Cause and Effects of Watching Too Much Television Essay

Cause and effects of watching too much television Discoveries and invention of devices are always welcome till we, humans, find a way to abuse its benefits and be adversely affected by it. This was the case when Wilhelm Roentgen discovered x-ray and within five years, the British Army was using a mobile x-ray unit to locate bullets and shrapnel in wounded soldiers in the Sudan. Television was also invented with positive thoughts in mind – there would be no national borders, education and communication would be worldwide, etc. However, we are now trying to overcome its physiological and psychological adverse effects on human beings. People mainly watch television for entertainment especially when they are bored or â€Å"have nothing to do†. It is also used for relaxing, as most people like to sit and back and relax while watching their favourite television show. Watching the television however, may become addictive and a hard habit to break. There are many effects of watching too much television. One of the physiological effects of watching television in excessive amounts is eye-strain. It is true that there are specifications for watching television; television should be 5 m. away from the eye, the room should be adequately lit, television should be placed at the same height with our eyes, etc. However, these do not prevent our eyes from getting tired if we keep watching television for a long time. Another effect is obesity, which is widely observed in people who like watching television and eating snacks everyday (there is even a term â€Å"television snacks† to refer to fast food that is suitable for eating in front of the television). Television is such a powerful machine that people cannot get away from it – it is addictive. Apart from the physiological effects, television also causes psychological effects. One is a result of being exposed to violence. After seeing so many violent scenes on television, people start considering violent actions normal and they lose their sensitivity to their environment. Partly connected to this effect, the interpersonal communication among people decreases. Being insensitive to the suffering of other people causes people to become alienated. Also, after coming home from work people seek to relax n front of the television, and generally people prefer watching television to talking to each other. This issue is very important since lack of interpersonal relationships mostly end with divorces. Shortly, inventions are meant to be beneficial for human beings, if we know how to benefit from them. Television is one of such inventions that need to be used for the right purpose only – being educated and entertained for a reasonable (according to age) period of time. We may, then, be safe from or at least reduce the adverse physiological and psychological effects of watching too much television.

What is the relation between the image of the ‘rural’ and the idea of England in ‘Jude the Obscure’ and ‘Howard’s End’

The novel by Thomas Hardy, ‘Jude the Obscure', and E. M. Forster's ‘ Howard's End', are two novels narrating the lives and times of various people These chronicle the environmental and social aspects surrounding the characters in them, and their progression through life. Each delivers a stark contrast in the lives of the main characters, and the different troubles and pleasures they incur during their lifetime. This essay will show a connection between these two novels in the context that they display the image of the rural and the historic, international image that the British common wealth established amongst the rest of the worlds cultures. The first area that needs to be addressed when answering this question is the image of the rural. The simple, universal definition of the term rural in Standard English, means the characteristics of, or pertaining to the country and the people living in the country. The novel by Thomas Hardy ‘Jude The Obscure' is the best source to draw details and perceptions for this idea of the rural, as the theme and it's main character Jude, is largely based on his rural lifetime. When thinking about the rural, often one of the first images we get is the image of a livelihood based around agriculture. Agriculture and other simple professions seem to be the main stay of the economic structure of a rural environment. Evidence for this image can be found in ‘Jude The Obscure'. From Jude's early life as a boy we see him scaring away birds from crops Just now he's a-scaring of birds for farmer Troutham. It keeps him out of mischty. † (Page 17'Jude the obscure') This quote also is symbolic of the language differences within the rural and the urbane. The city linguistic system is more proper in the sense that they don't conjoin words or shorten words ‘mischty' being an example of the latter. The image of the rural, as seen in terms of their work is primitive and largely agricultural. The rural people are seen to live in a less sophisticated habitat, boarding rooms and lodges; also small farming cottages are often the main perceptions of rural habitats. Another major aspect of the perception of the rural can be described as a ‘small town attitude'. What this means, is that the people within the community are tightly knit and highly communicative. It could also be suggested that these ‘small town attitude' people have a resentment for the more urbane people, this is also in the text of ‘Jude the obscure'. They may be right in some cases but as Jude displays in Hardy's novel, he aspires to be more city like. He reads to become more intellectual, wiser and to master the various linguistic abilities of the higher social class. There are two main other cases which display common rural activities. These are the tendencies to go to church and to commune in public houses. There are several scenes set where Jude is in a Public house, either trying to assimilate himself with the more intellectual parts of society, of which he fails, and other times when he is simply drinking away his sorrows. The rural, in the sense of the image that the novel ‘Jude the obscure' portrays or proposes, suggests many common theologies about the life style. These can be summarized but may not be fully comprehended in the manner in which they where supposed to be taken. These are, in their simplest form, unsophisticated habitats, lower levels of education, primitive livelihoods, small town attitudes, simple customs, and to embody the thoughts of the urbane type, a society full of poverty which in their eyes is unhappiness. This next part of the essay will show the customs, traditions, and behavior of the different classes within the city. These will mainly be drawn from the novel by E. M. Forster's ‘Howard's End'. Howard's End' shows what most see as the idea of England at that time. What has to be taken into account is the three distinct social classes we have within this novel, and which all interact with one another in some way. Three families, the Schlegel family, the Wilcox family, and the Bast family represent the three social classes in this novel. These three families are a good depiction of the types of people dwelling in the main English cities of that time. The first of these families is the Wilcox family. Mr. Wilcox summarizes the depiction of this social class. He represents the hard working, pragmatic and chauvinistic middle class trying to step up to the upper class. He owns a rural estate, Howard's End, which he has earned through him being a prominent businessman. This is an example of his materialistic characteristics. The next class of family to be considered is the Schlegel family. In ‘Howard's End' they are depicted as being very cultured and intellectual, as well as very wealthy. They are of pure English blood, of which was important at that time due to the industrial competitiveness between England and Germany. â€Å"†Of course I regard you Schlegels as English,† said Mrs. Munt hastily – â€Å"English to the backbone. â€Å"† (Page12 ‘Howard's End') They are very cultured and of a high decorum. The remaining family, that will complete our examination of the three varying social types that coexist in the city, are the Bast family. They are on the lowest line of the middle class, enough money for food, clothes and shelter. Leonard Bast is symbolic of his class, hard working but impoverished, ever trying to enter that upper echelon, but never making it. Leonard will become a key talking point in linking the image of the rural to the idea of England. This completes a brief overview of the three social classes within an English city of the time in the novel ‘Howard's End'. The idea of England that these social classes give is fairly broad. Perceptions range from the intelligent and good social etiquette, which live for the happiness that their money brings. They classes with money visit different countries, go to plays and performances, and more importantly vacate to the rural estate, Howard's End. One can also feel the discrimination of foreign blood and cultures, feel the conceited nature of the English. An example of this was previously mentioned and quoted earlier from a conversation between Mrs. Mund and Margaret Schlegal. From this novel can be drawn the gentlemanly, chauvinistic behavior, characteristic of so many peoples perceptions of the English. If you also back this up with the manner in which the characters in ‘Howard's End' speak for example â€Å"† I hope Miss Avery is not ill,† hazarded Margaret, â€Å"Well, if you'll excuse me,† said Madge, â€Å"perhaps I ought to be leaving you now†¦ † (Page310 ‘Howard's End') Compared with the more rural language of those in ‘Jude The Obscure' â€Å"Well ye med ask it Mrs. Williams. He's my great nephew – come since you were last this way. â€Å"†(Page 16 ‘Jude The Obscure') If one were to be vicarious in thinking about the book and hear the accent, grammatical, and linguistic make up of the characters conversations it is easy to gain this idea of how the English conduct themselves in social conversational encounters. It is easy to see how other cultures such as the German, or Nigerian cultures, some of the places visited by characters in ‘Howard's End', might have perceived this behavior. But for those nations which are visited by those classes with money, they become ignorant to the fact that they are not the only class and kind of people within England. If people from these other countries where to visit not only the cities of England, as most would do, but also the rural, this idea of the English might not be so distorted as what it is. ‘Howard's End' tries to explain this. It tries to put forward the fact that, for England to exist, every social class must interact in order for the survival of the nation. In the case of ‘Howard's End', it arranges three different social classes interacting, and eventually learning to peaceably live with one another. ‘Jude The Obscure' is showing a time when this was in early stage of evolution. The rural wanted to stay rural, but an ever-increasing amount wanted to become more urbane and sophisticated. This leads to the next point of discussion. The next area of significance in answering this question is the graduation from rural to city, and the connection with which these two novels, ‘Jude The Obscure' and ‘Howard's End' explain this. There is a common relation between the theme country to city. In most cases the city and urbane society see the rural as a place to relax, in ‘Howard's End' this is an example, a rural setting for which the characters usually find peaceful. These types of people appreciate that facts of rural life but could never live the rural lifestyle like the one portrayed in ‘Jude The Obscure', they need to have the commodities in life that the city offers. But this social class would not be the same without their rural experience of Howard's End. Then the rural society has a completely different outlook. There are some who aspire to live in the city, like Jude, but there are those who are content with their ignorant conceitedness towards the city and it's population. As mentioned previously, there is a major connection between two of the characters within the novels ‘Howard's End' and ‘Jude The Obscure'. Jude and Leonard Bast are inexplicably similar in their plights in their live. They have many aspects, manners, outlooks, and aspirations in common. This will be the next area to be looked at.. There are five major traits that Leonard Bast and Jude from ‘Howard's End' and ‘Jude The Obscure' respectively, have in common, in relation to their roles and experiences within each of the novels. The first of these traits is that both are economically on the same means, just enough to get by in life without many luxuries. Jude is above all a stonemason, Leonard, a low profile insurance worker. They are both also trying to better themselves on an intellectual level by reading constantly, hoping that their further knowledge would improve their chances of prospering in life. Both of these characters hope by attaining this extra knowledge that they can become assimilated with the social class of their desire. Both characters also have dramatic, romantic relationships, especially in the case of Leonard Bast, who was eventually killed because of his romantic interests What we gain from the studies of these two texts ‘Howard's End' and ‘Jude The Obscure' is an understanding of how the image of the rural is related to the idea of England. It could be suggested that from these two novels we can see the evolution of a nation. The notion that the rural evolved into the urban is present in all developed nations, and held as fact. If it were not for the rural lifestyles, people would not have known what they would have needed to improve their standard of living. A nation's urbane did not develop its rural community; a nation's rural community developed the city and the urban lifestyle and social classes that go with it. The novel ‘Jude The Obscure' shows a progression from a very primitive rural life, to that of a very primitive urban life. From the novel ‘Howard's End' one can contrive a pattern of evolution of social class and standard of living within the text. From one perspective it could be shown that the Bast family evolved into the Wilcox family, and then from the Wilcox family, the Schlegel family evolved. This statement is using the family names as a metaphor for the social class which each of the families stand for. The image of the rural is depicted in ‘Jude The Obscure', as is the image of the urbane in ‘Howard's End'. This image of the urbane in ‘Howard's End' became what was and may still be the idea of England. In particular, this image of the urbane, and more specifically the upper class Schlelegel family, personified the idea of England and it's Common Wealth to other peoples and their nations. The idea of England became this educated, literal, and cultural view, a population of intellectuals focused on pleasure, world dominance, and traditions supported by wealth and religion, with which their military power brought them at that time. The idea of England, which is concieved by most today, is taken without any original stimulus from which to formulate such an idea. By looking into these two novels one can gain a much more educated and well-founded view of what England was, and should be perceived as in terms of a nation. What this means is that without all the social classes and development from rural to urbane, England would not exist as the nation and country that it is today. Further more, neither would any other developed nation, such as the United States and the worldly perception held of them currently. They have the rural and the urbane. The whole country is not one rich military powerhouse. It is built upon its varying social societies. This is the same philosophy, which must be taken when looking at the idea of England. This is the point that must be taken when correlating the idea of England with the image of the rural, not as independent entities, but as one entire comprehension.

Absence at school Essay

Students who arrive late for their first class period (7:25 am-8:11 am) DO NOT GO TO THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE. Go directly to class and present a note to your first period teacher signed by your parent/guardian; otherwise, late arrivals will be considered UNEXCUSED. ? Students who arrive late after the first period has concluded should GO DIRECTLY TO THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE. Present a note from your parent or guardian to the Attendance Office. Students who arrive late without a note from home will be marked as UNEXCUSED LATE. I HAVE TO GO TO THE DOCTOR/DENTIST/ORTHODONTIST: WHAT TO DO? ? When you have an early dismissal due to a medical appointment, you must present a signed note from your parent/guardian to the Attendance Office to receive an EARLY DISMISSAL PASS. Sign out at the Attendance Office prior to leaving the school building for your scheduled appointment. Students need to sign out at the Attendance Office for all appointments even if their departure time is during their lunch period. When you return to school from an appointment, you must sign-in at the Attendance Office. You will be issued an EXCUSED PASS to return to your next scheduled class period.? All medical appointments require a note from the doctor’s office when the student returns to school. I’M SICK/INJURED AND CAN’T COME TO SCHOOL: WHAT TO DO? ? When you’re absent from school due to illness or injury, you or your parent are not required to call the school. Instead, you must bring a note signed by your parent/guardian to the Attendance Office within three (3) days after returning to school. ? If you are absent for five or more (5) days due to illness or injury, you must submit a doctor’s note when you return to school. ? If you become ill at school, you must report to the Health Room. Ask a teacher or counselor for a note giving you approval to leave class and visit the Health Room. Students dismissed from school by the Health Room must sign out at the Attendance Office. The Health Room will issue an early dismissal pass to be presented to the Attendance Office. Within three (3) days of returning to school, you must bring a note signed by your parent or guardian to the Attendance Office. Whitman Tip Sheet #5 MY FAMILY WANTS TO TAKE A VACATION WHEN SCHOOL IS IN SESSION: WHAT TO DO? ? Absences due to family vacations are considered as UNEXCUSED unless school administration makes the determination to approve the absence. Your parents must request permission in writing at least one week (5 school days) prior to the anticipated absence. You must bring this written request from your parent/guardian to the Attendance Office. The Attendance Office will issue an approval form (attached to parental note) for you to present to each teacher to initial. The teachers’ initials indicate their agreement to allow you to make-up any assignments missed. The approval form and note then go to the assigned grade level administrator, who makes the final decision to approve or deny your absence. I NEED TO MISS SCHOOL TO VISIT COLLEGES. WHAT TO DO? ? You must present a note to the Attendance Office from a parent/guardian at least one week prior to the requested absence for college visits or participation in college orientation programs. The Attendance Office will issue an approval form for you to obtain each teacher’s approval. You then take this form and the parental note to your grade level administrator for approval. The approval form and parental note are returned to the Attendance Office. You need to limit your visits to colleges so you do not miss too much school. I NEED TO MISS SCHOOL DUE TO PARTICIPATION IN A NON-SCHOOL EVENT. WHAT TO DO? ? A note signed by your parent/guardian must be given to the Attendance Office at least 24 hours in advance. The Attendance Office will issue an approval form for you to obtain each teacher’s approval. You then take this form and the parental note to your grade level administrator for approval. The approval form and parental note are returned to the Attendance Office. WHAT TYPES OF ABSENCES ARE CONSIDERED EXCUSED? The State of Maryland regards the following as lawful absences from school*: ? Student illness ? Death in immediate family ? Court summons ? Religious observances ? Violent/hazardous weather ? Emergencies designated by the Superintendent of Schools ? State emergency ? Work or other activity accepted by school authorities. *Any absences not falling into these categories may or may not be approved. Approval is at the sole discretion of the grade level administrator taking many factors into consideration. Each situation will be reviewed on an individual basis. Whitman Tip Sheet #5 MAKING UP MISSED WORK ? It is the sole responsibility of each student to obtain from the teacher any work missed. The student should request from each teacher a date on which all make-up work for that class is due. Students will receive a zero for missed work if the absence is unexcused. TRUANCY ? Each teacher is responsible for taking attendance daily. At the end of each school day CONNECT ED (Automated Attendance System) will scan the Attendance database for ABSENCES. Any student with an ABSENCE that has not been excused will receive a call home via the automated Attendance system. The call is scheduled to contact parents each evening. AGE OF MAJORITY ? When students reach age 18, the law allows them to sign their own absence notes, but only if the parents agree and sign the required form, which is available from the Attendance Office. The school can rescind the Age of Majority status if the student has too many absences or tardies.

Case Study of Robbery and Burglary Research Paper

Case Study of Robbery and Burglary - Research Paper Example On the other hand, Robert R. Simon was also serving his time in the prison on a death row for three murders. He also boasts of killing his prison inmate in the Pennsylvania State (Peters, 2007).   In September 1999, in the New State Jersey Prison, all the death row inmates had been moved to the recreational pen so that their cells could be fumigated. This was supposed to a brief and silent stay but it turned into one of the most brutal fights in the state history. It is during this short duration, the lives of Ambrose A, Harris and Robert R. Simon intertwined. Both believed to be violent and enemies started to fight. It ended with the death of the fellow inmate Robert R. Simon. Harris is believed to have no mercy. He stamped Simon’s face and then finally jumped off the table in the recreational pen to crush Simon’s skull. The officers in the recreational pen tried unsuccessfully to intervene and stop the fight. This was the first murder inside the prison in the state’s history (Peters, 2007).   A cell inmate, John Martini serving a death row for four murders, testifies that Simon started the fight. He stated that Simon entered the recreational pen after Harris and attacked him from behind (Peterson, 2001). He came in kind of -- not walking, almost running -- and he said, ‘Come on, let us get it on’.2 † The lawyer of the convict, Ambrose Harris, stated that the meeting of the two deadly prisoners was, in fact, a setup of the prison authorities. Harris had been declared dangerous after attacking the prison guard and was supposed to be kept in isolation at all times. The authorities also knew that the two of them were arch enemies and that there will be deadly consequences. He also stated that Robert Simon attacked first and that Harris was only defending himself (Peterson, 2001).   

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF CONTROL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON Essay

AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE IMPACT OF CONTROL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AT BRITISH AIRWAYS - Essay Example The research study has focused on the sampling out of the employee groups and categorization of them into Best Performing, Average Performing and Low Performing. This has been done realizing the fact that the employee’s perception about the control management system itself may be strongly affected by the employees his or her own experience about the system and the outcomes of the system in the form of their job enrichment, promotions, responsibilities’ enrichment or any other job enhancement. It is also important here to analyze whether the employees themselves have realized that which control management system or controlling strategy from an HR perspective really matters for them and if they seem it to be the part of the contributing factors that have led them in realizing to their strong performance capabilities. All these points are also important to analyze as which performance group has what direction of thinking. It may be possible that there is no clear trend or demarcation of thoughts among the sample groups. This study involves a survey questionnaire where the employees were asked to answer a few questions. Employees were categorized into three basic groups - â€Å"Best Performing†, â€Å"Average Performing† and â€Å"Low Performing† employees, considering the fact that there is an influence, whether clear or blurred, between the performances of the employee himself/herself and the perception about the system in which he/she has made up to the mark where he/she stands currently. The responses were taken as SD = Strongly Disagree, D = Disagree, N = Neither agree nor disagree, A = Agree and SA = Strongly Agree. Although the perceptions and the responses do not clearly demarcate any trend or conclusion, however, statistics covered in earlier chapters may support in the analysis of any particular aspect of the research. (1) Control management is a desired component within the organization by the majority of participants

Social Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Social Topic - Essay Example Of all of the diseases which are passed along socially, HIV and AIDS are the most feared and misunderstood. The purpose of this paper is to examine and research the social disease known as HIV and AIDS. When talking about any disease, even sexually transmitted diseases, it is important to know that diseases are not prejudice. Yes, there is genetically inherited diseases which take place with respect to an individual’s genotype and there are social diseases that result from certain cases of being exposed or from people’s behavior, like unsafe sex. Diseases however are a medical problem and are without human prejudice. Diseases, whether bacterial in nature or viral in nature, are opportunists and will take over and infect any available living thing that meets their needs. In other words, a viral infection does not simply take over in those with a type of orientation or religion. It happens when host is available. When the first reports of HIV and AIDS came into view in the 1980’s, a sexual revolution had ended and then it came a deadly STD where before that, only menacing STD’s were around. Because of the medical scare attached to HIV and AIDS, people responded as they have for millennia with a need to find blame. The 1980’s also brought in the beginning of a socially acceptable alternative to the strait life style. For many, this meant an easy scapegoat. The many gay men just gaining a sense of social acceptance were quickly labeled as carriers and/or spreaders of HIV and AIDS. The truth of the matter however, is that HIV is a virus which is spread through certain ways. This in actuality, has nothing to do with whether a person is gay or straight but rather whether the person has had unprotected sex or has been infected with HIV positive blood. To better understand how HIV is spread, it is important to mention that HIV is categorized as a ‘retro virus’. A r etro virus is a virus that can be contracted but can then lay inactive for a

Spanish Film Review Movie Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Spanish Film - Movie Review Example Ignacio approaches the priest at the Catholic School where he attended as a boy and confronts Father Manolo, who molested Ignacio when he was a boy at the school. Ignacio threatens Manolo with publishing a fictionalized account of the molestation. Enrique is intrigued with this script because it accurately represented what happened to the real Ignacio, however, he suspects that the man who presented the script was not really Ignacio. His suspicions prove correct, and it turns out that Father Manolo, with the help of Ignacio’s brother Juan (who is now posing as Ignacio), murdered Ignacio by giving Ignacio pure heroin which caused an overdose. This was ironic, because, at Enrique’s urging, the ending to the script was changed to where the priest had Ignacio killed. This film is reflective of Spanish culture, in that the culture has become more liberalized with regards to homosexuality and homosexual themes. Therefore, the protagonist, Enrique, can be portrayed sympathetically, even though he is a homosexual. It also is timely, in that it’s focus is on priestly pedophilia, and this is a topic which is currently in the news on a regular basis. The sexual issues in the film enhance the story because these issues show the problems created by pedophiliac priests. One has the suspicion that perhaps Ignacio would not have the problems that he had in life- the drug problem, the sexual identity problems, etc. – if the priest did not molest him. Therefore, the sexual issues in the film give clarity and focus to the central themes.

How do theories of leadership provide practical advice on how to be an Essay

How do theories of leadership provide practical advice on how to be an effective leader Discuss, with reference to at least two theories or models of leadership - Essay Example Each of these theories is based on certain principles that have been used to define effective leaders. It is well known that there are individuals that have leaders naturally even without any form of training. However, there are those that require training in order for them to have leadership attributes. This essay will focus on the trait, behavioral and transformational theories of leadership. In addition, it will further address how these theories are applicable in practical leadership. Effective leaders naturally possess certain attributes that enables them to execute their roles effectively and efficiently. According to the trait theory, people are born or made to have certain qualities that facilitate their discharge of leadership roles. Ralph Stogdill advanced this theory in 1974 (Irvin 2007). An effective leader is obliged to exhibit certain traits such as being creative, have a sense of responsibility, be intelligent, be decisive, and have self-control among other important qualities. This theory argues that behavior modification is paramount for effective leadership. This indicates that a leader ought to conform to good values and attributes that will enable them to discharge their roles effectively. Through an analysis of the mental, physical, and social attributes, a leader can be identified through the values and attributes they exhibit and encourage in their respective jurisdictions. Upon the realization of the general traits that makes successful leader s, it becomes very easy to identify potential leaders. This indicates that an individual that endeavors to be an effective leader will strive to cultivate leadership values (Epstein 2010, p.7). Several traits have been identified as influencing the effectiveness of a leader. If such traits are embraced they can help a leader become more effective. While advancing the trait theory, Stogdill conducted a study in which he identified ten types of traits that are associated with effective leaders.

3(S) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

3(S) - Essay Example sis, human resource management is a very important element in a business or public organization, as it will ensure that the organization under consideration has highly skilled and efficient employees. This in turn will make the organization to serve its customers in an efficient manner, leading to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the organization under consideration. The government of the United Arabs Emirates has realized on the importance of human resource management. In a bid for the government of the United Arab Emirates to decrease unemployment, and increase the efficiency of its work force, the government has come up with a series of policies aimed at addressing these issues (Werner and DeSimone, 2012). One such policy is the emiratisation of the country’s economy. The government of UAE developed this program, in order to train the citizens of the emirates to be highly competitive employees, and this is through the introduction of a good education system, and sponsoring seminars and trainings that focus on the abilities, skills, and competencies that are needed by employers in the Emirates (Yamamoto, 2013). The intention of this program is to recruit nationals who are in the private and public sector in a manner that is efficient and meaningful. Since the inception of this program, the public sector has made great steps in making this program a success. However, the private sector hasn’t made any progress, with statistic indicating that the citizens of UAE only occupy 0.5% of the total workforce in the private sector. Based on this background, the goal of this paper is to develop an efficient human resource strategy for the government of the UAE. This paper aims at achieving this goal by analyzing the various human resource strategies of the UAE, identifying their weaknesses and strengths. This paper mainly concerns itself with analyzing the emiratisation program of the UAE, and this is because it is the main human resource strategy of

Propaganda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Propaganda - Essay Example Propaganda The word ‘propaganda’ was defined by Linebarger (1954) as consisting of â€Å"the planned use of any form of public or mass-produced communication designed to affect the minds and emotions of a given group for a specific purpose, whether military, economic, or political" (p. 39). With the definition, one could effectively present an analysis of an advertisement that has been recognized as one of the best viewed ads of 2011: â€Å"Volkswagen’s â€Å"The Force†, in which a young Star Wars fan tries to use â€Å"The Force† on his father’s new Passat† (Holmes, 2011, par. 2). The advertisment definitely falls under the definition of a propaganda in terms of using mass-produced communication through the television and posting online with the purpose of eliciting emotion from the audience regarding the launching of 2012 Passat. In this regard, the paper aims to proffer issues pertinent to an analysis of the ad according to the foll owing categories: context, ideology, visual appeals, language, identification and otherness. The main message of the ad would be discussed as well as its effectiveness in eliciting emotional appeal from a wide range of audience. Context The ad was created by Interpublic Group's Deutsch Inc.'s Los Angeles office and was released online on February 2, 2011 (Hall, 2011). It was created for the Super Bowl, but, according to Holmes (2011), â€Å"VW had posted the clip online two weeks before the sporting event — allowing the clip to rack up 10 million views before it ever aired on TV† (par. 2). It was reportedly posted in YouTube and has topped the most viewed and shared branded video totalling â€Å"4.71 million social media shares and 46.05 million views since its online release† (Hall, 2011, par. 1). Description of the Ad? The advertisement began with the famous Star Wars music at the background and a boy in a Darth Vader suit walking along the hall of their home trying his supposed telekinesis powers on different objects: the stationary bike, the dog, the washing machine, a doll seated on a bed, and even a plate of sandwich that was reluctantly pushed over to him by his mother – all to his dismay and disappointment. When he heard his father’s car coming through the driveway, he immediately tried his power on the new Passat. Without his knowledge, and as observed by his parents over the kitchen window, his father used the remote control to start on the ignition of the Passat to coincide with his prodding for ‘the force’ - in total amazement and surprise of the boy. ?Message The message of the ad was that the vehicle responds to the needs of the family, including an unsuspecting boy – who wanted to test if he has any powers on objects. By responding to his efforts, the new Passat would be emotionally appealing to the boy and to the whole family. As reported by Pathak (2011), its creator, Mike Sheldon, CEO of Deutsch LA, the West-Coast arm of Deutsch Inc., disclosed that the main message of the ad was to focus on tapping â€Å"into humanity rather than sheet metal. "We've got every element, from John Williams’ music to a cute six year old," he said. "The Passat is a family car, it's new this year and we have to reach those people"† (Pathak, 2011, pars. 11 & 12). Ideology The basic ideology that framed the worldview in this ad is the human appeal provided by the new Passat by being packaged as a family car – more than seeing it as a piece of steel parts and for its functionality. By using a boy and the appeal of the Star Wars character, Darth

A Positive Impacts on Patients and Society as a Whole Essay

A Positive Impacts on Patients and Society as a Whole - Essay Example I have critically evaluated the nature of the nurse practitioner professional and am certain that I am equal to the task. I am certain that I have the ability and commitment to perform those responsibilities with enthusiasm and professionalism. I understand that the nurse practitioner is allowed to provide a wide range of health care services. The first health care services that nurse practitioners are allowed to provide is taking the patient’s history, physically examining the patient, as well as ordering laboratory procedures and tests. The second one is to diagnose, treat and manage diseases. Thirdly, nurse practitioners are allowed to write prescriptions and coordinate referrals. In addition, nurse practitioners are allowed to provide handouts about healthy lifestyles and disease prevention. The final main responsibility of nurse practitioners is to perform specific procedures such as lumbar puncture and bone marrow biopsy. As I seek to lead a purpose-driven life as a nurs e practitioner, I am fully aware of the variety of settings that as a nurse practitioner I can work in. these settings include neonatology, emergency, oncology, women’s health, paediatrics, cardiology, geriatrics, school health, family practice, primary care, and nephrology. I am also aware that I will be sometimes required to work in clinics in the absence of doctors’ supervision, while at other instances I will be required to work together in a joint health care team. More Importantly, I understand that I will be required to work within the authority and scope of state and federal laws.

The Life of the Buddha Essay Example for Free

The Life of the Buddha Essay Question 1- Select, describe and explain the events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama, which illustrate his religious development There are generally many events in the life of Siddhartha Gautama, which illustrate his religious development, but personally, I have planned to look at specific events very carefully. It can be said that the events contained specifically within the past lives of Siddhartha Guatama illustrate his religious development. There are, most evidently, the Jataka tales of the Pali Canon, which are supposedly stories of his actual rebirths. First of all, there is a most fundamental event, which occurs at around 100,000,000 aeons ago, where Dipuncena makes the crucial Bodhissatva vow to devote a life for the help of others. Now, after this, we see many stories of compassionate actions done by the 547 reincarnations of Dipuncena in the form of animal, god, and man. For example, one is the courageous story of Prince Vessantra, who gives up everything that he owns, even his wife and children out of compassion. The fact that he did this, giving everything and not expecting anything in return, portrays Dana, which is the idea of charity, and is a fundamental quality that is essential to be on the way to the Bodhissatva Path. There is also the story of the young prince, who slits his own throat in order for a starving tigress with seven hungry cubs, might live by eating his own flesh1. In terms of religious development, this is clearly showing the Bodhisattva Concept as it is displaying extreme compassion, or Karuna. A clear favourite, is of the loving, and righteous monkey king, and how he, by bridging himself, saved his fellow monkeys, but died while being bridged. This shows the Bodhisattva Concept again as he died to save his fellow monkeys and therefore delayed his enlightenment to help others. He developed the religious virtue of patience (Kshanti) as an ascetic in a previous life where he felt no hatred, only pity, for the evil king who cut his body into pieces, bit by bit. These stories all exemplify how the Bodhisattva developed all the qualities and characteristics of someone on the Bodhissatva path (according to Mahayana), and also, it shows the Bodhissatva concept, as his own enlightenment is delayed purely for the sake of others enlightenment, but on the other hand, he religiously develops himself to bring his spirit and mind even closer to attaining the ultimate enlightenment, and fulfilment of his vow. The most obvious and clear event, which shows his religious development, is the four sights. Here, upon leaving the palace with a charioteer, he sees an old man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man. Certainly in the first three, he realises that everyone grows old, everyone may face disease and everyone has to die. This is actually very moving for Siddhartha Gautama, as it increases his religious, and therefore Buddhist development, but more importantly, his awareness of life. However, a deeper analysis of his situation concludes that this impact of shock was even more penetrating, as his father had shielded Siddhartha from the natures of suffering. These sights he sees at the age of 29 while riding with his charioteer set him thinking about the issues now central to Buddhism (key to religious development) which lead him to realise that there is no release from suffering. After this critical and indeed, pivotal moment, Siddhartha could now no longer enjoy any of the luxuries which had been set out for him, as he was conscious of the fact that none of these could save him from age, disease, or even death. However, he finally sees the fourth sight, the holy man, i.e a person truly devoted to spirituality. Now, this consequently leads him to decide that he too, can go and seek after the unborn, unageing, unailing, deathless, sorrowless, undefiled supreme surceases of bondage, nibbana2. So, he decided that he too would leave home to seek a cure for the worlds suffering3. He had felt so uneasy about human suffering that he thought by becoming an ascetic; he would understand and comprehend everything there is. Therefore it can be said that these sights led him straight onto the path of religious development, and especially on the road to understanding Dukkha (all life is suffering). One of the most evident parts of Siddhartha Gautamas religious development, was when he was enlightened. After receiving an alms bowl, Siddhartha Gautama left the hardship, and arduousness of the ascetic life. Upon doing this however, he left himself with no friends from his past, but nevertheless, was strongly assured by what he was doing, since he had evidently found the middle way (the reality between luxury and poverty). Hence this was because he had discovered neither had given him real satisfaction.4 Now, in spite of this departure, Siddhatha was determined to reach enlightenment, in such a way, that he sat under a Bodhi tree (pipal tree) determined to sit until he had reached divine reality and knowledge. As he sat in a meditative state, Mara tried to cast him away with his temptations, however they were futile and seemed to reflect of Siddhartha, since he had such a strong concentration and determination to fulfil his aim. Mara even tried to deny him the right to be enlightened, but yet again, Siddhartha called upon the Earth goddess as witness, and eventually, upon realisation that Siddhatha would not be beaten, Mara backed down. Then the real enlightenment took place, in the form of the four watches. The first watch began with Siddhartha recalling past lives with unbelievable detail and understanding. The second watch took place with Siddhartha watching people and animals passing into and out of existence, and crucially at this point realising constant change. The third watch was the realisation that all suffering is caused by a constant continual cycle of craving, and realised the way to overcome suffering. Finally, he was enlightened and blessed with Nibbana and showered with supreme knowledge and understanding, beyond belief. This represents his huge step into the known, and into the aspects of life in which we do not understand. This was all the result of determination, and specifically effort to fulfil the Bodhisattva vow, and was the final hurdle of the Bodhisattva Path, and after enlightenment, the BUDDHA could now teach, and help others more supremely than ever before. After a life of purity and sincerity of teaching, the life of Siddhartha Gautama, had come to an end. His death marked the end of religious development for him. He died at Kushinara at the age of 80 from food poisoning, and his last, and severely crucial, words, were , remember, all things are subject to decay, so be mindful and vigilant in working out your own salvation 5. Here he sends out his message, that all things are subject to change, even him. He died in an obscure place which shows his humility and desire for people to listen to his message rather to make a fuss about his person.6 The main point though, is that the Buddha didnt want to increase fame, or celebrity status, he only wanted people to care for him for what he did. He subtly died while in the jhana of meditation, and this critically shows the extreme emphasis on the fact that he was not a god, but a man, and even he would eventually die. His death, is extremely significant, and specifically illustrates his religious development, as it represents him entering parinibbana, and enlightenment beyond death. So, hence, consequently, an escape of Samsara (cycle of rebirth) occurs, and he has obtained total bliss. As a religious teacher, here he had reiterated and emphasised one of his most important teachings, and died in the highest form of concentration and meditation there is. Overall, at this point, religiously, he had reached the highest place and thus, the peak of his religious development. 1 Denise Cush: Buddhism (1994) pp 25 2 Denise Cush: Buddhism (1994) pp 20 3 S. Clark M. Thompson: Buddhism: a New Approach London, Hodder and Stoughton 1996, p10 4 S. Clark M. Thompson: Buddhism: a New Approach London, Hodder and Stoughton 1996, p11 5 Denise Cush: Buddhism (1994) pp 25 6 Denise Cush: Buddhism London, Hodder and Stoughton 1995, page 23

Bateel Marketing Analysis

Bateel Marketing Analysis I. Current Marketing Situation Company Background Now a world-class brand in the premium confectionery industry, Bateel started with a simple concept, offering a unique range of high quality products to a well-defined market segment in an upscale and elegant retail environment. The concept was also unique, offering a selection of products not available from any other source. Bateels strong appeal to consumers in various target market segments is based on our strategy and ability to consistently develop and produce the highest quality products and maintain an innovative merchandising and distribution system. Bateels success is anchored on a strong production and marketing organization, which is vertically integrated and includes farming, processing, manufacturing, and premium retailing functions. Bateel now specializes in the production and distribution of a complete range of dates, and date and non-date gourmet confectioneries. The company is headquartered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with a regional office in Dubai, UAE and employs over three hundred people.[1] Company Products There are mainly four 4 product lines that are produced by the company, and they are: 1. Dates Bateel offers more than 20 varieties of high quality dates including famed Naboot Seif, Sokari, Kholas, Sekki and Khidri. Most of these date varieties are available in fresh, Rhutab and the traditional Maknooz recipe. 2. Chocolates That includes, Date Chocolates, Pralines Truffles, Bateel Wrapped Chocolates, Sugar Free, Figure Chocolates. 3. Pastries That is pastries and biscuits, Each is made with high quality Bateel dates, in addition to other ingredients, pastries are made from fresh natural ingredients and do not contain preservatives or artificial dough conditioners. All pastry items are baked by Bateel under strict, quality controlled conditions and are kept refrigerated until they are sold. 4. Other gourmet products Bateel dates and chocolates are complemented by an exclusive selection of date and non-date specialties, such as date bars, sparkling date juice drink, Turkish delight and other delicacies. These delicacies are made from the finest natural ingredients, free of preservatives, with recipes designed to satisfy the most demanding connoisseurs. Other products are: Date Jam, Sparkling Date Drink, Fruit Cake, Date Bar, Turkish Delight, Marrons Glaces, Date Dhibs, Date Dhibs Syrup, Honey, Apricot, Fig, Date Honey Fig Roll, Date Cantucci, Date Panforte, Date and Walnut Cake, Fig and Walnut Nougat, Nougat Bar, Clementine au Chocolate, Bonbons, Date Calisson, Pate de Fruit, Premium Italian Coffees Condiments, Olive Oil, Date Balsamic Vinegar and Nuts. 5. Pre-packed specialties Those are the Bateel selective product packed as gifts. Company Branches The company has many branches in different countries as follows: Africa with one branch: Sudan with one branch. Asia with eight branches: India with two branches. Indonesia with one branch. Malaysia with two branches Pakistan with three branches. Europe with total of two branches: Azerbaijan with one branch United Kingdom with one branch. Middle East with twenty two branches as follows: UAE with eight branches in Dubai and 3 branches in Abu Dhabi. Jordan with one branch Qatar with one branch Oman with one branch Bahrain with two branches Kuwait with two branches Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with 4 branches. Product lines allocation as per the BCG matrix: Product lines BCG allocation analysis: Dates: Allocating Dates between Star and Cash cow is due to that Bateel is well known for dates, as they are as well high in demand comparing to other product at Bateel and due to the business is typically specialized in producing dates with different flavors and fillings, moreover, the product is not new in market and the people are already aware of it and demand it, therefore it has a high market share and growth. Chocolates: In Bateel chocolates have low market share besides that they have well known competitors in this product line who are much specialized in chocolate products therefore they tend to be in low demand at Bateel. On the other hand chocolate is considered to be a growing market as reported by [3]AC Nielsons Retail Audit estimate the UAE chocolate market at AED 546 million with a growth of 27% by value and 14% by volume MENAFN Press-08/10/2008. In addition to some companies are being keen to produce chocolate out of camel milk with high quality after a recent study the reveals that the chocolate market in the UAE is strong with 98% of respondents claiming to consume chocolate at least once a week [4]29 October 2008. Pastries: Dates Pastries at Bateel are not much known and people are not much aware of it unlike other well known non dates pastries producers, hence, they are to be in low demand at Beteel and low market share due to that they are not given enough attention by Bateel in terms of marketing and advertisement. On the other hand On average, daily consumption of dates per capita was 114.3 g, equivalent to 10 date fruits. However, it was noted that the younger population does not consume dates as much as the older population does. Nevertheless, surveys showed the significance of dates in the UAE nations diet considering the relatively high average consumption of dates per capita. Copyright  © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry[5]. And due to that reason Dates in Bateel is ranked as first product chosen by consumers furthermore that can be used as strong impulse to enhance the production of Dates pastries. Other gourmet products: Basically recently there are many specialties stores specialized in gourmet products such as [6]â€Å"Gourmet Station† that is considered to be the largest store in UAE in producing unique unlimited gourmet products unlike other small specialty stores that have limited Dates gourmet products like Bateel which in contrast can be an advantage as its considered to be healthier in ingredients. Product line chosen: Our product line chosen is Pastries, which includes Date â€Å"biscuits† and Date â€Å"cookies†. Why pastries? The reason behind selecting this product line is that dates are healthy in the first place especially for kids, low in cost, high in nutrition, available most of the years, would be preferred for parents and adults to serve it to kids instead of other type of sweets, freshly and creative baked dates pastries are always preferred particularly for banquets and weddings mainly for adults and old aged consumers though it was noted that the younger population does not consume dates as much as the older population does[7]. On the hand, there arent any competitors who are â€Å"specialized† in producing â€Å"Dates Pastries† unlike Bateel, as there isnt much who is creative and innovative in dates pastries. Moreover, it requires little investment due to the main raw material â€Å"Dates† apart from other ingredients is low in cost and available most of the year. Target Market: The target market are adults, males and females aged 18 and above, all social statuses, all nationalities and religion, residents and visitors from all over the UAE those of income AED 3000-AED 6000 annually and who are able to pay for high quality dates products, assorted and professionally and elegantly packed and arranged for purchase and sell to targeted customers for their special occasions and events. II. Macro Environmental Factors and Opportunity and Issue Analysis Macro environment comprises of a number of forces that an organization cannot control. These factors affect the efficiency of an organization, its decision making process and its performance. These are considered to be external forces such as economy (GDP per capita, inventory levels, economic growth, inflation rate, unemployment rate etc.), social cultural factors (demographic factors religion, age, income level, and attitude of consumers and cultural structures), natural factors (hurricanes, flood etc.) and competitive factor. The macro environmental factors are of grave importance to the UAE market as confectionary market adds maximum to the food exports of UAE. Since the market is considered to be among the top 10 largest markets in the world, environmental changes need to be studied so as to predict future changes in the environment as the analysis of the threats and opportunities helps the organization to be at par with the changing scenario. The main factors affecting the org anization at macro level are Economic Factors There are a number of scenarios which are observed in an economy such as prosperity, depression, recession and recovery. In an era of prosperity, the GDP of a country increases making its standard of living high pushing it on the road to success. The economy of the UAE is very strong mainly because of its oil reserves but it has over the years added to its agriculture which adds about 3 % to the GDP of the nation. It has become self sufficient in matters of food. The sweet and confectionary markets are expanding at a larger pace. The inflow of large number of tourists has also added to the economy and has supported sweet producing corporations. The governmental policies regarding emiratisation have supported local citizens in getting jobs. The higher education undertaken by young lads has added to the economy of the nation. (Economy) Social Cultural Factors Society acts as an important factor to the success of an organization. It is vital for the organizations to figure out the needs of the customers, their attitude towards the product produced by the organization. A strong ethnic behavior prevails in UAE symbolizing its tradition which does not provide freedom to the various sectors of society as might be in other European or American nations. Thus, an organization working in such a scenario needs to keep in mind the ideals of its fellow citizens as any act which discriminates or humiliates their feelings could lead to an outrage in the people. UAE has one of the largest immigration rates in the world because of the incapability of its local people to work with modern ware fares which are carried out by expatriates mainly from the subcontinents. The fast growing population does act as driving force for the industries as it adds to the strength of the man power of the region. Natural Factor A company is posed by natural forces depending on the locations it operates. Such a situation if experienced does lead to loss of life and property and loss from such a calamity is an inevitable experience. The two most common ways to react to a change in environment are reactive and proactive response. The optimization of the Marketing Mix helps in the reactive response. One of the 4 Ps i.e., places where the product is sold by an organization also called distribution channel both physical and virtual could be optimized to prevent the extent of loss. Most of the companies promote the go-green concept to attract consumers as the urge to make Dubai green had been the top priority in 2008. Since then UAE has always advocated to promote sustainable development. Competitive Factor It forms the basis of survival of an organization and fall of another in a market. An organization that understands the needs of its customers more precisely and changes in accordance to the dynamic change in the scenario overpowers and outshines in the market. The analysis of competition is an important strategic tool which helps an organization aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the other companies in its market. Since, the home confectionary market is showing a high growth rate, it attracts various companies into the market to sell their product. Thus, it becomes very important for the various companies in the field to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of other companies to remain at par with them. The greater the competition, the more alternatives it provides to the customers. Thus, it becomes main priority of the companies to hold their customers by providing them special offers and something extra from others in the same business. (Chapter 3 class notes) SWOT Analysis It has four tools to strategically plan a business venture. The four tools are to examine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunity and threat in any business to make it a success. Every SWOT analysis has an end result or objective such as in this case it is to help the premium confectionery industry, Bateel become global leaders. Strengths The company specializes in the production and distribution of complete range of dates and it has a high market share and growth in dates as per the BCG matrix in UAE. It produces 20 different varieties of dates which are exported to US adding to their strong market position. The presence of stores in various countries, majority of 22 in UAE adds to its distinctive growth in the confectionary market. The own a lot of farms which use extensive high quality machinery to grow and furnish dates. Such a vast capital and being the oldest of its kind creates a strong public image which is a boon for the organization. (UAE Confectionery) Weaknesses The chocolates, pastries and non date products are growing fast in market i.e., they have a fast growth rate in comparison to the date products but these products add to less that 20% of the share in the markets. The chocolates and pastries are neither much known nor are preferred. The company has large number of stores in UAE but lacks to provide the same performance when compared with the world. On exceeding the boundaries of Arab countries and some of the sub continents, no one seems to recognize the company. It has only 2 branches in Europe and none in American continent. The further growth of company will restricted if it fails to explore the rest of Europe and America. Opportunities The company can advance in the chocolate and pastries selling by increasing their market share and by using better promotional strategies. Since, Bateel strives to provide pastries with date; the pastries offer better nutritional value at reduced prices than contemporary chocolates, yet delicious adding to the benefit it provides and its good image in the markets. Company can take appropriate action according to its state in BCG matrix. The date products can be sold to all people in various ages from children to old. The date products are popular in children because of their sweetness but it needs to take into account the people above 18 yrs. The dates being the most natural of all products increase its demand and hence provide opportunity to explore. Threats The small market share of the company in the chocolate, pastries and non date products seems to threaten its position in the market. To sustain in the market, it needs to explore a way to exceed its boundaries and shell of date products. The presence of better companies in these products also does not complement its growth. Since the growth rate of pastries is higher than date products, it poses a serious concern in front of the company to take serious actions. Considering the environmental factors, pest infestation is the greatest threat to the date industries in UAE which is rising by 2 percent consistently. Such a plague could cripple the strong hold of the industry. (Date Palm Research and Development Program) References Economy (n.d.) Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://looklex.com/e.o/uae.economy.htm Date Palm Research and Development program (n.d.) Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://datepalm.uaeu.ac.ae/subpages/datepalmcultural.html Chapter 3 Class notes (n.d.) Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://www.udel.edu/alex/chapt3.html UAE Confectionery (n.d.) Retrieved on March 15, 2010 from http://gulfnews.com/mobile/business/features/uae-confectionery-is-the-icing-on-food-export-cake-1.524603 http://www.bateel.ae/about-thecompany.html http://www.bateel.ae/main.html http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=1093215036 http://www.thedubailife.com/home/news/news-sports/worlds-first-camel-milk-chocolate http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112597329/abstract?CRETRY=1SRETRY=0 http://www.arabianbusiness.com/545998?tmpl=printpage= http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/112597329/abstract?CRETRY=1SRETRY=0

Short And Long Run Aggregate Supply Curve Economics Essay

Short And Long Run Aggregate Supply Curve Economics Essay Aggregate supply is the total supply of goods and services produced within an economy at a given overall price level within a specified time period. It is represented by the aggregate supply curve during a given time period that shows the total supply of goods and services that the firms are willing to offer to the economy during a specified time period at a given overall price levels. Normally, there exists a positive relationship between the aggregate supply level and the price levels upon which that annual supply curve has been made. Aggregate supply function of the economy is also referred to as total supply of the economy as shows the total supply of goods and services that the firms are willing to supply at given price levels. It also shows the capacity of the firms of the economy and the fact that the firms can supply the economy with the appropriate level of goods and services in order to satisfy the demands of the economy. Aggregate supply curves are made on the basis of long and short term which depicts the total supply function of the firms of the economy both in the long term and in the short term for the economy. There can be some shifts in the aggregate supply curve for the economy which can be attributed to number of different factors and variables affecting the economy. These factors can be many some of which may be the change in the size and quality of labor, the mere fact that the labor size has changed that is more and more labor is available to the firms for the production of their goods and services or that the labor which is already available to the economy has gained more and more skills due to which it has become easier to produce more for the economy. Other factors can be the change in technology or it can be said that the technological innovations can cause a shift in the aggregate supply curve of the economy.   Increase in wages, increase in production costs, changes in produce r taxes and subsidies, and changes in inflation can also be some of the driving factors in the shifting of the aggregate supply curve for the economy. Different schools of thoughts have different views of economics and therefore they have different approaches towards the determining of aggregate supply of the economy that is to be made to the economy. Aggregates supply is the function of aggregate availability of labor and other resources in the given time period and the price levels for the production of those goods and services that provide the aggregate supply of those goods and services to the economy. Short Run Aggregate Supply Curve Supply side of performance of the economy is the main determinant of the aggregate supply of the economy. Short run aggregate supply depicts the productive capacity of the economy and the costs of production of each sector. There may be a shift in the aggregate supply cure and this can be caused by the following factors: Changes made in the supply size and quality of labor force that are available to the economy. Changes in size and quality of capita stock through investment. Technological progress and the impact of innovation. Changes in the productivity of factors à ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ both labor and capital. Changes in the wage costs per unit .i.e. wage costs per unit of output. Changes in producer taxes and subsidies. Changes occurring to the inflation expectations. Arise in inflation expectations are likely to boost wage levels and in affect cause the aggregate supply curve towards the inwards shift. Long Run Aggregate Supply Long run aggregate supply is determined by the productive resources available to meet demand and by the estimated productivity of factor inputs that are Land, Labor and capital. There is a clear distinction between the short run and long run aggregate supply cures. In the short run aggregate supply curve is dependent on the price levels for a particular output and therefore increase in price levels affects the supply of goods and services in the economy whereas it is not true for long term aggregate supply as they are thought to be independent of price levels in the long term. The productive potential of the economy in the long run is mostly driven by the improvements to be made in the productivity levels and by the expansion of the available factor inputs. Expansion of the available factor inputs can be made through the realization of more firms, a bigger and much better capital stock and an increase in the number of skilled labor force etc. due to these reasons long run aggregate supply curve is made vertical on the graphs. The classical model of economics defines the aggregate supply curve as being a vertical line at the full employment level of real production. The early Keynesian view describes the aggregate supply curve to be a parallel curve to the horizontal axis .i.e. a horizontal curve. It shows that the price level will remain same over the time period and the firms will have to manage their supply according to the available price level prevailing in the economy. The newer Keynesian view describes the aggregate supply curve in the two aspects .i.e. fixed money wage and variable money wage. According to the newer Keynesian view aggregate supply curve is the upward slopping curve at different wage levels for the economy. The supply side school of thought in the economics define the aggregate supply of the economy based on the fact that the aggregate supply is affected by the quality of labor and that the much higher prices are paid to the more skilled labor as compared to the less skilled or unskilled labor.

Lithium Essays -- Chemistry Medical Chemical Papers

Lithium Though the drug lithium is used for a number of disorders ranging from acute depression to eating and personality disorders (Paykel, 1992), it's primary use is for bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression. Patients with bipolar disorder "between two poles: depression and its opposite, mania" (Kalat,2004), often with periods of normal behavior in between (Jamison,1993). In addition, the patient is also prone to "mixed episodes" in which symptoms of both mania and depression are present. Intensity of these episodes can range from mild to dangerous, as in the case of a manic depressive mother who severed the arms of her 10 month old daughter (Associated Press, 2005). Despite its genetic origin (Kalat. 2004; Jamison, 1993; DBSA, 2005), the onset of symptoms and behavior is rather late, averaging 18 years of age (Jamison, 1993). There are two types of manic episodes: manic and hypomanic. The DSM describes a manic episode as "a distinct period of abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood," (Jamison, 1993). Symptoms include inflated self esteem, a reduced need for sleep, increased talkativeness and sociability, flight of ideas, distractibility, an increase in goal directed activities (such as work, school or sex), and an excessive involvement in pleasurable activities (PsychologyNet, 2003). The occurrence of these symptoms must not be able be confused with a mixed state (see description below), must impair the individual's ability to function normally, and cannot be explained by the effects of a substance (i.e. alcohol, hallucinogenics) or a medical condition (i.e. hyperthyroidism) in order for the episode to be considered "manic.... ..." The Icarus Project. Retrieved February 28, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://theicarusproject.net/community/viewtopic.php?t=1187 CONCLUSION Lithium, or, more commonly, Lithium Salt, is an element used to treat bipolar disorder in humans. Bipolar disorder consists of severe highs and lows of mood, ranging from deep depression to extreme mania. The cycling of the disorder depends on the person, but it can vary from many shifts within one day (rapid cycling) to extended periods of each. Lithium is indicated primarily for patients who are not rapid cycling. Like many other medications, the exact effects of Lithium are unknown. Psychiatrists and Chemists have isolated many of the physiological and behavioral changes that occur after the administration of Lithium, and yet the exact cause of its therapeutic effect is not fully understood.

Social Security1 :: essays papers

Social Security1 Social Security is a federal redistribution program that collects payroll taxes from current workers to provide pensions for current retirees. Since the government is expecting a large amount of retirees within the next twenty year, they have proposed four plans to save Social Security. The four proposals are reducing benefits, increasing the retirement age, raising payroll taxes, and privatizing part of the system. Today's Social Security taxes crowd out other savings. Fixing the trust fund by raising taxes or cutting benefits would be fairly simple, but both approaches would only make Social Security an even worse deal than it is now. Approximately 75 percent of American workers pay more in Social Security taxes than they do in income taxes. Based on the Social Security Administration's own assumptions, payroll tax rates would have to increase from 12.4 to 19.5 percent for promised benefits to be paid. Although such tax increases might be sufficient to pay promised future benefits, the economy would suffer severe consequences. Raising Social Security taxes enough to keep the government's entitlements promises to future retirees would require doubling or tripling these taxes. That means taking 30 to 40 percent of every worker's wages just to pay retirement benefits. Such tax hikes are not economically or politically feasible. Social Security reform must not reduce the benefits of current retirees. In addition, it must allow Americans of all income levels to build a nest egg for the future. Real reform will also guarantee that all workers receive an adequate minimum retirement income. The benefits of current retirees must not be reduced. Washington has a moral contract with those who currently receive Social Security retirement benefits, as well as those who are so close to retirement that they have no other options for building a retirement nest egg. Any real reform plan must guarantee in law that seniors receive every cent that they have been promised, including an accurate annual cost of living increase. As a first step to saving Social Security for future generations, Congress should pass a law giving every already retired American a contract that provides a legal guarantee of his or her Social Security retirement benefits. Finally, current workers should have the choice of either joining a Social Security system that includes personal retirement accounts or remaining in the existing system and taking whatever benefit is available at the time that they reti re.

Evaluating the Historical Capital Budgeting Method Essay

Currently AES employs Project Finance Framework. Project finance tends to be used in projects with tangible assets with predictable cash flows in which construction and operating targets can be easily established through explicit contract. The key to AES projects financing lies with the precise forecasting of cash flows. In effect, the possibility of estimating cash flows with an acceptable level of uncertainty allows for allocation of risks among various interested parties. The ensuing certainty in cash flows allows for high level of leverage and enables project assets to be separated from the parent company. Let us now take a closer look at the pros and cons of the Capital Budgeting System currently in place. Principal Advantages Non-Recourse The separation of the parent company is structured through the creation of a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). This SPV is the formal borrower under all loan documents so that in event of default or bankruptcy AES is not directly responsible before financial creditors. Instead, their legal claims are against the SPV assets. Maximize Leverage Currently AES seeks to finance the cost of development and construction of the project on highly leveraged basis. High leveraged in non-recourse project financing permits AES to put less in capital to put at risk permits AES to finance the project without diluting its equity investment in the project. Off-Balance Sheet Treatment AES may not be required to report any of the project debt on its balance sheet because such debt is non-recourse. Off balance sheet treatment can have the added practical benefit of helping the AES comply with covenants and restriction relating to borrowing funds contained in loan agreements to which AES is also a party. Agency Cost The agency costs of free cash flow are reduced. Management incentives are to project performance. Most importantly close monitoring by investors is facilitated. Multilateral Financial Institutions One of the four constituents that have contractual arrangement with the SPV in a typical project are the banks (an integral part group of financiers that include share holders, insurers, equipment manufacturers, export credit agencies and funds). Among these banks there are multilateral financial institutions (like IFC, CAF and etc). Presence of these institutions as financiers helps in raising capital from these institutes at lower cost and secondly it is also read as a positive sign by commercial banks. Drawbacks Projects V/S Division The company is not only expanding its geographical boundaries, but it is also diversifying its business through backward and forward integration. The current financial model does not provide the AES with the big picture, which now constitutes more number of variables that are being influenced by multiple factors due to the increase in depth and breadth of the organization. Complexity Financing of projects requires involvement of a number of parties. They can be quite complex and can be expensive to arrange. Secondly it demands greater amount of management time. Macroeconomic Risk The current methodology employed by AES for capital budgeting does not take into account the exchange rate risk. This risk will be of higher magnitude in the developing countries because of their unstable monetary and fiscal policies[2]. As we have seen that fluctuation in exchange rate has greatly hurt the AES business and they were unable to mitigate this risk as they haven’t anticipated it. This risk becomes important when the exchange rate fluctuation affects balance sheet items unequally. Thus keeping check on the foreign exchange rate requires timely adjustment of both the items of revenue and expenditure, and those of assets and liabilities in different currencies. Political Risk: This is another important factor which the current financial management system does not take into account. This will be of significant importance when it comes to investing in developing countries where frequent changes in government policies occur. Does this system make sense? The financial strategy employed by AES was historically based on project finance. This approach solely took into account those factors that minimized AES exposure to the project and achieved the most beneficial regulatory treatment thus ensuring availability of financial resources to complete the project. The model worked well for the domestic market as well as for the international operations, provided the opportunities undertook by AES were either in the sector of building and running a power plant or simply buying an existing facility and upgrading it and then operating. The underlying assumption over here was that the symmetrical and asymmetrical risks faced by the project were more or less same irrespective of its geographical location (Refer to Exhibit 3). However when AES started diversifying the breadth of its operations by incorporating other offshoots of energy related business and transforming from a cogeneration to a more utility organization with majority of expansion occurring in developing economies. This diversification of business increased the symmetrical risks like business risk, a classic example of which we see in Brazil where AES experience shortfall in demand /sales volume due to Energy Conservation Policy of Brazilian government and this had a chain effect on debt servicing capacity of the SPV as well the stock price of the parent company. Other factor that current model was not able to include was the risk of devaluation of currency in developing economies which resulted in significant losses due to the inability of the company to survive its international debt obligations. Expansion in developing economies also exposed the business to political risk where the policies change erratically with changes in government. Hence we see that the geographical diversification of business causes asymmetrical risk to increase causing bimodal behavior in the result. Project financing becomes less recommendable as a symmetrical risk becomes more manifest. This constitutes a problem for emerging countries where these risks tends to be at the forefront. Lal Pir Project Valuation Scenario 1: Pakistan In order to calculate the value of project for the Lal Pir project in Pakistan, we first need to calculate the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) using the new proposed methodology. For this we have followed the approach given in exhibit 8 of the case. The first step is to calculate the value of levered ? using the formula and information given in the case[3]. The value of the levered ? comes out to be 0. 3852 or 38. 52%, which essentially means that our project is not very highly correlated to the market return. Using this value of ? we now calculate the cost of Equity (refer Exhibit 4A). We have used the return on U. S. Treasury Bond (i. e. 4. 5%) as the risk free return in calculating the cost of equity. The cost of equity comes out to be 0. 072 and similarly, using the risk free return and the default spread (given in exhibit 7a of case) we calculate the cost of debt which comes out to be 0. 0807. It is important to note that the cost of debt and the cost of equity also need to be adjusted for the sovereign spread (0. 0990 for Pakistan). Once we have the adjusted costs of equity and capital we can now calculate the WACC for the project using the formula given in case where we essentially multiply equity and debt ratio with the adjusted costs of equity and debt respectively[4]. The WACC in this scenario comes out to be 0. 1595 or 15. 95%. However, now we need to adjust this WACC for the risks associated with doing the project in Pakistan and we do this by using Table A given in the case. We know that the total Risk Score for Pakistan is 1. 425 and since there is a linear relationship between business specific risk scores and cost of capital[5] we need to adjust our WACC by 7. 125% thus making our final WACC 23. 075%, using which we calculate our NPV (refer to Exhibit 6) from the year 2004 to 2023, and it comes out to be negative $234. 34 million. Scenario 2: USA For USA similar calculations are made to calculate the WACC (Exhibit 4B). However there are two things that are different. First we see the sovereign spread is equal to zero. Secondly, in this case we would need to calculate the business risk using the information given in exhibit 7a of the case (refer to Exhibit 5). This score comes out to be 0. 64 and using this score, our business risk comes out to be 3. 23% and adding it to our calculated value of WACC, we get our final WACC of 9. 64%. Using this we calculate our NPV for USA which comes out to be negative $ 35. 92 million (refer to Exhibit 7). Adjusted Cost of Capital and Probabilities of Real Events in Pakistan In calculating the adjusted cost of capital for Pakistan the WACC is adjusted for six common types of risks: Operational, Counterparty, Regulatory, Construction, Commodity, Currency and Legal. We can clearly see from table A given in the case that besides construction there is a probability of all these risks actually effecting the project in Pakistan. In these, the highest probability is that of currency risk and the legal risk. The adjusted cost that we have calculated is adjusted by the total risk score for Pakistan. There is a linear relationship between the total risk score and adjustment to the cost of capital, i. e. a score of 1 leads to an adjustment of 500 basis points in the WACC. When we calculate the WACC for Pakistan through traditional formula it comes out to be 15. 95%, however in order to incorporate the risk factor associated with Pakistan we need to adjust it for the Total Risk Score, which in this case is 1. 425. So we simply multiply this by 500 and we find out that we need to adjust our WACC 23. 075%. Since this 23. 075% is adjusted using the total risk score we can safely assume that it incorporates for the probability of the afro-mentioned six types of risks in WACC with respect to Pakistan. Discount Rate Adjustment: USA v/s Pakistan As mentioned earlier the discount rate is adjusted based on the total risk score of the country. This total risk score is compiled from 6 main types of risks, the probability of which varies from country to country. If we simply compare the risk scores for USA and Pakistan[6], we can see that there is a major difference between the risk profiles of both the countries. For instance, while currency, regulatory and legal risks are significantly high in Pakistan, they do not exist in the USA at all. Also we see that operational, counterparty and commodity risks are higher in USA as compared to Pakistan. Similarly when the respective WACCs of the two countries are adjusted for their risk we see that the adjusted WACC for Pakistan (23. 075%) is much higher as opposed to that of USA (9. 64%), which essentially implies that Pakistan is inherently a riskier country to invest in as opposed to the USA and any investments made in this region would have to cross a higher hurdle rate than if they were made in the US region.

Case on TQM Essay

schemeUsing suit deal methodology, the authors asked tonus managers or so their fraternitys image with ISO 90001994 and total tonicity management (TQM) executeation. The results award that initially the model could avail roughly companies reorganize their procedures and define responsibilities and duties. However, managers perspectives on its accomplishable effect on federation surgery be non despotic. Only result woodland improves after slaying. On the contrary, TQM has ameliorate near aspects of performance, the roughly influential aspects macrocosm those soft dimensions of leadership and benevolent election management. These aspects were not included in ISO 90001994. later analyzing ISO 9000 as a scratch tint toward the TQM executing, as much of the literature advises, the authors findings advise that managers consider it to be a sorry element when enforced jointly with TQM. Their postulate expresss off that, in practice, at that place argon two parallel prime(prenominal) administrations in a friendship. To get interrupt results, it is in-chief(postnominal) to adapt ISO essentials to facilitate TQM implementation former(a)wise, the except advantage of the registration is the permission to change the market.INTRODUCTIONOver the last decade, ISO 9000 credential has been the subject of legion(predicate) articles. The phenomenon of its quick ontogeny led to a belief that it was a great advantage for a comp all to reach registration. In keeping with this, to a greater extent researchers tried to identify the impact of ISO 9000 de aspect on companies results and management. An essential group of researchers has not found any strong positive relationship between enfranchisement and results. However, in that respect is an early(a) group of articles that points away an modulate of registration on product note. away from any watch derived from implementation, nearly authors advocated that certification coul d be a advanced basic step toward a total note management (TQM) corpse, raising aw areness of note among workers and a good climate in which to implement it. Regarding this point, implementation of the ensample was conscious with the aim of implementing TQM in aim to moderate maximum benefits from the registration (Brecka, 1994 Meegan and Taylor 1997 Huarng, Horng, and Chen 1999 Hughes, Williams, and Ryall 2000 insolate 2000 Gotzamani and Tsiotras 2002). The question is Do companies existingly implement ISO certification with this aim? Is the accepted cognizance that ISO certification could help companies attain a TQM system true? Which aspects of ISO do that? The utilisation of this research is to empirically evaluate the real contribution of ISO 9000 toward TQM implementation.METHODOLOGYCase development methodology is best when the objective is to variety theory in preliminary phases of a research body of work or to total new perspectives to previous research (Y in 1994). let out of this research can be considered as preliminary, beca purpose there is still little test on how the ISO 9000 and TQM act jointly in management. The objective of the case check is not the statistical generalization, but the analytical ane. This methodology tries to generalize from case to theory it does not attempt to extrapolate facts from sample to population. Relating to the consequence of cases, the lower bout go away cease the researcher to obtain more than(prenominal) than education (Voss, Tsikriktsis, and Frohlich 2002). However, a multiple case study increases reliability and external validity. Predict identical results (literal replication) Get different results due to predictable reasonsThe authors chose a multiple case study instead of a single angiotensin converting enzyme to increase external validity and reliability. 14 companies among the biggest manufacturing companies in Spain were selected for the study. The cases were selected with the condition of being certain at least by the ISO 90001994. trey of them were applying TQM and two were recently testify by the new adaptation of ISO 90002000. The case study protocol included two questionnaires in order to apply triangulation. wiz of them was utilise in the interview with the flavour manager.The separate(a) questionnaire was to be completed by other managers not associated with the quality area. The authors took into consideration other documents supplied by the company and direct mirror image through plant visits. Table 1 exposes the companies participating in the study and their characteristics. later on in this article, the authors assign a number for each company in order to safeguard confidentiality of responses. The criteria used to select companies were in the main Homogeneity of external factors The authors focused on manufacturing companies since ISO 9000 was initially designed for industrial companies.RESULTS stool of TQM on Company Pe rformance early the authors classified companies fit to the dot of implementation of a total quality system. They determine tercet companieswith high levels and encounter in TQM the remaining companies had a low degree of TQM implementation. This classification was base on information roughly TQM dimensions such as node orientation, work teams for continual improvement, consciousness about quality, quality planning, and so on. Managers of the three TQM companies were asked about the perceived performance improvements as a result of TQM implementation. The three managers hold that TQM implementation had benefited the company in many ways. consequently the authors asked them to position the improvements in a limit of performance measurements, informing why the TQM system had better every measure. Measurements were obtained from a literature surveil that relates quality management and performance. The richness of the case study is that the manager is able to explain at th e moment of completing the questionnaire the why of each rate and to add try to the question. Table 2 shows the results along with more or less notes from managers. The last mainstay shows the value of the influence on each measure based on the majority of responses (1-2=low, 3=medium, 4-5=high). In the cases where companies responses are very different ( one of each) there is not enough evidence to stray that TQM influences that point.According to these managers perceptions, TQM influences product quality, customer service, refrain response, competitiveness, customer rapture, employee satisfaction and motivation, rate of take flights, and neckcloth bell. Regarding the customers claims, it is important to note that two managers indicated that this point had not amend because customers today are more demanding than before. A similar translation is valid for warranty costs. One company in like manner pointed out that these costs ofttimes come from a wrong use of the produc t and not from its quality. Exports and innovations were not tried and true because of the particular characteristics of the companies interviewed Financial measures were difficult to mark.Managers agree that they would need more information to position themselves, although they perceived that the market in general values the fact that the company has implemented a TQM system and consequently, the stock price rises. later completing the questionnaire, managers were asked to indicate the elements of TQM that are more responsible for company improvements. interest are their responses Company 1 The most important aspect is that everybody in the company, including the cleaning service, the doorman, and the accountant, is conscious and worried about quality. Before, the moreover people interested in quality were the quality department staff. Company 4 Personnel motivation and participation. If you get this, accordingly the complete system works. Company 12 First, the general bel ief of the importance of quality. Second, the determination to be real leaders. Managers and staff fly the coop together towards the similar aim.Effects of ISO 9000 on Company PerformanceQuality managers were also asked about the influence that ISO 90001994 registration has had on the same aspects of company results that were considered for TQM. They were asked to give a score from 1 to 5 (1=no influence, 5=very strong influence).The spheric influence that ISO 90001994 has had over each variable, evaluated according to the majority of responses, is presented in the final column of Table 3. As can be seen, the only aspect that clearly meliorate from the date of certification was product quality. One manager said this was because they had to create procedures and turn out variability in the payoff mental mould because of ISO implementation. All of them agreed that the product was the same as before certification. The only inconsistency was that after ISO implementation it wa s more controlled.The defect rate had consequently decreased as well. The effect on both customer satisfaction and competitiveness was medium. It is worth explaining that when the quality manager considered that certification could improved these variables, he always explained that customer satisfaction was derived from the movement of a previous requirement from him to attain certification. Some other managers pointed out that this satisfaction could be due to improvement in claims management. When ISO 9000 was first created, being a certified company was a competitive advantage. at present this advantage has disappeared and it has become a requirement to compete in the market. The effect on customer service was also medium. In this sense, ISO 9000 certification has been usable to organize the claims management system. Each claim must be registered and evaluated. There must exist a procedure tosolve claims. Regarding the employees, the ISO 9000 system improved their productivity and their interest in quality problems. Improvement in productivity is once again explained by better procedures and work instructions.However, many managers have confessed that employee satisfaction worsened because of the bureaucracy of the system. The documentation needed to sustain the system increased their workload. The remaining variables are not considered to have any impact on results. Note that the financial measures were not influenced by the implementation of the standard. When managers were asked about the main advantages and disadvantages of certification, they agreed that certification is helpful to organize the production system through procedures and work instructions. The paperwork generated was place as the most negative consequence. After asking if certification was profitable, the majority answered that it had to be, pointing out that nowadays it is a basic requirement. If we did not have it, we couldnt sell, they affirmed.ISO 9000 and TQMIf data on the compa nies that had implemented TQM are analyzed, it can be seen that certification had less impact on nearly all results. The first company shows higher marks in some variables. This company was the only one that started the quality journey by implementing ISO 9000 first and therefore TQM. It would explain the fact that the ISO standard could help managers organize the production process when quality management was at an initial stage. In fact, the manager of this company stated that formalization was useful for learning and for having criteria for future comparisons. The other two managers of companies applying TQM did not find any impact, although they suggested that the certification could help in some cases when companies had problems regarding process management.Finally, as an interesting note, one of the managers was worried about the new version of the standard, ISO 90002000. As explained before, managers try to establish stripped-down requirements in the quality manual to neu tralise what they believe as disturbances in their normal work. In his opinion, the newversion represents a higher level of a quality system, is more demanding, and tries to incorporate some points more in line with the TQM system. It would have in mind that the tender should have access to new field in his or her company, and they would have to forgo him or her to interrupt many aspects of the process. It could mean that the company worked less well than before. endThe authors asked quality managers of 14 companies about their experience with both ISO 90001994 implementation and TQM. Only three of the 14 companies had implemented TQM. Those companies have had improvements in performance as a result. These were generally in product quality, customer and employee satisfaction, and competitiveness. When asked about the most important dimensions of TQM for getting these better results, managers agreed on leadership and employee participation.Regarding ISO 9000, the results show that the only clear improvement is in product quality. Managers agree that certification was useful in the initial stages of quality system implementation, mainly because they improved their production process through the development of work procedures, creating an melodic line in which quality played an important role and defining responsibilities and duties. Initially, ISO 9000 certification was a competitive tool because it was still a novelty. However, today, certification is no longer a competitive advantage, but a requirement to play in the market.The authors have observe that companies that are applying TQM have fewer improvements in performance when ISO 9000 was implemented than the others. One of them presents close to higher values, and, by coincidence, it is the only one that was ISO 9000 registered before implementing TQM. This could give the impression that the standard could be a good first step toward TQM implementation n. However, a more in-depth interview with manag ers changed the authors point of view. The managers point out that the ISO standard can be an barrier when implemented jointly with a TQM system, interfering in the normal operation of the employment and allowing the auditor to inspect too many aspects of the quality system and slowing it down.The resolving power to this problem provided by some of the Spanish managers interviewed was to completely separate implementation of a TQM system from the ISO 9000 system. Within other phone line culture contexts, the solution could well be different. Those companies that decided to apply the ISO regulation more strictly introduced all those aspects related to GCT in the manual. Then, the auditor will have a more important role and his or her arrest of what TQM is will be more important in these cases.Therefore, the effect of ISO 90012000 on company results will also appear on two factors 1) the managers fulfilment of norms, and 2) the auditors understanding of TQM. Differences among co untries due to different management cultures will then be a cause of differences in ISO 9001 effects and an interesting subject area of analysis. The new version of the standard is closer to a TQM system. In particular, it tries to improve human resource management, customer focus, and leadership. According to managers, and back up by the conclusions of previous authors, the soft variables of TQM are responsible for the improvement in results derived from TQM implementation. It is an opportunity for companies to achieve better performance by applying the new version adequately. This new standard could also be a good first step toward a TQM system. pass on research in this sense would be interesting to help managers attain more benefits from certification.