Palm reading

Personalities through their palms. Specific purpose: By the end of my speech my audience will learn how personality palm reading is dependent on nerves and another 3 major life lines . L. Introduction: A. Attention Getter: (I'm going to say the personality traits of a classmate) , you ask how I know all this about his about him , its all here written in own his hands. Transition: Sometimes our eyes hide what our hands read. Since our palms, hands and fingers are all maps that tell us about our personalities and where were going through our lives. B.Reason to Listen: I bet everyone here has looked to his hands ND wondered what those silly lines meant. Well palm reading provides the answer for all this. C. Thesis Statement: According to Dictionary. Reference. Com palm reading is the practice of interpreting ones character from the lines and configurations of the palm of the hand . D. Credibility Statement: Throughout my life I have always heard bad things about palm reading, since its accuracy has always been questioned because it has always been linked with forecasting and never been proven with any scientific facts to back it up. It is wrap off ! Owe could you believe in such things ! They use you in order to take your money. After deep research I concluded that its not what people actually think it is a simple process based on our biological features and our nervous system. It is an art practiced worldwide and with Indian astrology roots . E. Preview of main points: I will discuss how palm reading is related to the nerves and brain. Body A. In Order to understand how to read a palm we must first understand how does this process work . 1. Our nerves have a long path that begins with the brain and ends at our body extremities : the hands and the feet. . This connection between our nerve endings and our brains is thus what makes our mental thoughts reflect into our hands. Making everything we want, do, behave, love or hate visible. Transition: The first question asked about palm reading is which hand to read? B. The Palm reader usually chooses each person's dominant hand. 1 . The dominant hand is the passive hand the one you usually use the most and write with , it is all the experiences gained through-out your life while the non dominant hand is considered the experiences you will go through in the future . . The next step is determining the shape of the palms , we have 4 shapes unhand : the Earth hands which are square in shape with short fingers. People with Earth hands are practical, stubborn and love outdoors activities. 2. The Second shape is the air hands that are square in shape with long fingers. People with these kind of hands are curious, full of ideas, worry a lot, good communicators, but may have problems with private relationships . 3. The third shape is the fire hands that have a long palm but short fingers.People with fire hands are full of energy, spontaneous, optimistic, active, but have of lack patience . 4. The last shap e is the Water hands that are rectangular in heap with long fingers. People with water hands are very moody yet loving, caring, don't cope well with stress . Transition: Now we move on to the 3 major lines of the palm. C. Each line of the three tells a different story about each individual . 1. Im going to start with the top line in our hands, the heart line. It is the line that determines the sensitivity and the emotional aspects of a person.If the line starts below the index finger, it means that he is happily in a relationship. Whereas if the line starts below the middle finger, it means that an individual is selfish when it comes to love. If it starts in the middle, then it means that an individual falls in love very easily. However, the curvier the line is the more romantic the individual is, and the straighter it is the less romantic a person is. If it touches life line then it means that the individual is easily heartbroken.But when the line is Www then it means that the indi vidual has experienced many relationships and lovers. Finally a circle on the line means that the individual is sad with his life . 2. The Second Line , is the middle one The Head Line . Alt determines how focused or easily distracted a person is. When the line is short, it resembles that an individual is short and direct to the point, whereas the longer it is the more creative and thoughtful an individual is, but the straighter it is, it means that the individual has very clear thoughts.Finally, if the head line is wavy, it means that the individual has a lack of concentration. 3. The curves beside the thumb represent the third major line the life line, the closer they are to the thumb the less enthusiastic and passionate for life the individual is, while the curvier they are it means that an individual has a great eve for life , if it swings out it shows that the individual likes to travel often, but if there are breaks it means that the individual has a weak immune system.Any add itional line means that an individual is surrounded with positive vibes. Ill. Conclusion: A. Review of main points: So Palm reading does not tell you the number of kids your going to have , nor at what age will you die or the name of the pet your going to bring next year. It is a simple art that interprets your personality through the reading of your palms and not a fortune telling myth. B. Closure: Now that you all know everything about palm eating you can each know more about your own personality. True or not.It is an easy, fun unharmed process that takes only a couple of minutes. Palm Reading Palmistry We all wonder what awaits us in the future. We wonder about our health, our careers and of course, our love life. Well the answer to all of these questions may lie quite literally in the palm of your hand. Palmistry, or palm reading, is the practice of predicting the future outcomes through the study of the palm. This study dates back to 3000 BC in ancient Egypt and still being practiced today worldwide. Today we will discuss how our palm lines can tell us about our future and ourselves, as well as learn the basics on how to read a palm.Which will include the four major lines: the heart, head, life and fate line. First of all, how is that our future can be determined through mere palm lines? We all know that our physical health can be affected by stress and psychological negativity. Our mental outlook and attitudes also form our reactions to life’s events. According to the journal, â€Å"English Literature in Transition† by Joan Navarre, the brain, through the high concentration of nerves in the hands, can influence the condition of the palms and the patterns of the lines in them.It’s Also important to know that our palm lines are not fixed and we are not doomed to a future already set in stone. In fact, our palm lines change throughout our lifetime, some more frequently than others. As we mature and change our ways, our palm lines will modify accordingly. They may get deeper, straighter, form new lines, or some may even disappear. In addition to changing lines, as you have probably noticed already, the lines on your left and right hand differ. Your weaker hand, whether it be right or left, represents what we are born with and our private self.The stronger hand represents what we do with our lives, the actions we take and our public self. According to the article, â€Å"A Modern Palmist†, by Ania Blomberg, in the Feb 2011 issue of the â€Å"Torquay Herald Express† Your current palm lines are indicators of the likelih ood something will happen, as well as a window into your past. Our Next step is learning our major palm lines. The first of the major lines we will discuss is the heart line. It begins on the side of the hand, spans across the palm and ends in various places.If it ends under the first finger it signifies an introspective and possibly self-centered person. If under the second finger, you are a giver and always put the needs of others before your own. Ideally, the heart line should end between the first two fingers, signifying a balance between giving and receiving. A straight heart line suggests your head gets involved in matters of the heart. In other words, You don’t let your emotions make your decisions for you. A curved heart line indicates you are a romantic and always wear your heart on your sleeve.For most people the heart line is the deepest and darkest line on the palm. The second line is the head line. It begins on the side of your hand under your first finger spanni ng across the palm ending at various lengths. If your head line is straight you are logical, detail oriented and organized. If your line is curved, you are more creative and artistic. According to the book â€Å"The Hand from A-Z: The essentials of Palmistry† by Judith Hipskind, The length of the head line symbolizes your attention span and ability to concentrate. The longer the head line the more focused you are.Additionally, If there is a fork at the end of the head line, it means you can see both sides of an issue and will love debating. This is sometimes called a lawyers fork. The third of the major lines is the life line. According to humanhand. com, in modern palmistry the life line does not tell you how long you will live but how you will live. It does however represent a timeline of events. The area where it begins, between the thumb and first finger, represents the beginning of your life, then curving down around your thumb and ending at your wrist, which would repre sent old age.Lines crossing the life line signify important events, and where they are located indicates when the events are likely to happen. If your life line sweeps out toward the center of your hand, you will most likely seek independence and travel often. By contrast, If it hugs close to your thumb you are more likely to stay close to home and family. If caught in between, you may struggle between security and the need for independence. Breaks in the life line can indicate times of major illness or stress.If you notice smaller, fainter lines that connect the life and heart line, they indicate strong romantic relationships. Where they are located on the life line represents at what point in life the relationship is likely to happen. In addition, the number of these lines suggests how many of these relationships you are likely to have. Finally we come to the Fate line. This line begins near the heel of the hand and runs through the center towards the middle finger. According to p almistryfree. com, this line is volatile and only found in about 50% of the population.It is tied to your personal life path, including school, career choices, successes and obstacles. If this line is absent, you are unsure of the direction of your life. If your fate line is strong, you have specific goals and direction. If only lightly etched you could easily waver between the two. The beginning and ending of the line also plays a role. When the fate line begins on the wrist, you have always done things your own way and may be a bit of an oddball. If it begins more toward the center of your hand, it took a while for you to figure out who you are and what to want to be.Now that you know how our palm lines come to be and how to examine your own heart, head, life and fate lines, you can predict what sort of future to expect for yourself if you continue down your current path. However, it is ultimately our will that shapes our lives, not our palm. The practice of reading palm lines is not to predict doom, or even happiness. They are instead a guide. The purpose of palmistry is to help you see the way ahead so you can actively plan a successful and prosperous future.

Costco Wholesale in 2012 Essay

Costco is one of United States’ largest retailers, serving over 3600 variants of convenience products at excellent quality with competent prices. Founded in 1983, Costco quickly expanded in its operations to over 598 stores worldwide. One of the unique selling propositions of Costco is the fact that they offer very low prices as compared to their competitors without requiring to compromise quality. This paper will analyze Costco’s key success factors in terms of its strategic management. Business Model Costco’s business model is simple and straightforward; they offer high quality products at affordable rates. The centerpiece of Costco’s model entails high sales volume and rapid inventory turnover. Costco enjoys high inventory turnover which means that they don’t need to stock a particular good for long period of time. Also, before they need to pay the suppliers, they are able to sell it. Which means, they are able to pay suppliers with the cash derived from sales, leading to low working capital. This shows significance in financial health and good financial management. This kind of business model is appealing for several reasons; low prices can generate high number of customers, indicates healthy operations, encourage rapid turnover, decrease warehouse costs and many more. However, in order to keep up with this business model, Costco needs to continually maintain overhead costs, which will be discussed further into the paper. Strategy Costco’s low pricing strategy highly depends upon several factors. In terms of pricing, they offer bargain products at low prices. Their earnings highly come from membership fees, over which members can join in an annual subscription and enjoy promotional rates as members. Even though Costco enjoys less profit margins, they have high number of annual members and earn their profit by membership revenues. In terms of product, their Kirkland Signature is also of good quality as a representation of their brand. They are also ready to experience loss of sales by customers who do not want to purchase in larger quantities. Treasure-hunt merchandising is also a smart  method to continually renew their product lines to encourage members to purchase the item right away in fear of not having them available at the next visit. Jim Sinegal and Core Values as CEO Jim Sinegal shows good examples of leadership as a CEO. He conducts an open-door policy which makes him accessible to staff, thereby increasing employee motivation. Jim also conducts regular store visits as opposed to working at a desk, which shows his willingness to step down to the field to help improve the store. The business environment is made to be causal and unpretentious, so employees feel sense of belonging and are often committed to the organization, in benefit of themselves and the company. Low employee turnover shows the compatibility of the employees and the company, which means that the corporate culture can be maintained or enhanced. Financial Perspective We have come to understand that Costco achieves much of their revenue from membership renewals. Observing the financial data, we see that Costco’s membership fees if four times over from 2000 up to 2011. This signifies their proficiency in making member packages attractive. Their actions in prioritizing members have been successful as we see that members are continually signing up. Therefore, membership is encouraged to be sustained. However, we see that sales also increase significantly over the years, almost 3 times over. Therefore, we can conclude that despite having less marketing activities, Costco is able to attract customers by emphasizing on price efficiency. Their working capital ration (current assets minus current liabilities) is kept at a low level due to high inventory turnover. Competitive Advantage over Competitors A key competitive advantage owned by Costco over its competitors is, without a doubt, their low prices. Although they do not invest much in store layout, store ambiance, labor and marketing, they have low overhead costs which contributes to being able to keep prices low. Also, they offer a wide array of product categories from food products to gasoline, although within a product category, they offer less brands than usual retailers (Llopis, 2011). Strategic Weaknesses in Comparison to Competitors The fact that Costco carries only 3600 selections of merchandises could potentially be a major flaw in their strategy. Generally, other stores carry over 10.000 selections. Customers may initially feel the thrill of shopping at cheap prices at Costco but could eventually dislike the lack of choices in terms of brands and may choose to shop at stores with larger varieties. Secondly, Costco spend less for advertisements and rely on word-of-mouth and certain campaigns. However, their competitors, Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club spend much more on advertisements. Presently, Costco’s financial conditions show steady results in sales but the power of marketing is such that customers may choose to shop elsewhere for various reasons. It is also important to note that customers’ switching costs (from Costco to another) is relatively low. Compensations Policies Costco offers attractive compensations as compared to their competitors. The employee benefits covers all aspects such as fixed wages, health benefits, medicinal discounts, eligibility for company profits, counseling services and many more. At a quick glance, we notice that Costco spends much on compensation, despite the comparatively lower amount of labor, due to the vast varieties of compensations. In my opinion, it shows good corporate culture to take care of employees. In most companies, CEOs are the first ones to be rewarded with sky-high numbers. It is different in the case with Costco, where CEOs are paid enough without failing to reward employees appropriately. Conclusions and Recommendations Although from a management and operation point of view, Costco is doing everything to a tee, there are several recommendations provided to further improve its performance: Increase product lines to above 3600 in order to compete in terms of product choice with their competitors, especially after understanding that customers’ switching costs are low. Costco already has a big advantage in terms of prices and can do wonders when they also hold product advantage. Prepare some funds for marketing. Branding and brand awareness are two of the most important factors for warehouses to remain sustainable in the market to be seen as reliant. With more marketing, Costco can retain top-of-mind positioning as the â€Å"place to shop† in customers’ mindsets. Maintain membership fees at a fair rate. Currently, Costco’s membership fees are higher compared to their competitors. They can maintain their fees at this level only if they can provide more attractive member benefits to their customers compared to their competitors. Reference: Llopis, G. (2011, January 31). The Costco Factor: To Win The Business Game, You Need to Change How You Think. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from Forbes: http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2011/01/31/the-costco-factor-to-win-the-business-game-you-need-to-change-how-you-think/

5000 word essay following research into Emergency planning and

5000 word following research into Emergency planning and Business Continuity Management and how they may be integrated with Security Risk Management - Essay Example Organisations have no choice but to manage the risk and ensure the stability of all stakeholders with the use and application of corporate governance and other standards. The integration among business continuity management, emergency planning and security risk management proves to be the only reliable way to attain and retain the corporate objectives. The global business environment doesn’t remain the same! Much has changed and much has become complex too. In this environmental complexity, a huge role is being played by globalisation. The developed world undoubtedly observes the saturation of markets. Consequently, the corporations need to search out new investment and business avenues to ensure their corporate existence in the corporate world. The markets of America; and most of European countries have less chances of facilitating the needs of large and big organisations in terms of goods and services; organisations have no other choice left except for taking on more risky investment destinations; such as Asia, Latin America and Africa. As a result, various security risks and challenges would be faced while doing business in these risky investment destinations. Additionally, as the security risk becomes wider and deeper practically and psychologically as well, different measures are pursued, and introduced; among these me asures; corporate social responsibility and corporate governance are more heard and are more demanded by security and regulatory authorities. As the issue of security is becoming a more and more challenging in each passing day, organisations need different and applicable ways to handle and minimise the risks that directly or indirectly threaten the existence of their businesses. Some standards, such as Business Continuity Management System (BCMS) are mostly used by the organisations. With the adoption and implementation of the BCMS, an organisation becomes in a

Employability related psychometric test Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Employability related psychometric test - Essay Example The problem is that the congress passes a reform that they have very little information on and what they have previously not thought about therefore creating very expensive standards in the market and at the same time the standards make very little difference globally. The best illustration to this scenario is the happenings in 1970 while adopting the auto emission standards (Heidi, 2013). Absence of government regulation on markets will give room to better achievement of safety objectives, productivity and health but limited to the use of psychometric tests. Its absence will also give way to better and more technology, greater rates of employment and improved drugs to take care of the sick in hospitals and homes. In a free market approach without government regulations, there are more advantages like great deal of freedom to individuals when it comes to the process of decision-making. There is also efficiency in allocation of resources to various uses. The achievement of the efficie ncy is mostly through the price system. Many know that changes in prices direct buyers and sellers behaviors since they act as signals to them (Heidi, 2013). Directly affecting the employability, government regulation halts risk taking and innovation and interferes with production therefore resulting to decline in employment. This for example has to do with government regulation costs where people or businesses in the market lack enough money for investing in taking risks with new technology and ideas. This denies a company the chance to expand their market and hire more workers. Government regulation on employability over regulates through setting standards for each aspect of... This essay starts off with talking about technology and globalization, which has brought about the use of psychometric tests while recruiting employees. Just recently, software came up relieving the employer the duties of recruiting and hiring his or her employees manually. For organizations using this phenomenal, all they need is update what they want on the internet and those seeking jobs and meeting the qualifications highlighted by the employer, the computer automatically selects the person for short listing. The essay follows one of the main points with information about pressure mounts on to the congress for example to pass the reform law fearing that it may not get reelection leaving many unemployed youths stranded with their papers in the name of â€Å"Psychometric tests†. This is where the media comes in with a negative contribution by focusing only on the bad side of the problem rather than concentrating on the best possible solutions of fixing the problem. Then the essay discusses its problems.The problem is that the congress passes a reform that they have very little information on and what they have previously not thought about therefore creating very expensive standards in the market and at the same time the standards make very little difference globally. The essay concludes with a valuavle point, telling us tgat for an employer to get a matching employee, he or she needs not to put up an interview to get the best, internet does all that work giving the employee to key in details and submit the curriculum vitae online.

Service Product Analysis Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Service Product Analysis - Term Paper Example As known, the Walt Disney Company has first captured the attention of the children in the society [practically in America] to believe in things that are almost impossible through fairy tales. Through the idea of making the impossible happen, the Walt Disney Company has made a great approach in making the children believe that whatever they may dream of could come true as long as they put their faith in it. Besides that, the Company also tried to produce different cartoon creations that are aimed in presenting comical thoughts not only to the children but also to their parents (Kotler, Armstrong, Wong and Saunders, 2002). Walt Disney’s deals with a combination of products and services and the company has been able to with the strong history and high experience that the company has in the current markets, it is essential to note that Disney has been able to gain a strong market position and has also been recognized for some of the best products and services. The experience along with the products and their services gives them a stronger position in the markets. Also with the newer technologies and the new productions of the company, Disney has also been able to set up new product lines based on their characters and has been able to place them very strategically in various stores across the country. The company has been able to set new stores across various malls and super centers and this the company used to increase its visibility in the markets (Miller, 2001). Also, the company’s theme park is also a well-known area and is visited by a number of vacationing families each year (Jobber, 2004). In terms of promotions and pricing, the company has been able to build a strong image and excellent promotions. The company has been able to develop an interlinked and intertwined form of promotion for all the products and services and these include, the movie production, books, consumer products and also the theme parks. The company has developed the promotional campaigns in a where were all the promotions are interlinked and ensure that all products are promoted at all times.

Hospitality Information paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Hospitality Information - Term Paper Example become a priority for many hotels as the industry growing very fast, so there is a need to conserve energy not to mention the customers’ preference for hotels that have gone green. In the hotel industry, going green means many things. Green technology, which was once used as luxury in hotels is now a very important idea to adopt that is seeing unwilling hotels lose customers and profits. Different hotels embrace the green technology in different ways. This may include recycling waste in the hotel, reusing materials such as towels, using solar and wind energy, making organic food whose waste could be easily disposed and decreasing the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere among others (Kasavana, 2008). There are many ways through which hotels can use green technology. Conserving energy is very important in any industry and many ways are available for obtaining this objective. A common way is using solar energy that makes use of the renewable energy from the sun. Some hotels have solar panels installed in their buildings. The solar cells in the panels get energy once exposed to the sun and change it into electricity that can be used to perform many activities needing electricity. A plus for solar energy is that it can be kept safe for later use, and it does not harm the environment in any way. When used in place of electricity costs of producing electricity and level of pollution decreases. Wind energy that does not harm environment can also be used in places with a lot of wind where wind turbines move with wind and produce electricity. Solar and wind energy are a good strategy to green technology because they make use of the available natural energy reducing the need for power fro m electricity plants and also do not produce greenhouse gases that harm the environment(Hotels Going the Green Way with Technology, 2013). The design of hotel buildings also plays a big role in using the green technology. With the use of more environmentally friendly

Starting a Business, Develop a new department Research Paper

Starting a Business, Develop a new department - Research Paper Example However a number of other factors merit attention too such as development of products and services such that market competition is firmly dealt with. Moreover new businesses need to consider how positions would be manned in the new business along with the development, training and retention mechanisms. Similarly if the business is working in a unique sector it may be necessary to recruit human resources from existing businesses without violating ethical or legal norms. Similar attention to detail must be paid to the facet of marketing without which there would be little point in creating products or services. Only effective marketing to the appropriate target market segment could ensure that the product or service is being consumed as intended. A system for support and services may also be required along with marketing and other facets if the business operations require after sales support and services. Ethical and legislative considerations must always be considered no matter what t he business size, the market constraints or other restrictions might be. Effective ethical and legislative enforcement mechanisms must be installed in businesses from the top to the bottom to ensure sustainability. Business history proves that large corporations such as Enron and WorldCom came crashing down when legislative requirement and ethical considerations were put into the background. These considerations are presented below in greater detail for a fertilizer manufacturing, marketing and distribution business located in the third world. 2. Considerations 2.1. Product and Services Development One of the most vital aspects of any business is its products or services or a combination of both that are critical to generating revenue. Within a theoretical framework businesses are essentially created in order to generate revenue so the facets of product and services development are vital too. Given the fact that this text will be considering a fertilizer business it is apparent that fertilizer has been developed as a product since the 1930’s so there is little need for research into making urea fertilizer. The current production methods rely largely on using methane through a host of different processes after which urea is created. However these production methods are not continually updated so there is little need for a research mechanism to be in place. Hence the business that would be initiated in order to create urea fertilizer would require equipment and machinery that would convert methane gas into urea but would not necessarily require a research framework. In most given cases large licensors who are attuned to designing and installing new fertilizer complexes are contracted to cover the design and build aspects of the plant. Once the plant is commissioned it is handed over to an operations and maintenance staff who are essential to the product development facet. Therefore in order to start a fertilizer manufacturing business it would be necessar y to hire outside contractors who would design and build the plant in the supervision of the principal’s staff. Once the plant goes online, more manning would be required to deal with the production and maintenance aspects. It would be preferable to hire production and maintenance personnel who are previously experienced in dealing with fertilizer plants because certain aspects of a fertilizer plant are safety and

Emanuel Medical Center Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Emanuel Medical Center - Case Study Example EMC’s Service Area incorporated the wide city of Turlock and the smaller towns in its periphery. Out of eighty percent of EMC’s patients were residents of the primary service area, sixty-four percent came from Turlock. The twelve small towns in the Turlock’s periphery were EMC’s secondary service area and were within five and fifteen miles from EMC. The secondary service area provided fourteen percent of all ECM’s patients. Residents from without EMC’s primary and secondary service area made up the remaining six percent of EMC’s patients. EMC had a mixed customer base comprising of cultural diversity and patients of different ages. In 1999, EMC recorded that 40.1 of its patients were 65 years and older, patients between 15 and 44 years of age formed 33.2 percent, and the 14-year olds and younger formed 10.2 percent. Hispanics were 32.5 percent of EMC’s patient population and were the fastest growing segment of emergency departme nt admissions. In 2002, the population of EMC’s primary service area was about 200,000 that was a nineteen percent increase from its population of about 168,000 in 1998. A big proportion of EMC’s patient population was baby boomers (Fisher, 2009). There are many hospitals and surgical outpatient clinics within 50 miles of Turlock that compete for patients’ loyalty. Kaiser Permanente’s contract with Memorial Medical Centre of Modesto is one of the large HMOs that provide EMC with insurance-covered patients. HMOs add to EMC’s market advantage because they provide it with this section of the patient population. However, the proximity of EMC’s competitors accelerates the fight for patients.

Reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 14

Reflection paper - Essay Example Every now and then we got to read students’ essays on the same topic or type of essay we were willing to write and that has greatly helped me since I got to understand what was right or wrong with it, in addition to not only evaluating the essay but also getting the chance to share my feedback with the rest of the class. Reading other people’s essays and listening to the professor talking about them makes me know what to include in my essays as well as how to make them efficient. The most effective thing I have done is working on the run on sentences because they helped me a lot and made me aware of what to avoid while writing my essays. The peer review has also helped me a little bit because apart from seeing my group’s papers and finding things to develop my essay more, I also get feedback from my group that assists me fix and make my essay even better. I attended the first conference which was very helpful since it helped me avoid getting a terrible score. On showing my essay to the professor, he advised me to change all of it because it wasn’t the kind he had requested for. He further gave me a chance to re-write my essay, as per his instructions so as to get a good grade. I feel that the professor teaching us English is doing his best in teaching us what we need to learn; which is a very commendable job

Money & Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Money & Banking - Essay Example The Fed comes out with the monetary policy in order to ensure a certain key objectives like, delivering price stability with a low inflation level coupled with an objective to support the Government's economic objectives of growth and employment. To understand how the Fed monitors price related regulations to keep a check on inflation, we may consider a small example of the regulation of house and property prices. To take any decisions related to interest rates keeping in mind the ongoing inflation rate, the Fed must be thorough with the booming property prices and must take steps to ensure that the prices are not artificial. Government intervenes through its central bank to regulate the prices of many commodities, similarly it also regulates the prices of houses like any other important commodity. Fed has the responsibility to keep a check on asset prices including the prices of houses. There can be a number of reasons why the prices of houses may shoot up, like the simple rule of demand and supply has a definite impact. (Demand and Supply for Housing). Other reasons behind a change in property prices can be Mortgages. A mortgage is the money borrowed to buy a house, as for most people buying a house is not easy. Over the years mortgage market has picked up greatly and the current scenario is totally different from the one that existed in the beginning. Mortgages were supplied only by the building societies. Building societies were non-profit institutions and encouraged only the members for the grant of loans, so the people who were members and had contributed to an extent for a considerable period of time got loans easily and account with building societies became the only means to get mortgages. Soon these societies had to compete with the banks and other financial institutions specialized in granting housing loans. This price war resulted in a greater demand for owner occupied houses and consequently the demand for houses grew stronger, resulting in a substantial increase in price. (The UK Housing Market - Factors Influencing th e Housing Market: Mortgages) Besides the above-mentioned factor of mortgages there are other factors like stamp duty and planning that affect the market for housing. Mortgage interest relief at source (MIRAS) was a tax concession to owning a house. It reduced the house owner's liability to income tax as the money spent on the interest on mortgage was considered to be tax-free. This made borrowings cheaper and as a result there was a huge demand for housing and the prices shot up. With the introduction of MIRAS in 1990 many people were exempted from stamp duty. (The UK Housing Market - Factors Influencing the Housing Market: Stamp Duty and Planning) The central bank sets a fixed interest rate at which it lends money to financial institutions and depending on this interest rate, individual banks and other financial institutions set up their own interest rates, which apply to the whole economy. This step is of indispensable importance to the economy, as this is very widely used to contain inflation. The only purpose behind such a step is just to contain undue inflationary levels prevailing in an economy. The point to be noted here is that,

Human Resource Case Study Essay Example for Free

Human Resource Case Study Essay 1. I think his request is reasonable. Nancy should have the time to address Mark’s request to develop an appropriate structure to deal with the growth of both companies. She will be able to present the possible strategies to overcome a shortage of employees. As well, she can discuss reasons why Family Distribution has experienced such a drastic fallout of staff over the past two years. Another topic she should have time to research are the complaints about the hiring practices at Family Manufacturing, whether they have genuine merit, and if so, what can be done to correct the situation. She should also be able to address the concerns of the vice president’s of both companies. . 2. I would not recommend one comprehensive plan for both companies because they are both experiencing different challenges that require separate action plans. Family Medical Distribution is making far less profit than it did at its peak in 1989 and has had to evolve into a specialty distributor of high end supplies just to stay afloat. Family Medical Manufacturing, on the other hand, is continuously exceeding its growth and profit projections yearly. They have the potential to grow the company even further but do not currently have the human resources to do so. . 3. Sam is a person who has been with the company for quite a long time. He has served in various positions and moved his way up the ranks, so he would have a good understanding about how the business is run. I think that Nancy should befriend him to understand his point of view and unique insights on how the company has evolved over time. . I think that Sam understands that a plan needs to be implemented to turn the company around. He has spent time and resources trying to evaluate his marketing department, sales, and operations. He’s even expressed that the staff need to work â€Å"smarter† not â€Å"harder†, but has given no specific direction on what could be done to make this a reality. His skepticism towards the value of HR seems to be based on the results of a department that has been running without a manager for the past 13 months. Even though the HR associate, Claire Jackson, has done a great job trying to keep things afloat, she simply does not have the time or expertise to run the entire department by herself. His judgment of the results is fair in the sense that HR is not particularly useful in its current incarnation, but he doesnt seem to have the insight to understand how much it could accomplish if it were running smoothly with competent leadership. . Nancy should explain to Sam that the best way to make the company more efficient and to work â€Å"smarter† is by appreciating how important a structured, secure working environment is to people. In order to make the company more profitable, she needs to convince him that the most important thing to do right now is to sort out how best to utilize people to achieve quality performance while at the same time promoting a business plan that will encourage growth. . 4. One glaring challenge is that there are four past complaints about hiring practices. Trust among the employees for the hiring process has been diminished, and the damage has already been done. Even though Mark Olsen seems to understand the importance of a strategic HR program, he has made some critical mistakes and shown a lapse in judgment in three ways. . Firstly, he has shown a bias in hiring people from his former employer in all cases of formal complaints made against the company. It is doubtful that the interview and selection process for these positions was done in a fair, unbiased manner. . Secondly, he has ignored the resources he already had at his disposal by hiring employees externally. In all formal complaints the employees had the education and training do the job they were applying for. Most people want a sense of purpose and accomplishment from their careers, and ignoring that basic desire will only create discontent among the workforce. . Finally, he disregarded and disrespected the entire hiring process by promising a position to someone before the opening had even been posted. In my opinion, this type of favoritism is one of the fastest ways to demoralize people. . At the upcoming meeting for Nancy’s presentation of her human resource plans, she needs to address these mistakes and explain to Mark how important it is to follow procedure, respect the hiring process, and moreover to respect his own employees. . 2. When Nancy present’s her plan, she needs to explain the different challenges that both companies are dealing with. There are pressures and opportunities to be found in both cases. Family Medical Distribution is a well respected company but has undergone significant downsizing due to government cutbacks. The opportunity here is to create an efficient supplementary business that will complement its manufacturing counterpart. Family Medical Manufacturing has plenty of room to grow, but not enough qualified personnel to help develop its upcoming products. . Next, she should state what goals of the company are to get clear about where they want to be in a five year time frame and what it will take to get there. Mark has said that his goal is to enter the home nursing market, so the plan needs to account for what needs to be done to achieve this goal from a HR perspective. . I think the most important issue that both companies need help with is in utilizing the talents and skills of their workforce in a way that compliments the needs of both divisions. The best solution is to consider both companies as one working unit from a HR standpoint. The deficiencies in staffing at Manufacturing could feasibly be satisfied by transferring the appropriate staff from Distribution. This would be an elegant way of taking care of the staffing needs of both companies while at the same time improving employee relations with upper management, an important first step in regaining a sense of trust and security. Nancy should also suggest that some of the money and employee benefits invested in Manufacturing’s new facility be put into effect at Distribution’s plant. It’s important to show genuine equality to employees and this would help to impart the understanding that both businesses are important for continued success.

Proper Designs For Air Conditioning In Mosques Environmental Sciences Essay

Proper Designs For Air Conditioning In Mosques Environmental Sciences Essay To maintain comfortable thermal conditions for the occupants is the basic requirement for any environment, because the thermal conditions have direct impact on the health, morale and productivity of human. Throughout the history using by using the intelligence and by being creative humans has been able to create environments which are comfortable for them to perform their activities and to keep maintaining such environments is very important. A complete thermal comfort occurs when the net heat gained by body is equal to the net heat loss from the body, in other terms; there occurs no storage of heat in the body. This is situation is known as thermal balanced situation. Thus to achieve thermal comfort it is is important to achieve thermal balance. It is possible to attain the thermal balance at a large range of environmental conditions but the thermal comfort is mainly achievable in conditions which are readily adjustable for the body. Thermal comfort is infact the state of mind which shows satisfaction within the existing thermal environment (Hutchean, 1989). There are many parameters involved which decide the thermal comfort conditions. These parameters are those which are related to the body heat loss and gains. Some of the important parameters which determine the heat balance in a particular thermal environment for a human body are: Air velocity, air temperature, humidity of air, activity levels of human, human clothing, means radiant temperature etc. Different models are being used till date by many people in order to relate the human comforts with these parameters in a particular environment. In many cases body has been considered as a thermal object which exchanges heat with the surrounding environment through different modes like: convection, conduction, radiation and is able to loose heat to the surroundings through evaporation and by adapting to the environment using the regulatory system of the body. (Cheng, 2006) Thus prediction of thermal comforts i n different environments is of substantial importance for people and organizations like ASHRAE which deal with air conditioning. Thus one important part of the present research would be to develop an approach which would be helpful for assessing the thermal comforts and problems for the buildings which would then be utilized for a pilot study on some of the mosques of Kuwait and near by areas where the environment is harsh and humid. During harsh hot and humid climatic conditions, an effective air conditioning system is required for buildings, which can provide an acceptable thermal comfort level. Although such systems exists in many places but in many situations either the buildings gets over cooled or in many cases proper levels of thermal comfort are not achieved because of improperly designed system, or improper operation practices with lack of maintenance and thus resulting into an inefficient air-conditioning system. Thus the other important aspect of the research would be to conduct a study for Mosques in harsh hot and humid climatic conditions. Mosques are a type of building which has their own unique operating schedule which depends on the time of prayers or others. So in the work a designed study would be carried out to monitor the thermal comfort conditions and to monitor the energy use of a number of mosques during hot and humid conditions so as to assess accurately the thermal comfort conditions and the energy efficiency in such buildings during the occupancy period so that an efficient air-conditioning system can be designed for them. 1.2 Problem statement One of the important essential requirements from an indoor environment is that it should be able to provide proper thermal comforts in order to satisfy human desires. Undesirable conditions can result in human dissatisfaction and in turn affecting their activities. Thus in this scenario it is very essential to give urgent consideration and attention to the thermal comfort conditions of the buildings especially building in the harsh hot and humid climatic conditions like Mosques where occupant satisfaction is very important during peak hours of prayers etc. In most of the buildings today the comfort levels are achieved through complex air conditioning systems but this might result into to the thermal comfort problems which can occur because daily operations in the building. Many a times it can be very difficult to identify thermal comfort problems and solve them because they can be very diverse in nature and can be cause because of large number of factors. Thus there is a need of deve loping a systematic approach so as to deal with the problems of thermal comforts in building, which in the present case is Mosque. Mosques are the place of great importance for the worshipers and it is needed that the worshipers feel calm and comfortable in the mosque and when they leave the mosque they have the feeling of peace and tranquility. Thus a careful evaluation of mosques is needed for thermal comforts and requirement of energy. Till date only a few studies have been conducted to fulfill this requirements for Mosques and thus there is a need of systematic study which can be helpful in monitoring the thermal comforts and energy use for Mosques so as to assess accurately the thermal comfort conditions and the energy efficiency in such buildings during the occupancy period so that an efficient air-conditioning system can be designed for them. 1.3 Objectives of the Research Detailed study on the methods for predicting the thermal comforts and energy use and previous work done by people in predicting the thermal comforts in buildings Development of a systematic approach for identifying and treating thermal-comfort problems Investigating the Basic design Elements of Mosques Monitoring thermal comfort conditions and energy use in some of the mosques of Kuwait and near by areas Suggesting recommendations for achievement of proper thermal comfort levels and properly designing air-conditioning systems for Mosques 1.4 Methodology The methodology adopted for performing the research and to meet the desired objectives is as below: Step 1: First of all the problem is identified through thorough discussion and observation of the area to be studied. After than understanding the background of the problem and finding out the necessity areas where the research needs to be conducted Step 2: Exhaustive study about the existing models and approaches for thermal comfort problems identification and ways to solve them. Studying the previous research done in the desired area for Mosques or similar kind of buildings in different environmental conditions and there by making a roadmap for the present research. Step 3: On the basis of the detailed analysis of the various approaches and by putting up new ideas through discussion and thorough observation of area, a systematic approach for identifying and treating thermal-comfort problems in building swould be developed which would then be applied for the Mosques of Kuwait or near by places Step 4: Before carrying out the analysis of comfort levels of mosques a study on the basic design elements of the Mosques would be performed in order to make the research more effective Step 5: Finally with the help of developed approach thermal comfort conditions and energy use in some of the mosques of Kuwait and near by cities would be monitored and the problems related to thermal comforts would be identified Step 6: At last a list of recommendations would be generated which would be helpful in improving the air conditioning performance, thermal comfort levels and efficient energy use. Step 7: And the research would then be completed by concluding the findings from the study and giving a future vision to the study and some points of research in future. 1.5 Expected Outcomes A systematic approach would be proposed with the help of which thermal comfort problems can be identified assessed and can be dealt with in a proper way. The developed approach will acts as a helpful tool for the building managers and the operators in order to deal with the thermal comfort problems arising in a building. Based on the study conducted for the mosques a list of recommendations would be generated. Although this recommendations would be genrated from the mosques in hot and humid climatic conditions but an attempt would be made to make them generic so that they can be applicable in any mosques in general. Chapter 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Mosques represent a place of great importance and unique function and operation as worshipers using the mosque need to feel comfortable and calm, and be able to leave with a feeling of tranquility and peace. Consequently, they need to be carefully evaluated in terms of thermal comfort and energy requirements. However, only a limited number of studies have dealt with these requirements of mosques. A study on thermal comfort requirements for Friday prayer during the hot season in Riyadh (Saeed, 1996) indicated that most people are comfortable and few prefer cooler conditions. Thermal comfort considerations are usually paramount in most buildings involving people occupancy. This requires the addition or extraction of heat from the space depending mainly on the season and type of activities performed indoors. The thermal environment parameters involved are all those affecting body heat gains and losses. Air temperature, air humidity, air velocity, mean radiant temperature as well as huma n clothing and activity levels are factors that determine the heat balance of a human body in a given thermal environment. Several models are available in the literature to relate the human sensation of comfort to those factors. Prediction of thermal comfort has been of substantial interest to ASHRAE. ASHRAE has developed a comfort index which is based on the effective temperature. The effective temperature is defined on the basis of 50 % relative humidity. The basis of the definition is that the effective temperature describes the uniform temperature of enclosure which is radiantly black at 50% RH (ASHRAE, 1997) and in which the comfort, heat exchange and physiological strain experienced by the occupant would be same as that of the actual environment with same air velocity. Fanger, 1970 has done a very elaborative study on the prediction of thermal comfort levels under steady state conditions. Fanger, 1970 formulated a comprehensive equation for heat balance which was based on the various parameters of heat exchange. Fanger, 1970 developed a comfort equation which involved the use of two empirical relations which relates skin temperature and evaporative heat loss to the metabolic rate. With the help of the equation developed by Fanger, 1970 comfort conditions for any type of envi ronmental conditions with any type of parameters of clothing and rate of metabolism can be calculated. The other major development in this study by Fanger was the estimation of the PMV (Predicted Mean Vote) for a space in which there are differences in the thermal sensation from the optimal the optimal value. This PMV is helpful in predicting the percentage of dissatisfied people. Considering the variability of thermal sensation under the same conditions, Fanger devised a means of estimating a predicted mean vote (PMV) of the subjects in a space in which there are deviations from optimal in the thermal sensation. Using the PMV, the percentage of people dissatisfied (PPD) can be predicted. The impact of air movement and the effect of its flow patterns on thermal comfort have been the subject of many theoretical and experimental studies(Jiang, 1992) (Chow, 1994). Results from those studies have emphasized the role of air velocity and air distribution patterns as a determinant factor of thermal comfort. Furthermore, models for predicting comfort at different flow regimes and air distribution patterns have been suggested. Charles (Charles, 2003) reviewed and assessed the validity of Fangers Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) Model, and Fangers Draught Model. The review also suggested that the bias in PMV predictions varies by context. The model was a better predictor in air-conditioned buildings than naturally ventilated ones, in part because of the influence of outdoor temperature, and opportunities for adaptation. Ji et al, 2006, examined the thermal comfort of people in naturally ventilated environments in a field study in Shanghai, China. The study suggested that people residi ng in such hot area have adapted to its climate and their expectations for comfort allow them to endure heat better than expected Many studies have been conducted and carried out in different environmental conditions in order to find out the difference in requirement of thermal comfort levels based on parameters related to sex, body build and age. Results showed that there is no significant difference in the comfort conditions required by male or female, elderly or young etc. (Chung, 1990), (Cheng, 2006). Dear and Brager, 2002 summarized earlier adaptive comfort research, presented some of its findings for naturally ventilated buildings, and discussed the process of getting the adaptive comfort incorporated into Standard 55. Adaptive models include in some way the variations in outdoor climate for determining thermal preferences indoors. Cheng and Ng, 2006 discussed in a recent study the adaptive model in thermal comfort, which has been included in the new revision of ASHRAE Standard 55-2004. Furthermore, it demonstrated the development of a comfort temperature chart for naturally ventilated buildings in Hong K ong. Van Hoof et al (2007) discussed two implementations of the adaptive comfort model in terms of usability and energy use for moderate maritime climate zones by means of literature study, a case study comprising temperature measurements, and building performance simulation. The study concluded that for moderate climate zones the adaptive model is only applicable during summer months, and can reduce energy for naturally conditioned buildings. The subject of thermal comfort in buildings is intimately related to the energy consumption/conservation issue as most of the time either heating or cooling is needed to maintain the space at a comfortable level. Many studies have been carried out to investigate this relationship and explore means and ways to conserve energy without compromising comfort (Tham, 1993). A multidisciplinary approach for achieving energy saving and thermal comfort simultaneously was developed (Tham, 1993). The impact of various energy conservation measures and HVAC system and component characteristics on building thermal performance including thermal comfort has been investigated. Results have indicated that adaptation of a higher temperature set point in summer can lead to a significant reduction in cooling energy without loss of thermal comfort. The energy consumption by building heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems has evoked increasing attention to promote energy efficient control and operation of HVAC systems(Mathews, 2000 and 2002). Many other measures related to the design and operation of the HVAC system can be considered for conserving energy. However, in no circumstances should the comfort of occupants be compromised. In hot and cold climates, thermal comfort in building is achieved by HVAC systems, resulting in considerable energy costs. In many situations, buildings are over cooled or the HVAC system is kept running for a much longer time than needed. This will allow considerable opportunities to conserve ener gy while achieving better comfort conditions or at least maintaining the desired comfort conditions at a reduced level of energy consumption. Recently, Budaiwi (2007) proposed and implemented a multi-phase approach to investigate and remedy thermal comfort problems in buildings. Although mosques are important buildings with a unique function and intermittent operation, evaluation of their thermal performance, problems and, subsequently, possible remedies did not receive adequate attention by researchers. This paper presents the results of a study monitoring energy use and indoor environmental conditions in a number of mosques in order to assess the quality of their thermal comfort conditions especially during occupancy periods in such intermittently operated buildings in hot-humid climates. This study is part of a comprehensive research conducted on mosque thermal performance (Budaiwi, 2005). In this part of the study, energy use and thermal indoor conditions for three mosques were monitored over a period of one year. These mosques were selected to represent the common types of a single-zone daily prayers mosque, a single-zone Friday (large) mosque, and a two-zone Friday mosque. The criteria of representative mosques selection as well as their physical and operational characteristics have been presented in previous work. Chapter 3 CHARACTERISTICS OF MOSQUE Before going further on the discussion related to the thermal comfort conditions and energy use it is important to first briefly discuss the basic and important elements of a typical design of mosque and the different activity modes in mosque. 3.1. Basic Elements of typical design of Mosque Mosque is generally a simple rectangular wall enclosed building having a roofed prayer hall. The longer side of the rectangular shape has orientation in the direction of the Makkah City having the holy mosque. This longer wall is normally termed as Qibla Wall. In the center of the wall is a recess in the form of niche wall which is called as Mihrab. It also includes an elevated floor commonly termed as Minbar, in the right of Mihrab, from which Imam delivers or preaches the speech on Friday, i.e. Khutba.These are some of the essential elements of any mosque design. In Fiugre1 an isometric and a plan of a typical simple design of a mosque has been shown emphasizing the basic elements of design of a mosque. Although from the functional point the mosques are not different and have remained unchanged but the space, building materials, architectural forms and the construction systems have evolved and developed to very different extent in the different parts of the world of Islam which are influenced by many other factors as well. Figure 1: The basic design elements of a simple mosque (a) plan, and (b) isometric [Reference: [22]]. Figure2: The geometric configurations (plans) of the investigated mosques. 3.2. Activity modes in a mosque The design of the mosque is greatly influenced by the worship considerations. There are usually two modes of worship in a mosque. The first mode is the prayer mode which involves doing prayers either in groups or individually as per the religious prescription. Generally while performing group prayers the worshippers stand, prostrate, bow and sit behind the Imam in parallel rows and on the same floor level which are aligned parallel to the Qibla Wall having a distance of approximately 1.2 m. The second mode of worship is the preaching mode, in which the worshippers seat in random rows and listens to the Imam who preaches and deliver Khutba, standing on the Minbar which is a elevated floor. The height of the Minbar floor is different in different mosques. The mosque capacity is dependent upon the floor area and is determined by dividing the area of the floor with the average area required by a worshipper for performing the prayer which is approximately 0.80 * 1.2 = 0.96 m2. Gantt Chart Thermal Comfort in Mosques Nov Dec Jan Feb TASKS Submission of Research Proposal Literature Survey Interim Report Submission Development of Systematic Approach Field study of Mosques Result analysis Concluding Remarks and Recommendations Final Project Submission

Risks and Benefits of Modern Technology

Risks and Benefits of Modern Technology The Internet and other emerging technologies have been a source of help to organisations in the modern time. It could be argued that having a form of modern technology is inevitable in the bid to remain competitive. Information Technology industry and media commentators claim that businesses stand to gain many benefits from use of the Internet. There is no doubt that the internet has transformed the way organizations operate at present, not only do these improve processes, financial benefits are also increased. While successful examples of companies using the net have been widely reported, few studies have seriously examined the issues involved. However, there is always a flip side of the coin in everything, as the internet and the other emerging technologies have their benefits to organizations. There are also the disadvantages. This paper will seek to analyze both sides in detail and put forward possible solutions backed up by research which will reduce the risk of digital business. George (1988) defined Emerging Technology as science based innovations that have the potential to create a new industry or transform an existing one. They include discontinuous technologies derived from radical innovations. Examples are bio therapeutics, high-temperature super conductors, MRI imaging, Touch screen kiosk and the Internet. The Touch Screen Kiosk is a new java-enabled technology. Touch-screen kiosks go beyond the capabilities of a traditional time clock in that they are true information appliances. They provide a bridge between the organization and the workforce, both capturing workforce information and extending organizational information back to the employee. A kiosk-based solution for time, attendance, and labour tracking also offers organizations a tool for empowering employees with self-service. With the touch of a finger, employees can view Internet-enabled applications that display their schedules, vacation balances, and corporate messages or allow time and labou r data entry. Workforce management can now be a two way street. (Rizzo, 2001) The Internet started in the 80s and since then it has had a drastic impact on culture, commerce and business and due to the speed, litheness, and effectiveness that it offers, it has become the means for accomplishing a growing amount of business between suppliers and large international companies. With this, the Internet has created new business to developing countries and has hastened the distribution of knowledge throughout the world of business. It thus creates unprecedented opportunities for developing countries because it can remove barriers thereby fostering full participation in the new global economy. Some organisations use the internet for almost every part of their organization such as buying and delivery of goods, stock control, manufacture arrangement, communications plans, sales programs, service departments and support programs. The change from traditional communication channels such as salespeople, telephone and snail mail to the internet and e-mail happened quickly i n some companies. However, this transition took place slowly in others. (McKenna and Bargh, 2000) Emerging Technologies have instigated a new transaction method that decrease costs, hastens the pace at which transactions are carried out, and supply acces to new markets, new customers, and new business relationships of all kinds. Even with all these benefits that the internet has brought to the business world, there are still a lot of risks involved such as fraudulent transactions, scams and more. This research would explain all these risks and benefits in detail. The Internet has enabled business to go far beyond previously set or imagined boundaries. Today, change is constant, its speed is accelerating, and its global impact is felt everywhere. While the Internet offers many potential benefits, there are a number of unresolved issues in conducting business on it. Despite recent advances, security remains the most fundamental concern and the main reason why companies hold back from full use of the net (van Kirk, 1994; Baron, 1995). Iver (2003) explains that online business is an infinite term about the different business procedures that plan to assimilate the merchants with the consumers and suppliers using the Internet. The whole procedure of putting up a website, helping the potential customer steer through the site, showing them the accessible products, offering cut rate and coupons and doing everything possible to persuade the potential customers and changing them into customers, comes under the process of e-business. He further went to discuss about Electonic commerce which is a compartment of e-business and is defined as online business that can be accounted for in financial terms. For instance, paying for goods and products with credit card by the consumers or shopping and paying online are examples of electronic-commerce. E-commerce could be explained as the last phase of e-business which involves the payments of the products sold by the organisation. The use of the internet has several disadvantages when conducting business transactions. According to Iver (2003), the main disadvantage of online business is the poor growth rate in certain segment on account of goods. For example, the food sector has not profited in terms of expansion of sales and resulting profits generation due to some certain reasons like food products being an unpreserved item. Customers hardly search for food products and items on the Internet because they rather go to the stores to purchase the required product when it is needed. It is also very easy to go into the online business as almost everyone has a laptop and is connected to the internet. This gives room for fraudulent activities since there isnt proper security in place to monitor the number of people that develop shopping websites. Trust is also a major issue in online business because any problems with your business website will be immediately be obvious to the world and the customers typically have little loyalty. Due to competition, once your website is unavailable, customers will simply move on to one of your competitors. In addition, technical failure can also have a significant impact on a companys key trading partners. Sid (2007) also discussed about the disadvantages of online business based on internet services and trust issues. Internet Technology According to Sid (2007), he discussed about the disadvantages of practising online business. The first point is that the website of the business must keep functioning at all times; this is the equivalent to a physical store staying open. If an Internet business goes offline due to technical issues, it can cost them profit; therefore, it’s essential to either have the technical skills or have someone in the company that possesses the technical skills to keep the company functional at all times. Trust Sid (2007) also explained about the behaviour of people shopping online. In many people’s minds, purchasing products over the Internet is still not as safe as purchasing products in stores. Since people cannot see the person on the other end of the computer, they might have issues purchasing products. This is also dependent upon the products and the sector. Lacking consumer’s trust can significantly impact sales and overall success. According to Lewis (2002), internal network protection will be a big issue for the organizations that wish to offer their services to Internet-using customers around the world. Hackers and other internet criminals can infiltrate company files and infect them with a virus, which is then sent to other computers to infect them. If the networks are not secured such people could also find important information about the company. Newly publicized weaknesses in the basic structure of the Internet indicate that the worldwide computer network may need a time-consuming redesign before it can be safely used as a commercial medium. Lewis (2002) further went to explain about how hackers can easily get access to different companies and can cover their traces without any major concerns. They like to trade data illegally and sell data to the hacker community. Calling-card numbers from long distance telephone service providers, cellular service activation codes, stolen credit-card numbers, security-p enetrating algorithms and pirated software codes are among the data most frequently traded on the Internet. Hackers might also bombard a company with thousands of mail messages using automatic remailer tools. The posting of messages can knock out communications at a critical time in a competitive situation and even firewalls cannot protect a company well against these attacks. Jerkins (1995) explained about Information security which is based on three foundations: Data integrity A company must be sure that its data have not been changed. Confidentiality of data Companies have to be able to keep to themselves what they do not want others to know, such as their customer database, credit card numbers, etc. Authenticity Companies need to be sure that messages they receive from the Net are from the people they claim to be. If any of these factors can be infiltrated by hackers, the company is no longer secure.Another risk is the increasing number of information brokers who use online communications to match buyers and sellers. Criminals always seem to always have an edge over law enforcement agencies.An online Internet organization also faces other challenging risks. Cafasso (1996) explains the case of staff members that always download adult material from the internet and go further to show them around in the work environment. This can create a hostile working environment and employees that view the adult material might feel sexually harassed within the company and could press charges. The company will have to ensure that employees cannot download such media files or other offensive materials from the Internet. It will have to develop strict guidelines to protect its own interests and the uncontrolled surfing habits of its employees.To do business on the Internet successfully, companies will have to en sure that the customer is indeed the person he or she claims to be. Verification and confirmation, written with an e-mail system, will work well enough for the time being. The advantages of using the internet or emerging technologies were explained by Iver in 2003. Worldwide Presence According to Iver, 2003, this is the major benefit of transacting dealings online. An organization using e-business can have a countrywide or a global presence. For example, IBM was one of the first firms to start practicing e-business to service customers and work in partnership with business associates all over the globe. Dell Inc. also had a prosperous business selling computers all over the US, through the telephone and the Internet till 2007. Amazon.com is also an accomplishment story that assists customers buy globally from third parties. Hence, global presence is guaranteed if organizations reorganize their business by using the Internet. Cost Effective Marketing and Promotions The use of the web to advertise products ensures global reach at a small price. Advertising techniques like pay per click advertising guarantees that the promoter only pays for the advertisements that are really watched. Affiliate marketing, where customers are directed to a business portal because of the efforts of the affiliate who in turn receive compensation for their efforts meeting with success, have emerged on account of e-business. Associated marketing has assisted both the business and the associates. Organizations making use of e-business have handled to use cost effective online advertising strategies to their advantage. Developing a Competitive Strategy Organizations need to have a competitive strategy over their rivals because without an effective strategy, it will be difficult to sustain the advantage and make proceeds. The strategy, that the organization can chase, can be a price strategy or a differentiation strategy. For instance, till the year 2007, Dell Inc. was selling PCs only through the Internet and the phone. It took up a differentiation strategy by selling its PCs through the internet and personalizing its laptops to meet up with the requirements of the customers and it really helped their profits. Thus, engaging business online resulted in Dell Inc. being able to acquire a large sector of the market by making use of the differentiation strategy. Better Customer Service Iver (2002) explained that doing business online has produced an improvement in customer service. Occasionally, when going through a website, the customer is always met by a pop-up chat window. Readily available customer service may assist in encouraging the customer to know more about the product or service. Furthermore, the products can be paid for online and can be shipped to the customers home. Internet services allow for asynchronous interaction and provide convenience for the client. The Web also makes access to people in remote areas feasible. This assistance, says Snow (2001), is able to bridge distances and help overcome a wide assortment of isolation economic, physical, emotional, geographical. Doing business on the Internet will become even more essential in the future. More organizations will have the right to use to the Internet and, with the price of communication reducing; more customers will come to the Internet as well. The Internet offers remarkable possibilities and could, in the long run, surpass conventional distribution channels. It is very simple to get connected to the Internet and people can browse and shop on the Internet 24 hours a day, if they want to. The Internet offers an exceptional way to get in touch with the customers on a one-to-one basis. Better emerging technologies will help organizations to represent themselves better and sell more products. So for people to keep enjoying the benefits on the Internet, it is important that the security issues must be addressed. Security on the Internet is a very vital issue, and some good solutions are beginning to form. Organizations that use the internet often need to protect themselves in three major areas: data integrity, confidentiality of data and authenticity. It becomes more and more key to avoid hackers from stealing or tampering with data stored in organisations systems. This can be done by installing firewalls or routers. When data travels on the Net, it is normally intended to be read only by sender and recipient, which can be ensured with encryption systems. Finally, an organization wants to be sure that the parties it is communicating with are really who they claim to be. Authenticity can be obtained with digital signatures. Doing business online involves some risks, like any other business transaction. But if attention is devoted to installing secure procedures, it is no more risky than other business practices. Since security is essential in online business because of all the risk involved, one of the major organizations that provide such security for banks and other large organizations that deal with online business is Panda Security. It is one of the major leading IT security providers and an antifraud service for doing business online to guard against identity theft through malware attacks targeting banks that operate online, platforms for payment and electronic-commerce. This procedure advises companies when there is a targeted attack and provides the gears to spot and obstruct affected users which reduce any possibility of online fraud. This solution allows banks and organizations providing online services to ensure that customers initiating businesses on their websites are not contaminated by any malevolent code that affects the service. They can see the security status of their customers and efficiently supervise the danger involved in online business. This radically reduces the poss ibility of fraudulent actions. The benefits that this service offers organizations include: Reduction of online fraud Panda Security for Internet Transactions provides tools and information to stop fraudulent activity. Organizations are instantly notified whenever there is a new malware attack targeting their customers, and delivered the information needed to respond in time. Organizations will see how the malware operates and how they can protect themselves. They can prevent infected customers from accessing their website, reducing the effects of online fraud. Control and management of threats to online transactions This is the only service on the market offering information about the security status of clients. This can be used by an organization to create risk profiles, meaning the service can be configured to restrict the permission to carry out transactions to those clients that meet pre-determined security requirements. Expanding business thanks to improved security Users lack of confidence in online security is one of the prime reasons for their reticence to use Web services. This tool reduces online fraud and allows companies to offer clients a secure environment for online transactions For the business community, the Internet is a new limit, offering matchless prospects for development and growth. Organizations can provide their services throughout the world, with the variety of services multiplying daily. It is also obvious that the advantages of using the internet and other emerging technologies for business is by far more than the disadvantages so organizations would continue to use them and keep trying to find ways to reduce online fraud and scams. Practising online business involves some threats just like any other business deal. But if concentration is dedicated to installing secure measures, it is no more dangerous than other business practices. As a matter of fact, it is not safe for your organization not to be represented on the Web if you are related to the technology industry in any way: the Web will be the first place prospective customers will look for you, expecting to find you there. There are unique opportunities on the Web for marketing a companys services, selling products and gathering information. References BBC (1999), â€Å"Internet scam file†, BBC On-line Network, 7 April,news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/business/your_ Brewer E. (15), â€Å"Internet flaws a setback for commerce†, New York Times Personal Technology. Cafasso, R., When security isnt what it seems, Enterprise Systems Network Management, March 1996, pp. 72-84 Cyber-Smut: Regulating Obscenity on the Internet; Kaplan, Rebecca Dawn Stan. L. Pol’y Rev.; 1998 Vol. 9, p189, Edward Rizzo 2001 Emerging Technologies and the Internet Enable Todays E-Workforce http://community.19actionnews.com/_zhangyan-has-added-Advantages-of-E-Business/BLOG/2275620/2165.html http://www.abestweb.com/forums/showthread.php?goto=lastpostt=103922 http://www.buzzle.com/articles/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-e-business.html http://www.ehow.com/list_6023059_disadvantages-e_business.html http://www.marketingservicestalk.com/news/pan/pan113.html http://www.pandasecurity.com/virus_info/exports/rss/pandaes.xml Jenkins, L., Doing business in a global marketplace: secure electronic commerce, Ciphertext The RSA newsletter, Vol. 3 No. 1, Winter 1995, pp. 1, 8. Jim Drinkhill, 2001, Journal of Financial Crime, Computer Fraud, Vol. 4 No. 3 Lewis, P. (22), â€Å"Security of personal data is lost in cyberspace†, Computer Information Systems. McKenna, K. Y. A. and Bargh, J. A. (2000) Plan 9 from cyberspace: The implications of the Internet for personality and social psychology, Personality and Social Psychology Review, Vol. 4, pp. 57-75. money/newsid_313000/313051.stm. SEC (1998), Internet Fraud: How to Avoid Internet Investment Scams, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Washington, DC, October, www.sec.gov/consumer/cyberfr.htm Sid, J. (2007), World Wide Web Marketing – Integrating the Internet into Your Marketing Strategy, John Wiley, New York. NY Snow, S. (2001) Is Online Counseling Ethical? Available: http://www.commcure.ethicsonline.html. Accessed Aug. 26 2003.

The Underground Railroad Essay -- History Historical Slavery Essays

The Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was one of the most remarkable protests against slavery in United States history. It was a fight for personal survival, which many slaves lost in trying to attain their freedom. Slaves fought for their own existence in trying to keep with the traditions of their homeland, their homes in which they were so brutally taken away from. In all of this turmoil however they managed to preserve the customs and traditions of their native land. These slaves fought for their existence and for their cultural heritage with the help of many people and places along the path we now call the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a secret operation that began during the 19th century, and reached its peak during the time of 1830 – 1865. The story of the Underground Railroad was one of individual sacrifice and great courage in the efforts of the African American people to reach freedom, with the help of many interconnected â€Å"stations† (Introduction to the Underground Railroad?). The number of sites connected with the Underground Railroad was immense. The Underground Railroad was any direction slaves traveled to freedom. It was a huge scheme of paths through marshes, over mountains, along rivers, and by sea. No real trains existed on the Underground Railroad, but guides were called conductors. Runaways escaped to the North along a series of routes that stretched through the southern Border States (â€Å"History and Geography†). Slaves who escaped into the western territories, Mexico and the Caribbean, then tried to blend in with the free African American communities, which lived in these areas (Slavery’s Past). There were many conductors in many different states, all of which were important to the Underground Railroad. The most notable of these was Harriet Tubman. Harriet made nineteen trips back to Slave States to help members of her family and other slaves to escape to freedom. She was a woman who could not read or write, but she helped over three hundred slaves to their freedom. She had many encounters with slave traders and others, who tried to capture her, but she never got caught, and she never lost a single slave (Harriet Tubman). Another important figure in the Underground Railroad was Stephen Myers. Stephen Myers helped the Underground Railroad from 1830 to 1850. In this time he helped thousands o... ...ic linking the people of Africa and America. It is a story of places, North and South. It is a story of secrets involving routes and language, codes and music. In the end it is a story of jubilation and freedom, bought at a great price by individuals. Works Cited African Genesis. History and Geography of the Underground Railroad. Nov. 7, 2000 Appleseed Recording. Free at Last.1998 Cairnes, John E. Slavery’s Past. Lilly W. The Underground Railroad. June 16, 1999 Maryland’s African American Heritage. Harriet Tubman. Siebert, Wilbur. The Underground Railroad from Slavery to Freedom. New York: Arno Press and the New York Times 1968 U.C. Davis Division of Education. The Freedom Sympathizers and Fighters. May 1996 U.C. Davis Division of Education. What was The Underground Railroad?. May 1996. Underground Railroad Workshop. Able Brown. 2000 Underground Railroad Workshop. Stephen Myers. 2000 Underground Railroad Workshop. The role of the Quaker Community. 2000 United States. National Park Service. Introduction to the Underground Railroad. United States. National Park Service & History Association. In Search of Freedom. August 1996

Trouble Aboard The Titanic - A Personal Account (fiction) :: essays research papers

It all started when I was enjoying a late-night game of poker with some friends of mine, including by best friend, Joe Allen. There was a small rumble and my noticed that my glass of fine wine was disturbed a bit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"What was that?† Joe said curiously.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Oh, it was probably just the firemen throwing in more coal to speed this thing up overnight.† I replied. The game continued normally until I was out of cash on hand; I wasn’t very good at poker in the first place. The end of the game was interrupted by three stewards bursting into the large room and yelling, â€Å"Everyone on deck! Secure life belts immediately!†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Joe and I sprung up to see what was the matter. â€Å"What’s the big idea here?† Joe yelled to one of the stewards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"We have a small emergency situation and everyone needs to be moved to the deck with their life belts with them.† He retorted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I kept my cool because I knew that the first-class passengers like us were always helped first. After finding two life belts, we were herded along with many others up to the deck.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The deck was alive with movement all over. It was total pandemonium as everyone was trying to get aboard a lifeboat. â€Å"I have a feeling that the unsinkable Titanic is sinking,† Joe said.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Sinking or not, we have to get on one of these boats. It looks like they’re letting first-class on first, so we’re in luck.† I said to Joe. On the deck below us, I could see masses of people that looked like herds of sheep being rushed in one direction. I noticed myself a little more seasick than I was before, and that the deck seemed slanted. It was obvious the ship was sinking now. A guard nearby was calling for first-class passengers so we went there and climbed aboard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Any ideas on what’s going on?† I yelled to the guard.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   â€Å"Yeah, we hit a huge berg and we’re taking on water fast down below.† He replied. Before I had time to think, the lifeboat was lowered into the water slowly. I felt sorry for the people on that lower deck because the ship was only half full of us rich first-class folk. The same guard had hopped onto the ship to lead it away from the dying giant. After seeing the Titanic from a distance, I could see that its long rows of deck lights weren’t perpendicular to the ocean anymore, but slanted way up.

Audience Appeal in Romeo and Juliet Essays -- Romeo and Juliet Shakesp

Audience Appeal in Romeo and Juliet Despite the fact that the play Romeo and Juliet was written several hundred years ago, explain how it continues to appeal to an audience today. Despite the fact that the play "Romeo and Juliet" was written several hundred years ago, explain how it continues to appeal to an audience today. Referring to the play how does Shakespeare creates tension for the audience? Explain the use of language and the way the actors convey suspense and excitement. Refer specifically to Act 3 Scenes 4 and 5, to illustrate your views. The story of "Romeo and Juliet" appeals to people because it contains so many things, which they can relate to. The story contains emotions such as love (between Romeo and Juliet), hate (between the two families), Sadness (there are five deaths during the play) and humour (Mercutio (innuendos), the Nurse and Peter). Contrasts of ideas and the opposition between the characters make a play interesting. There are many such conflicts within the story of "Romeo and Juliet" The central of these conflicts been the feud between the two families, the Montagues and the Capulets. There is no apparent cause of this "ancient grudge" despite this many people die because of it. The members of each family seem to have an instinct to hate or even kill members of the other. There is also the contrast between life and death. This contrast can be connected with fate, which in Shakespeares' time was believed in a lot more than today. In the prologue we are told that Romeo and Juliet are "star-crossed lovers", "From forth the fatal lions of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;" you could say that this means that they are ill fated, or t... ...ne shows the extent of Romeos' love for Juliet. His final speech is full of love and it shows that his suicide is not a reckless act. He loves Juliet more than life itself and believes that the only way in which the can be together is in death. He does not kill him self out of spite or the feeling of despair, but out of his love for Juliet and his unwillingness to carry on living without her. In conclusion the play "Romeo and Juliet" still appeals to an audience today as it did when it was written for many reasons. These include the use of tension to keep to audience on edge and the interesting use of language such as innuendoes and puns. Also the content of emotions and contrasts. Alough I did not enjoy the play "Romeo and Juliet" as much as some of Shakespeares' other plays, I still think that the way in which Shakespeare wrote it was very effective.

Charity: Begging and Old English Means Essay

The word â€Å"charity†, by derivation and in old English means love. But in ordinary modern English it means almsgiving, and in this short essay we must confine ourselves to the later and narrower meaning of the word. Charity in this sense is a virtue extensively practiced and highly esteemed in the East. In India, prior to Independence, it was a common practice for kings and rich men to weigh themselves against gold and silver and to distribute the proceeds among the poor. This was done by Shivaji, and many others before and after his time. We have in most of our large cities fine monuments of munificent charity in the university buildings, colleges, hospitals, convalescent homes and water-fountains, built wholly or partially at the expense of rich citizens, who chose this practical way of showing their love for their native city. But it must be remembered that it is net only the rich that have the power of being charitable. The Mahabharata tells us that: Just Heaven is not so pleased with costly gifts, Offered in hope of future recompense, As with the merest trifle set apart, From honest gains and sanctified by faith, and that the man â€Å"who is not rich but yet can give, will be exalted above the heavens.† Very often the munificent gifts of rich men are made for purposes of ostentation or as a means of gaining favour with Government. The best charity is that which is done in secret, so that, in the expressive words of the Gospel, the left hand does not know what the right hand does. It is very necessary to exercise discrimination in the giving of alms. The great object of charity is to relieve misery, and indiscriminate charity, by encouraging the trade of begging, actually adds to the misery of the world. If it were not for the reckless charity of well meaning men, who think it a duty to give a small alms to every beggar they come across, many who now lead a miserable existence as beggars would take to honest work, and become profitable members of society. As ‘Monier Williams’ Indian Wisdom. Things are, they prefer to live an idle life of degradation, and some of them, by begging and imposture, make more money than an honest poor man can earn by hard labour. Such being the case, it is no wonder that so many beggars infest the streets of Bombay and other rich cities. A rich man who is really determined to do good with his money, should either find out for himself what poor men really deserve help, or, if he has not time to do so, he should give his alms through some charitable society, that has officers appointed for the special purpose of distinguishing between the deserving poor and impudent impostors. There are also some who require to be reminded that charity begins at home, and that they must not deprive themselves of the means of supporting their own family by profuse charity to strangers who have less claims upon them. These, then, are the two principal limits to observe in the duty of almsgiving. We must recognize the prior obligation of providing for the necessities of our own family, and we must take care lest by ill-judged distribution of alms we encourage beggary and improvidence with its attendant miseries. Charity would seem to be least exposed to the second danger, when a subscription is made for unfortunate persons suddenly reduced to ruin by an earthquake, or a storm, or any other calamity against which no foresight could have defended them. For in such cases there is very great distress to be relieved in the present, and there is little fear of the help given leading in the future to ruinous improvidence or extravagance.

Dangerous Sports Essay

In recent years we have seen a considerable rise in dangerous or extreme sports. This essay shall discuss some of the main reasons why people engage in such sports and suggest ways in which some risks involved in such sports can be reduced. The main reason why people go for dangerous sports is that they get the thrill out of them. They like taking risks. They like to challenge their abilities and potentials. They feel a sense of satisfaction when they come face to face with fears while bungee jumping, rock climbing and so on. In addition, going through a dangerous experience gives them courage and confidence to face the hurdles of their daily life. Another reason for pursuing such sports is that there is a lot of fame and money involved in them. They get attention by doing stunts on motorcycles and jumping from tall buildings. They make headlines in newspapers and TV News Channels. They feel great when their name comes in the Guinness Book of World Records. Once they get famous they get a lot of money also. For instance, many businesses hire them to endorse their products. They also get jobs on the basis of such skills. Many steps can be taken to reduce the risks are that involved. Firstly, these sports should be done under strict supervision. All safety precautions should be taken. Such sports should be performed after sufficient training and under supervision of adults. Sport companies which cater to such sports should require a license for providing such training. Some people suggest banning some sports. However, I do not believe that banning is a good solution. We all know that forbidden fruits taste sweeter and people will do such sports in hiding which would increase the risks involved. To put it in a nutshell, I pen down saying that, people do such sports for fun, for money and for fame. However, such sports should be performed after sufficient training from licensed companies and under some supervision.