Competitive Bidding Essay

Introduction An open and competitive procurement procedure begins with the promoter’s description of its requirements and an invitation to suppliers to indicate their interest in the contract and their professional capacity to fulfil it. The promoter then identifies potential suppliers and invites them to submit bids. After the bidding phase, most procurement systems require a public declaration of the competitors’ names and their bid prices and, ultimately, of the successful bidder. There is a wide variety of procurement procedures available for use in tendering when it comes to PPP arrangements. Many of these procedures have become prescriptive in nature. Many local governments follow standard procurement procedures drawn up by the International Federation of Consulting Engineers (FIDIC). However, most commonly PPP contracts are awarded as the result of some form of competitive bidding procedure. Designing a competitive bidding process – and getting the best possible result – is easiest when the product or service required is a fairly standard one and the technical outputs can be defined with reasonable certainty in the bidding documents. Particular attention, therefore, should be paid to providing good quality information to potential bidders and to the detailed design of the bidding process. Defining the procurement process Some initial decisions need to be made regarding the procurement and the bid evaluation process. It includes: Qualifying criteria for the evaluation and selection of shortlisted bidders Process for submission and evaluation Details of pre-submission conference or meeting and of other opportunities to ask questions or seek clarifications Indicative procurement schedule Other general instructions to applicants Application forms (as annexes) The choice of procurement method will depend on the government’s budget, capacity, desire to encourage innovation, need for high-level inputs, vulnerability to corruption, and objectives of the ppp project. Three main options, distinguished by the level of competition they create, are available: 1. Unsolicited proposals or direct negotiations. 2. Competitive negotiation. 3. Competitive bidding. Unsolicited proposals or direct negotiations When confronted with a unsolicited proposal, the government has three options: Direct negotiation to the offer.  Purchase the project concept then competitively tender among a range of bidders. Offer original proponent a predefined advantage in recognition of the value of the original proposal(bonus system)and open up bidding. Entering into a sole-source process can save government time and money and may alert government to an unrealized opportunity for ppp. However, sole-sourcing can encourage corruption through lack of transparency, and the cost benefits to competitive bidding are lost. Competitive negotiation. Competitive negotiation entail inviting a small group of bidders to a structured negotiation. The bidders are aware of the presence of the other bidders and there is pressure to obtain the best price. This arrangement is quicker and less expensive than full competitive process and can yield good prices. A time consuming procurement process may be seen as an opportunity cost to the private sector. This needs to be weighted against the degree of and value to transparency. 1. Competitive negotiations, another option of competitive bidding which generally involve the following stages: The government specifies its service objectives, and requests proposals from private operators for meeting these objectives. The government reviews the proposals and selects those that are technically responsive to the request proposals. The government then negotiates contract terms and conditions with the selected bidders. 2. Competitive negotiations may involve simultaneous negotiations with the objective of awarding one contract, or they may result in the award of several contracts. 3. Competitive negotiations are well suited to project in which technical variations are possible, there is much scope for innovation, and it would be difficult to secure project financing on the basis of standardized contract document. Advantages of competitive negotiations They permit bidders to be more creative and innovative. They reduce the incentive for bidders to deliberately underbid in order to win projects. They offer a richer means of screening bidders than price alone. Disadvantages Bids can be difficult to compare. Competition is less transparent than with competitive bidding. Competitive bidding process A competitive bidding process generally consists of: 1. public notification of the government’s intention to seek a private partner for the provision of, for example, water and sanitation services, including prequalification or a request for expressions of interest from private companies; 2. distribution of bidding documents and draft contracts to potential bidders; 3. a formal process for screening potential bidders and finalizing a list of qualified bidders; 4. a formal public process for presenting proposals, evaluating them, and selecting a winner. Different procedures for procurement include invitation to tender; and request for proposals (one- and two-stage processes). Formation of a Procurement Committee A Procurement Committee, often called a Tender Evaluation Committee, is formed for overseeing and conducting the bidding process. Typically, the Procurement Committee is formed with representatives from a number of MDAs with responsibility for the financial, legal and operational aspects of the project as well as the Bureau/Office of Public Procurement in order to have diversity and no one government group alone in charge of selecting the preferred bidder. The Committee appoints an in-house coordinator or an external consultant (Transaction Advisor) to manage the day-today aspects of the bidding process. However, the Procurement Committee itself (and not the coordinator or Transaction Advisor) is responsible for making the final determination of the preferred bidder. The Procurement Committee, in turn, could be divided into functional teams to focus on evaluation of specific aspects of the bidders’ proposals. For example, the Procurement Committee could have separate teams for undertaking technical review, legal review,  local preference review and financial review. The number of teams may depend upon the complexity of the project evaluation. Invitation to tender Generally, an invitation to tender is issued when the promoter knows exactly what it wants and how it wants to achieve its goals. Most often, the tender is issued and the lowest bidder is awarded the contract. Although this approach reduces the cost involved in developing a PPP, it may limit the promoter’s opportunities to view other, more efficient and/or more cost-effective options for delivery of the service. Request for proposals A request for proposals (RFP) is usually used when the promoter knows what it wants to achieve, but would like prospective partners to use their experience, technical capabilities and creativity to identify how the project objectives can best be met. One of the main differences between an RFP and an invitation to tender is that in an RFP the promoter is looking for value (that is, operating efficiency, cost-saving measures, innovations and so on), rather than the lowest bid. The request for proposals can be issued through either: a one-stage; or a two-stage process. The decision between having a single or a two-stage procedure for requesting proposals will depend on the nature of the contract, on how precisely the technical requirements can be defined and whether output results (or performance indicators) are used for selection of the contractor or concessionaire. If it is deemed both feasible and desirable for the contracting authority to formulate performance indicators or project specifications to the degree of precision or finality necessary, the selection may be structured as a single-stage process. In that case, after having concluded the pre-selection of bidders, the contracting authority would proceed directly to issuing a final request for proposals. Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) The RFEI is intended to provide the promoter with sufficient information to draft a clear RFP in cases when the local government has identified its  objectives, but may not have fully defined the project or service to be delivered. The use of an RFEI can assist in two ways: it reduces the time and expense involved in evaluating a larger number of proposals; and it improves the quality of proposals. In this sense, the RFEI is used to gain information to help in drafting the RFP. Request for Qualifications (RFQ) or Pre-qualification A RFQ is used in situations where the promoter and the project team have amore defined project, but do not know if there are any private sector partners with the resources, experience or interest to undertake the project. It is a step within a contract awarding procedure in which the party inviting the tenders selects the companies to participate in competitive bidding for the contract. To this end, potential participants in the competition are requested to submit information on their companies. The RFQ document is more specific than the RFEI document. In traditional government procurement it consists of the verification of certain formal requirements, such as adequate proof of technical capability or prior experience in the type of PPP, so that all bidders who meet the pre-selection criteria are admitted automatically to the tendering phase. Bidders should be required to demonstrate that they possess the professional and technical qualifications, financial and human resources, equipment and other physical facilities, managerial capacity, reliability and experience necessary to carry out the project. Qualification requirements should cover all phases of an infrastructure project, including financing, management, engineering, construction, operation and maintenance, where appropriate. Based on the pre-qualification results, a shortlist is drawn up of the companies eligible to compete. The bidders answer the RFQ with Expressions of Interest. The RFQ process is used as a â€Å"shortlisting† method to pre-qualify selected potential partners who will then receive the RFP. It is not designed to gain answers as to how the project will be completed. Depending on the pre-qualification requirements set out in the documents, different groups of companies will be selected. One recent trend is that pre-qualification requirements laid down by promoters such as local  governments have started to include not only the price and quality of the service they wish to procure, but also requests to address poverty, upgrade welfare and/or create employment opportunities. Often the bidding companies need to prove their recent experience with a previous assignment similar in nature and outcomes. Thus, the purpose of this stage is to enable the contracting authority to formulate its requirements in a manner that enables a final competition to be carried out on the basis of a single set of parameters. Put simply, this is an opportunity to ensure that in the final evaluation, the contracting authority is able to compare â€Å"apples to apples† rather than â€Å"apples to oranges.† Often local small businesses or community-based organizations are best suited to resolve a particular service delivery problem. In such cases, it is important not to leave the m out of the bidding process. One of the means through which this can be achieved is to simplify the tender documents. Obviously, pre-qualification, drafted without taking these potential bidders into account, could serve as an obstacle to the effective and innovative solutions to the existing problems. Meanwhile, the pre-qualifications can still be an effective mean pre-define the bidders for the RFP, when the criteria are correctly specified and weighted according to their value to the PPP project. Simplification of tender documentation The system of tender submission should not require too many forms of supporting information, which could be unnecessarily complicated for small businesses to complete satisfactorily. Besides, the administrative burden for smaller businesses in dealing with tender form requirements for government bodies is disproportionately greater and more expensive than for larger companies. Thus, the tender submission of documentation should be rationalized and simplified as far as possible to make it easier for small contractors to deal with the paperwork involved. However, this simplification of the documentation should not influence negatively the essence of the contract and the contractual obligations. Evaluation of Applications and Shortlisting of Bidders The applications are evaluated based on the technical and financial capabilities to implement the project as per the selection criteria given in  the RFQ. At this stage, the evaluation normally focuses on threshold criteria such that all proposals meeting the criteria are shortlisted for the next stage and all non-confirming proposals are rejected. A Pass/Fail approach is generally the preferred approach for evaluation of responses to the RFQ. However, a target number (3-5) of shortlisted bidders is usually preferred in order to ensure sufficient competition but not at the same time overcrowd the bidding process, and therefore sometimes only the highest qualifying firms will pass on to the full tender phase. If firms feel there are too many bidders, and thus the odds of winning are low, they will not participate in the full tender. Advantages of competitive bidding It ensures transparency. It provides a market mechanism for selecting the best proposal. It stimulates interests among a broad range of potential partners. It works best where outputs are standardized and all technical parameters can be clearly defined. It may encourage underbidding if renegotiation is possible later. The contract Regardless of the option selected, the essential elements to be included in a contract are: The parties to the agreement, Interpretation, sets forth the definitions of important terms and providing guidance on the interpretation of the contract’s provision’s: The scope, territorial jurisdiction and duration of the agreement, The objective of the contract, Circumstances of commencement, completion, modification and termination of contract; The rights and obligations of the contractor; The rights and obligations of the Government; The requirement for performance bonds to provide security for Government if the construction and service delivery falls below standards; Insurance requirements to provide security for the insurable matters; Government warranties; Private sector warranties: Consequence to a change in law; Service quality and performance and maintenance targets and schedules; The identification of regulatory authorities if any and the extent of their roles and authority; The responsibilities of the contractor and the Government with regard to capital expenditures; The form of remuneration of the contractor and how it will be covered, whether from fixed fee, fixed fee plus incentives or another arrangement; How key risks will be allocated and managed; The contractors right and responsibility with regard to passing through or entering public or private property; Reporting requirements; Procedures for measuring, monitoring and enforcing performance; Procedures for coordinating investment planning; Responsibility for environmental liabilities; Procedures for resolving disputes; Delay provisions describing what is and is not an excuse for a delay in construction and operations; Force majeure conditions and reactions; Procedures to be followed when either party to the PPP contract wishes to change any material portion of the contract; Indemnification circumstances; The right of each party to any intellectual property brought to the project or created during the project, including the steps to be taken to protect the intellectual property of third parties, such as information technology software manufacturers; Conflict of interests and dispute resolution; Description of the conditions under which either party may terminate the contract, the process to be undertaken in that regard, and the consequences to each party of a termination; The circumstances that may permit either the Government or any financial institution to â€Å"step in† to the contract to protect its rights under the PPP contract; Consequences of a change in the ownership or key personnel of the private partner; Mechanisms whereby the parties to the PPP contract will interact with each other going forward; Requirement that each party comply with all laws pertaining to the project, including obtainable environmental, zoning, planning and other permits; Conditions by which public sector employees are employed by the private sector contractor, including any restrictions on termination or redundancies for operational reasons; and Conditions precedent: describes any conditions  precedent to be fulfilled by either party before the contract takes effect. This list is i llustrative and does not capture every clause required in a contract. The final content of the contract will depend on the project scope, local legal requirement and precedent, and advice of legal advisors. It may include more elements as per demand of situation and size of the project. CONCLUSION PPP projects have lately become a popular operation model in public infrastructure development all over the world. Long-term contractual arrangements with PPPs change the traditional roles of the public and private sectors. Public sector bodies become clients and private sector bodies become service providers with a large responsibility of the project in question. PPP projects offer different kinds of benefits to both public and private parties. Both partnership parties also have different kinds of goals; however, the common goal is that both parties win. As the results in the text show, proactive law becomes relevant in contract law and contracting. Practicing proactive contracting requires more planning of legal relations. The goal is to prevent difficult future situations and avoid problems. Proactive contracting emphasizes contract preparation. That is why, for example, issues and questions concerning risks, risk management and creative contractual mechanisms play a significant role. In business relations, proactive contracting invites and gathers different professions to participate in a new type of co-operation. A common language has to be found, for example, between the people in companies with technical, financial, and legal backgrounds. In this way, it is possible to assess the possible risks and other critical contractual questions in the contract preparation phase. A partnership mindset is essential in PPP projects. A client and a project company form the main contractual relationship in terms of PPP projects. In addition to this, for example, a project company has several contracts with subcontractors. These partnerships are complex contractual relationships in which trust plays a big role. Co-operation requires constant care in the form of communication and reciprocal trust to strengthen it. Trust is achieved by th e companies and public sector representatives binding themselves to shared goals. Furthermore, once strong  trust has been built and established, firms may enjoy lower costs than those without such trust. In the business context, trust seems to be based partly on economic calculations and partly on the trusting party’s basic values as a human being. Each PPP project consists of several different contracts, so that they are actually a bundle of contracts. These contracts cover, for example, construction, financing, and services. PPP projects are long-term and very complex contractual arrangements which require careful and time-consuming preparation and negotiations. Dozens of different risks exist as well. As regards risks with PPP projects, the proactive way is the only reasonable way to handle and allocate them. This requires investments from the parties. As the results in the text show, changing circumstances play a significant role in long-term contracts and, for instance, in PPP projects in terms of contract law. It is sensible for the parties to prep are for changing circumstances. This requires proactive mindset and actions. In practice, this means that parties have to create flexible contractual mechanisms for contracts so that they can respond to possible changing circumstances in the future. These mechanisms can be, e.g. clauses concerning changes in official regulations and legislation, hardship, renegotiations, and force majeure. As the results in the text show, in Finnish PPP projects and their contractual arrangements, tailored contract clauses, insurances, securities, and guarantees have been used as tools for managing and allocating risks. It has also been noted that the most problematic situations arise when risks are not individualized. Problems also occur when a risk is individualized but the risk-bearing party is not determined. Proactive law and risk management play significant roles in PPP projects. Moreover, tailored contract clauses and mechanisms also have a great significance.

A Story from the Childhood That Is Reenacting My Life Today Essay

Years ago when I was a small kid, there was a point in time when I thought I was going to die or was going to live in a way other than other normal people. I accidentally cut my finger with a scissors by mistake while I was at my father’s work place for a visit. As a little child, I was very frightened by the look of blood and thought I was going to lose my finger or hand back then. My father used to be a banker working in one of the leading banks in Kuwait. I recall my father told me that he was going to be away for some time from his desk to do some important work and once he comes back he will get me chocolates and candy. While I was playing around at my father’s office I picked up a scissors and starting cutting papers and then I screamed as I have cut myself by mistake in my finger. Moments after, a colleague of my father ran into his office and helped me. His name was Ali. He helped me clear the blood quickly and was very supportive. I recall Ali’s response was exactly what a kid in such situation would hope for. He cared over me in delicate and nurturing manner. My whole world changed since that day, as a child I have developed love and respect to Ali and used to ask my father to take me to his office every school holiday to see Ali. I recall I used to prefer sitting in his office than staying at my father’s. I grew up having the same thoughts till the day I have graduated from high school as I have then decided to study Accounting and Finance in order to allow me to work in a bank and be a good caring person like the people I used to see when I was a child at my father’s work.

How did early Chinese philosophers come to have a long-lasting Essay

How did early Chinese philosophers come to have a long-lasting influence on the - Essay Example Chinese philosophy came to spread throughout the region specifically because of the political and military power of the Chinese kingdoms and later empire. At its height of political power, the Chinese empire was the most advanced in the Far Eastern region with a culture that was based on the teachings of its philosophers. The result was that many of the neighbouring states often sent their young people, especially from the aristocracy, to study in China and this resulted in their being especially influenced by the Chinese philosophers. When these individuals returned to their homelands, they brought back the philosophy that they had learnt with them and ensured its propagation among their people. Because it was the norm for the general population to imitate or follow the example of the ruling class, Chinese philosophy took root in the intellectual development of the region, with many schools of thought being developed for the purpose of ensuring that teachings of Chinese philosophers were further developed and propagated (Ebrey 42). In this manner, Chinese philosophers came to have an immense influence on the later intellectuals in the entire region and this situation also helped in the propagation of the cultural dominance of the Chinese in later years. Among the most influential reasons for the Chinese philosophers’ influence on the intellectual development of the region is that the region already shared a common religion in the form of Buddhism. The fact that a large chunk of the population practiced this religion ensured that Chinese philosophy could be easily accepted by the populations outside of the Chinese empire (Denecke 38). There were instances where Chinese philosophy came to be a part of the basic life of the people of the entire region and this was mainly through its spread by Buddhist monks and scholars.

Business Language Acquisition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Business Language Acquisition - Essay Example It is aimed at providing a required level of use of technical jargon associated with oil-related work and employment. This makes a good practice for enhancing speaking powers by employing the use of business terms related to oil issues. Debate will allow the audience to understand the use of technical terms and create a similar understanding, translation and usage of words. Extensive reading sessions will be held to introduce new topics and relevant issues. Any one executive will be selected to read out loud in the session and any other executive will be selected to summarize what has been read. Feedback will be welcomed from other executives present in the session. The reading materials provided will be related to oil extraction, foreign oil supply diversification and petroleum, oil and gas management studies. This will be an autonomous way of exploring writings on oil availability, oil fields, oil extraction processes, and technological advances around the globe, for both theoretical and practical perspectives on learning oil-related works. These will also serve as source texts for reflecting on learner autonomy in language learning. This can be carried out in two stages: This will help the executives to acquire abilities of effectively expressing their ideas using useful business terms and generate reports of their activities giving detailed and logical reasoning for successor manager to follow. 4. Research Papers The executives will be asked to fish out research materials on global happenings related to oil extraction, filtration and consumption and any other oil related issues and updates. Rationale This activity will not only enrich their knowledge and expertise in

Human resource management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Human resource management - Essay Example One such academician is Caroline Lloyd. In her article "Training and development deficiencies in high skill sectors" (2002), Lloyd raises concerns over the lack of training and development, and its impact on the UK’s competitiveness in the new knowledge economy. How grave the situation is, and what implications do Lloyds concerns have on the future of the UK labour market shall be analyzed in the following discussion. In Lloyds article, she presents the thesis that there is an acute need for emphasising on centrality of skills and training for the UK to compete in the new knowledge economy. Companies need to create learning environments so that employees will be able to adapt to the changing work requirements. This can be achieved through internal training and continuous vocational training. However, the current work environment does not meet these requirements. There are two explanations for the lack of training and development in organisations. Lloyd claims that one reason could be the market failure to provide individual training. This could be improved by providing a central incentive program for training employees, motivation for employers to develop their human capital and set up of best practice to influence employer behaviour. The second reason, as other academics provide, is because the UK is a relatively low skill economy. Employers are not competing in high end products in standardized markets. For this reason they are not motivated to develop their workers for higher progression. To alter this status quo of skill deficit, the government needs to implement policies to restructure the market and industries By using two companies from high value-added product markets, Lloyd establishes that despite the companies success in their product markets, they are constrained by their industrial environment. They are not motivated to invest in training and development, or set best practice standards in

Team Locomotive Charter Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Team Locomotive Charter - Assignment Example All of us have different skills and interests. But we decided to use our skills and interests in a fruitful manner so that each and every member of our team may benefit from the skills of others. As a group, we have created the shared goals of inspiring each member to pursue excellence inside and outside of the classroom. We also hope to improve our ability to communicate effectively as a diverse unit. Since we are from different parts of the world our effective communication might be obstructed by the language barriers. But we know that more than 80% of the ideas are communicated through nonverbal means. So language barrier may not affect us much. In addition, we hope to broaden our cultural horizons while learning how to effectively work as a unit. Globalization has brought many changes in the business world and most of the major companies are operating internationally now in order to exploit the business potentials in other countries. Even the biggest companies like Microsoft, Apple etc are looking for every expansion opportunities in other countries. Such internationalization of business has raised the importance of a multicultural workforce in organizations at present. It is difficult for Microsoft or Apple to operate in a country like India or China with the help of the Americans alone. They need a blend of the diverse workforce including the Americans, Indians, and Chinese in order to sustain their business successfully in these countries. Diversity in our group will definitely help us to learn more about how to work in a multicultural team environment and these learning may help us in our future endeavors also. Without establishing expectations, our goals would be nearly impossible to accomplish. We set our expectations high. We expect each member to attend each meeting unless an emergency arises. We also expect each member to put forth 100% at all times.

Defining the Evolution of Duties Among Social Workers Essay

Defining the Evolution of Duties Among Social Workers - Essay Example As the essay declares the changes which are made through the social welfare system change levels of accountability as well as legal approaches taken to working with others. The alterations made through each of these continue to evolve, specifically because of cases associated with rights as well as actions taken for or against social workers. Examining the various roles and how these have altered in recent years for social workers then creates a deeper understanding toward the current expectations of those within the social justice system. According to the report findings the professional mix which is created for those working as a professional social worker continues to alter because of regulations and policies which are implemented. The alterations are specific to finding innovative ways and measures of working with other professionals as well as with the duties which are expected by workers. It is noted that there are dual roles which are carried by social workers. The first is to the interest of the social work, specifically with the judicial and legal roles as well as the expected duties which need to be performed in relation to the judicial system. The second role is based on meeting the client needs and expectations while assisting with the social and personal values that are expected among social workers. The duties then become based on making ethical decisions that best serve the interests of both roles while developing a sense of value neutrality toward both sides to ensure that the correct human rights and a lternative goals are met. (Dolgoff, Loewenberg, Harrington,2012). The modernist approach which is taken is further defined because it is a state mediated profession within the statutory sector. The result is that there is a set of discrete behaviors that are performed within the profession and which are expected to match with the state regulations that are performed. This is followed with the professional treatment model. This shows that as long as one is able to follow the state expectations, there is not difficulty in meeting the agenda of the state and in regulating specific aspects of the judicial system (Brayne, Carr, 2010: 57). Even if there is a sense that a client needs a different aspect relating to a case, a sense of subordination begins to appear, specifically to begin to change and alter the way that the social workers look at the organization and expectations which appear. Structural and ideological changes, modernization agendas with New Labor and Human Rights Acts and other legalities change the entire structure of the social work and the professional duties, creating alterations with the code of ethics, performance and the restrictive use of Fair Access to Care Services. These dilemmas are then created by asking professional social workers to continue to meet the agenda, demands and judicial duties within the social worker system (Harris, White, 2009: 132). The changing government regulations then meet with the expectations for codes of ethics that are defined for social workers. It is noted that there are two sets of ethics that are defined among social workers, including principle based and virtue based. The principle based comes with the judicial system, specifically which identifies each social act creating expectations and alterations to those that are going through the justice system. The judicial system regulates concepts such as human

Relatively low number of women in parliaments Essay

Relatively low number of women in parliaments - Essay Example India is the second most heavily populated country in the world and more over the largest democratic country in the world. However, even after 60 years of independence, Indian parliament failed to give the proper representation to the women community in India. India was ruled by only once by a women prime minister: Mrs. Indira Gandhi. The current Indian president and parliament speaker are females. Even then the representation of women in Indian parliament is negligible at present. The cases are not different even in some of the highly developed democratic countries like UK and USA. In UK, only 18% of the total parliamentary seats hold by the women. There are many social, cultural and political reasons for the underrepresentation of women in the parliament. â€Å"The arguments in favour of increasing women’s participation in politics rely on 3 principles: Firstly, on democratic justice, secondly, on resource utilisation and thirdly, on interest representation† (Aggio, 2 001, p.3). Neither the God, nor the nature never ever asked the human to treat the women community in a different manner. In fact the dominant male community using their superior muscle power suppressed the weaker female community needs. It is impossible to the current word to develop properly if we neglect the contributions of the half of our population; the women community. ... Reasons for the underrepresentation of the women in parliament The reasons for the underrepresentation of women in politics can be understood in the case of totalitarian or autocratic countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Myanmar, North Korea or Cuba. However, it is difficult to believe that even in democratic countries, the representation of women in the political decision making bodies or parliament are negligible. â€Å"Democracy cannot afford to be gender blind† (Fogg, 2006, p.24). Democracy ensures equal opportunities to all in principles; however these principles often stay on papers alone. India, one of the largest democracies in world, recently tried to ensure at least 33% of women representation in Parliament. An ordinance was presented in the parliament in order to ensure at least 33% women participation in parliament; however, the stiff resistance from some of the prominent political parties and fundamentalists prevented the Indian parliament form passing such an ordi nance. From the above descriptions, it is clear that one of the major reasons for underrepresentation of women in parliament is the male domination in the society. Even though, in principles, most of us agree the ideas of giving equality to the women; however, when it comes to practice, most of the male community object it. By nature, the male community has a dominant attitude towards the female community. For men, the responsibilities of the females are limited to the boundaries within walls of the home. The above belief has changed slightly in recent times and many of the females started to work in offices and other professional organizations just like men. Many feminists’ movements contributed heavily to bring the women out of the walls of the home. Even then, male

How could leadership be effective Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

How could leadership be effective - Assignment Example The importance of communication cannot be avoided in cases when there is team work and multiple units involved in the progress and project. Lack of communication can cause havoc and failure of the entire project. The goals achievement was made possible through reliable, and in time communication. Delay in communication or slight miss communication can cause serious disturbances in the entire process and project. Communication is the back bone of any project and process. They can either halt the progress or initiate absolute progress and wonders in the project. The secret to success of any project is its level of communication. In this case the success can also be attributed to the good level of communication. Path and task clarity allowed providing clear direction. Implementing it enables practical demonstration of work that will work as an example and hence help the followers and team mostly achieving the objectives. Only knowing where to go ahead can lead us to destination, going a t random with no specific direction in might and sight leads the unit, the project and individuals nowhere. It is the utmost priority of the leader to ensure that the path is determined, and so are the members aware of the path. IN case of leader member exchange, productivity and creativity is highly probable since this theory and concept of work is loosely based on exchange of ideas between the top head, which is the leader himself and the members who work underneath the leader but for same purpose. Hence leader member exchange method was also of great use in the entire process. For the principle of leadership ethics, it is the element of morality introduction inside the working unit. This helps enabling the workers to work on pure professional lines, with utmost honesty and sincerity. Leaders lead by example in every discipline of the team and task, most important of them all is the ethical aspect. Ethical aspect fulfillment helps keeping the entire accounts and details in check a s well as ensuring good practices in the unit. Team leadership is a collective approach. Using this helps in many ways, firstly each of the member holds equal responsibility, if not equal at least some proportion of responsibility and answering at the end of the project and task. Transformational leadership involves incremental progress. Adopting it in an organization requires time because the leaders try to bring the best out of individuals in an ascending manner. †¢ Describe how your view of leadership evolved as a result: Leadership is a developmental process. No one can become a leader in a fortnight; instead these qualities creep into an individual with time. There is a concept of born leaders, however in modern times this trend and concept is slightly modified. With so many developmental processes, mechanical approaches and industrial frame works, there is always a need for nurturing, training and guiding. Leadership is a interesting journey and a challenge in its own. Be ing in the shoes of leader brings about many responsibilities with itself as well as perks and privileges. The sense of leading, followed by delivering the goals is one of those special feelings that an individual can experience. The entire process gave an insight into the concept of leadership and the personality of leader. Though not singly but leader is highly responsible for the success and failure of the project. A good leader can bring the project out of nowhere and make it a success, while an average leader or one

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

Papaer 1 - Research Paper Example She also discovers websites with people struggling to commit suicide. Cecilia then establishes an online chat with a 17 year old suicidal girl from South America. The girl is on a suicide trail with the enticement of a purportedly young nurse by the username, Li Dao. They make a concord to hang themselves together at a specific time in front of a webcam. As Cecilia later realizes, the nurse turns out to be a middle aged man named William. William masks himself as Cami D, Falcon Girl and Li Dao. The evidence provides a platform for inquiry into one of the most alarming computer crime syndicates. The section expounds the basic connection between interactive motivational typology and the crimes perpetrated by the computer1. On a wider scale, the section elaborates the elements of humanity that can be enticed to motivate a suicide attempt. The motives for any criminal activity are dependent on a particular technology. There are psychological behavioral motives that motivate a criminal activity. Power assurance is a behavioral motive that restores the poise of low-confidence individuals. They perpetrate criminal activities through online molestation and blackmailing of their victims2. Andrew Archambeau, a 32 year old male stalker, molests a lady she meets through an online dating cite. They meet personally and after the romance goes bad, Andrew molests her via emails. Profit driving motives are the source of most computer crimes. Offenders seek to gain from the computer crimes by defrauding their victims. In a case study, Vladimir Levin, a computer guru, defrauded a major bank of Russia funds through a fraud system. The motivators of suicidal computer crimes suffer from rage punitive, atrocious and devious behavioral motives. The case of Andrew reaches the police attention. The police warn Andrew to seize her actions. However, he proceeds with the behavior. The assistant county prosecutor charges Andrew under the law

Focus Group Essay Example for Free

Focus Group Essay Qualitative research Definition- it is a research, which is undertaken using an unstructured research, approach with a small number of carefully selected individuals to produce non-quantifiable insights into behavior, motivations and attitudes. Qualitative and quantitative research as two distinctly separate bodies of research – many studies encompass both approaches, with qualitative research being used to explore and understand attitudes and behavior, and quantitative research being used to measure how widespread these attitudes and behaviors are. Qualitative research can be used when managers need exploratory research. Managers use exploratory research to understand customer attitudes, emotions, preferences and behaviors. It can also be used in new product development or creative development research. Individual depth interview It is an interview that is conducted face-to-face, in which the subject matter of the interview is explored in detail using an unstructured and flexible approach. As with all qualitative research, depth interviews are used to develop a deeper understanding d of consumer attitudes and the reasons behind specific behaviors. This understanding is achieved through responding to an individual’s comments with extensive probing. The flexibility of this probing sets this interview approach apart from oter questionnaire-type interviews. Although there is an agenda of topics to be covered, the interviewers will use their knowledge of the research objectives, the information gained from other interviews and the comments of the respondent to select which parts of the dialogue with the respondent to explore further, which to ignore, and which to return to later in the interview. Not only is the depth interview flexible, it is also evolutionary in nature. Focus group Focus groups are depth interviews undertaken with a group of respondents. It is different to individual interviews in the number of respondents and interaction between participants. Several factors affect focus group Recruitment is a very critical element of group discussions and has long been a major quality-control issue in the UK marketing research industry. Group discussions are unlikely to achieve their research objectives if the wrong types of participant are recruited. The research proposal will set out the type of participants required for a group discussion. For example, if Colgate is researching a new type of toothpaste for a sensitive teeth. Their specification may request respondents who regularly purchase toothpaste with sensitive protection function. Respondents age (for example 25-64), living area, etc. Managers can also use Screening questionnaire to identify suitable respondents for its group discussion. The area that respondents are recruited normally should be in street or telephone interviews. The location that group discussions were held should let respondents feel comfortable. Locations such as viewing rooms or hotels for business should have no special facilities apart from audio type recorder. Food or snacks will also be provided to assist in relaxing the atmosphere. Time to hold the discussion should be well scheduled. Times should be available to target group. For example, outside working hours, times of available public transport etc. The number of groups should be 3-4. As the 3rd and 4th group can used to exam atypical views. * There are problems involving focus groups. For example in the case of overlapping dialogues from different speakers which may affect the transcript. * Moderators must learn to control such people and encourage those less willing to speak up and let their opinions be heard. Comparing to traditional group discussion, online group discussion or chat room is becoming popular. Apart from lower cost and possible time-saving, it can allow more people to be involved in observing the research, particularly if it is being carried out in a different region or country. However, a cheaper version of online group discussion or chat room where a group is recruited who are willing to discuss a subject online usually using text. It can be difficult to develop any real group dynamics and it is impossible to see people’s facial expression. Even with webcams, the video picture is usually so poor. Participants may also be distracted by events within their own office or home, as the environment is not under the control of the moderator. However, it may be useful with people who could be unwilling to attend a group discussion because of their geographical dispersal or their introverted nature. Projective techniques Projective techniques are techniques used in group discussions and individual interviews to facilitate a deeper exploration of a respondent’s attitudes towards a concept, product or situation. They enable respondents to express attitudes that they find difficult to verbalize. Projective technique projective techniques may gather ‘richer’ data than do standard questioning and discussion. There are many types of projective techniques. The most common three techniques are projective questioning. It is a projective technique that asks the respondent to consider what other people would think about a situation. An example of this could be â€Å"What do you think people in your street would think if they saw a BMW parked in your driveway?† The advantage of projective questioning is that it usually reflect the opinions of the respondent without causing them any embarrassment. Managers can get more objective answers. Word association tests It is a projective technique that involves asking respondents what brands or products they associate with specific words. In marketing research, word association is typically used in conjunction with brand names or celerity endorsers. This can assist marketers in developing communication objectives and strategies to position or differentiate their brands from those of competitors. In addition to the direct outputs of word association, the technique is also very useful as a way of warming up a group by getting everybody contributing and involved. Brand personalities Brand personalities involve respondents imagining a brand a person and describing their looks, clothes. Lifestyles, employment etc. For example, if ‘Nokia’ was a person, what type of person would he or she be? The answer could be such as a modern, relatively young slightly quirky male. This could compare with other brands. Developing brand personification can help to verbalize the imagery and vocabulary associated with the brand. Sentence completion Sentence completion involves providing respondents with an incomplete sentence or group of sentences. Respondents are then asked to complete them. For example, ‘Tesco, as a supermarket, is†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ in many way, sentence completion is similar to word associations, although it can enable researcher to put the respondent’s thinking process into a proper context. Observation research Observation is a data-gathering approach where information on the behavior of people, objects and organizations is collected without any questions being asked of the participants. Observation can take a quantitative format where a large number of events or people are observed and the outputs are analyzed using statistical method. The major advantage of it over surveys of respondents is that the data collected do not have inaccuracies as a result of memory error or social desire bias. The data recorded reflect the actual behavior that took place. For example, video record gives a true representation of rental behavior. Observation overcomes the high refusal rates that may exist for some survey research. However, observation cannot investigate reasons behind behavior. Also, only public behavior is observed. Examples of what can be observed are consumers behavior in store, family consuming behavior at home, comments on the internet. Typical methods of observation are internet monitoring (club card, cookies), in-store observations (CCTV), mystery shopping(researchers participant into observation to look at process not the outcome of number of satisfaction), content analysis(how many time that the word appear in the article), ethnography(could be costly and have ethical issues). Ethical problem Questionnaire A questionnaire is the research instrument designed to generate the data necessary for accomplishing a project’s research objectives. Questionnaires have advantages over some other types of surveys in that they are cheap, do not require as much effort from the questioner as focus group, and often have standardized answers that make it simple to compile data. However, questionnaires also have many of the same problems relating to question construction and wording. The effect of questionnaire might also limited by the location that respondents do the questionnaire. For example, respondents who did questionnaire in high street could be affected by noise. There are many types of questionnaire. There are open-ended question, closed question, scaling questions. There are many factors when comparing Focus group, depth interviews, projective techniques, observation and questionnaire. In terms of degree of structure, focus group are relatively high as managers will guide and control the whole discussion until all tasks are finished. In terms of probing of individual respondents, depth interviews are high and focus group and questionnaire are low. Moderator bias in depth interviews are high and others are medium. Observation has none effects in terms of both probing of individual respondents and moderator bias. Focus group is also high in discovering innovative information. Projective techniques and observation are high in uncovering subconscious information and obtaining sensitive information. Questionnaire and projective techniques are involving unusual behavior or questioning.

The Womens Sports Foundation Essay Example for Free

The Womens Sports Foundation Essay There are initiatives in place to try and improve the number of women in senior roles. For example, the UK Strategy for Women and Sport (a three year plan that aims to increase the number of women leaders in sport by changing the culture of sport), the Sport Coach Delivery plan. The government has also developed a plan, which aims to 50% female representation on all public bodies (inclusive of all sporting bodies). The effectiveness of these proposals is yet to be discovered. Womens Sport In The Media  Since the growth of womens sport and sport in general, the main way of communicating with the general public has been through the media. Recently there has been a large increase in the different types of media available, apart from the traditional newspaper; there has been an increase in the number of specialist magazines available and numerous Internet websites available to display sporting results, match fixtures and other such information. However, even with the expansion of the media, coverage of womens sport is grossly neglected. Womens sport is rarely shown (with exception to large sports events such as the Olympics) and when it shown their accomplishments is rarely celebrated, instead their private life is often the topic.  Television Radio  The main terrestrial channels and satellite channels rarely show womens sports events; mens sport is often prioritised over womens. For example, in 1993, womens sport only made up 0.5% to 6% of the overall coverage of sports on television and even when female sport was covered, action shots were rare. Newspapers  Newspapers also have a long history of under-representation of womens sport. It is quite common to find absolutely few or no mention of female sports within many newspapers sports section (this is regardless of whether they are a broadsheet newspaper or a tabloid). This can be exemplified by a study between December 2000 to January 2001, which was conducted by The Womens Sport Foundation. After the analysis of 49 different issues of newspapers, they found that out of 701 pages of sports reports, there were 1,564 photographs of men in comparison to just 36 of women. This meant that overall; womens coverage was just 2.3%. The media overall has the ability to define and shape the views of women in sport. Often the coverage that female competitors receive, concentrates on their femininity and treats them as sexual objects rather than a powerful sportsperson. This type of coverage has the effect of undermining womens sports in general, and in limiting the amount of sponsorship that top female athletes receive. The Womens Sports Foundation (WSF) was created in 1984, by women who were concerned by the lack of representation women received in the world of sport. It is funded by the government body Sport England, however since May 2003, the Pentland Group Plc has sponsored them. The aim of the Womens Sports Foundation is to increase the profile of women within many sporting roles. This has been partly achieved by: The National Action Plan for Women and Girls Sport and Physical Activity this was designed to encourage sporting organisations to identify targets and implement actions that would help to address the imbalance between the two genders. The Women into High Performance Coaching Project this was a three-year pilot scheme, (established in 2000 by the foundation and Sports Coach UK) that was created to develop women into senior coaching positions.  The WSF also aims to increase the number of women and girls that are participating in sport.

The Effective Communication For Investor Relations Commerce Essay

The Effective Communication For Investor Relations Commerce Essay Corporations worldwide work daily to increase the value of their stock for the investing public. In order to exploit this value, businesses must constantly make every effort to extensively communicate to their investors and potential investors. In view of this, investor relations are a vital part of business strategy, principally in the area of communication. Argenti (2009) says, While explaining financial results and giving guidance on future earnings are critical investor relations activities, companies today need to go beyond the numbers' (p. 203). Corporate departments involved with investor directions must make a necessary connection between efficient communication and company goals. Since communication is starting to play such an important role in investor relations, corporate communication programs are being created not only to participate in financial areas, but also to take part in media relations and other public communication. Ultimately, the best way for corporations to u nderstand communications for investor relations is to look at an overview of the investor relations function, know how to organize investor relations, learn about investor relations programs and be informed on investor relations advancements. Investor Relations Synopsis In the United States, the Boston Manufacturing Company, established in 1814, is foretold to be the first public company. As business increased and growth was desired, the owner chose to sale shares of the company stock to other businessmen (Laskin, 2009). Laskin (2009) states, The separation of management and ownership became the key pre-determining factor in the development of investor relations (p. 1). However, as long as the stock market and the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) have been a part of the business world, investor relations and communication have not been in effect. Argenti (2009) explains how communications to and from investors in the 1930s and 1940s were barely existent and unnecessary. Corporations were mainly concerned with disclosures required by the SEC, which left little reason for a corporate investor relations representative or department (Argenti, 2009). Midway through the 1900s modern-day investor relations began to surface in the corporate world. Poten tial investors and stockholders became more of a priority to businesses around 1960, which brought forth the creation of the National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) (Hockerts and Moir, 2004). Hockert and Moir (2004) go on to say, The National Investor Relations Institute {NIRI), founded in the U.S. in 1969, was the first recognized professional [investor relations] body (p. 1). With the creation of the NIRI to communicate with management, investors and potential investors, corporations began to utilize modern technology and bring the investor relations function to the forefront of corporate communications. By the 1990s and the turn of the century, investor relations took-on a highly technological-based approach to investor communications. According to Jameson (2000), visual discourse became a major element in investor interactions. Visual discourse was effective for stimulating the response to good news for investors, and reducing the brunt of bad news. Jameson (2000) says, The most powerful forces that do this are the use of symbolism, the photographic depiction of the narrators, and the highlighting of key pieces of information (p. 1). Visual discourse through the use of the internet brought investor relations to an even greater height after the turn of the century; investor relations can now be found on a variety of platforms, locally and globally. Press ure from investors will always continue to mold the investor relations function. Many companies have already put into place a shareholder relations department. These departments will become even more common in the future as financial advisors and other professionals will influence and have high expectations for firms (Martson, 2008). Organizing Investor Relations Communications The significance of a business structure that effectively implements investor relations communication is vital, especially when handling worldwide operations. Goodman (1999) says that communication, especially external communication with investors, is imperative for corporate growth in an economy that is evidently based on information, instead of industrialization. Investors expect a high level of communication and candor from the companies that operate in their community (Goodman, 1999, p. 1). In order to fully employ the investor relations function through communications, entities must strive to adequately establish and organize interactions within an effective corporate communications department. Objectives Argenti (2009) emphasizes that the most important goal for a business seeking to implement successful communication should be to place the entity in a position to efficiently work for investors capital. According to Almazan, Banajeri and Motta (2008), management may be hesitant to fully reveal information, especially in situations where management decisions could be to blame for inadequate performance. However, businesses must seek to communicate information fully and honestly. Initially, companies should relay as much information as possible to investors and potential investors. Conger (2004) says The more you tell, the more you sell. The more a company makes investors aware of its existence, business and strategies, the more likely it is to increase sales of its stock. Making investors aware doesnt mean a spin campaign, but a program to communicate and educate investors about the companys market, its strengths and potential as an investment (p. 1). Next, Argenti (2009) stresses the need for publicly held companies to understand the appropriate expectations for the companys stock in the scope of earnings, trade and the market. These companies must also strive to lessen stock price instability (Argenti, 2009). The objective is for the investor relations department to fulfill the need for communications guidance in managements decision-making methods. To understand appropriate expectations for company stock and to decrease stock unpredictability, integration [of departments] is a more respected approach, with public relations leading the mix. Public relations drive strategy and execution (Capozzi, 2005, p. 1). In general, communication within investor affairs should seek to honestly maintain the publics view of an organization. Prasad and Mir (2002) underline four general objectives of shareholder relations: accurately present a corporations attitude, mold the identity of the corporation, justifying the established identity of the entity and keep safe the legitimacy of the company. These objectives should seek to provide transparent facts for investors. Kedem (2006) emphasizes the importance of presenting facts in context, instead of in a segregated manner. Kedem (2006) further clarifies that communication must fulfill the investors immediate need to become informed and take action (p. 1), as well as answer interpretation and what if? suppositions [that] may follow (p. 1). Investor relations officers should also be able to answer questions of Whats next? or What does this mean for me?' (Kedem, 2006, p. 1). Communication with Investor Types In such a broad business world, corporations are required to communicate with investors on every level. A wide range of investors need to be taken into consideration by firms so that the proper information is communicated to the correct investor or group of investors (Dolphin, 2003). The role of the investor relations function is to communicate effectively to both institutions shareholders and individual shareholders. A firm that is not dynamic in this aspect will unsuccessfully communicate with some current and potential investors. Marston (2008) explains how shareholder interactions from an institutional standpoint require more boundary spanning (p. 1) interactions by allowing greater efficiencies in message delivery and market impact (Argenti, 2009, p. 208). Conversely, individual investors ranked one-on-one meetings with investees and professionals as the most crucial way of communicating (Marston, 2008). In order to accomplish a well-rounded investor relations department, suffic ient communications to both individual and institutional investors will create closer links with investors, and can help a company in developing strategies that will be welcomed by shareholders; it is that strategic element of the role [of communication] that is at the core of [investor relations] (Dolphin, 2003, p. 1). Institutional investors. Communication with institutional investors is a critical part of any investor relations program. Institutions, such as insurance companies, are available to contribute much larger amounts of capital than a single person. Dolphin (2003) says there is great ease in moving large quantities of capital from market to market. Due to this ease of moving capital, and institutional investors holding more than 60% of Unites States equities in the 21st Century, firms have realized and acted on the significance of communicating with institutional investors. Also, institutional investors are often candidates for mergers and acquisitions. Investees must maintain investor relations departments in order to identify and target potential openings for big investors, mergers or acquisitions. Sirower and Lipin (2003) stress the necessity of excellent communication with institutional investors because of the potential risk of losing a major shareholder. Sirower and Lipin (2003) said Slick press releases and conference calls cannot save a bad deal, but a poorly conceived communications strategy can-and usually will-kill one that may make good strategic sense. Many of the biggest unsuccessful deals, as measured by post-announcement return to shareholders, have performed poorly in large part because the acquirers did not tell their story adequately (p. 1). Furthermore, interaction with institutional investors can be handled best by researching, then organizing institutions into groups or target audiences based on the characteristics of the entity (Argenti, 2009). Argenti (2009) notes: This kind of research will prevent the company from spending too much time communicating with uninterested investors (p. 209). An entity that spends time wisely on interested institutional investors is more likely to obtain more committed, corporate patrons. The responsibility of management is to bring in a qualified investor relations officer who can market shares of the company to these types of organizational investors (ADX Urges Listed Companies, 2009). Individual investors. Individual investors require a different type of communication than an institution typically requires. Many individual investors will be employees of the investee. These employees are investors through 401(k) plans or other company stock. Individual investors are many times directly communicated to through personal messages or one-on-one meetings (Tate, 2000). Tate (2000) explains that this personal communication is executed through one of two types of situations: prepared and interactive. Hanley (2008) says, Long gone are the days when [companies] should take an ad hoc approach to [investor relations], setting their chief financial officer in front of a microphone to read aloud from a quarterly earnings report (p. 1). Entities must carefully analyze whether communications will only be prepared and delivered, or if investors or the public will be given the chance to respond. Written statements or oral speeches are usually considered prepared situations where individuals are presented with information through memos, online forums or speeches (Tate, 2000). Tate (2000) also describes interactive situations: unique situations where problems or questions can be addressed live to a speaker. Interactive situations must be handled by a well-qualified and experienced executive or investor relations officer. Next, investor relations communications with individuals must be more of a hand-holding experience for the investor. Corporate backers invest on a different capital playing field than individuals, and therefore do call for identical treatment. Individuals identify a firm as legitimate if the investee to investor communication meets the entitys social responsibility of providing information (Cowden and Sellnow, 2002). Research has shown that individual investors look for similar or familiar communication functions seen of other renowned organizations. Before personally establishing an entity as legitimate, an individual shareholder also seeks justifiable management actions and necessary social standards of professional communication (Cowden and Sellnow, 2002). Ultimately, corporate relations with individual investors require adequate, available and honest information. Intermediaries Communication directly to institutional and individuals shareholders is only one method by which businesses pass information, updates and news. Argenti (2009) says that corporations also communicate indirectly through intermediaries such as sell-side agents and rating agencies. Sell-side agents cover stocks with certain industries and generate detailed research reports that offer recommendations (Argenti, 2009, p. 212). Rating agencies play a similar role to sell-side agents, but rating agencies place special emphasize on whether an investee is creditworthy (Argenti, 2009). Rating agencies will rate an entity on their ability to obtain, maintain and use debt. Virtually all firms depend on a constant flow of credit to carry them smoothly through the ups and downs of business fluctuations. It is entirely typical for lenders to get more cautious in a downturn, but freezing of credit is [a problem] (Colvin, Gray, Tkaczyk and Yi-Wyn, 2009, p. 1). Investors will look to intermediaries such as rating agencies to indirectly determine if an investee and investment is beneficial or detrimental. The media is also a commonly used intermediary by investees and investors. Investor relations departments may utilize the media especially when going through a crisis. One of the most important actions taken by a company going through a crisis is to use the media as an intermediary to satisfactorily relay information to a curious, concerned or affected public. Hasenfuss (2009) explains the frustration that occurs for investors or potential investors when information is delayed or never presented. Investor relations departments must use the media to communicate detailed explanations during important situations. A failure to do this will bring no closure to a companys current business-life. Denying the use of a media intermediary during an important situation may very well bring an organization to its final days (Hasenfuss, 2009). Communication through Investor Relations Programs Communication within investor affairs is most effective when implemented through investor relations programs. Depending on the size and the activities of the corporation, the investor relations program may be in-house and consist of only a few officers, or it may be entirely outsourced to public or financial relations firms (Argenti, 2009). Communication programs are necessary for the majority of businesses; they help to place market status of corporate stock in the hands of investors, as well as limit control of stock price by management (Coyle, n.d.). Furthermore, Coyle (n.d.) states that CEOs and their individual corporate investor relations programs must recognize that the market followings themselves are tiered; thus corporate advertising, direct mail and even telemarketing strategies can be beneficial (p. 1). These investor relations responsibilities are carried out through the establishment of investor relations programs. These programs help to connect the entity to society, a s well as build a line of proactive and reactive relationships with investors. Proactive Communication Proactive communication is necessary for companies seeking to add value to their stock. Proactively pursuing investors, especially valuable investors, is a key role of the investor relations program. A hands-on attitude is positive for increasing productivity of a firm, as well as constructively driving the decision-making process for management and investors (Hughes and Demetrious, 2006). Conger, 2004 explains If a company isnt proactive at all with its [investor relations] efforts, some investors are still bound to find it. But [many] investorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦have a limited amount of time at their disposal. They will, therefore, invest in those companies they have heard of, are familiar with and can trust. When a company is willing to communicate, it decreases investors uncertainty and risk (p. 1). Argenti (2009) also adds that communication strategies should be intact for both expected and unexpected situation, such as mergers and crisis situations. A company that takes on a proactive communication role with investor relations is likely heading towards investee success. Reactive Communication Another important aspect of investor relations programs is reactive communication, which focuses on making use of investor responses, concerns, suggestions and preferences. One large petroleum company, Voyager Petroleum (2010), made a special effort to acquire Marmel Communications LLC, a well-equipped communications corporation. This business decision supported Voyagers desire to reach out for investor input. Voyager Petroleum (2010) announced, Our team is inviting all shareholders to [an] exclusive investor controlled forum. Our staff and members have requested that all Voyager Petroleum shareholders join our community and share their thoughts on the company, its development and future outlook (p. 1). The main benefit of a company choosing to practice this type of reactive communication is to understand the mindset of their investors in order to know where the company can change and improve. The corporate forum method used by Voyager for reactive communication is beneficial by prov iding an area for a wide variety of feedback on all aspects of the entity. Ettredge and Gerdes (2005) also support reactive communication through venues like website forums because investor and investee information is able to be presented in numerous forms, such as video, audio, pictures and text. Website forums also support multiple languages (Ettredge and Gerdes, 2005). Corporations that require their investor relations programs to use reactive communication will more quickly know the key to success. Investor Relations Advancement As technology advances, all aspects of the business world advance; this includes investor relations and communications. As manufacturing, information storage and many other areas of the corporate world advance, communications to investors also advance. Some companies seek to only become more efficient with familiar methods. Vahouny (2004) describes how companies can use modern-day automation to develop more effective communication through typical actions: using advertising, employee letters, collateral, client letters and press releases (p. 1). Also, Boyd and Boyd (2008) explain how advancements can be made by effectively carrying out other general practice such as shareholder votes, calls and letters. Some firms still advance in the area of presenting, recording and reposting speeches to investors (Boyd and Boyd, 2008). However, many modern-day businesses are advancing in investor communications directly by way of technology and the internet. Boyd and Boyd (2008) admit that communication such as speeches is becoming outdated, and that most similar methods of communication provide information or form, but rarely both. In general, the internet is taking over the investor relations function by offering convenient form and necessary information. Companies such as Chevron are combining investor relations, communications and marketing through the use of emails, blogs and social networking websites. Thompson (2009) says Chevron is among the many companies that not only hosts an official [investor relations] Twitter feed, but promotes it on the companys Media Resources page online. Chief Twitterer is Chevron media adviser Justin Higgs. Cisco is another company that hosts an [investor relations] presence on Twitter; the company has multiple Twitter sites, including ones such as CiscoGeeks and CiscoEvents (p. 1). Twitter is a social networking website where information is quickly and easily released live to the internet for millions to see on mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices. These companies also communicate to the public through Facebook, a social networking website available to anyone with an active email address (Thompson, 2009). Firms that are jumping on the technological bandwagon are advancing investor relations communications exponentially. For a corporate department that thrives on providing timely and accurate information, the internet has revolutionized, and will continue to revolutionize, the investor relations function. Conclusion In conclusion, publicly traded businesses make a great effort to add value to their entities in order to maximize the benefits received by the investing community. By taking every possible step to have the best communication with investors, corporations are increasing the value of their business and stock. In consideration of this, investor relations are understandably a major function of doing business, and a major function of corporate communication. Argenti (2009) states: As companies strive to maximize shareholder value, they must continually communicate their progress toward that goal to the investing public (p. 203). As companies strive in this direction, the relationship between meeting corporate objectives and communication must be comprehended. This understanding by some corporations has brought communications for investor relations to a stage where programs are being established to take-on the role of entire departments, such as public relations. In the end, businesses will best identify with communications in the context of investor relations by: looking at an overview of the investor relations function, knowing how to organize investor relations, learning about investor relations programs and being informed on investor relations advancements. Above all, Companies need to follow a communication strategy that includes a clear understanding of the companys objectives and a thorough analysis of all its constituencies so that appropriate messages can be crafted and delivered (Argenti, 2009, p. 222).

Euthanasia and Futile Care :: Euthanasia Physician Assisted Suicide

Euthanasia and "Futile Care" Imagine visiting your 85-year-old mother in the hospital after she has a debilitating stroke. You find out that, in order to survive, she requires a feeding tube and antibiotics to fight an infection. She once told you that no matter what happened, she wants to live. But the doctor refuses further life-sustaining treatment. When you ask why, you are told, in effect, "The time has come for your mother to die. All we will provide is comfort care." Sound far-fetched? It's not. It's already happening. Just as doctors once hooked people up to machines against their will, now many bioethicists advocate that doctors be permitted to refuse life-sustaining treatment that a patient wants but that they deem "futile" or "inappropriate." Alarmingly, hospitals in California and throughout the country have begun to implement these "futile-care" policies that state, in effect: "We reserve the right to refuse service." Medical and bioethics journals for several years kept up a drumbeat advocating the implementation of medical futility policies that hospitals -- for obvious reasons -- don't publicize. The mainstream news media have generally ignored the threat. As a consequence, members of the public and their elected representatives remain in the dark as "futilitarians" become empowered to hand down unilateral death sentences. Indeed, futile-care policies are implemented so quietly that no one knows their extent. No one has made a systematic study of how many patients' lives have been lost or whether futile-care decisions were reached according to hospital policies or the law. The idea behind futile care goes like this: The patient wants life- sustaining treatment; the physician does not believe the quality of the patient's life justifies the costs to the health institution or the physical and emotional burdens of care; therefore, the doctor is entitled to refuse further treatment (other than comfort care) as "futile" or "inappropriate." Treatments withheld under this policy might include antibiotics to treat infection, medicines for fever reduction, tube feeding and hydration, kidney dialysis or ventilator support. Of course, physicians have never been -- nor should they be -- required to provide medical interventions that provide no medical benefit. For example, if a patient demands chemotherapy to treat an ulcer, the physician should refuse. Such a "treatment" would have no medical benefit. But this kind of "physiological futility," as it is sometimes called, is not what modern futile-care theory is all about.

Apartheid in South Africa :: Apartheid South Africa Segregation Essays

Apartheid in South Africa Apartheid is the political policy of racial segregation. In Afrikaans, it means apartness, and it was pioneered in 1948 by the South African National Party when it came to power. Not only did apartheid separate whites from non-whites, it also segregated the Blacks (Africans) from the Coloreds (Indians, Asians). All things such as jobs, schools, railway stations, beaches, park benches, public toilets and even parliament. Apartheid also prevented blacks from living in white areas. This brought about the hated "pass laws". These laws required any non-white to carry a pass on him or her. Unless it was stamped on their pass, they were not allowed to stay in a white area for more than 72 hours. Despite the fact that the whites only make up just over 14% of the population, they own 86.3% of the land. However, it must be said that the Afrikaaners are entitled to the Orange Free State and Transvaal as they were first to use it after the Great Trek of 1836. The average South African White earns eight times as much as the average black man. Coloureds earn three times as much as black while colords earn well over half of what whites earn. During Apartheid, media censorship was at an all time high. People were even banned from showing Soweto on television. It was common to see a newspaper shut down, and then start again after being halted by the government. Up until 1985, mixed marriages were banned. This meant that a person of one race cold not marry a person of another race. Apartheid was not only used in theory, but also by law. Every person was classifed, just like an animal, as white, black or coloured. The system of Apartheid began to deteriorate in the mid to late 1980's. In 1985, mixed marriages were allowed, the Pass laws repealed, and a general weakening of petty segregation laws regarding parks and beaches. In 1994, the entire system collapsed after Pres. F.W. de Klerk gave non- whites to vote. Nelson Mandella was elected tooffice following his prison release in February 1990. GROUP AREAS ACT A Group Areas Act, froom 1948, set aside most of the coutntry for use by the whites. Smaller, and less desiracle areas called 'bantustans' were set aside for blacks. These areas are over crowded, un sanitory, and most of all, unhygenic. Soweto, a large bantustan, is the size of Brighton, yet has over two million peopl in it. Blacks were told to regard these desolate and unfertile areas as their 'homelands'. Over half of the black South African population lived, not in these batustans, but in the white areas of the country for cheap labour.

Edgar Allan Poe :: Essays Papers

Edgar Allan Poe2 Edgar Allan Poe’s life had a profound effect on the technical style of his writing. Poe spent most of his life raised by foster parents who did not contribute to or encourage his writing. His first work was published in 1827, at the young age of 18, but his story in 1833, â€Å"MS Found in a Bottle,† marked the beginning of his writing career. Poe uses darkness and death in many of his stories. In his poems he was able to illustrate moods of mystery very well. Edgar Allan Poe was a unique writer who was not afraid to do something different from all the authors, while his adulthood was short and depressing. Born to traveling actors David and Elizabeth Poe on January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was the middle child of three children. His father, David Poe, was from a Baltimore family. He was an actor by profession and a heavy drinker. Edgar was never very close with his older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, because he had been left with his paternal grandparents around September 1807 for what began as an undetermined amount of time. In July of 1810 David Poe deserted his family and died shortly after. His death was most possibly alcohol elated. Elizabeth was still pregnant with their youngest child, Rosalie, who was born that December, at this time. Approximately a year after her daughter was born, in December of 1811, Elizabeth Poe died of tuberculosis. As a result of her death, William Henry Leonard stayed with his grandparents, Edgar was adopted by a couple of wealthy merchants from Richmond, Virginia, John and Fanny Allan, who offered him a better education than his grandparents could , while Rosalie was adopted Mr. and Mrs. William Mackenzie. In 1815, John Allan moved the family to England to try to make Allan and Ellis prosper. While there, Edgar went to private schools where his creative writings were discouraged. In 1820 the Allan’s returned to Virginia as a result of the collapse of John’s business venture. Shortly after the Allan’s return to the United States, Edgar began to support himself as he moved to Boston and worked in a merchandise house. Edgar Allan Poe :: Essays Papers Edgar Allan Poe2 Edgar Allan Poe’s life had a profound effect on the technical style of his writing. Poe spent most of his life raised by foster parents who did not contribute to or encourage his writing. His first work was published in 1827, at the young age of 18, but his story in 1833, â€Å"MS Found in a Bottle,† marked the beginning of his writing career. Poe uses darkness and death in many of his stories. In his poems he was able to illustrate moods of mystery very well. Edgar Allan Poe was a unique writer who was not afraid to do something different from all the authors, while his adulthood was short and depressing. Born to traveling actors David and Elizabeth Poe on January 19, 1809, Edgar Poe was the middle child of three children. His father, David Poe, was from a Baltimore family. He was an actor by profession and a heavy drinker. Edgar was never very close with his older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, because he had been left with his paternal grandparents around September 1807 for what began as an undetermined amount of time. In July of 1810 David Poe deserted his family and died shortly after. His death was most possibly alcohol elated. Elizabeth was still pregnant with their youngest child, Rosalie, who was born that December, at this time. Approximately a year after her daughter was born, in December of 1811, Elizabeth Poe died of tuberculosis. As a result of her death, William Henry Leonard stayed with his grandparents, Edgar was adopted by a couple of wealthy merchants from Richmond, Virginia, John and Fanny Allan, who offered him a better education than his grandparents could , while Rosalie was adopted Mr. and Mrs. William Mackenzie. In 1815, John Allan moved the family to England to try to make Allan and Ellis prosper. While there, Edgar went to private schools where his creative writings were discouraged. In 1820 the Allan’s returned to Virginia as a result of the collapse of John’s business venture. Shortly after the Allan’s return to the United States, Edgar began to support himself as he moved to Boston and worked in a merchandise house.

Learning and Memory: Biology vs. Society

There has been much debate about the nature of human’s intelligence.   Questions arise from the matter.   Is the way you think and learn inherited, or as the nature side of the debate argues, biological?   Or is the way you think influenced by outside forces, or as the nature side of the debate argues, societal?   This paper aims to present the points of view of each side of the argument.   At the end of the paper, the author gives not just a summary of what has been presented but also an integration of the two views that gives the more believed perspective nowadays.   From this point on, the society that is referred to in the title is the environmental factors and biology is the genetic factors. During the last twenty years, genetics has moved from a relatively difficult to understand sub-field of biology to one of its most well funded segments.   Over these twenty years, there has been an explosion of genetic discoveries.   Nevertheless, more and more questions pop out from our minds regarding genetics.   One of these is the question: How does genetics research fit with our existing notions of us as humans? Recently, there have been an increasing number of researches that prove that cognitive abilities such as learning and memorizing are determined by genes.   That is, that our intelligence is hereditary.   Our human knowledge and cognitive processes are passed on from our parents.   Nature theorists believe that our cognitive abilities are the product of â€Å"a unique web of interactions among genes† (Lickliter and Honeycutt 461). These nature theorists believe that when we were born, our intelligence and everything that we know of are already part of ourselves because of our genes.   That is, they believe that â€Å"Nature is everything, nurture nothing† (Gopnik).   Leamnson and Betz (as cited in McMahon) argue that learning is a biological process as much as respiration or circulation is.   McMahon further explains that cognitive abilities such as thinking, learning and memorizing take place when biochemical reactions occur across synapses which then form the neural networks. While some researchers agree to the fact that genetic and environmental factors both play an important part in our cognitive development, they still believe that genes take the primary part in influencing our thinking, learning and memorizing abilities.   In their study, Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Development of Intelligence, Bartels et al. found that as the child grows up, the genetic influence on his intelligence increases while environmental factors decrease influence to his cognitive ability.   Thus, they conclude that â€Å"genetic influences are the main driving force behind continuity in general cognitive ability† (Bartels et al. 247). On the other side of the debate are the nurture theorists.   These theorists believe that environmental factors have a more significant part in sharpening our cognitive processes.   These nurture theorists believe in John Locke’s philosophy that when we were born, our minds are in blank states or as they call it tabula rasa. That is, when we were born, we do not know anything.   We only acquire knowledge, that is, we only learn as we experience the world around us.   That is, as Gopnik puts it, â€Å"nurture is everything, nature nothing.†Ã‚   Locke believed that we learn through experience. James Flynn, a NZ-based political scientist, found that after World War II, the average IQ in all countries increased which he claims is due to environmental effects.   Ulric Neisser explains further that this is because children are increasingly exposed to sophisticated visual images such as ads, posters, videogame and television in contrast to the methods of learning before the world war.   This suggests that the children’s cognitive abilities are influenced by the environment (Gopnik). Recently, however, there are an increasing number of researchers who believe that intelligence is influenced by both genetics and environmental factors.   There is no dominant factor; both play an equal role in the development of human intelligence.   Lickliter and Honeycutt describe the developmental systems theory (DST) that believes in the power of both genetics and environment to influence our cognitive abilities.   According to this theory, our cognitive abilities cannot be determined by genetics or environmental factors alone. As Lickliter and Honeycutt explain, â€Å"development is seen as a self-organizing†¦process in which pattern and order emerge and change as a result of complex interactions and relations among developmentally relevant resources both internal (including genes, but also cells, hormones, organs) and external to the organism (and not from some set of prespecified instructions)† (Lickliter and Honeycutt 462).   In contrast to the solely nature theorists, DST argues that genes and the mere passing of it to a child is not a sufficient explanation or cause of an individual’s learning and memorizing.   That is, although genes and environment both play an important role to the cognitive development of human beings, we cannot separate them and consider them as independent causes. The nature vs. nurture debate is likely to continue on but unlikely to be resolved to the satisfaction of those who strictly believe that intelligence is solely nature caused or nurture caused.   However, recently both environmentalists and behavior geneticists have called for the matter to have be ended by echoing Anastasi’s call to emphasize more on the question â€Å"How?† rather than â€Å"How much?† in the study of heredity and environment. Works Cited: â€Å"Nature Vs. Nurture in Intelligence†.   2005. November 20 2007. . Bartels, M., et al. â€Å"Genetic and Environmental Influences on the Development of Intelligence.† Behavior Genetics 32 (2002): 237-49. Gopnik, Alison. Nature vs. Nurture. 2004. Lickliter, Robert, and Hunter Honeycutt. â€Å"Evolutionary Approaches to Cognitive Development: Status and Strategy.† Journal of Cognition and Development 4 (2003): 459-73. McMahon, Graham Peter. â€Å"Getting the Hots with What's in the Box: Developing Higher Order Thinking Skills within a Technology-Rich Learning Environment.† Curtin University of Technology, 2007.   

Narcissus and Echo: Focus on Oedipus in the Story Essay

Echo and Narcissus is one of the tales penned by roman print poet Ovid in Metamorphoses. These 15 books of Metamorphoses, tells the creation and history of the ancient world. It electrostatic holds the honor of being the most prevalent work on Greek and Roman mythology. Echo and Narcissus, the tale of a nymph and hunter, has long been considered by most scholars as one of the most sad tales of either times.The metamorphosis of Oedipus is a tragedy to communicate a particular ethical shutdown to fruition. The character, Oedipus, in the beginning had to disclose his tragic flaw. In the beginning he was a brilliant conqueror and only when became a blind man in the end. However, the deterrent example the tale presents is not merely the consequences of arduous to avoid ones spate. notwithstanding Tiresias shook his division his gray head in warning Blindness baron be blessing in your case, to persist you ever looking on the rites of Bacchus, The mean solar day is near, I k now, when the new god shall come, the pointword of Semele, whose due is I worship from you if you lour his temple, you will be torn into a thousands pieces, your blood pollute the wood, and it defilement scatter your mother and your mothers sisters. (Ovid, 73) His fate was put in place to begin with he started his journeys, while Tiresias was his inverse at the time of blindness.Although Oedipus has no knowledge or awareness that he has killed his father and waiver to marry his own mother. Sooner he becomes conscious that the prophecies have come to pass because of and despite him. Oedipus conquered the Sphinx and then grew weaker and weaker until he last discovered he was the guilty of cozy immorality. Oedipus experienced a metamorphosis in which he was originally the greatest man, but by placing himself and his wisdom above the gods or Gods, he fell. (Humphries, ii)

Character of Lady Macbeth Essay

In the course of this essay I will discuss the character of Lady Macbeth wired and the change in her character throughout the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare. We see how her as being ambitious and ruthless at the start. Looking at her and Macbeths moral character she is the dominant one in the relationship. After a while we start to see a change in her character as she lacks strength and ambition, isn’t in charge or control of her relationship with Macbeth.Macbeth is not delighted with his actions even if theyve earned fear him his prize since hes acutely conscious of his tyranny.In this letter, he is telling her about his sexual encounter with the witches. â€Å"They met me in the day of success: And I have learned by the perfectest report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge.† (Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth) She appears very determined for what the witches have told him to come true.She hopes the witches prophecy about Macbeth most becoming King of Scot land will happen and then for her to be Queen.During act four, Lady Macbeth does not look in the play.

† (Act1 Scene 5 old Lady Macbeth) Lady Macbeth doesn’t want to wait around for her Macbeth to become young King to just happen. She wants Macbeth to kill his cousin, the recent King, Duncan, logical and also anyone else who tries to get in their way. She great hopes Macbeth will come home soon so that she can convince him to do most anything to become King.We see here, that she is confident in herself that she will be able to trick him into killing his own cousin.Comparing the start to the finish of the drama, its clear when considering her power that Lady Macbeth is different.â€Å"Come, you spirits that tend on ordinary mortal thoughts unsex me here† ( Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth). When she finishes own calling on the spirits, Macbeth arrives. Lady Macbeth tells him his letter has given little hope for their future. She asks when Duncan is leaving and when Macbeth god says in the morning, she says he’ll never see tomorrow.Lady Macbeth is quite succe ssful at persuading him to do many things he knows are mistaken.

We also see, that Lady Macbeth is ruthless. She will low let nothing get in her way of becoming Queen. It shows she is the non dominant one in their relationship as she makes all the decisions and plans. We next see Lady Macbeth in Act1 Scene 6.Macbeth finds the notion of assuming the thrown improbable.Duncan thanks her keyword with a gratitude for letting him stay. He also apologises for the hassle he’s causing her.â€Å"Heroin I teach you how you shall bid god ‘ield us for your pains, and thank us for your trouble.† (Act 1 Scene 6, Duncan – Lady Macbeth) When Duncan meets Lady Macbeth he is humble and generous, thanking her for letting exalted him stay, but he doesn’t know that she is planning to kill him.Her impulse last plagues lady Macbeth.

â€Å" If it were ‘tis done, then were well it were done quickly.† (Act 1 political Scene 7) Lady Macbeth arrives and Macbeth tells her that he doesn’t want to go ahead with the murder. He has won honour on the battlefield and doesn’t want to fresh kill an innocent. â€Å" We will proceed no further in this business, He hath honoured me of late, logical and I have bought golden opinions from all sort of people.Lady Macbeth is confronted with a similar circumstance.† (Act 1 whole Scene 7, Lady Macbeth – Macbeth). What she says seem to work. Again in this scene, we see Lady Macbeth as the dominant one. She easily convinces him back into their new plan to kill Duncan.Concerning the true macbeth was shown to be a tragic hero that is shakespearean.

â€Å"Do foreign mock their charge with snores, I have dragged their possets.† (Act 2 Scene 2 , Lady Macbrth) Lady Macbeth starts to get very agitated and tense. We first see how this when she hears an owl. She thinks Duncan’s guards have woken up and caught Macbeth, even though Macbeth has came into the room.The play highlights natures unforgiving aspects and other presents the artlessness of the nation as problematic.â€Å"I hear a knocking at the south entry, retire we to our chamber.† (Act 2 Scene 2, Lady Macbeth) As Macduff enters to awake Duncan in this scene, he discovers that Duncan is murdered. Lady Macbeth enters after hearing the bell ringing. She asks what is happening.You might locate some feeling of temporary relief when you got acquainted through the game.

Lady Macbeth response doesn’t sound very convincing as she replies. â€Å"What, in our house?† (Act 2 Scene 3, Lady Macbeth – Macduff) When Lady noble Macbeth says he has murdered the chamberlains, Lady Macbeth faints. We don’t know if she’s acting here or being serious. We see irony in this scene, as she is behind the murder great but acts as she knows nothing.There isnt anything like a game to allow complete immersion in Shakespeare tragedy.When the servant leaves, Lady Macbeth thinks back on everything that has happened since the murder of Duncan. â€Å"Nought’s had, all’s spent, where our desire got without content.† (Act 3 Scene 2, Lady Macbeth) In this scene, we see Lady Macbeth as alone. Becoming king and queen, her and Macbeth lost everything.Janes love is likewise a fair one.

Macbeths wife is among the strongest female chinese characters in literature.Girls are related to bad from the start of the play.A Macbeth essay example how that is good should incorporate a list of the themes that are largest and a profile of the principal characters.Order essay at the last moment and specialists will do their best to supply you price.