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Monday, September 30, 2019

Causes of Crime

The causes of crime are usually physical abnormalities, psychological disorders, social and economic factors, broken windows, income and education. By the twenty-first century criminologists looked to a wide range of factors to explain why a person would commit crimes. These included biological, psychological, social, and economic factors. Usually a combination of these factors is behind a person who commits a crime. Reasons for committing a crime include greed, anger, jealously, revenge, or pride. Criminologists focused on the physical characteristics and sanity of an individual. They believed it was â€Å"predetermined† or that people had no control over whether they would lead a life of crime. For example, criminologists believed people with smaller heads, sloping foreheads, large jaws and ears, and certain heights and weights had a greater chance to be criminals. As late as the 1950s researchers continued to investigate the relationship of body types to crime. Aside from biological traits indicating a natural tendency toward criminal activity by some individuals, Lombroso and other early twentieth century researchers also reasoned that criminal behavior could be a direct result of psychological disorders. They believed these mental disorders could be diagnosed and possibly cured. If this was true, then criminal activity could be considered a disease and the offender could be â€Å"cured† through psychiatric treatment. In addition to studying the biological and psychological causes of criminal behavior, others looked toward society in general for possible causes. In the early 1900s researchers believed social changes occurring in the United States, such as an industrial economy replacing the earlier agricultural economy and the growth of cities, as well as the steady flow of immigrants from eastern Europe affected crime levels. In the 1990s a new idea spread through the criminal justice field concerning the influence of a person's social environment on crime rates. The idea was that general disorder in the neighborhood leads to increased antisocial behavior and eventually to serious crime. For most of the twentieth century, police primarily reacted to serious crimes such as rape, murder, and robbery often with little overall success in curbing crime rates. So, the thinking went, if authorities eliminated disorder, then serious crimes would drop. Disorder creates fear among citizens of unsafe streets; they avoid public areas allowing criminals to gain a foothold. The neighborhood goes into a downward spiral because as crime increases, then disorder increases further. Another theory from 1930s criminologists was that unemployment could be a major cause of crime. Society teaches that persistence and hard work lead to personal financial rewards; however, educational opportunities are often limited to those who can afford to attend college. People who do not receive higher education or college degrees are often forced to take lower paying jobs. Some attempt to achieve material success through illegal means; in this sense social forces can lead a person into crime. The belief that education plays an enormous role in deterring crime led to educational programs and job training in prisons. Education and job training not only provide a way to find a job and make a legal living, but potentially places the person into a better social environment once he or she is back in society. Criminologists believe a good job creates social and personal attachments to a person's community that in turn influence whether or not to commit a crime. A person is less likely to commit a crime, even if there will be substantial rewards, if he or she is tied to the community and is respected by its members.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Giant Foods Case Analysis

This case involves convergent technologies, a blending of traditional and cutting-edge business models and an alliance between an established pharmaceutical provider and a fledgling, Information Technology based, Drug marketing firm. Together, these two companies endeavored to create a patient education and prescription drug compliance program by deploying the deep well of customer data acquired by Giant Foods and the proprietary software of Elensys Care services, Inc. Elensys uses information from Giants pharmacy to send personalized letters, written on pharmacy letterhead but often paid for by pharmaceutical companies, that remind customers to refill prescriptions and pitch new products to customers with particular ailments. Giant first tested the feasibility of running a drug compliance program in-house but quickly determined that its’ Information System requirements were too overwhelming and decided to outsource the program to Elensys. However, the backlash to this new initiative was negative and strong as dozens of angry customers called officials at Giant to complain. Privacy specialists said the practice raised new questions about patient confidentiality and also blurs the line between medicine and marketing. â€Å"People assume that their medical information, including prescription information, is held in the strictest confidence,† said Beth Givens, director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit consumer group in San Diego. â€Å"When that information is shared with a third party, they're surprised and outraged. This case exemplifies the privacy issues surrounding Giant Food's decision to outsource a prescription drug compliance program to Elensys. Ignoring for a moment the underlying profit motive of this program, approximately half of all patients stop taking their medication within the first six months of being prescribed, compliance programs remind patients to refill their prescriptions and help address a major public health issue. However, these programs also raise privacy issues because they involve the use of sensitive personal information. This case provides business and law students, firms and legislators with an opportunity to assess the privacy issues raised by this situation. The case also provides an opportunity for firms to deal with the challenges of developing a privacy sensitive implementation strategy and CRM programs in general. Background: Giant Foods, Inc. Beginning in February of 1936, Giant Foods was brought to life by N. M. Cohen and Samuel Lehrman. Using the business model of offering a large, self-service grocery store with revenue based on high volume and low prices, the store was an instant success. An innovator from the very start, Giant Foods was the first to install front-end scanners in all its stores, market a private label house brand and the first to hire a consumer advocate to promote its products. Much of the success that Giant has earned is due to technology, innovation and well planned vertical integration. Giant presently operates its own bakery, dairy and soft drink firm. Giant also builds its own stores, produces its commercials and advertising in-house and even makes its own signs. This vertical integration strategy has been highly successful in the food-pharmacy combination with which Giant helped to pioneer. The fact that each Giant pharmacy fills over 1,000 prescriptions per week suggests that this is a profitable tactic and highly regarded by its customers. Elensys: Elensys began its business life in 1993, in Burlington Massachusetts. Its business model was one of an IT enabled information system built as a â€Å"prescription compliance† program between consumers and Pharmacists. Elensys, whose name comes from an ancient Greek city known for medicine and health, was a â€Å"first mover† in this area and, due to strong network effects, was able to reach a critical mass within three years. Initially, Elensys started with four employees and served two local pharmacies. Presently, Elensys receives prescription information from 15,000 pharmacies about millions of people every week, and it uses proprietary, cutting-edge computer equipment to keep track of these records, according to Elensys founder Dan Rubin. In an Internet post, Elensys describes itself as â€Å"the leader in patient behavior modification programs. † Interest in the company has soared, in part because so many people fail to take medicine properly and most chains don't have the technical wherewithal to track customers as precisely as Elensys, Rubin said. Up to half of all patients who should routinely take medicine for such ailments as hypertension or high cholesterol quit prematurely, he said. â€Å"It's the primary reason for our existence. † Much of the cost of the analysis and mailings is offset by payments from drug manufacturers, who contract with pharmacies for the right to mail information to individual customers. Among other things, Rubin said, that material could include suggestions that customers switch from one drug to another. In addition to the customer backlash from this program, many legal issues become prescient due to the ill-defined nature of privacy laws. In a marketing practice that some experts say raises new questions about medical privacy, several large drug store chains and â€Å"thousands† of independent pharmacies have been providing confidential patient information to a Massachusetts database company that profiles and targets patients who don't refill prescriptions. The Washington Post reports Elensys receives prescription information on millions of individuals from 15,000 pharmacies each week, using â€Å"some of the most sophisticated computer equipment available† to profile patients and send them â€Å"educational materials† about drugs available for their conditions. Dr.  George Lundberg, editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, called the direct marketing tactics, known as â€Å"drug compliance programs,† a â€Å"breach of fundamental medical ethical issues. † He said, â€Å"Do you want †¦ the great computer in the sky to have a computer list of every drug you take, from which can be deduced your likely diseases — and all without your permission? † Elensys describes itself in an Internet posting as â€Å"the leader in patient behavior modification programs† The Boston Globe reported that â€Å"Giant Foods said yesterday it is considering suspending† the practice of sending confidential information to Elensys. Stung by disclosures in the Washington Post, Giant Foods held high-level meetings all day before issuing a statement defending the program and asserting extensive measures were taken to protect confidentiality. † The statement said, â€Å"Giant pharmacies engages in a limited number of programs designed to educate customers about prescription therapy and improve compliance with their drug regimen. These programs in no way compromise the confidentiality of patients. † Elensys backed Giant, defending itself in a statement that emphasized it â€Å"merely served as an agent of Giant, and the chain exerted sole control over the use of information. The Washington Post reported Sunday that officials at Giant defended the marketing program, â€Å"saying customers benefit from their reminders and from the information provided by drug manufacturers. Both companies said they value customer privacy and allow customers to remove themselves from participation by submitting an ‘opt-out' form. † A spokesperson for Giant â€Å"stressed that Elensys does not share its prescription database with third parties,† and Elensys President Daniel Rubin â€Å"said drug companies never get access to the pharmacy's files. Instead, pharmaceutical companies decide which patient groups they want to target and pay Elensys and the pharmacies to mail information to those patients. The Washington Post also reports that the direct marketing is â€Å"part of a far-reaching move by drug manufacturers and pharmacies across the country to make greater use of medical information, new technology and sophisticated marketing techniques to sell more drugs. Rather than promoting their products to doctors,† companies are targeting patients in hopes of influencing them to ask for specific prescriptions. The New York Times reports a parallel trend in which the â€Å"pharmaceutical industry is increasingly marketing mental health drugs directly to consumers. † Manufacturers claim the information is useful to patients, while some doctors and patient advocates contend that â€Å"people with certain mental illnesses are much more susceptible to being manipulated than those with other medical problems. † The Times reports that â€Å"in the most aggressive example of approaching patients directly, Eli Lilly & Company said recently that it would offer scholarships to some schizophrenic patients who took Zyprexa, its new antipsychotic drug. Future problems associated with this new marketing ploy include: The melding of the entrepreneurial ethic, where the goal is to sell a product and the more traditional medical ethic, where the goal is the well-being of the patient. The information could be sold to an insurance company that would then refuse to sell the person insurance or charge them a higher premium. This private information could make its way to head-hunting firms, employers and even divorce courts.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Explication on a poem by Blanche Farley Essay

The human mind is in a constant state of flux. More so, a woman’s. Blanche Farley’s The Lover not Taken, beautifully captures the vacillating moods of a woman in and out love, and lends a very daring outrageous image of a woman’s mind. ‘The lover not taken’, in the life of the woman in Farley’s poem would be the significant choice made in a woman’s life – one that decides her character, her destiny. In this, it is as significant as ‘The Road not Taken’. The poem is a beautiful play of comparison and contrast of thought and feeling, of idealism versus realism, the heart and the mind. All alone, Farley’s Madame Bovary waits in time, left to herself. The woman, already bound and claimed in marriage, caught in turmoil, stands pondering at the crossroads, on the verge of giving in to the charms of her new-found suave lover’s lovely hair and smile Unhappy in a marriage, a woman’s heart is unchained, still seeking love. Having found it, the temptation to infidelity looms large. Yet the sensitive niche, in which a woman places herself, prevents her from giving herself freely away to her feelings. Her hating to face the sensitive situation, wishing not to displease her husband nor her lover, yet poignantly wanting to have the cake and eat it, – the vagaries of a woman are picturesquely portrayed. Mulling and wanting, weighing the outcomes of each decision, it is not until the last two lines of the poem, that the mood of the protagonist is actually decided. It appears as if she were her own judge, laying before herself the facts and reasons over which of the two men she would choose and why, and how. Structurally, every line of the poem ends in a pause, a change of mood, a dilemma. The end of every line assumes the consequence of its own course. Are the smiles of her charming lover more endearing than solemn promises of her husband, which he wears in his wedding ring? Guilt-ridden, she does admit her husband is indeed true to her. Yet, what of her love? Awaiting a twist of destiny, expecting a ‘way leading on to a way’, she hopes to find happiness in her love. Hoping for her love to receive her some day, well knowing the grave consequences of adultery, she heaves a sigh of lament. The irresolute, hesitant nature of thought is reflected through the juxtaposition of words like ‘mulling’ and ‘wanting’. Her desire is more for, her lover’s ‘smile’ than her husband’s ‘claim’. She imagines if her blonde lover ‘dropped by some day’, she wonders in fear if her husband, having known about her affair, ‘would ever come back’. Her need to stay in a marriage is very strong, when she tries to think ahead in time, several years away, when she would be recounting her tale to someone, and rejoice at how loyal a wife she had remained. It is only the security of a marriage and a home, which can subconsciously provide her such a stable thought. How finally primordial instincts win over moral values is captured as a conclusion to the poem. Unable to give up either her marriage or love, the woman decides to play it safe, both in love and marriage. It is very ironical that the poem begins with the word ‘committed’. Is the woman really committed to the one who has a claim on her? The frail-minded woman torn between her lover and husband becomes ready to turn into an unconscionable adulteress towards the end of the poem! To reach home and call the lover marks the culmination of this complete turnabout. To enjoy both the comfort of home and the heart, is a secret she alone would know and unflinchingly cherish! Throughout the poem, there is a heavy sense of remorse and regret, and perennial guilt. She finds no peace with any of her feelings. Works Cited â€Å"Road Not Taken: Analysis†. 19 May 2010. MegaEssays. com .

Friday, September 27, 2019

Theory and Development-M1A2 Q2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Theory and Development-M1A2 Q2 - Essay Example In addition, firms realized that motivation contributes towards productivity and eventual profits because motivated employees possess satisfaction in their work. Besides, companies invest in motivation because satisfied employees are an ideal brand to a company. Motivational strategies of today stretch beyond monetary rewards. Modern organizations, however, ensure that employees attain monetary benefits that are commensurate to the responsibilities they handle. In addition, impressive pay is a key retention factor in a contemporary organization. Building a consultative environment is a way of making modern employees feel as a part of an organization (Gagne & Deci, 2005). Organizations currently invest in staff training as a way of making employees feel competent in their work. Besides, organizations establish autonomous human resource departments that ensure there is constant communication between the employees and management in an organization. Motivation continues to be a challenge to today’s organizations. Technology has altered the expectations of employees. This suggests that traditional methods of motivation have to adapt to technological attitudes of modern employees. In addition, intrinsic motivation is a current issue that challenges contemporary firms. In turn, organizations strive to create the environments that encourage intrinsic motivation (Michie & Gooty, 2005). Companies, therefore, have to ensure that employees engage in responsibilities that synchronize with their

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Marital Conflicts In The Film Once Upon A Time Essay

Marital Conflicts In The Film Once Upon A Time - Essay Example In addition to conflicts, communication between spouses is different and yields different results. One of the films that can help one learn about marriages and everything related to this institution is the series, Once Upon a Time, an ABC series that helps us learn about marriage in the traditional and modern setting. A brief analysis of the film shows that it involves the supernatural and the natural. Both of these phenomena take place in the modern and in the traditional setting. A town called Storybrooke is used for the modern setting of the film while a forest called the enchanted forest and traditional kingdoms are used as the setting for the traditional lifestyle. Apart from the curses, the evil and the good that dominates the series film, one of the most dominant institutions is the marriage institution, which is presented as having a lot of struggles, foes, and friends. Those who have an eye or who an interested in marriage institutions can learn a lot from this film that seems to concentrate least on marriages than it does on curses and the supernatural. From the film, one thing is evident; most of the married partners seem to engage in conflicts a lot leading to temporary or permanent disagreement. For example, one of the protagonist couple that goes under the stage name of Prince Charming and Snow White often engages in conflicts both in their traditional lives and in their modern lives. In the traditional setting, marriage struggles are related to small issues on who is going where and who is doing what. For example, Prince Charming, in one of the series is seen hindering his wife to do some crazy things such as deciding to face their enemies. Such minor conflicts end up with both of them reconciling as soon as they started arguing. In the modern setting, the same couple engages in conflicts that take longer to end.

Heriot-Watt Programme Mandate Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Heriot-Watt Programme Mandate - Assignment Example Moving into the twenty-first century Heriot-Watt developed Focus on the Future: Heriot-Watt University, 2008 a policy document to guide the institution's future development. Its overall goal is made clear in the introduction to the document, â€Å"Our vision for the next decade is to become a world-leading university – a university which will produce the next generation of global leaders in business and technology.† The following programme mandate document outlines a program that is directed towards meeting those goals in the framework of the energy sector. Of necessity, considering the global business environment and the inherent nature of the energy industry, there is considerable emphasis placed on environmental issues. Regardless, this is an energy programme mandate proposal first and foremost. Its adoption would address pressing needs in the energy sector in emerging technologies while also recognizing the political and philosophical framework that the energy sector operates within. This means that the proposed programme will appeal to partners in the industry, potential academic and institutional partners, and students considering Heriot-Watt who are interested in a cutting-edge program in terms of technology and the wider social environment that they will be practising their chosen discipline in. Therefore, it will contribute to Heriot-Watts intention to remain a leader in technological and scientific research and also attract students, meeting the goal of â€Å"growing our academic base by 50% in ten years.† Furthermore, the Ethical Energy Programme will enhance the reputation of the university and offer its students a broader-based understanding of energy issues than traditional programmes. First, the programme components will be presented in two sections. The hard components of the programme are the actual directions that research will take in scientific and technological avenues.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The case study will be send by file .pdf Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The will be send by file .pdf - Case Study Example Offering the employees with low food cost menu which are also known as â€Å"freebies† during their shifts can help to deter these employees from eating higher food cost items. Not using Consistent Portion Control- For keeping the business profitable, portions should be controlled with, consistent storage sizes, calibrated food scales and correct sized serving utensils Wasting Food- Utilizing maximum quantity of food can help to decrease food cost percentage. For example beef trimmings from the tenderloins can be purposefully used into satay beef tips, which can be sold as moderate entry special. Buying Food for Home- Using food from the kitchen restaurant instead from the grocery store on a regular basis will skew food costs and profits. Bulk pricing helps to use food for a personal use and also pay it back. Poor Staff Education- employees who burn food, does not practice portion control or rotating food according to first in first out basis will definitely increase the food cost percentage. Poor Bookkeeping- food suppliers often make mistakes on invoice like charging double of the amount , not reflecting the payments made or delivering the food that is listed on invoice. Weekly food orders should be checked to ensure all of it is accounted for and also matches the invoice. Copies of all the payments made and invoices should be properly stored in case of any disputes. Using only one Food Vendor- Prices offered by different vendors should be compared and asked for a match. 2. Do you think that the beverage cost percentage might be rising or falling? Why? The beverage cost percentage will rise because it is directly proportional to the cost percentage of food which is also rising. 3. What issues might Jack be discovering with the inventory levels in the central stores and Preparation kitchen stores? Inventory control is an important way to ensure that the appropriate products are available when required and to control cost. Two types of inventory methods are required: Perpetual inventory- It is a continuous record of the purchases and deliveries and issues of food supply. A system involving the use of computer program needs to be in place to ensure that a perpetual inventory is maintained. Physical inventory- It is an actual physical count of the product in hand that is done on a periodic basis usually monthly. Physical inventory helps to verify perpetual inventory. Someone else who maintains the perpetual inventory does not maintain the physical inventory. Jack might have faced the following problem with the inventory levels in the central stores and preparation kitchen stores: Central stores do not compare the changes in the beginning and ending inventory to net purchases, issues and write offs because the inventory management system is not programmed to generate reliable reports of the total purchases from the vendors. The systems also do not generate any report of the total issues to the departments which needs to be reconciled with the ending inventory. There is also no evidence of the fact that the comptrollers has verified that the accounting records match with the annual purchases and issues because summary of the general ledger reports that account for storeroom inventory issues are not generated by the accounting system. The ending inventory also do not account for the city wide purchase order. The accounting syste

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Article Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Article Analysis - Essay Example In business, threat of substitutes always can negatively impact sales and profit when there are alternative gaming options (mobile games) at a lower price. Lower price increases demand along the law of demand. If PC game availability increased during a period where demand for old EA games is low, it would lead to an EA game surplus and the company would not be able to offset the costs of manufacture when consumers are not demanding these products. At the same time, lower-priced mobile games are more attractive to consumers when referencing the law of demand and it is likely that many consumer segments would turn toward mobile gaming as an alternative. As a result, sales and revenues would decline and profit would be reduced as EA attempted to offset production costs for increasing supply of PC games that are not selling. Marketing theory indicates that consumers are drawn to innovations such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Even though demand is less than expected for these innovative products, as a matter of high pricing, consumers are not interested in older consoles such as the PS3. The PS3 and the Xbox 360 are entering a decline stage along the product life cycle which will, long-term, increase sales of the new gaming consoles. It is likely when price declines on the new consoles that consumers will begin demanding these new innovations in higher

Monday, September 23, 2019

Workplace behaviors and the role of motivation in the work environment Essay

Workplace behaviors and the role of motivation in the work environment - Essay Example Work psychology can be generally described as the study of human behavior in work environments. Following World War II, work psychology was explained simply as â€Å"fitting the person to the job† and â€Å"fitting the job to the person† (Furnham, 2005). Over the years, this has evolved to become vocational/occupational psychology, organizational psychology, management and ergonomics. This is a study of how people behave individually and in groups, how leaders emerge and how â€Å"the thoughts, feelings and behaviour† of the employees are affected by the â€Å"actual, imagined or implied behaviour of others in the organization† (Furnham, 2005).The Classic Styles of Behavior Dalton (2007) identifies seven classic styles of behavior of individuals in any workplace: Commander, Drifter, Attacker, Pleaser, Performer, Avoider and Analytical. Commanders are domineering and matter of fact to the point of rudeness. Their initiative and drive might be viewed as a threat by others in the organization. They, however, have the extraordinary ability â€Å"to overcome obstacles, to implement and to achieve results† (Dalton 2007). Drifters are easygoing and impulsive. Disorganized as they are, they cannot conform to rules and routines. To make the most out of them, they have to be given short assignments on flexible schedules. They are innovative and creative and can improvise at short notice. Attackers are cynical and have a demoralizing effect on the others in the organization. This category of workers should be assigned jobs that require minimum interaction with others. However, attackers are adept at tackling unpleasant assignments and making decisions unemo tionally. Pleasers are pleasant and helpful, and incapable of saying "no" to others. Hence they are unable to face conflicts and try to escape having to tackle them. They protect people, often concealing critical information, which could be detrimental to the organization. Performers are entertainers who are often the center of attraction. They have great conversational skills. Performers are ready to falsify facts to project their own importance; however, they shy from accepting any kind of serious responsibility. They have immense ability to strike new relationships. Avoiders are quiet introverts who are reluctant to take initiative and are comfortable working by themselves. They fear criticism, responsibility and accountability. They cling to the security of status quo at the cost of their own betterment. Avoiders, on the other hand, are highly reliable in that they give attention to instructions and get their jobs done "the first time, every time" (Dalton, 2007). Analyticals are cautious, hard-working and obsessed with detail. They are great sources of information; however, they always come up with a valid reason why any new idea cannot work. This hinders the efficiency of a team, especially in times of emergency. They are, however, dependable for their commitment, knowledge and farsightedness. Though human behaviors cannot be strictly categorized under these classic styles, as there can be combinations of two or more of these traits in an individual, understanding these traits can help in smoothing relationships and ensuring positive results. Perception and Conflict The individuals in a workplace, besides in their behavior, could differ in their physical appearance, their social and educational backgrounds, their skills, etc. But the most important difference that has a telling impact in any workplace could be the difference in perceptions. Perception may be defined as "the process by which an individual selects, organizes and interprets stimuli into a meaningful and coherent picture of the environment in which he lives" (Organizational Behavior, 2004). Perceptions vary even while exposed to the same stimuli depending on the needs, values and expectations of every individual.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Poverty in India Essay Example for Free

Poverty in India Essay With 44 percent (44%) of the global outsourcing market in the off shore sector for software and other business process currently being hosted by India, it has fast gained global recognition as the premier global destination for business process outsourcing.   With generated revenues totaling over US$ 17.2 billion and employment related to outsourcing at 1.05 million as of March 2005, India has greatly increased its economic output and per capita GDP.   This economic growth of India has been heralded as one of the most amazing success stories of the 20th century.   The growth rates that India has been posting over the past five years have made it one of the reasons why investments have risen in the area. The problem is that even with the robust economic growth of India the schism between the rich and the poor continues to grow.   Outsourcing, while creating a boon for the Indian economy, has also intensified that gap by creating new social classes and spawning new cultural changes.   Therefore, because of the weak economic fundamentals of the Indian Economy, instead of narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, it is instead widened and fewer jobs are created thus leading to more widespread poverty. The greatest problem that these poor fundamentals present to society however is the widening of social divisions that are already existent in society.   In the Indian model the social rifts that are created deal with the differences from within the family unit in relation to the outside society.   The creation and birth of a new type of middle class society which is predominantly comprised of members of the youth sector is creating a class that is being socially and culturally alienated from the rest of society, particularly in the traditionally conservative Indian society. New work habits and consumer patterns have created a new class that enjoys the more expensive and extravagant lifestyle that is supported by the relatively high wages that receive as compared with the rest of Indian society.   There is very little time to spend in the household where more solid and fundamental values are instilled and nurtured and instead the constant exposure to western society has resulted in a degradation of whatever morals were created or instilled in the first place.   For others, the pressure of keeping the job and maintaining the accustomed lifestyle isolates them from other members of society in their efforts to generate more income. In India where the economic disparity was historically at lower levels, the introduction of higher paying jobs as a result of business process outsourcing has increased the rift between social and economic classes as well.   The newly emancipated and empowered women as well as the new rich employees of outsourcing firms are now experiencing things that their parents could never have enjoyed in their lifetimes such as televisions, ipods, cars and cellular phones.   The rift would not be so great however were the opportunity available equally to all sectors of society.    As it is however, only those with certain qualifications and training are allowed those opportunities and this has created a new resentment for those who have gained so much in so little time. While this has certainly generated more income for the Indian government to utilize in other social welfare projects, the income from taxes is not spent on decreasing the economic divide that exists but has actually been spent on infrastructure projects in IT designed to drum up more business and thus increasing the social gap even more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another reason for the widespread poverty in India lies in the failure of the government to enact programs to ensure that the economic developments that benefit certain sectors of society also trickle down to the masses.   The Indian Planning Commission has estimated that as of the year 2004 and 2005 nearly 27.5% of the Indian population was living below the poverty lines. Nearly 75% of all those living below the poverty line are located in the rural areas of India.   This shows that while most of the developed cities in India are beginning to grow, the rural areas of India are not able to benefit from this economic development.   With over 836 million citizens living on less than US$ 0.50 cents, it seems that the poverty problems of India are more rooted on the poor economic structure than anything else. Another reason for this is because of the different social, religious and economic groups that are in India.     The fact that the caste system was encouraged until the early 20th century has also added to the poverty rate in India because of the special rights and privileges that were given to others.   Coupled with the lack of property rights, since the right to property is not constitutionally declared in India, these barriers effectively prevent those from the lower economic classes of India from entering the middle class. There are a number of other reasons that can be cited as the cause for poverty in India.   Most of these theories are based on the poor economic fundamentals that were established during the British Regime and during the resulting political turmoil that resulted immediately after the transfer of power in 1947.   Be that as it may, such poor fundamentals have also given birth to other economic problems such as the growing divide between the different economic classes in India. The recent economic growth of India due to its growing role as a major player in the outsourcing industry has indeed granted a number of benefits to Indians but at the same time it has served to increase poverty in certain areas because of the failure of the government to ensure a more equitable distribution of income among the masses.   Lack of government infrastructure projects and rampant corruption remain to be the deterrents for India’s true economic growth.   Until India is able to address these problems, poverty will remain to be synonymous with the Indian Economic system for years to come.    References: Agrawal, A. N.: Indian Economy. Problems of Development and Planning. 18th edition, New Delhi: Wiley Eastern Limited 2002 Ahluwalia, Isher Judge: New Economic Policies. Reform of Public Sector Enterprises and Privatisation in India. mimeo, February 2004, paper presented for the Conference on Economic Liberalisation in South Asia at the Australia Singh, Ajit Kumar: Social Consequences of New Economic Policies. With Particular Reference to Levels of Living of Working Class Population. In: EPW, February 13, 1993, p. 279 – 285 Sridhan, E.: Economic Liberalisation and Indias Political Economy: Towards a Paradigm Synthesis. In: The JCCP, vol. XXXI, no. 3, November 1993, pp. 1 31 A overview and critical discussion on theoretical explanations of the Indian political economy Varadarajan, P.; Bharadwaj, S.; Thirunarayana, P.: Executives attitudes toward consumerism and marketing an exploration of theoretical and empirical linkages in an industrializing country. In: Journal of Business Research, 1994, vol. 29, no 2, pp 83-100

Saturday, September 21, 2019

The Unique Positioning Of Government Officials Politics Essay

The Unique Positioning Of Government Officials Politics Essay The unique position of government officials is that of both respect and trust. A nation will elect men and women from themselves that they respect or value their opinions. Once in office many decisions will be made that will have a profound effect on the citizens of the nation. That is why trust is so important. The people trust that the officials they have elected will hold steadfast to their morals, ideas, and ethical principles that they began with. I will examine the social and ethical obligations that the government has to its society and why societies need the government to fulfill their ethical duties. Also I will explain the optimal ethical, decision-making processes for making such determinations. The ability of the government to represent the interest of of entire population gives great power to the members of it. People rightly say that the role of government is to provide an orderly society, but it also provides an enforceable set of moral and ethical values which control the functioning of our society. Within the laws are embedded (hopefully) our cultures moral values. As members of our society we have an obligation to conform to these societal values in order to contribute to a peaceful and orderly society. It is important to understand what the governments role in a society is to understand the ethical and social obligations that it has to the people. Normally viewed as a group, or organization a government will exercise authority, controls, and administer public policy and directs control of its members (). Typically, the term government refers to the  civil government  of a  sovereign state  which can be local, national, or international. However, commercial, academic,  religious, or other formal organizations are also governed by internal bodies. Such bodies may be called  boards of directors, managers, or  governors  or they may be known as the administration (as in schools) or  councils of elders  (as in forest). The size of governments can vary by region or purpose. Growth of an organization advances the  complexity  of its government, therefore small towns or small-to-medium privately operated enterprises will have fewer officials than typically larger or ganizations such as multinational corporations which tend to have multiple interlocking, hierarchical  layers of administration and governance. As complexity increases and the nature of governance become more complicated, so does the need for formal policies and procedures. The expression The Public Trust when applied to governments is described as, responsibility the public places on government to care for their interests.() This implies that the members of a society expect its government to carry its self in an ethical and deliberate manner. A nineteenth century bureaucracy writer, Max Weber, discussed an ideal type bureaucracy puts forward that public servants and their institutions do not have ownership over their positions () Rather, the tax-payers of the society. Government officials are elected and appointed to pursue the objectives and goals that are most advantageous for the society. The elected officials and political appointees that are selected to work in a bureaucracy are public servants() If the public servants conduct in pursuit of the goals and objectives remains consistent with the laws and ethical guidelines set in place by the society, the public trust is being satisfied . However, if the authority that is placed into the hands of the public servants is being abused or the goals and objectives are not being met, public interest is being disappointed(). At times public resources are sometimes utilized to serve the personal interest of officials. Too often we have seen this abuse at virtually every level of government. Many in the field of public administration have questioned how we have arrived at a point where there is so much unethical, immoral, and illegal activity in government. In an era where high profile lapses by public-sector leaders in ethical and moral judgment are frequently exposed, citizens have come to expect increasingly higher standards of ethical conduct as a broad range of activities are now viewed as immoral (Bowman, 1990). Increasing awareness and changing societal values have been linked to the publics interest in ethics management (Maesschalck, 2004/5). Accordingly, citizens have become more assertive and demanding toward leaders in the public-sector showing less tolerance for leaders mistakes, shortcomings, and structural challenges. As such public leaders are generally expected to meticulously conform to standards higher than those aligned with personal morality (Lewis, 1991). Thus public leaders can often find this expectation to maintain collectively high and even idealistic levels of ethical responsibility to be quite overwhelming. In general, leaders in the public-sector are expected to maintain a level of morality and integrity which serves the interests of society while at the same time demonstrates personal responsibility, diplomacy, and truthfulness. As previously noted, the ethical role and responsibility of public officials and the ethical foundations of public administration have been viewed in a variety of ways by several scholars and practitioners. some of the primary ethical obligations and expectations which have been considered fundamental to the role of the public administrator are listed. These include: (a) demonstrating concern for the public good and representing the 14 interests of society, (b) abiding by appropriate state, federal, and constitutional laws while at the same time having respect for the procedures within the organization, (c) engaging in basic managerial and supervisory responsibilities such as oversight and planning, (d) being honest and truthful in the discharge of official in formation, (e) acting in reason, fairness, and impartiality in every situation, (f) demonstrating prudence and good judgment in decision-making, (g) providing confidence to citizenry, stakeholders, and subordinates in the abilities of the official to perform the required duties, and demonstrating intelligence and aptitude in the assigned or elected position, and (h) also providing subordinates with the adequate direction and motivational encouragement needed to perform their responsibilities. Thus given these views, many people might say that the ethical role of the public administrator can be summed up as follows: serve the public interest while being fair, honest, lawful, trustworthy, and doing the least amount harm(). Keeping the fore mentioned in mind, we can see the governments obligation to the society spans across many different areas. If it is the governments responsibility to do the least amount of harm, should create laws to stop its citizens from hurting themselves? If th e behavior can directly be linked to endangering another person then yes it is the responsibility of the government. It is understood that alcohol impairs ones judgment, so if that person were to get behind the wheel inebriated than they risk harming not only themselves but others. When people become addicted to narcotics they stop being productive members of society. Not only can they become dangerous, but they can fail to fulfill finical obligations. Thusly, it is illegal to sell, purchase, or possess controlled substances without a prescription. These actions have an immediate effect on others, but there are instances that the behavior would not affect others. For instance, in every state in America if you are caught driving without a seatbelt you can be pulled over. The government in this case has established rules to influence the society develop habits that will keep them safe. On the other hand, you can look at smoking, which is associated with lung cancer along with many oth er terminal diseases. In this case however, the government does not have laws in place that ban smoking. There are higher taxes and smoke-free areas that make it inconvenient but it is still legal. So where is the line drawn between the obligations of the government and the rights of the people? Unfortunately, the case of tobacco highlights a profound problem with special interest groups (). In the government, there are many good ways to fulfill social and ethical obligations through communication. Access, transparency, public resources, and free speech are all effective ways of achieving this. Communication encourages active participation in the political process, in other words it encourages. It is a governments ethical responsibility to ensure that every constituent has equal access to elected officials. When equal access is achieved whether it come through developing technological mediums or public forums, the whole of the populations goals can be heard. Adversely, if few people inside of a population, such as, lobbyist or affluent individuals receive more attention due to their status than goals of the society will not be met. One key principle for elected officials is never accept favors from friends or associates because it can lead to them asking for favors in return, which is inequitable to the remaining. The ability of citizens to see daily activity of the gove rnment is known as transparency. This certainly promotes a governments accountability, but also gives the members of a society a peace of mind in knowing the actions of their government. To guarantee transparency, states have laws that require meetings to be open to the public (the Brown Act in California) as well as, access to government records at no cost to the people. The obligation of the government to provide this sort of transparency is vital to effective leadership.   Engagement of the public enhances effectiveness of the government; also it improves the quality of decisions.   Lack of transparency in government leads to a system lacking necessary checks and balances, where officials can do what they please. Almost all of the time when public resources are utilized they should be used for public purposes. Generally speaking, public resources must be used for public purposes. Public resources are included in many things, such as, government employees time, taxpayers money , or even land that belongs to a community. Governments have a very strong social obligation to ensure that these resources are being utilized in an appropriate manner. In the state of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford was charged with abusing tax-payers dollars to pursue extra-marital affairs in Argentina. Not only did this leave a black eye on the state of South Carolina there has been a severe breech of public trust between South Carolinians and the state government. and It is imperative that The  National Government Ethics Survey, conducted June 25-Aug. 15, 2007, included responses from 774 federal, state and local government employees, and had a margin of error of 3.5 percent. It was the first time ERC broke out government employee responses from its larger survey of public and private sector employees, which included 3,452 in 2007. Harned said the survey found that 52 percent of government employees reported witnessing some kind of misconduct by co-workers in 2006. In addition, 23 percent said they saw or experienced abusive behavior, 21 percent witnessed safety violations and 20 percent knew someone who had lied to their colleagues or was involved in a possible conflict of interest. Most reports of misconduct involved ethical breaches, rather than legal violations, according to ERC. Government employees as a whole reported 3 percent more incidents of falsifying or altering documents and 4 percent more incidents of lying to employees than their private sector counterparts did. Harned said reporting misconduct was up 12 percent from 2005, from 58 percent to 70 percent. Eighty-nine percent of employees made their reports to an individual, rather than anonymously to a hotline, and usually approached lower-level local managers and not top officials in organizations. When one considers an ethical decision model for the government the most important thing to remember is the decision represents the people. Thusly, it is even more imperative to demonstrate prudence, justice, honesty, and temperance in the process (Ruggerio, pg 108). To assist the government in making these difficult ethical decisions, the society should be involved. To involve the people it is important to remember the communication tools that where shown earlier. First, one must recognize the ethical issue that needs to be addressed. Accordingly, questions, such as, Is there a negative consequence for a specific group of people? must be answered. The government must also consider if it is a decision of the lesser of two evils vice two positive consequences or is it simply between one good and one bad alternative. Is there a question about the legality of something? After the issue has been determined the facts need to be gathered. Only the relevant facts of the issue need to be exa mined, but all facts must be considered. Is it possible to gather more information and is the understanding of the issue well enough to make a decision? Is there any special interest in the decision or if a specific group has more at stake than that must be taken into consideration? One must understand all possible actions at this point and ensure all options have been identified. Now, one must evaluate all possible alternative actions by reviewing several approaches. What action will cause the least harm and most good? What action best supports the rights of all with interest in the decision? What action provides the most equal consequences for all? What is best for the society? What action most accurately represents the people the government represents? Once all approaches have been considered the government must make a decision. Lastly, the government will act on its decision, and view the outcome. It is important to reflect on the decision to truly understand if it turned out co rrectly and if anything should have been done differently. Only through reflection of actions can a government improve it capabilities to make more effective ethical decisions in the future.

Friday, September 20, 2019

The Basic Theory Of The Arbitrage Pricing Theory Finance Essay

The Basic Theory Of The Arbitrage Pricing Theory Finance Essay The Arbitrage Pricing Theory is an asset pricing theory that is derived from a factor model, using diversification and arbitrage arguments. The theory describes the relationship between expected returns on securities, given that there are no opportunities to create wealth through risk-free arbitrage investments. APT is one of the most influential theories in the stock pricing which is initiated by the economist Stephen Ross in 1976. It predicts there is a linear relationship between expected return and risk which can be linked by SML. APT suggests that the assets return to investors could be influenced by many independent macro-economic variables. It does not require the existence of true market portfolio and demand less restrictive assumptions compare the other asset pricing model such as the CAPM. Arbitrage arises if an investor can construct a zero investment portfolio with a sure profit. APT relies on three propositions: (i) the security returns can be described by a factor model (ii) idiosyncratic risk can be diversified away (iii) arbitrage opportunities are eventually diversified away. Since no investment is required, investors can create large position to secure large level of profit. However, profitable arbitrage opportunities disappear in efficient markets. The APT formula is as following: E(Ri) = Rf + b1*(E(R1) Rf) + b2*(E(R2) Rf) + K+ bn*(E(Rn) Rf) Rf = Risk free interest rate bi = Sensitivity of the asset to factor i E(Ri) Rf) = Risk premium associated with factor i where i = 1, 2,n Multi-factor model and many relevant researches to basic financial factor has developed since Ross (1976) raised the arbitrage pricing theory, such as the three factor model of Fama and French (1993). Fama and French (1993) continues the research method of Fama and Macbeth (1993)Aand conclude that the APT has explain better the return of the stock than the CAPM . Fama and French (1996) argue that the CAPM does not explain the patterns such as size, book-to-market equity, earnings/price etc. in average return on common stock. And these anomalies are captured by the three factor model of Fama and French (1993). The three factor model is as following which indicates that the three factors, (Rm ? Rf), SMB and HML are used to explain the returns of stocks : SMB = Small Minus Big; returns on small stocks in excess of returns on large stocks HML = High Minus Low; returns of stocks with high BTM ratio in excess of returns on low book-to-market ratio According to the equation above, Fama and French (1993) states that the pattern in the HML slopes does not predict the continuation but the reversal for future returns. Therefore, the continuation of short-term returns documented by Jegadeesh and Titman (1993) is left unexplained by the three Vfactor model (Fama and French). The three-factor model in the above equation captures much of the cross-sectional variation in average stock with the reversal of long term returns documented by DeBondt and Thaler. The results of the empirical tests were taken by Fama French]1996^are consistent with APT asset pricing. Fama and French argue that it is an equilibrium pricing model, a three-factor version of APT (Ross 1976) due to the empirical successes. Fama and French (1996) conclude that the three-factor model is a good model although it does not explain the expected return on all securities and portfolios. But it captures the anomalies on the portfolios formed on size and book Vto market equity, earnings/price etc. On the other hand, Roll and Ross (1995) conclude that The APT approach to the portfolio strategy decision involves choosing the desirable degree exposure to the fundamental economic risks that influence both asset returns and organizations. Roll and Ross (1995) states that APT can be adapted to special situation comparing to many traditional approaches because of its flexibility and it will be well-suited to the management of huge amount of funds. Later on, Chen, Roll and Ross (1986) examined the validity of the APT in the US stock markets. The test is based on the APT and suggests the multi-factor model .Chen, Roll and Ross (1986) found that the set of macroeconomic variables including: industrial production, changes in the risk premium, twists in the yield curve etc. are found to be significant in explaining the expected stock returns. The result of their research is consistent with the APT (Ross 1976) which implies that APT is valid. They believe that the multi-factor of APT captu res more risk factors and explains better of the asset returns, therefore, it is more useful than the CAPM. In conclusion, Arbitrage pricing theory (APT) is a valuation model as it does not required the existence of true market portfolio and fewer assumption is used which is more rational comparing to the CAPM. APT relates the individual asset price to the variety of unanticipated events driving it rather than rely on the measuring of the market performance. Beenstock and Chan (1986) found that the multi-factor APT has a better explanation than the single factor CAPM in the UK stock market through the Non-Nested Test. Also, Fama and French (1996), Chen, Roll and Ross (1986) have consistent results with the APT and therefore support APT over CAPM. However, there still many ambiguities hide in the model. Shanken (1982) challenge to testability of the APT as theory has been silent about which economic state variables are likely to influence all assets and there is a complete ignorance to the identity of the relevant factors that explains different returns. Also, the economic variables are not yet determined that which are responsible to the asset prices. Reinganum (1981) found that his results are inconsistent with the APT and according to the Roll and Rosss study, they conclude that although the evidence generally support the APT, acknowledged that their empirical tests were inconclusive. Therefore, due to the complexity of and dubiosities of the APT, companies choose to apply the CAPM instead. In view of this, more researches and improvements should be made to the APT in order to increase the usefulness of it. BibliographyG Beenstock, M. and Chan, K. 1986, Testing the Arbitrage Pricing Theory in the United Kingdom, Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 48, No 2, pp.121-141. Eugene F. Fama and Macbeth, J, 1973, Risk Return and Equilibrium: Some Empirical Tests, The Journal of Political Economy, Vol.8, pp.607- 636 Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French, 1992, The cross-section of expected stock returns, The Journal of Finance Vol.47, pp.427-465 Eugene F. Fama, and Kenneth R. French, 1993, Common Risk Factors in the Returns on Stocks and Bonds, The Journal of Financial Economics, Vol.33, pp.3-56 Eugene F. Fama, and Kenneth R. French, 1996, Multifactor Explanations of Asset Pricing Anomalies, The Journal of Finance, Vol. 51, (Mar.,1996), pp.55-84 Nai-Fu Chen; Richard Roll; Stephen A. Ross, 1986, Economic Forces and the Stock Market, The Journal of Business, Vol. 59, No 3 (Jul., 1986), pp.383-403. Reinganum, Marc, 1981, The Arbitrage Pricing Theory: Some Empirical Results, The Journal of Finance, Vol.36, No.2, (May,1981), pp.313-321. Richard Roll and Stephen A. Ross, 1995, The Arbitrage Pricing Theory Approach to Strategic Portfolio Planning, The Financial Analysts Journal, January-February 1995. Shanken, Jay, 1982, The Arbitrage Pricing Theory: Is It Testable, The Journal of Finance, Vol.37, pp.1129V1140. Stephen A. Ross, 1976, The arbitrage theory of capital asset pricing, The Journal of Economic Theory, Vol.13, pp341-360. Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane, Alan J.Marcus, 2009, Chapter 10, Arbitriage pricing theory and multifactor models of risk and return, Investment

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Summer of SARS Essay -- Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Health E

The Summer of SARS As far as I could recollect, every summer my family would travel back to Taiwan as my parents' way of paying homage to Taiwan and to immerse me and my sister in our culture and heritage. The summer of 2003 would have been just another summer spent on an over-heated and over-populated island with family and friends except for the introduction of a new viral respiratory illness named SARS or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome. It was first recognized on February 26th 2003 in Hanoi and its main symptoms and signs included high fever of over 38? Celsius, dry cough, and shortness of breath.1 At the time, my family assumed that, whatever this new disease was, it was contained within Southeast Asia and its effects would not impact our travel plans. How wrong we were! As the date for departure from LAX drew closer, more devastating reports of the rapid and deathly effects of SARS were gathered by the WHO [World Health Organization]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 10 to 20 percent of the cases, patients required mechanical ventilation and most patients developed pneumonia. It spread by close person-to-person contact. From our relatives and friends abroad, we heard numerous distressed accounts of distantly related people who have fallen ill or possibly have come into contact with SARS. By July 2003, the cumulative number of SARS cases world wide was an impressive 8,445. Taiwan, our destination, proved to be a hot spot with 678 cases of SARS and 84 deaths since March, 2003.2 The problem with the illness was that the speed of research to understand the causative agent and the efforts to contain the illness was slower than the spread [of] disease up to this point. Ne... .... 2 WHO, "Cumulative Number of Reported Probable Cases of SARS," July 1, 2003, (accessed April 24, 2005). 3 WHO, "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-multi-country outbreak-Update," March 17, 2003, (accessed April 24, 2005). 4 WHO, "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-multi-country outbreak-Update," March 20, 2003, (accessed April 25, 2005). 5 WHO, "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-multi-country outbreak-Update," March 21, 2003, (accessed April 25, 2005). 6 WHO, "Update 61-WHO extends its SARS related travel advice to all of Taiwan province, China," May 21, 2003, (accessed April 25, 2005). 7 WHO, "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)-multi-country outbreak-Update", March 8, 2003, (accessed April 24, 2005). 8 CDC, "Frequently Asked Questions About SARS," April 25, 2004, (accessed April 25, 2005).

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Comparison of the Presentation of Seduction in the Poems To His Coy Mis

Comparison of the Presentation of Seduction in the Poems To His Coy Mistress by Andrew Marvell and The Willing Mistress by Aphra Behn Both Marvell and Behn wrote during the Renaissance period and had different styles. However, they explored similar themes. In 'To His Coy Mistress', Marvell uses a cleverly structured argument called 'syllogism' to persuade his lover to 'seize the day' and make love before their passion fades. In the first section, Marvell speculates how he would adore his mistress. He compliments his mistress saying she deserves such praise. He uses hyperbole to illustrate the extent of his love. He uses many vast geographical and biblical allusions to tell the vastness of his love. The tone in the second section is desolate and threatening. Time is personified to show it's inevitable conclusion - death confronts us all. He uses a blunt reminder that 'times winged chariot' is 'hurrying near'. Threatening images of graves and decay emphasise his point. The imagery becomes morbid and disturbing as he reminds his lover, manipulatively, that death will inevitably destroy her virginity. In the third section of the poem, Marvell draws his triumphant conclusion. His lover is young and beautiful and they desire one another. He focuses on the urgency of seduction. In contrast, Aphra Behn is revolutionary and our expectations are challenged as she writes her willingness to receivevher lover's attention in a female persona. She presents seduction from a woman's point of view. She was one of the first women to write about a woman's sexual feelings in pre-1900 poems. Aphra Behn's humorous poem follows a narrative structure in which ... ... them to consummate their love and savour her 'fleeting youth'. The metaphorical description 'iron gates of life' tells us that life is hard and full of though restrictions that ought to be and can be broken by them. 'Iron gates of life' describes boundaries as barbaric. The way in which he wishes to break such a strong boundary with just their love for each other represents his confidence at the success of his words. I preferred 'To His Coy Mistress' to 'The Willing Mistress' because it had hidden depths and meanings. I liked the way in which the poetic techniques were used to produce such a powerful effect. I also like the way in which the tone changes so often to portray his point. I did like 'The Willing Mistress' because it is playful and humorous but it is only a simple story and not a cryptic piece of poetry.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Understanding Social Perception & Managing Diversity

Understanding Social Perception & Managing Diversity Perception can and is influenced by a number of different things whether from the things that is read, seen on television, or simply from what we retain from family and friends. The way that perception is interpreted determines how we perceive people or our surrounding. Steve Harvey film and book Act like a Lady Think like a Man elaborates on how the perception between genders, as well as the diversity that distinguishes the communication barriers between men and women and helps to break down that barrier.In the text Organizational Dynamics and Human Behavior (second edition) major component of social perception and the Kelley’s Model of Attribution are reflected in Act like a Lady Think like a Man and will be elaborated on how it all relates throughout our discussion. Act like a Lady Think like a Man shines light on how men and women perception of the opposite gender is totally different. A woman may view all men in a n egative light based off of one negative out come and a man will put every woman in the same category based off of what a woman requires. With both genders categorizing each other the text refers to this as stereotyping.Stereotyping occurs when individuals are placed into categories. For example Act like a Lady Think like a Man placed men in to the different categories Momma’s Boy which is a man who has yet to let go of his mother and tend to his woman, then there is the non committer who is a man who is not willing to go to the next phase which is marriage, the dreamer who will not just focus on accomplishing one task at a time but doesn’t seem to know what and how to implement his plan, and then there is the player who just simply will not commit to anyone due to the desire and challenge in playing the game.Act like a Lady Think like a Man is a guide for women to understand how to perceive men. Steve Harvey has simplified by encoding the males perception of a females, which means he has created a mental representation on how the male mind works (kinicki, 2009, p. 64). In Act like a Lady Think like a Man Lauren was a successful young female CEO of a Major company who wanted a man who is on her level or higher which she believed would make them more compatible in a relationship.Lauren knew what she wanted in a man and received it all but soon came to realize that her dream guy wasn’t what she needed. She met a dreamer Dominic who made her happy with the little things that cause her to reflect back on the different occurrences and share with friends how much this individual made her happy even though he did not possess the required traits she looked for initially. Event memory is containing information for specific events and general events, as well as personal memory which contains information of a single individual or group ((kinicki, 2009, pg. 6). Lauren had to make a judgment call on what she wanted. Was it going to be her happiness with a gentlemen that had potential to be what she wanted or was she going to sacrifice her happiness for status. This was the retrieval process that is retrieved from the memory to make a decision. When a man approaches you you're the one with total control over the situation-whether he can talk to you, buy you a drink, dance with you, get your number, take you home, see you again, all of that.The woman is in control from the start. For the non committer he doesn’t feel the necessary urge to go to the next phase because the woman does not require it of him, by giving him the perception that you are content in with the current status. This relates to managerial implication through both a performance appraisal and the leadership aspect. Performance appraisal determines good versus poor performance through motivation and commitment and loyalty.Act like a Lady Think like a Man, Kristin realized that her boyfriend the non committer of nine years wasn’t willing to go to the nex t phase of their lives because she didn’t require anything from him so he displayed no willingness to want more. Leadership is when you lead by example. Kristin then began to make changes by encouraging him to want to apply for a better job and by just simply change the environment of their home through redecorating.Act like a Lady Think like a Man indicated that a woman can find all kinds of deficiencies in themselves-â€Å"I didn't do this right,† â€Å"I wasn't good enough,† â€Å"I didn't love him the way I should,† â€Å"she came in here and outperformed me† (Harvey). Women need to reframe from placing the blame of the man's actions on themselves. By holding on to that weight can be hindering for future encounters. Steve Harvey said, â€Å"You simply cannot drive forward if you're focused on what's happening in the rearview mirror. † Causal attributions is constantly formulating cause and affect explanations for our own and others behav ior (kinicki, 2009, pg. 8). Kelley’s Model of Attributions proposes that behavior can be attributed either to internal factors within a person or external factors within the environment (kinicki, 2009, pg. 69). Consensus involves a caparison of an individual’s behavior with that of his or her peers. In Act like a Lady Think like a Man the men were easily influenced by what the others were doing or would say about them. The men would go to play basketball every Thursday and out for a night cap afterwards if one were to attempt to stray from the usual the group would instantly began to place judgment instead of being excepting of prior plans.External factors are behaviors caused by environmental characteristics. Men are more concerned on how their surrounding perceives them and their status. Women want their love to be reciprocated in the same way they give it where as men will reciprocate their love only to the one that feel is deserving of their love. A man is not just going to provide and share his love with just anyone he has to know that you are the one. Women should expect that a man will pay for your dinner, movie, and more in exchange for her time.Men view women who expect this type of treatment as a gold digger, which is someone who is just after the contender with the most. Diversity represents the multitude of individual’s differences and similarities that exist amongst people. In Act like a Woman Think like a Man diversity is reflected in the way that men and women carry themselves, communication styles, and perception of one another. In conclusion Act like a Woman Think like a Man relates to diversity and perception between genders.Diversity highlight how different the thought patterns are but all how it is similar also. Although men are not as open and expressive as women we are all looking for the same things from each other. The perception on how the information is process is totally different but that’s what makes a r elationship or organization success is the differences. Act like a Woman Think like a Man helps to understand diversity and perception from a relationship status and through a male’s point of view on where women need help on understanding the male species.Just like an organization has standards and employees respect them women should have standards also. â€Å"Men respect standards get some,† Steve Harvey (Harvey).References Kinicki, A. and Kreitner. R. (2009). Organizational dynamics and human behavior. (Second ed. , pp. 64-70). New York: McGraw Hill. Harvey, S. (2009). Act like a lady, think like a man. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. Harvey, S. (n. d. ). Goodreads. Retrieved from www. goodreads. com/author/quotes/206062. Steve_Harvey Story, T. (Director) (2012). Think like a man [Theater]. (Story, 2012)

Monday, September 16, 2019

Public Finance Essay

The city of Eugene has been in a critical position due to budget crisis. Apparently, the city of Eugene has spent more of its resources, which is higher than what the city government has determined to be the budget under the public financing system. Since then, the city government has decided to implement a new approach in dealing with the finances of the city, which was called the â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† approach. The city government of Eugene has employed the services of Public Strategies Group – an institution acting as a financing consultant based in St. Paul, Minnesota – which recommended the need to cut down spending and limit the budget to expenditure that are agreeable to the citizens. This means that the public financing system will only allocate budget according to the priorities of the city, determined by its constituents. (Russo, 2007)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† constitutes the genuine essence of public financing and budgeting. It establishes the ideal dimensions of what public financing should be. With this in mind, it is appalling to think that the city government of Eugene only determined the flaws in their public financing system only after experiencing crisis in their budget scheme – which is much difficult to reverse, than situations wherein detection and prevention would have sufficed. Setting this thought aside, the agreeable point in the public finance approach is that the city is willing to implement a responsible method or technique in fixing the public financing system to sustain resources by means of controlling the city’s expenses.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† approach is a responsible means of handling the city’s budget because it will be allocated only to the demands of the city, concentrating on needs and wants and eliminating operating cost for unnecessary features or entities. Moreover, Eugene has viewed the matter logically by determining a plan that will ensure the success of the public financing project. The city government, along with its hired consultant, has formulated several steps in order to realize the purpose of the â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† approach. First, the city government will review all areas (schools, libraries, health care institutions, law enforcement institutions, etc.) within the dimensions of Eugene that have been receiving funds from the public budget. All areas will be evaluated or assessed in order to determine how roles and responsibilities of each institution are being carried out. This will help the city government determine what areas within the city to focus on and prioritize. (Russo, 2007)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second, allocating budget for different areas within the city will be decided upon based on the goals and objectives of the city council. The city government of Eugene has decided to align public spending with the goals and objectives upheld by city council. Third, spending will be based on what the citizens need and demand, such as public safety, health care, education, transport systems, etc. Fourth, the city government will harness all the help or assistance it can get from other institutions (public or private), in order to determine flaws or improvements for the â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† plan. (Russo, 2007)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The four considerations that the city government is willing to focus on veers away from the concepts of traditional budgeting, setting the desirability of the â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† approach. Moreover, it improves the face of public financing by focusing on the outcomes that will benefit the city and its constituents, rather than concentrating on how the budget will allocated. It is sensitive to the needs and demands of the city, therefore, transforming it into a people-based and outcome-based public financing system. These ideas establish the positive backdrop of Eugene’s plan for public financing.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   However, although the positive side of the approach has been presented through and through, it is important to confront the impending risks and threats in implementing such an approach. This concern lies in the true meaning of responsibility. Rationality and logic in prioritizing what areas to spend for requires the responsibility and ability to place the more important things ahead of superficialities. The problem of the â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† approach is the decision-making process imposed by the citizens. These decisions should be true priorities – that is, priorities that genuinely provide the best results that the city will benefit from – and not those that promote personal vested interests. Therefore, to implement an effective â€Å"budgeting for outcomes† approach, it needs not only a carefully made plan, but also a responsible and rational city government and citizenry. References    Russo, E. (2007). City Trying New Approach to Budget. The Register Guard, C19. Retrieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   from the Gale Group via Questia. Website: http://www.questia.com/read/5024242890

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Food Waste? Too valuable to waste! Essay

According to statistics from the Environmental Protection Department, in Hong Kong, solid waste generated daily weighs around 17000 tones, of which around 30% is organic matter (2700 tones) which is roughly equal to 120 double-deck buses in size. Compared this to the US where, revealed by the Environmental Protection Agency, only 12% of waste stream was scrap of food in 2005. Extra care in disposal is required for these putrescible wastes, otherwise nuisance to the environment will be caused. Food waste not only causes a feculent choking smell, but also discharges a huge amount of concentrated greenhouse gases, methane and polluted water, all of which are leading to the global warming that we highly concerned about. All the food wastes are currently disposed to landfills, however all the existing landfills will be saturated within 5 years. Construction of new landfill is a problem because of a lack of available space that is far away from residential areas. Therefore, seeking out alternative ways for food waste treatment has become an imperative for the government. Before discussing cutting food waste at its source, there is another possible destiny for surplus food besides disposal – Food recycling. The food waste for food recycling can be categorized into two parts: edible (bread, vegetable and meat) and inedible (bones and eggshell). Food Waste Processor Basically, inedible food wastes are useful in that they can be recycled and reused. Through natural biodegradation by bacteria, all the organic waste will be converted into organic fertilizer and soil stabilizer. According to the journal of â€Å"Food waste composting – sustainable organic waste management† (Jonathan, 2003), in some advanced countries in Europe, central food waste treatments has been practiced for years. All the domestic food waste will be collected and transported to central composting facilities which are installed far away from the residential areas. However, this huge facility is not available to Hong Kong owing to the limited area. The Ecotech Food Waste Processor, a new technology for the same purpose is being tested in Hong Kong, including Hong Kong International Airport, housing estates and universities. Due to the tiny space of Hong Kong, it is well-designed for being used in small communities such as restaurants and housing estates which are the main sources of food waste. A large processing capacity 100kg per day is supported with a small sized machine. The automatic processor is easy to operate and is equipped with self-adjustment of temperature and moisture which are decisive parameters for the speed of reaction. Also, the specially formulated microbes and materials are used in the processor to increase the rate of biodegradation. To enhance the transportation efficiency, the volume of food waste will be reduced by about 90% in 24 hours. The composite fertilizer contains high nutrient value including nitrogen which is a major element for plant growth. This new technology is suitable for Hong Kong, as it has limited space. All the food waste can be recycled and become useful materials rather than being disposed in landfill. Besides reducing the load of landfill, the valuable organic materials, which are transformed from the â€Å"waste†, are nutrients to our health and the Earth. Since vegetables grown by organic fertilizer is much healthier to human than those grown by chemical fertilizer. Therefore, this processor should be widely used in Hong Kong in order to minimize the amount of food waste and raise public awareness of this exigent problem. Surplus Food Donation The Environmental Protection Department stated that â€Å"the amount of food wasted by Hong Kong’s restaurants, hotels, and food manufacturers has more than doubled in the past five years.† Effort should be focused on collecting leftover food donation as a huge pile of edible food waste is created from restaurants every day. Foodlink is a nonprofit organization working on this aspect. It takes surplus food from over 40 hotels and restaurants and delivers it to charity groups such as Home of Love in Sham Shui Po and Action Care that works with the less privileged communities in society. Regarding to an article â€Å"The food chain† (Grace, 2012), about one million people in Hong Kong are suffering from hunger and struggling to fill their stomachs. Freshly cooked food is something that they cannot support on a daily basis, especially for the one million people in Hong Kong who are living below the poverty line. Actually, those government-sponsored food banks only provide canned or prepackaged food which is unhealthy in the long term. On the contrary, the hot leftover food from the hotels and restaurants is nutrient rich. In fact, this creates a triple win situation for the landfills, charities and hotels. By examining the amount of excess food that transport to the charity, the hotel can determine the appropriate quantity of food for each day. Eventually, not only less food waste will be produced, but the cost of excess food production and food waste treatment can be reduced and eliminated. Also, less recyclable food will be wasted and disposed to landfills. Therefore sponsorship to those charities and public promotions is an obligation for the Hong Kong government. As the old saying goes â€Å"Prevention is better than cure†, cutting the food waste at its source is the best ways to solve this issue. However, despite there being less food waste being disposed to landfills, the food waste problem will continue to occur if the eating habits do not change. Food waste charge Similar to the solid garbage charges being promoted in the past few months, food waste charges could be implemented in restaurants to minimize this problem commercially. According to Friends of the Earth, in the catering industry, hotel buffets and restaurants that offer â€Å"all you can eat† are the major sources of uneaten food, which then goes into the landfills. Many customers whose â€Å"eyes are bigger than their stomachs† usually order far more dishes that they are able to consume, so the surplus food eventually has to be disposed of. Some hot pot restaurants that provide â€Å"all you can eat† strictly charge the leftover food per kilogram in order to minimize the problem. However, only a few hotel buffets in Hong Kong are willing to charge for the uneaten food since it may lower its attractiveness. In foreign countries, London and America are good role models that are attempting to use this policy to solve the food waste issue. A Chinese restaurant Kylin Buffet in London will charge a $32 â€Å"wastage fee† for the excess food. A â€Å"guilty fee† is imposed to charge the uneaten food in a Japanese restaurant located in Manhattan. In order to enhance the popularity of food waste charges, promotion and communications with restaurants are necessary for the government. Through this policy, it arouses public awareness of food waste so that the eating habit may finally improve. Since the food waste fee acts as a reminder and warning to customers to make self-adjustments to their appetite. All in all, for thousands of years, famine has continued to happen somewhere throughout human history. In fact, the current food production and storage in the world is more than enough to support the whole populations if we are able to minimize food waste. The food waste processor, leftover food donation and fee charging are the substantive measures to minimize the food waste and reduce the load of landfills from two main aspects (usage and source of food waste). As a Chinese proverb says â€Å"every grain is from hard toil†, hardship is required in food growing, we should cherish food and respect the nature that nurtures us. (1261 words) References 1. Food Waste Management in HK. (2011). Environmental Protection Department. Retrieved from http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/environmentinhk/waste/prob_solutions/owt_food.html 2. Municipal Solid Waste in The United States – 2009 Facts and Figures. (2010). Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/wastes/nonhaz/municipal/pubs/msw2009rpt.pdf 3. Jonathan, W. (2003, May). Food waste composting – sustainable organic waste management. New Horizons, 3, 12-13. Retrieved from http://www.hkbu.edu.hk/~cpro/online_pub/nh0203/nh0203_12-13.pdf 4. Monitoring of Solid Waste in Hong Kong – Waste Statistics for 2011. (2012). Environmental Protection Department. Retrieved from https://www.wastereduction.gov.hk/en/materials/info/msw2011.pdf 5. Grace, T. (2012, April 19). The Food Chain. Retrieved from http://hk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/food-chain 6. Order Less Waste Less. (2012). Friends of the Earth. Retrieved from http://www.foe.org.hk/welcome/geten.asp?id_path=1,%207,%2028,%20150,%204310,%204566

Saturday, September 14, 2019

A man to be admired Essay

Looking at the â€Å"holy† concept, the fact that Proctor’s death was part of the reason why it stopped steadily, it seems as Miller depicts him as a 17th century version of Jesus. How Christians believe he died for their sins; Proctor dies for the welfare of those accused and the stop of this fundamental accusations. He did do wrong: he committed a sin. But doesn’t religion teach us about the road to redemption? Religious morals even allow sinners into heaven or paradise if in salvation. So therefore Proctor should be admired as he knows he has done wrong and which leads him to becoming a better man.. All throughout the play, there is friction between Proctor and Elizabeth, obviously due to the incident between Proctor and Abigail, but hope is at the horizon because funnily enough, the worst case scenario brings their relationship and marriage to its strongest point. Proctor attempts all that he can to regain her trust and forgiveness; even bribing her with land is attempted. Elizabeth, being supremely virtuous but with a flair of coldness, tries to forgive but the sense of Christian judgment still lays in her mind. Pride, revenge, fear, honesty, puritan ethics, and honesty are some of the themes in The Crucible, but these are the ones that apply to Proctor. Revenge had put Proctor in fear of losing his beloved wife, Elizabeth, by Abigail. Abigail had seen Elizabeth from more than an inconvenience to a threat. Proctor restricted himself from his feelings and even the subject, when spoken to her. This now showed her only vulnerability, her feelings for him, which is ultimately the reason for this havoc. Self-interest. Fear is what drove the hysteria on; the risk of facing the devil had put people in positions of self-interest and paranoia. How can a man of such caliber be down played? He had raised a family, even though he divorced his 1st wife and married Elizabeth, brought them up in religious fashion, tend his land, helped those in need, is respected by the village and does good deeds. To conclude, John Proctor’s integrity has such a overcoming substance, and the way Miller captures it is just admirable. He faces death, just to keep his name clean, to live or die with respect. For him to go through so many calamities and distress that the only time he feels at peace is when he dies. And he still remains as an admirable figure after he’s public confession of being an adulterer. He put his own wife in front of himself, just to receive her forgiveness and trust. â€Å"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him! † Elizabeth accepts it, the only way; his death is the answer to all their problems. His Christian morals and beliefs lead him to becoming a better man; a man with faith is a man to be admired in my opinion. He knows that even if he confesses a lie, he can not base the remainder of his life on another lie, which will then jeopardize his relationship; other innocent people will die and will evidently never forgive himself. Overall, Proctor is a: religious, emancipated, loving, family, integrity-filled and respected man, and if these are not the quality of being admirable then I do not know what is. John Proctor, a man to be admired. Discuss. By Ranja Faraj Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Individual Management Consultancy Report Research Paper

Individual Management Consultancy Report - Research Paper Example The important observations and recommendations are with regard to the following aspects. The company needs to establish standards for various operations of the business at various levels of management and introduce Balanced Scorecard system to make the costing and budgetary control system more effective for sustainable growth and development. The company can consider installing CRM for improving the efficacy of customer service. The company has to revamp its HRD and encourage diversity in workforce for catering to the needs of the customers with various cultural, social and religious backgrounds and effective customer service. The company may concentrate on activities relating to Corporate Social Responsibility for enhancing its brand image and brand value for sustainable development. Contents I Reporting on Management Consultancy 3 Introduction 3 Objectives of reporting 3 Approach and Observations 3 Client’s situation and critical comments 5 Breakdown of the Consultancy Proje ct 6 II Observations and Practical Considerations 7 Teamwork 7 Project Management 8 Costing and Budgeting 9 Problem Solving 10 Consultancy Modes 11 Confrontations and Conflicts 12 Ethical Issues 13 Conclusions and Reflections 13 Balanced Scorecard 14 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) 14 Restructuring of HRD 14 Outcomes 15 Reflections 15 Bibliography 16 Part I Reporting on Management Consultancy Introduction The performance of Sunshine Enterprises has improved substantially over years both financially and operationally. However, the problems relating to planning and management and control have also been on rise in the recent years. The evaluation of the management processes and practices indicates that the problems are mainly relating to customer service, human resources management and performance evaluation. These three areas relating management are very important and significant as it affects the day-to-day operations, planning and control. In order to ensure measurement and e valuation of performance for operational control, the standards have to be established and Balanced Scorecard system introduced for effectiveness in planning and management control. Objectives of reporting Having identified the broad areas where the management has to focus its attention for sustainable development, specific factors relating to performance in these areas have been analyzed with a view to propose changes in the organization for improving efficiency in the operations. Approach and Observations Wickham and Wickham (2008, p. 5) stated that according to Henri Fayol, management has five basic functions: planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. The client-consultant relationship under process consultation has been adopted in the project to facilitate using our expertise for directing the organizational behavior. The consulting team has worked along with the executives for observing, analyzing and resolving the issues with a view to implement changes wherev er necessary using the resources already available in the organization. The organization has been able to rediscover its ability under this process effectively to sort out the issues in relation to their needs and introduce changes in the methods for implementing them with the resources available. In consulting process, the

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 4

Human resource management - Essay Example d organizing an effective workforce that is able to make valuable contribution of promoting a sense of togetherness and collective responsibility that reflects in the increased output and improved performance outcome of the organizational goals and objectives. Understanding of organizational behaviour is essential ingredient of organizational communication which motivates people to better performance, leading to higher productivity. Effective communication facilitates better understanding of cross cultural values and cuts across the multi cultural layer of the organization and is the key to enhance the overall performance of the organization. Schwenk says that ‘employee’s absolute commitment to a shared vision of change is seen by many leaders/ change agents as so important for their organization’s continued survival’ (Schwenk, 1997, p4). It therefore implies that high morale of the workforce results in improved performance outcome of the organization. Maslow argues that ‘People’s behaviours are guided or motivated by a sequence of needs’ comprising of self actualization, status, acknowledgement, reward and retention (Schwalbe, 2007). Hence, managerial leadership that encourages and promotes proactive participation and collective decision making significantly inspires the workforce to improved performance outcome. Indeed, Quick et al. have also stressed ‘it is possible that psychological well-being and employee performance are related’ (Quick et al, 1997). In CCB International, the theoretical aspect of human resource management is well understood by the senior management and CEO but not taken up with sensitive approach. The concept of workforce as human capital is accepted by the Managing director but the Head of HR department feels that morale building and team spirit can be achieved through joint activities and are not vital part of organizational culture. He also argues that HR strategy is limited to meeting the HR requirements and may

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

The Single European Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Single European Market - Essay Example The Single European Market While it can be argued that the single market was basically completed in 1992 following the enactment of various policies in place, much of the project is yet to be completed. Indeed, with the present challenges realized in the process, it is becoming more impossible to complete the Single European Market (Crouch, 2010). Efforts to realize the European single market continue to face a lot of challenges. Language barriers amongst the member countries continue to present a lot of challenges to the realization of a single unified market. Moreover, it is realized that different countries in Europe have varying levels of economic development and this presents a challenge to a single market creation. In this regard, different countries have different economic objectives hence the realization of a single market might not really become practical and unacceptable to all the member countries. The member countries of the EU are always in economic competition against each other. In this regard, these countries are at times forced to follow their own national visions and interests which totally go against the spirit of the realization of a single market. The national interests of the countries appear to be more important than the good of the EU. The directives of the EU toward the achievement of the single market are often interpreted to be blatant instructions on what should be done. As such, countries such as Britain have always ignored much of these instructions and adopted their own versions of economic development. For instance, it is much difficult for British companies to effectively compete with other companies from countries with lesser demands. The differences in populations have a lot of implications on the supply and demand for various goods and services in the region. A single market in this regard would put some companies at a disadvantage against others. Many of the EU’s member countries have sought various derogations from some aspects of the single m arket or restricted many of the reforms proposed. Moreover, the different consumption and stake in the oil industry affects the operations of the single market. In this regard, France with its huge stake in the oil industry has led to the removal of energy from the products in the European single market. While most of the member states of the EU follow different educational and professional standards, the mutual recognition of these qualifications in the region is always a challenge since some countries regard their standards as far much better than others. The operations and success of a single market requires a uniform sense of both monetary and fiscal policies across the region. In this regard, the adoption of a single currency was certainly a good direction towards this realization. However, given that some countries like the UK have not yet adopted the single currency, pure economic integration of the region becomes a great challenge. Such integration is certainly a prerequisit e toward the realization of a Single European Market. Of great challenge to the European single market is the enlargement of the EU. With a membership of 27 states, the region might face a lot of migration of workers from the poorest countries in Europe to some of the richest countries (Vickerman, 2002). In this regard, it was seen that such migrations would drastically affect the wage rates