people to make judgment or impression about someone or something. (Koning, 1) It is usually employed while deciding the probability whether or not an object or event A belongs to class or process B. (Tversky and Kahneman, 1131) For illustration of representative heurist... he example of Steve who has been described by his neighbor as "very shy and withdrawn, invariably helpful but with little interest in people or in world of reality. A meek and tidy soul, he has a need for order and structure and a passion for detail. How are people going to judge the possible occupation of Steve from a list of possibilities (e.g. farmer, salesman, librarian, airline pilot or physician) In the representative heuristic, the probability of is assessed by the degree to which he is representative of, or similar to, in this case say a librarian, the stereotype of a librarian. Research with similar type of problems shows that probability and similarity plays equal important role in case of occupation of people. This method of arriving at a particular decision based on the similarity or the representativeness leads to erroneous results affecting the ultimate outcome because similarity is not influenced by the factors which influence judgment probability (Tversky and Kahneman , 1131). There are some drawbacks of representative heuristic which can be rectified by considering the following parameters. Insensitivity to prior probability of outcomes (Base-rate neglect): The base rate fallacy, also called base rate neglect, is an error that occurs when the conditional probability of some hypothesis given some evidence is assessed without taking sufficient account of the "base rate" or "prior probability" of hypothesis (Wikipedia). The prior probability or base-rate frequency of the final decision has a great deal of effect on the probability. In the above example, the fact that there are many more farmers than librarians in the population should be considered while judging, for an estimation of probability that Steve is a librarian rather than a farmer. People tend

School Profiler Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

School Profiler - Assignment Example On the other hand, the school performed poorly in the category of English learners with only 15% of students passing CAHSEE in 2011 while 13% passing the exam in 2012 (School profiler, 2013). In 2014 the subgroups that required focus in their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) was the socioeconomically disadvantaged. They failed to meet their target of the proficient requirements in Language arts. The group also failed to meet their target in three consecutive years- 2011, 2012, and 1013 hence attracted attention. The group also failed to meet its targets in Mathematics in 2011 and 2013 and this was enough reason why the group required attention. Furthermore, socioeconomically disadvantaged groups still failed to meet their target in 2013 in their Academic Performance Index (API). The other sub groups met most of their targets in the three consecutive years. The school did well in Language arts specifically in the areas of RFEP. For instance, the number of students that passed was 90% in 2013, 87% in 2012 and 89% in 2011 (School profiler, 2013). Some grades performed better than others especially in the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). For instance, in advanced level, grade 9 and 11 performed better than grade 10 and 12. In early intermediate level, grade 12 did better in 2012 than other grades by scoring 23%. Performance in CST and CAHSEE exams varied among the grades in school. Between the two exams, it was evident that most students performed better in CST than in CASHEE. For instance, in the Language arts exams of 2013, only 21% of the grade 12 students passed the CAHSEE exam (School profiler, 2013). RFEP program was best-performed category while English learners recorded the least progress in Language arts. The school performed well in Mathematics led by the RFEP students. There are also variations in performance of Mathematics among the grades. For instance, in Algebra I, in 2012 grade 11 recorded the highest performance of 5%. Performanc e in both CST and CAHSEE exams tended to record variations. There were fluctuations in the results over the years and among the various groups of students. Out of the various groups and programs offered, the program that experienced progress was RFEP which recorded high level of students that scored highly. The least program in making progress was the special education students program, which saw only 26% of the students pass the exam. Sciences and social sciences were also part of the subjects done by students and whose result was provided. Sciences are many and included Biology, Chemistry, Earth science and Physics. The school did well in science and social sciences. Performance varied across the grades in different exams. For instance, in 2011, performance in Biology varied between the grades. Grade 9 students scored 76%, grade 10 scored 34% and grade 11 scored 37%. Such scores were replicated in other sciences and social sciences over the years (School profiler, 2013). There was fluctuation in performance in some of the science subjects. The science subject that recorded the most progress was Physics at an average score of 62% while the subject making the least progress was chemistry. Most of the students across the grades record low performance in Chemistry. The school did w

Quantitative Research Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Quantitative Research - Statistics Project Example There are many different research designs that can be used by individuals asking research questions in LIS contexts, all of which provide credible evidence for improving practice. Qualitative approaches have been used in library and information settings to assess patron perceptions about library services, to examine the effectiveness of information literacy strategies and to address a host of other questions related to library and information work. In addition, a number of qualitatively based textual approaches (such as critical theory and discourse analysis) have been used to assess policy documents and organizational discourses, the construction of classification systems, and other questions that require an exploration of textual forms of data. Increasingly, researchers are also using these approaches in conjunction with one another (i.e. a "mixed methods" approach) to give a more complete picture of the state of LIS practice; for example, a recent study of mature university studen ts used qualitative interviews with students in conjunction with a textual discourse analysis of campus texts, as well as a manipulation of quantitative census data, to provide a broad contextual picture of students' academic information behaviors. In order to focus this discussion on qualitative research, in particular, it is necessary to draw lines between these different paradigms and to then examine qualitative work in more detail. However, it is important to note that research paradigms are quite fluid, and that many researchers are now trying to expand beyond a single approach to obtain the best possible evidence. The nature of qualitative resea

Life of Moses and Effectiveness in the Ministry Assignment

Life of Moses and Effectiveness in the Ministry - Assignment Example This paper is divided into three parts, according to the key components of the life and work of any minister of God who must be constantly guided throughout life by faith, love, and hope. The first part covers the life of faith and prayer, the central point and the soul of my life, ministry, and apostolate. As a minister, my role is to know God’s will, carry it out, and share it with others. This is why a life of faith and prayer is crucial for my ministry to be performed with rectitude of intention and a spirit of service and humility. The second part considers the active life, best described as the life of love or charity, which highlights my calling to occupy a special place as the mediator between God and his people. A life of love for all needs to be, balanced with the life of prayer, because every minister is called by God to perform a special mission in wor, d, among men and women, amidst good and evil, with the special task to help in the transformation of the world an d to confirm everything and everyone to God’s image and likeness. The third part is on my life of hope, a reflection on the challenges I will face in the world as God’s minister, and how Gregory’s reflections on Moses struck me as inspirational and appropriate. Learning from Moses, the man but at the same time called by God, with weaknesses and defects, is made by Gregory into a deep, human and supernatural experience. The trials of Moses parallel the ordinary trials facing me, and from which I could learn key lessons for life. The conclusion ties up the practical lessons from the Life of Moses into a summary that would guide me in the performance of my ministry. This also functions as a memory aid that could help ensure a fruitful life of prayer, faith, love, and hope not only for me but for anyone who wishes to serve God in any way. Called to a Life of Prayer and Faith Like a light that attracts, such as the call to the ministry; as God in the burning bush dre w Moses in the first of a series of intimate encounters, after which unfolds the panorama of Moses’ divine calling (II, 1-116). Gregory reveals in detail the meaning behind key events in the life of Moses, linking each experience to the significance of that encounter with God in the burning bush (II, 10-12; II, 13-18; II, 39-40).

Quantitative Research Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6500 words

Quantitative Research - Statistics Project Example There are many different research designs that can be used by individuals asking research questions in LIS contexts, all of which provide credible evidence for improving practice. Qualitative approaches have been used in library and information settings to assess patron perceptions about library services, to examine the effectiveness of information literacy strategies and to address a host of other questions related to library and information work. In addition, a number of qualitatively based textual approaches (such as critical theory and discourse analysis) have been used to assess policy documents and organizational discourses, the construction of classification systems, and other questions that require an exploration of textual forms of data. Increasingly, researchers are also using these approaches in conjunction with one another (i.e. a "mixed methods" approach) to give a more complete picture of the state of LIS practice; for example, a recent study of mature university studen ts used qualitative interviews with students in conjunction with a textual discourse analysis of campus texts, as well as a manipulation of quantitative census data, to provide a broad contextual picture of students' academic information behaviors. In order to focus this discussion on qualitative research, in particular, it is necessary to draw lines between these different paradigms and to then examine qualitative work in more detail. However, it is important to note that research paradigms are quite fluid, and that many researchers are now trying to expand beyond a single approach to obtain the best possible evidence. The nature of qualitative resea

Compare and contrast the biological processes underlying innate and Essay - 1

Compare and contrast the biological processes underlying innate and adaptive immunity - Essay Example However, it is notable that the reactions also differ with aspect to the response they facilitate, as well as, how they facilitate the same towards the pathogens (The Open University, 2006, p 137). Other differences of activity also major along the effect or cells and specificity of the varied classes of the microbes. Nonetheless, these immunity reactions remain key in facilitating health to the human body. The innate immunity is for the nonspecific defense mechanisms that react to the entry or appearance of the antigen to the body immediately or within hours. The components of the innate immunity reactions include the physical barriers such as the skin, the chemicals in the blood and the all immune system cells that engage the foreign cells in the body (The Open University, 2006, p 138). Thus, it is notable that the innate response activation is from the chemical properties of the antigens. The adaptive immunity, on the contrary, refers to all the antigen specific responses of the immune system. It entails a complex immune response reaction compared to the innate immunity. The adaptive immunity requires that the antigen be processed and recognized (The Open University, 2006, p 139). Once the antigen processing and recognition ends, then the system creates a new system of immune cells that specifically fit the antigen processed. The adaptive immunity entails a memory, which makes the r esponse possible in the future against the antigen or even more specific antigens. The adaptive immune system, is emergent from the existence of the pathogen. The illustration of the vaccine process is a good example of the adaptive immune system in action. The cells and proteins that are always present in the body and ready to mobilize and launch a defense against the microbes at the infection site constitute the innate immune systems. The innate immune system does have several core components making the entire defense army of the body. The

Information and computer technology on banking Essay Example for Free

Information and computer technology on banking Essay For over a decade, the rapid advancement in information and communication technology has significantly affected the banking industry. The banking sector has embraced the use of technology to serve its client’s faster and also to do more with less. Emerging technologies have changed the banking industry from paper and branch based banks to â€Å"digitized and networked banking services†. Unlike before, broadband internet is cheap and it makes the transfer of data easy and first. Technology has changed the accounting and management system of all banks. And it is now changing the way how banks are delivering services to their customers. However this technology comes at a cost, implementing all this technology has been expensive but the rewards are limitless. The banking sector was one of the first to embrace rapid globalization and benefit significantly from IT development. The technological revolution in banking started in the 1950s, with the installation of the first automated bookkeeping machines at banks. This was well before the other industries became IT savvy. However, in Bangladesh the revolution started in 1990s. Present Status: A good number of technology driven services are provided to the customers by the Private Commercial Banks (PCBs), Foreign Commercial Banks (FCBs)and Nationalized Commercial Banks (NCBs). The FCBs operating in Bangladesh like Standard Chartered Bank and HSBCare the pioneers to introduce technology driven banking facilities. Thesebanks provide services like ATM, debit card, credit card, Point of Sale (POS)services, internet banking, phone banking, any branch banking, ElectronicFund Transfer (EFT). Along with these services Standard Chartered Bank isproviding KIOSK service to its customers. Among the local banks, the PCBs are ahead of the NCBs in providingtechnology driven banking services. A limited number of technology drivenservices are being provided by the private Islamic banks in Bangladesh. For sending foreign remittance NCBs and some PCBs are working collaboratively with mobile phone service operators. Application of computer based services in Bangladesh: Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), SWIFT and MICR cheque are being provided by all the banks. All the banks except Uttara Bank are providing any branch banking to the customers. All banks have debit card facilities for their clients except Citi Bank NA. First Security Islami Bank Limited, Uttara Bank Limited and Citi Bank NA have no own ATM booth. First Security Islami BankLimited is going to establish their own ATM booth. They have already selected the palce for 100 ATM booth and expect to launch within very short possible time.

Strategic Change Management Of Walt Disneyland Resort Marketing Essay

Strategic Change Management Of Walt Disneyland Resort Marketing Essay This report present the comprehensive back ground of the company and also I tried my level best to cover all the relevant aspects in accordance to the assignment that I have given. Moreover four major areas are considered in this report which is motivation, problem statements, approaches, and results/conclusion. In the interest of the reader, I believe that the reader will understand the background to organizational strategic marketing, issues relating to strategic marketing in an organization. And also reader will be able to understand the processes involved in making the strategic marketing plan. Most importantly it will make reader understand that how to plan and make a link between strategic marketing and corporate strategy of an organization. The report is based on following pattern. First of all it will discuss clear view and comprehensive concept of strategy marketing and then models of strategic marketing. Moreover this report is related to these models of the Walt Disneyland resort. And also assesses the value of using strategic marketing tactics in an organization. Conclusion of this report would be based upon the theories of marketing management, while keeping the main concept of the subject in order to understand and get on well. I have tried my level best to state the results in general, potential, or specific manner to a particular case, therefore I have managed to achieve ultimate understanding of the particular theory (strategic marketing) and I am quite confident that I have achieved my final objective to understand and impalement similar theory in future for further understanding and more benefit. Acknowledgment: I have tried my level best to understand the concept in brief and also tried to discuss given tasks in a manner I have been asked to do so. I express my sincere thanks to professor for his constant encouragement and support throughout the course, especially for the useful suggestion given during the course period. I am very grateful to my colleagues for providing me with an environment to complete my project successfully. Finally, I take this opportunity to extend my deep appreciation to my family and friends, for all that they meant to me during the time of the completion of my course work. Introduction: A creator and moderniser and the owner of one of the most productive thoughts the world has ever known, Walt Disney, beside with members of his staff, expected more than 950 decencies and documents from every nation in the world, counting 48 Academy Awards and seven Emmis in his lifetime. Walt Disneys individual honours comprised nominal degrees from Harvard, Yale, the University of Southern California, and UCLA; the Executive Medal of Freedom; Frances Legion of Honour and Officer dAcademie streamers; Thailands Order of the Crown; Brazils Order of the Southern Cross; Mexicos Order of the Aztec Eagle; and the Showman of the World Award from the National Association of Theatre Owners Mickey Mouse was shaped in 1928, and his aptitudes were first used in a silent cartoon permitted Plane Crazy. Before the cartoon could be free, however, sound eruption upon the motion picture screen. Thus Mickey made his screen entrance in Steamboat Willie, the worlds first fully coordinated sound cartoon, which premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York on November 18,1928 Walts drive to faultless the art of cartoon was tireless. Technicolor was presented to cartoon during the manufacture of his Silly Symphonies. In 1932, the film Flowers and Trees won Walt the first of his 32 individual Academy Awards. In 1937, he free The Old Mill, the first short subject to utilize the multilane camera method Thus, Disney absorbed the buying of 43 square miles of virgin land twice the size of Manhattan Island in the middle of the state of Florida. Here he master-planned entire Disney world of entertaining to include a new enjoyment theme park, a motel-hotel resort vacation centre, and his Untried Sample Community of Tomorrow. After more than seven years of master planning and training, including 52 months of actual building, Walt Disney World opened to the public as arranged on October 1, 1971. Epcot Centre opened on October 1, 1982 1* http://www.fragrancex.com/products/_bid_Disney-am-cid_perfume-am-lid_D__brand_history.html TASK 1: L.O- 1.1: The role of strategic marketing could be defined as in todays complex business environment is the ability of a business to attain cost-effective sales is impacted by dozens of conservational factors, many of which are consistent. It makes logic to try to bring some order to this turmoil by understanding the marketable environment and carrying some strategic logic to the process of marketing products and services. A strategic marketing is valuable to every business. So thats why its role is very important for organization while keeping following attribute in order to achieve long term objectives. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Classify sources of economic advantage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Achievement guarantee to a strategy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Get incomes needed to finance in and shape the business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Notify investors in the business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Established objects and plans à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Degree of performance L.O- 1.2 Well the process involved in making the strategic marketing plan is to focus on sales means focus on individual customers rather than market segments or market classes. However market segmentation is very important to analyse the customer needs and demands but after analysing market segments, customer Interests Company has to create strategic marketing plan. Strategic marketing process involves, Market ResearchMarketing strategies Product research and development Production Communication Sales Refereeing to the case study Disneyland mainly focuses on following marketing strategies. Sell extra to current customers Growth of marketplace Constant promotion Always expand and add to your contributions Chasing business Sell extra to current customers strategy means when customers enter into the attraction there are always marketing announcement whether you are on trains, boats, trams and etc. these recording informs customers that how they can stay longer, upgrade their ticket to make most out of it while paying less. While in the parks customers can always get to know what coming up in regards to the vacations so that they can visit next time and get more benefits. Growth of marketplace strategy means development of more Disney lands in other countrys for those who cannot travel to USA. It has increased their marketplace and expending their brand worldwide by building these country specific theme parks. Constant promotion strategy is that they do not stop and start and then stop again their marketing strategies, they have their fixed budget provided every year to marketing department in order to keep their marketing promotion going on. Always expand and add to your contributions strategy is they always add up new attraction to their exciting places. They always updated their old dated rides so that if customers visit next time they can experience different this time which makes them to visit next time. Thats again focus on customer retention strategy that how to keep regular customers coming. Chasseing business strategy means they always take in to the account the slow time of the year and the fast time of the year. They do not stop promoting business in slow time of the year just because its slow, but they always try and improve their business and attraction in order to make their slow time of the business busier. Thats why people like to visit any time of the year. L.O- 1.3 Well to evaluate the link between strategic marketing and corporate strategies I would like to explain the difference between these two and after you will find the links between these strategies of Walt Disney Company. Strategic Marketing: It is directly any strategically concerned with the long term activities and direction and scope performed by an organization to gain competitive advantage. While meeting stakeholders expectations the organization applies its resources within a changing environment to satisfy customer needs and demands. Corporate strategy: This could be defined as method to the future that involves inspection of the current and expected factors related with customers and competitors and the firm it, visualization a new or real role for the firm in a original way and supporting policies, performs, and resources to understand that dream. Link between strategic marketing and corporate strategy of WALT Well the corporate strategy and marketing strategies are directly related to each other because Disneys indoor marketing strategies are considered as their corporate strategies. Corporate strategies help them to analyse where and when to open their other branch. Corporate strategies gives them direction with objective of achieving long term goals recently their approaches have focused on the need for companies to adjust to and expect changes in the business situation. Their corporate strategy involves organization the purpose and scope of the organizations activities and the nature of their business. Through SWOT analysis they link their corporate strategies to the marketing strategies and then analyze them and then execute them accordingly. TASK -2: L.O- 2.1 The Strategic Marketing Planning Process MISSION OBJECTIVE MARKET AUDIT SWOT ANALYSIS STRATEGY FORMULATION IMPLEMENTATION CONTROL BUDGET Figure 1.2 http://www.netmba.com/strategy/process/ Figure 1.3 by Macdonald (1995) The model above explain the process involve in strategic planning of an organization, now on the basis of the model above I will assess the value. According to the (SUSAN L. LAURE) this is goal based process which allows organization to focus on its mission and vision to achieve goals. This model does help organization to move forward and it is great practice to build a team because it offers the opportunities to let everyone in the company know that their thoughts and opinions are being considered. It lets everyone know that they belong to the organization. More over one can achieve more valuable results from a decisive approach is contract on how to make the most of the organizations capital and the in deepness perceptive of the factor that involve those resources should conditions and situation change. This model helps the organization to help to see the size of the organization in term of human resources which of course influence the main plan. It also helps organization to physical goals that they are seeking to reach. More over it provides a plan structure which makes sure constancy across distribution and each separation covers all the key aspect of the development process. It also makes directors to understand the situation clearly because it provides a large number of data. Also improve marketing skills within the company. It also increases the value to companys data base and marketing investment. The implementation of marketing planning model gives an introduction to organization to implement the strategic planning process within an organization. The management is also dependent on the high quality process consultancy and training as well as sport tools. Experience has shown that the proper planning of marketing model makes an organization to achieve its objective. L.O- 2.2 Link between strategic positioning of Disneyland Resort and marketing tactics mentioned above in the strategic marketing plan. Strategic Positioning strategic marketing plan Well there is very close link between strategic positioning and strategic marketing of Disneyland because both focus on continues growth of an organization. As far as strategic positioning is concern they conduct research to determine what the needs in order to promote are and position company where they want to. To make strategic marketing plans for organization they consider much aspect on which they can produce exactly according to needs and demands of the customers. As discussed above that marketing provides them clear room to understand the long term objective and standing of an organization. Thats how they keep on changing their strategies no matter what time of the year are they in, or no matter customers want this or not. Disney land strategic positioning provides different following questions to them, What are their strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats? How customer takes our product? Who are the target customers? What is the image? Competitive edge? Communication to the right people? Are we able to target our product to other market? These are the question they see while undergoing the positioning for them self, if we commonly see the marketing aspect in those questions we can clearly see the link between these two terms because strategic marketing planning provides them the same kind of information in order to make their marketing plan well working. Marketing plane gives them the signs to achieve the ultimate goals while positioning based on marketing plane can point out where they exactly stands. So marketing is the key element for them to make their position where they could differentiate their product from others, because they believe to be providing the best quality products to their customers as no one does in that capability. Hence the link between these two is very common and regular infect both are dependent on each other in order to get ultimate goals. Beyond HR: the new science of human capital by john W. Boudreau, peter M. Ramstad L.O- 2.3 Related Links: Relationship Marketing | CRM | Ladder of Customer Loyalty | Benefits of Relationship Marketing | Fishbone Analysis Well as discussed above that Disney is more concern that how to retain their oncoming customers that why their current marketing strategies are based on relationship marketing which can provides them help to achieve long term objective which is to open new Disneys in other countries. Relationship marketing could provide them ultimate objective because retaining consumers for long term offers many benefits. This is also aim for the company to obtain life time custom. Some of the merits of relationship marketing include: Loyal customers will recommend your business to others, thus expanding your business for you. Faithful customers are keen to try some of their new products, because they trust them. Trust worthy consumers will advocate their business to others, thus expanding their business for customers. Customers will be keen to pay more for their services/products if there is adjustment in pricing because they are loyal to company and trust their services/products. Loyal customers will tell them about problems with their goods/services enable to get better your products/services. The final benefit will be boost sales, market share and authority. http://www.learnmarketing.net/benefitsofrelationshipsmarketing.htm Hence keeping all points mentioned above are the clear picture that how relationship marketing could help them to contact with their current customers in order to increase their new customers. Because its always about words of mouth old customer experience and will let their known people know about the experience they had which is the key point to increase the limit. If they found their product and service best they will for sure let others know and then others will buy their products. As mentioned that they increase their marketing campaign by giving their customers the best product and services. They constantly changed their marketing planning in which they have given different kind of gift vouchers to their customers so that they can come next time and avail that which actually make they to come back and use those vouchers. Conclusion: In the end we can conclude this report by mentioning that Disney land has broad and wide network and has the best team force in order to make decision and implement them as a betterment of an organization. Moreover corporate strategies and marketing strategies play vital role for an organization to obtain long term objective, Disneys corporate and marketing strategies are well managed to get their goals completed in given time. As we have discussed lot about their marketing strategies and corporate strategies I think their

Junk Food: Can What We Eat Change How We Behave? Essays -- Health Nut

Junk Food: Can What We Eat Change How We Behave? Ice cream, chocolate, McDonald’s hamburgers, potato chips, and hot dogs, all symbolize a taboo in our society. Honey, wheat germ, fruit juices, and sprouts, take on a certain manna in our society. For years, our society has been involved with a health food movement. We are carrying this movement with us to every new day, every new year, and now into a new century. As we go into the new century, "our emphasis, is on "wellness" and prevention rather than on illness and curing" (Dubisch, 1999, p.325). Nutrition plays a big role in our plan for preventing illness, and just not physical illness but psychological illness as well. As a mother, I know that nutrition plays a big role in my children’s lives. Did you ever look at a child who has just eaten two chocolate bars, a bag of chips, and drank a big glass of soda, to wash it all down with? They are terrible! If my children eat a well balanced diet throughout the day, they are mostly calm and rational children. They are eas y to talk to, and they listen to almost everything I say. On the other hand, give them a little extra sugar and they run around the house yelling and screaming, throwing things, fighting amongst themselves and in general are very anxious and agitated. It is because of this type of behavior that it is important to explore the possibility that junk food does have an adverse effect on our behavior. Bad eating habits not only affect our bodies physiologically but also can trigger psychological problems. One of the ways this has been evidenced is in an article entitled sugar neurosis. In this article it states "Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) is a medical reality that can trigger wife beating, divorce, even suicide... ... no hard facts yet. Hopefully more research on this issue will be carried into the new century with us as well. References Burch, M.R. (1992). Behavioral treatment of drug exposed infants: analyzing and treating aggression. Child Today, 21(1), pp. 1-5. Dubisch, J. (1999). You are what you eat. In D.J. Hickey (Ed.), Figures of thought for college writers (pp.323-336). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield. Salzer, M.S. and Berenbaum, H. (1994). Somatic sensations, anxiety, and control in panic disorder. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 25(1), pp. 75-80. Schoenthaler, S.J. (1983). The Alabama diet-behavior program: An empirical evaluation at the Coosa Valley Regional Detention Center. International Journal of Biosocial Research, 5(2), pp79-87. Whaley and Wong, D.L.(1999). Nursing care of infants and children. St, Louis: Mosby, p.871.

hackers Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Computer hackers in today’s world are becoming more intelligent. They are realizing that people are constantly developing more hack proof systems. This presents the hackers with a bigger challenge and a bigger thrill. The government is realizing this and is working on making harsher laws to, hopefully, scare away potential hackers. With the increase in hacking and the hackers intelligence, governmental regulation of cyberspace hasn’t abolished the fact that it’s nearly impossible to bring a hacker to justice.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hackers do not have consequences because of the laws that the government has passed. Most hackers are good enough to cover their backs, and their trails, and phone calls. If a hacker is caught, he or she can face a long jail sentence. Unfortunately, they do not spend a long jail sentence. It is extremely hard to determined how to penalize a hacker. First we need to determined if this crime has effected anyone, and whether or not this crime has caused damages and loss of money to the victim. What it comes down to is the age of the hacker, I feel that their age should not be taken into consideration. Because hacking is extremely difficult to accomplish, so the hacker has knowledge of what he or she is doing. Hacking is extremely complicated crime to commit, it takes years to learn to how to hack correctly. When one hacks for pleasure or for profit they should both have the same con...

Children and Screen Time Essay

Every parent wants nothing more then their child to succeed. They want their child to develop and learn with out struggle. In this day in age we have access to so many devices that can help contribute to a child’s success. Many will argue that a device such as a I-pad or mobile device will hinder ones learning. I feel the exact opposite will occur, and the child will gain knowledge. Children develop and learn so much at a very young age. They absorb everything they see and hear. They best learn through touch, sight, and sound. Using a device such as a touch I-pad, or I-phone a child can interact on their level. There are so many Apps available for children of all ages. They will help a child develop at their capability and speed, while learning. I feel they will absorb more knowledge with a educational hands on device rather then TV. Children have to interact and use their brains in order for the App to work. Placing a child in front of a TV to just sit and learn, they do not get the same hands on experience. There will be those arguing that placing a phone or tablet in a child’s arms will cause harm. I do not see that being true, in this day in age we use App’s for everything. Rather at the grocery store, banking, or even schools, most teach with touch devices. I feel that helping your child learn with a hands free device, will only help them in the future.

International Management Essay

Evaluate the selection of negotiators from Canada Timber. Were any mistakes made in the selection? Answer 1: The success of international business relationships depends on effective business negotiations. Negotiators need to be well prepared. Understanding how to achieve international business negotiation outcomes and the factors relevant to the process will allow negotiators to be more successful. Negotiation is an inherent part of being in business. Negotiating is an acquired skill, but is very important part of your role as an entrepreneur. 4 Negotiators from Canada Timber went to Japan for Business negotiation,Tim Wilder-CEO of Canada Timber,John Sharkey-an attorney,Bill Hudak-production supervisor and Kevin Peterson-a regional salesperson. The first negotiator,Tim Wilder-CEO of Canada Timber, As a business owner, negotiations with other businessmen are inevitable. He wanted to establish a corporate partnership with another business. One of the most exciting times in the life of a business owner is when an opportunity arises to enter into an agreement that will take the business to another level. (http://www.startupbizhub.com/how-can-you-become-a-good-negotiator.htm) CEO are the highest ranking executive in a company whose main responsibilities include developing and implementing high-level strategies, making major corporate decisions, managing the overall operations and resources of a company, and acting as the main point of communication between the board of directors and the corporate operations. The CEO will often have a position on the board, and in some cases is even the chair.So the selection of Tim Wilder,CEO from Canada Timber as a negotiator was a correct decision. Second negotiator Mr John Sharkey-An Attorney works with business owners to make sure that there are no unresolved or, as is usually the case, unrecognized deal points that might be overlooked in the excitement of reaching an agreement.The deal negotiation attorney also helps to ensure that the deal is properly structured to suit both parties’ needs. A clearly written agreement that is satisfactory to both companies is the best foundation for a good business relationship which will be an asset to your company. A major deal is a break-through moment for any growing company. By having a negotiation attorney on your side, you can be sure that the agreement is one that will help propel your business to new heights of success. (http://www.davidmwalkeresq.com/pages/deal-negotiation.php)An Attorney manages all legal transactions and litigation on behalf of entrepreneurs, offering precisely targeted solutions for a full range of problems and who understand the value of maintaining an on-going relationship with counsel. They help draft, review, and negotiate contracts, advise you on legal problems and questions, and if you become involved in a dispute, handle negotiations and/or litigation. If your new venture requires more specialized services, we bring in and manage other professionals on your behalf.They provide an efficient and cost-effective service to manage all of the legal needs while the company CEO focus on the business venture. So the selection of Mr John Sharkey-An Attorney as a negotiator was a correct decision. Third Negotiator,Mr Bill Hudak a production supervisor,his knowledge of hardwoods and the production procedures of Canada Timber made him an obvious choice for inclusion on the negotiating team. He direct and supervise day to day production,job assignment,and workstation set-up.working in a co-operative effort with Canada Timber team.He participates in the development of new production processes,developing strategies for meeting production demands.Monitor production practices for the most efficient use of material to assure that we are producing a product that meets customer needs and as well is profitable for the organization.He has extensive knowledge of the methods,principles,techniques,and tools of industrial wood production.So the selection of Mr John Sharkey-An Attorney as a negotiator was a correct decision. (http://www.helenaindustries.org/images/WoodShopSupervisor.pdf) 4th Negotiator,Kevin Peterson,a regional salesperson.Not every salesperson will be a natural at negotiation. Salespeople are there to close business. This doesn’t mean they should use strong-arm tactics to close deals. For the salesperson that doesn’t have the necessary negotiation skills, there’s always the price to fall back on. It’s a crutch and an excuse, but one that’s easily accepted by businesses and managers alike. For salesperson, negotiation is second nature. Even Kevin is married to a woman of Japanese descent ,knowa a few words in Japanese and somewhat familiar with Japanese culture,selection of Kevin Peterson as a negotiator was not a correct decision. (http://www.driveyoursuccess.com/2010/07/secret-of-successful-b2b-sales-having-strong-negotiation-skills-.html) After evaluating the negotiators from Canada Timber,we felt that chosing Mr Kevin Peterson,A regional salesperson was a wrong decision made by Tim Wilder. Question 2: What differences in culture between the Japanese and Canadians can be found in this case? Answer 2: 1.Directness. Canadians tend to be more direct than Japanese. They are more likely to say â€Å"No† to things openly and are more forward about their opinions, even when they differ from or contradict another person’s opinions. This may come across as offensively blunt to many Japanese people. In most cases, they don’t mean any offense, so try not to take it personally. Understand that the Japanese prefer not to use the word no. If you ask a question they may simply respond with a yes but clearly mean no. Understanding this is critical in the negotiation process. In Japan it may be considered rude to say no or turn someone down. (http://2vancouver.com/en/articles/cultural-differences-between-canada-japan) 2. Body Language. When indicating â€Å"me† in conversation, Canadians point to their chest rather than their nose. When indicating for you to come to them, Canadians will wave you toward them with their hand palm up rather than palm down. If you wave someone over with your palm down, they may confuse this to mean that you’re trying to wave them away. (http://2vancouver.com/en/articles/cultural-differences-between-canada-japan) 3. Silence. Japanese people tend to be silent when thinking in conversation. Canadians, on the other hand, hedging sounds like â€Å"Hmm†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or start a sentence without finishing it (i.e. â€Å"Let me think†¦Ã¢â‚¬  or â€Å"Let’s see†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). If you don’t use any hedging language like this, you may find that Canadians will rush to fill what they see as an awkward silence, not knowing that you’re actually thinking and have something to say. 4.Business cards. In Japan, business cards are called meishi. Japanese give and receive meishi with both hands. It should be printed in your home language on one side and Japanese on the other. Present the card with the Japanese language side up. Take special care in handling cards that are given to you. Do not write on the card. Do not put the card in you pocket or wallet, as either of these actions will be viewed as defacing or disrespecting the business card. Upon receipt of the card, it is important to make a photocopy of the name and title of the individual in your mind. Examine the card carefully as a show of respect. (http://www.indianchild.com/languages/japanese_business_phrases.htm) 5.Touching in public.The Japanese frown on open displays of affection. They do not touch in public. It is highly inappropriate to touch someone of the opposite sex in public.(http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/japan.htm) 6.Respect culture.Just try to be over polite and dont do anything stupid because they are a culture based on honor and respect. As long as you’re making an effort to be polite (as it seems you are) people will notice that and give you the benefit of the doubt in most cases. If you’re acting like a pompous *** and being disrespectful, that’s another story. (http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/japan.htm) 7.Business Meeting Etiquette Don’t be surprised if your hosts give you something from their country too. If the gift is wrapped, don’t open it until you leave. If the gift is not wrapped, make sure to express copious appreciation (whether you like it or not). Ask some questions about the gift to show interest. (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2195.html) 8.Social Interaction If you do go out for dinner, keep in mind that â€Å"going Dutch† is not normal in Japan. If you’re the buyer, you’ll likely be in for a free evening of entertainment. If you’re the seller†¦ well, if you were a local, you’d probably be picking up the tab. However, it’s not quite this simple since your hosts may still insist on paying because you are a visitor in their country. Also, it is normal for the inviting party to pay. (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2195.html) 9.Gifts. Don’t be surprised if your hosts give you something from their country .If the gift is wrapped, don’t open it until you leave. If the gift is not wrapped, make sure to express copious appreciation (whether you like it or not). Ask some questions about the gift to show interest. (http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2195.html) Question 3: What could have been done differently in order to produce a more desirable outcome? Answer 3: 1.Understand the Cultural Value Differences between Canadian and Japanese. Cultural distance or dissimilarity affects the ability of managers to be effective in foreign markets. Cultural distance is the difference between culture, language and social structure (Root 1987) that affects managers’ perceptions of what should constitute culturally appropriate behavior in a foreign market (Adler, Doktor, and Redding 1986).To achieve project goals and avoid potential risks, project managers should be culturally sensitive. However, cultural differences can interfere with the successful completion of projects in today’s multicultural global business community.Table below shows the impact of differences in cultural values to the Project results. Table Adapted from Kohls (1981); Marquardt and Kearsley (1999) Figure 1: Value Differences between Canadian and Japanese Cultures Canadian Cultural Values Japanese Cultural Values Impact on Project Management. Individualism Collectivism/Group + Achievement Modesty X Winning Collaboration/Harmony + Guilt (internal self-control) Shame (external control) X Pride Saving face X Respect for results Respect for status/Ascription + Respect for competence Respect for elders – Time is money Time is life – Action/Doing Being/Acceptance – Tasks Relationship/Loyalty – Informal Formal – Directness/Assertiveness Indirectness – Verbal Non-verbal + (+) = Positive impact of combining both values on outcomes (-) = Negative impact of combining both values on outcomes (culture clash) (X) = No direct impact on outcomes Adapted from Kohls (1981); Marquardt and Kearsley (1999) 1.1 Cultural Values on International Business Negotiation Process International Business Negotiation Process Impact of Cultures Goal Japanese negotiators value long-term relationships. Canadian negotiators aim at signing a contract. Protocol The degree of formality in a negotiation can vary from culture to culture. Japanese value etiquette and respectful manners. Canadian negotiators are very formal and highly concerned with proper protocol. Communication Japanese tend to speak softly and use almost no gestures, and prefer indirect language. Canadian are direct and prefer a straightforward presentation with a minimum of game playing. Time Canadian are sensitive to time. They view it as a limited resource that must not be wasted. Japanese regard time as long duration, spending time to learn counterparts. Groups versus individuals In decision making, a more collective culture places emphasis on group priority. An individual-oriented culture is more independent and assertive. Japanese negotiators rely on consensus 2. Provide Training to the negotiators and Characteristics of a good sales negotiator. Train your Negotiator team to be expert negotiators, says Kelley Robertson, a sales training expert and CEO of Robertson Training Group in Burlington, Ontario. Here are nine characteristics of a good sales negotiator, according to Robertson: 1. Exhibits Creativity. A good negotiator looks for creative solutions to help close the deal. Depending on your industry, you could barter with a potential customer or create a partnership. â€Å"For example, I will waive part of my speaking fee at a conference in return for the attendee list,† says Robertson. In that situation, both parties achieve something. 2. Has a win-win attitude. The best way to achieve this is to look at the sale from the other party’s perspective. What are their risks, hesitations, concerns? By determining those before you reach the negotiating table, you can better create win-win solutions for both sides. 3. Has keen listening skills. Customers will often give you clues about what they need. Say you’ve e-mailed a sales presentation to a potential client, but they keep claiming they haven’t had time to read it. What they’re really telling you is they doesn’t want to—so instead, tell them your sales pitch over the phone. Missing a clue like that can cost you a sale. 4. Exhibits patience. Without patience, you may make early concessions just to get the process moving—especially if you’re negotiating with a larger company. â€Å"Their sales process takes a lot longer than other small businesses or consumers,† says Robertson. But making the right deal, rather than a swift one, will be better for your company. 5. Understands the negotiating process. Salespeople must understand that there’s a beginning, middle and end to the sales process, and that once the relationship begins, everything you do afterward either adds value or takes away value. So remain positive, continue to be responsive, and don’t let the customer fall off your radar. 6. Clarifies ambiguity. A good negotiator takes time to get clarification. Let’s say a customer at a restaurant doesn’t like their food. The waiter shouldn’t assume they didn’t like their entire meal, and should ask specifically what went wrong. Perhaps he’ll find out it was undercooked, or just a portion of the meal was wrong. The lesson: A negotiator doesn’t take what they hear at face value and takes the time to get clarification on the other party’s qualms. 7. Shows curiosity. Being able to ask insightful questions, and having the courage to ask those questions, is another critical characteristic. â€Å"I knew a prospective customer had met with my competitor, and since I was curious I asked how my presentation stacked up against his,† says Robertson. â€Å"So I then had a leg up in the negotiating process, because I knew what I was up against.† 8. Has the ability to walk away. Most small business owners put themselve s in a position where they’re unwilling to walk away from a sale because they feel they desperately need it. This is a mistake. When you hold that mindset, a customer has a better chance of taking advantage of you. â€Å"Every deal has to make good business sense,† says Robertson. 3.Harmony. Harmony is the key value in Japanese society. Harmony is the guiding philosophy for the Japanese in family and business settings and in society as a whole. They place great emphasis on politeness, personal responsibility and working together for the universal, rather than the individual, good. They see working in harmony as the crucial ingredient for working productively. 4.Japanese Non-Verbal Communication Since the Japanese strive for harmony and are group dependent, they rely on facial expression, tone of voice and posture to tell them what someone feels. They often trust non-verbal messages more than the spoken word as words can have several meanings. Frowning while someone is speaking is interpreted as a sign of disagreement. Most Japanese maintain an impassive expression when speaking. Expressions to watch out for include inhaling through clenched teeth, tilting the head, scratching the back of the head, and scratching the eyebrow. It is considered disrespectful to stare into another person’s eyes, particularly those of a person who is senior to you because of age or status. In crowded situations the Japanese avoid eye contact to give themselves privacy. 5.Meet Meeting Etiquette & Customs in Japan Greetings in Japan are very formal and ritualized.It is important to show the correct amount of respect and deference to someone based upon their status relative to your own.If at all possible, wait to be introduced.It can be seen as impolite to introduce yourself, even in a large gathering.While foreigners are expected to shake hands, the traditional form of greeting is the bow. How far you bow depends upon your relationship to the other person as well as the situation. The deeper you bow, the more respect you show.A foreign visitor (‘gaijin’) may bow the head slightly, since no one expects foreigners to generally understand the subtle nuances of bowing. 6.Gift Giving Etiquette Gift-giving is highly ritualistic and meaningful.The ceremony of presenting the gift and the way it is wrapped is as important–sometimes more important–than the gift itself.Gifts are given for many occasions.The gift need not be expensive, but take great care to ask someone who understands the culture to help you decide what type of gift to give. Good quality chocolates or small cakes are good ideas.Do not give lilies, camellias or lotus blossoms as they are associated with funerals.Do not give white flowers of any kind as they are associated with funerals. Do not give potted plants as they encourage sickness, although a bonsai tree is always acceptable.Give items in odd numbers, but not 9.If you buy the gift in Japan, have it wrapped.Pastel colours are the best choices for wrapping paper.Gifts are not opened when received. 7.Relationships & Communication The Japanese prefer to do business on the basis of personal relationships.In general, being introduced or recommended by someone who already has a good relationship with the company is extremely helpful as it allows the Japanese to know how to place you in a hierarchy relative to themselves.One way to build and maintain relationships is with greetings / seasonal cards.It is important to be a good correspondent as the Japanese hold this in high esteem. 8.Business Meeting Etiquette Appointments are required and, whenever possible, should be made several weeks in advance.It is best to telephone for an appointment rather than send a letter, fax or email. Punctuality is important. Arrive on time for meetings and expect your Japanese colleagues will do the same.Since this is a group society, even if you think you will be meeting one person, be prepared for a group meeting. It may take several meetings for your Japanese counterparts to become comfortable with you and be able to conduct business with you. This initial getting to know you time is crucial to laying the foundation for a successful relationship.You may be awarded a small amount of business as a trial to see if you meet your commitments.If you respond quickly and with excellent service, you prove your ability and trustworthiness. Never refuse a request, no matter how difficult or non- profitable it may appear. The Japanese are looking for a long-term relationship.Always provide a package of literature about your company including articles and client testimonials.Always give a small gift, as a token of your esteem, and present it to the most senior person at the end of the meeting. Your Japanese contact can advise you on where to find something appropriate. 9.Business Negotiation The Japanese are non-confrontational.They have a difficult time saying ‘no’, so you must be vigilant at observing their non-verbal communication.It is best to phrase questions so that they can answer yes. For example, do you disagree with this?Group decision-making and consensus are important.Written contracts are required. The Japanese often remain silent for long periods of time. Be patient and try to work out if your Japanese colleagues have understood what was said.Japanese prefer broad agreements and mutual understanding so that when problems arise they can be handled flexibly.Using a Japanese lawyer is seen as a gesture of goodwill. Note that Japanese lawyers are quite different from Western lawyers as they are much more functionary. Never lose your temper or raise your voice during negotiations.Some Japanese close their eyes when they want to listen intently.The Japanese seldom grant concession. They expect both parties to come to the table with their best offer.The Japanese do not see contracts as final agreements so they can be renegotiated 10.Business Cards Business cards are exchanged constantly and with great ceremony.Invest in quality cards.Always keep your business cards in pristine condition.Treat the business card you receive as you would the person.You may be given a business card that is only in Japanese. It is wise to have one side of your business card translated into Japanese.Give your business card with the Japanese side facing the recipient. Make sure your business card includes your title, so your Japanese colleagues know your status within your organization.Business cards are given and received with two hands and a slight bow.Examine any business card you receive very carefully.During a meeting, place the business cards on the table in front of you in the order people are seated.When the meeting is over, put the business cards in a business card case or a portfolio 11.Business ethics Japanese believe in business ethics. They provide products and services to the customers and never ready to cheat them. Thus they provide service to the community and fulfill social responsibility. They do business fairly. They earn profit but not at the cost of quality. Question 4: What is Hofstede’s dimension of culture? Which category does Malaysia falls into? Answer 4: We know we are living in a global age. Technology has brought the world much closer together. This means that people of different cultures find themselves working together and communicating more and more. (http://www.ctp.bilkent.edu.tr/~aydogmus/Hofstede_Hall.pdf) This is exciting and interesting, but it can also be frustrating and fraught with uncertainty. How do you relate to someone of another culture? What do you say, or not say, to start a conversation off right? Are there cultural taboos you need to be aware of? Building connections with people from around the world is just one dimension of cultural diversity. You also have issues like motivating people, structuring projects, and developing strategy. What works in one location may or may not work somewhere else. The question is, â€Å"How can I come to understand these cultural differences?† Are we relegated to learning from our mistakes or are there generalized guidelines to follow? Fortunately, a psychologist named Dr Geert Hofstede asked himself this question in the 1970s. What emerged after a decade of research and thousands of interviews is a model of cultural dimensions that has become an internationally recognized standard. With access to people working for the same organization in over 40 countries of the world, Hofstede collected cultural data and analyzed his findings. He initially identified four distinct cultural dimensions that served to distinguish one culture from another. Later he added a fifth dimension and that is how the model stands today. He scored each country using a scale of roughly 0 to 100 for each dimension. The higher the score, the more that dimension is exhibited in society. The Five Dimensions of Culture Armed with a large database of cultural statistics, Hofstede analyzed the results and found clear patterns of similarity and difference amid the responses along these five dimensions. Interestingly, his research was done on employees of IBM only, which allowed him to attribute the patterns to national differences in culture, largely eliminating the problem of differences in company culture.(http:/www.mindtools.com) The five dimensions are: 1. Power/Distance (PD) – This refers to the degree of inequality that exists – and is accepted – among people with and without power. A high PD score indicates that society accepts an unequal distribution of power and people understand â€Å"their place† in the system. Low PD means that power is shared and well dispersed. It also means that society members view themselves as equals. Application: According to Hofstede’s model, in a high PD country like Malaysia (104), you would probably send reports only to top management and have closed door meetings where only a select few, powerful leaders were in attendance. Characteristics Tips High PD Centralized companies. Strong hierarchies. Large gaps in compensation, authority, and respect. Acknowledge a leader’s power. Be aware that you may need to go to the top for answers Low PD Flatter organizations. Supervisors and employees are considered almost as equals. Use teamwork Involve as many people as possible in decision making. 2. Individualism (IDV) – This refers to the strength of the ties people have to others within the community. A high IDV score indicates a loose connection with people. In countries with a high IDV score there is a lack of interpersonal connection and little sharing of responsibility, beyond family and perhaps a few close friends. A society with a low IDV score would have strong group cohesion, and there would be a large amount of loyalty and respect for members of the group. The group itself is also larger and people take more responsibility for each other’s well being. Application: Hofstede’s analysis suggests that in the Central American countries of Panama and Guatemala where the IDV scores are very low (11 and 6, respectively), a marketing campaign that emphasized benefits to the community or that tied into a popular political movement would likely be understood and well-received. Characteristics Tips High IDV High valuation on people’s time and their need for freedom. An enjoyment of challenges, and an expectation of rewards for hard work. Respect for privacy. Acknowledge accomplishments. Don’t ask for too much personal information. Encourage debate and expression of own ideas. Low IDV Emphasis on building skills and becoming masters of something. Work for intrinsic rewards. Harmony more important than honesty. Show respect for age and wisdom. Suppress feelings and emotions to work in harmony. Respect traditions and introduce change slowly. 3. Masculinity (MAS) – This refers to how much a society sticks with, and values, traditional male and female roles. High MAS scores are found in countries where men are expected to be tough, to be the provider, to be assertive and to be strong. If women work outside the home, they have separate professions from men. Low MAS scores do not reverse the gender roles. In a low MAS society, the roles are simply blurred. You see women and men working together equally across many professions. Men are allowed to be sensitive and women can work hard for professional success. Application: Japan is highly masculine with a score of 95 whereas Sweden has the lowest measured value (5). According to Hofstede’s analysis, if you were to open an office in Japan, you might have greater success if you appointed a male employee to lead the team and had a strong male contingent on the team. In Sweden, on the other hand, you would aim for a team that was balanced in terms of skill rather than gender. Characteristics Tips High MAS Men are masculine and women are feminine. There is a well defined distinction between men’s work and women’s work. Be aware that people may expect male and female roles to be distinct. Advise men to avoid discussing emotions or making emotionally-based decisions or arguments. Low MAS A woman can do anything a man can do. Powerful and successful women are admired and respected. Avoid an â€Å"old boys’ club† mentality. Ensure job design and practices are not discriminatory to either gender. Treat men and women equally. 4. Uncertainty/Avoidance Index (UAI) – This relates to the degree of anxiety society members feel when in uncertain or unknown situations. High UAI-scoring nations try to avoid ambiguous situations whenever possible. They are governed by rules and order and they seek a collective â€Å"truth†. Low UAI scores indicate the society enjoys novel events and values differences. There are very few rules and people are encouraged to discover their own truth. Application: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions imply that when discussing a project with people in Belgium, whose country scored a 94 on the UAI scale, you should investigate the various options and then present a limited number of choices, but have very detailed information available on your contingency and risk plans. (Note that there will be cultural differences between French and Dutch speakers in Belgium!) Characteristics Tips High UAI Very formal business conduct with lots of rules and policies. Need and expect structure. Sense of nervousness spurns high levels of emotion and expression. Differences are avoided. Be clear and concise about your expectations and parameters. Plan and prepare, communicate often and early, provide detailed plans and focus on the tactical aspects of a job or project. Express your emotions through hands gestures and raised voices. Low UAI Informal business attitude. More concern with long term strategy than what is happening on a daily basis. Accepting of change and risk. Do not impose rules or structure unnecessarily. Minimize your emotional response by being calm and contemplating situations before speaking. Express curiosity when you discover differences. 5. Long Term Orientation (LTO) – This refers to how much society values long-standing – as opposed to short term – traditions and values. This is the fifth dimension that Hofstede added in the 1990s after finding that Asian countries with a strong link to Confucian philosophy acted differently from western cultures. In countries with a high LTO score, delivering on social obligations and avoiding â€Å"loss of face† are considered very important. Application: According to Hofstede’s analysis, people in the United States and United Kingdom have low LTO scores. This suggests that you can pretty much expect anything in this culture in terms of creative expression and novel ideas. The model implies that people in the US and UK don’t value tradition as much as many others, and are therefore likely to be willing to help you execute the most innovative plans as long as they get to participate fully. (This may be surprising to people in the UK, with its associations of tradition!) Characteristics Tips High LTO Family is the basis of society. Parents and men have more authority than young people and women. Strong work ethic. High value placed on education and training. Show respect for traditions. Do not display extravagance or act frivolously. Reward perseverance, loyalty, and commitment. Avoid doing anything that would cause another to â€Å"lose face†. Low LTO Promotion of equality. High creativity, individualism. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Self-actualization is sought. Expect to live by the same standards and rules you create. Be respectful of others. Do not hesitate to introduce necessary changes. For a list of scores by dimension per country and more detailed information about Hofstede’s research, visit his http://geert-hofstede.com/. You can also find out more about his research in the books http://www.amazon.com/ and http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm Note: Hofstede’s analysis is done by country. While this is valid for many countries, it does not hold in the countries where there are strong subcultures that are based on ethnicity of origin or geography. In Canada, for instance, there is a distinct French Canadian culture that has quite a different set of norms compared to English-speaking Canada. And in Italy, masculinity scores would differ between North and South. Key Points:Cultural norms play a large part in the mechanics and interpersonal relationships at work. When you grow up in a culture you take your norms of behavior for granted. You don’t have to think about your reactions, preferences, and feelings. When you step into a foreign culture, suddenly things seem different. You don’t know what to do or say. Using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions as a starting point, you can evaluate your approach, your decisions, and actions based on a general sense of how the society might think and react to you. Of course, no society is homogenous and there will be deviations from the norms Hofstede found, however, with this as your guide you won’t be going in blind. The unknown will be a little less intimidating and you’ll get a much-needed boost of confidence and security from studying this cultural model. Apply This to Your Life: Take some time to review the for the various cultural dimensions Hofstede identified. Pay particular attention to the countries from which the people you deal with on a day-by-day basis come. In light of these scores, think about some interactions you’ve had with people in other countries. Does your conversation or association make more sense given this newly found insight? Challenge yourself to learn more about one culture in particular. If your work brings you in contact with people from another country, use that country as your point of reference. Apply Hofstede’s scores to what you discover and determine the accuracy and relevance for you. The next time you are required to work with a person from a different culture, use Hofstede’s scores and make notes about your approach, what you should be prepared to discuss, and why you feel the way you do. Afterward, evaluate your performance and do further research and preparation for the next time. Above all, make cultural sensitivity a daily part of your life. Learn to value the differences between people and vow to honor and respect the things that make each nation of people unique. Question 4: Which category does Malaysia falls into? Answer 4: What about Malaysia? If we explore the Malaysian culture through the lens of the 5-D Model, we can get a good overview of the deep drivers of Malaysian culture relative to other world cultures. (http://predicate.wordpress.com) Power distance This dimension deals with the fact that all individuals in societies are not equal – it expresses the attitude of the culture towards these inequalities amongst us. Power distance is defined as the extent to which the less powerful members of institutions and organisations within a country expect and accept that power is distributed unequally. Malaysia scores very high on this dimension (score of 104) which means that people accept a hierarchical order in which everybody has a place and which needs no further justification. Hierarchy in an organisation is seen as reflecting inherent inequalities, centralization is popular, subordinates expect to be told what to do and the ideal boss is a benevolent autocrat. Challenges to the leadership are not well-received. Individualism The fundamental issue addressed by this dimension is the degree of interdependence a society maintains among its members. It has to do with whether people ´s self-image is defined in terms of â€Å"I† or â€Å"We†. In Individualist societies people are supposed to look after themselves and their direct family only. In Collectivist societies people belong to ‘in groups’ that take care of them in exchange for loyalty. Malaysia, with a score of 26 is a collectivistic society. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the â€Å"member† group, be that a family, extended family or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount and overrides most other societal rules and regulations. Such a society fosters strong relationships, where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group. In collectivistic societies, offence leads to shame and loss of face. Employer/employee relationships are perceived in moral terms (like a family link), hiring and promotion take account of the employee’s in-group. Management is the management of groups. Masculinity / Femininity A high score (masculine) on this dimension indicates that the society will be driven by competition, achievement and success, with success being defined by the winner / best in field – a value system that starts in school and continues throughout organisational behaviour. A low score (feminine) on the dimension means that the dominant values in society are caring for others and quality of life. A feminine society is one where quality of life is the sign of success and standing out from the crowd is not admirable. The fundamental issue here is what motivates people, wanting to be the best (masculine) or liking what you do (feminine). At 50, Malaysia can be considered a masculine society – highly success oriented and driven. In masculine countries, people â€Å"live in order to work†, managers are expected to be decisive, and the emphasis is on equity, competition and performance. Conflicts are resolved by fighting them out. A clear example of this dimension is seen around election time, with ferocious, no-holds barred battles between candidates. Uncertainty avoidance The dimension Uncertainty Avoidance has to do with the way that a society deals with the fact that the future can never be known: should we try to control the future or just let it happen? This ambiguity brings with it anxiety and different cultures have learnt to deal with this anxiety in different ways. The extent to which the members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and have created beliefs and institutions that try to avoid these is reflected in the UAI score. Malaysia scores 36 on this dimension and thus has a low preference for avoiding uncertainty. Low UAI societies maintain a more relaxed attitude in which practice counts more than principles and deviance from the norm is more easily tolerated. In societies exhibiting low UAI, people believe there should be no more rules than are necessary and if they are ambiguous or do not work, they should be abolished or changed. Schedules are flexible, hard work is undertaken when necessary but not for its own sake. Precision and punctuality do not come naturally, innovation is not seen as threatening. Long term orientation The long term orientation dimension is closely related to the teachings of Confucius and can be interpreted as dealing with society’s search for virtue, the extent to which a society shows a pragmatic future-oriented perspective rather than a conventional historical short-term point of view. (http://predicate.wordpress.com, http://predicate.wordpress.com/about, http://predicate.wordpress.com/writers-notebook) No score available for Malaysia on this dimension. Geert Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions on Malaysia Malaysia Fact File Official name – Malaysia Population – 23,522,482* (July 2004 est.) Official Language – Bahasa Malaysia (also known as Bahasa Melayu and the Malay language). English, Chinese dialects, and Tamil are also widely spoken. Currency – Ringgit (MYR) Capital city – Kuala Lumpur GDP – purchasing power parity $207.8 billion* (2004 est.) GDP Per Capita – purchasing power parity $9,000* (2004 est.) Overview Since the beginning of its history, Malaysia has been a meeting place for a diverse range of external cultures and religions. As a result of these external influences, a new unified but distinguished Malay culture has emerged. Contemporary Malaysia represents a unique fusion of Malay, Chinese, and Indian traditions, creating a pluralistic and multicultural nation that has its character strongly rooted in social harmony, religion and pride in its ancestral background. With such a rich cultural heritage, acquiring the relevant skills and cultural knowledge in order to conduct business in Malaysia is crucial to your success. Following years of confrontation in search of independence, Malaysia was established in September 1963 through the union of the Independent Federation of Malay, the former British colonies of Singapore and the East Malaysian States of Sabah and Sarawak. Over the last few decades the country has evolved from a successful producer of raw materials to a multisector economy. Today, Malaysia offers a unique blend of old traditional culture and new technological innovations. As the Malaysian market continues to develop and prosper, it is becoming increasingly valuable for those entering into business in Malaysia to be aware of the cultural dimensions that shape the fabric of this country Culture Face – A vital element of Malaysian culture, as with most Asian cultures, is the concept of face. In Malaysian society to â€Å"lose face†, that is to lose control of one’s emotions or to show embarrassment in public, is perceived as a negative display of behavior. Malaysians will use a number of methods in order to â€Å"save face†. Laughter, for instance, is often used to mask one’s true feelings and can reveal numerous emotions including nervousness, shyness or disapproval. Saving face is particularly crucial in business contexts as causing your Malaysian counterpart to lose face may influence the outcome of your future business dealings. High context culture – In high context cultures such as Malaysia meaning is often more explicit and less direct than in many Western cultures. This means that words are less important and greater attention must be given to additional forms of communication such as voice tone, body language, eye-contact and facial expressions. In Malaysia, because business is personal and based on trust, developing relationships rather than exchanging facts and information is the main objective of communication. This also relates to the Malay cultural values of courtesy, tolerance, harmony and face. Direct answers, particularly negative ones, are avoided in order to prevent disagreement and preserve harmony; two very important aspects of Malaysian culture. Fatalism – Malaysian culture is centered on the diverse religious values of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam and as such relies heavily on the concept of fatalism. Fatalism is the belief that success, failures, opportunities and misfortunes result from fate or the will of God. In a business context, when formulating ideas and making decisions Malays, who are predominantly Muslim, will tend not to rely on empirical evidence or hard facts, but prefer to be guided by subjective feelings combined with the Islamic faith. Your Chinese and Indian colleagues will also take a similar approach since feelings and emotions play a significant part in their business culture. Consequently, negotiations may take longer than expected and your Malaysian counterparts will view decision making in a more personal light. Economy The Malaysian economy slowed sharply in the first half of 2005, but the outlook for the year as a whole and over the medium-term remains broadly favorable. The slowdown in the pace of economic activity, which began in the third quarter of 2004, continued in 2005.1 Year-on-year growth was sustained at 5.8 percent in Q1 2005, (Q4 2004 5.8 percent) and declined to 4.1 percent in Q2 2005, below market expectations. As a result, real GDP growth declined to 4.9 percent in the first half of 2005. On a year-on-year basis, the decline in economic activity was affected by negative contributions from mining (-1.6 percent) and construction (-2 percent), and a sharply lower positive contribution from manufacturing output (3.2 percent), and growth was driven mostly by the services sector (5.4 percent). On the expenditure side, the lower contribution to overall growth from external demand was partially offset by buoyant domestic demand, which expanded by 5.8 percent, underpinned by continued strong growth in private consumption (8.7 percent) and gross fixed capital formation (4.5 percent). A recovery in external demand for electronic and electrical (E&E) products is expected in the second half of 2005, and domestic demand will receive a further boost from the mild stimulus measures announced in the 2006 Budget.2 Thus, medium-term prospects remain broadly positive, with the economy expected to grow by 5 percent in 2005, 5_-.5_ percent in 2006, and 5_-6 percent through 2008. Political System The different states of the Federation of Malaysia became independent from the United Kingdom and Singapore at different times; the 11 Malay peninsular states in 1957 and the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak in 1963. The predominantly Chinese island-city of Singapore split off from Malaysia in 1965. Malaysia is an independent member of the Commonwealth. The supreme head of state or king, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, is elected every five years by the nine hereditary Malay rulers of Western Malaysia. At election time, each state ruler is asked whether or not he wishes to run for the kingship. If there is only one candidate, he becomes king if he receives at least five affirmative votes from the other rulers; otherwise, a new candidate is sought. When there is more than one candidate, the ballots are taken in the order of a rotation system. The ruler of the last of the nine states to be represented in the kingship since independence, Sultan Azlan Shah, was elected in March 1989. As in most parliamentary systems, political power resides in the cabinet, headed by the prime minister. The king appoints the cabinet from the 177-member House of Representatives, or Dewan Rakyat, whose representatives are elected by universal adult suffrage every five years. The other half of the Malaysian bicameral legislature is the 69-member Senate, or Dewan Negara, comprising two members elected by the legislatures of each of the states, and the remaining 43 senators appointed by the king, all for six-year terms. Political parties have mainly been formed along ethnic and religious divisions. Since independence, the Malaysian government has been controlled by a multiracial coalition of political parties called the National Front, or Barisan Nasional, of which Prime Minister Mahathir’s party, the United Malays National Organization (UNMO), is the largest partner. Trade System Malaysia experiences a rapid growth and its remarkably quick and strong recovery from the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Members of the trade policy review body attributed this impressive economic performance to sound macroeconomic policies, structural reforms, especially in the corporate and financial sectors, and fast growth in exports. Some Members wondered about the timing and effectiveness of Malaysia’s capital and exchange control measures implemented in the wake of the Asian crisis and the pegging of the ringitt to the U.S. dollar, measures that Malaysia saw as appropriate for stabilizing markets and building confidence. Members expressed the hope that â€Å"temporary† liberalization measures introduced during the review period would be made â€Å"permanent†. Members also sought Malaysia’s views on the need to diversify its exports, nearly half of which involve electronics. Members commended Malaysia for its strong support for and commitment to the multilateral trading system, and expressed their hope that it would actively participate in the Doha Development Agenda. As regards Malaysia’s pursuit of trade liberalization in regional fora, particularly ASEAN, some Members noted that the gap between MFN and preferential tariff rates applied to imports from ASEAN countries constituted a potential source of trade diversion, although Malaysia did not believe that this has actually happened. Members expressed their appreciation of Malaysia’s relative openness to trade and foreign direct investment and its continued liberalization efforts in these areas. In particular, Members commended Malaysia for its efforts to reduce tariffs, simplify the tariff structure, and abolish all local-content requirements (except those for the automotive sector). At the same time, concerns were raised over the fact that about one-third of Malaysia’s tariff lines were unbound and the widening gap between bound rates and applied MFN rates, which had permitted Malaysia to increase tariff protection for certain products, thereby raising the simple average of MFN tariffs during the review period. Malaysia noted that this widening gap between bound and applied MFN tariff rates was the consequence of unilateral tariff reductions and that the import-weighted tariff average had declined; some other Members felt that such a gap provided developing nations with a degree of flexibility in undertaking trade liberalization and other economic reforms. Members also urged Malaysia to reduce the scope of its non-automatic licensing system. It was noted that state-owned enterprises continued to play an important role in Malaysia’s economy and that the authorities might need measures to assure a pro-competitive climate in the sectors where such ent erprises were prevalent. Some Members encouraged Malaysia to accede to the Agreement on Government Procurement. On sectoral issues, Members noted the contrast between the openness and economic performance of the electronics and automotive industries; the much more open electronics industry had performed much better than the automotive industry, which was protected by high tariffs and non-tariff measures, including import licensing. Members urged Malaysia to bring forward the abolition of local-content requirements for motor vehicles. Moreover, Members encouraged Malaysia to continue its liberalization of the services sector, particularly financial services and telecommunications. In addition, Members also sought further clarification on, inter alia: the possibility of an ASEAN — China free trade agreement; effectiveness of investment guarantee agreements; greater use of ad valorem import duties; measures affecting exports; further progress in competition policy; transparency in government procurement; enforcement of intellectual property rights; standards and licensing concerning various agricultural products; and recognition of qualifications in education and legal services. Members expressed their appreciation of the responses provided by the delegation of Malaysia during the meeting, and looked forward to later replies to some questions. In conclusion, this Review has provided Members with a much better understanding of Malaysia’s trade and trade-related policies and of their role in fostering Malaysia’s economic development and helping it to cope with shocks, such as the Asian financial crisis. Malaysia’s recovery has apparently been greatly facilitated by Members’ adherence to the principles of the multilateral trading system and thus their willingness to keep their economies open to Malaysia’s exports. Members encouraged Malaysia to further liberalize and diversify its economy. In this context, I, along with Members, look forward to Malaysia’s continued support for future efforts to liberalize the multilateral trading system. Legal System The legal system of Malaysia was modeled after the English legal system which practices parliamentary democracy and is ruled by a Constitutional Monarchy, with His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (the King) ceremonially as the Head of the country. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is elected by the Conference of Rulers for a five-year term from amongst the hereditary Rulers of the nine states in the Federation which are ruled by Sultans. The states are Perlis, Kedah, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan. In the other states, namely Melaka, Pulau Pinang, Sabah and Sarawak, the Head of State is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri or Governor of the State. The Yang di-Pertua Negeri is appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong for a four-year term. The Federal Constitution of Malaysia clearly divides the law-making authority of the Federation into its legislative authority, judicial authority and executive authority. The separation of power also occurs both at federal and state levels. The federal laws enacted by the federal assembly or better known as the Parliament of Malaysia applies throughout the country. There are also state laws governing local governments and Islamic law enacted by the state legislative assembly which applies in the particular state. Malaysian Business Culture Working practices in Malaysia When scheduling business meetings in Malaysia one must take into consideration the importance of prayer times in this predominantly Muslim country. Fridays are a particularly religious day of the week and if possible meetings should not be scheduled for this time. Attitude to punctuality varies according to which nationality you are doing business with. The Chinese for example expect punctuality, whereas both ethnic Malays and Indian business people have a more relaxed attitude towards time. As a general rule, you will be expected to be punctual; therefore it is advised to arrive to business appointments on time. If your business in Malaysia requires interaction with Malaysian government officials, ensure that all communication takes place in the language of Bahasa Malaysia. The majority of transactions and correspondence with Malaysian companies however, will generally be conducted in English. Structure and Hierarchy in Malaysian Companies. Regardless of the size or nature of the company, hierarchy is an integral part of Malaysian business culture. Malaysian companies generally follow a vertical hierarchical structure where authority is directed from the top. In keeping with Malaysian culture, titles and job descriptions play a significant part in many Malaysian companies. They are important for employees in order to emphasize the line of authority within the business. Working Relationships in Malaysia Malaysians’ respect for authority is evident in most business dealings. The relationship between subordinates and their superiors for example is distinct and highly official. Malaysians do not address their bosses by their first name, but use titles such as â€Å"Mr† and â€Å"Madam† followed by their honorific form of address. Relationships between Malaysian business colleagues are based on mutual respect and, as such, the same procedure used when addressing their superiors is also applied with their Malaysian business colleagues. Malaysia Business Part 2 – Doing Business in Malaysia Business Practices in Malaysia When meeting your Malaysian counterparts for the first time, a firm handshake is the standard form of greeting. However, you should only shake hands with a Malaysian businesswoman if she initiates the gesture. Otherwise a nod or a single bow is appropriate. With such an array of cultures in Malaysia addressing Malaysians properly can be difficult. It is advised to find out in advance how you should address the person you are to meet. Generally speaking, a Malay’s first name is individually given, while the second and third name indicate those of the father and the grandfather. In some cases the words â€Å"bin† (son) or â€Å"binti† (daughter) can be added after the given name. Gifts are not usually exchanged as they may be perceived as a bribe. However, in the event that you are presented with a gift, it is customary to accept it with both hands and wait until you have left your Malaysian colleagues before opening it. Be sure to reciprocate with a gift of equal value in order to avoid loss of face. Business cards are customarily exchanged after an initial introduction in Malaysia. Since a large proportion of Malaysian business people are Chinese, it will be useful if your card is printed in both English and Chinese and that details of your education, professional qualifications, and business title are included. Cards should be presented and received with both hands, and time should always be spent examining the information before placing it on the table or in a briefcase. Malaysian Business Etiquette (Do’s and Don’ts) _ DO be patient with your Malaysian counterparts during business negotiations. The process is often a long and detailed one that should not be hastened. _ DO remain polite and demonstrate good etiquette at all times. Elderly Malaysian business people for example should be treated with respect and always acknowledged before younger members of the organization. This is an essential part of achieving successful business dealings in Malaysia. _ DO take time to establish productive business relationships with your Malaysian colleagues. Initial meetings are generally orientated towards developing such relationships and will be maintained throughout and beyond the negotiations. Without them, your business plans may be fruitless. X DON’T assume that a signed contract signifies a final agreement. It is common for negotiations to continue after a contract has been signed. X DON’T be surprised if your Malaysian counterparts ask what you may consider to be personal questions. In Malaysia, asking people about their weight, income and marital status for example, is not uncommon and is viewed as an acceptable approach to initial conversations. X DON’T enter into business with a Malaysian company without a letter of introduction from a bank or mutual acquaintance. This will help your request for a future meeting, as Malaysians prefer to conduct business with those they are familiar with. Geert Hofstedeâ„ ¢ Cultural Dimensions There is a high correlation between the Muslim religion and the Hofstede Dimensions of Power Distance (PDI) and Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) scores. The combination of these two high scores (UAI) and (PDI) create societies that are highly rule-oriented with laws, rules, regulations, and controls in order to reduce the amount of uncertainty, while inequalities of power and wealth have been allowed to grow within the society. These cultures are more likely to follow a caste system that does not allow significant upward mobility of its citizens. When these two Dimensions are combined, it creates a situation where leaders have virtually ultimate power and authority, and the rules, laws and regulations developed by those in power, reinforce their own leadership and control. It is not unusual for new leadership to arise from armed insurrection – the ultimate power, rather than from diplomatic or democratic change. Analysis Using Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions Power Distance Index (PDI), High – Suggests that the degree to which the less powerful members of organizations and institutions (like the family) accept and expect that power is distributed unevenly. This represents high inequality. It implies that a society’s level of inequality is allowed by the followers as much as by the leaders. Individualism (IDV), Low – Collectivism, that is the degree to which individuals are inte-grated into groups. Given that the IDV index of Malaysia is low, it is implied that collectivism is more manifested than individualism in its culture. On the individualist side we find societies in which the ties between individuals are loose: everyone is expected to look after him/herself and his/her immediate family. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups, often extended families (with uncles, aunts and grandparents) which continue protecting them in exchan ge for unquestioning loyalty. The word ‘collectivism’ in this sense has no political meaning: it refers to the group, not to the state. Masculinity (MAS), Average – There is no eminent distinction of how roles are distributed in Malaysia as according to gender. The index shows moderately-low to average in terms of masculinity. The gap between the two gender roles is not that great which may signify equality between the roles. Uncertainty Avoidance Index (UAI), Moderately-Low – Uncertainty avoiding cultures try to reduce the chance of such situations by strict laws and rules, safety and security measures, and on the philosophical and religious level by a belief in absolute Truth. Malaysia exhibits a moderately-low index, which suggests that the society has a tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. The society might be relatively comfortable in unstructured situations which are novel, unknown, surprising, and different from usual. REFERENCES: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_66.htm http://geert-hofstede.com/dimensions.html http://youcouldbelievethis.blogspot.sg/2010/02/geert-hofstedes-cultural-dimensions.html http://www.hraljournal.com/Page/18%20Lieh-Ching%20Chang.pdf http://weissnegotiation.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Negotiating-with-Fgn-Busi_persons.pdf http://2vancouver.com/en/articles/cultural-differences-between-canada-japan http://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Cultural-Differences-Between-Japan-And-Canada/66039 http://www.intercultures.ca/cil-cai/ci-ic-eng.asp?iso=jp