IBM Corporation: Competing Globally Essay

1.Do you agree with IBM’s employment response to competition from software development contractors in India like Wipro that are expanding into IT consulting services? Why or why not? In order for IBM to continue its growth it will have to expand into areas like India. They need consulting groups who can personalize their product and keep the costs low in markets like Mexico which not only makes their product more readily available and affordable it create a type of familiarity among customers that keeps them buying the same products from the same marketers. 2.Will IBM’s plan to give away some of its IT assets and intellectual property and increase its support of open-source software products like Linux be a successful growth strategy in the â€Å"brutally competitive marketplace† in which it operates? Why or why not? To keep up with the growing demand for new software and product solutions it is imperative that IBM embrace and support open solution software products like Linux. As the saying goes, â€Å"If you can’t beat them, join them.† Linux is growing by leaps and bound and is quickly surpassing the software maker like Microsoft who at this point does not specialize in open source software. If they do not adapt to the new way that software is being used they will be just another software company that has been left behind. 3.Do you agree with IBM researchers’ assumption that IT will remain â€Å"hard to use, expensive, and labor-intensive, and with customers continuing to need help solving business problems† for a long time to come? Should IBM bet its business on that assumption? Defend your answers to both questions. IT will absolutely remain labor intensive hard to use and expensive because technology changes by the nano-second. As soon as one form of technology is mastered it is what I call â€Å"current history† meaning that it may be the technology this is used currently but there is a newer, more efficient, responsive and interactive solution already available.

Einstein for Asperger’s Essay

Einstein a Case Study for Asperger’s Christina Parker PSY 410 February 6, 2012 Dr. Melda Jones Einstein a Case Study for Asperger’s Mental illness has existed as long as humans have, but only in the last hundred years or so have psychologist started to truly understand mental illness. There is still much, that is unknown about mental illness and human behavior. One mental disorder that was added to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) in 1994 is Asperger’s Disorder. This disorder is usually diagnosed in early childhood, but in Albert Einstein’s time Asperger’s Disorder was unknown. Einstein had many of the diagnostic criteria for Asperger’s Disorder but was not diagnosed. Einstein was quiet and withdrawn, but had an amazing mind for mathematics. In comparison, Temple Grandin was diagnosed with Asperger’s Disorder and has many of the same mannerisms as Einstein. Overview of Asperger’s Disorder’s History Dr. Hans Asperger studied children that acted differently from others in the 1940s. Dr. Asperger called these children â€Å"Little Professors† because they were so interesting. In 1980s Dr. Lorna Wing called children with Asperger’s (AS) high-functioning autism individuals. In 1994, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) added AS. Asperger’s Syndrome (ASD) is a distinct group of neurological conditions characterized by greater or lesser degrees of impairment in language and communication skills with repetitive or restrictive patterns of thoughts and behaviors. There is no known cause or treatment for AS. The parents of children with AS often by or before the child’s third birthday sense that something is amiss in his or her child’s behavior or developmental skills. Two out of 10,000 children statistically diagnosed with AS or ASD. Boys are three to four times more likely than girls to have AS or ASD. The children exhibit delayed psychomotor skills (crawling and walking), and have problems with communicating and socializing with other children. AS children have an obsession with one topic or interests excluding other topics and interests. AS children have a formal speech that lacks rhythm and modulation. AS children appear clumsy when they walk and may have delayed motor skills (catching a ball, pedaling a bike, and other skills). The cause of AS or ASD is unknown but is thought to be genetic because AS tends to run in families. The part of the brain that controls social behavior functions differently or develops differently from other children without AS. The part of the brain that controls body movements and balance are also different in AS children than other children. ASD is a high-functioning autism disorder. Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome Explained There is no known cause of autism. Research today is using MRI imaging to determine how the Autism brain is structured. Dr. Grandin explains her condition like this: The brain is an office; the frontal lobe is the office manager. The other compartments of the brain are like the many departments in an office. The office departments do not communicate well between the other offices such as sales, product development, management, and so on. The autistic brain has to be understood and trained in a way that works best for the individual. No one treatment works for every autistic individual. Finding what motivates the individual’s fear and helping the individual to overcome or change the environment to a less chaotic one will help the individual to learn and progress. Autistic individuals do not understand facial expressions or tone changes in voices. Behavioral issues such as defecation and twitching are common with Asperger’s and Autism. Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome are high-end functioning Autistic individuals. To understand Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome, Dr. Grandin suggests that people move away from language. The nonverbal child does not understand language. The nonverbal child is sensory-based and has a complex disorder that is based on sights, sounds, smells, and touch. Cultivating the way the individual’s method of thinking will prevent fear that causes anxieties will help the individual progress. Autistic individuals have high IQs and the ability to concentrate on one subject for a long time. Most autistic individuals are gifted in math, sciences, computers, tables, astrology, and other nonsocial areas that rely on thinking skills. A Look at Einstein and Grandin Albert Einstein Albert Einstein was born in 1879 to Hermann and Pauline Einstein (a middle-class German-Jewish family). Einstein scarcely spoke and was quiet more than backward as a young child. His sister remembers his concentration and ability to build tall houses and multiple storied levels of playing card houses. At age 4 or 5 Einstein marveled at how a magnetic compass needle invariably swung northward. This caused Einstein to conclude that something invisible was behind everything sparking his interest in Physics at a young age. As late as age nine Einstein was hesitant to speak, and did so pausing to select his words carefully. His parents feared that he was below average in intelligence. At the age of 12 Einstein’s love for mathematics and physics was sparked by a booklet on Euclidian Plane Geometry. This booklet proved to Einstein that there was a lucidity and certainty in theory and made an impression on him permanently. School depended on memorization and arbitrary authority of the teachers and faculty and was not conducive to Einstein’s way of learning. At 15 Einstein quit school and moved to Italy with his family where his family was trying to start a business. He studied Mathematics, Physics, and Philosophy at home. His uncle, an engineer, and a medical student who ate with his family once a week are credited with stimulating Einstein’s young mind. Was Einstein’s brain different? Einstein died in 1955 and gave his brain to science. A pathologist named Thomas Harvey quickly preserved his brain, and made samples, and sections. Pathologists Harvey concluded that other than Einstein’s brain seeming smaller than most brains, his was not unusual. Sandra F. Witelson and colleagues studied Einstein’s brain again in 1999, and discovered that it lacked a wrinkle found in other brains (the parietal operculum), and other regions on each side of Einstein’s brain appeared to be larger and unusual features in the inferior parietal lobes thought to be the area of visual imagery and mathematical thinking. This concludes that Einstein’s brain was more equipped by this region than most individuals. Does this prove or disprove that Einstein had Asperger’s? There is no conclusive historical evidence to determine if Einstein had Asperger’s. What we do know is Einstein was capable of deep concentration, and had perseverance. He graduated without distinction, his learning style and the school learning system of his time did not get along. He sought physics because he could seek out paths that led to the depths. In other words Einstein preferred to be free to think on the invisible things behind things. It was Einstein’s ability to think deeply on physics that put him first in the race to the theory in relativity. Einstein made friends with colleagues like Marcel Grossman, Michele Besso, Paul Ehrenfest, and Freidrich Adler. His wife Mileva Maric was the only female in his physics class. Even though Einstein renounced his German citizenship when he left Germany for Italy, he could not resist the invitation to Berlin’s Prussian Academy of Sciences, he had no teaching duties and access to the greatest scientific minds of his day. Fame in physics starved and destroyed his marriage to his wife Mileva, and then divorced in 1919. The same year of his divorce Einstein married his cousin whom he had an affair with since 1914 and settled with Elsa Lowenthal and her two daughters until his death in 1955. Einstein as a young boy, a young teen, a young man, and an older man (Image  © The Albert Einstein Archives, The Jewish National ; University Library, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel. ) Temple Grandin Dr. Temple Grandin was thought to be different by her Mother from a very early age. At two Dr. Grandin could not speak and exhibited behavioral issues. Her Father and consulted doctors wanted to put Dr. Grandin in an institution. Dr. Grandin’s Mother would not have her daughter put in an institution. Instead, Dr. Grandin’s Mother sent her daughter to private schools and to private speech therapy. Dr. Grandin was teased as a child in school. Dr. Temple states that early intervention is vital to best outcomes in autistic children. According to Dr. Grandin there are three types of Autism thinkers: Visual, Pattern, and Word. Visual thinkers are terrible at algebra and good at geometry. Pattern thinkers have difficulty with reading. Word thinkers are good with facts in favorite subjects. Dr. Grandin thinks in pictures, sees a series of slides like a search engine. During her lecture Dr. Grandin was tired from air travel and this caused her to lose train of thought if movement or noises were made by audience. Dr. Grandin explained that she cannot screen out the sensory issues that trigger her distractions. Dr. Grandin admits to having panic attacks, and anxiety. Anti-depressants help autistic individuals overcome anxiety, panic attacks, and OCD issues. Dr. Grandin correlates animal behaviors and fears with autism and how people handle animals also can be used to handle autistic individuals. When Dr. Grandin was born her parents were told she had infantile schizophrenia. Since her birth two Doctors one in the United States named Dr. Leo Canner and one in Canada named Dr. Asperger began studying children who displayed certain characteristics: no facial expression, lack of social skills, the ability to concentrate on one subject, and certain other emotional, cognitive, and behavioral components. Dr. Grandin was born in Boston, Mass. on August 29, 1947. Dr. Grandin has earned degrees from Franklin Pierce College, Arizona State University, University of Illinois, and has earned Honorary Doctorates from McGill University, University of Illinois, and Duke University. The United States and Canada Meat Plants use Dr. Grandin’s equipment designs developed for Animal Welfare Guidelines. Dr. Grandin’s focus of study is in alleviating anxiety of intense fear and hypersensitivities to sound in Human and Animal populations. Dr. Grandin wrote autobiographies of her life with autism, which amazed the autistic community (Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life with Autism- 1995, and Emergence: Labeled Autistic – 1986). Dr. Grandin, has acquired many awards, lectures all over the United States, was inducted into the Cowgirl Hall of Fame and is a member of the board of directors Autism Society of America. Dr. Grandin has developed her own website: www. grandin. com to communicate with people on the subject of autism, and animal handling. Humane groups recognize Dr. Grandin’s work to alleviate animal fears, and her biography featured on HBO has won several Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe, and Peabody Award in 2011. Dr. Grandin has written several books, chapter books, journals, and other publications proving that people with Asperger’s and Autism can succeed. Conclusion There is so much that humanity does not know about human behavior and mental illness, but psychology continues to make advancements in the area. Asperger’s Disorder is just one example of how psychology has advanced. In Einstein’s time there was not a name for his â€Å"weird quirks†, but by the time Temple Grandin was born these similar â€Å"quirks† were known as Asperger’s Disorder. Einstein was brilliant in mathematics and similar fields of study, but could not form true intimate bonds with other people. Dr. Grandin was also brilliant but in another area of study and she also cannot form true intimate bonds with people.

Assignment 2 MJTJM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Assignment 2 MJTJM - Essay Example As a result, she developed an autonomous face generating and categorizing software, with which she gave unique presentations of the human face. The artist produces and displays artworks from DNA extracts of people from leftovers of substances such as cigarettes, chewing gums, and other items. Her work depicts the importance of scientific approaches to art. For instance, Dewey-Hagborg uses computer and laboratory technology to generate 3-D images of people from the extracts that she collects from public places. This work reviews one of her artistic pieces of work called Stranger Visions, which lasted from 2012 to 2014. The portrait reveals a scientific approach to human identity and the fact that the DNA codes represent genetic information of individuals. Precisely, the DNA is a carrier of genetic information concerning information and technology can decode the information to reveal identities of people. Strange Visions is a collection of portraits that the artist made from an assembly of DNA information from collected specimen of individuals. The portraits reveal that the DNA is found in people’s bodies. Its transmission is through anything that an individual comes in conduct with. At the same time, the work indicates that many people do not have the consciousness that they leave trails of their genetic information in almost all the places they visit. Another aspect of the DNA in the artwork is the fact that it provides essential information on crime detection. For instance, there are possibilities of constructing the exact identities of individuals from an analysis of collected specimens from a crime scene. For such a reason, the artist drives a sense of caution in individuals because she confirms through her work that tracking crime is that easy. For example, the art reveals all the facial aspects of the individuals from which she collects her specimen. Strange

Lesson Plan on Reading Comprehension Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Lesson Plan on Reading Comprehension - Essay Example Assessment of their reading comprehension will be done on the basis of their ability to answer simple questions and use key vocabulary words to construct sentences on their own.The Tortoise looked up and said quietly, "I notice that you are very conceited. Why not prove yourself as the fastest runner Let us race up to the foot of that hill." He pointed at a hill at a distance.The Hare found it very comical to be challenged to race by a Tortoise but accepted the challenge. He sneered at the Tortoise and said, "Oh! I could cover the distance ten times before you could even manage to plod up there."So the race began. The Hare darted away immediately. He soon reached a tree on the way and stopped to look back. The Tortoise was nowhere in sight. It was cool beneath the tree and the Hare was a little out of breath. Besides, he thought, it would take ages for the Tortoise to reach the tree. So he decided to rest awhile. Soon he dozed off to sleep. Meanwhile the Tortoise plodded on and on an d on till slowly he came up to the tree where the Hare still slept. He glanced at the Hare, smiled, and moved on without stopping. He had almost reached the goal when the Hare woke up. The Hare saw that the tortoise was far ahead of him and had almost reached the hill. ... The Hare darted away immediately. He soon reached a tree on the way and stopped to look back. The Tortoise was nowhere in sight. It was cool beneath the tree and the Hare was a little out of breath. Besides, he thought, it would take ages for the Tortoise to reach the tree. So he decided to rest awhile. Soon he dozed off to sleep. Meanwhile the Tortoise plodded on and on and on till slowly he came up to the tree where the Hare still slept. He glanced at the Hare, smiled, and moved on without stopping. He had almost reached the goal when the Hare woke up. The Hare saw that the tortoise was far ahead of him and had almost reached the hill. He ran at his best speed towards the goal but the Hare had reached there before him.The other animals who were secretly annoyed with the Hare for his boastful attitude were very happy that he had lost the race. The boastful Hare hung his head in shame as they cheered the Tortoise loudly and clapped.The Tortoise plodded up to the Hare and said softly, "Dear friend, I hope you have learnt your lesson. It is not the fastest, but the slow and steady runner who can win a race." Input: The passage will be read slowly and clearly so that students are able to follow each word. Pause at every new vocabulary word and explain its meaning. Use bilingual dictionaries and language tools to explain new vocabulary to the students.arrogant: proud challenge: invite to a contest to prove something conceited: proud, vain sneered: laughed at, mocked comical: funny awhile: a moment, a short time plod: walk slowly, trudge secretly: not openly annoyed: angry, upset steady: stable, someone who is serious and is dependable

Risk Allocation In FIDIC Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Risk Allocation In FIDIC - Assignment Example Headquarter of FIDIC is situated in Switzerland, more than sixty countries are the part of FIDIC and it also represents many of the private consulting engineers all over the world. A variety of standard forms are made and published by FIDIC and are regularly updated following of extensive consultation with its international contractors, members, the Bar Institution and with the main international banks as well as the World Bank.3 Discussion At the beginning the standard forms of the FIDIC were aimed for international usage i.e. for those projects in which the client country was looking for contractor’s participation from other countries. Even so in current period the forms of the FIDIC have been used more and more for local contracts in which both contractors and clients are of the same country.4 In 1999, after the development in the industry and following the acknowledgment of irregularity in the previous contract’s standard, the FIDIC developed a new form’s sui t in order to change the active forms. ... The design of these new is to be user friendly with the standard approach and a decrease in the general conditions from over sixty to twenty clauses. In addition to this the Extra forms functioning since 1999 consist of: The Blue Book: these are the contracts for Dragging and Renewal of Works; The Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) /FIDIC Contract: these are the condition of FIDIC that are integrated in the standard papers of request of MDBs;7 The White Book: this include the form contract of service of Consultant and Client; The Gold Book: this includes the operation, building and designing of the FIDIC tasks.8 To aid in carrying out its establishing aims, the move towards of the FIDIC in order to outline contracts has constantly been supported by its principle. The contracts of FIDIC necessarily furnish a reasonable part of risks among the parties to a contract, additionally that risks must be accepted by the best able party in order to assure them. The uniformity across many fo rms is one of the advantages of utilizing the FIDIC set of contracts. Whilst all contract form is aimed for a dissimilar type of procurement or project strategy, a centre of general clauses is utilized over the entire forms and where probable, the identical definitions and words are utilised. 9This implies that know-how of one type can be utilised on other types in the FIDIC set of contracts. Within the suite of FIDIC the different types of contracts are prepared across the degree of plan responsibility presumed by the contractor and employer. Every contract is termed as a book and a specific colour is assigned to each contract. Understanding the Contract and General Provisions The structure of the

British Electoral System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

British Electoral System - Essay Example In this system ranks are provided by the voter to the candidates by marking 1, 2, 3 etc on the ballot paper against the name of the candidate. The candidates are ranked across different parties or within the same party by the voters. Certain quota of votes must be achieved by the candidate in order to win. This system is used â€Å"for local government elections in Northern Ireland and Scotland, European Parliament elections in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly† (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.2).Under this system the voters can cast their votes into two parts, firstly for constituency MP and second for party list. The lack of proportionality that arises from the FPTP is compensated by this system. â€Å"AMS is used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the London Assembly† (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, pp.2- 3).   Closed Party List SystemThis system is applicable to a multi member constituency. The electo rs vote for the party and as per the proportion won by the party, it gets seat in the constituency.† The Closed Party List system has been used for European Parliament elections in the UK since 1999 except in Northern Ireland where STV is used† (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.3).The Single- member plurality, which is followed by the British Electoral system was believed to facilitate â€Å"a two-party system of alternating single-party majority government†.... le transferable vote In this system ranks are provided by the voter to the candidates by marking 1, 2, 3 etc on the ballot paper against the name of the candidate. The candidates are ranked across different parties or within the same party by the voters. Certain quota of votes must be achieved by the candidate in order to win. This system is used â€Å"for local government elections in Northern Ireland and Scotland, European Parliament elections in Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Assembly† (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.2). Additional Member system Under this system the voters can cast their votes into two parts, firstly for constituency MP and second for party list. The lack of proportionality that arises from the FPTP is compensated by this system. â€Å"AMS is used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales and the London Assembly† (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, pp.2- 3). Closed Party List System This system is applicabl e to a multi member constituency. The electors vote for the party and as per the proportion won by the party, it gets seat in the constituency.† The Closed Party List system has been used for European Parliament elections in the UK since 1999 except in Northern Ireland where STV is used† (Voting systems in the UK, 2008, p.3). Effectiveness of the Electoral System The Single- member plurality, which is followed by the British Electoral system was believed to facilitate â€Å"a two-party system of alternating single-party majority government†. But in the 2010 UK election no party could secure an overall majority due to which formation of peacetime coalition government was done (Curtice, 2010, p. 623). This issue raised questions on the effectiveness of the system. To understand this merits and demerits of

English as a Second Language Course Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

English as a Second Language Course - Essay Example Reading activities are aimed at increasing reading comprehension, developing vocabulary and research skills. Writing activities are aimed at developing accuracy in written information through simple compositions and accomplishing forms. The course consists of 12 modules. According to Chamut (1995), cognitive language learning fosters school achievement of students who are learning through the medium of a second language. Non-native English speakers face problems in learning academic subjects which use English as the medium of instruction. Due to the widespread use of English worldwide, language courses in English have become part of the academic curriculum in most countries. However, the English course in these situations take on the nature of a foreign language course and fails to really develop language proficiency skills in terms of comprehension, vocabulary and research skills due to limited usage of the language in everyday life. The instructional problem that arises therefore, is how to build on the existing language knowledge of English and implement a training strategy that hones English literacy skills allowing the participants to develop the ability to use oral and written English for daily needs, develop basic conversation skills and voca bulary, and use simple sentence patterns. The training is base... The instructional problem relates to a cognitive domain performance issues that can be solved by training. The goal of instructional programs is to build knowledge and skills that can be re-used for later learning or in various life situations, such as career. ESL training to help improve academic performance specifically addresses the problem of cognitive domain performance, maximizing the student's cognitive processes that will result in learning and minimizing those that disrupt learning (Clark & Harrelson 2002). Training in English as a second language is suitable for computer and web-based training because the learner can think, respond and give feedback on the subject, a stimulating environment can be presented where the learner can learn at his own pace, the learner can take the course at his convenience without any expense of time or travel, it can be made accessible to a wide audience, it can be conveniently used by the physically challenged, and content can be easily updated (seo 2007). The tutorial method of teaching present situations and questions, suggest ideas that coincide with the topic being studied, and force students to come up with their own solutions. The instructor's in the tutorial atmosphere is to pose constructive questions that will lead the students in the right direction. Such a scenario can easily be implemented in ESL W/CBT because the computer or instruction software can untiringly assume the role of the tutorial instructor. In face-to-face teacher-student interactions, the tutorial method may pose problems because it is time consuming and may require multiple instructors for different levels of learners (Angiono

Jehovah witness in St. Louis Mo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Jehovah witness in St. Louis Mo - Essay Example They are well-known for their pervasive preaching and circulating activities. The highly eminent religious magazines like The Watchtower and Awake are the results of their publications. The Watchtower which mainly deals with the issues discussed in the Bible is published twice a month and Awake which covers the general topics of day-to-day life is published monthly. Any kind of idol worship or religious symbols are banned by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. They reject blood donations and their research and development of bloodless surgery techniques have resulted in various bloodless treatment options. Inspired by the Bible the Jehovah’s Witnesses encourage singleness. Nationalism and social ceremonies and rituals are not entertained by the witnesses. However, they are allowed to pay taxes to the government. Their motive is to spread the good news of Jehovah’s Kingdom to the people through door-to-door preaching. The Jehovah’s Witnesses lay considerable emphasis on reading of the Bible and regular prayers to God. The religion claims of God’s earthly paradise with the promise of eternal life when the lost ones will be resurrected. The followers believe that they have been chosen by Jehovah to spread the good news to all as the period of â€Å"last days† are going on. Like most of the religions the Jehovahâ€⠄¢s Witnesses consider premarital sex and abortion to be sinful. Any witness who is found guilty of indulging in any such heinous act is excommunicated or â€Å"disfellowshipped† by the congregation. The Jehovah Witnesses call their place of worship as the â€Å"Kingdom Hall†. It is the meeting place for members of the religion predominantly utilized for directions of Bible and devotion to God. This place of worship is purely functional in character. Scheduled meetings generally thrice a week including Sundays are held in each Kingdom Hall where the local groups assemble to offer their prayers to â€Å"Jehovah†. The members address

Response to Beger, Sturken and Cartwright Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Response to Beger, Sturken and Cartwright - Essay Example ," implying that ladies present themselves in the way that they might want to be thought about, an exceptionally latent method for acting, while men only act without intuition as profoundly into what their movements mean and how they are seen. In the article, "Spectatorship," writers Sturken and Cartwright depict in subtle element Spectatorship, Discourse and Power, and Knowledge. The distinction between the "...spectator (the person who looks) and spectatorship (the act of looking)," is the fundamental thought for the spectatorship area. They discuss the "look" and how despite the fact that the terms for observer and spectatorship change, the idea is constantly significant. For talk and power, Sturken and Cartwright portray how, "In innovation, the look is constituted through a relationship of subjects characterized inside and through the talks of establishments." They depict photography as a focal topic of social situations and movements since the nineteenth century. The look is dictated by media and who has the force in any given relationship, for example, a writer over a witness. In the John Berger article, I was somewhat befuddled as to if individuals still view his compositions and notions on men and ladies as substantial in today’s pop culture. Does Berger imagine that all men and ladies act inside these rules without variety? In the Sturken and Cartwright article, I was confounded about the look and if the look helps one increase force or if force is now decided before a look happens. Will a look change the movement in force between two individuals? I could not help contradicting John Bergers general stance in his article about the way men and ladies are seen. I believe that there are sorts of men and ladies that demonstration these routes, yet there exist such a huge figure of sorts of individuals and not all men and ladies simply aimlessly act in the ways he depicts. I couldnt help contradicting Sturken and Cartwrights stance on force between people

Analysis of the Article - The Effects of Bank Mergers and Acquisitions Research Paper

Analysis of the Article - The Effects of Bank Mergers and Acquisitions on Small Business Lending - Research Paper Example The simplistic analysis makes the assumption that lending tendencies are static and depend exclusively on the size of the bank while neglecting the important nature of mergers and acquisitions as dynamic events which may consider changes in the conduct of the organization further than the simple static aggregation associated with the merging institutions. The study departs from a majority of the existing writings through the examination of the dynamic effect of mergers and acquisitions instead of arriving at assumptions simply from static deductions. It also departs from existing literature through modelling the overall effects of mergers and acquisitions on small business lending as a blend of several separate static and dynamic effects and through the measurement of effects of mergers and acquisitions on lending by other banks in the local market. Ultimately, the research seeks to understand the how mergers and acquisitions empirically in banks affect the tendency to lend to small businesses through measuring static, restructuring, as well as direct effects of the numerous mergers and acquisitions of United States banks from the 70s to the early 90s. The external impact of the mergers and acquisitions on the lending associated will all the banks in their local markets, whether or not the banks are involved in mergers or acquisitions will be measured. The introductory statements were in agreement with the title and can be considered to be of an educational significance. The average leader can easily understand the issue that is being discussed in the paper without the need to go over the literature several times. It is easy to understand why the researcher felt the need to study the issues that are discussed in the introductory literature.  

Analysis of Nike Inc Essay Example for Free

Analysis of Nike Inc Essay The brand name â€Å"Nike† is one of the most recognized around the globe. The name is synonymous with high-quality athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories in the minds of many people worldwide. Perhaps it is the compelling marketing that commands attention. Or maybe it is the association between the brand name and its famous endorsers, such as Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan. Alternatively, it may be Nike’s cutting-edge sporting vision and technology that entrances multitudes of consumers. Quite conceivably, it is a combination of these factors that has propelled Nike to the top of its industry. However, not the entire of Nike’s story is ideal. In recent years, the company has faced criticism in connection with its use of contract labor in developing nations. The purpose of this case is to provide an understanding of the company’s background, its general business strategy, and its use of contract labor. The Athletic Apparel and Footwear Industry The athletic apparel and footwear industry experienced steady growth for more than two decades, beginning in the early 1980’s. For example, the volume sales in the footwear market are projected to reach 13. 3 billion pairs by the end of 2012, and by the year 2015, the world footwear market is forecast to reach $195 billion. Consumers were not just professional athletes, but ordinary men, women, and children who wore athletic apparel for both sports and leisure. The industry became more fashion-oriented, resulting in higher levels of innovation and cutting-edge technology. As a result of the emphasis on style and fashion and customers’ demands for improving performance and comfort, the industry experienced short life-cycles for individual products. The industry was characterized by fierce competition in global markets. Industry leaders jousted for supremacy in the professional, female, and youth segments. By 2005, the U. S. market was considered to be mature, and global markets were likewise rapidly approaching maturity, resulting in intensified competition for market share. There also was heated competition for advertising and promotional licenses, particularly between the two industry giants, Nike and Adidas. For instance, Adidas sponsored one of the world’s premiere soccer clubs, Real Madrid, while Nike sponsored Manchester United, also a world class soccer club in Great Britain. Adidas was also the Official Supporter of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the Germany 2006 World Cup in soccer. However, Nike’s presence was very evident in the World Cup: many teams in this tournament wore uniforms emblazoned with the unmistakable swoosh. The athletic footwear and apparel industry has enjoyed a measure of stability beginning in the 1980’s, due in part to the high barriers to entry that new firms faced. There were high start-up costs due to expensive raw materials; costly innovation, technology, and advertising; and the high market share held by the industry’s leaders. Existing companies achieved economies of scale that were not available to potential new entrants. In addition, established companies had distinct identities and brand-loyal customers. New entrants would have needed to match these companies in research and development and advertising expenditures to win over customers loyal to the other brands. The world economic recession has affected the world footwear market with sales witnessing erosions in developed countries and growth slowing down considerably in developing countries. The decline in income levels have reduced the spending on clothing especially apparel and footwear (including casual, outdoor, sports, and formal footwear). Tight liquidity and financial constraints have redefined value and have induced simplicity in lifestyles and this marks the beginning of shifting consumer focus towards value for money bargains. The recession induced price sensitivity, and trading down to lower price points, has therefore constricted revenues in the marketplace, even though expanding opportunities to value brands and private label brands. Premium priced branded athlete footwear market, which exhibited resilience at the start of the recession, has witnessed quick deterioration in business opportunities, with the number of sports participants and enthusiasts declining. The economic pressures of the recession impacted consumers interest in taking up sports, and the drop in sports participation is reflected in the widespread postponement of renewal of club membership fees. Against this backdrop, the global market for athletic footwear is expected to increase at a modest pace during 2007 through 2015 period. Nike, Inc. – From Humble Beginnings†¦ Although headquartered in Oregon, U. S. A. , Nike operated around the world. As of 2006, the company employed approximately 26,500 individuals worldwide. From humble beginnings, Nike had risen to lead the athletic footwear and apparel industry. Nike began life in 1964, co-founded by Bill Bowerman and Phil Knight. Bowerman was an Olympian, then an Olympic coach, then head track coach at the University of Oregon from 1948 to 1973. On a trip to New Zealand during the early 1960s, he noticed people running for and for the sheer joy of running. The concept intrigued him, and upon his return to the United States, he started the country’s first running club. He also wrote a book entitled â€Å"Jogging† in which he explained how to run for fun and fitness. During Bowerman’s tenure at the University of Oregon, he had coached a young middle distance runner named Phil Knight. Knight wrote a research paper arguing that cheaper, high-performance Japanese shoes could overthrow German dominance of the U. S. athletic shoe industry. On a trip to Japan, Knight contracted with the Onitsuka Tiger Company to sell its quality athletic shoes in the U. S. He made up the name Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS) in 1962 and formed a partnership with Bowerman in 1964, each partner investing $500 in the business (Nike Timeline, 2006). Bowerman designed most of the prototypes and made suggestions for improvement to the Tiger Company, while Knight distributed the shoes from his father’s basement and out of the back of his car at track meets. In 1965, Jeff Johnson, Knight’s former track competitor at Stanford University, became the first full-time employee of BRS. Under his guidance, BRS opened its first retail outlet in Santa Monica, California, in 1966 (Nike Timeline, 2006). In the following year, the company was incorporated. In 1971, Carolyn Davidson, a graphic design student that Knight met at Portland State University, designed the swoosh for $35. Later that year, Jeff Johnson devised the name Nike, after the Greek goddess of triumph and victory. â€Å"Nike† edged out Knight’s idea of calling the company â€Å"Dimension 6† (Nike Timeline, 2006). In 1970, Bowerman created the first running outsole by pouring liquid rubber into his wife’s waffle maker, an innovation that forever changed the design of running shoes (Nike Timeline, 2006). In 1972, Nike and the Onitsuka Tiger Company parted company. Later that year, Romanian tennis player Ilie Nastase became the first professional athlete to sign an endorsement contract with Nike. Nike’s signing of American record-holder track athlete Steve Prefontaine in 1973 led to many athletes converting to the new brand. In 1974, the waffle trainer was introduced and quickly became the best-selling training shoe in the nation. Subsequent endorsement contracts, advertising campaigns, and athletic footwear innovations (such as Nike air cushioning shoes in 1979) established Nike as a force to be reckoned with. In 1986, corporate revenues exceeded $1 billion for the first time (Nike Timeline, 2006). To Industry Leader In 2005, Nike generated total revenues of $13. 7 billion, an increase over 2004 of 11. percent. Nike held 40 percent of the global market for athletic shoes and apparel (Nike, Inc. , Datamonitor, 2005). Adidas’ acquisition of Reebok in January 2006 made that company a serious rival to Nike’s industry dominance, cornering 20 percent of the worldwide market (Nike, Inc. , 2006, Hoover’s Company Records). The remaining 40 percent market share was divided among other industry contenders, such as Puma AG Rudolf Dassler Sport, K-Swiss, Adams Golf, Callaway Golf Company, and Columbia Sportswear. Nike continued to lead the industry, largely due to its strong international presence. In 2003, Nike’s international sales outstripped its U. S. sales for the first time; in 2005, international sales generated 62. 7 percent of all revenues. Nike sold about 200 million pairs of athletic shoes, and the footwear division contributed 53. 1 percent of all sales for 2005. In 2007, Nikes revenue totaled $16. 326 billion, making a total gross profit of $7. 16 billion. In 2012, for the quarter ended 29 February, Nike’s net income rose 7% to $560 million from the same period last year. Nike said that worldwide future orders for its footwear and apparel, scheduled for delivery from March to July 2012, came to $9. billion up 15% from the same period last year. In North America, Nike’s revenues surged by 17% to $2. 15 billion, and in China, gained by 25% to $694 million. Revenues in Western Europe, which has been suffering from sluggish growth and a debt crisis, rose by 4% to $962 million, but these are expected to increase prominently this summer, with the European football championships in Poland and Ukraine and the 2012 Olympics in London. Finally, the total revenues rose 15% to $5. 8 billion. In January, Nike agreed compensation in a dispute with workers in Indonesia over unpaid overtime. Its Indonesian subsidiary will pay $1 million to about 4,500 workers. Nike’s Vision, Mission and Values An effective and successful Vision statement is powerful and compelling, conveying confidence and inspiring views of the future. The importance of a Vision Statement should not be underestimated. One good paragraph will describe the values, services and vision for the future. The main reason for an organizations existence is to follow through on the mission, vision values, and goals taking into considerations all key stakeholders. However, every company has different set of stakeholders varying in power and significance. The Nike organization uses the collaborative process in functional areas identifying the key stakeholders to facilitate appropriate interactions. In defining the company, strategic managers must identify all of the stakeholders groups and weigh their relative rights and their relative ability to affect the firms success (Pearce Robinson, 2009). Resourcing the key stakeholders to recommend strategic action plans that support the organizational structure and facilitate the organizations success. The Nike Mission is to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world and if you have a body you are an athlete (Nike, 2010). This refers to the fact that Nike exists to supply everyone in the world with the shoes, equipment, or apparel that if anyone has a body then anyone has the potential of becoming an athlete. From the start one understands that Nike intends to merchandize to the world of athletes or people who have a body. That is a huge undertaking, which involves various sets of stakeholder groups. The mission is the catalyst that drives the organization. The stakeholders have power to influence the process of accomplishing the mission, vision, values and goals. However the stakeholders groups have varying ideas, goals, objectives and expectations on how to accomplish the mission. Thus claims must be reconciled in a mission statement that resolves the competing, conflicting and contradicting claims of stakeholders (Pearce Robinson, 2009). The mission must be clear and concise with a solitary purpose that represents the firms goal. Nikes vision is to help Nike, Incorporated and our consumers thrive in a sustainable economy where people, profit, and planet are in balance (Nike, 2010). By integrating information from the various stakeholders roups, rethinking pass mistakes and processes will allow Nike to continue, implementing sustainable principles. This information enables Nike to make changes in the industry and in the company. Identifying challenges, brainstorming solutions, deciding and acting to evaluate, monitor, and reevaluate if the vision is in line with expectations. Nikes values are formed by the strategy teams whose primary focus is to work repeatedly on each part of the vision, strategy, factories, environment, community people, and culture the process keeping Nike in line with working toward the goals of Nike organization. The goal for Nike is believing in the partnerships formed valuing the opportunity to work together with all stakeholders in the apparel industry and to share best practices. Nike has built a stronger relationship with the European governments by considering legislation that will form the future of the clothing industry in areas such as recycling, environmental labeling, consumer awareness, and sustainability. Nike supports the goal of partnerships that bring solutions to enhance sustainability throughout its supply chain and helping the world. Nikes mission, vision, values and goals take on the responsibility living up to these stated purposes. Working together to provide inclusiveness, and diversity inventing ways for people, products and profit to thrive for the Nike organization. Creating systems that work together with partners to rethink, reshape, and analyze challenges. Each component builds upon the other to accomplish primary reasons that Nike exists, for the athlete, the planet and to profit. A company’s core philosophy has the power to influence, inspire and challenge employees on a daily basis. Nike, being the progressive company they are, employs an emergent strategy, one that originates in the interaction of an organization with its environment. Nike’s philosophy is of an extremely importance, not only because of the great success it has garnered Nike and their products, but also because of the continuous call to creativity and innovation it facilitates. The Nike core purpose, experiencing the emotion of winning and crushing your competition, is also important in developing the foundation of a brand promise and value proposition.

Rules About School Essay Example for Free

Rules About School Essay Students tend to break the rules once in awhile that that is because of peer pressure or rebellion against or with someone else. Teenagers explore and do things others wouldn’t do to look â€Å"cool† or to prove something that they could do something with their life, or to look â€Å"superior† to someone else. Imagine a smart and decent student could do inappropriate behavior just to prove they are fit in that society and to not be called names like â€Å"nerd† or â€Å"loser†, that’s how rules are made in school. But I think that we have a little too much of that. Imagine having fewer rules it would be knowledgeable only if it could help students and help the school, having a lot of rules tend to put stress on students that they want to break out of it and just do whatever they want. With less school rules, student would be in school more often, they have the chance to freely do things they could do, less stress for the students and for the teachers, meaning teachers would have an easier job because bad students wouldn’t be so bad anymore because they have less stress on their mind and now they could pay attention and pass grades. Rules that are forced by the securities and faculty staff are sometimes straining and stressing the students involved in such activities. These activities affect the student’s mentality and social behavior because of aggression and rebellion that has been formed on a student’s mind. An example of an activity is sport. When someone is a student athlete they tend to stay after school and hang out for awhile before a game or a practice start, but some securities have a rule that you can’t stay after school that long and you would have to go home right away, for a student athlete to go home would be a waste of energy and stressing that causes aggression towards the school and the school securities which could resolve to conflict. Another School Rule that students are against is â€Å"contraband† this includes Cell phones, iPods, and dress codes. This rule shouldn’t be forced highly and shouldn’t be taken that seriously by the staff of the school. Technology has been a part of this generation and without them a student could be devastated and again could cause aggression towards a staff. I know that it is rude for a student to use such things during class, but if they do they face a consequence of failing in class due to inattentiveness and no participation, they have the choice to do it or not. And even during recess or lunch securities tend to take peoples and  iPods away, they take it too seriously, iPods should not be that bad it’s called â€Å"Break Time† for students and now music is part of our lives so shouldn’t that become an exemption? Then we have our Tardy/Late rule that students break a lot. This rule is good for some parts and bad for some part. The good part of this rule is to teach students to have discipline and be prompt most of the time. But the bad part of this rule is the consequence or the punishment of it, the punishment is â€Å"calf duty† or ISS(In School Suspension). Which most of the students dislike, if Radford really wants its student to be successful academically it wouldn’t be fair to have rules like these: ISS is a punishment that makes students to rake leaves, clean the gym, wipe tables on the cafà ©, throw the thrash, and clean the baseball field on a SUNNY day for one whole class or more. I personally do not think that this punishment is fair because students need to go to class and learn, not to learn how to rake and clean, that is why we have custodians that does that for us. Not only that but again this things causes hate and aggression towards the school and with that, a student will not be able to focus on studies and they would cause an outrage or break more rules, It doesn’t help the student It makes it worst for them. â€Å"Cafà © duty† is not so bad because they provide free lunch for student, but some other classes HAVE to do it without doing anything bad, and that causes the class to be pulled back academically, again the custodians could do their job and serve the food to the students. It’s a learning environment not a job orientation. Consequences for students are a little bit too much, if the staff thinks that by making these type of consequences would stop the student s to break the rules, I don’t think it will because it causes a student to be rebellious and would want to hate the school for making him/her do all the stuff that REGULAR student does not do. School rules are good but it matters on how staff pushes them and how strict they could be. Deviance has its own punishment and it could be being unsuccessful in life or being a pariah in our school society. A person has a choice to do bad things or good, but there are always consequences for our actions.

Comparing China And Germanys Business Cultural Differences

Comparing China And Germanys Business Cultural Differences In a country, the behaviour of the individuals and their work ethic value is determined by the national culture. It also varies from country to country. Academic such as Suku et al (2007), stated that, managers who interferes should not label peoples value, orientation and attitudes of others based on the values of their local cultures. It is important to understand that cultures differs from one place to another, Chinese culture differs from Europeans cultures. In China, they attached importance on hierarchy in an organization. hofstede study is one of the widely recognized cultural identification and measurement which have also received wide criticism. As regards to China, they have strong ethic and clan attachment, because Chinese managers are educated locally. Most often it is easy to find Chinese managers generally middle age and family business owners ranging from small to medium size. Suku (2007:p5). Similarly, Chineses governments are seeking to build Chinese brand, and produ cts that will compete globally with the aim of becoming global champion. They seek to adapt the image of chine in business and protect indigenous companies from foreign competition. Consequently, Germany is an already established economy being the third richest country in the world and the richest in Europe. Management style in western European is also different from the Chinese management style. Germany for instance have so much bureaucracy and hidden group of advisors which makes decision making process slow unlike China where decisions are taken by powerful individuals discussed in power distance in this assignment. However, the management style in western culture appears more transparent and reliable than in China and some Asian cultures. This assignment will discuss the cultural differences in China and Germany using, Hofstedes and Schwartzs theories, monochronic-pluralistic, compare high and low context culture, Trompenaar`s framework and other concepts. The assignment will also discussed the impact of adapting good cross cultural practices by local managers across borders. The answer to the assignment question will be provided based on some changes with r elation to the discussions in this assignment. 2. Comparing and Contrasting China and Germany Cultural Differences using Hofstede and Schwartz Cultural Framework Individuals are inclined by cultural norms, tradition, religions and local belief which are unlikely to be affected by changes. However, as civilization reaches different part of the world, individual are learning to adapt to their new environment in doing business. Some of the hofsteded studies and concepts are discussed below. A. Power distance There is no doubts that some societies are unequal than others but some are more unequal than others. Power distance describes the relationship which exists between the less powerful and the more powerful people in the community. According to Hofstede (1983b), power distance also refers to the hierarchy and the extent employees feel to be dependent on their managers at work. Human life is associated with hierarchy, China culture have comparative wider gap between the high and low, which leads to the rich feeling powerful and respected by the people, there is also lower prospect of movement between different classes, or levels. High power cultures like China expects supervisors to be the decision makers, and be the problem solvers, people are scare of disagreeing with the supervisors. Members of high power distance accept inequality as part of the culture. However, in low power distance such as Germany, people can disagree with their supervisors and feel confident to disagree with supervisors and as a means of defense members will often express an upward aggression although secretly and does not fear for confrontation with their boss. Hofstede (1983a). Members earn their respect and power can only be gained by the best and the best earns it, people do not gain power by merely influencing others by their position or money. There is low significant gap between the boss and the employees and the inequality among the people are minimal. Members require independent from their boss and do not require central authority and autonomy. People are not afraid to fight for their rights which make inequality unacceptable . B. Individualism/collectivism According to Hofatede (1983a), individualism collectivism is the degree identity is based on the individual and the extent the individual is incorporated in the group rather than the group or system. In other words, this distinguishes between the individual and individual collectivity. Gibson et al (1998). Individualism collectivism is also the reflection of ones ethic and way of life. According to Hofstede research, Germany are included in the high individualism places which places high value on ones willpower and individual initiatives. Individual self justification is based on personal achievements and self evaluation. Individuals judgment comes from both their personal achievement and the values place on the recognition by the society. Early et al (1999). In such culture, members pay more attention in themselves and their immediate family than the group. There is freedom of expression and right to owns opinion. Members of high individualistic cultures show more acceptance to aggressive behaviour than members of low individualistic culture. Therefore in Germany national culture, people will not be afraid to express their opinion or defend themselves and would sometimes go any length to accelerate their success. Whereas, in a collectivism or low individualism culture such as China, members show more attention to group identity, strong ties rather than ones self. Members are born in these societies and include extended families. According to Markus and Kitayama (1991), collectivists are satisfied when the group succeeds and judges their own success and failure on the activities of their association. Group needs take preference over the needs of the individual, and members frown at aggressive behaviour since disagreement will disrupt the group harmony and collective state objectives. Bergeron and Schneider (2005). C. Masculinity/ femininity As Hofstede (1980, 1983b) stated, masculinity/femininity can be distinguished by the level of roles distributions between the genders in the societies and the true biological difference being procreation. Similarly, these roles have being identified across the world as a social sex role division. National cultures which has masculinity shows the same values, however, under the same conditions, men`s show different value. Men values are different from women because men are competitive while women are modest and caring. According to Hofstede (1980), aggressive pole are label masculinity and self-effacing pole as feminine. Hofstede identified the national business culture of Germany and China as masculinity. Masculine expression is seen as aggressive, sound, cogent, and not personalized, while feminine expression is judged as cautious, welcoming, indirect, emotional, prejudiced and polite. Pearson (1981). In both Germany and China cultures, they show masculine characters, emotions are n ot expressed, men dominates discussions, and ineffective listeners, members of masculine cultures are more likely to exhibits aggression. Borisoff and Merrill (1985). In summary, According to the authors, femininity has been identified as being polite, humbly behaved, obedient and emotional, members does not support aggression and pay more attention on interpersonal relationship. 3. Reviewing countries against Trompenaar`s framework Universalism v Particularism Universalism and particularism refers to the way societies apply the law of morality and ethics. In a universalism culture, people believe they can learn all that is true and good and always determined to defend the truth. The rule of particularism is based on human judgment and friendship. Germany is an example of a universalism culture, where rules and contract are made and applied in all circumstances. Due to the universalistic approach In Germany, contract are interpreted and communicated based on the terms of the agreement which also define the relationship that exist between the parties in business. However, in a particularistic culture such as China, deciding what is right or wrong depends on the exact situation and relationships of the people involved. For the Chinese, relationship is defined based on the individual involved and the circumstances. In China, legal contract only emphasizes the beginning of a contract terms of agreement which often changes with the circumstances. International business culture tends toward the universalistic idea. In universalistic culture such as Germany, there is greater competition among employees for better job and higher earning without regarding relationship whereas in China, employee focus solely on relationship. There is always room for change in a particuistic culture, rules and regulations are flexible. Finally, these differences in culture are a huge challenges for international companies wishing to enter global market in this countries, although sometimes, these changes may prove to be an advantage. 4. High context versus low context It is essential to consider the cultural differences and the most common communication process in individualistic and collectivistic cultures to communicate effectively. This difference is best explained using low and high context communication. The context depends on the extent you know before you can communicate successfully. Problem often arise due to information sharing when workers from low and high context have to work together. This is sometimes grouped as differences in direction, quality and quantity. High context refers to societies or group where people have close connection and relationship over a long period of time. As a result of many years of interaction with each other, majority of the people know what to do and what to expect from members therefore cultural behaviour are not clearly laid out. Workers from High context cultures such as China adapt to their friends and stays very close to their families and colleagues. Workers also want to share information about various other topics among themselves. These keep every member of the group up to date with current events around the community and business. Whereas, Low context refers to societies or group appears to have many connections for a short period of time or for a purpose. Since members have shorter connections, cultural behaviours are clearly laid out in order to enable people entering the environment to understand what is expected of them and how to behave. Consequently, low context cultures such as Germany familiarizes with as mush people as possible in their everyday life because differentiation between groups are less. Workers only share minimum information enough to carry out their work, people rarely discuss or share information amongst colleagues. In China, people exchange information both at work and in private, which makes communication very proficient. They discussed everything in advance and agree on a common decision which is announced and approved in an official meeting which the people regards as ceremonious. The Chinese values this practice and regard it as dignifying. In contrast, the Germans are very formal, would not disclose agenda for a meeting before the actual time. They would only discuss important information in the meeting which will enable everyone present contributes to the decision making process. High context societies also have dense, strong boundaries, intersecting networks and favours relationship higher than tasks while low context culture have wide networks , loose and favours tasks more than relationships. 5. Monochronic v Polychronic cultures In a monochronic culture, people prefer doing one single thing at a time while in a polychromic culture, people would prefer to multi task at the same time. National business cultural norm in a polychromic culture comprises of an open door policy, meeting and business all at the same time. Germany is a monochronic culture while China is a polychronic. These differences can sometime cause problem in business transaction, example, a German prefer a close door conversation during business meeting and would not like to be interrupted by phone calls or people intruding into the office. They feel less important and disrespected if business is going on at the same time the phone is ringing and staff interrupting the conversation. The Chinese have a flexible time manner which allows them to switch from one task to other as the need arise. To a polychronic, time is unending, and flows like the sea from endless past to present unto the future. For a monochronic such as German, only one thing is permitted at a time until is successfully completed before they can switch to another. Monochronic also regards time as distinct, with an ending, they see as a single unit of hours, minutes and seconds. They prefer to plan, organize their schedules around the ticking of the time. They value time so much that lateness is not acceptable, punctuality is compulsory and people are expected to meet deadlines at work. In Polychronic cultures such as China, people like to relax, enjoy themselves, and be the person they are rather than weighing themselves down with the highly demanding world of business planning and activities. They do not regard lateness as an offense and people are allowed to work around their schedule as long as the work is completed. 6. Conclusion From the above discussions, this assignment will therefore conclude that National Business Cultures are affected by the Changing Environments. Language, Aesthetics, religion, education, attitudes and values, social organisation are some of the changes that affect the national business of a country. Some of these are discussed briefly below. Language Language to a greater extent determines the values and nature of the society. In some countries several dialects deters the business interaction among the people. Sub-cultural languages are also some of the causes of communication and tribal problems in some countries. As people travel from one place to another, language can be an advantage or disadvantage in engaging in business. As people interact they feel more confident to trust others and adapt some of the cultural norms discussed above. Languages also affect relationship and how work is done in both a monochronic and polychronic society. Language also carrying different meaning in a high and low context culture, these concepts often relate to the balance between the spoken and non spoken language. In a high context culture such as China, messages carry different meaning, it is important to understand some of the hidden cultural meaning in a message, whereas in a low context what is said carries the same meaning of the message. Religion According to hofstede (1991), China is an Atheist society, their religion is best understood by the study of Confucius teaching and concepts. In some countries religions laws are used to govern a state and will restrict individual willpower and initiatives in doing certain business. Chinese government supports this belief which reflects the attitudes of the peoples in relation to carefulness and determination. Belief and religion will also determine the level of individualistic-collectivistic of a society. However, National Business practices are changing because younger people are being educated in western style business schools and culture. Also organizations are obliged to adapt their products and services to the local culture n order not to be offensive, unlawful or not tasty to the local nation. In 2007, several advertisement relating to pig which ban in order not to offend the 2% Muslim Chinese minority, the ban was to include any picture which represents any aspect of pig meat such as sausages or picture cartoon. Consequently, Germans religion is divided into Roman Catholic and Protestants which is also practices across Europe. There is no compulsory religion in Germany, as religion is not mixed with politic. There s freedom of everything. As people belief is constants changing, the national business environment is also affected. Attitudes and values Individual Attitudes and values changes from place to place and can also change among people in the same country. It is also important to understand the local environment and the culture before entering the market. Universalism and particularism are also some of the cultural practice that changes by the attitude and values in the society. Chinese people will not do business with a stranger and prefer to do business with someone they know and can trust. Companies wishing to do businesses in China have to form friendship with the local people to establish friendship and trust not just for a short time but on a long time bases in order whereas the reverse is the case in Germany. Similarly, in some cases, promotional messages or delicate branding are designed according to the local cultures, managing local employee also may pose a challenge. Example, In 2004, China ban a Nike TV advert which shows a basketball star in a fight with kung fu master cartoon because the advert is an insult to Chinese national dignity. The effect of attitude and value on national business of a country is an important ingredient which has to be clearly studied and understood in constantly reviewed in order to keep on track the changes that may hinder businesses with the country. Education The degree of interaction between people in a society depends on the level of education. Education also determines how messages are communicated to the people and the medium of communication. The level of education among people changes from country to country. Example, it is difficult to use communication messages such as written materials to advertise in a country with a low literacy level, in such country, it will be wish to use radio advertising with audio communication and billboards. Branding and labeling of the products is another medium of advertising in such society. In China, most management courses are taught according to the standard of the western culture. As more people get educated in western way of thinking, this unarguably boasted business culture and enable modern theories and business model to take over rigid and traditional leadership style. Moreover, the need for advancement in research and development is a significant influence for both China and Germany who alwa ys seek to improve their business environment. However, as a result of word counts and limit, this will not be elaborated any further. Finally, the discussion can point out to the fact that National business culture of a nation is affected to the changing environment. 7. Management style and managing across borders Finally, in discussing some of the facts important to Saudi managers to succeed across borders in business, they should learn the management style, culture of the local people and respect their cultural differences. It is important to develop how to manage cultural diversity, differences and conflicts, dealing with issues such as control and coordination, communication and teamness Marquardt et al, Shenkar and Zeira, (2001) Cultural diversity and language difference is a challenge to any multinational company. When doing business in countries like China, managers should seek to build a lasting relationship with the local people to gain their trust and friendship. When cultural differences are neglected at work several challenges such as conflict occurs. It is important to recognize others and built flexible team, empower team members and involve staff in decision making process. When intercultural skills are ignored, results may be rage, communication barrier, and difficulty in sharing knowledge. Managers should be empathic and understand the cultural practice in countries where they are operating. Some of these cultures have great significant in the individuals and society in general as discussed above, it is therefore necessary to acquire the norms and focus on how businesses should adapt to theses cultural practices across border as stated in this assignment. Managers should understand Hofstede and Schwartz theories, monochronic polychronic, individualistic collectivistic and other cultural differences discussed in this assignment and apply them correctly in individual nation. Managers should understand what their local business environment requires and design products and services to meet such demands which will encourage universalism. They should ensure business in done in an open way according to the nations managerial style and culture example in Germany where employee competition is encouraged by companies. In conclusion, managers should always reflects on their local culture, and apply the ethic and values in cross cultural borders as a means to understanding how other nations operate before judging them. 8. References Suku Bhaskaran (2007), National culture, business culture and management practices, consequential relationships Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, and Nishal Sukumaran. The Melbourne Business School. Australia Cross Cultural Management, international Journal vol 14 no 1. 2007 pp 54-67 Dickson et al., 2003 Business Journal of Management vol 3 issue 3 Suku Bhaskaran (2007), National culture, business culture and management practices, consequential relationships, Victoria University, Melbourne, Australia, and Nishal Sukumaran. The Melbourne Business School, Australia Cross Cultural Management, an International Journal vol 14 no 1, 2007 p5 Euromonitor, China: How to Get a Piece of the Action in Beauty and Personal Care. December 2009 Hofstede, (1991, p. 28).The strategic alliances between the American and German companies a cultural perspective. European Business Review Vol. 16 No. 1, p 28 Hofstede (1994). The strategic alliance between the American and German companies a cultural perspective. European Business Review vol 16 no 1,p 29 Glunk, U., Wilderom, C. and Ogilvie, R. (1999), Finding the key to German-style management, International Studies of Management and Organization, Vol 26 No 3, pp 93-108. Triandis, H.C. (1993), Cultural values in intergroup and single group social dilemmas, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Vol. 77 No 3, pp 171-91. China business Ettequett accessed online at www.cyborlink.com/besite/China.htm Arvind V Phatak. Rabi S Bhagat, Roger j Kashlak (2005) managing in diverse and dynamic global environment, International management textbook, p 160 .Hofstede (1994). The strategic alliances between the American and German companies a cultural perspective. European Business Review vol 16 no 1. p 29 .Schwartzs (1999). The strategic alliances between the American and German companies a cultural perspective. European Business Review vol 16 No. 1, p 28 . Khaled Abdou (2003). The strategic alliances between the American and German companies, a cultural perspective vol 16 issues 1 (2003) . Hofsteded (1991) Chinese employees work values vol 129 issue 2 . Ju (1993) the impact of culture on Chinese employees work values, Journal of Public Relation Vol 36 issues 1 (PR) . Kogut, B. and Singh, H. 1988, the effect of national culture on the choice of entry mode. Journal of International Business Studies, vol 19 no 3, pp. 411-32. (www.imf.org). Higgs, B. (2006). Environmental scanning pest or pleasure, Marketing magazine, 2006, 52-53 .Euromonitor, China. How to Get a Piece of the Action in Beauty and Personal Care. December 2009 Times online 2010. www.timesonline.com/news .www.bbc.co.uk/news/business link Barry Bozeman and Jeffrey D. Straussman, Public Management Strategies, Guidelines for Managerial Effectiveness. Oxford, Jossey Bass Publishers 1990. . Shenkar and Zeira, (1992) The relationship between intercultural effectiveness and perceived project team performance in the context of international development. International Journal of Intercultural Relations 33, 2009, 383 Time newspapers April 15th 2001

Computers :: essays research papers

Computers Computer are electronic device that can receive a set of instructions, or program, and then carry out a program by performing calculations on numbered data or by compiling and correlating other forms of information. The old world of technology could not believe about the making of computers. Different types and sizes of computers find uses throughout our world in the handling of data including secret governmental files and making banking transactions to private household accounts. Computers have opened up a new world in manufacturing through the developments of automation, and they have made modern communication systems. They are great tools in almost everything you want to do research and applied technology, including constructing models of the universe to producing tomorrow's weather reports, and their use has in itself opened up new areas of development. Database services and computer networks make available a great variety of information sources. The same new designs also make possible ideas of privacy and of restricted information sources, but computer crime has become a very important risk that society must face if it would enjoy the benefits of modern technology. Two main types of computers are in use today, analog and digital, although the term computer is often used to mean only the digital type. Everything that a digital computer does is based on one operation the ability to determine if a switch, or gate is open or closed. That is, the computer can recognize only two states in any of its microscopic circuits on or off, high voltage or low voltage, or—in the case of numbers—0 or 1. The speed at which the computer performs this simple act, however, is what makes it a marvel of modern technology. Computer speeds are measured in megaHertz, or millions of cycles per second. A computer with a "clock speed" of 10 mHz—a fairly representative speed for a microcomputer—is capable of executing 10 million discrete operations each second. Business microcomputers can perform 15 to 40 million operations per second, and supercomputers used in research and defense applications attain speeds of billions of cycles per second. Digital computer speed and calculating power are further enhanced by the amount of data handled during each cycle. If a computer checks only one switch at a time, that switch can represent only two commands or numbers; thus ON would symbolize one operation or number, and OFF would symbolize another. By checking groups of switches linked as a unit, however, the computer increases the number of operations it can recognize at each cycle. The first adding machine, a precursor of the digital computer, was

Australian Climate Essay -- Weather Environment Australia Essays Paper

Australian Climate Australian Climate Zones When looking at the climate of Australia, we can break up the continent into three basic areas of climate. The tropical region containing the northern peninsulas of Australia, as well as the city of Darwin, is hot and extremely wet. Average maximum temperatures range from 30 - 39 °C with an average annual rainfall of up to 400 cm. The tropical north is covered with rainforests and is regularly hit by tropical monsoons, hence the extreme amount of precipitation. Secondly, the central deserts and grasslands cover over seventy percent of the inland and receive the least amount of rain, from 12 to 100 cm annually. The maximum temperature ranges from 24 °C in the southern deserts to over 36 °C in the northern grasslands. This enormous section of Australia is usually referred to as the â€Å"Outback† and is not densely populated. The third and most heavily-populated climate area is the temperate south and southeast. The big cities in Australia – Melbourne, Sydney, Canbe rra, Brisbane and Perth – are all located in the south, and all in the southeast except for Perth. We will focus on the southeastern coastal area when talking about this temperate climate zone, as the vast majority of Australians live in this area. The climate here is very moist and mild; although not as wet as the tropical north, receiving anywhere from 50 to 320 cm of rain annually, but much wetter in comparison to the Outback. The average maximum temperature in the southeast ranges from 12 to 27 °C, which is more livable compared to the rest of the continent. To understand just how these climate zones function, we must look at the subtropical high that exists in the southern â€Å"horse latitudes† of around 30 °S. The Subtropica... ...on of El Nino, which many think has to do with increased pollution and other human influences on the environment, has created an almost constant state of drought in Australia. For the citizens of Australia, we can only hope that the global community can strive to treat the environment better, as the smallest detrimental actions can have far-reaching consequences when it comes to weather and society. Bibliography Australia Bureau of Meteorology, â€Å"Bureau of Meteorology Home Page,† http://www.bom.gov.au/ Dimantina Touring, â€Å"Outback Australia Climate,† http://www.diamantina-tour.com.au/outback_info/climate.htm Earthsci.org, â€Å"Australia Climate,† http://earthsci.org/weather/austwea/autwea.htm Monash University, â€Å" Australia ’s Climate,† http://www.monash.edu/international/australia/climate/ Weathersavvy.com, â€Å"Deserts,† http://weathersavvy.com/Q-Deserts1.html

Huck Finn :: essays research papers

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Modern American (1885) 1. The Author and His Times Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, was born in Florida, Missouri in 1835. When he was four, his family moved to Hannibal, Missouri, the setting for many of his books. His father died when he was 12. After his father died, he went to work as a printer ¹s apprentice and eventually as a printer in Missouri, St. Louis, and New York often writing a few works himself for periodicals. He worked as a printer and a reporter selling much of his work to newspapers. He continually moved from town to town. In 1857, he decided to move to South America to make a fortune there. He boarded a riverboat and headed for New Orleans where he would arrange the rest of his trip. However, he never made it past New Orleans and never into South America. He begged the riverboat to teach him how to pilot the riverboat. The riverboat pilot agreed to teach him for $500. Mark Twain went west during the civil war and established himself as a writer during this time. He wrote humorous stories about his experiences which lead to a job as a newspaper reporter in 1862. The following year he began signing his work  ³Mark Twain, ² a riverboat term meaning two fathoms deep. Mark Twain went to Hawaii in 1866. This trip was the beginning of his career as a travel correspondent. The next year he went to Europe and wrote a successful book there titled, The Innocent Abroad. In 1876, he published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. This book was such a success that he decided immediately to write a sequel. The sequel, which became much more complex than the original was published seven years later in 1883 and titled, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. After Huckleberry Finn, Twain wrote nearly a dozen more books but none were as successful. By 1939, Twain had lost all of his money investing in various schemes and inventions, almost all of which were failures. After this, he went on a world lecture tour and was able to pay his debts by 1896. While on the tour, one of his daughters died. His wife later in 1904. In 1909 his daughter died leaving him unhappy. 2. Form, Structure, and Plot The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn consists of 43 chapters and is told in the first person with

FBI Case Study

The â€Å"Who Killed the Virtual Case File? † case study is a clear example of project failure which resulted on not only balloon the cost of the project, but also loss that could be counted on millions of dollars. Because of the size of the project and the failure of the project, it is broadly used to prevent future IT Project Management disasters. Project Overview: When special agent Larry Depew collected evidence of illegal activity of the Russian and Italian mafia tax skim activity, FBI didn’t have database system, which could organize and support all the information gathering processes that were needed for the organization. A decade later, Depew was landed in his first project management job called FBI Virtual Case File project (VCF), even though he had no previous experience. In the PMBOK Guide book describes what abilities a project manager should possess to successfully manage projects is: knowledge, performance and personal . In the results of lack of experience and ineffective planning the project was unfortunate failure. Because of availability of funds, the FBI’s 23 divisions developed own database system for each of the different divisions. In the result FBI ended up with 45-50 different investigative databases and applications, which are not communicating with each other. Also, the Automated Case Support (ACS) system was cumbersome to use, inefficient and had limited functional capabilities. Additionally all 13000 were really old which resulted in not supporting new software’s. Intranet that connected FBI offices had 56-kilobit-per second modems. SAIC (Applications International Corp. ) for software developed delivered 700,000 lines of code bug-ridden, off target system which resulted in $105 million worth loss. However, researches and findings showed that the FBI—lacking IT management and technical expertise—shares the blame for the project's failure. The research and study later on painted a picture of an enterprise IT project that fell into the most basic traps of software development, from poor requirement gathering, planning and bad communication between software developer and FBI. The key issues related to the failure of the project: * Violation of the Project Scope Management. One of the main factors of VSF project was poorly defined business requirements and overly specific nature of the requirements defined in systems design and analysis phase which resulted in creating 400 functional deficiencies found after testing the system. * Violation of the Project Cost Management The lack of IT investment processes resulted in ballooning the cost of the project in spite of the millions of dollars spending which was the also one of the main reason of VSF project failure. Violation of the Project Time Management Overly ambitious schedules and poorly defined schedule is one of the among VSF project failures. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure The lack of a plan to guide hardware purchases and deployment was one also of the failures of VSF project. Resolution: * The FBI’s higher management will be participating in the new software development to overcome the discrepancies associated with the previous those were VCF project. FBI is planning to purchase software from the vendor to digitize all documents, crime related evidence paperwork processes in the single database and still continue use VCF project systems up until it will be replaced with the desired software. * The new project will deploy and create new monitoring, risk management system which involves planning, scheduling and target oriented testing. Relevance to IT Project Management: * Project Scope Management Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that project includes all the work required, to complete the project successfully. Scope Management includes following steps: clearly defining and documenting project business requirements by the company shareholders (collect requirements), develop a detailed description of the project (define scope), subdivide project deliverables and project work into smaller, manageable components (create WBS), formalize acceptance of the completed project deliverables, and monitoring the status and scope (verify scope), and managing changes to the scope baseline (control scope). FBI’s VSF project failed to define detailed project requirements, formalize acceptance of completed project deliverables by SAIC and monitoring and managing the scope by project manager. * Violation of the Project Cost Management Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in estimating, budgeting, and controlling costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget. The cost management process includes: developing an approximation of the monetary resources (estimate costs), estimating costs of the individual activities (determine budget) and monitoring the status of the project budget and managing changes to the cost baseline (control costs). VSF project failed to address cost control in project cost management, because it had possibility to receive funding from the government. * Violation of the Project Time Management. Project Time Management includes the processes required to manage timely completion of the project. It includes following processes: identifying the specific actions to be performed to produce the project deliverables (define activities), identifying and documenting relationships among the project activities (sequence activities), estimating quantities of material, people, equipment, or supplies required to perform each activity (estimate activity resources), coming up with the approximate number of works periods needed to omplete individual activities with estimated resource (estimate activity durations), analyzing activity sequences, durations, resource requirements, and schedule constrains to create project schedule (develop schedule), and monitoring the status of the project to update project progress and managing changes to the schedule baseline (control schedule). In VSF project most of the required activities in time management FBI m anagement and SAIC failed to follow. * Violation of Project Risk Management Procedure. Project Risk Management includes the processes of conducting risk management planning, identification, analysis, response planning, and monitoring and control on the project. It includes following processes: defining how to conduct risk management activities (planning), determining which risks may affect the project and documenting their characteristics (identify risks), prioritizing risks for further analysis and combining their probability of occurrence and impact (perform qualitative risk analysis). Numerically analyzing the effect of identified risks on overall project objectives (perform quantitative risk analysis), developing options and actions to enhance opportunities and reduce threats to project objectives (plan risk responses), and implementing risk response plan, tracking identified risks, monitoring residual risks, identifying new risks, and evaluating risk process effectiveness throughout the project (monitor and control risk). In the FBI case none of the project risk management was applied to minimize risk associated with the possibility of the failure of the VSF project. Key Takeaways: It is important follow IT project management rules in order to develop the system. Main lessons learnt from the case study: * Business requirement analysis and technical requirements are crucial in the success of the project in planning phase. * Managing communication between companies’ key shareholders and server providers is required for productive outcome of the development. * Project monitoring and testing is vital task and should be accepted throughout the development * Prototypes be shown to client on regular basis to avoid all changes required at the end of the project * Having a individuals without proper knowledge in the rojects leads to the project success * Planning and monitoring leads to delivering the right product and timely completion of the project * Unsystematic approach in project time management could lead to delay in completion of projects * Deficient and unsatisfactory requirements lead to incomplete projects failure Research Approach For my research approach, I used Project Management and body of knowledge to identify main processes of the project management, and applied some basics acquired from the Systems Analysis and Design class to identify where FBI’s VSF project failed to address and manage this huge multimillion dollar project.

Fin 515 Week 4 Homework Assignment

basketball team 515 WEEK 4 HOMEWORK grant (72) Constant emersion Valuation Boehm co-ordinated is anticipate to pay a $1. 50 per conduct dividend at the end of this category (i. e. , D1 = $1. 50). The dividend is judge to grow at a uninterrupted wander of 7% a category. The required set up of return on the pipeline, rs, is 15%. What is the value per sh atomic number 18 of Boehms product line? For this difficulty we can enjoyment the formula from the discussion P=d1(R-G) to relegate the price. We just claim to mess in the set so, 1. 5/(8% 15-7). The value is 18. 75. (74) favourite(a) Stock ValuationNicks Enchiladas Incorpo wanderd has pet depot bystanding that pays a dividend of $5 at the end of severally year. The favorite(a) sells for $50 a sh ar. What is the stocks required rate of return? From the book we discover that we simply drive to fasten into the formula, r=5/50. The required rate of return should be 10 percent. (75) Nonconstant Growth Valuation A follow presently pays a dividend of $2 per share (D0 = $2). It is estimated that the companys dividend will grow at a rate of 20% per year for the next 2 years, then at a constant rate of 7% thereafter. The companys stock has a beta of 1. , the risk-free rate is 7. 5%, and the mart risk pension is 4%. What is your estimate of the stocks up-to-the-minute price? I wasting diseased the financial calculator online for this problem, but we can bechance it manually To solve this problem we need to first describe the required rate of return, which is Rs=Rf+B(Rrm-Rrf), so 7. 5+(11. 5-7. 5)*1. 2=12. 3 So, D0 would be 2, D1 would be 2. 4, D2 would be 2. 88, and D3 would be 3. 08. We then have to calculate the PV for the dividends, which is 4. 42. We have to calculate P2, which came out to 46. 10. afterward adding up the PV values we protrude the stocks price which is 50. 0, or at least thats what I got (9-1) After-Tax court of Debt Calculate the after-tax live of debt under eac h of the following conditions a. touch on rate of 13%, tax rate of 0% To calculate, share 0. 13*(1-0), we get 13 percent. b. Interest rate of 13%, tax rate of 20% To calculate, top 0. 13*(1-0. 20), we get 10. 4 percent. c. Interest rate of 13%, tax rate of 35% To calculate, take 0. 13*(1-0. 35), we get 8. 45 percent. (9-4) follow of preferent Stock with Flotation be Burnwood Tech plans to issue some $60 par preferred stock with a 6% dividend. A similar stock is selling on the market for $70.Burnwood moldiness pay flotation costs of 5% of the issue price. What is the cost of the preferred stock? Were given the par value, the divident percentage, the market value of the stock, and the flotation costs, and are spirit for the cost. The ADP of the preferred stock is 6 percent*60, which comes out to 3. 60. The cost of favorite(a) Stock can be mensural as (Preferred stock dividend/MP of Preferred Stock*(1-FC) We just need to plug in the numbers, so you get essentially (60*. 06)/7 0*(1-0. 05) calculating that out, the cost of preferred stock should be 5. 1 percent. (9-5) constitute of Equity DCF Summerdahl Resorts popular stock is currently trading at $36 a share. The stock is expected to pay a dividend of $3. 00 a share at the end of the year (D1 = $3. 00), and the dividend is expected to grow at a constant rate of 5% a year. What is its cost of habitual equity? For this problem, we are to use the equation r=(D1/P0)+g Since we are given the P0, D1, and G (36,3,0. 05) we are sounding for r so, just plug-and-chug. Comes out to 13. 3 percent. (9-6) Cost of Equity CAPM Booher Book Stores has a beta of 0. 8.The yield on a 3-month T-bill is 4% and the yield on a 10-year T-bond is 6%. The market risk premium is 5. 5%, and the return on an modal(a) stock in the market put out year was 15%. What is the estimated cost of common equity using the CAPM? For this one, looked to me like we need to use the formula Rs=Rrf+Bi(RPm) Like the give way problem, we are give n all the values except one. Plugging-and-chugging again, I got 0. 06+0. 8*(0. 055), came out to 10. 4 percent. (9-7) WACC Shi Importers balance tabloid shows $300 one million million in debt, $50 million in preferred stock, and $250 million in total common equity.Shis tax rate is 40%, rd = 6%, rps = 5. 8%, and rs = 12%. If Shi has a backside capital structure of 30% debt, 5% preferred stock, and 65% common stock, what is its WACC? So, for this problem we need to find the WACC which can be found by the formula (Wd)*(Rd)*(1-T)+(Wps)*(Rps)+(Wce)(Rs) We are again given most of the values, so its plug-and-chug from here on, pretty much. Debt is 0. 30, PS is 0. 05, Equity is 0. 65, Rd is 0. 06, T is 0. 40, Rps is 0. 058, and Rs is 0. 12 So when plugged it looks like (0. 30*0. 06*(1-0. 40))+0. 05*0. 058+0. 65*0. 12, and that came out to 9. 17 percent.