Tuesday, December 31, 2019

I Am A Mathematics Tutor At Math Learning Centre - 1951 Words

I am a mathematics tutor in Vancouver Island University at Math Learning Centre (MLC) where I help students who have trouble with mathematics questions in solving problems. My career is teaching and coaching, thus I need to use my valuable knowledge in giving a helping hand to students who experience trouble with their assignments. In practice, I use logic and rationality to solve mathematics problems for students. This photograph was taken at my workplace with a student who asked sought help for another student who had trouble with her assignment on October 16th, 2015. In the photo, a picture related with mathematics was on the wall and there were many mathematics books in the locker behind me, and this revealed the mathematics atmosphere in the workshop. In order to highlight myself during the working time, the photo did not display other students were studying mathematics in the workshop. From the close look, the name tag at the front of the desk provides evidence that I am a math tutor at MLC. It also signifies my expertise in mathematics. Moreover, in this picture, I was teaching a student how to solve factorization problems, which indicated that I have listening, communication, as well as, analytic and problem solving skills. The photo also implied I possess interpersonal skills, especially self-awareness and self-management. For instance, I am good at mathematics so I felt self-confident to solve math problems for the student in the photo. Moreover, I am a personShow MoreRelatedResearch Task : Newcastle College3427 Words   |  14 Pagesbring to it. Answer: Good maths teachers are in demand at all times as maths is compulsory during primary, secondary schooling. A career in maths offers the highest job satisfaction of giving young people the chance to overcome a subject that is crucial to their continuing success. Once I qualified after getting the expert training as a tutor of maths, I will benefited from a competitive starting salary and opportunities from a speedy career. I will be ensured that I am doing a right job that isRead MoreThe Naplan ( National Assessment Program Literacy And Numeracy1948 Words   |  8 Pagesteachers to refine the core curriculum framework, in order to address students who may require different methods of teaching to suit their learning abilities. Details relating to affective learning development in specific year levels, effects of socio economics and ethnicity on learning, are some essential details required to allow for solutions to improve learning for all, in all schools K-12 in Australia via the national curriculum (ACARA.nd,). An adults collective years of knowledge, allows problemRead MoreA Research Task For Pgce, Newcastle College3476 Words   |  14 PagesAnswer: Good maths teachers are at in demand at all times particularly as maths is compulsory during primary, secondary schooling. I will surely be benefited after getting the expert training as a tutor of maths. A career in maths offers the highest job satisfaction of giving the young people the chance to overcome a subject that s primary to their continuing success. Once I have qualified, I will benefit from a competitive starting salary, opportunities from a speedy career and pay rise. I will be ensuredRead MoreAssignment 302 Task A2 With Comparative Teaching And Learning1993 Words   |  8 Pagesteaching and learning approaches in education and training Gavin Hayden Word count 1,965 Task Ai Briefing document Produce a briefing document for a new member of staff who will be delivering classes in your specialist area embedding functional skills. The document should demonstrate your understanding of: A) The key features of inclusive teaching and learning (ref. 1.1) Inclusive learning is about ensuring all your learners have the opportunity to be involved and included in the learning processRead MoreMy Personal And Professional Development2164 Words   |  9 Pagesaccount of my scientific knowledge, skills, experience and qualities acquired both from previous qualifications and learning that have contributed to my overall personal and professional development. I grew up in India where I was lucky enough to have been educated in one of the best schools (Presentation Convent High School) which promoted a healthy, competitive and challenging learning environment. It offered a good equilibrium of academic and extra-curricular opportunities. Getting involved in suchRead MoreAward In Education Training 650231182 Words   |  105 PagesPedagogy (teacher centred); b) The 4 learning styles and being able to provide a variety of activities within your lesson to address the four Learning Styles (where appropriate) – i.e. andragogic rather than pedagogic teaching methods involving student centred learning strategies with pair and group work - where appropriate; c) Blooms Taxonomy of Learning Designing a logical progression in the work you make the students undertake, i.e. Bloom’s ‘steps’ in the Learning Domains (Cognitive – head, knowledgeRead MoreSMSC12647 Words   |  51 Pagesin the teaching and learning process. The following are some examples: to develop the pupils’ capacity for critical and independent thought to foster the emotional life of individual pupils, particularly with regard to the experience and expression of their own feelings to provide opportunities for the expression of imagination, inspiration, insight, empathy and understanding to promote opportunities for moments of stillness, silence and reflection to prepare learning materials and activitiesRead MoreRelationship Between Personality and Achievement in Nursing Student6955 Words   |  28 PagesI S S U E S A N D IN N O V A T I O N S I N N U R S I N G E D U C A T I O N A path model of factors inï ¬â€šuencing the academic performance of nursing students Richard Ofori BEd MSc RNT RMN Lecturer, School of Nursing, University of Salford, Manchester, UK and John P. Charlton BSc PhD Research Fellow, Psychology and Life Sciences Subject Group, Bolton Institute, Bolton, UK Submitted for publication 30 March 2001 Accepted for publication 13 February 2002 Correspondence: Richard Ofori, SchoolRead MorePtlls Level 311404 Words   |  46 Pagespractice that directly impact on your teaching. c. Identify the legislative requirements and codes of practice that directly impact on your learning environment. ANSWERS 1.1. †¢ Explain what your actual or perceived role, responsibilities and boundaries are as a teacher in terms of the teaching/training cycle. I intend to continue to be a trainer in management and in the security sector. The role, responsibilities and boundaries of a trainer are ever changingRead MoreSantrock Edpsych Ch0218723 Words   |  75 Pagescognitive development. These are some of the questions we will explore: †¢ Do children develop in distinct stages, or is their development smoother and more continuous? †¢ How do children develop physically, and how does this affect their behaviour and learning? †¢ What is the best way to characterize students’ cognitive development? How might knowledge of students’ cognitive development influence the way you teach? †¢ How does language develop? What is the best way to teach students to communicate verbally

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Through it All, Richard Nixon was a Great American

Richard Milhous Nixon was the 37th President of the United States of America. He was born in Yorba Linda, California. He was born to Francis Anthony Nixon and Hannah Milhous Nixon. He also was the second of five children, all boys. His brothers Harold and Arthur, died at an early age for him, when Harold died at 24. he was 20, and when Arthur died at 7 years old, Richard was only 12 years old. He was born on a ranch, living in a home his father had built. When the ranch didn’t prosper, the Nixon family moved to Whittier, California, to be closer to Hannah’s family. In 1930, he became enrolled in Whittier College, studying interests such as, drama, football, and student government. He then later graduated 7 years later, in June of 1937. In January of 1938, a mere year after he graduated, he enrolled himself in Whittier College once again, but this time, to pursue his new interest of law firm. Whilst continuing studying he met a Schoolteacher whose name was Thelma Catheri ne Ryan, who went by â€Å"Pat† for short. They married on June 21st, 1940. In January 19742, they moved to Washington D.C. After quitting his job, at the Office of Price Administration, he joined the Navy, where he served in Combat Air Transport Command. In 1946, at the end of the war, Republicans encouraged Nixon to run for congress, and in November of 1946, he won over the seat by more than 15,00 votes. In order to become the Senator of California, in 1950 Richard Nixon defeated Helen Gahagan Douglas, aShow MoreRelatedBiography of Richard Milhous Nixon Essay1194 Words   |  5 Pages Richard Milhous Nixon, a US President, resigned from office. Richard Nixon went through a lot of hard troubles to get to presidency to have to resign before he could finish his second term, even though he did some great deeds as president. Nixon despite his mistakes, made a great impact on the United States. Nixon’s childhood wasn’t the childhood one dreams of having. Nixon was born on January 9, 1913 on a lemon ranch in Yorba Linda, California. His parents were not wealthy which meant NixonRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal Of The United States1172 Words   |  5 PagesNegligent Nixon: The Watergate Scandal The President of the United States is one of the most coveted, but difficult positions to obtain in the world. Every four years a new leader is elected to uphold the supreme laws of the land that make up our constitution. The president is sworn into office on their inaugural day in January where they are sworn to faithfully execute and support all laws in the constitution, delegate international matters, and be an advocate for the people. As the new leader ofRead MoreSpeech : An Analysis Of Richard Nixons Speech1441 Words   |  6 Pagesthe 1952 presidential election, vice-presidential candidate Richard Nixon confronted a selective political persecution. He was targeted, possibly by those within his own party, by the drudging up and the exposing of a slush fund, in which Nixon used to pay for extra governmental expenses. Instead by heeding to the political pressure and removing himself from the ticket, like those who created the scandal would have wanted, Richard Nixon delivered a n impeccable thirty-minute speech, in which he notRead MoreThe Watergate Scandal Essay example1189 Words   |  5 Pagesconstitutional crisis which broke out in 1972 during the presidential reign of Richard Nixon, remains a mysterious happening even today. Some details, people, events, degrees of involvement, and reasons are still unresolved. But what began as a third-rate burglary on June 17, 1972 escalated into a full- blown scandal that had a resounding effect on how many Americans viewed the government of their country. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Richard Nixon’s presidency and Watergate triggered a first-rate national scandalRead MoreAmerican History: The Vietnam War1670 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Nixon Wins By Thin Margin† read the front page of the New York Times on Thursday November 7th, 1968, two days after Election Day. Richard Nixon won about 4 times the margin he lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960. The craziness that occurred during the election went hand in hand with the chaos of 1968. In this election, there were three candidates: Richard Nixon of the Republican Party, Hubert Humphrey of the Democratic Party, and George Wallace of the American Independent Party. The candidates did notRead MoreRichard Milhouse Nixon Essay1060 Words   |  5 PagesRichard Milhouse Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon was born to Frank and Hannah Nixon on January 9, 1913. He was the second eldest son of five sons and was born and raised in Yorba Linda, California. His father worked as a jack of all trades until buying a family operated store where Richard worked as a child. Hannah Nixon taught Richard to read young, and by age five he was solidly progressing in the three Rs. Throughout school Richard was always among the top of his class and upon graduationRead MoreAmerica s War On Drugs1539 Words   |  7 Pages On June 17th, 1971, President Richard Nixon declared drug abuse to be â€Å"America’s Public Enemy #1† in a press conference in which he called for an â€Å"all out offensive† against this enemy, an initiative that would later be known as America’s War on Drugs. By giving this speech, thus starting â€Å"The War on Drugs,† President Nixon created what would eventually become one of the most catastrophic failures in United State s political history. Analysis of the historical events surrounding Nixon’s declarationRead MoreRichard Nixon Essay628 Words   |  3 PagesRichard Nixon History will inevitably forgive Richard Nixon. Despite his obvious unlawful mistakes, he made a good president. Until 1968, most Americans saw Richard Nixon as a political has-been, a dour pre-McCarthy hunter of Communists. In 1968, however, Nixon won the Presidency by presenting himself as a healer of divisions. He demonstrated that he had greater ability to reinvent himself than any other modern politician. More than any other figure between the death of Franklin D. RooseveltRead MorePlan of Investigation 1501631 Words   |  7 PagesKissinger’s, and in a broader range, Richard Nixon administration’s diplomacy with China. Summary of Evidence 695 In the first two decades of the postwar period, U.S-Soviet relations were characterized by many fits and starts. The relationship between the three nations of the US, the SU, and the PRC were tepid, with no real inclination in establishing amity among themselves. Prior to the Nixon administration, direct communication with the People’s Republic of China was very limited, with closed meetingsRead MoreThe American Role During The Vietnam War Still Sparks Much Debate Today1390 Words   |  6 PagesThe American role in the Vietnam War still sparks much debate today. There is a sharp focus on the Americans role in the Vietnam War because of the tragic end for the South Vietnamese. The United States faced much criticism world wide through literature during the war that continued after the war ended in 1975. The American governments reasoning for getting involved was to prevent the spread of communism in South Vietnam and to essentially prevent the domino effect. South Vietnam ha d no hope of winning

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Foxconn’s Labor Condition Free Essays

string(122) " suggest Foxconn to increase the basic salary, hire more employees and provide more training to solve the above problems\." Introduction (A)Background of Foxconn Foxconn is the subsidiary of the Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. , Ltd. , which is a Taiwanese multinational electronics manufacturing company headquartered in Taiwan. We will write a custom essay sample on Foxconn’s Labor Condition or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is the world’s largest maker of electronic components. Foxconn is primarily an original design manufacturer and its clients include major American, European and Japanese electronics and information technology companies. Notable products manufactured by the company include iPad, iPhone, iPod, PlayStation, etc. Foxconn has factories in many different countries, which together assemble around 40 percent of consumer electronic products in the world. The reason why Foxconn become famous is that it helps Apple to assemble iPhones. In recent year, demand for Apple’s products increase dramatically. Foxconn thus mainly focus on assemble its products and receiving fewer orders from other company. However, Foxconn has been involved in several controversies, most relating to how it manages employees in China since it is the largest private-sector employer. The employees’ suicide cases are reflecting on this problem. Therefore, Apple hired the Fair Labour Association to conduct an audit of working conditions at Foxconn in 2012. (B)Issue of the news Strike was happened in Zhengzhou factory of Foxconn in 5 October this year. Three to four thousands of employees stop working. This may affect the progress of the production line for assembling the iPhone 5. The poor working conditions are the main reason lead to the strike as Foxconn did not concern about the physical and mental health of employees. The long working hours make employees feel tired. Their effort put into the work did not have reasonable return as they only earn a very low wages for such a long working hour. Employees therefore cannot concentrate on their works. Moreover, Employees face high pressure working at Foxconn. Recent news had pointed out that Foxconn workers were fail to meet the high product quality standard of Apple, because the structure of Iphone 5 is more complicated and workers have not been given enough training before they start their work, so high failure rate is obtained. The long working hour and the unsatisfactory in the production of the iPhone 5 make employees therefore face tremendous psychological pressure. Although the spokesperson explains it is only the employee dispute and will not affect the factory production. We disagreed that the strike did not bring any negative impact to Foxconn. In this report, we will examine the consequences of the strike and recommend suitable methods to solve the problem in order to minimize those negative impacts bring to the Foxconn. Causes FLA has investigated that Foxconn was fail to provide reasonable work time, compensation as well as working condition for the workers. For instance, more than 40 percent of workers had experienced or witnessed an industrial accident in the factory. (A)Long working hour with low wages The long working hour is unreasonable to the workers. In Foxconn, workers have to work for twelve hours per day excluding overtime working but they only have two to three holidays per month. Thus, they need to work over seventy hours per week and they can only get one holiday after working for ten to fourteen days. The average number of hours worked per week at Foxconn is found to be exceeded both the Fair Labor Association (FLA) Code Standard of sixty hours per week and the Chinese legal limits of forty hours per week. The wages of the workers are also relatively low. After raising the wage in 2010, the basis wage of a worker is about two thousand dollars per month. It is not reasonable for such a long working hour but the wages is so low. If the workers want to earn more, they need to work over time so that they can earn about four thousand dollars in which over 70% of the wage are overtime pay, reward and allowance. B)High pressure Leadership had high demand requirement for the quality of iPhone 5, for example the appearance of effect can only within 0. 02 millimeters. But Foxconn did not provide any training course for employees, employee faced difficulties in producing such perfect iPhone 5 under the strict requirement. Supervisor blamed the assembly workers every day not only because of t he failure in producing the perfect product but also because of receiving so many complaints about the appearance of iPhone 5 from all over the world. In Foxconn, worker is like a machine. Workers are specialized to maximize the productivity of the factory. They are required to complete each action in two seconds. Furthermore, workers who go to toilet more than ten minutes, talk or fail to meet the product targets will receive warning or even dismiss. The workers therefore are under pressure due to the tight schedule and the dissatisfaction of the products’ quality from the ultimate users, the supervisor and themselves. Consequemces Employee is a very important asset of a company as it can’t function well without enough manpower. It is very obvious in the manufacturing company that without enough workers it cannot produce the goods on time which may affect their profit as well as their reputation. Foxconn may need to delay or even fail in delivering the iPhone 5 to Apple on time due to the strike. It may need to compensate the loss that Apple incurred due to the insufficient supplies of iPhone 5 which may decrease the profit estimated by Foxconn. Also, the complexity in producing the iPhone 5 may increase the cost of production as the raw materials used may be more than expected while the imperfect iPhone 5 provided for Apple may affect the reputation of Foxconn. Besides, Foxconn’s bargaining power may decrease due to the failure in providing the products that the customers wanted. Recommedations We are confident that Foxconn may suffer loss due to the strike and we are going to give some recommendations to Foxconn in order to minimize the potential loss that may incur. We suggest Foxconn to increase the basic salary, hire more employees and provide more training to solve the above problems. You read "Foxconn’s Labor Condition" in category "Essay examples" (A)Increase basisc salary Employees in Foxconn receive low basic salary and they have to work overtime in order to earn enough money for maintain their living standard. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the consumer price index of food, clothes and necessity increased by 5%, 3. 1% and 2. 2% respectively in October (compared to same period last year). ( http://www. stats. gov. cn/tjsj/jdsj/t20121112_402850686. htm). The inflation further increases workers’ burden of living. If Foxconn increase workers’ basic salary then they do not need to work overtime which may shorten their working hour. (B)Hire more employees Employing more workers can also shorten working hours. Foxconn is now using two-shift system, so workers need to work for twelve hours per day. If more workers are employed and three-shift system is used, workers only need to work for eight hours per day. Under this system, the factory can still maintain 24-hours operation while workers have shorter working hours. Besides, employing more workers can release workers’ great pressure. Workers are required to maintain high efficiency, so they are not allowed to do unnecessary things even talking and smiling. Based on the investigation, nearly half of the employees feel stressed while working (http://cn. nytimes. com/article/business/2012/11/06/cc06foxconn/zh-hk/? pagemode=print). If Foxconn employ more workers to share the heavy work load, workers do not need to work with the unreasonable high efficiency. Then, their high pressure can be released. (C)Provide more training By providing training resource to frontline workers, the workers are able to much more familiar with the technical knowledge of the products, and lower failure rate which may also reduce their pressure. For example, Foxconn can invite a specialist from Apple Incorporation, in order to introduce or demonstrate the technical knowledge about product manufacturing in front of the frontline workers. Therefore, the probability of making mistakes decrease, workers will not be punished and they can be more relaxed. Although the above practice will raise the operating cost of the factory, the potential benefits can resolve the existing problems of the company that is the settlement of the worker’s strike. How can the recommendation be beneficial to Foxconn The suggestion we recommended not only minimize the potential losses that may incur. It can also improve the overall situation of Foxconn in management accounting perspective. (A)Higher fixed cost structure Hiring additional employees lead to an increase in fixed cost, while increase in overtime pay rate lead to an increase on variable cost. Since the specialist salary and training materials are usually a fixed amount, the overall training cost is regarded as fixed cost in general. With the assumption that China has great growth potential, and the global economic atmosphere will be improved in the coming future, a low variable cost tructure and higher contribution margin ratio are most preferred. The reason is that Foxconn’s profit will increase more rapidly as sales increase, in other words, greater profit can be resulted in good years. In addition, our recommendation helps workers are able to take enough rest, so that higher efficiency can be achieved. (B)Ethical concern – CSR Apart from amending the cost structure of Foxconn, we suggest the managemen t should take account of corporate social responsibility in decision making process. With reference to the article of Foxconn worker condition, they received low paid relative to excessive worktime and they suffer in high working pressure, especially in assembling the Iphone 5. By introducing corporate social responsibility, Foxconn should consider the needs of all stakeholders including employees when making decisions. In details, it should provide safe and humane working conditions for workers. Also, it should pay fair compensation and provide opportunities for training, promotion and personal development. According to KPMG International Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting 2011, reputation on brand, ethical considerations and employees’ motivation are top 3 businesses imperative that drive companies into corporate social responsibility. It indicates how companies enjoy the result of corporate responsibility. Except voluntarily fulfilling the moral obligation, a company can develop a good image in society which enables them to attract loyal customers. With the positive reputation, the company will be distinguished from the others and become the customers’ preference. Besides, employees tend to stay in the company with goodwill and work hard with the enjoyment of being ethic. Thus, corporate responsibility increases employees’ loyalty and productivity. The potential benefits of corporate social responsibility will be the incentive of Foxconn to take their employees into consideration and provide better support for them in decision making process. Conclusion To sum up, we think that the strike may bring negative impacts to Foxconn and it should find ways to prevent it and solve it as soon as possible in order to minimize the loss which may incur. Our recommendations of hiring additional employees and providing training resources will lead to an increase in fixed cost, and net income will decrease consequently with the assumption that the variable cost keep constant. However, we believed that the decrease in profit can be compensated by the overall benefit bring to Foxconn by increasing the workers’ morale, production efficiency and higher product quality. More importantly, it helps Foxconn to create a positive public image. Since our recommendation will lead to a significant increase in fixed cost, Foxconn should pay attention to its sales volume. It is because increase in fixed cost will lead to an increase in break-even sales volume, so margin of safety will be dropped consequently. It means that the risk of incurring a loss will become higher. Therefore, Foxconn should ensure that current sales level should above or equal the break-even sales volume, and prevent from emerging loss. However, it is expected that Foxconn can still have a steady growth in sales volume in the coming future, because there is still huge demand in Apple products. How to cite Foxconn’s Labor Condition, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Auditing Accomplish Objective Of Concluding-Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Auditing Accomplish Objective Of Concluding? Answer: Introducation: Analytical Procedure and Risk Assessment are two main activities performed by an auditor while auditing to accomplish the objective of concluding appropriate conclusion (DeFond and Lennox, 2017.). Analytical procedures are asignificant factor of the financial audit which assists an auditor to understand and identify its clients business and changes to determine possible risks in order to plan audit procedures. On the other hand, the Inherent risk is evaluated in each area with an objective of reducing it to an acceptable level (Cannon and Bedard, 2016). The present study is based on the application of analytical procedures, and risk assessment has been done for Double Ink Printers Ltd as an auditor. Further explanation relating to existing key fraud risk factors and inherent risk factors has been provided in the report. ASA 520 deals with therequirement and other explanatory details relating to theapplication of analytical procedures as substantive analytical procedures. In accordance with views of Griffith, Hammersley and Kadous, (2015) analytical procedures play an important role as an attention-directing device in the process of audit planning, used by auditors to identify the timing, nature and degree of their procedural. In accordance with the provision available in the standard the main purpose of using analytical procedures in this process is to make an increment in auditors plan for the better understanding of client business and determination of particular risks of anaudit by observing abnormal or unforeseen relationships or balances in data. In present scenario in case of audit planning of DIPL Ltd, the analytical procedures used might be inclusive of the following: Comparison of Accounting balance: make a comparison of the amounts of unadjusted trial balance with the amounts of adjusted tried balance of the preceding year balances available in balance sheet of DIPL Ltd.. Receivables and sales must be equal unless there is achange in the base of thecustomer, organizations credit policy or its practices of thecollection. Calculation of significant ratios: assessment of current ratio above various reporting periods of DIPL Ltd. This computing of current assets with current liabilities must be similar unless the business has changed its procedures regarding debtors and creditors. Estimate of ratios with the help of non-financial and financial data (Hayes, Wallage, and Gortemaker, 2014.). Regression analysis: Analyzing the amount relating to expenses of previous years and assessing the same for a present year along with adjustment of inflation of DIPL Ltd. The days sales outstanding metric of DIPL Ltd will be compared to the balance outstanding of previous years. This correlation between receivables and sales should remain about the same over time, unless some change in variant i.e. customer base exists, the manner in which credit is allowed to customers or its collection period. This procedure is part of ratio analysis. The balance which is carried to next year should be assessed and trend analysis of same should be analysed. This expense increase to a certain extent every year, thus inflation in same should also be assessed. If it is not assessed in appropriate manner than chances of fraudulent payments are more such as payment of fake employees etc. The four elements which are included as distinct stepsin the procedure of substantial analytical procedure have been specified below. They have been applied in context with data available regarding Double Ink Printers Ltd: Development of independent expectation:In thepresent scenario, accounts which are required to be analysed in detail are Purchases and Inventory, Revenue and Receivables, Cash, Inventory. The changes in method of inventory should be assessed in appropriate manner that whether the same represent books of accounts in more appropriate manner (Arens, Elder, Beasley and Hogan, 2016). The above-specified accounts are the most significant; thus the same should be assessed in detail Evaluating and ascertaining significant differences: A variety of substantive procedure is available and the same is chosen by the auditor in accordance with his objectives of theprocedure. In present case ratio analysis and trend analysis has been applied for accomplishing the objective. Ratio Analysis Trend Analysis: The three groups of ratios have been assessed in anappropriate manner: Profitability ratios (Amount in $) Profitability Ratios Formula 2013 2014 2015 Sales 34212000 37699500 43459500 Gross Profit Gross Profit / Sales *100 17.5509 16.1262 15.1969 Net Profit Net Profit / Sales *100 6.8958 6.07796 6.83897 As per the analysis, it has been concluded that even though, sales of DIPL Ltd. have been increased each year but gross profit net profit is not having increasing trend in that accordance. The reason for decreasing gross profit might be an increase in the cost of goods. It is necessarily required to be assessed in detail. However net profit does not have that much change even after a major change in interest expenses on loan taking during thecurrent year. The reason behind same can be an allowance for inventory obsolesce written back and amajor increase in revenue from operations and e-book storage fees. It should be checked in anappropriate manner. Liquidity Ratio Formula 2013 2014 2015 Current Ratio C A /CL 1.42485 1.46656 1.50073 Quick asset ratio (CA - Inventory) / CL (Khan, Serafeim and Yoon, 2016) 0.82798 0.94483 0.84727 Note: CA = Current Assets , CL = Current Liabilities An increase in trend of the current ratio of DIPL Ltd. can be assessed which means the liquidity of company has increased in comparison to previous years. As current ratio is more than 1 existsin the entire scenario which indicates that no issues regarding going concern assumption are present.However, the condition in case of quick asset ratio is not the same as it comparatively fluctuates. The reason for the change required to be assessed by asking the management about the reasons behind it and the same required to be resolved. Risk ratio Formula 2013 2014 2015 Gearing Ratio Long term loan finance / Equity Financials - - 0.61222 Interest coverage ratio Operating Profit Before Interest / Interest 40.9421 40.1257 2.78608 Indebtedness of a company can be analysed in anappropriate manner with theapplication of risk ratios. The increase in gearing ratio specifies that risk relating to increasing in non-payment of interest increases (Jiao, 2015). From above calculations, it can be assessed that a major change has occurred in interest coverage ratio and the same is due to theloan of $7500000 in thecurrent year. Even after taking aloan, thecompany is having thecapability of earning profits more than twice of its interest expenses which mean interest can be paid during lean times. Calculations relating to interest need to be verified with loan statement and other available documents. Investing significant difference and making conclusions If the results are significantly different as desired, the auditor must do discussion regarding this with management. A definite degree of uncertainty is required while discussing, as management might not research into anintellectual explanation, ormight befalse or hiding. The response of management must be looked and considered as valuable while conducting asimilaranalysis in the next year. Involvement of auditors is essential in analytical procedures. As per the provisions available in ISA 320, it is vital to document the applied analytical procedures for understanding the work done in more appropriate manner. Inherent risk can be specified as the receptiveness of an assertion regarding a group of transaction, balance or revelation relating to misstatement which might be material either on an individual basis or in aggregate with another misstatement before consideration of any related control (Knechel and Salterio, 2016). The same has been specified in ASA 200 Overall Objectives of Independent Auditor and conduct an audit in accordance with Auditing Standards. In present scenario in case of DIPL two inherent risk factors which arise from the nature of DIPLs business operations nature have been explained below along with reason behind same and the manner in which it will affect the possibility of material misstatement available in the financial statement: Inappropriate evaluation of allowance relating to obsolescence of Inventory: As per the study of Krahel and Titera, (2015) inherent risk result due to the failure of control or misleading information in the accounting system. In thepresentcase, as thecompany was following valuation of raw material at average cost and providing allowance relating to obsolescence of Inventory; but in present year they have decided to write back the same in books of account. As it will affect the profit, as well as the valuation of inventory and any error in this calculation, might lead to risk relating to incorrect valuation of inventory. This risk can be reduced through assessing in detail manner that what is the reason for changing the policy regarding valuation of Inventory and whether the same provide a more fairer view of books of accounts or not (Ruhnke and Schmidt, 2014). In case it does not provide afair view of books of account than the policy should be reassessed and alterationsare required to be done accordingly. Reconciliation and testing issue relating to New IT System: DIPL has decided to adopt a new IT system which is fully computerized and integrate the whole existing accounting process of organization. However, the system has been installed with theapplication of great pressure of the management and reconciliation and testing procedures continued until year end. Thus, the reports and calculation made by the system cannot be accepted without assessing the same in detail. The risk comprises the nature of inherent risk. Thus the same is treated as aninherentrisk. As the reports, calculations and account balances which are part of thefinancial report might be misstated. In accordance with views of Simunic, Ye and Zhang, (2017) thus, the overall impact of small errors due to this new IT system might increase the risk relating to a material misstatement in the financial statement. The same risk can be reduced by the auditor by applying test procedure on the new IT system to ascertain to what extent the report, account balances and other information pr ovided by the same can be relied on or not. ASA 240 Auditors Responsibilities Relating to Fraud in an Audit of Financial Report deals with issues relating to risk fraud factors existing in an organization. Fraud can be referred as abroad concept for the purpose of Australian Accounting Standard; though auditor is concerned with the fraud which results in amisstatement of the financial report whether intentional or unintentional (Toy and Hay, 2014.). It has been specified in ASA 240 that fraud risk factors mean situations or conditions which encourage committing of fraud or provide an opportunity of committing fraud. It case of DIPL following key fraud risk factors have been specified below along with the manner in which they will affect the conduct of audit: Pressure on management for theadoption of New IT system: In the present scenario, management of DIPL has been pressurized for adopting the new IT system to a major extent. Even though it had been complained by many times by the IT manager regarding the manner, it has been installed. Thus, as whole management is having various issues, thus same can result in opportunity available for fraud and gain undue advantage. The manner in which they will affect the conduct of audit: The same will affect the auditing procedure applied by the auditor for assessing the effectiveness of the system.The auditor can apply CAAT tools for analysing the transparency of the system (Van and et.al. 2014). Further for ascertaining whether all entered transactions have been included while preparing afinancial statement of the company; few dummy transactions can be entered into the system, and the impact of same on the financial statement can be evaluated. Internal Control system is deficient due to inadequate monitoring of control: No appropriate internal control system is present in DIPL for evaluating whether the provided obligations have been appropriately applied by the management or not. The same might result into revenue recognition higher in comparison to actual revenue. The manner in which they will affect the conduct of audit: This fraud factor will also have aneffect on the audit procedure applied by the auditor in acase like reports provided by management relating to various operations and activities of thebusiness. In accordance with views of William, Glover and Prawitt, (2016) the auditor will require increased recognition for corroborate management explanations or representing concerned matters. These risk factors will affect the audit procedures to be applied for providing anappropriate opinion relating to the financial statement of DIPL. References Abraham, S. and Shrives, P.J. 2014. Improving the relevance of risk factor disclosure in corporate annual reports.The British accounting review.46(1) Pp.91-107. Arens, A.A., Elder, R.J., Beasley, M.S. and Hogan, C.E. 2016.Auditing and assurance services. Pearson. Cannon, N. and Bedard, J.C, 2016. Auditing challenging fair value measurements: Evidence from the field.The Accounting Review. DeFond, M.L. and Lennox, C.S., 2017. Do PCAOB Inspections Improve the Quality of Internal Control Audits?.Journal of Accounting Research,55(3). Pp.591-627. Griffith, E.E., Hammersley, J.S. and Kadous, K., 2015. Audits of complex estimates as verification of management numbers: How institutional pressures shape practice. Contemporary Accounting Research,32(3). Pp.833-863. Hayes, R., Wallage, P. and Gortemaker, H., 2014.Principles of auditing: an introduction to international standards on auditing. Pearson Higher Ed. Jiao, A.Y. 2015.Police Auditing: Standards and Applications. Charles C Thomas Publisher. Khan, M., Serafeim, G. and Yoon, A. 2016. Corporate sustainability: First evidence on materiality.The Accounting Review.91(6). Pp.1697-1724. Knechel, W.R. and Salterio, S.E. 2016.Auditing: Assurance and risk. Taylor Francis. Krahel, J.P. and Titera, W.R., 2015. Consequences of big data and formalization on accounting and auditing standards.Accounting Horizons,29(2). Pp.409-422. Ruhnke, K. and Schmidt, M., 2014. Misstatements in financial statements: The relationship between inherent and control risk factors and audit adjustments.Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory,33(4), Pp.247-269. Simunic, D.A., Ye, M. and Zhang, P., 2017. The joint effects of multiple legal system characteristics on auditing standards and auditor behavior.Contemporary Accounting Research,34(1). Pp.7-38. Toy, A. and Hay, D.C., 2014. Privacy auditing standards.Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory,34(3), Pp.181-199. van Buuren, J., Koch, C., van Nieuw Amerongen, N. and Wright, A.M., 2014. The use of business risk audit perspectives by non-big 4 audit firms.Auditing: A Journal of Practice Theory,33(3), Pp.105-128. William Jr, M., Glover, S. and Prawitt, D., 2016.Auditing and assurance services: A systematic approach. McGraw-Hill Education.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Je me souviens, Riviere-du-Loup free essay sample

Riviere-du-Loup (RDL), a little town in northeastern Quebec claims to have the second most beautiful sunset after Hawaii. The sunset was indeed gorgeous- filled with vibrant colour and welcoming warmth, but it did not compare to the beauty of the people I shared it with. In summer 2010, I spent 5 glorious weeks in RDL for a French immersion program called J’explore. I arrived with little expectations, but I came back with treasured experiences that allowed me to grow as an person. RDL was magical thanks to my fellow explorers. Everyone brought ideas and characteristics unique to who they were and where they came from. Someone from the western provinces like Alberta introduced us to the unofficial sport of â€Å"muddling† one big party in a mud field. Another delighted us with his Newfoundland accent because he was the only â€Å"Newfie† we have ever met. As I just came back from an exchange in France, I taught everyone French slang and was soon dubbed the resident tutor, a role that I loved because I was gratified to help others improve. We will write a custom essay sample on Je me souviens, Riviere-du-Loup or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page A friend told me that everyone is a blank sheet (like tabula rasa) and living brings colour. As people meet, their pages touch and the colours seep from one page to another, making every page even more special. Undoubtedly, my page was overflowing with colours because everyone I met created a palette even more diverse than the sunset. They mixed together into a whirlwind, taking the town, and me, by storm. I felt like the sky, absorbing all the colours to make me the best that I’ve ever been. Through my new friends I discovered more of who I wanted to be because I found great traits in each of them from which I wanted to learn, such as incorporating more art into my life and taking more initiative to meet new people. Despite our differences, by being there all together that summer, we created idiosyncrasies that bonded us tighter: from playing a card game with absurd rules that we fondly called â€Å"Mao† to inventing words to get around the strict French-only rules. Those five weeks gave me new encouragement on what I wanted in life. The experience cemented my desire to travel because I realized that I wanted to create many more similar rich experiences and relationships. I was amazed to find that through diversity, people always manage to come together. Moreover, I found that no matter where I am, I naturally fall to the role of a tutor. It gave me great pleasure when someone used a French expression that I taught her in the correct context. It is a role I am proud of and would like to keep. The memories of RDL remind me to remain passionate about new adventures. The diversity of people I encountered during this experience was eye-opening and fortunately, our friendships still remain strong to this day. When I see the colours of sunset, I can see their smiles cheering me on.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Dave Grohl essays

Dave Grohl essays Rarely in the history of Rock has a musician switched bands and instruments simultaneously with such a high degree of success as Dave Grohl (Current Bio. 202). Grohl started his work as a professional musician at the age of 15 in such Ohio punk bands as Mission Impossible, Dain Bramage and Freak Baby (Current Bio. 202). Gorhls original hard-hitting style that was due to his own method of practicing on pillows for lack of an actual drum set was impressive to the frequenters of the local Ohio venues; so impressive, in fact, that Grohl won a place in his own favorite band, Scream, after lying to the front-man, Pete Stahl, about his age. Grohl opted for touring with Scream rather than finishing his senior year in high school; a decision witch ultimately would seal his destiny of becoming one of the most influential drummers of the century. Scream never really became all that popular, but Grohl benefitted greatly from the time he spent with Scream front-man, Pete Stahl. Stahl became Daves father figure and taught him many things during the four years in which they toured together. In 1990, in the middle of a nation-wide tour, Screams bassist, Skeeter, quit the band and left them poor and stranded in Los Angeles. Salvation came quite suddenly as a telephone call was made to Grohl by a little-known Seattle-based band called Nirvana in hopes that he would become their 5th and final drummer. The co-founders of Nirvana were impressed by Grohls Power and Precision (Current Bio. 202) at a Scream concert they had attended preciously. Crohl joined Nirvana in 1990 and embarked on a tour in England with his band-mates and the all female band, L7. Nevermind, Nirvanas seond album, was released in 1991 on Geffen Records. Nevermind soon became one of the most popular albums in history, with more than 10 million sales to date. The album triggered a sea change in popular music&qu...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Procedures in the Physical Sciences Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Procedures in the Physical Sciences - Essay Example Measurement is a very important parameter in the field of physical sciences. Different methods of measurements have used to determine various aspects of the physical environment. Units precede every kind of measurement. They help in giving a description of the physical quantity in question hence enhancing comparison. The three major quantities in physics include length measured in meters, time measured in seconds and mass that is measured in kilograms. The Metric system of measurement has been adopted in most of the countries of the world while the British System of measurement, famous for use inches, miles, and pounds among others has a minimal use in the world despite its ubiquitous use the United States of America. Despite the technological progress experienced in the world today, several challenges are encountered in the measurement of the physical environment. Every measurement made has an associated error that should be recognized whenever a quantity is measured. This error has a numerical value that tries to correct the quality of the estimation done through measurement. Furthermore, it can be in form of a standard uncertainty, whereby the error has a standard figure or a coverage interval whose figure will have a given range of values. However, efforts have been made in trying to minimize these uncertainties. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) has developed â€Å"The Guide to the expression of Uncertainty in Measurement† to help in enacting a common approach to the errors encountered in measurement. In astronomical sciences, it is difficult to use direct measurement calling for indirect measurement strategies. A unique method utilised by the astronomers is the parallax method. This method involves observation of the position of heavenly bodies at different times. They consider factors such as the precise location of the body, the time, the diameter of the earth’s orbit, the angle of viewing to elucidate the distance f rom the earth the heavenly body is located. Geometry is a key science in the calculations since the process involves analysing angles and distances to obtain an unknown distance (Finkelstein 2009). Such distances are unverifiable hence the exact distance especially for heavenly bodies to the sun cannot be determined in precision. Another major setback in measurement is lack of coherence in the communication of measurements. In quantum mechanics, disparities occur because of non-compliance with the recent regulations but instead trusting the predefined and pretested strategies. Space and time are aspects that have depicted some major measurement differences because of their reconstruction from observable quantities. This has created massive measurement challenges in quantum mechanics (Gambini and Pullin, 2012). According to the duo, there occur instances when the quantum state of the machine cannot be differentiated from the statistical components throughout the measurements made. Th is dimension of thought predicts the possibility of other errors in the measurement of a physical system. Technology has influenced the way measurements are done in a great way. The advancement in the computing methods has revolutionised the way measurement of physical elements is made. It has become apparent that most of the measuring instruments have been digitised or they have a

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

American history of business 1865-present Research Paper

American history of business 1865-present - Research Paper Example Each American year in the historical era is documented besides its prevailing economic, social or political phenomenon, thus these classifications are done in terms of units. The units are mainly clusters of years, each of which major transitions were taking place in all realms. However, each cluster of years since 1865 was marked by a contentious issue that required immediate response from the concerned groups (Olson, 2007). These units are investigated in regards to the following divisions: unit 1 (1865-1876) Industrial Revolution, railroads, development of corporations, finance, communication, labor, and introduction of trusts. Unit two (1877-1920) explains about the Impact of Roosevelt's "New Nationalism" vs. Wilson's "New Freedom" and welfare capitalism. Unit 3 (1921-1945) views Technology, consumer spending, introduction of the automobile, and the Great Depression. Unit 4 (1946-1976) looks into Postwar prosperity, organized labor, and the Taft-Hartley Act, while unit 5 (1976-pr esent) is regarded in terms of NAFTA, computer age, and the economic downturn in American business. The major players in regards to the transformations that were taking place in America included the political leaders, immigrated people from other continents, laborers and activists dominating various economic, political, and social realms (Olson, 2007). The discussion in this paper is aimed at the establishment of the history of American business since 1865 and up to the present date. The various units will be carefully examined to enhance the comprehension of the business issue in the aforementioned years. Unit 1 (1865-1876) In unit one, business in America consisted of Industrial Revolution, railroads, development of corporations, finance, communication, labor, and introduction of trusts. There was rapid development in America in this period, rendering America become a leading industrial continent in the global context. The industrial revolution was facilitated by the abundance of natural resources that were exploited to yield useful industrial products. Adequate land was also available that could be utilized in the production of agricultural raw materials, serving as industrial raw materials in the set up industries. The prior and prevailing construction of railroads provided an ample ground for the required industrialization, since the industrialists could penetrate to the deepest parts in search for industrial materials. Availability of adequate labor acted as a long-term rationale to the fast-paced industrial revolution that took place in America. The period was also significant in seeing the Asians and Mexicans rapidly immigrate to America in search for labor, thus the industrializing America gained a favorable ground for the required activities. The ideal presence of rivers that were navigable provided a ground for the cheap extraction of industrial energy as other related items of requirement. The Americans had also enough capital, which served as the major contributing factor to the aspect of industrialization (Ripper, 2008). The development of railroads was rapidly taking place in this period in a bid to meet the immediate needs for transport and industrial increment. The more the railroads continued to expand, the more the industrial expansions took place in America. The opening of these railroads in all places in America saw the creation of more farms, markets, towns in areas that

Monday, November 18, 2019

Merketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Merketing - Essay Example A traditional philosophy of marketing, known as the production philosophy, believes that a good product will sell itself (Sandhusen, 2000, p. 13). By the beginning of the 20th century this had evolved into a sales oriented system. The sales based philosophy worked on the belief that a good salesman could sell anything to anyone. It relied on advertising and customer manipulation (Sandhusen, 2000, p. 13). These philosophies evolved throughout its history and most modern theorists now contend that all business is customer driven and successful marketing is getting the customer what they want at a price they are willing to pay (Lancaster & Reynolds, 1999, p. 78). Marketing has been described as "[...] the process of planning and executing the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods, and services to create exchanges that satisfy individual and organisational objectives" (Lancaster & Reynolds, 1999, p. 1). It is not so much a single task as it is a concept of visualising your customer through their eyes, and creating a profit by understanding and satisfying their needs by providing something of value (Forsyth, 1999, p.124). In its basic form, marketing matches the companys capability to supply the customer with a customers need for goods. This process is often analysed through the use of the 4Ps/4Cs model. The producer controls product, price, promotion, and place. The customer controls their 4C counterparts of customer solution, cost, communication, and convenience. In general, though price incentives can be utilised on a limited basis at some cost to profitability, marketing can only control the promotion and the place in the short term. The customer controls the cost they are willing to pay, acceptance as a solution, convenience, and communication with the producer. Except by manipulation, the company is limited to only researching the aspects that are controlled by the

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Organisations

Organisations Today organizations especially large ones are very complicated, because they are in a continuously changing business and economic environment. Moreover consumers demand is high, constantly changes and all that force organisations to be in an intensive competition and to increase the standards of performance. Companies have established Human resource departments or senior managers to perform human resource management functions and use practices in order to try to improve and sustain a better organisational performance. Every company has to know their employees, their capabilities to actually get best of them because it is believed to be the most valuable capital and main source of competitive advantage. In 2001, Calkin claimed, that more than 30 studies in the US and UK leave no room for doubt; how organizations mange and develop people has a powerful-perhaps the most powerful-effect on overall performance, including the bottom line. The main ones have been done in the past starts in 1990s by Arthur in 1992, 1994; MacDuffie in 1995; Martell and Carroll in 1995b; Huselid in 1995; Delaney and Huselid in 1996; Wood in 1996; Guest in 2001 which claim to prove statistically the bond between both HRM practises and organizational performance because of increased productivity. The results of their studies are that the HRM activities such as decentralisation of authority will result in lower degree of turnover (Arthur, 1994) or Bundles of internally consistent HRM practices are associated with higher productivity and quality ( McDuffie, 1995) are to support the hypothesis that there is a link between HRM and the HRM outcomes on performance. Also looking through studies established in the UK call centres, US firms, Australia and New Zealand manufactures, Norway, those cases do identify a relevance in favour that there is a relationship between human resource management and organisational performance. However there is a strong criticism about them, especially how the resea rch was performed, evaluation methods used and the data interpreted. Before linking HRM and performance it is important to understand what it is. First of all human resource management in many textbooks is simply explained as getting things done through the people. A more objective definition would be proposed by Storey (1998) where he states that HRM is a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques. Additionally it useful to mention that is the strategic perspective of HR, which actually presents the importance of human resource practices for organisational performance Companies try to achieve significant superior performance by using HRM and different practices. The US academic Jeffrey Pfeffer (1998) identified seven main HR practices in the successful organisations. According Pfeffer human resource practices for performance improvement are: employment security, selective hiring, self-managed work teams, high pay contingent on company performance, extensive training, reduction of status differences, sharing information. Later European researchers Den Hartog and Verbug (2004) complemented Pfeffers job by distinguishing eight key practices which help to understand the association between HR and organizational performance. They are: employment skills, autonomy, pay-for-performance, profit-sharing, performance appraisal, team performance, information-sharing, job evaluation. Thus there is different ways to recognise how HR policies and practices actually contribute, because only certain ones might always result in high performance. This approach is called universalistic approach. The contingency approach proposes that that variety of practices needed to make a difference also taking into account environment and business strategy. Another view is that we have to realise that every organisation has its own culture, unique employees and because of that the set of HR practices and polices which will be the best will also be unique to that company. This approach is call as resource-based view (D.Torrington, L.Hall, S.Taylor, 2008 p.256). Every organisation has different outcomes and according Brattson and Gold this organisational performance can be measured from two sides (2007 4thed:527). The first measure is operating performance what includes reduced unit costs, improved product/service quality, labour productivity, innovation of products and processes all those are employee related indicators. Another measure of a performance is by financial performance such as profit, market share, and return on investment. Because companies can quite easily copy one anothers technology, but not human resource capabilities if an organisation has well working HR practices that is a big advantage to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. (Toby D. Wall and Stephen J. Wood, 2005) For instance not a long time ago Stephen Wood, David Holman and Christopher Stride (2006) did a research on HRM and performance in UK call centres. They have use data from a sample of 145 UK call centres and the research has found direct relationships between human resource practices and performance. However the represented response rate was only 20per cent. It is very low response rate, but it allowed for the authors to make conclusions from what was detected that firstly, that performance appraisal was negatively associated with unauthorised absence. Secondly, systematic selection tests, longer initial training and higher levels of internal recruitment were positively associated with achieving target times and suggestion making. Also there was significant links between relationship-building and both work discretion and teamworking, task discretion is associated with both training and improvement teams as well as internal recruitment seems to improve performance and innovation, cust omers satisfaction.(p:117-120) This example identifies relevance that practices and their implementation are vital ingredient in linking employees especially management to overall organisational performance. In addition there is a reason given to believe in a linkage because of Peters H. van der Meer and Kristens Ringdals research which was conducted in Norway (2003) findings were positive after organisation introduced job rotation which appeared to reduce labour costs per unit produced by having lower wage cost. Also the productivity increased more than in the organisations without job rotations. However the critique here would be that like in other similar works that there is n obvious limitation in data collection, because results could be affected by selectivity and response of respondents, also there is not enough of the evidence to prove. Graeme Salaman, John Storey and Jon Billsberry state that it is very important to identify the best HRM practices, those whose adoption generally leads to valued firm-level outcomes (2005:p122) Authors have extinguished that as extensive recruitment, selection, and training policies; formal information sharing, attitude assessment, job design, grievance procedures, and labour management participation programs; performance appraisals, promotion, and incentive compensation systems that recognise and reward employees practices. Than the research was given which was held in the US 3,452 firms participating. There were thirteen High performance practices to analyse the independent contribution of each practice to firm performance. The results showed that before the research there was a strong support for the hypotheses predicting that High performance work Practices will affect firm performance and important employment outcomes, the results justified it and that also significant effects o f High performance practices found are also financially meaningful as Graeme Salaman, John Storey and Jon Billsberry state.(2005: p140) Although all those studies propose that there is a synergy among increasing productivity and HRM especially strategic HRM, what is the overall combination of HR philosophy, processes, policies, programmes and practices creating the human performance desired and it is doing so at a reasonable cost (Gordan 2001). However not all of the studies finds only positive results. For instance it was thought because of the previous studies that one of the main HR practices are training and team working, from the example of NHS. Thus the research does identify a link; it can not be taken for granted that HR really helps to reduce mortality rates. Yes training helps to develop skills, and company expects them to be transferred into work floor, but does it happen straight after employees have been trained. Moreover according the D. Challis, D.Salmon and B.Lawson research done in the Australia and New Zeland 1024 manufacturing sites indicates that organizational and human resource practices are sig nificant additional variance in both employee and manufacturing performance. The results have showed that both training and teams are important in weak manufacturing environments, but are not significant in strong manufacturing environments. Moreover although training helps develop worker skills, it may not be enough to guarantee that skills employee got will actually be transferred to the factory floor.'(2005 vol. 43(1) p.103) So it is very difficult to prove and there are some disadvantages of the processed studies and the results. First of all because of the evaluation of a study is very subjective. There are different available methods used in evaluating results. People have their own interpretation, opinions, such as about the turnover, in one case it can be assumed to be a good thing because constantly changing employees bring new ideas into the organisation. And on the other hand if employees today do not have job satisfaction, do not have their career developing, do not get higher wages or better working conditions they leave. Some peoples answers depend upon the way questioned employees feel that day, or because after the notice of research taking place makes them feel suspicious maybe and work harder. Also it depends on the bundles of practices used in the research and put together. Sometimes it can be forgotten that practices used or implemented can bring benefits after long term. The author Phillips (1991) in his book states that external factors can influence and change the performance, government regulation, labour market conditions, and union strength. For instance the economic recession determines workers to work hard and not to l ose jobs in the case of reduction of staff. A very relevant critique was found in an article called The romance of human resource management and business performance, and the case for big science written by Toby D. Wall and Stephen J. Wood(2005), they argue that the studies done before have created wrong expectations of the effect of HRM practices on performance. Their critique upon the studies done, what they call as a romance is containing errors; Wall and Wood identify that the reliability is often tolerant although the sizes of effects are typically small in prior research. Also in some cases measures of performance chosen might not be appropriate; they have to look at the environment of a business. Authors judge the studies because they are not done properly, and say that in the future it should be used better research methods and design, and also should be large-size long-term research when you can look what it was like before and what is after implementation and use of HRM. O therwise it is like a failure of to see the certified link between HRM and performance. In the conclusion nowadays business world is changing very rapidly and both people and organisations which vary in size, aims, functions, construction, the nature of their product or service are complicated and because of that to be the best in the industry firms have to have a well established human resource management according main studies. Organizations have to have their HRM working at a strategic level because then practices are focused on a short or better on a long term results when the improved performance could have an added-value and benefits. However the discussion about the link between the HRM and performance is under investigation for about more than 20 years and nobody is sure about it. Yes it is known that HRM management is working and do have the impact on employees and might make organisation successful but which particular practice or bundle to use universally is not known, because one thing combines with another, one organisation is different than another. Howeve r to apply studies and believe in all the results of practices or practice make a different would be violent interpretation. Because in studies done to prove the link of HRM and organizational performance there are limitations and it is very important to understand bias as well as that how the research been conducted and interpreted. References: Arthur, J. B. (1994) Effects of human resource systems on manufacturing performance and turnover. Academy of Management Journal, 37: 670-87 Bratton and Gold (2007) Human resource management: Theory and Practice 4th ed.; Palgrave Macmillan, New York D. Challis, D.Salmon and B.Lawson (2005) Impact of technological, organizational and human resource investments on employee and manufacturing performance: Australian and New Zealand evidence International Journal of Production Research, 43(1): 81-107 Derek Torrington., Laura Hall, Stephen Taylor (2008) Human Resource Management; 7th ed. London, Pearson education, p.256 Godard, J., (2001) High Performance and the Transformation of Work: The Implications of Alternative Work Practices for the Experience and Outcomes of Work Industrial and Labor Relations Review 54 (4): 776-805 Graeme Salaman, John Storey and Jon Billsberry (2005) Strategic Human resource Management: Theory and Practice; 2nd ed. Sage publications, London Lahteenmaki, S., J. Storey and S. Vanhala (1998) HRM and Company Performance: the Use of Measurement and the Influence of Economic Cycles, Human Resource Management Journal, 8(2): 51-65. MacDuffie , J.P. (1995) Human resource bundles and manufacturing performance: organizational logic and flexible production systems in the world auto industry. Industrial and Labor Relations Review, vol.48: 197-221 Michael Armstrong and Duncan Brown (2009) Strategic Reward Implementing more effective reward management; Kogan Page, London and Philadelphia Pfeffer, J. (1998) The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting people first. Boston: Harward Business School Press. Toby D. Wall and Stephen J. Wood (2005) The romance of human resource management and business performance, and the case for big science Vol.58(4): 429-462 West A., Carol Borrill, Jeremy Dawson, Judy Scully, Matthew Carter, Stephen Anelay, Malcolm Patterson and Justin Waring (2002) The link between the management if employees and patient mortality in acute hospitals Int. J. of Human Resource Management 13(8): 1299-1310 West, M. et al. (2002) The Link between the Management of Employees and Patient Mortality in Acute Hospitals, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(8): 1299-1310. Wood S. (2006) Human resource management and performance in the UK call centres British Journal of Industrial Relations 44(1):99-124

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Motivation Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework Essays

Motivation INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to analyze whether the needs of the employees, of HRD Department of the company, I used to work for, are relevant with the Maslow's Need Hierarchy Theory or not. In order to analyze above purpose, I have concentrated on five employees, after dividing them into four groups by the level of their education, income, and responsibility. Five levels of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs are : Physiological, safety and security, belonging and love, esteem and the self-actualization need. RELEVANT RESEARCH Bernard L Rosenbaum has written in his book, How To Motivate Today's Worker, that, "at the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy are the physiological needs (food, water, etc), followed at the next level by safety or security needs (which includes both physical safety and protection against injury or financial hardships). The higher-order needs are---love and belonging, esteem and self-actualization.(p.6). Richard I. Henderson states in his books, Influencing Employee Behavior At Work, that, lower-order needs must be satisfied before the individual is motivated (driven) to satisfy a higher-order need.(p.4) Frank Goble, in the words of Abraham Maslow, wrote in his book, The Third Force," It is unusual, not usual," he says, " that an act or a conscious wish have but one motivation.". In other words the whole person is motivated, not just a part of him.(p.36).In the book called The Gold and the Garbage in Management Theories and Prescriptions, James A. Lee states that, Maslow's theory stresses 1) that humans are wanting animals whose motivation will stem from unsatisfied needs, which means that satisfied needs are not motivators; and 2)that these needs are arranged in a hierarchy of importance, which results in shifts in motivation to the next higher level of needs as lower levels are satisfied. The author further adds, that according to this theory of needs hierarchy, for any given person, one class of needs will be more motivating than other. (p.64, p.66). The blue-collar Employees The blue-collar employees in the department have the lowest level of education and are mostly from low- income families. These employees carry the burden of large families, which often includes their unemployed/dependent family members such as retired parents, spouse, children and at times even their unemployed brothers or sist... ...s very much applicable and also reliable, however, the best person to know whether Maslow's theory of Hierarchy of Needs is applicable or not is the individual himself or herself. Maslow was one of the first people to be associated with the humanistic, as opposed to a task-based, approach to management. As people have increasingly come to be appreciated as a key resource in successful companies, Maslow’s model has remained a valuable management concept. Works Cited: Rosenbaum, B.L.(1982). How to Motivate Today's Workers. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company. Henderson, R.L.(1982).Influencing Employee Behavior at Work. Georgia: Business Publishing Division, Georgia State University. Lee, J.A.(1980).The Gold and the Garbage in Management Theories and Prescription. Ohio: Ohio University Press. Argyris, C.(1964).Integrating the Individual and the Organization. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Hagerty, M.R.(1990).Testing Maslow's Hierarchy of needs: National Quality-of-life across time. Social Indicators Research: Vol.46 (pp.249). Kluwer Academic Publishers. Goble, F.G.(1970). The Third Force. New York: Grossman Publishers.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Money Motivates People More Than Any Other Factor at the Work Place

By all means yes, money definitely plays a major part in motivating human resource, as far as motivation factor is concerned, that too in the work place. It is only the need for the money, that makes people work, either it be for a thousand rupees or lakhs or corers, quantity doesn’t matter, but it is THE motivating factor. If there is plenty and more than sufficient any one would hardly want to work.It is definitely a point that, there are other factors such as, you feel proud when you work for a reputed company, you feel better at place where the work environment is better, your chest would go wide, when you know, you are working for a great or noble or innovative cause, but, when you don’t have enough to meet your needs, you definitely give priority to money first and work at a place, where you are paid more.So, it would not be wrong to say, that money definitely becomes the first priority and is the motivating factor to work, People pay more attention to work when t heir needs are met and when they are comfortable, they have a sense of commitment, when they know that the company they are working for bothers about them and their needs, they develop a sense of respect and love towards such a organization or company or people they are working for. So, money is the motivating factor at the work place and has a lot of influence on the people who are working.

Friday, November 8, 2019

A Real Life Episode Professor Ramos Blog

A Real Life Episode As I read Womans Hollering Creek, a short story written by author Sandra Cisneros, I recognized a common issue between the main character Cleofilas and her newly wed Juan Pedro. This issue, is domestic abuse, and is one of the more trending problems in our world today. It is defined as behaviors that harm, preventing a partner from doing what they wish, or forcing them to behave in ways they do not want. Just recently according to CNN, NFL Star Kareem Hunt was seen punching and hitting a woman in the elevator. There was no indication on why, but this would certainly have an impact on Kareem’s future. His team, the Kansas City Chiefs had waived him and NFL had suspended him for 8 games for the 19-20 season. It’s clear and obvious that with domestic abuse comes many consequences. Furthermore, after having the idea of domestic violence, we will put our focus back to the short story â€Å"Woman’s Hollering Creek.† It begins with the marriage of the main character Cleofilas and her love Juan Pedro. As Cleofilas is getting married, her father tells her, â€Å"I am your father, I will never abandon you†,(Cisneros 43), which will make sense later in her life. Growing up, Cleofilas was not familiar with entertainment or anything exciting. This would make Cleofilas very curious and eager to learn about how to be a mother. The issue arises, when her husband Juan would constantly beat her and take advantage of her. Cleofilas didn’t act, because she thought there was nothing she could do. In order to gain some awareness, she decided to start watching television shows. In one television show, â€Å"Tu O Nadie, â€Å"You or No One,† explains about how a wife, Lucia Mendez, has to put up with always loving her husband. As stated, † The beautiful Lucia Mendez has to put up with all kinds of hardships of the heart, separation and betrayal, and loving, always loving no matter what, because that is the most important thing.†(Cisneros 44). This would strike Cleofilas because Juan shows no interest, yet she still has to put up with his beatings but still loves him. This made Cleofilas realize that these shows were very accurate, and that her life should be identical to these television shows. So, Cleofilas would watch these shows every night, hoping to gain a better perspective. On to a point where these episodes, would start changing her life. Now when Juan would come home drunk and beat her, she would understand that she needed to act. Cleofilas began to think, how do I continue to live with this man? This man, as stated, â€Å"he hates this shitty house and is going out where he won’t be bothered with the baby’s howling. (Cisneros 49). It was now time for her to act, similar to the television episodes that she had watched, where, she the woman, was in charge of her own life and decisions. So, Cleofilas decided to take her Juan Pedrito and move away from Juan. She was tired of constantly being used and beaten for Juan’s advantage. As Cleofilas is leaving she remembers her father’s line, â€Å"I am your father, I will never abandon you.† It makes sense to her now as a father may not abandon his kid, but a kid and mother certainly can. Thus brings us to the argument whether or not Cleofilas should have left Juan. I think that leaving Juan, was the right thing to do for Cleofilas. It’s very difficult for a mother to raise a kid without any assistance. Juan repeatedly showed that he is self-centered and does not care about Cleofilas or her personal likes. As stated, â€Å"In public, he laughs loudly, curses like a man, and demands each course of dinner to be served on a separate plate like at his mother’s as soon as he gets home, on time or late, and who doesn’t care at all about Cleofilas love for music, telenovelas, or romance.† (Cisneros 48). Also, Cleofilas has to put up with constant beatings from Juan, for no particular reason. As stated, â€Å"He had thrown a book. Hers. From across the room. A hot welt across the cheek.† (Cisneros 52). Why would someone even want to raise a kid around a person like Juan? For Cleofilas, she stuck with him for a long time because she did not understand what to do. Once she watched television shows she gained knowledge and realized what kind of person he truly was and decided it was best for her to take the Juan Pedrito and go somewhere better. Another important factor of this domestic abuse situation is the fact that Cleofilas child, Juan Pedrito was also a witness. According to an article from Womens Health, children who experience domestic violence, are also victims of abuse. They can have long-term physical and mental health problems. Also, these children are at a greater risk of showing violence in their future relationships. At a young age, Juan Pedrito was experiencing his father cursing and using violence against Cleofilas. This explains why there are many kids who are struggling in our world. As a parent, it’s our duty to be a role model for our kids. We need to set the path and not let our anger get in the way of their future. Domestic abuse is something that will never be tolerated in our society. For Cleofilas, she made the correct decision to move away from Juan Pedro. Juan clearly showed that he enjoys taking advantage of Cleofilas, and does not care about her life. In our society today, domestic violence is something that affects many relationships. Many marriages also end up in divorces, which can have a negative effect. This effect can be that these kids will have to grow up not seeing their father or mother. Our society needs to realize that love is something very powerful, and comes with many responsibilities. There are many ways to confront your partner, without using physical action.   WORKS CITED Cisneros, Sandra. Woman Hollering Creek. Bloomsbury, 2004. CNN. NFL suspends Kareem Hunt https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2019/03/16/nfl-suspends-kareem-hunt-wire-ndwknd-bts-vpx.cnn Office On Womens Health. Effects of domestic violence on children. https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/domestic-violence/effects-domestic-violence-children

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essays on Lupus

Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease or immune system malfunction. A person's immune system normally protects the person from viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. When a person has an autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune system turns against itself and attacks itself. Lupus does not have a known cause, and because of that it has no known cure. The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but scientists suspect that it is likely to be a combination of factors, people who contract lupus are probably genetically predisposed to lupus, and know that environmental factors such as infections, antibodies, ultraviolet light, extreme stress and certain drugs play a critical role in triggering lupus. Managing lupus is different from person to person. Individuals with lupus can usually live a normal life span. Medications are usually prescribed to patients, although treatment is not required at all times, but most patients will undergo some treatment. Some medications that are often prescribed for people with lupus are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, corticosteroids, antimalarials and immunomodulating drugs. The treatment goal for lupus is to stop the immune system from attacking & destroying vital organs. Another popular treatment for lupus is simply exercising and eating right. Since we have no known cause of lupus, you cannot prevent it. It is sometimes referred to as a chronic disease because there in no cure at the moment and if a person experiences lupus’ symptoms that person will have lupus forever. One complication about lupus, is the flares that individuals will experience. People with this disease must have blood tests to predict these flares. When a lupus flare occurs, people will usually notice a return of the symptoms they experienced previously, but sometimes they will notice new symptoms. Some may be fever, swollen joints, increase in fatigue, ra... Free Essays on Lupus Free Essays on Lupus Systemic lupus erythematosus, or simply lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease or immune system malfunction. A person's immune system normally protects the person from viruses, bacteria and other foreign materials. When a person has an autoimmune diseases like lupus, the immune system turns against itself and attacks itself. Lupus does not have a known cause, and because of that it has no known cure. The exact cause of lupus is unknown, but scientists suspect that it is likely to be a combination of factors, people who contract lupus are probably genetically predisposed to lupus, and know that environmental factors such as infections, antibodies, ultraviolet light, extreme stress and certain drugs play a critical role in triggering lupus. Managing lupus is different from person to person. Individuals with lupus can usually live a normal life span. Medications are usually prescribed to patients, although treatment is not required at all times, but most patients will undergo some treatment. Some medications that are often prescribed for people with lupus are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen, corticosteroids, antimalarials and immunomodulating drugs. The treatment goal for lupus is to stop the immune system from attacking & destroying vital organs. Another popular treatment for lupus is simply exercising and eating right. Since we have no known cause of lupus, you cannot prevent it. It is sometimes referred to as a chronic disease because there in no cure at the moment and if a person experiences lupus’ symptoms that person will have lupus forever. One complication about lupus, is the flares that individuals will experience. People with this disease must have blood tests to predict these flares. When a lupus flare occurs, people will usually notice a return of the symptoms they experienced previously, but sometimes they will notice new symptoms. Some may be fever, swollen joints, increase in fatigue, ra...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Software Engineering for multi-Agent systems Essay

Software Engineering for multi-Agent systems - Essay Example It is also possible that the customers brought in new requirements after the specifications were frozen and these change requests were impossible to accommodate and hence the project failed. When the requirements analysis or requirements gathering is not correct, then there are very little chances that the project would succeed. So important and fundamental is the process of requirements engineering that is often the first step in the software development cycle (Browne, 2002). This paper would perform a critical study and review of the requirements engineering step and explore various concepts and ideas behind this step. When large and complex software applications are to be created, it must be first understood that there would perhaps hundreds of users and stakeholders who would want to have a say in how the system works. It would not be possible to meet the needs and demands of each and every person. However, the software should be designed in such a manner that it should help all personnel to complete their tasks and work, as desired by the organisation. As an example, a software that is used for billing in the checkout counter of a store would have different menus that allows the clerk to quickly scan the bar code on an item and then the software will immediately calculate the items price, check out the discount or premium if applicable, and then calculate the total payment due after adding all the taxes. The checkout clerk wants software that would be fast, not make mistakes and that requires the least human intervention. The backend team wants the software to allow them to create product items such as chips by Pringles, assign a unique item code and then add the price. As a further automation, stores such as Wal-Mart do not enter such details manually but these details are picked up automatically from the bar code. At any time if the

Saturday, November 2, 2019

The Emergence of Trust and Power within a Business Network Essay

The Emergence of Trust and Power within a Business Network - Essay Example It is a critical and strategic issue which needs to be dealt very carefully, this element of trust is vital in all kinds of relationships whether it is within the business or with the external stakeholders. It is very hard to make this trust however one mistake can hurt the reputation very badly and create serious consequences for the future of the business. Power is the acquisition of assets and its control which gives dominance to a party over the other. It is to have the control and ability to influence the decision of the other party. Power has its own benefits and draws backs within a business network. Too much or less of it has its own effects. However, it has been seen that where there is trust there is less likelihood of power causing any harm to the social or business network (Group H.R., 2000). When we talk about the long-term success of the business then this success is dependent on the development of positive networks in the industry. Business networks are an opportunity for the owners of the business and the team of employees to improve themselves continuously. They are a collection of companies linked through agreements for business purposes who work together to get over all benefits for the members in doing so they need to make business dealings and work together and invest and divest money Thinking Made Easy, p21, 2009). A company in the business network tends to learn from one another’s mistakes and successes and based on that they derive solutions to their own problems. Apart from the business perspective networking helps in social activities and events. It leads to strong bonds and close relationships with the business partner which is good for the business in the long term (Daft, p110, 2001). The relationship must be enduring and permanent in nature.  

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Phase 1 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Phase 1 Individual Project - Essay Example On further appeal, the United States Supreme Court held the decision of the court of appeal and observed that an exculpatory evidence interrupts the due process of the law where the evidence in question can provide substantial ground to rule on the guilt or punishment of an offender (Batten, 2011). From this case, exculpatory evidence is evidence that can prove the innocence of a defendant. This evidence can include physical evidences that challenge the prosecution witnesses or statement of witnesses that can prove the innocence or affect the punishment of the defendant. They can include evidence that gives the prosecution an opportunity to challenge the credibility of a prosecution witness such as an act of dishonesty by a witness in matters pertaining to the administration of justice in the particular case. From the case, it is evident that the prosecution has a duty to disclose all evidence it has in its possession to the defendant and it has no obligation to search for exculpatory evidence. The United States Supreme concurs with this statement and argues that by following this process, the prosecutor follows the constitution and fulfills his/her duties of seeking justice. However, Justice Harlan gave a dissenting opinion arguing that the due process of administration of justice should follow into the guilt phase because it was the responsibility of the jury to decide whether the defendant is guilty and administer punishment in the State of Maryland on issues pertaining to first degree murder. The rationale of the decision by the supreme court concerning this issue was on the fact that it is unfair to mistreat the accused in the promise of administering justice and this is for the benefit of the society, and therefore it is unacceptable for a prosecutor to act as an architect of a proceeding that fails to uphold fair administration of justice (Cushman, 1994). In the case of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Animal captivity Essay Example for Free

Animal captivity Essay TI am a lifelong fan of good zoos (note the adjective) and have visited dozens of zoos, safari parks and aquaria around the world. I also spent a number of years working as a volunteer keeper at two zoos in the U.K. and my own interests now span to the history of zoological collections and their design, architecture and research so it is probably fair to say I’m firmly in the pro-zoo camp. However, I am perfectly willing to recognise that there are bad zoos and bad individual exhibits. Not all animals are kept perfectly, much as I wish it were otherwise, and even in the best examples, there is still be room for improvement. But just as the fact that some police are corrupt does not mean we should not have people to enforce the law, although bad zoos or exhibits persist does not mean they are not worthwhile institutes. It merely means we need to pay more attention to the bad and improve them or close them. In either case, zoos (at least in the U.K. and most of the western world) are generally a poor target for criticism in terms of animal welfare – they have to keep the public onside or go bust and they have to stand up to rigorous inspections or be closed down. While a bad collection should not be ignored, if you are worried the care and treatment of animals in captivity I can point to a great many farms, breeders, dealers and private owners who are in far greater need or inspection, improvement or both.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

An approach to historical analysis

An approach to historical analysis Introduction In Part III of ‘The Mediterranean (1949), Braudel, placed history of events low in his value hierarchy, while in his two biographies on Charles V and Philippe II (Braudel 1994 Exrits sur lhistoire II), he demonstrated his deep understanding of traditional history. Braudel departed from the commonly accepted views of traditional history and postulated the longue dur ´ee and conjoncture perspectives. With his understanding of existing theories Braudel was able to exposed structural images of important themes which were in it-self a landmark in historiography. Fernand Braudel (1902-1985) Braudel in ‘Capitalism was not interested in details from both archives and secondary literature rather he embarked on the premise of complex images within a chosen framework. This he was able to accomplish by classifying capitalism into three levels, that is, daily life market activities; production and exchange within the national market; international capital flow and trade at the world economy level. Braudels Historiography A main feature in understanding Braudels historiography is the assimilation of time and space in analyzing historical events. In addition to this methodology Braudel has elucidated new concepts which enable an understanding of time and space individually. To fully appreciate his contribution it becomes paramount to enter into discussion the way history was analyze in a conventional setting. Historical Concepts Longue Dur ´Ee, Conjuncture, Event-History, Economie-Monde And Total History Conventionally history was seen through the lens of a linear time frame or either emphasized historical changes in different geographic areas. Braudel on the other hand, applied a set of historical concepts for example, dur ´ee, conjoncture, event-history, economie-monde and total history to subjects such as the Mediterranean world and engender significant insights into history. In analyzing historical time Braudel has promulgated long-term (longue dur ´ee), mid-term (conjuncture) and short-term (event-history) views which simply demonstrates the possibility that several concepts of historical time can co-exist within a single particular subject which is being analyzed. When analyzing historical space Braudel emphasized the economie-monde and this concept he proceeded to analyze as the economic-world that is not defined by either politics or cultures but by the exchange of goods and services. Interestingly, Braudel considered both temporal and spatial elements and proceed on the premise that these four concepts are intermarried in such a way; culminating in what he termed ‘total history that is historie totale or histoire globale. Longue Dur ´ee In an even more positive vein Braudel concept of historical time relied on allotments. In other words, Braudel has taken a century or longer as a unit of analysis and calls this longue dur ´ee. Ten to fifty years he calls conjuncture whilst short calendar time is subsumed into another allotment. Capitalizing on calendar time which is no stranger to traditional history and utilizing conjuncture which is a term used in economics, but extended by Braudel to non-economic aspects of history such as social and cultural changes. Braudel then extended the concept of longue dur ´ee; thus claiming that longue dur ´ee is a most suitable tool when investigating the slow changing and structurally stable aspects of history. In so doing he has fundamentally permitted the advantages of each method to compliment each other and minimized their inadequacies. With an astute understanding of the existing historical theories Braudel in reviewing longue dur ´ee elucidated, â€Å"It was when I was constructing my book on the Mediterranean I was led to divide the times of history according to their different speeds, according to different temporalities. I think there are actually rapid times, longer times, and almost immobile times. But it was in the end of this course, not by a preliminary operation, that I arrived at this conception of time of history. Similarly, the longue dur ´ee of which I am the advocator, it was an artifice by which I was escaped from certain tangible difficulties. I did not think to longue dur ´ee before writing my book on the Mediterranean†, (Braudel, 1978, pp 244-5). Perhaps Braudel was so zealous about longue dur ´ee due to his sojourn in captivity during World War II. He wrote: â€Å"I myself, during a rather gloomy captivity, struggled a good deal to get away from a chronicle of those difficult years (1940-5). Rejecting events and the time in which events take place was a way of placing oneself to one side, sheltered, so as to get some sort of perspective, to be able to evaluate them better, and not wholly to believe in them. To go from the short time span, to one less short, and then to the long view (which, if it exists, must surely be the wise mans time span); and having got there, to think about everything afresh and to reconstruct everything around me: a historian could-hardly not be tempted by such a prospect†, (Braudel, 1969, pp 47-8, and p 77). Conjoncture Conjoncture is a French word and there is no English equivalent. It is in this vein that the Petit Robert French dictionary explains that conjuncture is a, â€Å"Situation resulting from an encounter of circumstances and which is considered as the point of departure of an evolution, an action†. â€Å"The study of conjuncture is to study an occasional situation as opposed to structure in view of a prevision†. This explanation swims in the same stream as Braudels since his theory is based on changes and mutations in economic factors, for example, population growth, production output, and price changes. According to Gemelli, and Braudel it is also used to describe social trends, for example, â€Å"conjuncture, paysanne, conjuncture seinneuriale†, (Gemelli, 1995 p 107 and Braudel, 1991 p 48). This economic perception of Braudel led him to proceed on the premise that, â€Å"†¦ the term conjoncture, †¦ suggest possible new directions for research and some te ntative explanatory hypotheses. †¦ Conjunctural analysis, †¦ is however one of the necessary means of historical explanation and as such, a useful formulation of the problem†, (Braudel â€Å"The Mediterranean† pp 892, 899). These converging lines of evidence enable the concept of conjuncture to develop since as he so succinctly stated, â€Å"Traditional history, with its concern for the short time span, for the individual and the event, has long accustomed us to the headlong, dramatic, breathless rush of it narrative. The new economic and social history puts cyclical movement in the forefront of its research and is committed to that time span side by side with traditional narrative history, there is an account of conjunctures which lays open large sections of the past, ten, twenty, fifty years at a stretch ready for examination†, (Braudel, 1969, p 27,and p 29). Event-History The structured way of writing history was the method of using exact dates, names, cause-consequences and places. Braudel interestedly rejected this approach since he wanted to analyze and by extension sound harmonies with the overall environment, structure and movement; so as to yield an impersonal and collective aspects of historical changes. Braudel later developed an even greater interest in specific events as can be evidenced from a passage from his notes and his conception about events. Quoting from his personal notebook (f*23), undated, entitled â€Å"LHistoire, mesure du temps (History, measure of time)†. The notebook belongs to the Archives Braudel and may still not be public. Braudel mentioned the State of Bahia (Brazil) in this passage and it is well known that he taught at Sao Paulo University during 1936-1937. It stands to reason therefore, that this idea was documented before he wrote â€Å"The Mediterranean†, â€Å"One evening, in the State of Bahia, I suddenly found myself being surrounded by a tremendous number of fireflies. They were lighting here and there, more or less in high place, countless, just like many too brief sparkles, but shed sufficient light to see the landscape. This is so with events†, (Gemelli, 1995:84 / Braudel, 1969:10). This metaphor aptly describes that events are like the light from fireflies which is often brief and weak. Many criticized Braudel, for example, Hargor in 1986, but for others he was truly the master of event-history. Fuelled by a changed attitude by the 1960s Braudel wrote, â€Å"Every event, however brief, has to be sure a contribution to make, to light up some dark corner or even some wide vista of history. I am by no means the sworn enemy of the event. In the first place, this kind of history tends to recognize only important events, building its hypotheses only on foundations which are solid or assumed to be so. Another is the event with far-reaching consequences and repercussions as Henri Pirenne was fond of remarking†, (Braudel, â€Å"The Mediterranean†, pp 901-902). Economie-Monde (Economic-World) Braudels concept of economie-monde was inspired by German geographers, that is, by the work of Friz Rorig Mittelalterliche Weltwirtschaft: Blute und Ende Einer Weltwirtschaftsperiode 1933, (Gemelli, 1995, p 125 / Capitalism III p 634 note 4). At the time of this conception Braudel was in the thinking process of â€Å"The Mediterranean†. During this period however, he perceived that the Mediterranean world was a kind of economie-monde, and this was later expressed in â€Å"The Mediterranean† at pp 418 419. Relative to this, Braudel made a clear dichotomy between economie-monde (economic-world, a huge network of economic exchanges) from economie mondiale (world economy, which refers to such as the global impacts of the Oil Shock of the 1970s). It is evident that Braudel embarked on the premise that the economic-world model was based on the Mediterranean economy. On the heels of this construction is the believed that models for other economie-mondels would no doubt have a similar construction when a comparison is made. This can best be illustrated from a section in â€Å"The Mediterranean† where Braudel stated, â€Å"Have we here enough material to measure the Mediterranean, to construct a comprehensive, quantitative ‘model of its economy? As a unit it could then be compared to other ‘world-economies [economic-worlds would be a better translation] either bordering on or connected to the Mediterranean†, (Braudel, â€Å"The Mediterranean†, pp 418-419). Braudel enables one to make greater sense of what a center means to an economie-monde when he provided a definition of it as it relates to the Mediterranean, â€Å"This world (the Mediterranean), sixty days long, was, indeed, broadly speaking a Weltwirtschaft, a world-economy ( ´economie-monde), a self- contained universe. All world-economies ( ´economie-monde) for instance recognize a center, some focal point that acts as a stimulus to other regions and is essential to the existence of the economic unit as a whole. Quite clearly in the Mediterranean in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries that center was a narrow urban quadrilateral: Venice, Milan, Genoa, Florence, with conflicts and inter-town rivalries as the relative weight of each city changed. The center of gravity can gradually be seen to shift from Venice, where it still lay at the beginning of the century, to Genoa, where it was so brilliantly established between 1550 and 1575†. In line with this theoretical viewpoint, the center was not a single city, but comprised of four cities; and that with the center of gravity changing between them. Total History The term total history is a methodological claim of historical writing. Braudel is an advocate of this strain and using histoire globale and histoire totale interchangeably he states, â€Å"Similarly, the globalite, histoire globale that I defend, imposed on me little by little. That is something extremely simple, so simple that most of my colleagues in history do not understand me. On the contrary, this does not hinder them to attack me fiercely. . . . The globalite, is not an intention to write a total history of the world. It is not this kind of puerile, sympathetic and crazy pretension. It is simply the desire, when one approaches a problem, to go beyond the limits systematically. There is no historical problem, in my view, that is separated by walls, that is independent†, (Braudel, 1978, p 245). In short, Braudels advocated interdisciplinary studies, going beyond the limits of well-defined topical studies. Secondly, he postulated that history should be observed and studied from diverse angles, with it being beneficial to expand the duration of observation (longue dur ´ee) and to extend the geographic areas, such that extensive comparison will lead to significant results. Finally, and in line with this, he found it essential to combine the time dimension (three kinds of historical time) and the space dimension (geo-history, economie-monde) in order to investigate the complexity of the subject in question. (See Figure I for Braudels concept of Total History) A Century Other Century Source: Authors Adaption Diverging Views On Total History Contrary to this strain Furet, a member of the Annales School, wrote, â€Å"Yet the idea of ‘total history is elusive. ‘Total history merely expresses the ambition of providing a fuller perspective, a more exhaustive description, a more comprehensive explanation of a given object or problem than provided by the social sciences whose conceptual and methodological innovations it has borrowed†, (Furet, 1983, p 394). Swimming in the same stream was Stoianovick who interestingly argued that, â€Å"One major obstacle to histoire globale arises from the fact that histoire globale has been much more the product of individual genius than of systematic theory†, (Stoianovich, 1978, p 20). These views lends easily to Pierre Chaunu, a former student of Braudel, and a Membre de lInstitut whocategorically who categorically stated, â€Å"There cannot be a total history. All knowledge is necessarily selective, a rational choice. total history, in its basic meaning, is evidently a non- sense. It is a wish, it marks an direction, .†, (Coutau-B ´egarie, 1983, pp 96, 99). It is apparent that Braudels views came under scrutiny. However, it is necessary to understand that Braudels total history concept is not intended to describe everything, that is, every aspect of the subject but rather it is intended to ‘make it appear an organized structure rather that a ‘mere heap†, (Popper, 1961, pp 76-77). The Contribution Of Braudels Five Concepts Braudels five key concepts discussed above made in-roads or contributions to the historical analysis of time and space. With respect to historical time, he expanded the conventional single-speed, linear-movement of historical time into a set of historical times that can be separated into short-term, medium-team and long-term. These terms co-exist, and each has its own speed, life and function; they are inter-related and inter-acting. As to his contribution to historical space Braudels hypothesis was  ´economie-monde, a concept that some would say was not well presented in ‘The Mediterranean but finally clarified three decades later in ‘Capitalism. Advantages And Disadvantages Of Braudels Methodology Braudels concepts are flexible and this can be considered its major advantage, since Braudels believed that the use of his concept would generate historical insight rather than rigorous ones. The disadvantage however can be seen through the lens of misunderstandings on the one hand and on the other the challenge of a writer combining all the various disciplines, for example, geography, demography cultural studies, economics and so on which is required when applying Braudels notion of total history. This challenge may not be an easy one for the writer to overcome. Further, it has been said that his theories lack clear and / or strong interpretation and that he seldom attempted firsthand penetrating investigation on any specific topic. Conclusion Braudels historiography can be seen as one philosophical approach to historical analysis. While this approach is not global and eternal it can be used as a viable tool in the study of history. In essence his historiography is not a final dictum but rather can be seen as a contribution to historical studies and a foundation to be built upon. Bibliography Braudel, F. (1949): La Mediterranee et le monde mediterraneen a l ´epoque de Philippe II, Paris: Armand Colin (2 volumes), 9e edition (1990). Translated from the French by S. Reynolds in 1972, Fontana (1995, 15th impression): The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II, 2 volumes. Braudel, F. (1969): Ecrits sur lhistoire, Paris: Flammarion (Collection Champs No. 23). English translation by Sarah Mathews (1980): On History, University of Chicago Press. Braudel, F. (1977): Afterthoughts on Material Civilization and Capitalism, Johns Hopkins University Press, translated from the French by Patricia Ranum. The French version: La dynamique du capitalism (1988), Paris: Flammarion (Champs No. 192). Braudel, F. (1977) ed.: La Mediterranee, lespace et lhistoire (volume 1); La M ´editerran ´ee, les hommes et lh ´eritage (volume 2), Paris: Arts et M ´etiers Graphiques; reprinted by  ´ Edition Flammarion, 1986, Collection Champs Nos. 156, 167. Braudels concepts and methodology reconsidered. The European Legacy, 2000, 5(1): 65-86 (Taylor Francis). Chaunu, Pierre (1992): La M ´editerrannee cest Braudel, LHistoire, juillet/ao.ut, pp. 71-3. Coutau-B ´egarie, H. (1989): Le phenomene â€Å"Nouvelle histoire†: strategie et ideologie des nouveaux historiens, Paris: Economica (Second Edition). Furet, Franc ¸ois (1983): Beyond the Annales, Journal of Modern History, 55:389-410. Gemelli, Giuliana (1995): Fernand Braudel, Paris: Editions Odile Jacob. Popper, Karl (1961): The Poverty of Historicism, London: Routledge. Stoianovich, Traian (1978): Social history: perspective of the Annales Paradigm, Review, 1(3/4):19-48.