Marketing Concept for Environmental Welfare

CONSUMER BEHAVIOR MARKETING CONCEPT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL WELFARE From a long time ago, manufacturers are competing with each other to provide a product that can fulfill the needs of consumers. One type of product can be produced by various manufacturers. With so many manufacturers who produce things that can fulfill the needs of consumers, other producers with low marketability will automatically be eliminated from the marketplace because it is not chosen by the consumer. One of the ways to attract consumers to buy a product is to use the societal marketing concept.Societal marketing concept is the highest evolution form of marketing concept, where in addition to get a profit, manufacturers are also trying to improve the life of the community (Crane, Andrew, Desmond, & John, 2002). One of the example is the anti-mosquito aerosol Force magic, where the manufacturer states that the compound used in anti-mosquito aerosol derived from natural substances that are not harmful to humans. For c ompetitors Force magic, such as Baygon and Hit, does not seem to use the same content with the Force magic.Some aerosols are using the contents injurious to consumers, but proved to be more powerful than the other content. There is even one of the brands of aerosol mosquito which was being pulled out from marketing because they contain ingredients that are dangerous to health. Anti-mosquito Force Magic uses natural ingredients that repel mosquitoes effectively but not harmful to humans. The natural materials can disappear in the air and can be neutralized by mammals.We can see from the advertisement, a manufacturer of Force Magic also emphasized that anti-mosquito aerosol is safe for children, where children's health is one thing that considered by consumers who have a family. Consumers are essentially buying and using a product to satisfy their needs. However, with the societal marketing concept, manufacturers are not only provide products to meet the consumer needs but also provid es effect or another impacts that are useful for the welfare of consumers and the environment (Crane, Andrew, Desmond, & John, 2002).Would the consumers be more interested in buying products that are marketed by sales strategy of societal marketing concept? Societal marketing concept is the highest evolution form of marketing concept. Starting from the production concept, which assumes that all consumers would be more interested to buy products at low prices. Furthermore, the product concept assumes that consumers will buy the product with the best quality. Then there is the selling concept, which is a growing assumption that consumers will not purchasing a product if they did not get a hard persuasion .Subsequently there is marketing concept which emphasizes the rational consumer and intends that all the sales should be able to meet the consumer needs. Finally, the concept of product sales in societal marketing concept is in addition to profit. Beside that, the manufacturers are al so trying to improve the life of the community. Societal marketing concept intended to meet the needs of the target market in a way to support the welfare of society in general, but still implement the main goals of the company (Schiffman & Kanuk, 2007).According to Maslow (Feist & Feist, 2007) humans have needs that stratified. Maslow's hierarchy of needs indicates the degree level of human needs. If the basic needs have not been fulfilled, the above needs can not be fulfilled. Maslow's hierarchy of needs starting from biological needs, followed by the need for love, and the need for security, the need for self-esteem, and the latter the need for self-actualization. Basically, consumers who have met the biological needs will try to meet next.If the urgent needs have been met, then the consumer will look for products with other things that could fulfill the higher needs. Therefore, consumers will be interested to choose a product, in this case the Force Magic, because it can eradica te mosquitoes and ensure the health of consumers and families. Consumers should feel happier and more motivated to buy the product because of the good impression posed by producers which helps the welfare of society.Logically, manufacturers will attract more interest of the consumer because by paying the same price to other products, consumers can get more profit. To apply the societal marketing concept, preferably all products must be in the category of desirable products. The manufacturers have to change the products they create in order to improve the life of customers in a short or long term. It requires many innovations and breakthroughs to make it.In the field of anti-mosquito aerosol, producers should do more research on ingredients which are effective to repel mosquitoes and harmless to human. Manufacturer must seek to emphasize the positive effects obtained from the use of the products and reduce the negative effects of these products. Therefore, manufacturers use societal marketing concept to sell their products. Beside the benefits from the sale, they also meet the needs of consumers and ensure their welfare. It is also the main attraction for consumers.Sales of products with the societal marketing concept can surely meet the needs of consumers directly and to guarantee the well-being of consumers in the future. Manufacturers have always wanted to get profit from the sale of its products. However, it should not make manufacturer forget about the customers. Manufacturers also have to consider the welfare of the consumer, which is the most important element in their sales. Manufacturers provide products that can fulfill customer needs and ensure the welfare of the community.Consumers will put a trust on the products and choose products that can guarantee their welfare. In that way, manufacturers can still achieve its main objective, which is to benefit, and ensuring the welfare of consumers. References Crane, Andrew & Desmond, John. (2002). Societal M arketing and Morality. European Journal of Marketing, 548-569 Feist, Jess & Feist, G. J. (2006). Theories of Personality 6th edition. Singapore: McGraw-Hill Schiffman, L. G. & Kanuk, L. L. (2000). Consumer Behavior 7th edition. USA: Prentice Hall International, Inc.

Biopsychology and The Importance Of Historical Milestones Within This Science Essay

Sir Charles Scott Sherrington was among the well-known psychologists of his time during the 1930’s. Among the major issues, that he faced has been that of the utilization of the reflexes in the spinal cord to investigate the different aspects of characterization that makes up the neurons and the entire nervous system as well. This particular understanding has become one of the most outstanding discoveries of the 1930’s with regards the implicative facts about biopsychology. Through this understanding, there had been many other studies that followed, which were able to evaluate and rearrange the strategies used by Sherrington during his research in the 1930’s   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What did the findings of the research actually pertain to; and what breakthrough did it particularly imply in science of understanding the different aspects of biological psychology? Human’s physical aspects actually affect the major ways by which they react to the situations that they face in their everyday activities. Obviously, the situation has been explained to have been controlled by the process with which the neurons within the nervous system respond to the outside situations that the person deals with. From this particular understanding, the study on the connection between human physiology and human behavior basics and dysfunctions as well had been further developed. Understandably, the said implicative studies improved the process of making amended explanation on the different developed informative sections that make up biopsychology today.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Certainly, the beginning of such understanding led the process with which biopsychology is actually functioning today. The development of the said understanding mainly increases the competency of the said field in making informative and learned connection with regards the human basics in physical aspects and behavioral reflections. References: Man on His Nature The 1937–38 Gifford lectures, Edinburgh: New York: MacMillan, 1940. Cambridge University Press, 2nd rev. edition 1951, hardcover: ISBN 0-521-06436-8, paperback: ISBN 0-521-09203-5. Selected Writings of Sir Charles Sherrington: A Testimonial Presented by the Neurologists Forming the Guarantors of the Journal â€Å"Brain† Hoeber, 1940. Oxford University Press, 1979: ISBN 0-19-920104-8.

Project Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 4

Project Management - Essay Example The Belgian biscuit launch shall be used as the take-off point for revitaliseing sales and marketing efforts, in order to help assure a business turnaround for BIX-FIX. Determine the final version of the new product through product development processes, including test marketing, in terms of standardisation of ingredients, product shape, packaging, and packaged quantities Several mechanisms need to be in place to successfully manage the project and help ensure its success. Project management needs careful planning and organising in order to achieve objectives. Aside from defining goals and objectives, there is a need to identify the various tasks needed to be accomplished to achieve the goals, quantifying the resources needed, determining the budget, and defining the schedule for completion. Upon completion of the plan, implementation, evaluation and maintenance follow (Free Mgt Lib 2009). In the area of Product Development, the proposed new Belgian biscuit will need to undergo a series of trial production runs to be able to standardise quality and quantity of ingredients, biscuit shape and other considerations for packaged food products. In coordination with Marketing, trial production with different specifications for packaging and size also need to be tested. The final product version that will pass the test will also need to be tested to confirm that the design of the new product is compatible with mass production. In the area of Production, as was decided by the board of directors, a new production machine shall be installed to handle increased production arising from the introduction of the new product. The ordering, delivery and installation time of this new equipment should be considered in the Project Schedule, as this is projected to be needed from Year 2 onwards after launch. A new 2-shift working system will need to be adopted compared with the current day only working pattern. This

Marketing for non-profit organisations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing for non-profit organisations - Essay Example Both profit and non profit organisations are intimately concerned with both resource attraction and resource allocation but the manner in which either organisation type defines these activities/processes differs. Within the context of FPO’s marketing strategies and communication programmes target specified market segments in order to incite product/service purchase decisions. The implication here is that resources are obtained though product sales/services. This is not the case with NPOs where resources are generated through donations which are not necessarily contingent upon the delivery of a good/service. Marketing for the purpose of resource attraction, therefore, assumes a status of singular importance insofar as the success of the selected strategies and marketing mix is akin to the passage of a life or death sentence upon an organisation. If it is able to attract resources, it will survive, live, if it is unsuccessful, it will die. The above noted difference regarding resource attraction within the context of NPOs versus FPOs, extends to variances in the way in which each organisational type engages in resource allocation practices. FPOs engage in resource allocation management practices for the explicit purpose of organisational expansion and the maximisation of profits, while NPOs do so for the purpose of ensuring effective response to the humanitarian cause they are targeting. For example, GE, the leader in practically all the industries it is involved in, allocates resources to all of research and development, marketing and expansion for the purpose of maximising profits. In direct comparison, Oxfam, the UK’s leading NPO, allocates resources to marketing and organisational expansion, primarily the establishment of offices in other countries but its primary resource allocation activity involves the distribution of attracted resources among the humanitarian projects

SIM 9 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SIM 9 - Essay Example They made a passage from the roof and lowered the bed on which the paralytic man lay; Jesus saw faith and healed and forgave the man’s sins. He said, â€Å"Son, your sins are forgiven†.1 This passage continues to narrate the deeds of Christ. The importance and significance of this passage is that it encourages people to have faith and teaches as that Jesus as the son of God forgives sins. It also tells that they some who believed in preaching and others who were there just to criticize what he taught. The teachers of the law thought that what Jesus did was blaspheming. They said the only one who had the authority to forgive sin was God alone.2 This passage emphasizes on the importance of faith in our lives. In a personal context, this Mark chapter 2 in the bible teaches me that faith without action is dead. In the passage, I am reminded that it is important to act on my faith as the men carrying the paralyzed man. Their faith healed the paralyzed man.3 So if I act on my faith and believe in Jesus, my sins will be forgiven. Lastly, it states that the son of god (Jesus) can forgive sins. Therefore, I must believe and trust in him. In my church, I can remind my fellow worshippers of the importance of believing in Jesus miracles and trusting in him. I can urge them not to be like the teachers of the law who criticized Jesus, but, live according to his rules and footsteps so as they their souls can be healed as well as their sins to be

TEENAGE PREGNANCY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

TEENAGE PREGNANCY - Essay Example In the past few years, pregnant teenagers have become a twisted fashion statement, a heavily sought-out fad (Moore, 2006). Now, at the beginning of the second decade of this new millennium, teenage pregnancies are increasing at an alarming rate with no decrease in sight due to a lack of knowledge being given to the teenagers. There are three common causes as to why teenagers are becoming pregnant at a shocking rate. Socially, it is ordinary for teenagers to be pressured by their peers to engage in underage sex, resulting in young pregnancies. Teenagers have the mindset that if their friends and classmates are involving themselves in underage sex, then not only should they do the same, but they feel that their actions will be condoned by the commonality of underage sex. Economically, it has been proven that teenagers from lower income neighborhoods or situations of poverty have an increased chance at becoming pregnant due to a lack of information and resources, as well as access to contraceptives (Cherry, 2001). Legally, many teenagers believe that they are old enough than what the age of consent lays down, and that they are old enough to know what they want as possible parents at such a young age. Furthermore, it is quite often that the men that impregnate the girls are unaware of how old they really are , which, regardless of whether or not the girls give permission, goes against the law of age of consent. Teenagers either going through pregnancy or making their rounds as teenage moms face numerous social problems as a result of their poorly calculated sex romps. Due to the demand of infants for their mothers, the majority of teenage moms have no choice but to drop out of school to tend to their baby. Although they do exist, very few schools offer specialized daycare facilities to take care of children while their mothers are in class

Cultural diversity and the regional cultural nuances at La Napoli Essay

Cultural diversity and the regional cultural nuances at La Napoli - Essay Example This study looks into globalization that has accelerated the process of growth in the hospitality industry and relaxation of immigration policies have helped overcome skill shortages in the sector. However, while labour migration helps the local economy, the managers in the hospitality sector face the challenge of managing the workforce diversity because of high level of labour mobility across nations. La Napoli appears to lack the right leadership in handling the issue of cultural diversity. Diversity manifests in visible and non-visible differences which could include race, ethnicity, nationality, language or even religion in addition to personality and work style. Elements such as age, gender, sexual orientation, race and physical traits are the core elements that form the primary dimensions. These do not change over time as they are inborn and also interdependent. Managers would perceive the world through these elements and if the primary differences between individual are high, it becomes difficult to establish an environment of mutual trust and confidence. Culture clash and conflicts become common place having a negative impact on human relationships. Cultural differences impact the need for love, belongingness and the esteem needs of individuals, which thereby contradicts Maslow’s theory of Hierarchy of needs which states that an individual moves to higher levels of needs only when the physiological needs are satisfied. Even very subtle differences can impact outcomes, decisions and thereby organizational effectiveness. (Korac-Kakabdse & Kouzmin, 1999). Cultural imprints are deeply rooted and embedded, and cultural forces drive behaviour. By being aware of these conscious forces the leader might be able to better handle the forces and enhance positive behaviour. Each culture has its own recurring pattern which becomes so embedded in the system that individuals remain invisible to the pattern (Rapaille, 1999). Since these patterns are deeply imprin ted, the moment a different culture appears, there is resistance or non-acceptance. Power usually radiates from the centre (Kane-Urrabazo, 2006). Hofstede’s dimensions of culture provide a deeper understanding of how people from different cultural backgrounds interact. For instance people from low power distance culture communicate more effectively while those from high uncertainty avoidance culture do not like delegating work (Testa, 2004). It is thus important that the manager/leader understands the different cultural archetypes, the unconscious forces that shape culture. Food is an area where cultural forces have a great impact. This is evident in the case of La Napoli where the local culture in food consumption had not been evaluated. People prefer

Development and new trend of holography Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development and new trend of holography - Essay Example It can refer to either the encoded objects or the resulting image. A holographic image can be viewed shinning a laser via a hologram and projecting the reflection onto a display or by looking into a lit-up holographic print. A hologram appears to be an indefinable pattern of whorls and stripes, but, once shone on by a coherent light such as by a laser beam, it configures the light into a three-dimensional image of the primary object (Hannes & Michael, 2008). Holography is founded on the principle of interference, whereby, the inference pattern between two or more rays of a coherent light, that is a laser light, is captured by a hologram. Here, a single ray is illuminated directly on the recording mean and operate as a reference to the light dispersed from the lit-up scene. Hence, the hologram captures a beam as it interests the entire part of film, which explains its description as a window with memory. A holographic film physical medium is quite photosensitive that includes a fine grains structure. Some of the most used materials include dichromate gelatins, photopolymers and silver-halide emulsions and all have varying characteristics and entail dissimilar processing (Hannes & Michael, 2008). A hologram is the documented interference pattern of constructive, intensity peaks, and destructive, elimination, of the covered-up light wave fronts known as the electromagnetic field. With a coherent light source and a definite geometry or a short pulse period, the interference pattern is at a stands till and, hence, can be recorded into the hologram’s photosensitive suspension. Afterwards, the hologram is chemically developed to a point where the suspension acquires a modulated density, which freezes the inference pattern into fringes. When observing the modulated structure under a microscope, it appears different in comparison to the image encoded within. The density fringes are a scattered pattern of wave front

International Differences in Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Differences in Accounting - Essay Example IFRS 8 which replaced IAS14 (Deloitte & Touche, 2007), is the standard that deals with similar issues under IAS. Some of the major differences observed between SFAS 131 and IFRS 8 include the following: (Deloitte & Touche, 2007): While IFRS requires that measures of segment liabilities be disclosed if those measures are provided regularly to the chief operating decision maker, under SFAS No. 131 such disclosures are not required. Under IFRS 8, the core principle is used as the basis for determining the operating segments of an entity while under IFRS the products or services are used as the basis for determining the operating segments. Differences may also arise as a result of different interpretation of rules by companies in different countries despite the similarities that may exist between the rules. (Roberts et al, 2005). For example because many areas of accounting require the use of estimates, forecasts or judgments companies may differ in the way they estimate, forecast or judge in different situations. (Roberts et al, 2005). A distinction must be made between accounting r... (Roberts et al, 2005). For example because many areas of accounting require the use of estimates, forecasts or judgments companies may differ in the way they estimate, forecast or judge in different situations. (Roberts et al, 2005). iii. Differences in Preferred Accounting Practice. A distinction must be made between accounting regulations or de jure issues, and actual practices, or de facto issues. (Weetman et al, 1998; Roberts et al, 2005). A number of options are contained in accounting regulations as well as there may also be a large number of issues which are not covered by accounting regulations at all, giving companies even more choice. (Roberts et al, 2005). While it is relatively straightforward (although not necessarily easy) to compare the accounting practices of two countries, this may tell us relatively little about how similar the accounting practices of two companies actually are in areas were discretion exists. (Roberts et al, 2005). De facto practices may differ considerably across countries, even if there are few de jure differences. Alternatively, all companies, irrespective of country domicile, choose wherever possible to use similar methods, de facto differences may be less than de jure differences. (Roberts et al, 2005). b). Having identified the ways accounting practices may differ, the study will now take a look at the importance of the differences to preparers of financial reports and user groups. The main preparers identified by Roberts et al (2005), include companies while users include companies, investors and other user groups. Companies that carry out trade in different carries such as multinational companies are

Traveling Around the World Essay Example for Free

Traveling Around the World Essay I am a great traveler known to the open world. I traveled through China, I traveled through Russia, and I traveled everywhere you can ever imagine. But my story starts in Jakarta. I didn’t like traveling but I was challenged by my friend, Benny, to discover new things in this whole world, to do things that no one has ever done, and he said he would give me a surprise if I did it, so I took the challenge. I was confused where to start, but I kept on thinking. I texted my friend where to start and he told me just to follow the Earth. I kept on wondering what that meant, until I saw the map of the Earth. I will start from Australia to Los Angeles and back to Jakarta and I will think about the transportation I will use. I will start next week. I arrived in the airport to go to Brisbane, Australia. During the flight, I met a girl who loved traveling and she said she’s ready for the challenge, her name was Jessie and she was beautiful. When we arrived in Brisbane the first thing we did was to take a taxi and stayed in a hotel called the Golden Palace. We rented a car and traveled the whole Brisbane. My favorite part is when we went to the Warner Bros Studio because we played everything there and Jessie became my girlfriend. The next day we checked out and took off to go to Beijing. Benny transferred $60,000 to my account to help me continue the great travel. When we arrived in China, we went to a national park and rode a bike around it. The view was amazing but we had to leave. Before we checked in we bought cheap cameras in a black market store. We stayed in the Grand Hyatt hotel and we got the suite room, it was huge and luxurious. The next day we checked out and went to the Great Wall of China. We had no time to walk just a quarter of the whole Great Wall but Jessie bought some amazing clothes and I saw beautiful view everywhere around it. We rode a bus to the airport and left China for Russia. Something happened during the flight. A woman was crying for help because she was in labor. She was suppose to let the baby out in Russia but it was too late so the baby was born in the airplane and I will never forget that moment in my life. In Moscow, the first we did was to wear our thick winter coats and jackets. Now Everyday in Moscow is so cold. We went to our hotel called the Hilton. We got the luxurious suite and there was a hot tub, it felt like heaven. Jessie was sick and she couldn’t go to the Russian Orthodox Church with me. I went there alone with a train. I arrived there and took beautiful pictures. Inside it was very expensive materials. I went back to Hilton and the next day I took off to go to England. We will go everywhere around Europe in 3 weeks. When we arrived in London I met an old friend called Jonny who lived in London. He guided me in London and we had our own adventure there. First we put our stuff in Jonny’s house and we went to London’s Eye. We saw great view from that great Ferris wheel. After that we stopped in Big Ben and bought some merchandise. We went back to Jonny’s house rest for a while and walked to Madam Tussaud. The next day we went to Liverpool with a train and bought Liverpool F.C merchandise went on the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour, it was great to see legends. After that we went to Manchester with train to watch a soccer match. It was Manchester united VS Sunderland and united won 5-1. We went home to Jonny’s house and the next day we took a bus and a ferry to Paris. Using a bus and a ferry to Paris from London is cheap but takes a long time. We stayed in a small hotel called the Calios. We saw everything and went everywhere just in one day. My Favorite part of Paris is when we ate in a restaurant near the Eifel Tower and we kissed and there were fireworks everywhere, which was a really beautiful moment that I will remember Jessie for. We left Paris and continued our travel to Rome. In Rome, the only special thing was the Coliseum. We bought some stuff and went to Milan. Jessie Was an A.C Milan fan so we watched a match between A.C Milan VS Inter Milan and the score was 2-2. Everything in Milan has good quality so we bought clothing. After Italy, my favorite part of Europe begins in Greece. In Athens we rented a jeep, Checked in a small hotel, traveled everywhere and discovered the night life in Athens. The next morning we checked out and went to Acropolis. I was so tired in Acropolis and we went to an island there called Spetses. Spetses was my favorite island in Greece because the beach was awesome and Jessie and I had a lot of fun there. We did a lot of water sports and just chilled there. We went to 3 other islands called Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. After we left Greece we traveled around Europe. We went off Turkey, Romania, Ukraine, Poland, Scandinavia, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, until Portugal. I was very tired and rested in Portugal for 3 days. I’m also getting ready for the United States Trip. 3 days has passed and we are heading to U.S.A. We started off in Washington and used taxi to travel around New York. We took over a month in the U.S. In New York we watched an NBA match between the New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic and Knicks won. We went shopping in the whole New York and we stayed in Ritz Carlton. After New York we head to Florida. Florida was the most fun place in the trip around the world.In Orlando we went to Disney World and it was the best fun place ever. I played a lot of stuff. There were also theme parks in Orlando with crazy Roller coasters. The next day we went to Miami and watched another NBA match between the Miami Heat and The Boston Celtics which the Miami Heat won. After Florida, it’s Texas. We did a bit in Texas. We only did Horseback riding in there. But a restaurant in there has really good steak. I like the view in Texas because it’s really quite. Texas is over and Arizona is next. In Arizona we went to Grand Canyon and we did a lot of activities and in there we made a lot of new friends including 3 Indonesians who were traveling and wanted to go home so they went with us. They are 1 girl and 2 boys and their names are Jessica, Giri, and Armand. They followed us to California and we stayed in L.A for 1 week. We traveled around L.A and went to Hollywood. We met a lot of celebrities and got their autographs. Everyone told me that if you want to travel around the world the last place you want to see and stay is the sin city Las Vegas, so the 5 of us went there by bus. My friend, Benny, transferred me another $350,000 to my account to survive In Vegas. We stayed in the best hotel in Vegas called The Bellagio and we stayed in the Luxurious suite. I gambled and I won a lot of money but Armand and Giri lost a lot of money. Jessie and Jessica just went shopping and they went to the spa. 5 days has passed and I have travelled around the world, all I need to do is just c ome home safely. We left Vegas and went to London with British Airways. Rested 1 day in London and went to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. In Singapore I bought some stuff for my family and friends. I decided to go home with Benny’s private yacht and went home safely to Jakarta. I went home and my friends and family are waiting with a huge sign saying â€Å"Congratulations† and everyone cheered. A few months later I decided to Marry Jessie and the wedding theme was around the world.

Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting Systems

Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting Systems Executive Summary Though, financial accounting and managerial accounting systems prepare and analyze the same financial data, they also differ in some aspects. For example the users of the information are different. Also the procedures for their preparations differ including the time frames. Cost accounting is another sphere of accounting that deals with the analysis of costs of products and activities in an organization. It forms a substantial part of managerial accounting since through it, the management can also make decisions. This paper analyzes the similarities a swell as differences between the two. Introduction Management accounting is and accounting system that provides the management with techniques that provide of an organization with information for purposes of internal use like decision making and effective control of the organizations resources. According to Enotes website (2010), procedures in management accounting provide information for decision makers in a company. Contrary, financial accounting procedures provide information to external users like the shareholders of a firm, government agencies, and creditors to the firm. Management accounting reports are usually generated anytime; daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly. While individuals in an organization decide management accounting methods, financial accounting techniques must conform to external standards like the international financial accounting standards developed by financial accounting standards board (FASB). Cost accounting is often confused with management accounting. Cost accounting involves determining the cost of an activity while management accounting goes beyond to combine multiple management disciplines that contain financial information for internal decision making. Therefore cost accounting can be said to a necessary component of management accounting (Enotes website, 2010). Characteristics of management accounting procedures According to netTOM website (2010), management accounting procedures should posses the following procedures. They should be; Relevant for the purpose, complete, accurate, clear and precise to the manager, timely, communicated through the appropriate channel, less costly to provide and the volume should be manageable. The role of management accounting Management accounting plays the following roles within an organization: Planning: the information provided by management accounting procedures is vital in planning and budgeting processes. This is because such information contains various costs like pricing, product costs and capital expenditures. Control: the management is in a position to see which activities are not conforming to the plan from the reports provided by the management accounting (netTOM website, 2010). Organization: the management accountant can reinforce the organizational framework of the organization by tailoring the accounting structure to the organizational structure. Motivation: the managers and other staff are always motivated by the budgets prepared by the management accountant. Decision making: this is one of the major functions of management accounting procedures. Through the collection and analysis of data, the reports he or she presents to the managers assist in decision making (netTOM website, 2010). Similarities between financial accounting and management accounting Despite the two fields having numerous differences, there also many areas of similarities as specified below; Certification: both fields emphasize on certification. For one to be certified, he/she must pass the exams that are concerned in each field of specialization. Certifications come in form of certified management accounting and certified public accounting (Ehoh website, 2010). Review of historical data: both systems prepare reports basing on historical data review. In financial accounting, this is for comparison purposes of the business between the present and the past, while for management accounting, it is for determining the current performance of the organization and to come up with a business financial forecast of the future (ehow website, 2010). Measurement of the currency: the unit of measurement in generation of reports in the two systems is the currency. The reports generated are thereafter used to give tangible information to business owners or show the financial state of the business. They can also be used to plan and generate the budget for the business (ehow website, 2010). Terminology used: both systems of accounting use similar accounting terminology. E.g. debits and credits are used in both systems to describe the money that goes out and the money that go in to the business respectively (ehow website, 2010). Techniques: the accounting techniques employed by both the systems are basically the same. E.g. the technique that is used to determine the actual cost of the product (ehow website, 2010). Differences between Financial and managerial accounting Although both financial accounting and management accounting provide information to the user for decision making, there are various differences between the two as summarized in the table below. Financial accounting Management accounting Information from Financial accounting system is used by external parties to the organization like the creditors, shareholders etc Information from management accounting procedures is for internal use by the organizational management. Financial accounting reports provide information on financial performance of an organization over a given period of time and the state of affairs for the organization at the end of the period. Management accounting reports are for planning and control activities and also for decision making in an organization. It is compulsory according to the law for limited companies to prepare financial statements. Management accounting reports have no legal requirement. Financial accounting statements are an end to themselves as they dwell mainly on the whole organization aggregating costs and revenues from different departments. Management accounting information can not be an end to a product but rather aid in decision making. Also management accounting may give focus to specific areas and not every department. Essentially, a historical picture of a past operation is presented by financial accounting procedures. In management accounting, both the historical past of the immediate past and a future tool for planning is given. Financial accounting records should be provided for at least a period of 12 months. There is no time limit for management accounting records. The international accounting standards must be followed in the preparation of accounting statement (financial accounts of various companies can be compared). I.e. Generally accepted Accounting Principles must be followed (GAAP). There are no strict rules to govern management accounting record preparation (no need to follow GAAP). The records are used by managers of the organization and therefore there is no need for comparison. A specific format specified by the IAS is to be followed in the preparation for financial statements. There is no specified management accounting format and therefore no specific statements should be produced. The nature of financial statements most often is of financial nature. Management accounting information not necessarily money related. It can also be non-monetary. (NetTOM website, 2010) Types of management accounting reports Since management accounting is a vital part of the planning tool kit, you can find the following managerial reports within SAC:   Variance analysis: this usually determines the standard, projections and actual costs of an activity. One key element to the companys benchmark is the difference between the actual and the standard costs, i.e. how much it can cost to produce the same computer chip by two different computer manufacturers. The organization can analyze its planning processes using the projections or estimate variance analysis. Through variance analysis, there is a special field called bottleneck accounting that examines the relative costs and the variances created through production bottlenecks (lovetoknow website, 2010).   Cost analysis: this is a type of managerial accounting that analyzes the exact cost of a product. This usually starts with finding out the cost of direct expenses like materials and labor. There are other sophisticated management accounting techniques that include analysis of indirect expenses. They include cost projection accounting, calculating opportunity costs and facility overheads. These techniques essentially analyze alternative ways in which the company could have invested the funds (lovetoknow website, 2010). Activity based costing: this type of costing technique analyzes the cost of activities basing on their cost rather than the product. Its advantage is that it allows for deeper analysis of the companys interconnected parts. This method divides products into; Unit- level activities (production of one unit). Batch level activities (cost per batch). Product sustaining activities. Facility sustaining activities. The above report indicates Normal Costing System Per Unite Costs Retrieved from: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/management_accounting_report/ Accounting reports prepared on profit performance for a company may also indicate some of the expected managerial accounting duties. The example below was drawn from ABC System Profit Performance. The example that follows indicates normal costing system profit performance. ABC System Profit Performance report retrieved from: http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/management_accounting_report/ Normal Costing System Profit Performance report retrieved from http://ivythesis.typepad.com/term_paper_topics/management_accounting_report/ A business process like research development can be examined by either total cost analysis and/or cycle cost analysis. This is because both methods analyze the total expenses involved in a business activity. Therefore the two methods are very important n determining the companys profitability (lovetoknow website, 2010). Return on investment: this is a type of cost analysis that includes cost analysis naturally while measuring the direct returns as well as calculating the ratio (lovetoknow website, 2010). Projections: this include future estimate of the organization such as; demand, sales, expenses, necessary resources and the number of required employees. Projections form one of the most complicated areas of managerial accounting because of the difficulty ion predictions caused by inflation, consumer demand and material prices. Therefore, they are built on extensive modeling. Balanced scorecard: this usually includes standard financial measures. These measures include on perspectives of the customer on satisfaction, business process, innovation and perspective on learning (lovetoknow website, 2010). Digital dashboards: these are applications that are designed in the form of a cars dashboard to display critical business information. They provide needed information fat just at a glance. Through them, the manager is able to see the latest data about the company in the companys business contexts (lovetoknow website, 2010). Conclusion Management accounting and financial accounting are two major accounting systems used by various organizations. Despite their use, they are totally different. Whereas financial accounting is prepared after a certain period of time and used by external users, managerial accounting is prepared by the management accountant for internal use of the management and it has no specific format to be used hence no need for comparison with other organizations. The similarities of the two range from mandatory certifications, use of currency, terminology used to similar technology. Examples of managerial accounting reports available are the variance analysis, cost analysis, return on investment, projections and digital dash boards. References Ehow website, 2010: â€Å"Similarities of Financial and Managerial Accounting.† Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from: http://www.ehow.com/about_4853367_similarities-financial-managerial-accounting.html Enotes website, (2010). â€Å"Managerial Accounting.† Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from: http://www.enotes.com/biz-encyclopedia/managerial-accounting Lovetoknow website. (2010). â€Å"Managerial Accounting.† Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from: http://business.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Managerial_Accounting NetTOM website. (2010). â€Å"Financial and Management Accounting.† Retrieved on February 15, 2010 from: http://cbdd.wsu.edu/kewlcontent/cdoutput/TOM505/page11.htm

The Influence of Popular Culture on Societys Self-Perception Essay

The Influence of Popular Culture on Society's Self-Perception Popular culture has an undeniable influence on how society perceives itself. When examining mass culture, one must keep in mind the equilibrium between how much we, as a society, affect the way popular culture is constructed and to what extent popular culture influences the way we view ourselves and shapes our ideologies. An aspect of popular culture that may serve to greatly exemplify this theory of society as both the affecter and the affected is the genre of magazines targeted at young women. Though these publications are targeted as the representation of our society’s adolescent females, they actually have a great influence over the ways in which teens view and construct certain social ideologies. This essay will shed light on the influences these publications have in shaping, regulating, and defining young women’s perceptions of femininity, sexuality, and romance. Consequently, it will also reveal an irony in the fact that â€Å"women’s magazines†, wr itten for (and mostly by) women actually mold their beliefs and actions into those that reinforce female subordination through the traditional standards of a patriarchal society. For the purpose of analysis, I will focus on three publications for women, each with a slightly different audience according to the age and class brackets targeted and the subjects offered. In her analysis of one of Britain’s women’s magazines called Jackie, McRobbie identifies four codes that form the content of these publications: those of fashion and beauty, romance, personal and domestic life, and pop music (Christian-Smith,8). The magazines I will examine all exemplify the four factors of McRobbie’s codes. The first publication is a magazine called Twist. From the content, one may infer that the main target of this magazine is a high school age bracket. The cover stories include â€Å"Make-him-Melt Prom Hair and Makeup†, â€Å"Is it Love or Lust†, â€Å"Real Guys Reveal What Their Mixed Messages Really Mean†, â€Å"New Zit Zappers†, and â€Å"Celeb’s Happiness Secrets†. Inside, the reader finds pop music icons, advice on how to act and look to find a member of the opposite sex, advertisements targeted at younger consumers of cheaper goods, and pictures of stereotypically attractive teenagers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The second magazine I will be discussing is Complete Woman. This magazine is aimed at a ... ...logies? A broader representation of other forms of society would be necessary to dissolve the stereotypes that mass culture has come to represent. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Twist Magazine, May 2000. Heinrich Bauer Publishing, L.P. 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Complete Woman Magazine, June/July 2000. James L. Herlock, Publisher. 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marie Claire Magazine, May 2000. Hearst Communications. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Christian-Smith, Linda. Becoming a Woman Through Romance. Routledge, Inc. 1990. 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Modleski, Tania. Feminism Without Women. Routledge, Inc. 1991. 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lewin, Ellen. â€Å"Writing Lesbian Ethnography† reprinted in Women Writing Culture. University of California Press. 1995. 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Craik, Jennifer. â€Å"I Must Put My Face On† 1989. reprinted in Feminist Cultural Studies I. Edward Elgar Publishing. 1995 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Winship, Janice. â€Å"Handling Sex† 1981. reprinted in Feminist Cultural Studies I. Edward Elgar Publishing. 1995 9.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Lutz, Catherine. â€Å"The Gender Of Theory† reprinted in Women Writing Culture. Univ. of California Press. 1995 10.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Coward, Ruth. Female Desire. Palladin Books. 1984. 11.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Schlesinger, Philip. â€Å"From Production to Propaganda?† reprinted in Culture and Power. Sage Publications. 1992

The Relationship of Allegory of the Cave to Learning and Education Essa

The Relationship of "Allegory of the Cave" to Learning and Education The "Allegory of the Cave" is Plato's attempt to explain the relationship between knowledge and ignorance. Starting with the image of men in fetters that limit their movement and force them to look only ahead, this is the idea that all men and women are bound by the limits of their ignorance. Men and women are restricted by the limits of the education of their parents and the small amounts that can be culled from their environment. Images and shadows are representations of those things surrounding us that we see but do not understand because of our limited knowledge. As we obtain the ability to see things more clearly in the cave that is our ignorance, we start to then loosen the fetters that bind us and investigate the objects and images around us with our newly acquired mobility. Eyes that have seen nothing but darkness for so long are now fine-tuned to see even the smallest glimmer of light, or knowledge, in the far reaches of the cave. Constantly moving and gathering knowledge we observe that we are in fact m...

Body Image Essay -- Weight Health Body Image Essays

Body Image   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  "Just Be" is a familiar slogan to the current American culture. It is the slogan of a well-known designer, Calvin Klein, who, in his advertisements, supposedly promotes individuality and uniqueness. Yet, Calvin Klein, along with all known designers, does not have overweight or unattractive people on his billboard ads, on his runways, in his magazine pictures or on his television commercials. Moreover, the movie, music and the mass media corroborate with the fashion industry in setting and advertising a certain standards for a physical ideal of a human body. Such propaganda promotes the public into depriving themselves of needed nutrition and generates eating disorders within people in order to fit the set standard of the physical ideal. The negative attitude towards overweight population of the modern society is a sociocultural phenomenon. Yet, historically the negativity towards excess in weight was not constant. If one examines the artwork as relatively recent as the works of the Renaissance period, it can be witnessed that women who were somewhat "chunky," were considered beautiful and they were painted and sculpted. "Fleshy" men and women are in the masterpieces of such artist as Michelangelo, de Vinci, Rafael, Goya y Lucientes and etc. Love handles, fat deposits and skin folds were regarded as attractive and were applauded. Cleopatra, for example, was praised for her beauty, yet by modern standards she would be considered overweight. Aphrodite, the goddess of love and the image of perfection, is also viewed as overweight and thickset in the contemporary society and would not be painted or sculpted as "heavy set" as she has been created previously. Nonetheless, she was painted in accordance with the timely regar ds of beauty. Thus, it   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   2 may be observed that during that time frame, as well as during most of the historic periods, the full figured body was preached as normal and ideal and was, though not as intensely and as high-tech, commercialized to the public and society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The change in the beauty standard has been observed since 1970's, when beauty pageant contestants, actresses and models began to continuously show a decrease in weight. The analysis of the weight of advertised models, contestants and playboy centerfolds showed that over sixty perc... ...Archives of General Psychiatry. 56, 468. Field, Alison E., Cheung, Lilian, Wolf, Anne M., Herzog, David B., Goltmaker, Steven L., & Colditz, Graham A. (1999) "Exposure to the mass media and weight concerns among girls" Pediatrics. 103. Harrison, Kristen (1997) "Does interpersonal attraction to thin media personalities promote eating disorders?" Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. 41. Henriques, Gregg R., Calhoun, Lawrence G. & Cann, Arnie. (1996) "Ethic differences in women's body satisfaction: an experimental investigation." The Journal of Social Psychology. 136, pp. 689-697. Lovejoy, Meg. (2001) " Disturbances in a social body: Differences in body image and eating problems among African American and White women." Gender & Society. 15, pp.239-261. MacDonald, Rhona. (2001) " To diet for" British Medical Journal. 322, pp. 1002. Mulholland, Amy, Mintz, Laurie B. (2001) " Prevalence of eating disorders among African American women." Journal of counseling Psychology. 48, pp.111-116. Stice, Eric (1998) "Modeling of eating pathology and social reinforcement of thin-ideal predict onset of bulimic symptoms." Behavior Research and Therapy. 36

AMER and NASDAQ Comparison

Question No. 1Both AMEX and NASDAQ are stock exchanges that have evolved from the demands of the times. AMEX or the American Stock Exchange started out as a stock exchange in the streets, or in the curb to be more precise, dealing stocks of companies that are not important enough to be a member of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) (Psst, n.d., para. 6 and 7). NASDAQ or National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations System, on the other hand, was born after the advent of the computer age, answering the call of technology-based companies for a stock exchange of their own. Because of this, NASDAQ’s procedures differ from AMEX significantly ((Psst, n.d., para. 8 and 9).Another similarity between the two exchanges is their common competitor, the NYSE. The biggest companies are traded in the NYSE which accounts for its popularity. There are on-going plans to merge AMEX and NASDAQ in the quest of making a stock exchange that is more competitive with the ever popular NYSE (Psst, n.d., para. 12). The two exchanges can compliment each other because of the different ways by which they conduct their business. These differences will be discussed in the later part of this paper.AMEX and NASDAQ each cater to a specific type of company. NASDAQ is preferred by firms like Microsoft, Intel and Apple (Psst, n.d., para. 9). These companies are involved mainly in technology. They are more comfortable with the system used by NASDAQ since it is an exchange that uses computers in its operations. Since AMEX was created as an answer to companies who cannot get into the NYSE, AMEX listings include small and mid-cap companies, companies that are not qualified to join the NYSE. AMEX has an impressive listing of options and exchange traded trusts. AMEX â€Å"specializes in energy companies, start-ups and biotech firms† (Investigator guide staff, n.d., para. 1).Question No. 2The differences between the operations of the two exchanges are many. AMEX operations i s similar to that of a traditional exchange. There is a floor where the buying and selling takes place. Buying and selling are done personally with buyers and sellers gesturing their offer and acceptance. The system is more personal, the buyers and sellers interacting face-to-face. In fact, AMEX started by trading in the curb only to move on to a building of its own with its own â€Å"floor†. NASDAQ uses electronics in its operations. NASDAQ does not have a trading floor where buyers and sellers meet to conduct trade. Buyers use telephones and computer terminals which contains the information on the securities being traded in real time.NASDAQ used to be considered as an â€Å"Over the Counter Exchange†, but as the term evolve over the years, NASDAQ is no longer considered as such. Initially, â€Å"Over the Counter Exchanges† are those which conduct trading without â€Å"trading floors† (Investigator guide staff, n.d., para. 3). Now, the term only refers t o exchanges that trade stocks that do not qualify in any of the major exchanges (Investigator guide staff, n.d., para. 3). Since NASDAQ is considered a major exchange, it is no longer considered an â€Å"Over the Counter Exchange†. As stated above, the companies dealing in technology find the system of NASDAQ more efficient than that of AMEX.The system of NASDAQ, allows for a â€Å"spread† which is kept by the buyer or stock broker as part of his profit. A spread is the difference between the selling price and buying price. Under NASDAQ’s system, dealers and brokers are able to sell directly to the buyers through computers and are not required to disclose the amount with which sellers are willing to sell their securities. Dealers and stockbrokers can increase such cost provided there are buyers willing to buy the same, any difference is theirs to keep. Because the system is prone to abuse, the government has enacted regulations to govern trading done through thi s system. (Psst, n.d., para. 13 -16).Because of the difference with which the two exchanges conduct their operations, the companies registered under them are from different industries. As mentioned above, NASDAQ specializes in companies engaged in technology, such as Microsoft and CISCO. On the other hand, AMEX specializes in energy companies and biotech firms.Question No. 3The collapse of Worlcom, Inc. and the conviction of its Chief Executive led to many losses not just in the telecoms industry but also in other industries. The fiasco that was Worldcom led to the revival and enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (Belson 2005).. This piece of legislation provided for very specific accounting and auditing guidelines and detailed corporate disclosure. While this legislations aims to protect investors from the creative and dubious accounting practices of some corporations, corporations find the law stifling (Belson 2005).Worldcom continued to exist after the fiasco, reverting to its former name MCI. While it used to be a huge corporation that gobbles up smaller telecoms on its path to dominance, it struggled to survive in a much diminished state. The bankruptcy of the company meant that many people lost their jobs, savings and retirement benefits. Many of those who had worked for the company for a long time found themselves starting over again.During its heyday, Worldcom tactics has forced AT&T and other telecom companies to drastically lower the costs of their services to be competitive (Belson 2005). AT&T needed to cut cost by reducing its work force. These events and several ill-timed investments led to the decline of the once mighty AT&T, a decline from which it never fully recovered.ReferenceBelson, K. January 18, 2005. Worldcom’s audacious failure and its toll on an industry. Retrieved October 11, 2007 at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/01/18/business/18ebbers.html?pagewanted=1.Investor guide staff. n.d.   Retrieved October 11, 2007 at http://ww w.investorguide.com/igu-article-423-investing-basics-amex-nasdaq-otc-and-other-exchanges.html.Pssssst wanna trade?. n.d. Retrieved October 11, 2007 at http://www.pbs.org/newshour/on2/money/amex.html.

The Evolution of Philippine Literature

Though relatively young compared to other world literatures, Philippine literature has come a long way in evolving from the early forms of folklore literature to the contemporary literature we know today. The changing times and the cultural influences brought about by both the foreign and local people have shaped the fate of Philippine literature. On the earliest times before the Spanish colonization, myths, legends, and tales were the forms of literature at hand. These reflected the indigenous culture and tradition of pre-Spanish Philippines.Stories were orally shared and passed down room one generation to the next. A bit before Spaniards came, the early natives had also developed their own writing system called the Alabama and the earliest writings in Philippine literature were written in that manner on bamboo, leaves, stones, and other indigenous materials. These myths usually impart of the origin of man and the world, and mostly had a transcending spiritual purpose. Balkans or th e priestesses were in charge of remembering and preserving the folklore which they preached to the people, especially to the future generations.An example of well preserved myth is the lawful ale of Began and Gauguin that talks about the marriage of a goddess with a man and the death of their son which resulted in the creation of the world's many things. Tales were in local vernacular forms and showed the diversity ad richness of culture by each region. On the advent of Spanish colonization, the earlier forms of literature were trashed and abandoned for the Spaniards wanted to convert the natives to Christianity and the only way to do this was to convince the natives into believing that these were evil and wicked.That explains why the term â€Å"yaw† meaner devil, but in fact, Yaw was a airier Babylon from Bolo. Folklore was forgotten and natives were slowly but surely became Hispanicize throughout the 300 years of colonization. Prayers, chants, and other religious acts were taught to the natives. Religion was a major topic in the Spanish era. Elite scholars were taught to read and write in Spanish and religion was the main subject matter. Since only the high class or the selected few had the privilege of education, this resulted in a few bright minds to explore the literature given by the Spaniards, the rest were only taught prayers.These fortunate people were taught to read and write n Spanish and were sent overseas. This paved way for them to discover the diverse literature of the world. This gave them an utterly different perspective of literature and other matters. These scholars were inspired by the foreign revolutionary ideas and sooner than later, sparked the will to also change the system of their native land. These foreign ideas were adopted by Filipino writers like Jose Racial, Grecian Lopez Jean, Marcelo H. Del Pillar and Pedro Pattern who contributed to important Spanish literary work in the Philippines by the way of various historical docu ments.Studying in Europe, Jose Racial was the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines. He wrote two books: the Nil Me Tanager and the El Filibusterer's, writings and formed the ASK for revolution. It is evident in Benefaction's poem Nag Hulling Habit Eng Filipinos (The final Cry of Filipinos) that he was on the verge of creating a revolution and that shows that on the dwindling years of Spanish rule, literature revolved around the idea of revolution and nationalism. It is true that the style and way of writing is very much affected by the need to write down the events that are unfolding.A nationalistic era results in a nationalistic literary works. At the dawn of American colonialism?or as they called it â€Å"benevolent assimilation†, the American tactic was to not enslave us but to â€Å"befriend† us. They willingly taught the Filipinos to read and write in English, targeting the youth. Through these efforts, Philippine English literature bloomed. At th e start, many Filipino writers still wrote in Spanish but gradually, as the years went by, more and more wrote in English. Since you have to learn to stand before you learn to walk, it took them a little while before Filipino writers could write literary works in English.When the Second World War exploded and the Japanese occupied the country, writers were forced to either go underground or write in Toga. Writers were enthused to write in English again when the war was over. This period produced some famous writers like like Carols Bulbous, Alexandra Roses, Francisco Recall, Nick Joaquin. Filipino writers excelled in the short stories in English. It was at this time that Filipinos felt at more ease with using English as their medium of language. They took the writing in English language and transformed it into an artistic expression.

Theoretical Background of Lending System

There Is a meticulous proverb about the bank's lending -â€Å"If you owe the bank take problem. † To be frank, lending to the businesses, governments, and Individuals Is one of the most Important services banks and their closest competitors provide, and It Is the riskier. The principal reason banks and many competitor lenders are issued charter of incorporation by government is to make loans to their customers.Banks, thrift institutions, and other chartered lenders are expected to support their local immunities with an adequate supply of credit for all legitimate business and consumer financial needs and to price that credit reasonably in line with competitively determined market interest rate. Indeed, making loans to fund consumptions and Investment spending Is the principal economic function of banks and their closest competitors. How well a lender performs In fulfilling the lending function has a great deal to do with the economic health of Its region, because loan support the growth of new business and Jobs wealth the lender's trade territory.Despite all the benefits of lending for both the institutions that makes loan and for their customer, the lending process bears careful internal and external monitoring at all the times. When a bank or other lender gets into serious financial trouble, its problems usually spring from loans that have become unconvertible due to mismanagement, illegal manipulation, misguided landing policies or an unexpected economic downturn. No wonder, then, that when examiners appear at a bank or other regulated lending Institution they conduct a thorough review of its loan portfolio.Usually this Involves detailed analysis of the documents and collateral for the largest loan, a review of a sample of small loans, and an evaluation of loan polices to ensure their sound and prudent In order to protect the public funds. 1. 2 Background of National Credit & Commerce Bank Ltd (UNCLE) National Credit and Commerce bank Limited bears a unique history of its own. The organization started its Journey in the financial sector of the country as an investment company back in 1985.The aim of the company was to mobile resources from within and invest them n such way so as to develop country's Industrial and Trade Sector and playing a catalyst role In the formation of capital market as well. Its membership with the bourse helped the company to a great extent In this regard. The company operated up to 1992 with 16 branches and thereafter with the permission of the Central Bank converted In to a full-fledged scheduled private commercial bank In May 1993 with paid up capital TX. 39. 00 core to serve the nation from a broader platform.During providing sincere personalized service to its customers in a technology-based environment. The Bank has set up a new standard in financing in the Industrial, Trade and Foreign Exchange business. Its various deposit and credit products have also attracted the clients-both corporate and indi viduals who feel comfort in doing business with the Bank. The initial authorized capital of the Bank was TX. 75. 00 core and, paid-up capital TX. 19. 50, core at the time of conversion, which is now raised, to TX. 9. 00 cores. The present authorized capital is TX. 250. 00 core and paid up capital is TX. 60. 78 core. The sponsors of the new bank consisted of 26 (Twenty six) Members, who comprised the iris Board of Directors. The share price of the bank is currently being quoted at both Dacha and Chitchatting Bourse at an average price of TX. 320/- against per value of TX. 100/-. NC Bank based upon its commendable business performance for the year ended 2004, has meanwhile declared stock dividend at the rate of 30%.The Bank which started with 16 branches in 1993, has at present 41 (forty one) branches and 03 (three) Booths located in prime commercial areas of Dacha, Chitchatting, Sylphs, Fine, Chula, Josser and Ranging District Headquarters, out of which as many as 17 seventeen) are A uthorized Dealer Branches, fully equipped for dealing in direct foreign exchange businesses. 1. 3 Scope of the Report This report has been prepared through extensive discussion with my colleagues and with the clients.While preparing this report, I had a great opportunity to have an in depth knowledge of all the banking activities practiced by the NC Bank limited. It also helped me to acquire a first-hand perspective of a leading private bank in Bangladesh. This report covers overall areas of UNCLE. It can be grouped into the allowing sections: Origin and historical background of UNCLE. Theoretical description about the products and services, general banking activities and departments of the bank.Analysis of the performance of UNCLE through some ratios. 1. 4 Objectives of the Report Primary Objectives The primary objectives of the report are to orient the real life nature of the bank and to measure the Job satisfaction of the staffs of the NC Bank Ltd, Mailbags branch, Dacha. Seconda ry Objectives To measure the level of Job satisfaction of employees with respect to the company. To understand the components that trigger Job satisfaction of the staffs.To know the reasons behind the Job dissatisfaction of the employees from the findings. To Judge the level of Job satisfaction of employees on various parameters: Working Conditions Rewards and other benefits Relationship with employees of company Job Security 1. 5 Methodology This report is made based on my theoretical and practical knowledge and as project report. National Credit Bank Limited is one of the well-known private commercial bank in Bangladesh. Its public reporting system is appreciable. Data are well managed.This arrangement is logical that helps easy application of analytical tool. Two sources are used to collecting data. These are: Primary Source Secondary Source Primary Source: Face to face conversation with the bank officers and staffs Study of different files of different section of the bank. Un-o fficial discussion with bank official. Secondary Sources: Annual report of NC Bank limited (2009-2013). Website. Literature summery. 1. 6 Limitations of the Study 1. Data Insufficiency 3. Lack of Updated Information.

Conduct Unbecoming

â€Å"Conduct unbecoming† is a punishment that is only for Commissioned OFFICERS – not for enlisted soldiers. Article 84 is regarding unlawful enlistment†¦ and therefore not applicable to this situation. Article 15 is the article that allows for non-judicial punishment – it is NOT something you can be charged with. Article 91: Insubordinate conduct toward a non-commissioned officer (you failed to obey the order). Article 92: Failure to Obey a Lawful Order (he ordered you to tell the truth, and you didn't). Article 107: False Official Statements (told a lie when asked). Article 134: Disloyal Statements (prejudicial to the good order and discipline) Article 134: False Swearing (you took an oath and then lied) Article 134: Obstructing Justice (you lied to hide wrongdoing) The max punishments you can be hit with are as follows (in the same order!! ) Article 91: BCD, 1 year confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances (willfully disobeying an NCO's order), BCD, 6 month confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances (for showing contempt to the NCO) Article 92: Dishonorable discharge, 2 years confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances (if the situation involved a general order). BCD 6 month confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances (for the failure to tell the NCO the truth). Article 107: 5 years confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances. Article 134 (statements): 3 years confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances. Article 134 (swearing): Dishonorable Discharge, 3 year confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances. Article 134 (obstructing): Dishonorable Discharge, 5 year confinement, forfeiture of all pay and allowances. And it depends entirely upon what it was that you are being accused of lying about and the Commander. If it was important, or really impacted Good Order and Discipline, you'll be charged with the maximum number of charges. If it is bad enough situation to warrant an Article 15 you are going to get hit with a Field Grade Article 15. For this, the max damage is no more than 30 days of correctional custody, 45 days of extra duty, 45 days of restriction (it can be 60 days, but extra duty and restriction must be the same amount), loss of TWO pay grades, and loss of half your pay for two months.

Bernard Madoff Investment Securities Scandal Research Paper

Bernard Madoff Investment Securities Scandal - Research Paper Example Born in 1938, former American stock broker, investment adviser, and non executive chairman of the NASDAQ, Bernard Madoff is believed to be one of the greatest frauds of all time. He was succeeded in cheating the public and the authorities for around 30 years using a Ponzi scheme. He was succeeded in adding one more new chapter to the fraud histories in the world. Anyone who is working in investment securities department in the world is now taking lessons from the innovative investment scandal anchored by Madoff. Madoff admitted that he has started his fraudulent activities in early in the 1990’s. However federal investigating agencies believed that he started his activities as early as in the eighties itself. â€Å"Madoff founded the Wall Street firm Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC in 1960, and was its chairman until his arrest on December 11, 2008† (Bernie Madoff’s Investment Scandal Exposed, 2010).The Wall Street firm took the investors by surprise because of the high and consistent short term returns offered to the investors. The Ponzi scheme offered to the investors by Madoff was attracted many investors because of its earning potential. A Ponzi scheme can be defined as a fraudulent investment operation which offers the investors high returns other investments cannot guarantee. Most of the other investment schemes in America are offering high returns on investments only if the investors invest their money for longer periods whereas the Ponzi scheme offers high returns to investments of even shorter period. This fraudulent investment operation pays returns to separate investors from their own money rather than from any actual profit earned. The offers put forward by Madoff through his Ponzi scheme were exciting which increased the traffic flow towards his offices. Investors started to invest heavily in this Ponzi scheme

Time for analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Time for analysis - Essay Example Rolex may have used the woman in the ad as an implication that the watch is as attractive as the woman. The watch is likely to appeal to the buyers when such a beautiful woman is used in the ad. The use of a fallen tree as a bridge is the only solution the woman in a jungle has to use in order to overcome some of the challenges such as crossing the bridge. Many people face challenges of time constraint which they must overcome in order to achieve their goals. However, without a watch it may be difficult for them to overcome those challenges. Therefore, everybody needs watch in order to manage their time and carry out all of their activities effectively (Pricken 124). The woman in the ad seems relaxed and not in any hurry as she begins to cross the bridge. The fallen tree she is using as the bridge has a broad base, and that could be the reason the lady seems relaxed and without any worries. However, as she gets to the middle of the tree, it becomes thinner and more dangerous to cross while the river becomes deeper at that point. This implies that at the beginning of the day people seem relaxed because they think they have plenty of time. However, as time goes by, and the sunset approaches they come to a realization of inadequacy of time yet they have not achieved the day’s target. Additionally, the rays of the sun are illuminating the area of the bridge in front of the lady thus making it appear as if it is early. Looking at the watch it shows the time is fifteen-minutes-to-two. Therefore, this could imply that witch is an essential tool for guiding people in planning their day-to-day activities and avoid being caught up the time by surpr ise (Pricken 139). The picture shows a waterfall that is permanent, and it shows the challenges in the jungle are permanent. It is upon the lady to find whatever means they can afford in order to overcome the challenges. The waterfall may symbolize the durability of the watch. Also, the

Color Compisition and Polarized Light Research Paper

Color Compisition and Polarized Light - Research Paper Example These forms of microscopes are well designed in such a manner that they are capable of photographing the most visible specimens because of their existing anisotropic characters. These microscopes are duly instilled with the polarizers and the analyzers. Polarizers are often placed across the light path just before the given specimen, while the analyzers are usually placed at the optical pathway of the objective camera port and rear aperture).Interaction of the plane polarized light with the birefringent specimen tend to produce two definite wave components in which one of them is ordinary while the other seems to be extraordinary. They are polarized in such a manner that they generate some sort of contrast colors on the mutually parallel planes. Microscopy polarization as a concept thus offers a lot of information regarding the color composition and three-dimensional patterns of a number of samples. This methodology can hence disclose some essential information on the thermal history , as well as the specimen’s strains and stresses. On the other hand, a lot of information and data components can be fully assessed with the crossed polarizer or the plane-polarized light. Crossed polarizer often refers to a situation whereby the analyzer is mutually inserted into the existing optical path; while the plane polarized light occurs when the analyzer is duly removed from the existing optical path. The plane-polarized light offers adequate information on the  specimen’s optical relief, which is mainly obvious within the boundary visibility, and also enhances the refractive index. Materials with higher relief have varying refractive indices with the mounting medium. When rotated around the microscope’s optical axis, the placement of transparent or even translucent materials in plane-polarized light tends to generate greater brightness and colors in

International Business Finance Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Business Finance - Case Study Example There is transfer of technology between the subsidiaries and the parent firm in the joint venture and the industrial output of the joint venture. Therefore the following can be noted from the joint venture under the strategic option 1. In this multinational capital budgeting there are various factors as well as assumptions that were taken into consideration to determine the expected returns from the joint venture from the parent’s firm perspective. First and foremost the exchange rates fluctuations were taken into account especially when converting the subsidiary earnings into the parent firm’s reporting currency. Given that is challenging to precisely estimate the rates of exchange rates, the determination of the expected returns in pounds were established using the spot exchange rate of  £0.8410/â‚ ¬. Besides, the cost of inflation was taken into account which was charged on the cost of operations to incorporate the depreciation rates and the interest rates on loans based in Germany borrowing rates. Even though the prediction of costs or price completely takes into account the inflation, the rates of inflation rates at tikes can be volatile from one year to another for some states (Madura, 201 1; p. 49). Hence the cost of inflation from the Germany perspective was taken to be 2.5%. Lastly, the financial arrangements were put into account. These include the costs of finance which is captured by the rate of discount and the taxation rate. Nonetheless, when the foreign based projects are partly financed using the subsidiaries in the foreign nations, a more precise strategy is applied to distinguish the investment in the subsidiary and openly take into account the loan repayment of the foreign loans as cash outflows. Moreover, the returns from the Germany were not taxed due to the double taxation treaty that exists between Germany and United Kingdom. The following calculations can be noted under strategic option One; the

Summary the artical Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary the artical - Assignment Example There are special circumstances in which stakeholders are forced to elect new directors mid-term. For instance, if one of the directors passes away, stakeholders can consult state law while seeking to appoint a new director. For formal meetings to be held there has to be a quorum of officials before the conducting of any transactions. In any corporation, the members of the board of directors have different rights. They have the right to participate in all business meetings and operations, carry out inspections, indemnification, and compensation. They serve the stakeholders by furnishing them with corporate dividends, ratifying major organizational policies, overseeing the process of hiring and firing corporate personnel, and determining financial decisions. Below the board of directors in a company’s hierarchical structure are the corporate executives and officers. Corporate officers are expected to be familiar with the rules and regulations of their corporation as they are often tasked with delegating different tasks to other corporate workers. Their responsibilities are quite serious as they can be penalized for mistakes that they or their workers commit. Shareholders are the individuals who own the corporation. They do not take part in running the daily operations of the corporations they invest in but can effect serious changes in terms of the hierarchical structure as well as executive appointments. They exercise their powers by voting for their preferred candidates. Shareholders may hold certificates that outline their ownership status, and are usually awarded stock warrants, pre-emptive rights, dividends, and inspection rights. Professional boards serve a distinct purpose when they are included in different organizations. The collapse of respected financial business establishments triggered a global recession that adversely affect many global citizens and underscored the need for more stringent

Course Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Course Project - Essay Example s until late 1980,s the country embraced open economic policies in 1990s and have steadily gained prominence in the global market place with its large market size as well as production capacities (Hill 2003). Although the Indian society traditionally took a nationalistic stance towards foreign imports and foreign investments, the trends have reversed today. With the Indian economy being widely boosted by its massive software development industry and Business Process Outsourcing operations, the country is becoming a hub for international dealings, and the life styles of the new generation of Indians are affected by global products and global trends (India and The Global Economy 2006). Although the country provides attractive potential in terms of market size, the vast diversity in cultures, religious and over hundred languages and dialects present, it a challenge for international firms to enter and succeed in the Indian market. The legacies of its closed economic policies are also st ill prevalent and bureaucratic red tape still surrounds the import-export regulations, foreign exchange policies as well as customs procedures. This report attempts to provide required background information for planning the export operation of Zingo Instant Noodles to the Indian market being manufactured in UK by NutriSnacks Company Ltd. The company will enter the market through an appointed agent – Partell Group that will act as the importing party of the product. Zingo Instant Noodles is a 80 grams instant noodle pack with seasoning sachet included. The existing product line carries 6 flavours in terms of the seasoning included within including chicken, roast beef, mushroom, tomato, cheese and seafood. The product is currently number two in the UK and a host of other European markets, closely behind the market leader Blue Dragon 3 Minute Noodles. Zingo positioning is based on offering a nutritious snack diet for the young kids who gets hungry easily. The two-minute cooking time

18-6 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

18-6 - Assignment Example By drawing the sample of fifty cards, I did not get a defective deck since I did not pick any joker or king cards which were theoretically assigned the value of a defective card. Thus, it is my reasoned opinion and line of thought that the deck that I did chose from the shuffle of cards was not defective to that extent. The second draw that I with replacement has a defect since I got a king thereby meaning that the permutations that I did with the previous set of cards could not be repeated. This is to say that the cards that I drew on the second ruffle gave me a defective result since I got a king card which we theoretically assigned the value of a defective score or card. I did not get 25% of each suit because the sample given which are 13 did not represent the whole population which is given as 52. There were variation in the number and types of cards selected resulting to less than 25% number of suits chosen. Therefore, about my sample I have a bad deck since I am unable to choose 25% number of suits. When using a single sample a proportion of 0.192 is obtained. For example, 10/52 gives as 0.192. Therefore, a single sample does not give a clear representation of the population since its proportion is less as compared to the population it represents. Also, when comparing average sample to a single sample, the average for the 10 sample gives a greater proportion than the single sample. On the other hand, average sample gives a good representative of the whole population since its proportion is closer to the population. It is not possible to get 25% of each suit because the sample proportion is small. Also, when we repeat with 5 samples, the outcome will be the same. The conclusion is that, it is difficult to get 25% of each suit when using fewer samples. Therefore, the higher the number of samples used the higher the chances of getting 25% of each suits. 10/52 gives 0.1923 or 19.23%, 26/52 gives 0.5 or 50%, 51/52 gives 0.9808 or 98.08% and

Hacking is Stealing Essay Example for Free

Hacking is Stealing Essay Hacking started in the ‘70s when a group of friends decided to tap into phone lines and make calls for free. Those people were called Phone Phreaks, a group of young men who twisted technology and used their technological know-how to create simpler solutions to complicated problems. What started as an intrinsically good past time slowly became a form of pranksterism. The Phone Phreaks soon held phone conferences from everywhere in the world. However, Telephone companies were less than delighted, and phone tapping became a crime. As more and more Phone Phreaks got persecuted for these crimes, the movement stopped, and the Phone Phreaks were almost of the extrinct race. However, the sensibilities of trying to one-up learned engineers and big corporations did not die down. A couple years passed and the same Phone Phreaks discovered a new form of technology to â€Å"play† with: the computer. And the exact same people who started and led Phone Phreak conferences were the people who started hacking computers, a new revolutionary product that everyone wanted to have. Back then, computers really did not have any practical purpose at home, but for a hacker, the simple joy of watching the screen light up, and looking at moving blobs of colors were enough. However, with the advent of the internet, everything changed. When the internet was first used, all the information was open for everyone to use and manipulate. However, with the internet slowly becoming a place of business and transactions, where a lot of personal and, supposedly, confidential information about people and companies are stored, hackers posed as a huge threat What started as a hobby of manipulating electronics to prank people and find easier solutions for common problems turned into something more serious. While Phone Phreaking in the 70s was encouraged as somewhat of an exercise of the mind, computer hacking was a far different story. Computer hackers did not stop at pranking people; they started to use information they gained from hacking government and corporate computers. Hacking became a crime. According to PCWorld. About. com, some people even rigged phone systems to win two Porsches and other prizes at a radio contest. This poses an ethical problem that has always been a problem in society since the beginning of time: stealing. No matter what mode they use, may it be as blatant as rigging telephone lines to win prizes, or as furtive as stealing an identity to escape prosecution by the law, it is still all considered stealing. Taking someone else’s property, and using the results of someone else’s hard work (without permission, and through deceit) to your advantage is very unethical, and is one of the most basic things society teaches us not to do, no matter how hard times may be. Somehow, hackers forget that what they do is stealing, because they are too focused on breaking down systems and trying to outsmart companies and electronics. Hackers are intelligent people, yet instead creating their own products and reap the fruits of their own labor, they do the opposite, and use their skills and abilities to take advantage of other people’s weaknesses.

The Controversies in Juvenile Justice Essay Example for Free

The Controversies in Juvenile Justice Essay Each year, thousands of adolescents in the United States have been tried and sentenced to life in prison without parole, a punishment that has many of its own controversies. Debates are held on whether or not these kids should be tried and sentenced in the same way that adults are tried and sentenced. Many justices say that since children are emotionally, physically and mentally different than adults, they should never be tried in the same way that adults are. Other justices argue that if these children are capable of committing murder, they are also capable of undergoing the same punishment that an adult would undergo. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that sentencing juveniles to life in prison without parole is unconstitutional because it violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment. Adolescents deserve to be tried differently simply because of the fact that they are not adults, and the legal system shouldn’t treat them as such. Furthermore, juveniles should not be sentenced to life in prison without parole because they have not yet reached their full maturity, they are capable of rehabilitation, and if they were sentenced as adults, they should be given the same privileges as adults in the first place. Adolescence is defined as a transitional period in human development and maturity. This is a time where teenagers are rapidly undergoing change, specifically in the brain. Paul Thompson, a writer for The Sacramento Bee, includes in one of his articles that there is a â€Å"massive loss of brain tissue that occurs in the teenage years.† This explains why teenagers often act with impulsive and erratic behavior. This brain tissue is gray matter, which aids in regulating self-control and impulses, and it is being purged at fast rates. Thompson goes on to say, â€Å"These Nailling 2  frontal lobes, which inhibit our violent passions, rash actions, and regulate our emotions, are vastly immature throughout the teenage years.† There are obviously huge differences in the maturity levels of an adolescent and an  adult; therefore it is unfair to sentence an immature adolescent to life in prison without parole because he or she will never be able to reach that maturity level that adults are already at. Regardless of this type of tissue loss and brain developm ent in general, teens should still be held accountable for the crimes they commit, just not to the same extent or in the same way that adults are. Rehabilitation is perhaps the most hopeful form of change that a juvenile could be granted. Because of the fact that they are so young, it is fair to say that all adolescents have the capacity of changing their bad habits and their lifestyles. Gail Garinger, a juvenile court judge and the state of Massachusetts’ child advocate, writes in the New York Times that children are â€Å"promising candidates for rehabilitation.† As a child, to be sentenced to life in prison without parole is equivalent to taking away any form of hope for them to change, which most of them are capable of if they could all just be given a chance. Garinger also states that adolescents’ â€Å"characters are still in formation.† She means that because of this formation that is taking place in the teenage years, this is the best time for them to be offered a chance to rehabilitate themselves before it is too late and they are locked up in prison for their entire life. It is one thing to sentence an adult to life without parole, but to give that same verdict to a child is simply unjust. Many juveniles across the country are unfairly being tried as adults. These kids, who clearly have not yet reached adulthood, have not experienced any type of freedom that grown-ups have, are being condemned and sentenced to a life in prison without parole. Marjie Lundstrom, a columnist for The Sacramento Bee, covers the controversial topic of juveniles who are convicted as adults in their court cases. She implies that it is unfair for a child to be tried as Nailling 3  an adult and to be held by the same standards as an adult would be in court. In one of her articles, she points out how kids â€Å"can’t smoke, or drink, or go to R movies†¦can’t vote, have curfews†¦Ã¢â‚¬  yet, many of these kids, who all have these restrictions, are being treated like they are adults who have none of these restrictions. What’s the point of having a juvenile system in the first place if kids are going to be punished the same exact way as adults are? Lundstrom says, â€Å"Kids are different. Their reasoning is not  fully developed. They are not adults.† It cannot be made any clearer than that, the fact that they are only kids, and they have the right to be treated differently than adults. There is a huge gap between the age of seventeen and eighteen. Between a child and an adult. Between immaturity and maturity. This gap is a disparity that the juvenile system is entitled to recognize. It is crucial to understand that juveniles should not be tried as adults and sentenced to life in prison without parole because these adolescents haven’t yet reached their full maturity, because they are capable of rehabilitation, and because it is unjust to be tried as an adult but not be allowed the same legal privileges that all adults have. Works Cited Thompson, Paul. Startling Finds on Teenage Brains. The Sacramento Bee 25 May 2001: n. pag. Print. Garinger, Gail. Juveniles Dont Deserve Life Sentences. The New York Times 14 Mar. 2012: n. pag. Print. Lundstrom, Marjie. Kids Are Kids Until They Commit Crimes. The Sacramento Bee 1 Mar. 2001: n. pag. Print.

Appraisal On Different Aspects Of Project Management Construction Essay

Appraisal On Different Aspects Of Project Management Construction Essay It is the purpose of this report to provide a critical appraisal on the development, scope, benefits and influence of project management with particular reference to how custom and practice in different countries can influence the role and responsibilities of the project manager. The Project Manager In Brief A project manager is appointed by a client who has a project that requires to be implemented. It is the project managers duty to solely represent the client and ensure that all decisions and actions are in the clients best interests. The project manager should ideally be involved at the earliest possible time and his role is to communicate, lead, organise and delegate from inception of the project to completion of the project. The project manager must communicate primarily with the client, and subsequently lead and organise everyone who has an input on the project based on the clients needs. The project managers duties dont stop there, organisation includes project timeframe and a programme of work detailing how the work is carried out. The project manager must delegate any activities or responsibilities to appropriate personnel such as notifying a plumber that a heating pipe requires relocating. It is not the clients responsibility to tell the contractors what to do, it is the proje ct managers role under the clients instructions. Why Do Clients Need A Project Manager? Project managers are employed by clients to save them money, time and hassle. Many clients are unaware and unsure of construction procedures, building design, construction costs, building contracts and particularly, managing a project. The project manager at the inception stage of the project, i.e stage A of the RIBA plan of work, can partake in discussions with the client to obtain the clients ideas, objectives and needs of the project. This will include primarily, a budget, a timescale, a brief outline of their design requirements such as metres squared of office space or number of seats in a football stadium. As the client may have had ideas regarding this project for a period of time now, it will be likely they have a particular design scheme in mind, and the feasibility of this scheme can be discussed with the project manager to ensure that client has a realistic design within their desired budget. Many projects are designed by an architect and are taken through to site operations, i.e part J / K of the RIBA plan of work without any input from an experienced site contractor / project manager. This can lead to feasibility / cost issues on site as unfortunately not every architect has the concept of how buildings are constructed in detail. However the appointment of a project manager can eliminate these types of problems prior to site operations as his opinion on the architects proposals can be sought at the planning stage, i.e part C / D of the RIBA plan work. The RIBA Plan of Work Below is a list of the various stages of the RIBA plan of work with a small description of the project managers role at each stage: A Appraisal Determine feasibility of clients requirements. Design/Cost/Quality. B Strategic Briefing Receive strategic brief from client. C Outline Proposals Develop brief, prepare outline proposal approximate cost. D Detailed Proposals Develop proposal, provide information on cost estimate, consult local authorities, gain approval from client, submit planning application. E Final Proposals Develop proposal to full working drawings, obtain further cost estimate, obtain approval from client on construction methods, specification cost. Apply for building warrant Advise on a programme. F Production Information Organise the preparation of a detailed cost such as a bill of quantities quantifying all the required work to enable a contractor to insert rates. G Tender Documentation Send out tender documents to main contractor(s). H Tender Action Once received the tenders back from contractors, study compare prices and discuss with client. Select clients preferred contractor based on advice given to client. J Mobilisation Provide any additional information to CDM coordinator and contractor prior to construction works. K Site Operation Site visits, provide further information to contractor as required, review design information received from specialists or contractor. Prepare as built drawings for health and safety file. Advise on maintenance of building. Communicate and organise with all project contributors. L Completion Inspect building for defects, provide information for final payment to be made to contractor. M Feedback Study suitability of the buildings design for required use. The project team can be large in number and each member of the team has different roles to play and time to perform that role. Based on the above stages A to M of the RIBA plan of work the following project team members are involved at the following stages: Architect A to M Designs, produces drawings, instructs contractor. Quantity surveyor A to M Provides cost information at outset and detailed bill of quantities at stage G. Measures construction work carried out at stage K to calculate payment to contractor. Project manager A to M Leads, communicates and organises rest of project team. Engineers (Structural / M+E / Civil) D to J Provides detailed structural drawings / details. Advises on services and ground conditions etc. Builder / Contractor D to M Constructs and completes project. Duties, Responsibilities, Tasks Skills of The Project Manager The project manager is involved at all five stages of a project: Defining Definition of client objectives and project strategies. Planning Preparation of specifications, schedules and budgets. Implementing Monitoring of site performance of contractors and any specialists etc and taking necessary corrective actions. Completing Delivering project output and finalising project input. Evaluation Gaining experience from the project, learning from mistakes / problems to try and improve future performance / organisation. A project manager provides a service to the client to take the clients project idea through to completion. It is the number one priority of a project manager to look after the clients best interests from inception of the project to completion. It is his duty to discuss any necessary changes to the project with the client and advise on the possible solutions, the associated costs and the implications of the changes should there be any. Having fulfilled this duty it is then up to the client to make the decision and inform the project manager how they wish to proceed. It is his duty to discuss the feasibility of the clients design ideas to ensure construction costs can match the clients set budget. The project manager collects information from the client to make sure their needs are met throughout the whole project. The scope of the project managers works is as follows: Establishing clients objectives, priorities, preferences, budget and ideas. Liaise with the client and discuss a feasible design to take to the clients architect. A design which works and can meet the clients budget. Design of project organisation structure, i.e plan construction activities and responsibilities etc. Identify how the client is integrated into the project. Advise on the appointment of contributors to the project, i.e consultants, professionals, contractors etc. Look for those with experience of similar work, with a good reputation, who are available, who can integrate with others and who produce quality work. A large factor in selection can also be their location. Advise client on the Architects proposals and make recommendations based on what the clients objectives and preferences are. Prepare a project programme, i.e who does what, when and for how long. This is a plan of all the construction processes of the project from start to completion. Establish appropriate information and communication system between client and contributing parties. (Contributing parties refers to people / organisations employed by the client such as the architect, engineer or main contractor.) Generally specialists or sub contractors are employed by the main contractor however this does not mean that communication with them is not key. Monitor design and feasibility. Is the design progressing as per the clients requirements? Is the cost in line with the budget? Play a role in major and crucial decisions regarding construction, budgeting, timekeeping and organisation. Advise on building maintenance and everyday running. Commission the project on completion. In addition to the scope of works above, the project managers general duties, responsibilities and knowledge include: Feasibility studies. Attainment of land. Planning permission. Outline design. Resource planning. Investment planning. Detailed design. Disposal planning. Contracts. Risk analysis. Many skills are necessary for a project manager to be successful and these are detailed below: Leadership The project manager requires leadership skills to take charge and be confident in his decision making for delegating to the project contributors. Organisation Organisation is critical to a project and a project manager will therefore require excellent skills in this field to ensure all members of the project team know what they are doing and when they are doing it. Integration This is essential as all the other skills can be deemed useless if the project manager cannot integrate with the project team. Delegation Not everything can be relied upon the project manager and it would be impossible for him to do everything therefore he must pass on work, tasks and responsibilities to others. Communication Communication is vital in any construction project and is necessary for any project to be successful. Conflict resolution Making judgement in a dispute between parties is extremely important as in most construction projects there will be some sort of conflict and it is the duty of the project manager to attempt and resolve these issues in the first instance. Motivation Construction projects can be repetitive and lengthy and it is key that the project contributors are well motivated to carry out their work and to meet their deadlines. Construction And Project Management Abroad All of the above refers to custom and practice in project management within the United Kingdom which differs greatly in other regions of the world such as The United States of America Japan. Both The USA and Japan have different procedures and sequences in their construction procedures and therefore this can influence the roles and responsibilities of the project manager. Construction In Japan In Japan it is very common for a client to seek a design from a building contractor, as opposed to the UK where an architect would be appointed in the first instance and a contractor at a later date. This method has both positive and negative points that are worth mentioning. As we know here in the UK, from taking an integrated approach to the supply chain as described in BRE Digest 450, partnership can be a very efficient method of project procurement as the contractor has a say in the practicality of design etc at the beginning. This in theory is no different in Japan except the process is carried out by the majority, rather than the minority here in the UK. As the design is contractor designed, it is very practical using standardised components or modular construction which gives the contractor an extremely buildable project. Generally due to the practicality and standardisation of this method, many of the buildings appear to be very similar lacking attractive intricate details an d finesse. Although in the opinion of many the designs are unexciting, this design and build method sets parameters of the clients need, quality, budget and timescale. This therefore enables the chosen contractor to design a building with the intention to ensuring that it can be built to the clients desired quality, on time and on budget. Design and build is widely used in the UK but with the lack of standardisation and a simplistic approach to design, cost and time over runs are always inevitable. Japan generally is a quality driven nation and the construction industry within Japan is no different. The contractor market is controlled by the big six, six major construction firms which share long term relationships with their clients, suppliers, specialist contractors, general contractors and sub contractors. The Japanese construction industry is extremely efficient and the construction industry operates with stealth, precision and control of a ninja. Constructing Excellence reported after two trips to Japan having visited five of the big six construction firms that Japan gets a score of 100% for productivity, compared with 50% for the UK. Japan is renowned for its excellent health and safety records and their attitudes to health and safety is pragmatic , it is not a requirement to wear steel toe capped boots when working on a construction site in Japan due the excellent organisation of the project. On the typical Japanese building site theres hardly any debris, so there is little chance of dropping anything on your feet. This seems insane but the figures speak for themselves as 92% of projects in Japan achieve a zero-accident rate, compared with 62% of UK schemes. The differences between UK and Japan are enormous and this can be reinforced further by their training, morning briefing and pre-exercise warm up. It is a requirement for staff to train for a full year before operating on site and there is a briefing at the beginning of each day where the project manager discusses the days tasks and goals. Project Management In Japan Having researched the topic of construction in Japan, it is plain to see that the roles and responsibilities of the project manager will differ greatly when compared to those in the UK. In the UK project managers have to deal with a number of individuals in the project team, there may be issues of conflict between the contractor and the architect along with confusion and anger towards cost and timescale of any changes, which can make the project managers job difficult, as it is his responsibility to ensure that work is done on time, on budget and as per the clients requirements. In Japan things are a little different, the designers and the constructors are all part of the same organisation so conflict is unlikely and so is change. The contractor has priced, designed and scheduled the job based purely on the clients needs. The clients need is unlikely to change but should it change the contractor may file for extension to time, additional costs etc which makes this option very unlikel y. All in all this makes the project managers life a lot easier and with less time spent on conflict resolution it gives him more time to concentrate on leading, organising, integrating, delegating, communicating and motivating. The project managers role is further improved due to having less young incompetent or inexperienced site workers. Less time is spent repeating himself, as the site workers of Japan have had one years training before starting work on site, therefore are much more competent than the young site workers of the UK who walk on site with little training and experience. Levels of offsite construction and prefabrication is very high and in general due to less erection on site, the project manager should have less complications to deal with and can focus on erecting the prefabricated panels once delivered to site. It is also worth noting that if there are any problems with the prefabricated units if the suppliers fault, for example wrong dimensions, there is no stress of having to re-erect a panel onsite and wait days for it, instead all that is required is to phone the supplier and they have the stress of rushing out a replacement. Construction Project Management In The United States of America In the USA, the construction process differs dramatically from both the UK and Japan and subsequently the role of the project manager differs too. The client or developer is generally producing high rise buildings, not for occupation but as a financial investment. It is their role produce these large scale buildings at lightning speeds with as low a cost as possible. As a lot of clients are developers with excellent knowledge of the industry, they take the leading role. The architects main role in the project is purely to come up with an outline proposal to meet the clients requirements of appearance, layout and budget. It is not the role of the architect to produce working drawings or detailed design, this is the role of the project engineer. The engineer takes the design and develops it with regard to construction services. In the USA specialist contractors are used to design their own components and install them themselves which ensures there is no conflict which might have been encountered with the main contractor installing an unfamiliar product. Similarly to Japan, a lot of prefabrication is used with the design of a building, for example standardised computer generated components which can be easily be duplicated and altered if necessary rather than drawing everything from scratch. Due to this standardised system full construction drawings can be produced very quickly and there is more certainty of project costing and timescale. Coordination of the project initially is the responsibility of the client. The design stages are organised by the engineer and sometimes the architect. The project manager or construction manager as they are referred to in the USA is responsible for organising the specialist contractors work. It is the developers responsibility to monitor the feasibility of the project, especially the architects design and the cost estimates. It is up to the client to ensure that they are aware of any planning authorities as they are responsible for ensuring the legalities of the project. Architects it would seem have a small role to play in the US construction process however it is their role to provide advice on estimated rental value of the property, cost of the build and taxation. It is also the architects role to assess the success of the project based on the above. This reduces the responsibilities of the project manager at the early stages as in the UK it is generally the role of the project manager to provide advice on rental value, rough cost, taxation etc. Similarly to the UK, the construction manager as known in the USA is employed to provide advice and coordinate the construction phase. There are two methods of management used from here. The Project manager could be paid a fee for his services and also be paid for employing the specialist contractors whom he has to pay, this method is known as management contracting. The other option is that the client employs the specialists and pays them direct and the construction manager gets paid for managing the project, this is called construction management. In theory it makes no difference to the workload of the construction manager as either way it is his responsibility to ensure that the specialists know what they are required to do. Although an onerous task, it is not any more complex than a large project in the UK. This is due to the fact that the specialist contractors are in theory more than just contractors, they are designers installing their own specialist products and in turn are r esponsible for their own work under supervision of the construction manager. Although in the UK the project manager is responsible for the key decisions in the project, in the USA the construction manager delegates these decisions where appropriate to the specialist contractors. The USA is highly driven on completing projects on time and specialists will not hesitate to bring in hired work if necessary which provides an additional requirement for the construction manager to be flexible and coordinate the project contributors. In the USA there is little pre-construction input from a project management point of view and the main role and responsibility is to make sure everyone is one hundred percent sure of what they are to be doing and when it is to be completed. It would appear that the USA get the best out of their specialists with the fierce competition and by the way in which they approach a project and are managed. Conclusion Having researched project management generally, it is evident in my opinion that there is a great benefit in having a project manager on board in a construction project. However having also researched in more detail the ins and outs of project management in the USA Japan, and comparing it to practice in the UK, it is evident that the differing construction processes in each country dramatically affect the role and responsibilities of the project manager. The benefits of a project manager are endless and in my opinion, the whole scope of the project managers work is all a benefit to both the client and the contractor even though he is solely representing the client. The project manager is the middle man between the client and the rest of the project contributors. It is a benefit to the client as complex decisions are required when managing a construction site and knowing the lingo is extremely important. Unfortunately it would seem that in the UK the clients are not overly experience d with construction therefore its vital that they employ someone who can translate the terms into English and explain the pros and cons, for example, pros and cons of different options available. This role may be possible to be fulfilled by an architect however the main difference between an architect and a project manager is the project manager spends most of his time on construction sites and has greater experience in project programming, cost implications and construction techniques. The project manager is a benefit to the contractor as with his expertise, solutions to construction issues can be discussed and his advice may be beneficial for speed, cost or even just general ideas. Ultimately it is evident that custom and practice in different countries does affect the role and responsibilities of the project manager. It is crucial for a inexperienced client to have a professional such as a project manager from the beginning of the project if the client wants the project to be finished to his desired quality, on time and on budget.