Structure in the human resource management Essay

Structure in the human resource management - Essay Example The features of the Human resource management thus include: demonstrating expertise at organizing the management, competence in the administration of personnel, specialization in the management of manpower and competence in industrial management. The human resource management docket is usually headed by a human resource manager. This paper examines human resource management with reference to the roles, the various careers inherent and further examines interviewing as an aspect of employment and recruitment. With the above features, it is evident that a number of people have made assumptions over the aspect of management and development of human resource. This explains why some organisations will have the entire human resource management as a subsidiary of human resource development (Gary, 1996). This perspective further explains that Human resource development is far much broader than the former and encompasses the development of careers, development of the entire organisation and training. There are a number of careers that are common to any form of human resource management. These careers include human resource assistance which is a generalised job field in human resource (Cynthia et al 1995). Other major careers include employment alongside placement and recruitment that are basically upheld through interviews headed by interviewers. Human resource management also calls for the need to have specialists in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) that are also referred to as college recrui ters (Gary, 1996). For training, there is need to have specialists in both training and orientation. For the purpose of remuneration, there is need to have specialists preferably analysts that can handle issues to do with the compensation , payment of salaries which may call for the need to have salary administrators alongside administrators that can handle benefit claims. The roles of Human Resource Management. The roles of the human resource management as depicted in the above careers thus include: making vital decisions on matters concerning the type of staffing to be adopted in the organization. Decisions on this aspect are usually made with regard to hiring people to assume the implicated positions or using contractors that work independently (Gary, 1996). Other functions include the recruitment and training of the best people for a number of positions within the organization. With regard to the former, it is upon the human resource management to ensure that the people recruited are excellent at performing their duties. This implies that the human resource management also deals with the evaluation of the performance of the recruited employees (Raymond, 2000). The human resource management docket is also held with the responsibility of ensuring that the type of manpower hired meets the expected standards with reference to the regulations within the firm (Raymond, 2000). Other responsibilities that are to be upheld by the human resource management include; managing and coordinating the approach to the benefits of employees alongside the compensation and the management of employee's records and man power related polices. Some of these roles will differ with regard to the scale at which an organisation operates where small scale operators may opt to perform these duties by themselves while some large scale

Goldings modern fable Lord of the Flies Essay Example for Free

Goldings modern fable Lord of the Flies Essay What gave Golding the inspiration to write the great novel, Lord of the Flies? He wrote the Lord of the flies novel soon after the war, which was later published in 1954. So it was soon after the war when he wrote it. So was this where his inspiration came from for the novel. Did seeing children suffering give him ideas? Did the Hitler give him inspiration for jack and Churchill for Ralph? Did the war lead him to write the book at all? We dont know now, and probably never will do! But we can guess. We can try and work out what made him write this incredible tale of the children gone savages who fight for survival on the island. The children where being evacuated from the war when they crashed. Ralph was the first character to be introduced. He came out the story to be the strong one. The leader who only wanted the best to come of things and to end it all and get home, just like Winston Churchill wanted to win the war. Jack on the other side, turned out to be more evil, more sadistic and much more savage then Ralph. He was being compared to Hitler or Mussolini. The main evil powers in the Second World War. The conch represents the democracy in the play. It could well be related to the democracy between countries, the vote, the councils and the League of Nations. Golding could well of thought of a symbol that was needed to represent this on the island. The only thing stopping them from tearing each other imp from limp. Just like the rest of the world in the war. The conch was there for peace on the island, and the councils were there to stop the world from destroying one another completely. The fire could well represent a piece of the war of mass destruction. The blitz, for example. It destroyed half of London, like the fire destroyed half the island. Londoners were getting scared the war would never end, after something so bad happened. Golding incorporated this by using it like the boys on the island, seeing this destruction made them realise, this may never end, and they may all die soon. Once they had been there a little while. They began to turn into savages. Ralph knew this wasnt going to end soon. They knew things were going to happen, friends and enemies would be made and it would be along time till it ends. This was the case of the war. Hitler and Churchill knew it was a long-term war and they could be there for years. Golding probably noticed during the war, that people tried to be brave. But beneath the skin, they are truly scared. The people who went off to war, had to be brave, to show those they are confident, that they want to win, to set an example for the people at home and the children. Golding sees this, and puts this into his characters. Everyone on the island was scared, Especially the littluns. Ralph and Jack have to be strong. They are scared, but need to put on a brave face for the sake of everyone. People will breakdown without stronger people to support them like Ralph and jack and the bigguns. Golding has again, related his characters to the human beings that took part in the war. He has compared them, and they basically have the same feelings, just shown in different ways and surroundings. Golding also relates the ending to the war. How d-day is the same as the last bit of the Book. However, Ralph was now related to Hitler and Jack, Churchill. This is because, Jack is winning, and he almost has Ralph, almost has him stuck and almost has the end of Ralph. He has him cornered, when it ends. Just before Ralph is about to be killed it all over. The ordeal they have gone through has ended in 5 minutes. Just like, the last day of the war, When Germany is close to loosing, they surrender, and its all over. I think the early 20th century was a good source for Goldings book, Lord of the Flies. The war was the main thing to happen in the years of Golding writing the book. He saw things first hand and wrote down this in a story, which he changed to make a story, but used the same roots as the war stories. Golding book was a fabulous story of boys, who are stranded, but he hides the fact hat its related to the war well. You dont really notice it, but looking beneath the skin of the book, you actually realise the strong resemblance it has with the war.

Ebays Strategy Information System

Ebays Strategy Information System Every time, the digital technology is evolution. Electronic business (e-business) is one of digital economic that grows up. The term used to describe the information systems and applications that support and drive business processes, most often using web technologies (The National B2B Centre Limited, unknown date). E-business has been implementation on Internet and the society since many years. It is a new way for companies and people do business today. The integration of a companys activities is establish with e-business including products, procedures, service. It exist many business model on the Web as e-mall, portal, auctions, communities of interest or value chain service provider (McKeown, 2003, page 220). The purpose of this article will descriptive and analyse the realising the benefits of Strategy Information System (SIS) through an on-line business as eBay Inc. In 1995, Pierre Omidyar has created auction on-line for customer-to-customer and business-to-consumer (Hsiao, unknown date). Today, the worldwide is auction leader. There is a hundreds of millions of buyers and sellers that connect every day. The undertaking is going from strength to strength. In 2009, the revenue of organization exceeds more 8 billion dollars (Jain, 2009, page 5). The article concludes with the examining of impact of government policy it. Strategy Information System (SIS) SIS adopting SIS as a strategic IS/IT or competitive information systems, represents a fundamental refocusing of the IS activities away from the previous back room attitudes towards the market place in which the organisation works (Pritam, 2010,Chapiter 2). The objective of SIS provide increase efficiency the process automate existing information flows and operations that constitutes a sustainable and significant competitive edge (PEPPARD, 1993, page 13). Why they adopting SIS? Companies use SIS in order to try to do change the industry structure and thereby to disturb the competitive forces in a market. It enables to give a high quality service, creates new product and saving cost thereby to obtain business competitive advantage over their competition (PEPPARD, 1993, page 13). SIS for competitive advantage The competitive advantage helps the company to maintain their efficiency and strategic position thereby decrease a competitive disadvantage and meet other strategic enterprise objectives (Phillips, 2005). Porter defined competitive advantage as growing fundamentally out of the value a firm is able to create for its buyers (Peppard, 1993, Chapter 3, page 54). Innovation strategy: Implement electronic commerce is need strategies to counter these threats for companies. They should emphasize innovation, because innovation is the one thing that is most difficult for other companies to imitate (McKeown, 2003, page 235). It is a new service including a new way to do business: buy and sell real-time. EBay develop unique auction markets with the assistance of IS, it is a disruptive technology for shop locally. Auction of principle is the buyers enter competitive bids and sellers enter competitive offers at the same time. The price a stock is traded represents the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay and the lowest price that a seller is willing to sell(Investopedia, unknown date). With Internet, the buyers can to introduce and sell more easily their product and capture large customer contrary auction classic. The sellers can know the latest news and information from all around the world in just a blink of time by access to internet (MengHan, 2007). People can start a business or to get rid of thing through eBays website. Internet constitutes a gain time. One of benefit of SIS is the eBay havent got inventory and saving cost. Moreover, it is the first on-line auction that constitutes an advantage on market. Differentiation through better services In 2002, revenues of company decreased following an incident that loss of confidence between buyers and sellers. To remedy this eBay created a system that enables customers to rate their sellers. This step helped to improve consumer comfort, which is a key factor in e-procurement strategies (Troy, 2010). The system of eBay is strong, company use Greenplum to manage one kind of data (DBMS, 2009). EBay develop many services, software and tools for customers need and delivering value and solution to problem: Skype: an Internet communication offering, allowing people everywhere to make unlimited voice and video communication for free between the users of Skype software (eBay, unknown date). PayPal: it is system that facilitates the transaction and security. EBay acquires an acquisition price of $1.5 billion. It is enables any individual or business with an email address to securely, easily and quickly send and receive payments online. PayPals service builds on the existing financial infrastructure of bank accounts and credit cards and uses the worlds most advanced proprietary fraud prevention systems to create a safe payment solution. (eBay, unknown date) Software Developer Kit (SDK) is an application for the eBay API. Application Programmers Interface (API) is an active member of the eBay Developers program, offers eBay certified solutions to automate listing lifecycle processes. (Intechnic company, unknown date) The benefits of eBay Integration is integration of the eBay API will increase your revenue while decreasing operating expenses, improving the efficiency and cost effectiveness of your eBay operations in all phases of the listing lifecycle. Furthermore, eBay API integration can also be used to quickly retrieve large amounts of information about other listings on eBay which can be automatically processed, analyzed, and presented to you in a report from which you can use to identify income opportunities. There is a multitude of additional applications and advantages of eBay API Integration and Intechnic Corporation can create a modular, scalable solution tailored to your companys needs and goals. (Intechnic company, unknown date) EBay Tools as solutions to improve the use of eBay developing with Java and J2EE which simplify the buying and selling process by providing functionality for listing multiple items, creating templates for repeated use, inventory management, sales and account management, email tools, and financial reporting. (Chen, 2005) Solution for buyers via eBays website that are payment as e-learning (figure 2). Community around customer services as show Illustration 2. eBay strives to provide high quality customer service, with the help of many different technologies to provide online support, such as chat rooms, discussion boards, and frequently asked questions. (Chen, 2005) Every year, eBay improve the quality and customer service in developing or design tools and architecture. This notion links other strategy that is customer-orientation strategy. The benefits are a available all time to support customers and a detailed customer service information can cut down on phone calls to the company. Cost leadership strategy The firm offer the services at the lowest cost in the industry. Indeed, eBay offer to buyers and sellers to doing business on Internet with a physical presence in the exchange is now no longer necessary. They dont pay to be present or transport. So, eBay provides virtual space and software tools and reduce their cost for people. (Hemmatfar, 2010) About eBay, there are not inventory since its customers supply the product thereby reducing their cost without logistics and supply. Growth strategy: externalisation and accessible The base of business is founded by technology that have a lot of advantage and successful as Internet connecting all the people of the world very closely (MengHan, 2007), so technology facilitates the function of auction market. EBay Marketplace has a powerful online platform for the sale of goods and services and offers localized sites in the following markets as Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America (eBay, unknown date). In addition, the eBays pages are translated many languages as English, French, Spanish or Chinese that allows to be externalisation and accessible for many countries. Appropriate strategic alliances The firm establishes new business linkages and alliances with suppliers, customer, other companies or competitors for develop and perform their high software and services. Higher architecture The eBay infrastructure is compound a fifteen thousand servers. This environment is a software-as-a-service. New features are deployed every two weeks to both core and international platforms. Starting with C++ and moving to Java, XML, and HTML, in half an hour and deploy it automatically to QA or stage it to production. Strong hopes to accelerate development to a monthly, rather than quarterly, cadence. Managing a rapidly-evolving infrastructure to minimize the latency of process that end users, both buyers and sellers, experience is an everyday reality (MacFarland, 1996). For example, with the design a new architectural with Java technology and MSXML eBay have many benefits are a new architecture expected to handle growth in transaction volumes and increased number of registered users over the next 5 years and beyond-learning to eBay become a $3 billion dollar company. More than 25% architectural framework and design reuse helping to significantly speed development cycle. Moreover, perceptible improvement in application performance-faster, more efficient page loads and responses. (Marshak, 2003) EBays keeping the site up and running. In 1999, eBay was galvanized when a catastrophic systems failure blacked out the entire auction site for 22 hours. The company lost millions in transaction fees and billions in market value as investors dumped shares. Two results of the Big Crash remain paramount to this day: first, eBays realization that remaining up on a 24/7 basis is a mission-critical business imperative; and second, the hiring of Maynard Webb as CIO. Every analyst consulted for this story acknowledged Webbs crucial role in eBays evolution. (Hill, 2003) E-business strategies for value chain Internet value chain helps eBay to how use Internet in a company strategically (Figure 3) Impact of government policy It is a set of responsibilities and practices exercised by the board and executive management with the primary purpose of providing strategic intent, or direction, ensuring that corporate objectives are achieved, ascertaining that risks are managed appropriately and verifying that the enterprises resources are used responsibly. This provides a degree of protection to the organization, its customers, suppliers and stakeholders (Chita, 2010) The company has developed a set of community policy in order to consistent and safe trading in the Internet based market. Every year, eBay constantly conducts reviews of its policies and user agreement and makes changes and adjustments. Some of the updates are routine and some of them are necessary due to information system issues. For example, in 2001, when the company had discovered a bug in its registration procedure, it reset the personalized settings for over 6 million of its customers. (Chen, 2005) In terms of consumer protection, eBay say: we treat your information as an asset that must be protected and we use numerous tools (encryption, passwords, physical security, etc.) to protect your personal information against unauthorized access and disclosure. However, as you probably know, third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications, and other users may abuse or misuse your personal information that they collect from the Site. Therefore, although we work very hard to protect your privacy, we do not promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information or private communications will always remain private (eBay, 2007). For example, eBay changed its policies about some JavaScript functions used in online auctions for security purposes and has PayPal Purchase as discussed above. (Chen, 2005) Moreover, eBay requires that all users be at least 18 years of age. The reason behind this policy is that in the past underage bidders have placed bids on items that they never intended to purchase, and as minors they cannot be held legally responsible. (Chen, 2005) Much investment to avoid a financial loss of data if there is disaster. The system must be strong, reliable and efficient. For example, a security incident would reveal PayPal accounts from users. The firm must to use a methodology as Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT). It is a good year framework strategy to help organization Maintain and Develop a standard system of IT governance (GOESSLER, unknown date). The model is centered on the client. The structure of employees is dedicated to customer service. The company is headed by the sellers and buyers. They are involved in the transaction. EBay plays a role as an informant and must have to find solutions to meet customer needs, adapting to customers. For example, eBay created a system to evaluate the actors to help sellers and buyers achieve recognition as good sellers those who deliver within the agreed-upon time frame or good buyers those Who Pay for Their order (Zara, 2008). Furthermore, it allows knowing the status and other details as you can see in Figure 4. This system reassures them whether it is a buyer or seller or not reliable. The notation is made from the two previous players of the transactions. Conclusion Strategy information system gives to companies an opportunity to have a gain advantage and other benefits that improve their system, process and services as eBay case. The creating a competitive advantage results comes alignment strategy organizational information systems. Indeed, IS are inevitably associated with government policy, because they have an influence on access to a key resource: information. The concept comes in. The government companies must comply. eBay has tried to avoid policing its site for activities that violate local rules and instead has chosen to issue disclaimers and rely exclusively on its sellers to abide by local rules (Daniel, unknown date). Company must to assurer security of system en permanence as authenticating users, authorizing access, and enforcing security features or security process payment. In this eBays case, is in developing and improving software and digital infrastructure tools that lead to the creation of a safe, secure, information-rich on-line trading community. The companys strategy is to allow users to innovate using the tools that it provides, regardless of what they are buying or selling or where they are buying or selling it (Daniel, unknown date). So, good strategies ISs have contributed to eBays long lasting, success and enhance the position of leader in the global market.

Bill Gates :: essays research papers

Bill Gates We read books for a number of reasons but usually because we want to or we have to. When you pick up a book it falls into one of three types, dependent on whether it is a want to or a have to type of book. First there's the kind of book you pick up and like the look of but then the first chapter is so bad that you have to put it down because you are either too confused by the plot or you discover it has been written in some obscure untranslatable language. The second type is where the first chapter is slightly disappointing but it is worth pursuing so you read on. These books are often the type you recommend to friends although you have only the basic sketch as to what they are about (such as any pulp fiction novel - you've read the story somewhere before but you are on holiday so it is either this or the guide book). The third type of book is a rare breed indeed. This is the book you read and then read and then read some more. It is the type of book that you miss things for. If you like computers and want to know more about them, about the history, and about the most important figure in this industry, then this is definitely "the third type of book." The book that I was able to read was Gates by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews. It was about how man named Bill Gates became the foundation of computing industry and how he reinvented an industry- and made himself the richest man in America. William (Bill) Gates is the computer industry's youngest billionaire. As president and CEO of Microsoft, he has made several important contributions to the world of technology. Most people would probably picture him as being a computer programmer but not with holding the position of chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporation. Actually, Bill Gates is both a programmer and CEO. To talk about Bill Gates one has to talk about the history of Microsoft. Gates' family was financially well off. His father, William H. Gates II, is a prominent attorney. His mother, Mary, is the director of First Interstate Bank. Early on in life, Gates' parents placed him into Lakeside, an academically challenging private school. While at Lakeside, Gates met his close friend and future business partner Paul Allen. Together they entered the world of programming at Lakeside. It all started on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington, where one of the

Children: a Good Target Market or an Abuse of Innocence?

Children: A Good Target Market or An Abuse of Innocence? Advertising is a way many businesses attract consumers. Consumers are, after all, their source of income. Billions of dollars are spent every year by corporations to huge advertising companies to think of the next big commodity. However, the most attractive target market today is children, which inevitably sparks controversy throughout the country. When discussing advertising to children, one should highly consider how the effects the products being advertised pose to children, the status of our countries laws, and the current uses of child advertising and the effect they may have on their audience because we need to think of the children first in order to protect our country’s youth. Many businesses have made the arguable decision in marketing towards children. If the venture is done the right way, it can be a successful form of getting attention to a business. In the article â€Å"Brand loyalty starts from a very early age,† Lou Cooper reveals, â€Å"Influencing children at a young age could see them retain their custom in the future† (24). However, if done incorrectly or unethically, youth advertising can be very dangerous and influential to a child in the wrong way. More and more manufacturers  and television advertisers  think that children constitute an important group for their target  market. They see other businesses succeeding when they use the tactic and they believe they need to use it too so as to remain competitive in the industry. However,  television advertising  aimed at children is extremely harmful to child development. Over the last few decades,  television advertising  has changed people's life styles and buying habits, especially children. Children have larger spending power. With the additional reassurance from statistics and research, more and more manufacturers and  advertisers  think that a young age group is an important group for their target  market. However,  television advertising  aimed at children is extremely harmful to child development because of the many harmful and unhealthy things the television is portraying as acceptable and even going so far as to making a harmful product sound attractive and necessary to a young consumer. Television aids the alcohol industry, as well as the fast food industry in spreading the word of their harmful products. The fast food industry is especially taking advantage of their marketing ability, and consumers are paying the price for it, with their health. According to the film Super Size Me, over the past few years, there has been a doubling of childhood and adult diabetes. Also, in the film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock provides the information that more children are having liver abnormalities and are already showing signs of cirrhosis, a clinical scaring of the liver. As stunningly accurate as in Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser mentions, â€Å"But the value meals, two-for-one deals, and free refills of soda give a distorted sense of how much fast food actually costs. The real price never appears on the menu† (9). Thus, the harmful products shown on TV should be highly monitored and perhaps even forced laws upon certain ads to protect the public. The founding laws of our nation have worked for us for centuries. They protect us when is necessary and allow us freedoms when appropriate. Legislators have been able to protect us very well with the constant updating of our laws. Through amendments and many new laws, law makers have been able to stay current with issues at hand. However, because our country’s laws haven’t taken another modern twist, many children are feeling the consequences. As seen in The United States Bill of Rights, the first amendment to the Constitution is â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press† (US Const. , amd. 1) When creating the law, however, legislators in the revolutionary time period surely didn’t suspect that the safety of children would be at stake when they wrote such a broad and vague concept. The legislation for advertising to children is minimal, and most advertising companies have free reign to do whatever they want. When a commercial is geared toward children, they find it appealing and some almost comforting. Fast Food Nation’s Eric Schlosser expressed that children are exposed to â€Å"30,000 commercials a year. † Congress has passed laws in the past about setting regulations for the advertising of cigarettes and alternative means of marketing because of their extremely harmful and negative side effects they threaten consumers with. Certain means of advertising in movie theaters was reviewed and banned; Truthful advertisements are being forced on to cigarette companies. Advertisements in movie theaters would show pictures of a random place and quickly show a flash of a product so people in the audience would need to have it. For example, they would show a large desert and then quickly show a Coke, and a person sitting in the audience would stand up and need to buy the Coke, almost as if they were brainwashed. Cigarette companies are now forced to put pictures of diseased organs on the box of cigarettes so as to warn the public of their unhealthy and dangerous aftermath and hopefully thwart as many Americans smoking as possible, a much different form of advertising than an advertisement for Paul Mall cigarettes depicting cigarettes to â€Å"Guard against throat-scratch. † When children are exposed to such stimulation of such appealing products, According to Lou Cooper, they have the influence over their parents to utilize close to â€Å"1. 88 trillion dollars†, which of course makes children a hefty target, but at what cost? Cooper 24). Advertisers use many forms of marketing to charm children. Phrases and slogans are one example. Many types  of food have a phrase associated with them. Commercials use phrases and slogans to embed their product into an audience’s memory. By the time the commercial ends the line and product are stuck in a person’s mind. By targe ting children, whole families are then targeted. Competition sparks the creation of phrases and slogans so as to imprint that brand into the minds of consumers. If one company can create a phrase that everyone will know and remember, they are one step ahead of their competition. Characters are also a way used to target children. Making characters has been the way in which many companies capture the attention of children everywhere. When a child sees commercials on television, the characters are instantly installed in their brain. Prominent figures also bring forth an ethical appeal for children; for example, in Lucky Strike advertisement, Santa Claus is shown with his bag of toys in one hand and a cigarette in the other. When the child witnesses such extreme behavior from the ones they hold dear, they want to be just like the people they admire. Therefore, children are more likely to buy a product used by their favorite celebrity or character. Toys are another way in which companies target children. Companies give toys to children sometimes relating to their product to endorse their item and entice the recipient to the merchandise. The hope some companies have is that the child will associate their brand with a reward such as a toy and want it more because of the attraction. For example, cereal companies are famous for toy advertisements. If they put toys in the boxes of cereal, children are more likely to want the box with a toy in it. Pleasing children is a main concern for all big companies. In closing, advertising to children isn’t the best idea when you want to keep the youth of our country safe, healthy, and uncorrupt so as to brighten our future as a nation. The products of some endorsements are mainly those that need to be feared. However, when a child is just as innocent as watching their favorite television show, parents and the children themselves shouldn’t need to worry about what kind of commercials pop-up that try to entice them with that happy meal and those toys. Children deserve every right to enjoy their time of being care-free and trusting. Childhood is a time for joyful bliss and innocence, not corruption. Works Cited Cooper, Lou. â€Å"Brand Loyalty Starts from a Very Early Age. † EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. Marketing Week, 10 June 2010. Web. 02 Nov. 2010 ;http:web. ebscohost. com/src/pdf? vid=3;hid=104;[email  protected];. â€Å"The United States Bill of Rights. † National Archives and Records Administration. U. S. National Archives ; Records Administration. Web. 02. Nov. 2011. ;http://www. archives. gov/exhibits/characters/print_friendly. html? page=bill_of_rights_transcript_content. html;. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation: the Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York, NY: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print. Supersize Me: a Film of Epic Proportions . Hart Sharp Video, 2004. â€Å"Santa Smokes Lucky Strikes! † Quit Smoking Painlessly Now! Web. 02 Nov. 2010. ;http://www. quitsmokingpainlesslynow. com/cigarette-advertising/santa-smoking-lucky-strikes/;.

Providence and Provision

Providence and Provision Providence and Provision Providence and Provision By Mark Nichol Providence and provision, and their forebear provide, all ultimately pertain to the notion of foresight. This post discusses these words and others with the same origin. That ancestor word is videre, the Latin verb meaning â€Å"see,† which gave birth to providere (â€Å"see ahead†). Provide’s literal sense extended to the figurative meanings of â€Å"act with foresight† and â€Å"prepare.† The noun form provision, originally used in the context of a church official’s appointment to a position not yet vacant, later also meant simply â€Å"something provided† and came to pertain, in plural form, to food supplies provided for a certain purpose, such as an expedition. (One who provides, meanwhile, is a provider.) Proviso, Latin for â€Å"provided,† refers to an introduction of a contractual condition or stipulation. Purvey, cognate with provide, is not as common as the latter word, but one who provides is sometimes referred to as a purveyor, as in a mercantile context. (The word took that form based on a passage through Old French and Anglo-French.) Purview, meaning â€Å"a range† or â€Å"a limit† or â€Å"the essence of a statute,† entered English by way of Old French and Anglo-French, descended from the same word as purvey. Provedore, likely from an Italian dialect by way of Portuguese and Spanish, is a synonym of purveyor, as is proveditore, which in the Republic of Venice also referred to a government official. Providence, which literally means â€Å"foresight,† had an implication of divine guidance as well as a secular connotation first in Latin and then in Old French as well as in English; in the religious context, the English word is often capitalized. Improvidence is the failure to foresee or prepare; the adjectival forms of the antonyms are provident and improvident. Cognate synonyms are prudence/prudent and imprudence/imprudent (the last word not to be confused with the unrelated word impudent, meaning â€Å"immodest† or â€Å"insolent†), which refer more broadly to discretion, shrewdness, or wisdom or the lack thereof. Improvisation, and the verb improvise, are also descended from providere, in the sense of improvised, or unprepared, behavior being unforeseen. The truncation improv refers to extemporaneous presentation, especially a spontaneous musical performance or a comedy routine, the latter sometimes based on topical prompts from audience members. (Improve and improvement are unrelated.) By extension, to improvise is to do something without forethought, as when reacting to an emergency or another unexpected situation. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Definitely use "the" or "a"Writing the CenturyWords That Begin with Q

Stress †Creative Writing Essay

Stress – Creative Writing Essay Free Online Research Papers Stress Creative Writing Essay A National Health Interview survey indicates nearly 75% of the general population experiences at least some stress every two weeks and half of those experience moderate or high levels of stress during the same two-week period. In my life I can honestly say that this last year has been one of the most stressful years of my life. The three main causes of stress in my life include; searching for a college, applying for scholarships, and finding purpose in my life. I was a senior in high school when I began to search for a college and that made an enormous amount of stress for me because of the lack of time. When I first started looking I was in no hurry, thinking that I had an entire year until I would have to make the decision of where to attend. Before I knew it there were three months left in the school year and I still did not know where I was going to attend college. I had a couple of ideas on where I thought I wanted to go; Kirkwood Community College, Indian Hills, and Marshalltown Community College. I went on a campus visit to all three campus’s and then started the nerve wrecking process of making the decision. What made this decision so stressful was that no matter which college I went to, I would know absolutely nobody. That’s a hard transition for anybody, especially since I came from a small school where I knew everyone. To add to the stress, when I decided that I wanted to study agriculture, the only college that I h ad been to, with that area of study was Kirkwood. But my friend told me about NIACC and that they offer agriculture programs just like Kirkwood and so I decided to go to NIACC with him. Therefore since I delayed choosing where I wanted to attend college, it caused a great amount stress during the last couple months of my senior year. Another cause of stress in my life was applying for mass numbers of scholarships that required large amounts of work for each scholarship. My senior year I applied for over ten scholarships that were due within a week of each other. For example there were two scholarships that were due on a Monday and then two more that were due the next day. For each scholarship there was a three sheet application paper were I entered my general information and my interests. Then three of the four pages required a 800-1000 word essay explaining why I deserved to get this certain scholarship. The fourth required a 500-600 word essay on top of a one hour long interview with board members of the scholarship committee. Just those four scholarships caused a good deal of stress due to the of the lack of time that I had available. Large amounts of scholarship applications that are all due close to each other cause a good amount of stress. The biggest stress causing factor in my life was searching for my soul purpose in life. Ever person goes through this thought process of trying to figure out why they are alive on this earth and what is the point of life. Not knowing what your purpose in life is, can cause enough stress in ones life to become suicidal. For example, the first few years of my teen years I was going through all the stress trying to belong to a certain group and be the popular one in school. All that time I was searching for something to fill this hole of acceptance that was in my heart. There was a point during that time were I was planning on killing myself because I couldn’t deal with all the pressure, depression and stress. But I found that there is a God who loves me so much, that He sent His only Son to die to save my life and to give me a purpose in this world. Since I found Jesus, I understand that it’s not my place to worry about what my purpose in life is, for He knows all things and calls for all of us to trust in Him. Searching for my soul purpose in life is quite stressful but I am so thankful that I have found a God to trust my future with. According to National Health Interview, a recent survey indicates nearly 75% of the general population experiences at least some stress every two weeks and half of those experience moderate or high levels of stress during the same two-week period. The three main causes of stress in my life include; searching for a college, applying for scholarships, and finding purpose in my life. I can honestly say that this last year has been the one of the most stressful years of my life. Research Papers on Stress - Creative Writing EssayHip-Hop is ArtPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyResearch Process Part OneHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayThree Concepts of PsychodynamicPETSTEL analysis of IndiaCapital PunishmentThe Project Managment Office SystemInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in Capital

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting essays

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting essays Surgery and the Nurses Role 2. CAD, Angina, MI The disease process and diagnosis 3. Pre-operative therapy and medications 4. Nurses pre-operative role: Assessment, Diagnostic studies, Medications, Education 5. Operation: Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting CABG: The nurses role and the surgical procedure The nurse plays a major role in the success of a cardiac surgery patient. They evaluate the patient pre-operatively, post-operatively, during surgery, and in cardiac rehab afterwards. This paper discusses the different diagnosis and treatments for patients undergoing (CABG) Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting. Underlying causes that make a need for CABG surgery The major cause of CAD (coronary artery disease) is atherosclerosis. This is a pathologic process that causes thickening of artery walls. The thickening usually starts in individuals after age 20. These fibrous plaques or lesions usually produce localized narrowing in the proximal portions of the major coronary arteries. The blood supply to the myocardium can be impeded by several mechanisms: the lesion creates a fixed obstruction so that blood flow through the artery cannot increase in response to demands, the vessel lumen becomes completely occluded, or portions of clot or plaque embolize. The growth of obstructive lesions in the coronary arteries cause other blood vessels to provide alternative routes for blood flow to the myocardium. If the blood vessel becomes completely occluded, myocardial infarction is likely to occur. There are three major risk factors in CAD: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and cigarette smoking. Elimination or control of these factors offers hope of preventing disease and slowing its progression. Higher cholesterol levels, usually above 240 mg/dL increases risk for CAD. The risk factors for CAD that cannot be modified include: heredity, older age, and male sex. The individuals who are 30% over ideal body weight and who smoke...

Critical Reading and Interpretation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Critical Reading and Interpretation - Essay Example While both the play wrights have their individualistic attitude towards implementing the social structure of their respective times Christopher Marlowe lived during the Renaissance periods in the 16th century England. However, the society could be seen with fixed Elizabethan moral values. The feeling toward the social necessity to increase one’s living status, which is the initial mark of the Renaissance spirit, can be identified in Dr.Faustus; however, Marlowe was able to mingle a religious base on the social structure of the plot. It seems that Marlowe might have chosen a Christian theological character in order to emphasise the message of the play. The play carries many references to the emergence of individuality from the less individualistic and less independent medieval thinking as an effect of Renaissance, and thus reflecting all these features the character of Dr.Faustus. The theme of morality, which plays a very important role in the Victorian society has been taken into account as the main subject of satire however, Wilde seemed to have displayed his viewpoint with a ridiculous attitude added to the characterisations. The Importance of Being Earnest is a manifestation of the moral clutches of Victorian society. Some of the social norms taken into consideration by Oscar Wilde such as class-consciousness, upper class gentlemanliness, the differences in choosing what type of books an upper and a lower class man can read, etc. When Jack says, â€Å"You have seen me with it a hundred times, and you have no right whatsoever to read what is written inside. It is a very ungentlemanly thing to read a private cigarette case† [I, 68-72]. Jack feels that reading somebody’s cigarette case is not an upper class behaviour, and in the same way Jack’s notions towards other’s behaviour which are reflected in the form of comments again pro ve the Victorian class-consciousness. Wilde has taken these

Project Management - Communication for Improvement Essay

Project Management - Communication for Improvement - Essay Example 22 2.2.3. HR and Finance Section of DoT: In Focus 22 2.3. The Survey Results 24 2.4. Synthesis 29 2.5. The Option 31 3. Research Analysis 32 3.1. Analysis of the Findings 32 3.2. Recommendations 37 3.3. Evaluation of Recommendations 38 4. The Presentation 40 4.1. Presentation 40 4.2. Results of the Findings 41 4.3. Impact of the Project 42 References 43 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1 p. 7 Figure 2 p.9 Figure 3 p. 16 Figure 4 p.34 Table 1 p. 24 Table 2 p. 36 Table 3 p.37 Name Professor Subject Date Project Management: Department of Transportation and Communication 1. Introduction Crucial in the timely delivery of government services to the people is the appropriate allocation and use of funds and resources by government agencies. It is a recognized fact that public resources are also limited, and as such, a sagacious use of public resources is critical to help citizens obtain the means in attaining the good life. From this perspective, it becomes clear why project management is i ncorporated as the government department and agencies. Since, project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirement (PMBOK Guide). It requires planning, organizing, controlling, and monitoring activities to comply with project requisites. As such, it is pivotal that in managing projects (1) identifying project requirements and establishing objectives to attain it (2) managing competing priorities and (3) satisfying identified stakeholders while working with the constraints of time, cost, and scope (PMBOK Guide). In effect, through project management, government projects are delivered more effectively and efficiently as selection, control, and evaluation are processes integrated in government projects, thus, creating measures protecting public funds and resources and securing the interests of the citizenry. Guided by the ethos of service to the people, economic growth, pursuit of quality of life, and environ mental sustainability, the Department of Transportation – Abu Dhabi (DoT) has embarked in establishing world class transportation system that is not only efficient and well integrated but, it also â€Å"serves the public interest by enhancing mobility and delivering safe, secure and environmentally responsible Aviation, Maritime, Public Transport and Highways sectors† (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). These vision and mission are founded on the principles of excellence, commitment, integrity, cooperation, transparency, and efficiency (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). In turning this vision-mission into reality, DoT has identified five objectives. These are (1) Reducing congestion and enhancing mobility within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. (2) Enhancing transport safety and security in coordination with key stakeholders. (3) Providing high quality and reliable transport services to all areas within the Emirate. (4) Establishing an effective and efficient transport sector that responds to t he rapid growth of Abu Dhabi’s economy. (5) Building a collaborative and result-oriented organization to achieve the set goals (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). These objectives are aligned with the ideals of â€Å"world-class standards, emiratisation, privatization, cost-efficiency, accountability, transparency, and sustainability† (http://dot.abudhabi.ae). Considering the various scopes of DoT objectives, this study will center on the fifth objective, â€Å"

Personal Finance Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Finance Concepts - Essay Example With respect to an individual's financial security, this implicates the need to intelligently plan one's investments and retirement plan, not only to secure a good life for the future, but also to ensure safety from unprecedented economic crisis and financial problems. As an individual seeking to secure a retirement plan, investing in a house, gold, and retirement insurance such as Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) will be top priorities. After careful consideration of the market, these three products present the most profitable and secure values, which are crucial factors that must be considered in making an investment. First, a person's home is perhaps his most important investment. Not only does it provide an important use at present, but, given proper maintenance, ownership of a house and lot can reap high returns. Depending on the location of a house and the possible development plans in that community for the future, home values can appreciate up to 100% in a span of ten years. Furthermore, it is also a valuable asset, which could be mortgaged in times when large sums of money are needed. In addition, given its high appreciation values, houses can also be very useful for retirement, which could be sold in order to pay for membership in a comfortable retirement house in the future, or rented to earn a sizeable monthly income despite retirement. A second investment of importance are pension plans such as IRAs and 401(k)s. These pension plans, which acts like savings accounts, allows individuals to save money form their salaries before taxes and deposit them into a fund, which through the years could grow into a sizeable sum. Its importance lies in the manner that it is saved. First, since they are automatically deducted from salaries before taxes, it makes sure that a regular amount of money will be saved every month, eliminating the chance for individuals to skip payments. Furthermore, it decreases one's gross salary, decreasing income tax, which gives individuals a higher disposable income if analyzed properly. Thus, it is an efficient investment for retirement. Lastly, another investment, which is of importance, is gold. Unlike other investments, gold provides the most stable, hence safe, investment for retirement even in times of economic crisis and financial instability. On the average, its value has been increasing throughout the years. Thus, it is no question why it has endured as a viable form for keeping wealth in centuries. Another reason why gold is an important form of investment for a retirement plan is its negative correlation with the US dollar (van Eeden, 2000). There has been numerous forecasts regarding the weakening of the dollar in the coming yeas, thus, gold provides individuals with a greater sense of security. Furthermore, owning gold allows one to diversify his domestic portfolio and diversify the risks present in his other investments. Thus, gold is an important investment for retirement because it allows individuals to diversify his portfolio, hence, shielding it from the risks that could be brought about by a deeply integrated world economy, ensuring that one's retirement plan is secure. A house, an untaxed investment, and gold are three important components of a retirement plan because they are relatively stable, diverse, and could still be used in the present during hard times in mortgages and loans giving them value

Vocationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vocationalism - Essay Example For example, perceiving vocational education as a way to provide population with jobs and thus supply skilled workers to industry would be logically coherent with the definition of vocationalism given above. However, such scope of the research would be useless, because the main question becomes pointless: UK had lower unemployment rate under 25 year-olds than Germany in 2004 (12.1% against 15.1% correspondingly2). Another view is applied in this essay: integration of vocational education into the social life of the country. Vocational education cannot be measured by sole employment rates, as it is only one of many factors determining employment. One may argue that detachment of vocational system from the workplace in the UK is not a weakness but a peculiarity developed within a historical process. Indeed, one system of vocational education cannot be compared to another without assessing them in contexts of their countries. Three main differences between German and British vocational education are identified, and observed one after another: socialisation, companies' participation, and the structure of education. Regardless of the term referred to them it is argued that gaps found within those differences would have increased the quality of vocational education in the UK if minimised. ... Germany is a more industrialised country than Britain, therefore its demand in vocational students is higher. German vocational school has more than a century of training experience, it provides apprentices with a rich training content and theoretical education well connected to a practice in companies. The successes of industrialisation achieved without any serious input from education in England have served as a base for the belief that formal education is not helpful in providing preparation for future work3. The delay of development of vocational education in England had its consequences. For example, following the 1944 Education Act only half the local authorities required to set up technical schools actually did so, with the result that at their peak only 3-5% of the school population attended technical secondary schools4. Social Perception Historical distinctions of vocational education in the UK and Germany have led to different social perception of apprenticeship in these two countries. English vocational education has significant difficulties in retaining learners as they age, and, additionally, it appears to be ineffective in attracting the least well qualified5. Particularly, in-company training appears to be almost completely forgotten, while the school-based vocational courses at colleges and university courses are in much higher demand than non-academic in-company training. This contrasts with the situation in Germany6. German society has a positive experience of cooperation between schooling institutions and business companies supported with a long history. British students attracted by comprehensive secondary system, low interest of companies for participation in vocational education on-site, and

Reactio paper 1 Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reactio 1 - Research Paper Example A Warm December aggrandizes the mystical and hidden understanding of the transcendental feeling of love and ameliorates one’s perception about being human. He was intelligent, grown up, tall, impressive and a tender natured father. She was a sweet, gentle and soft spoken single. However there was one contrast that he was as a whole ardent in nature: on contrary she was very reserved and stand-off-ish. She had a reason for being reserved and the reason was the Sickle Cell Anemia. Unlike Bette Davis and Ali MacGraw and all the other diminishing personas of Hollywood, this story is a timelier segment of a rare blood disease of this girl which remained imprinted in the hearts of the public for a long time. This film attenuated and switched the then discernment of love among the minds of the people and made an altogether new mystical and amusing version of love. The story engulfed the public from the very start as it will be explained in the upcoming context. The actual motivations and the objectives of the movie, "A Warm December" (besides gaining a good reputation) are friendliness with your kids and understanding them, domestic and homely care, affections and virtues, sentimental and emotionally embedded sex, touristic and inspiring and striking personality. It is like a very few hidden and unexpressed emotions which lay in the clandestine veil of the human emotions, which may or may not be understood, but cannot be told for sure. Dr. Matt Younger came to England for the sake of rest and relaxation and to show his daughter the dirt motorbike race. Catherine was also there with her uncle who was an African ambassador. They met, feelings developed Catherine always had a reserved attitude towards the happening around her despite her other capabilities and qualities. That was because she had this disease’s secret. Matt, on the other hand also had some secrets. The craving to live an ordinary life and to forget the bitterest fact that Catherine would liv e not much was so much impregnated in her. After their meeting the same wish mounted further in her heart. Dr. Matt Younger, however on the other hand was a compassionate person, an avid dancer and a racer also, who tried his best to be a good father, and succeeded in his goal. In the movie "A Warm December" the story line inclined towards the originality in expressions and reality. The movie depicts the very capital of west as well as a tour to the African art gallery and some formal musical presentations. The movie is an integration of different experiences, specially parents and children’, the rich and the poor, and the intellectual and the physical. At last when she is free , she cried in a joyous shriek that, â€Å"May I cook?, do all households, spend time with Stefanie?, and not to waste the left precious moments of her life in vain. The story depicts full and positive blend of fine people and set of realities about the Africans, blacks and the American-African tribes . It shows that the anachronistic prejudices and the racism against blacks have long been vanished but the biological effects remained. The fatal facts is the disease which was found to be common in Blacks, but still it was very promising to develop relations between man and a woman regardless of the severity of the illness, which does not count when it comes to the question of love, care and affections. For the romance part in the movie, the director Sidney Poitier, who

Journey Entry 1 Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journey Entry 1 - Personal Statement Example Making fundamental attribution errors is very easy to do. All it requires is the belief that everyone is basically just like you. If you view others only through the lens of your own understanding and experiences, you will start to attribute motives to their actions that are similar to the motives that would cause you to behave in that specific way. It is especially easy to judge another person when you feel that they are basically like you and then they react in a situation that is different than the way you feel you would have reacted if placed in the same situation. In your mind, what they did was wrong. Exercising this sort of judgment opens yourself up to making fundamental attribution errors because you are not taking the broader view of the context of the person’s actions. In my life, I know that I have made this mistake when judging other people. I have been on the receiving end of other’s fundamental attribution errors as well. One of these happened fairly rece ntly. Being on active duty in the Air Force is an exciting career. I am lucky enough to currently be stationed in Japan. Seeing the world is something I have always dreamed of and now I’m getting a chance to do it. I did not think this possible at one time because I am a single parent.

Vocationalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vocationalism - Essay Example For example, perceiving vocational education as a way to provide population with jobs and thus supply skilled workers to industry would be logically coherent with the definition of vocationalism given above. However, such scope of the research would be useless, because the main question becomes pointless: UK had lower unemployment rate under 25 year-olds than Germany in 2004 (12.1% against 15.1% correspondingly2). Another view is applied in this essay: integration of vocational education into the social life of the country. Vocational education cannot be measured by sole employment rates, as it is only one of many factors determining employment. One may argue that detachment of vocational system from the workplace in the UK is not a weakness but a peculiarity developed within a historical process. Indeed, one system of vocational education cannot be compared to another without assessing them in contexts of their countries. Three main differences between German and British vocational education are identified, and observed one after another: socialisation, companies' participation, and the structure of education. Regardless of the term referred to them it is argued that gaps found within those differences would have increased the quality of vocational education in the UK if minimised. ... Germany is a more industrialised country than Britain, therefore its demand in vocational students is higher. German vocational school has more than a century of training experience, it provides apprentices with a rich training content and theoretical education well connected to a practice in companies. The successes of industrialisation achieved without any serious input from education in England have served as a base for the belief that formal education is not helpful in providing preparation for future work3. The delay of development of vocational education in England had its consequences. For example, following the 1944 Education Act only half the local authorities required to set up technical schools actually did so, with the result that at their peak only 3-5% of the school population attended technical secondary schools4. Social Perception Historical distinctions of vocational education in the UK and Germany have led to different social perception of apprenticeship in these two countries. English vocational education has significant difficulties in retaining learners as they age, and, additionally, it appears to be ineffective in attracting the least well qualified5. Particularly, in-company training appears to be almost completely forgotten, while the school-based vocational courses at colleges and university courses are in much higher demand than non-academic in-company training. This contrasts with the situation in Germany6. German society has a positive experience of cooperation between schooling institutions and business companies supported with a long history. British students attracted by comprehensive secondary system, low interest of companies for participation in vocational education on-site, and

Journey Entry 1 Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Journey Entry 1 - Personal Statement Example Making fundamental attribution errors is very easy to do. All it requires is the belief that everyone is basically just like you. If you view others only through the lens of your own understanding and experiences, you will start to attribute motives to their actions that are similar to the motives that would cause you to behave in that specific way. It is especially easy to judge another person when you feel that they are basically like you and then they react in a situation that is different than the way you feel you would have reacted if placed in the same situation. In your mind, what they did was wrong. Exercising this sort of judgment opens yourself up to making fundamental attribution errors because you are not taking the broader view of the context of the person’s actions. In my life, I know that I have made this mistake when judging other people. I have been on the receiving end of other’s fundamental attribution errors as well. One of these happened fairly rece ntly. Being on active duty in the Air Force is an exciting career. I am lucky enough to currently be stationed in Japan. Seeing the world is something I have always dreamed of and now I’m getting a chance to do it. I did not think this possible at one time because I am a single parent.

The balance between cost and quality Essay Example for Free

The balance between cost and quality Essay Before we look closer into the subject, first we must look at exactly what is meant by quality and cost. Quality is the totality of the attributes of a good or service that meet the requirements of the buyer or customers. The materials which make up the product, the design and the engineering of the product, product performance, reliability and durability are all important characteristics of the quality package, which ultimately influence customers to buy a product and repeat-purchase It. (Pass 1995) Cost is the expenditure upon resources incurred by a firm in producing and selling its output, Each cost is a charge against revenues and profits for the use or consumption of resources during a trading period. Cost can be classified along the functional lines, distinguishing between production, selling, distribution, administration and finance costs. (Pass 1995) Quality is a term we use to signify excellence of a product or service. We think of a quality product, for example a B.M.W. motorcar. We know its well designed, well built and will therefore last a long time. If we think of car of being low quality, we think of something like a basic model type of Citroen or Fiat, with its flimsy panels, cheap components and low specifications. The quality hotel is denoted by the internationally recognised star rating system, i.e. a 1 star hotel will provide the most basic of comforts and low on hygiene, and a 5 star hotel will provide the most comforts and services. We can immediately recognise then, by simply looking at a hotels star rating how good it will be and how good of a time we will have if we stay at the hotel. Total Quality Management (TQM) is an organisational process that actively involves every function and every employee in satisfying customers needs, both internal and external. TQM works by continuously improving all aspect of work through structured control, improvement and planning activities that are carried out in concern with guiding principles that focuses on Quality  and Customer Satisfaction as the top priorities. TQM recognises that the Customer is at the centre of every activity. The customer may be external or internal. The key is to determine the gap between what the customer needs and what the system delivers. Once the gap is recognised, it would be systematically reduced and results in never-ending improvement in customer satisfaction at every level. The balance between cost and quality in purchasing is questioned when an organisation is looking to purchase the best for what they can get for their money. However, this is not always the case. One of the main considerations in the purchasing functions is that the quality in question is fit for purpose. Sometimes the overriding factor on the decision to purchase is that products are of the highest quality. E.g. luxury car manufacture Roll Royce will pride themselves on using the finest materials when manufacturing their cars. When at the ordering stage the emphasis will be on high quality rather then cost. Keeping cost to a minimum is an important factor for any business including companies like Roll Royce (to a certain degree). However, Roll Royce will not compromise their image of quality for the sake of cost. Often, a company has no choice but to use the most expensive materials or highest quality that money can buy. Sometimes safety is the overriding factor. If Rolls Royce is building an engine that is going to be mounted onto an aircraft, then titanium will be the preferred choice of material. Titanium is extremely expensive but will guarantee the utmost reliability in this situation. As mentioned above, purchasers have to take into consideration whether or not the quality is fit for purpose and what the product is going to be used for. The decisions that are made can be made personally for individual use or at corporate level. E.g. if a purchasing manager for a car manufacturer has to make a decision on the type radio to buy, then there is a combination of factors that will need to be considered. The price will have to suit his budget. The quality would have to be of a standard that one would expect from a car of that type from the company. The buyers final decision may well be to buy a radio system that he or she would never consider putting in their own car. But yet the decision made will mean that the system chosen will go into thousands of newly built cars. This is because the decision made was not personal; it was made of behalf of a company so it had to suit their needs. Many purchasing managers are under constant pressure to drive cost down. Even professionals have problems finding the balance between cost and quality when their budget is very low. If costs are too low then it seems inevitable that the quality will suffer. The Ford motor company has suffered the consequences of cutting costs too low. After rave reviews following introduction of the new Ford Focus into the US market, Ford decided to build the car using cheaper components in a bid to save money. The cheaper components included rear wheel bearings that would prematurely wear, causing noise and wheel instability. Not only does Ford now has to recall thousands of Ford Focuses, but it also has to deal with the fact the this decision has damaged their reputation even further. As people we are constantly trying to find the balance between costs and are own perception of quality on a daily basis. According to Juran, quality is: fitness for intended use. This definition basically says that quality is meeting or exceeding customer expectations. So according to this theory, we achieve quality when we buy a product that does what its supposed to do. If a purchasing manager is buying radios that he or she wouldnt use personally, this still ties in with Jurans definition of quality because the radios will meet the customers expectations, although is will not meet the buyers. When we shop we have to ask ourselves if the use of the product will justify the cost. E.g. when studying late at night, the natural choice of beverage for some students would be something like the caffeine boosting energy drink Red Bull at the cost of ?25. ?25 is far too much to pay (double) for a can of fizz pop. On this particular occasion, the beverage will not be used as a  thirst quencher or as a vodka mix, but used as an aid to keep the student awake through the studying session. The cost (?25) of the product is justified due to the products fitness for intended use. Deming states that the customers definition of quality is the only one that matters. This is true but I feel that the customer does not always get quality from what they perceive as quality. This is partly to do with the fact that some companies are very good at doing some things, but is not so good at others. Designer label brand Gucci is a prime example of this. If somebody buys a Gucci designer watch for the cost of ?0, there are a host of other things that the buyer will achieve like admiration, prestige and self-esteem. Gucci is not a watchmaker and does not have the same level of expertise of watch making as Rolex or Cartier. Although somebody who does not have knowledge of watches may perceive this watch as quality. Those with know-how or those in the industry would regard this watch as crap. Watches of this nature are purely soled through success of the brand. The watches are simply a spin-off from their designer clothesline and are made with very low quality and cheap components. According to Which magazine, the life expectancy for a Gucci watch is two three years. This is very low compared to Rolexs lifetime life expectancy. looking at Passs definition of quality, a Gucci watch does not carry vital characteristics such as, reliability and durability, which are key to the quality package. This brings us to Demings theory that the customers definition of quality is the only one that matters. I appreciate that the customers opinion is all that matters them, but whether or not the customer is actually receiving quality is another matter. If a product were purchased on the basis of the customer being happy with the product initially, then it would be very difficult to apply Demings theory of quality if the product has hidden defects. Similar to the phrase, things arent always what they seem. To achieve high quality, a company does not have to always have to pay the high costs. For example the cars produced by the Japanese used to be of low quality and unreliability was common. Things have changed now. Japaneses  cars are now built to an excellent standard and reliability is second to none. Not only are the Japanese building excellent cars, they are building them at a great speed. This is partly due to lean supply techniques that the Japanese have mastered. The whole area of purchasing and suppliers is streamlined to achieve minimum waste. Adopting these techniques cannot be done over night, but lean supply is an excellent step in the right direction in achieving a good balance between cost and quality long-term. Philip B. Crosby (1979) believed in the zero-defects program adopted by the US federal government defining quality as conformance to requirements. He emphasized prevention rather than inspection (audits) and promoted a definition of quality as meeting the customers requirements the first time and every time. His work is part of TQM. Crosbys (1979) philosophy on quality is driven solely by prevention of defects. It is expressed in a phrase he uses: Do it right the first time and every time. Crosby emphasizes zero defects, given that he believes there is only one level of quality. In other words, the presence of any flaw in the product deprives it of quality. He believes managements perception and attitude towards quality needs to be transformed if the organisation is going to succeed at delivering quality consistently. For example, Deming and many managers believe that error is inevitable and one only has to deal with it. Crosby believes it is self-defeating to plan and invest in strategies that deal with errors instead of investing in strategies and processes that prevent errors from occurring in the first place (Garvin and March, 1986). The Lean thinking method allows Japanese car manufactures have strong relationships with their suppliers and offer incentives for better quality. E.g. The supplier will carry out rigorous tests on their products before the buyer receives it to ensure reliability. Purchasing can improve quality by contributing to the competitive advantage of the undertaking by participating in the procurement of bought out items at the economical cost. It is important to ensure that quality is not confused with price and grade. Managers should be using their extensive knowledge and expertise to provide high quality to both internal and external customers of the purchasing function. To maximise quality, the purchasing departments responsibilities should meet with the requirements of BS/ EN and BS 7750 Keeping the balance between cost and quality in an important factor for any business. As mentioned above, it depends on what the buyer is trying to achieve overall. If high quality is the overriding factor for a company, then this will tie in with the companies high quality image. Whether it is no frills or impeccable quality, managers will try to find a reasonable balance where appropriate. Bibliography Lysons, K (2000) Purchasing and supply chain management. 5th edition. Prentice Hall Crosby, P. (1984) Quality without tears. 1st edition. Mc Graw Hall companies Crosby, P. (1995) Quality is still free. Mc Graw Hall companies Crosby, P. (1979) Quality is free. . Dutton signet Garvin, D.A. and A. March. (1984) A Note on Quality: The Views of Deming, Juran and Crosby. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Juran, J.M. (1988) Juran on Planning for Quality, New York: Free Press,. http://www.which.co.uk/

Islam in Indonesia

Islam in Indonesia Islam in Indonesia Modern Indonesia is known for having the largest Muslim population by percentage of any country in the world.   Coming to Indonesia in the 13th century A.D., Islam has continued to spread, and approximately 90 % of the current population considers itself to be Muslim. Nevertheless, many forms of Islam practiced there combine animist, Hindu, and Buddhist elements from the countrys rich and varied religious past, creating an Islamic faith that looks different from that of the Orthodox Islam of the Middle East.   With over 17,000 islands spanning 3,000 miles along the equator, Indonesias Islamic variations differ significantly not only from other countries but also from one part of its own land to another. Still, while Islam dominates the political and social structure of Indonesia, the country still maintains its other religious roots; as one critic notes, â€Å"Indonesias civilization is like a marbled layer cake.† Convergence of Religions Before the introduction of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam into the country, early Indonesians were prominently animists who practiced ancestor and spirit worship. This form of religion, generally described as superstitious and ritualistic, believes that plants and animals, all living things, have a soul.   For instance, many Indonesians consider the waringin tree as sacred and a symbol of the â€Å"vital essence.† Thus they often bury animal sacrifices at the roots of the tree and no one is permitted to cut down the tree or its branches, otherwise severe punishment or even death ensues.  Ã‚   As another example of animism, many Indonesians still believe hair to have a magic quality called mana.   Young men, therefore, are encouraged to send girls a lock of their hair in order to seduce them. Furthermore, the Indonesians hold many rituals regarding life and death; some very important for appeasing the dead souls or assisting them through the underworld.   Although this d edication to the god and spirit of nature changed somewhat with the arrival of other religions, the natives usually just incorporated elements of their animist culture and superstitions into the new religions. In 1,500 A.D., the Hindu and Buddhist faiths came to Indonesia and meshed with the primitive animism of the country. The Indonesians accepted and accommodated these new beliefs by mixing them with each other, as well as with their own culture.   In fact, in many parts of Indonesia, the natives combined all three religions to create something of a new Hindu-Buddhist animism.   A great relic from the ninth century called the Borobudur temple on the island of Java evidences this unique blending of faiths.   As the largest Buddhist monument in the world, this great structure holds almost fourhundred images of Buddha, while simultaneously displaying many Hindu, Hindu-Buddhist, and animist sculptures.   With its conglomeration of different deities in one temple, Borobudur manifests the Indonesians unique combination of separate religions. As one example of a specifically Hindu-Buddhist convergence, Shiva, a Hindu god, was transformed into something of a Buddha image, while still ke eping the Hindu name of Shiva.   As seen later, the Shiva god eventually adopts the Islam faith as well. The Shiva-Buddhist cult poignantly reflects the Indonesian mindset toward the variety of religions offered.   Despite these convergences, some places, such as the island of Bali, became solely Hindu and remain so to this day.Following the fusion of Hindu, Buddhist, and native religions, Islam appeared and lay yet another brick on the religious structure, which was held together by a mortar of deep cultural roots. Introduction of Islam Traveling to Indonesia by way of the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, Muslim traders and mystical literary figures first brought Islam to the country in the thirteenth century. Coming from India, this was the mainstream Sunni variant, which was initially founded in Arabia. Scholars speculate that the mystical Sufi tradition influenced this Islam, which could have been easily fused with the native Indonesian culture.   Sufi holy men are described as â€Å"devout Muslim mystics renowned for the beauty of their music, poetry†and their internal spiritual focus, rather than for seeking to impose their religion on their surroundings or onto politics.   As one scholar notes, although no evidence of Sufi communities from early centuries in Indonesia exists, Indonesians would have been more likely to accept the more mystical form of Islam than the strict, law-bound versions. One similarity between the Sufi and Indonesian cultures was the idea of having a teacher who formed around him a small group of disciples to pass on higher wisdom.   Also, the Indonesian and the Muslim both seemed to focus more on the correct ways in which to communicate to god instead rather than on the nature of god.   Furthermore, Indonesian tantric mantras were means of meditation similar to that of the Muslims, as the Muslims often recited the Koran or other Arabic texts. This form of Islam, therefore, could be easily incorporated into the native culture.   Because of the traders traveling routes, Islam spread most rapidly in the northern parts of Sumatra, Java, and the eastern archipelago.   Evidence of this beginning Islamization comes from Marco Polo.   In 1292 he landed in Sumatra where he found an Islamic town named Perlak.   Although Perlak was already Islamic with a Sunni monarch, Islam was not found within its surrounding towns.   One of the larger cities, Melaka, was a major impetus for the spread of Islam.   This rich port city controlled the Strait of Malacca and much of the archipelagos trade throughout the fifteenth century.   Iskandar Syah, a prince converted to Islam, founded Melaka, and through his rule, his successors, and the trading fleet he extended the religion to various parts of the archipelago.   Islam not only offered a simple message of personal faith and hope, but it could also give one favor and therefore success in trade or nobility; thus Indonesians had a double incentive for conversion.   S till some regions were resistant to Islam, such as Bali and parts of Java that kept a more strictly Hindu culture. Islamic Expansion Islam branched out further in the sixteenth century, when Muslims began establishing Islamic kingdoms.   The Aceh kingdom, formed on the western part of Sumatra, was a region of major Islamic allegiance in the early sixteenth century and today is a part of Sumatra where â€Å"Islamic character of population is most pronounced.†Ã‚   Also in the early 1500s the Portuguese came to Indonesia; although they intentionally brought Catholicism with them to Christianize the islands, their efforts inadvertently aided Islamization.By closing off the central ports to Indian Muslims, they pushed the Muslims with their Islam faith to smaller ports across the islands.   Islam, then, was taken to some of the more remote pockets of the widespread country. Nevertheless, Java still did not easily accept the faith. There, Majapahit was the last and greatest of the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms that predominantly controlled the archipelago and surrounding regions in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The Islamic port towns conflicted with Majapahit power, however, and under the challenge of Islamization Hindu Javanese leaders fled to the small island of Bali to keep their faith alive.   Bali, as an exception in Indonesia, remains untouched by Islam to this day.   Those inland on Java eventually accepted Islam but only as a â€Å"formal legal and religious context for Javanese spiritual culture.†Ã‚   In Java, Islam was allowed to exist only on Javanese cultural terms.    That is, only as in a form mixed with previously held religious beliefs.   Although most early conversions were peaceful, one scholar says that converted Islamic states sometimes waged war against traditional Hindu-Buddhist regions.   The same scholar also recognizes that because of inadequate historical records and evidence, the process of Islamization in Indonesia is somewhat unclear.Although some believe Hindu princes converted to Islam because of their desire for power, commerce, and riches, the legend of Sunan Kalidjaga offers a different perspective on the eventual conversion of inland Java. Kalidjaga was a prince in Java who grew up in the traditional Hindu-Buddhist culture of the Majapahit kingdom.   In a conversion experience similar to that of the apostle Paul on the road to Damascus, Kalidjaga had a vision of a Muslim religious leader who instructed him to spread the doctrine of Islam.   Consequently, the prince converted to Islam and began peacefully sharing the faith throughout Java.   He was thus able to bridge the two religions; for t he Javanese, his life is â€Å"the meaningful link between a world of god-kings, ritual priests, and declamatory shrines and one of pious sultans, Koranic scholars, and austere mosques.†Ã‚   Kalidjaga is considered, therefore, to be one of the wali sanga, or nine apostles, who helped bring peaceful conversions to Islam in Java. Because of the differences between Indonesian culture and the Islam of Mecca, however, conversion usually meant an acceptance of Islam wherein the faith would be combined with traditional and indigenous beliefs. Versions of Islam Most Indonesians, when converting to Islam, synchronized the new religion with their personal mixture of one or more of Hindu, Buddhist, or, animist religions, while a minority switched completely to Orthodox Islam.   Therefore, like the many diverse cultures of the islands, Islam began to take on different shapes across the country.   The two distinct versions of Islam, Orthodox and the blended , were in tension with one another.   A believer in Indonesia who became exclusively Muslim and adhered strictly to Mecca-oriented Islam and the laws of the Koran is called santri.   Santri can also signify a person who removes himself from the secular surroundings to devote himself to Islamic schools called pesantren, which translates literally as â€Å"the place of the santri.†Ã‚   The second form of Islam commonly identified is called kebatinin.   This version is a mixture of Hindu-Buddhist beliefs, animism and Islam practices.   Kebatinin is also called kejawen, agama J awa, Javanism, or abangan.One case of this blend of religions was described earlier in the Hindu god Shiva who adopted Buddhist characteristics.   As Islam spread through the culture, the Javanese claimed Shiva went to Mecca and also embraced Islam, thus creating a god of three faiths combined. Because Hinduism never completely reached the eastern islands, a more pure, orthodox form of Islam formed in the east, while the western part of Indonesia tended to more often combine Islam with its Hinduism or other ancient belief systems. Political History By the end of the sixteenth century both the Dutch and British had gained interest in the â€Å"Spice Islands† (Indonesia) and its wealth of trade.   The Dutch East India Company was formed in 1602, which attempted to take over all trade control with Indonesia from other European countries, thus creating a commercial monopoly.   This monopoly served to shape the foundation of the Dutch territorial empire.   Historians mark this time, which is disputed to be either 1511 or 1600, as the commencement of European control and influence that would last up to the twentieth century.   The time between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries has been generalized as an â€Å"age of commerce† both for Indonesians and foreign traders.   The Dutch East India Companys involvement did not remain limited to trade, however, but instead it became a political force among the islands.   Although opposed by certain Islamic leaders in Java, such as Sultan Agung and his successor Amangkurat II, the Dutch eventually dominated all of Java and then spread its empire into Sumatra and other surrounding areas.With this Dutch influence extending into Indonesia, the face of Islam underwent various changes.   For instance, the native trading peoples were forced further inland.   Holding a strong Islam faith, they brought their beliefs with them and began to rely more and more on the pilgrimage to Mecca as their connection with the larger Muslim world.   Consequently, they formed and spread an Islam somewhat orthodox but still mixed with the deep traditions of Java culture. After the Napoleonic Wars, the Dutch decided to try to make its governed lands at least self-sufficient, but they met some unexpected challenges.   In 1825 the Java War began, due in part to protest of Dutch rule on the island.   The war was supported by many Muslim leaders in Indonesia who also recognized the Korans promise of a coming Madhi, a messiah or â€Å"Just Ruler† that would bring peace and harmony to the territory.   In the years of 1826-30, a man who was overthrown from Javanese rule by the Dutch claimed himself to be the Madhi of Islam and he began a jihad, or Holy War, against the government. During the Java War, another battle began in Sumatra called the Padri-War.   This conflict began between the traditional leaders of the community, called the adat, and the revivalist Muslim leaders; some of the orthodox revivalists killed a royal family of the more Indocized Islam.   As a result of the battle, Dutch authorities called for a military invasion, which served to strengthen Dutch administration in the area. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Dutch were able to make the islands into a â€Å"unified colonial dependency,† which formed the basis for the future republic of Indonesia. By this time, western thought began to pervade Islamic circles, forming a modernist strain of Islam.   Furthermore, Indonesian nationalism began to develop, and with it, an organization called the â€Å"Islamic Association† or Sakerat Islam, the largest nationalist party of the time.   After World War I, many more of these types of associations were formed, most of which were aimed toward nationalism.  Ã‚   Inner conflicts between the conservative and communist leaders in 1921 caused the decline of Sakerat Islam, and a new nationalist movement rose to prominence: the Indonesian Nationalist Party, formed under the leadership of Sukarno, the rising president of Indonesia.   As a result of World War II, Indonesia fell from the clasp of Dutch rule and into the hands of Japan.   The Jap anese allowed the rise of both Muslim and nationalist leaders, including Sukarno, who began establishing himself as the leader of the nation.   After an Indonesian revolution, Japan gave Indonesia its independence in the year of 1945. Role of Islam in Politics After gaining independence, the Indonesians needed to decide on the role of Islam in the nations government.   After heated disputes, the leaders agreed to keep religious freedom and to create â€Å"a civic code instead of an Islamic one.†At the same time, one current of Kebatinin, the more indigenous-type of Islam, became legitimized by the government.   Sukarno then became the first Indonesian president of the Republic.   Because he disliked the divisions among Muslims and other religions (specifically Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian) of the nation he propagated a somewhat disguised, authoritarian form of government called the â€Å"Guided Democracy.†Ã‚   His successor, Suharto, introduced a similar type of rule named â€Å"The New Order.†Ã‚   Some scholars say both of these rulers showed â€Å"their Javanese religious-cultural bias against Islam†and made sure that Islams political influence was limited by various forces, including the military.   Both Sukarno and Suharto, therefore, restricted political freedom throughout the nation.   In response to the bias against Islam, Islamic and nationalist organizations united to create parties against Suhartos government.   The â€Å"red-green† alliance, in existence today as the Wahid-Megawati administration, was one political coalition of the nationalist- Islam that helped to defeat the dictatorship of Suharto.  Ã‚   Suharto, upon realizing the threat to his rule, turned to a militant form of Islam.   This led to much violence across the nation, and religious groups who had formerly lived in peace, such as Muslims and Christians, began to fight against one another.  Ã‚   This more militant, violent form of Islam instigated by Suharto became a lasting part of Indonesias various branches of Islam. Branches of Islam Today The two most influential Muslim organizations of Indonesia society today are the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), made up of the traditionalists, and the Muhammadiyah, or, the modernists.   The traditionalists tend to be organized around Muslim boarding schools (the pesantren) while they preserve traditional Islamic education.In fact, the name of the organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, literally translates as â€Å"renaissance of Islamic scholars†, and the thirty-five million involved with this Islamic orientation follow charismatic religious scholars. The Muhammidiyah, on the other hand, embrace modern thought and culture while keeping to orthodox Islamic theology.   Founded in 1912, this modernist organization was aimed to create social institutions, such as orphanages and hospitals, in order to compensate the Protestant and Catholic efforts.  Ã‚   With about twenty-five million followers, it has less participation than the NU Modern Muslim Culture According to the Wikipedia Encyclopedia, 210 million inhabitants of Indonesia today consider themselves Muslim.   Many of these believers, however, practice Islam in profoundly different ways.   The Unreached Peoples Prayer Profiles provides information on various modern Muslim groups in Indonesia.   The profiles show an incredibly diversified Islam with many lasting effects of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism.   For instance, ninety-nine percent of the 800,000 Komering who live in Sumatra today claim Islamic faith, yet they mix their beliefs strongly with animism and superstitions.   In order to keep evil spirits away, for example, many Komering wear good luck charms that contain verses of the Koran.   Also, some believe that â€Å"whistling indoors at night entertains demons, or that walking around on your birthday will bring bad luck.† Thus, although Islam remains prevalent and maintains a strong influence on the culture, the Komering still incorporate old religious beliefs. The Sekayu is another tribe of mixed religion.   Found spread throughout southern Sumatra, they consider themselves devout Muslims.   Indeed, they pray five times a day toward Mecca and reject common sacrificial rituals, believing only Allah gives true redemption.   Nevertheless, they still maintain some of their ancient animistic beliefs.   For example, many Sekayu visit a â€Å"soothsayer,† or dukun, in order to contact the dead spirits or have their fortune told.   They claim, however, that they do not pray â€Å"to† the dead spirits, as others do, but instead they pray to Allah â€Å"for† the benefit of their ancestors.The Sekayu, therefore, practice dedication to Allah while still sustaining animistic beliefs.   The Alas-Kluet Batak people of the Aceh province in northern Sumatra, on the other hand, have very little concern for or devotion to Orthodox Islam even though they have been considered Muslims since the 1600s.  Ã‚   This tribe directs their religious practices toward what they consider good and bad ghosts who must be appeased through cult rituals and exorcist healings.   For instance, at a childs birth, the parents shave the childs head, leaving only a small lock of hair.   If the child then becomes ill, they cut the remaining lock of hair believing that bad luck will also be removed.   The people of Alas-Kluet Batak, then, remain Muslim only in name, not in practice. The Bajau, as another example, are mostly Sunni Muslims who live mainly in the coastal districts and islands of Sulawesi.   These â€Å"Sea Gypsies† consist mostly of nomadic boat dwellers who often lack mosques for worship. Consequently, they rely on different communities on shore to visit a mosque.   Islamic religious status is very important to the Bajau.   For instance, they show special honor to descendants of Mohammed, or salip, and â€Å"variations of Islamic practices are associated with the relative status of different groups.†Although the Bajau uphold Islamic religious piety and learning for individual prestige, they continue to practice traditional forms of spirit worship.   At least once a year, they hold a â€Å"public sà ©ance and nightly trance dancing†while the spirit mediums assemble to contact the spirits.   The Bajau call on the spirit mediums particularly in times of illness to remove evil spirits from the community.   They accomp lish this by putting a â€Å"spirit boat† adrift in the ocean.This people group, therefore, does not hold to a pure worship of Allah, but instead also looks to other supernatural powers. A Country of Mixed Islam Since the 13th century, Islam has filtered into the corners and remote pockets of Indonesian civilization.   Coming into a religiously mixed world of animism, Hinduism, and Buddhism, Islam began taking on forms different than that of Middle Eastern orthodoxy.   The majority of Indonesian Muslims today shape the Islamic religion to fit their traditional superstitions and other religious beliefs, while the minority strives for orthodoxy.  Ã‚   These various forms of Islam combine to dominate both the cultural and political aspects of the nation and give Indonesia the largest Muslim population of the world.   Yet in reality, rather than being unified under a pure Islam, this population truly is a â€Å"marble layered cake† of mixed religious belief.