Comparison between Life of Pi and Brave New World Essay

The heroes, Piscine Molitor Patel in â€Å"Life of Pi† by Yann Martel, and John in â€Å"Brave New World† by Aldous Huxley view their fears as an obstacle that they must overcome. Both heroes were faced with immediate challenges in their life. Through challenging their fears, personal or community morale benefits from their perceived success. In such a way, the hero’s success manipulates the situation as the feared become afraid. Each hero battled their fear differently and thus discovered a hidden truth behind the challenge they were faced with. John was born into his fear. He had no say or no choice. He had to find the positive out of every situation throughout his life. â€Å"Never put off till tomorrow the fun you can have today. † John did what he could to service happily with himself. Adversity was a struggle for him. His hidden truth was his ability to feel and show affection, of which no one was able to understand. This proved to be difficult for John being somewhat isolated. On the other hand, Pi was a quick and decisive learner. His fear was conquered through his self-determination. Fishing and taming Mr. Parker (the tiger) revealed much of his hidden truth. Pi revealed, â€Å"The presence of God is the finest of rewards. † To him, it was as if his fear now became the feared. Pi was rewarded with self-empowerment. With the conquering of the hero’s fears, different aspects of their lives were affected with their efforts. Individually, Pi was rewarded. Pi quoted, â€Å"Can there be any happiness greater than the happiness of salvation? † This can be related to the Warden from â€Å"Shawshank Redemption† saying, â€Å"Salvation lies within†. For Pi this meant he had the power in saving himself from any terrible circumstances. Being considered an anti-hero, John did not necessarily individually benefit from his fight against his fear from the world state itself, but he may have influenced others who might possibly follow his path. As for John, he believed suicide was an option under his situation, â€Å"Ending is better than mending. † He finally decided there wasn’t a way in changing the â€Å"New World† in which he committed suicide. In an effort to impact his fear, he was able to potentially influence others, like a domino effect. As this was easily the most feared situation the world state could be faced with. With the hero’s efforts, personal and community morale benefited. No matter the aspiration, change for the better will occur. As my mother has always told me, â€Å"Everything happens for a reason. † In both situations, Pi and John found a way through their fears, and influenced themselves and others as the feared are now the afraid.

Abstract Globalization Essay

Abstract Globalization is a term now circulating frequently in both popular media as well as formal academic disciplines. It has many meanings, some of which are contestable, others simply descriptive. This work attempts to explore some implications of globalization for the field of curriculum studies. This paper is an attempt to explore some of the symbols of nationality that are embedded in, or associated with, our curriculum, and to suggest that these may present some problems in terms of values and of equality. The work will explore the hegemonic relationship exerted by culture through the curriculum, relating this particularly to the ways in which a curriculum might be assessed. The particular curricular examination suggests that African-American life and history are reflected in various conceptions of the curriculum. Therefore the study will also consider how functional approach to teaching social skills to African American students is infused throughout the curriculum. Curriculum Development Introduction A vague presumption has come to pervade the public’s understanding of education, namely that its content should somehow be apolitical and value-free. If values are not explicitly addressed in the classroom then what is taught are simple â€Å"facts† – unadulterated and value-neutral. Values, however, are not a separate category of the mind, but arise, part and parcel, out of our total understanding of reality, our worldview. It is this realization that three of our contributors bring to bear, each in a different way, on the problems of the contemporary curriculum. James B. Macdonald (1971) asserts: The process of curriculum development †¦ includes selection from the total culture and the creation of a pattern of encounter that will maximize the authenticity of the material and the probability of its being internalized by learners. As a system of ideas and beliefs, it includes aspects of the cognitive world isolated by disciplines and/or subjects in terms of facts, information, generalization, principles, laws, and the like. It also includes awareness of and facility in the use of expressive symbols such as art, music and language. Further, it includes systems of value orientation for action in the form of such things as modes of inquiry, seeking new knowledge, respecting the integrity and worth of individuals, being concerned for other peoples, using democratic procedures , and so forth (pp. 97-98). Macdonald takes issue with the attempt of all scholars to mimic science as the only reliable path to â€Å"truth. † For him, restructuring the curriculum does not mean trying to integrate the disciplines as they now exist, but rather, seeking an altogether new worldview -what he calls a new â€Å"anthropology. † His point is that we need to consider values, meaning, and purpose in the curriculum in order to create a more adaptive and accurate vision of the world. A balance must be maintained between local culture and global culture. Thanks to that balance, groups win be able to develop or reinforce local cultures, and at the same time will be able to communicate with the main global culture in a mutually reinforcing relationship. We must of course agree as to what language to use to communicate throughout the global network. The problem is not very different from what we do for instance in air traffic control. At a certain moment we must accept that in order to communicate we must have a common global language. This does not negate local languages and cultures – on the contrary. The fact that one speaks English does not prevent him/her from communicating in his/her native Italian, nor does it reduce his/her pride in Italian culture. By speaking English, he/she is able to communicate that culture to other cultures, and vice versa. The â€Å"Global Education† mentioned in the abstract might be understood as the universal education of humankind – a worthy goal. But we first have to ask: what will we teach? There are too many facts to be taught, yet they are insufficient. We need instead to exercise our intelligence to grasp and teach what is best – namely the promotion of our well-being. The cultural/historical dimension, whereby students are stimulated to broaden their perspective on life, is already being addressed in some programs of curriculum reform. At my home institution, Temple University, for example, a two semester course entitled â€Å"The Intellectual Heritage† is required for all undergraduate students. This course introduces seminal texts and ideas from Western, African, and Asian traditional intellectual histories and cultures. Through classic works such as the Tao Te Ching, the Koran, and the Analects, the heritage of all humankind, students are able to enlarge their intellectual and historical vision, while becoming sensitized to the values of their own, often unexplored, roots. This suggests that curriculum must include voices, visions, and perspectives of people of color and other marginalized groups. Literature Review Henderson noted in her paper that conventional economic theory is based more on the values of economic theorists and their wealthy sponsors than on actual observation of real economies (Davis 1988). Not only economics, but everything that is taught bears the stamp of someone’s values – whether those of a legislator, a teacher, a textbook writer, or a group of academic theorists. Value-neutrality is one of the most pervasive misconceptions of modern education. The curriculum is not unbiased, and students are not left to form their own opinions. Whatever is taught bears the imprint of the values implicit in society, and if by chance those values are part of the cause of a society’s problems, then it becomes necessary to address them openly and critically in the educational curriculum. This, of course, is the real meaning of â€Å"academic freedom,† something that the American public has yet to accept. The problem of what set of values, what sort of vision of humankind, we could put in place of – or at least use to modify – our present faulty vision is taken up by Charles Weihsun Fu in a brilliant analysis of the distinctions between two of the world’s dominant worldviews: the Eastasian and the modern Western. Fu skillfully juxtaposes the Confucian and Judeo-Christian understandings, pointing out the social and political consequences of each, and especially their inherent weaknesses. More specifically, he contrasts their respective bases in personal morality and social responsibility on the one hand and in law and contractual relationships on the other. Fu concludes with a proposal for interweaving these two approaches which, if introduced into the Western curriculum, could serve simultaneously to correct our destructive tendencies toward alienation while softening our pretensions of moral superiority. His arguments seem to us to feed well into those of Johan Galtung, who discusses the path to global peace under the next theme. The process by which change is to be accomplished likewise is addressed by Frances Moore Lappe, as she critiques our political value system. Too often, Lappe argues, the curriculum teaches only superficial explanations for society’s problems, relying upon the unexamined assumptions of single disciplines, which are often graced with the label of common sense. She calls for the introduction of dialogue into the curriculum to force us to delve deeper into the underlying causes of problems, thus revealing their true complexity. Such dialogue ultimately demands the critical self-evaluation of values and a sense of political engagement that she believes are essential for an active, informed, truly democratic citizenry. If they are to achieve a productive dialogue rather than a polarizing debate, both Western traditionalists and the multiculturalists must face some facts. The growing number of people of color in our society and schools constitutes a demographic imperative educators must hear and respond to. The 1999 Census indicated that one of every four Americans is a person of color. By the turn of the century, one of every three will be of color. Nearly half of the nation’s students will be of color by 2020 (Council for Exceptional Children 2002). Although the school and university curriculums remain Western-oriented, this growing number of people of color will increasingly demand to share power in curriculum decision making and in shaping a curriculum canon that reflects their experiences, histories, struggles, and victories. People of color, women, and other marginalized groups are demanding that their voices, visions, and perspectives be included in the curriculum. They ask that the debt Western civilization owes to Africa, Asia, and indigenous America be acknowledged (Grossman 1998). The advocates of the Afro centric curriculum, in sometimes passionate language that reflects a dream long deferred, are merely asking that the cultures of Africa and African-American people be legitimized in the curriculum and that the African contributions to European civilization be acknowledged. People of color and women are also demanding that the facts about their victimization be told, for truth’s sake, but also because they need to better understand their conditions so that they and others can work to reform society. The significance of culture in curriculum implementation is supported by Michaels’ (1981) study of differences in narrative styles used by African American children and their European-American teacher. In Michaels’ study, a European-American teacher did not make explicit the literate narrative style employed in school learning and, thus, African-American children did not acquire a prerequisite skill for reading acquisition. Narrative styles are culturally acquired. The narrative style employed in school is based on the European-American culture and does not need to be made explicit to most members of that culture. Schools and the curriculum are often portrayed as culturally neutral and, because the practice of schooling has become traditional, it is difficult to identify the specific aspects of culture that are present. A more specific example of teachers’ response to students’ cultural or ethnic background is found in a research study reported by Perry Gilmore (1985) in which African-American children’s access to advanced literacy is denied on the basis of their level of acculturation rather than acquisition of prerequisite skills. Creators of the standard curriculum as members, of the society, function in multiple settings (e. g. , systems) and, as a result, are socialized by many agents. Attitudes about what children should be taught and how they should be taught are shaped. Likewise, attitudes about social issues such as race and ethnicity are also influenced heavily by multiple systems-giving messages, sometimes conflicting messages, about the importance of these factors. Branch (1993) suggested that the ethnicity and race of the teachers/educators and learners figure prominently in the learning equation. He posits that the attribution of characteristics to learners influences how they perform in the classroom, perhaps as much as their abilities. Frequently, teachers view African-American children’s academic performance as a function of their race and ethnicity and the children themselves may develop limiting self-perceptions as a consequence of their interactions within the ecosystem. For example, Fordham and Ogbu (1986) reported that some African-American high school students perceive academic excellence as an instance of â€Å"acting White. † Background It was not easy, even in the heyday of nineteenth-century nationalism, to define what was meant by national identity. Nations were often based on some notion of unity, or of consanguinity, or of some shared culture, or appearance, or language. None of these seems to be either a necessary or a sufficient condition, however. The United States manages without consanguinity, for example—though it currently seems to see language as a defining issue, as can be seen in the moral panic about the possibility of non-English speakers forming a majority. The pedagogic will seek to produce structures and curricula that are designed to maintain national identity, particularly at moments when national authority might seem to be in question. Bernstein (1971) expressed part of this when he wrote that â€Å"how a society selects, classifies, distributes, transmits and evaluates the educational knowledge that it considers to be public reflects both the distribution of power and the principles of social control†. If existing power structures and distribution are to be maintained, knowledge, and the particular kinds of knowledge that constitute cultural capital, must be selected and transmitted to particular groups. Such cultural capital must be identified, protected and valued over other cultural phenomena. Authorities need to assert their identity and control, and, in the context of the arguments presented in this paper, they need national and cultural symbols to do this, and they need control over the way in which they are transmitted. Some of the unhappy facts of our condition are being disseminated through the media, but in spite of this we still suffer from serious misunderstandings about the nature of global problems. While we have all been told that there are environmental, economic, and political crises – the greenhouse effect, species extinction, the hole in the ozone layer, the Third World debt, the instability of political institutions – and have been informed that there are some causative agents such as carbon dioxide emissions, deforestation, poverty, and a dearth of the appropriate sustainable development, we clearly do not comprehend. We misunderstand precisely because an insistence on the facts alone constitutes that little bit of knowledge that is a dangerous thing. Western traditionalists and multiculturalists must realize that they are entering into debate from different power positions. Western traditionalists hold the balance of power, financial resources, and the top positions in the mass media, in schools, colleges and universities, government, and in the publishing industry (Duckworth 1996). Genuine discussion between the traditionalists and the multiculturalists can take place only when power is placed on the table, negotiated, and shared. However, multiculturalists must acknowledge that they do not want to eliminate Aristotle and Shakespeare, or Western civilization, from the school curriculum. To reject the West would be to reject important aspects of their own cultural heritages, experiences, and identities. The most important scholarly and literary works written by African-Americans, such as works by W. E. B. DuBois, Carter G. Woodson, and Zora Neale Hurston, are expressions of Western cultural experiences. African-American culture resulted from a blending of African cultural characteristics with those of African peoples in the United States (Wald 1996). Rather than excluding Western civilization from the curriculum, multiculturalists want a more truthful, complex, and diverse version of the West taught in the schools. They want the curriculum to describe the ways in which African, Asian, and indigenous American cultures have influenced and interacted with Western civilization (Combleth 1988). They also want schools to discuss not only the diversity and democratic ideals of Western civilization, but also its failures, tensions, dilemmas, and the struggles by various groups in Western societies to realize their dreams against great odds. The inclusion of African-American literature (a) clearly reveals the conflicts and contradictions of class, race, and gender bias in a democratic society, (b) puts students in touch with their own bias and that of their peers, and (c) helps students learn to challenge bias in themselves, their peers, and the larger society, and in the literature they read. The teacher’s personal commitment allows to overcome aspects of the school culture and resistance and racial conflict among students to reach a point of shared understanding and experience for students. The racial conflict clearly raises the issue of personal and group identity, however. Method Curriculum development is designed to reflect the course of study in schools. It is intended to present information to students in an organized manner through various instructional methods and strategies. Teachers must be cognizant of creative and innovative ways to individualize and maximize learning for pupils by providing practical learning activities. Designing curriculum involves two major methodologies (Grossman 1998). The first methodology is experimental instruction. Experimental instruction is designed to intrinsically motivate student interests inside and outside of the classroom. The second approach, systematic instruction, involves teacher/student interaction. The major purpose of systematic instruction is to develop a skill or concept and design materials and activities that enable students to achieve the selected objectives. Curriculum development in most school districts is concerned with developing academics in order to equip pupils to master the complex tasks presented by our society. This approach is valid for most pupils. However, due to poor social and interpersonal skills development of many minority and young African-American students, social skill development may be necessary before academic skills can be mastered. It is generally agreed by most professionals in the field of education that schools should be involved in teaching social and interpersonal skills. For example, social skills education and interpersonal skills development are ideal ways to teach responsibility for self and others and for exploring the meaning of human interaction and relationships. A social skills curriculum can also help students understand: (1) how to develop self-esteem along with their emotions and how their emotions affects others; (2) how to develop positive social relationships; (3) respect for others; (4) respect for rules and regulations; (5) ways to develop moral and character; (6) ways to examine one’s values; (7) ways to make responsible choices; (8) their potential and worth as human beings; (9) How to develop a sense of responsibility toward others and ways of behaving appropriately in public places; (10) the role and duty of responsible citizens; and (11) how to develop effective communication skills. Curriculum strategies outlined in this text are designed to address the social skills and others as they relate specifically to African American students. Experimental, direct, and systematic curriculum methodologies were employed. The phenomenon of educating African-American students has been studied and investigated extensively, resulting in numerous educators advocating that these â€Å"special† students demonstrate inappropriate social skills/ behaviors inside as well as outside the classroom. Developing the appropriate social skills for successful interaction with peers and significant adults (teachers, parents) can be considered one of the most important accomplishments of childhood and early adolescence should be addressed as soon as possible. This is particularly true in the area of establishing and maintaining relations with peers and authority figures. Not only can social skills deficits have a negative impact on future interpersonal functioning, it may also affect current functioning, reducing the quality and quantity of the learning experiences to which students are exposed in their educational settings. Social skills have been defined as goal-oriented, rule-governed, situation-specific learned behaviors that vary according to social context. Social skills involving both observable and nonobservable cognitive and affective elements that help elicit positive or neutral responses and avoid negative responses from others. As such, social behavior constitutes an intricate interfactional process. As a result, the behavior of school-age children influences and is influenced by that of their partners (e. g. , teachers, mentors, tutors, and peers) within the interaction. Society expects that when children reach various developmental stages, they will demonstrate greater foresight and more controlled behaviors. Society also expects that children will be capable, not only of meeting increased demands within learning tasks, but also more complex, subtle social situations. Failure to meet these expectations may increase their sense of social alienation and helplessness. The curriculum presented here is designed to enable African American students to become socially contributing members of society by meeting expected standards. Strategies have been developed to assist educators in providing these students appropriate social skills training to enable them to operate successfully in the schools and society. Intervention techniques have been selected based upon research techniques to assist young Black students in controlling aggression, assuming responsibility, and becoming productive members of the group. The author highly endorses that proactive approach be employed when teaching social skills to African-American students. Since proactive instruction provides children with social intervention before negative behaviors occur, this approach is preferable to reactive teaching. Whereas proactive instruction teaches social skills before social rejection is experienced, reactive instruction waits for the individual to fail and then applies intervention strategies. Many African-American students have problems developing appropriate social skills due to the problems outlined throughout the text. Proactive instruction will prevent many of the negative consequences of inappropriate social skills, as well as improve the self-image of young African-American males. Recommended strategies for proactive instruction may assist the boys in: 1. dealing positively with accusations 2. accepting the feelings of others in a nonthreatening manner 3. respecting the feelings of others 4. avoiding fights and conflicts 5. dealing effectively with teasing 6. giving praise or compliments to others 7. accepting compliments from others 8. apologizing for inappropriate behavior 9. expressing anger in a positive way 10. showing affection and appreciation toward others 11. practicing self-control These instructional activities may be expanded or modified as needed. As indicated, African-American students must be taught appropriate social skills if they are going to be contributing members of society. The social skills outlined here should be infused throughout the curriculum and integrated as needed by the teacher. These strategies are seen as immediate, useful sources for teaching pro-social skills to African-American students. Additionally, the curriculum is based upon in-depth research and years of teaching and observing the social skills development of African-American students. Results The initial step in developing a social skills curriculum is to identify those general social behaviors that are critical to successful social functioning. These general social behaviors are then rewritten as general objectives, which provide the framework for constructing other components of the curriculum. The second stage is to sequence specific objectives as they relate to the general objectives. All specific objectives are designed to achieve the general objectives. Specific objectives are stated in behavioral and measurable terms. The third step is to identify activities and resources that can achieve the stated objectives. Activities should be functional and reflect real life experiences that African-American students are exposed to. As much as possible, parents should be involved in reinforcing the social skills taught. Parents may be used as resource individuals and may offer suggestions relative to material and activities. The fourth step is to include cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity into the curriculum. This approach affords young African-American males the opportunity to appreciate and understand their own self-worth and sense of importance and belonging as well as identify Blacks and other minorities who have made significant contributions in several fields. An additional benefit is that the young Black males can identify and associate with appropriate role models. A curriculum that does not highlight the contributions of Blacks and minorities gives an inaccurate and distorted view of the many significant contributions made by them. Multicultural activities and strategies enrich the curriculum by showing differences in cultural styles, patterns, and interests of diverse groups. Conclusions and Recommendations A social skills curriculum should be based upon those social skills needed to function successfully in one’s society. Much of the research reviewed indicates that a significant number of y African American students have not mastered the social skills needed to function successfully in our society. A functional approach involves exposing the learner to real-life situations, concepts, and activities such as self-identity, acquiring self-concept, achieving socially acceptable behavior, bonding, respecting the rights of others, maintaining good interpersonal skills, achieving independence, employing problem-solving skills, taking turns, and communicating appropriately with others. It is language – the exquisite use of symbols – that makes us truly human, and I would like to see a core curriculum in which students study the origins of language – not just parts of speech (Frisby 1993). I would also like to see students consider how symbol systems vary from one culture to another, how language can be shared, and perhaps all students should become familiar with a language other than their own, so they can step outside their own language skin to understand better the nature of communication. And surely a course of study on the centrality of language would include mathematics, which is a universal symbol system. All human beings respond to the aesthetic. This condition is found in all cultures on the planet, and students, in the new core curriculum, should study the universal language we call art. When Picasso confronts the unspeakable agonies of war, the dismembered child, the scream of a bereft mother, the shattered home, and puts them on a huge canvas called â€Å"Guernica,† he makes a universal statement about destruction that can be felt in the heart of every human being (Spears-Bunton 1990). I am suggesting that for the most intimate, most profound, most moving experiences, we need subtle symbols, and students should learn how different cultures express themselves through the universal language of the arts. Bibliography Bankee N. C. & Obiakor F. E. (1992). â€Å"Educating the Black male: Renewed imperatives for Black and white communities. † Scholar and Educator: The Journal of the Society of Educators and Scholars, 15, 2:16-31. Bernstein, B. (1971). â€Å"On the Classification and Framing of Educational Knowledge†, in Young, M. F. D. (ed. ) Knowledge and Control: New Directions for the Sociology of Education, London: Collier-Macmillan. Bok, Derek. Higher Learning. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 1986. Branch C. (1993). â€Å"Ethnic identity as a variable in the learning equation. † In E. Hollins, J. King, & W. Hayman (Eds. ), Teaching diverse populations. Albany: State University of New York Press. Combleth, Catherine. (1988). â€Å"Curriculum In and Out of Context,† Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 3:2, pp. 85-96. Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). (2002). Addressing over representation of African American students in special education: The prereferral intervention process – An administrator’s guide. Washington, DC: National Alliance of Black Schools Educators. Davis, Allen J. (1988). â€Å"Education for Citizenship: The Role of Progressive Education and Interdisciplinary Studies,† Innovative Education 13, 1. Duckworth E. (1996). The having of wonderful ideas and other essays on teaching and learning. New York: Teachers College Press. Falvey, M. A. (Ed. ). (1995). Inclusive and heterogeneous schooling: Assessment, curriculum, and instruction. Baltimore: Brookes. Frisby C. (1993). â€Å"One giant step backward: Myths of Black cultural learning styles. † School Psychology; Review, 22(3), 535-557. Fu Charles Wei-hsun. (1988). On the Task of Constructive Modernization of Confucian Ethics and Morality, Taipei: Universitas (Philosophy and Culture) Monthly. Fordham S. & Ogbu J. U. (1986). â€Å"Black students’ school success: Coping with the burden of ‘acting white’. † The Urban Review, 18(3), 176-205. Grossman, H. (1998). Ending discrimination in special education. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas. Hirsch E. D. , Jr. , (1993). â€Å"The core knowledge curriculum – What’s behind its success? † Educational Leadership, 50, 23-30. Macdonald, James B. (1971). `Curriculum Development in Relation to Social and Intellectual Systems. In The curriculum: Retrospect and Prospect, part I, pp. 97-112. Seventeenth Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education. Chicago: University of Chicago press, 1971. Michaels S. (1981). â€Å"Sharing time: Children’s narrative styles and differential access to literacy. † Language in Society, 10, 423-442. Obiakor, F. E. (1994). The eight-step multicultural approach: Learning and teaching with a smile. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Obiakor, F. E. (1999). Beyond the steps: Multicultural study guide. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. Obiakor, F. E. , & Schwenn, J. O. (1996). Assessment of culturally diverse students with behavior disorders. In A. F. Rotatori, J. O. Schwenn, & S. Burkhardt (Eds. ), â€Å"Advances in Special Education: Assessment and Psychopathology Issues in Special Education† (Vol. 10, pp. 37-57). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press. Spears-Bunton, Linda A. (1990). â€Å"Welcome to My House: African American and European American Students’ Responses to Virginia Hamilton’s House of Dies Drear,† The Journal of Negro Education, 59:4, pp. 566-576. Wald, J. L. (1996). â€Å"Diversity in the special education training force. † NCPSE News, 1, l&6.

Comparing & Contrasting: Cambodians & Filipinos Essay

Within the Asian country lie many cultures, beliefs, religions and much more. For example, the Cambodians and the Filipinos. Cambodia is located in southeastern Asia, bordering the gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos. The Philippines is located in Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Philippine Sea and the South China Sea, east of Vietnam. Both countries have many differences and similarities. In the Cambodian culture there are many beliefs. A lot of Cambodians believe in superstition, an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear. One of the major superstitions of the Cambodian culture is Spirits of our ancestors. Folk tales explain and describe how and why a spirit cant hurt you but they can discipline you, for example the flying head. The flying head only disciplines people when they are afraid and alone in the woods. Also when two people split a pole means that they would go their different ways and split their friendship. In the Filipino culture there are also many beliefs. Superstition and ghosts are also a main belief in the Philippines. One of the known folktale ghost story is called the Aswang. The name translates to â€Å"To be detached from one part of the body. This creature flies around at night sucking blood and attacking animals and people. It is said that during the horizon, the Aswang takes on the appearance of a dog, whose front legs are longer than the back legs. Most of the Cambodians believe in the religion Buddhism. They would take daily walks to the temple to light incenses, bring food for their deceased family member or monks. May 15th is a major holiday in the Cambodian culture, the day when their holy god they worship in the name of Buddha was born, the day he was enlightened, and the day he died. The way Cambodians greet a Buddha or monk is that they would put their palms together and bow for their respect. Cambodian New Year is also a major Cambodian holiday. Its a celebration or more like a festival with food stands to clothing. Most of the Filipinos take their belief for their religion to the extreme.  The main religion in the Philippines is Catholic, Christian or other forms of religion. People would hang themselves on a cross just like Jesus did just because they believe in their religion strongly. They would usually attend church on Sundays, they would sing, and listen to the pastor read from the bible. The two countries also do have some similarities. One example for a similarity is that both cultures sometimes eat with their hands. Another example is that they both have similar superstition beliefs and folktales, just different stories. When you arrive at either a Filipino or Cambodian house you would have to take off your shoes. Finally both cultures take respect seriously, you have to bow to your elders and bless them or they bless you. Within the Asian country lie many cultures, beliefs, religions and much more. Cambodians are very superstitious and believe in mostly Buddhism. Filipinos are also very superstitious but have different folktales and most Filipinos are Christian, Catholic, or some other type of religion. Both countries also have a lot of similarities in their cultures; they both respect their elders and take respect seriously. Works Cited Sampson, Andrew. Online interview. 15 Feb. 2008.

An Analytical Response to Billions Over Baghdad Essay

An Analytical Response to Billions Over Baghdad - Essay Example Everyone has waited for the smoke to clear, and viola, the rats–the Coalition Provisional Authority (C.P.A.) that is–have to do some explaining, and if possible some serious accounting. The tone varies from being argumentative and provoking. It has also galvanized someone else’s belief that indeed there is corruption and that the US government â€Å"cares only about ensuring that an accounting does not occur.† The level of discourse is already appropriate to young adults. The only problem it posed is the nature of the issue. Although â€Å"Billions over Baghdad† is good to be read, the issue does not appeal well to the majority of the adolescents except to those interested in listening intrigues. The issue never went to center stage except for some congressional hearings and immediately after the series of hearings it all gone like nothing happened. Another setback is the quantity and quality of details. The authors, however, can’t be faulted in the lack of details because a controversy like this is so secretive that people inside refused to talk. Now the hanging inquiries left by the authors dwell on the certainty of accounting the lost $9 billion out of the $12 billion shipped from Federal Reserve to Baghdad and how it vanished so quickly. It also made ourselves ask why the people in Department of Defense and C.P.A. are so unwilling to talk about the unaccounted $9 Billion. The claim of the author is that the people behind the C.P.A. and even the Department of Defense had allowed all the circumstances for the cesspool to propagate. Consequently, the Department of Defense hasn’t shown any determination to resolve the scandal. The secretary of Defense is reluctant to clear the matter and C.P.A. administrator L. Paul Bremer III has also decided to let go of the contractors who profited. All the Department of Defense has done is to shrug it off. The author is correct in pointing out that the situation is indeed odd . With the way how the administration handled the scandal and its jaded effort to put the responsible behind bars, the C.P.A. mess might not be proven under court proceedings. Another claim rightfully pointed out by the author is the existence of widespread corruption. They pointed out that opportunity of corruption exists everywhere from earning kickbacks, having ghost employees and bloating the charge even for daily meals. They also pointed out the widespread mismanagement and the failure to exercise command responsibility. It was very distressing when an army officer representing C.P.A. â€Å"had crossed out the original price and doubled it† after the hospital administrator signed the contract. Another was what Frank Willis has encountered during his stint as a senior adviser to the Iraqi transportation ministry. â€Å"The neat bundles of cash looked almost like play money and the temptation to handle them was irresistible,† Willis said when he returned to his offi ce to find â€Å"piles and piles of shrink-wrapped $100 bills stacked on a table† (vanityfair.com). Good enough that the Billions over Baghdad has included the NorthStar and the Custer Battles in the frame to magnify more the claim that there are corruption and mismanagement. It was a diligent effort by Steele to uncover the shrouded NorthStar; and his effort have made it clear to everyone that the C.P.A. was never sincere in the way it discharged its duties and

An Introduction to Theory of Constraints Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

An Introduction to Theory of Constraints - Essay Example TOC is very significance in the fields of management and engineering when it comes to finding solutions to problems in the most accurate, simple and consistent. It helps in reduction of inventory levels, lead and cycle times while improving revenue and reducing time. Significant researches have been done in the field of TOC. Elyahu Goldraft and Jeff Cox in their book â€Å"The Goal: Process of ongoing improvement† highlighted various TOC processes like identification and exploitation of system constraints and goals. They also came up with the classification of constraints as market, policy and physical. These constraints were further subdivided into sub constraints and theories of constraints discussed. Mindset constraint is based on culture and frame of mind, measures is based on the relationship between constraints and achievement of organizational goals and method constraint based on relationship between procedures and technique to achieving actions incompatible with the or ganizational goals. Application of TOC in the Manufacturing example indicates understanding of redefinition of systems goal, thru put, inventory and operating expenses. TOC also helps in calculation of profits and making production decision. Financial Management, Cash Flow and Accounting Principles The objective of this topic would be to comprehend the creation and usage of the accounting information, understanding of accounting language and application of financial accounting in an organization. This would be summarized in the following paragraphs. Finance and accounting have varied roles within an organization. Some of these roles are applied internally within an organization while others are used externally outside an organization. Finance and accounting helps in provision of financial position of an organization, taxation of an organization by the state, federal and the local government. ES-4910 Survey of Engineering Management presents (1) Organizational financial report is als o used by external organs in investment regulation and valuation. Organizational management uses finance and accounting in budgeting, setting product prices, checking of organization performance as well as in general operation of an organization. Understanding of accounting information is very vital to the organizational management. Recording of cash versus accruals forms basics of financial entries. Cash is always entered when there is transfer of cash whereas accruals are entered there is revenue earned or expenditure is incurred. Accrual is a record of transactions over the same period whereas cash records are not time dependent. Other accounting basics include the understanding of business assets, liabilities equity ledger, revenue, expenditure and profit. Accounting entries like the principle of double entry in an accounting is very important in making account receivables and expenditure occurring at the same time. Rules of making entries in journal and using it in calculation of profit and loss are very important. Financial statements help in understanding of different activities in a business. They include cash flows, owner’s equity, business financial position and operational statements. Financial analysis involves comparison of financial information based on period, company changes whereas ratio analysis involves comparison of assets and liabilities. There are current ratio and quick ratio. In the analysis of profits the following are considered; asset return, equity return, gross margin, earning per share. Analysis of ratios involves calculation of; turnover ratio on assets, average turnover ratio and turnover ratio of inventory. In the analysis

CANCER PREVENTION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CANCER PREVENTION - Essay Example Drug research has shown that tamoxifen and raloxifene have limits when it comes to patient acceptance (Goss et al., 2011). In addition, Aromatase inhibitors protect against contralateral breast cancers and show fewer side effects compared to tamoxifene in patients that are fighting with an early stage of cancer (Goss et al., 2011). With such progressive research it can predicted that the future of cancer prevention drugs is bright. Testicular cancer (TC) is a major problem among male cancer patients but it is one of the most curable cancers (Richardson et al., 2012). The survival rates of 100% have been observed in patients that undergo appropriate therapy and proper treatment (Richardson et al., 2012). The same study has also concluded through statistical data that there is an increased risk of developing testicular cancer in low income population (Richardson et al., 2012). The treatment and therapy is available but it is recommended that men should get an annual examination of their testicles to catch the disease at an early manageable state. Richardson et al. (2012) Testicular cancer: A narrative review of the role of socioeconomic position from risk to survivorship. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations. 30(1), p.

Juvenile Justice - Gang Control Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Juvenile Justice - Gang Control - Assignment Example These mechanisms include the law enforcement and justice system, governmental intervention, collaboration with social institutions as well as employing the assistance of the rich, powerful and the rest of the society in assistance with the social control to end the social conflict (Siegel and Welsh, 2008). This is exactly what the end of youth gang problem in society needs a collaboration of several strategies and mechanisms that are not only based on legal proceedings and law enforcement but which aim to completely transform the lives of these youth gang members and those of their families and they may shun away from the gang life by for example giving them education and skills training so that they can seek honest jobs. 2. Accurately assessing a gang problem is a crucial first step in effective intervention as noted in the training module. Where would you go to get the most accurate information regarding gang membership and activity in your community? How would you deal with the stereotypes that are often portrayed by the media in your assessment? The most accurate data and information about the gangs would be got from the community policing committee as it is this committee that even involves the police and other law enforcement personnel on the gangs in the area. They get their information from parents, guardians, schools and even from their community policing activities in the community. The parents and schools have the mandate to inform the community about their children or students activities or suspicious behaviour. The other source is from the social workers with various social institutions and organizations. The stereotypes by the media on the issue of youth gangs mostly are as a result of wrong information of these gangs from the definition of what youth gangs are to their way of dressing or even social interaction. The first way to deal with such stereotypes is to obtain the correct definition of youth gangs including their areas of meeting and the activities they carry out.  Ã‚  

Study on the below clearing houses Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Study on the below clearing houses - Assignment Example LCH Clearnet also specializes in risk management operations, thereby following a world-class risk management framework that provides exceptional levels of protection to international markets, which is evident through the management of recent defaults. As demand for superior quality clearing services continues to rise, the company is committed to attaining the pinnacle standards of risk management across all asset classes cleared. London Stock Exchange Group, which is a diversified international exchange group based in London, England, is the majority owner of LCH Clearnet (LCH Clearnet 2013). Figure 1: LCH group organizational structure (Source: Federal Reserve 2011) European Multilateral Clearing Facility (EMCF) EMCF is a clearing house headquartered in Netherlands. Their line of operations includes equity trades that are done on multilateral trading facility throughout Europe or on designated stock exchange. The company was established after the Markets in Financial Instruments Dir ective (MiFID) regulations were passed by the European Union. This directive allowed competition of services provided by the clearing houses. EMCF played a significant role in bringing down the cost of clearing within Europe by competing directly with other established clearing houses, thereby forcing them to reduce prices. The company has been delivering the most translucent and expected pricing for CCP clearing services all over Europe (EMCF 2013a). Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) is a US post-trade financial services company that provides clearing and settlement services to their customers in the financial markets. The company provides a safe and efficient way for buyers and sellers of securities to conduct their exchange. In addition to that, they also provide central custody of securities. The primary function of the company is risk management and they have continued to do so since their inception about 40 years ago. The company is a combination of the Depository Trust Company (DTC) and National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC). With 40 years of experience, DTCC, through its subsidiaries, is the premier post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry (DTCC 2013a). Figure 2: DTCC organizational structure (Source: The official board 2013) SIX Swiss Exchange SIX Swiss Exchange, formerly known as the SWX Swiss exchange, headquartered in Zurich, is one of the two primary stock exchanges in Switzerland. The company also trades other securities such as, Swiss government debt instruments and derivative instruments such as, stock options. Swiss Market Index (SMI) is the main stock market index for the company. The index mainly constitutes of the 20 most noteworthy equity-securities, evaluated on the basis of the free float market capitalization. SIX Swiss Exchange was the first stock exchange in the world known to have implemented a fully automated trading, clearing and settlement system in the year 1995 (SIX 2013a). SIX Swiss Exchange is also the joint owner of Eurex, the largest futures and derivatives exchange in the world, alongside their German counter partners, Deutsche Borse (SIX 2013b). The exchange has a blue-chip index as its principal stock market index. The Swiss Market Index (SMI) comprises of a maximum of twenty of the largest and most liquid large and mid-cap SPI stocks. Figure 3: SIX Swiss organizational structure The executive committee includes: (Source: Nobel Biocare 2013) 2.

Anwar Al-Sadat Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Anwar Al-Sadat - Research Paper Example The followers of the Shah of Iran (Persia), Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, highly revered the Egyptian president Anwar El Sadat for his relationship with their leader. The Shah and his wife would often socialize with the Egyptian president and that these political leaders helped each other on various occasions. Their friendship can be further justified by the fact that when the Shah of Iran was exiled after the Islamic revolution in Iran, he chose Egypt as the place to spend his future. Besides, when the Shah of Iran passed away in Egypt in 1980, Anwar El Sadat gave him a state funeral and buried him in the resting place of the Egyptian royal families. In my opinion, Anwar El Sadat was a great leader who could have really improved the standards of Egypt during his reign, had he been given more time and power. His assassination by the Islamist wing due to the fact he pursued peace in relationships with Israel was completely unjustifiable. His wisdom had allowed him to see ahead of his time; h e understood that peace was the only way forward for his nation. Instead of praising him for his vision, the fundamentalists gathered support against him and decided to topple his rule. All the sources used for this research have been taken from reliable books and have been referenced thoroughly to give due credit to their renowned authors who are experts in their respective fields. The topics range from biographies of Anwar El Sadat to the books on the various issues of the Middle Eastern region in and around the time of the Egyptian Leader.

Importance Of Privacy Scale Survey Essay Example for Free

Importance Of Privacy Scale Survey Essay A survey is a systematic process by which data is collected from or about people, places, or things with a description, comparison, and/or explanation relating to their knowledge, stance, and behavior. The process is made up of seven different activities: setting objectives in order to collect data, designing the study, preparing an unfailing and official survey mechanism, administering the survey, managing and examining the survey data, and eventually reporting the results. (Fink, 2002) The survey is conducted by inquiry where people give consent to be asked specified questions and they give answers as well. It may be completed orally, in written form, or visually. Surveys are also conducted visually to examine people’s reactions to a specific model. For example, surveys may be conducted to see how people react to the taste of certain juices. It is obvious that most people would not like a bitter juice while others will like juices like lemonade, which is sour, or kool-aid which is often sweet. In this specified survey, it is concerning issues with regard to intrusive measures of privacy in effort of preventing future terrorist attacks. Politicians need to be aware of how the public feels regarding these issues. The wording or phrasing of the questions allows the consenting public to give very direct answers concerning these issues. If the wording were different, the answers may be very vague; therefore, the poll would not obtain the results necessary to make the right improvements to take the essential measures to ensure safety. Also if the right survey instrument is not used, it may manipulate the survey negatively which makes it invalid and useless. It is very important to use the right methodology pertaining to the topic of the survey to acquire accurate results. By wording questions very similar, it allow the surveyor to attain a confirmation of the previous question making the answer more valid and more definite. I used this repetitive strategy for this reason and also to help eliminate bias that is sometimes found in conducting surveys. (â€Å"Opinion Poll†, 2009) The purpose of this survey is to provide the public with very basic questions concerning the approval of taking intrusive measures to aid in the prevention of future terrorist attacks. Politicians and the government alike are eager to know how the public feels about the topic of invading privacy for this reason and in order to obtain that specific information this survey is necessary. Works Cited Fink, A. (2002). The Survey Handbook. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Fink, A. (1995). How to Analyze Survey Data (Survey Kit, 8). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Opinion poll. (2009, March 27). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:39, March 31, 2009, from

Teaching Children Technology Skills

Teaching Children Technology Skills Technology and Authentic Learning You have just completed a beginning-of-the-school-year open house for parents. Following your presentation, several parents ask whether you will focus on helping their children develop 21st century technology skills. They ask you to describe several learning experiences you have designed and plan to implement this year. What are two authentic examples of learning with technology that you could share with parents? Provide a rationale for each that describes how the activities will meet educational technology standards and characteristics of meaningful learning with technology. I am the assistant dean of the Beijing Information Science and Technology University College of International Education (BISTU-CIE). I teach IELTS and TOEFL workshops for Chinese ELLs and basic/general English and business English classes for our international ELLs. Most of our international students come from South Korea and the former Soviet Union nation-states. Most of my international ELLs are majoring in international trade. Therefore, I have my business English students do a business plan proposal and presentation. In small groups, students use the Internet to research opportunities and possibilities for starting their own business. They also have to create a business plan indicating their product or service, cost structure, and projected profits or losses for the first, second, third, and fifth years, among other things. They then organize this information into a PowerPoint presentation and present their proposals to the class. Students then vote for the proposal that is the most realistic and plausible and has the best chance of success. I believe this integrates technology with an authentic learning activity that is relevant to their major. This meets the 2016 ISTE standard no. 3, Knowledge Constructor which states, Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others (ISTE, 2016, p.1) and no. 6, Creative Communicator, since the students must use the Internet for research, organize their research using office productivity software such as word processing and spreadsheets, and finally create a digital presentation to be displayed and shared with others. It also fits Newman and Wehlages (1993) definition of authentic learning, which requires students to construct meaning and produce knowledge, inquire to construct meaning, reflect and discuss information, and create or perform tasks that have values of meaning beyond success in school (cited in Cydis, 2015, p. 69) for the same reasons. In my IELTS and TOEFL workshops, students are given speaking prompts taken from actual past tests. Students are given the rubrics the testers use to evaluate their speaking. Students then record their responses on their phones. Then, in pairs or as a class, we listen to the recordings and students evaluate and critique themselves and others according to the rubrics and match their performances to the approximate proficiency band. This activity is authentic because it simulates the speaking portions of the TOEFL and IELTS exams and requires students to put themselves in the shoes of an evaluator and evaluate their speaking skills with a critical ear. It also meets the ISTE (2016) standard 1c, Students will use technology to seek feedback that informs and improves their practice. By listening to recordings of themselves and comparing what they hear against the proficiency band rubrics, students are able to identify strengths and weakness in their own pronunciation, fluency, vocabulary, or grammar, and target the weak spots. This gives them control over and ownership of their own learning. References Cydis, S. (2015). Authentic instruction and technology literacy. Journal of Learning Design, 8(1), 68-78. International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) (2016). ISTE Standards for Students (2016). Arlington, VA: Author.

History Of The Hyundai Motor Company Commerce Essay

History Of The Hyundai Motor Company Commerce Essay Hyundai Motor Company, a major company in the Hyundai Kia Automotive Group which is the worlds fifth largest automaker as of the end of 2009, (In 2008, Hyundai ranked the eighth largest auto maker, without including Kia.) and the worlds fastest growing automaker. Headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, Hyundai operates the worlds largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility in Ulsan, which is capable of producing 1.6 million units annually. The company employs about 75,000 persons around the world, Hyundai vehicles are sold in 193 countries through some 6,000 dealerships and showrooms worldwide. The Hyundai logo, a slanted, stylized H, symbolizes the company shaking hands with its customer. Hyundai translates from the word modernity, and is pronounced as Hyon-dae in Korean. Chung Ju-Yung founded the Hyundai Engineering and Construction Company in 1947. Hyundai Motor Company was later established in 1967. The companys first model, the Cortina, was released in cooperation with Ford Motor Company in 1968. When Hyundai wanted to develop their own car, they hired George Turnbull, the former Managing Director of Austin Morris at British Leyland. He in turn hired five other top British car engineers. They were Kenneth Barnett body design, engineers John Simpson and Edward Chapman, John Crosthwaite as chassis engineer and Peter Slater as chief development engineer. In 1975, the Pony, the first Korean car, was released, with styling by Giorgio Giugiaro of Italian Design and power train technology provided by Japans Mitsubishi Motors. Exports began in the following year to Ecuador and soon thereafter to the Benelux countries. In 1991, the company succeeded in developing its first proprietary gasoline engine, the four-cylinder Alpha, and transmission, thus paving the way for technological independence. In 1983, Hyundai exported the Pony to Canada, but not to the United States because the Pony didnt pass emissions standards there. Canadian sales greatly exceeded expectations, and it was at one point the top-selling car on the Canadian market. The Pony afforded a much higher degree of quality and refinement in the lowest price auto segment than the Eastern-bloc imports of the period then available. In 1986, Hyundai began to sell cars in the United States, and the Excel was nominated as Best Product #10 by Fortune magazine, largely because of its affordability. The company began to produce models with its own technology in 1988, beginning with the midsize Sonata. In 1998, Hyundai began to overhaul its image in an attempt to establish itself as a world-class brand. Chung Ju Yung transferred leadership of Hyundai Motor to his son, Chung Mong Koo, in 1999. Hyundais parent company, Hyundai Motor Group, invested heavily in the quality, design, manufacturing, and long-term research of its vehicles. It added a 10-year or 100,000-mile (160,000 km) warranty to cars sold in the United States and launched an aggressive marketing campaign. In 2004, Hyundai was ranked second in initial quality in a survey/study by J.D. Power and Associates. Hyundai is now one of the top 100 most valuable brands worldwide. Since 2002, Hyundai has also been one of the worldwide official sponsors of the FIFA World Cup. Hyundai has invested in manufacturing plants in the North America, China, Czech Republic, Pakistan, India, and Turkey as well as research and development centers in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Pacific Rim. In 2004, Hyundai Motor Company had $57.2 billion in sales in South Korea making it the countrys second largest corporation. Worldwide sales in 2005 reached 2,533,695 units, an 11 percent increase over the previous year. Hyundai has set as its 2006 target worldwide sales of 2.7 million units (excluding exports of CKD kits). In 2007 it reached 3,961,629 worldwide vehicle sales-surpassing Fiat, Chrysler, PSA/Peugeot, Nissan, and Honda. Hyundai Motor Companys brand power continues to rise as it was ranked 72nd in the 2007 Best Global Brands by Interbrand and BusinessWeek survey. Brand value estimated at $4.5 billion. Public perception of the Hyundai brand has been transformed as a result of dramatic improvements in the quality of Hyundai vehicles. Hyundai is one of the leading groups of Companies founded in South Korea. It is the general trading house of Korea, which provides various import and export services. There are several types of products are included in its import and export services such as plants machinery, automobiles, steel and chemical products, general commodities etc. Firstly it was founded as the construction company then the management of the company diversified its business activities in various business areas. The corporation operates its business worldwide through 34 worldwide offices. Through its global presence, it provides optimal solutions to the customer according their requirements. It is helpful to enhance its financial capability in the industry. Hyundai Motor Company is one of the divisions of the Hyundai Corporation, which is the fourth largest automaker in the world. Hyundai Heavy Industries division is the largest shipbuilder in the world (Hyundai Corporation, 2010). Internal Environment Analysis The analysis of the internal environment is an important component for the business as it helps to determine the effectiveness of the management strategies and the threats, which may cause problem for the organization. For the internal and external analysis the SWOT analysis tool could be used. The SWOT analysis tool would help to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of an organization. The internal environment analysis of the Hyundai can be analyzed through the analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the organization Strenghs: Diversified business activities The Company is involved in the diversified business segments as it provides several types of import and export services to its customer worldwide. It is the largest automaker in Asia and fourth largest automaker in world, which enhance its effectiveness in global exposure. It also helps to capture a large amount of customer worldwide. Information gathering capability -The information gathering capability of the company is effective as it obtains prompt and extensive information from its sources worldwide. It also uses the advanced trading techniques to obtain the extensive information. Quality advantages The quality of the Hyundai automobile is better than the other manufacturers in Asia as owners of Hyundai cars are experiencing less problems from the owners, who obtains other brand. Sound financial position The Hyundai Corporation is enjoying a continuous increase in its sales revenue worldwide, which is also causing an increase in the net income of the business (Hyundai Motor Company, 2010). The business activities are operated in ethical and social manner, which causes an increase in the image of the company in the society. Weaknesses: An increase in the cost of production is reducing the net income of the company. It is also imposing commodity price risks on the company as the price of inputs such as steel, plastic, aluminum etc. The company is also experiencing the exchange rate risk because of the worldwide business activities. The exchange rate risk is affecting the total revenue of the business. The fluctuation in the foreign exchange rates is affecting the business performance as it is involved in the import and export of several services. Increase in debt to equity ratio The Company is also experiencing an increase in the debt equity ratio, which exhibits an increase in the interest expenses of the company. The external financial obligation is also increasing, which may create financial problems for Hyundai (Hyundai Motor Company, 2010). Analysis of the External Environment The business of Hyundai also operates in the external environment and there are several opportunities and threats are produced by the external environment for the company. The analysis of the opportunities and threats helps to achieve the competitive position for the company. The analysis of the external factors is beneficial for the company if it is performed effectively and efficiently. Hyundai is one of the leading companies in the automobile industry and it has the following opportunities and threats Opportunities: Entry in ship building business It is the leading company in the heavy industry and entry in the ship building business would be effective for the business in order to enhance its revenue and market share as well. New project development The launching and development of the new projects and products would also cause an increase in the performance of the business in the industry. The increase in the demand for fuel efficient vehicles would also cause the success of the new launched projects and products. Business expansion Hyundai also have the opportunity of the business expansion as it is an Asian company and had the opportunity of expanding its business in Asian Pacific Market. Reduction in cost The Company operates its business in several countries around the globe and it can reduce its cost of production by enhancing the production capacity in the countries with lower amount of cost (Hyundai Motor Company, 2010). Threats: Environment regulations The environment regulations are posing threats for the business as diversification of the business may cause the violation of the environmental regulations. Declining economy The decline in the economy is also causing a decrease in the market position of the company as well as also reducing the market capitalization of it. Political problems The business unit in the different countries may cause the problems for the business (Hyundai Motor Company, 2010). Environmental Analysis In the present contemporary environment every business operates its business activities in highly competitive environment. There are various environmental factors, which influences the operation of the organization. Entry 2 Effect of Economic Environment The Company is operating with a rapid economic growth in the business by capturing the environmental opportunities. The increase in the value of currency of Korea against the US dollar is also causing an increase in the profits of the business from the foreign business activities. Labor is not cheap in Korea but increase in the production capacity in the nations with lower wage rate is reducing overall cost of the business. In 2009, Hyundai Motor Company succeeded in selling 2.4 million vehicles overseas, a meaningful accomplishment considering the global economic crisis. In particular, Elantra, Genesis, Genesis Coupe, Santa Fe, and Veracruz were recognized as the best and safest cars in their categories by leading agencies and the media in the US. Also, Hyundai achieved cumulative export sales of 1 million cars in Africa during the 33 years since it first began exporting to the region. Hyundai Motor Company pledges continuous growth by maximizing brand value in developed markets and expanding its sales capacity in emerging markets. Entry 3 Effect of Industry Environment Hyundai Motor Company was named Carmaker of the Year by AM, UKs leading auto trade magazine, in the AM Awards 2010. Carmaker of the Year is awarded to companies that launch innovative vehicles that pioneer changes in the auto industry through continuous investment in RD and advanced dealer network programs. Highly recognized for its sharp sales increase, first-rate dealership programs, and growth in brand awareness, Hyundai Motor Company beat other candidates including Ford, Jaguar, and Landrover to be selected as the winner of the coveted title. In 2008, UKs Autocar selected Hyundai Motor Company as Automaker of the Year, praising Hyundai for having grown into a top-class global automaker with its competitive products. Entry 4 Effect of Political and Legal Environment The increase in the relationship between the different countries and their government is a good indicator for the business of Hyundai as it operates its business in various countries. It would generate business expansion opportunity for Hyundai. In order to ensure the proper compliance of the business activities with the applicable legislation, the corporation works on certain guidelines for the different business operation in different countries. It is essential as every country has different rules and business regulations. Entry 5 Effect of Socio-cultural environment The socio-cultural factors also affect the business effectiveness and performance. The business of Hyundai is operated in the several countries worldwide and the society and culture of those countries are entirely different (Wessels, 2000). The management of the company operates its business by studying the social and cultural factors of the country effectively. Entry 6 Effect of Ethical Environment Hyundai Corp. introduced Ethics Management at the beginning of year 2004, to build the basis for survival on its own and to seek mutual benefit of all parties involved including customers and business partners etc. by preventing moral hazard of the employees and implementing transparent, responsible, and honest management. The company organized its Ethics Management Office, with the Executive Director of the Corporate Planning Personnel Management Office serving as the Chief Ethics Officer, and also established the Principles of Business Conduct, the Code of Conduct, and the Self-Review Questionnaire. The Questionnaire pops up from the initial windows screen every day during the first week of any month when the employees check in to the intranet system, to remind them of and draw their voluntary participation to the idea and pursuit of Ethics Management in practice. Special training and educational sessions on best practices of ethical management from leading corporations and institutions will be presented regularly to the staff. All the members of the company have submitted his or her own pledge of compliance to the various ethics codes, and those in violation will be subject to discipline by the Human Resources Committee following due examination by the Ethics Management Office. Entry 7 Effect of Technological Environment The management of the company is continuously involved in using world class technology in order to achieve technological advancement. The use of most modern technologies causes an increase in customer service effectiveness. Financial data The business strategies of Hyundai are to increase the opportunities through the environmental factors is effective as it is causing an increase in the number of sales units continuously. But in the last year the economic factors has affected the sales of the business as total number of units sold were 1668745 in the year 2008, which is less in comparison of the year 2007 in which it was 1700297 units (Hyundai Motor Company, 2010). The decrease in the sales was domestically due to fluctuation in the current rate as well as in commodity rate. Recommendation There are various alternative strategies, which can be adopted by the management of Hyundai in order to improve business performance such as integration strategy, growth strategy etc. The company should use the integration strategy to expand the business worldwide. It would be beneficial for the business as it would reduce the impact of political and legal factors on the business operations. The affect of the economic factors would also be less due to proper knowledge of the customer behavior, their buying pattern in an effective manner. Implementation of Strategy Hyundai could implement the integration strategy in an effective manner through its diverse workforce and business activities. The diverse workforce would be beneficial to develop the motivation techniques within the organization according to their culture and beliefs (Ryall Craig, 2003). For the effective implementation of the integration strategy the management of the company should develop a proper plan related to the various aspects of the business operations. Evaluation Control Implementation of the integration strategy is not sufficient itself for the business effectiveness. The evaluation of the business effectiveness in timely manner is essential for rapid growth of the business. Company administration should periodically review its implementation process which is necessary for its efficient applications and future results (Ryall Craig, 2003). This step makes implementation process effective.

The Human Breath is a Dangerous Weapon :: essays papers

"The Human Breath is a Dangerous Weapon" A Look at the Economic Conditions of Jamaica and the Lyrics of Reggae Music and Poetry The title for this paper is a quote taken from the poem, "Listen Mr. Oxford Don" Rastafarians use Reggae music and poetry to express themselves; one of their major themes for expression is economic oppression. Jamaica and the Rastafarians suffer more than their fair share of oppression, or as they would appropriately say, downpression, and poverty, yet they are still raising awareness, happiness, and hopefulness. The past and current struggles of the country give way to many powerful words either spoken or sung to the rhythm of Reggae. The General Economic Conditions of Jamaica Compared to Those of America The economic conditions of Jamaica lead to a hard life for many of its citizens. The percentage of the Jamaican population below the poverty line was 34% in 1997 ( 1999 World Development Indicators CD-Rom, World Bank). Like poor people all over the world, the poor people of Jamaica are oppressed, unhealthy, and worried. They do however; know what is going on. They know who their oppressors are, who is in control, who has money, and who has power. Economic numbers, ratios, and statistics can be hard to understand on their own; if they don’t bore you to death first, but once compared to something similar they start to make sense and become interesting. I decided to compare Jamaica’s economic and social indicators with the United States, for two reasons: 1. We are all familiar with the U.S., and the numbers will have more resonance, and 2. " Most tourists to Jamaica arrive from the U.S, which is also Jamaica’s principle supplier of imports and chief market for exports." ( 1999 ABC - CLIO, Inc. Kaleidoscope(Lexus-Nexus)) Some key economic ratios are the GDP and the GNP, these are a measure of income. The GNP(Gross National Product) measures the total domestic and foreign income claimed by a certain economy. It includes the GDP and the money spent in Jamaica by visitors, minus the payments Jamaican’s made in other countries. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) measures the total output of goods and services; it is the sum of "gross value added by all resident and non-resident producers in the economy, plus taxes, minus subsidies not included in the value of the products. (1999 World Bank CD-Rom). The GNP for Jamaica was four billion dollars in 1997.

The Investment Industry :: essays research papers

The Investment Industry   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The investment industry is composed of a wide variety of firms. The main players include independent full line brokerage firms, investment bank subsidiaries of chartered banks, and discount brokers. Independent full line brokerage firms offer a wide range of services, including underwriting, trading of stocks, advice and research. In essence, the full service brokerage subsidiaries of chartered banks offer the same services, however, banks' brokerage firms may have a larger pre-established clientele. Finally, the discount brokers are basic stock brokers that perform trades for clients who do not want investment advice. Usually, this service is targeted toward the sophisticated investor who does his/her own research to incur minimal commission fees.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Banks entered the investment industry in 1987, whereby they took over full-service brokerages, introduced mutual funds to the banking industry and became part of discount brokering. From this time on, chartered banks have expanded their dominance in the industry by acquiring key players in the industry or branching off into full brokerage services. For example, the brokerage firms for CIBC, Royal Bank, Toronto Dominion Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia and Bank of Montreal are Wood Gundy, RBC Dominion, Evergreen, Scotia McLeod and Nesbitt Burns respectively. In addition, the aforementioned chartered banks have also branched into the discount brokerage sector.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of December 1994, the Securities Industry as a whole included 158 firms, directly employs over 24,000 people, has operating revenue of $5.1 Billion and operating profit of $1.2 Billion (Appendix A). Within this industry the largest firms ranked by revenue are: RBC Dominion Securities ($1 Billion), Midland Walwyn ($480 million), Burns Fry ($416 million) and Nesbitt Thomson ($335 million) (Appendix B). It is evident that the industry is highly concentrated in a small number of companies. The top 4 leaders in the industry accounted for 44% of revenue, while the top 8 was 51%.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Industry information from 1993 displays further segregation, between retail, institutional and integrated firms. Integrated retail-institutionalized firms (RBC Dominion Securities, Scotia McLeod, Nesbitt Thomson, Wood Gundy) made up 66% of the industry's revenue, while strictly institutional firms (First Marathon Securities, Gordon Capital Corp. and Loewer Ondaatje McCutcheon Ltd.) made up 21% and Retail firms (Green Line Investor Services Inc.), 15% (Appendix C). The following analysis will outline the investment dealer's industry, specifically the life cycle, critical success factor, strengths, weaknesses, target markets and profitability. Life Cycle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The demand for investment financial services is expanding. This becomes evident by examining the average increase in revenue which has occurred over the 1990-1994, 5 year span. This amounts to a 114% increase in revenue, ($2.4 Billion and $5.13 Billion), (Appendix A). An additional indication of growth in the investment industry is the fact that the number of firms in the industry has

Absolutism under Louis XIV

Louis XIV lived from 1638- 1715 and became the king of France in 1654. At the time he became king, France was financially ruined, politically corrupt, and divided between warring nobles and private armies and under the threat of riots from the people, especially in Paris. Louis XIV was an absolute monarch. Absolutism is the system of rule that allows one or more rulers to maintain absolute power over everything in the land. There is no higher power and even the Parliament could not overrule Louis’ decisions.As absolute monarch, Louis XIV set about reforming the state politically, economically and culturally. Louis XIV’s absolute monarchy had three components: †¢ Centralization- this meant that the monarchy was the center of everything. All decisions from the monarchy were undisputable and final. All counties and villages were expected to follow this rule to create a united state and a centralized leadership. †¢ Economic reforms- â€Å"Under the guidance of Je an-Baptiste Colbert (1619-83) a â€Å"modern† system of accountancy and yearly state budgeting was introduced.Colbert also supervised systematic attacks on corruption, removing, punishing, or paying off office holders. He also introduced tax reforms – ending exemptions, tax-farming, and military collection of taxes – and state support for industry, science, trade, and the arts. As regards the operations of the state, Colbert raised government income to the point when it could pay for quite massive expenses. Government subsidizing and directing of industry and manufacture increased productivity, raised wages, and brought France into the trade wars with the English and the Dutch.Colbert, like many French officials, repeatedly remarked that the inhabitants must pay the tax not only because it would raise additional funds, but also because paying the levy was ‘the obedience which is due His Majesty. † †¢ â€Å"Theater of Monarchy†-this is the public representation of royal power and glory. Under the theory of absolutism, sovereignty is grounded in God, not the people. The glory of the monarch is, as it were, the earthly point at which is expressed both the glory of the state – as a social whole ordered around and dependent upon the monarch – and the glory of God from whom the monarch derives power and role.It was therefore important to show, through royal events and presentations, the state as personified by the king. Louis XIV distinguished between â€Å"nature as it ought to be†, as ordained by God, and â€Å"nature as it is†, disrupted by human activity. As the new, distant and mysterious God no longer intervened directly in the natural order, it fell to the monarch to uphold â€Å"nature as it ought to be† and prevent it disintegrating into disorder. One of his reforms began with the acquisition of the providence of Roussillonnais in 1659, which was inhabited by a specific ethnic g roup known as the Catalans.Louis XIV understood that there can be no shared political allegiance without shared cultural values. Thus a government, if it is to exercise its political authority in an area, must first make the region culturally homogeneous with the ruling nation. Louis XIV undertook to replace the Catalan ethnic identity with the French one, mandating the foods, clothing, legal system, language, educational institutions, and religious traditions that should be used in the province. The Catalans did not agree with Louis and made it clear with smuggling, legal battles and even open rebellion.They wished to maintain their own culture and laws and did not want to accept the monarchy as their ruler. Like all peasants, they were reluctant to pay taxes to the monarchy and many turned to smuggling as an alternative. By the 1680’s, however, Louis XIV and his government were successful in achieving their goal of political assimilation. The Roussillonais had accepted Fran ce as their political rules but continued to conduct their legal, commercial, judicial, and religious business in the Catalan language, continued to dress as Catalans, to give their children Catalan names, and to celebrate traditional feasts.They were quite firmly French in a political sense, and equally firmly Catalan in their culture. A trend that began in the 17th century was for the ruler to govern from one location versus the many homes and palaces of the past. Louis XIV was one such ruler, moving from the royal palace of the Louvre in Paris to a permanent home in Versailles. It was from this location that he ruled France for his entire reign. Louis XIV was also known as the â€Å"sun king† due to his use of the symbol as his personal emblem.As the highest star, now accepted by science as the centre of the universe, the sun was an obvious choice to symbolize absolutism’s claim to constitute the political centre of earthly life. The sun was both terrifying and awe inspiring, dazzling through its brightness, yet also warming and beneficent, and without its presence all life would whither away. One of the ways a monarch distanced himself from his subjects was to show his magnificence and largesse. This came in the form of elaborate operas, lavish banquets and court music.It was not uncommon to have fountains with slowing wine, roast oxen, coins minted for the occasion and bread handed out to the masses. This was to show the generosity and benevolence of the ruler and assure the people that their trust in the monarchy was well placed. It also served to reiterate the idea that the monarch was the center of everything and should be respected as such. Not everything regarding absolutism was beneficial, especially for the peasants of the land.The taxes imposed by Louis XIV and his government went far to provide funds for the monarchy and various military skirmishes, but The accumulative effect of these taxes was well observed by the royal commission ers sent to investigate the collection of taxes in the Orleanais and Le Maine in 1687 who observed that: there are hardly any peasants that own property†¦there are only small farmers who own nothing. The proprietors must furnish them with cattle, advance them money on which to live, pay their tallies and take in payment the peasant’s entire portion of the harvest. Even this is sometimes insufficient to cover his debts.Thus the small farmers earn nothing; they leave the land as destitute as they came to it. What cash was left they said went into paying taxes so that there was almost no money left for individuals; from this comes the decline of commerce. As a result, riots and rebellions by the peasants were common. Tax collectors met with violence or even death in some instances. It was not until Louis XIV’s General Controller of Finance†, Jean-Baptise Colbert changed the way things were done regarding the taxes. Colbert's everyday management of the taxes was intelligently conceived precisely to reduce the difficulties experienced earlier.Much effort went into collecting existing taxes as equitably as possible, into preventing the accumulation of arrears (those of the final years of the war being formally cancelled), and into making the most unpopular forms of coercion a last resort. 94 Although the revenue from indirect taxes was greatly increased this was achieved without creating new levies. The significance of this policy was emphasized when financial pressure was increased after the renewal of war in 1672, with the new duties of 1675, the marque d'etain and the papier timbre, setting off the last major rebellions of the ancient regime.Under Louis XIV’s absolute rule, France enjoyed a peaceful and prosperous era. Colbert reformed the taxes and they dwindled down to custom duties, a tax on salt and a tax on land. He also encouraged trade and commerce by the merchants and inventors of the land and sought to decrease the Frenchà ¢â‚¬â„¢s dependence on foreign goods. These acts stopped the internal civil wars until almost a hundred years later. During Colbert's ministry the position of the laborers was doubly affected, by more stringent tax assessment and by a sequence of good harvests which resulted in low grain prices.Since these trends favored the mass of poor peasants, there was little prospect of uniting communities in revolt behind an unpopular minority of the rich, whose difficulties were in any case only relative. It was not until Napoleon that France had internal discord again. Other areas of improvement were the legal reforms Louis XIV implemented. The major legal code instituted at this time was the basis of the Napoleon Code which in turn is the basis for the modern French legal codes.The War of Spanish Succession began when the King of Spain, Charles II, bequeathed all his possessions to Philip duc D’anjou, who was the grandson of Louis XIV. This made Philip the king of Spain. Aside from the fact that others wanted to claim the throne for themselves, the crowning of Philip assured Louis XIV of a Spanish alliance in his quest to expand. Other countries joined the side of the Holy Roman Empire, who wanted to stop France from expanding any further. Philip and Spain sided with Louis XIV and France. The war was fought both in Europe and in North America, where it was known as the â€Å"Queen Anne’s War.† The war lasted for over a decade and as a result, Philip was removed from the line of succession for the throne of France. This made the opposition happy since a union of France and Spain was now impossible. In the end, Louis XIV’s numerous wars and extravagant palaces and chateaux effectively bankrupted the State (though it must also be said that France was able to recover in a matter of years), forcing him to levy higher taxes on the peasants and incurring large State debts from various financiers as the nobility and clergy had exemption from payin g these taxes and contributing to public funds.Yet, it must be emphasized that it was the State and not the country which was impoverished. Before his death in 1715, Louis XIV determined that his five year old grandson, Louis XIII would succeed him to the throne. He is alleged to have told the child â€Å"Do not follow the bad example which I have set you; I have often undertaken war too lightly and have sustained it for vanity. Do not imitate me, but be a peaceful prince, and may you apply yourself principally to the alleviation of the burdens of your subjects†.Although Louis XIV did make some mistakes during his reign, he had many victories as well. His display of absolute monarchy set an example for many of the European princes, who followed his examples of art, food and political systems. Absolutism fell out of favor among the monarchy not long after Louis XIV died but the gains that he made provided a stable base for France to prosper in the future. Louis XIV had been ma rried twice and fathered both legitimate and illegitimate children, none of whom followed in his footsteps of absolutel rule.Works Cited Briggs, Robin. Communities of Belief: Cultural and Social Tension in Early Modern France. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. Parker, David. â€Å"French ‘Absolutism'. † History Review (1997): 14+. Stewart, David. Assimilation and Acculturation in Seventeenth-Century Europe: Roussillon and France, 1659-1715. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1997. Wilson, Peter H. Absolutism in Central Europe. London: Routledge, 2000.

Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Report and Presentation †Top Threats

Kudler Fine Foods IT Security Report and Presentation – Top Threats Team B has been commissioned to examine the Kudler Fine Foods’ (KFF), frequent shopper, Customer Loyalty Program that is currently in development. The team has also been asked to direct the system development team to ensure the system is established securely so that it properly protects company data and customer information throughout all stages of the system development process. In week 2, the team will examine the Customer Loyalty Program for vulnerabilities in different areas of the system. The study will define the possible threats that exist to the security of the organization’s and the customers’ data and information, the potential vulnerabilities each threat may exploit, and area of the system affected by the threats. Additionally, a summary of the most critical threats to Kudler’s Customer Loyalty Program will be provided. The following table presents the possible threats, t he potential vulnerabilities each threat may exploit, and area of the system effected by the threats: Area of SystemsThreat Potential Vulnerability Networks Unauthorized access Unsecured equipment roomConfidentiality breach E-mail that doesn't employ scanning of messagesDenial of Service Lack of inside firewall can lead to worm spreadNatural Disaster Potential issues from lack of redundancySniffing Network infiltration via wireless access point Workstations Unauthorized access Patches not currentSniffing Old software versionsNatural Disaster Firewall not active Servers Unauthorized access Patches not currentSniffing Old software versionsNatural Disaster Firewall not active Employees Social Engineering Training not currentCorruption UnhappyMalicious behavior poor work ethic Data Corruption Non securedDeletion Unencrypted data Software Corruption Non-securedDeletion Software that does not employee authorized user access Building Tailgating Front door that doesn't have employee securit y guardUnauthorized access Compromised key card accessOf the possible threats to Kudler Fine Foods’ Customer Loyalty Program there are two critical threats discovered during our assessment that warrents Kudler’s immediate attention. The first of these threats is Social Engineering. Social Engineering according to Social-Engineer.org (2013), is â€Å"the act of influencing a person to accomplish goals that may or may not be in the ‘target’s’ best interest. This may include obtaining information, gaining access, or getting the target to take certain action.† The employees themselves are the area of the system affected by this threat. Social Engineering exploits their naivety. General lack of experience in recognizing this type of attack is a major reason for its success. Education on what Social Engineering is and how to recognize attacks coupled with company policies written, put into place, and enforced to prevent individuals from divulging o r even having access to certain information no matter the scenario is the recommended course of action.Next is Denial of Service. According to Conklin, White, Williams, Davis, and Cothren (2012), a Denial of Service (DoS) attack is an attack intended to disrupt a system or service from operating normally. The attacker will attempt, through means of crashing the system, closing out a logged on session, or overwhelming a machine with multiple requests that causes the machine to freeze up or as  stated crash. Kudler’s Customer Loyalty Program information could be affected because the program that accesses customer information could be made unavailable by such a DoS attack.This could cause events such as slow terminal responses, systems going offline while updating customer files, and causing system reboots to return to normal operation. This type of attack exploits the weakness of either not having a firewall running in the terminal or server background or a poorly set up fire wall allowing too many network requests to be handled by the system. Kudler’s IT department should be aware of this and conduct a system check to ensure that the firewall allows requests from only internal or authorized external sources.As requested by Kudler Fine Foods, Team B has conducted an examination of the Customer Loyalty Program concerning the possible threats and vulnerabilities to their system. A table presenting these threats and vulnerabilities as well as the areas of the system affected has been made available for review. In addition, a summary of the top two critical threats that must be addressed by Kudler Fine Foods has been provided.

Global Financial Corporation Essay

Global Financial Corporation (GF) a subsidiary of Global Equipment Company (GEC) is tasked with handling financing for those customers who wish to purchase GEC heavy equipment. Currently GF only processes 51% of the leases within the â€Å"10 days or less† time frame, with some loans taking up above 41 days. Ms. Rodriguez, the Vice President of GF has been directed to decrease loan processing time to 10 days or less with the current staff she has. The current structure of the analysis and evaluation stage does not maximize staff time effectively and as a consequence creates a bottleneck in the process. We recommend switching to a case manager structure. lLan applications can be processed and completed in approximately 3 days. This would allow for an increase in volume to 255 without adding staff (assuming 60% are remain new applications), which is a 16.9% increase, exceeding the 10% anticipated application increase. Background Global Financial Corporation (GF) a subsidiary of Global Equipment Company (GEC) is tasked with handling financing for those customers who wish to purchase GEC heavy equipment. Due to the expense of the equipment many customers chose to finance the purchase with a lease agreement. Currently these loans are processed at GF Bakersfield location, which employs 14 people. A competitor of GEC has promised processing of financing in â€Å"10 days or less†. Currently GF only processes 51% of the leases within the â€Å"10 days or less† time frame, with some loans taking up above 41 days. Ms. Rodriguez, the Vice President of GF has been directed to decrease loan processing time with the current staff she has. Problems The Bakersfield office is operating at only 86% of capacity utilizing 2990.5 hours of processing time (full capacity 3485 hours). In October they processed 218 applications, 89 were standards and 129 were News. The analysis by region shows that Region 1 is handling the most applications at 78 (52 new, highest number among the different regions), averaging 126.7 hours which, equates to 20.1 days. Region 2 is only handling a total of 66 applications (35 new) with an average processing time of 5.7 days, and Region 3 handling 74 applications (42 new), averaging 8.7 days. The Northeast office handles about 35% more applications with essentially the same staff. Only 51% of the applications are processed within the 10 day or less requirement. Analysis of the Current Processing Steps 1. Analysis and evaluation stage is a single channel, interest rate multi channel, loan terms single channel, and final issuing a multichannel. (Exhibit A)The current structure of the analysis and evaluation stage does not maximize staff time effectively and as a consequence creates a bottleneck in the process. With the single channel structure loan applications are unevenly distributed among teams and create higher idle time for teams with less volume of loan applications to process. Utilization among regions varies greatly between 73% – 95%. The following observation of the current structure was achieved using the MMK model (See exhibit B): * Expected wait time in the system for an application in Region 1 is approximately 37 days, with actual processing time of 14.10 hours. This is where the bottleneck occurs as it takes the evaluation team over 16 days out of the 37 to perform the review of 78 applications. * Expected wait time in the system for an application in Region 2 is approximately 11 days, with an actual processing time of 13.40 hours. Of the three Regions, Region 2 processed the least applications of 66 during the quarter being reviewed. With a utilization rate of 73%, Region 2 experienced the most idle time in the evaluation process. * Expected wait time in the system for an application in Region 3 was approximately 15 days, with an actual processing time of 13.56 hours. With utilization rate of 84%, this Region has the ability to handle an increase in applications. * Each region utilized over ten days of average time in system and showed bottlenecks. 2.  Interest rate stage is a multi channel process and is working effectively. Applications are processed quickly and are usually turned over to the next step within 30 minutes. The utilization rate is consistent at 64%, which means that this staff member can continue to devote only half of his time to this task. 3.  Loan terms stage is a single channel and has similar issues as the analysis and evaluation department. It creates bottleneck and work is unevenly distributed. 4. Final issuing stage is an effective multichannel process with a consistently high utilization percentage. Each application takes less than 4 hours to process and utilizes time consistently at 93% of capacity. Alternatives Redistribute the staff to eliminate the bottlenecks in the process. Automate the input of information into a computer database at the sales level eliminating duplicate entry. * Generic queue would decrease processing time to 9 days. Evaluation will drastically reduce to 2 days of processing, increasing utilization and reducing idle time. Active time in the system will be reduced to 13.72 hours. Change all stages to a multiple, multiphase channel (Exhibit C &D). There would still bottleneck from the evaluation stage. * Case manager would increase active time of application to 18.5 hours; however, significantly reduce queuing time to approximately 3 days. This is assuming there are no teams during the evaluation stage and that the average time would double to 9.5 hours, which may not be the case. Change to multiple channel – assignment – multiphase. (Exhibit E &F) Eliminate bottleneck, service rate of 22.2 per FTE, per quarter. Recommendation We recommend switching to a case manager structure. This would mean that one person will be responsible for the completion of a loan application (Exhibit E). This will provide for most efficient way to minimize idle time and maximize utilization rate. Loan applications can be processed and completed in approximately 3 days. This would allow for an increase in volume to 255 without adding staff (assuming 60% are remain new applications), which is a 16.9% increase, exceeding the 10% anticipated application increase.