Role of women in Christian Leadership Assignment

Role of women in Christian Leadership - Assignment Example Some of these arguments are against women leadership in churches while others seek to justify the need to have women leaders in church. All quarters seek to justify their stand on the issue using the Bible as their basis (Scott, 2002, p. 27). In 1Timothy 2:12, Paul says he does not permit women to have authority over men in the church. He also bars them from teaching. According to him, a woman is to be submissive and silent. He goes further to quote the Genesis creation story and states that God created man first before the woman. He goes further to say that, it was Eve that first fell to temptation and not Adam. This may have formed the basis for his argument against women leadership in the early church. Going backwards, we see Paul stating the appropriate dress code for women as he sees it fit (1Timothy 2:9). This brings out yet another possible reason for Paul’s stand. He may have noted the danger in how women dressed in church and that is why he emphasized on how they were to dress. He possibly saw that in their quest to look good, women might end up overdoing it to the extent that it affects their ministry in the church. It may also form ground for competition among them thus causing them to deviate from their main roles of leadership. Such competition could be harmful to the church as it could escalate and cause division as they try to outdo each other. Yet another fear could be the possibility of women ignoring their ethical responsibilities as they engage more and more in leadership. This could be harmful to their family lives, as they could possibly want to carry their authority back into their homes, which would be against their traditional Laws where the man was the head of the family. We could also possibly say that Paul was referring to women in the past that had been in influential positions but were evil or deceiving. Women such as Jezebel (II Kings 9:10) and Delilah (Judges 16) may have contributed to the notion that given a chance, women could become evil and cause the downfall of man, which could translate to the fall of the church. Great men such as Samson, David, Solomon and even Adam all seem to have fallen or made wrong choices due to women. If Paul was drawing his conclusions from such events involving women, the he had some ground to argue for barring women from leading in the church. In the book of Corinthians, Paul reminds the church what the laws say about women and how they should not speak in front of the congregation. Any woman who had anything to ask was to ask her husband at home and not in the church. The laws considered it a disgrace for a woman to speak in church (1Corinthians 14:34-35). Paul was possibly insisting on this to ensure that there was order within the church. Paul’s letters to Timothy and The Corinthians came at a time when there were quarrels within the church. The letters served to reaffirm the laws to bring about order. In 1Timothy, People who have little understanding of th e laws and scriptures tend to be challenging Timothy’s authority within the church. These seem to be preaching erroneously to the people. Among these are probably women who interpret the scriptures in their own ways to justify their participation in leadership in the church. Paul seeks to help Timothy subdue feministic tendencies that may be cropping up in the Church. He writes to reaffirm Timothy’s authority in the church. Although Paul’s words come out strongly against women leadership, he does not discourage women participation in the work of evangelization. This is through women such as Priscilla who

Supply chain manager Essay Example for Free

Supply chain manager Essay Week 1 (Chapter 1) Logistics and the Supply Chain Course Outline Economic Impacts of Logistics Logistics: What is it The Increased Importance of Logistics Activities in the Logistics Channel As your first step in getting started with this course, please introduce yourself in the Student Profiles. Please share who you are, where you work, what your comfort level with the on-line technology is, and what is your reason for taking this program? Attach a photo if you are able. Week 2 (Chapter 2) Logistics and Information Technology General Types of Information Management Systems Electronic Commerce and Logistics Electronic Data Interchange Enterprise Resource Planning Week 3 (Chapter 3) Logistics Systems Controls Financial and Accounting Controls Worker Productivity Product Recalls Controlling Returned and Salvaged Goods Pilferage and Theft Maintaining Channel and Supply-Chain Integrity Week 4 (Chapter 4) Managerial Issues in Logistics Theft and Pilferage Logistics Social Responsibility Managing Reverse Logistics Lessening the Impact of Terrorism on Logistics Systems Week 5 (Chapter 5) The Supply-Chain Concept Key Attributes of Supply-Chain Management Barriers to Supply-Chain Management Supply Chain Management and Integration Summary Case Study One: Read Case 5-1 â€Å"Johnson Toy Company†. Answer questions 1 to 8 (See assignment instructions posted). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 6 (Chapter 6) Procurement Purchasing for Resale Procuring Services E-Procurement Quality Programs Purchasing Ethics Week 7 (Chapter 7) Demand Management, Order Management and Customer Service Order Management The Role of Logistics in Establishing Customer Service Levels Measuring and Controlling Customer Service Meeting Customer Service Demands Case Study Two: Read Case 7-1 â€Å"Handy Andy, Inc.†. Answer questions 1 to 8 (See assignment instructions posted). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 8 (Chapter 8) Inventory Management Inventory Classifications Inventory Related Costs When to Order How Much to Reorder Inventory Flows Special Concerns to Inventory Management EOQ Mathematical Questions (See handout for assigned question). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 9 (Chapter 9) Your copy of the take home test is located in the Lecture Tab for lecture 9. Distribution Centre, Warehouse and Plant Location Logistics Acronyms (See Acronyms Attachment) General Factors Influencing Facility Locations Finding the Lowest Cost Location Facility Relocation and Facility Closing Take Home Test Due: Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week. Week 10 (Chapter 10) Warehousing Management Public, Private and Contract Warehousing Design Considerations in Warehousing Warehousing Operations Week 11 (Chapter 11) Protective Packaging and Materials Handling Product Characteristics Packaging Unit Loads in Materials Handling Materials Handling Week 12 (Chapter 12) Transportation Small-Volume Shippers Large Bulk Shippers Project Cargo Oversized Moves Hazardous Materials Transportation Regulation and Deregulation Week 13 (Chapter 13 and 14) Transportation Management Rate Determination and Negotiation Rate Regulatory Bodies Documentation Loss and Damage Dumurrage and Detention Transportation of Hazardous Materials Consolidating Small Quality Case Study Three: Read Case 14-1 â€Å"Nurnberg Augsburg Maschinenwerke†. Answer questions 1 to 8 (See assignment instructions posted). Your answers are to be submitted to the submissions icon before the end of the week.

Essay --

The human condition describes the unique features of a human being; it separates us and at the same time relates us to other living creatures. In this essay I will study paintings that translate human emotion, body language and facial expression into paint, how moods have been communicated by the human face and the artist who knew how to do it the best. The idea of relating the human condition to art came to me when I started studying Edvard Munch and his history of isolation and darkness. I wanted to know why so many artists like him were somewhat disturbed not necessarily in a negative way, which led them to produce and what influenced them to create something different. The Mona Lisa 1503-1519 by Leonardo Da Vinci (Fig 1), The Scream 1893 by Edvard Munch (Fig 2) and the Weeping Woman with Handkerchief 1937 by Pablo Picasso (Fig 3) are some of the most recognizable pieces of art in the world. Is this owing to the fame of their maker or curiosity of the human mind or is it the story behind these paintings that make them famous? Even in today’s world pictures of the human body and the human face dominate everything we look at. It is no coincidence that many paintings have been overstated or been painted in a misleading way, they are painted in a way to exaggerate human emotion. The human form has obsessed the world’s greatest artist and over thousands of years humans have recreated the human form in art. Is it true to say that we as humans are somewhat obsessed by ourselves and what we portray to others or is it more unconscious and what surrounds us, our environs, the events of our lives, that affect the emotions we contribute. The Mona Lisa, has been a cultural icon for hundreds of years, this painting was even stolen on 21st ... ...cation, satisfying our curiosity, exploring isolation, depression and death. There is no limit to which art has influenced every generation, from product labels to the way we design our homes, art affects us in ways we may not even notice. Art has affected the way we look at ourselves and the emotions we experience as human beings. In the same way our lives has affected art, and we can see how a visual representation of our inner beings can be expressed. I feel as a graphic artist today, I am strongly influenced by technology and software whereas artist before my time were influenced strongly by their surroundings, the events of their time and the influences of their individual lives. They had a unique ability to express through the subjects of their paintings, vivid emotions and were each able to influence and develop groundbreaking techniques in through their art.

History of human Essay

The whole history of humankind is inseparably linked to the changes in the dynamics of the population growth that consequently pushed the start of the process of migration. Since ancient times, humankind started to spread from its cradle across the world in quest for a better life. Just recall the Bible stories about the 40 year trip of the Sons of Israel headed by Moses across the desert in search for the land of promise. It might be a fairy tale, but nevertheless it could be the real prove that mass migrations of population have already occurred in those times. Due to absence of reliable information, it’s very hard to estimate the dynamics of people migration throughout the world up to the beginning of the XIX century. At that time European counties started to conduct population census relatively precocious to modern standards. But lets’ get back to the very term â€Å"migration†. Here’s the definitions given by the hyperdictionary. Migration: 1. [n] the movement of persons from one country or locality to another; 2. [n] the periodic passage of groups of animals (especially birds or fishes) from one region to another for feeding or breeding; 3. [n] (chemistry) the nonrandom movement of an atom or radical from one place to another within a molecule; 4. [n] a group of people migrating together (especially in some given time period). However, the definitions relating to the â€Å"people migration† is very brief and I would give the following definition to the term. Migration- is the movement of a person or a group of persons from one locality to other caused by different socioeconomic or other factors. We should differentiate between 2 main types of migration- internal- domestic (people move from one region to another within the borders of one country) and external-interstate migration (from one country to another); we also should discriminate between emigrants (leaving their homeland for a permanent settlement in oversees) and refugees-(those who seek escape from war and disasters, and those people fleeing from persecution based on political or religious beliefs). In last decades the number of people looking for a better life has drastically increased. Nowadays, at the beginning of the XXI century nearly 1 of 35 tellurians is a migrant. If all these people would live in one common state, then it would be the fifth biggest by its population country on the planet with approximately 175 millions of inhabitants. It testifies, that migration is one of the most substantial global sociological phenomenon of our times having a deep impact on the economies and societies ways of life. The last statement is completely proved by the history of the USA, the country that was founded by colonists or in other words migrants. Since the October 12th of 1492 when Columbus have discovered a New World, it became a tasty piece of pie for the European monarchies to bite- a perfect place to develop all the treasuries of new lands and spread the influence. But to conquer the New World, Old Europe needed to build settlements and it led to increase of migrants flow that went to America in hope to get richer, some to escape from never ending wars in Europe, from persecutions based on religious beliefs (Pilligrims), some to propagate Roman-Catholic Christianity. So, the conquest began, but it led to horrible results- many local ethnic groups were wiped out (South America, conquistadors). The whole territory of the New World was divided between the European powers; however the rivalry between them existed, as England was in a constant war with France and its allies. There were one more source for this tension not in Europe but in the New World- it was the population growth of the British continental colonies from 250 thousands people in 1700 up to 1. 75 million in the 1760s. Step by step England forced out France and Spain over the most territories of North America, so London had a vast territories with the population greatly spread over them to guard. With time, the colony was becoming more and more detached from the British Empire. Trying to stop this process, England tried to grab the control over the colony, but with every year the confrontation between colonists and English Parliament grew more and more, until in 1775 American revolution revolved. After gaining independence in 1783, the American society was a ethnic diversity –British (not English as migrants were arriving from all the regions of British isles), French, Spanish colonists, Africans (taken to the continent as slaves), and aborigines- Indian tribes (gradually driven out from their homeland by the colonists). So came the 19th century, the times, when all the circumstances favored the economic growth of the former colony, as there still were undeveloped and wealthy in natural resources lands. The unification of the States and abolishment of slavery favored the arrival of new migrants, so grow the labor force, and it must be added it was a cheap labor force. As a vivid example, is an American railroad system, in building of which Chinese immigrants took a great part (in fact it was build on the bones of the letter, ‘cause of the harsh conditions, absence of health security system and low pay). At those times, a domestic migration rates grew, caused by the well known discovery of gold in Alaska and California (Gold Fever). Poor people from all over the country rushed to those places in hope to find gold and get rich. By the end of 19 century the American nation still was not completely formed. It was rather a â€Å"pot mix† of nations than an ultimately formed nation. The flow of immigrants have not stopped, but received a new push after the beginning of WWI and with subsequent fall of European Empires (Austrian -Hungarian and Russian empire). In those and succeeding years, the number of emigrants from Europe, especially from former Russian Empire has drastically grown. Those emigrants helped to build the economy of the US, as many of them were not just simple unskilled workers, but in many cases intelligent persons. For example, Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky, a famous Russian-American aircraft designer, who was born in Kiev (Ukraine, state within the Russian Empire) and after the revolution immigrated to the USA. Altogether, with his friends and companion-who were also emigrants from Russia, he founded his company â€Å"Sikorsky Aviaengeneering† that some time later became a part of â€Å"United Aircraft† company. In 1972 he passed away being a honorable member of different scientific societies and having a lot of different awards. The man is gone long time ago, but still the design bureau bearing his name produce aircrafts. However, not always the migrants were warmly received. In last decades, many countries have made their policy line much tougher concerning reception and help given to refugees and immigrants. According to the UN statistics, such measures have shown themselves in increased number of refugee status accordance denial. The emigrants and refugees experienced and experience lots of problems beside the migration rules and regulations, but also the confront a much more serious problem, such as – xenophobia, a highly negative attitude of native population toward the comers There’re many reasons for such attitude (just recall Martin Scorsese’s â€Å"Gangs Of New York â€Å"). As usually migrants are coming from the poorer states and ready to work for less money then the native population. In most cases here, the natives are afraid that comers would take their job places. Moreover, illegal migrants may easily beef up the criminal lines, as in most cases they unqualified and unable to find job. There’s also a collision of cultures and mentalities. In such rugged conditions, the migrants start to consolidate and create detached groups, living on own principles, preserving their original way of life. It’s some kind of a protective mechanism against new socium. For example, in many American cities, there’re many culturally â€Å"detached† areas such as China Town and Briton Beach (Russian quarters in Big Apple) etc. In those places, the migrants preserving their native culture and customs, it’s a place where the migrants attempt to reproduce the things they had at homeland. Nevertheless, these days, immigrants constitute an important part of a labor –market in industrially developed countries. According to the statistics of OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development), in many Western states, the interest for the labor potential of foreigners is on the rise. Here we could divide the demand for labor force into two categories- demand for unskilled and demand for qualified laborers. The developed countries are in a constant need for a cheap work force to work in some industries, where the local don’t want to work, for example building industry. So here help the migrant workers. These laborers in most cases work temporarily until their visa expire, then in some time they return back home otherwise become illegal immigrants. The qualified workers in most cases go to the developed countries for a permanent residence, called by the companies interested in their services. In most cases, these companies are working in the Hi-Tech sphere of business, and the latter is booming today, so there’s a lack of well qualified staff to fit the demand. As one of the examples was a problem of â€Å"Y2K†, when most of IT companies in the USA and other countries felt the need to increase the number of qualified personnel to fix the bug in computers before the upcoming of the year 2000. There’s another very interesting fact about the immigrants. It’s the money they send back home to families, they are of a great importance for developing countries economies. In values, such money transfers are taking the second place after the foreign investments as a source of oversees inpayments into the economy of developing countries. In 2002 the total amount of individual foreign transfers to developing countries constituted 72,3 billions dollars. The other important issue of that global community facing toady is illegal human trafficking. It’s not just illegal border crossing, but a very profitable business for the international crime syndicates, that proliferates prostitution, slave labor etc. This problem is or highest importance for the international community and today there’s an urgent need to consolidate all efforts of international bodies and of all the counties to stop this dirty business sucking huge profits from the eternal human strive to find a better life†¦ References 1. www. hyperdictionary. com 2. http://www. geocities. com/davidbofinger/vinland_h. htm 3. http://historicaltextarchive. com/sections. php? op=viewarticle&artid=651 4. http://historicaltextarchive. com/sections. php? op=viewarticle&artid=597 5. http://www. sikorskyarchives. com/indexlnk. html 6. http://www. un. org/popin/data. html 7. www. oecd. org 8. www. oecdobserver. org/

Case Study of Architect Lenny Oh

Introduction Lenny Oh was born in 1979 at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His parents are the Straits Peranakan from Melacca and recently travel to Kuala Lumpur before given birth to Lenny. His full childhood was really joyful, he and household are rather frequently visit his grandparents and relation inMelacca. Due to this ground, Lenny has influence by the ThePasss Peranakan Melaka architecturesince he was immature. The long and narrow shop-house with a centre courtyard and air-well is the most important characteristics in Melaka house and was brought him influence when he grew up to be an designer. Lenny received his preparation in Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Western Australia. He so joined Arkitek Maju Bina Sdn Bhd after returning to Malaysia in 2003. He involved in legion residential and commercial undertakings as a design designer and undertaking designer. Lenny have 10 old ages working experience at Arkitect Maju Bina Sdn Bhd since twelvemonth 2003. After that, he successfully becomes as a professional enrollment member of Professional architect/Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia ( LAM ) . Then, he establishes CL+O Architects Sdn. Bhd in 2013 together with Ar. Chiam Chin Yong and Ar. Martin Lee Wee Hong and continues to pattern architecture under this new entity. Besides, he has besides been involved in two residential undertakings which have been received Singapore’s BCA Green Mark Awards and the Malayan Green edifice Index Certification. Besides that, Ar. Lenny had besides been involved in legion of residential and commercial development undertakings during his new architecture journey. The edifice that I choose among his art piece to make the analysis is theGrand Villas Bungalowwhich located at Tropicana Indah. Grand Villas is a modern and modern-day residential lodging which suit nowadays modern life manner every bit good to suit a turning three-generation household under one roof. Tropicana Indah is a fast development and up market enclave that is located in the bosom of Petaling Jaya, Tropicana. It surrounded by Tropicana Golf & A ; Country Resort and Seri Selangor Public Golf Resort and these golf classs bring the green exuberant scenery and nature to the Tropicana Indah. Architectural theory Architectural theory is the first factor that I wish to analyze on Grand Villas Bungalow. This cottage has a distinctively modern and modern-day facade which influence byModernism and Minimalism theory. It gives a sense ofOpenness,Minimalism,Elation,Transparency of infiniteandEasy motion in infinite. First, it shows a reallystrong linearsignifierthat takes on a modern design. The additive and horizontal elements are one of the characteristics harmonizing to Walter Gropius modern theory. ( ) This is seemingly shown in the facade lift of Grand Villa Bungalow. The elements as good without ornament and simple stuffs represent a sense of indispensable quality. Besides, it besides possesses the combination of modern-day tropical design. Furthermore, thesimple geometryis evidently reflected on Grand Villa facade. ( ) Minimalistic design is overtones of utmost simpleness and formal cleanliness. Harmonizing to minimal art theory, the design elements should convey the message of simpleness. Pure, simple motivation of denouncement is clearly shown in Grand Villa. ( ) Besides, the thought is without ornaments. However, that all parts and joinery inside informations are considered as reduced to a phase where no 1 can take anything farther to better the design. Theprimary coloring materialis used to accomplish the simpleness. ( ) Following, three of the 5 point architecture theory of Le Cobusier can be seen from the program of Grand Villa. Harmonizing tothe pilotistheory, the back uping reinforced concrete construction had given us the pilotis that steadfastly driven into the land. However, this had been changed and the alteration can be seen in through Grand Villa cottage. From the program, it shows that the pilotis is exposing at the front portion of the edifice, which is at the Entrance on the land degree and the balcony on the first degree of the edifice. Now, this is served for the aesthetic intents for the olympian forepart facade of Grand Villa. Second, harmonizing to the 5 point theory of Le Cobusier, the house should be erected on an independent model, supplying an unfastened program and free facades. However, theunfastened programtheory had been adapted yet remain partly which reflected on the Grand Villa program. In Grand Villa, the large open-concept dry kitchen, life and dining country are most agreeable. The unfastened program means entire freedom in infinites. ( ) It open out to a generous outdoor terrace which provides an overlooks to the infinity-edged lap pool and landscaped garden. Therefore, the moisture kitchen and laundry country separated from it. Theroof top gardenis besides one of the important point of Le Cobusier theory which shows in Grand Villa cottage every bit good. There no more sloping roofs which can non be put to utilize, in contrast, the possibility of puting a gardens on the roof is to counter the effects of enlargement. This pattern is clearly shown in the Grand Villa. Due to the modern evolvement of life style, the excess component of roof top sofa had been promoted to unite with the roof top garden. In add-on, it shows theexact circulationon the program. The running of a place consists of precise maps in a regular order. The regular order of these maps constitutes a phenomenon of circulation. An exact, economic rapid circulation is the key to modern-day architecture. The precise maps of place life require assorted countries whose minimal content can be rather exactly determined. These maps can be diagrammed along a uninterrupted line so the interplay of the necessary countries and their propinquities can be clearly discerned. The facades aresuppliers of visible radiation. The Minimalism province that the considerations for ‘essences’ are light, infinite and human status. This aid simplifies populating infinite to uncover the indispensable quality of edifices and conveys simpleness in attitudes toward life. They require a flow of light which in the daylight can be admitted as there are legion gaps and crystalline elements such as glass in the Grand Villa. This enhances the motion of natural visible radiation in edifices reveals simple and clean infinites. The elation is stressing the fluidness of natural visible radiation throughout the infinites in the Villa. Climate Following, clime is one of the analysis factors every bit good. First, the orientation of the spacial agreement is shown on the Grand Villa program. ( ) All the chief infinites such as life country, dining country, music room and the out-of-door infinites such as out-of-door terrace, deck, pool and verdure landscape are confronting east orientation. ( ) This is because there is a Casa Indah Condominium located east side which helps to test the direct forenoon sunshine. Besides, this is usage to catch the dawn scenery from the chief infinites and the out-of-door relaxation infinites. Furthermore,utilize of natural sunshineis to stress on the usage ofinactive design. Besides, it is besides to heighten the elation within the edifice. The Villa provides assorted big gaps and glass placed confronting east whereas the little gaps and Windowss placed confronting west. This is because there is Casa Indah Condominiums located south east side which helps to test the direct forenoon sunshine. After afternoon, the east portion of the edifice with big opening Windowss will be avoid from direct flushing sunshine yet still holding daylight admit into the edifice. During eventide, the out-of-door infinites can good use without direct eventide blazes. Additionally, the intent is besides to catch the forenoon sunshine which is better for human wellness alternatively of flushing sunshine. Furthermore, theusage of perpendicular shadingcan be clearly seen from the east lift of Grand Villa. The usage of perpendicular louvres is serve as an sunshade to partly test off the sunshine of the 2 chief infinites with excess high ceiling with full and big glass which confronting east way. The shading is good utilised as testing in order to accomplish the thermic comfort of the two chief infinites with big country of glass. Then, the user can bask the daytime within the infinite at a more comfy degree. In add-on, the ceiling tallness of the edifice besides helps better the airing. The Grand Villa possesses the high ceiling between 3.2 m to 4 m. The proviso of thesehigh ceilings and tall infiniteswithin encourage good airing. Theroofof Grand Villa is alone in form. The pitched roof with a larger gap is confronting east and the smaller gap confronting West. The intent is to let more natural visible radiation enter the roof top sofa during forenoon and appropriate degree of twenty-four hours visible radiation during eventide. Next, the back portion of Villa is environing by the river and flora. Thenature contextenhances the Villa from the dorsum which gives a nature background to the Villa. This is really emphasis the calm environment from the dorsum of the Villa every bit good. Personal Cultural Background Influences Last but non least, the personal cultural background influences besides one of the analysis factors.Cultural beliefis one of influence in his design calling. In the spacial planning of Grand Villa, the chief infinites of the Villa are confronting east orientation. In Chinese Feng Shui belief that East orientation is the best as it brings good fortune, wellness and wealth. It besides the orientation which the Sun rise typify a trade name new twenty-four hours with a good start. Besides, the transparence of infinite is besides stressing on the east orientation. In add-on, his design is influence byChinese traditional spatialcharacteristic every bit good. The spatial in Grand Villa shows the layering in infinite which stressing the privacy in spacial agreement from outer to inner. This is clearly reflected from the traditional Chinese brooding spacial layout. The following 1 is the influence on thelocation of the music infinitein the Villa. Ar. Lenny is a music lover as he plays assorted sort of music instruments. He loved to play piano and listen music with his household at place since immature until today. This shows that he is from a music background household every bit good shows that he serves music in a really particular place in his life. This is reflected his taught in his design calling. The arrangement of the music room in the Villa was located at the most interior portion of the edifice which confronting the nature elements such as river and flora. The combination of music with the serene, peace and natural environment is the considerable thought in his design. This may be the best interaction between both music and nature. Theâ€Å"Peranakan† architectureis besides one of his influences. Ar. Lenny is Melacca â€Å"Peranakan† descend. He has influence by the The Straits Peranakan Melaka architecture of the long and narrow shop-house with a centre courtyard and air-well in the Melaka house. The Centre dual volume courtyard is one of the important elements. Therefore, he modifies the thought and applies it into the dining country locate at the Centre which gives a dual volumetric sense of infinite which reflect partly from the Centre courtyard. The alteration is to accommodate the local neoteric modern life manner. Base on the above analysis, Ar. Lenny emphasize in good utilizing natural lighting in his design.

The costs and benefits of incurring an annual federal budget deficit

The costs and benefits of incurring an annual federal budget deficit Federal budget deficit occurs when the government expenditure exceeds the government income through revenue in a fiscal year. For instance, the last year the US federal deficit was $ 1.57 trillion, and this year, it is estimated to come to $1.267 trillion (Amadeo 2).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The costs and benefits of incurring an annual federal budget deficit specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The problem with this deficit is that every year, it is added to the already existing Federal Debt which currently stands at over $ 14 trillion. Two thirds of this Federal Debt is the money owed by the federal government to the public, private companies and even foreign governments who bought treasury bills, notes and even bonds. The remaining third is money owed by the federal government to itself in the form of government account securities usually from trust funds, thus, they are to be paid back after a certain period of time, when the baby boomers retire (Chantrill 8). There are several consequences that arise as a result of federal budget deficit which must be explored keenly to establish the dangers that lie ahead. Every fiscal year, the budget is bound to go one way or another. There can be a deficit one year, and the following year, the state may enjoy a budget surplus. However, in the US federal budget, surplus has been elusive. For instance, between the years 1929 and 1969, the federal budget recorded a surplus only nine times, and it had never happened for three consecutive years at one time (Cashell 5). First, the federal budget fails to distinguish between operating and capital expenditures. Operating expenditures are those incurred in running government and funding the services it provides; capital expenditures relate to purchases of long lived buildings and equipment, and include expenditures on infrastructure. The failure to distinguish these types of expenditures is at odds with accepted accounting practice, and is at odds with the accounting practices adopted by corporate America. It amounts to claiming that expenditures on roads and buildings are equivalent to consumption, and that these assets are fully used up in the year they are purchased. The result is to overstate spending, and give government an air of profligacy. If capital expenditures were appropriately capitalized, both government expenditures and the deficit would be lower (Palley 4). Figure 1 and table 1 below show the budget deficit over the years. The table 1 elaborates the federal deficits in figures between the year 2000 and the projected deficit up to the year 2016.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Figure 1 Source: usgovernmentspending .com Table 1 Federal Deficit Fiscal Years 2000 to 2016 Year GDP-US $ billion Federal Deficit -fed pct GDP 2 000 9884.17 -2.39 a 2001 10218 -1.25 a 2002 10572.4 1.49 a 2003 11067.8 3.41 a 2004 11788.9 3.50 a 2005 12554.5 2.54 a 2006 13310.9 1.87 a 2007 13969.3 1.15 a 2008 14270.5 3.21 a 2009 14014.8 10.08 a 2010 14551.8 8.89 a 2011 15079.6 8.61 a 2012 15812.5 6.96 b 2013 16752.4 4.58 b 2014 17782.2 3.62 b 2015 18804.1 3.23 b Source: usgovernmentspending .com From a position of near budget balance in 1970, the budget went into deficit. In part because of an economic contraction beginning in late 1973 and ending in early1975, the surplus fell to -4.2% (in other words, a deficit equal to 4.2%) of GDP in1976. Another economic downturn began in mid-1981 and ended in late 1982 contributing to another drop in the surplus, to -6% of GDP in 1983. Since then, with a brief reversal attributable to an economic contraction in 1990 and 1991, the surplus increased steadily until 2000. In FY2001, the surplus fell from 2.4% of GDP the previous year to 1.3% of GDP. In 2002, there was a budget deficit (a negative surplus) of 1.5% of GDP and by FY2004 it had reached 3.6% of GDP. While the budget has clearly been influenced by changing economic conditions there nevertheless appeared to be a tendency towards smaller and smaller surpluses (at the time they were characterized as increasing deficits, which is the same thing) between1970 and 1983. Through 2000, that trend had been reversed, but over each of the next four years the surplus declined (Cashell 5).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on The costs and benefits of incurring an annual federal budget deficit specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Deficit spending increases the debt of the country every year. The argument put forward it is that deficit spending would help to increase the economic growth which is partially true in the short term, especially in times of recession like it has been experienced in the last three years . Ho wever the final result of deficit spending is never pleasant as the economy experiences a lot of damage due to the interest rates that have to be paid in the long run. This interest is added to the debt every year, actually about 5% of the budget every year goes to interest payments. For instance, in 2009, the interest accrued amounted to $383 billion which had actually reduced from $451 billion only due to lower interest rates at the time in the fiscal year 2008. Sadly, it is predicted that the figure will be four times larger in the year 2020 which is estimated to $840 billion (Amadeo 3). When this happens, the creditors will start doubting the ability of the government to repay the loans and, hence, will look at it as a great risk. As a result, they will be justified to ask for greater returns in terms of increased interest rates which will cost the government even more money and slow down the economy. Other measures to counter the problem have proved futile due to various econom ic back lashes. For example, an attempt by the government to let the value of the dollar dip so as to lower the amount of debt payable backfires since investors become less willing to purchase the treasury bonds at the same time (Cashell 6). By borrowing from the social security fund, the government shoots itself in the foot. This is in the view that paying the debt would be an uphill task when the time finally comes since the government is forced to borrow from the same kitty every year. The consequences of this are that borrowing from the social security would be stopped and considered that this accounts for more than a third of the deficit which would be great to blow to the government. Evidently, this would slow down the very economy that gets a boost from deficit spending (Cashell 7). Once, Thomas Jefferson said that I place economy among the first and most important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers lo ad us with perpetual debt (Forbes.com, 6). What he wanted to illustrate is the fact that running a balanced budget had more advantages than running a deficit spending.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Several factors support this saying since balance budgeting is within the reach of federal government. In the year 1998, the budget office of the US congressional forecasted shows the federal budget to be in effective balance, with a projected deficit of just $5 billion this year- a trivial percentage of an estimated $8.5 trillion gross domestic product (Forbes.com 5). What followed that is that the government was able to balance the budget without causing any negative complication. One measure economists use to assess fiscal policy is the structural, or standardized-employment, budget. This measure estimates, at a given time, what outlays, receipts, and the surplus or deficit would be if the economy were at full employment.5 It is a way of separating changes in the budget totals that are due to changes in overall economic conditions from those changes that are the result of deliberate changes in tax and spending policy. Changes in the standardized-employment surplus reflect changes in policy and are not affected by variations in underlying economic conditions. For example, if the economy is less than fully employed, then the standardized measure of outlays is less than actual outlays, standardized receipts are higher than actual receipts, and the standardized budget deficit would be smaller than the actual deficit. Economists track the standardized-employment surplus as a percentage of potential GDP to assess if fiscal policy is simulative or contradicting. As the economy grows, outlays and receipts tend to rise as well. Comparing the budget to GDP filters out changes due to variations in the overall size of the economy. Potential GDP is an estimate of what the total value of production of goods and services would be if labor and capital resources were fully employed. Using potential GDP as a base for comparison avoids the problem of cyclical factors masking changes in fiscal policy. A decrease in the standardized budget deficit relative to potential GDP woul d be considered indicative of a contractionary fiscal policy. Similarly, an increase in the standardized budget deficit as a percentage of potential GDP would be indicative of a simulative fiscal policy (Cashell 8). Amadeo, Kimberly.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"How the U.S. Federal Debt and Deficit Differ and How They Affect Each  Other,† 2011. Web. Cashell, Brian W. â€Å"The Economics of the Federal Budget Deficit.† CRS Report for  Congress Journal, Vol 2, (2005) P12-13. Chantrill, Christopher. â€Å"US Government Spending History from 1900 US†, 2011. Web. Forbes.com. â€Å"Thoughts on the Business of Life†, 2011. Web.14 November 2011https://www.forbes.com/quotes/ Palley, Thomas. â€Å"The Sorry Politics of the Balanced Budget Amendment,†Ã‚  Challenge Journal, 40, May/June 1997, 5 13.

Supreme Court Case of Tinker v. Des Moines

Supreme Court Case of Tinker v. Des Moines The 1969 Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines found that freedom of speech must be protected in public schools, provided the show of expression or opinion- whether verbal or symbolic- is not disruptive to learning. The Court ruled in favor of Tinker, a 13-year-old girl who wore black armbands to school to protest Americas involvement in the Vietnam War. Fast Facts: Tinker v. Des Moines Case Argued: November 12, 1968Decision Issued:  February 24, 1969Petitioners: John F. Tinker and Christopher EckhardtRespondent: Des Moines Independent Community School DistrictKey Question: Does prohibiting the wearing of armbands as a form of symbolic protest while attending a public school violate students First Amendment rights?Majority Decision: Justices Warren, Douglas, White, Brennan, Stewart, Fortas, and MarshallDissenting: Justices Black and HarlanRuling: Armbands were deemed to represent pure speech and students do not lose their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech when they’re on school property. Facts of the Case In December 1965, Mary Beth Tinker made a plan to wear black armbands to her public school in Des Moines, Iowa, as a protest to the  Vietnam War. School officials learned of the plan and preemptively adopted a rule that prohibited all students from wearing armbands to school and announced to the students that they would be suspended for breaking the rule. On December 16, Mary Beth and more than two dozen other students arrived at their Des Moines high, middle, and elementary schools wearing black armbands. When the students refused to remove the armbands, they were suspended from school.  Eventually, five of the older students were singled out for suspension: Mary Beth and her brother John Tinker, Christopher Eckhardt, Christine Singer, and Bruce Clark. The fathers of the students filed a suit with a U.S. District Court, seeking an injunction that would overturn the schools armband rule. The court ruled against the plaintiffs on the grounds that the armbands might be disruptive. The plaintiffs appealed their case to a U.S. Court of Appeals, where a tie vote allowed the district ruling to stand. Backed by the ACLU, the case was then brought to the Supreme Court. Constitutional Issues The essential question posed by the case was whether the symbolic speech of students in public schools should be protected by the First Amendment. The Court had addressed similar questions in a few previous cases, three of which were cited in the decision. In Schneck v. United States (1919), the Courts decision favored restriction of symbolic speech in the form of anti-war pamphlets that urged citizens to resist the draft. In two later cases, Thornhill v. Alabama in 1940 (about whether an employee may join a picket line) and West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette in 1943 (whether students may be forced to salute the flag or recite the pledge of allegiance), the Court ruled in favor of First Amendment protection for symbolic speech. The Arguments Attorneys for the students argued that the school district violated the students right of free expression and sought an injunction to prevent the school district from disciplining the students. The school district held that their actions were reasonable ones, made in order to uphold school discipline. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed the decision without opinion. Majority Opinion In  Tinker v. Des Moines,  a vote of 7–2 ruled in favor of Tinker, upholding the right to free speech within a public school. Justice Fortas, writing for the majority opinion, stated that It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate. Because the school could not show evidence of significant disturbance or disruption created by the students wearing of the armbands, the Court saw no reason to restrict their expression of opinion while the students were attending school. The majority also noted that the school prohibited anti-war symbols while it allowed symbols expressing other opinions, a practice the Court considered unconstitutional. Dissenting Opinion Justice Hugo L. Black argued in a dissenting opinion that the First Amendment does not provide the right for anyone to express any opinion at any time. The school district was within its rights to discipline the students, and Black felt that the appearance of the armbands distracted students from their work and hence detracted from the ability of the school officials to perform their duties. In his separate dissent, Justice John M. Harlan argued that school officials should be afforded wide authority to maintain order unless their actions can be proven to stem from a motivation other than a legitimate school interest. The Impact Under the standard set by Tinker v. Des Moines, known as the Tinker Test, student speech may be suppressed if it amounts to a 1) substantial or material disruption or 2) invades the rights of other students. The court said, where there is no finding and no showing that engaging in the forbidden conduct would materially and substantially interfere with the requirements of appropriate discipline in the operation of the school, the prohibition cannot be sustained.   However, three important Supreme Court cases since Tinker v. Des Moines have significantly redefined student free speech since that time: Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser (7–2 decision handed down in 1986): In Washington state in 1983, high school student Matthew Fraser delivered a speech nominating a fellow student for student elective office. He delivered it at a voluntary school assembly: Those who declined to attend went to a study hall. During the entire speech, Fraser referred to his candidate in terms of an elaborate, graphic, and explicit sexual metaphor; the students hooted and hollered back. Before he gave it, two of his teachers warned him that the speech was inappropriate and if he gave it he would suffer the consequences. After he delivered it, he was told he would be suspended for three days and his name would be removed from the list of candidates for graduation speaker at the schools commencement exercises.   The Supreme Court ruled for the school district, saying that students are not entitled to the same latitude of free speech as adults, and the constitutional rights of students in a public school are not automatically coextensive with the rights of students in other situations. Further, the judges argued that public schools have the right to determine what words are deemed offensive and therefore prohibited in schools: the determination of what manner of speech in the classroom or in school assembly is inappropriate properly rests with the school board.   Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (5–3 decision handed down in 1988): In 1983, the school principal of Hazelwood East High School in St. Louis County, Missouri, removed two pages from the student-run newspaper, The Spectrum, saying that the articles were inappropriate. Student Cathy Kuhlmeier and two other former students brought the case to court. Instead of using the public disruption standard, the Supreme Court used a public-forum analysis, saying that the newspaper was not a public forum since it was part of the school curriculum, funded by the district and supervised by a teacher.   By exercising editorial control over the content of student speech, the Court said, the administrators did not infringe the students First Amendment rights, as long as their actions were reasonably related to legitimate pedagogical concerns. Morse v. Frederick (5-4 decision handed down in 2007): In 2002, Juneau, Alaska, high school senior Joseph Frederick and his classmates were allowed to watch the Olympic Torch Relay pass by their school in Juneau, Alaska. It was the school principals Deborah Morses decision to permit staff and students to participate in the Torch Relay as an approved social event or class trip. As the torchbearers and camera crews passed by, Frederick and his fellow students unfurled a 14-foot long banner bearing the phrase BONG HITS 4 JESUS, easily readable by the students on the other side of the street. When Frederick refused to take the banner down, the principal forcibly removed the banner and suspended him for 10 days. The Court found for the principal Morse, saying that a principal may consistent with the First Amendment, restrict student speech at a school event when that speech is reasonably viewed as promoting illegal drug use. Online Activity and Tinker Several lower court cases explicitly referring to Tinker concern online activity of students and cyberbullying, and are making their way through the system, although none have been addressed on the Supreme Court bench to date. In 2012 in Minnesota, a student wrote a Facebook post saying a hall monitor was mean to her and she had to turn over her Facebook password to school administrators in the presence of a sheriffs deputy. In Kansas, a student was suspended for making fun of his schools football team in a Twitter post. In Oregon, 20 students were suspended over a tweet claiming a female teacher flirted with her students.  There have been many other cases in addition to these. A cyber-bullying case in North Carolina- in which a 10th-grade teacher resigned after students created a fake Twitter profile portraying him as a hyper-sexualized drug addict- led to a new law (N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann.  §14-458.1) which criminalizes anyone using a computer to engage in one of several specified prohibited behaviors.  Ã‚   Sources and Further Information Beckstrom, Darryn Cathryn. State Legislation Mandating School Cyberbullying Policies and the Potential Threat to Students Free Speech Rights Vermont Law Review 33 (2008–2009): 283-321. Print.Chemerinsky, Erwin. Students Do Leave Their First Amendment Rights at the Schoolhouse Gates: Whats Left of Tinker? Drake Law Review 48 (2000): 527-49. Print.Goldman, Lee. Student Speech and the First Amendment: A Comprehensive Approach Florida Law Review 63 (2011): 395. Print.Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier Oyez (1988)Johnson, John W. Behind the Scenes in Iowa’s Greatest Case: What Is Not in the Official Record of Tinker V. Des Moines Independent Community School District. Drake Law Review 48 (2000): 527-49. Print.Morse v. Frederick Oyez (2007)Sergi, Joe. Obscenity Case Files: Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District. Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, 2018.  Smith, Jessica. Cyberbullying. North Carolina Criminal Law 2010. Web.Tinker v. Des Moines Independen t Community School District. Oyez (1968). Wheeler, David R. Do Students Still Have Free Speech in School? The Atlantic April 7, 2014. Print.Zande, Karly. When the School Bully Attacks in the Living Room: Using Tinker to Regulate Off-Campus Student Cyberbullying. Barry Law Review 13 (2009): 103-. Print.

Elementary Level Syllabus for Beginning English Courses

Elementary Level Syllabus for Beginning English Courses Syllabus - Lesson 1 This syllabus has been written for false beginners in a business English setting. The focus is therefore on the workplace. However, the basic structures that are introduced should be the same for any type of class. Vary the content of your lessons to make sure they fit students learning objectives.   Theme - Introductions The revised language items will include: The verb to beRevision of possessive adjectives: my, your, her, hisBasic greetings The new language items introduced will include: The use of names of countriesExpansion of lexical set: basic greetingsExpressions including Countries and Nationalities Your first lesson focuses on the verb be which will help students begin discussing basic questions. Possessive adjectives such as her and his encourage students to discuss what they learn from other students. Learning nations and national adjectives can help them talk about their country. Syllabus - Lesson 2 Theme - The World Around Me The revised language items will include: spelling skillsRevision of letters of the alphabet The new language items introduced will include: The use of questions and negatives with the verb to beThe use of determiners: this, that, those and theseThe use of a and anExpansion of lexical set everyday objects - singular and pluralExpressions including basic opposite adjectives This lesson focuses on objects that can be found both in and out of the classroom. It might be a good idea to take the class on a short walk around your school to help them become familiar with the concept of here / there, this / that. Working on basic adjectives in opposite pairs (big/small, cheap/expensive, etc.) will help students begin describing their world.   Syllabus - Lesson 3 Theme - My Friends and I The revised language items will include: singular and plural nouns, numbers 1 - 100, phone numbers, the use of the verb to be for giving personal information The new language items introduced will include: Giving personal information: name, marital status, phone number, address, ageAsking for and telling the time, prepositions used for telling the time at, past, toExpansion of lexical set jobs. This lesson helps students begin discussing schedules, meetings, and other responsibilities. The focus is on numbers, time, marital status and other personal items that require students to give information involving numbers and spelling.   Syllabus - Lesson 4 Theme - A Day in the Life of†¦ The revised language items will include: Times of the day, the 12-hour clock - a.m. and p.m.Revision of basic verbs used to describe daily routines The new language items introduced will include: The use of the present simple (1)The use of the first, second and third person singular in the present simpleExpansion of lexical set daily routinesExpressions including verbs and nouns that go together, prepositions used for times of the day - in the morning, afternoon, evening / at night The big focus on this lesson is the use of the simple present tense to speak about routines, habits and other daily tasks. Make sure to help students learn differences between the verb be and all other verbs. This will require a special focus on the helping verb do in questions and negative sentences.   Syllabus - Lesson 5 Theme - The Workplace The revised language items will include: continuation of the present simple (2)Revision of basic verbs used to describe work tasks The new language items introduced will include: The use of negative and question forms in the present simpleThe use of the first, second and third person plural in the present simpleThe use of adverbs of frequencyPrepositions of place and movement: to, in, atExpansion of lexical set daily work routinesExpressions including: Asking for help and asking someone to repeat In this lesson, you will expand on the present simple by introducing adverbs of frequency such as usually, sometimes, seldom, etc. Move from discussions focusing on I to talking about others with he, she, we, etc. Its a good idea to ask students to write up questions, interview other students, and report back to class to help students recognize and begin using different pronouns.   Syllabus - Lesson 6 Theme - Talking about Work The revised language items will include: Greetings and informal discussion about your work tasksRevision of seasons, months and days of the week The new language items introduced will include: Expansion of lexical set means of communicationExpressions including terms used for talking about the relationships between people in an office Continue exploring the work world while discussing a larger time frame when introducing days of the weeks, months and seasons to the class. Have students discuss typical activities for each time of the year, the day of the week or month.   Syllabus Lesson 7 Theme - The Ideal Office The revised language items will include: Revision of lexical set things in the officeRevision of daily work tasks The new language items introduced will include: The use of there is and there are for descriptive purposes and in the interrogative formThe use of some and any in the positive, negative and interrogative formExpansion of lexical set furniture to include items commonly found in an officeExpressions including prepositions of place including: on, in, near, next to, in front of, and between Drill down into the office world by focusing on office equipment. Ask students to discover what other students workplace look like by working with any and some (i.e. Are there any tables in your office?, We have some copiers in our office, etc.) Syllabus - Lesson 8 Theme - The Interview The revised language items will include: verbs expressing skills and abilitiesRevision of expressions used for asking and giving personal information The new language items introduced will include: The use of can to express abilityThe use of haveExpansion of lexical set skills and abilitiesExpressions including verb-noun collocations (words that go together) Finish up this first section of the syllabus by expanding vocabulary skills with common workplace collocations. Use mock interviews to introduce the modal can to speak about abilities. Syllabus - Lesson 9 - Check Module I The revised language items will include: introductions numbers and letters, skills and abilities, telling the time, describing your daily work routine, numbers and lettersGrammar Revised: The use of the verb to be in the present simple, possessive adjectives, the use of the present simple, the use of basic prepositions of movement and place, the use of some and any, the use of there is and there are, the use of can to express abilities, the use of determinersVocabulary Revised: countries and nationalities, telling the time, work routines, objects in an office, months, seasons and days of the week, asking for help and repeating, relationships at work At this point, its a good idea to assess students comprehension with a quiz. The test should not be long but should include each element of the first eight lessons.

The Safety and Reliability Issue of Robotic System with Artificial Research Paper

The Safety and Reliability Issue of Robotic System with Artificial Intelligence - Research Paper Example Since artificial intelligence is dissimilar to human intelligence, it is incapable of taking independent decisions. Moreover, it is incapable to respond properly in unfamiliar situations. Artificial intelligence need to be advanced a lot before human can trust it for doing independent works. INTRODUCTION â€Å"Robots are physical agents that perform tasks by manipulating the physical world. They are equipped with sensors to perceive their environment and effectors to assert physical forces on it†1. The huge success of robots in doing extremely risky works with utmost precision has developed huge interests in the scientific world about using robotic systems for artificial intelligence. Even though human like behavior cannot be expected from robots, it is widely believed that robots can match human intelligence to a much closer level than once anticipated. It is a fact that robots need human supervision or intervention for safe functioning. However, current robots need less supe rvision from human elements and they are intelligent enough to make necessary changes in its functioning based on the changes in the environment. Robots are currently used for people to conduct remote controlled video conferencing, navigation, rescuing, assisting and lifting of soldiers in the war fronts etc. It is difficult to define artificial intelligence or AI in few words. Generally speaking "Artificial intelligence is the science of making machines do things that would require intelligence if done by men" 2. The history of artificial intelligence started along with the discovery of computers in by Charles Babbage. Even though the possibilities of using artificial intelligence or robots are infinite, still people have many concerns about the reliability of using robots for artificial intelligence purposes. After all, robots are machines and machines cannot think as human does. It should be noted that even well experienced individuals are struggling to take appropriate decisions in this ever changing world. Under such circumstances, the reliability of depending artificial intelligence for executing complex jobs which need logical and quick decision making is highly questionable. This paper analyses the Safety and Reliability issue of Robotic System with Artificial Intelligence. SAFETY AND RELIABILITY ISSUE OF ROBOTIC SYSTEM WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Incredible speed in execution is the major advantage of robots controlled by artificial intelligence. Moreover, robots exhaust much slower than humans and therefore it can perform huge volumes of works compared to humans and that also within no time. In manufacturing units, robots can perform complicated works with utmost precision so that manpower requirements can be reduced considerably. Robots with artificial intelligence can handle million of calculations within seconds and therefore, it can perform preprogrammed jobs with ease. Because of the above ability a computer or robot can beat a human in a chess match. The development of mobile robots was driven by the desire to automate transportation in production processes and autonomous transport systems. The former lead to driver-less transport systems used on factory floors to move objects to different points in the production process in the late seventies. New forms of mobile robots have been constructed lately like insectoid robots with many legs modeled

HW4 MGM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HW4 MGM - Assignment Example For example, Coca-Cola FEMSA works in conjunction with communities and non-governmental organization, SOS Mata Atlà ¢ntica in Brazil in a bid to conserve forest water through Brazilian Forest Water Program. In Mexico, the company is involved in a major reforestation program, where the company plans to plant millions of trees. Through its active engagement in tree planting initiatives, Coca-Cola not only ensures forest conservation, but also reduces greenhouse gases emission into the atmosphere because forests are good absorbers of carbon, which is a major component of greenhouse gases. Coca-Cola also engages in recycling initiatives and water management programs as well as energy conservation, which remains crucial to its surrounding and business environment. The company ensures high and acceptable standard for sustainable packaging aimed at achieving zero waste and maximum package recycling. Coca-Cola has strong relationship with communities in which it operates. The company strive s to create a positive difference in the communities by working with local associates and actively supporting local employee engagement. Water is a vital element of life and by conserving it; Coca-Cola Company demonstrates its commitment to advance the welfare of the

Development of Tourism in Saudi Arabia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11250 words - 1

Development of Tourism in Saudi Arabia - Essay Example The researcher tried not to choose participants who visited Saudi Arabia just once. People who visited the country twice but with short intervals (probably in months) were also not considered to be taken as participants for this paper’s survey, as this could impact the results and this could also prevent in finding out the reality. This is because, to notice the development of any country, months are really not enough. At least one and the half year is ideal to notice some of the changes. Normally, countries strive and work on several projects which take months to be finalized and to be actually executed. Operations do not just start. It takes a lot of time because each project involves a lot of finance and that financial plan or budget needs to be planned, designed, tested, approved and need to pass several stages before being operational. This point is very important. For active developers, one and the half year of a gap is considered as reasonable, while in third world coun tries with lazy executors, identical changes take more than five to seven years. For any country, the growth and the development in the industry of tourism brings a number of positive results. This, not only, includes the foreign investments but a lot more than that in a number of ways. A country receives investments when it is rich in resources. Especially, the oil reserves and the petroleum reserves are normally considered as the blessings and fortune of any country. The foreign investments open doors to the foreign engineers and to the other foreign employees. When the investment projects are a little more than the average number of projects, a country faces a lot of problems in acquiring professional services from the local workforce. Therefore, it opens doors to the foreign professionals to apply and offer their services. However, the local engineers and professionals are given priority over the outsiders in many cases. A company may acquire foreign services for a long-term or for a short-term contract.

Equality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equality - Assignment Example In the 19th century, the American society thrived on a subsistence economy where women typically did home-based work and reproductive roles. At the onset a market economy, women called for equal social and political representation in the affairs governing the society. In a seemingly patriarchal society, the French feminism of the nineteenth century grew at a very slow rate (Roth 23). On the face of it, the republican political system was reluctant to support the women and refused them the voting rights until after the Second World War, in 1945 (Paletschek & Bianka 12). According to the various reports by human rights organizations, some countries are yet to conform to the observation of women’s right. In the contemporary world, the modern woman faces the challenge of balancing work and social life. Nevertheless, the protection of women from gender discrimination is paramount for any society. Unfortunately, some countries, including the US, have loose gender policies that aim at giving insurance to the social existence of women (Gardiner  11). The pursuit of gender equality is a major controversial debate that surfaces the modern

Strategic Perspectives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

Strategic Perspectives - Essay Example This particular paper fundamentally aims towards delivering a detailed analysis of the competitive forces and the various strategic issues in relation to the tablet and smart phone industry. With this concern, various aspects that include internal strategic audit of Apple and identification of the major issues regarding the external stakeholders that are currently faced by the organisation will be considered. Additionally, certain recommendations for Apple will also be depicted in the discussion. A Detailed Analysis of the Smart phone & Ta ­blet Industry The various strategic models that are fundamentally used to analyse the macro-framework of a particular industry can be identified in terms of Porter’s 5 Forces Model and Industry Life Cycle (ILC) theory. These models can be regarded as quite beneficial in obtaining an in-sight regarding the competitive forces along with the strategic issues shaping the smart phone as well as the tablet industry. The Macro-Framework Theory W ith due regards to the macro-framework theory implications, the aspect of macro environment tends to determine the various external influences that may impose a crucial effect upon the tablet and smart phone industry. The various macro environment factors in relation to the smart phone and tablet industry include the political, economic, social and technological forces which are prevalently acknowledged as PEST (Young & Pagoso, 2008). From the viewpoint of the technological forces, it has been recognised that the Integrated Circuits (IC’s) along with other electronic elements have emerged as superior, faster and cheaper as well delivering extensive opportunities towards improving the technology of the tablets along with the smart phones... This paper approves that the most significant strategic option for Apple can be identified with regards to its well structured analysis of value chain linkage that it performs while operating the business functions in a systematic and effective way. As it was mentioned earlier, Apple generally follows a well structured analysis of its value chains majorly focusing on the idea of creating new products, designing and re-designing the already developed products through the execution of its own resources and funding. It is in this context that the IT industry is very much competitive, diverse and capital intensive. In this regard, the packaging style of certain products belonging to Apple can also be regarded as one of the chief strategic options for the business organisations that might help Apple to decrease emissions during transportation and can pose valuable environmental impacts. This report makes a conclusion that Apple faces certain limitations majorly in terms of customer satisfaction and ethical measures adopted by the organisation. In order to mitigate these challenges, Apple should focus on creating differentiation business strategy along with lifestyle branding, advancing the close relationship with the suppliers, introducing innovative designs to persuade the customers and continuously investing upon the research and development in terms of technological advancements. Moreover, complying with the various requirements of the Fair Labour Organisation, greater concern towards the environmental as well as CSR conceptions and enhancing the existing valuable products of the organisation can also render significant benefits to Apple.

Equality Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Equality - Assignment Example In the 19th century, the American society thrived on a subsistence economy where women typically did home-based work and reproductive roles. At the onset a market economy, women called for equal social and political representation in the affairs governing the society. In a seemingly patriarchal society, the French feminism of the nineteenth century grew at a very slow rate (Roth 23). On the face of it, the republican political system was reluctant to support the women and refused them the voting rights until after the Second World War, in 1945 (Paletschek & Bianka 12). According to the various reports by human rights organizations, some countries are yet to conform to the observation of women’s right. In the contemporary world, the modern woman faces the challenge of balancing work and social life. Nevertheless, the protection of women from gender discrimination is paramount for any society. Unfortunately, some countries, including the US, have loose gender policies that aim at giving insurance to the social existence of women (Gardiner  11). The pursuit of gender equality is a major controversial debate that surfaces the modern

Demographics and the Housing Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Demographics and the Housing Market - Essay Example Canada has a unique pattern of land markets, wherein the markets have been rated as, "moderately unaffordable", "affordable", "seriously unaffordable" and "severely unaffordable". It has been observed that the national median multiple is slightly above the above the affordable standard. Over the years there has been a rapid increase in housing prices. Prices and quantities in housing markets are determined by the interaction of the supply with the demand. During this time the home ownership rates have eaten up a deeper chunk of house hold wealth, thereby increasing household debt. Most important variables governing the supply of new housing include prices, the costs of construction materials and land, the cost of financing, and the value of the housing stock. Similarly, the important variables governing the quantity of housing include prices, the level of mortgage rates, expectations of permanent income or wealth, rates of return on other investments, and demographic factors that influence the decision to buy a house. Let us take a closer look at Toronto that is well known for its multicultural society. It is situated in southern Ontario, Canada with a population of 5,113,149. It has an urbanised region of 8.1 million people. Toronto being the fifth largest city in North America is one of the most populated cities having people from diverse backgrounds. Its clean environment together with a generally high standard of living, Toronto remains the most desired destination for immigrants. It also has the second highest percentage of foreign-born population. People of different European origins form the largest ethnic group in Toronto. Afro-Caribbean, Filipinos, Latin American too, find a place for themselves in this place. This is reflected in the neighbourhood names, like Little Italy, The junction, Little India, Chinatown, Portugal Village and others similarly named. The Downtown area of Toronto remains most densely populated while the financial district of Bay Street boasts of the maximum number of skyscrapers in Canada. The historically wealthy residential enclaves stretch northwards from downtown. It is a paradox of sorts, wherein, on one hand the up scale homes exist and on the other hand in the core vicinity of downtown low income families and incomes reside. The east and west regions of downtown however, radiate with artists and middle and upper class professionals. The inner suburbs retain the small, single family homes, while the housing boom has led to the construction of many high rise apartments in many neighbourhoods. North Toronto and some western neighbourhoods in York are some such areas. The housing boom has had a cascading effect on many municipalities. The advent of skyscrapers has not only changed their skylines but also helped them develop as secondary business centres .However further growth in the housing market is affected by the temperament of the consumers in that whether they are prepared to take risks. If the price is high and the consumer is averse to taking risks, the purchase of houses will automatically fall. The buying strategy of a consumer therefore differs from one demographic group to another. It can be safety said thus, that consumers differ in their thought process with regards to procurement of a house. Their views may differ on the money spent to rent a house vis-a vis to purchase

Colon Cancer vs. Lung Cancer Essay Example for Free

Colon Cancer vs. Lung Cancer Essay I. Introduction Although Colon and Lung Cancer affect different organs of the body and have different symptoms, they are treated similarly using, surgery, radiation, chemo, and targeted therapy . II. The treatment options for colon and lung cancer are similar and are determined by which stage the cancer is in. a. Surgery is often the main treatment for the earlier stages, such as, Stage 1. b. Chemotherapy and Radiation therapy are used for Stages 2, 3 most often with surgery, and sometimes Stage 4 III. There are two different types of surgeries performed for the treatments based on the stages. a. A polypectomy, removal of polyps, or a lobectomy, removal of a lobe of the lung. b. A colectomy, removal of the colon, or a pneumonectomy, removal of the lung. IV. In most cases, these cancers are unlikely to be cured in Stage 4. c. Patients receive chemo and/or targeted therapies to control the cancer. d. Surgery is usually done to prevent or relieve symptoms of the disease. IV. Conclusion THE TREATMENT OPTIONS FOR COLON AND LUNG CANCER The earlier cancer of the lung and colon is caught, and treated, the greater the survival  rate. The five year survival rate with stage 4 lung cancer is less than 10%. Colon  cancer stage 4 patients have a 12% survival rate. Whereas, patients diagnosed and  treated while the disease is in its first stage, the survival rate for lung cancer is 60-80%,  and colon is at 90%. Although colon and lung cancer affect different organs of the body  and have different symptoms, they are treated similarly using, surgery, radiation,  chemo and targeted therapy.  The treatment options for colon and lung cancer are similar, and are determined by  what stage the cancer is in. The disease is assigned a stage from one to four,  depending on severity. In stage one the cancer is confined to the lung. During stages  two, and three, the cancer is confined to the lung, with a possibility of existing in the  lymph nodes. When the cancer has spread outside of the lungs to other parts of the  body, the patient is diagnosed with stage four Lung Cancer. Unlike stage three Lung  Cancer where there is a possibility of the disease spreading to the lymph nodes, when a  patient has stage three colon Cancer, it has definitely spread to the lymph nodes  already. TYPES OF SURGERIES A surgical procedure is typically the main treatment for stage one. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy most often with surgery, are used for stages two, three, and sometimes four. Chemotherapy is a medical process used to help slow or stop the growth of cancer cells growing within the body. The drugs used during chemotherapy cannot differentiate between cells, so it also kills the healthy cells. Radiation therapy uses high-energy particles or waves to destroy or damage cells. It is part of the main treatment for lung cancer. Thousands of people become cancer free after getting radiation treatments. Radiation can be given alone, or with other treatments, such as surgery or chemotherapy. Since the cancer is confined to the lung or colon during stage one, surgery is the treatment given; sometimes chemotherapy is also given. The surgery is done to remove the cancer and a margin of healthy tissue. Surgical procedures to remove lung cancer include, wedge resection, segmental resection, lob ectomy, and pneumonectomy. A wedge resection is the removal of a small section of the lung that contains the tumor. The segmental resection removes a larger part of the lung. A lobectomy and pneumonectomy is the removal of an entire lobe of one lung, and the removal of an entire lung. Unless colon cancer is very advanced, most tumors are removed by an operation known as a colectomy. During a colectomy, the cancerous part of the colon and nearby lymph nodes is removed. If possible, the intestine is then reconnected. If the intestine cannot be reconnected, because of an infection or obstruction, a  colostomy will be performed. A colostomy brings the end of the colon closest to the stomach up through the skin where the stool drains into a sack called an ostomy pouch. The colostomy is usually temporary and can be reversed with a second operation; generally after about three -six months. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy, along with surgery, are the treatments involved with stage three colon and lung cancer. Chemotherapy may slow the progress of the cancer and extend survival time, by killing cancer cells. It may also help lessen the symptoms of the disease. If a person is healthy overall, chemotherapy and radiation can be given as a combination. Combining both treatments allow them to work together to reduce pain and other symptoms while slowing the progression of the disease. THE FINAL STAGES Stage four Cancer is the most advanced cancer stage. A diagnosis of stage four colon  and lung cancer means cancer has spread from the colon and the lungs to other organs and tissues. Many treatments are available that can prevent or reduce symptoms, slow  the progression of the cancer, and lengthen survival. Surgery, such as a surgical  resection may extend the survival time in colon cancer. A surgical resection is the  removal of the section of the colon affected by the tumor. It is then joined together with  the remaining healthy sections to form one long, health piece. Depending on several  factors, chemotherapy and radiation are treatments for patients with Stage Four. Those  facts include, if there is lymph node involvement, where the tumor has spread, and how  it is attached.  Although surgery is not an option for patients with stage four Lung Cancer, treatment  options are available. The treatments can help to prolong life and reduce pain. Some  of those treatments include, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, combination of both,  targeted drugs, clinical trials, and supportive care. Palliative therapy, which can reduce  the pain and provide comfort, is also essential. CONCLUSION Recognizing the risk factors of the cancers, and practicing preventive measures allow us to reduce the risk for development of the disease. However, if diagnosed, the earlier the treatment options are discussed and began, the chances to be cured are higher. REFERENCES WEBLINK: http://stmarysofmichigan.org http://www.cancer.org http://secure.mayoclinic.com http://health.bwmc.umms.org http://www.ehow.com http://www.livestrong.com

Business Analysis Of The Sony Corporation

Business Analysis Of The Sony Corporation As directed by the Board of Directors of Sony Corporation, this report will analyse the companys situation from 1999-2005. Sony, a world class consumer electronics makers, was facing serious concerns since the late of 1990s, such as Asian financial crisis in 1997, the tech bubble and the terrorist attacks in America in 2001. Besides, the ever increasing competition from competitors and rapid market changes are eroding the market shares of Sony. The top management confront their difficulties bravely and executed a series of actions to respond to those difficulties. This report focuses on the structure of Sony in 1999 and the restructuring in 2003, as well as the analysis of difficulties faced by Sony and how the management responded to those issues. The structure of the report starts with the business description and the corporation strategy which has significant relationship with the following sections. Then, the focus will move to structure 1999 follow with the restructuring of Sony in 2003 called Transformation 60. After the discussions about the business structure, the report will concentrate on analysing the issues associated with Sony and state the responses taken by the management and its underlying principle before concluding and with appropriate recommendations. 2.0 Business Description and Corporation Strategy Sony is one of the worlds top consumer electronics makers and employs over 167900 workers (Sony, 2010). The business operates in over 200 countries and covers the games, electronics, financial services, entertainment markets and others (ibid.). After 65 years of growth, today, the group has established a world class brand and the strong brand image can benefit its bargaining power and make the business move into new markets easily. 2.1 Key Figures Some key figures of Sony from 1997 to 2010 are listed below (Graph12). The Sales figure remained in the reasonably floating level before 2007. Unfortunately, the management and shareholders are unsatisfied with the profits, since 1998 the profits reduced nearly every year, this might have been the trigger to ignite the restructuring of Sony. Graph 1 Source: Sony Annual Report 2001, 2006, 2010- Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data Graph 2 Source: Sony Annual Report 2001, 2006, 2010- Five-Year Summary of Selected Financial Data 2.2 Correlation between Organisation Strategy and Organisation Structure Strategy and organisation structure are correlated to each other, even the debate of whether strategy or structure comes first is still in existence (Lynch, 2006). Therefore, to understand Sonys corporation strategy (Graph34) is significantly important before discussing the structure and restructuring of Sony. Besides, an essential portion of the study of Sonys actions is an understanding of the nature of business strategy for the Sony corporation as a whole (Mullins, 2010). Graph 3 Source: Sony Annual Report 1998 pp6, 7 Sony Annual Report 1999 pp26 Graph 4 Source: Sony Annual Report 2003 pp5-management discusses key issues 3.0 Organisational Structure This section is classified into two parts, 3.1 focuses on the structure of Sony in 1999 while section 3.2 concentrates on the restructuring in 2003. 3.1 Structure of Sony in 1999 Sony as a world class player in a diversified high-tech market was challenged with the fierce competition during the late 1990s (Sony, 1999). Therefore, the restructuring was necessary for Sony to survive in the competitive market. The group announced the organisations restructure plan in March 1999 to seize further growth opportunities in the new century and the Internet era (Sony, 1999). The structure of the organisation is determined by its age and size, technical system, power and environment (Mintzberg, 1979). Furthermore, in relation to the environment, the diversity of the environment will largely determine the structure of organization and directly affects the organisation functions into goal-seeking activities through the formal structure to achieve aims and objectives (Mullins, 2007; Mintzberg, 1979). In this diverse environment, different structures will be taken in specific department to meet different aspects of situation for Sony. 3.1.1 Internal Structure of Sony as a Whole The internal structure of Sony is a tall hierarchical structure as Sony consists of three main business areas which are electronic business, entertainment business and insurance and finance business (Graph 5). Besides, the setting up of the unified dispersed management model is to face the rapid change in market in the aforementioned pillars of Sony (Ravi, 2005). As a result, the overall structure of Sony in 1999 was divisionalized form. Schwartz and Thompson (1986) suggested that the divisionalization form can facilitate the various divisions to compete fiercely among them, with effective operations to face rapid changes in external environment. Graph 5 Source: www.HYPERLINK http://www.sony.net/Sony.net, Press Archive, March 29, 1999 Besides, centralization and decentralization depends on how organisational power is dispersed and is determined by the organization structure for decision-making and problem-solving (Schmidt, 2006). The structure of Sony in 1999 displayed Sonys trend to be decentralization to distribute the power yield. For example, Sony set up a unified dispersed management model which facilitates more functional and operational autonomy (Ravi, 2005). 3.1.2 Divisional Structures of Sony After the discussion above, the focus now moves to the structure of different divisions. The electronic business consists of various subsidiaries (Graph 6). Each subsidiary is responsible for its own different products and makes business decisions in different markets. There is little interdependence that exists between each other. Thus, the structure of electronic business was divisionalized form. Entertainment business displayed adhocracy due to its little formalisation of behaviour. Insurance Finance business displayed a Professional Bureaucracy structure due to its complex environment with highly trained skills and knowledge to offer standardisation of products and services (Mintzberg, 1979). Graph 6 Source: www.HYPERLINK http://www.sony.net/Sony.net, Press Archive, March 29, 1999 Each business division has the autonomous to make decisions in its daily operation. The Group headquarters concentrated on coordinating these business divisions to make a long-term business strategy. Nevertheless, under the complex, diverse and dynamic environment, perhaps the more organic and decentralized structure is more suitable for Sony. 3.2 Structure of Sony in 2003 Indeed, Sony restructured its organisation in 1999 into a more divisionalized and decentralised form using the unified dispersed model as a means of a Value Creation Model. Transformation 60 saw some changes in the architectural structure of the organisation with it becoming more centralised, management-wise and financial-wise. It was aimed to refining the organisational responsibilities in carrying out the operating strategies and restructuring the marketing strategies in profitable niches. The goals are to achieve more profit margins, reducing annual cost, and component outsourcing (Sony, 2003). 3.2.1 Divisional Structure of Transformation 60 Transformation 60 saw the convergence of the three pillars of Sony electronics, entertainment and financial as opposed to the unified dispersed model. The following are the divisional changes: In the electronics business, the management combined the Semiconductor Network Company, Home Electronics, Mobile Electronics and Information Technology (Sony, 2003). The entertainment business saw the joint of assets of pictures, music, game, electronics and services to enhance its position as a worldwide media company. The constructed financial holding company absorbed Sony Life Insurance Company Ltd, Sony Assurance Inc. and Sony Bank Inc. By these convergences, Sony clarified the operational structure and concentrated on the engineering, innovation and financial resources. According to the converging strategy, the new operation structure of Sony seems like a basic Machine Bureaucracy structure (Mintzberg, 1983). Although it is less dispersed than the structure in 1999, the pull to formalize by the technostructure of Sony could be seen in Transformation 60 (Mintzberg, 1981). The restructuring of Sony in 2003 was more centralised than before as a result of the serious convergences of several businesses. The tactical and strategic plans were permitted to each sectors, which points that the divisionalized form still existed. However, the power on personnel issues was controlled by the top management, as well as the supportive finance and the ultimate goal were allocated and formulated by the headquarters (Ravi, 2005). Moreover, the restructured Sony in 2003 did not belong to any specific structure of Mintzbergs pentagon t heory but the combined one (Graph 7). Graph 7 Sony organisational chart: electronics-related business (as of 1 April 2001) Source: www.sony.net, Press Release, 29th March 2001(a) 3.2.2 Financial Structure of Transformation 60 In the light of improving its fiscal position, the consolidation of fixed costs and the combining of assets reflected the change of a more centralized structure in Sony. The company aims to achieve an annualized cost reduction of approximately  ¥300 billion (Ravi, 2005). The cut in employees due to the off-shore strategy to China establish the Contribution equal to Compensation principal of paying for performances, as Schein (2004) stated that employees have worked well enough to be considered valid. Deactivating employees from Sony had cost the company financially and it might have explained the poor financial performance of Sony after the transformation was done. 4.0 Problems and Responses This section will discuss the problems associated with Sony alongside with the responses taken and its rationale. The difficulties faced by Sony have been separated into different categories mainly the rapid evolution of technology, competition in the market and the differences of national culture. 4.1 Rapid Evolution of Technology The rapid evolution of technology as pointed out by Idei (Ravi, 2005) has affected the electronics, entertainment and insurance and finance sectors of Sony. The constant improvements in technology have caused the company to respond to the demand of the market. The following are the responses made by the company alongside with its underlying rationale: Investments: Sony invested heavily in RD, capital equipment and facilities in order to meet demands and improve profitability. Technology for Inspiration and Shared Experience and Creating New Value are Sonys RD missions (Sony, 2011). The company believes that technology is capable of linking inspiration and shared experiences on top of creating new values and capturing emotions of customers (ibid.). Investment strategies link to the capability of top management of Sony. Organisation restructuring: The Company believes that the new group architecture can help gain market share besides increasing shareholders value (Sony, 1999). In this Value Creation Model, the unified dispersed management method saw changes in the electronics operations, establishment of Digital Network Solutions (DNS), changes in composition of workforce which could ultimately affect the morale of employees, implementation of new value-based performance measurement system and the separation of headquarters into two distinct functions (Ravi, 2005; Sony, 1999). Indeed, the model brings competitive advantage to Sony (Jayaranam Luo, 2007). In such a stiff market, it is understandable as to the measures taken to seize every opportunity. Unfortunately, in 2001, the September 11 attacks caused the consolidated drop in sales, affecting the fiscal position of the company (Sony, 2001b). This has proven that the Value Creation Model had loopholes, hence Transformation 60 took course. Severe cost saving measures were taken but by 2005, as a result of pressure from shareholder, a top management reshuffling with Howard Stringer as CEO (Ravi, 2005). This proves that investors of Sony began to lose confidence of the previous management team therefore it was necessary for the company to overhaul its board. 4.2 Market Competition Among Sonys competitors are LG, Samsung, Sharp, Dell and Canon. Each competitor seemed to have an advantage over Sony in different products. Below are among the steps taken by Sony to beat the competition in the market: Partnership with Solectron Corporation in year 2000 and off-shoring to China were to aid the outsourcing process of production of electronics was a step to help the company meet fluctuations in demands, cost reduction, quality improvisation and customer satisfaction (Sony, 2003; Sony, 2000). Outsourcing may be beneficial to the company as a whole but it could ultimately decrease the motivational level of employees, as there is a tendency of decrease of power of managers, and failure rate is between 40%-70% (Purse, 2009). This may explain the Sony Shock (Ravi, 2005) incident that happened in 2003 despite the laborious process of organisation restructuring. The cost-benefit consideration was not given much thought before the outsourcing was done. The takeover of Aiwa Co. Ltd. as a wholly owned subsidiary in 2002 was for the benefit of the electronics business of the company, particularly the audio and visual (AV) industry (Sony, 2002). The takeover became part of Transformation 60. It helped accelerate the structural reform of the electronics business of Sony on top of the creation of synergy as a result of the merger. 4.3 Differences in National Culture As Howard Stringer took over as the CEO of Sony in 2005, a major problem he would experience would be the differences in organisational culture. Culture refers to the way we do things around here (Sanchez, 2004). Being one of the few foreigners to be part of the top management in a Japanese company, Stringer has the responsibility of considering whether to impose the Western culture in a Japanese company. Azumi Mcmillan (1975) found that both the U.S. and Japanese culture are quite highly centralized and companys rules and procedures are abided. In Sony, although divisionalization form can be seen, the Headquarter still plays its role as a coordinator, meaning that ultimately, the decision-making process will need approval from the top management. Also, in Japan, traditional values that emphasises on hard work and details are a common practice due to its religion influences but in the U.S., creativity and innovation are the common values (Webster White, 2009). Hence, in U.S., risk-taking is very much observed. The open management style of Stringer, his understanding towards Sonys tradition and his international viewpoints could be the key to influence the cultural organisation (Sony, 2005). This can explain Stringers successes in streamlining Sonys movie and music businesses. 5.0 Conclusion Due to the external environment effect such as the Asian financial crisis, the ever increasing competition, as well as the internal business issues like the low efficiency, the profits of Sony has been reduced dramatically since 1998. Therefore the management had to execute some restructuring plan to respond to those concerns. According to the restructuring plan announced in March 1999, the structure of the group was divisionalized and more decentralization, in order to seize further growth opportunities in the 21st century. Besides, the group launched a unified dispersed management model to ensure that the business operate more efficiently and to be able to survive the rapid change of environment. Sony did a mass of changes to adapt to the market changes; unfortunately, the pace of the latter was overtaking the managements expectations. Consequently, Sony had to accelerate the reform plan and announced another restructuring plan called Transformation 60 in 2003. The change in 2003 s aw a stronger pull to formalize in the technostructure although it can be seen that there is a mixture between the machine bureaucracy and divisionalized forms. Convergences in the three sectors saw power being more focused at the top management. The change of technology, market competition and the differences in organisational culture, especially after the takeover of Stringer, were the main concerns of Sony. Organisational restructuring and investment strategies were among the solutions in coping with technological changes. Market competition forced Sony to deal with vast partnerships, joint ventures and mergers with other companies for outsourcing purposes. Finally, the change to a foreigner to lead a Japanese company spark concerns on the future of Sonys organisational culture. Nevertheless, based on the analysis that has been done, it can be concluded that Sonys management and business strategies affects its organisational structure. It was the drop in profits that led investors to force the overhauling of top management, as a result, the unified dispersed model and Transformation 60. Unfortunately, both measures failed to bring positive impacts to the companys fiscal positions. In light of the situation above, the new team led by Stringer with the probable change in organisational culture could probably help turn things around. 6.0 Recommendations Two main recommendations should be taken into account: Firstly, the future of the organisational culture of Sony has to be determined from two aspects based on the organization structure and the differences in national culture since the takeover of Stringer as CEO. Perhaps, Stringer could consider integrating the Eastern and the Western cultures to obtain the best of both worlds. Next, investment strategies of Sony may have to be re-evaluated again, as after the study of the company was done, there are hints of possibilities that failures in the companys fiscal position may have been caused by past investment decisions. Outsourcing may be beneficial but a thorough cost-benefit analysis has to be done. Investment decisions will reflect the capability of top management to stakeholders. Appendices Value Creation Model refers to the combination of intangible assets and monetary items to create additional value of the business for stakeholders, particularly shareholders (Qureshi, Briggs Hlupic, 2006; Haksever, Chaganti Cook, 2004). 2 The performance measurement system is capable of reflecting the current cost of capital of Sony 3 Before being elected as the CEO of Sony Corporation, he was the Chairman and CEO of Sony Corporation of America. Bibliographies Azumi, K Mcmillan, C (2004) Culture and organisation structure: a comparison of Japanese and British organisation, International Studies of Management and Organization. Vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 35-47. Available from: Business Source Premier. [Accessed 16 January 2011] Datamonitor (2010), Sony Corporation-Company Profile, pp4, 5 and 21, Publication date: 12 Mar 2010 Elkington, J. Masaki, T. (2004) CSR Report 2004, [online]. 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