Patching: Restitiching Business Portfolios in Dynamic Markets Essay

The article â€Å"Patching: Restitiching Business Portfolios in Dynamic Markets† by Eisenhardt and Brown is awe-inspiring job, because the authors attract readers’ attention to portfolio development as a skill. Further, they have succeeded in defining patching as â€Å"adding, splitting, transferring, exiting, or combining chunks of businesses†. It is necessary to outline that the article provides general overview of patching benefits and concentration on the assertion that good portfolio development depends on several generic skills such as doing everything fast, developing options, making rough choice, etc. The author emphasizes that it is important for the company to find the right general manager, because the whole company depends on his proper decision-making abilities. It is argued in the article that good portfolio development differs from bad portfolio due to patching skills. For example, Brown and Eisenhards responds that â€Å"Andrew Campbell’s observations helped us to crystallize several thoughts† meaning that he has helped in making necessary points clearer. Campbell agrees with authors that multi-business managers should have proper knowledge of industry as it is essential for developing patching skills. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that attention should be paid to pattern recognition rather than on analysis and to intuition rather than past experience. Thus Campbell assumes that pattern recognition and intuition are the central skills to be developed in manager. The article significantly contributed management science but providing thorough examination of patching benefits. Apparently, the article aims at providing clear understanding of the concept and at persuading companies to imply patching in their performance. The finding presented by the authors contributes the idea that corporate strategy should concentrate on patching, not on strategic positions that are really enduring. The article will cause others to revise their ideas about the subject discussed. Apparently, more research is needed to develop further the concept of patching.

The non-fictional music review

The non-fictional music review is aimed at audiences of all ages, mostly to the public who are contemplating buying or listening to the album. Although the foundation of this review is referential, it grows into more of an expressive and opinionated description of the tracks. There is an informal, planned and context bound structure, which will possess semi-permanence, as although it will be saved on the Internet, it does not contain enough importance to be around permanently. The introducing paragraph with a simile attached to a metaphor to portray the band's history – â€Å"chucked back and forth between critics like a piece of bait between angry dogs†. This gives a sense of the band having a rollercoaster-ride time in the media and instantly gives interest as to why this band has had so much attention. The adjacency pair of a rhetorical question â€Å"and what do they have to say†¦?† and an answer â€Å"This album† is resembling the reader's questioning thoughts to the previous statement and turns the subject from the band's past to the present. A description of adjectives and noun phrases follows – â€Å"filled with argumentative lyrics and catchy tunes to fight back to the critics† The next paragraph is informational with numerical adjectives â€Å"20th July 2008†, â€Å"300,000†, â€Å"2.5 million† and â€Å"number 8† to give a factual background for the curious readers. Quoting a member of the band and the producer also interests fans – â€Å"Tom Fletcher revealed†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , â€Å"Producer Jason Perry describes† I included an intensifier – which I continuously used to keep interest and keep an elevated description – to give the image of exaggerated annoyance all over Britain and raise the importance of the band: â€Å"†¦beat them in the battle of the charts caused uproar†. I used repetition on the word â€Å"smile† in â€Å"†¦anyone tapping the steering wheel on a gloomy Monday morning to work with a smile on their face† and â€Å"the ironically named â€Å"Smile†, reminding everyone to â€Å"Just remember to smile, smile, smile,†Ã¢â‚¬  to represent the sunny attitude. In the former quote, I created a common exemplar situation to give a personal twist to the factual content. In the conclusion I quickly described their past work with an over-use of adjectives and proper nouns. I started the last paragraph with a concluding recommendation summary with a similar question-answer format to the beginning of the review (â€Å"have to say†¦? This album.† ) – â€Å"Contemplating†¦ worth your hard-earned cash, the answer is yes†. The finale statement is then an imperative order, â€Å"buy this album†.

An Exploration of Mob Mentality in The Visit

An Exploration of Mob Mentality in The Visit The actions involved in ‘mob mentality’ are a prominent and recurring trend in history, dating back to the beginning of human interaction. Complete social unity was once necessary for the survival and comfort of a group of people. Mob mentality is not solely â€Å"social unity† or the way in which people are influenced by their peers or a leader to behave and think a certain way; it usually includes an element of violence. People in a mob tend to forget their individual inhibitions and follow the impulses of the group, therefore making violent acts ‘easier’ to commit (due to the perceived lack of individual consequences). In the play The Visit, a town of impoverished people becomes the center of attention when a wealthy native comes back to exact long awaited revenge. She offers them a bargain that could save them and the future of their town for the price of one man’s head, sending the entire group into a tailspin centered on the decision of w hether to go through with the terms of the bargain or not. Friederich Dà ¼rrenmatt showcases the evolution of groupthink and the violence of mob mentality through the people of Gà ¼llen as they contemplate how to go about handling their portion of the bargain and begin to act in response to the deal presented to them. The Visit starts out with a group of people sitting by the town train station awaiting the arrival of the famous and immensely wealthy Claire Zachanassian, an event in which everyone in the town has taken part in. They hope to receive a sizeable donation from the heiress to save their wretched home. Upon Claires appearance, the expected gift is offered through a Faustian bargain that Zachanassian has waited years to present. At the town dinner party she calmly states, â€Å"One billion for Gà ¼llen, if someone kills Alfred Ill† (Dà ¼rrenmatt 35). Following a brief moment of shocked silence, the Mayor of Gà ¼llen stands up and retorts, â€Å"In the name of the town of Gà ¼llen, I reject your offer†¦ We would rather be poor than have blood on our hands.† This proclamation is met with tremendous applause (35). The ‘tremendous applause’ that the group immediately responds with is a signal of the townspeople’s affirmation of the Mayor’s re sponse to Claire’s offer, and serves as a primitive indication of the groupthink that is developed throughout the play. It is important to note that, often, mobs that commit acts of violence usually first come together as a group for a benign reason or commonality (such as this non-malicious agreement). While agreeing with the mayor’s decision provided the immediate consequence of getting no money and keeping a clean conscience, this agreement also biased the thoughts of each townsperson from the outset due to the influence of whatever the group and its leaders were also thinking. The expansion of groupthink and the behavior changes of the townspeople are further probed as Zachanassian awaits her justice. The actions of the Gà ¼lleners develop steadily throughout Act II, going from subtle behavior changes to actual physical intimidation (the closest they get to violence until that point). This change showcases the complexity of mob mentality and the evolution of group behavior. Dà ¼rrenmatt also incorporates significant foreshadowing that greatly adds to the suspense of the inevitable mob killing of Ill. It is very important to note that there is not a single, defined leader who directly interacts with the townspeople to influence these changes (as the Mayor did in Act I). There is also a direct contrast between the changes being experienced by the townspeople and Claire, as she is static during this act, continuing to order people around while sitting on her balcony and watching the townspeople below. She is not the â€Å"official† leader of group, but it is easy to argue that her unchanging presence and expectation of the completion of her bargain puts her in a position to (indirectly) influence the evolution of the townspeople’s behavior. These changes are also not shown through the entire group at once, but through smaller groups and then through the town leaders. At the beginning of the act, the audience sees Ill’s insecurity within his own family situation, as he tells his children that their mother could be there for them even if he was not. Customers then come into his store, wearing new, expensive clothing and proceeding to charge even more expensive items to their accounts. Ill notices and points out the fact that the day before, they could not afford any of those things. One of the customers responds, â€Å"It’s because we stand by you. We stick by our Ill. Firm as a rock† (41). These people are not charging such expensive things to their accounts because they have the money to pay for them or because they are in support of Ill; they are anticipating getting the money that they need to buy things such as these. Int eractions with the Police Officer, Mayor, and Pastor all add suspicion and evidence for Ill’s insecurity, as they too have new shoes, a gold tooth, and advice for ‘following the way of repentance’. The townspeople continue to deny that they are changing because of the money, but it is obvious to the audience that each of them has decided that someone else is going to complete the town’s end of the bargain. While this dominant groupthink is an important aspect of mob mentality, the real violence usually associated with mob action is inched towards at the end of Act II at the train station, when the townspeople come together to intimidate Ill into staying in town. While no one touches him, the crowd encircles him, making him feel as if he cannot leave. He misses his train because he thinks that one of them will hold him back if he tries to step off of the platform. The entire group coming together and acting the same way at this point shows that the â€Å"mob has made up its mind† and that the bargain is being accepted. Each individual townsperson came to the same conclusion, and even though such a conclusion is the opposite of what the town originally planned, the loss of individual consequence that a member of a mob experiences allows violence to come easier to everyone. The inescapable ending to the bargain is brought about by an act of true violence, under the direction of the Mayor as the distinct leader in Act III. Inevitably, the agreement is completed and the townspeople of Gà ¼llen get the check to save their town. The true emergence of Claire Zachanassian’s role as the indirect orchestrator for the formation of the mob is shown in Act III, when she is conversing with the Teacher and the Doctor. As they are detailing the devastation of their town, she calmly states an unexpected truth about their situation: â€Å"I own [the factories]I had my agents buy the whole mess and shut every business down†¦..I decided I would come back one day. Now I set the conditions, I drive the bargain† (71-72). She decided to force the town to betray one of their most respected members, after causing their economic downfall, for her long awaited vengeance. Her exclamation also points out the idea that she is the true, although somewhat indirect, leader, as she is the one setting the conditions of their agreement. Later, there is a town gathering in the Golden Apostle Hotel where a vote is tak en, unanimously in favor of killing Ill. The violence of murder is obviously going to occur, marking the final development in the escalation of the mob violence in Gà ¼llen. The Mayor leads the Gà ¼lleners by directly speaking about the crime that Ill has committed and saying that it is time for the town to exact justice upon the man who caused them their poverty. The Teacher reiterated this justification prior to the gathering when he told Ill, â€Å"The temptation is too great and our poverty is too wretched† (85). The townspeople huddle around Ill, and when they step back, he is dead. The completion of the escalation of violence ends with this group murder, an act committed by the entire mob, not just one person, and the bargain that they once fervently refused has been completed. Friederich Dà ¼rrenmatt showed the evolution of groupthink and the violence of a mob through Gà ¼llen as its people contemplated how to handle their portion of the bargain and began to act in response to the deal, which eventually resulted in the death of one of their most respected friends. In the final lines of the play, the consequences of the murder are already evident, as everyone prays together for the â€Å"preservation of peace and freedom†. Already being worried about losing their â€Å"good fortune† shows the effect that the murder had on them, even if they did it as a group. Each person will have to spend the rest of his or her life with the death of Alfred Ill on his or her conscience, as individual consequences come back when the mob dissolves.

Question and Answer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Question and Answer - Essay Example d by the pictures in the book and they can be able to predict the next writings and the next picture thus making use of their memory and the beginning knowledge. Children try to build their vocabulary on the basis of what they have heard and they can easily remember. Children try to complete what they hear or see to get satisfaction or disruption if not well predicted. The playfulness and the general activities done by the child depend on the content the child has been fed with. Rhythm from a musical language that is used in a picture book once it has got into the child, it travels through the kid’s legs and arms making the child make movements that go in line with the rhythm of the book. The young learners tend read very loud the few sentences that accompany the pictures in the picture book. This is necessitated by the fact that the language used in the sentences has capturing rhythms and stresses in their structures in addition to the captivating pictures. Children concentrate most to pages in the picture books that contain pictures and the few words that are expressive enough. Pages that that are not expressive enough, make children to lack concentration and subsequent distracted eyes, whispering to each other and even restless legs that can end up disturbing even the few who are concentrating Musicality is a key component in a picture book because musical attributes like imagery and rhythm are used to enhance musicality in a picture book thus appealing to the child.†Whistling wind, rolling thunder, screeching cats, creaking floorboards, turning doorknobs-sounds from afar and sounds getting closer; the stuff of spooky stories, ghosts and haunted houses in the night† (Cheng 2012 pg. 1-2). The use of –ing at the end of the words brings the regular rhyme scheme that is best suited for musicality. This musicality is what that makes the picture book enjoyable to children. Both music and picture books are used for the development of the child especially

Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 35

Essay Example Comprehensive job descriptions provide the main characteristics of the given position and clarify what expectations the employee should have again his job. Role perception is an association aiding both the manager and the employee in presenting and advertising the job position. For example, when hiring an IT specialist managers need to understand the key tasks and what skills are required by the applicant to accomplish the job in the most effective way. The role perception of the best candidate for the IT department requires having technical background. Even if the company provides initial training, the candidate must ensure that his role perception of IT specialist matches this of the Human Resources. IT specialist should be familiar with server administration, network programs and database administration. Also he has to have knowledge in operational software, data analysis and implementation of certain, internal company programs. Thus, making a job description easily understandable and keeping adequate feedback for a position is of crucial importance for ensuring the candidate’s understanding of what role he plays within the company. The best way to utilize the stereotyping ideas in enhancing the organizational behaviour is to employ the idea of positive organizational behaviour. This has direct implications for the success of a business. The key outcome of positive organizational behaviour is that it engages the employees to have a better understanding of the relationship between work and their personal happiness. In broader sense the stereotyping idea of enhancing the organizational behaviour makes the company flourish. Positivity at the work place helps to accomplish one’s purpose of life. Undoubtedly, working conditions inspire employees to engage more actively in the working processes. Imagine a customer service representative, who takes responsibility to deal with

International business Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International business - Movie Review Example The team shooting the documentary visited the largest U.S. landfill, known as Apex, based in Las Vegas, to show the viewers how landfills work. Then they travels to China, Beijing, and show the flip side or reverse of the story: looking into just a few of the hundreds of illegal dumpsites, which have emerged in the citys outskirts to deal with the rising waste produced by Chinas growing middle class (Hulu 1). The documentary leads to a report that is centered on advocating for recycling garbage, as well as the many opportunities it offers, whether it is plastic cans being remanufactured into textiles or waste foodstuff being repurposed into high-octane gas. According to the documentary, roughly 80% of what Americans discard into the waste system is recyclable. However, only 28% of these throwaways are recycled. This has lead to major destruction of the habitat as, for instance, waste is China is been thrown to major rivers that a used to supply water to the Chinese citizens (Hulu 1). Ways to solving these issues are easy and simply require individual effort. Each year, Americans throw plastic cups, paper, forks and spoons, which are enough to circle the equator a number of rounds. This is a lot of waste, which could simply be reduced by washing the dishes. Every American, on a yearly basis, uses approximately 1 billion shopping bags, leading to 300,000 tons of landfill waste (Hulu 1). A solution to this is through introducing reusable bags. Reusable bags will help curb this trend by reducing the 300,000 tons of wastage caused by these plastic bags. In the documentary, it was projected that 275 million tires were in unsold stocks (Hulu 1). This can cater as a breeding site for mosquitoes and a home for rodents as they keep heat. These piles also easily ignite, developing toxin-emitting, hard-to-put out fires, which can combust for months.

Memorandum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Memorandum - Essay Example ... Many of these kinds of procedures can be done in ambulatory facilities entirely separate from the surgical department†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (pp. 160). Many of the procedures that are done with the help of the adjoining outpatient procedures facility are minor procedures—and surgeries can range anywhere from patients having pacemaker batteries replaced to removal of skin cancers and other minor surgeries. Usually, the outpatient procedures facility is much like an office, where family members can wait while their loved one is getting a medical procedure performed. The policy change itself would involve updating the computer systems in our particular hospital so that patient records are no longer kept on an MS-DOS system. DOS is a computer operating system that is very outdated, and the hospital would like to incorporate a Windows operating system into the current manner of functioning with regard to how it is going to continue on in the future. Because the outpatient procedures fac ility is so overwhelmed with work on a daily basis—and since computers are used daily—it is hoped that the switchover to the new computer system could be done sometime overnight when there are no patients scheduled to come in.

The mistakes ICTY and the ICC of the Nuremberg war crimes trials Essay

The mistakes ICTY and the ICC of the Nuremberg war crimes trials - Essay Example The Nuremberg war crimes trials of 1945-1946 were also known as the IMT. These trials put in the trial the most prominent German leaders who were still surviving for their crimes against humanity. Apart from the primary trials, the Nuremberg trials had other twelve secondary trials that were conducted between 1946 and 1949. The first forty years after the Nuremberg war crimes trials, the world witnessed a period of slow progress in the development of the international criminal law. However, it is agreeable that in recent years, the international criminal law has developed tremendously.   To a greater extent, it has been argued that the Nuremberg war crimes trials formed a fundamental basis upon which the international criminal law and courts were developed. These trials established that the whole humanity would be guarded by the international legal shield and that prominent persons including the head of states would be held criminally responsible if they commit crimes against human ity. There is a common ground among many international legal practitioners and scholars that the right of humanitarian intervention that is aimed at putting the end to crimes against humanity gradually emerged from the principles of Nuremberg and affirmed by the United Nations.  After the Nuremberg trials, there were evident inadequacies and mistakes that were committed during the trials. Also, the awareness of the inadequacy of the law and the need for something to be done to enforce new war crime trials emerged.... The first forty years after the Nuremberg war crimes trials, the world witnessed a period of slow progress in development of the international criminal law. However, it is agreeable that in recent years, international criminal law has developed tremendously.3 To a greater extent, it has been argued that the Nuremberg war crimes trials formed a fundamental basis upon which the international criminal law and courts were developed. These trials established that the whole humanity would be guarded by international legal shield and that prominent persons including head of states would be held criminally responsible if they commit crimes against humanity. There is a common ground among many international legal practitioners and scholars that the right of humanitarian intervention that is aimed at putting the end to crimes against humanity gradually emerged from the principles of Nuremberg and affirmed by the United Nations.4 After the Nuremberg trials, there were evident inadequacies and m istakes that were committed during the trials. Also, the awareness of the inadequacy of the law and the need for something to be done to enforce new war crime trials emerged. There was evident failure by the international community to develop international criminal law that was binding in 1946; the UN committees that were charged with this responsibility were slow in developing statutes to try perpetrators of the crimes against humanity.5 The slow development of these laws led to the flourishing of international crimes. It is estimated that about 170 million civilians were subjected to crimes against humanity in the twentieth century and some of these crimes were committed after the formation of the UN.

Evaluate one organisation's approach to sustainability measurement Essay

Evaluate one organisation's approach to sustainability measurement - Essay Example The company is the leader in the grocery markets in UK and has also established itself as the leading grocery and retail merchandiser across several parts of the world. Tesco is the fifteenth largest company among all the companies in the world and is listed in the London stock Exchange. The company is also included in the list of FTSE 100 companies in the UK market. Tesco runs its operations through the supermarket chains, departmental stores, cash and carry outlets and warehouses. Apart from the grocery items, Tesco also offers its customers with the electronic products, computer software, books, furniture, music CDs and DVDs, other items of merchandise, etc. The increase in the supermarket chain and departmental stores with the increase in retail merchandizing activities of Tesco have seen the number of stores of the company grow from 500 stores in 1990 to more than 2500 stores in the next two decades. The company employs around 5.5 lakhs employees in the areas of operation and cu stomer service. The company pays due attention to the sustainability of the leadership position that it has attained over the years. The actions of sustainability measurement have helped the company to retain its position and brand image in the market (Tesco, 2013, p.1). This has paved the path of sustainable growth of Tesco as a multinational company in the world. Environmental and social risks The direct and indirect environmental and social risks for Tesco have been explained as follows. In order to identify and analyse the environmental and social risk exposures of the company, the industry risk as well as the company specific risk should be taken into account. The retail market and industry has undergone a shift to the low demand of the consumers due to the macro-economic fluctuations and events of recession. Tesco faces the risk exposure related to the compliance and regulations for the retail market chains on activities that would lead to environmental pollution, disposal of wastes, etc. The social risks are also involved in the operations of Tesco due to probable negative impacts on the environment and society due to the disposal of wastes in the operations of the company. The social risk forms a major part of the risk exposures in the operations of Tesco as the perception of the society to the operation of the company indirectly affects the sale and revenue earnings of Tesco. The operations of Tesco lead to the perception of brand image of the company. Any impression of loss of faith among the members of the society and the consumers has significant impact in the international operations of the company (Epstein, 2008, p.46). The discrepancies in the operations of the company not only expose the company to environmental and social risk but also increase the risk of value chain system in the company. The financial risk exposures of the company originate from the volatility of the stocks in the retail industry. The volatility of the index leads to the fl uctuation of stock prices of Tesco. This would expose the company to risk of degradation of the valuation of the company. Financial risks related to the company may arise due to the discrepancy in financial reporting of the company. The deviation from the guideline in the financial reporti

Martin Luther King vs. Malcom X Debate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Martin Luther King vs. Malcom X Debate - Essay Example Finally, the paper will take a neutral stance based on their arguments. Arguably, there is noticeable indifference in Martin’s way of leadership especially in cases where he talked about Civil Rights. In his quest for Equal rights to all people, Martin deliberated for a non-violent protest, passive resistance, and use of what he termed as the â€Å"Weapons of love†. With reference to these protesting means, it is seeable that Martin’s fight for Civil Rights involved simple and friendly methods. On the other end, Malcolm X was a great leader, but unfortunately, his means of fighting for Civil Rights were rather outrageous than those of Martin Luther King. At some point, analysts point out that Malcolm X was suspicious of the whites and was ready to apply â€Å"any methods necessary† in order to achieve equality (Keith and Anissa 48). Additionally, the debate between these two great leaders is very substantial as it gives the best understanding of weapons used by leaders during activism. The video of King and Malcolm shows that , as long as he strove to achieve what he felt best for his people, Malcolm was a segregationist up until his renowned pilgrimage to Mecca since he was a Muslim. In the video, Martin’s reasoning was rather rationale unlike that of X whose arguments depicted uncertainty in various occasions. For instance, before his highly spoken departure to Mecca, X’s attitude towards racial discrimination against blacks depicted rather uneven correspondence with that Martin. As such, his Black Muslim brothers, under the royalty of Elijah Mohammed, revolted and started viewing X as a threat to the Black Muslim Movement. Specifically, the debate between Martin and X shown profound disagreements with regard to the arguments, reasoning and quotes brought about by both leaders. In the case of Martin, struggle for

12 Month Football Training Program Essay Example for Free

12 Month Football Training Program Essay The 12-Month Football Training Program A complete football training program takes just a little planning. But the benefits are well worth the effort Football players are amongst some of the finest athletes in the world and thats a testament to their gruelling regime. If you want to perform at YOUR best whatever level that might be you can learn a lot from the way the pros train. First and foremost though, a football training program has to meet your own specific needs Training time for most players is limited. You might not have the resources (or the inclination) to train 6 days a week. And you dont have to. Your only goal should be to maximise the time you DO have at your disposal. Do that and you cannot fail to improve. Any effective training regime should be built on the back of a solid fitness assessment. And it becomes exceptionally important in sports conditioning Without objective testing you simply cannot know how effective your time and energy has been. And if youre shooting in the dark, theres no way to tweak and adjust sessions to get where you want to be. Visit the fitness testing section of the site. Youll find all kinds of tests you can perform with little or no special equipment. Spend one afternoon developing a profile of your athletic abilities and record the results. As a football player youll want focus on tests that measure strength, power and speed. For example †¢One repetition max bench press and leg press †¢30 meter sprint †¢30 meter sprint fatigue †¢Standing vertical jump †¢Standing broad jump †¢Sit and reach test Split Your Football Training Program Into 3 Phases A football training program lasts 12 months even if the competitive in-season only spans from September to December. And that applies to any football player at any level Even if you only have a couple of days a week spare for football conditioning, you should still adapt and vary those sessions over the course of a year. For the more ambitious players, this system of periodization is the ONLY way you can incorporate all the necessary elements of training without overtraining. Here are the three phases or periods of a football training program.. †¢Pre-season phase 7 months †¢In-season phase 4 months †¢Transition phase 1-2 months Wow over half a year to prepare! Thats because it takes time to develop peak strength and power. Lets have a look at each phase in more detail Individual exercises and sessions are covered in separate articles. This is how everything fits together into one, complete football training program. Pre-Season Phase of Football Training The pre-season or off-season is by far the largest phase of the annual plan. The goal is to develop optimum strength and power so that it peaks just prior to the start of the in-season. Because this phase is so long you need to break into smaller cycles often referred to as macrocycles Each macrocycle might last between 3 and 6 weeks (for the sake of ease well assume that each cycle lasts for a calendar month). The training objectives and methods vary within each cycle and theres an important reason for this Firstly, adjusting intensity and volume helps to avoid overtraining and burnout. Secondly, certain aspects of fitness are built on the back of others. Explosive power conditioning for example follows maximal strength training, which in turn follows functional strength training. Strength Power Conditioning? During the transition period (see below) its sensible to layoff strength training all together, at least for a few weeks. You should also consider a functional strength program designed to correct any imbalances that occur as a result of a strenuous football training program. This functional strength program will likely spill into very early pre-season and its designed to prepare your body for subsequently more demanding sessions. Football players are one of the few groups of athletes that can benefit from a hypertrophy program. This type of weight training is designed to increase muscle mass. But contrary to popular belief larger muscles are not necessarily stronger muscles As such hypertrophy training in football should make up only a portion of the strength training program. Maximal strength training is an important element also and leads to significantly different adaptations than bodybuilding. Linemen may want to place more emphasis on the hypertrophy phase than other players. As an example, they could split their preseason into just 4 phases -? unctional/hypertrophy/maximal strength/power. Finally, following the development of muscle mass and maximal strength, conversion to sport-specific power is crucial It is power (and not maximal strength) that is most beneficial to football players. The cycle just prior to the season start should focus on developing peak power. Speed Agility Training? In the early pre-season speed and agility work is optional and should be low in intesnity. Too much running and i nterval training can detract from the development of muscles mass and maximal strength. Some light aerobic training may feature but more as a form of active recovery than intense endurance sessions. As the pre-season progresses more emphasis can be placed on speed and agility and intense interval training. If you take the time to plan your football training program in advance, quickness and agility should hit a peak just as the season begins. Flexibility Training? Dont neglect your flexibility. Your degree of range of movement impacts on your speed, agility and to some extent your power. It will also help to prevent injuries resulting from over stretching. While too much flexibility is not beneficial either, most football players are a long way from being overly supple. Spend at least 3 days a week stretching this is on top of stretching exercises performed as part of the warm up. In-Season Phase of Football Training Compared to the substantial pre-season preparation phase this should be a walk in the park! The objective is to maintain all the gains resulting from your hard work over the previous 6 months or so. Competitive games take priority. All of your conditioning work should be based around when you play. Its important to either rest or perform lower intensity drills the day before a game. Youll also have to co-ordinate your strength sessions so that you recover fully in time. Fortunately, to maintain your new levels of strength and power takes a lot less time in the weight room. You can afford to reduce your number of strength sessions and the volume of sets and repetitions. But dont skip weight training all together. Transition Phase of Football Training The transition phase is as important as any other in the 12 month football training program. It may only last 4-6 weeks but what you choose to do over that period of time can dictate how your entire season plays out. If you dont take the time to rest physically AND mentally you WILL burnout eventually. Even if you feel fresh at the end of hard season take time out. Try another sport tennis is a favourite, or any racket sport. Just avoid weight training and pounding the roads. The only caveat is that you do something physically active If you do absolutely nothing it will be that much harder to return to training. It takes only 4-5 weeks of complete sedentary living to loose most of whats taken you the best part of year to build up. The Perfect Plan Putting it All Together Have a good look at the chart below Notice how the amount and intensity of running drills varies depending on the strength phase? Too much intense interval training alongside strenuous hypertrophy training can leave you physically exhausted. Notice also how the volume of speed and agility work increases alongside power conditioning. This makes sense as it compliments the objectives of the phase. The intensity row is a rough guideline for overall training intensity. Often that can be a subjective measure so pay close attention to how you feel. More football training programs and articles will be added on a regular basis. But this is the place where they all fit together into one cohesive, highly effective plan. Yes, it does take a little planning to bring everything together. And no doubt that plan will (and should) change as you progress. But the changes youll see in your performance are worth every minute!

The Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs Essay Example for Free

The Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs Essay One of the two friends were killed, the other managed to escape† (Versii). Thirteen more murders followed, often with multiple bodies found in the same day. Two victims were found every day from July 14 through the 16 (â€Å"Lowlifes planned 40 murders†) The three suspects were arrested on July 23, 2007. Igor Suprunyuck attempted to sell a mobile phone they had stolen from one of their victims at the local pawn shop. When that phone was turned on to show that it worked, its location was tracked by law enforcement agents. Igor Suprunyuck and Viktor Sayenko were arrested in the pawn shop (Katsman). Alexander Hanzha was arrested at home, reportedly managing to flush other stolen phones down the toilet. The phones were recovered, but all the information on them was lost (GlavRed). They were charged with 29 separate incidents, including 21 murders and 8 more attacks where the victims survived. Suprunyuck was charged with 27 of the cases, Sayenko was charged with 25, and Hanzha with counts of armed robbery (Kommersant). Ally three confessed quickly, Suprunyuck later withdrew his confession. Suprunyuck’s original defense awyer dropped out of the case after reportedly being disappointed at failing to have a plea of insanity accepted by his client (Segodyna). â€Å"On February 11, 2009, the court in Dnepropetrovsk found Igor Suprunyuck and Viktor Sayenko guilty of premeditated murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Alexander Hanzha, who was found guilty of robbery and sentenced to nine years in prison (Olinikova). Hanzha said of Suprunyuck and Sayenko: â€Å"If I had know n the atrocities that they were capable of commiting, I would have not gone near them at gunpoint (â€Å"Dnepropetrovsk serial killers sentenced to life imprisonment†). The parents of Igor Suprunyuck and Viktor Sayenko repeated their belief in the innocence of their sons. The parents of Suprunyuck and Sayenko also argued that the sentence of Alexander Hanzha had been too lenient (Segondnya). From what i’ve read, the murderers didn’t have a specific motive. â€Å"Local media reported that the killers had a plan to get rich from the murder videos that they recorded. One of the suspects’ girlfriends reported that they were planning to make forty videos of separate murders. This was corroborated by the suspects’ former classmates, who claimed that he often heard Suprunyuck was in contact with an unknown â€Å"rich foreign website creator† who ordered forty snuff videos, and would pay a large sum of money once they were made† (â€Å"Lowlifes planned 40 murders†). Regional security chief, Ivan Stupak, rejected the claim that the murders had been committed to make internet snuff videos, saying that no evidence had come to the light during the investigation that supported the claim (Segodnya). Detective Bogdan Vlasenko stated: â€Å"We think they were doing it as a hobby, to have a collection of memories when they get old (Segodnya). Deputy interior minister, Nikolay Kupyanskiy, commented â€Å"For these young men, murder was like entertainment or hunting (â€Å"Dnepropetrovsk Maniacs captured! †). â€Å"At the trial, it emerged that Suprunyuck had collected newspaper cuttings about the case† (Segodnya). â€Å"Some of the photographs of the crimes had captions added, including â€Å"The weak must die. The strongest will conquer (Segodnya). The suspects’ mobile phones and personal computers contained multiple video recordings of the murders taking place. One full video was leaked on the internet, showing the murder of 48-year-old Sergei Yatzenko. He is seen lying on his back in a wooded area, and is struck repeatedly in the face with a hammer held inside a plastic bag. One of the attackers stabs Yatzenko in the eye with a screwdriver, and also stabs him in the abdomen with the screwdriver. Yatzenko is then struck with the hammer in order to ensure that he is dead. The attack lasts over four minutes, during which the victim lapses in and out of consciousness. One of the murderers can be smiling towards the camera during the video† (â€Å"Shocking Murder Video Makes Rounds on the Internet†). Personally i’ve seen the video and I wish I could take back every minute of it. The suspects were also found in possession of multiple photographs showing them attending funerals of the victims. They can be seen smiling and â€Å"flipping off† the coffins and gravestones (â€Å"Killers captured death of victims on video (with television news video)†). The photographic and video evidence was shown in court on October 29, 2008, as part of a larger presentation of over 300 photographs and two videos (Leontieva). In conclusion, my opinion on the murders is that they were horrible. There had to be something mentally wrong with them. No one can do something like that and not have any kind of sympathy, without something being wrong with them. The Dnepropetrovsk Maniac murders were definitely some of the worst killings in the last 100 years.

The Value Of Reducing Carbon Footprints Environmental Sciences Essay

The Value Of Reducing Carbon Footprints Environmental Sciences Essay This report examines the concept and value of measuring and reducing a business or product carbon footprint as well some renewable energy systems available, that could contribute to Carbon reduction and energy efficiency. Guides and legislation already exist. In anticipation of future developments, regarding sustainable practices and strict mandatory requirements for organizations and businesses, it is important to take action. Finally, several renewable energy systems are presented and evaluated with recommendations for the companys building. Introduction  ­ The last three decades the detrimental human impact on the environment became the subject of extensive study. Today it is internationally acknowledged that the extensive use of fossil fuel and overexploitation of earths resources has led us into an environmental crisis. Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions produced by the burning of fossil fuel are the most threatening factor to Climate Change (IPCC, 2007). The international commitments concerning carbon reduction emissions, at the recent Climate Change Summit in December 2009, show the need for quick and effective measures. To meet this challenge the industry and commerce sectors must also take action. Today the quantification and makeup of GHG emissions is expressed by the term Carbon Footprint. This report analyses the composition of a businesss Carbon Footprint in relation to its activities, products and properties. Moreover, its explained why this course of action is necessary and how it could benefit the whole business and its production process. Finally, some of the most typical renewable energy technologies are examined and suggested for the companys office premises located in Athens Greece. The definition of carbon footprint. Throughout time there were many attempts to define what a carbon footprint is. Nowadays, the definition of Wiedmann and Minx (2007, p.4) is what is widely accepted: The carbon footprint is a measure of the exclusive total amount of carbon dioxide emissions that is directly and indirectly caused by an activity or is accumulated over the life stages of a product. This includes of individuals, populations, governments, companies, organizations, processes, industry sectors etc. Products include goods and services. In any case all direct (on-site, internal) and indirect emissions (off-site, external, embodied, upstream, downstream) need to be taken into account. The above reference to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions includes all six Kyoto Protocol (1997, Annex A) Green House Gases (GHGs). These gases, besides Carbon Dioxide, (CO2) are Methane (CH4), Nitrous Oxide (N2O), Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), Perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6). They are all aggregated and quantified in tonnages of CO2 equivalent (CO2e). The conversion is based in each gass Global Warming Potential (GWP) over a period of 100 years. The GWP is defined as the relative impact of a GHG compared to Carbon Dioxide (CO2) over a given period of time. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change (IPCC) in its 3rd Assessment Report (2001) provides the values as well as the calculation method. Carbon Footprint for business, companies and organizations. There are two types of Carbon Footprint for a business or an organization. Organizational carbon footprint Product carbon footprint Organizational carbon footprint The Organizational carbon footprint is made up from all direct and indirect GHG emissions caused by the organizations activities (Carbon Trust, 2010).According to the Greenhouse Gas Protocol the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions are divided into three scopes (categories) (WBCSD WRI, 2004). Scope 1: Direct greenhouse gas emissions These are emissions created by the organizations assets and production processes e.g. on site fuel use for production process, vehicle use for transportation of employees, materials, products and waste, refrigerant loses, oil and fuel leakages, physical or chemical processing etc. Generally, emissions resulting from the organizations activities. Scope 2: Indirect GHG emissions Emissions created by the use of electricity, heat and steam purchased for in premises use of the company or organization. (The energy suppliers emissions). Scope 3: Indirect GHG emissions other than the Scope 2 category Emissions created from activities needed for the company to function but not made buy the company or organization itself. Extraction and transportation of raw material from suppliers, commuting of employees, transportation of fuel for use, recycling, waste transfer and disposal are examples of what is included in this category. Generally any product or service purchased by the company necessary for its production process except from electricity and heat (scope 2). Product carbon footprint The product (goods or services) carbon footprint is made up from the emissions of its life cycle. This includes all the emissions generated from the extraction of raw materials, manufacturing or service provision, use, reuse and finally its recycling and disposal as waste. Those emissions are generated similarly like the organizational carbon footprint by the use of energy, fuel combustion for manufacturing and transportation, and losses and leakages that emit directly to the environment like refrigerants, gases (methane) etc (Carbon Trust, 2011). Caution is necessary when calculations of both the organizational and product carbon footprint are made so as to not undercount or over count its quantity due to the complexity of these calculations. The necessity of carbon footprint calculation and reduction. There are many reasons why a business or organization should develop a management system for the reduction of its carbon footprint. As mentioned above there are two types of carbon footprint organizational and product (goods and/or services) Its noteworthy that the calculation of either or both footprints sets a reference point for the comparison and evaluation of progress made (Carbon Trust, 2010). Organizational carbon footprint reductions The organizational carbon management and reduction will lighten the environmental burden of a businesss activities. Uncontrolled anthropogenic GHG emissions from usage of fossil fuel, deforestation, manufacturing, industrial procedures (steel, iron, cement production) and other activities thicken the greenhouse gas layer. This layer traps more re-radiated solar energy from the earths surface into the lowest atmospheric layer the Troposphere. This results to global warming (Denman K.L et al, 2007). Furthermore the quantification of the carbon footprint helps managers and employees to recognize the areas which have the greatest potential for further reductions and cost savings over time (Carbon Trust, 2010) . Another major reason is to report the reductions to third parties concerned with GHG emissions. According to the Carbon Trust Carbon Footprinting guide (2010), this should be done in order to: Display social conscientiousness or for marketing purposes Answer requests of businesses, customers, investors for carbon emission data Show compliance with mandatory climate change legislation such as the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) (2010) or European Union (EU) Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) (2008) Provide information by the companys participation to initiatives that have a purpose to help organizations, investors, governments, consultants, academics and generally anyone concerned, develop energy and emission policies, reduce their carbon footprint and make research. An example is the Carbon Disclosure Project CDP (2001). To enforce a carbon reduction strategy or purchase or sell carbon offsets. Carbon Offset transactions are made based on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol (1997). Product carbon footprint reductions Many of the benefits from the reduction of the product carbon footprint result from the way these reductions take place. In order to reduce its products carbon footprint, the company should monitor and try to make changes to its whole manufacturing process. Emissions come from the whole life cycle of the product. Thus, reductions should be made in every stage of this cycle, to every input and output. Correct selection of materials and suppliers, product design and manufacturing and decreased energy consumption, are all key contributors to effective carbon management. As a result, aside from environmental benefits and reduced costs, the organization will ultimately drive change to the whole supply chain. Furthermore, develop better relationship with its suppliers and help them identify and reduce their own inefficiencies (Carbon Trust, 2010) There are also advantages for the market and public image of an organization. Public conscience and awareness about environmental friendly practices and sustainability has grown notably the past two decades. The reduction of a products carbon footprint can enhance a brand name and attract more customers and shareholders (Carbon Trust, 2010). This is a result of the differentiation from other products, which have not yet developed carbon management programs or have bigger footprints. Current common practice and approach to calculation, reduction and publication of carbon data is by the use of the GHG Protocol and Publicly available specification (PAS) 2050 for organizations and products respectively. Independent validations and certificates for greenhouse gas emissions denote transparency of the organization, could attract interest and provide reassurance to stakeholders. Continuous progress is necessary for both the organizational and product carbon footprint in anticipation of future (and stricter) legislation and tougher competition. The companys carbon footprint. An indication of the companys carbon footprint in Athens Greece, can be given by the annual energy consumption of its building. In 2010 the energy consumption of natural gas and electricity was 225230kWh and 379125kWh respectively. The Greek Regulation of Building Energy Performance in table B.1 (2010, p.5336) gives values of 0,989kgCO2/kWh for electricity and 0.196kgCO2/kWh for natural gas. This means, that approximately 419 tones of CO2 per year are produced by the companys office premises alone. Renewable energy technologies Renewable energy comes from natural sources abundant in our environment. Solar, wind, rain, waves, heat from earth and newly produced organic material are all used to provide zero carbon energy. The most common applications are passive solar designs, solar photovoltaic (PV), solar thermal, biomass heating, ground source heating and wind power generation. Other Low Carbon technologies such as absorption cooling and combined heat and power (CHP) can also be incorporated with the use of this technology. Considerations should be made relative to different building types and locations as well as costs. Passive solar designs use the buildings design and structure (orientation, design, shading, window glazing and thermal insulation) to store or deduct heat and provide ventilation. The basic concept is to optimize the direct use of the energy available from the buildings environment. Although best suited for new buildings, existing could use some of its concepts. The benefits from such an application include better working environments, less temperature fluctuation, natural air ventilation and less dependence and use of mechanical means for heating and lighting. This results to, increased productivity, low maintenance, higher asset value, lower energy bills and emissions (SEEDA). Photovoltaic systems, convert solar radiation to electricity. The systems consist of a set of PV cell panels, inverters and wiring. PV cells are made from semiconductor material abundant in earth like silicon. The panels can be installed in either the roof and/or sides of a building, or directly on the land. The effectiveness and efficiency of such an application depends a lot from the available area, its orientation as well as from the shading of neighboring buildings and other obstacles. They have low maintenance requirements, long warranties and even longer life expectancy. Still they have high initial capital costs. These systems are mostly recommended when correct conditions like lighting, orientation and available area exist and/or grants from governments. It is anticipated that soon these systems will be highly competitive due to fuel price increments and continuous evolution and optimization of the technology (SEEDA). For a 750Kwh /year system prices average at  £6000 minus any grants and tax returns that may exist. Solar thermal water heating, is a system, installed on roofs, that collects the suns radiation to heat a non corrosive (antifreeze and water mixture) liquid. This liquid runs through a coil in a water cylinder and transfers its heat to the water (Menzies, G.F, 2009) The Carbon Trust (2005) reports that approximately 60 % of hot water demand could be covered by solar water heating. Its considered one of the most effective and cheap solutions for carbon reduction and cost savings. Menzies (2009) reports 1-3% carbon reductions for commercial applications sized to cover 50% of hot water demand. Biomass heating, uses boilers that burn organic material from plant and animal matter to produce heat, fuel or electricity. The system typically consists of a furnace with piping that transfers heat for space or water. It is considered as carbon neutral because the CO2 and CH4 are part of the active carbon cycle (accumulated from plants and animals recently and now put back in nature, unlike the carbon emitted from the burning of fossil fuel which was out of the system for millions of years)( Menzies, G.F 2009). Biomass Boiler fuel comes cheaper than electricity, oil, LPG heating (Menzies, G.F, 2009). More so, flexibility to convert to heat, fuel or electricity is also a plus. Still, high initial costs, space requirements for fuel storage and availability of suppliers should be carefully considered. Its typically best for businesses with organic byproduct material as result of their industrial process and/or for longer hours of operation than usual. Payback periods usually range from 3 to 9 years depending on the replaced system ( Carbon Trust, 2011) Ground Source heat pumps, use the relatively constant underground temperature, for space and water heating purposes. These systems are not considered carbon neutral (but low carbon) because, pumps use electricity or gas to convert the gathered low level heat to useable high-grade. Still carbon reductions could be substantial for non domestic applications especially if used for the whole heating demands. Carbon reductions of 14%-27% and 16%-23% have been reported for new build and retrofit applications respectively though, 100% demand coverage may be impossible for large buildings (Menzies, G.F, 2009). One the downside these systems have high initial capital costs for installation or retrofitting. Generally, they difficult to apply because of the required ground surveying, long piping, large collectors and empty space (Carbon Trust, 2005). Wind power generation, comes from the conversion of wind energy to electricity or kinetic energy (wind mills, water pumps) through wind turbines (Menzies, G.F, 2009). They come in varying sizes to suit energy demands. The viability of this option depends largely on wind speed, direction, as well as sufficient wind data and lack of obstacles. Noise and vibration should also be taken in consideration (SEEDA). For roof applications there could be prohibiting building regulations or planning permissions needed (Carbon Trust, 2005). Their initial cost as well as the high probability of obstacles (e.g. neighboring buildings) and unpredictable wind patterns, of most urban locations makes the investment unsuitable for most buildings. On the contrary, well chosen sites with sufficient meteorological data could be highly energy efficient and lucrative plus enhance the company profile. Application to the companys buildings in Greece. The Greek Ministry of Environment Energy and Climate Change (MEECC) (2009), reports that Buildings in Greece are responsible for 36% of the domestic energy use. This waste of energy happens, due the lack of use of modern technologies, the old age of most buildings and the lack of legislation concerning insulation standards (up until recently). Moreover, electricity in Greece is the most carbon intensive energy, produced mainly by coal and lignite. This means, that by saving electricity or using an alternative energy source (renewable or other fossil fuel such as natural gas), has the greatest potential for CO2 emissions reduction. Furthermore, extensive sunshine periods make the use of solar energy a very efficient sustainable practice. The companys offices in Athens Greece (3600m2, 95 employees) are considered a mix of a naturally ventilated open plan and air-conditioned standard type (Action Energy, 2003). An investment for a 40kWp solar PV system as well as a solar hot water system of 8m2 (500lt) would result to emission reductions of approximately 15% (Appendix). These, combined by passive solar upgrades (insulation, window glazing, sunshades) could achieve an even greater reduction of CO2 emissions. Overall the use of renewable energy sources, will upgrade the energy performance certificate of the companys building, enhance its public image, asset value and reduce costs (after the investment payback period). Conclusions As outlined above, sustainable practices are not only an obligation towards our environment and future generations. The incorporation of carbon management systems and renewable energy sources is actually an investment which will yield profits for all areas of the production and commercial process. Furthermore, this course of action is anticipated to be adopted generally and enforced legally. Thus, it is clear that its in a businesss interest to develop sustainable low carbon development strategies and policies as soon as possible. List of references Action Energy, (2003) Energy Consumption Guide 19 Energy use in offices. Revised Edition. London: Carbon Trust [ available at http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publications/pages/publicationdetail.aspx?id=ECG01 9 ][viewed on 20/02/2011]. Carbon Trust, (2005) New and Renewable Energy Fact Sheet (GIL137). London: Carbon Trust [available at: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/Publications/pages/publicationdetail.aspx?id=GIL137 ] [accessed on 17/02/2011]. Carbon Trust (2010) Carbon footprinting The next step to reducing your emissions (CTV043). London: Carbon Trust [available at: http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/publications/pages/publicationdetail.aspx%3fid%3dCTV043 ] [viewed on 12/02/2011]. Carbon Trust (2011) Carbon footprinting http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/calculate/carbon-footprinting/pages/carbon-footprinting.aspx [accessed on 12th February 2011]. Carbon Trust (2011) Renewables http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/cut-carbon-reduce-costs/products-services/technology-advice/renewables/Pages/renewables.aspx [accessed on 28/02/2011]. Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) (1986) Estimation of Plant Capacity, Section A9 of the CIBSE guide. CIBSE, London. Denman, K.L., G. Brasseur, A. Chidthaisong, P. Ciais, P.M. Cox, R.E. Dickinson, D. Hauglustaine, C. Heinze, E. Holland, D. Jacob, U. Lohmann, S Ramachandran, P.L. da Silva Dias, S.C. Wofsy and X. Zhang, 2007: Couplings Between Changes in the Climate System and Biogeochemistry. In: Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [Solomon, S., D. Qin, M. Manning, Z. Chen, M. Marquis, K.B. Averyt, M.Tignor and H.L. Miller (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA [available at: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/ar4/wg1/en/ch7.html] [accessed on 15/01/2011]. Greece. (2009), Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climate Change. ÃŽÂ  Ãƒ Ã‚ Ãƒ Ã…’ÃŽÂ ³Ãƒ Ã‚ ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ± Ά¢ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¾ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½Ãƒ Ã…’ÃŽÂ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·Ãƒ Ã†â€™ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ · ÃŽÅ ¡ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ±Ãƒ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾ ÃŽÅ ¸ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ºÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ (Energy Savings Program for Buildings). http://www.ypeka.gr/Default.aspx?tabid=526locale=el-GRlanguage=en-US [accessed on 20/02/2011]. Greece. Government Newspaper of the Hellenic Republic. 2nd issue, paper no 407, 9 April 2010. Regulation of building energy performance, Athens (GR): National Printing Establishment, pp.5333-5356, [available at http://portal.tee.gr/portal/page/portal/TEE_HOME/D6-5825%20KENAK-FEK%20407-B-2010.pdf ] [accessed on 25/02/2011]. Greece. Government Newspaper of the Hellenic Republic. 1st issue, paper no 85, 4 June 2010. Regulation of building energy performance, Athens (GR): National Printing Establishment, pp.1753-1780, [available at http://www.cres.gr/kape/neos%20nomos%20RES_N3851_2010.pdf ] [accessed on 25/02/2011]. Wiedmann, T. and Minx, J. (2007, p.4), A Definition of Carbon Footprint. Durham (UK): ISAUK Research Consulting [available at: http://www.censa.org.uk/docs/ISA-UK_Report_07-01_carbon_footprint.pdf ] [viewed on 11/02/2011]. Menzies, G.F, (2009, pp. 127-147) Sustainable Practices in Facilities Management [D31SF]. Revised Edition. Riccarton Edinburgh: Herriot Watt University: School of the built environment World Resources Institute (WRI) World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), (2004) The Greenhouse Gas Protocol A corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard. Revised Edition. USA: WRI and WBCSD [available at http://www.ghgprotocol.org/files/ghg-protocol-revised.pdf] [accessed on 14/02/2011].

Comparing A Dolls House and Oedipus Rex Essay -- comparison compare c

Comparing A Doll's House and Oedipus Rex Ibsen's drama "A Doll's House", serves as an example of the kind of issue-based drama that distinguishes Ibsen from many of his contemporaries. The play's dialogue is not poetic, but very naturalistic, and the characters are recognizable people. Given the sense of modernity which the play possesses it seems unusual to compare it to a Greek tragedy produced more than two-thousand years previously. On closer examination however, there are certain similarities between the way in which "A Doll's House" is plotted and a tragedy such as Oedipus Rex. Both "Oedipus" and "A Dolls' House" depict disastrous events that occur to two very different characters. At the start of Oedipus, we encounter a hero who is almost universally adored. Oedipus is a popular king who by the end of the play will be reduced to the lowest level possible. Classically the tragic hero began a piece as a man of high position since this made his demise all the more tragic. That the tragic centre if Ibsen's play is both female and not particularly birth is a distinct departure from the classical condition of tragedy. Ibsen has moved many concepts of the genre and placed them in a domestic setting. In order to see the way Nora can be viewed as a true tragic heroine it is useful to examine some of the concepts which Greek tragedy frequently made use of. In both plays the trouble that befalls the lead characters are due to their own actions Oedipus commits a series of huge mistakes the significance of which are not really understood until it is too late. In "A Doll's House", Nora borrows a sum of money, an action that will tear her family apart. The idea that the tragedy of a play begins with a hug... ...2-838. O'Brien, Michael J. Introduction. In Twentieth Century Interpretations of Oedipus Rex, edited by Michael J. O'Brien. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1968. Segal, Charles. Oedipus Tyrannus: Tragic Heroism and the Limits of Knowledge. New York: Twayne Publishers, 1993. Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Transl. by F. Storr. no pag. Available http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed new?tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&part=0&id=SopOedi "Sophocles" In Literature of the Western World, edited by Brian Wilkie and James Hurt. NewYork: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1984. Van Nortwick, Thomas. Oedipus: The Meaning of a Masculine Life. Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1998. Watling, E. F.. Introduction. In Sophocles: The Theban Plays, translated by E. F. Watling. New York: Penguin Books, 1974.

Biography Of Karl Marx :: essays research papers

Karl Heinrich Marx was born on May 5, 1818, in the city of Trier in the Rhine province of Prussia, now in Germany. Marx was an economic theorist who composed the idea of communism which included the idea of all the people owning all the property and infrastructure. These theories played a large role in international politics and the cold war in the mid to late 20th century. Marx was the oldest surviving boy of nine children. (Perhaps this is where his theory on equality of resources began. Competing with eight brothers and sisters for attention would have seen an unequal distribution of the parent’s resources to the children) His mother, born Henrietta Pressburg, was from Holland. Both parents were Jewish and were descended from a long line of rabbis, but, a year or so before Karl was born, his father--probably because his professional career required it--was baptized in the Evangelical Established Church. Karl was baptized when he was six years old. Even though Karl was baptized as a youth he still faced discrimination because of his Jewish background. (Marx may have seen from this discrimination that religion wasn’t necessary and was “ the opium of the masses) In October 1835 Marx matriculated at the University of Bonn. The courses he attended were exclusively in the humanities, in subjects such as Greek and Roman mythology and the history of art. He participated in the usual student activities got involved in a fight and spent a day in jail for being drunk and disorderly. Mark left the University and enrolled at the Berlin University to start a law degree. Here Marx joined a Hegelian club these clubs followed the teachings of a philosopher called Hegel. The club denounced religion particularly Christianity. In January 1842 Marx began contributing to a newspaper newly founded in Cologne, the Rheinische Zeitung. It was the liberal democratic organ of a group of young merchants, bankers, and industrialists. By October 1842 Marx became editor of the newspaper. Marx built up the circulation and began writing controversial editorials. Eventually the Prussian authorities suspended production of the newspaper because it was seen as being too controversial. In June 1843 Marx married his fiancà ©e of seven years, Jenny von Westphalen. They moved to Paris which was at the time the centre of socialist thought. Marx met his life long buddy Frederich Engels here and they wrote the French – German yearbook.

Essay --

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz commented, "The most dangerous thing for a brand is low interest." (Gschwandtner) Red Bull is currently available in over 165 countries, resulting in over 35 billion cans sold. (Red Bull) While many companies try to push their products on consumers, Mateschitz decided to take a more personal approach towards attracting consumers and influencing them to make his product stand out and become their first choice. Red Bull's owner states that most of its success came from bringing consumers to the product rather than the other way around. (Gschwandtner) With events in the industries of sport, music, art, technology and adventure, there is little the company does that is not interesting to just about everyone. Red Bull hosts or actively sponsors contests and showcases for athletes in surfing, snowboarding, skateboarding, bike riding, and free style motorcycle riding events. These events take place all over the world and can attract as many as 30 to 50 thousand spectators during the event. (Gschwandtner). This "pull" strategy (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel) makes customers attracted to the event, and the actual drink plays a more secondary role. Using different host cities allow the company to incorporate the local culture and natural resources to its benefits. In Germany, a downhill mountain bike even used an abandoned potash mine to serve as its course because of the different elements provided throughout the 2,100-foot track. (Gschwandtner) Brazil, as a second example, was the host for a B.A.S.E. jumping event that had spectators watching jumpers perform back-flips and other aerial acrobatics off of their famous "Christ the Redeemer" statue with a parachute, of course. (Gschwandtner) O the... ... conclusion, sponsoring or acting as the main host of these international events, Red Bull uses reminder advertising to keep the product fresh in the customers mind. (Lamb, Hair, McDaniel) Placing the product in any market they want to and providing slogans like "It Gives You Wings" differentiates its product from other competitors with a message of "revitalizing" your mind in addition to getting an energy jolt. Having well known athletes in events is beneficial to attracting consumers to the events, where they are given free samples. By pushing the status quo of sporting events and breaking world records, Red Bull has a message of increasing human capability while also honoring the environment. With its high market share in local and international markets, and its increasing growth, the company should keep investing in events and sponsorships to continue expanding.

2013-14 BTEC Business Level 3 Unit 1 Assignment brief Essay

1. Know the range of different businesses and their ownership 2. Understand how businesses are organised to achieve their purposes 3. Know the impact of the economic environment on businesses 4. Know how political, legal and social factors impact on business. Context This assignment you will be required to research organisations that operate in different business environments. In the first part of the assignment you will have to research the purposes and ownership of a range of local organisations. The second part of the assignment will look at organisations based in another country. The research carried out in this unit can be used as a basis for more detailed study in later units. Scenario You work as a journalist at Northampton’s Chronicle & Echo newspaper which is planning to run a feature article on local businesses. You will need to visit two local businesses in order to carry out your research. Assignment 1.1: You have been asked to prepare a Presentation for the Editor that may later be used as the basis for preparing an article aimed at the readership of your local newspaper. The first slides to your presentation should include: a brief introduction to the two local businesses one business should be profit-making, e.g. Marks & Spencer; one business should be not-for-profit, e.g. Malcolm Arnold Academy your two businesses should vary in size a description of the types of your businesses a description of the purpose of your businesses, including the aims and objectives of your organisations a description of the ownership of your businesses. This should include an accurate, but not necessarily detailed, statement as to the extent of owners’ liability for debts. DESCRIBE the type of business, purpose and ownership of two contrasting businesses Deadline Friday 27th September 2013 Assignment 1.2: You should continue to develop the presentation you started in Assignment 1.1 with: a description of the different stakeholders who influence the purpose of your two different organisations an explanation of the viewpoints of different stakeholders and how these seek to influence the aims and objectives of your business organisations an evaluation of the influence of different stakeholders on one of your two organisations a priority ranking of the stakeholders of your organisation, e.g. 1 = most important, 5 is least important a statement about the importance of each stakeholder and why you believe this to be the case. Your opinions should be supported by evidence from different sources. For each piece of evidence state how reliable you think it is and why. DESCRIBE the different stakeholders who influence the purpose of two contrasting businesses EXPLAIN the points of view of different stakeholders seeking to influence the aims and objectives of two contrasting organisations EVALUATE the influence different stakeholders exert in one organisation The Chronicle & Echo plans to give a report as a follow up to your presentation, which was well received. In this report you will need to choose one of the two organisations from your initial article and compare it with an organisation from another country. This requires you to research a different economic environment, e.g. China or India, and to look at one business from that country. This business will then be compared with your UK business. Draw up a table of economic data for the UK and one other, contrasting, economic environment. Choose at least three economic topics and collect relevant data from two different countries, e.g. GDP, inflation or interest rates. Using the data collected in your table describe the influence of two contrasting economic environments (i.e. the economic data collected) on business activities within your selected organisations. Compare the challenges to their business activities that your two organisations face due to their economic environment, e.g. how does the inflation rate impact on supply costs or demand for your two businesses? Write at least one paragraph for each piece of economic data for each business. DESCRIBE the influence of two contrasting economic environments on business activities within a selected organisation COMPARE the challenges to selected business activities within a selected organisation, in two different economic environments Deadline Friday 18th October 2013

Deceptive Accounting Essay

Fraud and corruption are a menace not only in the poverty stricken countries, but also in the developed world. The worldwide menace of malpractice attempts to defeat the value to globalization. In the globalized world of investors of the 21st century with its first transatlantic stock exchange, it is necessary to continue reforms to shake off abuses of power at the level of their roots. So, Daniel Quinn Mills, a professor at the Harvard Business School, writes Wheel, Deal, and Steal (2003) to express his belief that CEOs of imperial nature are continuing their practice of stealing from investors despite the hue and cry over the financial scandals of Worldcom, Tyco, and of course, Enron. The author claims that the rules that have been designed to protect the investors are failing time after time. Hence, Mills details wide-ranging reforms that are possible and should be designed in order to encourage transparency in financial work. Additionally, the author shows how investors should, after perusing his book, try to protect the leftovers from corrupt financial practices. Investors may even be able to use Mills’ advice in recovering their lost moneys. Wheel, Deal, and Steal claims that investors are being cheated at many different levels. The auditors and the CEOs may all be involved in financial fraud for a variety of reasons, the main one being that they all want to pocket greater earnings without sharing them with investors. Moreover, the rules of law and ethics do not seem to be doing a great job in controlling accounting fraud. There is a basic clash of interests between the investors and the corporations that the investors were meant to fundamentally trust for the protection of their particular interests, that is, to create more earnings for themselves through their investments. These conflict of is the concept of alienation put forth by Karl Marx. According to Mills, even the stock market crash had this conflict of interests at its core. It is not about the accounting scandals of recent times alone. Rather, the problem is deep rooted as it is a conflict of power and money. The CEOs try to pocket as much money as possible sometimes at the expense of the investors. Originally, however, shareholders were meant to be the owners of American enterprises, and the executives were to act as the agents of the investors. But now, executives are the only ones making fortunes for themselves and expanding their own power in the corporation. Investors, on the other hand, are left far behind in the process of business. Mills offers plenty of accounting information in his book that investors should want to understand in order to gain mastery over the accounting malpractice techniques that are used to give them losses in stead of the gains of ownership. While power had been shifted from the hands of the investors to the households of the executives, the executives and their auditors had been using â€Å"creative accounting† to defraud the investors. The techniques of â€Å"creative accounting† should be learned by the ordinary investor who may from now want to replace the all-powerful executive in favor of a team of managers that should work on behalf of the investors alone. Mills advises investors to take charge through his book by informing them that only they are the ones that seem to be staying behind. The attorneys, the auditors, and the investment banks are all involved in corporate fraud that is deliberately designed to give less to investors (who are generally greater in number). The parties sharing the greater profits by defrauding investors mainly seem to be the executives of investment banks, law firms, accounting firms, and the corporation itself. The author explains that the executives of big corporations have established compliance in their systems wherewith they do not only defraud their gullible and valuable investors without a sound from the latter; but they have also developed compliant teams of accountants and boards of directors. After devising financial malpractice, the executives â€Å"had to do deals that would look good in their financials and get approval from auditors and boards for misleading financial reports. Finally, they had to cash in their options before the frauds and other misrepresentations were discovered† (8). Mills reminds us that the CFO of WorldCom, Mr. Scot Sullivan; the CFO of Enron, Mr. Andrew Fastow; and the CFO of Tyco, Mark Swartz—all were smooth operators who had been given excellence awards by the CFO Magazine. Furthermore, Fortune Magazine had given awards to Enron for being the most admired company along with Citigroup. In addition, Enron had been lauded every year from 1996-2001 for high achievement in innovation. The executives seem to be fooling everybody. What is more, the author of Wheel, Deal, and Steal blames the Federal Reserve for harnessing Mr. Brooksley Born, the chief executive of the CFTO, by telling him to stay out of the business of derivates. Thus, everybody seems to have been involved in the creation of a financial scandal whenever it has happened. While some may formulate deficient laws and others may unwisely supervise the financial practices of a corporation, the entire system appears to be flawed. A comprehensive effort to eliminate the problem of corporate fraud is therefore needed on the part of the financial system as a whole, including the supervisors. Mills provides good insights into the functioning of both the Commodities Futures Trading Corporation and the Federal Reserve while offering his advice on the reform of the system. This book also is a reminder that the Internet bubble is over and the next bubble might be of hedge funds or the funds of hedge funds. Investors must be prepared for the next bubble with an increase in consciousness with respect to their precious moneys invested for greater earnings. Thus, the book is an essential read for investors who are ready to work for change. Mills advises that the government must be held responsible for punishing corrupt executives of various corporations. Besides, the good work of eliminating fraud must be continued given that democracies also accompany corruption at several levels, mostly having to do with the cream of supervisors or top management at accounting firms as well as regulatory agencies. The latter are responsible for making good regulations to check corporate fraud. However, investors must take charge to get regulatory agencies and the government as a whole involved in the process wherever the regulations and policies appear impotent. To increase the awareness of the investors and hopefully to push them to take action with regards to the regulation of their investments, Mill’s book answers the following question: There are many Americans now in the stock market, and if we are sufficiently upset about our losses, politicians and courts may act. Estimates are that the proportion of U. S. households that owned stocks or mutual funds has grown from 19% in 1983 to 49. 5% in 2002; and the proportion of single individuals who own stocks or mutual funds has grown from 42% in 1983 to 84% in 2002. If investors exert their potential influence, can we create a safer, more reliable, more honest America? (10).

Long Ridge Gliding Club Case Study

Long Ridge Gliding Club Long Ridge Gliding Club is a not profit organization which is run by its members. Currently the club has around 150 members who range for novice to the experts. The clubs also offers trial flights to the member of the public and then try to convince them to take up membership. The members have to help each other to get airborne. They also have to help the staff with attending to the casual flyers.Throughout the whole year the essential tasks such as the maintaining the gliders, getting them out of the hangars, towing them to the launch points, staffing the winches, keeping the flying log, bringing back the gliders and providing look out cover is taken on a voluntary basis by the club members. At times when the weather is not good the members may not get a flight at all. Due to the bad weather the members do not get enough flying time. The club chairman is therefore under pressure to stop trial flights though they provide the club with revenue to finance its op erations.Q1) Evaluate the service to the club members and casual flyers by completing a table? Ans: The services that Long Ridge Gliding Club offers to the club members and casual flyers are mentioned in the table below: | Club Members | Casual Flyers| Products| Membership| Trial Flight| Customers| Accessibility Location| General public Experience| Product range| Long duration| Short duration varies Reliability | Design Changes| None| Quality of service| Delivery | Drinks, food, accommodation and flying facilities | Only flying facilities| Quality| Skill| Safety| Volume per service type| 150| 700|Profit Margins| High| Low| Q2) Chart the five performance objectives to show the differing expectations of club members and casual flyers and compare these with the actual service delivered. Ans: Cost: The cost incurred is always an important aspect for any organization. It is same in case of Long Ridge Gliding Club also. The member's want the services at a price which covers the operating cost of the business and the casual flyers want a lifetime experience at a cheap price. From what can see in the case Long Ridge Gliding Club is offering the services at cheap and reasonable prices.Dependabilityz Dependability is another important factor. The casual flyers have lot of faith on the club as they receive a dependable service. On the other hand the members don't get a flight on some days and just have to help the casual flyers. Flexibility: Flexibility is also very important. Everyone should be flexible enough to adjust to situations. Members wants the gliders readily available for them so that they can fly anytime of the day as per their wish and on the other hand the casual flyers want to fly after paying the charges of flying and enjoy the experience.So the members get to use the facilities of the club anytime they want to, while the casual flyers are one time users. However the club failed to satisfy their club members. Product quality: Quality of a product is somet hing which is looked very closely by the customers. But here in this case product quality is related to the safety of the gliders. The club provides well maintained gliders and winch machine for both the casual flyers and the members. Speed: Speed in which the services are offered is also important.The casual flyers would obviously be excited of the experience and expect that they would be attended immediately while the members know they might have to wait for their chance to fly for long. But for the actual service the casual flyers have to wait for the members to be free to help them, while the members want to fly the gliders according to their wish. But the company here in this case has failed because most of the time they are busy in helping casual flyers to fly. 3.What advice would you give to the chairman? Ans: Allow less number of Casual Flyers because the members are getting affected and they have to help them and also not get the time to fly, make permanent club members hap py because the club generates maximum revenue from them when compared to casual flyers. Casual flyers must pay more and must pay club members who are helping casual flyers because they are doing a lot of job and they need to get paid because they must make the members lose interest in the club.And also they can reduce the level of dissatisfaction. 1. Try to allow less number of Casual Flyers in the club. This would make the permanent club members happy. They have to keep in mind that the maximum share of the revenue is generated by the club members compared to Casual Flyers. 2. Increase the charges for casual flyers and pay the club members who are helping casual flyers to fly. This would help the club can reduce the level of dissatisfaction they are having due to absence of dedicated Gliders for them.

PATHSHALA -LIVING THE DREAM Essay

PATHSHALA -LIVING THE DREAM You see things & say: Why? But I dream of things that never were and say: Why not? – Bernard Shaw This idea clicked me when I joined my CA tuitions and MBA coaching classes. I was so frustrated going from one centre to other to study for my CA intermediate exam and MBA coaching classes. I had my cost tuition in north but tax tuition in south, accounts I had in east but financial management in far east and sometimes I had just 20 minutes gap for traveling and lunch. I had two or three tuitions of three hours each, daily. I was just pissed off with my regular routine. So I was wondering whether the problem is with me or everyone is facing the same problem. I with my friends wanted to research about this problem and what the student wants. After research I found that students in the metro today are looking out to build their career and they don’t compromise it anyhow, they want best tuition and institutes to nurture themselves. Also students today are looking forward to get best professors in respective fields to teach them. They have to travel a lot because one tuition they are having in east and other in the north. So lot of time is wasted in traveling and they don’t have much gap in tuition timings so they even have to skip their meals or even if they have time they have to go home and again pack the bags for evening tuition that means wastage of time and money in traveling. Students are not able to take multiple courses due to lack of timing because of wastage of time due to traveling from one tuition to other. Even parents are worried about their health and meals. Many times they have to skip their meals or else have to eat junk food whatever is available to them in short time. They even don’t get place where they can sit together and discuss things with their friends or have group studies. The main idea is to bring all the tutors and MBA coaching institutes at one  place so that it’s a final stop for all students. I have seen students running from one centre to other to enroll themselves to get registered if the seats are full they get frustrated and have to look at some other place again they have to check the availability of seats. It really so much frustration that we think why we joined CA or CS or CFA, etc. students are just fed up with all this and they want to get everything under one roof where they have best of professors and MBA coaching institutes at one place. Also they should be library or reading room and fast food centre so that they don’t have to go here and there and waste time. They all are looking for everything to the comfort at one place and believe me they are ready to throw money for that. It was this need for ‘something more & something different’ that I wanted to serve to the students. The â€Å"PATHSHALA† my project where I will provide ‘the experience, the ambience, and the service’ STUDENTS are looking out for. Objectives The new experience, the ambience, the service the students are looking for keeping in mind basic needs, health and quality. A website www.pathshala.com would also be launched providing all the details of professors, courses, timings, availability of seats and online registration too. Concept: Why? The main reasons for choosing this concept: Providing total solution to students. Cater to the health of the students The students in the metro today are looking out for something more. We are giving them a different/new experience. Mission I want to: Change the meaning of education Impart best education Design the infrastructure with international standards. Save time and cost Give a new lifestyle! We are here to serve intelligence, quality, hygiene, health, freshness& experience. Keys to Success The keys to my success are as follows: Best tutors and MBA coaching classes. Service our students needs promptly and efficiently. Maintain a professional image at all times. PATHSHALA would be located at strategic locations convenient to students. Providing education, library, and fast food centre and gaming zone at one place. A place that will motivate students to zeal in life. A website ‘www.pathshala.com’ giving all details and online registration. Feasibility Institute will be first launched in Kolkata, my home town. A venture of Rs 10 crores. Main challenge is to get the place in the heart of the city. Each and everything to be established at one go. Expected to cover every cost within two years. Once the institute is established we can move to others Metros.

Leadership and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Leadership and Governance - Essay Example From this study stresses that  an organization can quantify the performance of its leadership system in several ways. The post mentions employee turnover as a way to measure the performance of a leadership team. Productivity is the result of appropriate leadership, and happy and empowered employees. The leadership team should create an environment of trust if they desire to have happy employees and create an environment in which employees can easily acquire knowledge.  This paper discusses that governance and management are synonymous. Every organization has a set of morals and principles that they conform to in order to ensure fluency in operations. The reporter agrees with the assertion that governance helps to create this environment, and is undoubtedly an important constituent of any organization that desires success. Appropriate governance strategies form a good relationship between the management, stakeholders, employees, and potential customers. Any loophole in governance may weaken the relationship between any of these parties. The result of a week relationship is always failure and inadequate productivity. The example given in the post about poor governance triggering unethical behavior is quite relevant. Unethical behavior often causes disharmony among employees, and often associates with legal consequences with the leadership team. In addition, there is a risk of stakeholders backing out if ethical and legal challenges riddle an organization.

The Concepts of Culture, Minority Groups, Stereotypes and Essay

The Concepts of Culture, Minority Groups, Stereotypes and Discrimination - Essay Example Rapid changes characterize the modern world. With these changes taking place, the business world has been one area where these changes have necessitated new approaches to management. In this case, the business world has witnessed workers from differing backgrounds in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, religious beliefs, and philosophical beliefs come together in the workplace. In some cases, managers are not aware of the inherent differences among their employees. On the other hand, some managers are aware of these differences and try to make use of these differences to the benefit of the organization. This approach is managing diversity in an organization, and it is important for management to find the best approaches to deal with the issues of culture, minority groups, stereotypes, and discrimination in the workplace in order to make sure that the organization benefited from all workers. In this case, an organization should find the best approaches to integrate these concepts in the workplace in order to manage diversity in the workplace. The United Nations High Commission on Human Rights defined cultures as constituting â€Å"differences in academic qualifications, religion, and expressive features of a social group’s traditions and beliefs†. In line with this, it is evident that the contemporary society’s workplace is representative of these people who demonstrate these differences. In an organizational perspective, these different groups enhance the organization’s objectives with their own flavor of cultural background, lifestyle, vision, and fulfillment of challenges†. In effect, it is crucial for an organization to ensure that employees enhanced the organization’s objectives while following a similar approach in order to ensure that the organizational goals were achieved using a common approach. Minority groups are the groups that traditionally lack power in an organization, which include women and members of other ethnic and racial groups that were not dominant in an organization. In line with this, it is crucial to point out that these groups face challenges when integrating themselves in the workplace, which affects their productivity due to the factors that prevent their participation in an organization. Hence, managers should define approaches that ensured their integration in a manner that was efficient and effective. On the other hand, these groups might face challenges to participate in the workplace due to the different stereotypes. In effect, the stereotypes contribute to discrimination in the workplace. In line with this, cultural stereotypes also affect the integration of people from disparate cultures in the workplace. Fiske and Lee identified stereotypes as the â€Å"categorical associations-including traits, behaviors and roles-perceivers make to group members based on their membership†. In effect, these perceptions affect the interaction of workers in the workplace, whi ch effectively affects productivity and profitability in an organization. Hence, effective approaches to managing diversity are essential in ensuring that workers did not allow their perceptions about other workers influence their interaction in the workplace. For example, today’s workplace witnesses more women, who have long been considered a minority group, taking leadership roles in various organizations. In effect, men identified women with stereotypes related to women being sex objects, which limits the ascendancy of women to positions of leadership in organizations and their interaction as equal workers in the same organizations with men. On the other hand, discrimination refers to â€Å"perceiver advantages that advantage one group over another† in the workplace.