Vietnam Research Paper

Why is the Vietnam War so significant in American history? How did it really affect America? The Vietnam War was the prolonged struggle between nationalist forces trying to unify Vietnam under a communist government, and the United States attempting to prevent the spread of communism. There are many lessons learned throughout this war that America, hopefully, will never undergo again. There are a series of events that led up to this full-scale war. First, the U. S. tried to prevent Vietnam from becoming a communist nation, so they sent the French military aid to help rule against this. Soon enough, France wanted to withdraw their troops out of Vietnam; the Geneva Conference was a meeting between many nations deciding how France could peacefully pull out troops. A bit later, there was supposed to be a General democratic election held, but America refused to agree to the election, afraid that the communists would win. In 1965, the U. S. sent ground troops to help South Vietnam, sparking tensions between the U. S. and North Vietnam. From 1965 to 1969, America was involved in a limited war in Vietnam, meaning weak efforts to attack North Vietnam. U. S. orces became easily frustrated because war in the jungle was found difficult. Vietnam would attack in ambushes, set up booby traps, and escape through underground tunnels. To prove even more difficult, Northern Vietnam troops and the Viet Cong surprised South Vietnam and U. S. troops. On January 30, 1968 they attacked hundreds of South Vietnamese cities and towns, known as the Tet Offensive. Without a doubt, it showed that the enemy was stronger and better prepared. While the public’s support for the war was way gone, there was new hope with Richard Nixon, the new president of America. Soon after taking office, Richard Nixon planned the policy Vietnamization, which was a process to remove U. S. troops from Vietnam while handing back the fighting to the South Vietnamese. While America had almost completed the withdrawal of their troops from Vietnam, the North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam and the remaining troops on March 30, 1972. This attack is known as the Easter Offensive. This rough battle resulted in about 40,000 deaths and 60,000 people wounded or missing in the People’s Army of North Vietnam (PAVN). The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) estimated at 10,000 deaths and 33,000 troops wounded. The offensive was defeated, but the PAVN continued to occupy about 10 percent of South Vietnam after this battle. Nixon was in the process of his Vietnamization policy, when discussions had arisen about restoring peace in Vietnam. Soon began peace talks in Paris that finally succeeded in producing a cease-fire agreement. Nixon declares the news of the decisions made during the Paris peace talks. â€Å"Good evening. I have asked for this radio and television time tonight for the purpose of announcing that we today have concluded an agreement to end the war and bring peace with honor in Vietnam and in Southeast Asia. The following statement is being issued at this moment in Washington and Hanoi: At 12:30 Paris time today [Tuesday], January 23, 1973, the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam was initialed by Dr. Henry Kissinger on behalf of the United States, and Special Adviser Le Duc Tho on behalf of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The agreement will be formally signed by the parties participating in the Paris Conference on Vietnam on January 27, 1973, at the International Conference Center in Paris. The cease-fire will take effect at 2400 Greenwich Mean Time, January 27, 1973. The United States and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam express the hope that this agreement will insure stable peace in Vietnam and contribute to the preservation of lasting peace in Indochina and Southeast Asia†¦The important thing was not to talk about peace, but to get peace and to get the right kind of peace. This we have done† (â€Å"Peace with Honor† 1). After signing the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam, on March 29, 1973 the last group of U. S. troops left Vietnam. The North Vietnam toppled the Southern Vietnamese government, and South Vietnam officially surrendered in 1975 to communist North Vietnam. Tolerating all the hard work and fighting was proved pointless for American and ARVN troops when Vietnam was reunited as a communist country in 1976. Often in history, major events such as wars or disasters are the key elements that seem to influence and shape our society. The major event that shaped American society during the ‘70s was the Vietnam War, having a massive social impact. The Vietnam War acted as a catalyst to the counterculture movement, and changed the art, music, and education.

Buddhism history

There are various religions in the world which people follow for their spiritual quest. Buddhism is one of the religions and disciplines that some groups of people adhere. Buddhism branched out from Hinduism that is considered as the reformation movement of the religion. The founder of Buddhism is Siddharta Gautama who was born in the warrior caste of India known as the Shakya clan (â€Å"Background of Gautama and Buddhism†, 2008). Born in leisure and luxury, Siddharta was shielded from the harsh realities of life and the suffering in life.One day when Siddharta made his rare trips outside the palace, he saw an old man, a sick man and a dead man which was his first encounter and witness personally the suffering of human life (Burns, 2009). After the mentioned experience, he decided to seek the truth that was hidden from him his whole life. He tried to attain the truth through the supervision of the Brahmin priests but he was disillusioned by the teachings of Hinduism. His self -mortification brought him closer to death instead of enlightenment (â€Å"Background of Gautama and Buddhism†, 2008).He decided to take a new path in search of enlightenment. He dedicated his life in meditation as he sat under a fig tree known as the Bodhi tree or the tree of wisdom. Through this, he attained the highest degree of consciousness referred to as Nirvana. Siddharta surpass the challenges and temptations and attained enlightenment. He was known to have found the way to escape the cruel causality of samsara or the cycle of rebirths. He also discovered the Four Noble Truths or the wisdom of Realization.Siddharta Gautama was known as the â€Å"enlightened one† as he found the answers on various life’s questions and why there is the existence of pain and suffering (â€Å"Background of Gautama and Buddhism†, 2008). One of the teachings of Buddhism is the samsara or the cycle of rebirths and the never-ending journey. It is described as the process of continuous birth, growing old, suffering and death (Buddhism Teacher, 2008). Samsara is a Sanskrit word for â€Å"journeying†. In Buddhism, as well as in other religions such as Hinduism and Jainism, samsara is defined as the cycle of birth, death and rebirth.Samsara is sometimes depicted as the opposite of Nirvana. However, in Mahayana school of Buddhism, Nirvana and Samsara are viewed as mental representations that a person appreciates the true nature of the world (O’Brien, 2009). Many people perceive samsara as a place, instead, it is a process to keep creating worlds and how people will move into the world. The worlds we create are associated with suffering from the date of our birth up to our adulthood (Bhikku, 2002). Samsara is the continuous life cycle of a person. It is believed that people are being born again as another person or entity.In India, some people are believed to be born in another caste or in another life situation. Samsara is also associated w ith Karma which is also another teaching in Buddhism wherein the life situation or the present existence of a person is based on the past life events. Karma explains to us the concept of cause and effect and helps us understand the idea of samsara. It explains to us in understanding interdependency, interconnectedness and unity (Buddhism Teacher, 2008). Karma is also taught in other religions like Hinduism that explains the punishment on the sins committed on the past life.It explains why some people are born in better life situations that the others. Some people believed that when they have done good in their present life, they will be rewarded in their future life. Buddhism is one of the religions that attempt to explain the worldly views and questions that concerns life’s sufferings and reincarnation. Buddhism incorporates the attainment of enlightenment or realization of the truth in life that will enable us to fully understand the ongoing events and our current life†™s situation.Buddhism relates to the people of various social classes who follow an esteemed and righteous path for spiritual wellness. References Background of Gautama and Buddhism. (2008). Let Us Reason Ministries. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from Bhikku, T. (2002). Samsara. Esolibris. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from Burns, M. G. (2009). Archangels Wisdom. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from Buddhism Teacher. (2008). Samsara. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from O’Brien, B. (2009). Samsara. About. com. Retrieved May 22, 2009, from

Prison and Finn

Book Review on: Incarceron Author: Catherine Fisher Number of pages: 442 Publisher/Year: Dial Books 2010 Imagine a living prison so vast that it contains forests, towns, and even seas. This is Incarceron. It is a self- sustaining prison like no other. Incarceron’s prisoners live in cities, not cells, and they live normal lives. The prison has been sealed for centuries and only one man, in legend, has ever escaped. The story starts with Finn, a seventeen year old, who is convinced he doesn’t belong in Incarceron.This is because he has dreams where he sees stars, and there are no stars in Incarceron. He thinks he came from the outside and got stuck there somehow. The story tells that Finn is part of a tribe with his oath brother, Keiro. They just caught a prisoner who turns out to be a Maestra, or leader, of another tribe so they trade her back to them for her weight in goods like coins and treasures. Finn finds a strange key in the treasures and decides to keep it. The o ther â€Å"key† part of this book is a character named Claudia who is the warden of Incarceron’s daughter.She sneaks into her father’s study and finds a key in one of the drawers of his desk. She quickly takes it and goes to her teacher, Jared. He says that he has never anything like it and that he will have to do research to see what it does. That is when the story really takes off because Finn decides he has to find a way out of Incarceron and Keiro, Attia, a prison girl who lives on the street and a prophet who always wanted to see stars and the outside named Gildas follow him. Finn then began to fiddle with the key and it started to glow. Claudia pops up out of nowhere as a holographic image because she also had a key.She tells them that she wants to help them escape and their journey soon comes to an end near the edge of Incarceron, the wall. Claudia goes back to her father’s study to search for clues. She sits down in the chair in the middle of the room and is instantly transported to Incarceron. She had no idea what was going on but she soon found Finn and the others. Her father couldn’t stand that she was in there so he told them how to get outside. He said that the keys are actually transporters so that when you press the eye of the eagle on the keys you teleported out.The dilemma was that there were only two keys and five of them. After a lot of fighting Finn and Claudia promise to return for the rest of them and they left. We later find out that the prison is actually inside the watch that the warden carries around with him. All in all, I truly believe that this is an awesome book. The way that the author melds two story lines into one plot amazes me and I had a great time reading this story I would recommend Incarceron to anyone that likes fantasy books with twists. I can’t wait to start reading the second one. Reviewed by: Andrew Caldwell ***** English IV Period 4

Health and Aging Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Health and Aging - Essay Example Institutional discrimination is when policies are implemented that go against ethnic minorities. Hence, these people have a low standard of living and lead unhealthy lives. However the health effects of discrimination may vary from person to person. A person’s age, sex and social position may influence how discrimination will affect them.Studies prove that reporting and challenging racism results in lower blood pressure when compared to bearing it. There is no concrete evidence that establish the fact that racism may have serious health effects. This article will investigate the relationship between health and racism. The sample of the study included 5196 people of Caribbean, Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Chinese origin and 2867 whites who were selected using stratified random sampling. These people were interviewed in full detail. They were given a questionnaire which had questions regarding their health and any interpersonal discrimination experiences that they had. The questions included if they thought that they would be denied a job by a British employer because of their ethnic background. Their own health was self assessed by them. 12 percent of the participants reported verbal abuse in the past year. 64 percent thought that a British employer would refuse a job because of their ethnic background while 37 percent thought that a British employer would do so at least half the time. Participants who reported verbal abuse were 50 percent more likely to report their health as fair or poor as compared to those who were not abused. While respondents who thought that a British employer would refuse a job because of his ethnic background were 40 percent more likely to report fair or poor health. Females were 60 percent more likely to report bad health compared to males. The findings suggest that experience and perception of interpersonal

Financial Markets and Institutions Assignment February 2015

Financial Markets and Institutions February 2015 - Assignment Example ging in the discussion, it is important to note that the role of the central bank and the extent of its involvement may vary according to the presence of different stakeholders and varying legislations. For instance, the US central bank does not regulate the financial sector while on the other hand other governmental parts have to approve the intervention measures of Japan’s central bank. This paper outlines the importance of publications of the central bank and related forecasts of the macroeconomic trends of an economy. The paper shows that information and views of the central bank are important to stakeholders such as forecasting agencies and market players. Different economists agree that the pivotal role of the central bank is macroeconomic stabilization. The macroeconomic stabilisation role involves the central bank keeping in check the exchange rate, price levels, and payment systems in the domestic market. Overdependence on business cycles as well as operations of multinational enterprises in the domestic market may pose a serious financial threat to an economy. These factors may distort prices, including foreign exchange rates and interest rates, which can create insolvency, severe fluctuations, and disruption of the domestic economy. For an economy to achieve economic development there has to be financial stability otherwise, the economy will become fragile, reduce agent’s confidence, and cause moral hazards. The lack of financial stability leads to borrowers obtaining lower wealth than normal proceeds from an investment project. On the other hand, low agent confidence and the unpredictability of future trends may bore higher agency costs and undermine the performance of the investment sector. Driffill et al (2003) agree that financial stability and monetary policy go hand in hand. Driffill et al (2003) base this argument on the fact that the activities of the central bank aim at stabilising price fluctuations and smoothing interest rates, which is

Using examples, critically discuss the importance of gastronomy to at Essay - 2

Using examples, critically discuss the importance of gastronomy to at festivals - Essay Example Food festivals in the UK is a good example of food festivals where gastronomy can be used to benefit the tourism sector while improving culinary experience of many people who attend food festivals in the UK annually. Several regions of the UK offer food festivals in which all kinds of food from those regions are served, ranging from insects, oysters, mocktails and ales. Gastronomy in these food festivals enables locals and tourists to learn various types of food, share ideas about food, and build their nutrition knowledge (Smith & Costello, 2009). This improves relationships between people from different cultures, and enables them to enjoy their experiences together and build unity across UK and the world. This is also supported by Niester (2008), who suggests that food festivals such as beer festivals bring together visitors who come beer testing and experience, leading to strong relationships. People get to know each other as they test beer during beer festivals and beer shows held annually in Yorkshire, UK. Gastronomy also enables people to learn about sensory human nutrition. Visitors attending festivals do not just get the chance to enjoy beautiful sceneries and marvelous performances, but they also get to taste, discover, research and understand about food in a practical and enjoyable manner. For example, the Ludlow food festival in Shropshire is famous for modern food festival trend that involves preparation of sausage and ale trails (Lloyd & Johnson, 2009). The festival organizes an interactive event which allows participants to learn how to use their five senses when eating (Lloyd & Johnson, 2009). This event does not just promote relationships but also enables people to understand their sensory human nutrition. Gastronomy also enables people to learn and understand how food nutrition relates to culture (Katz & Weaver, 2003). As a

Legal Method Skills & Reasoning Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Legal Method Skills & Reasoning - Coursework Example Consequently, her application for review of CICA’s decision by the First Tier Tribunal - Social Entitlement Chamber, and the decision held by the Upper Tribunal -Administrative Appeals Chamber is refused on the grounds that, CICA’s decision was in conformity with the requirements of s.20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 18612. There are, therefore, three principal issues before the Court of Appeal. The first issue is an interpretation of s.20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 18613. The second issue is the determination of whether psychiatric illness may constitute bodily harm within the meaning of the section 20 and section 474. The third issue is for the court to decide whether, with the provisions of The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme 2001, psychiatric illness is deemed a mental injury and whether Petal’s injury fall under the qualifications of mental for which award of compensation was warranted5. In giving its judgment, CICA stated  "Petal’s application for compensation is declined because that her injury was not attributable to a ‘crime of violence’ and, in any event, her injury was not a mental injury for which compensation could be paid.† Facts The facts of Petal’s case are well set out in the reported judgment of CICA; therefore, I would only offer a brief and short description of the facts. Orlando Fiction and Petal Agatha Scissor, a 20 year old student at UEA, met through an online dating service. They started dating and soon were involved in a sexual encounter, had unprotected sex-without a condom-, on their very first date. At the time, Petal nothing about her partner, only that he had working in South Africa and had just returned to England. Orlando Fiction and Petal Agatha Scissor had multiple, frequent unprotected. Orlando, months later, died in a road accident. Through Orlando’s mother-who she met at Orlando’s funeral-Petal learned that Orlando had been HIV positive and was not under antiretroviral drugs. After six months of medical tests, it was conclusively determined that Petal was not HIV infected. This experience resulted in Petal suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which became severe and eventually she ended up in a psychiatric hospital. On a solicitor’s advice, she applied for compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority on the basis of the provisions under the Compensation Scheme 20016. Her application was refused on the basis that her injury were not as a result of a crime of violence7 and that her psychiatric illness did not constitute a mental injury for which compensation is warranted8. She later appealed against this decision to the First Tier Tribunal arguing that Orlando had committed an offence under s.20 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861; this appeal was, however, dismissed, with the tribunal upholding CICA’s decision asserting that, Petal’

Chinas One-Child Policy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Chinas One-Child Policy - Case Study Example Environmental Issue: The main reason and environmental science driving the whole policy is considered to be the ‎overpopulation. China covers around one fifth of the world’s population whereas it has quite a ‎lesser proportion when it comes to arable land. ‎ Benefits Due to the One Child Policy: The policy has assisted in economic fields as there has been a decrease in unemployment ‎and natural resources. The rate of exploitation has also drastically dropped down (Fong, 2006). ‎ Detailed Description of Policy: One child policy is overall an extremely controversial topic that is always in debates across ‎the planet. At every place you will find some believers and so as the disbelievers of the policy. ‎ Promotion: The overall scenario by the government was seen and they believed that a birth control policy ‎was extremely significant in order to avoid the problems faced by China then and even to avoid ‎the threats in the upcoming days. ‎ Current Status: In 2010, according to a report and survey it was estimated that these days the policy ‎implementation hasn’t been up to the mark and numerous families are violating it (Hvistendahl, ‎‎2010). ‎ Conclusion: The Chinese government claims that their one child policy had caused about three to four ‎hundred million fewer people in 2008. It is therefore the Chinese leaders and authorities believe ‎it as a great and leaping success towards helping and improving China’s current economic ‎growth. ‎ The essay aims to presents detailed analysis of the case study focused upon ‘China One Child policy’. The policy basically refers to population control measures implemented by the Chinese government with the intention to control the growth of the population of the country. The policy aims to restrict the population growth by putting restriction on the number of children a Chinese couple could have (Merli and Raftery, 2000). The essay presents an overview of

Criminal Punishment in American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Criminal Punishment in American Society - Essay Example Other societies, mostly the dictatorial ones, do not take the criminal to the court. The criminal is punished arbitrarily. A prisoner, or the criminal, has his rights that are protected under the constitution. These rights should not be taken away from him, regardless of the fact that he has broken a law. The constitution of America has undergone many amendments since its inception. The first ten amendments that took place are referred to as the bill of rights (Todd et al 67). Contained within these ten amendments are the rights that should be enjoyed by a prisoner (Todd et al 67). These amendments took pace at the same time. They were put forward on September twenty fifth, 1789 (Todd et al 67). In their book "American Corrections", Todd et al identify two amendments that relates to the right of the prisoner and his relationship with the correctional institution. The eighth amendment is such one amendment that the book talks about. The amendment was carried out in the year 1791. It covers cruel and unusual punishments meted out to the prisoner. It says, in part ".excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted" (Todd et al, 2000). This amendment still inf... This amendment still influences the relationship between the prisoner and the correctional institution. The institution holding the prisoner should not treat him using inhuman techniques like electric shocks, lashing or food rationing. The courts should not issue an excessive punishment to the prisoner. The punishment should be in line with the crime committed. For example, a prisoner cannot be issued with a death sentence for pick pocketing. Unusual punishments should not be meted out to the prisoner by the incarcerating institution. Some authorities have been known to sexually abuse and harass the inmates. For instance, the united states have been accused of castrating prisoners taken in the Iraq war. Inhumane acts have been committed to terrorist suspects in the now defunct gutaenamo bay prison. It thus altered how the prisoners related with the correctional institutions. They are respected and treated as human beings not like animals. The prisoners are not given punishments like hard labor. As a result of this amendment, living conditions in the holding institutions are periodically checked to ensure that the prisoner is not under any threat as far as his human rights are concerned. The Fourteenth Amendment and Right S of the Prisoner Another amendment that touches on the rights of the prisoner as identified in this book is amendment number 14. It states in part that ".no state shall deprive any citizen of life, liberty or property.without due process of the law" (Todd et al, 2000). What this means is that a prisoner who is a citizen of the country should be taken to court before he is punished. The due process been referred to means alignment in court and sentencing by the court. The prison should not incarcerate an inmate,

Comparison and Contrast between the UN and the WTO Essay Example for Free

Comparison and Contrast between the UN and the WTO Essay The United Nations is an international organization that acts as a pool between 191 member countries in the world. The UN was founded in 1945 with the objective of preventing the conflict between member countries. However, in the past 60 years, its responsibilities have increased manifold and now it has become the most important organization in the world that has authority over almost all countries in the world. The world Trade Organization is a multilateral organization that sets the rules and regulation for the global trading system. It also resolves disputes between the member countries. It is the most powerful organization in global business and trade. The WTO was founded in 1995 after several rounds of negotiations that lasted for decades. Although both the United Nations and WTO work for the benefit of their member countries, their functions and operations are quite different. Structure of the UN and the WTO The United Nations is divided into several administrative bodies including the UN General Assembly, UN Security Council and the UN Economic and Social Council. There are also several other organs of the UN that work for the benefit of people across the globe. â€Å"The UN Secretary General is the head of the Secretariat, which is one of the principal organs of the United Nations. The UN Security Council is the most powerful body within the UN. It has five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members† . Representatives from all member countries of the UN meet in the UN General Assembly and discuss important issues. The structure of the WTO is completely different from that of the United Nations. â€Å"Currently, there are 150 member countries in the WTO. There are different levels in the WTO structure. Ministerial Conference is the highest decision making body within the WTO. It can make decisions on all trade-related matters. The General Council is another level organ of the WTO, which carries out the functions of the WTO on a regular basis† . Missions and Objectives The main objective of the UN is to ensure peace in the world. It also keeps a tab on issues such as health, economy, security, population growth, unemployment, disarmament, human rights and social development. â€Å"The UN General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and other important bodies of the UN cooperate with each other to provide assistance to the member countries on the issues that need special attention† . When an issue is considered very important, the General Assembly has the power to convene an international conference to draw global attention to it. The UN also works for sustainable development and invests in basic education, health care and economic opportunities for all. The WTO aims to increase international trade by promoting lower trade barriers. It also provides a platform for the negotiation of trade and business development. The WTO sincerely works to resolve disputes between member countries. â€Å"The main objective of the WTO is to help producers of goods and services, exporters and importers. It also ensures a competitive trading system that accommodates more developing countries and gives them more time to adjust with others† . Financial Resources The United Nations is financed by assessed and voluntary contributions from member states. The UN General Assembly approves the regular budget and determines the assessment for each member country. The United States is the largest contributor to the UN. The WTO is also financed by its member countries. Besides the member countries, many non-government organizations are also involved in generating funds for the WTO. Transparency The United Nations is not a mere governing institution. It is a forum where sovereign nations gather to discuss their differences and resolve them amicably. In the recent years, several reform initiatives have been taken in order to make the UN more transparent and accountable. The governing power of the United Nations has been expanded by squeezing out most of its inefficiency. The WTO allows all member nations to hold discussion on all concerns related to trade and business. It also focuses on non-trade concerns such as gender issues, employment, health, food security, ecology and animal welfare. â€Å"The WTO maintains open principles and cooperates with other international organizations. It also takes the accountability for protecting vulnerable economies of developing countries against powerful countries in the world† . It serves the welfare of all people who intend to have economic benefits. Conflicts between the two Organizations The Global presence of both the organizations and their operations for the growth and development of countries often result in bigger conflicts. The power invested in the WTO overshadows some of the global institutions of the United Nations. Sometimes, the decisions made by the WTO also over-ride the jurisdiction and mandates of the UN bodies. â€Å"Ecology and biodiversity are two major areas where both the organizations contradict each other. While the WTO allows free trade and business irrespective of ecological consequences, the United Nations emphasizes on environment, biodiversity and climate change by putting certain restrictions on trade and agriculture† . Difference on Development Issue There are several differences in the approaches of the United Nations and the WTO. That undermined the global progress on development. â€Å"The standards set by the United Nations in human rights, labor rights and social policies have drawn criticism from the WTO. On the other hand, the UN wants the WTO to concentrate on trade, not on health and other services. The strained relationship between the UN and the WTO has become a major obstacle for economic growth and development† . The actions of most countries in the WTO are not consistent with their commitment to the United Nations. Most of the members of the International Labor Organization (ILO), a UN body, are also members of the WTO. They have differences on several issues including the market policy and labors’ rights. Conclusion Both the UN and the WTO are the most powerful organizations in the world. Their main objective is to work for the development of the countries in the world. Although their individual roles are different, they share the same vision. The United Nations is the largest organization in the world and plays much broader role in various fields whereas the WTOs role is limited to trade and business. Both the organizations hold negotiations and discussions between the member countries for the implementation of policies.These organizations provide opportunities to all countries to resolve their disputes and conflicts. Bibliography Hoekman, Bernard M. Michel M. Kostecki. The Political Economy of the World Trading System: From GATT to WTO. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. Murphy, Craig N. Global Institutions, Marginalization and Development. London: Routledge, 2005. Condon, Bradly J. NAFTA, WTO, and Global Business Strategy: How Aids, Trade, and Terrorism Affect Our Economic. Westport, CT: Quorum Books, 2002.

Influence On World Cultures Cultural Studies Essay

Influence On World Cultures Cultural Studies Essay In this essay I will determine the extent of globalization regarding its influence on world cultures. I will analyse cultural homogenization, cultural polarization and cultural hybridization theories. This will enable me to determine the impact and influence that globalization is having on cultures and whether a homogenising or a polarizing effect or both are occurring. To understand the theories of cultural evolution I will look at examples where cultural polarization, homogenisation and hybridisation are occurring and I will define whether processes are actually happening and what their influence is on cultures. In order to understand the actual process of Globalization I will give various definitions of the concept that will enable me to interpret globalization within a cultural sphere. It is important to note that cultures have interacted from the beginning of time, this has created mixes, clashes and new cultures. Cultures are therefore in constant evolution and often contain both conservative and liberal values within them and the way that they are interpreted by people. The rising interest on globalization recently has brought up the topic of cultural homogenization and polarization. These processes have gained importance in recent times as there has been an increased level of interconnectedness between states and cultures. Because the world is more interconnected now than ever before, there is a growing importance on the processes brought on by globalization and in this paper I am going to determine what these processes are and how they shape and influence cultures. Globalization Globalization is a very complex term. It is used very broadly by economists, sociologists and politicians to explain the mechanisms that are leading to a more and more interconnected world.   Globalization refers to all those processes by which the peoples of the world are incorporated into a single world society, global society.(Albrow, 1990: 9). My own definition of globalization is the process of liberalisation of the markets, values and ideas, powered by the increased interconnectedness of the whole globe culturally, economically and politically. Ritzer, in the book Modern Sociological Theory describes globalization as a Spread of worldwide practices, relations, consciousness and organization of social life arguing that almost everyone worldwide has been affected by the impacts of globalization. The importance of globalization is highlighted by the increased power and popularity (either negative or positive) that international global organisations such as the international monetary fund (IMF) and the world trade organisation (WTO) have gained. Also private multinational organizations have hugely benefited from global expansion and globalization process as they have become more flexible and manageable to reach almost every part of the world. Attributed outcomes of globalization are either homogeneity with the spread and diffusion of similar behaviours and practices and hybridisation where cultural mixes occur, giving rise to new varieties of cultures. It is believed that a process which is against globalization is occurring, this is described as polarization and it describes a cultural split between states which embrace globalization and those who resist it. In order to further define globalization I will describe the more specific term suitable to my analysis : Cultural Globalization Cultural Globalization is the increasingly occurring process of global conformity in peoples behaviours and needs. Cultural Imperialism is a theory which describes the dominance and influence that a culture has on other cultures. Examples such as the European states colonization of Americas continent can be used to show how European cultural values have been spread to dominate other cultures. Contemporary cultural globalization focused its attention on the influence and dominance of cultural values and identities from Americanized/Westernized culture to other cultures. Homogenization This is a theory which looks at the impact of globalization worldwide, it is linked to the influence of a major culture which spreads to other cultures by promoting values, behaviours and commodities which come from a main dominating culture. Westernization is a process of homogenization which originates from north America, also called McDonalization, or Americanization. It is a process where mechanisms are closely interconnected with the diffusion of the globalized market economy and multinational organizations which promote particular cultural values and behaviours to other cultures, influencing them. Worldwide, consumer capitalism has been constructed by a uniform, standardised brand image. This involves the use of mass advertisement to create an image of a superior, high quality culture. This broadcasting of cultural values, norms and behaviours has attracted the attention and popularity of other cultures individuals. This promotion of a main culture is causing the homogenization of cultures. This is to say that many traditionally Western values and behaviours are in the contemporary world more and more imitated by non Western people.   When one is looking at the homogenization of culture globally, there are many positive aspects, such as the breaking down of barriers between societies and an increase in freedom. But the peculiarity of current global cultural homogenization is that it is impartially influenced by one area, North America, therefore more than a cultural homogenization, we can describe homogenization as an increase in the extent of one culture over others, this is the Western society influencing the rest. Therefore homogenization is not a neutral phenomenon. The mechanisms under which globalization runs have a built in character of inequality which is created between wealthy and poor countries. A form of resistance to this process of Western homogenization is created, minorities such as terrorist groups like Al Quaeda fight back against the globalized world in an attempt to save conservative tradition and cultural values. The terrorist attacks of 9/11 have shown how problems can arise when a culture is dominating and influencing other cultures. This highlights the issue and bring into question the process of homogenization which is impartially sided on the Western world side to influence and convert the rest of the world by imposing a fascination for western society, with its norms, behaviours, values and ultimately culture. There is as a result of homogenization a loss of regional pride and a loss of traditional cultures. It is argued by many that homogenization as it exists today is superficial. This means that instead of a complete form of cultural homogenization, only certain aspects are being spread. There are limitations to this cultural spread and influence on other cultures, apart from media and materialistic goods, not much else seems to travel through the barriers that cultures impose. . It leaves largely untouched the freedom and agency of the subjects in creating and changing culture, both as individuals and as groups. Cultural homogenization is happening everywhere. For example, Mexicos culture is being strongly influenced by the consumerist western capitalist culture. This has created a devaluation of Mexican products compared to U.S products. The explosion if foreign investment led to the expansion of North American brands such as McDonalds, Blockbusters, Subway etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ While Western cultural values grow in Mexico, they inhibit and weaken local Mexican tradition. A clear example of this is that most Mexicans discriminate against Native indigenous people. Western ideals have created a rejection of their historical Mexican traditional culture in exchange for a more Westernised view. Mexicans have become influenced by media, brands and ideas spread from western society to such an extent that they look up to this culture and want to be a part of it. This example shows that a major culture can influencing another culture and radically transforming it into a new culture that rejects its traditional past and seeks to embrace an idealised, constructed image of a culture.   The main factors which promote these cultural shift are foreign investment, the promotion of global media and rationalism. Rather than a uniform democratic world homogenisation, what we are experiencing is a Westernisation whose influences have become global and impartially distributed. This does not mean that consequences are negative or positive, this depends on ones point of view and to the importance given to past and culture. The interesting influence that cultural homogenization has created also shapes political and traditional values.   In Egypt for example western influences are making women marry at a later age, many are choosing to marry different men rather than those decided by the womans family as Egyptian traditional culture dictates. Therefore cultural homogenization serves as a means for liberalising politics and reduce traditionalism and conservatism. A positive view is given by Beck, he sees hope in the diminishing sovereignty of nation states and the emergence of trans national organizations and possibly a translational state as a result of the globalization and homogenization processes. We are already experiencing this shift of sovereignty, WTO and the IMF are gaining more and more power onto the individual state. Ultimately Ritzer argues about the globalization of nothing, this is a similar concept that describes how homogenization is influencing society by spreading values and ideals of one cultural origin. This process supports the idea of globalization as the imperialistic wants and needs of international actors such as corporations, states and organizations to expand their global reach in order to maximise their profits. By nothing Ritzer means the spread and divulgence of media and values that are practically empty in context and cultural values. This is a way of homogenization that is more compatible with other cultures, as the empty forms of continent are exported throughout the world, it is much easier for a foreign culture to assimilate empty or little content rather than forms of information and media which are rich in content. An example of this is the creation of shopping malls around the world, these unlike Westernised brands such as McDonalds are much more empty in content. An empty shopping mall can for example be filled with local shops and although promoting the homogenization of society, it also contributed to the Glocalization of society, this new concept means the co existence of the global and the local resulting in the Glocal. Another example of homogenization under the process of globalization of nothing is the worldwide reach and accessibility to credit cards, services provided by ATMs re believed to be non services as the costumer does all the work needed to obtain the service The next Theory is an opposing one, the polarization theory acknowledges the influences of cultural globalisation and cultural homogenization, recognising the cultural spread of western ideals. It differs from the homogenization theory by highlighting areas of cultural clashes and describing how cultures will have more conflicts than convergences in the future. Polarization Polarization is a term which is linked to Cultural diversity and opposition. It explains that there are definite cultural differences that are not affected by globalisation.   Cultures are different in their basic values and cultural clashes rather than cultural mixes are expected. An example used by many sociologists to back up this cultural diversity gap is the contrasting difference between the Islam world and the Western world. The Islamic attacks of 9/11 and the following Western retaliation in Afghanistan and Iraq are historic facts that highlight this crack and incompatibility between the West and Islam. Samuel Huntington in his book Clash of Civilizations (1996) described the existence of various major world civilisations: Sinic (Chinese), Japan, Hindu, Islamic, Orthodox, Western Europe, North America and Africa. Huntington believes that there are large differences between these cultures in the base of their philosophical assumptions. Huntington believes that cultures will clash in imposing their different religions and cultural values in a war described as McDonald vs. Jihad, this interesting view puts the consumerist western culture against the fundamentalist Islamic one.   Burke in his book the 9/11 wars concludes that al-Qaedas future is more likely to be that of a strong cult rather than a mass social movement.   Initial popularity of groups such as al Qaeda has diminished as a result of the mistargeted violence which often hurt the local supporters as well, making al Qaeda an unfriendly strong cult rather than a mass movement As they lost popularity, the terrorists relied more on coercion and in so doing made themselves even less popular. We have two main opposing ideologies, one, the western McWorld culture with its liberal market capitalism which connects us through cultural commodities, and on the other hand the conservative Islamic world which has in its values the liberation from capitalism and its inherited characteristics of greed and mass consumption. In my opinion there are more connections than clashes in contemporary world relations between the West and the Islamic world. Extremism is only a part of largely moderate Islamic countries. Huntington does not recognise the extent of the connections between West and East and seems to put Central Europe and North America in the same side, even if there are also major differences between these two continents. As David Myers puts it, Globalization is a complicated process that does not always lead to cultural homogenization, but can also produce hybrid or even polarized local cultures. Myers explained that although the world is more interlinked and globalized.   Phenomenons such as the homogenisation of movies, music, news, language and symbols are attributed to the strong influence and connectivity worldwide of Western society, particularly North America and Europe. This type of polarisation that we can observe is therefore not a uniform split, on one hand we have the process of globalisation that works in conjunction with homogenisation, therefore if there is a polarisation which goes against a term as global as globalisation, this polarisation is between all those globalised and those who resist it. The Hybridization Thesis When looking at how globalisation influences cultures not always we see a cultural homogenisation or a cultural polarisation, but more so we notice a transformation and evolutions in cultures as they clash, join and diversify. on the intercultural exchange and the incorporation of cultural elements from a variety of sources within particular cultural practices. This mixing of cultures can give rise to hybrid cultures which are new and differ from their original cultural values in an attempt to reshape and remodel culture to contemporary world. The hybridization theory has the concept of Glocalization at its core, it can be defined as the interpenetration of the global and the local resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas.(Ronald Robertson (2001) We find that Glocalization unlike Globalization describes how the local influences the global and reshapes the global influences on the local rendering the local globalised and at the same time unique in its local values. Glocalization reflects the growth of pluralism around the world, it gives importance to the local and individual actors in shaping the influences of the Globalization process to a local level. Hybridization is at odds with Globalization as it argues that there is an increased pluralism and diversity around the world. Globalization theory associates uniformity rather than plurality. An example of Hybridization could be a Chinese couple in Dublin, watching a French TV show in a Arab owned pub. This shows how cultural identities are mixing in a more and more interconnected world. Mass migration along with the increased communication between countries have speeded up the process of hybridization making glocalization a possible, perhaps more romantic scenario than globalization Conclusion It is important to note that when cultures clash, one does not remain and one disappears, but rather cultures clash, interact, fracture, breed and ultimately form new cultures distinct from the ingredients from which they were formed. This describes a process of constant transformation of cultures as they are influenced by other cultures. This theory seems to reveal that eventually as all cultures interact, a single globalised culture could rise, being influenced and shaped by all cultures in the world. If this was the case it is difficult to determine what type of culture this is, but it will have similar values present in neoliberalism, free markets, low levels of state sovereignty with the increased role of international actors and multinational organisations. Cultural values are subject to constant change and revision throughout the eras, but recently with the increased interdependence driven by science, technology and economics(Angell 1911) called the forces of modernity or globalisation there is a plausible view that a cultural homogenization may occur in a new unique single global culture or create an even sharper distinction between existing cultures to lead to a polarization of cultures in a globalised world. When looking at the three main theories we see how cultural homogenization is perhaps a form of cultural repression that involves one main cultures spreading of values, norms and behaviours to influence other cultures. This is not a pluralistic view as the influences between cultures are impartially sided on the Modern developed Western world. The main criticism of the Homogenization theory is perhaps its failure to see local influence as well as global ones. The hybridization theory is more flexible in this matter as it acknowledges the strong influence of the global, but it does not dismiss the importance of the local in interpreting and reshaping the global to create the Glocal. The Polarization theory also offers a scenario where because of the repressive nature of globalization on cultures, resistance is formed and a polarizing effect will create a split between cultures. This theory is hard to imagine as most of the world is already being influenced by globalization and the examples given by the polarization theory as opposing cultures to globalization are minorities which are often made up of extremist groups such as Al Quaeda. Huntington in Clash of civilization perhaps does not realise that there are less differences between the Western world and the Eastern Islamic one, an increasingly moderate Islam in which only a small part participates to extremist globalization resisting wars. The Hybridization theory offers a solution to the depressing reality shown by globalization and homogenization. Instead under the hybridization process, cultures expand and influence the local to give rise to the Glocal, this term acknowledges the cultural values inherited by the local and argues that it is the mix of the local and the global which will give rise to new sub-cultures. Perhaps the more flexible theory is the Hybridization theory, it is more flexible in its definitions and takes into account both the homogenization and the polarization theories. The future will see the rise of globalization which will give rise to many unique brands of cultures which are much more global in their value and identities.

Tni Or Training Need Indentifaction Commerce Essay

Tni Or Training Need Indentifaction Commerce Essay This is basically identified by the supervisor / manager as per the performance of the individual or the future plan of growth which has been charted.. But many organistaions who have a complete Performance Management System in place, fix the TNI upon mutual agreement with the concerned employee and supervisopr/manager in accordance with the goals determined and agreement upon for the next PMS cycle. Sometimes TNI is also fixed upon to improve an individuals performance/skill. There are so many ways for conducting a Training Needs Analysis, depending on the situation. Is it to lead in to a design of a specific purpose improvement initiative? Is it for managers to identify training and development needs of their individual staff during the performance appraisal cycle? Is it to devise a calendar of training courses? How best to conduct the analysis will depend on your answer to this question. In any case, determining training needs starts with a gap analysis the gap between what skills your employees have and what they need to move the business forward. We should use one or more of the following data sources: Training Needs Analysis (TNA) is an essential first step in management development. If we wish to achieve the greatest improvement in performance and best value from your investment in training, development, practical experience or networking, we should first undertake a comprehensive training needs analysis. This will form the basis for designing a cost effective management or talent development programme. Training needs analyses can incorporate a 360 ° feedback survey, or an analysis of current corporate needs. For senior individuals an intensive interview programme, including work shadowing can be justified. Design a TNA:- Before starting on a training needs analysis, it is desirable to carry out an audit of the current situation, desired changes in job or responsibility, and probable technological and organisational developments. This will provide the information needed to determine what is required of the individual, team or organisation. Then we can determine performance standards in terms of skills, contacts and practical experience. Simple questionnaires help us identify where individuals stand on a range of competences in management, corporate goverance and director behaviour, and corporate culture. Both the process of answering the questions, and the feedback will contribute to self awareness, especially if the results include contributions from line manager, peers and direct reports. The training need is the difference between the current performance and the required performance. 360 ° feedback surveys :- A 360 ° feedback survey helps the organisation obtain quality information about performance and relationships by posing a set of standard questions to an individuals line manager, peers and direct reports. This all around (360 °) approach identifies any variation of behaviour in different roles and minimises personal bias. Brefi group recommends that a 360 ° survey should precede any developmental coaching programme. When reviewing an individual it is often best to ask open questions such as: Keep doing:  What are the things which  name currently does which help you and which you hope (s)he will continue to do? Do more of:  What are the things you would like  name to start doing or do more of? Do less of:  What are the things which  name does which get in the way and which you would like to be done less often? Development needs:  What are the areas upon which you feel  name should really concentrate in order to improve the managerial performance of the organisation? You may wish to highlight aspects of how (s)he manages or specific objectives or accountabilities which you feel need attention. Personal strengths:  What do you see as the key strengths which  name brings to his/her job? This information can then be consolidated by an independent consultant and fed back in a relatively unattributed manner. However, for a larger or organisation-wide survey it is better to get numeric information that can be analysed and presented by computer. Brefi Group has developed two on-line TNA analysis programs for this purpose. BuddyCoach is a low cost on-line service for individuals the basic service is free. Using standard questions based on competencies in personal effectiveness, managing communications, managing people, effective directorship and corporate culture an individual can obtain an analysis of personal strengths and development needs. For a small charge up to ten others line manager, peers and direct reports for instance can be invited to comment too. The graphical results contrast the results from the different categories of feedback and also compare them with the norm for our international database. For each competence result there are suggestions of how to improve. CorporateFeedback is a powerful tool for organisations to identify individual and corporate training needs. It is a fully customisable on-line 360 ° feedback program which draws on a reservoir of independently benchmarked competencies for managers and directors. The software is hosted on our servers but can be fully integrated into the website or intranet within a template of your design. CorporateFeedback offers a choice of job role, that can either be specified by the client or draw on our standard list. Within each job role there is a choice of modules, such as managing people or managing finance. Again, these can be specified by the client or draw on our existing selection. Each module comprises a number of competencies. Brefi Group has evolved a large selection of competencies, many based on international standards. Clients can draw on these and also include specific competencies relevant to their own organisation. Each competence is represented by four statements which are included randomly in the questionnaires with options to agree or disagree. The results are presented graphically, with options for department heads and HR departments to view consolidated results and for learning recommendations to be included within each category. Personal interviews Personal interviews by a trained interviewer who is independent of the organisation is a means of obtaining high quality information about an individual or members of a team. Not only can the interviewer collect standard information, but he/she can ask penetrating questions to identify the reasons for the feedback. The information can be fed back to the subject in a non-attributable manner, but with much more information, including not only actual quotes but theappropriate voice tone and emphasis of the original quote. If the interviewer is also commissioned to coach the individual or team, this quality information will ensure that real issues are properly dealt with. Work shadowing Work shadowing involves a coach spending time with an individual while he or she is carrying out their normal work. The coach sits in on meetings and observes the individuals behaviour in different circumstances. Feedback can then be immediate, or compiled into a formal report. The instant feedback is a valuable part of the coaching process. Conventional training is required to cover essential work-related skills, techniques and knowledge. Importantly however, the most effective way to develop people is quite different from conventional skills training, which lets face it many employees regard quite negatively. Theyll do it of course, but they wont enjoy it much because its about work, not about themselves as people. The most effective way to develop people is instead to  enable learning and personal development, with all that this implies. So, after covering the basic work-related skills training,the focus should be on   enabling learning and development for people as individuals   which extends the range of development way outside traditional work skills and knowledge, and creates far more exciting, liberating, motivational opportunities for people and for employers. Rightly organisations are facing great pressure to change these days to facilitate and encourage whole-person development and fulfilment beyond traditional training. As with this website as a whole, this training guide is oriented chiefly around whats good for people, rather than chiefly whats profitable for organizations. The reason for this is that in terms of learning, training and development, whats good for people is good for the organizations in which they work. Whats good for peoples development is good for organizational performance, quality, customer satisfaction, effective management and control, and therefore profits too. This is central to a fairly balanced  Psychological Contract  in employment organizations. Profit is an  outcome  of managing and developing people well. People and their development enable profit. Enable people and you enable profit. Organizations which approach training and development from this standpoint inevitably foster people who perform well and progress, and, importantly, stay around for long enough to become great at what they do, and to help others become so. Training is a very commonly used word, but  learning  is in many ways a better way to think of the subject, because learning belongs to the learner, whereas training traditionally belongs to the trainer or the organization. Training should be about  whole person development   not just transferring skills, the traditional interpretation of training at work. Whatever your role and responsibility, you might not immediately be able to put great new emphasis on whole person development. Being realistic, corporate attitudes and expectations about what training is and does cannot be changed overnight, and most organisations still see training as being limited to work skills, classrooms and powerpoint presentations. However, when you start to imagine and think and talk about progressive attitudes to developing people beyond traditional skills training for example: enabling learning facilitating meaningful personal development helping people to identify and achieve their own personal potential then you will surely begin to help the organisation (and CEO) to see and accept these newer ideas about what types of learning and development really work best and produces class-leading organizations. Training is also available far beyond and outside the classroom.  More importantly, training or learning, to look at it from the trainees view is anything offering learning and developmental experience.  Training and learning development includes aspects such as: ethics and morality; attitude and behaviour; leadership and determination, as well as skills and knowledge. Development isnt restricted to training its anything that helps a person to grow, in ability, skills, confidence, tolerance, commitment, initiative, inter-personal skills, understanding, self-control, motivation and more. If you consider the attributes of really effective people, be they leaders, managers, operators, technicians; any role at all,  the important qualities which make good performers special are likely to be attitudinal. Skills and knowledge, and the processes available to people, are no great advantage.  What makes people effective and valuable to any organization is their attitude. Attitude includes qualities that require different training and learning methods. Attitude stems from a persons mind-set, belief system, emotional maturity, self-confidence, and experience. These are the greatest training and development challenges faced, and there are better ways of achieving this sort of change and development than putting people in a classroom, or indeed by delivering most sorts of conventional business or skills training, which people see as a chore. This is why training and learning must extend far beyond conventional classroom training courses. Be creative, innovative, and open-minded, and you will discover learning in virtually every new experience, whether for yourself, your team, or your organization. If you want to make a difference, think about what really helps people to change. All supervisors and managers should enable and provide training and development for their people training develops people, it improves performance, raises morale; training and developing people increases the health and effectiveness of the organization, and the productivity of the business. The leaders ethics and behaviour set the standard for their peoples, which determines how productively they use their skills and knowledge. Training is nothing without the motivation to apply it effectively. A strong capability to plan and manage skills training, the acquisition of knowledge, and the development of motivation and attitude, largely determines how well people perform in their jobs. Training and also  enabling learning and personal development   is essential for the organisation. It helps improve quality, customer satisfaction, productivity, morale, management succession, business development and profitability. Use these tools and processes to ensure that essential work-related skills, techniques, and knowledge are trained, but remember after this to concentrate most of your training efforts and resources on  enabling and facilitating meaningful learning and personal development for people. There is no reason to stop at work-related training. Go further to help people grow and develop as people. Induction Training is especially important for new starters. Good induction training ensures new starters are retained, and then settled in quickly and happily to a productive role. Induction training is more than skills training. Its about the basics that seasoned employees all take for granted: what the shifts are; where the notice-board is; whats the routine for holidays, sickness; wheres the canteen; whats the dress code; where the toilets are. New employees also need to understand the organisations mission, goals and philosophy; personnel practices, health and safety rules, and of course the job theyre required to do, with clear methods, timescales and expectations. Managers must ensure induction training is properly planned an induction training plan must be issued to each new employee, so they and everyone else involved can see whats happening and that everything is included. These induction training principles are necessarily focused on the essential skills and knowledge for a new starter to settle in and to begin to do their job.. An organisation needs to assess its peoples skills training needs by a variety of methods and then structure the way that the training and development is to be delivered, and managers and supervisors play a key role in helping this process. Peoples personal strengths and capabilities   and aims and desires and special talents (current and dormant)   also need to be assessed, so as to understand, and help the person understand, that the opportunities for their development and achievement in the organisation are not limited by the job role, or the skill-set that the organisation inevitably defines for the person. As early as possible, let people know that their job role does not define their potential as a person within or outside the organisation, and, subject to organisational policy, look to develop each person in a meaningful relevant way that they will enjoy and seek, as an individual, beyond the job role, and beyond work requirements. If possible top-up this sort of development through the provision of mentoring and facilitative coaching (drawing out not putting in), which is very effective in producing excellent people. Mentoring and proper coaching should be used alongside formal structured training anyway, but this type of support can also greatly assist whole-person development, especially where the mentor or coach is seen as a role-model for the persons own particular aspirations. Its important that as a manager you understand yourself well before you coach, or train or mentor others: Are your own your own skills adequate? Do you need help or training in any important areas necessary to train, coach, mentor others? What is your own style? How do you you communicate? How do you approach tasks? What are your motives? These all affect the way you see and perform see the training, coaching or mentoring role, and the way that you see and relate to the person that your are coaching, or training, or mentoring. Your aim is to help the other person learn and develop not to create another version of yourself. When you understand yourself, you understand how you will be perceived, how best to communicate, and how best to help others grow and learn and develop. And its vital you understand the other persons style and personality too how they prefer to learn do they like to read and absorb a lot of detail, do they prefer to be shown, to experience themselves by trial and error? Knowing the other persons preferred learning style helps you deliver the training in the most relevant and helpful way. It helps you design activities and tasks that the other person will be more be more comfortable doing, which ensures a better result, quicker.   Many organizations face the challenge of developing greater confidence, initiative, solutions-finding, and problem-solving capabilities among their people. Organisations need staff at all levels to be more self-sufficient, resourceful, creative and autonomous. This behaviour enables staff can operate at higher strategic level, which makes their organizations more productive and competitive. Peoples efforts produce bigger results. Its what all organizations strive to achieve. However, while conventional skills training gives people new techniques and methods, it wont develop their maturity, belief, or courage, which is so essential for the development of managerial and strategic capabilities. Again, focus on developing  the person, not the skills. Try to see things from the persons (your peoples) point of view. Provide learning and experiences that theyd like for their own personal interest, development and fulfilment. Performance and capability are ultimately dependent on peoples attitude and emotional maturity. Help them to achieve what they want on a personal level, and this provides a platform for trust, emotional contracting with the organisation, and subsequent skills/process/knowledge development relevant to managing higher responsibilities, roles and teams. 2.Examining training in large municipalities: linking individual and organizational training needs. By Willow Jacobson Ellen V. Rubin Sally Coleman Selden    |   Ã‚  Public Personnel Management     Winter, 2002 Both practitioners and academics in the private, not-for-profit, and public sectors are increasingly focusing attention on organizational and  human resource  management  performance. An important component or predictor of government performance is  its  training  infrastructure. It helps organizations recruit and retain workers, as well as ensure that workers have the requisite skills and opportunities to perform in their current and future positions. Training is a direct means of developing individuals, and subsequently organizational capacity. This capacity, in turn, is linked to overall organizational performance. This article utilizes data collected as part of a national study of local, state, and national governmentthe Government Performance Project. Specifically, it focuses on training in the largest municipalities in the United States. First, this article briefly reviews the existing research on training, demonstrating the need for a holistic examination of training in the public sector. Second, using data from the Government Performance Project, it describes the nature of training in 33 of the 35 largest cities in the United States. Finally, drawing upon what was learned through survey questions and personal interviews with city officials, this article presents a training model that integrates employees, the organization, and the environmental context in which employees and the organization operate. A recurring discussion in the training literature relates to the categorization of trainingmanagement training, technical training, and skills of an aging workforceand the inclination on the part of scholars is to limit their research to a particular type of training. As responsibility for the delivery of public sector goods and services is passed down to local governments, understanding the opportunities and mechanisms for developing employees becomes increasingly more important. With this delegation of responsibility come expectations that local government employees will deliver an increasing range of services. The need to provide additional services corresponds to a need to train employees for the delivery of extended services. Furthermore, in an increasingly competitive job market, it is essential that governments explore training as both an opportunity to retain employees and as a means to attract and develop new employees. This article is designed to fill the gap of knowledge about training in local governments by examining and discussing training for all employees and managers. In addition, this article will look at the relationship between different measures related to training and the environment. Finally, based upon data collected and analyzed, we develop a framework that can be used to guide government planning and training analysis. The human  resource  management  survey instrument contained a series of multi-part, open-ended questions designed to yield information about a given citys training system. The survey instrument was designed and pretested in four states, four local governments, and four federal agencies in 1997. Based on this pilot study, the instrument was revised and streamlined to focus as directly as possible on the evaluation criteria for human resource management. After completing a survey of 50 states in 1998, the survey was revised. Training need identification:- Some cities track employees training records centrally, while others assign this responsibility to individual agencies in which employees work. Specifically, in 76.0 percent of cities, the central personnel department keeps records of individual employee training, and in 66.6 percent, individual departments keep records. Records kept by the central office were computerized more frequently (82.6 percent) than those kept at the department level (50.0 percent). Computerized records allow managers and policy makers easier access for planning and analysis. Having a training catalog on the Web can make it easier for employees to stay up-to-date with course offerings. Honolulu and Jacksonville are two cities that provide online training catalogs. Finally, cities may offer incentives to encourage training. Other incentives for obtaining training are the rewards employees receive for completion. The GPP identified five possible rewards for training: class certification, college credit, recognition by supervisor(s), meal (ceremony), and skill pay. Rewards for training can motivate employees to not only seek, but complete training. Despite their potential positive impact, the survey results show that less than a third of cities offer rewards for completing training  explored a series of bivariate relationships between training-related measures and environmental factors including unionization, workforce planning, and workforce age. Unionization and workforce planning are significantly associated with diversity of training opportunities and training capacity. Monetary encouragement is significantly associated with average workforce age; however, the nature of this relationship is negative.   While the data is useful in providing information about the array of courses offered and a broad sense of the training environment structure, it offers limited insights about the quality of course offerings or the extent to which training meets the strategic needs of the government. As a result, this article develops a framework that structures our understanding of training from both the individual employee perspective and the organizational perspective. The model clarifies how the organizations training structure represents two distinct components and how these components may be prioritized. Strategic Systems Training Model: An Integrated Approach The Strategic Systems Training Model (SSTM) is based on the premise presented by Abraham Maslows A Theory of Human Motivation (1943) in which he describes a hierarchy of needs: when a foundational need is met, a more complex need emerges that an individual strives to fulfill. It is the emerging tension that motivates employees. Maslows model is based on the assumption that all individuals have needs that underlie their motivational structure, and as a lower level need is fulfilled, that need no longer drives behavior. However, a new higher order need becomes the source for motivation. (22) Component 1: The Individual Employee Using Maslows model as a starting point, he argues that humans have individual motivational structures. We take a similar approach and argue that individuals have individual training structures. In Maslows model, individuals are motivated at the most basic level by physiological needs that include their basic survival needs. In the individuals training structure, the most basic level of need is training on minimal occupational skills needed for basic employment survival. Depending on the individual, this may be basic literacy training or basic computer training. As shown in Figure 1, as an individual moves up the hierarchy, his or her motivation becomes more refined and specific. Similarly, as public sector employees progress through the training hierarchy of needs, the training requested becomes more advanced and specialized. n Maslows model, individuals still need to fulfill lower-level needs as they progress up the hierarchy. The training model begins to deviate from Maslows model at this point. Basic training does not need to be continually re-taught as more advanced training is undertaken, but the basic skills gained through previous training do need to be maintained. An individuals training structure is the  blueprint  for the training the individual needs to build his or her capacity, based upon the foundation of skills and training the person has already received. Component 2: The Organization An organization, like an individual, has its own training structure based on its needs and the skills of its workforce. (23) The training structure for an organization is made up of its employees, who bring their own training structures. Employees fill the layers within an organization; the organization needs to be aware of an employees current level of need and train him or her accordingly. The organization must also consider how the different needs and skills of its employees fit within the overall needs and mission of the organization. An organization that works to train all employees at the most basic level can then shift resources to other areas of training the organization needs to prosper. Furthermore, an organization must reconcile the obligation of meeting the training needs of its individual employees with its responsibility to develop an organizational training structure that suits its overall needs. An organization with a strategic focus advances and develops through its acquisition of new human capital and the development and training of its current human capital. The diversity of employees training needs means that an organization has to carefully plan its training structure to train employees at the appropriate level according to both individual and programmatic needs, which requires a more holistic understanding of how employees fit into the largerorganizational  structure  and how that employee contributes to the accomplishment of the organizations mission. Matching employees to training levels actually results in the separation of the organizational training structure into two training sub-structures or components: one that focuses on training managers and the other that focuses on general training. These two components are then treated as separate but interactive pieces of the organizations training structure. They can be prioritized and developed differently. The priority that one component may receive over the other is often due to limited resources, training philosophy, or other contextual factors. In an ideal system, both compone nts receive attention. In reality, one part is often prioritized over another due to budget constraints and other limited resources. This prioritization often relates to greater philosophical and contextual factors (see Figure 2). For example, cities that believe in succession planning, or filling management positions with people that have worked their way up through government, are more likely to focus their attention on the bottom triangle, expecting employees who complete those  training  courses to later progress into management positions. Thus, they want to advance the individual within that individuals training structure because they will take those skills to their next positions. This type of city is likely to prioritize the general training component. Cities that place a priority on the manager training structure might feel that trained managers transfer information to employees, so general training is not as important. This notion implies that managers act as trainers for employees, and as a result, fewer formal courses may be offered to general employees. This could lead to a less-developed training program. The transfer of training through informal networks does not allow for formal record keeping of an employees progress, thus making it difficult for the organization to accurately plan organizational training that meets individuals needs. Another explanation for the focus on the manager component could be justified by cities that are undertaking massive change; the priority may be to familiarize managers with changes so they can help transition the organization. Research has demonstrated the significance of the environment on organizational structure and behavior These examples demonstrate this significance by presenting factors that are outside the organizations training structure, yet have a serious impact on how the training system operates. The influence of these contextual factors on the training system are included as important explanatory factors in this model. This model serves two purposes in the planning process. First, it allows planning for individual training needs, and second, it allows planning at the organizational level. This second purpose is multidimensional, including the individuals that make up the organization, the capacity they bring to the organization, and how this interacts with meeting the future goals of the organization Conclusion:- This article presented a picture of training in 33 city governments, as well as key relationships that help us to understand training capacity, both overall and in relation to some of its key components. Cities offer a range of courses to general employees, ranging from the most basic to more advanced skills. Interestingly, fewer cities offer basic training than a more specialized set of training courses Finally, this article provides a model that helps to conceptualize individual training structures an

Switzerland Essay -- Geography Politics Swiss Essays

Switzerland Switzerland is best described by conveying an understanding of its geography, political, economic, cultural and social environments. The geography of the country has had a significant impact on its way of life. Switzerland is bordered by Germany in the north, Austria and the Principality of Liechtenstein in the east, Italy in the south and France in the west. This represents many significant European cultures converging on Switzerland – the German speaking region, the French and the Italian. Two thirds of the Swiss population lives in the Plateau, between Lake Geneva and Lake Constance, in 30 percent of the country’s surface area. There are 450 people to every 1 km2 (1,166 per square mile). This makes the country one of the most densely populated regions of Europe and a promising prospect for marketing a product. The country that we know today took its final shape only in 1848. Before that time, we cannot really speak of "Swiss history," but rather the history of its v arious parts, which only gradually came together. Political Environment Switzerland is a nation shaped by the resolve of its citizens: it is not an ethnic, linguistic or religious entity. Since 1848, it has been a federal state - one of 23 in the world and the second oldest after the United States of America. Like the U.S., Switzerland values the idea of federalism and sovereignty, which has ensured its historical survival. The main political parties in Switzerland are the Swiss People’s Party (SVP), Social-democratic Party (SP), Radical Democratic Party (FDP), Christian Democratic Party (CVP) and the Green Party. The Federal Constitution is the legal foundation of the Confederation. It contains the most important rules for the smooth functioning of the state. It guarantees the basic rights of the people and the participation of the public. It distributes the tasks between the Confederation and the cantons and defines the responsibilities of the authorities. Switzerland has a federal structure with three different political levels: †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the Federation †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the cantons †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  the local authorities The Federation is the Swiss designation of the State (the term Confederation is also frequently used). The Federation has authority in all areas in which it is empowered by the Federal Constitution - for example, foreign and security policy, customs and monetary p... ...tzerland is positioned to expand its role in the global market and will continue to improve with the expansion of foreign investment and trade. It is a strong and stable market, for US companies, looking Central and Eastern European expansion. Works Cited Microsoft ® Encarta ® Reference Library 2003.  © 1993-2002 Microsoft Corporation. http://www.eda.admin.ch/washington_emb/e/home.html http://www.economist.com/countries/Switzerland/profile.cfm?folder=Profile-Political%20Structure http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/schweiz/political.html www.swissworld.org Switzerland, Economy - bartleby.com 2004 Focus on Switzerland – joneslanglasallehotels.com 2004 Switzerland, Economy – nationmaster.com 2004 CIA, The World Factbook, 2003 Li, Jian; What Connecticut can Learn from Switzerland’s Oscillating Economy, Fall 2003 Switzerland, Economy – encarta.msn.com 2004 Switzerland and the EU – eurolegal.org 2004 http://www.stthomas.edu/mgmtctr/Newsletter/Articles/intercultural.htm http://www.globaltmc.com/Articles%20html/temp.fugit.html http://www.geert-hofstede.com http://www.lonelyplanet.com http://www.cia.gov http://www.1uptravel.com http://religiousfreedom http://radar.ngcsu.edu

Ethics and Information Systems Essay -- essays research papers

Questions of Ethics In Computer Systems and Their Future 1) Identify and discuss security issues and considerations evident for Information Systems And computerization in the brokerage industry. ( Think about how the Internet has already influenced trading.) "The technology is getting ahead of regulators" claims David Weissman, director of money and technology at Forrester Research Inc., in Cambridge, Mass. If one is to believe the quote above it sounds very ominous for the regulators and the government to attempt to even bring this media under any kind of regulation. But, what is it that they the government agencies truly are looking to regulate? If you take to the argument that this media, the Internet is truly a public access network, then the control to which they would like to extend to it would be the most regulated public access system in history. What I believe the attempt here is to regulate through censorship. Since it is almost impossible to censor the phone networks without actually eaves dropping on your phone, they have decided to regulate and censor your written word. The danger in this is what you write as an opinion may be construed by that government regulator as a violation of some regulatory act. The flip side to this is if you did this through another medium such as the phone system nothing would ever come it. The bigger question here is how much government do people want in there lives? The Internet was brought into the picture for the public as the next great technology of this century. It is without a doubt as big if not bigger than any other public means of communication that has come before it. With that in mind I think the government is trying to extract it's pound of flesh for what they believe is missed revenue dollars that could be made in the form of tax regulations. "There are probably insiders touting stocks on the Internet either anonymously or under assumed names," said Mary Schapiro, president of the National Association of Securities Dealers, which oversees the NASDAQ market. The argument that they are both (the government and NASDAQ) currently running with is the "protection of the investor". When one looks at NASDAQ's complaint it is fairly superficial, for them it is clearly a loss of income for their trading enviorment, for the government it is a loss of taxes that could be derived f... ...s or messages because the central computer in the office will know your where abouts in the office at any time as you pass through any door. Your day is over you'll leave instructions fro your computer to watch certain events throughout the night and if need be you could be reached at home. You'll be paid in credits to the credit cards of your choice, there will no longer be money exchanged. To help you protect against fraud on your cards when you spend money you'll use your thumb print as you would your signature now. At night you'll come to a far less stressed enviorment because the computer appliances in your house have taken a lot of the mundane jobs that you use to do away. You'll be able to enjoy high definition TV and be able to receive some 500 channels. After checking with your voice activated home computer to see if there is any phone messages or E-mail, you'll retire to bed of course in you climate controlled home that knows what settings you like in what parts of the house. Oh, yes you won't even have to tell your voice activated computer not to run your computerized sprinkler system for your lawn because it will have realized from the weather report that it will rain.

Chinese government Essay

Ai WeiWei blurred the lines between the aesthetic and the political. According to the internet, aesthetic is defined as concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. Ai WeiWei used art to â€Å"protest† against the Chinese government. Ai Weiwei was a creative man who thought of ideas how to represent the names of all the children who were killed in a deadly earthquake. A commentator in the movie claimed that Ai WeiWei was doing a job that the government should be doing. A deadly earthquake collapsed many buildings including homes and schools. Thousands of children were killed and were left unrecognized. Ai WeiWei wasn’t going to let this go. He assembled a project, full of volunteers to help him search for the names of the children who were killed in the disaster. He placed every individual name on his wall. The project inspired him to create more pieces of art work to revolt against the Chinese government. Ai WeiWei was a fearless man. Ai WeiWei was very involved with social media. He used twitter to share to the world how corrupt China’s government was. He left China when he said â€Å"Fuck You Mother Land. † Cameras are sometimes forbidden in China. Ai WeiWei was assaulted by a police officer, but that did not stop him from taking pictures in front court houses or of an officer who was at the scene when he was attacked. Ai WeiWei created a wall full of back packs to make other individuals aware of the children that died in the earthquake. During the 2nd anniversary, Ai WeiWei asked his followers to pick a name and record it on tape and share it to the world. Ai WeiWei was sharing his experience in China of the corrupt government with thousands of people around the world. Ai WeiWei made people aware of what was going on in China. Ai WeiWei became well-known through his work of art. He expressed his ideas through his work. Not only did his art make him well-known, Ai WeiWei captured many supporters to revolt against the corrupt system. Ai WeiWei was a man with no selfishness. He looked out for others and he was always looking and searching for ideas that would help him and his followers. Ai WeiWei was not afraid of the consequences, as long as he knew it was for the good.

National Stepfamily Resource Center Essay

The first step towards blending of a stepfamily is both parents taking a commitment to constantly work at their problems and not give up when the going gets tough. Both of them have to understand the complexity of the situation before getting into it, since children with sensitive minds are going to be involved in the process. They also have to consider the financial part of the whole deal, well in advance, to prevent conflicts at a later time (APA Health Center 2004). The biological parent has to convey the idea of starting a stepfamily to the child, long before it actually becomes a reality. This is to ensure that the child is given enough time to cope up and become comfortable with the new arrangement. Before starting a stepfamily, both partners have to ensure that they have sorted out issues from their past marriages. They should take adequate time to heal and recuperate from the old relationship, so that they are emotionally ready to start another relationship. After all, a bad relationship certainly cannot sow the seeds for a successful stepfamily. Kids are very susceptible to their environment during their formative years. Hence, both parents should exercise extreme caution and restraint to prevent the child from witnessing conflicts and arguments, in order to be healthy role-models (Way2Hope). Parents should be mentally ready to handle disappointments and maladjustments at first, since a stepfamily is certainly not designed to be an ideal arrangement. The key is to gradually build respect and trust with members of the stepfamily. Children need to be constantly reassured that they were not responsible for the breakup of the previous marriage with the biological parent, especially if the cause of separation is the death of a parent. There needs to be an open communication channel with the children in the form of small discussions, so that children are not left stranded with confusions, unanswered questions and pent-up emotions. A parent has to ensure that stepchild and biological child are not discriminated and given equal attention. It is indispensable for a parent to talk alone with the biological child as well as stepchild, so that they can understand each other better. They have to find ways to connect to the children by forming new family traditions that take place on a regular basis. One of the aspects of a closely-knit family is doing things together, which brings in team spirit and the joy of sharing. Once a family tradition starts to happen regularly, it gives a sense of togetherness to the children and would be a step in the right direction towards building a blended family. Family game nights, monthly picnics, yearly vacation and Thanksgiving Day dinner could all very well be good family traditions that could live on for years, maybe even generations. Care has to be taken to ensure that the relationship between the stepchild and biological parent is sustained, since the child needs care from the biological parent to experience a wholesome childhood (All About Life Challenges). However, children growing under joint custody of separated parents end up being raised under two households with different rules and practices (National Stepfamily Resource Center). Hence, this may lead to the child getting mixed messages from both parents and being forced into a state of confusion. Hence, both the biological parent and step parent have to talk with each other and come to a conclusion about the methods of disciplining and treating the child. Even after doing these things right, if the child finds it hard to adapt to the blended family, the parents should give it some time for things to work their way out naturally and be open to the idea of seeking professional help if needed. Giving children space to make up their own minds at their own pace is the key to building new relationships with them. For instance, it is not fair to expect a stepchild to address a step parent as â€Å"dad† or â€Å"mom† since their biological parent is not replaceable (Jaffe et. al 2008). In due course of time, family bonds would eventually grow stronger as the child gains respect for the step parent. Reference: All About Life Challenges. Blended Families – Common Sense. Retrieved 9 July 2008, APA Health Center. (2004). Families: Making Stepfamilies Work. Retrieved 9 July 2008, Jaffe. J, Segal. J, Hutman. S & Barston. S. (2008, 8 January). Blending Families: a Guide for Stepparents. HelpGuide. Retrieved 9 July 2008, National Stepfamily Resource Center. Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved 9 July 2008, Way2Hope. Blended Family Problems. Retrieved 9 July 2008,

Market Outlooks Simbrand

PRACTICE ROUND European demand is already at a good level. The annual demand growth is estimated to be between 30 and 100% annually, depending on the segment. In the Asian market the demand level currently is low, but the growth is expected to be even higher than in Europe. In both Europe and Asia the growth will be fastest during the next couple of years, after which the growth is likely to slow down. In any case, the consensus among analysts is that the growth rates will be positive for several years to come. The high-end segments in both the consumer and company segments play a major role in the first years. Later on, with market penetration, the low-end segments might well dominate the sales volumes. Because PDAs are still rather unfamiliar products especially among low-end segments, and since the companies are new and thus unknown, it is important to think carefully about advertising and channel investment decisions. Advertising and channel investments have a long-term effect on demand and therefore, it might be rather risky to neglect these areas of the marketing mix completely. Finally, the group’s financial officers as well as executives of the production company have emphasized the importance of accurate sales forecasts. Budgets are useless if forecasted sales are far from reality, which usually decreases the quality of decisions significantly. In addition, production facilities’ output is preliminarily planned according to the forecasts. Large adjustments required in case of poor forecasts result in increased unit costs. ROUND 1 European demand is already at a good level. The annual demand growth is estimated to be between 30 and 100% annually, depending on the segment. In the Asian market the demand level currently is low, but the growth is expected to be even higher than in Europe. In both Europe and Asia the growth will be fastest during the next couple of years, after which the growth is likely to slow down. In any case, the consensus among analysts is that the growth rates will be positive for several years to come. The high-end segments in both the consumer and company segments play a major role in the first years. Later on, with market penetration, the low-end segments might well dominate the sales volumes. Because PDAs are still rather unfamiliar products especially among low-end segments, and since the companies are new and thus unknown, it is important to think carefully about advertising and channel investment decisions. Advertising and channel investments have a long-term effect on demand and therefore, it might be rather risky to neglect these areas of the marketing mix completely. Finally, the group’s financial officers as well as executives of the production company have emphasized the importance of accurate sales forecasts. Budgets are useless if forecasted sales are far from reality, which usually decreases the quality of decisions significantly. In addition, production facilities’ output is preliminarily planned according to the forecasts. Large adjustments required in case of poor forecasts result in increased unit costs. ROUND 2 The total sales of PDAs in Europe are expected to grow hundreds of %. Growth will be fastest among the low-end segments. However, the price elasticity of these segments is rather high and thus the availability of cheaper models with reasonable features has a significant impact on the realized growth. The demand growth estimates for Asia seem even more promising than for Europe. In Asia, the market is still clearly dominated by high-end segments. By offering new high-tech models the companies can create more demand. Competence indices started to grow from the starting point of 100 but some analysts are waiting to see products with compactness and battery life ranging in between 105 – 110 this year. However, the production line cost of 3. 5 Mâ‚ ¬ is high considering the rather small size of the markets at the moment. This will certainly limit the enthusiasm in launching new models with nice new features. On the other hand, using the latest technology, that the R&D investments in the previous period have created, decreases the risk that products become obsolete rapidly. Therefore, new advanced products brought to markets now might turn out to be very successful in the long run. If companies decide to launch new products, they have to be sure that their products are not too close to each other in terms of features. Similarity causes the products to cannibalize each other. The financial market is turning cautious and more risk averse. The interest rates for start-ups are skyrocketing to two-digit figures. Companies are hit as soon as they run out of equity. ROUND 3 The adoption of PDAs is still accelerating in both market areas. Most analysts forecast that the stage of rapid growth is going to last for at least a couple of years, but later on the proportional growth will probably decrease. In addition, Asian growth figures are estimated to be constantly bigger than the European ones. PDA markets in Asia have undergone significant structural changes as low-end segments have gained a foothold in a relatively short period. What is more, it seems that the growth of low-end segments is mainly attributable to the areas associated with the lowest standard of living in the world. Companies are able to produce the same products they offered last year at a lower cost. This is partly due to economies of scale. In addition, lower costs are a result of knowledge improvements, i. e. as competence indices increase the earlier models can be produced more efficiently. Even though the low-end segments have become more and more important, companies cannot afford to cut R&D investments considerably. High-end segments are willing to pay more for innovative models and as a result they are going to be important especially in monetary terms in the future. The size of new PDAs is already very reasonable. Nowadays, the typical frontal area of a high-end device is largely covered by the display and further decreases in size will probably not be appreciated as much as previously. The components have also been pushed to very small sizes. As a result of rapidly growing PDA markets, the economies of scale factor has been decreasing the unit costs along with the increase in the technological know-how resulting from the R&D efforts. Interest rates remain at high levels. Therefore, interest payments might become a significant burden for highly leveraged companies. ROUND 4 As estimated in the previous period, the PDA markets in both continents continue to grow rapidly. Due to the vast population in Eastern Asia, the Asian households should grow to be the biggest segment even in global terms at the end of this period. However, the high price sensitivity of the segment will probably lead to low unit margins resulting in high growth at the expense of profit margins. Moreover, the high-end segments seem to be rather saturated and the increase in sales is about to stall to the level of repurchases. The differences in the Asian segments seem to continue to be larger than the differences in the European segments. This holds for all the preferences. What is more, the price sensitivities of the Asian segments are very different. As the number of models available in the markets has increased, the design has become a more important determinant of demand. This trend is prevailing in Europe. Comprehensive market research carried out in Europe revealed a challenging matter related to avant-garde design. High-end segments seem to appreciate avant-garde even more than before. However, some of the low-end customers reacted rather negatively to the design. Interest rates are at the same level as in the previous round. ROUND 5 As estimated, the growth of demand for PDAs has decelerated in both market areas. The deceleration of growth will turn into negative figures in high-end segments. However, the demand of low-end segments in both Europe and Asia might still grow at the rate of 100 %. As demand growth among all segments has been above 70 % in the recent years, these pessimistic scenarios bring about new challenges for the management in the future. Advertising seems to have a bigger effect on consumer segments than on corporate segments. The consumers’ response to advertising is approximately twice the response of the corporate segments according to the latest consumer research reports. Central banks all over the world have decreased their steering rates in order to lessen the severity of a threatening recession. As a result the interest rate level has decreased significantly. Moreover, the companies in the industry are now financially sound. The risk premium in the rates is decreasing. ROUND 6 The stage of rapid growth seems to be over in both Europe and Asia. Demand for PDAs is still growing globally but the growth rates are far from what they used to be. What is more, the long-term forecasts show that demand growth is going to slow down continuously as the markets mature further. However, the total size of both markets is rather large as a result of the rapid growth in previous years. Therefore, companies with satisfactory market shares should be able to earn nice profits. The high-end segments seem to appreciate functions, perhaps more than expected. Therefore, an extensive set of functions is required from the most popular models. As a result, the importance of functions is expected to grow gradually among low-end segments as well. However, the cost of adding functions is estimated to increase as the demand for them increases globally and the specific components become scarce. Interest rates continue to decrease. However, the difference between current and last round’s level is not very significant. Excluding the function-specific components (digital camera lenses, headsets, 3G-technology etc. ), the material costs should decrease as the most important manufacturers have managed to increase production capacity considerably. ROUND 7 The total demand for PDAs is still growing globally. The industry has clearly reached a stage of maturity and as a result, a significant growth in sales can only be achieved by increasing market share. Since typical devices are now characterized by large displays and advanced multimedia features, improving battery life and saving electricity consumption have become more challenging. The state of the world economy is rather unchanged and the interest rates are at the previous round’s level ROUND 8 Total Global growth rate is about the turn into negative figures, the competition for market share is expected to intensify. The number of products available has increased in both markets and as a result, the risk of similar products cannibalizing each other has become very real. Therefore, companies that manage to find new and innovative combinations of features might sell lots of devices at good prices. The most important piece of news of this period relates to the components. New double-core technology introduced by the two biggest manufacturers is going to revolutionize the processing speed, size and power usage of the devices in the near future. Therefore, investments in R&D are expected to produce new competences more efficiently than ever before. What is more, the new components are cheaper to manufacture and as a result, production costs are expected to remain at the current level for the next few years and to decrease after this. Economies in Asia are growing rapidly after the recent recession and thus, the interest rates might increase slightly. However, there are still many uncertainties in the world’s economy, for example, high unemployment in the EU and skyrocketing debt levels in the USA. ROUND 9 Despite the expected economic upturn, unemployment is still at high levels in most of the European countries. In addition, both consumer and business confidence indices have reached a decade low. Mostly as a result of these economic factors, the aggregate demand of PDAs in Europe is estimated to decrease for the first time in history. Households are the only segment that is associated with growth in demand. However, the price level has a large effect on the development and the realized demand might be somewhat different from these forecasts. In Asia on the other hand, the rapid economic growth continues and as a result, according to the analysts, the demand for PDAs continues to grow. The new generation of components has rapidly replaced the old ones. Companies are expected to launch several new models with advanced features. According to recent market information, the high-end segments in Asia are highly appreciative of the latest technology. The component prices have decreased earlier than expected. The development is going to be reflected in the unit costs already in this period. Interest rates continue to increase mostly because of the favorable economic development in Asia. ROUND 10 As the markets have matured and competition has become ever tougher, especially in Europe market demand for PDA’s has substantially decreased. This put an increased emphasis on marketing, features and price of the product. The overall appreciation of entertainment and good looks is still strong among households as is security for the corporations. According to market analysts, the weak European market development will most likely continue next year and now would be the time to consolidate one’s market position especially in Asia. Even though Asian market development was better than in Europe they too are expected to decrease more drastically next year. Analysts also predict a further reduction in sales next year due to the fact that second hand products are expected to come available in masses. As the broader market becomes more stable, mainly due to the strict interest rate policies of the largest central banks, and as the size of PDA market decreases material prices reach a new low. The decrease in material and manufacturing prices partly offsets the decrease in sales figures. Central banks fearing market overheating in Asia have yet increased their interest rates creating some financial trouble for the highly levered companies.