Orion System Essay

I. INTRODUCTION The basic resource of any organization whether it is business, non business government or nongovernment is human’s physical and mental ability. One of important duties of manager is to motivate these forces to achieve organization objectives. Generally, motivation is categorized into physical, social and mental motivation. Physical motivation is referred to the needs of individuals in work environment like well fare facilities (adequate work area, climate, light, etc.) Those human needs which are associated with behavior of others and manager in particular and satisfy social needs are referred to as social motivation. The needs that lead to mental satisfaction are mental motivation (http://www.irjabs.com/) 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Motivation is not directly observable (it is internal to each employee), it is personal (what is arousing differs and how behavior is directed is often different), however the process is common and it is goal directed. There are different theories of motivation. Early theories of motivation and Contemporary theories Of motivation and also they are classified as Content theories and Process theories. A Classification of Motivation Theories (Content vs. Process) Motivation theories can be classified broadly into two different perspectives: Content and Process theories. Content Theories deal with â€Å"what† motivates people and it is concerned with individual needs and goals. Maslow, Alderfer, Herzberg and McCelland studied motivation from a â€Å"content† perspective. Process Theories deal with the â€Å"process† of motivation and is concerned with â€Å"how† motivation occurs. Vroom, Porter & Lawler, Adams and Locke studied motivation from a â€Å"process † perspective. 1). CONTENT THEORIES MASLOW’S (NEED HIERARCHY THEORY NOTE): An individual moves â€Å"up the steps† of the hierarchy. â€Å"Lower order† needs are satisfied externally (i.e. physiological and safety) while â€Å"higher order† needs are satisfied internally (i.e. social, esteem, and self-actualization) THEORY X & THEORY Y MCGREGOR BELIEVED (Theory Y assumptions were more valid than Theory X)and proposed such ideas as participative decision making, responsible and challenging jobs, and good group relations as approaches that would maximize  an employee’s motivation. TWO-FACTOR THEORY :_Intrinsic factors are related to job satisfaction, while extrinsic factors are related to job dissatisfaction. THE ERG THEORY Alderfer’s theory — Existence, Relatedness, and Growth. †¢ Existence refers to our concern with basic material existence requirements; what Relatedness refers to the desire we have for maintaining interpersonal relationships; similar to Maslow’s social/love need, and the external component of his esteem need. Growth refers to an intrinsic desire for personal development; the intrinsic component of Maslow’s esteem need, and self-actualization ((Robbins and Judge,2007) Alderfer’s ERG theory differs from Maslow’s Need Hierarchy insofar as ERG theory demonstrates that more than one need may be operative at the same time. ERG theory does not assume a rigid hierarchy where a lower need must be substantially satisfied before one can move on. ACHIEVEMENT NEED THEORY David McClelland is most noted for describing three types of motivational need, which he identified in his 1961 book, The Achieving Society: achievement motivation (n-ach) authority/power motivation (n-pow) affiliation motivation (n-affil) ( david mcclelland, http://ozgurzan.com) INCENTIVE THEORY Incentive theory suggests that employee will increase her/his effort to obtain a desired reward. This is based on the general principle of reinforcement. The desired outcome is usually â€Å"money†. This theory is coherent with the early economic theories where man is supposed to be rational and forecasts are based on the principle of â€Å"economic man†. 2.)PROCESS THEORY EXPECTANCY THEORY The strength of a tendency to act in a certain way depends on the strength of an expectation that the act will be followed by a given outcome and on the attractiveness of that the outcome to the individual. The theory focuses on three relationships )1 . Effort-performance. 2. Performance-reward. 3. Rewards-personal goals. ((http://ozgurzan.com) GOAL THEORY IN 1968 Edwin Locke proposed Goal Theory, which proposes that motivation and  performance will be high if individuals are set specific goals which are challenging, but accepted, and where feedback is given on performance. The two most important findings of this theory are: Setting specific goals (e.g. I want to earn a million before I am 30) generates higher levels of performance than setting general goals (e.g. I want to earn a lot of money). The goals that are hard to achieve are linearly and positively connected to performance. The harder the goal, the more a person will work to reach it.(ibid) ADAMS’ EQUITY THEORY Adams in 1963, Equity Theory suggests that if the individual perceives that the rewards received are equitable, that is, fair or just in comparison with those received by others in similar positions in or outside the organization, then the individual feels satisfied. Adams asserted that employees seek to maintain equity between the inputs that they bring to a job and the outcomes that they receive from it against the perceived inputs and outcomes of others. (http://ozgurzan.com) 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The problem to be analyzed in this research paper is the reasons why workers are not motivated unsatisfied and unproductive? The main concern that employers or organizations are paying attention to is on how to enhance productivity of their employees. Productivity can be affected by many different variables. Out of that employee’s motivation is the basic aspect. Different organizations employing both the financial and non-financial incentives of goal setting theory of motivation; describe whether both types of incentives affect the productivity profile but that method is motivated for a shorter period. A positive attitude can help to build strong relationships as well as create increased motivation. If you have a goal in mind that you are having a hard time finding motivation to meet, try having a positive attitude. Although it may seem challenging at times, try these easy tips in order to be more positive each day.( James Clear. http://www.solveyourproblem.com) Therefore, this behavioral, attitudes, and opinions are collected from secondary data. The aim of this paper is to study the relationship between positive  thinking and motivation. RESEARCH QUESTION To describe contemporary theories of motivation? To identify how to motivate employees To describe the relationship of positive thinking and motivation? To identify the source of positive thinking? To recommend solutions to increase motivation ? 1.3 OBJECTIVES Now days in any organization there is a problem of lack of motivation at the result low productivity, high turnover and absenteeism. Motivating employees is crucial for an organization. Employees lacking motivation can be disadvantageous for all kinds of organization.- GENERAL OBJECTIVE The General objective of the study is to know and apply the essence of motivation to increase Productivity and efficiency Specific objectives are; To motivate employees to be efficient & productive To encourage warm relationship harmony in working environment To encourage creativity & positive work attitude To be able to cope with work stress To have a healthy body & mind to carry out daily tasks efficiently. 1.4 DEFINATION OF THE TERMS MOTIVATION :- As Sasso defined in wikiversity† Motivation is directed energy toward a behavior which is constant and strong. This behavior aims to achieve a particular goal and is able to begin, continue, change course and cease. Both external and internal motives provide this direction and energy. These motives are made up of an individual’s needs, cognitions, emotions and external events’’ .(Remez ,Sasso,Wikiversity) Positive thinking:- An individual having positive expectancies for their future (Scheier & Carver, 1993). This positive mindset is said to begin from childhood, where it is learned form modeling the behaviour of parents and peers (Snyder & Lopez, 2007). This type of thinking is directly linked to motivation. Selfe respect Self respect is very important because you are able to exert honesty, confidence and integrity. You also get to earn respect from other people as well as favors’ and love because of the fact that you love yourself first. ( http://www.ask.com/question/why-is-self-respect-important) 1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY The significance of this study will be to gather information that will aid management to comprehend features of high staff absenteeism and turnover experienced by the organizations. The end results may permit the organization to be in an improved position to develop staff retention strategies aimed at increasing productivity. 1.6 THEORETICAL FRAME WORK The essence of motivation is positive thinking. 1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY Due to lack of material and shortage of time the study was limited on an overview of Eastern can tries and analyzes only Japan’s case of motivational scheme. 1.8 RESEARCH DESIGN & METHODOLOGY Methodology The study uses secondary data .The secondary data source is extracted from literatures on the subject matter from different websites, journals, books, etc. The secondary data contributes towards the formulation of background information and helps the researcher to formulate new theory from it. Research design The research designed to analyze motivational system of Eastern and western can tries in respect to their culture. From Eastern side Japan’s management philosophy has been taken as a bench mark For motivation factor. Data analysis method The data analysis method is through document review analyzed and interpreted by comparing with the standard literature review to draw appropriate finding, conclusion and recommendations. It is qualitative method. II. LITERATURE REVIEW The trick for employers is to figure out how to inspire employee motivation  at work. To create a work environment in which an employee is motivated about work, involves both intrinsically satisfying and extrinsically encouraging factors. Employee motivation is the combination of fulfilling the employee’s needs and expectations from work and the workplace factors that enable employee motivation – or not. These variables make motivating employees challenging. Employers understand that they need to provide a work environment that creates motivation in people. But, many employers fail to understand the significance of motivation in accomplishing their mission and vision. Even when they understand the importance of motivation, they lack the skill and knowledge to provide a work environment that fosters employee motivation. As you can imagine, a mentally healthy person is more likely to think in a positive manner. Positive thinking, like optimism, can be defined by an individual having positive expectancies for their future (Scheier& Carver, 1993). This positive mindset is said to begin from childhood, where it is learned form modeling the behaviour of parents and peers (Snyder & Lopez, 2007). This type of thinking is directly linked to motivation. This is because the behaviors and decisions that individuals make, as well as expectations of what may occur are directly influenced by one’s cognitions. A positive thinker will set attainable goals and attempt to achieve these despite their complexity. However, this same person will also know when to separate themselves from a goal when it is too far out of reach (MacLeod & Moore, 2000). While motivation can often be used as a tool to help predict behavior, it varies greatly among individuals and must often be combined with ability and environmental factors to actually influence behavior and performance. Understanding what motivates an organization’s employees is central to this study.( http://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz) Motivation of an individual is also influenced by the presence of other people. Social psychologists have been active in discovering how the presence of others in a given situation influences motivation. Finally, motivation is sometimes also approached from a more philosophical direction. That is, analyses of motivation are understood, at least in part, by examining the particular philosophical  point of view espoused by the theorist.( Adam,January19,2011) 2.1 MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES 2.11) MOTIVATION THEORIES FROM BEHAVIORAL ECONOMIST In 1759,Smith had proposed a theory of human behavior that looks anything but self interested.In his first book, The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith argued that behavior Adam. Smith argued that behavior was determined by the struggle between what Smith termed the â€Å"passions† and the â€Å"impartial spectator.† The passions included drives such as hunger and sex, emotions such as fear and anger, and motivational feeling states such as pain. Smith viewed behavior as under the direct control of the passions, but believed that people could over ride passion-driven behavior by viewing their own behavior from the perspective of an outsider—the impartial spectator—a â€Å"moral hector who, looking over the shoulder of the economic man, scrutinizes every move he makes† (Grampp, 1948, p. 317). 2.12 )CONTEMPORARY MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES. 1) ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION THEORY Atkinson &Raynor (1974) Key components: The expectancy of success / Need for Achievement / Fear of failure Achievement motivation is determined by conflicting approach and avoidance tendencies. Positive influences include the expectancy of success, the incentive values of successful completion and a need for achievement. Negative influences the expectancy of failure, the incentive to avoid failure and the fear of failure. 2. ATTRIBUTION THEORY Weiner (1992) Key components: Attributions about past successes and failures Causal attributions are a person’s explanations as to why past successes and failures occurred, and these have consequences on the way they initiate future actions. Most commonly, people attribute failure to a lack of ability on their part, rather than to insufficient effort. 3.SELF-EFFICACY THEORY Bandura (1997) Key components: Perceived self-efficacy Self-efficacy concerns a person’s assessment of their ability to carry out a given task. Consequently, their sense of efficacy will influence the choice of task they choose to carry out, as well as the amount of effort they put in and the level of persistence displayed 4)EXPECTANCY-VALUE THEORY Eccles&Wigfield (1995) and Brophy (1999) Key components: The expectancy of success / The value attached to that success The two key factors which influence the motivation to perform are a person’s expectancy to succeed and the value they place on having succeeded in doing that particular task. A person will be more highly motivated when both of these are developed. 5. SELF-WORTH THEORY Covington (1998) Locke & Latham (1990) Key components: Goal properties include specificity, difficulty and commitment The driving cause of human activity is purpose. So, for any action to take place, goals must both be set and pursued by choice. If an individual is committed to the goal, the goal needs to be Key components: Perceived self-worth People are naturally inclined to behave in ways that enhance their feelings of personal value and worth. If anything threatens these perceptions, the resultant face-saving behavior may manifest itself in many unique ways. 6. GOAL SETTING THEORY  specific and sufficiently difficult to lead to the highest level of performance. 7. GOAL ORIENTATION THEORY Ames (1992) Key components: Mastery goals and performance goals Mastery goals focus on the learning of content. Performance goals focus on demonstrating ability and getting good grades. Mastery goals are better because they tend to lead to a preference for challenging work, to intrinsic interest in learning activities and to positive attitudes towards learning. 8. SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY Deci& Ryan (1985) and Vallerand (1997) Key components: Intrinsic motivation / Extrinsic motivation A person’s intrinsic motivation is concerned with the doing of something for its own sake, in order to derive pleasure and satisfaction. This may be the joy of doing an activity or the satisfying of curiosity. A person’s extrinsic motivation is concerned with the doing of something as a means to an end, i.e. there will be some reward at the end of it all, or to avoid punishment. Motives can be placed along a continuum between self-determined (intrinsic) and controlled (extrinsic) form of motivation. 9)THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR Ajzen (1988) and Eagly&Chaiken (1993) Key components: Attitudes / Subjective norms / Perceived behavioural control Attitudes exert a direct influence on a person’s behaviour because a person’s attitude towards the goal will influence their responses to that attaining that goal. Things that can influence this are the person’s subjective norms (the perceived social pressures to achieve the goal) and also perceived behavioural control (the perceived ease or difficulty of performing the behaviour). ( 10). SOCIAL MOTIVATION THEORY Weiner (1994) and Wentzel (1999) Key components: Environmental influences A large proportion of motivation is actually derived from the socio-cultural context rather than from the individual. Key words: Motivation, positive thinking, Self respect. 2.2 WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF MOTIVATION Motivation offers several importance to the organization and to the employees: ? Higher efficiency ? Reduce absenteeism. ? Reduces employee turn over. ? Improves a corporate image. ? Good relations. ? Improved morale. ? Reduced wastages and breakages. ? Reduced accidents. ? Facilitates initiative and innovation 2.3 HOW TO MOTIVATE EMPLOYEES 2.31 BELIEFS ABOUT WHAT MAKES US EFFECTIVE CAUSE MOTIVATION After more than a century of research and argument, motivation researchers and practitioners now begin to agree that motivation is the result of our beliefs about what makes us successful and effective. We all value the goals, working conditions and incentives that we believe will contribute to our success. We avoid situations that will prevent us from achieving our goals. For example, money and/or recognition are nearly universal motivators because they are widely perceived as indicators and facilitators of success for many, perhaps most people. Whether we call motivational tools â€Å"reinforcement†, â€Å"incentives†, â€Å"drivers†, â€Å"inducements† or by some other quasi-technical name, they only motivate when they are perceived as effective. Conversely, we .avoid conditions that we think will delay, inhibit or prevent the attainment of objectives. (Richard E. Clark1 R. E. 2003) 2.32. MOTIV ATIONAL FACTORS There are several factors that motivate a person to work. The motivational factors can be broadly divided into two groups: (http://managementconsultingcourses.com) I. MONETARY FACTORS: ? Salaries or wages: salaries or wages is one of the most important motivational factors. Reasonable salaries must be paid on time. While fixing salaries the organization must consider such as : †¢ Cost of living ,†¢ Company ability to pay &†¢ Capability of company to pay etc, ? Bonus: It refers to extra payment to employee over and above salary given as an incentive. The employees must be given adequate rate of bonus. Incentives: The organization may also provide additional incentives such as medical allowance, educational allowance, hra ,allowance, etc. ? Special individual incentives: The company may provide special individual incentives. Such incentives are to be given to deserving employees for giving valuable suggestions. II. NON MONETARY FACTORS: ? Status or job title: By providing a higher status or designations the employee must be motivated. Employees prefer and proud of higher designations. ? Appreciation and recognition: Employees must be appreciated for their services. The praise should not come from immediate superior but also from higher authorities. ? Delegation of authority: Delegation of authority motivates a subordinate to perform the tasks with dedication and commitment. When authority is delegated, the subordinate knows that his superior has placed faith and trust in him. III.WORKING CONDITIONS : Provision for better working conditions such as air-conditioned rooms, proper plant layout, proper sanitation, equipment, machines etc, motivates the employees. ? Job security: Guarantee of job security or lack of fear dismissal, etc ? Job enrichment: Job enrichment involves more challenging tasks and responsibilities. For instance an executive who is involved in preparing and presenting reports of performance, may also asked to frame plans. ? Workers participation: Inviting the employee to be a member of quality circle, or a committee, or some other form of employee participation can also motivate the work-force. ? Cordial relations: Good and healthy relations must exist throughout the organization. This would definitely motivates the employees. 2.31 MOTIVATION THEORIES ARE CULTURE BOUND †¢ Note that most theories were developed in the US. Many theories do not always work around the world (e.g., equity theory). However, many do (e.g., having interesting work). Motivation has cultural influence Eastern thinking accepts that in life, both good and bad events will occur. Rather than seeing these misfortunes as a challenge, these problems are seen as potential triumphs. When confronted with obstacles, easterners appear to take on a problem solving approach, seeking to find meaning in the positive and negative that enters their lives. Unlike Western thinking which seeks physical rewards in life, Easterners seek spiritual rewards in the afterlife and attempt to lead a more fulfilling life in doing so . The intrinsic motivation to achieve optimum cognitive functioning is highlighted in Taoism, Buddhism and Hinduism. (Snyder & Lopez, 2007). WESTERN AND EASTERN CULTURE WESTERN CULTURE EASTERN CULTURE Logical and reason-centered, individualistic thinking. A more holistic, idealistic, and group thinking approach to problem solving Viewing work as a necessary burden. Viewing work as a challenging and development activity. The avoidance of risk taking and the feeling of distrust of others. An emphasis on cooperation, trust, and personal concern for other The habit of analyzing things in such great depth that it results in â€Å"paralysis through analysis.† Cooperation built on intuition and pragmatism. An emphasis on control An emphasis on flexibility www.selfdeterminationtheory.org/†¦/2001_DeciRyanGagneLeoneEtal.pd. Motivational concept from western attitude and from eastern attitude. INCENTIVES AND CULTURE Use of financial incentives to motivate employees is very common Countries with high individualism When companies attempt to link compensation to performance Financial incentive systems vary in range Individual incentive-based pay systems in which workers are paid directly for their output Systems in which employees earn individual bonuses based on organizational performance goals MANY CULTURES BASE COMPENSATION ON GROUP MEMBERSHIP Such systems stress equality rather than individual incentive plans An individually based bonus system for the sales representatives in an American MNC introduced in its Danish subsidiary was rejected by the sales force because It favored one group over another Employees felt that everyone should receive the same size bonus Indonesian oil workers rejected a pay-for-performance system where some work teams would make more money than others Workers in many countries are highly motivated by things other than financial rewards The most important rewards in locations at 40 countries of an electrical equipment MNC involved recognition and achievement Second in importance were improvements in the work environment and employment conditions including pay and work hours. MANAGERS EVERYWHERE USE REWARDS TO MOTIVATE THEIR PERSONNEL Some rewards are financial in nature such as salary raises, bonuses, and stock options. Others are non-financial such as feedback and recognition. Significant differences exist between reward systems that work best in one country and those that are most effective in another. WORK CENTRALITY The importance of work in an individual’s life can provide important insights into how to motivate human resources in different cultures Japan has the highest level of work centrality Israel has moderately high levels The United States and Belgium have average levels The Netherlands and Germany have moderately low levels Britain has low levels VALUE OF WORK Work is an important part of most people’s lifestyles due to a variety of conditions Americans and Japanese work long hours because the cost of living is high Most Japanese managers expect their salaried employees who are not paid extra to stay late at work, and overtime has become a requirement of the job There is recent evidence that Japanese workers may do far less work in a business day than outsiders would suspect JOB SATISFACTION EU workers see a strong relationship between how well they do their jobs and the ability to get what they want out of life U.S. workers were not as supportive of this relationship Japanese workers were least likely to see any connection This finding suggest difficulties may arise in American, European, and Japanese employees working together effectively. 2.4 POSITIVE THINKING AND MOTIVATION Motivation avoids clashes and non-cooperation and brings harmony, unity and co-operative outlook among employees. Managers have to work as motivators of their subordinates. For this, effective communication, proper appreciation of work done and positive encouragement are necessary and useful. Motivation is inspiring and encouraging people to work more and contribute for achieving the objectives of the company. The creation of the desire and willingness to perform the job efficiently is known as motivation. positive thinking and motivation influence one another. Not only is this seen physiologically, but it is also witnessed in relation to coping styles, well-being, learned optimism, positive psychology and religious beliefs. Motivation is able to help individuals achieve their goals of changing how they think, improving their mental, physical and everyday functioning as a result. Positive thinking however, can also motivate the individual to achieve their goals. This is highlighted through a person’s coping mechanisms and by their religious beliefs. In conclusion, this chapter has outlined how positive thinking motivates the individual as well as what motivates an individual to think positively in the first place. 2.4 HOW TO DEVELOP POSITIVE TINKING Positive thinking isn’t a natural ability, as for thats why you are here. Positive thinking is a strength, a very useful strength that will help you onto the path of success. With time, and effort, positive thinking will be your own strength, to pretty much open a whole new path to the outlook on  life. Positive thinking is contagious. People around you pick your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits. Learn more about yourself. A lot of times you’re just limiting yourself and your full capabilities. Try new things and stay active. Staying active and doing things new will help develop positive thinking techniques in your life. Face the things that scare you. Fears have the ability to create doubt in our minds. Doubt leads to negative thinking. Once you start facing the fears in you life, you develop more confidence.( eHow http://www.ehow.com) Associate yourself with people who think positively. Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength. Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude. 2.5 THE BENEFIT OF POSITIVE THINKING Positive attitude manifests in the following ways: Positive thinking. Constructive thinking. Creative thinking. Optimism. The motivation and energy to do things and accomplish goals. A attitude of happiness. A positive frame of mind helps in a lot of ways, such as: Expecting success and not failure. It makes you feel inspired. It gives you the strength not to give up, if you encounter obstacles on your way. You regard failure and problems as blessings in disguise. Believing in yourself and in your abilities.> You show more self-esteem and confidence. You look for solutions, instead of dwelling on problems. You see and recognize opportunities. The benefits of a positive attitude: This might seem like a repition of the above, but it helps to make this message clearer. It helps you achieve goals and attain success. It brings more happiness into your life. It produces more energy. Positive attitude increases your faith in your abilities, and brings hope for a brighter future. You become able to inspire and motivate yourself and others. You encounter fewer obstacles and difficulties in your daily life. You get more respect and love from other people. Remez Sasson, http://www.successconsciousness.com) IT CAN MAKE YOU MORE RESILIENT Resilience refers to our ability to cope with problems. Resilient people are able to face a crisis or trauma with strength and resolve. Rather than falling apart in the face of such stress, they have the ability to carry on and eventually overcome such adversity POSITIVE THINKERS COPE BETTER WITH STRESS When faced with stressful situations, positive thinkers cope more effectively than pessimists. In one study, researchers found that when optimists encounter a disappointment (such as not getting a job or promotion) they are more likely to focus on things they can do to resolve the situation. POSITIVE THINKING IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEAlth Not only can positive thinking impact your ability to cope with stress and your immunity, it also has an impact on your overall well-being.(kende cherry, http://psychology.about.com/bio/Kendra-Cherry-17268.htm REFERENCE Adam .http://www.teachthemenglish.com/2011/01/10-contemporary-motivation-theories-and-h EL Deci (- ‎2001) ow-they-explain-why-your-students-just-arent-into-it/ Davidmcclelland,http://ozgurzan.com/management/management-theories/theories-a bout- motivation/ EHow , http://www.ehow.com/how_5702659_develop-positive-thinking-techniques.html Richard E. Clark1, http://www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz/study-with-us/study-resources-for-students/goals-and-motivation/strategies-to-increase-your-motivation/ Richard E. Clark1 R. E. 2003) Fostering the work motivation of individuals and teams. Performance Improvement, 42(3), 21- RemezSasso,Wikiversity,Motivation and emotion‎ Remez Sasson, http://www.successconsciousness.com/positive_attitude.htm Scheier, M. F., & Carver C. S. (1993).On the power of positive thinking: the benefits of being optimistic.American Psychological Society, 2, 26-32. doi: 10.1111/14678721.ep10770572 Snyder, C. R. & Lopez, S. J. (2007) Positive psychology the scientific and practical explorations of human strengths. London, UK: Sage. MacLeaod, A. K., & Moore R. (2000). Positive thinking revisited: positive cognitions, well-being and mental health. Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, 7, 1-10. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1099-0879(200002) kende cherry, http://psychology.about.com/bio/Kendra-Cherry-17268.htm †¦Robbins and Judge, â€Å"Organizational Behavior†, 12th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2007. D. Jones, â€Å"Firms spend Billions to Fire Up Workers – With Little Luck†, USA Today, May 10, D. Jones, â€Å"Firms spend Billions to Fire Up Workers – With Little Luck†, USA Today, May 10, 2001 T.R. Mitchell, â€Å"Matching Motivational Strategies with Organizational Contexts†, Research in Organizational Behavior, vol. 19, pp 60-62 P.C. Early, P. Wojnaroski, and W. Prest, â€Å"Task Planning and Energy Expended: Explorations of How Goals Influence Performance†, Journal of Applied Psychology, Feb 1987. J. Greenberg and S. Ornstein, â€Å"High Status Job Title as Compensation for Underpayment: A Test of Equity Theory†, Journal of Applied Psychology, May 1983. January 19, 2011 by Adam.http://www.teachthemenglish.com/2011/01/10-contemporary-motivation-theories-and-how-they-explain-why-your-students-just-arent-into-it/

BP’s Competitive Advantage

Though the product they are probably most famous for in the minds of consumers, gasoline, is thought of as homogeneous, the success of BP in the companies ability to grow and maintain its standing as a multinational energy superpower lies in its management of human capital. BP’s true competitive advantage is not in the commodities or services it sells, their success stems from the companies ability to manage a less easily duplicated resource: knowledge. Collaboration and knowledge management form the core of the BP value system. As expressed by BP in their own words, they aim â€Å"to engage the creative talents of our employees, and develop and apply leading, cost-effective technology and intellectual creativity to enhance innovation and new ideas† (BP, n. d. ). This paper will address this unique aspect of the BP business model, knowledge management, and how it translates into financial performance. Background BP is a global energy leader, the core components of their business are: oil and gas exploration and production, refining and marketing of petroleum supply products, manufacturing and marketing of chemicals, and the manufacture of Photovoltaic (solar) cells. They are currently in the top three internationally in gas reserves, and are the largest retailer of gas in the US, as well as one of the world’s largest marketers of aviation fuel (Corporate Watch, n. d. ). Founded by William Knox D’Arcy from a significant oil find in Iran, they have expanded through growth and merger, currently operating in over 100 countries, employing 97,600 people with 2007 revenues exceeding $284 billion (BP, n. d. ). Knowledge Management The challenge to an organization the size and scope of BP can often be capturing the wealth of knowledge created by their people, engaged in business, learning best practices, and sharing and storing that information between business units to maximize BP’s potential. BP’s methodology is â€Å"encompassed by a simple framework, which describes a learning cycle – before, during and after any event – which is supported by simple process tools† (Kotelnikov, n. d. ,  ¶ 1). The BP learning method is to treat every process as a closed learning loop; lessons learned from each experience are agreed upon and posted on the company intranet to capture knowledge and experience to be shared by all BP business units. Companies create vast amounts of valuable knowledge through practice of their employees, without a system in place to capture this knowledge; it will often leave with their employees. Further, in a large company like BP, the potential exists for it to operate not as a collaborative unit, but as â€Å"a collection of individual fiefdoms in the form of individual business units† (Quelch & Deshpande, 2004, p. 96). To foster this sense of collaborative behavior, BP created peer review and cross business unit interaction strategies (Quelch & Deshpande). An example of how this has positively impacted the companies profitability, recently due to knowledge sharing between business units of engineers, they achieved a cost savings of $74 million in 1998 to meet their collective goal of reducing retail site construction by 10% (SAIC, n. . ). As management of information systems flourished in the decade of the 1990’s, the success of BP’s competitive advantage in their commitment to managing knowledge will invariably lead to other organizations creating practices and infrastructure to support knowledge management in the future. Knowledge management creates competitive advantage by storing and sharing collective â€Å"on the job† learned experiences and distributing them to present and future generations of an organization that would otherwise be lost. BP has maintained their ability to grow and improve profitability through implementation of knowledge management strategy.

In what ways did laws and actions concerning the westward expansion of Essay

In what ways did laws and actions concerning the westward expansion of the United states in the first half of the 19th Century ( - Essay Example As time passed by, however, negotiations gradually grew difficult as factions began polarizing triggered by events that defined each state’s values and interests. This was particularly evidenced during the westward territorial expansion of the US in the early 19th century. These events cultivated and advanced the schism that ultimately led to the Civil War between the North and the South. The Louisiana Purchase, for example, which was negotiated by the Jefferson government in 1803 with Napoleon Bonaparte, became an issue of contention between anti-slavery and pro-slavery in the halls of Congress. Petitions from various northern states, which were anti-slavery, urging the prohibition of slavery in the newly purchased territory, were delivered both in Congress and the Senate by their representatives. Foremost among the anti-slavery speeches were delivered by the representatives from Illinois and Pennsylvania. Representative Cook of Illinois proposed the granting of the Louisiana territory to slave owners in exchange of abandoning the practice. On the other hand, pro-slavery states such as Smith of South Carolina and Smyth of Virginia fiercely defended slavery as a natural state of condition of black people (Shearer 2004). Another historical event within the same period that saw the clash of the anti-slavery north and pro-slavery south was when Missouri applied for statehood in 1820. Most Missouri settlers at that time came from the south, bringing with them their slaves. Immediately, the anti-slavery north representatives objected to the application unless Missouri ban all future slave imports and institute a gradual slave freedom scheme, and the Senate rejected to deliberate and vote on the issue at all. In what is known as the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was finally allowed statehood conditioned on the term that all future slavery north of the southern Missouri boundary will be banned. The Compromise essentially resulted in the creation of a fictional westward north-south line that governed the state of slavery in all of the US. The anti-slavery north was at least gratified that most of the territories included in the Louisiana Purchase were north of said boundary (Bergad 2005). The Missouri Compromise turned out to have left some issues unsettled that eventually emerged when Missouri’s constitution included a provision that called for the exclusion of free Negroes and mulattoes from its jurisdiction. Once again, debates in Congress and the Senate over slavery became alive. In a subsequent negotiation known as the Second Missouri Compromise, Missouri was finally admitted for statehood with an added provision as a caveat that the provision in issue shall not imply blanket authority to enact laws that impair the rights of citizens (Bergrad 2005). The Texas application in 1836 as a slave state for admission into the Union was another instance of overt and passionate clash between pro and anti-slavery factions that eventually led to the Civil War. It was some thought, the straw that eventually broke the camel’s back. Texas was a chief producer of cotton and this industry was largely hinged on slavery labor. When Texas was admitted into the union as a slave state, the feeling of antipathy

Mayans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mayans - Essay Example He refers to his offerings as golden, implying that they are valuable. The statues, which Augustus removed, were made of silver. He, however, chose gold for the temple because it was more valuable than silver.2 He is interested in donating what he feels is the best to the temple. It shows his desire to give back to the society instead of benefiting himself, a sign of modesty. In another situation, Augustus describes how he had bailed out the public treasury, built roads, and financed major public projects.3 He also describes how he had built a strong army in his nineteenth year using personal resources. His modesty comes out clearly from his desire to achieve the societal goals rather than personal ambitions. Augustus modesty is also evident from the way he chose to store the silver statues he had removed. It seems he did not want to offend the people who had honored him by building the statues. He chose to put their names on his offerings to the Apollo

The English Reformation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The English Reformation - Essay Example This paragraph will examine the role of Martin Luther in the reformation of Western Civilization. Church has been dominating force in Western Civilization and over the period of time, it assumed the central role across different Regions because of the Catholic majority. What is, however, critical to note that many people actually considered Pope and Church involved in the worldly affairs and distracting from the original mandate of the same. Martin Luther was the person who basically called for the reformation of the Catholic Church and set the foundation for Protestant movement. By presenting his 95 theses he called for the full reforms of the Church and set forth the chain reaction which actually ensured personal freedom and proved as a move towards more liberal and open society in Western civilization. (Mullett) This will discuss the role of John Calvin in the reformation of the Western Civilization and how his theology challenged the Catholic Church. John Calvin played even a bigger role in the reformation process and his achievements are considered as even better than that of Martin Luther. Probably his greatest achievement in terms of the Reformation was further solidification of Protestant ideology and the flourishing of the Protestant churches across Europe. Though he and Luther shared the same theology, however, his influence in Germany proved as one of the deciding factors in terms of the spread of Protestantism across the region. The birth of Puritans, therefore, proved as a vital development which challenged the position of the established Catholic Church and appointed their own ministers without reporting to the Church. Calvin, therefore, was instrumental in founding what is now called Calvinism and was an important figure in reformation.  

Please answer the 5 uploaded questions about Marketing thoroughly Research Paper

Please answer the 5 uploaded questions about Marketing thoroughly - Research Paper Example If the three parties are involved in the project then it is called for generalized exchanges. The complex exchange involves between networks of people. The manufacturer, TV station, Radio station are involved in the complex exchanges. Strategic plans are in many different shape and sizes. There are some below mentioned components which describes elaborately. Strategic plan is the game plan of the organization as well as management. The strategic plan is the key factors for new business policy. A strategic plan includes following components. The business cycle analyzes the growth and decline situation in the economy. This cycle indicates the growth and decline and saturation period. This cycle is needed to identify the growth and slowdown period. Contraction: At the slowing down situation in the market, this situation arises, basically in the bear market. At the bear market situation customer are not ready to invest money to the business as they are risk averse. This is the demand and supply situation of the market. As demand increases the employment will increase and job rate is also increased. Demand of the consumer product will increase as the market demand increases. Social responsibility means developing business with positive responsibility. It is also measure the overall performance of the organization. Every organization has some social responsibility. They facilitate the backward community people for further study and do some charitable work for the societal development. Some of the company’s main factor is to invest money to the other organization as social responsibility (Pride and Ferrell, 2012). The social and business organizations are both benefited by the social responsibility. The organization has moral responsibility to serve society for welfare contribution. There some key factors are to be identifying the performance of the social work involvement of the organization. The people getting job, pay

Conference and Banqueting Management Assignment

Conference and Banqueting Management - Assignment Example These include federal, education events, entertainment and cultural events. Events are also part of the marketing strategy and business purpose which involves trade exhibitions, fairs and promotions. In short, Event can be defined as the involvement and participation of the group of people to attend corporate goals and objectives A Conference is a formal meeting or forum where people meet and interact for several different reasons. The conferences have been a part of organizations all over the world for many years. Here the discussion is based on some common topic which every member present wants to discuss on. These conferences traditionally took place in the meeting rooms or board rooms of any organization. These conferences are also held in hotels and clubs. Today, with the advancement in technology, conferences have changed into video conferencing over the internet. The purpose of conferences changes with organization to organization and situation to situation. Today, many compan ies are still using the traditional means of conferencing and think that it is better than the video conferencing. This view also differs from company to company, like many organizations think that video conferencing is more effective and helpful for them. ... Conferences have direct relationship with tourism. This shows that the business world and conferences affect the tourism industry up to a great extent. Whenever the peak season of conferences is coming, the rate of tourism due to business also increases as conferencing required travelling of people from one country to another for the purpose of attending the conference. There are many different conference management systems available; many are helping for the traditional way of conferencing while others are helping in the modern way of conferencing like video conferencing. These systems make the conferences more effective and efficient and help in the reduction of many time consuming activities. View on Conference management D Munro’s Views According to the perspective of Mundro, traditional way of conferences was better. He thinks that face to face conferencing sitting together in a place was better than video conferencing. He thought that travelling was leisure and enjoyment for business people and it helped them in getting relieved and enjoying their work life. He thinks that the advancement of technology has affected the conference management and the value of conferencing (Mayer, Pesenhofer, and Rauber, 2006, pp. 359-366). The views of D Mundro are opposing the views of Tony Rogers, as Mundro thinks technology is not helping the conferences of the organizations but it is affecting the conference world (Miguel, 2007 pp. 51-57) Tony Roger’s Views According to the perspective of Tony Roger, new technology has enhanced and made the conference concept much better. As technology has advanced, conferences have changed into

The Utilization of Reversible Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors Case Study

The Utilization of Reversible Acetylcholinesterase Inhibitors - Case Study Example Apparently, there is the need for more data to confirm current preliminary findings, as well as for more data on head-to-head comparisons of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. The purpose of this paper is to review the available literature on the utilization of reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the management of Alzheimer’s dementia. The review will address issues of current interest surrounding the mechanism of action of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, the difficulties associated with designing appropriate clinical trial methodologies, issues concerning the relevance of current trial methodologies to long-term care settings, the current state of knowledge with regard to a putative neuroprotective effect of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, new technological methods for assessing efficacy of reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and issues with available information on parallel comparisons between the commonly used reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. Finally, practical issues surrounding the clinical use of the reversible acetylcholinesterase inhibitors will be reviewed, with a focus on associa ted adverse drug reactions and optimization of dosage regimens. In the United States, there are estimated to be possibly up to 4.8 million cases (Brookmeyer, Gray, & Kawas, 1998). It is predominant among the people over 65 (Hebert et al., 1995) with a prevalence of about 6% to 8%, and more than 50% of people aged 85 years and older experience bouts of dementia (Jay M. Ellis, 2005; Samanta et al., 2006) . Given the current population demographic trends in the United States and the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease, the National Institutes of Health has projected that, by the year 2030, there could be 8.5 million Alzheimer’s patients in America (J. M. Ellis & Ellis, 2005) . Alzheimer’s dementia incapacitates the sufferers from performing normal activities of daily living (ADL), and as the disease worsens, they become unable to function without assistance and have to rely on other people for their everyday care, whether family caregivers or nursing home care providers (Bullock & Bullock, 2004; Jay M. Ellis, 2005).     

It Consultation Essay Example for Free

It Consultation Essay

Milk Packaging Essay Example for Free

Milk Packaging Essay Milk packaging can be very varied and the types of packaging have increased over time. The aim of packaging is both practical and commercial. So there is need for packaging suppliers to include both these aspects while desiging a packing. Practical AIM: It must carry the milk and keep it fresh. Commercial AIM : keeping the cost down and marketing the product. There are three main types of milk which are differentiated with their labelling and coloured caps Full cream milk –blue coloured cap. Low fat milk- red coured cap. However, the decline of the doorstep delivery led to the sale of milk through supermarkets which led to the introduvtion of a variety of packaging formats like-Glass bottles, cardboard cartons ,plastic bottles, Tetra Pak cartons and low density polyethylene plastic milk containers. TRENDS IN MILK PACKAGING 1.Well into the 20th century, milk was transported in large metal cans and purchased at a local dairy or from the farmer, who distributed it by horse and cart. Families used small dippers to fill their domestic vessels from the cans. 2. The earliest milk bottles were generic, designed for a range of liquids and came with cardboard tops. 3. School milk came in smaller half-pint (235-mL) bottles, pictured here with a ‘dobber’, the tool used for opening them. 4. A plea to retain home delivery(obsolete). 5. A range of specialist milks begins to appear Glass Bottles The traditional milk packaging were introduced in the 1880s. They originally had necks that started relatively low on the bottle, although these have now developed they are narrower and shorter. The lettering appears directly on the bottle. This was originally built into the bottles during manufacturing, but were then started to be painted on directl, being cheaper and a while also allowing for stronger marketing device.

Limitation of Ratio Analysis

Limitation of Ratio Analysis Limitation of Ratio Analysis Learning Objective Explain to the participants on the limitation of ratio analysis. Important Terms Creative accounting. Accounting Policies. As we have alredy discussed, it is important to compare in order to be able to analyse and to be able to comment and subsequently recommend in order that a business is as efficient as possible. Limitations of Ratios Accounting Information Different Accounting PoliciesThe choices of accounting policies may distort inter company comparisons. Example IAS 16 allows valuation of assets to be based on either revalued amount or at depreciated historical cost. The business may opt not to revalue its asset because by doing so the depreciation charge is going to be high and will result in lower profit. Creative accounting The businesses apply creative accounting in trying to show the better financial performance or position which can be misleading to the users of financial accounting. Like the IAS 16 mentioned above, requires that if an asset is revalued and there is a revaluation deficit, it has to be charged as an expense in income statement, but if it results in revaluation surplus the surplus should be credited to revaluation reserve. So in order to improve on its profitability level the company may select in its revaluation programme to revalue only those assets which will result in revaluation surplus leaving those with revaluation deficits still at depreciated historical cost. Information problems Ratios are not definitive measuresRatios need to be interpreted carefully. They can provide clues to the companys performance or financial situation. But on their own, they cannot show whether performance is good or bad.Ratios require some quantitative information for an informed analysis to be made. Outdated information in financial statementThe figures in a set of accounts are likely to be at least several months out of date, and so might not give a proper indication of the companys current financial position. Historical costs not suitable for decision making IASB Conceptual framework recommends businesses to use historical cost of accounting. Where historical cost convention is used, asset valuations in the balance sheet could be misleading. Ratios based on this information will not be very useful for decision making. Financial statements certain summarised informationRatios are based on financial statements which are summaries of the accounting records. Through the summarisation some important information may be left out which could have been of relevance to the users of accounts. The ratios are based on the summarised year end information which may not be a true reflection of the overall years results. Interpretation of the ratioIt is difficult to generalise about whether a particular ratio is good or bad. For example a high current ratio may indicate a strong liquidity position, which is good or excessive cash which is bad. Similarly Non current assets turnover ratio may denote either a firm that uses its assets efficiently or one that is under capitalised and cannot afford to buy enough assets. Comparison of performance over time Price changesInflation renders comparisons of results over time misleading as financial figures will not be within the same levels of purchasing power. Changes in results over time may show as if the enterprise has improved its performance and position when in fact after adjusting for inflationary changes it will show the different picture. Technology changesWhen comparing performance over time, there is need to consider the changes in technology. The movement in performance should be in line with the changes in technology. For ratios to be more meaningful the enterprise should compare its results with another of the same level of technology as this will be a good basis measurement of efficiency. Changes in Accounting policyChanges in accounting policy may affect the comparison of results between different accounting years as misleading. The problem with this situation is that the directors may be able to manipulate the results through the changes in accounting policy. This would be done to avoid the effects of an old accounting policy or gain the effects of a new one. It is likely to be done in a sensitive period, perhaps when the businesss profits are low. Changes in Accounting standardAccounting standards offers standard ways of recognising, measuring and presenting financial transactions. Any change in standards will affect the reporting of an enterprise and its comparison of results over a number of years. Impact of seasons on tradingAs stated above, the financial statements are based on year end results which may not be true reflection of results year round. Businesses which are affected by seasons can choose the best time to produce financial statements so as to show better results. For example, a tobacco growing company will be able to show good results if accounts are produced in the selling season. This time the business will have good inventory levels, receivables and bank balances will be at its highest. While as in planting seasons the company will have a lot of liabilities through the purchase of farm inputs, low cash balances and even nil receivables. Inter-firm comparison Different financial and business risk profileNo two companies are the same, even when they are competitors in the same industry or market. Using ratios to compare one company with another could provide misleading information. Businesses may be within the same industry but having different financial and business risk. One company may be able to obtain bank loans at reduced rates and may show high gearing levels while as another may not be successful in obtaining cheap rates and it may show that it is operating at low gearing level. To un informed analyst he may feel like company two is better when in fact its low gearing level is because it can not be able to secure further funding. Different capital structures and sizeCompanies may have different capital structures and to make comparison of performance when one is all equity financed and another is a geared company it may not be a good analysis. Impact of Government influenceSelective application of government incentives to various companies may also distort intercompany comparison. One company may be given a tax holiday while the other within the same line of business not, comparing the performance of these two enterprises may be misleading. Window dressingThese are techniques applied by an entity in order to show a strong financial position. For example, MZ Trucking can borrow on a two year basis, K10 Million on 28th December 2003, holding the proceeds as cash, then pay off the loan ahead of time on 3rd January 2004. This can improve the current and quick ratios and make the 2003 balance sheet look good. However the improvement was strictly window dressing as a week later the balance sheet is at its old position. Ratio analysis is useful, but analysts should be aware of these problems and make adjustments as necessary. Ratios analysis conducted in a mechanical, unthinking manner is dangerous, but if used intelligently and with good judgement, it can provide useful insights into the firms operations.

Taoism :: essays papers

Taoism It is always present in you. You can use it anyway you want. Taoism is one of the two great philosophical and religious traditions that originated in China. The other philosophy native to China is Confucianism. Both Taoism and Confucianism began at about the same time, around the sixth century B.C. China's third great religion, Buddhism, came to China from India around the second century of the common era. Together, these three faiths have shaped Chinese life and thought for nearly twenty-five hundred years. One dominate concept in Taoism and Buddhism is the belief in some form of reincarnation. The idea that life does not end when one dies is an integral part of these religions and the culture of the Chinese people. Although not accepted by our beliefs, its understanding helps build strength in our own religion. Reincarnation, life after death, beliefs are not standardized between the religions. Each religion has a different way of applying this concept to its beliefs. Ignorance of these beliefs is a sign of weakness in the mind. To truly understand ones own religion, one must also understand those concepts of the other religions of the world. Hopefully this will be an enlightenment on the reincarnation concepts as they apply to Taoism and Buddhism. The goal in Taoism is to achieve tao, to find the way. Tao is the ultimate reality, a presence that existed before the universe was formed and which continues to guide the world and everything in it. Tao is sometimes identified as the Mother, or the source of all things. That source is not a god or a supreme being as with Christians, for Taoism is not monotheistic. The focus is not to worship one god, but instead on coming into harmony with tao. Tao is the essence of everything that is right, and complications exist only because people choose to complicate their own lives. Desire, ambition, fame, and selfishness are seen as hindrances to a harmonious life. It is only when one rids himself of all desires can tao be achieved. By shunning every earthly distraction, the Taoist is able to concentrate on life itself. The longer the one's life, the closer to tao one is presumed to have become. Eventually the hope is to become immortal, to achieve tao, to have reached the deeper life. This is the afterlife for a Taoist -- to be in harmony with the universe. To understand the relationship between life and the Taoism concept

The Champion Lands :: Free Descriptive Essay About A Place

The Champion Lands The former Champion Lands of Vermont consist of 132,000 acres in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The Northeast Kingdom of Vermont has some of Vermont's most extensive areas of relitively remote and wild lands. A substantial portion of the Champion Lands are located in the the Nulhegan Basin, an extensive area of northern lowland forest and wetlands ringed by hills and mountians of moderatr elevation and drained by the Nulhegan River. The Champion Lands of Vermont are part of a larger system known as the Northern Forest. Stretching 400 miles from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic Ocean, the Northern Forest covers more than 25 million acres across New York's Tug Hill plateau and Adirondack Mountains and includes nearly all of northern Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. The forest reaches north and east into Quebec and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. This extensive regional forest contains a range of forest age-classes, from early successional to, in a few isolated locations, mature forest, but it is by and large young forest, less than 100 years old. It provides important habitat for the large mammals native to the extensive northeastern deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. These include black bear, bobcat, deer and moose. The lands are divided into three different ownership parcels, each area has its own unique features and area of interest The West Mountain WMA lands are dominated by three major features: in the center of the parcel, West Mountain rises to an elevation of 2,733 feet above sea level; to the north and east the land drains into a series of small ponds in the Wheeler Stream drainage, while to the west and south Paul Stream drains an area dominated by Ferdinand Bog. These two stream drainages, which are tributaries of the Connecticut River, contain what is thought to be the greatest concentration of glacial ice-contact deposits in Vermont. The result is a highly varied terrain containing kames, kame moraines, eskers, and kettles surrounding the resistant granite of West Mountain. Notch Pond Mountain, part of the Nulhagan Basin mountainous rim to the north of West Mountain, separates the Wheeler Stream and Paul Stream drainages from the Nulhegan River. The mountains and high hills on the West Mountain WMA are strongly dominated by northern hardwood forests, while the stream drainages are dominated by red spr uce-hardwood forest or lowland spruce-fir forests, and a variety of wetlands and ponds. The wetlands are predominantly northern white cedar swamps, spruce-fir-tamarack swamps, and alder-beaver meadow complexes.

The Departed/Internal Affairs Film Comparison

The Departed, a film directed by Martin Scorsese, won an Oscar for Best Picture, as well as 3 other Academy Awards. The story however, is based on a 2002 Hong Kong film directed by Wai-keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak, Mougaan dou; better known to us as Infernal Affairs. The similarities between these two crime/drama/thrillers are great. In The Departed, director Martin Scorsese takes the story into his own style of storytelling, but the adaptation of the screenplay originally written by director Siu Fai Mak and Felix Chong is almost identical to the screenplay by William Monahan adapted for The Departed. The key overall difference between the two films can be attributed to their setting. Infernal Affairs, based in Hong Kong, was adapted or â€Å"Americanized† to fit American customs and situations, namely the situation in south Boston with the Irish mafia â€Å"some time ago. Neither film specifies an exact historical era. There is an equivalent to most Infernal Affairs characters in The Departed: you have the mole in the Hong Kong IAU (internal affairs unit), Inspector Lau Kin Ming, played by Andy Lau, who is the equivalent to Matt Damon’s role as the mole in the Boston State Police, Colin Sullivan; there’re the undercover cops, Chan Wing Yan (Tony Leung Chi Shing) and William Costigan Jr. (Le onardo Di Caprio); there’s the boss of the Hong Kong mafia (the Triads), Hon Sam (Eric Tsang), and the Irish mafioso, Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). The head of the Boston State Police is Captain Queenan (Martin Sheen), who is mirrored after SP Wong Chi Shing (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang). There is no real equivalent to Mark Walberg’s character, Staff Sgt. Dignam, but I’m glad they added him. The two films share similar style and techniques; however it is easy to distinguish Scorsese’s directing. Both films make good use of moving shots, which only add to the liveliness of the action. The Departed has virtually no special effects at all, using editing to only to cut and colour correct. Infernal Affairs is similar to that, but makes much more use of fast editing and montage, using slight special effects for transitions and introducing key characters, using a combination of freeze frame and a desaturation filter for instance. Small effects are used in moderation throughout the film to add to the movie’s overall intensity, and makes fast cuts with multiple angles to create emphasis and a fast-paced feel in certain scenes. The overall style of the films is fairly similar: predominant use of medium to long shots, steadicam, tracking, and crane shots can be seen throughout both films. Therefore this Creates fast paced movements and a flow which also generates this overall feel of realism. Both films start relatively the same: the gang boss recruits new, young blood to put through the academy to work as moles for them. Although Costello recruits Sullivan at an earlier age than Sam, they both seem to be raising workers for the same purpose (at the beginning, we see other kids in the car shop with Colin, who can be expected to be there for the same reason), and the stories each focus on Colin (Costello’s mole), Lau (Sam’s mole), Costigan (State Police undercover), and Wing-Yan

When to bail out

Even the proponents of free economy accept some form of regulatory intervention on organizations that become mighty powerful. The regulatory authorities have a right to intervene, if the market forces are giving unfair advantages such as monopoly or pollution. Commercial banks can become mighty powerful and at the same be very fragile. Even flourishing capital markets have not undermined the importance of commercial banking. Commercial banks are a widely used tool to stimulate the economy through loans that stimulate consumption and investment. Therefore, in essence the health of the banking sector is directly related to the health of an economy. Liquidity risk is inherent to commercial banking because the depositors can come and claim their deposits at anytime. A mismatch of time to maturity of advances and deposits can create severe problems. For instance, a wave of panic-stricken withdrawals can essentially bankrupt a bank in no time. This can trigger systematic risk and leave the entire economy shaken. The banks need to monitor their asset liability management statistics because any mismanagement can lead to bank runs or cash shortages. For these problems, central banks require of commercial banks to insure their deposits and provide them with liquidity support. By providing liquidity support central banks regulate the money market and injecting cash in the economy when demanded. These solutions in effect lead to other problems. For example, in insured deposits, depositors stop monitoring a bank’s performance and the banks increase their risk appetite by increasing lending. To address this issue the central bank requires banks to maintain a minimum capital adequacy ratio, and regulate insurance premiums to be proportional to the risk of a bank’s lending. However, recent stats suggest that capital adequacy is not a safe determinant to monitor banking sector. Commercial banks start to over rely on central bank’s liquidity support and tend to lend high premium loans to institutions with lower credit ratings. Even if such lending results in volatility in the money market such variations are small compared to the bank’s capital. Central bank needs to be proactive rather than be reactive because the public cost of economic instability and high interest rates is too high. Even the Basel II addresses risk capital framework but does not address provisioning for funding. The emphasis should be on liquidity rather than on solvency alone. Therefore, commercial banks need to be scrutinized through stricter prudential regulations.

Creating a Storyboard Essay

Assignment Your assignment is to work collaboratively to transform a section of a printed text into a storyboard. You will also include a written explanation of the intended effects of your cinematic choices. Steps Planning 1. Revisit a short story from this unit that you could imagine as a film. As a group, select a small passage to transform into a storyboard of at least 20 shots. You will not be able to capture the entire story in your storyboard; choose a compelling section that contains many visual elements. 2. As director, decide how you would like to show your version of this text and the effect you want it to have on your audience. Present your ideas to your group, and reach a consensus about your focus. Drafting 3. Brainstorm a sequence of shots. Consider framing, camera movement, lighting, sound, and editing in each shot. Use sticky notes to sketch out or describe each shot on the Storyboard Graphic Organizer. Be sure to consider the effect you are trying to create with each shot and the words or phrases that communicate your vision. Share this draft within your small group. Even if you plan photographs for your final draft, you should sketch what your photos will look like for this first draft. Decide how to share the responsibilities of producing each element of the storyboard. Create a draft. Refining 4. As a group, share your ideas with another group. Solicit feedback on †¢ Clear sequence of ideas †¢ Effective use of cinematic techniques in relation to the story †¢ Accurate identification and application of cinematic techniques Use the notes generated during the peer group discussion, and revise your storyboard. Add an explanation of the intended effect of your choices. Be specific in terms of your framing, lighting, sound, and other choices, and be sure that your effect is consistent with your cinematic choices. Support your explanation with textual evidence from the short story. Revising and Editing for Publication 5. Prepare your final draft. Choose a presentation method, such as mounting your frames onto poster board or creating a slide show. Label each frame with all the information required (shot type, angle, lighting, and sound), including intended effect of each shot.

Phoneme Confusion Essay

An understanding of why students often confuse the phonemes /b/ and /d/ begins with understanding the fundamental difference between a phoneme and a grapheme. The term â€Å"phoneme† refers to a basic sound found within a language, such as the sounds that are represented by the letters /b/ and /d/. The grapheme represents the actual symbol used to denote those sounds (Reutzel & Cooter, 2004). In most Indo-European languages, the initial sounds of the words â€Å"ball† and â€Å"dog† are represented by these same symbols /b/ and /d/. The problem that children usually have with these sounds lies not in their confusion of the actual sounds or phonemes, but in the similarities between the two graphemes used to represent them (Goldstein, 2007). The problem that children usually have is in figuring out which sound goes with which letter—not actually in differentiating the sounds themselves (Macauslan & Quinn, 1976). This can be ascertained because it is often the case that children who make the mistake of mixing up the two sounds by reading usually manage to speak without replacing either phoneme with the other (Goldstein, 2007). It is usually the case, therefore, that the problem lies with the visual aspect of the grapheme itself. The letters /b/ and /d/ are both very similarly constructed: each is made up of a circle with a stick attached. When trying to differentiate between /b/ and /d/, children forget which side the stick should be on. Even in the phonologically aware child, each symbol sometimes succeeds in calling to mind both the sounds associated with the two letters (Goldstein, 2007). However, the child has a problem assigning the correct sound to the proper letter not because of an inherent â€Å"reading† problem, but because of an inability to properly orient the form of the letter in order to make the decision (Macauslan & Quinn, 1976). There as several formal and informal methods of dealing with this form of confusion. One method is simply to teach the letters separately. By teaching the phoneme-grapheme /b/ initially, the student is allowed to become thoroughly familiar with the letter and its formation. This familiarity will also extend itself to the sound or phoneme that is to be associated with it. Once the student can distinguish that this (b) is the letter â€Å"b† (â€Å"bee†), then that child will be less likely to confuse it with the other. Then, one it is established that the child knows /b/ and can distinguish it from all other letters and forms, the phoneme/grapheme /d/ can be introduced. Other methods of dealing with this issue exist to deal with a confusion that has already surfaced. Some teachers use mnemonic devices such as the formation of the letter with the hand. By holding the middle finger and the thumb together while allowing the forefinger to stand straight up, one can approximate the formation of /b/ on the left hand and /d/ on the right. By assigning a name to each formation such as â€Å"bull† to the left and â€Å"dog† to the right, the child might be prompted to remember which letter goes with each sound by listening to the onset of each word. It may also be helpful to point out the similarity between the lower and upper-case B’s. By reminding the student that the lower-case /b/ is merely a â€Å"B† with the upper semicircle missing, it might serve to remind him/her which letter corresponds with what sound. However, this may not prove generally helpful at the early ages, at which stage children are often likely to reverse all letters (including uppercase B) without readily noticing the difference. The child who is phonologically aware may still demonstrate confusion of the phonemes represented by the symbols /b/ and /d/ because of the similarity in the appearance of the two. These children may be otherwise quite able to perform the psychological and physical actions necessary to become good readers. However, such otherwise good readers may persist in confusing the two for quite a few years. The problem is not usually a great one and may be overcome using several mnemonic devices that serve to reinforce the distinction in the appearance of the two graphemes.    References Goldstein, E. B. (2007). Cognitive psychology: connecting mind, research and everyday   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   experience. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. Macauslan, A. & V. Quinn. (1976). â€Å"The rotation of confusable letters in the writing of depressed children.† Child: Care, Health and Development. 2(6): 379-386. Reutzel, D. R. & R. B. Cooter. (2004). The essentials of teaching children to read: what every    teacher needs to know. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.

Analysing Law Case Study

The issue(s) in the case i.e. what is this case all about The case involves the establishment of wind turbines in the region of Taralga an idea that has been opposed by the residents because of the feared environment implication and the physical disturbance to the natural setting. The relevant law that applies in this case The applicable law, in this instance, is Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation 2000. The application of this law is because of the certain cases that the judge referred to while making the ruling. First, the judge turns to the case of Roseth SC in Tenacity Consulting v Warringah Council (2004) 134 LGERA 23, at paras 25 to. While considering the different facts in the two cases, the judge observed that the project, if operated under the planning principles of environmental conservation will not have any serious impact on the landscape[1]. Further, the judge also did refer to the case of Genesis Power Limited & Anor v Franklin District Council [2005] NZRMA 541. The case also was about the wind farm along the coast of New Zealand. These two cases were used to by the judge to demonstrate to the applicant and general public that always there would be concerns about the environment whenever mega projects are commissioned, and that should not be a reason to stop prime development agendas[2]. How the Judge applied the law to the case The judge did use the case demonstrate the project lead to local area development. He maintained that through detailed environmental assessment and appropriate measures taken, the locals would benefit[3].   Roseth SC in Tenacity Consulting v Warringah Council (2004) In this case, the subject was different views held about development as opposed to what the law says. The aspects of value, consideration, qualitative assessment, and reasonability of the proposal determine the merit of each project[4]. Genesis Power Limited & Anor v Franklin District Council [2005] NZRMA This case was about establishing a wind farm at the cost of New Zealand. The appeal sought to establish if the construction, operations and other maintenance structures of the project at the coastal environment. The two issues raised by the applicant is the visual and noise from the project and if it is important to move the project to another environment.   The verdict of the current case could have been different given the magnitude of the impact that the project was to cause to the residents, property, and landscape. The impact is a bit escalated[5]. The public policy issues that were addressed by the judge include the effects of visual, noise, flora impact, fauna, and property. The judge addressed the issues by maintaining that even though these problems are eminent, proper management could help mitigate the effects and the locals benefit from the wind farm engines[6]. Getting academic assistance from

Ghana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ghana - Essay Example The Mali realm rose back in the mid 1300. Moreover, it emerged from the greater Ghana Empire. However, due to external disputes and internal conflicts within the Ghana Empire and the eventual crumple of the Ghanaian Kingdom, the Mali Kingdom emerged with Sundiata being their leader (Conrad 13). This clearly depicts how Ghanaian began its superiority over the Malian realm. In fact, some historians deem Ghana to be the greatest kingdom in the early part of the 1300. Besides, civilization started in Ghana earlier than in Mali. In fact, civilization in Ghana began even before the arrival of the Europeans into Africa. Moreover, Ghana had started trading early, where they operated with other communities. Their trade items included gold, cloth and copper among others. Moreover, the regime imposed tax to the goldmines in the region (Conrad 14). Mali was still under Ghana Empire, and did little in terms of trade. As a result, the economic capacity of Ghana was far much better as compared to that of Mali, their counterparts. In the political aspect, Ghana had a well-organized system, with the Soninke people reigning over the Berbers. Moreover, the empire had captured a vast area and made it its kingdom. Mali was still under the Ghanaian Empire. The Ghanaian trade in gold had made the empire extremely powerful. Besides, the use of iron aided Ghana in creating weaponry for its territorial army. Furthermore, it was not until the Senegalese Almoravids intervention that capacitated the Malians to take over Ghana Kingdom (Conrad 14). In addition, the Ghana Empire was extensively rich. This mainly resulted from the expansive gold trade within the region. This distinct trade in gold made Ghana change it earlier name (Wagadugu) to its present Ghana (meaning gold land). This gave Ghana an advantage over its former territory, Mali (Conrad 16). However, the ancient Ghana is different from the contemporary Ghana. Besides, the Ghana kings controlled the gold trade

Brilliance Of Beethoven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Brilliance Of Beethoven - Essay Example The jazz concert was held by Chicago old boys who performed the classical and also performed Christmas carols that they performed in an Acapella form they also performed the coward of a county and the gambler. There was a lady who also played the song coat of many colors by Dolly Parton who also DO you love me? This was a very beautiful season as this was the guest artist performing classical that have been great from the past. The Chicago boys lead conductor was Polycarp White, and he led different songs.The theme of the event was reviving the past and accepting oneself. The issue was more of trying to fight racism and declaring that we are one.The principal performers were the lady who was singing Taylor Swift song, and her name were Alison Peyton. She was performing using instruments, and also, she used Acapella form. There was the use of violin and also the flute and guitar. Not forgetting the Chicago boys band also used drumsets and piano.It was different when the guest artist joined the fray as they performed using the saxophone.Though the theme was about unity and together let's fight racism one could see other sponsors like the Walmart advising on contraceptives and responsible drinking. The pitched were many and different, and they varied depending on the performers. The string quartet was used by the lady Alison and her group as together they performed using the two violins.Oh, it was a beautiful piece.There were a vertical tone and a different pitch altogether.

Love in Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Love in Marriage - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that marriage is the basis of a family unit, and society's central component is family - thus, marriage. On a general term, marriage is the coming together of two individuals whose aim is a lifetime of partnership and possibly, reproduction. If this is true, then it is safe to say that stability is important for couples to move on with their married lives towards the fulfillment of their unified goals. While it is true that some couples may be married for reasons other than love, and while it is also true that these types of marriages may have worked for some of these couples, it still remains true that love plays a major and important role in the majority of marriages in the world. Nowadays, it can be said that love is overrated in relationships and undervalued in marriages. This may be the reason for several early marriages or relationships, and continuous increase in divorce rates. While no one says it is wrong to get involved with love at an early age, while inside a marriage, couples need to recognize it's importance â€Å"till death do them part.† According to recent studies, while romantic love is a concept that is widely accepted, not everyone considers it as an important factor in marriage. However, most studies show that love in marriage helps in stabilizing the union between the couples. Surprisingly, while not everyone views love as necessary to establish marriage, a large percentage of marriages in societies are based on romantic unions.... However, it should be first emphasized that the attention it needs is not the one that causes romance novel bestsellers or blockbuster hits. For one, successful marriages seem to be a rarity (De, 1996, p.703). How many among acquaintances or relatives have successful marriages, or have at least come from successful unions? It seems that almost everybody in today's world at least knows a person who have come from a broken home. Gone were the days when the term â€Å"broken home† causes tugs at the hearts of those who hear. Why? Because it has become so common. It is possible that people may have been so cynical of the concept of love that the more they hear of it's supposed failure to make marriages work, the more they disregard it. One has to remember that while love in marriages will not change the annoying things that they say make marriages collapse little by little, love may help in making couples focus not on what is annoying, but on what is pleasing. And while love will not keep either party from getting hurt, it will at least pave the way for possible forgiveness (Chapman, 2007, p.29-31). On a logical note, since humans are inherently in need of affection, marriages should be the foundation where the fulfillment of the sense of belonging and security should come from. As mentioned earlier, love in marriages helps in providing stability in a union. Therefore, people should not look into the idea of love in marriages as some sort of just a romantic idea resulting from too much reading of pocketbooks or watching romantic movies. Love in marriages runs deeper than shallow Hollywood presentations. Love and marriage are two crucial elements in human society. Understanding the importance of love is stabilizing this core unit

Hunger game Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Hunger game - Essay Example Even though it is not realistic, the issues discussed and showed in the movie are more than real. There is a huge contrast between life in districts and the capital of the country called Panem. It intensifies inequality and segregation of the poor in this seemingly civilized society. The movie intentionally exaggerates styles of Panem citizens and mocks their habits. At the same time, these people are superior to others because they have money and power. The show is designed to keep all people away from the thoughts about rioting against this unjust system. In many ways, it reveals how reality shows work in media. Love, death and violence become just good elements to keep people involved in the show. Nobody cares about the fact that people actually die during the game. All spectators desire to observe the development of the story and celebrate the only survivor. They want to see real suffering, tears and desire to survive because their comfortable and rich life become absolutely boring for them. This movie is exceptional because it shows how politics and media merge becoming one powerful tool of influence. The producers of the show know how to manipulate with public opinion and give people hope or fear. The value of human life equals zero because people become objects. Their actions are predetermined by the conditions created by producers and designers. This moral degradation depicted in the movie motivates people to revise their current attitude to consumerism and media. The movie suggest some logical development to modern culture which is perceived as the top of civilized world in the history of man. It reveals that the world is not just; people who have power exploit others and use media to expand their influence. Weak human beings and their feeling become only elements of the show to entertain

WE ARE A COFFEE SHOP CHAIN IN CANADA AND WE ARE EXPANDING TO BRAZIL Essay

WE ARE A COFFEE SHOP CHAIN IN CANADA AND WE ARE EXPANDING TO BRAZIL - Essay Example Also, they need to understand the cross-sectional issues and have constant attention to securing public or private investments (Nag, Hambrick, & Chen, 2007). Secondly is the partnership management. There should be ability to negotiate and maintenance of the core relationships set for the enterprise benefit. The partners should work well, and every partner’s knowledge and expertise contribute to the business success (Hill & Gareth, 2012). Many skills should be available in the expansion of the business to Brazil like engineering and technical expertise, legal advice, business planning and marketing that the partners can provide. Therefore, there should be corporation among them to improve the success. Thirdly, there should be marketing and business planning. The entrepreneurs should be able to access the business planning along with marketing skills now that they are expanding their market segments. The business plan should be able to demonstrate the objectives, service, and product lines; setting up the supply chains and pointing out the revenue targets in the other country, Brazil. The plan should have the financing and investment requirements and the marketing strategies to reach the objectives (Vladimir, 2009). Therefore, the business planning helps the coffee chain to identify its target in Brazil and how to achieve its objectives of expanding their market. Fourthly, another important element is creating a long and short-term benefits management as Richard (2011) suggests. The short-term benefits should keep the stakeholders until the long-term benefits get achieved. The significant factor for success is that every stakeholder should feel that they are getting benefits from the effort they contribute to the business. The idea of expanding the market to Brazil should show a success plan in future and define more potential benefit to the stakeholders in the project development. Now that the business require a significant lead time before securing tangible

Answering questions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Answering questions - Assignment Example This decision worsened the situation as it was like a throwing a burning branch into a bucket of kerosene. It instigated anti—American sentiment in Iran which explored (Christopher & Mosk, 2007). We learn that Carter actions were more of humanitarian than political, and this caused him a second term following his inability to restore the situation that became his weakness for the competitors. The duo was terrorists school shooters that handled the April 20, 1999 Columbine High School massacre. This massacre has remained the today’s the deadliest high school massacre in American history as well the fifth deadliest school massacre in history of America after the Bath School Bombing, the Virginia Tech Massacre, the Sandy Hook Elementary Scholl massacre and the University of Texas massacre. The duo met in 1995 and became intimate friends. The first warning signs arose from the increasingly hostile personality in his freshman year at Columbine when Eric met Tiffany Typher in German. Brian was born in 1961 and was the 2008 vice presidential candidate of America’s Independent Party in the same year’s United States Presidential Election. He ran on the ticket with the presidential candidate Alan Keyes. He is a school drop-out at 16 and founded a car stereo in business in Englewood, Colorado. He led the efforts to examine the sociological reasons for Columbine High School Massacre as his son (Daniel) wounded by Eric and shot in back by Klebold. His opinion was that the cause of the massacre was as resulting of legalizing abortion as well as the removal of all vestiges of religion from the public school classroom. The controversy of the cross memorial is understood, but the controversy arise about the gun since the history is clear and the meaning of the concern being on the appropriateness of the specific location for the processed

Negative Effects of Electric Card and Gas Cars Essay

Negative Effects of Electric Card and Gas Cars - Essay Example Ozone O3 causes global warming, breathing difficulties, chest pains, lung tissue damage, and coughing. Particulate Matter may cause asthma, coughs, lung damage, heart attacks, cancer, and premature death in extreme cases. Unburned hydrogen carbon may cause cancer and while reacted with nitrogen oxides it causes the ozone. Nitrogen oxide causes lung irritation and lung damage. Subject to these effects, it is quite clear that both electric and gas cars have adverse effects on the environment and our health (Natural Gas 1). However, quantifying which type of car harbors the most significant effects is a tall order. Nevertheless, the source of electricity in an electric car clearly defines the amount of pollution created by an electric car. Hence, the source of electricity and location of deployment determines the level of pollution between the electric and gas cars. Where the source of electricity is clean, little pollution comes to place while an unclean source leads to more pollution from a gas vehicle. Hydroelectric power is a clean source of electric power while coal or oil is unclean sources of electricity (Wilkins 1). However, major sources of electricity are neither clean nor unclean thus the challenge of gauging the level of pollution. At the same time, both cars have merits that may outweigh the pollution they cause. Nevertheless, all factors considered, electric vehicles have a great potential to pollute much less than internal combustion engine vehicles. However, when the application of electric cars is in totality, they pose a great risk to pollution than gasoline vehicles. As such, there have been many studies to ascertain the actual position of pollution while comparing the electric and gasoline vehicles. This paper will seek to establish the most efficient car by comparing their negative affects to the environment and health of persons. In achieving this, the paper will address various aspects relating to both cars. In conclusion, the paper will com pare the two cars with a hybrid car and deduce which is better. Fuel consumption price  of the cars One of the factors that will help us to analyze the negative effects of electric and gas car is their fuel consumption and by extension their fuel consumption cost. In the year 2011, about one third of the total petroleum imports went to the transport industry (U.S. Department of Energy 1). It is factual that gasoline cars consume more petrol or diesel than the electric cars (United States Environmental Protection Agency 1). At the same time, in the US the cost of electricity varies in wide dimension to the cost of gasoline. As such, the cost of fuel consumption varies from the gas to the electric car. This cost also varies from one state to another where charges 8 cents per kilowatt-hour while Hawaii charges 36 cents per kilowatt-hour. The electric car's energy consumption rate is in kWh per 100 miles (kWh/100m) where one needs to multiply the recorded figure by the relevant electr ic rate to get the cost per 100 miles. Various utility companies set the cost of electricity depending on the time of use and level of use. Indeed, the consumption cost of either a gas or electric car will equally depend on the make of the car. Overall, there is an approximate 30% fuel

Economics Commentary - Russian Quota on US Pork and Indian Government Tax on cars Essay Example for Free

Economics Commentary Russian Quota on US Pork and Indian Government Tax on cars Essay A quota is a physical limit on the number or value of goods that can be imported into a country. This is one of the few protectionist measures that countries in order to protect their own domestic industries and is a measure that has been taken up by Russia, as seen in the article. Russia has reduced its quota for American pork from 750,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes. This is because Russia wishes to become more self-sufficient in producing pork and thus improve their pork industry. As said in the article, this will be a big blow to the American producers of pork who already trying to recover from poor demand and prices, as well as high input costs. The effect of this reduced quota can be seen in Fig.1 below. As can be seen, the quota has been decreased from QD2-QS2 at a value of 750,000 tonnes to QD3-QS3 at a value of 600,000 tonnes. The deadweight loss (represented by the shaded area) has, as a result, increased from ABC to EBD and this is partly where the problem of quotas lies. The shaded area represents the inefficiency of the domestic producers and by decreasing the number of US exports coming in, they are increasing the reliance on domestic producers who may be more inefficient in comparison to the American producers. What could be potentially seen is an increased loss of world efficiency as the domestic producers would produce pork for higher minimum revenue than the American producers. Furthermore, QD3-QD2 tonnes of pork are not now consumed (150,000 tonnes) and this is a reduction in the consumer surplus, which is the extra utility gained by consumers from paying a price that is lower than that which they are prepared to pay. However, there are advantages to the quota for domestic producers. The initial quota allowed domestic producers to supply 0-QS1 and QS2-QD2 tonnes of pork at a price of WP+Quota. This quota meant that their revenue had increased but they will see their revenue increased further with the implementation of the lower quota. This is because they will be able to supply 0-QS1, QS2-QD2 and QS3-QD3 at a price of WP+ Decreased Quota. Foreign producers will now supply their quota of QS1-QS2 and receive a price of WP+ Decreased Quota. This should usually result in a fall in income, which would be detrimental to the American producers who are already suffering economic difficulties, but in theory this does not have to be. An alternative option that could be used by the Russian government is a tariff. This is a tax that is charged on imported goods would cause the world supply curve to shift upwards because it would be placed on the American producers as opposed to the Russia producers. The effect of a tariff can be seen below. The advantage of a tariff is that whilst the deadweight loss (shaded in red) of caused by the tariff would be the same as the one caused by a quota, the Russian government would receive a revenue equal to C. Furthermore, the revenue of domestic, Russian producers would increase by A+B+C, though the revenue of foreign, American producers will fall by C. However, there will be a fall in consumer surplus by D, due to the extra pork that will not be purchased resulting in a deadweight loss of welfare. However, as stated before, this would be the same if a quota is used. Furthermore, the implementation of a tariff is less likely to lead to the creation of a black market. This is because with an import quota there is a chance that there will be massive shortages of pork. Therefore, criminal organisations would see smuggling pork as a lucrative business opportunity. However, with a tariff such shortages are unlikely as it does not set a limit on the number of products imported. That being said, if a tariff is set at an unreasonably high rate then there is still a chance that a black market will open up. Nevertheless either form of protectionism has its disadvantages. Firstly, it leads to less choice for consumers and the lowered competition will see domestic firms become inefficient without any incentive to minimise costs. Moreover, protectionism distorts comparative advantage and this leads to the inefficient use of resources thus leading to reduced specialisation and a reduced potential level of the worlds output. Indeed protectionism could potentially damage economic growth. INDIAN CAR TAX Externalities occur when the consumption or production of a good or service has a spill over effect on a third party. If an externality is negative, then this spill over effect is in some way harmful. Therefore there has to be an external cost i.e. one that is borne by a third party, to add to the private costs of the producer or consumer in order to calculate the full cost to society. In the article, the negative externalities which are occurring in New Delhi, India stem from traffic congestion and air pollution. Fig.1 below shows the external costs of using cars. As seen in Fig.1, consumers will enjoy some of the private benefits of car travel but there will be external costs in the form of air pollution and traffic congestion. Consumers maximise their private utility and consume at the level where MPC=MSC=MPB thus leading to over-consumption of vehicle travel by driving Q25, 000 vehicles at a price of 25,000 rupees. As can be seen in Fig.1, the socially efficient output, i.e. when the full opportunity cost of an extra unit is equal to the value placed by society on its consumption or production, is Q*, as a result there is over-consumption of Q25, 000 to Q*. Furthermore, as a result of MSC being greater than MSB, there is a welfare loss to society. This is an example of market failure. In order to combat the effects of the vehicle use, the Indian government is charging citizens in New Delhi who own more than one car and are implementing a congestion fee. Two-wheelers that cost above 25,000 rupees will be taxed at a rate of four per cent whilst cars priced up to 6 lakh (600,000 rupees) will be increased to the same rate. Those costing between 6 and 10 lakh will be charged seven per cent tax. The effect that the increased tax should have on the use of two-wheeled vehicles is seen in Fig.2. As seen in Fig.2, the implementation of a tax will see the MPC curve move upwards to MPC + tax = MSC + tax. This will reduce consumption to the socially efficient output of Q* but the price will increase to 25,000 rupees plus tax. Therefore the government should receive more revenue which could be then used to further tackle the externalities. However, a problem that the Indian government will face is the fact that the demand for vehicle travel may be price inelastic. Therefore, the amount of people who will forgo vehicle travel will be insignificant and the quantity demanded will not fall to the socially efficient level. There are alternatives to congestion fees and taxes, with advertising being an example. The Indian government could fund positive advertising for substitute goods such as public transport or bicycles thus decreasing the consumption of vehicle travel. One of the problems with this solution is that the costs may be high and so taxes would have to be in place. Moreover, people may not care about the effects of vehicle travel and will therefore continue with their current mode of travel. Another solution could be for the government to restrict the number of driving licences. This is effectively a quota that would essentially see a decrease in the number of cars on the road. However, the problem of who to allocate these licences to arise and this could prove unpopular. Another alternative solution could be to heavily advertise public transport. This may reduce the number of cars on the road and would therefore see a reduction in the negative externalities created. However, for this to work, people would have to heed the advertisements advice and as it would not be compulsory, people may neither listen nor care to change their method of transportation. Overall, it looks like the Indian governments decision to implement a car tax and congestion fee is the most viable solution because it is less likely to alienate the citizens of New Delhi when compared to curfews and is also more likely to see a decrease in consumption when compared to advertising.