Poetry Anthology on John Brereton

POETRY ASSIGNMENT ?Biography John Le Gay Brereton was born in Sydney, Australia, on the 2nd of September 1871. He was the fifth son of John Le Gay Brereton (snr), a doctor, and his wife Mary Tongue. His parents and family life impacted greatly on his view of the world, distorting it from the views of the norm of the times. John senior was also a poet, and published several volumes of poetry. John junior went to school at Sydney grammar school, and was just 15 when his father died in 1886. John moved on to study at the University of Sydney, and graduated with a bachelor of Arts in 1894.John was the editor of many newspapers, including his school paper, as well as the university paper: Hermes, and after 1890, John was a regular contributor to the Sydney quarterly magazine. Through his press ties, his poetry and literature became better known than that of most poets of the era. John produced his first poetry anthology in 1896, titled: the song of brotherhood and other verses. John produ ced another anthology in 1897 titled: sweetheart mine: lyrics of love and friendship. The year 1900 saw John marry Winifred Odd. In 1902, John returned to the university of Sydney, as the librarian’s assistant.He was known among the students and staff at the university to defy the way of the time by never wearing a top hat. In 1908, john published his 3rd volume of poetry titled: sea and sky. Another volume followed after the first world war, in 1919, titled: the Burning Marl. 2 years after releasing his fourth volume, he was appointed professor of English at the University of Sydney. John produced his final volume: Swags up! In 1928, and produced a series of autobiographical essays in 1930. In 1993 John went on holiday in Tamworth, and died there whilst still on holiday. John died friends with more widely known poets such as Henry Lawson.John’s wife and 4 children all survived him. Anthology ANZAC Within my heart I hear the cry Of loves that suffer, souls that die, An d you may have no praise from me For warfare’s vast vulgarity; Only the flag of love, unfurled For peace above a weeping world, I follow, though the fiery breath Of murder shrivel me in death. Yet here I stand and bow my head To those whom other banners led, Because within their hearts the clang Of Freedom’s summoning trumpets rang, Because they welcomed grisly pain And laughed at prudence, mocked at gain, With noble hope and courage high, And taught our manhood how to die.Praise, praise and love be theirs who came From that red hell of stench and flame, Staggering, bloody, sick, but still Strong with indomitable will, Happy because, in gloomiest night, Their own hearts drummed them to the fight. I chose the poem ANZAC because of it’s descriptive language, truth, and it’s use of the harsh reality of war, while not glorifying war in any way. The Poet uses a mixture of descriptive text, rhyming words and rhythm to display his views on World War 1. His use o f scary and uncomfortable words really reflect this message that war is a sick and gruesome place.Toby Hey, Toby, Toby, Toby! —Dead? The silence is a flood That closes, choking, overhead, And chills the living blood. The leaping friend, whose jolly bark Was greeting every night, No more to thrill the summer dark With welcome of delight? Beside his grave I bend the knee, And O, my eyes are dim. He hunted for the dog in me: I found the man in him. Swags Up! Swags up! and yet I turn upon the way. The yellow hill against a dapple sky, With tufts and clumps of thorn, the bush whereby All through the wonder-pregnant night I lay Until the silver stars were merged in greyOur fragrant camp, demand a parting sigh: New tracks, new camps, and hearts for ever high, Yet brief regret with every welcome day. Dear dreamy earth, receding flickering lamp, Dear dust wherein I found this night a home, Still for a memory’s sake I turn and cling, Then take the road for many a distant camp, A mong what hills, by what pale whispering foam, With eager faith for ever wandering. The Patriot The patriot from his walls of brass Is singing loudly as I pass; With fearless heart and open eyes, He shouts the ancient battle cries; And, where I pause to hear him sing, A silent crowd is listening.My country, God bestows by thee The glory of the world to be The glory thou alone canst give To last amid things fugitive. My country, an ideal form I see thee splendid in the storm, Directress of the power divine That makes the expectant future thine. My country, all the world shall bow Before thy peace-conceiving brow, And all the peoples humbly stand Submissive to thy blessing hand. My country, yea, the foes who raise A tyrant flag shall learn to praise Thy steadfast love that dares to fight The horde of Satan for the right. My country, loveliest, strongest, best, Thou hast a mission to the rest,And greater wealth and love shall be The guerdon of thy ministry. In every land I hear him sin g; In every land I see him fling His country’s flag against the skies And gaze aloft with dazzled eyes; And then his loud applause rings roundAnalysis of â€Å"Toby† The poem: Toby is a poem that was written about the death of John’s dog. the poem begins in the Poet’s point of view, calling out the dog’s name, and finding him and realising he is dead. The use of descriptive and cold language engages the reader, and helps us to embrace the feelings that the poet is trying to force upon us.The nature of the poem encourages readers to think back on times that we may have lost a close or loved person, and the poem is both a metaphor and true. the second paragraph of the poem is centered around the sinking in of the fact that one of his closest companions was dead, and that there was now an emptiness in his heart, and silence in the house. Toby’s bark used to fill the house of noise when ever John came home from work, but now he is greeted by an empty house, and the memory of what a great companion Toby was. John uses language and emotions to make the readers feel a touch sad, and to bring our minds into his perspective.The third paragraph of the poem takes us on an emotional roller coaster while John reminisces over what a good mate Toby was for him, his loyalty and how he was always there for John. The third paragraph ends with John coming back to reality, and remembering that Toby is no longer there to greet him after a long day’s work. The nature of the last sentence of the paragraph is almost distraught, and the readers can almost feel John’s pain through his clever use of descriptive and emotive text. The final paragraph is a sense of closure for the poem, poet and readers.John lays Toby to his final resting place, and realises that Toby was the greatest companion that he has had, and they spent their time together trying to find the similarities, even though John was a man, and Toby was a dog, and John definitely found the man in Toby, whilst Toby spent his time trying to find out how dog-like John really was. The poem ends with a sense of happiness, as the poet seems to admit to the loss of his friend, and closes with the fact that Toby really was a man, as he is caring, kind, and always there for his mates, no matter what is going on.Bibliography Poetrylibrary. edu. au Brereton, John Le Gay – Poet – Australian Poetry Library Poetrylibrary. edu. au (n. d. ) Brereton, John Le Gay – Poet – Australian Poetry Library. [online] Available at: http://www. poetrylibrary. edu. au/poets/brereton-john-le-gay [Accessed: 24 Sep 2012]. En. wikipedia. org John Le Gay Brereton – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia En. wikipedia. org (2012) John Le Gay Brereton – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/John_Le_Gay_Brereton [Accessed: 24 Sep 2012].

Barangay profiling system Essay

1.1 Introduction The findings of the study will contribute to our understanding of urbanization, local governance and the consequences of migration at the macro level in Barangay Upper Calarian. It will help policy makers (local government units) identify areas where urbanization mechanism can contribute positively to the development of the said barangay. Moreover, program implementers and service providers will also learn from the lessons gathered on urbanization and local governance. At the local level, existing programs can further be improved. One of the exciting ways in which the computer service is in the field of information retrieval and operations – the search for facts which, together with the operations done on it, are stored in a central storage area. Computer – based information retrieval operates through the use of software that can offer information services for an institution. An information service provides a way to electronically access, retrieve, and transmit the needed information. Statement of the Problem The Local Government Units of Zamboanga have long been with computers to be used in operations such as transactions, records and other businesses. That is, through computer technology. But up to now, those computers had not been used to their fullest capabilities. Barangay offices still rely on manual labor not on the machines as their frontline of service and operations. Some things are neglected. One, Standard Operating Procedures are not followed. Anyone can have his clearance signed or business permit released even if the authorized person to approve it, for example the Barangay Captain, is not present. The office has at least signed blank clearances and/ or permits in this case. Thus, the reliability of such can be questioned. Two, it’s because all of the facts and information on the barangay is kept on papers, the should – be manifestation of the maximized usage of computer is not attained and therefore causes the slow retrieval of information and transactions. And lastly, hard copies of the files, transactions held and other matters require a large file cabinet to hold them which in many case, is a case of an unorganized file management system. Significance of the Study A Computer Information Service represents a giant leap in computerized system of barangay transactions and records handling. They can provide up-to-the information with relatively little effort on the part of the user and put a huge amount of information within easy, convenient and comfortable reach. Not mentioning the security and integrity of the transactions and of the documents it also provides. This study aims to present possible solution to the problems stated and to enhance the quality of service a barangay office offers to its clients. Furthermore, this serves as an awakening factor for all government offices, from highest to lowest levels, to be in line with the government’s view of globalization and competitiveness in today’s Information Age.

Communication †According to Ability Essay

Whether CLT should be considered an approach or a methodology is a more abstract debate and here I want to deal with its more practical aspects. In fact, it is those very elements, and the name itself, which have been used to challenge the future relevance of CLT. Firstly, the label implies a focus on communication and some might argue that this method can’t be employed genuinely with low levels as there is no authentic communication, due to a limited vocabulary and restricted range of functions. Initially, many of a learner’s utterances are very formulaic. As an aside, consider just what percentage of our own English expressions are unique, and how often we rely on a set phrase; just because it is delivered unselfconsciously and with natural intonation does not make it original. The aim is that the length and complexity of exchanges, and confident delivery, will grow with the student’s language ability. With the emphasis on communication, there is also the implication that spoken exchanges should be authentic and meaningful; detractors claim that the artificial nature of classroom–based (i.e. teacher – created) interactions makes CLT an oxymoron. Nevertheless, a proficient teacher will provide a context so that class interactions are realistic and meaningful but with the support needed to assist students to generate the target language. We need to consider that producing language is a skill and when we learn a skill we practise in improvised settings. For example, before a nurse gives a real injection, they have punctured many a piece of fruit to hone their technique. Accuracy as Well as Fluency It might also be argued that the extent of some of the structures or functions may never be used in real life. One example is adjective order; I have given students an exercise where they have to produce a phrase with a string of adjectives, such as â€Å"a strong, orange, Norwegian, canvas tent.† This is very unnatural, as most times we only combine two or three adjectives. The other example is directions – we have students follow a map and negotiate exhaustive directions which suggest maze-like complexity. In reality, most of us probably are only involved in a three-phase set of directions. In fact, what we are doing with these exercises is exposing students to patterns which they can later activate. This focus on accuracy versus fluency is one of the issues not often considered in a discussion of CLT. The teacher decides to pay attention to one or other end of this band, depending on the type of lesson, or the stage of a particular lesson, and accuracy is their choice if they want to deal with students getting things right, take an opportunity for correction, or gauge the success of their teaching, for example. Freer speaking involves more choice, therefore more ambiguity, and less teacher intervention. While CLT implies the lessons are more student-centred, this does not mean they are un-structured. The teacher does have a very important role in the process, and that is setting up activities so that communication actually happens. There is a lot of preparation; accuracy practice is the bridge to a fluency activity. By implication, CLT involves equipping students with vocabulary, structures and functions, as well as strategies, to enable them to interact successfully. The reference to strategies introduces the matter of grammatical versus communicative competence. If we view the two as mutually exclusive, then we are likely to champion one over the other, in terms of approach, curriculum or whatever else determines and defines our classroom teaching. In fact, Canale and Swain’s model of communicative competence, referred to by Guangwei Hu, includes four sub-categories, namely grammatical, sociolinguistic discourse and strategic. They consider someone competent in English should demonstrate both rules of grammar and use. Promoting Learning This returns us to the consideration of who we are teaching, and why. Are our students aiming to learn or acquire English? Do they need to know lexical items and linguistic rules as a means of passing an exam, or do they want to be able to interact in English? For those inclined to maintain the dichotomy between learning and acquisition, and who argue that our primary focus is learners, CLT still has relevance. It is timely to review an early definition of CLT. According to Richards and Rodgers, in Guangwei Hu, CLT is basically about promoting learning. Then again, Mark Lowe suggests that we follow Halliday’s lead and drop the distinction between learning and acquisition, and refer to language mastery instead. After all, if the students master the language, they will certainly be able to perform better in exams, if that is their goal. In addition, those who do see a purpose beyond classroom-related English will be better equipped for using the language socially. Motivation One of the constant discussions in all my teacher training groups was how to motivate students. This suggests that the focus on passing the exam was not always enough. Motivation relates to engaging students but also includes confidence building. If there is a climate of trust and support in the classroom, then students are more likely to contribute. One way of developing this is to allow pair-checking of answers before open-class checking occurs. Another way is to include an opportunity for students to discuss a topic in small groups before there is any expectation that they speak in front of the whole class. Evelyn Doman suggests that â€Å"The need for ongoing negotiation during interaction increases the learners’ overt participation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  It is this involvement we need to harness and build on. Sometimes the participation is hardly what we would define as ‘negotiation’, but merely a contribution. For a few students, just uttering a word or a phrase can be an achievement. Indeed, some of the teachers in the training sessions said this was the goal they set for their more reticent pupils. And I have had students who, after writing their first note or e-mail in English, expressed their pride at being able to do so. If teachers consider an activity to be irrelevant or not engaging enough, there are many other tasks which may be more appropriate, such as surveys, using a stimulus picture and prompt questions (Who†¦ Where†¦ When†¦What†¦), or a series of pictures which need to be sequenced before a story is discussed. In this respect, CLT addresses another area which constantly challenges teachers, the mixed-ability class. When the lesson progresses to a freer-speaking activity, students can contribute according to their ability and confidence, although I acknowledge both need to be stretched. So there is a challenge for the more capable students, while those with an average ability still feel their effort is valid. This compares with the less creative opportunities offered by some textbooks, where students read a dialogue, perhaps doing a substitution activity, for example. A basic responsibility is considering and responding to the needs of our students, so if the course book is inadequate we need to employ the following steps: select, adapt, reject and supplement. Moreover, because each class we teach has its own characteristics and needs, CLT will vary each time we employ it. Conclusion Too often, a ‘new’ approach appears to completely dismiss the previous one. This is not always the intention, but probably more a result of the enthusiasm of practitioners exploring and implementing fresh activities or opportunities. Also, throughout the CLT debate, there seem to be dichotomies which are employed to argue for its irrelevance. It is evident that CLT has gathered a range of characteristics, perhaps more through misunderstanding or by association, but it is actually not as incompatible with other valued practices as it is sometimes made to appear.

Monsters Ball Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Monsters Ball - Term Paper Example The strong point of the movie is its powerful and well crafted story. The basic attributes of the narrative of this film are miserable patriarch approach accompanied with racism, a strong hatred for women, violence, depression, frustration, victim, and the loneliness of each character. It is a dark movie in which the negative shades of human personality are prevalent. The story happens in a rural area of United States. The events of the story take place in rural Louisiana, far away from the cosmopolitan urban life. Being far away from urban and cosmopolitan culture, the people are shown as rigid. The story divides into two families. First is the family of male protagonist that is Hank and the second part is the family of Leticia. Hank’s family is a distressed family, where three men of three different generations are living together under one single roof with blood relations, but there is a vacuum of these generations. The father of Hank has a completely negative shade. He is extremely malicious towards black people. The extreme hatred is shown in the scene where he is so happy to read the article from a local newspaper about the execution of Lawrence Musgrove. He basically is pleased with the thought that one more man of colour is killed. He has passed on this same hatred to his son Hank. Hank’s son Sonny on the other hand is very sensible and sympathetic kind of person. He is lonely and somewhere searching for motherly love and care which has lost in his life. His father hates him and he is not accepted in his family. Somewhere he is in need of that lost love, affection and sense of acceptance. He was urging for his father’s love and affection. Sonny asks his father, â€Å"You hate me, don’t you?† his father coldly admitted that he doesn’t love him. Sonny before shooting himself says, â€Å"Well, I always love you,† and he kills himself in front of his father Hank. Hanks wife and his mother had committed suicid e in a same manner. The second parallel family is Leticia’s family. She is living as a single mother. She is living with her son, Tyrell. She is an African American woman whose husband Lawrence Musgrove is executed after a long waiting of 11 years. Her needs are both financial and emotional. She and her son are struggling and undergoing through financial crisis. She is in need of economic stability as well as mental stability. Her urge for her need is shown through her action of drinking. The audience are shocked when they see the suicide of Sonny. Why did Sonny become a sudden victim of frenzy? He was in need of his father’s affection at that moment. If his father had shown that affection, he probably would not have taken such a drastic step of killing himself. Same thing is with Leticia when she is shown smoking cigarette. Actually she is restless and at that moment she wants someone to give her solace, to take her out of her frustration. She wants to come out of her loneliness. It is her stupid attempt to find peace from smoking. When her son has an accident and she is shouting for help on the road hysterically, she is in need of someone who would help her and her son physically. This momentary need of course was fulfilled by Hank, who takes them to the hospital. The momentary need further develops a very close relationship between her and Hank. The complete transformation of the protagonist is also one of the major attributes of the narrative. The contradictory behaviour of Hank creates an

Airline Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Airline Financial Management - Essay Example Hence, in order to ensure the integrity of the company's systems and financial operations and minimize the possibility of loss through mismanagement or fraud, the treasury department of the corporation can come to help. Through the formulation and implementation of a through risk management process, the likely and not very likely, both kind of unpleasing events can be avoided, and/or their damage minimized. The primary objective of the treasury department would be to minimize and provide for the various types of risks confronted to the company. This main objective can be broken down in smaller aims and objectives, all forming elements of the broader risk management process. Risk management as an organizational process can be separated into five general activities: identify risks and determine tolerances; measure risks; monitor and report risks; control risks; and oversee, audit, tune, and realign the risk management process. Risk identification is the process by which a company recognizes and, in some cases, detects the different financial risks to which it is exposed through the normal course of conducting its business. Risks can be left unidentified for reasons ranging from poor internal controls that allow the unnoticed booking of risky financial transactions to basic oversight of fundamental exposures. The process by which members of a company review, analyze, and discuss their risk profiles is an indispensable means by which risks can be identified, and, hence, managed. Our airline company transports passengers from the United States to Europe and back. The obvious risks faced by the company include the risk of plane crashes, maintenance-related delays, equipment damage from fire, and a loss of customers. Less obvious but perhaps equally significant are also the financial risks to which our company may be subject, such as the risk of rising jet fuel prices or the risk of fluctuations in the euro/dollar exchange rate. Without a systematic process to analyze these different risk exposures, our company's shareholders may never realize fully the different avenues through which the value of their capital can be adversely affected. Given the risks the company has identified, senior managers and directors must agree on tolerable levels of those risks required for the operation of the firm's primary business. This determination should be made explicitly by the firm's key stakeholders, including senior managers, the board of directors, and sometimes major creditors. Measure Risks Risk measurement involves the quantification of certain risk exposures for the purpose of comparison to company-defined risk tolerances. The process by which different risks are quantified is a critical component in an organization's broad risk management program. Without a good measure of risk, a determination can be hard to reach about whether the company is taking too much of some types of risks-or, conversely, not enough of another. Monitor and Report Risk A third component of the risk management process is risk monitoring and reporting. The risks to which a firm is subject can change for two reasons. The first is a change in the composition of a company's assets or liabilities. To monitor changes in

Depictions of Women in The Color of Purple Essay

Depictions of Women in The Color of Purple - Essay Example In this overview, she talks about the several political aspects of feminism that can be linked to theatre and other elements of feminist inquiry. Referring to Case's Feminism and Theatre and especially to Jill Dolan's The Feminist Spectator as Critic, Austin discusses the radical, cultural and materialist stages or divisions that fall within feminist analysis. Liberal feminism founded on universal values emphasizes women's equality with men; Cultural or radical feminism stresses the difference from and superiority to men and advocates the spirit of this within a 'female aesthetic'. While both 'radical' and 'cultural' have been used to explain this stage, Austin opts for the word 'radical' based on its political connotations. Materialist feminism contradicts the necessity and universalism of radical feminism by underscoring 'the function of class and experience in creating the oppression of women'. This latter approach maintains that women's experiences must be understood within their specific historical, economic and political context (Case 38). Just as, Austin invokes caution in 'making categories extremely powerful' when looking at the key work of feminist analysis, care is equally essential to these liberal, materialist or cultural divisions. This paper analyzes the author’s depiction of the female characters in the story using Gayle Rubin’s â€Å"exchange of women† theory, as expressed in Gayle Austin’s Feminist Theories for Dramatic Criticism. The Color Purple is a book by Alice Walker about racism, slavery, abuse and womanism. The story is based on the experiences of the author. Alice Walker’s description of a southern black woman in the story The Color Purple is extremely powerful. This is because Walker applies a variety of literary devices to the story, giving the story more impact. She uses symbolism, applies her tone as an author, and uses a certain dialect for her characters. The presence of symbolism in the book i s not as glaring to the eye of the reader as one may think (Walker 264). Gayle Rubin (2011) referred to marriage as the traffic or exchange of women where women are taken in battle, sent as tribute, given in marriage, exchanged for favors, traded, purchased, and sold. Throughout time, women have always been an essential aspect of literature. They have inspired several writers, whether novelists, dramatists, essayists or poets. Unfortunately, these often illustrated men as the superior gender, and women a passive object that could not thrive on its own and could do nothing for itself. In literature, women could only survive through the lives, minds and eyes of men but rarely for themselves. In Le deuxieme sexe, Simone de Beauvoir states that women are differentiated and defined in relation to man; the woman is the other and he is the subject. Beautiful and submissive, they could never think for themselves. They were obliged to take a secondary place in the men's world, not because of their capacity but rather because of imposed social and cultural forces. This false and biased representation denied women their identity and even worse their dignity. The history of patriarchy shows a variety of injustices suffered by women. They represented, in a way, the disadvantaged group that had often been subject to male authority through male egocentrism and had been prevented from full development as human beings. Sexism, under patriarchy,

Discuss the role of the world trade organisation (WTO) in the 21st Essay

Discuss the role of the world trade organisation (WTO) in the 21st century in global trading - Essay Example The world trade organization is a global international body that deals with the rules of trade between countries. It was established in 1995 with the Marrakech agreement, which was signed by 123 countries (Jones, 2015). Its main objective is to provide the framework for negotiation between participating countries during the trade. It also regulated trade rules and regulations between member states to ensure smooth running of trade activities. It is run and managed by its member governments and the members normally make all major decisions as a whole. The member states send their representatives who help in making decisions on behalf of their countries. The representatives of the member states meet after every two years to make major decisions regarding the running of the organization. The ambassadors and delegates of the member states are expected to meet regularly for decision making whenever necessary in Geneva. The world trade organization is managed by the Secretariat, which has skilled experts in all sectors of the economy who assist in the smooth running of sector’s specific tasks (Schefer, 2010). The world trade organization has many roles, objectives, and functions, which make it important in international trade (Ahearn & Fergusson, 2010). The first role of this noble body is to conduct and manage implementation, operation, and administration of the agreements covered in their constitution. The world trade organization is supposed to oversee the formation of trade agreements, their implementation, their administration, and their operation (Sampson, 2005). It also ensures that member states lower their tariffs and remove other barriers that restrict free trade between countries. This helps countries to conduct trade freely without many challenges. The next role played by the world trade organization is to provide forums for business negotiations and settling of disputes between member states (Alexander & Andenà ¦s, 2008). Although

Cookie jar accounting Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Cookie jar accounting - Coursework Example This can occur as an intentional plan of management in order to increase sales revenue. The incentives as to why managers would resort to extreme earnings management technique such as Channel stuffing include, First is to increase earnings, in given instances, managers and sales personnel are paid commissions and bonuses based on the overall performance of the company and since extreme earnings management technique such as channel stuffing increases sales volumes thereby having a positive result in relation to sales (LAI, et, al. 2009). This increases their earnings. This technique also creates some sense that the performance of the company is well hence in some ways assist in attracting financial institutions and investors to continue investing in the company with a hope of better proceeds (LAI, et, al. 2009). Secondly, these techniques do help a company to have a competitive advantage over their rivals. This is achieved by making sure that jamming effect is achieved for instance co nstant premature shipment of products into the market (LAI, et, al. 2009). This will give their competitor hard time to sell their products due to so many goods being offered in the market through this technique. Therefore the second reason gives a clear picture of how an organization can benefit from this technique which shows a well organized team of management (BRIGHAM, et, al 2010). Sales maximization will be achieved through these techniques and hence issues related to forecast analysis will be able to be achieved by the company. Thirdly is that the given company will be able to enjoy large scale production of goods and services and also distribute large volumes of the company’s product (BRIGHAM, et, al 2010). The effect of this is that the company will cut down their production costs that are fixed or variable because of the advantages associated with large scale production and hence higher returns (BRIGHAM, et, al 2010). This therefore helps managers in minimizing cost of production by producing and distributing large volumes of goods that results in low cost operations. The effect on this on the financial statement is that the company is guaranteed of good profits as will be reflected on the statements since the main objective of any business is to look for ways of reducing operational cost while maximizing profit (BRIGHAM, et, al 2010). The fourth reason is that the company may want to increase its proceeds from initial public offer. Most companies do raise their capital through initial public offer and so in order to gain the trust from the public, it has to indicate to the public that it is able to make high returns (LAI, et, al. 2009). This is because no investor would want to place its money in the company that will go down very soon. In order to gain such trust, the company has to be able to produce goods and services that can meet the demand in the market (LAI, et, al. 2009). Effectiveness of stuffing the channel from the stand point of a single year From the stand point of a single year, stuffing the channel seems effective because it is hard to detect and given that such can only be identified in the course of full disclosure, such as sales by product, segment, or area. Through careful analysis, the company will be able to reveal abnormal sales patterns. Nevertheless, it is not a guarantee for the company to provide full disclosure unless the auditor insists or as stipulated by (BHATTACHARYYA, H. 2004). Â  Incase of too much inventory, wholesalers can refuse to stock more inventory since they are not formally company employees. It is also difficult to keep these wholesalers from complaining to regulators. In order to avoid such complaints, the company can resort to

Investigating report how an organisation can get the best from their Essay

Investigating report how an organisation can get the best from their employees regard to their knowledge and experties - Essay Example Morgan and Schiemann (2009) argue that this form of restructuring will ensure that the organization’s functions and systems will run in a smooth manner. Among the changes that are taking part in the organizations today include inclusion of innovative techniques that render the employees have an obligation to offer the best for their companies. With the tough competition in the world of business, it is almost impossible for organizations to survive without embracing the changes that are taking part in the market especially in regard to employee relations. Studies indicate that organizations are terrified of the fact that, they may not be in a position to operate in the markets if they do not embrace the upcoming changes in the field of business. This fact implies that it is of the essence that novel human resource techniques and methodologies are incorporated into the organizations. 1.1. Body 1.1.1. Knowledge Management In an organization, it is mandatory to manage the organiza tion’s knowledge. There are various forms of knowledge in the organization. Knowledge may be described as the cognitive ability of an individual to perform a certain task and varies from one individual to the next. This fact leads to a variation while dealing with employees in the organization. Some employees may feel completely at pains upon conventional treatments, all in all, the most important part is to ensure that all forms of knowledge are crucial and have to be managed. Majority of the organizations are coming up with management of knowledge projects through appointment of knowledge teams and personnel to handle the organizations (Payne 2006). 1.1.2. Forms of Knowledge 1.1.2.1. Explicit form of knowledge Explicit awareness is a type of knowledge that is simple to categorize and retrieve since it uses codes that enable the user to keep the information, reposses it as well as rectify documents. In as far as an organization is concerned, the people in a managerial positi on have to ensure that the employees have unlimited access to information and they are able to use it accordingly for their maximum benefit (Roth 2006). Some analysts however, argue that this type of knowledge is too simple to generate desirable results in as far as fostering competitiveness among the employees is concerned. 1.1.2.3. Tacit Knowledge According to Munk (2008) tacit knowledge refers to a type of information that is hard to define since it relies mostly on individual experience that difficult to explain to others. This is the type of knowledge that is embodied in the minds of individuals based on experience over the years. The values and beliefs that a person ascribes to have a huge impact on the output of employees in an organization. This is probably why most employers insist on hiring people with years of experience in a specific field as they are able to use intuition to solve problems. As a result, many organizations experience breakthroughs in otherwise difficult areas that would have required excessive coding to solve it. 1.1.3 Organizational culture and structure According to Abell and Oxbrow (2001) organizations are structured in a myriad of ways, depending on their nature and traditions as well as their objectives. The structure proposed by the organization verifies whether the organization’

The effect of Leader Member Exchange(LMX) on employee's performance Dissertation

The effect of Leader Member Exchange(LMX) on employee's performance and turnover rate (or employee retention) - Dissertation Example According to the research findings it can therefore be said that leadership is not just a word, it is a responsibility, and it is the step towards the success story for any organization. Leadership qualities cannot be developed overnight but continuous effort put in by the people can make them achieve the price tag of leadership which brings along responsibility and further expectations to perform beyond potential. Organizations, small or big have and will always require people who can mould themselves according to what the situation demands and bring the best solution on the table. Leadership qualities are also measured on the basis of employees’ performance and their job satisfaction. A leader can be called a successful torch bearer only if his/her followers equally contribute towards the growth of an organization. Leadership in itself is an important quality but there are certain factors which define the true leadership qualities a leader should possess. These essential com ponents to develop leadership qualities at par are- a) Setting an example and motivating others b) Enhancing skills c) To be an influential figure d) Finding a solution to doubts and ambiguities e) Honesty f) Being ethical g) Bringing in the desired change h) Managing cultural assortment i) Rewarding for the success. Leadership is a sequence, a process which has different elements intact to it, prevailing towards the successful attributes of a true leadership quality. These elements of leadership are of three types- the leader, the following group or the followers and finally the substance. A leader is the one who sets an example, leads from the front, motivates, sets objectives and inspires others to grab the opportunity in achieving these objectives. It is believed that every individual has an inborn

Value Added Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Value Added - Essay Example The difference is usually seen in the quantity of the components included when calculating the value added. Two ways have been suggested when obtained the value added for an organisation. First, there is the subtraction method where purchases are deducted from sales figure. Secondly, the addition method that sums up the profits, interests, depreciation, payroll etc. The two methods are explained towards wealth creation in the additive method and distribution of wealth in the subtraction method. Either of the two methods, should give the same figure of the value added in a business (Haslam and Neale, 2000, 35) The value added is demonstrated below Gross output (A) (minus) Bought in items, services (B) -------------delivers----------Valued added--------distributed to----- wages, consumption, capital, profits In a country’s records, the gross output represents the gross income from different industries. All purchases that are made by the government are then deducted, to arrive at the value added. To understand this concept, accounting information from Walmart Company is adopted and illustrated below. Example: Walmart Company income statement has been reviewed for the years 2011 and 2010. Figures all in $million Year 2011 Year 2010 Sales revenue 421,849.0 408,085 Less :Purchases made 315,287.0 304,444.0 Value added 106,562.0 103,641.0 Expenses – wages, administration. ... The value added per employee is obtained by dividing the figure calculated by the overall number of employees in a Company. The real value for 2011 for Walmart, would then be 106,562.0/2,100,000= $0.05 million per employee (Haslam and Neale, 2000, 55). The extent to which value added, cashflow, and profit connected to Company’s sales performance, is determined by critically analysing the realisation of the Company’s goal i.e. shareholder’s wealth creation. The value added shows the net value which excludes dealings from suppliers. The wealth so created is distributed amongst the expenditure, profits and capital of the firm. The cashflow statement shows the amount of cash that comes in the organisation e.g. from sales and cash out i.e. for the various expenditures undertaken. Cash expenditure in a company is includes: cash for investments, dividends paid, cash for operations etc. Cash inflow includes turnover, gain on sale of assets, interest income etc. To balanc e the cashflow, the cash outflow is subtracted from the cash inflow to get a deficit or a surplus. The resulting figure is the liquid money in the firm. This is related to the value added as both look at the company’s performance. If the resulting figure is a deficit, then the company is making losses and the performance is poor. Vice Versa is also true. True cash representation is assessed by the cashflow in and out of the Company’s operations. Any activities that do not involve cash e.g. outstanding debts, suppliers and outstanding debts are not incorporated. The cashflow depicts the true worth of a business as it paves ways for a cash budget to be created for the following year laying emphasis on the previous year’s cash spending. The shareholders of an organisation

Soccer Ball Lab Essay Example for Free

Soccer Ball Lab Essay I. INTRODUCTION Speed, distance, time, and acceleration are all very complex formulas that are interdependent. These formulas are measured in motion data and used to determine the final instantaneous speed, distance, time, and acceleration. Distance and time are two formulas that are used to determine speed and time. For example, distance equals speed multiplied with time given, time equals distance divided by speed, and speed is equals distance divided time. Speed and time are required to determine acceleration. ( This is how they are an interdependent formula. ) These complex formulas will benefit you in situations , where as you are trying to find the missing equation value dealing with motion data. For example, in many situations, the problem gives information with only the values of time and distance. You are trying to solve for the speed in the given problem, so in order to determine the speed, you’d have to taken the given information and divide the time by distance. In other situations, you are trying to solve for acceleration, which only initial velocity, time, and acceleration are given. You would have to interrelate the given values and take the initial velocity and add it to the acceleration, multiplied by time, then your data and equations sum up to the final velocity. These formulas and equations, in particular, acceleration and speed, are related to Newton’s first law of motion. This is also known as inertia, inertia is the resistance of any physical object to a change in its state of motion and rest, or the ability of an object to resist any change in its motion. Objects at rest will remain at rest if both acceleration and speed are equal to zero . Newton’s first law of motion states â€Å"An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.† An unbalanced force is when 2 forces are not equal they work against each other. It acts upon an object, either opposite, or beside it. Depending on the situation, an unbalanced force can make an object either decelerate or accelerate. Friction is a common force that forces  objects to decelerate. Now, acceleration is compatible with this situation because when an object is traveling at a certain speed, eventually it will slow down and stop. Inertia works with the situation, because inertia is a property of mass, meaning the larger the mass, the more inertia there is. Mass is a measurement of the amount of matter an object contains, therefore the larger the mass, the more the object resists its change of its state of motion and deceleration. All of these are interdependent and interrelated resulting in all the solutions to these complex equations dealing with motion and time. II.PURPOSE AND HYPOTHESIS The purpose of this lab is to determine whether a soccer ball will accelerate, decelerate, or travel at a constant speed when kicked from a certain distance to another. If a soccer ball is kicked from a certain place to another, while being timed, then the soccer ball will decelerate .This is because the incredible force of friction will work against the force moving the ball. The unbalanced force will cause the ball to decelerate and eventually stop. III.MATERIALS 1. (1) Stop watch 2. (2) Soccer Ball 3. (1) Chalk/ Marker- IVPROCEDURE 1. Position yourself at a designated, and marked place. These must be measured in units, in order to get an accurate description. 2. Stand in your designated area, until the soccer ball reaches it. 3. Have the ball be kicked.  4. When the traveling soccer ball reaches you, stop and record your time. 5. Record the time showed on the stopwatch on a piece of paper This can be redone multiple of times. V.OBSERVATIONSobser * QUALITATIVE: The group walked to the measuring area ( A parking lot ), where stations were set up. A straight line, that measured 10 meters was marked across with a  piece of chalk. The soccer ball was very soft and deflated to have a more accurate observation. The soccer ball traveled on ground until stopped by a person. * QUANTITATIVE: Distance (m/s)| Time (Seconds)| Instan. Speed (m/s)| Acceleration (m/s ²)| 2| .47| 4.25| -4.7| 4| .93| 4.30| -0.62| 6| 1.5| 4| 1.57| 8| 1.8| 4.44| 2.21| 10| 2.49| 4.01| 2.22| Graph, representing distance vs. time. VI.ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION When the soccer ball was kicked, and measured, it traveled and eventually decelerated. Now, the ball decelerated, but not at a constant rate. It depended on various things in order to have taken the ball to either decelerate faster, or for the ball to have travel faster. But, in this case, the soccer ball accelerated very slightly on halfway to the 8 meter mark. This was due to friction and an unbalanced force, that took control of the 14 ounce soccer ball, and made it decelerate. The question, is why the soccer ball went at the speed, and not at a faster speed. Well, one person was chosen to kick the ball. The person, if they wanted to, could have either kicked the ball softly, or put more pressure into kicked it. If more people were selected to kick the soccer ball, the amount of force exerted on the ball might have been different. The factors that determine the speed the ball are the amount of force initially exerted on the ball and the unbalanced force. In this case, it was frict ion that acted upon the ball. VII.DISCUSSION Although, the group remained and recorded many accurate results, there were some complications. When conducting the lab, some people at other designated spots pressed their stop watches too early, resulting in different results. Another error that might have occurred, is that too much force was exerted on the soccer ball, when kicked. This could have resulted  in the soccer ball traveling at a faster rate. Either that that, the most observations and results were accurate.

Why Do Conservatives Put An Emphasis On Tradition Politics Essay

Why Do Conservatives Put An Emphasis On Tradition Politics Essay In this essay I am going to attempt to answer the question enclosed in the title of this paper. First I will define the term conservatism; secondly I will present conservatism seen from different perspectives, such as traditional and modern conservatives. My investigation will then focus on attempting to answer the title question. In the last part I will construct an answer to the second question enclosed above and conclude with my own opinion on the subject matter. The term Conservative and Conservatism has been widely described and defined in literature. This depends on the area of the subject it has been elaborated upon. The concept of conservatism has always been controversial in a sense.  [1]  A conservative is disposed to preserve existing conditions, institutions, etc., or to restore traditional ones, and to limit change  [2]  . This can be seen as a way of favouring traditional views and values and tending to oppose change. This has been the foundation of conservatives throughout history and still being upheld in todays world and society. As an ideological and social system conservatism is characterised by the preservation of the existing conditions of society, including the polity, from significant changes, as well as restoration of a pre-existing social state to substitute for a non-conservative, notably liberal one. Therefore conservatism, when redefined can be segmented into several types such as; political, economic, social or cultural.  [3]  Huntington brings the view of conservatism seen through aristocratic theory as the ideology of a single and unique historical movement. (Huntington, 1957; 454) He further explores other theories which relate to specific classes in society. Liberalism is the ideology reserved for bourgeoisie; Socialism and Marxism are regarded as ideologies of the working class or proletariat whereas the Conservatism becomes the ideology of the aristocracy. (Huntington, 1957; 454) The doctrines of conservative belief derive from both Tory and Whig thought  [4]  . They contain a belief of loyalty to the rule of law, property ownership, upholding institutions, belief in organic nature of society and limited government.  [5]   Notably in England conservatism has become part of political speech around 1830. David Hume is often portrayed as the first conservative political theorist. He was the first major thinker to offer a philosophical defence of conservatism. Hume rejects the idea that the reason goes above what can be observed. In Humes view morality is concerned with action for a persons motives or reasons for action whether an act is right or wrong. Hume further argues that sentiment is a pre-rational feeling towards somebody or something. (Hoffman and Graham, 2009; 202) Conservative thinker Edmund Burke does not accept abstractions, such as the natural right proclaimed by the French Revolutionaries in 1789. Burke defends habit, taste and prejudice. For Burke, the knowledge of other people, including previous generations, is the resource that must be highly respected and followed if we are to avoid disastrous social consequences. Burke in Reflection on the Revolution in France compares contrasts societ ies- French which has neglected prejudice in favour of theory and British, which has remained close to its traditions :(..)that we have made no discoveries, and we think that no discoveries are to be made, in morality; not many in the great principles of government, nor in the ideas of liberty, which were understood long before we were born, altogether a well as they will be after the grave has heaped its mould upon our presumption, and the silent tomb shall have imposed its law on our pert loquacity. (Burke, 1969; 84 in Hoffman Graham 2009; 202) Burke was on the side of what he saw as Britains Great Tradition in political history. (Nisbet 1986; 4) Tory Party was older and favoured by the monarchy and much of aristocracy. Turning to the past for inspiration and for models on which to base policy in the present is deeply embedded in the conservative tradition and is sufficient reason for liberal and radical epithets of reactionary or anarchic. Emile Faguet refers to all of the conservatives as prophets from the past. (Nisbet 1986; 18) Nisbet refers to Churchills emphasis on relating to past in the following I like to live in the past; I dont think people are going to get much fun in the future. (Nisbet 1986; 19) For Burke legitimacy is the work of history and of traditions which go far beyond the resources of any single generations. (Nisbet 1986; 23) To see things authentically as a conservative Mannheim writes () is to experience events in term of an attitude derived from circumstances and situations anchored in the past. (Ni sbet 1986; 23) The concreteness of experience and history is persisting conservative emphasis. (Nisbet 1986; 24) Strauss is regarded as an important influence on what is called neo- conservatism. His view on conservatism is very different to that of Hume, Burke and Oakeshott. Strauss sought to revive both, the reading of text in the history of political thought and the natural right tradition. Use of Tory by modern British Conservatives has been somewhat more affection than anything really substantive. (Nisbet, 1986; 11) Jeremy Bentham and his utilitarian philosophy reject Enlightenment, French Revolution and all philosophers of natural right. He said the past is of no use. (Nisbet, 1986; 17) Michael Oakeshott was one of the most important conservative thinkers of the 20th Century. Oakeshott offered a critique of modern conservatives, who in fact are liberal rationalists. A rationalists stands for independence of mind on all occasions, for thought free from obligation to any authority as he puts it save the authority of reason. (Oakeshott 1962:1 in Hoffman and Graham 2009; 203) The rationalist rejects Burkean prejudice, custom and habit. He believes that it is possible to reason about political institutions and the fact that something exists, and has existed in past, is no justification for respecting or retaining it. This lack of respect causes a political attitude of radical change rather than gradual reform. The rationalist disrespect for institution extends to the world of ideas; instead of a careful engagement with the complex intellectual traditions that have shaped western societies. (Oakeshott 1962; 7 in Hoffman and Graham 2009; 205) Tradition is a practice or institution that has continuedx through time and has been inherited from an earlier period.  [6]  Conservatives have defended tradition of different grounds. For some conservatives, tradition reflects their religious faith. If the world is thought to have been fashioned by a creator, traditional customs and practices in society should be regarded as God given. Therefore to change the tradition or natural laws would be to challenge the will of God. However after the acceleration of historical change old traditions were replaced by new ones. Man-made laws were being created such as universal suffrage and free elections. This certainly weakened fundamentalist conservatism. Most conservatives, however, support tradition without needing to argue it has divine origins. Burke for example, describes society as a partnership between those who are living, those who are dead and those who are to be born. (Nisbet, 1986; 23) Nisbet uses Chestertons quote, who claims that tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes: our ancestors. It is democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. (Nisbet, 1986; 24)Tradition is therefore seen by conservatives as wisdom of the past. The institutions and traditions have been tested by time, and therefore should be preserved for the benefits of future generations. In a sense, conservatives take a Darwinian view on tradition, that tradition has gone through a period of natural selection and has only survived because it has worked and been found of real value. (Nisbet, 1986; 28) An example of this is the British Monarchy. As historical wisdom and experience is gained from it, as well as gives a focus of national loyalty, it should be preserved. In this sense, tradition also generates a feeling of identity for society and individuals. (Hoffman and Graham 2009; 213) As traditional practices can be recognised from generation to generation, it allows people to feel a sense of belonging. Change on the other hand is like walking into unknown and is therefore dangerous because it creates a feeling of insecurity and uncertainty, in fact threatening happiness. Tradition is therefore seen as fundamental principle of conservatism. (Hoffman and Graham 2009; 214) The philosophy of traditionalism is selective. A tradition must come from the past but it must be also desirable in itself. It is our link with the past. There is another attribute of conservative respect of the old and traditional; belief that no matter how archaic a given structure or modern may be, there may be in it a continuity, still vital, function that man profits from; psychologically or sociologically. (Nisbet 1986; 27) T.S Elliot in his essay on individual talent and tradition has written as confirmed traditionalist as well as revolutionist in poetic form and imaginary. The individual talent is simply impotent, condemned to spinning of wheels without a chosen tradition to work with. (Nisbet, 1986; 29) The Conservative Party is the mean in todays society through which Conservatism is introduced into publics spheres. It has a set of beliefs that comprise British Conservatism and those beliefs that have been preserved and developed over time by Conservative thinkers and politicians. However looking at the recent years it is clear that the link between conservation and development of those beliefs and policies has not been very close as it should have been. Having analysed the above areas of conservatism it is clear in a sense that todays Conservatism and Conservative Party is not really conservative. Margaret Thatchers government 1979-1990 was rather rationalist if we analyse it in Oakeshotts view. (Hoffman and Graham 2009; 206) For Oakeshott experience comes with tradition, therefore rationalism for him is the politics of the inexperienced. (Hoffman and Graham 2009; 207) The contemporary significance of traditional conservatism is seen less as an active ideology. Current conservativ e party is no longer fully conservative, but heading towards more of a liberal approach which is their source of ideas. (Hoffman and Graham 2009; 208) It can be argued that there has been a significant shift in policies and philosophy of Conservative party under David Camerons leadership.  [7]  He has adopted a significantly different approach to his predecessors which can be characterised by focusing on new areas of concern, avoiding specific commitments, considering better policy options and being more value-oriented than in former Parliaments.  [8]   In my opinion conservatives party and its internal disputes are clear reflection of the contradicting interests present within their ideology. Having in mind that conservative view presents that society does not exist, and the world is only a collection of self-seeking, egotistic individuals I do not believe they are able to invent a coherent way of thinking and going forward with a positive and constructive outlook upon the future. The fact that conservatives seem to be emphasising tradition and history of good times, praising the life and the level of society was during previous decades, will not improve but hinder their progression. I believe by looking backward to the past, conserving the reality cannot be perceived as it really is, but as it would like to be seen from the past perspective. I believe any modern ideology; system has to be addressed to current affairs and relevant to present issues and look forward to the future, rather than the past. However having said that it is clearly noticeable that modern conservative party is collaborating with Liberal-Democrats seems to be a new beginning or transformation that might bring positive results for the people and State.

Global sourcing

Global sourcing Question 3 Introduction Global Sourcing is the procurement of goods and services from independent suppliers or subsidiaries from multinational companies which are located abroad and are made for further development of consumption in the multinationals home country or a third country (Cavusgil et al, 2007). International companies are increasingly looking to maintain their competitive advantage in their industry, and are therefore internationalising their supply-chain activities such as engineering, procurement, logistics, and even marketing. The issues For understanding the issues or risks managers face nowadays in global sourcing one has to divide the activities in two main segments, which is the flow of goods and information. The first reason for a company to source an activity of their value chain globally is generally perceived because of cost saving. Trent and Monczka (2003) noted a saving of 15 percent when successfully implementing global sourcing strategies of material cost, comparing to local and regional sourcing practices. Levy (1995) uses the term ‘disruptions for the issues in the global sourcing activities of a firm, and thus within the supply chain. Levy argues that the disruptions in the flow of goods are primarily caused by unstable demand, defective and late deliveries and internal production problems. Furthermore, there are challenges in language, culture, inventory management, lack of technology, trade regulations, currency fluctuations, and quality assurance. All these disruptions result in the extension of costs, which was the reason to source globally in the first place. Cavusgil et al (2007) identifies risks in global sourcing such as environmental factors, weak legal environment, risk of creating competitors, over-reliance on suppliers, and the erosion of morale amongst home-country nationals. Managers of the supply-chain are according to Levy (1995) underestimating the cost of global sourcing, which means they do not include the disruptions when making a decision on to outsource or not. Secondly, managers often view the supply-chain as a static flow of controls instead of a complex and dynamic one. Thirdly, managers tend to outsource when a company is on its maturity but then neglect the demand volatility. And lastly, managers tend to treat supply-chain crises as one-time events instead of part of the instability of the supply-chain. Learning the hard way For example, Boeing is facing major delays in manufacturing its new 787. The aircraft manufacturer is in its never ending race with Airbus to present its new passenger aircraft. Boeing has its suppliers all over the world and with Boeings specific needs and design some suppliers were given a far greater responsibility for design, and there was no control on their work from our side (Weitzman, 2009). Or even a more compelling example of supply-chain failure is the near extinction of Land Rover in 2002 than owned by Ford that almost had to stop production because the supplier of its chassis had gone bankrupt. It said that it needed six to nine months to find an alternative supplier, putting 11,000 jobs at risk. It is mentioned in the Financial Times article that having dual-suppliers will cost around  £12m just for the chassis (Milne, 2008). Critical Success Factors Global Sourcing In the study of Trent et al (2009) the critical success factors of global sourcing were identified. These factors are personnel with the right skills and knowledge, the availability of information, the awareness of potential global suppliers, time, and global capabilities of the supplier, interested in global contracts, global sourcing support, and direct visits. These critical success factors seem logical, and thus a firms global supply chain might seem water proof, but there will always be disruptions. Imagine the sharp fluctuations a firm can come across; when the firm is importing its goods from Singapore for example per ship, and the fluctuations demands the firm to use an air-freight to deliver the goods and meet the demands, the transportation costs can run ten times higher than the sea-freight deliveries, thus totally eroding the cost-advantage of manufacturing the goods in a lower-cost labour country (Levy, 1995). Conclusion Disruptions will always be part of the supply-chain of any firm in any industry. However, a careful planning of every step in the supply-chain should be routine. When sourcing globally, one has to think carefully of what to source and what to keep on board. When sourcing globally just for the cost advantage, one will find a lot of challenges along the way. Global sourcing should be part of the firms strategy, not an emergent strategy, but a proactive attitude. When implementing new supply-chain activities, disruptions should be taken into account, in order to reduce the chance of errors. This should include flexibility of suppliers payment, a back-up for the JIT (just-in-time) deliveries, a well-managed inventory system, excellent training activities for maintaining quality, and continuous improvements to keep the competitive advantage over other firms. Question 4 Introduction Businesses operating in an international context encounter different issues than firms operating solely in their home market, the domestic businesses. International firms enter new economical conditions, different political systems, laws and regulations and different cultures (Cavisgil et al, 2007). Cavusgil et el (2007) note that international firms find themselves in uncontrollable variables factors of which the firm has little control.   Most companies internationalise at a certain stage, the point at which they are going international has several reasons. The motivations can be reactive and proactive. These can be named push-, pull-, and drift factors. Push factors indicate the firms position in a saturated market, meaning declining demand, increasing fierce competition, or products that reached maturity and need a little push. Pull factors are proactive movements of the firm to move across borders because foreign markets promise faster growths, higher profits or less legal re straints and less competition. Drift factors are rather ad hoc or accidental. Firms that operate first solely in their domestic market receive large orders from international firms, which makes them decide to pursue an international adventure. Advantages and disadvantages For domestic firms to go international it means they have to take lots of new aspects into account. The risks are substantial. The commercial risk concerns the risk of weak partners, poor timing of entry and underestimation of the operational scale. Secondly, the currency risk which includes currency fluctuations and taxations. Thirdly, the country risk involves the legal issues, political stability and economical situations. Fourth is the cross-cultural risk, which basically means the lack of understanding each others cultures. These four main topics indentify the risk of the international business, or rather should be taken into account when going international. The advantages are rather attractive as well. The firm can expect substantial increases of sales, market share and higher profits. Also, the firm increases its economies of scale and can therefore expect to reduce their cost-per-units. It enters more diversified markets, and can therefore learn from new markets and adapt and adopt accordingly. By being an international firm, it bolsters itself against fluctuations in the economy and becomes a stronger player throughout their domestic market and internationally. The disadvantage of the firm exporting is the lack of understanding of the foreign markets, fewer opportunities to learn about the new customers, their competitors, and the lack of communication (Cavusgil, 2007). Illustrations of domestic to international business and back Johanson and Vahine (1977, lecture slides) designed the Uppsala Internationalisation model in which stages firms go across borders. This starts from exporting, to licensing production, than to joint ventures and eventually sole ventures, illustration the steps firms undertake gradually. Through this model Wal-Mart, using the push method, entered several markets by jumping to sole ventures, without the necessary research to succeed in a country. In its domestic market, it is a successful concept made for the American lifestyle. When it entered Mexico, it built massive parking lots like in the US, but only to found out later that most Mexicans do not have a car. In Brazil, where most families do their shopping once a month on their payday, Wal-Mart built the aisles to narrow to establish havoc (Cavusgil et al, 2007). These are the examples of jumping, literally, into new markets without understanding of what is going on. Would it team-up by licensing to a local supermarket chain its success rate would have been much higher. In contrast with these Wal-Mart examples Carrefour, a French supermarket chain, spent 12 years understanding the Chinese market just to become the largest foreign retailer with presence in 25 countries; which is a much more gradual entry. In its domestic market, General Motors is facing serious competition and a declining market share which it is losing to Japanese carmakers and others. Its reason to maintain Vauxhall and Opel seems like their lifeline for developing solid competition for smaller fuel-efficient cars in its domestic market. Both Ford and Chrysler now with Fiat have the technology to develop these engines, had General Motors sold Vauxhall/Opel it would have lost its part of its knowledge in small fuel-efficient cars in its domestic markets and its presence in the European Market. On the contrary, Honda, with its sole focus on its engine, entered the US with small cars after the push from a high level of competition in Japan. It started however with export to the US and moved in manufacturing Honda in 1982, being already superior in quality in every auto market segment, better fuel efficiency, and better priced. Honda moved after being ready to move, and had time to study the US-market and it needs. The oil crises in the eighties helped significantly in US customers in persuading buying fuel efficient smaller cars (Klier, 2008). Conclusion Nowadays, the world is getting flatter and flatter (Friedman, 2005), meaning that the worlds resources are within an arm length for nearly all firms, provided they need the right network, skilled labour force and strategy to enter foreign markets. Collaboration between companies is often used to harness themselves against more intensifying competitors, who are obtaining knowledge, and cost advantages as well through collaboration. This continuous cycle makes the world a smaller place to do business in. Eventually all domestic businesses have some international activities, either in exporting, importing or knowledge. The world nowadays is too small to be comfortable in your own market, where you will face saturation and perhaps even decline.

Mending Wall :: essays research papers

â€Å"Mending Wall† is a poem that presents two opposing attitudes towards keeping barriers up between people. Each neighbor has a different opinion. One neighbor wants a visible line to separate their property lines and the other sees no reason for it. The poem implies a lack of security and trust one person may have towards another, even when it may not seem illogical or necessary. Each year the two neighbors meet annually at the adjoining wall. Both men walk the length of the wall to assess and repair the year’s wear and tear. Frost’ writing style invites the reader to probe the need for communication or, more precisely, the way people put up walls to create barriers between themselves. The visual imagery of the wall helps the reader to shift from just seeing the wall as a basic, natural setting to an abstract consideration of human behavior. In the first stanza of the poem it establishes the sense of mystery, a true color of atmosphere, â€Å"something† that does not want the wall to be there. Whatever it is, it’s a powerful force and it creates a â€Å" frozen ground swell† that disrupts the wall from underneath, forcing stones on top to tumble off. Damage appears each year so the neighbors walk along the wall to repair the gaps and fallen stones that have not been created by either of the two neighbors. Frost then gives the reader an uncertain question as to why should neighbors need walls anyway. Why do good fences make good neighbors? If one or both neighbors had cattle or something that could do possible damage then a fence would be reasonable. However, it is pointed out in the poem that there are no cattle. So, there must be some sort of human distrust between one of the neighbors. What is the distrust? Frost doesn’t let the reader know. Perhaps it is an age difference that results in extreme points of view or tradition. Or maybe there is a religious bias about the other. One neighbor wants to separate and possibly his family. The wall prevents the evil of indifference from entering. The phantom of discomfort seems to be kept in check by this rock structure. Frost gives us the impression that he doesn’t agree with separating people. The poem might have something to do with racism. Maybe one neighbor is black and the other is Caucasian.

Janet Adelmans Hamlet Essay -- Essays on Shakespeare Hamlet

Janet Adelman's Hamlet    Janet Alderman in her essay "'Man and Wife Is One Flesh':   Hamlet and the Confrontation with the Maternal Body" embraces the psychoanalytic tradition of Freud and Lacan in order to reveal the quadruple-angled relationship of the Hamlet monarchy.   Focusing primarily on the relationship between Gertrude and her son, Hamlet, Alderman attempts to recast the drama as a charged portrait of Oedipal disillusionment and Lacanian sexual-abnegation.   Appropriately, sexuality provides the impetus for Alderman's argument; toying with sex roles and the power of sexuality over family dynamics and identity, she craftily reveals Hamlet to be a son's battle for his mother's purity, a covetous attempt to regain a sense of sexual normalcy.   Alderman's casts Gertrude as a type of catch-all, garden-of-Eden, original-sin embodiment, who initiates the fall of the paternal and recreates the maternal "body as an enclosed garden newly breached" (Adelman 263).   Adelman frequently refers to Hamlet Sr. and Claudius as "collapsing" into a single paternal figure; both incite and fall prey to Gertrude's sexuality.   Hamlet functions in Alderman's analysis as the crusader fighting for his mother's "benign maternal presence" (278) and the conqueror repressing his mother's sexual appetite, her "sexualized maternal body" (271).      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Adelman's thesis, the quintessence of her study, seems to inhabit these lines:    Hamlet thus redefines the son's positions between two father's by relocating it in  Ã‚   relation to an indiscriminately sexual maternal body that threatens to annihilate the  Ã‚   distinction between the fathers and hence problematizes the son's paternal  Ã‚  Ã‚   identification;   [and] . . . conflat[ing] the beloved wit... ...Gertrude, as does the incestuous Claudius; thus, Hamlet places his identity with his mother.   Ultimately, Hamlet seeks not to avenge the death of his father, but to save his mother from her own destructive sexuality, and by extension his own self-destruction.   Of course, Adelman prescribes an existential reason to Hamlet's need to rescue his mother; Hamlet needs to "recover the fantasized presence of the asexual mother of childhood" (277).   Hamlet needs to separate his mother from all sexuality in order to reap the stability of her selfhood for his own.   After refusing to sleep with Claudius, Gertrude restores herself in her son's eyes to the status of "an internal good mother" (279).   Hamlet, now, by "trusting her, can begin to trust in himself and in his own capacity for   action; he can rebuild the masculine identity spoiled by her contamination" (279).      

Marketing – Delta Faucets

Delta Faucets – Final Project One of the most luxurious and exquisite brands in the world of faucets and bathroom fittings is Delta Faucets. The branding of Delta has been a very remarkable process – it targets the highest niche of the market with its products that have the highest finish and technological innovation. It is compelling to think how technology could be introduced in bathroom fittings and faucets. Delta faucets are embedded with technologically innovative ideas and thus are distinctive in nature from all of its competitor products. Marketing Mix Analysis Overview Established in 1954 as a home improvement and building products, Delta Faucet Company is a subsidiary of Masco Corporation. This company is one of the largest manufacturers of home fittings and building products. The company has been very innovative in the faucets business and its business philosophy has made it adopt an innovative approach to the traditional business of manufacturing home fittings. The company manufactures a wide range of home fitting products but apart from that, it has a list of patented designs and products to its credit. This includes a variety of breakthrough technologies and innovative ideas that have led to faucets being more intelligent than just ordinary home fittings. Targeted distinctively for corporate offices and exquisite homes, Delta Faucet products are not for the ordinary people. The products marketing campaign is equally exquisite and yet simple. The website of the company shows the innovative ideas that have been the reason for its success in the business and a targeted marketing strategy for corporate offices has been the key to its distinguishment from other products in the marketplace. This paper will analyze the marketing mix of Delta Faucets and dissect the different elements of its marketing strategy that have been crucial to its success. Product Delta Faucet products are home fittings and building materials that simply defy the convention. The products of Delta Faucet are value-added in that they are the result of innovation and technological embedding – Delta Faucets enabling it to be the market leader in innovative faucets and fittings patent most of these designs. The product comes in lavish packaging however, since Delta Faucet hones the â€Å"green† paradigm, the packaging is biodegradable but manages to provide the buyer an exquisite image well. Pricing Bathroom fittings and kitchen fittings that cost as much as tyre cars are the norm for Delta Faucet products. It should be remembered that Delta does not target a large population – rather it skims the top most segment of the market. It would rather be that Delta Faucets are used for corporate bathrooms than for private home fittings (Etzel, Walker, Walker & Stanton, 2003). Delta Faucet prices well above its nearest competitors enabling it to reach the premiums of high pricing. Placement Delta Faucet is not short of outlets for placing its faucets. It operates in more than 53 countries using an efficient supply chain network with reduced lead-time. The company has an extensive network of distributors and retailers that sell Delta Faucets products throughout North America and Europe. The use of information systems in its supply chain network has been one of the strongest plus factors for Delta Faucet enabling it to strengthen its placement strategies (Pelyco, 2003). Promotional Mix Delta Faucet manages to market its products using a variety of strategies: in spite of being a luxury product, Delta Faucet has been able to stir its demand over the years using corporate magazine marketing as the primary tool (About Delta, 2009). A combination of viral marketing amongst the corporate world (through secretaries of executives) is the most relied upon form of promotion at Delta Faucets. It also houses exquisite showrooms and display centers for the people that are abounded by physical marketing and the â€Å"touch and feel† of things. It is perhaps this strategy that is the most consistent with Delta Faucets. Overall, Delta Faucet has been very pervasive in its marketing and promotional strategies. It has strived to make sure that it is chosen by the top-notch sector of the society by constantly dwelling on copyright technology and innovation. Delta Faucet projects itself as a brand that is for the elite; keeping this into view, it can be concluded that the price and promotional strategy of the product are well in tandem with the products image and nature (Pride & Ferrell, 2007). Delta Faucet needs no revision of its marketing strategy: it only needs to broaden its horizons. Turning from an exquisite product to a luxury product high in demand amongst wider elite would be a better strategy for the company – and this is what Delta Faucets should be eyeing for in the near future in order to stand out against its competitors in this fiery era of globalization and expand its profitability. References About Delta (2009). Delta Faucet Company: Who are We? Retrieved on December 15, 2009 from: http://www. deltafaucetcompany. com/company/whoweare. html Etzel, M. J. , Walker, B. J. , Walker, S. , & Stanton, W. J. (2000). Marketing. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Pelyco (2003). Delta Faucet Company achieves continued success with Peyco Supply Chain visibility solution. Retrieved on December 15, 2009 from: http://www. pelyco. com/press_release_02_20_03. htm Pride, W. , Ferrell, O. C. (2007). Foundations of Marketing: Revised Second Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Rape as a Weapon of War

In recent years, global organizations have fought successfully to protect women’s rights and gender equality, and Gabon is determined to play its role in maintaining this trend. Gabon is against all forms of violence against women, and recognizes rape as a serious violation of women’s rights. Gabon also recognizes that sexual violence is perpetuated by War . Currently, armed conflicts across Africa are forcing many women and children to migrate to unsafe territory, and increasing their vulnerability to poverty, abduction and human trafficking . These conditions directly expose them to rape and forced prostitution .Prisoners of war are trafficked into Gabon from Benin, Nigeria, Togo and Mali for prostitution, while others are brought as housemaids and eventually forced to become prostitutes . Human trafficking forces many innocent women and children to live in fear of being exploited. However, Gabon is committed to policies which will bring an end to sexual violence, as well as the conflicts which cause them . In 2001, Gabon enacted strict laws for the prosecution of child traffickers. Gabon has also established a national commission to fight child trafficking, chaired by the nation’s vice president .The Gabonese government also set up a free hotline to fight human trafficking and sexual violence in April 2003, in collaboration with UNICEF. This was the first initiative of its kind in Africa. Gabon recognizes that raising awareness of sexual violence against women is crucial to ending it. The government of Gabon is also confident that a centre to provide protection and assistance to the victims of human trafficking established with the assistance of the European Union in March 2002 will help to rehabilitate the lives of many war-ravaged and sexually abused victims .In January 2002, Gabon joined the the First Specialized Meeting on Child Trafficking and Exploitation in West and Central Africa, in Cote d’Ivoire along with representative s of African countries and UN agencies. Following this meeting, the Yamassoukro Declaration was adopted, upon which Gabon committed to collaborate with other African countries in campaigns against human trafficking . Gabon recognizes the Declaration as a crucial step in uniting womens’ vulnerability to rape across the region.As stated by former Prime Minister Jean- Francois Ntoutoume Emane, the ‘empowerment of women’ has been a major priority for Gabon. Gabon recognizes that women must be empowered to fight sexual violence, for the battle must be fought with them ang not for them.Country Report < http://www. protectionproject. org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon. doc> Ibid Ibid Policy Paper No. 14. 2(E) Human trafficking in Nigeria: Root Causes and Recommendations Country Report < http://www. protectionproject. rg/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon. doc> Ibid Troubnikoff, Anna. Trafficking in Women and Children: Current Issues and Developments. Nova Publishers, 2003 Country Report < http://www. protectionproject. org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/gabon. doc> Press Release No: UNIS/GA/1655. General Assembly Special Session Continues, as Heads of State, High-level Ministers Discuss Initiatives for Social Development. < http://www. unis. unvienna. org/unis/pressrels/2000/ga1655. html >

The process of preparing and delivering our team’s presentation

Abstract In any organizational or institutional setting, teamwork is usually instrumental in meeting departmental or organizational objectives. Even with the benefits that are associated with groups or teamwork, there are several challenges that may hinder attainment of the set objectives. This paper presents the process that was involved in the preparation and delivery of our group presentation. It discusses the stages of development that the group went through, highlighting the exercises that were undertaken at each stage. With reference to group motivation theory, it addresses the approaches that were used during the group exercise to motivate members to contribute towards the exercise. It has also presented the competencies that group members developed in the course of the group exercise. Introduction This paper provides an overview of the processes involved in the preparation and delivery of our team presentation. It relates the group work process to theories and literature on organizational behavioural theory that can be used to explain dynamics in group and teamwork. The main concepts to be covered in this paper include group and team development, motivation and learning at work. Group development is defined as the stages that groups undergo, from creation of the group to accomplishment of the assigned task (Bonebright, 2010). Motivation, which is a vital determinant of productivity, refers to the approaches used to trigger a desire in an individual to be more dedicated to the accomplishment of their tasks (Sachau, 2007). Learning at work, or team learning, is the attainment of skills by individuals in the course of the group task (Zellmer-Bruhn & Gibson, 2006).Group and Team DevelopmentThis are the stages through which undergo from assembling team members to attainment of the set objective. There are different models that can be used to describe the process or group development. One of the widely used models is Bruce Tuckman’s four-stage model formulated in 1965, which divides the development process into four stages. These are forming, storming, norming and performing (Egolf & Chester, 2013). Whereas some teams undergo all these stages in group development, some end at the norming stage, which was also the case with our team. This section relates the development of our group with reference to Tuckman’s four-stage model. According to Bonebright (2010), the forming stage involves creating an understanding of one’s team members. It is also characterized by the desire of individual team members to be accepted as part of the larger group (Hill & Parsons, 2014). In our team, this stage of group development involved activities that could enable us to work together and be more productive. Team members spent time interacting and knowing abou t each other so as to eliminate the tension that could prevent them from effectively working together. This stage also involved the appointment of the group leader, setting of ground rules and agreeing upon the meeting schedules. Conflicts were minimal at this stage, which can be attributed to the fact that challenges associated with teamwork had not yet arisen. The second stage in group development is storming. This is the stage where different ideas or opinions are presented by group members for consideration (Garfield & Dennis, 2012). It is highly likely for group members to present conflicting opinions, which also triggers rivalry and tension within the group. Whereas conflicts might be considered as being adverse towards attainment of the team’s objectives, constructive conflicts provide a chance for group members to select the appropriate options to pursue in addressing the task at hand (Fleishman et al., 2008; De Wit et al., 2012). This is the most critical stage in gr oup development, and issues have to be resolved before moving to the next stage (Egolf & Chester, 2013). Referring to the process of delivering our team’s presentation, some of the conflicts that arose included the theories to incorporate in the presentation or the sources to be used. For instance, I questioned why the group leader insisted on using books as our main sources, yet peer reviewed journals that were readily available in the college library database could also be used to compliment books. Other group members also questioned why they could not use any source they come across on the internet. However, these conflicts were minor and short lived. The third stage is of group developing is referred to as norming (Egolf & Chester, 2013). After the conflicts have been resolved in the storming stage, the effectiveness of the team begins to increase, trust among team members grows and the individual differences are appreciated (Garfield & Dennis, 2012). This was the final s tage of development for our group. For the functionality of the team, some group members stopped persisting with their ideas for the sake of avoiding conflict. There was also an increased cohesion among members, and as opposed to conflicting opinions that characterized the storming stage, team members showed support for each other, and provided constructive feedback for each others’ contribution to the team. The fourth stage of group development is referred to as productivity. According to Egolf and Chester (2013), not all groups progress to this stage. Our group did not get to this stage based on the fact that the task that was to be accomplished was short-term. In summary, the developments that took place in our group, as well as the issues that characterized them, closely relate to Tuckman’s four stage model (forming, storming norming and performance). The fact that the group exercise was short-term meant that the group development did not progress to the performanc e stage, but the objective of the team was met. Group Motivation Motivation in teamwork incorporates all the efforts that are made by team members to increase the cohesion and levels of productivity of the entire team (Wright et al., 2012). With reference to Hertzberg’s dual factor theory of motivation, there is a set of factors that increases the productivity of individuals in accomplishing their tasks. There is also another separate set of factors that cause dissatisfaction and thus, limit individual productivity (Sachau, 2007). This section addresses the approaches that were used to motivate group members. In group work, one of the motivation approaches is through ensuring effective communication among all people within the group (Dunin-Keplicz & Verbrugge, 2011). In group work, responsibilities are divided into smaller tasks and assigned to members depending on their competence. Given that all these sub-tasks contribute towards the attainment of the overall team objective, it is necessary for all team members to communicate about the pr ogress of their respective tasks. This will avoid situations where some members unknowingly derail, or fail to complete their tasks within the agreed upon time limits (Lencioni, 2012). During the preparation and delivery of our group presentation, we ensured that communication between us was effective. This was done by requesting all group members to provide their phone numbers and email addresses. We also followed each other on social media platforms. This ensured that if there was a breakdown in one communication channel, there was always another viable objective. When handling group tasks, it is vital to schedule regular meetings in consideration of the responsibilities of all group members. This ensures that every group member is available during the meeting (Dunin-Keplicz & Verbrugge, 2011). Regular meetings also allow for close consultations between group members in case some group members hit a snag in completing the tasks that they have been assigned (Lencioni, 2012). Most o f the members in our team were dedicated and never skipped meetings. Whereas there were team members who easily handled the tasks that they had been allocated, there are some who found it quite challenging to accomplish their tasks. We understood the fact that there are some people who are quicker than others in accomplishing their assigned tasks than others is common. Thus, instead of reprimanding them, we took to the initiative to ensure that group members who had a challenge in completing their tasks were assisted to complete them. Motivation in teamwork also entails making everybody feel like they valuable members (Hill & Parsons, 2014). For instance, if a decision is to be made about a project, the opinions of all group members have to be considered. This encourages constructive debates, which are vital for rational decision making. The group members’ motivation to deliver may be adversely affected if major decisions are only made by a section of the team, which may also lead to groupthink. Groupthink is a common phenomenon in teamwork where the fear of conflicts, or desire for group conformity and harmony, causes other group members to agree with decisions made by others. This is regardless of whether they are suitable or not (De Wit et al., 2012). During our group work, all members were allowed to actively engage in discussions and every opinion presented was listened to. Even though it was not possible to implement incorporate all members’ opinions in decision making, reasons why some opinions were considered over others was also clearly explained to all group members. Our team was culturally diverse, and included people from both genders. Therefore, tasks were distributed in consideration of this diversity. Different approaches were used to motivate group members. However, even with the efforts that were made to optimize the productivity of every group member, there were some individuals who failed to attend group meetings without good r easons. Regardless of these drawbacks, the rest of the team worked diligently to the completion of the project. Learning at Work Learning at work refers to the skills and competencies that members of a team learn as they collectively accomplish a task (Zellmer-Bruhn & Gibson, 2006). Typically, the abilities of each individual in the team will vary, with each being more competent in some areas, less competent in others In this regard team members learn from each other through sharing knowledge so as to compliment one another’s skills (Dunin-Keplicz & Verbrugge, 2011). This section discusses the process of team learning within the group during the exercise. Team members have to ensure that they have created strong relationships and trust amongst themselves to facilitate team learning. Failure to create a team environment that allows members to learn from one another may undermine the attainment of the overall team objective (Lencioni, 2012). Learning at work or team leaning can be made possible through observations, dialogue and reflection (Hill & Parsons, 2014). Team members should be willing to enable t hose who are not as competent as they are in certain aspects that are vital to the accomplishment of the team’s objective to improve. Likewise, team members who lack some competencies ought to take the initiative to learn through observation or asking for assistance (Zellmer-Bruhn & Gibson, 2006). One of the models that can be used to understand team leaning is the action-learning cycle (Coghlan & Rigg, 2012). Action learning is a continuous learning process, where individuals from their own experiences and actions, as well as those of other members of their team. Through their own experience, people learn to avoid repeating mistakes they did and continue to improve their competencies in certain disciplines. The action-learning cycle was designed to enable individuals to draw lessons from their experiences by making analytical reflections of their actions (Pedler & ?Abbott, 2013). This means that lessons from past experiences can guide present actions, while lessons learnt fr om the current experience can be used to guide future actions. In the course of the preparation and delivery of our group presentation, team members learnt from each other in different ways. Based on the relationship that had been developed between team members, dialogue was one of the most used approaches for team learning. Group members were willing to share information with others to improve each other’s levels of competence. For instance, one two of our team members were competent in using different data analysis approaches so as to come up with relevant conclusions on the research topic. In addition to this, while most of us were comfortable with the basic function of Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, one of the team members and I, were more competent with the more advanced options. Therefore, we spent some time during meetings learning from and teaching each other. Learning took different approaches, which included reflections and observations. Even though some of t he competencies that were learnt were not improved to the extent that perfection was attained, most of the group members had improved their skills in one aspect or other. I improved my confidence and public speaking skills through the mock presentations that were held by the group in preparation for the final presentation to a larger audience.. All team members also learnt several concepts that could enable them to be more productive members of teams in future. In summary, the group exercise was instrumental in developing some competencies that every group member lacked. As mentioned, different approaches were used in learning or teaching each other about different concepts that were challenging for different group members. Conclusion The capability of an individual to be a productive member of a team is one of the vital competencies that are required for success in any aspect of life. In the preparation and delivery of our group presentation, several characteristics of groups, which relate to organizational behavioural theory, were identified. This paper has presented an overview of the factors that characterized the team working process. One of these is the process through which the ram developed through the formation, storming and norming stages. Based on the fact that the group assignment was short-term, we did not get into the performance stage. The motivation factors that contributed towards the achievement of the overall team goal have also been presented in this paper. Ways in which different group members leant from each other to improve their competencies in several areas have also been addressed in this paper. Whereas the group task was successfully accomplished, some of the few drawbacks that affected the research have also been presented. References Bonebright, D.A., 2010. 40 years of storming: a historical review of Tuckman’s model of small group development. Human Resource Development International, 13(1), pp.111-20. Coghlan, D. & Rigg, C., 2012. Action learning as praxis in learning and changing. Research in Organizational Change and Development, 20, pp.59-89. De Wit, F.R.C., Greer, L.L. & Jehn, K.A., 2012. The Paradox of Intragroup Conflict. Journal of Applied Psychology, 97, pp.360-90. Dunin-Keplicz, B. & Verbrugge, R?., 2011. Teamwork in Multi-Agent Systems: A Formal Approach. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Egolf, D. & Chester, S., 2013. Forming Storming Norming Performing. Bloomington: IUniverse. Fleishman, R., O’Leary, R?. & Gerard, ?C., 2008. Recent Developments in Conflict Resolution and Collaboration. London: Emerald Group Publishing. Garfield, M.J. & Dennis, A.R., 2012. Toward an Integrated Model of Group Development: Disruption of Routines by Technology-Induced Change. Journal of Management Information Systems, 29(3), pp.43-86. Hill, F. & Parsons, L?., 2014. Teamwork in the Management of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties. New Jersey: Routledge. Lencioni, P., 2012. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: Intact Teams Participant Workbook. San Francisco: Pfeiffer. Miner, J.B., 2005. Organizational Behavior: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. New York: M.E. Sharpe. Pedler, M. & ?Abbott, C., 2013. Facilitating Action Learning: A Practitioner’S Guide. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill International. Sachau, D.A., 2007. Resurrecting the motivation-hygiene theory: Herzberg and the positive psychology movement. Human Resource Development Review, 6(4), pp.377-93. Wright, B.E., Moynihan, D.P. & Pandey, S.K., 2012. Pulling the Levers: Transformational Leadership, Public Service, Motivation, and Mission Valence. Public Administration Review, 72(2), p.206–215. Zellmer-Bruhn, M. & Gibson, C., 2006. Multinational organization context: Implications for team learning and performance. Academy of Management Journal, 49(3), pp.501-18.