Toyota Case Study Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Toyota Case Study - Assignment Example This may be seen as one of the key models for Toyota to consider in recognising the need for change, here the case study points to an organisation which is relatively closed, the company losing touch with its customer base and management team focusing upon internal interactions and change initiatives. Adoption of the open systems model for viewing an organisation may allow the company to concentrate to a greater extent upon the needs of its customers, rather than focusing upon internally hard systems issues. 2.0 Recommendations for Change Having analysed the case study and conducted the relevant situational analysis, it would appear that Toyota suffers from a number of major issues. The single two biggest issues which the company may be seen as facing are poor internal communications and a disconnect between the company and its customers in the market. Such issues have lead to poor product quality in recent years and the failure to develop new products which have a clear demand in so me local markets. In considering how Toyota is to overcome these problems, the report recommends a program of radical hard systems restructuring. Here Toyota should consider adopting a regionally based business model and move away from the current centralised model operated from Japan. The benefits of implementing such a change initiative would be that Toyota would be closer to its customers both geographically and from a communications perspective (Griffin and Pustay 2009). This would allow the company to develop products which are suited to localised needs, rather than developing a set of international products which are designed to appeal to a global market. In addition, Toyota would also be able to detect any problems within a local market in a much shorter space of time, than where communications as at present have to filter back to the head office in Japan. As such, the recommendation of this report is that Toyota should set up one head office function in each key national mar ket, each to be run as a separate strategic business unit. In making the changes, the researcher recommends that Lewin’s (1957) three stage model of change should be used. Here the model advocates three stages, namely â€Å"unfreeze† â€Å"move† and â€Å"Freeze.† In short, the unfreeze stage represents a preparatory stage in which members of the organisation are encouraged to both see the need for change and then move towards the planning required at the implementation stage. The move stage represents the actual implementation stage of a change initiative, finally the freeze stage represents a consolidation stage in which managers ensure changes to processes and practises are embedded in the organisation and old ways of working are not slipped back into. While Lewin’s (1957) three stages of change is a widely accepted model, it is not the only model which Toyota may consider. Another similar model is that of Kotter’s (1996) eight stage mode l for creating change which includes: Establishing a sense of urgency Creating a guiding coalition Developing a vision and strategy Communicating the change vision Empowering employees for broad based action Generating short term wins Consolidating gains Anchoring new approaches

Bosnian war Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Bosnian war - Research Paper Example General MacArthur was supposedly larger-than-life, outspoken, talented and egoistic, and he often courted controversy. (History). One of his trademarks was the corncob pipe he smoked, which was custom made by ‘The Missouri Meerschaum Company’, which continues to manufacture the pipes in his honor. He graduated from the US Military Academy at the top of his class in 1903. (Biography). He was the intense American military pioneer who saved the Pacific, yet Freda Bender says General Douglas Macarthur had an astounding delicate side outside the war room. (Cardy). At the age of 21, Mrs. Bender, now 90 and living in Middle Swan, was present on the inside of Australias wartime fight for survival at Royal Australian Air Force Command in Brisbane. Hilton Hotel was additionally General Macarthurs military central command after his retreat from the Philippines. Anyway rather than the blunt general she thought she was going to meet, Mrs. Bender said he was a well disposed and consid erate man, who was polite to ladies. (Cardy). ``Hed always go back and let us go in the lift first,† she said when she was asked what she recollected most of him. â€Å"And he would always talk to you, not that I had any real power we were only little WAAAFs (Womens Auxiliary Australian Air Force personnel) but he would always say good morning or hello. He was a very pleasant man.† (Cardy) Said Mrs. Bender, who was an administrative collaborator, said the base was buzzing throughout the war. Furthermore notwithstanding every day security drills and an approaching risk of intrusion, life proceeded as typical as could be expected under the circumstances. â€Å"We couldnt take it (the war) in† she said Its now, looking back, that I realize how close we came to being invaded. General Douglas MacArthur, despite his stature as a ruthless and bloody warrior and a War Hero, was surprisingly a soft spoken man with kindness in

Historical Perspectives In Kinesiology

Historical Perspectives In Kinesiology Why We Study Kinesiology. As one of the most innovative and exciting areas in the health care field, muscle testing through kinesiology has given professionals feedback tools to identify multiple aspects of human movement ranging from injury cause and rehabilitation to sports performance. Just think for a moment about how bicycle designs or helmets have changed in the past 10-20 years. Much is this is due to the study of kinesiology. To comprehensively understand human movement, we must approach the topic from a comprehensive point of view which means a physiological, biomechanical, psychological, and sociological perspective. However, in studying kinesiology not only will you begin to understand how and why we move, but gain knowledge on how we can optimize the human potential for movement and skilled performance, the use of different materials and fabrics, and the role of body balance for overall movement health. Kinesiology is a way of studying human movement from two perspectives; theoretical and applied. Each day we accomplish a variety of skills and tasks by calling on a vast array of motor skills. We drive cars, ride bicycles, paint houses, and type of keyboards. All of these skills are studied within the field of kinesiology. Tools are designed and redesigned, hockey sticks are made from new materials, cars are redesigned with more aerodynamics, and your armchair is home if more ergonomically built. To do any and all of these things we must consider the body and how it moves. Unconsciously, we select the muscles which are going to be most effective for the task at hand. The more we are able to recruit muscle groups, the more effective and stronger we become at performing that skill and movement. Moreover, the kinesiology repertoire is not limited to sports and human activities. The field covers everywhere from the study of movement to the anatomical aspects of humans and athletes, and b ecause biomechanics affects all aspects of our daily function, the field of study extends far beyond sports performance. This book focuses on human biomechanics which focuses mainly on humans involved in movement, sports and exercise. We might define sports and exercise biomechanics as the study of forces and their effects on humans in exercise and sport. As we have defined previously, kinesiology is the study of human movement. Kinesiology is the study referring to the whole area of human movement Included in this field is the study of biomechanics, or the study of motion. Kinesiology and Sports Biomechanics overlap to provide you with the knowledge you need to understand the mechanical aspects involved in everyday movements and also the techniques of sports. In both situations, similar questions arise, such as; why is this technique working better than the other ones I have tried? and Would my performance be enhanced if I fine-tuned a certain skill? Studying kinesiology will also allow you to know how and where to find answers to these questions. And in answering these questions you will be using biomechanics to improve your performance both in everyday life and perhaps more directly, your athletic skills and ability. An example of some questions the knowledgeable biomechanist might answer include the following: What is the safest way to lift and move this heavy object? What movement is the most economical? And is it possible to judge this based on visual observation? At what distance should a ball be thrown for maximum power? What change in body mechanics can be made to increase stability in the elderly? What allows some individuals to carry out a specific task while others are unable to perform the very same task? These questions provide a foundation for indentifying, analyzing and solving problems related to human movement. Regardless of the questions asked, investigations and experiments in the kinesiology and biomechanics field are leading us to design products and address problems in everyday life and sports. However, kinesiology is by no means a modern day science. Mechanics and forces in human work have long been studied in many walks of life ranging from transport, to battles to buildings. This is quite evident historically if you consider structures like the Pyramids, the great castles of medieval times, carts and horses for travel and of course bicycles. Therefore, history is rich with individual contributions to this field. I think you will be surprised to see of the great names of artists, designers, and craftsmen who have made instrumental contributions to the field and are therefore part of the great collection of kinesiologists in history. Understanding the Historical Development and Contributions in Kinesiology Kinesiology is a combination of the Greek word kinein (to move) and logos (discourse). Its long history spans the lives of Archimedes (287-212 BC), Galen (131-201 AD, deemed the father of sports medicine), Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Newton, on up to modern times and Dr. George Goodhart, who brought into our language the concept of Applied Kinesiology in 1964. Kinesiology is regarded as both an art form and a science; it is regarded as a science because it has rules, methods, principles and logical techniques while it also involves intuitions, feelings and practice which also make it an art form. Within the history of kinesiology much of the context consists of the history of sport biomechanics. The origin of kinesiology was first used in the 19th century, but it wasnt until the 1960s that biomechanics evolved as a more structured discipline and became popular. However, as aforementioned, the origins of kinesiology can be traced back thousands of years to ancient Roman Times and the gladiators and chariot races. One of the earliest works of exercise and sport biomechanics appeared in 1912 in The Baseball Magazine. This article described a study analyzing the pitching speed of a professional pitcher by the name of Walter Johnson. Following the publication of this article, the field and research of sport biomechanics truly began and a host of other studies in sports such as swimming, cycling and track and field began to appear. The start of the 1930s introduced the use of video cameras in filming and analyzing skills of sport. With the use of this technology, biomechanists were able to slow down the activity and look more intently at the athletes techniques and therefore, could more specifically make the necessary adjustments to positively enhance the performance. A perusal through the history books will show a noticeable improvement in world records for many sports in the 1950s-1960s. The technology that was developed for World War II soon carried over into other disciplines, and sports was o ne of these areas. It wasnt until the 1960s that the actual term and involvement in biomechanics research really started to become popular. In this decade came the introduction of the first Biomechanics seminar with the beginning of newly published Biomechanics Journals published and presented at these conferences. In the 1970s and 1980s, many biomechanics organizations were formed and there was an increase in the number of publications of sport biomechanics journals. The field of study has continued to increase rapidly over the past few decades. However, while great strides have been in recent decades, much foundation work was already laid. It is important to note and recognize these individuals who made marked contributions to the field. Not only is it important to recognize these accomplishments but also to put into context the rich history of kinesiology. Great Kinesiologists in History Aristotle (384-322 BC) Aristotle is known as The Father of Kinesiology. In fact, he is pretty much considered the first biomechanist. He was the first to describe the actions of muscles in his first book on the Parts of Animals, Movement of Animals, and Progression of Animals. He was the first to subject animals to geometric analysis and then document their findings. He viewed animal bodies as mechanical systems and researched the physiological differences between imagining the performance of an action and actually carrying out that same action. Furthermore, he described the various conditions and problems of moving and pushing a boat; which was a precursor to Newtons Laws of Motion. It was Aristotle, who also was the first to describe and analyze the movements of walking, explaining the transformation of a rotary movement to translatory movements. These describe the general motions of the body from an initial position to a final position. The rotary movement consists of one point of a bone remaining stati onary with all other anatomical points tracing an arc or circle around this stable point. Translatory motion, or pure linear, motion is the movement of an entire object occurring at all points on that particular object and includes all points moving the same distance. With the introduction of basic studies focusing on both animal and human biomechanics, Aristotle raised the importance and application of biomechanics to the musculoskeletal system and has led us to a better understanding of both joint function and dysfunction, resulting in design improvements in human motion structure and performance. Archimedes (287-212 BC) Following Aristotle was another renowned Greek scientist. Archimedes (287-212 BC) discovered hydrostatic principles governing floating bodies, which are widely applied today in all areas of aquatics, especially swimming. Archimedes also investigated the laws of leverage and determination of the center of gravity and buoyancy. In physics, buoyancy is the upward force on an object produced by the surrounding fluid in which it is partially immersed, due to the pressure difference of the fluid between the top and bottom of the object. In his treatise On Floating Bodies, Archimedes writes about the hydrostatic principle, or the Archimedes Principle, as it is more commonly known. This principle states that the body when immersed in a fluid will experience a buoyancy force equal to the weight of the displaced fluid. In other words, when a body is partially or fully immersed into a fluid (i.e. a liquid or a gas), then it will experience that upward buoyant force which is equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the immersed part of the body. Although Archimedes didnt invent the lever, he wrote one of the earliest known explanations of the principle involved, and he did design the standard block and pulley system which allowed the use of the principle of leverage to lift objects that would have been too heavy to move. In the first part of his treatise, On Floating Bodies, Archimedes describes his law of equilibrium of fluids and demonstrates that water will in fact adapt to a spherical form around a center of gravity. It has been said to be an early attempt to explain the theory that the Earth is round. In his second volume On the Equilibrium of Planes, Archimedes stated his Law of the Lever. In this Law he explains that Equal weights at equal distances are in equilibrium, and equal weights at unequal distances are not in equilibrium but incline towards the weight which is at the greatest distance. It was with the use of these principles that he derived to calculate the centers of gravity of various geometric figures. His contributions continue to guide modern day mechanics and the study of levers. Research Note: EUREKA! I have found it. This term is most famously attributed to the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes; he reportedly proclaimed, Eureka! when he stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose he suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged. This meant that the volume of irregular objects could be calculated with precision, a previously intractable problem. He is said to have been so eager to share his realization that he leapt out of his bathtub and ran through the streets of Syracuse naked. The story goes that a king at the time, Hiero II of Syracuse, wanted a gold crown but didnt trust the goldsmith to use 100% gold. He needed a way of checking whether or not the crown was indeed all gold. Archimedes insight led to the solution of a problem posed by Hiero of Syracuse, on how to assess the purity of an irregular golden crown. Equipment for weighing objects already existed, and now that Archimedes could also measure volume, their ratio would give the objects density, an important indicator of purity. Archimedes was able to determine how much water should be displaced for a crown made of gold for a given size and weight. The crown was designed as a gift to the gods in the shape of a wreath and therefore could not be disturbed. Archimedes ultimately concluded that the goldsmith had substituted some gold with silver in making the crown. Galen (131-201 BC) Galen, a Roman citizen, is widely considered to be the first team physician in history. His essay De Motu Musculorum is the first textbook on kinesiology. In this book he distinguished the difference between motor and sensory nerves, described agonist and antagonist muscle relationships, described tonus, and introduced terms diarthrosis and synarthrosis. Galen believed and taught that the contractions of muscles are a result of the passing of animal spirits from the brain through the nerves of the muscles. Some writers suggest that along with Galen being the first author of a textbook on kinesiology that he also is considered as the father of sports medicine. Da Vinci (1452-1519 AD) We all know of Leonardo Da Vinci for his great works of art. But his contributions in the field of kinesiology are also noteworthy. Following the works of Galen, kinesiology and biomechanics lay pretty much untouched until the 15th century when Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519 AD) advanced our knowledge further. As an artist, engineer and scientist, he was mainly interested in the structure of the human body as it relates to performance, center of gravity and the balance and center of resistance. Da Vinci was the first to record scientific data on the human gait. He used letters to identify muscles and nerves in the human body that he would retrieve from graveyards in the middle of the night. In his collection of human gait data, he described the mechanics of the body during standing, walking uphill and downhill, rising from a sitting position, and jumping. In order to demonstrate the progression action and interaction of various muscles during movement, he developed theories on the func tional anatomy by attaching cords to a skeleton at the origin and insertion points of the muscles. His theories and teachings remain commonplace and true to this day. Galileo (1564-1643 AD) Galileo followed Da Vinci, and was the first to propose the Law or Inertia, or what is better known as Newtons First Law. His theoretical and experimental work on the bodies of motion was a precursor of the classical mechanics developed by Sir Isaac Newton. Galileos Principle of Inertia stated: A body moving on a level surface will continue in the same direction at constant speed unless disturbed. It was this principle that was later incorporated into Newtons laws of motion. The basic framework for Newtons laws of motion also came from Galileos basic principle of relativity, in which he stated that the laws of physics are the same in any system that is moving at a constant speed in a straight line, regardless of speed or direction. Hence, there is no absolute motion or absolute rest. Galileo was also very well recognized as the founder of classical mechanics and the applications of variables such as space, time and velocity. He determined the correct mathematical law for acceleration: the total distance covered (starting from rest) is proportional to the square of the time. Galileo also concluded that objects will retain their velocity unless a force or friction acts upon them. Galileo was a little contraindicated in his thinking and strongly defended heliocentrism; the belief that the sun is at the center of the solar system. Because of his belief in this theory, he claimed it was not contrary to the Scripture passages, and in 1616 he traveled to Rome to try and persuade the Catholic Church authorities not to ban and criticize his ideas. Galileo forged on and in 1632 published his book, Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. As a result Galileo lost much support and became alienated and admonished by the church. Rome supported by one of its biggest and most powerful defenders, Pope Paul V, put Galileo on trial on suspicion of heresy in 1633. As a result Galileo spent the remainder of his life under house arrest albeit back in his home near Florence. It was during this time that he dedicated his time to one of his greatest works, Two New Sciences. In these writings he summarized on the two sciences now called kinematics and strength of materials. The book received great praise from Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein in later years. As a result of this work Galileo is often referred to as the father of modern physics. As an interesting side note, by the time Galileo started to write his new sciences text he was blind! Borelli (1608-1679 AD) Giovanni Borelli was a Renaissance Italian physiologist, physicist and mathematician. As a student of Galileo he contributed to the modern principle of scientific investigation through continuing the testing of hypotheses against observation. His largest achievements are those specifically related to his investigation into biomechanics. His studies originated with the biomechanics of animals. Borelli was the author of De Motu Animalium I and II, although he did not live to see the publication of this work. Borelli first suggested that muscles do not exercise vital movement otherwise than by contracting. And he was also the first to deny corpuscular influence on the movements of muscles. He demonstrated this by using scientific experiments to show that living muscle do not release corpuscles into water when cut. He also discovered that forward motion requires movement of the bodys center of gravity, with a swinging of the limbs in order to maintain ones balance. Since it seems that everyone gets a title, Borelli is labeled as the father of modern biomechanics. Newton (1642-1727 AD) Newton was/is arguably the most influential scientist in history. Newton published one of the most influential and original pieces of scientific hypotheses called Principia Mathematica Philosophae Naturalis. Published in 1686, it is a three-volume work containing the statements of Newtons laws of motion. His three laws comprise the foundation for modern dynamics, which express the relationships between the interaction of forces and their outcomes. Newtons laws can be summarized as follows: Law of Inertia: Every body continues in its state of rest or motion, in a straight line unless it is compelled to change that state by interacting forces impressed upon it (originally proposed by Galileo). Law of Momentum (Force = Mass x Acceleration): The change of motion is proportional to the motivational force applied and occurs in the direction of the right line in which that force is applied. Law of Interaction: For every action there is always an equal and opposite reaction. The application of these three laws can be best demonstrated using an example of the mechanics of a discus thrower. While the thrower is pivoting, he must grasp the disc firmly (exert centripetal force) to prevent it from flying out of his hand. In accordance with the third law, the discus exerts an equal and opposite reaction (centrifugal force). When the discus thrower releases his grip the centripetal force no longer interacts with the discus and the object flies in a direct line similar to its former circular path. The distance that the discus covers is proportionate to the motive force placed upon it, in accordance with the second law. The trajectory of the discus is affected by gravity, wind, velocity, and other forces that may alter its state of motion, as stated by the first law. According to Newton, changes of motion are generally considered as a measure of the force that produces them. This is where the idea of measuring force by the product of mass and acceleration originated from. So, therefore, the greater the speed in which the discus thrower spins, the greater the acceleration that will be applied to the mass of the discus, and therefore the farther it will fly before gravity returns it back to earth, and the greater the force to have been applied to the discus. Hunter (1728-1793 AD) John Hunter was instrumental in summarizing the current state of knowledge in the field at that time. His lecture series summarized all that was known about kinesiology at the end of the 18th century, emphasizing that muscular function could be studied only by observations of living person. In these lecture series Hunter defined muscular function in major detail, including the origin and insertion and shapes of muscles, two-joint muscle problems, contraction and relaxation, strength, hypertrophy, the mechanical arrangement of muscle fibers along with many other aspects of the study. Hunter declared that muscle, while endowed with life, is fitted for self-motion, and is the only part of the body so fitted. Thus we can see a rich and detailed history of big names exists that have played a role in our field of study. Their contributions laid the foundations for early study and advancement. All in all knowledge progressed slowly for a long time and it wasnt until advances in measurement technology such as cameras and computers that more large and innovative steps were made. Recent Advancements in Research Research in the field of kinesiology and sport biomechanics has steadily increased throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. This increase in popularity is due in large part to the ease of data collection and analysis of films and video cameras by way of the evolution of modernizing digital cameras. Of course the creation of computers has been monumental. In the past two decades research in exercise and sports science and mechanics has been much more thoroughly covered. All kinds of movements, both sporting and non-sporting, have been recorded, digitized, analyzsed, and as a result new forms of movement have evolved. All made possible by the camera. Pioneer Cinematographers Today, many Kinesiologists use cinematography to record sports and exercise movements that need to be reviewed and analyzed. This allows them to break down the biomechanics of the motion and therefore make the necessary changes to improve the athletes performance. Cinematography is from the Greek words kinesis (movement) and grapho (to record). Modern technology literally allows the collection of thousands of data points within seconds providing volumes of information on very specific phases of movement. Muybridge (1831-1904 AD) Eadweard Muybridge was an English photographer who was well known for his early use of cameras to capture motion, particularly in horses and horse racing which was very popular at the time. Advancement of knowledge concerning body mechanics was greatly advanced by Muybridges works using serial photography. Using cinematographic pictures to study human motion was highly recommended by an astronomer who had once used serial photos for other research studies. Although recommended to use photography to study human movement, Muybridges passion was in horses. In 1882 Muybridge produced the book The Horse in Motion and in 1887 he wrote Animal Locomotion in eleven volumes, in which several of his photographic sequences were published. Muybridges work and photographs projected images allowing everyone to see real stances in real movements. His work and photography provided the first insights into specific phase of movement. Marey (1830-1904 AD) Etienne-Jules Marey is widely considered to be a pioneer of photography. It was through his photographs that he studied the movement of the body. He was convinced that movement was the most important of human functions and that all other functions were merely support in order to accomplish a specific movement. He described and photographed these methods for his research and work which he recorded in his books Du Mouvement Dans Les Fonctions de La Vie and Le Mouvement in 1894. These photographic techniques opened way for further experimental studies and are still considered a major importance in the study of human gait. Mareys work also revolutionized aspects of medicine, particularly cardiology, where his photography was used to show the movement of blood. This knowledge was ultimately developed into chronophotography. What is interesting that Marey (a Frenchman) and Muybridge (an Englishman) benefited a lot from each others work as there own obsessions set about to confirm that each other was indeed correct with their theories. When Marey published La Machine Animale in 1873 (translated as Animal Mechanism) Muybridge carried out his Photographic Investigation in Palo Alto, California, to test Mareys hypotheses and ultimately proved that Marey was right when he wrote that a galloping horse for a brief moment had all four hooves off the ground thus settling a dispute between walking and running or more correctly cantering and galloping. Muybridge published his photos in 1879 with some public attention. Understanding the Importance of Kinesiology in Everyday Life Today there are many different forms of specialized Kinesiology and more are being introduced as new more specific areas of study evolve. From a biomechanical perspective, we take on ambitious tasks daily that require strength, force, balance and discipline in addition to many other mechanical functions of the body. With the vast array of daily movements people need help in improving human movement. Kinesiology requires the knowledge of why and how the human body moves. It is an important science in solving the problems of human movement and the skills necessary to perform the movements effectively and safely. The Equipment Design Revolution There is hardly an area of sports or exercise that has not been affected by the combination field of kinesiology and materials. In fact, you can now study this area of sports equipment design as a university degree. One could argue that no matter what area of sport and exercise you select new materials and kinesiological studies have changed the game. Consider the following: Safety helmets have benefited from new plastics. Protective padding is better with new foams and lighter plastics. Bicycles are lighter and stronger with new carbons. Tennis rackets are lighter and more powerful with carbon and titanium (as are golf clubs). Safety straps use Velcro. Lighter metals make up components on bats, bikes and skis. New rubbers and plastics are used in new playing surfaces. Running shoes are lighter, breathe more and more elastic. Balls spin more, have more grip, and come in many colors. We could continue with this list for a long time constantly identifying areas of improvement both in performance and safety. More people can now participate in sports because new equipment has made is safer and easier. For example, consider new shaped skis (photo) that have made it easier to turn and stop on difficult terrain. We have oversized golf clubs that allow us to hit the ball straighter and further. No area is left unaffected. Even more remarkable is that kinesiology and materials study has made it possible to people with no legs or arms to run, jump and play racquet sports. Research Note: The Olympic Games in 1896 were for able-bodied athletes. The Paralympics began in 1948 when Sir Ludwig Guttman organized a sports event for WWII veterans who had a spinal cord injury. The first competition was in Stoke, England. Four years later the Dutch joined in and the movement began. At the Rome Olympics in 1960 the movement expanded to include other disabilities and was called the Paralympics. In 1976, the first Paralympic winter games took place in Sweden. In 2008 in Beijing, over 4000 Paralympians competed. Many of their performances have been made possible by our field of study. So not only are humans with no legs running, in some cases they are outperforming able-bodied athletes. In 1992, Joe Gaetani, a paraplegic, set new world records in 100m (12.23 secs) and 200m (26.82 secs) in the Paralympics. Gaetanis legs were made from a new composite material of carbon fiber and epoxy pylon. The flexibility and weight of these materials is far superior to traditional wood or metal. At the same games Tony Volpentest won gold in the 100m and 200m even though hew was born with no feet. Of course much of the advancement in materials has come from the engineering field and then gets translated and applied into the sports field by kinesiologists. However, it is the overall collaborative effort that allows for these impressive advances. There is perhaps no area that has benefited more than athlete safety. Improving Safety If you have ever watched an old football movie you will remember that the helmets were made of leather. Old cycling helmets were made from foam and rubber. There was no molding for correct fit. Mouthguards are now custom fitted, as are lenses, ski boots, skates, etc. All these design features improve participant safety and comfort. Equipment can now be designed to not only fit better by considering body dimensions but also perform and protect better under stress. Shoulder pads flex and move like shoulders; football pants have padding in specific locations; shin guards can cover the knee and allow flexion, etc. The field of kinesiology has been instrumental in the design and assessment of these advances, allowing for both greater comfort and safety. Thus it is easier to understand that a student in this field has limitless options to apply their skills. Consider this: anytime someone builds a product you wear, sit in or ride on, you must consider body anthropometrics. Thus our knowled ge and skills are widely applied. Sample Problem Solving in Kinesiology In problem solving approaches to kinesiology and biomechanics, the desired relies on proper decision making to allow for comfort and safety as the outcome. This approach to good decision making includes one that is efficient, systematic and structured. If one can define part of the problem in biomechanical terms, one could better describe the outcome of the movement and therefore increase the positive outcome of their performance. Look at the following questions that all ask relevant questions you might be asked to answer. How can an athletic shoe be designed to reduce injuries on artificial turf? How do forces summate to produce maximum power in a golf swing? What is the best anatomical posture for sprinter running the 400 meter dash? What is the best body position for swimming the breaststroke? At what angle should a discus or javelin be thrown to achieve maximum distance? What is the best shape for an aerodynamic helmet to reduce drag? These are all examples of questions that relate to the kinematic characteristics of pure human movement and the mechanics involved. As we have already identified kinematics spans both quantitative and qualitative types of analysis. Quite often your problem solving ability will require the application of both quantitative and qualitati

IQ Tests :: Triarchic Theory, Intelligence, Success

To what extent do you agree that IQ tests are a meaningful measure of intelligence? Introduction: There is much debate about IQ tests. There are many definitions of intelligence and no one agreed on a specific definition. Triarchic theory one of definitions which is describe intelligence categories in three aspects involved: analytical, creative and practical (Sternbery, 1958). Some researches emphasize that IQ tests are meaningless and measures intelligence as Cohen (1991) believes that IQ scores can predict if people success in school and work or not. However, other researches argue that IQ tests is meaningless and it not possible to determined intelligence. For example, Rawat (2001) clime that IQ scores are affected by many factors. As a result, people could not depended on IQ results. This essay will argue that taking IQ tests as a measures of intelligence is insignificant. Although, it also might present some benefits. In order to demonstrate this the essay first will discuss IQ scores are able to change and it is not a good criterion to depend on. Second, it will argue that there are many factors affected on intelligence such as heredity and socio-economic factors. Moreover, it will show the differences between success and intelligence. Furthermore, it will focus on using IQ tests to discriminate between people. 1. High IQ scores do not prove intelligence: One of the reasons of IQ tests are meaningless is the obtaining high scores in the IQ test is not enough of measuring intelligence. According to Rawat (2001) high scores in the IQ test do not mean someone is intelligent. Furthermore, Chon (1991) point out people can change IQ scores when they take the test more than once, also they could know the main idea of the test, how the test works, what procedures, how they can answer the questions. As a result, they can change their scores to a high level by preparation. Indeed, it could not be a good criterion of measure of intelligence because the result is not fixed and always changes. Goleman (1998) and Salovey and Mayer (1990) mention that emotional intelligence is the important ability to express and understand emotional knowledge. As a result, IQ scores cannot be accounted by IQ test because it could not support and covered the emotional intelligence's side. Therefore, it seems clear that attaining high scores in the IQ tests are not r eliable results and cannot evaluate intelligence significantly. 2. Different factors can affect intelligence:

Strategic finance issues

This analysis will financially compare Santos Limiter's financial performance for the year ending 31st December 2013 with the previous year's results, by way of ratio analysis. It will also benchmark the latest result with that of Woodside Petroleum for the same period using the same ratio analysis of the 2013 financial statements of each company.A copy of these ratio analysis are attached to this report as appendix 1, which contains a through time comparison for the last two years for Santos Limited ND the across time comparison with Woodside Petroleum for the most recent year. As Basely and Hancock (2013 p. 358) depict there are certain factors relevant to selecting an appropriate benchmark.Woodside Petroleum has been selected as the benchmarking company as Woodside also operates in oil and gas production, focusing operations within the Australian area. While Woodside operations are larger than that of Santos, the relative size of these companies is comparable and both follow the a ccounting policies required by the Corporations Act 2001 , Australian Accounting Standards and other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting standards board.Both companies are listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASS) which provides comparative data for the ratios analyzed and presented in Appendix 1 with the following tables; Table 1 – Profitability ratios Table 2 – Efficiency ratios Table 3 – Short-term solvency ratios Table 4 – Long-term solvency ratios and Table 5 – Market-based ratios A copy of Santos Limiter's 2013, 2012 and Woodside petroleum ‘s 2013 Annual reports are attached to this report as Appendix 2, Appendix 3 and Appendix 4 especially, for reference to the findings and suggestions outlined in this review.One limitation of the comparison is that Santos Limited reports their financial data in Australian (ALL'S) dollars, while Woodside Petroleum report their financial data in American (US) dollars. This is o vercome by using ratios for a majority of comparisons and converting the US dollar amounts into ASS dollars when required. 2. 0 Ratio Analysis To look at the relationship between figures presented in the financial statements, this report uses a ratio analysis technique. To fully understand the ratios developed e will look at them in context of other information provided in various reports and the overall goals of the company.From these ratios the report will then compare these against the benchmark and ultimately identify areas for improvement and, if necessary, change. 2. 1 Profitability. As we can see from Table 1 – Profitability ratios, the net profit margin and the gross profit margin fell 1 . 74% and 4. 26% respectively in 2013. While sales increased 1 1 . 76% for the year, the gross profit margin decreased as previously stated which, was the main driver for the decrease in net profit margin for the year as the interest expense o sales remained consistent.There was a sli ght drop in return on assets, however asset turnover remained fairly constant, highlighting that the drop in net profit margin is due to the drop in gross profit margin and not a lower turnover of assets. The reduction in gross profit margin is due to the increase in financing costs like depreciation and depletion (up 1. 5% of sales for 2013) and third party product purchases (up 5. 6% of sales). The reduction in financing income also played a major part in pushing down profits. In comparison Woodside has a higher return on assets Han Santos due to the 16. 8% higher profit margin and they turnover assets more efficiently. Also, Santos' continuing capital growth strategies in projects such as the Papua New Guiana Liquefied Natural Gas (PING LONG) and the Gladstone Liquid Natural Gas (GLEN) transformational projects which are outlined in the 2013 Annual report, are still in the developing phase, therefore not producing to generate sales until the following years. Woodside had a low co mmitment to capital expenditure for the same financial year and after selling off major capital in 2012 their use of debt as far less (shown as the leverage ratio in Table 4).The return on ordinary shareholder's equity (ROE) ratio shows the return for the shareholders who supply equity to the business. The ROE is higher for Woodside due to their higher profit margins however, the higher financial leverage ratio in Table 4 will benefit Santos' shareholders when the return on assets increases compared to the financing costs. This will happen when the above mentioned projects begin production. This is congruent with the statement in a press release by Managing Director (M. D) and Chief Executive Officer (C.E. O) Mr. David Knox on 21st of February 2014. â€Å"In particular, our natural gas reserve and resource base in eastern Australia, combined with our leading infrastructure position, leaves Santos strategically well placed to meet growing market demand,†. 2. 2 Efficiency ratio s For the 2013 fiscal year the sales and also the number of debtors increased. The use of efficiency ratios helps determine whether the increase in debtors is due to the increase in sales alone or that it is caused by the debtors taking longer to pay.These ratios show this by providing statistical relations on how effectively Santos Limited is electing its outstanding owing money and converting the inventory into sales. From Table 2 we see that comparing the last two fiscal years for Santos Limited has made improvements in their debt collection practices. The number of days taken to collect debtors accounts has reduce from 78. 71 to 65. 53 days but is still outside Santos Limiter's standard 30 days for settlement of accounts. The closing balance is showing more debtors accounts being past the 65. 3 day average for 2013 fiscal year. Comparing these figures to Santos' competitor Woodside, whose debtor recovery is loser to the standard 30 days terms at 31. 63 days. An article in the Sy dney Morning Herald depicts that the question has been asked whether there is a gas reservation policy by shareholders, of which Santos Chairman Mr. Board denies. The ratio analysis of days taken to turn inventory into sales shows a possible reason for this question arising as the number of days taken to convert inventory into sales has risen in 2013 from 52. 19 to 53. 62 days.This is only a slight increase and with an expected increase in demand, this slight rise in inventory would be expected to cover n increase in demand. However, when comparing this level to the benchmark, Woodside inventory turnover is far less at 30. 46 days for a higher sales volume. 2. 3 Short-term solvency ratios While the previous ratios focus on performance of the company solvency ratios focus on assisting the company with decisions, short term and long term. Table 3 shows the short-term solvency ratios which assist in the short term decision making.The current ratio is the most basic test as to how liqui d a company is. It expresses a company's ability to meet its short-term liabilities with its short-term assets. A current ratio greater than or equal to one indicates that current assets should be able to satisfy short-term obligations. A ratio less than one indicated an inability to meet short term requirements. The quick ratio calculated for 2013 compared to 2012 shows the company's ability to pay is has reduced to below the 1:1 ratio, expressing that should the company be required to pay all current debts immediately, they could not do so.Due in part to the reduction in cash levels reducing the current assets from 34. 6% to 20. 3% of net assets. Also increases in the amount of short term interest bearing borrowings increases the current liabilities from 13. 6% of net assets to 16. 9%. With the less cover to pay the increase in short-term liabilities, there is a higher financial risk. When comparing these ratios to that of Woodside, Canton's short term debt paying ability is carry ing greater risks, but comparable with this benchmark. While the quick ratio decline to . 3:1 is cause for concern, the Cash flow from operations to current liabilities ratio shows that 94% of current liabilities can be covered with operational cash flow. Compare this to Woodside, which can easily cover rent liabilities with 141% of its current liabilities covered with operational cash flow. 2. 4 Long-term solvency ratios As the short-term financial risk has previously been expressed, the long term decisions can be assisted by the long-term solvency ratios expressed in Table 4. The debt to equity ratio compares the total liabilities of Santos Limited and compares it to the each dollar of shareholder's equity.During 2013 Santos' reliance has risen due to the increased borrowings and interest bearing loans, so for every $1 of shareholder's equity there is $1. 02 worth of debt obligations. This level of debt is double than that of our benchmark, Woodside Petroleum however, the debt to total asset ratio suggests there is enough assets to cover the debt long term. This might put the company under financial risk and indicate high use of debt compared to shareholder's equity and a greater financial risk long term. This increases the cost of interest in operation, effecting negatively on profitability.The interest coverage while currently is below the industry benchmark, there is sufficient coverage to ensure interest payment obligations will be met. The amount contributed to the long term room each $1 of operating cash flow has also been significantly reduced, moving further away from the benchmark company. This will increase interest costs long term however, also effecting profit margins. 2. 5 Market-based ratios The price per earnings ratio shown in Table 5 show how much the market would pay for shares of stock of the company per dollar of reported profit.About. Coma's business finance reporter Rosemary Palaver suggests that the average price to earnings ratio is a round 19 with Santos' ratio higher at 27. 68 and the benchmark, Woodside, ratio marginally lower at 17. 49. Reasons for Santos' higher than average price per earnings ratio would be due to the potential for Santos increase earnings per share in the foreseeable future and investors are trading accordingly. Other reasons for a high ratio are when companies are in a growth phase, which Santos' financial statements suggest it currently is not.A high ratio also suggests that the company has financial risk which was expressed in the short-term and long-term solvency ratios. While the market is willing to pay a higher price for investment in shares per dollar Santos reports as profit, the earnings yield assists in evaluating whether returns on investment compensates the risk adequately. The yield of 3. 61% for 2013 is down on sass's 4. 53% and short of Woodside 5. 72%, which is at a lower risk. Thus, Santos' shares did not perform to the industry benchmark and shareholders are not getting the yield expected for their investments.Dividends are also low, reflecting the company's growth positioning for the coming few years. 3. 0 Recommendations The increase in growing demand as expected by Mr. David Knox in a release and the move into production phase of the PING project will generate extra operating ash, primarily with already obtained assets. Therefore the focus moving forward should be reducing the financing costs involved in the cost of goods sold. This will in turn increase profit margins, giving a greater return on assets due to lower interest costs, moving margins closer to that of the benchmark Woodside Petroleum.The rate at which inventory is used to generate sales should be reviewed as it is slightly behind the benchmark. One suggestion to come from these ratio findings is that debtor control needs to be tightened which in turn will improve operations cash flow. Steps have been taken during the last fiscal year to reduce the number of days to collect outstandi ng debtor accounts, further improvement will also increase operating cash flow which will reduce the financial risk of the company to pay its current liabilities.The inventory level should be reduced to be more comparable to Woodside and increasing the quick assets level used to repay current liabilities. Further to assist in reducing the risk associated with the company's short-term solvency would be a focus on reducing the current interest-bearing loans and borrowings. 4. Conclusion. Through the usage of ratio analysis this report has analyses Santos Limiter's financial performance over the last two years and benchmark it against Australia's largest oil and natural gas producer.There are several other factors influencing position and performance like international economies, competition and major long term growth projects etc. These play a decisive role in the changes in profits, earnings yield and dividend yield. The last two years have seen Santos' profits and stock performances below industry averages but this is large in part to the investment in growth opportunities, which will begin production in the near future. Some findings and recommendations have been made to improve the financial position of the company so the entity and the shareholders that have invested in it can prosper.Although the companies are in the same field, factors like subsidiary companies or having some different end product can create problem in comparing the companies. The economic condition in the different region and the accounting techniques adopted by these companies while computing ratios and financial tenement also decreases the credibility of the calculation (Charles and Patricia, 1983) 5. 0 References Charles H. Gibson & Patricia A. Brush-off. 1983. Z ND Edition. Kent Publishing Company.

Premarital sex Essay Essay

Our fathers understood that sex was a blessed experience made only for married couples as a way to express their love and desire for each other. However, our youths today think of sex as a fun-thing; they have the belief that it is okay to have sex with who ever one is having a relationship with, and youths engage in several relationships before deciding to settle down. Yet, our fathers were right with their opinion about sex; sex should be a blessed ordeal and not a fun thing. Youths should try and preserve themselves for marriage, but in a situation where a person cannot hold himself he should then try and protect himself by using a condom because of the effect that unprotected sex would have on him. One of the major effects of unprotected sex is the risk of the female getting pregnant. In some situation the youths involved might not be ready to raise a child yet, and with the female getting pregnant they have problems deciding on what to do. The man might decide to deny being the father of the baby and puts down the woman. This leaves her with the decision of either aborting the child, raising the child as a single mother or dumping the child off anywhere. Each of these three choices is not to the best interest of the child. If the mother aborts the child that means she has taken the life of a human being, and it doesn’t matter if the child is unborn yet or not the child has the right to his life. Even if the mother succeeds in aborting the child she may encounter some complications in the process, and this may affect her later life when she will finally decide to get married and have kids. Another dire option is to dump the child. Some mums dump their kids off in trash, in front of people front doors or at the motherless baby centers. There was even this case of a woman trying to flush down her baby down the toilet; the neighbors heard the baby crying as if it was drowning they called the police, but when the police arrived the child was already dead and the mother too because she killed herself. The best of the three options is the mother raising the child as a single parent, but this is also not a very good idea knowing that no child would want to grow up without his father, at least I know I don’t. Also some of  the kids who turn out to be a menace to the society fall in the group of kids raised by a single parent. This is because the parent may not have enough time to spend with the child since she has to work a great amount of time so as to provide both of their necessities and to pay bills; the child therefore spends more time with friends and on the streets since he is not being monitored by his parent. All these are caused because of one small mistake; having sex unprotected. In many American Universities college students engage in unprotected sex, but most of them are not conscious of the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Among college students who live away from home, 56 percent had been sexually active while attending college, and 73 percent of that group reported having unprotected sex while in college, says the survey by the Society for Adolescent Medicine. (http://www.healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?docID=514693). From the above survey it means that youths in colleges who engage in sex have high risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. These students are very well exposed to these diseases because they would have the tendency of having intercourse with several people due to the fact that they converge in an enclosed environment, and also peer pressure. The female involved may also get pregnant and would have to drop out of school and get a job so as to earn some money to take care of her and her kid. Unprotected sex can also result to early marriage. When a female conceives after having sexual intercourse, the couple involved may decide to get married and raise the baby together, but things don’t always turn out well after the marriage; these couples may not know themselves too well. In the event of the marriage they might find out different sides of the opposite person that they don’t like, and they may finally break up. This doesn’t go to the betterment of the child either because he may end up being raised by a single parent and deprived of the other. All these dreadful things can be avoided by merely abstaining from sex till one is married, but when the urge to have sex cannot be overcome then the person involved should use a condom to protect himself.

Village by the Sea Essays

Village by the Sea Essays Village by the Sea Essay Village by the Sea Essay their hut the only hut in the village were you can hardly see any smoke to be curling up from under the cocking pot. Nevertheless, he was thinking of something bigger. He is having a dream in mind which is to change the course of his life, he is having this stamina to work all day long in order to survive. On hearing about the construction of a new factory, Hari became hopeful that this could bring him luck. He dreamt of working in this factory although he doesnt have the skill to join it. However, he insisted on working saying A job, a factory, many jobs, many factories, jobs factories. All what he was thinking of is Could he work in a factory and earn money. Hari suffers from poverty, misery and need. There was nothing to eat with the chapattis but a pinch of salt and few green chilies Lila had picked from a bush near her hut. He couldnt afford to buy his sisters sweets as he has no money. This feeling towards his reckless father is quite obvious May be a poisonous snake will bite him, then he would die he said it with hope, as he believes that his father is absolutely responsible for this kind of life he and his sisters are living in, He doesnt look after us,Hari said spitting out the end of a very sharp chapatti, we look after ourselves, dont we? He wishes to leave the village one day, he regards it as a prison that ties him, he never hides his feeling towards his village or his life saying When he thought of all his troubles, his drunken father, Mr. De Silvas insult, the lake of work and money. Hari wished he too could soar up into the sky and disappear instead of being tied to the earth here. Hari dreamt of escaping from Thul. He has tried every possible opportunity there, he worked as a farmer, fisherman, coconut collector, and much more, he even served Mr. De Silva for few pennies. That sense of despair which overwhelmed Hari, never allowed him to feel the blessings that he has, this feeling which he started to realize after going to Bombay. Hari regarded Bombay as a land of dreams. He thought that his dreams could be attained there. When he was talking to the watchman, he was enthralled by this city, city of lights and gleams. He wanted to run away thinking that he may change his fortune there. Hari thought of Bombay as an outlet, everything he wishes for could be accomplished He would have to go to Bombay. Bombay was a great city, a rich city, a city crowded with people who had jobs, earned money and made fortunes.He had to get there somehow.How? . Bombay to him was a shun from his desolation Debt, debt, debt, father always in debts because of toddy. He would get away, He would go to Rewas, to Bombay, and never come back to this sad house, his frightened sisters, his ill mother He could leave them and run, run as far away as he could go. Nevertheless, when he reached Bombay, all these aspirations were shattered, Hari was devastated to discover that the streets of Bombay are not paved with gold as he had anticipated. He comes to know that Bombay is not a white castle made of sand, or salt, blinding against the hot blue sky. On closer inspection, he now sees it as a dirty, smelly and noisy as if the traffic in the world had met on the streets of Bombay hooting and screeching and grinding and roaring past. Hari has to walk slowly and carefully down to pavement to avoid all the filth that was scattered on it, it is in piles Haris experience in Bombay made him realize how he ungratefully undermined his village and his family. He now comes to know how valuable theyre. He acknowledged that although he works and earns money that could provide him a worthy living, yet he now becomes confident that he cannot stay in this place for good. His nostalgia for his home and his village gave him the power to work harder in order to ensure a better living for his family. Moreover, he is now confident that he would go someday to Thul. Hari finds himself struggling more in Bombay He would had fallen ill from lack of sleep if he hadnt one night got up and gone to sit on the pavement because it was a degree cooler..than the eating house.He was disappointed to find that he is living among the orphans in Mr. Jagus restaurant and feels now blessed that he is having a family who as he said one was a drunkard and the other an invalid-and a home , a proper home not just a place on a railway platform. However, the hardships that faced Hari in Bombay never thwarted him, on the contrary it strengthened and encouraged him to be better as well as showed his persistent nature as a man. His journey to Bombay was indispensable , it has revealed so many facts for him ,among which is the importance of having a family not just a close family bu t a bigger family presented in Thul itself, the only place which he felt could embrace him and endure him. Haris feeling of belonging never flourished except in Bombay, he realized that he cant live neither without his sisters and father and mother ,nor without the villagers or the nature who were true companions to him He thought of the sails one saw along the horizon, lights of the boats by night He thought of the crows picking up the crabsand gulls swooping along.the herons standing stock still on a stone .How he longed for them all. Its this place that he belongs to not the city as he discovered that he doesnt want to be a city boy. Hari now is a mature boy, a capable one, a boy who can change circumstances around him in order to live. He knows now that he cant soar up into the sky because we are here on earth ,we cant leave it. We must live here somewhere. He is now able to cope with his new life and find himself a way out of poverty and starvation , he is as Mr. Sayyid Ali has described him You are going to give up your traditional way of living and learn a new way to suit the new environment that the factory will create at Thul so as to survive. Yes, you will survive. This is true, Hari has learned how to survive and the credit is given to this journey and the people whom he met Mr. Panwallah and Jagu who taught him how to be practical and ambitious as well as confident. Finally, Anita Desai managed to create a fabulous picture of a devastated boy who has succeeded due to his strong will and determination to conquer the toughest possible situations and to get not only one but two jobs and many friends.

Coursework On Candidiasis Example

Coursework On Candidiasis Example Coursework On Candidiasis – Coursework Example Nursing: work on Candidiasis Candidiasis Candidiasis is also known as thrush and is a yeast infection. This usually results from candida albicans an organism which usually, quietly makes home on our skin and does not trouble anyone. Everyone carries this organism on their mouth, skin, gastrointestinal tract and for the women, vagina. From time to time, the yeast normally multiplies uncontrollably in the process causing inflammation and pain.Candidiasis may therefore affect an individual’s skin. Normally the affected skin may include the outer surface skin as well the skin covering the mouth, penis and vagina. Candidiasis may also at times infect internal organs like the spleen or liver as well as the blood. However, the most widespread infections are those of mouth, vagina and skin (Calderone, 2002).People do not catch candidiasis since the yeast is always there on their skins. However various factors can lead to increased chances of the yeast multiplying beyond control. One o f the leading causes is overusing antibiotics. After taking antibiotics to eliminate harmful bacteria, the harmless bacteria naturally present in the intestine, mouth, vagina and numerous other parts are killed as well. Normally yeast is not affected by antibiotics and it therefore moves and occupies the empty spots that bacteria once had occupied. Yeast then begins to multiply and grow. Cancer medications and steroids also weaken the body’s immune system, allowing yeast to thrive. Oral thrush which is a mouth infection develops in individuals with AIDS and cancer. They also develop for the diabetics or individuals having long-term irritation as a result of dentures.Birth control pills also increase chances of vaginal candidiasis as well as wearing tight clothing and hot weather both of which are ideal conditions for candida to thrive (Calderone, 2002). Candidiasis skin infection can be treated by use of antifungal pill, powder or cream whereas vaginal infections can be treat ed by use of antifungal medications ,administered directly inside the vagina as creams, tablets, suppositories or ointments, or antifungal suspension for oral thrush which can be whooshed in the mouth and then swallowed. At times, the doctor requires the patient to dissolve antifungal lozenges inside the mouth (Boroch, 2013).ReferencesAnn, B. (2013). The Candida Cure:The 90-Day Program to Beat Candida and Restore Vibrant Health. New York,NY: Quintessential Healing Publishing,Inc.Richard, C. (2002). Candida and Candidiasis. New York,NY: ASM Press.

Artists Use of Facial Expressions Through Words and Illustrations

Neil Gaiman's version in his book The Sandman: Volume 3: Dream Country is a distorted version of the famous Shakespeare plays, some of which contain strange creatures. . With the help of artist Charles Weiss, Gaiman's Midsummer Night's Dream version is active with bold colors and images, and expressions and body expressions between humans and non-human people . wrong. In this article, I will explain how to express various facial expressions that artists use such as words and illustrations. From human melancholic expressions and small expressions, to sad and fun sm From very young age children will find that language, tone, expression, and gesture are all part of the information others give to them. Children learn to express their needs through expression, gestures (nodding, pointing, etc.), and sounds. Just as sound becomes like 'adult', the closer they are to school age, the more they become clearer. The most difficult gesture represents the opposite of what is said in words. Becaus e they are related to body language, they are often positive gestures that do not match negative words or facial expressions. They are hard to understand, but as it makes sense to make sense, it is easy to deal with them. I was invited to Antonio Vitti, director of La Scuola Italiana of Middlebury. I am doing some interactive workshops on gestures, but I also work with Pirandello and Giovanna Taviani, the daughter of Vitranio Taviani to help gestures in Italy. What I like most at these seminars is cultural exchanges of all of us. There is an interaction that allows me to learn more about American culture during work: to teach students how to use gestures to learn and convey traditional Italian traditions, history and tradition. Communication problems often arise from fundamental differences in cultural values. For example, cultures in Latin America, Asia and the Mediterranean often communicate with each other through facial expressions and intonation. On the other hand, English and Germanic culture usually express their intention clearly. Another difference between cultures is the importance of feelings. For example, in Japan and the UK, people tend to avoid expressing emotions, but the US, France, and Italy also accept even more intense emotional performance, even in business.

Small and Medium Enterprises in the USA Case Study

Small and Medium Enterprises in the USA - Case Study Example In this chapter, all the problems and issues that are associated with a small scale business have been discussed, including their aims and objectives and how these businesses function on such a small scale. Their main sources of finance, as well as profit capabilities, have been discussed, as well as the ways by which these businesses tend to make money.  ASME functions on a very small level and the employees that are usually working in an SME are quite illiterate or do not have the desired level of qualification that is needed. Commonly, a small scale business can be functional in several ways. For instance, a small handicraft business would be regarded as an SME. This is because i) the number of profits generated by a business is quite low and not consistent and ii) the number of employees that are working in an SME is lower than 50, which is the actual limitation set by the European Commission. A ‘medium’ sized business is one which functions on a slightly larger sc ale as compared to a small business, and as described by the EU Commission, the number of employees in a medium scale business is more than 50 but less than 250. There are several issues that arose while this research was undertaken. Due to the lack of records that are unavailable, most of the research had to be undertaken on a purely qualitative level and very little quantitative data was found with which a proper extract an idea could be generated about small business. Furthermore, the types of businesses that are functioning on a small scale level are quite diverse. For instance, an online business is a small scale business, because the profits generated online are usually not as high as compared to a large scale business, and the numbers of employees in such a business are usually quite low. On the other hand, an agricultural business is also a small scale business, because the number of employees that are hired for agricultural purposes is not that high, and therefore their ill iteracy causes a huge hindrance in proper communication (Goodman, 2003).  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another research issue that arose was the fact that a small business keeps very little records of their past dealings because of the lack of space or storage data. Therefore, most of the claims made by small businesses could not be verified and only after extensive research could it be found whether the word of a small scale business entrepreneur was true or not. This caused a problem because all data that had to be included in the research needed to be verified and validated, and it took a lot of effort and intellect in order to come up with the right results.

Sony attacked by cyber criminals Research Paper

Sony attacked by cyber criminals - Research Paper Example Once such attack is the one that was experienced by Sony Corporation, a division of Sony that deals with electronics in the United States of America with headquarters in San Francisco. This paper will look into details that case of cyber attack into the company’s website, Sony corporation, the American division of the multinational Sony organization are one of the organizations that have been affected by the computer hackers into its system and compromising data that belong to its clients. The attack, which is credited to a hacking group called collective anonymous (Amoroso, 2007). It will also dwell on the process that the hackers used in order to gain access to the Sony website and how the attack was handled by Sony, in addition the various ways I which to avoid such incidents from happening again will be discussed. Threat actors Anonymous collective or ‘Anons’ as it is referred to which is the short form for its full name is a group that was formed in 2004 that is against any form of censorship of online interactions, any type of censorship by governments or organizations where they respond by hacking websites belonging to church organizations, government agencies or departments, or organizations. In the recent past attacks have been launched to websites that belong to US, Israel and Uganda governments and in organizations like MasterCard, Visa PayPal and Sony among others. Anonymous collective, which is the group, that is suspected to have been behind the hacking of the website of Sony, is a group that is largely decentralized in its command structure without any rules that govern it rather it is governed by ideas. What sort of people would go after this type of information and why? This group, was created for entertainment purposes and the information they get which is mainly user names and passwords of subscribers is used to threaten the company to stop the directives on tinkering of play station 3. The information that they stole woul d be important on online hackers since credit card information and passwords got from the website can be used to access bank accounts of the users, therefore, the likelihood of making money transfers to their accounts (Pankaj, 2005). Investigations into the attack by anonymous collective group on Sony are going on, and it is estimated to cost the firm a total of $170 million, in the investigation. The company discovered that the data of about 8500 users’ data had been accessed. The attack did not happen as a surprise to Sony as there were some warnings that had been sent to the company. The group, which was on a revenge mission, attacked MasterCard’s website in December and was after Sony corporation had arrested a young boy of 21 years for allegedly posting information on how to modify play station 3 gaming console on the internet. The group had also announced that it was on a revenge mission that it called ‘operation payback’ on its website anonnews.org, However, in May, the group, announced the group announced that it was not responsible for the attack, but its members, operating individually may have been behind the breach on the Sony site. How did they get it? The process, which the group may have used in the hacking of th

Should High School Students Attend a 2 year Community College then Research Paper

Should High School Students Attend a 2 year Community College then Transfer to a University, or go Straight to a 4 year Universi - Research Paper Example The four years University programs however are taken after enrolling for a specialized degree in an accredited institution. These universities may or may not be privately funded; however the expenses are definitely higher than the two years community college programs. As a general perception, students who are highly competitive and belong to high income groups are directly enrolled for these four years programs and once they get done with their degrees they get highly paid corporate jobs. This is the reason why the capitalist system strongly supports the university programs as the rigorous educational environment equips the individuals to compete for the highly competitive jobs. Community College programs were initiated from the beginning of the 19th century, while the enrollment rate was considerably low at that time. The scope of these community colleges at that time was limited as the students registered for these programs were strictly enrolled to study arts and humanities subjec ts. The Great Depression that hit U.S in the 1930`s owed much to the enhancement in the enrollment rate of students in these community colleges. Now the scope was widened as the students were now being trained to compete for job positions to reverse the effect of the economic depression. The 1960`s saw the most drastic explosion in the cultivation of community colleges and by the 1980`s about 4.3 million American students had been enrolled in these community colleges. Talking about the new century, about 1,076 community colleges had already been produced and the number has only been increasing ever since (Kasper, 2003). This ever increasing boom in these community colleges is an effort to make college education available to all Americans, irrespective of their ethnicities or backgrounds. These community colleges also aim to support international students in their struggle to pursue quality education (Chow, 2007). Thus, community college is a convenient alternative to the University education which is too expensive to be acquired by a common man. University education has become more of a privilege as those who belong to the lower income groups have to face a lot of hardships to get into a reputed university; the state funded universities are no exception to this rule. Let us suppose for a moment here that community colleges cease to persist, and all we`re left with are university degrees. In such a case, it is crucially important to analyze the future of those 29% prospective students with an annual income lower than $20,000 who attend a community college as a pre-requisite to a four years university program. Also, 35% of the students attending community college are those who have other dependents relying on their income, in the presumed scenario the future of these prospective students would be at stake. These community colleges are aiming at making an effort to bring higher education at the doorsteps of all kinds of people. The international students have to pay an even higher amount to get enrolled for these university programs, thus if they get enrolled for a two years community college program, they can save a lot of money which they can later utilize to get admitted to universities where they can complete the rest of the two years and thus compete for the relevant market positions. Community colleges

History And Crime Module In The Criminal Justice Assignment

History And Crime Module In The Criminal Justice - Assignment Example The social scientific knowledge and theory had developed not only within the minds of individuals but also in particular institutional domains, which have gained shapes from their surroundings. The development of the surroundings has been developed based on certain factors like the organizational pattern of the institute, division, and subdivision of the institute, emergence of disputes, funding of research studies and also the publication and usage of the findings. These values play a big role in shaping up the academic background of the institutes and also these values should be taken into consideration by the students while selecting their field of studies. In studying criminology the understanding of these institutional domains are especially important for the students, which would, in turn, help them in shaping up their knowledge base. This is useful not only in the academic world but also in the application world as well. The book Crime and Society in England: 1750 – 190 0 by Clive Emsley has clearly synthesized the recent works on crime and English society from the mid-18th century to close to the 19th century. The book cites the references of crimes in the Wales where the legal system was indistinguishable from the rest of England. The book also has the references of criminal justice systems of Scotland, which had a different legal system and Ireland that had rural and nationalist rebels together with the para-military police. There will be four key questions to be discussed in this essay.

The Moon is Dawn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Moon is Dawn - Essay Example During World War II Steinbeck wrote some effective pieces of government propaganda, among them The Moon Is Down (1942), a novel of Norwegians under the Nazis, and he also served as a war correspondent. His immediate postwar work-Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), and The Wayward Bus (1947)-contained the familiar elements of his social criticism but were more relaxed in approach and sentimental in tone. The Moon is Down is Steinbeck's work of genius. It is the account of invasion of idealist soldiers from the provinces, powered by hostility principles, whose yearning to build their fortune sets in action measures both attention-grabbing and tragic. His representation of the invaders through showing their positive and negative traits during early-nineteenth-century was remarkable and enlightening. The book stays as a matchless and incomparable creation, one that brilliantly anticipates modern literature. Steinbeck originally wrote The Moon is Down set in a medium sized American town. Steinbeck submitted for approval to the [office of] the Foreign Information Service. Officials there rejected it because they feared that postulating an American defeat might be demoralizing. intro. p. ix Steinbeck revised the work and s... p. ix Steinbeck revised the work and set it in an unnamed country in Europe. The Moon is Down became a staple of the underground resistance in many occupied countries in Europe. The Nazi's banned it in the countries they occupied; yet many risked their lives to get it circulated. In Italy, if an individual was found with a copy, it was punishable by death. This was written as a propaganda piece in 1942 and smuggled into occupied Europe where it was then translated into several languages and produced and distributed under a very real threat of death. Set in a fictitious country (sort of Norway, kind of like France, etc.) invaded by an unstated but thinly-disguised Germany, The Moon is Down was wildly popular in occupied Europe. In this short novel, the citizens of this occupied town and their occupiers are portrayed as complex, fully-realized characters rather than as the interchangeable stock heroes or evil-doers of many war novels. Sitting safely at his typewriter in the U.S., it would have been easy for Steinbeck to portray the Nazis as evil incarnate but instead they have hopes, dreams and fears at least as complex as the good guys. The book does a fine job of detailing the conflicting emotions of both occupiers and occupied. "The Moon Is Down" was a work of propaganda written by Steinbeck and distributed to Nazi-occupied Europe as moral support for the conquered peoples. Some of the finer works of literature are propaganda pieces. There is nothing inherently wrong with propaganda; what determines its worth (besides its qualities as literature) is the content of its message. And the message contained in "The Moon Is Down" is that a free people may be physically conquered by brute force for a time, but that their spirits will never be subjugated, and

Should High School Students Attend a 2 year Community College then Research Paper

Should High School Students Attend a 2 year Community College then Transfer to a University, or go Straight to a 4 year Universi - Research Paper Example The four years University programs however are taken after enrolling for a specialized degree in an accredited institution. These universities may or may not be privately funded; however the expenses are definitely higher than the two years community college programs. As a general perception, students who are highly competitive and belong to high income groups are directly enrolled for these four years programs and once they get done with their degrees they get highly paid corporate jobs. This is the reason why the capitalist system strongly supports the university programs as the rigorous educational environment equips the individuals to compete for the highly competitive jobs. Community College programs were initiated from the beginning of the 19th century, while the enrollment rate was considerably low at that time. The scope of these community colleges at that time was limited as the students registered for these programs were strictly enrolled to study arts and humanities subjec ts. The Great Depression that hit U.S in the 1930`s owed much to the enhancement in the enrollment rate of students in these community colleges. Now the scope was widened as the students were now being trained to compete for job positions to reverse the effect of the economic depression. The 1960`s saw the most drastic explosion in the cultivation of community colleges and by the 1980`s about 4.3 million American students had been enrolled in these community colleges. Talking about the new century, about 1,076 community colleges had already been produced and the number has only been increasing ever since (Kasper, 2003). This ever increasing boom in these community colleges is an effort to make college education available to all Americans, irrespective of their ethnicities or backgrounds. These community colleges also aim to support international students in their struggle to pursue quality education (Chow, 2007). Thus, community college is a convenient alternative to the University education which is too expensive to be acquired by a common man. University education has become more of a privilege as those who belong to the lower income groups have to face a lot of hardships to get into a reputed university; the state funded universities are no exception to this rule. Let us suppose for a moment here that community colleges cease to persist, and all we`re left with are university degrees. In such a case, it is crucially important to analyze the future of those 29% prospective students with an annual income lower than $20,000 who attend a community college as a pre-requisite to a four years university program. Also, 35% of the students attending community college are those who have other dependents relying on their income, in the presumed scenario the future of these prospective students would be at stake. These community colleges are aiming at making an effort to bring higher education at the doorsteps of all kinds of people. The international students have to pay an even higher amount to get enrolled for these university programs, thus if they get enrolled for a two years community college program, they can save a lot of money which they can later utilize to get admitted to universities where they can complete the rest of the two years and thus compete for the relevant market positions. Community colleges

The Moon is Dawn Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Moon is Dawn - Essay Example During World War II Steinbeck wrote some effective pieces of government propaganda, among them The Moon Is Down (1942), a novel of Norwegians under the Nazis, and he also served as a war correspondent. His immediate postwar work-Cannery Row (1945), The Pearl (1947), and The Wayward Bus (1947)-contained the familiar elements of his social criticism but were more relaxed in approach and sentimental in tone. The Moon is Down is Steinbeck's work of genius. It is the account of invasion of idealist soldiers from the provinces, powered by hostility principles, whose yearning to build their fortune sets in action measures both attention-grabbing and tragic. His representation of the invaders through showing their positive and negative traits during early-nineteenth-century was remarkable and enlightening. The book stays as a matchless and incomparable creation, one that brilliantly anticipates modern literature. Steinbeck originally wrote The Moon is Down set in a medium sized American town. Steinbeck submitted for approval to the [office of] the Foreign Information Service. Officials there rejected it because they feared that postulating an American defeat might be demoralizing. intro. p. ix Steinbeck revised the work and s... p. ix Steinbeck revised the work and set it in an unnamed country in Europe. The Moon is Down became a staple of the underground resistance in many occupied countries in Europe. The Nazi's banned it in the countries they occupied; yet many risked their lives to get it circulated. In Italy, if an individual was found with a copy, it was punishable by death. This was written as a propaganda piece in 1942 and smuggled into occupied Europe where it was then translated into several languages and produced and distributed under a very real threat of death. Set in a fictitious country (sort of Norway, kind of like France, etc.) invaded by an unstated but thinly-disguised Germany, The Moon is Down was wildly popular in occupied Europe. In this short novel, the citizens of this occupied town and their occupiers are portrayed as complex, fully-realized characters rather than as the interchangeable stock heroes or evil-doers of many war novels. Sitting safely at his typewriter in the U.S., it would have been easy for Steinbeck to portray the Nazis as evil incarnate but instead they have hopes, dreams and fears at least as complex as the good guys. The book does a fine job of detailing the conflicting emotions of both occupiers and occupied. "The Moon Is Down" was a work of propaganda written by Steinbeck and distributed to Nazi-occupied Europe as moral support for the conquered peoples. Some of the finer works of literature are propaganda pieces. There is nothing inherently wrong with propaganda; what determines its worth (besides its qualities as literature) is the content of its message. And the message contained in "The Moon Is Down" is that a free people may be physically conquered by brute force for a time, but that their spirits will never be subjugated, and

Enron And The Decision Making Factor Essay Example for Free

Enron And The Decision Making Factor Essay Introduction – Students, analysts and critics of modern business practice will always consider the colossal Enron collapse as an important text book case about how a lot of different things inside the company can trigger a nearly overnight downfall of a once prestigious company. If there was any Cinderella story in the world of blue chip trading and high portfolio business, Enron was the ultimate opposite, if not the witch herself who was killed by her own lethal potion. The Enron collapse resulted in the formulating of many different opinions pointing to the many different possible reasons why Enron – with all the promise and potential that it has a few years before it went south – made the nosedive that made it one of the worst disasters in the history of trade, commerce and business. There is no doubt that most of the opinions that surfaced explaining the reason why such an eventuality befell Enron placed the blame on the wrong things that the top management echelon did for the company; they are after all the one which is responsible for the present and the future of Enron. Critics looking at the Enron debacle scrutinized what happened leading to the collapse using many different perspectives and considering many different factors, both in the professional capability of the company’s leaders as well as the impact of the surrounding factors beyond Enron’s control. One of the most important facets in the debate regarding the fall of Enron is decision making. Evidently, a lot of wrong decisions were made, with one every wrong decision acting as a building block that eventually became an insurmountable wall of consequences all borne out of wrong or faulty decision making processes that yielded results that did the company more harm than good. Indeed, the decision making linchpins significant to the establishment of the case that the Enron collapse was due in some extent to the decision making aspect of the leadership strata of the company can be identified easily as it is scattered throughout the timeline of Enron’s very near and not so distant past leading to the eventual fall of the company that hid behind the facade of the building the ugliness created by the qualities of its leaders that caused the chaos that burned down Enron down to meager, worthless ashes. This paper will pick the significant moments wherein the decision making capabilities and abilities of its top management leaders were at play and use these moments to establish the ethical and other considerations coming to play during the analysis of the decision making efforts of the leaders and why the outcome of such exercises led to the fall of Enron and not towards the company’s betterment, which is the main task of the company’s top executives. The paper will utilize these occasions to stress its argument regarding the role of effective, ethical and sound decision making of top executives leading to either the success or bankruptcy of companies, in this case that of Enron, and discuss key aspects of this line of thought. The paper will not criminalize the actions of the executives of Enron; rather, it will infuse inputs from other professionals regarding important aspects in the discussion of corporate decision making (ethics, result-orientation, etc). Background – Various angles have already been explored by many different individuals every time the topic of analysis is Enron and its collapse. Because of this, the paper is moving to focus on an aspect that is focused more on Kenneth Lay and the rest of his top executive clique’s personal characteristic that could have played an important role in the outcome of Enron’s operation. Decision making is both a personal characteristic as it is a professional credential, even an asset. Some people are being paid handsome amounts of money for their ability to transform decision making moments into an opportunity that provides a positive result and expected outcome for the company. Ehringer (1995) puts it simply: The ability to make good decisions is the defining quality of our lives (Ehringer, 1995, p. 1). When Lay, Skilling, Fastow and other Enron bosses were placed in their respective positions, they were expected to exercise a high level of intuitiveness, business acumen and professional foresight so that every decision making opportunity is met with the company’s best interest long term and short term in mind. They were where they were because those who placed them there believed that they can make decisions to which the company can benefit from. When Enron collapse, many people and organizations criticized the questioned the decision making capabilities of the top executives – was the collapse an effect of the result of the decision that they made? Was the decision made putting the benefit of the company and the employees first, or are the decisions shaped so that it benefited them first? How bad was the breach in the ethical considerations that a professional should take every time he or she makes a decision that puts the future of the company on the line? These are just some of the questions that may also be present in the minds of those who followed the Enron case. Sure there were varying degrees of deception and fraudulent acts from the part of many select individuals who sinned against Enron and its employees, but these cases would have been minimized or even averted altogether if the important decision making privileges was limited to a select few, or if the future-altering decision making capability is disseminated largely among a huge group of people that can provide a check and balance system for Enron. Roberts (2004) explained that if it is possible for others to make the decisions for a unit, then new options arise to design the decision-making process as well as the incentive schemes to get better performance on both dimensions. For example, the design might specify that a decision about a project arising in one unit that affects another would be implemented if and only if both units agree to it, (Roberts, 2004, p. 51). Enron is an energy trading firm which was performing well in the early part of its existence. By the start of the 21st century, the problems that the bosses were trying to hide from the public and from the employees started to stank. Soon, events unfolded like dominoes falling one after the other as a consequence of information spilling out into the public’s attention. Before 2004, the public already had a clear idea about how Enron bosses were supposedly the one responsible for the defrauding of the employees and their company shares and other benefits, as well as the one responsible for the bankruptcy of Enron. One by one, key company officials stepped out of the light and implicated a new name, which will in turn implicate a much bigger name, until the dragnet sent out to see who was accountable for the fraudulent acts in Enron caught its top bosses, including Lay, Skilling and Fastow. Many individuals faced criminal charges, and many more simply went home not just jobless but are robbed of lifetime investments which Enron bosses manipulated and soon lost because of the wrong decisions they made on how to run the company and make it prosper and grow. Examples of how Enron management made wrong decisions during decision making moments abound in the history of the company. Take for example what happened in 1987 instead of declaring the $190 million loss the company experienced, they concealed it instead, leading to criminal charges. This habit of Enron for opting to conceal losses instead of declaring it became a dangerous vice; when Fastow was aboard Enron, the same outlook affected the decision making of Enron, leading to increase in pile of cases wherein Enron through its top management consciously made actions that defraud the employees and the public. There was also the case of poor public relations by Enron which fanned the flames of panic that removed any possible opportunity for Enron to remedy the financial situation without creating hysteria that saw many stockholders selling their stocks due to the continued falling of the stock value of Enron. Statement of Problem – The most important decision that Enron’s executives faced was not the decision on whether or not to publicly announce about the bankruptcy; in fact, there was no decision making factor during that instance since the predicament of the company has already been decided regardless of what the top executives might have opted for: they were flat out broke and the public needs to know about this, that was the situation. The true decision making moment for Enron’s bosses was the time when they were deciding what the best option to take is with regards to the financial aspect of the company, including taxes, earnings and financial loses. It was a matter of facing a decision making task that provided the Enron bosses with two options – to do the right thing, or to opt for something that is morally and ethically inappropriate. The decision reached in this particular decision making instance was laced with the hope that the option they took would be free from serious repercussions and give them enough time to fix it all up again. Unfortunately for Enron, things did not work out as planned, and the criminal liability of the Enron bosses stemmed from the fact that they decided to do something which they consciously knew was detrimental to the welfare of the Enron company and its employees. During that particular instance, Lay could have opted to do the right thing and faced the consequences by coming clean, he may have a more sympathetic public to support him in whatever efforts he may wish to undertake to revive Enron, and not be faced with the collapsing stock value since those who can sell theirs sell it in a frantic phase to rid themselves of the stock of the company which is nearing imminent bankruptcy. This showed how the people do not give second chances to those who squander their decision making privileges by making decisions bereft of the consideration of the good of the greater many. Decision making John Hintze (2006), in his discussion about making smart decisions during decision making, used the case of the Enron collapse to open his discussion and establish the fact that problems are something that is foreseen, something that happened nonetheless owing to bad decision making. Hintze wrote, should we have seen 9/11 coming? What about the Enron collapse? The Signs were there; people pointed them out, but the appropriate steps were not taken by those in a position to do something. Why is this? Politics? Greed? Those certainly contributed, but there was something else at work here, too: A failure of common sense in decision making (Hintze, 2006, p. 123). Enron: Bad decision making Nothing can prove more about how bad the decision making went inside Enron camp more convincingly than the fact the company transformed from prosperous to poor overnight. This was the general characteristic of Enron through the traits shown by its leaders that reflect the Enron personality. There were earlier discussions in the paper about snippets on instances pointing to Enrons penchant for making bad decision or for going to the resolving of a problem utilizing an option that is more questionable. Fox (2004) explained that Enron believed that its expansion into international projects were positive initiatives simply because they put the company in more potential markets. In truth, Enron made bad business decisions that werent supported by the deals economics. The bad business decisions piled up, stretching from India to Brazil, pressuring the company to do something about its finances’ (Fox, 2004,p. 307). At least at this point, Fox is not pointing at the unethical aspect of the Enron decision making machinery, just the fact that they made decisions that were bad for the future of the company, but not to the extent of deliberately sabotaging the company or putting the company in danger with all known risk for personal gain. For Fox, it was a bad call plain and simple. But the matter of the fact is that not everyone sees it the way Fox does, and there are those who believe that there were ethical breaches in the decision making in Enron among its top bosses. The (absence of) Leaders in decision-making – Decision making in retrospective is one of the common line of thinking used when investigating events that led to growth or debacle. It is because decision making played an important part in shaping the future of the company; it is here where the foundation, or lack of it, was created via the decisions the bosses made or failed to make. To trace the problems or mark significant actions resulting from decision making which eventually resulted to either the success or failure of the company, it is not only the decision making events that are looked back to; the persons that made them were also put under the microscope, and among the qualities scrutinized is their decision making ability and their other characteristics that affect their decision making attitude and behavior. Professionals debate about the idea of a good decision, a bad decision, good intentions and bad intentions and how the good and bad effect that comes into play afterwards account for the overall accountability of a person wielding the power to make decisions that will have a tremendous impact on the future of the company, something which happened in Enron via Lay, Skilling, Fastow and the rest of the top figures of the company. Acuff (2004) explains that ‘if they make a decision that might not have been the decision I would have made, and they come and talk to me about it, we look at it and discuss it. There are a lot of different ways to skin the horse. I don’t go saying my idea is the only one that will get you where you want to go. I hold people accountable for good decision-making. If a bad outcome results from a bad decision thats a problem. But if a bad outcome results from a reasonable decision, then thats business, and it could happen to anyone (Acuff, 2004, p. 87). This was the predicament of those who are trying to evaluate the decision making actions of Enron top executives did they make decisions, even bad decisions with the sake of the company in mind, and gambled with their careers because they know that if their plans and actions go well, it is extremely beneficial for the company, in a very Machiavellian approach towards getting things done regardless of the means by which th ey did it, or were they just plain guilty of fraudulent actions? People who are burdened by the decision that impacts a lot of people is not always amenable to taking the high and moral grounds, that is why the adage about the end justifying the means, about getting things done at what ever cost, about delivering against the odds became popular because of people like the Enron bosses who (probably) acted upon their decision making duties by risking what can be a popularly bad decision. Indeed, it may be easy or even convenient for most people adversely affected by the Enron collapse to attribute the colossal corporate debacle to the top management figures of the company by criticizing their decisions as well as their faculty for sound decision making. While it is true that Enron’s top executives are responsible for the collapse of the company, it is not that easy to measure the level of ethical decision making attributes of Enron’s top brass. Goethals et al (2004) pointed out that â€Å"the complexity associated with ethical decision making and behavior, especially as it applies to leadership and the workplace, makes the construct extremely difficult to research†, adding that â€Å"Measuring an individual’s level of ethical decision making is challenging, particularly because the measurement instruments that are available have problems with priming and social-desirability effects; that is, questionnaires or other similar modes of data collection cue respondents to give answers that they believe are socially acceptable rather than answers that truly reflect their own actions or opinions (Goethals et. al. , 2004, p. 461). † Proof of which is the fact that all of these executives in question are career corporate leaders even before they joined Enron; their credentials played an important role regarding their selection for a corporate position as high as theirs. Because of this, as well as the factors that affect the credibility of the ability for identification of the real public pulse regarding the persons involved in the issue, ethical decision making levels of the persons involved is hard to ascertain, making claims for questionable ethical decision making consideration of the people lose important ground and stand on insufficient set of stable legs for proof and justification. Still, there are those who believe that the level of ethics that influences the decision making capabilities of the Enron bosses are without a doubt questionable, and this includes Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins who was quoted in the book edited by Kathy Fitzpatrick and Carolyn B. Bronstein. In the article, it mentions about how Swartz and Watkins â€Å"blame Ken Lay, former CEO of Enron, and other company executives for privileging greed and arrogance over ethical business decisions† (Fitzpatrick and Bronstein, 2006, p. 79), the gist of the published work co-authored by the two individuals. Nalebuff and Ayres (2006) wrote that the problem often arises because people ignore the costs and benefits that their decisions have on other people. We call this approach Why dont you feel my pain? The more technical term for these effects is externalities. Decision makers who ignore externalities are bound to make bad decisions (Nalebuff and Ayres, 2006, p. 67). This explanation greatly tarnishes the ethical value of the decision making ethics of Enron bosses because it shows that they are prone or inclined to make decisions even if the result of such decisions lead to negative effects that other people will experience. Niskanen (2005) believes that Lay, one of the top bosses of Enron, â€Å"should be judged on the basis of his personal actions, directions to subordinates, or the actions of subordinates that he implicitly condoned by knowing about it without attempting to correct not on the basis of what he should have known† (Niskanen, 2005, p. 6). Lays condoning of actions is a result of a personal and professional decision that he made or failed to make and because of that, Niskanen believes that Lay is answerable for any criminal charges that would result from that particular action (or inaction). Watkins was thinking of the company and its employees and their future and hers as well, when she made the decision to let her superiors, particularly Lay, know about the possible accounting problems and the making public of the current and real financial and trade status of the company. This clearly illustrates the difference in ethics when it comes to decision making. Decision making, ethics and public perception Decision making in business is not merely a power or a privilege that one can use at will without thinking of the consequences that might happen should the decision resulted into something that is considered as adversely negative and detrimental to the welfare of the employees, their jobs and the company they work for. Those who are provided with such amenity to go along with their job description should consider that it is also their responsibility to make sure that their employees and subordinates do not think that they are squandering away their decision making privilege and everything that goes along with it. This was the prevailing attitude or outlook of the Enron employees especially nearing the imminent collapse of the company. The absence of ethical consideration resulted to the losing of the credibility of the bosses of Enron because they were not careful with how they undertake their decision making tasks. While bankruptcy is something that is very difficult to accept and impacts greatly in the lives of the employees especially the rank and file blue collar workers, there is a sense of adding insult to injury during occasions wherein the employees are starting to realize that all of the unfortunate things that happen in the company and in their careers are all a result of the faulty, incompetent and unethical decision making of the top management echelon and not because the company was helpless in the onslaught of a devastating economic problem, like how companies closed down during the Great Depression despite the efforts of American businessmen to keep the different industries alive and breathing. During the collapse of Enron, the US is experiencing a very stable economy far from that which characterized US economy during the Great Depression, and is shielded securely from the impact of whatever it was that was happening in the global economic and business landscape, and so during the Enron collapse, the collective finger was pointing an accusing index digit to Enron bosses and majority of the cause of their indignation originates from the sloppy decision making capabilities of Enron bosses who lost their credibility the moment they lost Enron. Brazelton and Ammons (2002) wrote in the book they co-wrote: â€Å"The Ethics Resource Center conducted a survey in 2000 in which it learned that 43 percent of respondents believed that their supervisors are generally poor examples of honest managers, and the same number were pressured to compromise their own integrity or that of their organization during decision making. The survey also identified a strong connection between employees perceptions of their supervisors and their own ethical behavior (Brazelton and Ammons, 2002, p. 388). † Enron decision making: the two-pronged factors It can be pointed out that one of the problems that happened to Enron is the ineffective of decision making among top executives first, their top executives failed to make correct decisions when they are required to do so, and second, Enron was not fully complimented with a set of professionals which could have contributed to the decision making process, and in the process provided the possibility of infusing new or different ideas that could have altered the outcome of the decision making process. Fitzpatrick and Bronstein (2006) did not look exclusively on Enrons bosses and the decisions they made in the management of Enron and the companys money and asset, rather, the two editors focused on the absence of a key top management personnel and took the presence of such a void as a sign that Enron is not even prioritizing the welfare of the company and its employees. The book Ethics in Public Relations: Responsible Advocacy, which includes the Enron case as one of the important case studies to point out the importance of the role of public relations, explains that perhaps the governance of these companies was such that they did not care about their publics, and did not want the advice of senior-level public relations officer playing an active or dominant role in organizational decision making (Fitzpatrick and Bronstein, 2006, pg 179). Conclusion – Niskanen (2005) summed up the Enron case on its characteristic of thriving in bad decisions made by its corporate leaders by saying in the book that the most important lesson from the Enron collapse, however, is that Enron failed because of a combination of bad business decisions, not because its accounts were misleading adding that the major business decisions that most contributed to its collapse were a series of bad investments, most of which were in the traditional asset-rich industries; the failure to reconcile two quite different business models; and the decision to focus management objectives on reported revenues and earning rather than on the present value of future cash flows (Niskanen, 2005, p. 6). Are they poor in decision making, or was the decision making adversely affected by other concerns and priorities outside of Enron that the results of the decision made for Enron looks like those who made the call did not even think about how this course of action will affect Enron? There are no sufficient proofs to point that the case was the latter; for a company that became seventh all in all in the Fortune 500 at least once, it is unthinkable how there will be conscious efforts to sink the company by making wrong decisions, deliberately or not. The point of the paper is not the assertion of the guild of Skilling, Lay or even Fastow, it’s the establishing of the point that decision making, when not handled properly, can turn even the most profitable company into a nose-diving wreck in a short period of time, that decision making plays an important role in how a person defines his or her life and how he or she leads a company and that because of these factors, no one should have an excuse why decision making was taken lightly and without much thought or care. All the people can see is a group of people who made wrong decisions several times, the resulting web and how they got trapped in that web, that is assuming that there was no malice or hidden agenda that the bosses perpetrated in lieu of Enron’s collapse. In the end, only Lay (now deceased) and the elite circle of the Enron executive clique will be the ones who would really know about the truth regarding ethics and the decision making in Enron leading to the collapse of the company. Many would ask, and some would presume, the reasons as well as the level of guilt of these leaders when it comes to breaching the ethical requirements needed when undertaking decision making for a company. Regardless, the decisions they made created far reaching ripples and altered the lives of many individuals who invested not just their time, strength and lifes savings into the company but as well as their but as well as their faith and trust, which are not in shattered pieces because of the bad decisions that Enron executives made. Crawford (2006) further elaborated on the pointed by explaining that bad decisions by a major company, however, cause major disruptions for all of the companys stakeholders’. He pointed at the case of Enron as one of his examples, saying that ‘the Enron disaster, as one example, certainly had devastating impacts on the lives of most of Enron employees (including the middle managers and professionals who invested in the company-sponsored Enron 401[K] plans) and also caused suffering for many individual investors who purchased Enron stock on the open market. Thousands of other Enron stakeholders, including Enrons suppliers and customers, also suffered, (Crawford, 2006, p. 26). Indeed, Enron’s decision making had a hand in how the company turned out to be.