Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Identifying and Dating Old Cabinet Card Photographs

Cabinet cards, popular in the late 1800s, are easy to recognize because they are mounted on cardstock, often with an imprint of the photographer and location just below the photo. There are similiar card-type photographs, such as the smaller  carte-de-visits  which was introduced in the 1850s, but if your old photo is about 4x6 in size then chances are it is a cabinet card. A style of photograph first  introduced in 1863 by Windsor Bridge in London, the cabinet card is a photographic print mounted on card stock. The Cabinet card got its name from its suitability for display in parlors -- especially in cabinets -- and was a popular medium for family portraits. Description:A traditional cabinet card consists of a 4 X 5 1/2 photo mounted on 4 1/4 x 6 1/2 card stock. This allows for an extra 1/2 to 1 of space at the bottom of the cabinet card where the name of the photographer or studio was typcially printed. The cabinet card is similar to the smaller carte-de-visite which was introduced in the 1850s. Time Period: First Appeared: 1863 in London; 1866 in America Peak Popularity: 1870-1895 Last Use: Cabinet cards are rarely found dating after 1906, although cabinet cards continued to be produced into the early 1920s. Dating a Cabinet Card:Details of a cabinet card, from the type of card stock to whether it had right-angled or rounded corners, can often help to determine the date of the photograph to within five years. It is important to note, however, that these dating methods arent always accurate. The photographer may have been using up old card stock, or the cabinet card may have been a re-printed copy made many years after the original photo was taken.   Card Stock 1866-1880 Square, lightweight mount1880-1890 Square, heavy weight card stock1890s Scalloped edges Card Colors 1866-1880 Thin, light weight card stock in white, off white or light cream. White and light colors were used in later years, but generally on heavier card stock.1880-1890 Different colors for face and back of mounts1882-1888 Matte-finish front, with a creamy-yellow, glossy back. Borders 1866-1880 Red or gold rules, single and double lines1884-1885 Wide gold borders1885-1892 Gold beveled edges1889-1896 Rounded corner rule of single line1890s on... Embossed borders and/or lettering Lettering 1866-1879 Photographer name and address often printed small and neatly just below the image, and/or studio name printed small on back.1880s on... Large, ornate text for photographer name and address, especially in cursive style. Studio name often takes up the entire back of the card.Late 1880s-90s Gold text on black card stock1890s on... Embossed studio name or other embossed designs Other Types of Card Mounted Photographs: Cartes-de-visite 2 1/2 X 4 1850s - 1900sBoudoir 5 1/2 X 8 1/2 1880sImperial Mount 7 X 10 1890sCigarette Card 2 3/4 X 2 3/4 1885-95, 1909-17Stereograph 3 1/2 X 7 to 5 X 7

Monday, December 23, 2019

Social Disorganization Theory By Shaw And Mckay - 1058 Words

Social disorganization theory was established by Shaw and Mckay (1942) in their famous work â€Å"Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas†. The main argument of the social disorganization theory is that, the place where people live will influence the individual’s behavior, and this may lead them to crimes. More precisely, certain characteristics of the neighborhood/community will strengthen or weaken the informal social control within the community, and this has mediating effect on crimes. In 1925, Park et al. published a study of the city of Chicago, focused on its industrialization and urbanization. They found out that the industrialization changed labor, economics and adolescence of the youngers. The immigration who came to the city were†¦show more content†¦Hence, as they argued, delinquency was not constitutional, but was to be correlated with the particular ecological environment in which it occurs. Therefore, it was highly possible that the ethnic diversity interferes with communication among individuals from different ethnic backgrounds because of their different culture and customs, as well as the lack of shared experiences. This would possibly lead to the fear, mistrust, even conflict within the community, and therefore, increased the crime/delinquency rates. They also advocated the influence and determination of the criminal subculture by saying that this problematic subculture would promote the delinquency and worsen the situation. However, this generation of social disorganization theory did not define what â€Å"social disorganization† was, which was nearly unacceptable. Moreover, they only used official data of delinquency in their research, which had obvious middleclass bias, and overlooked social stratification. Besides these, this generation of social disorganization theory could not explain why many people in the Zone II did not commit crime and only a small fraction of whom committed most of the crimes, aka â€Å"good boy in the bad neighborhood† problem. Kornhauser (1978) criticized this social disorganization theory and indicated that the cultural transmission was problematic. If the crime could be cultured, then it could be organized, it could promote itself,Show MoreRelatedSocial Disorganization Theory By Clifford Shaw And Henry D. Mckay1056 Words   |  5 PagesSocial Disorganization Social disorganization theory explains the ecological difference in levels of crime, simply based on cultural and structural factors that influence the social order in a given community. Social disorganization is triggered by poverty, social stability, ethnic heterogeneity, and a few key elements. Although Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay (1942), were known for social disorganization theory, in 1947 Edwin Sutherland introduced the notion of a ecological differences in crimeRead MoreEssay about Social Disorginization theory 1296 Words   |  6 PagesShaw and McKay (1942) focused their research on the rapidly expanding city of Chicago Illinois in the early 1900’s. Cullen and Agnew (2011) stated that the population of Chicago expanded from 1 million people in 1890 to double that size within 20 years. According to Cullen and Agnew (2011) it was in this era of rapid expansion that researches begin to think differently about crime. Cullen and Agnew (2011) stated that the researche rs began to think that the understanding of crime may not be foundRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency And Urban Areas1557 Words   |  7 PagesIn 1942, Clifford Shaw and Henry D. McKay produced Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas, which aimed to explain crime in urban communities using social disorganization theory. Elliot and Merrill (1934) define social disorganization as â€Å"a breakdown in the equilibrium of forces, a decay in the social structure, so that old habits and forms of social control no longer function effectively† (p.20). Using this definition and the ecological approach, Shaw and McKay argue that low economic status, ethnicRead MoreThe Social Of Crime And Criminal Behavior882 Words   |  4 Pagesthroughout the last two centuries. Many theories, such as the social disintegration theory, have been hypothesized to explain the effects of certain neighborhoods on crime. In addition, other theories have been presented, such as the collective efficacy theory, whic h serve to explain the reasons for reduced crime in other neighborhoods while presenting possible solutions to solve the problem of crime in society. This paper will explore these two theories and how they not only help explain but alsoRead MoreThe Sociological Examination Of Crime862 Words   |  4 Pagescoming up with multiple social theories. Gavin states that psychologist suggest that those who commit crimes have â€Å"individual differences† that â€Å"make it more likely than some people to commit crimes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and that these social theories say that these crimes are a result of â€Å"the breakdown in social structures†. One of the first social theories that was introduced came about in 1938 by Merton, his theory is known as Strain Theory. Gavin goes on to define Strain Theory as the â€Å"social structures exert pressuresRead MoreSocial Disorganization : How Does It Affect Me And The Community That I Live?758 Words   |  4 PagesSocial Disorganizati on; what is it? How does it affect me and the community that I live in? For many years’ residents in their particular community fought crime the best way they knew how. Some call the police, some protected their clan and yet others simply watch it happen, praying that they are not the next victim. So how do people stop crime when the police are nowhere around? Who can the residents turn to? The answer is simple; they turn to their neighbors. DISCUSSION: Shaw and McKay view forRead MoreThe Effects Of Urbanization, Industrialization, And Immigration On The Chicago Neighborhood Essay1521 Words   |  7 Pagesdeveloping criminal theories. The top professors of the sociology department studied in France and Germany where there is an emphasis placed on the social influence in human behavior by using official records, such as court and welfare records, as well as individual case histories (Panzarella Vona, 2013). During the early 1900s, researchers from the University of Chicago wanted to explore the effects of urbanization, industrialization, and immigration on patterns of social organization in ChicagoRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Disorganization Theory Essay1369 Words   |  6 Pagesneighborhood. Although various theories can be used in order to explain the link between poverty and crime, the one that best fits would be social disorganization theory. Social disorganization theory is a theory, which emphasizes environmental impacts of living in neighborhoods that are high in crime and also stresses that this is the reason that criminal activity increases (Tibbetts Hemmens, 2015). The Chicago school theory is otherwise known as the theory of social disorganization as well. Chicago wasRead MoreSocial Disorganization Theory Stemmed from The Polish Peasant in Europe and America by W.I. Thomas and Florian Znaniecki1322 Words   |  6 PagesMany of the theories and perspectives we have in criminology and sociology today have stemmed from the infamous sociology department, otherwise known as the â€Å"Chicago School†. Its emphasis on studying people and the natural interactions they have with their surroundings has led to the extensive examination of numerous neighbourhoods within Chicago. Social disorganization theory was one of the many theories that developed from this ecological thinking. It sought to identify the social problems thatRead MoreFactor Affecting the Presence of Crime in Inner Cities of America788 Words   |  4 Pagessingle theory, it is possible to recognize the characteristics within society that have traditionally been associated with crime. These include poor neighborhoods, weak family structures and high rates of unemployment. However, they cannot be used to explain overarching mechanisms of extremely high rates of American urban crime today. Social structures as well as cultural conditions play strong explanatory roles in describing the causes of crime in American cities. Some prominent social structural

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Nativist’s Response to Immigration Free Essays

Immigrants have been seeking salvation or just new opportunities in America for hundreds of years. Even Americans originally started off as immigrants. They came to settle in this New World to seek opportunities. We will write a custom essay sample on The Nativist’s Response to Immigration or any similar topic only for you Order Now These types of immigrants were white, strong, leaders and felt they were superior. In the mid nineteenth century, the â€Å"new† immigrants were also welcomed. According to President Grant, these â€Å"new† immigrants were the weak, broken, and crippled people who had nowhere else to go. Grant thought these â€Å"new† immigrants would ruin the tone of the American life into a more vulgarized tone now that these immigrants are filling up the jails and asylums (Document 4). They mostly came from Southern and Eastern parts of Europe and were poor, ignorant, and illiterate. They were needed for working power and employers liked to use them because they were able to give them cheaper wages. Soon there was an economic boom when machines came to replace the workers. Resentment soon arose since job offers were scarce and immigrants received the jobs over the Americans. Certain groups of Americans opposed open immigration. Many of these people did not want new arrived immigrants to have the right to vote until they have lived in the United States for 21 years. These were often referred to as the Nativist groups. These Nativists were the old type of American immigrants who looked down on these new immigrants and wanted to shield America from them. Nativism did speak out against the Chinese immigration on the West Coast. Nativist arguments say that Chinese immigration would create race antagonism throughout the entire public. This means there will be hostility among the races so there would be separation among the country. In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act suspended Chinese immigration for ten years and prohibited the naturalization of the Chinese. The Chinese were once a great asset to America. They came over from China and helped build the railroads. After the railroads were finished, the Chinese were supposed to leave. Instead, they stayed in America for good. The Chinese immigrants now wished to assimilate their own culture and ideas with the American ideas. Americans, mostly Nativists, were extremely bothered by this because the Americans did not want the Chinese to bring their alien culture to America (Document 1). Other groups, who resented other races from assimilating, organized classes so the immigrants can learn the American language and way. They said immigrants should become citizens by learning the â€Å"American language. † They thought if the people that come to America and don’t learn the way of the Americans, then this country will soon be just like the old country, the country which they have already left (Document 3). Resentment over immigration still arose within the United States. Many writers began to blame immigrants for problems regularly occurring throughout time. E. A. Ross wrote that immigrants had a strong influence on American politics and government. He said that the simple minded foreigner is the tap-root to the main issue. The tap-root is the source of the problem. Ross said that once that simple minded foreigner unleashes his ideas, the foreigners get a stronger grip on the situation. They soon broaden and entrench their power by intimidation at the polls; they have ballot frauds, saloon influence, and much more. This will all start from one foreigner and will soon increase till the foreigners have a larger vote (Document 7). Other writers like Rev. Josiah Strong blamed certain â€Å"diseases† on immigrants. These were not actual diseases but more like problems in the country. He blamed immigrants on the lack of holiness in the Sabbath and how it is now a holiday. He also blames the liquor traffic on the immigrants too (Document 2). Whether the immigrants came to America or not, these problems would still be here. It’s human instinct to attack a different race or religion when a problem comes about. That is exactly what the Americans were doing to the immigrants. There was always a large amount of immigrants arriving into the United States. The greatest danger of unrestricted immigration is that the immigrants can overrun the master race and they can have more control then the Americans (Document 5). When a lower race mixes with a higher race in sufficient numbers, history proves that the lower race will prevail. If the Americans continue to let unrestricted amounts of immigrants enter the United States, their thoughts and believes would soon alienate the Americans and the Americans would soon become the strangers in their own country (Document 6). Once Americans began accepting that there is no way to completely stop the flow of immigrants into America, they began to find ways to limit the amount arriving. In 1921 the National Origins Act was put into effect. It looked at the immigration record to find a base year. They looked at the year that the fewest immigrants arrived and called that the base year. They used the base year as the quota for immigrant arrival. Illegal immigration continued and the immigration and Naturalization office spent a good deal of time tracking down and deporting illegal immigrants. Finally the immigration Act of 1985 was passed which said that an illegal immigrant who has been in America for at least five years, and who can prove it, can apply for citizenship and become an American citizen. As long as the flow of immigrants is carefully regulated then immigration should be no problem, maybe even beneficiary. How to cite The Nativist’s Response to Immigration, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Impact of Material Misstatement on Profitability Study of Tesco PLC

Question: Describe about the Impact of Material Misstatement on Profitability for Study of Tesco PLC? Answer: Introduction The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of material misstatement on organizational profitability. In this study, Tesco PLC has been chosen as the case company. The term material misstatement refers to the practice of overstating organizational profitability in financial report. According to ISA (International Standard on Auditing) 315, difference between the facts and forecasted information is known as misstatements or irregularities (Bhattacharjee, Maletta Moreno, 2015). In case of Tesco, the company has overstated the profit by 250 million in 2013-2014 financial statement (Tesco.com 2016). This research will emphasize the specific impacts of material misstatement on profitability of Tesco PLC. This study is important to understand the importance of ISA 315 and its guidelines in order to comply with the same. Background of the Study Concept of Material Misstatement In order to understand the concept of material misstatement, it is important to discuss the concept of materiality. The term materiality refers to the accounting principle in which an organization should disclose financial records in a proper manner. The material misstatement is the difference between the actual data and the published information through the financial report. The reason behind publishing fabricated information is to influence the internal and external stakeholders (Wright, 2016). Moreover, material misstatement may happen due to low advocacy of the management. It is the responsibility of internal accountant to make and publish the financial report. On the other hand, external regulatory body is responsible for cross checking whether the provided information is true or not. Misstating the materials is not only an example of non-compliance to the guideline, but also an unethical practice. Risk of misstating material There are different risk factors are associated with material misstatement. In case of Tesco, the company has misstated the financial documents in order to earn short-term profitability. However, this particular strategy of the company goes negative. Therefore, shareholders of the company were deprived during the return period. It has affected brand image of the company negatively. The company has boosted the profitability by showing increased profitability by 250 million. It has influenced the investors to increase their investment in order to make profit. However, the discloser of material misstatement has affected the share price of the company negatively (Flood, 2016). Material misstatement has wide impact on the internal control of an organization. In this era of competition, companies are implementing efficient strategies in order to attract both internal and external stakeholders. The literature review shows that unethical approaches have been identified in order to influence the stakeholders. However, this particular approach has negative impact on organizational profitability (Xu, 2015). Moreover, not complying with the ISA guideline can cause legal issues, which may hamper the business process of an organization. Impact of Material Misstatement on Profitability The practice of material misstatement has negative impact on business profitability. The purpose of misstating the financial data is to influence the stakeholders to stick to the company for long-term purpose. However, discloser of this kind of practice has negative impact on the stakeholders perception about the company (Bai, 2016). Therefore, it affects long-term business opportunity for the company. Moreover, providing fabricated information through the financial report can influence legal issues due to non-compliance with the legal guidelines. Research Questions Following are the research questions What are the factors that tend an organization to misstate in financial report? What are the processes of material misstatement detection? What are the probable risk factors of material misstatement? Project Deign Data collection method In this study, the aim is to identify the impact of material misstatement on organizational profitability of Tesco. Therefore, the data collection will be done by targeting accounting team and finance manager of the company. There are two kinds of data collection methods such as primary and secondary (Smith, 2015). In primary data collection process, data can be gathered through survey and interview process. On the other hand, in secondary research, data can be collection through observing authentic sources such as journals, press release and website. The process of secondary data collection is time consuming and it would increase the overall research budget (Flick, 2015). On the other hand, primary data collection would help to directly communication with the respective authorities of Tesco PLC. Therefore, primary data collection method will be selected in this study. Sampling technique Sampling helps to select a group of people for conducting the data collection process. In order to gather appropriate data, it is highly important to select the most appropriate population from the targeted company (Hartas 2015). There are two kinds of sampling techniques such as probability and non-probability sampling. Through probability sampling, population can be selected randomly. In this study, probability sampling will be selected in order to select survey respondents from the accounting team (Katz, 2015). On the other hand, non-probability sampling technique will be selected in order to select interview respondents from the finance manager team of Tesco PLC. Sample Selection In this study, 50 employees and 5 managers of Tesco PLC have been selected as the sample. 50 employees will be selected randomly from the accounts team of the company. The managers will be selected in order to conduct the interview session. Through these sample size, it will be possible to conduct both survey and interview session. The reason behind selecting 50 survey respondents is to improve the quality of gathered information in survey session. Targeting large sample is beneficial for the study; however, it will increase time consumption of the overall study. Research Venue The survey session will be conducted online through the company website. The link of survey form will be provided to the accounts team through e-mail. The employees will be responsible for filling out the forms and revert it back to the sender. On the other hand, the interview session will be conducted in office premises. The qualitative session will be a closed-door meeting in the office premises in order to maintain confidentiality of data. Data Analysis Method In this study, data will be analyzed through efficient data analysis tools. There are various types of data analysis methods such as statistical analysis and case study analysis (Clement et al., 2015). In this study, statistical analysis will be selected in order to analyze the survey data. In this process, Microsoft Excel will be used as a tool. Mean, median, mode and standard deviation will be calculated in order to analyze the survey data. On the other hand, the qualitative data will be analyzed through close observation (McNabb, 2015). In this method, key factors of the qualitative data will be highlighted and observed. It would help to answer the research question appropriately in an effective manner. Project Implications The findings of this research would help the global organizations to understand the importance of ISA guidelines. Through this study, the contemporary organizations will be able to understand the analysis process of material misstatement. The findings will provide with a clear understanding about material misstatement. Therefore, the contemporary organizations will be able to understand the impact of material misstatement on organizational profitability. Moreover, the findings will encourage the organizations to maintain ethical business practice in an efficient manner. In this study, the findings will be provided to the accounts team and managers of the organization. The researcher will send soft copy of the findings to the survey participants in order to communicate the result. On the other hand, hard copy documents will be provided to the higher authority of the company. Ethical Approval In order to conduct efficient study, it is highly important to comply with the ethical guideline. In business research, there are different ethical guidelines that help a researcher to obtain accurate research result (McCusker Gunaydin, 2015). In this study, the researcher will comply with data protection act. The data gathered in data collection process should be kept confidential. The researcher is not allowed o disclose the data for commercial purpose. Apart from that, the researcher should not force the respondents to take part in data collection process. However, it is important to increase the response rate in order to improve the quality of research outcome (Bryman Bell, 2015). Therefore, the researcher will encourage the respondents to share their viewpoints in order to increase response rate. Moreover, the ethical guidelines will be followed in order to deal with ethical issues. Timeline (Refer to the appendix) Learning Through the semesters, I have learnt a lot about applied business research. I have found that the most interesting learning about this subject is selecting the research methods. I have learnt that in order to select appropriate methodologies, it is highly important to understand the research topic appropriately. Moreover, I have understood the potential ethical factors that could arise during the research. The challenging part of applied business research is literature review. In this section, it is difficult to investigate information about the topic. It is time consuming and costly as well. Therefore, as a student, it has been difficult for me to conduct a vast literature review about the research issues. In business research, the difficulties occur due to authorization for data collection. The targeted company may not give permission to the researcher for gathering research data. However, in order to conduct the research, it is highly important to communicate with the relevant respondents. Therefore, students may find research difficult and overwhelming. References Bai, G. (2016). The role of account subjectivity and risk of material misstatement on auditors' internal audit reliance judgments.Accounting Horizons,30(2), 225-238 Bhattacharjee, S., Maletta, M. J., Moreno, K. K. (2015). The Role of Account Subjectivity and Risk of Material Misstatement on Auditors' Internal Audit Reliance Judgments.Accounting Horizons,30(2), 225-238 Bryman, A. Bell, E., (2015).Business research methods. Oxford University Press, USA Clement, S., Schauman, O., Graham, T., Maggioni, F., Evans-Lacko, S., Bezborodovs, N., Morgan, C., Rsch, N., Brown, J.S.L. Thornicroft, G., (2015). What is the impact of mental health-related stigma on help-seeking? A systematic review of quantitative and qualitative studies.Psychological medicine,45(01), pp.11-27 Flick, U., (2015).Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. Sage Flood, J. M. (2016). AUà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ C 315 Understanding the Entity and Its Environment and Assessing the Risks of Material Misstatement.Wiley Practitioner's Guide to GAAS 2015: Covering all SASs, SSAEs, SSARSs, PCAOB Auditing Standards, and Interpretations, 91-117 Hartas, D. ed., (2015).Educational research and inquiry: Qualitative and quantitative approaches. Bloomsbury Publishing Katz, J., (2015). A theory of qualitative methodology: The social system of analytic fieldwork.Mthod (e) s: African Review of Social Sciences Methodology,1(1-2), pp.131-146 McCusker, K. Gunaydin, S., (2015). Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods and choice based on the research.Perfusion,30(7), pp.537-542 McNabb, D.E., (2015).Research methods for political science: Quantitative and qualitative methods. Routledge Smith, J.A. ed., (2015).Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage Tesco | Online Groceries, Homeware, Electricals Clothing. (2016). Tesco.com. Retrieved 5 October 2016, from https://www.tesco.com Wright, W. F. (2016). Client business models, process business risks and the risk of material misstatement of revenue.Accounting, Organizations and Society,48, 43-55 Xu, W. (2015). Research and Analysis of Material Misstatement Risks of Financial Statement

Friday, November 29, 2019

Macbeth Essays (787 words) - Characters In Macbeth,

Macbeth MacBeth Everyone who is mortal has at least one flaw. Some are more serious than others. For example, some people have addictions to gambling, while other people can't remember to put the milk away after they use it. Sooner or later a person's imperfections will come back to haunt them. In the tragedy MacBeth, this premise comes to life. In the play of McBeth, many of the main characters pass away. The reason the characters die is because these characters have flaws, which will eventually lead to their downfall. Not every character is deserving of this destiny. Some characters have minor flaws, which shouldn't lead to their deaths. But, other characters have a major flaws, which is would eventually lead them to their deaths. MacBeth kills the first Thane of Cawdor, for trying to lead a revolution against England. His fatal flaw was that he was according to Ross, a disloyal traitor. The Thane of Cawdor was greedy, who wanted the throne of England for himself, and as a result was murdered. His murder wasn't really depressing because the Thane of Cawdor deserved his fate. He was leading a battle, in which many lost their lives, for the sake of greed, and he deserved to die because of his flaw. Duncan was the King of England, and was murdered by MacBeth. He was murdered, because in order for MacBeth to fulfill his plan and become King, Duncan would have to die. Duncan's fatal flaw was that he was too trusting. For example, he thought that none of his friends could really be enemies. If Duncan was more careful about his safety at MacBeth's castle, he may have had a chance to survive. But, Duncan's flaw wasn't something so horrible that he should have die. Most people need to trust each other more, and just because one person did, he shouldn't have to die. MacBeth also killed MacBeth's former best friend, Banquo. Banquo was killed, because he knew too much about the murder of Duncan. But, that was not his fatal flaw! Banquo's fatal flaw was that although he knew that MacBeth killed Duncan, he really didn't do anything about it. There were many opportunities where Banquo could tell someone such as MacDuff what he thought about the murders. Banquo didn't deserve death, just because he didn't act quickly in telling someone that MacBeth killed Duncan. Banquo knew that if he said anything, no one would believe him, and he would be executed. Lady MacBeth is MacBeth's wife. She is his coconspirator in killing Duncan. Although she helps MacBeth get the courage to commit the murder, she isn't willing to do it herself. She uses the excuse that Duncan looked too much like her father. Unlike MacBeth though, it is harder for Lady MacBeth to live with the fact that she helped cause the murder of the King. And in the end, it makes her so crazy that she commits suicide. Whether or not Lady MacBeth deserved her fate is a tricky question. Although she did encourage MacBeth to murder Duncan, she feels regret for her action. Also, she realized what she did was wrong. But in my opinion, she realized it a little too late, and Duncan was still dead so she did deserve her fate. MacBeth was the focus of the entire play, and that's why it was named after him. All of the problems start when he murder's Duncan. He commits the murder because of his fatal flaw, he is too ambitious. If he weren't so ambitious and determined to be king, then he would never have killed Duncan. And if MacBeth didn't kill Duncan none of the other characters would die. MacBeth deserved his fate more than any other characters in the Play. He did many things wrong. First he killed Duncan, and then he killed Banquo. After that, MacBeth killed MacDuff's family. Worst of all, MacBeth disturbed the balance of nature. Also, MacBeth didn't feel any remorse until he was faced with death. If MacBeth just waited for his time, he would have been king, and have had a chance to enjoy it. Every character that died in MacBeth had one fatal flaw. Thane of Cawdor was a traitor. Duncan was too trusting. Banquo

Monday, November 25, 2019

Emotion Versus Rationailty Essay

Emotion Versus Rationailty Essay Emotion Versus Rationailty Essay Allen Black V June 12, 2013 PHL 453.01 Efficient Decision-Making As human beings we are gifted with the characteristic of decision-making and in order to perfect it we must master the two methods that are involved. At the same time, we must use both methods in a compromising manner in order to become efficient decision-makers. For various reasons, some would argue that only one of the two methods should be consulted. The two views will be fully explained in detail after the decision-making methods have been made clear. This skill that we humans have developed over thousands of years has been heavily researched to our advantage. We have found that decision-making is one of the qualities that are found in leadership roles. In order to be a great leader, you must be able to decide quickly and make wise decisions that produce favorable outcomes. This kind of person also knows when they have the luxury of time to gather information and when they must decide based on a limited amount of time. For example, the president of the United States must be confident that he can make the decisions necessary to sustain our country. Decision-making is also a necessity when trying to survive in the world. In the past when civilizations were less developed and relied on hunting, the hunter must act quickly when danger is present to stay alive. There are various ways to explain decision-making. One could use philosophy to explain moral decisions and why some people make the decisions they do. Another way involves biology to prove that as humans we have evolved or have been naturally selected due to our decision-making that has developed over centuries and saved our lives. Psychology may also be used by using principles such as addicting behavior, rewards, memories, and the conscious and unconscious decisions that we make. One last practice that helps explain decision-making is neuroscience. With the help of this area of science, we can document the reactions of neurons and signals in the brain and how they relate to actions made by a subject. We can also study how brain damage, along with the areas of the brain itself, affects a subject’s decision-making. These various practices used to explain decision-making are also used to explain the two methods used in the process: emotions and rationality or logic. The question concerning decision-making is whether or not emotions and rationality must be used together, or if only a single method is properly efficient enough to master decision-making. To gain a better understanding of the research that will be presented, emotion and rationality will both be explained. To begin, emotions can be defined simply as what a person is feeling when assessing a situation. The concept is at the same time difficult and simple to understand but differs from rationality in a simple way. When we are given a situation or problem we immediately react. This reaction, in the psychology field called an automatic or unconscious response, is what we feel and does not need to follow an interaction of thought. Neurobiology is an excellent method of explaining emotions because when we feel these emotions specific chemi cal reactions are taking place in the brain. This type of science has determined that areas of the brain, like the amygdala, control our emotional responses; this relates to a topic that will be discussed later on involving a lack of emotional responses due to brain damage. Rationality, the second method in decision-making, differs from emotions specifically because it involves thought and extensive cognition. Here we rely on knowledge and information acquired over time in order to compare decisions that we eventually choose from. It is not something that is literally felt in the brain but in our mind. Several theories of rationality have been developed by economists and philosophers. Epistemic rationality involves reaching the truth in the matter while avoiding what is

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Has Realism got the big things right Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Has Realism got the big things right - Essay Example In relation to international politics or international relations (IR), realists are of views that states are the main actors reflecting the actions of the world. The states are meant to be sovereign actors thus meaning that there would be no other actor or regulator above the decisions of the states. All other organizations are hence supposed to follow the rules and regulations set by the individual states. The activities of different states lead to inter-state relations. According to realism, the nature of humans tends to be selfish and thus when the concept of international politics is concerned, it represents a struggle between the different states, each trying to make the most of their own interests Realism in relation to politics reflects the study and practice of international politics. Generally it discusses on the roles of the different states in a nation. It also assumes and makes statements on the states being concerned with their national interests and hence are carried away by these interests towards their individual actions. Thus according to realism, all states are concerned about their individual status in the world politics as well as their territorial reliability. Besides these, according to realists, the interests of the states may vary depending on their needs and circumstances. As far as neorealism and classical realism is concerned, there are certain differences between the two concepts. While classical realists are of the view that the reasons for international conflicts and wars are the imperfect behaviors and nature of the societies or the individual states, on the other hand, the neorealists have their belief in the anarchic system of international relations. According to the belief of classical realists, the state is considered to be more advanced against the entire system, while the neorealists believe that agencies hold greater space in the system than the states. Neorealists are of the view that the individual states act as unitary actors, on the other hand, classical realists make a distinction between powers of the status-quo and revisionist powers. Another difference between the neorealists and classical realists is that neo-realists make efforts to put up a more thorough and methodical advancement to the study of international relations, profou ndly predisposed by the â€Å"behaviourist revolution of the 1960’s while classical realism confine its analyses to subjective valuations of international relations† (Pashakhanlou, 2009). Realism and International Relations: Considering the relation of realism and international relations, there are four fundamental assumptions that realists have made for the international relations. Firstly, they assume that â€Å"the state is the most important actor in international relations† (Realism, n.d.). This reflects that the most important role in these states is that of the individual governments,

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Human Growth Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Human Growth Development - Essay Example During the time when the sexual misconduct allegations sprouted, particularly the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Bill Clinton still managed to have a smoothly functioning society – but not necessarily a good one (Stage Five: Social Contract and Individual Rights). Although he admitted having extramarital relations with Monica Lewinsky and Gennifer Flowers, he was able to get an acquittal from the US Senate and served his complete office term. Towards the end of his last term of Presidency, Bill Clinton even managed to achieve the highest end-of-office approval rating of any US President since World War II. In this regard, the people of the United States view Clinton’s personal setback as less relevant as compared to his achievements as a working President. As emphasized by Kohlberg, â€Å"when conflict arises between individual needs and law or contract, though sympathetic to the former, the individual believes the latter must prevail because of its greater functional ration ality for society, the majority and welfare.†

Monday, November 18, 2019

Operations and Information Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Operations and Information Management - Essay Example This was a significant and big expansion by the retail shop moving towards becoming a huge retail chain in the country having its stores across in all the main places. MobUlike also had its two stores in Italy which gave the chance to Smartz to spread its business even in Europe. Through this report using various theories and aspects the importance of usage of new IT strategies like ecommerce in the business expansion and its benefits are been seen and understood. Along with this the importance of information management system for a company in its process improvement is been studied which gives a clear understanding over what and how IT system helps in growth of a particular company. The particular retail chain Smartz sells smartphones and its accessories. This company is looking to grow its chain widely across the country and trying to reach every customer by providing the best facility and good products and a good price. The company owner has looked to take up packaged software’s from commercial vendors to interconnect the whole process of Smatrz, MobUlike and also the end consumers in all aspects. The acquisition of MobUlike by Smartz is a big change in the business process for the company. The company is looking to take up the process of ecommerce to reach the end consumer which is a big step towards the growth as the ecommerce usage in the country has grown a lot and that to at a rapid pace (Doyle, 2001, pp.34-45). Business process management is basically the process involved in management of the overall business in an efficient way as per the requirements of the client or the customer to achieve the customer satisfaction by fulfilling their needs and wants. In this case the owner Imran needs to manage the process of both Smartz and MobUlike and integrate them along with launching the ecommerce process (Golden, 2005, pp. 65-72). The It systems in both the companies are different as a result the integration of

Saturday, November 16, 2019

The Organization Culture Of Deloitte Management Essay

The Organization Culture Of Deloitte Management Essay Organization consist the two types such as the profit organization and non-profit organization. A profit organization looking for the generate income and the profit share with the employees. In a profit organization, the company decides to keep and arrange the profit to the lender or keep invest in their own business. For an example, the Deloittes Northern Group made a  £2,329m for the year end of May. The group made a  £569m profit share to the partners and the average profit earned by each partner increased from  £758,000 to £789,000. A non-profit organization generally founded to serve a humanitarian. It channels the entire employees income into programs and service aimed at meeting or towards other issues such as deforestation and endangered species. Non-profit organization rely almost entirely on donation and grants from individuals, government entities and organization. For an example, Deloitte launched a Womens Initiative (WIN) in 1993. The WIN hosts more than 400 developments, networking and mentoring activities to help connections, strengthen skills and positively impact our organization and community. 2.1 The Types of Structure A recent article (Miranda Brookins) states that elements of organizational structure give companies effective and efficient ways to run their business, manage their employees and ensure that tasks are completed. Each element has its own benefit to impact the employee to achieve the organizations goals. The type of the organization structure involves the decisions about the work specialization, departmentalization, chain of command, span of control, centralization and decentralization and formalization. Work specialization It shows the degree to which tasks in the organization are divided into separate jobs with each step completed by a different person. It takes each task and assigns them to specific position. From a wider perspective, a job is synonymous with the physical and social aspects of the work environment. In contrary, the overspecialization can result in human diseconomies from boredom, fatigue, stress, poor quality, increased absenteeism and higher turnover. For example, an employee specializes in auditing skill but Deloitte should manage the employee to the audit department to exert his/her professional skill to the company. Departmentalization It based on the jobs are perform in the group together. Even though, Deloitte also has its own specific way of classifying and grouping work activities. The departmentalization creates the types of the execution based on the work of the employee assign their own product or brand with the geographical of customer demand. Departmentalization grouping jobs by the functions performed, product line, the basis of territory, the basis of product and the type of customer and needs. Chain of Command It shows the continuous line of authority that extends from upper levels of an organization to the lowest level of the organization and clarifies who reports to whom. There are three importance concepts to attach with theory such as authority, responsibility and unity of command. The authority shows the rights inherent in a managerial position to tell people what to do and to expect them to do it. Then the responsibility shows the obligation and expectation of the leaded to perform for the organization. The last, unity of command is the concept that a person should have one boss and should report only that person. For an example, the video conference of Deloitte should be the chairman from the head office to take over to all branches. Span of control It determines the number of employees who can effectively and efficiently supervised by a manager. It needs the number of managers an organization needs which based on the number of employees and departments a company has. Centralization and Decentralization Centralization shows the degree to which decision making is concentrated at upper levels in the organization. Organization in which top managers make all the decision and lower-level employees simply carry out the order. Besides that, decentralization shows the organization in which decision making is pushed down to the managers who are closest to the action. An article (Osmond Vitez) said that centralization develop the companys mission and vision, and set objectives for managers and employees to follow when achieving these goals. Decentralization organization utilizes individuals with a variety of expertise and knowledge for running various business operations. Formalization It shows the jobs within the organization are standardized and the extent to which employee behavior is guided by rules and procedures. A highly formalized jobs offer little over what is to be done and the low formalization means fewer constraint on how employees do their work. For example, the IT department of Deloitte format up the time of the connection to each branch and the performance of the video conference. So that, the interviewer wont waste the time to wait for the connection and can arrange the accurate time to arrive the room. 2.2 Organization Culture Organization culture is a system of shared meaning and common beliefs held by organizational member that determines in a large degree and how they act towards each other. The implication of culture is a perception, shared and descriptive. The values, symbols, rituals, myths a practices are the way that the people do the things around here. Innovation and Risk taking According to Robert F. Brands (13, August 2012), an effective innovation leader should encourage creativity and risk taking, while also practicing a tolerance for failure. The setting and agreeing on the risk taking bandwidth help to practice the leader recognized as a learning experience when the process had failure. For an example, in 20th November 2012 a leader of Deloitte named Gartner evaluates on the ability to articulate logical statement about current and future market direction, innovation, customer needs and competitive forces. At the same time, consultants are rated on their understanding of how market forces can be exploited to create the opportunities to the provider. Attention to details It is a degree to which employees are expected to exhibit precision, analysis, and attention to detail. It defined the organization look more details to accurate the values of the organization comprise with the organization culture. For an example, the senior manager of Deloitte, Kurt Hauermann looks for the data risk management, data management technology and data governance as the dimensions that uniquely combine to deliver business value. Outcome Orientation It is a management focuses on the result rather than on processes used to achieve them. It extends into the workplace, and employees are reviewed regularly on a performance basis and the only thing that matter is the end of the result. People orientation People orientation takes into consideration the effect of outcome of people within the organization and it is also sensitive to individual with the decisions. The culture cares at the employee in the organization. For an example, Deloitte believes that the employees can do their best work when they growth and know the value. Besides that, Deloitte has 148,000 people work in 150 countries in the organization and the developing talent is a top priority because people are the very reason client service excellence is a hallmark of Deloitte. Team Orientation It defined the works organized around teams rather than individual. A recent article (Donna Eigen) shows that there are number of tactics that can foster a team orientation, from team building and diversity workshops to retreats, merit system that identify and recognize team-oriented behavior and processes that facilitate project teams. Aggressiveness It determined that the employees are expected to be competitive rather than easy going. It looks for the immediate results and lead to immediate reward. In June 2012, Deloitte discuss about the objectives of transparency and financial stability is often seen as being juxta-positioned. The impact on the public policy objective debate and highlighted the question of the interaction in the financial of Deloitte. Stability It means that the organization activities emphasize maintaining the status quo rather than change. In New York, 16 March 2012, Deloitte welcomes the Financial Stability Boards call to improve the dialogue between external auditors and prudential supervisors and regulators of financial institutions in the wake of the recent global financial crisis. 2.2.1 Relationship between organizational structure and culture The organizational culture develops around the structure and the organizational culture can change when the management changes the worker to assign to the roles in the same structure. According to Shane Thornton (April 18, 2012), an organizations culture is an informal, collectively held grouping of ideas and values, as well as the type of workplace relationships and ways of doing things within the organization. Organizational structure is the way to arrange the management and the lines of the authority. It determines the performance within the company and helps the organizational culture run with the efficiency and consistency to create its own organizational culture. Conclusion At the end in this task, it defined the profit organization and non-profit organization of Deloitte. Besides that, it shows the specialization, departmentalization, chains of command, spans of control, centralization, decentralization and formalization of Deloitte. After that, it shows the organization culture such as attention to details, team orientation, people orientation, outcome orientation, aggressiveness and stability of Deloitte. Finally I show the relationship between the organization structure and culture. Introduction It defines the functions of the management within the Deloitte. And list the approaches of the leadership of Deilotte. 3.0 Management Management involves coordinating and overseeing the work activities of other so that their activities are completed efficiently and effectively. It performs the managers function within the Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Planning Planning defined the goals, establishing strategies to achieve goals, developing plans to integrate and coordinate the activities within the company. It is close connected with the creativity and the innovation, it also set up the objectives and develops the appropriate course of action to achieve these objectives. For an example, Deloitte plans to get a new video conferencing system to get close and communicate easily with all foreign branches to get the high decision making. Organizing It is arranging and structure work to accomplish the organizational goals. It shows that how the leader organize the team to achieve the goals according to the plans. Besides that, Deloitte organized the Nortel Network Ltd to apply the video conferencing system and the Nortel Network Ltd will carry on all the setting and performing of the video conferencing system. Leading It defined the working through people to accomplish goals. It means how the leader uses their skill to lead the group to achieve the goals and the successful. Leading requires to coach, assists, and problem solve with employees. Then, the Deloitte decided who will attend the video conferencing to get the decision making. Controlling It is a continuously work to monitoring, comparing, and correcting work to check the result against goals and make sure that it is following the plan. After that, Deloitte will use the video conferencing to control the branches performances and has a close contact with the branches. 3.1 Leadership Leadership is the art to motivate the group to against the goals. A recent article (Susan Ward) states that effective leadership is based upon ideas, but wont happen unless those ideas can be communicate to others in a way that engages them. Different managers can employ the different strategies to lead the employees to against the goals. According to David Ingram, transformational and transactional leadership are polar opposites when it comes to the underlying theories of management and motivation. Transformational Leadership It determined the management of the day-to-day operation and crafts strategies to the next level of performance and success. It will provide the opportunities for personal and professional growth for each employee if the transformational leader sets goals and incentives to push their subordinates to the higher performance levels. For example, in 1June 2011 Barry Salzberg is the global Chief Ececutive Officer of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu (DTTL), he sets the strategies direction of the Deloitte global network and it comprises 47 member firms operation in 150 countries with approximately 200,000 people. Transactional Leadership It defined the normal flow of operations by more concerned with maintaining. The leader will use the rules to motivate employees to perform at their beast. It wont care in strategically guiding an organization to a position and these ledgers are solely concerned with conform all the performance flow. For example, Steve Almond is the Chairman of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limiteds (DTTL) Global Board of Directors. He had served as Managing Partner of International Markets at Deloitte LLP in the United Kingdom and he looks after Deloitte United Kingdoms International relationship and activities. Conclusion At the end, it also shows the planning, organizing, leading and controlling based on the Deloitte and it determined the transformational leadership and the transactional leadership with Deloitte. Introduction It is going to discuss about how does Deloitte motivate and perform their employee to work for them. It defines the ideas that Deloitte provide to motivate to work hard to get the advantages. 4.0 Motivation and Performance Motivation is the process that account for an individuals intensity, direction and persistence of effort toward attaining the goals. An article (Kendra Cherry) states that motivation involves that the biological, emotional, social and cognitive forces that activate behavior. It describes the purpose that the person does something. The article from Deloitte (Ivana Ã…ËÅ"à ­hovà ¡, FinanÄ nà ­ management, May 2009) states that the motivation and compensation are part of a  series of articles focused on performance management where Deloitte experts introduce individual components of the integrated performance management system in companies. This article deals with motivation and compensation. According to the official website of Deloitte within the Human Capital, it states that they using the motivation tools available to a financial and non-financial and it also determined that if the employees do not feel close to the strategys value and direction and motivates to fulfill the companys designed goals, the company is not likely to successfully reach its goals. From the Deloittes official website, the financial rewards and financial compensation system are the motivation tools available to the employees of the Deloitte. A recent article (Carol Bainbridge), states that extrinsic motivation refers to motivation that comes from outside an individual and the motivating factors are external, or outside, rewards such as money or grades. Deloitte believes that the rewards system is the right driver to the employees perform the work commitment and employees performance. However, attention should be paid to non-financial incentive tool. It is more difficult to define these tools as an important role to motivate employees to perform. Broadly speaking, they can be included in the corporate culture. The reason is often the corporate culture which the employee expects in the company of their choice. Figure 1. Relationship between the employee and the wage the employee received of the Deloitte From figure 1, the employees quality is reflected in a certain component of the employees compensation. According to the performance management of Deloitte, they consider that the compensation aligned with success in fulfill the goals of the company and often also the goals of the team and the individual. So from the figure 1, Deloitte use the proportion of the individual components of the employee total based on the job and the job description. Besides that, Deloitte indicate the high position of the employee in the structure will get the high proportion. Conclusion At the end, Deloitte use the rewards and compensation to motivate the employee to work hard and show the benefit of the reward and compensation to drive the employee work hard. Introduction It is going to show what technology that Deloitte used to communicate to the foreign branches and its functioning. 5.0 The impact of Technology on Deloitte A technology system can drive an organization to efficiency and effectiveness. The efficiency based on how we do the things right so the organization wont waste the time to delay achieves their goals. Besides that, the effectiveness is defined to do the right things, it show that the organization know what they want to do. The case study from the assignment, it shows that the video communication is the way that the Deloitte costs down through the video communication when they reach more employees and branches. Video communication can help to cut down many costs such as traveling cast. According to the Yezdi Pavri (managing partner for Deloitte Canadas Toronto office), he said that being able to meet clients and colleagues in real time without travel is an efficient, effective and environmentally considerate way to address their needs. In a high telepresence room, all the branches who in the different country appear very close and the experience can get with being there with face to face. Nortel Network Ltd is a multinational telecommunication equipment manufacturer in Canada. Deloitte had chosen Nortel Networks Ltd to manage the service of the video conferencing. In a result, Nortel said that in a statement that a company that spends $23 million a year on travel can use telepresence and videoconferencing to recover 385,000 hours of lost productivity reduce its carbon footprint by up to 4,200 tons and save up to $7 million in U.S. dollars. So, the video conference can be more environmentally considerate and go to the green innovation. In contrary, video conferencing also has its disadvantages be the barrels to communicate with each other. Deloitte has 600 offices in more than 150 countries so the time equation is the barrel that Deloitte communicate with the foreign branches. Sometimes, if unlucky have an emergency problem and the branches of England need to contract to the Singapore branches; it may be will fail to get a communication because the time between England and Singapore differ at least 8hours. Besides that, installations of the technology in video conference need a high tech equipment to fix it. For Deloitte, if needs to install the equipment, Deloitte needs to pay for the head office and the all branches. Many feathers make a bed; Deloitte has more than 600 offices in the foreign countries. So Deloitte needs to pay for the payment within these more than 600 offices and it will become a huge expense. Conclusion Finally, it shows the Deloitte uses the video conferencing to communicate to the foreign branches. It also shows that the effectiveness and the efficiency of Deloitte. Besides that, it also consists the advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Teaching - A Way to Make a Difference :: Education College Admissions Philosophy

Teaching - A Way to Make a Difference To me teaching is a way to make a difference in someone’s life. If it is emotional, knowledge base or physical, we as professionals should help the student be all they can be. The reason that I want to become a teacher is so that I can make a difference. I want to help students open many doors to their future. I feel that a teacher should be the person that twenty years down the road that we still inspire the student. I cannot say that I am basically just one of the philosophies. I feel that I am a mixture of many, of the philosophies. I believe in student’s freedom, using hands on approach, and focusing on what has happened in the past to cause us to study certain items. Teachers should be nontraditional, but still have traditional values. We as professionals should keep learning and to make learning exciting no matter what philosophy or theory we use. We are there to enrich the students’ life, to make learning exciting. The classroom will be set up in a way to make learning enjoyable not dreadful. I want to have centers for every type of learner that I have. The bulletin boards will informational but fun learning materials. I feel that a bulletin board should have items on it so that it catches the eyes of the student. By going into history as a professional I would like to see the students to have many different types of learning experiences. Students would do group and individual projects, so that they would learn how to work together and alone. In the classroom, I will set it up so that a student can rise to the sky like a balloon. When it comes to discipline in the class the rules and consequences will be posted and the beginning of the year. How they are set will be by asking the students what they feel the rules should be, and what should be done if they are broken. I feel that if they students feel they helped make the rules and consequences they will follow them more closely.

Monday, November 11, 2019

A criminologist Essay

A criminologist blames economic recession and complex financial system as major reasons for the rising white collar crimes in the U. S. â€Å"In huge numbers of cases, people are not aware that they have been victims of white collar crime, for example, subjected to illegally spewed out pollution, or that they have purchased products that are unsafe, or that they have been subjected to corporate price fixing, or to the consequences of commodity speculation, which is believed to be one significant factor in driving up the cost of gasoline at the pump.â€Å"Witnesses† of white collar crime who often do not realize that a crime has occurred , may be confused about what to do in response to it. And our traditional frontline enforcement agencies ha not been organized to monitor and respond to white collar crime. In this case principal gents who handle such cases play an important role in white collar crime. Informers & Whistle Blowers: Ethics Text #6. How can corporations ensure th at their employees behave ethically? An ethical culture should be a top priority of every business, large or small. The challenge for many organizations is trying to understand what it takes to build one. From an enforceable code of conduct, to ongoing training and communications, to an anonymous reporting hotline, companies can quickly implement ethics and compliance programs and solutions that foster an ethical culture across the enterprise. In many companies today, management is dealing with a hodge-podge of different personalities, belief systems, backgrounds, ethnicities and politic affiliations. These are just a few things that may impede creating a single unified system of ethics. While many may say that right and wrong is what should ultimately determine the culture, others will argue that what is right for the majority may not be right for the minority. Having an ethical culture is an important component to running an effective business today. In fact, with the current state of legal and industry regulations, from Sarbanes-Oxley to HIPAA, not only is having an ethical culture a good idea, it is now practically a requirement. Developing an ethical culture will take more than creating a list of company dos and don’ts; although that list will help. It will take more than issuing a code of conduct via email to a new hire; although that too will help. What it will take is a combination of things. On this page, we focus on the top six steps that have the most effective and direct impact on establishing an ethical culture. The six steps are as follows: 1. Establish an enforceable code of conduct 2. Initial and ongoing training 3. Regular communications 4. Anonymous reporting hotline 5. Enforcement/Action 6. Rewarding employees that live the culture 1. Establish an Enforceable Code of Conduct A code of conduct, often referred to as a code of ethics, is the foundation of any ethics program. The code of conduct should not be designed as a reaction to past missteps. An ethical culture is built upon the proactive efforts of the organization. The development of the code of conduct should be led by those at the top of the company, and should also include employees in the process. 2. Initial and Ongoing Training There is a phrase that has been used many times when it comes to training: â€Å"The day we stop learning is the day we die. † One of the most important aspects of developing an ethical culture is the ongoing training that companies can provide to executives and employees. The purpose of training is to help employees know what is expected of them and to help them understand that a strong ethical culture can protect the company’s reputation and actually enhance profits. Employees need to know that their ethical or unethical choices will have a direct impact on the success or failure of the company. In addition, training should also be tailored to specific positions in the company and employees roles. Management may need additional training to help deal with employee issues, while someone in purchasing may need more training on gifting policies and someone in finance needs to understand the company’s position on fraud. 3. Regular Communications Once the policy has been executed and training has started, communicating aspects about the code of conduct can have a significant impact on the ethical culture. Many of these communications come through the human resources department, but the voice of the executive management team is critical in these communications. The goal of communications is to make ethics a live, ongoing conversation. If ethics is something that is constantly addressed, referenced frequently in company meetings, and in personal conversations among managers and employees, then people are more aware and more willing to defend the company’s policies when they see or hear of problems. Employees will hold other employees responsible and accountable for living the company’s values. 4. Anonymous Reporting Hotline The fact that an ethics hotline exists within many companies may be a surprise to their employees. The hotline number or Web site URL is often hidden in the back of an employee handbook or within the dusty binder labeled Corporate Governance. An anonymous hotline provides employees with a confidential way of reporting unethical or inappropriate behavior. Many people are not comfortable with reporting bad behavior for fear of being considered a â€Å"snitch,† possible repercussions if the guilty party learned of who reported him or her, or perhaps impacts on their job. â€Å"Unfortunately, more than two of five employees (42 percent) who witnessed misconduct did not report it through any company channels.Others may want to report their concerns, but are not comfortable going directly to a manager or fellow employee. This is why the anonymous reporting hotline is so important. In its 2006 Report to the Nation on Fraud and Abuse, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners concluded that â€Å"Occupational frauds are more likely to be detected by a tip (34%) than by other m eans such as internal audits, external audits or internal controls. 5. Enforcement/Action A code of conduct has to be enforceable, and a company needs to take action when problems arise. Employees should be part of the enforcement and know if and when it has been violated. While 42 percent of employees are reluctant to report unethical behavior, the good news is that the ERC study also found that â€Å"the rate of misconduct is cut by three-fourths at companies with strong ethical cultures, and reporting is doubled at companies with comprehensive ethics programs. † Unethical behavior can have a damaging effect on a variety of aspects of a business, from brand reputation to bottom-line revenues. WorldCom’s and Enron’s names will forever be connected to accounting scandals that led to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Lockheed Martin was forced to pay $2. 5 million for knowingly looking the other way on alleged racial discrimination. Without enforcement, ethical guidelines listed in a corporate code of conduct are simply nice suggestions. 6. Rewarding Employees That Live the Culture The final step in developing an ethical culture is rewarding employees that behave ethically and live the culture that the organization is trying to instill companywide. With an ethics policy in place, ongoing training and communications, the ability to report unethical behavior and strict enforcement, an organization will have the structure in place that will leave little doubt the importance of ethical behavior. Like a manufacturing company that brags about its safety record with signs indicating how many days without an accident, companies should publicly congratulate their employees for adhering to the code of conduct. That performance could be rewarded in terms of a bonus based on how much money the company saved by not having internal issues or having to fight legal battles over unethical business or accounting practices. If an employee completes ethics training, is responsible for blowing the whistle on questionable activities, or provides unique ways for protecting the company’s confidential information, he or she should be recognized publicly by management. Employees need to know that creating an ethical culture is important to everyone from their direct managers to c-level executives.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Essays

Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Essays Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Paper Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed Paper Everyone has a different way of learning. Some enjoy listening to lectures and taking notes, others enjoy having a hands-on learning experience, and there are other people that enjoy doing both.I will be discussing two learning techniques that Paulo Freire discussed in his analysis of a teacher-student relationship entitled, Pedagogy of the Oppressed. One of the techniques discussed is called the banking concept, and the other is called the problem-posing method. I willfirst discuss the concept of banking, where you have the students as depositories and the teacher is the depositor.With the teacher, or educator, as the narrator in the classroom, the students are lead to memorize what is said.For example, the educator may say, The square root of 100 is 10.Later, when asked what the square root of 100 is, the students will respond with the answer 10, without knowing how they got the response.To the teacher, the more information that is fed to the students, the better he or she is as a teacher. In education, there must be a solution of the teacher-student contradiction, but this solution cannot be found in the banking concept.In contrast, this banking system maintains the contradiction through the following practices: (1) the teacher teaches and the students are taught, (2) the teacher knows everything and the students know nothing, (3) the teacher thinks and the students are thought about, (4) the teacher talks and the students listen, (5) the teacher disciplines and the students are disciplined, (6) the teacher chooses and enforces his choice, and the students comply, (7) the teacher acts and the students have the illusion of acting through the action of the teacher, (8) the teacher chooses the program content, and the students adapt to it, (9) the teacher confuses the authority of knowledge with his or her own professional authority.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Strain Transformation Essays - Solid Mechanics, Tensors, Free Essays

Strain Transformation Essays - Solid Mechanics, Tensors, Free Essays Strain Transformation California State University, Northridge College of Computer Science and Engineering Department of Civil and Manufacturing Engineering STRAIN TRANSFORMATION Submitted to: Nazaret Dermendjian Submitted for: Applied Mechanics 340 Date requested: April 6, 1999 Date due: April 27, 1999 Date submitted: April 27, 1999 The following report will be on Strain Transformation. Strain transformation is similar to stress transformation, so that many of the techniques and derivations used for stress can be used for strain. We will also discuss methods of measuring strain and material-property relationships. The general state of strain at a point can be represented by the three components of normal strain, x, y, z, and three components of shear strain, gxy, gxz, gyz. For the purpose of this report, we confine our study to plane strain. That is, we will only concentrate on strain in the x-y plane so that the normal strain is represented by x and y and the shear strain by gxy . The deformation on an element caused by each of the elements is shown graphically below. Before equations for strain-transformation can be developed, a sign convention must be established. As seen below, x and y are positive if they cause elongation in the the x and y axes and the shear strain is positive if the interior angle becomes smaller than 90. For relative axes, the angle between the x and x' axes, q, will be counterclockwise positive. If the normal strains x and y and the shear strain gxy are known, we can find the normal strain and shear strain at any rotated axes x' and y' where the angle between the x axis and x' axis is q. Using geometry and trigonometric identities the following equations can be derived for finding the strain at a rotated axes: x' = (x + y)/2 + (x - y)cos 2q + gxy sin 2q (1) gx'y' = [(x - y)/2] sin 2q + (gxy /2) cos 2q (2) The normal strain in the y' direction by substituting (q + 90) for q in Eq.1. The orientation of an element can be determined such that the element's deformation at a point can be represented by normal strain with no shear strain. These normal strain are referred to as the principal strains, 1 and 2 . The angle between the x and y axes and the principal axes at which these strains occur is represented as qp. The equations for these values can be derived from Eq.1 and are as followed: tan 2qp = gxy /(x - y) (3) 1,2 = (x -y)/2 [(x -y)/2]2+ (gxy/2)2 }1/2 (4) The axes along which maximum in-plane shear strain occurs are 45 away from those that define the principal strains and is represented as qs and can be found using the following equation: tan 2qs = -(x - y) / 2 (5) When the shear strain is maximum, the normal strains are equal to the average normal strain. These values are determined from the following equations: gmax / 2 = [(x - y) / 2]2 + (gxy / 2)2}1/2 (6) avg = (x + y) / 2 (7) We can also solve strain transformation problem using Mohr's circle. The coordinate system used has the abscissa represent the normal strain , with positive to the right and the ordinate represents half of the shear strain g/2 with positive downward. Determine the center of the circle C, which is on the axis at a distance of avg from the origin. Please note that it is important to follow the sign convention established previously. Plot a reference point A having coordinates (x , gxy / 2). The line AC is the reference for q = 0. Draw a circle with C as the center and the line AC as the radius. The principal strains 1 and 2 are the values where the circle intersects the axis and are shown as points B and D on the figure below. The principal angles can be determined from the graph by measuring 2qp1 and 2qp2 from the reference line AC to the axis. The element will be elongated in the x' and y' directions as shown below. The average normal strain and the maximum shear strain are shown as points E and F on the figure below. The element will be elongated as shown. To measure the normal strain in a

Monday, November 4, 2019

Design for Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Design for Environment - Assignment Example Also the regulations for environmentally friendly cars, the improvements in design of these green cars, the emission characteristics have been discussed. I. Recyclable household items: According to an article by Kat Long (2010), the most commonly recyclable house hold items are paper , cardboard, plastic, metals, glass, E- wastes, printer cartridges and batteries. Plastics: Recycling of plastic wastes has become a prime concern due to poor biodegradability of the materials used. According to Achilias.D. et al (2008), â€Å"Polyolefins (LDPE, HDPE, PP) are a major type of thermoplastic used throughout the world in such applications as bags, toys, containers, pipes (LDPE), houswares, industrial wrappings and film, gas pipes (HDPE), film, battery cases, automotive parts, electrical components (PP).† While the condensation polymers can be easily recycled, the addition polymers like PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate) are difficult to recycle (Karayannidis and Achilias, 2007). Achili as and Karayannidis (2004), propose a thermochemical recycling called pyrolysis that produce liquid form like gasoline. Sustained Plastic waste management involves the mechanical or chemical methods in which the polypropylene and polyethylenes are converted into useful end products. In mechanical recycling, the polymer is dissolved in a solvent and is separated. Achilias.D. et al (2008) claim that the polymer recovery can be greater than 90% by the choice of proper solvents. The end product quality has been examined by Fourier Transform – Infra Red (FTIR) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). The end products of these recycling methods include hydrocarbon gases and oils, which can be again reused as feedstock in petrochemical plants. E – waste: E wastes are primarily the old unused computers, cell phones and other electronic gadgets. In the official website of Apple, ( iMac and the environment, ) , it is stated that the challenging task faced by the computer ind ustry with respect to environmentally friendly design is the use of materials involving mercury, arsenic, phthalates, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), PVC in their products and copper wires. The first E-waste recycling was introduced in Switzerland and later followed by the European Union with the â€Å"Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive† (WEEE Directive, 2002/96/EC). One crude method of recycling the wires include burning the wires together to extract copper from them. Researchers say that these crude methods may lead to more contamination of air, soil and water. This drives the manufacturers of electronic goods to opt for environmentally friendly materials like mercury free backlighting and display glasses that are free from arsenic. Also choosing materials that are thinner, smaller and lighter enables lesser materials to be used. This reduced usage of materials leads to lesser green gas emissions. (The story behind Apple’s environment footprint, www.apple.com/environment/ ). The manufacturers also undertake a complete life cycle assessment of the product with respect to environmental factors. They also use hybrid methods that save energy by reducing the consumption of energy. For example, Apple proposes three techniques for reduced energy consumption. They are efficient power supply, proper power management and using low

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Friendship and companionship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Friendship and companionship - Essay Example It clearly shows how close two friends can be. The author was attracted to Queequeg because of his traits and unexpected behavior which is child like and got attracted and started observing his funny behavior by staring at him. His mental ability was so less that he can count only up to fifty. Then he starts counting from one again. By the understanding of the story it is clearly evident the kind of friendship between an innocent friend and a person with good presence of mind. Friends can be so close that they can share literally any thing between them from money to clothes. The story can be a lesson to the friends who regularly argue and fight every now and then. An eye opener, an ideal character, goodness and loyalty at heart. In today's age where gay couples are expressing their love openly, friends like Queequeg and the author are so intimate with each other but with out creating situations like Gay couples. The story idolizes that even money cannot part two friends. For example: when Queequeg took his thirty cents of silver from his pocket and mechanically divides then into half and puts in the pocket author. The author was actually spell bound with the gratitude of the Queequeg. Friends can be so close at times that they share the same bed together. A friendship like this can make an atheist to pray to god.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Redemption exercise (finance management) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Redemption exercise (finance management) - Essay Example (c)Oak plc uses a ‘moderate matching policy’ for the financing of its non-current assets and working capital. Using the diagram below, which shows a moderate matching policy explain the meaning of the term ‘moderate ‘in relation to financing of assets and distinguish a moderate matching policy from (i) an aggressive policy and (ii) a conservative policy. (10 marks). Moderate matching policy calls for matching assets and liabilities maturity. That is all of the fixed assets plus the permanent current assets are financed with long term capital, but temporary current assets are finance with short term debt (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2013). It is policy that enables firms to finance some of its permanent assets with short term debt. That is, all of the current assets – fluctuating and permanent current assets- and part of non-current assets are financed with short term credit. a) Factoring is a means of utilizing accounts receivables to generate cash flow by selling them to a factor and thereby effectively converting credit sales to cash sales. The buyer of the goods is notified to make payments to the factor. Invoice discounting is the provision of finance against the security of a certain percentage of receivables. The title to the invoice and the rights to the proceeds remain with the seller. The financier will purchase a company’s invoice at a discount but the management of receivables and collection will remain with the company (Brigham & Ehrhardt, 2013). (c)Describe the effect overtrading would have on the main accounting ratios. (You may wish to consider the following ratios: acid test ratio, inventory days, trade receivable days, trade payable days and current ratio) (10 marks) The growth in sales volume increases the inventory and receivables. This will affect the working capital management efficiency leading to an increase in the trade receivable and

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Hip-hop music Essay Example for Free

Hip-hop music Essay Hip-hop music, according to Joan Morgan, is a powerful force in popular culture. However, she also criticized how hip-hop â€Å"repeatedly reduced me to tits and ass and encourages pimping on the regular. † Emphasis is given on how machismo and sexism prevail in the lyrics of hip-hop music. As is seen in various examples highlighted in Morgan’s article, hip-hop music taught men to treat women without the respect and love that they deserve. They came to learn to treat women as objects to fulfill sexual desires, calling them â€Å"bitches† and â€Å"hos†. It is seen in hip-hop music how women use sex as a weapon to gain material wealth and protection, not because they want it, but because it is the only option they have. This only shows how women are, in modern times, still victims of gender inequality. Over and over again, these themes have been the topic of hip-hop music, along with â€Å"alcoholism, substance abuse and chemical dependency. † After all, hip-hop music has done much to encourage these acts unbecoming of decent people. However, Morgan also suggested it as a part of a more complex problem, stemming from the racism experienced by black people. All these talks about sex and drugs and crimes are reflections of the bitterness, the hurt that the black people feel, resulting to more damage. According to Morgan, crimes committed against black people, are more likely done by black people themselves. White people are long ago out of the question. Depictions of a violent and cruel world where everything can be bought by money and sleeping with a rapper will give you a record contract gives them self-satisfaction and a self-liberating feeling when they play master and the women their slaves. But deep inside they do not feel real happiness as they fail to face their problems and responsibilities in reality. In the end they continue to feel empty. Take for example the music video of the song â€Å"Gold Digger† by Kanye West and Jamie Foxx, which topped the charts at the time of its release and even won a couple of Grammy Awards. The video alternates with scenes of West and Foxx singing, women wearing skimpy lingerie making poses for men’s magazines, and women dancing all over the men. These depictions of women in the video did not give any love, let alone respect for women in general. They are merely seen as objects of desire that can be bought anytime of the day. There are also some scenes in the music video wherein the men are dragged into a dark room where all the women wearing lingerie are present. They are represented as nothing more than â€Å"bitches† and â€Å"hos† only after these men for their money. As it is, these women are depicted to give sex to those who can pay, and even trick some of the richer guys into marrying them. One scene in the video even spelled out the word â€Å"pre-nupt† as the men supposedly wanted pre-nuptial agreements before marrying these women so that they can’t touch a cent of the men’s money. Even the lyrics of the song, sung in the point of view of a rich husband, describes how his wife tricked him into marrying him by saying that she’s pregnant with his son, but after eighteen years, he found out that he was not the real father of this child. Now that he wants a divorce, half of his assets will go the cheating wife. Nevertheless, the â€Å"kid† in the video was white and not black, a direct allusion that it is not his child. His perpetrator was â€Å"white†. This not only shows how lowly they think of women but of how they are forced to do these things so that they can have financial and emotional security that they cannot in themselves achieve because they are prevented from doing so. Women themselves are deprived of the love and care they need as the men continually search for physical love and satisfy their egos in order to forget their own worries and problems. In a deeper context, â€Å"Gold Digger† tries to disguise the hurt of being fooled, of being cheated, by bragging that yes, she’s a gold digger, I’m rich and I can afford to buy any girl I want. The video did not objectify men and women. The difference in the treatment of men and women can be seen in the whole video. In a sense, the men are the customers, and the women, mere products they could buy and use at their whims. As Morgan puts it, it is not about calling women â€Å"bitches† or â€Å"hos†, but men’s incapability to show love. They treat women as some kind of objects because it is the only way that they can feel powerful. This incapability to love proves Morgan’s point that these men are hurt. The pain has taken something very special from them, and that is the ability to love and to care for others. The distrust for women shown in â€Å"Gold Digger† is there, in the first place, because these men are afraid, afraid to love and get hurt in the process. But because of this loss, women became victims of abusive treatment. One lesson that can be learned is that love per se is not synonymous with sex. According to Morgan, we all should learn to address our issues and better treat each other. We should eliminate all the barricades caused by the depiction of women in hip-hop music and eliminate the confusions. As mentioned earlier, hip-hop has a big influence on popular culture. What we hear, we incorporate in our minds and way of living. We can use this influence to create hip-hop music that loves, respects, and most importantly, hip-hop music that forgives.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Benefits Of Technology In Business

Benefits Of Technology In Business The term Technology is derived from the Greek word Technologia techne means craft and logia means the study of something. Technology is a very broad concept and is used to refer to several braches of science and study. Some examples are information technology, medical technology, biotechnology, etc. As the term technology branches into various fields of science and study, so do its benefits. Let us look at the benefits of technology in some major areas of day-to-day life: Benefits of Technology in Business: The days when the Chief Information Officer (CIO) took implementation decisions and passed the responsibility down the line are passà ©. Today, the CIO is an individual who possesses business as well as technical skills, understands the new IT issues facing a business, and drives the IT changes from the top down. This is a clear indicator of the benefits businesses are enjoying through the implementation of technology. Today technology is an integral part of any business right from the purchase of computers and software to the implementation of network and security tools. This helps businesses to: Remain up-to-date Drive business forward Sustain and survive competition In short, technology has become one of the significant factors that maximize an organizations ROI. Benefits of Technology in Communication: From hand-held computers to touch phones, technological advancements in the field of communication are endless. The means and the modes of communication are unlimited. Some of the benefits of technological advancements in the field of communication are: Speed time is no longer a constraint in communication Clarity With megapixel images and video, and high fidelity audio systems clarity in communication has become a never-before experience Proximity technological advancements have made the world a smaller place to live in Dissemination whether spreading information, broadcasting news, or sharing knowledge, technology has made it faster, easier, and smarter Benefits of Technology in Education: Technological advancements in the field of education are fast evolving. Today, e-learning is a familiar and popular term. Some of the benefits of technology in this field are: Personalized learning experience: Learners are able to take control and manage their own learning. They set their own goals, manage the process and content of learning, and communicate with peers. Immediate response: Most e-learning programs provide immediate feedbacks on learner assessments. Similarly there are features such as chat, discussion boards, e-libraries, etc that allow clarifications at a faster pace than in traditional classrooms. Self-paced: Learners can chart courses at their own pace. This ensures higher levels of motivation both in terms of completing the course as well as in performance. Greater access: Technological advancements have opened education to learners with learning disabilities and in remote locations. Benefits of Technology in Healthcare: The marriage between medicine and technology has reshaped healthcare and revolutionized the medical profession. Some of the major benefits are: Secure environment: Technology allows physicians and patients to interact in a secure and comfortable environment to discuss sensitive issues. Flexibility: Physicians can answer routine and less critical queries at a convenient time. Cost- and time-saving: Physicians can follow-up, provide advice, and re-direct patients to resources on the Internet. This saves cost and time by reducing office visits. Medical devices: Medical aids allow patients to continue recovery at home reducing their hospital stay. Vulnerable population: Technology aids the very young, elderly, and patients with complex birth defects, chronic illnesses, and disabled children by alleviating their problems so that they can continue living in their homes. Benefits of Technology in Society: Today technology pervades almost all aspects of our daily life from shopping, banking, making travel arrangements to university admissions. Some of the benefits are: Convenience: Provides a great deal of convenience in expediting personal and business transactions be it shopping, banking, or simply paying bills. Speed: From sending gifts to making payments everything gets a done with a few clicks. Communication: The world is a smaller place and technology allows everyone to keep in touch with their families and friends at a more affordable cost. Accuracy: Technology has reduced errors in mundane and monotonous chores, saving time and cost. Development: Technology has brought about development in many fields such as medicine, government, business, education, etc. Technology has evolved and transformed our lives and society. Overall, it has brought about tremendous growth and benefit to mankind. What Are the Benefits of Technology in Business? Whats This? Technological advances in the past few decades have greatly increased the competitive nature of the economic business world. Companies have used software, computers and the Internet to transform their businesses from local places of business to national and global market competitors. Many companies have responded to these changes by automating their business processes and capturing industry-related information and using it to their advantage. Technology has also forced businesses to remain flexible, adapting their operations to newer and better technological advances. Better Reporting Functions Companies that have multiple locations, whether nationally or globally, have used technology to implement better communication services and software modules that communicate to a home base via the Internet. This allows companies to penetrate new economic markets without sacrificing the needs of communication or financial and operational reporting. Additionally, companies can improve their management information system (MIS) to capture information for specific locations when making business decisions. Financial reporting has also benefited greatly from technology; rather than sending external auditors to multiple locations, it is possible to create a centralized accounting office to record and report financial transactions. This improves financial reporting and lessens the expense related to external audits. Increased Employee Productivity Computers and business software packages have exponentially increased employees productivity by allowing them to provide data entry functions or review automated reports. Companies have automated several traditional manufacturing processes; instead of using manpower to manually create and assemble goods, machines and/or robots now complete these functions. While these improvements may increase capital expenditures, they lessen the impact of consistent labor expenses related to productions. Fewer employees are needed to monitor the machines and ensure they are working properly. Other areas, such as customer service, accounting and administrative support, have also seen an increase in employee productivity. Employees now review and report electronically collected data to ensure they are accurate and timely, rather than manually gathering information. Improved Business Mobility Technology has also improved companies sales and service departments by allowing employees to use personal electronic devices to create sales displays and transmit orders and customer information to the home office. These electronic devices shorten the lead time companies spend on receiving and delivering goods or services, creating an instant competitive advantage in the industry. Companies can also send sales representatives to multiple markets at the same time, allowing them to penetrate multiple markets with few overhead costs. Companies may allow their internal employees to work from home using a company Internet connection, reducing the fixed overhead expenses from a large corporate office. Read more: What Are the Benefits of Technology in Business? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_5990693_benefits-technology-business_.html#ixzz0rNlSC9sC Effects of Technology on Business Businesses have been at the forefront of technology for ages. Whatever can speed production will draw in more business. As computers emerged in the 20th century, they promised a new age of information technology. But in order to reap the benefits, businesses needed to adapt and change their infrastructure. For example, American Airlines started using a computerized flight booking system, and Bank of America took on an automated check-processing system. Obviously, now, most business is conducted over personal computers or communication devices. Computers offer companies a way to organize dense databases, personal schedules and various other forms of essential information. As information travels faster and faster and more reliably, barriers of distance disappear, and businesses are realizing how easy it is to outsource jobs overseas. Outsourcing refers to the practice of hiring employees who work outside the company or remotely and even halfway across the world. Companies can outsource duties such as computer programming and telephone customer service. They can even outsource fast-food restuarant service dont be surprised if youre putting in your hamburger order with a fast-food employee working in a different country entirely. Outsourcing is a controversial practice, and many believe that U.S. companies who take part are hurting the job market in their own country. Nonetheless, from a business perspective, it seems like the wisest route, saving companies between 30 and 70 percent [source: Otterman]. Another technology thats starting to revolutionize business is actually not very new its just cheaper these days. Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is infiltrating and changing business significantly in a few ways. Microchips that store information (such as a number equivalent of a barcode and even an up-to-date history of the chips travels) can be attached to product, and this helps companies keep track of their inventory. Some businesses have even begun to use RFID chip implants in humans to tighten security. An access control reader detects the chips signal and permits the employee access to the door. But many people are concerned about privacy issues if this were to become widespread practice. Handheld devices like BlackBerries have become wildly popular for businesses because they let users check and send email from anywhere, and browse the Internet. Internet Business: The Internet enables airlines to provide online flight booking, banks to offer online account management and bill pay and allows any company to sell any product online. In general, the Internet has proven to be an inexpensive way to reach more customers. Nowadays, if you cant find a business online, or if it has an outdated, ugly Web site, it looks downright unprofessional. Many businesses have succeeded in using the Internet as their primary, or sometimes only, medium. (Youre, of course, aware of this, given that youre reading a HowStuffWorks article. HowStuffWorks started as a hobby for college professor Marshall Brain, and it eventually grew into successful company.) Small businesses, too, have become easier to start up using the Internet. If youre a stay-at-home mom who makes a killer batch of cookies, you can easily sell them over the Internet and ship them to your customers. But, its not always as simple as it sounds. Any business conducted online must consider security, privacy or even copyright issues. Copyright issues would include making sure your business doesnt use someone elses original work (such as a logo, for instance) or even making sure no one else is profiting from your businesss creative work. One of the biggest ways the Internet has changed business is through targeted advertising. Using Google, companies can specify the keywords that will drive certain customers to their ad. For instance, if you were to plug the word baking into Google, you might click on a page from epicurious.com. That epicurious page will have Google ads from sponsors who sell baking-related products. A company that sells rolling pins can pay to have its ads show up for people who search for specific words, like baking, pies or dough. It makes good business sense people who search for baking on Google will be much more likely to click on a rolling pin ad than the average person. Despite what weve discussed in this article, we havent even scratched the surface of what new technology can do for business communications. The next page provides links to even more articles on information technology and products that have business implications.