Based on recent event, discuss whether the stock markets are efficient Essay

Based on recent event, discuss whether the stock markets are efficient according to the Effficient Market Hypothesis - Essay Example This is based on the ideal of ‘a balancing act’, where markets are regarded as knowing the best means forward. However, skeptics of the above, view markets as being necessarily inefficient due to the various forms of risks involved. The reasoning behind the aforementioned theory is that a free and competitive market arena does place various pricing indices to their true basic values. Lo (2007), provides that the Efficient Markets Hypothesis (EMH) does showcase the fact that market pricing indices do fully reflect all available data. This however does not eliminate critique, especially from behavioral economists and psychologists, who view it as being founded on assumptions which are counter-factual, especially with regard to human behavior/ rationality. A distinction is made between technical and fundamental analysis of stock pricing indices. The former, entails the utility of volume charts and geometric patterns in pricing, towards forecasting a given security’s future price fluctuation. The latter on its part, is concerned with the utility of both economic and accounting data, towards determining a given share’s fair valuation. Pegged on this assumption is the fact that as the existing market enhances overall efficiency, so does the price sequencing become completely unpredictable and random (Lo, 2007:17). As Shiller (2013) provides, though humanity continues being influenced by past global occurrences in the market arenas, this does not in any way remove the presence of existing market anomalies. The fact that the South American state of Colombia continues experiencing a real-estate bubble, which is ongoing, is representative of the volatility of the current market sector. With its real-estate pricing index rising by 69%, in terms of inflation-adjusted calculations, it provides a crucial insiders’ view of how market inefficiency continuously evolves. Rationality in individuals’ participation in various economic bubble s is educated by amongst others, the price increases as a result of the prevailing psychological contagion. It is this fundamental human aspect, which promotes a given mindset of justifiable price increases, thereby spurring fervent market activities. Due to the inherent nature of

Romeo and Juliet essay Baz Luhrmanhas Essay Example for Free

Romeo and Juliet essay Baz Luhrmanhas Essay Baz Luhrman has updated the screenplay of Romeo and Juliet. The scene is placed in America what is perfect for this screenplay. This screenplay suits America as it has a very violent place. Caused by gang warfare and gun being legal. Romeo and Juliet, it has a lot of sword fights and murders. Themes have a very important part of this love story; the whole story is based on opposites. The director Baz Luhrman has set the scene very well and has chosen the important parts that will make sense. The setting of America is good as drive-by shooting happen all the time and it has gangster who rule the streets by fighting, stabbing, shooting and killing in any form to win. It in Californian what is a built up place, and has not very built up areas around it. The themes have made this play what it is; it uses themes like love-hate and life-death. The opening scene starts off with the main credits, it has a black background what give tension to the start of the play. The characters in the credits seem every serious except Paris who is a neutral person in the families grudges. And in the beginning he shows a lot of faces as it shows emotion, this giving him to push the audience to the scene. Blood is even a theme as he uses to persuade you that it going to be gory as first impressions are vital. The first make setting is in a car were the Montague boys are, their wearing beach boy clothing, their very loud, got very simple hair cuts what shows hard people as personal in the armys have simple haircuts and they shout abuse to other people in the streets. They arrive at a petrol station, and Benvilo walks outer sight, which seams to be the leader of the pack as he driving the car. You then get a camera shot of a car with the licence plate printed on them Capulet, as there the other family that is in the civil war with there own family. Tybut steps out the car but u dont see his face and that he lighted a cigarette in a petrol station. Fire and petrol do not mix so this will build the audience and make them respond to his presence. He disappears and it end up with Gregory and Samson and Abram and an unknown person. Abram sees the montages and walks over to them and scares them. They do not want to seem weak or scared so they insult them with a hand gesture. This starts a argument what spirals out of control, they draw their guns with two on each side, Benvilo steps out and calls for peace but he draws his gun, this is an opposite as he want peace but draws a lethal weapon. This is a theme as it an opposite, this opposite is a peace-violent theme. The Capulets boys are very well dressed and seem to be care about there appearance by wearing expensive clothes, there look like gangsters as they like to dress well and need to make an impression from their appearance. This gangster thing comes into all parts of their life as Tybalt called the prince of cats his name tell you that he got leadership and power as he a prince and their in a powerful family. Abram is a very well built person he tall and has a wide body showing power as he seem to have strength. Peter seems least powerful as u only see him partly plus hes in the back of the car. The Capulet boys seem organised as they knew what to do in a gun fight, they did not back down and had no hesitation in drawing their guns. They seem not bothered to draw their guns and seem to not care about rules and Tybult is smoking in the petrol station. The Montague boys seem less organised and prepared for a gun fight as when they insulted Abram they started hesitating and did some panic gesture by the way Samson picked up the petrol pump and started wobbling and was shaking with it. Benvilo seem most powerful as he driving the car, and has the better built body. Samson and Gregory seem less powerful as they talk to Benvilo as he a leader and that they had to try and impress Benvilo with the ways they react to other people. When Benvilo has gone into the toilet the other two are very scared by Abram presence and they panic when they draw their guns. Benvilo walks back and draws his gun without panic but he try to call the peace, Benvilo name in Italian means peacemaker. This shows he not a violent person. Tybult walks back into the scene and want the conflict to carry on. Romeo is a very lonely person who does not seem to have a great relationship with his parents. Romeo is a very romantic young man, as he loves to be in love. He seems to be very confused about what is love and whom he loves; this is shown from lines 165-177. Romeo is not a violent person who the audience makes out to be a very perfect person. The pun that is said about him is in relationship to him love being in love. Benvilo says he has been walking around near a sycamore tree, he is saying that Romeo has got love sickness. Mr and Mrs Montague seem to be very wealthy as their travelling around in a limo, they are wearing very expensive clothes and other items. The Capulet parents seem to live the same lives of the Montague. They have expensive clothes a very nice house and they have expensive cars. Paris is a neutral person in this civil brawl, he want to marry Juliet but Juliet does not want to marry Paris, This is a arranged married as her parents want Paris to be her husband as he got a good job prospects and is a very nice young gentleman. The prince of Verona is a neutral person as he has family on both sides; he in charge of the town, in the film Baz has interoperated him as a chief of police. He is very concise as he gets to the point when he tells the family both in the civil brawl that one more outburst will result in their lives paying the price. Juliet is a very young woman who does not love Paris, she does not want what her parents want her, what in those days was very rude. Baz Luhrman has used the same language except he cut parts out that of the original screenplay. There is a lot of puns what are jokes what are words that mean two different things. The start of the play starts off with a series of puns based on the word coal and colliers. This would not make sense to a modern day audience as there Elizabethan phrases. These series of puns have been cut out as no one would understand them and it would not make sense, and this would cause problems with tension building and first impression as there most important in a film as it plans out the rest of the film.

Study On Etihad Airlines

Study On Etihad Airlines Etihad Airways was recognized in 2003. It is the national or says the flag holding carrier passenger air service of Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The airline is headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the capital of UAE as mentioned earlier. In 2007, it passed additional than 6 million clients, contrasted with approximately 340,000 in its very 1st full time process in the year of 2004. The company has more than 8000 employees working in numerous divisions like finance, marketing, flying, sales etc . Currently Etihad is operating its services in regions like Indian subcontinent, North America, Europe, Far East Middle East, Africa and Oceania. Its major base or platform is Abu Dhabi International Airport. (Delfmann, 2005) Etihad Airways is the representative air carrier of Abu Dhabi, offers planned air transportation for cargo and customers. Companys sole shareholder is the government itself of Emirate of Abu Dhabi, was been extracted from its combined venture in Gulf Air in the year 2005 and preserved its spotlight on Etihad Airways. INDUSTRY: The airlines business of UAE is huge if we look at the quantity of service providers. The sector is filled from number of low cost airlines. State airlines of UAE other than Etihad include Gulf Air, Emirates and Air Arabia. Gulf air started operations in 1950. It provides a quantity of facilities to its clients. Initially it has provided many involved facilities to kids below the age of 10. It also provides spited dinning for its passengers. It is delectated as a standard nationalized flight for the majority of the purposes. Next, Emirates airlines were initiated after Gulf Air in the year 1985. (Vedder, 2008) It is also measured as a state flight. The airline has won numerous awards for its luxury services. This airline comprises of many aircraft both for private and public issues. Etihad airline is the most new one and was launched after Air Arabia in the very same year. It had also become fairly accepted but could not battle with Air Arabia on concern of low cost. Kam air fare is too considered as 1 of the stumpy cost airlines in United Arab Emirate. Among all the existing national air services till date, the Air Arabia is supposed to be the cheapest among all. It is not recognized to be an airline with the finest ability on board but of course it presents a cheap fare to its clients. The facilities offered by these public airlines to their clients vary drastically from each other. All the mentioned airlines have great contribution to the nationalized economy of the UAE. (Group, 2006) ETIHADS BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: The Etihad airline was started in the year 2004 or say started operating in 2004, but was established earlier in august 2003. The airline carried over 4.5 million travelers, an boost of about 65.7% over the figure of year 2006; In addition with this, Etihad also gained 175,000 tons of cargo in year 2007, an augment of over 70% from that of year 2006 . In 2008, the airline placed a requirement for over 190 planes, which would be of worth AED157.9 billion or approximately USD 40 billion. The order is composed of about 95 Boeing airplanes and 100+ from Airbus. Tentative schedule for release of order is between 2011 and 2020. (Vedder, 2008) Etihad Airways possess complete stocks is its 2 subsidiaries, Etihad Crystal Cargo, which offers cargo handling facility and Etihad Holidays, a travel group and vehicle rental company. The Etihad Airline owned a group of 37 traveler and cargo airplanes, as depicted by the data of January 2008 and it plan is to increase its aircraft group to 300 by the year 2020. The company is also planning to fly with over 25 million travelers per year by 2020 and to dual the number of destinations served from 48 to make it close to 100. The principle business activity is to provide scheduled air transport services for customer and freight; travel agents etc. VISION AND MISSION MISSION: The mission of the Etihad airline is to make the most of profitability by applying effectual business practices for best yield, maximum load factors, minimum transit times, seamless and instant information to the flying community, management and increase clients service. (Delfmann, 2005) VISION: As the public sector Airline of the United Arab Emirates, the company, Etihad seek to replicate the best of countrys hospitality cultured, warm, considerate and generous in totaling to get better the status of Abu Dhabi, the capital Emirate as a center of hospitality between West and East. (Delfmann, 2005) STRATEGIES AND VALUES: Norms: There are few norms popular in Etihad One is the dress of employees in the company. It is expected in the company that people will wear traditional UAE cloths. In office, female employees are not allowed to wear short skirt or any other type of clothing considered un social in the UAE culture. Values:Few values prevailing in the company are: No one here complains for other employee in the team in the case he or she fail to timely accomplish the task assign to him or her. His is a very nice practice in terms of team culture as it stops any disunity in the team and promotes unity and working together. The second one is especially for foreign employees. The company use to pay the tri yearly labor license required by the government to work in the country. Assumptions: There are few assumptions also considered in the company. For example, the people here consider that the task is assigned only by the senior and they are required to work only after the assignment of the work providing a very mechanistic framework of work in the company. BUSINESS STRATEGIES FOR ETIHAD: Some strategies of Etihad for future few years are as follows: †¢ Expanding its aircraft range: One important constraint in companys expansion plan is the limited number of cargo and passenger planes available to the company. The company will place periodic orders for new aircrafts to support its expansions plans. †¢ To provide service on more number of routes: The company would like to serve in European countries and other untouched destinations in North and South America. The expansion will give a vast increment in companys present market size. †¢ To enhance efficiency of operations: As a long term strategy, the company would like to implement TQM strategies in its operations. †¢ Increase its revenue maintaining high and quality structure of luxurious aircraft industry: †¢ Another one is Emiritization and advancement of UAE people. The company has a number of plans in this direction with long term interest which are mentioned as follows: UAE National Cadet Pilots Training or UNCPT The company invites aspirants who what to become a pilot with a statement like We are giving wings to your dreams. Its pilot training program is one of the finest in the nation. The company states that as the public Airline of the United Arab Emirate, it has a immense vision. To see further Emiratis taking their correct position as pilots in lone of the fastest mounting airlines on the planet. (Bilimoria, 2006) UAE National Graduate Entry Management Programme The public airline of the UAE, Etihad, is investing in its outlook and would consequently like to spend in people by giving them the chance to be 1 of the privileged students chosen to join its UNGEM program. It states that by this program, graduates will develop sturdy leadership abilities and form a collection of professionals who are organized to meet quickly expanding and developing leadership wants in various branches within the company. (Bilimoria, 2006) †¢ Enhancing the cargo carriers flights: As shown from the contribution of profit from the cargo and customer units, the cargo unit contributes around 65% of the companys turnover, which depict the clear dominance of cargo unit over the customer unit in terms of profit. The company would like to utilize this faith of people in Etihads cargo unit to gain additional market share. Thus as an expansion plan for cargo unit, the company is ordering more share of cargo planes as compared to that of passenger planes. BUSINESS SERVICES AND CUSTOMERS: The company mainly focuses on two streams of services: passenger service and fright carriers. Few highlights are: International flight connecting Abu Dhabi to more than 45 international destinations in USA, Indian subcontinent etc. Etihad carried over 4.6 million passengers, an augment of approximately 65.8% over in 2006. Along with this, it also griped 175,000 tons of freight in 2007, which is an increase of over 75% than the year 2006. (Group, 2006) Etihad Airways owns complete share is its two subsidiaries, Etihad Holidays, a travel group and vehicle rental company and Etihad Crystal Cargo, which provides freight handling services. Etihad had a 24 hour help line for its customers. Etihad also provide hospitality services by providing temporary accommodation in hotels. (Group, 2006) The Etihad Airline owned a group of 37 traveler and cargo airplanes, as depicted by the data of January 2008 and it plan is to increase its aircraft group to 300 by the year 2020. Etihad is also planning to fly over 25 million customers per year by 2020 and to twofold the number of metropolitans served from 50 to make it near 100. MARKET SEGMENTS: The key market segments been served by the company is the corporate cargo and low and medium earning customers for passenger carriers. COMPETITIVE POSITION IN THE INDUSTRY: COMPETITORS ANALYSIS THE MICRO ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS The micro environment analysis is a structure for outlining marketing strategies of a company and also conducting an industry review. It is governed by Porters five force analysis. They are as follows: The threat of substitute products: In case of Etihad, the substitute product is actually similar services present in the gulf. For example there are number of companies providing similar aviation services like the company under consideration like Easy Jet, Air Arabia etc. The threat of entry of new competitors: The aviation market in gulf is going through a boom. Many new investors including both domestic and foreign firms are seeking an opportunity to fly in this gloomy aviation market. (Delfmann, 2005) The threat of competitive rivalry: Aviation is a field where competition doesnt just come from price dimensions but also from innovation and advertisement. Etihad should realize the number of competitors it has and the diversities in which they exist. The bargaining power of customers: Etihad like other airlines had a fixed cost service. The cost of any travel is predefined. However, due to costumers reaction toward any particular price frame, the company needs to bring variation in the cost of travelling. The bargain power of suppliers: Etihad is an airline company, so it owes much of its pricing to its suppliers. The raw materials and small services that it uses, determine the costs of its service. So, it is highly beneficial to have suppliers who are good at bargaining to keep the cost of the service low. Major intake of aviation industry of Etihad includes high quality fuel, packers and movers, transportation and hospitality partners. Competitors: There are number of other airline services which create market saturation for Etihad. Easy Jet is an example of such service which provides competition to Etihad. (Vedder, 2008) MAIN COMPETITORS OF THE ORGANIZATION: Air Arabia, Aerovista Airlines, Abu Dhabi Aviation, Air Cess, Kang Pacific Airlines, Falcon Aviation Services, RAK Airway, Flydubai, Dolphin Air, Palm Aviation, Emirates, Airlink, Dubai Air Wing and Eastern SkyJets etc. MARKETING ACTIVITIES OF COMPETITORS: Talking about Airlink, which is a major competitor of Etihad, the number of jets possessed by the company is much higher than Etihad. Airlink and similar airways like Air Arabia believes in cheep service providing and better market capturing. Etihad on the other hand believes in capturing luxury market sharing. Air Arabia has 5 times aircrafts than Etihad. It has more capacity aircrafts too. Palm aviation is much concerned towards long distance comfortable tour packages. For promotional activities, bigger firms like Air Arabia, Aerovista use television ads while smaller firms uses print media for promoting their services. Institutional marketing and collaboration with other firms is also employed as a marketing tactic. (Vedder, 2008) PESTLE ANALYSIS: Political: Etihad, like other aviation firms, has to follow strict government regulations. Any small incident can result in heavy burdens in terms of rules and possessing aircrafts. Economical: Economical problems are an obvious outside factors for Etihads. As the company is trying to increase its span, namely in Russia, it needs more Aircraft and investment. Social: The Company also has some social responsibilities to follow. The company has to take serious steps in order to meet the social responsibility towards its people and towards the nations culture. The reason is as Aviation co exists with countrys hospitality industry, it has to make sure that hospitality industry does not get suffered. (Delfmann, 2005) Technological: As the technology changes, the employees who can deal with new technology are needed in every aspects of work. Also there arises a need that the existing employees must also be re engineered so that they can cop up with new style of work. Legal: Aviation laws, labor laws, governments rules form the legal periphery for Etihads. SWOT ANALYSIS: SWOT is an acronym of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This is a marketing analysis that helps a company understand its competitors. A brief discussion of SWOT analysis of Etihad is as follows: Strength: The Company has strong brand image Cargo units. The company already has 12 jets including 5 Boeings other world class luxury aircrafts like Learjet 35, Learjet 55, Avro RJ70 and Avro RJ80 etc to support its luxury market. The companys hold on this segment is increasingly growing too. (Delfmann, 2005) Weakness: Because of work in luxury segments and passenger unit is down, the companys market scope is limited, any new competitor and launch of new luxury aircraft can force the company to drastically change is market statistics. Also the desired costumer volume is also limited. Opportunities: Recently the company is exploring opportunities to invest in Eastern Europe including Russia. The company is looking constantly for new markets apart from Gulf region. Threats: the main threats to the company are form increasing number of aviation services in luxury class. Another threat is from economic crises that is indirectly affecting the end customers of Etihad. FUTURE GROWTH PERSPECTIVE: The company has immense growth opportunity in both its passenger and cargo units. Few of these are mentioned as follows: New business opportunities in Russian and European market. Acquisition of new and small business possible in many areas including international markets. Buying of new aircrafts will facilitate the growth and increased number of routes as planned by the company. REFERENCES: 1. Oxford Business Group (2006), Emerging Abu Dhabi, Published by Oxford Business Group, ISBN: 1902339428, 9781902339429 2. Delfmann, Werner (2005), Strategic management in the aviation industry, Published by Ashgate Publishing, ISBN: 0754645673, 9780754645672 3. Vedder ,Hendrik (2008), Strategic Alliances in the Aviation Industry: An Analysis of Past and Current Developments, Published by GRIN Verlag, ISBN: 364023037X, 9783640230372 4. Bilimori; Sandy Kristin, Piderit (2006). Handbook on women in business and management. Published by Edward Elgar Publishing. ISBN: 1845424328, 9781845424329

The Styles In And Around Me :: Personal Narrative Golf Language Essays

The Styles In and Around Me My senior year in high school I was playing first man for the varsity golf. That honor was bestowed on me, because I was supposedly the best man on the team. Which just happened to be true. It was an honor that I truly enjoyed. But playing first man also had its drawbacks. The one that I will speak of here is the style of speaking that I had to use while playing in a tournament. It's the sixteenth hole of an eighteen hole tournament up in Roseau. There were two guys in my group that were ahead of me in score and I needed to get a stroke back really soon if I planned on earning a medal. I hit a good drive, right down the middle about two hundred seventy yards. With a hundred and fifty yards left to the pin, I grabbed an eight iron, because I knew that I could get it there. Something went wrong and the shot drifted to the right and missed the green. On any leisure round in the summer I would have screamed out obscenities until I was blue in the face. But that would cost me penalty stro kes, since it against the rule to swear in high school golf. Instead I softly let out an "Oh no, come back", but inside I was chomping at the bit to let out a cuss word. Golf talk, to me, is the lesser extreme of that style that I have inside of me. When I am playing hockey, a totally different style emotes from me. The style that I display in hockey is the exact opposite from the on that I use when playing golf. The on ice chatter that goes on between competitors is the reason for this. Hockey is not a gentlemen's game. So using a language that is meant to intimidate your opponent is very crucial. When I am skating down the ice next to some big lug I usually say some derogatory statement about his mother. Statements like these are meant rile the opponent, get him off his game. In the game of golf, I would never even think of using this type of tactic to beat an opponent. The different style of game also lends to a different style of language. In golf, if I leave a putt short, or something like that it usually gets a "darn" or "shoot.

Mli Case Study

The main problems facing Jamie Turner and MLI, Inc. as a whole are a lack of leadership, poor organization, poor planning and decision-making, and a lack of communication. The top executive of the organization did not display any of the managerial skills, except technical skills, needed to create a productive work environment. The organizational structure does not provide enough support for the diverse needs of MLI and created a power vacuum at the executive level of MLI. Different organizational cultures at MLI and Specialty Support Services (Triple S) created tension that made problem resolution difficult.The different cultures lead to ethically questionable decisions by MLI executives and staff. MLI, Inc. is an international lighting manufacturing organization that has suffered several financial setbacks after the death of the founder. MLI was acquired by a larger conglomerate, Specialty Support Services (Triple S) to provide alternative distributions channels for some of the Trip le S lighting products. The only Triple S executive to champion the MLI acquisition was Pat Cardullo. Cardullo, the president of The Triple S Mobile Systems/Support division would also serve as the MLI president.Jamie Turner was hired as the VP of sales and Marketing with the promise of future advancement in the organization. The nature of the MLI acquisition is the foundation of the issues confronting Jamie Turner. Pat Cardullo is the president of another successful Triple S division, and is in consideration of a major promotion. This fact left the organization without a workable plan to accomplish the unsustainable goals created by Cardullo. Cardullo was involved in details of the organization that would have been better handled by middle managers.Top managers focusing on implementation will leave an organization without the strategic planning needed to remain competitive. Cardullo also had an abrasive manner that was disruptive in the organization. Cardullo lacked the interperson al skills needed communicate, understand, or motivate the Sales and Marketing group at MLI. The personal views that Cardullo held about how employees should work left a team that was ambivalent about working with the organizations top executive. The focus on finding his replacement as quickly as possible, Cardullo did not exhibit the values of ethical leadership.Cardullo also failed to create proper chain of command and proper career paths for top managers at MLI. The power structure of the organization should not be left to a person sitting in a particular office. Cardullo’s and Jamie’s lack of management skill was apparent when Jamie changed prices to move old inventory. The fact that Jamie did not manage up created the space for real disagreement between the top managers. Without direction from Cardullo, Jamie was working under the assumption that margins could be lowered.Jamie also failed to communicate with the controller that has worked with Cardullo for many yea rs. Jamie demonstrated a lack of understanding as it relates to the controller when he presented negative information that would impact Cardullo. In another clear failure of leadership, Cardullo emphasized that Jamie was wrong in front of the rest of the management team. As the conflict between Cardullo and Jamie continued, more decisions were being consolidated in one office. Cardullo did not see the need to invite differing opinions on multiple issues that will negatively impact the organization.The decision to redesign a warehouse that creates inefficiency was a poor one. Cardullo made the decision over the objections of the managers that were assigned to make such decisions in the best interest of the organization. The ethical challenges around financial forecasting are very disturbing. Cardullo future with Triple S was at stake, so the need to be financially successful was paramount. The fact that the controller came over to MLI with Cardullo made the task of presenting alterna te forecasts unwelcome.The controller, who supported Cardullo without exception, allowed personal bias to affect her judgment. The dismissal of negative forecasts without investigation does not allow the organization the ability to correct potential problems. The consequence of an action that appears to be a cover-up, is other organizational members my also feel covering up decisions is acceptable. Jamie was rather upset that his decision to change pricing was not kept away from Cardullo. The issue created when Cardullo made the executive decision to change all pricing with the help of the controller was a serious misstep.Even in the face of serious disagreement by the senior staff, Cardullo made a unilateral decision that proved to be disastrous for the organization. Cardullo failed to account for the diversity in the market. Cardullo was dismissive of other’s ideas on creating additional revenue for MLI and would not communicate a strategy for the organization to follow. As Cardullo made more decisions about implementation, the other organizational leaders began to question their futures. The lack of leadership, organization, planning, and communication created a dysfunctional organization that continues to loose revenue.The seemingly unethical nature of how financials were being calculated erodes the organizational culture at MLI. The lack of strategic planning left the organization with goals other than hit a particular margin, but there was no leadership on how to reach the goal. Jamie tried to fill the vacuum left by Cardullo, but did not have a clear definition of what Cardullo wanted. The issues that MLI have exist at many different organizations but there are tools that can be utilized to minimize and/or eliminate the managerial missteps. The first tool is education.I would create a policy at MLI that requires all managers to take leadership training. It is vital that managers understand what is required when is comes to managing the human reso urces of the organization. Bad leadership can lead to resource shortages, loss of intellectual capital and well as institutional knowledge. I would include diversity training to help manager build the skills needs to understand the nuances that diverse employees and colleagues. Ethics policies would go into place to eliminate any misunderstanding about how the organization operates.Looking at the decisions made at MLI, I would remove Cardullo as president and hire a person that can be focused on MLI. Cardullo was a micro-manager that did not clearly communicate a strategy to the MLI team. The new president’s first task would be to create a formal reporting structure that defines how information should rollup within MLI. It is crucial that the organization have a clear picture of where it is at in order to make any shifts necessary to realize any potential opportunity.The formality of the reporting structure coupled with regular scheduled meetings with each senior manager and the entire senior management team will eliminate the rudderless feeling at MLI. In light of the acquisition, I would bring the senior management from MLI to Triple S and coordinate strategy sessions around the current and future goals for MLI. I would have the controller at MLI report through Triple S corporate finance. I believe this will help with corporate governance and eliminate the potential for mischief.The hiring and firing of employees would be done based on strict guidelines that is managed through HR. These changes will help MLI stabilize the current situation and plan a path to success for the organization. Cardullo did not gain the trust or loyalty of the management team of the staff at MLI. Jamie was working to accomplish different goals for the organization, but he failed to communicate his ideas and changes up the chain. In the absence of any defined direction and a boss that does not communicate effectively, Jamie was headed for trouble from the first day on the job .I would have Triple S create an ethics hotline to allow employees to communicate troubling issues within the organization and provide employee a mechanism to address issues they have unsuccessfully tried to communicate with their supervisor. Jamie needed a way to address difficult issues with Cardullo and has no idea what has been communicated to Triple S. The problems can be fixed, but it will require that Triple S and MLI assess the real issues presented in this case and put policies in place that remove as much ambiguity as possible.

PreACT Practice Tests Where to Find Them and How to Prep

PreACT Practice Tests Where to Find Them and How to Prep SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Getting ready to take the PreACT? Then you might be wondering whether you should prep for it- and what resources you can use. Is there a PreACT practice test you can take? What kinds of PreACT resources does ACT, Inc. offer? Keep reading to learn why it’s a good idea to lightly prep for the PreACT, and get a comprehensive list of the best PreACT practice tests and materials you can use in your studying. Why You Should Prep for the PreACT The PreACT was created to act as an ACT practice test for 10th graders. Because your PreACT score does not count toward any grades and is not reported to colleges, you’re generally not expected to prep too hard (if at all) for the exam. That said, it can be a good idea to do some light prep, especially if your ultimate goal is to achieve a high score on the ACT. The PreACT is very similar to the ACT in content and form, so preparing for it essentially gives you a head start on ACT prep. As a result, you might not need to study as hard for the ACT when you take it the following year as an 11th grader. Most importantly, however, prepping for the PreACT is simply a great way to familiarize yourself with the ACT. Since you'll take the PreACT as a 10th grader, you'll learn early on what to expect on the ACT and can thus reduce the pressure you'll likely feel when taking the ACT for the first time. Now that you know why it’s a smart idea to prep a little for the PreACT, what are the best resources you can use in your studying? Let's start with the best of the best: official ACT, Inc. materials. Official PreACT Practice Tests Unfortunately, there are no official PreACT practice tests. In fact, the ACT, Inc. website doesn’t offer any PreACT prep material whatsoever (such as practice questions or content guides). Instead, all it has are some general PreACT-related PDFs and PowerPoints detailing things like the format of the test and why sophomores should take it. The likely reason for this lack of PreACT practice materials is that ACT, Inc. doesn’t want students to feel the need to prep extensively for the PreACT. (Remember, the PreACT is simply a practice test for the ACT, so your score won't count for anything!) Another probable reason is that, because ACT, Inc. already provides test takers with so many materials for the ACT, there’d be no point in making separate PreACT resources. In terms of free ACT materials, ACT, Inc. offers a wide variety of questions and tests- which you can also use for your PreACT prep. But before you use any of these to study for the PreACT, make sure you’re aware of the three main differences between the PreACT and ACT. These are as follows: The PreACT is shorter than the ACT: While the ACT is about three to three and a half hours long (depending on whether you take the optional Writing section), the PreACT is a mere two hours and 10 minutes long. The PreACT is easier than the ACT: Because the PreACT targets 10th graders and the ACT targets 11th and 12th graders, the PreACT uses a slightly easier difficulty than the ACT does. Consequently,the maximum score on the PreACT is 35, compared with 36 on the ACT. The PreACT does not have an essay section:Unlike the ACT, which offers an optional essay section,the PreACT does not contain any such section. Now let’s take a look at the official ACT resources you can use for your PreACT prep, as well as how to use them effectively. Rule #1 for using these resources effectively: don't accidentally feed them to your shredder. Free Official ACT Practice Tests At present, there are six official, full-length ACT practice tests available for free online. Since the ACT hasn’t changed much over the years, all of these tests should be helpful for your studying: ACT Practice Test 2018-19 (Form 74FPRE) ACT Practice Test 2015-16 (Form 72CPRE) ACT Practice Test 2014-15 (Form 67C) ACT Practice Test 2011-12 (Form 64E) ACT Practice Test 2008-09 (Form 61C) ACT Practice Test 2005-06 (Form 59F) The reason a few years are missing from these tests is that ACT, Inc. uses the same practice test for a few years before it releases a new one. For example, the 2015-16 practice test is the exact same as the 2016-17 and 2017-18 practice tests. In order to use these practice tests effectively, take themas if you were taking the real ACT. This means you'll need to take each test in a quiet place without any distractions. Also, it's important to take the entire test in one sitting.This way, you'll get a more accurate reflection of your scoring ability and can begin building up your stamina for both PreACT and ACT test day. Finally, be sure to time yourself in accordance with official ACT time limits.Because the ACT is longer than the PreACT is and contains slightly harder questions, these practice tests will be a little more challenging than the actual PreACT will be. But this isn't a bad thing- in fact, it means you'll be extra prepared for the PreACT! Free Official ACT Practice Questions If you’re looking for individual practice questions instead of practice tests, ACT, Inc. also offers a ton of sample ACT questions on its website. You’ll get the following number of questions for each ACT section: 75 ACT English questions 60 ACT Math questions 48 ACT Reading questions 40 ACT Science questions Altogether, these sample questions form a complete ACT practice test (plus eight extra Reading questions). This is equal to aboutone and a half PreACT tests. What’s nice about this resource is that you can easily skip around to focus on certain sections should you want to target specific skills for the PreACT. Although you can also use these sample questions as a full-length practice test, note that they aren’t available on paper- just online- which will make your practice less realistic. Furthermore, be aware that ACT, Inc. sets up these questions in a slightly bizarre format in which you are shown the correct answers after you answer only a handful of questions. This setup makes it difficult to take the whole test in one sitting (and nearly impossible to use official ACT time limits). Paid Official ACT Practice Tests Aside from the free materials above, ACT, Inc. offers some paid ACT practice tests for those who'd like to squeeze in more official ACT/PreACT practice: The Official ACT Prep Guide 2019-2020:This is the most recent version of the ACT's official prep book. It includes five complete practice tests, as well as 400 additional online questions (some of which are reused from the free resources above).While you won’t get much content help with this guide, it’s an excellent resource for additional practice tests. It costs about $23 on Amazon. ACT Online Prep Program: This official online program offers onecompletely unique, full-length ACT practice test.The actual prep part of the program isn’t that helpful, so it’s best to use this just for the practice test. The program costs $39.95. These next resources are as free as this escaped chicken feels. Free Unofficial PreACT Practice Tests Similar to how there are no official PreACT practice tests, there are no unofficial PreACT practice tests available for free online.Because the PreACT is a practice ACT and is so similar to the ACT, most test-prep companies and websites see no point in creating separate PreACT practice tests. So what can you use instead? Luckily, there are tons of free unofficial ACT practice tests you can use for PreACT prep. As is the case with all prep materials, some of these practice tests are good quality, and some aren’t so great. Therefore, it's best toprioritize official ACT materials. In addition, remember that since these are ACT practice tests- not PreACT tests- you can expect there to be more questions that are a little harder than what you’ll see on the PreACT. Below are our picks for the best unofficial ACT practice tests you can use in your PreACT prep, as well as tips for using each resource effectively. Ivy Global Ivy Global’s ACT practice test is by far one of the most realistic unofficial ACT tests available for free online. Visually, it looks almost identical to an official ACT practice test. Unlike other unofficial tests, which are typically only available online, this resource is a downloadable PDF, meaning that you can take it on paper- just as you will for the actual PreACT and ACT. Pros Most questions are very similar to those you’ll see on the ACTin terms of both quality and difficulty. The test is completely free to download and use- you don’t need to make an account or provide any personal information in order to access it. Because the test is a PDF, you can print it out and take it on paper- the same way you’ll take the PreACT (and eventually ACT). This ensures you’ll have realistic test-taking practice. Cons There are no answer explanations for the test; instead, all you get isan answer key (which is included with the test). This lack of guidance makes it difficult to determine exactlywhy you got certain questions wrong. How to Use This Resource Effectively Because this resource is one of the best unofficial ACT practice tests out there, I recommend taking it in its entirety as you would with an official practice test. Again, you'll want torecreate a realistic test-taking setting bytaking it ina quiet room and following all official ACT time limits. Finally, remember that this test still isn't as good as an official practice test, so only take it once you’ve exhausted all official ACT resources. Kaplan Kaplan- a pretty big name in the test-prep world- offers one free full-length ACT practice test when you sign up for an account on their website. This test is only offered on certain dates and at specific times, so check that the time you choose works with your schedule before registering. Pros Kaplan is known for having somewhat easier ACT practice questions and generally targets those who are new to the test. While this would be a con for those prepping for the ACT, it’sa huge plus for those prepping for the PreACT. Because the PreACT is supposed to be a little easier than the ACT is, this lower difficulty level actually works in your favor! Along with the test itself, you’ll get a breakdown of your results and an overview of which skills and areas you could improve. This is useful for figuring out what you should focus on in your PreACT prep. Cons You have to sign up for an account, which is a little annoying, especially if you don’t plan to utilize Kaplan’s other services. The free test is only offered at certain times and on certain days, meaning there’s very little flexibility in when you can take the practice test. The practice test is offered online, so the test-taking experience won’t be that realistic (both the PreACT and ACT are given on paper, not via a computer). How to Use This Resource Effectively If you’ve already taken all official ACT practice tests and the Ivy Global one but still want additional PreACT practice, this is a helpful test to take, particularlyif you'd like to know the specific areas you should zero in on in your prep. Additionally, make sure you’ve looked at your schedule ahead of time so that nothing will interfere with the time of the free test you sign up for. If possible, try to sign up for a morning ACT practice test,since that’s the time you’ll most likely be taking the PreACT at school. I know you hate getting up early, but I promise it'll help you feel more prepared for the PreACT! The Princeton Review Like Kaplan, The Princeton Review- another popular test-prep company- offers a free online ACT practice testwhen you sign up for an account on their website. Pros The Princeton Review is known for making conceptually easier ACT questions- but this will work in your favor since the PreACT is slightly easier than the ACT is. The free practice test can be taken at any time, so it’s pretty convenient. Once you finish taking the test, you’ll get a score report that goes over your strengths and weaknesses. This information is particularly helpful if you hope to eventually score highly on the ACT as well. Cons You have tosign up for an account in order to access the free test. Doing so automatically signs you up to receive emails from The Princeton Review; however, you can disable this at any time. Because the test is an online test, you won’t get that realistic test-taking experience you’d get with a paper test. How to Use This Resource Effectively Like the Kaplan test above, I suggest taking this test only after you’ve exhausted all official ACT resources and the (unofficial) Ivy Global PDF. Since you can take this test anytime, make sure to carve out at least four hours for it (i.e., the approximate length of the ACT). Also, try to take it in the morning, as most schools administer the PreACT during the first half of the school day. Finally, don't forget to use the timed feature when you take the test; this will help you get used to the pressure of testing under time limits (recall, though, that the PreACT is shorter than the ACT). Bonus:PrepScholar’s List of the Best ACT Practice Tests For even more ACT practice tests you can use in your PreACT prep, check out our extensive guide to the best ACT practice tests.In this guide, we introduce a combination of official and unofficial resources for ACT practice tests, some of which are free and some of which aren't. We also offer a summary of each resource to give you an idea of how helpful it’ll be for your ACT (or PreACT) prep. This article shares some overlap with the resources above, so be sure to look for those you haven’t yet tried. Remember that those resources containing easier ACT questions will be more useful (and more relevant) for your PreACT prep. At the same time, it's OK to avoid any resources that mostly target high scorers on the ACT, since their questions will be much more difficult than those on the PreACT (and possibly even the ACT!). Paid Unofficial PreACT Practice Test Although there are no free unofficial PreACT resources available, there is one paid PreACT practice test resource you can use:a prep book by Mometrix called PreACT Secrets Study Guide: PreACT Test Review for the PreACT Exam. Unlike the resources above, this is an entire book that includes a ton of PreACT practice questions, in addition to a full-length PreACT practice test (finally, not an ACT practice test!). Pros Unlike the other unofficial resources above, which are all geared specifically toward the ACT, this book targets the PreACT itself. Therefore, all the guidance and questions it offers are more similar to what you’ll see on the PreACT (versus the slightly harder ACT). It’s the only resource that contains a full-length PreACT practice test (instead of an ACT practice test).So if you're looking for something similar to the actual PreACT you’ll be taking, this resource is an ideal one to use. Unlike with ACT practice tests, you don’t have to take into account any format differences such as time limits and the number of questions. Cons The overall content review is really not that great. Most of the test-taking tips and section overviews aren’t detailed enough to be useful. This is especially concerning when we consider the fact that those taking the PreACT are completely new to this type of standardized test. The book’s got a lot of inaccuracies. For example, it mentions test centers in its tips section, even though only schools (not test centers!) offer the PreACT. Similarly, it talks about an essay section on the PreACT- but there isn’t one! It’s a pretty expensive book, currently selling for around $37 on Amazon. Since you can get loads of free ACT practice materials that are a lot more accurate (even though they're for the ACT and not the PreACT specifically), this price ultimately doesn’t seem worth it. How to Use This Resource Effectively Even though this is one of the only (if not the only) PreACT practice test resource out there, I don’t recommend buying it. With its multitude of basic inaccuracies and lack of helpful content review, I honestly don’t think it’s worth the $37 price tag. That said, if you’re really, really interested in buying it and want PreACT materials (instead of all ACT materials), go ahead and buy it. Just be aware that you’re only using it for the full-length PreACT practice test it offers, as the content review and tips aren’t that helpful (or even relevant). Taking the PreACT: 4 Essential Tips for Test Day As you know, the PreACT is a practice test for the ACT that's meant to help sophomores get a feel for the form and content of the ACT. Even though your PreACT score doesn't count for anything, it can be helpful to know a few key test-taking skills for test day. This way you won't simply do well on the PreACT but can also get more comfortable with the types of strategies you’ll eventually need for the ACT (or SAT). Below, we go over our top four test-taking tips for the PreACT (you can alsocheck out our ACT version for even more tips). #1: Pace Yourself One very important tip to remember is to pace yourself. Doing this ensures you won’t spend too much time on a single question or move too quickly and end up making careless mistakes. The PreACT contains a total of four sections: English, Math, Reading, and Science. Each section has a different number of questions in it as well as a different time limit. Here is an overview of approximately how long you’ll have per question on each PreACT section: PreACT Section Total Time # of Questions Time per Question 1. English 30 minutes 45 40 seconds 2. Math 40 minutes 36 67 seconds 3. Reading 30 minutes 25 (with 3 passages) 72 seconds 4. Science 30 minutes 30 60 seconds Source: 2017-18 PreACT Administration Manual As you can see, the amount of time you’ll have per question on each section varies. You’ll get the most time per question on the Reading section (72 seconds) and the least amount of time per question on the English section (40 seconds). By being aware of these timing differences, you can effectively avoid wasting time on one question at the beginning of a section and instead use that time to focus on other easier questions. In other words, skipping around on each section to do the easier questions first is perfectly OK- and even recommended! #2: Answer Every Question Like the ACT, there is no point penalty on the PreACT.Your score for each section, as well as your composite score, are all calculated based only on the questions you got right. Here's how PreACT scoring works: for every section, you earn one raw point for each right answer. These points are then converted into a scale score on the final 1-35 score scale. So what does this mean for your test-taking strategy? Because you won’t lose any points for wrong answers, try toanswer every single question on the test. Even if you’re running out of time on a section or have no clue what the correct answer to a question is, go ahead and guess! Most PreACT questions have four answer choices (Math questions have five), so you’ll always have a 20-25% of getting a question right, even if you just randomly select an answer. Who knows, you might get lucky and get every question you guessed right! Unless you're me. #3: Skim the Passages on Reading The PreACT Reading section contains three passages and 25 questions, and has a time limit of 30 minutes. This gives you about 72 seconds to answer each Reading question. But this time per question doesn’t take into account the time you’ll need to read each passage. While most students think they’re required to read the passage in its entirety, this can actually eat up a lot of your time (on both the PreACT and ACT). Instead, it’s far better to skim each passage. This not only saves you time overall but also allows you to spend more time tackling the most challenging questions. As we discuss in our guide to choosing an effective reading strategy for the ACT, here’s how you should approach passages on the PreACT: Read the small blurb at the beginning of the article to get a sense of what the passage will be about Choose one of two possible passage-reading strategies: Option A: Read the questions first and then skim the passage Option B: Skim the passage first and then read the questions Option A is a highly effective method that lets you look for the answers to the questions while you skim the passage. In other words, since you're already familiar with the questions and what they’re asking, you can quickly skim the passage to find those answers. Option B can be very effective, too, particularly if you find it difficult to read the questions before you know anything about the passage they're referring to. Ultimately, it doesn't matter which passage-reading strategy you decide to use- as long as it's one that works well for you and will help you get the PreACT/ACT score you want. I recommend trying out both strategies with official practice ACT Reading tests to see which one suits you better. Whichever method gives you a higher Reading score should be the one you use for the PreACT (and ACT). #4: Plug In Answers and Numbers on Math If you’re stuck on a PreACT Math question because you can’t remember a certain formula or don’t know how to approach it, don’t give up- instead, try plugging in answers and numbers to see if you can find the correct answer that way. But what exactly are these two strategies? Here’s a basic overview: Plug in answers:With this strategy, you'll plug each answer choice into the problem (usually an equation or inequality) to see which one yields the correct result. All Math answer choices are arranged in the order of smallest value to highest value, so you can save time by always starting with the middle answer choice (C or H).This tells you whether you need to work your way up or down to get a smaller or bigger value. Plug in numbers: Use this strategy when you get a question dealing withmultiple variables (i.e., unknown numbers typically represented by letters or symbols). To use it, simply replace all unknown variables with real numbers. This makes the problem easier to solve by letting you work with actual numbers instead of unknown values. For more tips on how to use these two strategies, as well as examples of practice questions, take a look at our guides to plugging in answers and plugging in numbers. Recap: The Best PreACT Practice Test Resources As we've shown you,there simply aren’t that many test-prep materials created solely for the PreACT.That said, you can still prep effectively for the test by taking advantage of an array of ACT practice tests and questions. As with any test prep, it’s best to start with official practice materials (in this case, those created by ACT, Inc.). This ensures you’ll have realistic and highly effective PreACT practice. For additional PreACT practice, feel free to use any of theunofficial ACT practice tests listed above. However, note that because these resources are unofficial, their quality won’t be nearly as high as that of official ACT materials. If you've combed through all the ACT resources listed above and are still dying for something that specifically targets the PreACT, your only option is PreACT Secrets Study Guide. However, with a high price tag of around $50 and tons of inaccuracies, this prep book really isn't worth buying. Even if you've studied hard, you'll still need to know some key test-taking strategies so you can get a high PreACT (and eventually ACT) score. Here are the four tips to keep in mind on test day: Pace yourself, and don't forget that the number of seconds you'll have per question varies with each section of the test Answer every question, even if you have to guess on some For Reading, skim the passages- don't attempt to carefully read each one as this will eat up your time For Math, plug in answers and numbersif there are too many variables or you aren't sure how to solve a problem With that, I wish you the best of luck on the PreACT! What’s Next? Want to learn more about the PreACT? Check out our comprehensive guide to the PreACT test, and learn when you can take the exam (coming soon). Looking for more ACT study materials you can use in your PreACT prep?Take a look at our top picks for ACT prep books, ACT prep websites, and ACT apps, and get advice on how to use them. Want to improve your ACT score by 4+ points? Download our free guide to the top 5 strategies you need in your prep to improve your ACT score dramatically.

History of Portugal - Overview

History of Portugal - Overview Location of Portugal Portugal is located in the far west of Europe, on the Iberian Peninsular. It is bounded by Spain to the north and east, and the Atlantic Ocean to the south and west. Historical Summary of Portugal The country of Portugal emerged in the tenth century during the Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula: first as a region under the control of the Counts of Portugal and then, in the mid-twelfth century, as a kingdom under King Afonso I. The throne then went through a turbulent time, with several rebellions. During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries overseas exploration and conquest in Africa, South America and India won the nation a rich empire. In 1580 a succession crisis led to a successful invasion by the King of Spain and Spanish rule, beginning an era known to opponents as the Spanish Captivity, but a successful rebellion in 1640 led to independence once more. Portugal fought alongside Britain in the Napoleonic Wars, whose political fallout led to a son of the King of Portugal becoming Emperor of Brazil; a decline in imperial power followed. The nineteenth century saw civil war, before a Republic was declared in 1910. However, in 1926 a military coup led to generals ruling until 1933, when a Professor called Salazar took over, ruling in an authoritarian manner. His retirement through illness was followed a few years later by a further coup, the declaration of the Third Republic and independence for African colonies. Key People from the History of Portugal Afonso HenriqueThe son of the Count of Portugal, Afonso Henrique was the rallying point for Portuguese nobles who feared losing their power to rival Galicians. Afonso won either a battle or a tournament and successfully expelled his mother, who was styled as Queen, and by 1140 was calling himself King of Portugal. He worked to establish his position, and by 1179 had persuaded the Pope to recognise him as king.Dom DinisNicknamed the farmer, Dinis is often the most highly regarded of the Burgundian dynasty, for he began the creation of a formal navy, founded the first university in Lisbon, promoted culture, founded one of the first insurance institutions for merchants and broadened trade. However, tensions grew among his nobles and he lost the Battle of Santarà ©m to his son, who took the crown as King Afonso IV.Antà ³nio SalazarA Professor of Political Economy, Salazar was invited in 1928 by Portugal’s military dictatorship to join the government and resolve a financial crisi s. In 1933 he was promoted to Prime Minister, and he ruled – if not as a dictator (though an argument can be made that he was), then certainly as a repressive, anti-parliamentary authoritarian, until illness forced him to retire in 1974. Rulers of Portugal

Job Description for Line ,Management Position

Job Description for Line ,Management Position In today's high paced business world, management is a key aspect of business success or failure. When management is tight in an organization leaving noting to be overlooked success is bound to happen. Many individuals think that management is a simple thing, but in all reality it involves many steps to be taken in order for yourself to be called a manager and your department to be called management. There are four functions of management, planning, organizing, leading and controlling. In this paper I will explain in-depth the vital importance of all four.While planning, a manager must remain organized. Without organization, even the best plan will not come to fruition. A manager must contemplate requirements. Those requirements can be anything from training or certification to proper workplace floor plans. The organization does not stop there. A manager must be able to properly schedule. If scheduling is not organized in an assembly line, an entire business can come to a halt.Human R esources Management Association of ChicagoEnsuring the right things are in the right place. This does not just cover tools and equipment, but also includes the workers with the correct skill sets and the raw materials that are needed to complete their individual tasks. A manager with good organizational skills can put the right people, in the right places, at the right time and build a team. This team will have an understanding that interdependencies and handoffs are facts of life in the workplace and that when well organized management is in place, the interdependencies and handoffs are virtually invisible. But they succeeded despite the lack of a formal plan, not because of it (Zeldman, 1999, p101). In my organization, I work in the real estate business planning is our key to our market. We use it to plan expansion into new markets or...

The Future of Information Assurance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Future of Information Assurance - Essay Example It needs a great deal of deeper layering of protection methods within the enterprise and globally it requires major developments to the fundamental information infrastructure in addition to extended collaboration across enterprise and national boundaries (techdigest, N.D). Since networked information systems become indispensable to present living, the need for information assurance in securing accessibility, reliability, and privacy for information become progressively more vital. As science and engineering technologies support the advancement of faster and more capable networks, it is important to develop information assurance concurrently. To advance the state of the art in technologies for future information assurance, it is important to foresee a better understanding of the science that manages networking and assurance, leading to novel technology approaches and a precise engineering discipline for information assurance (Lee and Gregg, 2005). Security measures are mainly concerned with the privacy, accessibility, integrity, and accuracy of an organization’s information and data transfers. Privacy indicates that the particular information can only be made obtainable to correct persons. Accessibility makes sure that data can be used at any established time, in agreed form and quality. Integrity means that data includes only agreed changes. Accuracy ensures the content, in which the designer’s identity is endorsed. In general, these are good enough to believe that organizations need to carry out their dealings within the scope of these standards to safe guard their intellectual property. The security strategy is the thrust behind the planning, accomplishment, and progress of suitable security design. Since the modern aspects of information technology are managed by global standards, security strategy and the consequential architectures are almost unique (Graf and Kneeshaw, N.D). When appraised with the notions of information security and information

Myths about Grammar Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Myths about Grammar - Essay Example The structures are not to be taught to the learners, they will acquire them on their own and if they are to be taught then the lessons are expected to be boring. They will be boring because the students will be required to repeat the different models in grammar (Chomsky, 136). Such teaching activities can be boring. This makes it more questionable. However there are different approaches that are communicative and proficiency based that limit the grammar instructions. There are several grammar claims that should be called grammar myths. There is a myth about split infinitives. You might have heard people saying that you are not supposed to use split infinitives. It is one of the many grammar myths that have been contradicting people for quite a long time. It all started with the Latin writers. (Bryan, 270) How the myth of split infinitives began Not to split infinitives is a notion that is mistaken. Latin was a, model in good writing in the 1800s and different writers tried to make English fit in Latin language. The attempt was unrealistic since the Latin infinitive is always one word and there is no way that it can be split. On the contrary, the infinitive has to be split in the English language (House, 54). No matter how awkward and unattractive the split infinitive is, it is never wrong to use them. There is nothing desirable about split infinitives, but according to H.W Fowler he says that when it comes to real ambiguity, then split infinitives are quite useful (Fowler, 768) .Always feel free to use the split infinitives whenever necessary even when it is a clumsy version. An example of a sentence with a split infinitive is†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We wanted to immediately leave for the airport†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. This splits an infinitive and is definitely not the right one to use. The other example is â€Å"The committee plans to le gally ban franc disclosures† (LaRocque 61) .This sentence makes it clear that it is necessary to use a split infinitive. A split infinitive A split infinitive is a word that comes in between the particle â€Å"to and the verb. An example of a split infinitive word is â€Å"to go boldly† (Wardhaugh 69) it might seem wrong but then it is not. Split infinitives have been a great controversy among the teachers and the grammar people, but the notion that it is a grammatical myth is a mistake. Henry Fowler the writer of the book Modern English Usage stated that these as superstitions .It is a superstition that has never been legit and different English writers have always been splitting the infinitives ever since the 1300s. The blame has always been put on Henry Alford a Latinist and used to be the Dean of Canterbury in the 19th century. Alford published a book, A Plea for the Queen’s English in 1864 where he declared that â€Å"To† was an inseparable infinitiv e. He probably was influenced by the Latin grammar that infinitive is one word and it can never be split. Like you should not put the word,† Boldly† between an infinitive phrases â€Å"To go-as in â€Å"to boldly go’. This was false. (Alford 171) In the early 20th century the highly respected English writers Henry Fowler, George 0.Curme and many more started explaining that the split infinitive is preferable and accepted. Besides it is hard to split an infinitive, since the particle â€Å"To† is simply a prepositional marker and not part of the infinitive. At times it s never needed. An example like â€Å"She helped me to read† the particle ‘To’ can be dropped. But then because of the grammar myths that still live on, then it becomes difficult for one to drop it. That could explain why it is still in use and considered grammatically correct (Harris, Bruce

The Pros & Cons of In-House Versus Outsourced R&D (Research & Essay

The Pros & Cons of In-House Versus Outsourced R&D (Research & Development) Activity for Technology Firms - Essay Example The first section takes into account the various purposes and definitions of outsourcing as an activity. The primary reasons are explored in detail as to its evolution and factors influencing its security impacts on businesses. The next section outlines the various security issues that may arise in the outsourcing business and its various implications to the business and customer confidence. The primary focus is on secure outsourcing which acts to the safety of businesses and retains the faith and confidence in their services. It acts as a great tool to foster harmonies relationships and ensure business continuity for gaining competitive advantage. The need for state-of-the-art IT solutions worked out and innovations implemented with small losses, outsourcing may be the only way out. It will save from the nightmare of retraining employees (or even hiring new ones) and/or paying for re-equipment (Kenneth, 2007). Information strategy for any organization is purely based on their requirements to manage business and envelope operations into a system which would in turn effectively manage their resources and yield not only profits in the long run but satisfaction to its employees and customers (Laudon, 2002). Rich human capital: Outsourced software vendors produce ‘A’ level business and technological graduates from its most prestigious institutes like Institutes of Management and Institute of Technology. They possess extremely high talent in terms of fundamental knowledge and high level of skills due to their immense strength of aptitude and quantitative ability. The human capital has capability to take up entrepreneurship and make a difference to their economy (Checkland, 2003). Cost efficiency: In Outsourced software vendors, the costs of living and spending habits are quite less and thus the monetary policies are favorable for development at low costs. It makes it favorable for companies to outsource

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 2

Strategic Management - Essay Example However, a different extension is noticed when the water is placed to heat gradually when the frog may fail to realize the changes in temperature and be boiled to death. The inference developed in the aspect explains that there is the need to identify leading threats to the sustenance of progress at an earlier stage, when the adjustments can be offered as compared to finding solutions to the problem when its impacts have been felt. Moreover, the advice is offered that the reaction level and sensitivity should be based on identifying minimal changes that may accumulate to lead to threats (David 34). In business, the relation is accorded to organizations that fail to recognize threats to their missions at earlier stages and only articulate solutions to already recurrent problems. Most businesses focus on delivering satisfaction to the consumers failing to focus on the competitors who are the chief threats to their sustenance in the market. The relation of consumers and competitors is i ndicated in the failure for buyers to maintain loyalty in the case that the competitor holds better service than the organization. Early planning eradicates the problem and creates better businesses based on the desire to meet expectations in goal achievement (Polynice). The boiled frog scenario is included to depict the situation where the affected organization failed to identify the problem in due time, and make the adjustments needed in saving the business. The example is included in the failure of the dotcom businesses in failing to acknowledge the shrinking markets (Majumdar). This move would witness these companies fail to achieve their motive and yield failure with improper measures to curb threats to the goal achievement. The retail company had established the dominance within the market as the preference among the consumers. This led to the employment of added employee number in the workforce and developed the ideology of marketing using the top selling brands. The majority of the focus had been based on marketing the top lines, neglecting the other products. The operations of retail failed to be affected until the slowdown when the management realized the mistakes ad challenges offered. The solution that had been offered by management to satisfy the employees had been through asking them to pick groceries from stores instead of their salary. The solution failed since the stock had been empty since the suppliers failed to deliver products with their problems in payment. The employees eventually lost their positions in the company and the eminent closure followed. The business could have solved the problem trough providing the focus needed in developing all product lines in the store, and maximizing on the available stock rather than focus on the leading products. This is the case where the frog could have identified the dangers of the slowly boiling water and jumped out to avoid the eminent murder. Comment to Post The post confirms the boiled frog the ory and offers the example in September 11 attacks, that saw the U.S. government challenged for the failure of offering solution to the terrorism threat. This saw the repercussions in a massive attack that saw the demise of hundreds of citizens who depended on their government for security. The post assures that without the proper preparations to predict dangers, the result would

Introduction to Managerial Accounting Research Paper

Introduction to Managerial Accounting - Research Paper Example In addition, what price should be charged to the product to replace the production costs and earn a profit that is optimal? In addition, they have to plan how to finance the operations and how to manage the available cash. That is important in keeping the activities of the business to work smoothly. Â · Decision making. Managers need managerial accounting information when they decide whether or not to commence a certain project. Managerial accounting will help them compare the benefits of various opportunities and help them decide which ones to choose. Â · Performance measurement. Managers have to compare the budgeted figures to evaluate the performance of the business to actual results of the operation. They will have to use certain techniques of managerial accounting such as standard costing to assess the performance of various departments (Weygandt, Kieso, & Kimmel, 2010). Managerial accountants keep record financial information for their firms that are used by the management team of the company to aid in the process of decision-making. Managerial accountants do develop budgets, perform asset, cost management, and create necessary reports to be used by the Directorate team. In every company managers to significantly depend on the data provided by managerial accountants to develop business strategies that are effective. Owners of small business make most of the decisions within their company. The data offered by managerial accountants can affect the liability of the owner to make business decisions that are sound (Weygandt, Kieso, & Kimmel, 2010). The main purpose of managerial accounting in business is to support decision making by collecting, processing, and communicating helpful information that would assist the managers. The information would help the managers to plan, control, and evaluate the processes of the business and strategy of the company (Albrecht, 2007).

Controversial legal issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Controversial legal issue - Essay Example Major religions of the world favor the continuance of life in practically most instances with a very few exceptions where the taking of life can be justified. Religious laws are quite absolute about the prohibition against taking a life, whether one's own life or that of another person. In the eyes of God, anyone who takes life commits a grave mortal sin. However, great strides and advances in medical science and technology now allow the person to prolong life by artificial methods. This technological achievement is unprecedented in the history of mankind. For the first time ever, Man can now â€Å"play God† because he has a power to extend a life whenever he wants to. Regrettably, present laws and jurisprudence has not kept up with these medical advances. The result is often confusing as there are no rules to guide us by. In the same manner, ethics (in particular, biological ethics or bio-ethics) likewise has not been able to deal with complex medical issues. Euthanasia or me rcy killing is just one bio-medical issue that has hounded healthcare professionals and legal practitioners alike. The questions regarding euthanasia are many and very convoluted; there are no easy answers here. This paper re-visits and examines the issue of euthanasia from a legal perspective. Discussion There are many biological and medical issues that are not being resolved satisfactorily by the present state of our medical ethics today. Besides euthanasia, other examples that legal and medical experts alike grapple with are abortion, surrogate motherhood, organ transplants, brain death and end-of-life care (palliative medicine). The basic questions facing all ethicists can be generalized into a few categories, such as: how is life to be measured and determined (that life exists), who will judge whether a person should live or die, what constitutes proof of death and when should heroic medical intervention be withheld from a patient? The ultimate question is who has the right to live and the right to die? Even dying can be considered as one of the more basic human rights – that is, the right to die with dignity intact. Euthanasia – in plain and simple language, euthanasia means mercy killing. There are many situations in which euthanasia seems to be justified, such as when a person is suffering from an incurable and terminal disease and is very likely to suffer in great pain. Literally, the meaning of euthanasia in Greek is a â€Å"good and easy death† to relieve pain and suffering. Even the British House of Lords had deemed it appropriate to give a precise definition for it – â€Å"this is a deliberate intervention to end a life with express intention to relieve intractable suffering.† While people are still healthy, it is easy to be detached about all the debates on euthanasia but a time will come when a person has to face it and its consequences. The controversy surrounding euthanasia has been made more complicated beca use of the earlier practice of eugenics which is medical science applied to improving the composition of genetics in a human population (Appel, 2004, p. 611). Eugenics fell into disrepute because it was employed by the Nazis in their desire to attain a high level of purity of the Aryan races. There were several abuses committed such as forced sterilization, human experiments and the extermination of undesirable groups of people (compulsory or

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words - 2

Strategic Management - Essay Example However, a different extension is noticed when the water is placed to heat gradually when the frog may fail to realize the changes in temperature and be boiled to death. The inference developed in the aspect explains that there is the need to identify leading threats to the sustenance of progress at an earlier stage, when the adjustments can be offered as compared to finding solutions to the problem when its impacts have been felt. Moreover, the advice is offered that the reaction level and sensitivity should be based on identifying minimal changes that may accumulate to lead to threats (David 34). In business, the relation is accorded to organizations that fail to recognize threats to their missions at earlier stages and only articulate solutions to already recurrent problems. Most businesses focus on delivering satisfaction to the consumers failing to focus on the competitors who are the chief threats to their sustenance in the market. The relation of consumers and competitors is i ndicated in the failure for buyers to maintain loyalty in the case that the competitor holds better service than the organization. Early planning eradicates the problem and creates better businesses based on the desire to meet expectations in goal achievement (Polynice). The boiled frog scenario is included to depict the situation where the affected organization failed to identify the problem in due time, and make the adjustments needed in saving the business. The example is included in the failure of the dotcom businesses in failing to acknowledge the shrinking markets (Majumdar). This move would witness these companies fail to achieve their motive and yield failure with improper measures to curb threats to the goal achievement. The retail company had established the dominance within the market as the preference among the consumers. This led to the employment of added employee number in the workforce and developed the ideology of marketing using the top selling brands. The majority of the focus had been based on marketing the top lines, neglecting the other products. The operations of retail failed to be affected until the slowdown when the management realized the mistakes ad challenges offered. The solution that had been offered by management to satisfy the employees had been through asking them to pick groceries from stores instead of their salary. The solution failed since the stock had been empty since the suppliers failed to deliver products with their problems in payment. The employees eventually lost their positions in the company and the eminent closure followed. The business could have solved the problem trough providing the focus needed in developing all product lines in the store, and maximizing on the available stock rather than focus on the leading products. This is the case where the frog could have identified the dangers of the slowly boiling water and jumped out to avoid the eminent murder. Comment to Post The post confirms the boiled frog the ory and offers the example in September 11 attacks, that saw the U.S. government challenged for the failure of offering solution to the terrorism threat. This saw the repercussions in a massive attack that saw the demise of hundreds of citizens who depended on their government for security. The post assures that without the proper preparations to predict dangers, the result would

Controversial legal issue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Controversial legal issue - Essay Example Major religions of the world favor the continuance of life in practically most instances with a very few exceptions where the taking of life can be justified. Religious laws are quite absolute about the prohibition against taking a life, whether one's own life or that of another person. In the eyes of God, anyone who takes life commits a grave mortal sin. However, great strides and advances in medical science and technology now allow the person to prolong life by artificial methods. This technological achievement is unprecedented in the history of mankind. For the first time ever, Man can now â€Å"play God† because he has a power to extend a life whenever he wants to. Regrettably, present laws and jurisprudence has not kept up with these medical advances. The result is often confusing as there are no rules to guide us by. In the same manner, ethics (in particular, biological ethics or bio-ethics) likewise has not been able to deal with complex medical issues. Euthanasia or me rcy killing is just one bio-medical issue that has hounded healthcare professionals and legal practitioners alike. The questions regarding euthanasia are many and very convoluted; there are no easy answers here. This paper re-visits and examines the issue of euthanasia from a legal perspective. Discussion There are many biological and medical issues that are not being resolved satisfactorily by the present state of our medical ethics today. Besides euthanasia, other examples that legal and medical experts alike grapple with are abortion, surrogate motherhood, organ transplants, brain death and end-of-life care (palliative medicine). The basic questions facing all ethicists can be generalized into a few categories, such as: how is life to be measured and determined (that life exists), who will judge whether a person should live or die, what constitutes proof of death and when should heroic medical intervention be withheld from a patient? The ultimate question is who has the right to live and the right to die? Even dying can be considered as one of the more basic human rights – that is, the right to die with dignity intact. Euthanasia – in plain and simple language, euthanasia means mercy killing. There are many situations in which euthanasia seems to be justified, such as when a person is suffering from an incurable and terminal disease and is very likely to suffer in great pain. Literally, the meaning of euthanasia in Greek is a â€Å"good and easy death† to relieve pain and suffering. Even the British House of Lords had deemed it appropriate to give a precise definition for it – â€Å"this is a deliberate intervention to end a life with express intention to relieve intractable suffering.† While people are still healthy, it is easy to be detached about all the debates on euthanasia but a time will come when a person has to face it and its consequences. The controversy surrounding euthanasia has been made more complicated beca use of the earlier practice of eugenics which is medical science applied to improving the composition of genetics in a human population (Appel, 2004, p. 611). Eugenics fell into disrepute because it was employed by the Nazis in their desire to attain a high level of purity of the Aryan races. There were several abuses committed such as forced sterilization, human experiments and the extermination of undesirable groups of people (compulsory or

The Darkness out there Essay Example for Free

The Darkness out there Essay She beseeches the doctors aid; she sees the hopelessness of human assistance; and there is a desperate earnestness in her manner that goes to the young mans heart. The plot builds up by keeping the reader puzzled about the unknown person who needs the doctors help. The doctor cannot understand why he cannot help until the following morning, especially as the woman is in such a distressed state. The doctor explores various thoughts but cannot find a logical explanation. He speculated a great deal and to very little purpose on the possible circumstances of the case. The mood of the story is further darkened by the images of Walworth, which is the location of the tragedy. The village is full of poverty, decay and questionable characters. His way lay across a marshy common, through irregular lanes, with here and there a ruinous and dismantled cottage fast falling to pieces with decay and neglect. The writer uses assonance and imagery that emphasises the dreariness and sense of no hope. After plodding wearily through the MUD and MIRE. A small low building, one story above the ground with a desolate and unpromising exterior. The sense of mystery is kept up as the doctor is told that he is too soon to help the patient rather than too late. Am I in time? Too soon replied the man. The surgeon turned hastily round, with a gesture of astonishment mixed with alarm. But then the puzzle is suddenly solved and the reason for the tragedy becomes clear. The truth flashed suddenly upon him. The tone and pace of The Darkness Out There is much slower and less intense. The descriptions and conversation are about everyday things. The setting is much more modern and the language is casual rather than formal. She would go to this old Mrs Rutters and have a bit of a giggle with Susie and come home for tea and wash her hair. The writer uses lots of alliteration and assonance to create a lighthearted mood that reflects the country setting. Polleny summer grass that glinted in the sun. Pattern and petal. This style is used to bring the characters to life as well. She seemed composed of circles, a cottage-loaf of a woman, with a face below which chins collapsed. There are lots of contrasting images as well, because the young girl is frightened of the wood. There are some nasty things as well as pretty colourful flowers, and the dark side of the wood is described to remind the reader about the main theme of the story. The dark reach of the spinney came right to the gate there so that she would have to walk by the edge of it with the light suddenly shutting off the bare wide sky of the field. The chatty conversations move the plot forward, and the young girl finds out things about the old womans past. The writer uses similes to build up an image of the womans dead husband, which the girl sees in a photo. The girl saw a man with a tooth-brush moustache, his army cap slicing his forehead. Although the old woman seems to be plump and harmless, as the story goes on, a harder side starts to come out. The young boy who is helping with the cleaning, starts to pick up on things about her that make him feel uncomfortable. His opinion turns out to be correct, for her darker side is very unpleasant indeed. She and her sister heard the plane crash and they went to investigate. They cheered when they realised it was German plane. The writer starts to build up a mood of fear and tension as they are exploring the crash. The language becomes more harsh and sharp, and reflects the hatred that the old lady felt. Bang there goes some more bastards. Tit for tat. The old woman tells the story without seeming to feel as though she did anything wrong. But the horror of the young boy and girl comes across in the description of their reaction. The boys spoon clattered to the floor; he did not move. At the end the writer sums up the different kinds of darkness that can exist. She emphasises that things are not always what they seem to be on the surface. This makes sure that the reader fully understands what the story has been about. You could get people all wrong and there was a darkness that was not the darkness of tree shadows. There are some things about the stories that are similar. There is an element of mystery and secrecy in them both which makes the reader want to continue reading and see what happens. The endings are both tragic as well. Both stories are about death, but one of the main characters causes the death, and the other one is the victim of a death. The tone of the stories are very different. The Black Veil is much deeper and disturbing, and the characters are frightened, helpless and in great pain. The mood of The Darkness Out There is quite colourful and bright, but this actually covers up the evil act of the old woman. The stories are written at different times, and so the Dickens tale uses words that are formal and outdated. This compares with the chatty, colloquial language which goes on between the characters in the other story. The endings of both tales are very powerful. The reader discovers a dreadful tragedy has occurred. However, the Black Veil ending makes you feel sad as absolutely nothing could be done to save the womans son. In contrast, the jolly old woman turns out to be a murderer, and like the boy and the girl the reader ends up hating her. It makes you want to throw up he said, someone like that. Richard Hiom 01/05/2007 1 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Joseph Conrad section.

Downsizing: Corporate Restructuring Strategy

Downsizing: Corporate Restructuring Strategy Downsizing or layoff is a widespread strategic decision and change practice since 1970s and during the economic downturn in the year 2007 it became a more common phenomenon. In 2001 alone fortune 500 companies reportedly cut a total of 1040466 jobs and one predicts that by 2015 a further 3.3 million jobs will be outsourced. Changing patterns in reasons cited for job loss support this impression of the rising importance of restructurings. Differences in factors such as the state of the economy and the signal sent by job loss could make the process of downsizing and the effects of job loss differ between restructurings of healthy organizations and downsizing due to financial distress. Recent companies to pursue downsizing include American Express, Alcoa, Motorola, HP, Dell, Lucent to name a few. DOWNSIZING APPROACHES There are many kind of approaches in downsizing. The reasons for the firm to undertake such approaches also varies. As documented by Palmer et al,. they include restructuring, closing or selling of a business unit, cost reduction, cost savings, increased productivity through greater efficiency and effectiveness and coping with external pressure including recessions and economic downturn, economical change, increased competitive pressures through greater globalization of business and technological change. Multiple strategies may be associated with downsizing beyond the simple cost cutting approach. For instance, after the terrorist attack on united states on September 11,2001, Praxair Inc. a supplier of speciality gases and coating the United States, experienced a downturn in productivity. They announced the need to reduce their worldwide workforce by 900 employees as well as the need to restructure their business to cater to products where demand was increasing. To this end they simultaneously downsized and invested in two new product plants. Sometimes employees are the last resort for cost cutting and thus the company follows downsizing. For example, in the end of the second quarter of 2001 Charles Schwab company was hit by a major economic downturn in commission based revenue. This company has hired a lot of workforce during the boom period of the business cycle. So they had an overabundance of staff and finally realised the need to restructure and downsizing was their last resort of cost cutting. As a result by the end of 2003, the company has reduced nearly 25% of its workforce and significantly decreased the staff bonuses in a move to save the company from its declining profit. But downsizing will not necessarily lead to gains in productivity unless and until its complemented with other business strategies. For example , a research in 1990 showed that expected increase in profits did not increase in two out of three cases through cost cutting by downsizing. This research showed that share prices may initially rise with the announcement of cost cutting by downsizing but often fall, trading at or below the market over a two year period. TYPES OF DOWNSIZING There are mainly three types of downsizing. They are as follows: Retrenchment Downscaling Downscoping The above three strategies are further elaborated below: (1) RETRENCHMENT: it is a corporate strategy by which the firm centralizes or specializes its operations to maintain and improve the productivity and profit. It can brought about by removal of unnecessary jobs and amenities or reengineering process. This finally helps in gaining competitive advantage and improve the economies of scale. If a company or government follows the process of retrenchment, it decreases the money which is outgoing and the expenditures or have a new focus so that they can become more solvent financially.Retrenchment is a general strategy of cutting back the cost and a useful approach towards the layoff process. Companies usually use the strategy of retrenchment through two approaches. One of them being reducing the overall expenditure by decreasing the workforce, closing of offices and branches which are not performing according to expected profit, freezing hiring and cutting salaries. As the firm centralizes the operation it may move its head quarters to a favourable place where the operating cost is lowered or easy availability of raw materials is possible. It can also streamline its process and decreasing the quality of materials used in production. The other approach of the company is by downsizing in non profitable market, i.e. following the process of downsizing in the market segment which is not performing well currently and in turn building upon its operations in market which has proved to be profitable in long run. This usually happens when the non profitable market becomes saturated or obsolete for the sole reason of new and improved technology and modernization. There are basically five major activities that take place for retrenchment: Turnaround: there are two strategies to do it. Firstly the company can consolidate the operation and secondly it can contract its operations by cutting cost of labour and marketing. Captive company : for a captive company to perform well they can be an exclusive supplier to a giant company. Its future is held by another big company Divestment : it mainly involves in removal of a portion of the business. It may sell, close or spin-off any strategic business unit, a product line or any operating division. They actually downsize their scope of business functioning. Liquidation: The process is simple. It is done by Taking the book value of assets, subtracting depreciation and selling the business. There can be potentially viable assets which are lost in the process. Bankruptcy: this is when the company looses its total profit. It is a legal protective strategy. There can at least be a possibility of turnaround if the company declares itself bankrupt to its loyal customers. (2). DOWNSCALING: the process of downscaling involves permanent alterations to employment and tangible resource capacity. The decrease in resources decreases the necessity of workforce operating them and thus the process of downsizing is easy and viable for sustaining the company. It improves the competitive advantage of the company and reduces the firms economies of scale. It can also involve improvement in the competitive market share of the firm. This strategy is actually followed by firms who are facing increased competition in the market place and wants to improve the efficiency by implementing changes in the workforce. (3). DOWNSCOPING: when the form divests operations and activities or markets in which it operates. This is usually achieved by decreasing the vertical and horizontal integration. If a firm has over diversified its operations it can use the corporate strategy of downsizing to improve its performance. The strategy helps in refocusing the organizations core business. It involves two main processes. Firstly reducing the level of diversification by divesting the business which are not related to its core competency. Secondly selectively removing workforce units and employees who do not contribute to the strategic objective of the organization. The assets of the firm which are unproductive are spun-off or sold. It helps the firm to achieve the optimal level of diversification. The process of refocusing also reduces the information processing requirement of the top management. The emphasis of the firm is more on strategic control rather than financial control. It is reducing the diversity o f business in its portfolio. European firms use more of downscoping as compared to the United Statess firms. One of the best examples of downscoping can be the Tata group who have restructured its business to retain only 91 of its 250 business. The company has tried to build a more focussed approach without actually abandoning the best traditional manufacturing process. CHALLENGES IN DOWNSIZING There are certain challenges the organization has to face while the process of downsizing is being implemented. They are explained as follows: Survivor syndrome : this is mainly observed in employees who are retained in the organization after the downsizing process has been done. They feel guilty that they are still in the organization when their valued work colleagues are and employed. They suffer from low morale and feel that they also can get laid off in future. Particularly when they are not involved in the organizations restructuring process they feel left out and dissociated. Managing such survivors effectively is a major challenge Due diligence: there can be questions in the organization regarding the necessity of the downsizing in the organization if the process is unplanned or non selective. This may lead to damage of the employee-employer relationship in the organization. Employee retention: loss of important and skilled employees can occur due to unplanned downsizing. Sometimes the retained employees become unsure about their future in the firm and reconsider their decision to stay back with the firm. Loosing these employees can greatly affect the productivity of the firm. Cultural adjustments: downsizing leads to significant cultural change. For example the subcultures of the firm may be broken down by restructuring and downsizing and disruption of informal networks may occur. So the management must pay more attention to reintegrate the culture and formulate new strategic decisions Communication: the company should make sure that they convey and communicate the future of the present employees and also the market situation they are presently in. they should communicate their future strategy and vision to the shareholders, employees and the customers. Choice of restructuring technique: downsizing is not always the most viable technique for restructuring. Many companies do not seek initial alternative to it. The decision of using any substitute method should be analysed properly before carrying on the process of downsizing. DOWNSIZING IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY There has been major downsizing and lay off in the pharmaceutical companies over the last few years. From the year 2007 when the recession started nearly 80,000 jobs in pharmaceutical industry is lost. The recent consolidation of the industry, e.g., Merck-Schering, Pfizer-Wyeth and Roche-Genentech suggests that many more biotechnology and pharmaceutical jobs may be lost over the next year or so. Companies like of Amgen, Genentech, Gilead are lacking funds to maintain its operations in the down economy. There is a lack of venture and private equity capital which is ultimately leading to cost cutting by reduction in work force. Xenoport, a San Jose based pharmaceutical firm has announced that it will downsize 222 person from its existing workforce in the next few months. The company executives claim that this downsizing is necessary as the US Food and Drug Administration failed to grant approval to the leas drug candidate. The move will help the company save nearly $15.6 million annually and in turn invest them on future drug development. Another firm named Exelis which is based in San-Francisco will cut down its workforce by 40% to have more focus on development of the late stage drug candidate. This biotechnology firm wants to reduce their cash expenditure by nearly $90 million in the year 2011 and wants to focus on anti cancer drugs like XL184, XL147 and XL765 development. It has been less than a year when the company has announced a $1.0 billion deal with Sanofi-Aventis in which $140 million was invested by Sanofi in order to license two of its major oncology drug candidates. Finally, BNET compiled a top biotech layoff list for 2009. The notables that made the list are shown below. Sepracor (530). The layoffs represented 20 percent of Sepracors workforce, and another 410 contract sales reps also got the axe. The restructuring apparently worked and Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma the company later in 2009. Allergan (460). This represented a five percent reduction in the companys workforce. Genmab (300). Arzerra (ofatumumab) the companys leukemia drug won FDA approval a week before layoffs were announced (go figure). But Genmab wanted to cut manufacturing and late-stage clinical work to refocus on antibody discovery. Oscient Pharmaceuticals (280). Oscient cut about 100 jobs in February, 2009 to entice acquisition partners. When that didnt work, the firm cut another 180 in June as it dumped the sales force for its two marketed products. Cornerstone Therapeutics later picked up Oscients antibiotic Factive during bankruptcy. Amylin Pharmaceuticals (200). After cutting 340 jobs at the end of 2008 amid declining diabetes drug sales and regulatory delays, Amylin eliminated 200 sales reps in mid-2009. The above represents one of the largest lay offs in 2009. It was earlier considered that life science wont be affected by the downturn of the economy. But contradictory to the popular belief it is one of the hard hit sectors. Most of the companies are following the downsizing with the mixture of junior and senior employees. But during major lay-offs most of the downsized employees are not experienced. Entry level employees are also downsized for the process of cutting cost. Pharmaceutical companies require nearly 15 years for the drug development process. There may be many critical decisions to be made during the process. For taking such decisions more experienced and expert employees are required and without their suggestions they can not actually render the drug development process to complete. The ability to take proper decision and the corporate knowledge is not observed in the entry level employees. It might take those years to understand the complexity of the process. So mostly the sales level employees are suffering from the downsizing effects. To summarize it, the fact that choosing the employee to be laid of is very crucial in pharmaceutical industry. They should not loose experienced workforce a s it might lead to their loss of efficiency of operations and competitive advantage in the market. The current lay-offs of the industry can increase the drug stock prices for short term period but the future of such measures in the long term is still uncertain and cannot be predicted. CONCLUSION: Downsizing can be fairly costly strategic decision. For example it has been calculated that the total cost of the retrenching of a single employee who earns around $ 30,000 is around $7,000. the process of downsizing can have major pschycological and emotional effect on the employee. The employee may loose his/her morale and efficiency to work better elsewhere. There can also be social effect on both those who remain in the organization and those who leave. For these reasons the smartest companies make sure that they address the right issues in right ways before they jettison jobs and further explore alternatives for their operations before they restore to downsizing as their corporate strategy.