Good Corporate Governance and Sustainability Research Paper

Good Corporate Governance and Sustainability - Research Paper Example Under the good corporate governance applied, Ford performed very well in business plan development and compensation, business plan review, special attention review and automotive strategy meeting, corporate policy letters and directives, management systems. That is the main reason why Ford is only one of the auto companies which kept performing during the 2008 global financial crisis in America. Mallin (23) asserts that the element of diversity in companies is one of the things that benefit from corporate governance. Corporate governance promotes diversity by, firstly, ensuring a board of governance or company leadership that respects diversity. Gender diversity in companies’ leadership is one of the crucial issues commentators of corporate governance have emphasized. In the past five years, seven countries have passed legislation mandating female board representation and eight have set non-mandatory targets. A study of Canadian companies showed that boards with three or more women performed much better in terms of governance than companies with all-male boards. The study also found that the more gender-diverse boards were more likely to focus on clear communication to employees, to prioritize customer satisfaction, and to consider diversity and corporate social responsibility. To illustrate the point above, McKinsey & Company, as the world’s leading consulting firm, is a great example in the real world. Mallin (24) attributes the improvement of a company’s economic and financial performance to the varying skills and abilities of diverse groups of people. He argues that the skills of people from different backgrounds outperform homogenous groups. In order for companies to uphold corporate governance to ensure diversity, they invite applications from the public. This helps companies to pool  a variety of skills and abilities from which they can appointable candidates. In addition, corporate leaders use mentorship to educate persons from lower levels with the skills required to handle senior positions.

Project on Motivation of Nurses Essay Example for Free

Project on Motivation of Nurses Essay The most traumatic and stressful moments of an individual’s life are when he or she is taken ill. Nurses are synonymous with care and attention in times of need such as these. In a world mostly driven my personal ambition and corporate profit, nurses with their commitment to patient welfare and selfless service, provide a contrasting study. A nurse acts as a savior in distress and is often called upon to make great personal sacrifices in the discharge of her duties. The profession of nursing, is therefore, not merely a ‘job’ and the potentially powerfully insights about commitment to work that they could provide encouraged us to choose them as our subjects of study. As part of the Phase I of the project, we interviewed four nurses who were diverse in the amount of experience each had, the hierarchy in which they were working in the hospital and the backgrounds from which each of them came. This was done to study the commitment of employees towards an organization and understand the various factors which cause the same we have selected a study of nursing staff in hospitals. From the interviews, many broad themes emerged, all of which point correlate positively with their high commitment level to the organization. These points logically lead us to our hypothesis as to what keeps them committed to their place of work.   However, there were some key themes which we noted across all four of our respondents. All the nurses were very excited by the kind of recognition that the hospital was willing to give them. They seemed to treat this as a reward for their hard work and dedication and were motivated by it. All nurses were also impressed by their working relationship with their superiors (Head Nurse/Doctor) in the hospital who treated them as members of a family and with much respect. Nurses were also willing to stay on with the hospital because it provided them with opportunities for personal development. Accordingly our hypotheses are as follows: * There is a positive correlation between the amount of recognition that the nurses receive for their work and their commitment to the organization * There is a positive correlation between the positive relationship between the doctors/supervisors and the nurses and the commitment of the nurses to the organization * There is a positive correlation between the opportunity for learning and personal development that the organization provides and the commitment of the nurses to the organization RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Based on our earlier survey of 4 respondents, we determined that the following three variables play a key role in determining the commitment of nurses to their respective hospitals: * Recognition * Relationship with superiors * Learning and Development We have then tried to identify whether these three variables actually affect commitment levels of nurses at various nursing organizations. For the same, we carried out a survey of 30 nurses with diverse backgrounds (a detailed description of the respondents is covered in the following section) and questioned them on a scale of 5 to 1 (5: Strongly Agree, 1: Strongly Disagree) on 24 questions. Since our hypothesis determines 3 variables as affecting commitment, we tested the existence of each these three independent variables by framing four questions for each variables. Similarly, we determined commitment levels of the nurses through a set of 12 questions. By using a 5-point scale, we have captured not only the  existence, but the extent of existence of these variables. Since we found the responses to be reliable, we determined the correlation between the three independent variables and the dependent variable ‘commitment’ to see whether our hypothesis of is correct. Hospitals chosen for the survey We surveyed nurses from 4 different hospitals to ensure diversity. The organizations range from a large hospital located in a city like Bangalore, to mid-sized hospitals located in Tier-2 cities like Ajmer and Allahabad and a focused surgical-specialty hospital located in a smaller town like Varanasi. This selection lends diversity to our respondents through differences in location, specialization of hospitals, daily footfall (reflecting magnitude of work for the nurses), number of departments etc. Refer Appendix 1 for a description of the hospitals used for out survey. General Profile of the Nurses We have ensured diversity in our respondents while choosing nurses at all of the survey hospitals. The diversity ranges age, number of years worked at the organization and departments worked in. QUESTIONS IN THE SURVEY The questions in the survey were aimed at understanding the extent to which each of our three independent variables and our dependent variable ‘commitment’ was present in these organizations. We captured the different parameters relating to these variables by framing questions addressing various facets of these variables. Refer to Appendix 2 for detailed discussion on questions used for the survey. ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF THE SURVEY Reliability of scales Reliability is used to check the consistency of the question set under consideration. In this survey we are testing if the 3 hypothesis that we have come up with are explaining the commitment of employees towards organization. Reliability in a survey is measured by lot of ways and here we are checking internal consistency reliability which indicates reliability within the survey for the responses of similar type of questions. Reliability of dependent variable * Affective Commitment: In affective commitment the questions that are all trying to test for one feature- Attachment to Organization. The questions are direct and straight forward bringing out the required feature thus making it a set of good reliability. We have obtained a reliability scale of 0.6 for this set which is the highest amongst the 3 different commitments scales that we have obtained. * Continuance Commitment: In this set we are trying to test the commitment by knowing the dependence of the person on the organization and how much of a change it would mean to him to switch jobs. The reliability that we obtained for this set is 0.53 which is a high value for a one time survey result. This is a good indication of question set focusing on the same core question. * Normative Commitment: This question set mainly tries to identify the belongingness the person has towards the organization. The question set is clear in conveying the same objective but this attribute is not so direct and easy to understand from an individual’s perspective. Hence the survey respondents’ answers in this set have a lower value reliability of 0.39. Reliability of independent variables For first and third variables (recognition and learning development), the reliability is low at 0.46 and 0.47 respectively while for the second variable (relationship with superiors), the reliability is relatively high at 0.66. Recognition and Learning Development It’s easy to see why responses to questions around Recognition and learning and development score so low in reliability. They are quite different from each other and same person can have very different responses to each of them, if they interpret the different questions to indicate different things. In comparison the questions related to relationships were fairly interrelated and are able to fetch more consistent responses. Overall reliability of all the responses is still lower than 0.7 which can be attributed to the fact that no pilot study was done, which could have been used as input for framing questions in a better way as to improve reliability of responses. Relationship with superiors We obtained highest reliability for responses for this hypothesis. Reliability for this was found to be 0.66, which is near acceptable range. The reason for higher reliability in this question set (Appendix 2) is attributable for ease of understanding the questions. Every person has a fair idea about relationships and these questions although quite different from each other give a fairly good direction the responder in terms of what is being asked. So they maintain consistency and hence higher comparative reliability. Correlation between predictor and dependent variables a) Affective Commitment According to our expectation before the actual test results we came up with all 3 predictors are going to affect the Affective commitment. Recognition was one factor because the appreciation helps the employee (nurse) develop a connect with the organization. Also opportunities for personal development and training opportunities to assist this makes employees feel good which is essential to improve the commitment levels. Good relationships with superiors definitely help people develop an emotional bond with the organization. b) Continuance Commitment Continuance commitment describes how the employee feel about staying longer in the organization and for this one of the most important reasons is economic considerations which are to some extent explained by rewards and recognition. The recognition obtained will motivate them to work better and stay longer in an organization. Also constant opportunities for growing and training will help them stay committed to organization. c) Normative Commitment This form of commitment mainly explains the sense of giving back to the organization and the predictor which we identified was most important was the relationships with supervisor (Head nurse/Doctor). Training and developments reflect investment done by organization on employees, so employees feel an obligation to stay committed to organization to pay it  back, which increases their normative commitment. Actual results: Statistical Significance of correlations With the acceptable alpha level being 0.05 for social science research and no. of responders being 30, (Dof = 28) gives critical value of correlation as 0.361. When compared with the results we obtained we notice that out of 9 correlations, 3 are not significant (value less than 0.361) and 6 are significant (Value higher than 0.361). When it’s significant we reject null hypothesis of no relationship and accept alternative hypothesis of existence of relationship. Hypothesis 1: From the results it’s apparent that hypothesis 1 is partially supported as only one correlation is significant out of 3. That is with affective commitment. So we can interpret that Recognition affects affective commitment but not the other two types of commitments. Hypothesis 2: For second hypothesis 2 out of 3 correlations are significant so it’s also partially supported. Relationship with doctors is not related to continuance commitment but related to affective and normative commitment. Hypothesis 3: Hypothesis 3 is completely supported as all the correlations are significant i.e. higher than 0.361. It means learning and development is related to all the dependent variables and affects all three dimensions of commitment i.e. Affective, Continuance, Normative which are considered here. Plausible explanation of variations between correlations Recognition: Recognition showed the highest correlation with affective commitment, while significant correlations were not established with the continuance and normative commitment. When nurses are recognized by the organization they tend to develop an emotional connect with the organization. They feel happier working in the hospital and a sense of belonging is nurtured within them. The appreciation received for the work translates into an attachment with the organization. This explains the  correlation with affective commitment. The recognition is mostly in the form of awards and words of praise not monetary in nature. Therefore a significant continuance commitment has not been established. Similarly, recognition for work does not lead to a feeling of obligation towards the organization. Rather, the positivity generated by the appreciation of work manifests itself as an emotional attachment towards the organization, which is reflected in the correlation with affective commitment. Relationship with superiors: This independent variable showed highest correlation with normative commitment and lower correlations with affective commitment, while correlation with continuance commitment was insignificant. The nurses tend to view the exceptionally good relationships with the doctors as being facilitated by the hospital. They therefore feel indebted to the hospital for providing them with an excellent working environment, which would be missing at other places. The moral obligation that they feel towards their hospital for the respect and dignity with which doctors and supervisors treat them is translated into a high correlation for normative commitment. Learning and development: It is seen from the results of the survey that learning and development has a high correlation with Affective Commitment to the organization and comparatively low correlation with continuance and normative Commitment. Intuitively we expected high correlation between learning and development a nd normative commitment to the organization. This is because employees would feel an obligation towards an organization that invests time and resources to train its employees and ensure their personal development. However, we realize these may not necessarily hold true once we take into account the atypical nature of the nursing profession. Nurses feel sense of duty towards their patients and ethical and moral obligation to serve the sick to the best of their capacity. In fact, nurses who have been trained well, dealt with varied patient cases and experience a great deal of learning would perhaps experience higher motivation to the society. Hence perhaps they would experience low moral responsibility to staying back in the organization. We believe existence of a caring and people centric management could be the reason for the high correlation between affective commitment and learning and development. An organization that has caring and people friendly management would earn emotional loyalty from its employees due to care and good treatment given to employees. Such an  organization would also take efforts to ensure that its human resources constantly learn and develop so as to contribute to the success of the organization.

Why Dualism is Rejected by Science Essay -- Dualism Essays

Throughout history there has been many different theory’s that have been presented, in numerous fashions. From psychology’s inception there has been attempts to answer many different questions, how much of our animal heritage exists, are humans basically good, is human nature neither good nor bad, do humans possess free will, is psychology really a science? There has been a persistent question throughout the ages, how are the mind and body related? This question of if there truly is a mind, and if there is, how is it linked to the body has been the center of many debates since the beginning of psychology. Every psychologist in history has at some point dealt with the question â€Å"How are the mind and body related†, and each had their own unique stance on the question. Through the decades, every imaginable position has been taken on the mind-body relationship, in an attempt to explain how the two are connected. There are different types of individuals that attem pt to explain the mind-body relationship; materialists, monists, idealists, and dualist. Each type differs on the explanation of the relationship between mind and body. â€Å"Some psychologist attempt to explain everything in physical terms; for them, even so-called mental events are ultimately explained by the laws of physics or chemistry (Hergenhahn, pg. 17)†. These individuals are called materialist. Materialist believes that matter is the only reality. The materialist believes that all things on earth are composed of material, and that all emergent phenomena in the universe, including consciousness, and the behavior of organisms, must be explained in terms of matter. In other words, the theory claims that our reality consists entirely of matter. Believing that there is only ... ...do humans possess free will, is psychology really a science? There has been a persistent question throughout the ages, on how are the mind and body related? One thing is for certain, humans and animals alike have both a body and mind, to be certain if the mind and body are separate or coexisting causing our actions and inactions will take more time and research. Psychology is still expanding, so there is still a great deal more to learn. Works Cited Hergenhahn , B. (2008). An inroduction to the history of psychology. (6th ed. pg. 17-18). Belmont,CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Slingerland, E. (2013). Body and Mind in Early China: An Integrated Humanities–Science Approach. Journal Of The American Academy Of Religion, 81(1), 6-55. Richert, R. L. (2008). Dualism Revisited: Body vs. Mind vs. Soul. Journal Of Cognition & Culture, 8(1/2), 99-115.

Good People in Cannery Row Essay

John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, on its surface, is a very simplistic book in which its plot does not have any significant impact on its universe, let alone its characters. However, if one might delve deeper into Steinbeck’s clever subtext and rich overtones, a world of bliss and beauty can be found. Cannery Row, is a book where its characters are self-described as â€Å"Whores, Pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches† and yet called â€Å"Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men† on the very same page (405). The point of these contradictions is to comment on society’s view of Morality. This is specifically noted when one of the main Characters, Doc, says â€Å"It has always seemed strange to me†¦The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system. And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success.† When referring a group of Former homeless men called Mack and the boys (505). Mack and the boys are a group of bums that live in the row, and often do nothing but drink alcohol. These men never do anything necessarily heroic, or daring, or even Courageous, but these men are the most moral individuals in the entirety of Cannery Row. Through the Scenes following Mack and the Boys, John Steinbeck develops Idea that despite their lack of ambition, they are viewed as morally upstanding individuals, who have a positive impact on society. With their happy go lucky nature, and simple needs, these men can achieve the impossible. One might think that they are very unintelligent individuals due to their standard of living, but that couldn’t be farther than the truth. Time and time again they prove themselves to be people that are not only capable, but show extraordinary prowess in certain fields. One of these men, for instance was gay. When referring to his mechanical ability, Steinbeck narrates â€Å"Indeed there are men near   Whom a car runs better. And such a one was gay. His fingers on a timer or a carburetor adjustment screw were gentle and wise and sure.† The way he listens to the ills of automatons, it is of no impossibility he could have become a wealthy mechanic, fixing cars in a garage of his owning. Gay Instead enjoys his time at the flop house, drinking and talking the day away. All Gay really wants, is to have a good time, and for the others around him to do the same. This is a key component of why gay is a moral citizen of society. Gay is often able to do wrong, but never is willing. Gay lives with an abusive Wife, which constantly beats him. He never wants to, but occasionally he has to return the favor. He used to get thrown into jail because of this, but that he liked the conditions in jail, so his wife beats him while he sleeps instead/ Gay, specifically, is an interesting case, because he has a life in which is deeper than one might believe. he is the only one to have a life of suburbia waiting for him. Gay lived a world in which he had a house and a loving wife. Through another lens, Gay was trapped in a cage with a woman that beats him so much that being put in jail is sweet relief. Despite this, Gay eventually always choses to go back to his wife. He believes that he is wrong in the situation and returns to his wife trying to be a better man. That truly is the reason why he is an upstanding person. He’s a very humble and simple creature, who just wishes to enjoy life. Another Example of such ambition would the leader of the group, Mack. Mack is by far, is the flop house’s driving force. When leading the group, he is a moral center, and the speaker of wisdom; when alone, he is a very tragic man. Throughout the book, Mack and the boys only ambition was to throw a party for Doc, a local good Samaritan. When this ambition ends in failure, he proclaims: It don’t do good to say I’m sorry. I’ve been sorry all my life†¦I had a wife†¦same thing. Ever’thing I done turn sour. She couldn’t stand it no more. If I done a good thing it got poisoned up some way†¦I don’t do nothin’ but clown no more. Try to make the boys laugh. (496) Mack seemingly is the only one who doesn’t lack ambition by choice. Whilst in with the other, Mack often is the one to set goals, albeit small ones. This is where the true tragedy of his character comes in. No matter what he does, or hard he works, all of his plans inevitably turn to failure. Mack is a man of good intentions, and made of good morals, but he is seemingly cursed with bad luck, and the world reacts as such. One of Mack’s greatest qualities is his way with words. A lesser person might use his power of speech craft to control the populace, and shape the world in his image, but Mack just wants to have fun. Whenever he uses this sort of power, he is always talking about doing something for someone else. The adventures of Mack and the boys is filled with irony: Gay having a wife that beats him, Hazel likes conversation, but hates talking, or having a party for someone who doesn’t attend. Perhaps the most ironic of all is that despite their lack of ambition and lazy attitude, their actions Influence everyone around them. All throughout cannery row, people would look on to these men, and get inspired in some way. One of the greatest examples of such inspiration is the aforementioned Doc. Even though Mack and the Boys destroyed his home by throwing a party for him, without him, he still holds them in high regard. â€Å"The sale of souls to gain the whole world is completely voluntary and almost unanimous—but not quite†¦You know how they tried to give me a party and it went wrong. But they wanted to give me a party. That was their impulse. â€Å"(505). What Doc is saying here, is that he respects the lifestyle that Mack and the Boys have chosen, and thinks of them as moral even though things don’t go their way. This is  Implied in a number of ways. Initially, he denotes the idea of throwing the party was on a whim of theirs. This is a Reference to the continuing notion of their lack of aspiration. Mack and the Boys don’t do things for certain reasons, they just decide to act whence they get the inspiration. Furthermore, he begins with a metaphor comparing the Consumerist system, a place where you have to work for a place you often hate, to selling your soul, giving away your humanly essence and personality. This metaphor works well contrasting with the boys, to those who seemingly suffer from working into monotony. Doc is implicating that their way of spontaneity is a way wherein they have the capability to do good. Steinbeck often uses these sections with Doc to illustrate the importance of the boy’s actions. Whenever Doc speaks of them, he outlines how â€Å"[business] men are sick men†, and how the boys are â€Å"healthy and strangely clean† (504). Mack and the boys don’t have that thirst that humans often have. That hunger for Silver stitching and velvet bed sheets. Steinbeck uses a group of happy homeless men as a symbol for the importance of caring for one another, while living in the moment. Mack and the boys outline how to do well in life, without selling one’s soul for wealth and power. Morality is often a tricky subject to tackle – and often when it is tackled, it’s not done well—But Steinbeck has it pegged. One might think that things such as be considerate of one another and be humble would be simple Ideologies for a book to go behind, Steinbeck does it justice. Cannery Row Shows just how people react to good deeds, as misguided as they are. John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, on its surface, is a very simplistic book, but it is so much more.

Political Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Rene Descartes Essay

â€Å"Politics should be the application of the science Of man to the construction of the community† Explain this remark and discuss what reasons there might be for thinking it is not trueIn this essay I intend to examine the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Rene Descartes, in particular their ideas relating to the science of man, and attempt to explain why their ideas prove that it is not possible to construct a science of man. I will also briefly mention the philosophy of Donald Davidson in regards to a science of man. The theories of Hobbes and the contemporary socio-biologists attempt to recognise how man works and on that basis build a society. â€Å"Hobbes wished to be seen as the inventor of the science of politics† (Sorrell, p45) He went about this by looking at the psychology of man and discovering that man is a mechanism. Hobbes wanted to understand mechanics. He wanted to look at why men live the way that they do in society and therefore, breaks it down. By doing this he discovered that people are cogs in the social machine. Therefore he wants to examine this cogs to achieve an understanding of the social mechanism, and does this by looking at the psychology of the mind. Hobbes is both an empirist and a materialist. Empirists believe that sense gives all knowledge. Generally, they do not believe in astrology, god, electrons etc. Their philosophy is summed up by saying that all things that give true knowledge can be sensed. Materialists believe that all things in existence are physical matter. In other words, the soul and the spirit do not exist. Therefore Hobbes believes that thoughts are material, that they are caused by sense and vice versa. Tom Sorrell suggests in his essay, entitled â€Å"Hobbes’ scheme of the sciences†, that rather than have knowledge of how the mechanics of the mind’s passions work, a more successful way of gaining political knowledge is to understand what these passions cause. They cause various degrees of action, with the possessor going to various extents to achieve what they want. In chapter six of â€Å"De Corpere†, Hobbes makes a connection between the knowledge of the principles of politics and the knowledge of the motions of the average human mind. Hobbes’ account of political science is an idea of what man must do if his goal is self-preservation. These ideas are not what mankind will do but what it will have to do, in a rational way, to form a political civilisation. One would assume that as Hobbes identifies both a natural science (that of the work of nature), and a civil science – that of the common wealth – (which makes laws and wills), he would suggest that they are parallels which, in political philosophy, work together. However, there are a few problems with Hobbes’ theory. Hobbes suggests that a monarch makes a better sovereign than an assembly. Yet, surely he would not agree that a monarch who is not dedicated would be better suited than a group of thoughtful representatives. A politically secure society is built up from its people. Hobbes believes that these people all have one motivation; self-gain, or to be more precise self-preservation. Hobbes suggests that there is a link between voluntary motion and vital motion. He goes on to say that senses work together with the vital motions to produce that which is voluntary, i.e. an endeavour. These endeavours can be categorised in two ways; attractions and aversions. An example of an attraction is to pick up a piece of cake because it looks good. That of an aversion is to run away from a dog because you are scared of dogs. As it is possible to see these actions are derived from the senses, again agreeing with Hobbes empirist theory. Endeavours are the small motions within man which occur before he walks, talks, runs or carries out any other voluntary motion. These endeavours are so small that they are undetectable. By understanding why men act the way that they do, it is easier to come to a conclusion as to how society should be structured. However, the idea that the existence of a science of man can be questioned suggests that society can be constructed without it. This is due to the fact that many psychological and political theories are founded on the basis that there is a science of man. Without this â€Å"science of man† these theories are in turn questioned and therefore cannot be viably backed as reasons for the construction of the community. Another prolific philosopher whose arguments should be taken into account is Rene Descartes. Descartes thinks that we, as humans, are made up of two separate substances. The body is the physical stuff and the mind – the res cogitans (thinking thing) – purely mental stuff. The res cogitans can will your body to move. The difficulty with Descartes’ theory is that the mind and body interact; if you pour boiling water on you hand, you will feel pain. Again we have to take into account voluntary and vital motions. A voluntary motion is me moving my arm. A vital motion is my arm moving. I move my arm because I want to; but I may not necessarily want it to be moved. This can happen for a number of reasons. It may be possible that I have a muscle spasm in my arm or that somebody moves it. All of this suggests that for Descartes’ theory to be correct there must be some kind of connection between a material substance (the body) and an immaterial substance (the mind). However, we will find it impossible to understand the idea of a science of man if we cannot understand how the two substances interact. Therefore, again, we have no proof that it is possible to build a political philosophy on the basis of a science of man. On p213 of Davidson , we find an explanation of monisms and dualisms. â€Å"Theories are thus divided into four sorts: nomological monism, which affirms that there are correlating laws and that the events correlated are one (materialists belong in this category); nomological dualism, which compromises various forms of parallelism, interactionism and epiphenominalism; anomalous dualism which combines ontological dualism with the general failure of laws correlating the mental and the physical (cartesianism). And finally there is anomalous monism which shows an ontological bias only in that it allows the possibility that not all events are mental, while insisting that all events are physical. â€Å"The final position is that which Davidson himself follows. Davidson’s argument suggests that the psychology of man does not follow any causal laws. Therefore, it is impossible to impose any rationality on theories involving the mind. These anomological psychological states are defeasable. They are defeasable because it is possible that by adding another condition to the situation the expected behaviour changes. Therefore it is impossible to agree with any political philosophy that involves the necessity of a science of man. What is easily discovered is that there are many different political philosophies and many different concepts as to what is a science of man. Philosophers such as Hobbes and his counterparts, Mill and Marx, possess the shared assumption that political philosophers must accept the political opinion that they are arguing for. They all think that rational agents must accept their arguments yet they all have different arguments. They all believe that for a successful political structure human nature cannot be ignored, if the structure is to command respect. As I have shown, Descartes and Davidson on the other hand, believe that a science of man is impossible; Descartes because he believes that our minds are immaterial and Davidson because man’s behaviour follows no causal laws. All of this shows us that trying to interpret man’s actions and apply them to a science is an impossible conquest. Man is too complicated a mechanism to understand and therefore political philosophy, for a sensible and rational social structure, must be founded on another basis.

Fitness and testing Sport Essays

Fitness and testing Sport Essays Fitness and testing Sport Essay Fitness and testing Sport Essay Emma takes insulin. ‘With exercise, insulin is not readily released from the pancreas due to the lowered blood glucose levels. ’ ( preventionpt. com/PIfolder/Mini%20Paper%20August. htm) Your body needs insulin along with carbohydrate to produce glucose for energy during exercise. If this is not produced it may force Emma to stop exercising.  © Harcourt Education Ltd 2007. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free. [43] BTEC National Sport Assessment and Delivery Resource Grading The student’s answer covers all the essential content of criteria P2 and P3, i. e. preparing and using a health screening questionnaire. Although the questionnaire has some clear limitations, for example, lack of scales to aid differentiation of answers and possibly help description for M2, the criteria have been met. For M2 (part) the student has included some description of the strengths and areas for improvement for the two individuals. However, to gain a Merit (M2 part), they would have needed more description of their findings. There is little information on the levels/amounts of strengths and areas for improvement, which would aid the description of the individual. As an example, they could have described how many cigarettes Julie smoked each day and how many years she had been smoking. This would have provided a clearer picture of her status. This lack of quantification is a result of shortcomings in the design of the questionnaire. To achieve a Distinction (D1 part), the student would have needed to evaluate the health screening questionnaires. : There is some evaluation within the text because some consequences for the individuals are discussed. However, there is a lack of depth and expansion of the findings. To aid the evaluation the student should support their findings with appropriate literature, for example, exploring the possible health implications of eating too many fatty foods. This could be a magazine article on coronary heart disease, which they could feed back to the individual. The student should also provide recommendations for lifestyle improvement. For example, the student could suggest that the client could seek medical help to stop smoking, and could undertake a supervised exercise programme to improve their fitness at a local fitness centre. [44]  © Harcourt Education Ltd 2007. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free. Unit 6: Fitness testing for sport and exercise Unit 1 Further resources Websites Netfit, www. netfit. co. uk/tymen. htm – guide to health and fitness. Good links to future training recommendations. Peak Performance, www. pponline. co. uk. Specialises in a wide range of sports in relation to fitness testing. Sports coach, www. brianmac. demon. co. uk. Brian Mackenzie, the UKs highly experienced senior athletics coach, provides fitness and training advice for athletes. Rob Woods Guide to Fitness Testing, www. topendsports. com/testing/ A comprehensive site on all things to do with fitness testing, including discussions and descriptions of over 30 fitness tests. Texts Howley, E. T. and B. D. Franks (1992). Health fitness instructors’ handbook. Human Kinetics. Macdougall, J. D. , H. A. Wenger and H. J. Green (1991). Physiological testing of the high performance athlete. Human Kinetics. Morrow, J. R. , A. W Jackson, J. G. Disch nd D. P. Mood (1995). Measurement and evaluation in human performance. Human Kinetics. Safrit, M. J. (1995). Complete guide to youth fitness testing. Human Kinetics. Skinner, J. S. (1993). Exercise testing and exercise prescription for special cases. Lippincott, Williams Wilkins. YMCA (2000). Fitness testing and assessment manual. Human Kinetics. Supplementary texts British Association of advisers and lecturers in physical education (1999). Safe practice in physical education. Dudley LEA. Dalgleish, J. , S. Dollery and H. Frankham (2001). The health and fitness handbook: Longman Egger, G. , N. Champion and A. Bolton (1999). The fitness leader’s handbook. A C Black. Inbar, O. , O. Bar-or and J. S. Skinner (1996). The Wingate anaerobic test. Human Kinetics  © Harcourt Education Ltd 2007. Copying permitted for purchasing institution only. This material is not copyright free.

To what extent was Austria guilty of causing world war one essays

To what extent was Austria guilty of causing world war one essays To What Extent was Austria-Hungary Guilty of Causing the First World War Austria-Hungary had been established by a compromise between the Hungarian nobility and the Habsburg monarchy in an attempt to maintain the old Austrian Empire. It was a multi-national Empire, and its political life was dominated by disputes between the eleven principal national groups, in an era of national awakening. Although the Empire was frequently upset by quarrelling between the groups. This internal turmoil was translated into an aggressive foreign outlook which culminated in the fuse of the assasination of the arch duke being lit in 1914. However is it fair to say that Austria also placed the powder kegs which this fuse led to or was the keg placed by a number of interwoven reason such as the alliances system, Great Power politics and the more traditional view of guilty laying at the door of the Germans. The Austrian Empire consisted of a number of differnet nationalitys, such as Serbs,Croats, Czechs, Italians, Germans and Slovaks. It was this great clash of cultures and religions which lead to the huge internal strife which envelopted the Austrian Empire. This internal strife was also key to the direction of Austrias foreign policy. Indeed the very existance of the Empire depended on its international relations and the ability of its leaders to convince the great powers that the preservation of the empire was vital for maintaining the stability of the international system. Thus it should come as no surprise that it was Austrias internal problems which lead to the adoption of a foreign policy which althought cannot be used soley to apply guilt to Austria can when commbined with other actions taken by Austria form a solid bedrock on which to build a case for Austrian guilt. At the start of the twentieth century the Turkish Empire was in decline. Thus there was a large power vacume in the Balkans one upon which Austrai being the largest Imperial power i...

Love Quotes for Her

Love Quotes for Her You know that you are in love when you no longer find the company of your friends as interesting as it used to be. The girl of your dreams occupies your mind all the time. She makes you smile with her funny faces. When she is not around, you miss her terribly. Your heart flips when she looks at you lovingly. Love is a strange feeling. You can immerse yourself in love, yet you feel that you are floating in the air. Love leaves you feeling anxious, but you find yourself bounding with joy. With time, love matures into a mellow relationship. The sparks may not fly thick, but love manifests itself in small gestures. The warm embrace, the tender touch, and the unspoken sacrifice are all manifestations of mature love. She may not necessarily say it to you every day, but her eyes will reveal her devotion. You must reciprocate by sharing your feelings too. Let your sweetheart know that you love her very much. These love quotes for her will sweep her off her feet. Mesmerize her with words of tenderness. These love quotes for her will remain etched in her memory and cement your relationship forever. If you wish to marry her, use these love quotes to make a creative proposal. If you are already married to the woman of your dreams, you can use these eloquent love quotes for dramatic effect. She may scoff at you, but inwardly, she will be pleased. Love Quotes Dave Matthews BandThe space between your heart and mine is the space we’ll fill with time.Elizabeth BrowningLove doesn’t make the world go round, love is what makes the ride worthwhile.Honor de BalzacWhen women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues.Katharine HepburnLove has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get only with what you are expecting to give which is everything.Lady Marguerite Gardiner BlessingtonA woman’s head is always influenced by heart; but a man’s heart by his head.Louisa May AlcottGirls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits for the fun of it.Honor de BalzacWhen women love us, they forgive us everything, even our crimes; when they do not love us, they give us credit for nothing, not even our virtues.Robert BurnsBut to see her was to love her, love but her, and love h er forever.Lord ByronLike music on the waters is thy sweet voice to me. F. Scott FitzgeraldI love her and thats the beginning and end of everything.Andre GideI wished for nothing beyond her smile, and to walk with her thus, hand in hand, along a sun-warmed, flower-bordered path.Lord ByronShe walks in Beauty, like the nightOf cloudless climes and starry skies,And all thats best of dark and brightMeet in her aspect and her eyes...Victor HugoWhat I feel for you seems less of earth and more of a cloudless heaven.Gretchen KempThere’s this place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. Its the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me.George MooreThe hours I spend with you I look upon as sort of a perfumed garden, a dim twilight and a fountain singing to it. Other men, it is said, have seen angels, but I have seen thee and thou art enough.Oliver Wendell HolmesLove is the master key that opens the gates of happiness.

Organisational success is determined by effective leadership Essay

Organisational success is determined by effective leadership - Essay Example Rather, different criteria should be used each time that organisational success need to be evaluated. Of course, there are certain factors, such as leadership, that are always capable of affecting organisational success. The relationship between effective leadership and organisational success is explored in this paper. It is proved that the traditional thoughts on effective leadership its relationship with organisational success should be reviewed. Moreover, it has been made clear that the criteria for characterizing a leadership style as effective can be different across countries with different social ethics and culture. In any case, it is made clear that effective leadership can lead to organisational success, even in the long term. 2. Organisational success and leadership 2.1 Organisational success – characteristics The criteria used for evaluating the success of modern organisations can vary. Usually, organisational success is related to the performance of an organisation in terms of employee satisfaction (Sims 2002, p.144). More specifically, it is believed that a high level of employee satisfaction reflects the ability of the firm to communicate with its stakeholders, a condition that its critical for its success (Sims 2002, p.144). ... ccess using the above criteria can be inaccurate mostly because the potentials of each organisation to achieve high profits or to survive in the market are differentiated according to the years of the firm’s presence in the market (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). For example, the criteria of growth would be more valuable when referring to ‘the start-up of the organisation’ (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). Profitability also should not be used as a criterion for evaluating organisational success in the early years of the firm’s presence in the market (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). Rather, profitability would be a critical criterion for evaluating the success of an organisation that has been, already, well established in the local or the international market (Kirby & Watson 2003, p.46). The use of an integrate framework for evaluating organisational success helps to control the risks related to the particular task. The ‘Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awardâ₠¬â„¢ (Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130) can be considered as such framework. In fact, the above Award is awarded to organisations that meet a series of criteria in regard of quality (Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130). Leadership is the first of these criteria Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130), a fact that verifies the relationship between leadership and organisational success. Other criteria used in the context of the above framework are: ‘strategic planning, customer focus and workforce’ Dinsmore & Cabanis-Brewin 2010, p.130). From another point of view, Cameron & Spreitzer (2011) note that organisational success should not be related only to the financial performance of each organisation. Rather, the success of organisations in the modern market should be based on their ability to promote

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Research paper - Essay Example Company insiders are in a unique position to make forecasts about the future risk and return of the shares and bonds of their company, hence they might often correctly perceive market prices to be "too low" or "too high". When they trade on the secondary market, they serve to feed their knowledge into prices, thus making markets more efficient. Insider trading is often equated with market manipulation, yet the two phenomena are completely different. Manipulation is intrinsically about making market prices move away from their fair values; manipulators reduce market efficiency. Insider trading brings prices closer to their fair values; insiders enhance market efficiency† (Shah, 1998). Shah points out, however, that even under this assumption about insider-trading which is largely favorable, that the efficiency gains only trickle out throughout the economy and prevent unjust inequality when there are reporting requirements so that non-insiders can benefit (in theory) from insider gains. However, as Insider Today (2011) points out, â€Å"[T]here are normally around 2000 filings each day and many of them are of no value to individual investors. It is very hard for an individual to digest the amount of information and still have the time to act on it†. Unfortunately, there is a direct tradeoff between enforcement and preserving a signal-to-noise ratio. Enforcement of insider trading laws has two intents: First, it requires reporting of legitimate insider trading so that the knowledge that insiders have is able to trickle into the general economy; second, it punishes illegitimate trading. Increasing enforcement to get the bad guys requires reporting that reduces the value of the information from the good guys. Nonetheless, insider trading's intent is highly justified. One can make an argument that insider trading leads to greater market efficiency in the short-term, but the problem is that it clearly leads to inequality in the medium term and therefore i nefficiency in the long-term. Seyhun (2000, 300-350) found that people trading insider stocks made on average 8.9% more than the market when stocks were good and lost 5.4% less when they were bad. People with insider information are generally, though not always (as we shall see with the example of the railroad workers), people with privileged access to the top of a hierarchy. They're already people like Martha Stewart, Madoff, CEOs or brokers: People who have superior access to information. Based on past societal inequalities, it is likely that those people will be of favored ethnic groups, of the favored gender, etc. These people see their stocks grow more, while investors outside their circle can't compete. These investors then become richer, which leads to increased inequality, which leads to decreased growth over time for a variety of reasons: The newly rich can engage in bona fide market distortion, amassed wealth allows people to ignore market discipline, inequality requires a larger state sector, inequality tends to lead to more capital shocks, etc. (Rodrik, 1999; Reich; Knowles, 2005; Klein, 2010). Worse, if someone within the company divests stock before shareholders can, that is fraud against shareholders who are being given

Young Alumni Trustee, Senior Class Gift, and Bryant Senior Advisory Essay

Young Alumni Trustee, Senior Class Gift, and Bryant Senior Advisory Council - Essay Example Finally, in September 2006 the Young Alumni Trustee was named but the reorganization had left the members of the Senior Class Gift Committee with no clear responsibility The Young Alumni Trustee is a position on the Board of Trustees that is granted to a graduating senior each year. The successful program had been in effect since 1996 and each member that is awarded the position serves a three-year term. By April 2006, the selection committee had settled on two finalists, Cathleen Doan and Brian Levin. The winner was to be announced at commencement ceremonies on May 20. On April 25, 2006, students received an e-mail re-opening the application process and encouraging students to reapply. The selection committee justified their actions based on low student interest and lack of diversity among the applicants. Doan and Levin were still considered finalists, but Laurie Musgrove, Vice President of University Advancement, said they were seeing if "other students should be joining them as finalists". Robin Warde, Interim Director of Alumni Relations, said the concern was the small number of original student applicants. Warde noted that only 5 members of the class of 661 had been interviewed and said, "something different needed to be done". Doan and Levin resigned their position as finalists in protest of the move to reopen the process. In a letter to the administration announcing their withdrawal they noted that, "we are questioned, not on our merit, but on our diversity". While no one on the campus discounted the need for diversity, committee member Michael Oliveri supported Doan and Levin and contended, "we feel it inappropriate at this point in the process to be forcing it in". He felt the changes should have been made in the following year. It was apparent that the board had been remiss in addressing this problem sooner. According to Warde, they had been concerned over lack of participation in previous years. Musgrove and Warde, however, waited until the finalists had been selected to make the last minute changes. Musgrove had some misgivings and expressed the "wish that timing could be different". She continued to encourage Doan and Levin to stay in the process and viewed their withdrawal with "disappointment and dismay". Doan and Levin stated that the controversial process was a, "blatant contradiction to the values, like character, and ethics that the institution stresses to the students in all aspects of the Bryant experience and community". They also made it clear that they would support whatever candidate that was appointed to the important position and asked only that the Young Alumni Trustee recognize the injustice and commit to questioning poorly made top down decisions. Their hope is that they can prevent this situation from occurring in the future. Before commencement ceremonies, the Board of Trustees took control of the nominating process after overriding the previous decisions made by the nominating board. President Ronald Machtley and BOT Chairman Thomas Taylor headed the new selection committee. No winner was announced at that time. In September 2006, the Bryant University Board of Trustees (BOT) named Saddi Williams as the 2006 Young Alumnus Trustee at their annual meeting during Homecoming Weekend. The BOT also established the Bryant Senior Advisory Council (BSA), a 30 member

Leadership in project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership in project management - Essay Example A view holds that leaders are people oriented and their main task is to inspire people. Their primary functional output is a change(Veal,2004) and their capabilities are assessed in terms of controlling the process of this change. That is to mould and control change to suit project's objectives. Whereas managers are task and process oriented and their main task is to organize such tasks and processes. Management's main output is task done in target time at target cost. In plain language Management is assigned the task of producing and maintaining a degree of predictability & order(Veal,2004). Leadership on the other hand assumes the function of producing change under a constantly updated schemata of direction and vision. Leadership is the process of motivating others to work to meet specific goals and objectives. Leadership is deliberately causing people-driven actions in a planned fashion for the purpose of accomplishing the leader's agenda. Subsequent to identification of role of leadership in project management it is clear that leadership physically comprises of an individual or set of individuals acting on common concert and vision. A set of qualities are generally stated in support of good leadership. Such qualities helps in execution of the agenda of leadership as defined above. These qualities are stated below corresponding to their importance in an information system project: (a) A project leader must have the capability to nurture and develop a vision and a concrete sense of direction in which to lead the team on. He must make the entire team convinced of his stance of an inspired shared vision. At least he should be able to convey his vision to critical members of the project team. "Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own(Barry,Top). Bennis explains about the leaders that "They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organization," (Bennis, 1997). (b) A project leader is expected to have high level of problem solving skills(Barry,Top). He may share problem-solving responsibilities with the team .As Kouzes says that a leader must have a "fresh, creative response to here-and-now opportunities," and not much concern with how others have performed them. (Kouzes,1987).Thus he would be capable of giving new solutions to complicated problems and lead in dead ends. (c) A project leader must exercise a lot of empathy. There is vast amount of difference between empathy and sympathy(Barry,Top). Although the words rhyme, they, in fact have widely different meanings. According to Norman Paul, in sympathy the subject is principally absorbed in his or her own feelings as they are projected into the object and has little concern for the reality

Practical Lessons in Applying Accounting Standards Essay

Practical Lessons in Applying Accounting Standards - Essay Example Different genres of writing can, therefore, be used to convey messages to different types of audiences for the achievement of the author’s objectives. For instance, shopping lists are used to remind shoppers on what to buy as journals are used to deliver information to the public about particular topics. The right choice of the media is dependent on the understanding of the audience. In an attempt to develop a good understanding of rhetorical analysis, I analyzed a financial report by Bruce Pounder entitled â€Å"Practical Lessons in Applying Accounting Standards†. The case study by the accounting editor carries practical lessons that target accountants. The author got the idea of publishing the work after getting in an online discussion with colleagues about the manner in which the United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) need to be applied to specific real-world situations. The publication presents the thoughts and refined discussion consensus of Pounder and his colleagues on the issue. He addresses the key questions they had discussed in their online discussion and the three main points that he thinks are core to arriving at such a conclusion. Although â€Å"Practical Lessons in Applying Accounting Standards† targets accountants who are already engaged in the accounting field, it is also helpful to those pursuing careers in accounting and business-related fields. The author discusses fundamental concepts that would prepare learners for the real world of accounting practice. In addition to providing insightful knowledge and skills that the author has in the field of accounting, he alludes to theories and researched frameworks of other equally knowledgeable accountants to provide a comprehensive look at his subject. This essay focuses on some of the rhetorical appeals and strategies that Pounder uses in his work.  

Leadership in project management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Leadership in project management - Essay Example A view holds that leaders are people oriented and their main task is to inspire people. Their primary functional output is a change(Veal,2004) and their capabilities are assessed in terms of controlling the process of this change. That is to mould and control change to suit project's objectives. Whereas managers are task and process oriented and their main task is to organize such tasks and processes. Management's main output is task done in target time at target cost. In plain language Management is assigned the task of producing and maintaining a degree of predictability & order(Veal,2004). Leadership on the other hand assumes the function of producing change under a constantly updated schemata of direction and vision. Leadership is the process of motivating others to work to meet specific goals and objectives. Leadership is deliberately causing people-driven actions in a planned fashion for the purpose of accomplishing the leader's agenda. Subsequent to identification of role of leadership in project management it is clear that leadership physically comprises of an individual or set of individuals acting on common concert and vision. A set of qualities are generally stated in support of good leadership. Such qualities helps in execution of the agenda of leadership as defined above. These qualities are stated below corresponding to their importance in an information system project: (a) A project leader must have the capability to nurture and develop a vision and a concrete sense of direction in which to lead the team on. He must make the entire team convinced of his stance of an inspired shared vision. At least he should be able to convey his vision to critical members of the project team. "Visionary leaders enable people to feel they have a real stake in the project. They empower people to experience the vision on their own(Barry,Top). Bennis explains about the leaders that "They offer people opportunities to create their own vision, to explore what the vision will mean to their jobs and lives, and to envision their future as part of the vision for the organization," (Bennis, 1997). (b) A project leader is expected to have high level of problem solving skills(Barry,Top). He may share problem-solving responsibilities with the team .As Kouzes says that a leader must have a "fresh, creative response to here-and-now opportunities," and not much concern with how others have performed them. (Kouzes,1987).Thus he would be capable of giving new solutions to complicated problems and lead in dead ends. (c) A project leader must exercise a lot of empathy. There is vast amount of difference between empathy and sympathy(Barry,Top). Although the words rhyme, they, in fact have widely different meanings. According to Norman Paul, in sympathy the subject is principally absorbed in his or her own feelings as they are projected into the object and has little concern for the reality

The Criminal Justice Policy the Last 20 Years Essay

The Criminal Justice Policy the Last 20 Years - Essay Example In many circumstances, this system has failed to hold offenders accountable, reduce crime, help the victims or even operate with efficiency (Ismaill, 2011, 152-9). The system has many ‘black box’ dealings which contribute too little evidence on the procedures of implementing the policies. Moreover, it has led to problems associated with risks, for instance, increase in crime rates, the victimization on community policing, continuing injustices and the inefficiencies in regards to its operation with information or evidence with less credibility. The criminal justice system has many failure points due to limited training provided for criminal justice officials, practitioners, the various agencies in which it operates and to the researchers (Mears, 2010, 61-9). Evaluation research would help the policymakers in making decisions on whether to design, adopt, reject or improve a given criminal justice policy. Â  The criminal justice system policies are costly. The politicians are lacking appropriate research evaluation strategies and thus could spend billions of dollars in policies that may not be needed by the people or just policies which may not operate as expected (Ismaill, 2011, 152-9). A policy based on research evaluation is a solid start for accountability of the system and reliance on strategies based on evidence (Mears, 2010, 61-9). This also forms a firm foundation for cost-effectiveness in the administration of justice, enables the offenders to be helpful members in the society, enhances the prevalence of justice, and helps in assisting the victims of injustice and the communities impacted on by criminal acts. The public and the policymakers always demand a criminal justice system which is credible, accountable and cost-effective. Â  The number of offenders has significantly risen over the last twenty years (Mears, 2010, 61-9).

Narrative Criticism of Gillian Welch’s “Caleb Meyer” Essay Example for Free

Narrative Criticism of Gillian Welch’s â€Å"Caleb Meyer† Essay Throughout this essay I will identify â€Å"Caleb Meyer† as a rhetorical narrative, criticize its form and function, and evaluate its effectiveness. In order to criticize â€Å"Caleb Meyer† using Rowand’s method of narrative criticism, I must first establish that it meets all of the criteria of a narrative according to Sonja Foss. The first criteria Foss requires is that the artifact contain two events. The song in fact includes multiple events, but for explanative purposes we will assign those two events as Meyer drunkenly wandering into the narrator’s yard and raping her, and the narrator slicing his throat with the broken bottle. Foss then requires that the two events in a narrative happen in a sequence of some sort, which, using the examples above, we can easily find to be true in a chronological nature. Meyer first assaults the narrator, and it is not until he does that she retaliates. Foss’s third standard for a narrative requires that the sequential events have a casual relationship. Again, using the events above, we can easily argue that without the first event (Meyer assaulting the narrator) the second event (the narrator slicing his neck with the bottle) would not have occurred, for there would have been no reason for her to retaliate against Meyer. The last criteria Foss requires is that the sequential, casual events be about a unified subject. All of the events that take place in the artifact, including those aforementioned, are about the interaction between Caleb Meyer and the narrator from the time he gets drunk and rapes her to the time she cuts his throat. Now that I have satisfied Foss’s requirements for a narrative and determined â€Å"Caleb Meyer† to be such, I am able to apply Rowand’s method of narrative criticism. According to Rowand, the main components of a narrative are the characters and their roles, the setting, the plot, and the theme. While on the surface many of these things may seem obvious to the audience, in order to discover the artifact’s rhetorical purpose it is important that we uncover more than just who, where, and why. There are two main characters in Welch’s song: the antagonist, Caleb Meyer, and the protagonist, the narrator. Caleb Meyer is established as a lonely, drunken abusive male whose purpose in the artifact is to create conflict to allow resolution (he rapes the narrator and pays the price). The narrator is a married woman whose husband has left her home alone while away on business. Her function is to tell a story and create Welch’s message. She is established as religious (prays to God and believes in Hell [Caleb Meyer your ghost is gonna wear them rattling chains]), brave, and resilient. Meyer represents the abusive, alcoholic male figure in society, while the narrator represents women who are taken advantage of and decide to put up a fight. A secondary character, Nellie Kane, is minimally important but adds to the severity of Meyer’s actions, as he is the narrator’s husband whom Meyer knows is not around to protect her. The setting in the narrative is a wooded area on a mountainside, although it is unspecific where exactly. Meyer asks the narrator if her husband has gone down the mountainside after emerging from where he lives â€Å"in them hollering pines. † This setting, including the fact that the narrator’s husband has gone to Bowling Green for work, creates a picture of a helpless, isolated woman in the woods. This forces the audience to empathize with the narrator as the antagonist attacks, knowing that there is no one to aid her after being thrown down by her hair and pinned beneath a drunken man. It is because of intrinsic humanitarian values that the audience cannot help but wish they could come to her relief, which makes the persuasiveness of Welch’s message more powerful. The plot of Welch’s song first provides that Caleb Meyer lives alone and drinks to pass the time, implying that he is an alcoholic. Lonely, he stumbles to the back of the narrator’s home and yells until she comes outside. We then hear the chorus, which consists of the narrator claiming that Meyer’s ghost will wear rattling chains, implying either that he is going to hell or that he will forever be tormented in the afterlife. Meyer then asks the narrator where her husband has gone and if he has left her alone, to which she replies that he has indeed left on business. Meyer then grabs her by the hair and pins her hands above her head as he lay across her dress, implying that he is attempting to rape her. The narrator begins to pray and finds the bottle of whiskey that Meyer had dropped, slicing his neck open as he bleeds all over her. Welch provides a fantastic crescendo into a climax, which includes a conflict and resolution in order to keep the audience engaged. The theme of â€Å"Caleb Meyer† stems directly from the plot. Meyer represents generic abusive, womanizing, and drunken men that sadly exist in society, while the narrator represents women who are imposed upon by them. Welch’s â€Å"Caleb Meyer† sends a message to women to be strong and independent, while it sends a message to men to mind their belligerence and forcefulness or there will be consequences, as seen in the death of Caleb Meyer. Another message that Welch may be trying to get across is that alcohol is wicked and leads to sinful behavior. One could even go as far as saying that her message is intended to warn men of the dangers of leaving their loved one’s side, however the supporting evidence for these two arguments are insignificant in comparison to the support for the message to women to stand against abuse. Gillian Welch’s â€Å"Caleb Meyer† not only meets all of Foss’s requirements of a narrative, but also establishes itself as a powerful narrative by persuading the audience to feel hatred and anger toward the actions of Caleb Meyer. It forces the audience to identify with the narrator, and understand that what she is experiencing is wrong. Certain audiences, women in particular, and abuse victims especially, identify greatly with Welch’s narrative because rape is the greatest fear of many women. However, men too can see the pain in the narrator’s words as Welch does a wonderful job evoking the emotions of the audience. It is because of her ability to do so that the crescendo is so effective, creating great relief when at the end of the song she sings â€Å"Then I felt his blood pour fast and hot / Around me where I laid† as the antagonist meets his rightful demise.

Critical success factors of cable tv (pay-tv) against other competitors in hong kong.

Critical success factors of cable tv (pay-tv) against other competitors in hong kong. Abstract In this proposal, we hope to learn the real business strategies though the finding from research. And try to give some suggestion for these companies to increase their sales and profit. There are the flows of the research proposal. First, to introduce the background of Pay-TV Limited and its industry. Let you have a basically knowledge of this industry in the pass and now. Secord, to list the objectives to help myself to achieve the proposal aim. Third, to have a critical review of relevant literature from books, articles, internet, or magazine. Discussing the business theory how to apply in the real business world, and in the case, we can see which strategies the company is using and what success factors here. Most important, what we can understand clearly the marketing strategies in a real situation from the result of the research. Additionally, to describe the research method which I had used. Including the data collection method, sampling method and the size of sample. By using questionnaire, 100 to150 people will be asked, in order to find out the competitive advantage of Cable TV. Relationship between factors (the quality of TV programme, the price, customer supporting service) and the attitude of people towards which Pay-TV will be found. Aim This works aims to point out the attractive and competition of Pay-TV and though the research to find out their success factors (competitive advantage with main competitor), and to treat the finding as business strategies learning. Besides, to provide some suggestions and evidences how to get more potential customers, in order to increase the sales and profit of these companies. Background Some may not understand why Pay-TV can exist in Hong Kong a long time and have a stable marketing share. In fact, the major choose to watch Free charge TV such as TVB and ATV. However, this free-charge TV programme can not satisfy some people. But, Pay-TV programme focus on this market, they produce special TV programme and buy copyright of overseas TV programme, which free-charge TV have not provided. Besides, another selling point of Pay TV is that provide sport direct seeding such as football and NBA. In recently years, the more fierce competition was caused by more and more pay-TV service Company had entry to this market. However, the Cable Pay-TV which was the first Limited successfully obtaining a Subscription Television Broadcasting Licence from the Government and can also maintain a stable marketing share these year. And its main competitor is NOW-TV which is subsidiary Company of PCCW. (REVIEW OF PAY TV MARKET) The following are the background of Cable Pay-TV and Now-TV. I-Cable The Pay-TV service is operated by Hong Kong Cable Television Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group. The Group successfully obtaining a Subscription Television Broadcasting Licence from the Government in 1993 which Pay-TV service launched in the same year set the trend of multi-channel pay-television service for Hong Kong. Hong Kong Cable currently produces over 10,000 hours of programming a year, which is the largest television programs producer in Hong Kong. Throughout the years, it has successfully established a leading position in News, Movies and Sports television programming and will continue to introduce innovative local and international programmes for customers. (http://www.i-cable.com) Now TV Now TV is a 24-hour pay-TV service provider in Hong Kong. It is transmitted through the companys Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service. It is transmitted through the companys Netvigator broadband network via an IPTV service, with a total of 175 channels, of which 156now Broadband TV Channels, including eight high-definition channels and 15 music channels and 19 pure TVB PAY VISION Channel, and another 17 categories and VOD service. Launched in September 2003, the service is operated by the leading Hong Kong fixed-line telecom operator PCCW, through its subsidiary, PCCW VOD Limited. As of June 2009, the user up to 990,002 1000, 700,005 of them in 1000 to paying customers. However, I-Cable is like to success maintain their market share against the challenge of Now TV. In order to know clearly the success factors of I-Cable (business strategies, promotion, price, the programme quality, supporting service) we need to ask a number of questions. (http://www.now-tv.com) CableTV VS Now TV Why people choose Pay-TV? What channel of people in contact Pay-TV? Which one is more famous? What is the relationship between factors and the attitude of people towards watch Cable-TV/Now-TV? How do people needs changing? Can Cable-TV/Now-TV meet these changing needs? The answer will be found in the following. Objective and research questions Below are the main points of the objectives of this research Study the general demographic of target customers. Study the TV watching behavior of customers. Determine the customers, performance on various kinds of TV Programme. Identify the reason of choosing Pay TV. Evaluate which attributes of Pay TV are important to customers. Identify which is the most effective promotion channel. Examine the channel people how to get the Pay-TV information. Examine the reasons why they buy Pay-TV services from that channel Examine the impact of price, sport direct seeding of customers towards Pay-TV. Examine the Supporting service of Pay-TV. Well analyze the market theories such as 7Ps of market strategies form the results of research. The answers of the above are based on the relevant literature, and the sampling interview. The all detail as follows. Critical review of relevant literature There are 5 parts of critical review, the first 4 parts are the finding form the relevant literature. The last 2 parts are the introduction of market strategy of them, and the review of this part. 1. The main difference between free-charge TV and Pay-TV According the literature, Free-charge TV offer mainly entertainment programme, and the major of programme are made by themselves. and their programme focuses on popular habit. However, Pay-TV offer over 100 overseas TV channel and Sport direct seeding, and some of this programme is information programme what offers professional knowledge, the information of special habit to people. (Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong (2008)) In these years, more and more people are willing to pay money watching Pay-TV. The reasons are easy to understand, the two local free-charge TV cant satisfy the people, and young people who aged around 20, their needs of watching TV are changing. In the pass, people treat TV as their main entertainment everyday. However, the young have much other entertainments, and they watch TV in order to watch sport competition, get information. It means Pay-TV still has a great potential market in the coming years. 2. The current competition of Pay-TV market in Hong Kong 3. The promotion strategies of two Pay-TV limited The promotion strategies of them is similar, their promotion focus the potential customers who have special needs such habit (cooking, religion, drama) or want to watch non-local TV programme (Discovery Channel, CC TV). And their promotion are also similar, the number of TV programme and sport direct seeding are their selling points. Now TV is more emphasize their promotion to attract the potential customer now, but Cable TV just keep quality of their original service. In fact, people used to watch Cable TV because their longer history and people know their quality of TV programme more. In marketing, Cable-TV is like a cash-cow, 4. The famous TV programme Cable TV has the excellent news TV programme, and English league direct seeding. It is one of the reasons why Cable TV can maintain market share. Although English league may be not the highest level football league (many people agree Spain league is becoming the highest league in recently years and the Spain league direct seeding is offered by Now-TV in the future 3 years.), However, anyone know that major of Hong Kong people like to watch English league more than others. Additionally, Cable TV has also the direct seeding of champions of league and World Cup in 2010. It is a great competitive advantage with Now-TV in this year and the coming 3 years. (The newest situation of people needs change) 5. The relationships between factors and the attitude of young people towards I-Cable/Now-TV There are some factor will influence young people how to choose which Pay-TV. a) Price(extend) Cable TV adopt non- selectivity Price(packaging of service), we need to buy a number of channel at the same time; Now TV offers selectivity Price, we can pay a basic free, then the extra-charge are based on each channel, but Now TV are also offer a price for the packaging of all services. According one news, a great number of people are unsatisfying because Cable TV increase the basic charge from $239 to $259, and the extra-charge of football direct seeding. (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091124/4/fbx5.html) b) Promotion c) Sport direct seeding (extend) It is one important factors why Cable TV success and they can increase the price in a bad economy. Cable TV spend a high cost to get the right of footfall direct seeding, and increase the price to cover the cost. It is their strategy. However, they may ignore the young people needs change. In recently years, English League is successful in Hong Kong, it has many factors such as the time of competition, and football player stars. However, the Spain League are willing to start early in the next year, and many stars transfer from English league to Spain League. It may make people prefer watch Spain league more. (http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/091120/4/fa0e.html) d) Technique supporting and customer service (extend) Cable TV had a developed supporting system early, but they dont improve anything. However, Now TV usually improves their Technique supporting system. I believe Now TV will have a developed system what is better than Cable in the coming several years. 6. Market strategies(extend) Pay-TV adopts the Concentrated Marketing (Kotler, P. and G. Armstrong 2008)(Where the organization concentrates its marketing effort on one particular segment. The firm will develop a product that caters for the needs of that particular group). The all detail marketing theory and suggestions will describe after the sampling interview. Research methods/ Methodologies Category Options The degree to which the research question has been crystallized Exploratory study Formal study The method of data collection Monitoring Communication Study The power of the researcher to produce effects in the variables under study Ex post facto The purpose of the study Reporting Descriptive Causal-Explanatory The time dimension Cross-sectional The topical scope Breadth and depth of the study Statistical The research environment Field setting The participants perceptional awareness of the research activity Actual routine The main purpose of our study is needed to find out the comparison of Cable TV and Now TV. We need to collect the primary data and secondary data to analysis the success factors each other. First, we collect the secondary data from internet to know backgrounds, histories, and the annual reports of each Pay TV Limited. and collecting other useful information on the internet, articles or relevant literature. Second, to use â€Å"Personal Interview† (Questionnaire) collecting the primary data. Indeed that information is related to our objective. We will design a set of questionnaire about 7ps. The method is taken by samples in Hong Kong (different regions in Hong Kong, Kowloon and New Territory), a half of male and female. It can be avoided unfair saturation. The sample size will be 100 to 150. The age distribution limits are around 18 to 65. Our survey method is face-to-face interview, after the interview well give them a little gift. (Such as coupon) We can understand the competitive advantage each other through the result of information and make the recommendations how to maintain market share and what service they need to improve. However, secondary data is limited, so we will get the information mainly come from primary data. Project Plan Refer to the page15 or Excel [project plan]

The Falling Sky :: essays research papers

I gave this paper quit a bit of thought; I was sitting in a meeting on some air problems here at General Motors and started doing some investigation. Life on this planet Earth is the product of a delicate balancing act provided by nature. Mankind’s very existence is totally dependent on this fragile ecosystem’s ability to maintain itself. A valuable player in the balance of the environment, the ozone layer, is facing a very serious threat to man. Chloroflourocarbons (CFCs) are chemicals agents commonly found in refrigerants, aerosol sprays, and in the manufacturing of Styrofoam and industrial solvents. With the rate of more than a half-million tons CFCs being spewed into the atmosphere yearly, the rate of ozone depletion is rising at an alarming rate. If a global effort is not made to end the unnecessary use of CFCs, the inhabitants of this plant face an extremely difficult and frightening future. CFCs were invented in Dayton, Ohio; in 1928.They were the product of an intensive search by engineers with the G.M. Research Corporation to find a safe non-toxic, non-flammable refrigant. Frigidaire patented the formula CFCs in 1928 and the â€Å"new wonder gas† was called Freon. Seth Cargin and Phillip Dray, co-authors of Between Earth and Sky, informs us in their story of CFCs that â€Å"Freon soon topped the list of wonders, a ‘miracle’ refrigerant †¦[with the] combination of safety, cleanliness, and efficiency†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (66) Not only was the apparently â€Å"safe† gas being used in refrigeration, but with the innovation of air-conditioning by Willis Carrier prior to World War I, Freon would one day be used to cool our homes, automobiles, and businesses. Other applications for CFCs soon followed. Out of the need to eliminate malaria-carrying mosquitoes during the First World War, Freon 12 was found to be an excellent propellant to distribute insecticide—thus the birth of the aerosol spray can. â€Å"From eight aerosol-related companies in the late forties, the industry grew to more than one hundred just a few years later† (Cagin and Dray 87). CFCs were soon making the lives of millions of Americans much more comfortable. They were also making the Kinetic Chemical Company, a joint corporation of General Motors and Dupont who manufactured and marketed Freon, extremely wealthy. But in August of 1985, the entire world was informed by a group of scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center that the sky was literally falling. A NASA satellite photo revealed that a portion of the ozone layer the size of the continental United States had disappeared from the atmosphere above Antarctica.

A Streetcar Named Desire

Williams also reinforces his implied themes with many motifs and symbols, such as music, drunkenness, and bathing. Towards the end of scene three, Blanche turns on the radio and â€Å"waltzes to the music with romantic gestures [while Mitch imitates] like a dancing bear† (57). Because Blanche is accustomed to her insanity, which is represented by the Varsouviana Polka, she is able to move along with the music fine while Mitch, who is accustomed to reality (and has primitive traits), is unable to gracefully match Blanche’s movements and grace. Not only does the Polka music represent Blanche’s descent into insanity, but also tends to appear at moments when she is in a state of panic. Secondly, drunkenness is a major symbol throughout the play. Stanley states that â€Å"[one thing that] belongs on a poker table [is] whiskey† while Blanche lies and says â€Å"[she isn’t] accustomed to having more than one drink† (54). Stanley and the men seem to drink for social reasons, and they sometimes end up becoming violent or barbaric. Blanche, however, seems to drink in an almost anti-social manner while keeping it a secret, and the results of her drunkenness usually end up causing her to deceive herself. Although the author never states the illness that Blanche is eventually diagnosed with, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, a guide used by modern day psychologists to classify types of mental disorders, would classify her as a paranoid schizophrenic. In addition to music and drunkenness, bathing also is an important symbol that is implanted into the play, which is evident when Stanley becomes violent and his friends bath him with â€Å"the water . . on full tilt [and later] comes out of the bathroom [and] breaks into sobs† (59). Because he was violent (and drunk), Stanley’s friends cleanse him of his bad actions with water. He then comes out of the bathroom afterwards and feels regretful, calling out to his love and wanting to be forgiven. Throughout the history of the world and its culture, men and women have had gender-based roles in society which usually portrays men as being primitive and lacking emotion while portraying women as being more delicate and fragile. Such depictions can be seen in a work of Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire, which is based on a woman’s false beliefs that slowly lead her into a descent of insanity. Throughout scene three, many subtle cues embedded into Tennessee’s work, which include lighting, stage directions, colors and more are used to help portray the traits of certain characters and especially Blanche Du Bois’ inability to overcome reality. In conclusion, Tennessee Williams uses many motifs and symbols in his works of literature, with A Streetcar Named Desire being a very prime example. You can read also  Similarities and Conflicts in † a Streetcar Named Desire† Primitiveness and fantasy’s inability to overcome reality are represented in many things including lighting, music, colors, drinking, and even bathing. Tennessee Williams uses setting, lighting, and costumes to reinforce theme by describing the setting and events in the rawest and most articulate manner, which gives readers a detailed and symbolic image of the content in scene three including the primitiveness of men and fantasy’s inability to overcome reality. When the author first describes the setting, he states that the men are â€Å"at the peak of their physical manhood, as coarse and direct and powerful as the primary colors† (45). Because the men are very up-front and â€Å"coarse,† Tennessee reinforces the theme of the primitive and the primal by describing the physique and status of the men at the poker table. He also compares them to the primary colors, which helps back up the description of their rawness and vigor. Secondly, Tennessee Williams uses lighting to help give the readers more insight on the novel. For example, when Mitch and Blanche are together in the room, she tells him to â€Å"put [the new lamp shade she just bought] over [a] light bulb† (55). Although Blanche lets many people see her in daylight, she only allows Mitch to see her in dimly-lit areas and even lies to him about many things including her age because she likes him and doesn’t want him to discover her slowly fading beauty. The theme being inferred here, fantasy’s inability to overcome reality, is also represented by Blanche’s past haunting her due to the death of her husband, the loss of her Old Southern family estate, and her dismissal from work due to an improper affair with a student. Lastly, the themes of both the primitive/primal and Blanches inability to overcome reality are represented in the author’s choice of costume assignment, which is evident when Blanche is dressing and â€Å"stands in her pink silk brassiere and white skirt in the light through the portieres† (51). Unlike the men in the novel, who are portrayed in colors that are raw and primary, the absence of primitiveness is shown in the many descriptions of Blanche’s pastel-colored clothing. The silhouette that also appears as Blanche stands in the light of the portieres also helps create the foundation of Blanche’s fantasy world (the darkness of the silhouette) that is enclosed and trapped by reality (the light around her). A Streetcar Named Desire A Streetcar Named Desire is one of the most famous and noted plays in American history. The play was written by Tennessee Williams and won him the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Drama (Spoto, 1997).The main characters of the story, Blanche DuBois, Stanley Kowalski and Stella Kowalski represent the social and personal conflicts of post-war American society. One of the most interesting elements in the play that contributed to the success of the play is the manner by which each of the character’s perspectives and illusions are used to bring insight to the reality.Naturalism was depicted in the play by incorporating existing social conditions, language and through references to events, personalities and issues. This is evident in the backgrounds and demeanors of characters and in the manner of their interactions. Another factor that represents naturalist elements to the play is the use of developing sciences and issues into the story such as Stella’s nervous condition, Stanleyâ₠¬â„¢s involvement with the growing violence and vice of the city and   Blanche's rape and nervous breakdown.Another use of naturalism in the play is seen in the lack of dramatic role reversals among the characters and instead the characters are portrayed as individuals simply with lives that can go beyond their ability to control (Williams & Miller, 2004).Another factor that has contributed to the appeal of the play was because of the ease of reference with audience. The main reason for this is the realism of the characters. Blanche’s situation of having to leave the South was a common to the era as economics became an issue in the region. Stella represented common issues regarding rights and independence being raised for women.Stanley represented the stiff challenges of the city which requires aggressiveness and dominance. Though the characters are representations of social segments, Williams gave them their individual idiosyncrasies and vulnerabilities which made persons to the audience.ReferencesSpoto, Donald (1997). The Kindness of Strangers: The Life of Tennessee Williams. Chicago: Da Capo PublishingWilliams, Tennessee and Miller, Arthur (2004). A Streetcar Named Desire. New York: New Directions Publishing Corporation.  

Comparison Between Market Structures

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MARKET STRUCTURES Perfect Competition No. of Firms A large number, each being small. Monopolistic Competition A large number, each have some amount of market power. Oligopoly A small number, each being mutually interdependent. Monopoly Only one firm, possessing full control in the market. Size of Firms Small. Therefore each is a price taker. Relatively small but possessing some ability in setting price. Relatively big but bases its decision on other firms. Very large and is able to influence price or output but not both simultaneously. Nature of Product Homogeneous Differentiated Differentiated Unique Knowledge of Product Perfect knowledge of market by buyers and sellers Imperfect knowledge of market by buyers and sellers Imperfect knowledge of market by buyers and sellers Imperfect knowledge of market by buyers and sellers Barriers Free entry and exit from industry Free entry and exit from industry Barriers of entry and exit from industry Barriers of entry and exit from industry Mobility of Factors Perfect Mobility Perfect Mobility Imperfect Mobility Imperfect Mobility Extent of Price Control/Pricing Policy None by individual firms who take the market prevailing price Firms may either set price or output, constrained by its demand curve Firms may either set price or output, constrained by the actions of rival firms Firms may either set price or output, constrained by its demand curve Non-price Competition No advertising or other forms of promotion because of perfect competition †¢ Perfectly price elastic – each firm is a price taker because of all the above conditions †¢ D=P=AR=MR †¢ Price is constant at all levels of output †¢ The industry’s demand and supply determine the market price Advertising and other forms of promotion may take place Advertising and other forms of promotion may take place because of price rigidity †¢ Kinked demand curve – price rigidity exists because of all the above conditions †¢ D=AR and AR>MR †¢ The oligoplistic firm determines the market price or output, taking into account its competitor’s reaction No advertising or other forms of promotion because of the absence of competition †¢ Relatively price inelastic – firm is a price setter because of all the above conditions †¢ D=AR and AR>MR †¢ The monopolist determines the market price or output but not both simultaneously because it is constrained by the demand curve Demand Curve/Price Line/AR curve †¢ Relatively price elastic – each firm has some ability to set price because of all the above conditions †¢ D=AR and AR>MR †¢ The monopolistically competitive firm determines the market price or output but not both simultaneously because it is constrained by the demand curve 1 Perfect Competition Relationship between the demand curves of the Firm and Industry Price Price S P2 D1 D2 D0 P0 P1 AR2 AR0 AR1 Monopolistic Competition Demand Curve of the Firm $ Oligopoly Demand Curve of the Firm $ Monopoly Demand Curve of the Firm / Industry $ P2 P0 P1 MR Quantity Firm Quantity AR=DD Quantity MR AR=DD Quantity MR AR=DD Quantity Q1 Q0 Q2 Industry TR Curve †¢ TR = P x Q †¢ Because P is constant, TR curve is a linear upward-sloping from left to right Revenue Curves under Perfect Competition $ $ 60 TR †¢ TR = P x Q †¢ Because P falls when Q rises, TR curve is an inverted U-shape Revenue Curves under Monopolistic Competition $ †¢ TR = P x Q †¢ Because P falls when Q rises, TR curve is an inverted U-shape Revenue Curves under Oligopoly $ TR = P x Q †¢ Because P falls when Q rises, TR curve is an inverted U-shape Revenue Curves under Monopoly $ 10 AR=MR=DD AR=DD Quantity $ AR=DD Quantity MR Quantity 6 Quantity $ MR AR=DD Quantity $ MR TR Quantity TR Quantity TR Quantity MR Curve †¢ Identical to P and AR, that is, D=P=AR=MR †¢ Constant †¢ MR is less than AR, with the gradient of the MR curve twice as steep as the AR curve (implying that the MR cuts the quantity axis at half the length at which the AR cuts the quantity axis) †¢ Downward sloping, that is, is falling as quantity increases MR is less than AR, with the gradient of the MR curve twice as steep as the AR curve (implying that the MR cuts the quantity axis at half the length at which the AR cuts the quantity axis) †¢ Downward sloping, that is, is falling as quantity increases †¢ Presence of a broken line, implying the presence of price rigidity †¢ MR is less than AR, with the gradient of the MR curve twice as steep as the AR curve (implying that the MR cuts the quantity axis at half the length at which the AR cuts the quantity axis) †¢ Downward sloping, that is, is falling as quantity increases 2 Perfect Competition MC/AC Curves †¢ U-shaped in SR because of Law of Diminishing Returns †¢ U-shaped in LR because of internal economies and diseconomies of scale Monopolistic Competition †¢ U-shaped in SR because of Law of Diminishing Returns †¢ U-shaped in LR because of internal economies and diseconomies of scale Oligopoly †¢ U-shaped in SR because of Law of Diminishing Returns †¢ U-shaped in LR because of internal economies and diseconomies of scale Monopoly †¢ U-shaped in SR because of Law of Diminishing Returns †¢ U-shaped in LR because of internal economies and diseconomies of scale Profit-maximising Condition †¢ MR = MC where MC is rising (revenue from the last unit of output is equal to the cost of producing the last unit, therefore marginal profit is equal to zero) †¢ Since MR=P(=D=AR), when MR=MC, P=MC †¢ When individual firms no longer reshuffle output †¢ When maximum profits are attained †¢ SR equilibrium conditions are fulfilled, and †¢ No entry of new firms and no exit of existing firms †¢ MR = MC where MC is rising (revenue from the last unit of output is equal to the cost of producing the last unit, therefore marginal profit is equal to zero) †¢ Since P>MR, when MR=MC, P>MC MR = MC where MC is rising (revenue from the last unit of output is equal to the cost of producing the last unit, therefore marginal profit is equal to zero) †¢ Since P>MR, when MR=MC, P>MC †¢ MR = MC where MC is rising (revenue from the last unit of output is equal to the cost of producing the last unit, therefore marginal profit is equal to zero) †¢ Since P>MR, when MR=MC, P>MC Meaning of SR Equilibrium †¢ When individual firms no longer reshuffle output †¢ When maximum profits are attained †¢ SR equilibrium conditions are fulfilled, and †¢ No entry of new firms and no exit of existing firms When individual firms no longer reshuffle output †¢ When maximum profits are attained †¢ SR equilibrium conditions are fulfilled, and †¢ No entry of new firms and no exit of existing firms †¢ When individual firms no longer reshuffle output †¢ When maximum profits are attained †¢ SR equilibrium conditions are fulfilled, and †¢ No entry of new firms and no exit of existing firms Meaning of LR Equilibrium Profitability in SR †¢ Supernormal profits when the firm earns profits which are in excess of what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Supernormal Profits under Perfect Competition $ MC AC P0 Supernormal Profits †¢ Supernormal profits when the firm earns profits which are in excess of what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Supernormal Profits under Monopolistic Competition $ MC AC Supernormal Profits †¢ Supernormal profits when the firm earns profits which are in excess of what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Supernormal Profits under Oligopoly $ MC †¢ Supernormal profits when the firm earns profits which are in excess of what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Supernormal Profits under Monopoly $ MC AC Supernormal Profits AR=MR=DD P0 P0 AC Supernormal Profits P0 AR=DD MR Q0 Quantity Q0 Quantity Q0 MR AR=DD MR Quantity Q0 AR=DD Quantity 3 Perfect Competition †¢ Normal profits refers to that level of profits that is just sufficient to induce the firm to stay in the industry Normal Profits under Perfect Competition $ MC AC P0 AR=MR=DD Monopolistic Competition †¢ Normal profits refers to that level of profits that is just sufficient to induce the firm to stay in the industry Normal Profits under Monopolistic Competition $ MC AC P0 Oligopoly †¢ Normal profits refers to that level of profits that is just sufficient to induce the firm to stay in the industry Normal Profits under Oligopoly $ MC AC P0 Monopoly †¢ Normal profits refers to that level of profits that is just sufficient to induce the firm to stay in the industry Normal Profits under Monopoly $ MC AC P0 AR=DD MR Q0 Quantity Q0 Quantity Q0 MR AR=DD MR Quantity Q0 AR=DD Quantity †¢ Subnormal profits occur when the firm earns less profits than what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Subnormal Profits under Perfect Competition $ MC AC Subnormal profits occur when the firm earns less profits than what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Subnormal Profits under Monopolistic Competition $ AC MC Subnormal Profits †¢ Subnormal profits occur when the firm earns less profits than what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Subnormal Profits under Oligopoly $ MC AC Subnormal Profits †¢ Subnormal profits occur when the firm earns less profits than what is necessary to induce it to remain in the industry Subnormal Profits under Monopoly $ AC MC Subnormal Profits P0 Subnormal Profits AR=MR=DD P0 P0 P0 AR=DD MR Q0 Quantity Q0 Quantity Q0 MR AR=DD MR Quantity Q0 AR=DD Quantity Profitability in LR Necessarily makes normal profit because of free entry and exit from the industry †¢ Supernormal profits – beyond optimum capacity (Overutilisation where AC is rising) †¢ Normal profits – optimum capacity (Full utilisation where AC is at its minimum) †¢ Subnormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Necessarily makes normal profit because of free entry and exit from the industry †¢ Supernormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Normal profits – below capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Subnormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Can be making either normal or supernormal profits because of the presence of entry to the industry †¢ Supernormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Normal profits – below capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Subnormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Can be making either normal or supernormal profits because of the presence of entry to the industry †¢ Supernormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Normal profits – below capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Subnormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Plant Utilisation in SR 4 Perfect Competition Plant Utilisation in LR Normal profits – optimum capacity (Full utilisation where AC is at its minimum) Monopolistic Competition Normal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Oligopoly †¢ Normal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Supernormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Monopoly †¢ Normal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) †¢ Supernormal profits – below optimum capacity (Underutilisation where AC is falling) Allocative Efficiency Allocative efficiency is attained where P=MC Allocative efficiency is NOT attained because P>MC Allocative efficiency is NOT attained because P>MC Allocative efficiency is NOT attained because P>MC EXCEPT when the monopolist is practising first degree (perfect) price discrimination Productive Efficiency (NEW vs OLD definition) NEW: Productive efficiency is attained where profit-maximising level of output is at the LRAC OLD: Productive efficiency is attained where profit-maximising level of output is at the minimum LRAC NEW: Productive efficiency is attained where profit-maximising level of output is at the LRAC OLD: Productive efficiency is NOT attained because profit maximising level of output is falling LRAC (underutilisation) NEW: Productive efficiency is attained where profit-maximising level of output is at the LRAC OLD: Productive efficiency is NOT attained because profit maximising level of output is falling LRAC (underutilisation) NEW: Productive efficiency is attained where profit-maximising level of output is at the LRAC OLD: Productive efficiency is NOT attained because profit maximising level of output is falling LRAC (underutilisation) Distinction between Firm and Industry †¢ Industry consists of many small firms producing an identical product. Therefore, there exists a distinction between firms and industry †¢ Firm’s demand curve is perfectly elastic because it is a price taker; industry’s demand curve is downward sloping †¢ SHORT-RUN – Price ? Average Variable Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Variable Cost) †¢ LONG-RUN – Price ? Average Total Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Cost) The portion of MC curve that is above the average variable cost †¢ Industry consists of many relatively small firms producing differentiated products. Therefore, there exists a distinction between firms and industry †¢ Firm’s demand curve and the industry’s demand curve is both downward sloping Industry consists of a few large firms producing differentiated products. Therefore, there exists a distinction between firms and industry †¢ Firm’s demand curve and the industry’s demand curve is kinked implying the presence of price rigidity †¢ Industry consists of only one firm producing a unique product. Therefore, there exists NO distinction between firms and industry †¢ Firm’s demand curve is the industry’s demand curve and it is downward sloping Shut-down condition †¢ SHORT-RUN – Price ? Average Variable Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Variable Cost) †¢ LONG-RUN – Price ? Average Total Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Cost) Cannot be determined because there is no unique price to a quantity and viceversa †¢ SHORT-RUN – Price ? Average Variable Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Variable Cost) †¢ LONG-RUN – Price ? Average Total Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Cost) Cannot be determined because of the presence of price rigidity †¢ SHORT-RUN – Price ? Average Variable Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Variable Cost) †¢ LONG-RUN – Price ? Average Total Cost (Total Revenue ? Total Cost) Cannot be determined because there is no unique price to a quantity and viceversa Supply Curve in SR 5