Compare and Contrast two major theories of Social Inequality – Can Inequality be eliminated?

A major theory of inequality is the one propounded by Karl Marx who argues that social inequality is not natural but stems from the construction of the unfair capitalist system. Marx sees the workers or the proletariat as being exploited for their labour by those that own the means of production Marxists see social inequality as manifested in the fact that workers do not benefit from the wealth that their labour produces instead Marx claims that they are 1'pauperized'. The poorer working classes get poorer whilst the rich enjoy getting richer this is illustrated by income inequalities all over the world; the poorest 20% of people in the USA have seen their incomes fall by 19% whilst the top 5% saw their incomes rise, in Australia the richest ten per cent of the population owns about half the nation's wealth in the USA its over two thirds. A limitation of Marx theories on inequality is that it only focuses on economic inequality. Many sociologists would agree with Marx that economic inequality is the most significant form of inequality at the moment whilst acknowledging that economic inequality and social inequality, as we live in a modern multi- cultural capitalist country are inextricably linked and are affected significantly by gender, racial, religious and ethnic inequality. Ethnic background is both an indicator and factor of social inequality. In Australia for example, Aborigines are over represented in the working class as well as underclass and under-represented in the top stratification of earnings and class. Social inequality thus seems to be a consequence of ascribed status: of the status that our skin colour our gender and/or our social class confers on us. Arguably there is scope for social mobility in our current system as our ascribed statuses can be overshadowed by our achieved status especially as we are not generally ascribed to a lower cast iron status at birth that prevents social mobility (unlike the untouchables in the caste system in other cultures) Theoretically we can ascend the social ladder, however low we start, as there is equality of opportunity. This is the view propounded by functionalists such as Davis and Moore. Our achievements in our meritocratic system determine the social position that we hold. Davis and Moore acknowledge that there are perhaps socially unequal jobs yet they are all important for society to function. Thus to maintain society each role needs to be filled so ‘effective role allocation' is an essential functional perquisite. However as some jobs require more skills and training than others there is a need for differing social and financial incentives to entice people to undergo extensive training and take up such jobs. Davis and Moore assert that role allocation and thus people's socio-economic status is fair as it is based on merit, those in the top roles earning the most are those that are best equipped for their role. Whilst Marx sees the current system as exploitative Davis and Moore see it and the inequality that accompanies it as legitimate and functionally advantageous to society. Such a theory though, does not take into account gender and racial inequalities or concepts such as culture capital old boys club and the glass ceiling The culture capital theory suggested by sociologist Pierre Bordieu explains that the education system prises and is geared toward the culture of the middle and upper classes thus those from a working class background find that the skills and knowledge derived within their culture is ‘devalued' and they therefore do not have equal opportunities to excel academically which of course restricts their employment choices and socio-economic position in the future. We can see therefore that inequality is institutionalised, as Marx alludes to in the labour market, and that education is perhaps the first agent of stratification. M. Tumin has also criticised Davis and Moore by condemning their notion of functional importance as questionable and too vague. It ignores the differential of power. According to Tumin differences in pay and prestige will be affected by, and often reflect differences in the relative power of groups and individuals in the labour market rather than the job's actual functional importance. Therefore differences in pay can actually be more a reflection of the relative strength of the workers' union and bargaining potential rather than of functional importance e.g. coal miners and farm labourers. Davis and Moore suggest that inequality is universal as it can be identified in all societies. Such views would suggest that inequality is not eliminable. Marxists ideas contradict this view. Marx claimed that inequality could be eliminated with the development of class consciousness and the abandonment of capitalism however the Soviet communism model proved that in the modern world this was untenable. Equality came at a high price- by the collapse of communism in 1989 equality had come to mean people simply had equally low living standards. Economic and social equality came at the expense then, of basic human rights, the sociologist Peter Saunders stated socialist societies are2 ‘always more repressive than the capitalist ones since they must get people to fulfil their role without the incentive of economic rewards.' However it is clear that the Soviet system was successful in reducing and even eliminating inequality in many spheres of life. Even if it didn't respect human rights in all cases, it guaranteed basic needs such as housing employment education medical care and even holidays. 3The satellite states had embraced capitalism after communism expecting to reap the economic benefits of a capitalist system in fact, living standards actually fell. Russia, after communism rapidly transformed from an almost standardized society to one that was plagued by socio-economic polarisations, according to Goskomstat, the income ratio between the wealthiest 10% of the population and the bottom 10% was about 4:1 in 1990 by 1996 it had sky rocketed to 13:1. Women's rights have also regressed significantly in Russia currently approximately 80% of the unemployed in Russia are women. Such evidence seems to support a Marxist framework of inequality as not inevitable but sustained by a capitalist system. Marxists claim that a capitalist society is maintained through divide and rule. Thus when a class ‘stopped being a class in itself and started being a class for itself' then the group could recognise their inferior social position, class solidarity would develop as the class recognised their shared interests and goals and they would then act together to displace the bourgeoisie. However because inequality is so multilayered class divisions are easy to maintain as differences in gender and race also generate inequality thus even if class differences were eliminated these would persist and perhaps increase. Blackness has historically been classed as inferior, perceived inferiority has been harmful since those who see themselves as superior usually hold the legal power and status in the society and can therefore cement in law the inferiority of the blacks or other ethnic groups. Loury calls for4 ‘major structural remedies to speed up progress toward racial equality' which will in turn reduce the economic inequality that ethnic minority groups face. The New right perspective argues that social inequality has persisted throughout the ages; Saunders states that ‘there has never been a completely egalitarian society'. Every society has its male and females, rich and poor it's big and small and it's old and young. In this absolute sense there is some truth to the assertion that some degree of inequality is inevitable. However inequality itself is unequal it varies with time and culture which validates the theory that inequality is socially constructed and thus can be eliminated. In Britain granted we have moved from the stark extremes of inequality of slavery in imperial Britain but only to an ‘acceptable' economic and social inequality that is institutionalized within our capitalist system, unequal access is built into the structures that support and maintain our contemporary society. It can be argued that the current degree of inequality is not advantageous to society and a reflection of unequal talents in society as Davis and Moore claim nor is it an inevitable product of the capitalist system as Marxists argue; it is a matter of choice. Through the lax way we regulate corporations compared with the harsh regulations placed on workers unions, how we distribute the tax burden and how we set wages. We limit the power of workers thus limiting their socio-economic position.

Diploma of management

â€Å"Smart† Goals Kebab's R Us is a company always striving to improve and gain a higher and greater market share. With our dedicated staff we were able to achieve all our major goals that were set out last year. These goals were to increase the number of kebabs sold throughout all caravans, to update 20% of caravans by replacing it with a new caravan and brand new catering equipment that was more efficient, to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, to create a ‘mini sub kebab' that could be catered for functions, to improve profits from $1 1. Million to $12 million in the financial year ending 2014, to place leadership programs in place to help employees to be trained to become caravan managers and to stay injury free. Results over the last year have been quite positive, meeting all target goals have been a credit to all staff. Hard work and dedication had paid off once the yearly report came in which backed it up with evident numbers. Falling Just short of the profit ma rgin at $1 1. 9 million is still a satisfactory result. These achieved goals are a credit to all staff and also to the senior management team for applying the S. M. A.R. T goals principle to reach each. The teeters of SMART each represent a meaning these are; S- Specific M- Measurable A- Accountable R- Realistic T- Time Bound Major goals for next year will be similar in terms of growth and profit. Important objectives of not losing any customers, providing kebabs of the highest quality possible, to reach those customers or to cater for a wider community. To update a further 20% of caravans by replacing it with a new caravan and brand new equipment that will be more efficient lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Improving turnover to $40 million from last year's $38. Million whilst also improving profits to $13 million. To introduce a commission scheme of selling a min of 250 kebabs a day to caravan operators which would result in bonuses and to promote those already trained personal i nto the 20 caravans that's planned to hit the roads. Further improvement training to all personal of customer service which is federal government funded. Hiring 40 new staff to fill into the new caravan positions that are going to be opening, surveying customers to help us improve our service and also to yet again remaining injury free.Having similar target goals from last year ensures a greater chance to achieve these goals through the usage of SMART. Major goal NO. I Specific – Update a further 20% of vehicles including company cars and caravans from the start of the new financial year in 1/7/14-30/6/15. To achieve this goal Kebab's R Us will use clearly defined processes and guidelines that were also used from the previous year to achieve the same goal. Location of vehicles that are being upgraded is the Queensland region. Requirements of this goal are enforced by government legislation and also to have a better looking image.Measurable- This goal is measurable as we need to have 20 vehicles updated in one year. Every quarter the aim is to have 5 vehicles upgraded. A project manager with a team is in hare of this changeover and upgrade in which they closely monitor it. Every quarterly the project manager attends a senior management meeting to discuss progress. Accountable- Everyone working in the changeover and management team is all liable to work in conjunction with each to achieve this goal. Realistic- The same goal was set out last year and it was achieved so it makes it a realistic proposition this year.Time Bound- The time frame for this goal will start from the 1/7/14-30/6/15, in this timeshare 20 vehicles must be updated to accomplish this goal. Major goal NO. 2 Specific- Improving turnover to $40 million from last year's $38. Million in the financial year starting on 1/7/14 till the end of that financial year in 30/6/15. To achieve this goal Kebab's R Us will use clearly defined processes and guidelines which will set the foundation to hit t he ground running with changes in certain areas which will help the growth of the company.Located nationwide this goal is every employees aim. Requirement for this goal is to improve our market share and our share prices. Measurable- This goal is measurable as the company needs to grow by only $1. 9 million in the next financial year. The lowly some is still good considering a few years back of poor results. The finance team along with senior management is responsible to monitor and innovate new ways of increasing funds. Every month a meeting will be held to monitor and discuss changes to this goal.Accountable- The recruiting team regional managers which is led by the HRS officer. Realistic- This goal is realistic as new caravans rolling out every quarter new positions will open up therefore creating the chance to hire 10 new casuals every quarter to achieve this goal. Time Bound-The time frame for this goal will start from the 117/14-30/6115. The first intake of 10 new employees is expected on the 1/10/14 followed by the next quarter at 1/111 5 in conjunction of the new caravans becoming available.

Balance Scorecard for Air India

Balance Scorecard for Air India Introduction Air India is the prime and oldest Airline of India. It is the State carrier which currently connects to rest of the world such as the Americas, Asia, Europe, etc. It is headquartered at Nariman Point, Mumbai in the Air India Building. It is the 16th largest Airline in Asia & serves out of two major Domestic hubs in India at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi & CST Terminal, Mumbai. The airline started its journey with the Maiden flight from Karachi Airport to Mumbai Airport via Ahmedabad in July 1932. It was founded by JRD Tata and later on acquired by the State. Air India has two subsidiaries and two affiliated carries. Together Air India, Air India Cargo, Air India Express, Indian and Air India Regional form the National Aviation Company of India Limited. It currently serves 11 countries across the globe apart from the various domestic destinations. Air India Cargo It serves as the cargo operator for the airline serving in conjunction with on ground truck- transportation systems and achieving synergies to increase returns. The carrier also is allowed to carry dangerous (hazardous cargo) & animals under IATA rules. Air India Regional The airline previously known as alliance air serves the interior small airports domestically to serve the needs of such regions with smaller aircrafts. The hub for this is at the IGI airport in Delhi. Indian It focuses on the domestic touch points for the airline. It serves various destinations in the country with two major hubs at Delhi & Mumbai. Air India Express The airline subsidiary was formed in 2005 to serve the low cost space in the South east Asia and the Gulf region. This is a no frills airline which focuses on the low cost travel mind space for its consumers. Tangible Assets Fleet and Material Resources Air India has continuously being trying to improve its Aircraft fleets. It has recently added 17 new aircrafts which include B777’s- Long range aircrafts and it has also procured some 15 n ew airbus aircrafts to serve its domestic destinations. Currently the Air India fleet stands at a strong 136 aircrafts. Air India serves various international destinations such as in the USA which includes Newark, JFK & Chicago with its non-stop Boeing Long range aircrafts. The detailed aircraft distribution is as given in the table below: Network Air India operates from various cities across India like Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Jaipur, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Gaya and Thiruvananthapuram in totality 16 cities for its international location flights. The need of boarding flights from metros for international locations has thus ceased thus providing better opportunities to other cities to develop economically and aid in the country’s growth story. The various requirements in terms of customs, etc. are directly done in these cities. Air India also has code sharing agreements with various airlines across t he world providing better accessibility to other locations. International Hub: Air India has established its international hub at Frankfurt for better transfers and code shares across the world. It has forged partnerships with Lufthansa and is currently vying for being a part of the Star Alliance. These alliances has strengthened AI’s network in the US and Europe to a large extent.

Fashion Marketing Management - Hugo Boss Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Fashion Marketing Management - Hugo Boss - Essay Example The essay "Fashion Marketing Management - Hugo Boss" discovers the marketing and management in Hugo Boss. The brand of the company includes BOSS which is the core brand of the company and HUGO that is the trendy brand associated with BOSS. Consumer groups from different cultures and backgrounds are targeted by the company, where the customers are offered wide-ranging products including classic-modern business wear, elegant evening and relaxed casual fashion, shoes and leather accessories, licensed fragrances, eyewear, watches, children’s fashion and motorcycle helmets. The recognition of the company as one of the leading fashion houses in the world has been supported by the company’s exhaustive marketing activities and participation in funding of sport and other cultural events. The company has its focus not only on traditional practices of advertising and promotion, but it also experiments new marketing activities that are targeted towards its customer groups. The prod ucts of the company are made available in around 124 countries across the world. There are more than 6,100 selling points for the products of the company from where customers can avail them. The stores are maintained both by the group itself as well as by franchise partners. The success of the company can be reflected from the sales and performance of the company in the year 2012 that present positive results for the company supported by increasing sales figures. The increase in sales has been reported in all the regions.

Human Rights Act 1998 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Human Rights Act 1998 - Essay Example However, the Government also declared that there was no intention to provide a basis for striking down any portion of it. Nevertheless, the judiciary has been empowered to rescind secondary legislation that does not comply with the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights.2 Exceptions to this principle arise when the parent statute does not permit such repealing. Legislation has to be interpreted, to the extent possible, in a manner that renders it compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights. This is the purport of Section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998. However, Section 4 of this Act states that if the court concludes that such interpretation is not possible, then a formal declaration of incompatibility can be made by the court. 3 The law does not undergo a change, nor does the litigant win a case, on account of a declaration of incompatibility. However, such declaration should result in a dialogue with the Government, which in turn could result in the law b eing changed appropriately. The Human Rights Act 1998 provides an expeditious procedure for revising legislation, if there is a declaration of incompatibility. This is as per the provisions of Section 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998. ... However, they also permit the courts to undertake constitutional review, and this is akin to the powers made available to the Supreme Court of the United States of America. There are several important facts that are to be taken into consideration. 6 The first of these is that all final declarations of incompatibility either have been addressed by the Government of the UK or are in the process of being resolved. Despite delay in some instances, there is not a single instance, wherein the Government has ignored an issue or declared that it would not remedy it. This makes it politically impossible to challenge the courts in the UK. In addition, the Human Rights Act 1998 involves the latent additional legal cost of an application to the European Court of Human Rights. 7 Another important fact to be considered is that the courts consider Section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998 to consist of an interpretive duty that is very strong and which constitutes the principal remedy for the violatio n of rights under this Act. This has reduced the reliance of the courts on Section 4 declarations of the Human Rights Act 1998, which constitutes the primary structural vehicle of the legislature. In addition, the courts have effectively made Parliament to comply with the rights provided by the Convention. Moreover, the courts have interpreted Section 3 of the Human Rights Act 1998 that transcends the rewriting of statutes.8 This has rendered it a unique technique for safeguarding rights under the Human Rights Act 1998. In addition, Section 3(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998, declares that to the extent possible, all legislation must be interpreted and given effect in a manner that is compatible with the rights provided by the Convention. It is important to realise that the rights provided

Is Global Warming due to Human Actions Research Paper

Is Global Warming due to Human Actions - Research Paper Example Thesis Statement Global warming has already spread across the world and damaging the earth and its people. Until and unless the people of the earth realize the result of the global warming and take corrective measures it would keep damaging the earth and a day would come when the earth would be full of carbon dioxide and it would be almost impossible to remain alive (ThinkQuest, n.d.). Discussion Change is a process which is always tough to adapt or accept, and when there are changes in the environment and in the nature, it is one of the biggest challenges to face. Changes in nature and environment alter the system of the living style, the weather, the habits, and the temperature. The term ‘global warming’ has become a threat to the world. The problem is more intense even than that of terrorism. Terrorism might affect a certain part of the world, but global warming is having its toll throughout the whole world. Global warming is causing change in the climate, in the natu re and society among others. The balance of the ecology and the environment is very much necessary, but the people of the earth are damaging the environment for their personal interests. The relationship between the nature and human being is based on the ‘Give and Take’ policy. If people are taking resources from the nature they are supposed to give it back to the nature as well. In other words, human beings are causing trouble for themselves by deforestation, by releasing fuel, and by releasing smoke among others. Global warming can be an effect of emission of gasses, but the main causes of global warming is the negligence of the human beings and lack of responsibility towards the society (Hansen, 2006). The Causes of Global Warming One of the major reasons to cause global warming is the ever increasing pollution. All over the world, there are about ‘164.0 motor vehicles per 100 people’ running on the streets (Nation Master, 2011), resulting in a high rate of carbon dioxide in the air. The other reason to cause global warming includes burning the fossil fuel, which also causes emission of large amount of greenhouse gas. Overpopulation of the world is the other cause of global warming. The modern world is focusing very much into the housing and property sector, which is resulting in deforestation. Cutting the trees causes more Carbon Di-Oxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Not only air pollution but the water and the land pollution are also reasons behind the global warming. Almost every river and cannel is getting polluted due to the continuous emission of the waste from the factories. The villagers use the water for washing cloths and utensils, and they dump all their garbage in the water. These can be certain other reasons to cause global warming (Houghton, 2004). The Effects of Global Warming Global Warming affects the world in many ways, but the major effect of the global warming is the change in the climate. The other effects of globa l warming are, damage in the ozone layer, which is allowing more sun rays and the ultra violate rays to enter the world, which is harmful for the people. It is also resulting in higher water level of the sea, which can cause tsunami anytime. The global warming causes a change in the climate of the environment, which can be noticed by extreme cold or extreme hot weather. The

Dual Authority in Matrix Organization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dual Authority in Matrix Organization - Essay Example further research 135 References 136 Appendix 144 Introduction Overview: Nowadays many organizations are adopting and are making changes in their structural form in order to survive and cope up with the uncertainties that are usually coming because of competition going on around the world and changes that are coming in the shape of environment and technological advancement. However in order to manage and control these changes various important developments were made over time so that these changes can be turn into planned changes. Keeping this consideration in mind a new concept emerged known as Matrix. Trailing history, in 1950 United States aerospace industry is considered to be the one who first used the term â€Å"Matrix† in their setting and which later was use by various business circles and in education sectors as well. However in 1960s at some places there was this common understanding and practices that matrix was considered as a prime alternative in dealing with vario us important business management issues related with communication, co ordination and control (Davis and Lawrence , 1977). Moreover in 70s and 80s various researches were carried out regarding matrix in an organizational settings, though matrix organizational structures flourished while researches that were going on were not that much in numbers. On the other hand if the matrix is considered with reference to business environment than organizations in this era were opting matrixes as a viable alternative in dealing with different issues related to complex business environment (Sharma, 2010). Moreover different companies around the globe have applied the matrix structure some examples from the recent past companies who were using matrix structures in order to deal with complex business environment are Zurich, Asea Brown Boveri, Sinclair Knight and Merz etc. In order to achieve worldwide economies of scale these companies adopted matrix structures in addition with responsiveness and f lexibility (local) (Gottlieb, 2007). Research Background: Organizations in need of a matrix structure: Conventionally organizations use to follow simple structures in order to achieve their goals however this culture has been changed mainly because of globalization. Nowadays concept of multinational organization is very common as these organizations have captured a fair amount of market share around the globe. Initially starting from a city then going nationwide and later worldwide these organizations have adopted various organizational structures in between. As the spam of control of these organizations grew which resulted in creating complexities in organizational st

Strategic Choices for Coca-Cola Company Research Paper

Strategic Choices for Coca-Cola Company - Research Paper Example The paper "Strategic Choices for Coca-Cola Company" focuses on Coca-Cola Company's strategic choices. The company has not operated alone in the market; it has received competition from other companies like Pepsi. In order to create an edge over its competitors, Coca-Cola has adopted differentiation strategy, which in many ways has proved successful for the company. It is important to evaluate how this strategy has been successful for the company and the likely recommendations for modifications especially in line with its mission and vision. Coca-Cola has for a long time favored the resource-based concept, which has become the main avenue of its strategic goals. The company perceives its success in the market to rest on effective use of its fundamental resources such as the brands, systems, capital, and the people. The goals of the company have been drawn and implemented based largely on these fundamental resources. At the same time, the attempts of the company have largely been geare d towards creating competitive advantage by utilizing its resources to the maximum. The most characteristic of the company has been reflected in its increased use of resources to promote its brands around the globe through increased advertisement and promotion. As a result, the company has been successful in creating strong brands in the market. In order to successful carry out its strategic goals and objectives, Coca-Cola has widely adopted the differentiation strategy, and this strategic method has enabled the company to strengthen. and foster its position in the wider global market (Knol Beta p.1). Differentiation strategy according to Porter aims to make company’s products or services unique when compared to its competitors (Stonehouse and Campbell p.177). The ultimate aim of this strategy is to create customer loyalty that exhibit little price elasticity of demand due to perceived unique aspects of the products or services as compared to competitors (Stonehouse and Campb ell p.177). Effective of this strategy for the Coca-Cola can be linked to its increased and ever growing advertisement and promotion activities, which have enabled the company to create a unique market position as compared to competitors. At the same time, differentiation strategy has proved successful given Coca-Cola’s established customer loyalty base, which has built over a long period. More so, refreshment and beverages market is increasingly becoming saturated and differentiation strategy has enabled Coca-Cola to stay apt and address the needs of its customers satisfactorily (Knol Beta p.1). Weaknesses of the company have been witnessed in negative publicity, increasing health concerns, unpopularity of some brands, and poor performance in some markets (Knol Beta p.1). As a result, differentiation strategy seems to address the concerns by responding to the unique nature of concerns in each market in the areas the company operates. On the same grounds, as the competition i n the market continue to increase especially in localized areas that Coca-Cola operates, the differentiation strategy seems to give the company upper hand in terms of penetrating markets and establishing loyal and satisfied consumer base. Lastly, as health concerns and

Decision Making At Sleep-Inn Motel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Decision Making At Sleep-Inn Motel - Case Study Example The business is located at approximately half a mile from the interstate high way. The business is about 10 miles from the area of tourists and surrounded by a number of national franchised service motel resorts that are appropriate for vacation destination. This business is going through a number of issues. These issues include decision on the manner of operation of business, new investments of capital for joining either of the chains, competition from different motels such as the Best Western inn, lack of developments in the turnoffs, insufficient signs for advertising the Sleepy-Inn motel, and the reduction in the level of occupancy. The main problem, in this case, is that Jack is trying to come up with a decision on whether he should undertake some decisions in the manner of operation of his sleepy inn motel or whether he should shift to the Holiday Inn or Day Inn motel chains. This issue came up because Jack was geting loses in his business thus a need to come up with a fast dec ision, so as to avoid increased loses. In this case, the decision should urgently be made in order to save the prevailing condition of the Sleep Inn Motel Chain. ... ----------------------------------------12 4.0 IMPLEMENTATION ----------------------------------------------------13 5.0 WORK CITED ------------------------------------------------------------14 1.0 Introduction. 1.1 Aim. To give out advice to Jack concerning the best way of determining the decisions for his business. To identify the decision options that are available for Sleep Inn Motel.     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚   1.2 Background. Sleep-Inn is a motel business that is located towards the edge of an extremely small town next to a resort centre that is rapidly expanding. The business is located at approximately half a mile from the interstate high way. The business is about 10 miles from the area of tourists and surrounded by a number of national franchised service motel resorts that are appropriate for vacation destination. This business is going through a number of issues. These issues include decision on the manner of operation of business, new investments of capital for joining either of the chains, competition from different motels such as the Best Western inn, lack of developments in the turnoffs, insufficient signs for advertising the Sleepy-Inn motel, and the reduction in the level of occupancy. The main problem, in this case, is that Jack is trying to come up with a decision on whether he should undertake some decisions in the manner of operation of his sleepy inn motel or whether he should shift to the Holiday Inn or Day Inn motel chains. This issue came up because Jack was geting loses in his business thus a need to come up with a fast decision, so as to avoid increased loses. In this case, the decision should urgently be made in order to save the prevailing condition of the Sleep Inn Motel Chain. 1.3 Scope. This report covers the decision making

Supply chain management (SCM) strategies of PepsiCo Essay

Supply chain management (SCM) strategies of PepsiCo - Essay Example The paper further evaluates the ways through which PepsiCo complies with few of the most challenging aspects of business in the modern day phenomenon, such as fluctuation customer buying behaviour, forecasting needs and complexities in its SCM approach. As observed with reference to the findings obtained from the study, the SCM strategies of the company have been quite efficient in driving its success within the global periphery. The company also deals in various products and maintains strong network of supply chain for each of its product line which further increases the complexity issues by a large extent in its SCM processes. Moreover, it has also been noticed that the company always seek to adapt new technologies and maintain good relationship with its suppliers in order to enhance its supply chain efficiency to satisfy the customers, its suppliers and also the interests of the business. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 Introduction 4 Critical Evaluation of PepsiCo’s overall Distribution Strategy and Discussion of the "Direct to Store" Delivery Model 5 Critically Discussing How PepsiCo Handles Relationships with Its Suppliers and Explaining How It Has Been Using These Relationships to Increase Its Efficiency In The Supply Chain 7 7 Assessing PepsiCo’s Efficiency to Deal with Fluctuations in Demand and Supply within Its Supply Chain 10 Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction Supply chain is the backbone of the modern business organizations. Emphasizing on the conclusions derived from various studies, it shall not be pious to state that the success of companies or any business is dependent on various aspects wherein supply chain can be considered as one of the major attributes. A supply chain may be defined as the combination of one or more companies for flow of products, services and other aspects of business from a source to the customers. It has been analysed in this context that a basic supply chain would include of a company, a supplier and an instantaneous customer directly linked in the flow of goods, services as well as information of the business or companies. The importance of supply chain in context of the modern day business is quite significant as it aims to provide competitive advantages to the companies in the targeted market. Comprehensively, based on these aspects, the systematic and strategic management of a supply chain network is often termed as ‘supply chain management’ (SCM) (Chopra & et. al., 2010; Mentzer, 2001; Christopher, 1998). This paper would intend to analyse the overall distribution strategy of the PepsiCo Beverage Company. Furthermore, the paper would also evaluate how the company deals with its relationship engaging suppliers. Additionally, the paper would discuss about the ways in which PepsiCo attempts to manage different aspects of business such as demand fluctuation and demand forecasting through its supply chain. Critical Evaluation of PepsiCoâ⠂¬â„¢s overall Distribution Strategy and Discussion of the "Direct to Store" Delivery Model In the year 2010, PepsiCo Beverage Company, the second major global food & Beverage Company, received the supply chain innovation award for its innovative network of SCM. Based on the understanding of the case study, it has been analyzed that PepsiCo always seeks for streamline operation and facilitate more rapid as well as integrated product delivery procedure in order to maintain a strong supply chain, strengthen its supply chain as well as improve the overall revenue growth of the company. It is worth mentioning in this regard that the award the company had received

G.C.S.E. English Coursework Macbeth Essay Example for Free

G.C.S.E. English Coursework Macbeth Essay Assignment title: (5) Fair is foul and foul is fair. Show how this image recurs and develops through the play. Throughout the tragedy, the theme entitled fair is foul and foul is fair, is key to the plays success and dramatisation, as it both recurs and develops as the play continues. The fore mentioned words are used by and against the key characters in the play, as Shakespeare uses his language to portray the theme and characters. The witches are key in performing the appearance versus reality theme. This major theme is first brought on in the first scene of the play, with the spooky, disturbing, oxymoronic verse culminating in Hover through the fog and filthy air, which explains Shakespeares intentions for the plot and deeper metaphors and echoes through to act five. The blatant opener is much like the oxymoron of I.3, lesser than Macbeth, and greater, which appears impossible, but sets the later scenes in which Banquo meets his end; because Banquo is lesser when he dies, but will be greater because of his fantastic devotion to good, and he shalt get kings, showing Shakespeares desire to impress James I, the possible seed of Banquo, in his theatre. It is clear that, by Hecats rhyming speech in III.5, strength of their illusion, that the fiends whole purpose and method is to deceive people like the literate Macbeth by situations appearing to mean certain things, but in reality meaning something totally different. This clever characteristic is also displayed by the apparitions: the third real or hallucinative metaphor, Be lion-mettled, tells Macbeth of the seemingly impossible move of Birnan Wood the high Dunsinane Hill that they speak of is the only way in which to kill Macbeth, and the English pick up the wood as a simple, proverbial but deadly i mportant battle tactic. The genius playwright shows subtly and brilliantly the innocent appearing child holding a tree, giving the rapt main character a clue to the ironic developments. The equivocal meanings along with the ever-present personification, Who chaves, who frets, would excite the audience and provide excellent entertainment. Also in the apparition scene, it seems that the masters are thought by Macbeth to tell him convivial news, but in fact they bring the disagreeable kind after the rhyming first head, beware Macduff! Dismiss me, enough., has deemed the tragic hero in this typically beautiful narrative, but what Macbeth does not know is that that what the bloody child said about his fate none of woman born shall harm Macbeth, which sends Shakespeare into his ride into the clouds incorporating the usual elaborate metaphors, a bond of fate, sleep in spite of thunder when the fantastical plot of Macduffs Caesarean section sees Macduff as the one with the powers, when he eventually kills the tot ally believing Macbeth. Shakespeare develops the character of Macbeth as a study of the supernatural when what seems like a worthless guess by three old hags, This supernatural soliciting, turns out, not only to be true, but doubtfully veracious in Macbeths mind from the very off, when even he does not know whether it is fair or foul, cannot be good, cannot be ill, in his oxymoronic evaluation of the words of the witches beforehand, creating dramatic Irony. Banquo is the contrast of this with his steadfast righteousness, to betrays in deepest consequence., but the evil predictions turn out to be true in Shakespeares idealistic plot, (to follow James Is views in his book, demonology) as the demons drive him to the highs of monarchy and all the way back down again. The soliloquies of Macbeth provide us with excellent insight into this well developed theme. He openly admits he himself is performing his own fair/foul deeds, Hes here in double trust, as what seems to be a feast for Kind Duncan, turns out to be his own murder as Macbeth describes the apocalyptic imagery, tears shall drown the wind, which he sees in the future, after his equivocal change from polysyllabic to monosyllabic words, Commends the ingredience, naked new-born babe, where Shakespeare cannot decide whether to be literally superb or to concentrate on his plot and echoes. This is developed again by the poet in the next act when it moves on from the simple, deceiving act of treachery, to disguise of evil, covering up true nature, Nature seems dead, where the malevolence is personified and Tarquins ravishing strides bury the seemingly irrepressible mother nature into the ground, as the audience are whiteness to the scene as a dilemma when Macbeth turns into the depraved, perfidious side of him. Macbeth is so rapt at the apparitions scene that he continues to use his poetic licence to great effect as, even when he is shocked, he continues to rearrange the two opposites while using alliteration to its fullest, blood-boltered Banquo. He continues in the exact same state of mind in the following pages, as Shakespeare develops Macbeth as an assertive, yet easily persuaded character, when the minor Lennox receives the same attention as the rest none The castle of Macduff I will surprise, as he ponders on how to kill the feared Macduff: Ironic because he hol ds the opinion that Macduff is foul, although he is fair and he believes the witches speak fairly, but their intentions are very foul. Much like in IV.1, Macbeth performs a soliloquy in his distressed state of mind while Seyton is present, in V.1. The theme is much more developed here where the philosophical Shakespeare tells his now entranced audience that Lifes but a walking shadow, displaying Macbeths depression, followed by his metaphorical, negative description, Struts and frets, of a thing that is thought of as virtuous by the majority of people. This comes after the so- called bad news of his wifes death, but he seems to think that a foul thing like that seems quite fair, She should have died hereafter, even though he appears as the other, sympathetic half of himself, find her disease, before again changing disposition, Would scour these English hence, where he self-centred like concentrates on his own, fragile destiny, as Shakespeare plays around and jumbles the character of Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is an excellent example of the fair/foul theme. She is a lady and is thought to be a kind, loving and lady-like, but her dramatic, alliterative entrance in I.5, And take my milk for gall, you murdering ministers, is the real Lady Macbeth, while the play write shows superbly how she is seeming to be fair in front of guests, Look to the lady, but in fact she is the real villain of the play, tormenting the audience and every-ones innocent ignorance of women. The theme is somewhat reversed towards the end of the script because Shakespeare with his depraved repetition, To bed, to bed, to bed has not made Lady Macbeth such an enemy to his enthralled audience, that they cant really feel sorry a little for her illness, This disease is beyond my practice, as she becomes more fair in the juggled end of the play. The wife of Macbeth also appears un-hurting, senseless and cruel, before we see the start of her more fair side in II.2, Had he not resembled I had donet, as the writer teases the audience with his confusing, twisting plot and monosyllabic dialogues. She repeats a more feeble side of herself in a more complex way as the play develops, dwell in doubtful joy, and she becomes a weaker character. Her contributions to the fair foul/foul theme change as she slowly becomes less of a villain, but her grip on her husband gets much weaker, Be innocent of the knowledge dearest chuck, as he becomes more of the evil one, whilst continuing to use oxymoronic personification, Light thickens, because before, he was looking to be just deception intended by the witches, In their newest gloss, where the lady attacks Macbeths masculinity, then you were a man, but in the second and third murders, a brave man being brought down by the witches. Lady Macbeth is also a great believer in the theme as a disguise for the couples actions, Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent undert, as the great, evil mind of the lady, developed very early on in the play, plots to kill the king. She and him both exhibit their earlier intentions after the murder, outrun the pauser reason, and What, in our house, when suitably the predictions by the witches to be literal and an excuse to gain power, but the bad acting would show off Shakespeares talent of producing dramatic irony, frustration and repetition to show women as being insignificant, O Banquo, Banquo! Our royal masters murdered, which he does throughout the play. In the murder of Duncan, Lady Macbeth has an important role, as her argumentative side is apparent. This is so because she is taking the predictions by the witches to be literal and an excuse to gain power, but the well educated Macbeth sees the foul deception by the witches, In their newest gloss, where the lady attacks Macbeths masculinity, then you were a man, but in the second and third murders the she has no involvement. He dismisses her with his over stunning oxymoron, restless ecstasy, and alliterative metaphors, lifes fitful fever, so Shakespeare can show off to James I. The hallucinations of particularly Macbeth display the appearance versus reality theme because the objects appear, but are not reality. The dagger, well portrayed by some productions as a shadow, is the first time that Macbeth begins to hallucinate. His rapt, overpowered state of mind is skilfully shown by Shakespeare to provide us with apocalyptic imagery personified, fatal vision, and the thought that a fal se creation could turn a seemingly fair fate into such a foul ending. When the blood and gore become a reality, the cry of women, Untimely ripped, and Macbeth meets his sword-shaped death, which he speaks of in that soliloquy, moves like a ghost, as personification and simile spell out the real fate. At the turning point of the play, III.4, it is questionable whether Macbeth is hallucinating or not. This is still a good example of the fair /foul theme because Banquos death was supposed to be a good thing for Macbeth, but it turned out to be bad, whether in the mind of Macbeth (maybe through the witches speculative powers) or as the genuine ghost that is scripted by Shakespeare, with some in-appropriate, pretty language. The ghost of Banquo represents the change of feelings, of and towards the Macbeth couple, because Macbeth is sent into an even more psychotic, but still repetitive rapture, It will have blood, they say; blood will have blood, while the innocent flower withers and dies and havoc and evil reign in his kingdom, turned wild in nature, but l ady Macbeth becomes seriously mentally ill. At the start of act five, it is lady Macbeths turn to be hallucinatory. In scene one of that act, she admits she is really the evil one, as she was the one who projected the idea of a wolf in sheeps clothing, although disguised by Macbeths polysyllabic personification, Be bright and jovial among your guests tonight, and she ends up as the wolf. Shakespeare attempts to redeem her and not leave her on such a sour note as Macbeth, but possessive, selfish, un-dignified metaphors, Hell is murky, All the perfumes of Arabia, only drive the indifferent, spoilt character more into the role as the villain, before Macbeth kills mercilessly. Dramatic Irony shows the theme superbly because the audience can know of the truth while the characters do not. We first see Macbeth as being fouler than we originally thought when he initially makes his metaphorical lies. The now persuaded and focused Macbeth uses Shakespeares dramatic irony as the audience are aware of his thoughts as he deceives the righteous Banquo, I think not of them, when he first shows the audience that he is a traitor, while the killed traitor was replaced by him. When the play has turned against Macbeth, so has the dramatic irony. We heard in V.4 that the prophecy of the witches has deceived Macbeth and the Bard so comically yet sincerely with his own metaphors shows Macbeth hearing the news, The wood began to move, where the tragic hero is told of a seemingly fair protection against death, turned foul against him into certain fate. The tone is not such a happy and pleased one in IV.3. We can imagine the audience distraught and upset when the unfortunate Macduff is first lied to by Ross, but then the news breaks. Shakespeare increases the tragedy by Ross equivocal words They were well at peace to increase the dramatic irony before he sickens the audience with his blunt upheaval of alliterative comparison, your wife and babes savagely slaughtered, drawing people away from the idea that death is rest, first touched upon by the mercurial Macbeth. The disturbed Shakespeare is very obsessed the death of young characters. The people visiting the play will be very distressed by the playwrights veracity to beguiled murderers as first a small boy is brutally hacked down by the assassins, He has killed me mother, (and even he can use metaphor, shag-haired villain) followed by a teenager losing his life in vain, Thou liest, abhorred tyrant!, as the bewitched main character goes on his last run. This shows dramatic irony because we already know that only one of women born shall harm Macbeth so Shakespeare shows off his literary skills as the characters in Macbeth show their true states of mind through their language. Virtually the whole play contains the fair/foul theme; from the very first scene, until the moment in which Macbeth dies. As his evil world disintegrates, Malcolm concludes saying that righteousness is returned and the end of Macbeth signals the absence appearance versus reality, That fled the snares of watchful tyranny, and that Scotland will continue under his reign and significantly, James Is. He believes that Macbeth was not the totally guilty one, Of this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen, but the dead Lady is. Shakespeare must end the play relevant especially to James I, as a happy ending because the king would not like to see his fears the witches win or his possible ancestors lose.

Personal Ethics Essay Example for Free

Personal Ethics Essay Personal ethics comes from inside and are influenced by our everyday life and people around us. The directions we obtain as a child helps to form and begin our awareness of ethics. My upbringing memoirs and experiences instilled a well-built belief in family structure and significance of family in general. I was fortunate to be born and brought up in India in a traditional Roman Catholic family. My father was a doctor and he died of heart attack when I was ten years old. My mother was a registered nurse and I have three older brothers and one younger sister. My mother went to the Middle East to work as a nurse and had to leave us in a boarding school. I missed my mother a lot while I was in the boarding school. That was when I decided what I wanted to do. My only ambition was to become a nurse to be with my mother. I always used to watch my parents caring sick people. My parents constantly reminded me to live in Christian faith. They led us by example all the time, providing precious lessons vital to my development. My parents taught me to treat others as we would want them to treat us. I also learned from my parents that every person is important and we should love and respect them. I strive to live by those set of laws, though it is not always easy. My faith also influences my philosophy. I believe in God and God has a plan and purpose for every one of us. This is the basis of my ethical practices. Each individual cultivates different cultural, spiritual and personal values from their own life experiences which add to their worldview and philosophy of nursing in their practice. To me ethics is my own personal belief structure. Knowing our own personal values is critical to every person. My moral compass in nursing offers highest priority for the wellbeing of patients. My moral courage helps me to speak up, stand up for my personal belief and moral values and bring about change in my work place. The persona l and professional values, my relationship and behaviors to others and my morals help me succeed in my personal and professional life. Our conscience acts as a judge for each one of us. We are responsible for our actions. I believe that God is using me as a tool to care for the needy by providing me the knowledge and ability to promote healing. I also believe in the power of prayer. My patients used to tell me I am always smiling. I believe that it is the gift of God and being a nurse is, a calling not just a career. World view is a personal insight about meaning and reality. It helps the person to interprets, through his or her own eyes, a personal belief about the world. My personal worldview is shaped by my Christian religion, origin as an Indian, circumstances, experiences, and education and philosophy. I accept God as the center of the universe. I believe that I am a good mother for my three kids, faithful wife to my husband and an excellent nurse. I also believe in afterlife. I take pride in my profession. My nursing philosophy comes from my desire to care for others. I consider that nursing care is based on c oncrete evidence that is provided within a respectful framework. I always treat my patients the way I wanted to be treated if I am in that situation. Nurses are honored to interact with patients and families at some of the most vulnerable points in their lives. Being considerate of that vulnerability is important. Being respectful of my health care team is also important, as I consider that each of us play a fundamental role in the care of patients and families that we provide. I believe that God is using me as a tool to care for the needy by providing me the knowledge and ability to promote healing. It is essential for the nurses to understand their own selves so that they are able to take care of their patients better. I believe that spirituality plays an important role in the nursing profession. I think that the care of the soul is the beauty of the art of caring in nursing. The values such as integrity, responsibility, trust, reliability, and honesty are some of the personal values, which will determine how we face the world. Reliability and responsibility are very important to ones professional and personal life. Culture is something that a person learns from his family and surroundings, and is not inbuilt in him from birth. My upbringing as a Christian in Southern part of India, active participation in church activities and catholic schooling have helped me to value human dignity and assist me to take right decision in my personal and professional life. Awareness of different rules about how their members coexist with each other and interact with each other. Some cultures believe that discussing death, making a living will can invite death to the person who is ill. Looking at the life in different ways should be respected always (Runzheimer Larsen, 2011). Cultural diversity and differences in personal values can direct our relations with patients, family, and co-workers. Cultural competence is the ability to provide effective care for patients and families and our co- workers who come from different cultures. To understand different cultural beliefs and practices requires flexibility and a respect for others viewpoints . Ethical issues occur in everyday practices. An ethical dilemma is described as a type of situation that involves being in between two correct courses of action that leads the person to choose the right move and still be wrong at the same time (Purtillo, 2011). This can cause a lot of distress as it encompasses both ethical conflict and conduct. The ethical decision what we make should respect the patient and family desires, physician’s belief and concepts on life and death in our own view. Many situations arise in the critical care where nurses and doctors are obligated to make ethical decisions in a short period of time. Few years back I came across a situation in our ICU. A 90 year old woman from nursing home got admitted with history of multiple strokes with weakness on her right side, emphysema and difficulty in swallowing. She was demented also. Her admission diagnosis was aspiration pneumonia. She had two children and her son was the health care proxy who was living in C alifornia and he couldn’t come to visit her mother because of some personal situation. Patient’s daughter who was living locally was taking care of her. The daughter wanted to place the feeding tube and treat for every problem. We respected the daughter’s decision. We started her on antibiotics. We placed the feeding tube and and started feeding her. Day by day her respiratory status started deteriorating. The attending physician contacted the patient’s son over the phone and explained the patient’s condition in detail. Apparently, we found out from him that the patient had a living will that stated she did not want any feeding tube or even antibiotics in a situation where her quality of life was poor. Fortunately patient’s son came with her living will and our hospital ethics committee had a talk with her family especially the daughter. Because the patient’s wishes were clearly stated in the living will, she was made comfortable and transferred her to a private room to allow the family to be with her all the time and she died peacefully after one day. In this situation, the daughter wanted to treat her mother even though she knew about her wishes and she did not tell us anything about the patient’s living will. She was acting unrealistic in this situation. The decision was tough for the daughter in this situation. In my view the physician made the right choice to contact her son that put an end to her sufferings. Nurses can make satisfactory solutions to the different ethical problems through creative and knowledge based approach. Each nurse has the responsibility to optimize the caring response and reduce damage to the patient. .â€Å" Nurses are leaders and vigilant advocates for the delivery of dignified and humane care. Nurses actively participate in assessing and assuring the responsible and appropriate use of intervention in order to minimize unwarranted or unwanted treatment and patient suffering† (American Nurses Association, 2001). The significant impact we make in the lives of our patients and their families in their vulnerable situations and the positive encouragement I get from my nurse manager, co-workers, patients and families keeps me moving in my profession. References American Nurses Association (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.sfcc.edu/files/SFCC NursingStudentHandbook Purtilo, R., Doherty, R. (2011). Ethical dimensions in the health professions. (5th ed.). P (5-10) St.Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Saunders. Role of the Registered professional nurse. June 8, 2005. Retrieved on June 6, 2012 from http://www.nysna.org/practice/positions/position6.htm Runzheimer, J., Larsen, L. (2011). Medical ethics for dummies. (p. 113). NJ: WileyPublishing.

Analysis of Approaches to Bargaining Models

Analysis of Approaches to Bargaining Models Abstract This paper discusses the various types of approaches to bargaining models, namely indifference curves and iso-profit curves, monopoly union behaviour and efficient contracts. Then we go on to study the concept of efficiency wages in a unionised as well as a non-unionised environment and with the help of existing economic theories we develop a model and incorporate the alternative wage rate. On completion of this paper, we will be able to understand the influence of wage level, alternative wage rate and other factors on the employment level, which would be highly important to both the firms as well as the labourer’s side while framing policies. Introduction Before starting with the paper, we need to know what efficiency wages are. It is the wage that is set by the firms or the employers which is higher than the market clearing wage. There are certain implications behind this action. Doing this, it would encourage workers’ loyalty towards the employer; the firms would be able to attract higher number of talents and thereby improving the applicants’ pool, raise the morale of the workers and as a result the overall efficiency of the firms increases. In various efficiency wage models, labour productivity has a positive relationship with the wage rate. Also worth mentioning, is that the efficiency wage model is an extension from the Shapiro-Stiglitz model of efficiency wage. In this paper, we combine both the microeconomics concept of labour union and the model of Shapiro-Stiglitz to derive the various propositions. Moving ahead, we discuss the basic two models of wage rate determination for the unionised and non-unionised sector of the economy. The first would be the monopoly model, as prescribed by Oswald in 1985, assumes that the labour union sets the wage and the employer chooses the profit maximizing employment level. The second case also stated by Oswald in 1985, notes that both the employer’s side as well as the worker’s side can benefit from the monopoly outcome by jointly bargaining over the wages and employment level. Literature Review Oswald, A. (1985): â€Å"The Economic Theory of Trade Unions: An Introductory Survey† Scandinavian Journal of Economics, volume 87. Oswald assumed that the union sets the wage and the employer chooses the profit maximising employment level. He also stated that the efficient bargaining model notes that both sides can improve on the monopoly outcome by jointly bargaining over wages and employment. Brown, J. and Ashenfelter, O (1986, June): â€Å"Testing the Efficiency of Employment Contracts† Journal of Political Economy, volume 94. They used the significance of a measure of alternative wages in an employment regression as evidence for the efficient bargaining model. Stiglitz, J. (1987, March): â€Å"The Causes and Consequences of the dependence of quality on price† Journal of Economic Literature, volume 25. In relation to the efficiency wages hypothesis, Stiglitz stated that, â€Å"one motivation for this literature is to explain involuntary unemployment: If the efficiency wage is framework is valid, then firms may not lower wages even in the face of excess supplies of labour. Krueger, A. and Summers, L. (1988, March): â€Å"Efficiency wages and the inter-industry wage structure† Econometrica, volume 56 Another additional motivation of this literature is the that the empirical observation that inter-firm or inter-industry wage differentials remain even after most possible economic determinants of these differentials have been controlled. Katz, L. and Summers, L. (1989): â€Å"Industry rents: Evidence and Implications† Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Microeconomics. The wage differentials tend to lower quits and increases the length of queues of job seekers attempting to gain entry. They explained the relationship between the existences of rents associated with efficiency wages. Research Question What is the effect of general wage level and alternative wage rate on the employment level, when efficiency wages are paid both in a non-union as well as union setting? Methodology The theory of income distribution is the study of the determination of the shares of the factors of production in the total output produced in the economy over a given period of time. For simplicity, we assume two factors of production, labour and capital, their shares are defined as follows: Share of Labour = (w*L)/ X and share of capital = (r*K)/X Where w= wage rate, r= rental of capital, L=quantity of labour employed, K=quantity of capital employed and X=value of output produced in economy. With this backdrop, we proceed on to the model where we consider firms and labours perspective, in both unionised and non-unionised labour setting. Initially, labour force is unionised. As a union, three of the most commonly pursued goals are: maximization of employment, maximization of total wage bill and maximization of total gains to the union as a whole. The general conclusions derived from this microeconomic thought are firstly, if the firm buyers have no monopsonistic power, labour unions can possibly attain an increase in the wage rate at the cost of a lower level of unemployment. Secondly, if the firm buyers have monopsonistic power, the unions actions can eliminate one part of the monopsonistic exploitation and thirdly, if the firm buyers have monopsonistic power, trade unions can increase the total wage bill in most of the cases, by either increasing employment or the wage rate or both. Considering, the concept of efficiency wage hypothesis and incorporating the alternative wage rate as used by Shapiro and Stiglitz we combine this macroeconomic phenomenon with the microeconomic concept of labour union. Looking at the employment level, alternative wage rate, normal wage rate we can run a regression analysis on the employment level with various other variables and determine the significance of these and come up with propositions under different cases. Bargaining Models In the context of labour unions, there are different types of bargaining that can take place between a firm and a labour union. These methods are also applicable in many other aspects other than labour unions. Indifference Curves and Iso-profit Curves Here, we look at the union’s preferences as the preference for a single worker. We can formulate the utility of the worker as a function of consumption, C and leisure, L, i.e. U (C, L). Representing, the utility function in terms of wage rate, w and labour supplied, h, we can write it as follows: U (h, w) = U (w*h, 1-h)where C = w*h and considering time constraint L= 1 – h. An indifference curve in (h, w) space is defined by setting u as (constant) and we define w implicitly as a function of h, w (h). Therefore, we can write it as follows: U (h, w (h)) = U (w (h)*h, 1-h) = Differentiating, the above equality with respect to h and hence obtaining the slope of the indifference curve. This implies that along the labour supply curve, where MRS = w the indifference curve will have zero slope. To the left of the labour supply curve, workers work more and so MRS w and the indifference curve is upward sloping. We can reinterpret the first order condition for finding labour supply as the worker finding the highest indifference curve in (w, h) subject to the constraint that w equals the offered wage, leading to the tangency shown below. Looking at the firm’s side, its preferences are derived using the iso-cost curve. The firm’s profit function can be written as follows: ÃŽ   (E, w) = f (E) – w*E We set the price to unity and along an iso-profit curve, we set the profit equal to some constant , which implies an implicit relationship between w and E. Therefore, we can write it as f (E) – w (E)*E = . Differentiating, the above equation implicitly, we find the slope of the iso-profit curvealong the demand curve MPE = w, implying that iso-profit curves are flat when they cross the labour demand curve. Left of the demand curve, means MPE > w hence iso-profit curve is upward sloping, and right of the labour demand curve, means MPE Monopoly union Bargaining In this model, the labour union sets the wage rate, w and the firm chooses the employment level, E. Since, the firm’s objective is to maximize profits, it will set the employment level at the point where VMPE = w. Assuming the union acts like a single individual so that h = E, its problem is then Max U (w*E, 1- E)subject to MPE = w Maximizing with respect to E, and using the first order conditions we get, f’ (E) = w. The above expression implies that the indifference curve will have a negative slope while the iso-profit curve has a zero slope and to interpret the cross of the two curves it would mean inefficiency. Workers would be willing to work more at a slightly lower wage and firms would make profits hiring them. However even if unions do function this way, that does not mean they are necessarily bad workers are made better off, but these gains are smaller than the losses to firms and consumers. If the value of the redistribution to workers is considered more important than the loss to the other parties then the union may still be a good thing. However it would be better for everyone if the union and firm could find a more efficient way of bargaining. Efficient Contracts This is another model of unions which assumes that the labour union and firm will bargain in such a way that it leads to an efficient outcome. Now, any Pareto efficient outcome will be reached between two parties by guaranteeing some level of profits to the firm, and maximizing the union’s utility. Max U (w*E, 1- E)subject to f (E) – w*E = On solving, we get w = (f (E) ) / E. The first order condition can be written as follows Solving algebraically we get that the iso-profit curve and the indifference curves are tangent. It cannot be solved as to which combination of (E, w) will be chosen as there are several points- the locus of all these points represent the contract curve. Some information on profit and utility functions is necessary to determine whether the contract curve of the efficient contracts is downward or upward sloping, or vertical (the strongly efficient case). The Model General Assumptions: All the workers are identical. The worker’s choose their own level of work effort and this work effort is monitored by the firm with the help of technology. The monitoring process by the firm is not the most efficient or it is not perfect. The monitoring process can be expressed in terms of work effort as follows, q (e), >0, which implies that a worker will not be dismissed for an exogenously given level of work effort. All the workers have an identical utility function given as follows: U (w, e) = w – e2(eqn. 1) The workers are provided with unemployment insurance or they can obtain another or alternative job with wage rate. Efficiency Wages in a non-union setting Analysis: Now, if the workers are able to choose their level of work effort, which is not monitored perfectly by the firm, then the firm may pay wages above the market wage rate to ensure a higher level of efficiency or effort by the worker. The question is how would alternative wages enter an employment regression in this case? We have already assumed that the firm’s monitoring process can be expressed as a function of, q (e), suggesting that the workers are not dismissed for an exogenously given level of work effort. The workers can reduce their likelihood of getting dismissed, by the firm, by increasing their level of work effort. Implication behind this statement suggests that, q’ >0. Let n be the elasticity of q with respect to level of effort. We can therefore show that the optimal effort for the worker is e =(eqn. 2) In order to model the firm, we make another assumption of a concave revenue function, f’’ ÃŽ   = f (e*L) – w*L(eqn. 3) Using the optimization technique, the firm chooses the level of w and L, subject to the worker’s choice of e. From the equations 2 and 3, we find out that the optimal wage rate, w is twice that of the alternative wage rate,. Expressing f’ as a logarithmic form as a linear combination of various exogenous variables that affect the revenue and effective units of labour, the optimal amount of labour for the non-union firm is ln L = + ln ln w + X + ln (w ) And ln f’ = ÃŽ ±0 + ÃŽ ±1X – ÃŽ ±2 ln(e*L)(eqn. 4) X is the vector of non-labour factors affecting the marginal revenue product of labour. Interpretation of equation 4, is that the alternative wage rate, , conditional on w and X, will be negatively correlated with the actual or observed employment. Proposition: On running a regression of employment on wage level and alternative wage rate, it should yield a negative coefficient for the alternative wage if efficiency wages are paid even in the absence of efficient bargaining. Efficiency Wages in a Union setting Here, we discuss the case for efficiency wages in a unionised scenario and find the resulting demand for labour under both (a) monopoly unions and (b) efficient bargaining methods. Monopoly Unions Considering that the union comprises total of N number of workers, who are employed at the wage rate, 2. Using, the previous method discussed we calculate the optimal worker effort, e*, where e* = Each worker faces the probability of getting dismissed with a probability of q (e*). We also assume that the workers getting dismissed by the firms are replaced immediately. Now, the union’s objective is to choose w, so as to maximize the expected utility, V, of unionised worker. Let L be the employment level at the new union wage, w. Then for each wage, w, we have, V = [ q (w – e2 ) ] + if L And V = q (w – e2 ) + if L ≠¥N (eqn. 5) Now, in the case for monopoly unions, as the union raises the wage levels, it generally lowers the total employment level, hence we have L , a rising w would lead to rising employment because of increased work effort. The union balances the negative effect of wages on employment and positive effects of wages on employed members’ utility. Multiplying, equation 5 by N, the union chooses w to maximize V = Lq ((w – e2 ) (eqn. 6) Subject to f’e = w Using the optimization techniques, we solve for the monopoly union wage, w w = (eqn. 7) 2 is the measure of the slope or the steepness of the marginal revenue product curve. Higher the elasticity, n, with respect to effort, higher will be the union wage. In this model, the marginal revenue productivity condition for the monopoly model with efficiency wages is similar to the condition for non-union firms, although in this case, the unions will raise the wages and lower the total employment. This leads to the following proposition. Proposition: Under monopoly model and efficiency wages, if we run a regression of employment on X, w and and a union shift term, the coefficient on the union shift should be zero. However, in a regression that includes only the exogenous variables X and and a union shift term, the coefficient should be negative. Efficient Bargaining Here, we focus on the case where labour and the management jointly set wage rate, w and employment level, L. According to Mc. Donald and Solow, 1981, to derive the set of efficient contracts, they have suggested the necessary conditions for the contract curve. Vw / VL = Ï€w / Ï€L The subscripts represent the partial derivatives. Using equations 3 and 6, and substituting in the above contract curve relation, we get, (w – f’e) / (1 – f’ew) = (w ) > 0 (eqn. 8) As long as the union raises the wages above the non-union wage 1- f’ew > 0 and so is w – f’e. Wages exceed the marginal revenue product of labour (as already suggested by McDonald and Solow, 1981). Algebraically, solving the slope of contract curve is not possible and hence is indeterminate which leads to the next proposition. Proposition: Under efficient bargaining method and efficiency wages, if we run a regression of employment on X, w and and a union shift term, it will yield a positive coefficient for the union shift term as compared to a zero coefficient under monopoly model. However, in a regression that includes only the exogenous variables X and, the sign of the union shift coefficient is ambiguous, as compared to a negative coefficient in the monopoly model. Conclusion The results from the above classification of models suggests that traditional way of determining wage bill, i.e. labour times the wage rate, by the labour union and the employment level determination by the firm side are not the only factors that affect the decision making process of both the sides. Rather, the alternative wage rate, which is one of the factors taken up by Shapiro and Stiglitz in their â€Å"efficiency wage model†, is also instrumental in affecting the employment level. Another union shift term incorporated while running the regression, we find that it is also one of the determinants of employment determination. So, the ultimate conclusion that we can derive is that there are certain other factors as well in both wage and employment determination and these factors are statistically significant in different cases which again lead to various policy implications. Hence, modification of the theoretical microeconomic foundation and including certain other variables will show us a greater and deeper understanding of the employment determination and thereby various other policy prescriptions that both the sides can take into account while framing one. References Stiglitz, J. (1976, July): â€Å"The Efficiency Wage Hypothesis, Surplus Labour and the Distribution of Income in L.D.C.s† Oxford Economics Papers, pp.185-207. Oswald, A. (1985): â€Å"The Economic Theory of Trade Unions: An Introductory Survey† Scandinavian Journal of Economics, volume 87. Brown, J. and Ashenfelter, O (1986, June): â€Å"Testing the Efficiency of Employment Contracts† Journal of Political Economy, volume 94. Katz, L. and Summers, L. (1989): â€Å"Industry rents: Evidence and Implications† Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Microeconomics. Krueger, A. and Summers, L. (1988, March): â€Å"Efficiency wages and the inter-industry wage structure† Econometrica, volume 56 Stiglitz, J. (1987, March): â€Å"The Causes and Consequences of the dependence of quality on price† Journal of Economic Literature, volume 25. Cowell, F.A. (2004, December): â€Å"Microeconomics: Principles and Analysis† STICERD and Department of Economics, London School of Economics. Autor, D.H. (2003, November): â€Å"Lecture Note: Efficiency Wages, Shapiro-Stiglitz Model† MIT and NBER. Koutsoyiannis, A. (1979): â€Å"Modern Microeconomics† Macmillan. 1

Essay --

The Industrial revolution took place during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a time when America switched from a rural society into an urban society. This was a drastic change in many peoples lifestyle. People moved from their farm homelands into cities. The reason for this was because there were many more job opportunities and availability for a better life. Many new inventions were discovered during the Industrial Revolution but it was a dangerous and harmful time with extremely bad working conditions, especially for women and children but helped improve the way the world is today. One fixation in the Industrial Revolution was the waterpower steam engine. The steam engine was one of the most important technologies during the Industrial Revolution. A man named Hero was the first to devise the steam engine. After Hero devised the steam engine many people experimented with steam-powered devices. In 1712 Thomas Newcomens finally developed the first successful engine. Although it was successful it still had many faults. In 1785 James Watt improved the steam engine based off of what Newcomens had built. In order to power the engines you needed coal. Steam engines became a very important source of power all the way to the 20th century. During the Industrial Revolution, steam power replaced waterpower and muscle power, which usually came from horses. Waterpower was used as a primary source of power in industries. It allowed factories to locate where waterpower was not available. In the beginning it was used to pump water from mines but later on got many more important uses, by using steam engines factories didn’t have to be located close to a water resource, they were able to be located anywhere. Steam engines made a very big impact... ...e limited to working 48 hours a week. There were laws passed to maximum the amount of hours women and children were able to work per day they were called Factory Act of 1844 and Factory Act of 1847. The Act of 1844 stated that women could work a maximum of twelve hours a day. The Factory Act of 1847 stated that women and children could work a maximum of ten hours a day. Three years later they reduced the amount of hours that women could work because twelve hours a day were too many. The Factory Act of 1850 upped the amount of hours women and children could work. They could work upto ten and a half hours, but they are not allowed to work before 6am or after 6pm. The Factory Act of 1850 was an act that stated that no one is allowed to work for more then 56 Â ½ hours per week. The Factory Acts was the first step to help improve working conditions and hours tremendously.

Physics in Video Games :: physics video game computer

There are a few different physics engines that programmers use now for their games. There are 2 main physics engines that programmers use: Havok, and Math Engine. A Physics Engine is the code that game companies buy or Build to put in their code. The code is already written and they just have to implement the code in their program. The thing about Physics in video games is that none of it has to be realistic. Most of the physics in older games aren't close to being realistic for there were way too many equations the program would have to solve and it would slow it down. There are arguments that go on that unrealistic games are more fun, or realistic games are more fun. Video Games have been around for over thirty years now. A lot have changed in the way programs work. When they first came out Video Games weren't that powerful because the hardware couldn't support it. Now the possibilities are almost endless. Games have changed so much. From Games like Asteroids that was made in 1979. With Asteroids being only a small program with some computations going on. To current games like Half-life 2. With so many physics computations going on. They try to make this game the most realistic game. Out there. The current trend in video games is to make them more and more realistic. The more realistic they make the game. The more equations the program has to do, so the program is a lot bigger and needs a lot more power to do everything the game wants. There is a lot of lines of code in video games. There are teams of people who work on games now. Here is some example of how code is implemented into programs to make it look like you are jumping. I got this example from the web site http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article694.asp this is pseudo-code that can be used for if you were having the character in the game jump straight up. Joe.postion.y = 0; (Or wherever floor is) Joe.velocity.y = 0; Joe.acceleration = 10; Joe.jumping = NO; Loop If (jump key is pressed) { Joe.velocity.y = 100; Joe.jumping = YES; } if (Joe.jumping == YES) /* Move Joe if we are jumping */ { Joe.velocity.y = Joe.velocity.y - Joe.acceleration Joe.

Hemingways Hills Like White Elephants Essay -- Hemingway Hills White

Hemingway's Hills Like White Elephants   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Everyday people make decisions that affect their future lives. Do people make the right decisions? What makes a decision a right one? What may be right to some, may be wrong to others. There are no right or wrong decisions but those that people choose and believe to be right varying from each individual. In Hemingway's realistic story, Hills Like White Elephants, Jig attempts to make a crucial change in her life by making the right decision, but is unable to because of her weak characteristic flaws. Jig is indecisive about her decision. Even though she realizes the possibilities, she has difficulties letting go of old habits, has a low self-esteem that leads to her being submissive, and puts up a frail fight by hiding her feelings behind her sarcastic comments.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Jig faces an immense decision that will change her future. She must choose between the old and the new lifestyle. It is hard for her to let go of old habits that consists of taking no responsibility and the sole intention of seeking pleasure. She must go from a young worriedless rebel to a stable adult taking responsibility. It's a hard process since there are three steps to changing: realization, doing the deed, and committing to the change. She definitely realizes she needs to change, but only goes that far. She does walk to the end of the station and looks upon the fertile side of the valley and comments "and we could have all this," but she ...

Food and Agriculture Organization Essay

* FAO emblem with its Latin motto, Fiat Panis (â€Å"Let there be bread†) * Organization type – Specialized Agency * Head – Josà © Graziano da Silva (current) * Established – 16 October 1945 in Quebec City, Canada * Headquarters – Rome, Italy * Parent organization – ECOSOC (The world’s economic, social and environmental challenges are ECOSOC’s concern. A founding UN Charter body established in 1946, the Council is the place where such issues are discussed and debated, and policy recommendations issued.) * Members – 191 Member Nations, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. * Website – www.fao.org The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. It is also a source of knowledge and information, and helps developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fishery practices, ensuring good nutrition and food security for all. FAO’s Goal Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), specialized United Nations agency whose main goal is to eliminate hunger on a world scale. The organization’s mandate is to: * raise levels of nutrition * improve agricultural productivity * better the lives of rural populations * contribute to the growth of the world economy History of FAO * 1943 Representatives from forty-four governments gathered at the Homestead Hotel, Hot Springs, Virginia (United States), from May 18 to June 3, commit themselves to founding a permanent organization for food and agriculture. * 1945 First session of FAO Conference, Quebec City, Canada, establishes FAO as a specialized United Nations agency. * 1962 The FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission established to set international food standards becomes operational. * 1976 FAO’s Technical Cooperation Program established to afford greater flexibility in responding to urgent situations. * 1981 The first World Food Day observed on 16 October by more than 150 countries. * 1986 AGROSTAT (now FAOSTAT), the world’s most comprehensive source of agricultural information and statistics, becomes operational. * 1994 * Special Program for Food Security (SPFS)   * Emergency Prevention System for Trans boundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) * 1996 FAO hosts 186 Heads of State or Government and other high officials at World Food Summit in November to discuss and combat world hunger. * 1997 FAO launches campaign against hunger initiative TeleFood. TeleFood ’97 reaches a global audience of 500 million. * 2006 FAO unveils its high-tech Crisis Management Centre to fight bird flu and other animal health or food safety emergencies. The service monitors disease outbreaks and dispatches experts to any hot spot in the world in less than 48 hours. Representatives of 96 FAO member countries at the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development, in Brazil, make a joint declaration recognizing the role of agrarian reform and rural development for sustainable development. * 2008 FAO holds a high-level conference on 3–5 June on the impact of climate change and the bio fuel boom on food security and food prices. Attended by 43 heads of state and 100 government ministers, the conference adopted a resolution to increase assistance and investment in developing world agriculture. * 2009 As the number of hungry reached 1.02 billion, FAO holds a World Summit on Food Security on 16-18 November to inject new urgency into the fight against hunger. Sixty heads of state and government and 192 ministers unanimously adopt a declaration pledging renewed commitment to eradicate hunger from the Earth at the earliest date * 2011 In a historic victory of veterinary science, FAO and OIE announced that thanks to a decades-long international cooperative effort, the fatal cattle disease known as rinderpest had successfully been eradicated in the wild. In July, FAO declared a state of famine in two regions of Somalia and appealed for US$120 million for response to the drought across the Horn of Africa. FAO Member countries elected Josà © Graziano da Silva of Brazil as Director-General, to take office in January 2012. Structure and Finance 1. Members – An intergovernmental organization, FAO has 191 Member Nations as of 2008, two associate members and one member organization, the European Union. 2. Governance – Representatives of members meet at the biennial FAO Conference to review global governance policy issues and international frameworks, as well as to evaluate work carried out and to approve the budget for the next biennium. The Conference elects Council Members, to serve three-year rotating terms to carry out executive oversight of program and budgetary activities. The Conference also elects a Director-General to a four year term of office, renewable once. The current Director-General, Josà © Graziano da Silva, assumed his functions on 1 January 2012 for a term which expires on 31 July 2015. 3. Departments FAO is composed of eight departments: Administration and Finance, Agriculture and Consumer Protection, Economic and Social Development, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forestry, Knowledge and Communication, Natural Resource Management and Technical Cooperation. 4. Offices Besides its headquarters in Rome, FAO is present in over 130 countries. The decentralized network includes five regional offices, 11 sub regional offices, two multidisciplinary teams, 74 fully fledged country offices (excluding those hosted in regional and sub regional offices), eight offices with technical officers/FAO Representatives, and 36 countries covered through multiple accreditation. In addition, the Organization maintains five liaison offices and four information offices in developed countries. 5. Programs and projects In 2010, FAO implemented programs and projects with a total value of US$903 million. About four percent are funded by assessed contributions through the FAO Technical Cooperation Program (TCP) and the Special Program for Food Security (SPFS). The remaining 96 percent are funded from voluntary contributions, through the Government Cooperative Program (44 percent), Unilateral Trust Fund (UTF) (six percent), and other forms of Trust Funds (46 percent) that include UN Joint Programs. * Right to Food Guidelines * Response to food crisis * FAO–EU partnership * Food security programs * Emergency response * Early warning of food emergencies * Integrated pest management * Trans boundary pests and diseases * International Plant Protection Convention * Global Partnership Initiative for Plant Breeding Capacity Building * Codex Alimentarius 6. Funding and expenditure FAO’s overall program of work is funded by assessed and voluntary contributions. The assessed contributions are member countries’ contributions, set at the biennial FAO Conference. The FAO regular budget for the 2010-2011 bienniums is US$1 billion. The voluntary contributions provided by members and other partners support technical and emergency (including rehabilitation) assistance to governments, as well as direct support to FAO’s core work. The voluntary contributions are expected to exceed US$1.2 billion in 2010-11. Budget FAO’s Regular Program budget is funded by its members, through contributions set at the FAO Conference. This budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships including the Technical Cooperation Program, knowledge exchange, policy and advocacy, direction and administration, governance and security. This overall budget covers core technical work, cooperation and partnerships, leading to Food and Agriculture Outcomes by 71%; Core Functions by 11%; the Country Office Network by 5%; Capital and Security Expenditure by 2%; Administration by 6%; and Technical and Cooperation Program by 5%. FAO’s activities comprise four main areas: * Putting information within reach. FAO serves as a knowledge network. We use the expertise of our staff – agronomists, foresters, fisheries and livestock specialists, nutritionists, social scientists, economists, statisticians and other professionals – to collect, analyze and disseminate data that aid development. A million times a month, someone visits the FAO Internet site to consult a technical document or read about our work with farmers. We also publish hundreds of newsletters, reports and books, distribute several magazines, create numerous CD-ROMS and host dozens of electronic forum. * Sharing policy expertise. FAO lends its years of experience to member countries in devising agricultural policy, supporting planning, drafting effective legislation and creating national strategies to achieve rural development and hunger alleviation goals. * Providing a meeting place for nations. On any given day, dozens of policy-makers and experts from around the globe convene at headquarters or in our field offices to forge agreements on major food and agriculture issues. As a neutral forum, FAO provides the setting where rich and poor nations can come together to build common understanding. * Bringing knowledge to the field. Our breadth of knowledge is put to the test in thousands of field projects throughout the world. FAO mobilizes and manages millions of dollars provided by industrialized countries, development banks and other sources to make sure the projects achieve their goals. FAO provides the technical know-how and in a few cases is a limited source of funds. In crisis situations, we work side-by-side with the World Food Program and other humanitarian agencies to protect rural livelihoods and help people rebuild their lives.

Digital Technology and Business Operating Systems

It is often noted that two major worldwide events are responsible for changes not only to the lives of ordinary people who make up the target markets of business organizations, but also to the operations of the said business themselves. These events are namely: The advent of globalized trade and recent technological advances. Globalization of human activities including trade has meant that business are constantly being exposed to new environments, new markets with unique and often discerning preferences and on the loop-side, the ever present threat of competition vying for a similar market slice as the said businesses (Kehal & Singh, 2008).It is not surprising therefore, when the need to gain a competitive advantage over rivals has been the dominating theme in the board rooms of a majority of companies; with technology increasingly being seen as key to achieving success in this task (Kehal & Singh, 2008). Dependent on the industry, technology could imply many different things.For com panies in the manufacturing sector, technology could mean the acquisition of a new machine that eases the manufacturing task at hand; while for others like those in horticulture industry, technology could mean adoption of a new way to inter-crop plants in order to eradicate disease thus improve on yields. However, digital technologies have found a place in a multitude of businesses as they offer various advantages that cut across the board such as fastening communication and the retrieval of data (Kehal & Singh, 2008).Digital technologies refers to what is conventionally refereed to as Information communication technology (Watkins, 2010). This encompasses computers and related internet based media such as email and social networking platforms (Watkins, 2010). Digital technologies also includes any form of networks in an organization including those restricted to operate within the organization, the intranet, and connections between a company and outside affiliated organizations such as suppliers and distributors termedDigital Technology in Business 2 as the extrenet (Watkins, 2010). To define the operations of a company: These refer to the set systems, procedures and the information that guides them, that enable an organization to integrate, organize and normalize its primary processes in order to achieve its set goals (Daft & Marcic, 2008). For integration to be considered optimum, data in the company's domain should be accessible to all involved in both a timely and eased manner (Weil, 2010).On the other hand, normalization in this context involves the standardization of an organization's business processes by getting rid of variations in business procedures among employees and departments (Weil, 2010). Different organizations have different operating systems, with each system suited to the organization in question (Weil, 2010). For instance, Cisco, a network solutions provider has made it possible for small businesses to acquire information communication te chnology based solutions by developing them and making them available through their partners worldwide.Procter & Gamble on the other hand, has established local marketing arms which are allowed the leeway to strategize on how best they would exploit their immediate markets with other core services like human resource management and informational technology services centralized and standardized by the parent company (Weil, 2010). Though these models differ, that is of importance is not their apparent schism, but whether the chosen operating model has a chance at achieving success in the organization ( Watkins, 2010).The success of an operating system, is dependent on the organization's staff and management's uptake of the operating system, their willingness to follow it through and whether they are well equipped to make it work for the organization (Watkins, 2010). However, as noted above, the motivation for any operating business is to achieve success in the midst of competing inter ests and changing business environment ( Kehal & Singh, 2008). This need by organizations has lead to wide scale adaptation of new organization forms Digital Technology in Business 3 heavily influenced by digital technologies (Kehal & Singh, 2008).This is because mounting evidence suggests that digital technologies enable the core activities in any business operating model, integration and normalization, to take place more smoothly when compared to any other strategy (Weil, 2010). This paper by use of examples drawn from various industries, elaborates on these points, taking special note of how digital technologies have shaped the operating models of companies, influenced the workings of the human resource aspect of a business, including both the benefits and challenges of digital technologies in organizations (Malecki & Moriset, 2008).Starting with the a look at the processes involved in the sensitive service industry such as the airline industry quite often the supports to an airl ine, namely those involved with maintainance, overhaul and repair of aircraft required to fill in detailed reports of the process such as the tools involved and the spare parts used during maintenance for the airline's documentation purposes( SITA, 2008).This process may turn out to be tideious and riddled with inefficiencies as it may involve filling in of similar details like the type of aircraft and the organization owning repeatedly (SITA, 2008). Such tasks can be eased by adoption of digital technologies such as the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) hand held readers that would capture information from RFID enabled aircraft parts and simultaneously share them with interested parties along the supply chain (SITA, 2008).The automation described above confers the airline company with several competitive advantages such as improvement of relations with suppliers by facilitating their work therefore improving on its business operations (SITA, 2008). Through this automated system, it becomes easier for the company to trace the parts used on their planes thus giving them the advantage of authenticating their reliability and quality; a factor that may go a long way in vouching for their Digital Technology in Business 4Â  safety record while at the same time, reducing on the operating costs of the airline (SITA, 2008).The centralized data received from the readers may help in streamlining of the procurement process of the airline leading to a decrease in resource wastefulness and also gives the airline stability in terms of delivery of their core services, air transport, by ensuring that flight cancellations due to delays in maintenance or unnecessary unscheduled maintenance problems do not disrupt operations leading to flight delays and cancellations ( SITA, 2008).However, such centralized systems of data collection may pose some challenges to those involved. For instance, the ownership of the data may turn out to be a point of friction among the part ies as the shared nature of collection and storage of the data may lead to challenges in the access and security of the data (SITA, 2008). In addition, for such a system to operate effectively, the participation of a wide group of corporations is necessary (SITA, 2008).This may be a challenge for the corporations as issues such as who will finance the initial part of the adoption of digital technology may arise while later on as alluded above, disputes over the ownership of this system may arise while during operation, the costs involved in maintaining the digital technology may be problematic in terms of who will bear the burden of the cost especially if the problem is arising from one end of the system leading to problems at the nether end (SITA, 2008). Digital technologies also offer ways in which employee productivity can be improved thus improving on the outcome of the corporation.Several areas in which digital technology can be of use in the development of internet based emplo yee induction platforms which will enable the company introduce new employees into the company operating culture in a more engaging and interactive manner (Murphy, 2003). The costs involved in such a venture also tend to be less costly in the ;long run as the initial resources, human resource and capital, needed to set up the program can be minimized and even eventually eliminated once the system had been set up Digital Technology in Business 5Â  without any losses in quality of the process (Murphy, 2003)Training process that is critical in human resource development and management in a corporation can also be aided by use of digital materials such as compact disks (CD). This not only provides a format of presenting the information in a easier to understand media forms such as videos and graphic illustrations, it also provides a reference library to the employee who in need and at will can reference back to aspects of the training program (Murphy, 2003).Use of such media such as CD and internet will allow training of employees who are based in areas other than where the actual training is occurring especially in corporations with branches in far flung markets as is the case I the globalized economy (Murphy, 2003). The employee also benefits from the opportunity of going through the training at their own pace and time , therefore improving on the likelihood of uptake of the information (Murphy, 2003). The other area where digital technologies offer advantages to corporations is in the area of employee incentives (Murphy, 2003).Through the platform of the internet, a company can offer employees opportunities of enrolling into affiliate programs earning them income, or they could be privy to discounts and offers from third party suppliers who deal with their employers (Murphy, 2003). for instance special mortgage rates may be offered to employees of a certain company via the mortgaging subsidiary of the bank that their employer's use to transact their business o perations (Murphy, 2003).These strategies may go along way mot only in motivating employees but also in enabling the company retain its talented and trained employees by ensuring their their loyally to the company thus reducing on a company's recruitment and training bill (Murphy, 2003). The benefits of digital technology enables a company reorganize its marketing strategy in order for exploit their niche as effectively as possible (Rust & Espinoza, 2006).This is made Digital Technology in Business 6Â  possible by the room afforded in matters of gauging customer preference, dislikes and other characteristics during the process of market segmentation (Rust & Espinoza, 2006). Through portals like social media and internet based survey's a company may gain useful insights about their consumers as these digital technologies offer a cost effective, non – intrusive and consumer friendly means of interaction; therefore bridging the gap between a company's management and its the cus tomers (Rust & Espinoza, 2006).These benefits spill over as they contribute to customer loyalty making the customer feel that their opinion is valued and by providing them with the rare opportunity of being involved in the development of their favorite product or service ( Rust & Espinoza, 2006). Quality control management is a critical part of a company's operations as it provides the means by which a company can keep the promises exhaulted by its brand to the market (Malecki, & Moriset, 2008).failure in the quality management system may lead to not only costly changes in the brand image, but also to enormous costs involved in product recalls and in brushes with regulatory authorities (Malecki, & Moriset, 2008). Many problems in the quality control management occur when there are variations in the execution of processes or in the material used in producing a good or service (Malecki, & Moriset, 2008).The use of digital technologies may shield a company from such eventualities by pe riodically and automatically surveying the production process for deviations in the norm and alerting the management of possible shortfalls in the system (Malecki, & Moriset, 2008). Digital technology based quality assurance systems are more reliable as they are not dependent on human schedules and shielded from human borne errors during production (Malecki, & Moriset, 2008). Internet based systems also allow fro the survey of the intricate details of different aspects of the production process even for companies that have outsourcedDigital Technology in Business 7 production either as a whole or in bits across geographically dispersed areas (Malecki, & Moriset, 2008). An example of this is in the manufacture of airplanes by the Boeing and airbus whose different parts are assembled in different regions of the world. The reporting is also made easier especially in the event of a breach in the quality of the product, with the source of error pinpointed and dealt with saving on costs a nd time ( Malecki, & Moriset, 2008). Recently, a new form of trade has arisen where transactions in both goods and services are carried out via the internet (Burgess, 2002).The producer of the good may be on one end of the world while the consumer may be at the other (Burgess, 2002). Digital technologies provide for ways in which the buyer and seller can meet irrespective of the distances and time zones involved (Burgess, 2002). The seller benefits by finding a market fir their goods while the buyer benefits by having the leeway to ‘window shop' through out the internet searching for their ideal product at the ideal price without the hustle of dealing with salesmen (Burgess, 2002).In addition the direct contact between the buyer and seller enables for customization of the process to suit either party (Burgess, 2002). This is especially advantageous for small businesses who lack the machinery, resource and human investment needed to carry out an effective marketing campaign as large corporations (Burgess, 2002). Quite effectively backed by a single personal computer connected onto the internet and a a ‘one-man-army' sales team an entrepreneur can achieve their business goals (Burgess, 2002).This trade termed as e-commerce, has enabled individuals like authors sell their services even without an established local network of suppliers and distributors (Burgess, 2002). Large corporations are also increasingly joining this bandwagon by providing portals like ‘e- shops' on their websites where special offers of their products can be viewed, purchased and ordered right to the customer's doorstep (Burgess, 2002).By use of sophisticated but easily accessible forms of Digital Technology in Business 8forms of digital technologies the process of market segmentation described above are at the reach of entrepreneurs who otherwise would not have been able to exploit such advantages (Burgess, 2002). The small business owner is able to make up for his lower e mployee base and human resource pool by automating a majority of their business processes such as the installation of electronic tax register teller machines may ease the process of filling for tax returns (Burgess, 2002).The operations of small businesses may also be expanded by collaboration with partners following research on the internet without the huge costs involved in expansion such as the hiring of additional staff, the payment for new business premises and the sometimes bureaucratic processes involved in meeting local regulatory standards and licensing issues (Burgess, 2002).Through digital technologies, owners of small businesses are offered tools by which they can advertise their businesses effectively but with minimal costs such as the use of promotional CD for a musician or a recording company, easy to use software that enable the design of eye catching and effective banners, posters and fliers and through the setting up of a website where additional information about the company's services is accessible to the market ( Burgess, 2002).Despite these advantages of the use of digital technologies in business operations, the process in usually fraught by many difficulties as alluded in some of the examples above. Some of the challenges are secondary to inadequate knowledge on the scope by which digital technologies can affect the operations of a company thus leading to the wrong choice made in the technology that would be of use to the organization ( Andriole, 2008).It should be remembered at this juncture that the key notion about operating systems is that they have to be well designed to suit the business they are intended for, thus borrowing examples from other companies is encouraged but it should not be done in a ‘cut- and- paste manner' ( Andriole, 2008). For instance, Digital Technology in Business 9 a server, which is a computer with high processing capability, would be more suitable fore a small company with few employees while a singl e personal computer may suffice for a single proprietorship.Conversely a larger organization with several departments and more employees, would benefit more from several interconnected severs ( Andriole, 2008). However other challenges to digital technology arise from the human aspect of the process (Andriole, 2008). Sometimes employees, through their unions, may resist the adoption of digital technology influenced operating systems due to fears arising about the likelihood of loss of employment and income via automation of processes (Daft & Marcic, 2008).In a large manufacturing plant, the quality of goods produced may be checked by a string of employees stationed along the conveyor belts, automation of this process by use of specialized robots run by sophisticated computers, may render a large group of people jobless. This may hinder the newly instituted operating system to problems (Daft,& Marcic, 2008).The challenges of operating in digital technology may arise from difficulties in operating in the new environment due to inadequacy in skills and expertise to utilize the the digital l technology (Murphy, 2003). This is a problem as the new technology instead of complimenting the employees and mangement, it serves to slow down the working of the organization as both groups may view digital technology as a stumbling block thus preferring to ignore or under utilize it by doing things the old way (Murphy, 2003).This scenario is more pronounced in situations where the technology being introduced has been imported and is new to the business environment of the company (Murphy, 2003). This is because of the lack of adequate local support to smoothen the process of adoption by providing technical support (Murphy, 2003). The main challenge with digital technologies, lies in the costs involved in setting up and maintaining them (Andriole, 2008). The machinery involved may be costly especially for smallDigital Technology in Business 10 businesses and very large corpora tions, software to run computer's is also costly and the maintenance of such systems often requires specialized manpower which may come at a premium (Andriole, 2008). When this is coupled with the rapid evolutionary tendency of digital technologies which render recently developed technologies as obsolete, it is easy to see why cost is frequently mentioned as a major stumbling block (Andriole, 2008).In some situations, there might be the need of hiring additional staff just to maintain the system, training staff to know how to use the system every time the system is upgraded and this may turn into a demoralizing process (Andriole, 2008) .. In conclusion, this essay has highlighted the influence of digital technologies on the operations of organizations be they be simple small businesses or large multinationals dealing in several products and services (Malecki & Moriset, 2008).The challenges though apparent can be overcome by understanding digital technologies and keeping the goals an d objectives of the organization in mind as the solution appears to lie in crafting an operating system that is in tandem with the organization's goals and vision (Daft & Marcic, 2008). The management of an organization should desists from taking a one-size-fits -all approach and should also consider the impact that their employees may have on the success of the digital technologies in thee organization's operations (Kehal & Singh, 2005).