Making Your Own Luck

I ought to never have discarded the junk letter. The letter obviously cautioned me that in the event that I did, I would have one day of misfortune. I didn't trust it, so I tossed the senseless bit of paper in the trash. I thought the companion who sent me the letter was only an offbeat imbecile. Letters don't bring you karma. You make your own! That night, in any case, as I nodded off, I had the awkward inclination that something was not exactly right. At the point when I woke up the following morning, I was astounded to find that I had slept in and would be late for work.As I hurried down the steps to have a brisk breakfast, I stumbled over my pack and spilled glassofwateronthepileofdocuments, whichI ought to have presentedat the meetingthat morning. Since themeetingwasabouttobegin, Irushedto getmycaranddriveto the officeveryquickly. Be that as it may, misfortune transpired once more; my vehicle was secured by snow from the previous evening, so I expected to set aside effort to mak e them soften. On my approach to work, I chose to take an alternate way through an old piece of town. I headed to an old unpleasant street which individuals once in a while utilize day by day. In any case, when I was near my office, I saw there was a mishap in the front of my car.Suddenly, I heard an uproarious squad car and individuals attempted to change to another path, and I was stuck in a road turned parking lot. Sooner or later, I at long last showed up busy working. At the point when I showed up busy working, I found a note around my work area from my chief. She needed to see me immediately. I took a full breath and strolled into her office. As I ventured inside, I saw a glower all over. Obviously, she reproved me for showing up after the expected time and for not getting ready well for the gathering. She had needed to begin the gathering with no assistance. Due to her fury, I was gotten an admonition letter. At 5 PM, I left my office and returned home inclination tired and d isappointed.Finally, following a long and troublesome day, I got back to find that my climate control system was broken. I was unable to take it any longer! It had been the most exceedingly terrible day of my life, and I didn't need whatever else to occur. I raced to the trash can and burrowed around for the networking letter I had discarded the day preceding. It was secured with espresso beans and potato strips, yet I could in any case read the words: â€Å"Send ten duplicates of this letter to your companions and you will have good karma for a year. † I took a seat at the kitchen table and started to make duplicates for ten of my companions. They could take their risks, yet I was not going to have any increasingly misfortune!

In the Words of Frank Lloyd Wright

In the Words of Frank Lloyd Wright American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his Prairie Style house plans, his violent individual life, and his productive works, including talks and magazine articles. His long life (91 years) gave him an opportunity to fill volumes. Here are some of Frank Lloyd Wrights most outstanding citations and our top picks: On Simplicity As opposed to his wild close to home life, Wright consumed his building time on earth communicating magnificence through basic, characteristic structures and plans. How does a modeler make lovely yet utilitarian structures? Five lines where three are sufficient is consistently ineptitude. Nine pounds where three are adequate is obesity....To comprehend what to forget about and what to place in, exactly where and exactly how, ah, that is to have been instructed in information on straightforwardness toward extreme opportunity of expression.The Natural House, 1954 Structure and capacity are one. A few Aspects of the Future of Architecture (1937), The Future of Architecture, 1953 Straightforwardness and rest are characteristics that measure the genuine estimation of any work of art....An over the top love of detail has destroyed all the more fine things from the viewpoint of compelling artwork or fine living than any one human inadequacy; it is miserably foul. In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) Natural Architecture Before there was Earth Day and LEED affirmation, Wright advanced a biology and expectation in engineering structure. The home ought not be on a plot of land however be of the land-a natural piece of the earth. Quite a bit of Wrights works portrays the way of thinking of natural engineering: ...it is in the idea of any natural structure to develop from its site, come out of the ground into the light-the ground itself held consistently as a segment fundamental piece of the structure itself. The Natural House (1954) A structure ought to seem to develop effectively from its site and be molded to fit with its environmental factors if nature is show there, and if do whatever it takes not to make it as calm, considerable, and natural as she would have been were the open door hers. In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) Where does the nursery go out start? The Natural House, 1954 This Architecture we call natural is an engineering whereupon genuine American culture will in the end be based on the off chance that we get by any means. The Natural House, 1954 Genuine architecture...is verse. A decent structure is the best of sonnets when it is natural design. An Organic Architecture, The London Lectures (1939), The Future of Architecture So here I remain before you lecturing natural design: pronouncing natural engineering to be the cutting edge perfect... An Organic Architecture, The London Lectures (1939), The Future of Architecture Nature and Natural Forms The absolute most acclaimed planners were conceived in June, including Wright, conceived in Wisconsin on June 8, 1867. His childhood on the prairie terrains of Wisconsin, particularly the occasions he spent on his uncles ranch, formed the manner in which this future designer fused common components into his plans: Nature is the extraordinary instructor man can just get and react to her educating. The Natural House, 1954 The land is the least difficult type of design. A few Aspects of the Past and Present in Architecture (1937), The Future of Architecture, 1953 The prairie has a marvel of its own.... In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) Basically, nature outfitted the materials for engineering motifs...her abundance of recommendation is endless; her wealth more noteworthy than any keeps an eye on want. In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) ...go to the forested areas and fields for shading plans. In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) I have never been enamored with paints or of backdrop or anything which must be applied to different things as a surface....Wood is wood, concrete will be solid, stone will be stone. The Natural House (1954) The Nature of Man Honest Lloyd Wright had a method of considering the to be as one entire, not separating between the absolutely real home or of the person. Human houses ought not resemble boxes, he addressed in 1930. Wright proceeded: Any house is a dreadfully confounded , cumbersome, fastidious, mechanical fake of the human body. Electric wiring for sensory system, plumbing for guts, warming framework and chimneys for corridors and heart, and windows for eyes, nose, and lungs by and large. The Cardboard House, the Princeton Lectures, 1930, The Future of Architecture What a man does-that he has. The Natural House, 1954 A house that has character has a decent potential for success of developing increasingly significant as it develops older...Buildings like individuals should initially be true, must be true.... In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) Mortar houses were then new. Casement windows were new....Nearly everything was new however the law of gravity and the eccentricity of the customer. The Natural House, 1954 On Style Despite the fact that real estate professionals and engineers have grasped the Prairie style home, Wright structured each home for the land it was on and the individuals who might possess it. He stated: There ought to be the same number of sorts (styles) of houses as there are sorts (styles) of individuals and the same number of separations as there are various people. A man who has singularity (and what man needs it?) has an option to its demeanor in his own condition. In the Cause of Architecture Iâ (1908) Style is a side-effect of the process....To receive a style as a rationale is to put the truck before the horse.... In the Cause of Architecture II (1914) On Architecture As a draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright never faltered in his convictions about engineering and the utilization of room all around. Homes as various as Fallingwater and Taliesin have a similar characteristic, natural components he found out about as a kid in Wisconsin. ...each house...should start on the ground, not in it.... The Natural House (1954) Structure follows work is minor authoritative opinion until you understand the higher truth that structure and capacity are one. The Natural House (1954) The place of moderate expense isn't just Americas major design issue however the issue generally hard for her significant draftsmen. The Natural House (1954) Had steel, cement, and glass existed in the old request we could have had not at all like our awkward, silly great design. The Natural House, 1954 ...design is life; or if nothing else it is life itself taking structure and in this way it is the most genuine record of life as it was lived on the planet yesterday, as it is lived today or ever will be lived. So design I know to be a Great Spirit. The Future: Valedictory (1939) What is required most in engineering today is the very thing that is generally required in life-trustworthiness. The Natural House (1954) ...design esteems are human qualities, or they are not valuable....Human values are nurturing, not life taking. The Disappearing City (1932) Counsel To The Young Architect From the Chicago Art Institute Lecture (1931), The Future of Architecture The impacts of the old ace, designer Louis Sullivan, remained with Wright an incredible entirety, even as Wright was progressively well known and turned into the ace himself. Think simples, as my old ace used to express significance to decrease the entire to its parts in most straightforward terms, returning to first standards. Set aside some effort to prepare....Then go as distant as conceivable from home to manufacture your first structures. The doctor can cover his errors, however the modeler can just encourage his customers to plant vines. ...structure the propensity for deduction why....get the propensity for analysis.... View it as similarly as attractive to construct a chicken house as to assemble a church building. The size of the venture implies little in workmanship, past the cash matter. Along these lines, design talks as verse to the spirit. In this machine age to absolute this verse is engineering, as in every single other age, you should get familiar with the natural language of the normal which is ever the language of the new. Each incredible engineer is-essentially an extraordinary artist. He should be an incredible unique mediator of his time, his day, his age. An Organic Architecture, The London Lectures (1939), The Future of Architecture Citations Popularly Attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright Straightforward Lloyd Wright cites are as bounteous as the quantity of structures he finished. Numerous citations have been rehashed such a significant number of time, its hard to precisely source when they were stated, or, even, in the event that they are exact statements from Wright himself. Here are some that frequently show up in assortments of citations: I despise intelligent people. They are starting from the top. I am from the base up. Television is biting gum for the eyes. Right off the bat in life I needed to pick between legitimate presumption and dishonest modesty. I picked fair self-importance and have seen no event to change. The thing consistently happens that you truly put stock in; and the confidence in a thing gets it going. In all actuality more significant than the realities. Youth is a quality, not a matter of conditions. A thought is salvation by creative mind. Get the propensity for examination investigation will in time empower combination to turn into your propensity for mind. I feel going ahead an abnormal illness lowliness. On the off chance that it keeps up, man will decay every one of his appendages however the press button finger. The researcher has walked in and replaced the artist. Yet, one day someone will discover the answer for the issues of the world and recall, it will be an artist, not a researcher. No stream rises higher than its source. What ever man may fabricate would never communicate or reflect more than he was. He could record neither more nor short of what he had realized of life when the structures were constructed. The more I live the mo

Problem-Solving Strategies and Obstacles

Problem-Solving Strategies and Obstacles Theories Cognitive Psychology Print Problem-Solving Strategies and Obstacles By Kendra Cherry facebook twitter Kendra Cherry, MS, is an author, educational consultant, and speaker focused on helping students learn about psychology. Learn about our editorial policy Kendra Cherry Updated on September 23, 2019 JGI / Jamie Grill / Getty Images More in Theories Cognitive Psychology Behavioral Psychology Developmental Psychology Personality Psychology Social Psychology Biological Psychology Psychosocial Psychology From organizing your movie collection to deciding to buy a house, problem-solving makes up a large part of daily life. Problems can range from small (solving a single math equation on your homework assignment) to very large (planning your future career). In cognitive psychology, the term problem-solving refers to the mental process that people go through to discover, analyze, and solve problems. This involves all of the steps in the problem process, including the discovery of the problem, the decision to tackle the issue, understanding the problem, researching the available options and taking actions to achieve your goals. Before problem-solving can occur, it is important to first understand the exact nature of the problem itself. If your understanding of the issue is faulty, your attempts to resolve it will also be incorrect or flawed. Mental Processes at Work During Problem-Solving There are a number of mental processes at work during problem-solving. These include: Perceptually recognizing a problemRepresenting the problem in memoryConsidering relevant information that applies to the current problemIdentify different aspects of the problemLabeling and describing the problem Problem-Solving Strategies Algorithms: An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure that will always produce a correct solution. A mathematical formula is a good example of a problem-solving algorithm. While an algorithm guarantees an accurate answer, it is not always the best approach to problem-solving. This strategy is not practical for many situations because it can be so time-consuming. For example, if you were trying to figure out all of the possible number combinations to a lock using an algorithm, it would take a very long time!Heuristics: A heuristic is a mental rule-of-thumb strategy that may or may not work in certain situations. Unlike algorithms, heuristics do not always guarantee a correct solution. However, using this problem-solving strategy does allow people to simplify complex problems and reduce the total number of possible solutions to a more manageable set.Trial and Error: A trial-and-error approach to problem-solving involves trying a number of different solutions and ruling out those that do not work. This approach can be a good option if you have a very limited number of options available. If there are many different choices, you are better off narrowing down the possible options using another problem-solving technique before attempting trial-and-error.Insight: In some cases, the solution to a problem can appear as a sudden insight. According to researchers, insight can occur because you realize that the problem is actually similar to something that you have dealt with in the past, but in most cases, the underlying mental processes that lead to insight happen outside of awareness. Obstacles in Problem-Solving Of course, problem-solving is not a flawless process. There are a number of different obstacles that can interfere with our ability to solve a problem quickly and efficiently. Researchers have described a number of these mental obstacles, which include functional fixedness, irrelevant information, and assumptions. Functional Fixedness: This term refers to the tendency to view problems only in their customary manner. Functional fixedness prevents people from fully seeing all of the different options that might be available to find a solution.Irrelevant or Misleading Information: When you are trying to solve a problem, it is important to distinguish between information that is relevant to the issue and irrelevant data that can lead to faulty solutions. When a problem is very complex, the easier it becomes to focus on misleading or irrelevant information.Assumptions: When dealing with a problem, people often make assumptions about the constraints and obstacles that prevent certain solutions.Mental Set: Another common problem-solving obstacle is known as a mental set, which is the tendency people have to only use solutions that have worked in the past rather than looking for alternative ideas. A mental set can often work as a heuristic, making it a useful problem-solving tool. However, mental sets can also lead to inflexibility, making it more difficult to find effective solutions.

I Introduction. 1.What Role Did Zionism Play In Influencing

I: INTRODUCTION 1. What role did Zionism play in influencing Inter-Arab state politics? 2. In what ways did Western Imperialism mobilize Zionism and Arab Nationalism? 3. What were the key differences between Zionism and Arab Nationalism? 4. Was the 1948 Palestinian/Israeli war inevitable, or could it have been avoided? II: Theoretical Framework This essay will seek to examine the role Identity Politics played in the conflict between Zionism and its Arab neighbors in the Middle East. At the core of Identity Politics, Nationalism is one of the driving forces. The theoretical framework of the concept ‘Nationalism’ is multifaceted and has been ardently debated by scholars. For the sake of brevity and context for this essay, we’ll examine†¦show more content†¦Because of historical religious ties the Jews had with Jerusalem, Zionists began migrating to Palestine in waves known as the aliyot. The first aliyot occurred in 1882 and lasted until 1903. It’s important to note, that the vast majority of Jewish immigrants were moving to the United States instead of Palestine. Approximately 1.5-2 million Jews went to the US, while only 115,000 went to Palestine during this time period. This demonstrates the small amount of support the movement of Zionism initially received from the Jewish community. It wasn’t until the early 1920s when the US tightened immigration policies that mass amounts of Jews started immigrating into Palestine. The significant rise of Zionism in Palestine between WWI and WWII was seen as a threat to the Arab community. In 1922 the annual immigration was a few thousand annually, by 1935 Jewish immigration had risen to 62,000. A surge of Palestinian Nationalism developed as a result, and tensions between the ethnocentric rivalry steadily escalated. Egypt and its brand of Arab Nationalism was also taking root during this time period, and played a notable role in supporting Palestine in its struggle against Zionism. In 1936 the Palestinian Arabs made a list of demands in an effort to squelch Zionism; prohibition of Jewish immigrants, outlawing Jews from purchasing property, and formal independence. Attempts at negotiations were made, in 1937 the Peel Commission proposed a mandate that would partition

Eleanor And Park And s Ship Breaker Social Class s...

Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park and Paolo Bacigalupi’s Ship Breaker display social class’s affect on the characters’ lives. Eleanor and Park contrasts the high and low classes through the family and relationship love and violence. Eleanor comes from an abusive home that is part of the lower class, while Park’s family is more fortunate and intense than Eleanor’s household. Ship Breaker creates a parallel between the two classes through violence. However, family relationships in different classes are portrayed like in Rowell’s novel. The lower class deals with betrayal and the upper class have loyalty. In Eleanor and Park and Ship Breaker, the relationships and interactions between families and others in society are different depending on†¦show more content†¦In contrast, the â€Å"Swanks† – the upper class – will sacrifice everything showing their loyalty to each other. After Nailer and Pima rescue Nita f rom her near-death, she tells them that her father will offer them â€Å"[m]ore than all the wealth [she has] got on [her] ship† (Bacigalupi 112). People in the lower class bring betrayal to their families, while people of the higher class show complete loyalty. Eleanor and Park’s class not only affects their relationships with their families, but also with each other. Park’s way of expressing his love reflects the loving nature that his family shows him. Park and his father both have an interest in women who are different. Park thinks that his Korean mother â€Å"kept the accent on purpose, because his dad liked it† (Rowell 46). Just as his dad marries a Korean woman – someone of a different race, Park starts a relationship with Eleanor – someone different from others. Both women’s appearances are different from their community, and both Park and his father come to love these differences. Park’s love for Eleanor is also expressed more greatly because Park knows love from his family. Unlike Park, Eleanor’s family expresses very minimal love (if any) towards her, which results in Eleanor’s held back love. Eleanor abandons Park at the end of the story like her mother abandoned her. Also, Eleanor keeps her love hidden even at the end when she writes a letter

6 Tips to Customize Your Hr Dashboard Free Essays

6 Tips to Customize Your HR Dashboard by Jeremy Shapiro Six Tips to Customize Your HR Dashboard What should your recruiting dashboard look like? To begin, it must be able to suit your organization’ s many unique requirements and priorities. Creating the ideal dashboard is not easy, but it helps when designing it to visualize a car’s dashboard. A car’s dashboard tells you when there is danger, or when you should accelerate. We will write a custom essay sample on 6 Tips to Customize Your Hr Dashboard or any similar topic only for you Order Now In essence, great dashboards are visual representations of data used to make important decisions. Below are 6 tips to help your metrics team customize the best recruiting dashboard for your organization. 1 Set specific goals. Each metric in a dashboard should have a target or target range by which to measure it. Creating a clear visual of where the organization is versus where the management’s target is will make evaluating progress much easier. You may want to set these targets by compiling management interviews and human resources priorities. This information can then be used to set the measurement goal against the organization’ s desired performance. Ideally, the measurement goal will help you determine a hard dollar amount of savings or revenue increase (for example, decreasing turnover by 10 percent results in a 5 million dollar annual savings). It can also aid in tying back a stated executive priority (for example, we promote a culture of promoting from within). 2 Model your measures. Say you have already determined your executive’s priorities. You now need to model what the metric will look like. How do you identify the data you will need or the best practices appropriate for this measure? Model your metric using dummy data in a spreadsheet first. Then validate your decisions by shopping the metric around for feedback. 3 Build your metrics. This is the actual work of creating the metric using real data. If you have an ad hoc tool, this could be user-accessible; if not, you may need to enlist a technical resource to build your reports. In the latter instance, modeling the metrics (see Tip 2) becomes critical to your success as your report developer will need to understand exactly what the report is supposed to do. 4 Build your dashboard. Think of your dashboard as a collection of well-focused reports on one page. After creating your reports, think about how to best represent them on a single page using graphs and other design techniques. 5 Care for your data. The information you need may be housed in several different places. Someone needs to care for this data; this includes ensuring users of the technology supporting you (HRIS, ATS, TMS, etc. ) complete the information you need. This also includes surveys. A little data maintenance now will save you hours of data repair later. 6 Validate your results. Without validation, your organization could easily misrepresent your data. Check your assumptions with peers, managers in different departments, and even with Finance. ——– Jeremy Shapiro is the Vice President of E-Recruiting Solutions at Bernard Hodes Group. Over the past 11 years, Jeremy has coached hundreds of companies through challenging recruiting technology implementations across industries and sizes. Jeremy is a frequent speaker and author on current/emerging recruiting technology topics, most recently contributing to the HR metrics book â€Å"Ultimate Performance† (Wiley, 2006). Jeremy holds an M. S. in Information Systems from NYU’s Stern School of Business and a B. A. in Economics from Rutgers University. He is an advisor to the industry metrics consortium HRMetrics. org. How to cite 6 Tips to Customize Your Hr Dashboard, Essay examples

The Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand Essay Research free essay sample

The Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand Essay, Research Paper Why The Duke Was Chosen. The Archduke was chosen as a mark because Serbians feared that after his Ascension to the persecutions of Serbs populating within the ASTRO-Hungarian Empire of Serbia had gained independency from the OTTEMAN Empire in 1878. At the clip, Serbia laid claimed to several parts of Bosnia, which were chiefly inhabited by Serbs. However, the Congress of Berlin granted permission to Austria-Hungary to busy Bosnia and Herzegovina, including, including the disputed Serbian countries. I 1908, Austria-Hungary officially annexed all of occupied Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding extra fuel to the fires at Serbian patriotism. The Serbian terrorist organisation, the Black Hand had trained a little group of teenage operatives a to infiltrate Bosnia and carryout the blackwash of the Archduke. It? s ill-defined how officially active the Serbian authorities was in the secret plan. However old ages subsequently the leader of the Black Hand, colonel DRAGUTIN DIMITRIJEUC, was besides hea vitamin D of the Serbian military intelligence. We will write a custom essay sample on The Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand Essay Research or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ATTEMPS OF DEATH ON THE ARCH As Francis Ferdinand and his party proceeded through Sarajevo, the first Black Hand operatives tossed a bomb at the Archduke? s car. The chauffeur saw the explosive and accelerated to avoid the impact, Sophie ducked and Francis Ferdinand deflected the bomb with his arm doing it to resile off the dorsum of the auto and explode behind them, pulverizing the following auto and earnestly wounding several Plutos. To avoid gaining control, question ext, the unsuccessful bravo, nine-teen-year-old Ned Elko Carbinovic, swallowed a Cyanide pill and jumped in to the river. However, he was hauled out of the river and detained. THE ARCHDUKE? S MURDER. As the Archduke? s cortege resumed its circuit of Sarajevo, the Archduke? s chauffeur took a incorrect bend and fired two pistol shootings. One slug hit Sophie, killing her immediately. The other hit Francis Ferdinand, who died within proceedingss. Like Carbinovic, Princip attemped self-destruction, but was captured before wining.

Sugar Cane Alley Essay Example

Sugar Cane Alley Essay Sugar Cane Alley, originally Rue Cases Negres, was an adaptation of Joseph Zobel’s novel with the same title.   The film was directed by Euzhan Palcy, whom was born and brought up on the archaic island of Martinique in the French West Indies like Zobel.   The film depicts the teenage life and endeavors of a boy named Jose who lives in a rundown-town of Martinique in the mid-1930s, giving viewers a sense of appreciation for what they have.   Jose lives with his grandmother and is well-acquainted with the French colonial presence, but they are far away from his world and life of dearth (Literature Film Quarterly, 2002).   He causes ruckus and learns important life morals from an aged, former slave.   Despite his neuroses, Jose’s meticulousness with his studies eventually pays off.   What is more, Sugar Cane Alley toddles through issues relating to society, politics, and economy.   Thus, gaining director Euzhan Palcy the 1983 Cesar â€Å"Best First Film†. Plot Jose lives in the sugar cane fields of Martinique in the mid-1930s.   From a seemingly normal life, according to what he knows, his world takes quite a turn when he wins a scholarship to attend high school in the capital, Port-de-France.   His life becomes one of many valuable lessons.   Firstly, he learns about the complexity of racial dealings through his friendship with a half black and white boy, the illegitimate son of the Creole plantation owner.   Secondly, he learns about misuse of power when he is confronted with a female neighbor that offers him a meal in exchange for servant work, resulting in late attendance for his class.   Thirdly, he rebels against his stuck-up professor by running away from school to throw rocks at her treasured dishes. (Literature Film Quarterly, 2002).   Lastly, he learns about the African roots of his culture from his guru, who lives in the same village, Medouze. We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar Cane Alley specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar Cane Alley specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Sugar Cane Alley specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Harsh realities begin due to the fact that Jose’s scholarship is merely partial and his grandmother is forced to drag her tired, old body from door to door in the rich sectors of town as a laundress.   So it is not enough that he already requires himself to make a great effort to meet the deadlines and orders of his teacher, but he also comes to realize where he falls in the class divide.   Of course, this is something completely new to him as he had come from a hometown of equal footing.   Plus, Jose comes face to face with racial and colonial aspects of his life.   The racial element comes into play during his â€Å"moment of glory†, when his teacher reads his essay aloud to his class.   His essay is a representation of a paean to the lives of poverty-stricken African Americans, inspired by the ancient tales of slavery told to him by Medouze.   Medouze had told Jose about a time when he was young boy just like him wherein the blacks emerged from the hills to invade St. Pierre.   With them, they had in tow various weaponry like sticks, machetes, guns, and torches.   According to Medouze, they were ready to attack and burn all the homes and rather than rebelling, the whites remained in their abundant homes out of fear and simply waited to die.   Upon this occurrence, Medouze claimed that t was the end of slavery. (Literature Film Quarterly, 2002).  Ã‚   Though the teacher accuses him of plagiarism, which causes him to take off, it develops into a turning point for Jose.   Moreover, it is truly marked as a milestone as his teacher later decides to follow him home to express his change of opinion and to congratulate him.   Finally, Jose is commenced with a future that can answer questions about his roots, even as his grandmother passes away. Cinematic Style The film has high quality production, in spite of a humble budget.   Palcy’s direction is executed with illusory elegance.   It contentedly unifies psychology and realism in which conventional fiction works are made. The use of unknown child actors is key in this film and is not only exceptionally successful on the children’s part, but also on the part of Palcy’s directing (Literature Film Quarterly, 2002). Through the length of the film, Palcy utilized cinematic juxtaposition in depicting the power struggle, oppositional class forces in society to produce sense out of conflict (Review of Sugar Cane Alley, 1997).   In doing this, the film followed an expansive subject of existence as clashing components that would integrate the structure of the mosaic.   The scenes would continuously change from night to day and vice versa, as if diffusing extreme opposite poles.  Ã‚   To elaborate, there were actually two specific scenes that stood dominant towards one another.   First, there was the funeral scene, wherein the characters have made a fire and they are engrossed in shadows, as opposed to the second and following scene that is set in water and uses bright sunlight (Review of Sugar Cane Alley, 1997).   Thus, Palcy shrewdly illustrated contradictory elements of dark vs. light, fire, vs. water. The film retains the psychological experience of the teenage boy hero as a focal point, but quantifies each scene with illuminating and contextualizing material. It conveys important meaning without lessening the tale to the same (Literature Film Quarterly, 2002).   There is deep sense involved, but the picture is enlightened, so to speak. Indeed, Sugar Cane Alley is a case of paying attention to meticulous detail. Socio-Economic Relationship Palcy’s film ends by emphasizing how the basic economic connection in which black labor produces proceeds for white owners stayed the same after liberation.   The same is apparent through Jose, his grandmother, and Medouze’s storytelling.   First, Jose must adapt to French ways as a source of socio-economic mobility.   Secondly, his grandmother is forced to do laundry for privileged, white folks just to get by and to uphold his education.   Lastly, it seems that Medouze’s primary function is to open senses to perception that defies the hardcore truths in history, regardless of acknowledgement of the roles of black resistance to slavery Racial-Political Issues Racial and class issues are directly confronted in the film through Palcy’s character, Leopald.   This character exemplifies the socio-political position played by the â€Å"mulatto† or bi-racial personality in Martinican society.   Furthermore, he is the child of a white Frenchman and his black mistress.   Leopold’s ego is badly bruised when he overhears his father on his deathbed stating that he will not pass his French family name, de Thorail, to his son. (Literature Film Quarterly, 2002).   For his father, his name is too above a bastard child, even he is his own.   By collaborating the elements of race and society into a lucid character and subplot, the director is able to develop an equally important story.   Leopold demonstrates the fusion but troubled nature of Caribbean identity and there is a direct relationship between his political consciousness and his white father’s rejection.   Hence, this crack in power is definitely meant to expose the politics and fundamental biases against African cultural heritage. Discussion The familial, social, political and economical issues in Euzhan Palcy’s Sugar Cane Alley are probed through her characters.   Not only does Palcy utilize the likes of her protagonist, Jose, but also through her sub-characters and her sub-plots who serve as important influences to Jose.   Moreover, all of his lessons are taken through his encounters with each sub-character.   He learns about racial relations and the history of slavery through Medouze, while learning a different aspect of race, society and politics through Leopold who also involves family hardship.   Through his own family or primary caretaker, his grandmother, he comes to realize the space between where he came from and what he must be in order to advance.   Palcy’s use of authentic actors and eye-catching footage that demonstrate conflicting elements of earthly life fuse reality with something coherent in a very suitable manner.   To conclude, the film and all its entities are of great value and open viewer’s eyes to important issues without preaching.

How We Listen to Music essays

How We Listen to Music essays In the story "How We Listen," by Aaron Copeland, both a subjective attitude and an objective attitude occur in each separate plane that is being described. The subjective attitude is where everything is taking place in the listeners mind, where as they are unaffected by the world around them. The music becomes essential to them. The objective attitude is where the listener has something to do with the material object as distinguished from the mental picture. They are uninfluenced by emotion or personal prejudice. Many people listen to music on what Copeland describes as the sensuous plane. That is, to take in the music you are listening to without judging it in anyway. You hear this music without even recognizing that it exists. There is an objective attitude being displayed here, because the listener is uninfluenced by the personal feeling or prejudice that they hold. They merely listen to the music to escape the problems or negative feelings that they hold inside their mind. However, neither one of them are concentrating on the music they here. They can become lost within the music itself. The subjective attitude in the sensuous plane is where the listeners are pertaining to the nature of the music itself. It seems important in order to let them escape the feelings they have in their everyday life. The second plane in which Copeland describes is called the expressive plane. No music, according to Copeland, has a meaning that is possible to describe or explain; yet, every piece of music means something, whether it is the listener or the composer. Many listeners in this plane hold a subjective attitude because the music always seems to play a role in the listeners life, where as it might reminds them of something. It becomes personal, existing in their mind the true meaning of what they are listening to, yet they are unable to state it. This helps the listeners to experience differe...

The Sources of Conflict in the Middle East Essay

The Sources of Conflict in the Middle East - Essay Example 142). Other theories such as international relations, religious conflict and civil war theories have been used to explain the sources of conflict in the Middle East. Theories of international relations conceptualize what drives state-to-state relations and state behaviour. There are essentially two main theories of international relations: liberalists and neo-realists theories. Liberalists theorize that the spread of liberal politics will eventually lead to world peace while neo-realists theorize that the forces driving the international system encourages all states to â€Å"look to their own self-interests and to prepare for war† (Linklater 2000, p. 833). Looked at from the liberalist theory of international relations the sources of conflict in the Middle East derive from the fact that the region is comprised of non-liberal or non-democratic regimes. Liberalists argue that â€Å"political systems externalize norms of behviour that characterize their domestic process and inst itutions† (Attar 2009, p. 97). Therefore, democratic political systems focus on â€Å"peace† and â€Å"compromise† (Attar 2009, p. 97). Non-democratic political systems on the other hand, focus on â€Å"the elimination or subjugation of political opponents and the forceful resolution of political conflict† (Attar 2009, p. 97). ... It is conceptualized that liberal states temper conflicts among the citizenry because it not only protects human rights, but encourages citizens to express discontent (Sorli 2001). However, it can be argued that non-liberal states can also temper conflict by suppressing citizens’ rights to express discontent (Sorli 2001). It therefore follows that the liberalist theory of international relations is not a satisfactory explanation for the source of conflict in the Middle East. The non-democratic regimes in the Middle East can just as easily contribute to peace as it can contribute to conflict. According to Maoz, Landau and Malz (2004), the neo-realists theory of international relations finds currency in the modern history of the Middle East. According to the neo-realist theory of international relations, states are driven by self-interests and power politics to such an extent that conflict regionally and/or globally is unavoidable. As Maoz et al (2004) argues, Arab states in the Middle East often express a â€Å"common heritage†, yet they may exhibit conduct and values that are inconsistent with that heritage. Egypt made an attempt to harmonize Arab heritage in the Middle East during the 1950s and 1960s and was frequently in conflict with Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Other attempts to harmonize the Arab Middle East such as the Baghdad Pact sponsored by the UK and the US also resulted in regional conflicts such as the Egyptian-Iraqi conflict during the 1950s (Maoz et al 2004). Power politics as espoused by neo-realist theories is also confirmed by Nasser’s attempt to circumvent and dismantle the monarchies in Arab and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia and Jordan responded with hostility. As Maoz et al (2004) observed:

Should Human cloning be allowed Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Should Human cloning be allowed - Essay Example Development in genetics and biotechnology has led to formerly unexpected probabilities, one of which is human cloning. Research in cloning has been in existence since 1970s where frogs and toads have been researched upon. Tests related to plants and animal origin has been carried out for many years. On the other hand, tests on human beings have not been attempted or thought likely. This is until â€Å"Dolly† was scientifically tested. The birth of â€Å"Dolly† surprised many in the medical and nursing industry leading to a lot of arguments on the probability of human cloning. As a result of the cloning of â€Å"Dolly†, animals such as calves, mice, monkeys, pigs and rabbits were tested on a wide range of somatic cell nuclear donors (Campbell, McWhir, Ritchie & Wilmut, 1996). Cloning of animal has created a lot of debates and arguments in the recent times on the subject of the probability of human cloning. Numerous organizations for instance the World Health Organ ization (1997) and the European Parliament (1997) have articulated the argument that human cloning is ethically undesirable and have called for banning of its development. In USA, The National Bioethics Advisory Commission suggested a suspension on cloning offspring via somatic cell nuclear transplants. Over and above, it is not merely a probability but a reality to all stake holders and nurses at large.... Numerous organizations for instance the World Health Organization (1997) and the European Parliament (1997) have articulated the argument that human cloning is ethically undesirable and have called for banning of its development. In USA, The National Bioethics Advisory Commission suggested a suspension on cloning offspring via somatic cell nuclear transplants. Over and above, it is not merely a probability but a reality to all stake holders and nurses at large. The Definition of Cloning Cloning is the invention of one or more distinctive plants or animals which are hereditarily the same to distinctive plants or animals. This is a practice that has been applied for many years now in plants and insects by the use of varying medical procedures. On the other hand, cloning of the mammals is a new advancement in spite of â€Å"Dolly† the sheep which was the earliest achievement. In reproductive cloning, two procedures have been applied which includes the embryo division and somatic cell nuclear transplant. In this paper, the term ‘cloning’ implies to the creation of hereditarily similar creatures through somatic cell nuclear transplant, a medical procedure that entails getting rid of the nuclear of an unfertilized egg cell and substituting it with materials from the nucleus of somatic cells and triggering these cells to begin cell division. The nucleus of the somatic cells supplies the hereditary information, whereas the oocyte offers the food and the mitochondria is responsible for growth of the embryo. There are 2 distinctive kinds of human cloning by use of somatic cell nuclear transplant. This include reproductive and restorative. The significance of human reproductive cloning is to generate an offspring that is

Competitive Environment For HSBC

Competitive Environment For HSBC The financial crisis of 2008 considerably create significant impact to the not only to the bank businesses in Hong Kong but also to global economy. Basically, the general concept of financial crisis of 2008 refers to the degree to which the performance of a firm or an industry is affected by the global financial crisis. The financial crisis of 2008 which directly affect the lenders and other financial institutions can also affect an individual investor who owns a portfolio; a company; an exporter and importer who concentrates on international trade and even a firm that has no direct international activities. Furthermore, through their impact on the costs of inputs, outputs, and substitute goods play a significant role in determining the competitive position of companies with no direct international operations relative to foreign firms (Solvell Zander 2000). Since few organisations can excel simultaneously all over the scene, they specialise. Some are renowned for their ability to organise and place new issues, others prosper as merger and acquisition specialists, reliable asset managers, skilful forex traders or efficient custodians. The product roster may have a connection with an initial and fairly random advantage, or it may be a judicious response to a shifting environment, competition and ultimately profitability. Regional specialisation, by contrast, tends to have more deterministic elements, geographical and cultural closeness, for example. With respect to the current competitive environment scene and in the banking industry in which HSBC belongs, regulatory and technological changes are the main catalysts, making entrenched competitive structures obsolete and mandating the development of new products, new processes, new strategies, and new public policies toward the industry under analysis (Bond Green, 2003). Financial centres, in vigorous competition with each other, have undergone further regulatory change in their efforts to capture a greater share of international trade in financial services, even as common efforts at the regional and global level have tried to support safety and soundness and a reasonably level competitive playing field. Banks and securities firms have had to devise and implement new strategiessometimes leading events or (perhaps more often) responding to themand the financial services industry has seen a wave of mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances in virtually all parts of the world. T here are numerous major banking players in the industry, included in the list is HSBC, who strive for market leadership in all their business aspects. As such, the level of industry competition is very stiff and very aggressive. Competitive Advantage In the case of HSBC, even though this organisation had a very strong market competition in the industry where entrants have little or no threat will earn low returns on their profits if it has to face a superior quality and lower-cost alternative. For competitive advantage, HSBC uses strong branding and a tailored approach to give customers an individual service, whether they want investment banking services for their company, or a personal mortgage. With high personal contact or a range of electronic access points, they can provide their customers with accessibility to their services anywhere in the world. Each product produced is tailored to the customers needs but follows very precise processes. At each stage, the customer and advisor must sign documentation to prove that the right level of advice has been given, is understood and the customer feels that at that critical point, they have received good quality service. Despite of the emergence of global financial crisis in 2008, the global development strategies of HSBC shows superiority but would not be appreciated without the concrete examples of their projects, which indicate the changes and success in the market. Annesley (2008) reports that two years ago, HSBC spends more that 2.5 billion euros a year on IT systems and in-house application development, and set itself a target of cutting per-unit processing costs by 10% every year. This year, HSBC expects to make an 11% saving on transaction processing this year after cutting 8.8% off costs in 2005, after 370 successful system deployments in the past three years, and the continued expansion of its pool of global platforms (Annesley, 2008). In addition, the bank has also set up a single, self-managed global network and consolidated on four global datacenters and two regional ones. Moving application development work to low-cost centers such as India is another key part of the companys strategy, leading the bank to estimate that 4.2% of its technology development work takes place in low-cost locations, such as India and the Philippines (Annesley, 2008). In 2008, Fair Isaac Corporation, the leading provider of analytics and decision management technology, announced that HSBC would utilise Fair Isaacs proven software technologies, analytic models and development processes for Enterprise Decision Management, and this integrated solution will help HSBC grow its ability to optimise profitability across the banks consumer lending portfolios, and support its long-term growth objectives in the Asia-Pacific region (Press Release 2008). Moreover, to build upon rapid growth of its credit card portfolios and strengthen its leadership in Asia-Pacifics booming consumer lending market, HSBC required a highly scalable solution to roll out optimised decision strategies across products, countries and decision areas (Press Release 2008). It is evident that the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation or HSBC invest on software programs and applications, in response to the fast-paced technological changes today. With the use of the Internet and other web-based applications, it is easier for the company to reach their customers globally and serve them better and faster. With the pleasant response of consumers to the efficient use of the World Wide Web, HSBC will not have a hard time relating to their customers globally, and even implementing projects and new programs to serve and relate to their customers effectively. Corporate Analysis on HSBC SWOT Analysis As part of the business practices of HSBC, SWOT analysis illustrates their status in accordance to strengths, weakness and opportunities and treats after the financial crisis. HSBCs Strengths and Weaknesses Strengths. HSBC has branches in most parts of the world. This helps them have advantage against their competitors. It also gives them the opportunity to serve more consumers thus they can acquire more profit (Who is HSBC? 2010). The employees of the company are well trained. The employees were well chosen and well trained to do their respective jobs. These employees are well managed to keep them in line with the objectives and standards of the company (Who is HSBC? 2010). This is strength of a company because it brings out the best employees thus the best service can be given to the clients. If clients enjoy the service of the company they tend to return to avail again the services and products offered by the company this results to satisfaction of the goals of the company. The company has an internet banking capability wherein consumers can transact their business online. This promotes ease and convenience to consumers. It also gives them advantage over their competitors since not a ll competitors have such technology. HSBC due to its availability in the world has acquired a strong brand name(Who is HSBC? 2010). This is strength for the company due to people will search for the company when they need such kind of services. Having a strong brand name means that the company has competitive advantage against their rivals. Summarily, the companys strengths include its worldwide reach, well trained and managed employees, internet banking capability, and strong brand name. Weaknesses. The company although has a strong brand name is lacking of promotional programs. The company maybe popular to those who have seen it in the internet, have availed of their services, or have come to know of the company through HSBCs clients but to some people the company is not that known (Who is HSBC? 2010). The company needs an effective promotional advertisement that can give the company more clients. HSBC although performing well against most of their competitors still has to overcome its best competitor which is Citigroup. As shown in the second figure the numbers Citigroup has over the other companies is so high. This means the company has to work double time to overcome or be equal to Citigroup. To sum up, the companys weaknesses include the lack of promotional advertisements, and inability to overcome the best competitor it has. HSBCs Threats and Opportunities after financial crisis Opportunities. After the financial crisis, the main opportunity for HSBC is to increase the number of its strategic acquisitions in order to further strengthen their current market leadership position. Through such acquisitions, HSBC would be able to widen the scope of their market share, improve the quality of services that they offer to their clientele, and develop their core competencies further (Who is HSBC? 2010). A secondary opportunity for the company is its internet banking. They should improve its features so that it can cater to the needs of the consumers. The company should also promote the said technology more to attract more clients. Another opportunity the company has is the website it has. The company can make the website more user-friendly, helpful and informative so that people will be encouraged to use it. The web can also be used as a promotional material that the company can use for more people to know the company. Succinctly, the major opportunities for HSBC are its potential strategic acquisitions and its utilisation of the Internet technology. Threats. The main threat to the company is Citigroup. If the HSBC dont do anything to improve their current status they might not catch up with Citigroup and more success may come to that company. Another treat is the economic condition of the countries they are operating in. The status of the economy in United Kingdom (UK) is different from the status of the economy in Hong Kong, the status of the economy in UK might be good unlike the status of the economy in Hong Kong, potential problems may arise thus HSBC should prepare measures to counter it (Who is HSBC? 2010). Additional threats to HSBC may include the ever-changing legal landscape for international business operations, unforeseen strong industry entrants which could decrease the potentialities of HSBCs market presence in the countries which they have yet to explore. Conclusions recommendations Businesses are continuously evolving in order to meet the needs of its people. However, they should be cautious to the changes in order to maintain competitiveness. Therefore, they need to have a careful review of their financial status. Overhead costs and credit rating should be also reviewed carefully. Business companies around the globe should not rely alone on credits instead they should think of creative ideas to sustain their growth and development. Thus, if the financial crisis hit the country, theyll be able to survive. Basically, the actual cause of the financial crisis or the emergence of financial crisis of 2008 is that both Europe and the United States were living beyond their means for too many years (Foster, 2008). After the crisis banks in Hong Kong including HSBC remain intact despite of severe damages. As previously stated, the context of financial crisis of 2008 conforms to the financial capabilities of a firm in global context. After the crisis, businesses are now much becoming careful concerning the assessment of their business process to avoid downfall. For recommendation, HSBC and other retail banks in Hong Kong should now consider risks management. The cost of indemnity had restricted managements alternatives in dealing with the hazards faced by the organisation. Basically, one of the foremost problems was that insurers rated firms according to business in such a way that a fine run firm that had few losses were required to pay for the claims of poorly run firms within the same industry. With this, the role of risk management must be considered. Management may began to make out that abridged losses intended reduced cost of risk. If managers reduced losses they could hold them themselve s without resorting to indemnity. However, it took some time for industries to settle in management. The delicate inquisitiveness in management is the result of a number of instantaneous drifts. With the current economy, the trade and production has augmented financial and direct investment in unstable up-and-coming markets. With this we may say that risk management has also ensnared consideration as a result of the recurring and well-publicised breakdowns linked with its execution. Regardless of the amplified academic and specialised concentration paid to risk management, common instances still occur when classy investors or firms experience abrupt, unexpected, and devastating losses. Basically, risk is a mean reason in economic existence for the reason that individuals and firms create immutable reserves in research and product improvement, inventory, plant and equipment and human capital, without knowing whether the potential cash flows from these funds will be adequate to pay off both debt and equity holders. If such genuine investments do not engender their necessary returns, then the financial claims on these returns will turn down in worth. In addition to altering the extent of equity and debt in their capital composition, firms/business organisations can also influence their chance of liquidation by extenuating the risk disclosures they countenance. Firms/Business organisations should come out to prefer between the types and degrees of disclosures, assuming those that they consider have an aggressive gain in supervision and laying others off into the capital markets. Other features of the firms processes such as the convexity of its tax lists, can also influence the amount to which administrators challenge to alleviate risks (Tufano 1996). Apparently, Besanko, Dranove Shanley, (1996) believes that economists and strategic planners view risk management as being related to the issue of the boundaries of the firm. In this structure, the pronouncement to alleviate meticulous risks is comparable to the verdict to outsource a particular purpose. Thus, risk management, like technology, allocation, or level, is a basis of eco nomical plus. With respect to risk management as tool to counter financial crisis of 2008, we may also say that, strategies that should used by the banks must contribute to the banks possible success rate especially in the face of crisis that involves the financial aspect of the organisation. The presence of a these strategies may give the organisation a competitive advantage over their rival organisations through their scheme on how the organisations or departments that make up the industry are able to work together, and at the same time how they establish their reputation in order to continue giving their services to their clients. Here, the corporate strategies that companies use involve the bank responsibilities and the brands that contribute to the performance of the bank. References: Annesley, C 2008, Computer Weekly.com, viewed 07 April, 2010, . Besanko, D Dranove, D Shanley, M 1996, Economics of Strategy. New York: John Wiley Sons. Bond, J Green, G 2003, Welcome HSBC Strategic Overview, Managing for Growth 2004-2008, viewed 07 April, 2010, . Foster, JB 2008, The Financialisation of Capital and the Crisis. viewed 07 April, 2010 at http://monthlyreview.org/080401foster.php Press Release 2008, Fair Isaac, viewed 07 April, 2010, . Solvell. O Zander, I 2000, Cross-Border Innovation in the Multinational Corporation, International Studies of Management Organisation, vol. 30, no. 2, p. 44. Tufano, P 1996, Who Manages Risk? An Empirical Examination of the Risk Management Practices of the Gold Mining Industry. Journal of Finance, September, 1097-1137. Who is HSBC? 2010, HSBC Global Site, viewed 07 April, 2010 at . Banking Industry in HK Introduction With the continuous and rapid changes the world and people undergo, organisations find it necessary to adapt new methods or reformulate current business applications so as to function more effectively and achieve specific corporate goals. This paper discusses the variables and issues about the impact of financial crisis among banks in Hong Kong. Particularly, this study will focus on the examination of the impact of financial crisis to the said industry. This paper shows the Hong Kongs bank industry awareness about their both internal and external environment such that they have instituted strategic management imperatives to complement the demands of industry. This paper illustrates the challenges in order to determine the possible strategic moves in order to survive in financial crisis. Future of Banking Industry in HK The global economy is now in extreme turmoil. It initially began in 2007 and was referred as credit crunch when the confidence of investors for the value of securitised mortgages in the United States lost. This has initiated a series of domino effects that that have adversely affected the financial sector due to its complicated and high leveraged financial contracts and operations in the American sub-prime mortgage sector (Culp, 2001). And in September 2008, the sub-prime crisis became even more deteriorated, leading to the crashes of stock markets across the globe and entered the current period of even higher volatility. Under the current turmoil, not have any bank can really not be involved, even the USA five largest investment banks two be sold (Bear Sterns sold to JP Morgan on 29th of May 2008 and Merrill Lynch Co. sold to Bank of America on 15th of Sep2008), at same day of Merrill Lynch sold, the Lehman Brothers been bankruptcy and other two of the bank the Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley change into the commercial bank. And that are not all there are still have a lot bank in the world been bankruptcy, nearly bankruptcy or be come to the nationalisation. From the scenario, it shows that all business effort or venture was continuously facing with different problems about financial management problems. Thus, it is very important for the manager or owner to concentrate and evaluate their business process especially during the times of crisis that the global communities are facing. Thus, key financial decisions usually faces the business administrators in problems and issues that is related to financial investments they typically give solutions about the assets on which the firm requires to put money and how a preferred venture have to be financed. With this consideration, we may say that the recent financial crisis is one of the problems experienced not only by some firms in the United States but also by the global economy including the banks and other business in Hong Kong. Basically, the recent financial crisis of 2008 around the globe is actually related to the concept classified by the general media as a credit crunch or credit cris is was started last 2007 of July. The crisis was triggered when most investors loss their confidence in the value of securitised mortgages in the United States and then later it spread out not only in America and Europe but also in Hong Kong. This development created a liquidity crisis that prompted an extensive inoculation of capital into financial markets by the United States Federal Reserve, European Central Bank and Bank of England (Norris, 2007). Despite of this turmoil in the financial and banking industry of Hong Kong, the future remains to be positive. As seen, after the crisis banks in Hong Kong remain intact regardless of severe damages. As previously stated, the context of financial crisis of 2008 conforms to the financial capabilities of a firm in global context. This is a good indication that businesses are now much becoming careful concerning the assessment of their business process to avoid downfall. Efficacy of Response to the Crisis With regards to the current financial crisis (2008) businesses including banks and other lending and other financing institutions in Hong Kong are exposed to different business risks. Despite of the emergence of these risks, banks in Hong Kong are efficiently responding to counter the risks created by the current financial crisis. According to Joseph (2002), one of the common issues among banking business are the position risk of asset liquidity and market liquidity. It seems that if a loss occurs in the on- and off-balance-sheet performance of the entity due to market price instability, then market risk is also an issue which could arise. Aside from this, there are also concerns linked to asset liquidity risk which could occur when there is an incapability to slacken financial instrument place in a level close to its market value due to require of profundity or market disruption of the instrument (Joseph, 2002). For international, large and active banks, security trading engrossed t hem for the reason that customers surrogated capital markets against banks loans. Consequently, position risk is obtained by these banks. In insurance businesses, position risks come up from funding risk or the risk that they will evade in paying policyholders. Even though technical requirements are secluded by regulation to avoid non-payment, insurance firms uncovered their investment premiums to position risks restraining their further capacity to perform contractual obligations. As response to the current crisis among banks in Hong Kong, Joseph (2002) assured that guideline can avert a subsequent bank crisis through regulation of capital since the capital can serve up as blockade in opposition to the capital as incentive-reducing feature for banks to take considerable risks and loss. Additional, regulation can be more successful when there is a group-wide inspection rather entity-to-entity since it thwarts multiple gearing to avoid unsuitable augment in equity. The group wide-view to regulation is not appropriate to securities firms as a substitute to broker-dealer only due to some grounds. Moreover, Joseph, (2002) believed that negative news will not create crisis because the assets of the firm is unconnected from the assets of the clients and there is simple and non-service unruly transfer of assets to other firms. They carry dated debt mechanisms that are not exaggerated by self-fulfilling forecasts. They hold more liquid assets and resources traded in ev ery day which alleviate the asymmetric issues since lucidity is eminent. Finally, they pass the accountability for payment systems to banks that they stay away from large value outflows. Actually, the main task of any nation in the world is to present their citizens with a high-quality life. Thus, countries like Hong Kong try their best to recognise and arise with elucidations to the various problems meet in their nation. Similarly, the countries including their business organisations discussed in this paper should do the same. Businesses in Hong Kong including their banks were able to face downfalls and adversities in their governments and economies in order to experience triumph. Due to these challenges and adversaries, the governments may make use of all their possessions in looming up with solutions and look for answers to their struggle. These downfalls were apparent in the history of South East Asian countries, and pushed them for improvements in their governments, with the execution of new policies. The nations success relies on the response of the countries citizens, leaders governance and external factors, such as the international trade relations and world output. With the execution of variety of macroeconomic policies in Hong Kong, it helped their governments realise the importance of reform, for in their situation, reform has been beneficial. With regards to the current financial crisis, Hong Kong and their business organisations including banks must consequently sustain their achievement by additional improvement of their current macroeconomic policies, and make new ones for incessant political, economic, industrial and environmental stability and growth, globally and locally. Common Elements in Successful Strategy Due to the emergence of global financial crisis, bank industries around the globe especially Hong Kong are creating strategies to maintain their existence. One of the strategies imposed by banks was through acquisition and expansion. For instance, HSBC, a bank in Hong Kong continuously exerted efforts to their acquisition strategies just to maintain their leadership despite of the current. However, this effort requires considerations of scenarios and business capabilities. Actually, establishing a bank in other parts of the world such as those belonging in the European Union may be more advisable for some entrepreneurs. There are many reasons for this judgment. One of which is the fact that the European Union is a vast region of countries whose level of development varies. This means that EU offers business areas that are less developed than the other, giving better opportunities for foreign banks. Rules and regulations are likely to be more stabilised in some European regions as com pared to the Hong Kong business setting. Tariffs or barriers to entry like taxes may also be lower in other European countries, making foreign entry less difficult. Most importantly, market diversity in EU is far larger than in China, making access to opportunities and market growth easier. Nonetheless, it should also be considered that certain risks can also hinder the development of a foreign bank within EU. For instance, the presence of higher competition level is likely, considering that multiple local and foreign banks will be operating within the region. Moreover, though laws and regulations may be stable, differences in banking policies, operational practices and other relevant factors may make market access not as easy. From this standpoint, it becomes clear that establishing a bank in any foreign country has its advantages and downsides. This suggests that foreign entrepreneurs must be skilled in handling this possible business risks. Hong Kong and its banking sector have a lot to offer for foreign investors; however, the country and its administration must improve some of its banking aspects not only to make Hong Kong more appealing to entrepreneurs but also to prevent business issues. One of this means would be the stabilisation of its business laws and banking legislations. The country must have a definite ruling for both domestic and foreign banks in such a way that both will benefit from. While the Hong Kong government is protecting its local banking sector, it must also employ means that will make foreign bank investors less cautious. The restrictions should also be implemented at a reasonable level. Hong Kong has in fact, conducted several changes so as to be more open for foreign banks. For instance, it has attempted to improve its corporate governance by requiring and encouraging banks to introduce governing boards. Moreover, approved accounting firms are now used for auditing. Operational risks are also being handled by strengthening balance sheets; financial statement definitions are also slowly being accomplished based on international standards. The foreign investors themselves can apply certain means to safeguard their businesses from these recognised risks. One of the important strategies that firms should consider is to operate alongside a local business partner (Overby, 2000). This will help the firm adapt easily to the Hong Kong business environment. A local partner can also assist in learning the Hong Kong culture, practices, regulations and means of interaction. More importantly, a Hong Kong business partner can also help in achieving progress faster. Training the staff becomes even more important in foreign business ventures. The workforce must be supported fully particularly in adapting the business new concepts, standards and technologies. The management should ensure that the local staff is also well-adjusted to the new system so as to encourage them to contribute more for the business (Berger, Hancock, Humphrey, 1993). In general, the investors can start off by analysing the business environment they wish to invest on. It is important that business entrepreneurs are aware of the distinct features of each foreign setting; in this way, the investors will know how to address in the most effective way. With this, it is evident to say, that one of elements needed to consider for a successful strategy was learning and adaptation since these are perhaps the two most important factors that should be present. For instance, it has been reported that at the end of 2003, HSBC launched the Managing for Growth program, which is a strategic plan that provides the company with a blueprint for growth and development from 2003 to 2008 (Strategy 2010). This strategy builds on the companys strengths and addresses the areas where further improvement is considered both desirable and attainable. HSBCs core values are integral to its strategy, in communicating them to customers, shareholders and employees, and comprise an emphasis on long-term, ethical client relationships, high productivity through teamwork, a confident and ambitious sense of excellence, being international in outlook and character, prudence, creativity and customer-focused marketing (Strategy 2010). In addition, there are several key elements in achieving HSBCs global development objectives, and these include accelerating the rate of growth of revenue, developing the brand strategy further, improving productivity, and maintaining the companys prudent risk management and strong financial position. Developing the skills of their employees is also given emphasis to ensure that all employees understand how they can contribute to the successful achievement of HSBCs objectives (Strategy 2010). Moreover, there are eight strategic imperatives included in the plan of HSBC in accordance to their development strategy. Their first imperative is their brand, by making HSBC and its hexagon symbol one of the worlds leading brands for customer experience and corporate social responsibility. The second imperative is their Personal Financial Services, which drive growth in key markets and through appropriate channels, HSBC can be the strongest global player in personal financial services. The third one is Consumer Finance, which is extending the reach of this business to existing customers through a wider product range to penetrate new markets. The fourth imperative is Commercial Banking, making the most of HSBCs international customer base by creating an effective relationship management and improved product offerings in all their markets (Strategy 2010). Furthermore, the fifth imperative is Corporate, Investment Banking and Markets, which accelerates growth by enhancing capital markets and advisory capabilities, by being focused on client service in sectors where the company has critical relevance and strength. The sixth one is Private Banking, which aims to serve the company

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress Essay

Title: Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress author: Dai SijieOriginally published in France by Gallimard, 2000English translation publisher: Alfred A. KnopfCopyright: September 11, 2001Hardcover: 208 pagesA novelBalzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a cogent novel that depicts the impact of the Chinese Cultural Revolution, proves the magic of storytelling, compares ancient and modern, and tells a romantic love story between a mountain girl and two city youths. Two boys are sent to a mountain at the age of 17 and 18 during the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1970s for re-education. The narrator, a violin player, and his best friend Luo both have parents that are doctors and therefore classed as enemies of the people, which is the worst thing that can happen to an intellectual. The chance of going home from this remote village 500 kilometers away from their hometown, the big city Chengdu, is less than three in a thousand. At the mountain Phoenix of the Sky, which is just a poetic way of suggesting its terrifying altitude, they are put into a house on stilts with a sow underneath in the poorest village perched on a summit. Their re-education consists of working in a coal mine and carrying buckets of excrement up and down a mountain. With them in another village is an old friend called Fore-Eyes, because of his glasses. Soon the two discover his hidden suitcase that contains a large number of Western literature translated into Chinese. And when they meet the Little Seamstress, the beautiful mountain girl in need of culture, they decide to steal the suitcase. This partly historical novel tells the amusing adventures of a teenager during his re-education in a humorous, and sometimes sarcastic way, with a lot of black humor in between. A funny example is the day of their arrival. When the narrator played a sonata by Mozart on his violin to convince the villagers that it was a musical instrument, not a toy, he had to call his piece Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao to wipe out the headmans suspicion. Another example is Fore-Eyes collecting authentic folk songs from the peasants to publish them in a journal, in order to get out of the village: he adapted and modified them to communistic songs because the text was a little indelicate. The irony behind this is that songs from peasants, who  are the actual communists, had to be altered in order to be published in a communistic journal. The characters are all extremely realistic, whether it is the vigilant, coarse, and harsh village headman who is an ex-opium grower turned Communist saying that spreading out reactionary stories of western Counts (Count of Monte Cristo) is a crime, regardless of the Counts nationality because our revolution will triumph the world over, or the poor Old Miller eating pebbles dipped in salt water with his liquor, which he calls jade dumplings with miller sauce. My favorite character is the superficial and sycophantic Fore-Eyes with his smiling mask: he is the son of a poetess and a writer and therefore also classed three-in-a-thousand. He lives in constant terror of the peasants opinion, hoping that they might give him a chance to go back home: Ive got to work, thats what Im here for. At least thats what the headman says, he says. The Cultural Revolution has not only changed Fore-Eyes. Towards the end of 1968, Chairman Mao launched a campaign that would leave the country profoundly altered: the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Schools and universities were closed and hundred of thousands of young intellectuals were forced to go to the countryside for re-education, meaning working with poor peasants to change their bourgeois minds, to have western decadent ideas re-educated out of them. This book is one of the few that personally describe the suffering of teenagers at the age of growing up working in villages without any culture or civilization, completely blocked from the outside world. The little coal mine already became a threatening word in the two boys vocabulary. Luo once said: I dont know why, but from the moment we got here Ive had this idea stuck in my head: that Im going to die in this mine. As the narrator said, he’s heard â€Å"nothing but revolutionary blather about patriotism, Communism, ideology and propaganda all his life†. Therefore, a suitcase with Western literature that was discovered by chance totally transformed him and his friend in a way that being in the city could never have done because any art or literature that is Western were banned for years at that time. So even though they were supposed to be re-educated, they did read something else than Maos Little Red Book, the only book that was allowed to be read. Besides manifesting the impact of the Cultural Revolution, the story reveals the importance of storytelling. Early in the book, the narrator says: The only thing Luo was really good at was telling stories. A pleasing talent to be sure, but a marginal one, with little future in it. Modern man has moved beyond the age of the Thousand-and-One-Nights, and modern societies everywhere, whether socialist or capitalist, have done away with the old storytellers—more’s the pity. The fact is this story is based on telling stories – from revolutionary movies to Western forbidden books and at that certain time and place, storytelling brought culture and civilization. The narrator was completely changed when he opened the thin book of Balzac, realizing that subjects like awakening desire, passion, impulsive action had all been hidden from him. Like he said: Brushing them with the tips of my fingers made me feel as if my pale hands were in touch with human lives. Somehow, the way he identifies characters and situations that he has never experienced so strongly can be compared to the way this book presents itself: through excellent descriptions the reader is led in a world so new, so different, and so impressive. This wonderful story combines ancient and modern, superstition and civilization in a village, demonstrating an entire contrast between the two cultures. An interesting scene in the book is that sorceresses who came to heal Luo from his bout of malaria were fascinated by the story the narrator told. He said: I embarked on the strangest performance of my life. In that remote village tucked into a cleft in the mountain where my friend had fallen into a sort of stupor, I sat in the flickering light of an oil lamp and related the North Korean film for the benefit of a pretty girl and four ancient sorceresses. Although this book essentially suggests that Western culture is welcomed, the plot hints a drawback. If everyone in China or elsewhere would be educated in a Western way, meaning to leave superstition, religion, tradition and maybe even culture and history behind, what would then the world look like?The book is not only a story about cultural differences; it is also a love story. The Little Seamstress is by far the prettiest girl in the whole region. The moment the narrator and Luo saw her, the beauty of this simple, kind, and genuine daughter of the tailor fascinated them. The narrator asked Luo whether he was in love with her or  not, and he replied: Shes not civilized, at least not enough for me! The story deals with teaching a mountain girl (who is now Luos girlfriend) by telling her Western stories about love and passion. At the same time, it deals a lot with friendship, because the narrator is also in love with the Little Seamstress, who isnt aware of that. He calls himself her secret agent when he goes to protect the Little Seamstress from other admirers following Luos wish when he was gone for a month. He teaches the Little Seamstress and helps her at her daily work, but wasnt supposed to show any kind of affection or jealousy. That is true friendship, in other words. In the end, the story takes a surprising turn with the Little Seamstress leaving them with Balzacs words: A womans beauty is a treasure beyond price.After all, it is a very powerful and convincing book that allows readers to think about this dark and ugly period of Chinese history and at the same time see how hope and optimism never vanishes in times of despair, fear and loneliness, or any kind of terrible situations one might get in.

Installing and Upgrading Software Essay

There are a number of reasons for upgrading software, generally the main reason is that the software has been improved or security problems have been addressed, or it offers new functionality. You may also install or update software when a new piece of hardware is installed in order to make it compatible. Other reasons may include software which is no longer supported by the manufacturer. If the software in question brings new functionality to the computer system in day to day life and makes that task easier, then you should consider updating. You also upgrade when you need to or when you want to upgrade or when your system is not working properly, existing software fails to run correctly and when additional functionality required. Sometimes, your pc crashes, freezes, your PC runs very slow, Having Problems Shutting down the computer and Shutting down applications and sometimes its shutdown while you are doing something or you may just get blank screen. If you find that you need more power in your machine and then you can upgrade your components, when your computer stops doing what you need it to do, then it is time to consider upgrading or replacing the computer. You upgrade when your existing system is not work properly, when you need new hardware or new software for your system and sometimes it may be company policy that you upgrade systems. You upgrade to fix programming bugs and security holes. Describe the potential prompt that initiate new or upgrade software: When you upgrade the software it might not work because it may not be suitable for the system specification, so in that situation you will need to upgrade the system to allow that software to work. Upgrading new software is used in computing and user electronics, generally meaning replacement of software with a newer version, in order to bring the system up to date to improve its characteristics. When installing or upgrading you should be aware of all the different types of risks that can occur risks such as prompts. Explain the advantage and potential disadvantage of the installation or upgrade of new software: The advantages of the installation or upgrades of the new software are that it may allow you to install different applications and also it may add new features to your current software. The disadvantages is that the upgrade may not be successful or even cause problems to other software which are currently installed and also it may stop other applications from running. It also may cause problems to existing system.

E-Commerce Strategies for Grocery Stores - 845 Words

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Making Grocery Retailing More Efficient with Operations Management The traditional approach to operations management is based on solving complex, constraint-based problems using linear programming-based techniques including Critical Path Metroid (CPM) and Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) (Delgado, Gunter, Badiru, 2004). Traditional operations management approaches to managing the high velocity nature of grocery retailing have continually struggled to keep up with the quickening pace of product introductions, spoilage factors by seasonal time of the year, and rapid pricing decisions (Giovani, 2003). Often groceryShow MoreRelatedImpact Of E Commerce Of Fmcg Sector Essay1362 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of E-commerce of FMCG Sector Grocery and FMCG sales together constitute approximately 62% of the Indian retail sales, both unorganized and organized (Modern retail and E-commerce) sectors combined. 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