Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Germany Still Divided essays

Germany Still Divided essays The shocking fall of communism in Eastern and Central Europe in the late eighties was remarkable for both its rapidity and its scope. None more than for East and West Germany. The unification of Germany has been one of the most significant and moving events of the 20th century. Yet the euphoria of those heady days in autumn 1989, when the world watched in rapt attention as the Berlin Wall came tumbling down, has since fizzled. The process has proven to be far more painful than (then) Chancellor Helmut Kohl had promised Germans in 1990 on the eve of the first all-German elections since the Nazis rise to power.(Ireland, 541) This resulted from the underestimation that was placed on integrating the democratic system of government and free-market economy of West Germany with the communist foundation of East Germany. The shift from communism took a whole new context in Germany. The peoples involved were not looking to affect a narrow set of policy reforms; indeed, what was at stak e was a hyper-radical shift from the long-held communist ideology to a western blueprint for governmental and economic policy development. According to theories of modernization, higher levels of socioeconomic achievement facilitates an increase in open competition and, ultimately, assists in the establishment of democracy. The problem inherent in this type of monumental change is that, according to Helga A. Welsh, the collapse of authoritarian rule has released national, ethnic, religious, and cultural conflicts which cannot be solved by purely economic policies(27). Generally it has been theorized that the most effective fashion in which to remedy these many difficulties is by drafting a constitution. But, what seems to be clear in Germany is the unsatisfactory ability of a constitution to resolve the problems of nationalism and ethnic differences. Germanys current situation gives validity to the statement tha...

Saturday, November 23, 2019

The Unsavory History of Nutmeg Spice

The Unsavory History of Nutmeg Spice Today, we sprinkle ground nutmeg on our espresso drinks, add it to eggnog, or mix it into pumpkin pie filling. Most people probably dont particularly wonder about its origins, no doubt - it comes from the spice aisle in the supermarket, right? And fewer still stop to consider the tragic and bloody history behind this spice. Over the centuries, however, tens of thousands of people have died in the pursuit of nutmeg. What Is Nutmeg? Nutmeg comes from the seed of the Myristica frangans tree, a tall evergreen species native to the Banda Islands, which are part of Indonesias Moluccas or Spice Islands. The inner kernel of the nutmeg seed can be ground into nutmeg, while the aril (the outer lacy covering) yields another spice, mace. Nutmeg has long been valued not only as a flavoring for food  but also for its medicinal properties. In fact, when taken in large enough doses nutmeg is a hallucinogen, thanks to a psychoactive chemical called myristicin, which is related to mescaline and amphetamine. People have known about the interesting effects of nutmeg for centuries; the 12th-century abbess Hildegard of Bingen wrote about it, for one. Nutmeg on the Indian Ocean Trade Nutmeg was well-known in the countries bordering the Indian Ocean, where it featured in Indian cooking and traditional Asian medicines. Like other spices, nutmeg had the advantage of being light-weight compared with pottery, jewels, or even silk cloth, so trading ships and camel caravans could easily carry a fortune in nutmeg. For the inhabitants of the Banda Islands, where the nutmeg trees grew, the Indian Ocean trade routes ensured a steady business and allowed them a comfortable living. It was the Arab and Indian traders, however, who got very wealthy from selling the spice all around the rim of the Indian Ocean. Nutmeg in Europe's Middle Ages As mentioned above, by the Middle Ages, wealthy people in Europe knew about nutmeg  and coveted it for its medicinal properties. Nutmeg was considered a hot food according to the theory of humors, taken from ancient Greek medicine, which still guided European physicians at the time. It could balance cold foods like fish and vegetables. Europeans believed that nutmeg had the power to ward off viruses like the common cold; they even thought that it could prevent the bubonic plague. As a result, the spice was worth more than its weight in gold. As much as they treasured nutmeg, however, people in Europe had no clear idea of where it came from. It entered Europe through the port of Venice, carried there by Arab traders who portaged it from the Indian Ocean across the Arabian Peninsula and into the Mediterranean world... but the ultimate source remained a mystery. Portugal Seizes the Spice Islands In 1511, a Portuguese force under Afonso de Albuquerque seized the Molucca Islands. By early the next year, the Portuguese had extracted the knowledge from the locals that the Banda Islands were the source of nutmeg and mace, and three Portuguese ships sought out these fabled Spice Islands. The Portuguese did not have the manpower to physically control the islands, but they were able to break the Arab monopoly on the spice trade. The Portuguese ships filled their holds with nutmeg, mace, and cloves, all purchased for a reasonable price from the local growers. Over the next century, Portugal tried to build a fort on the main Bandanaira Island  but was driven off by the Bandanese. Finally, the Portuguese simply bought their spices from middlemen in Malacca. Dutch Control of Nutmeg Trade The Dutch soon followed the Portuguese to Indonesia, but they proved unwilling to simply join the queue of spice shippers. Traders from the Netherlands provoked the Bandanese by demanding spices in return for useless and unwanted goods, like thick woolen clothing and damask cloth, which was completely unsuitable for tropical climes. Traditionally, Arab, Indian, and Portuguese traders had offered much more practical items: silver, medicines, Chinese porcelain, copper, and steel. Relations between the Dutch and Bandanese started out sour  and quickly went down-hill. In 1609, the Dutch coerced some Bandanese rulers into signing the Eternal Treaty, granting the Dutch East Indies Company a monopoly on spice trade in the Bandas. The Dutch then strengthened their Bandanaira fortress, Fort Nassau. This was the last straw for the Bandanese, who ambushed and killed the Dutch admiral for the East Indies and about forty of his officers. The Dutch also faced a threat from another European power - the British. In 1615, the Dutch invaded Englands only foothold in the Spice Islands, the tiny, nutmeg-producing islands of Run and Ai, about 10 kilometers from the Bandas. The British forces had to retreat from Ai to the even smaller island of Run. Britain counter-attacked the same day, though, killing 200 Dutch soldiers. A year later, the Dutch attacked again  and besieged the British on Ai. When the British defenders ran out of ammunition, the Dutch overran their position and slaughtered them all. The Bandas Massacre In 1621, the Dutch East India Company decided to solidify its hold on the Banda Islands proper. A Dutch force of unknown size landed on Bandaneira, fanned out, and reported numerous violations of the coercive Eternal Treaty signed in 1609. Using these alleged violations as a pretext, the Dutch had forty of the local leaders beheaded. They then went on to perpetrate genocide against the Bandanese. Most historians believe that the population of the Bandas was around 15,000 before 1621. The Dutch brutally massacred all but about 1,000 of them; the survivors were forced to work as slaves in the nutmeg groves. Dutch plantation-owners took control of the spice orchards  and grew wealthy selling their products in Europe at 300 times the production cost. Needing more labor, the Dutch also enslaved and brought in people from Java and other Indonesian islands. Britain and Manhattan At the time of the Second Anglo-Dutch War (1665-67), however, the Dutch monopoly on nutmeg production was not quite complete. The British still had control of little Run Island, on the fringe of the Bandas. In 1667, the Dutch and British came to an agreement, called the Treaty of Breda. Under its terms, the Netherlands relinquished the far-off and generally useless island of Manhattan, also known as New Amsterdam, in return for the British handing over Run. Nutmeg, Nutmeg Everywhere The Dutch settled down to enjoying their nutmeg monopoly for about a century and a half. However, during the Napoleonic Wars (1803-15), Holland became a part of Napoleons empire  and was thus an enemy of England. This gave the British an excellent excuse to invade the Dutch East Indies once again  and try to pry open the Dutch stranglehold on the spice trade. On August 9, 1810, a British armada attacked the Dutch fort on Bandaneira. After just a few hours of fierce fighting, the Dutch surrendered Fort Nassau, and then the rest of the Bandas. The First Treaty of Paris, which ended this phase of the Napoleonic Wars, restored the Spice Islands to Dutch control in 1814. It could not restore the nutmeg monopoly, however - that particular cat was out of the bag. During their occupation of the East Indies, the British took nutmeg seedlings from the Bandas and planted them in various other tropical places under British colonial control. Nutmeg plantations sprang up in Singapore, Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka), Bencoolen (southwest Sumatra), and Penang (now in Malaysia). From there, they spread to Zanzibar, East Africa and the Caribbean islands of Grenada. With the nutmeg monopoly broken, the price of this once-precious commodity began to plummet. Soon middle-class Asians and Europeans could afford to sprinkle the spice on their holiday baked goods and add it to their curries. The bloody era of the Spice Wars came to an end, and nutmeg took its place as an ordinary occupant of the spice-rack in typical homes... an occupant, though, with an unusually dark and bloody history.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How did Mao Zedong and the top CCP leaders modernize the political Essay

How did Mao Zedong and the top CCP leaders modernize the political state systems of China according to the interpretation of Melanie Manion (2009) - Essay Example His dependence on the lower class (a significant takeoff from predominating Soviet convention) and reliance on guerrilla warfare in the insurgency were vital to the Communist triumph in China. Taking after the foundation of the PRC (Peoples Republic of China) in 1949, Mao was answerable for a large number of the political activities that changed the substance of China. These included area change, the collectivization of farming, and the spread of restorative administrations. Specifically, this pioneer of the transformation remained caution to what he saw to be new manifestations of mistreatment and touchy to the investment of the oppressed. In 1958 he supported a confident" "Incredible Leap Forward" fights in country improvement. The disappointment of the Leap headed Mao to turn numerous obligations over to different pioneers (Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, and so on.) and to withdraw from animated choice making. Manion interpretation is not logical because throughout the early 1960s, Mao preceded his fretful test of what he discerned as new manifestations of mastery (in his words, "revisionism," or "investor reclamation"). In remote strategy he headed Chinas separation from the Soviet Union. Conclusion, locally, he got to be progressively careful about his subordinates methodology to advancement, expecting that it was cultivating profound social and political favoritisms. At the point when Liu, Deng, and others appeared to be disregarding his call to "always remember class battle," Mao in 1966 started the "Incredible Proletarian Cultural Revolution," abusing discontent around a few people (the "Red Army") and

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 5

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example Supply chain management also helps to improve customer service, thus increasing effectiveness. Supply chain management is an important aspect of operation management as it has profound effects on the successful functioning of an organization. Proper supply chain management can be used to eliminate redundancy and remove barriers arising from poor communication, by monitoring, controlling and coordinating the various processes within an organization. "Identifying the components of the supply chain, facilitating better decision-making, creating improved communication, and identifying weak links in the chain causing bottlenecks in an organization are crucial to supply chain integration. There are three principle elements of supply chain integration: management of information and financial flows, inventory management, and management of relationships of trading partners." (Power, 2005) According to Czinkota, Ronkainen and Moffett, supply chain management is the integration of three concepts; they are the systems concept, the total cost concept and the trade off concept. These concepts are also important to the business logistics. The system concept is based on the notion that materials- flow activities within and outside of the firm are so extensive and complex that they can be considered only in the context of their interaction. The system concept intends to provide the firm, its suppliers and its customers both domestic and foreign, with the benefits of synergism expected from the coordinated application of size. To get the system concept works, information flows and partnership trust are instrumental. Logistics capability is highly information dependent, since information availability is key in planning and to process implementation. (http://www.oppapers.com/topics/supply-chain-concepts/0) This paper discusses how the benefits reducing cost and profits can be achieved by utilizing information systems and information technology. I will also examine the supply chain processes between sellers and buyers. Due to continuous advancement in the field of information systems technology, it is possible for supply chain partners to coordinate more effectively to optimize the performance of their various organisations. Also, information sharing is a requisite in this coordination, and information sharing has been facilitated quite a lot by these advances in the field of information technology.According to Banavar et al, "Modern businesses are dynamic in nature and to stay competitive (organizations) need to optimize their business processes by understanding and reacting to the rapid changes in their environment" (Banavar, Black, Caceres, Ebling, et al, 2005) Serious use of supply chain management started in the 1980s. "It is to describe the range of activities coordinated by an organisation in order to procure and manage their supplies." (Oliver and Webber, 1982)Inventory control is a very essential part of the supply chain process of any organization, because inventory control has to do with reducing the cost of inventory. There are 3 major factors involved in the inventory control decision-making process. These are: The cost of shortage, i.e., what is lost if the stock is insufficient to meet all demand The cost of holding the stock The

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Graduation Speech Essay Example for Free

Graduation Speech Essay This is such a great victory for all of us! We have done each others’part to make this occasion whole. As educators, it is our pride and honor to see you all on this very momentous day tasting the fruit of our sweet success for six years of labor and more. Your parents are in deep joy celebrating your achievement that at last you did to surpass this milestone of your primary training. Years ago you entered this place,you had the desire within you to learn and to prepare yourselves for the challenges to come in the future. We had a heart to heart agreement to teach and learn. Now, we have realized that agreement in us. Your teachers are with high regards in you for they freed you from this place because you deserve to seek higher learning which will make yourselves more equipped to meet your tomorrow with confidence, satisfaction, and integrity. The time spent in school was never wasted despite of the shortcomings we encountered. With the theme, â€Å" Building the Nations Future Leaders Through the K to 12 Basic Education Program†, we are truly confident that your dreams are at hand. Just strive hard not only for yourselves but for the nation as well. The foundation we built is of good help wherever you go. As you leave your beloved Alma Mater, put in mind, carve in heart and do by hands the teachings and learnings you acquired in fundamental step of your basic education to gear you up for the higher one. Always remember, even in this step, you start making yourselves leaders. Being a leader doesn’t always mean to be at authority to acquire power, but; being a leader is possessing the ability to make a difference to cut the poverty and corruption for the goodness of humanity so that even the most deprived will still get their basic needs with honor and happiness. Do that vision in you a great mission to fulfill in making this world a better place for all of us to live with equity and justice. May the Almighty God guide you to whatever path will you take in building a nation with integral progress empowered by holistically developed leaders. A warm greetings of congratulations to all of you, Graduates! Mabuhay and God speed!

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Flipping Pages While Drinking Coffee Essay -- Personal Narrative Books

Flipping Pages While Drinking Coffee I never really got into the world of coffee shops – especially a coffee shop/bookstore all in one. When I used to think of Barnes and Noble, I thought of people like my cousin who is somewhat snobbish and would spend her evenings there reading and drinking her coffee. The other type of person that seemed like they would fit there is, I guess what one would call, a â€Å"bookworm† or â€Å"nerd.† I know that seems a bit harsh, but one tends to get stereotypes of things that are unfamiliar to them. Through visiting Barnes and Noble I realized that my assumptions were entirely wrong. There were very few snobbish-looking people there. A gentleman who works at Barnes and Noble said that one of the main reasons he likes working in the coffee shop is because of the huge diversity among the people that go there. By visiting Barnes and Noble I realized that the atmosphere and the many things that they offer are what draw in a wide variety of patrons. The first time I went was to meet with a group of fellow students to work on a project. We went around 9:30 at night. After I entered their wooden doors, I looked around. Off to my right was an area that contained magazines, to my left - the checkout counters, and straight ahead was a multitude of books followed by Barnes and Nobles most distinguishing feature, the Starbucks coffee shop. My friend and I walked to the coffee shop and purchased a juice. I then said I would go find a place for us to sit. I figured this would give me a chance to look around. The first thing I noticed was the children’s books area. It is a large area in the back corner of the store. Of course I had to walk through it. It contained many books, but also a small ta... ...are like neighbors. The experience of coffee and music is the conduit, with the environment being the foundation. But it comes to life by the connection between our people and the customer.† As you can see by this quote Barnes and Noble stresses the idea of their environment being conducive to a place where really anyone can come and feel comfortable. It is a place that offers many things. In my eyes it offers a place where one can go, simply to buy a book, or to sit and read it while they drink a cup of coffee, if that is their fancy. It offers an atmosphere that is friendly and relaxing, while also offering a feeling of refinement. The atmosphere pulls you in, and allows you to let yourself be comfortable there. Once you combine all of their features, it becomes a place where anyone, no matter what they are looking for can go to enjoy themselves.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Knowledge work productivity Essay

The road to an organization’s success depends on the PEOPLE. In Peter Drucker’s writings, there was always a part on people and how they can CONTRIBUTE. Before the internet and social media congested world of today; Drucker noticed how people behaved with their work duties. Whether it was putting a tire on a car; talking strategy on how to move the business forward or volunteers interacting with each other at a non-profit, Drucker soon realized that successful organizations have the foundation of great people. People grow organizations together. From the beginning straight to the end; it is the people who decide how far they want to take their organization. Knowledge work defines our society today. With the dominance of social media, the expanding internet, and the powerhouses of technology; the possibilities of knowledge are endless. Educators are beginning to orient themselves towards teaching through technology, whether that is tablets in the school classroom or universities providing entire courses online. Physical labor still exists; however, the high level of knowledge that is needed still persists. Our society today depends on people working with their minds; a reality that Peter Drucker was envisioning over fifty years ago. The organizations that use knowledge work effectively empower and trust their people to have the freedom to share their ideas. Executives and managers work together to align people’s ideas to the mission; as well as create a sense of belonging to each that works there. Management is always about the people first. A manager needs to create an environment where people are comfortable working together and in tandem, and resist the urge to create individual silos. Everyone wants to do great things for their organization; it is up to management to foster that environment of collaboration and teamwork and align the team to the company’s mission and goals. People will always be the structure of any organization. When the structure is strong; the support of more is there. When one feels empowered to use their passion and knowledge to be successful; the winning formula begins to develop, and all it takes is to empower that person to be their best. The author of 39 books during his long career, and counselor to titans of business and rulers of nations, Drucker championed the powers of observation, often formulating simple ideas that triggered startling results. The Practice of Management (1954) and The Effective Executive (1966) are considered his landmark works. Part of Drucker’s genius lay in his ability to find patterns among seemingly unconnected disciplines. â€Å"The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said,† he once said. The magazine called Drucker’s teachings â€Å"a blueprint for every thinking leader,† noting that Drucker taught generations of managers the importance of picking the best people, of focusing on opportunities and not problems, of getting on the same side of the desk as their customer, of the need to understand their competitive advantages and to continue to refine them (listening-and-learning approach) Drucker called himself a â€Å"social ecologist,† a close observer of the way humans are organized across all sectors—in business, but also in government and in the nonprofit world. â€Å"None of my books or ideas means anything to me in the long run,† he said. â€Å"What are theories? Nothing. The only thing that matters is how you touch people. Have I given anyone insight? That’s what I want to have done. Insight lasts; theories don’t. And even insight decays into small details, which is how it should be. A few details that have meaning in one’s life are important.† Drucker’s track record is impressive, as BusinessWeek succinctly summarized upon his death in 2005. Among his accomplishments: –He introduced the idea of decentralization—in the 1940s—which became a bedrock principle for virtually every large organization in the world. –He was the first to assert—in the 1950s—that workers should be treated as assets, not as liabilities to be eliminated. –He originated the view of the corporation as a human community—again, in the 1950s—built on trust and respect for the worker and not just a profit-making machine, a perspective that won Drucker an almost godlike reverence among the Japanese. –He first made clear—still the ’50s—that there is â€Å"no business without a customer,† a simple notion that ushered in a new marketing mindset. –He argued in the 1960s—long before others—for the importance of substance over style, for institutionalized practices over charismatic, cult leaders. –He wrote about the contribution of knowledge workers—in the 1970s—long before anyone knew or understood how knowledge would trump raw material as the essential capital of the New Economy. As he aged, Drucker appeared to assume more gravitas, slowing his speech, projecting a more authoritative presence, allowing his audience to hang on his words. He expressed dismay with the greed and self-interest that pervaded corporate America in his later years, shifting his focus to nonprofits. In writings and speeches during the 1980s, Drucker emerged as one of corporate America’s most important critics, preaching against reckless mergers and acquisitions. He warned that CEO pay had rocketed out of control and implored boards to hold CEO compensation to no more than 20 times what the rank and file made. In The Definitive Drucker: Challenges for Tomorrow’s Executives—Final Advice from the Father of Modern Management (2007), author Elizabeth Haas Edersheim wrote, â€Å"Peter’s ideas were the catalyst that freed people to pursue opportunities they had never expected to have. He liberated people by asking them questions and eliciting a vision that just felt right. He liberated people by getting them to challenge their own assumptions. He liberated people by raising their awareness of, and their faith in, things they knew intuitively. He liberated people by forcing them to think. He liberated people by talking to them. He liberated people by getting them to ask the right questions.† The Business of Listening Why should you care about listening skills? Most of us have developed as business people in organizational cultures that emphasize the persuasiveness of the speaker. We’ve spent countless hours, and a great deal of money, attending to our appearance, business dress, body language, facial expression, selection of language, tone of voice, charts, graphs, and on and on. The importance of those factors is not denied. However, they’re not the only factors influencing communication. And are they powerful enough, when we’re trying to get the best from a diverse group of people, build a customer-focused organization, or influence those who disagree with us? As Kenneth R. Johnson, said in his book, Effective Listening Skills, â€Å"Listening effectively to others can be the most fundamental and powerful communication tool of all. When someone is willing to stop talking or thinking and begin truly listening to others, all of their interactions become easier, and communication problems are all but eliminated.† Understanding others, results in them understanding you Consciously cultivating your listening skills helps you understand the many difficulties affecting other people. You become better at being heard and understood. Use your human resources better Improving your listening skills helps you more fully use the diverse knowledge, wisdom, energy and enthusiasm of the people you deal with. Get more out of face-to-face interaction Maximize the value of your live, non-electronic, conversations. Face-to-face interaction still influences the quality of your business relationships and meetings more than any other factor. Gain depth and intimacy You engage more deeply and intimately with your people, your teams and important organizational issues and changes. Motivate Improving your listening skills helps you maintain the energy, equilibrium and enthusiasm of others, as well as your own. â€Å"Managers who get to know their people, respect and trust the competency of their employees, and listen continually for how employees are doing relative to their aspirations, quality of work life, and sense of career advancement, will have a far greater chance of developing and retaining their employees.† Caela Farren, CEO of MasteryWorks THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING March and Olsen provide a model of organizational learning as a cycle in which individual and organizational action are distinct but interrelated. Individual actions – based on individual beliefs – lead to organizational action that in turn induces an environmental response. If an environmental response subsequently affects individual beliefs, the cycle is supposedly completed and learning has been achieved. However, if the environment remains unchanged, the three other elements of the learning model remain unaffected and therefore only individual but no organizational learning might occur. If in contrast, the environment changes, individual beliefs will change which in turn will lead to some corresponding individual and organizational actions. This concept of learning as adaptation is further developed by Levitt and March who suggest organizations learn by â€Å"encoding inferences from history into routines that guide behavior.† Drawing on a stimulus-response model of responsiveness this adaptive perspective portrays the generation of responses as a function of environmental change. In turn, the perspective of organizations as cognitive systems has extended the foundational argument of the adaptive perspective on learning by identifying cognition as the basis for deliberate organizational action. In this case, Ducan and Weiss remind us that organizational learning refers to an organization’s – i.e. its dominant coalition’s – capacity to identify the need for change and adaptation and take intentional actions. Action-outcome relationships and their conditions are tested, validated, and subsequently rejected or confirmed. In particular, they emphasize two key aspects of such learning processes, namely the ability to communicate and integrate knowledge and insights. Similarly, Fiol and Lyles state that â€Å"learning enables organizations to build an understanding and interpretation of their environment†¦it results in associations, cognitive systems, and memories that are developed and shared by members of the organization.† Thus organizational members are portrayed as interpreters of reality who become conscious actors in individual and collective learning process. On a similar note, Draft and Weick provide us with a model that views learning as resulting from conflicting interpretations of reality. In their seminal piece, they propose organizations as interpretation systems whereby interpretation refers to a process through which information is given meaning and subsequent actions are identified. Building on, yet extending the behavioral view, Draft and Weick suggest iterative sequences of scanning, interpretation and learning. For instance, scanning refers to vigilantly monitoring and gathering data from the environment, whereas the interpretation refers to the translation or sensemaking of such data. Finally, learning involves knowledge of the organization in terms of the interrelationship of organizational actions and its environment. The generation of responses in this model is portrayed as a function of the interpretation style of an organization’s dominant coalition. Effective Communication is significant for managers in the organizations so as to perform the basic functions of management, i.e., Planning, Organizing, Leading and Controlling. Communication helps managers to perform their jobs and responsibilities. Communication serves as a foundation for planning. All the essential information must be communicated to the managers who in-turn must communicate the plans so as to implement them. Organizing also requires effective communication with others about their job task. Similarly leaders as managers must communicate effectively with their subordinates so as to achieve the team goals. Controlling is not possible without written and oral communication. Managers devote a great part of their time in communication. They generally devote approximately 6 hours per day in communicating. They spend great time on face to face or telephonic communication with their superiors, subordinates, colleagues, customers or suppliers. Managers also use Written Communication in form of letters, reports or memos wherever oral communication is not feasible. Thus, we can say that â€Å"effective communication is a building block of successful organizations†. In other words, communication acts as organizational blood. The importance of communication in an organization can be summarized as follows: 1. Communication promotes motivation by informing and clarifying the employees about the task to be done, the manner they are performing the task, and how to improve their performance if it is not up to the mark. 2. Communication is a source of information to the organizational members for decision-making process as it helps identifying and assessing alternative course of actions. 3. Communication also plays a crucial role in altering individual’s attitudes, i.e., a well informed individual will have better attitude than a less-informed individual. Organizational magazines, journals, meetings and various other forms of oral and written communication help in moulding employee’s attitudes. 4. Communication also helps in socializing. In todays life the only presence of another individual fosters communication. It is also said that one cannot survive without communication. 5. As discussed earlier, communication also assists in controlling process. It helps controlling organizational member’s behaviour in various ways. There are various levels of hierarchy and certain principles and guidelines that employees must follow in an organization. They must comply with organizational policies, perform their job role efficiently and communicate any work problem and grievance to their superiors. Thus, communication helps in controlling function of management. An effective and efficient communication system requires managerial proficiency in delivering and receiving messages. A manager must discover various barriers to communication, analyze the reasons for their occurrence and take preventive steps to avoid those barriers. Thus, the primary responsibility of a manager is to develop and maintain an effective communication system in the organization.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Financial Statements for Internal Reporting vs. External Reporting Purposes

Financial Statements for Internal Reporting Purposes vs. Financial Statements for External Reporting Purposes It is common in most companies to maintain two set of financial statements; one being used/presented for internal reporting purposes and another for reporting externally. Internal reports are used primarily to aid management in the decision making process throughout the course of the business. These are subject to internal audit to make sure that all information reported are fair and correct, safeguard the assets of the company, assure compliance to laws and regulations, etc. The company employs the internal accountants and therefore, unregulated, although there are international standards for internal auditing. External Reports on the other hand, are to provide information on the financial position, performance and changes in the financial position of the company for a variety of users such as the government, shareholders, financial institutions, employees, vendors, and the public itself. These reports should be very understandable, and are assumed to be read by users who have reasonable knowledge on financials and business, and for those who are willing to study the information diligently. Most of the external users depend completely on these reports for their decision making. The reports are expected to be reliable so the companies should employ external auditors that are independent from the company. This is to avoid conflict of interests and bias towards the information presented by the company. Ideally, the financial statements that are audited by the internal auditors should be the same as the statements that would be subject to external audit. The problem arises when the company decided to report financial statements that are entirely different from the internally used and that of externally used. But still the intention of the company why it reported two different reports should be considered as well because that is where the ethical issue starts. If the company’s primary intention is to conceal the truth to avoid tax penalties, attract more investors, or lure a vendor to give a high credit limit, then the ethical standard of utilitarianism, rights and duties as well as the fairness and equity are violated. For utilitarianism approach, the external users will surely not benefit from the concealment. Their investments, assets, as well as the benefits from taxes are at risk. Only the company will benefit from it. In terms of the rights and duties approach, the shareholders has all the rights to know the true standing of the company and the duty of the company is to provide them the truth. The issue on fairness and equity is that other users may be able benefit from some concealment while others may not. Maintaining two sets of Financial Records/Statement has been a long practice for almost all if not all major companies worldwide. An example of which is the manner of reporting sunk costs. Companies do recognize sinking cost in the Financial Statement. While this could be creditable as expense for tax accounting purposes, the said cost is no longer relevant for management decision thus no longer required in the books for Internal Purposes. Keeping two books would allow company executives to better examine items that matter to them especially those which affect the company in the future. There is nothing wrong in maintain two sets of books specially if the reports are in accordance the accounting guidelines such as the GAAP or other statutory requirements required by the government where the company operates and are prepared in accordance with the Bureau of Internal Revenue regulations. As explained above, the books for internal management are for their use only and need not be shown to the public or used in taxation purposes.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

APA Referencing †Citing a Movie or TV Show (Proofread My Paper)

APA Referencing – Citing a Movie or TV Show APA Referencing – Citing a Movie or TV Show The vast majority of citations in academic writing are for books, journals and other written sources. Sometimes, however, you might need to cite a movie or TV show. E.g., If you want to squeeze Steve Buscemis strange, beautiful face into your thesis somehow.(Photo: David Shankbone/wikimedia) Are there special rules for this, you may be wondering? You bet there are, sonny! Herein, for instance, we take a look at how to cite a motion picture or TV show with APA referencing. Citing a Motion Picture You might think this is only relevant if you’re studying film and media, but it can also be crucial in many subject areas (e.g., if you want to quote something from a documentary). The in-text citation format to use here is similar to that used for print sources, except that you name the producer and director instead of the author, along with the year of release: Renà © Griffiths eventually found success in South America (Ramasut Goch, 2010). This is accompanied by full detail of the source in the reference list, using the following format: Last Name, Initial(s). (Producer), Last Name, Initial(s). (Director). (Year). Title [Motion picture]. Country of origin: Studio or distributor. In the case of the documentary cited above, this would appear as: Ramasut, C. (Producer), Goch, D. (Director). (2010). Separado! [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: Soda Pictures. Citing a TV Show The format for citing a TV show depends on whether it’s a one-off broadcast, a single episode of a series or a complete series. For each, however, in-text citations require you to name an authority (e.g. a director, writer or producer) and a year of broadcast: The game itself was preceded by a six-hour pre-game show (Esocoff, 2015). For a one-off broadcast, include the following in the reference list: Last Name, Initial(s). (Title of Authority). (Year, Month Day). Title of show [Television broadcast]. Location of broadcasting company: Broadcasting Company. The show cited above would therefore appear as: Esocoff, D. (Director). (2015, February 1). Super Bowl XLIX [Television broadcast]. Stamford: NBC Sports. The highlight of Super Bowl XLIX was when everyone fell over, creating a big heap of sweaty sport men. If you’re citing a series as a whole, the format changes slightly: Last Name, Initial(s). (Title of Authority). (Year of First Series). Title of series [Television series]. Location of broadcasting company: Broadcasting Company. When citing a particular episode, the details are included before the series information: Last Name, Initial(s). (Writer), Last Name, Initial(s). (Director). (Year). Title of episode [Television series episode]. In Name of Producer (Producer), Title of series. Location of broadcasting company: Broadcasting Company. As such, an episode of the show Last Week Tonight would appear in the reference list as: Avery, K. (Writer), Perota, J. (Director). (2014). Military translators [Television series episode]. In J. Oliver (Executive Producer), Last week tonight. New York: HBO. Time Stamps If youre referencing a particular section of a movie or TV show, you’ll need to include a timestamp in the citation, just as you’d give page numbers when quoting a print source. This involves indicating the time at which the relevant section begins: Rhys ends his search at the final residence of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Ramasut Goch, 2010, 1:17:20). The citation above, for instance, shows that the section in question starts at one hour, seventeen minutes and twenty seconds into the video, making it easier to find the information referenced. Separado! is presented by a Welsh rock star who teleports using a magical Power Rangers helmet. Its awesome. (Image: Soda Pictures)

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

The Best AP World History Study Guide 6 Key Tips

The Best AP World History Study Guide 6 Key Tips SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you taking AP World History this year? Or considering taking it at some point in high school? Then you need to read this AP World History study guide.Instead of cramming every single name, date, and place into your head, learn how to study for the AP World History exam so that you can learn the major ideas and feel ready for test day. We'll also go over some key strategies you can use to help you prepare effectively. TheAP World History test is challenging- just 8.5% of test takers got a 5 in 2017. But if you study correctlythroughout the year, you could be one of the few students who aces this test. Below are six tips to follow in order to be well prepared for the AP World History exam. Read through each one, apply them to your testprep, and you'll bewell on your way to maximizing your AP score! Why You Should Study for the AP World History Test Is it really that important to study for the AP World History test? The quick answer to this question is absolutely. But why? Let's start by taking a look at the kinds of scores students usually get on the exam. The following chart shows what percentage of test takers received each possible AP score (1-5) on the AP World History test in 2017: AP Score Percentage of Test Takers Who Received Score 5 8.5% 4 19.9% 3 26.7% 2 29.6% 1 15.4% Source: The College Board As you can see, roughly 55% of test takers scored a 2 or 3, a little less than 30% scored a 4 or 5,and just 15% scored a 1. Sincemost test takers scored a 3 or lower on this test, it's safe to say that a lot of AP World History students are not scoring as highly as they could be on this test. While a 3 is not a bad AP score by any means, some colleges such as Stanfordrequire at least a 4in order to get credit for the exam. If the schools you're applying to want a 4 or higher, putting in ample study time for the test is a definite must. In addition, if you're applying to highly selective schools, a 5 on the AP World History test (or any AP test, really) could act as a tipping point in your favor during the admissions process. Finally, getting a low score on this test- i.e., a 1 or 2- might make colleges doubt your test-taking abilities or question your potential to succeed at their school. You don't want this to happen! Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. What's on the AP World History Exam? Before we give you our six expert study tips for AP World History, let's briefly go over the structure and content of the test. The AP World History exam consists oftwo sections: Section I and Section II.Each section, then, also consists of two parts: Part A and Part B.Here is what you'll encounter on each part of each section: Section/Part Total Time Question Type # of Questions Scoring Section I, Part A 55 mins Multiple choice 55 Worth 40% total score Section I, Part B 40 mins Short answer 3 Worth 20% total score Section II, Part A 60 mins Document based 1 Worth 25% total score Section II, Part B 40 mins Long essay 1 Worth 15% total score Source: The College Board And here is an overview of the types of tasks you'll be asked to perform: Analyze historical texts as well as historians' opinions and interpretations of history Assess historical documents and make an argument to support your assessment Write an essay concerning an issue in world history Now that you understand exactly how the AP World History test is set up, let's take a look at our six expert study tips for it. We don't keep our best secrets to ourselves. How to Study for AP World History: 6 Key Tips Below are our top tips to help you get a top score on the AP World History test. Tip 1: Don't Try to Memorize Everything If you start your AP World History class with the expectation of memorizing the entirety of human history, think again. Although AP World History tests a wide span of time, you aren’t expected to learn every tiny detail along the way. Rather, this class focuses on teaching major patterns, key cultural and political developments, and significant technological developments throughout history. AP World History is organized into the following six time periods: Technological and Environmental Transformations (to c. 600 BCE) Organization and Reorganization of Human Societies (c. 600 BCE to c. 600 CE) Regional and Interregional Interactions (c. 600 CE to c. 1450) Global Interactions (c. 1450 to c. 1750) Industrialization and Global Integration (c. 1750 to c. 1900) Accelerating Global Change and Realignments (c. 1900 to the present) Within each period, you should know the major world powers and forces driving economic development, politics, and social change (including technology). However,you don’t have to have every detailmemorized in order to do well on the test. Instead, focus on understanding big patterns and developments, and be able to explain them with a few key examples. For instance, you don’t necessarily need to know that in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue; you also don't need to know the details of his voyages or the particulars of his brutality. However,you should be able to explain why the European colonization of the Americas happened, as well as the economic effects it had on Europe, Africa, and the Americas, and how colonization affected the lives of people on all three continents. Knowing a few concrete examples is essential to succeeding on the short-answer section. The short-answer questions which will typically present you with some information (e.g., a chart, primary source, etc.) and thenask you to provide several specific examples or reasons for a broader theme or historical movement that relates to the information provided. You'll have flexibility in what specific examples you choose, just so long as they are relevant. The short-answer section is four questions long and worth 20% of your total test score (so each question is worth 5%). You'll have 50 minutes within section 1 to complete it. Concrete examplescan also bolster your essays and improve your ability to break down multiple-choice questions on the topic.However, focus first on understanding the big picture before you try to memorize the nitty-gritty details. If you’re coming from AP US History, this advice might seem odd. But unlike US History, which is more fine-grained, the AP World History exam writers do not expect you to know everything, as they test a much larger topic. AP US History is essentially a test of 400 years of history in one location, so it’s fair to expect students to know many proper names and dates. But for World History,that same level of detail isn’t expected; this test takes place over thousands of years all around the world. Instead, you should focus on understanding the general patterns ofimportant topics through history. This won't only save you time but will also keep you sane as your textbook hurls literally hundreds of names, places, and dates at you throughout the year. Speaking of your textbook ... Tip 2: Keep Up With Your Reading! When it comes to AP World History, you can't sleep through the class all year, skim a prep book in April, and then expect to get a perfect 5 on the test. You're learning all of human history, after all! Trying to cram for this test late in the game is both stressful and inefficient because of the sheer volume of material you have to cover. And all that reading would hurt your eyes. Instead, keep up with your reading and do well in your World History class to ensure you're building a strong foundation of knowledge throughout the year. This way, when it hits spring, you can focus on preparing for the exam itself and the topics it’s likely to test, as opposed to frantically trying to learn all of human history in just two months. If your teacher isn’t already requiring you to do something like this, be sure to keep notes of your readings throughout the school year. This could be in the form of outlines, summaries, or anything else that's useful to you. Taking notes will help you process the readings and remember them better. Your notes will also be an invaluable study tool in the spring. Finally, check the website of whatever textbook your class uses. Many textbook websites have extra features, such as pre-made chapter outlines and summaries. These can be excellent study resources for you throughout the year. Tip 3: Read a Prep Book (or Two) in the Spring Even if you keep up with AP World History throughout the year, you’re probably going to be a bit hazy on topics you learned in September when you start studying for the test in March or April. This is why we recommend getting a prep book, which will provide a much broaderoverview of world history, focusing especially on topics tested on the exam. If you’ve been learning well throughout the school year, reading a prep bookwill trigger your background knowledge and help you review. Think of your prep book as your second, much quicker pass through world history. And in case you’re wondering- no, the prep book alone will not fill you in on the necessary depth of knowledge for the entire test. You can't replace reading your textbook throughout the year with reading a prep book in the spring. The AP World History multiple-choice section especially can ask some pretty specific questions, and you'd definitely have blind spots if all you did is read a prep book and not an actual textbook. Furthermore, you wouldn't be able to explain examples in your essay in as much detail if you've only read a few paragraphs about major historical events. Tip 4: Get Ready to Move at 1 M.P.Q. (Minute per Question) To prepare for the AP World History exam, knowing the material is just half the battle. You also need to know how to use your time effectively,especially on the multiple-choice section. The multiple-choice section (Section 1, part A) asks 55 questions in 55 minutes,and is worth 40% of your total score. This gives you just one minuteper question, so you'll have to move fast. And to be ready for this quickpace, practice is key. Taking the AP World History exam without practicing first would be like jumping into a NASCARrace without a driver's license. To practice pacing yourself, it’s crucial that you get a prep book containing practice tests. Even if you've read your textbook diligently, taken notes, and reviewed the material, it's really important to practice actual multiple-choice sections so you can get used to the timing of the test. Althoughthere are a few two-part questions on AP World History,most are stand-alone questions. As a result,you can move from question to question fairly quickly, and even skip and return to tough questions (as long as you keep an eye on the time!). There might be some images, maps, charts, and passages to work through as well, so some questions will likely take longer than others. Your teacher should be giving you multiple-choice quizzes or teststhroughout the year to help you prepare for the test. If your teacher isn't doing this, it will, unfortunately, be up to you to find multiple-choice practice questionsfrom prep books and online resources. See our complete list of AP World History practice tests here. You need to create your own multiple-choice strategy as you study, such as using the process of elimination, being ready to read and analyze pictures and charts, and being constantly aware of your time. I recommend wearing a watch when you practice so you can keep an eye on how long you spend on each question. In short, make sure you practice AP World History multiple-choice questions so that when you sit down to take the exam, you'll feel confident and ready to move fast. Want to get better grades and test scores? We can help. PrepScholar Tutors is the world's best tutoring service. We combine world-class expert tutors with our proprietary teaching techniques. Our students have gotten A's on thousands of classes, perfect 5's on AP tests, and ludicrously high SAT Subject Test scores. Whether you need help with science, math, English, social science, or more, we've got you covered. Get better grades today with PrepScholar Tutors. Tip 5: Practice Speed-Writing for the Free-Response Section The AP World History exam has two essay questions that, together, account for 40% of your total score. You'll get 55 minutes for the Document-Based Question (DBQ), including a 10-minute reading period. The DBQ is worth 25% of your exam grade. You'll then get 35 minutes for the Long Essay, which is worth 15% of your score. For each essay, you need to be able to brainstorm quickly and write an essay that answers the prompt, is well organized, and has a cogent thesis. A thesis is a one-sentence summary of your main argument. For the sake of AP essays, it's best to put your thesis at the end of the introductory paragraph so the grader can find it quickly. When organizing your essay, have each paragraph explain one part of the argument, with a topic sentence (basically, a mini thesis) at the beginning of each paragraph that explains exactly what you're going to say. For the DBQ, you'll need to bring all or most the provided documents into your argument in addition to your background knowledge of the period being tested. For example, in a DBQ about the effects of Spanish Influenza during World War I, you needed to demonstrate your knowledge of WWI as well as your ability to use the documents effectively in your argument. See our complete guide to writing a DBQ here. For the Long Essay, it’s up to you to provide specific historical examples and show your broad understanding of historical trends. (Again, this is why doing your reading is so important, since you'll have to provide and explain your own historical examples!) Throughout the year, your teacher should be having you do writing assignments, including in-class essays, to teach you how to write good essays quickly. Since you'll be writing youressays by hand for the test, you should ideally be writing your practice essays by hand as well. If you struggle with writing by hand fast, you can build up your writing fluency (your ability to quickly translate thoughts to words) by writing additional practice essayson your own. If you need to work on writing fluency, it's best to practice with easier writing topics.First, find a journal prompt to write about (this website has hundreds). Next, set a timer. Between 10 and 15 minutes is best. Finally, write as much (and as fast) as you can about the prompt, without making any big mistakes in spelling or grammar. When time's up, count how many words you wrote. If you do this a few times a week, you'll build up your writing speed, and your word counts will continue to grow. Once you've built up this skill, it will be much easier to tackle the AP World History free response section. You can also practice on your own using old AP World History free-response questions.However, note that the test was revised for 2016-17, so old questions will have old instructions. In fact, there actuallyused to be three essays on the AP World History test- in addition to the DBQ, there was a "Change Over Time" essay and a "Comparison" essay. Now, there's just one long essay. Be sure to compare older questions with the most up-to-date examples from the most current AP Course and Exam Description. Tip 6: Take Practice Exams and Set a Target Score In the spring, aim totake at least one full practice exam- ideally in late March or early April- once you’ve learned most of the World History material. By a full practice exam, we mean the entire AP World History test. Time yourself and take it in one sitting, with a 15-minute break between the multiple-choice/short-answer section and the essays. Why should you do this? It will give you a chance to experience what it’s like to take a full AP World History exam before you sit for the real thing. This helps you build stamina and perfect your timing. All the practice in the world won't help you if you run out of steam on your last essay question and can barely think. Also, set a target score for each section: multiple choice and free response.Good news: you don’t need to be aiming for 100% on the multiple-choice section and a 9/9 on every essay in order to secure a 5 (the highest possible score). Far from it, actually! The truth is that a high multiple-choice score (50/55) with average short-answer and free-response scores (say, 8/12 on short answer, 5/7 on the DBQ, and 4/6 on the long essay) can get you a score of 5. Likewise, an average multiple-choice score (35/55) with high short-answer and free-response scores (say, 11/12 on short answer, 6/7 on the DBQ, and 5/6 on the long essay) can also net you a 5. Setrealistic score targets based on your personal strengths.For example, a really good writing student might go the average multiple choice/strong essay route, while a strong test taker might go the other way around. You could also be somewhere in-between. In addition, don't be intimidated if your target score is a lot higher than your current scores. The whole point of practicing is to eventually meet your target! Once you have a target score, practice, practice, practice! Use old exams, the practice exams in (high-quality) prep books, and thefree-response questions linked above. You can even ask your teacher for old AP World History tests and essay questions. The more you practice before the test, the more likely you are to meet- or exceed!- your score goal. Bottom Line: How to Prep for the AP World History Test Although AP World History is a challenging test, if you follow the advice in this AP World History study guide and preparecorrectlythroughout the year, you can definitely pass, or even be one of the few students who gets a 5! Just make sure to keep up with your reading, use a prep book in the spring, and practice a lot for the multiple-choice and the free-response sections. With clear target scores for each section and plenty of practice under your belt, you'll have the strongest chance of getting a 5 on test day! What’s Next? How many AP classes should you take in total? Find out here. How hard is AP World History compared with other AP tests? We’ve rounded up a list of the hardest and easiest AP tests, as well as the average scores for every exam. For more tips on doing well in all of your classes, from AP to IB to honors, read this expert guide to getting a perfect 4.0, written by PrepScholar founder Allen Cheng. Even if you're not going for perfection, you'll learn all the skills you need to work hard, work smart, and get better grades. Also studying for the SAT/ACT? In a hurry? Learn how to cram for the ACT or SAT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Choose a pathogen Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Choose a pathogen - Assignment Example The disease burden caused by rotavirus is so huge that intervention needs to be taken. Each year rotavirus causes 114 million episodes of gastroenteritis patients, necessitating primary health care and hospitalization. Studies done recently indicative that 41 % of diarrhea in children is mostly caused by rotavirus. If it is controlled, then a bigger portion of hospitalization cases on diarrhea will be reduced drastically, and subsequent deaths cabbed. To this effect, studies have been done on how the virus can be put into control in causing all this epidemiological diseases. The vaccines that were introduced have played an integral role in handling the havoc and the capability of this virus to human population diseases. Rotavirus vaccine has been one of the major breakthroughs in the field of medicine especially pediatric medicine (Bhojwani, 2009). The microscopy of rotavirus is usually done under electron microscope staining procedure. The integrity and the result largely depend on the type, pH and the time of the stain. The three aspects must be put into perspective for the positive finding during observation. Prior to microscopy, the virus must first be isolated, cultured and stained before it can be viewed on the electron microscope. The cultivation of the virus sound technical but also interesting in doing it. The isolation of the virus is done on the stool taken from the human being who is suffering or suspected to have the virus. For example, avian rotavirus strain, CH2, is cultivated in embryonated eggs. It can be done on the yolk sac, amniotic, allantois in combination with membrane of inoculation. After cultivation, the virus will multiply in huge numbers given the multiplying capability. It is from this inoculated culture of the chicken rotavirus virus that a sample undergoes examination via the electron microscope (Parashar et al., 2009). The virus appears as a wheel where the spikes seen are the virulence factors that the virus uses to