Barriers To Supply Chain Management

Becoming an integrated value partner requires tight integration between the supply chain and customer relationship activities. There are many visible and invisible barriers that check smooth supply chain management. To illustrate, a company that customizes its offerings to delight a customer with high potential lifetime value must also ensure that its supply chain management processes seamlessly feed into its CRM process for that customer.This forms the basis of an integrated demand and supply chain management system free from any kind of barriers.Research proves that companies that do integrate demand and supply chain management systems are more successful than their counterparts. Those that have successfully integrated their CRM and SCM activities tend to perform better than their competitors. Specifically, these companies gain a competitive advantage by (1) collaborating both internally and externally with supply chain partners, such as suppliers, distributors/retailers, and custo mers having no or less barriers, and (2) measuring and exceeding their goals for customer loyalty and retention for each customer and segment.They often are aided by new Internet technologies, which help them, improve supply chain collaboration and build relationships across a network of suppliers and customers. This, in turn, allows them to differentiate the way they create value for every customer and segment. With these emerging e-business technologies that can seamlessly link manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, and customers, companies, in theory, can swiftly orchestrate resources to respond to each customer's needs. But in reality, this is virtually impossible to do.Companies simply do not have the resources to simultaneously respond in real time, reduce manufacturing costs, keep zero inventories, and provide excellent service for each and every customer. So instead of trying to satisfy every customer perfectly, they need to learn how to dynamically balance customer value a nd supply chain costs to build the right customer relationships. Companies can achieve this balance by leveraging Internet technologies to create digitally integrated demand and supply systems in which there is no chance of any barrier.Such systems would provide real-time, differentiated responses to customers according to their loyalty, lifetime value, requirements, and servicing costs. By focusing on maximizing the entire value creation process, rather than on just specific CRM or SCM activities, companies will begin to reap the real benefits of the new digital economy. Heineken and Cisco Systems are examples of companies that are leveraging the Internet to enhance collaboration with customers, distributors, and suppliers and hence an effective tool to remove various barriers of supply chain management.Heineken has focused on CRM, while Cisco has emphasized SCM. Heineken has developed a Web-based system to share information with distributors on forecasts, marketing and promotions, and order fulfillment. The system has doubled Heineken's customer satisfaction ratings. Cisco, a leader in networking equipment for telecommunications and the Internet, has created electronic links with key suppliers across its entire product line to give it unprecedented supply chain flexibility. The links enable suppliers to ship more than 65 percent of Cisco's orders directly to the final customer without physical intervention from Cisco.The result is a significant reduction in the time it takes to ramp up production of new products. Although both of these companies are innovators, neither one has developed a truly integrated demand-supply chain that depends on simultaneous excellence in both SCM and CRM. Other leaders are leveraging the Web in different ways. Companies like Herman Miller and Dell Computer, for example, have discovered that excellence in products, service, and production alone is not enough to compete in the future.They recognize that they must become integrated value providers and they also leant that this is only possible by removing visible and invisible barriers from supply chain management. Herman Miller, a leading furniture manufacturer, is creating tailored Web pages that will not only streamline manufacturing, inventory, and order information flows to and from its 500-plus suppliers around the world but also sell to and service its most important customers. Leveraging the Internet in this way will help Herman Miller differentiate products, service, and delivery for customers according to the value they bring to the company.(Siems, 2005) Similarly, Dell continually resegments its customer base and measures the lifetime value of customers. The computer maker then manages its interaction with customers through tailored Web pages that offer each customer the most profitable customer service level. Dell also has an online supplier portal that handles 90 percent of purchases from the 33 most important suppliers. This feature helps Dell a nd its suppliers share key data and measurements on shipment accuracy, quality, and demand forecasts.As companies like Dell succeed in integrating customer and supply chain systems, they can further reduce inventories; improve customer responsiveness, decrease barriers and increase customer loyalty and shareholder value. Just by taking the early steps toward achieving excellence in CRM and SCM, companies can begin to boost their business performance while erecting formidable barriers to the competition. Competitors will find it increasingly difficult to mimic the value offered by these â€Å"integrated value providers.† (Shankar, 2004) Creating new value propositions is the second approach to integrating demand and supply. This entails modifying the demand-supply chain design to create a mutually beneficial supply chain system for both the company and the customer and it also helps in removing various barriers in the way of supply chain management. To do this, companies must change the point in the supply chain at which they allocate goods while simultaneously altering the point at which they fulfill demand.The idea that suppliers should work much more closely with customers to give them better value is not new as far as the removal of barriers is concerned. Yet close partnerships are still not common largely because, until recently, integrating the information systems of two or more companies was a lengthy, expensive, and technically difficult process. The recent widespread adoption of Web-based enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems and the rise of the Internet, however, have made it much easier and cheaper for customers and suppliers to integrate and exchange data.(Holmstrom, 2001) And yet, disconnects still occur. In reality, most of the changes that suppliers implement do not add much value from the customer's point of view and this also proves to be a barrier. A supplier, for example, might typically cut its inventory by reducing product varie ty–which is not very helpful for the customer or for the customer's customer. By tweaking the demand-supply chain, however, suppliers can design mutually beneficial supply chain systems for particular customers.These systems will offer customers completely new value propositions while improving the supplier's own operations. To affect a mutually beneficial supply chain design, companies must focus on the customer's demand chain, which transfers demand from the market to the supplier. A retailer's demand chain, for example, would consist of assortment planning, inventory management, and procurement. This demand chain joins with the supply chain to form the demand-supply chain. The chains link together in two places–the supply-fulfillment point (SFP) and the demand-offering point (DOP).Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) is an approach to avert barriers in supply chain management which originated in the US and gained support from major European retailers. It is a manageria l approach that starts with consumer demand and then gears the whole of the supply chain to responding to that demand. It is a customer-driven, demand-pull product management system: a seamless interface from consumer purchase to manufacturing schedules; it is different to a supply-push or buying-led approach, which is based on the principles of sales forecasting, with products supplied in preparation for estimated demand.References Holmstrom, J. , W. E. Hoover Jr. , P. Louhiluoto, and A. Vasara. â€Å"The Other End of the Supply Chain,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 2001, 1, 62-71. Shankar, V. â€Å"e-Marketplaces: Evolution and Future,† Working Paper, University of Maryland, 2004. Siems, Thomas F. 2005. â€Å"Supply Chain Management: The Science of Better, Faster, Cheaper. † Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. Southwest Economy. Issue 2, March/April, pp. 1, 7-12.

Berny Madoff’s Ponzi scheme

Globalization has necessitated the need to develop a code of ethics for different professions, due to the need to streamline operations across the globe. The accounting profession is one of these professions which is regulated by the code of ethics. The major purpose it serves in this profession is to prevent misconduct of accounting professionals, and develop a standard way of presenting accounting information. However, despite the presence of these regulations, serious scandals such as fraud still occur in many companies. There has been an increase in financial scandals in various US companies, and most of them can be traced to lack of controls and disregard for the code of ethics. The code of ethics has been ignored by many professionals, a fact which has led to the emergence of these scandals. The Berny Madoff ponzi scheme is one such scandal, which has caused huge losses to various banks and other institutions. The paper will discuss this scandal in relation to the accounting code of ethics, and their role in preventing such scandals. Berny Madoff ponzi scheme. Bernard Madoff masterminded what may be the largest stock fraud in history committed by an individual. He confessed to having masterminded a ponzi scheme, through his firm Madoff Securities, which led to losses amounting to over $50 billion (Zambito and Smith 2008). A ponzi scheme is a fraud which involves payment to investors, out of funds received from previous investors, rather than profits. Madoff used a strategy of investment called the split-strike strategy. It involved purchasing stocks, and simultaneously purchasing options, to guard against losses, and these were known as ‘puts'. In case the cost of the ‘puts' went down, Madoff would trade in ‘calls', which involved trading these stocks to buyers who aimed at profiting from small gains. This strategy ensured that he made small profits in cases where shares appreciated in value, after numerous trades. However, with time, some financial analysts began questioning the profits that Bernard made from these transactions. They were concerned that his methods of investment were incapable of earning the level of profits he enjoyed, and recommended an investigation on his activities (Henriques A1). In fact, Madoff Securities were investigated for over eight times by the regulatory bodies. The investigations did not find major problems, since they were not looking at the in-depth operations of the firm. Some analysts actually suspected that it was a ponzi scheme way before it became clear to investigators. They questioned the use of an audit firm with only one auditor and accountant. They also questioned the unusual strategy which involved avoiding disclosure of SEC holdings, through selling them for cash after each period. In the beginning of 2008, the market downturn revealed that Madoff Securities were in fact dealing in a ponzi scheme (Naidu 2008). This was as a result of several requests by investors to withdraw their money, which amounted to $7 billion, and Madoff could not honor their requests. He was forced to confess the truth to his sons, who reported him to the authorities. He was subsequently indicted in December last year. Role of strict standards in the accounting profession. The accounting profession requires ethical guidelines which are used by both the accounting professionals and their clients (Carey and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants 1-5). The strict standards are beneficial to all stakeholders in a business. We will analyze the role of these ethical standards according to various stakeholders. Accountants. In these modern times, globalization has transversed boundaries and connected the world. This has led to the emergence of multi-nationals, with branches in different countries. Since the parent company has to standardize its accounting reports across several branches, it is necessary to present a global standardized way of preparing and presenting accounting reports to stakeholders. Examples of accounting standards are the IFRS and GAAP accounting standards. This is one purpose that accounting ethics serve, and it enables companies to easily compare their performance with others. Accounting ethics also helps accountants to maintain integrity and professionalism in their profession so that it may remain respectable and profitable. Ethical standards such as professional competence, objectivity and confidentiality help the accountants to prepare accurate and complete financial reports. Flouting these standards leads to consequences such as de-registration from the professional body, suspension of the practicing license, criminal liability among other consequences. Madoff flouted these principles through committing fraud, a situation which led to criminal proceedings being preferred against him. He now faced the possibility of spending a long time in jail, as well as paying heavy fines. Investors. Investors require knowledge about market trends and stock movements before making investment decisions, in order to get favorable returns on their investment. After investing in a company, investors are very interested in knowing the performance of the company in order to make investment decisions. In order to facilitate this, it is important to prepare accurate financial statements which enable investors to make proper adjustments in investment. The accounting code of ethics helps in achieving this purpose through enabling accountants present the true state of affairs of a company. In the case of Madoff Securities, the disregard of the code of ethics has led to the apparent loss of over $40 billion by investors who include companies, banks and individuals. Some investors, such as Martin Roseman who lend Madoff $10 million, have sued him in order to get back money they are owed. Financiers. Before a company can receive a loan from a financier such as lending institutions, there are various aspects which are analyzed. One aspect is the financial performance of the company. If a firm performs financially well, then the financiers are confident that they will be paid back, with minimal risks. However, firms which perform poorly have higher chances of defaulting on payments and are less likely to receive loans from financial institutions. As a result of this, firms may be tempted to misrepresent their financial position in order to obtain financing. Madoff Securities can be said to be one firm which engaged in this practice, since the firm could not survive without additional funds from new investors, in line with operations of a ponzi scheme. The code of conduct comes in, in such a case, to discourage these practices. Accounting principles such as prudence requires that firms do not understate their expenses or overstate their assets, in contrast to operations of ponzi schemes. This is beneficial to financial institutions since it enables them to finance companies with minimal risk. Accounting principles responsible for Madoff Securities collapse. Several accounting principles which were broken, were responsible for the financial collapse of Madoff Securities. One principle, prudence, requires that accountants anticipate losses and make provisions for them early enough (Kwok 30-38). It also requires accountants not to overstate the value of their assets (Marriott et. al. 221-223). Madoff Securities did not provide for the losses attributable to fraud, and actually concealed them over several years, through the use of subsequent investor deposits. When they were finally revealed several stakeholders were affected, among them some charitable organizations which had to close down due to reliance on this firm (Storm 2008). According to Warren et. al. (34-35), another principle of accounting is the matching concept. This concept states that expenses which are incurred in the course of generating revenue should be recognized during this period. This is done to ensure that comparison between revenues and expenses of a similar accounting period can be achieved (Eskew and Jensen 40-42). This is very important in making business decisions. In the case of Madoff Securities, expenses which the company incurred were matched with future revenues in order to conceal the fraud. This means that the accountants did not follow the matching concept, which was responsible for the accrual of huge expenses over the years. Accounting standards require that the accountants present the true state of affairs of a company. Misrepresentation of the state of affairs is a violation of these standards. Madoff Securities misrepresented the financial position of the company, presenting it as a profitable firm, yet it had significant liabilities. This misrepresentation attracted new investors, which led to the company owing over $50 billion to investors at the time of collapse. Conclusion and recommendation. Bernard Madoff's ponzi scheme has been seen to have affected very many local and international investors. The ignorance of the code of ethics and accounting principles that have been discussed was a major factor which caused this scandal. The code of ethics in accounting helps to protect the interests of all stakeholders of a company. It also makes it easier for companies to compare performance, due to standardization of accounting report preparations and presentation. Madoff forgot one fact about ponzi schemes; they eventually collapse due to the inability to handle sudden withdrawals by investors. The economic meltdown played a role in exposing this scheme. It is important that the role of the market regulators with regards to the scheme be thoroughly investigated, since several warnings were given prior to detection of the scandal. If the authorities had acted sooner, the loss would have been lower than it currently is. The stock regulatory authorities need to establish measures that deter such practices. One of them would be to scrutinize transactions of companies with the aim of detecting irregular and unethical accounting practices. The next course of action would be to investigate the detected suspicious trends, even if the actions are not entirely illegal. This will minimize the risk of loss attributable to fraud, by investors in the stock market.

Effective Advertisement English Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Effective Advertisement English Paper - Essay Example However, not every good or service is able to reach its target audience and after all be sold out. Nowadays it is not enough just to get a right idea and implement it in production process. For making your plan work there has to be a promotion, main principles of which will manage to bring your product to customer’s awareness, position it on the market and stimulate sales. Only with a help of precisely elaborated market strategy new product is able to achieve its consumers. Carefully planned advertising campaign may ensure more than fifty percent of success. Otherwise, even a first-class product with high quality and low price can be left unnoticeable by customers. That is why today companies try to advertise their goods and services as frequently and intensively as possible, influencing people’s awareness and behavior. It is fair to mention that advertising has great power, because a lot of things depend on it. Sometimes it happens that according to bad ad, product may be left unaccepted by customers. That is why it is very essential to take into careful consideration every word of slogan, every possible image, color, font, sound or character during advertising campaign. As experience shows, not all advertisements are equally effective and successful. Sometimes producing and advertising the same goods, companies achieve different outcomes. This occurs because various companies choose various marketing strategies. Some of them manage to create the right ad, which is appropriate for customers and able to attract their attention, some do not. Creation of ads requires deep analysis of advertising product and its potential consumers. Sometimes the wrong color of written slogan may make ad unprintable and unattractive, pushing the whole idea to the failure. In this respect, it is urgent to take into account all details of ad’s design, implementing main principles of marketing. For having a clear presentation about different types of ads and also for understanding how exactly flaws of advertising can spoil attitude to the product, several ads of different companies have been chosen for further research. All companies are famous retailers of furniture. The potential audience is multi-faced, mostly family people and businessmen, who can be interested in the furniture for home and office. Advertising analysis Despite advertising’s positive return, many sociologists continue to criticize it, stating that advertisements compel consumers to buy products that they do not need. In the reality advertising is everywhere and it is quit hard to avoid it. We can see it in magazines, newspapers, brochures, booklets, billboards, placards, posters. It is broadcasted on different TV channels and radio waves. It is fair to admit that advertising is so popular due to its effectiveness. Belch stated that good ad requires serious elaboration due to significant financial losses, hence â€Å"the cost of producing a TV commercial can excee d $1 million† (237). Medium expenditure of USA for advertising in newspapers equals to 20 billions of dollars and in magazines 11.7 billions of dollars. That sources of advertising yield only broadcasting television, according to the research of Percy (87). There are several purposes of advertising. First of all, with its help companies make consumers be aware of the new products or possible novelties in design or functions of the

International criminal law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International criminal law - Essay Example urder or conspiracy to kill members of a particular group with the aim of eradicating that group in totality.1 For genocide to qualify as a crime it must have two elements namely; the physical element and the mental component. The physical component involves committing five acts that are stipulates in Article two of the Convention that include; forcibly transferring children of a particular group to another one, killing members of a certain group, imposing measures or rather sanctions that are of the intent of hindering births within a particular group and causing mental and bodily torture to members of a group. The mental element is primarily based on the intent to destroy partly or in whole a religious, national, ethnic or racial setting. 2 In order for a crime to be regarded as genocide, it has to satisfy the provision of the two elements to make the perpetrators culpable under the internal criminal law. Both factors are crucial in forming the premise of genocide as a crime since none of them is independent, and thus they have to be satisfied to substantiate the crime. 3 Article three of the Genocide Convention outlines five distinct acts that are punishable in the context of the crime of genocide. These acts are as follows; complicating in genocide, attempt to commit genocide, genocide, direct and public incitement to commit genocide. When the actions outlined in this article are combined with the actual acts described in Article two of the Convention the result is the crime of genocide. Under the Convention of Genocide, the law protects four particular groups whose execution should amount to genocide. A religious group involves one whose members share common religious practices and beliefs. An ethnic group is that whose members can be identified by a common language or any other cultural identities. A racial group is primarily people who can be defined by standard physical characteristics for instance; skin colour. A national group is composed of individuals

Global Warming - Is it the Biggest hoax we have ever faced Thesis

Global Warming - Is it the Biggest hoax we have ever faced - Thesis Example Yet, having bravely asserted their views, these dissenting voices have put an almost accepted fact into a much-heated debate: Is global warming real or a hoax? Unfortunately though, a debate over a scientific issue has become more political and economic rather than scientific. Science has been manipulated. Data are selectively included or excluded to make it appear that global warming is a real threatening problem, purposely, to justify preordained policy preferences. (Avery 1) Thus the questions of the day continue: Is global warming real that people and nations should prepare for doomsday? Is global warming man-made that humanity should pay for it by disusing fossil fuels or is it the biggest hoax humanity has ever faced? These are the interrelated questions which this research study would like to examine and shed light into by going through an intensive review of researches and studies done by authorities of the issue. This study is significant and relevant for the obvious reason that its impact to humanity is too great, as it is affecting almost all aspects of human lives. To start with, it would be necessary to define the issue and how it came to be. Global warming as implied by the term itself â€Å"is an increase in the average temperature of Earths surface† (Mastrandrea & Schneider, par. 1). The average temperature of the Earth is about 13oC or 56 oF (Sagan 1984) to 15 oC or 59 oF (Hart 2005) (qtd. in Tang, par. 2). How global warming has been discovered is a matter of history that has never been clear. Nevertheless, Weart accounts that it was only in 1896 that global warming was discovered by a forlorn Swedish scientist. However, it was regarded only as a mere concept that is fantastic and impossible. Then in 1950, global warming was taken seriously by few scientists in California appraising it as a possibility – a risk that could occur in distant future. This distant future finally

Service Marketing and Product Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Service Marketing and Product Marketing - Essay Example Example, if a car manufacturer sells extended warranty services against a car model the marketing aspects of such services are related with the performance of the product in the market segment and hence if the product is already selling successfully, the associated service packages can be sold without many problems. However, if services are sold independent of products then their marketing strategies need to be different. Coviello and Brodie et al. (2002. pp42) presented an empirical generalization that the companies selling products engage with their customers in more transactional manner whereas the companies selling services engage with their customers in more relational manner. In fact if the work done by these researchers is analyzed closely, it reveals that the fundamental difference lies in the way the methodology of marketing is chosen - whether for products or for services. The researchers presented four methodologies of marketing - Transaction Marketing, Database Marketing, Interaction Marketing and Network Marketing. The choice of markets depends upon the way cash flow is expected from the consumers to the firm - one time or recurring. Any marketing strategy targeting regular cash flow from consumers will prefer relationship marketing. Some marketing strategists prefer to adopt pluralistic approach of accompanying both relationship & transactional marketing depending upon the demands of the market segments. Example, low cost products & services may be promoted more through transactional marketing while premium products & services may be promoted more through relationship marketing. Database & network marketing are relatively complex and hence are of lesser preference among marketing professionals. Is Product or Services marketing fundamentally related Coviello and Brodie et al. (2002. pp42) argued that empirically the services & product marketing areas have been treated differently. The engagement channels are more in services marketing than products marketing. Moreover, usage of IT enabled tools result in more impact on customers in the services marketing than product marketing. This is because the expectations of customers from services are more complex than from products. Krishnan and Ramaswamy et al. (1999. pp 1197-1200) presented a detailed research on customer satisfaction in banking & financial services industry. They presented that unlike manufacturing industries that produce fully tangible products, the financial services industry offers productized services that are delivered through multiple channels to the customers and hence the span of customer expectations widens given that their frequency of interactions with the companies are much more. In case of products, a consumer may call the service lines only if a fault or defect is detected or else some usability features are not clear. These transactions are one time in nature that may occur few times in a year. However, in services industries the customers interact with the companies too often whereby their experience in every interaction counts in building the perceptions. Hence, in case of service

Which architect or what building Inspired you to study architecture Research Paper

Which architect or what building Inspired you to study architecture and want to become a professional Architect - Research Paper Example The famous buildings in the world like the former world trade centre, white house, and other buildings in the world are constructed under architectural world. In the contraction of these buildings, creating thinking and manipulation in required. Material, light technology, and shadow have to be coordinated in order to give the house its expected design, and physical look. I was specifically inspired with the manner in which the former world trade centre was contracted which made me aspire to become and architecture. This paper will explore extensive reasons why I want to become a professional architect. It will also look at the work of my inspirational architect Minoru Yakmasaki in constructing the famous world Trade Centre and Pruit-Igoe. Inspirational Architect / Designer Minoru Yakmasaki My inspirational is Minoru Yakmasaki a Japanese-American architect. He is famous for his design of the twin towers of the World Trade Centre. Minoru Yakmasaki was born in December 1912 but later p assed on in February 1986. He is considered one of the most famous architects of the 20th century. He grew up mainly in Washington DC where he joined his high school. Minoru Yakmasaki later proceeded to University of Washington where he pursued a program in architecture in 1929 and graduated five years later with a Bachelor of Architecture. He tirelessly worked and later joined a master’s program at New York University. He is credited with many architectural designs as an employee of various companies (Killen 2007 p.212). Minoru Yakmasaki’s Architectural works Pruitt–Igoe Pruit-Igoe was an urban housing project built in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States in 1954 with the design done by Minoru Yakmasaki (Killen 2007 p.212). It is notably one of Minoru Yakmasaki’s first major assignments as architecture. The project as proposal by Yakmasaki was to include a mix of high-rise, mid-rise, and walk-up parts as noted by Trancik (1986). However, there were c ounter proposals to have the building built uniformly. Several architects, however, later jointly considered that Minoru Yakmasaki’s proposal was the best for the project and was therefore worth being adopted. The building was put up on a slum, which required the ground level to be raised in order to save on ground flow space for the sake of daily social activities. The building stood on about 57 acres of land within the slum. The building had about 2,870 apartments, their kitchens being relatively. Since the building was a storied building, it had elevators but the elevators could only serve certain floors. This meant that occupants of the floors not having elevators had to use stairs to climb. The floors were generally equipped with large communal corridors, garbage sites, laundries and the living rooms. The houses had poor ventilation, and dark corridors (Trancik 1986). All this were attributed to poor planning, and the fact that the materials used were of poor quality. Th e World Trade Centre The famous World Trade centre is another building designed by Minoru Yakmasaki. It was composed of a complex seven buildings with landmark twin towers in New York, United States. The construction of the building was designed in 1960s but was officially opened in 1973. The building was however brought down by terrorist attacks in September 11, 2001. The building had 110 story towers, which was designed using a tube frame structure. The building had to be fitted with elevators to allow ease of movement, as the building was too tall to use stairs. However, Minoru Yakmasaki did not find fixing the elevators easy, which he considered as one the

Question answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Question answer - Essay Example Notably, finance minister of State X was present at the signing of the agreement between the two parties and after signing the document, the finance minister added the words â€Å"approved and ratified† and the minister also placed his own signature. Later on, a dispute aroused where OIC initiated a settlement proceeding in accordance with the procedures set out in the joint venture contract specifying both IPF and State X. However, State X argued that settlement tribunal has no jurisdiction over it. The major case issue is that whether State X can be excused from participating in the suit or not. With regard to the case, it can be stated that State X cannot be excused from participating in the suit. As the common law of contract in Australia affirms that any third party benefitting from the contractual agreement is liable to sue the other major party under the contractual agreement and vice versa. Nonetheless, privity of contract states that only the major parties entering in to the contractual agreement has the right to sue each other if any dispute arises. Simultaneously, the doctrine of privity of contract denies any obligations or liabilities to third party1. However, the doctrine of privity states that the major party has the right to sue the third party benefiting from the contract. ... over the performance of IPF, it cannot be denied that any action performed by IPC is governed by and taken with the active participation of State X2. Thus, the action of IPC cannot be distinguished from State X. In addition, State X also affirmed the contract by providing its approval and rectification as well as the finance minister of State X placed his signature to the contractual agreement which provided an evidence of State X’s involvement to the contractual agreement entered between OIC and IPF. At the same time, it can be argued that finance minister of State X was endorsing the contract but he was not making government as a party to the contract entered. Despite this aspect, it can be stated that State X should not be excused from participating in the suit. Additionally, the arbitration tribunal has sole power to involve State X in the suit. QUESTION 2: Considering the case of the Republic of Argentina et al v. Weltover Inc. et al., The United States used the Foreign S overeign Immunities Act of 1996 to bring suit against Argentina for a default on bond repayment. According to Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act 1996, statutory method can be ascertained from the United States courts to acquire jurisdiction over non-US sovereign. It offers that any person in the United States can seek for jurisdiction for disputes resulting from business transactions to non-US sovereign. It immunises non-U.S. states from jurisdiction of US court unless any exceptional scenario applies. Accordingly, Supreme Court of the USA has characterised â€Å"commercial activity† as the most important exception. This exception provides the verdict regarding which party can apply for lawsuit against the non-US sovereign in the US court. As part of a plan to stabilise petitioner, the Republic of

Managing Diversity in the work place Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Managing Diversity in the work place - Article Example there are no observable issues relating to diversity owing to the harsh disciplinary actions taken against any employee who discriminates or harasses a colleague on the basis of their diversity. Conversely, my organization instills a culture of acceptance and positivity through creation of teams exemplified by involvement of both older and younger generations in order to introduce a diversity of expertise (Wesotzkey, 2011). For instance, the younger generation is considered more computer savvy while the older generation is cited by Collins-McNeil, Sharpe and Benbow (2012) as having a wealth of experience that can benefit a team. Harton et al (2012) notes that a culture of fairness and impartiality in scheduling individual duties is imperative in managing a diverse workforce. In my organization, individual employees are given the autonomy to make their own schedules aligned to their needs. In terms of commonalities, all employees in my organization have a common vision. Our core vision is to become a leader in healthcare delivery through a patient-centered approach to care. In this regard, each employee regardless of gender, race, religion, experience, morals and principles bring their divergent opinions towards the achievement of this common vision. The second commonality in my organization relates to partnership. All employees comprehend the fact that delivery of quality and safe health care is highly dependent on collaboration. An interdisciplinary collaboration approach to care delivery evident in my organization is proof that working in partnership with other disciplines is a collective agenda. To increase appreciation of both differences and similarities, I would introduce weekly or monthly meetings whereby all employees discuss their beliefs, traditions, principles and moral standings. In doing so, employees would understand how their colleagues view specific issues or subject matters and consequently understand how to approach or handle them in an effort

Changes of several household chemicals Essay Example for Free

Changes of several household chemicals Essay REACTIONS OF SUCROSE WITH WATER AND HEAT Mixture/Solution Process Observations Sand, salt and water none -salt dissolves in water -some san   particles settle at bottom, others float in suspension -mixture is murky Sand, salt and water filtration -residue is sand -filtrate is salt water Salt water evaporation -solute is salt -solvent is water -water evaporates -salt is left in dish -salt is white forming a layer or crust. OBSERVATIONS OF THE MIXTURE AND SEPARATION OF SALT, SAND AND WATER Residue/Solute Observations Sand (residue) -brown color -large and small particle sizes moist -grain-like composition Salt (solute) -white color -tiny particle sizes -particles sticked together to form crust -dry -crystal-like composition COMPARISON OF SALT SOLUTE AND SAND RESIDUE Compound Condition Change Silver Nitrate Dark (locker) None Silver Nitrate. Exposed to light -turned copper brown color -black edges around brown -paper was dry REACTIONS OF SILVER NITRATE IN LIGHT AND DARK CONDITIONS Compounds Change after grinding Change with magnet Iron filings and Sulphur powder poweders mix together turns olive green color iron filings attract to magnet sulphur poweder remains unchanged OBSERVATIONS OF IRON FILINGS AND SULPHUR POWDER AFTER GRINDING AND MAGNET ATTRACTION DISCUSSION: In this lab the physical and chemical properties of given substances were investigated along with the determination of chemical/physical changes observed in certain mixtures. Separating methods were also used to separate certain mixtures. As a result, these three objectives were completed successfully. In the first experiment, a 2cm magnesium ribbon was added to 4ml 3M of hydrochloric acid. The resulting reaction caused the mixture to fizz and dissolved the magnesium strip. This was found to be a chemical change due tot eh fact that an acid (HCl) reacted with a metal (Mg). From the reaction the magnesium dissolved due to the production of hydrogen (white gas visible) in the test tube; moreover, the magnesium was converted into aqueous magnesium chloride and thus no solid was visible after the reaction. The second experiment, in which 2 test tubes were filled with sucrose, one also with water and the other heated, showed two distinct characteristics of table sugar. When water and the sucrose were stirred it was observed that the sucrose molecules dissolved into the water. This physical change occurred due tot eh fact that the sugar, acting as a solute, dissolved into the solvent, water, in turn forming a homogenous mixture that was uniform throughout. Also, the fact that no chemical means is needed to separate such a solution proves that it was a physical change occurring. Secondly, when the sucrose was heated it was observed that after a certain amount of time, the sucrose melted and turned color. This was due tot eh fact that sucrose has a low melting point and it reached this point in the experiment thus causing it to change state. This was seen as a physical change as well due to the fact that the identity of sucrose was not changed chemically, only its state. As the third experiment was conducted, a mixture of sand, salt and water was combined and separated to observe any sort of change. When the three substances were combined it was found that the salt dissolved in the water while the sand remained the same. The salt again, acted as a solute and the water as a solvent thus producing a homogenous solution and a physical change in the salt; however, because the sand did not dissolve into the water, it was concluded that the sand particles floating in the water formed a suspension (mixture in which each substance keeps its own identity and characteristics). When filtration was performed the sand was left on the filter paper a residue while the filtrate of salt water was found in the beaker. The sand particles were too large to fit in the spaces of the filter paper and thus could not pass into the beaker, but the filtrate of salt and water, because it was a liquid solution, it passed with ease. After evaporation was complete, the solvent was evaporated and only the salt was left in the dish. This was so because the water had a lower boiling point that salt and thus evaporated into the atmosphere and left the salt to collect in the dish. This was found to be another physical change due tot eh fact that salt was returned to its original state. The next experiment involved the reaction of silver nitrate with both light and dark conditions. The silver nitrate in the dark did not show any change at all, but the one exposed to sunlight showed significant chemical change. The fact that it turned copper brown and black edges proved that silver nitrate is very sensitive to light. Because the light hit the silver nitrate it reacted with positive silver ions reducing them to silver metal. This caused the darkened areas on the paper that were observed. Lastly, when iron filings and sulphur powder were mixed it produced an olive green powder. This physical change occurred due to the fact that there was no reaction between sulphur and iron filings thus both remained unchanged but mixed. When the magnet was passed over the powder all iron filings, due to their metallic attraction to magnetic fields, all iron filings attached themselves to the magnet leaving only sulphur powder again. Sources of error may have included the fact that the wafting of certain substances for odors were faulty in the view that the scent was so mild it could not be detected easily with olfactory senses; moreover the actual process or reaction of silver nitrate with light was not observed in step by step detail resulting in some uncertainty or poor clarity in results. Nevertheless, the conclusions were reliable due to the fact that each experiment was carried out in a systematic and precise way. Also, the fact that all results matched theoretic values and prior knowledge of the reactions occurring proved their acceptability in the lab. CONCLUSION: All objectives were achieved successfully as several experiments were conducted to prove their reactions and changes. The first reaction with baking soda and vinegar was a chemical change due to the fact that the solution fizzed forming a new one and gas evolved thus outing the splint. The second reaction of HCl and Mg was chemical as well because magnesium dissolved and hydrogen gas evolved (both results of a chemical reaction between magnesium and HCl). The third conclusion drawn was the fact that sucrose mixed with water was a physical change. This was so because even though the sucrose dissolved it did not change chemically and could have been separated from the water back to its original form; moreover, when sucrose was heated it was another physical change as it changed state but remained the same compound, sucrose. Physical changes were also observed in the sand, salt and water mixture. The salt was ultimately extracted from the water through evaporation proving it was a physical change. After this, when the silver nitrate was placed in the sunlight a chemical change occurred as light reacted with silver ions thus changing the color of silver nitrate. Lastly, a final physical change was observed in the grinding of iron filings and sulphur powder because when the magnet attracted iron filings it showed that the iron did not change its identity but only mixed in with the sulphur powder. Anuar Flores CHE 124-1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Patterns of Behaviour section.

Human Resource Management in Pakistan

Human Resource Management in Pakistan Pakistan is categorized in the list of developing countries. Many multinationals organizations are operational in Pakistan and along with these multinational organizations many large and small businesses are also operating in Pakistan. Now a day there is a trend of doing business thats why both experienced and well educated entrepreneurs are staring their businesses and this will a positive sign in the success of Pakistan. In Pakistan, most of the organizations dont have a proper human resource department to perform all the related activities of human resource department. Organizations dont give importance to the human resource department and do not realize the effectiveness of human resource department. They think that hiring a person is the only responsibility of human resource department in any organization and it can be done by any other person of the organization. But on the other hand, many multinational and national organizations realize the importance of human resource department and they have a proper human resource department in their organization and they are achieving the results positively. Organizations are now thinking and many organizations start building a proper human resource department so that they meet the challenges of the market. So in near future, we will see that almost every organization must have a proper human resource department and human resource managers are performing th eir duties effectively. PEST Analysis A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro-environment that affects all firms. P.E.S.T. is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors of the external macro-environment [1]. Political, economic, social and technological forces form the human resource management policies and activities. Local economy in terms of output and demand of labor is affected by the global economy influences. Political Factor: Political factor is more complex in our scenario because Pakistan is facing political instability and its relation to the other factors which are related to the human resource management. As Pakistan is in the category of developing countries and political environment is constantly changing, mainly in the area of regulatory requirements. Employment legislation, human rights, pay equity, occupational health and safety, industrial relations legislation and pension all impose on most human resource management activities, including selection, training and rewards. Also, government can get involved in the economy to influence economic activity and thus change labor market trends. In the meanwhile, government can influence on the work week and mandatory employee benefits which is directly related to the human resource management [2]. Economical Factor: A human resource management practices are strongly influenced by the current economic climate of the country. Skill level of workforce and labor cost are main factors of human resource management which are affected by the economical factor of a country. As Pakistan is a developing country and dont have a strong economic conditions which also impact on the organizations and they also dont have very much resources and on the other side those organizations who have resources only invest a certain level of amount which the organizations think they get back with profit. Due to weak economic conditions, organizations lack in competent human resource because people dont have much resources to get high profile employees. Due to economic condition, small businesses do not build a proper human resource department. They think that this will be wastage of money but do not give importance to it. Social Factor: Social factor also affect the human resource management practices of any country. Demographics, class structure, education, culture and entrepreneurial spirit are some of the parts of social factor which directly affect the human resource management of any country. In Pakistan, this factor plays a very important role but unfortunately plays a negative role to some extent. Some parts of this factor also play a positive role like education and entrepreneurial spirit are the most important ones. On the other hand, some organizations and government sector organizations are ruled by the class structure and demographics politics. Technological Factor: Technological factor plays a very important and also positive role in the human resource management. Those organizations that have a proper human resource department are now using latest technology and due to this employees confidence is built on the organization and they work more effectively because they know they get what they deliver. Most of the human resource departments are using customized softwares because of which their efficiency and effectiveness increased and they are delivering their best to the organization. These softwares help the human resource department in the time of recruitment and performance appraisals etc. Areas of Human Resource Management There are different areas of human resource management and here I select two areas of human resource management which I think are the most important areas of human resource management. The selected areas of human resource management are recruitment and selection. These both are the important areas of human resource management because if you dont select a right candidate for right position than you do not get the required results from that candidate. I will further high light the importance of these two areas by using an example of a company. The company which I select for this evaluation is wi-tribe Pakistan limited. I will discuss how the internal and external factors of wi-tribe affect the recruitment and selection process. Recruitment and Selection: Recruitment  refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a  job [3].  Different organizations outsource some of the recruitment process but there are organizations which perform the recruitment process itself. wi-tribe has its own full-fledged human resource management department which performs the activities related to human resource department. But there are few activities which wi-tribe outsource to different consulting organizations. wi-tribe outsource these activities to HRS global. Internal and External Factors The external factors [4] of an organization include; Economic forces Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces Political, legal and governmental forces Technological forces The internal factors of an organization include; Employees Suppliers Distributors Economic Forces: If the economic conditions of wi-tribe is not so good than they have to think about the cost incurred while conducting the recruitment and selection process. So because of this the organization tries that source of recruitment which will bear a lower cost of recruitment for each candidate and this will affect the selection of the candidate and there are chances that the wi-tribe will not select the right candidate and this will affect its operations and performance. Social, Cultural, demographic and Environmental Forces: These forces also have a strong effect on recruitment and selection process. If wi-tribe has a recruitment and selection process which is opposite to the social and cultural trends than this will also affect the recruitment and selection of the right candidate. Social, cultural, demographics and environmental forces affect the organization and it is the responsibility of the management to set the policies of the organization in a way that they are not affected by these factors. Management has to handle these forces otherwise they are hurdles in the way of recruiting and selecting the right candidate for the right position. Political, Legal and Governmental Forces: A number of government regulations have direct impact on recruitment and selection process. Trade unions also play a vital role in recruitment and selection. But these unions and regulations sometimes badly affect the organization and play a negative role. In wi-tribe there are no unions but they are affected by the regulations imposed by the government and also the Pakistan telecom authority. Political pressure is also used for any post which also affects the image of the organization among its employees and outsiders even the employee has the capabilities for a certain post. Technological Forces: Technology is also a factor which effects on the organization but in the case of wi-tibe it has more important role because wi-tribe is working in internet providing industry and providing wireless internet connections to its customers. wi-tribe has to stay up to date in his technology so that he can compete his competitors in technology. The more the latest technology the wi-tribe uses the more the positive impact effects on its customers wi-tribe impose. Now a days wi-tribe is using the latest technology available and importing that technology from china. For the handling of that technology wi-tribe recruits and selects the most capable candidates so that they handle that technology with care and customers get the best services. Employees: Employees are the back bone of any organization. Those organizations that are successful in the market are only because of their competitive employees. wi-tribe also have competitive employees which are capable of achieving their goals and because of these employees wi-tribe become the number 1 internet providing company in Pakistan within few years. This shows how effective the human resource department wi-tribe have because these employees are selected by the human resource department. Suppliers: Suppliers are also the important factor which affect the organization and play important role in the success of the organization. Those organizations who have effective and best suppliers are leaders in the markets and leading the market because the facility which you are offering to the market is a quality product or not based on your suppliers because if your supplier supply you the best quality products than you can deliver the best product. With garbage event his top leaders cannot produce the master piece. Distributors: Distributors are also the important factor and they are your front line army men. If you produce the best quality product and because of your distributors negligence your product will be infected than you are unable to lead the market and get required result. Some products are sensitive and need some extra care. Recommendations Every organization is looking for perfection in his every department. Here are some recommendations related to human resource management department of wi-tribe so that they can achieve their targets easily. They give full rights to their human resource department and also gave them the freedom of recruiting and selecting the employee which they think is the most suitable for the given position. Human resource department also include at least a single person from every department during the recruitment process of that department so that they can select the right candidate.

Cyberculture and the Future of Print :: Technology Email Computers Papers

I can remember, as a child, looking forward to the mail being delivered. The eagerness I felt as I waited for my mother to sift through it and the joy I felt when, on those rare occasions, I received a letter. It was not the actual words on the page that held the true excitement but rather I was important enough to receive that page of words that came wrapped in an envelope with my name on it! Now, many years later, I watch my ten-year-old daughter eagerly check her e-mail with the same enthusiasm, to see if she has received a special â€Å"letter.† The ordinary mail holds no excitement for her any longer, unless of course it is birthday mail, and writing a letter has lost its flare as well. Instead of asking me to buy her pretty stationery to write upon she insists I teach her how to change the text and background colors for her e-mails. And instead of exchanging home addresses at summer camp she comes home with lists of e-mail addresses. Sven Birkerts informs us, in his essay entitled â€Å"Into the Electronic Millennium,† that a â€Å"shift is happening throughout our culture, away from the patterns and habits of the printed page and toward a new world distinguished by its reliance on electronic communication† (63). Although this technology is relatively new, it has already changed the way we think about writing and has enhanced our communication abilities. Electronic mail, known simply as e-mail, was started in its earliest form around the 1960’s. It was not until the early 1990’s however, that companies such as America Online and Delphi connected their systems to the Internet, which began the large-scale adoption of e-mail as a global standard (Crocker). According to Dave Crocker, an Internet researcher, â€Å"Email is the most widely used Internet application [and] for some people, it is their most frequent form of communication† (Crocker). In our society today it is almost expected that people are connected to the Internet and use e-mail on a regular basis and in fact is often a requirement in many areas of our lives. For myself, as a college student, this is not only a requirement for my English class but is also how many of my professors contact me with pertinent information.

The Power of the Photograph :: Personal Narrative

The Power of the Photograph On the wall of my dorm room hangs a photograph that was taken at my paternal grandmother’s house. I’m on Grandma’s lap, and my sister is on the floor. I appear to be about two or three years old. It is after supper, and Grandma is reading to me.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This photograph is interesting to me because it reflects two points that Michelle Citron makes in her book, Home Movies. First, the person taking the picture is asserting control over the interpretation of the memory. Second, there are clues within the frame that signify what has actually been left out of the frame. The item missing from this picture is my mother.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   My father took the picture in order to show me wearing the moccasins my maternal grandfather had just bought for me when we visited him. My mother had remained there, while we went on to visit grandmother. She rarely came with us to visit Grandma because they did not get along. Like her own mother, my mother could be moody, distant, and bad-tempered. Grandma, on the other hand, was somewhat meddlesome, but affectionate, and over-indulgent with us kids. Consequently, they argued over how we should be treated.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grandma is pointing to the moccasins, which signify my mother’s absence. In some ways, the photo is a conciliatory gesture; my father is acknowledging his in-laws’ contribution to my happiness and well being. In another, less obvious way, it is an act of spite. Since my mother refused to be there, my father replaced her with his own mother in this happy family scene he has created.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Her absence is also highlighted by the presence of my sister, Rhonda, who was about nine or ten. When I was a baby, Rhonda and I were always in pictures together. Usually she’s playing â€Å"mommy† and holding me on her lap. She was very protective of me and would not let me out of her sight. Taking the role of my guardian often got her in trouble, especially when my mother’s temper flared. Here, she looks silly and relaxed, more childlike than she does in other family pictures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Citron argues that since they are selective and often taken by men, home movies and family photographs assert a balance of power within the family and strive to promote the â€Å"good† memory of family: â€Å"parents in control, men in charge, families together† (15).

Frankenstein Today :: essays research papers fc

Is the Technology of Today Ready to Create Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein†? When the novel â€Å"Frankenstein†, by Mary Shelley came out in 1831 the general public was introduced to the idea of man creating another man, scientifically without the use of reproduction. The disasters that followed, in the novel, demonstrated the horrid fact that creating humans was not natural. That was in 1831, when the knowledge of science had not yet evolved enough to act on such an idea. Now as the start of a new millenium approaches, having the capability to scientifically produce one human who is genetically identical to another, or cloning a human, has a lot of people questioning weather or not it is our moral right to do such a thing. It is a classic debate between principles of science and principles of religion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The more we know about genetics and the building blocks of life the closer we get to being capable of cloning a human. The study of chromosomes and DNA strains has been going on for years. In 1990, the Unites States Government founded the Human Genome Project (HGP). This program was to research and study the estimated 80,000 human genes and determine the sequences of 3 billion DNA molecules. Knowing and being able to examine each sequence could change how humans respond to diseases, viruses, and toxins common to everyday life. With the technology of today the HGP expects to have a blueprint of all human DNA sequences by the spring of 2000. This accomplishment, even though not cloning, presents other new issues for individuals and society. For this reason the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) was brought in to identify and address these issues. They operate to secure the individuals rights to those who contribute DNA samples for studies. The ELSI, bein g the biggest bioethics program, has to decide on important factors when an individual’s personal DNA is calculated. Such factors would include; who would have access to the information, who controls and protects the information and when to use it? Along with these concerns, the ESLI tries to prepare for the estimated impacts that genetic advances could be responsible for in the near future. The availability of such information is becoming to broad and one needs to be concerned where society is going with it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The next step after scientists have identified and studied adult DNA would be to copy it.

Year-Round Schooling

Year-round school presents a very controversial issue that school districts struggle with every year. The same arguments, facts, and statistics are presented annually, and somehow a conclusion is never reached. Many people believe that year-round school would be a step in the right direction. Although there are many positive innovations to year-round school, the advantages do not outweigh the disadvantages of cost, breaks, vacations, employment, and scheduling. The traditional school calendar as been the same since the 1800s. This calendar is the traditional 180-day system with a two month break for summer. It was not operated on the year-round system way back when because farmers needed their children in the summertime to help tend the farms. Many people believe that this traditional style should change because it is outdated, but why should we change the schedule that our ancestors made if it still works without any flaws? Year-round school operates on a 180-day system, the same as the traditional calendar. The main difference between the two systems is the amount of time on break. There are many forms of the year-round calendar, as each individual school district may choose whichever plan they believe will fit their schools the best. The most popular examples of these schedules include: 45-15, 60-20, and 90-30 (Kelly). These represent the number of days attending school to the number of days off. These schedules would repeat over and over year-round, so the students would only get small breaks periodically throughout the year. Although these periodic breaks would add up to the same amount of days students would get off during a summer break, research says it would not help the academic achievement of the students. In other words, it is not how long the kids are in the classroom, it is how engaged in learning they are while there are there (Morin). Another example of why year-round schooling would not be a good idea is because it would separate American families that are used to traditional summer vacations. Families have always been accustomed to planning summer activities like vacations, reunions, and summer camps. If students were in school for the greater part of the summer, it would make it very difficult for families to plan these activities and typical childhood memories would get lost in the shuffle of year-round school. It is very important for children's development to spend quality time with family and friends and with year-round schooling, this simply would not happen. Not only would it make hurt your average family during the summer, it would also hurt the school's employees. Year-round school would put more demand on school staff such as cafeteria, custodial and maintenance services because they would have to make special accommodations for events such as graduation and dances. Also, teachers who would usually continue their own educational careers during the summertime would have to find alternate forms of education due to their now unusable schedule (Vandewater). Along with significant disadvantages, there are also distinct advantages associated with year-round schooling. Some year-round school advocates suggest that a shift in the time designated for teaching and learning will help students achieve more by minimalizing summer learning loss, allowing for innovation and implementation of creative programs, and by providing the time needed to assist children who need extra help (Lynch). By having breaks that are more consistent, some say that shorter vacations might also help students retain information they would've forgot over a two-month break. Basically, shortening breaks will improve student achievement. Another pro would be how year-round schooling could replace summer school, which many districts have cancelled due to budget cuts. For students that traditionally attend summer school because they need remediation, year-round school allows remediation to be addressed throughout the year. In conclusion, schools shouldn't convert to year-round schooling because it wouldn't help any with learning loss over summer break, it would separate families by discontinuing the traditional childhood summer, and it would hurt the schools' employees. Although year-round schooling sounds as if it might have some potential, there are too many flaws involved with it right now to confirm that it would making schooling better.

Meaning of life Human Essay

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of life. Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of 60 more than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust. Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being’s heart the lure of wonders, the unfailing appetite for what’s next and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the infinite, so long as you are young. When your aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you’ve grown old, even at 20; but as long as your aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there’s hope you may die young at 80.  · : Three Days to See(Excerpts) ( ) Three Days to See All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of free men who have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets? Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course, who would adopt the Epicurean motto of â€Å"Eat, drink, and be merry†. But most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death. In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do. Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we must die, but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily, without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of health until we are ill. I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the joys of sound.  · :Companionship of Books ( ) Companionship of Books A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men. A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today that it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in age. Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they have for a book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, ‘Love me, love my dog. † But there is more wisdom in this:† Love me, love my book. † The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each other through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in them. A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that life could think out; for the world of a man’s life is, for the most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters. Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when they first passed through their author’s minds, ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only effect of time have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive e but what is really good. Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did; we see the as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with them, grieve with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe. The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books, their spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to which on still listens.  · :If I Rest,I Rust , If I Rest, I Rust The significant inscription found on an old key—â€Å"If I rest, I rust†Ã¢â‚¬â€would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness. Even the most industrious person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, ultimately, cannot do the work required of them. Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must keep their faculties polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the doors of knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor. Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement. If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist. The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness, had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer. Labor vanquishes all—not inconstant, spasmodic, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, unremitting, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose. Just as truly as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so is eternal industry the price of noble and enduring success.  · :Ambition Ambition It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would probably be a kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without disappointments. People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not be for themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in. conflict would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of creation would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely celebratory in its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would die of heart attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be extinct. Time would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human heart. Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be! There is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity. We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.  · :What I have Lived for What I Have Lived For Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair. I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy—ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of my life for a few hours for this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness—that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heaven that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what—at last—I have found. With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but not much, I have achieved. Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always it brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of pain reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer. This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.  · :When Love Beckons You When Love Beckons You When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him, though his voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden. For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to our roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth. But if, in your fear, you would seek only love’s peace and love’s pleasure, then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love’s threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught but it self and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love. Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and must have desires, let these be your desires: To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night. To know the pain of too much tenderness. To be wounded by your own understanding of love; And to bleed willingly and joyfully. To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; To rest at the noon hour and meditate love’s ecstasy; To return home at eventide with gratitude; And then to sleep with a payer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.  · :The Road to Success The Road to Success It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the most subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh had a serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their career. They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their business lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and janitresses now in offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of business education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any morning, the boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate to try his hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the office if necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself. Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started, my advice to you is â€Å"aim high†. I would not give a fig for the young man who does not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm. Do not rest content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or general manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, â€Å"My place is at the top. † Be king in your dreams. And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret: concentrate your energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which you are engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that line, to lead in it, adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most about it. The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital, which means that they have scattered their brains also. They have investments in this, or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. â€Å"Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. † is all wrong. I tell you to â€Å"put all your eggs in one basket, and then watch that basket. † Look round you and take notice, men who do that not often fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to carry too many baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three baskets must put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault of the American businessman is lack of concentration. To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar room; do not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never indorse beyond your surplus cash fund; make the firm’s interest yours; break orders always to save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch that basket; expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as Emerson says, â€Å"no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves. †  · :On Meeting the Celebrated On Meeting the Celebrated I have always wondered at the passion many people have to meet the celebrated. The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you know famous men proves only that you are yourself of small account. The celebrated develop a technique to deal with the persons they come across. They show the world a mask, often an impressive on, but take care to conceal their real selves. They play the part that is expected from them, and with practice learn to play it very well, but you are stupid if you think that this public performance of theirs corresponds with the man within. I have been attached, deeply attached, to a few people; but I have been interested in men in general not for their own sakes, but for the sake of my work. I have not, as Kant enjoined, regarded each man as an end in himself, but as material that might be useful to me as a writer. I have been more concerned with the obscure than with the famous. They are more often themselves. They have had no need to create a figure to protect themselves from the world or to impress it. Their idiosyncrasies have had more chance to develop in the limited circle of their activity, and since they have never been in the public eye it has never occurred to them that they have anything to conceal. They display their oddities because it has never struck them that they are odd. And after all it is with the common run of men that we writers have to deal; kings, dictators, commercial magnates are from our point of view very unsatisfactory. To write about them is a venture that has often tempted writers, but the failure that has attended their efforts shows that such beings are too exceptional to form a proper ground for a work of art. They cannot be made real. The ordinary is the writer’s richer field. Its unexpectedness, its singularity, its infinite variety afford unending material. The great man is too often all of a piece; it is the little man that is a bundle of contradictory elements. He is inexhaustible. You never come to the end of the surprises he has in store for you. For my part I would much sooner spend a month on a desert island with a veterinary surgeon than with a prime minister.  · :The 50-Percent Theory of Life The 50-Percent Theory of Life I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they re worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future. Let’s benchmark the parameters: yes, I will die. I’ve dealt with the deaths of both parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale. Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son’s baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he’s swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos. But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory. One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone that neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer turned brutal—the worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-conditioned died; the well went dry; the marriage ended; the job lost; the money gone. I was living lyrics from a country tune—music I loathed. Only a surging Kansas City Royals team buoyed my spirits. Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all succeeding good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn’t last long. I am owed and savor the halcyon times. The reinvigorate me for the next nasty surprise and offer assurance that can thrive. The 50-percent theory even helps me see hope beyond my Royals’ recent slump, a field of struggling rookies sown so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest. For that on blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right, planting early allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of rain spared the standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with corn—fat, healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tip—while my neighbors’ fields yielded only brown, empty husks. Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.  · :What is Your Recovery Rate? What is Your Recovery Rate? What is your recovery rate? How long does it take you to recover from actions and behaviors that upset you? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? The longer it takes you to recover, the more influence that incident has on your actions, and the less able you are to perform to your personal best. In a nutshell, the longer it takes you to recover, the weaker you are and the poorer your performance. You are well aware that you need to exercise to keep the body fit and, no doubt, accept that a reasonable measure of health is the speed in which your heart and respiratory system recovers after exercise. Likewise the faster you let go of an issue that upsets you, the faster you return to an equilibrium, the healthier you will be. The best example of this behavior is found with professional sportspeople. They know that the faster they can forget an incident or missd opportunity and get on with the game, the better their performance. In fact, most measure the time it takes them to overcome and forget an incident in a game and most reckon a recovery rate of 30 seconds is too long! Imagine yourself to be an actor in a play on the stage. Your aim is to play your part to the best of your ability. You have been given a script and at the end of each sentence is a ful stop. Each time you get to the end of the sentence you start a new one and although the next sentence is related to the last it is not affected by it. Your job is to deliver each sentence to the best of your ability. Don’t live your life in the past! Learn to live in the present, to overcome the past. Stop the past from influencing your daily life. Don’t allow thoughts of the past to reduce your personal best. Stop the past from interfering with your life. Learn to recover quickly. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day. Reflect on your recovery rate each day. Every day before you go to bed, look at your progress. Don’t lie in bed saying to you, â€Å"I did that wrong. † â€Å"I should have done better there. † No. look at your day and note when you made an effort to place a full stop after an incident. This is a success. You are taking control of your life. Remember this is a step by step process. This is not a make-over. You are undertaking real change here. Your aim: reduce the time spent in recovery. The way forward? Live in the present. Not in the precedent.  · :Clear Your Mental Space Clear Your Mental Space Think about the last time you felt a negative emotion—like stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think? The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion. Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minute—but only one minute—to do nothing else but feel that emotion. When the minute is over, ask yourself, â€Å"Am I wiling to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day? † Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really fell it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly. If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is OK. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion. When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath. This exercise seems simple—almost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task. Try it. Next time you’re in the middle of a negative emotion, give yourself the space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of paper with you that says the following: Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity? Breath deep, exhale, release. Move on! This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember; take the time you need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel you’ve felt it enough, release it—really let go of it. You will be surprised at how quickly you can move on from a negative situation and get to what you really want to do!  · :Be Happy Be Happy! â€Å"The days that make us happy make us wise. †Ã¢â‚¬â€-John Masefield when I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it. Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear. Active happiness—not mere satisfaction or contentment —often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision. Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles. The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you—-people, thoughts, emotions, pressures—are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.  · :The Goodness of life The Goodness of Life Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for which to be thankful. Though life’s goodness can at times be overshadowed, it is never outweighed. For every single act that is senselessly destructive, there are thousands more small, quiet acts of love, kindness and compassion. For every person who seeks to hurt, there are many, many more who devote their lives to helping and to healing. There is goodness to life that cannot be denied. In the most magnificent vistas and in the smallest details, look closely, for that goodness always comes shining through. There si no limit to the goodness of life. It grows more abundant with each new encounter. The more you experience and appreciate the goodness of life, the more there is to be lived. Even when the cold winds blow and the world seems to be cov ered in foggy shadows, the goodness of life lives on. Open your eyes, open your heart, and you will see that goodness is everywhere. Though the goodness of life seems at times to suffer setbacks, it always endures. For in the darkest moment it becomes vividly clear that life is a priceless treasure. And so the goodness of life is made even stronger by the very things that would oppose it. Time and time again when you feared it was gone forever you found that the goodness of life was really only a moment away. Around the next corner, inside every moment, the goodness of life is there to surprise and delight you. Take a moment to let the goodness of life touch your spirit and calm your thoughts. Then, share your good fortune with another. For the goodness of life grows more and more magnificent each time it is given away. Though the problems constantly scream for attention and the conflicts appear to rage ever stronger, the goodness of life grows stronger still, quietly, peacefully, with more purpose and meaning than ever before.  · :Facing the Enemies Within Facing the Enemies Within We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you’ve read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o’clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won’t need to live in fear of it. Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us. Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is! â€Å"Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along. † Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the to of the mountain. The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy. The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities nad doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it. The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve.