Knowledge Management Techniques Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Knowledge Management Techniques - Essay Example Knowledge management solutions enable the company or organization implementing it to share relevant and useful information at all levels of the organization. Knowledge management reduces redundancy, creates efficiency and allows a company to utilize information for innovativeness. New recruits require minimal training and allow the company to utilize time effectively. Intellectual property can be retained after employees stop working. The two case studies are: Northbridge Model Train Shop and Food Festival. CASE STUDY I NORTHBRIDGE  MODEL  TRAIN  SHOP  (NMTR) 1. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION 1a) Northbridge  Model  Train  Shop intends to continue utilizing the existing network and improve the organizations knowledge base. The activities within and outside Northbridge   Model   Train   Shop affects knowledge management preparaedness; hence there is need to conduct an audit. NMTR knowledge management structure requires retructuring and development to accomaodate increas ing tasks. Since the management already poses a knowledge system, the existing system can be effectively used to enhance and achive a competent managements system. A central place where all the knowledge can be accessed and controlled lacks in the oragnization. There is explicict information that can be used to further generate unambigous information for knowledge management as Bennett (1999) points out1. 1b) As a knowledge management expert, it is posible to identify knowledge management gaps that exist. NMTR has acquired knowledge over the knowledge and requires expertese to adequately use the knowledge for the correct person when required. It is necessary to intergrate tacid and explict knowledge in the organization to achive competency and adequately meet NMTR knowledge management needs. Tacid sources of the organizatoin assist in identifying the knowledge gaps that exist. Moreover, the customers needs will be considered when implimenting knowledge management system and ensure t hat NMTR obtains competitive advantage. 1c) Knowledge management needs in NMTR can be adressed with an aim of assisting the company realise its goals. NMTR strategy is dependent on strategy designed by the owner, Jim. For knowledge management to be sucessful, the knowledge Jim possess together with the organizational strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths will influence the outcome. Efficiency will be achived if NMTR stategy is propertly articulated in knowledge management. NMTR will use the existing knowledge to create competitiveness. As an expert, knowledge management mapping, the role of information technology and innovation can be considered as necessary. 1. KNOWLEDGE AUDIT 2a) Knowledge gaps and blockages identify what should be done to achieve knowledge management needs. NMTR has published materials on the train inventory system and wants to develop a new knowldge management that includes the train and slot car materials. There is need standardize the available ma terials and categorize them to allow their effective use in the new venture in train and slot car materials. Additionaly, a system where new information is documented in a procedural way can be identified to absorb information from the new area. There is need for ontology and creation of terms within the new area. Terms that are commonly used in the

Online School vs. Public School Essay Example for Free

Online School vs. Public School Essay Sloan Consortium stated that, â€Å"More than one million students attended classes via the Internet in 2008. Of those million, around 200,000 were enrolled in full-time virtual schools, meaning they attend all of their classes online.† I have been doing Online Schooling for two years but before that I went to public school. Online schooling is a better choice than public schooling because you have more control, there is no drama, and you have more free time. I prefer online homeschooling because I can control my pace. I get to decide when I want to work and I don’t have to study all day, everyday like I normally would. The course schedule is also up to me; courses can be done one at a time or in groups. During my first year at an online school I did five courses at one time. It’s now my second year and I am doing one course at a time, which I definitely prefer. At Public schools, course schedules are picked for me and I would have no control. You also can’t control what is going on in your school environment. One of the best things about online school is that there is never any drama. I really hate gossiping, which is a big problem at public schools. Because I only interact with other kids from my school by way of the internet there is no pettiness between us. Kids my age fight over friends and boyfriends or girlfriends. There’s nothing to fight about when you live as far away from each other as we do. At normal schools though, you see everyone everyday. When your constantly with the same group of people, someone’s feelings are always getting hurt and there is constant arguments. Many of situations involve your â€Å"friends†. If your friends with someone you can’t be friends with anyone they don’t like, which can get very complicated. 3 When doing school online, you have much more free time. If I stay caught up, I’m able to do things after school and on the weekends. When I was in public school, I had far too much homework to do anything. Now I’m able to take a few days off for vacation or because I’m sick and not have to worry about falling far behind. While at public school all of my time was filled by homework, but now I’m able to spend hours after school with my horse or just relaxing. Some of my family has expressed concern about me not  interacting with children my age because I don’t go to public school. Because of online schooling, I’m able to hang out with my friends at our barn. Before I switched I never saw any of my friends outside of school because I never had the time. Online schooling is a much better choice than public schooling. The benefits of online school far outweigh those of public schooling. With Online schooling you have so many more choices, everything is up to you! There are many different schooling choices but online schooling has made my life easier and stress free. I definitely suggest that you look into online schooling as an alternative to public school. It may not be right for everyone, but it might be right for you.

Short And Long Run Aggregate Supply Curve Economics Essay

Short And Long Run Aggregate Supply Curve Economics Essay Aggregate supply is the total supply of goods and services produced within an economy at a given overall price level within a specified time period. It is represented by the aggregate supply curve during a given time period that shows the total supply of goods and services that the firms are willing to offer to the economy during a specified time period at a given overall price levels. Normally, there exists a positive relationship between the aggregate supply level and the price levels upon which that annual supply curve has been made. Aggregate supply function of the economy is also referred to as total supply of the economy as shows the total supply of goods and services that the firms are willing to supply at given price levels. It also shows the capacity of the firms of the economy and the fact that the firms can supply the economy with the appropriate level of goods and services in order to satisfy the demands of the economy. Aggregate supply curves are made on the basis of long and short term which depicts the total supply function of the firms of the economy both in the long term and in the short term for the economy. There can be some shifts in the aggregate supply curve for the economy which can be attributed to number of different factors and variables affecting the economy. These factors can be many some of which may be the change in the size and quality of labor, the mere fact that the labor size has changed that is more and more labor is available to the firms for the production of their goods and services or that the labor which is already available to the economy has gained more and more skills due to which it has become easier to produce more for the economy. Other factors can be the change in technology or it can be said that the technological innovations can cause a shift in the aggregate supply curve of the economy.   Increase in wages, increase in production costs, changes in produce r taxes and subsidies, and changes in inflation can also be some of the driving factors in the shifting of the aggregate supply curve for the economy. Different schools of thoughts have different views of economics and therefore they have different approaches towards the determining of aggregate supply of the economy that is to be made to the economy. Aggregates supply is the function of aggregate availability of labor and other resources in the given time period and the price levels for the production of those goods and services that provide the aggregate supply of those goods and services to the economy. Short Run Aggregate Supply Curve Supply side of performance of the economy is the main determinant of the aggregate supply of the economy. Short run aggregate supply depicts the productive capacity of the economy and the costs of production of each sector. There may be a shift in the aggregate supply cure and this can be caused by the following factors: Changes made in the supply size and quality of labor force that are available to the economy. Changes in size and quality of capita stock through investment. Technological progress and the impact of innovation. Changes in the productivity of factors à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ both labor and capital. Changes in the wage costs per unit .i.e. wage costs per unit of output. Changes in producer taxes and subsidies. Changes occurring to the inflation expectations. Arise in inflation expectations are likely to boost wage levels and in affect cause the aggregate supply curve towards the inwards shift. Long Run Aggregate Supply Long run aggregate supply is determined by the productive resources available to meet demand and by the estimated productivity of factor inputs that are Land, Labor and capital. There is a clear distinction between the short run and long run aggregate supply cures. In the short run aggregate supply curve is dependent on the price levels for a particular output and therefore increase in price levels affects the supply of goods and services in the economy whereas it is not true for long term aggregate supply as they are thought to be independent of price levels in the long term. The productive potential of the economy in the long run is mostly driven by the improvements to be made in the productivity levels and by the expansion of the available factor inputs. Expansion of the available factor inputs can be made through the realization of more firms, a bigger and much better capital stock and an increase in the number of skilled labor force etc. due to these reasons long run aggregate supply curve is made vertical on the graphs. The classical model of economics defines the aggregate supply curve as being a vertical line at the full employment level of real production. The early Keynesian view describes the aggregate supply curve to be a parallel curve to the horizontal axis .i.e. a horizontal curve. It shows that the price level will remain same over the time period and the firms will have to manage their supply according to the available price level prevailing in the economy. The newer Keynesian view describes the aggregate supply curve in the two aspects .i.e. fixed money wage and variable money wage. According to the newer Keynesian view aggregate supply curve is the upward slopping curve at different wage levels for the economy. The supply side school of thought in the economics define the aggregate supply of the economy based on the fact that the aggregate supply is affected by the quality of labor and that the much higher prices are paid to the more skilled labor as compared to the less skilled or unskilled labor.

Macbeth...Tragic Hero? Essays -- essays research papers

Macbeth is a butcher.† Discuss this statement exploring the ideas of Macbeth as a tragic hero and that the murder may or may not be entirely his fault. In your answer consider the role of the witches, Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s indecision and his fatal flaw, ambition. You must support your answer with specific reference to and quotes from the play. The play, â€Å"Macbeth† by Shakespeare is entirely focused on the main character, Macbeth. In this play there are many complex themes and symbols that ties in with Macbeth’s character. One particular debate is on whether Macbeth’s a tragic hero or a â€Å"butcher†. This is a particularly difficult topic to discuss as Macbeth’s character constantly fluctuates as the play progresses. Despite many actions taken by Macbeth are seen as tyrannical and evil, he is nevertheless a typical Shakespearean hero. He is courageous, sympathetic, trapped by his own imagination and guilt, has a weakness that leads to his downfall and is driven by forces beyond his control. Macbeth embodies all the characteristics of a tragic hero. At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is seen as a â€Å"brave†, â€Å"noble† and â€Å"valiant† man. He was described as â€Å"Bellona’s bridegroom† (ACT 1 SCENE 2) He fought hard in the battle for Duncan and has earned many people’s respect. He was seen as a hero. Later on, he meets the three witches who hail Macbeth as the â€Å"Thane of Glamis† whom he is at the present, â€Å"Thane of Cawdor† and â€Å"who shall be king thereafter† (ACT 1 SCENE 3). Macbet...

Isolation in Frankenstein

The Isolation of Victor Frankenstein Isolation and loneliness can do great injustices to the human brain. People are programed to function in cohabitation with others of their kind, to form relationships with them. So, when these relationships fail or seem to be absent from one’s life, the aloneness can ache. In Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, the reader sees the developing isolation of Victor Frankenstein, which can be attributed to his personality and upbringing, as well as his unwavering obsession with his scientific success. Certain people seem to have something in their genetic make up which makes them more social than others.These people seem to interact with crowds at ease and, as the social butterflies within their peers, tend to avoid isolation. Victor Frankenstein is not one of these people. It is not necessarily a fault of Victor, but merely a reality. As he would explain, it simply â€Å"was my temper to avoid a crowd, and to attach myself fervently to a few (19). à ¢â‚¬  This personality trait contributed to the increasing isolation Victor became subject to. The few he so fervently attached himself to exclusively included his own family and Clerval, all of whom stayed behind upon his departure to Ingolstadt.Victor explained, â€Å"I was indifferent†¦ to my schoolfellows in general (19). † So, once he was away at school, for the first time feeling the absence of his â€Å"familiar faces†, he felt alone and â€Å"totally unfitted for the company of strangers (25). † Victor’s struggle with his natural â€Å"repugnance to new countenances (25)† led to him feeling truly alone for the first time in his life. Ultimately, the natural ways of Victor combined with his comfortable and domestic upbringing had left him sheltered and timid. This reality made the culture shock of leaving home a lonely one.Another factor that contributed to Frankenstein’s isolation was his fixation on his learning and scientific endeavors. Victor agreed with the theory that â€Å"If the study to which you apply yourself has a tendency to weaken your affections, and to destroy your taste for those simple pleasures†¦ that study is certainly unlawful†¦ not benefitting the human mind (34). † However, this is precisely what his experiments do to him. Victor loses track of time, forgets all his simple pleasures, and neglects all of his other responsibilities. He no longer took time to appreciate nature or keep in touch with his family.He was so engrossed in his work that he said, â€Å"I grew alarmed at the wreck I perceived I had become†, bothered by â€Å"slow fevers and nerves to a most painful degree† (34). Frankenstein allowed his ever increasing desire for knowledge and progress to control all aspects of his life and isolate him from all the outer workings of his world. Even upon the success of all he had been working towards, his isolation grew even more extreme. At that poi nt, he had not only become completely secluded to the instruments of his laboratory, but had created a terrifying creature he feared he would never escape.Victor had become blinded by his scientific curiosity and cut himself off from the world for the sake of accomplishing his goals. He found himself neck deep in worries, feeling utterly alone. Victor Frankenstein subjects himself to isolation throughout the novel. He allows himself, personally susceptible to self isolation, something to fixate on. It is this combination that leaves him missing his family and eventually void of a connection with the world beyond his laboratory. And, as previously stated, the ache of this isolation can do great injustices to the human brain, shoving towards his dismal destiny.

Why Oil and Water Dont Mix

Why Oil and Water Dont Mix You may have experienced examples of how oil and water dont mix. Oil and vinegar salad dressing separate. Motor oil floats on top of the water in a puddle or in an oil spill. No matter how much you mix oil and water, they always separate. Chemicals that dont mix are said to be immiscible. The reason this happens is because of the chemical nature of oil and water molecules. Like Dissolves Like The saying in chemistry is that like dissolves like. What this means is the polar liquids (like water) dissolve in other polar liquids, while nonpolar liquids (usually organic molecules) mix well with each other. Each H2O or  water molecule is polar because it has a bent shape in which the negatively charged oxygen atom and the positively charged hydrogen atoms are on separate sides of the molecule. Water forms  hydrogen bonds between oxygen and hydrogen atoms of different water molecules. When water encounters nonpolar oil molecules, it sticks to itself rather than mingles with the organic molecules. Making Oil and Water Mix Chemistry has tricks for getting oil and water to interact. For example, detergent works by acting as emulsifiers and surfactants. The surfactants improve how well water can interact with a surface, while the emulsifiers help oil and water droplets mix together. Density and Immiscibility Oil floats on water because it is less dense or has lower specific gravity. The immiscibility of oil and water, however, is not related to the difference in density.

depression2 essays

depression2 essays In recent years, we have heard of depression and the affects of the disorder, and what medications and theories help to prevent depression in adults. Many people are not aware that not only is depression diagnosed in adults, recently studies show that depression is diagnosed in adolescents. Not only adults become depressed. Children and teenagers also may have depression. Depression is defined as an illness when it persists. Childhood depression is one of the most overlooked disorders. Depression probably exists in about 5 percent of children in the general population. Children under stress, who experience loss, or who have, learning or conduct disorders are at a higher risk of depression. Studies show that depression is more likely to show up in boys than in girls. Depression in men and meal adolescents most of the time is over looked are misdiagnosed. Men for instance, have higher rates of drug abuse and violent behavior that do women or young female adolescents do, and some researchers belie that this behavior masks depression or anxiety (Canetto, 1992; Kessler al., 1994). Some Psychologists believe that the reason that young males are more likely to suffer from depression because of the stigmatism of being a male and being taught by adults that expressing there feelings are wrong. According to Carol Wade, Travis, Depression (Major Depression) is a disorder that is sever enough to disrupt a persons ordinary functioning (Physiology filth edition, 586). The diagnoses of depression might be the same for adults and adolescents, but the behavior of depressed children and teenagers differs from the behavior of depressed adults. Child and adolescent psychiatrists advise parents to be aware of signs in there youngsters such as persistent sadness, A major change in sleeping and eating patterns and increased activity or irritability. Depression is accompanied by physical changes as well. Frequent ...

tokaimura nuclear accident essays

tokaimura nuclear accident essays To understand what happens in accidents you must first understand how reactors work. All nuclear accidents are unique and are not usually caused by the same problem some for example some are caused by equitment failure like in the Three Islands Plant in Pennsylvania, and some are caused by ignoring a simple test which was not administered correctly at Cherynobyl. Whatever the cause may be nuclear energy is still too cost effective to stop for a few accidents. Tokaimura is another accident which was caused by human error and is the focus of this research paper. Tokaimura is the worst nuclear accident ever to occur in Japan How does a nuclear reactor work you might say well a reactor produces and controls the release of energy from atoms, by splitting the atomic nuclei nuclear fission: fission is the splitting of one atom usually of uranium or plutonium to produce two smaller but equally massive parts. The fission process releases a large quantity of thermal energy as well as gamma rays and two or more free neutrons. These free neutrons fission other uranium nuclei which in turn give off neutrons that split still more nuclei this is called a chain reaction. In a nuclear power reactor the energy released is used to generate electricity which then in turn is spread to anyone who needs power. This is where Einsteins theory of relation comes in a little mass times the speed of light squared yields lots of energy. Now what went wrong at Tokaimura on the morning of September 30th 1999? This morning was a normal morning not unlike any other in the past three workers at the plant were finishing up purifying the uranium oxide they were processing to mke fuel rods the fast Japan Joyo research reactor. The three were working with a 18.8 percent pure concentration of uranium 235 instead of the normal 5 percent pure so they were unexpierienced with the higher concetrated ...

Figurative Language versus Literal Language Essay - 9

Figurative Language versus Literal Language - Essay Example The phrase, â€Å"a piece of cake† does not literally mean a task that can be easily completed. As an idiom, however, that is what it means. The image that the idiom conjures up has a lot to do with the meaning that it is given (Amphiboly, n.d.). An amphiboly refers to an ambiguity that is created as a result of the grammatical structure of that sentence. This may be the result of the different meanings that may result from the positioning of marks of punctuation. An analogy refers to a device of figurative language whereby meaning is transferred to make something clear. A certain process or thing is talked of in terms of another to make others understand its essence. One may take the example of the analogy between a tube and the mechanism of water travel within a plant that is often used in botany classrooms, to understand the concept of an analogy. A flame word is something that is used as a substitute for another word or process that can then be used independent of the original word. It can be used since the original word is not used in common parlance or also probably because the flame word is what is used within a coterie of people who may understand the word. It can then be used as a means of developing a group with an understanding of certain secret words (Urban Dictionary, n.d.). One of the most celebrated devices of the figures of speech, metaphor refers to the substitution of one idea with the other so as to qualify the first one. In this device, the characteristics of one object are transferred to the other. The two objects may have no apparent relation and metaphors are often used by poets to shock readers in this way. When a person is referred to as a ‘cheetah on the track’, their exceptional speed is sought to be highlighted through the metaphor. Hyperbole is a figure of speech whereby something is exaggerated to a great extent. The reader is aware of the

Sustainable management futures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sustainable management futures - Essay Example 86). When Prime Minister says that â€Å"no true conservative wants to sit back and let capitalism rip†, he is making a contradictory and incorrect statement. The main premise of capitalism is to ensure that the government sits back and â€Å"let it rip†. Whenever the government intervenes, not only it distorts the market equilibrium but it also ensures that the public sector grows larger in size, as compared to the private sector. There are no doubt in the fact that the resources in the market are limited, in terms of human and financial capital, and when these resources are devoted to the public sector, which is the inefficient sector, economies fail to realize their economic potential (Bishop, 2000, p. 86). More importantly, when governments intervene and prohibit capitalism from â€Å"letting it rip†, it is creating a cost on all parties with its intervention. Quite understandably, governments would have to finance their power and intervention with two possib le sources. First, it would tax people to fund the intervention, something that violates the basic principles of liberty and freedom and decreases the disposable incomes of people, which then goes on limit the number and size of investments (Isbister, 2011, p. 76). More importantly, as mentioned earlier, the public sector is the inefficient sector, therefore, the amount of taxes are never able to generate returns what they should have generated had they been transferred to the private. Furthermore, as governments accumulate more money though taxes, they see more incentives and opportunities for corruption. Second, the governments might decide to print more money for financing these interventions and â€Å"preventing capitalism from ripping† (Aras & Crowther, 2010, p. 67-68). Injecting more liquidity in the market might boost the demand in the short term but in the medium term, it will increase the inflation, which is disastrous to any economy. The cash reserves, savings and c apital of people would hold lesser value than they did before thus depriving people to buy the same amount of goods and services that they intended to buy with their money since it would hold lesser value. It would decrease the disposable incomes of people, which would reduce the savings. Reduction in savings would mean reduction in the overall capital, which is available in the market thus discouraging future investments and economic growth. Consider the example of how under the Bush Administration, the Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan Greenspan, although, a libertarian decided not to â€Å"let capitalism† rip† and intervene by disturbing the equilibrium of the market. In the wake of the dotcom bubble and 9/11 attacks, he decided to set the interest rates at a record low level of 1 percent so that capitalism and free markets could not â€Å"rip† investments due to the above mentioned events. It appeared that the strategy worked, as investors went on to invest in m ore risky projects and sectors, which would not have received investment had the interest rates been determined by market. Too many investments in the housing market created a housing bubble, which then

ADVENTURE FACILITATION AND EDUCATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

ADVENTURE FACILITATION AND EDUCATION - Essay Example Similarly, as a means of determining overall viability of the social media outreach plan that has heretofore been utilized, the discussion will be concentric upon seeking to define the plan that best promotes the interests of the firm while seeking to maximize the exposure per pound spent on marketing that lies at the core of any and all successful marketing analyses. As a way to provide answers to the overarching question of effectiveness which has been outlined above, this report will seek to lay out the results of a pilot study. As such, the pilot study will have the express intention of providing insights into whether or not the social media outreach which is being performed has a positive contribution to the viability of the firm, to what extent, and whether or not the expense to operate such a program is worth the yield that it generates. As with any pilot program, the scope, time frame, number of individual results weighed, and an analysis of the contributing factors have all been weighed (Tuten et al 2012, p. 203). The following section will briefly detail how each one of these was undertaken within the confines of the given pilot study. For purposes of the pilot study, the account activity, posting ratio, overall number of hits, total number of sign ups generated and percentage of clicks garnered were analyzed. With respect to the period of time that was employed, a period of 2 months of activity was analyzed (Rodriguez et al 2012, p. 371). The raw data itself was made available to the requesting entity by statistics and tracking software provided free of charge to the firm via Facebook’s statistics software. For purposes of brevity and the absence of bias, the software was employed as a way to readily generate a plethora of data and habits with relation to the web habits of those within the target demographic. Through an analysis of the time period mentioned, the

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Analysis - Case Study Example Consequently, the inventor of the business idea faces the challenge of losing full control in running the business. Nigel Galler, the founder and CEO of Movirtu Limited, faces the equal challenges in financing the expansion and development of the start-up business. One of the challenges that Movirtu Limited is facing in raising is convincing the impact investors the investment has a positive social impact on the targeted markets and is economically viable. The impact investors can only finance a business if it has the potential for empowering the impoverished communities while ensuring it is financially profitable (WDI 8). Accordingly, Movirtu Limited has to demonstrate to the impact investor namely the GreyGhostVentures (GGV) how the business will promote the welfare of the poor communities if the financing arrangement by the TLcom Capital is accepted. In addition, the business model employed in running the business by integrating TLcom Capital has to prove it is a viable business to attract the financial support from the impact investors. Another challenge that is been faced by Movirtu Limited in raising financial capital is convincing the venture capitalistic TLcom Capital on the potential of the business in generating profit in future under the social impact requirement of GGV. The financial support sustainability from the venture capitalists can only be sustained if they are convinced, the business idea will generate adequate revenue and grow in future (WDI 8). However, the target market for Movirtu Limited has high risk due to the purchasing power of the targeted consumers. In addition, the revenue margin that Movirtu Limited expects to receive from the actual price of the service compared to the financial resources consumed is considerably low. Thus, the ability of Movirtu Limited in winning the confidence of the venture capitalistic is relatively challenging. Moreover, the acceptance of venture capitalist in financing

The Effects of Fiscal Policy on Private Business Investment Essay

The Effects of Fiscal Policy on Private Business Investment - Essay Example As a point of departure, private business investments are considered as fundamental channels in which fiscal policy influences the economic growth. For instance, the endogenous economic growth model explains the dynamism in the capital stock, which is believed to influence the long-term per capita growth rate. This can happen through two ways namely more quantitative investment and more-efficient investments. This follows that the aspect of fiscal policy can be said to influence investments by varying domestic demand, which influence the Growth Development Product (GDP) of a nation, thus influencing the economy growth of a country. Considering a model of a tight fiscal policy where expenditure is reduced and increased taxation like in the case of the US, immense negative expectations are eminent. This reduces the viable incentives fro investments. On equal measure, the fiscal policy, particularly the short terms, can directly affect investment through the cost of capital attributed t o the tax system (Razin, Assaf, and Jacob, 2006. This follows that, the long-term fiscal policy on well-designed tax system on liberalized and privatised programmes such as for the case of the US and UK, help private sector investments because of reduced direct government involvement. For the case of government interest increase, foreign capital is attracted from the foreign investors and this increases the demand for the country’s currency. This implies that the value of country’s currency is increased. It is imperative to note that the increase in the currency value makes the exports from the country in question more expensive. On equal measure, when the government funds discrepancy with issuance of government bonds, the interests’ rates increases across the market due to the government borrowing which creates a higher demand for the credit in the financial markets. It is imperative to note that, theoretically,

The Absence of Consolidation in Democratic Nepal Essay

The Absence of Consolidation in Democratic Nepal - Essay Example The political parties are marginalized and bemoan the unconstitutional nature of the existing government.1 The Maoist abandoned the democratic process in 1996 and declared a "people's war" intending to establish a Maoist people's republic in the place of the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The insurgency was low in intensity and rural until the Royal Army was used to contain the insurgency following the declaration of a state of emergency in November 2001. The insurgents now control about 70% of the country. At the pretext of quashing the insurgents, the king declared a state of emergency in early 2005, the parliament was closed down and he assumed all executive and legislative powers. On April 24, 2006, the king reinstated the House of Representatives In early May 2006, the House of Representatives declared Nepal a secular country.2 Despite several governmental efforts, superficial at the best, there was no institutionalization of democracy in Nepal. The very causes that feed the insurgency are also the barriers to consolidation of democracy, some of which are: rural poverty, uneven development between urban and rural areas, endemic corruption, persistent socio-economic inequalities and the frustration at the delivery of public goods and services from the government.3 The obstruction of public development by insurgents create a vicious cycle of poverty and social discrimination compounded by the existing issues of poverty, ethnicity, language, Dalits, gender rights, girl trafficking, ecocide with centralization, misgovernance, more official corruption, Bhutanese refugees, autocratic tendencies of democratically elected leaders, weak accountability to democratic pressures, effects of economic liberalization, etc. These failed to establish links between freedom and modernity with a rationalization of social, econ omic and political pluralism and failed to construct civil attachments of the bulk of citizens to nationhood, the political society and the key institutions of governance.4 Once a polity has been democratized, the problem of consolidation arises, which is not a mere improvement in the overall quality of democracy. Instead, this quality is a product of appropriate analyses of electoral politics and market mechanisms. '"(d)emocratic consolidation requires much more than elections and markets." Rather, a consolidated democracy is a political situation in which democracy has become "the only game in town"'5 For Schmitter, the consolidation of democracy is "the process of transforming the accidental arrangements, prudential norms and contingent solutions which have emerged during the transition from autocracy into relations of cooperation and competition that are reliably known, regularly practiced and voluntarily accepted by those person or collectivities, i.e., politicians and citizens, who participate in democratic governance."6 According to Linz and Stepan: "A democratic regime is consolidated when no significant party within the polity attempts to create a non-democratic regime, when the majority of the people, even under sever economic crises or deep dissatisfaction, believe that democratic procedures and institutions are the most appropriate way of governing the country, and when governmental and non-governmental forces

Case Analysis Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Analysis - Case Study Example Consequently, the inventor of the business idea faces the challenge of losing full control in running the business. Nigel Galler, the founder and CEO of Movirtu Limited, faces the equal challenges in financing the expansion and development of the start-up business. One of the challenges that Movirtu Limited is facing in raising is convincing the impact investors the investment has a positive social impact on the targeted markets and is economically viable. The impact investors can only finance a business if it has the potential for empowering the impoverished communities while ensuring it is financially profitable (WDI 8). Accordingly, Movirtu Limited has to demonstrate to the impact investor namely the GreyGhostVentures (GGV) how the business will promote the welfare of the poor communities if the financing arrangement by the TLcom Capital is accepted. In addition, the business model employed in running the business by integrating TLcom Capital has to prove it is a viable business to attract the financial support from the impact investors. Another challenge that is been faced by Movirtu Limited in raising financial capital is convincing the venture capitalistic TLcom Capital on the potential of the business in generating profit in future under the social impact requirement of GGV. The financial support sustainability from the venture capitalists can only be sustained if they are convinced, the business idea will generate adequate revenue and grow in future (WDI 8). However, the target market for Movirtu Limited has high risk due to the purchasing power of the targeted consumers. In addition, the revenue margin that Movirtu Limited expects to receive from the actual price of the service compared to the financial resources consumed is considerably low. Thus, the ability of Movirtu Limited in winning the confidence of the venture capitalistic is relatively challenging. Moreover, the acceptance of venture capitalist in financing

The Absence of Consolidation in Democratic Nepal Essay

The Absence of Consolidation in Democratic Nepal - Essay Example The political parties are marginalized and bemoan the unconstitutional nature of the existing government.1 The Maoist abandoned the democratic process in 1996 and declared a "people's war" intending to establish a Maoist people's republic in the place of the constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy. The insurgency was low in intensity and rural until the Royal Army was used to contain the insurgency following the declaration of a state of emergency in November 2001. The insurgents now control about 70% of the country. At the pretext of quashing the insurgents, the king declared a state of emergency in early 2005, the parliament was closed down and he assumed all executive and legislative powers. On April 24, 2006, the king reinstated the House of Representatives In early May 2006, the House of Representatives declared Nepal a secular country.2 Despite several governmental efforts, superficial at the best, there was no institutionalization of democracy in Nepal. The very causes that feed the insurgency are also the barriers to consolidation of democracy, some of which are: rural poverty, uneven development between urban and rural areas, endemic corruption, persistent socio-economic inequalities and the frustration at the delivery of public goods and services from the government.3 The obstruction of public development by insurgents create a vicious cycle of poverty and social discrimination compounded by the existing issues of poverty, ethnicity, language, Dalits, gender rights, girl trafficking, ecocide with centralization, misgovernance, more official corruption, Bhutanese refugees, autocratic tendencies of democratically elected leaders, weak accountability to democratic pressures, effects of economic liberalization, etc. These failed to establish links between freedom and modernity with a rationalization of social, econ omic and political pluralism and failed to construct civil attachments of the bulk of citizens to nationhood, the political society and the key institutions of governance.4 Once a polity has been democratized, the problem of consolidation arises, which is not a mere improvement in the overall quality of democracy. Instead, this quality is a product of appropriate analyses of electoral politics and market mechanisms. '"(d)emocratic consolidation requires much more than elections and markets." Rather, a consolidated democracy is a political situation in which democracy has become "the only game in town"'5 For Schmitter, the consolidation of democracy is "the process of transforming the accidental arrangements, prudential norms and contingent solutions which have emerged during the transition from autocracy into relations of cooperation and competition that are reliably known, regularly practiced and voluntarily accepted by those person or collectivities, i.e., politicians and citizens, who participate in democratic governance."6 According to Linz and Stepan: "A democratic regime is consolidated when no significant party within the polity attempts to create a non-democratic regime, when the majority of the people, even under sever economic crises or deep dissatisfaction, believe that democratic procedures and institutions are the most appropriate way of governing the country, and when governmental and non-governmental forces

Grimshaw V. Ford Motor Company Essay Example for Free

Grimshaw V. Ford Motor Company Essay Facts: 1. Ford developed a new model, later to be known as the pinto, changing the design drastically. 2. Ford discovered that the fuel tanks position was in a vulnerable place and the car failed to met crash safety standards. 3. Ford was aware of the small cost to help the fuel tanks meet standards but refused to use them due to the slight delay in production that might occur and approved production of the prototype. 4. A 1972 Ford Pinto was involved in a rear ending when it unexpectedly stalled causing the care (presumably the fuel tank) to burst into flames. 5. A Mrs. Lilly Gray was died as result and her son 13 year-old Richard suffered severe and permanently disfiguring burns to his face and entire body. Legal Procedure/History: 1. Grimshaw sued the Ford Motor Company for punitive damages. 2. Grimshaw awarded damages in the amount of about $3.5 million. 3. Ford appeals punitive damages. 4. Appeal is denied and decision to award punitive damages up held. Issues (Holdings): 1. Did Ford exhibit â€Å"malice† which is necessary to establish in order to award punitive damages? (Yes) 2. The punitive damages awarded are too high for current Californian law, is this unlawful? (No) Reasoning: 1. Malice has been also interpreted to mean â€Å"a conscious disregard of the probability that the actors conduct will result injury to others.† 2. Although higher than monetary penalties under government regulations, the punitive damages are to prevent firms in the future from disregarding safety and possible negative consequences. Rule of Law: 1. The primary reason for having and awarding punitive damages is to â€Å"punish and deter the conduct by wrongdoers and others.† Your Response: I completely agree with the decision. Questions 1. Punitive damages were awarded due to the fact that Ford was found to have acted with malice in regards to their production of the Pinto. It has been also interpreted to mean a conscious disregard of the probability that the actors conduct will result injury to others.† And this is exactly what Ford did when they disregarded the fuel tank findings and refused to add the safety precautions to the fuel tank. Although higher than monetary penalties under government regulation, the punitive damages were high in order to set an example so that firms in the future would be deterred from disregarding safety and possible negative consequences when producing their products. 2. Although the cost is higher than the saving in the short run I believe it would be to Fords benefit to take on the cost of adding the additional safety measures due to the fact that in the long run with more and more deaths attributed to what could be called the greedy, callous nature of Ford, sales could decrease. By absorbing the $137.5 million and allowing the public to know of Fords action (due to our concern over their safety) could possibly generate a good amount of future sales. On the other hand should the public discover that deaths could have been prevented public trust in the company could decline causing Fords sales to suffer the same fate. 3. First the actual cause of Holmes accident should be verified, if it was indeed due to the tires, then yes he should be allowed to appeal for a trial. 4. First of all, even though they bare the heaviest blame (in my opinion) they werent the only ones responsible for the advancement of the Pintos design. Putting them in jail would just make way for Ford to replace them with others who could potentially make the same decision. It would also be sending the message to other firms officers to make sure that they arent the ones holding the bag at the end of the day. This only put a few in the industry on guard. Having the entire company pay punitive damages causes the entire industry to be on guard and makes all within the company liable. On the other hand, having to pay such exorbitant amounts could potentially cause a company to go out of business or cause them to downsize (fire employees to save money) effecting all that work there, whether or not they were involved in the design and decision making process. (I.e. they could fire janitors that work at their offices.)

The application of the principles of adult learning

The application of the principles of adult learning The only kind of learning which significantly influences behaviour is self-discovered or self-appropriated learning truth that has been assimilated in experience Carl Rogers. The aim of this essay is to explore three of the main principles of teaching adults and to apply them to a learning group, in this case, teaching general Art and Design to post compulsory education learners in a sixth form college. The following principles are discussed: 1. Learning should take account of individual differences in learners capacities and styles and be self paced 2. Precise learning goals and objectives should be specified in advance 3. The learner must practise what she/he has learned. 1. Learning should take account of individual differences in learners capacities and styles and be self paced In general, adult learners are self directed, experienced and have a desire to develop skills. All students are different though, and the teacher needs to take account of this by understanding their needs and working with them to achieve their own learning goals, rather than telling them what to learn and how to learn it. Lumby states that the desire to meet the full range of student needs means that the curriculum grows organically by responding to the community (Lumby, 2001 p115). In order to facilitate response, it is important that the teacher helps the students identify their own learning need. The teacher can begin by outlining what is required to achieve the desired outcomes but the learners must be given the experience of making their own choices. A teacher centred method could be followed where there is a preference for speed of learning rather than depth of learning, whereby students are passively lectured to, however, the learners may listen but in listening they may not learn what the teacher intends (Rogers, 2002 p222). A more suitable approach, particularly in regards to the subject of Art, is an interactive method where the learner is involved in the planning of his or her own learning. Whilst the teacher should provide clear instructions and guidance, the learner should also be encouraged to take ownership and be in control of the learning, participating, and making it an empowering experience. Art should be about experimenting and exploring. To begin with, the teacher should suggest fun, easy art projects where the learner will see results. This will help the adult to become less self conscious about their art and encourage them, in their own time, to try more complex techniques without fear of failure. Art should be taught as a gradual process, adapted to a students capabilities and confidence. The teacher should draw on the learners prior knowledge and experience and not just dictate the subject; Fairclough expresses that the subject being taught should never take priority over the learners (Fairclough 2008 p4). Teaching adults in less formal, relaxed ways and encouraging the class to talk and break the ice by using group work and discussion helps students to relax and enjoy themselves. This will provide an innovative approach, which will improve flexibility and make lessons more interesting and less rigid. Students can often learn just as much from each other as the teacher. This will help foster a feeling of inclusiveness within the group whereby students who are less confident can seek support from others that are more advanced. It is valuable for the teacher to learn about the students on the first day so that there is an understanding of their skills and interests in art, and what experience they have. These details will help to understand their learning strengths and weaknesses, enabling the teacher to adapt to their needs. Each learner will have different approaches to learning so it is important to understand the student and tailor ways of conducting individual feedback, which encourages learning and also enables the student to feel positive about their progress. 2. Precise learning goals and objectives should be specified in advance. It is of the imperative that goals and objectives are stated in advance as they ensure understanding of the learning process, offer motivation and provide a framework for evaluation by the teacher and learner; If goals are left vague, neither party is sure if they are achieving anything or not (Rogers, 2002 p146). All lessons must have aims and objectives and the teacher must explain them clearly in order to get a successful learning outcome. This is important in learning because it provides structure and enables both the teacher and student to plan and prepare in advance to ensure meaningful lessons. Aims describe the overall intention of the lesson, and provide a plan to illustrate direction. The aims should be brief and should be stated simply and concisely to summarise the proposed outcome. Objectives define the knowledge and skills that students should have developed by the end of the lesson. Objectives should consider performance, conditions and criteria. Objectives describe the learning that you wish to take place. They are more specific than aims and will explain, in more detail what the student will learn during the lesson. They will tell you whether the work will be done individually, in pairs, or in groups, over what time period and what resources will be used. Aims and objectives help both the learners and the teacher evaluate the work that has taken place during the lesson and whether the learning outcomes have been achieved. Art lessons should be fun. Most people think they have accomplished something when they learn a new skill. It is important that the student finishes the lesson knowing that they have learnt at least one thing. This could be anything such as sketching or basic colour theory. Aims and objectives can help to identify what areas may need more improvement. By evaluating the aims and objectives adult learners can work on the areas that need development. 3. The learner must practise what he/she has learned Art is a practical subject and some students will have greater capabilities than others, however, most will need to practise hard to improve their skills. In 1984 David Kolb explored the theory of the significance of experience in learning. He stressed that Learning is the process whereby knowledge is created through the transformation of experience (Light, G., Cox, R., Calkins, S. 2009 p55). The teaching environment involves more than just providing knowledge and skills. The student must want to learn, want to use their abilities and actually do so. They must want to develop as a person. To do this the learner must practise what they have learned and this need to practice applies to both the student and the teacher. At the beginning of each lesson it is valuable that the teacher recaps the learning outcomes from the last lesson. The student should be able to build on the previous weeks techniques and skills learnt. In the case of a complex or difficult task, the teacher might initially want to give specific warm up exercises to practise using the skills. During the lesson, it might be suitable for the teacher to continue practising their own skills and working on his or her own piece of artwork at the same time as the students. The more the student practises, the more developed the work will become. The teacher should give positive feedback and support during the lesson. Art shouldnt be a competitive subject and there is no right or wrong. Art is about the creative process and not the final product. The students should recognise that the more they practise their art, the more focused they will become. In time, with practice, their skills will develop and their confidence will improve. Art should be taught from different perspectives to help students relate to it better. The teacher should find out what learners are interested in and use that as a way to increase their interest in art. Some tasks require repetition and it is important that they approach to practise remains flexible to change the programme to keep students motivated and enthusiastic. Conclusion Adults need to know why they are learning, what the benefits of learning it are and what they risk by not learning it. Adults need to take control of their learning. Learning needs to draw upon the learners own experience. It needs to be timely and relevant and focus on what is useful in their situations. Adult learning is life centred and focuses on tasks and problems rather than on subjects. They must have motivation to learn. This may be extrinsic but is more likely to be intrinsic. Adult learning is emphasised through life and experience. An experience that results in changed behaviour. Ultimately, adults learn best by doing. Teachers must focus on assessing individual learning styles, motivation, past experiences and the students willingness to apply the learning. A joint effort between teacher and learner will achieve the most success and benefit everyone involved in the activity.

The Effects of the Internet on the Future Essay example -- Technology

The Effects of the Internet on the Future If every action has an opposite and equal reaction, then a huge branch-like system connecting information and people scattered into an abyss of nothing encompassed in a piece of desktop hardware and Glorified as "the Web", would actually be the opposite and equal reaction to the brain that sits and stares into it. Artificial Intelligence the demise of our own consumption, Why not? I definitely wouldn't call it a being of the lesser species either. Sure the Internet's soul purpose is to feed us but it feeds us whatever we want. Never again will we have to doubt our selves, instead of saying "I'll bet on it" you can say "hold on a sec." And pull out your pocket device to reference the Great Web. Freedom of information, or just the right amount to help control the masses, you decide. Dormant in the real time world, this artificial opposite yet equal being is very much alive within both the conscious and subconscious mind of the user. It changed the world and like all great tragedies a well delayed after shock has started taking place. October 30th 1938, Orsen Welles, who was 23 at the time, creates mass hysteria over the eastern coast during a radio broadcast on his Mercury Theater of the Air. Despite the disclaimer at the end of the broadcast over a million listeners panicked and fled into the streets. Some headlines include; -Many flee homes to escape gas raids from Mars. -Confusion caused by radio dramatization "War of the Worlds" was evidence radio needs "control by the Government". Senator Herring. The Senator then prepared a bill that would give the Federal Communications Commission permission to pass on every radi... ...er an entire generation of people living inside a world of electronic and neural connections. No more time wasted on the ever so slow method of physical interactions to achieve communications. A world where rumors are made in split second decisions. Like the Oklahoma City bombing being connected to the Waco tragedy and Ruby Ridge. Some of these conspiracy theories have even been acknowledged within the white house. This artificial life we've created might not be the robot many imagined back in the fifty's, but there is definitely signs of life within this infinite tree of brain matter and optical cables. Whether it be a nuclear attack or gas from Mars information will always cause a reaction to every action. I believe that the future has yet to take place and nothing is foretold, therefore anything is possible. The Effects of the Internet on the Future Essay example -- Technology The Effects of the Internet on the Future If every action has an opposite and equal reaction, then a huge branch-like system connecting information and people scattered into an abyss of nothing encompassed in a piece of desktop hardware and Glorified as "the Web", would actually be the opposite and equal reaction to the brain that sits and stares into it. Artificial Intelligence the demise of our own consumption, Why not? I definitely wouldn't call it a being of the lesser species either. Sure the Internet's soul purpose is to feed us but it feeds us whatever we want. Never again will we have to doubt our selves, instead of saying "I'll bet on it" you can say "hold on a sec." And pull out your pocket device to reference the Great Web. Freedom of information, or just the right amount to help control the masses, you decide. Dormant in the real time world, this artificial opposite yet equal being is very much alive within both the conscious and subconscious mind of the user. It changed the world and like all great tragedies a well delayed after shock has started taking place. October 30th 1938, Orsen Welles, who was 23 at the time, creates mass hysteria over the eastern coast during a radio broadcast on his Mercury Theater of the Air. Despite the disclaimer at the end of the broadcast over a million listeners panicked and fled into the streets. Some headlines include; -Many flee homes to escape gas raids from Mars. -Confusion caused by radio dramatization "War of the Worlds" was evidence radio needs "control by the Government". Senator Herring. The Senator then prepared a bill that would give the Federal Communications Commission permission to pass on every radi... ...er an entire generation of people living inside a world of electronic and neural connections. No more time wasted on the ever so slow method of physical interactions to achieve communications. A world where rumors are made in split second decisions. Like the Oklahoma City bombing being connected to the Waco tragedy and Ruby Ridge. Some of these conspiracy theories have even been acknowledged within the white house. This artificial life we've created might not be the robot many imagined back in the fifty's, but there is definitely signs of life within this infinite tree of brain matter and optical cables. Whether it be a nuclear attack or gas from Mars information will always cause a reaction to every action. I believe that the future has yet to take place and nothing is foretold, therefore anything is possible.

Biography of Wayne Shorter :: Musicians Music Jazz Saxophonists Essays

Biography of Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter was born on August 25th, 1933 in Newark, New Jersey. His musical introduction came through the clarinet at the age of 16. Shorter attended Arts High School and later graduated from New York University with a major in music education in 1956. It was while in New York that Shorter started to play the saxophone and gained exposure to some of Jazz’s most influential artists. After a two year interruption in the military, Shorter kickstarted his professional career in 1958 with a band led by pianist Horace Silver. The band showcased Shorter’s talents and led to his invitation to join the Maynard Ferguson band and later Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. After 4 years with Blakey, the Vee-Jay label endorsed Shorter as one of their lead artists and he released his first three solo albums (Second Genesis, Blues A La Carte, and Wayning Moments). In the 1960s, he continued to win attention from audiences and recorded another 9 albums with Blue Notes label (ch eck album information links). In 1964, Miles Davis invited Wayne to play with his quintet composed of Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. The band was successful in shaping the direction of jazz music during a difficult social time. In 1970, Shorter started his own band, the Weather Report with Joe Zawinul and Miroslav Vitous. This band helped innovate jazz by integrating a rock, classical and jazz forms into a hybrid that would later be called fusion. During the Weather Report years, Shorter won the first of three career grammies. Shorter’s influence has continued through the present day. Last year, at the age of 69, he toured the Wayne Shorter Quartet and showcased his first acoustic album, Footprints Live. Wayne Shorter’s contributions to the Jazz world have spanned his entire 45-year career.

The People of New England and the Chesapeake Colonies

Throughout history, many people from the same country have immigrated to different lands where their new lifestyles had very little in common. This was obvious in the settlement of the New England and Chesapeake colonies before 1700 which caused the development of dissimilar societies. The people of New England and the Chesapeake colonies formed different governments upon arrival to North America. They had different motives and incentives for immigrating to America. The composition of the colonists of New England and the Chesapeake area were nothing like one another during the settlement of the colonies.The people of the northern New England colonies and the southern Chesapeake colonies formed separate and different governments upon arrival in the New World. In New England, a town hall style of direct democracy was created. This created fair rule by the people, and property owning men could vote. Towns were set up for the common welfare of the people and for the glory of God not upon socio-economic standing. (Doc. D). People were not to be greedy but were allowed to make a living for their families. The people of New England set out to take care of one another and not to take advantage of their fellow man in pursuit of wealth (Doc.E). In the southern colonies of the Chesapeake, representative democracies were set up. The Virginia House of Burgesses was the first legislative body in the New World. The representative democracy was really more like an aristocracy in which the wealthy citizens controlled the government. Southern society was based upon economic status. There was a distinct upper and lower class (Doc. G). These aristocracies took money from the lower class and used it for the personal gains of the upper class which caused dissatisfaction in the lower class (Doc. H).These acts included the repossession of farms and other medial assets of the poor in the South. The dissatisfaction of the poor lead to Bacon’s Rebellion and many others that furthe r separated the socio-economic division so evident in the Chesapeake colonies. Because of the distinct differences in governing their colonies, the Chesapeake and New England colonies developed separate societies in the New World despite coming from the same mother England. The colonists of New England and the Chesapeake regions had different motives and incentives for settlement of the New World.New Englanders came to America in search of religious freedom. Their religious practices were a major aspect in colonization. The Puritans, who settled in present day Massachusetts, wanted to be an example to the rest of the world by governing their colony by their faith (Doc. A). The colonists of New England were prepared for a permanent settlement of their colony, so they brought with them the necessary provisions for the survival of their colony. Because the New Englanders had a plan for colonization, they prepared to survive the wilderness and freezing cold of the present day northeaste rn United States.The Chesapeake colonies were not so well prepared for life in the New World. The first Virginians were not intending on staying long. They had heard stories of gold in North America and were determined to get rich quick and return to England. The basis of the exploration of the Chesapeake Bay was a gold rush. Unfortunately, there was never much gold in the region. While the citizens of the colony were searching for gold, they did not worry about provisions. A harsh winter came upon the colony and brought Virginia into what historians call the Starving Time (Doc.F). Because the foundation of the Chesapeake colony was based on a search for wealth, necessary provisions were not thought of, so the southern colonies had a slow start on being a successful settlement. Because of differing interests and motives in colonization, the New Englanders had a head start in colonization and settlement on the Chesapeake colonists, thus developing a social divide in the colonists of the two regions. The demographical makeup and composition of the northern and southern colonists were different during the colonization of their settlements.The northern colonies were built to be permanent. They looked to the future, so the colonist brought their families over with them. This caused a healthy distribution of men and women as well as rich and poor (Doc. B). Socio-economic classes were not an issue as the people of New England were willing to work with one another for the good of the colony. Among these people were artisans and merchants that could contribute to society. These people became the base of their colony and helped their region to thrive for years to come.The southern colonies were composed of mostly treasure-seeking young men with no intrinsic value (Doc. C). They were not craftsmen or merchants; they were just young men in search of gold. Their lack of skills necessary for survival in the New World caused early southerners to depend on farming to survive. Only the rich could afford the land needed to become successful plantation owners in the South, but they relied on indentured servants and later slaves to maintain their lives in the colonies. This caused a natural divide between rich and poor in the South that became routine in southern life.The early set backs in colonization and lack of unity challenged the southerners for many generations to come. The supremacy of the northern colonies in economics and civilization in general caused the northerners to look down upon the southern colonies despite the fact that they too were Englishmen. Many people of the same nation have come to different lands and drifted apart in social divides. This was evident in the colonization of the northern and southern colonies before 1700, the cause of which was the development of separate societies.The people of the northern and southern colonies formed different governing bodies during the colonization of North America. These groups had different mo tives and incentives for coming to the New World. The demographical and social makeup of the colonists of New England and the Chesapeake area were different from one another during the colonization of the settlements. The Chesapeake and New England colonies became two separate societies despite the fact that both emigrated from England.

Learning Organizations Essay

1. 1 Executive summary/ L. O! In times of uncertainty and change, organizations need new and effective managerial tools in order to cope with the rising competitiveness of markets. In this context, the concept of organizational learning is receiving growing attention among both managerial and academic surroundings in the last two decades. Among many possible definitions of a Learning Organization, David A. Garvin, a leading scholar in this field, suggests the following: â€Å"an organization made up of employees skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge. These people could help their firms cultivate tolerance, foster open discussion, and think holistically and systemically. Such learning organizations would be able to adapt to the unpredictable more quickly than their competitors could. †. A learning organization is aimed at increasing the flexibility and effectiveness of a company, making it react faster to changes in a competitive environment. This is achieved in cultures who constantly foster knowledge inside their organizations. Although this general idea of organizational learning may appear rather simplistic at first glance, it’s practical integration into day-to-day operations proves to require a more refined, systematic approach: â€Å"Generative learning cannot be sustained in an organization where event thinking predominates. It requires a conceptual framework of â€Å"structural† or systematical thinking, the ability to discover structural causes of behaviorâ€Å". This paper provides a deeper insight into the implementation and performance assessment of learning organizations (L. O. ’s), mainly using the Three Building Blocks Model outlined by Garvin, Edmondson & Gino. To better understand this concept, the work will rely on Xerox as an example to highlight how L. O. ’s can provide competitive advantages to corporations. In the last section, the paper will also breakdown the effect that learning organizations have on major stakeholders (leaders, employees and organization itself). 1. 2. Introduction: Background to Xerox Xerox is a US-based multinational, founded in 1906, which produces and sales printers and photocopiers and provides related services. Throughout it’s history, Xerox has faced several crisis periods which ended up pushing the company to become a Learning Organization. Around 1980, the company was hit hard by the emergence of new japanese players on the market and lost its almost 100% market share. As a response Xerox introduced the â€Å"leadership through quality initiative† with the objective of training every employee in tools for generating ideas and collecting information, solving problems in a systematical way, reaching consensus etc. â€Å"Xerox became a case study — the first American group to win back market share from the Japanese†. More recently, in the year of 2000, with the announcement of Anne M. Mulcahy as CEO of the company, XEROX’s was able to overcome another serious crisis. Mulcahy’s leadership style, which mirrors many of the strategies suggested by the LO literature, managed to turn around this †sinking ship†, which had 19 billion in debt, a falling stock and double-digit negative growth. In 5 years time, Xerox would be profitable again. Ursula Burns has continued Mulcahy’s work, since becoming the new CEO in 2009, even acquiring new companies such as the 2010 $6. 4 bln. takeover of ACS. Xerox continues to stay on the list of companies frequently cited as learning organizations. The 3 Building Blocks of a Learning Organization The concept of the three building blocks of a learning organizations is introduced by David A. Garvin, Amy C. Edmondson, and Francesca Gino as an assessment tool to determine areas where organizations need to improve their learning methodologies. Below we provide a deeper explanation of each of the three building blocks and how Xerox fits each one of them. Building Block 1: XEROX, a supportive learning organization? There are four distinct characteristics of an organization that determine whether it is or not a Supportive Learning Organization. Firstly, how psychologically safe its employees feel. This is common in organizations where employees don’t feel pressured or marginalized when presenting their own ideas even if these go against what the majority of the organization thinks. Similarly, subordinates at this organization are encouraged to disagree with their coworkers and superiors and present new and bold opinions, meaning that this organization is opened to new ideas. In a supportive learning organization, employees also become aware of the different inputs and opinions each member of a team brings to the table and learns how to accommodate and value those differences. Lastly, a supportive learning organization needs to provide its employees with some time for reflexion, when they will to go over the company’s procedures and analyse past performances in order to assess what can be changed and/or improved. Tolerance and diversity at Xerox Xerox’s openness to new ideas can be partly linked to its high diversity of employee backgrounds, which ultimately reinforces the acceptance and inclusion of different solutions, making employees feel more comfortable in taking risks. This diversity has also enabled Ursula Burns, the current CEO, to climb up the ranks of Xerox and become the first female black CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Besides being â€Å"a proof† to other employees that effort at Xerox pays back, Burns herself stresses this idea of a supportive learning organization when she mentions that she â€Å"wants [XEROX’s] 130,000 employees to get over the past, take more initiative, become more fearless and be more frank and impatient with one another to ratchet up performance†. Burns refers to the all Xerox community as the â€Å"XEROX family†- â€Å"When we’re in the family, you don’t have to be as nice as when you’re outside of the family,(†¦ ) I want us to stay civil and kind, but we have to be frank — and the reason we can be frank is because we are all in the same family. † Building Block 2: Does Xerox implement concrete learning processes and practices? Because â€Å"a learning organization is not cultivated effortlessly†, organizational entities must put explicit processes in place to ensure that knowledge is constantly generated and collected inside the organization. The information must then be interpreted and infused into the organization to be always accessible in a way that will support problem-solving tasks and benefit its constant transformational processes. Moreover, this will also help to develop new products or services, as well as closely monitor competitors, clients and technological developments, using benchmarking techniques. Lastly, the company has to invest in training measures for its employees. MAIN Education and problem-solving at Xerox: The Six Sigma Method In the case of Xerox, measures to implement LO practices started as early as 1983 when executive management inaugurated Xerox’s â€Å" leadership through quality initiative†. The initiatives goal was â€Å"improving business processes to create higher levels of customer satisfaction, quality and productivity† by providing workshops to Xerox employees. These workshops were refined in the late 90’s, reorienting around the Six Sigma method, which had previously been successfully applied in other companies. Although these efforts proved successful in improving productivity, they were only limited to a local supply chain level and were not conducted regularly. In 2002 the management of Xerox then decided to implement the Six Sigma strategy across the whole organization, an effort which Xerox is continuing today. This is shown by the fact that the method has become part of the everyday communication process inside the company. The Six Sigma strategy is a tool, which empowers employees to become more efficient and proactive in daily problem-solving situations, for example by using the DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) approach. Six Sigma also requires the employees to closely monitor market trends and to apply benchmarking appropriately. Xerox particularly emphasizes the fact that they see the efforts to implement the Six Sigma method (see attachment 1) as a long-term project. This idea is aligned with the academic literature on LO’s stating that â€Å"becoming a LO is a long process and small setbacks should be expected†. This is because employees and the management have to â€Å"unlearn† old modes of thinking. Information distribution at Xerox Xerox provides employees with access to a large intranet consisting of e. g. reference knowledge, material on best practices, and answers to frequently asked questions. This helps the stakeholders inside the company to share information. It also supports the efforts to keep employees informed on what the priorities are for the overall company. Building Block 3: Are Xerox leaders reinforcing learning? Leaders in a L. O. promote constant learning by raising difficult questions and listening to the answers and concerns of their employees. While doing so, leaders also communicate openness to these new ideas and take them into consideration in their actions. Additionally, leaders have to encourage employees to invest their time in reflecting on both how to solve current problems and what can be learned from past performance. The ultimate goal is for leaders to motivate employees to question the underlying assumptions of current modes of thinking, and therefore initiate efficiency and innovation inside company processes. Promoting Initiative at Xerox For the past two decades, Xerox has engaged their employees to participate in the Earth Awards Program. The goal of this yearly event is to come up with solutions for saving company resources by increasing its efficiency, therefore making it a â€Å"greener† company. With this challenging program, Xerox motivates their employees to generate new ideas that, for instance, in 2010, resulted in company savings of $10. 2 Million. In that year, thirteen winners were announced, corporate wide and among different teams. This is an example of how leaders take their employees’ input seriously and how the generation of new initiatives at Xerox arises from both top and bottom levels of hierarchies. Encouraging employees to invest their time in reflecting by example Senior management at Xerox demonstrates the behaviors, which they in turn expect from employees. A clear example of this â€Å"policy† was when, in 1993, the executive management put together the Presidential Review process. The objective of this process was to review the overall progress of the company collectively through Presidential Review process in 1993. Interviews were organized with more than 30 senior managers answering questions like â€Å"What has changed? Where are the largest gaps between what was intended and what is currently true? If you were to outline barriers that need to be dealt with, what comes to mind? What would you have done differently? †. After the interviews, 45 seniors got together for one day meeting to identify trouble spots and develop recommendations. Action plan was the result . 3. The Effect on Leaders, â€Å"Followers† and Organizations Becoming a successful learning organization can provide a company with significant competitive advantages in the long-run, as it also can largely benefit its major stakeholders (employees and leaders). However, it also requires some behavioral changes from them. In order to achieve the goal of a L. O. (foster knowledge creation and sharing to gain competitive advantage), it is important that leaders infuse a common goal inside the organization. This implies, that leaders should have an effective communication in delivering the company ethos to their subordinates. Once employees identify with the company and its goal, people on all levels of the company would naturally start thinking and discussing promising new ways to achieve these goals. On the other hand, learning processes require time among other resources, and eventually leaders will have to find efficient ways to maximize the time of their employees. It is crucial to determine a balance between time spent going over problem-solvings tasks and past performance analysis (required for learning processes) with regular work. Additionally, leaders will have to define the line between â€Å"acceptable mistakes†- those that arrive from risk taking attitudes, and â€Å"unacceptable mistakes† – those originated by irresponsibility and lack of accountability. This is not always clear and, therefore, leaders might face some obstacles in implementing a learning culture as their workers’ â€Å"fear of punishment† can result in the limitation of creativity. Probably the most effective tool to boost innovation is to empower workers. But if the empowerment process provides employees the feeling that they are contributing and helping to define the company processes, then a new attitude is also required from them. Employees will have to remember that they are expected to show initiative, propose new ideas and act. And they should not always expect directions to do so. This can be particularly hard for workers who are risk-averse and who need clear instructions about their work role. Learning organizations can bring significant benefits to employees. Being part of the company processes transformation and being aligned with its goals are expected to make employees more motivated and dynamic. In this way, many of the aspects of the L. O. raise the levels of enjoying the work process. The job satisfaction in turn is expected to raise productivity levels. Also, because employees are more exposed to those in higher positions in the company, new career opportunities might arise together with monetary rewards. RISKS FOR COMPANY â€Å"No learning organization is built overnight. Success comes from carefully cultivated attitudes, commitments, and management processes that accrue slowly and steadily. The first step is to foster an environment conducive to learning. Analog Devices, Chaparral Steel, Xerox, GE, and other companies provide enlightened examples. † (http://w3. ualg. pt/~mzacaria/gic/HBR-Building-a-Leaning-Organization. pdf) 2. Organizations should be careful in applying new principles ensuring buy-in from most influential employees and checking progress not to fall into the trap of unfeasable change which could seriously hurt current business (see http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. edu/article. cfm? articleid=268) 4. Final considerations: As illustrated by the above analysis, as well by its overall economic performance in the last 11 years, it has become clear that XEROX has largely succeeded in becoming a LO. Arguably, Xerox has become so successful in it’s LO efforts that this has resulted in providing learning services to other companies through subsidiary spin offs, such as Xerox Learning Services. Concerning the evaluation of the theory proposed by Garvin, Gino and Edmondson, it has to be noted that the building blocks have to be seen as interdependent. Without effective leadership and learning environment, the learning process implementation will likely fail. Therefore, each of the above building blocks needs to be tackled by taylormade strategies, not least because companies do not perform consistently in each department. Similarly, organizations have to pay especial attention to comparing the extent of the learning process with other organizations, since only then you will have a solid benchmarking (in contrast to looking only at individual company performance over time). Attachment 1 ——————————————– [ 1 ]. O’Keeffe, T. 2002. Organizational Learning: a new perspective. Journal of European Industrial Training, 26 (2), pp. 130-141. [ 2 ]. Peter Senge (1990), â€Å"The Fifth Discipline† [ 3 ]. â€Å"Is yours a learning organization? † [ 4 ]. One good source on Xerox crisis times http://knowledge. wharton. upenn. edu/article. cfm? articleid=268 [ 5 ]. Building a L. O. [ 6 ]. http://www. economist. com/node/387740 [ 7 ]. http://www. economist. com/node/387740 [ 8 ]. http://mitleadership. mit. edu/r-mulcahy. php [ 9 ]. The following work will assume that the stance of the management towards encouraging the LO inside Xerox has remained constant. Since Mulcahy had been working with Burns for more than 9 years, Burns is expected to â€Å"put her own stamp on the company in a way that was deferential to the work of Ms. Mulcahy, who remains chairwoman. † See: http://www. nytimes. com/2010/02/21/business/21xerox. html? pagewanted=all&_r=1& [ 10 ]. http://www. freepatentsonline. com/article/SAM-Advanced-Management-Journal/20982068. html [ 11 ]. http://www. businesswire. com/news/home/20041027005036/en/Diversity-Practices-Organization-Recognizes-Xerox-Diversity-Leadership [ 12 ]. Farmer, Paula (August). â€Å"The First African American To Head A Fortune 500 Company, Franklin D. Raines Takes Over Fannie Mae†. The Black Collegian. Retrieved November 7, 2008. [ 13 ]. Bryant, A. (February 20, 2010) Xerox’s New Chief Tries to Redefine Its Culture, The New York Times [ 14 ]. Bryant, A. (February 20, 2010) Xerox’s New Chief Tries to Redefine Its Culture, The New York Times [ 15 ]. Garvin, Edmondson & Gino (2008), p. 4 [ 16 ]. Page 11: http://www. xerox. com/downloads/usa/en/n/nr_SixSigmaForumMag_2004_Aug. pdf It could be argued that these efforts were a spillover-effect from Xerox ground-breaking benchmarking efforts in its production process areas in billing, warehousing, and automated manufacturing. [ 17 ]. Page 13: http://www. xerox. com/downloads/usa/en/n/nr_SixSigmaForumMag_2004_Aug. pdf [ 18 ]. Slide 68:http://www. moyak. com/papers/learning-organization-presentation. pdf [ 19 ]. Easterby-Smith, M. , Crossan, M. , and Nicolini, D. 2000. Organizational learning: debates past, present and future. Journal of Management Studies. 37 (6) pp 783-796. See also Senge’s definition of â€Å"mental models†, which refer to how workers need to time to overcome old modes of thinking: Senge, P. M. 1990. The Fifth Discipline. London: Century Business. [ 20 ]. http://www. xerox. com/downloads/usa/en/n/nr_SixSigmaForumMag_2004_Aug. pdf [ 21 ]. Kaye, L. (November 15, 2010) Xerox’s Green Ideas Save Company $10. 2 Million, http://www. triplepundit. com/ [ 22 ]. Garvin, D. A. (2000), Learning in Action: a guide to putting the learning organization to work, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data – p. 105 [ 23 ]. Garvin, D. A. (2000), Learning in Action: a guide to putting the learning organization to work, Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data – p. 105 [ 24 ]. Emerald Group Publishing Limited. : ImageXerox lean six sigma framework. Figure 3Xerox lean six sigma framework. emeraldinsight. com http://www. emeraldinsight. com/journals. htm? articleid=1628232&show=html.

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