Sustainable Housing and Urban Construction

Since the beginning of time, the built environment has been an integral part in providing shelter needs for men, women and children. Maslow (1943) formulated that shelter is a basic requirement of humans. In the future, humans will have to construct sustainable shelter otherwise would they would risk depleting resources for subsequent generations. Construction is an example of a multitasking activity. The lifecycle of construction can be broken into phases. Achieving building sustainability in modern environment requires a better understanding of environmental impacts. Impacts such as climate change, associated costs, as well as utilising benchmarking scale to measure across a whole range of building types and occupancies. This report will discuss building sustainability, the constraints that stake holders of built environment face, and the role of architects in the process of constructing sustainable buildings. Conceptually, sustainability is allowing present generation to meet its needs without depriving later generations of a way to meet theirs. According to Meckler (2004), building sustainability means to â€Å"provide a safe, healthy, comfortable indoor environment while simultaneously limit the reduction of the earth’s natural resources†. Architects, with their unique position within the built environment, are well equipped to meet the challenges of sustainability in the built environment. The building and construction industry possesses a high ability to be innovative (Meckler 2004), and through this innovation that it would create new methods and processes resulting in constructing improved sustainable buildings that can be serve as subsequent year’s benchmark to beat. The construction industry has invested in research and development into sustainability in order to gain a clearer understanding the effect of building on the environment and reducing the impact of buildings on the environment. The common goal is to be â€Å"energy efficient†. Being energy efficient does not equate to being energy sustainable. The energy from the traditional fossil sources cannot be supplied without using further considerable amount of energy in supplying it. The efficiency of the energy lifecycle starting from the raw extraction of resources, preparation, transport, conversion and distribution to application may be up to 20%. To equate this in simple terms is that it takes approximately 5kWh to deliver 1kWh of energy for consumption. So in order to consume 1kWh of energy, the real term consumption is actually 6kWh. Numerous studies internationally have shown that operational energy consumes the main amount of total energy use in buildings during a typical service lifespan of approximately 50 years. This accounts for about 85–95% of total energy use (Thormark, 2005). From a residential perspective, there should be a focus more on the sustainable development of the residential buildings and urban constructions. The fundamental reason new and more energy-efficient technologies continue to be ignored and the technologies that are applied rarely perform as efficiently as they should is because of a lack of accountability for building energy performance in current building design and operation practices. The building and construction industry in Australia has made significant progress forward in the last 5 years to improve their environmental performance. This improvement has been in response to increased attention from local and state government policies regarding to Ecological Sustainable Development (ESD), as well as the availability of holistic environmental rating tools such as the Green Building Council of Australia’s Green Star rating tools. Architects factor in climatic variables into their thoughts as they design and plan houses, premises and buildings (Alnaser & Flanagan 2007). In hot dry regions such as in the Northern Territory, the built environment should be planned compactly to reduce the amount of surfaces exposed to solar radiation. In warm humid regions such as in Queensland, buildings should be openly spaced to maximize air movement between individual buildings. This would reduce the structure operational energy consumption and maximise Green Star rating. Green building is a tremendous growth area in design, construction and building materials. Green building has gained momentum due to the rise in energy costs and cost of building materials. The happy medium is somewhere between a combination of passive measures through optimal building design and active measures achieved through efficient mechanical system designed to control the indoor climate. These active measures mentioned above include utilizing renewable energy, such as solar energy, wind energy and geothermic energy, improving thermal performance of building structure, utilising daylight and energy efficient lightings, and developing new sustainable building materials (Thormark, 2005). Another aspect of sustainability that is often neglected is social sustainability. Social sustainability can be thought of as qualitative indicators that complement the development process. Some social sustainability objectives are to provide adequate local services and facilities to serve the development, to provide housing to meet the needs of the population, to provide high quality, habitable developments and where possible to preserve local culture and heritage. In any actual development, there is a need for other supporting elements to make it appealing and sustainable. An integral part of the development is to provide high quality energy efficient buildings for community activities such as musicals and outdoor space for open markets. By having such gatherings, the community will get a sense of ownership and will utilise the facility frequently. A salient aspect of sustainable development is to provide a mix of housing structures of all different types (Zhu & Lin, 2003). In order to achieve the objective of providing affordable housing; designs and construction must be of high quality and yet utilises minimal resources. Wherever possible, cultural heritage should be preserved through the reutilising of local valued buildings. If cultural preservation is achieved, the architectural design for the developments will reflect local heritage and use local materials. According to Williams and Dair (2007), there are 9 commonly identifiable barriers to achieving sustainability. Some of these barriers are: 1. Sustainability measure was not considered by stakeholders 2. Sustainability measure was not required by client (includes purchasers, tenants and end users) 3. The sustainability measure cost too much (in some cases the investor would not fund) Unless sustainability is on the agenda of the local planning government, stakeholders are unlikely to voluntarily put sustainability measures on their agenda. Stakeholders were simply bypassing sustainability issues altogether. As with most local government planning policies, there are strict guidelines regarding social objectives, such as meeting housing needs. If a policy is active at the forefront of development then they appeared on stakeholders’ agendas. Many architects have the ability to succeed in achieving a higher star rating for energy efficiency for their built environment projects. They have been doing so for a while. The challenges of sustainability in the future should not be construed as extra attachments to how architects have designed in the past. Architects have the inherent ability to go back to the drawing board and to reinvent the design process to reflect the buildings needed for the future. Architects have a vital role to play. They are a part of key decision making mechanism in the building and construction industry. Going forward, their role will be inextricably linked to producing sustainable outcomes. There are many indicators for sustainable building design (Smith 2001). (a)Identifying possible sources to generate renewable electricity on location, i. e. like Building-Integrating Photovoltaic (BIPV). (b)Minimal usage of fossil fuel energy sources used during the lifetime of the building. (c)Ensuring that building management systems are user friendly simple to operate. (d)Implementing passive or active solar energy while employing heating and cooling systems which are fine tuned to the needs of the occupants with air-conditioning used only in exceptional circumstances. As we progress into the future, the need to provide shelter increases due to population growth. The building structures needed for this growing demand have to be environmentally and socially sustainable. There is a global increase in awareness of the diminishing supply of traditional fossil fuel resources. Fossil fuels make up the core heating and cooling energy consumption presently. In order to achieve sustainability and leave the next generation able to meet their needs, there are short term increased economic costs as the transition from traditional dependent on fossil fuels to alternative energy sources. These barriers have to be overcome and the role of the architect in the overall schema is extremely important. They possess the necessary design skills to adapt to the changing needs and produce sustainable commercial and residential . REFERENCES †¢N. W. Alnaser_, R. Flanagan (2007). The need of sustainable buildings construction in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Building and Environment 42 (2007) 495–506 †¢T. HARTMAN. (2008). A Vision for Energy Performance Integrating performance – monitoring initiatives to improve building sustainability. HPAC Engineering †¢ May 2008 †¢Maslow, A. H, (1943). A THEORY OF HUMAN MOTIVATION, Originally Published in Psychological Review, 50,370-396. 1943 †¢C. McCabe. (2006). Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management. Sustainable building design in Australia. Eco-Architecture: Harmonisation between Architecture and Nature. Vol. 1, pp. 237-245. 7 Jun 2006. †¢M. Meckler. (2004). Achieving Building Sustainability through Innovation Engineered Systems. †¢L. Nervenga. Specifying for Sustainability. Architecture Australia 1904-2006 †¢FS Smith. Architecture in a climate of a change: a guide to sustainable design. UK: Architectural Press, An imprint of Butterworth-Heinemann; 2001. †¢C. Thormark. (2005). The effect of material choice on the total energy need and recycling potential of a building. Building and Environment 41 (2006) 1019–1026 †¢K Williams & C Dair (2007). What Is Stopping Sustainable Building in England? Barriers Experienced by Stakeholders in Delivering Sustainable Developments. Sustainable Development Sust. Dev. 15, 135–147 †¢Yingxin Zhu, Borong Lin (2003). Sustainable housing and urban construction in China. Energy and Buildings 36 (2004) 1287–1297

Mail-Room Policy Recommendations

Park University Mail service Department is situated in the underground of Parkville Campus. It is a body that is responsible for providing students and faculties with mail boxes. At Park University, it is required of both students and faculties to have a mail box on campus so as to know the recipient of incoming packages. They also offer work opportunities for students who are looking for a job on campus. My focus for this report will be on the employees. As an employee, mail-room is known for its diligence and hard work among the employees. Each employee tends to provide students, staff and faculties the best services and however, they make sure that their needs are met. Complaints was received from the University concerning the poor and ineffective services provided by this department but I find this disgruntling because each mailroom employees put in their effort in doing what was taught to them by their supervisors and doing their job accurately and effectively. I conducted a research using articles from other resources on mail rooms and my major focus will be on the mail-room employees and the importance of complaint avoidance from the University. I also interviewed one of my co-workers about the problems mail-room encounter and what should be done in order to elude them in the future. As a result, I found out that separation of duties among the employees, Effective communication, Effective supervisions, Punctuality and Employee training are the key components of avoiding mistakes, and complaints. The above mentioned are the alternate solutions that should be applied by the employees. There are several Departments at Park University and one of the departments that I conducted my research on was Park University Mail Services. Park University mail services aim at providing the highest quality and most efficient services to their customers. In my report, my main focus was on the employees. Employees at mail-room are responsible for performing a variety of generally routine tasks, such as receiving packages from different courier services, Entering data into the system, Forwarding student's mail, sorting mail, preparing mail for distribution and preparing mail for machine processing. The objective of these employees is to meet ensure that excellence services are provided to the students, faculty and staff and as well to make sure that they perform their tasks as employees accurately. There are numerous amounts of employees who work at the mail services and yet complaints have been made regarding the poor efficiency and lower productivity by these employees. As an employee, this department is the most hardworking department but there are some problems that need to be addressed and this will help increase productivity in the department. My duty as an employee is to put in my best and make sure that I assist in processing mail, entering data into the system and make sure that metered mails are taken out on time. In my findings concerning the poor efficiency and low productivity, the problem they encounter embroils non separation of duties which makes the employees reluctant to work because everyone does a little or no work at all and this has been an issue that Park U mail room faces and reversing these issues needs to be put into consideration by the supervisor. Moreover, ineffective communication, non-punctuality at work and inadequate supervision contributed to the problems they face as well. No amount of work could be achieved with all these issues and these issues could also ruin the reputation of the department. After considering these issues, I looked at ways that will help resolve the problems which would be further discussed. The purpose of my research is to provide subsequent solutions to the problems we experience at work and the importance of mistake avoidance in the future. The following illustrates my conducted research: 1. To determine the solution to our problems, we need to change how we communicate at work because communication is very important at the work. †¢ I used an article from 2012 which talks about effective communication at workplace. †¢ I also referenced a textbook from my management class that discusses on the importance of communication among the employee members. 2. Again, I research on the importance of separation of duties among employee members. †¢ I used an article from 2012 about separation of duties among the employees. 3. I also researched on the importance of supervision at workplace and I found an article from Ebsco by Jenkinson & Hilary on the importance and benefits of supervision and this article explore the concept of supervision and its implementation within a 4. Finally, after analyzing the researched information, I conducted a recommendation 5. Punctuality is another way of resolving the issues we encounter at the mail-room. Effective communication is very important most especially at the workplace because it provides the employees abilities to work well and to avoid inaccuracies. From my work experience at the mailroom, I observed that ineffective communication has been a major problem and this has led to so many mistakes. At times, we find it difficult to ask questions about either what we don't understand that involves shipping international packages or questions of which department to put the letter mails which they sometimes end up in a wrong departmental mail box number. According to an article published in Sept 2012, Indian Stream Research journal, it illustrates the importance of effective communication at workplace. Effective workplace communication is essential to the organizations' success. â€Å"Our communication skills help us to understand not just words; we share meaning, emotion, feelings and attitude, in a fundamental drive to communicate. This emphasizes the process of coming to understand and share each other's point of view effectively (Satpathy, 2012). † Furthermore, communication is an act of exchanging information. It is used to inform command, instruct, influence and persuade people (Rue & Byars, 2009). Effective communication at the workplace creates a way to deal effectively with customers and co-workers. Thus, this needs to apply in the everyday life of the employees at the mail-room as this help avoid making further mistakes in mails handling and will also increase productivity. Separation of duties is another key component of getting mails done in a very fast manner. In Berkeley News article about separation of duties, it is a powerful internal control and its objective is to make sure that duties are assigned to individuals in a manner that no one individuals can control a process or work from the start to the finish (Webmaster, 2011). Every Tom, Dick, and Harry infrequently makes mistakes and no individual is perfect and thus Separation of duties provides a complementary check by another individual. By assigning each employee a task such as helping customers at the window, forwarding undergraduate student mails, processing incoming and outgoing mails, receiving packages and sending email to students, faculty and staff about the arrival of their packages will help in getting the work done on time and efficiently. Apart from Park U, other universities and organizations use separation of duties at their workplace and this allows an opportunity for someone to catch an error before a transaction is fully executed based on potentially erroneous data. In addition, having adequate separation of duties diminishes the ‘opportunity' factor that might encourage an employee to embezzle although there is no such at the mail-room. I strongly suggest that we apply this method at our workplace so as to lessen employees reluctant to work and expecting one person to do the job. Poor Supervision leads to massive mistakes and thus should be avoided by the supervisors. Rather, supervisors at the mail-room should supervise their employees constantly and ensure that they are performing their tasks perfectly. According to the authors of Youth and Services article, they article explores the concept of supervision and its implementation within a work environment. The article describes and explores a process of staff development facilitated which involved providing supervision training to a group of new work practitioners (Jenkinson, 2009). However, supervising employees on a regular basis is very crucial at the mail-room because of the amount of work the employees do and how they put in their effort to avoid making errors. For example, the new employees at the office should be monitored constantly by our supervisors and also assist them by answering questions asked by the new employees. Punctuality is one of the mail-room policies and nonetheless employees always fail to abide by this policy. Being punctual to work has not only being a major problem among Park U mail-room employees but also Rockefeller University struggles with the same issue of punctuality among their work study employees. Punctuality is one of the key basic of knowing a strong worker and how dedicated he or she is to job. Many at times, we tussle with waking up in the morning and making decisions of whether or not to report to work and by the time we make this decision, we found our ourselves 15 minutes to work. One of our obligations as employees is to be punctual at work and to assist our customers with their needs of either mailing or receiving packages and also to ensure that we assist them to their satisfaction. As complained by the university, it is required of every employee to report to their respective work at least 5 minutes early prior to their time of work. Therefore, employees at the mail-room should abide the rules. As a conclusion, it has been proven that the mentioned issues in the beginning are very important and therefore should be taken seriously by the employees to avoid errors and further complaints by the University. As an employee, mail-room is known for its diligence and hard work among the employees. Each employee tends to provide students, staff and faculties the best services and however, they make sure that their needs are met. Thus, we should consider these issues we encounter in the office and make reformation as this would help prevent further complaints by either our supervisor or by the university.

How managers in international companies have been affected by recent, Essay

How managers in international companies have been affected by recent, radical changes in the economic situation - Essay Example Multinational companies in order to survive in the foreign market developed several strategies during the crisis situation. Multinational companies which operate in emerging economy of developing nations took certain steps in order to handle the situation. A drastic change in economic situation in a worldwide basis has created an impact on various business sectors around the countries. The boom in economy may result in growth and benefit in business and slump down of economy may lead to loss in business. When the economic situation is favourable, i.e. in low interest rate and in rising demand, there is a huge growth in economy (The Times 100, 2011). There were two current issues of economic crisis: one was financial crises and the other was related to production and employment. The financial crisis emerged from the US and it had an impact on almost all of the developed nations. The government performed the fiscal stimulus package to fill the gap of demand slowdown of public sector (W ray, 2009). Lehman Brothers Investment Bank had led to huge loss of several billions of dollars in the mortgage market of the US. The stock market of the US fell down due to collapse of Lehman Brothers and the banking shares were hardly hit. The failure of Lehman Brothers had adversely affected the stability of global financial system (BBC, 2008). The policy makers are failing to address the structural reforms as well as regulatory changes which are essential in order to make certain that a repeat of the crisis does not take place and international policy coordination is proving to be insufficient to the task. German, French along with British banks hold the debt of the bordering countries. By the end of 2011, it is predicted that there will be European banking crisis due to sovereign debt defaults (Carnegei Endowment, 2010). The economic along with financial crisis will be affecting the global business time-to-time. The US has been under the threat of pressure of economic downturn. The growth of the country has turned to be negative again from the end of 2010. The unemployment rate is also rising as 2 millions of American workers were laid off within six months (Global Europe Anticipation Bulletin, 2010). In this paper, various economic crises that had cropped up in the global market will be described by analysing the worldwide financial crises. The crises which have occurred in relation to economy and finance have greatly affected the multinational companies. The paper will also highlight different difficulties faced by managers while handling issues related to different people during financial crisis. 2.0 Impact of Economic Changes on Managers The financial crisis in the US from the period 2007 to 2010 had resulted in liquidity shortfall. It has led to ‘collapse of large financial institution’ and also ‘bailout of bank’ by means of national government along with downturn in the stock market worldwide. This crisis can be considered as one of the major economic crisis after the Great Depression which occurred in the year 1930. The managers associated with such organisations were in great hardship. The economic deficits had become a challenging factor for them. The economic downturn had also affected both developed multinational com

Food in the Pentateuch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Food in the Pentateuch - Essay Example It is difficult for us in a modern society with such variety of choices and convenience associated with our consumption of food to fully appreciate the day-to-day labor that was required just to get enough food to stay alive in these ancient societies. For many in ancient civilizations, hunger and starvation were only a drought or a poor harvest away. A lack of medicine for herds of animals meant the spread of disease meant flocks could be decimated in a short span of time. These precarious circumstances mad food an especially powerful subject to use symbolically. The recognition that God’s pleasure or displeasure could be measured by good or bad harvests links the earthly need for physical sustenance to the divine nature of God. In many ways, food is the perfect medium to use for symbolic teaching of great spiritual truths. From the very beginning of creation, food has been used as a symbol of the forbidden and the allowable, the sacred and the profane. The Garden of Eden, created for the first man and woman to inhabit was a place brimming with food and fruit of all sorts. Adam and Eve were invited by God to partake of any fruit they wished, save one. Adam in this sense is portrayed as a sort of farmer without labor. Fruit was produced spontaneously in the garden as a symbol of Gods immense goodness and his love for the creatures of the creation. The guidance given to the first man and woman were to live freely in the garden and to avoid only the fruit of the tree that would give Adam and Eve knowledge of good and bad. Without the partaking of this so-called forbidden fruit, Adam and Even would have dwelt eternally in a state of close association with God. However, their existence would have been one without growth and without true free will. They would have remained as obedient children, never underst anding the true nature of obedience or

Bank of America Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Bank of America - Case Study Example This paper analyzes the organizational and customer value situation of the bank with a view to making strategic proposals for improvement. The fact that BOA is a multinational corporation operating in several countries of the world gives them the upper hand over their competitors who have no global footprint. BOA’s global presence opens doors for unbounded opportunities for the bank to grow their revenues and profits(Degryse & Ongena, 2002). However, the global presence of the bank poses formidable challenges to the corporation. One of these challenges is to be found in the area of human resources. The bank must comply with the specific labor laws of every country where they operate. This is a daunting task with serious implications on the banks resources. Compliance with employment laws can be even more demanding where a country is divided into regions or states, and each has their labour laws(Degryse & Ongena, 2002). For example, each of the fifty or so states of the United States has their laws that govern employment. The bank must comply with the laws of all these states. Not doing so could result in legal suits that could cost the corporation a lot of money. Besides labor laws, the bank must comply with the taxation requirements of all the countries where they operate. Again, this is a demanding task that if not well managed could cost the corporation. Compared to two of their majorcompetitors, namely J.P. Morgan Chase Bank and Federal Credit Union (CFE), BOA is quite competitive. The main source of this competitive edge, though narrow, is the ban’s charges compared to what their rivals charge(Weinstein, Clasen, Lorenzo, & Roberson, 2014). For instance, with respect to a 48-month, car loan, BOA charges interest at the rate of 2.24% against Chase Bank’s 2.33% and CFE’s 3.35%. While this difference might appear marginally, it makes all the difference in a competitive environment with

Executive Briefing Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Executive Briefing Paper - Essay Example Mentorship is not new to Burberry, although its experience is largely external, philanthropic, and along the line of corporate social responsibility. Presently, the Company is a corporate sponsor of IntoUniversity, a charity organisation dedicated to educating the youth through mentoring. Through its local learning centres, some of Burberry’s employees and managers are already dedicating time and effort as volunteers mentors and e-mentors, to Britain’s poor but deserving ‘young people [who] are inspired to learn’ (IntoUniversity, 2010). In 2011 alone, Burberry associates volunteered 5,500 hours of mentoring. For one particular Burberry associate, more than 200 young students were mentored globally in programmes ranging from three months to three years (Burberry Annual Report 2011/12, p. 64). Recent studies have highlighted the use of internal mentoring, as a technique to improve performance and enhance competitiveness. It is believed that by adopting intern al mentoring, the firm will benefit competitively. II. Proposition This paper proposes that Burberry engage in internal mentoring throughout the organisation until the highest levels, in order to enhance its competitiveness. Mentoring is seen as a tool not only for implementing social development programs external to the firm, but is also perceived as an effective instrument in pursuing the company’s strategic goal of remaining competitive. The viability of mentoring in Burberry will be discussed. III. Theoretical background Mentoring is ‘an intense and complex relationship where the mentor plays the role of peer and parent’ and functions as ‘teacher, advisor, sponsor, and friend’ (Ehrich & Hansford, 1999, p.93). Academic literature states that mentoring improves individual behaviour and performance, particularly in the training and encouragement of the young. However, the impact of mentoring on firm behaviour and outcomes has not been established, p articularly in the highest policy levels. Offstein, Shah and Gnyawali (2011) propose a model whereby the board of directors (BOD) mentors the chief executive officer (CEO), for the purpose of improving the CEO’s ability and motivation to ‘competitively engage the firm’ (p. 75). In the diagram that follows, the mentoring role of the BOD is depicted in terms of sponsorship, protection, and coaching or counselling. By providing legitimacy, a proper sense of discretion and risk-taking, and knowledge and learning, the mentoring exercise is expected to lead towards a greater firm competitiveness. Competitive behaviour is defined by their magnitude and complexity. Source: Offstein, Shah and Gnyawali, 2011, p. 80 According to the theory by Offstein, et al. (2011), competitive actions are ‘purposefully directed, specific, and observable.’ The model adheres to the principle that companies that undertake bold and complex competitive actions benefit as a result, because such actions disturb the status quo and establish new rules by which the competitive stage is reset. According to Schumpeter (1934) in his seminal study, first mover advantage (i.e., the advantage of being the first firm to undertake an innovation that defines a new competitive environment) generates abnormally high profits, until such time as other firms catch up and themselves pursue innovative actions in an effort to overcome the market leader. From the executive levels, mentoring by CEO to his division heads, and from them to the

English - Walden by Henry David Thoreau Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English - Walden by Henry David Thoreau - Essay Example Thoreau died of tuberculosis on May 6, 1862 (Lenat, 2007). In an attempt to live life on his own terms and explore his philosophy of self-reliance, simple living and intellectual growth, Thoreau built a primitive cabin on the shore of Walden Pond, situated about a mile from Concord, and lived there from 1845 – 1847: a period of two years and two months. In 1854, Thoreau published ‘Walden,’ an account of his life during that time (Kifer, 2002). ‘Walden’ throbs with Thoreau’s impassioned love for Nature and his exhortation to follow a simple lifestyle, free from the bond of materialism. Walden is Thoreau’s spiritual quest for self-expression. Thoreau urges each man to achieve his full potential for self-expression and identification with God through the exploration of his individual self and shows that union with Nature is the surest path to this goal. Thoreau’s identification with Nature stems from his all-encompassing love for Nature, which is woven into every page of his narrative. To him, Nature is the fount of beauty, joy, companionship, freedom and health. He rises early to lose himself in the beauty of the dawn. Thoreau observes and delights in the minutest details of Nature: even the sound of berry-laden branches breaking off under their own weight. The wealth of detail he lavishes on his description of partridges, loons, owls, hawks, insects and fish and pond ice is characterized by a tenderness which chronicles and cherishes every minute aspect of Nature. A sparrow alighting on his shoulder is considered a badge of honor by him (Winter Animals, 7). His becoming a vegetarian is but a natural offshoot of this love, which leads him to treasure any life, animal or human, and consider this to be a mark of civilization. His keen observation of Nature enables him to make inferences of his visitors by interpreting the sig nificance of bended twigs and dropped flowers. Thoreau’s passionate embrace of Nature is seen in his hunger â€Å"to

Evaluate Porter's concept of the 'diamond' as a tool for analysing the Essay

Evaluate Porter's concept of the 'diamond' as a tool for analysing the competitive advantage of nations, assessing its the - Essay Example Nations have competed for resources or to establish their supremacy over others. Historical evidence for this can be traced to the age old rivalry of England and Scotland to the present day rivalry between USA and the Soviet Union in the cold war. However in the present context nations are fighting over the aspect of economic power which is the backbone for success to a nation. An economic might implies a strong nation with enough resources to sustain its population or to maintain a strong military power. The case of United States of America is a classic example in this regard. The nation has the unique status of being the sole economic and military superpower of the world. There have been numerous theories to suggest as to what may be the possible reasons for such supremacy. It has been widely stated that the prosperity of a nation is built and generated over a period of time rather than being acquired. Michel Porter (1990) also stated that the prosperity and success of a nation is not created by virtue of its physical resources which are a far critique from the laws of economics. Alternatively it has been argued that the competitive advantage and prosperity of a nation in the modern world depends on the ability of the nation to constantly develop and create new ideas which are distinct from the others (Porter, 1990, p.73). The case of Japan is a classic example in this regard, as it has emerged as one of the world’s mort prosperous and successful nations without having access to key resources. A deeper analysis into the success story of Japan reveals the innovativeness of its business organizations to deliver more value to the products. This value results in creating economic value and goodwill. Numerous examples of innovation can be traced to the nation including success story of organizations like Honda, Toyota and Sony which have created a competitive advantage and have carved a niche for themselves as well as the nation of their origin. Innovativen ess of the nation is also reflected from the fact that successful management techniques like Kaizen which have become the standards for present day business organizations (Ankli, n.d., p.233). The present study would analyse the competitive advantage of China in its pursuit of being and economic and military superpower. The choice of the nation assumes significance considering the fact that it is the fastest growing economy of the world. The growth of this nation has largely been attributed to the skill set of its large labour force which offers a supply of cheap labour. The nation has emerged as a hub for manufacturing with almost every major organization having its manufacturing facility in the nation. Another important aspect apart from the labour force is that of government policies. The liberalisation policy of the nation along with the unique application of the aspect of Special Economic Zones has transformed the nation into the fastest growing economy of the world having an a nnual GDP growth of approximately 8.7 percent as of 2009 which is being valued at approximately 4.814 trillion US dollars as of 2009 (US Department of State, 2010). The following sections would try to analyse the competitiveness of the nation on the basis of the Diamond model proposed by Porter as well as a comparative analysis with other

History 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History 1 - Essay Example He understood the weaknesses of Germany and came to the realization that conflicts within the European region were not possible anymore because all the superpowers would be engaged in a more large-scale conflict. Based on this assumption, Bismarck laid out the essential guiding principles of German policy. First, Bismarck argued that Germany should refrain from continuing its territorial expansion; rather, all the powerful nations excluding France should compete with one another for Germany’s alliance. Moreover, the conflict among these powerful nations would be massive enough to prevent them from collaborating against Germany. Second, Bismarck had a rational understanding of international relations and the importance of the balance of power. Third, he regarded it crucial to prevent the Russians from building an alliance with France which would consequently pressure and endanger the Reich on both sides. Initially, Bismarck focused on Germany’s alliance with Russia and A ustria. This alliance facilitated the realization of Bismarck’s foreign policy objectives: it effectively secluded France and gained the friendship of two European superpowers. He took advantage of alliances to control his allies. Bismarck believed that it was crucial for Germany to cut off a resentful France from European relations. Hence, he built an alliance with Austria-Hungary. Afterward, the Triple Alliance with Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Italy was formed. He also strived to sustain a diplomatic agreement with Russia so as to prevent an alliance between Russia and France that would pressure Germany to wage war against these two superpowers. Basically, the Triple Alliance was meant to keep France at bay. It declared that if France attacked Italy without any reasonable purpose, Austria-Hungary and Germany would help Italy. Accordingly, if France attacked Germany, Italy would help the latter. In summary, Bismarck’s major foreign policy goal was to strengthen and build up the Second Reich, and his foreign policy was therefore aimed against France. 2) However, in these chapters, as well as Chapter XVI, â€Å"Emperor William II†, he also revealed the difficulties he actually experienced in carrying out his policies, both within Germany at the highest levels, as well as in his diplomatic dealings with Russia. Which of the two did he imply posed the greater danger to the stability, safety, and survival of the Second Reich? The economic gains of subsequent years were able to conceal the major problems of the Second Reich, particularly after the rise of Wilhelm II to power. In his letters, Bismarck clearly revealed what he perceived are the real threats to the Second Reich: his diplomatic relations with Russia and his relationship with Germany’s monarchy. But he named the latter as a greater threat to the survival of the Second Reich. Wilhelm II did not have sufficient strategic and political skills. In foreign policy, Bismarck strug gled to help the young Reich develop in terms of diplomacy. Yet, his plan for the future of Germany was grander than sheer peace. His alliances with Russia and Austria not merely strengthened the Reich’s international influence, but also protected monarchies against the pressure of radical socialism. However, paradoxically, it was the growing influence of Germany’s social democracy that created the problems for the Second Reich.

Performance Measurement in a Post Merger Integration Process Essay

Performance Measurement in a Post Merger Integration Process - Essay Example The objective of any merger is to increase the value of the enterprise which means the there is always an objective that helps the company to come up with such a strategy to merger with another company. This is mostly seen as a long term strategy culminating from inside research in the market as there is not firm which would like to lose its identity in the market as a result of the merger. (ndrade 2001, p. 106; Ronald and Suzanne 2000, p. 5) In the recent past, there have been increasing interest on the issue of mergers. Many people have tried to look at the effect of those mergers in the face of looking who are the real winners and who are the real losers of merger. There have been many studies which have been looking closely into the issue of outcome of the mergers and acquisitions. The outcome of these two processes has been evaluated on many grounds from economic, communication, and other performance standards. (Caves 1999, p. 4; Lipin 2000, p.4) Once we realize that the objective of any merger is to increase the value of the enterprise in the market in order to create a formidable force the can compete effectively with others in the market, it will be easy for us to analyse then how does a merger affect the operation of each firms after they merge. This paper will concentrate on assessing the post merger effects on trust building performance and communication in the new enterprise. It will review various literature and findings that have come from many researches. (Ghosh 2001, p. 13) Outcome of mergers Many studies that have conducted research on mergers and acquisition have basically centred on some of the interesting characteristics of the mergers. They have been able to categorize the effect of merge on three broad classes. The first class consist of measureing performance after a merger based on share price. The second one has categories it on profitability while the class takes in many studied which have used other effect of merger success. (Paul 2002, p. 49) As we mentioned earlier the aim of any merger is to ensure that there is success of a business. This success should not only be measured in term of finical success but also in the degree of integration the two firms. In this regard cultural integration is one of the most important aspects that help the merger to succeed. Whether a merger can be considered a success based on the financial implication depends on many factors including the benchmark that is used to evaluate the merger. Many studies have concentrated on the share price of the firm pre and post merger as a measure of success in themes. This is often based on the confidence the investors will have on the merger. In this regard, the revenue of the firm is used as bench mark for evaluating the success of the firm since the dynamic trend in the share price of a firm will depend on the revenue collection of the firm. (Sitkin 1996, p. 17; Kaplan 2000, p. 243) Based on the financial performance of the mergers, studies that have been carried out shows that 82% of all mergers evaluated have shown success in the share price and economic performance. However it has also been shown that more that 50% of all mergers do not meet the expectations of the investors with majority of them failing to attain the objectives of the new merger. Once a merger is planned, there

King Claudius is one of the most interesting characters Essay Example for Free

King Claudius is one of the most interesting characters Essay King Claudius is one of the most interesting characters in William Shakespeares play, Hamlet. He is a man who is always preoccupied with maintaining his own power, rather than protecting his country, Denmark, from danger. Act IV is one of the most significant acts in Hamlet as it shows us how Claudius really thinks. In this act, we get a taste of Claudiuss malevolent taste and his obsession with power. Claudius is thus one of the more significant characters in this act, as this is where we see how his mind works and how he goes to extremes to regain his control over his people and the events that have recently occurred. One of the ways that Claudius maintains his power is by using other people to his own advantage, namely Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are two indistinguishable courtiers who obey the Claudiuss every command. Claudius also uses them as his own personal spies, which is another good example of how he uses them to his own advantage. Hamlet reflects upon this in one of the best quotes in the play that properly describe Rosencrantz and Guildenstern: Besides, to be demanded a sponge! that soaks up the kings countenance, his rewards, his authorities: when he needs what you have gleaned, it is but squeezing you, and, sponge, you shall be dry again. 1 In this quote, Hamlet describes Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as sponges. This is quite a good comparison since sponges soak up water and then are re-used once they are squeezed, while Rosencrantz and Guildenstern gather up vital information for the king and then are re-used once their information is shared with the king. Another example of how Claudius attempts to regain control over the affairs occurring in Denmark is when Polonius is murdered by Hamlet. When Claudius hears about the murder, he begins to think politically in the way that the murder might ruin his kingship. He realizes that to solve this issue without threatening his position would require much work and skill: We must, with all our majesty and skill, / Both countenance and excuse. 2 Claudius, realizing that Hamlets original intent was actually to murder him3, decides to send Hamlet immediately to England in hope that the English king would murder him under Claudiuss request. This can be considered as a good example of how Claudius is obsessed with maintaining his political power. Since Claudius is now aware of Hamlets vengeful state, sending Hamlet to England may be considered as a good way to keep Hamlet away from Claudius. Another good reason to why Claudius sends Hamlet to be murdered in England and not in Denmark is because of fear of losing his political power. If Claudius decides to kill Hamlet, both Gertrude and the people of Denmark will hate him as they both love Hamlet very much, and thus, his kingship will be at stake. Yet must not we put the strong law on him: Hes loved of the distracted multitude, Who like not in their judgment, but their eyes; And where tis so, the offenders scourge is weighd But never the offence. To bear all smooth and even, This sudden sending him away must seem Deliberate pause 4 Another example of how Claudius regains his control over the events occurring in this act is when Laertes returns demanding to know who had killed his father. Claudius does not tell Laertes the culprit in front of Gertrude, fearing that she would turn against him. Instead, he decides to tell Laertes behind her back. It is at this time that Claudius and Laertes are informed that pirates have returned Hamlet to Denmark, this gives Claudius a chance to strike a deal with Laertes: If Claudius lets Laertes kill Hamlet, then Laertes will be under Claudiuss command. This is a bigger advantage for Claudius as it gets rid of Hamlet without affecting his kingship, and it keeps Laertes under his command. My lord, I will be ruled: The rather, if you could devise it so That I might be the organ. 5 Claudius thinks up a foolproof plan to murder Hamlet. He suggests that a fencing match be held between Laertes and Hamlet, with the exception of a sharpened sword given to Laertes rather than a blunt sword. He also adds that if Hamlet were to win, Claudius would give him a poisoned drink as congratulations to his victory. And he calls for drink, Ill have prepared him A chalice for the nonce; wherepon but sipping, If he by chance escape your venomd stuck, Our purpose may hold here. 6. This particular scene is extremely significant as it shows the reader how truly malevolent Claudius is and how far he would go to maintain his power. Claudius is one of the most important characters in Hamlet. He is a character of true power and hatred, who would go to any extreme just to maintain his power and his kingship. His obsession with absolute power is greatly portrayed in Act IV of Hamlet, making it one of the most important and vivid acts in the play. 1 William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Toronto: Harcourt Brace Company Canada Ltd, 1988), IV.ii. 13, 16-16, 20-22. 2 William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Toronto: Harcourt Brace Company Canada Ltd, 1988), IV. i. 31-33. 3 William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Toronto: Harcourt Brace Company Canada Ltd, 1988), IV. i. 13 4 William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Toronto: Harcourt Brace Company Canada Ltd, 1988), IV. iii. 3-9. 5 William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Toronto: Harcourt Brace Company Canada Ltd, 1988), IV. vii. 69-71. 6 William Shakespeare, Hamlet (Toronto: Harcourt Brace Company Canada Ltd, 1988), IV. vii. 160-163.

Brief Description Of The Negative Service Encounter Marketing Essay

Brief Description Of The Negative Service Encounter Marketing Essay In recent times call centres play a vital role in the service chain. Further they are the first point of contact for the customers. This invariably means that performance management is of prime importance to organisations with special focus on customer satisfaction. If organisations are not successful in providing value to their consumers, there will a long term loss for the stakeholders and so it is vital to pay full attention to them and adopt strategies to improve upon the services provided. In this report the way organisations rationalise and manage customer satisfaction in a call centre setting is explored. Out of many things revealed it is crucial to note that current measures of performance are often counter-productive to reaching customer satisfaction. An attempt has been made to review customers purchasing, its after sale services and other related factors through which they feel satisfied and follow it up with recommendations to improve the same. Many call centres consider that operating procedures such as call extent are pointers of customer satisfaction Evidence indicates that they are not; they are only measures of proficiency, which in turn is seen as basis of commercial performance. Most call centres seem to miss the important link between employee satisfaction, service quality, customer satisfaction, and profitability. Formal Introduction: The Saudi Telecomminicaiton (STC) group offers mobile network, fixed land line and broadband communications facilities to more than millions of customers across the world. In the last few years, STC underwent a massive expansion plan across the world. Further, it formed a network of businesses and investments in a number of countries including Asia and Africa. Out of many international customers it has its presence in Kuwait, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, South Africa and Bahrain. Background: STC services are divided into three broad categories: Jawal (mobile network), Kitaf (landline  network), and  Internet services. Call centres are changing the way companies communicate with customers and are a strategic asset in delivering exceptional service quality. Companies that focus on customer loyalty are increasingly using their centres to differentiate their product or service offering and drive customer satisfaction. (Miciak et al, 2001) STC  is the only provider for telephone lines in  Saudi Arabia. For this reason customers have to pay two fees, one to  STC  for activation of the  ADSL  service across the telephone line, and a second to an  ISP  to provide Internet service across the  ADSL  line.  STC  has been highly criticized for their service in providing  ADSL  access as customers had to wait many months to receive ADSL service on their phone lines. Out of the many reasons considered for their service being unpopular the major reasons are the excessively expensive prices and unable low-quality service. In few countries its services have been refused due to lack of experience, unprofessional staff, and outdated usage of equipment. Module 4: It is important to have an extraordinary customer service to materialise a deal. When customers are not made to feel important, welcomed or wanted they would not prefer to invest their time and money into a product. This requires a good knoweldge of correct forms of customer service and detail knoweldge of service marketing. It seems as though the lack of good customer service in the telecommunications industry is leading to people withdrawing from purchases and contracts.  Ã‚  The youth are more likely to leave their service providers behind, compared to older customers who are more set in their service provider ways.  However with the upsurge of social media and improved consumer awareness, the cost of customer frustration is sizeable. Parameters to judge the customer satisfaction in the above case. The figure clearly depicts the customer expectation in terms of service offerings. It shows the parameters on which the customer bases the services and these are the major fail points where the organisations is not able to stand up to the customers expectations. The lesson is clear. In order to turn first time customers into repeat customers and repeat customers into lifetime customers, you need to ensure every call is handled efficiently and politely. You need to be different-and better-than the average contact center today. Brief description of the negative service encounter While recalling the service of STC it is disappointing to state that the waiting time was over the phone was too long and at times the maintenance problem would take more than 24 hours to resolve. The complaints used to pass through a long hierarchy. Travellers used to suffer a lot due to bad connectivity and most of the time the connectivity used to be very weak. No satisfactory explanation was provided of new services when a customer gives a call, instead he is directed to check it online. Module 5: Customer service is perceived as most important, even more important than product value while deciding on customer loyalty and behaviour while making a purchase. Customer service is, indeed, more important than perceived product value in predicting customer loyalty, the amount of money spent in the visit and the range of products purchased (Leung,2006). In this case the price of the services was not declared properly and many times the bill used to have many hidden charges. The invoice that used to come at the end of the month was far beyond the actual usage. The value of a product reflects the owner(s)/buyer(s) desire to retain or obtain a product. An individuals level of desire to retain or obtain a product depends on how much the product details and/or its performance agree with the value system of the individual (Neap, 1999) However the customers were quite annoyed since the service did not match its value outcome. Module 6: An IMC strategy comprises carefully merging and synchronizing the various fundamentals and tools of the communications mix to convey a clear and reliable message. (Hoffman et al, 2010, pp.169) In this case the organisation promised too much than they could deliver and and raised the expectations to unrealistic level. It should improve upon its communication pattern, which can be done through Module 7: An organisations exterior appearance, interior design and othe tangibles objects create a compendium that surrounds the service. (Hoffman et al, 2010, pp.201) The service scapes directly influence the organisms behaviour. Remote, self-service, the service settings ambience, overall expectations and emotional and mental state to moderators and environment are the major factors of it. However there was total neglect of sensory cues in this case. The organisation had not changed its interior and exterior design since last many years and the furniture and fittings looked very old and out-dated. Even the entrance gate was cluttered and the main board was rusted and not even painted properly. Module 8 The boundary spanning personnel are also the organisations personal representatives. They accumulate material from the surrounding and transfer it back into the organisation, and they also communicate with the environment on behalf of the organisation. ((Hoffman et al, 2010, pp.232) Role, client and interclient conflicts are the main sources of struggle. A service organisation must satisfy its workforces in order for customer satisfaction to become a unfailing reality and the venture made in this will surely pay off. The contingencies which managers should rate to their service organisations depends on the its business strategy, technology, its tie with the customers, the environment of the business and the type of leadership. The main characteristics of service leader are that they lead by example and inspire their service employees to deliver high levels of customer service. Service leaders are enthusiastic about doing the service right the first time. They value the goal of zero deficiencies, motivated continually to improve the consistency of service. (Zeithmal et al, 1990, pp.15) Module 9: The service encounter was not satisfactory in the above case due to the hindrance by the consumers in the exchange process. They were not effectively managed because the relationships were unhealthy due to long waits and dissatisfaction in compliant solving. Eight principles of waiting are given to minimize the customers frustrations related to long waits. A customers degree of satisfaction with waiting or with the service received in its whole is reliant on on the actual performance of the delivery system, the customers anticipations regarding that performance and the customers sensitivity of the service encounter.  (Mark M. Davis, Janelle Heineke, pp.21 34, 1994) The ultimate way to handle difficult customers as stated by Peppers Rogers is through exceptionality. Every relationship is different. The organisation must be prepared to participate in different exchanges, remember different accounts and engage in different behaviours towards different customers. (Peppers D Rogers M., Managing Customer Relationships: A Strategic Framework, pp.56, 2004) Recommendations: For delivering customer service it is increasingly important to focus on Call Centre performance. The performance should not be judged in isolation from the whole organisation. It is vital to note that they are not disconnected procedures with an unsociable mission of bringing down costs. They form a fundamental part in delivering of services and contribute to the value chain. Therefore, the performance measures of call centres need to reflect the strategic direction of the entire organisation. A more balanced approach to measuring performance based on strategic objectives is valuable, especially if visual representations of service delivery and value creation are used. This facilitates easy communication of overall performance and puts productivity aims in consideration. Best practice seems to lead and the following areas of performance as well as their consumer satisfaction increases when companies meet four key needs: proficiency, suitability, positive commitment and customization.   The following measures help to track quality of call centre service. (Feinberg et al, 2000) At the outset by reducing the average speed of answer, followed by the time caller is in the line for answer. Subsequently the percentage of callers or abandoned the call prior to answer should be analysed. Further the average work time after call needs to be speeded. The service for customers who receive call block message may also be improved. Lastly the organisation needs to develop a professional attitude in its functioning and make the customers feel appreciated.

Office Grapevine Causes and Effects

Office Grapevine Causes and Effects A RESEARCH PAPER ON  OFFICE GRAPEVINE: AN INEVITABLE ASPECT OF AN ORGANIZATION Abstract: To hear something through the grapevine is to learn of something informally and unofficially by means of gossip and rumor. It is defined as â€Å"The informal transmission of information, gossip, or rumor from person to person or usually unrevealed source of confidential information.† Grapevine or gossip is unavoidable in the corporate environment. As employees jostle to reach the priced top spot, jealousy, now coupled with social networking, sparks off gossip. Grapevine arises from social communications, so it can be as fickle, mischievous, and dynamic and varied as people. Left to itself, a grapevine can inflict as much damage as a raging fire. The prudent manager’s skill lies in utilizing the office grapevine in a positive way so as to benefit the company he works for. The present article throws light on the nature of office grapevine, its causes effects. It also tries to explain the greener side of the office grapevine that is it can be considered up to some extent as healthy one can utilize it for the betterment of the company. Key words: Office grapevine, rumor, gossiping, managerial communication Introduction: Grapevine communication originated at the moment humans learned how to speak.   Grapevine communication in the office is the unofficial way of communication where the information usually spreads through rumors or gossip. It is not a communication in the actual sense but on the contrary, is a barrier to communication. We can say that it is the very nature of human being to talk about others. People working in any organization share their feelings, grievances, emotions with their colleagues. Through this, they get social personal satisfaction; which in turn increases job satisfaction. Thus, it is the inevitable part of the office communication. In the words of Keith Davis, â€Å"Grapevine is basically a channel of horizontal communication, for its only people working at the same level of hierarchy who can informally communicate with one another with perfect ease. It means gossip, usually gossip that spreads and covers a lot of ground (a lot of people), much like vines do. Further, we can say that competition is the root cause for this grapevine sort of communica tion. And the present age is full of competition where everyone wants to prove he/she the best. But not all the persons adopt the genuine way of achieving their aims. Some people engage themselves in the unfair practices like they may spread baseless rumors about the persons they envy thus prove the major hindrance in other’s path of success. If the office grapevine takes such a negative turn, it is certainly detrimental for the very existence of that concern. Grapevine communication is the informal communication network within an organization. The grapevine is used to spread information bypassing the formal communication structure. Just like the grapevine plant: it spreads in random ways and it goes where it can. The grapevine is formed by the individuals and groups in an organization. The people in the groups have something in common that links them together. A person can belong to one or more groups. Companies should not ignore the grapevine, be indifferent to it or try it kill it. Leaders should proactively communicate and inject as much authentic information into the system as they can. Regular interactions with employees are the best way to understand gossip and politics, and one must be prepared for this. Research Objectives: The main objectives for this research are To know the causes effects of the office grapevine. To know the importance of office grapevine. To find out the ways to overcome the adverse effects of the office grapevine. Scope of the study: The scope of the present study is limited to the understanding of the concept of office grapevine, its importance, its causes effects to the remedies to wash away its negative impacts. However, there cannot be fixed solutions to eradicate office grapevine. It may differ from concern to concern. There may be various factors responsible for office grapevine to happen. Research Methodology: The present study is a genuine attempt to find out the ways for transforming the negative effects of the office grapevine into the positive ones. Data collection: The investigation conducted is through desk research and purely based on secondary data available on World Wide Web. Research Findings: Features: Very speedy type of communication. It has benefits and backfires as well. No channel of communication is there as in the case of formal communication. It is a mix of reality and rumor, about 80% information flows through grapevine. Importance: The grapevine is useful as a supplement to formal channels of communication. It often travels more quickly than other channels and is usually more direct. The grapevine is present within all levels of staff. It exists because of a natural desire to know things and brings a sense of belonging to employees and managerial staff alike. It can create corporate identity and build teamwork. Although the grapevine can wreak havoc with misinformation, it can also be beneficial. In most cases, grapevine information holds at least a kernel of truth. Information from upper management that flows through the grapevine to lower-level employees can allow them to see, and possibly relate to, the struggles that management is facing. When employees have a sense (even if it is not entirely accurate) of these challenges, they can rise up and make suggestions or work to improve a situation of which they might not otherwise have been aware. Also, if trouble is on the horizon (according to the grapevine), it can give employees a chance to make plans and temper their reactions when the news is formally communicated to them. Types of Grapevine: Within the organization communication chains exist. The chain used by formal communication may be very rigid, following the chain of command or authority. However, the chain used by the grapevine tends to be very flexible. Four different chains/structures appear to dominate the grapevine network according to Keith Davis are: The Single Strand Chain: This is a simple concept to follow, A tells B, who tells C, who tells D and so on. Each person passes the information on to the next person. The longer the strand the more distortion and filtering affects the information being passed until the last person in the chain may find the information unrecognizable from the original message. Most inaccuracies occur in this chain. The Gossip Chain: In this illustration A simply tells everyone with whom they come in contact. This pattern is considered to be somewhat slow in moving the information. The Probability Chain: In this case A makes random contact with say F and C and passes on the information. They in turn randomly contact others in accordance with laws of probability. Some hear the information and some dont. In this structure, there is no definite pattern of communication. Information is randomly passed along to anyone willing to listen. They type of person who communicates in this manner might be a very outgoing and talkative type of individual. The Cluster Chain: Here A tells contacts, B and F, who may work with A. They may tell two or three other persons with whom they usually have close contact. Most predominant pattern is the cluster pattern. Selectivity is the basis for this pattern. In any organization, individuals will generally feel more comfortable with some fellow employees than with others and therefore only relay information to those in their informal social groups. This flow pattern results in information missing some individuals completely. Advantages: It’s fast in spreading the information Both men and women actively participate in passing information It builds relationship between people. Disadvantages: Grapevine communication has the potential to spread unnecessary gossip. It’s dangerous to the health of an organization if allowed to grow without monitoring. May result in character assassination and personal vilification of individuals. May provoke sudden unwanted and unexpected reactions from emotionally unstable people. Grapevine channel can be moderated but not eliminated. Causes for grapevine communication to occur: The grapevine consists basically of rumors and gossip and travels from person to person during breaks, lunch and in after-work gatherings. It can bypass security because of its ability to cross over organizational lines. The grapevine functions best in situations where formal communication is poor, yet it is a natural part of human behavior. This information channel increases in times of stress or uncertainty, and from the lack of formal news coming directly from the upper management of the company. Effects: The grapevine allows feelings to be expressed instead of bottled up. People need to talk about what is affecting them, and the grapevine allows this kind of expression. Employees and staff can communicate important topics using their own language, instead of the technical jargon used in formal communication channels. If managers can tap into the grapevine, they can learn a substantial amount about the issues and problems of their employees. It is a solid indicator of health, morale and productivity in the company. Warning of the grapevine communication: A large percentage of communication that travels the grapevine is true; however, it is difficult for one to discern fact from fiction through the grapevine. Management must effectively monitor the grapevine and jump in to correct inaccuracies or falsehoods. The grapevine is unstable and unreliable; it can fuel anxiety, conflict and misunderstanding in small or large group situations. Recommendations: Since grapevine activity increases during times of uncertainty, management must provide information through formal system of communication about key issues events that affect employees. Management should supply employees with steady flow of accurate, timely information; so to minimize the potential damage caused by the grapevine. The grapevine can be controlled with prompt, clear accurate information on the issues important to the employees. Direct memos, large group announcements intercom systems should be used. A company can appoint expert persons in the HR Department to listen to the grievances of the employees on prompt basis before the rumor mill gets momentum. The top management should try to gather all the possible information or rather facts regarding the rumors. If there is an external rumor, it is generally left to journalists, reporters or media. At such situations, the company should prepare a formal response depending upon the situation. While implementing any new plan or system within the organization, the management may leak the information about it to the key communicators in the company. Through this, the upper body can get to know how a new idea will be received; whether it will be welcomed or rejected strongly. If the feedback is positive, the management can go with their plan for implementation but if it is negative, the plan can be rethought pinpointed the problem areas. Conclusion: Dealing effectively with the grapevine is a challenge that will always be a part of a manager’s job. Those who are able to understand the power of the grapevine will be better prepared to utilize it to provide stability credibility in the work environment. Thus, office grapevine is a part parcel of any organization. The only thing is the skill of a manager who utilizes this informal type of communication for achieving the organizational goals. References: [1.] Fell Tim, ‘The Grapevine’; Vide Arts Group (2000) [2.] The Research Paper ‘I heard it through the grapevine’ by Peter Cook. [3.] www.wikipedia.org [4.] www.smallbusiness.chron.com [5.] www.articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com [6.] www.analytictech.com [7.] www.theofficegrapevine.co [8.] http://www.cuttingedgepr.com

Aristotle Essay -- Happiness Virtue

Aristotle believes that happiness is the ultimate goal in life. You can’t reach happiness unless you work hard and become successful. That is where virtue comes into play. A human’s function is to engage in â€Å"an activity of the soul which is in accordance with virtue† and which â€Å"is in conformity with reason† (page 76, Palmer). The two kinds of virtue are intellectual and moral. Our virtues are what make us all individual and all different. Intellectual virtues are what we are born with and what we learn. It is our nature as humans and what we have inherited that makes desire to learn. As humans, we develop wisdom to help guide us to a good life. With the intellectual virtue you develop two different kinds of wisdom: practical and philosophical. Practical wisdom is your rational actions. The highest virtue is philosophical wisdom, which is scientific, disinterested, and contemplative. Moral virtues are what we learn from imitation, practice and our habits we developed. Moral virtues are what we have learned from our society. â€Å"Neither by nature, then, nor contrary to nature do the virtues arise in us; rather we are adapted by nature to receive them, and are made perfect by habit† (page 223, Mayfield). This quote is explaining how you need both the intellectual virtue (nature) and the moral virtue (habit). The soul is made up of three things: passions, faculties, and states of character. Since virtue is in our soul one of the three must be it. Passions are uncontrolled feelings ...

Creon - The Tragic Hero in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Creon -  The Tragic Hero in Antigone There is still a great debate on who is, in fact, the tragic hero in Sophocles’ Antigone. Many hold that it must be Antigone, herself; after all, the play does bear her name. But in actuality, Creon, not Antigone, is the tragic hero. In order to determine whether or not Creon is the tragic hero, one will first have to answer the question, â€Å"What is a tragic hero?† Aristotle, when discussing the nature of such a hero in his theory of drama, states that such a hero is neither purely innocent nor purely evil. This person is usually born high in the ranks of society and must also possess a tragic flaw, which originates from within and usually manifests itself through poor judgment and/or extreme arrogance. The tragic flaw also dooms the character to a ruinous end. Creon, as king of Thebes, is at the top of the social ladder. He thus already meets one of Aristotle’s chief criteria. Yet, not only is he king, he is also human and possesses frailties which qualify him to make serious mistakes and he possesses talents which allow him also to excel. Hence, Creon is neither overly good nor bad. It is also written that the tragic hero’s actions may determine the fates of one or more characters within the tragedy. Appropriately, Creon’s station as king place shim in a position of great power, influence and responsibility. The extent of this power was quite evident when he sentenced Antigone to death for disobeying his proclamation. Now we come to what, if anything, is the single most important component of being a tragic hero. Here we have the tragic flaw. Creon’s tragic flaw was his hubris or his pride and arrogance in the face of divine powers. His downfall began when he denied the basic divine right of burial to Polyneices and was cemented when he condemned Antigone for her opposition to his law. When one closely examines Antigone’s reasons for burying her brother, it becomes clear that she was simply demonstrating her love, honor, and loyalty to her family. Creon - The Tragic Hero in Sophocles' Antigone :: Antigone essays Creon -  The Tragic Hero in Antigone There is still a great debate on who is, in fact, the tragic hero in Sophocles’ Antigone. Many hold that it must be Antigone, herself; after all, the play does bear her name. But in actuality, Creon, not Antigone, is the tragic hero. In order to determine whether or not Creon is the tragic hero, one will first have to answer the question, â€Å"What is a tragic hero?† Aristotle, when discussing the nature of such a hero in his theory of drama, states that such a hero is neither purely innocent nor purely evil. This person is usually born high in the ranks of society and must also possess a tragic flaw, which originates from within and usually manifests itself through poor judgment and/or extreme arrogance. The tragic flaw also dooms the character to a ruinous end. Creon, as king of Thebes, is at the top of the social ladder. He thus already meets one of Aristotle’s chief criteria. Yet, not only is he king, he is also human and possesses frailties which qualify him to make serious mistakes and he possesses talents which allow him also to excel. Hence, Creon is neither overly good nor bad. It is also written that the tragic hero’s actions may determine the fates of one or more characters within the tragedy. Appropriately, Creon’s station as king place shim in a position of great power, influence and responsibility. The extent of this power was quite evident when he sentenced Antigone to death for disobeying his proclamation. Now we come to what, if anything, is the single most important component of being a tragic hero. Here we have the tragic flaw. Creon’s tragic flaw was his hubris or his pride and arrogance in the face of divine powers. His downfall began when he denied the basic divine right of burial to Polyneices and was cemented when he condemned Antigone for her opposition to his law. When one closely examines Antigone’s reasons for burying her brother, it becomes clear that she was simply demonstrating her love, honor, and loyalty to her family.

Feminism and Equal Rights Essay -- Opportunities, Organized Activity, W

Feminism is the belief in equal rights and opportunities, in organized activity, in support of women’s rights and interests, and also in the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes (Merriam-Webster). Typically, the word â€Å"feminism† has a negative connotation associated with it and feminists are stereotyped as closed minded, man hating, ugly, and whiny, among many other things. However, these stereotypes are much exaggerated and while they may be true of some feminists, most are normal women who could not be picked out from a crowd. Modern day feminists are following in the footsteps of their ancestors who starting in the late 1800’s have participated in three major feminist movements (Stockton). The first of these movements occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The goal of the first wave was to open more opportunity doors for women with a main focus on suffrage. The wave officially began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 (Stockton). Here, over 300 men and women rallied for the equality of women (Ruether). In its early stages, feminism was often related to temperance and abolitionist movements. This first wave of feminism movements if often referred to as the â€Å"Suffrage Movement† (Gender Press). This movement helped give voice to many early stage feminist advocates who are famous today, some of which include Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony. These women fought for the right to vote, a privilege that was reserved for men (Stockton). This movement transformed into something much larger when the National Women’s Rights Convention was formed a few years later. This movement led to the 19th Amendment being passed in 1920. The 19th Amendment outlawed gender- biased vot... ...//genderpressing.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/feminism-the-first-wave-2/>. 9. "." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. . 10. "The History of Second Wave Feminism." Suite. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. . 11. "Third Wave Foundation." Third Wave Foundation History Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. . 12. "A Manifesto for Third Wave Feminism." Alternet. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2014. . 13. Duca, Lauren. "A Definitive Guide To Celebrity Feminism In 2013." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 Dec. 2013. Web. 15 May 2014. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/22/celebrity-feminisn_n_4476120.html.

70-640 Lesson 11

Lesson 11 Active Directory Maintenance, Troubleshooting, and Disaster Recovery Knowledge Assessment Matching a. authoritative restoref. LDP b. checkpoint fileg. system volume c. Directory Services Restore Modeh. tombstone d. fragmentationi. transaction buffer e. garbage collectionj. Windows PowerShell __h__ 1. This object is created when an object is deleted within Active Directory. __i__ 2. Active Directory changes are written here before they are committed to disk. __j__ 3. This is a new advanced command-line and scripting interface included in Windows Server 2008. __g__ 4.This volume houses the boot files for a Windows Server 2008 computer. __e__ 5. This describes the process of removing tombstoned objects from the NTDS. DIT file. __a__ 6. You will need to perform this operation if you have inadvertently deleted one or more Active Directory objects. __f__ 7. This is a graphical user interface that will allow you to query Active Directory as part of the troubleshooting process. __b __ 8. This is used as a reference file in case the Active Directory database needs to be recovered from a system failure to ensure that no transactions are lost. _c__ 9. To perform many Active Directory maintenance operations, you will need to restart your domain controller in this startup mode. __d__ 10. This can decrease database performance because updates are made to the Active Directory over time. Multiple Choice 1. Which of the following backup types can be initiated by a member of the local Administrators group or a member of the local Backup Operators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer? a. Manual backup b. Scheduled backup c. Full backup d. Differential backupA manual backup can be rescheduled by a local administrator or member of the local Backup Operators group. Scheduled backups can only be created by members of the local Administrators group. 2. The NTDS. DIT file is based on which database technology? a. Structured Query Language (SQL) b. Oracle c. Extensible Stora ge Engine (ESE) d. My*SQL The NTDS. DIT file is based on the Extensible Storage Engine (ESE) data storage format, not Microsoft SQL as some people believe. 3. Which of the following commands can be used to configure Active Directory permissions from the command line? . LDP b. Dsacls c. Dcdiag d. ADSI Edit The dsacls. exe command-line utility can be used to list and modify Active Directory permissions for a particular object or container. 4. What runs automatically on a domain controller every 12 hours by default during the garbage collection process? a. Offline defragmentation b. Authoritative restore c. Nonauthoritative restore d. Online defragmentation Online defragmentation on an Active Directory domain controller is also known as the garbage collection process. 5.Which tool can you use to force a domain controller to start in Directory Services Restore Mode on its next reboot? a. cmd. exe b. bootmgr. exe c. bcdedit. exe d. dcpromo. exe Apart from pressing F8 during the system bo ot, you can configure a Windows Server 2008 computer to automatically boot into Directory Services Restore Mode by using the bcdedit. exe command-line utility before rebooting the server. 6. Which operation requires the Active Directory Domain Service to be taken offline? a. Offline defragmentation b. Online defragmentation c. Garbage Collection d. Transaction BufferingOf the operations listed, only an offline defragmentation requires you to take the Active Directory database offline, whether through rebooting into DSRM or by using the new restartable Active Directory feature. 7. Which of the following backup types can be initiated only by a member of the local Administrators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer? a. Manual backup b. Scheduled backup c. Full backup d. Differential backup Unlike manual backups, scheduled backups can only be created by members of the local Administrators group on a Windows Server 2008 computer. 8.Which backup type will empty the Application log on t he server that is being backed up? a. Copy backup b. Differential backup c. Normal backup d. VSS full backup VSS full backup will update each file’s backup history and clear the Application Log files. 9. Which of the following volumes hosts the Windows operating system? a. Boot volume b. Shared volume c. System volume d. Host volume The boot volume holds the Windows operating system and the Registry. 10. When performing an authoritative restore of a user object that belongs to multiple Active Directory groups, what is restored by the LDF file that is generated by Ntdsutil? . Optional attributes b. Mandatory attributes c. Back-links d. Security Identifier (SID) In a multi-domain environment, back-links need to be manually re-created after an authoritative restore by using the LDIF files generated automatically by ntdsutil. CASE SCENARIOS Scenario 11-1: Consulting for Margie’s Travel You are a computer consultant for Margie Shoop, the owner of Margie’s Travel. Mar gie has a single Active Directory domain structure with the domain margiestravel. com. Margie has travel agencies worldwide, at 50 locations in 7 countries. All locations are connected to a satellite array.Margie has signed a 10-year contract to provide satellite access to her 50 locations. Connectivity to the satellite array varies from 57 Kbps to 128 Kbps. Although her locations vary greatly in the number of computer and user accounts, each location with more than 15 users has its own domain controller, global catalog server, and DNS server, all typically configured on the same computer. The margiestravel. com Active Directory infrastructure has nine sites. Given this information about Margie’s Travel, answer the following questions: 1. You discuss performance monitoring with Margie.During your conversation, you learn no one has ever used Replication and Performance Monitor to check the performance of her domain controllers. Margie wants to know why anyone would even bother . What do you say to her? Replication and Performance Monitor is used to provide one-time and ongoing reports of Active Directory performance counters, which can be used to proactively monitor Active Directory for potential hardware and software issues that might impact client authentication. 2. Margie tells you that some of her domain controllers have multiple hard disks. She tells you that the additional physical hard disks are not being used.She wants to know if they can be used to improve the performance of Active Directory. What would you tell her? The Active Directory database and log files can be moved to different hard disks within a server to improve performance. 3. Margie sends you to Cairo, Egypt, to troubleshoot a few domain controllers in her Egypt location. You find some event messages concerning replication events, but you would like to see more detailed information than the data in the log now. What can you do? Modify the debugging levels in the Registry to increase the number of events that are logged to the Event Viewer.

The Nature and Forms of Commercial Organization

CHAPTER 5 The Nature and forms of Commercial Organizations Commercial organizations may be classified into three (3) general classifications: 1. Private individual ownership 2. Public or government ownership 3. Mixed or both government and private ownership 1. Private Individuals Ownership Any form of business ownership may be organized and would have certain advantages and disadvantages which the business organizer must have to evaluate. According to Martinez, Abasolo, and Carlos, the following are the questions to be considered in deciding the form of business: 1.Is it simple or difficult to form? 2. Is capital easy to rise? 3. What are the risks and the liabilities of the owners? 4. Who holds the authority and responsibility for the management and administration of the business? 5. What stability does the form offer? 6. Is it flexible? 7. What the legal status of this form is as applied to the particular business in mind? 8. What is the extent of government control? 9. What is the tax advantage of this form of organization? 10. Is the business environment favorable?Private commercial organizations or business enterprises may take the following forms of ownership: * Individual or Sole Proprietorship It is a business owned by one person. This form of ownership is small, requires but little amount of capital, and is readily established under the control of one person. It refers to an individual who owns, manages, assumes all the risks, and derives all the products or profits from a business. Advantages of Sole Proprietorship * Easiest to establish. * Easiest to terminate. * Small amount of capital is required in starting a business. Presence of personal element in managing the business. * Freedom and immediate action and control in operating the business. * Ownership of all profits. * Tax savings. * Minimum legal requirements. * High credit standing. * Business secrecy. Disadvantages of Sole Proprietorship * Limited amount of capital. * Lack of continuity. * Li mited judgment and wisdom. * Unlimited liability. * Difficulty of management. * Limitation in business size. * Limited opportunities of employees for promotion. * Difficulties in managing the day-to-day business operations. Creating a Sole ProprietorshipNo special legal procedures, permits, or licenses are required. A sole proprietorship is not limited in size by either the amount of inputs which can be used or the amount of products produced. The business can be any number of employees, additional management may be hired, and property may even be co-owned with others. Income Taxes The owner of this business pays income taxes on any business profit at the tax rates in effect for individual or joint returns. Business profits and capital gains are added to other taxable income earned to determine the individual total taxable income. Partnership A partnership is a form of business in which two or more people operate for the common goal of making profit. Each partner has total and unlim ited person liability of the debts incurred by the partnership. It is a voluntary association of two (2) or more persons to carry on, as co-owners of a business for profit. Basic Characteristics of Partnership 1. Profit and Loss: The sharing of the business profit and loss. 2. Property y or Assets: Shared control of property. 3. Management: Shared management of the business. General legal agreement of partners: 1.Each person involved participates in management decisions. 2. Assets are owned jointly. 3. Sharing of profits and loss. 4. The parties (business) operate under one name. 5. The parties have joint bank account for doing business transactions. 6. The parties keep a single set of business records. Types of Partnership 1. Ordinary or General Partnership 2. Limited Partnership Creating a Partnership Partnership can be created oral or written agreement. Oral agreement tends to have more problems than written partnership agreements. The written agreement should cover at least the following points: . Management. Who is responsible for which management decisions and how will they be made? 2. Property ownership and Contribution. It is the list the property each partner will contribute to the partnership and describe how it will be owned. Property may be owned by a partnership, or the partners may retain ownership of their individual property and rent it to the partnership. When the partnership itself owns property, any partner may sell or dispose of any asset without the consent and permission of the other partners. 3. Share of Profits and Losses.The method for calculating profits and losses and the share going to each partner should be carefully describe, particularly if there is an unequal division. Profits are generally divided in proportion to the value of the assets, labor and management contributed to the business. 4. Records. Records are important for the division of profits and for maintaining an inventory of assets and their ownership. 5. Taxation. The agreement should contain a detailed account of the tax basis of property owned and controlled by the partnership and copies of the partnership information tax returns. 6. Termination.The agreement should contain the date the partnership will be terminated if one is known or can determined. A partnership can be terminated in a number of ways: * It may specify a termination date * If no duration is fixed by the agreement any partner may terminate the partnership at will. * If not, a partnership will terminate upon the incapacitation or death of a partner, bankruptcy, or by mutual agreement between the partners. * Termination upon the death of a partner can be prevented by placing provisions in the written agreement that allow the deceased partner’s share to pass to the estate and hence to the legal heirs. . Dissolution. The termination of the partnership on either a voluntary or involuntary basis requires a division of partnership assets. The method for making this division sh ould be described to prevent disagreements and unfair division. Terminating a Partnership 1. Agreement. Between the partners or by operation of law. Usually termination under agreement comes to an end when the duration term or business is finished. 2. At Will. If no duration is fixe by the agreement, any partner may terminate the partnership at will. 3. Operation of Law.Dissolution by operation of law occurs in the event of death, bankruptcy, or incapacity of any partner. Advantages of Partnership * It could be as easily established as the sole proprietorship. * It has definite legal status. * There are more persons to manage the business and to solve its problems. * There is larger amount of capital. * Retention of valuable employees is ensured. * The combine abilities, skills, and resources of partners are great source of strength. Disadvantages of Partnership * Unlimited liability of the partners; * Managerial difficulties; Inevitable disagreement among partners may endanger the business firm; * Limitation in size; * Frozen investment; * Lack of continuity; and, * Easy dissolution. Advantages of Limited Partnership * There is a single direction of management; hence there is unity and immediate action taken upon. * The limited liability of limited partners, shall serve as good enticement of inventors resulting in larger amount of capital to expand business operations. Disadvantages of Limited Partnership * The unlimited powers entrusted to general partners maybe abused.The limited partners cannot interfere in the administration of the business firm even if there is mismanagement. Only when fraud exists or when there are clear violations of the firm agreement, can the limited partners seek for remedial or legal action. * There is a great possibility of connivance among the general partners to commit fraud against the creditors and the limited partners. * Corporations A corporation is an artificial being created by operation of law, having the rights of succes sion and the powers, attributes, and properties expressly, authorized by law or incident to its existence.Different Classification of Corporations 1. Public or Private * Public Corporations are those formed or organized for the government of a portion of the state. The objective of a public corporation is the general good or welfare. * Private Corporations are those formed for some private purpose, benefit, aim or objective, or profit. 2. Division of Private Corporations: * Stock Corporations are those who capital stocks are divided into shares and a shareholder is issued a certificate of stock which would entitle him to certain portion of the projects or dividends. Non-stock Corporations are those that do not issue shares of stock to members such as religious, civil, or charitable organizations. Other kinds of corporations may be grouped into: 1. Quasi Corporations. There are business firm that are not absolutely corporations but are considered as if they are corporations. Public b oards created by laws may fall under this classification. 2. Quasi-public Corporations. This one is engaged in rendering basic services of such public importance as to entitle it to certain privilege like eminent domain or use of public property. 3.Government-owned or controlled Corporations. Are those established by government or corporations of whom the government is the majority stockholder. 4. Dejure and de facto Corporations. * De facto corporation is used to designate associations exercising corporate powers under color of a more or less legal organization. * Dejure Corporation is one created in strict or substantial conformity with the statutory requirements for incorporation; and whose right to exist as a corporation cannot be successfully attack even in a direct proceeding for that purpose by state. . Domestic and Foreign Corporations. * Domestic Corporation is one incorporated under Philippine laws. * Foreign Corporation is one established, organized, or existing under any laws other than those in the Philippine territory. 6. Corporation aggregate and corporation sole. * Corporation aggregate is one composed of more than one member or corporator. * Corporation sole consists of one member or corporator and his successors. 7. Eleemosynary and civil corporations. * Eleemosynary Corporation is one established for charitable purposes. Civil Corporation is a corporation that is not ecclesiastical and eleemosynary whether public or private. 8. Ecclesiastical and lay corporations * Ecclesiastical Corporation is a religious organization. * Lay Corporation is established for a purpose other than religion. Compositions of a Corporation 1. Corporators. These are the stockholders or members and/or both, of the corporation. 2. Incorporators. These are the stockholders or members, and/or both, stated in the articles of incorporation as found in members of the corporation. . Members. These are the corporators of a corporation which has no capital stock. 4. Stockhold ers or Shareholders. These are the owners of shares of a corporation which have a capital stock and whose names appear in the books of corporation as the holders of a share or shares of stock of the corporation. Classes of Capital Stock 1. The Common Stock. According to Philippine laws governing the establishment of the corporation, the right of ownership and active control and participation is vested in the owners of the common stock.The common stock carries with it the power and right of voting, through which the holders have great residual ownership or power over the corporation. Common stock is the ordinary stocks representing the basic ownership. The ownership interest is divided into shares which may or may not have a par value. The par value is the amount printed on the stock certificate. 2. The Preffered Stock. The owners of preferred stock are granted special protection or advantages over the common stockholders. It carries preference as to priority in the granting of divid ends over the common stock or as to capital in case of dissolution.Upon dissolution of the corporation, for instance, the preferred stock has priority in the distribution of the assets. There are several classifications of preferred stock: * Preffered as to dividends. * Preffered as to assets. * Preffered as to both dividends and assets. * Cumulative preffered. * Callable. * Convertible. Advantages of Corporation * Limited liability of stockholders. * Large amount of capital. * Flexible ownership. * Length of life. * Efficiency of management. * Ease of expansion. * Legal entity. Disadvantages of Corporation * Taxation. Organizational expense. * Government restrictions and reports. * Lack of personal interest. * Lack of secrecy. * Charter restrictions. The Corporate Combination and Merger The Merger. Merger means the union affected by the absorbing of one or more existing corporations by another which survives and continues the combine firm. In other words, merger takes place when th e control of several corporations is vested in a single corporation, in which case stocks of the controlling corporation may be issued in place of the stocks of the other corporations.There is no new business firm. The absorbing corporation remains the same single although larger corporation. In consolidation, the consolidating corporations are dissolved, their properties and businesses transferred to a single company. Merger and consolidations may be adopted as a strategy by several companies in a given industries when they strongly agree that it is more economical and working together rather than competing with one another. * Cooperatives The word cooperative is derived from the French word â€Å"cooperari†. The word â€Å"co† means â€Å"with†.Combined with â€Å"operari† (to work, from oppose, operas, work ), it delineates the concept of â€Å"working together†. The social concept shows a process of working together and thinking together to ach ieve and enjoy the best of life. Cooperative is the dynamic form of business enterprise that embodies the philosophy of corporation. It signifies the voluntary assent of people to form themselves into a group for the promotion of their common needs by mutual action, democratic control and sharing of economic benefits of the basic of patronage by members.Republic Act No. 6938, An Act to Ordain A Cooperative Code of the Philippines, defines cooperatives as â€Å"a duly registered association of persons, with a common bond of interest, who have voluntarily joined together to achieve a lawful common social or economical end, making equitable contributions to the capital required and accepting a fair share of the risks and benefits of the undertaking in accordance with universally accepted cooperative principles. † Principles of Cooperatives 1. Open and Voluntary Membership.Membership in a cooperative shall be voluntary and available to all individuals regardless of their social, political, racial, or religious background or beliefs. 2. Democratic Control. Cooperatives are democratic organizations. Their affairs shall be administered by the persons elected or appointed in a manner agreed upon by the members. Members of primary cooperatives shall have equal voting rights on a one-member-one-vote principle: Provided however, that in the case of secondary and tertiary cooperatives, the provisions of Article 37 shall apply (Voting System): * Each member of a primary cooperative shall have only one vote.A secondary or tertiary cooperative shall have voting rights as delegate of members-cooperatives, but such cooperatives shall have only five votes. The votes cast by the delegates shall deem as votes cast by the members thereof. * No voting agreement or other device to evade the one-member-one-vote provisions, except as provided under subsection hereof, shall be valid. * No member of a primary cooperative shall be permitted to vote by proxy unless provided for spe cifically in the by-laws of the cooperative. However, the by-laws of a cooperative other than a primary may provide for voting by proxy.Voting by proxy means allowing a delegate of a cooperative to represent or vote in behalf of another delegate of the same cooperative. 3. Limited Interest on Capital. Share capital shall receive a strictly limited rate of interest. 4. Division of Net Surplus. Net surplus arising out of the operations of a cooperative belongs to its members and shall be equitably distributed for cooperative development, common services, indivisible reserve fund, and for limited interest on capital and/or patronage refund in the manner provided in this Code and in the articles of cooperation and by-laws. . Cooperative Education. All cooperatives shall make provision for the education of their members, officers, and employees and of the general public based on the principles of cooperation. 6. Cooperation among Cooperatives. All cooperatives, in order to best serve the interest of their members and communities, shall actively cooperate with other cooperatives at the local, national and international levels. Types and Categories of Cooperatives (R. A. No. 6938) 1. Types of Cooperatives. Cooperatives may fall under any of the following types: . Credit Cooperative – is one which promotes thrift among its members and create funds in order to grant loans for productive and provident purposes. b. Consumers Cooperative – is one whose primary purposes are to procure and distribute commodities on members and non-members. c. Producers Cooperative – is one that undertakes joint production whether agricultural, or industrial. d. Marketing Cooperative – is one which engages in the supply of the production inputs to members and markets their products. e.Service Cooperative – is one which engages in medical and dental care, hospitalization, transportation, insurance, housing, labor, electric light and power, communication, and other services. f. Multi-Purpose Cooperative – is one which combines two or more of the business activities of these different types of cooperatives. 2. Categories of Cooperatives. Cooperatives shall be categorized according to membership and territorial consideration as follows: 1) In terms of membership, cooperative shall be categorized into: a.Primary: The members of which are natural persons. b. Secondary: The members of which are primary. c. Tertiary: The members of which are secondaries upward to one or more apex organizations. Those cooperatives, the members of which are cooperatives shall be known as federations or unions as the case may be. 2) In terms of territory, cooperatives shall be categorized according to areas of operations which may or may not coincident with the political subdivisions of the country.