Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Motivation and Team Dyanamics - 1812 Words
MOTIVATION AND TEAM DYANAMICS Introduction Motivation can be defined as a process that starts with a physiological deficiency that activates a push that is aimed at a goal incentive The aim of this essay is to show that how motivation can be an important factor for better performance of employees in a sector (Steininger, 1994). In the first article, the author analyzes the nature of motivational research and the approach adopted by motivational researchers in order to figure out what motivates the employees of a given organization to perform their best. He calls marketers as instrumentalists who in fact only research about motivating others so as to attain their own means. The second article reemphasizes and analyzes some necessaryâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦For the effective implementation of strategies, the marketers are required to show full commitment to objective approach and creative research as a compelling instrument. A point to be noted in this context is that the mechanisms can be of particular importance for the motivation of a certain segment only, and the techniques, frame of reference and preferences might vary for each specific purpose. (Steininger, 1994) The author summarizes that the marketer should not totally disregard motivational research, though it indeed is a misleading approach towards marketing since it strives to ascertain not the preferences of customers as it claims to do so, but to ascertain how to influence the preferences of customers so as to gain benefits. The creative aspect of such motivational research is to be banked upon by a marketer if he intends to utilize creative ideas for selling of a product, by focusing on what might motivate a customer to buy a product in the larger scheme of things, rather than based on how the customers already views the position of the firm in the market. Second Article Analysis and evaluation The second article focuses on finding out the various factors which affect performance of workers, and motivate or de-motivate them. The difference between the previous article and this one is that instead of analyzing and beingShow MoreRelatedAirline Reservation System: Organization Profile10051 Words à |à 41 Pages H-LINE products integrate public amp; Private capital market information with software applications for research, analysis, idea generation, workflow management, and relationship development. H-LINE are not just a data or software Company, but a team of dynamic Professionals vowing to provide: High Quality, Timely and Accurate Data and Research Tools Best Possible Client Service H-LINE Key Service Areas * financials, SEC filings, financial ratios and Business Descriptions * Exporting
Sunday, December 22, 2019
The Tax Advantages Of Sarbanes Oxley Essay - 969 Words
The Tax Advantages and Disadvantages of Sarbanes-Oxley Afua Nyamekye Liberty University The Tax Advantages and Disadvantages of Sarbanes-Oxley The 1990s and the early 2000s was a time that the world witness an explosion of fraud in the corporate world. Corporate fraud like Enron, HealthSouth, Waste Management, WorldCom, Lehman Brothers, etc. was so disturbing that lawmakers felt the need for a law to help curb down these frauds. Lawmakers came out with Sarbanes Oxley named after Senator Paul Sarbanes and Rep. Michael G. Oxley, the co-sponsors of the act. The purpose of this essay is to discuss some of the tax advantages and disadvantages of Sarbanes-Oxley and to explore whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages for small businesses as well as the tax benefits for those businesses. The Tax Advantages of Sarbanes-Oxley The main objective of the Sarbanes-Oxley act was to reduce fraud. So far that objective seem to have been obtain. Since SOX was enacted, there has not been a major domestic corporate financial scandal uncovered other than the options back-dating scandal that occurred before July 2002 (Jahmani Dowling, 2008). It is a tax advantage because companies and investors are not losing money. Another advantage of that resulted from Sarbanes-Oxley Act is that the meetings of audit committees increased in frequency. ââ¬Å"One of the primary goals of SOX is to increase investor confidence and the assurance of the integrity of the U.S. capitalShow MoreRelatedThe Sarbanes Oxley Act ( Sox )1526 Words à |à 7 Pages Essay #1- Tax Advantages and Disadvantages of Sarbanes-Oxley Eric Kitts Liberty University ââ¬Æ' Introduction The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002 was implemented to deter fraudulent activities amongst companies by monitoring and auditing financial activities as well as set up internal controls to aid in the safeguard of company funds and investorââ¬â¢s interest. SOX also regulates the non-audit tax services (NATS) that can be performed by an auditing firm. SOX was passed by Congress in 2002 in anRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley ( Sox ) Act Of 2002926 Words à |à 4 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Act of 2002 was legislated by Congress to restore reliability of financial statements with the objectives to raise standards of corporate accountability, to not only improve detection, but to also prevent fraud and abuse (Terando Kurtenbach, 2009). Additionally, SOX was the response to general failure of business ethics such as the propagation of abusive tax shelters and greater aggressive tax avoidance strategies (Raabe, Whittenburg, Sanders, Sawyers, 2015). Tax AdvantagesRead MoreSmall Business Idea1156 Words à |à 5 Pagesfactors affecting the type of business organizations that an owner should form, so that it is most beneficial for him and the product or services provided. In this paper, the four business structures are evaluated and the association of the legal, tax and accounting implications with the different structures are also discussed. Suppose that the government has released funds to set up small businesses, I would set up a language services company. The services will include translation, transcriptionRead MoreCase 2: Kpmg: How Many Firms? Essay769 Words à |à 4 PagesProfessional standards do not allow for a companyââ¬â¢s auditors to also provide tax services and still retain their independence. The SEC and the PCAOB have put restrictions on the nonaudit services that a companyââ¬â¢s auditors can provide. These restrictions really limit the companyââ¬â¢s auditors to the extent that if a firm provides auditing services for a company they cannot really provide any other types of services. This limitation was put into place in order to maintain the independence of auditorsRead MoreThe International Financial Reporting Standards Essay1210 Words à |à 5 Pagesa list of minimum headings that must be displayed in balance sheet. Deferred taxesà ââ¬âUnder the provision of US GAAP, Deferred taxes are classified as current or non-current on basis of division of associated non-tax asset or liability for financial reporting. While under IFRS Deferred tax asset and liabilities are always considered as non-current. Equity: Division of capital instruments is based on the substance of issuer s obligations which may be either liability or equity, under IFRS. MezzanineRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20021015 Words à |à 5 PagesThe Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, also known as the SOX Act, is enacted on July 30, 2002 by Congress as a result of some major accounting frauds such as Enron and WorldCom. The main objective of this act is to recover the investorsââ¬â¢ trust in the stock market, and to prevent and detect corporate accounting fraud. I will discuss the background of Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and why it became necessary in the first section of this paper. The second section will be the actââ¬â¢s regulations for the management, externalRead MoreSwot Analysis Of Honda1603 Words à |à 7 Pagesprofitability. The current global motorcycle manufacturing sector is full of competition. It, therefore, becomes crucial for every manufacturer to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and then identi fy the opportunities to exploit to gain competitive advantage. Honda is Japanese based automobile company; it has numerous subsidiaries in Asia, Europe, and North America. Due to the advancements in technology, Honda will be required to make use of the latest technological trends to stay competitive. The businessRead MoreThe Sarbanes Oxley Act Of 20021274 Words à |à 6 Pagesare the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the recently approved by Congress act, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform and Consumer Protection of 2010. While these acts have been implemented with the economy and the consumer in mind, there have been a lot of controversy on whether these acts have in fact benefitted the economy or not. We will analyze and explain the two before mentioned acts and will provide an overview of the point of view of supporters and the opposition. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002Read MoreWhat Are Five Elements Necessary For Commit Fraud?1739 Words à |à 7 PagesCresseyââ¬â¢s fraud triangle. Pressure is when there a need cannot be satisfied by conventional means. Pressure answers the question of why fraud is committed, which include: excessive debts, cannot afford current lifestyle, and a increases in the costs of tax preparation and litigation. Opportunity is when a trained individual uses his or her skills to violate company trust by not taking time off or knowing the ââ¬Å"insâ⬠and the ââ¬Å"outsâ⬠of the job. Rationalization occurs when he or she provides reasoning as toRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act : The Public Company Accounting Reform And Investor Protection Act Of 20021452 Words à |à 6 PagesSarbanes-Oxley Act, which is as often as possible alluded to as SOX or Sarbox, was presented 6 years back in 2002, or to be more particular, was authorized on July, 30 2002. This demonstration is otherwise called th e Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002. This demonstration showed up not without a moment s delay with no reasons, there were not kidding requirements for its advancement and institution. There was a progression of bookkeeping and corporate outrages that
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Qualities of a Good Leader Free Essays
First of all, if youââ¬â¢re not confident you will go no where as a leader and probably will not be a leader in the first place. When you are confident, you instill confidence in those around you, it ââ¬Å"rubs off. â⬠Being conceited and arrogant are two different things. We will write a custom essay sample on Qualities of a Good Leader or any similar topic only for you Order Now Arrogance causes those around you to dislike you and resent your actions. Many traits are involved with confidence, including the ability to communicate, make decisions, and optimism.Communicating and how you do it is key, if you speak with authority and knowledge you will be successful. The way you make decisions affects your followerââ¬â¢s confidence in you. Donââ¬â¢t second guess yourself. Optimism is the fall back plan on which most leaders use when something doesnââ¬â¢t go their way. Having people know that you made a mistake but will fix it in the near future will greatly increase the amount of people who follow you. HONESTY- People want to trust their leader.The best way to gain trust in a leader is if that leader is honest and trustworthy. In order to gain that attribute of honesty, you must go out of your way to display that honesty as an individual. When you donââ¬â¢t admit that something didnââ¬â¢t work, you are making a mistake. In the eyes of citizens or who whoever may follow you, lying to them is quite possibly the worst thing you can do. When you are honest you turn into an influence to other people. How to cite Qualities of a Good Leader, Papers Qualities of a Good Leader Free Essays You must have an honest understanding of who you are, what you know, and what you can do. Note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. We will write a custom essay sample on Qualities of a Good Leader or any similar topic only for you Order Now To be successful you have to convince your followers, not yourself or your superiors, that you are worthy of being followed. Good leaders are made, not born. If you have the desire and willpower, you can become an effective leader. Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience (Jago, 1982). To inspire your workers into higher levels of teamwork, there are certain things you must be, know, and, do. These do not come naturally, but are acquired through continual work and study. Good leaders are continually working and studying to improve their leadership skills. Seven Qualities of a Good Leader 1. A good leader has an exemplary character. A leader needs to be trusted and be known to live their life with honestly and integrity. A good leader ââ¬Å"walks the talkâ⬠. 2. A good leader is enthusiastic about their work or about their role as leader. passion and dedication â⬠¢source of inspiration, â⬠¢a motivator, will not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. 3. A good leader is confident. â⬠¢confident as a person and in the leadership role. â⬠¢inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. 4. A leader functions in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty. â⬠¢People look to the leader during times of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find reassurance and security when the leader portrays confidence and a positive demeanour. 5. Good leaders are tolerant of ambiguity (doubt, vagueness). â⬠¢Remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. â⬠¢Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head. 6. A good leader thinks analytically. â⬠¢is able to break it down into sub parts for closer inspection. â⬠¢can break it down into manageable steps and make progress towards it. 7. A good leader is committed to excellence. â⬠¢The good leader not only maintains high standards, but also is proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas. The Top 10 Leadership Qualities 1. Integrity- integration of outward actions and inner values. A leader must have the trust of followers and therefore must display integrity. 2. Dedication- means spending whatever time or energy is necessary to accomplish the task at hand. By setting an excellent example, leaders can show followers that there are no nine-to-five jobs on the team, only opportunities to achieve something great. 3. Magnanimity -giving credit where it is due. â⬠¢ensures that credit for successes is spread as widely as possible throughout the company. a good leader takes personal responsibility for failures. â⬠¢To spread the fame and take the blame is a hallmark of effective leadership. 4. Humility- recognizes that they are no better or worse than other members of the team. â⬠¢A humble leader is not self-effacing but rather tries to elevate everyone. â⬠¢understand that their status does not make them a god. Mahatma Gandhi is a role model for Indian leaders , and he pursued a ââ¬Å"follower-centricâ⬠leadership role. 5. Openness- being able to listen to new ideas, even if they do not conform to the usual way of thinking. Good leaders are able to suspend judgment while listening to othersââ¬â¢ ideas, â⬠¢well as accept new ways of doing things that someone else thought of. â⬠¢Openness builds mutual respect and trust between leaders and followers, and it also keeps the team well supplied with new ideas that can further its vision. 6. Creativity -ability to think differently, to get outside of the box that constrains solutions. -the ability to see things that others have not seen and thus lead followers in new directions. -The most important question that a leader can ask is, ââ¬Å"What if â⬠¦ ? Possibly the worst thing a leader can say is, ââ¬Å"I know this is a dumb question â⬠¦ 7. Fairness- dealing with others consistently and justly. A leader must check all the facts and hear everyone out before passing judgm ent. â⬠¢must avoid leaping to conclusions based on incomplete evidence. When people feel they that are being treated fairly, they reward a leader with loyalty and dedication. 8. Assertiveness-is not the same as aggressiveness. â⬠¢it is the ability to clearly state what one expects so that there will be no misunderstandings. â⬠¢ A leader must be assertive to get the desired results. . Sense of humor is vital to relieve tension and boredom, as well as to defuse hostility. â⬠¢Effective leaders know how to use humor to energize followers. Humor is a form of power that provides some control over the work environment. And simply put, humor fosters good camaraderie. 10. Intrinsic traits such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership traits. Leadership ââ¬â â⬠¢Ã¢â¬Å"process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a co mmon taskâ⬠. (Alan Keith of Genentech) states that, ââ¬Å"Leadership is ultimately about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary happen. â⬠â⬠¢Ken ââ¬Å"SKCâ⬠Ogbonnia, ââ¬Å"effective leadership is the ability to successfully integrate and maximize available resources within the internal and external environment for the attainment of organizational or societal goals. â⬠â⬠¢organizing a group of people to achieve a common goal. â⬠â⬠¢Influencing others to take actions and adopt behaviors that accomplish a goal or a mission. The Process of Great Leadership The road to great leadership (Kouzes Posner, 1987) that is common to successful leaders: oChallenge the process ââ¬â First, find a process that you believe needs to be improved the most. oInspire a shared vision ââ¬â Next, share your vision in words that can be understood by your followers. oEnable others to act ââ¬â Give them the tools and methods to solve the problem. oModel the way ââ¬â When the process gets tough, get your hands dirty. A boss tells others what to do, a leader shows that it can be done. oEncourage the hearts ââ¬â Share the glory with your followersââ¬â¢ hearts, while keeping the pains within your own. . 2: IMPORTANCE/FUNCTIONS OF LEADERSHIP 1. Help interpret the meaning of events 2. Create alignment on objectives and strategies 3. Build task commitment and optimism 4. Build mutual trust and cooperation 5. Strengthen collective identity 6. Organize and coordinate activities 7. Encourage and facilitate collective learning 8. Obtain necessary resources and support 9. Develop and empower people 10. Promote social justice and morality 1:3 ISSUES AND PROBLEMS ON LEADERSHIP Issues and Problems For most organizations, problems prevent the direct, linear achievement of a goal. The problems faced by an organization may be adaptive in nature. Adaptive problems-require changes in organizations structure, behaviour, values, culture or objectives. Non-adaptive problems- simply require the application of existing approaches. Table 1ââ¬â Organizational Issues Problem/Issue TypesSolutions AvailablePeople Involved Adaptive, Non-Technical UnclearUnknown and Unclear; Requires Evolution of Values and InnovationAll Stakeholders Non-Technical but ClearPartly Known -Some Adaptive Learning RequiredExperts Aid Diagnosis; Group Solves Problem Technical ClearTechnical, Solutions ExistExpert-Leader How to cite Qualities of a Good Leader, Essay examples
Friday, December 6, 2019
The Main Reason That Women Are Paid Less Than Men free essay sample
More than 2,000 years ago the Greek philosopher Plato wroteâ⬠¦ ââ¬Å"Nothing can be more absurd than the practice that prevails in our country of men and women not following the same pursuits with all their strengths and with one mind, for thus, the state instead of being whole is reduced to half. â⬠(Plato, The Laws) There is a nationwide debate as to whether or not women are paid less than men as a result of gender discrimination in the workforce. It is our position that gender discrimination is in fact the main reason women are paid less than men, and we will defend our position with appropriate statistics and facts. This is no doubt a sensitive issue and there are a lot of different views and opinions throughout the world. It is certain that this topic is influenced by a wide range of factors and is also affected by geographical effects. Furthermore, if we want to hold the view that gender discrimination is largely responsible for differences in wage between men and woman, we have to concentrate on a specific market. In this case, on the United States, we should look on the hypothesis from different perspectives. To effectively defend our position, it is beneficial to break down our position into two parts. First, we have to prove that a gender pay gap in the United States actually exists. If we want to prove a crowding hypothesis we not only have to support this theory by referring to appropriate statistics, studies, and research, but also the existence of this hypothesis itself. Human resource managers are largely responsible for compensating employees, which would ultimately affect the pay gap between men and women. Human resource managers were asked if they think there actually is a gender pay gap among Americaââ¬â¢s companies, and if it existed inside there own organization. According to a recent study published by the Institute of Management Administration in New York, they do in fact believe in this gap. Overall 89. 4 percent of the interviewed managers think that there is a wage differential between the genders at other companies. What is surprising about this data is that only 17. 7 percent of them added their own company to this group (ââ¬Å"How Widespread Is the Gender Pay Gapâ⬠, 006, p. 1). It seems that there is a real glass ceiling effect in Americaââ¬â¢s industry. Everyone talks about it but very few admit to having such a barrier in their own organization. However, as expected, there are further differences among the various industries and in regional trends. For instance, the study found that 100 percent of the respondents in the educational sector believe there is a w age differential while almost 18 percent in the non-profit industry are not committed to this thesis. The regional differences are smaller (p. ) but for sure they would gain in importance if we looked outside of America. So our position is that we can state that there generally exists the perception of a gender-based pay gap, however, it observably differs from region to region and industry to industry. As mentioned earlier, there is a second part to our position which has to be considered, whether or not the pay gap is a result of gender discrimination. In our position it is quite clear that gender discrimination is the main factor influencing the pay gap and it emanates from the mentioned studies. To represent valid facts, the research had to provide a consistent basis, which sorted the wage and salary data out of all objective influences. That means from an objective view, the compared earnings are based on persons with the same characteristics, skills, and living conditions. Thus there are only subjective reasons left, which may cause this gender-based pay gap among men and women in the economic environment, and that means gender discrimination. On this account, in the discussion below, we will try to analyze the various studies we found and to count out all the possible objective reasons that might cause a legitimate pay gap among gender. Why is this issue important to organizations? One reason for organizations to pay men and women equally for the same amount of work is to avoid any legal ramifications which can lead to severe financial penalties. Another important reason to avoid discriminating against women is that discrimination can draw negative publicity for the company, leading to poor performance in the workplace and potential loss of sales. Companies that do not follow the Equal Pay Act are stalling the already slow process for womenââ¬â¢s equality in the United States. Organizations need to help accelerate the process and they may be rewarded and receive positive publicity which in turn can improve company morale and customer satisfaction. Furthermore, this good reputation makes a company also more attractive for women of the academic labor market and might enable the organization to gain a sustainable competitive advantage within the industry by obtaining high-quality female human resources. It also might lead to better relationships to other stakeholders such as state and government, creditors or suppliers. For instance, it is quite enough to look on the recent case of the class action of female employees against Wal-Mart (Christie, J. , ââ¬Å"Wal-Mart Faces Historic Sex Bias Caseâ⬠, 2007). This lawsuit was published in numerous newspapers and other media. Can you imagine how that will affect the companyââ¬â¢s reputation in the future? Possibly a lot of women will be in doubt about the worldââ¬â¢s largest retail business and choose rather another company for their career-entry or advancement. Therefore it is maybe not the fine which Wal-Mart is currently worrying about, but particularly the damage to its image that will affect the organization throughout the coming years. The equal pay dilemma has been an issue in this country dating back as early as the 1880ââ¬â¢s. During World War I and World War II the concept of equal pay became a matter of policy with limited practice. Many women were called upon to replace male factory workers who had been sent to the war which became a catalyst for the subject. A national debate arose as to whether or not the policies of equal pay should continue to be practiced during peacetime. The main advocate of these equal pay policies in the U. S. was the Womenââ¬â¢s Bureau of the Department of Labor. However these policies soon died as the war ended and the major male workforce came back from overseas. The topic of equal pay has been thoroughly investigated and well documented throughout the years and all the information leads to the same conclusion that equal pay does not exist. Years of protest for womenââ¬â¢s equal rights prompted the slogan ââ¬Å"equal pay for equal workâ⬠which became very appealing throughout the nation. This slogan, which cried out for equality, helped gain support from labor parties, unions, womanââ¬â¢s organizations, and government ministries. However, defining these terms such as equal pay and equal work is a difficult task in itself. The problem with equal pay lays in the fact that a very small percentage of women work on the same job as well as performing the same work and under the same conditions as their male colleagues. Furthermore, equal work is also an elusive term and is difficult to define. Defining what ââ¬Å"equalâ⬠should measure has been the main difficulties of equal pay advocates. Equal could be measured in many different ways: amount of a product, value of a product, value of the work to the employer, work done under similar conditions, or should it represent equal effort or sacrifice? The problems of definition and of measurement both of equal pay and of equal work have provided comfort for the opponents of equal pay and refuge for the undecided. This issue is controversial because it is a topic which actually should not exist. Everyone knows about it but nobody is really aware of the fact that this is happening now in their direct environment and in their own company. Another reason for the conflicting opinions might be the consistency of the data and statistics gained by national research. This topic is very complex and influenced by innumerable variables so that it is difficult for those research institutes to cut down the determining factors only on ââ¬Å"gender discriminationâ⬠. Thus, leaves a lot of room for skepticism and disagreements. The reason that this issue is really controversial proves again in the recent publication of possibly the biggest sexual discrimination case in U. S. history advanced against Wal-Mart on Tuesday the 6th of February. The article published by Reuters in the New York Times reported that ââ¬Å"a top court ruled that more than a million women could join a suit charging bias in pay and promotionsâ⬠(Christie, J. , ââ¬Å"Wal-Mart Faces Historic Sex Bias Caseâ⬠, 2007). This lawsuit will probably constitute another longsome dispute in the US justice department about the topic of gender discrimination in the workforce and if it is the main reason for the pay gap between men and women in the United States. Discussion For our first argument, we will discuss the glass ceiling effect and position segregation concerning women in the United States. One theory of gender discrimination in the workforce constitutes the existence of a glass ceiling effect that causes a pay gap among genders. This theory was proven by Alkadry and Tower, who mainly tried to answer the following questions regarding the glass ceiling by surveying four groups of public procurement professionals online: ââ¬Å"Are women truly concentrated in the lower levels or positions of organizations? Why are they entering into these lower levels or positions and not elsewhere? And, why do women who enter lower-level positions not advance to higher positions within their organizations?
Friday, November 29, 2019
American reconstruction historiography problems an Example of the Topic Government and Law Essays by
American reconstruction historiography problems The American Civil war fought between the United States and the Southern slave states which called themselves the Confederate States of America. The war was the bloodiest in American history which caused hundreds of thousands of military and civilian casualties. The war led to the end of slavery, secession and strengthened the role of the Federal government. The end of the American civil war did not mean an end to the causes which led to the conflict. Reconstruction is the time period from 1863 to 1877 in which the American government attempted to resolve how the secessionist states would be reintegrated into the Union, the civil status of the Confederacy leadership and the political status of the freed blacks. History is the study of past events while historiography is the written documents and records about humans and past societies. Historians have collected and recorded facts about the reconstruction. Need essay sample on "American reconstruction historiography problems" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed They have different interpretations, assumptions and aims about the event. Historians make observations using documents, letters, data and other sources to make generalizations. These generalizations form the basis of the historians interpretation. Few events in US history have undergone such dramatic shifts in interpretation. Reconstruction however has been universally concluded by historians as being a failure. Early historians saw Johnson and the confederates as traitors who had sabotaged the Unions achievements. Only a decade after the reconstruction, historians pointed out to the incompetence of Johnson and his allies which led to the Radical Reconstruction. The Dunning school of Reconstruction historians observed and concluded that the reconstruction was unfortunate in every way. This school of thought felt that Unions motives were immoral and that they unleashed havoc on the South (Jr., 1991). They undermined the Souths economy and racial relations for generations. This school of thought assumed that the South was ready to accommodate to a reasonable plan that would integrate their states and resolve the issues of the American Civil War. This view however has been challenged by modern historians who have observed that the South was finding legal means to subjugate the black population. The creation of the Klu Klux Klan and burning of black churches is evidence by modern historians that the South was not willing to accommodate. Most contemporary historians have rejected the assumption that Radical reconstruction led to deterioration of race relations. Much evidence suggests that race friction was rampant in the South before the Radical reconstruction. They suggest that plight of the freedmen were the motivating factors for the Radical reconstruction. Du Bois in 1935 provided the most significant challenge to the Dunning School. He wrote extensively about the efforts by African Americans to create a stable political environment in the South. He also argued that the reconstruction was an ideal opportunity for the African Americans to unite with white workers. This was however sabotaged by southern whites who used the specter of racism to prevent such a bonding. Another problem facing the documentation of the event is historical revisionism which was popular in the 1930s. These historical revisionists interpreted the events of reconstruction on the basis of economics. They argued that the real motives of reconstruction were to destroy the agricultural base of the South and replace them with a new network of national banks and to guarantee a sound currency. Post World War II historians saw reconstruction as an event which failed because of the high level of idealism. They concluded that the goals were too ambitious to complete and did not take into account the realities of the era (Dr Toer,). Another school of reconstruction historians were the neoabolitionist who were allied with the Civil Rights Movement and who praised the Radical Reconstruction. They argued that a second reconstruction was needed for the twentieth century. Contemporary historians have written extensively on race, religion and gender issues of the Reconstruction. They include Nina Silber, David Blight, Cecelia O'Leary, Laura Edwards, LeeAnn Whites, and Edward J. Blum. Reconstruction is an event which has been documented, observed and reported by historians in many different ways. The problems faced in documenting the event have been bias, prejudice, generalizations, etc. Trends like multiculturalism, post modernism and the rise of cultural and social history have also influenced the historiography of the reconstruction. References Jr., Robert P. Green (1991). Alaskool. Retrieved November 2, 2007, from Reconstruction Historiography: A Source of Teaching Ideas Web site: http://www.alaskool.org/resources/teaching/socialstudies/Reconstruct_historiography.htm Dr Toer Dr Toer's Amazing Magic Lantern Show Video. Retrieved November 2, 2007, from American Social History Project
Monday, November 25, 2019
cholesterol essays
cholesterol essays For years, cholesterol has been a major concern for millions of people around the world. This fear of cholesterol has led to many consultations with specialists like physicians and nutritionists. It seems that there is a great misconception about this molecule. A majority of the population is conscious of the harm that it can cause, but they are not aware that it has pertinent values to our body. There are two major forms that cholesterol comes in: 1) low density lipoprotein, which is generally considered "bad" cholesterol and 2) high density lipoprotein, which is known as "good" cholesterol. Although given these names, there is nothing inherently good or bad about them. This research will clarify a lot of the misconceptions that are associated with cholesterol and the overall effect that cholesterol has on the human body. Cholesterol is a soft, fat like substance made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, that is found in all the body's cells and is used to form cell membranes, manufacture hormones and other necessary substances. It is an organic compound belonging to the sterol family that also encompasses steroids. Cholesterol is produced two ways. The first is by the liver. "The liver produces about 50,000,000,000,000,000 cholesterol molecules a second" (Body Mechanics 1), or about 1,000 mg of cholesterol a day. The second is by the intake of the foods eaten like animal fats (saturated and polysaturated fats) such as cheese, lard, egg yolks, red or marbled meat, pork, processed meat, gravies, palm or coconut oil, deep fried foods, whole milk, butter, etc.. This second process is accountable for another 400 mg - 500 mg of cholesterol a day. Once eaten, the cholesterol in the food goes into the intestines to await digestion. "Chylomicrons (fatty particles containing mainly triglycerides, but also cholesterol, phospholipids and protein) are produced in the intestinal wall" (Arthersclerosis 3). Once the chylomicrons enter the b...
Thursday, November 21, 2019
The e-learning community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
The e-learning community - Essay Example This site is reminiscent of many other open source code sites, provides a mixture of community information areas for those who are developers and those who simply want to understand what Moodle is about. Like many open source website, there are continual downloads and as such are constantly updated on a regular basis. The site does presents a very balanced view as it is open source software, it is open to the internet community as a whole. This is an excellent way to continually improve a site with respect to having developers add to the source code as well as reporting and helping, in some cases, to fix bugs that affect the software. The site was extremely easy to navigate due to it's simple site architecture in place. It has general areas that all sites require and conforms to the standards required by open source code sites. The site is very crisp and clean and is not overly complicated with respect to needing to go where you need to. Navigation is extremely well thought out. The site is clean, and not overcrowded by site advertising and lets you find the areas that the visitor needs to go to. The menu system to the left of the site is extremely easy to navigate and, for example, if you do to documentation, that is the first and only place you need to go to find every piece of documentation you would need to find. This style of site allows for the average user looking for a solution to easily understand what they want without being crowded out by technical language. 5. How the site could be improved. I would only say the site only needs improvement in understanding what the open source software is exactly. Moodle gives you a "welcome to moodle", but, unless you are familiar with open source code and what it is about, it is impossible to understand the technical language. Although they provide links to the different definitions of terminology, an unfamiliar and non-technical person may turn away from this site. It would also be helpful to use dynamic flash images or pages instead of static images that don't lend to an overly receptive front page, or, for that matter, cascading sheets. atutor.ca site This website is entirely formatted and styled after the Microsoft site in its arrangement of the menu system and overall style sheets. 1. What information did the site cover, e.g. did it try to present a summary of the facts or did it also give opinions Did it try to give complete and up- to-date coverage, or did it appear to be selective The site is entirely composed of presenting to the visitor what the open source web-based software is inclusive of and as such provides a very good description of what it is representing. As with many open source sites, this too, like Moodle, has continual updates on a daily basis to any fixes to the code itself or those that report a problem they can track it in the documentation section. 2. Did the site present a balanced view or did it represent one perspective The site does
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Ecology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Ecology - Essay Example What they thought was to stop using the things that an urban family would use every day. While this may sound not so difficult in the context of suburb or rural living, the sternest of problems is the fact that the Beavan Family lives in the super metropolitan of New York. You can simply imagine how it would be like waking up in every morning not allowed to use toothpaste or a shampoo. But that is just less of what Colin Beavan cemented as a commitment: he intended to reduce his personal impact to the environment for one year by practicing vegan diet, purchasing locally-produced foods, turning off the refrigerator, no elevators, no cars, no buses, or no airplanes, not using products that contain environmentally-detrimental contents, no electricity, no material consumption, and no garbage. For a skeptic, this is a complete delusion that has gone overboard but for Colin, this is just one way to protect and save the environment for the generations to come. Although the caption of the do cumentary absolutely waxed lyrical the many eyes of the witnessing populace, it was likewise devaluing, reducing the impact of Beavanââ¬â¢s experiment into a mere marketing publicity-stunt that points towards selling albums or books. For cynically-inclined observers, Beavanââ¬â¢s endeavor may just fall under the futile category; although, that is primary due to the fact that it is a lot simpler to presume the pits and most horrible upshots ââ¬â it necessities slightest contemplation. No Impact Man would really make cynics doubt about the contrived nooks and crannies as the main cause of coming up with the documentary: (1) it is possible that Beavan is using the documentary in order to advertise books. In any case, he is a writer and quite a prolific one at that; or (2) it is also possible that Beavan is trying to increase the peopleââ¬â¢s awareness of what the humanity can do in order to save the planet. However, if you would enable yourself to surpass your individual d isbelief and doubt about the purpose of the documentary, you might be amazed by the extraordinary undertaking involved in the documentary. Whether it is some sort of a publicity stunt or whatever, Beavanââ¬â¢s experimentation to an incredibly carbon-reduced path for quite a long period of time (one year is long for such an activity) in a highly urbanized zone while nurturing a two year old child ââ¬â is a sincere and honorable effort; and considering the fact that this experiment is causing too much dilemma on his wife, Michelle, a writer for Businessweek ââ¬â it is also a valiant one. What is very impressing about Beavanââ¬â¢s experimentation is that he is not the kind of person so used to ââ¬Å"simple livingâ⬠nor he is an environmental activist; he is actually a city man living in the realms of the influential New York City but still able to adapt to the kind of life that early Americans have lived while maintaining his location. He never moved from New York; he stayed in New York. And with the most challenging circumstances of not being able to take advantage of the conveniences of a city life, that is more than just a challenge; it is a complete horror. That partly explains why Beavanââ¬â¢s experimentation was one-of-a-kind and extremely praiseworthy. Beavan and his wife precluded from using PUVs so for a year, they were allergic of cabs, trams, and trains. They
Monday, November 18, 2019
Languages and Evolution Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Languages and Evolution - Research Proposal Example A report in the telegraph by Hayley Dixon could perhaps contextualize what I want to achieve. The report stated the widely recognized principle that humans especially children learn new words based from what they hear others use them in conversations. Dixon revealed that experts are now thinking the capability to learn language and acquire new vocabulary may be severely hampered as children increasingly learn through devices such as Ipads. Would children exposed to these technological devices create new vocabularies by imitating sounds from them? I intend to support my position in this mini-research through several arguments. First, I would like to explain and establish the role of vocal imitation in human language development as well as its genetic and biological explanations. Why is this crucial in the origin of our language? I hope to draw a parallel between this area and a potential of radical language change in the future through vocal imitation. I will also support my argument with an analysis of new vocabularies based on vocal imitations. For example, there are the cases of untz, wub and beep. These are new words derived from the human imitation of sounds. For further support, I could also discuss in this context the incidence of ââ¬Å"mesofactâ⬠or the way meaning changes for words over time Finally, I would like to devote an important part of my work to the links between vocal imitation, adaptation, human sociality and their role in the future of human language. I would like to confine this within a discourse using technology as a control point. The technology variable is accepted to be increasingly eroding our oral traditions, specifically; the passing of knowledge with the now limited opportunity to hear wide range of words (Hayley). I will answer how - with our new-found incapability to hear and learn new words - could vocal imitation fill the gap
Saturday, November 16, 2019
Compare And Contrast Different Organizational Structures And Culture Commerce Essay
Compare And Contrast Different Organizational Structures And Culture Commerce Essay MasterCard is one of the most common names used by people in USA and the second only in worldwide billings to Visa. In order to answer the question about the position of MasterCard in the world, Leigh Clapham (n.d) announced that: As we examined the company, we felt our strategy and people were fine, so we really focused on culture almost by a process of elimination. We just felt our leadership and our execution could be much better, and culture was really at the heart of that. MasterCards organizational culture is defined as role culture because their employees have passive-defensive behaviors, which often means avoiding personal responsibility and simply attempting to make everything rule-based. (Leigh Clapham, n.d) However, these bureaucracies are very slow to respond to change which means that the Leigh Claphams desire to change behavior and culture in MasterCard is quite hard to achieve. However, role culture brings safety working environment to employees so that they are willing to keep their mind on their work. Microsoft In the past, Microsoft is known as the most successful and biggest technological company under Bill Gates leadership. In 2000, Bill Gates left and Steve Ballmer became the CEO of Microsoft. Under Steve Ballmers leadership, Microsoft went down in many aspects such as stock price, the capabilities of innovation, and especially the organizational culture. The organizational culture in Microsoft is competitive culture (Diane Ravitch, 2012) and also called cannibalistic culture (Paul Thomas). It means that, working in Microsoft, employees always have to take part in an unexpected competition. This internal competition, somehow, has created dysfunction corporate culture that obviously will thwart innovation. Its one of many things that lead Microsoft to Lost Decade (Kurt Eichenwald, 2012). Structure According to Bill Gates (1997), Microsoft has a very flat organization. Microsoft is currently employing 94,000 people which means much larger than MasterCard. In 2011, MasterCard was employing approximately 7000 people. However, likes Microsoft, MasterCard is also defined as a flat organization (?) Outcome 1.3: Discuss the factors which influence individual behavior at work Admittedly, organization is made up by individual and, as a result, individual plays an important role influencing organizational behavior. There are five major factors that influence individual differences in behavior at work: personality; perception; attitude; abilities and skills; conflict, stress and change. The individuals personality is one of the core factors of organizational behavior which obviously affect the whole organization. Personality is considered as the most complicated aspect that can influence an individual behavior in a big way. Family, culture and situation are several personality factors that have impact on an individual. Attitude is a tendency to respond to certain situations. Its also defined as a mental and neural state of readiness, exerting a directive or dynamic influence upon the individuals response to all objects with which is related. That means the managers of an organization have responsibility in order to create a favorable working environment which will enable their employees form a positive attitude. For example, the working environment in Microsoft is known as cannibalistic culture (Paul Thomas) meaning that its too competitive. It leads to result that their employees always have to compete with each other. They would rather beat their colleague than make innovation. Lacking innovation which comes from employees, Microsoft is performing a bad business in recent years. Perception is the way an individual interpret the environmental stimuli. There are also many factors that decide the right perception of an individual. But the most important is that the manager has to create a favorable environment which will help employees perceive them in a positive way. Abilities and skills are judged through the performance of an individual at work. It means that employees can perform well or not depends on his/her abilities and skills can match the job requirement or not. Microsoft is a typical example explains the relationship between skills, abilities and organization. Microsoft is using stack ranking system which was popularized by Jack Welch of GE (Diane Ravitch, 2012). This system enables manager rate their employees from the best to worst and then fail the worst. The worst one is also known as the person who cant match the abilities and skills with the job requirement. If the failed one is doing a terrific job and he knows he is going to get failed, he absolutely perform his work in a positive way. The last factor in five core factors that influence an individual is conflict, stress and change. Working under cannibalistic culture means Microsofts employees always have to work under pressure and stress. The result is that they cant do their best when they deal with problems or have to innovate. Then, they perform the bad work, greatly influence to the organization and Microsoft is now close to financial failure. The knowledge about these responses is determining factors for the organization. Every organization requires a positive behavior from their employees and such behavior is recognized by observation, learning or training. Besides the job, the managers have responsibilities to create a good working environment which, somehow, will influence to employees behavior. Outcome 2.1: Compare the effectiveness of different leadership styles in different organizations Leader plays a vital role for the development and the existence of the organization. Leader helps develop organizations objectives, visions, missions and value. Naturally, organizational culture is created based on its leadership and contrariwise the organizational culture also has impact on shaping and developing leadership. The leader styles could be distinguished into four types: autocratic, democratic, persuasive and, participative. Microsoft under Bill Gates leadership is different with Microsoft under Steve Ballmers leadership because of different leadership between these two CEO. Bill Gates leadership is called autocratic. Gates made all the decisions, large or small. He allowed no middle managers between him and his employees. Gates was Microsofts chief decision maker, chief technologist, chief salesperson, chief dealmaker and chief visionary, all rolled into one. (Robert S. Portfolio, 2004). His leadership styles made the communication between him and subordinates was shown in one-way. He made decision and everyone had to do exactly what he said without questions. It greatly effects on employees work performance. Making all decisions himself means he decides to change Microsofts culture into overbearing culture (Edward Cotton). He also dropped the innovative culture which is built from the contribution or initiative from subordinates. However, his style ensures the fulfillment of the strategies. We cant avo id the excellent business performance of Microsoft under Bill which was a certain part created by his leadership style. In 1993, Microsoft had $3.79 billion in revenues, $953 million in profit, and 14,430 employees. In 2000, revenues soared to $22.96 billion, profits to $9.4 billion, and the headcount to 39,170. Between 1999 and 2000 alone, the company had taken on nearly 8,000 new employees. (Robert S. Portfolio, 2004) When Steve Ballmer became the CEO of Microsoft, he tried to change the organizational culture and encourage innovations by using his leadership style which definitely different from Bill Gates. Steve Ballmer (2012) said: Im really trying to give out the instructions, so that many decisions can be made by people. By saying this, he affirmed that his leadership style is democratic which allow him and followers make the decision together. Robert W. Selander was the CEO of MasterCard for 14 years from 1999 to 2010. Robert W. Selander announced that: I have to be careful about not conveying where Im coming from too early on in the process, because Im looking to get feedback from others. Obviously, his leadership styles can be defined as participative leadership. It helps MasterCard create the innovation culture. Participative leadership enables Robert W. Selander to gather and analyze subordinates ideas and views. It makes all MasterCard decisions seem to be more objective than Microsoft. Under Robert W. Selanders leadership, MasterCard grew and turn into one of the most successful payment company. In 2006, MasterCard sold for $39 in its initial public offering. It closed at $218 on June 25. (Roslyn Courtney, 2010) The organization measures its performance and uses that information to improve products and services. In order to do that, it absolutely needs employees contribution and everything is encouraged and shaped by the leadership. Leaders have responsibilities to ensure that their employees are motivated and guided by their leadership and organizational culture also. In other words, leadership has affected the whole organization including human resources, processes and profits.
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Coming of Age in Richard Wrights Black Boy Essay -- Wright Black Boy
Coming of Age in Wright's Black Boy Black Boy, created by Richard Wright with his soul and written as his shadow, is a subtly actualized chronicle of an adolescent's coming of age in the United States accompanying by a clear-cut denunciation of the Southern racial intolerance. Throughout the novel, said reasons for novelizing this superb piece of work, is upheld by numerous citations of maturity related incidents obscured by the racial era. With the myriad ingenious assertions within Black Boy in the context of the motivation in freelancing this novel, it is to my understanding that binary objectives takes place of which are truly relevant to one another. Ignorant readers assumed that Wright's reflections on childhood and youth ended with hope and promise. Ironically, Wright actually ended his reflections on juvenility with a ephemeral indictment on the South: "This was the culture from which I sprang. This was the terror from which I fled." [Page 303] Wright characterized himself in a society of racial consternation in which he was bound to deliberately undergo. He was confronted with the nurture in which he was soon frightened to reveal. His inexperienced nature encumbrance with obscene phenomenon in which he fled. His conception narrated his childhood, and correspondingly, the inhumane ethnic critique that was intimidating to his innocent intellect. And beyond reasons, affiliated both interpretations in a rationalized manner by utilizing the environmental factors as a part of growing up and indirectly criticized the acrimonious racism.  ... ...e repercussion to both a transcription of Wright's coming of age and his morally devious attack on the racial South. With the humanistic affirmations of such a conclusion that Black Boy was written as a scripture of one's coming of age as well as a seized inform against the Southern prejudice, it is unmistakable that Richard Wright composed this novel as a work of stunning imagination and mythic power with said reassuring reasons. Interdependent, as well as interrelated syllogism, sets my hindmost justified revelation that foresees no other echo, if an echo ever exist. Subsequently a controversy recapitulation, his "hazy notion that life could be lived with dignity, that the personalities of others should not be violated, that men should be able to confront other men without fear or shame."
Monday, November 11, 2019
Industrial Economic Research Paper
Qustion1 Identify and explain the market structure in which the company is operating Pos Malaysia Market structure * Monopoly firm Introduction (Pos Malaysia) Pos Malaysia Berhad is Malaysiaââ¬â¢s premier physical communications provider. Pos Malaysia also has a widespread network of 701 post offices all over the country, in addition to its network of mini post offices, mobile post offices, postal agents and stamp agents, making it one of the most extensive retail networks in Malaysia.Pos Malaysiaââ¬â¢s Strategic Business Units that aim to provide quality, reliable, timely and innovative solutions to its customers, are made up of PosMel (mail and postal services), PosLaju (courier and express mail services), and PosNiaga (retail business services). Pos Malaysia also acts as a counter collection and payment agency for a range of financial transactions, such as bill payments, remittance, insurance and unit trusts. Pos Malaysia consists of 3 Main Core Business Units: Pos Mel ,Pos Laju and Pos Niaga. Poslaju or EMS service caters to all segments of the business community and the general public.There are 37 Poslaju Centres nationwide offer all types of courier services. Besides Mail and Express servicer. Poslaju or EMS service caters to all segments of the business community and the general public. Type of courier services Inbound Logistics * Customs Clearance, Import permit documentation, Transportation, Warehousing, Distribution channel/break bulk, Proof of delivery, Track and trace. Outbound Logistics * Customs clearance ,Export documentation ,Transportations ,Warehousing ,Distribution channel/break bulk ,Proof of delivery ,Track and trace Monopoly market structure (Pos Malaysia)Government protection Pos Malaysia Berhad is a Malaysian postal service company that was privatized in 1992 from a government department into a business corporation. Government also protects and helps pos Malaysia if that firm has shortage cost and losses. was attributed to the pos Malaysia is the first company established to provide these services and the company has long operated, known by society and high cost in the provision of post Malaysia. Society loyalty The society in Malaysia has known about brand of pos Malaysia and the society also has familiar to uses pos Malaysia as services of mail.The public will be more confident in such a service as Pos Malaysia is an agency under the ministry and the government is indirectly involved in ensuring the security of the items kept here. Maximize profit A monopoly market exists when there is huge number of buyers but small or very limited number of sellers in the market. Monopoly is the only supplier of a product for which there is no close substitute. In monopoly market, the firm has get a maximize profit, if the manager has have good skill and knowledge to manages that company.For example, pos Malaysia have a good manages, and that means this company can get a height profit. In monopoly market, pos Malaysia can set its own price and the prices chosen affects the quantity it sells. Pos Malaysia is the only licensed mail services provider in Malaysia and is the leader in the Malaysia Courier Services. Pos Malaysia posted a net profit of RM 61 million for the nine months ended September 2004 ââ¬â an increase of more than 40 per cent from the corresponding period in the previous year.It is projected to earn a net profit of close to RM100 million this year based on existing postal rates. Power of set prices In monopoly market, pos Malaysia can put the price of the service with a high rate to the profit of the community to obtain greater. This can be carried out in the market as pos Malaysia is the only domestic postal mail offered in Malaysia Advantages in monopoly Stability of prices * In a monopoly market the prices are most of the times stable. This happens because there is only one firm involved in the market that sets the prices if and when it feels like.In other types of market struc tures prices are not stable and tend to be elastic as a result of the competition that exists but this isnââ¬â¢t the case in a monopoly market as there is little or no competition at all. Source of revenue for the government * The government gets revenue in form of taxation from monopoly firms. Massive profits * Due to the absence of competitors which leads to high number of sales monopoly firms tend to receive super profits from their operations.The massive profits realized may be used in such things as launching other products, carrying out research and development among many other things that may be beneficial to the firm. Question 2 Comment if there are barriers to entry Definition Barriers to entry are designed to block potential entrants from entering a market profitably. They seek to protect the monopoly power of existing (incumbent) firms in an industry and therefore maintain supernormal (monopoly) profits in the long run.Barriers to entry have the effect of making a mark et less contestable. Defined an entry barrier as ââ¬Å"A cost of producing (at some or every rate of output) which must be borne by a firm which seeks to enter an industry but is not borne by firms already in the industry. Barriers to entry in( pos Malaysia). In pos Malaysia, there are barriers to entry. Among them are: Advertising and marketing * Developing consumer loyalty by establishing branded products can make successful entry into the market by new firms much more expensive. Cost Advantages Lower Costs; through experience of Being in the market for missing time, allows the existing postal company Malaysiaââ¬â¢s to cut price and win price wars if another firm enter the market. Absolute cost advantages * Allows an incumbent firm to earn excess profits without feat of new firm entering the market. for example in the market, pos Malaysia price of the service is able to offer a cheaper service player medals RM7 per unit, but other companies likes DHL and FedEx only able to off er prices as low as RM 12 mail service. so its pos Malaysia cans set PRICES at rm10.Which is are more chipper, than the more customer use pos Malaysia services and also get a highest profit. Government Restrictions * Government is the source of barriers to entry that are created by patents and copyrights. But these are not the only barriers to entry enabled by government. Government is, after all, the entity that establishes the rules of the game. Governments frequently erect barriers to entry by legally limiting the number of participants in a market. Legal restrictions for public utilities are usually designed to make the most effective use of natural monopoly markets that can create serious inefficiency problems.Other legal restrictions, such as licenses or charters, are generally intended to pursue other goals, but create barriers to entry nonetheless. For example, pos mel only provided by pos Malaysia. Although there are big rivals like FedEx and DHL outside, but pos Malaysia o ffer cheaper prices. First mover advantages * The first firm to enter incurs lower marketing costs because it faces no rivals. Later firm face higher marketing costs because they must compete against the first firm. If the presence of the incumbent raises the marketing costs of the second firm to enter, then the first firm has permanent advantages and can maintain high prices
Friday, November 8, 2019
Free Essays on Student Performance Analysis
There are links between student performance and financial, human, and material resources. School districts that can afford to spend have the resources stand a better chance of having higher performing students. These links also affect teaching and learning. It is pretty simple the more money, parental/community involvement and better materials, equals the more effective teacher. And the end result equals a well educated high performing student. Bear Valley Unified School Districtââ¬â¢s strategic plan illustrates all of the resources relate to teaching and learning. The first example of the resources affecting teaching and learning that I saw came from this particular statement in Bear Valley Unified School Districtââ¬â¢s strategic plan. Number four on the district parameters says: School district policy and expenditure decisions will support the Strategic Plan (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). By supporting the Strategic Plan which includes a lot of benefits for teachers and students shows the districtââ¬â¢s commitment to develop its policies and budgets according to achieving what is in the plan. When a person reads this they know that the Bear Valley Unified School District is attempting to do everything in its power to achieve all of the things outlined in its strategic plan. Number six under district parameters stated the following: The school district will not change nor implement programs or activities without provisions for staff training (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). This statement articulates that the Bear Valley Unified School District is willing to invest money into staff development to produce better teachers within their school district. If this happens the district will produce better teachers. The more effective teacher will then challenge his/her students to become better learners. Here there seems to be a trickle down effect. By investing i n building better teachers in return will p... Free Essays on Student Performance Analysis Free Essays on Student Performance Analysis There are links between student performance and financial, human, and material resources. School districts that can afford to spend have the resources stand a better chance of having higher performing students. These links also affect teaching and learning. It is pretty simple the more money, parental/community involvement and better materials, equals the more effective teacher. And the end result equals a well educated high performing student. Bear Valley Unified School Districtââ¬â¢s strategic plan illustrates all of the resources relate to teaching and learning. The first example of the resources affecting teaching and learning that I saw came from this particular statement in Bear Valley Unified School Districtââ¬â¢s strategic plan. Number four on the district parameters says: School district policy and expenditure decisions will support the Strategic Plan (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). By supporting the Strategic Plan which includes a lot of benefits for teachers and students shows the districtââ¬â¢s commitment to develop its policies and budgets according to achieving what is in the plan. When a person reads this they know that the Bear Valley Unified School District is attempting to do everything in its power to achieve all of the things outlined in its strategic plan. Number six under district parameters stated the following: The school district will not change nor implement programs or activities without provisions for staff training (bigbear.k12.ca.us/sarcs/plan.htm). This statement articulates that the Bear Valley Unified School District is willing to invest money into staff development to produce better teachers within their school district. If this happens the district will produce better teachers. The more effective teacher will then challenge his/her students to become better learners. Here there seems to be a trickle down effect. By investing i n building better teachers in return will p...
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
The Role of Alexander Hamilton in Federal Governments in the United States of America
The Role of Alexander Hamilton in Federal Governments in the United States of America What is the most significant part of Hamiltonââ¬â¢s argument in Federalist 70? Why does Hamilton argue in favour of a single executive? Are the comparisons Hamilton makes to the Roman warranted? Alexander Hamilton is considered as the founder of principles that govern Federal Governments in the United States of America and thus the true architect of the modern administrative state. Hamiltonââ¬â¢s most significant argument in Federal 70 was the creation of a strong executive.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Alexander Hamilton in Federal Governments in the United States of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Hamilton in Federalist 70 believed that good governance could only be attained through an energetic and accountable executive. A critical look at Hamiltonââ¬â¢s argument that was attached to the structure of government, administration and rule of law as well as policies is still relevant i n the contemporary United States of America. Hamilton expressed that a strong executive is a fundamental requirement for a nationââ¬â¢s economic prosperity, a view he held so dearly that he made political rivalry between him and people who held different views. It is imperative to note that during constitutional convention which was held in 1787, he advocated for a government in the form of an elected monarchy. This opinion was shot down by delegates in the convention. In spite of the defeat, he continued advocating for creation of a strong executive. Hamiltonââ¬â¢s views of a strong executive were anchored on the failures of the confederation plan which aimed at over-devolution of government affairs. It was evident that a plan of devolution that gave states maximum discretion over the federal government was improper. This was because of difficulties in formulating and ratifying rules to govern the same which took years to come up with largely due to disagreements in boundarie s and commerce. In order to support the views of Alexander Hamilton, failure among states to work under the terms of the Paris Treaty that ended the Revolutionary War made leaders to agree on making a strong government that would supervise affairs of the states. This agreement was reached after states started formulating their own independent foreign policies while other states fought on whom to control the western land. By 1787, it was evident that the devolution plan was not working and the solution to this would be formulating a strong federal government that would have executive powers over the statesââ¬â¢ governments.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The quest for a strong executive was echoed by Alexander Hamilton and being the first treasury secretary, he planned and wrote reports on modalities of creating strong executive government. His reports included r eport on public credit, manufacturing and creation of a national banking system. Hamilton considered three basic principles in his views regarding the newly agitated public administration structure and strategy. Firstly, Hamilton considered independence, responsibility and power as key principles that would indeed play a role if a strong executive agenda would succeed and give good results. According to Hamilton, the laws that had been ratified by the congress posed limitations on the independence of the federal government. It was his wish that for the executive to be able to implement laws, it required independence and freedom. It was also evident that Hamilton in his later works (such as in Federalist71) showed that there was need for separation of powers between the executive and the legislature. In addition, he showed that it was important to vest adequate authority to the executive such as freedom to determine how best to implement and administer laws. Hamilton was strongly con vinced that a weak government was bound to deliver poor results mainly due to bad policies. He also believed that there was much needed for a decisive organ that would drive policies on behalf of statesââ¬â¢ governments. In addition, Hamilton held the view that it required a strong government to protect the peopleââ¬â¢s interest if they required to rule and be served at the same time. It is evident that the Federalist 70 (a book by Hamilton) was probably the first of its kind on the subject of public administration whose relevance was noted almost a century later. The book outlined what was entailed by ââ¬Å"energy in the executiveâ⬠. On the principle of power, Hamilton outlined that a strong executive required unity, and that there ought to have been a president as the leader of the government who should be in power for a definite duration of time. Also, he said that the president was supposed to be competent enough to be able understand and push policies for the good o f the nation. The third principle of responsibility was aimed at keeping the executive government accountable so that it didnââ¬â¢t exhibit or exercise too much power. Hamilton suggested that for the executive to be accountable, it required Congress that would supervise it.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Role of Alexander Hamilton in Federal Governments in the United States of America specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Although Hamiltonââ¬â¢s view on separation of powers between the legislature and executive was received well, he suggested that it could not be enough to vest all the authority to the Congress to check the executive. There was need for a stronger executive branch (Congress) that could have power to impeach even the president. There was strong need to check the executive so that it does not exercise too much power. Therefore, the proposed government would be responsible for its actions for the good of the citizen of the nation. In order to prove that his argument was the only way to push for the economic development agenda and a change from agrarian dependent economy to manufacturing, Hamilton in the capacity of treasury secretary was instrumental in the planning and creation of the First Bank of the United States of America which was government-supported. Hamiltonââ¬â¢s view on a long term vision was that when an executive government is in place, it is possible to formulate policies that can change even the economic position of the nation. His vision of a manufacturing driven economy was that it would play a major role for America to engage in global commerce compared to an economy driven by agriculture. Hamiltonââ¬â¢s strong support for a powerful government led by an executive leader was envisioned in the future of America in the sense that an economic transformation would only be possible when a strong executive was is in place to push the agenda forward. Hamil tonââ¬â¢s values for the administration of the United States of America can be summarized as a system that blends a strong executive (monarchy), a strong legislature (democratic) and an independent judicial system which has powers to overrule the will of the majority if liberty is destroyed (aristocracy). To enable this kind of system to flourish peacefully, there is need to balance them in such a way that none becomes more superior to the other or vise versa.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It was evident that Alexander Hamilton admired and also had passion for Rome. His envisioned America resembled what used to be the administration in Ancient Roman Republic. Rome portrayed a history whose greatness was achieved through trade and commerce. In addition, this history was established and strongly supported by military of elite. It is generally viewed that Romeââ¬â¢s administration was strategized to command and conquer. The empire in Rome was mandated to protect the interests of the people led by a central figure. This was the exact vision that Hamilton had for American administration. In his era, Caesar was referred to as a destroyer of republics and thus never enjoyed the admiration of many people. However, Hamilton admired him and referred to him as ââ¬Å"the greatest villain and the founderâ⬠. As mentioned earlier, Humiliations view was to have an executive leader whose mandate was to give an informed leadership by pushing forward the policies that would mak e America great. The Roman Empire shared the same set up. Hamiltonââ¬â¢s vision would be put into operation by employing policies and mechanism that would reduce poverty through funding and assumption or through empowering the rich and employing mechanisms of expanding trade throughout the world. The latter would be put in place while still enforcing domestic fiscal authority. This strategy would be possible if a strong executive was put in place to push for these agendas. Hamiltonââ¬â¢s vision encompassed a strong governmentââ¬â¢s quest to empower members of the political elite that would transform the administration from within. To date, Americaââ¬â¢s administration reflects the foundation that was laid by the founder of modern administration, Alexander Hamilton. His argument regarding the Roman Republic and his admiration of the system of administration in Rome are indeed warranted. Hamilton participated in the enactment of some of his proposals in the constitution th at changed the administration of the United States. Therefore, he can be rightfully referred to as the founder of modern administration in the United States of America.
Monday, November 4, 2019
HND Common Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
HND Common Law - Essay Example 1. Joe, a sales manager of Building Security Systems Ltd wrote a letter to Viacom Ltd on 13 June offering to install computerized security equipment at the canal side warehouse Viacomm Ltd was renovating for Wiggin Council for a total price of à £200,000 payable upon completion of the work. The offer was to remain open until 20 July. Sam, a purchasing director of Viacom Ltd, phoned Joe on 19 June to ask if the offer included the VAT. He then posted a letter of acceptance to Joe on 27 June in which he accepted the offer on behalf of Viacom Ltd. Building Security Systems received this letter on 29 June. In the meantime, Joe has started negotiating with Info provider Ltd and sold the same equipment to them on 28 June for à £250,000. He immediately wrote a letter to Sam to say that has not yet received confirmation that Viacom wants to purchase the equipment that the offer was now withdrawn. Viacom Ltd received this letter on 1 July. 2. Joiners-R-Us Ltd entered into a contract with Viacom Ltd, who hold the main building contract with Wiggin Council to renovate a canal-side warehouse. Joiners-R-Us are contracted to carry out carpentry work in a block of 47 flats for an agreed price of à £200,000. The main contract with Wiggin Council contains a time penalty clause which states that the building must be completed by 15 November 2008. Viacom Ltd is worried that if Joiners-R-Us Ltd did not complete the carpentry work on time he will have to recompense Wiggin Council under that clause.à On the basis of this letter, Joiners-R-Us Ltd managed to persuade their staff to continue working which re-commenced on 18 October.Ã
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Written critique power point presentation Essay
Written critique power point presentation - Essay Example The effectiveness of a presentation depends on the strength of the topic and also on the usability of the subject in the daily life of the people. The current presentation is done by a Community Resource Division Administrator which increases the credibility and authenticity of the written articulation. A presentation performed by an authoritative person brings about true facts and information related to the specific subject. The effectiveness of the presentation lies in the fact that , there is a brief introduction and also a statistical data coverage about housing ,which enhances the informative potentiality of the presentation. The presentation also reveals statistics and minute details regarding housing facts and homelessness, which allow the readers to understand about housing on a local and national level. The presentation primarily elaborates on the actions and programs delivered by housing authority in order to stabilize public life, and this highlights the purpose of presentation. The presentation clearly reflects the authority of the organization and also effortlessly projects the strength and contribution of them to the society, which makes it more very effective to the readers. Brevity is the correct usage of words and phrases in writing which enlarges the outlook and uniqueness of a presentation. This presentation has words which are very effective, simple and understandable. The phrases used projects the right meaning intended by the writer and the presenter has used the words in a calculative way to communicate the subject and message of the presentation .The points in the presentation about housing is precise and concise and the words and grammatical representation is up to the point. The flow of words is consistent and the meaning is directly absorbable by the readers. However, more of simplicity in language, words and phrases can underestimate the richness and communicative ability of the writer or the presentation
Thursday, October 31, 2019
Executive compensation analysis-Is it Excessive Essay
Executive compensation analysis-Is it Excessive - Essay Example ncial Management of the company is one such domain where the management of the company can maximize the value for its shareholders by adopting various practices and policies which can help achieve them their highest goal. However there are also theoretical frameworks i.e. Agency theory which suggest otherwise that the managers and shareholders can conflict with each other when pursuing their individual goals and that the managers can engage into practices where they may take actions which may not help maximizing the shareholders value and rather work in their own benefits. Executive compensation is one such domain where modern executives are largely being criticized for taking high compensations mostly on the pretext that money spent on their compensation could have been utilized for creating value for the shareholders. This essay will look into how the financial management theories and practice can help managers to maximize the value for the shareholders and how it is achieved in practice besides providing a brief outline of how the managers may not, in practice, do things which can help maximize the value for the shareholders. The issue of executive compensation needs to be viewed in the historical context of the way modern businesses developed. The era during 1990s saw a slow and steady increase in the overall median compensation of the CEOs from 1992 to 2000 increased from USD 2.335(m) to USD 6.549(m)- a general increase of 180%1 suggesting the direction of the overall increase in the executive compensation. (Murphy). Similarly, despite the overall decline in the performance of financial sector due to subprime crisis, Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein has been able to gross up a bonus of $70million which is 30% more than what he got in previous year. The research conducted on the executive compensation subtly points towards the fact the executives exercise substantially degree of power over the board besides showing the attitude of grabbing opportunities at
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The Celtic Religion Essay Example for Free
The Celtic Religion Essay The Celts were an ancient group of people who populated a substantial area of Europe from the British Isles to Galatia. The Celts are thought to have existed from about 1000BC to the 1st century when they were conquered by the Romans. The Celtic religion was extremely complex and is difficult for modern day man to understand. This essay will discuss the nature and role of religion in the ancient Celtic society. The Celts were polytheistic sharing some beliefs that spanned across all the tribes; however, each tribe had their own beliefs and rituals. The Celts worshiped many gods and goddesses and a lot of the Celtic religion revolved around the worship of natural phenomena including water, sky, mountains, trees and earth. The worship of water deities was common among all Celtic tribes due to their medicinal and healing properties. There have been a number offerings which the Celts made for their gods that have been discovered in rivers, springs and wells. An example of a famous Celtic-healing site linked with water is Bath found in England. Other places where Celts made offerings to their gods were in sacred groves and forest clearings. Animals were revered by the Celts for their special qualities of speed, strength, ferocity and cunning and the gods that were represented were mostly in animal form. Some of the animals important to the Celts included boars, stags, bears, hares, birds and horses. Due to the Celts close connection with nature shrines and altars were built in the forest. These were generally made of wood, evidence for this is found in classical literature. For example, Lucan, a Roman poet, describes an altar in a forest near Marseilles, ââ¬Å"altars were erected on little hillocks and all the trees were purifies with human blood.â⬠This is also evidence of sacrifice, which formed a part of the nature of the Celtic religion. Both humans and animals were sacrificed in honour of their gods. Julius Caesar mentions such sacrifice in The Conquest of Gaul, ââ¬Å"â⬠¦after a victory they sacrifice the captured the animals and collect the rest of the spoil in one spotâ⬠. The Druids were Celtic priests who played a major role in the ancient Celtic society and were of a high status among the Celts. Their role was that of priest, scholar and judge. They were in charge of religious activities; they performed rituals and also played the role of a judge. No significant political decision was made without the Druids as there attendance was seen as necessary to obtain the gods favor. When disputes arouse the Druids played the role of a judge whether the issue was between tribes or individuals; whatever the crime being committed was, it was the responsibility of the Druids to arbitrate the problem and decide on the compensation to be paid and received by the parties involved. The Druids also gave rulings on all religious questions and groups of numerous men would go to them for instruction and advice. According to the historian, Diogenes Laà «rtius, it is apparent that the Druids held three truths; the need to honour the gods, to abstain from evil and to show bravery. The Druids spent many years learning the sacred texts and passing them onto their followers. An example of the way in which they taught their followers were at feast and festivals through the bardic tradition of singing and reciting stories of gods and heroes. As can be seen, the Druids played an important role in the lives of the Celtic people. It is evident from looking at the writings of classical authors that Celtic festivals, when held, were grand. They included great feasts, processions, the making of offerings and human and animal sacrifices to their gods. The four main festivals that were held by the Celts were the Samhain, Imbloc, Belteine or Beltane and Lughnasadh. Samhain was believed to be the most important festival and occurred on the first of November, some believe this was the beginning of the Celtic year. This was not only a significant religious festival that included proper ceremonies and sacrifices, but was also a day holding important political and administrative functions. Barry Cunliffe writes in his book The Celtic World, ââ¬Å"During Samhainâ⬠¦ the whole tribe presumably assembled for feasting and to ensure, through sacrifice, the continued fertility of the crops and herds.â⬠The Imbloc festival was celebrated on the first of February and meant ââ¬Ëeweââ¬â¢s milkââ¬â¢, this name was given for this festival as it marked the birth of the first lambs and commemorates the return of fresh milk. This festival celebrates the return of the cycle of new life to the earth and marks the rebirth of nature and fertility. It is the celebration of bringing nature back to life. The Belteine or Beltane festival took place on the first of May and is the feast of light and marks the season of sunny weather. On this day the Druids light the beacon fires to bring good news of the coming season to the people. The Lughnasadh was a harvest festival that occurred on the first of August and marked the end of summer growth and the beginning of autumn harvest. These four festivals marked the seasons of the year and were major events for the Celtic society. The practice of human sacrifice in honour of their gods was a normal occurrence in Celtic society. Strabo, a Greek geographer, talks about the Celts and human sacrifice in his book Geography, ââ¬Å"They used to strike a human being, whom they have devoted to death, in the back with a sword, and then divine from his death struggle.â⬠The Celts held the belief ââ¬Å"an eye for an eye and a tooth for a toothâ⬠and also ââ¬Å"a life for a lifeâ⬠. For example when a person was sick, the relatives may make a human sacrifice in order that their kin would be spared. Other reasons the Celts made human sacrifices were to ensure survival of warrior before battle, the prisoners were usually the ones that were sacrificed in this circumstance and in times of need such as famine or plague. Celtic society was heavily influenced by their religious beliefs and practices, this is shown through the connection they felt with nature, the Druids status and power in the society and the festivals that marked their calendar year. Religious matters were never expressed in writing; however, the strong oral tradition of the Celts enabled the passing down of their religious practices. This along with classical literature has provided the future generations with an insight into both the nature and role that religion played in Celtic society.
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Analysing factors influencing customer satisfaction
Analysing factors influencing customer satisfaction For this study, literature review will be based on several theoretical concepts such as discusses the relationship between, perceived quality, perceived value, customer expectation and corporate image that affects the customer satisfaction. 2.1 Customer satisfaction: The increase in technology has imposed mobile operators to provide customers with new features in their connection so that save existing customers. The relationship between service quality and perceived value should be freely brought to a focus by the service provider in curiosity with satisfaction. Customer satisfaction is there in general, appraisal after using a service for a stage set a time. Different factors have different influence on customers, these factors should be taken in order to account while making a strategy for customer satisfaction Heejin(2006). Heejin Lim A1 and Archana Kumar A2 http://inderscience.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parentbackto=issue,4,8;journal,11,39;linkingpublicationresults,1:110880,1 The most common interpretations obtained from various authors reflect the notion that satisfaction is a feeling which results from a process of evaluating what has been received against what was expected, including the purchase decision itself and the needs and wants associated with the purchase (Armstrong Kotler, 1996). Bitner Zeithaml (2003) stated that satisfaction is the customers evaluation of a product or service in terms of whether that product or service has met their needs and expectations. According to Boselie, Hesselink, and Wiele (2002) satisfaction is a positive, affective state resulting from the appraisal of all aspects of a partys working relationship with another. The definition provided by Boselie et al. (2002) has been used for this study.(ÃËÃâ¢Ã¢â¬Å¾Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬ ¦ÃËà ±ÃËà ¬ÃËà ¹ Ãâ¢Ã Ãâ¢Ã
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Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬Å¾ article02_JanApr2009 ) Introduction In each company, customers are the most important element and are required to be handled and managed properly. The customers are satisfied when their expectations are fulfilled and delighted when their expectations are exceeded. Contented customers remain loyal buy more are less sensitive and speak positively about the company (Brown et al., 1992). Customer satisfaction normally indicates customer response to the state of fulfillment, and customer opinion of the fulfilled condition (Oliver, 1997). Kotler (1997) defines customer satisfaction as: Satisfaction is a persons feelings of pleasure or disappointment resulting from comparing a products perceived performance (or outcome) in relation to his or her expectations. Recently the concept of customer satisfaction has received much attention. Satisfaction may be defined as a consumers post-purchase evaluation of a product or service (Zeithaml Bitner, 2003). In the past, many businesses took their customers for granted. Brown, T.J., Churchill, G.A. Peter, J.P. (1992). Improving the measurement of service quality; School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Oliver, C. (1997). Sustainable competitive advantage: Combining institutional and resource-based views. Strategic Management Journal, 18(9), 697-713. Kotler, P. (1997). Marketing management: Analysis, planning, implementation, and control. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Ziethaml, V.A. Bitner, M.J. (2003). Services marketing: Integrating customer focus across the firm. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill. In the business when debating factors for service provider quality of service, customer value and customer satisfaction are becoming important. That is why high service quality should be focused for greater user loyalty to achieve higher customer satisfaction and to profit exceptional competitive advantage, keep for the future customer satisfaction the operator should not disregard reliability and assurance because there is a positive effect of reliability, pledge, and network quality on their satisfaction (Hing-Po 2002). Yonggui Wang, Hing-Po Lo, (2002) Service quality, customer satisfaction and behavior intentions: Evidence from Chinas telecommunication industry, info, Vol. 4 Iss: 6, pp.50 60 Whereas both service quality and customer satisfaction have certain things in common, satisfaction is widely viewed as a broader concept than service quality consideration thus; perceived service quality is a component of customer satisfaction (Zeithaml and Bitner, 1996). Attempts to understand customer satisfaction structure have produced several important insights. For example, disinformation and perceived quality were found to affect customer satisfaction more than expectations (Churchill and Surprenant, 1982) and expectancy-disinformation (Oliver and DeSarbo, 1988; Yi, 1990). Anderson and Sullivan (1993) also showed satisfaction to be a division of disinformation and perceived quality. Accordingly, customer satisfaction programs were praised as important implements that can increase profits by averting customers from deserting (Reichheld and Sasser, 1990). Customer satisfaction usually considered as customer reaction to the state of gratification and customer mind of the performed state (Oliver, 1997). Customer satisfaction is totally anxious with the services provided to and perceived by the customers, if there is high similar between perceived and provided services than the customer satisfaction level is very high that directly leads to high customer loyalty for mobile service providers (MSP) and the opposite. There are many benefits for a firm from a high customer satisfaction level, they imprison a high market share and capable of keep and maintain it: a essential and core policy of every business that heightens customer loyalty and prevents customer switching costs, increases customer price endurance, reduces marketing cost (Fornell, 1992). Customer satisfaction The index indicates how much customers are satisfied and how well their expectations are met. This construct evaluates overall satisfaction level of customers, fulfillment of their expectations, and companys performance versus the ideal provider. Customer satisfaction Several studies have shown that it costs about five times to gain a new customer as it does to keep an existing customer (Naumann, 1995) and these results into more interest in customer relationships. Thus, several companies are adopting customer satisfaction as their operational goal with a carefully designed framework. Hill and Alexander (2000) wrote in their book that companies now have big investment in database marketing, relationship management and customer planning to move closer to their customers. Jones and Sasser (1995) wrote that achieving customer satisfaction is the main goal for most service firms today. Increasing customer satisfaction has been shown to directly affect companies market share, which leads to improved profits, positive recommendation, lower marketing expenditures (Reichheld, 1996; Heskett et al., 1997), and greatly impact the corporate image and survival (Pizam and Ellis, 1999). Studies that supported the notion that expectations precede satisfaction include: Anderson, Fornell and Lehmann (1994), who conducted investigation on Swedish firms and reported that there is a positive and significant relationship between expectations and customer satisfaction. Definition Customer satisfaction as a process is defined as an evaluation between what was received and what was expected (Oliver, 1977, 1981; Olson and Dover, 1979; Tse and Wilton, 1988), emphasizing the perceptual, evaluative and psychological processes that contribute to customer satisfaction (Vavra, 1997, p. 4). Parker and Mathews (2001) however noted that the process of satisfaction definitions concentrates on the antecedents to satisfaction rather than satisfaction itself. Satisfaction as a process is the most widely adopted description of customer satisfaction and a lot of research efforts have been directed at understanding the process approach of satisfaction evaluations (Parker and Mathews, 2001). This approach has its origin in the discrepancy theory (Porter, 1961), which argued that satisfaction is determined by the perception of a difference between some standard and actual performance. Customer satisfaction to some organizations is a key to success; the reason here is to check the ability of their product to satisfy as much customers as they can, so that they can be the market leaders in their field. Many organizations followed the strategy of customer satisfaction and became the living legends e.g. Coke, Nestle, Shell Petroleum, Nokia, Sony and the list goes on and on. Every company mentioned here are an innovator and a market leader in any one or two of their products. Customer Satisfaction in Telecommunications The academic literature on customer satisfaction in telecommunications is relatively scattered and primarily concerned with mobile telecommunications customers (Woo and Fock 1999; Lee ct al. 2001). In particular, Woo and Fock (1999) examined the behavior of mobile telecommunication customers in Hong Kong. Transmission quality and network coverage were found to be the most important factors driving customer satisfaction in their study giving, therefore, high priority to product functionality in assessing the satisfaction of individual customers. In a similar vein, Lee et al. (2001) have examined the interaction between customer satisfaction, switching costs and loyalty behavior in mobile telecommunications in France. Schul and Schiff (1993), studying the satisfaction function of telecommunications customers in Israel, examined the impact of different research strategies on customer satisfaction ratings. That is, they examined the impact of placing the question of overall customer sati sfaction either at the beginning or at the end of the customer satisfaction questionnaire. It was found that placing the overall customer satisfaction question at the end of the questionnaire increases the correlation between the partial satisfaction coefficients and the overall customer satisfaction ratings. The current literature, however, addresses specific aspects of telecommunications but docs not provide an overall understanding of the dynamics of customer satisfaction. In a series of articles Finkelman et al. (1992a, 1992b) sought to address the problem of how customer satisfaction systems should be designed on behalf of telecommunications providers. They propose customer satisfaction measures focusing on experience from sales, installation, product usage, repair, and billing. All different aspects of customer-provider contacts require a customer satisfaction framework that will facilitate the selection of unbiased customer opinion about their experience with the telecommunication operator. This research, along side the consulting contributions of Gale (1994) are among the first public material concerning the transaction-specific customer satisfaction measurement in telecommunications.(Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬ ¦ÃËà ¬Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬Å¾ÃËà ¯ Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬ ¦Ãâ¢Ãâ ÃËà ¨ÃËÃâ¢Ã
Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬Å¾ Ãâ¢Ãâ ÃËà ±ÃËà ¯ ) 2.2 perceived quality: In recent years, there was the growing importance of service quality and customer satisfaction in business and academia alike. Sureshchandar et al, (2003) and determined that the balance of power between service quality and customer satisfaction with an emphasis on these two constructs is the concept differs from the view of customers. According to customer perception Kim et al, 2004) Perceived quality depends on the combination of experience, word of mouth and the future intuition of quality of the mobile service. Every mobile customer requires best quality accordingly. Since companies are going on continuous improvement in quality through the latest technology, installing costly equipments, trying to improve call clarity and coverage. It is also observed that customer satisfaction is as well dependent on perceived quality and has the positive role towards the dependent. Similarly, user loyalty equally important has the stronger link with user satisfaction. Hence, proper care should be taken while formulating any long term policy for customer satisfaction. At last for building, customer satisfaction is a main determinant (Serkan 2005). Perceived quality is the limit up to which the product or service provided the necessary needs of users with more satisfaction. They were seen consumer expectations and services to be main precedents for the perceived service quality Measures the quality of service that focuses on a variety of such physical aspects, reliability and speed of response, and to ensure sympathy (Parasuraman et al, 1985). (Zeithaml and Bitner, 1996) said both service quality and customer satisfaction has convinced things in common, satisfaction is generally observed as a broader concept than service quality assessment; thus, perceived service quality is a component of customer satisfaction. Service quality was defined as the difference between the dimensions in customers perceived service and expectations of service (Parasuraman et al., 1988). Service quality is usually defined as the customers impression of the relative inferiority/superiority of a service provider and its services (Bitner and Hubert,1994) and is often considered similar to the customers overall attitude towards the company (Parasuraman et al., 1988; Zeithaml, 1988; Bitner, 1990). Perceived service quality (Parasuraman et al., 1985, 1988). Groà ¨nroos (1982) suggests that the consumers expectations are also influenced by marketing activities, external influences and word-of-mouth. He identifies two types of service quality; technical, related to what the customer gets from a service and functional, associated with how the service is delivered. Perceived quality is the served markets evaluation of recent consumption experience. This construct evaluates customization and reliability of a given product or service. Customization is the degree to which a product or service meets a customers requirements, and reliability is the degree to which à ¬Ã rms offering is reliable, standardized, and free from decencies.PQ is expected to have a positive effect on PV and customer satisfaction (Fornell et al., 1996), and to be positively affected by image (Andreassen and Lindestad, 1998). SERVICE QUALITY Another factor that contributes to satisfaction is service quality. Service quality is defined as the difference between customer expectations and perceptions of service or as the customers satisfaction or dissatisfaction formed by their experience of purchase and use of the service (Gronroos, 1984 and Parasuraman et al.1988). Oliver (1993) reported that service quality is a casual antecedent of customer satisfaction, due to the fact that service quality is viewed at transactional level and satisfaction is viewed to be an attitude. Dabholkar et al. (1996) and Zeithaml et al. (1996) reported that the service quality divisions are related to overall service quality and or customer satisfaction. Fornell et al., (1996) expressed that satisfaction is a consequence of service quality. Hurley and Estelami (1998) argued that there is causal relationship between service quality and satisfaction, and that the perceptions of service quality affect the feelings of satisfaction. Pizam and Ellis (1999) stated that the gap that may exist between the customers expected and perceived service quality is a vital determinant of customer satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and not just only a measure of the quality of the service. Previous studies on mobile telecommunication services, measured services quality by call quality, pricing structure, mobile devices, value-added services, convenience in procedures, and customer support (Kim, 2000; Gerpott et al., 2001; Lee, Lee, Freick, 2001). Perceived quality is measured through three questions: overall quality, reliability, and the extent to which a product or service meets the customers needs. Satisfaction Measurement: Perceived Quality Measures Perceived quality is often measured through three measures: overall quality, perceived reliability, and the extent to which a product or service meets the customers needs. Customer perceptions of quality are the single greatest predictor of customer satisfaction. 2.3 perceived value: According to Heinonen (2004) defined perceived value as the consumers overall assessment of the usefulness of a product based on perceptions on what is received and what is given. Companies are able to increase customer satisfaction by creating customer value through a lot of means such as providing customers with the comparative net value, the effectiveness, efficiency, and differentiation of services, which can be delivered via logistics (Langley Holcomb 1992). Both time and place of service delivery are indicated to be important dimensions of customer perceived value, and when or where the service is delivered should be determined by consumers rather than by companies. Perceived value is related to the price extent of mobile services. Because all the businesses in the world are done for profit so investment in mobile industry is also for some advantage in terms of profits. So those gratify the basic and awaited customer value companies do not have to put so much effort into what they are doing (Gunnar Malin, 2006). On the assumption, that everyone in the world is seeking his/her benefits so customers are also expecting benefits in terms of values. Intentions to adopt or reject a mobile service seem to be determined to a greater degree by perceived benefits than by a perceived limit (Ancker et al, 2003). As MSPs are investing a lot but still there are much badly in the real and perceived value of the customers, latest survey by Barnhoorn (2006) show that although there is progress but still perceived value from the telecom players has the lowest achieve, this is risen from 71% in 2005 to 76% in 2006. However, how and to which extent MSPs are chargi ng their customers and give the value to the customers. MSPs have to increase the switching cost in order to increase natural life customer value and customer retention by implementing relationship-oriented marketing strategies (Hankel et al, 2006). As the companies give high value to customers in terms of charges than a satisfaction level gets high that leads to customer loyalty. The impact of value on customer satisfaction is studied by Cottet, Lichtlà ©, and Plichon (2006). By adopting the definition suggested by Holbrook (1996, 1999), they defined customer perceived value as an interactive, preferential and relative experience. Results of their research reveal that both utilitarian and hedonic values are positively related with customer satisfaction, and further, hedonic value is suggested to be more important for customer satisfaction than a utilitarian value. PV Perceived value is measured through two questions: overall price given quality and overall quality given price. Although perceived value is of great importance for the (first) purchase decision, it usually has somewhat less impact on satisfaction and repeat purchase. Satisfaction Measurement: Perceived Value Measures Perceived value may conceptually refer to the overall price divided by quality or the overall quality divided by price. Perceived value is measured in many ways including overall evaluation of value, expectations of price that would be paid, and more rigorous methodologies including the Van Westendorp pricing analysis, and conjoint analysis (other Qualtrics white papers and tutorials are available on these topics). Perceived value PV is the perceived level of product quality relative to the price paid by customers. PV is the rating of the price paid for the quality perceived and a rating of the quality perceived for the price paid (Fornell et al., 1996). PV structure provides an opportunity for comparison of the à ¬Ã rms according their price-value ratio (Anderson et al., 1994). In the CSI-TMPS model, PV is expected to be positively affected by PQ, and it has a positive impact on satisfaction. Perceived value is defined as the results or benefits customers receive in relation to total costs (which include the price paid plus other costs associated with the purchase) or the consumers overall assessment of what is received relative to what is given (Holbrook,1994 and Zeithaml, 1988). Additionally, Zeithaml (1988) found out that customers who perceive that they receive value for money are more satisfied than customers who do not perceive they receive value for money. Several studies have shown that perceived value is significant determinant of customer satisfaction (Anderson et al. (1994); Ravald and Gronroos (1996); and McDougall and Levesque, 2000). Turel and Serenko (2006) in their investigation of mobile services in Canada suggested that the degree of perceived value is a key factor affecting customer satisfaction. Past research studies suggested that there are four features, which are key drivers of the customer value of cellular services: network quality, price, customer care, and personal benefits (Booz, Allen Hamilton, 1995, Danaher Rust, 1996; Bolton, 1998; Gerpott, 1998; Wilfert, 1999). The network quality refers to excellent indoor and outdoor coverage, voice clarity, and no connection breakdowns. Price refers to what is paid to obtain access to use the network. Customer care refers to the quality of the information exchanged between customer and supplier or network provider in response to enquiries and other activities initiated by the network provider, for example presentation of invoices. Personal benefits refer to the level of perception of the benefits of mobile communications services by individual customers. It is apparent from this review that one of the factors customers use to determine satisfaction level is the benefits received from a product or service in comparison with what is spent. Perceived value is not a focus of this study (however customer satisfaction evaluation captures perceived value; the assessment shows what consumers value in the service received). The suggested mobile services attributes (features) will be used to assess customer satisfaction in this study. 2.4 Customer Expectation Expectations are the consequences of previous experience with the companys products. This erected appraises customer expectations for overall quality, for product and service quality, and for fulà ¬Ã llment of personal needs. Customer expectations construct is anticipated to have a direct and positive relationship with customer satisfaction (Anderson et al., 1994). Customer expectations Expectations are the results of prior experience with the companys products. This construct evaluates customer expectations for overall quality, for product and service quality, and for fulfillment of personal needs. Customer expectations construct is expected to have a direct and positive relationship with customer satisfaction (Anderson et al., 1994). In the ACSI and ECSI, it is assumed that customer expectations have a direct effect on perceived value. Customer Expectations Expectations combine customers experiences with a product or service and information about it via media, advertising, salespersons, and word-of-mouth from, other customers. Customer expectations influence the evaluation of quality and forecast (from. customers pre-purchase perspective) how well the product or service will perform. 2.5 Corporate Image The image constructed appraises the fundamental image of the company. Image applied to the brand name, and the type of association customers get from the product/company (Andreassen and Lindestad, 1998). Martensen et al. (2000) indicates that image is an important component of the customer satisfaction model. For the companies, image is a result of being reliable, professional and inventive, having contributions to society, and adding good reputation to its user. It is expected that image has a positive effect on customer expectations, customer satisfaction and loyalty. Corporate Image The image constructs evaluates the fundamental image of the company. Image refers to the brand name and the kind of association customers get from the product or service /company (Andreassen and Lindestad, 1998). Martensen et al. (2000) indicates that image is an important component of the customer satisfaction model. For the companies, image is a result of being reliable, qualified and innovative, having contributions to society, and adding reputation to its customers. It is expected that image has a positive effect on customer satisfaction. Corporate image Andreassen and Lindestad (1998) posit that corporate image, through a filtering effect, impacts a customers evaluation of service quality, value, and satisfaction. In other words, corporate image creates a halo effect on customer satisfaction. In this study, a cumulative or relational level measure reflecting a customers overall impression and mental picture of the firm represents corporate image (Bloemer et al., 1998; Zimmer and Golden, 1988). Consumers who develop a positive mental schema of a brand will tend toward high customer satisfaction through a halo effect where all things associated with the brand are similarly valence. As such ( Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬ ¦ÃËà ¬Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬Å¾ÃËà ¯ Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬ ¦Ãâ¢Ãâ ÃËà ¨ÃËÃâ¢Ã
Ãâ¢Ã¢â¬Å¾ corporate image ) H 5 . Corporate image has a significant, positive effect on customer satisfaction. Corporate image is a result of a customers overall consumption experiences (Nguyen and Leblanc, 2001). The same mechanism is available for overall satisfaction. Since customer satisfaction and corporate image measures are collected simultaneously, customers consumption experiences, which can be summarized as satisfaction, naturally affect the evaluations of corporate image (Johnson et al., 2001). For this reason, it is proposed that satisfaction positively affects corporate image in Turkish customer satisfaction index model. (National customer) Concerning the role emotions play in customer evaluations, there is the indication shows that customer satisfaction is influenced by both perceptive and affective constituents (Homburg et al., 2006; Liljander and Strandvik, 1997; Westbrook and Oliver, 1991). In fact, recently there has been growing interest in studying the affective nature of satisfaction (Smith and Bolton, 2002; Zeelenberg and Pieters, 2004). Emotions experienced by individuals may leave affective follow in their memory associated with their experience with the service, and these people may admission them when judging their satisfaction level (MacInnis and de Mello, 2005). As emotions predict satisfaction, the positive and negative emotions experienced by customers after complaint handling will impact their level of satisfaction with the service (Liljander and Strandvik, 1997; Mano and Oliver, 1993; Szymanski and Henard, 2001; Westbrook and Oliver, 1991). Consumer behavior literature defends a valence congruent rela tionship between emotions and satisfaction (Dubeà ´ and Menon, 2000), The CSI model is a structural model based on the assumptions that customer satisfaction is caused by some factors such as perceived quality (PQ), perceived value (PV), expectations of customers, and image of a firm. These factors are the antecedents of overall customer satisfaction. one of the more commonly cited definitions is that supplied by Zeithaml (1988: 14), who defined value as: the consumers overall assessment of the utility of a product based on perceptions of what is received and what is given. This view posits perceived value as a uni-dimensional construct that can be measured simply by asking respondents to rate the value that they received in making their purchases. Woodruff (1997: 142) defined perceived value as:[a] customers perceived preference for an evaluation of those product attributes, attribute performances, and consequences arising from use that facilitate (or block) achieving the customers goals and purposes in use situations. Woodruff, R.B. (1997) Customer Value: The Next Source for Competitive Advantage,Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 25(2): 139-53. Holbrooks typology of perceived value Holbrook (1994: 22, 1996: 138, 1999: 5) defined perceived value as an interactive relativistic preference experience. Customers determine satisfaction level of any purchased service by the perceptions of quality received. The American Customer Satisfaction Model According to the model, there exists a positive association between perceived customer expectations (PE) and perceived quality (PQ), perceived value (PV) and satisfaction. Canada. H 1 . Service quality has a significant, positive effect on customer satisfaction. In addition to the studies above, Fornell et al., (1996) report that the top two determinants of customer satisfaction are perceived quality and perceived value. Thus, the second hypothesis is: H 2. Perceived value has a significant, positive effect on customer satisfaction.
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