United States Oil Consumption †Macroeconomics Essay

United States Oil Consumption – Macroeconomics Essay Free Online Research Papers United States Oil Consumption Macroeconomics Essay The United States consumes about 131 billion gallons of gasoline per year. That equates to about 118 million barrels of oil daily. Considering there is about 100 million households in the United States, that is 3.6 gallons per household daily. This amount of gasoline cannot be supplied for an extended amount of time. It is also not safe to rely so heavily on such a scarce resource. This is the reason alternative fuels are being designed and tested to take the place of petroleum based fuels. One of the most promising alternative is electric motors. This is often done by converting a normal gasoline powered car into an electric powered car. Electric motors are near silent and drastically reduce emissions. The electric motor is powered by a controller which is powered by fifty lead-acid rechargeable batteries. These are wired into two sets of fifty which creates three hundred volts of direct current. Additional electric motors are needed to run accessories that would otherwise be run by the gasoline engine. These accessories include air conditiong, power steering pump, and water pump. The power brakes which relied on the vacuum created by the intake stroke of the piston in the four stroke gasoline engine are now supplied vacuum with a vacuum pump. Heating the cabin is now done by an electric water heater instead of having engine coolant routed to the cab. It costs one dollar to fully charge the vehicle, which equates to two cents per mile. If a gasoline powered c ar gets thirty miles per gallon and gasoline costs $1.20 per gallon, the cost per mile is about four cents. The major drawbacks to this design would be the limited range of the vehicle on a single charge (50 miles) and slow accelleration (0-60mph in 15 seconds). You can increase the range of the vehicle, but you also sacrifice accelleration. As it is now, the batteries weigh about 1,100 pounds and last roughly 20,000 miles. To replace the batteries it would cost $2000, so the batteries equate to about ten cents per mile. A slight modification to this design is the fuel cell. Instead of batteries, it gets its electricity from a fuel cell powered by pure hydrogen. The fuel cell is an electrochemical conversion device that converts hydrogen and oxygen into water, creating electricity and heat. Fuel cells are usually classified according to the type of electrolyte used. The most promising type of fuel cell is the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Each cell only produces 0.7 volts, so many cells must be connected in series to increase the output to a useable voltage. These cells operate at about 176 degrees fahrenheit, which is in the ballpark of the operating temperature of a conventional gasoline engine. Gasoline engines normally operate from 160-210 degrees fahrenheit, so heat isnt an issue. The power density of a PEMFC lets a fuel cell the size of a suit case to properly power an automobile. The only drawback to fuel cells is the availability of hydrogen. It is very hazardous to tr ansport and store, so a hydrogen refueling station is not practical. Other fuels can power fuel cells when they are converted into hydrogen by a reformer with less efficiency than pure hydrogen, but have much greater availability. These fuels include natural gas, propane, and methanol. When pure hydrogen is used, the fuel cell operates at 80% efficiency. When methanol is used to power the fuel cell, this number drops to 30-40%. Knowing that a gasoline engine operates at about 20% efficiency, these numbers are very good. Another alternative is the air-powered car. These cars convert compressed air into mechanical energy. The two cylinder compressed air engine can run on either compressed air or internal combustion. The compressed air is stored in carbon fiber wrapped tanks at a pressure of 4,351 pounds per square inch. The air travels through an injector which is aimed at the piston. The expanding air pushes the piston down, turning the crankshaft and moving the car. The only emission from this engine is air, so it is considered a zero pollutant engine. Internal combustion is used at high speeds to save the compressed air for low speed driving where engines produce the most pollutants. The range of these cars is about 125 miles and have a top speed of about 60 miles per hour. Using a household electrical source, it takes about four hours to refill the tanks. A rapid three minute refill can be done with a high pressure pump. The engine still requires oil to lubricate the piston and cranksha ft, but only 0.8 liters that has to be changed every 31,000 miles. This is considerably less than gasoline powered cars which use about 5 liters of oil every 3000 miles. Many have recognized our over reliance on petroleum and are trying to think of ways to preserve this non renewable resource with ones that are renewable. If we wait until all the petroleum is gone before we seek a solution, we will no longer be able to make plastics as they are petroleum based. Plastics are vital to our everyday life, from pens to computers to life saving hospital equipment. Plastic is also used for specialty purposes such as bullet proof vests and glass where there are no materials suitable to replace it for the application. Without plastic, there may be an even fewer amount of possible solutions to petroleum. All of the alternatives discussed have used plastic in one way or another because it would be extremely difficult to cut out the use of petroleum all together. The focus is to control the consumption of petroleum by the vehicle instead. I am excited to see what the future holds in store for transportation. Bibliography How much gasoline does the United States consume in one year? by Marshall Brain http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question417.htm How Fuel Cells Work by Karim Nice http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-cell.htm How Air-Powered Cars Will Work by Kevin Bonsor http://auto.howstuffworks.com/air-car.htm Research Papers on United States Oil Consumption - Macroeconomics EssayRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationGenetic EngineeringAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceOpen Architechture a white paperIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAW

Practice Restaurant Dialogue for Ordering Food

Practice Restaurant Dialogue for Ordering Food Ordering food in a restaurant is one of the most basic tasks for English learners- after all, eating is essential and so is talking about eating- but it can also be one of the most daunting. This simple lesson is aimed at beginners who are practicing ordering for the very first time. Use this lesson, dialogue, and sample menu to help ESL students learn how to order  food in a restaurant using basic vocabulary Preparing for the Dialogues Simple dialogues will help students to order food and speak in a socially acceptable way in a restaurant while  challenging listening-comprehension exercises will help boost their passive-understanding skills. Before having students perform the dialogue below, ask them to name different types of food they might find in a restaurant. Write the vocabulary on the board and make sure students also take notes. After they do so: Give students the dialogue and menu, and ask them to read through it carefully. Point out the use of would like for asking for and making requests. You may also want to make sure they notice the use of here you are instead of please when handing someone something.Pair students and ask them to role-play ordering food in a restaurant using the menu below (or a more interesting menu you may have on hand). Both students should switch roles a number of times.If you have access to a computer, improve passive understanding by doing a  listening- comprehension  exercise, like the one found in this practice script.   Finally, ask students what are some ways  (dialogues, thematic texts, and narrative stories)  they can use to help them improve their listening-comprehension skills in English. Dialogue: Ordering Food in a Restaurant Have students pair up to practice the following dialogue, then have them switch roles. Waiter: Hello, Can I help you?.Kim: Yes, Id like to have some lunch.Waiter: Would you like a starter?Kim: Yes, Id like a bowl of chicken soup, please.Waiter: And what would you like for your main course?Kim: Id like a grilled cheese sandwich.Waiter: Would you like anything to drink?Kim: Yes, Id like a glass of Coke, please.Waiter: Would Pepsi be OK? We dont have Coke.Kim: That would be fine.Waiter:  (After Kim has her lunch.) Can I bring you anything else?Kim: No thank you. Just the bill.Waiter: Certainly.Kim: I dont have my glasses. How much is the lunch?Waiter: Thats $6.75.Kim: Here you are. Thank you very much.Waiter: Youre welcome. Have a good day.Kim: Thank you. Same to you. Sample Menu Use this menu to practice ordering food in a restaurant. Have students swap out different food and drink items to modify the above dialogue, or let them create their own dialogues. Joes Restaurant Starters Chicken Soup $2.50 Salad $3.25 Sandwiches - Main Course Ham and cheese $3.50 Tuna $3.00 Vegetarian $4.00 Grilled Cheese $2.50 Slice of Pizza $2.50 Cheeseburger $4.50 Hamburger $5.00 Spaghetti $5.50 Drinks Coffee $1.25 Tea $1.25 Soft Drinks - Coke, Sprite, Root Beer, Ice Tea $1.75

Modern Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Modern Asia - Essay Example The media are constantly searching for headlines that have the biggest impact in world affairs. China due to the recent gains realized in its economy has made it more visible to the world. The future of the global economy will be influenced partly by the Chinese economy due to its influence. The Trade and economic balance has also shifted from the western countries to china. The Chinese and the western worlds, however, do not agree in their ideologies (Kesselman, 309). China adopted the communist policy and all its policies are influenced by the communist ideologies. This has put china to be in conflict with the western world on its business and social policies. Most of the most influential media resources are owned by western countries. China does not have a human rights record to boast about and is constantly being reported of abuse of human rights. This is because their description of freedom is not the same with the western ideology. Accusations against China for employing unfair business tactics to have an edge over western products are common. Moreover, china has tried trying to assert control in the smaller neighboring countries using force full methods (Kesselman, 304). A good example of this is their policies on Tibet. Even though china has made impressive gains in the economic sector, the media due to their policies and actions portray it negatively. The Chinese relationship with the US is a complex one. It is evident thought history that the relationship between china and the US has always been a tumultuous one. The onset of this complex relationship was the economic and governance policies that the Chinese took the communist approach while the Americans took the capitalist route. This influenced their governance style in terms of democracy. In china, the democratic rights are limited, and this fact has put the country on a collision course with democratic America, which is

"Civil Rights Revolution" Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

"Civil Rights Revolution" - Assignment Example Besides these minority groups’ leaders, the men that were in charge in the White House played a significant role in ensuring the civil rights movement’s success. Prior to his death, John F. Kennedy had been viewed as a keen ear to the minorities’ plight and probably would have instituted the necessary legislations that would have afforded everyone the same rights, had he not been assassinated. Once Lyndon Johnson took over office, he acted fast so as to institute measures and legislations that helped further the civil rights movement. His call for the end of segregation and implementation of laws that permitted the minorities to vote essentially brought the end to the golden era of the civil rights movements. On the other hand, a few events prolonged the fight for equal rights. The assassinations of John F. Kennedy as well as Martin Luther King, Jnr. were such events. Each of these men was an integral part of the struggle and their deaths significantly hampered the efforts. Furthermore, the unhinging determination of government officials such as Bull Connor, who were vehemently against equality, ensured that the any attempts by civil rights movements were quashed when they arose. Such brutality dissuaded a large portion of the minorities’ population from participating actively in the

Value Creation and Business Success Essay Example for Free

Value Creation and Business Success Essay Copyright  © 1998 Pegasus Communications, Inc. (www. pegasuscom. com). All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, without written permission from Pegasus Communications, Inc. If you wish to distribute copies of this article, please contact our Permissions Department at 781-398-9700 or [emailprotected] com. The most successful organizations understand that the purpose of any business is to create value for customers, employees, and investors, and that the interests of these three groups are inextricably linked. Therefore, sustainable value cannot be created for one group unless it is created for all of them. The first focus should be on creating value for the customer, but this cannot be achieved unless the right employees are selected, developed, and rewarded, and unless investors receive consistently attractive returns. What do we mean by value creation? For the customer, it entails making products and providing services that customers find consistently useful. In todays economy, such value creation is based typically on product and process innovation and on understanding unique customer needs with ever-increasing speed and precision. But companies can innovate and deliver outstanding service only if they tap the commitment, energy, and imagination of their employees. Value must therefore be created for those employees in order to motivate and enable them. Value for employees includes being treated respectfully and being involved in decision-making. Employees also value meaningful work; excellent compensation opportunities; and continued training and development. Creating value for investors means delivering consistently high returns on their capital. This generally requires both strong revenue growth and attractive profit margins. These, in turn, can be achieved only if a company delivers sustained value for customers. If the purpose of business is value creation, it follows that the mission of any company should be defined in terms of its primary value-adding activities. Simply put, Honda should think of itself primarily as a maker and marketer of quality automobiles. McDonalds should think of itself as providing meals of consistent quality throughout the world, in a clean, friendly atmosphere, etc. While this may seem obvious, many managers and strategists behave as though the day-to-day business of a firm is irrelevant. Hence, an oil company might buy a hotel chain, while a national chain of automobile service centers is caught systematically charging customers for unnecessary repairs. What conception of business lies behind these actions? Typically it is a very narrow definition of purpose: to maximize the wealth of the shareholders, or to achieve a set of short-term financial goals. Managers are expected to address shareholder wealth, earnings growth, and return on assets, but the most successful firms understand that those measures should not be the primary targets of strategic management. Achieving attractive financial performance is the reward for having aimed at (and hit) the real target; i. e. , maximizing the value created for the primary constituents of the firm. Paradoxically, it is when an organization thinks of itself as a financial engine whose purpose is to generate attractive financial returns that the company is least likely to maximize those returns in the long run. Often, finance people end up shuffling a portfolio of assets in a self-destructive quest for growth businesses or superior returns, with no real understanding of the value-creation dynamics of the businesses they are acquiring and selling. Or, as with the automotive service chain, attempts to profit without delivering superior value end in lost business, long-term customer alienation, and corporate disgrace. Redefining an Organizations Self-Interest Why do managers so often choose not to focus on value creation and instead ake decisions that systematically decrease the long-term value of their businesses? One reason may be that their training and education lead them to define their organizations interests too narrowly. This narrow view is powerfully reinforced by financial accounting systems that were well adapted to the industrial economy, but are inadequate in the information economy. The accounting and finance conventions of the industrial age are good at valuing tangible assets, but they largely ignore the value of harder-to-quantify assets like employee satisfaction, learning, RD effectiveness, customer loyalty, etc. In the information age, those intangible assets are far more important than the bricks and mortar that traditional accounting systems were designed to measure. If management defines the organizations self-interest (and consequently its goals) too narrowly—for example, to maximize this years or this quarters reported earnings—it will view that interest as being at odds with the interests of customers and employees. Given that perspective, in the short term every dollar spent on employee training is a dollar of lost profit. Every additional dollar squeezed out of a customer, even if it comes at the cost of poor service or price gouging, improves this quarters results. This approach is based on win/lose or zero-sum thinking: The underlying assumption is that there is a fixed pie of value to be divided up among customers, employees, and investors, so the interests of the three groups must be traded off against one another (see Zero-Sum Versus Win/Win Thinking). Companies that act on this myopic conception of self-interest may stumble into a downward spiral of poor decision-making that is difficult to reverse (see When Customers Defect). For example, as reduced employee training and compensation lead to low employee morale and poor performance, and as underfunded RD allows a product line to age, customers can become dissatisfied and begin to defect. In situations where customers are locked-in owing to large investments in proprietary equipment or some other temporary monopoly effect, they may not defect immediately. Instead, they will become increasingly alienated and defect as soon as a technology shift, regulatory change, or competitive offering allows it. When customers inally do defect, profits shrink, tempting management to cut back even further on training, compensation, and RD, thus accelerating the spiral of customer dissatisfaction and defection. Expanding the Pie Alternatively, if managers define their companys interests broadly enough to include the interests of customers and employees, an equally powerful spiral of value creation can occur. Highly motivated, well-trained, properly rewarded employees deliver outstanding service, while effective RD investments lead to products that enjoy a significant value-adding advantage and generate higher margins. Satisfied, loyal customers (and new customers responding to word-of-mouth referrals) drive revenue growth and profitability for investors. Clearly, the undesirable reinforcing processes described in When Customers Defect can work in reverse. This win/win scenario is illustrated in the figure Zero-Sum Versus Win/Win Thinking. An expanding the pie approach to management requires that a company alter its thinking along several dimensions. Time horizons and perceived self-interest. The time horizon within which you evaluate a business decision dramatically influences your notion of self-interest. Considered at an instantaneous moment in time, virtually any transaction is a win/lose or zero-sum game. At the moment you spend a dollar on employee training, that dollar is in fact lost to the shareholder. Conversely, in a well-designed value-creation system, almost any transaction can become a win/win or positive-sum game, if it is managed within the context of an appropriately long time frame. For example, if a companys rate of return on the dollar invested in employee training is 20 percent (in the form of higher productivity, increased sales effectiveness, etc. ), then the shareholder hasnt lost a dollar—he has gained a stream of future cash flows that represents an attractive return on investment. One way to build an understanding of these dynamics is to identify the key capabilities, resources, and relationships that are the basic ingredients of value creation for a particular firm, and to think of those ingredients as assets that either grow or diminish over time, depending upon how they are managed. It is useful to map a companys key assets by building four Strategic Balance Sheets focused on customers, employees, processes, and investors (see Balance Sheet Dynamics). In building the balance sheets, managers must first decide which assets are the most important drivers of the companys value-creation system. For example, employee learning and job satisfaction are two assets that could be tracked on the Employee Balance Sheet. As managers identify the strategic assets that belong on the various balance sheets, they also must articulate the relationships among those assets. By tracing the dynamics through which customer, employee, and process assets accumulate, interact, and ultimately drive profitable growth, a company will be well on its way to managing the fundamentals of value creation and avoiding the pitfalls of managing by a set of narrow financial measures. Expanding the pie between a company and its employees. In a true win/win dynamic, two or more parties aim first to create more total value, then concern themselves with distributional issues (who gets what share). When the parties focus first on dividing the pie, they are diverted from the innovative strategies that could have made everyone better off. One way in which companies and employees can expand the pie is flexible work schedules. If an employee has the freedom to see to personal business (while completing all required work), the employee is better off, and the employer is likely to benefit from higher morale and the ability to attract and hold onto the best people. A key element of win/win scenarios is that they are aimed more at creating opportunity than at minimizing costs. Outback Steakhouse has become a very successful, rapidly growing business by resisting the temptation to view a dollar of additional compensation to employees as a dollar of lost income to the shareholder. Outback has made its restaurant managers partners, attracting the best, most experienced people in the industry with a compensation system that more traditionally managed chains would view as ludicrously extravagant. Outbacks general managers sign a five-year contract and invest $25,000 up front. In return, each manager receives 10 percent of her units cash flow (earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation) on top of a base salary of $45,000. In 1994, total manager compensation averaged $118,600. In addition, managers receive 4,000 shares of stock, which vest over the five-year contract period. All hourly employees participate in a stock ownership plan as well. Another Outback innovation—not opening for lunch—generates benefits for investors, employees, and customers. Because they dont compete for lunch business, restaurants can be located in less costly suburban locations instead of expensive business centers. The benefit to managers and employees is that they work only one shift per day. Outback also insists that managers work only five days per week to avoid burnout and high turnover. Finally, focusing on dinner allows the restaurants to maintain high levels of food quality. From its 1987 founding, Outback grew to 420 restaurants by the end of 1996 in a very crowded, competitive industry. Over the last five years, revenues have grown at a 55 percent annual rate, while earnings have increased 36. 5 percent per year. For the year ending September 1997, Outbacks 20. percent return on equity placed it in the top 5 percent of restaurants (restaurant industry average ROE was 10. 6 percent). The Outback story illustrates one of the key characteristics of successful win/win thinking: The companys strategy is based on a systemic view of the entire value-creation process, and it seeks to align the key elements of that process. For example, if the restaurants were in higher rent locations, they might be more tempted to open at lunch to cover that cost. If managers worked longer hours, turnover would be higher and the partnership model that motivates those managers would be unworkable. If the quality of the food dropped, the number of meals from repeat customers would decrease, putting pressure on margins and tempting the owners to cut compensation to restore profits, etc. Expanding the pie between a company and its customers. As markets become increasingly competitive and one industry after another is forced to deliver greater value in the form of lower prices, higher quality, or both, companies in those industries respond to the mounting pressure with one of two broad approaches. Many firms focus narrowly on cost-cutting measures, playing an intensified win/lose game with their suppliers (pressuring them for cost concessions) and their employees (squeezing them to work longer hours for the same compensation or to do their own jobs plus the jobs of their laid-off former colleagues). This approach can yield some short-term profit increases, but it is not sustainable. You can only squeeze so hard for so long. A smaller number of forward-thinking firms innovate their way out of this zero-sum dilemma. For example, instead of focusing on individual transactions, such as the cost of a particular product, these firms examine the entire value-creation chain associated with their products (and their customers use of those products) and devise ways to make the entire system more effective. This increase in effectiveness often creates enough new value that the buyers total costs can be significantly reduced while the suppliers margins can be maintained or even increased. One example of this kind of value-chain innovation is the Custom Sterile program of Allegiance, Inc. a leading healthcare cost management and product distribution company. Under the Custom Sterile program, all of the supplies needed for a particular surgical procedure are collected, packaged together, and sterilized in advance at an Allegiance facility. This helps hospitals to standardize and optimize their use of surgical supplies, and creates dramatic savings compared to the traditional process, in which expensive nursing labor locates the supplies from storage facilities within the hospital, collects them, and sterilizes them for each operation. The innovation is also good for Allegiance. Instead of having their margins relentlessly squeezed in a series of transaction-focused, commodity sales, the company has created a relationship-focused, high-value-added offering that justifies higher margins. This is the best kind of win/win outcome: using innovation to create a value (and margin) umbrella from which all parties can benefit. Competition and Customer Value Another fallacy that has cropped up in much of the literature on strategy is that the purpose of business is to beat the competition. There is no question that competition, like profit, is an important dimension that companies must be aware of and manage to successfully create value in the long run. For example, a company typically creates value for customers and superior returns for investors by producing goods or services that are better than their competitors at meeting a set of clearly defined needs for a specific set of customers. So competition is a key variable in determining whether a product or service provides a differentiated benefit to the customer, and one that she is willing to pay a premium for. However, competition should never divert management from the primary task of creating those benefits by understanding and anticipating target customers needs, excelling in product and process innovation, providing outstanding service, etc. Thus, we need to think of competition not as a goal, but as part of the business environment—a key element of the context in which a firm seeks to create value. What then become critical are the alternative responses to competition undertaken by different firms, some of which are more likely to succeed than others, given the nature of the business environment. In the emerging information economy, the most successful responses to competition focus on two areas: (1) innovation that drives down the cost of products and services while increasing their quality and variety, and (2) building a deeper understanding of changing customer needs within increasingly specific market segments. Responses that are rooted in a win/lose framework, such as taking share from existing competitors in a zero-sum game, gaining power over customers (for example, by locking them into a proprietary computer operating system), or seeking to become the low-cost producer without simultaneously driving for world-class quality, are extremely dangerous. Many of them pit the interest of the company against the interest of the customer—a prescription for customer alienation and long-term disaster. The most fundamental weakness of those win/lose responses to competition is that they divert management from the more important engines of value creation in the information economy: innovation, imagination, cooperation, and knowledge. Managements time, creativity, energy, and imagination are among the scarcest organizational resources. At the same time, they are by far the resources that yield the highest returns. So it is important to recognize that all of the time, energy, and imagination expended on win/lose activities entails a high (sometimes fatal) opportunity cost. Managers are more likely to stay focused on the higher return, win/win levers if they aim not to beat the competition, per se, but to create more value than the competition—in other words, if they seek to achieve a value-adding advantage. And by doing so, they are likely to be more successful than their competitors in the long run.

Comparing Imagery in Frosts Acquainted with the Night and Sexton s He

Imagery in Frost's Acquainted with the Night and Sexton 's Her Kind In order to maximize meaning and overall total effect of a piece of work, writers use various literary devices. These techniques enhance the author's work and add a dimension that results in higher reader satisfaction. Throughout the poems I have read this quarter thus far, I have discovered the use of imagery as a prominent source of literary embellishment. In particular the image of night is used in poems "Acquainted with the Night," written by Robert Frost, and "Her Kind," written by Anne Sexton, to portray a dark and lonely tone. All through both poems there is a dark feeling due to word selection and associations to evil things. The use of night in both cases helps to solidify the idea of loneliness. Each poem puts to work the same image to create the same affect but each work has slight differences and similarities in the way it makes night apply to loneliness. Imagery can be presented in many different ways. A strong image of night exists all over Robert Frost's piece, "Acquainted with the Night," due to a very descriptive representation of things that happen or belong to the night. By simply describing the details of night Frost can paint a picture of a lonely man. The key to using imagery is to choose images that have very distinct characteristics that associate themselves with that image. Frost's idea of choosing night to portray a sense of being alone is due to the connections of cold, dark, wet and unknowns that go along with the night. The same affect would not be able to be created if the ... ...unt the night with power. Through the use of imagery the writer is able to apply several different meanings by using one simple image. This makes the poems overall affect more efficient in making its point. The composition has become less wordy and is able to make a vivid scene with out the need of extensive descriptions. Examining the differences and similarities of the two different applications of night as an image of loneliness, is a good way to determine what the overall feel of the poem is. When reading these works one must take the existing mold of an image and see if there are any dual meanings of why the author chose that particular concept. The use of an image as a literary devise allows the piece to touch its readers on a more personal level.

Human Resource Armor

IntroductionEdelman and Suchman points out that labor lawsuit judgment identify how a legal environment—which embodies legal, social and cultural norms—can diffuse liabilities brought upon by management instances (Biggert, 1997).   The constitution has provided several laws that state the rights of employees in any form of organization.   Private or government-owned, all companies must adhere to these laws and see to it that these rights are well exercised by any member of staff.  Ã‚   From the top executive down to the mechanical worker, every individual are entitled to these rights inasmuch as they are expected to follow the laws that comes along with their job description.   In such way, the law provides immunity both to the employer and employee in collaboration with creating a harmonious environment within the agency.Hence, apart from these laws stated in the constitution, there are also regulations crafted by the organization which is agreed upon by the bo dy as a whole and neither one shall defeat the purpose of such.   In the light, labor management suggests the importance of social justice and thereby encompasses disparity (Mezias, 2002).Interpretation of laborA legal regulation in contracts divulged to in the context of labor is a central part in any organization or firm’s policy configuration.    The scope and focal purpose of a legal regulation may or may not be detrimental to labor—either that of mass disruption approach or perspective with party control.   Such theories are analyzed in both anti-labor and pro-labor laws, thus the results came up favorable with the latter given that the policies were found inconclusive with the small sample sizes of the studies conducted.   Conceivably, the said laws are weighed and strategically investigated in consideration with several variables—economic, class, society—to come up with more feasible outputs which will later be used beneficial to the concer n of the general masses when it comes to the interpretation of labor (Biggert, 1997).Analysis on unemployment lawsAs mentioned earlier, unemployment laws hold only very few scrutiny since that there has only been a number of studies that have been conducted in aide of bringing up the best forms of ruling that will inhibit the importance of such in a state.   More specifically, the challenges that are bound in unemployment laws are rarely deliberated by administrations for the reason that most hardships in managerial activities appear during the verge of employment compared to that on pre-employment matters.Basically, the laws that appear to be most challenging are those that extend or restrict the rights of labor in and around the workplace and those regulations that abide on the level of contract involved (Mezias, 2002). Unemployment compensation is apparently the main issue in laborers that fall inside the aforementioned bracket.   In essence, it relates to wages and hours sta ndards, union rights, collective bargaining, health and safety, prevailing wages and discrimination. All these are perceivably retained to render security to these individuals and in the long run help them in building up a new foundation of their new course in life.Challenges in labor management among the unemployedOrganizational behavior emphasizes the importance of labor-ness and the principal beneficiaries of the concerned laborer.   In stereotypical analysis on unemployment laws over the past few decades, it has been sought that the so-called â€Å"basic† benefits are already considered as a part of every contract and that the other unprecedented features that other firms offer—gradually dependent to the contract—are beyond the scope of the unemployment laws which are designed by the government alone.The dilemma then flows on the application of these â€Å"extended benefits†Ã¢â‚¬â€such as the social welfare security, union passages, beneficiaries, pensions and other related pro-labor regulations provided by the management concerned.   But that does not just end there, the possibility of shifts in party or breach in contracts also come at hand.Trends that mark importance of â€Å"democracy† are also a part of this domain of â€Å"challengers,† needless to say that the result of these coalitions though union groups are still considered as polity members, however, the contract may be considered violated and therefore nullify the benefits (Mezias, 2002).Court decisions on labor-related casesLegal proceedings concerning labor lawsuit judgments are referenced in contemporary hearings.   In the case of foreign direct investments, foreign subsidiaries find face disadvantages and unparalleled liabilities among domestic firms due to information asymmetries and transaction costs.   The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 are examples of laws that build up the foundation of these rights of laborers and somehow seem to exert strong influence on employee to employer relations (Mezias, 2002).Conclusions and further remarksHuman resource practices help organizations in achieving social justice among its participating parties and build a sturdy foundation of law-abiding citizens.   It helps in eradicating the rise of ambiguous laws and hones organizations to create a normative environment that will work in a systematic order and balance the biases of humanistic egoisms.ReferencesBiggert, R. (1997). Why Labor Wins, Why Labor Loses: A Test of Two Theories. The Sociological Quarterly, 38(1).Mezias, J. M. (2002). Identifying Liabilities of Foreignness and Strategies to Minimize Their Effects: The Case of Labor Lawsuit Judgments in the United States. Strategic Management Journal, 23(3).

Student Collegiate Record System

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Background of the Study The Student Collegiate Record or SCR is playing an increasing role in the working stratagem of registrars. It enables them to hold and access the information of students like name, student number, date of birth, citizenship, gender, parents or guardian, occupation, permanent home address, schools graduated, course, year, subject, total number of units and final grade. The registrar records, edits and keeps all the information of old and new students thereby making the school's operations streamlined and effective.The existing SCR at AIE College International – Laoag Campus makes use of enrolment forms to obtain the necessary details from the enrollees. After which, the registrar records and saves these information in MS Excel. The registrar keeps each of the student’s records with a number attached (ex. IL-11-000478). The first two letters which is â€Å"IL† represents the AIE branch designation, the â€Å"11† numeric sign represents the year the student was enrolled and lastly â€Å"ex. 000478† represents the student number. Each student is only given one student number during the course of his education.The registrar then stores the hardcopy of files in bookshelves and the softcopy is kept in the computer. However, the registrar processes the information of the students individually so it takes a long period to finish all the papers. The registrar said that dealing with the student’s records manually is at times unmanageable because of the bulk of files to be checked one by one. The files’ security and confidentiality are also an issue since they are susceptible to access by unauthorized people and can be destroyed by unexpected circumstances.With this case, we proposed the â€Å"Registrar’s Student Collegiate System of AIE College International-Laoag Campus† to help the registrar minimize the time consumed in generating the records and information of the students. It will provide efficient enrollment process because it can track the subjects that the students have to take. It will be capable of storing, updating and securing the academic record of the students and through this, it will produce a more reliable and accurate students’ report. Statement of ObjectivesGeneral Objective To create a computerized system providing efficient enrollment process, accurate academic record maintenance and reporting, and sound student information and data management for students, faculty, and staff of the college. Specific Objectives ?To create a system that will accurately generate records such as student personal information, subjects to be taken and grade status of the students ? To come up with a computerized system that will reduce burden in tracking the students information ?To maintain a central system of complete educational records for the school ? To create quality Students' Permanent School Records ?To maintain and to safegua rd the confidentiality of Student's School Permanent Records Importance of the Study The results of the study on the computerized registrar’s student collegiate system are believed to benefit the following: Registrar – the study can help her work easier and faster in finding student’s record even if the student doesn’t know or remember his student number.She will be able to check student’s records and ensure that he/she has completed all of the requirements. Students – the study will provide them sound information about their school record Researchers – the researchers are benefited from this study because it will test their skills in making a system and provide them further insights about the effectiveness of the proposed registry system at their school Future Researchers – they may adopt ideas on how to build a system of another school or company Scope and DelimitationThe study will focus on the improvement and development of the registrar’s work to give accurate information of the students. It will lessen the errors that are provided by the hardcopies, and problems on editing the information of the students. This system will work easier and faster in looking or finding student’s record. This system can’t give the fees to be paid by the student. It is not capable of generating class schedule and the instructor that will handle the subject.It is intended to give the subjects to be taken, to check if the student passed or failed on his/her subjects and to show the final grade. Definition of Terms The following terms are defined for clarity and better understanding of this study. Bulk- it refers to all the records of students in a large quantity of hardcopies. Computerized – it refers to the use of computer to process one’s work easier. Files – compilation of documents

Rorschach essays

Rorschach essays There are several different tests that psychologists can use to analyze different things. While some social psychology tests are like the Thematic Apperception Test or others like the Rorschach Test are ore widely used in the field, they all have the good and the bad side of the test. The Thematic Apperception Test is used primarily to see how individuals reveal parts of their own personalities while looking at an ambiguous picture. The TAT consists of 31 pictures that depict a variety of social and interpersonal situations. The subject is asked to tell a story about each picture to the examiner. Of the 31 pictures, 10 are gender-specific while 21 others can be used with adults of either sex and with children. One test found online asked you to write for 10 minutes about this picture. The test can be located at: http://www7.psy.utexas.edu/liwc/. While this particular test is only to be for example use, it does a generally good job at the evaluation. Most people have heard of the Rorschach test (pronounced "raw-shock"), but few have ever seen a real Rorschach inkblot. The blots are kept secret. When you see an inkblot in a popular article on the test (as in the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on the Rorschach test), it's a fake: it's an inkblot, but not one of the inkblots. There are only ten Rorschach inkblots. Psychologists want the blots to remain a secret from the general public so that reactions to the blots will be spontaneous. Dr. Rorschach hoped these spontaneous reactions would yield valuable clues to the test subject's personality. Whether they do remains controversial. Many psychologists think the Rorschach test is hopelessly unreliable; others see it as one of the cardinal tools of modern psycho diagnosis. Even among those who acknowledge the value of the test, there is disagreement on interpretation of responses. During the Rorschach test, the psychologists gives you points based on everything you do a ...

How to Distinguish Between a File and a Directory in Perl

How to Distinguish Between a File and a Directory in Perl Lets say youre building a Perl script to traverse a file system and record what it finds. As you open file handles, you need to know if youre dealing with an actual file or with a directory, which you treat differently. You want to glob a directory, so you can continue to recursively parse the filesystem. The quickest way to tell files from directories is to use Perls built-in ​File Test Operators.  Perl has operators you can use to test different aspects of a file. The -f operator is used to identify regular files rather than directories or other types of files. Using the -f File Test Operator #!/usr/bin/perl -w$filename /path/to/your/file.doc;$directoryname /path/to/your/directory;if (-f $filename) {print This is a file.;}if (-d $directoryname) {print This is a directory.; } First, you create two strings: one pointing at a file and one pointing at a directory. Next, test the $filename with the -f operator, which checks to see if something is a file. This will print This is a file. If you try the -f operator on the directory, it doesnt print. Then, do the opposite for the $directoryname and confirm that it is, in fact, a directory. Combine this with a directory glob  to sort out which elements are files and which are directories: #!/usr/bin/perl -wfiles *;foreach $file (files) {if (-f $file) {print This is a file: . $file;}if (-d $file) {print This is a directory: . $file;}}​ A complete list of Perl File Test Operators  is  available online.

Adapting to Workplace Changes in Professionalism Essay

Adapting to Workplace Changes in Professionalism - Essay Example Also in staff meetings, the communication process should be clear, logical, and professional (Allanwood, Gavin, and Peter Beare, 2014, para.1). Higher education institutions are an example where such group culture can be experienced. Active cultures bring about employee motivation, alignment of goals, structures that are needed and controls to improve the effectiveness of the organization. Group culture in the workplace also influences its effectiveness since culture assists in external adaptation and integration of internal issues of the organization. In higher education institutions, a culture may begin when a single individual has an idea of a new enterprise. The founder of the idea then assembles more people and comes up with a core group that has a shared vision with that of the founder. The core group believes that the idea is a good one and therefore they see the need for investing time and money in it (Allanwood, Gavin, and Peter Beare, 2014, Para.1). The core group then starts to work in a union to create an organization by raising funds, incorporating, obtaining patents, and locating space. At that point, new recruits are brought in the society and history commences to build. The initial organizational culture is an outgrowth of the philosophy of the founder. As time goes by the original culture is embedded or modified by other group cultures. The members of the organization teach each other about the preferred organization’s behaviors, values, beliefs, and expectations (Cozby, Paul, Patricia, Worden, and Daniel, Kee, 1989, Para 7). When members of the organization in higher education institutions interact with each other, they use terminology, language, and rituals related to demeanor and deference. There are various types of group culture experienced in the higher education institutions. They include; Constructive culture. Here the employees work together, beginnings from the

Assignment for Managerial Economics Research Paper

Assignment for Managerial Economics - Research Paper Example The generic strategy of differentiation can really assist Starbucks to meet consumer interests and to grow its business in India. Finally, it is recommendable for the company to start soft drinks business in India because this business sector has strong growth potential in the Indian market in spite of intense competition threats. 1. The business 1.1 Brief overview Starbucks Corporation is a multinational coffeehouse chain headquartered at Washington in the United States. It was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Gordon Bowker, and Zev Siegl. Starbucks is the world’s largest coffeehouse company with 20,891 stores spread across 62 countries. The organization has a strong market presence in economically leading countries like US, UK, Canada, Japan, China, Mexico, and South Korea. It has played a significant role in developing a distinct coffee culture in many countries and this uniqueness is the main reason why the brand is still admired by millions of customers. As per CNN repor ts, the firm has a diverse product line and it mainly focuses on products such as whole-bean coffee, microground instant coffee, hot and cold beverage, pastries, snacks, and full-leaf teams. In addition, this coffeehouse company also operates an entertainment division for the purpose of marketing items like books, music, and film. The organization achieved a tremendous growth rate over the last two decades and currently the firm’s overseas stores constitute nearly one third of its total stores. In order to confront recessionary pressures successfully and to make its operations more productive and profitable, the Starbucks Corporation announced hundreds of store closures since 2008 in the United States. This downsizing strategy greatly assisted the company to effectively survive the recent global recession and further fuel its business growth. According to the Fortune 500 rating (as cited in CNN Money), Starbucks was ranked at number 227 in terms of largest corporations in Ame rica in 2012. While analyzing the business strategy of Starbucks, it seems that the company has been using focus and differentiation generic strategies to drive its business growth. 1.2 Rationale for the country choice Currently the Starbucks Corporation plans to enter India as part of its global business expansion because growth opportunities are rapidly emerging in this world’s one of the largest markets. In order to justify this country choice, a PEST analysis is conducted. Political factors While evaluating the political spectrum of the country, political instability seems to be a great threat. Emergence of more local parties and religion-based political parties contributes to the political uncertainty of the country. However, analysts indicate that India would institute more economic reforms after the national elections scheduled in 2013-2014 (Lucintel). In addition, the government is taking immense efforts to eliminate corruption. India has a free market environment and the government extremely encourages foreign investment to deal with issues like unemployment. Hence, legal barriers would not disturb the market entry of Starbucks. Economic factors India has achieved a steady GDP growth rate of 8% over the last five years (Lucintel). Economists predict that the Indian economy is expected to maintain its growth rate over