Thursday, September 19, 2019
Definition Essay - Defining Reality -- Expository Definition Essays
Definition Essay – Defining Reality The distinction that causes the most trouble in philosophy is the distinction between "appearance" and "reality," between what things seem to be and what they are. The painter wants to know what things seem to be, the practical man and the philosopher want to know what they are. . . . but if reality is not what appears, have we any means of knowing whether there is any reality at all? - Bertrand Russell, The Problems of Philosophy In everyday life people distinguish between the real size of the sun and the size it appears to be, between the natural components of a cloud (a concentration of water droplets) and what the cloud seems to be (some fleecy substance?), and so on. However, when arguing of the reality of such things, how can any phy...
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Latinos :: essays research papers
                                        History’s Role in Fiction      In the novels the house on The House on the Lagoon and Mambo Kings, real historical facts and figures are used to give the stories a sense of realism. The authors of these novels use small pieces of history to make a realistic setting for their stories. The authors also use fictional historical events and figures to add personal and emotional elements to the novels.      The House on the Lagoon is mainly about fictional characters who give personal accounts of real historical events. The novel begins with Buenadventura’s arrival in San Juan on July 4, 1917; the day Puerto Ricans were granted American citizenship. This day is the beginning of an endless debate over the nationality of the residents of Puerto Rico. Politics play a huge role through out the entire novel. The argument over statehood versus independence or commonwealth results in the destruction of the Mendizabal family. The Mendizabal’s personal struggle with this issue reveals just how extreme the controversy was.      At this time in history Puerto Rico could not seem to come to a decision on whether they were Americans or Puerto Ricans. Unfortunately neither side of the conflict could appreciate or even consider the arguments of the opposite side. Hatred and contempt grew between the parties. Emotions, on both sides, were so strong that a father disowned his son on account of their political disagreement. The argument started when Manuel refused to take down a Puerto Rican flag that his girlfriend Coral had given him.                                              Kristen Kszos (2) Prior to this argument Manuel was neither a Nativist, like his father, or an Independista, like Coral. â€Å"At first Manuel joined the Independista Party to please Coral, but his resentment toward his father radicalized him.†(357) Manuel was a stubborn man who did not like being told what to do. When his father demanded the removal of the flag , and then told him that he couldn’t marry Coral, Manuel’s anger and resentment drove him to take increasing action for the AK 47.      The Mambo Kings is set in a real time with real historical figures. The novel is filled with real historical figures such as Machito and Desi Arnaz; in fact the only fictional figures are the Castillo brothers, their family, and some of their friends. The main characters in the novel are used to let the reader really know exactly what life was like for the musicians of that era.
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Protecting American Jobs
Protecting American Jobs For the past two decades Americans have been getting laid off because their jobs are being transferred offshore. â€Å"Advances in technology and low-cost telecommunications now mean that a computer programmer, data entry specialist, or help-desk operator answering calls for a U. S. company can work as easily from India or the Philippines as from Iowa–and save parent companies some 30 percent to 70 percent in costs†(Otterman, 2004). This poses the question should the government protect American jobs by imposing stiff penalties on companies that transfer jobs offshore by outsourcing or manufacturing.No, stiffer taxes are not going to significantly effect the number of jobs that are being transferred off shore due to outsourcing. Instead the United States government needs to lower the average tax rate on multinational corporations and fix the loopholes that are currently being used to avoid paying these corporate taxes. For years American compani es have been scrutinized for outsourcing their jobs by off shoring. Even though this has been going on for the past twenty or more years it is being brought to light even more now since our country is in a recession.There are many reasons companies choose to outsource off shore. One of the main reasons is cost savings, many developing countries are more affordable for American companies to operate in because an employee that may cost $50 and hour in America might only cost about $5 an hour in a developing country. Companies are not just off shoring for cost benefits but also for the fact that many other countries have many educated and highly skilled workers who can perform jobs that are needed overseas. Business can also operate 24 hours a day 7 days a week by taking advantage of the offshore workers.When it is 6 p. m. in New York it is 6 a. m. in Singapore. Americans want that 24 hours a day 7 days a week customer service when they are having problems with things like their comput er. Outsourcing offshore also makes it a lot easier for companies to sell goods and services in a global market when they are producing them there and can reach their customers more quickly and effectively. Technological possibilities are another reason companies are choosing to offshore American jobs. Since many service jobs do not require face-to-face interaction they are able to erform these jobs from wherever is needed (Popwell, 2010). Many argue that the government should protect American jobs by imposing stiff penalties on companies that transfer jobs offshore by outsourcing or manufacturing. They claim off shoring has laid off thousands of American workers who will not be able to find other work unless they learn new skills. They also claim that off shoring is a major contributor to the United States 9 percent unemployment rate (United States Department of Labor, 2011).But they are only supporting their claims by the fact that they think companies are only off shoring for cos t incentives. Where as stated before there are many other reasons companies outsource offshore and many ways to make up for the job losses. Those who oppse the government protecting American jobs with stiff penalties for off shoring recognise that yes, cost savings is a big incentive for a company to outsource off shore, but there are also many more reasons that comapanies should opperate on a global scale that out weigh the loss of jobs in America. Thea Lee, policy director for the AFL-CIO, says much of the economic data supporting the link between overseas investment and domestic job growth fails to distinguish between foreign investment used to serve market demand for U. S. goods and services and foreign investment used to buy cheaper labor abroad†(Wolverson, 2011). So when looking at the total number of American jobs that have been outsourced off shore we also have to stop and think about how many of them were for market demand to better serve us and how many of them real ly were outsourced because it was cheaper.People also have to remember that companies have to try and find ways to make the both the consumer and the investors happy. Consumers want the best quality at the lowest price and the investors want to see a high profit, so to do that companies have to find the middle ground. Which means they have to find the best solution for everyone even if it means outsourcing jobs offshore because it more cost effective for the company. According to Jagdish N. Bhagwati, â€Å"employing workers at lower cost allows U.S. companies to be more efficient and productive, permitting them to create the same amount of goods with fewer resources. In turn, this lowers the price of the goods in the United States, strengthening U. S. companies and freeing workers for other tasks. The savings allows U. S. companies to stay afloat and expand in a highly competitive global market†(Otterman, 2004). Outsourcing is not always a bad, it is a change, and change is what pushes both our economy and our nation forward.Another good point that has been made is, the average global tax rate on multinational corporations is about 27 percent, compared to 39 percent in the United States (Wolverson, 2011). Given this information it would seem that instead of penalizing our multinational corporations for increasing international trade, maybe the United States government should focus more on bring in multinational corporations from other countries. This would not only create more jobs in the untied states to compensate for the ones that are being lost overseas but also stimulate more international trade. A 2008 OECD study found that foreign direct investment increases by 3. 7 percent for every one percentage point decrease in the corporate tax rate, and that, as cross-border capital flows increase, foreign direct investment is increasingly swayed by countries' tax rules†(Wolverson, 2011). We should be focusing on how to get more multinational corpo rations into the United States instead of focusing on how to hold back our multinational corporations. Along with lowering the average tax rate on multinational corporations the government should also fix the loopholes that exist.This way all multinational corporations will be taxed the same instead of some getting taxed the full 39 percent, while the others are using loopholes and hardly pay any taxes. Even in president Obama’s 2011 State of the Union address he called congress to simplify the system by getting rid of corporate loopholes so they can level the playing field and aid in the country’s competiveness and growth potential. To further support this, in an article from NationalJournal. com â€Å"many economists say that the corporate tax code is a mess and overdue for a clean-up.The code riddled with inefficiencies, creating perverse incentives for companies to invest overseas and waste money on elaborate tax-reduction strategies. Business supporters say a ove rhaul could eliminate the misguided incentives, lower tax rates, and attract more capital to the U. S. Some liberal critics also support reform, saying the current system is so tangled that it doesn't even do a good job of raising revenue†(Fernholz, 2011). Corporate tax breaks cost the federal government about $1. 1 trillion annually (Wolverson, 2011).If the government decided to really follow through with this corporate tax reform it could really help stimulate the economy and help to create new jobs help not only the 9 percent national unemployment rate go down but could also help create jobs for the people who lost their jobs due to off shoring. Overall the government should not be focusing on protecting American jobs that are being transferred offshore by outsourcing or manufacturing. Instead they should be working to close loopholes to even out the amount of taxes companies are paying.While also working to lower the average tax rate on multinational corporations to make outsourcing to the United States more desirable to multinational corporations in other countries. Word Count: 1419 Works Cited Fernholz, T. (2011, January 24). NationalJournal. com. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Obama Team Wants Business Buy-In on Corporate Tax Reform. Otterman, S. (2004, February 20). TRADE: Outsourcing Jobs. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Council on Foreign Relations: http://www. cfr. org/pakistan/trade-outsourcing-jobs/p7749 Popwell, N. (2010, October 27).Offshore Outsourcing: The Controversy Over Moving Jobs Overseas. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles. com/? Offshore-Outsourcing:-The-Controversy-Over-Moving-Jobs-Overseas&id=5253123 United States Department of Labor. (2011, February 4). Economic News Release. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Bureau of Labor Statustics: http://www. bls. gov/news. release/empsit. nr0. htm Wolverson, R. (2011, February 11). Outsourcing Jobs and Taxes. Retrieved February 16, 2011, from Cou ncil on Foreign Relations: http://www. cfr. org/united-states/outsourcing-jobs-taxes/p21777
Monday, September 16, 2019
Wrongful Termination
Wrongful Termination Kenneth L. Mowery BUS670: Legal Environment Prof. Alexis Hooley August 20, 2012 Wrongful Termination â€Å"Over the past 20 to 25 years courts have been carving out common law exceptions to employment at will†(Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, & Langvardt, 2010, p. 1338). One of those exceptions is that of wrongful termination or unjust dismissal. In the past three years there have been five wrongful termination suits brought against Haywood Regional Medical Center.Three cases ended positively for the plaintiffs, while the other two showed that the Medical Center had the stronger case and that the Medical Center had just cause to terminate the employee. . â€Å"The remedies in successful wrongful discharge suits depend heavily on whether the plaintiff’s claim sounds in contract or in tort, with tort remedies being more advantageous for plaintiffs†(Mallor et al. , 2010, p. 1338). If the plaintiff can prove his or her case against the employer for wron gful discharge or termination, the employee can recover damages from the employer.The burden of proof lies with the plaintiff to prove wrongful termination and remedies can be costly for the employer. The employer can avoid the liability of a wrongful termination suit by keeping up with the policies and procedures and performance evaluations of its employees. Employment at Will Let us look at different exceptions to the common-law doctrine of employment-at-will. â€Å"The rule says that either party can terminate an employment contract of indefinite duration. The termination can occur at any time; and can be for good cause or no cause†(Mallor et al. , 2010, p. 1338).However, according to Hames and his evaluation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Occupational Safety and Health Act, there must be no formal employment contract for a specified period of time and there can be no statutory prohibitions to the contrary (1991, p. 122). Hospitals hire many individuals with different backgrounds, skills, and values, so it is difficult to, as Hames states, â€Å"devise personnel policies and practices that are perceived as fair and just by the majority of their employees†(1991, p. 22). With this in mind, the cause for termination may also be a morally wrong cause. What may seem right to the employer may be wrong, morally, for the employees. Because hospitals hire such a diverse population of employees, many are â€Å"at risk†for wrongful termination suits against them. In his research, Hames noted that in many cases there has been the implication that the courts have eroded the Employment-at-will doctrine, which leave employers with little discretion regarding who they can fire and under what circumstances (1991, p. 122).This can leave employee at many hospitals little protection against wrongful termination. Exceptions to the Employment-at-will doctrine we re mentioned earlier; we will first examine the Public Policy Exception. Public Policy Exception â€Å"The public policy exception to the doctrine of employment-at-will asserts that employees may not be terminated for refusing to perform an act that is contrary to a clearly mandated public policy nor for performing an act that is consistent with such a public policy†(Hames, 1991, p. 123). Employers may not terminate the employment of an employee for morally wrong causes.This can be seen in Wagenseller v. Scottsdale Memorial Hospital (1985), where Wagenseller was fired from her job at the hospital for not engaging in morally wrong activities; mooning an audience and bathing in public being two of them (Hames, 1991, p. 123). If the employee is discharged or fired from their job for not performing morally wrong activities, the employee will be able to win a wrongful termination suit against the employer. In her case against Scottsdale Memorial Hospital, â€Å"the court conclud ed that firing someone for refusing to expose her buttocks violates public policy in Arizona†(Hames, 1991, p. 23). A doctor at Miramichi Regional Hospital won his wrongful termination suit against the hospital because the board did not explain their reasons for dismissing him (Barry, 2005). Dr. Shaikh’s attorney argued â€Å"that in the interest of fairness, Shaikh should have been given notice of his termination and a meeting to defend himself; instead of six months notice, the hospital was ordered to pay Shaikh six months’ salary†(Barry, 2005). This may not fall under public policy; however, it does fall under morality.It was morally wrong for the hospital to dismiss the services of the doctor with no reason being given. It was also morally wrong for the hospital to dismiss the doctor without giving him the right to defend himself. Implied Contract Exception â€Å"The implied contract exception to the at-will rule asserts that employers’ statem ents or actions regarding job security or termination procedures may constitute legally enforceable obligations if they are communicated to applicants/employees and if they are sufficiently specific to permit the courts to discern their intentions†(Hames, 1991, p. 25). An example given by Hames is that of Leikvold v. Valley View Community Hospital (1984). Leikvold was the director of nursing and asked to be reassigned to an available operating room supervisor position. Her job performance was exceptional if not satisfactory; however the CEO of the hospital fired her on the grounds that it was inappropriate to seek demotions (Hames, 1991, p. 125). Patient safety issues are implied at every hospital that I have worked for, and it would seem that this is implied at all hospitals.A nurse filed a wrongful termination suit against the Youville HealthCare Center alleging that he was released because of pointing out â€Å"serious patient safety issues. †(Pham, 1997). Barry Ad ams, the RN, stated that he had noted many medication errors, patients left in unclean situations, and patient that had fall precautions that were being left alone, many of these falling. â€Å"Adams said in his lawsuit that Youville administrators fired him in October after he wrote several memos to hospital officials documenting unsafe patient conditions and requesting help†(Pham, 1997).It was Adams’ implied contract of patient safety that won his wrongful termination lawsuit against the Youville HealthCare Center. One of the cases against Haywood Regional Medical Center, mentioned in the outset, was when a nurse was fired for refusing to administer a medication, which the doctor ordered, to a patient. The nurse stated that the medication consisted of an ingredient that the patient was allergic to, and this was noted in the patient’s chart. The nurse was dismissed due to insubordination; however, she won the wrongful termination lawsuit against the hospital b ecause she was doing the ob that she was hired to do; taking care of her patient. Taking safe care of patients is an implied contract by this hospital. All employees are to safely care for their patients even if it means going against a higher authority’s order. Good Faith and Fair Dealing Exception â€Å"The good faith and fair dealing exception to the at-will rule generally provides that employers may not terminate their employees in bad faith or for bad cause if doing so deprives them of the benefits of their agreement†(Hames, 1991, p. 128).For example, Hames explains, â€Å"A Bozeman Deaconess Hospital employee was fired during her probationary period for insubordination, disrupting patient care, disorderly conduct, unsatisfactory performance, violating safety and health rules, and breaching confidentiality, each of which were disputed†(Hames, 1991, p. 128). The employee sued the hospital on the grounds that her release breached the implied covenant of goo d faith and fair dealing. The administrator had told her that he would investigate the situations that had caused her termination, but he had only interviewed two individuals that had apparently seen the incidents.This employee â€Å"was allowed to join various benefit plans for which only permanent employees were eligible, her employment was not evaluated at the end of 500 hours as required by hospital policy, and there was no reference to her probationary status included in any of the hospital’s correspondence regarding her discharge†(Hames, 1991, p. 129). She had good faith that she would be an employee at the hospital for the length of her contract. She was not dealt with in a fair manner when it came to investigating the situations that resulted in her discharge from the hospital.Hospitals must be cautious of releasing their employees without rhyme or reason. Investigations should be thoroughly done in order to avoid wrongful termination suits. Investigative Proc edures In order to prevent a wrongful termination suit, an employer must investigate the situation thoroughly. Another case from Haywood Regional Hospital that ended in a wrongful termination suit was when the Director of Nursing had a nurse fired due to inadequate care given to a patient that had undergone respiratory distress during the night and later that morning was being transferred to another facility to deal with her problems.The Director of Nursing based her decision to fire the nurse based on what the CNA and another nurse had said. The CNA was caring for the said patient and the nurse that was fired was over the CNA. The CNA stated that she had mentioned to the nurse that her patient was having trouble breathing, but the nurse stated that the patient always does that to get attention. Another nurse corroborated the CNA’s statement. Upon further investigation, it was found that the CNA and the other nurse had lied to the nurse that was fired and had lied about the s ituation to the Director of Nursing.The nurse that was fired won her wrongful termination suit. Janet Michael, of Nursing Management Personnel at Mountain View Healthcare states that â€Å"when doing an investigation, one must not rely on just one or two individual’s statements; a complete investigation when firing an individual would entail an interview with all that were present on the day of the said accusation†(2004, p. 20). This is a very important step when wanting to avoid a wrongful termination suit.Michael also states that â€Å"before deciding to terminate a nurse, you must perform a complete investigation of the situation; talk to all potential witnesses and appropriately gather the necessary evidence to support your termination decision†(2004, p. 20). The Director of Nursing at Haywood Regional failed to do this and terminated the employment of a great worker and cost the hospital money on the suit that followed. Janet Michael also states that risk management, the facility’s attorney, human resources, and any person with the expertise dealing with the situation should be consulted (2004, p. 0). Policies and procedures should be reviewed as well as the state and federal laws that might affect the circumstances. Costs of Wrongful Termination â€Å"Second only to shareholder suits, wrongful termination lawsuits account for 13% of all lawsuits; further, there are strong indications that the penchant for disgruntled former employees litigating the discharge decision is on the rise, including a recent study revealing that such employees in 1997 filed more than 24,000 wrongful termination lawsuits in federal court, up 77% from 1993†(Gardner, Gomes, & Morgan, 2000, p. 8) It is going to cost an employer a great deal of funds if said employer loses a wrongful termination suit. â€Å"Successful plaintiffs are securing ever-increasing awards from judges and juries . . . the median jury award for a wrongful discharged empl oyee rose from $120,736 in 1992 to $205,794 in 1996; a 70% increase in only four years†(Gardner et al. , 2000, p. 39). Imagine what the increase would be now in 2012. Remedies to avoid wrongful termination suits can be as simple as having a written and up-to-date policies and procedure manual on hand.If this is available, directors, managers, and supervisors will have the tools necessary to avoid a wrongful termination liability. Gardner mentions that aggressive performance management is a must; in doing so, companies provide a vehicle to: (1) inform employees of management’s expectations, (2) identify problem areas, and (3) provide opportunities for improvement (2000, p. 40). Avoiding Liability for Wrongful Termination In my experience, employers have seemed to always have the upper hand when it came to the termination of an employee.I have seen people fired for good reasons, bad reasons, and for no reason, and nothing ever came of the situation. Now days, an employer must â€Å"be on their toes†in order to avoid the liability for wrongful termination. As was stated earlier, the Employment-at-Will doctrine has been eroding over a period of time. â€Å"Over time, however, court and legislators began recognizing the inequality of bargaining power between employer and employee and that the inability of employees to protect themselves from unjust actions by their employers had not just economic ramifications, but also emotional and social ramifications†(Ballam, 2000, p. 57). Tomlinson and Bockanic state that an employer’s â€Å"first line of defense is to communicate at-will employment status periodically throughout the employee’s tenure, noting such critical disclaimers in the employment application, the offer letter, and the employee handbook†(2009, p. 82). The employer must be sure to communicate, at least yearly, the at-will status of the employee. Employers must not send the message to their employees that as long as they do good work, they will be employees with the company forever.Situations may arise in which the employer must cut back on a number of employees in order to make the budget or to break even. There is always a possibility of one losing their job, whether it is for a good reason, a bad reason, or for no reason. If these items are communicated with the employee on a regular basis, the employer may be able to avoid the liability of a wrongful termination suit against them. Disciplinary policies should also be included in the communication to employees.One of the lawsuits filed against Haywood Regional Medical Center dealt with the employee stating that he had no idea of the disciplinary policies of the hospital, however after further investigation, it was noted that he had in fact received these policies on the date of hire, as well as each year of the two years that he was employed with the hospital. Fortunately for the hospital, this wrongful termination suit was not wo n by the plaintiff.Tomlinson and Bockanic also note that â€Å"performance appraisals should be conducted on a regular basis, with careful and accurate evaluations based on the essential requirements of the position as specified in the job description†(Tomlinson & Bockanic, 2009, p. 83). If an employer keeps up with the performance evaluations of their employees then if the time comes to terminate the employee, the employer will have the employee’s evaluations there for back-up as well as something to fall back on, especially if the employee’s performance had been declining throughout the years.A proper performance evaluation will let the employer know which employees are improving and which ones are declining in the duties that they are supposed to perform. Wrongful termination suits can be seen to plague employers from all over the globe. Many employers terminate their employees for good reasons, for bad reasons, and for no reason at all. Employers also may t end to fire their employees under immoral pretenses. However, what is right for one individual may not be right for another. When filing a wrongful termination suit, it is up to the plaintiff.If the plaintiff can prove his or her case against the employer for wrongful discharge or termination, the employee can recover damages from the employer. The burden of proof lies with the plaintiff to prove wrongful termination and remedies can be costly for the employer. The employer can avoid the liability of a wrongful termination suit by keeping up with the policies and procedures and performance evaluations of its employees. References: Ballam, D. A. (2000) Employment-at-will: The impending death of a doctrine.American Business Law Journal, 37(4), 653-687. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/203397796? accountid=32521 Barry, A. (2005, Dec. 10). Miramichi doctor wins wrongful dismissal lawsuit; judge says hospital board didn’t explain reasons for dismissing physicia n. The Times – Transcript. pp. A. 8. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/422926221? accountid=32521 Gardner, S. , Gomes, G. M. , & Morgan, J. F. (2000). Wrongful termination and the expanding public policy exception: Implications and advice.S. A. M. Advanced Management Journal, 65(1), 38-44. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/231235990/? accountid=32521 Hames, D. S. (1991). Liability for wrongful terminations: Are hospitals at risk? Hospital & Health Services Administration, 36(1), 121. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/206719067? accountid=32521 Mallor, J. P. , Barnes, A. J. , Bowers, T. , & Langvardt, A. W. (2010) Business Law: The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment. 14th edition). Boston. McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. References Cont. : Michael, J. E. (2004). Investigate thoroughly to avoid wrongful termination suits. Nursing Management, 35(5), 20-20, 22, 53. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/23 1333715? accountid=32521 Pham, A. (1997, Mar. 19). State faults youville in overdose death of patient news of probe comes as ex-nurse who alleged serious patient safety issues files wrongful termination suit against hospital.Boston Globe, pp. F. 1-F, 1:4. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/403833649? accountid=32521 Tomlinson, E. C. , & Bockanic, W. N. (2009). Avoiding liability for wrongful termination: â€Å"ready, aim, . . . fire! †. Employee Responsibility and Rights Journal, 21(2), 77-87. doi: 10. 1007/s10672-008-9068-0. Retrieved from: http://search. proquest. com/docview/219426148/fulltextPDF/6? accountid=32521
Sunday, September 15, 2019
The Role and Influences of the Royal Family in Uk Society Today
The role and influences of the Royal Family in UK society today. Introduction This report is analysis the role and influences of most famous family in the UK: the Royal Family. People always talk about the royal family. Royal activity, behavior and words, even the scandals are the hot topics in the public. Why Royal Family gets high attention from the country? What is different between them to us? As pointed out by Blain and O’Donnell, Royal family is very important part in UK. The Royal Family must support the government works and also has significant roles in public and charitable (2003).In addition, Royal Family on behalf of the UK visits other countries to help strengthen the diplomatic relationship between the British and other countries. What is more, Royal Family has roles to maintain social stability and promoting national unity (royal. gov. uk, 2010). Therefore, the Royal Family not just a general noble family, also is the symbol and representative of the United Kingd om. Basic the British society, this paper research the duties and effects of Monarchy today. Background British Royal Family has long history in the Europe. Throne of England was first built in the ninth century.In the long history, the Monarchy was the most supreme rule in the country until 1688. This year, the glorious revolution began and overthrows the Stuart dynasty. Leaders were building the â€Å"constitutional monarchy†in the United Kingdom. Gough (1999, p48) states that the â€Å"constitutional monarchy†was a mixed monarchy and the Sovereign’s power was limited. It means: the Sovereign was the head of UK, but the government controls the country and leader was the Prime Minister. The Monarch, Parliament, Prime Minister constituted a complete political system. Today, the Sovereign is Elizabeth II.She was being Queen in 1952. According to the Constitution she is the head of the UK and commonwealth (Billig, 1992). The role of the Monarchy As we know, the British monarchy is a constitutional monarchy. This means, the sovereign is Head of State but a King or Queen does not have the real power in political and executive (Maer, 2010). However, the monarch and his/her family also play very important roles in the UK. The act of settlement said, the monarch undertakes State duties. In the British, The monarch represents the government and fulfills the formal roles of the country.For helpful of national unity and peace, the Parliament legislate the monarchy can not stand to any political position, have no rights for election and never carry out personal advise in public place except the monarchy give up the Royal status (Blain and O’Donnell, 2003 ). The ‘Queen or King in Parliament’ is means a group of legal institutions. It includes of the Monarch, the House of Commons and the House of Lords in British. The Sovereign’s role are close the old Parliament before each election and opening a new one Parliament. Moreov er, approval by new legal or proposition, also sign in it.In addition to the role in the London, the Sovereign also have responsibilities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and help for link them to London Parliament (Oakland, 2006). In the country, the sovereign represents justice, unity and honor. The British is a country which has many kinds of culture. The sovereign has important role to links the Churches and the Public, but also keeping friendly relationship with other faiths. What is more, the sovereign is the symbolic Head of the Army. The Army must swear to allegiance the monarch. The Queen and her family have duty to visits the veterans and the serviceman who had honorary ranks.For example, the official website said, the Royal family usually visits the British Army. The latest, the Prince of Wales visited British troops in Afghanistan in 25 March 2010 (bbc. co. uk, 2010). In addition, the Royal family usual to supports voluntary activities and charitable activities. T he data show, the Queen is the head of 53 independent countries’ voluntary services (royal. gov. uk, 2010). The Sovereign is also the head of commonwealth. The commonwealth was founded in 1949. The king George VI is the Head of this organization. After George VI, the Queen Elizabeth II becomes the Head of the commonwealth (Besant, 2009).At the beginning, the commonwealth have 15 members. To today, 54 countries belong to the commonwealth. The duties of the Queen are to together their countries in the world and strengthen the exchange between countries. The Queen usual open or close the Commonwealth Games. This game could help build friendship between people all over the world. Most recently, the 2010 Commonwealth Games was begun in India and New Delhi in October 3 (royal. gov. uk, 2010). Moreover, the monarchy has diplomatic duties of state. The Royal role is building a friendly relationship with other country. Further, they can to support the development of the UK.For instanc e, the Monarch and he or her family maybe represents the British to visit to other countries. Addition, the Sovereign have the duties visits Heads and foreign ambassadors. The news reported that in 1999, the Queen and Prince Philip were visited in South Africa (bbc. co. uk, 1999). Another news from Royal official website (11 November 2010), the Queen recently visit the ambassador from Estonian in Buckingham Palace. The influence of the Monarchy As pointed out by blain and O’Donnell (2003, pg58), The British Monarchy continue as a power balance the relationship between government and the public.The sovereign do not have right to decide the political events and the usual maintain a neutral stand. However, Probably,because of this reason. The public more confident that the views of the royal family. Oakland (2006) states that, the royal advice on formal and informal ways maybe could be impact the public who did not support any leaders. In the end, Changes the composition of the government. What is more, if the government situation is unclear, the sovereign could make a choice. In fact, the royal could advise recommend an acceptable candidate.Because of the significant influence of Monarchy, the Prime Minister usual communicates with the Royal Family. For example, the former Prime Minister Tony Blair regular hold a conference call with the Queen and to listen her advice (Blain and O’Donnell, 2003 ). The Royal Family is a strong symbol of unity in UK. When foreigners talk about UK, they usual linked the Queen and the Prince. Recently, Medias were report a new around the world: the British Queen ElizabethII has opened a Facebook in website. This is a new way to show the Queen and her family to world.China Daily (2010) said that are the queen's once social media venture. Facebook is a communication platform much yang people like lt. Queen choose to use Facebook maybe want more and more yang to follow with interest to Royal Family. USA today (2010) state s that: â€Å"The decision went right up to the queen†. Moreover, when people go to travel to Britain, they always interesting in Royal Construction. For example, the Windsor Castle is one of the official home of the Queen. It is UK’s top 20 visitor places and each year it attracted nearly 1 million visitors (royalcollection. org. uk, 2010).This is clearly the Royal Family have high attention from the world and have huge power to influence the British society. Public opinion about the Royal Family Billig (1992) states that one of the most interesting aspects of the royal family is that it are very families (as it is a family) and get very different: â€Å"These categories would seem to set the frame for the patterns of similarity and difference. Being royal ‘they’ are different from ‘us’; belonging to a family ‘they’ are familiarly similar†(pg 103). That is why the public feelings maybe mixed and complex when they talking about Royal Family.On the one hand, they hope the Royals are perfect person who are elegant, stately also represent traditional culture and modern civilization. On the other hand, people like the Monarch as common people and looks more civilian. It is difficult to balance the relationship between different and similar for Royal family. For example, Princess Diana died in a car accident in 1997. When Princess Diana died, the Queen and her families did not attend the funeral of Princess Diana. At that time, the public are angry for the behavior of the royal family. A large number of People think the Royal Family are ruthless person.The British Monarchy in a serious crisis of confidence. Finally, the Prime Minister Tony Blair’s help the Royal Family actively restore the image of the Royal in people’s mind. Even today, the public still talk about this event when they memorial Princess Diana. (bbc. co. uk, 2010) Nowadays, British society is becoming more and more equality a nd freedom. The public maybe have new opinion to the Royal Family. People are suggesting the Monarchy become more liberty, openness and equality. Last year, BBC poll shows a great number of people advise changes to the rules of succession to the Monarch in UK (BBC, 2009).As the figure shows, nearly 90% people tend to change the line of succession and give the royal women some rights. Moreover, more than 80% present the public want the monarchy can have freedom to choose marry a Catholic or not. What is more, 76% people support the Royal Family and hope them could continue (bbc. co. uk, 2010). This means that the public not only want the Royal Family can longer exists, but also expect the old monarch system can progress with times in British society. [pic]1,000 people polled by ICM Research, 20-22 March 2009, from bbc. co. uk ConclusionRoyal Family is play very important roles in politics, culture and economy fields in UK today. This report introduces the role, influence and the publ ic opinion about the Royal Family. Firstly, this report introduction today’s Royal Family and give the history of constitutional monarchy, then explain the structure of the British government. Secondly, the roles of the Monarchy are namely talk about the Royal roles in government, Church, Army, Volunteer Service, Commonwealth and foreign affairs. Thirdly, the influences of the Monarchy this paper mainly analyze the effects of Monarch and his/ her family in formal political and overseas.At last, this report discusses the British public opinion to the Monarchy. The public are attitude about the Royal Family stand in positive and negative two sides. Analysis of survey data by BBC, this article shows that public expectations of the royal family. Overall, the Royal Family as a link connects two different parts. It supports communication between government and the public. It represents British interflow with the commonwealth. It helps to strengthen the friendship between British an d other countries. Moreover, Monarchy as a normal family but also plays special parts.Millions of other families pay close attention to Royal Family. Therefore, as one of the oldest Monarch system the Royal family still fulfill the responsibility in order to the people who are living and loving this country.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Mgmt Quiz
1. While there are many routes to competitive advantage, they all involve B. delivering superior value to buyers in ways rivals cannot readily match. 2. A low-cost leader can translate its low-cost advantage over rivals into superior profit performance by B. either using its low-cost edge to underprice competitors and attract price sensitive buyers in large enough numbers to increase total profits or refraining from price-cutting and using the low-cost advantage to earn a bigger profit margin on each unit sold. 3. The major avenues for achieving a cost advantage over rivals include A. liminating or curbing non-essential cost-producing activities and performing essential value chain activities more cost-effectively that rivals. Â 4. A differentiation-based competitive advantage E. often hinges on incorporating features that (1) raise the performance of the product or (2) lower the buyer's overall costs of using the company's product or (3) enhance buyer satisfaction in intangible or non-economic ways or (4) deliver value to customers by exploiting competitive capabilities that rivals can't match. 5.Which of the following is not one of the pitfalls of a low-cost provider strategy? B. Using a cost-based advantage to improve the company's bargaining position with high-volume buyers 6. Opportunities to differentiate a company's product offering C. can exist in supply chain activities, R, manufacturing activities, distribution and shipping or marketing, sales and customer service. 7. In which of the following circumstances is a strategy to be the industry's overall low-cost provider not particularly well matched to the market situation?When buyers have widely varying needs and special requirements and when the cost of switching purchases from one seller to another are relatively high.8. The objective of competitive strategy is to B. build advantage in the marketplace by giving buyers superior value relative the offerings of rival sellers.9. Successful differentiation allows a firm to D. command a premium price for its product and/or increase unit sales and/or gain buyer loyalty to its brand.10. The generic types of competitive strategies include C. ow-cost provider, broad differentiation, focused low-cost, focused differentiation and best cost provider strategies.11. Easy-to-copy differentiating features A. do not offer the promise of sustainable competitive advantage.12. A competitive strategy to be the low-cost provider in an industry works well when E. All of these.13. The most appealing approaches to differentiation are E. those that are tough for rivals to duplicate and that also have considerable buyer appeal. Read also Quiz Week 414. A company that succeeds in differentiating its product offering from those of its rivals can usually E.All of the above.15. A strategy to be the industry's overall low-cost provider tends to be more appealing than a differentiation or focus strategy when C. the offerings of rival firms are essentially identical, standardized, commodity-like products.16. Which of the following is not one of the five generic types of competitive strategy? E. A market share dominator strategy17. Perceived value and signaling value are often an important part of a successful differentiation strategy when E. All of these.18. A competitive strategy of striving to be the low-cost provider is particularly attractive when E. switching costs are high, price competition is strong, and buyers tend to use the industry's products in many different ways.19. A low-cost leader's basis for competitive advantage is D. meaningfully lower overall costs than competitors.20. A company's competitive strategy deals with A. management's game plan for securing a competitive advantage relative to rivals.
Managerial Economics Essay
1) The elasticity of one variable with respect to another between two given points. It is used when there is no general function to define the relationship of the two variables. Arc elasticity is also defined as the elasticity between two points on a curve. The P arc elasticity of Q is calculated as The percentage is calculated differently from the normal manner of percent change. This percent change uses the average (or midpoint) of the points, in lieu of the original point as the base. 2) Definition of ‘Law of Diminishing Marginal Returns’ A law of economics stating that, as the number of new employees increases, the marginal product of an additional employee will at some point be less than the marginal product of the previous employee. The law of diminishing marginal returns means that the productivity of a variable input declines as more is used in short-run production, holding one or more inputs fixed. This law has a direct bearing on market supply, the supply price, and the law of supply. If the productivity of a variable input declines, then more is needed to produce a given quantity of output, which means the cost of production increases, and a higher supply price is needed. The direct relation between price and quantity produced is the essence of the law of supply. An economic theory that states as additional inputs are put into production, the additional return will be in successively smaller increments. This can be due to crowding, adding less appropriate resources or increasing inputs of lower quality. In More Laymen Terms As the saying goes, â€Å"Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth,†in any production there is a point of diminishing returns where just adding more inputs will not give the same income as it once did. Although many industrial firms strive to reach ‘scale,’ where their size gives them a cost advantage at higher production levels, no matter what industry a firm finds itself there will always be a point where the additional gain from added input is reduced. 3) The prisoner’s dilemma is a canonical example of a game analyzed in game theory that shows why two individuals might not cooperate, even if it appears that it is in their best interest to do so. It was originally framed by Merrill Flood and Melvin Dresher working at RAND in 1950. Albert W. Tucker formalized the game with prison sentence payoffs and gave it the â€Å"prisoner’s dilemma†name (Poundstone, 1992). A classic example of the prisoner’s dilemma (PD) is presented as follows: Two men are arrested, but the police do not possess enough information for a conviction. Following the separation of the two men, the police offer both a similar dealâ€â€if one testifies against his partner (defects/betrays), and the other remains silent (cooperates/assists), the betrayer goes free and the cooperator receives the full one-year sentence. If both remain silent, both are sentenced to only one month in jail for a minor charge. If each ‘rats out’ the other, each receives a three-month sentence. Each prisoner must choose either to betray or remain silent; the decision of each is kept quiet. What should they do? If it is supposed here that each player is only concerned with lessening his time in jail, the game becomes a non-zero sum game where the two players may either assist or betray the other. In the game, the sole worry of the prisoners seems to be increasing his own reward. The interesting symmetry of this problem is that the logical decision leads both to betray the other, even though their individual ‘prize’ would be greater if they cooperated. In the regular version of this game, collaboration is dominated by betraying, and as a result, the only possible outcome of the game is for both prisoners to betray the other. Regardless of what the other prisoner chooses, one will always gain a greater payoff by betraying the other. Because betraying is always more beneficial than cooperating, all objective prisoners would seemingly betray the other. In the extended form game, the game is played over and over, and consequently, both prisoners continuously have an opportunity to penalize the other for the previous decision. If the number of times the game will be played is known, the finite aspect of the game means that by backward induction, the two prisoners will betray each other repeatedly. 4) Third degree discrimination involves charging different prices to different segments of customers. This method of price discrimination is really an imperfect variation of the perfect type represented by first degree price discrimination. In this method different segments of customers are identified and each segment is charged price base on what price is most profitable for the company in each segment. The most common way of segmentation for this type of price discrimination is by geographic location. A very prominent example of this type price discrimination is charges for operations by surgeons. For the same type of operations surgeons and hospitals charge different fees depending on the type of hospital room and other facilities that the patient chooses during hospitalization for operation. Other common forms of such price discrimination include discounts such as those for students or senior citizens. SECTION B: CASE LET 1 1) Demand theory indicates that the determinants of consumption are income (I), the price of the good in question ( pi ), the prices of other goods ( po ) and other variables such as tastes: i i q ï€ ½Ã¯â‚¬ q ( i o I, p , p , other variables). Consider the case of an illicit commodity such as marijuana. The consumption of marijuana involves risks of fines, in some cases imprisonment and, possibly, other costs associated with the shame of being caught. Consequently, the price of marijuana in its demand function ( p ) m should be interpreted as being made up of the conventional money cost ( p ) mï‚ ¢Ã¯â‚¬ plus the expected â€Å"other costs†per unit: 2) Legalization of marijuana would eliminate the criminal sanctions and penalties associated with its consumption. As this would decrease the â€Å"full†price, consumption would be expected to rise. Marijuana consumption is significantly higher amongst males than females – 60 percent of all males have consumed it, compared to 46 percent of all females. Consumption of marijuana is estimated to increase by about 4 percent if it were legalised; and by about 11 percent following both legalisation and a 50-percentfall in its price. Price is a significant determinant of marijuana consumption. Whilst marijuana consumption is estimated to be price inelastic, estimates of most of the price elasticities are significantly different from zero. Two types of price elasticities of demand for marijuana were estimated, gross and net. The gross price elasticity includes the effects of both legalisation and a price change, while the net version excludes the legalisation effect. The price elasticity of demand for marijuana differs significantly with the type of consumer. For more frequent users (daily, weekly and monthly), gross and net price elasticities are estimated to be -.6 and -.4, respectively. Occasional smokers having a gross price elasticity of about -.3 and net elasticity of about -.1. Regarding those who are no longer users, they have gross and net price elasticities close to zero. For a given type of consumer, males and females share the same elasticity value. CASE LET 2: 1) In my opinion Yes, the Indian companies are running a major risk by not paying attention to cost cutting. To illustrate Comparing major Indian companies in key industries with their global competitors shows that Indian companies are running a major risk. They suffer from a profound bias for growth. The problem is most look more like Essar than Reliance. While they love the sweet of growth, they are unwilling to face the sour of productivity improvement. Nowhere is this more amply borne out than in the consumer goods industry where the Indian giant Hindustan Lever has consolidated to grow at over 50 per cent while its labour productivity declined by around 6 per cent per annum in the same period. Its strongest competitor, Nirma, also grew at over 25 per cent per annum in revenues but maintained its labour productivity relatively stable. Unfortunately, however, its return on capital employed (ROCE) suffered by over 17 per cent. In contrast, Coca Cola, worldwide, grew at around 7 per cent, improved its labour productivity by 20 per cent and its return on capital employed by 6.7 per cent. The story is very similar in the information technology sector where Infosys, NIIT and HCL achieve rates of growth of over 50 per cent which compares favorably with the world’s best companies that grew at around 30 per cent between 1994-95. NIIT, for example, strongly believes that growth is an impetus in itself. Its focus on growth has helped it double revenues every two years. Sustaining profitability in the face of such expansion is an extremely challenging task What makes this even worse is the Indian companies barely manage to cover their cost of capital, while their competitors worldwide such as Glaxo and Pfizer earn an average ROCE of 65 per cent. In the Indian textile industry, Arvind Mills was once the shining star. Like Reliance, it had learnt to cook sweet and sour. Between 1994 and 1996, it grew at an average of 30 per cent per annum to become the world’s largest denim producer. At the same time, it also operated a tight ship, improving labour productivity by 20 per cent. Despite the excellent performance in the past, there are warning signals for Arvind’s future. The excess over the WACC is only 1.5 per cent, implying it barely manages to satisfy its investor’s expectations of return and does not really have a surplus to re-invest in the business. Apparently, investors also think so, for Arvind’s stock price has been falling since Q4 1994 despite such excellent results and, at the end of the first quarter of 1998, is less than Rs 70 compared to Rs 170 at the end of 1994. Unfortunately, Arvind’s deteriorating financial returns over the last few years is also typical of the Indian textile industry. The top three Indian companies actually showed a decline in their return ratios in contrast to the international majors. 2 ) Fast moving consumer goods will become a Rs 400,000-crore industry by 2020. A Booz & Company study finds out the trends that will shape its future Consider this. The anti-ageing skincare category grew five times between 2007 and 2008. It’s today the fastest-growing segment in the skincare market. Olay, Procter & Gamble’s premium anti-ageing skincare brand, captured 20 per cent of the market within a year of its launch in 2007 and today dominates it with 37 per cent share. Who could have thought of ready acceptance for anti-ageing creams and lotions some ten years ago? For that matter, who could have thought Indian consumers would take oral hygiene so seriously? Mouth-rinsing seems to be picking up as a habit  mouthwash penetration is growing at 35 per cent a year. More so, who could have thought rural consumers would fall for shampoos? Rural penetration of shampoos increased to 46 per cent last year, way up from 16 per cent in 2001. Consumption patterns have evolved rapidly in the last five to ten years. The consumer is trading up to experience the new or what he hasn’t. He’s looking for products with better functionality, quality, value, and so on. What he ‘needs’ is fast getting replaced with what he ‘wants’ Categories are evolving at a brisk pace in the market for the middle and lower-income segments. With their rising economic status, these consumers are shifting from need- to want-based products. For instance, consumers have moved from toothpowders to toothpastes and are now also demanding mouthwash within the same category. The trend towards mass-customization of products will intensify with FMCG players profiling the buyer by age, region, personal attributes, ethnic background and professional choices. Micro-segmentation will amplify the need for highly customized market research so as to capture the specific needs of the consumer segment targeted, before the actual product design phase gets underway. 3) Industies impressive growth in value added as observed in the previous sub section is not accompanied by a commensurate rise in the level of relative productivity in terms of the cross–country analysis. The fragmented nature of Indian pharmaceutical sector characterized by the operation of a very large number of players, estimated to be about 10,000 units of which just 300 units are medium and large sized7, may be a reason for low level of productivity. The other important factor for low productivity can be due to the nature of technological activities in the sector, which tends to rely more on process than product development. Further, it may be that Indian companies are focusing at the low end of value†chains in the pharmaceuticals like producing generics than opting for branded products or supply bulk drugs to global players than market formulations of their own. 4) The Indian textile industry has been one of the foremost contributors to the country’s employment, exports, and GDP. The industry has been rated as one of the key drivers of the Indian economy and a bold target of exports of $50 billion (currently it’s $22 billion) had been targeted by the year 2012 by the government after the dismantling of the quota regime in 2005. However we are still far away from that target. Though now it can be blamed on the worldwide recession, I think we need to do some soul searching as to was it anyways possible. Globally, the Indian industry is recognized for its competitive advantages, especially in the cotton segment. The government has set huge targets for the industry and expects to attract investments of about Rs 1.5 lakh crore during the eleventh Plan period. This would meet the export and domestic targets, while taking various initiatives like setting up textile parks, training centers, and ‘made in India label promotion’ to global markets. The Indian textile industry is facing tough competition in the US, as exporters from smaller countries like Bangladesh are cornering the lucrative market at a faster pace, a FICCI study said. â€Å"In addition to China, countries like Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh have managed to perform better than India in the US market in 2009,†the study said. Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam managed to increase their share in the US textiles and apparel import in 2009 year on year at a faster rate than India. The Indian textile industry will no doubt survive and move along by the strengths of its traditional position and domestic market. However, the growth envisaged and it being re-classified as sunshine industry over the last three years from a sunset industry may turn out to be a myth Section C: 1) A vision of the impact of free trade can also be gleaned from Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Samuelson (1970) who confidently asserted that: Free trade promotes a mutually profitable division of labour, greatly enhances the potential real national product of all nations, and makes possible higher standards of living all over the globe. It promotes a regional division of labor  this means that some regions of the world (or countries) will specialize in certain things. They will specialize in areas where they have a comparative advantage. It enhances national production  this means that countries will be able to produce more things if there is trade. That is because they focus on producing things they are good at and do not waste resources on things that they are not good at. It allows higher standards of living because there is more production. If there is more production, there are more things available to be consumed. Another belief in the importance of free trade can be ascribed to its perceived indirect effect on peace, security and the prevention of war. One of the first articulations of this is by Baron de Montesquieu, who writing in 1748, stated: Peace is the natural effect of trade. Two nations who traffic with each other become reciprocally dependent; for if one has an interest in buying, the other has an interest in selling, and thus their union is founded on their mutual necessities. This theory of mutual interdependence has been explored in some detail by authors such as Keohane and Nye67 and is echoed in attempts to build and protect the mandates of global institutions seeking such co-operation. However few attempts are made to track the results of policy activities on whole population of States, and as a result the overtly negative impact on some groups, usually minorities and indigenous 2) The Decision Trees, used to help with decision making in business ( and many other areas), are a form of diagrammatic analysis. They are used as a tool for helping managers to choose between several courses of action. They provide an effective and clear structure for presenting options and within decision trees the probabilities and financial outcomes of these options can be measured. They also help to form a balanced picture of the risks and potential financial rewards associated with each possible course of action. In many business decision making situations chance (or probability) plays an important role, and the use of decision trees helps build probability into the decision making process. Pictorial representation of a decision situation, normally found in discussions of decision-making under uncertainty or risk. It shows decision alternatives, states of nature, probabilities attached to the state of nature, and conditional benefits and losses. The tree approach is most useful in a sequential decision situation. For example, assume XYZ Corporation wishes to introduce one of two products to the market this year. The probabilities and present values (PV) of projected cash inflows follow: A decision tree analyzing the two products follows: Based on the expected net present value, the company should choose product A over product B.
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