How E Commerce Has Changed Business Practices - 2162 Words

E-commerce is the stores that provide service for customers via online. It sells a variety of products such as foods, drinks, and many others. It has different sectors which have many classes of businesses. For example online supermarkets are starting to grow today. Previously, have the physical stores or traditional stores but they build an e-commerce now. When e-commerce is becoming popular, they start to do it to get more profit. This essay will examine and evaluate how e-commerce has altered business practices in supermarket, including e-commerce grows very fast, profitable business and convenience for customers, enjoyable and comfortable to shop, and detail information in the e-commerce websites. It also will argue and evaluate the main tactics to increase the profit of internet trading, are convenience delivery home, having good marketing, and providing electronic transaction and good electronic assistance. Supermarket e-commerce stores that have altered business practice grow very fast. The popularity of online supermarket increases every year. Keynote’s study (as cited in Hand, Riley, Harris, Singh, and Rettie, 2009, p. 1205) explain that in 2006, the percentage of online supermarkets are higher approximately 35% than previous year. It could be that customers will shop online only in the future if the popularity of traditional stores go down. In addition, many supermarkets such as Walmart, Coles, and Giant are starting to build e-commerce. Online supermarket growShow MoreRelatedE Commerce And E Business Essay1437 Words   |  6 Pageschanges today, regarding business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce, because many people are purchasing travel products and services on the Internet (Casalo, Flavian, Guinaliu, 2010). 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He chose the phrase global village to highlight his insight that an electronic nervous systemRead MoreE-Commerce: Pros and Cons of Taking the Clothing Store Online1535 Words   |  6 Pagesnote that in the recent past, technology (and most particularly t he Internet) has effectively changed the way people conduct business. Today, most businesses have come to the realization that to remain relevant in a highly competitive marketplace; they must fully exploit the opportunities presented by both technology and the Internet. In this text, I discuss a number of issues arising out of my resolve to engage in e-Commerce as the owner of a small clothing store along the Jersey Shore boardwalk. Read MoreBarriers Of Transactional Trust1365 Words   |  6 PagesTransactional Trust Confidence and trust are a prerequisite for any successful trading business entity and more so for secure electronic trading. According to Lawrence Tar (2010), trust is a problem that is even more present when it includes transaction that are not physical. In virtual trading, the identities and geographical locations of buyer and sellers are often unknown, there is no real-time visual or oral interaction, no real time physical exchange of goods and services for money betweenRead MoreWebsite Security for E-Commerce Businesses Essay1658 Words   |  7 PagesBefore starting any E-commerce business the owner have to make sure that his/hers website has all kind of security systems which provide absolute safety for customers and the owner himself. Nowadays, online robberies have become the most common. Every single day, hackers attack thousands of web sites in the hope of a good profit. among the most important elements of the protection should be as following: †¢ Security Hosting supposed to include Bandwidth (to maintain E-commerce traffic), a large DiskRead MoreFords E-Commerce Strategy1680 Words   |  7 PagesSUMMARY In early 1999, Ford announced an integrated e-commerce strategy, with the objective of creating an interface among customers, dealers, vendors and even competitors. The SWOT analysis was studied for the development the strategy, as well as the chances of success of such strategy. With Fords desire to shift from ‘dealer-centric selling to ‘consumer-centric selling, we looked at the typical characteristics of online customers and how dealers could reinvent themselves to remain relevantRead More Sara Lee Essay1446 Words   |  6 Pages Businessman Nathan Cummings bought the C.D. Kenny Co., a Baltimore coffee, tea, and sugar wholesaler, in 1939. Cummings soon purchased several grocery firms and later changed the company’s name to Consolidated Grocers—1945. The operation went public in 1946 and was renamed Consolidated Foods Corporation in 1954. Two years later CFC bought the Kitchens of Sara Lee, a Chicago bakery founded by Charles Lubin 1951. Introduced in 1949 an d named after Lubin’s daughter, Sara Lee cheesecake had become hisRead More e-commerce Essay1426 Words   |  6 Pageselectronic commerce (e-commerce). There is no specific definition for what is e-commerce everybody interprets it differently. Some view it as selling products and services on the net others more educated people see it as any networked enabled business practice such as Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), the World Wide Web, or email. Before the Internet small businesses were restricted on electronic communications because of high cost on installation and maintenance of networks. Business communicationsRead MoreDell Inc. Company Based On Computer Technology Essay1707 Words   |  7 Pageswith its first Portable computer, 316tr. 1994, organization present the Dell Poweredge server line and Lithium-particle battery. 2002, the 3100mp projector flag Dell s entrance into the projector market. 2006, Dell organization is the first in the business to offer free item re using for customers around the world. In 2008, Dell dispatches first Modular Data Center. 2009, Dell enters the cell phone market with the Mini 3i from China portable, Adoma and Latitude Z laptops are produce. 2010, Del entersRead MoreAmazon.Com Supply Chain Management1550 Words   |  7 PagesGoldwasser December 10, 2012 Amazon.com Supply Chain Project Introduction In today’s society, Online Shopping and the industry of e-commerce has become very popular and mainstream. Many individuals have integrated online shopping into their normal routine and have replaced traditional shopping altogether. Online shopping has become so popular, there has been a shopping holiday called â€Å"Cyber Monday† which is the equivalent to â€Å"Black Friday.† Traditional brick and mortar retail stores are

Poverty in America A Global Epidemic Free Essays

A Global Epidemic Ben Sims Sociology 445: Contemporary Social Problems Professor Shannon Sellers August 2, 2014 Of all the social problems that exist within America today, poverty Is undoubtedly the most prevalent . The stigma of poverty Is no longer solely the plight of third world countries, but rather an epidemic that has vigorously manifested itself in the united States at an alarming rate. Yes, in America, the country teeming with an abundance of natural resources and the patents to the most pioneering technological advances f modern time, Indisputably faces an unprecedented burden of poverty. We will write a custom essay sample on Poverty in America: A Global Epidemic or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is estimated that more than 46 million Americans live in poverty in the US (Tighten 157). American families are increasingly finding themselves struggling to make ends meet, and with the continuing rate of unemployment and the rapid increases to the cost of living more and more families are left to choose between the very basic necessities of life such as food, shelter and healthcare. Poverty has also had a profound impact on education and crime, predominantly in inner-city communities where the wealth inequality is most apparent. With all the carnage caused by poverty being distinctly obvious In America why Is nothing being done about It? Does anyone care? Sadly, the most egregious aspect of the epidemic of poverty in America is that it doesn’t have to exist at all. The US ultimately has the resources and means to eliminate poverty altogether, if only it was placed as a high enough priority. To truly comprehend the profound impact that poverty has had on America, there must first be an understanding of what poverty essentially means and how It was caused. Webster dictionary describes poverty as â€Å"the state of one who lacks a usual 1 OFF Dictionary). The textbook however, offers a more in-depth perspective on the term stating that poverty is â€Å"a standard of living below the minimum needed for the maintenance of adequate diet, health and shelter† (Tighten 181). This definition implies that the poverty threshold is based on those who can make the minimum amount of money required to maintain a decent level of life and those who cannot. Although these particular descriptions of poverty are not necessarily wrong, they are also not entirely accurate. When most people think of poverty the assumption may be that the core percentage of those actually living in poverty are the homeless or unemployed, but relative to popular belief most of the people living in poverty actually work. They are classified as the working poor. According to US Census data over 2. 6 million full-time workers lived below the poverty line in 2010 (Tighten 161). How is this possible? First and foremost, the federal minimum wage requirement in the United States is $7. 25. So for an employee who works 40 hours a week their total monthly salary would be $1 , 165. 0 before taxes. Now let’s analyze how much it would cost for an average American earning a minimum wage salary to pay for the 3 most Asia necessities in life: food, shelter and health care. The average percentage that Americans pay in housing costs is approximately 28 to 35 percent of their take home pay (Curmudgeon, 2010). 28 percent of $1,160. 00 is $324. 80. According too 2010 survey conducted by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Americans spend roughly $1 51. 00 a week on food, equaling a whopping $604. 00 a month (Mended, 2012). If we add the average monthly cost of healthcare under Beam’s Affordable Care Act, which is $328. 00 (Persuade, 2014), the total monthly expenses for Just the basic necessities alone is a staggering $1 ,256. 0. The basic necessities alone total more than the average worker, earning minimum wage, in America makes in a month and that figure still doesn’t account for utility bills, transportation and other miscellaneous expenses. Not to mention the addition of a spouse or children. It is important to understand that poverty is a very complex social dilemma, with a variety of unfounded stereotypes that persist about its causes. One of the most common misconceptions about poverty is that the poor inherently cause their own poverty, alluding to the poor having a lack of drive and ambition necessary to change heir financial status. This perception is often referred to as the person-blame approach . This means that social problems such as poverty are the result of the pathologies of individuals (Tighten 163). Although this notion is credible, in this particular instance, it is slightly off kilter due to that fact that even though 2. Million people go to work and log over 40 hours a week they still won’t surpass the threshold of even half of the nation’s median salary. And therein lies the problem. The issue is not whether members of society are willing to work, because not only are a majority f the poor willing and able to work hard, they do so when given the opportunity. The real root of the problem is the minimum wage requirement in the US and the lack of access to adequate education and trainin g necessary to acquire better-paying Jobs. The system-blame approach is more fitting in this instance because there is no shortage of people willing to work but rather a shortage in the amount that is being paid out for said work. There is also no shortage in people willing to procure and utilize the sufficient training and education needed to attain better employment but underprivileged. Although the government has in fact tried to implement programs to solve the problem of poverty in America, many of these programs contained crucial flaws and in many cases made the predicament worse. Welfare is the most notable of these programs. Welfare was established to assist underprivileged families and individuals get out of poverty (Tighten 165), but have ultimately led to a disturbing rate of dependency. Instead of assisting families welfare had essentially enabled them in many ways, with a vast majority of recipients not feeling the need to work. Provisions thin the program even made it easier to stay on welfare than to seek employment and encouraged unmarried woman to have children. Thus, the enactment of the Welfare Reform Act of 1996. This bill was established to reduce the number of families and individuals dependent on government assistance. These institutional changes helped to reduce welfare dependency by mandating that recipients actively seek work while receiving government assistance, increasing the level of accountability for those in need of financial aid. The government also developed several other programs in an effort to curve poverty such as the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families program (TANK) which provides financial assistance to low-income families but also requires them to work at least 20 hours a week to receive benefits (Saddler, 2012). Addition services such as Medicaid, Food Stamps and WICK were all established to essentially assist low-income families achieve financial stability while progressively becoming independent of all government aid. Although these programs and institutional amendments have been extremely valuable in assisting the poor and underprivileged maintain a sustainable level of life, unfortunately they haven’t been enough to end or even cut the poverty level in Alfa. These programs have ultimately helped sustain the global threshold of poverty in many ways by serving to only assist low-income families get through financial difficulties instead of helping them get out. The only way for members of the underprivileged society to rise above poverty is to provide the means to earn more than the nation’s median income. This goes back to the need for programs that assist individuals in acquiring the knowledge and training necessary to acquire higher paying Jobs and also for the government to raise the minimum wage requirement. Perhaps the most compelling explanation for the persistence of poverty is the remarry of private profit. The basic principle of capitalism is – who gets what is determined solely by private profit rather than collective need (Tighten 173). By private corporations emphasizing the theory of maximizing profits they ultimately end up endorsing poverty. This is done by companies paying their workers the minimum amount possible including benefits and pocketing the wealth that was created by laborers and distributing it among the owners instead of the working class. Primacy of profit also endorses poverty by employing a bevy of uneducated and desperate laborers who are eager to work for low wages. Many of these laborers are illegal immigrants and don’t view having benefits as a necessity. This in turn makes it extremely profitable for owners of businesses and large corporations to hire these workers because of the amount of money that they will be able to save while still being able to employ laborers full time. Poverty is supported and maintained through my belief that the US government has made attempts to curve the impact of poverty, I believe that the United States has the power to end poverty all together. This can be accomplished by making poverty a top priority. The United States spends roughly 712. Billion dollars of our nation’s defense each year (Tighten 177). A percentage of that figure can be deducted and contributed to combat poverty without Jeopardizing our nations’ defense at all. This extra money could be used to provide adequate schooling and fund programs that promote academic advancement in inner-city communities. Those funds could also be used to provide training seminars for individuals with limited education who seek higher paying Jobs and wish to be more competitive candidates in today’s Job market. Most importantly however, those funds could be used to raise the federal minimum wage requirement to a level that allows ore people to earn above or at least earn wages comparable to the nation’s median salary. How to cite Poverty in America: A Global Epidemic, Papers

Setting In a small town called Wirrawee Essay Example For Students

Setting: In a small town called Wirrawee Essay Time Period: 1990sMain Characters: Ellie, Kevin (joins later in the book), Robyn, Homer, Lee,FiPlot: They meet Kevin, they blow up cobblers bay, and they get caught. Other: This is the third book in a series of five books and I wont betelling what happened in the previous books since it will take too muchtime and work (precious time). But I have done reports on the previousbooks and you can read them if you are really interested. By the way weneed to give these five/six (including Kevin when he joins) people a namebecause I cant be saying Ellie, Kevin, Robyn, Homer, Lee, Fi walked So lets call them our friends. Summary:Our friends are hanging out in Hell (a camp in the bush) and going outsideat times to do some exploration. One day they get lucky and spot a workgroup (the captured people of the city that do the dirty jobs) and Kevin isamong them. Kevin also sees them and when the guards arent watching heslips of to meet them. He explains that if he escapes the soldiers willkill his mother that is a hostage back in the showground (camp forprisoners). Our friends come up with a plan and Kevin goes back to the workgroup and explains it to his working friends. Someone screams that Kevin has fallen into the well (our friends haveearlier removed some bricks and thrown in a dead sheep so it startssmelling) anyway the guards think Kevin is dead and Kevin escapes. So now that our friends are reunited, they decide to blow up an importantbay that has been used a lot in the war. Now the question was, how wouldthey get in? It was a well-protected area. When they are walking along the road to Cobblers Bay, they see a brokendown truck on the side of the road. They decide to investigate but thenanother truck appears down the road. They hide quickly and watch. Out ofthe truck, some men that look like engineers come out. They fix the brokendown truck and one of them hops in and starts driving. Here our friends getan idea. The convoys that head for Cobblers Bay, they could put a tree onthe road so the convoy stops. Then Kevin, who paid attention in the physicslessons, could creep in under the truck and do something so the truckbreaks down further down the road. When the convoy leaves the truck for theengineers to come, our friends make their move. Kevin gets the idea of whattype of explosives they should use. They load the truck with fertilizers(which every farm had) and diesel. When enlighten this could make a verypowerful bomb. Homer and Ellie jump in the back of the truck and wait forthe engineers to come to fix it. After some hours t he engineers come, fixthe truck and drive towards Cobblers Bay. Ellie and Homer stay in thetruck for some hours. When they go out they find out that they are inside aship. They pour the gasoline over the fertilizer and get ready. They lightthe fuse and climb up to the deck. They jump into the water and swim forsafety but get separated. When Ellie gets out of the water, she heads fortheir meeting place. At the meeting place she sees three soldiers pointingguns at her friends. She sneaks up on the soldiers and hits the closest onewith a stone. Then she takes his gun and kills the other two. Ellie and herfriends run out of the forest and find a car parked on the side of theroad. They assume that its probably the soldiers car. They take the riskand drive the car up the road. But they get caught and are taken to aprison. In the prison they get sentenced to death. On the day of theexecution, an air raid from New Zeeland attacks the prison. It destroysmost of the prison so our friends are able to escape. Robyn picks up a gunand some grenades. On their way out a soldier catches them. The soldiertells Robyn to throw her gun down and so she does. While the soldier turnsand looks at the other five, Robyn sticks he hand in her shirt and pullsthe grenade pin. She sacrifices herself so her friends can escape (heroic). .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 , .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .postImageUrl , .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 , .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:hover , .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:visited , .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:active { border:0!important; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:active , .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842 .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ud1132eeaca4b9826b8fd401da9df2842:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Nutrition EssayShocked, her friends escape. On a field outside the prison grounds of theprison, they see a shot down airplane. The pilot gets out of the cockpitand runs away from the plane. After some seconds the plane blows. Ourfriends go talk to the pilot and he tells them that he has a radio and hewill soon contact a chopper that will pick him up. Our friends ask thepilot if they can go with. The pilot doubts at first, but after our friendstell him what they have done he lets them come. My opinions: Not bad, in fact, not bad at all. I thought that this was thebest book in the series. It was a great book that had lots of everything init. I read like 100 pages one time, I couldnt stop. Now if I read 100pages in one time, the book is good, trust me. The author John Marsdendescribed the environment very well since he was born in a very small townin Australia. The book is written in first person, out of Ellies view. Book for Keeps describes it as a powerful and compulsive read and I thinkthat they are right. New Words:Falter- move or act in an uncertain or hesitating way. Eradicate- put an end to something. Epilogue. Last part of a book or play. Lush- plants, trees, etc growing thickly and strongly.

United Nations and International Peace

Introduction United Nations is an international organization, established in 1945 after the Second World War following the dire consequences of the First and the Second World Wars. Although the First World War led to the establishment of the League of Nations in order to promote international peace and security, it failed to prevent the occurrence of the Second World War. To overcome the flaws in the League of Nations, the United Nations was formed on 26 June 1945, when the Charter of the United Nations was signed by member states.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on United Nations and International Peace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The functions of the United Nations as stipulated in the Article 1 include maintaining international peace and security, developing friendly relations among nations, promoting international cooperation in problem solving and harmonization of the collective responsibility of the natio ns (Auden, 1997, p. 50). This essay examines the role of the United Nations in maintenance of international peace and security, and its effectiveness as empowered by the charter. The United Nations Provisions The Charter of the United Nations Article 24 empowers the Security Council to exercise the functions of the United Nation. According to the International Court of Justice (2010), the United Nations members â€Å"confer on the Security Council primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security, and agree that in carrying out its duties under this responsibility the Security Council acts on their behalf.† The Security Council has prerogative of determining peace and security status of the member states by ensuring that every member has equal rights of protection. The Security Council should discharge its functions as stipulated in chapters VI, VII, and XII in the Charter of the United Nations. Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter deals with Pacific Settlement of Disputes. This chapter empowers the Security Council to call disputing parties to solve any dispute â€Å"by negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangements, or other peaceful means of their own choice† (Browne, 2003, p. 16). The Security Council identify, investigate and recommend appropriate procedures of addressing situations that may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security to the International Court of Justice (Novak, 2001, p. 5). In chapter VII, the United Nations Charter gives powers to the security to â€Å"determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide what measures shall be taken in accordance with Article 41 and 42, to maintain or restore international peace and security† (Miller, 1999, p. 67). The Security Council will use all means to make sure that al l its members are protected against any threat to peace or an aggression.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In chapter VII, the United Nations Charter empowers the Security Council to ensure that any regional arrangements that involve maintenance of the international peace and security should comply with the United Nations purposes and principles. According to the Article 52, â€Å"the Security Council shall encourage the development of pacific settlement of local disputes through such regional arrangements or by such regional agencies either on the initiative of the states concerned or by reference from the Security Council† (Brader, 2005, p. 78). The Security Council should be updated â€Å"at all times about the activities undertaken or in contemplation under regional arrangements or by regional agencies for the maintenance of international peace and securityâ⠂¬  (Smith, 2002, p. 33). Since the United Nations Security Council is responsible for the maintenance of peace and security worldwide, then any issues related to peace and security are of great concern lest they threaten peace and security of others. Effectiveness of the United Nations Political nature of the General Assembly and the Security Council hinder the effectiveness of the United Nations in fostering international peace and security. Simon (2009) argues that, ‘the United Nations’ efforts to preserve international peace and security are the most contentious aspect of its entire work, because of the inherently political nature of its role† (p. 23). The resolution of conflicts and disputes depend on the political orientation of the General Assembly, Security Council and member states thus complicating the issues. The decision to invade Iraq was formulated politically by George Bush and Tony Blair to deceive the world that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction. Prados and Ames (2010), argue that, â€Å"the evidence indicates the decision was made very early, long before ultimatums to Iraq or other diplomatic action.† This shows that the main reason for Iraq invasion was political rather than a security reason. Another case is the cold war between the United State and Soviet Union where Baruch describes it as â€Å"the most important political and diplomatic issue of the early post war period† (2007). The split of the Soviet Union was due to political influence of the United Nations. Conclusion The main reason for the establishment of the United Nations was save the world against horrible consequences of war. Horrible experiences of First and Second World War made the world leaders to come together and think of various ways of preventing the future occurrence of war.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on United Nations and International Peace specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/pag e Learn More The United Nations in its Security Council arm is fostering international peace and security through legal procedures, diplomacy and military peacekeeping. With this noble responsibility, the United Nations experiences undue political pressure as they maintain international peace and security. References Auden, H. (1997). The United Nations Charter. Human Rights Journal, 22(3): 45-53. Print. Baruch, B. (2007). Cold War. Global Security. Web. Brader, S. (2005). International Relations: Peace and Security. New York. Norton. 78. Browne, M. (2003). United Nations Peacekeeping: Issues for Congress. The Library of  Congress, 6(2): 1-16. International Court of Justice, (2010). The Charter of the United Nations. Web. Miller, T. (1999). Peace Treaties and the United Nations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 67.Advertising Looking for essay on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Novak, G. (2001). The Security Council: United Nations. Journal of Human rights, 3(1): 5. Prados, J., Ames, C. (2010). The Iraq War: U.S. and British Documents Give No Indication Alternatives Were Seriously Considered. National Security Archive. Web. Simon, T. (2009). International Peace Security: Basic Charter Provisions. United  Nations Review, 34(9): 23. Smith, P. (2002). The Charter of the United Nations. The Expositional Journal, 12(1): 32-33. This essay on United Nations and International Peace was written and submitted by user Amare Hoffman to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Merriam-Websters 2017 Words of the Year

Merriam-Websters 2017 Words of the Year Merriam-Webster’s 2017 Words of the Year Merriam-Webster’s 2017 Words of the Year By Mark Nichol Toward the end of each calendar year, around the winter holidays, various dictionaries trot out their annual Words of the Year feature. This year, as can be expected, the focus (according to Merriam-Webster) was predominantly on terms directly or indirectly associated with politics. Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year, prompted by various events and incidents regarding gender equality and women’s right, is feminism. The term has various connotations, depending on one’s perspective about the concept, but the objective meanings, according to the company’s website, are â€Å"the theory of . . . equality of the sexes† and â€Å"organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests.† More unusual words that appeared in Merriam-Webster’s top ten include dotard, which refers to one in a state or period of dotage, or senility; the root word is dote, the verb form. (However, dote is more commonly employed for the sense of â€Å"give generous attention or affection.†) Like dotty (meaning â€Å"crazy or eccentric,† or â€Å"obsessed† or â€Å"ridiculous†), dote stems from a Germanic word meaning â€Å"foolish.† Another term prominent in online-dictionary surges earlier this year is the spelling bee participant’s bane, syzygy, which simply refers to a generally straight-line configuration of bodies in a solar system or other gravitational system, such as occurs during an eclipse. The word, by way of Latin, is from a Greek term meaning â€Å"yoked together.† Greek is also the source of gyro, which made the list in the sense of a type of sandwich of Greek provenance, rather than a spinning device such as a gyrocompass. Both senses relate to turning; the sandwich is so named because the meat filling is traditionally turned on a spit over flame to cook it. Then there’s gaffe (meaning â€Å"blunder or mistake†), sometimes erroneously spelled gaff, the word from which it is derived. A gaff is any one of several types of hooks or hooked implements, and as a verb it applies to using or applying a hook. As a slang term, it means â€Å"music hall or theater†- my guess is that it’s derived from the notion of the proverbial hook used to yank poorly received vaudeville performers off the stage- and it also informally pertains to abuse or an ordeal, or a trick or hoax. (It also serves as a verb associated with these senses.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:70 "Home" Idioms and ExpressionsHow to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsRite, Write, Right, Wright

5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation

5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation 5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation 5 Examples of Insufficient Hyphenation By Mark Nichol Phrasal adjectives that consist of more than two words are often flawed in construction, perhaps because writers are hesitant to complicate a phrase with more than one hyphen. But hyphens are cheap and handy linking devices, and as these sentences show, their proper use enhances clarity. 1. â€Å"The high cost of the multi-million dollar catamarans caused many boats to drop out of the competition.† What, exactly, is a dollar catamaran, and what does it mean to describe it as multi-million? That’s the format of the question anyone who describes the cost of something should ask before considering such a sentence complete and correct. For one thing, the prefix multi-, like most prefixes, is almost invariably attached to another word without a hyphen (exception: if the other word begins with an i), but the resulting compound, multimillion, should be attached to dollar to modify what type of catamaran is under discussion: â€Å"The high cost of the multimillion-dollar catamarans caused many boats to drop out of the competition.† 2. â€Å"He met all the deadlines for the challenging four-week long assignment.† The error here is the same as the second one in the previous example the lack of a hyphen creates the impression that the last word in a phrasal adjective is itself modified by the preceding word or words. This sentence refers to a long assignment that is four weeks in nature. But long belongs with â€Å"four-week,† so it should be hyphenated to week to complete the phrase modifying assignment: â€Å"He met all the deadlines for the challenging four-week-long assignment.† 3. â€Å"The adviser some call the world’s second-most powerful man prefers to work behind the scenes. Second-most is a nonsensical modification of â€Å"powerful man.† Powerful is part of the ranking, so it should be part of the phrasal adjective: â€Å"The adviser some call the world’s second-most-powerful man prefers to work behind the scenes.† 4. â€Å"Listen to any song from our vast collection of twentieth and twenty-first century music.† This invitation refers to music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, not century music of the twentieth and twenty-first. Twentieth is an elided form of twentieth-century, so it should be followed by a suspensive hyphen, and century should be attached to twenty-first with another hyphen: â€Å"Listen to any song from our vast collection of twentieth- and twenty-first-century music.† 5. â€Å"Business must be good for small-businessman John Smith.† Because businessman is a closed compound, this sentence requires a different solution but not â€Å"Business must be good for small-business-man John Smith.† Here, too, an appositive one or more words that rename something is mistaken for a phrasal adjective. For the sentence to work, the appositive must be reworded so that small and business can be hyphenated to modify just what John Smith is an owner of a small business: â€Å"Business must be good for small-business owner John Smith.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Good At, Good In, and Good With8 Writing Tips for BeginnersPreposition Review #1: Chance of vs. Chance for

History of Oklahoma Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History of Oklahoma - Research Paper Example The west side of state experienced extensive drought and winds to generate storms as the east side of the region experienced a tropical climate. Hunting and gathering was a perverse activity in the west side of the state. The people that lived on the eastern side of the state practiced farming since the climate was favorable. According to the evidence of anthropologists humanity exists in the region prior to 1500 A.D. Researchers find oldest form of Paleo cultures, clovis cultures and folsom. Indigenous people populate the area that symbolically represents a pan-shaped figure. The eastern side of Oklahoma represented the Caddoan Mississippian culture that practiced agrarian activities. Natives living in the area established their houses on mounds and Chiefdoms controlled different communities. The Caddoan Mississippian culture emerged from earlier culture in 1000 A. D. Geographical-location of Caddoan was on Woodland penetrating the Red River. Other communities believed to live in the eastern side of Oklahoma included Wichita people that survived on the Great Plains. The difference between Mississippian cultures and Wichita plains culture is that the latter practiced agrarian activities while the former practiced hunting and gathering. Farming activity appeared in the South Canadian Rivers at 900 AD. . Native Americans at this period that practiced farming grew different types of crops such as legumes. The people practiced fishing, hunting of rabbits, deer, and gathered mussels. Indigenous people constructed rectangular thatched dwellings mostly near the river basins. Apache groups appeared at around 1500 and collaborated with Wichita cultures. Archeologist evidence suggests that Kiowa-Apache culture were hunter and gatherers. The only difference between Wichita culture and Apache culture is that the latter used dogs in their hunting spree. Both cultures are similar in that they

Corporate Fundraising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Corporate Fundraising - Essay Example According to s 715A, the offer document should be presented and worded in a concise, clear and effective style. An offer document should supply with all relevant information and material to the investor and by doing so, the company would help the investor to make a wise investment decision. Thus, an offer document should be prepared as the guidelines provided in CA 20011. A proprietary company in Australia is barred from fund raising from the public. Some types of demeanour by corporations in Australia pertaining to financial services and products like the making of deceptive or bogus statements or involving in deceptive or deceptive conduct is barred. However, under s 113(3), a proprietary company can raise funds from the general public if the fundraising does not require a disclosure document where there is an exception. A corporation is not required to file a lengthy prospectus if it is exempted under s 708 or if the quantum of money to be raised is $ 10 m or less from the public. A company is required to file only an offer information statement if the amount that is going to be raised is $ 10 m or less. ... If the issue size is $ 5 million or less, an Australian company may issue offer information statements in lieu of a prospectus. In Hurst v Vestcorp Ltd (1988) 12 NSWLR 394, it was emphasised the significance of proper disclosure documents by a company while inviting the public for investment in its shares3. It is to be noted that offer of securities obtained outside Australia will not fall under the 700 (4) of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). For example, if The Green Coffee Company Ltd, makes an offer of $7 million and $15 million in capital in Vietnam, then Australian laws will not be applicable. Further , if The Green Coffee Company Ltd wanted to raise $ 10 million or less , there is no need to issue a detailed prospectus or if is exempted under s 708. If it is intend to raise more than $ 10 million, it has to compulsorily file a detailed prospectus with ASIC and is bound by its statements. Application of Law The Corporation Act 2001 function to make sure that the investors are sa feguarded when they make a decision to buy shares. Assuming that the Green Coffee Company Ltd and not a proprietary limited company , if the company wants to go for public issue , then it has to observe the provisions contained in Chapter 6D of the Corporation Act 2001(Cth). There are many options available for the Green Coffee company as regards to fund raising. It may go for a public issue or may approach bankers to advance loan or issue of debentures, etc. Thus, proper mixture of minimal public issue with loan capital may offer leveraging or gearing to the company thereby enhancing its Return on Equity (ROE). In a nutshell, Green Coffee Company may engage to release an offer information statement

Memorandum International management associated Essay Example for Free

Memorandum International management associated Essay Businesses have crossed borders, and it has been growing rapidly in recent decades because of the liberalization of government policies, and technological expansion. To satisfy the global demand of customers, it requires strong managements skills, sensitivity to cultural issues, and intercultural competence. As the multinational corporations grows and improve the quality, and operate at international level, this is why managers should ask three critical questions, first why should I expand internationally? Second where should I expand? Finally, how to expand? Which will help to achieve successful strategic objectives. `In this memorandum the Board of Directors for ABC Complete Kitchens, Inc. concerns of the board of directors of the plant relative to international sales of products of for ABC Complete Kitchens, Inc will be examined. This memorandum analyzes the international management considerations associated with the plant. ABC Complete Kitchens, Inc is anticipating nearly twenty percent of the sales from the international and overseas market. Therefore, the board of directors has expressed their concerns about the management of  international aspects for the plant. Some issues have been identified in overseas management procedures, and considerations for the same are to be provided. This memorandum expresses the concerns for the same. The ABC, Inc needs to adopt international management strategies to sustain its competitive position in the market via adequate cultural, technical, political, and economic environment. Localization Concerns After knowing why to expand either to increase sales or to cut costs or for other reasons . The ABC, Inc, should decide which countries to enter first, which type of countries to chose, what criteria to follow to make these choices. The best suggestion for ABC, Inc is enter the countries with the largest potential customers for its products, however managers should also think about how likely they are going to success in particular foreign market, and how to measure not only the geographic distance, but language, cultural, administrative, and economic distances as well. Language Concerns Language affects the way of employees, customers and business partners communicate with each other. Based on the level of foreign language knowledgebasically the Englishin the countrys society, the ABC Inc. must carefully decide whether it can use English as a working and advertising language or if its management has to learn the countrys own language and build the strategy on that language (Kozenkow). Cultural Concerns The habits, behaviors and consumer preferences of every society are determined with Culture. While implementing a business strategy overseas, ABC Kitchen Inc, should consider all the cultural characteristics of the targeted society. When entering new country the t firm should ask if the customers want the same thing, or it will have to modify the product to fit their satisfactions. . Therefore, for increasing overseas sale, ABC Inc, must plan its overseas strategy keeping in mind of the culture of the country for which the strategy is being planned. Administrative and International Laws concerns The ABC kitchen, Inc, need to abide and respect the different regulations,  government policies, and legal systems, because countries vary widely on these dimensions, which require the firm to has a deep understanding on how to meet those regulations to avoid failure, even if the firm has the best products in the markets. Technical development concerns Differences among the technical development and facility of markets internationally or within the United States determine fundamentally the opportunities of production, sales and marketing of the operating businesses. Management can build your advertising and promotion strategy exclusively on the Internet if the majority of the national population or local community uses the Web as its primary source of information. Economic concerns An other important factor is economic concern which is the average of purchasing power customers in different countries, and how elastic this power is, therefore, it means how much demand for the product changes, as the price goes up and down, because this is a big deal for the firm to know who are used to buy products in the market, where every one is wealthy. In other hands, may people with low wage should be a target. Economic differences like these have a major influence on what type of products will be demanded. Supply Chain Management Supply chains are an integral part of global quality and cost management initiative, because a typical company’s supply chain cost can represent more than 50% of assets and more than 80% of revenues. (Ball, 2010), in other word, the ABC, Inc should reduce the inventory of chain supply to reduce the cost. In order to do that the Board of Directors of ABC Inc. has to expresses reconsiderations for management across business functions in supply chain management. Managing the flow of raw materials, supplies as well as finished products are equally important as the management of sales and marketing. Competition Another concern is the competition in overseas market. Local products tend to be cheaper than the internationally exported products due to various forms of taxes included in them. Therefore, how will be the completion met in the  overseas market and what the management plans to do with the taxes and prices in the overseas market, the board of directors should be interested in knowing these aspects. Finance and Accounting Another factor that the firm should take it on consideration is the accounting practices and standard changes across the national borders, it is an obstacle to merge subsidiary financial results with those at the parent company, this is why there is a growing movement toward convergence of accounting standards across countries (Ball, 2010). This convergence will help the financial management to be more integrating, because the statements will be comparable. ABC complete Kitchen Finance management is particularly a concern point, as overseas countries change in value in terms of each other based on currency exchange rates. How will the ABC Inc. comply with financial laws and regulations in the host country, the concern particularly addresses following questions to be answered: What management is doing to understand how fluctuations in currency value change international business transactions? What is the process for financial tools such as derivatives, hedges, payment timing, exposure netting, price adjustments, balance sheet neutralizing, and swaps, and how they affect business performance? When and how to pay exporters in forms other than money; buyers frequently prefer payment rendered in the form of goods or services (countertrade)? Human resource concern Board of directors of ABC complete Kitchen Inc. has expressed interest and concern about the strategies of management and have questioned that how will be the needs of the resources and workers will be met across different countries. Furthermore, what is the best way to meet the needs of these employees and also best utilize their skills and talents to keep the business functioning smoothly? (Business) Ethics and Society Concerns After the ABC kitchen,Inc established a business global plan for marketing, operations, and human resource management , should now establish an ethically and socially business plan among its international management considerations. â€Å"The purpose of the firm is not simply to make profit, but to create value for all of its stakeholders, business success is judged not simply by company’s financial, but by how well it serves broad social interests† (Laweren, 2008). In other words if ABC ,Inc want to successes internationally, it should adopt strategy that apply ethical values and the respect of people on its global environment and for different people that affect the company, from the stakeholder ,to the shareholders, employees, customers, and society. To achieve that the Broad Director of the firm should adopt a stakeholder theory that consists on: identifying the relevant stakeholders group, determining the stake of each group, determining how the expectation of each group are met, finally look for the stakeholder interests. By following these steps the firm will build a good relationship with the shareholder, moreover will build reputation and trust that will enhance its performance. Finally, f or the hiring process the ABC ,Inc should put values and ethics as requirement to hire new employees, because it will not just help the organization but the global market place. Conclusion In summary, getting global strategy wright can be very difficult, because it requires matching the wright reasons for going global with the wright places and the wright strategies. The ABC Complete kitchen, Inc should follow the steps suggested while managing significant differences between countries, and responding to the intense rivalry from both global and local competitors, however when the challenges are great, the ABC Inc should get it wright, to win in a really big way. References Ball,G. (2010). International business: The Challenge of global competition,12th Edition, New York, NY: the McGraw-Hill Companies Boundless.com. (n.d.). Considerations-when-managing-a-global-corporation. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/management/textbooks/boundless-management- textbook/globalization-and-business-14/managing-international-corporations- 107/considerations-when-managing-a-global-corporation-499-10752/. Business, R. f. (n.d.). International Management. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Gr-Int/International- Management.html. Kozenkow, J. (n.d.). International Management Challenges. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/international-management-challenges-56168.html. Lawerence,W. (2008). Business and Society: Stakeholders, Ethics, Public Policy, 12th Edition. New York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies. Sullivan, D. (2011). Business strategies for organizational effectiveness within the global Perspective. Pearson Education, NJ: Prentice hall.

The Importance of Reading Essay -- Teaching Education Essays

The Importance of Reading â€Å"Why do you read all the time?† A frequently asked question of my past and I still find it repeated even now as I have entered a higher class of the educated. Whenever posed with this blatant criticism of my preferred free time activity, I simply answer with â€Å"Why don’t you read all the time?† Of course I might sound like the biggest geek that ever walked the face of the earth, but the fact of the matter is that no matter what negative stereotype is attached to those who read, it has never stopped me from continuing to pursue my joy of literature. I am a firm believer in the power of a book and that the fact that the more well read you are the better chance you have of relating to entirely different groups of people. Ever since I can remember, my father has encouraged me to read. I suppose that it is due to his poor background that he is so inspired by books. As a result, I was reading Shakespeare before most could even pronounce his name. Captured by the amazing usage of words in the old Elizabethan era, I was spurred to read more by past British writers and they remain to this day my preferred choice of books. This is not to say that I am not a fan of the more modern author on the contrary, I read all genres and believe that each have their own additions to the literary world. However, none of them can compare to my all time favourite author, Jane Austen. First introduced to her when I was about twelve years old, I was instantly captured by her style of writing and her personal background. She is the most famous feminist writer of her time but was only truly celebrated after her death, to my own sentimental twelve-year-old heart that seemed so tragic and was automatically my reason to sympa... ... read finding great pleasure in a book. After knowing what I know about what books have brought to my life I feel sorry for those who cannot simply enjoy a novel instead of watching a movie. Even though I too have grown up in a society that is primarily film oriented and it has definitely been a part of shaping me, I am proud to say that I am more well rounded than that and have many levels and other things that have shaped who I am. My view on the world and its issues is broader and I have a better way of thinking of the world being better aware of the social differences within groups of people and the impoverished people that are scattered across our globe. I owe this all to my father who introduced me to literature and the greatness that it can hold for someone who is ready to accept it and step into the many lives and worlds created by ink and paper.

Customs and Curtiousies Essay

Marine customs are simply desirable courses of action sanctioned by tradition and usage. In the Marine Corps, practically every custom has grown out of the manner in which Marines of the past conducted themselves. Many Marine customs have been incorporated into regulations in order to standardize conduct throughout the Corps, but some of them cannot be found in written directives. Knowing and observing these customs, both written and unwritten, is important to each Marine because it keeps him mindful of the heritage and traditions of his Corps, and of his duty to uphold them. In addition, it makes him feel that he is a part of the team and helps to create the strong bond of loyalty between him and all other Marines that has become a distinguishing mark of the Corps. Have you ever wondered why your kid stands at attention when they are playing the National Anthem when you are at a sporting event? You might ask why don’t you put your hand over your heart? Or, why are you so stiff? I know I have received those questions. Lots of military customs and courtesies go unknown to a significant portion of this Nation’s population particularly when members of our Corps silently bey those time honored traditions while in civilian clothes. Here is a short list of things you may or may not know: The National Anthem. When played, the service member will stand at attention. If covered while in uniform, the service member will salute the National Ensign (our flag). It is also appropriate for the service member to turn and face the flag during the playing of the National Anthem. The appropriate civilian action is to place your right hand over your heart and stand still while facing the flag. Passing of the National Ensign. It is fitting to render proper honors to the Nation’s ymbol by standing when the flag passes. You will see this at parades or during a Command Review. For Marines in uniform and covered, rendering a salute is also proper. The Salute. Its history dates back a long way and there are several versions of why it exists. All theories agree on one thing, it is a courtesy that is offered when two individuals pass, similar to the tipping of a hat to acknowledge the presence of a lady. In the military, the salute is a greeting between an officer and an enlisted member or between a Junior officer and senior officer. All services, to include the Coast Guard, recognize saluting procedures. Some services apply different constraints on when a salute is rendered. For example, in the Marine Corps, a member will only salute while wearing a cover. In the Army, saluting in Physical Training clothing is appropriate although no cover exists. For all services, the salute begins with the Junior rendering the salute and the senior returning the salute. The sir. This is also the appropriate military greeting for Marines when not covered. Service Songs. Service songs are as historic as the service herself and most military embers take great pride in hearing their song played. For Marines, we consider our â€Å"Marine’s Hymn† to be a song that tells our lore and for most, it makes us swell up with pride when we hear it. Accordingly, we stand at attention when it is played. We also recognize our service within the Department of the Navvy and therefore find it fitting to render the same honor to â€Å"Anchors Aweigh†. You will hear both songs played at formal settings such as a Sergeant Major Post and Relief or a Change of Command ceremony. Appropriate civilian action during a service song is to sit and listen with pride. Of course, we’d love to see you stand beside us and know that you too are probably swelling up with pride for the love of your Marine. Marine Corps Birthday. One of the most famous Marine customs is the observance of the Marine Corps Birthday. Since 1921 the birthday of the Marine Corps has been officially celebrated each year on 10 November, since it was on this date in 1775 that Continental Congress resolved, â€Å"That two Battalions of Marines be raised†¦. † Over the years the Marine Corps Birthday has been celebrated in a wide variety of ways, depending on the location and circumstances of the Marine units. The celebration involves the reading of an excerpt from the Marine Corps Manual and a birthday message from the Commandant; the cutting of a birthday cake by the commanding officer; and the presentation of the first and second pieces of cake to the oldest and youngest Marines present. Recently, the ceremony for the observance of the Marine Corps Birthday by large posts and stations has been incorporated into written directives. Nautical Terms. Many of the Marine Corps customs are derived from the many years of service afloat. Even ashore Marines customarily use nautical terms. Floors are decks,† walls are â€Å"bulkheads,† ceilings, â€Å"overheads,† corridors, â€Å"passageways. † The order â€Å"Gangway! † is used to clear the way for an officer ashore, Just as it is afloat. Among other terms in common usage are: â€Å"two-block† -to tighten or center (as a necktie); â€Å"square-away† – to correctly arrange articles or to take in hand and direct an individual;† â€Å"head† – a bathroom; â€Å"scuttle-but† -a drinking fountain, also an unconfirmed rumor. In the Marine Corps, the nautical expression â€Å"Aye, Aye, Sir† is used when acknowledging a verbal order. â€Å"Yes, Sir† and â€Å"No, Sir† are used in answer to direct questions. Aye, Aye, Sir† is not used in answer to questions as this expression is reserved solely for acknowledgement of orders. Reporting Your Post. A custom which affects the guard is the manner in which a sentry reports his post to the officer of the day, or to the officers and noncommissioned officers of the guard. The customary procedure is for the sentry to salute or come to present arms and say, â€Å"Sir, Private reports Post Number all secure. Post and orders remain the same. Nothing unusual to report. † This custom has almost universal use throughout the Marine Corps. It is a word of mouth.

No Country for Old Men

In the novel No Country for Old Men, written by Cormac McCarthy, a perversion of the American dream is presented as the relinquishment of power. Power is defined as the influence one has over people and in McCarthy’s novel he demonstrates three ways to posses this: money, authority, and the ability to strike fear into the hearts of others. Every thing is swallowed by a money-induced apathy lately, leaving nothing else of any importance. Moss, a main character in the novel, uses his new found wealth as a tool to manipulate bystanders into helping him get what he needs.In most cases people are hesitant at first to help this distressed looking man, but as soon as he waves a hundred dollar bill or two there are no more questions asked: Excuse me, he said. Leaning against the chainlink fence. His bloody footprints on the walk behind him like clues in an arcade. Excuse me. They were stepping off the curb into the roadway to go around him. Excuse me I wondered if you all would sell m e a coat. They didnt stop till they were past him. Then one of them turned. What’ll you give? He said. (p. 117)Money is power, and with this in mind many people do not see or simply just do not care about the people who are affected by their action. As long as the outcome has a nicely figured income it is all the same to them. When Llewellyn Moss stumbles across a leather briefcase containing the better part of 2 million dollars, a payoff intended for some Mexican dope-runners, his life takes a turn for the worst. He’s just too dumbfounded to realize. During a shoot out with the opposing parties, two of mosses bullets pierced threw an old woman’s second floor apartment window blowing her brains out on the back of her rocking chair.When Moss is presented with photographs of the woman he denies the fact that he could have ever done this and says, â€Å"You’re full of shit†(p151). How does a man that carries around a shotgun in a duffle bag not believ e he could have killed someone with a stray bullet? The unreal amount of money he posses now blinds him from the cold truth reality has to offer. Power has turned this once sensible man into a reckless killer and a fugitive. This asks the question what good is power if your life is uncontrollably spiraling down the drain.Moss let this power get the better of him and it ended with his death, where as Bell, the Texas county Sheriff, is over powered by the way society is forever changing in the worst ways. He realizes there is not much his authority can do to change the way crime is escalading, but he is still going to give it his best at the end of the day: I read the papers ever mornin. Mostly I suppose just to try and figure out what might be headed this way. Not that I done all that good a job headin it off. It keeps getting harder. (p. 40)It is people like Chigurh that the Sheriff is talking about if not specifically when he says â€Å"They dont have no respect for the law†¦ they dont even think about the law†. This man, whose authority was once well respected by the people, is now just referred to as â€Å"a redneck sheriff in a hick town†(p. 151). Even though he had the law, authority, and a taskforce behind him, Sheriff Bell was never even a threat to anyone in this novel. He lost his power a long time ago. Chigurh, a field worker, is in the business of killing and getting jobs done like the retrieval of stolen drug profit.And thinks of him self as a superior to al of his victims as if they should be thankful he is how he is, he tells one man â€Å" I’m here and you are there. In a few minutes I will still be here†¦if you don’t respect me what must you think of yourself? Look at where you are. † (p. 177). It really just relates back to the animal kingdom. Chigurh is a lion and everyone he has ever killed is a gazelle. If the lion stopped hunting the gazelles they would eventually not fear him anymore and he woul d no longer be kink of the jungle.Chigurh realizes he only has power because of his murders and becomes a slave to them. Even though he doesn’t want to kill Mosses wife he has to, so he try’s to explain â€Å"You’re asking that I make myself vulnerable and that I can never do. I have only one way to live†¦Do you see? † (p. 259) No country for old men sends across the message that Power is not everything it is cracked up to be especially in a bad situation. It comes and goes, but if it is your soul purpose in life to find it, you might just look up from your map and find yourself lost.When moss finds the briefcase he might think he is dream at first but he soon realizes it is more of a nightmare. So does Sheriff Bell, every time he reads the newspaper he thinks back to the way it was when his grandfather was the Sheriff. The only one who has managed to maintain what they consider to be a simple happy life is Chigurh the psychotic killer. So it is real ly left up to you to decide weather or not we are living the dream or trapped in a never-ending nightmare. By Kyle Dunbar No Country for Old Men In the novel No Country for Old Men, written by Cormac McCarthy, a perversion of the American dream is presented as the relinquishment of power. Power is defined as the influence one has over people and in McCarthy’s novel he demonstrates three ways to posses this: money, authority, and the ability to strike fear into the hearts of others. Every thing is swallowed by a money-induced apathy lately, leaving nothing else of any importance. Moss, a main character in the novel, uses his new found wealth as a tool to manipulate bystanders into helping him get what he needs.In most cases people are hesitant at first to help this distressed looking man, but as soon as he waves a hundred dollar bill or two there are no more questions asked: Excuse me, he said. Leaning against the chainlink fence. His bloody footprints on the walk behind him like clues in an arcade. Excuse me. They were stepping off the curb into the roadway to go around him. Excuse me I wondered if you all would sell m e a coat. They didnt stop till they were past him. Then one of them turned. What’ll you give? He said. (p. 117)Money is power, and with this in mind many people do not see or simply just do not care about the people who are affected by their action. As long as the outcome has a nicely figured income it is all the same to them. When Llewellyn Moss stumbles across a leather briefcase containing the better part of 2 million dollars, a payoff intended for some Mexican dope-runners, his life takes a turn for the worst. He’s just too dumbfounded to realize. During a shoot out with the opposing parties, two of mosses bullets pierced threw an old woman’s second floor apartment window blowing her brains out on the back of her rocking chair.When Moss is presented with photographs of the woman he denies the fact that he could have ever done this and says, â€Å"You’re full of shit†(p151). How does a man that carries around a shotgun in a duffle bag not believ e he could have killed someone with a stray bullet? The unreal amount of money he posses now blinds him from the cold truth reality has to offer. Power has turned this once sensible man into a reckless killer and a fugitive. This asks the question what good is power if your life is uncontrollably spiraling down the drain.Moss let this power get the better of him and it ended with his death, where as Bell, the Texas county Sheriff, is over powered by the way society is forever changing in the worst ways. He realizes there is not much his authority can do to change the way crime is escalading, but he is still going to give it his best at the end of the day: I read the papers ever mornin. Mostly I suppose just to try and figure out what might be headed this way. Not that I done all that good a job headin it off. It keeps getting harder. (p. 40)It is people like Chigurh that the Sheriff is talking about if not specifically when he says â€Å"They dont have no respect for the law†¦ they dont even think about the law†. This man, whose authority was once well respected by the people, is now just referred to as â€Å"a redneck sheriff in a hick town†(p. 151). Even though he had the law, authority, and a taskforce behind him, Sheriff Bell was never even a threat to anyone in this novel. He lost his power a long time ago. Chigurh, a field worker, is in the business of killing and getting jobs done like the retrieval of stolen drug profit.And thinks of him self as a superior to al of his victims as if they should be thankful he is how he is, he tells one man â€Å" I’m here and you are there. In a few minutes I will still be here†¦if you don’t respect me what must you think of yourself? Look at where you are. † (p. 177). It really just relates back to the animal kingdom. Chigurh is a lion and everyone he has ever killed is a gazelle. If the lion stopped hunting the gazelles they would eventually not fear him anymore and he woul d no longer be kink of the jungle.Chigurh realizes he only has power because of his murders and becomes a slave to them. Even though he doesn’t want to kill Mosses wife he has to, so he try’s to explain â€Å"You’re asking that I make myself vulnerable and that I can never do. I have only one way to live†¦Do you see? † (p. 259) No country for old men sends across the message that Power is not everything it is cracked up to be especially in a bad situation. It comes and goes, but if it is your soul purpose in life to find it, you might just look up from your map and find yourself lost.When moss finds the briefcase he might think he is dream at first but he soon realizes it is more of a nightmare. So does Sheriff Bell, every time he reads the newspaper he thinks back to the way it was when his grandfather was the Sheriff. The only one who has managed to maintain what they consider to be a simple happy life is Chigurh the psychotic killer. So it is real ly left up to you to decide weather or not we are living the dream or trapped in a never-ending nightmare. By Kyle Dunbar

Definition and Examples of Hyperbaton in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Hyperbaton in Rhetoric Hyperbaton is a  figure of speech that uses disruption or inversion of customary word order to produce a distinctive effect. The term may also refer to a figure in which language takes a sudden turn- usually an interruption. Plural: hyperbata. Adjective: hyperbatonic. Also known as anastrophe, transcensio, transgressio, and tresspasser. Hyperbaton is often used to create emphasis. Brendan McGuigan notes that hyperbaton can tweak the normal order of a sentence to make certain parts stand out or to make the entire sentence jump off the page (Rhetorical Devices, 2007).The grammatical term for hyperbaton is inversion. Etymology From the Greek, passed over, transposed Examples Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man.(Edgar Allan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart)From Cocoon forth a ButterflyAs Lady from her DoorEmerged- a summer afternoon- Repairing everywhere.(Emily Dickinson, From Cocoon forth a Butterfly)Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall.(Escalus in William Shakespeares Measure for Measure, Act II, scene one)And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made(W. B. Yeats, The Lake Isle of Innisfree)pity this busy monster manunkind not(e.e. cummings)One swallow does not a summer make, nor one fine day.(Aristotle) Types of Hyperbaton One of the most common ways to use hyperbaton is to put an adjective after the noun it modifies, rather than before it. While this might be a normal word order in languages like French, in English it tends to give an air of mystery to a sentence: The forest burned with a fire unquenchable- unquenchable except by the helicopter that finally arrived.Hyperbaton can also put the verb all the way at the end of the sentence, rather than between the subject and the object. So rather than, She wouldnt, for any reason whatsoever, be married to that smelly, foul, unlikable man, you could write, She wouldnt, for any reason whatsoever, to that smelly, foul, unlikable man be married.Not the force hyperbaton carries with it.​(Brendan McGuigan, Rhetorical Devices: A Handbook and Activities for Student Writers. Prestwick House, 2007) Effects of Hyperbaton Most theorists . . . have been content to return to the definition of hyperbaton as an inversion which expresses a violent movement of the soul (Littre).Hyperbaton may well be considered to result from inversion because it is possible to recast the sentence so as to integrate the added segment. But the effect characteristic of hyperbaton derives rather from the kind of spontaneity which imposes the addition of some truth, obvious or private, to a syntactic construction apparently already closed. Hyperbaton always consists in an adjacent assertion . . . . This appears all the more clearly when the grammatical link seems loosest, as in the case of and preceded by a comma. Ex: The arms of the morning are beautiful, and the sea (Saint-Jean Perse, quoted by Daniel Delas, Poà ©tique-pratique, p. 44).​(Bernard Marie Dupriez and Albert W. Halsall, A Dictionary of Literary Devices. University of Toronto Press, 1991) The Lighter Side of Hyperbaton Maddie Hayes: Well, let me remind you Mr. Addison, that one case does not a detective make.David Addison: Well, let me remind you Ms. Hayes, that I hate it when you talk backwards.(Cybill Shepherd and Bruce Willis in Moonlighting, 1985) Pronunciation: high PER ba tun

American History Timeline From 1860 to 1870

American History Timeline From 1860 to 1870 1860 February 27, 1860: Abraham Lincoln, a lawyer from Springfield, Illinois, gave a speech at Cooper Union in New York City. Lincoln delivered a forceful and well-reasoned argument against the spread of slavery and became an overnight star and a leading candidate for the upcoming presidential election.March 11, 1860: Abraham Lincoln visited the Five Points, the most notorious slum in America. He spent time with children at a Sunday school, and an account of his visit later appeared in newspapers during his presidential campaign.Summer 1860: Candidates did not actively participate in campaigning in the mid-1800s, though Lincolns campaign used posters and other images to inform and win over voters.July 13, 1860: Albert Hicks, a pirate convicted of murder, was hanged on present-day Liberty Island in New York Harbor before thousands of spectators.August 13, 1860: Annie Oakley, sharpshooter who became an entertainment phenomenon, was born in Ohio.November 6, 1860: Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States. December 20, 1860: In response to Lincolns election, the state of South Carolina issued an Ordinance of Secession and declared it is leaving the Union. Other states would follow. 1861 March 4, 1861: Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the president of the United States.April 12, 1861: In the harbor at Charleston, South Carolina, Fort Sumter was attacked by Confederate guns.May 24, 1861: Death of Col. Elmer Ellsworth, an event which energized the North in the war effort.Summer and Fall, 1861: Thaddeus Lowe began the U.S. Army Balloon Corps, in which aeronauts ascended in balloons to view enemy troops.December 13, 1861: Prince Albert, the husband of Britains Queen Victoria, died at the age of 42. 1862 May 2, 1862: Death of writer and naturalist Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden.September 17, 1862: The Battle of Antietam  was fought in western Maryland. It becomes known as Americas Bloodiest Day.October 1862: Photographs taken by Alexander Gardner  were put on public display at Mathew Bradys gallery in New York City. The public was shocked by the carnage depicted in the photographic prints. 1863 January 1, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.July 1-3, 1863: The epic Battle of Gettysburg  was fought in Pennsylvania.July 13, 1863: The New York Draft Riots began, and continue for several days.October 3, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring a Day of Thanksgiving to he observed on the last Thursday in November.November 19, 1863: President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address while dedicating a military cemetery at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg. 1864 January 3, 1864: Death of Archbishop John Hughes, an immigrant priest who became a political force in New York City.May 13, 1864: The first burial took place at Arlington National Cemetery.November 8, 1864: Abraham Lincoln won a second term as president, defeating General George McClellan in the election of 1864. 1865 January 16, 1865: General William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Orders, No. 15, which was interpreted as a promise to provide forty acres and a mule to each family of freed slaves.January 31, 1865: The Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery in America, was passed by the United States Congress.March 4, 1865: Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated for his second term as president of the United States. Lincolns second inaugural address is remembered as one of his most notable speeches.April 14, 1865: President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Fords Theatre and died the next morning.Summer 1865: The Freedmens Bureau, a new federal agency designed to help the freed slaves, began operation. 1866 Summer 1866: The Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of Union veterans, was formed. 1867 March 17, 1867: The annual parade for St. Patricks Day in New York City was marred by violent clashes. In the following years, the tone of the parade was changed and it became a symbol of the emerging political power of the New York Irish. 1868 March 1868: The Erie Railroad War, a bizarre Wall Street struggle to control shares of a railroad, played out in the newspapers. The protagonists were Jay Gould, Jim Fisk, and Cornelius Vanderbilt.May 30, 1868: The first Decoration Day  was observed in the United States. The graves of Civil War veterans were decorated with flowers at Arlington National Cemetery and other cemeteries.February 1868: Novelist and politician Benjamin Disraeli became Prime Minister of Britain for the first time.Summer, 1868: Writer and naturalist John Muir arrived in Yosemite Valley for the first time. 1869 March 4, 1869: Ulysses S. Grant  was inaugurated as president of the United States of America.September 24, 1869: A scheme by Wall Street operators Jay Gould and Jim Fisk to corner the gold market nearly took down the entire U.S. economy in what became known as Black Friday.October 16, 1869: A weird discovery on an upstate New York farm became a sensation as the Cardiff Giant. The huge stone man turned out to be a hoax, but still fascinated a public which seemed to want a diversion.

The Transfer of Japanese-Style Management to American Subsidiaries Research Paper

The Transfer of Japanese-Style Management to American Subsidiaries - Research Paper Example Firstly, the organization should desist from over-depending on personal relationships. Within Japanese sales situations, personal relations with customers are the single most crucial aspect of sales. This is hardly ever the case in the US. Although personal relations are essential in the US, they are not as vital as in Japan (Beechler and Yang 482). Americans are more independent than the Japanese and do not conform to a culturally established need to seek out personal relationships. Often, Americans find it vital to deter the appearance of favoritism opting to conduct business strictly on an emotionally distant basis. It is, therefore, critical that the Japanese realize that they should conduct business primarily on the basis of price, product fit or quality regardless of personal relationships. A notable benefit to the Japanese company is that, as a consequence of the natural interpersonal distance in the US business relations; the conventional Japanese requirement of sending expen sive seasonal gifts to potential, current, and past customers is not necessary. In truth, many Americans consider Japanese gift-giving practices as expensive, excessive and reason for ethical concern. In addition, the Japanese company will also need to change its culture of disparaging the company. In order to show humility and proper hierarchical status, Japanese businesspeople often criticize, disparage and demean themselves, their own products and company. Although this form of outward humility is a norm in Japan, it can result in diminished sales in the US. A Japanese customer automatically understands that a Japanese businessperson demeaning his company or product does so out of cultural behavior even in the event that the product is the best in the industry (Beechler and Yang 486). This is not so in the US, hence in order to attain success in the US production industry, Digital Frontier should express confidence by touting the strength of its  products and services.

The effectiveness of human resource management in improving Dissertation

The effectiveness of human resource management in improving organizational performance - Dissertation Example This present research study will apply the investigative research methods because there are other available previous research studies that focused on a rather similar objective as this present research study. Secondly, the investigative research methods will be appropriate because this present study seeks to test or confirm some of the hypothesis that will be presented. According to the writings by Khan, an aspect that is of great significance in this research project is the research method that shows the kinds of strategies that the researcher employed to attain the research objectives. There are various types of investigative research methods that can be employed, and the most common are; experiments, case studies, survey, theoretical perspectives, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. However, it is beneficial to examine the case study method and the survey method since they are applied in this particular research project. Survey is an important investigative research method t hat was relevant while conducting this research. O'Leary noted that surveys allow the collection of a large amount of data from a large population. This implies that the researcher can conduct surveys and question specific groups of people to obtain large amount of information relevant to the subject of the survey. Case study is an investigative research method that involves investigation of a particular contemporary phenomenon in the real life situation using multiple sources of evidence like financial statements. More elaborate explanation on the nature of the case study as a research method was given by Dick (2005, p. 78) who viewed case study as a representation of ‘a specific way of collecting, organizing, and analyzing data’. The case study research method has been applied in this present research project in sense that the study uses Accenture Plc as the case study to investigate the effectiveness of human resource management in improving organizational

Marketing research paper (marketing major required) Proposal

Marketing paper (marketing major required) - Research Proposal Example A company has marketing, manufacturing; sales departments etc and they operate on their own circle. Moreover, under such structure sales and marketing messages become fragmented across myriads of strategies and tactics. At times, marketing develops ideas which the sales unit is unable to sell, which customer fails to deliver and this gets worse in bigger organizations because the various departments fail to function as a whole. On the other hand, integrated marketing mobilizes all the organization’s communication strategies under a single operation which relevant departments implement. Under the method, an organization function’s as a unit with a single objective which is maximizing awareness among targeted populace and ensuring that the marketing message is consistently distributed across all communication channels. Miller Childrens Hospital can benefit immensely by meticulously following a good integrated marketing communication, and for these benefits to be realized, the hospital’s sales promotion, marketing, advert and publicity must be well coordinated. The hospital can grow and the vision expanded both in clientele and contributors. For this to be successful the staffs must be well trained in order to get maximum result in reaching out to the greater populace. Also, in order to have a wider coverage, there is need to reach out to the Clients and Contributors to the organisation. Public Relations Publicity is one major area in which integrated marketing communication can be very effective if it is well utilized. One method of effective publicity is the newspaper. With this medium, Miller Childrens Hospital can reach out to a whole lot of people. There are very reliable means of communication. Another method is through television, the coverage is wider than the former with its visual effect and persuasive message, the people will understand. Another relevant medium

Methods and Practices of Performance Appraisal

Methods and Practices of Performance Appraisal This chapter provides the basis for the development of this study. It will give a general overview of the relevant literature and research on performance appraisal and organizational commitment in general but with a lot of emphasis on appraisal session, supervisory behaviours during appraisal and employees satisfaction with performance appraisal and affective commitment. A brief outline of performance management, performance appraisal and organizational commitment will first be discussed as a sort of general foundation followed by some relevant aspects of performance appraisal, affective commitment and ending with a summary of the chapter. The justification is that it will facilitate the conceptualization of the variables that will be examined in this study, indicate their envisaged relationships and further provide the basis for their empirical evaluation. Although the performance appraisal session is a component of the whole performance appraisal system (Giles Mossholder, 1990) however, it is still a major part of the appraisal system since it is the only avenue for gathering employees opinions and other information (Roberts, 2002). Similarly, supervisory behaviours during an appraisal session has been indicated to be a major aspect which contributes to the effectiveness of performance appraisal session (Martin Bartol, 1986) hence some key concepts of performance appraisal session and supervisory behaviours will be applied and used to formulate the argument that there should be a positive relationship between performance appraisal satisfaction and certain supervisory behaviours during a performance appraisal session. Similarly, extant literature and research (Dessler, 1999; Paul Anantharaman, 2004) has indicated that using performance appraisals to develop employees may increase their affinity to the organization hence this review will elucidate the logic for attempting to establish a positive link between performance appraisal satisfaction and affective organizational commitment and the significance of such a relationship to organizations. 2.2 A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT In the late 1980s and 1990s, organizations started implementing combined practices aimed at building a culture of performance which involved using strategies that were believed to enhance employees input towards the overall success of the organization referred to as performance management (IPM, 1992). However the majority of these practices (e.g. goal setting, assessment and review) were already being used by organization but as individual practices (Armstrong Baron, 2005). Armstrong (1998) sees performance management as a combined and well planned method used to further improve the success of an organization by increasing employees performance and developing the abilities of teams and individual employees however Fletcher (1993a cited in Armstrong Baron, 1998) sees it as a method used by organizations to invent and share their vision with the employees by enabling them appreciate their own part towards achieving the organizations vision and in so doing help to manage and improve the performance of both the employees and organization whereas Hendry, Bradley Perkins (1997) believe it is an efficient method used to enhance the performance of individuals and teams to realize the goals of the organization. The definitions above indicate that performance management is a tool used by organizations to achieve organizational aims by effectively managing the performance of employees and the organization as a whole. Some features of performance management include: different forms of appraisals (e.g. 360- degree appraisal, peer appraisal, self appraisal); reward strategies (e.g. performance related pay, competence related, contribution related pay); coaching and mentoring; career management/ succession planning and personal development plans. 2.3 OBJECTIVES OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT According to Armstrong Baron (2005), the aim of performance management is to enhance the performance of employees and the organization by further improving good performance, having an idea of the visions of the organization, supporting individuals to achieve these aims and generally ensuring a conducive atmosphere for individual growth which will ultimately impact on the organization. Armstrong Baron, (1998) believe that the objectives of performance management could further be broken down to the following: A process which helps organizations to accomplish prolonged enhanced performance. It can act as a pillar of change towards building a more performance centred tradition. Improving employees motivation and commitment. Facilitating employee development, improving their work satisfaction and attaining their desired goals in a way that profits both employees and the organization. Strengthening team work and performance. Facilitating improved communication in the workplace amongst superiors and subordinates all year round due to continuous discussions. Affording the opportunity for employees to communicate their job desires and needs. Organizations assess the outcome of performance management by using opinions or attitude surveys of their employees, some factors used are: changes in employee attitude, motivation, productivity, achievement of financial target, changes in employees attitude, achievement of objectives, improved customer service, development of new skills and improved quality (Armstrong Baron, 2005). 2.4 DEFINITION OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Performance appraisal is the process used to assess employees performance often times against some agreed work goals to enable organizations take some decisions. Performance appraisal is a formal process of supplying employees with an unambiguous feedback based on their work performance (Carroll Schneier, 1982 cited in Dobbins, Cardy Platz Vieno, 1992) but can also occur in an informal and sometimes highly biased form in any organization (Fletcher, 1997). Performance appraisal is believed to have originated from American but has been modified to suit the UK market (see Beer et al, 1978). An effective performance appraisal should seek to understand why goals have been / not been achieved to throw more light on the employees capabilities and by so doing understand what training/ development the employee requires (Anderson, 1991). Several definitions of performance appraisal have been put forward and some of them are: An opportunity for the individual and those concerned with their performance most usually their line manager to get together to engage in a dialogue about the individuals performance, development and the support required from the manager (CIPD ,2009). Performance appraisal is, the formal assessment and rating of individuals by their managers at, usually, an annual review meeting (Armstrong, 2006, p.9). A performance appraisal is a way to regularly record an assessment of an employees performance, potential and development needs. The appraisal is an opportunity to take an overall view of work content, loads and volume, to look back on what has been achieved during the reporting period and agree objectives for the next (ACAS, p.3). Performance appraisal is the process of defining expectations for employee performance: measuring, evaluating and recording employee performance in relation to those expectations; and providing feedback to the employee. While a major purpose of performance appraisal is to influence, in a positive way, employee performance and development, the process also is used for a variety of other organisational purposes, such as determining merit pay increases planning future performance goals, determining training and development needs and assessing promotional potential of employees. (Bartol Martin, 1991 p.421 cited in Coates, 1994). Performance appraisal is also defined as, a term once associated with a rather basic process involving a line manager completing an annual report on a subordinates performance and (usually but not always) discussing it with him or her in an appraisal interview (Fletcher, 2001, p.473) he further stated that though this description still holds true in some organizations that performance appraisal is now a general term used to describe so many practices used by organizations to evaluate employees and develop their capabilities, enhance performance and distribute rewards which implies that the use to which performance appraisal is put could impact on both supervisory behaviours and employees satisfaction. 2.5 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Although some organizations sometimes use the expressions performance management and performance appraisal to mean one and the same, there are differences between them. Performance management is, a comprehensive, continuous and flexible approach to the management of organizations, teams and individuals which involves the maximum amount of dialogue between those concerned (Armstrong Baron, 2005, p.14) while performance appraisal which is narrower entails supervisors assessing and scoring their subordinates in an appraisal review. Performance appraisal plays an important role in the performance management system because it is the medium used to explain the goals and objectives of an organization, it is also the main tool used for employees performance assessment and development. It is believed that with the emergence of performance management with its broader outlook, that performance appraisal now has a fundamental task in a more incorporated and vibrant set of human resources systems which implies that performance appraisal can accomplish more than it could on its own (Fletcher, 1997). Armstrong Baron (2005) highlighted some idealised features that differentiate performance management from performance appraisal since it has been noted that the two terms are often confused with each other (Bevan Thompson, 1991). Performance management Performance appraisal Joint process through dialogue Top down assessment continuous review with one or more formal reviews Annual appraisal meeting Ratings less common Use of ratings Flexible process Monolithic system Focus on values and behaviours as well as objectives Focused on quantified objectives Less likely to be directly linked to pay Often linked to pay Documentation kept to a minimum Bureaucratic- complex paperwork Owned by line managers Owned by the HR department Fig. 1- source Armstrong Baron, 2005 p. 15 2.6 DEFINITION AND COMPONENTS OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT The phrase, organizational commitment is gradually becoming a vital organizational terminology because there is an indication that it has a positive relationship with employee behaviours that encourage organizational retention and performance (Chalofsky Krishna, 2009). OReilly Chatman (1986) defines organizational commitment as the foundation of an employees psychological attachment to the organization whereas Porter et al (1974) states that organizational commitment is comprised of three major elements: (a) strong conviction in and acceptance of the organizations aims, (b) readiness to go the extra mile for the organization, and (c) a strong desire to retain organizational membership. Meyer Allen (1991) noted that notwithstanding numerous researches, that there has been a lack of agreement with definition of concepts used in measuring organizational commitment. Moreover, the various definitions of commitment seem to point to three general components hence to minimise the issue of construct definition, they put forward three components of organizational commitment: 1. Affective commitment- the employee wants to stay because of an attachment and desire to identify and be involved with the organization. 2. Continuance commitment- the employee stays with the organization because of the need to after considering the costs related to leaving the organization. 3. Normative Commitment- the employee feels obligated to continue with the organization. These three components reflect the fact that commitment is a psychological condition that typifies the nature of the relationship an employee will have with the organization hence will affect the employees decision to exit or continue with the organization. (Meyer Allen, 1991), however they have dissimilar impact on employees behaviour (Lee Bruvold, 2003). The present study will focus on affective commitment because a Meta analysis of various researches that have tried to establish a link between work outcome and organizational commitment established that affective or attitudinal commitment showed the strongest relationship (Randall, 1990). Moreover, from the description of the three components of organizational commitment, it can be deduced that an employee that has an affective commitment for the organization will most likely exhibit more positive attitude, be willing to go the extra mile, be less likely to leave because of his/her attachment to the organization. 2.6.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT The importance attached to organizational commitment could be attributed to the fact that present day organizations lay much emphasis on teamwork, empowerment, and flatter organizational structures thereby making it a pre requisite that certain acceptable behaviours are required from employees which are often referred to as organizational citizenship behaviour. These behaviours are discretionary contributions that are organizationally related, but are neither explicitly required nor contractually rewarded by the organization, yet contribute to its effective functioning, (Meyer Allen, 1997 p.34). Although organizational commitment may be associated with certain aspects of a flatter organization (e.g. team working and empowerment) as mentioned above, however, it does not just happen because an organization operates a less bureaucratic structure. Organizations employ different outlook of organizational theory example, a unitarist view will elicit a different type of commitment from a pluralist view since these two outlook will employ different management control and forms of employees management (see Perkins, 1998 p. 14). Similarly, Caldwell et al (1990) noted that variations amongst organizations with respect to the human resources policies in place affect employees attitudes and reactions, a statement also echoed by Perkins (1998). Studies have indicated that commitment can promote the type of behaviours that yield desirable organizational outcomes (Dessler, 1999). Some of positive outcomes attributed to organizational commitment include: a positive relationship with motivation and involvement (Stumpf Hartman, 1984), affirmation of positive affect and loyalty (OReilly Caldwell, 1980), enhancement of some portions of job performance (Angle Perry, 1981) and a negative relationship with absenteeism (Angle Perry, 1981). 2.7 BASIC METHODS AND PRACTICES OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Organizations differ in characteristics (e.g. management style, size, culture, technology and sector) which imply that they will most likely implement performance appraisal practice that they perceive will be suitable for them (Bretz et al, 1992). Similarly, Tolliday Zeitlin (1991) argues that the potential for performance appraisal with regards to its implications and definitions will be a consequence of the social and organizational stance of those who use them, however, an effective performance appraisal will be a gain for both the employees and the organization (Anderson, 1991). Some basic methods of performance appraisal according to ACAS (2008) include: Rating employees characteristics are rated on a scale ranging from outstanding to unacceptable. Comparisons with objectives employees are assessed based on how far they have met already agreed goals with supervisors. Critical incidents requires the supervisor to record employees positive and negative behaviour for a period of time. Narrative report the supervisor assesses the employees job performance using own words. Behaviourally Anchored Rating Scales involves the use of a number of rating scales which are tailored to suit each job. Most UK organizations use appraisal of personality, appraising job related abilities and rating scales (e.g. forced distribution and behaviourally based rating scale) which are methods used for assessment and comparison appraisal while result oriented appraisal and competency based appraisal are methods use for motivation and development appraisals (Fletcher, 1997 2004). His classification was based on the two broad uses of performance appraisal which will be highlighted below. Although management by objective (MBO) is also used in UK (*ANDERSON) it is widely used in the US to appraise senior executives and professional employees while the trait based rating scale is used for more junior employees Bretz et al, (1992). 2.8 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL USES It has been stated that knowledge of the use to which performance appraisals is to be put is important to human resource development (Youngcourt et al, 2007) and essential to its design since different types of information may be required for different purposes (Cleveland, J.N., Murphy, K.R. Williams, R.E. (1989) and research has also shown that the use to which performance appraisal is put affects the rating process and results (Jawahar Williams, 1997; Ostroff, 1993). Organizations use performance appraisal to achieve numerous contradicting objectives (McGregor, 1957; Meyer, Kay French, 1965). However, some of the uses of performance appraisal are: taking reward decisions, performance improvement, employee motivation, improving communication between supervisors and subordinates, succession planning and as a formal assessment of inadequate performance (Fletcher, 1997). According to Youngcourt et al (2007) past literature/research (Cleveland, Murphy Williams, 1989, 2003) seem to point to the fact that there is a tendency for organizations to use appraisal to differentiate either among employees (the administrative use) or within employees (the developmental purpose). Cederblom (1982) also gave two broad classifications of performance appraisal use: counselling and development; evaluation and discussion of administrative decisions. Though it has been noted that appraisals can be put to multiple uses, the present study will use the two broad classifications listed above for ease of comparison with extant work. 2.9 A GENERAL SUMMARY OF PAST PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL STUDY AND LITERATURE Performance appraisals has received lots of attention from industrial and organizational psychologists (Nathan, Morhman Millman, 1991; Landy Farr, 1980) and most of these works especially the ones dealing with cognitive aspect of performance appraisal have been methodologically and conceptually sound (DeNisi, 1997 cited in Fletcher, 2001). Researchers have conceptualized rating instrument and process; characteristics of raters and ratees as a way of understanding cognitive aspect of performance appraisal but so far, have only been able to expound our knowledge of the rating formats (Landy Farr, 1980) yet, there is still no major positive impact on performance appraisal practice (Banks Murphy, 1985; Fletcher, 2001). There has been quite a number of review of extant literature and research on performance appraisal practice with their implication for future research (e.g. Levy Williams, 2004; Fletcher, 2001; Keeping and Levy, 2000; Arvey Murphy, 1998; Bretz, Milkovich Read, 1992; Cederblom, 1982). A brief summary of these reviews seem to indicate that researchers are still looking for ways of improving the practicality of performance appraisal process in organizations as stated by (Thorndike, 1949 cited in Bretz et al, 1992; Meyer, Kay French, 1965 cited in Fletcher, 2001; Kluger DeNisi, 1996; Fletcher, 1997 2001) but the direction so far shows that between 1950 and 1980, most research was dealing with ways to improve rating instruments used for appraisals which led to a call by Landy Farr (1980) for more studies on cognitive aspects of performance appraisal thereby resulting in a shift of attention in the early 1980s to a better understanding of the various behaviours exhibited by a supervisor during performance appraisal. The mid 1980s till late 1990s saw an increase in research dealing with how information is handled during performance appraisal (Arvey Murphy, 1998) which was brought to light by some researchers (e.g. Ilgen Favero, 1985; Dipboye, 1 985; Ferris Judge, 1991) when they noted that the social and situational factors affecting performance appraisal were being overlooked by researchers. In their review of extant performance appraisal research work of 1985 1990, (Bretz, Milkovich Read, 1992) writing from a US perspective noted that majority of these work were centred on supervisor/ subordinate personal qualities, psychometric issues, rating errors/accuracy, supervisor training, performance appraisal format, cognitive aspects of appraisal and feedback. They further stated majority of these work had taken place in the laboratory and had used students as respondents also, cognition has received the highest attention and even though it is quite understandable that researchers should focus a lot of attention on studying the rating aspects of performance appraisal since it entails difficult cognitive procedures, however, the performance appraisal process takes place in an applied social and political environment, hence it would be beneficial to assess the degree to which research is contributing to the performance appraisal process. This seems to be an echo of the call b y Banks Murphy (1985) that the huge focus on cognitive aspect of performance appraisal will most likely contribute to the widening gap between research and actual practice. Napier Latham (1986) noted that the lack of improvement in performance appraisal practice stems from the fact that researchers seem to focus on improving appraisal measurement rather than on the appraisal practicalities (Thorndike, 1949 cited in Bretz et al, 1992). Another review of existing study of performance appraisal from 1993 1998 carried out by Arvey Murphy (1998) further buttressed the issues raised in the Bretz et al (1992) review but Arvey Murphy also noted that research is now widening towards the notion of contextual aspect of job performance. Similarly, Fletcher (2001) writing from a UK perspective, while concurring with the views raised in the Bretz et al (1992) review also noted that there seems to be no considerable improvement in performance appraisal practice as most UK organizations indicate disappointment with their performance appraisal scheme which implies that performance appraisal not only yields unconvincing ratings but most likely is unsuccessful as an employee development and motivational tool as indicated by (Meyer, Kay French, 1965 cited in Fletcher, 2001). Keeping Levy, (2000), writing on performance appraisal reaction which is pertinent to the present work agrees with the views already noted by the studies above on performance appraisal practice in general but they further narrowed down their views to studies pertaining to appraisal reactions. They observed that performance appraisal effectiveness has been heavily researched with some of the work focusing on aspects like: appraisal frequency, faith in supervisor, participation, validity of ratings and employee reactions to performance appraisals. On the issue of appraisal reactions, they differentiated the various reaction measures that have received great deal of attention and they include: satisfaction, fairness, perceived utility, perceived accuracy but they pointed out that there seems to be some contradictions with measurements of reaction, concepts and the way some measures have been operationalized. They also noted that dependent variables should be of interest and use to human resource practice as indicated by Balzer Sulsky, (1990, cited in Keeping Levy, 2000) that most of the dependent variables so far used in extant studies are of little use to human resources practitioners while the important ones have so far been ignored by researchers. Cederblom (1982) had reviewed the appraisal session, another important area to the present study and stated that though some writers had indicated that there are some difficulties associated with an appraisal section that involves a joint discussion of development and salary, however most of these research had come up with inconclusive reports (e.g. Meyer et al, 1965; Cummings,1973 cited in Cederblom, 1982) thereby making it difficult to conclude on the noted difficulties, however some studies (e.g. Burke, Wetzel Weir, 1978 cited in Cederblom, 1982) indicated that certain discussion on reward during an appraisal session seems to increase employees satisfaction. Cederblom (1982) stated that there are some factors that have been shown to improve the effectiveness of a performance appraisal session which are: supervisors level of competence of employees job and performance; goal setting; supervisors support; encouragement of employees participation. 2.10 PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SESSIONS The appraisal session involves the actual meeting of the supervisor and subordinate to discuss the subordinates past performance and possibly future goals, development and salary. It has been identified to be a key part of a performance appraisal system by contributing to its effectiveness since the appraisal session is the avenue for gathering employees opinion and other needed information Roberts (2002). There have been a number of researches on this area of performance appraisal (e.g. Burke Wilcox,1969; Greller, 1975; Burke at al, 1978; Fletcher, 2001; Asmub, 2008) however most of the studies have been centred on the appraisees experiences of the appraisal session though attention is now being directed towards the supervisors experience (Burke et al, 1978) Nathan, Morhman Millman (1991) noted that there are some shortcomings with most of the past researches as most of the them seem to have overlooked the interpersonal perspective in which appraisal occurs (Wexley Klimoski, 1984 cited in Nathan et al, 1991) and instead focused on pointing out the problems with supervisors even though they are the motivational impartial factors of the performance appraisal procedure and thus directing attention on how to reduce these errors with enhanced rating scale and training (Hogan, 1987, p.364). Their study substantiated the importance of the need for good interpersonal relationship as employees participation, the standard used to assess the employee and review of issues that are vital to the employees development are all affected by the type of supervisor/subordinate relationship. Similarly, Finn Fontaine (1984) put forward that supervisors and employees should relate together to categorize the major work attitudes that are very crucial to the appraisal which may likely involve the use of a well structured job analysis that will not only form the basis for measuring past performance but also form the foundation for building future performance. The organizational culture which affects means and manner of its communication will affect performance appraisal discussion (Maroney Buckely, 1992) since employees attitude is a function of their convictions which is guided by the organizations communication means and hierarchy (Nystrom Starbuck, 1984 cited in Maroney Buckely, 1992). Some guidelines given by Armstrong Baron (2005) for the appraisal session are: 1. Supervisors should come prepared by going through a list of the pre set goals and probably their record of employees performance for the year. They need to give consideration to the likely reasons that could have resulted in the employees high/low performance, changes that may have occurred between the last appraisal and the intended one. It is also advisable for employees to come prepared with their own records so they can contribute effectively. 2. The environment should be informal to allow for an open and honest discussion with less conflict. 3. The session should be carried out according to plans made earlier but should also allocate enough time for employees contribution. 4. Supervisors should ensure they give a positive, frank, and merited feedback which will motivate the employee especially when they are commended for high achievement. 5. The employees should have ample time to contribute so they can reveal the issues they are encountering and this also will make them feel the appraisal session was fair. 6. Allowing the employee to self appraise will afford the opportunity of seeing things from an employees perspective and will also form part of the appraisal discussion. 7. Employees performance that has been stated accurately should be the focus of the appraisal session rather than the supervisors personal view of the employee. 8. It is also advisable that both appraisee and appraiser jointly review probable causes of good/poor performance rather than it being just the supervisors views. 9. The supervisor as much as possible should stick to facts rather than discuss issues that will come as a surprise to the employee. 10. The agreed goals should be measurable and there should be a plan or discussion on how to achieve them and supervisors should ensure the session ends positively. The overview of performance appraisal uses; methods and practices; past performance appraisal research and appraisal session above is indicative of the fact that performance appraisal use, the discussion during an appraisal session (e.g. goal setting, feedback, participation, relationship between the supervisor and employee, rating score, salary and development discussion) will likely have an effect on employees satisfaction with the appraisal. Hypothesis 1: employees will be satisfied with their performance appraisal session when they have good interpersonal relationship with the supervisor, actively participate, adequate and constructive feedback, favourable rating and the appraisal discussion includes salary and development. 2.11 ISSUES AND CRITICISMS OF PERFORMANCE APPRAISALS Fletcher Williams (1992) noted that there have been issues regarding the use of performance appraisal which have lingered for years and a survey of some UK organizations (IRS, 2005, no 828, p.9) seem to buttress this point as most of the employees stated that there are issues in the way and manner performance appraisals are being delivered in organizations which they attributed to lack of training for line managers on how to develop effective performance appraisals, too much use of paperwork (IRS, 2005, no 828, p. 9). Similarly, Stroul (1987) stated that both management and employees are resentful of the mandatory yearly performance appraisal process (Stroul, 1987). Other issues noted with performance appraisal include Anderson (1993) also identified a number of problems related with performance appraisal: Classifying the standards that will be used for assessing performance. Gathering correct and sufficient data employee performance data. Managing conflicts between supervisors and subordinates. Defensive behaviour of most employees. The various issues noted above coupled with dissatisfaction with performance appraisal as indicated by organizations (Mount 1983; Stroul, 1987; Fletcher, 2001) has led to criticisms from several authors. Deeming (19