Plato s Allegory Knowledge And How New Knowledge Can...

In Plato’s allegory there are many major concepts of knowledge and how new knowledge can alter a person’s entire life. One of Plato’s points is that people will cling to what they have always been told when presented new knowledge and may terrify them. Plato says: â€Å". . . you must not wonder that those who attain to this beatific vision are unwilling to descend to human affairs; for their souls are ever former state he had seen the shadows . . . that what he saw before was an illusion . . . Will he not fancy the shadows?†(Plato’s Allegory pg. 4) Another point Plato made is that the truth, more times than not, is painful. Plato says: â€Å"And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will make him turn away...† (Plato’s Allegory pg. 3) Plato also makes the point that sometimes knowing the truth and trying to break people who stay firm to their old beliefs may be strenuous and will be cast out. Plato says: â€Å". . . if there were a contest . . . in measuring the shadows with the prisoners who had never moved out of the den . . . would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down he came without his eye . . . and if any one tried to lose another and lead him up†¦they would put him to death.†(Plato’s Allegory pg. 4) These points can be seen in students life’s as they grow in knowledge. A student, who has been told something the totality of their life, is suddenly confused when new information isShow MoreRelatedReading Reflection1647 Words   |  7 PagesI’ve read articles and novels that have broadened my horizon about how things are different than what someone may be used to. I learned how life experiences can shape your future and the choices you make. Not only did I learn things through the books and articles we have read, but also from my professor and his own life experiences that he was br ave enough to share with the class. I have never had a teacher who wanted to share knowledge as much as O’Hara does, and for that I am extremely grateful that

The Nsw Government And Medically Supervised Injecting Centre

The NSW government and ‘Medically Supervised (Heroin) Injecting Centre (Kings Cross): 1998-2010 This case study is based on results obtained from the public injecting site in the urban location of Sydney’s Kings Cross between 1998 and 2010. In exposing and analysing the history behind the initiative of the NSW Governments harm minimisation program of ‘Medically Supervised Injecting Centres’ (MSIC). This paper offers a snapshot into the public policy and responses associated with public injecting and metanarrative directions of the program management and evaluation methods that were applied to how this program unfolded. Agenda-setting The NSW Government recognised that a new approach was needed to reach marginalised and long-term injecting†¦show more content†¦There was a great push for a non-judgmental approach that would ‘reduce physical, social and psychological risks to individuals who use drugs and to society as a whole’ (McCann Temenos, 2015, p. 217). Never the less, this was a highly contested set of policy formulation across all levels of governance. Policy actors and institutions Health services for people who inject drugs are subject to ‘considerable community concern and media and political attention’ (MSIC Evaluation Committee, 2003, p. 177). The development of a policy network, in July 1997 involved a multiplicity of actors who played an important role in the policy process. A NSW Parliamentary Joint Select Committee of ‘public and private spheres’ (Dennis, 2013, p. 78) was established to consider the feasibility for a trial of a MSIC. The Committee extensively reviewed the arguments contending for and arguing against proposals for a trial, and a suitable location. Copious submissions and evidence was put forward to the Committee with many advocators endorsing the action commenting that ‘injecting rooms may contribute to the reduction in the number of fatal and non-fatal overdoses by providing access to resuscitation and disseminating information about safer using practices’ (Parliament of New South Wales, 1998, p. 82). For the most part, government law enforcement and health organisations worked in partnership to support the panoply of programs of legally

Porter Argues That If a Firm Is to Attain Competitive Advantage Free Essays

Porter argues that if a firm is to attain competitive advantage; it must choose between the types of competitive advantage it seeks, discuss using an industrial example? An industry can be defined as a group of companies offering products that are closely substituting for each other in order to satisfy customers. Competitive advantage can be defined as when a firm sustains profit which exceeds the company’s average; it automatically possesses competitive advantage over rivals. The business strategy for most companies is to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. We will write a custom essay sample on Porter Argues That If a Firm Is to Attain Competitive Advantage or any similar topic only for you Order Now This essay aims to discuss why firms must choose between types of competitive advantages using an industrial example. Michael Porter indentified that there are 2 basic types of competitive advantage, cost advantage and differentiation advantage. A competitive advantage exists when the firm is able to deliver the same benefits as competitors but at a lower price (Cost Advantage) or deliver benefits that exceed those of the competitors (Differentiation). Thus, the firm creates superior value and products for customers whilst it gains superior profit for the company. A resource based view emphasizes that a firm utilizes its resources and capabilities to create a competitive advantage that results in creating superior value thus the firm must have resources and capabilities that are superior to those of the competitors. Resources are the firm specific assets used for creating either a cost advantage or differentiation advantage, examples of resources are brand equity, reputation, installed customer base. While, capabilities refer to the firm’s ability of utilizing its resources, an example is the ability to bring out a product or market before competitors. Thus, the resources and capabilities together result in distinctive competencies which allow innovation, efficiency, creativity, quality and customer responsiveness which can be leveraged to create cost advantage or differentiation. Essentially, a firm’s relative position within its industry determines whether its profitability stands above or below industry average. Porter states that there are 2 types of competitive advantage a firm can possess as mentioned above however , there are 3 generic strategies for achieving competitive advantage in an industry; cost advantage/leadership, differentiation and focus. The first type of competitive advantage is cost advantage /leadership, it is when a firm becomes low cost producer in its industry. It minimizes the cost to the organization of delivering products and services. According to Porter (1985) , there are two ways of achieving cost leadership either by increasing profit by reducing costs while charging the average price. Or by increasing market share through charging lower prices while still achieving a reasonable profit on each sale because your cost has been reduced. Furthermore, companies that are successful in achieving cost leadership usually have an access to the capital needed to invest in technology which helps reduce the cost. Also, they have very efficient logistics and a low cost base such as labor, materials and facilities (Ibid, 1985). Essentially, if a firm can achieve and maintain cost leadership, it can obtain above average performance whilst the prices are still affordable in that industry. Hence, the cost leader does not try to be the industry innovator, it seeks to position its products to appeal to the average customer taste. The aimed goal is to increase efficiency and lower its costs in relation to competitors. Some of the advantages of the cost leadership strategies are it is protected by industry competitors by cost advantage, purchases in large quantities which increases bargaining power over supplier. Also, it has the ability to reduce price to compete with substitute products, less affected by a fall in the price of inputs as it has powerful buyers. Some of the disadvantages are competitors may lower their cost structure, they may imitate the cost leaders method and cost reductions may affect demand. Furthermore, Porter argues that a low cost position acts to a firm’s benefit against rivalry, and it can act as a defense against powerful suppliers by providing more flexibility to cope with input increases. The car industry has always been one of the most competitive industries because of the huge revenues and profits available at stake. The competition has increased drastically in this industry as there has been a constant need to continuously develop new kinds of car models to satisfy the needs of particular groups of buyers. For example, Toyota has used its low cost structure to produce efficient and increasing ranges of vehicles tailored to different segments of the car industry. Its ability to move from the design to production stage in two to three years gives it the benefit of bringing out new models faster than its competitors and capitalize on the development of new market segments or niches. Also, Toyota has been a leader in positioning its range of vehicles to take advantage of emerging market segments. For example , in the sports utility segment, it offers six models of sports utility vehicles each offering a combination of price, size, performance, styling and luxury that appeals to different sets of buyers. The second type of competitive advantage addressed by Porter is differentiation. As opposed to cost leadership approach, differentiation does not seek to lower prices in order to gain competitive advantage. Porter states that by using differentiation approach, a firm seeks to be unique in its industry alongside some attributes that are greatly valued by buyers. An industry selects few attributes that most buyers in an industry perceive as vital and aims to uniquely present and position itself to meet those needs. Differentiation approach is usually rewarded for its uniqueness with a premium price and to make a successful generic strategy, organizations need to have good research, development and innovation. They need to have the ability to deliver high quality products and services and have an effective sales and marketing team in order to understand the market demands. Usually, companies that follow differentiation strategies create a product that is distinct for its competitors in an important way. Therefore, a differentiator strives to differentiate itself in as many dimensions as it can, it seeks to segment the market in many niches , and it focuses on the organizational functions that provide a source of distinct advantages. According to Porter, there are several sources of product differentiation that a firm must look at. Firstly, firms should focus on the product and highlight which features they want to change, how complex they want the product to be, when they would like to introduce the product and the location. Secondly, firms should focus on their relationship with the customer, product customization, and consumer marketing and product reputation. Lastly, firms should focus on linkages within and between firms, linkages among functions within a firm, linkages with other firms, product mix , distribution channel and service and support. Some of the advantages of differentiation strategy are customers develop brand loyalty. Also, differentiators could pass price increases onto customers, powerful buyers are not a problem because the product is distinct and differentiation and brand loyalty are barriers to entry. Some of the disadvantages of differentiation strategies are difficulties maintaining long term distinctiveness in consumer’s eyes, competitors can quickly imitate and difficulty maintaining premium price. For example, American Express carefully differentiated its product using famous people to advertise the virtues, exclusivity, and distinctness of possessing those cards. Amex cards were premium products that allowed the company to charge both customers and merchants more because it offered quality service and conferred status on the user. By 2002, it offered 9 kinds of charge cards and 14 kinds of credit cards seeking to expand the market reach. The third strategy Porter mentions is the focus strategy which concentrates on particular niche markets and tries to understand the dynamics of that particular market. Alongside, the unique needs of customers in those markets, it seeks to develop low cost and well specified products for the market. Usually, it results in strong brand loyalty amongst customers which makes their market segment less attractive to competitors. Focus strategy usually combines with either cost leadership or differentiation as it is not enough on its own. In addition, the focuser strives to serve the need of a targeted niche market segment where it has either a low cost or differentiated competitive advantage. In cost focus, a firm seeks cost advantage as its target segment. In differentiation focus, firms choose differentiation as their main approach. Some of the advantages of focus strategy is the focuser is protected from rivals by providing a product or service that they cannot offer, the focuser has power over buyers because they cannot get the same service from anywhere else. Also, the threat of new entrants is limited by customer loyalty to the brand and customer loyalty lessens the threat from substitutes. Some of the disadvantages of focus strategies are differentiators will compete for a focuser’s niche and the focuser’s niche may disappear because of technological change or changes in customer’s tastes. How to cite Porter Argues That If a Firm Is to Attain Competitive Advantage, Essay examples

Anne Frank Remembered Essay Example For Students

Anne Frank Remembered Essay Gies, Miep., Gold, Allison. Anne Frank Remembered Essay. New York: Simon and Schuster Inc., 1987. 220pp. Anne Frank Remembered is the autobiography of Miep Gies, the woman who helped the Frank family survive during their two years in hiding. Her book is a primary source or first hand account of the persecution of Jewish people in Nazi occupied Holland during the second world war. It is also the first hand account of the hiding of Jews such as the Frank family, the Van Daan family, and Dr. Albert Dussel during this time. In regard to the books autobiographical format, the author, Miep Gies, does not present the reader with a clear thesis statement. Instead, throughout the book the author discusses her main views toward the actions of the Nazis and their oppression of the Jewish people. Her disapproval of German Nazi actions is evident in the following quotation, when she was asked to join the Nazi Girls Club: How can I join such a club? I icily asked. Look at what the Germans are doing to the Jews in Germany. Let her take a good look at me and see with her own eyes that some Aryan woman was not to be swept in by the Nazis. (Gies, p. 41, 1987). The main source of background to the authors viewpoint is her own story. In order to further discuss her main points and views, a summary of her story must be given. The book began with a brief history of the childhood of Miep Gies. She was born in Vienna, Austria in 1909, where she lived with her parents until the age eleven year. She was then sent to Amsterdam by a program in the aid of undernourished and sick children and was to be adopted by a Dutch family. She became used to the Dutch way of life as she grew older and soon she began to consider herself Dutch, not Viennese. Her association with the Frank family began when she was given a job with the Pectacon Company, owned and operated by Mr. Otto Frank. His company made and sold pectin, which was used for making jam. Mieps first part of the job was to make jam with different formulas of pectin. After becoming an expert jam maker, she was placed at a desk in the office to do office work. She became very close to the Frank family and was invited to their home regularly for meals. She also began a relationship with a man named Jan, whom she later married. Throughout her book, Miep incorporated much information on Hitlers Nazi movement in both the Netherlands and the rest of Europe. She described the slow persecution of the Jews and the various restrictions placed upon them. In July of 1942, Miep and her husband helped the Frank family move into a hiding place named the secret annex, located in secret rooms of the Pectacon company building. It had become too dangerous for the Frank family to live as Jews in Amsterdam. An order came for the Pectacon company to be liquidated as a Jewish business, so Mr. Frank turned it over in the names of his trusted, Christian business associates: Mr. Kraler and Mr. Koophuis. Although legally Mr. Frank had no ties with the business, it was still secretly directed by him with the means of clandestine meetings between the three men. Miep described her responsibilities in shopping for the family and providing them with the necessities of life. She and her husband came up with plans to get extra ration cards in order to feed the Franks, the Van Daans, Dr. Dussel, and themselves. All of the things she did for the families put a risk on her own life; even providing them with her companionship was illegal. .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 , .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .postImageUrl , .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 , .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:hover , .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:visited , .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:active { border:0!important; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:active , .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3 .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u4490a9042f8d16f5027a83b231650ab3:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Essay However, Miep and her husband became one of the only links the families in hiding had to the outside world. On the morning of August 4, 1944, the efforts of Miep and the families failed when their hiding place was raided by Nazi officials. The families were arrested and sent to prison camps. The only thing left for Miep to do was retrieve some of their belongings. During her quick surveyance of the .

A Separate Peace Essays - Phillips Exeter Academy, A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace Breaking The Mold In John Knowles, A Separate Peace, there is a transformation in all the key elements in the book, from the rivers to the tree to the seasons to the characters. The transformation is specifically seen in Leper, Gene, and Phineas. These three young men experience a change not just because of the transitions through adolescence. These changes also come about because of the war, the school, and an injury. Leper Lepellier is a very odd young man. He is quiet and is finds himself always taken by surprise. He really is not popular and that does not concern him in any way. Leper really has no true friends at the Devon school, but talks to Gene. He entertains himself by collecting snails, looking for beaver damns, and skiing. His personality does not allow him to depend on anyone for help. As time progresses and the other boys start the winter session he decides to enroll in the war. A couple of months later Gene receives a telegram from Leper saying he is in his Christmas location (131) This is the first sign that Leper demonstrates that he needs people. He realizes the happiness, fear and anger have to be shared with others. Leper then tells Gene I escaped (135) and he says he did it to please himself. He is starting to realize things that are going on in the world. He no longer lives in his bubble. Gene Forrester is a quiet, envious, introverted, and lonely young man. His insecurities are especially seen when Finny is around. There is a constant rivalry through Genes eyes between them. He always chooses to compete or argue with Phineas. The first example of his competitive personality is seen when Phineas asks him to jump out of the tree. Phineas says, you were very good, once I shamed you into it. .. I am good for you that way. You have a tendency to back away from things otherwise. and Gene states you didnt shame anybody into anything. I never backed away from anything in my life. (10) Gene would have never jumped off the tree if it were not for Finny. Gene depends on Finny as his security blanket. As time progresses the rivalry increases and the tension in Genes head is gets worse. When Gene can not take anymore of Finny and his abilities his jealousy takes control and he jounces the limb. As a result, Gene makes him fall and injuring his leg. When Finny falls it is as if all of Genes prayers have been answered. Finny has to leave Devon for the rest of the summer session and part of the winter session. During this time Gene finds out who he truly is. His transformation occurs, he finds himself making decisions on his own, like when he chooses to go shovel snow on the railroad. Not just that but he also finds himself not second guessing every move he makes. By the end of the novel he no longer sees Finny as a demigod but a normal human being. After his transformation to a mature, confident adult he states, I could see the amount of fear I had lived in. (2) On the other hand Phineass transformation is more of a lost than a gain. At the beginning of the novel he is a confident , athletic, and a handsome young man. He is seen like super natural God in the eyes of many, especially his peers and teachers. Gene describes Finny as the essence of this careless peace. (17) Whatever Finny says to do people follow it. He created the Super Suicide Society, made a winter carnival at Devon and invented the sport of Blitzball. This sport brought about his own athletic gifts to their highest pitch. this right here demonstrated his godly abilities. (31) Another example of his this inner confidence is when he breaks the swimming record. Gene is the only one to witness Fiiny breaking the record. The thing is Finny does not want he broke the record. Phineas knows his ability but wants to keep it a secret. When Gene pushes Finny of the tree the beginning of the transformation occurs. It was as if his godliness was taken away when he injured his leg. He came down to normal humanity with the fall, as if an angel lost its wings. In conclusion, just things everything changes with time so

Teach for America - Profile on the Teach for America Program

Teach for America - Profile on the Teach for America Program What is Teach for America: Part of Americorps, Teach for America is a national program for new and recent college graduates where they commit to teach for two years in a low-income school teaching disadvantaged students. The mission of the organization according to their website is to build the movement to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting our nations most promising future leaders in the effort. Since its inception in 1990, 17,000 individuals have participated in this rewarding program. Benefits of Participation: First and foremost, participating in Teach for America is a service organization where new teachers can truly make a difference right from the start. Over the course of the two years of involvement, teachers recive five weeks of intensive pre-service training and then ongoing professional development for the course of the program. Participants receive the pay and benefits of a typical teacher for the region where they are working. The program also provides teachers with loan forbearance along with $4,725 at the end of each year of service. They also provide transitional grants and loans ranging from $1000 to $6000. A Little Bit of History: Wendy Kopp presented the idea for Teach for America as an undergraduate at Princeton University. At the age of 21, she raised $2.5 million dollars and began recruiting teachers. The first year of service was in 1990 with 500 teachers. Today over 2.5 million students have been affected by this program. How to Get Involved: According to their website, Teach for America seeks a diverse group of promising future leaders who have the leadership skills to change the prospects of students.... Those recruited do not have to have any prior teaching experience. The competition is stiff. In 2007, only 2,900 were accepted out of 18,000 applicants. Applicants must apply online, participate in a 30 minute phone interview, and if invited attend a full-day face-to-face interview. The application is long and requires a lot of thought. It is suggested that applicants spend some time preparing for the application process before submitting. Issues and Concerns: While Teach for America is in many ways an excellent program, there are some concerns of which teachers should be aware. While according to studies including a recent one by the Urban Institute, teachers who work with Teach for America are in fact more effective than their traditional counterparts. On the other hand in terms of the experience for teachers, some new TFA teachers feel unprepared to be thrown into such a challenging teaching environment. It is important for any potential participant to fully investigate the Teach for America program and if possible speak with those who have actually participated in it.

Analysis of Creating Blue Oceans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis of Creating Blue Oceans - Essay Example The title of the reading, Creating Blue Oceans is effective and relevant since it relates to the reference company. Indeed, authors reckon that blue seas emanate from red seas through the expansion of existing industries as seen in Cirque du Soleil’s marketing strategy (Kim and Mauborge 5). The authors are informative, rational, and unbiased since they address all aspects of the topic. In fact, they introduce the merits, demerits, challenges, and risks of creating blue seas. Moreover, they complete the discussion on a positive note by informing the audience on how to formulate and implement a blue ocean strategy by presenting the principles and analytical frameworks that will guarantee success in creating blue seas (Kim and Mauborge 19-21). The authors derive more understanding on the topic by describing the motivators that drive the need to create blue seas (Kim and Mauborge 8). The reading also explains how companies like Cirque du Soleil moved from red seas by making strategic moves that define the benefits of blue sea strategic moves (Kim and Mauborge 10). Just like in other businesses strategies, the reading recognizes value innovation as the foundation of a blue ocean strategy (Kim and Mauborge 12-14). In fact, the reading offers a clear description of how Cirque du Soleil created a blue ocean based on innovation to gain a competitive advantage in the market. The reading compares Red Ocean and blue ocean strategies to justify why Cirque du Soleil created a blue ocean.

Labor Supply and Demand Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Labor Supply and Demand Scenario - Essay Example The latter sector constituted by men and women without reference to age and educational attainment, as long as they possess high quality of English proficiency and/or other foreign languages, depending on the destination countries. This happens due to the decision of industrialized countries to concentrate on advanced technologies and thereby setting aside the communications side of their companies. Since the latter eats up much of the investment of companies, and considering further that citizens of these countries demand high salaries, international companies opted to shift this demand for labor to countries where salaries are relatively lower. Since outsourcing requires a fixed cost for communications, it is on salaries that companies limit on the cost. If the communication cost is below than the critical level, outsourcing would increase the aggregate output of business service. Trade in business services increases the productivity of semi-skilled labor in the consumer service if the number of business partners is greater than the percentage increase on the fixed cost. This scenario led to the increase of salary scale of the semi-sk

Furniture Manufacturing Company Management Essay

Furniture Manufacturing Company Management - Essay Example Company Act 2006 Sec 177 requires all directors of a company to avoid conflicts of interest by declaring their interest in a proposed arrangement or transaction. Such declaration must be made by a written notice, a general notice or in a meeting of the directors. Company Act 2006 under Sec 182 (1) requires the directors to declare their interest in any transaction or arrangement that has been entered in to by the company whether direct interest or indirect interest in a transaction. In the above case, Tom has contravened Company Law provisions on duty to disclose conflict of interest in awarding Computers4Us the ICT contract. Section 175 (1) which deals with conflict of interest requires all directors to avoid all situations which have either direct or interest which conflicts or may conflict with the interest of the company. The above case is a situational conflict of interest since Tom’s father is the owner of Computers4Us which will lead to transactional conflict since Tom is in a position to benefit from the ICT contract. Tom is criminally liable for breach of Company Act to avoid conflict of interest thus is liable to a fine. While Company Act 2006 does not give a definition of â€Å"interest†, the duty to avoid conflict of interest will apply in situations that can lead to exploitation of information, opportunities and company property. Tom is both an executive director and significant shareholder in Imperial Ltd and his connection with Computers4Us has the potential may be adverse to the Imperial Ltd interests since it will influence the decisions made by the company. Although not expressly included in Company Act 2006, Tom should have declared his interest in Computers4Us since the term â€Å"connected† in the Act is wide enough to include spouses, step-children, director’s parents and civil partners of the directors. Tom and Harry are both executive directors and shareholders of Imperial Ltd. Possibly; Tom’s sharehold ing influenced the decision to award Computers4Us the ICT contract. Tom as an executive director is fully aware that his father owns Computers4Us. In the above case, Tom should have declared his conflict of interest and the fact that his father owns Computers4Us to the board of directors either during the meetings, in writing or by just a general notice. Harry is free to sue for the cancelation of the contract since it contravenes the provisions of Company Act 2006 (Worthington and Sealy 2007). For private companies formed before 1st October 2008, the directors have not automatic powers to approve any conflict of interest unless they amend the articles of association or pass a resolution to grant the directors such powers. For private companies formed on or after October 1st 2008, the board of directors has the powers to authorize a conflict of interest unless it is invalidated by the articles of association of the company (Davies 2010). However, in deciding to authorize the above c onflict of interest, the directors of any private company must comply with Company Act 2006 provisions including the duty to promote and safeguard the welfare of the company. Additionally, the resolution to authorize the conflict of interest should be done

The cultural and social challenges faced by IHRM

The cultural and social challenges faced by IHRM Now we going to introduce the challenges that IHRM had to face. We know the main challenge was to convince the mangers that the culture is different, the social system is different, the legal principles are different etc. Overall its a completely new environment and it is a challenge for the international HR manger to identify these changes and adopt accordingly. This is the main difference between HR and IHRM, in IHRM the manager operates in an alien environment which makes decision making and implementation much difficult. Thus the recruitment and training of these mangers, communication between the head office and the subsidiary becomes more important than in a local operation. The IHRM is focuses more on how to select, recruit and retain managers for international operations, rather than focusing on how to manage international employees. Now , we moved along, expatriates. An expatriate is an employee who is working and temporary residing in a foreign country (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.5). The fundamental difference between domestic HR and IHRM is that staff are moved across national boundaries, thus expatriates e are born. Hence it is natural in an IHRM subject to focus more on handling these expatriates. There can be three types of employees in an international firm. Employees from where the firm is headquarted is known as Parent Country Nationals, employees from where the subsidiary is located are known as Host Country Nationals, other country nationals are known as Third Country Nationals (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.5). Now it started to make sense, IHRM is more complex and complicated than domestic HRM, because now you not only have to have a thorough understanding about the host country, you also need to decide who are we going to use as employees HCNs, PCNs or TCNs, or a mixture of them. If so in what proportions? How can the organization select the right person? How is training, compensating and other activities are carried? we hope to find answers for these questions during the report. Cross-cultural communication Similarly, among various countries cross-cultural communication is very necessary so that they can understand each others through religion ,culture, art , literature, foreign policies ,fiscal polices ,etc. such type of bridges of understanding will help to lessen and minimize the gap between two culture. Thirukkural , a noted tamil poet ,who has been translated in more than twenty five languages and who had been famous for ethical themes and brevity, has very aptly remarked on power of speech: The goodness called goodness of speech IS goodness which nothing can reach Since gain or ruin speeches brings Guard against the slips of tongue Weight the words and, speak, because No wealth or virtue words surpass. They overspeak who do not seek A few and flawless words to speak (Gupta .reprint 2004) It is said that speech is grater than words ,mind is greater than speech ,will is grater than mind consciousness is greater than will ,meditation is greater than will and power of understanding is greater than meditation.sanakumara ,surmonzing narad atma vidya or brahmavidya (knowledge of the supreme) says : power of understanding beings sine quo non for proper meditation ,thats is greater than meditation . if we cannot correctly understand and discriminate good and bad ,truth and untruth and discriminate between good and bad ,truth and untruth , and the like pairs of opposites ,how can we meditate? Thus there is no doubt that the power of understanding is linked with speech ,one of the tools of communication. point 02 Cultural Differences That culture played a major role in IHRM as it involves understanding and handling a new culture and a new social system. what aspects should an international HR manager should focus on and how he should respond to cultural differences in an international arena. But the topic had lot more to offer than what I initially anticipated. Culture is the way in which a group of people solves problems and reconciles dilemmas (Trompenaars Turner, 2002, p.g.02). There are so many elements in a culture and there is no one way of understanding or defining a culture. But it was evident that having a thorough knowledge about it was essential for those who are engaged in IHRM. In order to give meaning and understanding to the culture there were several models discussed. However the one that looked most promising and attractive was the Hofstedes five dimensions. He developed a model that focused ways of measuring a national culture and how these measures might work differently in different context. The cultural values that are important in a national culture, could be reflected in the way business within that country are operated and organized (Hofstede, 2006). According to the Hofsteds there are 5 cultural damnations. Power distance this is the extent to which power is distributed unequally among the employees in between the higher positions and the lower positions. Eg- India is a high power distance culture ( even have a cast system) and USA is a lower power distance culture. Individualism vs collectivisms In a individualistic country people would priorities them self ( USA) where as collectivism country people would priorities group needs. Uncertainty avoidance People would try to minimize risk they face in a situation ( avoiding paralysis through analysis ) usually countries with long history and traditions have a high uncertainty avoidance. Countries such as USA well come higher risks. Masculinity / femininity Masculine- tough value dominant Eg; success, money, satiates, competition Feminine- tender values dominant such as personal relationships, care for others, quality of life etc. When we take Sri Lanka for a example I think we have feminine culture even though have many masculinity futures. The best example for this is during the tsunami situation whole county get together to help the tsunami victims within ours. This is an excellent model where you can get a quick idea about something complex as a national culture. we believe this simplicity itself is the major short coming of this model. Hofstede selected a country and gave marks to each dimension, thinking that the culture is static. But we all know that in todays context culture is anything but static, it changes at a rapid pace, thus a country which was once collectivist could now be individualistic due to many reasons such as economic pressure, government policies etc. And also Hofstede never took into account the complexity of the task. For an example USA is an individualistic culture, but certain complex projects and operations may force an individual to work as a group to succeed in that particular project. Thus the complexity of the task has forced someone with individualistic character to be collectivistic. But overall the model is excellent to get a glimpse of what an unknown culture would look like, but we do not believe that you can make sound business decisions based on this model. Now we had understanding about how to analyze a national culture, and also the importance of culture to employees and international HR managers. It was evident that this should be the starting point of any international HR plan. Decisions should be taken where culture is kept at the center, as the success of implementation will depend on how well international employees accept your plans. point 03 The Organizational Context All the previous section discussed about the external environment and this topic discussed how the internal environment should be arranged in accordance to international operations. Again we touched upon areas such as importance of culture in HRM and also the organization strategy and HRM etc. Although these areas are very interesting we found it difficult to see the practicality of it. For an example in one point it was said that if a certain culture is high in power distance and have respect for authority then the authority should be centralized and if not it should decentralized. But in practice it is not the culture that influences the structure most but the objectives and the task of the organization (manufacturing companies are more centralized while service oriented companies are decentralized). The most interesting form of structure for us it was the Matrix structure; it was different from all other traditional structure and had certain unique features. A matrix structure creates dual lines of authority and combines functional and product departmentalization (Robbins, Millett, 2004, p.g. 475). The most interesting part about the Matrix structure was that it broke the departmental boundaries and goes against the unity of command where now one employee reports to two mangers. This type of structure is ideal for a large matured organization. When an organization grows its information processing capacity could get overloaded, under a matrix structure this can be changed as it allows the flow of communication and greater flexibility. But what we found out was even large complex organizations are reluctant to move along with a matrix structure. First of all it is a complex structure, and secondly breaking departmental boundaries has its own repercussions such as there is greater room for conflicts, there will be constant issues about span of control and level of authority and there will always be a struggle for power among managers etc. What was clear for us is that its difficult to look at an organization and say this is the best structure for you. Whatever the structure selected it must be flexible enough to change according to situations and most importantly factors such as national culture, employee behavior must be taken into account prior to deciding on a structure. An organizations structure is the spine that allows it to stand still, the HR activities of the organization and all other activities will depend on the support it gets from the structure. Thus HR has a greater responsibility in designing the structure, the structure should be strong enough not only to stand still against the internal environment but also against the external environment as well. That is why in IHRM we look at aspects such as national cultures, work practices, ethics, norms, behaviors etc. So that HR managers can design a structure that is suitable for the external environment. Lesson 04 HRM in the Host Country Context Host country is the place where the subsidiary is going to be set out. HRM in host country is how you organize your employees, recruit them, train them and compensate them once the subsidiary is operational. But as always the subject went a step further than what I anticipated. Certain type of questions an international HR manager would ask himself. Such as should pay for performance be implemented? Should EEO be practiced here? How far are we going to distribute authority? We feel that we always focus on big areas such as compensation, recruitment, training etc. that we somehow consider the above questions as irrelevant. But we believe in todays context those questions are the burning issues. Before deciding on training and compensation we need to outline the way the organization is going to operate. This way could be the overall corporate strategy, or may be the vision of the organization, whatever it is, it should be the platform of the new subsidiary. Why we call it as the platform is because, once an organization have outlined how it plans to operate such as should it implement pay for performance or should it practice EEO etc. Then the organization has created a clear path for it to travel. Now that the core areas have been outline we can decide what our recruitment policy is going to be like, or how we are going to compensate. For an example lets say that we decided to go along with pay for performance and EEO. Now the HR manager knows what exactly to do, he can design a compensation package that would compensate according to the way employees perform. Also he can design a recruitment policy where applicants are given an equal chance of getting selected. But then there were several other questions that came up. How can an organization decide whats the best path to move forward for it subsidiary? Should it depend on the corporate strategy or the environment of the host country? These were answered quickly by the next few discuss. The topic is trying to teach to us how an organization should look for host country specific factors that will have a direct impact over the operations of the organization. As an example it might be the corporate strategy to use a pay for performance system but certain legal and social conditions in the host country will not allow an organization to use such a strategy (like in Japan where pay is according to the seniority). An organization has a choice when it comes to selecting the way it plans to operate. It can either standardize work practices where parent country standards are maintained globally. Or it can localize the operations according to the host country. These two factors are like two extremes of a continuum, the challenge is to find the point where both options are blended in correct quantities. But in reality we feel organizations do not wish to localize operations and are keen in standardizing as much as possible. From a managers perspective this is completely agreeable as it would solve lot of problems at the corporate level. But when it comes to the operational level it will create ambiguity and confusion. But still in order to ease the pressure at the corporate level and to save time, organizations are more attracted towards standardizing. And this is one of the key reasons why expatriates are used so frequently by multinationals. Apart from many other benefits they bring to the subsidiary they most importantly help the parent country to have a greater control over the operations, thus allowing them to standardize operations to a greater extent. point 05 Sustaining International Business Operations To our knowledge staffing is just one aspect of IHRM and in order to sustain, there are so many other factors that needs to be discussed (such as management style, distribution of power and autonomy etc.). There are several ways approaches to staffing available for MNE. Ethnocentric is where the subsidiary is given little autonomy and key management positions are held by foreign nationals (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.58). There can be many examples found here in Sri Lankan for this particular staffing policy such as Hilton, Suntel, IOC, Laughs etc. Polycentric is where each subsidiary is treated as a distinct national entity with some decision making autonomy (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.59) examples could be Airtel, Dialog etc. Geocentric is where the MNE takes a global approach to its operations. It is accompanied by a worldwide integrated business and nationality is ignored in favor of ability (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.60) e.g -: United Nations, HSBC. Regiocentric is like the geocentric approach, it utilizes a wider pool of managers but in a limited way (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.62) e.g -: Unilivers. However what we going to understand how important the subsidiary is to the organization. The higher the importance the greater the control the organization requires over the subsidiary, thus it is more likely that they would go ahead with an ethnocentric or any other similar approach where they can have greater control. That is why we see mature organizations such as Suntel and Hilton still using an ethnocentric approach. And a new subsidiary like Aitel Sri Lanka using a polycentric approach tells us that it is not of significant importance to the group. Regeocentric and geocentric approaches are separate from the above two, because in order to practice these approaches the MNE should be large and spread across many countries. Our observation may not be 100% true for all organizations, but it would apply for many MNEs especially small and medium once. point 06 Recruitment and Selection for International Assignment When recruiting and selection you asked your self was what should be so different in selecting a domestic manager and an international manger. After all if youre successful as a domestic manger you just have to apply the same thing abroad with a bunch of foreigners. This time we was completely wrong, we soon found out that there was a significant difference in selecting a domestic manager and an international manager. The first thing we realized about an international manager is that his task is lot more complicated than of a domestic manager. There is a lot expected from an expatriate, he will have to perform in an unfamiliar environment, he will have to play different roles in different situations (e.g-: an interpreter, a boundary spanner, an agent, a negotiator etc.), the support of the family and friends maybe absent, he is expected to be flexible and adopt to the host country situations quickly etc. An important point we want to understand, expatriate failure. We found it very interesting because we was unaware of this term and also when we looked deep in to it; it is something practically experienced by many MNEs. Expatriate failure is defined as the premature return of an expatriate (that is, a return home before the period of assignment is completed) (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.86). There were several reasons highlighted for expatriate failure, the most common issues are the inability of the expatriate to adapt to the host country and family concerns. Why we say is that when an expatriate is selected, the organization makes sure that he has performed well domestically. This certifies that he has the necessary technical competencies. So the reason for not performing internationally is not because he lacks technical skills, its just that he doesnt know how apply his knowledge to that particular culture. And also humans are social animals; they always want to be a part of a group and a community. But when an expatriate is send abroad he gets cut off from his community and gets isolated. This adds tremendous physiological pressure on the expat. That is why we believe that these two factors are the most common reasons for expatriate failure. Lesson 07 Training and Development Now we want to understand how important it is to select the right person to head an international operation. Being successful in a domestic environment does not guarantee the success in an international environment. But selecting the candidate with all these factors is difficult. So it was my understanding that if organizations cannot find individuals with the desired characteristics, they must use training and development to bring those individuals to the desired level. Before this discussion starting this we want to identify and understand the difference between training and development. As explained by Stone (2005, p.g.335) training emphasizes immediate improvement in the current job performance, while development involves those activities that prepare an employee future responsibilities. Thus the correct word to be used in IHRM would be development. The interesting thing in this discussion that expats are in most occasions going act as trainers themselves. This is a true fact; one of the main reasons of using expatriates is because they have certain skills that host country employees do not. Thus they will in time teach these new skills to host country employees. Now we had idea about how important training of expatriates really is. Not only should an organization train them on handling cross cultural instability and breaking the language barrier, they should also be trained to handle the trainers position (a person who trains host country nationals). Many expats fail due the inability to adapt to host country environment. Thus having a good cross cultural training session is vital to a successful international operation.It was also mentioned that preliminary visits should be a key area in cross cultural training. I totally agree with that statement, the expat should be given a chance to experience the host country for himself, which is more effective than any class room session. And language has been a huge barrier for many expatriates to perform well, thus it should also be a part of the cross cultural training. We strongly feel that there should be some concern given in developing the expats technical skills as well, especially if hes going take on a new management position which was absent in this chapter. point 08 Performance Management, Re-entry and Career Issues we had an understanding about performance management from a previous discussion but re-entry was a new area. So we were going to looking forward to identifying the link between these two topics. What performance management really is and how it can benefit an organization.This is because there are so many other factors that needs to be taken into consideration when assessing an expat, things like the host country environment, the culture, employee behavior etc. And another significant difference in IHRM performance appraisals is that it takes into account factors such as the expats ability to connect with the host country culture and social values, ability to understand its employees etc. Our understanding is that having a thorough, fool proof performance appraisal and conducting it correctly is vital for an organization. This is the best point where the organization can do a thorough audit about the performance of the expat. As explained earlier expatriate failure is a major issue in most of the international organizations. This can be avoided to a greater extent if the organization carries out a thorough performance appraisal. Repatriation was a interesting area. The interesting part was that most international manager after a successful international operation upon re entering to the host country underwent certain issues. This was so common that it is been included into the expatriation process. From we want to feel there two sides to this story. One being that the manager who is returning after a long time will find it difficult to adopt to his culture and environment after being away from it. Secondly issues related with the work environment such as change in positions, change in reporting styles, change in organization culture, new recruits etc. I believe the change in the work environment is the one that affects the most. Our understanding is that in order to avoid this, the expat should constantly keep in touch with the parent country during his assignment. point09 Compensation People work because they know that at the end of the day they are paid a decent amount. So if an organization wants to keep its best employees intact it must make sure that they compensate accordingly. We thought that this same rule applied in IHRM. We knew that international mangers are paid much better than local mangers, and our understanding was that it is because the task they handle is difficult. But compensating in IHRM is lot more complicated than in HRM. First of all we want to discuss about a topic that we found very interesting. There are two ways an organization can compensate an employee. The going rate approach is where the salary structure is in parallel with the host country standards (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.144). The balance sheet approach is where the salary structure would be similar to home country standards (Dowling Welch, 2004, p.g.146). Our understanding is that the salary structure is always designed to benefit the expat. For an example if an Australian manager is transferred to Sri Lanka they would adapt the balance sheet approach since Australians are paid better than Sri Lanka. If a Sri Lankan manager was to go to Australia then they would adapt the going rate approach. The reason for this as we understand is that most expats are sent to handle senior management positions, and it is most likely that they would have to start lot of things from starch such as accommodation, schooling, furniture etc. Thus the organization must make sure that not only they are paid better than their subordinates but also it should be equal or better than what theyre paid in their parent country. Otherwise an organization will not be able to attract talented individuals. The important thing to understand as we feel is that it is very difficult for someone to accept an international assignment. There is change in culture, living standards, family issues, re location issues, fear of moving into uncertain territory, career issues are some of the things that an international manager will have to face. Despite all this, if an organization wants an individual to accept an international assignment the best way of breaking the above barriers is by compensating them accordingly. we believe that is the reason why expats always gets the benefit when it comes designing their salary structure. Another important area in compensation as we found out was allowances. As we want to understand it has two purposes. Firstly an allowance makes the remuneration package attractive, thus managers will be attracted in accepting international assignments. Secondly it will help to increase the living standards of an international manager. Especially senior managers have a certain image to maintain, they reflect not only their standard but the standard of the entire firm. Hence an allowances will help senior managers to protect that image. point 10 Business Etiquettes and Social Customs There were always something new to learn in etiquettes, because every culture has their own unique way of conducting business. The important thing that we want to understand that no matter how qualified and well equipped a manager maybe he can mess the whole thing up by just doing something that is not excepted in that culture. That is how important etiquettes are. By doing things according to the hosts culture you show that you respect them and their culture. Handling these etiquettes should be one of the factors discussed in the expatriate training programs. As it will help the future expats to handle business smoothly, since then they know what they should do and what they shouldnt. The interesting part is that you can damage a relationship by doing something, or by not doing as well.

Symbols and Symbolism - Flowers as a Symbol in John Steinbecks The Chr

Flowers as a Symbol in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck      Ã‚  Ã‚   In romantic or sexual context, a woman is often said to be as beautiful as a flower. In John Steinbeck's short story "The Chrysanthemums", Elisa Allen never receives this recognition. Although she is a strong woman, she is frustrated because her husband will not admire her romantically in any way. This frustration only deepens because she is childless and feels the need to be a mother. She discovers an outlet for her frustration in a flower garden where she cultivates beautiful chrysanthemums. Steinbeck uses these elegant flowers as a symbol to represent the tender, inner-self of all women, including Elisa. First, the chrysanthemums symbolize Elisa's children. She tends her garden and handles the chrysanthemums with love and care, just as she would handle her own children. Elisa is very protective of her flowers and places a wire fence around them; she makes sure "[n]o aphids, no sowbugs or snails or cutworms" are there. "Her terrier fingers [destroy] such pests before they [can] get started" (240). These pests rep... ...s and her emotional needs. The encounter with the tinker reawakens her sexuality and brings hope to Elisa for a more exciting and romantic marriage, but her realization that her life is not going to change is crystallized when she sees the flowers thrown on the road. It devastates her completely to have to settle for such an unfulfilling life. Work Cited Steinbeck, John. "The Chrysanthemums." Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 6th ed. New York: Harper Collins, 1995. 239-47.  

American Home Products Essay

Pharmacy had not reached the heavy competition yet during early 1980s, AHP was still the early adopter in the industry, however, the nature of the market will change very quickly follow by the globalization and fast developing of medical technology, efficiency of information communication and financial industry. The competitor will able to launch variously strategies, with wild coverage of products via extended channels in more regions/counties. †¢ Because of debt free strategy, the company had limited investment in R&D. Even they can provide the â€Å"me to product† but the industry will change with more related regulation to be generated from government, that will require each pharmacy company spend longer time, more money to do the testing before launch to the market, â€Å"me to product† will slow down the process to catch the new market segmentation. †¢ Brand risk, due to the company was only focus on the interest of shareholders; lack of CSR (corporate social responsibility) will be another risk. †¢ Over centralized power in the leadership even $500 expense need approved by CEO. Not easy money system and not enough flexibility. b) Financial risks Debt free strategy Case Study/American Home Products Corporation 1 †¢ †¢ Will cause the lack of confident from institutional investors and individual investors due to the low leverage. Inflation! According the public information, the inflation rates from 1979 to 1981 was 11. 22%, 13. 58% and 10. 35%, that means holding money equals losing money. 729m+593m+494 =1816 m which was the total cash AHP was holding, times the averagely discount rate of inflation 11. 72%, they company lost 212. 8 million in 3 years. http://inflationdata. om/inflation/inflation_rate/historicalinflati on. aspx †¢ †¢ †¢ Mismatch between AHP’s performance and stock price, as there was not financial strategy. High tax High dividend payout ratio. 30%-70% debt of total capital †¢ Could possibly downgrading the bond credit level from AAA to AA at beginning 2) Can AHP create value for its shareholders by changing the level of debt? What capital structure would you recommend as appropriate for AHP? What are the advantages and disadvantages of leveraging up this company? The simple answer is â€Å"Yes†. We propose the multiple steps to achieve better leverage. Targeting 30% debt in the first year, because our competitor uses that ratio too, that can be use as benchmark to convince shareholders. Second year we can go for 50% and 70% in the third year. Advantage: Case Study/American Home Products Corporation 2 †¢ Use the excess cash to repurchase common stock will reduce common shares from 155. 5(30% debt) m to 118. 9m (70% debt), as the result that will increase the earning per share as well as the stock price. †¢ Will increase the tax efficiency, the income tax can be reduced to 383. 7m from 455. 2 m. Even the debt interest rate is at 14%, but comparing with 48% tax rate that is very low. †¢ Debt is a good tool to against inflation, as mentioned before, the average inflation rate from 1979-1981 was very high, borrowing money is good way to maintain the company’s assets to staying valuable. Disadvantage, †¢ †¢ †¢ AHP might lose it AAA bond rate Shareholders and senior management team will disagree/agree, and that will split the team at the top of management Potentially risk to bankruptcy with less cash, and easy to be attacked by competitor or financial institutions. 3) What are the possible ways for leveraging AHP? Besides to repurchase the common stock, other ways are: †¢ †¢ †¢ Buy government bond or financial institutions’ bond.

Free Essays on Ethernet

Ethernet In early 1970’s, Xerox Corporation introduced a different networking concept called Ethernet. The thick coaxial media system was the first media system specified in the original Ethernet standard of 1980. Today most sites use twisted-pair media for connections to the desktop. Ethernet is designed to run on a single transmission line to which all stations are connected. As with token ring, Ethernet is peer-to-peer; however no monitoring device is requires. Unlike token ring, Ethernet does not require that stations wait for a token to be passed before transmitting. Stations are able to connect directly to one another and pass data any time there is no activity on the network. The 10-Mbps Ethernet media varieties include the original thick coaxial system, as well as thin coaxial, twisted-pair, and fiber optic systems. The most recent Ethernet standard defines the new 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet systems that operate over twisted-pair and fiber optic media. Picture of the first Ethernet There are several LAN technologies in use today, but Ethernet is by far the most popular. Industry estimates indicate that as of 1994 over 40 million Ethernet nodes had been installed worldwide. The widespread popularity of Ethernet ensures that there is a large market for Ethernet equipment, which also helps keep the technology competitively priced. From the time of the first Ethernet standard, the specifications and the rights to build Ethernet technology have been made easily available to anyone. This openness, combined with the ease of use and robustness of the Ethernet system, resulted in a large Ethernet market and is another reason Ethernet is so widely implemented in the computer industry. The vast majority of computer vendors today equip their products with 10-Mbps Ethernet attachments, making it possible to link all manner of computers with an Ethernet LAN. As the 100-Mbps standard becomes more widely adopted, computers are bei... Free Essays on Ethernet Free Essays on Ethernet Ethernet uses a protocol called CSMA/CD. This stands for Carrier Sense, Multiple Access, Collision Detect. The Multiple Access part means that every station is connected to a single copper wire, or a set of wires that are connected together to form a single data path. The Carrier Sense part says that before transmitting data, a station checks the wire to see if any other station is already sending something. If the LAN appears to be idle, then the station can begin to send data. An Ethernet station sends data at a rate of 10 megabits per second. That bit allows 100 nanoseconds per bit. Light and electricity travel about one foot in a nanosecond. Therefore, after the electric signal for the first bit has traveled about 100 feet down the wire, the station has begun to send the second bit. However, an Ethernet cable can run for hundreds of feet. If two stations are located, say, 250 feet apart on the same cable, and both begin transmitting at the same time, then they will be in the midd le of the third bit before the signal from each reaches the other station. This explains the need for the Collision Detect part. Two stations can begin to send data at the same time, and their signals will collide. When such a collision occurs, the two stations stop transmitting, and try again later after a randomly chosen delay period. While an Ethernet can be built using one common signal wire, such an arrangement is not flexible enough to wire most buildings. Unlike an ordinary telephone circuit, Ethernet wire cannot be just spliced together, connecting one copper wire to another. Ethernet requires a repeater. A repeater is a simple station that is connected to two wires. Any data that it receives on one wire it repeats bit-for-bit on the other wire. When collisions occur, it repeats the collision as well. In common practice, repeaters are used to convert the Ethernet signal from one type of wire to another. In particular, when the connection to the d... Free Essays on Ethernet Ethernet In early 1970’s, Xerox Corporation introduced a different networking concept called Ethernet. The thick coaxial media system was the first media system specified in the original Ethernet standard of 1980. Today most sites use twisted-pair media for connections to the desktop. Ethernet is designed to run on a single transmission line to which all stations are connected. As with token ring, Ethernet is peer-to-peer; however no monitoring device is requires. Unlike token ring, Ethernet does not require that stations wait for a token to be passed before transmitting. Stations are able to connect directly to one another and pass data any time there is no activity on the network. The 10-Mbps Ethernet media varieties include the original thick coaxial system, as well as thin coaxial, twisted-pair, and fiber optic systems. The most recent Ethernet standard defines the new 100-Mbps Fast Ethernet systems that operate over twisted-pair and fiber optic media. Picture of the first Ethernet There are several LAN technologies in use today, but Ethernet is by far the most popular. Industry estimates indicate that as of 1994 over 40 million Ethernet nodes had been installed worldwide. The widespread popularity of Ethernet ensures that there is a large market for Ethernet equipment, which also helps keep the technology competitively priced. From the time of the first Ethernet standard, the specifications and the rights to build Ethernet technology have been made easily available to anyone. This openness, combined with the ease of use and robustness of the Ethernet system, resulted in a large Ethernet market and is another reason Ethernet is so widely implemented in the computer industry. The vast majority of computer vendors today equip their products with 10-Mbps Ethernet attachments, making it possible to link all manner of computers with an Ethernet LAN. As the 100-Mbps standard becomes more widely adopted, computers are bei...

The Muralist Painters of Mexico essays

The Muralist Painters of Mexico essays Mural painting is one of the oldest and most important forms of artistic, political and social expression. Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera, Jos Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros revived this form of painting in Mexico. Their murals were based on the political and social conditions of the times. During the beginning of the 20th century, Mexico went through a political and social revolution and the government began to commission a number of huge frescos to celebrate its achievements. The muralist movement would not only have great effect on their own country but the rest of the world as well. The first modern artists from a Hispanic country in the Western Hemisphere whose art attracted worldwide attention were these painters known as Mexican muralists. The best known of the Mexican muralists, Diego Rivera filled the walls of public buildings in Mexico and the United States with enormous murals praising social revolution. David Alfaro Siqueiros was another of the great Mexican muralists, and also very active with the political revolutions of his country. Jos Clemente Orozco was the third famous muralist and is thought to be more crude and cynical than Rivera and his pictorial language may be less sophisticated, but he is more direct in pointing out social injustices. During the first two decades of the 20th century, Spanish modernists introduced Latin American painters to impressionism, postimpressionism, symbolism and art nouveau. Mexican painter Saturnino Herran used symbolism in his mural project, Our Gods, (1904-18) which nobly posed native Mexicans as powerful symbols of Mexican identify. His mural served as a model for many large-scale murals that were commissioned in the 1920s. The Mexican Revolution (1910-20) also found a voice in the public mural. Diego Rivera as well as others defined this moment in Mexican history. He was influenced by European modernism, studying in Spain and Paris and working ...

The differences between the business plan and lean canvas Essay

The differences between the business plan and lean canvas - Essay Example The lean canvas application, on the other hand, is a simple problem and solution approach that enables the entrepreneur to develop or advance on a step-by-step basis. Although both offer analytical approaches that are vital to the prosperity and success of the business, both have varied criticisms. The business plan fails to take into account the business model management and performance measurement both of which are vital in allowing the continued business success. On the other hand, the lean canvas fails to offer an expected approach in a situation where the solution that is given to the initial problem becomes difficult or unrealistic to attain on the ground. When and why an entrepreneur should use the business plan or lean canvas The lean canvas is a helpful tool that helps the entrepreneur's design businesses. It is an ideal tool since it enables the entrepreneur to define quickly a business without necessarily having to outline a full business plan. The lean canvas utilizes a o ne-page business model that facilitates and helps the early stage startup that will enable the entrepreneur to identify quickly and overcome challenges. It identifies a target market, defines a unique business value proposition, tests the assumptions put forward by the entrepreneur and ultimately arrives at their first iteration. The lean canvas is vital in helping the entrepreneurs to gain clarity about their business ideas that will translate into an approach that is well defined to their markets and potential end users and investors.

Report on Accessible tourism and accessible market regarding visitor Essay

Report on Accessible tourism and accessible market regarding visitor attections - Essay Example me, evaluation of positive and negative aspects of building an Accessible Statement, identifying areas that worked well and recommendations for the next step In order to address aims and objectives of the report, the group utilised a web-based data search and observation. Due to the inadequate resources and time, data was sourced was web-based and comprised; academic literature related to visitor attractions and accessible tourism This definition ignores the quickly changing nature of consumer demand and restricts the attractions included, does not include temporary attractions such as festivals or events (Swarbrooke, 2002). A more comprehensive and broader definition is given by Walsh-Heron and Stevens (1990), where temporary attractions could be classified as visitor attractions. Swarbrooke (2003) suggest that â€Å"visitor attractions at their most basic level they work to attract visitors to an area†. However, visitor attractions have many other pull factors, roles, functions and operate in a much broader sense Fyall et al., (2003): From this, it can be seen that the visitor experience has many different influences unique to an individual, attraction and destination (Buhalis & Michopoulou, 2011). Therefore it can be a difficult task for tourism organisations to get this right, however a full understanding of the above will assist them (Gunn, 2002). A tourism market that is accessible does not differ in that they want to sample what is special to the destination but need a â€Å"street-smart† technique to the ease of access of the destination to accomplish this result (Buhalis & Michopoulou, 2011: 149). An accessible destination must provide: However, all the terms used to describe accessible tourism have similar characteristics, and tend to have the same message that promotes tourism â€Å"†¦ accessible to all people† (Buhalis and Darcy, 2011, p. 10). Accessibility has a large impact on society, due to the Equality Act 2010 and the number of people with

Product-Harm Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Product-Harm Crisis - Research Paper Example Product-harm crisis emerges when consumers and the general population publicize the negative effects of a given product in the market (Zhao, Zhao, & Helsen, 2011). Placing a product at the center of product-harm crisis follows the observation that it is either harmful to the consumer, or it fails to meet the required quality and standards of production. In other words, a defective product could spur a highly publicized debate over the underlying negative effects of using the product in question. Once the public becomes engaged in the issue, the affected business enterprise must work towards addressing the problem as well as restoring customer trust. In other instances, a product may not necessarily be defective but a crisis could still occur. Yannopoulu, Koronis, and Elliot (2011) note that product-harm crisis will emerge if the public debates potential product contamination or even reports harm emerging from the consumption or use of a questionable product. In other words, negative publicity is a recipe for product-harm crisis when a given product becomes questionable in terms of quality, standards of production, and the credibility of its benefits to consumers. Following product-harm crisis, voluntary of forced product recalls are highly likely to occur (Vassilikopoulou, Lepetsos, Siomkos, & Chatzipanagiotou, 2009). The affected company could make a proactive move and recall products in question, or the government could force the recall through relevant agencies. Factors and events leading to product-harm crisis are many and different. Both natural and human-driven factors could contribute to product-harm crisis. From a natural point of view, factors beyond the control of the company lead to the occurrence of product-harm crisis. Factors such as floods, earthquakes, mudslides, or volcanic activities are natural events that contribute to product-harm crisis. In essence, the crisis results from the view that the product or products in question fail to

Pronoun Usage Essay Example for Free

Pronoun Usage Essay Someone had left their tennis shoes in the middle of the floor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This sentence has a problem with pronoun usage in that there is a plural personal possessive pronoun, but someone is a singular pronoun.   Therefore, the sentence contains an error in agreement.   One can fix this error in four different ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first is to correct the error.   Someone had left HIS or HER tennis shoes in the middle of the floor.   This uses a singular personal possessive pronoun of his/her which does agree with the singular someone.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another way to correct the sentence is to use a plural subject.   For example, both of my brothers left their tennis shoes in the middle of the floor.   Here, the pronoun BOTH agrees with the pronoun their in that they are both plural.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A third way to fix the error is to remove the pronoun altogether.   The sentence would sound like this:   Someone had left tennis shoes in the middle of the floor.   Of course this one does not imply that the shoes left necessarily belonged to the someone in question.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Finally, one can avoid the confusion with the pronoun someone by using a more obviously singular subject.   For example, a person left his or her tennis shoes in the middle of the floor.   Or, my mother left her tennis shoes in the middle of the floor, or my father left his tennis shoes in the middle of the floor.

The Awakening Essay -- essays research papers

The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, tells the story of a woman, Edna Pontellier, who transforms herself from an obedient housewife to a person who, is alive with strength of character and emotions which she no longer has to repress. Playing the role of a wealthy New Orleans housewife, Edna searches for fulfillment in her customary 19th century life, where the Creole society had high expectations of their women. Even with children, a generous husband, and financial stability, Edna finds herself wanting more from life. In the novel, two women friends of Edna, Adele Ratignole and Mademoiselle Reitz signify her awakening and the consequences of her new found self. 	Edna was attracted to both women for their prospective connection to the two existences within which Edna struggles to find herself. Adele Ratignolle is Edna's close friend and confidante, but the two women are nothing alike. Adele is the perfect housewife and mother; she is the epitome of what a Creole woman and mother ought to be. She lives her life for her children, always being sure that they are properly cared for, clothed, and educated. Unlike Adele whose life is fulfilled through loving and caring for her children, Edna is "fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way" (Chopin, p. 18). They are not enough to justify her life. Adele could not understand how Edna could say that she "would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for anyone" (Chopin, p. 47). Edna's being is ...

Malcolm X Essay -- essays research papers fc

Malcolm X   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Being an African American in the United States during the civil rights movement was one of toughest times to live through. The African American felt as if they were treated as non-humans being sent to the United States as slaves, being deprived of their education, forced to live in separate segregated areas, and given the careers that were the lowest paying jobs. They also had no political rights or legal protection. After the North had fought for the African American population to gain freedom from slavery, they were abandoned and were forced to fight for themselves. The Blacks were then left with much ambivalence in regard on how they would go about achieving civil rights. During this time was when a man named, Malcolm X, stood up for what he believed in and is now one of America’s greatest civil right leaders in history still today. On May 19, 1925 Malcolm Little was born in a small Midwest town called Omaha, Nebraska. He grew up in a family of eight children with his mother, Louis Norton Little, who was a homemaker and his father, Earl Little, who was a Baptist minister and supporter of Black Nationalist leader Marcus Garvey. Earl’s active part in with the civil rights provoked death threats from the white organization Black Legion, forcing the Little family to relocate. At this time Malcolm experienced friction between his parents and the child abuse of his older siblings by his mother. Despite this hostility, the family lived well in a good part of Michigan. Then one night, after a fight Rev. Little went out to take a walk, Malcolm and family were awaken by the terrible news of their father’s death. This simple act of racism drastically affected the lifestyle of the Little family, and a large insurance policy which Rev. Little signed for, refused to pay leaving the family with hardly anything. W ith only unskilled jobs to support the nine-person family, Malcolm’s mother began receiving welfare checks. With this came the deterioration of her pride and eventual mental breakdown and she was then admitted to a mental institution. Soon the family fell into poverty and could not feed themselves. After much struggle, the welfare agency split the family among various foster homes and orphanages. Malcolm was anxious to meet new friends but he found that he did not fit in with the upper-middle-class boys and girls so he g... ...the murder of Malcolm X had ties back to the Nation Of Islam and they were sentenced to life in prison. Malcolm’s death created many mixed feelings amongst the people of the world. However the influence of Malcolm X did not end with his death. Some Black activists started campaigning â€Å" Black Power† instead of the traditional anthem, â€Å"We Shall Overcome.† The actions from the African Americans started following more of Malcolm’s teachings and beliefs after his death and they eventually did not have to ask for white acceptance, and held power to create a better society for themselves. In fact many today are still learning about how he became an important figure in history. Malcolm X became a hero for black people everywhere because he was one who spoke out with controversial ideas without fear or compromise. Malcolm’s actions made him one of the most memorable leaders in our history today. Works Cited http://www.brothermalcolm.net/  © 1999 TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOOKS Ohio http://www.cmgww.com/historic/malcolm/bio.html http://www.galegroup.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/malcolmx.htm The African American Almanac, 7th ed., Gale, 1997. Malcolm X Talks TO Young People betty shabazz &pth

Narrative of Frederick Douglass

The Autobiography of Frederick Douglass, titled â€Å"Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass†, utilizes five key literary devices in order to better convey Douglass's journey from enslavement to freedom. This includes the use of Imagery, diction, first person point of view, specific details, and allusion. Each of these is used to help convey the experiences of slavery, as well as the joys and fears of being a freed slave. The use of Imagery throughout the narrative engrosses the reader and provides him with a better sense of the ideas and experiences of Douglass.An example of these is when Douglass looked out onto the Chesapeake bay, at which point he saw several ships with white sails. These struck him profoundly, acting as a beacon of light in the midst of his dark circumstances. These white sails seemed to be an idea of hope and freedom, the thought that one day he too could be like the ships, with nothing but the wind to guide him. Another example of Imagery is when D ouglass first receives Sandy's â€Å"Magical† root.This was supposed to protect Douglass from further beatings by his slave masters, an idea that he easily discarded. In doing this, Douglass shows his difference from the other uneducated slaves, with the root making a distinction between how the educated and uneducated believe things occur. Still, Douglass did keep the root as a sort of last resort, an action that seems to show just how desperate Douglass was to ward off his abuse. The use of Diction throughout the story helps the reader to get a better sense of the mindset of Douglass.One example of this is when Douglass was sent to work with Mr. William Gardner. Here, he described his change in ownership as being â€Å"Hired† out, almost as if he were an employee of his master, instead of being lent or borrowed. Douglass didn't see this as abnormal, someone telling him who to work for without any regard for his own preference. Another example of word choice is when h e describes is mistress as being a â€Å"Kind and Tender-hearted woman†, a description that leads the reader to imagine almost a mother, someone who cared for others.He could have simply called her a â€Å"just† or â€Å"fair† woman, but instead he described her as motherly. Finally, when Douglass was describing his life constantly moving from owner to owner, he spoke on the fact that he truly did not have a home. In Douglass's case, â€Å"The ties that ordinarily bind their children to their homes were all suspended. † He truly did not have a place to call home, but this was almost a sort of freedom for him. He described the sense of home as â€Å"binding†, instead of â€Å"welcoming†.In doing so, he truly shows that he did not understand the idea of belonging to a home or group, but instead being a nomad. It does not feel as though a home â€Å"binds† a child to it, but instead its a safe haven, somewhere that you can feel safe. By recounting the story in a first-person point of view, Douglass better conveys his story to the reader. In telling the story in such a way, Douglass appeals to the emotions of his reader, even their humanity, in an effort to show them just how abusive the situation of a slave holder is.He does so in order to show both the effects of abuse on the slave and the owner himself. A story told in the third person can be percieved as detached, something that does not truly exist. But, by telling it from the perspective of one who actually endured the abuses, Douglass was able to make the story more credible and even make the reader think that such circumstances could happen to themselves. In telling the story in the first person, Douglass achieves his goal of appealing to the audience's humanity.No longer could they simply remain ignorant to the plight of a slave living in the south, but instead they now had to actually acknowledge the fact that they knew what was happening, and either act o n this knowledge, or ignore it. The constant use of specific details in the autobiography gives the tale credibility and engrosses the reader. An early, but important, example of a specific detail occurs in chapter 7. Here, Douglass is detailing his dire situation. He wishes to expand his intelligence, but then is unable to begin doing so because of his status as a slave.When Captain Anthony died, Douglass's hatred of slavery was even more apparent, when he was â€Å"to be valued with the other property† as though he were an item, not a person. In doing this, Frederick was perceived by his owner's heirs to be nothing more than a piece of property to be decided upon, not a person with hopes and dreams. Later in the tale, Douglass describes Mr. Hopkins, who's â€Å"Chief boast was his ability to manage slaves. † Hopkins was a cruel man, the poster child of slave handlers, and would enjoy beating and abusing his slaves.In describing his living conditions in prison, he des cribed it as â€Å"Much more comfortable†¦ than we expected†¦ Did not get much to eat, nor which was very good, but we had a clean room. † In doing this, Douglass provides the reader with an idea of just how bad their lives were as slaves, when even a prison cell seemed to be a comfortable and clean set of living conditions. Finally, Douglass refrained from using any real in-depth details when recounting his actual escape from slavery to freedom.He did this because he did not want slave owners to be able to use any of his methods against slaves themselves, which would endanger both abolitionists and slaves alike. Finally, the use of Allusion throughout the tale helps to show the great conflict of being free but a fugitive. Douglass compared his decision to that of Patrick Henry in deciding whether or pursue his own freedom or to remain a slave. Henry's decision for â€Å"Liberty or Death† was an easy one, Douglass claims, as it was certain liberty or death.In Douglass's case, however, the liberty was extremely uncertain, with even after him having escaped the possibility of being returned as a fugitive slave remained. Douglass also compares himself to an â€Å"Unarmed Mariner [rescued]†¦ From the pursuit of a Pirate† when describing his joy at obtaining freedom from slavery. Douglass also recalled the words of Thomas Jefferson, who despite being a slave owner, wrote that its practice was a â€Å"War against human nature itself. † Finally, Douglass alludes to the story of Daniel in the bible, who had been thrown into a lion's den but escaped unharmed through the help of God.This situation seems similar to the one Douglass found himself in, with his extraordinary luck allowing him to survive something that most men did not. Frederick Douglass used five literary devices in his narrative in order to better convey his story to the audience. His use of Imagery, Diction, First Person, specific details, and allusion causes th e story to be not only more realistic, but also more believable, by the audience. In doing so, he was better able to achieve his goal of conveying his story of slavery and freedom.

Critical Action Learning Report Essay Sample

Critical Action Learning Report Essay Sample Critical Action Learning Report Essay Sample Critical Action Learning Report Essay Sample Increased consideration is being directed on the value of critical approaches to promote leadership and management growth. This report details how CAL perspectives can be applied to provide valuable learning and growth by way of critically reflective activities. CAL models do not only explore primary power and control problems but also actively incorporate tests of political as well as cultural activities influencing company life. These perspectives allow progression above instrumental ways to value complexity of management and leadership development. The aim of this paper is to explore importance of CAL in problem identification, assessment and development of solutions along with determining criteria applied in the process, challenges encountered and the nature of outcomes. Role of Critical Action Learning Critical Action Learning attempts to demonstrate the role management power interactions play in action learning. As such, the emphasis of Critical Action Learning is diversified to among others, enlighten of individual learner and ways in which learning is encouraged, avoided and prevented within groups and in companies through power relation. According to Stacy (2011), CAL is a model commonly used in numerous leadership and management growth activities. Action learning is a diversified activity that has been applied to explain numerous approaches. In practice, CAL is based on the fact that learning is an activity that can develop when individuals or groups are assisted to reflect on perceptions and actions taken when dealing with real company issues. According to Volberda and Lewin (2003), action learning is a model of developing individuals in companies which takes the activity as a vehicle for learning. It is based on the assumption that there is no learning that can occur without action and that there cannot be a good and deliberate activity without learning. He infers that the method can only be accomplished on integration of several commodities. Such commodities include people who take responsibility for action on a given issue or challenge and problems that they face (Watson, Buckley Mills, 2011). They also include a group of individuals to challenge themselves in order to enhance development on a particular issue. Workplace Problem Identification The research touched on a problem in which the CEO of an organization where I work could not deal with various complexities that were emerging within the workplace. The CEO could take time before making decisions on any issue that affected the company and led the company to lag behind within the industry. According to (Volberda and Lewin, 2003), CEOs and other managers of organizations have a central responsibility in developing learning models to be used by employees and management in order to keep the organization on toes to any emerging affair that may affect the organization. Furthermore, a manager who is not adaptive to various aspects that influence operations of an organization can translate to a big blow on the general activities in terms of productivity, sales and ultimately, profitability. Such was the case with our company. Since the company owners could not allow activities to flow the way they were supposed meant that something had to be done. It was through these issues there was a need to come up with solutions by exploring other possible business structures that could offer advantages of quick reaction to all departments of the company. Steps Taken to Assess and Address Workplace Issues The major model that was dealt with in this case was Complex Adaptive System (CAS). For the last 3 decades, the speed with which business cycle is done has increased dramatically. There are significant changes that are taking place faster than the past product cycles while markets have turned out to be nearly unpredictable such that traditional management paradigms are not capable of maintaining a stable rate (Joiner Josephs, 2006). At our company, this had been a notable issue in that transforming from traditional to modern organizational management styles, which are currently applied in our company, was quite slow. CAS was suggested and proved to help the management solve the problems that it was facing. In this case an organization is reviewed as an adaptive system that should match to complexities of its surrounding. In this organization, employees complained about difficulties of coordination between departments and, consequently, several other activities of the company. Anderson (1999), infers that this kind of workplace problem may sometimes emerge after an organization starts its operation or when executing a strategy because is caused by changes in technology and other managerial aspects in the workplace. The CEO has to be keen in order to incorporate such challenges into the organization culture since not all of these challenges can be eliminated. Maguire and colleagues (2006), recognized that a choice has to be made between maintaining the norm of complexity reduction and adopting an appropriate mechanism for current issue of several competitors. These policies are examined coupled with their merits and demerits to determine the most appropriate and convenient way in arriving at timely decisions to solve such workplace problems. The problem was also identified under the premises that in any organization customers are taken to be the pillars of the company success. Stacy (2011), recognizes that decline in customer base is a clear indication of a firm’s negative growth. This major problem was accomplished by some other minor issues which can be routed from customer dissatisfaction such as reduced returns due to disloyal customers diverting to competitor’s products and services. In order to deal with such a problem in the workplace, Anderson (1999), recognizes two modes of adaptation to such complex environment namely; complexity absorption and complexity reduction (Simon, 1962). He notes that complexity absorption creates choices and risk controlling techniques through alliances. Most importantly, complexity reduction advances directly after it has been comprehended. Simon (1962), recognizes that there is other organizational information space, also referred to as I-Space approach to the two models mention above. The approach includes abstraction, codification and diffusion of information as an attribute of organizational culture. Abstraction refers to reduction in the total amount of data to be assigned for particular phenomenon (Boulding, 1956). Codification, on the other hand, entails giving form to a particular phenomenon by assigning its data. Lastly, a diffusion aspect occurs when information is spread through population of data dispensation agents. Simon (1962), recognizes the strength and structure of algorithmic information complexity in a manner that equates its levels of abstraction and codification. Fabric of information diffusion is only realized through identification of system sections and richness of cross coupling (Maguire, McKelvey, Mirabeau Oztas, 2006). Role of Literature in Informing the Process Literature played a huge role in informing the whole process of problem identification, Assessment, evaluation and formulation of solutions. Volberda and Lewin (2003), proposed that analysis and its practical application can be used to enable CEO make quick and rational decisions that will consequently enhance timely and appropriate response to consumer complaint and, thus, retain them in the organization. Gone are the days when little number of competitors in the market, hence, organizations operating in current environment have to adapt a system of timely and right decision making. The CEO will, therefore, have to incorporate any or the four approaches with the right mode of complex theorist mentioned in the previous paragraph. Another issue concerned poor planning and strategy development methods in the workplace applied by the CEO. With this problem, there is a vital need for a holistic paradigm to run and ensure consistency in responsibility of changing and complex environment for community, business, and individuals. According to Highsmith (2013), when future research is joined with workplace theory, there can be increased comprehension of complex and dynamic nature of a workplace. This investigation contributes to knowledge by showing the way future studies can assist the CEO think, plan, and act creatively to offer better workplace strategies. The model also offers another contribution to knowledge and growth of future oriented framework which can be applied in the workplace to show how the CEO can use future studies in such situation. Anderson (1999), recognizes that the workplace today is different from the past and that it will keep on changing. . The change is attributed to not only external force s like economic, societal, demographic, technological and environmental but also the internal institutional trends and real estate industry change. Role of Dialogue and Activities Dialogue and activities throughout the module played a huge role in informing the whole process. Major lessons learned through conversations and practice engagement enhanced corrective steps to be followed. Watching videos and reading literature including class conversations enhanced the entire process. In his video, West (2011), recognizes that the workplace of yesterday has been replaced by the networked office, which seems to be the best concept for a company in changing and complex environment of today. According to Maguire (2006), there are other alternative space concepts that can be incorporated in the networked office such as distributed, sustainable and collaborative workplace. Therefore, for our and other similar CEOs and managers, Stacy (2011), recognizes that the same office will be there in future but it will have changed in that the city and virtual environments will be the order of the day. When such managers embrace the futures theory, it will be easy to adapt to the ever changing complexities in the workplace environment. There are various approaches and models that deal with complex adaptive systems (Narendra Annaswamy, 2012). Depending on the situation to be addressed, the use of the right theory or model can prove essential in assisting managers comfortably adapt to changes that occurs in organizational dynamics and complexities. Dialogue and module activities also informed of another approach to critical action learning that is collaboration and engagement. Maguire et al. (2006), highlighted that critical action should be perceived as a group process for personal problem solving and at the same time, a collective process in a particular context for inquiring into real organizational projects and actions. Underpinned in critical action learning should be learning groups and society that are fundamental in creating collaborative relationship. They also assist in providing adequate chances to develop skills necessary for working in partnerships, associations and cross organizational boundaries. Uniqueness of collaborative relationship is that it offers a means for self-governance, shared decision making and problem solving which enable individuals to possess and be accountable for their actions (McKelvey, 2002). Developing Solutions Solutions were developed after keen reference to literature and module activities. Referring to the company of interest, Highsmith (2013), proposed that the management should allow employees to contribute in strategic discussion. Being engaged in decision making process, within their organizations, employees feel the urge of responsibility for their actions since they know that they are decision makers. Even if they may not be punished in case of failure of action that they proposed, they tend to feel directly accountable to the decisions adopted in which they had played a role in their adoption and implementation. Therefore, the CEO was advised to emphasize on patterns of communication and encourage a culture that promotes collaboration and sharing within the organization departments. Knowles and Gilbourne (2004), further the collaborative and engagement approach and says that it enhances open and iterative nature of learning. Critical learning societies offer a platform where comparatively intellectual ideas can be discussed and applied (Knowles Gilbourne, 2004). She exemplifies the manner in which politics and organizing associate in the context of open platform and experimentation by examining the notion of engaging insights (Volberda Lewin, 2003). According to Senge (1990), collaborative insights offer a synergy with significant learning since both the management and employees can interact about important for the organization matters and come up with practical way of solving issues in question. Another vital approach in critical action learning is a concept of creation of an open environment identified by Highsmith (2013). The concept entails ability to deal with unexpected circumstances. When the organization operates on flexible procedures such that it can shift to effective terms of operation when they occur; probably because they did not exist, the company is bound to overcome numerous challenges compared to a company which operates in closed environment. Stacy (2011), describes an open environment as that which runs on a broad vision of going for nothing but the best. This implies that even the employees have freedom to bring on board any suggestions which they think may increase organizational productivity, sales and ultimately profits (Highsmith, 2013). Moreover, such organization operates in a transparent environment where communication is not restricted to any specific direction. Management of the company was advised to adopt an open environment management to overc ome the workplace problems it was experiencing (Beach, Bird Gibbs, 1987). The company was able to develop a vibrant physical as well as virtual environment that creates transparency and openness apart from investing in communication systems. According to William (2007), the way communication is done matters more than the subject of communication itself. The organization succeeded in adapting to unexpected occurrences by abandoning narrow communication paths that do not achieve communicating expected information and set up unstructured, open communication paths like open space events that enable an open exchange for knowledge and ideas. Plan for Action In professional practice, one should be able to develop skills in problem solving and effective decision making. In the case, it is clear that critical reflection and change are central features of complex problem solving. Preparing for professional practice will need me to have the idea of reflection, especially on experience that is vital to the theories of learning which have come in handy to inform action leaning practice. Anderson (1996), argues that reflection enhances depth and relevance of organizational learning to deal with emergence of self-insight and development to enhance transferable ideal of reflective practitioner. I will also need to engage in effective conversations and dialogue in order to enhance company learning and change. I will also need to understand that critical reflection is not only about problem solving but includes comprehending the whole organization or individual as mediated through experience. I have also realized that there is a connection between how an individual manages his personal life and how he manages an organization. Such realizations will assist me to be a change agent within my organization. In conclusion, it is evident that the sense of reflection should be part of an action plan. The CEO natural life is that of slow but sure. He likes doing his activities without haste and with great meticulousness. This character shows how he involuntarily fined himself running the company. Before, he was a slow decision maker as he took his time pondering on consequences of his actions. However, considering the fact that the organization is surrounded by numerous competitors, any delay in appropriate action may result into loss of business and reduced margins. Thus, his slow character ought to be improved by the appropriate critical learning approach. Critical reflection into experiences within and outside the organization will play a huge role in enhancing formulating solutions to the problem. Solving complex problems within an organization requires a complex approach as well.