Classcial Mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Classcial Mythology - Essay Example This exercise gives the account of event and mysteries surrounding Apollo, the god sun of greek mythology and thereafter touch on the significance to modern belief system. Apollo was a son of Zeus and Leto. He was born under difficult circumstances as his mother, Leto was on the run all over the earth looking for a peaceful place to rest and give birth. Hera, the wife of Zeus was caught up with jealousy after discovering that his husband was expecting a child with his lover Leto (Hugh, 17). Thence, this led her to give Leto a chase so she could not get a place to rest and give birth. Luckily, Leto was able to find a place on Delos island where she was received warmly and after nine days of labor she bore twins, Apollo and his sister Artemis. Themis gave aid to Leto when was giving birth. Zeus became pleased and welcomed the twins giving them both silver bows and arrows. He also assured Themis that she would not be bothered in matters concerning marriage as she could live freely if she never intends to be married. Zeus gave to Apollo a golden and magnificent chariot which was pulled by swans. After the delivery Leto had little strength to continue. Apollo was born under a palm tree which later became a sacred place on the slopes of mount Cynthus. Before the birth of Apollo the island Delos was floating but their delivery it became anchored to the earth. Upon the birth of Apollo, Themis gave him ambrosia and nectar which made to rise and requested for a bow and a lyre. He then made a declaration that he was to bring the men of the world to the realm of his father. This made Delos glad and wrapped herself up with golden flowers. The birth Apollo is believed to be on the seventh month according to the ancient tradition. This made the seventh month sacred to him that it was celebrated after through sacrifices and festivals according to Hugh (36). Apollo was known as the god with the bow and arrows. He never tolerated the wicked and the

Hip Mask Representing An Iyoba Essay Example for Free

Hip Mask Representing An Iyoba Essay The exquisiteness of the material and the sophistication of the carving indicate that it was created by the exclusive guild of royal ivory carvers for the king. This exquisite piece is made out of ivory, iron and cooper. This piece also contains pieces of inlaid metal and elaborate coral carvings. The piece dimensions are as followed; H. 9 3/8 x W. 5 x D. 3 1/4 in. (23. 8 x 12. 7 x 8. 3 cm). The mask is a sensitive human idealized portrait, depicting its subject with softly modeled features. This piece is framed with an elegant tiara-like coiffure and openwork collar. The pupils were inlaid with iron metal, the forehead has carved scarification marks and also she is wearing bands of coral beads below the chin. In the necklace you can see miniature motifs that represent heads of the Portuguese soldiers depicted with beards and flowing hair. In the crown tiara-like coiffure are carved more Portuguese heads alternated with figures of stylized mudfish, which symbolizes Olokun, the Lord of the Great Waters. You can see that some of the necklace portion is damage or missing and this could be due to the age and fragility of the coral. This piece is from early African art also known as â€Å"Queen Mother Pendant Mask: Iyoba†. Today, you can find this piece at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Although images of women are very rare this piece has come to symbolize the legacy of a dynasty that continues to the present day. In many of the African cultures the head is a very important, powerful and symbolic piece. The head was consider to be the symbolic center of a person’s intelligence, wisdom, and ability to succeed in this world and/or to be a tool to be able to communicate with spiritual forces in the ancestral world. In Art of History, published in 2011, both Professor Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren claim that â€Å"one of the honorifics used for the king is the â€Å"Great Head†. The head leads the body as the king leads the people. All of the memorial heads include representation of coral-beaded caps, necklaces and royal costume. Coral, enclosing the head and displayed on the body, is still the ultimate symbol of the oba’s power and authority. † In an article titled â€Å"Iyoba Idia: The Hidden Oba Of Benin† published in 2006, issue 9 of Jenda: A Journal Of Culture And African Women Studies Nkiru Nzegwu wrote â€Å"Iron and copper inserts were embedded in these cavities in the original model and formed part of the decoration. Some have claimed that these cavities were receptacles for embedded magical potions, and there is a historical explanation for them. The striations were the result of incisions a local doctor-diviner made to disfigure Idia and render her unattractive to Oba Ozolua. As narrated by the present Oba Erediauwa, Idias parents did not wish her to become an Obas wife, and the oracle they consulted advised that they mar her beauty to make her ugly to the Oba (Kaplan 1993, 59). The two incisions not only scarred her face but, to make assurance double sure, they also contained potent medicinal potions which the consulting physician-diviner had assured them would repel Oba Ozolua. The royal explanation is that the plan failed because the Oba sensed that something was wrong before he even saw Idia and quickly neutralized the effects of the medicine. † This is a pendant or ornament mask that represents an iyoba (queen mother-the oba’s mother), the senior female member of the royal court. It’s believed that this piece was produced in the early sixteenth century for the King or Oba Esigie, the king of Benin, who ruled from 1504 to 1550. This piece is to honor his mother, Idia. There are different versions of the purpose of this piece. The most common ones is that this was used a as belt ornament and it was worn at the oba’s hip. The Oba may have worn it at rites commemorating his mother, although today such pendants are worn at annual ceremonies of spiritual renewal and purification. Esigie had the support of Ida and the Portuguese soldiers in the expansion of his kingdom. Ida is remembered for raising an army and using magical powers to help her son Esigie to defeat his enemies.

personal strengths Essay -- essays research papers

Personal Strengths and Weaknesses A reason that this country works well is that everyone has diverse abilities which can contribute to everyday life. Some people let those abilities shine at work, in their personal life or both. As people have their strengths, they also have their weaknesses. There is a problem to improve those weaknesses when the weakness is not identified. Once the weak point is identified it needs to be resolved. A plan of action for improvement helps in solving the situation. In this paper, I will identify abilities and skills that I possess that contribute positively in my work environment, in my personal life, and in my learning team. I will also identify personal areas that need improvement, and outline a plan of action for improvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout my life, my strengths and weaknesses tend to gain more clarity, as I grow older. When I was younger, I did not focus too much on this part of myself. I was interested in child things. I must now use my strengths to improve my weaknesses to strengthen my faults. Several of my strengths are centered on my profession because the majority of my time is spent there. Some of my qualities are beneficial to different situations, while the other qualities hinder. Although we describe our strengths as positive attributes and our weaknesses as negative attributes, they make us who and what we are as individuals. Because of these qualities, each of us is unique in different ways. It is imp... personal strengths Essay -- essays research papers Personal Strengths and Weaknesses A reason that this country works well is that everyone has diverse abilities which can contribute to everyday life. Some people let those abilities shine at work, in their personal life or both. As people have their strengths, they also have their weaknesses. There is a problem to improve those weaknesses when the weakness is not identified. Once the weak point is identified it needs to be resolved. A plan of action for improvement helps in solving the situation. In this paper, I will identify abilities and skills that I possess that contribute positively in my work environment, in my personal life, and in my learning team. I will also identify personal areas that need improvement, and outline a plan of action for improvement.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Throughout my life, my strengths and weaknesses tend to gain more clarity, as I grow older. When I was younger, I did not focus too much on this part of myself. I was interested in child things. I must now use my strengths to improve my weaknesses to strengthen my faults. Several of my strengths are centered on my profession because the majority of my time is spent there. Some of my qualities are beneficial to different situations, while the other qualities hinder. Although we describe our strengths as positive attributes and our weaknesses as negative attributes, they make us who and what we are as individuals. Because of these qualities, each of us is unique in different ways. It is imp...

Keeping Google Googley

Key factors that were crucial to Google’s early success can be attributed to the following: 1. Partnered with right companies such as AOL & Yahoo spring boarded the company in success with more than 100m search enquiries per day paving the way for subsequent successes. 2. Had the right products such as Adwords, which had 4x more click-Â ­? through rates than competing products. The company followed up with Google toolbar that further penetrated the market and expanded into the right area of search for mobile devices. 3. Quickly expanded relevant services such as Google news, finance, book search, gmail, calendar documents etc. It also includes strategic acquisition of YouTube & Picasa that provided users with majority of Internet services and it increased stickiness to users achieving the results of 62. 4% for searches by December 2007. 4. Mesh organizational structure ensured shares responsibility and teamwork by enabling all parties involved to work together in the case of AdSense. The non-Â ­? departmental segregation increased teamwork and primed the organization for success. 5. Fast expansion outside of US enabled he company to operate in a global scale that in turn boosted its revenue with more than half generated outside US. About 40% of total headcount was outside US indicating aggressive expansion plans. 6. Googleplex promoted community building and was a platform for people from various business units to meet and mingle. This encouraged cross-Â ­? pollination of ideas and more importantly fulfilled the purpose of providing social interaction and intimacy that would make working with someone you already knew easier. 7. Operate as market-Â ­? based company that listened o the needs of users. This is manifested in the number 1 of Google’s ‘Ten things’-Â ­? ‘Focus on users and all else will follow’. Beta test versions allowed feedback from public that enhanced features before general release. 8. Decision based on consensus ensured that all opinions are equally respected and taken into consideration before a decision is made. A consensus meant everyone understood and agreed with the best decision, which reduces resistance later in the project. 9. New hires provided with training and induction into the company that bolstered their apabilities and reduced their learning curves, enabling them to hit the ground running at the shorted possible time. As evidenced by the above, the 5 Words to describe Google’s culture are: (1) Fast-Â ­? moving environment (2) Community environ ment (3) Innovative spirit (4) Training as a way of continuous improvement and (5) Consensus-Â ­? based decision making process. To effectively retain the Google culture, I would suggest the following: 1. Continue to employ people with the culture and values close to the company’s values. Alternatively, take in young graduates s interns to spruce idea generation in the company. 2. In tackling geographical expansion, Google can promote externships that encourage employee exchange to other locations. This will aid them in meeting colleagues from other parts of the world; promote cross-Â ­? border learning and import good practices to their local offices. 3. Continuously develop new products and services that perpetuate innovative spirit. Having more products and services gives employees variety of thought that could ensure continuous flow of ideas that can be self-Â ­? reinforcing.

Barangay Management System Essay

DE LA SALLE LIPA College of Information Technology & Engineering INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT Proponents : Gonzales, Maricar Lee, Kimberly Anne A. Suguitan, Constante III Section: IT4A Proposed Title: Barangay Management System for Brgy. Antipolo del Norte Problems/Opportunities: 1. The process of tracking records of daily, weekly and monthly records become less efficient and less accurate because in a manual system the data might be misplaced or lost. 2. Having a manual record management system requires a lot of storage space and filing equipment in the office because hard copies of the files are kept. 3. The process of writing the record manually in a piece of paper, keeping, and finding the records of the consumer are time consuming causing slow retrieval of information and transactions. Objectives: 1. To make a computerized record management system to easily find the records so that it is accurate, complete, accessible, and usable. 2. To reduce operating costs including office space, equipment and staff to maintain an organized filing system. 3. To minimize the time in writing the record, to eliminate the use of paper and to improve efficiency and productivity of the employee. Scope: The scope of this system is to provide user efficient working environment and generates more output. This system provides friendly user interface resulting in knowing each and every usability features of the system. It prepares and prints barangay permits and certifications (e.g. Community Tax Certificate, Barangay Clearance, etc.) It also processes fee such as barangay clearance fees and others. It also enables easy searching of records. This system also allows for other barangay related functions as those including security such as incident reporting, blotter, and other related services. It also provides that it maintains an updated record of residents for easy identification, and updated references. It also provides a back-up and recovery utility for security. Also, this system provides high level of security for specific people (e.g. administrators and staffs) who can access the system where administrators have the full access in using the system while the employee just have the limited access in terms of confidential records. No changes can be made in it until it verifies the user log in id and password. The salary of the employee will not be covered by the system. Beneficiaries: This paper can be used in future research and will benefit the following people: Workers/ Employee The workers will experience easier and faster way of record keeping and retrieval of records. Customer The customer will experience a faster service than before. Future Researchers The proposed system will help the future researchers to have more ideas about management system. Operational Framework Barangay Management System is a computerized system that provides fast and reliable processing of services to its users and customers. It also generates reports that are essential for statistical information, and research and accreditation purposes.

E Bike Marketing Plan Essay Example

E Bike Marketing Plan Essay Example E Bike Marketing Plan Paper E Bike Marketing Plan Paper EXECUTIVE SUMMARY : This marketing plan examines the launch of a human-electric hybrid bicycle called e-bike by the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturing company HONDA, in China. We all know that the Global Warming is a serious issue to be addressed. This is the right time to realize the importance of eco-friendly products to save the earth from global warming and its ill effects. Unfortunately the automobile emissions are the second largest contributors for the green house gases. Honda with a vision to become the world leader in environment and energy technologies launches this innovative and futuristic eco-friendly product called e-bike. This zero CO2 emission mobility is certainly a head turner which is stolen from the future, which efficiently converts the human force to proposed force. This e-bike is half bicycle and half motorbike and there is no accelerator like the usual electric bikes. One need to pedal to move forwards, the quicker you pedal the faster it goes. It has a regenerative charging capability called loop charging, that is when you go down the hill the motor becomes a generator and charges the battery again. This increase the total distance the bike can go. Its light weight, foldable to a very small size like a Swiss knife and can be put in a rucksack. It is useful in the cities when you have to take in an elevator or carry it to the flat, metro trains, busses, cars etc. This is a transport revolution and its nothing like the world has seen before. It’s going to epitomize the smart urban movement. This is how the future gets around! Table of Contents COMPANY BACKGROUND SITUATION ANALYSIS ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING LEGAL AND REGULATORY FORCES SWOT ANALYSIS COMPETITOR ANALYSIS CRITIQUE MARKETING MANEUVER PRODUCT PLACE PRICING PROMOTIONS AND ADVERTISING FINANCIALS TARGET SALES SALES FORECAST BUDGETING EXPENSES ADVERTISING BUDGET REFERENCES APPENDICES COMPANY BACKGROUND : Honda Motor Company, Ltd. is a Japanese multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. Soichiro Honda is the founder of the company. It has been the worlds largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959. Even in the rapidly changing business environment of FY2010, Honda supplied more than 24 million products to customers worldwide. From its early days, Honda has been implementing proactive measures to help solve environmental challenges. In 1972, under the theme â€Å"Blue Skies for Our Children,† it introduced the CVCC engine, becoming the worlds first automaker to comply with the U. S. Clean Air Act without the use of a catalytic converter (the world’s most stringent emissions regulations at the time). In late 1999, Honda launched the first commercial hybrid electric car, the Honda Insight. With a view to fighting global warming and reducing exhaust emissions overall, Honda is engaged in the research and development of alternative motorcycle power sources. To maintain a leading position in the future of mobility, Honda will continue to develop motorcycles and other mobility technologies that demonstrate a strong commitment to environmental responsibility Honda’s vision for personal mobility for the next 100 years of mobility calls for an accelerated shift away from fossil fuels, and for the early development of technologies that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions to zero. This is because continuing growth in the world’s population is likely to result in continuing growth in the demand for mobility. This is because continuing growth in the world’s population is likely to result in continuing growth in the demand for mobility. SITUATION ANALYSIS : ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING China has experienced an explosive growth of sales of electric bicycles and scooters, with annual sales jumping from 56 thousand units in 1998 to over 21 million in 2008 and reaching an estimated fleet of 120 million e-bikes as of early 2010. This boom was triggered by Chinese local governments efforts to restrict motorcycles in city centers to avoid traffic disruption and accidents. By late 2009 motorcycles are banned or restricted in over ninety major Chinese cities. Users began replacing traditional bicycles and motorcycles and, in e-bike became an alternative to commuting by car. LEGAL AND REGULATORY FORCES In China electric bikes currently come under the same classification as bicycles and hence dont require a drivers license to operate. Previously it was required that users registered their bike in order to be recovered if stolen, although this has recently been abolished. Due to a recent rise in electric-bicycle-related accidents, caused mostly by inexperienced riders who ride on the wrong side of the road, run red lights, dont use headlights at night etc. , the Chinese government plans to change the legal status of illegal bicycles so that vehicles with an unladen weight of 20  kg or more and a top speed of 30kmh or more will require a motorcycle license to operate, while vehicles lighter than 20  kg and slower than 30kmh can be ridden unlicensed. In the southern Chinese cities of Guangzhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen, electric bicycles, like all motorcycles, are banned from certain downtown districts. There are also bans in place in small areas of Shanghai, Hangzhou and Beijing. SWOT ANALYSIS – Strengths Honda Motor Company, Ltd has the ability to compete the market challenge from its existing facility of production. Honda Motor Company, Ltd has the ability to produce a high quality product i. e. electric bike in any quantity. It has many existing distributors which will help the Grasshopper electric bike to cover the market place along with some new distributors. It has a competent team, experienced in the Japan industry. Grasshopper Electric bike is environmentally friendly. Multi-tasking features of the new product highlight it among the existing range of products. It has access to monetary resources if required. Honda Motor Company, Ltd has been the worlds largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959 and has dominance in motorbike industry for nearly 51 years and can now apply that experience and skill to a new market with an appropriately researched product. Chinese can have a resistance to Western products. Due to this the newly launched product will gain an initial advantage in the market. Threats: Yamaha, SANYO, are also on the verge to launch the similar product. There are many competitors who have already established their market dominance in the same product in china. The time taken to do business in China will stretch human resources. Opportunities: Chinese can be more loyal to brand than Western brands. The demand for electric bike is growing rapidly. The product will be considered good for health as it can also act as exercise equipment. Due to the issue of global warming the opportunity increases and gradually helps out in accelerating sales Estimates suggest that by 2013 China will have the largest number of electric bike users. COMPETITOR ANALYSIS CRITIQUE This e-bike is a folding electric bicycle that not only serves as a means of transportation, but can also become a stationary exercise bike and can even generate and store kinetic energy. Electric and pedal power hybrid bicycles make a lot of sense to commuters. With a small amount of battery power to augment your pedalling efforts, you can achieve extra speed and distance while leaving a minimal environmental footprint and paying next to nothing per kilometre. One can ride a bicycle almost anywhere, at any time of the year, and at lowest cost! MARKETING MANEUVER : PRODUCT – There’s nothing that we love more than a well-designed bike! A Human-Electric hybrid bicycle, also known as an e-bike, is a bicycle with an electric motor used to power the vehicle or to assist with pedalling and use rechargeable batteries. The human-electric hybrid bicycle may best be described as human power augmented as in blending human and motor power. Herein lies its uniqueness, utility and exceptional riding enjoyment. While e-bikes are ridden by cyclists of all ages, on many different rides and routes and for different purposes. This is a relatively new kind of bicycle for those of us who enjoy pedalling. Pedal Power Electric Bike Concept can not only get you to work in the morning it can double as an exercise bike when you get home. The bike generates its own energy from pedal power. You can choose to pedal down the hills and ride up the hills using electric power. It also features a bar-mounted control unit, or HMI (Human-Machine Interface). It displays the battery status and allows users to choose between up to four power settings, offering electrical pedalling assistance from levels of 0 to 150 percent. The power settings are: Eco (maximum range), Tour (standard setting), Sports (dynamic riding) and Speed (maximum setting). Its foldable frame also makes it a perfect compact solution for city commuting and apartment living, which is green and hip! PLACE – Place refers to the means by which your customer acquires the product. This includes the actual place it is purchased from i. e the shop, the telephone, the web page, the warehouse as well as the actual route of distribution. The e-bikes can be sold in all Honda motorcycle showrooms and there are about 44 major Honda dealers in china. The platforms like expos, trade shows, consumer fairs and new distributors can be used for sales. In China there are a lot on-line dealers contribute to major number of sales. PRICING – One of the four major elements of the marketing mix is price. Pricing is an important strategic issue because it is related to product positioning. Furthermore, pricing affects other marketing mix elements such as product features, channel decision, and promotion. So price plays an important role in the increase of sales. The price of our product will be $1200. At the launch of the product there will be no discount, this will help out to maintain and preserve the prestige and value of product. There will be no hidden cost and net price will be given in order to ensure it is presentable and easily understood by the customer. The price of the e-bike is to be set by taking certain market aspects into consideration. Certain marketing aspects such as: Non-Price competition: As there are many Electric bikes available in Chinese market. The range of Electric bike ranges from $500 $2500. As the Grasshopper electric bike can not only get you to work in the morning it can double as an exercise bike when you get home. So as compared to other models in the present market, there is no such product serving in $1200 in Chinese market. Matching competitor’s price: The main theme is that it is a complete differentiated product among the present products in market. It also match’s the competitors price in market and provide more benefits in the same price. Matching competitor’s price gives an advantage to create the remarkable position not only in market but also in consumer’s sight. Balancing the price with the competitor’s product creates a platform to compare the available products in market and makes even easier in product selection for consumers. Unit sales growth: The price has to be set by aiming at the target for the sales of unit to be grown. The reason for setting up the price in moderate range is to increase the number of sale in market. Market share growth: Also it is taken into consideration about the growth in the market share. If the product is impressive at affordable rates it becomes easier to capture the market share and it is also the primary aim of a company to mark an outstanding market share growth. Targeted profit return: Targeted profit return is one of the most important factors while pricing the product. The scale of the returned profit helps out to draw out the plan for company’s progress. Company can make further progress on the basis of the profit it is gaining. Establishment of new units, working on to create new and efficient products, launching those new products require a considerable amount of fund. So in order to carry on the further progress price should be set in order to gain targeted profit. PROMOTIONS AND ADVERTISING (BRANDING STRATEGIES) i. LAUNCH : Beijing Auto Show Beijing International Automotive Exhibition or Auto China is an auto show held biennially in Beijing, China since 1990. It has now become one of three top auto shows in the world along with Frankfurt and Detroit. ii. CO-SPONSORSHIP : Great Wall of China Marathon (GWCM) The Great Wall Marathon is an annual marathon race held in May along and on the Huangyuan, Tianjin section of the Great Wall of China East of Beijing. The race has grown over the years to several hundred participants. iii. Brand Ambassador : Mr. BRAD PITT â€Å"THE GREEN CELEBRITY† Brad Pitt is famous as a green celebrity. Though the actor was going green all the way back in 2004, purchasing hybrid cars and calling for energy independence, hes made the biggest green mark on the world of green building and sustainable design through his support for the rebuilding projects in New Orleans. Hes teamed up with Global Green USA for a sustainable design competition and a handful of other projects totalling millions of dollars and countless hours spent on making the Big Easy a greener city from the ground up. Pitt has also found time to host a public broadcasting series on green design, help design a green hotel in Dubai and purchase an eco-friendly winery with wife Angelina Jolie. The eco celeb has started a non-profit organization to research green building techniques. Currently, Brad Pitt helps build low cost green homes in New Orleans. He will make an apt ambassador for the e-bike, as he is a global personality and one who believes in green mission. iv. Billboards and Print advertising FINANCIALS : This section will offer a financial overview of Honda Motor Company, Ltd as it relates to the marketing activities. Honda Motor Company, Ltd will address target sales, sales forecasts and how they link to the marketing activities. TARGET SALES – Annual electric bike (e-bike) sales in China grew from 40,000 in 1998 to 20 million in 2010. This rapid transition from human-powered bicycles and asoline-powered scooters to an all-electric bike technology system is special in the evolution of transportation technology and unique to China. We examine how and why e-bikes developed so quickly in China with particular focus on the key technical, economic, and political factors involved. These appeals that it is important to China as it embarks on a large-scale transition to personal vehicles, but also more sustainable forms of transportation. Looking at the increasing sales mark it is estimated that in coming year from 2011- 2013 the sales will hit the target of 2. 5 million in 2011 further climbing through 2. 8 million up to 3. million in 2013. SALES FORECAST – The first year will be used to secure market space, set it up to product standard. During the first six months relationships will be established with many different distributors in the market. These relationships will be based on Honda Motor Company, Ltd willingness to take all of their closeouts. Typically, the manufacturer will call several distributors and eventually will explain them the strategy to accelerate the market sales. Honda Motor Company, Ltd increased willingness to create an incentive for the distributors based upon their sales can make the sense for increasing the future sales. As the number of electric bikes per annum is increasing in china, it helps out to diagnose the sale forecast in china. As the society is becoming more concern about global warming more number of people are switching on to electric bicycles. China is one of biggest market of electric bikes. The number of electric bikes ridden had been increased dramatically, so based on this it can be diagnosed that the future sale is favourable in China for the Grasshopper electric bike as it can be used for various purposes other than riding. Following the above plan, it is forecasted that sales will steadily increase during this year. Sales| 2011| 2012| 2013| Direct Sales| $3000000000| $3360000000| $3500000000| BUDGETING : Costing predictions are difficult in the market entry. In the perfect competition, possibilities and consequences are ambiguous. Tentative budgeting can be done. The purpose of a marketing budget is to pull all the revenues and costs together involved in marketing into one comprehensive document. It is a managerial tool that balances what is needed to be spent against what can be afforded, and helps make choices about priorities. It is then used in monitoring performance in practice. The marketing budget is usually the most powerful tool by which you think through the relationship between desired results and available means. Its starting point should be the marketing strategies and plans, which have already been formulated in the marketing plan itself; although, in practice, the two will run in parallel and will interact. At the very least, the rigorous, highly quantified, budgets may cause a rethink of some of the more optimistic elements of the plans. EXPENSES: The marketing expenses will be budgeted to ramp up before and slightly after the two major trade shows each year. The website expenses however, will be consistent throughout the year. Expense will be accrued in terms of launching a new product in Chinese market. Trade show, advertising and other promotional factors will be added to the cart of expenses. Looking at the Chinese advertising market, it is the leading way to popular your product among the individual. So expense can be forecasted as the position of the company becomes stronger and firm in the Chinese market. The expense will increase as the company’s sales will proceed in the following year. It will be more focused on the promotion of the product and expanding its brand value among the people. So by taking into concern various above aspects expense budget can be forecasted. Marketing Expense Budget   | 2011| 2012| 2013| Trade shows| $80000| $87000| $95000| Advertising| $86000| $92000| $97000| Other| $25000| $31000| $40000| Total Expenses| $191000| $210000| $232000| ADVERTISING BUDGET HONDA Motors should allocate funds appropriately for different channels of advertising. There should be proper diversification of funds. The company should try to create impact in mind of customers by advertising its product in various mediums like television, billboards, internet, newspaper, magazines, tradeshows etc. The main target of advertising should be to create long lasting image of product in mind of the target audience. Following should be allocation of advertising budget. Sr. No| Mode of Media| % Advertising Budget| 1. | Television| 8| 2. | Billboards| 15| 3. | Magazines| 20| 4. | Newspapers| 18| 5. | Internet| 23| 6. | Trade show| 16|

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) essays

Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) essays Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobehavioral disorder that affects 3-5 percent of all American children. It interferes with a person's ability to stay on a task and to exercise age-appropriate inhibition (cognitive alone or both cognitive and behavioral). This research paper will go into the causes and research that is developing in the study of ADHD. This research paper will also go into various treatments and guidelines into understanding and dealing with children with ADHD. Attention Deficit Disorders have become a very highly controversial topic during the last decade. Attention Deficit Disorder, also known as ADD, is a broad, almost generic term for the different types of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders. The Diagnostic and Statistical manual of the American Psychiatric Association offers us this definition: "ADHD is a disorder that can include a list of nine specific symptoms of inattention and nine symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity." In addition, the Concise Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia provides this interpretation: "(a) chronic, neurologically based syndrome, characterized by any or all of three types of behavior: hyperactivity, distractibility, and impulsivity. Unlike similar behaviors caused by emotional problems or anxiety, ADHD does not fluctuate with emotional states." About 13% of the school-aged population has the full ADHD syndrome, without symptoms of other disorders. Another 510% have partial ADHD syndrome with on e or more other problems, such as anxiety or depression. (CHADD) Gender and age affect the way the patients display their symptoms. Boys are more likely to have the disorder than girls. The symptoms of ADHD usually decrease with age, but those symptoms related with other similar disorders are said to increase with age 3050% of children with ADHD may display symptoms, although often times less severe, into adulthood. ADHD may be ob...

Difference Between Celsius and Centigrade

Difference Between Celsius and Centigrade Depending on how old you are, you might read 38 °C as 38 degrees Celsius or 38 degrees centigrade. Why are there two names for  °C and whats the difference? Heres the answer: Celsius and centigrade are two names for essentially the same temperature scale (with slight differences). The centigrade scale is divided into degrees based on dividing the temperature between which water freezes and boils into 100 equal gradients or degrees. The word centigrade comes from centi- for 100 and grade for gradients. The centigrade scale was introduced in 1744 and remained the primary scale of temperature until 1948. In 1948 the CGPM (Conference General des Poids et Measures) decided to standardize several units of measurement, including the temperature scale. Since the grade was in use as a unit (including the centigrade), a new name was chosen for the temperature scale: Celsius. Key Takeaways: Celsius vs. Centigrade The Celsius scale is a type of centigrade scale.A centigrade scale has 100 degrees between the freezing and boiling points of water.The original Celsius scale actually had a boiling point of 0 degrees and freezing point of 100 degrees. It ran in the opposite direction of the modern scale! The Celsius scale remains a centigrade scale in which there are 100 degrees from the freezing point (0 °C) and boiling point (100 °C) of water, though the size of the degree has been more precisely defined. A degree Celsius (or a Kelvin) is what you get when divide the thermodynamic range between absolute zero and the triple point of a specific type of water into 273.16 equal parts. There is a 0.01 °C difference between the triple point of water and the freezing point of water at standard pressure. Interesting Facts About Celsius and Centigrade The temperature scale created by Anders Celsius in 1742 was actually the reverse of the modern Celsius scale. Celsius original scale had water boil at 0 degrees and freeze at 100 degrees. Jean-Pierre Christin independently proposed at a temperature scale with zero at the freezing point of water and 100 was the boiling point (1743). Celsius original scale was reversed by Carolus Linnaeus in 1744, the year in which Celsius died. The centigrade scale was confusing because centigrade was also the Spanish and French term for a unit of angular measurement equal to 1/100 of a right angle. When the scale was extended from 0 to 100 degrees for temperature, centigrade was more properly hectograde. The public was largely unaffected by the confusion. Even though the degree Celsius was adopted by international committees in 1948, weather forecasts issued by the BBC continued to use degrees centigrade until February 1985!

Does Zero Tolerance Policing 'work' Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Does Zero Tolerance Policing 'work' - Essay Example The administrators objected to having to enforce the principle of zero tolerance on the grounds that they would have to go in with a police escort, even on the basis of a sliver of a rumour about a picture you don't like. Defenders of the policy reply that it indicates a greater willingness to take such complaints seriously. This type of policy of reversing the burden of proof is a species of argumentum ad ignorantiam of the following form: if you can't prove that you are not guilty, then it is presumed that you are guilty. Normally, the burden is on the accuser to provide evidence or corroboration of the charge. Admittedly, where an event took place privately between two people, with no physical evidence of harm, it is generally hard to prove such objective corroboration. The solution advocated by the zero tolerance principle is to shift the burden of disproof of the charge onto the side of the accused party. If he can't furnish such evidence, the conclusion we should draw by the ad ignorantiam argument is that he is guilty. Is this a reasonable or fallacious use of the argument from ignorance This is a hotly disputed question at the moment. Defenders of zero tolerance argue that the application of the argument from ignorance, as a reasonable argument in this instance, is justified by argument from consequences: namely, those women are at present suffering from abuse to such a degree that anyone who opposes zero tolerance is causing the deaths of women. Opponents of the principle also base their opposition on the argument from consequences. They argue that the policy of zero tolerance is producing many innocent victims of false charges of abuse, and having a disastrous effect on families. Opponents of the policy also argue that the advocates of zero tolerance are focusing only on the consequences as they affect one group, and ignoring the impact on anyone who is not a member of this group. They see this as a form of self-interested bargaining or advocacy dialogue taking the place of a more rational and objective type of deliberation or critical discussion that takes all points of view into account. At any rate, on this controversial issue, the central question directly relates to the argumentum ad ignorantiam as a type of argument. Is it reasonable or fallacious in this case And what are the grounds for justifying one opinion or the other Significantly, zero tolerance policing, with its more assertive and control oriented message, seems to have struck a chord in recent years. An increasing number of public-initiated police contacts are crime-related, especially in inner-city areas and in a time of stretched resources many have argued that police duties should be more closely restricted to crime-work. This was the dominant message behind the setting up inquiry into core policing tasks, which, despite denials, was envisaged as clearing the way towards the privatization of alleged 'peripheral' police-work. While the conclusions of the

Employment law paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment law paper - Essay Example This is simply because any act of a supervisor can be construed to be the act of an employer, especially when an employee is impacted on a job benefit. In cases where the employee is not impacted in tangible terms, here the employers can limit the liability under the following defense: a) The employer has been noted to exercise reasonable care for the prevention of any form of harassment, and b) The employee has not taken complete advantage of any preventive measures that have been provided by the employers. The EEOC General Counsel explains that the cases that involve the English only rule or any restrictive language policies and any language discrimination are given first importance for the commission. As per the EEOC, employers cannot and must not target the workers based on discrimination based on fears, stereotypes or even fear of the language or country of origin. Based on the Title VII, Sears has clearly violated the law, as it clearly explains, no employment discrimination based on any factor like race, age, color, sex, national origin or even religion is allowed. In this case Mary has been fired from the company for speaking in Spanish on the sales floor with a co-worker. This is clearly a violation of the law and clearly shows discrimination against the employees. The fact that the employees are allowed to talk in Spanish with the customers however not with the coworkers, is a clear discrimination. Mary could have been given a warning however, not fired as it is not ethical an d completely violates the Title VII and the EEOC rules. The Bona Fide Occupational Qualifications allows the employers to make discrimination and permits them to employers of American Airlines to discriminate and to make the pilots and flight attendants to work on religious holidays as well. This however is not fair and it is important to understand, when companies prefer to have a diversified work force, it is

A recent report highlights a large rise in gambling in the UK.Discuss Essay

A recent report highlights a large rise in gambling in the UK.Discuss why this has occurred, whether it is a cause for concern,and, if so, what could be done ab - Essay Example progressive and chronic disorder that encompasses an unrelenting failure to resist impulses to gamble and where this maladaptive behavior disrupts, or damages personal, family, or vocational pursuits’’ (American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 615). Problem Gambling is â€Å"persistent and recurrent maladaptive gambling behavior that disrupts personal, family or vocational pursuits.† (American Psychiatric Association) â€Å"It avoids the medical and pejorative implications of pathological’’ (Walker & Dickerson, 1996) and the term Problem Gambler’ is used to define someone â€Å"whose gambling is at an earlier stage and to a lesser degree than required by the diagnostic criteria† (Rosenthal, 1989). The third term Compulsive Gambling is more often used by â€Å"laypersons such as Gamblers Anonymous (GA) members†. (Clinical Psychology Review 22 -2002) As this discussion is based on psychology, the main focus would remain on the â€Å"pathological gambling† in order to describe the gambling behaviors. Different forms of gambling are covered by the term PG including casino gambling, pari-mutuels, horse races, lotteries and gaming machines. The pathological gambling has several â€Å"negative impacts on the gamblers’ physical and mental health and performance in vocational situations† (Productivity Commission, 1999). The pathological gamblers often face financial hardships, Interpersonal problems and psychosocial problems in their children. It is also associated with significant problems, including â€Å"suicidal ideation and attempts, marital conflicts, employment problems, alcohol and substance abuse, psychiatric co morbidity and decreased health function†. (Benjamin J. Morasco, Jeremiah Weinstock 2007) During last few decades, there has been a rise in gambling all over the world and in United Kingdom also people are getting addicted of it. Though there are not any specific reasons that convince people to start gambling but there are several factors that

Human - Interpretation, compare and contrast, fossil record, hominin Essay

Human - Interpretation, compare and contrast, fossil record, hominin lineage - Essay Example To begin with, the most distinct trait is the verbal communication in humans compared to the growls, screams and hoots. Humans have the ability of passing ideas and information through various means ranging from the verbal communication, facial expressions, and hand gestures and, of late, the writing means. Clear speech has uniquely distinguished them from the chimpanzees where this is controlled by the cerebral cortex in their brains unlike the chimps that lack these functional organs. Humans are believed to have muscular tongue that enables them speak clearly and well compared to the weak chimpanzees’ tongues. Second point is their body covering where the human beings have short and relatively sparsely distributed throughout their bodies but varying from one human being to another by race, their sex, place and, most importantly, the genes. As compared to humans, chimpanzees have short covering all over their all body parts except their faces and palms with no variance from o ne to another unlike the humans. This factor has uniquely defined humans from the chimpanzees where they have had the manufacture of clothes to prevent them from many factors like cold and rain. Humans’ brain size has uniquely identified them from the chimpanzees’ characterized by the human beings having the larger one than the latter’s. Chimps have 370ml of the brain size compared to the 1350ml in average for the human beings. Human’s larger brain size is actually an important indicator of their intelligence shown by the recent innovation in scientific and technology development. Over the years, human has made numerous scientific developments characterized by the use of complex machine which would rather be difficult for their closest relative, the chimps, to have. This includes aspects like use of computers, where almost every life aspect is now controlled by the computer technology. Improved transport has also been seen where humans' intelligence has b rought out complex transport means such as ships, aero planes and electric trains; the chimpanzees can't in any way develop them. Human diet also distinguishes them; both the chimpanzees and the human beings are omnivorous though the humans are more of carnivorous than their closest relative. Chimpanzees throughout their lives occasionally depend on other mammals’ flesh they get through hunting but restrict themselves mostly to fruits and sometimes insects. Opposite to this, humans do feed on the cooked flesh and plants rather than the raw food eaten by the chimps. Posture and locomotion have also defined human differently from their closest relative the chimpanzees. Though both humans and the chimpanzees are considered to portray the bipedalism factor, the distance and time through which this happens define the whole trait. Humans walk throughout their entire lives and perform their daily chores since infancy in two feet unlike the chimpanzees who locomote using their four l imbs but can walk and often stand with two feet. This is because humans have bowl-shaped pelvises that provide support to their internal body organs. Chimpanzees do lean forward during their locomotion making them walk using four legs. Chimpanzees, unlike the human beings, have large toes making them stronger than their fore limbs, therefore, using them for crawling, climbing and easy rotating when climbing the trees. This has

Higher & Higher Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Higher & Higher - Coursework Example Why? 5 4. Do you think of Zhang’s goals for his company? What must the company do to exploit its resources and capabilities in order to reach these goals? 6 Reference 8 1. What resources and capabilities does the Haier Group appear to have? Are any of these capabilities distinctive? Explain. What will it take to make its capabilities distinctive? One of the most prominent capabilities developed by the company is its diverse variety of products in the home appliance market inclusive of consumer electronic products, air conditioners, computers, mobile phones, washing machines, microwave ovens, televisions, refrigerators etc. This wide diversity of products allows the company to capture a considerably large portion of the market including households and large corporate also (Hunt, p.2-5). Sound technology used by the company clearly distinguishes it from its competitors. In many nations, such as India the company was able to acquire large proportions of the market using technolog ical and innovative changes in its products and product lines in order to cater to the changing needs and requirements of customers (Hunt, p.2-5). Strong innovation initiatives are one aspect which distinguishes the company for its competitors. The company has always strived to add value to its products and product lines with the purpose of serving the niche markets in a better way compared to its competitors. This is particularly helped the company in attaining the faith and loyalty of customers as one of the most trusted brand names and superior deliverer of quality products in the global market (Hunt, p.2-5). One of the most distinctive capabilities of the company has been cater to individual needs of the nations where it had operated. Its strategies have been different for different countries, like India, China etc. For example, although its e-business strategies were not really welcome in China because of its lack of technical knowhow and infrastructure and consumers remain rel uctant to use the internet as a common medium for doing business, the company has been successful in penetrating into the Chinese market by successfully implementing an e-business strategy that was particularly customised for the Chinese market (Roger, p.651). 2. What strengths and weaknesses does the Haier Group appear to have? How could it prevent its strengths from becoming weaknesses? Strengths One of the main strengths of the company is its wide range of innovative products which has successfully made its entry into the global economy. For example, one of its most prominent and innovative products was the frog shaped television console which could be doubled like a night light and which would automatically ask questions on maths problems to the kids before they switched it off. Some of the other innovative products included compact refrigerators, office refrigerators and wine coolers. The company has also successfully shown radical improvement in its product qualities driven by the initiative of its CEO Ruimin. Clear vision, strict discipline coupled with requisite efforts from the part of the CEO has acted as an active strength for the company in expanding its size across the international market and beat some of the major competitor players in the market like Whirlpool, General Electric, Electrolux and LG Electronics (Alon, p.62). Weaknesses The Chinese brands have inherently carried the name of low end and low quality of products. This image has spread worldwide which consistently acts as a

COMMUNICATION AND DECISION CASE Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

COMMUNICATION AND DECISION CASE - Assignment Example This paper also addresses the kind of decisions I faced as well as the challenges I faced when making the decisions. Why is this happening? In this case study, a total of fourteen individuals will have to be let go. Two of the employees to be let go are from the human resources, eight from production, and four from order processing. There is a reason why termination of these workers jobs has to be done. Over the recent past, the company has been having low profits or revenues as a result of the rising costs of materials and wages. Many operations in the company are reliant on the amount of overall profits of the company. All the departments’ works in cohort and money to maintain and sustain every day’s operations has to be raised in one way or the other. When a company is unable to raise enough revenue or profits to sustain its daily operations, some of jobs have to be terminated. The company has also to pay for the services and tasks conducted by the employees. Letting go some of the employees means that the company will pay less individuals. The rising costs of materials have been as a result of the ever elevating costs of living. ... Subsequently, the level of production is also reduced. Though job terminations have an immediate negative effect on the individuals affected, it also has adverse effects to those left behind. Terminating jobs abruptly will affect the level of motivation for the survivors. Studies conducted over the recent past have elucidated the fact that laying down some workers abruptly for whatever reason will eventually force some of the survivors to resign voluntarily and others subsequently leave the company without prior warnings. This is attributed to the fact that employees are not assured of the security of their jobs. It is also true that competition between workers within the company will heighten. This is as a result of workers trying to appease the senior management geared towards securing their jobs (Rogovsky, 2005). How will the department managers plan for this without breaking confidentiality? Terminating jobs has to be done in confidential manner. It is a common rule that as peopl e in management positions, the departmental managers become aware of some organisation’s issues or information that they ought not to share with their subordinates. A meeting has to be conducted with the managers and supervisors in order to plan how the laying off will be conducted. Rumours about layoffs or job terminations reaching the employees are inevitable. Since the departmental managers have already built rapport with their subordinates, some of them will have to ask what is going to happen, or even whether they are among the list to be laid off. Feedback to such questions should be handled with utmost care as giving an indication that there will be a layoff will cause panic among the employees (Rogovsky, 2005). Therefore,

Higher & Higher Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Higher & Higher - Coursework Example Why? 5 4. Do you think of Zhang’s goals for his company? What must the company do to exploit its resources and capabilities in order to reach these goals? 6 Reference 8 1. What resources and capabilities does the Haier Group appear to have? Are any of these capabilities distinctive? Explain. What will it take to make its capabilities distinctive? One of the most prominent capabilities developed by the company is its diverse variety of products in the home appliance market inclusive of consumer electronic products, air conditioners, computers, mobile phones, washing machines, microwave ovens, televisions, refrigerators etc. This wide diversity of products allows the company to capture a considerably large portion of the market including households and large corporate also (Hunt, p.2-5). Sound technology used by the company clearly distinguishes it from its competitors. In many nations, such as India the company was able to acquire large proportions of the market using technolog ical and innovative changes in its products and product lines in order to cater to the changing needs and requirements of customers (Hunt, p.2-5). Strong innovation initiatives are one aspect which distinguishes the company for its competitors. The company has always strived to add value to its products and product lines with the purpose of serving the niche markets in a better way compared to its competitors. This is particularly helped the company in attaining the faith and loyalty of customers as one of the most trusted brand names and superior deliverer of quality products in the global market (Hunt, p.2-5). One of the most distinctive capabilities of the company has been cater to individual needs of the nations where it had operated. Its strategies have been different for different countries, like India, China etc. For example, although its e-business strategies were not really welcome in China because of its lack of technical knowhow and infrastructure and consumers remain rel uctant to use the internet as a common medium for doing business, the company has been successful in penetrating into the Chinese market by successfully implementing an e-business strategy that was particularly customised for the Chinese market (Roger, p.651). 2. What strengths and weaknesses does the Haier Group appear to have? How could it prevent its strengths from becoming weaknesses? Strengths One of the main strengths of the company is its wide range of innovative products which has successfully made its entry into the global economy. For example, one of its most prominent and innovative products was the frog shaped television console which could be doubled like a night light and which would automatically ask questions on maths problems to the kids before they switched it off. Some of the other innovative products included compact refrigerators, office refrigerators and wine coolers. The company has also successfully shown radical improvement in its product qualities driven by the initiative of its CEO Ruimin. Clear vision, strict discipline coupled with requisite efforts from the part of the CEO has acted as an active strength for the company in expanding its size across the international market and beat some of the major competitor players in the market like Whirlpool, General Electric, Electrolux and LG Electronics (Alon, p.62). Weaknesses The Chinese brands have inherently carried the name of low end and low quality of products. This image has spread worldwide which consistently acts as a

Public sector services should be managed just like the private sector Essay

Public sector services should be managed just like the private sector. Discuss this statement using examples from contemporary management practices - Essay Example The public services are not usually sold to people to gain profit and are not withheld from the people who can not afford them (Flynn 2007). This difference though always not applicable to all public services, significantly affects the management practices in private and public sector. The private service is marketing oriented. Different services are provided to people paying different prices. The services and strategies are designed to offer customized and good services to attract people to the private service. The public services on the other hand are aimed to provide protection, education, care and help without taking into account the profitability. That is why the public services often face the problems with rationing and pricing as they treat all service users equally. As the need for marketing services or attracting people is minimal the profitability is often lowered too. While distinguishing the public and private services, it can be said that the public sector needs to provide services for public good where the market fails to do so. These services include those, which cannot exclude any individual, and a collective payment is needed for those services. The services, which are paid through taxes rather than through direct payment, are considered as public services. The armed forces, judiciary and police, civil services, local governments, essential infrastructure like road, welfare state like health, education, social security, housing, etc are generally considered as public services. Ownership of services also makes them public or private. But it is often seen that people are not much concerned with the ownership of the services they receive except when they consider employment. Public sector employments are often considered to be much secured but with low wage though there are jobs, which get better security and wage in private sector. There are certain practical arguments in support of the public services. There are services like armed forces

Avoiding the Alignment Trap in Intormation Technology Essay Example for Free

Avoiding the Alignment Trap in Intormation Technology Essay An alarming pattern has surfaced in that many companies are concentrating on alignment and are finding that their performance is either declining or moving sideways. Companies are focusing on the wrong solutions with respect to their Information Technology problems, resulting in severe bottlenecks to growth. Companies need to learn how to break out of the trap and build IT organizations that allow for growth rather than obstruct it. Companies will need to be committed as doing so will require a continuous effort. The essential goal for these companies in order to succeed is to move IT into the upper-right quadrant, where they will be highly effective and highly aligned, and where IT appears to be enabling growth rather than inhibiting it. In order to move in this direction, it is my recommendation that the companies begin by installing local area networks locally, as well as a central database stored on a server to connect to head office. This option is economically feasible, will improve local efficiencies and will allow the sharing of resources and records. I would also recommend that the companies begin feasibility testing to explore the implementation of an internal ERP system to support global operations in the near future. Doing this will help companies to keep up with the competition. Current Situation Companies are getting caught in an â€Å"alignment trap† whereas they are spending large amounts of resources towards being highly aligned and not realizing the importance of being highly effective as well. There are four quadrants within which companies are being categorized with respect to their ability to be effective. They are being measured based on the ineffectiveness as far as completing projects on time and on budget, and the ineffectiveness of alignment to an important business objective. The first of these quadrants is â€Å"alignment trap†. Despite being highly aligned, the companies within this group are less effective in completing budgets on time and within the budget. Charles Schwab Co. is currently in this position and as a result, continues to spend money on projects and seeing no growth. The second quadrant is â€Å"maintenance zone†. Companies in this quadrant are less aligned to major business objectives but are maintaining below average levels of growth even though they are less effective and spending more in IT as a result. In this zone, IT is not performing well, is not valued and is segregated from the company’s main functions. Management is budgeting enough to keep the system running, but IT is not providing any added value to the business. Third is the â€Å"well-oiled IT† quadrant which can be categorized as second best. In this group, companies are highly effective at bringing projects in on time and on budget. They are more focused on execution. Still, companies are less aligned meaning that their IT group does not fully understand the priorities of the business and where to spend the resources. Lastly, the â€Å"IT-enabled growth† quadrant is where all companies would like to be. This quadrant encompasses those companies who are not only highly effective at making IT projects successful, but are also highly aligned in relation to their business objectives. Examples of companies who have succeeded in this respect are Nestle, Wal-Mart, FedEx and Dell. The following are IT-related issues that organizations are currently facing as they attempt to align their business goals with IT technology: Believing that alignment is the solution to their IT problems, companies are spending enormous amounts of money without solving any problems. Various divisions are driving independent initiatives, each one designed to address its own competitive needs, resulting in complexity of IT systems (no standardization). As a result, costs increase and the fragmented divisions make it harder for managers to coordinate across business units. Complexity in systems is making enhancements to systems and improvements to infrastructures more and more difficult to implement and potential benefits are left unused. Redundant applications that perform the same or similar functions. Outsourcing the wrong activities. Data in multiple information systems are viewed as â€Å"garbage† and producing inconsistencies (i.e. salespeople are promoting products that are discontinued) In companies similar to Charles Schwab Co. for example: IT staff response have become slow and expensive; IT engineers are spending more time fixing bugs in the systems than ever before; and several big and ambitious projects are overdue and preventing the company from being competitive. Criteria The following criteria will be used to evaluate each of the alternatives: IT spending must be aligned with the company’s growth strategies (need to reduce IT costs i.e. savings on software licensing costs where bleeding money, and head count). Must be shared ownership and shared governance of IT projects. Need to reduce complexity (or emphasize simplicity). Increase efficiency (doing things in a cost effective way with no duplication of time and effort). Economically feasible. IT infrastructure to support networked operations in multiple locations. Need to centralize and simplify the IT functions. Need high effectiveness to achieve an objective through the use of: 1. simplicity (or reducing complexity) – by implementing companywide standards, replacing legacy systems, building new solutions on simplified and standardized infrastructure; 2. right sourcing – choosing the right source for a capability and maximizing effectiveness while minimizing cost; and 3. accountability – executives should get the information they need to measure the progress of IT and IT people should be held accountable for outcomes. IT needs to be reliable, without excess complexity, and needs to deliver projects consistently with desired functionality, timing and cost. IT systems need to run smoothly and reliably. IT functions such as architecture and infrastructure need to be balanced with respect to the needs of the entire organization and those of individual businesses. Need a good governance structure so as to set parameters to keep an organization on track (i.e. no more than four new technology releases per year).

African Diaspora Essay examples -- African Diaspora Cultures

In simple terms, the Diaspora as a concept, describes groups of people who currently live or reside outside the original homelands. We will approach the Diaspora from the lenses of migration; that the migration of people through out of the African continent has different points of origin, different patterns and results in different identity formations. Yet, all of these patterns of dispersion and germination/ assimilation represent formations of the Diaspora. My paper will focus on the complexities of the question of whether or not Africans in the Diaspora should return to Africa. This will be focused through the lenses of the different phases in the Diaspora. The historical Diaspora confirms pre-colonial global dispersion and resettlement of Africans. These communities of relocated Africans identified and maintained a connection with Africa, while still maintaining a "Loyalty to their adopted country" and making valid and positive contributions. This brings us to a new question, what exactly then are the identities of the African Diaspora and how was that identity forged under (in and after) slavery? Avatar Brah best illuminates the journey of identity formulation through the literature of the African Diaspora she wrote: "Diasporic identities are at once local and global. They are networks of the transnational identifications encompassing imagined and encountered communities (Brah, 1994)." An individual can activate any number of choices on the path to their identity, thus the context and historical processes must be investigated. The Diaspora originated from historical and cultural experiences of the Jewish and Greek people, ... ...s as a group and to effective resistance to oppression. There's no need in returning to Africa. "Despite Cesaire's construction of pre-colonial Africa as an aggregation of warm, communal societies, he never calls for a return. His concept of Negritude is future-oriented and modern. His position in Discourse is unequivocal and sterile attempt to repeat the past, but to get beyond. It is not a dead society that we want to revive. We leave that to those who go in for exorcismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦It is a new society rich with all the productive power of modern times, warm with all the fraternity of olden days."(Cesaire, 2000) James Aggrey said many years ago that there is a new Africa coming today and it is a challenge to civilization." Joseph Harris added that the new Africa today is the world of African people, of Africa and its Diaspora.

Prejudice and Racism at Our School :: Sociology Racism Prejudice Essays

Prejudice and Racism at Our School Racism...the belief that a particular race is superior to others; discrimination or prejudice based on race. Racism has been around for a long time and its effects have been seen a lot in the past few centuries: during the 1800s and earlier - in slavery, the Civil War, and slaves being freed; and then recently, during the 1900s - in the Civil Rights Movement. Everyone in the United States is supposed to have equal rights and not be discriminated against because of race, but sadly, that is not always what happens. Racism shouldn’t be around anymore, but it is, even in WCCHS. Sometimes it’s in the form of racist comments or racial slurs, and other times it’s in the form of "who hangs out with whom." Something needs to be done about this. I think that if there were more integration in school-related activities, then students of different races would learn to accept each other the way they are, and racism wouldn’t be an issue at WCCHS. As was stated, even though there shouldn’t be racism at WCCHS, there is. Although once in a while teachers might be involved if someone says something racist against them, most of the racism is between students. Although I don’t really see a whole lot of it and what I do see isn’t major, it is still there. Generally, Hispanics and non-Hispanics get along okay at WCCHS; a lot of the racism expressed in these two groups is just little things, such as racial slurs or mean comments about someone just because they are or aren’t Hispanic. To get a broader view on racism at WCCHS and why it occurs, I interviewed Karen Miller, a freshman of Polish and German descent; Gabe Antonio, a freshman of Mexican descent who knows both English and Spanish; and Mr. Sayner, a World Geography/Global Studies teacher of western European descent. Karen, Gabe, and Mr. Sayner all agreed on their definitions of racism. Gabe said that racism means â€Å"people saying bad stuff about other races and cultures,† Karen said that it means that someone doesn’t like another person just because of their race - they are prejudiced, and Mr. Sayner said it means â€Å"people judging someone else based on physical characteristics like skin color.† In all three definitions you see that people are basing their opinions of others on outward characteristics rather than finding out for themselves what they are like.

Are You Getting Employee Benefits? Essay

Are your employee benefits giving you the payback you deserve in increased employee appreciation and satisfaction? Chances are, your employee benefits are not. On average, organizations spend 41 cents for employee benefits for every dollar of payroll. That’s 29% of the total employee compensation package. Research reported in the journal, Personnel Psychology, suggests that employees only understand and appreciate between 31 and 68% of the cost or market value of the employee benefits they receive. In fact, the most recent data indicates that employers are spending 43% of total pay on types of employee benefits. Employees undervalue their comprehensive set of employee benefits for many reasons including: employers communicate the value of employee benefits poorly, the employees have little or no choice in employee benefits packages or options, and the employees misunderstand the market value of their employee benefits. Maximize the Value of Employee Benefits Expenditures Employers can overcome these factors by allowing employees to make choices about the types of employee benefits and by providing lots of information. You can jump start the education process by providing paycheck inserts that detail your cost for each employee benefit. Other ways to get employees to think about the value of their employee benefits include interactive computer quizzes, employee benefits fairs, telephone hot lines, workplace posters and video tapes or television discussing employee benefits. Firms that wish to maximize the value of their employee benefits expenditures need to survey their employees to ask them the types of employee benefits that they value and how much they value each type. Employee benefits surveys or focus groups are important first steps in understanding employee preferences for types of benefits. Relevant questions about the desired types of employee benefits might include the following. What types of employee benefits are most important to you? If you could choose one new type of employee benefit, what would it be? If you were given X dollars for employee benefits, how would you spend them? Follow-up research about the cost of employee benefits that employees desire can help you determine which programs will provide the most à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“bang for the buck.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  On the basis of the data developed, you can adapt your employee benefits offerings or provide choices about types of employee benefits that are consistent with organizational objectives such as employee retention or performance. Consider Types of Employee Benefits The variety of employee benefits offered today is immense. Some employee benefits, such as health insurance and retirement benefits, are almost institutionalized or expected in the United States. However, other employee benefits are not – and these are the types of employee benefits that set companies apart. Organizational values are often manifest in the types of employee benefits organizations offer. Thus, the employee benefits help to establish an organization’s positive reputation as an employer of choice in the marketplace. So, isn’t it about time to reconsider the employee benefits package that your company offers? Following is a long list of the types of employee benefits that are offered across hundreds of U.S. firms. The cost of these employee benefits varies, as do employee and employer perceptions about the value the employee benefits deliver. The key for organizations looking for a competitive edge, through the types of employee benefits, they offer, is to determine what employee benefits you can provide that are most valued and useful to your employees. Hopefully, these employee benefits will approach a 1:1 cost to perceived benefit ratio. Types of Employee Benefits Following are samples of the employee benefits that are offered across many organizations. Use this list of employee benefits to think creatively about your current employee benefits package. Are your employee benefits giving you the competitive edge in attracting and keeping the best employees? Are your employee benefits helping you to create a workplace in which employees are motivated, happy and productive? If not, use this list to determine the types of employee benefits that you may want to consider providing. You’re in competition with the best employers for the best employees. These types of benefits will attract and retain your best talent.

Democracy or Dictatorship

It is very unfortunate that after 63 years of creation of Pakistan added to the 200 years of struggle against foreign intruders, we are still debating over Democracy and Dictatorship is Pakistan. We were able to get an independent state but failed to give freedom, equality, tolerance, social justice and democracy to its people. Iqbal’s Pakistan was never achieved; we got Jinnah’s Pakistan but lost part of it in 1971. It’s up to us whether we blame it on failed democracy or thriving dictatorship; but truth is that we lost the identity of largest country achieved for Muslim minority of Indian subcontinent. Going through the pages of political history of Pakistan; rather take out just a moment of your time to remember the names of all the â€Å"Democratic Premiers† and all the â€Å"Democratic Presidents† who ruled us over the period of time. I am emphasizing on â€Å"Democratic† because we have seen dictators also produced their own presidents and ministers; I bet you can’t remember them, at least I can’t. On contrary if we start naming dictators; not only names, their time of rule, their duration of rule, even we can write books on their personal lives; why is that? It is not criticism on our general knowledge, rather it is the reminder sad truth we have been living all our lives. I can talk on behalf of today’s generation, the first news we ever heard about politics was the 1999 military coup over democratic government. And then we spent our age of growth and learning under military rule. The other day I was discussing with my father and he told me that when he was in school, Ayub Khan ruled Pakistan; at his professional age Zia-ul-Haq ruled our country and when they got more senior Musharaf came. Just look at history of all the major events or major achievements we ever got were at the time of dictatorship. Don’t think that I am in favour of Dictatorship †¦ no †¦ never ever ever †¦ its not possible; my mind refuses to accept the basic and fundamental concept of dictatorship. How can a country like Pakistan, with its population of more than 18 crore, where more than 70 languages are spoken, where people belonging from various religions, cast and nations be ruled by ONE person with its whole sole powers. Experience has shown that in a working democracy mistakes can eventually be corrected before the society breaks down. The history of dictatorships on the other hand shows that they end all in violent and bloody mess. We have seen in Tunis, in Egypt and now witnessing in Libya. Dictatorship is not made for Pakistan. But the Pakistan’s most successful 5 year plan of 1960-1965 was during time of military dictator Ayub Khan. This plan earned Pakistan 200% profit and it was copied by countries like South Korea. USSR lost its respect as super power at the time military dictator Zia-ul-Haq, that’s separate debate what we got in return but we did it. So-called freedom of press was awarded in another military dictator’s time i. e: Pervaiz Musharaf. On contrary democratic governments failed to give us any constitution for 9 years after creation of Pakistan, we got but it was brutally torn apart many times. Democratic government played with it by making silly amendments. It was during democracy when we lost East Pakistan in 1971. It was democratic government who ordered police to open fire on protestors rallying against electoral fraud of 1977. Army action was taken place in Balochistan during democratic government and city of lights had blood bath because of so-called democratic government claiming to be representing majority. And now during democratic time we are still arguing whether Pakistan needs democracy or dictatorship. So this means, something is wrong and has always been wrong which made Pakistan to see the times in which we are living today. May be we never really understood the meaning of democracy. Seems like just completing your count to show majority is democracy, it’s just a number game for us to have the might of majority; whoever they may be and whatever they do. The objective resolution is 1949 states that Pakistan is a sovereign independent state â€Å"Wherein the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed†, the classic example of Dasti with fake degree and winning election confirm the democracy as number game. My point is we got the democracy but we were not able to create any democratic system in which democracy flourishes and don’t remain mere number game. What about an example to make it more understandable. A murderer kills someone and was then caught by lets say 20 men. Voting was held to decide the fate of the killer, 15 among 20 votes in favour to hang him and 5 opposes the decision. If democracy is just game of numbers to favour majority then according to this definition of democracy he will be hanged. On contrary if democracy is a system to govern the country where principles of freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice prevails, the murderer can claim it rights and ask the Judicial system, part of democratic system to prosecute him and decide his fate. Let me put forward to you what I believe real democracy is and what it requires to flourish. Concept of democracy existed in 508 B. C with Greeks, but there has been no final definition on which political science students agreed. That’s why we see many different kind of democratic systems with its own way of selections came over the period of time; famous being presidential democracy and parliamentary democracy, wikipedia can list other for you if interested. But there has been points, some basic structures and some basic requirements everyone have agreed upon; the most important being â€Å"Separation of Powers†. The state is divided into branches, each with its separate and independent powers and areas of responsibility so that no one branch has more power than the other branches. The normal division of branches is †¢ Executive †¢ Legislature †¢ Judiciary. In parliamentary democracy like Pakistan the responsibilities of executive is done by Prime Minister along with his cabinet, legislation is done by Parliament with its two houses of National Assembly and Senate whereas Judiciary is definitely a complete system of its own. In Presidential form of democracy the executive is President with his whole power, legislature is Congress and judiciary is judicial system. But we can see in Pakistan cabinet with its large number and corruption, parliament with its fake degrees and suppression of judiciary over the years destroyed and derailed democracy from time to time. Which confirms that whole bunch of other systems has to be defined to ensure proper governance with its real democratic system. I want to put forward the components, rather sub-systems of any democracy but first there are some other basic points of on which different studies have agreed upon. The real democratic system should ensure Shared Respect and Shared Power within its citizens. †¢ Shared Respect Because we all are human and contribute to the society, we should be respecting each other point of view with tolerance and treat everyone equally. Everyone should be given fair chance to learn and develop some skills in order to be useful for the society. And we should all be recognising each other rights irrespective of profession, cast, creed or religion. Thus shared respect ensures thriving democracy. Shared Power A working democratic system ensures shared power between its citizens representing different group of societies. Students unions, factory labour unions, farmer unions and many others represent their respective community thus playing important is democracy of the country. Every citizen voluntarily votes for election of its representative without interference, thus every citizen is sharing bit power indirectly. And most importantly the opposition voices are respected and heard thus ensure their share of power. Beside shared respect and shared power, some conditions of democracy are agreed upon by different political science students’ i. e: Economic balance and Enlightenment. Aristotle believed that the middle income men contribute more to the society thus providing economic balance. Enlightenment is freedom of getting information which is done my public education, books, magazines and most importantly free media. For shared respect, shared power, economic balance and for enlightenment different other systems are put forward in-order to have proper working democratic system which grows and amend itself. I will try to put forward some common and rather most important factors for working democracy. Constitution is the most sacred document in any democratic country. The set of rules put forward by different group of society and agreed upon by the selective representative of society is very important for any successful democratic system. But constitutional history of Pakistan as we all know is very dark and dramatic. For 9 years since the creation of Pakistan we had no constitution, once we had it was brutally raped by dictators. And even last 1973 constitution has been disrespectfully treated by making 19 amendments to it and unfortunately mostly done by democratically elected men. Judiciary should be independent, free from any outside interference. It’s no news for us that how judiciary has been treated. Social Justice is ensured by the judicial system and how it can ensured until unless judiciary is having trouble of its own. Social Security is vital important in any democratic country and is ensured by the security forces or police. Unfortunately in Pakistan the political parties have been assigned different quota to hire its own policemen in-order to confirm the power which totally violates the fundamental concept of democracy. Education system ensures the enlightenment condition of any democratic system. Citizens should be well-aware of laws, constitution and their right. The educational institution should also work as political institution where future leaders or political activist should be created. Student politics should be legal and well governed by the institution itself, otherwise the Family politics will never in country like Pakistan. Election Commission should independent of any political influence and is responsible for free and fare election. The voters list should be error free and encourage its citizen to take part in electoral system. Not only education system, election commission should also be involved in educating the citizens and realising them the importance of voting to decide their future. Last but not least the Accountability. Umer bin Abdulaziz, who was caliph of Ummayid Dynasty and was famously called the fifth caliph once said, â€Å"Rulers usually appoint people to watch over their subjects. I appoint you a watcher over me and my behaviour. If you find me at fault in word or action guide me and stop me from doing it†. The accountability or the check and balance have vital importance in democratic system. This rules out the might of majority and ensures that democracy should not be considered as number game. NAB (National Accountability Bureau) of Pakistan is supposed to responsible for that but unfortunately this institution has never been given its deserved power and been played in hands of politicians. Democracy or democratic system is not heavenly devised system; it is system of government of the people, by the people, for the people; which can have loopholes and can be played with, but proper democratic system grows with time differently from nation to nation. We Pakistanis as independent nation living in independent and sovereign country can, shall and will produce such a democratic system with justice for its citizen, rights of the people, accountability of empowered, education to its youth and proper economic system. No wonder Pakistan can become the country which Allama Muhammad Iqbal wished for.

Management of the BLM’s Public Lands System

The government has control of over one-third of the nation's land, and 398 million acres of that is controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM 6). This land holds a wide diversity of resources, from timber and grazing lands found on the surface, to a mass of oil, natural gas, and minerals lying below the earth. The history of these lands is hardly a dull story, because it is the story of the taming of the â€Å"Wild West†. Should the BLM though, still be controlling these lands under the same laws that were put in affect to establish the â€Å"Western frontier†? I feel that a radical reevaluation of these laws needs to take place, in order to adapt them to the changing demographic and technological advancements of our society. This topic is of importance to park and recreation professionals because it will directly effect how the lands that they are using for parks, are going to be used. The laws that are remaining are allowing companies to hurt the land, which is against the mission statement of the BLM. The BLM mission statement says, â€Å"the Bureau is responsible for the balanced management of the public lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in a combination that will best serve the American people. Management is based upon the principles of multiple use and sustained yield; a combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, land, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness, and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values† (BLM 7). Therefore by allowing these old laws to remain they are pulling away from their mission statement. Throughout the 80's the Bureau of Land Management developed a host of programs and emphasized a number of others – outdoor recreation, wildlife and fisheries, toxic materials management, and wetland enhancement, to name a few – but there are still many problems that must be addressed. Due to the increasing demand for outdoor recreation, there has been an overcrowding in our local, state, and national parks. There is a demand for BLM to do more in outdoor recreation. Eight of the 10 states with the highest population growth between 1970 and 1980 were states with substantial acreages of public lands administered by the BLM (BLM 12). The visitation to those lands has increased nearly three-fold in the past 20 years, and there is an expected increase of between 40 and 60 percent by the year 2000 (BLM 12). The amount of people that visit our park system each year is having a profound effect on the ecosystem of the parks. An ecosystem can only absorb the effects of a small number of man-made facilities on it. The number of large complexes that the public wants in their parks has effects that extend beyond there immediate boundaries. Yellowstone Park has to dispose of nearly 7,000 tons of garbage every year (Houston 3). The BLM needs to expand efforts to maintain facilities to protect public investments and the health and safety of the visiting public. In addition to providing additional facilities with Federal funding and private sector concessions to meet the growing outdoor recreation demands. This would allow more destinations for the public that are seeking an outdoor experience, causing the crowding to become less dense because the users would be more widely distributed. Setting more public lands aside for parks would preserve that land for the future. Seeing that a park on BLM lands would require a greater on-the-ground presence, to monitor its use. A problem that is closely related to that of outdoor recreation is providing a suitable habitat for the large diversity of animals that live on the BLM's Public Lands System. Many of these animals are available to the hunter, trapper and fisherman; some are threatened or endangered; most contribute to the pleasure of wildlife viewing; all contribute to the ecological diversity of the Public Land System (BLM 14). With so much land under the control of the BLM, the bureau manages more wildlife habitat than any other agency or group in the United States. The wide diversity of lands that is under their control supports over 3,000 species of animals and an untold number of plants and invertebrate species. Public lands, wildlife and fisheries resources are important to the American Economy. For instance, during the 1985-1986 season, over 5 million hunter use days occurred, with hunters spending an estimated $145,000,000. As for fishing, there where over 3 million days at an estimated $55,000,000 spent by fishers (BLM 14). Wildlife also contributed to enjoyment of the public lands for millions of campers, hikers, photographers and other users. These users spent over 230 million hours on the public lands ands waters during the 1985-1986 season. The money put into the system by these users was estimated at around $200,000,000. Surely the economic value of wildlife can be seen, but there is also an indescribable intrinsic value that can be given to them to. Nevertheless improving habitat for wildlife improves more than just the wildlife; it helps out the whole ecosystem. For instance, wetland habitat improvements for wildlife also improve water flow and water quality for downstream users. Vegetative manipulation projects intended to improve big game forage also improve livestock forage and watershed conditions. So it should be easily seen that habit improvements for the sake of wildlife would be not only a profitable change, but also an environmentally sound change. Another change that needs to occur on Federal Lands is a change of the General Mining Law of 1872 that was passed while the West was still being settled The 1872 mining law opens most public lands for mining if prospectors find gold, silver, copper or other valuable hard rock mineral deposits. The laws' goal was to encourage the region's development. Congress offered public lands for the taking by the enterprising homesteader, stockmen, miners and loggers (Arrandale 531). The frontier closed a century ago, but the law still remains. On May 16, 1994 Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt was forced by the mining law to sell 1,949 acres of federal lands in Nevada to a Canadian-based mining company. The land that was sold held a gold supply of an estimated $10 billion. Surely the deeply indebted United States Government would prosper from a sale of that much gold, but by law the government was forced to sell it for $5 and acre. The government received less then $10,000 for the deal (Arrandale 531). In relation to the mining law the government does not require the miners to restore the mined site once the minerals are gone. Which in turn would prevent wastes from polluting surrounding lands and nearby streams. Former Interior Secretary Stewart L. Udall says, † The hard rock mining industry has traditionally been able to ‘externalize' costs, as economist say, simply by abandoning its played-out mines rater then reclaiming them† (Arrandale 534). The fact that there is 500,000 abandoned mines, proves the last statement is true. These mines are polluting 32 states because of the use of the new â€Å"heap leaching† technology that uses cyanide solutions to extract gold from ore. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now spending $40,000 a day to control cyanide leaking from a Summitville, Colorado gold mine that a mining company abandoned (Arrandale 534). I feel that the United States Government needs to amend the mining law, so that it can address some of the previously mentioned problems. I feel that companies should be allowed to remove viable minerals but they should have regulations placed on them. The U. S. Supreme Court and state courts have upheld state regulations of oil and gas operations to prevent waste (Kusler 147). Since minerals are of a fixed supply I feel that they should be regulated for future use. The mines that do extract a predetermined amount of minerals would also be required to restore the sight back to the natural state of the land, before mining was started. Not only would they be required to return the surface of the land, but also the underlying ground, so as it is not polluted. But they would not receive this land for a mere $5 and acre, I propose that they be charged a certain percentage of the gold removed as rent for the land, for as long as they mine the land. Upon incorporation of all of these laws, which none of the current mines would be exempt from, I feel there would be a reduction of mines. With less mines mineral supplies would be preserved, and the price of minerals would go up, returning profit to the remaining mines, and supporting the government. Another area of the land managed by the BLM is rangeland. Since rangelands account for nearly 162 million acres of public land, the nation's rangelands are a vast source of renewable resources. Among many other values the range supports about 4 million head of livestock. Which is an important element in the economic well being of many rural communities and the almost 20,000 operators who depend on public land grazing to support them. The public principally sees BLM as manager of the public rangelands. The approval from the public for the BLM then is mostly related to their management of the grazing lands. Support for the BLM is based on the management and conditions of the rangelands that are under their control. So the BLM sets below-market livestock grazing fees and loose federal regulations of how ranchers manage sheep and cattle on public lands. Ranchers now pay $1. 98 per â€Å"animal unit month†(AUM)- enough forage to feed one cow and a calf, five sheep or a horse for a month. On the other hand, privately owned ranges in the West, leased for nearly five times that amount, an average of $9. 25 per AUM (Arrandale 534). Having fees this low gives an incentive for the rancher to put more animals out to graze on the deteriorating land. Why graze one cow on private land, when you can graze at least four on government land? Why should the ranchers care is they are destroying the public lands when they can move to a more productive spot when their land is destroyed? Because of this, taxpayers spend millions of dollars subsidizing the damage of public lands. Clearly, grazing does belong on public lands, because if done correctly you are simply harvesting a natural renewable resource. But when you allow money hungry cattle ranchers to graze as many cattle as they please, you begin destroying the land. So I feel that there should be an environmental assessment of the grazing lands, to determine a sustainable AUM for the land, to insure there is no further damage sustained by the land. Once this is determined, you can charge them a fair price that is competitive with the price of private land. This way the government could produce more revenue for it self, while again protecting the land. These are just a few of the changes that need to occur on the public lands. However, for an overall solution the government needs to redefine it's older laws, so that they can have better control over public lands. Included with the changing of the laws would be a price increase for the resources that the government is basically, at the present time, giving away. When this occurs, it may help with the huge debt of the country, and by different means than taxing the common people of the country. This would require the rich mining companies, to actually pay for the gold that they are removing from the ground. With all these regulations in place, and strict guidelines to the extent of extraction of natural resources, the environment, and ecosystems will improve.