Natural Disasters Essay

Rommel’s quote about making a †sound business decision† reveals overconfidence decision-making biases. His decision also discloses an anchoring bias as it looks like that Nationwide did not take into consideration some information that others did. Insurance was not the only affected industry with natural disasters; also Airlines were very affected with this whole hurricane and weather situations. Jet Blue was one of these affected airlines due to the weather. They held the passengers on its planes for about 10 hours with closed bathrooms. They refunded to the passengers their money but in a very rude way. Unfortunately JetBlue’s Founder ;amp; CEO, David Neeleman couldn’t handle the situation, and responded to the media in an improper way. Justification for Problem Definition The most relevant error and bias for companies like Nationwide Insurance, American Airlines, and JetBlue company is the overconfidence bias, they thought they are always making the right decisions and they believed too much in their own ability to make good decisions, just as Rommel’s quote about making a â€Å"Sound business decision. ‘ Alternatives 1. Rommel, Burgin, and Neeleman should have thought of the welfare of policy owners and passengers before taking their decisions. In these situations we have to look for cause and effect relationships. 2. They should have listened to different options instead of taking the first option they had. In the three cases, the managers shaped their own decisions to reflect the orga nization’s performance evaluation and other systems to comply with the organization’s formal regulations and to meet organizationally imposed time constraints. They should have also thought about their clients 3. The improper response to the media had very bad influences and was very unprofessional. They should have treated the situation with more winsomely and more professionally. Evaluate Alternatives All the alternatives said above depend on personalities and their abilities of problem solving and decision-making. These elements are important skills for business, management and leadership. Some people have these skills by nature and others have to go through processes and techniques to improve their level and quality of their decisions. Recommendation Anything can affect the clients’ safety, the decisions and the choices have to be taken very carefully in favor of both clients and companies. Managers have to understand that there are events in life, like natural disasters that are outside human control, and these events require a convenient plan for both owners and clients. Also, sometimes previous organizational decisions act as precedents to constrain current decision so organizations have to try to avoid this to happen.

‘Brave New World(BNW) by Aldous Huxley and ‘Bladerunner’ (BR) by Ridley Scott Comparison

It can be seen that both composers were heavily influenced by their own contexts as both texts present a fairly critical view of the society in which they were produced. For example, the novel BNW was composed during a time of scientific and technological advancement, in a world where communist powers were on the rise, and with the influence of growing trends in industrialization and consumerism, Huxley was concerned with his society's lack of morals and exploitation of nature during the twenties. By translating his fears into a satiric critique of his 1920's society, Huxley created a dystopian portrait of society in the future that was superficially a perfect world. This was his attempt to show his audience (the intellectuals of his time) his fears of the present, while simultaneously providing a warning of what the future may bring. In effect, Huxley deliberately endowed the â€Å"ideal† futuristic society with features likely to alienate his audience, making the â€Å"Brave New World† an unsettling, sinister place where nature has been marginalized and natural rhythms such as child birth have been replaced with substitutes and surrogates. The setting of the novel immediately accentuates the harsh reality of the ‘world state' in the opening paragraphs when the reader is confronted with a ‘squat grey building' where the atmosphere is as ‘cold for all the summer beyond its panes', emphasizing the coldness, paleness and clinical nature of the Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre, and allowing Huxley to successfully portray a world in which science has superseded nature. Secondly, BR was created in the 1980's, a time where technological advances had become more immediate in every day life, and people were becoming more aware of environmental degradation as a result of human destruction, consequently leading to the general fear that technology was taking over to the detriment of humanity. These issues were of great concern to Ridley Scott, and thus through the medium of film, he portrays a post- modern apocalyptic, dystopian world, in which ecological systems have been replaced by technological constructs, and the future is depicted as a chaotic place with a distinct lack of the natural world and its humane values. His projection was an attempt to warn his society that if certain trends were to continue, humans have the potential to destroy what they value most, being humanity and the natural world. Dramatized by Scott in the opening scene, the wide-angled camera shot gives a birds eye vantage of what Earth has become in the future; a vast industrial metropolis, studded with huge chimney like exhaust outlets from which fireballs explode, as if to resemble in a way â€Å"hell on Earth†. Furthermore, the city's streets are devoid of natural elements such as sunlight due to pollution, and in Gaf's words ‘the little people', are basked in the flickering of neon lights, as huge neon advertisements dominate the city landscape. The urban jungle of Los Angeles 2019 combined with the integration of other techniques and genres such as film noir and science fiction enables Scott to effectively create a world of environmental degradation and in turn warn people that the apocalyptic world depicted may not be far from reality in the near future if trends continue. Both texts share the same tragic flaw, being humanities detachment from the natural world. Thus both seek to demonstrate the effects scientific and technological advancement may have on the natural world and its rhythms in the future. In order to demonstrate the extent to which nature has been superseded by science in BNW, Huxley overwhelms the reader with scientific processes and names, communicated through the use of complex, pseudo-scientific jargon such as the ‘bokanovsky's Process, or ‘Podsnap's Technique, giving the processes in the Brave New World an authentic ring. The application of science to replace natural rhythms such as childbirth The distinct lack of the nature in the film BR is demonstrated through the absence of real animals in the film due to their rarity and price, with artificial animals taking their place eg. Zhora's snake. Also quite ironically the only element of plant life that appears in the film is a small, stunted bonsai, symbolizing the extent to which nature has been stunted by technology. Finally, the elusiveness of night and day displays the disruption technology has made to the world's natural rhythms, demonstrated by Scott through the use of film noir to create a smoky, hazy atmosphere irrespective of the time of day throughout the entirety of the film. The characters in each text are also used to emphasize the composer's concepts. For example It can be seen that â€Å"Humans†, as depicted in BNW and BR are often lacking the qualities that seem fundamental to being human, and thus provoke the responder to question what it really means to be â€Å"human†.

Social Expectations and Identity Development

Mounia RBIHA SSK1204 Social Expectations and Identity Development 1 The task that the individual is confronted to during his adolescence is to get socialized. Adolescents are strongly requested to deal with socialization. During this process, the adolescent encounters all the society’s demands and standards. The challenge that remains at that stage for the adolescent is to form his own place in the society where he lives. Moreover, he has to feel that he fits in that place.All through the socialization, the adolescent has to consider the social expectations because he can’t forge his personality regardless of the surrounding environment and the external rules. Social expectations can push the adolescents to change their behaviors, their way of thinking. Actually, social expectations shape the identity of the adolescent. Freedom and independence are two major concepts that the individual tries to search for during his adolescence. Freedom and independence have a special meaning for the adolescent which is to not to be compelled or forced to do something.The adolescent doesn’t want to feel the pressure on him. This pressure becomes greater when it comes to social rules and expectations because the adolescent may feel that he is judged according to the society’s standards and conventions. Sometimes, adolescents may perceive these expectations as a challenge that they have to win, and according to Crockett and Silbereisen, â€Å"adolescents are thought to perceive social expectations and to define tasks for themselves based on these expectations†, (p. 6, 1999). From this view, the social expectations seem inescapable. The adolescent can’t deal with the external world without these expectations.This requirement is frequently responsible for the rebellion. (Geldard, Geldard, 2004). The adolescent feels that he is surrounded by different rules that don’t fit necessarily his personality. So, sometimes he feels the need t o make some changes in his behavior to make it more socialized. This change that occurs varies from an adolescent to 2 another depending on how the adolescent accept it. Some of them can perceive that change as a necessity and as a need. So, he would do his best to create a space where he can match his own needs and what he is expected to do.Others would perceive it as a duty where they feel no responsibility. Their change would be not effective since they don’t think that they are in a need of such adjustment to create a harmony between themselves and the society’s expectations. The social expectations involve the interaction with others. In fact, the adolescent cannot form his identity without developing some relationships that link him with the others, as it is said by David Geldard and Kathryn Geldard in their book Counseling Adolescents, â€Å" the adolescent can only construct a personal identity in the context of relationship with others† (2004, p. 1). Th is fact leads to recall the childhood. Childhood is also a stage in one’s life where the individual is being used to get in touch with the external world. By starting to be socialized, social expectations begin at that specific period of life. Children are supposed to behave in such a way that would make the others call them, sweet or cute. Nobody would hear someone call a kid a devil in a serious way. Actually, children are expected to be angels. No one can imagine an evil act done by a kid.In the Moroccan society, children are often asked to call someone that they don’t really know khalti or aami depending on the gender, which can be translated as â€Å"aunt† or â€Å"uncle†. Everybody becomes an aunt and an uncle, from the friend of the mother to the neighbor passing by the seller. This naming is spread all over Morocco. It is a rule that links young people and older people. It is a sign of respect regards the older persons. This fact shows one of the society’s expectations regards the individual that starts from childhood and continue during adolescence until adulthood. At that point, children begin to be aware of the presence of different behaviors that are not all accepted and where the choice is not allowed. In fact, they understand that the choice had been done by the society, and this society expects from that child to behave according to its choice. Actually, while being a child, the individual is not given a lot of choice. Most of the time, he does what older people ask him to do, which he believes is the best alternatives. But at the same time, these demands at this age help children to get used to such expectations that will become bigger and heavier to stand over the next coming years.During the growing up process, the adolescent meets at each stage more social expectations. Sometimes, they get more complicated. In fact, social expectations are the mould where the identity of the individual is put. They define a nd draw the borders of the identity. According to Levesque in his book Not by Faith Alone, â€Å"social expectations inspire the identity formation process as much as the more obvious biological and cognitive changes. † (2001, p. 36). This is to say that they play a huge role in determining the attitude of the adolescent towards himself and towards the whole society.Due to the hardness of the task of coping with these expectations, there are some adolescents that meet them and others who are unable to achieve them. At the adolescence stage, it is difficult to deal with the society’s expectations. People who are in this case are overwhelmed by these expectations. (Geldard. K, Geldard. D) . For those people, this feeling of inability that haunts them would push them to an â€Å"anti-social behavior† (Geldard. D, Geldard. K. , p. 12, 2004), which is most of the time rebellion.Since he cannot get socialized, the individual chooses isolation. Other times, he can choo se to do exactly the opposite of what he is expected to do. For instance, following a set of expectations and rules that don’t belong to the society where he lives, but rather to a 4 foreign society. The outcomes of those situations are several. Delinquency is one of them. The adolescent can’t find his place among the society members. He starts to search for ways to belong to the marginalized peers, which meets the isolation concept.In fact, this turning to that marginalized members reveals a real lack in the need of belonging. The belonging need is not met, (Geldard,D. , Geldard, K. , 2004). The inability to belong to a group may affect the self esteem of the adolescent. Thus, it can bring a sense of doubt in his own capacities about undertaking some initiatives. This lack of self confidence may push the adolescent to avoid any kind of susceptible situation, as it was said by Eriksson (Muuss, 1999) in his theory of identity development in the conflict about autonomy, shame and doubt.In contrast, people who achieve these expectations feel that their goal is reached, which is about to get socialized. They feel more and more comfortable in that new place where they have just settled. This achieved goal can bring a feeling of satisfaction. The individual can start to be proud of himself and more self confident. Thus, a higher self-esteem of himself could be attained. It would allow him to undertake more initiatives and to be more willing to take actions. In that situation, it is the autonomy part of Eriksson’s theory that it is being satisfied.The adolescent would be no more afraid of relying on himself because he knows that he succeeded in doing the hardest task that he would be asked to accomplish during his entire life, which is to get socialized. Social expectations vary from a society to another depending on its standards and conventions that are tightly related to culture and religion. But in fact, Havighurst, (as cited in Geldar, Gelda r. , 2004), has defined some tasks that the adolescent has to make adjustments on and has to achieve. These tasks concern at first the gender and sexual role 5 of the adolescence.The adolescent must accept the role that is attributed to him and create according to that role relationships with peers who belong to that society. Secondly, the adolescent is expected to start preparing his future life by developing some intellectual skills which would help him to have an occupation that will ensure an economic independence. This economic independence will bring the adolescent to prepare for a family life. Finally, the adolescent is required to build a set of values that fit with the environment where he lives in. These expectations form a sequence of achievements.Each expectation generates another one. Also, as the individual goes into age, he faces more complicated expectations that aim mainly the future life that is about adulthood. Moreover, those social expectations vary according to gender. Females and males are not expected to do the same things or to have the same goals or values. In fact, the expectation that was previously mentioned about the sex role is tightly related to this one. Each gender has its own role. Girls may feel that their main goal is to get married and to have children. Boys have to be always strong and never display or show any weakness.These expectations exert a huge pressure on both genders. Additionally, due to these expectations, girls may form long-term goals. They would stop thinking about the present moment, but rather start to prepare for their future lives as spouses and as mothers. Boys, would never act like they feel like to. They would always remember that they don’t have to show their feelings. Failing in achieving these goals and coping with them is often responsible for the appearance of the violent behavior as it is said in Counseling Adolescents. Social expectations could be perceived as a limitation of the develop ment of the dentity. But in some cases, it is considered as the element that saves the individual from 6 identity confusion. The adolescent has to find a landmark that would guide him through the process of the development of his identity. Eriksson refers to peers’ expectations that can be considered also as social expectations since they are members of the society. According to him, the adolescent is in need of these expectations that come specifically from his peers to start having a sense of his identity which is different from the one that he gets from his parents.This distance that the adolescent creates towards his parents marks the end of the strong emotional dependence that he had with them—the departure. To maintain this relationship with parents, the adolescent has to respond to some expectations. Parents often, expect from their children to be and to do what they had wanted to be in their youth. Sometimes they don’t realize deeply what they are asking their children to do. These behaviors can bring the adolescent to form what is called a false identity. The individual doesn’t consider his own needs, or sometimes he can only perceive his needs through the others’ needs.As it is said in Normal Child and Adolescent Development, â€Å"a false identity is also established in adolescents who have grown up in a family in which they continually adapted to their parents’ needs and expectations at the expense of their own innate needs†, (Gemelli, p. 478, 1996). They just want to see and recall their own youth through the one of their children. But at a certain moment, parents find themselves in the obligation of withdrawing from their children’s lives (Geldard, Geldard. , 2004) to give them the opportunity to become independent.Eriksson (Muuss, 1996) believes that this stage of independence is crucial for the adolescent â€Å"to attain a mature identity†, (p. 52). In fact, while the parentsâ€℠¢ expectations vanish from the adolescent life, the social expectations in contrast, follow him through all his life. Actually, these expectations help him to stay focus on his own identity and 7 according to Erikson (Muuss, 1996), these expectations becomes more important at the period of entering adulthood because they are more likely to cause crisis due to the fundamental changes that they may set off.Living in a community requires giving oneself up to its rules. Social expectations are the primary rules that the individual is confronted to during all his life. So, the individual can not act and react only depending on his own point of view. A whole society must be considered. In fact, it is not a simple task for an adolescent, especially when he is in a position that doesn’t allow him to judge any of those expectations. Thus, the formation of his identity depends on how he coped with these social expectations and if he reached his goals by accomplishing the tasks that the se expectations define for him.

CRITICAL APPRAISAL Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

CRITICAL APPRAISAL - Essay Example This trend first came forth during the 1990s, when companies were trying to outsource non-core business tasks to specialist firms that cost less, which meant giving out a lot of information to smaller groups of contractors in different parts of the globe. It was like inviting outsiders into their company to help in finding innovations and solutions to current problems. This was a great fundamental change that spread among all companies, a business breakthrough made possible by Wikis. The Wiki platform has been one of the widely used Web 2.0 technologies. Wikis are web-based software that allow Internet users to edit data and other material (e.g. Wikipedia). So, the business model was named Wikinomics (Dawe, 2009). According to Don Tapscott, an expert on business-strategy and a co-author of Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, companies have realized that they have to connect to their customers and listen to what ideas they can offer. It means that companies have to interact with the outside world and gather ideas from the outside to use for new products or product improvement. This business breakthrough positions companies who are already using it in their strategies to face today’s changing economy with ease and gear themselves towards success (Dawe, 2009). With the time’s fast-paced global marketplace, successful collaboration is the answer to achieving a competitive advantage in the business field, and Cisco has through forward regarding mass collaboration. Cisco is known to be the worldwide networking leader that changes the way people connect, communicate and collaborate with each other. It is a multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. It manufactures switches, routers, and other networking and communications hardware both for business and home usage (St. James Press, 2000). Cisco Systems was founded in 1984 by Len Bosack, Sandy Lerner, and Richard Trojano in

The consumers awareness regarding Walmart Essay

The consumers awareness regarding Walmart - Essay Example The firm that is analyzed in the paper is Walmart as one of the leading retail stores, which was founded in the year 1962. It delivers a pleasurable and suitable experience of shopping to its broad range of customers worldwide. Currently, there are 629 stores of Walmart operating its business functions throughout the United States. It has been identified that Walmart possesses a significant range that exceeds 10,130 units of retail stores and carrying out its business operations in 27 countries throughout the world. In the financial year of 2012, the present sales of Walmart amount to US$ 443 billion and it engages a significant number of associates globally. In the article â€Å"Company Spotlight: Walmart Stores, Inc.†, it has been observed that Walmart generally executes through few of the business sections that include â€Å"Walmart US†, â€Å"Sam’s Club† and â€Å"Walmart International† throughout the world. The main purpose or vision of Walmart lies in its policy of ‘saving money of the people’ and to help the people to live well in this world. Moreover, the organization also has delivered various financial prospects especially upon its related industry i.e. retail industry and has altered the nature of the business that the organization executes worldwide. In addition, Walmart enhanced the overall impact upon the retail industry and ultimately increased the potentials of the customers in spite of operating in different countries where the customers shop (Walmart Corporate, 2012). It has been observed that in the year 2011, Walmart attained various awards such as â€Å"Corporate Environmental Excellence for Walmart Canada† and â€Å"Top Organizations for Multicultural Business Opportunities† among others for various efforts that were performed by Walmart while executing its business operations (Walmart Corporate, 2012). Most people are fully aware regarding the business operations and functions of Walmart and its deliverance of broad variety of quality products. In the study, there has been a conduct of various research and online questionnaires regarding the frequency of visit of wide range of customers to Walmart. Moreover, the research also has assisted to explore whether people are familiar with the corporate practices of Walmart. Methods A survey method has been conducted with the public or the customers as respondents in order to acquire a general idea regarding their valuable opinions upon Walmart. An online questionnaire has been designed in order to accomplish the research. The purpose of this survey is to trace the number of people who possess the experience of shopping with Walmart, reasons behind the selection of Walmart as their shopping destination compared to others and the description of the products that people generally purchase from Walmart. Moreover, the purpose of this survey has been also to trace how often people do shopping at Walmart along with acq uiring a general idea regarding the knowledge of the people about the corporate practices of Walmart. In addition, the questionnaire in the survey is also based upon whether anyone has done any shopping or has not possessed the shopping experience with Walmart. If any person replied that they do not possess or have not done any shopping at Walmart then they had to respond the following question i.e. ‘For what reasons do you chose not to shop at Walmart?’ In the questionnaire, the questions also include the judgment of the people, whether Walmart is a good place to work or not. Apart from the above questions that have been mentioned in the questionnaire, the initial or the primary questions include the gender i.e. whether the customer or the respondent is female or male, the age of the respondent and the status of the respondent or the customers i.e. whether the respondent is an employee, student or others. The questionnaire that has been designed in order to conduct the research study was fundamentally provided to a sum total of 50 people who

Restaurant and catering management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restaurant and catering management - Essay Example They had a duty of ensuring consistency of high-quality service and food preparation. On the other hand, food requirement estimation, orders placement with distributors, delivery schedules of supplies and fresh food rests upon them. The assistant manager ensured that guest services are positive in all areas of the restaurant. Besides, the manager had a responsibility of responding quickly to complain raised by the restaurant guests. They ensured that appropriate actions take place to make guests that were dissatisfied with the services offered to make decisions of returning to the restaurant next time. The assistant manager had a challenge of complying with the restaurant standards and service levels to reduce costs and increase sales. They ensured minimization of cost relating to supply, beverage, food, labor and utility. Moreover, they made sure that the accomplishment of all financial reports, invoices, payroll and administrative duties take place on time and accurately in accordance with the procedures and policies of the restaurant. In addition, the managers provided strong and active presence in the restaurant to the people of San Francisco. On the other hand, they also ensured that the restaurant including the personnel incorporated high-level involvement of the population of San Francisco thus giving the restaurant a positive image to the public. The managers had a responsibility of developing employees by providing them with feedback, carrying out performance reviews, and performance establishment expectation of the restaurant. They also directed employees regarding procedural and operational issues as well as directing hiring, development, supervision, and when they consider it necessary, they order employee’s termination. When the restaurant absorbs new employees, they orient them and oversee their training. The assistant

Financial Resources Mgt Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Resources Mgt Assignment - Essay Example Categories of Financial Ratios The Financial ratios are divided into various categories, each identifying a key perspective of the business of the company. Liquidity ratios performance/activity ratios Activity ratios how well the facilities at the disposal of the concern are being used. The ratio is usually calculated on the basis of cost of sales. Gearing/Investment ratios These are of two types. Capital based ratios and Income based ratios. Capital based ratios establish the relationship between the capital provided by proprietor and the other sources of funds whereas income based ratios establishes the relationship between the total revenue of the company its financial charges. Profitability ratios It is used as a performance meter of the company. Models for predicting financial distress There are two kinds of models in practice in the financial world. Univariate models of distress predictions. Multivariate models of distress predictions. Univariate model A univariate model makes use of a single ratio for predicting financial distress of any firm or company. The basis of predicting whether a firm is experiencing financial distress or not depends upon the following element. The average ratio of the non distressed firms will differ from the average of the same ratio of distressed firms. The difference shall be used for predicting financial distress of the firm. Multivariate model Multivariate model uses various ratios at a time to work out a certain figure on which the prediction is based upon. Most multivariate models uses a specific formula which gives out a figure which tells us whether the firm or company is in non distress zone, or distressed zone. The analysis of the figure on which the decision is made varies with... Financial ratios are helpful in finding the performance of the company immediately. It uses key figures from the financial statements and analyses by comparing the results of the ratios to the ratios of a successful business corporation. These are of two types. Capital based ratios and Income based ratios. Capital based ratios establish the relationship between the capital provided by proprietor and the other sources of funds whereas income based ratios establishes the relationship between the total revenue of the company its financial charges. Multivariate model uses various ratios at a time to work out a certain figure on which the prediction is based upon. Most multivariate models uses a specific formula which gives out a figure which tells us whether the firm or company is in non distress zone, or distressed zone. The analysis of the figure on which the decision is made varies with the size of the company and the business which is carried out. Likewise univariate models of predicting financial distress, multivariate models chooses a point of score which is then compared with the score of the company calculated on the basis of a formula. Scores above the point are considered indicating a financially safe company while the score falling below the point is considered indicating a financially distressed company. The score calculated through the formula is known as Altman's Z score.

Anaheim Mayor Jailed for Drunk Driving and Possession of Cocaine Assignment

Anaheim Mayor Jailed for Drunk Driving and Possession of Cocaine - Assignment Example The car was weaving wildly from lane to lane, nearly colliding with parked vehicles.† The police conducted a traffic stop and administered a sobriety test, and they found that Mayor Hillman exceeded the legal limits for blood alcohol content. Mayor Hillman informed the police that he was Mayor of Anaheim and asked if he could leave. The police rejected his request due to his conditions. They further decided that there was a probable cause for conducting a search. They found two grams of substance, which a field test proved to be cocaine. Apart from cocaine, the police also arrested a female minor with the Mayor on charges of public intoxication. She was released to her parents. Officer Parra declined to comment on the identity of the minor. The Mayor’s spokesman, Ryan Nguyen, replied to these allegations against the Mayor. Nguyen said: â€Å"We’re just sorting through the details. I can tell you that the mayor is willing to face the consequences of his actions, but at this point he is not admitting to any of these criminal charges.† He stressed that people should not make hasty assumptions: â€Å"Remember, in our system of justice everyone is innocent until proven guilty.† When asked about the young woman with the mayor, Nguyen answered: â€Å"Knowing him, I’m sure there’s nothing improper involved with her being in the car. Again, don’t rush to any judgment.†

Week 6 Response papers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week 6 Response papers - Essay Example Business organizations should engage in environmental conservation at any time, not just after major environmental concerns as witnessed at BP. Companies should get involved in environmental conservation as a way of being socially responsible. Companies should be exemplary and constantly embrace the principles of social responsibility. They should not just engage in environmental conservation so as to win more customers. Business organizations should engage in sustainability programs which are aimed at solving problems related to renewable energy, air quality management and water management. Other issues that they should be involved in include waste management and stakeholder dialogue to ensure that the general public is satisfied with the organizations efforts in conserving the environment (Woodward & Skancke, 2006). The only way business organizations can be said to be environmentally sustainable is to constantly get involve in waste elimination. Waste elimination should not only be carried out when business organizations are in crisis or after crisis. Some organizations such as BP only got involved in waste elimination after the oil spill crisis. There might be other minor oil spills that were not in large scale which went unchecked because the public were not aware of BP’s plans and willingness in waste reduction (Egendorf, 1999). On Leslie’s post, business organizations should actually integrate into their system, the power to make environmental decisions. In light of last year’s oil spill BP’s rebranding looks like it is just for gaining lost image after the oil spill. The values of branding only ensure that the company is able to win back its customers. Their most important aim is to make steady gains in revenues by winning customer tastes and preferences. Environmental conservation, even if used as a marketing strategy should look genuine. Even though the value of BP Beyond petroleum brand is proven in a chart published by

Evolution Of Cities As A Catalyst To Civilization Essay Example for Free

Evolution Of Cities As A Catalyst To Civilization Essay The paper seeks to explain the dynamics resulting to the civilization and modernization of our time, using the Athens, Rome, and Alexandria, Chinese cum Indian as a part of the explanation. The rise of democratic government as it relates to the development of cities, modern cities. The impact of religion, politics, leadership idiosyncrasy, trade and commerce, caste /Kinship system as it influenced the evolution of the modern city or state. The paper also looks at Contemporary cities in China and Europe. THE ANCIENT STRUCTURES OF CITIES The misconception of cities as related to population or numerical strength is prevalent even till date, but cities are defined from the perspective of population density; the square metres of the milieu, as it affects the problems of population explosion, the ancient had city states and imperial city state, the imperial denotes the undertone in the political system, which further affects the formation of the city or design(Reilly:128-129) The capital city functioned autonomously and even democratically in its activities, the cities in most cases served the egoistic purposes of rulers. Howbeit , the capital cities were much or less commercial hubs, where transactions from neighbouring and internal trade was operating, the influence of trade had a huge impact on the development or evolution of the state ,for instance it was within and without leading to the success of trade. The Utilitarian function of a city-state as posited by Aristotle is subject to debate, the ancient structure, he speaks in an ironic way, and Athens as submitted is overblown in expression an exaggerated existing city-state as disclosed in the strangers view. (Ibid)The cities flowing from the aforementioned creates a divergence from what we have now in the modern day, it lacks a lot of facilities. Athens is further depicted as a peasant village. (ibid, 130). The political structure of city-states is worthy of note here, power was exercised by majority, which is a sharp contrast with our modern cities. The exclusion of women and slaves from vital decision shows a gender imbalance, which in our modern cities to a huge extent has been addressed. The Athenian political system, however allowed for more participation and equality as political positions were occupied by lottery and not voter, per chance. It also allows professionalism cum promotion of skills. The importance of recreation, is also crucial in this paper, as the Athenian cities had time to have fun, the ampitheater,agora ,acropolis were centres of attraction, this in a way shows the evolution of all the good things we enjoy in the modern day ,declaring and affirming, they never fell from the sky. Alexandra the great as a student of Aristotle reveals the development of the city – states, toward complexity and more openness, depicted by architectural designs and imperialism. (Ibid, 134) . Ancient Rome was however characterised by most problems faced in contemporary cities, the cost of living as a good example, the show of power, class division and rule, identity was a paramount phenomenon in Rome. In India, it depicts the evolution of a commercial city other than the duo categorisation of cities, the debate of Indians commercial status is something countered by the existence of caste structures, religious beliefs and norms shaping their activities. The argument of this part is that the ancient states evolved from a small beginning, democratic to some extent to a powerful force to reckon with, this came decadence and other things that are evidenced by Rome. This in a way shows how the present cities react to globalization and liberalism in the context of continual revolution. RELIGIOUS INCLINATION AND THE SURGE TO CIVILIZATION The annexation of new colonies and empires, wars of conquest, created different shapes of emerging societies and cities majorly influenced by commerce and specialization of skills. Religion played a key role in the spread of commerce and its importance in major cities, Buddhism and Jainism were materialistic in approach, they believed in atheistism, making the relevance of gods or Supreme Being invalid, trade and commerce however formed the basis of those that believe in the duo ways of religion, this did not allow them to involve in agriculture as the religion did not allow killing of insects, Buddhism thus lays emphasis on cities. (Ibid, 147-150). The trade of Gupta kingdom represents the impact of trade as a main instrument of networking, spread of ideas as we have in the Contemporary cities, a replica of structures and buildings,governance,systems are always shared in the globe. The spread of these ideas around the ancient empires can be deduced as a mechanism of civilization, as education grew more and more in major cities and empires. The beauty and prominence of Gupta made it a centre of civilization, as pilgrims journeyed as far to visit the city. The political economy path however explains the issue of political democracy and economic perspective, the dependence of the economy on political systems. The political cum economic systems however, dictates the pace of development and progress in the Ancient cities.

Importance Of Mobile Banking System In The Maldives Finance Essay

Importance Of Mobile Banking System In The Maldives Finance Essay INTRODUCTION Banks play a vital role in the economic life of a nation. The wellbeing of an economy is intimately correlated to a healthy banking system. Bankers borrowing; lending and related activities make possible the process of production, distribution, exchange and consumption of wealth. Therefore banks are very valuable associates of economic growth. Banks play an imperative role in utilization of the resources of the country. Banks mobilize the savings of the people for the investment purpose. In the absence of bank, a countrys major portion of capital will remain redundant. Mobile banking can be described as a common phrase used for performing balance checks, account transactions, making and receiving of payments etc via a mobile device; commonly mobile phones. Terms such as M-Banking and SMS Banking are commonly used for mobile banking. This report will look in to the importance of introducing a mobile banking system to the Republic of Maldives, A country formed of 1190 coral islands each separated by open sea. According to the MMA (Maldives Monetary Authority- Central Bank) they are gearing up to launch a mobile banking system in the country from 1st Feb 2011. MMA named its upcoming mobile banking system as Keesa a local word used for wallet. In an Interview given to National Television in 2010 (MNBC-One) the Governor of MMA Mr. Fazeel Najeeb quoted The Maldives Mobile banking system designed to bring a revolution to the financial sector and setting an example for the rest of developing countries in the world. (MNBC-One, 2010) OVER VIEW OF MALDIVES ECONOMY The GDP growth averaged 8.0% over the past two decades raising per capita income about US$ 2,800, the highest in the region and moving the Maldives well into middle income status. After contracting by 4.6% in 2005 due to the tsunami induced fall in tourist arrivals, the economy rebounded by 19.1% in 2006 and appears to have remained robust in 2007. The population of Maldives was estimated 2, 98968 according to the preliminary census 2006. Fishing and tourism plays a vital part of Maldives economic progression. According to MMA there are 6 commercial banks in Maldives with 176186 Account Holders. At present there are only two Mobile service providers in Maldives, who provides Service for 259889 Customers. Dhivehi Raajeyge Gulhun Pvt. Limited or Dhiraagu is Joint Venture Company formed between the Maldivian Government and Cable Wireless and commenced its operations in the Maldives in 1988. (Dhiraagu, 2009). Wataniya Telecom Maldives Started out operations in Maldives as a subsidiary of Wataniya Telecom in February of 2005, it has now become the preferred mobile network for Maldivian locals and tourists alike. The companys quest for perfection and dedication to complete customer satisfaction has placed it on the forefront of Telecommunication solutions in the Maldives. (Wataniya Telecom Maldives 2009) Tabulated profile of Maldives Details % No Total population 298968 Between 15 64 years 62.5 186904 In Employment 110231 Workers on Male 10.3 38971 Workers on Atolls 89.3 71260 Employment By Sector Fishing Industry 11 12125 Tourism 23 25000 Government 31 34000 Others 35 39000 Expatriate Workers 70075 Mobile Subscribers 259889 Resident on Male 41.5 106554 Resident on the Atolls 59.5 153335 Bank Accounts 176186 Resident on Male 65 113893 Resident on The Atolls 35 62293 ATM Cards Issued 62275 Source: Ministry of Planning and National Development Key Indicators 2006  ¨ Maldives 2006 preliminary census figures  ¨ Monthly Statistics, February 2008-MMA  ¨ CGAP survey results from Maldives mobile operators  ¨ CGAP survey results from Maldives banks A MOBILE BANKING SYSTEM WILL RE-SHAPE AND AVANCE MALDIVIAN ECONOMY. Referring to the facts and figures given above (Under over view of Maldives economy) and Tabulated portfolio of Maldives, more than 95% of Maldives is covered geographically by the mobile operators in Maldives. Mean while nearly 90% of population owns mobile phone. According to the Ministry of Planning and National Development Ministry the mobile operators also already have the capacity of providing mobile banking service with minimal investment. (Key Indicators, 2006) The mobile banking system will benefit the Economy in following ways Implement state of the art inter-bank settlement and eliminate risk and increase the safety and efficiency in payment systems Introduce full cheque truncation and automate clearing Promote economic efficiency in the country Reduce dependence on cash and paper based instruments by facilitating electronic payments Establish a fully interoperable retail payment system using cards, mobile and Internet Make banking accessible to all citizens of the Maldives, despite adverse geographic conditions Government and banking sector Mobile banking would save costs associated with printing and supplying cash, free up resources currently used by banks to deliver banking services, automate the banking and clearing system, reduce the transaction costs of banking and payments settlements, deliver banking services to the whole country, increase national savings, and revolutionize the financial industry. Fishing industry According to preliminary census figures of 2006, 11% of Maldivian work force is engaged in fishing industry. Exporting different products of fish is also one of the two main sources of income for the government. Its estimated that there are more than 12000 fishermen in Maldives who spend more than 70 percent of their life in the open sea. Therefore introduction of the mobile banking system, all fishermen are led to access the bank and carry out important transaction any time. This will ease and solve lot of existing difficulties for them regarding banking. It will also circulate more idle cash and contribute to the economy as a whole. Tourism Sector Maldives economy is vastly dependent on Tourism Sector. According to former president of Maldives Mr. Gayoom, tourism is life blood of our nation more than 23 percent of economic workforce is deployed in tourism sector. There are roughly more than 25000 people from 190 different islands working. 90% of these people are stationed at resorts who basically only travels to their native islands twice a year. There are no personal banking facilities at present in most of the resorts. Therefore to send their earnings to support family and receiving money or accessing to banking services are very complicated presently. With the introduction of Mobile banking system, these existing complexities for banking will be solved. MOBILE BANKING: PROS CONS Mobile banking also have unenthusiastic side, though over all mobile banking system is very efficient and generous to business men and other individuals. Pros Banking everywhere any where: Banking is a basic necessity in todays economic world. Accessing a bank or carrying out a banking transaction is all most part and parcel of every day. Mobile banking allows banking from anywhere and everywhere. Physical presence is not required to make a banking transaction. Therefore mobile banking saves time and energy. Important Notifications: The important notifications such as when an account is debited or credited, it will inform in almost no time. Therefore basic banking functions becomes more simple informative on real time. Important means for Accounts Safe keepings It enhances to minimize unauthorized transactions. Since the account holder will be notified immediately via a text. Therefore to be a victim of a bank fraud makes less likely and in case can act upon fraud quickly. Fast and easy payment: Mobile banking allows paying bills, utilities, insurance or any other parallel payments on time. Important means of banking in case of emergency: Mobile banking allows banking 24/7, and more over no waiting time is required. Therefore it is a vital means of banking-in case of emergency Cons Security: Though there are few viruses and Trojans targeted for mobile phones, mobile phone users can be attacked by a phishing scam. For example when a mobile banking user receives a forged text requesting for account passwords it might goes to a hacker pretending as the banker or teller. Compatibility All transaction might not be able to proceed in any phone and for some of the cheaper -phones mobile banking is not compatible at all. To get most out of mobile banking a good smart phone is necessary. Cost Though mobile banking is relatively cheaper and save times, some of the banks charges extra fee for mobile banking and in most of the cases extra software charges are applicable and add upon banking expenses. LITERATURE REVIEW Mobile banking closes poverty gap (BBC, 2010) This report published in BBC by Jane Wakefield, highlights the importance of Mobile banking to transform the way people in the developing world, transfer money and how it is poised to offer more sophisticated banking service which could make a real difference to people This statement highlights that currently there are 2.7bn people living in developing countries who do not have any means to access financial service or banks. Simultaneously 1bn people throughout Africa, Latin America and Asia own a mobile phone (BBC, 2010) Further this report shed lights on Mobile banking as a very powerful way to deliver saving and money transfer services to the billions of people in countries like Kenya and Uganda where there are thousands of people with no means to any access to financial institutions. Over all, this report makes it more vivid that the success of mobile banking in such countries there by closing the poverty gap. Africas mobile banking revolution (BBC, 2009) This report by Luice Greenwood provides the facts and figures of how a mobile banking system could contribute Africas economy so vitally. It also highlights that Millions of Africans are using mobile phones to pay bills, move cash and buy basic everyday items. Africa has the fastest-growing mobile phone market in the world and most of the operators are local firms. Accordingly the statistical data provided throughout the report, briefs about the countries like South Africa and Kenya mobile banking service providers has touched millions of life by means of savings, security and transfer of cash. The simplicity of mobile banking system in Africa is also lessoning the rest of the world. To set up a bank account by a mobile phone is so easy and straightforward that all it requires is that just a phone and ID card to register anywhere from the country by an approved agent. The system activates the account in seconds and depositing and transferring of cash are right away at the fingers tips This report shows how practical mobile banking system can be and how easy it could be serving the larger population like In Tanzania just 5% of the populations have bank accounts. In Ethiopia there is one bank for every 100,000 people. EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE With the introduction of mobile banking system there has been a lot of progress in the socio- economic factors in many countries. The implication of mobile banking seems like more important for developing countries than developed countries where lots of branches of banks are available at a threshold. Countries like Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania has shown the world how important mobile banking system is for under developed and developing nations. Lessons from the lights of literature review, I personally believe in the importance of the introduction of mobile banking system in Maldives. This technology would contribute to government sector, banking sector, fisheries industry, tourism sector and islanders from all islands as a whole. To overcome the shadows cased on banking sector in Maldives, by its natural geographic obstacles mobile banking can be an important tool. PERSONAL VERDICT Providently I have had an opportunity to work for Maldives Tourism Development Corporations as an Operations Manager. To perform my duties and carry out the responsibilities; I have travelled more than 40 Resort Islands and above 45 inhabited islands across the country. During my career, I personally experienced and felt the difficulties of banking by resort workers and local island natives. Though implementation of Mobile banking system in Maldives will undoubted fully Increase economic efficiency and promote social welfare of nation as a whole CONCLUSION The Maldives may be one of the most difficult countries in the world in which to deliver financial services through traditional branch networks. The country occupies 90,000 square kilometres, 99.5% of water. Its 2, 98,968 people live on 198 scattered islands in 26 atolls, and 60% of the inhabited islands have less than 1,000 residents. Given the highly literate population and high coverage of the mobile phone network, there is great potential to use technology to overcome the barriers of geography, low population density and a small population, and deliver financial service at low cost across the country.