6. “It Is More Important to Discover New Ways of Thinking free essay sample

Developing new ways of thinking about what we already know is very important as it helps us to develop a better understanding of that which we already know so to some extent the above statement is true. However it is as significant to discover new data or facts. In fact these two concepts go hand in hand; it is because of some discoveries that we knew when they first came to light that we have something we call existing knowledge to think about and sometimes it is through trying to develop new ways of thinking about a certain issue without a solution that we finally decide it is best to find a new explanation or concept of looking at it. A student who goes from lower to higher school both learns new and advanced ways of thinking about the information they have gathered in previous grades as well as some new data they have never come across before which further stresses that both concepts are important. We will write a custom essay sample on 6. â€Å"It Is More Important to Discover New Ways of Thinking or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page We cannot learn everything at once nor can we know all sbout those things we know, which is why both developing what we already know and leaarning some new things are equally important. In some cases one may find that discussing and thinking about what we already know but in a new clearer way can help us reach a conclusion whereas if we had chosen to discover new facts about it instead, our horizon of confusion would have been broadened and we find ourselves with yet another mystery to solve. A good example of a case like this is death. Unless someone dies and comes back and tells us exactly what happens after death, no one can ever really know what happens. Any information we all have of life after death is based on assumptions that is if there is even life after death. Discovering new facts about the so called life after death isn’t but going to cause even more confusion, so really in my view I would say it is rather best that one sticks to the knowledge and believe they have over this issue, and if anything, find new ways of thinking about instead of creating yet another confusing phenomena based on assumptions. But such fields as Science motivate constant discovery of new knowledge because this is one area of knowledge where falsification is the only method used to prove the theories because we cannot verify, in other words prove a Scientific theory to be true in any way but we can pfove it fo be wrong. In this case it is clear then that in Science it is more important to discover new facts or data than to think about that which we already have as we need new discoveries to falsify old theories. However sometimes it may be thinking hard and deep into a scientific theory that makes one see fault in it as a result make new discoveries in which case both thinking of something in a new way and making new discoveries would have been equally important. We can for instance look into the famous example of the falsification of Newton’s theory of gravitation by Einstein’s theory of relativity. Einstein like all other Scientists of that time saw nothing wrong with Newton’s model until a crisis came when Newton’s theory of gravity failed to account for the behavior of light. Obviously this had to be a result of scientists thinking of new ways of applying Newton’s model. No one expected the negative outcome they came out with but it was negative and the Scientists were faced with a dilemma they had to solve. That it is when Einstein invented his theory of relativity, a whole new theory, which could work even for those discoveries that Newton’s model failed to. In any case, the point is to show that finding new ways to think of something can actually lead to the discovery of new information which in turn gives us something new to think about and in new ways if we please. Living only by developing things we already know would be depriving ourselves off so much knowledge. Had the people who lived before our generation decided they wanted to live only on what they knew, there would be so much we do not know. Generations like that of Newton or Einstein, generations like that of Priestley or Lavoisier who made discoveries about oxygen and those of people who learned the word of God and passed it on from generation to generation till the bible was written we would not have the knowledge we have today. And the knowledge does not end there and like the paradigm shifts suggest, there will always be new information, new theories and new ways of thinking as the world revolves that will override the current theories but should we decide to live only by the data that already exists, we may find that we are making experiments with 90% errors all the time.

ACT Math Tutor

What Makes for An Effective SAT/ACT Math Tutor SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips You’d think that finding a good SAT/ACT Math tutor should be simple – just get someone who is really good at math to tutor you. Unfortunately, just because someone is good at math doesn’t make her the most effective tutor, particularly when it comes to the SAT or ACT. For instance, while I'm better at SAT/ACT Reading (compared to SAT/ACT Math), I'm actually a better math tutor, because I don’t always â€Å"get it" right away – I have to try out different ways to teach myself the material before I grasp it fully. Read on for more specifics on what makes the most effective SAT/ACT Math tutor. And if you want specific advice on SAT/ACT Reading tutoring as well, don't worry– we have an article about what to look for in an SAT/ACT Reading tutor here. feature image credit: Math, Math, Math, math, mathh....maaah..... by Aaron Escobar, used under CC BY 2.0/Cropped from original. Effective SAT/ACT Math Tutors Are High Scorers Effective SAT/ACT math tutors must have scored in the 99th percentile on the test. At PrepScholar, we take it one step further: not only do we exclusively hire 99th percentile scorers, but many of these tutors were perfect scorers on the sections that they tutor. Why is this important? Because in order to be able to customize teaching, a tutor must have mastered the material. This doesn’t just mean knowing the content (probability, plane geometry, etc.). Tutors need to understand HOW the SAT/ACT questions you on math. The medium to hard questions in particular are not things you would have learned in school – it’s as much about interpreting the questions as it is solving the problems. Effective SAT/ACT Math Tutors Can Pinpoint Your Weaknesses The best math tutor needs to understand WHERE students are making mistakes in the questions. When all is said and done, a particularly challenging math question can test half a dozen or more skills. Take this sample problem: There are many complicated steps you have to take to solve this problem. Understand the problem: what’s this weird question even asking for? What information does the problem give you to solve the question? How do you use this information to solve the question? How does the angle of a polygon relate to the number of sides? How many degrees are in a quadrilateral? What does this mean about the degree measure of the other two sides? What does this mean about how many sides the polygon has? A student who misses the question could be tripped up by any one of these steps. How should a tutor address this? A mediocre tutor will just make sure the student understands how to get the answer to this particular question and move on. Why is this bad? It’s inefficient – it’s highly unlikely this particular question will show up on the SAT/ACT, and so the assistance given is not generalizable. Furthermore, it doesn't identify the student's actual weaknesses - it just patches over serious problems with a quick fix. The best tutor will pinpoint exactly where the student is having issues, then work on weaknesses until there are no longer any issues.A student who doesn't understand the formula for polygon angles needs very different help from a student who makes mistakes in the algebraic portion of this question. If the tutor doesn't identify these weaknesses and address them, the student will find it very hard to improve her score. be my valentine (cc) by Martin Fisch, used under CC BY-SA 2.0. Disclaimer: We at PrepScholar do not guarantee that the best tutors will be immortalized in statue form. Effective SAT/ACT Math Tutors Will Customize Test Strategies To You The best tutors will understand optimal strategies and be able to teach them to students, customizing the strategies to a student's particular level. Read on for an example of two different strategy suggestions: one suggestion is for someone aiming for a 600 on the SAT or 27 on the ACT and the other is for someone aiming for a perfect score on the SAT/ACT). Students who are aiming for a 600 or a 27 or a can skip hardest 25% of questions and instead focus on easier ones. For more strategies like these, read our articles on how to improve low SAT Math Scores or low ACT Math scores. If you're aiming for the perfect score, on the other hand, you might need to take note of time management. Take a timed practice test, and if you run out of time, mark the questions you answer with extra time. Compare your scaled score with extra time with your realistic score (the score that only includes questions answered during the normal time period). If your score differs by more than 50 points (on the SAT) or 1 point (on the ACT), you have serious time management issues. Are you generally slow at math questions, or were there particular questions that slowed you down? For more time management tips and other strategies, read our articles on scoring an 800 in SAT Math or 36 in ACT Math. Actions To Take The best way to get a sense of any tutor’s teaching style is to get her to demonstrate how she’d explain the process of answering a difficult question. PROTIP: Pick out a question ahead of time that you previously missed and have had trouble with from a real SAT and use it every time, so you can compare the explanations of multiple tutors. I’ve also compiled a list of sample questions parents and students might want to ask potential tutors. Click to download the PDF, or click on the image below. Use the answers to these questions to assess how a tutor teaches and whether or not her particular teaching style and method will be effective for you. What’s Next? Curious about tutoring for the SAT/ACT Reading sections? If you haven’t already, read our guide to the most effective SAT/ACT Reading tutoring, as well as our article on the key qualities of an effective SAT/ACT tutor. What do tutors actually do during SAT/ACT Tutoring? Demystify the mystery with our explanation of what SAT/ACT tutoring involves here. Want to get serious about improving your SAT/ACT score? Our tutoring service is designed to be the most effective in the nation. We hire the best tutors from across the country. This is then paired with our exclusiveonline drillingprogramthat gives your tutor complete insight into your progress to design the most effective sessions. Think about what improving 160 points on your SAT, or 4 points on your ACT, can do for you. Learn more about tutoring now:

Corporate Financial Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Corporate Financial Strategy - Essay Example The money spent by the company and the level of the cash flow is considered as the profit depends on getting break even in the marketing and sales of the product. Ans. Sunk cost can be defined as the cost that has been already incurred. This cannot be relevant to the present decisions. The items related with the preliminary engineering should be eliminated from the present decisions. This gives a proper place for sunk cost to be recognised as a separate expense budget and not in the new product proposal. This will make the sunk cost as a factor that will not effect investment decisions that give importance to cash flow more than the income flows. (Columbia .edu team, 2005) 1 Ans. In general the financial analysts have to use capital budgeting decisions in the course of their careers. After valuating the process, they have to answer a yes and no choice to their higher ups. In doing so, they have to consider future cash flows of the project. The cash flows are considered to be more important as they give more liquidity to the project and thus enable the quick returns. This means that the cash flow analysis of the investment decisions concentrate on quick returns rather than heavy returns. This can be termed as the main reason for consideration of cash flow instead of income flow for taking a investment decision. (R. Bruner, 2007) 2 Ans. The incremented cash flows are considered more important than the total cash flows. This is because; the incremental cash flow determines the earnings after tax due to the sales. As the sales increases the earnings will increase. The ratio between earnings before interest and after tax to the sales can give the increment in the cash flow. This increment can be considered as the indicator of the increase in the income that is proportionate to the sales. Though the income increases with the increase of sales the calculation of increment ratio will tell about the level of increase and whether that

Finacial & legal aspecat of procurement Assignment

Finacial & legal aspecat of procurement - Assignment Example nstruction of structures, fixing of electronics and navigation devices, maintenance of auxiliary systems, technical support to engineers and other shipyard services depend on the available specialized labor. Structural developments take the biggest chunk of labor expense followed outfit and furnishings because they are done virtually on a daily basis. Another cost driver is the purchase of materials (Moelmann & Harris, pg30). Fixing of electrical appliances cost the company heavily due to the high cost of purchasing special devices such as adaptors, which are very critical in navigation and propulsion. Materials increase overhead costs due to the ever-changing prices of imported appliances and accessories. The accounting office can hardly obtain a definite estimate of the overhead costs to be incurred on product accessories and appliance in all accounting phase. Most of the purchased materials are imported from Japan and Germany. The fluctuating world prices shift the costs from time to time making it quite impossible to project the actual cost of materials. Propulsion materials have a high depreciation rate due to the busy schedule of the transport company in all the segments in deals in. In shipping and land courier services, the expense is high on oil and engine spare parts. The cost of petrol, gearbox replacements is high and almost a fixed cost because it is the only available method of propulsion. For shipping high capacity, diesel engines are expensive to repair and the oil prices keep rising regardless of the increase in the cost of different engine models. In the last financial period, the company had to purchase more spare parts for the ship engines and 20 more courier vans to serve on the land segment. The overall cost of the company doubled even when the cost of technical support, auxiliary systems, and electrical appliances remained the same. This significantly affected the profit margin going down at its lowest in a decade. Fees and insurance has

Time Value of Money Application Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Time Value of Money Application Paper - Essay Example The following are some important concepts of time value of money: Future value of money at a particular point is equal to the original sum of money plus interest rate multiplied by original sum of money. Suppose a retirement plan financial service provider receives $100 at the rate of 8% per annum; the future value of that fund will be: Given above scenario, present value is a reverse of the future value in that it shows how much certain amount of dollar worth today. The above formula can equally be used to calculate present value, in this case it will be inverted; if the calculations involve compound interest then the amount in inner braces will be raised to a power of n. the resulting value is otherwise called discounted value. This is the cost for borrowing or lending money or can be viewed as the yield to which money can earn. This interest rate can be categorized into nominal rate of interest and effective rate of interest2. Nominal interest rate is that rate of interest not adjusted for inflation whereas effective interest rate has full effect of compounding and is adjusted for inflation. Commercial banks make good use of time value of money in all their transactions – accepting deposits, lending to firms and corporate organizations and even borrowing short-term instruments from other financial institutions. For example, if a commercial bank accepts savings from a client at 5% per annum, assuming the client deposits $200 every two months for a year; the client might unwittingly be glad for receiving the 5% in addition to security he/she enjoys from the bank. However, these funds can be lent out at 15% to a credit card company who now uses this to service its customers. The difference between 15% paid by Credit Card Company and 5% paid to this client with the commercial bank reflects the of time value of money. Using above example, credit card financial

A Brief Review Of Petronas

A Brief Review Of Petronas PETRONAS is the short for Petroliam National Berhad. As an incorporated company, it was founded on the 17th of August 1974. It was wholly owned and controlled by the government of Malaysia. PETRONAS has ventured into more than 32 countries including Argentina, Russia and Egypt. It currently employs over 30, 000 employees of 38 nationalities. PETRONAS has involved in the entire petroleum activities. From managing the sharing contractors of the foreign production, it has been changed into developing its own capabilities in the upstream sector allow it to take the lead in the exploration and production of the nations oil and gas resources. Vested with the entire oil and gas resources in Malaysia, PETRONAS is entrusted by the government to develop and add value to these resources. Besides that, it also ventured into downstream activities. It seeks to maximize value creation and strengthen of its operations all the way down the value chain. The range downstream activities of PETRONAS includes oil refining, gas processing and liquefaction, gas transmission pipeline operations, petrochemical manufacturing and marketing, property investment, shipping, marketing of liquefied natural gas, marketing and distribution of petroleum products, and trading. Internal Environment There is a high level of interdependence between an organization and its internal environment. The internal environment, also known as micro force, comprises elements that have a direct influence on the operations of the organization. They have an impact on the achievement of the organizations goals. The Micro forces of the environment are: Vision and Mission PETRONAS is a big organization and a corporation which is widely known to the world as a company that exports Malaysian oil. Being a big organization, PETRONAS has its very own vision and mission to achieve its common goal and to serve its customers the best service they can provide. As we all know vision is a long-term plan that exists in almost every company or organization. PETRONASs vision statement is to be a leading oil and gas multinational of choice. It is hoping to become a worldwide known organization and also the first choice among all other oil companies present so far. PETRONAS mission statements, on the other hand, are as follows: We are a business entity. Petroleum is our core business. Our primary responsibility is to develop and add value to this national resource. Our objective is to contribute to the well-being of the people and the nation. (PETRONAS, 2010) The mission and vision PETRONAS believes has made it grows tremendously since it was incorporated in the month of August on the 17th in the year 1974. It is now a fully-integrated oil and gas corporation which is ranked among FORTUNE Global 500s largest corporation in the world. Organizational structure Organizational structure is the internal, formal framework of a business that shows the way in which management is linked together and how authority is transmitted. (Stimpson, 2006) structure.jpg Figure 1: The Corporation Organizational Structure of PETRONAS (PETRONAS Case Study on Education, 2005) As shown in the Figure 1, PETRONAS adopts the functional organization structure. It enables specialization and allowing its employees to focus on their respective areas. There is cross functional bonds between the respective divisions and departments. It is the bond and process of specialization that has led to the success of the organization. Team work is encouraged, all the departments work together to achieve the companys goals and targets. This has proved to rewarding for the organization as a whole and the employees, customers, suppliers and the community as a whole. The line of authority is clearly drawn, orders are sent from the top most level, the president and the CEO. PETRONAS has also hired consultants to improve business and organization results. Functional Strategies Corporate Planning and development division This division plans long term and short term business strategies which lead to the development of the organization. Education division This division undertakes the responsibility of all the educational activities associated with PETRONAS. It involves the scholarships provided by University Technology PETRONAS and the education programs provided to the underserved community. Finance division The Finance division provides the company with its accounting and financial reporting backbone of the company. Its role is to identify financial sources to finance the operations of the company and to locate profitable areas where the business can invest their money to get higher returns. PETRONAS is involved in the sports world through its investment with Mercedes F1team. It has also contributed towards the development of Turkmenistan economy, by investing US dollar $ 1.8 billion in the oil and gas industries. Technical Services division This division is set up to drive and manage the technological activities of PETRONAS. Human Resource division The most important function of the human resource department is recruitment, selection and training of employees among others. PETRONAS selects the best and brightest of employees through talent searches amongst local and overseas graduate. PETRONAS trains and molds its own employees through technical training and innovative program provided in University Technology PETRONAS. Shareholders Shareholders of a firm can directly influence its policies and activities. PETRONAS shareholder is the government. It generates income and value for its shareholder. PETRONAS gave the government RM 52.3 billion from its RM86.8 billion pre-tax profit, in the form royalty, dividends, corporate tax, income tax and export duty. PETRONAS provides shareholders with the opportunity to gain first hand exposure on the Companys operations by organizing several visits to its Gas Processing Plants. Such two-way communication increases corporate transparency and helps shareholders take a longer term view of their investment based on a better understanding of the companys corporate strategy and operation. PETRONAS recognizes the importance of timely and equal dissemination of information to shareholders. Therefore they arrange the Annual General Meeting (AGM) which is a crucial mechanism in shareholders communication. Employees PETRONAS must be committed to enhancing the capability of its employees, as a corporation is only as good as the people who work for it. This phrase is from PETRONAS mission statement. Employees are the most important asset of an organization, since it is the dedication, motivation and skills of an employee that make a business successful. PETRONAS highly values its employees and understands the importance of their motivation. Therefore it arranges various programmes to encourage and support its employees by involving them in voluntary work. Programmes such as Sentuhan Kasih and Jalinan Insan allow their employees to contribute to homes for disadvantaged children and orphans in the areas of their operations. These programmes provide the employees with job satisfaction, which in return highly motivates them to perform better. Community Lord Holme and Richard Watts used the following definition. Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large The culture now is to be generous by giving back to the community. Therefore organizations have certain responsibility towards the community they work in. PETRONAS is a responsible citizen of the community, thus is has successfully imitated and supported various social, environmental and community projects. PETRONAS and Education PETRONAS is committed is developing the people and they operate in by providing education particularly in the field on science and technology. They are determined to create a skilled human resource base for Malaysia through various schemes. Scholarships University technology PETRONAS (UTP) provides hands on technical training and innovative programs to help employees build skills and competencies. PETROSAINS provides a rich and motivating environment for the public to acquire knowledge about science and technology. PETRONAS benefits from this program since they are molding their own workforce, by educating them in standards which are important to PETRONAS. PETRONAS and Environment PETRONAS recognizes the importance of conserving biological diversity in order to ensure people, animals and plants. Therefore they developed the KUALA LUMPUR CITY CENTRE (KLCC) PARK, to balance the challenging demands of growing urban populations, with the environmental conservation. A much needed public park and green lung for the city of Kuala Lumpur. External Environment External environment refers to the macro forces that happen outside the business which cannot be controlled by the business. These forces will influence the internal functions of the business and its strategies to adapt itself to the changing environment. Political Environment The Malaysian government chose to create a state company, rather than using taxes, production limits, leasing, or other familiar instruments of supervision. The government sought to assert national rights over the use of the countrys resources. A state company, having both supervisory powers over the majors and production activities of its own, was a workable compromise between allowing the majors full rein and excluding them, along with their capital and expertise, altogether. PETRONAS is given full trust by Malaysia government to conduct business independently from the government. Government holds 100% of PETRONAS and formulates and implements energy policies including oil gas. The company cooperates with the government for the common purpose to develop the country to achieve the level of advanced countries. Regarding the relationship between PETRONAS and the government, one executive in the company said, There is a world, especially in the Third World, where only the government and the government (GG) can open the first door. He claimed that there is the world which does not function well with the absence of mutual trust between the government and the national oil company. http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:pCgz92sE-H0FpM::history.sandiego.edu/cdr2/WW2Pics/04541.GIFt=1h=191w=266usg=__edWYAb0Yxd4yqnM8TXpb2ftbqK8= Legal Environment Legal concepts, principles and issues are affecting everyday business decisions of all organizations. PETRONAS is a multinational organization. Therefore the company is subjected to laws in all of its host countries. Petroleum Development Act 1974 To regulate the oil and gas industry to achieve Malaysias economic development needs, Petroleum Development Act 1974 was formulated, and PETRONAS was established under this act. Through this act, PETRONAS owns the exclusive right of ownership, exploration and production of petroleum and gas. Under the direct purview of Malaysias Prime Minister, PETRONAS is responsible for its planning, investment and regulation of all up-stream activities. Government Taxation PETRONAS is liable to pay to the Federal and State Government in terms of dividends, taxes, export duties and royalties. In the year of 2009, PETRONAS has paid RM 30.0 billion as dividends, RM20.3 billion as income tax, RM 9.1 billion as corporate income tax, RM 2.2 billion as export duties and RM 6.2 billion as royalties to the government (PETRONAS: Media Release, 2009). Laws Regarding Employee Benefits On the other hand, nearly all government pass laws to control recruitment, employment, minimum wages, health and safety at work, and trade union rights of employees. One of its aims is to protect the workers from any kind of physical injuries. It requires the working environment in PETRONAS to be safe with adequate equipment and sanitation. However, these requirements usually add up to the business cost. Consumer Rights In addition, PETRONAS has to protect consumer rights. The Consumer rights seek to protect the rights and interest of consumers, as well as to prevent them from receiving products that do not reach a reasonable level of safety. PETRONAS sternly practices this as to ensure maximum popularity amongst other oil and gas company as well as looking after customer satisfaction. Economical Environment Economical environment refers to the collective of the nature of economic system in the country. It would affect a business in terms of recession, interest rates, exchange rates and global economic factors. Recession Recession is the process when values of goods and services decline in an economy. It results in the fall of demand for certain products, as income is reduced. To keep the demand on going, the prices of products are lowered. According to an article by Jane Lee in 2009, net income of PETRONAS in the year ended March 31 dropped 14%. It was its first annual profit decline in 7 years due to sapped energy demand in global recession and high production cost. Interest rates During inflation, there will be increase in the supply of money associated to the amount of goods available. This will result in a rise in prices of goods and services in the economy over a period of time. For PETRONAS, the high interest rates and fall of purchasing power would consequently affect the cash flow of the organization. Oil Price Oil Price has strong relationship with PETRONAS sales performance. When oil price in Malaysia increase, its sales will strongly increase, and when oil price in Malaysia decrease, its sales also decrease. http://www.thegeminigeek.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/business-environment.jpg Technological Environment In order to adapt itself to the rapid growing technological environment, an organization has to be versatile and recognises the value of technology to its business growth. PETRONAS is a technology dependent organization that promotes and uses technology vastly for research and development. It pursues the strategic deployment and application of technology to further enhance operational excellence and maximize the potential of its existing assets and emerging opportunities. Technology in Gas Business In the Gas Business, PETRONASs technology emphasizes on mercury management. With the initiatives to remove mercury from raw condensates, the onshore mercury removal system, a technology that is among the first in the world, has been installed at PETRONAS Onshore Gas Terminal in Kertih. This system is able to treat raw condensates at the terminal, to improve operational and Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) performance as well as to assure product quality. Technology in Oil Business In the Oil Business, PETRONAS continue to pursue leading edge technologies to enhance its fuels and lubricants businesses. PRIMAX 3, the unleaded petrol, was developed in-house utilizing a superior quality fuel formulation innovated by optimising base fuel properties through the addition of the Sinar G-05 additive (PETRONAS: Oil Business, 2010). While meeting environmental standards, it enhances engine performance and efficiency. In addition, PETRONAS also believes there are opportunities in alternative energy resources and continue to explore the potential of hydrocarbon resources as well as solar energy and bio-fuels. In building a long term and sustainable energy business, the company looks toward Green Technologies to prepare for the future low-carbon economy. These technologies are believed to be providing a strong competitive advantage for PETRONAS to strengthen its position in global business. Competition In any of the industry, there must be competition among organizations. An organization will try to get more customers to buy their product instead of the one offered by the competitors. The success of organizations depends on which one makes the most attractive products at lower prices. The major competitors to PETRONAS are Shell and Caltex. They produce different type and efficiency of petrol. PETRONAS PETRONAS has designed PETRONAS PRIMAX 3 to provide maximum protection and performance for your car. By formulating with unique additive components, PETRONAS PRIMAX 3 efficiently protects the engine against injector fouling and corrosion, reinstating the car to its peak performance to improve fuel economy. Shell However, Shell is the leader in developing high quality fuels. Shell Super with fuel economy formula is specially designed by Shell experts to give you extra miles at no extra cost. It is formulated with Shells Synthetic Viscous Friction Improver, designed to reduce friction in this crucial part of your engine, helping to improve its efficiency. Caltex On the other hand, all Caltex petrols now include technologically-advanced, patented fuel ingredient, Techron ®. Caltex Techron with cleaning agent is unsurpassed at keeping engines clean and cleaning up deposits to help reinstate original performance. It contains powerful detergents which help in removing deposits from fuel injectors intake ports and valves. The key benefits for using Techron ® are improved performance, enhanced reliability, smoother drive, restored fuel economy and lower emissions. Comparing these petrol brands, each of them has its own strengths. They are having a healthy competition in the petrol industry with the same goal to provide the best petrol they could produce. Social Environment Social environment refers to the factors regarding the society as well as the environment. An organization needs to have social responsibilities in order to contribute to the people of the society and to protect natural environment. Social Responsibility on Consumer Many companies are affected by society and vice-versa. For PETRONAS, it was noticed that consumers are the foundation of the entire business, and dissatisfied customer could be a warning signal to the business. Therefore, it has to take care of societal needs and safeguard human rights. For example, it concerns about the safety and health of consumers. It has to make sure that it supplies safe products to the consumers and provides product knowledge via advertisements, as well as ensures product utility and performance as advertised. Social Responsibility on Environment In undertaking its business activities, PETRONAS cares for the environment by adopting responsible environmental management practices in its operations. At the same time, it also contributes to the biodiversity and conservation of the environment for the sake of the community. PETRONAS is taking every practicable and reasonable step to prevent the risk of injuries, health hazards and damages to properties in according to international Health, Safety and Environment standards. It is also investing in community-related initiatives in environmental conservation and urban renewal, both in Malaysia and other countries. These community projects aimed to create sustainable benefit and tangible value to the communities. http://www.momisteaching.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/social-media-marketing.jpg Conclusion Over the years, PETRONASs unique experience and expertise, coupled with its technical and operational competencies have allowed it to be accepted as the preferred strategic partner by international companies and the host countries. Facing the adverse business and economic environment, PETRONAS is still able to integrate, add value and globalize its operations. These would bring the company towards the realization of its vision to become a Leading Oil and Gas Multinational of Choice. Moving forward, PETRONAS will continue to improve its business performance, strengthen its resilience and enhance its capabilities to confront the challenges in delivering a sustainable energy future for all its stakeholders. Moreover, it will guided by its objective to serve the nation and people with high standards of ethics and integrity, while at the same time maximizing shareholders returns. (3029 words)

Nature and Nurture in Crime and Punishment Essay -- Crime and Punishmen

Nature and Nurture in Crime and Punishment       In the news today there is an article about a high-school boy who brought guns to school and shot several students. The parents of the victims are suing various computer game companies saying that the violent games present shooting and killing people as pleasurable and fail to portray realistic consequences. A representative of one of the companies released a statement saying that this is another example of individuals seeking to elude responsibility that has become so common in our society. This case is not about software. What is on trial is the age-old debate between nature and nurture, which also lies at the center of Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.    In his dream about the gray nag, Raskolnikov as an unshaped child is innately compassionate; he weeps for horses being cruelly beaten, but already society, in the form of his parents, begins to shape him, to train him, to numb his compassionate feelings for those in pain. His mother draws him away from the window when he sees such a horse pass and his father tells him when the men kill the nag "They're drunk, they're playing pranks, it's none of our business, come along" (59). Already Raskolnikov is being taught to rationalize murder, for all those people who watched and did not interfere are partly to blame as they rationalize that "it's none of our business."    Mikolka, the horse's murderer, also rationalizes his role; first, he defines the mare as property, not as life. Repeatedly he says "It's my goods" (57) while those who object refer to the horse not as an neuter object but as "her." Secondly, he attempts to justify the act through cold reasoning: "I might as well kill her, she's not worth her ... .... Even today as we scan the news we can still find the nature versus nurture issue addressed by Dostoevky still prevalent in our court cases and legal system.    Works Cited and Consulted:    Bloom, Harold. Modern Critical Interpretations. New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1988.    Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment. New York: Random House, 1992.    Gale Research Co. Nineteenth Century Literature Criticism. Detroit, MI 1984, Vol. 7.    Kjetsaa, Geir. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, A Writer's Life. New York, New York: Viking Penguin Inc., 1987,    Magill, Frank. Masterplots. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem Press, 1976.    Terras, Victor. Handbook of Russian Literature. New Haven, CT; Yale University Press, 1985.    Timoney, John. Speech on Crime and Punishment. Mt. Holyoke College, November 10, 1994.   

Organisational Behaviour Ch7

CHAPTER 7 DECISION MAKING AND CREATIVITY Describe the six stages in the rational choice decision process Decision making: the conscious process of making choices among alternatives with the intention of moving toward some desired state of affairs. Rational choice paradigm of decision making: the view in decision making that people should and typically do, use logic and all available information to choose the alternative with the highest value. Decision making involves identifying, selecting and applying the best possible alternative. The best decision use pure logic and all available information to choose the alternative with the highest value Such as highest expected profit, customer satisfaction, employee wellbeing or some combination of these outcomes. Subjective expected utility: the probability (expectation) of satisfaction (utility) resulting from choosing a specific alternative in a decision. Decision making process: systematic application of stages of decision making. 1. Identify problem or opportunity 2. Choose the best decision process 3. Develop alternative solutions 4. Choose the best alternative . Implement the selected option 6. Evaluate decision outcomes Problem with Rational choice paradigm: 1. Impossible to apply in reality 2. Difficulty recognising problems 3. Process the huge volume of information 4. Difficulty recognising when choices have failed 5. Focusing on logical thinking, ignores emotion influence making decision IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS AND OPPORTUNITIES Explain why people have difficulty with it Problem identification is not just the first step in decision making: it is the most important There are five most widely recognised concerns. Stakeholder framing: attention-based theory of the firm: states that, organisational decisions and actions are influenced mainly by what attracts management’s attention, rather than by objective reality. Mental mode: if an idea does not fit the existing mental mode of how things should work, the idea is dismissed as unworkable or undesirable. Decisive leadership: being decisive includes quickly forming an opinion of whether an event signals problem or opportunity. Many decisions happens too quickly before having a chance to logically assess the situation, more often it is a poorer decision than would result if more time had been devoted to identify the problem and evaluating the alternatives. Solution-focused problems: decision makers engage in solution-focused problem identification because it provides comforting closure to the otherwise ambiguous and uncertain nature of problems. Perceptual defence: people sometimes block out bad news as a coping mechanism. Some people inherently avoid negative information. People are more likely to disregard danger signals when they have limited control over the situation. Identifying problems and opportunities more effectively * Be aware of the 5 problem identification biases * Increase awareness of problem identification, need willpower to resist the temptation of looking decisive * Create a norm of â€Å"divine discontent† * Discussing the situation with others to ease difficulty EVALUATING AND CHOOSING ALTERNATIVES Explain why people do not follow the rational choice model when evaluating alternative choices Bounded rationality: the view that people are process limited and imperfect information and rarely select the best choice. Problem with goals: assumes that organisational goals are clear and agreed on. Goals are often ambiguous or in conflict with each other. Problem with information processing: assumes that decision makers can process info about all alternatives and in their consequences, but it is not possible in reality. Implicit favourite: preferred alternative that the decision maker uses repeatedly as a comparison with other choices. iased decision heuristics: key element of rational choice paradigm, as people can estimate the probabilities of outcomes. 1. Anchoring and adjustment heuristic: people to be influenced by an initial anchor point such that they do not sufficiently move away from that point as new info is provided. Initial info influences evaluation of subsequent info 2. Availability heuristic: we estimate probabilities by how easily we can recall the event, even tho ugh other factors influence it. 3. Representativeness heuristic: we estimate probabilities by how much they are similar to something else, even when better information available. Problem with maximisation: people engage in satisficing, selecting an alternative that is good enough rather than the alternative with the highest value. To choose the best alternative is also demand more info processing capacity than what they willing to apply. Making the best choice among many, can be cognitively and emotionally draining. Evaluating opportunities: opportunity is different from the process of problem solving. Decision makers not evaluate alternatives, after all, the opportunity is the solution, so why look further, they tend to have an emotional attachment to the opportunity. EMOTIONS AND MAKING CHOICES: Describe 3 ways in which emotions influences the selection of alternatives 1. Emotions from early preferences: emotions form preferences before we consciously evaluate those choices 2. Emotions change the decision evaluation process: moods and emotions influence how well we follow the decision process. . Emotions serve as info when we evaluate alternatives: we â€Å"listen in† on our emotions and use that info to make choices Intuitive decision making: ability to know when a problem or opportunity exist and select the best action without conscious reasoning. * Gut feelings we experience are emotional signals that have enough intensity to make us aware * Not all emotional signals are intuitions * Intuitions are involves rapidly comparing nonconscious analysis Making choices more eff ective: Systematically evaluate alternatives against relevant factors * Be aware of effects of emotions on decision preferences and evaluating process * Scenario planning: imagining possible future, choosing the best possible solution long before they occur Evaluating decision outcomes: confirmation bias known as â€Å"post-decisional justification† * Forget or downplay the negative features of selected alternative and highlight the positive features * Typically nonconscious and driven by emotions * Gives people an excessively optimistic evaluation of their decision Escalation of Commitment: the tendency to repeat an apparently bad decision or allocate more resources to a falling course of action 4 main causes of escalation: 1. Self-justification: individuals motivated maintain course of action when need to justify their action 2. Prospect theory effect: a natural tendency to feel more dissatisfaction from losing a particular amount than satisfaction from gaining an equal amount 3. Perceptual blinders: occurs because decision makers do not see the problems soon enough, they screen out or explain away negative information, serious problems looks like random errors 4. Closing costs: decision makers will because the cost of ending the project are high or unknown Evaluating decision outcomes more effectively: * Separate decision makers from evaluators to minimise self-justification * Establish a preset level to abandon or re-evaluate the project * Find a source of systematic and clear feedback * Involve several people in the evaluation EMPLOYEE INVOLVMENT IN DECISION MAKING Describe benefits of employee involvement in decision making Employee involvement: when employees influence how their work is organised and carried out Benefits: improves quality and commitment – recognising problem more quicker – defining problem more accurately – improve solutions generated – specific conditions improves the evaluation of alternatives Contingencies of employee involvement Identify four option thet affect the optimal level of employee involvement 1. Decision structure: decision can be programmed and non-programmed, programmed decision need less involvement, because solution is already worked out from past incidents 2. Source of decision knowledge: employee have relevant knowledge than leaders, it is improves decision quality 3. Decision commitment: participation is improving employee commitment 4. Risk of conflict: employee goals and norms conflict with the organisation’s goals, whether employees will reach agreement on the preferred solution CREATIVITY Outline the four steps in creative process Creativity: the development of original ideas that make a socially recognised contribution Rely on to find problems, alternatives and implement solutions Creative process: 1. Preparation: person or team effort to gain knowledge and skills regarding the problem or opportunity, clear understanding of what we are trying to achieve 2. Incubation: the period of reflective thoughts, put the problem aside, however our mind is still working on it, maintain a low level of awareness†¦Ã¢â‚¬ divergent thinking† reframing the problem and generating different approaches to the issue â€Å"convergent thinking†: calculating the accepted â€Å"right answer† to logical problem 3. Insight: refers to experience of suddenly becoming aware of a unique idea CHARACTERISTICS OF CREATIVE PEOPLE Describe the characteristics of creative employee and workplaces that support creativity 1. Cognitive and practical intelligence: creative people recognise the significance of small bits of information and are able to connect them in ways like no one else could imagine, they also have practical intelligence, the capacity to evaluate the potential usefulness of their ideas 2. Persistence: higher need for achievement, a strong motivation from the task itself and a moderate or high degree of self-esteem, persistence is vital because creative ideas meet with plenty of resistance from others as well as failures along the way to success 3. Subject knowledge and experience: creative people have sufficient knowledge and experience on subject 4. Independent imagination: -high openness to experience, moderately low need for affiliation, high self-direction stimulation values Creative work environment * Learning orientation: leaders recognise that employees make reasonable mistakes as part of the creative process, and need to tolerate â€Å"creativity comes from failure† * Work motivation: employees can be more creative if they believe their work. Benefit the organisation * Open communication and sufficient resources Activities that encourage creativity

Later Adulthood Development Report Essay Essay Example

Later Adulthood Development Report Essay Essay Example Later Adulthood Development Report Essay Essay Later Adulthood Development Report Essay Essay As grownups enter the phase of subsequently maturity. many alterations will get down to develop for each individual. The aging procedure includes transitioning from work life to retirement. alterations to functions. societal places. societal policies. finding populating adjustments with health care demands. and relationships with households and equals. The phase known as the aureate old ages comes with great challenges while seting to the many alterations in a person’s life. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Passage from work to retirement The passage from a working life to the retirement old ages can be a hard procedure for aging grownups as giving up higher wages for the sum paid for Social Security is drastically different. Coercing retired grownups to look for supplement income during this phase at a lower position than antecedently held in a anterior place. Most companies offer a pension or 401k program to assist employees be after for a better retirement as it is about impossible to populate on Social Security entirely. This alteration besides plays a big factor on how the single positions their personal dignity. Alternatively of pluming themselves in the cognition of an business. retirement forces the individual to give up that function in hunt of another beginning to busy their clip. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Passage from work to retirement Cont. Retirement can be an enjoyed clip for some older grownups as they see it as the first clip since childhood they are able to make the things they want in life without worrying about the bounds caused by a profession. Others will fight to calculate out to make with all the excess clip during each twenty-four hours. Depending greatly on the attitude a individual had toward the many old ages spent employed and the ability to go on financially back uping the extracurricular points they would wish to partake in during retirement. Personal wellbeing plays a big factor in how the grownup will manage the retirement old ages and determine extra wellness issues a individual may confront. With a solid retirement program go oning to back up the individual financially. this can be a joyous clip while others larning to populate on a fixed income will detect important alterations to their overall wellness. These alterations are brought on by depression. a feeling of no longer being needed. or the bo red from non holding a specific undertaking for mundane life. ( Allen. Clark. A ; Ghent. 2004 ) . Changes in function and societal place As aging advancements people begin to lose their function and societal places caused by the alterations to activities. each individual is involved in and illnesses the aged develop. The deficiency of physical and mental activities begins to diminish psychomotor accomplishments that affect assorted facets of day-to-day life. When people start aging the alterations in the ability to see and hear Begin to worsen doing it look as if the individual suffers from a diminution in mental competence. which may non be the instance and it merely takes an older individual longer to treat the information that is given to them. Physically the alterations to a person’s organic structure will get down in in-between maturity with the most noticeable occurrence in subsequently maturity. Physical alterations in musculus tone and tallness along with a slower apprehension of the universe around them creates the perceptual experience of the older grownup as a weaker individual in the eyes of their l oved 1s and is the clip when wellness issues become more noticeable. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Changes in function and societal place Cont. As reaction times lag. the aged Begin to lose privileges like drive because the reaction clip is greatly affected and is thought to be the cause of extra accidents. Driving is. normally. the first undertaking removed from a individual when they are no longer able to run a vehicle safely without jeopardizing the lives of others. Once a individual begins to see this normal undertaking being taken off from them it causes the individual to go dependent on households or friends to assist with their day-to-day demands. and decreases the feeling of autonomy. which causes the alteration to the function a individual has in society. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Changes in matrimony. household and peer relationships Subsequently maturity is the clip in life when alterations in matrimony. households. and peer relationships are affected the most by the loss of person stopping point to that individual. â€Å"Most people 70 old ages of age or older are widowed. divorced. or single† ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010. p. 619 ) . Losing a partner or close friend can make a sense of solitariness. which causes depression. anxiousness and the emptiness feeling can go overpowering. Depression besides leads to psychological effects that will deteriorate a person’s wellness doing the opportunity for a terminal disease to go much higher. The weaker visual aspect of older grownups causes household and staying equals to step up in the function of doing certain the person’s well-being is being met. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Populating adjustments and health care demands Worsening wellness and depression are two of the largest grounds households look into assisted life places for aging loved 1s. Making certain that the health care needs of the aged are met becomes a precedence for every household as the functions begin to change by reversal from the parent being the primary health professional of their kids to the kids being responsible for run intoing the demands of aging parents. Diseases such Alzheimer’s and dementedness are really hard for non merely the older individual but for their households as good. As a individual with this disease is no longer able to populate on their ain without the fright of something bad go oning while no 1 else is around to watch over them. The disease affects all normal facets of a person’s life. making confusion. aggressive behaviours. incontinency. and the inability to run into the day-to-day demands without supervising doing it necessary to happen a installation that will run into the demands of the patient. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Finding a installation that will run into all the demands of the older grownup and have a degree of attention that the household desires can be hard to happen. Researching all installations in the country will assist maintain a peace of head for the household and reassure that their loved 1s are having the attention they need. Medical plans Healthcare for older grownups is expensive. and since many are populating on fixed incomes. they rely on plans such as Medicaid and Medicare to run into their medical demands. Due to the economic position of the authorities and the high cost of medical attention. both of these plans now provide limited services to older grownup. The quality of medical attention older people will have will besides be lessened as many primary attention doctors focus their pattern on younger coevalss. making an inability to right name jobs in older maturity. Treating younger people allows the doctors to do more money off the current Medicare plans because of the restrictions in topographic point to curtail extra processs when needed. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Social policies impacting older grownups Social policies were created to help the aging population meet medical. day-to-day and income demands. The Older Americans Act of 1965 was created to guarantee that older grownups receive benefits of income. equal lodging. community services. and nutrition plans. ( Gelfand. A ; Bechill. 1991 ) . The Supplement Security Income plan was designed to supply extra income after retirement for the persons that worked the needed sum of old ages to have full benefits. Medicare programs are split into a bipartite system that will pay for limited medical disbursals incurred after retirement. Separate A of the program pays for limited attention during infirmary corsets. nursing places. and place wellness attention when needed. while Part B covers physician disbursals and out-patient services. Throughout the old ages. many alterations have been made to the policies because of alterations in presidential term and budget cuts to the federally funded plans. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . Dec ision The alterations that occur for the older grownup population make it necessary for extended planning during the in-between maturity phase. for retirement and reflecting on how each person will supply their basic demands when the clip comes. Plans will assist to ease the emphasis of aging. set less of a load on household members. and do certain that the aged receive the medical attending they need without trusting on authorities assisted plans. Keeping a presence in societal groups will assist the overall mental and physical position of the aging population. The hereafter is up to each individual to command how they want to populate during the last phase of life. ( Zastrow A ; Kirst-Ashman. 2010 ) . MentionsAllen. S. G. . Clark. R. L. . A ; Ghent. L. S. ( 2004 ) . Phasing into retirement. The Industrial A ; Labor Relations Review. 58 ( 1 ) . 112-127. Gelfand. D. E. . A ; Bechill. W. ( 1991. Summer-Fall ) . The development of the older Americans act: a 25-year reappraisal of the legislative alterations. Coevalss. 15 ( 3 ) . 19-22. Zastrow. C. H. . A ; Kirst-Ashman. K. K. ( 2010 ) . Understanding Human Behavior and the Social Environment ( 8th ed. ) . Mason. Ohio: Brooks Cole/Cengage.

The railroad in the United States Essay Example

The railroad in the United States Essay Example The railroad in the United States Essay The railroad in the United States Essay In the simplest manner: the railroad changed the face of a nation. The railroad in the United States changed how people traveled, did business, and how Washington governed people. The railroad created new standards and new laws that still affect the way we live today. It helped create a new type of wealth that had never been seen before and became the first big business in the United States. Without the railroads impact, it would be difficult to fathom where the United States and the world would be today.The golden age of the railroad is considered to be by many the period that stretched between the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the First World War.1 Railroading from 1865 to 1929 covers the great expansion, the golden age and the beginning decline of the railroad. The emergence of the modern America, and the beginning of the Great Depression of the United States also can be seen within these dates; this emphasizes the large role that the railroads had in the industrializa tion of the America. It is clear that the history of the United States coincides with the history of the railroad; during these times the railroad played a vital a vital role in thebuilding of the United States. But, the relationship was symbiotic, because it is also possible to see that the direction in which the country was going played a role in how the railroad was formed, controlled, and regulated. Truly, the railroad is a form of transportation that helped make the United States what it is today.The year 1865 finally brought an end to war that had sliced a nation in half. The war, however, was not a destructive force to the railroads. With the exception of the southern lines, American railroads were generally in excellent shape in 1865.2 The Civil War brought new strength to the American railroads. The need to provide for the war had caused the railroads of the United States to expand by as much as 35,500 miles at the end of the war.3 The War had brought new strength to the ra ilroads and the railroads were now standing before their golden age. This golden age began with a big bang: the completion of the transcontinental railway.The story of the transcontinental railway could very well be suited for a Hollywood movie. It involves corruption, greed, great visions, and great strength. Public demand for a transcontinental railway was originally inspired by a proposal made in 1836 by the American statesmen John Plumbe and Robert John Walker.4 The demand for therailway was later increased with the arrival of the gold rush in 1849. In 1861, the Pacific Railway Bill was passed, this bill called for the building of the transcontinental line to be done by two companies, Union Pacific Company and the Central Pacific Company. The job of the Union Pacific Company was to build west from Omaha, while the job of the Central Pacific Company was to build east from Sacramento5. The bill also called for the companies to receive a right-of-way strip for their line (and whate ver they needed for rail yards, sidings, and other facilities), as well as five alternate land sections on each side of the track.6 The companies were also offered loans that went from $16,000 per mile of track in the lowlands to as much as $48,000 a mile in the mountainous regions.7The Union Pacific got of to slow start until they acquired a good engineer by thename of General Dodge, who was one of Shermans Civil War railroad men. UnderGeneral Dodges direction the work on the Union Pacific soon took on a furious pace and a military atmosphere; military preparedness and quickness were exactly what was needed to deal with the hostile Indians.Life on the Central Pacific was by no means pleasant, but they did not have much a problem with the Indians.8 However, one thing that was a problem on the Central Pacific was the lack of labor. California, being largely uninhabited at the time, did not provide a large labor resource; and so the managers of the Central Pacific had to look elsewher e for their labor needs. One of the places they looked for new labor was China. The Chinese turned out to be well suited for the job, and at one point nine-tenths of the labor force of the Central Pacific was Chinese.Eventually the two the companies came within sight of each other, and a meeting place for the two rails was designated. The meeting place chosen was a waterless basin of sagebrush just north of the Great Salt Lake in Utah. This place was called Promontory Point. It was decided that the two companies would meet and there would be a greatceremony to connect the railways. The ceremony was planned, and all of the railroad officials and dignitaries came to drive in the final spike. On May 10, 1869, this event finally took place. The driving in of the final spike came with a little embarrassment: First, one of the leaders of Central Pacific went up to drive in the golden spike and missed; next, the leader of the Union Pacific stepped up to drive in the golden spike and he too missed.9 Eventually, the final spike was driven in: though it is not clear who actually did it. Despite all this, the nation celebrated for the Atlantic coast and the Pacific coast had at last become connected by rail; and the railroad now stood on threshold of its golden age.The years following the completion of the transcontinental line brought an abundance of new railways. The rail network in the United States went from 35,000 miles in 1865 to 164,000 miles in 1890. This building was brought to an all-time high, when in 1916 the total length of the rail network in the United States reached 254,000 miles.10With such a rapid pace of construction, the building in the half-century after the Civil War led to an average annual construction, of over 4,000 miles a year. Even though this rapid construction was not equally spread throughout the country, every area did see some expansion.The transcontinental rail also led to great expansion in the West. The transcontinental railway, and th e railways following, brought eastern markets within a few days of western grain and cattle lands, and eventually helped create great cities in the West itself.11 The new railways of the West also brought about the virtual extermination of the buffalo. The new rails cut the herds in half and destroyed their natural habitat. It also became a game for people heading west on the railway to shoot the animal from their train window.12Now that the railroad spanned across the continent, the railroad was becoming a major player in the expansion of industry. The industry of the United States was rapidly expanding, and the railroad was becoming more than just a small factor in a great group of expanding industries. Railroads encouraged growth not only through the offering of their transport services, but also through the transportation need, of other industries. Railroads were not only the biggest shippers of industrial products; they were also American industrys best customers.13 The railroa ds became a huge buyer of steel, coal, lumber, and oil. To say that the railroad was an important factor in the industrialization of America is a huge understatement. The railroad became the pulse of industry and was considered by many the leading factor in the expansion of industry in the United States.While the network of rails was spreading, great financial networks were also developing. Groups of once independent railroad companies were grabbed up and consolidated to form large railroad systems.14 One prime example of this was The New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, which were formed by the consolidation of about 200 originally independent lines.The large consolidation brought about the need for new standards and new technology that would help the railroad continue to grow and operate more efficiently. One of the new standards that was needed was a standard gauge for the railroads to operate on. This was needed because the expansion of the rails had now brought the need to move the freight from one line to another. This was not possible because throughout the country there were different gauges. For example in the south the popular gauge was five feet, but on other railroads like the Erie the gauge was six feet. It was decided amongst railroads that a standard must decided on, and that standard became four feet, eight and one half inches.15Another standard that was created and is still used today is standardized time. Until the movement for Standard Time, each town had its own time. There were, for example, thirty-eight different times in the state of Wisconsin alone. Given the amount of different times, the speed of trains, and the distance these trains traveled. This spelled one thing: complete chaos. Eventually the problem was solved in 1883, when the General Time Convention was held by the railroads. At this convention it was decided that the continental United States would be broken up into four standard time zones. People soon found it easy t o set their clocks by railroad time, and thus the railroad standard became a national standard.Other technological innovations that were created to aid the expansion and consolidation of the railways were: the use of steel rails, the automatic coupler, and the air brake. The automatic coupler allowed a coupler to close on impact, but still be able to open from the side of the car. The air brake, invented by George Westinghouse, allowed trains to stop much quicker than they had been able to in the past.Besides bringing about new technology, the consolidation of the railways also brought about the great railroad barons. The railroad had become a likely stop for the strong businessmen interested in making millions by manipulating the rail system. But in gaining such immense power, many railroad builders and consolidators became unethical and ruthless in their business practices. Watered stock, stock market rigging, corrupt rate wars, rebating and labor violence all became part of the n ew railroad picture. 16Railroad barons like Jay Gould James Fisk were masters at these tricks. One example of how money was made was by stock watering, which was the process of increasing the number of shares of a company without adding to the companys assets.17Perhaps one of the greatest of the great railroad barons was Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt. Originally from the steamboat business, Vanderbilt gained control of such railroads as the New York Central and the Erie through ruthless business practices. A prime example of Vanderbilts ruthless practices is how he obtained control over the New York Central Railroad. Vanderbilt was frustrated with the current managers of the New York Central because they often bypassed his railroad when sending freight into New York City. So, Vanderbilt simply stopped shipping their freight and passengers one day. The New York Central stock rapidly began to drop on Wall Street because of Vanderbilts actions. Seeing that the stock was now cheap, Van derbilt began buy up the stock while it was cheap, and the company eventually fell into his hands.18 But practices like this could only go on for so long.The railroads activities had become too corrupt for most people and were beginning to become a financial burden for many farmers and business owners. Business owners and farmers began to resent the railroad and decided that something must be done. Taking the initiative was a group called the Patrons of Husbandry, popularly known as the Grange. The Grange was originally formed as a social group to bring farmers out of the isolation of their farmhouses.19 They had picnics, suppers, and other events, that well frequently held at the local Grange Hall. However, as railroad abuse increased the group shifted from entertainment purposes to more political purposes.The Grangers bonded together to establish many things that helped farmers, but their primary purpose eventually became to bring reform to the railroads.20 The Grangers quickly gr ew in size and gained enough power to elect people free of railroad influence, in the state legislatures. They pushed for new laws that would regulate the railroads monopolies, and eventually succeeded. But the Grangers success only came at the state level through what were called Granger laws. Even though these laws were aimed to regulate monopolies, though such things as freight and passenger rates, they were easily evaded by the railroads. However, some progress had been won. The nation was beginning to shift from an attitude of laissez-faire capitalism to a more progressive state of mind.One of the biggest things people learned from the Granger laws was that reform of the railroads was going to have to take place on a national level. In 1885, a Senate committee conducted an investigation of railroad business practices. The final report from the committee listed the familiar abuses of the railroads, such as watered stock and unreasonably high rates. This investigation made it cle ar that Federal Government must do something and in 1887 it did. The Interstate Commerce Act, in language that was perhaps deliberately vague, required that all interstate rates be reasonable and just and prohibited the familiar competitive practices of rebates, drawbacks, and pools.21 The act also required that the railroad publish their rate schedules and file them with the government. An Interstate Commerce Commission was created to administer the act and enforce it. The success of the Interstate Commerce Act was short lived and was easily evaded because of its loose wording.22 In 1890 the Sherman Antitrust Act was passed, but it too failed in regulating the railroads because of loose wording.23The move for railroad regulation was ultimately lost until the arrival of Theodore Roosevelt and a strong Progressive movement. Roosevelt considered railroad regulation to be a major issue and strongly moved for the greater empowerment of the Interstate Commerce Commission. His wish was gr anted in 1906 when the Hepburn Act was passed. The Hepburn Act greatly extended the power of the Interstate Commerce Commission. It also abolished the granting of passes and made the laws against rebates stronger.24 Following the Hepburn Act, were more and more laws aimed at regulating therailroads. As the new regulations went into effect, the railroad slowly began to slip down hill. But concern with the regulations was turned away from with the arrival of the First World War.Many problems faced the railroads as America entered World War I in 1917. One was the increase of rail traffic caused by the war. The railroads became very busy and subsequently operating cost rose. The railroads began to lose money due to the Interstate Commerce Commissions hold on the rates.25 Another problem that faced the railroads during World War I was that of management. Railroad executives found it very difficult to operate their rail lines together during the war. The creation of a railroad War Board w as an attempt to help the situation, but it did not work very well. Eventually it was decided by the government that they must take over, so an act was passed that allowed the Interstate Commerce Commission to control the movement, distribution, and exchange of railroad cars. This too failed because the commission was inept in exercising its authority. Given all the failed attempts, the government decided in 1918 to take complete control of the railroad.26 The government remained in charge of the railroad until the Transportation Act of 1920, which called for their return to private management.The future was not bright for the railroads: ever since the arrival of the First World War the railroads had experienced a general decline. This was due mostly to the development of new types of transportation. Millions now owned Henry Fords model T automobile, and various other cars.27 The twenties brought the arrival of motorbuses, which also took away from the railroads business. Other new forms of transportation, such as trucks and airplanes, also took their toll on the business of the railway. So, as the nation was roaring through the Twenties and heading for the Great Depression, the railroad was becoming ever increasingly a thing of the past.If there is to be an a lasting lesson from the history of the railroads from 1865-1929 it is that major industrial innovations can only live an unregulated life for so long. The United Stated was a booming country experiencing wide spread industrialization. The railroad was an essential part of this boom, but railroads had to change just as the to country had to change. The free going attitude of laissez-faire can only last so long in a country where equality and fairness before the law are valued. The railroads fully rode the first wave of industrialization and faded into the background when their time had come. The significance of the railroad will probably never be fully realized, but their impact will always be felt.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study Example The HR manager is also considered to be responsible for making the employees acknowledge the rules as well as regulations developed to accomplish success for the company. Thus, the HR manager needs to accept huge responsibilities which are meant to be executed for making certain of an effective performance of the company. The HR manager with regard to the concerned company is required to develop a set of questionnaire in order to interview all the employees. On the basis of the outcome of the interview, a list would be prepared for providing training to the employees in accordance with their capabilities. Specified rules as well as regulations would be developed for enhancing the morale of the employees. The performance of the employees should be scrutinized for motivating them to raise the level of their related performances. Employees need to be awarded on the basis of the degree of service provided towards the accomplishment of the purpose with regard to the company. The HR manage r is also considered to be responsible for assigning tasks to the employees in order to contribute towards the success of the company. The manager would also be accountable for formulating human resource policies as well as participating with the management of the company for developing plans and policies. The HR manager should also take part in designing strategic plans as well as deciding on the requirement of employees for the company. The employees should be selected on the basis of their suitability for the intended job and proper training facilities should be offered to enhance their performances. The employees providing better services should be awarded whereas the others should be encouraged to enhance their performances (Tutebox, â€Å"Roles and Responsibilities of Human Resource Department/Manager†). Thus, the tasks of a HR manager in a medium sized company have been summarized below: Prepare questionnaires for interviewing the employees Create a comprehensive list on the basis of the interviews In accordance with the list, employees would be trained as well as assigned tasks to be performed The performance of the employees should be scrutinized The employees performing well should be awarded while others should be motivated to improve their respective performances Ensure that the employees are working in accordance with the rules as well policies of the company. Accomplishment of the objectives of the company These are the plans which should be presented before the Senior Management with special consideration towards motivating the morale of the employees as well as providing better training facilities for enhancing their performances. Task Two The 15-20 questions to be asked to the employees of the company are: What types of aspects do you find challenging about your job? Is there a team approach in relation to your work? Do you follow individuality in your work, or do you have to pursue strict guidelines? Are you provided with proper traini ng prior to the assignment of new kinds of tasks? What is the work environment like – relaxed, competitive, exciting? What is the probable salary range for someone in this occupation according to you? Are there incentives for upgrading or taking extra courses to improve your performance? What sorts of opportunities for innovation exist? Does your profession obtain the optimum benefit of your

Answer the questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Answer the questions - Essay Example Chapter 4 (bearing the name, â€Å"Holocaust: the Genocide of the Jews†), Chapter 5 (named â€Å"Holocaust: the Gypsies†) and Chapter 6 (with the name, â€Å"Holocaust: The Genocide of Disabled Peoples†) focuses on the recent pattern of genocides across the globe and examines the trend of transformation regarding the nature of the practice from the twentieth to twenty-first century. Here, the author is found to establish initially the meaning of genocide as it appeared before the world through the extermination of almost 5 to 6 millions of Jews by the Nazis. The next chapter focuses on the historical perspectives and parameters on which it flourished. The undermining of the brutal murder of one-quarter and one-half million of Sinti and Roma in the recent histographic representation of the Nazi genocide is found in the next chapter. The last chapter focuses on more gruesome and horrifying killing of the chronically mentally ill patients or patients severely injure d or disabled after World War II by the medical establishment of Germany who were acting both with and without the knowledge of the government by the Nazis. These patients were termed by their doctors as â€Å"useless eaters† and were brutally slaughtered. The points put forwarded by Totten and his historical analysis for the reason of these genocides and compelling suggestion to stop the brutal act as well are not only convincing but are accepted by any reader easily as they are all culminated systematically and backed by