Leadership Assignment free essay sample

While education being my primary objective, my study/research would focus directly on learning form leadership, business management concepts and objectivity transform these learning into a beneficial contribution in my personal life as well as to my workplace, since it would be the start of professional success in my life I would prefer to focus on leadership subject which can help and improve my interpersonal skills in management and leadership style and management. Leadership and Business Management is a demanding field all over the world since almost every organization need services of leaders / mangers, finance professionals. I have been providing my professional services in sales department of a well know Telecommunication Company in Afghanistan for the last 7 years. During the period i have experience of working in sales and having a lot of challenging tasks and duties, currently i am working as Senior Corporate Sales Executive and I wish the leadership subject will fulfill my needs to be more successful in my career achievements in future. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Assignment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Q # 2 – What are your expectations for the Leadership Class? There is a huge demand for great leaders and business management professionals in my country, as we have been outsourcing of leaders, business managers and finance professional for the last 10 years from other countries which has an inverse effect on our economy. The outsourced professional only work in the area of their responsibility without having a considerable effect on capacity building of man power in our country. My expectations form the leadership class would be punctuality and participating in most of the discussions and debates inside the class form the lecturers and as well as the classmates and myself, sharing of the necessary leadership styles, articles and topics form the lecturers side which we are really in need of such articles and topics that are acceptable in all over the world and adoptable in any sort of organizations, government entities and institutions. From obtaining leadership qualification i will contribute in adding one leader and business professional in the list of professional Afghan’s which is the primary demand of our country. On the other hand i am confident that i would be a good asset and an informational source to my organization and my country if I would really understand and get the required knowledge of leadership subject. Besides, i also plan to share my knowledge i gain form the leadership lectures inside the class with all related coworkers and class fellows for my career building and gaining their experiences form the field of leadership. Leadership Assignment free essay sample Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the son of a Baptist minister. He grew up in his father’s footsteps and got his bachelor of divinity in 1951 and his doctorate in 1955. Early in December, 1955, he became the leader of the first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States. In 1957, he was elected president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization formed to provide new leadership for the now burgeoning civil rights movement.On August 28, 1963, he delivered â€Å"I have a dream†, his famous speech, in which he called for racial equality and an end to discrimination, to 250,000 people. Martin was awarded five honorary degrees; was named Man of the Year by Time magazine in 1963; and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure. At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr. , was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership Assignment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The poverty he experienced while growing up taught him the value of money and to persevere. Walton always wanted to be in retail from his youth and he had a deep passion for it. When he returned from World War II, he started off with a Ben Franklin franchise. His strategy of buying in bulk and discounting proved to be a hit with the customers and it was then that he saw a future in discounting. Over time, he opened up several more Ben Franklin stores with his father and brother assistance. In 1962, he had the idea of opening igger stores, sticking to rural areas, keeping costs low and discounting heavily. He decided to set up his own Wal-mart store; the first one in Arkansas. With his Wal-mart, he began to use the discounting strategy that he had begun to adopt in the Ben Franklin stores. It proved to be wildly successful and he saw that discounting was the future of retail. Today, Wal-Mart is the worlds no. 1 retailer, with more than 4,150 stores, including discount stores, combination discount and grocery stores, and membership-only warehouse stores (Sams Club). He modestly blended in with the whole team, erased the gap between executive and employees, and dared to make his own path of success. If it was not for these great characteristics and tactics, there wouldn’t be a Sam Walton who has the ability to change the philosophy of the American retail business establishment. : Martin Luther King Jr and Sam Walton are both respectful and brilliant leaders who drove the world and changed it into a better place. To be an effective leader requires lots of efforts, wonderful characteristics, extremely clever minds, flawless sets of tactics and skills, and so on. As for Martin and Sam, one put an end to discrimination and dedicated to the success of civil rights of a generation, one fulfilled the American dream and paved the way for a new breed of category killer retailers; they demonstrated the model of great leaders and taught us priceless leadership lessons. They deserve to be honored and respected by mankind of all time.

U Got Screwed essays

U Got Screwed essays Kissimmee River System Past and Present Thirty years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers in partnership with the State of Florida began construction of a massive flood control project on the Kissimmee River in south central Florida. The flood control solution was the channelization of the river, converting its 103 plus miles of shallow, meandering river channel and floodplain to a geometric, essentially straight as an arrow. Historically, the Kissimmee River meandered approximately 103 miles within a one to two mile floodplain. The floodplain, approximately 56 miles long, sloped gradually to the south from an elevation of about 51 feet at lake Kissimmee to about 15 feet at lake Okeechobee; falling an average of about one third of a foot in elevation over each mile of the river. Under historic condition, river flows generally exceeded 250 cubic feet per second 95 percent of the time, while over bank flooding occurred when flows exceeded 1,400 cfs in the upper reaches to 2,000 cfs in the lower reaches. It is important to recognize at the outset that the 1961-71-flood control work on the Kissimmee River was a continuation of past federal concerns and the development of the river that began with the construction of federal law. George Orwell was not only a writer, but also an important political reformer. Orwell was born in India in 1903. He considered his family a "lower-middle class" family. He said this because his family was a part of the middle class, but had little money. His father worked for the British government and was able to be apart of the middle class without money. Orwell lived in Britain and went to boarding school there on scholarships. He was the poorest student among many wealthy children. Orwell felt like an outsider at the boarding schools he went to. The students were all kept in line by beatings. This was Orwell's first taste of dictatorship, being helpless under the rule of an ...

Understanding how market equilibrium is maintained is essential for Research Proposal

Understanding how market equilibrium is maintained is essential for business managers - Research Proposal Example et equilibrium in a free market environment refers to the time when the quantity of goods supplied in the market balances the demand level in the market. An equilibrium market does not encounter the challenges of excess supply as well as excess demand. In an equilibrium market, buyers and sellers have expounded understanding of the prevailing prices of goods and services as well as the quality of goods and services on offer. Clear knowledge of the prevailing market trends expels any attempts by particular sellers to increase their prices above the market value. A good knowledge of how to maintain market equilibrium is essential for most managers when making decision on the quantity of goods top supply to the market. Insight understanding of market equilibrium also assists in decision making on the methods of production to be employed. Business managers ought to have deep understanding of the laws of demand and the determinants of demand. The law of demand states that demand of a particular commodity increases with increase in quality and decrease in price. Since the sole purpose of every business organization is to increase sales volume and make more profits, business managers have no option a part from operating as per the guidelines of the law of demand. In this regard, business managers need to set their operation to ensure production of high quality products that will pose a good competitive advantage in the market (Rothbard, 2006). Improving quality of goods produced by a business organization, promises good sales volume thereby lifting the profit margins of an organization. Similarly, reducing costs of goods on sale by a business organization attracts more demand for that particular product. When demand for a product increases, it is automatic that the particular product will record high and fast sales thus improving the profits due to that product. Demand also increases with increase in the household income. Tastes of particular products also affect the

Internationalisation in Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Internationalisation in Marketing - Essay Example The Uppsala model is one of the most well known models of internationalization. The Uppsala model is a four staged model that argues that firms pass through four stages in order to go international. From absence of regular exports to overseas production firms go through all these stages according to the Uppsala model. The model is based on how firms learn and how they incorporate what they learn in their investment decisions in foreign markets (Johanson & Vahlne, 1977). Through the stages of model the firm gains more and more knowledge about the foreign markets and their market commitment, all assets of a firm in a particular geographical market, increase gradually as their experience increases. Knowledge and learning is the main component of the Uppsala model. Model also suggests that initially firms invest in countries that are culturally close to the firm’s native country. The model is of great importance to the marketers as it provides a great framework for them to initiate operations in foreign markets. The emphasis of the model is on learning and knowledge and this is a very objective approach. The importance of foreign knowledge and culture is very important for marketers in order to prosper in the foreign markets. Uppsala model also identifies the differences that exist between and local and foreign environment. These differences are important for marketers as one strategy in a local setting may bear great benefit but the same strategy can lead to a disaster.

The Financial Enviroment of Healthcare Organizations Essay

The Financial Enviroment of Healthcare Organizations - Essay Example Sharing financial information with the employees of a business should be done by corporations even if they are not required do so such as private firms. A lot of different aspects of the financial performance of the firm should be released. The four major financial statements of a company are the income statement, balance sheet, statement of retained earnings, and the statement of cash flow (Garrison & Noreen, 2002). These statements are prepared upon completion of the accounting cycle. An employee of the firm can perform an evaluation of the financial performance of the company using ratio analysis if he is given the financial statements of the firm. The five categories of ratio analysis are liquidity, asset turnover, profitability, market, and financial leverage. Analyzing the cost structure and expenses of a firm is important for an employee. Companies whose cost structures are too high are at risk of downsizing or closing its facilities (Capella, 2008). The income statement shows the expense accounts of an organization. Profits are obtained by subtracting total expenses from the revenues of a firm. Costs are classified as fixed or variable costs. Fixed costs do not change over time, while variable costs change as a company increases or decreases production output (Thomason, 2014). An important accounting metric that stakeholder groups such as employees need to understand and be informed about is the breakeven point. The breakeven point is the amount of sales that a company needs to generate to cover all its fixed and variable costs. Profit at the breakeven point is cero. The formula to calculate the breakeven point in units sold is fixed expenses divided by unit contribution margin. Unit contribution margin is calculated dividing sales price minus variable cost per unit. The employees must know whether its company is breaking even because the solvency of the firm is dependent on it. Controlling the inventory of a business is

The Biggest Cause Of Waste On Building Sites Construction Essay

The Biggest Cause Of Waste On Building Sites Construction Essay One of the major problems in the construction industry is the wastage of materials. The construction industry generates more waste than the household sector and can account for more than 50% of the deposited material in a typical landfill. Construction waste can be separated into three major categories: material, labour and machinery waste (Ekanayake and Ofori 2000). Material waste however is a greater concern as it is extremely expensive and is made up of non-renewable resources. According to H Lau (2008), large amounts of material wastes are generated from construction sites. Great amounts of costs on construction projects are directly increased through the wastage of materials. Construction waste is an international problem as In the UK construction waste results for more than 50% of waste deposited in a landfill (Ferguson et al. 1995) and according to Rogoff and Williams (1994) 29% of solid-waste in the USA consisted of construction waste. Levels of waste within the construction industry need to be reduced for environmental and financial reasons. The current unrestrained use of natural resources and the pollution levels resulting thereof are becoming unsustainable (Chong, Tang Larsen 2001) Waste management is a low project priority and there is a lack of appropriate resources and incentives to support it (Loosemore, 2001). Judging by the aforementioned statement one can already assume that waste management is something contractors are not too keen on. The minimising and disposal of waste has become one of the most significant environmental issues of recent years, especially as the total volume of available landfill is decreasing (Institute of civil engineers). A landfill can be defined as a method of solid waste disposal in which refuse is buried between layers of dirt with the aim to fill in or retain low-lying ground. One can clearly assume that sometime in the future landfill space will eventually run out. This is indeed a problem in Cape Town. The disposal of construction waste is becoming a major cost in construction projects. Many case studies have been done to monitor construction waste trends on construction sites and the impacts that it has on costs. In South Africa the construction industry generates an estimated 5 8 million tons of construction and demolition waste per annum. Over one million tonnes of building rubble reach landfill sites every year throughout the country (Macozoma, 2002). In order for contractors in the construction industry to be competitive, ways of minimising construction waste need to be addressed with benefits of lower construction costs and higher productivity. This can be beneficial to the contractor in terms of cost and it can assist in contractors doing their duties towards a good clean environment. Objectives of the study Aim of study: The aim of this research is to identify what is the major cause of materials wastage on site. Research Objectives: The main objective of this research is to find out what elements is causing wastage on construction projects. The research will be supported by a literature review showing the current wastage situation that the construction industry is faced with. Importance of the study According to Chang and Chen (1998) every business is started for earning profit. Waste has a negative impact on producing profit as it results in increasing expenses. One of this studies objectives is to investigate and recommend steps to eliminate wastage which will automatically reduce the companies expenses and therefore increase its profit. When materials are damaged and cannot be used for its intended purpose it is considered to be a waste. This leaves the material useless with no other alternative but to dispose of it. All this waste eventually adds to the already increasing negative statistics concerning construction waste. Many contractors fail to adopt a proper controlling procedure as they see it as an expensive and time consuming process (Illingworth Thain 1987). The approach has been that it is more efficient to allow losses to occur than to involve the use of extra resources to control them. Contractors require some sort of incentive to enable them to be more motivated when it comes to monitoring waste on site. 1.5 Research design and methodology The method of research to be used for this investigation will be in the form of qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative data will be gathered from interviews taken to determine the nature of the problems with regards to construction waste and what contractors are doing to control it from competent staff in the building industry. A literature review will be done by gathering information from various textbooks, the Internet, web pages and journals etc relating to the research topic. All interviews will have pre-determined questions which were formulated before the interview, without the individual knowing about them, so as to effectively use the time. Quantitative data will also be obtained by sending out a questionnaire to various construction companies in Cape Town. The results will then be recorded and various graphs and charts will be drawn up to represent the data collection process. 2: Literature review 2.1 Construction waste It is important to understand the concept of construction waste. Listed below are definitions of waste. 2.1.1 Definitions: According to Mossman (2009) Material waste can be defined as anything that is not required to create value for the end-user. Waste can also be defined as an excessive use or carelessness of material (Chandler 1978). Construction and demolition waste means non-hazardous waste resulting from the construction, repair and demolition of structures. 2.1.2 Types of waste Construction and demolition waste can be categorised into five categories, namely roadwork material, excavated soil, demolition waste, site clearance waste and renovation waste (Alarcon 1995). It also results from natural disasters such as earthquakes and tornadoes. Construction and waste includes but is not limited to concrete, bricks, asphalt, glass, carpeting, roofing, site clearance, excavation material and site sweepings. Waste such as timber, plastics and steel should be recycled as they form majority of the waste material 2.1.2.1 Direct waste: According to Skoyles (1987) this type of waste is the physical loss of a material. It is the complete loss of materials which are damaged and cannot be repaired or used. Below are forms in which direct waste occurs: Deliveries waste comprises all loses in transit to the site, unloading and placing into the initial storage. Site storage and internal site transit waste comprise losses due to bad stacking and initial storage, including movement and unloading around the site to stack at the work place or placing into position. Conversion waste comprises losses due to cutting uneconomical shapes, e.g. timber and sheeted goods. Fixing waste comprises materials dropped, spoiled or discarded during the fixing operation. Cutting waste include losses caused by cutting materials to size and to irregular shapes. Application waste includes materials such as mortar for brickwork, paint spilled or dropped during application. Similarly, materials left in containers or cans that are not resealed. Mixed materials like mortar and plaster left to harden at the end of the working day. Waste due to the incorrect type or quality of materials. This includes waste stemming from materials wrongly specified, waste due to errors, particularly in the bills of quantities and specification. 2.1.2.2 Indirect waste: Indirect waste is distinguished from direct waste in that the materials are not usually lost physically only the payment or part or the whole of the value. Indirect waste is normally only a monetary lost and can be referred to as materials used for purposes other than that for which they were ordered (Skoyles 1987). Below are forms in which indirect waste occurs: Substitution, where materials are used for purposes other than those specified. Production waste, where materials are used in excess of those indicated or not clearly defined in contract documents, e.g. additional concrete in trenches, which are dug wider than was designed, because no appropriately sized digger bucket is available. Operational waste, where materials are used for temporary site work for which no quantity or other allowances have been made in the contract documentation, e.g. tower-crane bases, site paths, temporary protection. Negligent waste, where materials are used in addition to the amount required by the contract owing to the contractors own negligence 2.1.2.3 Natural waste: Natural wastes are wastes which cannot be avoided and is therefore inevitable. Cuttings required for tiles and timber and resulting in unusable material or off cuts are examples of natural waste. (Skoyles 1987) 2.1.3 Causes of building waste on site Waste is generally caused by a series of events and not due to a remote aspect (Skoyles and Hassey 1974). Guthrie (1998) mentions however that wastage of material can be directly involved to one of the following: damage and spillage, contamination, storage beyond expiry date, over supply, out of specification, theft and vandalism. There are many contributory factors and theses factors are outlined in the diagram below: Figure 2.1: the origin of waste (Department of Civil and Building Engineering) Low and Tan (1997) states that construction waste can be classified into seven types: Transportation and storage Over-production Delays Unnecessary processing Surplus inventory Unnecessary movement Defects Table 2.1 sources and causes of construction waste (Gavilan and Bernold 1994) Source Cause Design Error in contract documents Design Contract documents incomplete at commencement of construction Design Changes in design procurement Ordering error and over ordering procurement Suppliers error Materials handling Damaged during transportation to site Materials handling Inappropriate storage Operation Error by tradesmen or labourer Operation Equipment malfunction Operation Inclement weather Operation accidents Operation Damage caused by subsequent trades Operation Use of incorrect material Residual Conversion waste from cutting uneconomical shapes Residual Off cuts from cutting material to length Residual Over mixing of material due to lack of knowledge Residual Waste from application process Residual packaging Other Criminal waste due to damage or theft Other Lack of onsite materials control and waste management planning 2.1.3.1 Theft and vandalism 2.1.3.1.1 Theft According to Skoyles (1987) criminal activities cause waste. The construction industry in South Africa is constantly challenged with the high crime rate in our country and theft is an everlasting setback from staff on site to the public off site. Theft has a huge impact on time, money and productivity because material has to be reordered and more money has to be given out for the purchase of new material (K Brulliard 2005). Criminal waste is inevitable and the cost of extra security has an additional cost on the contract sum. Contractors must establish their own security measures like taking more caution and recording any irregular activities. 2.1.3.1.2 Vandalism The construction project is most vulnerable to vandalism during the finishing stages. Graffiti artist and children tend to play a big role in vandalism which ranges from breaking windows to spray painting freshly painted walls. Vandalism is an international problem, even occurring in the Soviet Union (Skoyles 1987). There are two types of vandalism namely: intentional and unintentional. Intentional vandalism is hard to prevent as these are people who get pleasure out of ruining other peoples property but boosting up security should sort out the issue. To prevent acts of unintentional vandalism tougher and stronger material should be used that resist damage like special paints and glazes to resist scratches (Skoyles 1987). 2.1.3.1.3 Principal points to control criminal waste Cause Preventative measures Minor items stolen Keep all valuable goods in lockable storage and keep a record of all materials withdrawn. Theft Control access to site and prohibit strangers from entering. Vandalism Make sure there is security during work and after work. Prevent items from being accessible which are vulnerable to vandalism. Trespass: By public Keep boundaries defined. By children Advise schools of how dangerous building sites are. By builder Ensure drawings and setting out are carefully checked near boundaries and make sure deliveries are supervised and always placed on site. Table 2.2 Skoyles (1987) As soon as graffiti is noticed it should be removed to prevent encouragement of further graffiti. After hour security should be hired to prevent any unauthorized entry. No Trespassing signs should be put up around the construction site to daunt unauthorized entry. 2.1.3.2 Sub-contractors Many main contractors are adopting a new attitude towards sub-contracting a large portion of their work so that their work load can be decreased. According to Costantino (2001) main contractors sub-contract a large portion of their work to cut down on the high overhead expenses which is needed to manage a large work force. There are two types of sub-contractors the first one is labour only sub-contractor. They are groups of artisans and labourers and are usually employed by the main contractor to undertake labour intensive work such as brickwork, plastering and formwork. The second category of sub-contractors performs specialist work on site such as the construction of piles and installation of escalators or lift systems (Wong, 1990). Sub-contractors are usually employed to provide labour only on a job. This type of sub-contractor is called a labour only sub-contractor as they will be providing labour and the main contractor will provide the material required. It is therefore imperative for the main contractor to have control over the sub-contractors usage of material and to encourage the sub-contractor to have a wasteful attitude. Since large portions of the main contractors work are being sub-contracted, sub-contractors are therefore to blame for wastage. Sub-contractors see waste minimization activities as an extra workload and are seemed to be irrelevant (Lingard et al. 2004). The main contractor is the principal player and must set a good example of waste minimisation by motivating an attitude which puts reuse and recycling in use (Ofori and Ekanayake, 2003). Material planning and waste control policies should be included in the invitation for sub-contracts to cover the main contractor from any risk caused from waste (Skoyles and Skoyles 1987). Disciplinary clauses should be inserted to prevent and discourage wastage from labour only sub-contractors. Wasted materials are wasted profits and waste concerns everyone involved from the client and contracts director to the sub-contractor and labourer. Providing adequate training for sub-contractors will improve their attitude to minimize waste and will lead to more efficient and productive waste minimization. The contractor will by incur a small expense from the training but will gain a large return as the construction process proceeds. 2.1.3.2.1 Most common causes of waste by sub-contractor and effect on building operations. Labour only sub-contractor 1 Waste of materials causes profit loss to main contractor 2 Waste causes delay to sub-contract operations 3 May become liable if penalizing clauses used Labour and material sub-contractor 1 Loss to business for material wasted 2 Delay and consequential waste to own and contractors work 3 Can add to waste accumulating on site and therefore adding to contractors waste 4 May be liable for penalizing clauses in sub-contract for consequential waste, particularly damage to other trades Table 2.3 Skoyles and Skoyles 1987 2.1.3.3 Design A building is designed without any consideration of the method of construction being used. The size of materials is not taken into consideration and a vast amount of wastage results from cutting and excess use of materials (Skoyles and Skoyles 1987). It is recommended that designers should prepare designs which have less potential to cause site waste (Ekanayake and Ofori 2000). One of the major contributors to waste is the change in design while construction has already commenced. It is therefore imperative for the parties involved in the construction and design to co-operate closely to avoid any unnecessary waste related to design issues (Ekanayake and Ofori 2000). Wasteful practice should start in the design stage already by specifying materials that will reduce the amount of wastage and also resist any harmful activities against vandalism and theft. Designers should educate themselves with the sizes and lengths materials come in so that unnecessary cuttings will not occur (Skoyles and Skoyles 1987). 2.1.3.4 Manufacturers Most of materials are manufactured in standard sizes and comes in standard packaging. Materials should be manufactured in such a manner that it is in favour of the contractor. A typical example is cement, this product comes in a 50kg bag which most labour find extremely tricky to handle. This product is extremely heavy and strenuous handling results in the packaging being damaged and the product being wasted. Suppliers should give the end users necessary knowledge on how to handle, store and transport their products (Skoyles and Skoyles 1987). Mehta (2008) states that a large amount of waste results directly from the packaging the material is stored in and more environmental friendly packaging should be used which can be used on site after the goods are unpacked. Materials are usually damaged when they are delivered because buyers do not state the requirements. When material is transported it should be protected against rain or dirt from the road. Careful checking should be taken when materials are delivered and any damaged goods should be reported immediately. Manufacturers can reduce waste by: Placing appropriate protection around materials. Sizes of bags of cement to made available for easier handling. Metal banded goods to be protected from the weather Delivery vehicles to be designed to guarantee that materials will be protected during transit. Loaded vehicles should Have less loose material delivered. 2.1.3.5 Storage and handling Skoyles (1978) identified that storage and handling were the major causes of waste. Majority of the labour in the construction industry are unskilled. Unskilled labour is available at abundance as the country is currently faced with a recession and people are desperate for work. The availability of this cheap unskilled labour has a major impact on construction wastage. Poor workmanship and incorrect use of tools are key factors which contribute to wastage. Skilled tradesmen are less cautious about wastage as they can rely on the unskilled labour to clean up after them. Proper site supervision should be instituted at all construction sites to encourage workers to minimize wastage. Workers should be trained to make use of building materials effectively and efficiently. A well trained employee should be given the responsibility of keeping control of all materials. Storage facilities should be well managed and correct inventory list must constantly be attended to. The location of the storage area is vital to avoid double handling and travelling long distances to the place of work. There should be sufficient space at storage areas to accommodate for all the materials. Expensive materials should be stored in a lockable room to prevent theft and material should be stored in such a manner to prevent any damage. Material with a high value should not be stored on the job site any longer than necessary. 2.1.3.6 Delivery of materials All deliveries should be thoroughly checked for any shortages or damages. It is important for deliveries to be properly planned to reduce the risk of materials laying around that will only be used in the future. Contractors should make use of appropriate material delivery planning systems. Copies of the schedules should be kept on site to assist site management in the control of materials. Proper material delivery management will eliminate double handling and reduce wastage dramatically. Expensive materials should be delivered only when it is required on site. 2.1.3.7 Site security Access points to the site should always be locked and controlled. All access points should have gates so that it can be locked after hours. There should always be someone monitoring the access points to restrict any unauthorised entry. Lighting the site is very useful. Thieves are generally more comfortable in the dark and by lighting up the site the public will be able to see if any criminal activities are taking place A good fenced site will reduce the risk of theft and vandalism dramatically. Barb wire on top of the fence will secure the site even further. 2.1.4 Summary of literature review It is inevitable for a Construction company to produce waste. Identifying and categorizing the types and causes of waste help in minimization. It is important to enlist the cooperation of all parties involved in the construction project because they are the parties using the construction materials. Through proper planning and control, material wastage can be minimized without compromising on quality and time of completion. 2.2 Construction waste management 2.2.1 Introduction to waste management In terms of Schedule 5B of the Constitution of South Africa (Act 108 of 1996), waste management is a local government proficiency that must be executed to protect human and environmental health (Constitution, S.24). Macozoma (2006) stated that 40% of a countrys waste is contributed by the construction industry and 15% of materials purchased ends up as waste. Waste dumping has huge effects like filling landfills and damaging the environment. It is vital for construction companies to get involved with waste management so that pollution levels, natural resources and energy can be reduced. The key component in waste management is waste minimisation (WBDG 2010). The definition of waste minimisation is: any activity that can prevent the amount, supply and environmental impact of waste (City of Cape Town 2010). The following are benefits from waste minimisation (Camm and Nuttall 1995): Reducing the amount of landfill space Saving natural resources Saving energy Minimizing pollution 2.2.2 What is a waste management plan? According to Macozoma (2002) it is a plan that gives the guidelines and conditions to how waste should be handled and managed on site. Waste management should not only be the contractors responsibility but everyone involved in the project. A typical waste management plan will contain the following fundamentals: Waste management goals Waste prevention strategies Waste salvage strategies Material storage strategies Recycling methods A waste audit Waste disposal options Waste handling requirements Transportation requirements The following are benefits from good waste management practice (Clacksweb 2010): Decrease in disposal costs Decrease in waste transportation costs Increase in the reuse of materials Decrease in levels of material wastage 2.2.3 Why construction wastes management? The following are answers generated from Oikos (2010) 2.2.3.1 Cost By re-using materials you are cutting down cost by not purchasing new materials and you are therefore increasing your profits. 2.2.3.2 Efficiency Material should be salvaged to prevent ordering of new materials. 2.2.3.3 Resource Conservation Contractors can conserve natural resources by recycling their wastage materials. 2.2.3.4 Liability Contractors should take responsibility by getting rid of their waste through legal sources 2.2.3.5 Marketing Contractors who make use of waste management planning will have a positive situation in the market. 2.2.4 Summary of literature review Construction waste management planning is vital to the construction industry and to the environment. By applying waste manageable construction pollution levels will drop and contractors will reap the benefit of producing larger profits. South Africa is a growing country and should follow first world countries by adapting to waste management. 3: Fieldwork 3.1 Introduction The design of the data collection was undertaken in two parts. In Part one a questionnaire was drawn up based on the literature review and part in part two personal interviews were done to establish further information in concluding this research. 3.2 Questionnaire A questionnaire was drawn up relating to Table 1.1 sources and causes of construction waste (Gavilan and Bernold 1994). The questionnaire had 15 short questions which had to be rated on a scale of one to five. One was were the person strongly agreed and five was were the person strongly disagreed. The person who under took the questionnaire had to state their job title in order to get results from competent staff. The questionnaires were sent via email to 25 building companies in Cape Town out of the 25 companies only 22 responded. The data is therefore a representation of only 22 companies opposed to 25. (Refer to appendix A for copy of the questionnaire) 3.2.1 Questionnaire response 22/25*100=88% response to questionnaire The response received is more than sufficient. A failure to respond rate was targeted at 20% and an actual failure to respond rate of 12% was achieved. 3.2.2 Position of Respondents who under took the questionnaire This was vital because the questionnaire was designed for competent staff to fill out. Chart 3.2 Respondents positions According to the results received all the questionnaires were filled out by competent staff and all the questionnaires can be used for the data collection process. Quantity surveyors: 9/22*100=41% Site managers: 7/22*100=32% Contracts manager 2/22*100=9% Buyer: 2/22*100=9% Contracts director: 1/22*100=4.5% Foreman: 1/22*100=4.5% 3.2.3 Data analysis Chart 3.3 Survey response Table 3.1 Data recorded 1-strongly agree 2-agree 3-neutral 4-disagree 5-strongly disagree question 1 16 4 2 question 2 15 2 3 2 question 3 4 8 2 6 2 question 4 11 1 7 2 1 question 5 12 6 4 question 6 2 6 12 2 question 7 2 9 9 2 question 8 4 2 6 7 3 question 9 4 10 6 2 question 10 1 9 7 5 question 11 2 4 7 8 1 question 12 3 5 11 3 question 13 7 7 8 question 14 4 3 5 6 4 question 15 2 3 14 3 3.2.3.1 Analysis of questions Question 1 73% of the respondents felt that errors in the contract documents caused wastage. Question 2 68% of the respondents strongly agreed that a variation in the contract causes wastage. Question 3 Only 54% of the respondents thought that a lack of waste management planning causes wastage. Question 4 50% of the respondents believed sub-contractors have a major influence on wastage. Question 5 0% of the respondents disagreed that cutting of standard material to sizes causes waste. Question 6 54% of the respondents had a neutral feeling that vandalism and theft influences waste. Question 7 50% of the respondents believed proper storage has an effect on waste. Question 8 45% of the respondents disagreed that security could minimize waste. Question 9 63% of the respondents believed unskilled labour influences waste. Question 10 54% of the respondents believed that are not any waste caused from the transportation of material from the suppliers. Question 11 40% of the respondents disagreed that waste is caused due to machinery malfunctioning. Question 12 50% of the respondents had a neutral feeling that waste could be resulted from the lack of waste minimization training on site. Question 13 The sum of 5% of the respondents felt that over ordering influenced waste. Question 14 45% of the respondents believed over production causes waste. Question 15 63% of the respondents had a neutral feeling to waste minimization being of any importance. 3.2.3.2 Ranking of questions A ranking of the questions was done in order to clearly illustrate the main cause of waste according to the questionnaire. Neutral answers were ignored and strongly agree and agree were joined together to form yes and strongly disagree and disagree were joined together to form no. Table 3.2 Ranking of questions yes no total Question 1 20 0 20 Question 5 18 0 18 Question 2 17 2 19 Question 9 14 2 16 Question 3 12 8 20 Question 4 12 <

The Underworld and Morality in Vergils Aeneid Essay -- Aeneid Essays

The Underworld and Morality in Vergil's Aeneid Book IV of the Aeneid can stand alone as Vergil's highest literary achievement, but centered in the epic, it provides a base for the entire work. The book describes Aeneas's trip through the underworld, where after passing through the depths of hell, he reaches his father Anchises in the land of Elysium. Elysium is where the "Soul[s] to which Fate owes Another flesh" lie (115). Here Anchises delivers the prophecy of Rome to Aeneis. He is shown the great souls that will one day occupy the bodies of Rome's leaders. Before the prophecy of Rome is delivered, Aeneis's journey through the underworld provides a definite ranking of souls according to their past lives on Earth. The Aeneid does not encompass a heaven, but the Underworld provides a punishment place where souls are purged of their evils and after one thousand years, regenerated to Earth. The ranking of souls in the Underworld warns of punishment for sin, and provides a moral framework for Roman life. Aeneis's first contact with a soul in the purgatory of the Underworld is Palinurus, who died after falling from one of Aeneis's ships. Aeneis is at the mouth of the river that flows through hell with his guide the goddess Diephobe and Charon the ferryman. Palinurus is waiting to be ferried to his place in the Underworld, so he can begin his thousand-year purge. He pleads with Aeneis's party to take him along, but Deiphobe scolds him: "Shalt thou, unburied, see the Stygian flood, / The Furies stream, or reach the bank unbid?" (107). In Vergil's Underworld one must have had a proper burial to gain a position. This serves as a warning to Romans to give their deceased a proper funeral, less they remain in hell longer. After Pa... ...ere he meets his father and receives the destiny of Rome. Elysium houses those souls "to which fate owes another flesh" (115). These are the great heroes of the Ancient World that will be reincarnated as Roman leaders: They have no human acts to be punished for. The story shifts here from that of moral lesson, to historical prophecy, but underlying the history there is a subtle command of respect for Roman leaders. The Underworld is more then just a creation to make Aeneis's voyage to his father more poetic. Through it, Vergil creates a moral code for his people, emphasizing grayer acts that can be easily justified such as deciding not to raise a child and giving up on love. Vergil saw how these acts hurt humanity, and created the Underworld to curve them. Bibliography Vergil. Aeneid. Dover Thrift Edition. Trans. Charles J. Billson. New York: Dover, 1995.

Canon

Case Study Introduction Canon is one of the most recognisable brands worldwide. It is a Japanese Multinational Enterprise (MNE), specialised on manufacturing of imaging and optical products, including printers, cameras and copiers. This paper will investigate on the degree of global expansion of Canon. It will focus on the problem statement on how Canon evolved from a Japanese company to a global player. First, this paper starts with Canon’s structure and their background. Furthermore, the paper elaborates on the motivations, means and mentalities of expanding and an analysis of the international context.Next to that,†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Sama jouw stuk!. Finally, this paper will describe the social responsibility of Canon and will end with a conclusion. Background of Canon Canon focuses on three different groups: the Customer, the Office and the Industry and others. They are producing a lot of different products but the most important are for the Customer: cameras, camcorders, print ers, projectors, scanners and equipment. For the Office: laser/ large-format printers, multifunction devices, solutions software, cartidges. For Industry and others: lithograpy systems, card printers, radiography systems, vacuum equipment, components. Canon, 2011). Founded in 1933, Canon started as a small laboratory in Tokyo. At the time, all high-quality cameras were European with the majority coming from Germany. It was in this small room that young people with a big dream began to work on producing a high-quality Japanese camera, this was the start of Canon. In 1950, Canon's first president, Takeshi Mitarai, went to America for the first time to attend an international trade fair. He got a lot of inspiration and good ideas and started to build a new factory as modern as in the US. In 1955, Canon made its first step into the global market with the opening of a U.S. office in New York City. In 1970, Canon was doing really good but was hit by dollar and oil shocks. In 1976, Canon l aunched its Premier Company Plan, an ambitious strategy to transform Canon into an â€Å"excellent global company†. The plan proposed high ideals and pooled the strength of its employees, enabling the company to promptly recover. Then, in 1988, Canon introduced its corporate philosophy of kyosei, an unfamiliar term at the time. We will elaborate on this later in the report. In the 1990s, Canon carried debt of more than 840 billion yen and in 1996 the Excellent Global Corporation Plan was launched.Transforming the corporate mindset from partial to total optimization and from a focus on sales to a focus on profits, the new plan was the start of the innovations that characterize today's Canon. From 2001 to 2010 the number of employees almost doubled, this shows the huge growth of Canon in the last years. (Canon, 2011) Canon’s global expansion Canon satisfies both requirements for being a Multinational Enterprise according to Bartlett and Beamish (2011, p. 2), such as subs tantial direct investment in foreign countries and active management in foreign subsidiaries.Canon goes beyond the trading relationships of an import-export business in countries such as France and Australia. The headquarter in Japan plays however a crucial role in determining organizational culture and strategy. This can also be seen in the representation of the Board of Directors which consists exclusively of Japanese. (Canon, 2011). Canon’s mentality can be categorized as Global. The production of the mainly standardized products takes place to a large extend in Japan, but also in the US, Germany, France, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.These few plants are highly efficient, which provides economies of scale but also transparency of quality. When considering the products itself world is seen as one Due to the organizational structure the Japanese headquarter takes over the central coordination and control of the subsidiaries, their various product or business manage rs have worldwide responsibility. Furthermore R&D and manufacturing activities are managed from Japan. R&D subsidiaries are located in France, China, the Philippines and Australia but mainly Japan. Canon, 2011). Main motivations for Canon to expand their activities globally were mainly due to market-seeking behaviour and increasing scale economies. Especially in the technology sector where competition is increasing, R&D costs are rising and product life cycles are becoming shorter, so Canon was forced to expand if it wanted to gain first mover advantages. This is in line with the principle of global chess. (Bartlett & Beamish, 2011, p. 4). Canon operates in an international industry, where technological forces are central.As mentioned above the technology industry is fast moving, highly competitive and requires huge R&D investments. Therefore Canon need to follow the international strategy and focusses on its ability to exploit technological forces and leveraging international life cycles. Furthermore its business also contains some attributes of a global industry, such as highly centralized, scale-intensive manufacturing and R&D operations, which allows Canon to leverage through worldwide exports of standardized global goods. (Bartlett & Beamish, 2011, p. 123).Besides competitive positioning, global scanning and learning capability play a crucial role. This responsibility is usually taken over by the R&D departments. However Canon adjusts to local needs mainly in marketing activities. In order to reach the local market Canon focused on marketing activities. Headquarters for marketing activities are located in Japan, New York (USA), Florida (Central and South America, Caribbean) London and the Netherlands (Europe), Dubai (Middle East) and Singapore (South East Asia). Numerous local marketing offices are places in almost every country where products of Canon can be purchased. Canon, 2011). After having analysed Canon’s administrative heritage, clearly in line with the Japanese tradition, the EPG framework can be applied. On the first sight Canon seems to be mainly ethnocentric oriented. (Perlmutter, 1969). Performance criteria for products and managers are clearly formulated in Japan. Managers of the subsidiaries are Japanese, many of them are related. (Flannery, 2011). This also shows the cultural distance between Japan and the western business world. Further culture distances include differences in social norms, such as the principle of â€Å"saving face† and of course a language barrier.Many differences were embraced by Canon by expanding globally. An example of this is the implementation of a FengShui activity for employees in Europe. Furthermore Japanese do not expect foreigners to have comprehensive knowledge of the Japanese culture and tolerate mistakes. Overall Canon managed to overcome most of these obstacles without losing their Japanese identity. (Ghemawat, 2001). When considering marketing activities, Canon manag ed to capture and target all the different local market needs and appears to implement a world-wide approach and not just following home-country objectives.Part Sama!!!! Corporate Social Responsibility Initially international expansion was viewed as something very positive. It would not only help the richest nations, but also the poorer countries were able to benefit from globalization. However, in the last years of the 20th century contradicting views were arising. People saw a lot of drawbacks, globalization was seen as continued exploitation by MNEs. The growing gap between the rich and the poor was seen as an evidence of this exploitation. There was a need for a different approach and many people believed that MNEs could provide a solution.Because MNEs controlled the resources and power, they should play a larger role in the global development. (Bartlett & Beamish, 2011, p. 646) Canon is a perfect example of a company who is trying to be responsible and who wants to take care of the world. In 1988 Canon officially introduced its corporate philosophy of  kyosei. This means ‘living and working together for the common good’ (Canon, 2011). They want to achieve this in a community in which all people, regardless of language, culture or ethnicity, live together.Based on the concept of kyosei and with the idea of their â€Å"excellent global corporation† plan in mind, Canon tries to take the responsibility for the impact of its activities on society. (Canon, 2010) Besides that they also focus on CSR internally, a nice example is the change of offices in 2008. They implemented Feng-Shui in their European offices to remedy a real, modern problem: high levels of employee office stress and rage. In the end, a Zen Workplace was created by a US-based Feng Shui Master consultant. (Mainini, 2007) According to Bartlett and Beamish (2011, p. 49) there are four MNE responses to developing world needs. The first one is the exploitive MNE, this company o nly focuses on making profit and does not care about the community at all. The issue of sweatshops is common within these companies. The second response is one of a transactional MNE, today this is viewed as the minimum expectation of MNE’s behaviour. These companies do not pursue the bottom-line at all costs but respect laws and regulations. The third approach is the responsive MNE, they are making a difference. Canon can be categorized into this category.They really try to make a difference and not only for their own benefits. The question that could arise is if Canon should try to move to the fourth one, the transformative MNE? In this transformative approach companies are trying to lead the change, so take a initiative to set up projects. In our view this should not be the aim for Canon, they are already making a huge difference because of their commitment to society. A good example to show why they are still a responsive MNE is the investment of Canon after the recent Ja panese earthquake, their commitment was enormous but this was also due to their own damage.The most important reason for their action was their own recover. This is in line with Prahalad and Hammond (2002), companies can help the community profitably. On March 11, 2011 a great Japanese earthquake caused a lot of damage. This earthquake took place where Canon’s operations are based. Canon acted immediatley and supported the Red Cross Society with a financial donation but more important with portable digital radiography systems. This system has shown to be effective in contributing to medical activities in disaster areas.The earthquake caused damage to buildings and equipment of Canon, but most of all their supply chain was hitten. Canon realized the only way of minimizing the impact was a rapid recovery so they concentrated all of their resources and tried to provide customers still with a supply of their products. (Canon, 2011) Canon focuses on two different parts of the comm unity, the social and cultural support activities and environmental acitivities. This is still a really broad focus, because they want to be committed to everyone and everything.Their environmental view is the produce – use – recycle circle, in which they want to reduce their environmental impact in every stage. (Appendix, figure 1) Canon is also focused on the social and cultural support activities. Canon Global uses the philosophy of Kyosei to focus their CSR iniatives in a couple of categories. They are humanitarian aid and relief, art, culture and sports, education and science, local communities, social welfare and conservation of the environment. Due to cultural differences and needs, the implementation of projects varies between branches. Canon, 2010) Conclusion The aim of this paper was to investigate in the evolution of Canon from a Japense company to a global player. †¦. blabla Conclusion!!!!!!! * References Bartlett, C. A. & Beamish, P. W. (2011). Transn ational Management, Text, Cases, and Readings in Cross-Border Management. (6th ed. ) New York: McGraw-Hill. Canon. (2010). Social and Cultural support activities. Retrieved from: http://www. canon. com/scsa/index. html Canon. (2011). Canon support relief efforts following Japan quake. Retrieved from: http://www. canon. om/scsa/aid_relief/support/japan_quake/index. html Canon. (2011). Canon up to now. Retrieved from: http://www. canon. com/about/history/outline. html Canon. (2011). Products. Retrieved from: http://www. canon. com/products/ Canon. (2011). Sustainability report. Retrieved from: http://www. canon. com/environment/ Flannery, N. P. (2011). Japanese Business Culture and the Value of Good Governance. Retrieved from: http://foundersforum. gmiratings. com/2011/11/japanese-business-culture-and-the -value-of-good-governance. html Ghemawat, P. (2001).Distance Still Matters: The Hard Reality of Global Expansion. Transnational Management, Reading 1. 2. Mainini, S. F. (2007). Zen W orkplace, how to use Feng Shui to reduce office stress? Retrieved from: http://www. canon-europe. com/Images/Feng_Shui_report-v1_0_tcm13-612885. pdf Perlmutter, H. (1969). The Tortuous Evolution of the Multinational Corporation. Transnational Management, Reading 1. 1. Prahalad, C. K. & Hammond, A. (2002). Serving the World’s Poor, Profitably. Transnational Management, Reading 8. 2. Appendix Figure 1 Canon. (2011) Sustainibility report

Free Essays on Machiavelli

Machiavelli and More are each often described as â€Å"humanists.† Does it seem reasonable to you to group them together as part of the same â€Å"movement† or intellectual trend? Explain why or why not. A most complete definition of humanism describes it as, â€Å"an intellectual movement that stressed enjoyment of all aspects of life, and especially of the ideas and values of pre-Christian civilizations, such as those of Greece and Rome; the interest in individualism, including stress on man as an end in himself, rather than as merely one cog in the vast machine of the Church.† Thus far in this course we have studied two Renaissance figures that are typically described as humanists: Niccolo Machiavelli via The Prince, and Sir Thomas More in Utopia. In The Prince, Machiavelli uses the major corpus of the work to convey his observations concerning principalities. In addition to analyzing the types of difficulties that a prince might encounter, he describes how a prince comes to power and retains his position. In More’s Utopia, we find a treatise on ethics and human nature along with, above all else, a condemnation of pride, disguised in the painting of the portrait of a perfect world. Most important to the ideals of humanism, we see through both works that Renaissance man has evolved greatly from how his Medieval counterpart was viewed as a miniscule, analogous piece of the all powerful church. It is the individualism of this new character on the world’s stage, the Renaissance man, which creates the perfect setting for a return to Roman-Athenian ideals such as self-interest, worldly possessions, and a much greater concern for life than the afterlife. By staunchly defending these ideals, Niccolo Machiavelli emerges as a true humanist, while in abhorring them Sir Thomas More appears only a social critic. In Book I of Utopia, More struggles with the question of how he, a good man by the moral standards of the day, can serv... Free Essays on Machiavelli Free Essays on Machiavelli Machiavelli and More are each often described as â€Å"humanists.† Does it seem reasonable to you to group them together as part of the same â€Å"movement† or intellectual trend? Explain why or why not. A most complete definition of humanism describes it as, â€Å"an intellectual movement that stressed enjoyment of all aspects of life, and especially of the ideas and values of pre-Christian civilizations, such as those of Greece and Rome; the interest in individualism, including stress on man as an end in himself, rather than as merely one cog in the vast machine of the Church.† Thus far in this course we have studied two Renaissance figures that are typically described as humanists: Niccolo Machiavelli via The Prince, and Sir Thomas More in Utopia. In The Prince, Machiavelli uses the major corpus of the work to convey his observations concerning principalities. In addition to analyzing the types of difficulties that a prince might encounter, he describes how a prince comes to power and retains his position. In More’s Utopia, we find a treatise on ethics and human nature along with, above all else, a condemnation of pride, disguised in the painting of the portrait of a perfect world. Most important to the ideals of humanism, we see through both works that Renaissance man has evolved greatly from how his Medieval counterpart was viewed as a miniscule, analogous piece of the all powerful church. It is the individualism of this new character on the world’s stage, the Renaissance man, which creates the perfect setting for a return to Roman-Athenian ideals such as self-interest, worldly possessions, and a much greater concern for life than the afterlife. By staunchly defending these ideals, Niccolo Machiavelli emerges as a true humanist, while in abhorring them Sir Thomas More appears only a social critic. In Book I of Utopia, More struggles with the question of how he, a good man by the moral standards of the day, can serv... Free Essays on Machiavelli Machiavelli "The best fortress a ruler can have is not to be hated by the people, for if you possess fortresses and the people hate you, having fortresses will not save you". I feel that Machiavelli’s intention was to let the ruler of Florence, Lorenzo de Medici know that he must change the way he is ruling Florence because, A prince must act with dictatorial power in order to maintain his position. Machiavelli believes that Lorenzo de Medici does not act with dictatorial power, but with greed which is considered a fault. Machiavelli states that a prince can share power with the people, since a prince can trust the people much more than he can trust the nobles. Nobles can not be satisfied if a ruler acts honorably but the people can be satisfied, because their aims are more honorable than the nobles. The people are not unforgiving and greedy so the prince can place more trust in the people. Since the public can be trusted, the prince can empower the people. â€Å"A leader must seem firm and moral to the people, and show positive results from his leadership†. I agree with Machiavelli, people are the ones that you don’t have to worry about, because they have nothing and giving them authority will make them feel important. By the people feeling the way they do, the ruler will be supported. This is what Lorenzo de Medici should do. This compellation was meant to help him, not hurt him. I think that Lorenzo de Medici took this in a bad way. He probably felt that Machiavelli was telling him how to rule Florence, which would be considered an insult to his authority.... Free Essays on Machiavelli Machiavelli â€Å"It is better to be feared than loved† This is one of the most interesting topics that was brought up in the movie that I felt would be fun to write about. The different between being feared and loved is a very fine line sometimes, through the years many different leaders have bordered on the two in their leadership. Machiavelli obviously firmly believed that it was much better to be feared than loved, but as always there are two sides to every argument. I agree with Machiavelli in some ways because fear is a good way to rule people. If they fear you they will generally not bother you in any way in fear of you harming them or someone close to them. With his opinion on being loved, I believe he felt it made the ruler vulnerable; it made them look weak and easy to attack and overthrow. The problems that I see with Machiavelli’s point of view is that in order for you to be feared you have to set an example, and the problem with setting an example is you have to use someone as that example. I personally am not one who thinks you should have to hurt or kill a person in order for others to follow you. I could never go out and kill a bunch of people for the reason of setting an example to others. The other quote of Machiavelli’s quotes that I want to discuss is â€Å"the end justifies the means†. This is a very controversial quote that I feel can apply in some instances but is not appropriate in others. Take for instance the situation in providence with the mayor. Providence was in rough shape a few years ago but Mayor Cianci cleaned up the city and made it into the beautiful city that is today. But along the way of the reinvention of the city he had to do a few things that weren’t exactly 100% legal. Now I'm not exactly sure how much he did and to who he did it to, but it seems to me that in this case he really didn’t do anything that was that bad. Stealing a little money and shaking down a few people was r...

Metonymy

Metonymy Metonymy Metonymy By Maeve Maddox Metonymy [meh-TAHN-uh-mee] is a figure of speech that substitutes a word or phrase that stands for an object, action, institution or the like for the object itself. For example, in the phrase â€Å"surf and turf†- in the context of restaurant fare- surf is a metonymy for seafood and turf is a metonymy for beef. In a different context, the word turf is a common metonymy for the institution of thoroughbred horseracing: One of the  most famous jockeys  in the  history  of the  turf  a century ago was Sam Chipney, who was â€Å"jockey for life† to the Prince of Wales, at a salary of $1,000, and retired from the turf with his royal master in 1791. Home and Country, Volume 9, Monthly Illustrator Publishing Company, 1894. Here are some more examples of metonymy from various sources: Tories were American colonists who  remained loyal to the Crown during the American Revolutionary War. Crown = â€Å"the British government.† Suits  stars Gabriel Macht as Harvey Specter and Patrick J. Adams  as Mike Ross- lawyers at a high-powered New York law firm.  (Suits is the title of a television series.) Suit = an authority figure such as a lawyer or FBI agent. Ready for another cup? cup = a cup or mug filled with coffee The pen is mightier than the sword. pen = written form of persuasion sword = military action Friends, Romans, countrymen: Lend me your ears. ears = attention Lamb and potatoes: a dish fit for a king dish = a meal France, less favoured on the whole as to matters spiritual than her sister of the shield and trident, rolled with exceeding smoothness down hill, making paper money and spending it. This quotation from A Tale of Two Cities contains more than one layer of figurative language. France = the people of France. France is also being personified as a woman with a sister. sister of the shield and trident = Britannia, ergo, Britain. A common symbol of the nation of Britain is the image of Britannia- a seated woman holding a shield and trident. The shield she holds represents military might, and the trident represents sea power. The trident is associated with the sea because it was the emblem of Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Reading fluency requires background knowledge that enables readers to interpret the use of metonymy and other figurative language. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Words for Facial ExpressionsGrammar Quiz #21: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive ClausesTestimony vs. Testimonial

Topic should be something involving macroeconomics Essay

Topic should be something involving macroeconomics - Essay Example (2). 2. Growth of the Indian Economy From a pre-independence average growth of 0.9 % in the Indian economy in the first fifty years of the twentieth century, the Indian economy started to demonstrate accelerated growth in the last decade of the twentieth century, with the economic growth touching six percent. The new millennium witnessed even higher GDP growth rate at an average of 6.9% in the seven year period 2000-2001 to 2006-2007. The acceleration in the economic growth becomes even more evident in from the growth in GDP between in the four years of 2003 to 2004 till 2006-2007., where the average growth in GDP stands at 8.6%, which grew in 2005 to 2006 higher at nine percent and even higher to 9.6% in the year 2006-2007. (3). In 2006-2007 the high growth rate was maintained at 8.7%, though dropping from the high of the previous years. In 2008-2009 the real growth in GDP is estimated to remain high ranging between 8% and 8.5%. (4). Two features stand out in this acceleration in gr owth of the Indian economy. The first is that there has been a significant moderation in the volatility, with particular reference to the in industries and services sector. The second is the main driving force behind the accelerated growth has been domestic consumption, which is estimated to almost two-thirds of the total demand. (3). The strong economic activity in the last decade has received support from the strong financials of gross domestic investment and domestic savings rate. The gross domestic investment, which was 24.3% of GDP in 2000-2001 rose to 33.8% in 2005-2006. The domestic savings rates also rose from 23.7% in 2000-2001 to 32.4% in 2005-2006. Domestic savings was a critical factor in the gross domestic investment contributing about ninety percent of it. (3). In the 1990s India opened out its international trade policy, initiating reforms to create a new market oriented environment. The structural adjustments and the economic reforms that resulted from these initiati ves were to have a strong impact on the Indian economy, particularly with regard to the positive flow of foreign direct investments (FDI). (3). Table -1 shows the year wise FDI inflow into India. Table -1 FDI Inflow into India 1992-1993 to 2008-2009 Year FDI in US $ Million 1992-1993 193 1993-1994 654 1994-1995 1,374 1995-1996 2.141 1996-1997 2,770 1997-1998 3,682 1998-1999 3,083 1999-2000 2,439 2000-2001 2,908 2001-2002 4,222 2003-2004 3,134 2005-2006 2,634 2006-2007 3,754 2007-2008 1,270 2008-2009 1,447 (5). India has demonstrated better fiscal management in the new millennium that has caused a clear drop in the fiscal deficit of the Central Government and the State Governments. In 2000-2001 the fiscal deficit was 9.5%, which diminished to 6.4% by 2006-2007. (3). However, this rosy picture on the fiscal front has changed since the economic recession, which has forced the government to take money spending initiatives to stimulate growth in the economy, besides the political compuls ions of an election year. The forecast of the Central Government on the fiscal deficit for the year 2008-2009 is 6% of GDP. This is well above the targeted fiscal of 2.5% for the year 2008-2009 and is a cause for concern on the health of the Indian economy. (6). The growth of the Indian e

The Toxicity of Nanomaterials Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Toxicity of Nanomaterials - Dissertation Example In this regard I would indicate that nanotechnology is an activity that involves manipulation measurement, modeling or manufacture of a sub-100 nanometer while nanomaterials are nanomaterials are materials identified to be of one dimension (Powell & Kanarek 2006, 16). Effects and Toxicity of Nanomaterials Nanotoxicology is an analysis of toxicity of nanomaterials. As a result of the many uses acquired from nanomaterials it has been argued that since nanomaterials are beneficial, the properties can be toxic and dangerous to the cell environment of an organism. This therefore proves that such behavior of properties can easily react with the body tissues which may cause harm and damage of body organs, such as the brain. When such substances are inhaled and enter the internal human organs such as the heart and the lungs, they are likely to cause breathing difficulties in an individual. This shows that nanomaterials have toxins that may be harmful to the life of an organism. The high leve l of surface to volume ratio of atoms to react with other available orgasms suggests that these nanomaterials can react ferociously with the body tissues which would lead to a wear and tear of the body. This would lead to several effects in the body that can make the body to stop functioning as a result of this technology. For example, apart from the damage identified in the brain, the fish had a change in their livers which signified a physiological difference as an influence of fullerenes. A similar study was conducted by the National Institute for Environmental Studies in Japan by a researcher Shosaku Kashiwada. The main objective of this study was to investigate the risks of nanomaterials on organisms. Fish was used as a specimen in this study which showed results that the fish had accumulated nanomaterials in their gills intestine and the bloodstream. This has raised worries with the increase of nanomaterials around the globe indicating the need of safety for workers and users. In addition, researchers in Swedish Karolinka institute conducted a study that gave an indication that iron oxide showed DNA damage on the human body. It has been identified that industries have taken much interest in this technology where they have used the nanomaterials in cosmetics. These cosmetics have been used by humans who apply them on their skins, but are thereafter is able to penetrate to the inner tissues of the body (Powell & Kanarek 2006, 17). Nano sized titanium dioxide is a good example because it has properties that enable it to sunscreen when exposed to sunbeams that lead to the activation of oxidation which causes much harm to the DNA in human beings. The above information indicates that nanomaterials have toxic properties that are dangerous to the health and surrounding of an organism. The paper indicates that titanium dioxide has been applied in several fields of human life such as the making of tooth paste, plastics and pharmaceutical products. This has been as a result of its property of being transparent which has contributed in making the factory and consumer items attractive and beautiful. This indicates that the nanoscale objects have posed much danger to