Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Business Ethics In Financial Institutions Essay

Business Ethics In Financial Institutions - Essay Example There is also damage to the business, as well as the employees and consumers who rely on that organization for their livelihood (Fisman & Miguel, 2008). Business ethics have become part of an organization’s foundation. Presently, managers are now well-prepared to deal with and handle situations that come about as a result of moral issues and principles that are part of the financial sector. During the course of everyday life, everybody; consumers to executives, may be affected by business ethics. It is this line of thinking that makes business ethics a crucial element in the handling of everyday business. The code of ethics in every financial sector demands honesty, integrity, and transparency (Huevel et al., 2009). Business ethics are crucial in communicating the core values that are tantamount in the growth and development of society and organizations. Dealing with numbers on a large scale, especially in large corporations, there is always pressure to perform. This may make individuals to try and engage in some unscrupulous activities just to please the organization and stakeholders of the organization. Business ethics, in this case, steps in to ensure that members of an organization have what it takes to handle the pressure and protect the organization’s integrity, and at the same time, offer transparency to the internal and external members of the organization. In truth, business ethics may act as an outside source of guidance, even as there is pressure to perform from every angle in the business spectrum. Ethics may also act as boundaries when it comes to the organization’s culture. When dealing with finances, it becomes rather tricky to always be on the right track. This means that it is a daunting task to protect... These policies act as guides as they contain specific requirements and identify the organization’s expectations of the employees throughout the working process. This leads to a better awareness of the benefits and advantages of having moral principles in everyday business dealings. The environmental factors that surround an organization can also be monitored to ensure that unethical conditions are reduced. A case in point would be the over-competitive nature that people in the organization are exposed to that may lead to unethical behavior. Monitoring such an environment could be of benefit to the growth of ethical standards in the organizations. In conclusion, if firms or organizations are keen on operating a certain way, it is crucial for them to write down moral codes. They need to follow these principles and rules so that they can protect the integrity and honesty of the financial sector. Money is not evil. Rather, it is something that is used to run commercial activities between individuals and organizations. It should not be the cause of all the squabbles and disagreements that are seen on most financial fronts in the world. It may be alright to make a lot of money provided individuals conform to the rules and regulations of the law and society. The disconnection between a firm’s code of ethics and its activities needs to be bridged. This makes it easier to handle the organization’s members, society, and stakeholders as they strive to conquer the international business market.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Environmental Science Notes Essay Example for Free

Environmental Science Notes Essay 1. Green revolution: intro of scientifically bred or selected varieties of grain that can greatly increase crop yields. 2. Things that cause seasons on earth: earth tilted on axis, sun distribution 3. Large scale hydroelectric projects around the world: 3 gorges dam, dams going on in india 4. Age distribution diagrams: ZPG=looks like a building that doesn’t change, bottom same as top. Slow growth=base a bit longer than top but not quite a pyramid. Rapid growth=WIDE base, narrow top, like a pyramid 5. Waste water treatment process: get water, drain out sludge, have sludge area, water goes through process to get more sludge out, water gets aerated, water gets filtered with Cl to remove bacteria. 6. Human pop on earth: 6.8 billion. US pop: 300 million. Most populated countries: china, india, US 7. Soil horizons: O,A,B,C. O is organic material and leaf litter and such. A is top soil and humus. B is parent material. C is bedrock, solid rock 8. Rule of 70: 70/percent=time it will take to double population 9. Replacement level fertility: reproducing enough babies to replace yourself(in developed countries, it’s 2.1, but in developing, it’s 2.5 because of infant mortality) 10. Waste created by nuclear power plants: radioactive waste in solid liquid or gas state 11. Biggest threats to biodiversity: HIPPO, habitat loss, invasive species, population growth, pollution, and overexploitation 12. Integrated pest management: people come in and solve your pest problem without using harmful chemicals or pesticides. Situations are situation specific and take a longer time to solve. 13. Aquaculture: trapping fish in a coast, or netted fenced area of water to use for produce and food or commercial use 14. Demographic transition model: preindustrial, transitional, industrial, postindustrial. Pre- high birth and death rates. Trans- high birth rates and low death rates. Ind- lower birth rates, and same death rates. Post- birth and death rates equal 15. Photosynthesis: CO2+H2OO2+C6H12O6. Needs solar energy 16. Half life: radioactive decay of how long it takes for half of material to decay 17. Tragedy of the commons: when a renewable available to everyone resource is depleted 18. Population growth rate equation: (births-deaths)/10 19. Genetic engineering: getting genes from one organism and putting them in other organisms to get desired trait 20. 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamics: 1st states that energy is neither created nor destroyed. 2nd states that as energy is changed and moves up trophic levels, it decreases 21. Where is coal located around world: US in mountainous areas, Russia, china, and Australia 22. Denitrification: ammonium to N gas. Assimilation: when plants and animals turn nitrates into amino acids and proteins. Ammonification: nitrates to ammonium. Nitrification: N gas to nitrates and nitrites. Nitrogen fixation: Nitrogen to nitrogen gas that is ready to go to nitrites 23. Montreal protocol: when they noticed that ozone was disappearing, they banned chlorofluorocarbons in industries and anything else in 1987 24. Antarctic treaty of 1961: countries could only use Antarctica for peaceful matters 25. Pop growth curves: irruptive- overshootdieback. Cyclic: predator and prey’s pop patterns change together. Logistic: exponential to carrying capacity then moves around the carrying patterns a little. 26. Carrying capacity: biotic potential + environmental resistance, what population the environment can withstand What I kind of know 1. Cons of mining: removes 90% of nonfuel mineral and rock recourses, 60% of coal used in US destroys forests, contaminates streams and groundwater, leaves highly erodible hills of rubble, susceptible to chemical weathering, slow vegetation regrowth, damages and buries streams below, toxic wastewater, produces air pollution 2. Ways to reduce soil erosion: terracing (growing food on slopes), no till farming, windbreaks of trees, strip cropping, contour farming 3. Cause of fluctuation of CO2 levels during a year: amount of trees, photosynthetic activity, burning fossil fuels, trash, power generation and transport 4. Surface mining: to remove mineral deposits found fairly close to the earth’s surface, removing soil, subsoil and other strata. 5. Types of irrigation: drip-delivers small amts of water onto crop roots (best). Flood-delivers more water than needed for a crop to grow. Centro pivotal- spray attachments water crops 6. Consequences of global temperature increase: melting ice and snow, less sunlight reflected back into space, rising sea levels, changing ocean currents, more acidic seas, change in precipitation and weather extremes, and disrupting ecosystems, more radiation 7. Pros and cons of dams: pros-cheap electricity, reduces downstream flooding, provide year round water for irrigation. Cons: displace people, disrupt aquatic systems, and prevent fish to swim upstream and get caught in it and die 8. Ozone layer function: filter out most of sun’s harmful ultraviolet radiation 9. Cause of stratospheric ozone loss: chlorofluorocarbons use, ODCs, halons, hydrobromofluorocarbons, methyl bromide, HCl, carbochluorides, methyl chloroform, n-propyl bromide, hexachlorobutadicine. 10. Ways to reduce atmospheric CO2: cut fossil fuel use, shift from coal to natural gas, improve energy efficiency, shift to renewable energy resources, transfer energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies to developing contries, reduce deforestation, use sustainable agriculture and forestry, reduce poverty, slow population growth 11. Season when ozone hole is most noticeable: October, Antarctic spring (winter) 12. DDT, mercury: pesticides that are toxic to humans and are very persistent and a lot of the time they go to the wrong species and they disrupt the ecosystem. They are broad spectrum pesticides. 13. P cycle: P circulates through water, earth’s crust, and living things, it is the most limiting because it does not become gaseous. C cycle: C circulated through earth’s air, water, soil, and living things and it depends on photosynthesis and respiration. N cycle: bacteria helps recycle N through the earth’s air, water, soil and living organisms (N fixationnitrificationassimilationammonificationdenitrificationN fixation). Water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, percolation 14. Importance of genetic diversity: resistance to mass extinctions, monocultures, and inbreeding 15. Biomes, locations, reasons for why they are located in certain areas: 1. Gasification: agricultural wastes, including wood wastes any of various processes by which coal is turned into low, medium or high BTU gases 2. Cogeneration: production of 2 useful forms of energy, such as high temp heat or steam and electricity, from the same fuel source 3. Cultural eutrophication: human activities that greatly accelerate the input of plant nutrients to a lake (mostly NO3 and phosphate). 4. Sand: low porosity and high permeability. Clay: low permeability and high porosity. Porosity is the volume of pore space. Silt has low to average porosity and average permeability. Permeability is the ability of water to flow through the soil 5. Incinerating trash: burning trash, boiling water to make steam for heating water of space for producing electricity. Cons: expensive to build, costs more than short distance hauling to landfills, difficult to site because of citizen opposition, some air pollution, older poorly managed facilities can release large amts of air pollution, output approach that encourages waste production, competes with recycling for burnable materials like newspaper. Pros: reduces trash volumes, less need for landfills, low water pollution, concentrates hazardous substances into ash for burial or use as landfill cover, sale of energy reduces cost, modern controls reduce air pollution, some facilities recover and sell metals. 6. Sun angle, fewer daylight hours, tropospheric length has not enough solar radiation to reach the surface, high Albeao and less water vapor causes polar areas to get really cold. 7. Integrated waste management: variety of strategies for waste reduction and management to deal with our produced solid wasted reduce, reuse and recycle 8. Layers of atmosphere: troposphere is closest to earth’s surface and contains 90% of mass of entire atmosphere. Stratosphere has the ozone layer that absorbs UV rays from sun and protects life on earth. Mesosphere is the coldest layer of the atmosphere. The mesopause is the boundary between mesosphere and thermosphere. Thermosphere is the last layer of atmosphere and it is warmer than mesosphere and has a little O2 and has a layer of ionized gases 9. Waste created by coal power plants: heat to troposphere, CO2 and air pollution 10. Pros and cons of coal power: pros- ample supply, high net energy, low cost, well developed mining and combustion technology, air pollution can be reduced with improved technologies. Cons: severe land disturbance, air pollution, water pollution, high land use, severe threats to human health, high CO2 emissions, radioactive particles and toxi mercury into air 11. Pros and cons of nuclear power: pros- large fuel supply, low envir. Impact, emits 1/6 as much CO2 as coal, moderate land use and disruption and water pollution, and Low risk of accidents. Cons- expensive, low net energy yield, catastrophic accidents, no solution for radioactive waste storage, terrorist attacks, weapons 12. Source of radon: some soil and rock 13. Tropospheric ozone: air pollutant, bad ozone because it can damage living tissue and break down certain materials 14. Acid rain: caused by coal burning power plants, ore smelters and industrial plants that use tall smokestacks to emit SO2 and NO2 into troposphere. Consequences: 2-14 day persistence, ruins sensitive soil, worsens respiratory disease, attacks metallic and stone, decreases atmospheric visibility, kills fish, depletes soil of vital plant nutrients and harms crops and plants. Solutions: improving energy efficiency, reduce coal use, increase natural gas use and renewable energy resourcs, burn low sulfur coal, remove SO2 and NO2 from smokestack gases, remove NO2 from motor vehicular exhaust, tax emissions of SO2, add lime to neutralize acidified lakes and add phosphate fertilizer to neutralize acidified lakes. pH of rain: 5.6 or less. Problem in eastern US. 15. Greenhouse gases and their sources: water vapor, CO2, CH4, NO2, O3. Sources are burning fossil fuels, electricity production, transportation, industry, commercial and residential, agriculture, land use and forestry. 16. LD-50: median lethal dose of a toxin, radiation or pathogen is dose required to kill  ½ the members of a tested pop after specified test duration 17. Radon: Rn-222 is a natural occurring gas that is colorless and odorless and radioactive found in some soil and rock, seeps into homes and buildings and can cause lung cancer. Lichen can indicate it 18. Clean water act: attempt to control efforts of pollution of country’s surface waters. Standards for allowed levels of key water pollutants and requires polluters to get permits limiting how much of various pollutants can discharge into aquatic systems 19. Clean air act: causes lakes to be acidic. Made to prevent smog and prevent more air pollution disasters, air pollutant regulations for key pollutants 20. How carbon is removed from the atmosphere: remove from smokestack and vehicle emissions, store by planting trees, sequester deep underground, sequester in soil by using no till conservation and taking cropland out of production, sequester CO2 deep in ocean, repair leaky gas pipelines and facilities, use animal feeds that reduce methane emissions by belching cows. 21. UN conference of the human environment: expanding understanding of envir. Issues, gathering and evaluation envir. Data, develop and monitor international envir. Treaties, provide grants and loans for sustainable econ. Devel. And reducing poverty, help more than 1—nations develop envir. Laws and institutions 22. Reclamation of disturbed lands: process of creating new land from ocean, riverbeds or lake. Stabilized against the hazards of water and wind erosion 23. RCRA: resource conservation and recovery act regulates hazardous waste produced in the US passed in 1976 amended in 1984. Goal to prevent unsafe and il legal disposal of hazardous wastes on the land. 24. Uranium-235: isotope of uranium making up about .72% of the natural uranium sustains fission chain reaction 25. Biomagnifications: increase in concentration of DDT, PCBs, and other slowly degradable far soluble chemicals in organisms at successively higher trophic levels of a food chain or web. 26. Efficiency of an incandescent lightbulb (5%), photosynthesis (1%), coal power (33%) 27. Fecal coliform bacteria: various strains of E. Coli to detect the presence of infectious agents in water 28. Consequences of SO2, lead, O3 in troposphere, and particulates: SO2- breathing problems, visibility reduction and aggravation of asthma, damages crops, trees, soils, and lake aquatic life, corrodes metals and damages paint, paper, and leather and stone on buildings. O3- coughing, breathing problems, reduces resistance to colds and pneumonia, irritates eyes, nose, and throat, aggravates asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and heart disease and damages plants, rubber in tires, fabrics and paints. Particulates- irritate the nose and throat, damage lungs, aggravate asthma and bronchitis, shortens life. Lead- mutations, reproductive problems, cancer, nervous system damage, mental retardation and digestive and other health problems, reduce visibility and corrode metals and discolor clothes and paints. 29. CERCLA: requires parties responsible for creating a hazardous waste site to be responsible for its cleanup 30. NAFTA: goal to eliminate barriers to trade and investment between US, Canada and Mexico to eliminate tariffs on more than  ½ of Mexico’s exports to the US. Try to pressure countries to improve envir. Protection mechanism 31. Electrostatic precipitators: to remove particulates, after they are in smokestack gas, it gives them a negative charge, they are attracted to a positively charged precipitator wall and fall off the wall into a collector, they maintain and remove 99% of particulate, but use a lot of electricity and do not remove hazardous ultrafine particles and produce a toxic dust that must be disposed of safely. 32. Alternatives to chlorine in waste water treatment: microfiltration, ultrafiltration, ion exchange

Saturday, October 26, 2019

A Normal School Day :: Free Essays

A Normal School Day The cold air hit me in the face as I opened the door, and with it a cold foggy world unfolded. The air was cold and crisp, and their was a slight crunch as my steps crushed the crystallised green structures on the cold sleeping floor as I made my way across the field towards the lonely bus stop, trying to dodge the muddy, waterlogged pits that filled the field. As I reached the end of the field, I had top scramble down a short slimly path to my destination which was very slippery at this time if year. The bus stop couldn't really be called a bus stop, it was just a post in the ground with a picture of a bus on it which had the rank of 'bus stop'. We had to wait for minutes that felt like hours, for a dirty cream and brown box with a grumpy face, covered from wheel to roof in dust, the red mud around the rims had dried from previous excursions, the remains of its unsuspecting muddy victims. The dirty rotting portal of a door opened with a hiss as we all filled in to the rotting carcass on wheels. The journey only lasted 20 minutes, which is nothing if you have lived her all your life, after a while you begin to realise that its only the tourists who are willing to acknowledge your existence in the world, which is good in a way. But we never had proper roads, when we pointed on a map and said 'that's it , that's where I live, they would look at you strange as you pointed at one small A road running through mid-Devon. Even the map denied our existence, they only ever showed the one road that meant so much to us, our one link to the outside world 'the city'. The bus was warm in the cramped bus, which managed to raise our spirits as the rain hit the ancient windowpanes, and watching the wind fighting with the trees, trying get its own way.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark Essay

A bond between a father and a son is sacred, and is surely one of the most firm bonds that have ever existed. When such a bond is severed, a lot of anger can be provoked, most probably in the form of revenge. Throughout â€Å"Hamlet† by Shakespeare, one can observe the theme of revenge exemplified by the main hero, Hamlet, Laertes, and the young Fortinbras, plotting their revenge against the murderers of their fathers. Hamlet is the first of the three to plan his revenge. While in mourning of the recent, mysterious death of his father, the king, he is contacted by a spirit, which bears resemblance to his father. When the ghost tells Hamlet that the new king, Claudius, is responsible for his father’s murder, Hamlet proclaims that he will exist to avenge the death of his father. He will carry out the ghost’s request: â€Å"Thy commandment all alone shall live/ Within the book and volume of my brain† (I.V.102-103). Though Hamlet has promised revenge, his actions are delayed. Hamlet decides that his revenge must wait for a while. He has realized that the ghost he has contacted might simply have been an evil spirit leading him to damnation. Instead of completely believing the ghost, he decides to set up Claudius in order to catch his conscience: â€Å"The spirit I have seen/ Maybe a devil/†¦Abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds/ More relative than this. The play’s the thing/ Wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the king† (II.II.594-601). Hamlet’s plot for obtaining solid evidence for convicting the king is to have a play. The basis of the play will be a simple reenactment of the murder of Old Hamlet. Both Hamlet and his trusted advisor, Horatio, will watch Claudius for his reaction. This will give him sufficient reason to kill Claudius. Hamlet’s plan for the play shows his fear of being tempted by the devil into damnation. This shows his religious beliefs yet again. The first example of his faith are in Act I when he is reluctant to commit suicide for fear of the resulting after life: â€Å"O that this too too sullied flesh would melt/. . .Or that the Everlasting had not fix’d/ His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter† (I.II.129-132). These religious beliefs of Hamlet will prove to play a big part in his revenge scheme, and will stall it. The next part of Hamlet’s plot for revenge involves his general temperament. He decides to act as if mad in order to speak and act freely. Any abnormal behavior can be passed off as his temporary insanity. This way he can say and do things to get certain reactions or information from people in order to help him plot his revenge. He does ask however, that his acquaintances do not say anything about his crazy state being false: â€Å"How strange or odd some’er I bear myself/As I perchance hereafter shall think meet/To put an antic disposition/That you, at such time seeing me, never shall/Or by pronouncing of some doubtful phrase† (I.V.179-183). This allows him to further his revenge. Later in the play in Act 3, Hamlet has an unpleasant encounter with his former love, Ophelia. During this heated discussion Hamlet learns that she now has sour feelings toward him and gives him back his gifts. He snaps and unleashes all the built up anger and emotion and bitterness that he has been recently feeling. But he also says something that is intended for Claudius to hear. It is a threat that will play into his ply for revenge. Hamlet proclaims that of â€Å"those that are married already-all but one-shall live† (III.I.150). This overt threat directed toward Claudius is indeed overheard and begins to worry Claudius as planned. Claudius decides to take action to protect himself. He no longer believes that Hamlet is mad with love: â€Å"Love? His affections do not that way tend/Nor what he spake, though it lack’d form a little/†¦There’s something in his soul/O’er which his melancholy sits on brood/And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose/Will be some danger; which for ! to prevent/†¦he shall with speed to England† (III.I.164-171). Claudius now suspects that Hamlet is suspicious of him, which Hamlet believes will cause him to do something to prove his guilt, thus allowing Hamlet to carry out his revenge. Hamlet then takes his next step in revenge by having the play acted out. Hamlet and Horatio will both watch Claudius throughout the play. Hamlet realizes that there is no hell for him to go to, but to just turn into dust upon his death. This is another step in the progression of Hamlet’s revenge. The final step of motivation in Hamlet’s revenge comes during the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. The queen drinks from the king’s cup that has been poisoned to kill Hamlet. She falls and proclaims she has been poisoned: â€Å"O my dear Hamlet/The drink, the drink! I am poison’d† (V.II.315-316). Laertes then tells Hamlet everything including how he has poisoned Hamlet: â€Å"Hamlet, thou art slain/No medicine in the world can do thee good; In thee there is not half an hour’s life/The treacherous instrument is in thy hand/Unbated and envenom’d/. . .Thy mother poison’d/I can no more. The King-the King’s to blame† (V.II.319-226). Hamlet has finally been motivated enough to act. The king has poisoned his mother and father, and tried to kill Hamlet also. Hamlet then avenges his father’s death by wounding the king with the poisoned sword: â€Å"The point envenom’d too! Then, venom, to thy work/ Wounds the King† (V.II.127). Hamlet has achieved the revenge that he has planned for the entire play. But he must now avenge his mother’s death so he forces the king to drink from the poisoned cup: â€Å"Here, thou incestuous, murd’rous, damned Dane/Drink off this potion. Is thy union here?/Follow my mother† (V.II.330-333). By poisoning the king twice, Hamlet has punished Claudius for both the murders of his mother and his father. Hamlet finally got his revenge but died in the process. The center ideas of the play are the revenges of Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras. All had obtained the revenge that they had wanted. All had avenged their father’s deaths. But all did it in entirely different ways. Hamlet took a while to complete the revenge, he is a man of contemplated inaction. Laertes took a different approach to revenge and accomplished it in a rather short amount of time. Laertes is a man of uncontemplated action. Fortinbras, different from the others, waited for the right moment to act. He carefully planned what he would do over a long period of time and then waited to act. Fortinbras is a man of contemplated action. All three accomplished their revenges-Hamlet killed Claudius, his fathers murderer; Laertes killed Hamlet, his fathers murderer; and Fortinbras did not have to kill Hamlet the son of his father’s murderer, but he did take over the th! rone. All people bent on revenge in Hamlet, accomplished it, making the play a revenge play.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Decision of Allowing the Procurement of Used Items Essay

Discussing the pros on the decision of allowing the procurement of used items in public sector (PPA 2011): * It is economical; This is because of the liquidity crisis and improvements in product quality control hence some governments are opting for secondhand purchases. The current update in this regard is that, According to BBC News (Feb’2009) the Indonesian military is currently negotiating with the US Army to purchase secondhand F-16 fighter jets in a bid to modernize its air power military capability. Mark you Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and one of the dynamic emerging markets in the world. The country is also a member of the elite G-20 major economies. Quality control especially technically aircraft never get old as such because they are meet international standards and principles that govern air transport. * It is affordable to procure at low cost of acquisition, in case of emergencies circumstances to rescue situations especially those of public interest, the * government should allow procurement of used equipment under exceptional circumstances to serve people, that are evaluated on case by case basis procurement in the need The Bank understands that the decision between the outright purchase and lease arrangements depend on the economic loss and benefits, however, given the potential risk associated with used equipment, the government should consider leasing as the preferred alternative only in emergency. * It helps and is the way to go if the government is to fulfill its obligations as far as capital intensive investments are concerned. â€Å"Purchasing secondhand machines suited Tanzania at the moment because many countries were applying the same strategy on costly machines such as planes, train engines and ships. * Equipment may be available immediately, that result to shorten procurement process of acquiring used equipment, compared to the time  required for the acquisition of new equipment because it involves ordering which took sometimes up to delivery period. Discuss the cons on the decision of allowing the procurement of used items in public sector (PPA 2011) * May lead to procure poor quality items that do not meet intended purpose that is performance requirements of the goods, and minimum standards for age, residual economic life, and quality of materials. That might result in massive economic losses this is refer to the economic life cycle of goods procured. Since they will not be expected to originate from Tanzania, it will be difficult to get authenticated record of the time they had been used and condition at the time of sale. * Failure of getting loans from world Bank at deficit circumstances, this is according to World Bank Procurement Manual Draft (2001)- Procurement of brand new Goods policy, which explain that it the Bank’s general Policy is to finance the procurement of new goods only. Borrower’s procurement should be to the new. * Procurement of used goods does not correspond to the principles of value for money, since the experience in the country has shown there were no credible personnel to undertake such kind of purchasing with evidence of quality of such used items together with its residual value, relevant to the cost of purchase/money spend on buying. * Creation of a fertile ground for rampant corruption because the government/institutions functionaries might use this loophole to buy junk equipment through underhand methods thus causes great losses to the taxpayers. * Higher running expenses, It is cost fully in case of running expenses such as maintenance and service for used item than for brand new equipment, when government institutions decides to purchase used items, will result to incur a lot of money spending on frequently buying costly spare parts and  maintenance as a result to high total cost of operation hence less productivity. Summary: The decision of allowing the procurement of used items in public sector have their respective advantages and disadvantages to the national economy and general social welfare issues as follows. The advantages of procurement of used items are; it is economical, It is affordable due to low cost of acquisition, Used equipment may be available immediately, procurement of more items for the same budget, improves transparency and integrity. The disadvantages are Lack of competitive bidding, failure of getting loans from world Bank, May lead to procure poor quality, does not correspond to the principles of value for money, Creation of a fertile ground for rampant corruption, and Higher running expenses.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Essay on cerebral palsy

Essay on cerebral palsy Essay on cerebral palsy Cerebral Palsy In the 1860s, an English surgeon named William Little wrote the first medical descriptions of a puzzling disorder that struck children in the first years of life, causing stiff, spastic muscles in their legs and, in their arms. The disorder, which was called Little's disease for many years, is now known as Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is any one of a number of neurological disorders that appear in infancy or childhood and permanently affect the body movement and muscle coordination but does not worsen over time. The three types of Cerebral Palsy are Spastic, Athetoid, and Ataxic. Spastic Cerebral Palsy is stiffness and movement disabilities. Athetoid Cerebral Palsy leads to involuntary and uncontrolled movements. Ataxic Cerebral Palsy is a disturbed since of balance and depth perception. Most people think that Cerebral Palsy is caused by problems in the muscles but they are wrong. It is caused by abnormalities in parts of the brain that controls the movement of your muscles . In most cases of Cerebral Palsy the child is born with it but sometimes it won’t be detected until months or years later. There are a small number of children that get Cerebral Palsy from brain damage including child abuse, a fall, a motor vehicle accident, viral encephalitis, or bacterial meningitis. Early signs of Cerebral Palsy usually happen before the age of three. Some signs are lack of muscle coordination when performing voluntary movements, stiff or tight muscles, walking with one foot or leg dragging, walking on toes, and muscle tone that is too stiff or too floppy. One important cause is an insufficient amount of oxygen reaching the fetal or newborn brain. Oxygen supply can be interrupted by premature separation of the placenta from the wall of the uterus, awkward birth position of the baby, labor that is too long or too abrupt, or interference with circulation in the umbilical cord. Premature birth, low birth weight, RH or A-B-O blood type incompatibility between mother and infant, infection of the mother with German measles or other virus diseases in early pregnancy, and microorganisms that attack the infant's central nervous system also are risk factors for cerebral palsy. Cerebral Palsy can be diagnosed very early in a baby due to premature birth or other health problems. Doctors like to follow these children closely from birth so they can identify any problems with muscle functions. In some cases it may be very difficult to diagnose a child with Cerebral Palsy within the first year of life. The doctors have to wait until they see a delay in normal developmental milestones, such as reaching for toys or sitting up. If the developmental milestones are mildly delayed they might not be diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy until they are a toddler. Parents who are concerned about their baby's development for any reason should contact their pediatrician. A doctor can determine the difference between a normal lag in development and a delay that could indicate cerebral palsy. There is treatment for Cerebral Palsy but it can not but fully cured. However, secondary conditions can develop which may get better over time, get worse, or remain the same. If you have Cerebral Palsy you can go through therapy, surgeries, or take medical drugs in some cases to help out. Some patients take drugs to relax muscle spasms, control seizures, and take away pain. Some patients have surgery to release tight muscles or correct anatomical abnormalities. Some patients with Cerebral Palsy will also go through speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, counseling and behavioral therapy, and or braces and other orthotic devices. Depending on how severe the case of Cerebral palsy will depend on how sever the treatment will be, because on kid with Cerebral Palsy could just mildly walk awkward when another kid with Cerebral Palsy could not even be able to walk or talk and will need assistance with both. There are

Monday, October 21, 2019

Commentary on 1984 Essays

Commentary on 1984 Essays Commentary on 1984 Essay Commentary on 1984 Essay Essay Topic: 1984 The main focus of a totalitarian society is their pursue for control. This may manifest in an individual’s mind, or of the physical body. This is mostly done by the establishment of many control measures; where the failure to obey these rules, will often result in death. However, when an individual has been pushed to the edge of life, the desperation to preserve one’s life becomes apparent. The struggles to live, and the absolute control of the party, is evident in the selected passage of, 1984. This passage is where Winston, buried under the oppressive government, faces the challenge of staying alive after defying party rules. Orwell utilizes the paragraph structure, punctuation, capitalization of certain words, figurative language, and deliberate word choice to describe the struggle for an individual’s preservation of life. Additionally, it demonstrates the measures the party is willing to take to prevent that survival. In the first and second paragraph of this passage, Winston discusses his discontent with his current life. He decides to openly defy the party by expressing his thoughts in his diary. The first paragraphs consists of short, concise, sentences that are created by the frequent use of periods. They illustrate the discomfort Winston feels of the current reality, where he could not fluently form his thoughts in the reality he is faced with. Not only are the paragraphs made up of short sentences, a lack of description of can also be seen, where Winston simply states, â€Å"He must live in ten minutes. He had to be back at work by fourteen-thirty.† The lack of description of these paragraphs, suggests Winston’s shortage of thoughts towards the current reality. This again shows his dismay of the truth created by the government. Since Winston is portrayed as an analytical person in this novel, the lack of details further shows how uncomfortable Winston is of thinking about his reality. This also shows how thoughts ar

Sunday, October 20, 2019

24 formas de sacar permiso de residencia green card

24 formas de sacar permiso de residencia green card Son muchas las formas para emigrar legalmente  a Estados Unidos y obtener el permiso de residencia permanente, tambià ©n conocida como la green card o tarjeta verde. Esta tarjeta de residencia autoriza a  vivir y trabajar en Estados Unidos sin là ­mite de tiempo e, incluso, da la opcià ³n de solicitar  convertirse en ciudadano americano por medio de la naturalizacià ³n. Los caminos para obtener la preciada green card  son muy variados. A continuacià ³n se describen las opciones de las que se dispone, pero hay que tener en cuenta que los trmites, los requisitos,  y los tiempos de demora de todo el proceso son muy diferentes. Se finaliza este artà ­culo con una explicacià ³n de dà ³nde pueden surgir los problemas que retrasan o hacen imposible sacar la green card. 1- Green card por matrimonio con ciudadano americano   El  matrimonio con un ciudadano americano es una de las formas ms comunes y rpidas de obtener la residencia permanente. Sin embargo, sà ³lo casarse no significa que se obtenga la residencia de forma automtica sino que el cà ³nyuge ciudadano debe solicitarla. Adems, la presentacià ³n de la peticià ³n  tampoco significa que siempre se pueda sacar. La residencia permanente por matrimonio es tanto en los casos de matrimonios heterosexuales como los formados por dos personas del mismo sexo. Aclarar que no se puede obtener la ciudadanà ­a americana por casarse con ciudadano, lo que se saca es la residencia y, al cabo de tres aà ±os de tiempo casado con un ciudadano, entonces el residente puede solicitar la naturalizacià ³n y, asà ­, hacerse ciudadano. Finalmente seà ±alar que los ciudadanos tienen a su alcance la opcià ³n de solicitar una  visa K-1 para traer a sus novios o prometidas  y, una vez en Estados Unidos, casarse y aplicar por un  ajuste de estatus  como paso para obtener la residencia.   2- Green card solicitada por ciudadano para hijos solterosmenores de 21 aà ±os Estos casos aplican a hijos biolà ³gicos o adoptados y tambià ©n a  hijastro de ciudadano americano, si bien, en este à ºltimo, caso aplican reglas especiales. Estas peticiones son rpidas, tomando generalmente menos de 1 aà ±o. 3-Green card para viudos de ciudadanos Los viudos de ciudadanos americanos pueden solicitar, en determinados casos, la green card para sà ­ mismos.   4- Green card para hijastrosde ciudadanos fallecidos Para beneficiarse los hijastros de ciudadanos fallecidos deben cumplir con varios requisitos, entre ellos, ser solteros y de 21 aà ±os.   5- Green card para padre o madre de ciudadano Los hijos de ciudadanos deben de tener 21 aà ±os cumplidos para poder solicitar la green card para cualquiera de sus padres.  El simplemente  ser padre o madre de un nià ±o ciudadano  no da derechos migratorios. 6- Green card para hijo de ciudadano que est soltero y es mayor de 21 Es lo que se conoce como un F1. Las demoras en estas tramitaciones est entre los 6 y los 20 aà ±os, dependiendo del caso,  y se pueden verificar en el boletà ­n de visas. 7-Green card para hijo casado de ciudadano, sin importar su edad Esta peticià ³n, tambià ©n llamada categorà ­a F3,  se demora por aà ±os, incluso dà ©cadas, siendo mayor la espera para el caso de los mexicanos que para el resto de Latinoamà ©rica y Espaà ±a.   8-Green card para hermanos de ciudadanos Esta tarjeta de residencia que se conoce como categorà ­a F4  se encuentra entre las que tienen una demora mayor. Sà ³lo los ciudadanos mayores de 21 aà ±os pueden pedir a sus hermanos. 9- Green card para cà ³nyuge de residente permanente Estas peticiones, que se conocen como categorà ­a F2A, son muy parecidas a las que pueden presentar los ciudadanos, sin embargo, su tramitacià ³n se diferencia en puntos importantes. Por ejemplo, se demoran ms las solicitudes de residentes. Otra diferencia importante es que los cà ³nyuges de residentes que estn como indocumentados en Estados Unidos en ningà ºn caso pueden ajustar su estatus, sin embargo, en el caso de los cà ³nyuges de ciudadanos, à ©stos pueden hacerlo siempre y cuando hubieran ingresado legalmente a EE.UU. En la prctica esta diferencia tiene importantes consecuencias legales ya que los indocumentados que no pueden ajustar su estatus y deben salir del paà ­s para ir a la entrevista consular se encuentran con que les aplica el castigo de los 3 o de los 10 aà ±os por presencia ilegal. 10- Green card para hijos solteros de residentes permanentes Estos son los tiempos de demora para este tipo de peticiones.  En este caso caben dos situaciones: para menores de 21 aà ±os, que se conoce como categorà ­a F2A, y para mayores de dicha edad, que son los F2B. En ningà ºn caso los residentes pueden pedir a sus hijos casados. 11- Green card por suerte por medio de la loterà ­a Al ganar una de las 50,000 visas de inmigrante que se sortean cada aà ±o fiscal en la  loterà ­a de la diversidad. Participar en este sorteo es gratuito y se abre la inscripcià ³n en el mes de octubre, permaneciendo abierta por un mes y producià ©ndose el sorteo al aà ±o siguiente en primavera. 12- Green card por inversià ³n que cree puestos de trabajo Invirtiendo un mà ­nimo de medio millà ³n de dà ³lares, mediante la visa EB-5. Se admite una inversià ³n directa creando una empresa o una indirecta, siendo posible  diversas modalidades. A diferencia de lo que ocurre en otros paà ­ses, en Estados Unidos la inversià ³n en una casa u otro bien raà ­z por sà ­ misma no es causa para obtener la tarjeta de residencia. Ya que es necesario que se trate de inversià ³n en un negocio. 13- Green card por autopatrocinio Peticià ³n para uno mismo sin necesidad de patrocinador de la tarjeta de residencia mediante una visa EB-1 en el caso de profesionales con una habilidad extraordinaria en Arte, Ciencias, Deporte, Educacià ³n o Negocios. Ejemplo: ganadores de premios Oscar, olimpiadas, premios Pulitzer o semejantes. Realmente el standard para cumplir con estos requisitos es muy alto. 14- Green card por trabajo en las categorà ­as EB 1, EB2 y EB3 En estos casos es necesario que una empresa o institucià ³n de los Estados Unidos patrocine ante las autoridades de inmigracià ³n al empleado extranjero. Mediante la visa EB-1 para profesores e investigadores de extraordinaria capacidad y gerentes o ejecutivos de multinacionales.Por la EB-2 para licenciados con al menos cinco aà ±os de experiencia laboral o con una habilidad excepcional en Arte, Negocios o Ciencias.Mediante la EB-3 para licenciados, trabajadores con formacià ³n profesional que requiere al menos dos aà ±os de estudios prcticos o de experiencia laboral y tambià ©n para trabajadores sin ningà ºn tipo de formacià ³n profesional pero que desarrollan una labor que no es temporal y para la que no hay trabajadores disponibles en Estados Unidos.   15- Green cardpor categorà ­a de inmigrantes especiales Mediante este camino instituciones y empresas estadounidenses pueden patrocinar mediante una EB-4 a las siguientes categorà ­as de trabajadores: Sacerdotes, monjas, ministros religiosos que lleven al menos dos aà ±os como tales.Periodistas, reporteros, escritores, traductores, productores y trabajadores semejantes que trabajen para el BBG (Radio Free Asia, Radio Liberty, etc).Mà ©dicos.Miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas de los Estados Unidos.Trabajadores de organizaciones internacionales.Traductores afganos e iraquà ­es.Iraquà ­es que han ayudado de alguna manera a los Estados Unidos.Empleados de la Zona del Canal de Panam.Trabajadores jubilados de la OTAN o, si han fallecido, sus viudos e hijos. 16- Green card para cubanos Obviamente, los cubanos pueden obtener la green card de todas las formas admitidas para otros nacionales, pero adems y por aplicacià ³n de la Ley de Ajuste Cubano, pueden solicitar la green card  despuà ©s de un aà ±o en Estados Unidos. Desde que se puso fin a la polà ­tica de pies secos, pies mojados es siendo imprescindible que el ingreso se hubiera realizado  de forma legal. En otras palabras, porque en el control migratorio se le permitià ³ el ingreso como admitido o recibià ³ un parole. 17- Green card para asilados Las personas que han ganado un caso de asilo pueden solicitar una tarjeta de residencia para sà ­ mismo y tambià ©n para su familia inmediata. 18-Green card para refugiados Las figuras de refugiado y de asilado son muy parecidas, pero hay importantes diferencias entre ellas. Los refugiados que solicitan la tarjeta de residencia para sà ­ mismos tambià ©n pueden solicitarla para familiares inmediatos. 19- Green card para và ­ctimas de violencia Se pueden beneficiar de esta opcià ³n las personas extranjeras và ­ctimas de violencia a las que previamente se les ha aprobado una visa U. En este punto hay que entender muy bien los requisitos de dicha visa, ya que da lugar a muchas confusiones.   El ser và ­ctima de violencia no da derecho, por ese mero hecho, a obtener la visa U. 20- Green card para và ­ctimas de violencia domà ©stica El programa VAWA abre el camino para la green card para los cà ³nyuges de ciudadanos o de residentes permanentes que han sufrido violencia domà ©stica. 21-Green card para và ­ctimas de trata de personas Para poder solicitar la tarjeta de residencia es necesario tener previamente aprobada la visa T. 22- Green card porradicar en Estados Unidos por mucho tiempo Por vivir de forma continuada en EEUU desde el uno de enero de 1972 o antes y poder demostrarlo. Es lo que se denomina residencia por el registry. En contra de lo que muchos migrantes creen, por vivir 10 aà ±os en Estados Unidos no se obtiene la green card. En algunos casos de migrantes con procedimientos de deportacià ³n abiertos, serà ­a posible obtener una cancelacià ³n de la deportacià ³n. 23-Green card por ser inmigrantes juveniles especiales: SIJ Los menores de 21 aà ±os que estn solteros a los que el gobierno de Estados Unidos ha colocado bajo la custodia de un guardin o de una institucià ³n pà ºblica o privada porque han sido abusados o abandonados por uno de sus padres o los dos. A este grupo de muchachos se les conoce como Inmigrantes Juveniles Especiales o SIJ, por sus siglas en inglà ©s. 24- Green card por orden judicial de un juez en Corte migratoria En un caso de deportacià ³n, un juez de inmigracià ³n puede sentenciar que el extranjero se puede quedar, ajustar su estatus y, asà ­, conseguir una tarjeta de residencia. Tiempos de demora en la tramitacià ³n de la green card Cada categorà ­a tiene sus propios tiempos. En la actualidad ms de un millà ³n de personas obtienen la green card cada aà ±o fiscal. Algunos han esperado solamente unos meses, mientras que otros han tenido que esperarse incluso ms de 25 aà ±os para que hubiera una visa de inmigrante disponible para ellos. Esto se debe a que en muchas categorà ­as existen là ­mites anuales al nà ºmero de peticiones que pueden ser aprobadas y el nà ºmero de solicitudes es superior al de visas disponibles, En estos casos se produce al demora que, cada aà ±o, aumenta ms. Cundo es posible no pagar por aplicacià ³n para la residencia En casos de residencia por circunstancias especiales (inmigrantes juveniles con este estatus reconocido, registry, visa T, visa U, etc) serà ­a posible calificar para estar exento de pagar la tarifa de este trmite migratorio para obtener la residencia. Causas por las que la tramitacià ³n no acaba bien A pesar de cumplir los requisitos para calificar para un camino para la obtencià ³n de la green card el proceso puede no completarse por diversas causas. Por ejemplo, en el caso de peticiones de familia porque no se tengan recursos suficientes para patrocinar. Pero los problemas suelen surgir porque la persona que aspira a la green card es considerada inadmisible para los Estados Unidos. Las causas pueden ser muy distintas, desde rà ©cord de delitos a estancia ilegal en el paà ­s. Dependiendo de las razones y de las circunstancias del caso, puede que sea posible solicitar un perdà ³n, tambià ©n conocido como waiver o permiso. Pero en otros casos ser imposible. Lo mejor es asesorarse con un buen abogado. Por su frecuencia, es muy importante saber cà ³mo puede afectar la presencia ilegal en Estados Unidos, actual o en el pasado y tambià ©n los fraudes migratorios. De interà ©s para potenciales migrantes Estados Unidos es un paà ­s diferente. En muchos casos, hay leyes, costumbres, impuestos, derechos, deberes, etc se desconocen.  Y como consecuencia de esa ignorancia, en ocasiones se acaban teniendo  problemas  muy serios aun cuando no se tenà ­a la intencià ³n. Por ello, no hay nada mejor que conocer las cosas bsicas que se deben conocer y las que se deben evitar.  Si es posible  se recomienda  informarse antes de emigrar.   Es tambià ©n importante saber que vez que una persona se convierte en residente tiene que esperar un tiempo antes de aplicar por la ciudadanà ­a por naturalizacià ³n. La espera depende de varios factores . Adems, es necesario tomar un examen de inglà ©s y de conocimientos cà ­vicos y de historia. Numerosas organizaciones en todo el paà ­s brindan clases gratuitas para preparar el examen para la ciudadanà ­a. Finalmente, si se est abierto a emigrar a un paà ­s que no sea Estados Unidos, estos son 20 paà ­ses en los que es posible comprar la ciudadanà ­a o/y la residencia. Las cantidades y las condiciones varà ­an entre los distintos programas. Test de respuestas mà ºltiples sobre la residencia permanente Se recomienda tomar este quiz o test de respuestas mà ºltiples, con sus respuestas correctas, para garantizar el conocimiento esencial sobre la green card. Este es un artà ­culo informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Strategiespoliciesprograms could be utilized to reduce the healthcare Essay

Strategiespoliciesprograms could be utilized to reduce the healthcare cost to the taxpayers for uninsured Texans - Essay Example These areas are prescription drug coverage, technology, managed care, reducing the number of uninsured, and innovative programs. There are several aspects of the prescription drug program that need to be reviewed. Currently Texas has a local health care system where the counties are responsible for the healthcare of its residents. Care often falls to charity or safety net hospitals (Uninsured in Texas n.d. p.4). There needs to be more focus on regional and statewide cooperation involving the purchase of prescription drugs. This would provide a centralized point of purchase, which would aid in the negotiating power of the state on drug prices from the pharmaceutical companies. In addition to lower price there needs to be some forms of cost control on the use of prescription drugs. There should be a review of the formulary for drug availability that would exclude some drugs from coverage. These would include cosmetic, hair loss, and investigational drugs. Drugs with a high potential for abuse such as amphetamines and barbiturates should also come under review. These exclusions would have to be accomplished within the current federal guidelines. Generic drug use should also be encouraged. ... This would also help reduce public resistance to low cost generic drugs. A preferred drug list of the lowest cost drugs should be utilized to pre-authorize a particular drug. Prior authorization would be necessry for any drug not on the list. Several other state programs have used this approach with some success. It may be seen as a burden to physicians and pharmacists and should be introduced in a step program beginning with non-emergency treatments such as anorexants and anti-ulcer reflux medications (Kaiser Commission 2002 p.9). Emergency supplies for short-term treatment could still be provided without prior authorization. There should also be a 'failed first policy' on prescription drugs. If a new more expensive drug is available, it should not be used until the older and less expensive substitute has been proven ineffective. Fail first programs may not be appropriate for rapidly evolving medications such as used for the treatment of mental illness (Fail-first policies 2003). This program would need to be strictly monitored and have a physician right to supersede it. 2. Technology Improved technology has the potential to save billions of dollars in health care costs. Texas needs to adopt the most recent innovations in medical technology. Shared medical records across a network would aide physicians and emergency rooms in reducing redundant tests and procedures. It also has the capacity to make the most recent knowledge and diagnosis available across the network in a virtual care coordination system. The creation of a cross care coordinated network would be a valuable tool for the uninsured as well as offering health care providers easy access to medical records. A system of community based care

Friday, October 18, 2019

Internal and External Environment of Nestle Research Paper

Internal and External Environment of Nestle - Research Paper Example The paper will address the key issues challenges affecting Nestle Co by conducting an environmental analysis. Organizations face various challenges in their operations both internal and external and to develop the right business strategy, these issues need to be addressed. The report will make use of different environmental models such as SWOT, PEST and Porter’s five forces. After carrying out an analysis, the report will identify a key business challenge and develop a plan for leadership and management as a means of addressing the issue. Conclusions and recommendations and limitations to implementation will be discussed. Nestle Co is the world leading nutrition, health and Wellness Company established in 1867 with its headquarters at Vevey Switzerland. It is a multinational corporation employing over 328,000 people worldwide in over 160 countries. Its sales volume as at the year ended 31 December 2011 amounted to CHF 83,652 and it has 2 billion customers in over 180 countries . It deals with various brands such as chocolates and confectionaries, baby foods, cereals, coffee, dairy products, healthcare nutrition, bottled water, and cereals among others. Overall, the company has over 120 brands. Its mission is to provide customers with products that provide nutrition, health, and wellness. It is committed to increasing the quality of life for all people by ensuring healthy nutrition through a slogan named ‘Good Food, Good Life.’ Its performance is driven by its capacity for innovation and renovation. It has a flat and flexible organizational structure with few management levels and a broad span of control. (Nestle, 2012).It is headed by the CEO, Paul Bulcke who has been in the organization and driven it to where it is since 1998 who according to Raisch & Ferlie (2008) thinks globally and acts locally to penetrate the mature market.  The organization markets its products in almost every country and operates in six geographical locations; Europ e, the Americas, Asia/Oceania/Africa. It operates in the food and beverage industry with main competitors being PepsiCo, Unilever, Kraft, Procter & Gamble, among others. Nestle is a world leader of nutrition, health and wellness products. Its success is made possible by frequent innovation and renovation and the use of environmentally sustainable practices. The CEO is committed to ensuring the customers get quality of life through brand and product diversification and additional nutrition. The company operates in a very competitive environment with major competitors being P&G, Unilever, and PepsiCo. It has products in almost all countries and has over 500 brands in six continents; Europe, the Americas, and AOA. All its operations are guided by the corporate business principles and the suppliers have to adhere to this code of conduct. Nestle environment is very complex as the organization operates globally. The possible strengths include; strong brands, corporate brand, its structure , and cost advantage while weaknesses include; barriers to entry, competition, complex structure, and minimal rewards. It has an opportunity to venture into new markets due to its reputation and can also engage in a joint venture to diversify its products. The company is also affected by changing consumer demands hence buyer power. The major challenge that may impact on the effectiveness of the organization is to retain workers in a globally competitive environment using its cost-cutting strategies and still add value for shareholders. The threat of worker turnover due to poor performance management is crucial and should be addressed.

The key principles of human resource management Essay

The key principles of human resource management - Essay Example This essay discusses that there are more similarities between personnel management and human resource management than difference and this is mainly assumed by different number of authors. According to Torington, a personnel management is continues process of growth and evolution where more expertise people are required. In this evolutionary process HRM is adding only a dimension to a multi faceted role and is not assumed as a revolutionary concept. But the concept of HRM should not be undervalued or underestimated. Storey has regarded HRM as different approach and philosophy for the management. HRM provides a new platform for managing personnel. Difference between Personnel management and HRM are mainly comprises of meaning than of substance. Thus the real difference between personnel and HRM is not actually what the concept are but who are defining the concepts. Another important difference between the two approaches is appreciation towards the employees. Personnel management believ es that employees are the key to improve the performance whereas HRM assumes that the employees are essential for success of the organisation. HRM concentrates on strategic fits unlike personnel management; HRM emphasis on individuals whereas personnel emphasis on collectively; Personnel management provides a generalised HR solution and HRM a much more tailored solution; There is an increase need of HR specialist in case of personnel management whereas in HRM senior mangers perform the work of an HR. Personnel is associated with trade union and managing conflict and HRM with performance, capabilities and outcomes. HRM has a strong emphasis over horizontal and vertical integration. It operates at a strategic level and personnel management is more operationally oriented (Banfield & Kay, 2008, p.40). Function of the human resource management in contributing to organisational purposes The functions of HRM have changed over the years and are continuing to change. The function of HR is to enable organisation to achieve the objectives by way of taking initiatives and providing the required guidance as well as support on matters relating to the organisations employees. The main motive is to develop HR strategies and policies in the organisations. HR functions also play an important part in creation of the organisation environment which enables the employees to utilise their capabilities to benefit both the organisation and the individual. The function of HRM also tends to provide advice and services which enables the organisation to get work done through individuals. The sophisticated HRM aims to achieve a strategic integration (Armstrong, 2006, p.54). The HRM concerns most of the managers as well as

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Tesla (electric car company) Marketing Analysis Essay

Tesla (electric car company) Marketing Analysis - Essay Example The company has its headquarters based in California, U.S.A, and it has principles aimed at facilitating development of Models in order to attain its objective of first customer delivery (Tesla Motors, 2010, p. 4). This will facilitate the efforts of pursuing new electric power train opportunities and automobile manufactures. In fact, the paper will focus on conducting SWOT, PESTEL, porter’s five forces, marketing mix and marketing action plan analysis on Tesla Company. SWOT ANALYSIS Strength Tesla signed a licensing deal with lotus cars in order to convert one of their sport models in to an electric car, which was lightweight, small car with all the external body panels made of plastic. On the other hand, the Tesla Roadster has become the first mainstream electric vehicle enquired by celebrities, thus bringing a more desirable model S to the market. The company has managed to develop their first electric sport car â€Å"The Roadster†, and supplied to other manufactures like Toyota with more technological expertise in the field of electric transmission and train drive (GlobalData, 2012, p. 1). The company has also developed a vehicle, which is entirely in house, whereby sub-assemblies are required. The platform developed for Model S has facilitates the application of the crossover model and any other model. In fact, Tesla was the first company to produce electric vehicle and they have stood by the business model to collaborate zero emissions with quality performance design. Weakness The development of the vehicles and sub-assemblies has resulted to an increment of production cost, hence they do not achieve economic of scale. Products have a higher price than their competitors who sell combustion engine powered vehicles. The Roadster has phased out and the sales have reduced, and this is an indication that revenues will come from the Model S. The models have low brand recognition; hence, there will be difficulties in convincing the customers concer ning the superiority of their preferred options of the brand. The other weakness of Model S is that it may not be available until 2012, hence giving a chance to competitors to produce and market their electric vehicles before the release of Model S by Tesla, thus they will take up the market share (Binkiewicz, Chen & Czubakowski, 2008, p. 5). Opportunity The company has been benefiting from support by the government across the globe, since their products are environmentally friendly, thus they have been exempted from duties. The company has also been offered support by the Mercedes Smart car, which has results to leaning the way they can launch in near future. Tesla has a chance to improve the quality control process in order to reduce their cost, hence increasing enthusiasm. The other opportunity relates to the rise of gas prices, whereby people are seeking alternative ways of travelling. In this case, the company acquires a prime opportunity to depict the benefits associated to th eir products and the cost friendliness to customers. Threats There are difficulties involved in production, distribution and selling of the

Finance Effects Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Finance Effects Economy - Essay Example A finance student studies a bachelor degree in business administration with a major in finance. The purpose of this paper is to discuss and describe the history of finance, how it affects the economy, and areas of specialization in finance. The field of finance as we know it today began in the 1950’s. When finance education started it was often part of the curriculum of economics or a part of business administration. Today the focus of the finance major is integrated as part of a business administration education. The majority of undergraduate finance degrees in the U.S. are part of a business curriculum, but at the graduate level finance is often taught based on the economic approach (Miller). One of the primary focuses of a finance education is to teach students how to make better decisions. Finance professionals are supposed to be able to maximize shareholders wealth (Besley & Brigham). The finance field is often referred to as the cousin of accounting due to the fact that a lot of the concepts and data used in finance come from accounting information. Many small companies integrate the accounting and finance departments. Two extremely important financial concepts in finance, risk and return, were first introduced to the general public by Harry Markowitz in 1952 in his publication Portfolio Selection published in the Journal of Finance. The work finance people perform in an organization is very important. For instance once the accountant completes the accounting cycle and prepares the financial statements the finance people can analyze the information to determine the financial performance of the company. The four major financial statements are the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and statement of cash flow. The income statement measures the profitability of a company, while the balance sheet illustrates the financial condition of a company at a specific point in time. The statement of cash flow is composed of three sec tions: operating, financing, and investments. The financial statements for the entire fiscal year are included within the contents of the annual report. Public companies also release quarterly financial statements to comply with the regulations of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC). Three financial analysis the can be used to analyze the financial statements are ratio analysis, vertical analysis, and horizontal analysis. Ratio analysis is a tool that is often used by finance professionals. The five categories of ratio analysis are liquidity, solvency, profitability, activity, and coverage ratios (AccountingExplained). Horizontal analysis can be used to compare the different items or elements of the financial statements against the performance of the previous accounting period. The objective of vertical analysis is to report each amount or item in the financial statement as a percentage of another item. When performing vertical analysis on an income statement all the items of the statement are typically compared against the sales total of the company. The discipline of finance can also be used for other analytical purposes. Financial managers often have to evaluate the firm’s valuation and the valuation of other companies that the firm might invest in. A financial model to evaluate the risk of a

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Tesla (electric car company) Marketing Analysis Essay

Tesla (electric car company) Marketing Analysis - Essay Example The company has its headquarters based in California, U.S.A, and it has principles aimed at facilitating development of Models in order to attain its objective of first customer delivery (Tesla Motors, 2010, p. 4). This will facilitate the efforts of pursuing new electric power train opportunities and automobile manufactures. In fact, the paper will focus on conducting SWOT, PESTEL, porter’s five forces, marketing mix and marketing action plan analysis on Tesla Company. SWOT ANALYSIS Strength Tesla signed a licensing deal with lotus cars in order to convert one of their sport models in to an electric car, which was lightweight, small car with all the external body panels made of plastic. On the other hand, the Tesla Roadster has become the first mainstream electric vehicle enquired by celebrities, thus bringing a more desirable model S to the market. The company has managed to develop their first electric sport car â€Å"The Roadster†, and supplied to other manufactures like Toyota with more technological expertise in the field of electric transmission and train drive (GlobalData, 2012, p. 1). The company has also developed a vehicle, which is entirely in house, whereby sub-assemblies are required. The platform developed for Model S has facilitates the application of the crossover model and any other model. In fact, Tesla was the first company to produce electric vehicle and they have stood by the business model to collaborate zero emissions with quality performance design. Weakness The development of the vehicles and sub-assemblies has resulted to an increment of production cost, hence they do not achieve economic of scale. Products have a higher price than their competitors who sell combustion engine powered vehicles. The Roadster has phased out and the sales have reduced, and this is an indication that revenues will come from the Model S. The models have low brand recognition; hence, there will be difficulties in convincing the customers concer ning the superiority of their preferred options of the brand. The other weakness of Model S is that it may not be available until 2012, hence giving a chance to competitors to produce and market their electric vehicles before the release of Model S by Tesla, thus they will take up the market share (Binkiewicz, Chen & Czubakowski, 2008, p. 5). Opportunity The company has been benefiting from support by the government across the globe, since their products are environmentally friendly, thus they have been exempted from duties. The company has also been offered support by the Mercedes Smart car, which has results to leaning the way they can launch in near future. Tesla has a chance to improve the quality control process in order to reduce their cost, hence increasing enthusiasm. The other opportunity relates to the rise of gas prices, whereby people are seeking alternative ways of travelling. In this case, the company acquires a prime opportunity to depict the benefits associated to th eir products and the cost friendliness to customers. Threats There are difficulties involved in production, distribution and selling of the

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

The Liberal Illusion of the United States Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Liberal Illusion of the United States - Essay Example As the report declares the terrorist attack on Washington and New York was the main cause for the change in approach towards international law. The George Bush administration further propelled it on the pretext of saving their country and its citizens. In addition to it, they also drafted certain foreign policies called the Bush doctrine. According to the report findings U.S has the right to utilize nuclear weapons and not abide by the international treaties or agreements for its self-interest. It also states that they will work towards the prevention of any rivalry in the world and utilize the military policy and power for the interest of the U.S capitalism around the world. This imperialist doctrine is a great cause of concern for the entire world. Several other instances have also portrayed the tyranny of the U.S government and its contempt towards international law. U.S government has made the use of cluster bombs in the civilian areas of Afghanistan that has caused great damage to the residence of that area. This action of the Bush administration is a violation against the 1949 Geneva Convention. The detention of 600 soldiers from 40 countries at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba also demonstrates their realistic approach. The United States government has also refused to abide by certain treaties such as the Landmi nes Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, the Chemical Weapons Treaty and the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty. The attack on Iraq also indicates the change in approach of the U.S government toward the international law.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Eddie and Catherine Essay Example for Free

Eddie and Catherine Essay When Catherine has a conversation with Beatrice about her behaviour in front of Eddie, Beatrice offers Catherine some advice that she not only doesnt like, but also that comes as a complete shock to her. Beatrice explains to her that Eddie thought that she was possibly jealous or something towards Catherine, because of the strong relationship that Eddie and Catherine had, compared to the weak relationship that Eddie and Beatrice share. When Catherine realises what Beatrice is implying, she claims that its the first [shed] thought of it, however it is clear from the way that she has started talking to Eddie that she has her suspicions. When we first met Eddie at the beginning of the play, he was a stern but kind husband to Beatrice and uncle to Catherine. He only cared about what was best for his family and tried to offer them the best advice that he could. However, events happened in his life that caused him to stop caring so much about Beatrice and started caring much more about Catherine. Eddies unavoidable feelings led him to think about what it was he actually did feel towards Catherine, and it is only at this point in the play that the other characters confront each other with what they think Eddie is feeling incestuous instincts towards his niece. However, the realisation of his lust is about to make Eddie reconsider his motives for trying to win the heart of his niece. When we see Eddies conversation with Alfieri, we appreciate why losing Catherine to Rodolfo is so difficult for him. Throughout the dialogue in this scene, we are presented with opinions and feelings that Eddie has never spoken of to anyone else, which represents a very strong trust between the two men. One of these feelings is jealousy: when I think of that guy layin his hands on her, I could I mean its eatin me out, Mr. Alfieri, because I struggled for that girl. Another feeling that Eddie shows is fear for his niece: what about it if the only reason for it is to get his papers? When an audience of the 1930s would have seen this, they would find it a crime. In America in the time of the Economic Depression, many people were illegally migrating from all over the world to America to seek a better life. If they were caught in America illegally, then they would be immediately deported back to their home country. However, the chance of being deported would have been less if the migrant had married an official citizen of the United States. In this case, if Rodolfo married Catherine then there would be less chance of Rodolfo being sent back to Italy. If someone in the audience then had felt that this was the only reason for Rodolfos love, then they would have been outraged with his actions and felt that he should get what he deserves and be deported. Eddies opinion about Rodolfo is made perfectly clear in this scene. He says to Alfieri what it is he thinks of him and his actions. The most prominent opinion is that he aint right, implying that Rodolfo is a homosexual and that the only reason he is marrying Catherine is in fact to get his American citizenship papers. This opinion has not just been made clear in this seen though. Throughout the play we see Eddie making comments to other characters about Rodolfos sexual orientation, such as when he is complaining about how late Catherine and Rodolfos date has taken, he says to Beatrice that he just hope[s] thats his regular hair, thats all. In the 1930s, it was not very common for males to get their hair coloured, so if a man did then it was considered that there was something nor right about them. Another opinion is that even if hes a punk he should still let Catherine go and wish her luck. If Eddie were to do this, then he would not forgive himself and regret it for the rest of his life. This is why Eddie never gives up in his fight to keep Catherine for himself. The opening of Act Two highlights the extent to which Catherine and Eddies relationship has deteriorated and how painful this is for Catherine. We are first presented with this when Catherine gives into Rodolfos emotional prompts and she tells him why she wants to move to Italy. She says to Rodolfo, Im afraid of Eddie here. This is the first time throughout the entire play that Catherine has admitted to being scared of Eddie, because she knows how angry she is at Rodolfo for loving her, and also how jealous he is that he cant have her as his own. Even though she knows deep down why she is afraid of him, she doesnt tell Rodolfo why. She says, I dont know! and tries to get Rodolfo to leave the subject alone, however he refuses. We see how painful it is for Catherine that her relationship with Eddie has broken down when she speaks of their history, Ive been here all my life Every day I saw him when he left in the morning and when he came home at night. You think its easy to turn around and say to a man hes nothing to you no more? and eventually breaks down into a fit of tears. Eddie has been there for Catherine ever since her mother died when she was a little girl. Eddie has been like a father to her, providing for her every need and trying his best to show her what is right and what is wrong. It is especially hard for Catherine because she knows that it is Eddie who has broken down their once outstanding relationship because of his pure jealousy and incestuous lust. If she could have her own way, then they would still be friends like they once were, but it is now too late because Eddie has been blinded by jealousy, anger and perverted sexual urges. It is more painful for Catherine than anyone else because she knows that its not her fault that their relationship has broken down, and also that she could have done something to stop this from happening. Up to this position in the play, there has not been a point where Eddie has given into his violent urges and acted upon impulse towards Rodolfo and Catherine. However, the climax of increasing tension between the characters is shown when Eddie is possessed by his own rage and jealousy and his kisses both Catherine and Rodolfo. This shows us Eddie desperately trying to do two things the first of these (the kiss towards Catherine) is trying to see if she would respond positively towards him, possibly by kissing him back or not resisting, just to see if she still loved him, or even if she felt the same way towards him. However, when she forces him away from her, he directs his sexual attention to Rodolfo. The second thing that Eddie tries to do is show that Rodolfo is actually homosexual, and he thinks that by kissing him it will make him admit it. If he didnt admit it, then he would still kiss him back, which would also prove his sexual orientation. When Rodolfo does not return Eddies passion to him, he demands that he leave the country. Because Eddie cannot prove that Rodolfo doesnt feel loving feelings towards Catherine, he demands that he leaves the country alone (Get outa here. Alone. You hear me? Alone) as a final attempt to break him and Catherine apart.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Research methodology, different types of philosophical

Research methodology, different types of philosophical Fischer (2004) states that research methodology is the study which raises all types of philosophical questions for the researchers to know and check the availability of their knowledge. Saunders et al. (2007) states that, the research design will be the general plan of how to answer the research questions and it should contain: Clear objectives derived from the research questions It should specify sources from which data is collected Consider the constraints that the researcher will have access to data, location time and money Discussing ethical issues Cooper and Schindler (2008) mentions that the research task is a sequential process involving clearly defined steps. They also state that despite the variation in steps involved, the idea of sequence is useful in developing a research and maintaining an order as the research progresses. According to Teresa and William (1997), research methodology provides a systematic, planned approach to a research project and ensures that all aspects of the project are consistent with one another. The method that has been used for this research is based on the research process onion as described by Saunders et al. (2007). The research goes through different layers of the research onion. The various layers are philosophies, approaches, strategies, choices, time horizons and techniques and procedures. This chapter is divided into three sections. The first section deals with the research methods that have been used for this dissertation. The second part deals with data collection methods. The last section deals with population and sampling. Research Onion- Adapted from Saunders et al. (2007) Research philosophy: Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that research philosophy depends on the way you think about the development of knowledge. It is the first layer in the research onion proposed by them. According to them, there are three approaches to research philosophy. They are epistemology, ontology and axiology. Epistemology constitutes with the acceptable knowledge in the field of study; ontology is concerned with nature of reality where as axiology studies about the researchers value in all stage of research process. They argue that the choice of philosophy depends on the research question posed and the researcher feels that the approach that has to be used is Epistemology. Jancowickz (2000) mentioned epistemology as personal theory of knowing and what researcher feels as knowledge, what he counts as evidence and proof and what he does not. Saunders et al. (2007) mentioned that there are three epistemological positions namely, positivism, interpretivism, and realism. Positivism: Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that if research philosophy reflects the principles of positivism, then we will probably adopt the philosophical stance of a natural scientist. According to Bryman Bell (2007) positivism is an epistemological position that advocates the application of methods of natural sciences to study of social reality and beyond. Reilly (2006) defined positivism as a belief that only true knowledge is scientific in character, describing interrelationships between real and observable phenomena. Interpretivism: This is a philosophy where researcher be critical of positivism and argue that rich insights, into complex world are lost if such complexity is reduced entirely to a series of law like generations. It also emphasises on the difference between conducting a research among people rather than tangible objects. Realism: This is a philosophical approach which is based on that a reality exists that is independent of human thoughts and beliefs. It holds many thoughts from positivism and it scientifically questions what is regarded as acceptable knowledge. In realism, the approach assumes a scientific approach to the development of data and underpins the collection of data and understanding of those data. (Saunders et al., 2007, p105). There are two types of realism namely critical realism and direct realism. Direct realism is what the researcher experience through his senses represents the world accurately. In critical realism, what the researcher experiences are sensations and images of the things in the real world, but not the real thing. Research philosophy for this research: Saunders et al. (2007) argues that usually a combination of positivism and interpretivism are generally used in the management of business research. However, the research philosophy varies according to research question. This research focuses on impact of sales promotions on impulse purchases. Various authors have discussed the phenomenon that happens and the researcher is trying to explore the consumer behaviour on impulse purchase. The philosophy that is used in this research is realism. For this the researcher uses acceptable knowledge in the field of impulse purchase and consumer behaviour to understand the impact of sales promotion on impulse purchase and consumer loyalty. The researcher collects and analyses data using acceptable knowledge for the purpose of answering the research question, so the research is more inclined towards realism. Research Approach: Saunders et al. (2007) states that all research work involves theories and suggests the clarity of researchers theory at the beginning of the research could inform the research the approach taken in designing the research. They, suggest two types of research approach of reasoning. They are Inductive approach and Deductive approach. Inductive Approach: In inductive approach, the researcher would collect the data and develop and theory with the result of data analysis. According to Saunders et al. (2007), the following are the features of inductive approach. Gaining an understanding of meanings human attach to events A close understanding of research context A collection of qualitative data A more flexible structure to permit changes of research emphasis as research progresses A realisation that the researcher is part of the research process Less concern with need to generalise Deductive approach: Deductive approach method is the way of testing a theory. The researcher will develop a theory and suitable hypothesis. The research strategy is the developed to test the hypothesis that is developed. Roboson (2002) suggests a five-stage model through which the deductive stage will progress: Deduct a hypothesis from the theory Express the hypothesis in operational terms Test the hypothesis Examine outcome of the inquiry Modify theory in light of results Research Approach for this research: The researcher has chosen the deductive approach over the inductive approach for this research. In deductive approach for this research, an initial stage presents a general hypothesis. This initial stage contains secondary data mentioned by various authors. This hypothesis is then tested using the data collection methods to answer the objectives. Research Strategy: According to Saunders et al. (2007), seven different strategies can be used for a research. They are: Experiment Survey Case study Action research Grounded theory Ethnography Archival research The strategy that has to be used can be chosen depending on research questions and objectives, research time and other resources that are available. (Saunders et al., 2007) The most feasible solution for this dissertation is the survey method. The survey method is associated with deductive approach. It allows the collection of a large amount of data from sizeable population in highly economical way. Utilising the questionnaire, data can be standardised allowing easy compilation. It is also a cheap option for the researcher. The survey strategy also allows collecting quantitative data, which can be analysed using descriptive tactics. The survey strategy utilises the designing and piloting of data collection method to ensure a good response rate. In the case of this dissertation, the researcher plans to distribute questionnaire among the customers and thus do the survey for this dissertation. This will be handed out by the researcher himself which adds to the cheapness of the survey. The researcher is also planning to do two mini focus group interviews among the customers. Looking at all these options, the researcher feels that conducting a survey will be the best way to collect data for this research. Research choice: According to Saunders et al. (2007), the two main methods of data collection are quantitative data collection and qualitative data collection. Qualitative data that is used in research would be usually a non-numerical data. It has open-ended information. Example: Pictures or video clips. Quantitative data that is used in data would be numerical data consisting of graphs or statistics. It includes close-ended information such as attitude, behaviour of performance instruments. (John and Vicki, 2007). Saunders et al. (2007, p 146) Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that the researcher can use used both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods. This is known as mixed method of data collection. Both these could be done at the same time or one after the other, but the methods cannot be combined. John and Vicki (2007) argue that the weakness of both quantitative and qualitative methods can be overcome by using both the methods. If we use mixed methods, different methods like interview and questionnaire can be used for the study. They also state that mixed method research provides more comprehensive evidence for studying a research question than using just one method of data analysis. This was also mentioned as the most practical method since the researcher is free to use all the methods to address the problem. In the context of this research, the researcher used a combination of both quantitative and qualitative data techniques to find the data. The quantitative data is analysed with the help of questionnaires and the qualitative data is analysed with the help of interviews. The attitudes and impulse buying behaviour and perception of customers can be studied using the questionnaire surveys. For the qualitative data analysis, two mini focus groups consisting of three members each will be conducted by the researcher. The researcher will use the respondents observation and researchers observation to conclude his findings. In short, the researcher uses mixed method of data analysis to generalise the findings. Time Horizon: According to Saunders et al. (2007), time horizons are needed for the research design independent of the research methodology used. There are two types of time horizons namely Longitudinal and Cross-sectional. Longitudinal studies are repeated over an extended period. Cross sectional studies are limited to a specific time frame. This research is also limited to a specific time frame and hence the cross sectional time horizon is used. Data Collection Methods: There are two types of data involved with this research. The first one is primary data and the second type is secondary data. The secondary data contains the literature review, which is the view by various authors about the topic. The primary data which is collected to prove the hypothesis presented which is collected using secondary data. According to Saunders et al. (2007), the secondary data may not match the needs of new research; aggregations and definitions may also be unsuitable, there for to resolve this primary data has been employed to answer the nature of the problem and test the hypothesis. In other words, the secondary data is the data that is collected for some other purpose while the primary data is collected specifically for this research. Secondary data: According to Saunders et al. (2007), the secondary data consists of both quantitative and qualitative data. It contains both raw data and published data. Bryman and Bell (2007) stated that it could provide an answer to the research question. They also mentioned about the benefits of collecting secondary data. It helps us structuring ideas, developing new concepts, widen new directions to data, sketch population and organise appropriate approach to the research. Saunders et al. (2007) also mentions that the secondary data should be viewed with the same caution that we view the primary data. The researcher needs to make sure that it will be able to answer the research question and meet his objectives. For this research, the researcher gathered the secondary data from journal articles and textbooks. The journals were electronically collected from the Emerald Insight (http://www. emeraldnisight.com) and Business source complete. The researcher also referred many books and magazines. Books provided the foundation for the topic and for the research methods. The journals helped to get an insight from various authors that discussed about this topic. Magazines helped to find the current situations related to the topic. Primary data: Primary data is collected for the completion of this research. It is the data collected from the survey and we do not have any previous results for this data. There are two categories of data collection available. One of them is quantitative data collection and the second is the qualitative data collection. Qualitative data: The data that is non-numerical and that cannot be quantified is known as qualitative data. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that the use of interviews can help the researcher to gather valid and reliable data that are relevant to his/her research. There interviews are mainly categorised into two namely standardised and Non-standardised interviews. Standardised interviews will have interview-administered questions where as the other one does not have that. Under non-standardised interviews, there are two categories. They are one-to-one and one-to-many. The one-to-one is further categorised into face-to-face, telephone and internet/intranet based interviews. The one-to-many interviews are of two kinds; group interviews and internet/intranet based group interviews. This kind of group interviews come under a category called focus group interviews. (Saunders et al. (2007) p 313) This research will be using the aid of focus group interviews. The focus group method is a form of group interview in which there are several participants, there is an emphasis on questioning on a tightly defined topic and the accent is upon interaction within the group and the joint construction of meaning. (Bryman and Bell, 2007) The main characteristic of this interview is, it involves more than one interviewee and typically contains four to twelve members. According to Cooper and Schindler (2001), the two advantages of using focus group interview are to get a depth understanding and it is a chance to observe reactions to the research question in an open-ended group setting. For this research, the researcher conducts two mini focus group interviews. These interviews are used to increase the credibly of the research and to form a background for the questionnaire design. The critical analysis of the focus group interviews helped the researcher to critically analyse the sales promotion and its impact on impulse purchasing behaviour of the participants. The researcher was able to find two groups of respondents who were willing to give the focus group interview. These groups contained both male and female participants, with the age group between 15 and 30. The interviewees were asked questions about the sales promotional activities in the store. They were also asked about the factors that affect them to buy things impulsively and if price promotions affect the impulse purchase. The mini focus interviews helped the researcher in questionnaire design by exploring the responses of sample population to analytically test the hypothesis using quantitative data. The response from the interviewees pulled out the conclusions that sales promotions play an important role in impulse buying behaviour of consumers. Quantitative data: The quantitative data is analysed using survey method. For this research, the researcher uses, questionnaire for the survey method. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions that a questionnaire includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. They also mention that it is one of the most widely used data collection within the survey strategy. The questionnaires are used in the research as it permits prompt and honest responses from a respondent than interviews. This sort of response is required for extracting information such as personal information. The biasness that is likely to occur by the difference in phrasing questions to different respondents is also eliminated by using questionnaire. The convenience, availability of resources in terms of time and cost and ease of automating data entry makes questionnaire the best choice for quantitative data analysis. According to Saunders et al. (2007), various factors affect choosing the questionnaire for a research. They are The characteristics of the respondents to whom the researcher wish to collect the information. Importance of reaching a particular person as respondent Size of the sample required by the researcher for the analysis Importance of the responders answers not being contaminated or distorted The type of question that the researcher needs to collect the data The number of questions that the researcher needs to ask to collect the data There are two types of questionnaires namely self-administered questionnaire and interview administered questionnaire. Self-administered questionnaire is used in this research because of its advantage that it can be completed without the presence of the researcher. This is supported by Brace (2004) that the absence of the researcher makes the respondent to be honest and the respondent gets enough time to answer the questions. One important thing that needs to be noted is the language used in the questionnaire. A simple language is usually preferred than using technical jargons. Bruce (2004) mentions that double barrelled questions and jargon must be avoided in order to reduce confusion among both parties Bryman and Bell (2007) mentions that piloting a questionnaire should be an integral part of the process. Piloting is the process by which the questionnaire is revised and tested until the researcher and clients are happy. It helps the researcher to improve the quality of questionnaire and its efficiency in assembling data. A pilot test was conducted among five MBA International students to validate the questionnaire. Based on their feedback, necessary amendments were made to the questions. Table 2: Questionnaire description: Sl. no Characteristics Questions 1 Collects the demographic information from respondents Q1,Q2,Q3 2 Identifies the shopping details like frequency and average spending Q4, Q5 3. Identifies the sales promotional activities in the store Q6,Q7, 4 Identifies consumers impulse buying behaviour and factors Q9,Q10,11 5. Identifies if price promotion affects impulse purchase Q12,Q13,Q14,Q15 The researcher distributed the questionnaires in Tesco retail store, Parnell Street, Dublin-Ireland. The researcher ensured that the consumers got enough time to complete the questionnaire. This researcher did not give any hints to answer the questions and this helped the respondent to honestly answer the questions. The researcher used an online tool called Surveymonkey for the data analysis (www.surveymonkey.com). The response and the scales used are mentioned in the data analysis chapter Population and Sampling: According to Cooper and Schindler (2008), a population is the total collection of elements about which we wish to make some inferences. They also mentioned that to draw the conclusion about the entire population, some of the elements of the population are to be selected and this process is called sampling. Saunders et al. (2007) mentions sampling technique provides a range of methods that enable to reduce the amount of data that is needed for consideration. They further mention that this is an alternative to the census method. They provide alternative when; It would be impractical for the researcher to survey the entire population The budget constraints prevent researcher from surveying the entire population The time constraints prevents the researcher from surveying the entire population Results are needed quickly Mayolor and Blackmon (2005), mentions that sampling frame facilitates, conclusion making about the social units that have been selecting units that are representative of the population. Saunders et al. (2007) classifies the sampling techniques into probability sampling Non-probability sampling. In probability sampling, the probability of each case being selected from the population is the same for all cases, where as in non-probability sampling, the probability of case being selected is being unknown. Cooper and Schindler (2008), argues that, if the non-probability sampling is feasible, if the total population for the study is unknown. In this case, the population are the customers of Tesco, Parnell Street, Dublin. Non-probability sampling is further divided into five types: Quota Sampling Purposive sampling Snowball sampling Self selection sampling Convenience sampling This research focuses on impact of sales promotion on impulse purchase and consumer loyalty. In this research, the quota sampling is found to be more appropriate for the sampling. Saunders et al., (2007) confirms that with the help of quota sampling, population could be divided into specific groups. This helps in calculating a quota for each group based on appropriate and obtainable data. According to Barnett (1991), cited by Saunders et al. (2007), quota sampling is entirely non-random and is normally used for interview surveys. It is based on the premise that the sample will represent the population, as the variability in the sample for various quota variables is the same as that of the population. For this research, the population is categorises into specific groups. Appropriate estimate from each group is prepared to distinguish the quota based on reliable data. Each interviewer will be analysed and the data will be collected from each quota. The data that is collected are then united to obtain a full sample. The researcher selected the quotas according to the age group and gender. The customers were selected by the respondent randomly first. The researcher then checked the respondents criteria of the age group and selected the people he wanted. Sampling Frame: The frame elements in the population are called the sampling frame. Saunders et al. (2007) states that the larger the samples size, the lower the likely error in generalising to the population. Hence, suitable sample should be governed by: The confidence required in the data Margin of error that can be tolerated Types of analysis that needs to be undertaken Size of the total population The sampling frame in this research includes the customers in the grocery section in Tesco, Parnell Street. The sampling size, frame and population are defined as follows: Sampling Size: 100 Elements: Customers of Tesco, Parnell Street Units: Grocery section in Tesco Parnell Street Extents: Dublin, Ireland Sampling Technique: Non-probability sampling (quota sampling) Sampling Error: 5% Time: May 2010-Aug-2010 The quotas and total sample size are given below:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   AGE GROUP   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   MALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FEMALE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15-30   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   31-50   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   15   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   51 and above   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   10   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   TOTAL POPULATION = 100 Time constraint was the main reason for the researcher to select a small population. The researcher ensured that the researcher were ensured ample time to complete the questionnaire. The researcher made sure that the questionnaire had a simple design with no technical jargons used which would have confused people otherwise. The researcher plans to distribute the questions to 100 people and expects a sampling error of 5%. Since it is a self-administered questionnaire, the researcher expects good response from the respondents.