Mergers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mergers - Essay Example Ravenschaft and Scherer (1987) state that firms will merge because they think that this will result into an increase in efficiency in the new firm formed after merging. Efficiency is expected to rise after the increase in capital, sharing of expertise, elimination of duplicate processes in production and the realization of economies of scale. All these advantages associated with mergers will influence firms to merge, however according to Hughes (1989) mergers may not lead to the realization of efficiency and they may lead to even increased inefficiencies in the firm. Firms will merge in order to gain market power, market power increases where firms that merge are in the same industry and produce the same products in the market and when they merge they form a monopolistic firm which controls the prices and the quantity produced. The firms will also merge as a way to increase their competitive advantages over their rivals and this makes the new firm a market leader, however this may not be the case where government policies may restrict firms to form monopolistic market forms where the firms controls the prices and quantity produced. Firms have different levels of market share in the market, when the firms merge they form one big firm those market share is equal to the sum of both firms market share, as a result the market share increases and this acts as a motivating factor for firms to merge. The reason why a larger market share is preferred is because a firm will realize economies of scale, increase sales volume, increase sales revenue and therefore increase profits earned. Tax advantages: Firms will also merge in order to gain a tax advantage, all firms will pay tax to the government depending on the level of profits they have acquired, and firms will therefore merge with loss making firms as a way of reducing their tax burden. However in most countries this has been discouraged where policies have been put in place to limit the act of profit making firms shopping for loss making firms to gain tax advantages. Diversification: According to Henry (2000) firms will also merge as a way to smooth earnings, smooth earning results into a smooth stock price over time and therefore investors are attracted to invest in the companies stocks. When two firms merge their earnings and stock prices are more stable and this increases investor confidence and therefore realize increased capital base from investors equity. Increasing geographical coverage: Firms will merge as a way of increasing their geographical coverage, example two law firms namely the Battle and Booth company and the Mack and McLean company merged in order to increase their geographical coverage and therefore offer their services to a larger population, this is because when firms merge they form a larger com-any and the large company is able to invest more and diversify than a small company. Sharing of expertise and technological integration: Firms will gain expertise and gain from mergers, managers and other experts share ideas and this helps in improving the efficiency and also the productivity of a firm, this sharing is made possible when firms merge but this would not have been possible when the

Exploration of methods and problems

Exploration of methods and problems Introduction Increased competitive advantage and the rapidly changing global environment (Bach, 2005) are the two most important reasons for putting pressure on firms for their survival. It is these measures which make the organisation realise the need for strategic human resource planning. Strategic human resource planning links human resource planning towards the strategic direction of the company (De Cenzo Robbins, 1996) ensuring that the organisations continued growth is maintained by attracting and retaining people with high-calibre (Cooper, Robertson, Tinline, 2003). This brings into the need for the right recruitment and selection policy and procedures to be in place. But, ironically, it is still seen that many organisations still adopt wasteful approaches towards selections and most of the time vacancies get filled in an unplanned manner without a systematic job analysis keeping in mind whether specific jobs would be needed or not (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008). As poor selection decisions can have ruinous effects for the organisation ranging from cost factors to productivity, it is essential to recruit and select the right people. These facts form the basis of my dissertation study exploring the recruitment and selection methods and problems within an organisation. This proposal provides a brief outline about my intended research process. I begin by highlighting the significance of my research along with the objectives I tend to achieve. Secondly, I explain briefly about the literature review available on the recruitment and selection process. The methodology section will tell about the techniques I will adopt for the data collection and analysis. And the limitations that may be encountered during my study are covered in the final section. Rationale behind my study and its Significance This research is informative and significant from the viewpoint that behavioural traits should be checked during the recruitment and selection process for the effectiveness of quality management making sure that both the technical and social systems so as to become difficult to imitate by competitors due to casual ambiguity and path dependency leading to sustaining organisational performance for a long time (Ahmad Schroeder, 2002). Also, an effective recruitment and selection strategy not only makes sure that the company achieves competitive advantage and success but it is also important because new recruits are a medium for amending organisational cultures as well as considered an opportunity for acquiring new skills by managers (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008). In addition, a wrong selection can be expensive in relation to retrain poor performers and to recruit new employees in replacement of ones who quit and the ones who were wrongly selected. Also, this can lead to loss of potential clients along with redundancy packages. Therefore, lastly through this study the negative effects that wrong selection decisions can have will be brought into notice. Research Objectives The research will be conducted in a multinational organisation whose â€Å"strategic goals are motivated by the desire to develop an efficient and integrated business on an international scale along and the groups philosophy being to build well-defined, value-added businesses focusing on serving the needs of select market niches where it can compete effectively (About Us: Investec)†. All these point towards having a workforce which can effectively contribute in helping the company achieve its targets. Therefore, the purpose of study is to explore the recruitment and selections methods adopted by the organisation to see the nature and the quality of people working in it and the efficiency of the current methods. The research basically addresses the following questions: Are the various recruitment and selection methods practiced by the organisations today as suggested by the literature really apt? Do the recruitment policies and procedures actually help in achieving the outcomes which are expected by the organisation? What are the factors (job and role specifications, recruitment media, selection techniques etc.) that affect the designing and implementation of the staffing process? Does cost, organisational resistance to change and national culture have an impact on the recruiting efforts? Can recommendations be suggested to improve the recruitment and selection process within an organisation? Literature Review 1. Introduction Thought it may seem that recruitment and selection are similar terms due to their functions being complementary, this review discusses them separately along with the function of job analysis in the overall recruitment and selection process. Firstly, an overview of the process will be given considering its various stages, and discussing each stage separately with the pros and cons. In the end specific issues related to national culture and costs affecting recruiting efforts will be discussed. 2. Overview of the Recruitment and Selection Process A recruitment and selection process is a method by which a company aims to satisfy its manpower needs at the minimum cost possible to ensure the effective continuing of the organisations operation. The main purpose of a recruitment and selection process is to study personality differences between individuals and the way it affects their ability to performance the subsequent job (Searle, 2003). Defining requirements, attraction and recruitment, shortlisting and assessment or selection are the four stages of a recruitment and selection process (Armstrong, 2006). Requirements mean preparation involving analysis of job to identify the needs along with what is involved already which results in job summary and person specifications as the outputs. Attraction is a medium to identify and evaluate sources of applicants keeping in mind that it is a two -way relationship with the firm deciding who to attract as well as the applicants decision making power whether to join the organisation (Taylor, 2005). Finally, the selection stage involves selecting the most suitable person(s) to fill the job from a pool of recruited good applicants (Cook, 2004). 2.1 Job Analysis Job Analysis or Role analysis is the most important stage in recruitment and selection as it provides the information related to the job (work-oriented) along with the skills and traits a person (worker-oriented) should have to perform the job (Searle, 2003). According to Pearn and Kandola (1993), Job analysis is simply defined as â€Å"a systematic procedure for obtaining detailed and objective information about a job, task or role.† to provide job descriptions and data for recruitment, training needs, performance evaluation and management. Job analysis can be done using a number of techniques ranging from focusing on the elements of work to being sensitive towards workers and their attributes. However, the main methods that are used are observation methods, interviews, and questionnaires and checklists. Because of drawbacks associated with each method, it is argued that techniques be combined for a clear and proper person specification description (Cooper, Robertson, Tinline, 2003). Also, there are issues of stability and accuracy concerned with job analysis, as a result of which there must be updating at all times. Also, job analysis is based on the assumption of one right way to perform the job instead of others, raising questions in regard of interrelationship between the worker and the organisation (Searle, 2003). Job Descriptions Job descriptions are the output of the job analysis concerned with a brief description about the job(s) to be taken up. Though they vary between organisations, generally the same categories are included: job title, location, responsible to whom and for what, main purpose of the job, principal job duties and any other duties. A point worth noting is that, despite, these used widely, they are criticised for being irrelevant to modern times as they are lack flexibility and are just based on rules. The criticism being that workers see their task as being defined making them abide by the rules instead of encouraging them to perform and add value beyond those. As a result, job descriptions are seen to be replaced by accountability profiles which focus on outputs rather than the components of the process. Also, another strategy involves the use of role definitions and key result area statements (KRAs) that refer to the measures for performance for the job (Armstrong and Marchington). Selection Criteria/Person Specifications This is the second documentation derived from job analysis. Person specifications are basically the human attributes required for filling up the role. Basically these specifications are based on certain heading following traditional seven point and five-point plans of Rodger (1952) and Fraser (1996) respectively. This forms the basis of selection criteria so as to reduce the number of applicants and in the end only have well-qualified candidates with the right requirements. However, in todays world competency frameworks relying on behaviour of applicants have replaced the earlier frameworks relying on personal judgement. This is because of the fact of reducing subjectivity in the recruitment and selection process and the tendency to judge personal qualities (Suff and Newell, 2006). Also, they can be related to performance outcome and stay clear of criteria that though may be easy to measure but may not relate to job effectiveness. 2.2 Recruitment The next stage after job analysis is the recruitment stage. Recruitment refers to tapping potential candidates from a pool of candidates based on the right skills and qualifications after filtering through the job analysis technique. It is important because it determines quality and quality of the applicants which in turn is necessary for the organisations overall financial performance and eventually its growth and success (Carlson, Connerley, Mecham, 2002). However, despite recruitment being the pre-requisite for selection to take place, it is still noteworthy that very little attention has been given to recruitment in theoretical underpinnings (Breaugh Starke, 2000). Also, recruiting efforts might be faced with some constraints ranging from issues relating to whether to recruit or not, sources from where to recruit and at what cost to organisations image, attractiveness of the job, internal policies and legal influence. Nevertheless, the different recruitment methods that can be adopted are advertising, use of employment agencies, internal recruitment, e-recruiting, on-campus recruiting and employee recommendations/referrals. The effectiveness of each of these methods can be tested in terms of quantitative and qualitative analysis. The former takes into account various costs in relation to the number of applicants generated, neglecting the newcomers ability to perform. Whereas the latter is concerned with judging the best candidate testing the absenteeism, turnover, retention and attitude at work. However, research has shown that informal methods (employee recommendations, internal search) are better and more effective that the formal methods of advertising and college placement. 2.3 Pre-selection/Shortlisting It is seen that not all the persons have the necessary skills, qualifications and experience to perform a job. Hence, based on the criteria of Curriculum Vitae and Application forms applicants are reduced. This process of choosing candidates on the basis of their curriculum vitas (CVs)/application forms after the recruitment stage is known as Shortlisting. The applicants fill up questionnaires about their personal details, education background, work experience, strengths and leisure activities. Judging upon these the HR specialists generate two categories of applicants: possible and rejected on the basis of having the required skills or not respectively, thereby, shortlisting the possible ones for the further stages of selection process serving as a path to the interview stage (Lewis, 1985). However, this criteria of shortlisting suffers from drawbacks as poor application forms with limit space under headings can put off potential candidates due to they not being able to provide adequate information (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008) ultimately leading to artificial responses. Also, often applicants provide false information as seen by Poole and Warner (1998), â€Å"It was reported that 30 percent of applications contained false information.† 2.4 Selection The final stage in the recruitment and selection process is that of selection. Selection is defined as a negative activity because of it choosing the best candidates and turning down others from a bunch to decide who is best-suited and fits the job most effectively. The classic trio comprising of application form, letter of reference and interview is the most prevalent selecting technique employed. This is due to it being straightforward and the least expensive of all the other methods. Also, other methods like assessment centres are not used due to them being the one with the highest validity which can deter the candidates from applying further. The range of selection methods that can be used for filling the job position are interviews, references, assessment centres, psychometric tests, work samples and biodata. However, no single selection method can predict with certainty that only a single individual will perform better in all situations. Hence, it is important to select the most appropriate technique. The Also, it is evident that most of the selection techniques have very low accuracy when it comes to effective selection decisions. Moreover, in order to know which tool to use, we need to know what is being measured and how well. The above factors, therefore, bring into account the need for assessing the value of each method in terms of practicability, sensitivity, reliability and validity (Marchington Wilkinson, 2008). 2.5 Specific issues: Costs and National Culture There are certain specific issues (costs and national culture) which play an important role in determining which selection methods to be employed by an organisation for selection of the new personnel. The focus is on selection due to the lack of literature on these issues concerning recruitment techniques. Costs The choice of a selection method to be used depends a lot on its cost. An organisations HR managers aim to use selection methods scoring high on validity along with being cost-effective. However, a selection method generating employees of utmost importance can be still be practised even if it is costly owing to the fact that successful employee selection leading to better productivity and performance is the overall goal of the organisation which in turn can outweigh the cost effects. National Culture National culture is basically defined as the values, customs, behaviour and attitudes a particular community, society or group tends to follow distinguishing them from other groups of different ethnicity. Each organisation has a corporate culture which arises on the basis of values and rituals of the country in which it is operating. The employees working in the company are also influenced by society and hence it can be seen that the elements of national culture are to an extent embedded in the organisation culture (Sparrow Hiltrop, 1994). The selection method a company uses to select new candidates also depends a lot on the social environment as some methods may be acceptable in one country and not in the other due to cultural differences. An outcome of a survey conducted by Ryan et al (1999) showed that uncertainty decision is the prime factor in influencing an organisations decisions in deciding which selection method to use. Therefore, it is seen that tests and interviews are the selecting methods used by countries which want less uncertainty, as these processes decrease uncertainty owing to the fixed questionnaire due to which the predictability of selecting the right person increases. 2.6 Conclusion This review showed a brief overview about the recruitment and selection process. However, the literature review on recruitment and selection methods were not discussed as they will be compared in my research with the methods being used in the organisation currently weighing each ones pros and cons along with the problems faced by the organisation and recommendations will be given. Methodology Designing the research I will rely on the phenomenological qualitative methods for the collection and analysis of data taking into account the inductive approach, for my study (Saunders, Thornhill, Lewis, 2006). This inductive approach will let me come out with the best possible answers for my research objectives due to it being able to explore better the behaviours and perceptions of people helping me get an overall insight into the research context in relation to an everyday life. Furthermore, as I am concerned only with a single organisation, I will be following the case-study approach. The reason behind my choosing a single firm is the fact that this will help me focus on my research leading to getting a deep understanding of the policy and procedures related to recruitment and selection with the firm. Data collection method Gathering of data will take place using semi-structured interviews along with open-ended questionnaires. The interviews would be held within the workplace with about 15 employees with most of them being the senior HR mangers as they are the ones responsible for the recruitment process taking the view concerned with the organisational decision-making in selection procedures. In contrast to this, if possible, I will also try and gain an insight into the candidates reactions to selection methods in order to take the applicants perspectives in the decision making process. This will be done through the use of questionnaires if not interviews with the applicants applying to the company. The reason behind using semi-structured interviews is that they have a personal contact and will help the interviewees to express their feelings, concerns and opinions with ease of freedom without the fear of being cut in between letting them further frame their responses. This will ensure a collection of detailed and ampler data set. Data Analysis All the interviews will be tape recorded so as to fill in any gaps which might have been left during the interview and transcribed for analysis. However to protect confidentiality, these will be recorded only after a written signatory permission from the respondents. I plan to adopt the template analysis approach for my analysis in which a â€Å"researcher generates a list of codes or templates in order to represent themes identified in the textual data (King, 2004)†. This will basically provide a key summary of my findings along with a flexibility level to change themes with the course of analysis. Also, this approach will be very useful in comparing differences in the perspectives of different groups of staff. Depending on the research objectives, an initial template will be created with the gathered data being coded into broad themes which will further be broken down into specific patterns as the analysis progresses. In the end, the final template will seek to explain all the research questions in addition to any new findings emerging out of the research. LIMITATIONS There are a number of limitations the research might be subjected to. Firstly, since the research will take place in a single organisation, issues regarding reliability and validity of the data for suitability within other firms may arise. This raises the question about the generalisation of the research findings beyond the parent organisation. However, this should make the research less sound owing to evolving businesses and to the nature of all human beings to perceive things differently. Secondly, time constraints might be another issue. The time available to do a thorough research isnt enough as it requires a lot of travel too. Moreover, since I can just conduct my research in the organisation for a maximum of a month, this may result in collection of irrelevant or inadequate data at times due to a hurried collection process. In addition to all these limitations other problems may arise as well. The employees of the organisation might be hesitant in giving interviews at workplace because of the fear of job-cuts due to recession. Hence, in this scenario I will try my best to conduct interviews be it in the form of telephonic interviews. Moreover, it might be possible not to carry out face to face interviews at times as some of the managers might not be available. Also, there is no guarantee to finish all the interviews within the specified time period. Another possibility might be that due to sensitivity issues regarding me being an outsider, the company may be reluctant in providing all the required information for my research. A final limitation might be about the arrangement for access into the organisation falling short. Though, I do not think that the multinational organisation would deny me access but, if such a thing happens, I have a back-up plan with an access to another organisation which will surely give me an access. This firm is an IT firm in India and has guaranteed to give me an access. Despite these problems likely to arise during my course of research, I am sure I will be able to handle and tackle them effectively. I am also confident to be able to achieve answers to my research objectives completing my research successfully. Bibliography About Us: Investec. (n.d.). Retrieved March 2010, from Investec: http://www.investec.com/en_gb/#home.html Ahmad, S., Schroeder, R. G. (2002). ‘The importance of recruitment and selection process in the sustainablity of total quality management. International Journal of Quality and Reliabilty Management, 19 (5), pp 540-550. Armstrong, M. (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management (10th ed.). London; Philadelphia: Kogan Page. Bach, S. (2005). Managing human resources: personnel management in transition (4th ed.). Oxford: Blackwell. Breaugh, J., Starke, M. (2000). ‘Research on employee recruitment: so many studies, so many remaining questions. Journal of Management, 26 (3), pp 405-434. Carlson, K. D., Connerley, M. L., Mecham, R. L. (2002). ‘Recruitment Evaluation: The case for assessing the quality of applicants attracted. Personnel Psychology, 55 (2), pp 461-490. Cook, M. (2004). Personnel Selection: Adding Value Through People (4th Edition ed.). Chicester: John Wiley Sons, Ltd. Cooper, D., Robertson, I. T., Tinline, G. (2003). Recruitment and Selection: A Framework for Success. London: Thomson. De Cenzo, D. A., Robbins, S. P. (1996). Human Resource Management (5th ed.). Chicester: Wiley. King, N. (2004). Using Templates in Thematic Analysis of Text. In C. M. Cassell, G. Symon, Essential guide to qualitative methods in organizational research. London: Sage Publications. Lewis, C. (1985). Employee Selection. London: Hutchinson. Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A. (2008). Human Resource Management at work: People Management and Development (4th ed.). London: CIPD. Pearn, M., Kandola, R. S. (1993). Job Analysis: A managers guide (2nd ed.). London: Institute of Personnel Management. Poole, M., Warner, M. (1998). The IEBM handbook of Human Resource Management. London: International Thomson Business. Ryan, A. M., McFarland, L., Baron, H., Page, R. (1999). ‘An international look at selection practices: Nation and Culture as explanations for variability in Practices. Personnel Pscychology, 52 (2), pp 359-391. Saunders, M., Thornhill, A., Lewis, P. (2006). Research Methods for Business Students (4th ed.). Harlow: Pearson. Searle, R. H. (2003). Selection and Recruitment: a Critical Text. UK: Palgrave Macmillan. Smith, M., Robertson, I. T. (1993). The Theory and Practice of Systematic Personnel Selection (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Macmillan. Sparrow, P., Hiltrop, M. J. (1994). European Human Resource Management in Transition. New York: Prentice Hall. Taylor, S. (2005). People Resourcing. London: CIPD.

Why I Think Malaysia Will Be The Best Place To Live In The Next Essay

(First prize winner in the STAR 25th anniversary essay competition (Category C - adults) Should a fairy godmother suddenly appear before me with a crystal ball, a magic wand and a world atlas, and give me the liberty to select the country I’d like to live in 25 years from now, without a second’s hesitation, I would point to that small nondescript, elongated peninsula straddling the equator called Malaysia. The reason is very simple. I firmly feel that 25 years hence, Malaysia would be one of the nicest - if not THE nicest - places to call â€Å"home†. Let us take a little journey down the corridors of time and cast a glance at the destiny of some of the nations of the world over the past five decades. There is war and famine in some, greed and suffering in others. Quite clearly, Malaysia has reason to stand proud among the countries of the world. There is plentiful sunshine and rainfall, while the soil is rich and the harvests plentiful. Even Mother Nature has seen fit to bless Malaysia by exempting her from its tantrums - there are no tsunamis and earthquakes, no floods and droughts, no hurricanes and typhoons. Consequently, there is no need to live in fear of nature’s sudden and unabated fury; no need to be constantly on the lookout for unexpected destruction and devastation Freed from the encumbrances of having to battle with the forces of nature, Malaysians are empowered to pursue lifestyles of their own liking. The economy is booming, jobs are for the taking... this is the senario today and there seems little reason to expect this scenario to change adversely within the next 25 years. In fact, with proper management and leadership, the outlook for Malaysia in the next 25 years may even improve. Just for starters, imagine coming home after a day's work to a spotlessly spick and span house filled with the tantalising aroma of rich coffee and roast chicken, all waiting to welcome one home... Which Malaysian housewife-cum-career lady has not dreamed of this before? And yet, this dream may well become a reality just 25 years from now - all because of the winds of technological change, which are sweeping through the country right now. Pping! Just press that little button on your wristwatch 30 minutes before you head home and it'd activate the gamut of... ...e government’s attempts to develop a caring society are most commendable. Twenty-five years hence, these efforts would have begun to bear fruit. Palliative and geriatric care has already made itself felt while halfway houses for abandoned babies and abused children are increasing by the day. The groundwork for inculcating the caring attitude among Malaysians has already been laid with the move towards developing caring schools. Traditional values like thrift, hard work, respect for the aged and filial piety are being upheld as exemplary values which can hold the fibre of Malaysian society together. The voices of people like Marina Mahathir calling for tolerance and understanding for those most in need of moral support are like beacons in the dark, lighting the way towards the creation of the highest of all societies - that with a conscience. Ultimately, the country, which would be best to live in, would be that which enjoys technological growth from without and strong moral and spiritual development from within. And it is exactly this factor which makes me firmly believe that Malaysia will be the best place to live in 25 years from now.

FIN/370 Week 2 Team Essay

Starbucks’ Ethics and Compliance Paper Ethical behavior within a company is very important to its future and success. This type of behavior is not just important for the employees to follow, but for the entire company. In 2001, a failing company called Enron was involved in numerous unethical behaviors. For example, Enron’s Chief Financial Officer temporarily suspended their â€Å"code of ethics† not once, but twice in order to partake in personal financial gain. Enron’s actions eventually resulted in bankruptcy and assisted with the creation of a new set of guidelines for companies to follow. The so-called guidelines were called the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (Titman, S., Keown, A.J., & Martin, J.D. 2011). The SOX helped institute a set of rules for companies to follow, one being the creation and compliance of a code of ethics within every company. One company that seems to do a very good job with complying with the guidelines of SOX is Starbucks Corp. They have a strong program set in place to support their mission of making ethical decisions at work. The use of their program â€Å"Business Ethics and Compliance† might just be the very reason why their SEC filings show a relatively successful business. Financial Environment In regards to the finance environment, Starbucks plays an active role in ethics and compliance. Not only are their employees offered ways to voice concerns of unethical issues in the work place, but also Starbucks’ partners as well. Starbucks holds a meeting every year for their shareholders in order to review the yearly performance, vote on issues, and voice their concerns about the company. Starbucks’ ethics program is setup in a way that helps integrate and network ethical business practices on all levels of the company. For six years now, Starbucks has been named among the world’s most ethical companies and to this day is still going strong (Business Ethics and Compliance. 2012). Ethical Behavior Procedures * Starbucks vision and values business mission is to conduct themselves and strive to do what is ethically right for the business. The organization has a mission to protect its culture and help strive to keep a good reputation by providing resource programs to help its partners with making good ethical decisions. Starbucks organization has numerous procedures in place to ensure  ethical behavior in the work place. According to Starbucks (2011), â€Å"Our mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit~one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.† (para. 1). * When looking at Starbucks’ global responsibility report for 2011 on its goals and the process for the organization, it shows to be on track in several places. The report shows that to ensure ethical behaviors the company has implemented front-of-store recycling and developed an inclusive recycling solution on all paper products carried in their stores. Starbucks organization is also ensuring that their coffee is ethically sourced under the C.A.F.E at 100% by 2015 and reducing consumption of energy and water by 25% by 2015. Starbucks also ensures ethical behavior by purchasing renewable energy. Starbuck’s became a member of the Global Social Compliance Program in 2011. The program is Starbuck’s business motivation strength to promote on environmental improvement and help its working conditions of its global supply chains. The organizations goals and processes show behaviors for the company to be on track to be both ethically and environmental friendly. United States Financial Markets When operating a small business, running a large corporation, or when it comes to personal finance it is imperative to understand financial markets and how they operate within the United States. The term financial market is explained as a mechanism that allows people to easily buy and sell financial claims (Titman, Keown, & Martin, 2011) and there are many different ways to conduct these transactions within these markets. There are three principal sets of stakeholders within financial markets with the first being borrowers. Borrowers are individuals or companies that need money to better position themselves for example an individual getting a student loan or a small business getting a small business loan. Savers are the second of these three key stakeholders. Just like borrowers, savers can be either an individual or a company with the main point being that they have money to invest. Individuals who save typically save for a specific reason such as purchasing a new vehicle, a down payment on a house, or even to prepare for a difficult economy. When firms run a surplus and have extra cash they also save money and invest in things such as stocks and even other companies in a conglomerate merger. Financial institutions are the third key player  regarding financial markets. Financial institutions help bring borrowers and savers together in order to facilitate desired transactions. The most common financial institutions are banks and credit unions because while they accept deposits and credit an account for that deposit, they also provide services such as loans and that money has to come from somewhere (investors). The financial marketplace consists of commercial banks, finance companies, insurance companies, investment banks, and investment companies (Titman, Keown, & Martin, 2011). Within these entities another step is taken and can be broken down to be classified by the maturities of the securities traded in them. There are two main classifications with the first being the money market. Money markets are designed for short term debt instruments with the threshold period being one year or less. The second of these two classifications is the capitol market which is the exact opposite of the money market. Capitol markets are designed for long term debt instruments with a threshold period extending beyond one year. Complying With SEC Regulations The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a federal agency and was formed in 1934 to enforce federal securities laws and to regulate the securities industry. In order to effectively oversee and regulate the securities industry the SEC is broken down into five main divisions which are corporation finance, trading and markets, investment management, enforcement, and lastly risk, strategy, and financial innovation. The Starbucks Corporation falls into several of these categories and must implement and enforce their own set of controls and procedures within the company in order to be in compliance with the SEC. Starbucks Corporation has put in place disclosure procedures and controls in an effort to ensure that all reports that are filed and submitted are within SEC regulations. These controls and procedures were designed to â€Å"ensure that material information required to be disclosed in our periodic reports filed or submitted under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the â€Å"Exchange Act†), is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms (Starbucks, 2012). As with anything new an evaluation must occur and during the fourth quarter of the 2012 fiscal year Starbucks did exactly that with the participation and  supervision of senior management and concluded that these controls were effective and worthy of SEC regulations. Another control implemented by Starbucks is financial reporting internal controls. Financial internal controls are a very crucial element within any company due to the severity of repercussions of inaccurate reporting. Starbucks put these controls in place to â€Å"provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of our financial reporting for external purposes in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (Starbucks, 2012). Some of the duties that go along with these controls include maintaining records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect transactions, providing reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary for preparation of financial statements, providing reasonable assurance that receipts and expenditures are made in accordance with management authorization, and providing reasonable assurance that unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of company assets that could have a material effect on financial statements would be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Overall the Starbucks Corporation has many different controls and procedures that allow the company to comply with SEC regulations and the two examples in this paper are just a snap shot of what Starbucks must do and maintain in order to stay clear of punishment handed down by the SEC. Starbucks financial performance The financial performance for Starbucks for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 fiscal years have increased. In the 2011 year, they had the reportable operating segments which are the United States, International and Global Consumer (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Sept). In percentage, Starbucks total net revenue for the fiscal year were United States 69%, International 22%, Global Consumer 7% and other was 2%. The total net revenue for the 2011 year was at 11.7 billion while the 2012 year was increased by 14% to 13.3 billion. By The total revenues increased by 14% driven by global comparable store sales growth of 7% and a 50% increase in channel development revenue. The total equity for 2010 was 3,682.3 and 2011 was 4,387.3. At the end of the 2011 year, the return of equity was 29.26% and the end of the 2010 year was 28.87%. (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Sept) Starbucks financial performance is increasing  from year to year. The following are ratios for 2010 and 2011 that shows Starbucks financial performance in 2010 and 2011. Current ratio: Current Assets/Current Liabilities 2011 3794.9million/2075.8 million = 1.83 times 2010 2756.4 million/1779.1 million = 1.55 times Debt ratio: Total Liabilities/Total Assets 2011 2973.1 million/7360.4 million = 40.4% 2010 2703.6 million/6385.9 million = 42.3% Return on equity: Net Income/Common Equity 2011 1245.7 million/4387.3 million = 29.26% 2010 945.6 million/3682.3 million = 28.87% Day’s receivable: Accounts Receivable/Annual Credit Sales/365 2011 386.5/ (11700.4/365) = 12.1 days 2010 302.7/ (10707.4/365) = 10.3 days Ratio Trends According to the trends of each financial ratio the Starbucks organization is in good health. Starting with the current ratio although it is a bit lower in 2011 the company is still doing well when it comes to current assets and liabilities. The debt ratio indicates how much assets were financed using current liabilities. (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Sept) From 2010 to 2011 the debt ratio decreased by 1.9% which means the company financed fewer assets with the current plus long-term liabilities. The Return on Equity increased 2.7% from 2010 to 2011 which means the company received a higher return on their equity which is good for the company. The last ratio which is the Average Collection Period ratio measures how many days it takes a firm to collect its receivables. In 2011 the number of days increased slightly but with increased sales from 2010 to 2011 leads to future investments. (United States Securities and Exchange Commission, Sept) According to these tren ds, it appears that Starbucks is growing strong and the organizations financial health is good. References Business Ethics and Compliance. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com/about-us/company-information/business-ethics-and-compliance Starbucks. (2012). Goals & Progress: Ethical Sourcing. Retrieved

Reaction Paper Self Concept

Angela Foster Reaction Paper Communications 11/26/2010 â€Å"Self – concept is such a powerful force on the personality that it not only determines how you see youself in the present but also can influence you future behavior and that of others. Such occurences come about through a phenomenon called the self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy occurs when a person’s expectations of an event, and his or her subsequent behavior based on those expectations, make the event more likely to occur than would otherwise be true† (57).Self-fulfilling prophecy is a very powerful source on your personality. For me this is basically just positive thinking, and if you think you will do well then you will. For example, when I first started school, I really didn’t know how to study, and for my first psychology test I went in totally unprepared. I lacked confidence because I was unprepared and nervous because I hadn’t studied much, and when I went in to t ake the test I just knew that I would not do very well. It was no surprise to me when I got my test back that I had failed it.I knew that I was going to have to get it together if I was going to pass my classes and the first step was to learn how to study. I found ways to study that worked for me, and when I went in for my next test I was more confident. I had an optimistic attitude, and confidence that I would do well on the test, so it was no surprise when I got my test back I had made an A. There are two types of self-fulfilling prophecy, self- imposed prophecies and when someone’s expectations govern another’s actions. â€Å"Self-imposed prophecies occur when you own expectations influence your behavior† (57).If you think you can, and set your mind to doing something the results can be great. It isn’t just the observer’s beliefs that causes one to do well, â€Å"the observer must communicate that belief† (58). For example if a teacher ha s hopes for a child but does not encourage them or push them to the next level, then the child may not use their full potential. â€Å"The effects of teacher attitudes, beliefs, and values, their expectations have been tested repeatedly† (Wilkins). Another example of other’s expectations influencing one’s behavior is that of a parent towards a child.If a parent has faith in a child they must let them know or a child may not have the confidence they to need to blossom. Positive results do not just happen because of a positive attitude though. Just like the saying â€Å"Faith without Works† is very true. People cannot just lie around and expect good things to happen. You must take action and put footwork behind what you are working on and plan to accomplish. So with the combination of some knowledge and a positive attitude, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.

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The Crucible2 essays In The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692, by Arthur Miller, the character of Reverend Parris displays hypocrisy. Priest are generally considered good, honest people, but Parris lies to the community, he puts his ministry in front of his daughters life, and tries to help himself before helping the community. Even when Parriss daughter is sick and he is unsure what is wrong with her, he puts himself and his job before her. When he is trying to get Abigail to tell the truth he says I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministrys at stake, my ministry and perhaps your cousins life. (Act I.) In that quote, he throws in the part about Betty at the end like it has no importance compared to the fact that his ministrys at stake. Earlier he says to Abigail If you trafficked with spirits in the forest I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it. Then he continues Abigail, do you understand that I have many enemies?(Act I.) Throughout Act One, Parris makes it obvious that the faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit is the only thing he can think of and is more important then anything else at that time. This is the opposite of what most people would expect from someone titled Reverend. Besides putting himself before his daughter, Parris also puts himself before the community. In Act One, he complains about his salary and the house. Proctor says that he is the first minister to demand the deed to this house. When Parris doesnt get his way he tries to make them feel guilty by saying things like the church will burn in Hell for not being obedient. In Act Four, after he had wanted the hangings, he makes up excuses not to hang them. He says if Mr. Hale gets any of them to confess then it surely damns...

Judith Not Wright essays

Judith Not Wright essays Judith Wright is a respected Australian poet is also known as a conservationist and protester. Her poetry has captured the most amazing imagery of Australian Culture. For Australian students to understand their own culture and history it is necessary to study the best poetry and Judith Wrights poetry is definitely some of the best. Her achievement in translating the Australian experience into poetry led in her best work to a rich inheritance of lyricism and directness. Through stories told by older workers on the property she learnt of the pioneers' part in both the destruction of the land and the dispossession and murder of the aboriginal people. The sense of fear she felt at invasion enabled her to understand, at some level, how the Aborigines would have felt. Judith Wright wrote about many things in her poems, which are necessary for Australian students to be taught which apply to learning about Australia. Australian culture is something Judith wrote about very strongly and this shows through her poem Bora Ring. Bora Ring is about the Aborigine culture and how it has been lost by the invasion of Europeans. The hunter is gone: the spear is splintered underground; the painted bodies a dream the world breathed sleeping and forgot. This is an incredible paragraph extracted from Bora Ring. This poem depicts perfectly of the European invasion of Australia. It shows how the traditions and stories are gone, how the hunting and rituals are gone and lost in an alien tale, the Europeans being the aliens. This poem also describes that it seemed as if the tradition of Aborigines was breathed sleeping and forgot. These are powerful words Judith Wright used to show how they Aborigines were quickly invaded and forgotten. This poem is an excellent example of why Australian students should study her poetry. Australian relationships are depicted per ...

About the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda

About the Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda (1904-1973) was known as a poet and emissary of the Chilean people. During a time of social upheaval, he traveled the world as a diplomat and an exile, served as a Senator for the Chilean Communist Party, and published more than 35,000 pages of poetry in his native Spanish. In 1971, Neruda won the Nobel Prize for Literature, for a poetry that with the action of an elemental force brings alive a continents destiny and dreams. Nerudas words and politics were forever intertwined, and his activism may have led to his death. Recent forensic tests have stirred speculation that Neruda was murdered.   Early Life in Poetry Pablo Neruda is the pen name of Ricardo Eliezer Neftali Reyes y Basoalto. He was born in Parral, Chile on July 12, 1904. While he was still an infant, Nerudas mother died of tuberculosis. He grew up in the remote town of Temuco with a stepmother, a half-brother, and a half-sister. From his earliest years, Neruda experimented with language. In his teens, he began publishing poems and articles in school magazines and local newspapers. His father disapproved, so the teenager decided to publish under a pseudonym. Why Pablo Neruda? Later, he speculated that hed been inspired by Czech writer Jan Neruda. In his Memoirs, Neruda praised the poet Gabriela Mistral for helping him discover his voice as a writer. A teacher and headmistress of a girls school near Temuco, Mistral took an interest in the talented youth. She introduced Neruda to Russian literature and stirred his interest in social causes. Both Neruda and his mentor eventually became Nobel Laureates, Mistral in 1945 and Neruda twenty-six years later. After high school, Neruda moved to the capital city of Santiago and enrolled in the University of Chile. He planned to become a French teacher, as his father wished. Instead, Neruda strolled the streets in a black cape and wrote passionate, melancholy poems inspired by French symbolist literature. His father stopped sending him money, so the teenaged Neruda sold his belongings to self-publish his first book, Crepusculario (Twilight). At age 20, he completed and found a publisher for the book that would make him famous, Veinte poemas de amor y una cancion desesperada (Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair).  Rhapsodic and sorrowful, the books poems mingled adolescent thoughts of love and sex with descriptions of the Chilean wilderness. There was thirst and hunger, and you were the fruit. / There were grief and ruin, and you were the miracle, Neruda wrote in the concluding poem, A Song of Despair. Diplomat and Poet Like most Latin American countries, Chile customarily honored their poets with diplomatic posts. At age 23, Pablo Neruda became an honorary consul in Burma, now Myanmar, in Southeast Asia. Over the next decade, his assignments took him to many places, including Buenos Aires, Sri Lanka, Java, Singapore, Barcelona, and Madrid. While in South Asia, he experimented with surrealism and began writing Residencia en la tierra   (Residence on Earth). Published in 1933, this was the first of a three-volume work that described the social upheaval and human suffering Neruda witnessed during his years of diplomatic travel and social activism. Residencia was, he said in his Memoirs, a dark and gloomy but essential book within my work. The third volume in Residencia, the 1937 Espaà ±a en el corazà ³n (Spain in our Hearts), was Nerudas strident response to the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War, the rise of fascism, and the political execution of his friend, the Spanish poet Federico Garcà ­a Lorca in 1936. In the nights of Spain, Neruda wrote in the poem Tradition, through the old gardens, / tradition, covered with dead snot, / spouting pus and pestilence, strolled / with its tail in the fog, ghostly and fantastic. The political leanings expressed in Espaà ±a en el corazà ³n cost Neruda his consular post in Madrid, Spain. He moved to Paris, founded a literary magazine, and helped the refugees who glutted the road out of Spain. After a stint as Consul-General in Mexico City, the poet returned to Chile. He joined the Communist Party, and, in 1945, was elected to the Chilean Senate. Nerudas rousing ballad Canto a Stalingrado (Song to Stalingrad) voiced a cry of love to Stalingrad. His pro-Communist poems and rhetoric stirred outrage with the Chilean President, who had renounced Communism for a more political alignment with the United States. Neruda continued to defend Joseph Stalins Soviet Union and the working class of his own homeland, but it was Nerudas scathing 1948 Yo acuso (I Accuse) speech that finally provoked the Chilean government to take action against him. Facing arrest, Neruda spent a year in hiding, and then in 1949 fled on horseback over the Andes Mountains into Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dramatic Exile The poets dramatic escape became the subject of the film Neruda (2016) by Chilean director Pablo Larraà ­n. Part history, part fantasy, the film follows a fictional Neruda as he dodges a fascist investigator and smuggles revolutionary poems to peasants who memorize passages. One part of this romantic re-imagining is true. While in hiding, Pablo Neruda completed his most ambitious project, Canto General (General Song). Composed of more than 15,000 lines, Canto General is both a sweeping history of the Western hemisphere and an ode to the common man. What were humans? Neruda asks. In what part of their unguarded conversations / in department stores and among sirens, in which of their metallic movements / did what in life is indestructible and imperishable live? Return to Chile Pablo Nerudas return to Chile in 1953 marked a transition away from political poetry- for a short time. Writing in green ink (reportedly his favorite color), Neruda composed soulful poems about love, nature, and daily life. I could live or not live; it does not matter / to be one stone more, the dark stone, / the pure stone which the river bears away, Neruda wrote in Oh Earth, Wait for Me. Nevertheless, the passionate poet remained consumed by Communism and social causes. He gave public readings and never spoke out against Stalins war crimes. Nerudas 1969 book-length poem Fin de Mundo (World’s End) includes a defiant statement against the US role in Vietnam: Why were they compelled to kill / innocents so far from home, / while the crimes pour cream / into the pockets of Chicago? / Why go so far to kill / Why go so far to die? In 1970, the Chilean Communist party nominated the poet/diplomat for president, but he withdrew from the campaign after reaching an agreement with the Marxist candidate Salvador Allende, who ultimately won the close election. Neruda, at the height of his literary career, was serving as Chiles ambassador in Paris, France, when he received the 1971 Nobel Prize for Literature. Personal Life Pablo Neruda lived a life of whats been called passionate engagement by the Los Angeles Times. For Neruda, poetry meant much more than the expression of emotion and personality, they write. It was a sacred way of being and came with duties. His was also a life of surprising contradictions. Although his poetry was musical, Neruda claimed that his ear could never recognize any but the most obvious melodies, and even then, only with difficulty.  He chronicled atrocities, yet he had a sense of fun. Neruda collected hats and liked to dress up for parties. He enjoyed cooking and wine. Enamored by the ocean, he filled his three homes in Chile with seashells, seascapes, and nautical artifacts. While many poets seek solitude to write, Neruda seemed to thrive on social interaction. His Memoirs describe friendships with famous figures like Pablo Picasso, Garcia Lorca, Gandhi, Mao Tse-tung, and Fidel Castro. Nerudas infamous love affairs were tangled and often overlapping. In 1930 the Spanish-speaking Neruda married Marà ­a Antonieta Hagenaar, an Indonesia-born Dutch woman who spoke no Spanish. Their only child, a daughter, died at age 9 from hydrocephalus. Soon after marrying Hagenaar, Neruda began an affair with Delia del Carril, a painter from Argentina, whom he eventually married. While in exile, he began a secret relationship with Matilde Urrutia, a Chilean singer with curly red hair. Urrutia became Nerudas third wife and inspired some of his most celebrated love poetry. In dedicating the 1959 Cien Sonetos de Amor (One Hundred Love Sonnets) to Urrutia, Neruda wrote, I made these sonnets out of wood; I gave them the sound of that opaque pure substance, and that is how they should reach your ears†¦Now that I have declared the foundations of my love, I surrender this century to you: wooden sonnets that rise only because you gave them life. The poems are some of his most popular- I crave your mouth, your voice, your hair, he writes in Sonnet XI; I love you as one loves certain obscure things, he writes in Sonnet XVII, secretly, between the shadow and the soul. Nerudas Death While the United States marks 9/11 as the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks, this date has another significance in Chile. On September 11, 1973, soldiers surrounded Chiles presidential palace. Rather than surrender, President Salvador Allende shot himself. The anti-Communist coup dà ©tat, supported by the United States CIA, launched the brutal dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Pablo Neruda planned to flee to Mexico, speak out against the Pinochet regime, and publish a large body of new work. The only weapons you will find in this place are words, he told soldiers who ransacked his home and dug up his garden in Isla Negra, Chile. However, on September 23, 1973, Neruda died in a Santiago medical clinic. In her memoirs, Matilde Urrutia said his final words were, They are shooting them! They are shooting them! The poet was 69. The official diagnosis was prostate cancer, but many Chileans believed that Neruda was murdered. In October 2017, forensic tests confirmed that Neruda did not die of cancer. Further tests are underway to identify toxins found in his body. Why Is Pablo Neruda Important? I have never thought of my life as divided between poetry and politics, Pablo Neruda said when he accepted his presidential candidacy from the Chilean Communist Party. He was a prolific writer whose works ranged from sensual love poems to historical epics. Hailed as a poet for the common man, Neruda believed that poetry should capture the human condition. In his essay  Toward an Impure Poetry, he equates the imperfect human condition with poetry, impure as the clothing we wear, or our bodies, soup-stained, soiled with our shameful behaviour, our wrinkles and vigils and dreams, observations and prophecies, declarations of loathing and love, idylls and beasts, the shocks of encounter, political loyalties, denials and doubts, affirmations and taxes. What kind of poetry should we seek? Verse that is steeped in sweat and in smoke, smelling of the lilies and urine. Neruda won many awards, including an International Peace Prize (1950), a Stalin Peace Prize (1953), a Lenin Peace Prize (1953), and a Nobel Prize for Literature (1971). However, some critics have attacked Neruda for his Stalinist rhetoric and his unrestrained, often militant, writings. He was called a bourgeois imperialist and a great bad poet. In their announcement, the Nobel committee said theyd given the award to a contentious author who is not only debated but for many is also debatable. In his book The Western Canon, literary critic Harold Bloom named Neruda one of the most significant writers in Western culture, placing him alongside literary giants like Shakespeare, Tolstoy, and Virginia Woolf. All paths lead to the same goal, Neruda declared in his Nobel Lecture: to convey to others what we are. And we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song.... Recommended Reading Neruda wrote in Spanish, and English translations of his work are hotly debated. Some translations aspire for literal meaning while others strive to capture nuances. Thirty-six translators, including Martin Espada, Jane Hirshfield, W. S. Merwin, and Mark Strand, contributed to The Poetry of Pablo Neruda compiled by literary critic Ilan Stavans. The volume has 600 poems representing the scope of Nerudas career, along with notes on the poets life and critical commentary. Several poems are presented in both Spanish and English. The Poetry of Pablo Neruda edited by Ilan Stavans, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005Listen to Neruda read Las Alturas de Machu Picchu from Canto GeneralHow the Library of Congress Helped Get Pablo Nerudas Poetry Translated into English by Peter Armenti, LOC July 31, 2015Canto General, 50th Anniversary Edition, by Pablo Neruda (trans. Jack Schmitt), University of California Press, 2000Worlds End (English and Spanish Edition) by Pablo Neruda (trans. William ODaly), Copper Canyon Press; 2009Pablo Neruda: A Passion for Life by Adam Feinstein, 2004Memoirs by Pablo Neruda (trans. Hardie St. Martin), 2001The poets own reflections on his life, from student years to the coup dà ©tat dà ©tat that toppled Chiles government just days before Nerudas death.The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages by Harold BloomMy Life with Pablo Neruda (Mi vida junto a Pablo Neruda) by Matilde Urrutia (trans. Alexandria Giardino), 2004Pablo Nerudas widow reveals details about the poet in her memoir. Al though not lyrically written, the book became a best-seller in Chile. For ages 6 to 9, Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People by Monica Brown (illus. Julie Paschkis), Holt, 2011 Sources: Memoirs by Pablo Neruda (trans. Hardie St. Martin), Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001; The Nobel Prize in Literature 1971 at Nobelprize.org; Biography of Pablo Neruda, The Chile Cultural Society; Worlds End by Pablo Neruda by Richard Rayner, Los Angeles Times, March 29, 2009; How did Chilean poet Pablo Neruda die? Experts open new probe, Associated Press, Miami Herald, February 24, 2016; Pablo Neruda Nobel Lecture Towards the Splendid City at Nobelprize.org [accessed March 5, 2017]

Business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

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Noel Burch and Tom Gunning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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Waste management systens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

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Knowledgenagment Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

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Unresolved conflicts in the region as a key obstacle in the Essay

Unresolved conflicts in the region as a key obstacle in the development of (the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the context) - Essay Example It is co-chaired by the United States, France and Russia. Negotiations hit a deadlock in 2011 leading to spread of the geographical scope to other regions far way from Nagorno-Karabakh. It has been identified that this conflict is the key barrier to peace, stability and development in the South Caucasus (Notholt, 2008, p68). A review of the reasons as to why both the external actors and the conflicting parties have an interest in maintaining the status quo reveals the reason why the peace negotiation process has currently hit a deadlock. For example, both the government of Armenian and Azerbaijani have not shown any genuine interest in achieving the negotiated outcomes, which are proposed by OSCE (Notholt, 2008, p34). The Nagorno-Karabakh government was officially excluded from participating in this peace process, and the Armenia government is currently representing them. NK officials are currently becoming impatient with isolation from the direct participation and the fact that the negotiation process is currently not underway (Croissant, 1998, p42). A number of factors do not favor the negotiation process in this region. For instance, the geographical context does not support this negotiation progress. This is because the key powerbrokers, which include The United States, Russia and Turkey, seem to be comfortable with the current status quo with respect to their strategic interests (Croissant, 1998, p34). In addition, they still promote arms race and power imbalance through security alliances and arms-trade with the conflicting parties. This is a clear evident that the external actors are not interested in finding a permanent solution to this conflict that will lead to long-lasting peace and development. Additionally, other nations like Iran and Georgia are interested in mediating this negotiation process, but members of OSCE have denied them the chance to participate. The United Nations Security Council has also been denied the

The responsibility of the individual to society Essay

The responsibility of the individual to society - Essay Example Each individual is saddled with the responsibility of working with other individuals of the society in order to help the society to achieve the goals and objectives of building a better world. It is through the symbiotic relationship that exists between the different individuals of the society that would guarantee the maintenance of the sovereignty of the society and the peaceful existence of each individual of the society. The law of nature has made it important for the individuals of the society to play specific roles. A notable philosopher, Antiphon stipulates that the law of Nature is based on each individual’s instinct to do things that would keep them away from danger, that is, individuals are expected to do things that are beneficial to life and naturally pleasant. The implication of this is that as individuals living in the society, they must try as much as possible to do things that are beneficial to the society. Antiphon described the adherence to the law of Nature a s the observance of the principle of self-preservation and when each individual have the instinct to do things that would keep them safe from danger, the society would also be free from danger. This law of nature must be observed by all the individuals living in the society and any attempt to evade the laws of nature would be met with dire consequences (Plato). Socrates believed that, individuals had the right to obey whichever authority, they choose to obey and that, individuals must take full responsibilities for these decisions (Walzer). This means that every individual is not under any compulsion to do things against their will. Socrates’ belief is based on the freedom of choice. Socrates’ argument is an epistemological one and the British philosopher, John Stuart Mill also belongs to this school of thought. Socrates and Mill believed that every individual have the innate ability to decide what is best for them (Walzer). Socrates believed that each individual must make attempt to discern the truth by themselves through closely controlled, self-effacing and tolerant dialogue (Walzer). Quite similar to Socrates’ arguments, Mill opined that the onus lies on the shoulders of the individual to decide what is best for him or her. According to Mill, â€Å"Justice implies something which it is not only right to do, and wrong not to do, but which some individual person can claim from us as his moral right.† (Mill par. 14). The two of them agree that people should tolerate the opinion of others as this would help in establishing the truth about a particular subject matter as the use of force or compulsion in making people accept a particular point of view is not the best pedagogical approach (Walzer). One of the founding fathers of the United States of America, Thomas Jefferson also recognizes the responsibility of the individual in a society. Jefferson spoke on how the American constitution should be interpreted and said that people shou ld be given freedom on how they observe the written laws of the constitution. He claims that the observance of the constitution is one of the obligations of each individual of the US, but it is not the most important priority, Jefferson asserts that the most important duty of every American citizen are to defend the country at all times and maintain the sovereignty of the country (Jefferson). According to Jefferson, â€Å"

Unresolved conflicts in the region as a key obstacle in the Essay

Unresolved conflicts in the region as a key obstacle in the development of (the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in the context) - Essay Example It is co-chaired by the United States, France and Russia. Negotiations hit a deadlock in 2011 leading to spread of the geographical scope to other regions far way from Nagorno-Karabakh. It has been identified that this conflict is the key barrier to peace, stability and development in the South Caucasus (Notholt, 2008, p68). A review of the reasons as to why both the external actors and the conflicting parties have an interest in maintaining the status quo reveals the reason why the peace negotiation process has currently hit a deadlock. For example, both the government of Armenian and Azerbaijani have not shown any genuine interest in achieving the negotiated outcomes, which are proposed by OSCE (Notholt, 2008, p34). The Nagorno-Karabakh government was officially excluded from participating in this peace process, and the Armenia government is currently representing them. NK officials are currently becoming impatient with isolation from the direct participation and the fact that the negotiation process is currently not underway (Croissant, 1998, p42). A number of factors do not favor the negotiation process in this region. For instance, the geographical context does not support this negotiation progress. This is because the key powerbrokers, which include The United States, Russia and Turkey, seem to be comfortable with the current status quo with respect to their strategic interests (Croissant, 1998, p34). In addition, they still promote arms race and power imbalance through security alliances and arms-trade with the conflicting parties. This is a clear evident that the external actors are not interested in finding a permanent solution to this conflict that will lead to long-lasting peace and development. Additionally, other nations like Iran and Georgia are interested in mediating this negotiation process, but members of OSCE have denied them the chance to participate. The United Nations Security Council has also been denied the

Comparison between August Wilson and Langston Hughes Essay

Comparison between August Wilson and Langston Hughes - Essay Example One of his most anthologized poems, The Negro speaks of Rivers has been acclaimed for his passionate acceptance of his race and his reclaiming of black origins. Before Hughes wrote, many African-American artists avoided portraying lower-class black life because they believed such images fed racist stereotypes and attitudes. Hughes was of the opinion that authentic portraits of actual people would counter negative caricatures of African Americans more effectively and so wrote about, and for the common man. Hughes claimed that ninety percent of his work attempted "to explain and illuminate the Negro condition in America." Hughes portrays the nobility of common people and the vitality of his African American culture in Thank You, M'am. Mrs. Luella Bates Washington Jones, whose name ironically recognizes both the slavery codes of the founders of the United States and the dignity of the common person, gives spiritual and physical gifts to the young Roger. Finally, she gives him the greate st gift of all: the right to direct his own life. In the mid-1980's, African American drama began de-emphasizing the revolutionary aspects of the political platform, searching instead for a strong dramatic voice to tell the story of African American assimilation into mainstream American ideals. ... Wilson's plays offer the whites a new perspective into the lives of black Americans. In "Fences they see a garbageman, a person they really don't look at, although they may see a garbageman every day. By looking at Troy's life, white people find out that the content of this black garbageman's life is very similar to their own, that he is affected by the same things-love, honor, beauty, betrayal, duty. Recognizing that these things are as much a part of his life as of theirs can be revolutionary and can affect how they think about and deal with black people in their lives." This is indeed a very radical and a multidimensional portrayal of the African Americans and not merely a walled perception of the blacks. Wilson's dramatic writing, unlike his public pronouncements, is never strident, never overtly political. Even Langston Hughes depicted black families and social setups in Soul Gone Home and Mother and Child without indirectly referring to any political ideology or an apparent soc ial protest. In Southern Gentlemen and Negroes Hughes not only indicted southern injustice but reprimanded African Americans for their inertness. Therefore, it becomes imperative that one reassess Hughes's works in a new light, so as to find a niche in changing times. The tendency to dismiss Hughes as a quintessential Harlem Renaissance poet must be avoided. The main focus of Wilson's work is to look at black culture as it undergoes change and grows in evolving historical contexts. In The Piano Lesson, the piano must be read as a metonym, if not for race itself, then for the racialized plight of African Americans within the context of their history of struggle and survival in the United States. Like race, the piano is at once

Cheap Alternative Polymeric Materials To Abs

Cheap Alternative Polymeric Materials To Abs In recent years, fused deposition modeling (FDM) has become a widely used technology in rapid prototyping process. Typically polymer materials used are acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and polycarbonate (PC). The polymer is fed into equipment as a 1.6mm diameter, which is heated and extruded onto a building platform. The ABS filament sold by the equipment suppliers is very expensive at aroundà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ¡270 per kg [1]. Also, during the FDM process, some of this material is used as build supports and which is simply thrown away after being removed from the parts. This project aims to use alternative materials for the FDM process. 1.2 Previous Work of Project This project is followed by a summer 2009 project that Yifei Zhang did. In Zhangs project, one grade of virgin ABS has similar melt and flow properties to the benchmark material, but due to the limitations of laboratory equipment and project funds, Zhang cannot get the result. Zhang also try to use WEEE ABS as a potential source, but the degree of purity (98%) could not be accepted in FDM operation. In addition, a nylon strimmer line was found which had the suitable filament diameter, but it also failed because of the viscosity of the materials. 1.3 Objectives of Project After summarize the Zhangs experience, the target of project is to identify the cheap alternative polymeric materials to ABS. Before the project, a further polymer understanding of the melt and flow properties should be reviewed. Some problems Zhang met need to be solved to successfully produce the product. Some experiments, which Zhang did, need to be repeated to have a better understanding of this project. Some trial materials are aimed to produce the products, and then the properties of product are evaluated. 2. Literature Survey 2.1 Why use rapid prototyping methods? Rapid Prototyping (RP) is defined as the use of a computer aided design (CAD)-based automated additive manufacturing process to construct parts that are used directly as finished products or components[2]. Generally, it is a quick way to turn a virtual design to a real model. There are many purposes for a prototyping, for example, validate system specification or deliver early proof of concept or create a market demo [3]. The best reasons to rapid prototyping is to save time and save money. A complete product design cycle is very long, and there are a lot of trials and errors in the processing. The rapid prototyping processing can be used to modify the trial and debug the prototype in a short time. In addition, the resources can be saved by producing reduce scale model. 2.2 Rapid prototyping equipment With the development of modern science and technology, techniques of rapid prototyping technology increasingly diversified, such as stereo lithography (SL), laminated object manufacturing (LOM), selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM), fused deposition modeling (FDM), ink jet printing (IJP), 3-D printing (3DP) [4]. There are three categories according to the raw material used in these processing. They are liquid-based system, powder-based system and solid-based system [2] [3]. FDM belongs to solid-based RP processes. The product made by FDM operation can be used as trial tests or for further studies, which reduces the risk of designing mistakes. 2.2.1 Stratasys FDM System Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), which invented by Stratasys Inc, is used in the project. Generally, FDM is a typical PR process, which contains a computer controlled, and micro-extrusion system. In the process, the polymer is fed into the equipment as a 1.6 diameter filament, which is heated and extruded through a die as a 0.5mm fluid filament. By lay down of the melt filament from nozzle, certain thickness of 2-D layers structure is formed, then by repeating the process for the second layer, repeat this process layer by layer, then a complex 3-D structure is formed. As can be seen in Fig 1, the processing route follows the design, forming and finishes these three steps. In the route of this manufacture, pre-process CAD file is designed by FDM Quickslice software and saved as STL format [6], and then during the manufacture part, the thermoplastic material is extruded and formed layer by layer on precise paths. Remove the support structures then the final product is completed. Extrusion process is a key step in the FDM manufacturing [Fig 2]. Generally speaking, the polymer filament is in solid state when feeding into the FDM machine. The filaments of molten thermoplastic are extruded from a heated nozzle. The process lays down both support material filament and build material filament for one layer at a time. The diameter of the filament is about 1.67mm, and the range of diameter of different tips is from 0.025mm to 0.4mm. Functional prototyping is used via an additive fabrication system. Manufacturing tools and End-Use parts also can be produced with FDM system. There are many advantages including streamlining the development process, reducing the cost and getting to the market faster [7]. The disadvantage is obvious, the price of cartridge is very expensive, and ABS build (including the breakaway materials) is  £275.00 per kg. So find the cheap alternative material is the target of the project. 2.2.2 Mesostructure of FDM ABS [8] There are two kinds of mesostructure during the FDM processing [Fig 3]. The aligned mesostructure is the standard model of the machine. Another skew mesotructure uses the alternating jogs of length 0.5(W+g) in the ProEngineer drawing [Fig 4]. A correction in the nozzle height setting, ÃŽÂ ´ z (see equation 1), using the z-direction shrinkage factor, is set in the QuickSlice program. The void density on the material plane i is defined as 🙠 see equation 2). The extent of circumferential fiber-to-fiber bonding is quantified using a cross-section average of the fiber-to-fiber interface bond length densities. For a single fiber, it is defined as: (see equation 3) According to Jose, James and John, the same filament materials (ABS P400) and the same serial FDM machine were used to test. So the data have the reference value. As can be seen in Fig 5, the lowest void density value is the skewed configuration structure. From the chart above (Fig 5 Fig 6 and Fig 7), Fiber gap (g) and flow rate are two key factors on mesostructure while temperatures (Te and TL) had very little influence. So for the best properties, minimum void and maximum bond length are needed. 2.3 Alternative material 2.3.1 Standard Material The current materials using for the FDM manufacturing process are supplied by Stratasys Inc, which could be ABS plastic, PC and wax [9]. The P400 ABS, whose main mechanical properties can be clearly know in Fig 8, bought from the machine vendor was used as benchmark this project, provided as white filament with a diameter of 1.67mm and a  ± 0.02 mm tolerance, measured by laboratorys calipers. 2.3.2 Recycled ABS Recycled ABS, I think, still is the most ideal choose in this project. The recycled WEEE industry is growing by more attention nowadays. Compared to virgin ABS, the price of WEEE ABS is rather cheap. Due to the problem of the degree of purity in former project, one solution of project is to investigate methods of filtering recycled ABS for FDM. During recent years, some researches about WEEE have been carried out [11] [12]. There are similar results on their reports. With the respect to the properties of virgin ABS, a decrease in mechanical properties (except the modulus of elasticity) was recorded for both PC/ABS and ABS/HIPS mixtures [11]. One approach to different characteristics of recycled polymer was reported by Liang [13]. The contaminants of these recycled polymers are showed in Fig 11. Previous degradation levels ABS and WEEE ABS FTIR spectra for WEEE ABS can be compared with virgin ABS to estimate differences. According to Balarts research, small degradation in ABS was evaluated in the FTIR spectra (Fig 12). The hydroxyl groups which absorb near 3250cm-1 shown, and the carbonyl groups, which absorb near 1750cm-1 missed in the spectra [11]. 2.3.4 Mixture of ABS/PC system According to Balart [11], Equivalent Box Model (EBM) was carried out to analysis the mechanical behavior of ABS/PC blends. EBM can obtain a range of tensile values of blends. Fig 13 shows different curves with the critical values and different A values which is an experimental parameter related to the various interaction forces along the interface. As Balart pointed, the optimum range between10wt% and 20wt% PC in mixture shows an industrial material with balanced properties [11]. One reason is that mechanical ductile properties do not decrease [11]. Furthermore, according to Arnold, the mechanical properties of recycled ABS, especially ductility, are significantly affected by gas evolution during the process of ABS from WEEE [14]. Tarantill and Mitsakaki have done some tests about the proprieties of ABS/PC blends. In this project, more can be dig deeper in ABS based on the Zhangs work. First, FTIR spectra can be used to compare the virgin ABS, after processing ABS and WEEE ABS. The relationship between WEEE ABS, after processing ABS and standard ABS should be clear in this project. Second, ABS/PC mixture is one way to investigate. In Balarts report, the optimum range is 10wt% to 20wt%; the mechanical properties of this range also have a good performance. Furthermore, to refine the WEEE ABS is also one way, but due to the current situation; it is hard to find a process to increase the purity of WEEE ABS (98%). Simply mix one equivalent part of purity ABS and one equivalent part of WEEE ABS may be possible. Higher purity of WEEE ABS may have better properties. 2.3.5 Alternative Nylon Source According to Zhangs research, Nylon could be an alternative material to replace the ABS P400. Compared to the ABS, Nylon have lower price. In the laboratory, nylon strimmer line has already been produced into filament with the same diameter as benchmark P400 ABS. It is easier to get the raw material. One key factor for this alternative material is melt temperature when nylon as a sample. The recommend FDM operation on standard P400 ABS was 100oC higher than the melting point. Among the nylon-6, nylon-12 and nylon-66, nylon-12, which could be a potential material, has the lowest melting point 179oC [15]. Compared to P400 benchmark, the melt mass flow rate can be a reasonable range from 7.0 to 20 [16]. During the Zhangs trial of nylon material, 300oC is the highest temperature limitation for liquefying the FDM machine, but nylon-6 need higher. So glue gun can be used for higher FDM operation temperature. The further properties of the Nylon product need to be evaluated in the experiment . 2.4 Measuring Instruments The target of the project is to find the alternative material to replace the ABS-P400, before that, the properties of ABS-P400 and after processing ABS should be investigated. By comparing the differences of these two materials, the possible of re-used after processing ABS is demonstrated. Moreover, the data of the standard material can be the reference of the alternative materials. The main equipments and tests may be used below. 2.4.1 Melt Flow Index (MFI) Viscous Flow According to Zhangs report, viscous flow of the material is the key to this project. Low viscosity simply means that the materials are able to flow easily [2]. Viscosity is lowered significantly by increasing temperature according to the equation 4: Where 0 is a constant, Q is the activation energy for flow, R is the universal gas constant and T is absolute temperature. In this project, MFI is used to measure the viscous flow. According to Zhang, the some MFI results were obtained. MFI Instrument The Melt Flow Index (MFI) is a way to measure the ease of flow of the melt of a thermoplastic polymer. In Farlexs free dictionary, it is defined as the weight of polymer in grams flowing in 10 minutes through a capillary of specific diameter and length by a pressure applied via prescribed alternative gravimetric weights for alternative prescribed temperatures[17]. One conclusion of Balart is that extrusion and injection moulding process are very important to ensure good mixing conditions and homogeneity. MFI measurements were used with an extrusion plastometer [11]. Flow rate, whose unit is g/10mins, reflects the melt polymers features. In this project, there are two criterions for different grades of ABS plastic. One is 2200C/10kg for injection moulding condition, which is a general standard of flow property. Another condition 2700C/2.16kg, which is a special condition for FDM condition (in Zhangs report), need to be evaluated. Because the working atmosphere of FDM is complicated, t he push force of extrusion cannot be constant due to the different speed of extrusion. To simulate the environment of FDM, the push force must be understood. The data of MFI will have the value of reference. In this project, the difference of MFI between virgin ABS and reused ABS will be evaluated. In theory, for the thermal plastic, repeated heating and cooling cycle does not change the size of the plastic molecular chains, so MFI should not be changed [18]. However, storage conditions of reused materials are usually poor, usually placed at random, the properties of material are mostly metamorphic. According to Zhangs report, sample drying should be mentioned due to the absorbent of polymer. This element will greatly affect the accuracy. The specimens including ABS and nylon were put into oven for 2hours at 900C for ABS (1200C for PC) [13] and keep dry condition to prevent further water absorbing. The other factor affecting precision is cleaning. Die diameter affect the speed of melt flow. It is easy to have the deposition in the inner wall. The test result reduces due to the increasing of resistance of melt flow. So the cleaning is very important element to the accurate. 2.4.2 Capillary Rheometry Equipment Capillary rheometer is another way to measure the viscosity of the materials. The polymer is put into a test tube with a known diameter, and there are several horizontal marks scribed on it. When put some pressure to the polymer, a vacuum is used to get the flow polymer, and the time required is measured for the melt from one mark to another. Elliott [19] explains this device also can test the density and surface tension. 2.4.3 Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometers FTIR test designed in this project is to show the different molecules in the trial materials other than ABS P400. FTIR test is to evaluate what is the material composition of the FDM ABS and after FDM processing material, and to find out whether after FDM processing materials become degenerate. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) is based on the interferogram, which is the idea of the interference of radiation [20]. A single is produced by the change of path length between the two beams; the changeable of distance and frequency are convertible by the mathematical of Fourier-transformation [20]. The most common interferometer used is a Michelson interferometer. There are two perpendicularly mirrors which are bisected by a semi-reflecting film (Fig 2). The two beams defected from theses mirrors return to the beam splitter where they recombine and interfere. The moving mirror supplies an optical path difference, which controls the transmission and reflection. 2.4.4 Glue Gun According to Zhangs report, nylon strimmer line has been produced with the same diameter as benchmark P400 ABS. However, it was found that the strimmer line was unable to extrude from the FDM tip as need. When the temperature gets to 295 oC, which is the highest temperature limitation for liquefying the FDM machine, a small amount of material was extruded [21]. In this project, glue gun can be used to replace the tip to get higher temperature. The gun uses a heat element to continuous heat the plastic glue, the temperature of which can reach around 380 degrees [21]. 2.5 mechanical rest 2.5.1 Tensile Test The designing of tensile test aimed to evaluate the mechanical property among all alternative material. The specimen was studied by tensile test using a Lloyd LR50KPlus materials testing machine (Fareham, UK). For each selected building material, the testing samples were produced on three patterns of raster orientation, which built up in X, Y, and Z axis respectively. All tensile test samples were made with ISO 527-2-5A standard with a dumbbell shape. According to Zhangs report, benchmark P400 ABS sample was test, the result shows in Fig 10.