Sunday, December 29, 2019

Essay on Condoms Availability Breeds Irresponsibility

Do Condoms Breed Irresponsibility? When contraceptives such as condoms became widely available, those who supported this kind of thing from the very beginning supposed that this is going to bring an end to all the problems of humanity in the sphere of sex – both in what concerns unwanted pregnancy and venereal diseases. The facts, however, do not speak in favor of such an idea. Women still get pregnant when they are not going to; people still get infected by the venereal diseases, the number of which increased with the emergence of the AIDS. All these phenomena were supposed to become less widely spread, yet we see the contrary. The reason is quite simple. While being rather effective as the means of personal protection of sexual partners, condoms, in the long run, changed the people’s attitude towards the sexual intercourse in general. From being something important, the sign of utmost intimacy between two people and something that broadens and widens their relationship, it turned into a way to have a good time. And I am not speaking about morality and suchlike here. Hence promiscuous sexual relations, irresponsibility, easiness with which people start and end relationships and so on. We may add that condoms themselves are not exactly failsafe contraception measure, just like all the rest. There is always a little, yet existing probability of the condom being defective, yet for some reason the majority of people either don’t understand it or don’t want to understand, however strange it may be. Would you agree to do a parachute jump knowing that there is a 10% probability of parachute not opening? Yet, people seem not to mind such risks. In the past, venereal diseases were extremely dangerous for not very numerous people who had promiscuous sexual relations. Now they are less dangerous – but the number of potential infected grew tenfold.

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Tobacco and Hookah - 1440 Words

Speech Two: Informative Speech Tittle: Hookah is the new thing to do no matter what the case may be General Purpose: To inform all the new, effective ideas of hookah Specific purpose: By the end of my speech, my audience will be educated on what hookah is, all the new ways of smoking it and the different techniques of enjoying it in a perfect way. INTRODUCTION: I. Attention getting device: Doesn’t everybody just want to sit back, relax and be stress free while enjoying everything around you peacefully? Hookah also known as a water pipe or narghile is a single or multi-stemmed instrument for smoking flavored tobacco, which the smoke is passed through a water base at the bottom before inhalation. II. Relevance to the audience:†¦show more content†¦The ridge hookah is stylish and small enough to take anywhere. Measuring only 10 it is one of the smallest hookahs on the market, which fits in the palm of your hand. Even though it’s very small it still can do the job of smoking a relaxing head. 4. MYA Saray: MYA Hookahs are the staple of modern hookah making. MYA Saray Hookahs are considered to be the best machine crafted modern hookahs in durability, versatility and craftsmanship. All MYA Hookahs are made of a highly polished metal and top quality glass often made in the Czech Republic or Romania. MYA Pipes are of pristine quality and very easy to assemble, disassemble and store. They are also very portable and easy to maintain. 5. Fumo Tank Hookahs: The Fumo tank is a primary 4 hose hookah. The new out coming in hookah bars, it’s made for large groups of users. It’s made out of Schott glass tubing, stainless steel hose fittings, and specially grade taste free hosing. This combination is so no materials get through while smoking. The design makes it seem more approaching to try. It is very expensive to buy but only because how new it is. †¢ At the bottom of the base hookah, you can add any time of mixture you want such as iced water, any type of tropical juice or even alcohol. Adding cold milk usually helps out by blowing thicker smoke.Show MoreRelatedThe Reality of Hookahs942 Words   |  4 Pagesanything from cigarettes to hookahs. Hookahs are generally becoming popular throughout the generation. The hookahs are mainly used in bars, cafes, and in peoples own home. People do hookahs to have a great time with friends without knowing the consequences that they produce. If people are aware of the consequences of smoking anything from hookah to cigarettes may be used with the acknowledge of the effects. Many people are not aware of the consequences that hookahs have. Hookahs may have the same effectsRead MoreWhy Smoking Is Harmful On The Periodontium As Cigarettes?1622 Words   |  7 PagesIs smoking hookah as harmful on the periodontium as cigarettes? Kayleigh J Dow Old Dominion University: School of Dental Hygiene Abstract Hookah smoking has become a new fixation in our society. It is considered acceptable socially, practiced by many who don’t view it as harming their health. The availability of hookah is rather alarming and people of all ages, races, and religions are participating. There have not been many studies completed on the link between hookah and periodontalRead MoreHealth Risks Between The Smoking Of Cigarettes And Hookahs1122 Words   |  5 Pagesanalyze the major differences and health risks between the smoking of cigarettes and hookahs. There are a plethora of research documents regarding the similarities and differences between the hookah and conventional tobacco products such as cigars or cigarettes. This paper will simply display research regarding each of the previously mentioned smoking mediums, and strive to determine fact from perceived fact. The hookah (water pipe figure 1) originated in ancient Persia/India and became a Turkish symbolRead MoreThe Health Effects Of Water Pipe Smoking1528 Words   |  7 Pageseffects of smoking hookah are constantly misjudged, causing young adults to believe they are smoking without consequences to their well-being. This may not be their fault considering the media’s misrepresentation of water-pipe tobacco’s effects on smoker’s health are allowing it to become more popular without the public knowing the negative ramifications. Since the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not regulated the packaging or the content of water-pipe tobacco, those in the UnitedRead MoreThe Effects Of Hookah On The Middle East1604 Words   |  7 Pagescome over for dinner. Recently, as we have gotten older, hookah is something the cousins have adopted as a custom to engage in after dinner. Smoking hookah is an activity that my cousins and I all enjoy to do together a s well as use as a bonding experience. Hookah originated in South Asia and the Middle East, where most of my ancestors are from, and plays a prominent role in the culture and society of this region. In the Middle East, hookah smoking is a very social activity. People often meet atRead MoreWhat ´s the Difference Between Hookah and Cigarettes? Essay579 Words   |  3 Pagesyou ever wondered what the difference was between hookah and cigarettes? I have many times, being a person that occasionally indulges in hookah smoking, I was always curious to find out. Some of the questions I would ask myself, like which is more popular, which one is worse for you, what they are made of besides the obvious tobacco, and what the long term effects of both are. So this informative essay will be answering these very questions. Tobacco has been around for a long time, dating as far backRead MoreWhy Smoking Is A Public Health Problem901 Words   |  4 PagesWhy this issue is important to you? Hookah smoking is an issue because it is a socially acceptable way to consume tobacco, especially among young adult, due to its attractive fruity tastes and odor contrary to regular cigarettes. Hookah lounges are a preferable place for many people to smoke, socialize, and in some cases to study. In my opinion the spread of such lounges could increase the number of smokers, not to mention second hand smoking. This is unfortunate, especially with the huge progressRead MoreEssay On National Youth Smoking1385 Words   |  6 PagesMethods National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS) is a survey administered to middle and high school students in the United States (20). It is a three-stage cluster sampling method that is representative of students in 6th to 12th grade attending public and private schools (20). The data were obtained from 2016 NYTS. The students that participated in the study were asked questions on current use of different tobacco products: cigarette use, cigars, smokeless tobacco, e-cigarettes, hookahs (water pipes usedRead MoreThe Article, Metal Analysis For Non Tobacco Smoking Alternatives Essay904 Words   |  4 PagesThe article, Metal analysis for non-tobacco smoking alternatives: Steam stone fluids and smoke written by Amberlie Clutterbuck, Ryan Saadawi, Joseph A. Caruso *, Julio Landero-Figueroa from the department of Chemistry at the University of Cincinnati, Agilent Technologies Metallomics Center of the Americas, the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences and University of Cincinnati discuss the many harmful metals found in non-tobacco smoking alternatives (pp.205). The primary question the authors aimedRead MoreThe Health s Conditions Of Population And Young Generation Around The World And Actions1640 Words   |  7 PagesPrevention, August 25, 2015 ) and One of the good example is that only 19 countries, representing 6% of the world’s population, have reached the highest level of achievement in banning tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. (Action on Smoking and Health (ASH),) These countries stopped only advertising of tobacco. However, it still did not produce the desired results as between 2005-2009, the number of people, aged 35 years and older, who d ied from cancerous diseases directly related to smoking

Friday, December 13, 2019

Closely Examine the Character of Melanie in Hitchcock’s the Birds Free Essays

The Birds is a psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It centres around Melanie, a young city girl, who journeys into danger into a small coastal town called Bodega Bay to play a practical joke on a potential lover, Mitch. A series of unfortunate Bird attacks follow her and wreck havoc on the town and its inhabitants. We will write a custom essay sample on Closely Examine the Character of Melanie in Hitchcock’s the Birds or any similar topic only for you Order Now As the film progresses, Melanie tries, on several occasions, to go against the social norm of women of the 1950’s; every time she does she gets punished and gradually destroyed until she becomes the dominant ideology.At the start of the film, Melanie seems strong and independent. From the offset she is seen as an individualist. In the first scene she is first seen walking down a street in a fitted jacket and pencil skirt, this was seen as too provocative and was not the usual dress code for a 1950’s woman; the norm would be a dress with either a swing skirt or a poodle skirt. Along with the fitted clothes, Melanie has perfectly groomed hair and perfectly painted fingernails; these are signs of her emotional state and will change throughout the film. Also in this scene the audience can hear a wolf whistle from a man directed at Melanie, she turns and smiles, telling the audience that she enjoys male attention and is comfortable and confident in the city environment. In the next scene, Melanie is in a bird shop. This is when Mitch is first seen; when Melanie first sees Mitch she immediately becomes flirtatious and thinks that she is in control of what is happening, when really Mitch is in control as he knows exactly who Melanie is while she does not know who he is.After Mitch plays a practical joke on Melanie in the bird shop, Melanie sets out to speak to him again, and when she finds out that he is not staying in his home in the city but in a small town up the coast, Bodega Bay, she sets out on her own little practical joke. This journey will take her out of her comfort zone, the city, and put her in unknown surroundings and ultimately danger. During the drive, Melanie looks very smug but is unaware that she is journeying into da nger.The actions of the two love birds in their cage and the speed of the car are deliberately made to look fake as to lull the audience in to a false sense of security and to mask the danger to come, this ties into the genre of deceit that is seen throughout the film. When Melanie reaches Bodega Bay, it is quite obvious that she is out of place; all the town’s citizens are casually dressed which contrasts with Melanie’s immaculate hair and nails and her fitted clothes. Melanie is treated as novelty by the citizens that she encounters.After she plays her practical joke on Mitch at his house, she races him back to Bodega Bay but he beats her and stands waiting for her. The mood is very light hearted as both characters are smiling but the mood changes to become very serious as Melanie is struck by a seagull on the head. This is the first bird attack and the first time, of many, that Mitch is there to rescue her from danger. After the attack Melanie is composed once again but her gloves are blood stained and she does not wear them again, symbolising that her first layer of protection is gone.This first attack is the start of Melanie’s confident and independent exterior being pecked away by the birds. After the attack Melanie goes back to Mitch’s and meets his mother, a very demanding and controlling woman. In these few scenes where they are together Melanie is seen with high angle camera shots, showing that she is weak and powerless in their home, whilst Lydia is seen with low angle camera shots, demonstrating her power and dominance over the family and Melanie.In their next encounter their roles in the household switch: Lydia becoming frail and helpless whereas Melanie is now dominant and in control. The next significant change in Melanie’s character and emotional state is during the bird attack on the petrol station. Melanie shows an act of independence and defiance by taking shelter in a Telephone Box, away from the security of Mitch and other men, but when she tries to get out again she is attacked by the birds, eventually the glass panels of the Telephone box shatter, representing her fragility.High angle shows, once again, that Melanie is weak and powerless. The paint on her fingernails is still intact but her hair is not as groomed as it started out, signifying that her emotional state and independence has been damaged again and she has been punished for her act of defiance. For the second time, Mitch has to come and rescue Melanie from the birds, showing that she is becoming more and more dependable on the security of men, especially Mitch. During the penultimate attack by the birds Melanie’s state of mind changes nce again: she has regained her strength and has taken over the role of mother of the family. This is shown by low angle camera shots and in her actions. When Mitch’s sister, Cathy, gets sick, it is Melanie, not the mother, that takes her to the kitchen. However, these moments of defiance are short lived, for after the birds appear to have left the house, Melanie hears bird sounds coming from the attic and climbs the stairs, on her own, to see what it is.She hesitates at the door of the attic, there is a close up of her hand and her nails are still intact, and when she does open the door, she does so only to find a flock of birds which attack her mercilessly. This, her last act of independence, ends in disaster and her destructi on as an independent woman. For the final time Mitch comes to rescue Melanie from the birds. Melanie’s destruction is symbolised by her looking dishevelled and wrapped up in bandages. Mitch then carries Melanie to the car, demonstrating Melanie’s total dependence on Mitch.Melanie’s destruction is finally symbolised by an extreme close up of her nails, which are completely broken and chipped. The ways in which Melanie changes over the course of The Birds, her frame of mind could be compared to a yo-yo. At the start she was completely independent and self sufficient, but during different parts of the film she either lost some of her independence or gained some. By the end of the film, Melanie ends up being the polar-opposite of what she started out to be. At the end she was totally dependent on Mitch and had lost all independence. Making her the dominant ideology of a woman of the 1950’s. How to cite Closely Examine the Character of Melanie in Hitchcock’s the Birds, Papers

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Criticisms of Traditional Budgeting-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Critically Discuss the Criticisms of Traditional Budgeting and Evaluate the two Approaches. Answer: Introduction The term budgeting came into existence way back in the 1920s when the need to have a control over the costs and the cash flows of a company arose amongst the various managers. With time, the same has become one of the methods to analyse the performance of the managers. However, with modernisation and globalisation, the age old traditional budgeting wherein a years time is taken into consideration and portrays such forecasts that do not tend to alter during the lifecycle of the said budget. Organisations prefer the traditional method since it is a very simple one. Unfortunately, the said methodology has undergone various criticisms and is said to be unable to fulfil the requirements of todays entities. As per critics, the traditional budgeting is too rigid and not timed appropriately i.e the time period is too long or short, is dependent upon such measures which are not apt and are either too rigid or extraordinarily flexible or too strategically placed such as the incentive scheme fo r the managers is such which ends up giving unwanted signals. It is rightly being considered that traditional budgeting no longer enables meeting up with the modern needs of the businesses (Aydin, 2017). Therefore various researches have been conducted over the years by various researchers and practitioners which basically are very apt such as beyond budgeting, rolling forecasts and activity based budgeting, which are some of the newest and better defined methods of budgeting. Surprisingly, even though traditional form of budgeting has faced various criticisms, it is still preferred by many even now. It is understood that many organizations still prefer to use the said method. The discontentment is basically in two fronts, firstly amongst those who want to abandon it and those who wish to improvise upon the same. Budgets help to co-ordinate, plan and evaluate the performance of the company, acts as a mode of motivation for the employees and also enhance the already installed internal control systems performances. Around ninety percent of the or ganizations who belong to the developed and developing countries, ensure to use budgeting (Reka et.al. 2014). Reasons For Traditional Budgeting To Be Abandoned -The uncertainty in the business environment is one of the main reasons why traditional budgeting should be abandoned. It has been found that the traditional method is not consistent with the association that exists between the environmental ambiguity and the dependence on accounting based performance measures. Basically the focus of the traditional budgeting is upon the fixed performance contracts wherein the success rate is determined basis the achievement of the set goals and aims. Hence it is very obvious that the juniors would always like to set such budget goals which is easiest for them to achieve. Lastly with regards uncertainty, this kind of indicator of employee performance, may force the staff to cater to such activities which are unacceptable thereby hampering the quality of the budget as well (Liang Wang, 2011). Another very prominent reason for the traditional budgeting being abandoned or should be abandoned is that the stability of the business environment and the competitiveness was not as tough as it is presently. Due to which a more strategic method is required. Centralisation no more works well with all organizations. As organizations grow, decentralisation seems to be a must, simply because it helps the organizations to adapt itself with the changing environment. Another very crucial reason why budgeting is loosing importance is that environments which are not certain, it is very difficult to forecast each single line item for a year or more in advance. Beyond Budgeting- Issues And Practicalities Whenever an entity adapts beyond budgeting, it basically discards the old budgeting method in favour of a range of techniques which would ultimately enable the entity to become more flexible to the changing scenario. Basically the said method of abandonment adopts a fundamentally decentralised way of control. Within the management accounting techniques which is a part of the said model, relative performance evaluation requires specific care. The said replacement was first suggested by the Swedish bank Svenska Handelsbanken, which contains a branch structure which offers within the branch benchmarking. Unfortunately the said method is not widely applied by various entities because measurement of the same lacks common-measure biasness. The functioning of Beyond Budgeting ensured more concentration towards setting up of targets in conjunction with a more detailed decentralised action. Those entities who are on the verge of or have already abandoned the traditional budgeting, yet have ma intained a system for financial target setting (Sandalgaard, Bukh, 2014). In the case study of Borealis, they had to let go of traditional budgeting and adopt the concept of Beyond Budgeting simply because the product and the supplier market was undergoing such a fast change that the old method was becoming obsolete soon. There traditional budget which was prevalent used to cater various purposes which was successful in creating value but only in the past. However the same failed in the current scenario. Hence they decided to abandon the same. By doing so, Borealis discovered that the management ended up to gain a new intellect of empowerment and a more confident attitude (Tian et.al. 2015). In the process it enabled to reduce costs drastically. Better Budgeting The said alternative to traditional budgeting basically talks about the various improvements that can be done in the already applicable traditional budgeting, of which rolling forecast is said to be one of it. The practitioners of this method are more inclined towards revisiting the said set budget but for abandoning the same in totality (Raye, 2015). This way the entities prefer to re-visit and check their already set forecasts on a monthly or a quarterly basis and thereby update the same. However the same has been made easy due to the usage of various spreadsheets for ensuring compilation of the data of various scattered departments within an organization. Another technique which the Better Budgeting uses is zero base budgeting wherein the old budget is not considered while preparing the new one thus starting the same from zero as the name says (Waterlander et.al. 2010). The said technique was developed by Peter A. Phyrr when he was a part of Texas Instruments (Uyar, 2009). The fact that budget is linked to strategy cannot be ignored in totality, thus if the budget prepared is not in line with the strategy of the organization then the entire objective of the same gets defeated. Even though in present day scenario the traditional budgeting offers various disadvantages, yet the same has some advantages also to offer such as planning, control and performance management due to which the same is becoming difficult to abandon it in totality by some organizations. Thus the only alternative in such cases are to ensure that the same is being improvised so that it can cope up with the present day competition. Traditional Budgeting Vs Beyond Budgeting- What The Practice Says Budgeting has always been a matter of concern and one of the most researched topics amongst various researchers and practitioners. Over the past few years, the traditional method of budgeting has been under criticism yet the same is widely used and entities still seem to be of the opinion of continuing with the same with improvements. The literature has made it very clear that the discontentment in basically in two areas- one who want to abandon it and the other who want to improvise upon the already existing one. In the year 2006, Dugdale and Lyne had conducted a survey amongst the financial and non-financial managers of 40 companies of UK and concluded that budgeting is still not dead and is hail and hearty. The participants have made it very clear that it is not possible to get away of it in full but yes the one already in vogue needs some improvements. As per the present scenario it can be well said that beyond budgeting will not be adopted by all and hence portrays a mixed picture. However it has been found out that the Skandinavian Bank had abandoned traditional budgeting and post that it has become the largest bank in Skandinavia. It adopted decentralisation wherein the bank treated each branch as a separate independent profit centre. Thus on analysing the same, it is understood that the inclination is not one sided but mixed. It is organization specific and thus presently budgeting is standing at the crossroads. Conclusion Thus on a concluding note it can be said that in the near future as well as in the long term, beyond budgeting will not be able to wipe off the traditional budgeting. However if the same is analysed and studied in depth then it can emerge as a better solution. Yet, one cannot forget that the main aim behind budgeting is to help the management improvise upon the strategies it lays down and thereby ensure good planning. The alternative budgeting modals and ways gained importance since they answered to the issues spelt out by the traditional budgeting. Beyond budgeting offers an array of advantages, yet the same is at its nascent stage. The said concept still needs to be researched more before the same is accepted by all. Even though traditional budgeting has been criticised off-lately, but the same has not yet been proposed to be eradicated in totality. References: Aydin,E., (2017), The Usefulness of Traditional Budgeting in Todays Business Environment, Available at https://www.turkishtaxnews.com/articles/the-usefulness-of-traditional-budgeting-in-today-s-business-environment/ (Accessed 01st August 2017) Dugdale, D. and Lyne S. (2006), Budgeting practice and organisational structure, Research Executive Summaries, vol. 6, no. 4, [Online], Available at: https://www. cimaglobal.com/Documents/Thought_leadership_docs/Budgeting%20and%20planning/cid_ ressum_budgeting_practice_organisational_structure_may2010.pdf, (Accessed on 01st August 2017) Liang,Y., Wang,Y., (2011), Research on Budgeting and Abandoning Budgeting for Management, Available at file:///C:/Users/E-ZONE/Downloads/11.pdf (Accessed on 01st August 2017) Raye,K., (2015), What is the Difference Between a Budget and a Rolling Budget? Available at https://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-budget-rolling-budget-65435.html (Accessed 01st August 2017) Reka,C.I., Stefan,P., Daniel,C.V., (2014), Traditional Budgeting Versus Beyond Budgeting: A Literature Review, Available at file:///C:/Users/E-ZONE/Downloads/12.pdf (Accessed 01st August 2017) Sandalgaard,N., Bukh, P.N., (2014), Beyond Budgeting and change: A Case Study, Available at https://pnbukh.com/files/nyheder/JAOC_2014.pdf (Accessed 01st August 2017) Tian,J., Ni,Q.L., Hao, Q., Wu,D., (2015), The Application of the Beyond Budgeting to Organizations An Example of Application of Borealis Company, Modern Management Science Engineering, Vol. 3, no. 1 [Online], Available at file:///C:/Users/E-ZONE/Downloads/451-1000-1-SM.pdf (Accessed on 01st August 2017) Uyar,A., (2009), An Evaluation of Budgeting Approaches : Traditional Budgeting, Better Budgeting and Beyond Budgeting, Available at file:///C:/Users/E-ZONE/Downloads/An%20Evaluation%20of%20Budgeting%20Approaches-Traditional%20Budgeting,%20Better%20Budgeting,%20and%20Beyond%20Budgeting-AKADEM-K%20ARA-TIRMLAR.pdf (Accessed on 01st August 2017) Waterlander,O., Clark,A., Groves, S., Nordahl,H., (2010), Zero-based Cost Management- A Holistic Approach to Managing Budgets, Available at https://www.strategyand.pwc.com/media/uploads/Zero-Based-Cost-Management.pdf (Accessed 01st August 2017)

Thursday, November 28, 2019

The Analysis of Majors Issues of Amp Incorporated Essay Example

The Analysis of Majors Issues of Amp Incorporated Paper The analysis of majors issues of AMP Incorporated AMP Incorporated, one of the largest manufacturers of connector and interconnect device, started in 1941, experienced several rounds of fluctuation and grew up with the bloom of U. S. economy. Literally, AMP could be seen as the leader and the guideline of the electrical industry. However, there does not exist a forever winner in business world. The rapidly changing environment, complex condition and intense competition may influence the result of a decision dramatically and push the company into a dangerous abyss like the situation AMP Incorporated met after the financial storm in Asia-Pacific. If there are some other possible strategies AMP could make out to deal with the issue it met under such kinds of situation? Could AMP do better by making the same decision? To obtain the answer, we will then make insight and comprehensive analysis to those issues happened on Amp Incorporated. Issue of aggressively purchasing: From the beginning of AMP history, one of the core philosophies of AMP was that it was an engineering and manufacturing factory. It almost becomes a tradition of AMP that it will spend as much as 9 percent of its sale annually on research and development department which is far less than 1 its competitor. An article of faith is created by AMP that it remains self-contained and develops its own technology during a period of 40 years. However, time always changes. We will write a custom essay sample on The Analysis of Majors Issues of Amp Incorporated specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Analysis of Majors Issues of Amp Incorporated specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Analysis of Majors Issues of Amp Incorporated specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The appropriate strategy in 40 years ago may not proper to the company 40 years later and might even stagnant the development of a company. According to the case, why AMP starts to aggressively purchasing companies is mainly based on two reasons. First is the external reason that the rapid growth of the electrical industry makes it harder for company to continue competing by simply depending on itself. To curb the mounting risks and prohibitive costs of increasingly complex technologies, AMP have no choice but to join to each other through consortia, joint ventures and other partnerships. Second reason is the internal ambition of AMP to diversify it products and try to monopolize a whole realm of electrical products. AMP expects to broad its product lines and providing complete assemblies to its consumers instead of supplying some discrete electrical components. The good thing for AMP to insist on those purchasing is really obvious and remarkable that AMP constructs it powerful force on the oversea market. Through such an aggressive purchasing strategy oversea, AMP achieve huge amount of revenue from the investment on those fast developing countries such as China and India. Apparently, AMP has a bunch of sufficient reasons to apply its aggressive purchasing strategy. While, could we just assert that this aggressive purchasing strategy is a great strategy without any flaw? Although by acquiring or entering joint ventures with other enterprises may help AMP to expend into new products and market, the pace of buying of AMP seems too rapid on the other hand. 2 In other words, the purchasing strategy of AMP is not prefect as it looks like because that it is too aggressive and impatient. Overly aggressive purchasing not only brings high revenue to AMP but also bring high rate of risk at the same time. Overly rapid speed of acquisition may lead to a large numbers of unreasonable and irrational buying. For instance, the first venture in the history of APM which cost it 13 million dollars does not proved fruitful at all. In fact, this purchase is a quite obvious failure of acquisition because the AMP has to close this first subsidiary company itself in just 4 years, and AMP has to lay off one-third of the employees. How could we improve the aggressive purchasing policy? To avoid the danger of over aggressive acquisition, we just need to convert aggressive acquisitions to rational acquisitions. First of all, AMP should have a long pre-planning for the target of the purchasing according to its long-term development direction. And then, AMP should be calm down and be patient to choice its target carefully. After chooses a list of companies it interest in, AMP should conduct a thorough assessment to those companies. Ask itself whether this acquisition is benefit or helpful to our ambition? At what field could this subsidiary help AMP? Is it difficult for the subsidiary itself to survive in the market? Then based on the statics from the assessment and considering all other kinds of conditions, AMP could then select those most profitable to purchase rather than aggressively buy every company it likes. Doing so, AMP could deduct much cost of wasting on inappropriate acquisitions and become more efficient on purchasing. Issue of pursuing â€Å"one-stop shopping†: As the internal reason drives AMP to carry out its aggressive storm of purchasing and joint 3 venture, â€Å"one-stop shopping† strategy express the strong ambition of AMP to broaden its market and expand the variety of its production. In order to offer one-stop shopping to its customers, AMP can no longer keep still in its specialized area for supplying some specific electrical products, instead, it need to set foot in those fields which are unfamiliar to AMP company such as the fields of new fiber optic, additive printed wiring boards, and cable assembly technologies. The example of joint venture with Akzo N. V, a Dutch chemical company, shows AMP’s determination to keep on following its â€Å"one-stop shopping† strategy. But whether a strategy is appropriate for that company to practice under a specific time background could not simply depend on the determination of that company to execute its decision. In the case of AMP incorporated, in order to achieve the goal of provide â€Å"one-stop shopping† for its consumers, AMP has to make a huge amount of acquisition to fill up those fields of technology which is not familiar to it. However, such an enormous amount of investment to other fields of technology may not bring a significant profit to AMP immediately because this investment could be seen as a kind of long-term investment and it costs lots of time for those newly-bought subsidiaries to adapt the operating system of AMP Inc. Thus, the decision to carry out the â€Å"one-stop shopping† strategy will bring a heavy burden to the financial condition of AMP and a high risk of participating into some unfamiliar realm. When undergoing such a heavy financial condition, the continuous acquisition and joint venture of AMP almost rely on its abundant capital which is created by the well running in its specialized business field and accumulated from the found of the enterprise. Based on the sufficient capital to invest, AMP’s goal of providing â€Å"one-stop shopping† for its consumers really 4 bring numerous opportunities and benefit the company in many aspects. With the expansion of market, AMP has chances to meet lots more enterprises specialized in totally distinctive areas. Then AMP could develop relationships with those companies which are both the seniors and competitors in that field of business. Those relationships developed between those various types of companies will benefit AMP more or less in the future growth of AMP. Also, what AMP could benefit from pursuing â€Å"one-stop shopping† is to diversify its product and control larger amount of market share in long run. Nowadays, AMP has already become one of the biggest overlords controlling the whole electrical connector industry. This significant achievement of AMP has to be attributed to the insistence on â€Å"one-stop shopping†. Without this strategy of conversion, AMP, continuing to run as a specialized company, may be constrained in a limited aspect of development. As an example of successfully application â€Å"one-stop shopping† strategy, Apple Inc, once a computer technology focused company, in order to supply complete assemblies of products related to computer, Apple broaden its research into the area of MP3 and cell phone. Such a movement brings Apple considerable profit and makes it becomes a worldwide leader in electrical technology. We could say that â€Å"one-stop shopping† strategy, although goes with risk, greatly stimulate the potential and infinite possibilities for AMP to develop itself. Therefore, in an overall point of view, the benefit brought by pursing â€Å"one-stop shopping† is greater than the risk and harm carried with this strategy. Issue of Agency relationship: When time goes into 1998, two suitors for AMP are attracted by extremely low stock price. Facing the first hostile bid from Allied Signal Incorporated, the management and board of directors of AMP reject the tender offer at a price of $44. 5 per share. Then, the conflict comes out between shareholders and management upon this purchasing. Representing by Hixon family, most of the stockholders of AMP Inc tend to agree with the tender offer. They are willing to sell the share they possess to Allied Inc. On the othe r hand, the management of AMP feels angry about the price per share provided by Allied Inc. They want their shareholders choose to trust their ability to returning value to AMP’s stockholders. After failing to persuade shareholders stop selling their stock to Allied Inc, the management has no choice but to conduct a self-tender to prevent their famous worldwide enterprise to be purchased at a cheap margin price. This self-tender offer further stimulated the dissatisfaction of the shareholders. As a result, they start to pressure the management of their company to stop fighting with Allied Inc. It is clear that the management of a company is hired by the shareholders and work for them to run the whole company. Their ultimate responsibility is to represent the interest of shareholders and maximize the value owned by those shareholders. However, in this case of purchasing, there is a difference between maximize the value owned by shareholders and just do what the shareholders desire. Simply following the direction of shareholders may not be a rational decision for the management of AMP. After undergoing the influence of financial storm in Asia-Pacific area, AMP’s shareholders may lose their confidence and patience due to the weak performance as a whole company during this difficult period. When problems involving with people’s own interest, people will always lose their 6 calm judgment and long run sightseeing. The shareholders of AMP, being anxious to save their principle, do not trust the management members who have worked for this company for many years even thought the management of AMP has already start to take a series of action such as trimming its workforces and closing some plants to reduce the cost. Several long letters written by AMP management to explain why they are fighting against the bid of Allied Inc do not bring any change of these shareholders’ altitude towards the tender. The relationship between the shareholders and management of AMP is breakdown gradually because of the shareholders’ impatience to save their money. Although there is no wrong for those investors to protect their principle from continues decreasing, they should try to believe their most important partner – the board of the company that they will try their best to create the maximum value for AMP Inc. The final result of this struggle with Applied Inc is AMP’s merging with Tyco at $51 per share which is apparently higher than the price provided by Applied Inc. Both the investors and management of AMP get a happy ending compare to be purchased by Applied at a cheap price at last. But on the back of successfully raising the stock price for sale, the decision of self-tender made by the board of AMP is really a dangerous movement. Shareholders have to endure a risk of continuous losing their investment in AMP because no one could guarantee that Tyco must purchase AMP or purchase it at a higher price. Instead of announced the decision of self-tendering, the management of AMP should let the shareholder know about this decision even though there may be gigantic resistance for management carry out that decision. All in all, the choice of fighting with Allied’s tender offer at a cheap price is rational and insight tactic. 7 While, how does the AMP Inc, once the most powerful companies and the No. 1 enterprise in the industry of electrical connectors, incur such a serious problem to survive? How does it have to face the destiny of being merged? Issue of undergoing the economic slowdown: The factors which push AMP into such a dangerous situation when experiencing a terrible economic condition could be illustrated in two aspects. As the case says, AMP’s share price had dropped mainly attributable to economic slowdown in Asia-Pacific and a strong U. S. dollar, although U. S. sales were also off. The reliance to the foreign sales of AMP leads to the dramatic decreasing of its amount of sales in worldwide range when the economic slowdown affects the region beyond U. S. The other factor that causes AMP to lose its sale amount in the domestic market is mainly caused by structural adjustment of AMP in 1996 and 1997, the same year as the financial storm. As the data shows us in this case, the sales amount in the region of Asia/Pacific occupy one-fifth of the total sales in the whole world. Affected by the serious finance storm in 1997, currencies in most of Asian countries like Japan, Korea and Thailand experience a horrible depreciation. Such depreciation dramatically weakens residence’s purchasing power in those ountries. However, a strong U. S. dollar makes the gap between dollar and other kinds of currency even deeper. Bunches of firms, who signed contracts with AMP could not afford the high exchange rate, finally have to give up the contract. For those common people who are the clients of AMP, how can people who are worrying the problems of their basic lives pay any more attention on those inessential electrical appliances? As a result, AMP may lose a large numbers of clients in Asia/Pacific region that 8 riginally contribute as much as 20 percents in its total sales. While most of the AMP’s competitors are focusing on the domestic market and hence, affected less by the economic slowdown in Asia/Pacific. In case of the happening of such a tragedy, what AMP could do is basically to reduce its cost, supply a series discount, and offer a flexible contract to its big client. By reducing the cost of products and supply discount for clients, AMP could decline its price at the largest extent and keep a low rate of profit. Doing so could not only stimulate the sales amount of the company, but also accelerate the inventory turnover of its products. What’s more important is that by decreasing the price, AMP could help those depressed consumers to find back the willingness of purchasing its products. Also, a flexible contract makes the big clients of AMP feel comfortable because they could feel they are treated reasonablely and friendly by AMP. Restructuring is the other factor that contributes to the weakness of AMP during the awful economic condition. Although this reconstruction is designed as a preparation for the next round of development, and should meant to be beneficial to the company in a long run, the company is still fail to take the change of economic condition into consideration. So, when the finance storm comes up, AMP in U. S. is also influenced because it has wreaked a lot of havoc in this re-born company. But it is not impossible to avoid the happening of such situation. AMP should design a better pre-planning of structure which taking more factors such as change of economic conditions, development of its competitors and the renovation of technology in that industry. After thorough consideration of variety of changing factors, AMP could then establish many specific countermeasures aimed at these situations. 9 In conclusion, although the AMP Inc owns a glorious history of expand and development, several decisions which are not fully thought will directly lead to the collapse of the whole enterprise. Thus each strategy made by a company should be considered over and over again. 10

Sunday, November 24, 2019

The Pact Book Review Essay Example

The Pact Book Review Essay Example The Pact Book Review Paper The Pact Book Review Paper Name: Instructor: Course: Date: The Pact Book Review Plot Summary The Pact is the story of three young men who made a promise to each other that they would go to college and succeed in life. This seemed impossible considering where they lived. They did not have anyone in their lives that they could look up to and consider role models. They encountered many challenges in their lives before they realized their goals. They lived in a dangerous neighborhood, where they had to contend with violence, drug dealers and drug addicts. One of the men had a childhood dream of becoming a dentist, and he convinced the others to study hard for the scholarship Pre-Medical/Pre-Dental Plus Program offered at Seton Hall and become doctors. The book reveals how the young men continued facing challenges in school, how they almost gave up their dreams, and how they finally managed to overcome those challenges and realize their dream, thus fulfilling their pact. It is a story of friendship, and it shows the importance of having role models and good social support systems so that one can realize his or her dreams in life. Opinion I was inspired and impressed by the friendship and determination of the three young men. I believe that this kept them focused and it gave them the strength they needed to overcome obstacles. It is often rare to read of young men who influence each other positively. In many cases, people in similar situations often end up falling to negative peer influences. The three decided to support and encourage each other, and this made them realize their goals. I was emotionally moved by the people who decided to make positive changes in the men’s lives and encourage each other. George talks of his friend’s father who treated him like one of his sons. He believed in George’s dreams and he never discouraged him from achieving his goals. Some of the teachers and counselors acted as role models for the boys. They encouraged them in pursuing their goals and they gave them the morale and inspiration they needed in life. It was interesting to read that the men made bad decisions in their lives but they did not let that determine their future. Two of them had already faced the criminal justice system even before they were eighteen years. They committed some offences, which could have destroyed their future. The men had friends who were not positive influences in their lives. However, the pact that they had made and the fact that they continued making their friendship stronger, made it possible for them to get on the right path. They admit that it was not easy for them to go to college and become doctors. They faced hard situations, which almost made them give up in life and forget their dreams. I was angered by the social and economic systems in our country, which force some people to live in abject poverty as others live in extreme wealth. The families living in the projects were poor. Most of the people involved in dealing drugs did not do so out of choice but they were forced by their circumstances. Poverty has led to many social ills and disadvantages in the country. Many children are forced to live without their fathers around because they are serving time in prison, while others have decided to abandon their families. I was also angered by the fact that some children are exposed to so much violence when they are young. The men had grown up in tough and rough neighborhoods. They committed crimes and offences such as stealing and beating other people. However, they managed to change their negative ways and they became positive influences and role models to other people in their community. Another thing that made me angry was the discrimination that continues to plague t he society. People continue to be defined by the color of their skin and not by their abilities. This has often discouraged many from achieving their dreams. Had it not been for the support that the young men received from few individuals, then they would not have reached where they are today. Although I liked all the characters because of their determination, my favorite was George. I think that it would not have been possible for the three to become doctors had he not held the dream he had of becoming a dentist. His fascination in dentistry made him have a dream. Not many people enjoy dentist visits, but George seemed to enjoy them when he was young. He urged the others to join medical school and this contributed to positive changes in their lives. Although George’s mother, Ella Jenkins Mack, is not one of the prominent characters in the book, I admire her persistence and courage in bringing up her children. She was resilient and she managed to discipline and provide for her children. It was not easy bringing up two boys with no other source of support. She ensured that she got her family out of the projects. She did not let the fact that she was a single mother discourage her from hoping for a better life. Overall Evaluation I would recommend this book to a friend and to people who have to face challenges in their lives. The book remains relevant because many people continue experiencing the same situations that the young men went through in their lives. Many people still live in the ghetto, and they continue to experience hardships and challenges in life. They continue living in violent environments and they have to deal with many social ills. This is an inspirational book and it shows that one does not have to conform to his or her environment. The three young men could have decided to become part of the statistics, as is often the case with many African American men and other people living in the ghetto. They could have felt sorry for themselves and given up on their aspirations just because they did not have role models around. However, they made a different decision. The book is written in such a simple and engaging way. The book also describes the events that happened plainly. The authors do not tr y to hide some of the information or exaggerate other details. This book is both engaging and entertaining, and it promotes the values of true friendship, hard work, discipline, and positive influences in life.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

An organisations structure and culture and their relationship to the Essay

An organisations structure and culture and their relationship to the promotion or inhibition of change within Insurance Company - Essay Example However, the change model to be utilised in this case is the Lewin’s 3 stage model of unfreezing, change and refreezing to explain the change process. Though change is inevitable, it is a complex process that has drivers and resisters. The organisational structure and culture are vital elements in an organisation that can either inhibit or promote change depending on the situation. It is thus very vital to discuss how culture and structure can influence the change process in an insurance company bearing in mind that the insurance sector operates in a very dynamic environment. The company in this case is Zurich Assurance Company Ltd. There are other numerous factors that cause resistance to change and will be discussed briefly alongside culture and structure. In order to achieve this, the paper will be divided into several sections. The first section will be a brief background summary of the insurance company. Secondly, organisational change will be discussed. This entails disc ussion of strategic and operational change. Thirdly, the paper will discuss theoretical underpinnings of the organisation structure and culture. ... The company boasts of its values embedded in its rich culture and which determines how things are done. The company beliefs in integrity, team working, support for the community and abiding with rules and regulations and sustainable value creation. The company has a divisional organisation structure whereby every division handles its own product and employees but resources and controlled centrally. The whole organisation is under the leadership of a chief executive officer. Organisational Change Effective change management according to Senior (2009) depends on the management but whatever the case the impact of change varies according to industry or sector. The change process as per Lewin’s 3 stage model begins with unfreezing. This is where the company analyses its internal and external environment to identify any gaps that exist and thereby identify need for change (Paton & McCalman, 2008). The changes may need a strategic change or operational change depending on the urgency and importance of change. Strategic changes are long-term in nature and affect the whole organisation. They involve creating new vision, developing strategies, implementing the changes, dealing with resistance and evaluating the effectiveness of strategy so as to review. It is a cyclical process. Operational changes affect only a small group of staff such as a department or team and involve changing particular activities as opposed to the whole system. The strategic change process involves extensive planning and begins with environmental scanning to determine the need for change. This involves conducting a SWOT analysis to determine the strengths and weaknesses as well as opportunities and threats for the company. This allows the