Women in Early Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Women in Early Psychology - Essay Example The purpose of this research is to document, evaluate and make visible the diversity and excellence of women's contributions to the subfield emerged in the form of child psychology. How and in what circumstances women pioneers cascade in the field and what motivated them to devote their significant contributions towards child psychology are the concerns that not only enabled contemporary psychologists to acknowledge the broadening of framework within which women sought knowledge in context with child psychology, but these are the issues which no doubt laid the foundation for the integration of women's contributions into children works. Therefore, this paper is a brief effort to seek and analyze the extent to which contemporary psychologists complement earlier work so as to provide a brief synopsis of examining the careers and contributions of women psychologists since the inception of child psychology as a science in the late nineteenth century. Women's entry into psychology is though associated with a myriad of overlapping and interweaving social and economic factors shaping American culture in the early nineteenth century. ... women to enter into psychology include the events of world wars, the great depression and its social and economic aftermath, while the civil rights movement and the resurgence of the women's movement in the 1960s and 1970s were also the factors responsible for provoking awareness among women. Many early male psychologists believe that the credit of entering women in this field goes to feminists because early feminists who organized the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention intended equality for women. But since political realities oppose and led this notion to exploit the rhetoric of the reform movements, it was decided by the bureaucrats that in order to maximize voting (which was needed badly at that time) women could stand near the ballot box to watch the children casting vote at the ballot box (O' Connell & Russo, 1988, p. 9). Later with the help of feminist reform movements when women were given access to higher education, better conditions of employment and equal political rights, the emphasis on child welfare increased and was accompanied by a societal and professional approach. This trend led women to be more professional resulting in the emergence of women's contribution towards psychological science, which served as a tool to access higher education. Working along political school of thought, with such approach women started contemplating the role of the 'motherhood' in context with a scientific line of work that required intelligence and training in order to produce healthy generation. Thus, motherhood along with the collaboration of science initiated a unique service of child welfare that suggested a framework behind women's higher education and that was to encourage women's participation in the world of child psychology. The Contribution of Stella

Alternative Development Possibilities for Church

Alternative Development Possibilities for Church Introduction Description of the Development The site is located in one of Corks most prestigious areas; the property is set on 0.8 of an acre of level ground overlooking the River Lee on the grounds of Our Lady’s hospital. It is ideally located on the Lee Road just 2.4kms west of Cork City adjacent to the historic University College Cork and close to the western routes leading to Blarney (8 kms) and Killarney (80 kms) which is accessible via the newly constructed Ballincollig bypass. Equally accessible, are Cork Airport and major routes to Limerick, Waterford and Wexford. The site is currently selling for â‚ ¬1,900,000 and is zoned commercial. All services including mains water, electricity and mains drainage are located adjacent to the site and are easily accessible. The church is located at the front of the site and provides an excellent development opportunity for the conversion of the existing structure into a bar/bistro. The church is of rubble limestone construction, un-rendered and with cut limestone plinths. The internal area amounts to 100 sq.m with a planned extension of a further 100sq.m at the rear, to provide additional space for the kitchen, store and staff facilities. The walls of the interior are lined with brick and there is an exposed timber truss roof. Adjacent to the church is a parking area, three developments will be considered for this site which includes the construction of a medical centre, crà ¨che or apartments. All services including water, electricity and mains drainage are located adjacent to the site and are easily accessible. Development Region The development is located in the province of Munster and in the county of Cork, which is situated in the South of Ireland. Cork is the commercial and industrial capital of the South West Region with a population of 190,384 people (2006 Census) rising to 454,850 within a 60km radius. Historic Cork The citys name is derived from the Irish word Corcach, meaning marshy place and refers to the fact that the center of Cork City is built on islands, surrounded by the River Lee, which were marshy and subjected to instances of flooding. Traditionally, Saint Finbarre has been credited with the foundation of the monastery of Cork, known to be the earliest human settlement in Cork for which historians have incontrovertible evidence. The location of this monastic settlement was on the area arnd the present-day site of Saint Finbarre’s Cathedral. However the ancestor of the modern city was founded in the 12th century, when Viking settlers established a trading community. In the twelfth century, this settlement was taken over by invading Anglo-Norman settlers. Corks city charter was granted by King John of England in 1185. Over the centuries, much of the city was rebuilt, time and again, after numerous fires. The city was at one time fully walled, and several sections and gates still remaining. During the 19th century important industries in Cork included, brewing, distilling, wool and shipbuilding. In addition, there were some municipal improvements such as gas light street lights in 1825, a local paper, The Cork Examiner was first published in 1841 and, very importantly for the development of modern industry, the railway reached Cork in 1849. Also in 1849, University College Cork opened. Lee Road Area In the early 1760s the Pipe Water Company was established to provide a water supply to the city of Cork. The architect/engineer Davis Ducart designed the Waterworks which were completed by 1768. The site, located on the lee road included a pumping house and open storage reservoirs which were constructed on the hillside to the north of the river at the same location as the present Waterworks buildings. By the late 1840’s it was felt that the water supply to the city required upgrading, as the population of the city was increasing rapidly, new suburbs developing on the city’s north side could not benefit from the existing system. In 1854, the Pipe Water Company instructed John Benson, had prepared a plan for a new Waterworks, Work began with the laying of new cast-iron mains pipes in 1857 and continued for a number of years. By February 1859 these new water pipes had reached the military barracks on the Old Youghal Road. By this time the Pipe Water Company had been taken over by Cork Corporation, who remains in charge of the municipal water supply to this day. (Lifetime Labs) Local Industry Corks main area of industry is in pharmaceuticals, with Pfizer Inc. and Swiss company Novartis being big employers in the region. Cork is also the European headquarters of Apple Inc. where their computers are manufactured and their European call centre, RD and Apple-Care is hosted. In total, they currently employ over 1,800 staff. EMC Corporation located in the area of Ovens, in the outskirts of the city is another large I.T. employer with over 1,600 staff in their 52,000 sq metre (560,000 sq. ft.) engineering, manufacturing, and technical services facility. Many of these large multinational organisations have been attracted to the area due the low corporation tax rate of 12.5%. Planning Issues and Restrictions After consultation with a Cork City Planning officer a number of issues were raised regarded the conditions of the planning. The site lies within a category A Landscape Protection Zone as per Cork Coty Development Plan 2004. This category of land is defined in Table 8.1 of the Development Plan as â€Å"Visually important land, including land forming the setting to existing buildings† According to paragraph 8.20 of the Plan â€Å"There will be a general presumption by means of a landscape assessment and appropriate landscape and building design proposals† The proposed site at the Lee Road is a visually sensitive area, the design of the structures will therefore have to be landscape rather than building orientated. As stated in Policy BE 8 of the Development Plan: â€Å"The City Council will endeavour to devise and implement policies to positively encourage and facilitate the careful refurbishment of historic built environment for sustainable and economically viable uses.† To comply with plan it will be necessary to adhere to following conditions: The development shall be carried out in accordance with the drawings and specifications submitted. A visual impact study must be conducted to determine how the how the development will affect the landscape. The redevelopment of the chapel shall be supervised by a conservation consultant with appropriate qualifications and/or experience in conservation and restoration of historic buildings in order to protect the architectural characteristics and visual appearance of this existing structure. The contractor appointed shall have an expertise and demonstrate high standards of workmanship and have previous experience in restoration of historic structures. The site is not considered suitable for a â€Å"super-pub† or for a nightclub. In order to protect the character and amenities of the area, the development is restricted to be used as a restaurant with ancillary public house. Under the Landscape Assessment Guidelines (2000) the classification of the site at the Lee Road was obtained from the following table: The site is classified as a category A as it forms part of the setting for the existing landmark building (Former Our Lady’s Hospital). The guidelines state that: There will be a general presumption against development in Landscape Protection Zones unless it can be demonstrated by means of a visual landscape assessment and appropriate building design proposal that the proposed development will enhance the overall landscape character of the site and its visual context. Factors Favouring Refurbishment In the initial feasibility for the Lee Road church, it was necessary to consider the advantages and disadvantages to its refurbishment. Consideration will be given to both the social and economic factors. Social Factors in favour of refurbishment Energy/Resource conservation – Just as there is a current growing awareness of the need to recycle domestic waste, buildings with a useable structure should also be recycled. Preservation of historic buildings – The church on the grounds of the site is listed as a protected structure, buildings which are historic merit need to be refurbished to maintain their integrity and thereby the amenity for the nation. Social resistance to change – Buildings are an integral part of an urban fabric and society may well demonstrate forceful views in restricting change. Its arguments will centre upon: retaining historical and social continuity preserving familiar landscape scenes conserving existing communities and the social fabric Economic Factors in favour of refurbishment Shorter construction period – A refurbishment scheme can usually be carried out quicker than redevelopment which results in: a prompt turnover of finance; earlier occupation of the building; quicker return on capital employed; a reduction in the effects of inflation, high interest rates and other risks. Condition of the building – In the case of the Lee Road church, the structure itself is in relatively sound condition, the savings on the building components may make a refurbishment scheme cheaper than reconstruction. Expectation of high land values – The future expectation of high land values may provoke refurbishment to create a short life use so as to occupy the building and keep the site in its present use until fully ripe for exploitation. This will avoid leaving a building empty for long periods while long term plans are being formulated. Constraints on development – site conditions and organisational constraints (e.g. Cork County Council planning restrictions) may make redevelopment unsuitable for a particular or intended use and therefore unprofitable. Limiting Factors in refurbishment One of the major factors in factors in favour of the refurbishment of the church is the cost saving from the retention of the existing materials, whilst this can reduce the total cost of the scheme, the following criteria required consideration. Diminishing returns – The economic life of a building can be said to end when a site value in a new use exceeds the value of the existing building. A building requires redevelopment when the value of the building is below the potential use value of the land and hence yields a diminishing return. Life expectancy – Property investment tends to be long-term in nature and normally a paying back of sixty year is allowed in property investment calculations. There is little doubt that a new building will last the sixty years or more, whereas a refurbished building may not have been designed and constructed with materials appropriate for long life. High cost of borrowing – In general, financial institutions are unprepared to invest in old buildings due to inherent high financial risks. If they provide finance the assumption of high risk can often lead to a higher rate of interest. Management of refurbishment – the extent of work is not predictable; hence very difficult to design, cost plan and cost control. It can often be a complex, non-repetitive and labour intensive operation and does not facilitate high productivity. Attract high tender prices- the contactor will often assume a high undefined risk element and uncertainty of cost when the pre-contract survey is inadequate. Increased cost of Health and Safety Source: Harlow (1994) Rationale for Refurbishment After taking all factors into consideration, it was felt that the benefits of refurbishment outweigh the costs of redevelopment. Also according to Harlow (1994) the emphasis is moving towards conservation leading to the search for historical and social continuity by fining ways of re-using an existing fabric rather than accelerating the cycle of replacement† The structure itself is in a reasonable sound condition with only minor restorations required; reusing the existing building will decrease construction time, reduce site overheads and retain the historical and social continuity of the Lee road area. Review of alternative development possibilities Development 1 – Medical Centre The first development to contribute to the bar/bistro development is the construction of a medium sized three storey structures; this will comprise 2 No. doctor’s surgeries, a nurse’s office and associated accommodation including waiting, reception and storage areas. It has a floor area of approx 800m2 and an overall ridge height of 8.2m. Its overall design is of a contemporary nature utilizing feature glazing and an extended limestone surround to complement the features of the adjacent church. Early Feasibility Study Project Location Item Description Cost/m2 Floor Area Total Cost 1.0 Site Clearance â‚ ¬80.00 610 â‚ ¬48,800.00 2.0 Substructure â‚ ¬150.00 610 â‚ ¬91,500.00 3.0 Superstructure â‚ ¬380.00 610 â‚ ¬231,800.00 4.0 Internal Finishes â‚ ¬270.00 610 â‚ ¬164,700.00 5.0 Fittings and Furnishings â‚ ¬150.00 610 â‚ ¬91,500.00 6.0 Service Installations â‚ ¬555.00 610 â‚ ¬338,550.00 7.0 External Works â‚ ¬163.00 610 â‚ ¬99,430.00 8.0 Preliminaries â‚ ¬110.00 610 â‚ ¬67,100.00 9.0 Contingencies â‚ ¬20,000.00 Total Estimated Cost â‚ ¬1,153,380.00 Income Rental Price Per Month 6000 Rental Price Per Annum 72000 Total Income per Annum 72000 Expenditure Maintenance 7000 Landscaping 2500 9500 Profit per annum 62500 0 -1183880 1 62500 2 68750 Rate -1.595% 3 75625 4 83188 5 91506 6 100657 7 110723 8 117366 9 124408 10 131872 Net Present Value IR £0.00 Internal Rate of Return -1.5949% Development 2 – Crà ¨che This development entails the construction a crà ¨che that will serve the 180 apartments in Atkins Hall, River Towers and The Mews. The structure will be single storey building with car parking at the rear. The crà ¨che will accommodate up to 30 children (depending on ages). Other facilities would include a fully equipped indoor play area and an out-door playground. There is no doubt that there is demand for a crà ¨che in the area, the development would cater for the residents of the nearby apartments. Students of the nearby University College Cork could also utilize these facilities. Crà ¨che Early Feasibility Study Site Clearance â‚ ¬80.00 610 â‚ ¬48,800.00 Substructure â‚ ¬150.00 610 â‚ ¬91,500.00 Superstructure â‚ ¬380.00 610 â‚ ¬231,800.00 Internal Finishes â‚ ¬270.00 610 â‚ ¬164,700.00 Fittings and Furnishings â‚ ¬200.00 610 â‚ ¬122,000.00 Service Installations â‚ ¬555.00 610 â‚ ¬338,550.00 External Works â‚ ¬163.00 610 â‚ ¬99,430.00

Internet Essay -- essays research papers

How to use Internet as a management resource? Introduction: Internet is a global network, connecting thousands of host servers worldwide. The United States Department of Defense established it in the beginning of the 1960 ¡Ã‚ ¯s. Today, there are now 10 to 20 million people using an Internet comprised of more than 30,000 networks spread out over 78 nations all over the world. Now the Internet has become a great electronic gateway that provides instant access to global news and information. The databases, documents, files, and programs that are  ¡Ã‚ °sitting ¡Ã‚ ± on Internet computers contain a tremendous amount of information. You can search for and find up-to-the-minute stock market activity, weather reports, music, recipe; you can make free long distance call; you can purchase goods; you can chat and see your friends. It seems you can do any thing you want. In order to cope with increasing competition, the managers have always effort to gain a competitive advantage throughout the implementation of Internet. So the fundamental purpose of our report is to outline the effective ways associated with the implementation of Internet that can help managers to improve their performance. Our report would like to discuss the effective ways for managers to use Internet in three aspects. The first is how managers can compete in the business world through searching and monitoring external information by using Internet. The second aspect is how managers can approach specific kno...

Teacher Motivation and Its Effect on the Academic Achievement

Fall 2011 Gender differences on Intrinsic Motivation in Hong Kong Higher Education Hon Keung Yau Man Shan Kan City University of Hong Kong Alison Lai Fong Cheng Abstract The purpose of this paper is to investigate if there are different levels of intrinsic motivation towards study, curiosity and external regulation among males and females. This study focuses are attained by conducting a survey (137 students) among a local university in Hong Kong. Results show that among all students, no matter males or females, their levels of intrinsic motivation towards study, curiosity and external are the same.Burger, Dahlgren, and MacDonald (2006) found that male have higher intrinsic motivation to gamble when compared with female. Another study shows that masculine students have higher intrinsic motivation than feminine students when responding to competition (Conti, Collins, & Picariello, 2001). However, when talking about intrinsic motivation to study, will the result of comparing males and f emales still be the same? Most Hong Kong people spend more than twenty years to learn as much knowledge as they can to get high academic qualifications.Among all students, there is a question of how students can gain more than others when learning in the same learning environment, and whether either one gender has higher intrinsic motivation towards learning. Motivation is an essential element to directly affect students’ learning and performances. Some students may feel that they are not active but under obligation to learn. It is due to lack of motivation in learning, which would not result in good performance. According to Olsson (2008, p. 7), motivation is a reason or set or reasons for engaging in a specific activity, especially human behavior.The reasons can be basic needs, an object or a goal. Self-determination theory (SDT) by Deci and Ryan (1985, 1991) is currently the most comprehensive theories of motivation with empirical support. According to SDT, intrinsic motiv ation is defined as the doing of an activity for its inherent satisfactions rather than for some separable consequence (Xie, Debacker, & Ferguson, 2006). It is the degree to which an individual chooses to accomplish an activity for pleasure and enjoyment (Olsson, 2008, p. 2). e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 3 Fall 2011 This type of motivation is known as the most optimal kind of motivation as being entirely autonomous (Noel, Clement, & Pelletier, 2001; Remedios, & Lieberman, 2008; Gao, 2008). Students with intrinsic motivation complete tasks for fun or challenge instead of external stimuli, pressures, or rewards. They often have more interest, confidence and excitement in doing the task. According to Brophy (2010), intrinsic motivation emphasizes on motivation as selfdetermination of goals and self-regulation of actions rather than motivation as response to felt pressures.In view of this emphasis of intrinsic motivation, this project tries to i nvestigate different aspects affecting students’ learning so that their self-regulation of actions can be improved and learn without pressure. With this improvement, their academic performance can be enhanced at the same time. As few studies have focus of gender difference on intrinsic motivation for Hong Kong students, this study conducted in a local university in Hong Kong tries to investigate if either one gender possesses higher level of intrinsic motivation.According to Narayanan, Rajasekaran, and Iyyappan (2007), females have higher intrinsic motivation in learning English than males among engineering university students. Meanwhile, another research by Shang (1998), it was found that females have lower intrinsic motivation in physical education classes than males. A study by Schatt in 2011 focusing on subject of music found that female students have higher instrumental musical practice rate than males while the amount of time spent on practice correlated significantly w ith intrinsic motivational beliefs.It raises a question whether females possess higher intrinsic motivation, which is investigated in this paper. In view that Ning and Downing (2010) have conducted a research study among 581 university students in Hong Kong and found that student motivation is the strongest predictor to their academic performance while few attempts to investigate more specific factors such as curiosity and external regulation that whether they affect intrinsic motivation among university students in Hong Kong, the relationship between these factors and intrinsic motivation are deeply investigated so as to improve student intrinsic motivation.Also, whether males or females would have higher level of intrinsic motivation is also studied. These serve as the purpose of this paper. We attempt to fill the research gap by asking the following research questions: 64 e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 Fall 2011 (1) Is there any difference in the level of intrinsic motivation towards learning between males and females for Hong Kong university students? (2) Is there any difference in the level of curiosity between males and females for Hong Kong university students? 3) Is there any difference in the level of external regulation between males and females for Hong Kong university students? These questions are answered by conducting a quantitative survey among a local university in Hong Kong. The result indicates that there is no difference in the level of curiosity, external regulation or intrinsic motivation towards learning between males and females. The result implies that students, no matter males or females, their likeliness to be motivated to work tend to be the same.Theory Background and Hypothesis Gender affects the skills or traits people find fascinating or personally relevant (Sansone & Harackiewicz, 2003). It implies that different genders tend to have different perception and thoughts. Different gender may t hus be destined to have different level of intrinsic motivation. In this fast-paced society, people need to have high competitiveness, wide range of knowledge and high capabilities in order to achieve eminent performance. Students having good academic performance were found to have higher intrinsic motivation.In this research, the focus is to find out if there is any difference regarding the level of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation between males and females. Students in a local Hong Kong university are the targeted group. Differences in Gender Most of the previous researches are apt to suggest that female have higher motivation and more desirable learning than male students. Narayanan, Rajasekaran, & Iyyappan (2007) found that female university students studying Engineering or Technology have higher motivation in learning English than males.It was concluded that female students studying learn English better than male students (Narayanan, Rajasekaran, & Iyyapp an, 2007). Further to the explanation provided by Narayanan, Rajasekaran, and Iyyappan (2007), female have better listening skills, more concerned with input, i. e. listening, and tend to have better attitudes towards learning. Contrarily, male are less sensitive, more concerned with output, i. e. talking, and think in a more analytical way than female.These may be reasons explaining e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 65 Fall 2011 why females perform better in learning. It should be noted that the above research is for university students learning English. There is a research focusing on another subject, music, conducted by Schatt (2011). The study showed that female students have higher instrumental musical practice rate than males while the amount of time spent on practice correlated significantly with intrinsic motivational beliefs.Motivational beliefs are guides of students’ thinking, feelings and actions in learning some subject areas and they can lead to success in learning (Boekaerts, 2002; Clayton, Blumberg & Auld, 2010). Another research focusing on subject of physical education, the result is different. One study by Shang (1998) in Taiwan focusing on physical education classes in high and also junior high school, it was found that female students have lower intrinsic motivation which is relevant to their interest or enjoyment and perceived competence than male students in most of the sub-scale of the study, but have higher effort put into the learning tasks.It not only proves that learning environment is different for male and female students, but it also emphasizes that males perceive the learning environment as more challenging and competitive while females perceive higher threat than males in physical education classes (Shang, 1998). From several researchers investigating the levels of intrinsic motivation of students on different subjects, it resulted in different genders having higher intrinsic motivati on towards various subjects. Therefore, it should not have any conclusion saying that a particular gender is inclined to have higher motivation on all subjects.Based on the above evidence, the study hypothesized: Hypothesis 1 (H1): There should have no difference between males and females on the level of intrinsic motivation. Curiosity Curiosity is defined as the intrinsic desire to know, to see, or to experience that motivates information seeking behavior (Zelick, 2007, p. 147). Acquiring knowledge out of curiosity is considered to be intrinsically rewarding and highly pleasurable since it eliminates states of ignorance and uncertainty (Litman, 2005). There are not so many literature reviews regarding gender difference in the level of curiosity.In a previous study, it was found that males possess higher level of curiosity than females. This study was conducted among Israeli college students while there is no significant e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 66 Fall 2011 difference for the level of curiosity among American college student (Ben-Zur, & Zeidner, 1988). According to another study by Engelhard and Monsaas (1988), it shows that no significant gender difference was found among the urban elementary school students.It was also discovered by Sanders, Driscoll, Dixon, Pendergrass and Scales (2004) that there is no significant gender difference among middle school students either. From the above evidence, it is believed that there should be no gender difference in the level of curiosity among the Hong Kong university students. As a result of the literature review elaborated above, the second hypothesis was: Hypothesis 2 (H2): Both genders possess equal level of curiosity. External Regulation External regulation is the most pressured and controlled type of motivation (Vansteenkiste, Sierens, Soenens, Luyckx, & Lens, 2009; Olsson, 2008, p. 47). Externally regulated students study for avoiding punishment, to obtain rewards or to meet external expectations (Vansteenkiste, Sierens, Soenens, Luyckx, & Lens, 2009; Xie, Debacker, & Ferguson, 2006; Olsson, 2008, p. 147). They feel that they are obliged to study. With the external pressured contingencies, they are mentally pushed to put effort into their studies. It is also indicated by Bowman (2007) that rewards and incentives provided by teachers can be used as tools to motivate students in their learning and achieve their goals.For the wording of external to describe the external regulation, its source can still be internal. For instance, students can push themselves by studying with feelings of guilt, shame and anxiety. It can also be positive feelings of pride and ego enhancement. When students are externally regulated through some internal sources, this type of external regulation is labeled to be introjected regulation. Another research by Olsson (2008) stated that externally regulated people carry out internalization and integration of their behavior. It will form introjected regulation.He also agreed that their behavior is related to or enforced by the expectations of self-approval or avoiding guilt and anxiety. This type of behavior has external locus of causality. With the internalization and integration of behavior becoming more advanced, it will shift to identified regulation and people will have perception of internal locus of causality. There is limited literature reviews regarding the gender difference on the level of external e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 67 Fall 2011 regulation.One study by Agina, Kommers, Steehouder (2011) discovered that gender has no effect on the level of external regulation one possesses. That means there is no particular gender possessing higher level of external regulation. Another study by Balaguer, Castillo and Duda (2007) focusing on sport motivation found that female athletes have lower level of external regulation. Since the latter one pertains to lea rning and doing sport while the former one pertains to the targeted students’ external regulation in learning, it is believed that there is no gender difference in the level of external regulation among Hong Kong university students.Based on the above evidence, the third proposed hypothesis was: Hypothesis 3 (H3): Both genders possess equal level of external regulation. In this study, three elements were analyzed. They are curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation. Their levels within both genders are investigated. Hong Kong Learning Environment and Education System Students in Hong Kong need to study with intense academic competition owing to the commercialization of education and rapid expansion of tertiary education (Gao, 2008).Although the increased number of universities may ease the academic competition for higher education places. The number of unemployed university graduate is also increased. Students in Hong Kong learn in a highly competitive, examinati on oriented and large classes with excessive amount of homework (Moneta & Siu, 2002). Moreover, English is widely regularly promoted to be essential for individuals’ social and career development (Gao, 2008; Davison & Lai, 2007). English is the medium of instruction among all universities in Hong Kong.These are the characteristics of Hong Kong education system, which tends to requires students remembering all knowledge and apply all the knowledge on the paper for the examination. Hong Kong Students may always have surface learning that they will engage in the shortcuts allowed in some courses and attain till the end without deeper understanding (Moneta, & Siu, 2002). There are eight universities in Hong Kong governed by the University Grants Council (UGC), which has an international membership.UGC has been assigned to ensure all standards and maintain the independence of Hong Kong universities after the handover to China (Kember & Leung, 2011). All universities were founded w hile Hong Kong was a British colony. They e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 68 Fall 2011 are consistent with UK standards and practices. Also, owing to the importance of globalization and student exchange among the education, some top Hong Kong universities have been highly international in the outlook and can be compared with any other good universities in other countries.For Hong Kong education system, most university students are Chinese and aged from 18 to 22. Positive Relationship between Intrinsic motivation and Academic Performance According to a study conducted by Ning and Downing (2010) in Hong Kong focusing on investigating the relationship between intrinsic motivation and academic performance among university students, it was found that the relationship is positive. Also, another research by Afzal, Ali, Khan, and Hamid (2010) among 342 university students in Pakistan generates the same findings that intrinsic motivation can promote mor e optimal learning and better academic performance.In view of these result, intrinsic motivation should be promoted for the sake of student academic performance. Research Methods Survey research among university students is used in this study to test the hypotheses stated above since questionnaire as an instrument for studying research problems is a survey tool for collecting data from people about themselves such as attitudes, thoughts, behaviors; or concerning a social unit such as a school (Lanthier, 2002; Siniscalco, & Auriat, 2005). The research was completed in three universities in Hong Kong.Before the survey is mass produced and used to gather real data, pilot study was carried out to disclose problems and refine the wording, ordering, etc (Litwin, 1995; Hoinville, Jowell & Associates, 1978). Ten of my friends are asked to complete the questionnaires and give feedback independently about the questionnaires. The survey was then conducted by distributing questionnaires with co vering letter explaining the purpose of the research to the university students individually. The questionnaire was averagely completed within 10 minutes.Subsequently, 200 questionnaires were given out to undergraduates from various universities in Hong Kong. A total of 137 responses (with a return rate of 68. 5 per cent) were achieved, and the usability rate was 100 per cent since no incomplete questionnaires were found. There are nine statements (Table 1) for three variables: curiosity (Mot_3, Mot_5, Mot_6, e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 69 Fall 2011 Mot_7 and Mot_8), external regulation (Mot_1 and Mot_2) and intrinsic motivation (Motivator_3 and Motivator_4).Those statements were taken from three questionnaires from three journals (Albrecht, Haapanen, Hall, & Mantonya, 2009; Vansteenkiste, Sierens, Soenens, Luyckx, & Lens, 2009; Lepper, Corpus, & Iyengar, 2005). 4-point Likert-type scale which is common rating format especially for educatio nal survey research was assigned to all statements (Siniscalco, & Auriat, 2005; Allen, & Seaman, 2007). Removing mid-point category from Likert scale can reduce social desirability bias arising from respondents (Garland, 1991). Statements in questionnaire were ranked at (1) Very True, (2) Sort of True, (3) Not Very True and (4) Not At All True.Table 1. Statements for Three Variables Variables Curiosity Statements Mot_3 – I work hard in some courses because this represents a meaning choice for me. Mot_5 – I work hard in some courses because I think I can apply what I learn to my future career. Mot_6 – I work hard in some courses because I want to learn new things. Mot_7 – I work hard in some courses because good results in school can help me get a better career. Mot_8 – I work hard in some courses because this is an important life goal for me. Mot_1 – I work hard in some courses because that’s what others (parents, friends, etc. expect me to do. Mot_2 – I work hard in some courses because that’s what others (parents, friends, etc. ) force me to do. Motivator_3 – I work harder when I like the teacher. Motivator_4 – I work harder when the subject is interesting and useful. Data Analysis The purpose of this study is to test the gender difference on level of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation. SPSS Version 17 is used to analyze the data in this study. This is sophisticated software for many scientists and other professionals to analyze statistics.Data analysis including frequency distribution is used to analyze the personal data of respondents. After that, mean and standard deviation are used to study the perception of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation different genders possess. Independente-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 70 External Regulation Intrinsic Motivation Fall 2011 samples t test is then used to test all three hypotheses to see if there is any difference between males and females on the level of the three elements.Before the analysis, the collected data was examined to ensure that it is valid and reliable. It involves checking the usability and the validity of the responses on the questionnaires collected. Subsequently, reliability analysis using Cronbach alpha, which is a measure of internal consistency about how close elements are related to each other, is carried out to test the reliability of the variables (Nunnally, 1978; Prater and Ghosh, 2006). The test means the freedom from random error (Alreck, & Settle, 1985). The Cronbach alpha values (Table 2) of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation are 0. 57, 0. 622 and 0. 685 respectively. A value of 0. 60 is also used as the practical lower bound (Narasimhan & Jayaram, 1998). Therefore, reliability figures in this study, which exceed the value of 0. 60, can be perceived as acceptable. This study can be conside red as reliable. Apart from reliability testing, factor analysis was also utilized to establish construct validity. Results of factor analysis can be used to ensure that questionnaire used in this study is valid (Field, 2005). Factor loading is used to analyze the validity of measurement scales with general value of acceptance as 0. 0 (Anderson, & Gerbing, 1998; Fornell, & Larcker, 1981). The variable of curiosity includes five items. A factor analysis for those items was conducted for the five items. Factor loadings ranged from 0. 542 to 0. 783. The variable of external regulation includes two items. Factor loadings are 0. 852 for both items in the factor analysis. The variable of intrinsic motivation includes two items. Both factor loadings are 0. 872. All values of factor loadings in the questionnaire are greater than 0. 3. Hence, this scale is retained.As a result, it can be concluded that the measurement scale is valid and reliable. Table 2. Mean, Standard Deviation, and Cronba ch Alphas of Three Variables Items Curiosity External Regulation Intrinsic Motivation Note: n = 137 Mean 2. 0569 2. 8139 2. 0255 Standard Deviation . 51732 . 62722 . 61334 Cronbach alpha 0. 757 0. 622 0. 685 71 Findings The demographic statistics of the respondents were analyzed. Table 3 shows the background e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 Fall 2011 of totally 137 respondents, in which 65. % are males. 99. 3% are between 21 and 25 years old. All of them are studying Engineering in a local university in Hong Kong. More than half of them are year 2 university students. With 56. 9% promote to university through Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS), it indicated that they have been studying and encountering different level of motivation in learning for at least 18 years for education system in Hong Kong. Table 3. Descriptive Statistics of Personal Data of Respondents Minimu Std. N m Maximum Deviation 13 1. 00 2. 0 . 47648 7 Cumulat ive Frequency Percent 72 Gender Male Female Age Below 21 Between 21 and 25 Above 25 Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Promotion JUPAS NON-JUPAS 90 47 13 7 1. 00 3. 00 . 50523 55 81 1 13 7 1. 00 5. 00 . 61495 14 79 44 13 7 1. 00 2. 00 . 49699 78 59 65. 7 100 40. 1 99. 3 100 10. 2 67. 9 100 56. 9 100 Valid N (listwise) 13 7 All respondents completed a questionnaire asking their reasons of study in terms of whether they perceive the specific statement as â€Å"Very True† (1), â€Å"Sort of True† (2), â€Å"Not Very True† (3) or â€Å"Not at all True† (4).The reasons in the questionnaire pertain to the three variables (curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation) investigated in this study. e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 Fall 2011 Mean and standard deviation were used to examine the level of their perception of the variables. The values of mean, standard deviation and Cronbach alpha are shown in Table II. Results sh ow that university students have slight perception towards having curiosity and intrinsic motivation, but not external regulation. It is indicated by the mean score of 2. 569 for curiosity, 2. 8139 for external regulation and 2. 0255 for intrinsic motivation. Independent sample t-test was used subsequently to test if there is any different in the level of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation between males and females. H1: This hypothesis predicting that there is no significant difference on the level of intrinsic motivation between males and females was supported since the t value is 0. 498 and the significant value is 0. 620, which is higher than 0. 05. With the mean difference of only 0. 05508, it shows no significant difference between both genders.H2: This hypothesis predicting that there is no significant difference on the level of curiosity between males and females was supported since the t value is -0. 112 and the significant value is 0. 911, which is high er than 0. 05. With the mean difference of only 0. 01050, it shows no significant difference between both genders. H3: This hypothesis predicting that there is no significant difference on the level of external regulation between males and females was supported since the t value is 1. 222 and the significant value is 0. 224, which is higher than 0. 05. With the mean difference of only 0. 3771, it shows no significant difference between both genders. To conclude, all three hypotheses are supported via the above results. It shows that both genders possess equal level of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation. Discussion and Implications Results indicate that the levels of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation for university students in Hong Kong are nearly the same among different genders. It can be interpreted by the same education environment for both genders. Students in Hong Kong receive education under the same educational systems and approaches among different genders.Therefore, it contributes to both genders having the same level of characteristics affecting their learning and also intrinsic motivation. Moreover, there is a part of university students in Hong Kong, no matter males or females, studying subjects that they are not interested in owing to the emphasis of education e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 73 Fall 2011 qualification for students’ future careers in Hong Kong society. As a consequence, the education they are receiving cannot make a difference of various perspectives affecting learning on different genders.That is why there is no difference for males and females on the three factors that is supposed to students’ learning. Difference on Level of Intrinsic Motivation between Males and Females Supported by several researchers with this result, Narayanan, Rajasekaran, & Iyyappan (2007) concluded that female students studying Engineering or Technology learn E nglish better than male students. Meanwhile, from a research of Shang (1998) in Taiwan focusing on physical education classes, it was found that female have lower intrinsic motivation than males but with higher effort put into the learning tasks.Another research conducting by Schatt (2011) focusing on subject of music found that female students have higher instrumental musical practice rate than males while the amount of time spent on practice correlated significantly with intrinsic motivational beliefs. Therefore, it should not have any conclusion saying that a particular gender is inclined to have higher motivation on all subjects since university students always involves studying English, Chinese culture and their major altogether.The result of this research study showing that there is no difference between males and females on the level of intrinsic motivation support the hypothesis 1 (H1). Difference on Level of Curiosity between Males and Females Supported by several researche rs with this result, Engelhard and Monsaas (1988) concluded that there is no significant gender difference on the level of curiosity among urban elementary school students. Moreover, same study outcome was resulted in a study by Ben-Zur and Zeidner (1988) focusing on American college students.Therefore, there should be no significant gender difference on the level of curiosity among university students in Hong Kong. The result of this research study showing that there is no difference between males and females on the level of curiosity support the hypothesis 2 (H2). Difference on Level of External Regulation between Males and Females Supported by several researchers with this result, Agina, Kommers, Steehouder (2011) found that gender has no effect on the level of external regulation one possesses.Although Balaguer, Castillo and Duda (2007) focusing on sport motivation found that female athletes have lower e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 74 Fal l 2011 level of external regulation, this study concentrated on students’ sport motivation and the study of 2011 as mentioned pertains to students’ learning. As a consequence, there should be no significant gender difference on the level of external regulation among university students in Hong Kong.The result of this research study showing that there is no difference between males and females on the level of external regulation support the hypothesis 3 (H3). Implication for Practice The implication for practice in this study is to let universities identify if one of the genders possess higher level of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation so as to bring the awareness of universities and students about their ways of teaching and it offers more information for lecturers and professors to implement different practical methods to improve students’ learning performance.Furthermore, this study can let universities know if they need to focus on one pa rticular gender when teaching due to the different level of learning characteristics or intrinsic motivation. It can help schools develop deeper understanding among students. Limitations and future opportunities There are mainly two limitations in this project. Firstly, the sample size of some subgroups is not even. The sample size of males is 90 while that of females is 47. The significant level may be influenced owing to unbalanced distribution of sample size.Also, the investigated school is only one local university in Hong Kong, the survey result may not be representative to the general situations of university students in Hong Kong. The second limitation of this study is that the sample size is not large. Less than 200 samples were collected. It may make the survey result not representative enough to show the general learning environment for university students in Hong Kong. Apart from the limitations, there are several future research opportunities from this study.The first is to extend this current study to a larger sample size among Hong Kong university students to get a more representative result. Secondly, since there is limited literature review investigating the gender difference in curiosity, external regulation and also intrinsic motivation, which is what this project focuses e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 75 Fall 2011 on, it is suggested to apply this type of research to similar research study in primary schools, secondary schools, overseas schools, or among students studying associate degree in Hong Kong.The result may be different. This research study also lacks deep investigation. This study is empirical that involves only quantitative research. The survey was conducted in form of questionnaires and without faceto-face interview. The focus of the investigations in this study is on the existence of the relationships. Further research can be done concentrating on deeply investigating why there is no signi ficant gender difference on the level of intrinsic motivation, external regulation and curiosity. Thereby, all these can be a further research for future development of education.Conclusion Throughout the study, there is investigation of the existence of gender difference on the level of curiosity, external regulation and intrinsic motivation among the targeted group of university students in Hong Kong. This study was conducted in a local university in Hong Kong. The survey result supports all three hypotheses defined in this research study. It shows that there is no significant gender difference on the level of intrinsic motivation, curiosity and external regulation (H1, H2 and H3 respectively). References Afzal, H. , Ali, I. , Khan, M. A. , & Hamid, K. (2010).A Study of University Students’ Motivation and Its Relationship with Their Academic Performance. International Journal of Business and Management, 5(4), 80-88. Agina, A. M. , Kommers, P. A. M. , Steehouder, M. M. (2011 ). The effect of nonhuman’s versus human’s external regulation on children’s speech use, manifested self-regulation, and satisfaction during learning tasks. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1129-1142. Albrecht, E. , Haapanen, R. , Hall, E. , & Mantonya, M. (2009). Improving secondary school students’ achievement using intrinsic motivation. Unpublished master’s thesis, Saint Xavier University: Chicago, IL. Alreck, P.L. , Settle, R. B. (1985). The Survey Research Handbook. San Diego: Richard D. Irwin, Inc. e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 76 Fall 2011 77 Allen, I. E. , Seaman, C. A. (2007). Likert Scales and Data Analyses. Quality Progress, 40(7), 64-65. Anderson, J. C. , & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural Equation Modeling in Practice: A Review and Recommended Two-Step Approach, Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411 – 423. Balaguer, I. , Castillo, I. , & Duda, J. L. (2007). Propiedades psicometricas de la escala de motivacion deportiva en deportistas Espanoles. Revista Mexicana de Psicologia, 24(2), 197207.Ben-Zur, H. , Zeidner, M. (1988). Sex Differences in Anxiety, Curiosity, and Anger: A CrossCultural Study. Sex Roles, 19(5), 335-347. Boekaerts, M. (2002). Motivation to learn. Educational Practices Series-10, The International Academy of Education. , & The International Bureau of Education: France. Brophy, J. (2010). Motivating Students to Learn. New York: Routledge. Clayton, K. , Blumberg, F. , & Auld, D. P. (2010). The relationship between motivation, learning strategies and choice of environment whether traditional or including an online component. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(3), 349-364.Davison, C. , & Lai, W. (2007). Competing identities, common issues: Teaching (in) Putonghua. Language Policy, 6, 119–134. Deci, E. L. , & Ryan, R. M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. Plenum Press: New York. Deci, E. L. , & Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In R. Dienstbier (Ed. ), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (Vol. 36, pp. 237-288). University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln. Engelhard, G. , Monsaas, J. A. (1988). Grade Level, Gender, and School-Related Curiosity in Urban Elementary Schools, Journal of Educational Research, 82(1), 22-26.Field, A. P. (2005). Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd ed. ). Sage: London. e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 Fall 2011 Fornell, C. , & Larcker, D. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing research, 15, 282-388. Gao, X. (2008). Shifting motivational discourses among mainland Chinese students in an English medium tertiary institution in Hong Kong: a longitudinal Inquiry. Studies in Higher Education, 33(5), 599–614. Garland, R. (1991). The Mid-Point on a Rating Scale: Is it Desirable?.Marketing Bu lletin, 2, 66-70. Hoinville, G. , Jowell, R. , & Associates (1978). Survey Research Practice. Heinemann Educational Books: London. Kember, D. , & Leung, D. Y. P. (2011). Disciplinary Differences in Student Ratings of Teaching Quality. Research in Higher Education, 52(3), 278-299. Lanthier, E. (2002). Psychology Research Methods. Retrieved from http://www. nvcc. edu/home/elanthier/methods/index. htm Lepper, M. R. , Corpus, J. H. , & Iyengar, S. S. (2005). Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientations in the Classroom: Age Differences and Academic Correlates. Journal of Educational Psychology, 97(2), 184-196.Litman, J. A. (2005). Curiosity and the pleasures of learning: Wanting and liking new information. Cognition and emotion, 19(6), 793-814. Litwin, M. S. (1995). How to measure survey reliability and validity. Sage Publications, Inc. : California. Moneta, G. B. , & Siu, C. M. Y. (2002). Trait Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations, Academic Performance, and Creativity in Hong Kong College Students. Journal of College Student Development, 43(5), 664. Narasimhan, R. , Jayaram, J. , (1998). Causal linkages in supply chain management: an exploratory study of North American manufacturing firms.Decision Sciences, 29 (3), 579– 605. Narayanan, R. , Rajasekaran N. N. , & Iyyappan, S. (2007). Do female students have higher e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 78 Fall 2011 motivation than male students in learning of English at the tertiary level?. Online Submission Ning, H. K. , & Downing, K. (2010). The reciprocal relationship between motivation and selfregulation: A longitudinal study on academic performance. Learning and Individual Differences, 20(6), 682-686. Nunnally, J. C. (1978). Psychometic Theory. McGraw-Hill: New York. Olsson, F. M. (2008).New Developments in the Psychology of Motivation. Nova Science Publishers, Inc. : New York. Prater, E. , & Ghosh, S. (2006). A comparative model of firm size and the global operation al dynamics of U. S. firms in Europe. Journal of Operations Management, 24, 511–529. Remedios, R. , & Lieberman, D. A. (2008). I liked your course because you taught me well: the influence of grades, workload, expectations and goals on students’ evaluations of teaching. British Educational Research Journal, 34(1), 91-115. Sanders, M. E, Driscoll, L. G. , Dixon, B. , Pendergrass, B. J. , & Scales, G. R. (2004).The Effects of Gender Grouping and Learning Style on Student Curiosity in Modular Technology Education Laboratories. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: Blacksburg. Schatt, M. D. (2011). High School Instrumental Music Students' Attitudes and Beliefs regarding Practice: An Application of Attribution Theory. Applications of Research in Music Education, 29(2), 29-40. Shang, I-Wei. (1998). An Analysis of the Relationships between Goal Perspectives, Perceived Learning Environment, and Intrinsic Motivation by Skill Levels and Gender in Adolescent Boys a nd Girls in Taiwan, Republic of China.Applied Image Inc. : New York. Siniscalco, M. T. , & Auriat, N. (2005). Questionnaire design. Quantitative research methods in educational planning. International Institute for Educational Planning/UNESCO: Paris. Vansteenkiste, M. , Sierens, E. , Soenens, B. , Luyckx, K. , & Lens, W. (2009). Motivational Profiles From a Self-Determination Perspective: The Quality of Motivation Matters. Journal of Educational Psychology, 101(3), 671-688. Vansteenkiste, M. , Zhou, M. , Lens, W. , & Soenens, B. (2005).Experiences of Autonomy and Control Among Chinese Learners: Vitalizing or Immobilizing?. Journal of Educational e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2 79 Fall 2011 Psychology, 97(3), 468–483. Xie, K. , Debacker, T. K. , & Ferguson, C. (2006). Extending the Traditional Classroom through Online Discussion: The Role of Student Motivation. J. Educational Computing Research, 34(1), 67-89. Zelick, P. R. (2007). Issues in The Psychology of Motivation. Nova Science Publishers: New York. 80 e-Journal of Organizational Learning and Leadership Volume 9, Number 2

Harmony

Music is composed by four elements, this elements are harmony, rhythm, form and melody. I consider harmony to be the most important and my personal favorite because harmony is what gives the feeling and character to a song. The harmony gives emotions to a song, some of this emotions are sadness, happiness and/ darkness. Harmony is any combination of tones simultaneously. It is the structure of music with respect to the composition and progression of chords. It is often referred as the â€Å"vertical† side of music with melody being the â€Å"horizontal† side of music.Usually harmonization sounds pleasant to the ear as long as the consonant and the dissonant sounds are balanced. Which means that there is a balance between the â€Å"tense† and the â€Å"relaxed† moments. The word harmony comes from the Greek word harmonia that means â€Å"agreement† and from the verb harmozo that means â€Å"to Joint†. In the past the word harmony was used to r efer to the whole field of music while the word â€Å"music† was used to refer to the arts in general. There are different types of harmony.Some of these types are open position, close position, subordinate and oordinate. Even though some types of music can exist without harmony like percussive music that doesn't utilize harmony, doesn't mean that all kinds of music can exist without harmony. No, they can't. One of the genres of music that highlights the use of harmony is Jazz. Any music that utilizes instruments like piano, guitar or voices utilizes harmony. A song that I like and highlights the use of harmony is â€Å"Hotel California† by The Eagles.In this song some of the chords they use mimic the ringing f the â€Å"mission bell† on top of hotel. There is also a Spanish feeling in the song that I think could relate to the Spanish heritage of California. In the beginning of the song there is also a â€Å"shaker† sound that kind of resembles that of th e rattlesnake. When you hear this sound you can imagine a desert. All of this and other sounds in the song creates a mood. Also during the chorus you can hear a few other voices in the background that resembles there sound of voices echoing through the hallways of the hotel.

Personal Selling And Sales Objectives Example

Personal Selling And Sales Objectives Example Personal Selling And Sales Objectives – Coursework Example Personal Selling and Sales Objectives Advertisement and selling of good have always the interest of a marketer to achieve the focussed target at the end of the month. There are several ways of selling a product or a service to customer. Recently, online retailers have gained a lot of attention in selling goods. Today one can buy anything over the web. As a seller, I personally think that online selling has many advantages. An online retailer does not need a physical shop to display his or her products. So, he or she saves on the physical stores. Secondly, while selling a product to a client in physical store, they might not be able to give the complete information for the product that might influence the customer to purchase the product. Whereas, in the case of an online retailer, he or she can give all the information of the product online which will be necessary for the customer. However, it is up to the customer whether he or she wants to go through each and every information abou t the product.While selling online, the sales objectives are easy to achieve. For example, recently a new trend has been seen when it comes to a launch of a mobile. The seller of the mobile gives the launch date and announces of a limited number of availability of the mobile. This creates a rush in the market and the customers become excited to buy the mobile on a priority basis. In this way, the company is able to sell of its mobile in the fastest way possible.Work CitedCant, M. C, and Neels Van Heerden.  Personal Selling. 1st ed. Lansdowne, South Africa: Juta, 2004. Print.

World War II Turning Points in the Pacific

World War II Turning Points in the Pacific Following the attack on Pearl Harbor and other Allied possessions around the Pacific, Japan swiftly moved to expand its empire. In Malaya, Japanese forces under General Tomoyuki Yamashita executed a lightning campaign down the peninsula, forcing superior British forces to retreat to Singapore. Landing on the island on February 8, 1942, Japanese troops compelled General Arthur Percival to surrender six days later. With the fall of Singapore, 80,000 British and Indian troops were captured, joining the 50,000 taken earlier in the campaign (Map). In the Netherlands East Indies, Allied naval forces attempted make a stand at the Battle of the Java Sea on February 27. In the main battle and in actions over the next two days, the Allies lost five cruisers and five destroyers, effectively ending their naval presence in the region. Following the victory, Japanese forces occupied the islands, seizing their rich supplies of oil and rubber (Map). Invasion of the Philippines To the north, on the island of Luzon in the Philippines, the Japanese, who had landed in December 1941, drove US and Filipino forces, under General Douglas MacArthur, back to the Bataan Peninsula and captured Manila. In early January, the Japanese began attacking the Allied line across Bataan. Though stubbornly defending the peninsula and inflicting heavy casualties, US and Filipino forces were slowly pushed back and supplies and ammunition began to dwindle (Map). Battle of Bataan With the US position in the Pacific crumbling, President Franklin Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave his headquarters on the fortress island of Corregidor and relocate to Australia. Departing on March 12, MacArthur turned over command of the Philippines to General Jonathan Wainwright. Arriving in Australia, MacArthur made a famous radio broadcast to the people of the Philippines in which he promised I Shall Return. On April 3, the Japanese launched a major offensive against the Allied lines on Bataan. Trapped and with his lines shattered, Major General Edward P. King surrendered his remaining 75,000 men to the Japanese on April 9. These prisoners endured the Bataan Death March which saw approximately 20,000 die (or in some cases escape) en route to POW camps elsewhere on Luzon. Fall of the Philippines With Bataan secure, the Japanese commander, Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma, focused his attention on the remaining US forces on Corregidor. A small fortress island in Manila Bay, Corregidor served as the Allied headquarters in the Philippines. Japanese troops landed on the island on the night of May 5/6 and met fierce resistance. Establishing a beachhead, they were quickly reinforced and pushed the American defenders back. Later that day Wainwright asked Homma for terms and by May 8 the surrender of the Philippines was complete. Though a defeat, the valiant defense of Bataan and Corregidor bought valuable time for Allied forces in the Pacific to regroup. Bombers from Shangri-La In an effort to boost public morale, Roosevelt authorized a daring raid on the home islands of Japan. Conceived by Lieutenant Colonel James Doolittle and Navy Captain Francis Low, the plan called for the raiders to fly B-25 Mitchell medium bombers from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8), bomb their targets, and then continue on to friendly bases in China. Unfortunately on April 18, 1942, Hornet was sighted by a Japanese picket boat, forcing Doolittle to launch 170 miles from the intended take-off point. As a result, the planes lacked the fuel to reach their bases in China, forcing the crews to bail out or crash their aircraft. While the damage inflicted was minimal, the raid achieved the desired morale boost. Also, it stunned the Japanese, who had believed the home islands to be invulnerable to attack. As a result, several fighter units were recalled for defensive use, preventing them from fighting at the front. When asked where the bombers took off from, Roosevelt stated that They came from our secret base at Shangri-La. The Battle of the Coral Sea With the Philippines secured, the Japanese sought to complete their conquest of New Guinea by capturing Port Moresby. In doing so they hoped to bring the US Pacific Fleets aircraft carriers into battle so that they could be destroyed. Alerted to the impending threat by decoded Japanese radio intercepts, the Commander-in-Chief of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Chester Nimitz, dispatched the carriers USS Yorktown (CV-5) and USS Lexington (CV-2) to the Coral Sea to intercept the invasion force. Led by Rear Admiral Frank J. Fletcher, this force was soon to encounter Admiral Takeo Takagis covering force consisting of the carriers Shokaku and Zuikaku, as well as the light carrier Shoho (Map). On May 4, Yorktown launched three strikes against the Japanese seaplane base at Tulagi, crippling its reconnaissance capabilities and sinking a destroyer. Two days later, land-based B-17 bombers spotted and unsuccessfully attacked the Japanese invasion fleet. Later that day, both carrier forces began actively searching for each other. On May 7, both fleets launched all of their aircraft, and succeeded in finding and attacking secondary units of the enemy. The Japanese heavily damaged the oiler Neosho and sunk the destroyer USS Sims. American aircraft located and sunk Shoho. Fighting resumed on May 8, with both fleets launching massive strikes against the other. Dropping out of the sky, US pilots hit Shokaku with three bombs, setting it on fire and putting it out of action. Meanwhile, the Japanese attacked Lexington, hitting it with bombs and torpedoes. Though stricken, Lexingtons crew had the ship stabilized until fire reached an aviation fuel storage area causing a massive explosion. The ship was soon abandoned and sunk to prevent capture. Yorktown was also damaged in the attack. With Shoho sunk and Shokaku badly damaged, Takagi decided to retreat, ending the threat of invasion. A strategic victory for the Allies, the Battle of the Coral Sea was the first naval battle fought entirely with aircraft. Yamamotos Plan Following the Battle of Coral Sea, the commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, devised a plan to draw the remaining ships of the US Pacific Fleet into a battle where they could be destroyed. To do this, he planned to invade the island of Midway, 1,300 miles northwest of Hawaii. Critical to Pearl Harbors defense, Yamamoto knew the Americans would send their remaining carriers to protect the island. Believing the US to only have two carriers operational, he sailed with four, plus a large fleet of battleships and cruisers. Through the efforts of US Navy cryptanalysts, who had broken the Japanese JN-25 naval code, Nimitz was aware of the Japanese plan and dispatched the carriers USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Hornet, under Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance, as well as the hastily repaired Yorktown, under Fletcher, to the waters north of Midway to intercept the Japanese. The Tide Turns: The Battle of Midway At 4:30 AM on June 4, the commander of the Japanese carrier force, Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, launched a series of strikes against Midway Island. Overwhelming the islands small air force, the Japanese pounded the American base. While returning to the carriers, Nagumos pilots recommended a second strike on the island. This prompted Nagumo to order his reserve aircraft, which had been armed with torpedoes, to be rearmed with bombs. As this process was underway, one of his scout planes reported locating the US carriers. Hearing this, Nagumo reversed his rearmament command in order to attack the ships. As the torpedoes were being put back on Nagumos aircraft, American planes appeared over his fleet. Using reports from their own scout planes, Fletcher and Spruance began launching aircraft around 7:00 AM. The first squadrons to reach the Japanese were the TBD Devastator torpedo bombers from Hornet and Enterprise. Attacking at low level, they did not score a hit and suffered heavy casualties. Though unsuccessful, the torpedo planes pulled down the Japanese fighter cover, which cleared the way for the American SBD Dauntless dive bombers. Striking at 10:22, they scored multiple hits, sinking the carriers Akagi, Soryu, and Kaga. In response, the remaining Japanese carrier, Hiryu, launched a counterstrike that twice disabled Yorktown. That afternoon, US dive bombers returned and sunk Hiryu to seal the victory. His carriers lost, Yamamoto abandoned the operation. Disabled, Yorktown was taken under tow, but was sunk by the submarine I-168 en route to Pearl Harbor. To the Solomons With the Japanese thrust in the central Pacific blocked, the Allies devised a plan to prevent the enemy from occupying the southern Solomon Islands and using them as bases for attacking Allied supply lines to Australia. To accomplish this goal, it was decided to land on the small islands of Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tamambogo, as well as on Guadalcanal where the Japanese were building an airfield. Securing these islands would also be the first step towards isolating the main Japanese base at Rabaul on New Britain. The task of securing the islands largely fell to the 1st Marine Division led by Major General Alexander A. Vandegrift. The Marines would be supported at sea by a task force centered on the carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3), led by Fletcher, and an amphibious transport force commanded by Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner. Landing at Guadalcanal On August 7, the Marines landed on all four islands. They met fierce resistance on Tulagi, Gavutu, and Tamambogo, but were able to overwhelm the 886 defenders who fought to the last man. On Guadalcanal, the landings went largely unopposed with 11,000 Marines coming ashore. Pressing inland, they secured the airfield the next day, renaming it Henderson Field. On August 7 and 8, Japanese aircraft from Rabaul attacked the landing operations (Map). These attacks were beaten off by aircraft from Saratoga. Due to low fuel and concerned about further loss of aircraft, Fletcher decided to withdraw his task force on the night of the 8th. With his air cover removed, Turner had no choice but follow, despite the fact that less than half of the Marines equipment and supplies had been landed. That night the situation worsened when Japanese surface forces defeated and sank four Allied (3 US, 1 Australian) cruisers at the Battle of Savo Island. The Fight for Guadalcanal After consolidating their position, the Marines completed Henderson Field and established a defensive perimeter around their beachhead. On August 20, the first aircraft arrived flying in from the escort carrier USS Long Island. Dubbed the Cactus Air Force, the aircraft at Henderson would prove vital in the coming campaign. In Rabaul, Lieutenant General Harukichi Hyakutake was tasked with retaking the island from the Americans and Japanese ground forces were routed to Guadalcanal, with Major General Kiyotake Kawaguchi taking command at the front. Soon the Japanese were launching probing attacks against the Marines lines. With the Japanese bringing reinforcements to the area, the two fleets met at the Battle of the Eastern Solomons on August 24-25. An American victory, the Japanese lost the light carrier Ryujo and were unable to bring their transports to Guadalcanal. On Guadalcanal, Vandegrifts Marines worked on strengthening their defenses and benefited from the arrival of additional supplies. Overhead, the aircraft of the Cactus Air Force flew daily to defend the field from Japanese bombers. Prevented from bringing transports to Guadalcanal, the Japanese began delivering troops at night using destroyers. Dubbed the Tokyo Express, this approach worked, but deprived the soldiers of all their heavy equipment. Beginning on September 7, the Japanese began attacking the Marines position in earnest. Ravaged by disease and hunger, the Marines heroically repulsed every Japanese assault. Fighting Continues Reinforced in mid-September, Vandegrift expanded and completed his defenses. Over the next several weeks, the Japanese and Marines battled back and forth, with neither side gaining an advantage. On the night of October 11/12, US ships under, Rear Admiral Norman Scott defeated the Japanese in the Battle of Cape Esperance, sinking a cruiser and three destroyers. The fighting covered the landing of US Army troops on the island and prevented reinforcements from reaching the Japanese. Two nights later, the Japanese dispatched a squadron centered on the battleships Kongo and Haruna, to cover transports heading to Guadalcanal and to bombard Henderson Field. Opening fire at 1:33 AM, the battleships struck the airfield for nearly an hour and half, destroying 48 aircraft and killing 41. On the 15th, the Cactus Air Force attacked the Japanese convoy as it unloaded, sinking three cargo ships. Guadalcanal Secured Beginning on October 23, Kawaguchi launched a major offensive against Henderson Field from the south. Two nights later, they nearly broke through Marines line, but were repulsed by Allied reserves. As the fighting was raging around Henderson Field, the fleets collided at the Battle of Santa Cruz on October 25-27. Though a tactical victory for the Japanese, having sunk Hornet, they suffered high losses among their air crews and were forced to retreat. The tide on Guadalcanal finally turned in the Allies favor following the naval Battle of Guadalcanal on November 12-15. In a series of aerial and naval engagements, US forces sank two battleships, a cruiser, three destroyers, and eleven transports in exchange for two cruisers and seven destroyers. The battle gave the Allies naval superiority in the waters around Guadalcanal, allowing for massive reinforcements to land and the beginning of offensive operations. In December, the battered 1st Marine Division was withdrawn and replaced by XIV Corps. Attacking the Japanese on January 10, 1943, XIV Corps forced the enemy to evacuate the island by February 8. The six month campaign to take the island was one of the longest of the Pacific war and was the first step in pushing back the Japanese.

Macbeth Overview

'Macbeth' Overview Macbeth, one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, tells the story of a Scottish nobleman and his own ambition to become king. The source material is Holinshed’s Chronicle, which compiled a history of England, Scotland and Ireland. First published in its Folio edition in 1623, it is the shortest of Shakespeare’s tragedies. Despite its brevity, it had a rich legacy. Fast Facts: Macbeth Title: MacbethAuthor: William ShakespearePublisher:  Edward Blount and William and Isaac JaggardYear Published: First Edition, Folio, 1623Genre: dramaType of Work: tragedyOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: Ambition, fate, free will, loyalty, appearance vs. realityCharacters: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, The Three Witches, Duncan, Banquo, MacduffNotable Adaptations: Orson Welles’ Voodoo Macbeth (1936); Akira Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood (1957);  Roman Polanski’s The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971)Fun Fact: due to superstition, actors avoid addressing Macbeth by its name directly, and use the phrase â€Å"The Scottish Play† instead. Plot Summary Macbeth is a tragedy telling the story of the Scottish nobleman by the same name, consumed by his own ambition to become king and by the consequences of the acts he commits in order to achieve his goal. At the beginning of the play, after a victorious battle, Macbeth and fellow general Banquo meet three witches in a heath, and they deliver prophecies to both of them: Macbeth would become king of Scotland, and Banquo will father a line of kings while not becoming king himself. Encouraged by Lady Macbeth, his ruthless wife, Macbeth plans to kill King Duncan. After his murder, since his heir Malcolm and his brother Donalbain promptly flee to England and Ireland, respectively, Macbeth is crowned king. Consumed by guilt and paranoia, he becomes more and more of a tyrant as the play progresses. First he has Banquo killed, and his ghost visits him during a banquet. After consulting the witches again, who tell him to beware of Macduff and that he won’t be vanquished by anyone â€Å"of woman born,† he tries to have Macduff’s castle seized and everyone inside killed. However, since Macduff had gone to England to join forces with Malcolm, Macbeth only succeeds in having Macduff’s family killed. This prompts Macduff and Malcolm to raise an army aimed at dethroning Macbeth. Meanwhile, Lady Macbeth, who initially was more assertive than her husband, has become consumed by guilt to the point of insanity and eventually kills herself. The Scottish generals rally against Macbeth, and Macduff manages to vanquish him- he was not â€Å"of woman born† but â€Å"from his mothers womb untimely ripped.†Ã‚  The play ends with Malcolm being crowned king of Scotland. Major Characters Macbeth. Macbeth is initially presented as a Scottish nobleman and a valiant warrior. However, after listening to the prophecy delivered by the Three Witches in which he is told he would be king, he is overcome by blind ambition, and, strongly encouraged by his wife, he kills the king to usurp the throne.  His thirst for power is counterbalanced by paranoia, which leads to his downfall. Lady Macbeth. Macbeth’s wife, she thinks her husband’s nature is too full of kindness. She is the one who devises the plot for her husband to murder King Duncan, and is initially less fazed by the deed than her husband. However, she eventually unravels too, and commits suicide. The Three Witches. Whether they control fate or are merely its agents, the Three Witches set the tragedy in motion: they deliver Macbeth and his companion Banquo with a prophecy that the former shall be king, and the latter shall generate a line of kings. These prophecies have a great influence on Macbeth, who decides to usurp the throne of Scotland. Banquo. Banquo is another Scottish thane who was with Macbeth when the witches delivered their prophecy. He is told that he will father a line of kings while not becoming king himself. After the king’s murder, Macbeth feels threatened by Banquo and has him murdered by hired assassins. Yet, Banquo returns as a ghost at a banquet, visibly startling Macbeth, who is the only one who can see him.   Macduff. Macduff finds King Duncan’s body after he was murdered and immediately suspects Macbeth. Eventually, he murders Macbeth. King Duncan. The wise and firm king of Scotland at the beginning of the play, he is murdered by Macbeth so he can usurp the throne. He represents moral order in the play, which Macbeth destroys and Macduff restores. Main Themes Ambition. Macbeth’s ambition is devoid of any morality and is the cause of Macbeth’s downfall. After becoming king of Scotland, Macbeth’s ambition turns him into a tyrant, and he has his suspected enemies murdered. Ambition is a trait his wife Lady Macbeth shares, and she, too, succumbs to it.   Loyalty. At he beginning of the play, King Duncan rewards Macbeth with the title â€Å"Thane of Cawdor† because the original Thane of Cawdor was actually a traitor, but Macbeth betrays the king in order to usurp the throne. Macduff, who suspects Macbeth once he sees the king’s corpse, flees to England to join Duncan’s son Malcolm, and together they plan the downfall of Macbeth and restore the moral order.   Fate and free will. The witches do show Macbeth his future and his fate, but Macbeth’s actions are arbitrary and not pre-ordained.   Appearance and reality. â€Å"Fair is foul and foul is fair,† is one of the famous quotes in Macbeth, and appearance and reality intermingle in the play: the witches give out paradoxical prophecies and characters hide their true intentions. For example, Macbeth seems honorable but actually plans to murder King Duncan. Malcolm soon flees Scotland after his father’s murder, which seems suspicious at first, but it’s actually a way for him to protect himself. Literary Style The language used by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth evolves throughout the play.  At first, they’re both characterized by a fluent and energetic style, but, as their ambition gradually overtakes them, their speech becomes fragmented. For instance, while prose in Shakespeares plays is reserved to characters of low social orders, once Lady Macbeth is overcome by madness, she utters her lines in prose too. By contrast, the witches speak in enigmatic riddles interposed with grotesque elements.   About the Author William Shakespeare, who wrote ten tragedies and eighteen comedies, wrote King Lear (1605), Macbeth (1606), and The Tempest during King James’ reign. King James was patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, and Macbeth, by stating that King James descended from the Scottish thane Banquo, is a de facto tribute to Shakespeare’s sovereign.

Critical analysis of Yemen's current Military Capabilities Research Paper

Critical analysis of Yemen's current Military Capabilities - Research Paper Example The armed forces personnel’s in the military of Yemen in somewhat very large. In the Arab countries the second largest army force is of Yemen next to Saudia. The military of Yemen is comprised of a military fleet, heavy naval equipments and a strong and well equipped air strength. In the year 2007 the total military capabilities were expected to be: territorial armed forces, 65,000; fleet, 7000-8000; and the air power, 4,000. The Yemen;s military force   include the   Republican Guard force in the army, Naval forces and marines and the air power defense and offence capabilities with the cutting edge equipments and the jet planes who have the capability to defend the country. Economically Yemen is one of the least developed nations amongst the United Arab countries. The employment rate is just 65%1. Even being below poverty line the Yemen’s government invests the largest portion of its GDP in the development of its armed forces. The security costs are really high as they account for the good amount of Yemen’s GDP i.e. 40 to 50 percent. In the year 2002, Yemen spent US$731 million on its military, and this amount has been increasing every year. For instance, the country the military expenditures of 700 million US Dollar were in year 2002 and they have increased to to almost 900 million dollars in the year 2004 2.Yemen entails a total of 11,700 troops divided among the army, air force and the navy; it also consists of total 40,000 reserves3. The  Yemen’s armed forces industry  is the state-run security firm of  Yemen. It is accountable for the production of a broad range of security equipment, such as light efficacy vehicle, medium load trucks, ammunition and the electronics. The overseas military suppliers include China, Russia and North Korea4. Yemen Ground Warfare Proficiency Yemen’s army forms the largest part of its military, it has several sectors. â€Å"The army is systematized into eight protected taskforces, s ixteen infantry taskforces, six automated taskforces, two aerial commando taskforces, one surface-to-surface missile brigade, three weaponry taskforces, one central guard force, one Special Forces team, and six air defense taskforces, which entails four antiaircraft weaponry battalions and one surface-to-air warhead battalion†5. The army is very large and constitutes supportive tangible equipment such as up to eight hundred battle tanks, three hundred multiple rocket launchers. â€Å"Yemen’s army is also stated to be fortified with 140 search systems, 220 confined army combating programmes, 700 shatterproof workers transporters, an estimated 502 grouts, likely 30 armaments and 20 land weaponry, 20 to 30 auto controlled arms, 3-3 shoot up launchers and 540 space protection weapons6. Due to the wide spread of Al-Qaeda, Yemen has taken serious and strict measures in order to avoid any security issues. Since the last few years, US has been funding Yemen military in order t o rectify the problem of Al-Qaeda in Yemen and surrounding areas7. Yemen Army is playing a major role in order to ensure complete security for its country. Yemen has just imported eighty SS-21 systems. The SS-21 is a combat zone projectile planned for tactical operation. It was planned as a substitute for the Free Rocket above Ground (FROG) missile sequences8. It is supposed to be able of being launched in either a ballistic or a cruise missile manner. The

Film Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film - Essay Example I will have spent some time with a friend I haven’t seen in a year, and that’s the end of it. I can’t believe this is so hard for you. What are you going to do when my work starts taking me to remote places around the world? Okay. This is Neigh, and it is about 10 p.m. on January 7, 2008. I decided that it was best, safest really, to put into the record the document that is the reason behind this trip – expedition even. Two days ago, I bought a box of surprise junk at an auction. When I got home, I found an old leather bound book in the box. There were a few drawings in the book, and I immediately recognized it is Celtic. The book is written in Celtic, but it has pictures, too. I could tell from the pictures that the book belonged to a Celtic priest, a Druid. It has drawings of Stonehenge in it, and an alignment of the planets that shows Venus, Jupiter and the Moon in conjunction with one another. That planetary line up is going to happen this weekend, beginning on Friday. This alignment will last a week, and then will not happen again for at least a thousand years. According to the book, the alignment will open a gate to another dimension on that night. I am going to be there Friday night, and i f there is a door, if this book is legitimate, I am going through. Well, it is not going to change tonight whatever is left, or isn’t. Besides, look, the missing stone is not even the one that is shown in the drawing. Your stone is still there. You know, as much as I don’t believe this, I kind of have this feeling. By the way, where is the original book? Sitting at Neigh’s desk, Sayge is busy reading about Stonehenge on the computer when she notices the ancient book. She closes Neigh’s laptop, takes the book and goes to the couch where she snuggles in, covers her long legs with a throw, and begins reading the book. She falls asleep. Neigh and Franklin getting out of Neigh’s car at Stonehenge. Neigh

IT Project Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

IT Project Management - Assignment Example Besides being a way of reducing costs for organizations, outsourcing is a crucial aspect of growth and a strategic service. Basically, outsourcing comprises of reassigning at least one business process to an external vendor or service provider. Often, organizations outsource specific functions that were originally part of organizational departments. The specified functions focus on business core competencies with good and clear reasons driving such actions. The four key reasons for outsourcing are outlined by Axelrod. Cost efficiency is associated with saving money and reducing operating costs. Outsourcing grants organizations access to world class skills and capabilities that enable them to tap from the best examples within their industry translating to low costs and high quality. Additionally, reduction of operating costs eliminate debts, falling profitability, and low expansion opportunities. Secondly, outsourcing allows business to utilize shared knowledge accumulated by the IT s ervice provider over years of experience in the field. Additionally, the service provider has a unique mix of skills and talent that can successfully manage a project, unlike in-house department. Thirdly, outsourcing controls legal risk or improves compliance since the service provider assumes and manages some of the risks of the business. Additionally, a service provider understands the industry requirements in and out and these assists prevent instances of costly mistakes resulting in an agile, dynamic, and flexible business.

Economic Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economic Report - Essay Example Presidents’ economic performance based on the real Gross Domestic Products The two presidential terms, the first term of president Barrack Obama and the last term of President George W. Bush were characterized by the worst economic performance since World War II. The real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by only 4% during the second term of President George W. Bush’s tenure, which was the weakest since World War II. During the first term of Obama’s tenure, the real GDP grew by 5.9%, the second weakest since World War II. According to NBER (National Bureau of economic research), the most recent recession began in 2007 and ended in 2009. NBER states that economic recession starts when growth is at the peak, and then the nation begins to experience slow economic activity. A recession comes to an end and economic expansion begins after the economic activities hit the economic trough and start to grow again. It can be concluded that the most recent economic growth wa s lowest during the last term of George W. Bush and started to peak during Barrack Obama’s first term. ... W. Bush, and through superb economic policies, he managed to transform it into a surplus of 2.4% of the GDP in 2000. In addition, federal spending dropped from 22% of GDP in 1992 to 18.4% in 2000. It can be concluded that during Clinton’s era, the economy experienced the highest growth of GDP at 14% due to sound economic policies, low interest rates, and reduced spending that resulted in a relatively low deficient rate. However, some critics state that Bill Clinton’s economic policies encouraged subprime lending, housing bubble, and economic boom, which were instrumental in starting the great recession (Tanzi 58). George H. W. Bush can be remembered for spurring the economy that buoyed Clinton’s economic prosperity. He inherited from Reagan an economy that had started to enter the recession phase after experiencing a considerable economic prosperity. During his era, the GDP grew by 8.8%, which was a bit higher than those posted by Barrack Obama and George W. Bush . Although his presidency was marked by excessive spending on wars, such as the Gulf War, he managed to contain inflation and provided a good economic pathway for the prosperity of the economy during Bill Clinton’s era (Grabowski, Self, and Shields 71). Presidents’ economic performance based on civilian unemployment rate The United States of America has experienced eleven recessions since 1948. The federal and state governments have applied several measures to combat recession and minimize civilian unemployment through tax cuts and stimulus spending. In the early 1980s, the economy endured a recession, and the rate of unemployment was at double digits. The main reason was that the federal government was trying to minimize the inflation that was affecting

Retirement Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Retirement Planning - Essay Example us to take decisions regarding the finances which we hold in our hand right now, the opportunity cost they throw and the ultimate decision which needs to be taken up to optimize our earnings for a trouble-free future. It has various components like tax planning, managing liquidity, financing for large purchases, asset and income protection, money investment plans, and the most important function being planning for your retirement. In fact, all the above five functions are usually taken up only to cater to the financial needs after retirement. Depending on the above five parameters, you will have to set up your retirement planning goals for which the following points are to be considered: Social Security is a federal program which intends to tax the individual at the time of his employment in order to finance his older years. The online social security program gives all the details of the eligibility and the benefits which are usually changed from time to time. This program delivers a minimal payment base which may not be quite sufficient to meet all the daily needs of retirement in these inflating times (Anonymous, 2008). The funding of this program is done by taxing the current employees at the rate of 7.65% under Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. Same amount is also paid by your employer also. In this way, the current tax contributions are utilized to fund the current retirement payments and not for your future purposes. Your future receivables would be funded by the then available contributions. Here, one needs to note that, as the retirement life is prolonged, there is more burdens on the balancing act as the tax receivables is far more exceeding the tax collectibles. Hence, many people also look for other alternatives. Defined Benefit Plans: Contributions are made by the employer and the percentage of vested interest varies from one firm to the other. Vested interest means the % of contribution which can transferrable into your retirement

The Principles of Scientific Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Principles of Scientific Management - Essay Example However, the area of HRM is exceptionally complex and multilateral: there are many different theories and views on the nature, methods, and techniques of management described in the abundant organizational literature. Â  Since the emergence of organizational science in the late 19th - early 20th century, the scholars have been sharing two dominant views on organizational culture. Apologists of one paradigm led by Frederick Taylor and Harrington Emerson (School of Scientific Management) believed that organizational culture was just one of the tools to ensure greater control over employees. Representatives of another approach such as Elton Mayo, Abraham Maslow, and Douglas McGregor (Human relations school) postulated that organizational culture was supposed to develop and motivate the employees without excessively rigid control (Schultz & Shultz 2002). Although each of these major paradigms has contributed significantly to the development of contemporary HRM, they rely upon entirely different principles and assumptions. Â  The process of industrialization and sophistication of businesses that occurred during the last decade of the 19th century seriously changed the traditional managerial practices. Increasing the efficiency of labor became the key priority within the system of company-employee relationship. The concept of scientific management described by Frederick Taylor was the first systematic approach designed specifically to improve the labor efficiency of employees within the new system of work relationships (Taylor 1911). Taylor strongly believed that organizational culture was one of the most effective instruments to influence the employees and improve their performance and listed the most important elements of the ideal organizational culture. Â  Taylor believed that the most effective approach to managing human resources should not be different from the approach used to manage other elements of the production process. Consequently, the Taylorian model of management relied on the assumption that the average employee was lazy, ignorant, passive, and lacked the motivation to perform effectively.

Retirement Planning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Retirement Planning - Essay Example us to take decisions regarding the finances which we hold in our hand right now, the opportunity cost they throw and the ultimate decision which needs to be taken up to optimize our earnings for a trouble-free future. It has various components like tax planning, managing liquidity, financing for large purchases, asset and income protection, money investment plans, and the most important function being planning for your retirement. In fact, all the above five functions are usually taken up only to cater to the financial needs after retirement. Depending on the above five parameters, you will have to set up your retirement planning goals for which the following points are to be considered: Social Security is a federal program which intends to tax the individual at the time of his employment in order to finance his older years. The online social security program gives all the details of the eligibility and the benefits which are usually changed from time to time. This program delivers a minimal payment base which may not be quite sufficient to meet all the daily needs of retirement in these inflating times (Anonymous, 2008). The funding of this program is done by taxing the current employees at the rate of 7.65% under Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. Same amount is also paid by your employer also. In this way, the current tax contributions are utilized to fund the current retirement payments and not for your future purposes. Your future receivables would be funded by the then available contributions. Here, one needs to note that, as the retirement life is prolonged, there is more burdens on the balancing act as the tax receivables is far more exceeding the tax collectibles. Hence, many people also look for other alternatives. Defined Benefit Plans: Contributions are made by the employer and the percentage of vested interest varies from one firm to the other. Vested interest means the % of contribution which can transferrable into your retirement