Discourse Communities

DC Essay, Draft 1 Discourse Communities Essay There is a very large variety of academic discourse communities available at the universities today. Deciding to go to college is deciding to enter an academic discourse community all on its own but deciding to choose a major is entering a more specified discourse community. There are many similarities and differences between every separate community which makes it difficult for some people to choose.Understanding a community must be done before involving oneself. Comparing and contrasting majors can make it easier for someone to choose which academic discourse community they decide to involve themselves in. Comparing and contrasting majors can be much simpler than it seems. Taking the time to describe a rhetorical purpose, audience, and values can be a good outline for to understand the community. An example of this would be comparing the discourse communities of a nursing major and an education major.According to the Sacramento State Co urse Catalog, â€Å"Nursing is a caring discipline with a foundation of nursing science guided by the application of moral and ethical principles of care and responsibility† and â€Å"The professional educator brings together subject matter knowledge, appropriate strategies, and interpersonal skills essential to providing successful learning experiences for children. † Preparing to work first-hand with people, possibly even very young children, is the main similarity between the two majors.Although the two prepare to help the community, they plan to help in different ways. The two majors are in a sense the same in their future purpose caring the same values, but different in the actual action it will entail. Both Nursing and Education carry the social value of an equal opportunity. The majors do not discriminate between the sexes or age of a person unlike athletics major possibly would. A woman at a very elderly age most likely wouldn’t be able to run a triathlo n and be successful at the same time.Nursing provides health and well-being for the community also providing safety. By treating someone of a contagious and deadly disease a nurse could possibly prevented a whole community from contact of this disease. Education provides common and even uncommon knowledge also building a future for the community. Teaching a young community to read and write makes them literate allowing them to seek high-end careers in the future.Rhetorically, an audience or a nurse could be doctors, parents, or the elderly while the audience of an educator would most likely be parents, their students directly, or the community no longer directly tied to the education environment. A typical purpose a nurse might have would be to provide health and safety to the community in order to keep a community alive. On the other hand a purpose for an educator would be to educate the community of the importance of a health and safety so they are aware of the seriousness of the matter.Personas in both fields would most likely be informative and professional. Comparing and contrasting the similarities between two separate majors can ease the decision of joining a discourse community. Values of the community can be very similar which may be what draws a person to both but the purpose of them can be completely different. Understanding the communities is done by exploring these aspects and applying rhetorical cases to them. Works Cited â€Å"Sacramento State University Catalog† (2012-2014)

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder Essay

Absence makes the heart grow fonder or so they say. Can a relationship end because of distance? I think it not depends on the distance itself but on the persons and their feelings. In the short story â€Å"A Glowing future† by Ruth Rendell we see the three year relationship of Maurice and Betsy finished after Maurice spent a whole year in Australia. There are many reasons why long distance relationship don ´t work but the ones that affected Betsy and Maurice were: Communication Breakdown: Couples in long-distance relationships have to make up for a serious lack of face time. It requires real effort to keep in touch and feel connected. it might become increasingly disheartening to communicate in less personal ways as time goes on. In the whole year they were apart, Maurice only phoned Betsy twice. Infidelity: â€Å"What they don’t know won’t hurt them.† Monogamy can be a challenge over time even under direct supervision. Loneliness creeps in, new and interesting people appear when you least expect it. We get to know that during his time in Australia, Maurice started another relationship there, with Patricia. Lack of Trust: Plenty of relationships end because of trust issues, and long-distance relationships are a minefield of them. There’s really no way of knowing whether or not an S.O. on the other side of the country is cheating on you. But remember that close proximity offers no guarantees, either. This is not the case of Betsy at least, she was waiting patiently for Maurice, until he would come back and marry her. The Cost of Keeping in Touch: Add to that long-distance phone bills, the shipping costs for care packages, and going all-out when you do get to spend time together, and you may be looking at a pretty pricy love connection. Airline tickets and hotel reservations Different Expectations: a couple should share more or less the same future plan. Maurice seemed to have commitment issues, he had planned to tour around Europe for three months as a free man free for the sights and the fun and the girls, however Betsy was making wedding plans before he came back. Not all the relationships are equal, and the way a long distance affect them will vary, but in the case of Maurice and Betsy it was decisive, and his infidelity unbearable. In this case absence did not make their love grew but die.

Effect of Force Majeure or Act of God Essay

If upon the happening of a fortuitous event or an act of God, there concurs a corresponding fraud, negligence, delay or violation or contravention in any manner of the tenor of the obligation as provided for in Article 1170 of the Civil Code, which results in loss or damage, the obligor cannot escape liability. It has been held that when the negligence of a person concurs with an act of God in producing a loss, such person is not exempt from liability by showing that the immediate cause of the damage was the act of God. To be exempt from liability for loss because of an act of God, he must be free from any previous negligence or misconduct by which that loss or damage may have been occasioned. Fortuitous Event – an event which could not be foreseen, or which, though foreseen is inevitable. Essential Characteristics of a Fortuitous Event 1. Cause is independent on the will of the debtor;  2. Impossibility of foreseeing or impossibility of avoiding it to be foreseen even if foreseen; 3. Occurrence renders it impossible for debtor to fulfill his obligation in a normal manner; and 4. Debtor is free from any participation in the aggravation of the injury to the creditor. General Rule: No liability in case of fortuitous event Exceptions: 1. By contrary stipulation in the contract;  2. Declared by law e.g. Art 552(2), 1268, 1942, 2147, 2148, 2159 of the New Civil Code; 3. Nature of the obligation requires assumption of risk when expressly declared by law; 4. When the obligor is in default or has promised to deliver the same thing to 2 or more persons who do not have the same interests (Art. 1165 (3)) Art. 1174. Except in cases expressly specified by the law, or when it is otherwise declared by stipulation, or when the nature of the obligation requires the assumption of risk, no person shall be responsible for those events which could not be foreseen, or which, though foreseen, were inevitable. If the performance of this Agreement, or any obligations hereunder is prevented, restricted, or interfered with by reason of: fire, flood, earthquake, explosion or other casualty or accident or act of God; strikes or labor disputes; war or other violence; any law,  order proclamation, regulation, ordinance, demand or requirement of any governmental authority; or any other act or condition whatsoever beyond the reasonable control of the affected party, the party so affected, upon giving prompt notice to the other party, shall be excused from such performance to the extent of such prevention, restriction or interference; provided, however, that the party so affected shall take all reasonable steps to avoid or remove such cause of non performance and shall resume performance hereunder with dispatch whenever such causes are removed.

Historical investigation - To what extent was the Cuban Missile Crisis Essay

Historical investigation - To what extent was the Cuban Missile Crisis the result of U.S. policy towards the Cuban Revolution - Essay Example In a series of such move, the world had witnessed Americans attempt to throw out the Cuban Regime by promoting unhealthy and provocative political activities. To counter such move and to deter USA, the then USSR President Khrushchev in the year 1962Â  suggested installation of Soviet nuclear missiles at a strategic location of Cuban territories. The secret efforts of the USSR and the Cuba with reference to the installation of medium range, intermediate range and the ballistic nuclear missiles in Cuba was unearthed by USÂ  U-2Â  aircraft (Franklin 86). Upon noticing mentioned activities, the US government categorically announced that it will not allow offensive gadgets to be delivered to Cuba. It demanded the USSR to destroy base of missile already constructed or under construction. The USSR had done it with a little heart that the other side would follow the suit. If not agreed by the USSR, then the only option left was confrontation to resolve the issue (Blight, et al 54). To avert the confrontation between the said governments, an agreement was signed by the UN General Secretary Mr. U Thant, US President Mr. John F. Kennedy and the President of USSR Mr. Khrushchev. According to that agreement USSR has to abolish all missile bases in Cuba provided that the Americans would assure not to invade Cuba. By way of this agreement the confrontation ended on October 28, 1962. The USA was afraid of the expansion of the communism in other parts of the world in general and in the Latin Americans States in specific. With this agreement it had stopped the influence of the USSR in Latin American States (Blight, et al 69). A rat race had begun between the two mighty States in having the number of missiles to create an edge over other. The figures of missiles of either side from the analytical reports published in the war journals, confirms the preparation of missiles of all sorts to establish their supremacy (George 134). The

Genetics Problems Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Genetics Problems - Coursework Example The gene for fur color distribution is however co-dominant. This gene, S, has two alleles, S1 and S2; S1S1 animals have stripes only; S2S2 animals have spots only; and S1S2 animals have both stripes and spots. The S gene cannot be expressed in white rabbits. 4. A woman XBXb, IA_ whose father was color blind (X-linked, recessive) and who has type A blood has accused a man who is himself color blind XbY, IB_ of fathering her child. The accused man has type B blood. For each of the following cases, indicate whether or not the man might be the father. Explain your answer by including the genotype of the child and demonstrating how that genotype could be produced. 5. In Siberian Huskies base fur color is represented by black & white fur BB, tan/yellow & white fur Bb, and white only fur bb. Siberians all posses two style of fur wire hair (W_) and smooth (ww). What would the genotype and phenotype frequencies be for a true breading white smooth husky with a black/white fur with heterozygous

The film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow Essay

The film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow - Essay Example The motion picture comes into view in a stylized edition of the 1930s which is a plot where the entire world is on a big screen. The movie is about a person named Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan (Jude Law) who is a sturdy explorer and comes to save the city in his personal aircraft at the time when the people need him. Polly Perkins (Gwyneth Paltrow) is an intrepid journalist for The Chronicle, as well as a Joe’s past lover. Dex Dearborn (Giovanni Ribisi) is Joe’s assistant and Franky Cook (Angelina Jolie), is the commander of British aircraft who provides a helping hand to Joe every time he needs it. The whole movie revolves around the good and the bad people fighting and the battle starts when an army of colossal robots attack in Manhattan and start trampling with things all over the place. And then the hero Sky Captain enters and saves the day. It turns out that the assaults of the robots are associated with the disappearance of six famous scientists, a story that Polly Perkins is scrutinizing into. All of the clues point to Dr. Totenkopf, but his place is unknown. When Dex is apprehended, Joe comes to a conclusion to go after him, and Polly makes a decision that she wont be left behind and goes along with Joe. Saving the world becomes an almost inferior thought then saving their friend. The opening scenes of the movie are very fascinating as advanced technology is used which makes the movie more interesting to watch and much has been said about how the chief part of the movie was acted in front of blue screens (computer generated backgrounds were later added).It is the first movie ever which is shot completely adjacent to a blue screen and the scenes were added later. The technology is used sensibly and in a positive way to make the movie more real to its viewers. Another very good way in using the technology and the best part of the movie is the additional digital improvement which permits the late Sir Laurence Olivier (who died in 1989) to give an

Final paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 8

Final paper - Essay Example France is noted to have been the first state in Western Europe to remove the sanction placed on homosexuality, 1791. It is important to note the existence of a mental condition, which hinders one from realizing their true sexual orientation, thus leaving them thoroughly confused. This mostly occurs at the youth stage where one is most vulnerable to the influences of the world. Derald Wing Sue and David Sue (2013) describe the struggle by for individuals who realize that the expected social norms are not in line with their internal thoughts and feelings on the subject. There are groups set out in the world ill-equipped to handle the name-calling, bullying and numerous other offences that are dished out to them. Physical violence is not unheard of for anti-‘something extremists who believe the world would do better without the smaller minorities (Saewyc et al., 2006). Israelites were highly discriminated by the Nazis in the era of Hitler; the black Americans have had a long history of discrimination before they were finally accepted. These are only a minor fraction of the numerous discrimination cases that can be exemplified for the benefit of the context. However, the common factor that stands out is their devious behavior to natural norms and lack of conformity. This makes them easy targets for wrong-minded individuals who believe that they are supposed to be the predominant group. In most countries, the LGBT community has been accepted legally. However, facts on the ground indicate that there is a sort of cold war between them and extremist who refuse to accept them regardless of law. This creates a stigmatized community with little to no voice depending on the location. Despite proof of the community having existed in the society for as far back as millennia BC, the human nature seeks to root out any irregularities in the system. These are the deviants and those who seem to

A vision for improving the relationship between doctors and nurses in Research Paper

A vision for improving the relationship between doctors and nurses in the emergency department - Research Paper Example Research shows that, which is also my feeling, there is still a traditional gender and economic hierarchical relationship gap that exists between doctors and nurses. The gap effects the ability of nurses and doctors to work cohesively and develop solidarity. The emergency department requires that nurses and doctors have a close knitted working association as they rely on each other’s skills along with those of the team to result to merits for the patients and the staff. The feeling among nurses is that they have to modify their approach and patient care to doctors with information and evidence so that the input they make is not done away with by the doctors. It is my vision that there is leadership, which backs the enactment of nurse and doctor teamwork training by undertaking things like pledging to the availing of the conditions, financing, and continuing resources essential to the development of this vital relationship. Moreover, backing up the association has been shown to aid in the reduction of burnout, ensure the attainment of common goals, enhance job contentment, improved retention and working environment that are all fundamental. According to Athlin, Ulrica, and Farrohknia (2013, p. 2), mulit-professional teams have been shown to enhance the quality of care availed in emergency departments. The research notes that teamwork is essential for the movement of patients in and out of the emergency department. However, it is noted that there are few evaluations touching on teamwork in this department. The study examines the setting of an adult emergency department in a Swedish university hospital (Athlin et al., 2013, p. 2). It is noted that the hospital utilisd the traditional manner of healtcare in the emergency department whereby the doctors worked with any nurse who was available. However, the study sought to show the importance of an improved working relationship between nurses and doctors through an intervention. The

Team Organizational Style of Fisher and Paykel Essay

Team Organizational Style of Fisher and Paykel - Essay Example This aspect was highlighted by Imai (1997) in his approach when he highlighted the importance of the shop floor or the teams working on the industry floor in ensuring that continuous improvement takes place within an organization. The advantages of employing such lean manufacturing processes through the Kaizen approach has also been explained by Wilson (2005). Â  Once the new teams were developed, they have engaged actively in the team building process. The changes that occur were in terms of additional time spent in communication skills and team building, followed by activities that were focused on the improvement of work performances and promoting team goals and a common understanding. The goal of the process was to bring about changes in a positive manner through the application of inspiration and communication developed among team members. Â  This process is summed up in the Kaizen approach to organizational behavior. The Kaizen philosophy has been defined as "a means of continuous improvement in personal life, home life, social life, and working life. At the workplace, Kaizen means continuing improvement involving everyone—managers and workers alike. The Kaizen business strategy involves everyone in an organization working together to make improvements without large capital investments." (Imai, 1986) Â  The organization took great pains to improve the teams because they recognized the importance of the shop floor to the success of the organization, as highlighted by Imai (1997).

Ethics in Business and Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Ethics in Business and Society - Essay Example It will explain why the candidate was rejected and why one of them was chosen for the post. The problem with a discussion on ethics is that it could cover a diverse area that includes personal beliefs, religious beliefs, social practices, and legal statutes and provisions. In most instances, ethics is about making choices. According to Devettere, ethics is choosing the good over the bad in a particular situation. So, â€Å"ethics is not concerned with what people do accidently or unintentionally, even if these behaviours cause bad things† (Devettere 2000, 1). The consequences of an accidental or unintentional act cannot is not relevant in such instances. There are also other who identify ethics with morality. What is moral is ethical and anything immoral is unethical. So, a conscious and intentional decision as in this case of appointment of receptionist has ethical dimensions. A decision, whether it is ethical or not, may turn out to be easy in most circumstances. But in this instance (for appointing the receptionist), the attributes do not have a clear identity as to what is good and bad. For example being obese or having certain religious preferences cannot be considered good or bad unless it is harmful for the self or others in the society. The concept of absolutism may be no longer relevant in a democratic setup. It deals with the divine right of kings as opposed to general ethical behaviour. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy and the rule of law and democracy prevails even though the country is headed by a Queen. Absolutism is also related to autocratic behaviour in the sense that an employer can behave in any way he likes to his employee. Even though this is possible here, there are many laws and statutes that an employee can resort to in case of unethical behaviour by an employer. Utilitarianism, a concept primarily developed by

BUYING VS. LEASING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

BUYING VS. LEASING - Essay Example The car that has been selected for this discussion is 2015 Accord Sedan LX. Whether to buy a car through the method of loan financing or obtaining a car on the basis of lease is dependent on various reasons. One of the reasons that help in deciding whether to buy or lease a car is dependent on how long does an individual wants to use and own the car. If the person wants to own a car for a shorter period of time and aims at changing the car in a limited time period, then the person should opt for obtaining the car on lease. If the person wants to keep the car for a longer period of time, then the person should obtain it on the basis of a loan. For example, table 1 suggests that if a person wants to keep the car after the lease period is over the total cost of obtaining the car will be $26,712 and this cost will include the residual value as well as the lease payments that a person will make for 3 years for a 2015 Accord Sedan LX. On the other hand table 2 suggests that if the person obtains the car on the basis of an auto loan, he has to pay a total amount o f $25,596 and this amount will include the 2.9% APR that a person pays on the Manufacturer’s suggested retail price. This means that purchasing a 2015 Accord Sedan LX for the long-term on the basis of loan is less expensive as it costs $1,126 less to obtain a car on the basis of a loan instead of obtaining it on lease basis. On the other hand if a person choses to keep the 2015 Accord Sedan LX for a shorter period of time then he/she should opt for the leasing option because the person will only have to pay $15,012 to enjoy the car for 3 years and then he/she can switch to another car. In my opinion, I would obtain 2015 Accord Sedan LX on the basis of a lease as I believe that owning a car for a shorter period of time is better than owning it for a longer period of time. Since I want to keep the car for a shorter time period, I would prefer to pay only $15,012

Financing SME Essay Example for Free

Financing SME Essay The definition of Small Medium scale Enterprises (SMEs) varies from country to country. The classification can be based on the firm’s assets, number of employees, or annual turnover along with the loan amount. Central Bank of Sri Lanka defines SMEs as enterprises with less than Rs. 600 million turnover per annum and with a maximum exposure of Rs. 200 million mainly to be classified as a SME for Basel II Capital adequacy calculation and utilization of funds accumulated in the Investment Fund Account in Banks. Whatever the definition, and regardless of the size of the economy, the growth of SMEs throughout the region is crucial to growth of respective economies. Because, SMEs play a critical and important role in providing job opportunities, enhancing the quality of human resources, maximizing the use of local resources, saving foreign exchange, nurturing a culture of entrepreneurship, fostering creativity and opening up new business opportunities etc. Most corporate organizations in Sri Lanka or elsewhere are the establishments started as SMEs in its early stages. Classic examples from our own country may be Nawaloka Group, Access International, Softlogic Group of companies. In most literature, it is mentioned that access to financing has been recognized as a major impediment for many SMEs and its growth, whereas corporate business entities have the advantage over the SMEs in doing so primarily as a result of their formalization. However, according to Juliet Mckee and Kimball Dietrich (2003), most common problems for SMEs are the lack of access to market information and technology, the low quality of human resources and the lack of access to capital. Despite efforts by financial institutions and public-sector bodies to close funding gaps, SMEs continue to experience difficulty in obtaining risk capital. These funding gaps relate to firm size, risk, knowledge, and flexibility. The development literature focus a good deal of attention on issues faced by SMEs in accessing finance. Traditionally, the focus is on obstacles created by financial institutions, mainly by commercial banks or on imperfections in the broader institutional environment. However, SMEs also make decisions about financing and display attitudes that have an important bearing on financing decisions. Therefore, constraints may also appear on the â€Å"demand side† of the financing market. Objective of this article is to discuss the key challenges and issues for bankers pertaining to SME lending, of which, part of them are inherent in SMEs and for others bankers are responsible. 1. Issues of SMEs 1. 1 Lack of financial literacy or weak financial literacy In the literature, lack of financial literacy is designated as informational asymmetries where SMEs typically posses privileged information on their business that cannot be easily accessed or cannot be accessed at all by lenders or outsiders. Reasons for this may vary and also have different perspectives. SMEs are mainly driven by entrepreneurs who have nurtured in their own ways to prospective SMEs. As a result of hard ways of development, they either had no time to devote further education or do not believe in learning. This is evident from the credit applications that are submitted to banks for financing. This eventually leads to low levels of financial literacy among entrepreneurs. Financial literacy is the ability to understand how money works in the world: how someone manages to earn or make it, how that person manages it, how he/she invests it (turn it into more) and how that person donates it to help others. More specifically, it refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resource. Though many SME owners are sound in developing business models and working out the profitability of products and services, understanding about the macro picture of the SME’s overall financial standing in terms of profit and loss account, balance sheet and cash flows is week. As a result, they sometimes opt to resort to outsiders or merely depend on themselves in preparation of financial information which may or may not reflect the actual picture of the SMEs. Because of this impediment, banks have no choice, but to depend on collateral for SME financing. At the backdrop cash flow lending is encouraged, financial institutions are struggling to project the SMEs’ sustainable bankability. This is recognized as the main obstacle for banks and financial institutions in financing SMEs. One of the options to counter this impediment is the concept of â€Å"Para accountant†. A Para accountant is an external consultant who uses finance, economics, risk management and technology skills to help organizations prepare and report financial and tax statements according to accounting principles and regulatory requirements. A Para accountant also may review a firms internal controls, processes and procedures to ensure that such controls are adequate. A Para accountant may work on a clients site or remotely. They are not necessarily qualified accountants, however, might be an option. Bankers’ prime objective in this endeavor is to develop reliable sources of information so that they could project the sustainable cash flows of the business. With this objective banks could train their credit appraisal officers as Para Accountants, who will interacts with prospective SMEs and develop a set of financial information while strengthening the banking relationship over a period of time. 1. 2 Entrepreneurs’ knowledge about building a prospective banking relationship A banking relationship is about much more than just selecting a bank to handle a company’s bank accounts. If the relationship is managed well, it can help a company to thrive. SMEs that use more than one bank will need to manage multiple banking relationships. A company will first have a business account (or several) at a retail bank (or banks) for all day-to-day financial transactions. Whether it is retail, SME or corporate, the banks should have a team of business banking advisers on hand, to advise and guide a company. It’s important to ensure continuity— banks usually offer a contact with a designated person and in turn expect to deal with the same person or persons from the company. A good banking relationship depends not only on personal rapport, but also by having a solid understanding of the company and its financial needs. Over time, a banking adviser should build up a good understanding of the company’s preferred ways of doing business and incorporate that into how their banking requirements are handled. There are many advantages having a sound banking relationship for SMEs. The bank is more likely to offer loans and other lines of credit, potentially at preferential rates of interest, if the bank advisers feel there is a good relationship with the company. The bank’s advice can be tailored for the company’s needs and personal style, rather than given generically. In times of crisis, a company having its bank’s support will be crucial. Even if a company is a text-book case of insolvency, strong personal rapport with a company representative means that the bank is more likely to offer leeway if it knows that directors are doing their utmost to keep the company going. Failure to develop a strong relationship, however, means that the SME is likely to miss out on good advice and, crucially, support in times of difficulty. However, unfortunately, many SMEs are not on the right track to understand the importance of having a good banking relationship. Given that no sound financial information are available, at least, SMEs should try to maintain a healthy customer relationship with the financial institution to entice financial needs, especially in difficult periods. It is both Bankers’ and SMEs’ responsibility of developing a prospective banking relationship over a period of time without compromising risk capital. More than the credit facilities, credit plus would be reasonably appropriate to start such a relationship and then move into advanced levels of relationships along with credit facilities. 1. 3 Financial discipline of entrepreneurs As Henry Ford correctly cited, â€Å"Wealth does not come accidently. You have to plan for it. † One’s discipline explains the right behavior and ability to take decisions without emotions. Hence, financial discipline is all about right financial decisions. In order to be financially discipline one should understand concepts of accounting and financial management in SME business. Accounting in general is all about record keeping and developing summary financial reports. Most commonly available financial reports or information are the profit and loss account, balance sheet and the cash flow statement. Unless SMEs keep records of their daily activities, it is difficult to develop financial statements with regard to their businesses. With no financial statements, SMEs will always struggle in making financial decisions. More often, there is no clear distinction between the business finance and the finances of the proprietor. Therefore, it is critical that the lender examines carefully borrower’s all commitments, i. e. , those related directly to the business and those associated with the proprietor’s private life and assets. Lack of Business Planning is a result of weak financial indiscipline in SMEs where investment decisions, working capital decisions, even pricing decisions are based on the entrepreneurs’ values than on facts. The lack of proper financial discipline results in incorrect business decisions, which hampers the sustainability of the SMEs. MacRobert (2002), in his SME manual explains why SME borrowers are different to commercial and corporate borrowers. One of the common reasons is unskilled/ untrained principals. Many SME principals in the Asia-Pacific region are self-starters, often with limited formal education, and minimal training in business management skills. That is not to say that they are incompetent, but that they often lack the capacity to research information on ways to strengthen their businesses, and, indeed, to be aware that such resources even exists. Role of the bankers in this regard is to educate the importance of financial discipline through strong banking relationships. Bankers are one of the key sources, to get SMEs to believe in financial discipline. Bank officers should take the initiatives in this endeavor to educate the SME owners. Role of the Government is also a key imperative in developing required conducive environment through institutional and policy frameworks. Some universities in Sri Lanka have already started dedicated departments to teach courses related entrepreneurship. (Example: University of Sri Jayewardenepura and University of Colombo) and It is important to note that Business studies is part of the GCE A/L curriculum. Recent budget proposals in 2011, 2012 and 2013 has given enough support to encourage SMEs and SME financing and one of the very useful proposals was to direct government banks to set up dedicated SME Branches not only to facilitate SMEs with easy access to finance, but also to educate SME owners and to guide and direct them to right places and people. However, strengthening the institutional framework to develop business development support services is also an imperative. 2. Issues with Banks SMEs are not only critical to the economy, but also to the banks’ profitability. Most diversified banks maintain a substantial percentage of exposure to the SMEs as a strategic investment given the diversity within the SME portfolio itself. It is always profitable, but need to properly evaluate and closely monitor the delinquencies to avoid any credit risks. It is a perception as well as a fact sometimes, that SMEs are always highly risky as explained by many banks. It may be due to several factors including, non availability of financial information, no tax returns, no collateral, one man show, highly sensitive to economic conditions, no proper organizational structure, and many more. These are reasons given to avoid or very conservative underwriting of SME credit proposals. As a result of these reasons, credit policies of financial institutions are based on stringent credit guidelines. 2. Institutional framework with hindering process issues In the case of many developing countries, the above mentioned obstacles to SME financing are exacerbated by institutional and process factors. Most developing countries are still highly concentrated and have uncompetitive banking sectors. This reinforces the tendency to adopt conservative lending policies. Credit policies which mainly cover the credit risk and market risk, endorse a processes which covers many elements to secure exposure, while satisfying the regulator’s requirements. This eventually results in a value driven Credit culture in financial institutions. According to MacDonald and Timothy (2006), management’s credit policy determines how much risk the bank will take and in what form. A bank’s credit culture refers to the fundamental principles that drive lending activity and how management analyzes risk. There can be large differences in their lending philosophy. The three potentially different credit cultures are: values driven, current profit driven, and market share driven. The institutional framework is reflected through the credit policy in this part of the world, the tendency is to inculcate a value driven credit culture, which has the following attributes: Focus is on credit quality with strong risk management systems and controls Primary emphasis is on bank’s soundness and stability and a consistent market presence Underwriting is conservative and significant loan concentrations are not allowed. Typical outcome is lower current profits from loans with fewer loan losses It is evident with lower non- performing ratios prevailing in banks justifies that credit risk is covered with loan risk mitigation factors and discourage granting venture capital to SMEs. Eventually, SMEs need to resort to acceptable securities which hinders them from easy access to finance from financial institutions. 2. 2 Collateral syndrome (Risk avert) Strong value driven credit cultures in financial institutions always tighten the belts in covering credit risk. Unless the financial institutions develop competencies in cash flow based lending, credit officers have no choice but to cover themselves with collateral in risky SME lending. Competencies itself will not drive the business unless the risky lending is rewarded with challenging business targets. Security based lending propositions are gradually becoming unhealthy for economies as it discourages strategically important investment decisions. Government of Sri Lanka recently enacted legislations to ease the pressure on SMEs through amendment of Parate execution where normal civil procedure of debt recovery should be applied for loans below Rs. five million with security of property mortgages. 2. 3 Weak competency in building cash flow based lending propositions Strong value based credit policies encourage security oriented lending and creates knowledge gaps in credit officers. Security oriented lending does not require strict cash flow projections and credit evaluations. Developing cash flow projections is an art and requires overall knowledge about the industry, technology, external factors (external climate) and specific firms (internal climate) along with econometrics modeling to analyze the cash flows. When it comes to large projects, knowledge in project appraisals and risk analysis will help the credit officers to get exposed to project financing. At the backdrop of investor confidence and developing businesses in emerging economies, venturing into risky business propositions is in the agenda of the banking and financial intuitions. Financing SMEs are risky but at the same time profitable, so indeed banks need to develop how best they could mitigate the risk of these ventures. One of the options is to gradually develop a culture of SME financing with confidence through development of competencies in their credit officers. Competency development not only addresses econometric techniques of analyzing and evaluating the credit proposals, but also industry knowledge and exposure, experiences of sick industries and business units, world politics and world economics, knowledge in emerging markets and technologies, behaviors and issues of labor, understanding the entrepreneurship etc. Conclusion Many of the literature examine the issues of financing SMEs world over. However, there are key issues not only from the SMEs point of view, but also from the financial institutions and, government’s point of views. No one can expect the SMEs to nurture in best practices all by themselves. In this regard, the role of financial intuitions is greater, when it comes to inculcate and nurture SMEs in the right directions. The issues for SME financing discussed above are the keys, but there are many others which needs further discussions.

Scene Analysis Of Casablanca Film Studies Essay

Scene Analysis Of Casablanca Film Studies Essay Second Essay Question: Deconstruct a scene from one of the films weve seen this semester. Address how the director used the actors, dialogue, lighting, camera movement, sound, editing, and production design to get their point across in the film. Casablanca was released in 1942 by the director Michael Curtiz. The film was considered one of the best motion pictures ever made. The films actors, strong emotions, and loving triangle all helped out in having a classical film. The last scene in Casablanca where Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) and Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) were saying their final goodbyes as an airplane was in the background setting was one of the greatest scenes in the history of cinematic. Actors: Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart): Rick Blaine was the owner of Ricks Cafà © Amà ©ricain. He apparently appears in the whole film to be a man who is not moved by anyone. He refuses to take drinks from the customers of the cafà ©. He also didnt seem to care about the war and that refugees have gathered in Casablanca. From the start of the film and Rick shows himself as a mysterious and complicated man but on the other hand he is also generous, discriminating, and political. After Ilsa has arrived to Casablanca, flashbacks came across Ricks mind and reminded him of the time they spent in Paris. He appeared to be so much happier than he is without her. Another difference is also that back in Paris he was called Richard. After the attack of the Nazis, Rick and Ilsa agreed to leave Paris together. But Ilsa stood Rick up in the train station, and this was their separation. Rick was in so much pain of what Ilsa did to him and suffered from heartbreak. After that, Ilsa showed up at the bar, Rick reacted so angrily and refused to give her and Victor Laszlo the letters they need of transit. Finally, at the end of the film Rick becomes the hero and he sacrifices his love to Ilsa and his life in Casablanca so that Victor Laszlo can get away with Ilsa and finish his political work. So basically there were three characters that Ricks appeared in the movie with. First, In Paris he was so romantic, then in Casablanca he was hard-hearted, and finally at the end of the film he appeared to be self sacrificing hero (Turner, Casablanca, 1999). Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman): Ilsa is extremely loyal to her husband, Victor Laszlo. She believes she love Laszlo, but on the other hand she also says that she is in love with Rick, back when they were in Paris and also after she arrived to Casablanca. She had a very good reason to tell Rick that she loves him when she was in Casablanca so that she can get the letters of transit that she needs. Her feelings are always dreamy and vague which makes it hard to understand her right. Long time ago when Rick was in Paris, she sent him some letters claiming that she cant see him anymore. And that now can be a proof of her capability to protect her real feelings from those people who loves her. From all the characters in Casablanca, Ilsa was one of the most people who clearly had a lot of pain from the unexpected change of wealth. First of all, her husband Victor got arrested and reported to be dead. Then, when he came, she was supposed to escape with him throughout Europe with the Nazis. After that, in Casablanca she met Rick once again and fell in love with him all over, but unfortunately she was suppose to leave him once again. Ilsa didnt had an easy life, and one of the greatest tragic in the whole film is her fate. Finally, at the closing scene of the film, we can feel that the chances of Ilsa living happily ever after ending do not exist. Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid): One of the main characters in Casablanca is Victor Laszlo, who is the least complicated person. He is an absolute noble hero. Victor Laszlo is a handsome and confident man. His wife was Ilsa and he loves her so much to the extent that when he knew about her and Rick he accepted the fact and claimed he understands. He was ready to give anything for Ilsa to get away safely from Casablanca. Victor likes politics. His want of beating the Nazis is the best ambition for all the actions he ever took. He places himself as a favored to battle through it. As much as Victor Laszlo is priceless to the Allies as much as he is critical to the Nazis. Captain Louis Renault (Claude Rains): Louis is not a man of strong opinion, but was a friend to whoever had power. He never likes Strassers believes but he works with him. For a part in the film, Louis was shown as a careless and selfish man who cared about absolutely nothing but himself. He takes advantage of pretty women refugees and usually gets fixed winnings from the casino of Rick. He told Rick not to count on him as a friend, but he couldnt hide his feelings for his friend (Rick). Towards the ending scene of the film, the men committed to their friendship when they committed themselves to the Allied cause. Rick committed by shooting Strasser and letting Ilsa escape with Victor out of Casablanca, while Louis committed by choosing to get away from Casablanca along with Rick. Lighting: The lighting has a great effect on the mood of the whole film. At the beginning of the movie most of the scenes and shots were brighter than when the film came towards the end where they were darker. There was a scene close to the ending scene of the film in Ricks cafà © where Victor Laszlo was taking refuge after the meeting was attacked. The scene inside the cafà © was at night and it had an absolutely low key lighting. The drama of the movie was being built slowly through the beginning up till the end of the movie. The dimness of the film increases the drama and the worry of the viewers more. The shots towards the end of the film become more extreme due to the gap among special parts of the shots. This Chiaroscuro effect also helped in raising the worry due to the clear bright lights and deep dark shades. Against the light of the background, there was Captain Renault, a poster boy, wearing his black uniform. Those two were shots from the final scene when Rick holds Cap tain Renault as a hostage and pressure him into letting Victor Laszlo getaway. Moreover, there was a fog in this final scene in the airfield, that had a gray invading of the scene and actors, which generate a feeling of suspicious. That resulted in making the viewers not knowing how the fight is going to be solved. Here the lighting technique was sharp and differs from the cinematography that is in all the other parts of the film. Sound: The director used the sound in this scene effectively. While filming the movie, he discovered that the sound stage was very small to be suitable to an actual airplane. So he decided to put the actors on a soundstage at Warner Bros where there was no real airplane. He also puts up half and quarter size models of Lockheed Electra 12A. The scene was raped around the machine that produces fog to cover up the artificiality of the background set. In this last scene of the movie, the actors never left the soundstage of the airplane. Also, towards the last scene of the movie, there was a shot that shows very quick two aircraft engines that has dramatic noise from the strong piston engines driving up and the fan spinning round in a high speed. One of the shots was showing the right side of the engine of the aircraft. And the other shot shows the left side of the engine. Along with those shots, the fog was being spread to go with the cloudy smoggy look that covers the rest of the closing scene. The director was so talented in making a great job in sound editing so that the sound of the engines makes the film mix together well with the soundstage of the film. Camera Movements and Dialogue: The ending scene of Casablanca had many camera movement techniques. After Captain Renault (Claude Rains) and Victor Laszlo depart, the camera starts to follow Rick and Ilsa, where it was neither of their view points. The camera was from the side. After that, Rick sends Ilsa to escape with Victor. After a cut away to Captain Renault, the camera builds up again to highlight the remarkable conversation; the camera was also from the side. As the camera follows up again at the final minute it shifts to Rick. Then the camera goes into a series of reverse angle shots first from Rick to Ilsa, then to Rick again, then to Ilsa, then to Rick again, and finally back to Ilsa one more time. The camera shifted either to the face of the person who was talking or to the other person. There was a hidden meaning in these shifts of the camera. It either meant stressing the conversation or drawing attention to understanding what is said. Another frame got both characters (Rick and Ilsa) in, that changed into an analytical point of view shot of Ilsa. Her tears were glowing in her eyes and the feeling of the light was becoming softer at her face. At the same time, Rick was talking to her and said Im not good at being noble, but it doesnt take much to see that the problems of three little people dont amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. After that, Ilsa dropped down her chin, because she felt that she was crushed by fate. Then Ricks hands held Ilsas chin and raised it up again saying Now, now . And this was a close up in the camera movement. After that there was a cut of the point of view of Ilsa, and the hidden meaning here is so that women viewers will be able to understand her situation. Rick said Heres looking at you kid. Then a shot of a close up happened again, where it demonstrates that Ilsa understood that Rick wants the best for her and that she accepted his decision of letting her escape with her husband. Then there was a cut back to the point of view of the guy that she really loves. After that the emotions stopped for a few seconds with a fast cut away to Major Strasser, who is the Nazi commander in charge of Casablanca, who was walking fast to reach to the airport. The camera then goes back to the airport, where a private conversation was held between Rick and Victor who were facing each other. Ilsa was at the background of the scene trying to wipe her tears away. Then there was a fast shot of Captain Renault from Ricks point of view. There was again couple of reverse angles which were used to highlight the speakers conversation. First, from Victors point of view there was a fast cut away to Ricks point of view of Ilsa. Here all three of them were in the frame together. And she backs up what Rick is saying. The shot after that returns to Rick then to Victors face who believed what Rick said and accepted his brave explanation. Then there was a three shot right after the two shots of Rick and Victor, with Ilsa on the right side wiping her tears away and she was considered in the staging position. Then a shot went back to Rick and Victor alone when Victor was saying: Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win. After that a shot went to the engines of the plane. Then there was a three shot of the characters looking at the plane. Then a few series of close ups follows with a great awareness of the eyes of the actors as they act in response to the actions. First, Rick looks at the plane then at Ilsa, and Ilsa looked back at him, then both Rick and Ilsa looked at Victor, then Victor looked right into Ilsa and said: Are you ready, Ilsa?, so she turned her head for the last time and looks at Rick, then at Victor and she said: Yes, Im ready. In this scene Rick is giving up on Ilsa and making her getaway with Victor, and Ilsa on the other hand is accepting Ricks decision in letting her go. Next, a cut to a wide shot of all the three actors appeared. Ilsa stepped in front and the camera movement started following in and to the left to set up some characters significant. For the first time, Ilsa stands next to Victor and Rick was alone facing them. Ilsa said: Good-bye, Rick. Then there was a close up of Ilsas face that softly softened the light at her face and completed saying: God bless you. Next, there was a high angle shot of Rick, the Director is trying to emphasize that we are looking for the first time down to Rick, because Ilsa was gone from his life forever, and was back with Victor. Then he said: Youd better hurry. Youll miss that plane. We were seeing this scene from Victors point of view because now the couple is Ilsa and Victor. After that, the camera was far away from the staging position when Ilsa and Victor were walking away towards the plane. That scene was taken again from Ricks point of view, where he was seeing both of them walking out of his life. And by that he realized the generous sacrifice he has done. After that, the camera showed a reverse angle shot of Victor and Ilsa, as a couple this time, walking to the camera. Then they looked at one another and we can see that Ilsa was trying to hold herself together. And as they get closer to the camera, we see that Victor was slowly cut off when the camera was slowly moving to the left side. The director wanted to focus the attention here on Ilsas face because she was walking away from the man she loves. After that the camera cuts into a close up to Rick alone in the frame (Turner, Casablanca, 1999). After that, the camera cut away to both Captain Renault when Major Strasser just came. Major Strasser tries to make a phone call for help, when Rick asked him not to, but since he didnt respond, Rick shot him. Then the police arrived, and in few seconds Captain Renault said: Round up the usual suspects. Now, Rick and Captain Renault are alone at the closing scene of the film. They watched the plane as it took off from both their point of view and then from a revered angle shot. The director tries here to make the viewers feel the loss of Rick in his eyes. After that another revered angle shot to their point of view appeared then the plane faded away within the fog (Turner, Casablanca, 1999). Finally, Rick and Captain Renault walked away together. Then the camera gets into a crane shot by rising up by looking down in a high angle shot at them as they keep walking from the staging position. Then Rick says: Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Then as they continue walking the music arise (Turner, Casablanca, 1999). As for this Dialogue, the beautiful friendship that will start to begin between Rick and Captain Renault was the last closing sentence in Casablanca. Moreover, the dialogue of Casablanca was all filmed on a soundstage, but that doesnt make it any less of great dialogue. Editing: The editing of Casablanca was attractive and high in excellence. At the closing scene of the film, the close ups of the airplane with the engines represented the scene as if it was in a real airport with a real plane, and was so hard to find out that all of that was acting in front of a fake plane. Moreover, when the shot was on the airplane taking off, it appeared that the first part of the airplane was the real one and the second part was the studio effect. All together, the story, casting, acting, dialogue, staging, music, sound, lighting, camera movement, editing, and production are so great that viewers just cared about whats happening, not about how the film was created and done. Third Essay Question: Some historians argue that films reflect the political and social mores of society at the time of its creation, is this accurate statement? Is the subject matter of the movies weve watched driven by society or does society drive the entertainment industry to create films within a specific moral, social, or political context? Discuss. More frequently, American movies reflected the absolute influence of the society. The industry is willing to sell more products. That case was mainly right when it came to studio era. J. Dudley Andrew, who is a movie scholar, saw and noticed that in The Major Film Theories: A natural rapport grew up between the public which went to the movies weekly and the producers who needed to supply the people with a variant of what they liked and were used to. (Gehring, 1997). Some movies influence society. For instance: Star Wars it still has a continuing force, which was released again in 1997. Gehring, who is a professor and an author of lots of film books, his occupation covered a some of his adolescence of the 1967s which is called dark comedy to get back on the1930s fashion of clothings. Hollywood tries to safegaurd its contribution, because they are not new nor warrantied. Furthermore, the film production is more involved in reflecting societys desires and needs than in directing them. People who puts all the responsibility and guilt on Hollywood for the most part of the societys troubles are not noticing nor considering real life mores and films (Gehring, 1997). The fiction part in Hollywood has been acknowledged for a long time by the majority of critics and reviewers of the genre between high art and mass culture. For the common audience of those fictions, there has been a lot of questioning about the behavior and sexual mortality in the film trade; there was also a concern about the moral value of films and their impact on the society as a whole (Springer, 2008). Some Hollywood movies reflect social attitudes or generalize from specific films. Fictional films are very difficult and hard to make. Social products are completed, distributed, and received by the audience. The critics examine completely in order to evaluate their roles as historical evidence. For instance: it is too risky to take into consideration only some films from a particular period of time as an easy reflection to the American society. Furthermore, the attitudes that are represented in a particular film might symbolize a chain of compromises cautiously designed to be non-offensive. Also, some individual firms and companies might point out indicate very unusual attitudes toward race relations or womens rights for example. Approaches about class, gender, ethnicity, work, and all other aspects of life are represented in fictional films and movies as they are novels and plays. As a mass visual entertainment, those fictional films reflect the social attitudes in a precise dramatic manner. Some movies which were released from 1915 to about 1955 were Americas mainly popular structure of narrative entertainment. At that time, movies tended to be targeted to larger group of audience, who are even larger than most of the audience of plays and novels. Moreover, movies by then reflected social attitudes more precisely than any other medium, as they got into the maximum number of people. The huge amount of audience doesnt necessarily mean that movies in America characterized all points of view. In filming a movie, directors and staff tries to avoid certain controversial points of view in order not to offend a huge number of people. Also, the producers of films try not to insult any wide groups of people and they normally stay away from political controversial, so that they can be able to sell the film internationally to make profit. A film that is driven by the society is basically stating whats really happening in the real world in a movie. Some movie directors try to reflect the picture of whats happening in the world or society by exaggerating a little more. Other film directors might just mirror real life in their movies. Others might be brave and in their movies that they show what is hidden in the society and represent it in their movies. A great example of a movie that is driven by the society could be Casablanca. Since it was filmed during War World II and it has some political and social mores of the society. Another example is the movie Amadeus, since it was a story about the lives of Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri, who are two composers and that was during the latter half of the 18th century On the contrary, some movie director wants to add something to the society or want to drive a new idea or message into it, so they do that in their movies. This is what its called society drives the entertainment industry to create films within a specific moral, social, or political context. Those kinds of movies are more open minded, because it requires more creativity and imagination to come up with something new more than the movies that are driven by the society. Most of those kinds of movies are imaginary movies. Another issue of argument of the same field might be that modern society is addicted to media entertainment. Simply, people in society couldnt live without all the noises, the images, the technology weve reached to nowadays. Media and films might affect society as well. It could have positive or negative influence on people. For example, violence movies might affect children, teenagers, or adults as well. They might get influenced unconsciously with what they watch in those violent movies. It can affect ones moral values, political, and social mores and make them more aggressive. Moreover, films of teenagers drinking or dealing with drugs also affect adolescence negatively. On the other hand, movies that have great morals affect people positively. For example, movies that might deal with family gathering throughout the whole film, can teach the audience the importance and the value of a family. In conclusion, a lot of writers, historians, and people argue about weather films reflect our political and social mores of our society or vice versa. The subject of the matter here is still and will remain a subject of argument and discussion, although it defers from one movie to another. Some movies combine both. For instance, a movie can be driven by society and also could be that society drove the entertainment industry to create the film or parts of it within a specific social moral and political context.

Role of the Human Resource Manager

Role of the Human Resource Manager Executive Summary The following report has discussed about the role of Mr. John Edwards, Human resource manager of Reliance Communication Ltd. The report focuses on the responsibilities and complexity of a person who is performing the role of a human resource manager. Interaction of Mr. Edwards as a human resource manager with other departments of the organization and with people outside the department is also discussed. The report begins with introduction to human resource management and highlights its importance in every business. Introduction is followed by a brief summary of the company. The report provides an analysis of the role of Mr. Edwards, what his priorities are and what he should do to be more effective in his job. The report is concluded with key points discussed in the report and is followed by references. Introduction The focus of Human Resource Management (HRM) is on managing people within the employer-employee relationship. It involves the productive use of people in achieving the organizations strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employee needs (Stone, 2008). The competitive advantage for organizations in the old economy centered on the financial capital and technology, the emerging economy has shifted its emphasis on investment in human capital, knowledge and the commitment of the employees. The focus in the business world has shifted from physical assets to knowledge and information capital. The effective management of human capital poses new challenges in the organisation for leadership and managerial capabilities. The human resource function has gone from the traditional hire and fire role to a strategic partner with finance, operations and other business departments that are not centers of profit for the organization. The job of HR, as is the job of all such departments, is to ensure that the business gets the most out of its employees. In another words, the human resource management needs to provide a high return on the businesss investment in its people. This makes it a highly complex function (Cascio, 1998). The following discussion is all about that is discussed above. Discussion will surround around involvement of Mr. Edwards in the company and how he is developing assets for his company. Company Profile Reliance Communications (formerly Reliance Infocomm), along with Reliance Telecom and Flag Telecom, is part of Reliance Communications Ventures (RCoVL). It is an Indian telecommunications company. Reliance Communications is a leader in telecommunications products and consultancy, a privately owned company with over 20 years of service to the business community, and with a reputation for integrity, superior implementation and support. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani controls 66.77 per cent of the company, which accounts for more than 1.36 billion shares. It is the flagship company of the Reliance-Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, Reliance Energy, Reliance Capital and telecom initiatives of the Reliance ADAG (Company profile). Role of HR Manager Staffing: Key function of Mr. Edwards is to fulfill staffing needs of the company and it can be done in variety of ways, whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill these needs. It takes place in two three steps. First step is to identify the requirements of the company and what kind of requirements is being requested. Second step is to determine the number of people and the skills mix necessary to do the work. Final step is to recruit and select the people best suited for the job and then to train them to fit and work efficiently in the organization. Retention: one of his critical roles in todays environment must be to help keep, develop and motivate the good people with scarce skills. This, of course, means knowing who they are and making sure that sufficient time and attention is spent with them. He makes sure that employees are rewarded for performing their jobs effectively, so as to keep them motivated. To make them comfortable he ensures that harmonious relations are maintained between the employees and the company and to maintain a safe and healthy work environment. Managing change: The constant evaluation of the effectiveness of the organization results in the need for the HR manager to frequently manage change. Both knowledge about and the ability to execute successful change strategies make him exceptionally valued. He acts as a change agent, serving as a catalyst for change within the organization. He has achieved this by developing problem solving communication and influence skills. He Advise managers on organizational policy matters such as equal employment opportunity and sexual harassment, and recommend needed changes. Employee Advocate: He acts as an advocate to every employee working in his company, to makes them aware of every information they require. It is his duty to provide current and prospective employees with information about policies, job duties, working conditions, wages, and opportunities for promotion and employee benefits. Serve as a link between management and employees by handling questions, and administering contracts and helping resol ve work-related problems interpreting. Analyze training needs to design employee development, language training and health and safety programs (Dolezalek, 2008). Development: is a function in which his objective is to preserve and enhance employee competence in their jobs through improving their knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics. Other functions: Analyze and modify compensation and benefits policies to establish competitive programs and ensure compliance with legal requirements. Plan and conduct new employee orientation to foster positive attitude toward organizational objectives. Maintain records and compile statistical reports concerning personnel-related data such as hires, transfers, performance appraisals and absenteeism rates. Analyze statistical data and reports to identify and determine causes of personnel problems and develop recommendations for improvement of organizations personnel policies and practices. Plan, organize, direct, control or coordinate the personnel, training, or labor relations activities of an organization. Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination (Hofstede, 1980). Responsibilities of Mr. J. Edwards Tasks What he Do What he Doesnt Do Skills Required Skills not Required Provide expert guidance, perspective, and support to enable managers and supervisors to make appropriate pay decisions Yes Communicate programs and guidelines to help managers and supervisors understand all aspects of the compensation program Yes Identify, collect, and analyze external market data in order to ensure alignment Yes Maintain the competitiveness of the staff compensation structure by reviewing the market trends annually and, when appropriate, making adjustments to the structure to reflect market pay levels Yes Evaluate and determine appropriate job family, level, title, exempt/non-exempt classification and salary range for each new position and for each request for reclassification Yes Hiring, supervising, training, monitoring and firing of staff. Yes Maintain performance management tools for each staff position on campus Yes Ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations Yes Effective communication Yes Ethical behaviour Yes Persuasiveness and the ability to influence others. Yes Strategic thinking and critical/analytical thinking Yes Organizational skills Yes Interdependencies Human resource manager works with different types of people and groups within and outside the organisations. Without interacting with these groups he wont be able to do achieve his goals with efficiency. Thus he is very much interdependent on these groups to bring the best out of him and the people his is supervising. Following chart shows the various departments he is related to: = outside organisation = within organisation Top management: HR manager links the employee with the company. If there is demand made by the employees such as change in pay structure, working conditions or resolving disputes between them, he gets in touch with the management and tries to resolve the issue as soon as possible. In return top management sets the guidelines and objectives which are to be followed by the employees. He makes sure that if there is any change in the guidelines for the employees, they are implemented. Sales department: sales department of Reliance communication is very big and have different branches. There are sales people who manage the sales process and there are others who complete the sale. Both the branches require people with different skills. Sales department will inform the HR manger about their requirements for personnel and it is the responsibility of Mr. Edwards to fulfill it on time. He may do it by directly recruiting people or if it is an emergency, he may approach any recruiting agency t o meet his requirements. Production Department: He maintains a constant touch with the production manager and provides him with staff that is required to fulfill the department. In this case it is his duty to guide employees of workplace safety and other safety measures. Marketing Department: Mr. Edwards play a very important role when dealing with the marketing department. He not only recruits people for them but also discusses the need of skills that are feasible for promoting the company and accordingly sets out the criterion for selection. Accounts department: he prepares an estimated budget, which will be required for the purpose of hiring and training new employees. In return he hires people for the accounts department when required. There are few interactions which are similar with every department. He takes initiative to motivate employees in every department and makes sure that he is in constant touch with employees who are facing any problems or having any issues while working. He sets up programs at regular basis to interact with employees of every department to know their problems and inform them if there are any changes required by the top management (Mujteba, 2006). Recruiting agencies: he contacts these agencies when there is an urgent need to employ people and it is not viable to go through the process of recruitment because of its time consuming feature. He will inform them with his requirements and in return they will provide with people of required skills. Conclusion The role of the HR manager must parallel the needs of his or her changing organization. Successful organizations are becoming more adaptive, resilient, quick to change direction and customer-centered. Within this environment, the HR manager, who is considered necessary by line managers, is a strategic partner, an employee sponsor or advocate and a change mentor. According to Dickson (1998), most important function of HR manager is to provide a support system to its employees; it can be emotional or physical. In todays organizations, to guarantee their viability and ability to contribute, HR managers need to think of themselves as strategic partners. In this role, the HR person contributes to the development of and the accomplishment of the organization-wide business plan and objectives. The HR manager contributes to the organization by constantly assessing the effectiveness of the HR function. He also sponsors change in other departments and in work practices. To promote the overall success of his organization, he champions the identification of the organizational mission, vision, values, goals and action plans. Finally, he helps determine the measures that will tell his organization how well it is succeeding in all of this. Managing people is one of the most difficult aspects of organizational management; it means dealing with people who differ physically and psychologically (Mendenhall, 2007). References: ïÆ' ¼ Stone, R. J., (2008). Human Resource Management, 6th edition. Pg. 3. John Wiley publication. ïÆ' ¼ Dickson, R. (1998). Huaman Resource Management 2. Retrieved from http://www2.prestel.co.uk/rossticle/essays.htm, retrieved on 12th August, 2009. ïÆ' ¼ Company Profile. Retrieved from www.reliancecommunications.com. Retrieved on 12 August, 2009. ïÆ' ¼ Cascio, W. F. (1998). Managing Human Resources. Pg 46. Irwin McGraw Hill. ïÆ' ¼ Hofstede, G. (1980). Cultures consequences: International differences in work-related values. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications. ïÆ' ¼ Mendenhall, Mark E.; Oddou, Gary R.; and Stahl, Gunter K. (2007). Readings and Cases is International Human Resource Management 4th ed. Routledge Publishers, Taylor Francis Books. ïÆ' ¼ Mujtaba, B. G. (2006). Cross Cultural Change Management. Llumina Press, Tamarac, Florida. ïÆ' ¼ Dolezalek, H. (2008). Good Job! Training, 45(6), pp. 32-34.

The Sun Rises :: essays research papers

The Sun Rises   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mankind, through its hardships and struggles, has created many outlets to tell of its trials and tribulations. People have a need to relate their stories to other people. Music, art, prose, cinema, and poetry are among some of the most common types of storytelling. Poetry is one of the oldest and strongest forms of telling a story. It has often been used to chronicle the hardships of a group of people who were held back from many personal freedoms our society takes for granted. Gwendolyn Brooks' people have had one of the hardest struggles placed upon any of the races that make up America. Brooks touches upon the hardships of her people and their ancestors in many of her poems. In 'To the Diaspora,'; Brooks uses the metaphors of the continent of Afrika, a road (or a journey), the sun, and a few others to tell of the struggle of African-Americans in the United States.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first metaphor the narrator speaks of is of the continent of Afrika. The word Afrika is used to mean a group of people and not the literal meaning of a continent of land. More specifically, these people are African-Americans. The 'Black continent'; she speaks of is a unification of her people (5). The narrator is telling her ancestors that they need to unite to make any progress. In the passage: 'You did not know the Black continent to be reached was you,'; she is telling her people, past and present, that the way to achieve their goals is within them (5-7). The narrator uses the word Afrika instead of Matt Parsons 2/14/00 Page 2 Africa to distinguish between the continent and the meaning she has placed upon the word. Through this metaphor the word Afrika comes to mean a continent of people, and their goals to achieve equality, instead of a continent of land. The next metaphor the narrator speaks of is one of a journey or way over a road. Gwendolyn speaks about her people setting out for Afrika. In the beginning of the poem we know that the people are beginning a journey but they do not know their destination. This gives us a glimpse into how hard the struggle of African-Americans must have been in the beginning of slavery. As the poem progresses into the second stanza, a road emerges and this lets us know that the narrator's people are getting some ideas about where they should be going.

Girls and Selfie Culture: Empowering or Narcissistic? Essay -- self-est

Art, specifically the self-portrait, has evolved along with technology and social media. With the technological generation, the self portrait has become a selfie. But what sort of social implications come along with this new trend? Thesis Statement: Selfies give women and girls the power to represent themselves the way they wish to be seen, boost self-esteem, and could even shift the standard of beauty to something more realistic. How Selfies got Started In any art history class, there is one topic that is always covered: the self-portrait. All great artists from Leonardo Da Vinci to Jackson Pollock have immortalized themselves in the form of autobiographical portraiture. Female self portraits are specifically significant. Until the 20th century, women were rarely trained in the art of painting. Usually, the only female artists were the daughters of male artists. This was because it was necessary for apprentices of artists to live and work with the senior artist. Of course, it was socially unacceptable for a woman to live with a man to whom she was not married. Therefore, most portraits of women pre-20th century are not self portraits, but instead portraits painted by male painters. We can recognize these portraits by the fact that the subject’s gaze is never at the viewer, but rather to the side or downwards, due to the fact that women were not meant to look men in the eye. One female artist pre-20th century who created a famous self-portrait is Marie-Denise Villers. Her most famous painting, Young Woman Drawing, was once thought to be the work of Jacques-Louis David. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, â€Å"many paintings, especially portraits of young women, which were formerly attributed to Jacques Louis David or... ...pinto, Lauren. "Artist Selfies: Everybod'ys Doing It." Muddy Colors (blog), January 23, 2014. http://muddycolors.blogspot.com/2014/01/artist-selfies-everybodys-doing-it.html (accessed March 3, 2014). Ryan, Erin Gloria. "Selfies Aren't Empowering. The'yre a Cry for Help.." Jezebel (blog), November 21, 2013. http://jezebel.com/selfies-arent-empowering-theyre-a-cry-for-help-1468965365 (accessed March 1, 2014). Simmons, Rachel. "Selfies Are Good for Girls." Slate (blog), November 20, 2013. http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2013/11/selfies_on_instagram_and_facebook_are_tiny_bursts_of_girl_pride.html (accessed March 1, 2014). Winter, Jessica. "Selfie-loathing." Slate (blog), July 23, 2013. http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/07/instagram_and_self_esteem_why_the_photo_sharing_network_is_even_more_depressing.html (accessed March 1, 2014).

Strategic Management and Competitive Advantage

Operations Management, 10e (Heizer/Render)Chapter 2 Operations Strategy in a Global Environment1) NAFTA seeks to phase out all trade and tariff barriers among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 2) The World Trade Organization has helped to significantly reduce tariffs around the world. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 3) Production processes are being dispersed to take advantage of national differences in labor costs. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 4) NAFTA seeks to phase out all trade and tariff barriers between the United States and Asia. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 5) One reason for global operations is to gain improvements in the supply chain. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 6) One reason to globalize is to learn to improve operations. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 7) To attract and retain global talent, and to expand a product's life cycle, are both reasons to globalize. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 8) A product will always be in the same stage of its product life cycle regardless of the country. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 9) The World Trade Organization helps provide governments and industries around the world with protection from firms that engage in unethical conduct. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Ethical Reasoning Objective: no LO 10) Boeing's development of the 787 Dreamliner is an example of a company obtaining a competitive advantage through product differentiation/innovation. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Topic: Global company profile Objective: no LO 11) An organization's strategy is its purpose or rationale for an organization's existence. Answer: FALSE Diff: 1 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 12) Operations strategies are implemented in the same way in all types of organizations. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 13) Experience differentiation is an extension of product differentiation, accomplished by using people's five senses to create an experience rather than simply providing a service. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 14) An organization's ability to generate unique advantages over competitors is central to a successful strategy implementation. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 15) Low-cost leadership is the ability to distinguish the offerings of the organization in any way that the customer perceives as adding value. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 16) Most services are tangible; this factor determines how the ten decisions of operations management are handled differently for goods than for services. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 17) The relative importance of each of the ten operations decisions depends on the ratio of goods and services in an organization. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 18) Decisions that involve what is to be made and what is to be purchased fall under the heading of supply-chain management. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 19) Manufacturing organizations have ten strategic OM decisions, while service organizations have only eight. Answer: FALSE Diff: 1 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 20) Errors made within the location decision area may overwhelm efficiencies in other areas. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 21) Southwest Airlines' core competence is operations. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 22) Key success factors and core competencies are synonyms. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 23) SWOT analysis identifies those activities that make a difference between having and not having a competitive advantage. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 24) For the greatest chance of success, an organization's operations management strategy must support the company's strategy. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 25) Key Success Factors are those activities that are key to achieving competitive advantage. Answer: TRUE Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 26) A multinational corporation has extensive international business involvements. Answer: TRUE Diff: 1 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 27) The multidomestic OM strategy maximizes local responsiveness while achieving a significant cost advantage. Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 28) Firms using the global strategy can be thought of as â€Å"world companies.† Answer: FALSE Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 29) Which of the following statements regarding the Dreamliner 787 is true? A) Boeing has found partners in over a dozen countries. B) The new aircraft incorporates a wide range of aerospace technologies. C) The new aircraft uses engines from not one, but two manufacturers. D) Boeing will add only 20 to 30 percent of the aircraft's value. E) All of the above are true. Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Global company profile Objective: no LO 30) Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner A) is assembled in Washington, D.C. B) uses engines from Japan C) has its fuselage sections built in Australia D) has increased efficiency from new engine technology E) results from a partnership of about a dozen companies Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Global company profile Objective: no LO 31) Examples of response to the global environment include A) Boeing's worldwide sales and production B) Benneton's flexibility in design, production, and distribution C) a Chinese manufacturer, Haier, opening plants in the United States D) Ford's partnerships with Volvo and Mazda E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 1 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 32) Which of the following is an example of globalization of operations strategy? A) Boeing's Dreamliner has engines with higher fuel/payload efficiency. B) Ford's new auto models have dent-resistant panels. C) A Chinese manufacturer, Haier, now operates plants in the United States. D) Hard Rock Cafà © provides an â€Å"experience differentiation† at its restaurants. E) All of the above are examples. Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 33) Cost cutting in international operations can take place because of A) lower taxes and tariffs B) lower wage scales C) lower indirect labor costs D) less stringent regulations E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 34) Which of the following did the authors not suggest as a reason for globalizing operations? A) reduce costs B) improve the supply chain C) stockholder approval ratings D) attract new markets E) None of the above were suggested. Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 35) Multinational organizations can shop from country to country and cut costs through A) lower wage scales B) lower indirect labor costs C) less stringent regulations D) lower taxes and tariffs E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 36) The term maquiladora is most synonymous with A) free trade zones in Mexico B) Chinese forced labor camps C) home-based or cottage industry D) areas that do not meet U.S. standards for workplace safety and pollution E) none of the above Answer: A Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 37) Which of the following is true of maquiladoras? A) They discourage foreign businesses from outsourcing. B) They assess tariffs only on the value-added work done. C) They originated in China. D) none of the above E) all of the above Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations Objective: no LO 38) Which of the following represent reasons for globalizing operations? A) to gain improvements in the supply chain B) to improve operations C) to expand a product's life cycle D) to attract and retain global talent E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 39) Which of the following does not represent reasons for globalizing operations? A) reduce costs B) improve supply chain C) reduce responsiveness D) attract and retain global talent E) None of the above are valid reasons for globalizing operations. Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 40) NAFTA seeks to A) substitute cheap labor in Mexico for expensive labor in the United States B) curb illegal immigration from Mexico to the United States C) phase out all trade and tariff barriers between the United States and Mexico D) phase out all trade and tariff barriers between the United States, Canada, and Mexico E) All of the above are NAFTA goals. Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 41) With reference to cultural and ethical issues, the World Trade Organization has A) succeeded in providing equal protection of intellectual property among nations B) made progress in providing equal protection of intellectual property among nations C) phased out all trade and tariff barriers between the United States and Mexico D) eliminated slave labor and child labor E) played little role in addressing cultural and ethical issues among nations Answer: B Diff: 3 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Ethical Reasoning Objective: no LO 42) Which of the following is true about business strategies? A) An organization should stick with its strategy for the life of the business. B) All firms within an industry will adopt the same strategy. C) Well defined missions make strategy development much easier. D) Strategies are formulated independently of SWOT analysis. E) Organizational strategies depend on operations strategies. Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 43) Which of the following activities takes place once the mission has been developed? A) The firm develops alternative or back-up missions in case the original mission fails. B) The functional areas develop their functional area strategies. C) The functional areas develop their supporting missions. D) The ten OM decision areas are prioritized. E) Operational tactics are developed. Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 44) Which of the following statements about organizational missions is false? A) They reflect a company's purpose. B) They indicate what a company intends to contribute to society. C) They are formulated after strategies are known. D) They define a company's reason for existence. E) They provide guidance for functional area missions. Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 45) The impact of strategies on the general direction and basic character of a company is A) short range B) medium range C) long range D) temporal E) minimal Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 46) The fundamental purpose of an organization's mission statement is to A) create a good human relations climate in the organization B) define the organization's purpose in society C) define the operational structure of the organization D) generate good public relations for the organization E) define the functional areas required by the organization Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 47) Which of the following is true? A) Corporate mission is shaped by functional strategies. B) Corporate strategy is shaped by functional strategies. C) Functional strategies are shaped by corporate strategy. D) External conditions are shaped by corporate mission. E) Functional area missions are merged to become the organizational mission. Answer: C Diff: 3 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 48) __________ and __________ are to differentiation competitive advantages as __________ and __________ are to response competitive advantages. (*See figure 2.4a in the textbook) A) Human Resources, layout; scheduling, maintenance B) Product, quality; location, process C) Quality, maintenance; inventory, scheduling D) Product, supply chain; layout, quality E) Product, quality; maintenance, scheduling Answer: E Diff: 3 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 49) Which of the following is least likely to be a Cost Leadership competitive advantage? A) low overhead B) effective capacity use C) inventory management D) broad product line E) mass production Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 50) According to the authors, which of the following strategic concepts allow firms to achieve their missions? A) productivity, efficiency, and quality leadership B) differentiation, cost leadership, and quick response C) differentiation, quality leadership, and quick response D) distinctive competency, cost leadership, and experience E) differentiation, distinctive competency, quality leadership, and capacity Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 51) A firm can effectively use its operations function to yield competitive advantage through all of the following except A) customization of the product B) setting equipment utilization goals below the industry average C) speed of delivery D) constant innovation of new products E) maintaining a variety of product options Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 52) Which of the following has progressed the furthest along its product life cycle? A) drive-thru restaurants B) Boeing 787 C) iPods D) Twitter E) Xbox 360 Answer: A Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: no LO 53) The ability of an organization to produce goods or services that have some uniqueness in their characteristics is A) mass production B) time-based competition C) competing on productivity D) competing on flexibility E) competing on differentiation Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 54) Which of the following has made the least progress along its product life cycle? A) drive-thru restaurants B) Boeing 787 C) iPods D) Twitter E) Xbox 360 Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: no LO 55) A strategy is a(n) A) set of opportunities in the marketplace B) broad statement of purpose C) simulation used to test various product line options D) plan for cost reduction E) action plan to achieve the mission Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 56) Which of the following statements best characterizes delivery reliability? A) a company that always delivers on the same day of the week B) a company that always delivers at the promised time C) a company that delivers more frequently than its competitors D) a company that delivers faster than its competitors E) a company that has a computerized delivery scheduling system Answer: B Diff: 3 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 57) Which of the following is an example of competing on the basis of differentiation? A) A firm manufactures its product with less raw material waste than its competitors do. B) A firm's products are introduced into the market faster than its competitors' products are. C) A firm's distribution network routinely delivers its product on time. D) A firm offers more reliable products than its competitors do. E) A firm advertises more than its competitors do. Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 58) The ability of an organization to produce services that, by utilizing the consumer's five senses, have some uniqueness in their characteristics is A) mass production B) time-based competition C) differentiation D) flexible response E) experience differentiation Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 59) Which of the following best describes â€Å"experience differentiation†? A) immerses consumers in the delivery of a service B) uses people's five senses to enhance the service C) complements physical elements with visual and sound elements D) consumers may become active participants in the product or service E) All of the above are elements of experience differentiation. Answer: E Diff: 1 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 60) Experience Differentiation A) isolates the consumer from the delivery of a service B) is an extension of product differentiation in the service sector C) uses only the consumer's senses of vision and sound D) keeps consumers from becoming active participants in the service E) is the same as product differentiation, but applied in the service sector Answer: B Diff: 1 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 61) Which of the following is the best example of competing on low-cost leadership? A) A firm produces its product with less raw material waste than its competitors. B) A firm offers more reliable products than its competitors. C) A firm's products are introduced into the market faster than its competitors' products. D) A firm's research and development department generates many ideas for new products. E) A firm advertises more than its competitors. Answer: A Diff: 3 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 62) Franz Colruyt has achieved low-cost leadership through A) Spartan headquarters B) absence of voice mail C) low-cost facilities D) no background music E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 1 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 63) Franz Colruyt has achieved low-cost leadership through A) effective use of voice mail B) plastic, not paper, shopping bags C) background music that subtly encourages shoppers to buy more D) converting factories, garages, and theaters into retail outlets E) use of the Euro, not the currency of each European country Answer: D Diff: 1 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 64) Which of the following is an example of competing on quick response? A) A firm produces its product with less raw material waste than its competitors. B) A firm offers more reliable products than its competitors. C) A firm's products are introduced into the market faster than its competitors' products. D) A firm's research and development department generates many ideas for new products. E) A firm advertises more than its competitors. Answer: C Diff: 3 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 65) Costs, quality, and human resource decisions interact strongly with the __________ decision. A) layout design B) process and capacity design C) supply chain management D) goods and service design E) All of the above are correct. Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 66) Which of the following influences layout design? A) inventory requirements B) capacity needs C) personnel levels D) technology decisions E) All of the above influence layout decisions. Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 67) Response-based competitive advantage can be A) flexible response B) reliable response C) quick response D) all of the above E) none of the above Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 68) Which of the following is not an operations strategic decision? A) maintenance B) price C) layout design D) quality E) inventory Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 69) Which of the following OM strategic decisions pertains to sensible location of processes and materials in relation to each other? A) layout design B) goods and service design C) supply chain management D) inventory E) scheduling Answer: A Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 70) Which of these companies is most apt to have quality standards that are relatively subjective? A) Chrysler B) Dell Computer C) Sanyo Electronics D) Harvard University E) Whirlpool Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 71) Which of the following will more likely locate near their customers? A) an automobile manufacturer B) an aluminum manufacturer C) an insurance company headquarters D) a medical clinic E) All of the above will tend to locate near their customers. Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 72) Which of the following statements concerning the operations management decision is relevant to services? A) There are many objective quality standards. B) The customer is not involved in most of the process. C) The work force's technical skills are very important. D) Labor standards vary depending on customer requirements. E) Ability to inventory may allow the leveling of the output rates. Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 73) Which of these organizations is likely to have the most important inventory decisions? A) a marketing research firm B) a lobbying agency C) a management consulting firm D) an aluminum manufacturer E) a law firm Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 74) Before establishing and implementing strategy, a resources view would ensure that which of the following resources are available: A) financial B) physical C) human D) technological E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 75) Porter's Five Forces Model is used to evaluate competition based on which 5 aspects? A) research and development, cost, legal regulations, suppliers, customers B) immediate rivals, Potential entrants, customers, suppliers, and substitute products C) potential entrants, customers, suppliers, legal regulations, and cost D) immediate rivals, potential entrants, cost, substitute products, and legal regulations E) none of the above Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 76) Porter's Five Forces Model contains which of the following? A) immediate rivals B) potential entrants C) customers D) suppliers E) all of the Above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 77) Value-chain analysis is used to identify activities that represent, or can develop into, the core competencies of a business. Who introduced this concept? A) Ford B) Toyota C) Porter D) Smith E) None of the above Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 78) Value-chain analysis can be used to determine if a business is adding unique value in which of the following areas? A) product research B) human resources C) process innovation D) quality management E) all of the above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 79) Which of the following is not part of value-chain analysis? A) product research B) quality management C) supply-chain management D) marketing E) human resources Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 80) Which of the following environmental factors has not been a factor in Microsoft's changing strategy? A) Google B) security issues C) faster processors D) the Internet E) none of the above Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 81) Standardization is an appropriate strategy in which stage of the product life cycle? A) introduction B) growth C) maturity D) decline E) retirement Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 82) Cost minimization is an appropriate strategy in which stage of the product life cycle? A) introduction B) growth C) maturity D) decline E) retirement Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 83) The stage in the product life cycle at which it is a poor time to change quality is A) introduction B) growth C) maturity D) decline E) incubation Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 84) Which of the following changes does not result in strategy changes? A) change in the company's financial situation B) a company's adoption of new technology C) change in the product life cycle D) change in the competitive environment E) change in job scheduling techniques Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 19 85) Which of the following statements is most correct? A) KSFs are often necessary, but not sufficient for competitive advantage. B) KSFs are often sufficient, but not necessary for competitive advantage. C) KSFs are neither necessary nor sufficient for competitive advantage. D) KSFs are both necessary and sufficient for competitive advantage. E) None of the above statements is correct. Answer: A Diff: 3 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 86) Given the position of the iPod in the growth stage of its life cycle, which of the following OM Strategy/Issues should the makers of iPods be least concerned with at the current time? A) forecasting B) cost cutting C) increasing capacity D) product and process reliability E) enhancing distribution Answer: B Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 87) Which of these organizations is likely to have the most complex inventory decisions? A) a marketing research firm B) a stock brokerage firm C) a management consulting firm D) a computer manufacturing company E) a high school Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 88) The three steps of the operations manager's job, in order, are: A) develop the strategy, establish the organizational structure, find the right staff B) develop the strategy, find the right staff, establish the organizational structure C) find the right staff, establish the organizational structure, develop the strategy D) find the right staff, develop the strategy, establish the organizational structure E) establish the organizational structure, find the right staff, develop the strategy Answer: A Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 89) When developing the operations strategy for a new manufacturing organization, one of the most important considerations is that it A) requires minimal capital investment B) utilizes as much automation as possible C) utilizes an equal balance of labor and automation D) supports the overall competitive strategy of the company E) none of the above Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 90) Which of the international operations strategies involves high cost reductions and high local responsiveness? A) international strategy B) global strategy C) transnational strategy D) multidomestic strategy E) none of the above Answer: C Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 91) Which of the international operations strategies involves low cost reductions and low local responsiveness? A) international strategy B) global strategy C) transnational strategy D) multidomestic strategy E) none of the above Answer: A Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 92) Which of the international operations strategies uses import/export or licensing of existing products? A) international strategy B) global strategy C) transnational strategy D) multidomestic strategy E) none of the above Answer: A Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 93) Which of the international operations strategies uses the existing domestic model globally? A) international strategy B) global strategy C) transnational strategy D) multidomestic strategy E) none of the above Answer: D Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 94) The acronym MNC stands for A) Mexican National Committee (for international trade) B) Maquiladora Negates Competition C) Maytag-Nestlà © Corporation D) Multinational Corporation E) none of the above Answer: D Diff: 1 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 95) Caterpillar and Texas Instruments are two firms that have benefited from the use of A) the multidomestic strategy option. B) the multinational corporation strategy. C) the transnational strategy option. D) the maquiladora system in Europe. E) the global strategy option. Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 96) Which of the following are examples of transnational firms? A) Nestlà © B) Asea Brown Boveri C) Reuters D) Citicorp E) All of the above are transnationals. Answer: E Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 97) Boeing found its Dreamliner 787 partners in __________ countries. Answer: over a dozen Diff: 1 Topic: Global company profile AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 98) __________ are areas located along the U.S.-Mexico border in which factories receive preferential tariff treatment. Answer: Maquiladoras Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 99) __________ is a free trade agreement among Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Answer: NAFTA–North American Free Trade Agreement Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 100) __________ and __________ are two issues where significant cultural differences are large and progress toward global uniformity has been slow. Answer: Bribery, protection of intellectual property Diff: 1 Topic: Global company profile AACSB: Ethical Reasoning Objective: no LO 101) An organization that has worked to achieve global uniformity in cultural and ethical issues such as bribery, child labor, and environmental regulations is __________. Answer: the World Trade Organization Diff: 1 Topic: Global company profile AACSB: Ethical Reasoning Objective: no LO 102) In goods-producing organizations, __________,__________, and __________ may be inventoried. Answer: raw materials, work-in-process, finished goods Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 103) Strategy is not static, but dynamic because of changes in the __________ and __________. Answer: organization, environment Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-1 104) __________ is the stage in product life cycle at which it is a poor time to change quality. Answer: Maturity Diff: 2 Topic: Issues in operations strategy Objective: LO2-4 105) The __________ is how an organization expects to achieve its missions and goals. Answer: strategy Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 106) The creation of a unique advantage over competitors is called a __________. Answer: competitive advantage Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 107) Service organizations can immerse the consumer in the service, or have the consumer become a participant in the service, as they practice __________. Answer: experience differentiation Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 108) Competitive advantage in operations can be achieved by __________, __________, and/or __________. Answer: differentiation, low cost, response Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 109) A(n) __________ is a firm that has extensive involvement in international business, owning or controlling facilities in more than one country. Answer: MNC–multinational corporation Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 110) The __________ strategy utilizes a standardized product across countries. Answer: global Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 24 111) The __________ strategy uses exports and licenses to penetrate globally. Answer: international Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 112) The __________ strategy uses subsidiaries, franchises, or joint ventures with substantial independence. Answer: multidomestic Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 113) The __________ strategy describes a condition in which material, people, and ideas cross or transgress national boundaries. Answer: transnational Diff: 2 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 114) Identify five countries from which Boeing's 787 Dreamliner has suppliers. Answer: France, Germany, UK, Italy, Japan, China, South Korea, Sweden, U.S. Diff: 1 Topic: Global company profile AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 115) Identify five parts which Boeing's 787 Dreamliner gets from global suppliers; match each part with the country that supplies it. Answer: France–landing gear, Germany–interior lighting, UK–fuel pumps or electronics, Italy–part of fuselage or horizontal stabilizer, Japan–wing box or hydraulic actuators, China–rudder or general parts, South Korea–wingtips, Sweden–cargo and access doors, U.S.–GE engines Diff: 2 Topic: Global company profile AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 116) How can global operations improve the supply chain? Answer: The supply chain can often be improved by locating facilities in countries where unique resources exist. Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 117) How do global operations attract new markets? Answer: Since international operations require local interaction with customers, suppliers, and other competitive businesses, international firms inevitably learn about unique opportunities for new products and services. Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 118) State two examples of cultural and ethical issues that face operations managers in a global environment. Answer: Student responses will vary, but there are several issues on which there are wide differences from country to country, culture to culture. Among those listed in the text are bribery, child labor, slave labor, and intellectual property rights. Students may bring forward from an earlier chapter issues such as environmental regulation or safe work environment, and may raise issues such as product safety. Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Ethical Reasoning Objective: no LO 119) What is the difference between a firm's mission and its strategy? Answer: A firm's mission is its purpose or rationale for an organization's existence, whereas a firm's strategy is how it expects to achieve its mission and goals. Diff: 2 Topic: Developing missions and strategies Objective: LO2-1 120) Since the early 1990s, residents in a number of developing countries have overcome culture, religious, ethnic, and political productivity barriers. These disappearing barriers coupled with simultaneous advances in technology, reliable shipping, and cheap communication have all led to the growth of what three things? Answer: 1. World trade. 2. Global capital markets. 3. International movement of people. Diff: 2 Topic: A global view of operations AACSB: Multicultural and Diversity Objective: no LO 121) Provide an example of an organization that achieves competitive advantage through experience differentiation. Explain. Answer: Answers will vary, but Disney and Hard Rock Cafà © are illustrated in the text. Competing on experience differentiation implies providing uniqueness to your service offering through immersion of the consumer into the service, with visual or sound elements to turn the service into an experience. Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 122) With regard to the scheduling decision, how are goods-producing organizations different from service companies? Discuss. Answer: Goods-producing companies: the ability to inventory may allow leveling the output rates; service companies: primarily concerned with meeting the customer's immediate schedule. Diff: 3 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 123) How do goods and services differ with regard to handling the quality decision? Answer: There are many objective quality standards for goods, whereas there are many subjective quality standards for services. Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 124) What is the difference between goods and services in terms of their location selection? Answer: Manufacturers of goods may need to be located close to raw materials, or labor force. Services, on the other hand, typically are located close to the customer. Diff: 2 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions Objective: LO2-3 125) How has Franz Colruyt achieved low-cost leadership? List three specific examples and describe each briefly. Answer: Several methods are listed in the text. Among these are no shopping bags, dim lighting, no voice mail, conversion of older buildings, Spartan offices. Diff: 2 Topic: Achieving competitive advantage through operations Objective: LO2-2 126) Define core competencies. Answer: A set of skills, talents, and activities that a firm does particularly well. Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 127) For what type of organization might the location decision area be the least important of its ten decision areas? For what type of organization might the location decision be the most important of the ten decision areas? Discuss; augment your response with examples. Answer: The relationship between the organization and its suppliers or its customers is key. If that relationship is very weak (as in no transportation costs, or customers can reach the firm from any location), location diminishes in importance. If that relationship is strong (uniqueness of site, high transportation costs, customers will not travel far) location increases in importance. â€Å"Least† examples: Telemarketing firm, tax help-line, Internet sales. â€Å"Most† examples: gold mine, oil well, ski resort. Diff: 3 Topic: Ten strategic OM decisions AACSB: Reflective Thinking Objective: LO2-3 128) What is SWOT analysis? List its four elements and describe its purpose. Answer: The four elements of SWOT are strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Its purpose is to maximize opportunities and minimize threats in the environment, while maximizing the advantages of the organization's strengths and minimizing the weaknesses. Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-1 129) Are strategies static or dynamic? What are the forces that lead to this result? Answer: Strategies should be dynamic because of changes within the organization and changes in the environment. Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-1 130) Identify and explain the four basic global operations strategies. Give an example of each strategy. Answer: The multidomestic strategy decentralizes operating decisions to each country to enhance local responsiveness. The primary example from the textbook is McDonald's. The global strategy centralizes operating decisions, with headquarters coordinating the standardization and learning between facilities. The textbook names Texas Instruments and Caterpillar. The international strategy uses exports and licenses to penetrate the global markets. Students may cite Pier One, World Market, or any wine store. The transnational strategy exploits the economies of scale and learning, as well as pressure for responsiveness, by recognizing that core competence does not reside in just the â€Å"home† country, but can exist anywhere in the organization. Examples from the textbook include Bertelsmann, Reuters and Nestlà ©. Diff: 3 Topic: Global operations strategy options AACSB: Multicu ltural and Diversity Objective: LO2-5 131) Nike is the world's largest athletic brand. Its innovative and broad product line helps drive sales, however a large majority of those sales are in the footwear business. Most of Nike's goods are produced overseas in low-cost factories and then imported to the final market. Nike currently has many of the top U.S. athletes under contract (Michael Jordon, Tiger Woods, Dwayne Wade) but international sales are still small in emerging markets. However, many competitors have attempted to copy Nike's business model (high-value branded products manufactured at low-cost), including Adidas and Reebok, while many retailers have attempted to pass on the low-cost pressure of retail consumers. Perform a SWOT analysis for Nike. Answer: Strengths- Innovative products, athletes under contract Weakness- Much of revenue is from footwear, eroding market share could cost Nike its profitability Opportunities- Sales can be increased in emerging markets using well-known athletes, broad product line can be expanded into high profit sectors (jewelry, sunglasses, golf, etc) Threats- International business makes Nike vulnerable to currency changes, low-cost pressure from retailers can decrease profit per item, competition could erode existing market share. Athletes’ personal lives could weaken Nike's reputation. Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 132) Starbucks is one of the best known coffeehouse chains in the world. Each store sells a variety of innovative products to complement the array of coffee choices available. However, 75% of current stores are located in the United States and the expensive nature of the coffee leaves Starbucks vulnerable to changes in consumer spending behavior (such as recessions). Recently Starbucks has begun initiatives to sell its specialty coffee beans for home use, presenting a chance for a large increase in revenue and diversification. However, Starbucks faces fierce competition seeking a piece of its lucrative market share and the threat of consumer behavior changes, given its reputation rides on a singular product. Perform a SWOT analysis for Starbucks. Answer: Strengths- High profit specialty coffee, well known brand image Weakness- Most stores located in U.S., most profits come from coffee (both are lack of diversification) Opportunities- Emerging market in coffee beans for home use, chan ce for global expansion Threats- Intense competition, consumer behavior changes (less spending during a recession on its luxury coffee, change in beverage preferences) Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 133) Perform a SWOT analysis of Boeing's 787 Dreamliner using the information presented within the text. Answer: Strengths- Technological advances (8% increase in fuel efficiency, electronic maintenance monitoring) Weaknesses- Diverse suppliers and assembly locations leave Boeing vulnerable to currency exchange rates and make quality control difficult Opportunities- one of fastest-selling commercial jets ever gives Boeing a chance to increase market share, Boeing can parlay its use of diverse supplier locations into diversifying customer base Threats- competition from Airbus, divestment of the manufacture process risks losing company trade secrets (competitive advantage) Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 134) Perform a SWOT analysis of Hard Rock Cafà ©, using the information presented within Chapters 1 and 2 of the text. Answer: Strengths- Hard Rock's unique coupling of an experience with its menu gives it a competitive advantage, diverse portfolio of stores in 40 countries lowers risk Weaknesses-Hard Rock is known exclusively for its â€Å"experience†, this one-dimensional competitive advantage presents high risk Opportunities- New â€Å"experience† types at restaurants (Blues, Hip-Hop, etc themes), addition of new stores to the existing 120+ stores Threats- Hard Rock's exclusive Rock ‘n' Roll theme leaves it vulnerable to changes in consumer music preferences, competition in the restaurant business is very tough Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4 135) Perform a SWOT analysis for Franz Colruyt, using the information presented within the text. Answer: Strengths- High profit margin of 6.5% from its extreme low-cost competitive advantage Weaknesses- Lack of bagging, in-store music, dim lighting, and lack of aesthetic in-store appeal all limit potential customer base. Opportunities- Franz Colruyt only operates 160 stores so there is opportunity for global expansion Threats- High profit margin might encourage competition to copy Franz Colruyt's low-cost competitive advantage, eroding it. Changes in consumer behavior (increased prosperity) might decrease customers interested in only a low-cost alternative. Diff: 2 Topic: Strategy development and implementation Objective: LO2-4