Gender Differences in Mathematics Essay

Throughout the first half of the 20th century and into the second, women studying or working in engineering were popularly perceived as oddities at best, outcasts at worst, defying traditional gender norms. Female engineers created systems of social, psychological, and financial mutual support, through such strategies, conditions for female engineers changed noticeably over just a few decades, although many challenges remain. Engineering education in the United States has had a gendered history, one that until relatively recently prevented women from finding a place in the predominantly male technical world. For decades, Americans treated the professional study of technology as men’s territory. At places where engineering’s macho culture had become most ingrained, talk of women engineers seemed ridiculous (Sax, 2005). For years it’s been assumed that young women avoid careers in mathematics-based fields, like engineering and physics, because they lack confidence in their math skills. But a new study finds that it’s not a lack of confidence in their math skills that drives girls from those fields; it’s a desire to work in people-oriented professions. It has been found that young women who are strong in math tend to seek careers in the biological sciences. They value working with and for people, they don’t perceive engineering as a profession that meets that need. The environment at many tech schools is hostile toward helping students achieve a degree and is more geared toward weeding out those who are struggling. It’s difficult to come up with alternative engineering solutions if everybody in the room looks alike. That’s the initial reason why automakers and suppliers are busy trying to identify and hire minority and women engineers. The business case is that if more than half of an automaker’s customers are either female and/or people of color, which they are, then those groups need to be represented in every sector of the company. One of the most important areas for automakers to get a range of views is in product development. With that diversity mission in mind, DaimlerChrysler Corp. , Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Corp. , all have mounted aggressive programs to identify and hire minority and women engineers. At GM the story is the same. To attract minority and women engineers, the automaker proclaims that innovation comes from the people who see the world in a different way than everyone else. One women and minorities enter into the automotive engineering ranks, they need to be challenged and encouraged to develop their careers or they’ll be gone (Sax, 2005). It’s not just the Big Three that are working to create a more diverse engineering workforce. Suppliers and engineering support organizations such as the Society of Automotive Engineers are trying to draw more women and minorities into the profession. Faced with chronically small percentages of minorities and women in virtually every segment of engineering, companies are going to great lengths to attract them to the world of automotive engineering. Harvard President Lawrence Summers ignited a firestorm recently when he suggested more men than women are scientists because of differences between males and females in â€Å"intrinsic aptitude. † Many scientists-both men and women-expressed outrage at Summer’s remarks and blamed any lag in math among girls mainly on discrimination and socialization (Dean, 2006). They point out that girls have closed the gap in average scores on most standardized math tests in elementary and high school. Today women constitute almost half of college math majors and more than half of biology majors. But Summer’s supporters say he courageously raised a legitimate question for scientific inquiry. Indeed, in recent years some researchers have been pursuing a scientific explanation for the discrepancies in math and science aptitude and achievement among boys and girls and have found differences, including biological ones. Summer’s suggestion that women are biologically inferior in math infuriated many female scientists. Some asserted that the other two factors he mentioned were far more important in keeping women out of science: sex discrimination and the way girls are taught to view math as male territory. Some differences are well established. Girls do better on tests of content learned in class and score much higher on reading and writing tests than boys. Boys score higher on standardized tests with math and science problems not directly tied to their school curriculum. On tests of spatial awareness, boys do better on tests that involve navigation through space. Girls are better at remembering objects and landmarks. Studies show differences in brain structure and hormonal levels that appear to influence spatial reasoning. But the implications of these differences for real world math and science achievement remain unclear. â€Å"There is evidence that male and female brains differ anatomically is subtle ways, but no one knows how these anatomical differences relate to cognitive performance,† (Dean, 2006). At the heart of the current controversy is a societal implication-that the failure of an institution like Harvard to tenure even one woman mathematician can be blamed on the lack of top-flight women mathematicians, which in turn can be blamed on too-few top female minds in math. As evidence of intrinsic aptitude differences, Summers pointed out that more boys than girls receive top scores on standardized math tests. Today girls receive better grades than boys in math and science through high school, have closed the gap on average scores on most standardized math tests and take more advantage high school classes than boys in almost every category except physics and high-level calculus. In college they constitute nearly half the math majors and more than half the biology majors. Indeed, today a growing number of researchers contend boys are the ones who are shortchanged-judging by the larger proportion of boys in special-education classes and the declining proportion attending college. Women now make up 56 percent of students enrolled in college; by 2012, the Department of Education projects they will account for about 60 percent of bachelor’s degrees (2002). The fact that more boys than girls make top scores on standardized math tests is often invoked as evidence that boys possess an innate superiority in high-level math. Experts on both sides of the divide agree gender differences are real, even if they disagree bout how much is socially learned and how much biologically based. Girls do better on writing and on algebra problems, probably because algebraic equations are similar to sentences, and girls excel in language processing. Boys are better at mathematical word problems; girls are better at mathematical calculation. Boys and girls also differ on spatial skills, and experts are divided over how innate or important these differences are. A recent study of the Graduate Record Exam, for instance, found men did better on math problems where a spatially based solution was an advantage (Gallagher, & Kaufman, 2005). Sex hormones have been shown in several studies to affect the ability to envision an object rotating in space. Females who take male hormones to prepare for a sex-change operation improve on tests of 3-D rotation and get worse on tests of verbal fluency, at which women typically excel. During their menstrual cycle, women do better on 3-D rotation when levels of the female hormone estrogen are low; they do better on verbal fluency when estrogen levels are high. If science be taught directly with a hands-on, inquiry-based approach, it sustains girl’s interest in science. Girls like to work in cooperative teams, a lot of science was taught in a competitive mode. Women scientists also earn less than men. But it’s only fair that women who work fewer hours face the economic consequences of lower salaries and less status. References: Dean, Cornelia. (2006). â€Å"Dismissing ‘Sexist Opinions’ About Women’s Place in Science†. A Conversation with Ben A. Barres. The New York Times. July 18, 2006, pp. 1-5. Gallagher, Ann M. , & Kaufman, James M. (2005). â€Å"Gender Differences in Mathematics: An Integrative Psychological Approach. Cambridge University Press. National Center for Education Statistics, â€Å"Projections of Education Statistics To 2012†. (2002). Available on-line: http://nces. ed. gov/pubs2002/proj. 2012/ch_2. asp.. Sax, Leonard. (2005). Too Few Women- â€Å"Figure It Out†. Los Angeles Times. Jan. 23, 2005.

Intermediate accounting II Essay

The action by Coca-Cola Company and Marriott Corporation to form separate companies and transfer their debts to them is geared towards posting a good position in their financial records. Owning less than 50% of the other company makes it an associate company rather than a subsidiary. Consequently the Coca-Cola Company or Marriott Corporation world not include the associate’s accounts in their consolidated accounts, thus the debts transferred to these associate companies will not affect the groups’ consolidated accounts in a negative way. According to accounting practices the accounts of an associate company are not consolidated in the holding company’s consolidated accounts. The investment made by the holding company is reflected in its accounts as an asset. The Coca-Cola Company and the Marriott Corporation would thus post a good position in their financial records because the debt they transferred to the associate companies would not be reflected instead their investment in the associate companies is reflected thus further making their position favorable. These actions are appropriate for the Coca-Cola Company and Marriott Corporation as posting a favorable position will enable them attract investors, loan financing and increase their reputations. However, this treatment does not post a honest economic reality to the investors and customers. According to generally accepted accounting principles a company is supposed to make full disclosure of all information relevant for a third party to make informed decision about the company as explained in Investor words.com website (http://www. investorwords. com/2108/full_disclosure. html) and in Gaap handbook of policies and procedures,1999 ( Siegel,Qureshi, 1998). The Generally Accepted Accounting Principles should be amended so as the holding companies can be forced to reveal in their financial records, their share of liability held through the associate companies. This will ensure that their records post an honest economic reality of their operations.

Learning Styles and Personality Types in a Group Dynamic

Learning Styles and Personality Types in a Group Dynamic When working in a group environment, one will encounter different people who think, learn and act in different ways. In order to succeed, we must understand these differences and how to use them to our advantage while working with others. Multiple Intelligences When Gardner developed his Multiple Intelligence theory, it gave people a new insight to the way we learn. This breakthrough also helped us to work more effectively with one another as well as how to better communicate with each other. Verbal-Linguistic Someone who is Verbal-Linguistic is very simply good with language. A Verbal-Linguistic person will excel with writing, talking or listening. Therefore, to better work with this type of an individual, one should either write notes or have a face-to-face conversation. This way the Verbal-Linguistic person can best understand and contribute to the group. Intrapersonal Intrapersonal individuals excel at being alone and their own thoughts and feelings. They may at first seem to be a detriment to a group because of their tendency to want to be quiet and observe. This behavior may be seen by others as someone who does not want to work together or contribute, which can lead to conflict. To work with someone who is intrapersonal, one should be aware that they might not express their ideas openly. Any tasks that need to be done that don’t involve the group as a whole could be delegated to this individual. Visual-Spatial Artwork, design and formatting are all things Visual-Spatial people do best. When working with someone who is Visual-Spatial, it will help to not give long speeches. Visual-Spatial learners best learn and contribute through the use of pictures, maps and diagrams. To effectively make use of these individuals, any tasks that relate to this would be best. Personality Types According to the Myers-Briggs Personality Test, there are four types of personalities: thinker, organizer, giver and adventurer. When working in a group, it is beneficial and essential to understand what types of personalities lie within your group. Organizer If someone is an organizer, they tend to be focused on details. This is good for a group because they will be very thorough in each task making sure everything is complete and accurate. To best work with organizers, make sure each requirement is clear and defined and everything is understood and laid out in a clear manner. Adventurer Adventurers seek to do things in a non-conventional way. They may want to take a more active approach to the project as opposed to standard discussions and writing. In some groups this may be seen as a waste of time or unwillingness to complete the task up to the group standard. Allowing adventurers to take a different approach, even if it is not used in the final product, will not only allow them to understand the material better, but it could also add different elements into the group project that might not have been thought of that could raise the quality of the project as a whole. Thinker When working with thinkers, it is important to understand the need to work alone. Like individuals who are intrapersonal, thinkers work best by themselves. To help make them feel more at ease in a group environment, allow them to complete tasks that do not require the entire group. While working with the group at large, thinkers will be useful to solve problems the group may be facing during a task. Conclusion Assessing the learning styles and personality types of the members in your group is essential to the group’s ultimate success. Failure to use member’s strengths could result in conflicts and not achieving the goals the group has set. When each member is utilized in a way that they are strong in and in a way they are comfortable in, they will not only be productive and active within a group, but also achieve a higher quality of work which will only help the whole group succeed.

Book review Literature Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Book - Literature review Example The publishing home of the book is Polity Press that has tagged the book under review to be one of their widely sold and acclaimed books. The author, Peter Nolan, who is a professor of Chinese Development, has brought many jigsaw puzzles together to inform the masses about the impact that Chinese economy had on its social and political status quo. Before understanding the impact that the book has on the readers and the amount of knowledge that the book successful shares, it is significant to know the subject matter that it discusses. Chinese economy has happened to be the most effective one. It is merely because that every bond, factory or other mineral resources are being bought by the Chinese economy. Nolan has connected the buying and investment patterns of China to create a strong argument concerning the secret behind the success of China. Readers can find as if they are being lectured in a classroom of the University of Cambridge as the author (professor) Nolan himself combines every possible detail regarding the success and spread of Chinese market (Nolan, 2012). As a matter of fact, the author has tried to create a comparative stance for the readers. For instance, the author has provided a clear view of operations conducted by different economies of the world. At one point, the readers would find out the debt amounts that a Chinese economy had to pay for not being self-sufficient. In a comparative manner, Nolan discusses the manner in which the Chinese economy has arranged cheap vendors and producers. Later on, these resources were spread throughout the world. The data that has been plugged in different sections of the book to provide higher credibility has been skimmed from major databases such as United Nations organs for economic programs, etc. There are a number of past studies and event details that were cited in bulk by the author (Lane, New York). It is an evident fact that if something is

Literature Review Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Literature Review Bachelor - Essay Example The extent to which the employees feel motivated to put the best foot forward depends upon the policies adopted by the company in towards motivation. Theory Y assumes that all employees have key roles to play in running the organization and management's role is to develop the potential in employees and help them to release that potential towards common goals. The biggest drawback of McGregor's theory is that it sort of draws a dividing line. But in practice there's no such fine dividing line between type X and type Y. An organization cannot have all the people having similar capability and attitude towards work. Similarly all the students in a classroom cannot have similar calibre and IQ. Moreover a person who behaves in a particular manner today may come around and start taking things in different perspective once the manager takes him in confidence and makes him understand couple of things. Sometimes circumstances prevail upon the person and he starts behaving in a different way. Motivation may be defined as the state of an individual's perspective which represents the strength of his/ her natural inclination to exert efforts towards some particular behaviour. How somebody makes use of his/ her efforts towards a goal is determined by the motivating/ de-motivating factors. It is through their behaviour that employees give expression to their commitment to work, level of motivation and their attitudes. Behaviour includes all actions overt or covert, and verbal or non-verbal. This affects the overall efficiency of the person and the performance of the organization. For Primark, the main target segment includes the youth segment. This under 35 segment prefers to go for the trendy fashion, requires quality at reasonable prices. To serve this segment is challenging but interesting as well, because today the spending power of youth segment has comparatively gone up. Moreover the young workforce at Primark will surely enjoy dealing with their age group customers, as it might require them lesser efforts to sell the idea to youth as compared to senior age group persons. The 'look good, pay less' proposition from Primark fits perfectly well with the youth segment. The brand identity being created by Primark amongst the youth helps in offering a valued

Homeopathic Medicine vs. Western Medicine Research Paper

Homeopathic Medicine vs. Western Medicine - Research Paper Example The popularity of homeopathic medicine is proven by its various positive effects on mental diseases such as anxiety disorders, specific phobias, acute stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder and other similar ailments, while at the same time homeopaths and advocates of homeopathy would in all humility not discredit conventional medicine as they say that it would be better to deal with anxiety through homeopathy first before conventional medicine (Reichenberg-Ullman & Ullman 86). Moreover, there are many other patients who resort to homeopathic medicine in order to deal with their colds and flu, pregnancy, injuries, aches and pains (Kayne 19-21). Homeopathy has become significant in that it has filled the gap that traditional Western medicine was not able to fulfill and that is a rather relatively faster and less addictive way of treating and curing ailments. The aforementioned diseases like anxiety and stress disorders would normally make up the majority of men tal illnesses not only of Americans but of other people in the world as well. Besides, no one of any age is immune from anxiety and stress. No matter how trivial, children too experience stress in the same way that adults experience it when dealing with the more serious things in life. The proven effectiveness of homeopathic medicine in curing these mental diseases is indeed a welcome idea for those who want to avoid the side effects as well as the exorbitant cost of conventional Western medicine. Aside from the aforementioned benefits, homeopathy is all-natural as it is mainly plant-based, and this naturalness of homeopathic medicine translates as its being environment-friendly. Homeopathic medicine basically utilizes plant products such as sleep-inducing and tension-relieving Valerian root, the sleep-enhancing lemon balm, the muscle relaxant Scullicap herb, the natural tranquilizer Passiflora, and the relaxants Hops strobiles and Gota kolu (Ballard 22). Unlike traditional Western medicine that is usually synthetically-prepared from a chemical base, homeopathic medicine is directly obtained from nature and only minimally processed. The utilization of such plants would therefore require planting vegetable gardens, which could indirectly reverse climate change, not to mention that if one has the plant products for homeopathic medicine in his or her backyard garden, then he or she gets â€Å"CO2-free and dollar-free† food and medicine (Bachmann 256). The connection between homeopathic medicine and global climate change may not be as close as anyone can conceive but a mass production of these plant-based products and an overall reduction in the production of conventional synthetically-prepared products would be tantamount to at least some significant environmental change. Homeopathic medicine may therefore even be the answer not only to a safer, more natural way of healing the body but also to an indirect way of healing the environment. The naturalness of homeopathic medicine ascribes to it relatively fewer side effects to none, compared to conventional Western medicine that is replete with adverse effects plus addictiveness. Many of these drugs, particularly those prescribed for depression and anxiety, may even naturally cause â€Å"unintentional prescription drug overdose† even with regular use, impaired intellectual functioning, â€Å"cold-turkey† withdrawal symptoms, and an overwhelmingly slow recovery of even up to 20 years, not to

Serial Killer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Serial Killer - Research Paper Example There are many researches done on the psychology of serial killers by various researchers all over the world. It is amazing to note that causes of serial killing come forward more often in western societies as compared to eastern societies. There are two main ways to investigate about the psychology and thinking of serial killers. One is to study solved cases by police and experiences of investigating officers. Information provided on the basis of evidence and proper investigation gives a good way to do research on the topic of serial killers or serial killing. If opportunity is available one should try to meet/interview a serial killer. Thoughts of serial killers regarding sex, objectification and mutilation are important psychiatric points that can be analyzed during interview and whole research (TRUTV; Vaknin). Most of the serial killers think that to kill and to be got killed is one of the basic instincts that a human has. Early found skull of humans had traces of being attacked by some weapon. According to them, if chance available every person would kill someone. Serial killers are often regarded as people who believe that killing is a part of ritual and considered as objectifiers. Objectifiers are the people who treat other people as their subjects, most of the rulers, leaders political or military are often regarded as people that have fallen in the category of objectifiers (Vaknin). Difference between simple murders and serial killers can be explained by a known fact. A simple murderer kills due to some needs like sex, property, conflict that exists between him/her and other people. On the other hand the people called as serial killers are driven by continuous urge that is present in them from birth. Eric Hicky concluded in his research that about forty eight percent of the serial killers available to him as subjects were refused by their parents as children. Most of the serial killers live in their own world of fantasy

The strategies to maintain the competitive position in the market Term Paper

The strategies to maintain the competitive position in the market place for Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company - Term Paper Example Strengths And Weaknesses Of Organization 10 C.Human Resource 10 1.Personel Policies 10 2.Skills Required To Accomplish The Mission 11 3.Attitude Towards Employees 11 4. Training Programs 12 5. Incentives And Job Enrichment 12 D. Financing 13 1. Types Of Securities Sold To Public And Its Listing 13 2. Current Performance 13 3. Profit And Loss Of The Company 14 4. Rating by Moody’s and Standard and Poor 14 5. Financial New Generated In Past Years 14 E.Corporate Social Responsibility 15 F. Management 15 1. Strength And Weaknesses Of Management 15 2. Business Policies 16 3. Strategies Used 17 4. Statement About Social Responsibility 17 5. Plans For The Future 17 IV.Conclusion 18 A.Evaluation Of The Firm 18 B. Personal Attainment 19 Work Cited 20 I. Introduction A.Name and Location of the Corporation The name of the company in consideration is Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) which is situated in Springfield. The marketing name that has been offered for Mass achusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual) is MassMutual Financial Group (MassMutual Financial Group, â€Å"2010 Annual Report†). B.Reason for Choosing the Firm The main reason behind the choice of MassMutual is that it is one of the biggest life insurance companies in the world and has been successful at attaining 93rd rank in the Fortune 500 list. It has been noted that the company operates for the benefits and the advantages of the members along with its participating policyholders (MassMutual Financial Group, â€Å"2010 Annual Report†). II.Framework of the Business A.A Condensed History of the Firm It was in the year 1851 when the company commenced its operation in a single room and had a single objective of assisting the people to protect their families as well as their future. After 160 years of operation, the company is still focusing upon its core objective of assisting the people to safeguard their families. The company operates for the advantage of its beneficiaries and is therefore proud of its long history. In the course of time, the company has offered its millions of customers with financial as well as retirement related securities. The company has also been successful at paying its policy holders with dividends since the year of 1860s. By earning financial strength ratings, the company has achieved remarkable position in the particular sector. The company’s trained professionals comprise of thousands of agents situated all over the United States. The main task of the agents is to understand the customers’ financial goals and therefore serve them to formulate their financial strategies accordingly. Although since inception the company’s core product has been life insurance, it has also been offering its customers with numerous other insurance schemes as well as investment products designed for the individuals, businesses and the families. The institutional investors as well as the nonprofit, corporate, governmental and union employees can as well avail the company’s retirement services (Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company, â€Å"Our Company†). B.Incorporation of the firm The company was incorporated in Springfield at Massachusetts in the United States. C. Creators and organizers of the firm The company was incorporated by George W. Rice who had been young insurance representative, selling policies for the company named as Connecticut Mutual Life in Connecticut. His objective was to

Music Education for Chinese Pupils Dissertation - 1

Music Education for Chinese Pupils - Dissertation Example Chinese music has evolved since ancient times under the influence of religious, philosophical and ideological doctrines (Reimer, 1989). In Confucian treatises the concept of the cosmological nature of the music was developed, its social and political role was highlighted. Music in Confucianism was regarded as one of the means of governance, as well as a significant factor in educating people and in achieving social harmony. According to the ideas of Taoism, the music was to facilitate the natural expression of psycho-emotional reactions of man, its fusion with nature. The school music education, which was developed during one of the most complex, saturated with global cataclysms, the period in the history of the country, gradually became a public system, marked by both significant achievements and serious shortcomings. Nowadays the assessments of achievements of challenges facing China’s school education are prerequisites for successful reform. Music became a compulsory subject in secondary schools of China in 1912. In accordance with the suggestions for the educational course of the country, made by Education Minister Tsai Yuanpey (1912), the role of arts education plays the significant role in shaping the personality, thus, particular attention should be paid to music teaching in secondary schools. This document determined a new status of the given subject. The lessons of music education ceased to be selective subject and moved into the category of compulsory in both junior and secondary schools (Mingyue, 1985). Further development of mus ic education in the Chinese school was influenced by the Movement of May 4, 1919, which was initiated by the university intelligentsia.

Week 3 Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 3 Marketing - Essay Example In the second instance, it will be important to put emphasis on purchase behaviors. Differences in purchase behavior influence the success of any business, including those in the health sector (Hemenway, 2010).Iit is therefore important to research the proposed markets to find out if the consumers within the market have certain purchasing behaviors that are in line with the organizational culture of the medical center. Lastly, the issue of psychographics is very crucial. Psychographics have been explained to encompass qualitative attributes of the market that focus on the way the people and what they want to do (Dionne and Eeckhoudt, 2005). Clearly, the mentality of the people towards the health care delivery system is very important in undertaking the market segment. Once these factors are critically considered, it can be assured that marketing mix would change in light of the segmentation utilization. But as the segmentation takes place, it will be important to measure distribution rather than concentration because distribution will give the center the opportunity to cater for the different health needs of the markets as depicted in demographic, psychographic and purchasing behavior

Timeline of Geometry Essay Example for Free

Timeline of Geometry Essay It is believed that geometry first came to being when and Egyptian Pharaoh wanted to tax farmers who raised crops near the Nile River. To do that the pharaoh’s agents had to measure the amount of land that was being used. 1. 2900 BC – The first pyramid was constructed. The knowledge of geometry was important due to the fact it consisted a square base and triangular faces. 2. 2000 BC- It was the earliest record of calculating the area of a triangle, however there is no tangible evidence. 3. 624-547 BC- The Thales of Miletus was said to be the person to bring the science of geometry from Egypt to Greece. He created the Thales’ Theorem. 4. 569-475 BC- The next great geometer was Pythagoras. He had created the Pythagorean Theorem that states in a right triangle the sum of sides A and B are equivalent to side C. 5. 400-355 BC- Eudoxus of Cnidus was the one who discovered the Theory of Proportions. Where in there are methods to find the area and volumes of figures with curves and many other things. 6. 382-283 BC- Euclid of Alexandra who is also known as â€Å"The father of Geometry† created a book called â€Å"The elements†. This book was the main textbook to teach math (mainly geometry). 7. 287-212 BC- Archimedes of Syracuse was the inventor of many mechanical devices such as the screw, the pulley and the lever. He discovered the measurement of a circle and his wrote a book â€Å"On the Sphere and the Cylinder† in which he showed the volumes and surface areas of spheres and cylinders. 8. 1596-1650 – Rene Descartes wrote the famous book â€Å"Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting the Reason in the Search for Truth in the Sciences. He created analytic geometry in which the geometric figure is placed into a coordinate system to show evidence and to obtain information using algebraic equations. 9. 1777-1855- Carl Friedrich Gauss with Archimedes and Newton invented non-Euclidian geometry prior to the work of Janos Bolyai and Nikolai Lobachevsky. Non-Euclidian geometry refers to any geometry that is not based in anything that predicates through Euclid. 10. 1982- The most recent development in geometry is fractal geometry. It was created by Benoit Mandelbrot in his book called â€Å"The Fractal Geometry of Nature†. Where it states that a fractal is a geometric shape that is self-similar and has fractional dimensions.

Gender Essay Example for Free

Gender Essay The history of gender and American policy is one crafted and based on historical events and changes in the men’s and societies’ view of women, especially as regards their roles in influencing policy change’s and implementation. According to scholars women roles for the past two centuries have improved remarkably if current events are to go by. Apparently, the study of gender as regards American foreign policy is a completely new aspect which has metamorphosed over the ages to became a crucial and significant approach of analyzing America’s foreign policies as regards, contribution to war, politics, economics and culture. In essence gender studies indicate the expectations, that the society holds to the different genders and the roles each group play. Dating back to the biblical times, the issue of gender and more so gender imbalance having been predominant in our society is, one coined on the society’s understanding and expectation of the male and female members of the society. It’s upon this that women over the ages have found themselves, marooned and dominated by men in major policies that have affected the society especially as regards warfare, diplomacy and violence. From ancient Greek, Roman, Babylonian empires, women have often being regarded as a weak gender compared to men, this has quite often led to maltreatment and abuse of women by the dominant male specie Braudy states â€Å"certainly the tradition of allying weakness with women and strength with men is a long one† (328). Its upon this conceptual thought that women have been destined, to play if any, a minimal role in matters of war. However it’s the statement of scholars and historians that though regarded as a marginalized group and less often actively involved in war, women â€Å"occupy a privileged place as an alternative source of national moral strength† (Braudy 328). In essence a good woman was always portrayed as pliant, submissive and subordinate. Thus the concept of gender imbalance has been with us for long, this was especially portrayed by the remarks and views held by male and society as regards women. For instance some scholars portrayed them as a â€Å"savagery within civilization† and as Braudy, states a â€Å"source of both fascination and disgust† (328). This is vehemently expressed by the 19th century view of women menstruation as a wound. However scholars do agree that progress has been witnessed over the ages as regards women role in society as research show that women have tremendously established themselves as a dominant force in society though, they still lack behind in a world where war, politics, economics, diplomacy issues are dominated by male. It’s thus upon this views that women remain less actively involved in war. According to scholars women have partly participated in wars and hence as history shows wars have been attributed to men. So is war a man’s affair. War and especially violence was, and still continues, to be a man’s affair in that men have always been attributed to intolerance and aggressive behavior, which is replicated in the art of war. Barash, states â€Å"if we could eliminate or even significantly reduce male violence we would pretty much get rid of violence† (1). For ages the art of war has been and still is dominated by men. For instance looking back at past war events ,its difficult to find any war which might have been instigated by a woman, on the contrary men have been responsible for all major wars and even violence related incidents in the society including genocide and homicide. Experts thus postulate that, war is a man’s affair in which men seek to dominate others, by the crudest of ways. It’s a concept that has been among the male species. The ancient warriors thus were taught to be strong and vicious, going contrally to that was risking ones sexuality in the sense that one would be braded as an â€Å"effeminate† a term often used to refer to men who were weak and coward. Thus it’s an agreed fact that a true warrior or man was identified on his possession of power attributed to ones manhood. Thus in order to show the effect of gender as regards war the male dominated societies used the most atrocious and ridiculous way such as castrating, homosexuality, masturbation and circumcision to humiliate individuals , thought to be weak, a trait that was attributed and reminisce of the women. This was done to portray other men as having qualities akin to women as demonstrated by the act of penetration. For instance during the ancient times homosexuality was used to render punishment on the male enemies. Sodomizing war captives was cogently used by Babylonians. Also studies indicate that war captives were treated on the basis of their gender in that women were raped, children enslaved while the males were subsequently killed and humiliated, in one incidence they were forced to masturbate while get the erect before being sodomized. This according to Trexler proofed to â€Å"show linkage between gender and humiliation in war fare† (20). By castrating the others scholars do ascertain that it was to be â€Å"a basic element in man’s fighting instincts. †(Trexler 19). To crowns it all, this acts were often instigated against other men in order to prove ones superiority over the others. Castrating and cutting the enemies manhood became a way of showing how the enemy had been subdued. This is depicted by the ancient Jewish society where warriors would cut their enemies private parts and foreskins to present to kings as a show of victory in war. In modern society violence and war is overwhelmingly dominated by male, for instance according to a researcher conducted in America, over 90% of homicide cases in America have been perpetrated by men. Moreover a great number of men are enlisted in the national army. What makes it more interesting is how terrorist groups are predominantly male established . In essence any where there is violence and war man is. It has thus been concluded that war is the art of man, as depicted by the studies of ancient history of warfare and current affairs. Barash cogently states that â€Å"what can be called killing establishment, soldiers, executioners, hunters, even slaughters is overwhelmingly male†(1). he concept of war and gender can thus be summarized as follows; war is a mans affair, violence and war is something that men direct at each other, men are the instigators and subsequently victims of their acts of violence, women are the victims of men’s warfare but not partakers or instigators and finally when people are murdered and slaughtered as in case of genocides and war, men are always the culprits. Religion and war According to Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary religion re fers to a personal set or institutionalized set of religious beliefs, attitudes and practices. In that point, the debate over whether religion is responsible for the many wars witnessed in the history of mankind has continued to rage with both critics and proponents ascertaining their views and subsequently providing proofs to justify and authenticate their claims. Before understanding this issues it’s important thus to define war. According to Merriam –Webster online dictionary war is thus a state characterized by hostility, conflict, or antagonism Thus the concept of intermarriage between religion and war and especially its contribution to war, its one which has found favour in the ideologies of atheist and scientist as such. So does religion cause wars? Religion has been the greatest threat to mankind and thus it’s been the cause of many bloody confrontations. Charles Kimball, states â€Å"It is somewhat trite, but nevertheless sadly true, to say that more wars have been waged, more people killed, and these days more evil perpetrated in the name of religion than by any other institutional force in human history. †(1) This has often led to some critics of religion pointing that, if man is to live peacefully then religion should be scraped or rather the belief in God should be descanted. Timothy Fitzgerald quips that; â€Å"religion should be regarded as a form of mystification and scrapped† (26). The contemporary attitude on religious contribution to war arises due to a number of factors or rather reason that is religious conflicts, religious wars, religious ideologies based on teachings of some religions and modern fundamentalism attributed to different religious groups. It’s the statement of scholars that the history of religions contribution to war in modern world and as regards organized religions is to be traced to the Roman Catholic which was responsible for some of the greatest conflicts in history of mankind. During the dark reign of the Catholic Church in Europe many people were slaughtered and mercilessly killed due to their beliefs. According to Hitcher, the church has a history responsibility for the crusades, persecution of Catholics, Jews and deserters (17). Thus the Roman Catholic Church which represents Christianity is accountable for grave atrocities that culminated in the murder, persecution of millions of people based on its principle of heresy. It’s been the overwhelming statement and consensus of scholars that the blood birth witnessed during the dark reign of the church by far surpassed the jihads. Also the pope at the time is believed to have contributed tremendously in influencing major wars at the time. On another point, historians ascertain that, the competition for support and the fundamental believe that one religion is superior than the other has fueled animosity between religious groups, often leading to bloody confrontations that have often led to war. Moore in describing about this competition states â€Å"it had to be cruel in the general sense that any group identity is liable to be formed in hostile competition† (29). Its was this religious dreams of superiority that led to the Islamic conquest and expansion during the 18th century ,at that time, its estimated that millions of people were killed and others taken as slaves. This competition among religious groups has often led to war between the different opposing religions. For instance according to Price most of the greatest conflicts such as the Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Iraq and even 9/11 attack are as a result of religious differences. These facts are clearly demonstrated in the crusades that were responsible for fighting the spread of Islam in Europe . during this time the pope coined what was termed as â€Å"just war†. Thus it was believed that some wars were justifiable especially if it entailed safeguarding the very cores of the religion. On their part the Muslim desire for expansion was characterized by forced conversion through war commonly referred to as Jihad. What has come to be the greatest threat to mankind in this century it’s also attributed to religious fundamentalism . Following the aftermath of the 9/11, the world witnessed the rise of terrorism ,a new tool used by Muslim fanatics and which is based on Islamic fundamentalism though the 9/11 event has been regarded by some as not influenced by Islamic fundermentalism,the facts point to the contrary . For instance the known mastermind of the attack and the leader of Alquieda, Osama Bin Laden ,in his speech calling for the murder of citizens in western countries attributed his action to Islam and more so the holy book Koran. These proofs to show that despite the denials by some Islamic leaders, the calls of Osama seek to justify the views held by majority of the Islamic community. The Muslim have also used the word â€Å"Crusade† to describe the policy of western countries especially America to occupy Islamic states. This is a symbolic meaning to the crusades, organized to counter Islamic conquest during the 18th century. It’s thus the belief of scholars, that the Islamic fundamentalism is based on religious beliefs of Islamic faith though some Islamic scholars do oppose these beliefs. Scholars have thus argued that the terrorist attack on America that killed innocent civilians could not have happened if not for religious believes. The Palestinian and Jewish conflict has been continuing for long, this conflict has often led to bloody confrontation between the two groups. According to scholars this conflicts is the brain child of religious fundamentalism based on Islam and Judaism. Thus critics do argue that the history of enmity between this two religious groups, bases its root on hard core ideologies attributed to the groups religious affiliations, thus as long as the groups seek to identify themselves on religious background, it will be hard to tackle has been their for long hence as long as each group seeks to identify the other in terms of religious background, it will be hard to tackle. This conflict has led to the extend of isolating the Jewish state of Israel from the rest of Middle East countries with calls by some Muslim fanatics and religious leaders for the murder of Jewish citizens. It’s thus the statement of historians that the Yom Kippur war between Israel and other Arab countries was as result of religious differences. Thus critic’s quip that religion has led to nations forming alliances on bases of religious believes, thus leading to conflicts which have led to emergence of hardcore ideologies and conflicts across the world. It has also been said that, religion has been instrumental in influencing wars in Europe. for instance the French religious wars are attributed to religion , Holt, says â€Å"the French civil wars which began with the massacre at vassy in 1562 and concluded with peace of the alass 1629 was a conflict of religion†(56) Different religions also have been known to encourage war of such is the Buddhism religion in which the tales of Bhagavad-Gita are based on war and made to justify war as an act of self protection, in its case Judaism and especially the old testament depicted war as necessary in order to defend the convictions of their teaching, in the bible the Israelites who believe that they are Gods children and the chosen ones called on God to fight for their course According to some studies conducted it has further been established that some individuals use religion in order to advance their political ambitions ,for instance , having used Jews and Judaism as a ladder to ascend to political power Hitler gained the channel he so much needed to murder 6 million Jews, in our modern society prominent personalities and politician have been known to make grievous remarks based on religious conviction, the calling by Iranian president for complete annihilation of the state of Israel and calling of Musl ims to unite against Judaism that stands for the Jewish state of Israel is a sure way of describing how religion has been used to sphere head murder of innocent civilians. A true religious individual thus does not advocate for violence. Thus according to proponents of religion it has subsequently been ascertained that the absence of religion in the modern nations especially communist did not deter their leaders such as Stalin from leading any less violently.  Despite the growing claims that religion causes war, proponents and researchers have criticized, this claims by ascertaining that religion and especially organized religions are peaceful the teachings of most religion call for peaceful existence of individuals, this is depicted by the teachings of individuals who have been ardent followers of their respective religions. According to martin Luther king Jr, the knowledge of God brings inner peace, in his teaching also he advocated for tolerance and use of non violence. Also Gandhi one of the staunchest supporter and believer of Buddhism advocated for the use of non violence (ahisma) in his philosophies which have become instrumental in influencing the thoughts and ideas of modern leaders.

Operations Management Case Study

Operations Management Case Study Preface: Western Bainoona Group â€Å"WBG† is Transportation, Roads and infrastructure general contracting; it has been established since 1990. It has 5 internal heads sections with 5000 persons. I will implement my company â€Å"WBG† as a study case on every task. Explain the importance of effective operations management in achieving organizational objectives (A.C 1-1) The operations management which is managing the processes to produce and distribute products and services has the big effective on achieving the objectives of the company due to several important factors: Operations management is responsible for short term objectives which considered as milestones to reach the long term objectives, therefore if the operations management is close to company short objectives, definitely the company long term objectives will be targeted. Operations management considered Micro analysis â€Å" SWOT analysis† which help the company to know the strength , weakness, opportunities and threats factors which affect on achieving the goals, so if the operations management doing this analysis in correct way , the company will take the advantage of the strength and opportunities factors and take care from the threats and weakness factors. Operations management depends on detailed level of aggregation so it will be always close to deep details in the company and in the market which helps the company to win chances, to avoid bad surprises and to be prepared always so it will serve the company to achieve its objectives easily without obstructions. Operations management is the balance between company inputs and outputs so if the balance between controlling company resources and achieving customer satisfaction is achieved so the company objectives will be targeted. Evaluate the success of existing operations management processes in meeting an organization’s overall strategic management objectives. (A.C. 1-2) To evaluate WBG operations management, we have to define the operations function. If we go through WBG operations function, easily we could see that operations are supporting the company strategy because WBG capabilities are bigger than the company plan and strategy due to strong capabilities factors such as huge infrastructure, thousands of employees and different procedures comparing with WBG Mission which is providing optimum quality in a timely and cost-effective manner with care to society and the environment. So for WBG operations management evaluation, we could go through 5 factors to compare between operations management performance and WBG mission: Quality : Inside WBG, it’s famous that the things must be done twice to be in proper way so the quality of operations must be enhances to meet the company mission and strategy. Speed : Some departments inside WBG are doing the works quickly like HR and contracting but the other departments are not like Garage and heavy equipments so the speed of operations must be enhanced in some divisions. Dependability : Dependability needs to be enhanced due to double works culture inside the company. Flexibility : The flexibility is strong inside WBG due to huge resources and good leadership. Cost : Doing the things cheaply is the procedure for any work inside WBG but because of double works, the cost is becoming more and more sometimes so the operations management must taking care of the cost and prevent double works. Explain the importance of effective quality management in achieving organizational objectives. (A.C 2-1) The quality management concentrates on the savings and additional revenue that company could realize if it eliminate errors and double works throughout its operations and produce products and services at the optimal level of quality desired by its customers. In case of achieving that, the company objectives will be targeted easily. Also quality management allow the company to meet current quality levels, meet the consumer’s requirement for quality, save employees through competitive training programs, and keep up with the latest technology which help the company to compete inside the market continuously and in same time achieving its objectives. On the other hand, quality management defines the areas which need to be enhanced inside the company, specifies the time of achieving quality results which will serve company goals, makes MACRO and MICRO analysis which help the company to define the market and entire system advantages and disadvantages and deploys the quality in all company divisions in different shapes. . Evaluate the success of existing quality management processes in meeting an organization’s overall strategic management objectives. (A.C 2-2) To evaluate the current quality management of WBG, we have to go through some important elements which affect on quality: Errors and double works : Till today, the existing quality management didn’t control the errors percentages which are high and the double works culture inside the company due to careless of employees, ignoring of the procedures and less knowledge. These things cause loss in money and time always. Desired customers’ optimal level of quality WBG in the recent years has ISO 9000 and special grade approval from municipality after it was 3rd grade. This Paradigm shift is due to customer’s satisfaction, products and services optimal quality. So the existing quality management must continue developing the optimal customer level of quality to be the first line inside market. Competitive training programs for employees Unfortunately, the existing quality management didn’t make any quality training for the employees and because of that a lot of errors and double works still happened. Latest market technology The existing quality management tried to use the latest market technology in its products and services but sometimes it didn’t use this due to cost issue. So it has to reserve special budget for quality developments. The time of achieving quality results Unfortunately, the existing quality management didn’t clear the time of achieving the quality results so the company long term objectives duration are not specified or known. 3.1 Plan a strategic quality change to improve organizational performance. (A.C.3-1) WBG must use the Forced Choice Model in its planning of strategic quality change because it has good description what will be happened in the next couple of years as the construction field could be predicted. The main long term objective is to achieve the company vision which says taking WBG forward as a leading construction company in the region and move on decisively towards a wider existence. Under this vision, we can make strategic quality plan for Contracting Department .the force model can analysis the department position by SWOT and Environmental assessment by PESTE. SWOT analysis can show the following: S: Internal Strengths: Strong budget and cash flow situation, good relations between staff, strong and big structure department, ISO certificates, Professional classification approval from ADM municipality, new IT system. W: Internal weakness: No QA/QC division, Lack of proposition, shortage of discerning skilled employees, Low motivation level, lack of employee’s commitment, some unskilled managers. O: External Opportunities: Excellent relations with authorities, contractors and clients, Banks Finance support, competitors vulnerabilities such as finance issues and authorities approval. T: External Threads: A Labour law, availability of resources, taxation, new legislations, Economic crises, increased trade barriers, competitor intentions PESTE –Macro environment analysis: We will find politically that UAE has stable government. Economically, market had enhanced and developed as the projects are increased due to EXPO2020. Socially, UAE has suitable demographics and good lifestyle trends. Technologically, the infrastructure level is helping too much to establish projects. Environmentally, the climate is suitable for construction and all resources are close. Strategy option : After the Macro and Micro analysis are done, the appropriate strategy for contracting department is â€Å"Competitive tenders pricing, decrease resources wastage and increase products and services quality â€Å". Requirements for implementing strategy option : Doing continuity different Training quality courses for supervisors, staff and engineers. Recruitment of skilled pricing manager, QA/QC manager and project managers. Develop the system and the coordination between contracting division and others. Create quality assurance and quality control divisions. Making known rewards system. Contingency Plans : Asking help from third party consultancy management offices. Joint venture with main contractors. 3.2 Define resources, tools and systems to support business processes in a strategic quality change (AC 3.2) Resources: Human Resources : staff , trainers ,supervisors ,engineers and managers Material Resources: all WBG material in its asphalt plant and crushers. Transportation Resources: Fleet of cars, trucks and six wheels. Tools: Heavy and light equipments. Emails and reports. WBG Garage. WBG office. Meetings. System: Training system. Rewards system. Company systems such as oracle, primavera, etc. HR system. 3.3 Evaluate the wider implications of planned strategic quality change in an organization. (AC 3.3) The evaluation of strategic quality change application in Contracting Department could be observed through some major elements: Cost : Q: Does the cost of the past repeated works and material wastage is more than existing quality training courses cost? If yes, that means the training courses must be proceeded and evaluated monthly by observing the wastage of material on construction site and percentage of repeated works, if the percentage is going to be lower than the past, that means the training courses is doing well, but if not, the company must check the problem either from impropriate courses or employees careless. Productivity : Q: Does Contracting Department win more tenders after strategic quality change application? Q: Does daily progress becomes more than before? If yes, that means the productivity on proper way but if not, it must check the cause either from improper coordination or personnel issues. Profitability : Q: Does Contracting Department specify time to gain the benefits from strategic quality change application? If yes, that means it has to observe the profitability percentage as planed or less. But if not, it must specify planned time to gain benefits otherwise the risk is too high. Products and services Quality : Q: Do suppliers and clients satisfy from products and services? Q: Do new suppliers and clients make agreement with WBG contracting department? If yes, that means the quality in right way. But if not, it must check with QA/QC division to explain the causes. 3.4 Design systems to monitor the implementation of a strategic quality change in an organization (AC 3.4) Monitoring the Training system : After staff, supervisors and engineers are done any training course, the contracting management must measure the percentage of understanding this course by doing small technical test on papers and on sites by daily progress reports to ensure that people got the benefit from the training or not. Monitoring the Daily work system : The seniors and managers of the contracting department must observe cost _items budget and cash flow_, schedule _milestones_ and quality through arranged below steps: Daily progress report from every employee and must handed over officially by internal mail system. All daily reports must be entered to analytical program to know the strong points and problem points for every employee works. Seniors and managers must interfere directly on time to solve any problem or misunderstanding of execution the strategic quality plan or procedures. Weekly feedback report must be given to every employee to show the progress and assess the efforts. Monthly encouraged rewords to the deserved employees who did the max progress works with less mistakes to motivate the employees to use this strategic quality change plan and to be more familiar with it. Weekly progress meeting must be held to discuss about the progress and to maintain the problems. Making seminars every 2 months and show all the employees the results of execution the strategic quality change and promise all employees with good yearly bonus if they doing their best to achieve the targets. 4.1 Implement a strategic quality change in an organization (A.C.4-1) By using of process mapping as below Figure†1† which shows the current system of contracting department Source: WBG Current contracting system So the proposed process mapping which will help to implement strategy quality change is as below Figure†2† Source: WBG Proposed contracting system 4.2 Embed a quality culture in an organization to ensure continuous monitoring and development. (A.C.4-2) To embed the quality in WBG Contracting Department, the management must do the following: Training Courses in different types of quality to teach the staff how to deal with the process in quality way which means low cost, less time and best results. Share the monthly process results to all stakeholders to show them the difference between using strategic quality and without. Encourage stakeholders by giving rewords and holidays. Give the shareholders more benefits in case of they targeted more goals for the company. Use latest technology to observe the process and system inside the deprtment and the company. 4.3 Monitor the implementation of a strategic quality change in an organization (AC 4.3) Daily progress report from every senior to his project manager who is responsible to compare between the actual schedule and the planned one so easily he could mark all the millstones which were delayed or achieved in advance. Also every PM must send this report to the operation manager who will evaluate the status of all projects. Quality Assurance: the QA engineers with managers must ensure that all daily operations and processes which are developed to appropriate the strategic change are on the right way and in case of any violations such as wrong material orders; they have to take action directly. Quality Control: the QC engineers with manager must control Budget, Quality, implementation methods, etc to evaluate the processes status and give the management real feedback about it. Meetings: all the senior management must meet once weekly to discuss about the progress and to maintain the problems. 5.1 Evaluate the outcomes of a strategic quality change in an organization (AC 5.1) Budget Reviews : The Contracting Department Manager must check the budget situation according to actual progress and planned cash flow so easily he could know the all outcomes after implementing the strategic quality change are similar to before situation or going better. Employee Machinery working hours VS Progress: The Contracting Department Manager can compare between the actual employees and machineries working hours and the planned estimated working hours by time sheet. So he could know the projects used extra working hours as before or within the estimated schedule as per the strategic quality planned. Time Schedule: The Contracting Department Manager could compare between the actual schedule and the planned one as per the strategic quality planned. So easily he could mark all the millstones which were delayed or achieved in advance. So by doing Check Sheet for the previous elements in every project, the things will be easier: 5.2 Recommend areas for improvement to a strategic quality change that align with organizational objectives (AC 5.2) Client Satisfaction : The client must be satisfied with WBG projects in all items so the contracting management must be careful to satisfy the clients give more efforts and expenses even if it’s out a little bit of the main scope because if the client is satisfying, sure the company will be in his priority in the next projects. Safe the employees : The contracting management must appreciate the employee’s efforts by sending thanking mails and give some days off to relax before transfer them to the next project. And in case there is no new project, they could send the employees for open vacation without terminate them so the Staff will increase their loyalty to the company. Paper works : The contracting management must ensure that all activities and lesson leaned are registered daily to give good feedback and lessons for the future. Share the benefits : The contracting management must give Bonus to the employees which aims to increase their efforts in implementation of strategic quality plan. References Quality.co.uk, (2015).The Quality Manual Management Network. [online] Available at: http://www.quality.co.uk/ [Accessed 3 Jan. 2015]. Bsigroup.com, (2015).ISO 9001 Quality Management | BSI Group. [online] Available at: http://www.bsigroup.com/en-GB/iso-9001-quality-management/ [Accessed 12 Jan. 2015]. BusinessDictionary.com, (2015).What is total quality management (TQM)? Definition and meaning. [online] Available at: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/total-quality-management-TQM.html [Accessed 11 Jan. 2015]. Tutorialspoint.com, (2015).Basic Quality Tools. [online] Available at: http://www.tutorialspoint.com/management_concepts/basic_quality_tools.htm [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Bia.ca, (2015).Strategic Quality Planning. [online] Available at: http://www.bia.ca/strategic-quality-planning.htm [Accessed 13 Jan. 2015]. Total Words: 2,992 [1]

Essay --

Bees are vital to our ecosystem and human society. They provide economically valuable pollination service. Roughly 90% of the world’s plant species are pollinated by bees. Without pollination by animals, most flowering plants would not reproduce sexually and humans would lose food and other plant products. In particular, honeybees remain the most valuable pollinators of crop monocultures worldwide. However, in recent years there has been an observation of honeybee decline. Around 2006 many beekeepers around the world began to notice that their honeybees are disappearing. This was a mystery that caught scientists’ attention. They entitled this mystery: colony-collapse disorder (CCD) (Walsh 2013). This disturbing trend continues until now - honeybees are still dying progressively. One - third of U.S. honeybee colonies disappeared during the past winter. Beekeepers experienced tremendous losses that went above 42%. As a result, the colony loss is putting intense pressure on the industry and agriculture. Scientific investigations of CCD suggest that microbial pathogens are causally involved (Suryanarayanan 2013). Different scientific studies that have identified different sets of associated microbial pathogens have suggested that the discovered pathogens are secondary infections, with the primary cause yet to be found. Scientists have been suggesting many theories on bee decline. Agricultural pesticides were considered as the most obvious suspects and specifically popular chemicals known as Neonicotinoids. Other theories were focused on bee killing pests or a varroa destructor - a parasitic mite that has ravaged honeybee colonies since it was accidentally introduced in U.S. in the 1980s. (Walsh 2013). The imp... ...erdose of insecticides near the hives of the bees. Adolescent bees, living in hives contaminated by pesticide, have their body surfaces and fat tissues poisoned with these substances. Besides leading to bee deaths, insecticides used in agriculture for combat work also causes the problem of residues remaining from chemicals used as varroacides. Bromopropylate, coumaphos (perizin) and melathion are typical examples of varroacides, whose residues have been examined in bee products such as honey. These chemical are oil-soluble and volatile. The impact of parasites and viruses on bees The varroa mite or varroa distracter is currently the most serious parasitic mite on honeybees. This parasite is feeding on the hemolymph of immature and adult bees (Harbo and Harris, 2001) .It causes many biological effects like weight loss, malformation and short lifespan of honeybees.

Windows Me :: essays research papers

An Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) version of Windows ME is a special release product made available for computer Manufacturers. OEMs can customize these versions of Windows ME specifically for their hardware and software. The Setup procedures and requirements outlined in this document may be different if you have an OEM version of Windows ME. For more information, read the documentation that came with your computer or contact your computer manufacturer. ========================================= IF WINDOWS ME DOES NOT START IN SAFE MODE ========================================= Any of the following conditions can cause Windows ME not to start in Safe Mode: - Your computer is infected with a virus. Run up-to-date anti- virus software to check for a virus and clean your computer if necessary. - Your computer's CMOS settings are not correct. Check your computer's CMOS settings to make sure they are correct. Note that you may need to contact the computer manufacturer to verify these settings. - There is a hardware failure. Note that you may need to contact the computer manufacturer for more information about your hardware. - There is an error on your computer's hard disk. See "Using ScanDisk to check your hard disk." - There is an error in the Windows registry. See "Using the Windows Registry Checker." Using ScanDisk to Check Your Hard Disk -------------------------------------- If you suspect there may be file corruption or other problems with your hard disk(s), run ScanDisk to check for and repair errors. To check all your hard disks for errors: 1. At the command prompt, type: scandisk /all 2. Press ENTER. To perform a full surface scan of your hard disk(s) for maximum protection against data loss: 1. At the command prompt, type: scandisk /all /surface 2. Press ENTER. Using Windows Registry Checker ------------------------------ If you are still unable to start Windows ME in Safe Mode, run the Windows Registry Checker (Scanreg.exe) tool, as there may be a problem with the system registry. To start the Windows Registry Checker: 1. At the command prompt, type: scanreg /restore 2. Press ENTER. Scanreg may not be available if Windows ME has not been successfully installed on your computer. ========================================================= IF SETUP STOPS AND WINDOWS ME WILL NOT START IN SAFE MODE ========================================================= The following section explains what you can do to recover from a failed Windows Setup. For more information about other Setup problems, see the Setup.txt file in the Win9X folder of your Windows ME CD. If you encounter any of these error messages while running Setup: - Invalid system disk - Incorrect MS-DOS version - Missing or corrupted Command.com it is likely that your computer's startup drive needs updated

Equal Rights for Lebanese Women Essay example -- Equal Rights Womens

Equal Rights for Lebanese Women Throughout history, women have been dominated by men, and were not given their human rights, simply because they were women. Nevertheless, starting the eighteenth century, some women started showing their dissatisfaction with their unfair conditions. They came to realize that since they were human beings, then they must have equal rights as men. In this paper, I intend to show the historical back ground of the earliest women’s movements in the world, and to state the major achievement of these movements. Finally, I would like to throw some light on the changes in the status of women in Lebanon. Women have not been sleeping when it came to their rights. However, women have not been able to anything about their rights for several reasons. For example, the role of women was to take care of the home while the husband was winning bread for the family. In addition to this, very few women could read and write, and therefore, they did not have the means to express themselves, or to start organized actions. With the rise of equality of all men and democracy by the end of the eighteenth century, the cause of women started, particularly in the year 1792 when the first feminist publication was written by Mary Wollestonecraft, a British woman who was devoted to the cause of liberating women from their chains. The famous publication was known as the vindication of the rights of women. According to this publication which is the first organized step towards women’s liberation, the aim of women’s movements would be to eliminate the sexual discrimination against women on the po litical, economic and social level, so that women would have equal rights to men (Grolier, 1). â€Å"Grolier Electronic Publishing† shows that the first problem women faced was suffrage. While men were able to vote and to participate in the political life, women were not. Therefore, the efforts were united and aimed at winning the right to vote. Consequently, in 1903, the women social and political union (WSPU) was established with its main goal as winning the right of suffrage for women. The Union was under the leadership of Emmiline Panhurst who was able to lead her fellow women in Britain in demonstrations that protested against the inequality of men. The British Public opinion was divided and many women were arrested and send to jail for their participation in... ...rticipate in very few of these activities if they do at all, and the woman is left to finish them all without regard to her need for rest (Tax, 230). In conclusion, the history of the women’s movements is a strong example on the struggle of women for centuries in their attempts to attain their freedom, humanity and equality. The struggle has not yet come to an end, and the road to success is still very long and full of challenge. Nevertheless, women will always have the hope and faith in what they are doing, because they know it is right. After all, human equality is the most basic right of all human beings, males and females. Bibliography Densemore, Dana. â€Å"On The Temptation to Be a Beautiful Object.† In Salper, Roberta ed. Female Liberation. New York: Alfred Knopf, 1972. Giele, Janet Z. â€Å"Women’s Movements.† Collier’s Encyclopedia. 1992. Vol. 23.: 388-90. Samara, Maha. â€Å"Lebanese Women Witness to War.† Al-Raida, November 1, 1987, vol. 8.: 9-11. Tax, Meredith. â€Å"Woman & Her Mind: The Story of Daily Life.† In Salper, Roberta ed. Female Liberation. New York: Alfred knof, 1972. ----------. â€Å"Women’s Rights Movements.† Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc., 1995: 1-2.

Family Life and Kinship Relations Essay

Introduction: The early Mizo society was a simple tribal society which had no known contact with her neighboring civilizations until the eighteen century. The great majority of Mizoram’s population is several ethnic tribes who are either culturally or linguistically linked. The society was strictly patriarchal and patrilineal with a well-defined culture of its own. Children grow up with their parents and paternal grandparents. No serious distinction is made between boys and girls during early childhood. Female infanticide ended more than sixty years ago. Mizos put much emphasis on teaching the child to develop a sense of group cooperation and Christian values. The Mizos are close-knit society with no class distinction and no class discrimination on grounds of sex. Ninety percent of them are cultivators and the village functions as a large family. Birth of a child, marriage in the village, and death of a person in the village are important occasions and the whole village would typically become involved. The Mizo tribe is a fast developing tribe as this is evident from the fact that after the Christian Missionaries set foot in Mizoram in 1894, almost every Mizo had adopted the Christian faith. However while there was development in one field, people gradually seemed to be discarding their old customs and ways of life due to the influence of Christianity and modernization. Family life: The Mizo follow the patriarchal form of society, the line of family tree is reckoned from the side of the father. They do not distinguish between household and family. The people who live together under one roof and eat from the same hearth belong to one family. The average size of a family is between six and seven people. The nuclear family is the common type. The vertico-horizontal type of family tends to split into two sections, the nuclear family and the stem family. The life of the vertico-horizontal type of family is the shortest. This Ego-centered cyclic change is a unique feature. Usually the family comprises of the father and the mother and several children. Sometimes we may also find the sister of the father living with them or at times a relative may also be living with them. Domestic unit – In the early Mizo society, there was a clear-cut boundary as regards the duties to be performed by men and women. The women know very well what duties they are assigned to and vice-versa – one will not interfere with the duties of the opposite sex. They perform their activities well and even a family who happens to be very poor will not go begging but will instead try to support oneself seeking the help from others which appeared to be very respectful, and it was considered very disgraceful to go begging. Status – The status of the mother in a family may be difficult to explain. In a word it can be said that she is in charge of the house, and thus she occupies the most important position in the family, because it is she who looks after the children, manages food and clothing for the family and arranges earthen pots etc. She looks after the domestic animals such as pigs and the chickens. The father however, is the head of the family and it is he who makes all the decisions. He looks after all the work other than the house hold and it is his duty to see that everything is in order. Naming a child: While naming a child there is no restriction in the case of a child born in the family of the chief. An infant can bear any name which the parents may wish for him/her. But in the case of the general community naming their child is a difficult task because they have to be careful not to offend their chief with their selection of certain names which the chief may not favor. One significant features in Mizo names which distinguishes a male from a female is that the names of females usually end with the alphabet ‘i’ and ‘a’ for that of a male though again there are certain clans and sub-clans who do not follow this pattern. Another feature of Mizo names is that one cannot notice to which sub-tribe one belongs to just by looking at one’s name because there is no mention of it. After the advent of Christianity one remarkable change in the Mizo society was the style of composing names from that of naming a child after great warriors or after some great deeds they accomplished to names composed on the line of Christianity or Christian values and it may not be wrong to say that the new generation of Mizo sub-clans started including the names of the clan to which they belong to at the end of their names. Kinship relations: Among the Mizos, there is a clear distinction between kinship by descent and kinship by marriage, although kinship is reckoned and recognized on both lines. As a patrilineal society, the rule of descent is strictly based on the male line only. In the traditional system, a woman was recognized, even after marriage, by her patri-clan name. Thus, all the children acquired membership in their father’s clan group which might be a localized group or might spread horizontally over many villages, and could never acquire membership in their mother’s clan group except by a kind of adoption in which case they would not attain true membership in the politico-jural field. Thus, recruitment to any clan among the Mizo has been strictly based on descent through the father’s line only. The pattern of inheritance, rules of succession and residence closely followed the system of descent. Among all clans, the rules of succession required that the youngest son should be the proper heir, although other male children also had a share in the family property. As the other male children did not have coparcenary right over the family property except to demand a split of household non-durable goods and properties, in many instances, this forced them to split from paternal family soon after marriage, especially after the first child was born, and started a new family of their own. Mutual relations – The husband-wife relationship in the traditional Mizo society was never mutual companionship but avoidance even to talk to each other in public except in a dispassionate way. However, this did not seem to reduce the mutual bond and love created by marriage. Contrary to husband-wife relations, the relationship between the mother and son was one of affection. The affectionate relationship to mother and son and the selfish attitude of the mother to brand the daughter-in-law as outsider was instrumental in the early split of older male children from the natal family. The youngest son was expected to stay out with the parents and look after the old parents and family properties. Inheritance: The Mizos being patriarchal, property is inherited by men rather than women. The family property usually goes to the youngest son although the father may leave shares to other sons, if he desires. If a man has no sons, his property is inherited by the next kin on the male side. If a man dies leaving a widow and minor children, a male relation (who usually happens to be a brother of the deceased) takes charge of the family and looks after the property until one of the sons comes of age. If no such male relative is around, then the widow acts as a trustee of her husband’s property until such times as his son or sons are old enough to inherit it. However, although the youngest son of the family is the natural or formal heir to his father under the Mizo customary laws, in actuality the paternal property is generally divided among all sons. The youngest of them gets a preferential treatment in that he would get the first choice of the articles, and he would get two shares of the cash in case of one each for the other brothers. Women did not have any legal claim on the family property except a small share at the time of marriage which they carried with them as a form of dowry. However, a daughter or a wife can inherit property only if the deceased has no heir on the male side. They are entitled to their own property. The dowry, called thuam, she gets during the marriage from her parents is exclusively her own property. However, a written ‘will’ formally executed may now confer woman the right to inherit the family property. This is a happy to the traditional customary laws. Social Change: The general societal changes have affected the family structure in many ways which may briefly be described as follows: * Dominant form of family in the present Mizo society is neither nuclear nor extended though both of the two have always existed. A family consisting of a married couple with unmarried children without any other relatives or lodgers in the household can always be seen. On the other hand, a family consisting of married couple and their married and unmarried children with grand-children and great grand-children is also existed. But the dominant form of family consist not only the primary kins but also other relatives or lodgers. Therefore, the form of family system in modern Mizo society may be understood as a continuous cycle of three different forms. * Authority structure within the family is characterized by decisive role played by female members in the process of decision-making though the father of a house can be said to have wielded dictatorial power over the family. In fact, all the members of the family participate in the process of decision making especially in the matter relating to major events or decisions of the family. With the gradual disappearance of division of labor between man and woman within the family structure, women are gaining more and more power and have become independent in several ways. * A traditional husband-wife relation which was characterized by avoidance and dispassionate interaction was disappearing. The relation becomes emotional, caring even in public and is based more on equal standings. This has been made possible by cultural modernization which emphasizes individual’s freedom. * Rule of succession and of inheritance strictly follow the rule of descent which is strictly based on the male line only. Nevertheless, the traditional rule of succession to family property has assumed significant change in actual practice in recent times; and it is no longer the exclusive monopoly of the youngest male child to acquire the right to inherit family property. Any male child who gain the favor of his parents ant its loyal to the family tradition may become the inheritor. However, there is a tendency practically observable in which female members are given certain portion of share in her father’s family properties. Therefore, the rule of inheritance seems to be undergoing practical modification in favor of women. * Traditional kinship relations dominated by a strong mutual obligation between members of the same descent group seem to be disappearing. Kinship relation within the descent group is now dominated not by mutual obligations but by personal preference. Under the changing circumstances, the mother’s father’s group is becoming important kinship group for the ego. Conclusion: The Mizo society, which was formally a little known society, have undergone tremendous changes during the last hundred years, and the processes of modern innovative change are still ongoing processes penetrating each and every corner of the life of the people transforming penetrating each and every corner of the life of the people transforming the traditional simple society into a differentiated, modern society. General trends which have been observable in modern society which are observable to trends experienced in other societies are a decline in influence of corporate kin group, forms of family system, an increase in women’s rights, authority structure within the family, more sexual freedom and the rules of inheritance. Factors which have been contributing for changes in family structure have been supported back and strengthening back by the family structure which all these factors helped to change. Although Christianity brought about a near-total transformation in the Mizo lifestyle and outlook some customary laws have stayed on. BIBLIOGRAPHY: * Mizoram: Society and Polity (1996) – C. Nunthara. * Kinship system of the Lushai (1960) – B.B. Goswami. * Changing family structure among the Mizos in Mizoram: A study in Aizawl District – P.C. Lalawmpuia. * Culture and folklore of Mizoram – B. Lalthangliana. * www.mizoram.nic.in * www.wikipedia.com

Is Classical Approach to Management Obsolete? Essay

Introduction Management is one of the most important parts contributing to the success of an organization. By understanding which managerial activities are actually effective, a manager could choose the best way appropriate for his application to his company. Many studies about classical school theories have been undertaken so far to examine the effective management approach. However, a major problem with the classical approach to management is human dimension ignored will result in inefficiencies (Anthony Boland, 2012). This essay will attempt to identify the weaknesses of dismissing human motivation and explain the important of it by using other experts’ advocacies. The analyses of classical theory Classical management approach is the first theory about management based on the experience of famous experts for engineer industry. While scientific management’s purposes are in justification and control of employees in the same method with a justification and control for machines by engineers (Sheldrake, 2000), human motivation is more needed in recent years, which is considered to be a vital part contributing to an organisation’s prosperity. In the view of scientific approach, workers were considered to be as akin to machines and with favour in larger production volume at whatever human cost (Sheldrake, 2000). This leads to the decline in attendance and the organisation’s performance. Satisfaction seems to be involved with motivation. Therefore, this managerial approach can lead to negative outcomes such as a decrease in how effectively they work a decline in efficient production and a higher absenteeism rate. In this case, demotivation may discourage creativity and innovation which are significant important factors that give rise to the company’s development. Kets de Vries  suggested that more choices for workers to choose freely, physiological needs and enjoyment needs were the emphasis of higher set of motivational needs, instead of being controlled by authorities of which they are unaware (Mullins, 2007). This will resulted in becoming the best-performance company where satisfaction of employees can be created by being a part of an organisation and as a member of a group not individual. Additionally, better ideas and decision making can be gained from the employees’ contributions (Marcouse, 2011). Notwithstanding, earlier theories written by F. W. Taylor highlighted â€Å"people work for only one reason: money† (Marcouse, 2011), Saunders pointed out that if people of long time ago preferred to be judged as high as their bonuses, recently, fulfilling their psychological needs were turning out to be valuable, such as holiday arrangement, job breaks and opportunity of flexible working hours and homeworking are now on the priority list (Mullins, 2007) Coclusion Although maintaining the focus on achieving the aims and prosperity is the most important aspect of the managerial activities which is defined in classical school (Sheldrake, 2000), this may be ineffective in other particular circumstances in which there is a need for high job satisfaction in more recent years. References Marcouse, I., Surridge, M. and Gillespie, A. (2011). Business Studies for A level. (4th ed). London: Dynamic Learning. Mullins, L.J. (2010). Management & Organisational Behaviour. (9th ed.). Harlow: Pearson Education Limited. Sheldrake, J. (2000). Management theory: from Taylorism to Japanization. London: Thomson Learning.

Analysis of Fdr’s Address to the Nation After Pearl Harbor

An Essay on Franklin Deleno Roosevelt’s â€Å"Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation† also known as â€Å"The Day of Infamy Speech† English Part One General Program, Section 2 Assignment 1-5 Kristen Roberts Student Number JM1300012 April 1, 2013 On December seventh, 1941 hundreds of Japanese planes began an attack on the US naval base in Honolulu, Hawaii. The attack lasted two hours. The loss of battleships, planes and equipment was tremendous.But, the lives of over 2,000 soldiers that were lost and another 1,000 plus that were injured was a major factor in the thoughts that led up to the president, Franklin Roosevelt’s speech to the nation and the United States declaration of war against Japan. Mr. Roosevelt delivered his speech on December eight, 1941. The most famous quote from his speech is arguably â€Å"Yesterday, December 7th, 1941, a date which will live in infamy. † Mr. Roosevelt’s purpose in his address to the nation about Pearl Harbor was to allow the American people to have the knowledge of what had occurred the day before when the Japanese had attacked.He also used his speech to show the need to declare war on the Japanese. Roosevelt wanted to assure American’s he was aware of the peaceful relationship we had with Japan up until the air strike on Pearl Harbor. He explained our history with Japan and also made the argument that our government had no knowledge of the attack. He stated the attack had to have been planned because of his statement, â€Å"The distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. †Franklin Roosevelt used many words with similar meanings to assure the United States that our swift action against Japan was needed. He used the words â€Å"unprovoked attack,† â€Å"premeditated invasion† as well as â€Å"sudden and deliberate attack. † His behavior during his speech was very solemn and determi ned. He looked back and forth from the camera to his cabinet and all that were in the room with him at different times. He wanted to make sure each person felt he was talking to just them. Including those American who were watching on their televisions.He also wanted those who were listening on their radios to know his reasons for the speech. That is why he spoke very determined. My opinion of Frankin Roosevelt’s â€Å"Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation,† is that I think Mr. Roosevelt was right in everything he spoke about. He had been well informed of the situation and he wanted Americans to know what the government did each step of the way. He didn’t want anyone to be confused at the United States stand against the Japanese and why our nation was doing everything in our power to show the support of the people of our nation.

Singapore Footwear Analysis

Chapter 2 Market Analysis 2. 1. 1 Footwear Market Size The global consumption of footwear showed a steady growth between 2004 and 2007 but the global recession caused output volumes and consumer spending across a wide range of products, including footwear, to weaken in 2009. The USA, EU and Russian markets contracted in 2008 after good growth. Whereas the Asian and Brazilian markets continue to grow as a rising number of low-middle class people replace their flip-flops by closed shoes. A more important driving force to the global footwear market is the fast growth of very affluent people in the emerging economies buying luxury footwear.In 2008, the global footwear market was estimated at USD 201 billion and 7. 3 billion pairs, an annual average growth of 1. 4%, compared to USD 190 billion in 2004. The rising number of workingwomen, the trends towards casual footwear, the increasing affluence, and footwear as a fashionable status symbol, growing awareness about healthy and active life style, rising population and disposable income levels, were driving this growth. According to a new market report published by Transparency Market Research, the global footwear market was worth USD 185. billion in 2011 and is expected to reach USD 211. 5 billion in 2018, growing at a CAGR of 1. 9% from 2011 to 2018. Global spending is expected to be moderate in 2012, as industry revenue for the Global Footwear Manufacturing industry increases by 2. 2% in the current year to total USD 122. 9 billion, up from USD 107. 4 billion in 2007. This represents annualized growth of 2. 7% in the past five years. As consumer spending power in the United States, Europe and other parts of the world steadies, demand for basic, non-discretionary footwear will continue to remain low.Furthermore, Transparency Market Research also stated that, in the overall global market, Asia Pacific is expected to maintain its lead position in terms of revenue till 2018. It is expected to hold the largest share at 4 2% with 30. 1% of the global footwear market revenue share in 2018 followed by Europe with 21% of market share. 2. 1. 2 Footwear Market Segmentation The footwear market is segmented into Men, Women and Children. Women’s footwear, excluding athletic footwear makes up the industry's largest product segment, with an estimated 26. 3% of industry revenue in 2012.Due to rise of economic independence and demand, new products are being launched more frequently in the women’s footwear segment than the men’s and children’s sections. There is a large variety of footwear for women, which are categorized by types and styles. Most types of them are designed for specific activities but, on the other hand, in the same activity, there have many styles in it. For this reason, both of the categories are somewhat overlap. Therefore, in this chapter, women’s footwear is categorized into types as followed: * Athletic shoes * Boots * Casual shoes * Comfortable shoes Dres s shoes * Job-specific shoes * Office and Professional * Sandals * Specialty and Special Needs 2. 1. 3 Footwear Market Growth Rate Packaged Facts expects the global footwear market to grow at a substantially slower clip between 2008 and 2013 compared to previous years. The global economic environment will likely put a damper on consumer spending putting pressure on all measures of the footwear including frequency of purchase, unit consumption and pricing. Regionally, markets will be affected to varying degrees and at various points in time as the global economic slump orks its way through international markets. For instance, the Asia-Pacific region may take longer to slow down and may not be as severe as other regions. Global Footwear Retail Market Forecast, 2008-2013 (in billion $) Source: Packaged Facts On a unit volume basis, Packaged Facts expects global unit volume consumption is expected to reach 12. 1 billion pairs in 2013, which is equal to 3% growth thereafter the United St ates and Europe return to more modest growth rates and emerging economies see consumption rates rise. Global Footwear Retail Unit Volume Forecast, 2008-2013 (in millions of pairs)Source: Packaged Facts As a whole, the footwear Industry is in the mature stage of its life cycle. The number of producers is rising and there is still positive growth in both industry revenue and value added. However, the barriers to entry are not insurmountable. Since global population continue to increase, World Resource Institute expected world population to rise five-fold in 2050, and footwear is a product required by most customers in the world, therefore, a base level of footwear purchases will repeatedly exist. 2. Singapore Market – PEST Analysis In this chapter, PEST analysis is used to assess the current in Singapore market. Political and Legal, Economic, Social and Technological factors are examined and described. Before starting up new business in oversea, location is one of the important issues, which we have to seriously consider. As the crisis in both the US and Europe are affected the economy all around the world, Asia market is still in good condition besides it is easier for business to succeed when operating in a healthy business environment.As for Singapore, The World Bank-International Finance Corporation (IFC) has ranked it as the easiest place in the world to do business and ranks as the world’s top logistic hub. Singapore has stable, diversified, growing and supported by regulatory environment that is transparent and balanced. As a result, Singapore succeeding became one of the world's most prosperous countries with strong international trading links and with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe. 2. 2. 1 Political and Legal factorsDue to the government who has set up several organizations in helping the business system, in The 2011 Index of Economic Freedom, Singapore is ranked as the second freest economy in the w orld. According to the Corruption Perceptions Index, it also shows that Singapore is an enterprise friendly country as it consistently ranked as one of the least corrupt countries in the world. Moreover, In Singapore, the state has taken on the role of promoter and practitioner of Corporate Social Responsibility, a logical development in view of the dominant role of the government in the local economy.The Economic Development Board Act exists to stimulate the growth, expansion and development of Singapore’s economy. Likewise, the emphasis of the regulatory policy of Singapore Ministry of Finance (MOF), which related with Companies Act, Business Registration Act, Accountant Act and Currency Act, is mainly focusing on development rather than control. These benefits help offering a healthy business environment for both local and foreign invertors. Singapore’s government also has great influent on business environment by providing well-served air, sea and telecommunication s connectivity.One of the most essential connectivity is broadband network, which is sufficient for every business need. Singapore has one the world’s busiest port, with the hub for about 400 shipping lines to more than 700 ports worldwide. Not only seaport facilities, Singapore also has Singapore Changi Airport, which is renowned as worldwide leading air hub for its efficiency and excellent services in cargo handling. The congregation of superior infrastructure and global industry professionals has made Singapore of the best destination of doing business. . 2. 2 Economy factors According to the Ministry of Manpower of Singapore, in the past decade, Singapore’s economy grew by an average of 5% per annum. Singapore's small population and dependence on external markets and suppliers has pushed it towards economic openness, free trade and free markets. This, as well as government policies that patronize economic development, have been key success factors in Singapore's hi storically strong economic performance. Singapore has a highly developed market-based economy.It is open and has corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. Singaporean economy depends heavily on exports, information technology products, pharmaceuticals, and on a growing financial services sector. Real GDP growth averaged 5. 9% between 2007 and 2011. According to a report published by the World Bank, Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product was USD 239. 70 billion in 2011, about 0. 39 % of the world economy. Singapore GDP Source: www. tradingeconomics. om / World Bank Singapore is also known for low tax regime. The personal income tax rates start from 0% and are capped at 20% for residents while non-residents are taxed at a flat rate of 15%. The corporate income tax rate in Singapore is approximately 8. 5% for profit up to SGD 300,000 and a flat 17% above SGD 300,000. The GST or VAT rate is 7%. Moreover, there is no dividend tax, no estate duty, and no capital gains tax. The economy contracted 1. 0% in 2009 as a result of the global financial crisis, but rebounded in 2011.Over the longer term, the government hopes to establish a new growth path that focuses on raising productivity. Singapore has attracted major investments in pharmaceuticals and medical technology production and will continue efforts to establish Singapore as Southeast Asia's financial and high-tech hub. Share of GDP by industry Source: Department of Statistics Singapore As from the graphs above, even vary along with global economic situation, Singapore’s economy is considered as one of a great place to invest with strong emerging economy in every business sectors. . 2. 3 Social factors According to Department of Statistics of Singapore, the total population was 5. 31 million as at end-June 2012. There were 3. 82 million Singapore residents, comprising 3. 29 million Singapore citizens and 0. 53 million permanent residen ts, and 1. 49 million non-residents. Female residents outnumbered their male counterparts in Singapore further. The sex ratio was 970 males per 1,000 females in 2012. Chinese formed the majority at 74 % of the resident population, followed by the Malays with 13 % and the Indians with 9. %. The proportion of Singapore residents aged 65 years and over rose from 9. 3 % in 2011 to 9. 9% in 2012. Sex Composition of Resident Population Source: Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Age Distribution of Resident Population Source: Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore Singapore Residents by Age Group, Ethnic Group and Sex, June 2012 Source: Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, SingaporeSingapore Manpower Research and Statistics Department also stated that Singapore Nominal incomes rose strongly in 2011, amid a tighter labour market with more residents employed i n both professional, managerial, executive ; technician (PMET) and non-PMET jobs in 2011. The median monthly income from work of full-time employed residents rose by 8. 3% over the year to USD 3,249 in 2011, Taking headline inflation into account, the median income rose in real terms by 3. 1% in 2011. Distribution of Resident Labour Force by Age, 2001 and 2011 (As at June)Source: Manpower Research and Statistics Department, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore 2. 2. 4 Technology factors As Singapore proceeding into globalization and networked economies where competition and collaboration are in the same page, the presence of a strong technological infrastructure is crucial and unavoidable. The changes of technology are not only refer to the changes in production techniques, production equipment and communication, it also leads to improvement of production and services as well. Besides, it helps speeding up the movement of the information including improvement of the analysis information. Singapore’s extensive infrastructure set up is one of a fundamental attractiveness for foreign investment. According to the 2010 Infocomm Usage by Households and Individuals Survey, Singapore has put in place an advanced and reliable Infocomm infrastructure that has met the needs and demands of the economy and society. The proportion of resident households with Internet and broadband access at home reached 82%. The National Infocomm Infrastructure (NII) started as a key initiative of the IT 2000 Master Plan, with the building of a high-speed nationwide broadband network as a major milestone in its development.Again, Singapore has also grown to be one of the major global telecommunications hubs in the region and is well positioned as a hub for international capacity. Over the last few years, Singapore has also grown to be a trans-cable hub where regional submarine cable systems and international cable systems interconnect. In addition, Singapore government also emphasizes on i ts strength and makes the most of its electronic performances by providing useful resources and information online.For example, the Custom Office of Singapore provides e-service transactions through its website in order to facilitate all investors and remain as a global trade hub trusted by foreign trading partners and business operating in Singapore. 2. 2. 5 Conclusion From the factors analyzed above, it can be concluded that Singapore government has play an important role on its business success both domestic and international. With government’s policies, it has created an enterprise-friendly environment for invertors worldwide.Singapore extensive connectivity, together with a pro-business environment and legal and regulatory framework, make it an ideal circumstance for doing business. 3. Market trend Howard Davis, a professor of footwear design at Parsons School of Design, told Footwear News in 2005, â€Å"Self-adjusting shoes will be shoes of the future because the consu mer will demand real and serious comfort. † Not only comfort, the industry’s demand is primarily driven by fashion and demography. Newcomers with more fashionable product may thrive at the expense of a fading rival.The profitability of individual companies depends on their ability to design attractive footwear lines and remain at the forefront of consumers' consciousness. Consequently, designers attempt to combine comfort and style by using new technologies, with predictions that customized fit could be soon become more popular and more widely available. As for Thai footwear trend through the world financial crisis, the Department of Export Promotion has assessed the impact and suggested that Thai firms has to seek for new market replacement in order to gain and maintain market share apart from European and US market that are in their downturn.Other than maintaining the share, Thai firms have to be prepared to reap the opportunities from new impact of economy under the Asian Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. 4. Key Success Factors In order for March Shoes to accomplish its marketing objectives, the key success factors are the elements that are highly necessary. There are a few factors include: * Access to distribution channels * Access to targeted market * Understand actual customer behavior The key success factors might be changed from time to time, the company must continue to plan ahead beyond present needs, and keep pace with rapid technological changes.