If you don’t believe in God, there is no point getting married

If I wanted to get married to someone but neither of us believed in God and then someone told us that there is no point getting married because we don't believe in God, I would obviously not love the person very much. If I had just accepted that and told the person I was engaged to that the wedding is off, then I wouldn't care about them very much in the first place if I didn't even think about what the person had told me properly. If you love someone and they ask you to marry them, could you not believing in God really destroy your marriage? Marriage is about love and promising to stay with that person for the rest of your life. The fact that someone doesn't believe in God can't force you into thinking that it isn't right to get married. If I had a different view, and thought that if you don't believe in God there is no point getting married, I can see why that is true in some cases. Most people get married in a church and hymns and holy songs can be sung. I could say that if someone didn't believe In God, what right do they have to make a promise in the house of God, which they may or may not keep. In conclusion, I think that Even If you don't believe in God, you should get married. If you really loved someone and really wanted to make that promise, you would step aside from your beliefs and commitments just for that day, so you can stay with the person you love, possibly forever.

Mega Trends in Fashion

T4 MEGATRENDS 1. Celebrity Culture: Celebrity culture means that common people want to look and feel like celebrities. This affects a shift in consumer behavior and marketing. People are more likely to purchase garments if celebrities are seen wearing them than the consumers’ personal taste. This new celebrity obsession will drive consumers to buy the latest worn garment their most admired celebrity is wearing. This change in consumer behavior will have to be taken into consideration when companies advertise as they will be more likely to sell a product if celebrities are used in the advertising campaign rather than a ordinary model.Celebrities are influencing design, advertising and distribution. 2. Social networking: Social networking is the fastest growing trend. Most the population are engaged in some sort of social networking whether it be facebook, twitter, pintrest or blogs. Due to social media, word-of-mouth promotion is a new phenomenon, which can either have positive , or negative outcomes for companies. The constant sharing and use of images/ideas/technologies means less promotion and marketing is needed by companies to distribute their products.This is the case as everyone has instant updates and access to the latest trends. Companies do not have to exert their effort into promotion, as consumers are already in the know. 3. Global Financial Crisis: Due to the current financial issue, many people are left unemployed and redundant. Many people have had to re-budget and re think their expenditure. Many people have had to restructure the way their families live and have had to cut down on many unnecessary expenses.Fashion is one of the first categories that people cut down on. Food and housing are seen as essentials and fashion is seen as a luxury. Thins being the case, people don’t have the money to buy and spend, making it difficult for fashion houses to remain open as they have a dwindling clientele. 4. Satiability: Sustainability and th e environment have become most topical in todays world. With this knowledge, consumers want more company transparency.Consumers want to be aware of the origins of their purchases as they care about human rights and the environment. Consumers want to be able to reuse and recycle clothing. The notion of vintage clothing has become very trendy as consumers realize that old clothes are still wearable and are of quality. The notion of fast fashion is disturbing the environmentally friendly consumers, as high levels of waste are prevalent. Companies are being forced to reassess the ethics of their sourcing, manufacturing and distribution processes.

Benetton baby Essay Example for Free

Benetton baby Essay Benetton baby was produced as a 1991 advertising campaign that also included images of a priest kissing a nun and coloured leaves floating in a sea of petrol. Although I would presume Benetton would be trying to show the beauty and goodness of the new born baby they claim â€Å"Benetton is not trying to emphasise the beauty a and goodness of its apparel, but rather is trying to capture the interest or people†¦ The objective is to brake through the barrier of indifference. † But I believe that the image is in anyway offensive or wrong. The image consists of a newborn baby trailing its umbilical cord, the baby is covered in blood, and two hands, presumably of a Doctor, are waiting to receive the child. This was created to appear on billboard so the shire size would make the image impossible to be missed. The background is white therefore the baby stands out. The logo is included to the left of the advertisement and is very small almost insignificant. The image is very clear and not edited in any way to make the situation more attractive I agree with the advertisement entirely. Although it is a strange way to advertise I have no objections. The image is very large and might not be what all people want to witness it but birth of babies are publicized on the television as entertainment or education in more graphic detail. Isn’t a baby being born â€Å"the most wonderful experience†? But people did however complain, the public disagreed strongly with this image â€Å"the poster†¦. Has attracted more than 800 complaints. † 800 is not a particularly large amount when in comparison with the millions that would have witness the advertisement. The complaints consisted of â€Å"the image is shocking and distasteful†¦ â€Å", â€Å"many children are reported to have found it disturbing†¦ â€Å"and objections regarding the â€Å"exploitative use of such an image to sell clothes. † All complaints where made to an advertising organisation called the ASA. The ‘Advertising Standards Authority’ began in 1962 by the advertising industry. The ASA practises a voluntary code of practice called ‘The British Code of Advertising and sales promotion practise. The code declares that all advertisements must be legal, decent honest and truthful. They must not be offensive or downgrade competitors they must not deliberately misinform. Benetton baby does break some of these rules. The first rule broken in some points of view is ‘decency’ â€Å"No advert should contain any matter that is likely to cause widespread offence†¦. â€Å"The advert may be offensive to a mother who recently had a miscarriage. As to a woman whose child has recently died or to a woman who cannot become a mother. Etc. however this information cant be held against Benetton as a second rule in the code states, â€Å"[t]he fact that a product may be found offensive by some people Is not†¦ a sufficient basis under the code for objecting an advertisement for it† therefore the advert is within its own rights. ‘Honesty’ â€Å"†¦. cause be easily grasped and clearly understood†¦ † the advertisement isn’t entirely clear. From the advertisement alone you are not able to grasp what exactly the clothing company is retailing. However the advertisement does not lead you to believe that the Benetton Company sells babies or anything else, for that matter. â€Å"Looking death in the face† An ad showing the image of a man dying of AIDS, surrounded by his family. The logo is present also but, as with the others, it is small and unimportant. The camera shot is very provocative, it is very close up. The dying man obviously and purposely is made to resemble Jesus this has been done by computer. The image almost makes you fell an intruder in the scene. This has led to furious debate about the limits of advertising. Benetton claims, â€Å"It was as if the reality of suffering only had dignity and moral value in the editorial section of a newspaper and lost all its ability to denounce and sensitize people when in `contagious’ contact with advertising. † Published by an English daily before its official presentation, the photo provoked a controversy that extended from Great Britain throughout the world. The AIDS ad may, however be seen by some as trying to profit from people’s pain rather than simply offending the more traditionalist members of society. One British AIDS charity agreed, while some American gay activists disagree, saying the advertisements gives the issue a higher public profile. The parents of the dying man may feel the same since, according to Benetton, they approved the company’s use of the photo. With this new project, Benetton has once again chosen to look reality in the face by embarking upon a social issue, as he did in previous campaigns that focused on war, Aids, discrimination and racism. Harshly attacked by some and internationally applauded by others, Benetton’s campaigns have managed to tear down the wall of indifference contributing at increasing the awareness of universal problems among world’s citizens. Both the advertisements, â€Å"Benettons baby† and â€Å"looking death in the face† Where concealed and eventually banned across the world. There is more to this than the old saying that all publicity is good publicity. Oliviero Toscani, Benetton’s â€Å"adman,† claims the campaigns are not designed to offend, but rather to â€Å"raise consciousness. † A more plausible interpretation is that Benetton is trying to sell sweaters to the young and hip and those who like to think of themselves in that way. What better means to appeal to them than by offending an older generation of their parents? 7th January 2000 – At the beginning of the new millennium, Benetton publicized the real faces of the prisoners on death row, without a future. Remorseful or unremorseful, smiling or sad, healthy or ill, they all are guilty in the eyes of the human law. Many have their arms crossed; one is shown reading the Bible. Almost all of them are looking directly at the camera, at you. These portraits of dozens of individuals sentenced to death are the results of Oliviero Toscani’s two years of work which he visited several American prisons. The campaign is about the death penalty this project aims at presentation to the public the reality of capital punishment, aiming to prevent people considering the death penalty as a distant matter, just something they might hear about on television. Toscani’s images intend to give back a human face to the prisoners on death row, to remind â€Å"respectable people who are always so sure they’re right†¦ † that these people are human Beings not virtual characters easily removed or secured with a simple click as with a game. The campaign appeared on billboards and on the pages of the major publishing companies around Europe, America and Asia in January 2000. Toscani spoke for the prisoners when he said, â€Å"that having killed has changed them forever, and for the worst. † Speedy Rice a writer, on behalf of the NACDl (National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) who has contributed to the campaign by patiently contacting and negotiating with prisons’ Mr. Rice mentions that during 1999 there has been a huge rise in the number of executions in the United States. Of the 600 death sentences that were passed between 1976 and the end of the 20thcentury, approximately 100 executions were carried out in 1999. Benetton advertisements to me have a strong meaning, which differs from individual to individual. For some the adverts are merely indicating how ignorant the world is today. How people emphasise on looking a certain way and how they foresee others. To others they may be seen as a source of entertainment something to discuss on the train or to your local cab driver that will never silence. There are many other views but mine is this I agree entirely with the advertisements, although others wont. The ads are unique and contain moral issues that may keep the brain puzzled all day to find. As there has been such uproar in disagreement concerning the ads this has given Benetton a vast amount of free advertisement. I like all the adverts I have been analysing although I do prefer the â€Å"death row† images. These appeal to me a majority more as they have more of a moral message, and become challenging to comprehend the death penalty law. You are left asking yourself, â€Å"Do I agree with the death penalty? † All of the benetton advertisements caused great amounts of controversial disagreement. The three mentioned esspecialy, as to more than half the world they have no meaning, as to others they offend highly. Benetton baby. (2017, Jul 09).

The Importance of Outside Classroom Activities in Promoting Oral Essay

The Importance of Outside Classroom Activities in Promoting Oral Fluency in an EFL Context - Essay Example Consequently, creating opportunities outside the classroom for students to speak English is an effective strategy in compensating for students’ limited use of the L2. Research studies have shown that external classroom activities have equal significance in enabling students learn English as a second language. In addition, it has been asserted that such activities provide a non-educational environment from which a student may feel free and comfortable to acquire new language skills. This study investigates the significance of outside classroom activities in promoting students’ oral proficiency. In addition, it reports on students’ perceptions of such activities. Fifteen participants from the American University of Kuwait took part in this study. Open-ended interviews were done to find out what the participants thought of these activities, and what they gained from them. Interview results show that students found outside classroom activities very effective in improving not only their oral fluency skills, but their confidence and critical thinking skills as well. The implications of this research study are for language practitioners and language programs in the EFL context to be aware of the benefits of incorporating outside classroom activities in language teaching. Approximations indicate that in the beginning of the 21st century, around 400-500 million English speakers existed [1]. Obviously, by now the number has dramatically increased. The reason for that is many countries have picked up English as the primary foreign language as the world continues to connect more and more. In these countries, it is estimated that there is 20-30% of the population that speaks English. Thus, the author notes that around 1.5 to 2 billion English speakers exist worldwide. The numbers are inclusive of native language speakers who use English as their first language, and non-native English speakers who use English as their secondary language. While studying English in

Identify at least three types of project procurement contracts Essay

Identify at least three types of project procurement contracts. Describe each and discuss the risk associated with both the buyer and the seller - Essay Example This contract settle the costs incurred by the seller and a pre-determined fee above the actual costs which represent the profit enjoyed (Carstens, Richardson & Smith, 2013). The seller therefore embarks on a project without limitations to expenditure but files all expenses incurred to be passed on to the buyer. This contract exposes the buyer to more risk than the seller because valuation will contain all expenses despite cases of poor workmanship and material resource mismanagement. An example of risk is where the buyer only receives receipts of purchases that are subject to negligence of the seller who may overlook good pricing of commodities in favor of convenience. Time and Material Contracts contain elements that are characteristic of the Cost Reimbursable Contracts and The Firm Fixed Price Contract. The contracts are best applied in cases of ambiguity or unclear statement of work (Carstens, Richardson & Smith, 2013). An example is where the workers need to be increased for shorter executions with an aim of meeting challenges previously unforeseen on the project. Alternatively, engagement of experts on certain aspects of work may require such contracts. This type of contract shares the burden of risk between the sellers and buyers. The risk falls more on the partner who requires the adjustments beyond basic agreements of project procurement contract. However, most cases call for open ends on buyers cost increase during periods of

Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Business Plan - Essay Example The products will be the same from the farm, but I will be selling them as my own brand name. Proposition In today’s world, organic food has been touted as the best option as either genetically modified food or food grown under green house conditions are not nutritious comparatively. Food from organic farming is gaining prominence from consumers despite the price compared with food from these conventional sources. There are many reasons that support any business with a special focus on environmental sustainability, therefore, the current success in my franchise business. My plan is to build a brand that delivers the same promise to a wider clientele at with a vision to cover the whole country in five years and foreign markets starting from European Union. The market is growing tremendously with consumers who are able to afford, ever increasing. Clients visiting my shops have been more than willing to pay a premium for the vegetables, fruits, and animal products. The reasons wh y they are buying are many including health and safety benefits as they are highly nutritious when delivered when fresh. To the environment, organic farming conserves it by preserving the natural state of soil, no erosion and restoring where they are depleted. Water bodies are conserved as there are no harmful affluent substances from the farms besides not cutting down trees along rivers and trees under agroforestry to create a sustainable environment. The most important reason for growth in sales in organic food is the economies of scale in forming cooperative farming as more farms join the cooperative able to produce en mass. This result in reduced production costs eventually passed on to consumers through reduced prices. The franchise business I have been operating has been able to gain more customers as they place more orders. I have been able to buy a pick up that I have been using to deliver to customer residences regularly from the fee earned from Riverford Farm. There is a g reat opportunity to serve more customers with the right capacity and repackaging vegetables for delivery to a wider market network. The current stalls have been overstretched as they serve only a small clientele limited by the number of stocking of pre-ordered supplies and delivery. There is a great opportunity to expand beyond the current limitations by placing my own orders which I am able to service. In order not to be limited by the supplies from the farm I am planning to contact more farmers who are able to supply from other regions as I cover a wider geographical location as I expand in future. I will design and print my own delivery box and provide a wider variety of choices. Parts of my target clients are hotels which a have unique variety mix in vegetables, fruits and animal products. The box content can be changed to suit specific needs for each target client by having only fruits boxes, vegetables and animal products. Hotels and institutions may not fall in the kind of cl ient characteristic served by the current boxes but rather require each unique product in large quantities. I will be able to supply directly to Yorkshire Farmers Market to business people operating stalls. Marketing mix To succeed in my plan, I need a proper marketing mix that is able to deliver the promise of value to my business and to the target customers. I should be able to attract and retain

Financial Report for Balance Plc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Report for Balance Plc - Essay Example Guidelines are provided on how certain items of fixed assets should be accounted for, the components of cost are considered, a review of the useful life of a machine, the treatment of buildings bought for business use and buildings bought for investment purposes. Introduction The method of accounting for property plant and equipment sometimes poses a problem due to uncertainties about what should be included as part of cost and what should not be included. There are different methods of accounting for changes in the life of property, plant and equipment. However, the method chosen depends on the type of asset and whether it is specific to a particular entity. Accounting for investment property also has some technicalities in terms of when the fair value model should be considered and what constitutes an investment property. Cost of acquisition and treatment in the accounts The standard which applies to property, plant and equipment generally is IAS 16 – Property, Plant and Equ ipment. This standard was last revised in 2012 and considers among other things definitions, measurement, disclosures, valuation, and components of costs (Deloitte 2012). BPP (2009) provides a list of the items that should be included in the cost of property, plant and equipment are: i. Purchase price after deducting trade discounts and rebates; ii. Customs duties paid for importation of the item as well as other purchase taxes that are not refundable; iii. Direct costs that can be attributed to bringing the asset to working condition for its intended use including, costs of handling and delivery in the initial stages, installation, testing, site preparation, and professional fees; The standard also indicates costs that should not be included such as administration and general overheads; any losses incurred in the initial stages before the asset attains the level of planned performance; and start-up costs or any other cost incurred prior to the commencement of its use to produce goo ds and services (Melville 2011). It therefore means that the cost provided for Machine A should be revised as shown in Table 1 (See Appendix1). Table 1 shows the calculation of the cost of Machine A. The service contracts to June 2015 of ?57,000 represent prepaid expense for servicing the Machine A over the next three years and should be expensed over the period. Therefore, the relevant cost to be included in the accounts is ?943,000. The IFRS was amended based on discussions on matters that came to the attention of the standard setting body – the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) between 2009 and 2011. If the spare parts conforms to the definition of property, plant and equipment given in IAS 16 then it should be included. IFRS (2012a) defines property, plant and equipment are tangible items that are held for use in the manufacture of goods and services, for rental or for own business purpose and are expected to be used in excess of a 12 month period. The calcu lation in Table 1 assumes that the spare parts meet that definition. However, if it does not then it should be expensed and the cost of Machine A would be reduced to ?937,300. Additionally, if the amount of ?5,700 is considered immaterial then it should be

Marketing Management. Fast food Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marketing Management. Fast food - Assignment Example In Canada fast food restaurant include Boston Pizza, Tim Horton and Swiss Chalet. In the UK fast food restaurants include included Easy Pizza, and Pizza Express. In this market the restaurant form chains which are in most cases centrally controlled, this restaurants have been criticised in the past that excess consumption of these foods will lead to obesity, the direct advertisements to children, the reduction of local cuisines and their lack to provide employment. Consumer behaviour is changing and the fast food industry is loosing market share to other restaurants that produce expensive meals to consumers, also the campaign against the consumption of these fast foods has led to a decrease in consumption. Advertising in the fast food restaurant is through television commercials, the print media, billboards and events sponsoring. Recently this food restaurant are now changing to internet advertising due to increased criticisms on television and media, Branding includes clothing, direct signs and posters. McDonald has sponsored the Olympic Games, FIFA world cup and NASCAR teams. Advertising plays a major role in marketing a product; advertising informs consumers on existing products, communicates the information about a product, stimulates the distribution of a product, increases product usage and finally builds brand preferences and loyalty through constant and consistent promotional campaigns. Fast food advertising in 2001 amounted to 635 million dollars for McDonald, 298 million dollars for Burger King, 179 million dollars for Tacos Bell and 148 million dollars for Pizza Hut. (http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/pdf/1479-5868-1-3.pdf) According to the fast food industry statistics the fast food industry is losing popularity due the constant campaigns, the campaigns are usually based on the fact that the food they produce cause obesity, the advertisement of junk food to children and this has led to countries introducing strict limitation on fast food advertisement and this has made them to advertise through the internet as an alternative to reach their customers. We there fore analyse the MacDonald restaurant to view their strategic planning on market throughout its historical development from a small restaurant to a multinational restaurant. Mc Donald Fast Food Restaurant. Mc Donald is the largest fast food restaurant in the world. It has dominated the American market and the rest of the world. The restaurant has many branches all over the world and they are similar in their services, staff uniform, menu, packaging and services with a smile. The principle of this restaurant is efficiency, calculability, uniformity and control through automation. It was founded in 1940 by Dick and Mac McDonald. This company has branches in 199 countries and serves close to 5 million customers dairy. In 2005 report, the company had a total of 45,777 employees, in the same year total revenue amounted to 20.466 billion US dollars and the net income to the restaurant amounted to 2.602 billion US dollars. The volume of food used every year are 32,000 tonnes of beef, 21,500 tonnes of chicken, 100 million eggs and 7,250 tonnes of cheese just to mention a few. Mc Donald and Dick ventured into the food business in 1937 by opening a hotdog stand in Arcadia California, they later expanded their business and in 1940

Ratings In Schools And Accountability Systems Research Paper

Ratings In Schools And Accountability Systems - Research Paper Example Administrators also feel pressure when accountability systems are adopted. They report that they must spend additional hours defending their schools' competitive standing with parents, teachers, and the media--hours that they once spent more productively. In response to these worries and pressures, educators also begin to adjust the focus of their efforts. Their curricula and teaching efforts become more standardized and superficial. Moreover, since they want their schools to look well on competitive tests, they tend to restrict instruction to the topics assessed by those tests. A sad example of how this process works was recently described by sociologists Jere Gilles, Simon Geletta, and Cortney Daniels. In 1993 the State of Missouri created an accountability program designed around a new assessment instrument, the Missouri Mastery Achievement Test. This test was tied to a new curriculum that had been developed by the state's department of education, and all schools were required to administer it so that it could be used as a "report card"--letting the public know how well their own schools were doing compared with others in the state. As Gilles and his colleagues describe the outcome, results of this. Quality programs and textbooks were scrapped in order to replace them with materials that directly taught the test, and an unholy competition emerged between districts and communities over test scores. In some districts a week or more of instructional time each year was devoted to this test.... scrapped in order to replace them with materials that directly taught the test, and an unholy competition emerged between districts and communities over test scores. In some districts a week or more of instructional time each year was devoted to [preparing for] this test (Gabbard 67). Moreover, this was not an isolated incident. As testing specialist George Madaus has suggested, when you have high-stakes tests, the tests eventually become the curriculum. It happened with the Regents exams in New York. Items that are not emphasized in the testare not emphasized in school. That's a fundamental lesson that cuts across countries and across time. Teaching has not changed that much; it's an art form. Given basically the same set of circumstances, teachers will behave in much the same way. . . . But if you go to Europe, to the British Isles, or to Australia and look at comparable literature, [worries about] the external achievement exams . . . appear often. And they write about cramming, about how they prepared for the exams. They write about how, after taking the exams, they purged their minds of the answers that they had learned (Gabbard 59). Somehow, we doubt that most Americans are interested in promoting school learning that is narrow, test-specific, standardized superficial, and easily forgotten--but that is exactly what accountability programs promote. It also takes a great deal of time and money to conduct accountability programs. According to a leading scholar, Arthur Wirth, citing the National Commission on Testing and Public Policy, mandatory testing in America now "consumes annually some 20 million school days and the equivalent of $700 and $900 million in direct and indirect expenditures." What this means, of course, is that schools regularly shortchange

Country Case Report for China Essay Example for Free

Country Case Report for China Essay The third largest land area in the world belongs to the People’s Republic of China. Presently, its population is the largest on the record and its capital, Beijing is the economic and cultural center. China’s economic growth greatly improves due to the trend of poverty reduction during the period of 1980-1990. From 542 million to 375 million, shrinking by 167 million, China’s poverty population exceedingly reduced. Angang stated that China’s achievements in poverty reduction made huge contributions to the cause of poverty reduction of the world (2). According to World Bank, the poverty population of the world dropped off by 98. 3 million. Among the five Asian countries with the most condensed poverty population are India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, and according to the industrial poverty line, China’s current proportion of poverty population is the lowest. Statistics show that China has experienced a period of human history in which poverty population decreased by a largest margin in the past 2 decades, and reversed the trend that poverty population has been increasing in the past five decades in the world history, causing the poverty population of the world to decrease for the first time. That is to say, without China’s efforts of poverty reduction, the poverty population of the world would have increased from 848 million in 1980 to 917 million in 1990. (Angang, 2-3). Ambassador Baodong stated that the Development-oriented Poverty reduction program for Rural China for the period of 2001-2010 generated grand effects in the global poverty reduction. The number of rural population in China declined to 21. 48 million and 2. 3% of national poverty incidence was accounted for the 55% of global poverty reduction in 2007 (Baodong, 1). Technological development plays a vital role in the country’s economic growth. From 1980 to 1990, China’s expenditure amounted to US $17billion for imported technology. The trend of research and development made an immense leap. As a result there has been a modest amount of growth in the country’s development however the inefficiencies posted to be the chief dilemma. At the end of 1990, statistics illustrated that 50 of Shanghai’s large and medium enterprises only reached 10 percent of international level of quality standards and 30 percent arrived at the prototype stage using the new programs. From the year 2001 – 2005, this country became a major IT nation in the world, standing third place in manufacturing setting and first rank in telecommunications. The business cycle of the Chinese economy had undergone substantial magnitude from the time when the government established in the mid1950’s centralized economic management and planning. The period from 1979-1990 was depicted with relative stability and high escalation. In 1955-1978 economic growth rates, the movement went from 5. 7 percent to 9. 3 percent in 1979 to 1993 period. Investment cycles, harvest fluctuations, political disturbances, inflation and periodic retrenchments are the major factors that affect business cycles. Downturn was evident during 1980-1981, then an upswing from 1982 – 1989 and the business cycle in 1989 was another downturn and an upturn in 1990. Imai’s stated that his conclusion on Chinese business cycle stated that cycle interacts with exogenous shocks and generates business cycles with dissimilar amplitude and duration. An investment cycle is generated by patterned reaction of central planners who adjust the level of fixed investment in response to capacity pressure, an indicator of macroeconomic tension. An instititutional prerequisite of this cycle is the weak financial accountability of state enterprises (178). Economists added that the efficiency wedge, which represents institutional change and technology advance, was the main source of economic fluctuations in 1978 2006. The amplitude of it fluctuation declined after 1992, which resulted in moderation of business cycle fluctuations. Distortions manifest themselves as taxes on investment, which represents frictions in the capital market, became another economic fluctuation source after 1992, which is different from results of business cycle accounting on US and Japan data. Results also show that government consumption and net exports played minor roles in generating business cycles (Gao). China’s world trade generated a strong impact on its growth. Imports and exports led China to be among the world’s most significant export destinations for other Asian countries. Since the year 1979, the country’s global trade gradually improved. Presently, Japan’s exports of 11 percent came from China, before it was only 2 percent during the end of 1990. The Chinese government implemented tariff reductions in order to continue its longstanding trend in world trade. During 2004, China’s tariff rates dropped from 0. 6 to 10. 4 percent. Part of the country’s trade reforms to (WTO) World Trade Organization is to lessen tariff rates and eliminate import quotas and licenses, opening sectors for foreign country involvement such as telecommunications, financial and insurance services. Complete access to foreign participants is greatly assured through automatic licensing procedures. Eradication of limitations on trading and domestic distribution for majority of goods is also part of the plan. According to WTO, China will retain import state trading for wheat, rice, corn, sugar, tobacco, cotton and chemical fertilizers, as with export trading, corn, tea, rice, coal, silk, crude and processed oils, cotton, tungsten and ammonium products are included. In addition to this, China had been permanently bestowed with the most-favored-nation (MFN) treatment by other participants of WTO. As response to this honor, some countries have abolished restrictions on China’s imports. The contributing factor for the possible boost in China’s trade is when quota restrictions are lifted. China’s membership to World Trade Organization made enormous effect on some of the trends in relation to the role of China in international trade. Examples comprise of its magnetism to foreign investors and developing role in global export base. This is evident in IMF statistics that showed its market share in Japan, United States and Europe, from the period 1980 to 1990, an overall total of 10. 3 percent, and end of 2003, a whopping 37 percent (Source: IMF, Direction of Trade Statistics). â€Å"Just as water always flows to the lowest point, China is bound to be the first option for foreign capital investment (â€Å"Chinas Cheap† A1). China’s labor force is considered cheap and also of good quality. It is estimated that 100 million of employees in rural areas are likely to be waiting to be changed to urban workers. The Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) is a significant gauge to quantify the labor supply of PR China. In the period of 1980-1990, the LFPR in China is higher among other countries. The most likely basis is moderately low income level. There is high participation in the labor force among women because one wage earner is inadequate to support a family. In the last 5 years (2002-2007), women’s participation in the labor force exceedingly increased according to APEC statistics. Presently, the government was executing the guidelines which were implemented during 1997, which was the division of labor market between urban and rural areas. The labor market is exclusively for high school graduates or those with lower educational background. This probable outcome of this situation is the layoffs in urban places and labor surplus in rural areas. In the coming years, it has been forecasted that China might face a nationwide labor shortage. The country is fast approaching the â€Å"Lewisian turning point†. It is a theory by Arthur Lewis stating the turning point from surplus labor to labor scarcity. In the year 1980, State Council issued a decree prohibiting the use of foreign exchange for making payments in China. Foreign exchange rates or Waihui, equal in value to the Renminbi at effective rate, were put into circulation for use by nonresidents only. It could be use for transportation fares, hotel bills and purchases at Friendship stores. Then in 1981, the foreign trade rate was since fixed at 2. 80 from 1. 750. In 1985, the internal settlement rate was abolished and all trade was governed by the Effective Rate. A foreign exchange retention quota also exists for a portion of export proceeds. Authorization was granted for Chinese residents to hold foreign exchange and open foreign exchange accounts and to deposit and withdraw funds in foreign exchange. In the year 1986, The trade-weighted basket of currencies was abandoned and the Effective Rate was placed on a controlled float based on developments in the balance of payments and in costs and exchange rates of Chinas major competitors. Shanghai International Trust and Investment Corporation was authorized to handle exchange business. In 1988, early this year, all domestic entities which are allowed to retain foreign exchange earnings were granted permission to trade in the adjustment centers, and by October 1988, 80 adjustment centers were established. Initially, a relatively small volume of transactions took place in these markets, but the volume has increased substantially since access to the centers was expanded. The Foreign Exchange Swap Rate was 6. 60 from 3. 72. In 1989, regulations were issued governing the use of foreign exchange obtained in foreign exchange adjustment centers. Imports of inputs for the agricultural sector, textile, and for technologically advance and light industries were given priority. Purchases of foreign exchange for a wide range of consumer products were prohibited. Such corporations are permitted to sell in China for foreign exchange provided that the sales involve purchases under the Governments annual import plan, sales in Special Economic Zones and other promotional areas, and sales of import substitutes. The Foreign Exchange Swap Rate was 5. 40 from 3. 72. By the end of 1990, The Foreign Exchange Swap Rate was 5. 70 from 5. 22. (Ka Fu) Presently, Premier Jiabao stated in the Annual Meetings of the Board of Governors of the African Development Bank Group in Shanghai that the government continues to push the Renminbi exchange rate reform in order to confer larger range to the role of the market. The reform permits citizens to purchase more foreign currencies and commercial banks. Financial market development has been highlighted with China’s monetary reforms. The Peoples Bank of China (PBC) has made great strides in modernizing its monetary policy frameworks but their effectiveness will diminish as the sophistication of the economy increases. Empirical evidence supports maintaining a reference to money in Chinas monetary strategy and enhancing the role of interest rates in its conduct (Maino, 44). The most suitable monetary strategy for China would be an eclectic monetary policy framework, whereby the growth in money supply and bank credit extension are used as intermediate guidelines for the determination of short-term interest rates. In addition, in deciding on the most appropriate monetary policy stance, developments in a number of other variables need to be taken into consideration, because the monetary aggregates are loosing some of their usefulness as indicators of future inflation due to structural changes in the economy (Maino, 40). The IMF also points out that Chinese monetary policy could improve noticeably if the central bank were granted more discretionary power to set interest rates. In the last two years, increases in the trade surplus and significant inflows of foreign capital have led to a large accumulation of international reserves, which has further complicated monetary policy handling. In this respect, the IMF has welcomed the changes introduced into the Chinese exchange rate system as a significant step towards making this system more flexible. Although it is difficult to define an equilibrium exchange rate, and not just revaluation, must be adopted if china is to increase the independence of its monetary policy and shield its economy against external shocks (Ruete, 8). Works Cited Angang, Hu. China’s economic growth and poverty reduction (1978-2002). 2 June 2003. IMF. 20 April 2008 http://www. imf. org/external/np/apd/seminars/2003/newdelhi/angang. pdf. Baodong, Li. Remarks by Ambassador LI Baodong At Ministerial Roundtable Breakfast of Economic and Social Council On Food, Nutrition and Agriculture: Working Together to End Hunger. 12 July 2007. China-UN. 22 April 2008 http://www. china-un. ch/eng/xwdt/t339666. htm Chinas Cheap, High-quality Labor Lures Foreign Investment. Editorial. Xinhua News Agency 21 December 2002, A1. Gao, Xu. Business Cycle Accoounting for the Chinese Economy. N. p. : n. p, n. d. http://www. wdi. umich. edu/files/Publications/WorkingPapers/wp795. pdf Imai, Hiroyuki, Explaining Chinas Business Cycles. 6 June 1996. IDE. 22 April 2008 http://www. ide. go. jp/English/Publish/De/pdf/96_02_03. pdf. Ka Fu, Wong. International Economics. 1 January 2007. 23 April 2008. http://intl. econ. cuhk. edu. hk/exchange_rate_regime/index. php? cid=8. Manio, Rodolfo. China: Strengthening Monetary Policy Implementation. 1 January 2007. Social Science Research Network. 23 April 2008 http://papers. ssrn. com/sol3/papers. cfm? abstract_id=959761. Ruete, Javier. The Development of Chinas Export Performance. 7 March 2006. Central Reserve Bank of Peru. 23 April 2008 http://www. bcrp. gob. pe/bcr/dmdocuments/Ingles/Comunicaciones/Press_200602. pdf.

Building Information Model in Energy Performance

Building Information Model in Energy Performance CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Introduction Building Information Model can be applied in various stages from feasibility study to demolition stage. The application of BIM in energy performance and life cycle cost assessment are presented in this research. According to Grilo and Jardim-Goncalves (2010), Building Information Modelling can be applied to the design of energy performance of a building and to evaluate the difference between various construction materials of the envelope. BIM becomes possible to assess the performance of the life cycle cost of the building in the early design stages. To study the benefits and ambiguous of the integration of the BIM and Life Cycle Cost Assessment, the energy-saving performance of the curtain wall system was focused to have assessment in annual energy consumption , by using BIM softwares. Through the assessment of energy consumption, the Life Cycle Cost of HVAC system and lighting system of the commercial building can be evaluated. Research Framework To fulfill the aims of the research, an all-round research on the integration of BIM and life cycle cost assessment containing literature review, pilot study with its results, discussion, conclusions and recommendation. The research framework is illustrated as figure 3.2.1. Literature Review The purpose of the literature review is to study about the BIM application in the construction industry in recent years. Besides, reading other literatures before pilot study can comprehend the knowledge about the definition of BIM, formulas of life cycle cost and the process to assess the energy saving performance of curtain wall via the BIM environment. Besides, the definition, merits and elements of life cycle cost have been studied in the review. Some relevant books, journals and papers are the major sources of literature review in this paper. Data Collection and Practicability of Pilot Study In this stage, a commercial building with curtain wall system is selected to have pilot study in this paper. Architectural 2D drawings of the building and some detail information about the building should also be collected at this stage. Furthermore, various data about curtain wall should be amassed, such as the shading coefficient and the lighting transmittance of certain curtain wall systems of the commercial building. After the preparatory study of the data and drawings, the practicability of conducting the pilot study can be assessed. The examination of BIM softwares which can be adopted in this study should also be conducted at this stage. Development of Building Model With the collected 2D drawings of the commercial building, the floor plans of the buildings are converted to a 3D model drawing by entering those dimensions to eQUEST. After that other information about curtain wall system, such as the type and specification of curtain wall system, should be inputted to the software. Conducting Pilot Study Background of the Pilot Study In Hong Kong, around 66% of electricity consumption was used by the commercial sector. In order to investigate the energy saving measure of the commercial sector, a commercial building with a curtain wall system which is one of the current methods to save electricity is the targeted building in this study. The design and layout out of the building assessed is similar to the commercial building nowadays. Besides, ten types of curtain wall are selected to be assessed with the target building and the cost data of those curtain wall systems are collected from consultant firms and contractors. In this pilot study, there are three sustainable performance assessments. With the integration of BIM and the pilot study, the annual energy consumption of the commercial building can be assessed with the use of BIM. After the assessment of performance, the life cycle cost which is used to assess the cost of an asset over a specified period of time can be calculated. Table 3.6.1 Background Information about Pilot Study Assessment eQUEST is used to assess the energy performance of the targeted building. Three assessments are included in energy assessment and they are i) relationship between U-value and energy consumption of HVAC system, ii) relationship between shading coefficient and HVAC system and iii) visible transmittance and lighting system. After the energy performance assessment, an economic performance assessment would be conducted. The value of energy consumption obtained by eQUEST in chapter 6 will also be used to calculate the life cycle cost of the building with the use of Microsoft Excel 2013. About the detail processes of calculating life cycle cost, they will be discussed in Chapter 7. Softwares Adopted in Pilot Study eQUEST eQUEST is a 6D BIM softwares that provides whole building energy performance assessment. It is widely used and popular in United States and Canada because of its high accuracy. With its wizards and dynamic defaults, eQUEST can rapidly conduct whole-building performance simulation analysis and generate various energy consumption reports, such as Annual Energy Consumption by Enduse report. Besides, eQUEST is able to assess the performance of building throughout the entire design process, from the conceptual stage to the final stage of design. About the simulation engine of eQUEST, DOE 2.2 is also popular within various BIM softwares because of its widely used. Last but not least, eQUEST has been tested according to ASHRAE Standard 140 which is a well-known international standard. Microsoft Excel 2013 Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet software developed by Microsoft. It has been widely used in different industry because of its fantastic application in calculation and graphing tools. Apart from the special features of forming two-dimensional and a very limited three-dimensional graph, Microsoft Excel still has the basic features of spreadsheet, such as using the numbered rows and the numbered columns to define the location of the cells. Declaration for Software Adoption It is declared that this paper has no relationship or connection with the developer of software mentioned above, namely, eQUEST and Microsoft. Those softwares have been used because of three reasons. First of all, they are capable to perform the assessment, such as energy consumption assessment, required in this study. Secondly, they are well-known softwares in the construction industry for assessing building performance in energy usage and life cycle cost calculation. Finally, those softwares have developed education or free visions in which students or the public can download from its official website. Discussion After the sustainable performance assessment via BIM environment, the discussion about the integration of BIM and sustainable assessment will be conducted. The benefits and ambiguous encountered by 6D BIM can be identified in the process of assessment, especially for eQUEST. Furthermore, the results of curtain wall systems in energy and economic aspect will be consolidated and form an overall performance assessment. The most economic, environmental and optimum types of curtain wall system can be selected by different graphs. Conclusion and Recommendation After the stage mentioned above, the findings about the features of the curtain wall system and energy consumption can be consolidated at this stage. Also, limitations that restrict the accuracy of the study would be pointed out in chapter 9. Besides, some recommendations for further study about the improvement of the integration between BIM and sustainable assessment of the building would be made.

Francisco de Goyas Painting, The Third of May Essay -- Art Painting P

Francisco de Goya's Painting, The Third of May Goya's painting has historical significance, as well as a social message that he wanted to send to generations to come. The painting The Third of May, by Francisco de Goya, was done in 1814 to commemorate the events of that took place during the Napoleonic Wars in Madrid, Spain on May 2 and 3 1808. The painting sets the scene of a man about to be killed by a firing squad. The bodies of those who have already been killed are scattered around him, and those that wait to be killed stand in line behind him. The ground is covered in blood from those who have already been executed. The sky in the background is black, with the outline of a convent on the horizon. Through my religious upbringing, as well as my background in art history, I am able to recognize the symbolism and tools that Goya used to make his statement that war of any kind produces no good. During the Napoleonic Wars, which took place in the early part of the nineteenth century, Spain was invaded in 1807. Napoleon forced King Ferdinand to abdicate the throne, which he gave to his brother Joseph Bonaparte. Many Spanish citizens welcomed the presence of the French in Spain because of the liberal reforms that they made, including a new liberal constitution. But with the rumor that the last member of the royal family was going to be removed from Madrid, the citizens of Madrid gathered in public squares on the night of May 2. At nine o'clock on the morning of the third, an uprising began. The citizens were armed with whatever they could find: scissors, knives, spoons, and a few firearms. The mob temporarily prevented the cart with the remaining members of the royal family from leaving. By mid-afternoon the revolt was... ...m able to recognize them as certain tools used by the painter. It is very possible that if I had not been raised with a religious background or had not taken my art history class, my perspective towards the painting would be very different. I might look at the painting and simply see a man about to be killed. I might not see the sacrificial element of it. My understanding of art and the language of art would be lacking. Without the knowledge of these things I would probably see a more general picture, and I might have missed the aspects of Goya's masterpiece that make the painting so moving to me. Works Cited Tone, John Lawrence. The Fatal Knot: The Guerilla War in Navarre and the Defeat of Napoleon in Spain. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. 1994. Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York: Prentice Hall Inc. and Harry N. Abrams Inc. 1995.

The Power of the Media to Influence Public Opinion Essay -- Media and

Police officers are an integral part of our society, they exist to establish and maintain stability and safety for the citizens which are in their jurisdiction. However, that great responsibility does not come without a downside, when people are given power there will always be someone who will abuse it. Our law enforcement staff is no exception to this rule; in 2010 there were 4,861 reports of police misconduct in the United States (NPMSRP). Police misconduct can mean anything from fraud or theft, to sexual assault or the use of excessive force. These are all fairly serious allegations and for many officers these are career ruining. Notwithstanding, there are also many police officers, like the police officers responsible for the famous Rodney King case, who merely get a slap on the wrist for the crimes which they have committed - that is until the media took hold of the case. The media was a very large part of not only the Rodney King case, but also many other cases throughout his tory. In this paper I will demonstrate several famous cases of police brutality throughout the globe and the influence of both the media and the new emerging forms of social media on both the process and the eventual outcome of said cases. Tiananmen Square One of the most famous cases of police brutality in history was easily the events which occurred during the Tiananmen Square protests in the spring of 1989 . This event was started by a group of students who wished to incite a sort of â€Å"Cultural Revolution† (Zhao). These peaceful protests included many events of anâ€Å"American† sort such as rock concerts and managed to unite much of the nation after the death of Hu Yaobang. (Pan 1) They came from the walled compounds of the Communist Party elite an... ...rned-from-rodney-king>. Pan, Philip P. Out of Mao's Shadow: The Struggle for the Soul of a New China. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2008. Print. Su, Yang. "Uptodate." Uptodate. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Feb. 2015. . United States. National Security Agency. Secretary. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. . Wilson, Stan. "Riot Anniversary Tour Surveys Progress and Economic Challenges in Los Angeles." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 20 Feb. 2015. . Zhao, Ziyang (2009). "The origins of the 1989 Student Movement". Prisoner of the State: The Secret Journal of Premier Zhao Ziyang. Simon & Schuster. Print.

Chekhovs Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka Essay -- Vanka Essays

Chekhov's Vanka - The Pathos of Vanka  Ã‚   Immediately following Chekhov's death, the Russian philosopher Shestov (1866-1938) wrote an essay entitled "Creation from the Void," in which he stated, "Chekhov was a singer of hopelessness . . . Chekhov did only one thing: In one way or another he smashed human hopes." Anton Chekhov's "Vanka" accomplishes that quite thoroughly. Vanka, the only active character, believes himself beset on all sides by his bleak world and relies on his own innocence and naivetà © to shield him. The basic premise of the story centers around the boy, including his futile epistolary plea for release to his questionable grandfather, while the author stresses the dangers of the boy's reliance on his innocence. The author's exploitation of Vanka's innocence and naivetà © challenges the sentimentality of Chekhov's "Vanka." Vanka assumes his grandfather, the lively Konstantin Makaritch, will lovingly bear him from his bleak existence upon receiving the letter, but upon closer inspection his grandfather is an unfit and unlikely savior. There are two separate aspects to "Vanka." The boy either concentrates on the drafting of his letter or loses himself in the memory of his grandfather. However, the boy's fond recollections contain evidence of his grandfather's disturbing character traits. In one instance, Vanka recalls his "laughing face and drunken eyes" (47). This fond remembrance alludes to a perpetual state of alcohol-induced befuddlement. His grandfather, a probable drinker, was also probably a womanizer, as Vanka imagines him "pinching first the housemaid, then the cook" (47). Thus, the author establishes the grandfather as unfit to care for Vanka. To discredit the grandfather further, the author uses rel... ...easing the pathos of the story, this final joke acts as a heart-hardener, transforming dejected despondency into caustic hilarity. The degree of exploitation of Vanka's innocence in Chekhov's tale alters the tone of the story. The growing sentimentality for Vanka and his grandfather extinguishes itself, replaced by empty mirth. Though first a tale of mawkish sentimentality, the author utilizes Vanka's naivetà © to debunk the grandfather, then ends "Vanka" with an ironic, twisting joke, similar to that of Maupassant's "The Necklace." Works Cited Chekhov, Anton. "Vanka" Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 46-50 de Maupassant, Guy. "The Necklace" Understanding Fiction. 3rd ed. Eds. Cleanth Brooks and Robert Penn Warren, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1979. 66-72

Groups and Teams Essay

Many organizations require their employees to work in teams but offer them no specific training. Research who offers such training in South Africa and what it aims to achieve. Use at least 3 sources and explain what they offer.[15] Planning and competency is deciding the tasks that need to be done, determining how to do them, allocating resources to those tasks, and then monitoring progress to ensure that they are done. The three sources which offer team building in South Africa are High Africa, Dream Team Catalyst and Movers and Shakers. These three sources aim to improve communication, co-operation, leadership skills and motivation. High Africa which is situated in Worcester, Cape Town. They offer corporate team building activities, packed with activities to increase confidence and trust within a group as well as a venue for conferences to be held. Participants learn to work in a group and improve communication and co-operation. These can be improved through a variety of stimulating activities that participants are involved in. All the activities that are done at High Africa ensure that participants have to communicate and depend on each other in order to succeed in the activity. As companies started demanding more value and measureable results the team building organisation, Dream Team Catalyst saw an opportunity to meet these companies demands and partnered up with Catalyst Global and Hercules Trophy to ensure that they are able to offer their clients the best team building solutions available worldwide. The approach of Dream Team is to offer structured interventions that address specific needs and achieve measurable outcomes as well as high energy events that will simply delight and astound even the most jaded participants. DreamTeam believes it is all about the people, the facilitators and participants. Their events have a unique style. Teambuilding Events, Conferences, Training Programmes, Incentives, Celebrations & Fun Days all take on a fresh look and feel when we are involved. Movers and Shakers have more than 15 years experience in organizational development teambuilding interventions and the training arena. Their motivational activities & exercises and team building programs & events make an unbelievable difference to your company or organization. Movers and Shakers are the international non-stop shop based in South Africa for motivation and team building. They are passionate about raising people to new heights in performance and motivation through our team building events, motivational activities and corporate team building exercises. A company relies immensely on people, they should be focused on continuously grown and empowered, and have the appropriate team building strategies in order for them to excel. The key function of any leader is to rise up other leaders. Any teambuilding ideas have to be effective, different and stimulating. 2) There is a trend to introduce teams into the workplace. Explain why this is the case. Describe the skills required in individuals to be effective in teams. Do you think all jobs should be designed around teams? [10] Strategic action competency is, understanding the overall mission and values of the company and ensuring that your actions and those of the people you manage are aligned with the company’s mission and values. It is a key managerial skill for top level and middle level management. A managerial competency in general is a set of knowledge, skills and behaviors that allows a manager to perform his duties effectively and at low costs. Strategic action competency is one of six core competencies necessary to be a good manager. The other five are communication competency, planning and administration competency, teamwork competency, multicultural competency and self-management competency. Teams have become increasingly popular in the workplace. A team-oriented organisational structure means companies rely on small work groups or teams to manage various products or tasks. Work teams offer some benefits because of the cooperation of several employees, but challenges also exist when work teams replace more individualized work. Some of the few things which team work encourage are better solutions and betterproduction. Better solutions are the main reason why companies opt for team work. Team work also results in better quality work and a more thorough and more creative solutions to problems or situations. People in a group that are from different backgrounds and perspectives working together, they tend to derive the best solution possible. Team members working together enhance benefits of the best solution by continuing to work together to enact it. Better production – along with better quality, well-managed workplace teams often produce more results as well. Members in a team can hold each other accountable and drive each other to more efficient work. By setting individual goals to go along with team goals, the employees within work teams can create some friendly competition and use the peer-pressure influence to keep each other motivated to reach goals. Effective team members need the following basic skills: * Communication and Negotiation – Team members need the ability to state ideas or questions clearly, listen to others attentively, and to resolve disagreements in a non-confrontational manner. * Analytic and Creative Skills – Team members need to evaluate information and propose creative solutions. * Organisation – The team needs to be able to track and complete all its tasks on time. Tensions can often arise if deadlines are missed * Listening – Employees need to listen to each other’s ideas. * Questioning – Employees need to ask each other questions, to ensure clear lines of communication. * Persuading – Employees will try convincing each other which alternative to choose. * Respecting – Employees will respect each other’s opinions. * Helping – The employees will help each other n work as a team. * Sharing – Employees need to share their ideas with each other, in order to choose the best idea. * Participating – Employees need to participate in activities and discussions. Jobs should be designed around teams because groups are the ideal building blocking for an organisation. There are at least six reasons for designing all jobs around groups. First, small groups are good for people. They can satisfy social needs and they can provide support for employees in times of stress and crisis. Second, groups are good problem solving tools. They are better than individuals at creativity and innovation. Third, in a wide variety of decision situations, groups make better decisions than individuals do. Fourth, groups are very effective tools for implementation Groups gain commitment from their members so that group decisions are likely to be successfully carried out. Fifth, groups can control and discipline individual members in ways that are often extremely difficult. Group norms are powerful control devices. Sixth, groups are a means by which large organisations can fend off many of the negative effects of increased size. Groups help to prevent communication lines from growing too long, the hierarchy from growing too steep, and the individual from getting lost in the crowd. 3) Think about whether you prefer to work on a problem or task individually or as part of a team. Motivate your preferences by appealing to your personality and character. Describe the experience (if any) you should now obtain to develop your teamwork competency and have evidence to convince potential employees that you have developed this competency. [10] I would say I do prefer to work in a team, as the team can always solve problems more efficiently and effectively than working individually. My personality is suitable to be part of a team, as my leadership qualities can be enforced and I can also take part in discussions and feel free to give my opinion when it is needed. A team needed committed team members who are able to work through any challenge and is still able to think logically. It important to not give up even if the group might be struggling or not communicating and it is important to be committed to every task that the team has to execute. My ability to work well with people will give me edge when working in a group, I will be able to listen to their opinions and also give my opinion. A high tolerance level will be of a benefit to the group as there are many group members from different backgrounds and personalities working together, personality clashes happen often in teams and members need to tolerate each other’s personalities and work with people from different backgrounds. I have had many opportunities to work in a team, which all were not pleasant. When working with team members you not familiar with it could be more difficult to get to know them and find common ground. Starting on the project and discussing ideas could be difficult because personalities would start to show and team members have to learn to tolerate each other’spersonalities. Team work can also be very pleasant, working with team members you familiar with can make an immense difference to the outcome of the project. As team members have previously worked together it would be easier for everyone to work together and execute the project. Team members gain team work competency if they worked in a number of teams. Team work competency would be creativity, communication, negotiating skills, helping each other, sharing and listening. Working in a number of teams I would say I have acquired those skills, and I would be able to work in most teams. I also believe that every project needs to be consulted with another person in order to achieve the best results. The team leader needs to consult with his team and gather information, their ideas and point of view of the project. I would have to say that team work is more efficiently and effectively than individual work. Team work allows you to be more creative and it can achieve better results than working on your own. 4) Explain how your teamwork competency is likely to effect employee’s evaluations of your candidacy for a job irrespective of where you work. Visit http://www.pmforum.org. Using the site as a starting point, explore the resources available to project managers. If you were to become a professional project manager, how could you use the resource available to improve your ability to manage a global virtual project management team? List the steps that you could take to prepare for serving as a leader of a virtual global project. [15] Global Awareness Competency is when an organisation carries out its managerial work by drawing on humans, financial, information and material resources from multiple countries. My teamwork competency will affect the employer’s evaluation by looking at he wants from the employee. If he wants someone that will be able to work in a group and is able to work with others then a teamwork competency will be in my favour. Your team competency will greatly affect the type of job you will have to do, if you work well in teams you will be working in teams a lot. If the organisation only works in teams, it makes you a good candidate. Your team competency can also lead to many other positions. Employers value an employee that is motivated, innovative and creative, they must also be able to lead and work well with others. Good communication skills are also a very important skill to have when your employer evaluates you as a candid, it will allow work to run smoothly and the lines of communication will always be open. The ability to listen to others and take instruction is key factors to working in a team, you have to listen to everyone’s ideas and be able to understand what they want you to do when you given a task. Guidelines which apply to virtual work teams: * Whenever possible, use a variety of communication technologies * Pay attention to the quality of the communication transmission keep the team as small as possible – preferably no more than seven to eight people * To the extent possible, take similarities and differences in time zones into account when assembling the team * Encourage the team members to discuss cultural differences * Be sure that someone is responsible for facilitating the communication process * Encourage team members to interact one on one, without feeling obligated to copy every email message to the entire team * Train team members to match their choice of technology to their task * Hold an initial face to face meeting to discuss the team’s purpose and clarify the roles and responsibilities of each team member * Whenever possible, individual team members should visit each other * Schedule periodic face to face meetings Managing Global Virtual Teams is a one of a kind, action-based programme that will show you how to manage geographically scattered and culturally diverse teams and achieve maximum results. Through the use of simulations, frameworks, video-taped exercises, and group coaching you will develop the ability to design and manage a global team in a way that encourages collaboration, improves intra- team communication, builds cohesion and leverages your team’s cultural diversity. Every employee must have work team competency, it will give them that edge when employers evaluate them. It also makes working in a group so much easier and great communication skills are an important aspect. 5) In your small group of two members that did this assignment, what were your experiences? Using the model of teamwork functioning, analyze what helped you and what hindered you in doing this assignment. Identify what you need to do differently next time. [15] We expected this assignment to go smoothly, and we would be working well together. This assignment would be very lengthy and we had to meet a lot. We expected each other to do what we were supposed to do and meet the due date. We both worked well together and executed the assignment as planned. The model of work team functioning is a general model of team functioning. The four key components are the external support system, team design, internal team processes and criteria for assessing team’s effectiveness. These four components work interrelated, and considered they provide a full understanding of how well a particular work team functions. The model helps identify work team problems, key contingency factors and provides guidance to managers interested in assessing whether a work team is achieving all of the various outcomes that are possible. 6) External context 7) Societal culture Organisational culture Organisation design Human resources management system 8) Effectiveness criteria * Team * Individual Internal process * Stages of team development * Feelings * Norms Team design * Team size * Team proximity 9) 10) External system The external system comprises outside organisational conditions and an influence exists before and after the team is formed. These influences may consist of societal and organisational culture, organisational design, and the human resources management system. Culture The societal culture in which the work team operates is one of the major external factors. All team members have different cultures and the team needs to be able to work with all the team members and they need to work well together. In collective cultures people are very comfortable working in teams. Organisational design Organisational design also directly influences the formation and functioning of the work team. A lot of the work our group did was from own, on our own time, which could either be a good or bad thing, as there was no one to watch over them. The work also had to be done at different locations where the group was able to meet up for a meeting or to discuss the progress of the assignment. The amount of work the each of us had to do was more than a bigger group, because of this we had to allow for extra time and had to do majority of the work on our own time. Human resources management system Organisations have quickly recognised that practices designed to enhance individual performance can be detrimental to teamwork and have established that new performance management systems are needed. Team based organisations may also change their basic procedures used to assign people to jobs. Some self management work teams have to make their own decisions, in this case employees must be trained to make valid human resources decisions and adhere to legal constraints. In our group there were no major decisions that had to be made, as group worked very well together and there was no member that we needed to take action against. Team design The design choices involved in creating a team are numerous. Factors that need to be taken into consideration are team duration, team goals, and team membership. Two additional design choices are time size and team location. Team size As the number of team members increases, the internal decision making process changes. We are only two in a group so the workload would be more and we would have to make decisions that would the suite a group with two members. If we had another group member our workload would be less and our decisions would have been different. The size of a also affect the quality of work a team produces, the optimal amount of members per group is 12 depending on the task at hand. It is known that smaller groups always seem to outdo the bigger groups. Members in larger groups have difficulty communicating directly to each other, as in a smaller group there is more face to face interaction. As a result of this smaller groups have less trouble with getting their message across and there are less communication barriers or miscommunication. If the task at hand is one that needs creativity and innovation it is best that the team is smaller, this allows for not too many opinions getting in the way and clear thinking can take place. Team location (team proximity) Team proximity refers to the location of a team’s members. Two aspects of proximity are relevant when designing a team are the team’s proximity to other work teams and the members of the organisation, and team members proximity to each other. When many teams are working on a single project, team members benefit from being near to each other. This helps team members if they need advice on a specific area and it allows for the competition to be tighter among the members. Members from different teams can meet and discuss their developments with each other. Problem solving occurs when it is readily needed; members can ask each other for ideas, tips, or hints on a specific problem. We worked very closely with the other groups and consulted with them regularly, this allowed us to ensure that we on the right track with the project. Is also helped to clear any, misunderstandings were dealt with immediately and we also got to hear how other groups went about doing their project. Virtual work teams A virtual work team is simply one that meets and does its tasks without everyone being physically present in the same place or at the same time. Virtual work teams can be functional, problem solving, multidisciplinary or self managing. New communications are allowing virtual workplaces to extend the reach of organisations fare beyond their traditional physical and cultural barriers. Our team has become a virtual work team at times where we cannot physically be at the same place at the same time. Technology helped us to finish our project when we acted at a virtual work team. We could learn a lot from this project and how to deal with a team, the project did however meet our expectations but the leadership could have been better. On our next project we will have to make a few changes in the way we went about doing the assignments. We would have to assign work to the team members more effectively, have regular meetings and, motivate each other to meet deadlines. 6) How was the level of communication of your group members? Were instructions clearly given and understood? Was there any form of miscommunication between you and your group members and your lecturer? Were individual tasks given and completed on time? [10] Communication is a very important aspect of a team, good communication is the key to your team members working well together and projects getting the results your hopes you would achieve. Our level of communication in the group was very good, we understood what we had to do and all work was executed as per planned. If there were any problems that needed to be handled they were dealt with, without delay, team members gave their opinion on certain issues and everyone had a fair chance to say what they wanted to, if something was not understood it was brought to the team members attention and questions were asked if team members were not clear about instructions. Each team member was given work that needed to be completed and when the work was assigned to them, they were given clear instruction on what needs to be done. Team members made sure that there was no miscommunication amongst each other. The lecturer thoroughly explained the assignment which was easy enough for all team members to understand. Work was assigned to each team member and they were given a deadline, not all deadlines were met as we still had to do last minute finalising. The project was done at a later date than expected and it put back the whole schedule. Team members who did not meet the deadline, were given a final deadline that had to be met, which was the final cut off date. In the end the project met the overall due date and the team worked well together. Our team worked very well together there were no communication problems and everyone completed their tasks. The lines of communication were always open which made it a very pleasant team to work with and the assignment was executed successful. * SECTION B 1) What are the advantages and disadvantages of organizing employees into work teams? Explain these advantages and disadvantages. [9] It is proven that performing a task in teams can achieve outcomes that could not be achieved by the same number of individuals working in isolation. There is that sense of support from your team members which encourage others to work more effectively and efficiently. The reason for organizations’ having employees work in teams are as follows: * To improve on-time delivery of results * To improve customer-employee relations * To assist improvement on products and services * Essential for career and management-employee growth * Improve understanding of the organization * Reduce costs and improve efficiency * Improve quality * Increase the commitment, ownership and motivation of employee The advantages of working in teams are as follows: * Creativity increases – Each individual has their own knowledge, personal attributes and skill. By using these different traits of each individual team member, more ideas for a task can be generated; making more solutions available for better results. * Speed – Team work allows a task to be completed quicker and more effectively as well as efficiently; work can move forward in parallel with the ultimate goal being achieved much faster than the task being done by one individual. As the saying goes â€Å"many hands, make light work†. * Effect on worker morale – Being able to work in a team allows for a close relationship between individuals, increasing good relationships in the working environment. It also helps people’s self-esteem, having the knowledge that they contributed towards the task and achieving self-satisfaction. * Effect on individual and shared responsibility – All team members should always feel obliged to deliver to their best ability. Each member knows that they have a responsibility for a specific task and that the team depends on them to deliver work of good quality. * Self-awareness to reach full potential – Your profile is developed and gives you a better understanding of the strengths you can contribute to a team. * Balance – Each member may have a specific area in which they excel and by utilizing these strengths, the team will be able to cover the key team role functions, the team will remain effective and there will be no friction of role duplication. * Increased productivity * Improved service * Shared vision – There is a common goal, so team members will thrive in achieving it. It keeps everyone moving forward. The disadvantages thereof are: * Struggling with teams – Some people prefer working in teams while others loathe even the thought of it. If your team members rebel in respecting your authority or any effort to form cooperative working units, team work will not be an effective solution for your organization. Therefore, it is important to assess your employees’ feelings towards teamwork before dividing them into teams. * Decrease in creativity – The â€Å"Group Think† tendency may occur. If one team member voices their opinion, while the other has another opinion in mind but opts to go with the majority of the other members to avoid conflict or tension. Novel ideas could be missed out on. * Free-riding – This is a very frequent term not only used in primary or tertiary education but it occurs in organizations as well. Team member refuse to be productive, flying under the radar to avoid work. This also leads to a decrease in productivity within the entire team. * Conflict may develop – In most teams, there are likely to be dominating overbearing or reluctant participants, resulting in disagreements between members therefore it is vital to monitor the performance of teams. * Present evaluation and reward challenges – It is rather difficult to assess the team effort of each individual group member therefore workers are usually asked to complete group member evaluations which assesses each member’s helpfulness and productivity in the task being completed. Though this method is not as reliable, as some members may demote others for reasons which are not related to the task. 2) Describe the stages of group development. Which stage is the most crucial? [15] The development of work teams is illustrated below: This development of work teams model shows the maturity on the vertical axis ranging from low to high, also known as ineffective and inefficient, versus the continuum of time together on the horizontal axis ranging from start (first encounter) to end (adjournment). There is no specific time period in which a team progresses from stage one to the following. The team can be discontinued at any time by the authority that created it, however the speed of team development reflects the team’s deadlines. If there is a deadline for a task, the team will feel more pressure to perform, setting aside their personal differences and working together in order to complete that task. This model also shows how a team can move back to a previous stage if the possibility of the team’s end arises – this is called recycling. This may result from a loss in members, rotations, promotions or retirements, thus the repetition of the previous stage to be surpassed once again. There are 5 stages, namely: * The Forming Stage: This stage focuses on orientation of the team’s goals and procedures as each team member is anxious about what each member is supposed to do while others may be excited. During this stage team members are usually positive and polite, some concerned about who will dominate team discussions; others may feel intimidated and not participate as freely as the others. This stage is fairly short and may only last until after the first meeting or discussion. Leadership roles need to be discussed and getting acquainted with fellow member will facilitate team development. If team members still feel uncomfortable within the group, team-building exercises would be recommended to ease the tension and establish a comfort zone, allowing the team to progress to the next stage. * The Storming Stage: Competitiveness and strained behaviours begin to emerge during this phase. This stage may involve resistance and impatience if progress is not made with a task; the authority of one team member may be challenged as others jockey for their position. As a leader, they have to take the pressure that their team members are under into consideration; they may even be uncomfortable with the approach being used for the task. A few members will even begin to force an agenda without regard for the needs of other members, or isolate themselves from group discussions. During this stage, conflict may arise but it is the group’s duty to resolve it through conflict resolutions. This is the stage where many teams fail. * The Norming Stage: Team members become positive about the team as well as the position of the team leader during this stage – where a hierarchy is established. Others may show leadership in other areas while respecting the leader’s authority. The mindset during this stage is â€Å"We are in this together, like it or not. Let’s make the most of it.† A sense of belonging and commitment starts to develop within the group; members communicating freely, cooperating, and accepting mutual respect. Rules of behaviour are enforced by team members and one will notice how towards the end of this stage, there is a sense of enjoyment about being involved. At the end of this stage the oneness syndrome may emerge, which results in needed task-related conflict not being optimally resolved, in turn causing the quality or quantity of performance to slip. * The Performing Stage: Hard work leads directly to progress towards the shared vision of the team’s goal but some teams never reach their full potential, regardless of how long they have been together. By this stage, team members have usually come to trust and accept one another, where diversity, opinions and viewpoints are encouraged and supported; making room for â€Å"wild† ideas without the feeling of being inferior to others. Feedback and listening adds to the team members being focused on and reinforce a sense of clear and shared goals. Leadership can also be shifted from member to member depending on the problem which needs to be resolved. The team now accepts each other’s differences and disagreements and works on them cooperatively and willingly, where internal politics is avoided when trying to solve an important issue. The following characteristics will lead to a high level of team performance: * Energy is spent on completing tasks and building interpersonal ties * Developing procedures for making decisions (including leadership) * Trust and openness among one another * Ask and offer help from one another * Sense of belonging and freedom within the team * Accept and deal with conflict * Members know how to assess and deal with their own functioning If one or more of these characteristics are absent, the team will be likely to prevail ineffective. The forming stage of any team is important as the team members get to acquaint them therein, exchange personal information with others and it is also an opportunity to observe how each member works individually and how they respond to pressure. The most crucial stage of Tuckman’s stages of development however, is the storming stage as it is necessary for the growth of the team. For team members who are averse to conflict may find this stage unpleasant, contentious and painful. Tolerance is a must and should be emphasized, because without it the team will fail. This phase can be destructive to the team and lower motivation if things get out of control and some teams do not even pass this stage. * The Adjournment Stage: Teams usually assembled for a long period of time, go through the adjournment stage. This stage involves the termination of task behaviours and disengaging from work relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation, achievement and an opportunity for team members to say their farewells. This can also create some apprehension. The termination of a team is a regressive movement from giving up control to the team to giving up inclusion in the team. It focuses on wrapping up activities and can happen at any time as it is not planned and could even be abrupt. However, change in members could result in recycling instead of adjournment. The most crucial stage of group development is the storming stage. Most people understand this stage as thestage where conflict arises and how to avoid it. Conflict is impossible to avoid but team members should handle and channel that conflict into effective individual and team development. The approach to conflict is crucial in successful team building and it would be advisable to enlighten the team about everyone not always going to agree all the time – it is normal, necessary and part of team development. During this stage, most members will rebel and even leave the team due to these misunderstandings and this is the mostly likely stage that most teams to do not progress through. 3) Raj Kashdish describes his workplace as â€Å"friendly, just great. All the people get along together, and we play bowls and action cricket after work†. Quality records show that Kashdish’s team produces high-quality results but the team’s cost are high and the output of work is low. Is this an effective work team? Explain your response. [10] There are specific criteria called effectiveness criteria which measures the outcomes achieved by team members and the team as a whole. Some teams may be effective in some aspects but ineffective in others. If a team takes longer than expected to make a decision, on speed and cost criteria, they may seem ineffective but if the decision is creative and achieves customer satisfaction the team will regarded as effective. This can be an effective work team with regard to individual effectiveness as relationships between individuals are heightened due to Kashdish’s team doing other activities other than work together; but it could also be regarded as team building. Their decisions and work are costly in terms of speed but effective in terms of customer satisfaction. Even though this team produces high-quality results, their costs and outputs are still low. They are not effective in terms of team effectiveness but more so individual effectiveness. 4) What are the primary differences between functional work teams and multi-disciplinary jn work teams? Outline these differences. [8] * Functional Work Teams – This type of team includes members from a single department, such as marketing, finance or human resources, who in cooperation solve issues pertaining to their area of expertise and responsibility. Their goals could be to minimize costs or to ensure continuous supplies. For goals to be achieved, team members need to constantly coordinate activities, sharing information on price changes and products. * Multi-disciplinary Work Teams – Depending on its goals or tasks, this type of work team can be temporary or permanent and consists of 5 to 30 employees from various functional areas and organizational levels with the same goal-oriented tasks, such as designing and introducing process reforms and technology. For example, your team consists of a civil engineer, an architect, a mechanical engineer and a quantity surveyor for the planning of the construction of a pump house on a major irrigation scheme. A caesarean section to deliver a baby also requires a multi-disciplinary team. A product development team will exist for the period of time which is required for the product to be brought to the market, varying from months to years. For example, Microsoft brings together multi-disciplinary teams consisting of experts with a variety of knowledge and backgrounds to generate ideas, which may include representatives from marketing and eventual end-users in order for the products to appeal to the customers. This type of work team provides competitive advantages such as speed aand creativity, if properly formed and managed. 5) What are the differences between problem-solving work teams and self-managing work teams? Describe these differences. [10] * Problem-solving Work Teams – This type of work team is usually made up of 5 to 20 employees, all from different areas of a department who consider how something would or can be done better. A meeting would take place for one or two hours every week on a continuous basis for discussion of ways which can improve quality, safety, productivity, morale – or they might meet intensively for the first week or so and disband thereafter. There are two forms of problem-solving work teams, namely: Task forces and quality circles. Task forces are the most common type of this work team. For example, a marketing group conducting a feasibility study of a product. A quality circle is a team which meets regularly to identify and analyze the different types of workplace problems and propose solutions. * Self-managing Work Teams – It consists of 5-15 employees who work together on a daily basis to make an entire product or render an entire service. They may all be from a single functional area, but more so they are multi-disciplinary. Various managerial tasks are performed by these teams such as rotating job tasks and assignments, ordering materials or deciding on team leadership. To sum things up, what needs to be done and how to do it are decided by them. They are sometimes called high performance teams as they are composed of highly skilled individuals fully capable of accomplishing major tasks, such as an emergency trauma unit. These individuals submerge their egos and fully commit to the team and its goals. 6) You have an opportunity to take a job as new team leader in an organization. Before you accept the offer, you want to assess whether the organization is likely to provide a supportive environment for the team. What are the questions you would ask about the organization to determine whether the environment is supportive? [15] * Can you tell me about the executive’s management style? * Can you describe the work environment in the workplace? * What do you consider to be your organization’s strengths and weaknesses? * What is the state of the equipment being used within the workplace? * What is the particular ambience the employees exude when at work? * Is there any prejudice, stereotyping or discrimination in the workplace? * If any, what are your conflict resolutions which are used when there is conflict between employees? * Are the organization’s supervisors and managers equipped with leadership and diversity training? * Is the working environment safe? * What are the incentives being offered to the employees, if there are any? * Are there processes and procedures used for violations of the employment acts? * Do employees have access to rich information and resources? * Are there appropriate procedures for safety, operation and security?

Brand and Indian Medical Association

Dettol Introduction Dettol is a brand which has been protecting India for more than 75 years. DETTOL is a brand of Reckitt Benckiser and has stood for â€Å"trusted protection† in India since 1933. The brand is endorsed by the Indian Medical Association and has consistently been voted as one of India’s Most Trusted Brands (ORG Marg Brand Equity Survey). Introduced in 1933, initially used for cuts and wounds, Dettol soon took a life of its own in every Indian home. Families used it in myriad ways of – wherever they felt the need for disinfection.Interestingly this multi-usage of Dettol Antiseptic Liquid paved the way for the next generation of Dettol Dettol Soaps was born in 1984, giving consumers the same trusted protection for a â€Å"100% bath†. Soon followed Dettol Shaving Cream for protection during shaving and Dettol Plasters. Dettol Liquid hand wash came in 1994 for protection in every hand wash and recently in 2007 Dettol Body Wash was introduced â €“ offering the protection of bathing in a modern, convenient format. Sources of information Methods of production a.Raw material With a soft nature, each soap contains healthy ingredient, help killing the bacteria and removing dirty and other harmful material while bathing. Adopt international advanced anti-bacteria technology, the high-effective agent not only can kill the bacteria when washing, but also can form a protection in the surface, resisting the bacteria during the next 24 hours. Add natural fruit essence and nourishing ingredient, which penetrates into the skin from outside to inside. b. Machine Competitor Savlon, Suthol Soap industry:Lifebuoy, Lux, Santoor, Savlon, & Gogrej No. 1 Advertisement Dettol advertising starting in 1960s has centered on educating consumers on the need for protection from germs, while offering solutions to manage the problem of germs wherever and whenever they may occur. Starting then and till now Dettol advertising has celebrated the role of a mother in protecting her family Dettol launched Dettol Surakshit Parivar, a nationwide campaign, in association with Indian Medical Association (IMA) Problems Solutions Our suggestions Conclusions