Transparency in Corporate Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Transparency in Corporate Governance - Essay Example Transparency in a company is vital because it increases the confidence in the management of the company by its shareholders and other stakeholders. This consequently leads to the shareholders willing to invest more in the company which in turn, eventually, reduces the cost of capital. Being transparent also helps a company’s management to fight off corruption and fraudulent activities that would otherwise be rife and detrimental (Hermalin &Weisch, 2007). With all these factors put together, the company’s productivity, and eventually, its productive capacity increases. For a long time now, corporate governance has undergone different overhauls so as to increase the level of transparency. This is through various means such as an increased control on how financial reporting gets done and who exactly does it. These control mechanisms ensure that what gets measured, accepted and reported to the public is true and fair. There are also various trends currently in the market th at give the procedure on how a company should be audited. Auditing is when an external entity, separate from the company, goes through the company’s reports and records. It gives its assessment and opinion of fairness and truthfulness of the company reports to the public (Shleifer, 1996). There are also other measures that ensure transparency gets achieved. These measures include laws, policies, Companies Act, Parliamentary Acts (Hermalin &Weisch, 2007). Reporting and adhering to these policies, laws and acts, however, comes at a price. Governments around the world exempt the small companies from fully complying with these stringent measures. It is mandatory, however, for these small companies to prepare their own reports as a performance measuring tool (Hermalin &Weisch, 2007). In the McBride scenario, the CEO of the McBride Financial Services receives an email from a recently added investor. The Beltway Investment is the investor that has invested in McBrides Company. It is in the email sent by their principal in who reiterates the need for transparency and use of best practices. He tells the CEO to run his company as would see fit but in turn, the investment firm would need to be shown the reports of the company’s progress. This is a way of ensuring transparency in corporate governance gets achieved by equitable treatment and rights of the shareholders getting observed. The management should do this by openly and effectively communicating the information to the stakeholders. They should also encourage them to participate in the company’s general meetings, so as to give their thoughts and opinions (Solomon, 2010). In the scenario, one also sees the management chain of command. The CEO, Hugh McBride makes the crucial decisions such as who will sit in the company’s board of directors and his subordinates implement these decisions. They deal with a wide range of matters from public relations to issues to do with governance of the com pany (Solomon, 2010). We also see that when the stakeholders, in this case Beltway Investments, know of their rights and practice these rights keeping the management on toes. This gets clearly seen when Doug, the Beltway Investment’s principal sends the CEO the email. The CEO, in the following days, communicates to his subordinate to get an accounting firm to audit their reports. The urgency becomes also portrayed when he says

Assisted technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assisted technology - Essay Example The available support rendered by the technology can be classified as falling under three categories, depending upon the extent of support required and the available financial resources2. This includes Low, Mild and High assistive technology devices. Low assistive technology devices include support gadgets that do not involve electronics and do not require a battery for operation. Such devices easy to operate and are low in cost. Mild support strategies rely on simple electronics. These devices are not heavily dependent upon technological advancements. High assistive devices are electronically sophisticated. These employ modern day techniques as image processing, signal analysis and logic design to achieve the desired functionalities. Such devices require a processing unit. As a result, these are designed to work on a computer or in conjunction with an embedded processor or a microcontroller. The cost of such devices is significantly high, as is the complexity and effort involved in development process. The task at hand is to investigate three assistive technology devices and to e

Analysis Of The Pharmaceutical Industry Economics Essay

Analysis Of The Pharmaceutical Industry Economics Essay The most important definition of industry was given by Michael Porter in 1979: a group of competitors producing substitutes that are close enough that the behavior of any firm affects each of the others either directly or indirectly. Later, Porter defined the term more precisely as a group of companies offering products or services that are close substitutes for each other, that is, products or services that satisfy the same basic customers needs. This new definition emphasizes the importance of industry borders and industrys role as a market supplier or producer of goods and services, as distinguished from a market, defined as a consumer of goods and services. Furthermore, inside every industry there are groups of companies that follow similar strategies, defined by Michael S. Hunt in his unpublished 1972 Ph.D. dissertation as strategic groups. Between these groups there are differences in entry barriers, bargaining power with buyers and suppliers and skills and resources . Strategic groups compete against each other within the industry as a result of these differences. 1.2 Models to Analyze the Industry and Its Environment The literature agrees that comprehension of the industry structure is essential to developing a firms strategy and has a greater effect on the firms performance than whether it is business-specific or corporate-parent. The comprehension of the structure requires analyses of the industrys life cycle. It also requires step-by-step political, legal, technological, social and economic analyses as well as the five driving forces of business, provided by Michael Porter. By utilizing these analysis techniques, it is also possible to anticipate changes in industry competition and profitability over time. 1.2.1 Industry Life Cycle Analysis There are different phases during the development of an industry. Every phases is characterized by a different environments which make competition assumes different the form. Through studying the life cycle, the industry realizes its stake in the market and its influence on consumers. The industry life cycle model includes four different phases: introduction, growth, maturity and decline. The first phase, called introduction, is characterized by a low demand, whereas prices are high as a consequence of firms inability to realize economies of scale. For this reason profits are low and losses are possible due to high amount of investments in new categories. Barriers to entry are primary based on technologies and competencies. Strategy is focused mainly on RD and production, with the goal of enhancing novelty and quality. Competitors, attracted by the rising demand, attempt to replicate the new product. In the second phase, growth, the use of the product is extended, demand grows, prices decline due to economies of scale, barriers to entry are lower and the threat of new entry is high. At this phase the technology is usually not exclusive property of one or more firms, and the primary reaction to competition is marketing expenditure and initiatives; profits are not very high because prices decline as competitors enter the market. There is a transition period, or shakeout, between the second and the third phases. The shakeout involves finding and using all investment opportunities, because the market is near saturation and demand grows more slowly. In the third phase, maturity, market growth is low or nonexistent, and the focus shifts to gaining market share; demand is represented only by the substitution of products, investment in RD decreases and there is little innovation. In this phase firms seek cost reductions, and competition is based primarily on advertising and quality because of the low differentiation between products. Big firms acquire smaller players, while others are forced to exit. As a conseguence of high barrier to entry, the threat of new entrants are low. The last phase is decline, so called because of the continued decline in demand. Industries arrive at this stage for a variety of reasons. These include a change in social behaviors, demographic changes, international competition, technological innovations and increased customer knowledge. The buying process is based primarily on price rather than innovation. As a result, profit and revenues decline, and the industry as a whole may be supplanted. 1.2.2 PEST Analysis The word PEST is an acronym of several aspects that influence business activities at any given moment. An industry operates under Political, Economic, Social and Technological conditions. These conditions are identify and analyzed using the PEST Analysis technique. Due to their independent influence on any industry, it is essential that each be considered individually. The political aspect of analysis encompasses various factors that influence business activities in a given country at several levels: national, subnational and supranational levels. These include trade policies control imports, exports and international business partners, government ownership of industry, attitude toward monopolies and competition and trade policies. Hence, failure to consider these policies may result in loss of revenue due to taxes or penalty fees. Government stability is also very important, because it eradicates the risks associated with wars and conflicts. For an industry to thrive, political stability must be uncompromised; otherwise, sales and business activities will be uncertain, and investors will lose interest. The internal political issues in any country influence the running of industries. Politics based on race or religion may define the course for certain industries, especially if an industry falls short of political expectations. Elections and changes in leadership also influence an industrys strengths and opportunities and thus should be considered during the analysis. In addition to internal issues, international pressures and influences may affect some industries, such as environmental degradation or product safety. Another factor is terrorism. Though uncommon in many countries, poor or unstable governance may attract terrorist activities, vengeful or otherwise, which can have adverse effects on the industries operating in that country. All these issues may influence industry and firm expansion and industry attractiveness from stakeholders point of view. The economic aspect of analysis includes many factors. The first factor to consider is the current economic situation and trends in the country in which the industry is based. Companies should note inflation and economic decline so that when it comes to investing, they can avoid being financially affected. Failure to do this results in an economically blind platform that may cause the industrys sudden collapse. Another factor to consider in analysis is taxation rates. When there are high taxation rates in a given country, price-based competition may affect a given industry in the international market. International economic trends are also very important, because they define currency exchange rates, imports and exports. Other factors to consider are consumer expenditure and disposable income and, finally, legal issues, including all trade legislation in a given country and other legal regulations that inhibit or encourage expansion of business activities. Also to be considered are co nsumer protection laws, employment laws, environmental protection laws and quality standardization regulations. Industrial laws regulating competition, market policies and guidelines also play an important role in influencing industrys stability and future expansion possibilities . When considering the social aspect, factors including demographic changes, shifts in values and culture and changes in lifestyle are important to note so as to strategize on expansion and growth . Certain factors, such as media and communities, influence an industrys growth and returns. Brand name and corporate image are also very important in influencing growth and returns since they shape customer loyalty and shareholder investment. The medias views on certain industrial products should be incorporated into the analysis, as should consumer attitudes and sensibility to green issues, that is, issues that affect the environment, energy consumption and waste and its disposal. A companys information systems and internal and external communications should also be analyzed to ensure that it keeps pace with its competitors. Other factors are the policies regulating education, health and distribution of income, all of which, in the long run, influence consumer use of products . The technological aspect of analysis encompasses a variety of factors. In addition to developing technologies, all associated technologies, along with their innovation potentials, speed of change and adoption of new technology, should be analyzed for a proper evaluation of the industry. Other technological factors are transportation, waste management and online business. The level of expenditure on RD should also be considered in order to secure the industrys competitive position to prevent losses and collapse . 1.2.3 Porters Five Competitive Forces Analysis Porters model, as described by Kay, is an evolution of the Structure-Conduct-Performance paradigm conceived by Edward Mason at Harvard University in the 1930s and detailed by Scherer in the 1980s. , The model aims to determine the intensity of industry competition, major issues in determining strategy and whether an industry is attractive or not. Porter identified five competitive forces that act on an industry and its environment: threat of entry, intensity of rivalry among existing competitors, threat of substitutes, bargaining power of buyers and bargaining power of suppliers. The first competitive force, threat of entry, refers to the threat of new entrants in an established industry or acquisition to gain market share. Reactions of participants and barriers to entry are the main factors used to establish whether the threat is high or low. Six major entry barriers have been identified: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ capital required to compete in the industry (especially in risky industry, such as advertising or RD) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ switching costs à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ access to distribution channels à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ economies of scale à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ cost disadvantages independent of scale, such as patents, access to know-how, access to limited resources, favorable locations, government subsidies or policies and learning or experience curves à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ product differentiation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ expected retaliation from existing firms against the new entrants Strong barriers to the entry of new firms enable a few firms to dominate the market and thereby influence prices. The second force is intensity of rivalry among existing competitors. Rivalry takes place when one or more firms inside an industry try to improve their position using tactics such as price competition, new product introduction or new services. Rivalry depends on several factors: number and size of competitors, industry growth, product characteristics (which determine whether the rivalry is based on price or differentiation), cost structure, exit barriers, diverse competitors, operative capacity and high strategic stakes. If an industry is inhibited, then firms will experience difficulties when trying to expand. The growth of foreign competition and the corporate stakes should also be included in the analysis. Threat of substitutes is the third forces. Substitutes are those products manufactured by other industries but serving the same purposes as the initial product. These substitute products cause the demand to decline. The implications are reduced profits and reduced market command by the original capital investor. This is of particular importance when the buyer has no switching costs and can easily compare products in terms of price and efficiency. Bargaining power of buyers is the fourth force. High bargaining power positions weak firms inside the industry, forcing price down, enhancing competition between industry players and resulting in bargaining for higher quality or services. This power is particularly high under certain conditions, such as few and specific buyers, undifferentiated products, low switching costs, the possibility of backward integration and information about demand and the availability of market price to the buyers. Furthermore, bargaining power is high if product quality is not a crucial factor of decision-making and if what the buyer is acquiring is a modest fraction of his total costs. Bargaining power is even higher when the buyer is a retailer or a wholesaler able to influence the consumers purchasing decision. The fifth and last force is the bargaining power of suppliers. This can act on the industry in several ways: raising prices, lowering quality or privileging some buyers. Supplier power can be divided into several elements. One of these elements is supplier concentration. Suppliers are in a stronger position when there are few suppliers, switching costs are high, the industry they are serving account for a small fraction of their business or their products are an important part of the buyers business. The bargaining power of suppliers is low or nonexistent when there are substitute products. Lastly, purchase volume and the suppliers influence on cost are very important. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã†â€™ 2. Pharmaceutical Industry Analysis A general overview of the pharmaceutical industry is the primary objective of this chapter. First, this chapther will define the industry in order to identify the main players in the pharmaceutical market. Second, using the instruments and models described in the first section, it will highlight the main characteristics of the industry and the factors that influence it. 2.1 Definition of Pharmaceutical Industry The pharmaceutical industry is composed of companies developing, manufacturing and marketing products licensed for use as medications. Their goal is to prevent, diagnose or treat diseases. A medicinal product, also called a pharmaceutical, according to the EU, is an exogenous substance or a combination of exogenous substances that can be organic or inorganic, natural or synthetic, and able, once inside the human or animal body, to modify physiological functions or to make a medical diagnosis through physical, chemical or physicochemical action. This industry is subdivided into two sub-industries characterized by different business models and players: prescription and OTC pharmaceuticals. Prescription pharmaceuticals, also referred to as Rx, are medicines that are available to the consumers for purchase in a pharmacy or drug store only with a prescription from a physician or administered only in hospitals. These medicines target specific diseases and, therefore, are prescribed for and used by one person only. OTC pharmaceuticals are instead used by more than one person which present the same symptoms in the same or in different time. These medicines are available to the consumer at every time and the consumer dont need any prescription from a physician for purchase. Furthermore, inside this industry there are two types of firms: Big Pharma and Biotech. These two types, despite being in the same business, vary in several ways: IP, drug methodology, expenditure and productivity of RD . The primary drug RD techniques used by Big Pharma firms are chemoinformatics and in silico screenings. Biotech firms are companies that use biotechnology in RD . Biotechnology, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, is the application of science and technology to living organisms, as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or nonliving materials for the production of knowledge, goods and services. Generally, Biotech firms tend to have a strong academic culture, are more risk treatment and spend less than half what Big Pharma spends on R&D; in 2004, Biotech firms spent $20 billion, versus $50 billion spent by Big Pharma. Generally, a Biotech product has multiple IP covering manufacture, formulation and stability, a s opposed to Big Pharma IP, which covers only the product, allowing generics to be produced quickly. While they may appear to have the same phenotype, their genotypes are distinct, so much so that they can be considered two industries, as stated by Arthur D. Levinson, Chairman and CEO of Genentech. Nevertheless, this distinction is not always clear, as many Biotech and Big Pharma firms are hybrids to varying degrees. The focus of this thesis are Big Pharma involved in the development of prescription pharmaceuticals to treat and prevent human diseases in the EU market. 2.2 Analysis of the Pharmaceutical Industry The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief overview of the pharmaceutical industry lifecycle and investigate the major force acting inside it . 2.2.1 Industry Lifecycle Analysis People over the years have always tried to discover diseases causes and to find remedies against it. The most complete medical test, the Ebers Papyrus, is dated 1550 BC and it was written by Egyptians . However, the industrial production of drugs dates back to the year 1827 when Heinrich E Merck in Germany founded the first company for the production of cocaine and morphine . This event started the introduction phase of the pharmaceutical industry in Europe. In Europe, this industry was born in different way, reflecting the different strategic groups inside it. In the German-speaking countries, pharmaceutical companies were born as a branch of the chemical industry, with firms like Bayer and Hoechst in 1863, BASF in 1865 and Schering in 1871 in Germany, and CIBA in 1884 and Sandoz in 1886. Only Hoffman-La Roche in 1894 in Switzerland was originally a drug firm. On the other hand, in Italy, France and the UK companies were born from small shop pharmacies, such as Glaxo which traces it s origins to a pharmacy in Plough Court in 1715 . During the 1800s many compounds were already being isolated, but none was being synthetically produced. The first synthetic drug was Phenacetin, produced by Bayer and commercialized in 1888 . Ten years later Bayer commercialized Aspirin, which marked a milestone in the pharmaceutical industry. Many firms rose to prominence in the 1920s-30s with these kinds of pharmaceuticals, but also with a new class of pharmaceuticals: vaccines and serums . During the Second World War II the demand for drugs increased and mass production started, primarily with drugs such as antibiotics (penicillin, streptomycin and neomycin) and sulphonamide . The availability of these drugs dramatically changed the quality and the average life-span of people. In this period the German pharmaceutical industry, a leader along with the Swiss in pre-war times, was taken over by American firms who came to Europe to taking advantage of the condition of the continent after the war. The period 1950-60 was the start of the industrys growth phase , and this saw a proliferation of new drugs and high return to drug discovery. New drugs included tranquilizers such as MAO inhibitors in 1952, anti-tuberculosis drugs such as Isoniazid in 1952 and oral contraceptives in 1956. Other discoveries included Librium in 1960 and Valium in 1960. The latter was sold from 1963 and later became one of the most prescribed medicines in history before controversy emerged over its link to habituation and dependency. In the 1950s, legislation was put in place to regulate the industry, mainly touching on labelling and approval by health authorities as well as drawing distinctions between non-prescription and prescription medicines. In this apparently unstoppable process of pharmaceutical progression and optimism the industry was stalled by a drama concerning one drug sold in Europe and Japan, Thalidomide. This drug, synthesized in Germany in 1954, was introduced to the market to treat the symptoms of morning sickness and nausea in pregnant women. Between 1954 and 1960, it caused around 5,000 and 10,000 severe deformities in infants. In fact, the drug had not been sufficiently tested on animals to assess its safety, and after this revelation, in an attempt to better regulate the industry, drug oversight authorities were established to exercise control over the industry. The World Medical Association met in Finland and issued the Declaration of Helsinki, setting the standards for clinical research. Among other things, the declaration stated that pharmaceutical companies must prove the efficacy of a new drug in clinical trials before releasing it to the market, and subjects must consent to experiments done to test the efficacy of drugs in clinical studies. The industry remained small up to the late 1970s . Two events characterized the 1970s. First, chemical production for raw materials and early intermediates shifted out of Europe to low cost destinations such as India and China which later began producing active pharmaceutical ingredients and finally non-patented pharmaceuticals . Second, there was the birth of biotechnology. This new science had its roots many years before with the discovery of the double helix in 1953 by Watson and Crick, which followed the advances in molecular genetics, recombinant DNA technology, and molecular biology. Until then, drugs in commerce were produced by extraction from natural substances or chemical synthesis. These new techniques of molecular biology marked the birth of a new industry which became a competitor to and a substitute of the pharmaceutical industry. This new industry was pioneered by firms like Genentech and Amgen which introduced revolutionary drugs such as Epogen and recombinant human i nsulin. In the 1980s, legislation was passed in most European countries requiring adherence to strong patents for both the pharmaceutical products and their production processes. There were also new regulations such as the introduction of the Good Clinical Practices, which were guidelines regulating ethics and the reliability of clinical studies. In Europe, several states also initiated health maintenance organizations and managed care in an effort to limit rising medical costs, and a preference for preventive rather that curative medication took root. As the industry entered the 1990s, new discoveries and projects, such as the Human Genome Project 1990, changed the business environment. Also, there was a huge wave of MA to build on synergies. This included Ciba-Geigy and Sandoz forming Novartis, Hoechst and Roussel-Rhone Poulenc-Rorer forming Aventis and Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline forming GlaxoSmithKline. In this way, the manufacturing of pharmaceuticals came to be concentrated in Western Europe and North America, with dominant firms and a few small companies that produced drugs in each country. The major European companies are still the dominant players not only in Europe but also in the global market. They include Novartis of Switzerland, Bayer of Germany, GlaxoSmithKline of the UK, Hoffman-la Roche of Switzerland and AstraZeneca of UK/Sweden. As the European pharmaceutical industry entered the 21st century, signs of the growth phase have become even more evident. This has been characterized by intense marketing to physicians and internet commerce. This, in part, has been facilitated by the liberalization of marketing rules requiring presentation of risks as well as the advertising message. Internet has enabled the direct purchase of raw materials by the manufacturers. The development of drugs has moved from the hit-and-miss approach to research and informed discovery. Alternative medicines and lifestyle medicines have presented new challenges and opportunities and have raised the level of competition in the industry. The aging population in western European economies has increased opportunities for raising revenues. In fact, because of the ageing population in the developed economies, drug consumption will increase since the aged have a higher frequency of contracting diseases than younger people. New epidemics, such as t he recent H1N1 flu outbreak, continue to batter the world population, and increased globalization makes them spread more quickly than ever. As the industry advances through the growth phase, companies are undertaking research and development initiatives both to develop new drugs and improve production processes. Further, the increased role of state-supported medical schemes across Europe, as well as other state-managed health programs around the world will greatly increase the reach of healthcare, extending it to more of the middle class and the poor who constitute the larger part of the population in most countries. As the medical programs continue to gain efficacy, the sales of pharmaceutical firms are expected to grow. In addition,, the emerging economies like Brazil, Russia, India, China, Turkey, Mexico, and South Korea will add to potential consumer numbers in the industry for European manufacturers. Together, these countries constitute a huge percentuage of the worlds population, meaning that their entry into the high income category will no doubt present an enormous potential market for pharmaceutical products. In fact, the growth in these markets is expected to reach 14-17% by 2014, compared with only 3-6% growth in the developed markets. Thanks to agreements signed by the Asia-Pacific and Europe governments concerning liberalization of the Asia-Pacific pharmaceuticals and investments market, many companies have already started to establish relationships with emerging markets. An example is GlaxoSmithKline, who partnered in 2009 with Indias Dr. Reddy Laboratories. GlaxoSmithKline will distribute the drugs manufactured and supplied by Dr. Reddy in Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America. Even with these last considerations, the European pharmaceutical industry has only a limited chance of entering the maturity phase of the cycle. The barriers to entry are so great that they choke any new entrant in almost every facet of operation: in research and development, in product distribution, and in compliance with rules and regulations. In fact, this industry has complex manufacturing capabilities which are hard to replicate, and are protected by way of patent, as well as huge consumer attachment to preferred brands from specific companies, often informed by experience. Furthermore Europe generic penetration is very low (less than 10% in total). Thus the industry might remain in the growth phase for a considerable time.

Gun Control Controls Nothing Essay examples -- ban on assault rifles

More and more frequently, we are saddened by the news of mass shootings. Whether it takes place in a school or public area, these shootings are both disastrous and mortifying. Families begin to feel anger and sadness, and demand immediate justice. Although these terrible events continue to happen, there have been no significant steps taken towards the reduction in the number of weapons; specifically assault rifles. This leads one to question do we need to ban the right to possess such weapons? If the possession of these weapons is not made illegal, we run the risk of another attack. While there is no questioning the severity of these mass shootings, a ban on assault rifles is not the answer because they are not the cause of such events, and it is a constitutional right to own them. In 1994, Congress passed the Federal Assault Weapons Ban which eliminated the manufacturing of certain assault rifles for private use (Plumer). This bill expired in 2004, though, and was never redrafted. Many mass shootings in the last few years, especially ones at Virginia Tech, a movie theater in Colorado, and Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut have stirred up pressure to pass a new bill. Following the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut last December, California Senator, Dianne Feinstein, drafted a bill to potentially ban the sale, transfer, manufacturing, and importation of assault rifles. This bill includes a ban on semiautomatic rifles, pistols, shotguns, and handguns. Additionally, it bans 157 other specifically-named firearms and certain ammunition feeding devices (Feinstein). Excluded from this ban are registered weapons at the date of the bill’s enactment and assault weapons used by military, law enforc... ...n-one-post/>. Pratt, Erich. "Background Checks Would Not Have Stopped Sandy Hook Shooter." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 18 Jan. 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. . Rosenberg, Jennifer. "Prohibition." 20th Century History. About.com, 2013. Web. 03 Dec. 2013. . "Sandy Hook Elementary Shooting: What Happened?" CNN. Cable News Network, 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. . "The Numbers Count: Mental Disorders in America." National Institute of Mental Health, 2013. Web. 02 Dec. 2013. .

Forgiveness in Personal life

Forgiveness is a superior moral trait and has great reward for the one who forgives. Forgiveness is one of the moral traits recommended in the Quran: Hold to forgiveness, command what is right, and turn away from the ignorant. (Qur'an, 7: 199). In another verse Allah commands: â€Å"They should rather pardon and overlook. Would you not love Allah to forgive you? Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful. † (Qur'an, 24:22) Those who do not abide by the moral values God has commanded find it very difficult to forgive others. Because, they are easily angered by any error committed. God knows that forgiveness is not a very easy thing to do and sometimes it is very hard, that is why HE has declared it as a very superior deed. â€Å"The repayment of a bad action is one equivalent to it. But if someone pardons and puts things right, his reward is with Allah† (Qur'an, 42:40). Even though many people may say they have forgiven someone who has offended them, it nevertheless takes a long time to free themselves of the hatred and anger in their hearts. Their behavior tends to betray that anger and it destroys relationships. I believe if forgiveness isn’t granted from heart in good faith, its not complete forgiveness. Words are worthless if actions don’t follow. Forgiveness in Workplace: At the organization level forgiveness is associated with higher morale and satisfaction, greater social capital, trust, and caring relationships. Forgiveness does not require abandoning anger or resentment, nor does it require pardoning or dismissing the offense. It involves acknowledging and reframing negative feelings and attitudes. Forgiving organizations experience more trusting alliances, productivity, quality, customer care, and a sense of calling among employees. Forgiveness is active not passive. It involves not only the cancellation of negative emotions and attitudes, but also the development of positive emotions and attitudes. Forgiveness is not very common in corporate world. If an employee commits a mistake, it’s not taken as mistake keeping in view of history of employee’s performance; rather employee is being fired or demoted depending on the severity of mistake. I believe the reason of non-tolerance of the mistakes nd lack of forgiveness culture in organizations is the flow of the talent that is available in the market. Organizations that are short sighted and do not consider their employees as their human capital, doesn’t promote forgiveness in the workplace. Such organizations face huge employee performance issues due to lack of employee morale and employee retention issues as employees always stay insecure about their jobs. When managers and leaders in an organization fail to forgive employees, there is a lack of personal and team productivity that leads to aggressive behavior of employees. An organizational culture that does not promote forgiveness will be engaged in negative and destructive politics which will eventually decrease the organization’s effectiveness. Each of us can help create a greater sense of forgiveness in the culture of our organizations by (1) honestly evaluating ourselves and (2) seeking forgiveness for our mistakes. Based on my personal experience, there are two examples in one case where forgiveness was granted and the other where it wasn’t. First example involves one of the recruiter in our department, who took an initiative and prepared a report that included an analysis of different resource pools & sites the company was using, the success level of each sourcing pool and how many employees were hired from that source. She sent the report to head of the HR department. HR head received her report well, but her manager was angry about her apparent lack of respect and disregard for the chain of command. Their working relationship became strained in the weeks that followed. The second involved myself, at one of my startup jobs, I was responsible for recruiting and on boarding. My job responsibilities included recruiting, sending offer letter, informing IT about the employee date so that the new hire computer is ready on the start date. One time I forgot to notify the IT department about the start date. The first day of the new hire, who was a director level candidate, office wasn’t ready. He had to wait for an hour before IT had to set up everything on the short notice and urgent basis. Although my manager was very angry, but he supported me and was able to see past my mistake, considered my performance to date, and recognized my potential of the person. Although I was held accountable but my manager did not hold the incident against me. In fact, manager suggested that I devise a solution to the problem so that such an occurrence would not happen again. I documented the whole onboarding procedure with all the steps that ensured the all steps are followed properly in the future.

Carson Manor Essay

Three consulting groups had responded to a RFP Has to recommend a consultant by mid-December Carson Manor Was opened about 30 years ago for persons requiring nursing care. It has a bed capacity of 470 and staff totaled 235 with nonmanagement personnel unionized. The report structure: Purchasing and supply division (PSD) The PSD and its director had purchasing and disposal authority for the city’s engineering, fire, social services and so on. The main objective of the PSD was to respond to the needs of other departments and divisions for goods and services at minimum cost, consistent with desired quality, delivery timing and reliability. The Carson Manor study The Carson Manor had a history of problems related to budgeting and cost control City council felt the cost per bed higher than privately run institutions. The report for submission to the Carson Manor Committee of Man- agement in early June : Carson Manor costs were approximately 14% higher than state averages on a per-bed basis. It is difficult to measure and control costs in the absence of a patient classification system. It recommended an operational review by an outside agency and outlined some general guidelines and objectives. Council accepted the report’s recommendations and initiates an independent consultant’s study of Carson Manor. Three proposals: Patientcare Ltd. large operators of nursing homes $35000 Clarke-Hamilton Ltd. management consulting firm located 100 miles away. $47000 Standardcare Ltd. large operators of nursing homes $77000 BASIC ISSUES: Need Criteria in the Value Proposition Categories of Needs Repetitive or Non-repetitive Requirements Methods of Description Standardization & Simplification Risk management Tasks What does Elaine do? Questions for discussion: How does a supply professional know that a certain requirement is strategic? Actions: Results: Priorities: Satisfied the core need of Carson Manor Service quality Avoid supply interruption Reduce the cost Maintain the reputation Best Conclusion I recommend selecting the Standardcare’s proposal because its three characters, manage Henford Lodge 150-bed restorative care program, operational review of Martin Nursing Home and owns or manages 2,400 nursing home bed and units in this state and Florida, satisfied the core need of Carson Manor. And $1.1 million can be saved by selecting the Standardcare’s proposal. And Standardcare is a large operator of nursing homes but not too far away from Carson Manor.

Religion and Film

Religion and Film For a long time, studies linking religion and films have focused on describing the fidelity of films to religious texts, or their worth as tools in religious ministries and missions. In reality, films have been used to either portray religion as it was in the past, is currently or is expected to be in the future. Additionally, religious entities have used films to further their belief while some entities use films to criticize religion. Either way, the link is undeniable.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Religion and Film specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In Ostwalt (1998), the author notes how watching the Seventh seal opened him to the idea of suing films as an extension in teaching religion. This basically affirms the existence of a factual link between religion and films worth using in expounding on religious issues to learners. The author highlights a number of benefits in using films can be used in teaching religion within classroom settings. These include student empowerment, instructiveness and motivation. He further notes that there quite a significant number of films which treat religion in a manner which elicits debate and as such open an avenue for evaluation of religion in depth (Ostwalt, 1998). For instance, he cites the Last Temptation of Christ, Jesus of Montreal, as well as the Scarlet Letter, among others (Ostwalt, 1998). Even then, there is no love lost between films and religion; some implicitly advance the role of religion in social well-being. It’s not only Ostwalt who acknowledges the link between religion and films, Lindvall (2004) provides a more detailed coverage of the relationship between religion and films. In the research, Lindvall, a lecturer at Duke Divinity School highlights how religion has been treated in films and vice-versa. From the satirical portrayals of the biblical stories in films, the use of films to represent contemporary religions, the re presentation of Roman Catholics and the Legion of Decency in films, as well as use of films to criticize some religious practices considered oppressive in the ancient and modern times (Lindvall, 2004). In the article, the author notes how film scholars have come to terms with the importance of religion in engineering the religious landscape that dots films. The author sites the films that take viewers through the past century exhibitions and the role that religion played in the same. Religious extremism, religious sadists, and use of religion as tool for power are among the most commonly highlighted themes in the films. The author further highlights the undeniable and predominant perception of religion in films from a negative and hostile point of view (Lindvall, 2004). It is noted that religion as a subject has received harsh treatment in various films which at times fail to portrayal religion as it rather opting to create a dinosaur out of cat just to meet its entertainment thresh olds.Advertising Looking for book review on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The hard reality though, is the fact that they ultimately elicit lots of discussion with respect to its portrayal of religion. It is the aftermath of such movies, he cites, that has seen some religions like Islam throwing in strong sentiments at any movie that attempts to puts spots to its credibility (Lindvall, 2004). However, Christian and contemporary religions have remained open to thrashing, ridicule and in some cases furtherance within a number of films. In conclusion, it’s important to note that both authors converge to one point, various films are intertwined to religion and impact on the fundamentals of the religion they address. The role of religion in film creation and the role of films in religion are worth studying in addition to providing an avenue for debates and discussion of religion. As Ostwalt (19 98) puts, films elicit hot debates that help students and the general public delve deeper into understanding religion. References Lindvall, T. (2004). Religion and Film. Part I: History and Criticism. Communication Research Trends, 23 (4-7), pp. 2-44. Ostwalt, C. (1998). Religion and Popular Movies. Journal of Religion and Film, 2(3)

Maritime Issues Essay Example

Maritime Issues Essay Example Maritime Issues Essay Maritime Issues Essay Chapter I Introduction Background of the study Being a seafarer was one of the most common dreams of every kid. Because all they know is that it is a career where you can see the world for free, and also a job where you can have lots of girls and money. Some considered it as their escape route to poverty into being rich. Some wanted to become a seafarer because of the temptation of having so many girls. Some just wanted to help their family to become stable in life. And some just wanted to gain a capital to make their long-term business on land. Its true! When you became a seafarer you can have all these privileges and benefits in life- BUT as what they say, â€Å"It’s not all fun and games. † Being a seafarer you need to take heavy responsibilities and obligations too. In this study we would like the readers to see the other side of being a seafarer. Because walking the path of a seafarer is no easy job. We would like the readers to understand the dangers involved in being a seafarer. To be an eye opener for others who thinks this is not a serious job. So that they could be prepared both mentally and physically before choosing to go ahead with this career. Because as we all now ninety nine percent (99%) on accidents onboard happens because of human error. It is due to their lack of knowledge what they go into. And what are the possible risk involve. We would like to change the perspective of many people about the seafarers who they think is all about money girls and travelling. We would like to inform them about the dangers, risk, responsibilities and obligation of being a seafarer. Objectives of the study The study has for its objectives the following: 1. To know what the common dangers that faces Filipino seafarers today; and 2. To gain knowledge on how seafarers deal to void or prevent those dangers at sea. Statement of the Problem The study seeks answers to the following questions: 1. What are the dangers involved in being a seafarer? 2. How can dangers be minimized if not stopped? 3. What are the safety precautions needed? 4. Is there a chance to have a mental affect to the seafarers? Hypotheses The following hypotheses are formulated for clearer understanding of the problems. 1. There are no dangers involved in being a seafarer. 2. Nothing has to be minimized because there are no dangers involved. 3. There are no safety precautions needed because there are no dangers involved. 4. There is NO chance to have an effect. Significance of the Study The findings of the study will be useful to the following: To the Palawan Polytechnic College Inc. administrator and staff, this study will help them enhance the productivity of a capable seafarer. To the BSMT/BSMARe instructors, this will provide additional information on how the students should be handled and be guided to become a successful seafarer. To the level three maritime students, this study will enhance their understanding about the dangers, risk, obligations and responsibilities involved in being a successful seafarer. To the readers, who wanted to take the path of becoming a seafarer in the future to have an idea about being a seafarer. And to change their perspectivethat it’s all about money. To the future researchers, the study will serve as a valuable reference to research along this line. Scope and Limitations The study analyzed the time management practices of the level three maritime students of Palawan Polytechnic College Inc, enrolled during the school year 2012-2013. The respondents were ____ maritime instructors and ____ regular third year maritime students. The study was conducted on ________ at the Palawan Polytechnic College Inc. where the instructors are currently teaching and the level three maritime students are presently enrolled.

Great College Graduation Party Ideas by Lauren Gartner

Great College Graduation Party Ideas Great College Graduation Party Ideas When it comes to any great party, there are three things to keep in mind. Every party must be held in a great location, the decoration must be fun and festive, and the food and drinks mu st be wonderful. After all, if you are throwing a graduation party for a friend or family member, don’t you want everything to be perfect for them and the party guests? Throwing a party can be stressful and a lot of work. If you have an upcoming graduation party, keep reading. The next few paragraphs are full of college graduation party ideas that you can use to make your party an absolute hit. Consider Using College Theme Party Ideas One way to make any type of party planning easier is to base the entire party around a theme. Doing this will help you focus on the theme when you are tasked with making decisions. It can also make shopping of party supplies easier as your local party store likely has items representing specific themes displayed together. Here are some examples of college party themes: Graduation BBQ – Since graduations are often held in the late spring and early summer, this is a great option. Cook hot dogs and burgers on the grill. Serve with buns, condiments, and sides of baked beans, fruit salad, and potato salad. Offer strawberry shortcake for desert. Make sure guests are kept hydrated with plenty of water and lemonade. Beer and rum punch are always great options for the adults. Decorate card tables and picnic tables with traditional checked table cloths and mismatched plates and silverware. Have games available for guests such as horse shoes, badminton, and bean bags. Graduation Open House – People throwing graduation parties often worry about accommodating large crowds of people all at once. The solution to this is to have an open house. Set snacks and drinks up in stations, and allow guests to come in and mingle with one another and the guest of honor. Be sure to provide a guestbook that folks can use to sign and offer the good wishes to the recent graduate. Graduation Luau – This is another great outdoor party idea. Stake tiki torches in the back yard and string leis as garland. Serve guests chicken and pineapple skewers, or an even more traditional roasted pork sandwiches. Play luau music for to really set the mood. Coconut cake makes a great desert for a graduation luau. Fruity cocktails are perfect for the adults. Just replace the booze with sparkling water for guests who don’t drink. Finding the Perfect Graduation Party Location If the weather is going to be nice, and you have enough room, a backyard is the perfect place for a graduation party. If you prefer to keep things indoors, a roomy rec room or an open living room are good choices. If neither of these is an option, you’ll have to find a suitable location that can accommodate your guests, serving tables, chairs, chafing dishes, etc.. You may look into renting pavilions at local parks, private banquet rooms at local restaurants, church basements, or a local VFW or Eagle’s lodge.

Phase 2 Individual Project_Criminal Investigation Essay

Phase 2 Individual Project_Criminal Investigation - Essay Example An example of a case outlining the exclusionary evidence rule is the Weeks vs. United States (Signorelli, 2010). From the case, the United States Supreme court ruled that it is a breach of the Fourth Amendment of the American constitution when a law enforcement agent seizes the property of a suspect without a warrant. The statute prohibits local law enforcement agencies from collecting evidence by unlawful means. Wetterer (1998) identifies the following as exceptions to the exclusionary rule, The doctrine of good faith observes that the evidence in question is admissible in a trial court if a law enforcement agency under a good faith took action believing that it was not a violation of the Fourth Amendment. In explaining the application of this law, Leon vs. United States of America.1984 challenges the admissibility of evidence obtained through an illegal search by law enforcement agencies (Persico, 1997). From the case, law enforcement officers in California got information about the activities of Patsy Stewart and Armando Sanchez. After investigation and surveillance, police officers identified Ricardo Castillo and Alberto Leon as accomplices in drug trafficking, and a detective sought a search warrant from a judge (Persico, 1997). The warrant in question was illegal since the police could not prove a probable cause for the warrant. However, the evidence was admissible because the police action was on the belief that they followed the law. The inevitable discovery doctrine is grounded on the belief that the evidence in question was likely to be discovered by legal means. A statute explaining this exception is the Nix vs. Williams’s case (Signorelli, 2010). In the case, the defendant killed a young girl in the state of Iowa. The defendant surrendered to law enforcement officers, and on his own plea, he was arraigned in court. The officers searched for the victim’s body, and because of heavy snow,

Laura Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Laura - Essay Example Fast moving items are being recorded in the store managers’ hand-held computer in order to relay the message to the head office and its central design team. When it comes to production, Laura chose to print roughly 40% of its own fabric and produces 80% of its finished products. This production strategy allows Laura to be more flexible in responding to the sudden changes in fashion trend. Having an efficient logistics and Laura’s commitment to produce unique and fashionable clothing preferred by its target consumers throughout UK and Europe within a short span of 15 days makes the company able to keep up with the fast changing fashion trends. By continuously expanding its market distribution via increasing the number of its store outlets, telephone / mail order operation, and investing on online catalogue and ordering system including its practice of changing the store clothing designs every 4 weeks makes the annual sales increase over the The strength of Laura’s production system includes its ability to determine the trend of in-fashion clothing and its immediate response to the customers’ needs and wants by investing on a low cost in-house garment production that is responsible in printing its own fabrics, cutting, and sewing of garments just-in-time for delivery. The benefit of such production strategy is that it allows Laura to immediately respond to the customers’ constantly changing preferred fashion style within a short span of 15 days. The problem with this type of production strategy is the fact that its competitors are saving more money from outsourcing the production of garments in third world countries by bulk. In line with a much lower cost of production, Laura’s competitors are able to sell their product line at a much lower price. For this reason, Laura is not able to penetrate the lower end of the markets that are

Employment Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Employment Relations - Essay Example In that context, New Zealand’s Accident Compensation Act 1972, and the subsequent 1973 amendment to this Act framed the scope and ramifications of the country’s accident compensation policy. The 1972 Accident Compensation Act covered both the motor vehicle injuries and also non-work and work injuries. The 1972 Accident Compensation Scheme tended to affiliate to a salubrious array of rationales like pursuing a no-fault approach towards accident compensation and eliminating the time consuming and wasteful dependence on legal ways in the area of accident compensation, to extend multiple benefits to accident victims that included medical expenses, rehabilitation associated costs, payments related to permanent loss, earnings associated compensations, etc (Palmer, 1994). Background Prior to the envisaging of the 1972 Accident Compensation Scheme, New Zealand had a compensation system that was akin to what existed in the rest of the world. However, the nation soon realized tha t the tort based compensation policies were replete with varied undesirable consequences and results. Eventually, it was the Royal Commission on Worker’s compensation that proposed sweeping changes in the accident compensation policies in 1966 (Foley, 2008). The recommendations made by the Woodhouse commission recognized varied general principles related to compensation like enhancing the administrative efficiency in the area of accident compensation, bringing in community onus and responsibility in the arena of accident compensation, making the concept of accident compensation to be broad based to include varied costs like rehabilitation, pay losses and lump sum payments and ameliorating the disadvantages and efficiencies associated with tort based accident compensation (Foley, 2008). The essential crux of these recommendations was to associate accident compensation from Tort claims and to make way for the compensation of injuries irrespective of the related fault, including the fault of the person who gets injured. Rational Behind 1972 Accident Compensation Scheme It goes without saying that the 1972 Accident Compensation Scheme was a trend setter in the sense that it was perhaps one of the first few compensation policies in the world to take into cognizance a series of rationales associated with accident compensation and tried to do away with the flaws incumbent on the previously existing policies and systems (Malcolm & Barnett, 2007). The 1972 Accident Compensation Scheme took into consideration the human, social and financial ramifications of the compensation related claims and made way for covering the injuries irrespective of who so ever happened to be at fault (Malcolm & Barnett, 2007). This policy to a large extent did away with the need for engaging in costly, time consuming and unsatisfactory processes aimed at seeking compensation through courts. This scheme also tried to mitigate the emotional and physical trauma associated with injuries by allowing for the prompt and timely rehabilitation and treatment of accident related injuries (Dewees, Duff & Trebilcock, 1996). The 1972 Accident Compensation Scheme also diluted the financial losses and pain inflicted on the impacted individuals by allowing for

Brand Benefit Ladder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 112

Brand Benefit Ladder - Essay Example At the apex lies the essence of the brand, which is also an implication of the emotional benefit. The focus keeps increasing in concentration as ladder rises. Ascending the ladder reduces the focus on the lower attachments such as the attributes associated with the brand while increasing the function of the brand in the lives of consumers. Unearthing why the mother of a football player drives an SUV instead of a simple mini-van clearly illustrates the flow of the ladder. At first, an analyst considers the attribute of the product (car) for instance, SUV’s do not have doors that slide. It means that an SUV is stylish because of the attribute, therefore; it constitutes a functional consequence of the absence of sliding doors. When the Mom feels trendy while driving, it amounts to the emotional or psychosocial consequence of owning a car with a stylish design. In the end, the bottom-line is the personal value where people, as well as the owner, accept the act of feeling fashionab le. Marketing experts define a brand as a set of memories, expectations, relationships, and stories that, taken together, explain a decision by a consumer to select one service or product over another. A brand differentiates services, products, as well as organizations (Barsalou 640). Milward Brown developed the most common type of Brand Pyramid towards the end of the twentieth century. The pyramid identifies five important stages traversed by a consumer when analyzing a brand. The process starts with primary awareness and ends with total loyalty. Business organizations can apply the Brand Pyramid when in the process of designing a marketing strategy. The strategy could be for a product, a brand, or a service. Comprehending the five steps traveled by the consumer forms the best foundation for designing the marketing strategies. The steps are essential as they help the consumer build loyalty on a particular product or brand.

Huntsman Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Huntsman Corporation - Research Paper Example Approximately the company has 12,000 employees and has operating offices in different countries worldwide. In 2012 the company generated revenue of more than US $11 billion. 43 percent of the revenue came from the production and sale of polyurethanes, 27 percent from performance products, 12 percent from pigments, 11 percent from advanced materials and 7 percent from textile effect (Huntsman, 2012). The current make-up of their business divisions has allowed the company to exceed the adjusted EBITDA of 2011 by 15 percent and make a fresh record of US $1.4 billion in 2012. Total sales volume increased by 7 percent in 2012 compared to the previous year 2011. The company has also made dramatic expansions in other continents, such as, Brazil, Asia and the Middle East physically by building operating bases and virtually reached almost every corner of the world in this era of virtual trading. The chemical industry and competitors in the industry The year 2010 was a good year in the chemica l industry when the amount of chemical output increased in the US and Europe by 5 percent and 10 percent respectively. However, growth in this industry has slowed down since then. According to estimates for the year 2013, the industry performance is projected to be sluggish. Estimated production rate of chemical in 2013 is not very favorable. Chemical production in the US in this year is projected to grow at a modest rate of 1.9 percent. Although it is higher than the average of 1.5 percent of 2012, this growth rate is considered insufficient and slow-moving by the American Chemistry Council (C&EN, 2013). Reports by The European Chemical Industry Council have predicted that chemical production in Europe will increase by 0.5 percent in the current year 2013 from last year, a figure that might be considered anemic. Looking at the demand side, the condition is still better but very exciting. In 2013, total demand for chemicals by the emerging countries in the developing world would sho w a rise. However, it would not be â€Å"enough to spark significant activity in the West† (C&EN, 2013). According to reports, chemical manufacturers in the US are expecting to face low price of natural gas as well as of raw materials for the production of chemicals in the year 2013, which would provide increased provisions for their manufacturing process. Financial instability of Europe plays a significant role in the performance of the industry and is putting â€Å"a long shadow over the chemical enterprise† (C&EN, 2013). With these uncertainties, the activities in the industry and its performance are no more predictable in the future. Huntsman Corporation is located at Houston in Texas and has a proven track record of successful performance and stalking profit levels in the international market place of the chemical industry. The international company operates its business locally through the subsidiaries established in different parts of the world. Being at the top most layers in the industry, Huntsman Corporation faces steep competition from a number of companies that have a good market share in the industry. The companies recognizable globally in this industry are Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, BASF, INEOS Group, LyondellBasell, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Roche. The top three competitors of Huntsman Corporat

Changes by Tupac Shakur Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Changes by Tupac Shakur - Essay Example Grossman and DeGaetano in their book "Stop Teaching Our Kids to Kill: A Call to Action Against TV Movie and Video Game Violence" (1999) pursue this idea even further, as they prove that media not only conditions children and young adults to violent behavior, but also teaches them the "mechanics of killing". The adherents of this theory consider rap music to be one of the greatest threats for the soles and minds of young Americans. Jay Nordlinger in his article "'Bang': Guns, rap, and silence - violence in rap music" published in National Review (April 2001) claims that "gangsta" rappers glory in guns and gun violence in song after song after song." He, along with the other social activists tries to persuade the society that gun violence promulgated in the lyrics and videos of some rap singers is one of the main reasons for the children to bring guns to school and shoot their teachers and classmates. But it's obvious that rap music videos solely are incapable of creating this effect. Social conditions such as poverty, racial discrimination, substance abuse, inadequate schools, joblessness, and family conflict and dissolution contribute to an environment that fosters violence not just rap music videos. Some journalists and psychologists prove that rap videos are just one of the ways of "selling" rap culture. It's true, that for many of the rap singers their music is just the way to earn money and popularity, thus they fill their songs with the content that sells successfully. Unfortunately, there is always a demand for violence on our market. Before blaming rap music and videos for encouraging children and teenagers to commit violent acts, we should try to find out why is this music so popular among them. Why American teens and young adults, at list part of them, want to listen and watch songs, clips, and movies where people abuse, rape and kill each other Maybe something is wrong with our educational system, as it's unable to persuade the youth in the futility and danger of violence, to teach them that their goals can be achieved using other methods Or the problem lies within the society that cannot offer some of its young inexperienced members other sphere for actualizing their potential than that of crime and violence Typac Shakur, who's one of the most prominent rap singers, of our time made a great impact on part of our contemporaries. His texts expressed the opinions for all of those, who were underprivileged because of their race and financial state. This singer had himself grown up in a poor Afro-American family, thus he knew about the realities that were present in his songs. Lots of people say that Typac, together with other rap singers often overcharged the difficulties and severities the Afro-American poor have to experience, but, nevertheless, his songs became tremendously popular. A question arises here which's would his creativity have been so popular if he were lying in his songs Tupac's song Changes is one of his attempts to let the world see what is going on in the blocks were the poor Afro-Americans dwell. Most of us don't believe it until we see it by ourselves, as our

Huntsman Corporation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Huntsman Corporation - Research Paper Example Approximately the company has 12,000 employees and has operating offices in different countries worldwide. In 2012 the company generated revenue of more than US $11 billion. 43 percent of the revenue came from the production and sale of polyurethanes, 27 percent from performance products, 12 percent from pigments, 11 percent from advanced materials and 7 percent from textile effect (Huntsman, 2012). The current make-up of their business divisions has allowed the company to exceed the adjusted EBITDA of 2011 by 15 percent and make a fresh record of US $1.4 billion in 2012. Total sales volume increased by 7 percent in 2012 compared to the previous year 2011. The company has also made dramatic expansions in other continents, such as, Brazil, Asia and the Middle East physically by building operating bases and virtually reached almost every corner of the world in this era of virtual trading. The chemical industry and competitors in the industry The year 2010 was a good year in the chemica l industry when the amount of chemical output increased in the US and Europe by 5 percent and 10 percent respectively. However, growth in this industry has slowed down since then. According to estimates for the year 2013, the industry performance is projected to be sluggish. Estimated production rate of chemical in 2013 is not very favorable. Chemical production in the US in this year is projected to grow at a modest rate of 1.9 percent. Although it is higher than the average of 1.5 percent of 2012, this growth rate is considered insufficient and slow-moving by the American Chemistry Council (C&EN, 2013). Reports by The European Chemical Industry Council have predicted that chemical production in Europe will increase by 0.5 percent in the current year 2013 from last year, a figure that might be considered anemic. Looking at the demand side, the condition is still better but very exciting. In 2013, total demand for chemicals by the emerging countries in the developing world would sho w a rise. However, it would not be â€Å"enough to spark significant activity in the West† (C&EN, 2013). According to reports, chemical manufacturers in the US are expecting to face low price of natural gas as well as of raw materials for the production of chemicals in the year 2013, which would provide increased provisions for their manufacturing process. Financial instability of Europe plays a significant role in the performance of the industry and is putting â€Å"a long shadow over the chemical enterprise† (C&EN, 2013). With these uncertainties, the activities in the industry and its performance are no more predictable in the future. Huntsman Corporation is located at Houston in Texas and has a proven track record of successful performance and stalking profit levels in the international market place of the chemical industry. The international company operates its business locally through the subsidiaries established in different parts of the world. Being at the top most layers in the industry, Huntsman Corporation faces steep competition from a number of companies that have a good market share in the industry. The companies recognizable globally in this industry are Dow Chemical Company, DuPont, BASF, INEOS Group, LyondellBasell, Mitsubishi Chemical, and Roche. The top three competitors of Huntsman Corporat

Four Seasons Hotels Essay Example for Free

Four Seasons Hotels Essay The Four Seasons Company, as per current financial, seems very profitable and the earnings per share are increasing each year. From 1997 to 1998 EPS increased by 66% and from 1998 to 1999 it increased by 22%, actually from 1997 to 1999, the value has more than doubled. The main reason for the increase seems to be a total net earnings increase of 112% in two years. (See Exhibit # 1 for figures). This is a result of increase in revenues and also because costs increased less than revenues. This indicates that in addition to higher sales, efficiency improvements have been effective as yearly costs for operating items dropped 68% and the interest costs also have decreased by 105%, making it interest income. Based on this information, the company is recommended to continue their emphasis on high personal service and quality for their hotels as the customer base are not price sensitive but concerned about service and luxury. It is important to have non-complaining, satisfied customers as this  group is more satisfied than those where service recovery is needed, even when service recovery is performed at a high level. Also, satisfied customers are more loyal and a key to continue having a financially strong company. A key to this development is to continue to focus on employee satisfaction and employment procedures as this is resulting in low turnover (compared to the industry average), highly experienced and motivated staff and consequently excellent service. Also, the strong financials support FSHs (costly) growth strategy, and would further indicate that the company has the back-bone to support such a strategy. 3.0 Leverage the website for marketing purposes The Four Season Hotel (FSH) should further leverage their impressive website. First, they should maximize the site for mass marketing purposes. For example, the site would allow customers to appreciate all FSH properties, and a customer who has never seen a FSH can view rooms, conference halls, restaurants etc. The website can further provide up-to-date information on vacancies, promotions, city tours etc. This same information could be updated at any time to reflect specials across respective FSH. For instance, the Milan hotel might anticipate low vacancy one week, and could attempt to fill some vacancies by listing a Milan resident special on the site e.g. with a two night stay and get a free dinner in the restaurant. Internal marketing is another great possibility for the FSH, as long as the high tech is followed by high touch, and the system is not used to replace the human element. The intranet site should focus on cost-saving promotions, healthy competition between across respective FSHs, employee feedback pages etc. Management should use the intranet as an additional medium to disseminate information to employees and as a means to obtain information from employees. An easy to use e-commerce site for the hotel would be interesting for select  Four Seasons customers. Again, this should not replace the high touch that the FSH brand is identified with, but rather add another convenience for its customers. For example, some customers like making their reservation via the Internet and having an additional option with regards to making a hotel booking could turn out positively. 4.0 Establish and manage a common customer awareness database The hotel should change the existing database containing guest preferences into a centralized database available to all FHS properties. This should be deemed a high priority. It would be a typical one-time fix to enhance customer satisfaction and for implementation it could leverage FSHs existing intranet platform. The main driver for a change of this sort would be its potential to further improve the FSHs customer service. For example, as existing FSH customers are highly concerned about time there should be no need for them to fill in forms with preferences for each new hotel they arrive at. Also, it would be perceived as impressive for the customer arriving at a new hotel where the personnel would already know their preferences. This would increase the feeling of intimacy and personal touch during the hotel stay and consequently enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction. Additionally, the fact that only 9% of Four Seasons hotel guests are using multiple properties should not lower the importance of making such a change. In fact, 9% of their customer base means that approximately 400.000 customers each year use multiple Four Seasons Hotels. (See Exhibit #1) Also, the positive word-of-mouth this change would bring will most likely increase the number of guests staying at multiple properties. Furthermore, as the hotel has a growth strategy, the number of hotels and rooms will continue to increase and as such enhance the need for the common database. Also, in addition to customer satisfaction, having one database for all hotels would decrease costs for the chain in the long run as it will not have to maintain 50+ different databases. 5.0 Four Seasons management should solicit select feedback from customers. The idea here is quite simple and essentially comes down to ensuring that the hotel maintains its brand. The FSH has done very well by establishing a strong brand and enjoys a high % of repeat customers. Management and employees alike know what the Four Seasons stands for and the experience they aim to offer the customer. That said, and as technology races forward it is important for businesses to leverage it where possible and profitable. The key for the Four Seasons is to leverage it in a way that does not negatively impact their brand i.e. detract from the overall customer experience offered by Four Seasons employees, which is highly personal, intimate and customer oriented. For example, management could solicit feedback from customers as to whether they would use an automated (electronic) checkout service and whether customers view this as something consistent with the Four Seasons brand. This selective feedback could be centralized at first in that it is sponsored by the corporate office (so as to solicit feedback that could be leveraged across all properties) and then tweaked per location to take into consideration cultural specifics etc. Findings could be leveraged across properties and stored in the central database to eventually maintain, reinforce and ultimately improve the Four Seasons brand, customer experience and ultimate profitability. 6.0 Implement a Seasons Pass Loyalty Program Enhancing Customer Loyalty. Implementing a Loyalty program contributes to making guests feeling special, which undoubtedly makes a difference in his or her experience. A loyalty program could even extend to other value chain partners, thereby, allowing for further tracking of guest preferences. Without a loyalty program, FSH loses out on building strong relationships with its guests. As switching costs are minimal, loyalty is low unless a competitor differentiates and thereby increases its odds of attracting return guests. In order to compete successfully within this tier, a reputable brand name is imperative, which also represents a significant barrier to entry for potential new entrants. The common database will undoubtedly enhance the relationships because clients enjoy the sense of community that is established when being part of a loyalty club. Therefore it is important to have mechanisms in place to ensure guests to remain loyal to FSH and choose the company as his or her accommodation provider. To facilitate this, the hotel should introduce a frequent guest card, the Seasons Pass, which will serve two functions: 1. Track guest activities within FSH so that their preferences can be recorded. 2. Allow guests to collect points every time they stay at a Four Seasons property and use them towards service companies affiliated with Four Seasons, creating loyalty as a result. It will also aid individual FSH locations to better understand which facilities within the hotel or resort are the most sought after and will be able to segment the information based on the region of the world or type of consumer (leisure or business). Through partnering with external companies such as high-end car rental companies, airlines, and travel agencies, FSH will be able to offer guests a solution to every decision they may encounter during their stay. Thus the Seasons Pass and the networked database will ultimately be the bridge to building and maintaining positive guest relationships. Exhibit 1: Financial data for the Four Seasons Hotels EOY 1997 to EOY 1999: Exhibit # 2: Number of customers using multiple Four Season Hotels each year * Assumed average coverage rate through the year is based on information in case, The Roccoco New York Hotel by Anna S. Mattila. Using the rate accomplished by the Roccoco New York boutique hotel. ** As no information of number of customers per room is provided, one per room is assumed.

Anti-Abortion Statement

Anti-Abortion Statement Jai-lan Ewell The Murder of the Innocent Abortion is the murder of innocent children. Abortion has been performed for thousands of years, and has been studied in every society. These unborn humans do not deserve to die. There have been many debates on whether or not abortion should be illegal. Most doctors allow this process because its the familys choice. Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy (fetus), not a baby (lifenews). However, this process is the killing of innocent, unborn humans. An honorable innocent child has never harmed a fly in this world. Killing babies that are little bundles of joy, is just wrong on all levels. Abortion should be made illegal in the United States because of the trauma it causes to those who are involved. Abortion should be illegal after a certain point. Abortion is legal all the way up to 6 months. This should not be allowed to happen. The government has a limit on how long you can wait before you have an abortion. The bad thing about having abortion all the way up to 6 months is that a baby already has a heart beat and can feel pain. Imagine you as a baby and was aborted, you wouldnt be here right now. Abortion should be made illegal after anything past 2 months. The baby has not developed as much and it wouldnt be as harsh on the baby because the baby cant feel pain up to this point. The time you can wait before you have an abortion should be lowered significantly. Abortion violates the rights of the unborn children that are involved in this terrible act. These babys are already alive and have rights just like everybody else in the world. They shouldnt be deprived of their lives (Abortion). Unborn children have civil rights even before they come out of their mothers womb. Killing these non guilty children is a discriminatory, inhuman, and cruel act. The most basic civil right in this world is the right to live. If you keep abortion legal, youre leaving behind this civil right. In this world nobody should be allowed to take a innocent life away. Abortion has claimed the lives of over 58 million unborn children (Sierra Club). People in the world know abortion is wrong. Every day an abortion happens it is a tragedy for the babies that are dieing and for the mothers. Innocent, unborn children should not have their basic rights to live taken away. Women who have abortions are emotionally, physically, and mentally harmed. Some women in the world actually die during having an abortion. They can also experience the loss of their fertility or an increase in miscarriages after an abortion.(Natural abortion federation). On the other hand some women feel a sense of relief after an abortion. Emotionally some women feel guilt and loneliness after a abortion. They can physically have pain also. They can experience abdominal pain, vomiting, and they can have damage to some of their organs after an abortion. Some women mentally have suicidal thoughts and feelings. They have depression and can start to use drugs after an abortion. Abortions causes numerous problems for the women and especially for the baby. Abortion is an ongoing problem in the world today and should be made illegal because it takes innocent lives, it violates civil rights, and can emotionally and mentally harm women. Abortion kills unguilty babies and may harm the women also. Nobody in the world deserves to die. Unborn babies shouldnt die either. Abortion should be made illegal because it is unhuman and hurts everybody involved with it. Allowing abortion to remain legal cause more and more babies to die due to irresponsible people. Having abortion causes a lot of trauma for everybody. Abortions should be made illegal to stop the killing of innocent babies. Work Cited History of Abortion National Abortion Federation. National Abortion Federation, prochoice.org/education-and-advocacy/about-abortion/history-of-abortion/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. Sierra Club Pushes Abortion to Reach Sustainable Population Goals. NaturalNews.com, www.naturalnews.com/2017-02-08-sierra-club-pushes-abortion-to-reach-sustainable-population-goals.html. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. Abortion: A Violation of Human Rights Haven Bradford Gow. Abortion: A Violation of Human Rights Haven Bradford Gow, www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Talks/Gow/Gow_Abortion.htm. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017. 58,586,256 Abortions in America Since Roe v. Wade in 1973. LifeNews.com, 18 Jan. 2016, www.lifenews.com/2016/01/14/58586256-abortions-in-america-since-roe-v-wade-in-1973/. Accessed 21 Mar. 2017.

The Road of Trials in Literature Essay -- Literary Analysis

In Joseph Campbell’s book, A Hero with a Thousand Faces, the author details a journey he claims that every human must travel.. There are numerous stages in the journey, but one of the biggest stages is the Road of Trials. When the hero reaches the Road, he or she must leave his or her home and complete a series of hurdles and adventures alone. During the journey the hero finds confidence and self assurance. The Road of Trials is essential for the hero’s growth as a person. There are many examples of the Road of Trials in literature, including the epic poem, Gilgamesh, and the alliterative poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Both characters in these stories leave their homeland and go on a journey to find themselves and understand where they stand in the world. Before his journey, Gilgamesh, who is half god and half human, does whatever he wants. He sees himself as a god and he acts like one until he meets a man by the name of Enkidu. Enkidu is half man and half animal. As their friendship grows, the two become very close and Gilgamesh begins to act more in line with the human side of himself, as does Enkidu. Gilgamesh’s life comes to an abrupt halt when Enkidu dies. Gilgamesh, who has never felt a loss so dearly before, is determined to bring Enkidu back to life, so he leaves his hometown on a to journey to find the god Utnapishtim. This is where his Road of Trials begins. While wandering in the desert looking for Utnapishtim, Gilgamesh figures out that, â€Å"His life became a quest/To find the secret of eternal life/ Which he might carry back to give to his friend† (Mason, 55). For the first time in his life Gilgamesh thinks of someone else before himself. He had always been drawn to the side of himself that is half god but... ...e back, so how do loved ones keep the deceased in their memory? It is natural to struggle, but with every struggle comes a reward, just as with death comes resurrection. If there were not struggles in life, no one would be resurrected and allowed to grow and to learn. The Road of Trials experiences teach valuable lessons. The Road is not easy, but rather a long and difficult fight. Eventually the hero will return victorious, just as with loss comes restoration. There is no easy formula, but the journey is necessary if humans are to truly live, grow, and change. Works Cited Borroff, Marie. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. A New Verse Translation. New York: Norton, 1967. Print. Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1972. Print. Mason, Herbert. Gilgamesh: a Verse Narrative. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1971. Print.

Commerce and the Internet :: Internet E-Commerce Business Essays

Commerce and the Internet Introduction The company I work with wants to 'get on the web.' Few of the staff are experienced computer users, but they know how to make the machines spit out invoices, purchase orders, reports, letters and pretty packaging designs. They know that 'everyone' is on the web nowadays, they want to 'do it,' but they're tardy in undertaking the project, and the subject has ignited a series of internal power struggles among the staff. This paper is a broad exploration of communication issues related to a small business's desire to utilize the internet . As a speech communications major, I am interested in studying all facets of communication. What I have learned in four short weeks is that the subject of commerce on the internet is complex and widely misunderstood -- even feared -- by many members of our community. Thomas Sebeok, in his paper Communication states that "because the concept of communication is so central to our contemporary civilization, and because of the intensive social shaping of technology by governments and commercial interests, our age has increasingly come to be characterized as 'the information society'. (11). I posit that this intensive social shaping of technology, and the multiplicity of information communicated therein, is straining our human ability to accurately decode messages due to entropy (the measure of disorder in the system) created by a 'blind' rush for profits. Yet, i f "the power of money does not lie in the coin, nor that of justice in the buildings that house our courts or the people that operate the system," (Plotkin) where do they lie? This presentation will tell my story, humbly state an opinion, and possibly raise further questions for readers. Fear and Loathing in Canoga Park My employer's company has experienced meteoric growth over the past year. In the scramble to keep up with the demands of a burgeoning business, I was employed as an administrative assistant and given the task of researching for, designing and purchasing a sophisticated infranet and automated voice mail system for the workers to use. The telephones and computers had to be compatible, to accommodate a planned telemarketing department. The system was designed with 'security' in mind -- a simple DOS based accounting package was provided via diskless workstations to the sales staff, while the administrative staff received WIN 95 'executive' workstations, but could drop into the DOS loop when necessary.

A Probation Officer’s View of Effectiveness

There are two distinct sets of interests that were served by the individual evaluations; it can fairly be said that the newspaper’s evaluation of the department served the interests of the newspaper, as the newspaper would of course be able to use such sensational articles to attract readers to their publication.  Ã‚  Ã‚   It can also be said that to a certain extent, the interests of the public are served if there is accurate information in the newspaper articles.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Furthermore, the proposed evaluation would serve the needs of the higher ups in the probation department, as the evaluation could serve as a means for the managers to protect themselves from potential complaints from the public as a result of the newspaper articles.1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What theory or theories of effectiveness are represented in the new evaluation format?One theory of effectiveness which is especially appropriate in describing the new evaluation format is contingency theory.   T o be more precise in describing what is meant by contingency theory in this particular situation is that the new evaluation format would only be effective and useful to any extent if it were accepted by the subordinates in the department once handed down from the director of the department.   All of this ties back to the allegations made by the newspaper as well, because if the new evaluation format is not embraced by the entire department-superiors and subordinates alike-it will not be able to come into being, just as the original attempt at an evaluation resulted in the loss of a department head and the appointment of a new head, who is now attempting to institute the new evaluation format.2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What process and outcome measures are included in the evaluation? What domain of activity do these cover? Is the meaning of the variables clear?Within the evaluation, the process measures included consist of the surveillance/monitoring of clients, the intake/processing o f clients, and the ability to take on additional cases to maximize productivity.Additionally, the outcome measures could include the success of the clients upon their completion of the probation program, the resulting reduction of caseload for the probation workers, and improvement of the overall system that is utilized for the processing and monitoring of clients.The domain of activities that these measures cover can best be described as a combination of administrative and enforcement, which is to say that the probation officers perform the actual law enforcement activities required of them as well as the accompanying paperwork and recordkeeping.   The meaning of the variables overall is somewhat vague; for example, how one can measure the â€Å"success† of a client may be easier said than done, as is the measure of the improvements to the system itself.   The point to be realized here is that variables must be clearly defined if a process is to be as effective as possib le.   

Tracking the U.S Economy

This will be followed by a personal economic outlook or the remainder of 2014. Current State of U. S Economy: A. Gross Domestic Product (GAP) According to the figures illustrated in the above graph prepared by the Bureau of Economic Analysis (SEA), an agency of the Commerce Department, U. S. Real gross domestic product contracted sharply at an annual rate of 1. 0 percent in IQ 2014 compared to 2. 6 percent in the previous quarter. This marked the first decline in economic growth since January 2011, a period of three years.The drop in GAP growth comes as a revision, down from the BEAK'S original estimate released last April which showed an increase of 0. 1 percent. The BEA announces early estimates based on incomplete and partial data to provide a general picture of economic activity. These estimates are usually revised, with a second and third estimate being released as more data is acquired. The third and last revision for IQ 2014 is due to be released on June 25th and it remains to be seen how the GAP numbers will be affected. So why did the numbers decline so drastically?Many economists blame the anemic growth due to diminished business inventories, and the abnormally, harsh winter the country experienced during the beginning of the year, however, not everyone agrees. Forbes quotes Steve Blitz, chief economist at ITS Investment Research who states, â€Å"Looking through the rest of the report, we see the cold hand of winter, although I am not sure to what extent the cold in the Midwest caused the level of exports to drop by $40. 5 billion while imports only dropped $8. 8 billion. Surely the supply chains weren't frozen in only one direction. Despite the historically, cold weather, there is more to the unexpected, weak performance of the battered U. S economy. Numerous components of the GAP played a hand in causing the decline in economic growth, including a decrease in exports, lack of business investments and decreased government spending. Reduction in rea l exports (real imports, which are a subtracted in the GAP calculation declined as well), accounted for a significant portion of the economic decline, followed by a decrease in inventory investments, non residential fixed investments, residential investments and a cutback in state and local government spending.The GAP ‘s only supporter so far this year came in the form of increased real personal consumer expenditures, which grew from 2. 1 percent from the previous estimate of 2. 0 percent, mainly reflecting sharp increases in services and light increases in other areas. The BEA states, â€Å"The downturn in the percent change in real GAP, primarily reflected a downturn in exports, a larger decrease in private inventory investment, and downturns in nonresidential fixed investment and in state and local government spending that were partly offset by an upturn in federal government spending† (2014).The table below, prepared by the BEA, shows precisely which components of G AP rose and tumbled in IQ 2014. B. Foreign Trade (Exports & Imports) According to records maintained by the U. S Census Bureau and the BEA, exports in April of $193. 3 billion and imports of $240. Billion resulted in a trade deficit of $47. 2 billion, up from $44. 2 billion in March. The April exports were $0. 3 billion less than March exports of $193. 7 billion, but imports were $2. 7 billion more than March imports of $237. 8 billion. The chart produced by the BEA below displays the U. S. International trade in goods and services in a period of two years, from April 2012 to April 2014. Goods deficit in April increased by $3. 3 billion from March to $65. 8 billion and services surplus increased by $0. 2 billion from March to $18. 6 billion. Exports of goods decreased $0. 6 billion to $135. Billion, but imports however increased by $2. 7 billion to $200. 9 billion. Services exports increased by $0. 3 billion to $58. 2 billion and imports followed suit increasing by $0. 1 billion to $39. 7 billion. From April 2013 to April 2014, the goods and services deficit has increased by $6. Billion. Imports in that time period were up by 5. 4 percent or, $12. 4 billion and exports were up by 3. 0 percent, or $5. 6 billion. C. Gross Private Domestic Investments (Business Investment) Gross private domestic investment is a vital component of GAP because it gives us an idea of future productive capacity. It accounts for approximately 14 percent of our GAP and is considered to be the least stable component. The BEA defines gross private domestic investment as private fixed investment and change in private inventories.It is measured without a deduction for consumption of fixed capital and includes replacements and addition to the capital stock, but excludes investment by U. S. Residents in other countries, hence the domestic. The BEA divides business investments into to sub-categories, fixed nonresidential investment, residential investment and business inventories. In short, g ross private domestic investment is n aggregate component of expenditures and includes fixed investments (nonresidential and residential) and change in private inventories.In the above graph from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLESS), the analysis depicts gross private domestic investment data with future projections as far as 2022. The growth rate for the time period of 2002 to 2012 is 0. 6 percent, with negative annual growth rates for all categories of fixed residential structures. However, the annual growth rate in business inventories in this same time period increased from the last decade from -3. 3 percent to 12. 9 percent. They project business inventories to increase by 2022 at an average annual rate of 0. 6 percent. D. Consumer Spending The Consumer Confidence Index increased slightly in May.The index is currently at 83. 0, up from 81. 7 Just last month in April. The BEA recently reported that consumer spending increased to 10914. 40 billion in IQ 2014, up from 10831. 50 billion in Q 2013. U. S. Consumer spending fell for the first time in a year in April 2014 after two months of solid gains, but the decline is probably interim in nature given the strengthening numbers in the Job market. The drop followed a revised 1. Percent increase in March that was the largest gain since August 2009. Real disposable personal income (DIP) remained steady throughout IQ 2014 with a slight decreases in both April and May.E. Unemployment Rate As reported by the Bull's latest economic news release, total nonfat payroll employment increased by 217,000 in May. The increase was due largely to professional and business services, health care and social assistance, leisure and hospitality, transportation and warehousing and temporary services. Employment in other sectors such as manufacturing, mining and logging, construction, wholesale ND retail trade, information and financial services, and government remained steady. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 6. 3 perce nt. In May, following a decline of 0. 4 percent in April.The number of unemployed persons remained the same in May at 9. 8 million, a decrease of 1. 9 million over the last year. Over the previous year, nonfat payroll employment averaged approximately 197,000 a month. The long term unemployed numbers remained steady at 3. 4 million and accounted for 34. 6 percent of the unemployed. That number has declined by almost a million workers, as the economy continues to gradually recover ND improve. The graph below by the BEA shows the inclines and declines of the unemployment rate since 1990. Updated unemployment figures and charts for June 2014 will be released on July 3, 2014. F.Inflation Rate (ICP) The most recent release by the BLESS states that the ICP for all urban consumers (ICP-U) increased by 0. 3 percent in April on a seasonally adjusted basis. Over the past year, the all items index increased by 2. 0 percent before seasonal adjustment. Gasoline, shelter, and food indexes all ros e in April and so did all items less food and energy. The consumer price index for May will be released on June 17, 2014. G. Government Spending: Fiscal and Monetary Policies According to the data reported by the BEA, current government expenditures exceeded receipts and caused a net government saving of -966. Billion during first quarter of 2014; an increase from Q 2013. Net lending or net borrowing which is an alternative measure of the government fiscal position was -1036. 5 billion, increasing from -968. 7 Q 2013. U. S. Economic Outlook: Remainder 2014 Coming off the harshest winter we've experienced in quite some time, the economy is expected to rebound and continue improving its upward growth in the remainder of 2014. The economy is expected to expand 2. 4 percent with the recovery of the housing market and business investments. Government consumption is expected to slow economic growth this year for the fourth straight year in a row.Consumer spending will remain in the 2 perc ent range, but it's possible that it might increase due to the increase in disposable personal income. This is assuming consumer confidence increases as the year passes. Employment is expected to continue its growth of 180,000-190,000 Jobs gained monthly similar to the previous two years. Structural unemployment will continue to be an issue as most Jobs created will be in he food service and retail industries. Small businesses are expected to gain confidence and provide support to the economic growth in 2014 with a key source of funding that's been missing since the recession; home equity.The increase in home values over the previous year and the ongoing housing recovery is expected to support small businesses. The recovering housing market will play a role in GAP growth as home values continue to rise fueling construction activity leading to an accelerated pace in residential investment. Accelerated business investment will gain approximately 2. 5 percent to around 4. Percent in th e following quarters; driven by hefty gains in nonresidential structures and slight increases in equipment and software expenditures. Growing demand for industrial space will support the increase in business investments.Inflation will rise modestly from the lows of 2013 but will remain humble. Consumer prices will rise as producer prices rise due to global and domestic demand. Net exports will play a leading role and is expected to add to the overall GAP growth. Economists predict a 6. 6 percent rate of growth, along with the support of the oil boom to increase the pace of export activity. U. S. Economic Personal Outlook: 2014 From the extensive research I've done on this topic, my personal outlook on the economy for 2014 in one word, subpart. I expect GAP to grow slightly over the year due to more than one component.Consumer spending is a strong candidate to increase most simply because disposable income is increasing. I understand that we just recently went through a recession and money conservation would be wise, but we're a consumer nation and a consumer based culture, therefore I expect personal consumer expenditures to rise. The winter that affected the nation during the ginning of the year slowed growth but in March, when the weather started to lift consumer expenditures skyrocketed. Personally, it would seem as if consumer confidence is on the rise and the data supports my theory.I believe the increasing home values will embolden consumers and business owners alike and add to economic growth, with businesses leading the way. I feel as if consumers aren't ready to make such a big financial commitment such as a mortgage and the ones willing to take risks will be the entrepreneurs or the business owners, so I expect to see growth in business investments. Residential investments will continue to improve as confidence is restored in the housing market allowing consumers to purchase rental properties to supplement or increase their income.Non residential inv estments will increase as well as values rise due to demand but I'm not quite sure how strong this demand will be. Being the consumer culture we are, I expect us to import more than we export like we have for over a two decades now, however, the strengthening oil and gas sector in the country will gain momentum, gradually relieving us of our oil dependency on OPEC nations in the years to come, decreasing our imports of foreign oil. Economic growth in 2014 may be slow, but it's much better compared to where we were as a nation a couple of years ago.