Monday, January 27, 2020
Benefits of School Sports Programs: A Survey
Benefits of School Sports Programs: A Survey Memo of Transmittalà Subject: Need for more athletic events in school Problem: Selkirk College is a respectable school in the Kootenays region. This school has many branches such as Castlegar, Nelson, Trail etc. In this school, many international students are studying now such as from India, China, Japan and many other countries. They face many problems here like accommodation and work mainly due to which some students feel homesick too. They feel alone and stressed from studies and all the assignment work. In our school, hardly one or two cultural events and other athletics event occurs. Students who are from sports background love games very much, so they miss these types of events here. No doubt, the college always organizes many types of events like Intercultural Festival and small gaming competition, but these are not as big and organised as required and also they are held seldomnly. Solution: Our school management can make a decision about this. Physical activities can be added to the school curriculum without any academic disturbances and also can offer physical, emotional and social benefits. At every weekend friendly sports events should be held in our gymnasium. We should not force the students to take part in those events. In every semester, there should be one big Sports Event at college and an Annual function should be arranged for students. In these events different kinds of matches like Cricket, Basketball and Badminton should be organised and cultural dances, dramas and many more such things should be held. There should be prizes for top 3 students of classes for appreciation for their hard work. Conclusion: Schoolbased sports activities can bring out positive reactions and behaviors in students.à An annual function could encourage students to study more when they see their friends getting awards for their hard work. So the management should look after this issue and should take effective steps regarding this. I would thanks to Parmider Singh and Sarabjit Singh for their cooperation. Table of Contents (Jump to) List of Illustrations Executive Summary Introduction Discussion Sections Conclusionsà and Recommendationsà References List of Illustrations Graph 1: Students from different countries and their interest Figure 1: An example of intercultural events Executive Summary To summarize, I would like to say that we have less extra curriculum activities in our school which are really important for the overall growth of mind and health of students. We should start Yoga, Basketball, Cricket and many more classes at our campus. These classes may be considered individual or team depending on the kind of sport. I did survey and group discussions with many students in the college to discuss this topic and to know their views about these activities. Almost every student wants to see these kinds of extra curriculum activities to be organised in the college. Once in a semester these kinds of events and matches should be organised within different campuses of the college. So, at the end I hope the management and authorities of our college will also think about this change and they will start these kinds of events in coming days. I really appreciate those students who helped me to represent my views in front of the organization by supporting me. Introduction In this project, I have thrown some light on the issue of organising some extra curriculum activities for students in the college. This is a really important issue for all the students who feel stressed and bored from the studies and also the students who want to show their talent in sports. The college should organise some kinds of sports activities within its different campuses along with some cultural events once in a semester. However, at the end of the semester top 3 students should be awarded. This should be done at a bigger level and students from all courses should be welcomed. Due to this change, students will excel in their overall growth both physically and mentally. Moreover, there are many international students who feel homesick and alone in the college. So they will also be benefited from this. Also, students will be motivated by the watching others getting awards for their hard work. Discussion Sections I did survey regarding sports and other activities in college. In this survey, I asked to answer in between the rating of 0-10. Like if you strongly agree with the opinion then give 10 and so on according to your level of interest. My questions were- Do you miss your functions held in the past? Do you want to see those functions again in Selkirk College? How much is it important to organize functions and sports activities in college? Does it reduce stress level? Can we learn from this kind of activities? Can this kind of activities encourage students to study more and give competition to other students? Is it important for fitness purpose? Is it reducing homesickness up to some extent for international students? Do you think it could be great source of fun in this small town? In results, I got most of the students giving 8-10 for their answers. Moreover, I did group discussion with students from different countries. Firstly, I did with Indian students. They said they are missing those events which they enjoyed in Indian college and they are willing to enjoy those moments here too. When I discussed this matter with Canadian students they said they would love to see this kind of activities being organised in the college.à I just shared my Indian college event experience with them to explain them little bit. All the Chinese, Japanese students are agreeing and excited to see these functions. Because, we all believe through these events we can learn about different cultures and show our talents. Graph 1 Students from different countries and their interest We can see from this bar chart more than 70% of the students are agreeing to organize these functions and sports activities in this college. Fig 1: An example of intercultural events Conclusions After doing the survey with different types of students, we came to the result that more than 70% of the students agreed with our opinion and they also want to see these kinds of events in the college. We also found that the students are lacking in physical fitness which is affecting their overall growth. So, the authorities should take effective steps in this change for the betterment of the students. Recommendations In order to implement these changes the college should start giving free classes and coaching to the students like of Yoga, Cricket, Basketball and many more. The authorities should hire trainers and coaches in the college. Also, the sports department of the college should renovate the playing courts and grounds for the matches. Moreover, the Student Union department should isolate the students and should promote these kinds of events in the college. Intercultural events like Dance, Dramas should be organised at a bigger level in the college. References [1]à http://globalsportsdevelopment.org/benefits-of-school-based-sports/ [2]à http://www.sparkpe.org/blog/10-ideas-to-improve-your-schools-pe-program/ [3]à http://www.google.com [4]à http://yuva.epfl.ch/files/content/sites/yuva/files/YUVA%20Web%20folder/Cultural/2014/Event%20pics/Cultural%20Events.png Policy Analysis Paper: Caregiver Relief Act Policy Analysis Paper: Caregiver Relief Act Austina Burton The North Carolina state legislation I chose is house bill 99, or also senate bill 535. It is titled the Caregiver Relief Act. It was filed on February 13th, in 2013, in the House of Representatives (House, 2013). The primary sponsors in the house are Representative Alma Adams from Guilford County, and Representative Larry Hall from Durham County. Other sponsors in the house include Representatives Cunningham, Farmer-Butterfield, Floyd, Gill, Hamilton, Harrison, Insko, Moore, Pierce, and Wray (House, 2013). The Caregiver Relief Act was passed to the senate on March 28th, in 2013. The primary sponsors in the Senate are Senator Earline W. Parmon, who is from Forsyth County, and Senator Angela R. Bryant, who represents Halifax, Nash, Vance, Warren, and Wilson counties. Another sponsor in the North Carolina Senate was former senator Eleanor Kinnaird (Senate, 2013). The Caregiver Relief Act has costs, benefits, and stakeholders, and is effective and viable. Issue The Caregiver Relief Act is supposed to address a gap in the Family Medical Leave Act, also known as FMLA. The act would amend the labor laws to provide relief for caregivers in North Carolina (Caregiver, 2013). The purpose is to provide for supports in the workplace, under state law, for caregivers, who provide direct care to certain family members in need of care in those instances, where such leave would not be afforded to the caregivers under federal law. (Caregiver, 2013) The Caregiver Relief Act would extend the protections of the federal Family Medical Leave Act to allow employees to care for a sibling, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, or parent-in-law.Should an employer offer FMLA benefits, the law already allows for an employee to take 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave (Caregiver, 2013). The general rule the relief act would put into place is: An employer, required to comply with the FMLA, shall provide the same leave to an employee to care for a sibling, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, or parent-in-law, that the employee is entitled to under the FMLA at 29 U.S.C. sections 2614 and 2615, as amended, with respect to a spouse, son, daughter, or parent of the eligible employee for the eligible employeeââ¬â¢s sibling, grandparent, grandchild, stepchild, stepparent, or parent-in-law. (Caregiver, 2013) Costs and Benefits The costs of the Caregiver Relief Act would be no different than the costs the Family Medical Leave Act has already implemented. An employee, who takes leave, is entitled to the same protections and rights that an eligible employee is entitled to under the FMLA (Caregiver, 2013). The leave granted under the relief act shall be taken in the same manner, and under the same conditions, and restrictions the use of leave in the FMLA applies. The benefits mostly revolve around the caregivers. According to the Caregiver Relief Act, it has been found that employees, with care responsibilities, add additional health care costs to employers due to their own poor health. It has also been found that caregiving supports in the workplace can save businesses significant money associated with reduced incidences of absenteeism, crisis in care, workday interruptions, supervisory time, and reduced hours (Caregiver, 2013). Stakeholders There were more people, and agencies, supporting the bill than criticizing it. Beth Messersmith, who is the campaign director of NC MomsRising, and co-coordinator of NC Families Care, shows support to the Caregiver Relief Act. The FMLA is a crucial piece of legislation, that has been used an estimated 100 million times to provide job-protected, unpaid leave to women and men across the country to recover from a serious illness, care for a new child, or care for a seriously ill spouse, parent, or child. Itââ¬â¢s time to fill the gaps to ensure that all workers can fulfill their family responsibilities without falling out of the workforce. (Media, 2013) The NC Chapters of the National MS (multiple sclerosis) Society recognize that the demands of caregiving are being shared by more and more family members and support the Caregiver Relief Act (Media, 2013).Mary Bethel, who is the associate state director for advocacy for AARP North Carolina, stated, ââ¬Å"Todayââ¬â¢s reality is that we are a state of working family caregivers. North Carolina ranks 6th in the nation in the number of children cared for by their grandparentsâ⬠(Media, 2013). Bethel made a good point about how much this bill is needed. North Carolinaââ¬â¢s Senator Kinnaird said, ââ¬Å"The FMLA has had a tremendous impact on the lives of North Carolinaââ¬â¢s working families. Without expansion, many are unable to put family first.â⬠She suggests that the FMLA needs to expand its protections, so family leave becomes more accessible (Media, 2013). Rationally Effective The Caregiver Relief Act is effective and feasible. It has been effective in the general assembly, not only because it has a lot of support, but because it is aiming for measurable results, and will achieve a rational outcome, if voted into law. Furthermore, other states, in the United States, have reformed the Family Medical Leave Act in some way. For example, the California Assembly passed their bill, number 592, which changed how employers handled maternity leave. This bill made it unlawful for an employer to interfere with the allotted leave time for woman who were pregnant (California, 2011). Other changes, that states have made, include expanding the definition of family beyond child, spouse and parent, increasing the allowable uses under the FMLA, establishing family leave insurance programs, and lowering the employer threshold (Media, 2013). Politically Viable The Caregiver Relief Act is politically viable. It is viable because it has political support, it is capable of succeeding, and it will work as intended too after it is implemented. First, it has political support from many representative and senators in the North Carolina General Assembly. Second, it has the capability to succeed in the house and the senate, and then, be put into law. The Caregiver Relief Act will succeed in fulfilling its intentions, and will have positive effects on caregivers. They will have more time for their loved ones, and they will have less stress from work related issues. Overall, the Caregiver Relief Act will fulfill its intention, which is to require employers to provide leave to an employee to care for a sibling, grandparent, grandchild, stepparent, or parent-in-law. It will do this by enforcing any right, or obligation, created by the policy, by a civil action (Caregiver, 2013). Social Worker Point of View As a social worker, who operates within the NASW Code of Ethics, I would support the Caregiver Relief Act. I would support it based on the fact that it is needed, and based on two different sections of the Code of Ethics. First, house bill 99 is needed because the elderly population is growing very rapidly. They represented 12.9% of the U.S. population in 2009 (Aging Statistics). According to the Administration on Ageing, by 2030, there will be about 72.1 million older persons. That is more than twice their number in 2000 (Aging Statistics). In addition, many of them will need caregivers. These caregivers will need some kind of assistance from their employers, so therefore they will not lose their jobs if they need to take extended leave to care for an older person. Based on the NASW Code of Ethics, it is a responsibility of a social worker to uphold the general welfare of society, and this includes advocating for living conditions (Code, 2008). Section 6.01, of the code of ethics, talks about social welfare, and how social workers should advocate for living conditions favorable to the fulfilment of basic human needs. This is one reason why I would support the Caregiver Relief Act. My concern is the welfare of the people that need caregiving. Also, the caregivers need a way to support themselves, while supporting the needs of the older adults they are helping. One place to give them support is in their workplace with the Caregiver Relief Act. Part ââ¬Ëaââ¬â¢ of section 6.04 of the Code of Ethics, explains that social workers should seek to ââ¬Å"ensure that all people have equal access to the resources, employment, services, and opportunities they require to meet their basic human needs.â⬠It is part of a social workers job to engage in social and political action that would benefit people (Code, 2008). This legislation would benefit caregivers by giving them the resources they need, to stay afloat in the economy, if they are taking care of someone else. Conclusion In conclusion, House Bill 99, in the North Carolina General Assembly, would help mend a gap in the FMLA. It would extend the FMLA to count siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, and in-laws as people caregivers can take leave to care for. An employee, who takes leave, is entitled to the same protections and rights that an eligible employee is entitled to under the FMLA. One reason this is needed is because it has been found that caregiving supports in the workplace can save businesses significant money (Caregiver, 2013). Therefore, there are more people, and agencies, supporting the bill than criticizing it. A few are the campaign director of NC MomsRising, the NC Chapters of the National MS Society, and the associate state director for advocacy for AARP North Carolina (Media, 2013). The Caregiver Relief Act is effective and feasible. It has been effective in the general assembly, not only because of its support, but because it is aiming for measurable results and will achieve a rational outcome if voted into law. The Caregiver Relief Act is politically viable. It is viable because it has political support, it is capable of succeeding, and it will work as intended too after it is implemented. As a social worker, who operates within the NASW Code of Ethics, I would support the Caregiver Relief Act. Many states have expanded, or improved, the Family and Medical Leave Act already by lowering the employer threshold, expanding the definition of family beyond child, spouse and parent, increasing the allowable uses under the FMLA, and establishing family leave insurance programs. North Carolina lawmakers have taken important steps toward filling the gaps by introducing the Caregiver Relief Act. References Aging Statistics. (n.d.). Aging Statistics. Retrieved March 23, 2014, from http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/ Assembly Bill No. 592. (2011). California Legislation. Retrieved March 27, 2014, from http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/11-12/bill/asm/ab_0551-0600/ab_592_bill_20111009_chaptered.pdf Caregiver Relief Act. (2013, February 13). General Assembly of North Carolina. Retrieved March 24, 2014, from http://www.ncleg.net/Sessions/2013/Bills/House/PDF/H99v1.pdf Code of Ethics (English and Spanish). (2008). Code of Ethics (English and Spanish). Retrieved March 23, 2014, from https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp House Bill 99. (2013.). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013BillID=H99 MEDIA RELEASE: Caregiver Relief Act would help working caregivers hold onto their jobs. (2013, April 1). North Carolina Justice Center. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=workers-rights/media-release-caregiver-relief-act-would-help-working-caregivers-hold-their-jobs Senate Bill 535. (2013). North Carolina General Assembly. Retrieved March 30, 2014, from http://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/BillLookUp/BillLookUp.pl?Session=2013BillID=S535 Is College Essential For Employment? Is College Essential For Employment? Does college matter? What does college mean? Is college important to teenagers? Should college be essential for people to find a good job? Is everyone able to go to college? When we talk about college, these questions always come up. As a society, people have their own free ideas to plan their lives. A number of students decide to go to college to get a better and higher education, and to improve their wisdom associated with specific areas such as politics. Most of them think getting college degrees will lead them to find a great job, or even improve their personal qualities. On the other hand, some do not want to go to college. They consider that they do not need a college degree, as they think they can live better without four years of college life or they have other reasons to give up college studies. However, college still matters because going to college can increase oneââ¬â¢s salary, make people more knowledgeable and also get students some different experiences. There is a hot debate over the value of college in this era of increasing student debt and high unemployment. Some people argue from the perspective of economy that people can live a better life without college degrees. The four years of college costs them much money or even forces them to burden huge debt. However, if they do not pay such a high debt or cost to the four years college life, they can earn much money within the four years. Since their friends or high school classmates graduated from the college, those who do not receive college education probably have had certain social and economic resources. In addition to the economic reasons, some people point that for those students who have supreme talents in specific areas do not necessarily need college degrees. For example, Bill Gates, the CEO of Microsoft, who dropped from Harvard and sought for his fortune in his twenties. At the beginning, people considered him crazy and irrational, as Harvard is the dream for most of people worldwide. However, Gates proved his choice was reasonable and rational with his amazing success and huge fortune. At this point, many people would claim that having a college degree is not important. Meanwhile, some people may propose that a college degree is not the unique channel to success. However, the success of other people cannot always be copied. In todayââ¬â¢s society, the pursuit of college education contributes to the wisdom and great jobs. The richness of knowledge would increase the competitiveness for people in different fields. Receiving college education will cost a lot of money. People have to borrow money or take out educational loans to support their fees. However, based on the ââ¬Å"The Rising Cost of Not Going to Collegeâ⬠, it is found that 89% of college-educated Millennial are most likely to be recruited full time, while 82% of their less educated counterparts and less likely to be unemployed or fired. This data indicate that the college degree contributes to getting a good job, although people have to pay the expensive tuition. From the perspective of politics, the college education serves as an important engine for us to identify the difference between demagoguery and responsible arguments from politicians. It also expresses that people are living in a society with bombarded pleading or persuasions everyday such as advertisements, political appeals, and punditry of all kinds (243). All these are designed and established to capture our loyalty, money, and more specifically our vote. The most appropriate way to sustain a functioning democracy should be the wisdom of citizens that can distinguish the differences between demagoguery from responsible arguments. For this, it is quite necessary for us to receive college education, as the associated political issues would be introduced and well understood in college. Currently, most people aspire to get college degrees as a door opener to find great jobs. The survey concerning the rising cost of not going to college indicates that among Millennials, 46% of college graduates are significantly more likely to agree that their college degrees have been good a tool to find a job or a satisfied career than the 31% of their less educated counterparts. For those adults who receive higher education degrees in the college and training to improve their careers. Above the data indicate the advantage of a college education. On the one hand, education can confer the associated degree to the college students. Then, they can take this certificate of academic degree to find good jobs. On the other hand, their rich theoretical knowledge can well direct their practical techniques in the actual business. Compared with the less educated counterparts, people who have received college education will be more acute and more intellectual than their less educated counterpa rts. When I came to college, I met plenty of challenge and new experiences. In UCSB, there are students from all around the world. Most of them speak English but others speak their own languages. I have heard stories from English , Korean and Italian people, and those stories are exciting and wonderful. In addition, I have joined sport clubs that I had never thought about before. I do not like sports but I change my mind because at college, I met some weak people who still do exercise during their leisure time. If I did not go to college, I truly believe that I would have stayed inactive and I could not get those precious experiences. My own experience shows that receiving college education improves personal qualities. That is, college education fosters peopleââ¬â¢s sense as well as their mind to experiences that would be foreclosed to them. For most college students, the college education enriches their capacities to read mandatory literature works and to catch basic political concepts. Meanwhile, college education contributes to the improvements of alertness to color and form, melody and harmony. In this way, as people gradually grow old, they will feel grateful for the college education they received. It delivers them the capability of appreciation towards our daily lives. Such an education performs as a hedge against utilitarian values. After receiving college education, peopleââ¬â¢s aspiration for contact with works of arts that somehow register oneââ¬â¢s own longings and yet exceed what one is able to express by and for oneself. It also points out that people need ââ¬Å"the inside of your head to b e an interesting place to spend the rest of your lifeâ⬠(244). The benefits of receiving college education would be larger than those who do not pursue a college education. The college education contributes to more employee opportunities. People can enjoy their political rights at their own will without being distracted. Also, college education can equip people with knowledge to compete with others including less educated counterparts. Finally, college education can improve peopleââ¬â¢s understanding towards life. That is, the attitudes, assumptions and way of thinking towards the life will be well enhanced by knowledge. From the above analysis, college still matters. Cited Page Delbanco, Andrew. ââ¬Å"Three Reasons College Still Matter.â⬠American Now: Short Readingsà from Recent Periodicals. Ed. Robert Atwan. Boston: Bedford/St Martin, 2013. 243-247. Print. ââ¬Å"Disparity among Millennials Ages 25-32 By Education Level in Terms of Annual.â⬠Earningâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ Pew Research Centers Social Demographic Trends Projects RSS. Pew Research Center, 1[CW1]0 Feb. 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014. http://www.pewsocialtr[CW2]ends.org/2014/02/11/ the-rising-cost-of-not-going-to-college/ sdt-higher-education-02-11-2014-0-01/>. [CW1]This page does have a date at the top of the article. [CW2]MLA suggests adding the URL so the reader can find it directly.
Sunday, January 19, 2020
linear technology Essay
Three main issues arise when it comes to dividend policy in firms. The first issue is whether dividend is needed or not and the second issue is regarding which one would be the best option among various payout methods. Lastly, the third issue is about dividend rate. Whether these issues will affect corporate values has been debated over the years. This paper will talk about such issues through the case study of Linear Technology. 1. Why dividend is needed. Linear Technologyââ¬â¢s payout policy, unlike many competitors in the Semiconductor Industry, has a relatively large portion in dividends. Linear has provided steady dividends since 1992 in a gradually increasing rate in small amounts. Why do firms pay dividends? Can dividends raise the value of firms? To answer these questions, letââ¬â¢s assume that Linear pays out its entire cash balance as a special dividend. For the detailed reference and information, the appendix attached at the end can be reviewed. There would be two different kinds of approaches to this example. The first approach would be adopting the assumptions of M&M1 and adjusting Linearââ¬â¢s situations to it. In conclusion with M&M, the value of the firm will remain steady regardless of the dividend policy. We can simulate two symmetric firms that only vary in the dividend payout ratio. If there is a difference in firm values or share prices between these firms, investors would not let it be and just do their households. Investors in the market would reveal the opportunity of arbitrage. Therefore, the value of two symmetric firms should be the exactly the same. To sum up, there would be no change in value, earnings or EPS. The stock price would just decline just as the amount of dividend payout.à However, if w e peel the onion of assumptions, things get different. On the other hand, by taking the second approach and sticking to the fact that dividend policies can affect the value of the firm, we can compare new result with the prior result. As the cost of capital is lower than Linearââ¬â¢s Return on Equity, Linearââ¬â¢s stock is a growth stock. Being a growth stock means the company earns more than what its shareholders request for their investment. On this condition, paying out entire cash balance will possibly lower Linearââ¬â¢s future earnings, EPS, stock price and its company value, as the company has lesser amount of cash in its hands for future investment after paying dividend. But Linear has paid out constant dividends in spite of the results above. The reasons are as follows. Linear believes that offering dividends appeals to potential investors who not only focus on the growth of the firm but also have interests in definite incomes. Some shareholders may prefer dividends now rather than uncertain income of the future. They also thought that providing dividends can give a signal which represents stability of business as supported by dividend signaling hypothesis. It can also make it easier to get more money by getting into debts. And other numerous studies assert the fact that firms with more favorable inside information optimally pay higher dividends and receive appropriately higher prices for their stock 2. 2. Whatââ¬â¢s the best option between dividends and repurchase? Linear is powering through stock repurchase in the recent fiscal years. There are two major reasons explaining this increasing amount of stock repurchase. Linearââ¬â¢s employee co mpensation is mostly based on stock options and profit sharing. In order to counterbalance the exercise of stock options, Linear is buying back stock. Another reason is the lack of profitable investment opportunities. But the practical reasons exist. Stock repurchases are discretionary compared to dividends. Additionally, stock repurchase doesnââ¬â¢t affect theà value of the shareholders3. Go back to the example mentioned above. If the company pays out by repurchasing shares, the two approaches do not show a difference. Since the firmââ¬â¢s stocks are growth stocks, the cash used to repurchase stocks lacks the opportunity of generating high cash flows. Accordingly, the market price would result in decreased future earnings, EPS, and the firm value of Linear. The number of outstanding shares, instead of the price, will decrease. While the price of stock would increase just as the amount of cash paid out to repurchase the outstanding stocks. It is important that in both cases, earnings and earnings per share before the payment are not affected. 3. About the dividend rate Firms judge the rate of dividend initiations by earnings. However, simply put, if dividend rate changes depending on the change of earnings, the fluctuation of dividend will increase. This would not be good. Because cutting dividends means uncertain future cash flows. If a company cuts dividend rate, shareholders will need higher opportunity costs of capital, as a result stock prices will go down. Thus, Linear has retained constantly increasing dividend rates in small amounts. Under the theoretical assumptions such as M&M, there is no difference whether firms pay out dividends or not. And if the cost of capital is lower than a firmââ¬â¢s ROE, no dividend can raise a firmââ¬â¢s value. However, considering the real-life factors, firms should keep on steady level of dividend rate or repurchasing shares. Repurchasing shares seems to be a better solution. As a conclusion, Linearââ¬â¢s CFO Paul Coghlan should recommend to the board that Linear should maintain the dividend rate and repurchase its stocks, so that the stock repurchase amount of 2003 exceeds that of 2002.
Saturday, January 11, 2020
Dulce Est Decorum Est and This Is the Dark Time, My Love
Neither fame nor glory can compensate for the immense suffering that war inflicts on humanity. ââ¬Å"Dulce et decorum est pro patria moriâ⬠is an ââ¬Ëoldââ¬â¢ lie told to youths ardent of joining the army. Not only are the targeted victims oppressed, but the soldiers who risk their lives fighting for their countries are left horrified. In both ââ¬Å"Dulce et Decorum Estâ⬠and ââ¬Å"This is A Dark Time, My Loveâ⬠, the intimate experiences of the personas give first-hand insights of the terrors and tortures of war. Imagery, pathetic fallacy and language vividly create the ghastly image of war. This is The Dark Time, My Loveâ⬠is about a people whose dreams of a better life have been threatened by the destructive power of the ââ¬Å"strange invaders. â⬠The persona conveys his intense anger against the British military presence and his belief that their rule is wrong and they display total injustice. Additionally, the persona accentuates the subjection, devastation, death and anger of the people of Guyana. It focuses on the ââ¬Å"dark timeâ⬠that the people are facing that the experience of the war where ââ¬Å"all around the land brown beetles crawl aboutâ⬠. Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxiousâ⬠tell of the fear and tension that the victims feel. Even nature is sympathetic as ââ¬Å"red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow. â⬠The poet laments of the misery of his people, the instability of his people and the sorrow brought by these ââ¬Å"strange invadersâ⬠. In ââ¬Å"Dulce et Decorum Estâ⬠, a soldier vividly describes the horrors of war as he hopelessly watches one of his comrades being ââ¬Å"gassed. â⬠Returning from the battle-field, ââ¬Å"bent double,â⬠coughing and limping with blood-shod feet, they had not heard the gas-filled shells being dropped. Luckily, most of the soldiers managed to escape, but unfortunately one of his comrades did not. As the persona recounts the traumatic experience, he lashes out at all who thinks that it is glorious and honourable to die for oneââ¬â¢s country. The impact of the incident on the persona is one of loathing and revulsion. Both poets use imagery which is striking and graphic to inform us of the terrors of war. In ââ¬Å"This is The Dark Time, My Love,â⬠the visual image of the soldiers, ââ¬Å"all around the land brown beetles crawl aboutâ⬠, in their thick armoury is like the beetles who have hard shells on their backs. All aroundâ⬠and ââ¬Å"crawlâ⬠creates the image that they move around in large uniform masses, just like beetles. The word ââ¬Å"crawlâ⬠also presents the image of the soldiers moving sneakily and invading the land with stealth. ââ¬Å"Who comes walking in the dark night time? / Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grassâ⬠creates the visual image of the soldiers, who can walk through the dark night fearlessly, unaffected by the dark times. An auditory image is also created as the tramping of the soldiers can be heard as they walk on the unthreatening, impotent grass. Imagery in this poem is used to describe the ways in which war oppresses innocent victims, whereas in ââ¬Å"Dulce et Decorum Estâ⬠, similes are used to create images of the struggles soldiers face on the battlefield. The simile, ââ¬Å"bent double, like old beggars under sacksâ⬠, is vivid as one can actually picture the soldiers ââ¬Å"drunk with fatigueâ⬠and trying to make their way back to camp. They are hopeless and tired and though fighting for oneââ¬â¢s country is said to be honourable, they are being compared to beggars. This line contrasts with the title of the poem. Both the visual and auditory image of the ââ¬Å"knock-kneedâ⬠soldiers ââ¬Å"coughing like hagsâ⬠shows the choking effect of the smell of the gas. Their coughing sounds like that of an old, tired person, which they in fact are. They cannot breathe and being compared to ââ¬Ëhagsââ¬â¢ emasculates the soldiers. Pathetic fallacy is used in ââ¬Å"This is the Dark Time, My Loveâ⬠since even nature was in a state of sadness at the oppression of the society. This is seen by the personifications, ââ¬Å"The shining sun is hidden in the sky/Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow. The flowers appear to mourn the people in the dark time who are victims of the violence of the soldiers and the suppression by the colonial powers. It seems as if the wilting flowers, whose stems are usually drooping, are actually bending their ââ¬Ëheadsââ¬â¢ in sympathy with those who have to live through the dark times. The ââ¬Å"shining sunâ⬠represents hope and prosperity . It is unable to penetrate through the ââ¬Å"dark timesâ⬠where the people are hopeless and in despair. The sun being hidden in the sky reflects that there is no hope for the society. The emotive and intense language used in ââ¬Å"Dulce et Decorum Estâ⬠tells of the anger, revulsion and disgust the persona feels about being part of the war. ââ¬Å"He plunges at me guttering, choking, drowning, ââ¬Å"white eyes writhing in his faceâ⬠and ââ¬Å"blood come gargling from his froth-corrupted lungsâ⬠evokes sympathy in the reader. The soldierââ¬â¢s comrade did not die instantly from inhalation of the gas, he suffered before he died. In all the personaââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"smothering dreams,â⬠he never thought he would experience anything like that. ââ¬Å"Like a devilââ¬â¢s sick of sinâ⬠compares war to the devil who offers no good and will never be sick of sin. War only offers pain and suffering and it is as if those who declare war are in fact devils. ââ¬Å"This is The Dark Time, My Loveâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Dulce et Decorum Estâ⬠both aim to convey the universal message that the stereotypical assumptions about war and fighting for oneââ¬â¢s country are lies. Both poems tell of the atrocities of war and that war affects everyone. In ââ¬Å"Dulce et Decorum Est,â⬠the persona remarks that the battlefield is a horrifying experience and that many are scared for life and left feeling helpless and hopeless. The main comment the persona is trying to make is that dying for oneââ¬â¢s country is neither noble nor honourable as people claim it to be and those anxious for glory should not buy into this belief. It emphasizes how much they had to suffer and the message received is that war is not worth the trauma and agony they have to endure. In ââ¬Å"This is The dark Time, My Love,â⬠the persona indicates that war is so dehumanising that even nature makes a statement as pathetic fallacy. The persona also refers to war as ââ¬Å"the season of oppression . . and tears. â⬠This alludes to the hostility and brutality to which the Guyanese are subjected and their suffering as a result. It goes on to say that it is a ââ¬Å"festival of gunsâ⬠and ââ¬Å"Carnival of miseryâ⬠showing that violence is so rampant, it seems to be a celebration. War imposes itself on the nationââ¬â¢s culture and robs the nation of its independence and dreams; ââ¬Å"aiming at your dream. â⬠War wreaks severe pain and distress on both soldiers and innocent, targeted people and this brings about the question whether war is really worth the suffering. Those who declare war do not endure the suffering and thus, preach that it is glorious to die for oneââ¬â¢s country. However, as the both personaââ¬â¢s prove, it is no honour and certainly, no nobility to die for oneââ¬â¢s country !
Thursday, January 2, 2020
Why Is Energy Consumption So An Issue - 941 Words
Over many experiments of trial and error, in relation with the worldââ¬â¢s energy consumption, people are trying to revolutionize how energy is used. The question is always raised, ââ¬Å"Why is energy consumption even an issue?â⬠The answer to that broad question would be climate change. Studies have been showing substantial evidence that climate change exists and that it will make a significant impact on Earth within the next few decades. Puneet Kollipara wrote the following: Nearly all U.S. senators agreed today on a measure affirming that climate change is real and not a hoaxââ¬âincluding, to the surprise of many observers, Senator James Inhofe (Rââ¬âOK), the man who once declared global warming a hoax. Meanwhile, although two other measures stating that humans are contributing to climate change won a majority of votes from the 99 senators present, they failed to garner the 60 votes needed to be adopted by the Senate. (Kollipara) To begin, this affirms that climate change has become a serious global issue. Since there is recognition that climate change is impacting the atmosphere, how would anyone be able to combat this issue at hand? This is where countries such as Japan and Germany occupy a significant role in finding a solution to alternative energy. Both countries have decided to reduce the amount of emission their state produces in greenhouse gases and non-environmentally friendly materials. The first key element within this study would be the independent variable, or the processShow MoreRelatedHow Organizations Can Become More Sustainable1064 Words à |à 5 Pagesdemonstrates how consumption of resources can be reduced to 1/5th through a more realistic approach. For example, In Bakeries; there is high usage of energy and water and poor insulation has led to higher energy consumption and difficult working conditions. Bakers Delight (a chain of bakeries in Australia and elsewhere), reduced their energy consumption by 40%, greenhouse gases by 48%, all the while using efficient lighting, glass insulation. They have reduced the basic energy consumption by 70%-80%.Read MoreThe Problem Of Energy Drinks Essay1300 Words à |à 6 Pagesbut sleep is hardly an option because we have a 6-page paper due. So what are our options? We can sit in front of the computer and inevitably fall into slumber with an incomplete paper, or we can crack open a can of good old Red Bull and power th rough the night to finish that English paper. Many college students would choose the latter and unfortunately inject some nasty chemicals into their bloodstreams to keep them awake. Energy drinks have many untested contents within the drink that arenââ¬â¢t testedRead MoreA Brief Note On Hydro Quebec And The Largest Electricity Company1630 Words à |à 7 PagesHydropower is one of sustainable energy resources and it plays a very important role to protect our environment.The company was founded in April 14, 1994. After more than seventy yearsââ¬â¢ development, about 99 percent of electricity that Hydro-Quebec generated is by Hydropower. Hydro-Quebecââ¬â¢s research institute (IREQ) which is in charge of technological innovation advantages Hydro-Quebec compare with other electricity company. Why Energy consumption is Important? Energy consumption is bound tightly with ourRead MoreEcological Analysis Of Corn Stover Biofuels1603 Words à |à 7 PagesState University 2016 Ecological Analysis of Corn Stover Biofuels 1.background To date, when issues related with environment, GHG(Green House Gas), sustainability are gradually concerned, increasing people are pursuing new ways to lower down the negative effect exerted by modern industry. This also attract governmentââ¬â¢s attention upon encouraging utilization and production of alternative energy and offering financial aid for some newly high-tech companies. One solution to deal with this globalRead MoreEcological Analysis Of Corn Stover Biofuels1456 Words à |à 6 Pages Ecological Analysis of Corn Stover Biofuels 1.background ãâ¬â¬Ã£â¬â¬Ã£â¬â¬ To date, when issues related to environment, GHG(Green House Gas), sustainability are gradually concerned, increasing people is pursuing new ways to lower down the negative effect exerted by modern industry. This also attracts governmentââ¬â¢s attention upon encouraging utilization and production of alternative energy and offering financial aid for some newly high-tech companies. One solution to deal with this global concern is finding orRead MoreEssay about Econ 545 Week 2 Assignment1305 Words à |à 6 Pagesparties address Healthcare and both address Energy policy, for example. (Democrats under ââ¬Å"Issuesâ⬠, Republicans under ââ¬Å"Our Partyâ⬠.) Compare and contrast their views on two such issues. Generally speaking, how much of the disagreement is based on normative economics compared to positive economics? Give an example of loaded terminology from each site. Answer: The republican energy policy focuses on less regulation and puts the responsibility of energy independence on American business. The beliefRead MoreAlthough the concentration of activity and people within cities is frequently perceived to be the1400 Words à |à 6 PagesSteemers believes that more intense land use and sharing of infrastructure such as energy, water, drainage, roads, buildings and public transport can greatly reduce the energy per capita in urban areas. He also explains that urban environments can receive huge benefits from the use of combined heat and power (CHP). CHP has the potential to deliver 55% thermal energy and 30% electrical energy by themselves. The two energies combined can typically deliver 85% or more overall. By combining the two it reducesRead MoreThe Long Term Effects Of Increasing Demand For Renewable Energy1690 Words à |à 7 Pages Renewable Energy Wind, Water, Sun: Energy for the long run Prepared by Mashfik Shamir Midterm Proposal BUS 160W ââ¬â An Introduction to Business Writing Queens College August 1, 2013 Professor Denise L. Miller Mashfik Shamir 8531 129 Street Richmond Hill, NY 11418 August 1, 2013 Prof. Denise Miller CUNY Queens College 65-30 Kissena Blvd. Flushing, NY 11367 Dear Prof. Miller: I am submitting this proposal to provide some information on the long term effects of increasing demand forRead MoreGlobal Warming And Its Effects On Global Climate Change1302 Words à |à 6 Pageswithout an harm, so it was not taken as a problem. Climate change is a prominent issue that has been debated on for quite a few decades. According to wikipedia, ââ¬Å"climate change is a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels.â⬠In this essay, I am going to map out how copious amounts of energy consumption leads to climateRead MoreDynamics Of Energy Drinks For Teens1543 Words à |à 7 PagesDynamics of Energy Drinks for Teens Caffeine is a substance that almost everyone is familiar with, but not everyone knows what the real risks can be if not taken in moderation. Energy drinks are one of the many drinks that often contain caffeine. The caffeine in these drinks helps people gain more energy throughout the day and keeps them alert. Energy drinks have become very popular among teens over the past couple of years because of the targeted marketing companies have made towards younger people
Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Analysis Of Her Kind By Anne Sexton - 979 Words
Anne Sextonââ¬â¢s poem ââ¬ËHer Kindââ¬â¢ deals with the nature of a womanââ¬â¢s role in society and the alienation that that can bring. The 1950s perceived women as domestic and they were often expected to conform to the role of the housewife. Sexton constructs this idea of a woman with multiple personalities expected to conform to societal rules and norms yet is unable or unwilling to detain herself to these limitations. Throughout, Sexton confesses her role as a woman breaking the mould from societal expectations. The poem opens with ââ¬Å"I have gone out, a possessed witchâ⬠(Sexton, 1988, 18); the adjective ââ¬Å"possessedâ⬠presenting an ambiguous interpretation. On one hand, it suggests that the writer is not in control of her actions; society has taken overâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Ending the stanza with the confessional I, ââ¬Å"I have been her kindââ¬â¢ (Ibid, 18) presents a double I. Two points of view are created: the first ââ¬Å"Iâ⬠of the various personas and the second ââ¬Å"Iâ⬠of the refrain who ââ¬Å"steps through the frame to witness, interpret and affirm her alter egoâ⬠(Middlebrook, 1991). The ââ¬Å"Iâ⬠is displaced from sufferer to storyteller and Sexton conveys ââ¬Å"the terms on which she wishes to be understood; not victim, but witness and witchâ⬠(Ibid, 1991), creating a bondage between women in general and Sexton herself. Sextonââ¬â¢s confession of disregarding the expectations of women is therefore not preoccupied w ith the feeling of sin and guilt, which one might assume with confessional writing, but rather with the feeling of empowerment and satisfaction. Witchcraft imagery continues throughout the poem however; Sexton replaces the sinister imagery of the first stanza with the anarchic but reassuring images of domesticity, depicting ââ¬Ëwarm cavesââ¬â¢ and describing ââ¬Ëskilletsââ¬â¢ as ââ¬Ëinnumerable goodsââ¬â¢ (Sexton, 18). The confines of domesticity, however, are brought into sharp criticism through Sextonââ¬â¢s careful juxtaposition of location. Placing this domestic scene within the confines of witchcraft reinforces this unwomanly ideal and something of the undesired, whilst the ââ¬Ëwoodsââ¬â¢ similarly creates a strong sense of isolation and removalShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Her Kind By Anne Sexton749 Words à |à 3 Pagesââ¬Å"Her Kindâ⬠: The Experience of a Woman The poem ââ¬Å"Her Kindâ⬠by Anne Sexton describes different scenarios of a woman. In the poem, Anne Sexton uses three different characters to explain that she has been each of them in some way. Society places a gender role on what women are allowed to be and how they should behave, condemning the women who do not conform, trying to change them into societyââ¬â¢s perfect view of what a woman should be. While this poem shows the author describing herself in terms of theRead MoreAnalysis Of Anne Sexton s Her Kind992 Words à |à 4 Pageshowever, Anne Sexton uses poetry to express her emotions. After the birth of her second child Sexton suffered a mental break down. In ââ¬Å"Her Kindâ⬠Sexton describes how she feels isolated from the world. She refers to herself as a possessed witch whose warm caves lay in the woods. Sexton uses analogy to express her house as the warm cave in the woods. This type of metaphor expressed how sexton feels about herself compared to society. Throughout the poem see uses repetation of I have been her kind. MeaningRead MoreConfessional Poetry Essay1640 Words à |à 7 Pagesnot purely autobiographical, but did often express deeply disturbing personal experience. (Academy of American Poets) Three important poets who are typically associated with the confessional poetry movement are Anne Sexton, Allen Ginsberg, and Denise Levertov. An analysis of selected works from these poets yields a deeper insight into the individual poets and the broad differences among them. Poetry rarely flourishes in a vacuum. As such, the influences and history of each poet is importantRead MoreAnalysis Of My Father s Axe 802 Words à |à 4 Pagesââ¬Å"My Fatherââ¬â¢s Axeâ⬠, ââ¬Å"In the Parkâ⬠, and ââ¬Å"Her Kindâ⬠Identity Analysis Weland La The composer of My Fatherââ¬â¢s Axe, Tim Winton, explores the universal themes of male identity in the modern age, throughout his short story. He utilises many relatable scenarios throughout his short story which conveys the stereotypical male identity in todayââ¬â¢s society. ââ¬Å"Jamie says he doesnââ¬â¢t know where the axe is and I believe him; he wonââ¬â¢t chop wood anymore. Elaine hasnââ¬â¢t seen it; itââ¬â¢s menââ¬â¢sRead MoreEssay about Analysis of Anne Sextons Poem Her Kind1758 Words à |à 8 PagesAnalysis of Anne Sextons Poem Her Kind Anne Sexton was a poet and a woman, but most importantly, she was an outcast. Subjected to nervous breakdowns and admitted to a neuropsychiatry hospital, Sexton must have been all too familiar with the staring eyes and the judging minds of the public. Just being a woman in todays world often can be enough to degrade a person in the publics eye, let alone being labeled as a crazy woman. But Anne Sexton did not let society remain unchallenged in its viewsRead MoreSonnet 116 by William Shakespeare1002 Words à |à 4 PagesThere is a constant theme of love found consistently within many forms of literature. The reoccurring theme of love is indicated within two poems, Sonnet 116 written by Shakespeare and Cinderella by Anne Sexton. Love is like a diamond, extremely rare and difficult to find. Shakespeare and Anne Sexton surpassed many other authorââ¬â¢s in being able to capture the theme of love in their pieces of literature. Sonnet 116, written by Shakespeare, is one of the most popular love poems to this day. The poemRead MorePoetry Is A Complex And Difficult Genre2823 Words à |à 12 Pagesmeaning of Anne Sextonââ¬â¢s poem, ââ¬Å"Her Kind,â⬠which is communicated through gripping diction, imagery, refrain, and form. But do not worry; I will guide you through Sextonââ¬â¢s poem by explicating it line by line. While flipping through pages of poetry, Sextonââ¬â¢s poem gripped me by the shoulders, sucked me into the page, and enveloped me with its words, yet still I did not know exactly what struck me. The first read-through, I merely listened to Sextonââ¬â¢s powerful diction and was intrigued by her refrain,Read MoreConfessional Mode in Poetry of Kamala Das3267 Words à |à 14 Pagesthem more solace than life. Born on March 31, 1934 Kamala Das was major Indian English poet and at the same time a leading Malayalam author from Kerala, India. At the age of 15 she got married to bank officer Madhava Das, who encouraged her writing interests, and she started writing and publishing both in English and Malayalam. She was born in a conservative Hindu Nair family having royal ancestry but she embraced Islam in 1999 at age of 65 and assumed the name Kamala Surayya. On 31 MayRead MoreThe Entrepreneurial Mind-18021 Words à |à 73 Pages2 The Entrepreneurial Mind-Set in Individuals: Cognition and Ethics 31 The Entrepreneurial Mind-Set in Organizations: Corporate Entrepreneurship 67 Social Entrepreneurship and the Global Environment for Entrepreneurship 98 Entrepreneural case analysis Corporate Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Silicon Valley: The Case of Google, Inc. 127 Entrepreneurship: Evolutionary Developmentââ¬âRevolutionary Impact Chapter 1 ââ¬Å"Entrepreneurial Thought Most of what you hear about entrepreneurship is all wrongRead MoreANALIZ TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS28843 Words à |à 116 Pagesï » ¿TEXT INTERPRETATION AND ANALYSIS The purpose of Text Interpretation and Analysis is a literary and linguistic commentary in which the reader explains what the text reveals under close examination. Any literary work is unique. It is created by the author in accordance with his vision and is permeated with his idea of the world. The readerââ¬â¢s interpretation is also highly individual and depends to a great extent on his knowledge and personal experience. Thatââ¬â¢s why one cannot lay down a fixed ââ¬Å"modelââ¬
Tuesday, December 17, 2019
Tuberculosis Is A Disease That Affects People - 998 Words
Intro: Tuberculosis is a disease that affects many individuals throughout the world, and not always with the same prevalence. Thesis statement:For this research paper my goal is to explain and illustrate why certain populations tend to have higher infection rates of tuberculosis than the average population in the United States and what causes these higher rates. At what point do health officials step in and work on prevention in these specific populations and why arenââ¬â¢t we implementing the tuberculosis shot for these populations? Significance of topic: The topic of Tuberculosis is significant as it affects many populations, but it also does not affect all populations equally. Tuberculosis has an increased prevalence rate in homelessâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Incarcerated individuals also have a higher rate of prevalence, with individuals experiencing 4-6% higher rates of TB infection than non-incarcerated individuals. Homeless individuals also experience higher rates of in fection due to other factors that increase TB such as substance use, high density areas with poor ventilation, and lack of proper nutrition. There are some prevention measures in place to counteract the higher prevalence of TB among minority groups or special populations such as routine surveillance, providing lab services and testing, and providing information to these groups. These measures are not currently working too well with funding being a major reason, both for these programs being funded and for these populations being able to afford these programs if they even have access to them. Certain populations, the homeless population for example, may also be distrustful of outsiders and refuse to listen to information about TB, or may be more concerned with lack of food or shelter. Current research is being done on how best to use this information to more effectively create prevention strategies and how to treat the disease. Between 1906 and 1919 a vaccine was developed by Albert Calmette and Camille Geurin, a pair of French scientists, to help prevent this terrible disease (Kupferschmidt, 2011). While effective
Monday, December 9, 2019
Downsizing Panacea Or Anathema Essay Research Paper free essay sample
Retrenchment: Panacea Or Anathema? Essay, Research Paper Downsizing ; Anathema or Panacea Over the past decennary, corporations around the universe have been preoccupied with their staff Numberss and with implementing schemes to cut down them. The aim has been to make thin organisations, trimmed of bureaucratic fat and abounding with competitory musculus. In the United States entirely, some 3.5 million workers have lost their occupations to these plans since 1987. In the first one-fourth of 1994, there were 192,572 layoffs, averaging over 3,106 occupations a twenty-four hours. ( Downs 19 ) . By 1992, more than 85 % of the Fortune 500 companies had downsized during the last five old ages, and 100 % of them were be aftering to make so in the following five old ages ( Cameron, 1994 ) . The # 8217 ; scorecard # 8217 ; below illustrates the magnitude of some of the layoffs in the last four old ages: Company Jobs Cut % of Work Force AT A ; T 128,000 30 IBM 122,000 35 General Motors 99,400 29 Boeing 61,000 37 Sears Roebuck 50,000 16 Digital Equipment 29,800 26 Lockheed Martin 29,100 17 BellSouth 21,200 23 McDonnell Douglas 21,000 20 # 8216 ; Downsizing # 8217 ; , # 8216 ; rightsizing # 8217 ; and # 8216 ; reconstituting # 8217 ; have been the popular cants used to depict the procedure of casting staff. We will write a custom essay sample on Downsizing Panacea Or Anathema Essay Research Paper or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page These words give a respectable image of strategic foresight to what would otherwise be regarded merely as sweeping layoffs or fires. Some have defended the tendency toward layoffs, indicating out that the mission of a corporation is to do a net income and to supply a return for the investors. In this narrow range of definition, the layoffs seem to be working. With the Dow Jones industrial norm above 5500 and corporate net incomes at a 25 twelvemonth high, corporate America may hold fulfilled Wall Streets highest outlooks. But higher net incomes and productiveness have failed to present higher rewards and occupation security, and concern discoveries itself accused of seting corporate greed in front of the states economic involvements. There is, nevertheless, a turning organic structure of grounds that possibly layoffs are non needfully the speedy panacea for drooping net incomes that corporations and economic experts thought they were. The inquiry now being asked is, did these determinations [ to layoff workers ] reflect echt strategic thought or were they merely knee-jerk reactions to falling market portion and net incomes? A study by the American Management Association in 1992 of 547 companies that had downsized in the old six old ages found that merely 43.5 % improved their operating net incomes. In add-on to the dissatisfactory fiscal public presentation, downsized corporation besides experienced higher incidents of absenteeism, surrenders, and turnover in their work forces. They besides predicted that these companies would downsize once more within a few old ages to seek to shore up farther market portion losingss and net income diminutions ( # 8221 ; Unthinking Shrinking # 8221 ; The Economist September 1995 ) . In a recent survey, Mitchell and Co. , a US adviser house, found that most houses that restructured ( downsized ) recognized a short term additions in portion monetary value in the first six months, but after three old ages lagged the remainder of the market ( # 8221 ; When layoffs entirely don # 8217 ; t turn the tide # 8221 ; International Business Week December 1992 ) . Retrenchment is besides frequently a screen for misdirection. AT A ; T Chief Executive Officer Robert Allen committed what a Wall Street Journal editorialist called # 8220 ; a $ 7.5 billion boo-boo # 8221 ; when he bought NCR Corp. in 1990. AT A ; T is besides composing off 100s of 1000000s of dollars it invested in online services it is now phasing out. Other lurchs include its $ 150 million investing in Unitel, a Canadian long-distance web that went bankrupt. The consequence of all these errors? On January 2, CEO Allen announced that AT A ; T is extinguishing 40,000 occupations. Another illustration of executive misdirection is William Agee of the Morrison Knudsen Corporation. When he resigned in 1995, the company had recorded losingss numbering $ 114 million during the old two old ages. Agee had received $ 3.5 million in hard currency and other benefits during that period. On go forthing the company, his rupture bundle was estimated to be deserving someplace between $ 1.5 mil lion and $ 4.8 million. Citing unprofitableness, Morrison Knudsen besides laid off 277 workers in early 1995 supplying them with no rupture wage ( Baker, 1996 ) . There is besides grounds that corporate CEOs may profit straight from downsizing. Senior Corporate Consultant Alan Downs is an expert who served as a cardinal strategian for legion Fortune 500 companies in methods of cutting paysheets and beef uping bottom line consequences. Downs points out the direct correlativity between CEO wage and retrenchments. His recent analysis agrees with many other experts that there is no discernable correlativity between executive wage and public presentation. Downs does, nevertheless find a correlativity between CEO wage and retrenchments. He late examined 22 companies in a study by Fortune Magazine that announced during 1994 programs to layoff big groups of employees. He found a comparatively strong ( .31 ) correlativity between the size of the layoffs in the companies and the compensation to the CEOs. In his book, # 8220 ; Corporate Executions: The Ugly Truth About Layoffs # 8221 ; Downs reports how forcing a stock rating above a specific monetary value for a peculiar period of clip was tied straight to a CEO compensation bundle and how that led to a monolithic layoff ; On Feb. 25, 1991, the compensation commission of the board of managers of General Dynamics met to see revising the compensation bundle of its CEO, William Anders, and 24 other top executives. Under the program that they approved, the executives would have a fillip equal to their annual wage if General Dynamics stock rose 10 points, from $ 25.56 per portion to $ 35.56 per portion, and stayed there for 10 yearss. If the stock went up another 10 points to $ 45.56 per portion and stayed there for 10 yearss, they would have a fillip equal to twice their annual wage, and so on until the program expired in 1994 # 8230 ; Now it is no little effort to raise the stock monetary value of a defence contractor in a clip of major defence cuts by a few points, much less ten. They needed something monumental # 8230 ; something that would catch the attending of the media and investors on wall street while besides dulcifying the bottom line by increasing the hard currency on manus. Somehow General Dynamics would hold to look like a good investing for no fewer than 10 yearss. So what do you say that Mr. Anders and those executives did? They announced a monolithic layoff of more than 12,000 of the company # 8217 ; s 86,000 employees, cut disbursement in other countries, and froze the wages of anyone below their ranks. By the terminal of the twelvemonth, they had amasses $ 600 million in hard currency, which they promised to distribute among the stockholders, and earned themselves $ 18 million in fillips as the stock monetary value held the $ 45.56 grade for the 10th twenty-four hours. Anders personally received more than $ 9 million in salary and fillips ( Downs 224 ) These hideous narratives go even more insidious when one examines the corollary effects of a layoff. When analyzing the consequence of a big corporate layoff on the local community, research workers have found that a larger figure of people in the environing community lose their occupations as a consequence of the ripple consequence. Alan Nevin, pull offing manager of ConAm Research in Old Town, San Diego, California, puts the multiplier rate at 2.5 depending on the industry, intending that for every occupation lost in the corporation, 2.5 occupations will besides be lost in the community. He says fabrication occupations may give a rate of 3.5, due to the support services they require. These Numberss become much more terrible if an full industry downsizes ( Perry 114 ) . Equally dramatic as this is ; every bit sobering as these Numberss are ; can a corporation today afford non to reconstitute and downsize in order to remain competitory? See the Wyatt study ( Wall Street Journal, June 6, 1991 ) that found that the bulk of organisations that downsized failed to accomplish their coveted consequences. Less than half of the houses surveyed were able to cut down disbursals. A forthcoming survey by the American Management Association ( AMA ) concludes that fewer than half of the houses that have # 8220 ; downsized # 8221 ; in the past five old ages earned increased net incomes. Merely a 3rd of those that downsized reported higher productiveness. Forty per centum of the executives in a Towers-Perrrin survey of 300 major companies that had restructured and downsized, 50 per centum of the executives were dissatisfied with the results. Many houses try to do good by downsizing once more. The survey besides compared the fiscal public presentation of downsized houses over a period widening from three old ages before the retrenchment to two old ages after found that the houses as a group performed no better after the retrenchmen t that they did earlier. ( # 8221 ; When Slimming is non Enough # 8221 ; The Economist September 1994 ) . Stephen S. Roach, the main economic expert for Morgan Stanley Company used to be a major advocate of retrenchment. He now says that it has failed to bring forth the long-predicted # 8220 ; productivity-led recovery. # 8221 ; In a recent New York Times report ( # 8221 ; A Top Economist Switches His Position on Productivity, # 8221 ; 5/8/96 ) he is quoted ; # 8230 ; it is progressively clear to me that the betterments in operating public presentation and net incomes have been built on a steady watercourse of retrenchment and cost film editing that is merely non sustainable. If all you do is cut, so you will finally be left with nil, with no market portion. Technology has non succeeded in significantly increased productiveness ( 22-24 ) . As mentioned before, another top economic expert, Alan Downs has besides reversed his place on downsizing. In the early 1990s, he began to believe that retrenchment was being used chiefly as a tool for short-run stock use and that in most cases it was earnestly damaging the capacity of corporations to vie and keep profitableness in the long term. There have been other surprises to downsizing corporations. See this instance taken from the book by Charles F. Hendricks, # 8220 ; The Rightsizing Remedy: How Directors can React to the Downsizing Dilemma. # 8221 ; : The CEO of a parts maker asked the presidents of the houses concern units to see reconstituting to keep competitory pricing. One president moved fleetly on this advocate. He found a confer withing group that promised to develop a restructuring program that would convey dramatic cost decreases within the needed clip marks. The restructuring program was complete within five months. The president implemented the program quickly and reported his achievement at the following meeting with the CEO. Over the following six months, nevertheless, the reorganisation and outplacement costs really increased overall costs, although indexs suggested costs would finally diminish. The president heard some ailments that morale had dropped. Some persons commented that they were now making three peoples occupations and had problem maintaining up. Several clients reported that quality and bringing specifications had non been met. The president directed directors to decide them every bit shortly as possible, but considered them minor, sing the overall cost nest eggs. A month subsequently, the concern # 8217 ; s largest client notified the gross revenues section that they were switching their concern to a rival. The president instantly called the client and non merely promised that he would rectify the quality and bringing jobs, but through in a lasting 6 % monetary value decrease for all parts. He was shocked when the client responded that the quality and bringing jobs were bing far more than the value of the monetary value decrease he offered. Furthermore, the client # 8217 ; s runing people no longer believed his house could supply the quality parts and dependable bringing that they needed ( 78-79 ) . Perceivers across the political spectrum have found the behaviour of legion companies unseemly. Many big, successful corporations are for good downsizing their work forces while gaining record net incomes. Corporate executives are raking in multi-million dollar wage bundles while workers pay stagnates or diminutions. Republicans such as Massachusetts Gov. William Weld and presidential rival Robert Dole have lectured corporations on their duties to their coworkers and communities. Democrats such as Senators Edward Kennedy and Jeff Bingamin, Congressmen Richard Gephardt and David Bonior, and Labor Secretary Robert Reich have gone farther and suggested that the authorities provide inducements that reward good corporate behaviour and punish bad. The imperativeness hour angle s taken up the conflict call. ââ¬Å"Corporate Killers, â⬠blared the headline on an attending catching Newsweek screen narrative. The New York Times weighed in with an agonizingly elaborate seven portion series that chronicled the predicament of workers and communities caught up in what it called ââ¬Å"The Downsizing of America.â⬠Wall Street and the concern community have responded by supporting their duty to maximise stockholder value. As former Scott Paper CEO Albert S. Dunlop put it, # 8220 ; The ground to be in the concern is to do money for your stockholders. The stockholders own the company. They take all the risks. # 8221 ; Among these stockholders, the statement goes, are pension financess and common financess functioning a wide swath of American workers and consumers. The bottom line of this statement is that everyone is better off when corporate directors maximise stockholder value. This place is non a new one. Every since the perspiration stores of the industrial revolution, there has been a tenseness between the sensed ends and patterns of American industry and the periodic demand of the community. Just how much a company should or should non establish their policy devising determinations on these force per unit areas from the community is beyond the range of this paper and does non bear more th an a premonitory reference later in the summing up. Having explored the less than bright consequences of the bulk of reorganisations, it is evident that a big per centum of the companies fail to profit from their retrenchment, Those that do acknowledge a short term addition in portion monetary value may happen the benefit to be impermanent at best. Those that are fortunate plenty to truly acknowledge an addition in productiveness, and increase in operating net incomes, and a sustained competitory advantage as the consequence of a layoff, may happen themselves someplace down the route holding a higher rate of employee turnover and a subsequent trouble pulling and retaining to new talented and ambitious employees necessary to maintain the professional ranks fresh and competitory. The decision would look to bespeak that downsizing has non been the Panacea for ailing net incomes and drooping stock monetary values that many thought it would be. Why such hapless consequences? A reasonably clear form is get downing to emerge. CSC Index, a confer withing house that focuses on re-engineering surveyed 5,800 organisations in North America and Europe about their experience with reengineering and received 497 responses. The concluding study has yet to be released, but after reading the preliminary consequences, the staff of The Economist ( July 3, 1994 ) concluded that # 8220 ; possibly the most of import thing to emerge from the study, which chimes with other smaller surveies, is that reengineering is non plenty on its ain. It needs to be linked to strategy. # 8221 ; In another survey of the assorted results of reengineering reported by three McKinsey advisers, their decision was besides that enduring consequences were merely achieved when the senior direction had defined a clear and common vision of the concern # 8217 ; hereafter and invested their clip and energy in pass oning that vision and working to convey it into being ( Hall, Rosenthal, and Wade, Harvard Business Review, November-December, 1993 ) A University of Michigan, four twelvemonth survey of 30 organisations undergoing downsizing found that one of the four important forecasters of organisational betterment during retrenchment was # 8220 ; systematic analysis in progress of downsizing. # 8221 ; The findings of the survey led the writer to order that downsizing be associated with a clearly articulated vision of the coveted hereafter of the organisation ( Cameron, 1994 ) . This may sound like a restatement of the obvious, but # 8220 ; construction follows strategy. # 8221 ; That was the major determination of Alfred Chandler # 8217 ; s surveies in concern history ( Chandler, 1962 ) . The findings of the surveies mentioned above spring rise to the observation that the picks and tradeoffs involved in reconstituting a concern can merely be made after replying the inquiry: Where do we desire to travel in the hereafter? They require a clear concern scheme. Furthermore, when corporations engage in restructuring and downsizing they frequently wreck mayhems in the lives of those straight affected and dispersed fright and uncertainness among those staying. They can # 8217 ; t assist inquiring the inquiry, # 8220 ; Why are we making this? # 8221 ; It is imperative for senior directors to be able to joint a clear, strategic justification for restructuring to assist their people appreciate why these alterations are necessary to keep the viability of the organisation. In the earlier illustrations given above, restructuring was conducted by big corporations in a sort of knee-jerk response to market force per unit areas, misdirection of corporate personal businesss, or through simple greed on the portion of the executive board. In all of these illustrations there is one invariable ; the retrenchment that resulted was the executive scheme for accomplishing a specific terminal consequence. As illustrated so exhaustively by fact and statistics, this attack can merely trust to bring forth the coveted consequence, but will most probably farther impair the corporation # 8217 ; s ability to competitively bring forth in the hereafter. Downsizing, instead than being The Strategy, should be the concluding result in the strategic planning procedure, if so, the strategic planning procedure leads the executive board to a retrenchment determination. Done decently, the corporation # 8217 ; s vision for the hereafter will be the guiding visible radiation for the development of the strategic program. Before the directors of any organisation can find how to make work better or how to form to execute work more expeditiously, they must first find what work needs to be done and what procedures are critical to execute. Opportunities for increased grosss every bit good as for decreased costs need to be examined. Choices among those chances can merely be made on the footing of scheme. There are several attacks to scheme that may be used to develop the inside informations of the scheme that will most likely achieve the houses vision. A thorough analysis of all retentions and assets, market conditions, the competition, the internal and external societal force per unit areas that may originate, every bit good as the procedures used to manufacture the goods must be undertaken. A good unbroken secret in most organisations is that scheme is rarely formulated, articulated or understood in a manner that provides directors with a utile footing for doing determinations about restructuring. Armed with a full apprehension of the corporations vision, ends, and the wide degree strategic program, the concern unit degree director is so ready to carry on his/her reconstituting be aftering. This information establishes clear strategic precedences for restructuring by placing the capablenesss that do and make non lend to a house # 8217 ; s competitory advantage. When restructuring is strategic, it is common for houses to upsize countries in which strategically of import work is performed, while downsizing strategically unimportant work. Strategy elucidation sets the phase for strategic restructuring by supplying a logic for prioritising organisational work. When the concern scheme is clear it is possible to reply the undermentioned inquiries about an organisation # 8217 ; s work: What work should be the object of our most intense betterment attempts? What work activities need to be improved together and which can be improved individually? What work should be eliminated? What work should we outsource? When is efficiency ( i.e. , making things right ) and when is effectiveness ( i.e. , making the right things ) the most utile driver of of import attempts? ( Barney, 1991 ) . The of import message here is that although monolithic layoffs frequently result in a short-run addition in stock monetary value and sometimes in a moderate addition in productiveness, the long-run effects can be dissatisfactory ( and possibly destructive ) if the restructuring is non the concluding measure of a concern degree strategic execution instead than the first. It is of import that scheme be defined and directed from a corporate degree, but that the existent strategic program be developed on the concern unit degree. Seldom is it the instance that the same normative alterations directed from the corporate degree are effectual for each concern unit within the company. With a clearly defined strategic route map, a corporation will frequently detect the demand to strengthen or construct up one facet of the concern procedure while paring or depriving another. By supplying the single concern unit with a clear vision of the house # 8217 ; s ends and programs for the hereafter while leting them the liberty to map their ain strategic program, a corporation can see that the difficult determinations and procedure degree reengineering will be accomplished by the expert # 8211 ; those who work within the concern procedure daily. Another benefit to the organisation that uses this attack is the chance to work as a wise man and a manager to the single concern units while supplying a corporate broad web for re-allocation of displaced resources. There is a storm brewing on the skyline refering corporate duty. The public call and political rhetoric witnessed today are but forerunners of the whirlpool of public sentiment to come. The grounds is abundant. Presidential campaigners noted the early popularity that Buchanan achieved when he began to knock corporate behaviour. Should the economic system take a ample downswing, corporation bashing may go a popular athletics. Not that some oasis # 8217 ; t deserved it. A corporation that rewards it # 8217 ; s executives for short term stock rating while disregarding the company # 8217 ; s existent growing in footings of enlargement or increased market portion will be shortchanging the stakeholders in the company in the long term. This corporation will besides confront a turning public call against perceived neglect for the public assistance of its employees and for the communities wherein they reside. These considerations, taken in visible radiation of the amassed grounds that immense layoffs most frequently provide merely short-run addition and may make long term harm, should adequately stress the demand for cautiousness when sing a restructuring. The apparently obvious decision is that there are times and conditions when a determination to downsize is justified as a agency of accomplishing strategic enterprises. The determination to downsize, although a painful one, is non anathema. If the determination is a portion of a larger, broader strategic program, there is a distinguishable possibility that displaced persons may hold the option to retrain, relocate, or to incorporate into another subject within the company. Any action that a corporation undertakes ; if it is to win ; if it is to supply material addition ; if it is to better market place, it must be the logical result of a strategic program. Seldom are knee-jerk responses to market pressures the best. # 8220 ; A Top Economist Switches His Position On Productivity # 8221 ; New York Times May 8, 1996 Baker, Dean. # 8220 ; Trends in Corporate Duty: Geting More for Less? # 8221 ; Technical Paper. Economic Policy Institute, Washington, D.C. 1996 Barney, J. # 8220 ; Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage, # 8221 ; Journal of Management, March 1991, 99-120 Cameron, K. S. # 8220 ; Schemes For Successful Organizational Downsizing, # 8221 ; Human Resource Management, 33, 2, 189-211 Challenger, Grey A ; Christmas. # 8220 ; People Trends # 8221 ; The New York Times March 3, 1996 Chandler, A. # 8220 ; Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of Industrial Enterprise, # 8221 ; Cambridge, Mass. : The MIT Press, 1962 Downs, Alan. Corporate Executions: The Ugly Truth About Layoffs # 8211 ; How Corporate Greed is Shattering Lifes, Companies, and Communities. New York: AMACOM, 1995 Hall, Rosenthal, and Wade # 8220 ; How to Make Reengineering Really Work. # 8221 ; Harvard Business Review, 1993 119-131 Hendricks, C. F. The Rightsizing Remedy: How Directors Can React to the Downsizing Dilemma. Alexandria, Va. : Society for Human Resource Management, 1992 Perry, L. T. # 8220 ; Least-Cost Options to Layoffs in Declining Industries, # 8221 ; Organizational Dynamics, Spring, 48-61 # 8220 ; Unthinking Shrinking. # 8221 ; The Economist September 9, 1995 # 8220 ; When Layoffs Alone Don # 8217 ; t Turn the Tide # 8221 ; International Business Week December 7, 1992 # 8220 ; Wyatt Survey, The # 8221 ; Wall Street Journal June 6, 1991 Plants Cited ( continued ) # 8220 ; When Slimming is Not Enough # 8221 ; The Economist September 3, 1994 59-60 Downsizing ; Anathema or Panacea? Joe Rulo Business Policy, Mon A ; Wed 5:00 7:00 Rick Powell June 1, 1996
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)