Antonio López de Santa Anna, 11-Time Mexican President

Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna, 11-Time Mexican President Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna (February 21, 1794–June 21, 1876) was a Mexican politician and military leader who was President of Mexico 11 times from 1833 to 1855. He was a disastrous president for Mexico, losing first Texas and then much of the current American West to the United States. Still, he was a charismatic leader, and, in general, the people of Mexico supported him, begging him to return to power time and again. He was by far the most important figure of his generation in Mexican history. Fast Facts: Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna Known For: President of Mexico 11 times, defeated U.S. troops at the Alamo, lost much Mexican territory to the U.S.Also Known As:  Antonio de Padua Marà ­a Severino Là ³pez de Santa Anna y Pà ©rez de Lebrà ³n, Santa Anna, The man who was Mexico, Napoleon of the WestBorn:  February 21, 1794 in Xalapa,  Veracruz  Parents: Antonio Lafey de Santa Anna and Manuela Perez de LabronDied:  June 21, 1876 in Mexico City, MexicoPublished Works:  The Eagle: The Autobiography of Santa AnnaAwards and Honors:  Order of Charles III,  Ã‚  Order of GuadalupeSpouse(s): Marà ­a Inà ©s de la Paz Garcà ­a, Marà ­a de los Dolores de TostaChildren: Marà ­a de Guadalupe, Marà ­a del Carmen, Manuel, and Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna y Garcà ­a. Recognized illegitimate children: Paula, Marà ­a de la Merced, Petra, and Josà © Là ³pez de Santa AnnaNotable Quote: As general-in-chief I fulfilled my duty by issuing the necessary orders for the vigilance of our camp, as a man I succumbe d to an imperious necessity of nature for which I do not believe that a charge can be justly brought against any general, much less if such a rest is taken at the middle of the day, under a tree, and in the very camp itself. Early Life Santa Anna was born in Xalapa on February 21, 1794. His parents were Antonio Lafey de Santa Anna and Manuela Perez de Labron and he had a comfortable middle-class childhood. After some limited formal education, he worked for a short time as a merchant. He longed for a military career and his father procured an appointment for him at an early age in the Army of New Spain. Early Military Career Santa Anna quickly rose through the ranks, making colonel by the age of 26. He fought on the Spanish side in the Mexican War of Independence. When he recognized that it was a lost cause, he switched sides in 1821 with Agustà ­n de Iturbide, who rewarded him with a promotion to general. During the turbulent 1820s, Santa Anna supported and then turned on a succession of presidents, including Iturbide and Vicente Guerrero. He gained a reputation as a valuable if treacherous ally. First Presidency In 1829, Spain invaded, attempting to retake Mexico. Santa Anna played a key role in defeating them- his greatest (and perhaps only) military victory. Santa Anna first rose to the presidency in the 1833 election. Ever the astute politician, he immediately turned over power to Vice President Valentà ­n Gà ³mez Farà ­as and allowed him to make some reforms, including many aimed at the Catholic Church and the army. Santa Anna was waiting to see if the people would accept these reforms. When they did not, he stepped in and removed Gà ³mez Farà ­as from power. Texas Independence Texas, using the chaos in Mexico as a pretext, declared independence in 1836. Santa Anna himself marched on the rebellious state with a massive army, but the invasion was conducted poorly. Santa Anna ordered crops burned, prisoners shot, and livestock killed, alienating many Texans who might have supported him. After he defeated the rebels at the Battle of the Alamo, Santa Anna unwisely divided his forces, allowing Sam Houston to surprise him at the Battle of San Jacinto. Santa Anna was captured and forced to negotiate with the Mexican government for recognition of Texas independence and to sign papers saying he recognized the Republic of Texas. The Pastry War and Return to Power Santa Anna returned to Mexico in disgrace and retired to his hacienda. Soon there came another opportunity to seize the stage. In 1838, France invaded Mexico in order to make them pay some outstanding debts. This conflict is known as the Pastry War.  Santa Anna rounded up some men and rushed to battle. Although he and his men were soundly defeated and he lost one of his legs in the fighting, Santa Anna was seen as a hero by the Mexican people. He would later order his leg buried with full military honors. The French took the port of Veracruz and negotiated a settlement with the Mexican government. War With the United States In the early 1840s, Santa Anna was in and out of power frequently. He was inept enough to be regularly driven out of power but charming enough to always find his way back in. In 1846, war broke out between Mexico and the United States. Santa Anna, in exile at the time, persuaded the Americans to allow him back into Mexico to negotiate a peace. Once there, he assumed command of the Mexican army and fought the invaders. American military strength (and Santa Annas tactical incompetence) carried the day and Mexico was defeated. Mexico lost much of the American West in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war. Final Presidency Santa Anna went into exile again  but was invited back by conservatives in 1853, so he served as president for two more years. He sold some lands along the border to the United States (known as the Gadsden Purchase) in 1854 to help pay some debts. This infuriated many Mexicans, who turned on him once again. Santa Anna was driven from power for good in 1855 and went once again into exile. He was tried for treason in absentia, and all of his estates and wealth were confiscated. Schemes and Plots For the next decade or so, Santa Anna schemed at getting back into power. He attempted to hatch an invasion with mercenaries. He negotiated with the French and Emperor Maximilian in a bid to come back and join Maximilians court  but was arrested and sent back into exile. During this time he lived in different countries, including the United States, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Bahamas. Death Santa Anna finally was given an amnesty in 1874 and returned to Mexico. He was then about 80 years old and had given up any hope of returning to power. He died on June 21, 1876, in Mexico City. Legacy Santa Anna was a larger-than-life character and inept dictator. He was officially president six times, and unofficially five more. His personal charisma was astounding, on a par with other Latin American leaders such as Fidel Castro or Juan Domingo Perà ³n. The people of Mexico supported him multiple times, but he kept letting them down, losing wars and lining his own pockets with public funds time and again. Like all people, Santa Anna had his strengths and weaknesses. He was an able military leader in some respects. He could very quickly raise an army and have it marching, and his men seemed to never give up on him. He was a strong leader who always came when his country asked him to (and sometimes when they didnt ask him to). He was decisive and had some crafty political skills, often playing liberals and conservatives off against one another to build a compromise. But Santa Annas weaknesses tended to overwhelm his strengths. His legendary treacheries kept him always on the winning side  but caused people to mistrust him. Although he could always raise an army quickly, he was a disastrous leader in battles, winning only against a Spanish force at Tampico that was ravaged by yellow fever and later at the famous Battle of the Alamo, where his casualties were three times higher than those of the outnumbered Texans. His ineptitude was a factor in the loss of vast tracts of land to the United States and many Mexicans never forgave him for it. He had serious personal defects, including a gambling problem and a legendary ego. During his final presidency, he named himself dictator for life and made people refer to him as most serene highness. He defended his status as a despotic dictator. A hundred years to come my people will not be fit for liberty, he famously said. To Santa Anna, Mexicos unwashed masses could not handle self-government and needed a firm hand in control- preferably his. Santa Anna left a mixed legacy to Mexico. He provided a certain degree of stability during a chaotic time and despite his legendary corruption and incompetence, his dedication to Mexico (especially in his later years) is rarely questioned. Still, many modern Mexicans revile him for the loss of so much territory to the United States. Sources Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. Anchor Books, 2004.Eisenhower, John S.D.  So Far from God: The U.S. War with Mexico, 1846-1848. University of Oklahoma Press, 1989.Henderson, Timothy J. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and its War with the United States. Hill and Wang, 2007.Herring, Hubert. A History of Latin America From the Beginnings to the Present. Alfred A. Knopf, 1962Wheelan, Joseph. Invading Mexico: Americas Continental Dream and the Mexican War, 1846-1848. Carroll and Graf, 2007.

Genyornis - Facts and Figures

Genyornis - Facts and Figures Name: Genyornis (Greek for jaw bird); pronounced JEN-ee-OR-niss Habitat: Plains of Australia Historical Epoch: Pleistocene (2 million-50,000 years ago) Size and Weight: About seven feet tall and 500 pounds Diet: Probably omnivorous Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; hooved, three-toed feet About Genyornis From Genyornis Australian provenance, you might think it was closely related to modern ostriches, but the fact is that this giant prehistoric bird had more in common with ducks. For one thing, Genyornis was much more solidly built than an ostrich, packing about 500 pounds into its seven-foot-tall frame, and for another, its three-toed feet were hooved rather than clawed. The truly mysterious thing about this bird is its diet: its jaws seem to have been well-adapted to cracking nuts, but theres evidence that occasional servings of meat may have been on its lunch menu as well. Since Genyornis is represented by numerous fossil remainsboth of various individuals and of eggspaleontologists have been able to pinpoint with relative accuracy when, and how fast, this bird went extinct. The speed of its demise about 50,000 years ago, toward the end of the Pleistocene epoch, points to relentless hunting and egg-raiding by early human settlers, who reached the Australian continent around this time from elsewhere in the Pacific. (By the way, Genyornis was a close relative of another Australian mega-bird, Bullockornis, better known as the Demon Duck of Doom.)

B2B and Reseller Markets Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

B2B and Reseller Markets - Coursework Example Thus, the report provides a view about which business relationship the organisation should develop by taking into concern the theories of business relationship and b2b marketing. Every successful business is established on the basis of solid and progressive relationship with the customers. The origin of business relationship has been traced back to the 19th century and since then the idea of business relationship has changed considerably. Traditionally, b2b market is dependent on encompassing the predominant view of consumer marketing. It was fairly unsophisticated approach, which was subjected towards manipulation of certain marketing variables such as products, price and promotion among others for raising desired rate of returns. The viewpoint of customer relationship was overwhelmingly adversarial and short-term in nature. However, after 1990s, it was appreciated that such aspect does not satisfactorily reflect the intricacies of how b2b market perform. Rather, it was argued that b2b marketing is long-run in nature and involve proper relationship between buyers and sellers to reap mutual advantages (Buttle, 1996). Unlike b2c model, customers in b2b model are basically organisations or companies, which signify that there are few customers for Airslash to serve in its respective market. However, it is worth mentioning that although there are small number of customers, they make large amount of purchases and the purchasing procedure is quite complex in nature. Besides, in comparison with business to consumer (b2c) customers, relationship in b2b customers are quite close in nature. In general, Airslash can develop two types of relationship with its customers namely transactional or cooperative. In this similar context, transactional relationship comprises timely interchange of basic services for extremely competitive prices and cooperative relationship constitutes strong ties established over times with the aim of accomplishing shared

The current state of HRM In Saudi Arabia.The impacts of motivation on Research Proposal

The current state of HRM In Saudi Arabia.The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work In Saudi private sector - Research Proposal Example The current state of HRM in Saudi Arabia is characterized by a number of features. HRM covers all organizational levels and functions, and has already become a definitive ingredient of the process of management within organizations (Randhawa 2009). HRM is inherently people-oriented, which means that human resource managers are concerned with employees as members of a separate organizational group and as individuals (Randhawa 2009). Finally, HRM is equally pervasive, challenging, and essential for the future of organizations (Randhawa 2009). The complexity of HRM issues is difficult to underestimate, and the current research holds a promise to clarify these issues and support the development of efficient HRM strategies and solutions. The current research into HRM is associated with numerous limitations. More often than not, scholarly research defines HRM too narrowly, leaving numerous issues beyond the boundaries of learning (Lewin, Mitchell & Sherer 2008). This is one of the reasons why the given study will explore â€Å"The impacts of motivation on workers and staff, which encourage employees to work in Saudi private sector†. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The proposed research will aim at clarifying the factors that motivate workers in Saudi Arabia to work in the private sector. The researcher expects that the proposed study will help private sector enterprises in Saudi Arabia to develop effective HR strategies and attract prospective workforce, which will help organizations to improve their performance and strengthen their competitive position. 2.2. Will your research be industry-based? - Industry-based approach: the proposed research will utilize the benefits of industry-based approach. The petrochemical industry in Saudi Arabia will serve the principal object of analysis. The choice of the petrochemical industry is proved by the fact that (1) it is one of the most important industrial sectors in Saudi Arabia and (2) it combines the features of public and private ownership. For example, 70% of SABIC is being currently owned by the government, with the remaining 30% distributed among private owners (SABIC 2011). As a result, the petrochemical industry exemplifies one of the most attractive objects of organizational analysis in the context of motivation and its implications for the Saudi workforce. - The organization to consider: SABIC will serve the central object of the analysis for the proposed research. The choice of SABIC is not accidental. First, SABIC is the largest non-oil company in the Middle Eastern region and is included in the list of the top five manufacturers of petrochemical products in the world (SABIC, 2011). The size of the company and its profitability provide a wealth of opportunities for researching its workforce and motivation issues in the workplace. Second, SABIC considers itself as a company, which invests heav ily in the development of sophisticated training and development strategies for its employees. According to SABIC (2011), the company is dedicated to its people, enjoys detecting and developing talents, whereas its HR department has recently undergone a serious change. Thus, the company seems to possess vast training and development potential. Ultimately, little is known of what attracts individuals in Saudi Arabia to work in private sector companies. Moreover, the body of research concerning motivation in Saudi companies and private sector organizations is increasingly scarce (Al-Eisa, Furayyan, & Alhmeoud 2009). The researcher expects that the proposed study will add to the existing

Human Resources Management In Small and Medium Enterprises Essay Example for Free

Human Resources Management In Small and Medium Enterprises Essay Introduction Competitive advantage to a firm accrues from the judicious employment of three basic types of resources, namely Physical Capital Resources, such as Finances, Plant and Equipment Organizational Capital Resources – Structure and systems in the organization Human Capital Resources, which include the skills, competencies, experience and intelligence of employees.[1] Human resources are among the most important resources that an organisation utilises and hence its importance to any organisation can be easily understood. Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are no exception to this rule, although this aspect is frequently lost sight of. This paper examines the role and importance of Human Resources in SMEs, and compares SMEs from two different cultural backgrounds – Taiwan and the UK. Role of Human Resources in SMEs The study of human resources management in SMEs needs to be strongly encouraged. CEO/founders in SMEs view human resource management decisions as very important to the growth of their enterprises[2]   A study into the perception of important HR issues in small organizations showed that top six issues were wage rates, availability of quality workers, government regulation, training, benefits, and job security[3] The role of Human Resources in SMEs is to contribute meaningfully to organisational objectives in a flexible and demanding environment. Lack of strategic employee management is widely accepted as characteristic of small enterprises. Decision-making has been perceived to be of relatively short-term nature compared to larger organisations, making small enterprises more flexible and less conflict-prone. At the same time, this also means that the advantages of long-term planning such as greater efficiency and effectiveness are lost. On the human resources front, this means that such organisations tend to have reduced capability to attract, retain and motivate the best human resources. This becomes important in view of the fact that out of thousands of small businesses that are established every year, only a few manage to survive in the long-term. While long-term planning and HR strategy are not the only reasons for this, they are among the important reasons. Hence an examination of the HR function as a strategic part of business, and its relevance to long-term planning, is in order. In addition, the role of recruitment and selection, training, and performance management, are also relevant to any discussion on the role of human resources. Planning and Human Resources Management Strategic planning for the organisation needs to be linked to individual goals. In turn, this means that the job design should take into account the long-term objectives of the organisation. â€Å"A framework for strategic management incorporating HRM involves developing a mission statement that answers questions of what businesses the organisation is in; determining goals that are general and long term; and establishing objectives that are short term and measurable. It should also encompass a complete SWOT analysis that incorporates HRM as a functional unit of analysis.†[4] One of the essential requirements of Human Resources Planning is proper job design. Human resources planning involves the matching of the knowledge and skills that are likely to be required in future with those that it has or will have. Human Resources Planning will help the organisation to estimate critical resource requirements, plan training and development needs, and link individual goals to organizational objectives. Job design involves specifying the characteristics of the job and the requirements such as skills for performing these jobs. Job design will thus provide the framework for a host of HR planning activities that can be linked to organizational objectives.[5] Recruitment and Selection Once the plans of the organization are clear the next important issue that any organisation needs to address is to get the right staff to implement the plans. â€Å"Surveys indicate that about 25 per cent of small businesses view the lack of qualified workers as a threat to their expansion and very survival.†[6] The problem assumes particular importance in the case of small enterprises because they almost always have a problem in attracting and retaining the best talent. This is partly due to the fact that they are unable to compete with larger firms for quality staff, because it is impossible for them to match the rewards and prestige that come along with positions in larger firms. Additionally, smaller firms have a reputation for being oriented towards a ‘hire and fire’ culture. Training Once the plans are clear, and the recruitment of the right people has been completed, it becomes necessary to motivate the staff, as well as to enable them to perform their tasks efficiently. This requires periodic training of the employees. Training is important in the case of small enterprises because they are more prone to changing environments and higher attrition rates. This makes it necessary for people to be more flexible, and to be trained in all aspects of the business. While the need for training of staff is thus greater in the case of a small enterprise, it is also accompanied by greater constraints that make it more difficult for these organisations to implement training programmes. Small organisations face two constraints in t his respect: Their budget for training may be more limited, and they may lack the necessary resources to carry out such training It is more difficult for small enterprises to spare their people for training programmes. In spite of the above limitations, however, small enterprises need to concentrate more on training, as it is an investment that needs to be done. â€Å"It has been suggested that top performing companies are distinguished by their higher spending on training and development.†[7] Performance Management Performance Management â€Å"includes work and job design, reward structures, the selection of people for work, the training of these employees, assessment of work performance and policies associated with rewarding and improving performance.†[8] Performance Appraisals are an important part of Performance Management and are useful in improving performance, assist HR planning, and identify development needs and potential for promotion. Small businesses, in general, lack a formal performance appraisal system. The disadvantages of not using structured and formal appraisal systems are that appraisals, and the consequent rewards, are often subjective, and may promote greater dissatisfaction. Consequently, appraisal systems and Performance Management play an important role in determining the alignment of HR planning with organisational goals, and ensuring that a proper climate is available for the achievement of the objectives. â€Å"In developing formal performance appraisal systems, small businesses not only are able to ensure that performance management may become strategically aligned with organisational goals, but also increase accountability, decrease under-utilisation of human resources, address concerns of productivity, and decrease employees’ concerns about fairness and accuracy.†[9] In addition, the salaries and rewards that are offered as part of the employment and the management of diversity within the workforce are important considerations for any organisation. These have a greater significance in the case of small organisations. As can be seen from the above, the role of Human Resources management in small organisations is an important one that needs to be well understood and implemented with care. One interesting extension to the role of HR management in small to medium industries is the use of Balanced Score Cards, which are normally viewed as the exclusive tool of large industries. The Balanced Score Cards approach shifts the focus to long-term growth, and includes measures of operational efficiency, customer satisfaction and employee related measures. The Balanced Score Card method thus includes a part of HR Management to assess the overall performance of the organisation. In a case study that included three SME organisations, Gumbus and Lussier present some interesting conclusions that have significance for the HR function in SME companies. The cases also serve to highlight the importance of HR in SME companies and the link between performance and HR. One of the three companies cited in the case is Futura Industries, an international company based in Clearfield, UT with 230 employees. It has over 50 years of experience in aluminium extrusion, finishing, fabrication, machining and design. The company believes that the two competitive weapons that put them ahead of competition are â€Å"their ability to hire and retain the best people and their devotion to the customer.† Futura’s President, Susan Johnson’s belief that committed and loyal employees make the difference has led the company into using the Balanced Score Card method. In the words of Ms. Johnson, the company â€Å"had all the financial metrics, lots of customer measures, and got ISO accredited three years ago †¦ but it is our employees that differentiate us from all other extrusion companies.[10] A Comparison of SMEs in the UK and Taiwan A study by Lin found that successful SMEs in Taiwan place greater emphasis on soft skills and attitudes rather than on hard skills. He infers that SMEs in Taiwan seemed to have a better grasp of its human resources.   â€Å"Whenever SMEs modernize equipment, alter production processes, revise compensation policies, and engage in other reorganisation activities, they take pains to handle employees responses and feelings with special care and invest heavily in skills development.â€Å"[11] According to Hu, the Human resource scenario in Taiwan is characterised by abundance of entrepreneurs and availability of high quality professionals. Hu traces this to the importance laid on education by Chinese, and the large-scale injection of high quality human resource into the island in the aftermath of the retreat into, and subsequent withdrawal from, Taiwan of the KMT government. In addition, the Taiwanese population has inherited from its ancestors the qualities of â€Å"hard working, brotherhood, strong family ties, competition, and similar attributes that form the basis for strong family businesses.†[12] According to McKenna Beech, the following values characterise the Asian HR scene[13]: Politeness and courtesy Emphasis on personal relationship Not losing face Harmony- avoidance of open conflict Predominance of group interests over individual interests Discipline and respect for authority and for elders Normative, rather than externally imposed control Trust and mutual help in business relationships Centralisation and authoritarianism As against the above, the HR scenario in Europe is characterised by the following features[14]: Pluralism as against unitarism Collectivism and social orientation instead of individualism, with the emphasis being on national, rather than individual, interests Legal framework: firing is more difficult Social Partnership: Employment security, protection of workers’ rights, and representation of workforce through trade unions. Social Responsibility: Concern for environment and other social obligations Tolerance for diversity Recognition of complexity and ambiguity. The characteristics enumerated under Asian values represent the Taiwanese scene, and the scenario in Europe is representative of the UK. From the above, it can be seen that the SMEs in Taiwan are formed with reliance on individual assistance, based on respect for authority, with trust and mutual relationships as the supporting factor. In the UK, and other European countries, it is the legal framework that gives the necessary assurance and support to the business rather than trust. In Taiwan authority is enforced, and followed, because it is natural to the culture. In the UK, the legal aspects are augmented by collective bargaining with a recognized trade union to achieve this purpose. Taiwanese take great care to handle employees’ feelings appropriately whenever major decisions need to be taken. This is replaced by collective bargaining and more formal communication in the UK. SMEs predominate in Taiwan, whereas larger firms represent the more prevalent form of business in the UK. SMEs constituted 99.43 percent of Taiwans total manufacturing firms in 1954, the highest level ever recorded; 95.26 percent in 1976, the lowest; and 98.07 percent in 1996. Among them, the smallest firms, employing fewer than 10 persons, accounted for 90 percent of all firms in the manufacturing sector in the 1950s.[15] On the other hand, SMEs generate roughly one quarter of the GDP of the UK. The generation of employment by SMEs varies from sector to sector, the highest being in the construction sector with 84% of the employment being generated by this sector. The SME sector, which was declining up to 1970, picked up momentum thereafter, and showed a rising trend till 1994. Since 1994, the number has remained constant.[16] As can be seen from these figures, the SME sector is less dominant in the UK than in Taiwan. Why Human Resources are important in firms The resource-based view of organisations explains variations in firm performance by variations in firms human resources and capabilities[17] Firms can gain competitive advantage by generating specific knowledge and skills that are difficult to imitate. This can be achieved through human capital development. The importance of Human Resource Development in small firms is thus self-evident – they help the firms to succeed by being competitive. In a study of more than 100 small enterprises in two towns from Germany, Rauch et al found that â€Å"human resources are essentially important and an optimal utilization of skills and knowledge increases small business growth.† [18] In order to harness this important resource and ensure it gives the best returns, an organisation needs to select its employees with care. It is expected that as firms grow, the skills and abilities required to perform various functions and activities no longer would be available from the familiar and informal recruitment sources preferred by the owner-manager[19] Apart from recruitment, other functions such as Training and Development, Performance Appraisal, and formal procedures and documentation help the organisation in improving efficiency. According to Kotey and Slade, â€Å"Benefits of formal HRM practices include meeting legal requirements, maintaining records in support of decisions in the event of litigation, treating employees fairly, and increasing efficiency.† [20] A study by Kotey and Slade involving more than 1300 small firms in Australia showed that as firms grow they tend to introduce formal HR practices and procedures. In the words of the authors, â€Å"While the analyses show that a significant percentage of SMEs implement formal HRM practices with growth, HRM remains informal in the majority of firms, particularly in small firms. It could be that implementation of formal HR structures and procedures necessary to support growth differentiates successful from unsuccessful SMEs.†[21] In a small organisation, people need to be more flexible and undertake a greater variety of jobs. This needs both motivation and skills. In turn, many employees may get better exposure and greater opportunities to learn and shoulder higher responsibilities in a small firm. All of these underline the importance of Human Resources Management in organisations, particularly small firms. The HRM model is â€Å"composed of policies that promote mutual goals, influence, respect, rewards and responsibility between employees in the organisation.†[22] These policies are promoted by practices such as team working, aligning performance objectives with organisational goals, and a flat organisation structure, all of which can be achieved only through a proper Human Resources Management in the organisation. Survey Research findings have confirmed the theoretical position with the conclusion that good HR systems is a source of competitive advantage. One study has shown that higher performance in a number of areas is correlated to good HR systems and practices. Companies that had significantly higher ratings on their HR practices also reported better market value, higher accounting profits, higher growth rates, better sales per employee, and lower employee turnover. Another study has found that newly started companies had a better survival rate if they had good HR practices. The probability of survival was found to vary by as much as 42% between the firms with the best HR practices and rewards, and those with the worst. Yet another study found that performance of the organisation was strongly linked with practices such as acquisition and development of skilled people, better job design, better autonomy, and positive employee attitude. All these studies clearly show that good HR could positively impact organisational performance practices, highlighting the importance of Human Resources in an organisation. Apart from improving performance good HR practices result in lower costs, while poor practices increase the costs to the organization. One of the contributing factors for this is the cost of employee turnover. â€Å"Interviewing and training recruits has significant out-of-pocket costs for the employer.† Replacing an employee involves expenses for Separation, Replacement, and Training. [23] Employee turnover costs can be divided into three major elements: Separation costs: These are the costs that are directly incurred when an employee leaves the firm, and include such costs as exit interviews, administrative and paperwork costs, disbursement of separation benefits, and revenues lost due to shortage of staff. Replacement Costs: These represent the cost of replacing the employee who has left and include the costs of advertising, sourcing, interviewing and selection. Training Costs: These are the costs that the company incurs for training and induction of a new employee. Apart from the actual expenditure on these activities, the costs of loss of efficiency in the initial stages, and the time lost during the training period should also be considered. Thus employee turnover could represent a fairly high cost to the organisation. Employee turnover can be classified into avoidable and unavoidable turnover. Most of the avoidable turnover results from lack of proper HR initiatives.[24] How Good/Bad employees affect the firm â€Å"A good employee is possibly the most valuable asset a small firm or SME can possess; a bad one could ruin the enterprise.†[25] Any firm, and more importantly a small firm, can ill afford to have people who do not perform. Robert Townsend, a noted Management expert was once asked the secret behind his ability to take over loss making firms, and changing them into profitable ones. The reply that he gave will be of interest to anyone asking how good or bad employees make or mar the firm. Mr. Townsend identified three factors that contributed to his success: Releasing the potential of employees so that they could perform at much higher levels by the practice of appropriate management styles Identifying people within the organisation who were blocking progress and preventing others from performing, and either changing their ways, or dismissing them Identifying people who had the ability and drive to take the company to greater heights, and promoting them. It can be seen that this highly successful Management practitioner reduced success to three simple rules, namely, eliminating deadwood, promoting and encouraging those with potential and creating the right climate in the company. This clearly shows that apart from creating the right environment, the most important requirement for success is the quality of people. Good people could transform a loss making company into a profitable one.[26] â€Å"Whether a firm is small or large, its only as good as its staff.†[27] This can be easily understood because the employees of the organisation make the vital difference between good and poor performance in every area. Apart from the demonstrated effect that this has on the firm’s performance, which has been cited earlier, this also stands to reason. A company depends on coordinated working by its employees towards a common goal to achieve its objectives. In order to meet these objectives, the organisation has to do what it does well. In other words, the competence of its employees should be good if it wants to achieve results. Secondly, the soft skills of the employees are important to achieve internal teamwork as well as to nurture customers with excellent performance and service. Thirdly, the employees of the company need to work efficiently if it is to have a healthy bottom line. All these objectives can be achieved only with good employees who know their job and possess the necessary hard skills, have the necessary soft skills, and are committed to the company’s success. In other words, a company needs good employees who have the right levels of knowledge, skills and attitudes. Conclusion Human Resources Management in Small-to-medium industries has been gaining a lot of attention lately. There is increased awareness among many of the SME entrepreneurs themselves about the importance of good HR practices and policies. It has been shown that organisations having formal Human Resources practices grow faster, and are more profitable, than those that do not do so. A comparison between SMEs in two countries, namely Taiwan and the UK, shows that the SME sector is more predominant in Taiwan, which is characterized by a culture that lays greater emphasis on group working, respect for authority, and mutual trust. This is contrasted by the UK situation where the SME sector is les pervasive, and the HR climate is characterised by formal and legal supports, collectivism, and social responsibility. Although the two situations are quite different from each other, the importance of formal HR systems in the SME segment is being recognised in both cases, and seem to affect performance positively, irrespective of the background. Works Cited A Causal Analysis. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(6): 2005: 681+. Bennett, Roger. Small Business Survival: Strategies for Delivering Growth and Staying Profitable: Second Edition. London, Financial Times Management, 1998. Burns, Paul. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. New York, Palgrave, 2001. Griffith, Roger W and Hom, Peter W. Retaining Valued Employees. London, Sage Publications, 2001. Gumbus, Andra, and Robert N. Lussier. Entrepreneurs Use a Balanced Scorecard to Translate Strategy into Performance Measures. Journal of Small Business Management 44(3): 2006: 407+. Heneman, Robert L., Judith W. Tansky, and S. Michael Camp. Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 25 (1): 2000: 11. Holbeche, Linda. Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy. Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. HRD in Small Organizations, Edited by Graham Beaver Jim Stewart. New York, Routledge, 2004. Hu, Ming-Wen. Many Small Antelopes Make a Dragon. Futures 35(4): 2003: 379+. Kotey, Bernice, and Peter Slade. Formal Human Resource Management Practices in Small Growing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 43 (1): 2005: 16+. Lin, Carol Yeh-Yun. Success Factors of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Taiwan: An Analysis of Cases. Journal of Small Business Management, 36(4): (1998): 43. McKenna, Eugene and Beech, Nic. Human Resource Management, A Concise Analysis. Essex, Pearson Education Limited, 2002 Megginson, David, Banfield, Paul, and Joy-Mathews, Jennifer. Human Resource Development. Kogan Page India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001. Rauch, A., Frese, M., Utsch, A. Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: Satava, David. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Heres How Not to Give Them One. Journal of Accountancy 195 (4): 2003: 67+. [1] L. Holbeche, Aligning Human Resources and Business Strategy, Oxford, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001, pp.10-11. [2] R.L. Heneman, T.W. Judith and S. M. Camp. Human Resource Management Practices in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises: Unanswered Questions and Future Research Perspectives. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice 25(1): (2000): p. 11 [3] HRD in Small Organizations, Edited by Graham Beaver Jim Stewart, New York, Routledge, 2004, p. 81. [4] Ibid, p81 [5] Ibid [6] ibid, p82 [7] ibid, p 85 [8] ibid, p 89 [9] ibid, p 89 [10] A. Gumbus and R. N. Lussier. Entrepreneurs Use a Balanced Scorecard to Translate Strategy into Performance Measures, Journal of Small Business Management, 44(3): 2006: p.407. [11]C.Y. Lin. Success Factors of Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Taiwan: An Analysis of Cases. Journal of Small Business Management, 36(4): (1998): p. 43. [12] M. Hu. Many Small Antelopes Make a Dragon, Futures, 35(4): 2003: p. 379. [13] E.McKenna and N. Beech. Human Resource Management, A Concise Analysis. Essex, Pearson Education Limited, 2002, pp.4-5. [14] ibid [15] M. Hu. P. 379. [16]   P.Burns. Entrepreneurship and Small Business. New York, Palgrave, 2001, p12. [17] A. Rauch, M. Frese A. Utsch. Effects of Human Capital and Long-Term Human Resources Development and Utilization on Employment Growth of Small-Scale Businesses: A Causal Analysis. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 29(6): 2005: p681. [18] ibid [19] B.Kotey and P. Slade. Formal Human Resource Management Practices in Small Growing Firms. Journal of Small Business Management, 43(1): (2005): p.16. [20] ibid [21] ibid [22] E. McKenna and N. Beech, p34-35 [23] D. Satava. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Heres How Not to Give Them One, Journal of Accountancy, 195(4 ): 2003: p. 67. [24] R. W. Griffith and P. W. Hom. Retaining Valued Employees, London, Sage Publications, 2001, p10 [25] R. Bennett. Small Business Survival: Strategies for Delivering Growth and Staying Profitable: Second Edition, London, Financial Times Management, 1998. [26] D. Megginson, P. Banfield and J. Joy-Mathews. Human Resource Development. Kogan Page India Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, 2001, p. 82. [27] Satava, David. The A to Z of Keeping Staff: Few Firm Employees Leave without a Good Reason-Heres How Not to Give Them One. Journal of Accountancy 195.4 (2003): 67+.

Slavery - A Respectable Trade? :: Film Capitalism Britain Essays

Slavery. - A â€Å"Respectable† Trade? A Respectable Trade is quite an ironic title for such an enterprise as slavery. In the 1700s Britain, and France, traded cheap manufactured goods for slaves. 1788 was the beginning of the abolition movement, yet slave trade was still booming. Frances Scott, the protagonist of the movie, was thrust into the horrors of slavery when she decided to marry Josiah Cole. This marriage was an economic contract benefiting Josiah much more than Francis. Francis was a widow, she lived with her uncle, but she didn’t have many choices being a single woman of those times. She could have become a governess, but she wasn’t too good at that as we see at the beginning of the movie when her pupil hits her and runs out. Having a husband gives her economic security, or so she thought because she’d get an annual allowance. In turn, Josiah receives an educated woman, a woman of higher status with connections with the elite, and a schoolteacher for his slaves. Educated slaves in the hous e serving field are worth more than field slaves because they can speak English, they are supposedly more civilized because they learn the bible and can speak English so it is easier to give them orders. Frances didn’t really know what she was getting into at all when she accepted Josiah’s proposal. On her wedding night Josiah went to a bar to get drunk and brag of his socially high wife. When he returned home he knelt down next to his bed to pray, yet the only thing he prayed for were his two slave ships, the Rose and the Daisy. He prays to God to let his ships, packed with extremely abused, horrified, mentally tortured, dehumanized people, come back to him in one piece with all these people decent enough to sell. This perhaps illustrates that Josiah thinks that slavery is moral, he has no hesitancy in destroying African people’s lives and selling them so he can buy a bigger house (and hideous blue dragon things). When Frances goes back to Josiah’s house, by the navy yard, it’s like she has entered an entirely different world. She sees that her new husband is severely financially inferior to her uncle. All of his income derives from his two ships g oing to Africa, capturing slaves and taking them to plantation owners in Jamaica in exchange for rum and sugar.

Han and Roman Dynasty View on Technology

After studying the provided documents (#1-8) its come to my understanding that both the Han and Roman empires thought of technology as useful and somewhat revolutionary, but both of them had somewhat different feelings of it. The Han dynasties attitude toward technology was that they thought it was very benefical, and they admired it. The reason this was because they though it to be very helpful in agriculture and construction purposes. Evidence of the positive effects of this can be seen in Document 4: History of the Early Han Dynasty which tells of a governer of Nanynay and as the very generous and loving person he was his policies also refelcted his personality. He had so much love for his people he wanted to lift weight of their shoulders and make their lives a little easier by inventing a water-powered blowing-engine which was enjoyed by eveyone adopted and spread his invention. The Roman empire however were not as positive about technology as the Hans. Even though they appreciated it to some extent the main viewpoint from the documents suggested that they thought of it was a bit demeaning also. Evidence can be found in Document 7, written by an upper-class Roman philospher and adviser which was saying that he did not believe that tools were created by â€Å"wise men† meaning a very developed mind, or someone who was thinking outside the box. He believe like the hammer for instance was created by a simple minded human, though its a very popular tool it was not advanced a tool as it could've been. Han and Romans both used technology for conservation and storage purposes of water in the environment. In Document 1 written by a Han goverment official. He wrote about the most efficent ways to ensure that flooding would be prevented. He thinks everyone should cooperate togther as a team, the high officals should patrol each side of the river and the common people should help in construction and repair. They welcome technology in this way because it will be saving the lives of people. In Document 8 written by a Roman general, governer of Britain, Frontinus, and water commissioner for city of Rome which basically brags about how great and sufficient their water system of distribution and compares it even to the great pyramids using the word ide meaning a waste of time, non functioning. By saying this you could imply how they looked down upon other structures that weren't their own, no matter how great. Saying that their construction is both useful and a marval and ts just something pretty to look at. The Roman empire and Han dynasty both needed technology to be able to help with their agricultural and structure building accuracy. In Document 6 written by Plutarch, Greek-born Roman citizen and high officals describe second-century B. C. E Roman political leader Gaius Gracchus, first century C. E. he is admired for his appliance[->0] of the condtion plan of the grace, beauty, detailed that he put into he design of the columns and the other monuments of Rome. In Document 3: New Discourses written by Hauan Tan an upper-class Han philopsher is saying how a mythological wise emperor Fuxi invented the pestle and mortar after it was imporved it thus notably increased the efficiency in China. These 2 documents show that technology was used profusely and was progressing. Document 2: written bu Huan Guan a han goverment offical, Discourses on Salt and Iron he describes how the salt and iron markets begin to manufacture backwards or useless tools. Previously these tools were quite excellent in quality but now that the state has monopolized the salt and iron trades most of the tools provided are hard to work with. This is a view by the Romans that demonsrtaes the more negative side of technlogy or how they were highly upset and unimpressed with the technology. In Document 5 written but Ciero and upper class political leader On Duty he finds that working in a workshop is not only degrading but he doesn't find it enlightening or in other words he thinks that it's useless. Ciero finds no use for technology, and that may be beacuse of his high placing in society he's not in touch with the world of craftsmen whatsoever so there is of course no use for it to him. Another example of a high class official having a negative view was in 7, like stated before Seneca believed that tools were useless he an adviser to Emperor Nero so that could be a reason why his views were different. The lower ranking people, or commoners can only use tools so that's why I believe that they were so grateful for the technology they were given ot provided with. The upper class people only use the finished poduct they don't know the importance of tools. The Roman and Han both found technoloy very useful and an everyday neccessary. Although the Han viewed the technology verey beneficial for their agriculture and praised the advanced tools and their inventors and well as their own work. The Romans only appreciated the product of technology and its design and craftmeship. Both civilizations technology was very imortant and helped to advance both that can still be seen in China today. [-;0] – /Dictionary/search? q=define+appliance=DTPDIA

Requirement I

G51REQ Coursework 1 REQUIREMENTS ELICITATION REPORT Group: Authors: Muhammad Khidhir Hein Min Htike Ang Rhu Zen Date: 10/11/2011 Part 1 Report Summary The report is about the activities done and observed before, while and after the trip to Zoo Negara. The main activities were deciding where and when to go, making the trip, arriving at the place and doing a visit, returning from the trip and activities after the visit. Initially, we were planning to visit A’ Famosa in Malacca, but it was canceled as Malacca was a big distance away from the campus, and the travelling will take most of our time.After searching on the internet about places to visit in Kuala Lumpur, we decided on visiting Zoo Negara on Saturday, which is much closer compared to Malacca and almost none of us had visited the place yet. On Saturday morning, we met at the SA building and drove to the zoo. Having a driver who knows the routes in Kuala Lumpur, we reached Zoo Negara in about an hour. However, we had a har d time finding parking spots as it was the eve of Hari Raya. In the end, we had to park our car a long distance away from the entrance, but at least we have arrived at the zoo.Inside the zoo, we saw different kinds of animals and there were several centers that function as a sanctuary for famous local birds, reptiles and fish. We collected data by taking pictures and interviewing a few individuals while having a break at one of the train stops. After we went to see the tigers and lions in the Mammal Kingdom, we finally left the zoo from another entrance, which was not far from where we parked. On the way back, we stopped at a Burger King in Damansara for late lunch before heading back to Nottingham. When we got back to our own home s, we saved the pictures hat were taken and started on writing the report. In the end, the problems we had on that trip was based on finding places within the zoo and wasting our time seeing some of the same attractions. Part 2 Approach to requirements el icitation Requirements elicitation is also known as requirements gathering, which is part of the process upon enquiring the requirements of a particular system from users, customers and stakeholders. In other words, it can also be considered as consul tation with the people who are involved in the process as mentioned above.Stages of elicitation include objective setting, background knowledge, knowledge organisation and stakeholder requirements collection. There is various specific approach of requirements elicitation which includes interviewing, soft systems methods, prototyping, scenarios, and requirements reuse and participant observation. These are some of the familiar approach to requirements elicitation. Firstly, the requirements engineer will talk about the system with numbers of stakeholders and boost the understanding of their requirements.Therefore, an interview will be conducted in order to get the necessary information. This can be done in two different ways, either thro ugh closed interviews or open interviews. Closed interviews will be conveyed by looking for answers from a pre-defined number of questions which has been set by the requirements engineer. Unlike closed interviews, open interviews let the requirements engineer to dispute with the stakeholders in an open-ended way about what they want from the system. Interviewers can never approach the interview with disapproving ideas about what is needed and must be open-minded.Besides that, stakeholders must be given an idea about the discussion by requirements proposal or show examples of an existing system. Secondly, scenarios technique is used for elicitation which explains the way a system is being used through stories description. It starts with an introduction of the system before the scenario starts, then the usual flow of events with some exception and information about coexisting activities. At the end of the scenario, a description of the system is being stated. Scenarios describe how a user communicates with a system.Participant observation is observing people at work because they find it difficult to tell what they do because it is normal to them. Moreover, ethnography method also has proved to be precious in understanding actual work processes. An ethnographer can observe people at work and create an image of how work is done. Furthermore, another method in requirements elicitation is requirements reuse. It involves taking a developed system and uses them in different system. These reused requirements have already been checked and validated in other system, thus saves time and effort.But, currently it is an informal process but through this, it could lead to bigger cost savings. By reusing, it could lead to a consistency of pattern through applications. While being at the zoo, we walked throughout the whole area of the zoo to get a better view and some first-hand experience on how things work there. We could see that, the signage doesn’t really give accur ate direction to the place we wanted to go. The signage tells us to go towards the direction they give but in the end we were in a different pathway from the one we were supposed to be at. They should provide a clearer signage for people to understand it better.Additionally, I think there should be more staffs in and around the zoo to explain further information on the kind of animals we are looking at and provide some interesting details on how they eat or the kind of food that they eat and many more. These are the things that they should focus more on, and who wouldn’t like list ening to interesting stories of animals? Likewise, I can also observe the backgrounds of people who were there, so that a wider view can be seen on the people who we can put more focus on. I must say that, most of the visitors were foreigners and only a nu mber of Malaysians were there.This might be because of the past experience they had at the zoo. Therefore, I conducted interviews and ask them a few questions related to the zoo to know exactly what they think of the place and get some opinions and ideas from them. In my opinion, the interview gave us a lot of useful information on what the zoo can improve on and the things that should be maintained for them to get a better experience of the zoo. And hopefully, this will result in an increase in the numbe r of visitors and a better review from everyone Part 3 Practicalities of field study Anonymous1 Nationality: Malaysian Age: 42Gender: Male Race: Malay Date of Birth: 12/05/1979 Occupation: Teacher Location: Ampang Marital Status: Married Anonymous2 Nationality: Malaysian Age: 18 Gender: Male Race: Chinese Date of Birth: 06/12/1993 Occupation: Student Location: Kampung Pandan Marital Status: Single Our group went to the National Zoo for up to almost 6 hours, including the journey of going to the zoo and coming back from the zoo. Later on, we went for a late lunch in Burger King which took us about half an hour to get there a nd left at approximately 30 minutes later. Then, we went back to our campus which took us another 40 minutes.In total, the duration of the whole trip was about 8 hours. There are a few data that we gathered which includes photos, informal interviews and field notes. From the informal interview, we interviewed two different people from completely different background, thus the answer from both of them gave us the idea of how people in their respective age think. When we did an interview with anonymous1, he complained about the number of staffs who were working in the zoo. It results in a poor service and maintenance of the place and also dirty cages and walkways that are fu ll of leaves.In addition, anonymous also complained about the lack of choices when it comes to food. There were only one restaurant inside the zoo and the price of the snacks is more expensive than outside. I think they should provide better facilities all around the zoo and increase the number of restaurants or j ust improve the quality of the restaurant that is inside there. There should be more places where people can sit and r elax in an airconditioning environment especially when time comes noon, it would be very hot in Malaysia nowadays.Other than that, we experienced the bad condition of the toilet where the water were flushing out from the floor and clogged sinks and toile t bowls. This issue should be resolve for it to be a better place. Part 4 Activities observed and their sequential orders The main activities involved in visiting places are finding a place to visit, planning the trip, performing the journey or going to the destination, doing the actual visiting, leaving and returning home, and after visit. The activity of finding a place to visit is composed of not only deciding where to go but also when to go. This activity is closely related to planning the trip.As a product of this activity, we will get a confirmed destination of visit and confirmed time-frame for the visit. The activity of performing journey is the process of actually going to the decided destination. This activity has to be carried out as planne d in the first activity. The product of this activity is that, we actually reach to planned destination. The processes in the activities of doing actual visiting are the processes carried out at the planned place. In our case, the processes like going ar ound and seeing the zoo and conducting the interviews are the processes that form the actual visiting activity.Data for ethnographic analysis can be obtained as the product of this activity. The activity of leaving and returning trip is the processes in volved in returning home from zoo. The product of is that, we get back home. The processes that made up the activity â€Å"after visit† are like transferring the pictures from cameras and writing the report base on the experiences from the above activities. T he products are saved pictures in pc and a report to submit. Sequential order of a ctivities –Deciding and planning the trip Performing Journey Doing the visit Leaving and returningAfter Visit Part 5 Work Practice 1 (Deciding where and when to go and planning the trip) The work of visiting places begins by deciding where to as a group. We sat down in SA and decided where to go by using information from the internet. The first suggestion by Khidhir to choose as a visiting place was â€Å"D-paradise and A’ Famosa in Malacca†. But we the main problem with going to Malacca was the distance from our places. Malacca is 130 km from our place and the driving time to get there is 2 hours with no heavy traffic . The round trip will take approximately 4 and half hours.So, with the time frame we got, we will not have much time to do the actual visiting in Malacca. So, we decided not to go to Malacca and the other option is to visit a place near Kuala Lumpur. We s earched on the internet for places to see in KL. We got 3 options to visit in KL, namely, Bat u Caves, Aquaria KLCC, Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, and Zoo Negara. We chose zoo Negara because two of the group members have not been there and thought it would be int eresting to see Malaysia major zoological park. We decided to go there on Saturday and to depart from Nottingham at around 9am.One of the group members own a car, so we decided to go with his car. Then, we discussed about the time allocation for the trip and what to do during the visit. Zoo Negara is only 43 km from Nottingham and can be reached within an hour drive. So, we will be at the zoo at around 10, and then we planned to do visiting and stay at zoo until after 3 pm because there is animal show at 3 pm. We planned to do some interviews at the zoo for the ethnographic analysis. We also discussed about what should be interview questions and we finally agreed for ten questions which will be stated in â€Å"Work Practice 3†.The products of this activity are that, we have definite idea of where to go and we have a plan for what to do during the trip. Work Practice 2 (Undertaking the journey) We met up on Saturday as planned and went on to have breakfast at the SA building. Then, we departed for zoo at 9:35 am. Khidhir was driving and Rhu Zen took the front seat beside him and Hein Min Htike was at the back seat. The driver knows KL routes insi de out, so, we didn’t need to any work of way-finding. We went to zoo directly except one pit -stop for fuel. It took us 50 minutes to get there and we were at zoo at 10:30.The problem when we reached zoo was that we could not find a parking space easily. Since we visited there on Saturday which was not only normal public but also eve of Hari Raya, there were so many visitors’ cars. We have had to park our car six streets away from entrance. The product of this activity is that, we really reached the zoo. Work Practice 3 (Arriving at the zoo and doing the visit) We took some photos at the entrance and then bought tickets and entered zoo. The ticket price for Malaysian is 20RM and for foreigner is 30RM. We first went to visit the â€Å"hornbill center† where they keep many hornbill species, monkeys and hippopotamus.Then, we visited the â€Å"bee museum†. Bee museum is a Kiosk selling honey and other bee related souvenirs. It also features displays of all the integrated honey industry activities from bee breeding to honey extracting. Then, we went on to see the Indian cows and the bears’ complex. Then, we took the Savannah Walk and saw a variety of African animals like Sable antelopes, Scimatar oryx, giraffes, ostriches, zebras, and white rhinoceroses. At the end of Savannah Walk road, we sat down at train stop 5 to give a rest to our legs and to make some interviews.We firstly interviewed â€Å"Anonymous1† from KL who was there with his family. Khidhir conducted the interview in Malay Language. We then interviewed â€Å"Anonymous2† who also lives in KL and he was there with his fri ends. We will write the main points of those interviews in â€Å"Question and Answer† format to save word count and to avoid repetition. Question: With whom you came here today and how many peop le are there with you? Is there any particular reason to come here? Anonymous1: I am visiting here with my family and there are total of 4 people with me, my wife and my two kids and myself. We are just having our week-end day out.Anonymous2: I am here with my friends and there are total of 5 people in my group. We have not been here for very long time, so we just wanted to see the changes inside the zoo. Question: How did you come here? Was there any problem getting here like parking problem? Anonymous 1: I drove here and there was not any particular problem to get here. We arrived here really early and so, we could manage to find a parking space easily. Anonymous 2: We came here with LRT and taxi. We reached Wangsa Maju station and we took taxi to get here. This place is easily acce ssible and there was no problem to get here.Question: Any comments about the animals in zoo? Anonymous1: Quite a lot of varieties of animals are kept in this zoo and the animals seem happy. Anonymous2: We have been walking around the zoo for only 2 hours and we have been to almost all the places inside the zoo. There are not much interesting animal in here except penguins. I have not seen penguins before. Question: How do you think of animal show available in this zoo? Anonymous1: The animal show at 11 am was quiet good, they spoke in Malay, so my kids could understand very well, and they really enjoyed it. Anonymous2: We arrived here at around 11 am.So we missed the morning show. But we really are not into seeing the animal show as there will be a lot of people at the show. Question: Any comments about staffs? Anonymous1: I didn’t see much of staffs. Only staffs I saw were at the entrances of zoo and aquarium world, and the staffs conducting the animal show. I th ink the num ber of staff is inadequate compare to the size of zoo because the animal cages are dirty and walkways are full of dry leaves and did not see anyone cleaning them. Anonymous2: I have nothing special to say about staffs from here. I rarely see the m inside the zoo.Question: How do you think of food shops and souvenir shops inside zoo? Anonymous1: As things inside the zoo are very expensive and I did not buy anything. Moreover, there is only one restaurant to have lunch or breakfast. Anonymous2: We were just discussing to go and have lunch. There are quite a lot of snack shops, but there is only one restaurant for lunch. I think there should be more restaurants, so that, visitors can choose their favorite meal. And drinks here at the snack shops are slightly expensive than outside. Question: Transportation inside zoo? Did you use it?Anonymous1: We preferred to walk to get closer look at the animals. Anonymous2: We planned to stay here until evening, so we are not in hurry. We decided t o walk around the zoo. Question: How do you describe your overall experience at zoo? Things you like most? Things you like least? Anonymous1: We are having a fun time; especially for my children. It has been a good day out so far. What we liked most is Savannah Walk, which is like a small version of African landscape with the animals roaming freely, especially giraffes. Anonymous2: There is nothing much for adults to do in zoo.For sure, this is not one of our best days out. The good point inside the zoo is the tall, shady trees which provide shade for leisure troll. Things I do not like here are that, animals are kept in very dirty environment. The worst thing is aquarium where you cannot even see the fish clearly because of the dirty water and grubby mirrors. Question: What should be done to improve the overall quality of zoo? Anonymous1: More staffs should be stationed inside the zoo, to p rovide information and interact with visitors. And they should also prioritize the cleanline ss of zoo.Anonymous2: There are so many rooms to improve in this zoo. Zoo maps are available for 2RM, which should be given free to every visitor. The signages ar e not around every corner, and even when you see them, they are not quite clear in their pointing direction. With no free map, and no clear signage, I am pretty sure that, visitors will get lost quite often. Moreover, there are no staffs to be seen inside the zoo to ask information or to ask direction. Another important thing there is that they should focus more on the cleanliness of environment. Everywhere inside the zoo is stinking.The toilets are very dirty. Question: Do you plan to visit the zoo again or would you recommend this to your friends? Any tips to organize a good day out to zoo? Anonymous1: My kids would like to come back here, so we might be coming again like 2, 3 months later. I would definitely recommend this place for a family day out fo r those with small kids. I would advise anyone to bring along their own food and drinks as things inside are twice the price outside. Anonymous2: No, we are not coming back here anytime in the future. And we will never recommend a friend to visit here.As a tip, don’t come here. Even when they come, come here early, to avoid extremely hot temperature inside zoo and to avoid heavy crowd. After the two interviews, we continued our visit inside the zoo. We went to mammal kingdom and then went on to see the tigers and lions. After that lion place, we went inside the reptile house and spent around thirty minutes inside. Then, we went inside bird house where so many species of birds are kept inside different compartments. We then sat bough some cold drink and sat down under the shade for about 15 minutes.Then, we went to see the aquarium world which is very dull and boring place. Fishes inside are nothing much interesting. Then we watched the animal show for a while because there were so many people and we could not see or hear the show very well fr om our place. We then went to penguin house and we have completed visiting the whole zoo. We made our way out from entrance B and found out that it was not far from the street where we parked our car. The products of this activity are that, we could enjoy the zoo, we could manage to finish the interviews and we got data for ethnography.Work Practice 4 (Return and getting home) We left zoo at around 3:50 pm and we drove to Damansara Burger King to have a late lunch. Damansara Burger king was 25 km far from zoo and it took us around 30 minutes to get there. Then, we have had lunch until around 4:50 and then we left for Nottingham University. It took us around 30 minutes to reach school and the distance was around 30 km. Once we reached Nottingham, we parted our ways to our houses. The products of this activity are having lunch, and getting back home. Work Practice 5 (After Visit)When reach our houses, we rested for some time. At night, we copied the pictures from camera memories cards to PCs. And we all started writing the report to submit. The products are the saved pictures and the report. Part 6 The Requirements Problem During our trip, we had a hard time navigating the zoo as we did not bring a map and also there were occasions that we had to use some of the facilities that were not well maintained. Another problem while doing the trip was that we may have missed some of the attractions because we did not have a map in the first place.We decided we need a system to be keeping track of what we had seen, what attractions we may have missed, and because there were not many staff members seen inside the zoo to maintain the facilities, which places to avoid. It should also update the group about any show times inside the zoo and keep a watch handy to check how long we were visiting some of the attractions. As a task scheduling system, it should be able to display some main attractions that we should see within the zoo itself, although the place itself is sm all, and not just simply walk around and attempt to understand what every animal is or does.Any group would definitely get bored walking under the hot sun only to see that the animals are sleeping during the mid-day. It should also be able to sort and notify the user or users of any events or shows that are going to start. That way, the group could plan on which places to visit in the zoo before walking back to see the animal show. This will also prevent the group from rushing around as the zoo has some very odd placement of some of the facilities, including toilets. Besides that, it hould have a mapping system so that it will display the locations of all the main attractions, the bus stops, resting spots and the toilets within the zoo as it was difficult to find a sign with the entire map of the zoo easily and therefore avoid wasting time going rounds inside the zoo. Other than that, because there were many places that had the same attractions, which eventually made one of our group mem bers bored, the ta sk scheduling system should also have a notepad for any individual in the group to write their own comments about the zoo.This is to avoid having to see the same attraction under the very hot sun the next time he visits the zoo. Lastly, for any group members who were not familiar with the animals and find the description beside the animal cages confuse them even further, there should be a translator or encyclopedia to make it more understandable. It will also help other tourists who were busy looking for directions from us as they could not read some of the signs.

Quotations on Style in Writing

Quotations on Style in Writing A pointed instrument used for writing. According to our glossary entry for  style, thats what the word meant in Latin 2,000 years ago. Nowadays, definitions of style point not to the instrument used by the writer but to characteristics of the writing itself: The way in which something is said, done, expressed, or performed: a style of speech and writing. Narrowly interpreted as those figures that ornament discourse; broadly, as representing a manifestation of the person speaking or writing. All figures of speech fall within the domain of style. But what does it mean to write with style? Is style a feature that writers can add or remove as they please? Is it, perhaps, a gift that only some writers are blessed with? Can a style ever be good or bad, correct or incorrector is it more a matter of taste? Put another way, is style merely a kind of decorative sprinkle, or is it instead an essential ingredient of writing? Here, under six broad headings, are some of the diverse ways in which professional writers have responded to these questions. We open with remarks from Henry David Thoreau, an artful stylist who expressed indifference toward style and conclude with two quotations from novelist Vladimir Nabokov, who insisted that style is all that matters. Style is Practical Who cares what a man’s style is, so it is intelligible, as intelligible as his thought. Literally and really, the style is no more than the stylus, the pen he writes with, and it is not worth scraping and polishing, and gilding, unless it will write his thoughts the better for it. It is something for use, and not to look at.(Henry David Thoreau)People think that I can teach them style. What stuff it all is! Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.(Matthew Arnold) Style Is the Dress of Thoughts Style is the dress of thoughts; and let them be ever so just, if your style is homely, coarse, and vulgar, they will appear to as much disadvantage.(Philip Dormer Stanhope, Earl of Chesterfield)A mans style should be like his dress. It should be as unobtrusive and should attract as little attention as possible.(C. E. M. Joad) Style Is Who and What We Are The style is the man himself.(George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon)The old saying of Buffon’s that style is the man himself is as near the truth as we can getbut then most men mistake grammar for style, as they mistake correct spelling for words or schooling for education.(Samuel Butler)When we see a natural style, we are astonished and delighted; for we expected to see an author, and we find a man.(Blaise Pascal)Style is the hallmark of a temperament stamped upon the material at hand.(Andre Maurois)The essence of a sound style is that it cannot be reduced to rulesthat it is a living and breathing thing with something of the devilish in itthat it fits its proprietor tightly yet ever so loosely, as his skin fits him. It is, in fact, quite as seriously an integral part of him as that skin is. . . . In brief, a style is always the outward and visible symbol of a man, and cannot be anything else.(H.L. Mencken)You do not create a style. You work, and develop yourself; your style is an em anation from your own being.(Katherine Anne Porter) Style Is Point of View Style is the perfection of a point of view.(Richard Eberhart)Where there is no style, there is in effect no point of view. There is, essentially, no anger, no conviction, no self. Style is opinion, hung washing, the caliber of a bullet, teething beads.(Alexander Theroux)Style is that which indicates how the writer takes himself and what he is saying. It is the mind skating circles around itself as it moves forward.(Robert Frost) Style Is Craftsmanship Whats important is the way we say it. Art is all about craftsmanship. Others can interpret craftsmanship as style if they wish. Style is what unites memory or recollection, ideology, sentiment, nostalgia, presentiment, to the way we express all that. Its not what we say but how we say it that matters.(Federico Fellini)Proper words in proper places, make the true definition of style.(Jonathan Swift)The web, then, or the pattern, a web at once sensuous and logical, an elegant and pregnant texture: that is style.(Robert Louis Stevenson)The most durable thing in writing is style, and style is the most valuable investment a writer can make with his time. It pays off slowly, your agent will sneer at it, your publisher will misunderstand it, and it will take people you have never heard of to convince them by slow degrees that the writer who puts his individual mark on the way he writes will always pay off.(Raymond Chandler)The style of an author should be the image of his mind, but the choi ce and command of language is the fruit of exercise.(Edward Gibbon) One arrives at style only with atrocious effort, with fanatical and devoted stubbornness.(Gustave Flaubert) Style Is Substance To me, style is just the outside of content, and content the inside of style, like the outside and the inside of the human body. Both go together, they cant be separated.(Jean-Luc Godard)Thought and speech are inseparable from each other. Matter and expression are parts of one; style is a thinking out into language.(Cardinal John Henry Newman)Every style is excellent if it is proper; and that style is most proper which can best convey the intentions of the author to his reader. And, after all, it is Style alone by which posterity will judge of a great work, for an author can have nothing truly his own but his style; facts, scientific discoveries, and every kind of information, may be seized by all, but an authors diction cannot be taken from him.(Isaac DIsraeli)Style, in its finest sense, is the last acquirement of the educated mind; it is also the most useful. It pervades the whole being.(Alfred North Whitehead)Style is not something applied. It is something that permeates. It is of the nature of that in which it is found, whether the poem, the manner of a god, the bearing of a man. It is not a dress.(Wallace Stevens) Style and structure are the essence of a book; great ideas are hogwash. . . .All my stories are webs of style and none seems at first blush to contain much kinetic matter. . . . For me style is matter.(Vladimir Nabokov)

Biography of Tullus Hostilius

Biography of Tullus Hostilius Tullus Hostilius was the 3rd of the  7 kings of Rome, following Romulus and  Numa Pompilius. He  ruled Rome from about 673-642 B.C. Tullus, like the other kings of Rome, lived during the legendary period whose records were destroyed in the fourth century B.C. Most of the stories we have about Tullus Hostilius come from Livius Patavinus  (Livy), a Roman historian  who lived in the first century B.C. Hostus Hostilius and the Sabines During the reign of Romulus, the Sabines and Romans were approaching each other in battle when a single Roman rushed ahead and engaged with a Sabine warrior who had similar ideas. The brash Roman was Hostus Hostilius, grandfather of Tullus Hostilius. Though he did not defeat the Sabine, Hostus Hostilius was held up as a model of bravery. The Romans retreated, although Romulus soon changed his mind and turned around and engaged again. Tullus on Expanding Rome Tullus defeated the Albans, razed their city of Alba Longa, and brutally punished their traitorous leader, Mettius Fufetius. He welcomed the Albans into Rome, thereby doubling the population of Rome. Tullus added Alban nobles to the Senate of Rome and built the Curia Hostilia for them, according to Livy. He also used the Alban nobles to increase his cavalry force. Military Campaigns   Tullus, who is described as more militaristic than Romulus, went to war against Alba, Fidenae, and the Veientines. He tried treating the Albans as allies, but when their leader acted treacherously, he conquered and absorbed them. After beating the people of Fidenae, he defeated their allies, the Veientines, in a bloody battle at the Anio River. He also defeated the Sabines at Silva Malitiosa by throwing them into confusion using his Albans-enhanced cavalry. Jupiter Strikes Down Tullus Tullus had not paid much attention to the religious rites. When a plague struck, the people of Rome believed it to be divine punishment. Tullus didnt worry about it until he, too, became ill and  unsuccessfully tried to follow the prescribed rites. It was believed that Jupiter in response to this lack of proper reverence, struck Tullus down with a bolt of lightning. Tullus had reigned for 32 years. Virgil on Tullus He shall found Rome anew- from mean estateIn lowly Cures led to mightier sway.But after him arises one whose reignShall wake the land from slumber: Tullus thenShall stir slack chiefs to battle, rallyingHis hosts which had forgot what triumphs be.Him boastful Ancus follows hard upon- Aeneid Book 6 Ch. 31 Tacitus on Tullus Romulus governed us as he pleased; then Numa united our people by religious ties and a constitution of divine origin, to which some additions were made by Tullus and Ancus. But Servius Tullius was our chief legislator to whose laws even kings were to be subject.- Tacitus Bk 3 Ch. 26

Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems Assignment

Price Quotes and Pricing Decisions Applied Problems - Assignment Example Jessica is a famous actress and her name is common in most households. She may even have a cult like following meaning everything she endorses will be popular with the masses, this factor can make penetration pricing successful. The products they are dealing with are basic consumer products used in the house hold on a daily basis. Penetration pricing would set of a â€Å"price war" enabling them to market a product at the price that is the  lowest in comparison with all competitors.   Though the price is lower that the value of the product, it will draw in new customers to try the products The products that the â€Å"Honest Company† deals in are in a growing market as the population is more demanding and knowledgeable requiring more quality cleaning items, more nutritious food stuffs etc. hence penetration pricing is recommended. Penetration pricing can prevent competitors from cutting into your market at lower price points. If your upfront price is low and your product or service is of reasonable quality, the burden falls on other providers to justify higher prices on similar offerings Yes they will continue to make profits in the long term. The Honest Company will be able to enter the five different markets faster using penetration pricing as potential customers will venture to try the product. This will in turn grow their market share and generate economic profits based on this market share even in the long term. Penetration pricing also creates high stock turnover throughout the  distribution channel which will result in economic profits and increased enthusiasm and support in the supply chain for the product in the long term. No they will not continue to make profits. It is argued against penetration pricing in that in the long term penetration pricing establishes long term price expectations for the  product, and image preconceptions for the  brand  and company. This makes it difficult to