Evidentialist Method Apologetics Essay

Introduction Apologetics comes in several different methods that are utilized to defend one’s faith and also to evangelize. One method of apologetics is Evidentialism, also known as Natural Theology. Evidentialism is probably the most popular form of apologetics, if not the one that leads the field. Our current world demands proof and supporting data and Evidentialism stresses the deliverance of accurate substantiation with the hope of bringing cynics and criticizers to the truths of Christianity. Evidentialism continues to excel in the field of apologetics and does well in confronting the major worldviews with the truths of the Christian faith that can be proven with factual analysis. This review will provide the reader with a summary of the Evidentialist Method, a critique of the Evidentialist Method, and a list of some of the more popular Evidentialists. Summary of the Evidentialist Method Apologetics comes from 1 Peter 3:15 and is most properly defined as giving a defense. In his commentary, John Walvoord states, â€Å"(apologian, the â€Å"defense† which a defendant makes before a judge; (Acts 22:1; 25:16) for their hope in Christ.† It is the impetus for Evidentialist apologetics to follow this call and seek to â€Å"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.† Another writer, Dan Story, states, â€Å"This is ‘evidential’ apologetics, and it works on the premise that the weight of the evidence will always support Christianity and always refute contradicting beliefs.† In order for Evidentialism to be effective, it must hold to its premise of dispensing the truths about Christianity by establishing factuality. The Evidentialist is able to take any offered topic and utilize it as evidence as they are stimulated by the antagonist’s desire to deliberate logic and reason. In Acts 19:8, the Apostle Paul was diligently â€Å"arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.† Yet, Paul understood completely that there was none other that could open the hearts of men except God (Acts 16:14). Critique of the Evidentialist Method The Evidentialist Model for apologetics is a very sensible method to be utilized in evangelism. The world today demands physical, tangible proof and relies only on what can be seen and studied, and the Evidentialist is quite versed in the practicality and effective use of the method to clarify God’s truths. The method accepts the essential foundations of the non-believing doubter and tries to supply purposeful truth to that individual area. This reason-giving model has established its effectiveness in apologetics. There are a couple of issues of concern when it comes to the application of Evidentialism. One concern that stands out is that it adopts the thought that the fallen man can come to the supposition of Christ as Savior. It is my contention and belief that aside from the Holy Spirit man cannot come to this conclusion. However, I do feel that via the logical evidence presented, God opens the non-believer’s heart. Story clearly shows the â€Å"Holy Spirit also convicts and convinces people of the truth through extra-biblical evidences.† Popular Evidentialists History shows that the method of Evidentialism has been utilized for quite some time. There have been many superior thinkers who have used the method and have contributed greatly to the enhancement of apologetics. Although the list is long, a few of these men merit mention, William Paley (1743-1805), John Locke (1632-1704), and more contemporarily, Norman Geisler, William Lane Craig, Lee Strobel, Gary Habermas and Ravi Zacharias. These stellar thinkers have all utilized Evidentialism in furthering apologetics. There is an organization worthy of mention, Answers in Genesis, who employs the use of Evidentialism in explaining creationism to minister the truths of God, which also includes the explanation of the Gospel to many non-believing skeptics that exist within many secular evolutionist groups. Conclusion The Great Commission demands that all believers be prepared to defend their faith and be ready to offer a defense for those beliefs. There are many opposing worldviews that stand between men and salvation. When these opposing views are confronted in a loving and practical manner, much misconception can be dispelled in a practical manner. Using Evidentialism, the world that desires substantiation, a method driven apologetic is very successful. Bibliography Booth, Anthony Robert. â€Å"The Two Faces of Evidentialism.† Erkenntnis 67:3 (2007), http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/195447959 (accessed January 18, 2013). Story, Dan. Defending Your Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997. Story, Dan. Engaging the Closed Minded: Presenting Your Faith to the Confirmed Unbeliever. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999. Sudduth, Michael. â€Å"Reformed epistemology and Christian apologetics.† Religious Studies 39:3 (2003), http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/docview/197230405/abstract?accountid=12085 (accessed January 18, 2013). Walvoord, John F., Roy B. Zuck, and Dallas Theological Seminary. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition od the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983. The Holy Bible: New International Version ——————————————– [ 1 ]. John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, Il: Victor Books, 1983-), 1Peter 3:15. [ 2 ]. The Holy Bible: New International Version, Biblegateway.com. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1 Peter 3:15&version=NIV (accessed January 18, 2013). [ 3 ]. Dan Story, Engaging the Closed Minded: Presenting Your Faith to the Confirmed Unbeliever (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1999), 64. [ 4 ]. Dan Story, Defending Your Faith (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1997), 4.

Cinderella: Difference and German Story Essay

Cinderella and Ashputtle are two different stories based on the same plot. Ashputtle is a German story, and Cinderella is from France. From what one can tell from reading the two versions, these two countries are able to produce very different styles of writing. The stories Ashputtle and Cinderella are very similar in plot, yet the details are very different in multiple ways. The German story, Ashputtle, is a much harsher story. Ashputtle contains more blood and revenge, and has a darker theme to it. In this story, Ashputtle’s father seems to ignore her and not care very much about her. Also in Ashputtle, at the end of the story, the stepsisters’ eyes were plucked out by birds, as a punishment for how the acted. The blood scenes occur when the two stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to attempt to fit into the glass slipper, and shortly later the prince realizes what is wrong and brings them back to their home. The French version of the story, Cinderella, is written in a lighter tone. Instead of being filled with vengeance and blood, it is more of a peaceful theme, and nothing really happens to the stepsisters at the end of the story. In Cinderella, her father still cares very much about her and loves her, yet he is overruled by his wife, Cinderella’s stepmother. Another difference in Cinderella is that there is a fairy godmother, while in Ashputtle, the girl goes out to her mother’s grave to pray and the animals come out to help her. There are several ways in which the stories are similar. The two stories obviously have very similar plots, and the protagonists have the same personality and traits. Most of the characters in Ashputtle reflect their corresponding characters in Cinderella, such as the stepsisters and the prince. Both the stories are based on the fairy tale of a nice girl who is poorly treated, but then she ends up living happily ever after with a handsome prince. The stories have the wicked stepmother and stepsisters who treat the girl badly. The girl ends up going to the ball and she is considered the most beautiful girl there, yet nobody recognizes her. The prince meets her and is amazed by her beauty and kindness, and he wishes to marry her. Animals also play an important part in both of the stories, as they help out the protagonist in going to the ball. Although the two versions of the story are quite different, many key similarities can clearly be seen between the two. The differences also show how two very different cultures can produce the same story in their own ways. Today, the story has become international, and it could be interesting to see how other cultures may write their own versions. This same situation occurs with many other tales, such as Snow White or Sleeping Beauty. Of course, differences are always found, yet the key similarities are a way to link the different versions.

Race, Place, and Obesity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Race, Place, and Obesity - Assignment Example obesity, that different racial/ethnic groups face. For a disease to be eliminated, we first need to know all the risk factors that cause its occurrence and the purpose behind this study is to investigate if community-level racial/ethnic composition is a risk factor for obesity. The results and conclusions of this study can steer future interventions in the right direction, which is to minimize these health disparities. 3- I found this literature review to be fulfilling its purpose, information about other researches conducted in the area of community-level obesity and individual-level obesity based on ethnicity/race were mentioned. The need for this study was also explained since no other research has covered the association between a communitys racial/ethnic composition, an individuals race/ethnicity and obesity. 4- This study is addressing two questions. One, whether a communitys racial/ethnic compositions association with obesity overrides characteristics of an individual? Two, if there is an association present between the two, does it differ on account of an individuals own race/ethnicity? 5- The research hypothesis being studied is the presence of a relationship between a communitys racial/ethnic composition and obesity. Since there are social norms dictating lifestyle in every ethnic group, one ethnic/racial group might be in favour of an increased body weight than the other, and whether a person of a different ethnicity living in that community would be susceptible to obesity or not. 6- If the research does result in highlighting that living in a certain racial/ethnic group puts an individual at risk for obesity regardless of his/her own characteristics, it might result in hysteria causing an exodus of people out of that community and social interventions warning against obesity at a community level, the latter being a more positive result. 7- The hypothesis is somewhat clear, that the

Negotiation Planning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Negotiation Planning - Case Study Example They provide an estimate with respect to the direct material and direct labour, and this puts the ball in their court despite the company or the buyer providing their estimates with regard to direct material and labour in order to make the modifications, because the sellers are the ones being used for their services. Furthermore, the sellers are in a better position because they are able to quote a price that covers damages caused during the process of making modifications and, thus, keeping aside a negligible amount for the same. They also have taken into account an estimate for spoilage, new items, etc. in order to be on the safer side, keeping their profit margin at the best possible rate for the buyers. 3. In a contract, each party will do its best to emerge as the winner and have the best possible consideration at his/her end. In this contract, the sellers are in a better position than the buyers; however, it must be understood that the two parties do have misconceptions regardi ng one another. First, the buyers are doing their best to decrease the material and labour costs as much as they can because of the price that they will have to pay. The sellers, on the other hand, are trying to negotiate the same in order to maintain a profit margin, as well as to keep room for damages and arrears. The sellers must understand that the optical instruments require modifications to be done within the best possible cost estimate in order to keep the buyers from shelling out much money. Nonetheless, the misconception that the buyers have that the sellers will give them a quote more than they expect may be considered outside the scope of negotiation because ultimately, the buyers need to look into quality and take into account that they would be ready to pay the estimate rolled out by the sellers in order to be left with the best possible end results which will, in turn, help them cover the investments that they made. It is yet again another misconception for the buyers or the Gilbert Company to estimate the overheads and material costs that will be required for the purpose of modification, because the sellers will be able to provide a better estimate knowing that they have to provide their services while keeping a 10% profit margin. 2. In the second answer, we need to analyse the data carefully to ascertain the elementary assessment of the information. Negotiation Plan for the Buyer: The buyer’s position over here is conceptually taken on a different role than the seller’s position. When Pilgrim asked for a cost analysis programme to be conducted for the product, there was a major difference between the cost analyses of Gilbert and Price Analyst. This catapulted Pilgrim to extract the date based on the report conducted by both the parties and a combination of the report between these two parties was evolved to determine the actual cost elements in the negotiation planning. Pilgrim finally called Price Analyst to conduct a negotiation plan for the company since there was an immense difference coming out of the analyses conducted by Gilbert and Price Analyst. The proposed price by Pilgrim was 225,893 USD. This was the price at which he ideally wanted to sell all his 45 optical instruments to the buyer, which is Gilbert Instruments. Price analyst in its analyses compared the labour rates, the GA rates and the Overhead rates which went in modifying the optical instruments at the peak of their prowess. At the current level which is designed by the Price analyst,

Evidence based practice and PICO format Assignment

Evidence based practice and PICO format - Assignment Example Therefore, EBP can also be said to aim at using evidence to change practice for the better, mainly because it builds on the collection, analysis, appraisal and incorporation of clinically applicable, significant and valid research. In the practice setting, EBP is brought into use by encouraging the concept of inquiry. Current methods are questioned, providing the platform for the search and collection of relevant evidence, focusing on both ethical and legal issues. After the evidence is critically appraised, it is used to change questionable practices that have been in use previously. In the clinical setting, wound care management is a common nursing practice that requires a critical search for evidence in terms of how it should be conducted. Since the wound has already occurred, treatment is an inevitable part of the healing process. As a healthcare practitioner, formulating a question regarding the treatment of the wounds in terms of recognizing effective interventions and reducing risk factors then eventually resulting in improved prognosis is imperative. Male children are naturally hyperactive, and from the P perspective of the PICO (T) concept can be perceived as a vulnerable population to injuries and consequential problems of the wounds due to the activities of their stage in life. A viable question would be: â€Å"how wounds frequently found on boy children should be treated differently from those on adults and girl children?† This involves a critical question because it is gender specific and evidence can be provided that focusing on boy children actually targets a particular population (Yoder-Wise, 2007). Depending on where they are brought up, treatment of wounds does not necessarily have to be based on sanitizing wounds and requiring operations, albeit minor ones. Rather than stereotyping all childhood wounds to arise from cuts and bruises occurring from simple falls, some can rightly be considered to come from

Middle Ages to the Enlightenment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Middle Ages to the Enlightenment - Essay Example Almost entire Europe had been Christianized as the 11th century reached its end. The High Medieval Era is called as medieval society’s flowering because of the intellectual renaissance that took place in the 12th century because philosophers like Thomas Aquinas and Pierre Abelard as well as because of the establishment of many universities and knowledge centers in Oxford, Bologna, and Paris (Snell, 2014). Some of the most magnificent stone castle-buildings and cathedrals found in Europe to date were built in this period. What is known as feudalism in the present age got established in many parts of Europe including Britain? Other industries and fields that flourished included but were not limited to production and trade of the luxury goods, and crops. Europe had reached the apogee of cultural richness and economy at the end of the 13th century but was also about to see its downturn. The medieval world transformed into the early modern world by the end of the Middle Ages. Some cataclysmic events of the 14th century are the Black Death, the Italian Renaissance, and the Avignon Papacy. Shakespeare literature flourished during the 16th century and the 17th century witnessed the Great Fire of London. Corporation characterized the high medieval society. A new regard grew for the individual’s value with the sowing of the seeds of human rights in the society. Many significant changes took place in terms of the evolution of knowledge from the Middle Ages through the Age of Enlightenment till the 19th century. The Age of Enlightenment started in Europe and spread to the colonies in America. The Age of Enlightenment opposed intolerance and superstition in addition to opposing cases of power abuse by the church and the state. The history of knowledge is apparently considered to have reached a growth period in the intellectual interchange thus causing a scientific revolution.

Financial Analysis of Netflix Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Analysis of Netflix - Essay Example In 1999, monthly subscriptions model was introduced and the reputation of the firm grew as a flat- fee rental with no due dates and late fee. Netflix has to its credit the personalized movie recommendation system which suggests choices to users based on their previous purchases. Also mentionable is the fact that Netflix user base has increased every year from the date its conception by over 50% from past years till 2005. After 2005, the number of subscribers continued to increase but at lower rates. (Netflix, 2012) Netflix also partnered with certain electronics companies to make streaming possible on the PS3, TVs with internet connections, Xbox 360, Apple iPhones, iPads, iPods and other internet connected devices. (Netflix, 2012) Researches showed that in 2011, 61% of the digital video market clintele belongs to Netflix. (Stambar, 2011) in 2011, Netflix is the highest revenue earner in the United States. (Frankel, 2012) This data clearly shows that as of right now, Netflix is a mark et leader. INCOME STATEMENT (Business Week, 2012)    31-Dec-08 31-Dec-09 31-Dec-10 31-Dec-11 Revenues 1,364.70 1,670.30 2,162.60 3,204.60 TOTAL REVENUES 1,364.70 1,670.30 2,162.60 3,204.60 Cost of Goods Sold 910.2 1,079.30 1,357.40 2,039.90 GROSS PROFIT 454.4 591 805.3 1,164.70 Selling General & Admin Expenses 249.4 286.6 358.3 520.6 R&D Expenses 89.9 114.5 163.3 259 Other Operating Expenses -6.3 -- -- -- OTHER OPERATING EXPENSES 332.9 401.2 521.6 779.6 OPERATING INCOME 121.5 189.8 283.6 385.1 Interest Expense -2.5 -6.5 -19.6 -20 Interest and Investment Income 9.2 4.8 2.7 2.8 NET INTEREST EXPENSE 6.7 -1.6 -16.9 -17.2 Other Non-Operating Income 0.1 -- -- -- EBT, EXCLUDING UNUSUAL ITEMS 128.4 188.2 266.7 367.8 Gain (Loss) on Sale of Investments 3.1 1.9 1 0.7 Other Unusual Items, Total -- 2.1 -- -9 Legal Settlements -- 2.1 -- -9 EBT, INCLUDING UNUSUAL ITEMS 131.5 192.2 267.7 359.5 Income Tax Expense 48.5 76.3 106.8 133.4 Earnings from Continuing Operations 83 115.9 160.9 226.1 NET IN COME 83 115.9 160.9 226.1 Talking about the income statement of Netflix, the trend of revenues has certainly taken a great boost since 2006 from 1365 million dollars to 3205 million dollars in 2011. Growth in revenue certainly is a positive sign for any company. Netflix has achieved huge numbers during the four years. The cost of sales has also risen but looking at the overall gross profit margin, we see a rising trend. Expanses look pretty much under control and would not had been a point of concern for Netflix. The change in the income statement which was very obvious was the interest charges which rose by big number from (1.6) in the year 2008 to (16.9) in 2010 and (20) in 2011. This means that Netflix has taken huge amount of loans in 2010 and have retained them in 2011 as well. In the income statement, we can also see that the investment’s income earned has also decreased since 2006. This means that Netflix have taken out all the investments it had made outside its compa ny. Net income also shows a positive growing trend. From the income statement, we can say that Netflix is growing and has profitable numbers. BALANCE SHEET (Business Week, 2012)    31-Dec 31-Dec 31-Dec 31-Dec Currency in Millions of US$ 2008 2009 2010 2011 Assets             Cash and Equivalents 139.9 134.2 194.5 508.1 Short-Term Investments 157.4 186 155.9 289.8 TOTAL CASH AND SHORT TERM INVESTMENTS 297.3 320.2 350.4 797.8 Prepaid Expenses 26.5 26.7 62.2 56 Deferred Tax Assets, Current -- -- 2.2 10 Restricted

Effective Market Hypothesis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Effective Market Hypothesis - Essay Example This format requires the changes in book value. This makes equal earnings after reducing dividends and provides the net of capital contribution. This relation according to Ohlson is a clean surplus relation as the changes in assets and liabilities are passed through the income statement. It is better to use this theory without connecting it to a user’s perspective on accounting data. The numerous methods followed in valuing derivative securities include valuing an option on a stock or index that can pay continuous dividends. The unfamiliar or foreign contracts will have no closed form of the solution. This needs Monte-Carlo simulation, numerical integration, analytical and series approximation. The probabilities of a jump process by Schwartz in 1998 are to underlie the diffusion process corresponding to the coefficients of the difference equation. The trinomial tree is termed as equivalent to the explicit finite difference. This generalized multinomial jump process equivalent to a complex implicit finite difference in approximation. The two-state lattice approaches have proved to be the powerful tool and can be used to value a wide variety of contingent claims. The standard binomial approach is generalized and was included in the main existing models as particular cases of the alternative approach. There are alternative analytical approximations for continuous time valuation like CRR model in case of the single state variable. The lattice approach in evaluating the option was based on a moment matching methodology. The introduction of the numerically optimized parameter the non-negativity of the risk-neutral probabilities was ensured. 11099995. In this manner, the book value of a particular year depends on the book value of the previous year and the expected discount of the present year. The book value may decrease if the expected dividend is more.

Lap report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Lap - Lab Report Example Explanation of Procedure: A meter stick was mounted at slightly greater than eye level, level to the ground. A plumb bob, actually a string with a nut tied to the end, hung at head level exactly 0.5 meters from the meter stick. This served as an observation post with easily converted and consistent measures. As the moon fully rose past the horizon, two index cards were â€Å"butted† to either edge of the moon and the indicated length was recorded. This procedure was repeated later. Data and Calculations: The chart results: time d (cm) D (cm) conversion ? 7:10 50 0.5 205265 2053 10:10 50 0.5 205265 2053 Where: d=50 cm as set by the experiment. D= the measure between the cards ?=the angle size of the moon in arc seconds calculated as =(D/d) x 205265 The diameter of the moon is calculated as: D= (205265 x 2053)/ 380000km d=3800 km The angular size of the moon by calculation is: 2053 arc seconds The estimated diameter of the moon is: 3800 km The angular size of the moon is consist ent throughout a one night period; however, the distance to the moon varies over time, so over years, the angular size changes Conclusions and Analysis: The method used produces a good approximation of the diameter of the moon.

Biography of Fernando Botero Essay Example for Free

Biography of Fernando Botero Essay Fernando Botero, also named the most Colombian of Colombian artists, has developed a style the world notices as his own. Fernando was born in 1932 in Medellin, Colombia. Fernando came across heavy schooling as a child, which isolated him from traditional art in museums and such cultural institutions. It was his strict school however that brought art to be an interest for Fernando, the school Botero attended was run by Jesuits who were strict and brought little enjoyment into Botero’s life. To find enjoyment Botero began to draw at a young age. At that young age his inspiration was anything that interest him such as bullfighting. Fernando was a great fan of bullfights so he would paint scenes of this then sold them in front of the arena for 5 pesos. He spent nearly two years painting this subject. He had a growing interest in art his entire life; he shared his thoughts, and studied. When Botero was seventeen he worked for the Medellin newspaper, El Colombiano, titled Picasso and the Nonconformity of Art, which showed Botero’s mind and how it is linked with art. Botero is so well known because of his signature style, robust and round objects and characters. Botero tells critics that he is simply attracted to his form without knowing why. He claims that artists never know why artists use a form, he claims the style is intuitive and that the explanation for their style can be rationalized after it’s adopted. Botero is difficult to understand, as he doesn’t share his opinion with his art or even explaining his art. â€Å"He shares his vision with us but not telling us how to feel about it. Navas- Nieves says. We know his works are personal as some of his famous works depict his youth, â€Å"The Bishop†, â€Å"The Nun†, â€Å"The Bullfighter†, and â€Å"The Widow†. It is unknown to all except Botero however if these drawings reflect the beauty with these no proportional, bright colored, exaggerated sized or the turmoil. Botero eliminated brushwork and texture in his paintings as he favored a smoother look. Botero’s works are abstract and are educated by a Columbian upbringing and social commentary. When Colombian children go to church they see all these Madonnas, so clean and perfect. In South America china-like perfection is very much a part of the ideal toilet of beauty. More so even than the polychrome wood sculptures in Spain, Latin American sculptures look like porcelain. So, in contrast to Europe or North America, you connect the notions of art and beauty at a very early age. I grew up with the idea that art is beauty. All my life Ive been trying to produce art that is beautiful to discover all the elements that go to make up visual perfection. When you come from my background you can’t be spoilt by beauty, because youve never really seen it. If youre born in Paris, say, you can see art everywhere, so by the time you come to create art yourself you’re spoilt – youre tired of beauty as such and want to do something else. With me it was quite different. I wasnt tired of beauty; I was hungering for it. † Botero said this knowing he was not raised with art, which is his beauty. The lack of art in his life made him develop such an original style. The church influences Botero, his baroque style was adopted from the church. Botero is the most Colombian of Colombian artists because of his insulation from international trends. Botero once remarked â€Å"A painter can do things a photographer can’t do, because a painter can make the invisible visible. † This thinking lead Botero to create a series of serious paintings about prisoner abuse in Abu Ghraib. Botero, through his paintings in this series allowed us to feel the prisoners suffering. The paintings brought us to the agony of the victims, the humiliation they felt and all the pain was transferred from the painting to us, making us the victim. This series proved moreover Botero’s skill of art. Many critics thought the series was out of Botero’s league claiming that Botero’s style cannot do justice to the seriousness of the subject. Botero proved the critics wrong when he captures the emotion of the victims. The difference between photographs and paintings are that photographs come with a story. Just something that happened. They can be beautiful but paintings show affects and emotion and thoughts and different depictions. Much more thought goes into a painting, which sets the two apart.

English in the British Colonies: ASEAN

English in the British Colonies: ASEAN English in the British Colonies: ASEAN The British Empire was the dominant global power, with many colonies and a lot of outposts all over the world. It has a lot of reasons why the British Empire had to colonize other countries such as industrialization, world market, political motive, rise in population, etc. To illustrate, for the industrialization, the rise of demand in England, they had the new technology like steam power and harvesting machines that increased the production more and more. In contrast, it is the cause of needed more resources in England, so to meet the rise in demand, England started to find the resources from other place. Moreover, it is also about the political motives that like a war between England and France or other European countries. They wanted to make themselves be an impressive and strong political nation, so it is like a competition that they competed each other to reign the land. During the 1500s and 1600s, international trade of Asia was controlled by the European countries as they can get many advantages from this trade to their own countries. As a consequence, the European countries became stronger; on the other hand, Asian countries and monarchy system became weaker. About 1800s, the European countries started to establish their power above the Asia, especially in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. The British colonization in Southeast Asia, British had colonized four countries in Southeast Asia that is ‘Burma’, ‘Malaysia’, ‘Singapore’, and ‘Brunei Darussalam’. So, when the British come to occupy, they also bring many things to the colonized countries such as knowledge, culture, and also language. Burma (Myanmar) The British conquered Burma is not like other colonies which keep up their ethnic identity; Burma was a province of British India. Therefore, Burmese had two set of ruler: the top is British and Indians in the middle. In 1935, the British separated Burma from India, and it was effective in two years later or in 1937. In 1948, Burma was able to arrange its dependence from Great Britain. Nowadays, Myanmar or Burma has the primary language of instruction that is Burmese; moreover, English is the second language that was taught. To illustrate, English was the first language of instruction in higher education in the past as when Gen Ne Win reformed educational system to ‘Burmanize’. English language was used by educated people and the national government. Burmese English Burmese English is similar to Indian English because of the historical ties to India during British colonization. The system of spelling in Burmese English is based on the British English; in contrast, American spellings have become popular as the first Burmese-English dictionary was created by Adoniram Judson who is an American. For example, color, check, encyclopedia. Many Standard English words were borrowed to Burmese English and may words use in a different situation. For example, ‘pavement’ (British English) or ‘sidewalk’ (American English) is usually called ‘platform’ in Burmese English. Furthermore, many words were pronounced with the British accent, such asvitamin/ˈvÉ ªtÉâ„ ¢mÉ ªn/. In Burmese pronunciation, consonants are unaspirated such as the k, p, and t because of the general rule like in Indian English. Between Burmese English and Standard English, there are some pronunciation differences. Burmese English Standard English Remarks ur(e.g.further,Burma) /à ¡/ Pronounced with a high tone (drawn-out vowel), as in Burmese ow(e.g.now,brow) /à ¡uÉ ´/ Pronounced with a nasal final instead of an open vowel ie(e.g.pie,lie) /aiÉ ´/ Pronounced with a nasal final instead of an open vowel tu(e.g.tuba,tuba) /tɆ¢u/ e.g. tuition, commonly pronounced[tɆ¢Ãƒ ¹ÃƒÅ Ã†â€™Ãƒ ¬Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ ´] sk(e.g.ski) /sÉâ„ ¢k-/ Pronounced as 2 syllables st(e.g.star) /sÉâ„ ¢t-/ Pronounced as 2 syllables pl(e.g.plug) /pÉâ„ ¢l/ Pronounced as 2 syllables v(e.g.vine) /b/ -nk(e.g.think) /à ¡Ã‚ ¸Ã‚ ­Ãƒâ€°Ã‚ ´/ Pronounced with a short, creaky tone (short vowel) -ng(e.g.thing) /iÉ ´/ Pronounced as a nasal final consonantal finals (.e.g.stop) /-ʆ/ Pronounced as a glottal stop (as in written Burmese, where consonantal finals are pronounced as a stop) Singapore During World War II, Singapore was occupied by Japanese Empire from 1943 to 1945. Finally, Singapore reverted to British Control when the war ended. And Singapore became an independent republic on 9 August 1965 because of the separation from Malaysia. Singaporean English or Singlish Singaporean English or Singlish is the English language spoken in Singapore which was influenced by Chinese and Malay. There are two main forms that are Standard Singapore English (SSE) and Singapore Colloquial English. Standard Singapore English’s roots derived from the country’s 146 years (1819 to 1965) under British colonial rule. British colonial government used English as the official language. Moreover, in 1959 when Singapore obtained self-government and got the independence in 1965, the Singaporean government keeps English as the official language because of the economic prosperity. The use English in Singapore have many advantages; for example, decreasing the gap between the diverse ethnic group, being the first language use of the nation, or helping Singapore development and integration into the global economy. There are many difference rules between Standard English and Singlish. For example, in term of Morphology, Singlish has a lot of grammatical endings that is not necessary in Standard English and speakers have to take into conversation. Furthermore, Plurals and past tenses are not needed. For example, English Standard Singlish What happened yesterday? What happen yesterday? Where do you go? You go where? So the bicycle went first. Then bicycle go first ah. Moreover, the main difference from Standard English is the frequent repetition of words that was used to emphasis and intensity and auxiliary verbs are missing. In contrast, Standard English is not used repetition, even for intensity: the word is only said one time. For example, English Standard Singlish Don’t ask who! Don’t ask who lah! Why do you ask? Why you ask ask ask? How smart you are. How smart you. Brunei Darussalam Brunei Darussalam became a British protectorate in 1888 and in 1906 Brunei Darussalam also was assigned to be a colonial manager of British Resident in 1906. In 1952 a new constitution was written after the occupation during World War II by Japanese Empire. Moreover, in 1962 the monarchy was ended by a small armed rebellion that was help by the British. Brunei got its dependence from the United Kingdom on 1st January 1984. Brunei is a country that has many languages regional such as Malay, English, Chinese, Arabic, Nepali, etc. The official language is Standard Malay, but Brunei English is very popular and it is widely spoken as it is spoken by the most of the population. English has been an important language of education in Brunei since the inception of public education. Learning both English and Malay in Brunei tend to get squeezed out the minority language such as Tutong and Dusun. In addition, people who attend the top school of the nation usually have an excellent foundation in English; in contrast, people who attend to lower schools often have a little skill in English. Brunei English Brunei English are different from Standard English in some points such as pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, etc. These are some of remarkable features of Brunei English’s pronunciation. The consonant at the start word ‘th’ like ‘thin’ and ‘thank’ tends to be pronounced as [t] rather than [ÃŽ ¸]. The vowel in function words such as ‘of’ and ‘that’ tends to be a full vowel rather than [Éâ„ ¢]. One current change that seems to be taking place is that Brunei English is becoming rhotic, partly influenced by American English and partly influenced by the rhoticity of Brunei Malay. Next, there are a few examples of remarkable features of Brunei English grammar. Plural nouns are added –s suffix, even they are uncountable nouns in other varieties of English. For example, ‘equipments’, ‘infrastructures’, and ‘jewelleries’ Adding suffix ‘-s’ on verbs to indicate a 3rd person singular subject is variable. ‘would’ is often used to indicate something that is not definite. The last is about the vocabulary in Brunei English.Many words from Malay are borrowed into Brunei English. For example, the words ‘titah’ (a Sultan’s speech), ‘sabda’ (another Royal family’s speech), ‘tudong’ (a head-dress worn by women), and ‘puasa’ (‘fasting’). The words from local food usually loan from Malay, such as ‘kuih’ (a local cake), as in ‘A variety of Malay kuih and sliced fruit will also be served’. Malaysia In the 1800s, the British East India Company partly controlled India. At that time, they interested in a base in Malaya. In 1786, the British under Francis Light occupied Penang and established Georgetown and they took Province Wellesley in 1800. Malaysian English Malaysia has two types of English: Malaysian Colloquial English (MySE), and Malaysian English (MyE). Malaysian Colloquial English is known as‘Manglish’. It is aportmanteau wordof the ‘Street English’. It is common to speak with friend, but it is forbidden in school. Malaysian English (MyE) is a form of language that used and spoken as a second language in Malaysia. It originates from British English because of British rule. In addition, its vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar have composed by many languages such as American English, Malay, Chinese, Indian languages, etc. Malaysian English uses the same pronunciation system like British English; however, most of Malaysian people speak with a distinctive accent. The accent of Malaysian people get an influenced from American TV programs; moreover, many people study higher education in the United States and American companies in Malaysia that employed English speakers in cities. These are some feature of Malaysian English. Generally, Malaysian English is non-rhonic, all [r] are pronounced in Malay. Malaysian English employs a broad an accent, such as the words like ‘cab’ and ‘tab’ appear with [É‘Ë ] rather than [à ¦]. The [t] in words like ‘butter’ is usually not flapped (as in some forms of American English) or realized as a glottal stop (as in many forms of British English, including Cockney). There is no h-dropping in words like ‘head’. Malaysian English does not have English consonant-cluster reductions after [n], [t], and [d]. For example, ‘new’, ‘tune’ and ‘dune’ are pronounced [ˈnjuË ], [ˈtjuË n], and [ˈdjuË n]. Fricatives th ([ÃŽ ¸] and [à °]) are pronounced [t] for [ÃŽ ¸] and [d] for [à °]. L is generally clear. Diphthongs ow ([Éâ„ ¢ÃƒÅ Ã…  ] or [oÊÅ  ]) are just [o] and ay ([eÉ ª]) is just [e]. Comparing the words has different meaning between British English and Malaysian English. Word/ Phrase Malaysian meaning British/ American Meaning parking lot parking space parking garage (US) flat low-cost apartment apartment (US) apartment medium-cost apartment flat (UK) condominium high-cost apartment Common hold (UK) to revert to come back (reply) to someone to return to a previous state to send to take someone somewhere to cause something to go somewhere without accompanying it Moreover, Malaysian also has the words that were used only in Malaysia. It comes from a variety of influences. Sometimes, the words are also representing the influence of some continuums of Singapore Standard English. In the media, literature, and formal speech used, any words of Malay origin that have made into standard from Malaysian English. Malaysian British / American handphone (often abbreviated to HP) mobile phone or cell phone public telephone or public phone payphone Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indian Chinese Malaysian, Indian Malaysian keep in view (often abbreviated to KIV) kept on file, held for further consideration MC (medical certificate) sick note, aegrotat mee (fromHokkienwordmi) noodles bank in (cheque) deposit a cheque References History of colonialism. 2014. History of colonialism. Wikipedia.http://en/wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_colonialsm (accessed Feb 19, 2014). British Empire. n.d. British Empire. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire#Britain.27s_imperial_century_.281815.E2.8 0.931914.29 (accessed Febr 19, 2014). British Empire. n.d. British Empire. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Language of Burma.n.d. Language of Burma. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Burma (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Burmese language.n.d. Burmese language. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_language (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Burmese English. n.d. Burmese English. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burmese_English (accessed Feb 19, 2014). History of Singapore. n.d. History of Singapore. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Singapore (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Richard Nordquist. n.d. Singapore English. About.http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/SingaporeEnglishterm.htm (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Singapore English. n.d. Singapore English. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singapore_English (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Singlish. n.d. Singlish. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singlish (accessed Feb 19, 2014). Brunei.n.d. Brunei. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunei (accessed Feb 20, 2014). Tincan. 2005. Brunei Darussalam Overview. Minorityrights.http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=3899 (accessed Febr 20, 2014). David Deterding. 2014. Language in Brunei. http://brunei-linguistics.blogspot.com(accessed Feb 20, 2014). Languages of Brunei. n.d. Languages of Brunei. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Brunei (accessed Feb 20, 2014). Brunei. n.d. Negara Brunei Darussalam. Nationsonline.http://www.nat ionsonline.org/oneworld/brunei.htm (accessed Feb 20, 2014). Gloria Poedjosoedarmo. 2014. English in Brunei Darussalam: Portrait of a Vital Language with an Elusive Role. RELC journal. http://rel.sagepub.com/content/35/3/359.short (accessed Feb 20, 2014). Brunei English. n.d. Brunei English. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brunei_English (accessed Feb 20, 2014). Tim Lambert. 2012. A BRIEF HISTORY OF MALAYSIA. Localhistory.http://www.localhistories.org/malaysia.html (accessed Feb 20, 2014). Malaysian English. n.d. Malaysian English. Wikipedia.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaysian_English (accessed Feb 20, 2014).

Advancement in Technology: How it has Lead to a Decrease in Writing Sk

Advancement in Technology: How it has Lead to a Decrease in Writing Skills It’s the 21st century, and technology is rapidly moving more into people's everyday lives, especially as the interest in computers grow. The advancement with computers alone has increased drastically, faster than some would have ever imagined. For the most part, this advancement in computer technology has skyrocketed businesses and eased our lives as a whole in society. However, technology doesn’t always have a positive influence on our lives. In fact, it has the potential to harm a major area of our communication skills if not used carefully. It has been shown that technology is one of the factors as to why writing skills have decreased in the past years. With our nation’s writing skills in a slump, it’s important to note the reasons as to why this trend has started and put an end to it as soon as possible. Computers should be used as a language-learning tool in the classroom, just as any other piece of equipment like a tape recorder or VCR. No one can argue that the computer is one of the most influential tools developed in education. However, in school especially, it seems as if the use of computers has become the center of attention in class lessons, which is where the problem comes in. If for instance, there is a situation when activities at the computer could become the center of attention, teachers should be using more discretion in this area than they currently are today. Relying on computers for every aspect of a lesson will greatly have an effect on a student’s writing capabilities, and it isn’t a positive one. When students are interacting with a computer, they are also using motor skills as well. These motor sk... ... 3e/students/rcd/rcd_ch05.html Haney, W. & Russell, M. (1997). Testing writing on computers. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 5(3), Retrieved October 17, 2004, from Peer-Reviewed Scholarly Electronic Journal database. Jones, Rebecca (Oct1995). Education Digest. Writing Wrongs, Volume 61, page 63. Poor Writing Blamed on Little Practice, Poor Instruction (July 10,2003). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/news/wabc_ourschools_071003writing.html Toner, Erin (1997). Graduates lack computer, writing skills. Resources from state news staff. Retrieved October 17, 2004 from http://www.statenews.com/editionsfall97/082997/p1_study.html Using Technology to Enhance the Writing Processes of Students with Learning Disabilities (1996, July). Retrieved October 17, 2004, from http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/technology/tech_writing.html

Weakness in Molieres Tartuffe :: Tartuffe Essays

Weakness in Tartuffe      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The play "Tartuffe", by Moliere, is a work that was created to show people a flaw in their human nature. There are two characters who portray the main flaw presented in the play. Both Madame Pernelle and Orgon are blinded to the farces of Tartuffe and must be coaxed into believing the truth. The fact that Orgon and Madame Pernelle are too weak to see the truth is an important theme of the play. The most obvious weakness shared between Orgon and Madame Pernelle is gullibility. The trait of gullibility can be seen as a family trait as suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" : "His mother shares his capacity for self-delusion even after Tartuffe has been found out ("We cannot always judge by what we see")" (Weals). Orgon believes because Tartuffe claims to be a man of God he should put everything he has into Tartuffe's hands. He proves how much he believes this after Damis tells him that Tartuffe was flirting with Elmire. From this accusation Orgon replies to Damis: "I disinherit you; an empty purse / Is all you'll get from me - except my curse!" (III, vii , 68). Madame Pernelle shows the family trait that she shares with her son when she states: "He's a fine man, and should be listened to."(I, i ,44), while speaking of Tartuffe. Although they share this trait throughout the play, Orgon's eyes are finally opened at the end of the play while his mother is still held by the farce of Tartuffe. Although Tartuffe is portrayed as the main character of the play, Orgon is the character who should really be paid attention to the most. As suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" audiences who concentrate on the character who titles the work may miss the author's point: "...vitriol and spleen vented on one man suggests that Moliere's satire of Orgon, nevermind Tartuffe, was steeped in truth." (Smaje). Orgon is the character who represents the weakness in human nature. This weakness is shown throughout the play. Orgon is so willing to entrust everything he has into the care of Tartuffe. He places Tartuffe above the well being of his family. When he returns from his trip and asks Cleante how the household was while he was gone, Cleante tells him that his wife had been very sick. Orgon's odd response is, "Ah. Weakness in Moliere's Tartuffe :: Tartuffe Essays Weakness in Tartuffe      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The play "Tartuffe", by Moliere, is a work that was created to show people a flaw in their human nature. There are two characters who portray the main flaw presented in the play. Both Madame Pernelle and Orgon are blinded to the farces of Tartuffe and must be coaxed into believing the truth. The fact that Orgon and Madame Pernelle are too weak to see the truth is an important theme of the play. The most obvious weakness shared between Orgon and Madame Pernelle is gullibility. The trait of gullibility can be seen as a family trait as suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" : "His mother shares his capacity for self-delusion even after Tartuffe has been found out ("We cannot always judge by what we see")" (Weals). Orgon believes because Tartuffe claims to be a man of God he should put everything he has into Tartuffe's hands. He proves how much he believes this after Damis tells him that Tartuffe was flirting with Elmire. From this accusation Orgon replies to Damis: "I disinherit you; an empty purse / Is all you'll get from me - except my curse!" (III, vii , 68). Madame Pernelle shows the family trait that she shares with her son when she states: "He's a fine man, and should be listened to."(I, i ,44), while speaking of Tartuffe. Although they share this trait throughout the play, Orgon's eyes are finally opened at the end of the play while his mother is still held by the farce of Tartuffe. Although Tartuffe is portrayed as the main character of the play, Orgon is the character who should really be paid attention to the most. As suggested in an essay on "Tartuffe" audiences who concentrate on the character who titles the work may miss the author's point: "...vitriol and spleen vented on one man suggests that Moliere's satire of Orgon, nevermind Tartuffe, was steeped in truth." (Smaje). Orgon is the character who represents the weakness in human nature. This weakness is shown throughout the play. Orgon is so willing to entrust everything he has into the care of Tartuffe. He places Tartuffe above the well being of his family. When he returns from his trip and asks Cleante how the household was while he was gone, Cleante tells him that his wife had been very sick. Orgon's odd response is, "Ah.

Psychological Trauma in Truman Capotes In Cold Blood :: In Cold Blood Essays

Brian Conniff's article, "Psychological Accidents: In Cold Blood and Ritual Sacrifice," explains how Truman Capote's nonfiction novel demonstrates the psychological trauma that the murderers and the townspeople of Holcomb face after the murders of the Clutter family. Conniff begins his article by stating that in the last twenty-five years imprisonment and execution has reached an all-time high level of obsession among the American public. Since this type of violence has been so normalized it is rarely properly understood (1). With this in mind, prison literature has continually suggested that "the most fortified barriers are not the physical walls and fences between the prison, and the outside world; the most fortified barriers are the psychological walls between the preoccupations of everyday life . . .and the conscious realization that punishment is the most self-destructive kind of national addiction" (Conniff 1). Conniff believes that these psychological walls are most confronted in and clearly seen in In Cold Blood. When Perry Smith, one of the murderers, confesses to the crime to Agent Alvin Dewey, Agent Dewey is surprisingly disappointed. Agent Dewey discovers that the truth is more disturbing than anything he would have ever imagined. Conniff writes, "The truth, Dewey discovers, is at once more ordinary and more disturbing than anything he has been able to imagine" (2). Smith and Hickock did not murder the Clutters for revenge and they didn't even know their victims. The crime was a virtually impersonal act and Agent Dewey does not want to believe this (2). At first Capote was not concerned with the capture and punishment of the criminals. Capote underestimated the community's need for retribution and its need to return to normalcy by enacting a violence of its own (2). Before the murders the community lived an unfearful life, no locked doors, no suspicion of one another. This "normalcy" could not be restored until the murderers were caught and punished (2). When the community began to lock its doors at night, it was trying to keep the invader from outside the community out (2). When the Hickock and Smith were finally caught the community categorized them as animals, this "allowed the community to deprive them of their humanity" (2). Conniff goes on to say, "a common normalcy ultimately depends upon the complete exclusion of outsiders, the exorcism of these mysterious animals is just as important as their discovery and capture" (3).

What are some of the stereotypic traits typically assigned to being feminine and to being masculine?

Men and women are being stereotyped as polygamous and polyandra. Transcending from animal to human behaviour, many would rather conclude that even man are not naturally inclined to be monogamous. Like the primates, two forms are readily observable in society. Of the two types of marriage systems, polygamy (plural marriage) has been found to be the most common throughout history than its opposite form of monogamy.Polygamy has taken two forms: polyandra, in which a wife has two or more husbands; and polygyny, in which a man has two or more wives. This second form of plural marriage has been much more common, historically, than the first, and still is, although polyandry still persisted towards the early 20th century in parts of India, on the high plateau of Tibet, and in other scattered localities. Primary reason for its practice mainly falls out of necessity.Sustenance depends from a limited number of farmland and the careful balancing of population against food reserves. Each family therefore, avoids dividing its meagre tillage in ever-diminishing lots among its progeny by having the younger sons share the wife of the eldest son. Not only does this practice reduce the number of children in each generation, and keep each property permanently within the family, it has some other curious results.Polyandry, for some reason not wholly accounted for by anthropologists, reduces the fertility of wives, and produces an abnormal ratio of male to female births. Custom obliges them to treat each husband with equal favour, but it often happens that a woman of many husbands may prefer one brother to all the others. Due to contacts with dwellers outside their village, women are feeling the stigma of polyandra. More women from this system then, are beginning to revolt and are asserting their own demands for monogamy.

Los Angeles Abrasion Value

LOS ANGELES ABRASION VALUE This method describes the procedure for the determination of the Los Angeles Abrasion Value of aggregate APPARATUS Australian Standard sieves (Grade B) as required. 1 2 A thermostatically controlled oven with good air ventilation capable of maintaining a temperature within the range of 105Â °C to 110Â °C. 3 Sieve brushes. 4 Balance readable and accurate to at least one gram. 5 Sample divider of the multiple slot type. A suitable design is shown in Figure 1. 6 Los Angeles Machine essential dimensions complying with Figure 2.Worksheet, MRD 1165 (recommendation only) 7. PROCEDURE 1 Obtain a test sample taken in accordance with Test Method WA200. 1. 2 Select a grading defined in Table 1 appropriate to the particle size distribution of the test sample. 3 Wash the test sample by agitation under running water for approximately ten minutes. 5 Dry the test sample to constant mass (Note a), in an oven at a temperature within the range of 105Â °C to 110Â °C, cool to room temperature and sieve it on the appropriate sieves until a sufficient mass of each fraction has been obtained.Adjust the mass of material so obtained for each sieve fraction by quartering or riffling, if necessary, to within two percent of the relevant mass shown in Table. 1. Determine the mass of each fraction and combine the sieve fractions to form a test portion ), to at least the nearest 1g, of the test portion. Place it, together with the appropriate ball charge defined in Table 1, in the Los Angeles Machine. Rotate the machine for 500 or 1 000 revolutions as required in Table 1 (Note b).

Conflict and Negotiation Essay

Conflict inside organization can be defined as the workplace issue that generates frequent expressions of emotion, frustration and anger. Conflict is fundamental to every functional organization. It is important to realize that conflicts are inevitable in organizational and personal life. Without conflict an organization will become stagnant, some times not productive. Conflict in the workplace is inevitable and occurs because people care about what they are doing. Conflict has good and bad consequences inside organization. Conflict make people or teams grow together, help motivate individuals to do better and work harder, satisfy needs such as dominance, aggression, esteem and ego; provide creative and innovative ideas. On the same time, conflict can slow growth, reduce productivity, waste huge amounts of time, make workplace life miserable, and affect individual and organizational performance. It is very important for the management to be able to identify conflict from the beginning because it’s easier to prevent unnecessary conflict than to manage conflict once it started. The conflict resolution requires great managerial skills. It is important for the executive to be able to reduce or eliminate unnecessary conflict and handle disagreements so they do not become ugly ongoing conflict. Management needs to be able to deal with calm once that conflict started, to remain neutral and judge objective, to apologize to the part that is affected by conflict in order to show that they care, to identify the consequences, request for specific actions that can be implemented right away.

Franchising Opportunities in McDonald

Operating since 1955, McDonalds is world’s leading food service retailer with approximately 30,000 outlets in 119 countries serving roughly 46 million customers per day. McDonalds holds a large share in the globally branded fast food restaurants practically in every country and is one of the most famous and valuable brands. Since the very beginning, McDonald has always been a franchising company with franchising as its business focus. Moreover, since it is a well established brand franchising with it will ensure business security. The company poses attractive franchising opportunities as it is spread globally franchisees can literally choose the city of their choice. The franchisee will be assured that the brand is strong and business would be steady as the brand knows how to survive through generations despite the cutthroat competition. There are advantages for the franchisee as working with a giant is lucrative and adds to personal business knowledge. McDonald takes personal interest and supports the business whether local or international especially in areas of training, operations,   advertising, marketing, human resources, real estate, construction, purchasing and maintenance. This would enable maintenance of standards and be a big support to the franchisee for running the business. The franchising process is quite flexible and attainable. A new McDonald restaurant varies from $466,000 -955,500 USD. Of course the size of the facility of the restaurant, area and locality, expenses of pre-opening, the inventory, equipment, signage, dà ©cor and the landscaping will impact the cost. An initial fee of $45,000 USD is paid to McDonald's Corporation for all new restaurants. The initial cash investment is $175,000 minimum for a conventional purchase or $100,000 for a Business Facilities Lease. However the company doesn’t offer financing to franchisees and the initial fee capital should be your own and not borrowed. This means that the franchisee has to have a solid initial capital of its own. McDonald itself will develop the location and will evaluate and select it. It acquires the property, improves the site and undertakes the construction. It is the responsibility of the franchisee to equip the facility. Once the sites are developed they are offered to prospective franchisees. This ensures that the business is set in the right place and will be lucrative and at the same time standards will be maintained. The profitably defers due to reasons like sales location of the restaurant, occupancy and the cost of operating and the individual ability of the franchisee to manage and control. 4% of monthly sales are given as royalty to the company which could at times be heavy for the franchisee. The prospects look good but from the point of view of the franchisee they may not be so. Firstly, McDonald being a world renowned firm has its exceptionally high standards of quality and services which have to be met by world standards. There is tough competition between outlets in terms of promotions and services which the franchisee has to keep up. Also, there is a heavy down payment and a royalty from monthly sales. The franchisee may not be able to open the franchise in the location of his choice. Lastly, obtaining a franchise may be difficult as there is a long wait in line. Nevertheless, because of the steady flow of business and prospective relations with a world renowned brand, franchisees choose McDonalds evident by their ever growing franchises globally. Reference [Online] Available at: http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/franchise/franchisinghome.html/

CyberSecurity Profile on the CIA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

CyberSecurity Profile on the CIA - Essay Example G-1 – G-2, F-51; National Archives and Records Administration, 2000; Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). The available data suggests that the CIA strictly categorizes data and information systems in accordance with the laws, directives and guidelines attendant to the critical nature of the work of the CIA and the confidential nature of such data and systems. The data suggests formal documentation, as evident from the rigor of the categorization, though formal documentation is not available from the sources. The assumption is that categorization approval is embedded in the CIA policies and procedures, and emanates from the very top of the organization (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2010, pp. G-1 – G-2. F-226; Clift, 2007; Clift, 2007; Thibodeau, 2009). The CIA does appoint a senior information security officer to take charge of information security program coordination, development, implementation and maintenance across the whole organization, in the person of the Chief Information Officer or CIO. The CIO is empowered with the appropriate mandate, coming from the US President and the organization, as well as with the appropriate resources for the purpose (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2010, pp. G-1 – G-2 ,F-207, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 2012). From the available literature, and from the example of its evolving cloud architecture, the functional architecture exists with the corresponding external interfaces, the appropriate security clearances and levels, information storage and transmission compliant with the laws, and level of priority for restoration of the information and related services (National Institute of Standards and Technology, 2010, pp. G-1 – G-2, F-201; Clift, 2007; Central Intelligence Agency, 2012; Thibodeau, 2009). There are appropriate screening procedures prior to access

Choose the topic in the document Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Choose the topic in the document - Essay Example In addition, many of the music artists, despite the fact that they did most of the work, tended not to gain as much as the recording companies for which they worked. This created a situation where artists who were very talented often lived on a hand to mouth basis; where they barely kept themselves from being sucked into poverty. Song writing was done on an individual basis where the artists wrote and performed their own songs, mostly without any help from the companies with which they worked. In 1946, there were barely any companies dedicated to music and this is because of the fact that it was yet to be taken seriously as a many making venture. All this changed within the next decade as more music companies were formed as the music industry started becoming competitive and as new talent was discovered and nurtured (Garofalo 320). However, by 1956, all this had changed as the marketing of the music produced was not only done at a local level, but marketing campaigns were also done a t a regional, national, and international level. The diverse marketing of music by the various music producing companies ensured that the music of even less known artists reached a wider audience than it would normally have if marketing were done at only the local level, as was the case in 1946. The professionalism of the music production companies also increased and this made the latter to be able to compete effectively against other record companies attempting fight for the music market. The song writing was no longer the domain of musicians as many of them ended up singing songs that were written by other people. In addition, the production of music was done at a larger scale as more people became attracted to music that was not created in their own localities, and instead started looking far afield to gratify their tests. Furthermore, radio station played music on a larger scale than before and this was done because of the popular demand for music from the listeners. This create d a situation where it was much easier for the record companies involved to assess the fan base of all the songs that they produced and look for potential markets. This trend continued in the music industry for decades to come and it has become the norm as music has gained a worldwide audience. Q4 One of the greatest and most unappreciated roles that rock and roll music played was that of helping to undermine the power of the Soviet Union as well as that of its satellites. This form of music ensured that the west, which was demonized by the soviet bloc as being occupied by inhuman individuals whose only goal was the accumulation of personal wealth, was humanized. It created a situation where individuals in the soviet bloc began to look at the west differently, and it enabled rock and roll to be listened to even in the eastern bloc. The success of rock and roll was so great that it was able to have a wide audience in the soviet bloc even though this block had many political and socia l rivalries with the west. One would go as far as to say that rock and roll may have played a huge role in ensuring that the west was marketed as being a place where individuals could live in peace, enjoying all the freedom that was theirs from birth. This is perhaps the reason why despite living in rival states, the people of the west and of the east were brought together for the love of rock

Information sources and services Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Information sources and services - Assignment Example In this context, it can be affirmed that libraries are the centre of academic activities, as they serve educational organisations along with the students, teachers and administrators with miscellaneous information necessities (Bhatia & Vohra, 2007). It is in this context that the characteristics of information have transformed significantly in recent times. Most striking characteristics of today’s knowledge-oriented generation are the propagation of huge quantity of data, especially in the digital format. Thus, the major challenges for libraries in 21st century are to search, address and use information effectively in order to satisfy the varied groups of people. Based on this perspective, the discussion will intend to develop strategies and options for a large vocational education library which serves almost 30,000 students. With the changes in the requirement of information, the library services are facing significant pressure in terms of the number of services with the reduction in the traditional information counter tasks in library. Considering this aspect, the discussion intends to reform the information service of library which can reflect the requirements of large and varied user groups comprising young and mature students belonging to various cultural and economic backgrounds, professional interns and trainees along with immigrants, tutors and community workers. Reference and Information Services Reference and information services denote individual support delivered to the people in order to satisfy their information requirements. It is based on high level of communication between guiding members and individuals. Providing such custom-made support can be thus regarded as a major objective of library occupation in the modern day phenomenon. In the 21st century, the constant growth of accessibility for digital databases has altered the characteristics of reference services in library. Undeniably, the upsurge of internet and increasing number of contributions for accessing online information and free online materials has also made the improvement of library services more critical (Australian Library and Information Association, 2011). Today, librarians are generally confronted with broad ranges of information alternatives which must be assessed for genuineness and accurateness. It is in this regard that new technologies act as streams leading t o vast torrent of knowledge for people. Thus, providing users with personalised facilities in sensible way can ensure excellence in library information and reference services (Bopp & Smith, 2011). Models of Reference Services In the current day scenario, the digital age has changed the tasks of reference librarians by a certain extent. Although the central task remains the same, i.e. to provide professional support in addressing beneficial information to the users, the new world of accessible electronic databases has developed new ways to manage information in modern day libraries (Lamolinara & Grunke, 1998). The delivery modes of services have also changed in recent days. Where traditionally, users were required to attain services through face to face interactions; in virtual model, the key modes has transformed to electronic modes such as e-mails and chats among other means of communication. Furthermore, traditionally, reference work included arranging and publishing academic info rmation which were principally assimilated from commercial salespersons. However, in the current day phenomenon, the reference tasks have grown to select, store, manage and organize information in a standard format. Therefore, it can be affirmed that the roles of librarians have moved from custodial role to more communication role (Breitbach & DeMars,

My narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My narrative - Essay Example It is crucially important for educators to encourage inclusive education, in which the classroom is converted into such a learning environment where students with special needs are encouraged to learn and develop self-confidence, without having to face ridicule. For example, autism, dyslexia, hearing and visual impairments, and ADHD are such disorders that involve specially designed teaching strategies. For me, it will be important to understand the problems of such children in my classroom, in order to plan my lessons accordingly. Children with special needs require special support with their learning styles (James, 2008, p.54). A multisensory approach is the best which supports the child in all the three ways: auditory, visual and kinesthetic. ICT offers many solutions for children with disabilities (McKeon, 2000). Teachers must understand that children with special needs need extra time and effort in understanding the lesson, and hence they should be treated quite differently in l esson, but not in a way that makes them stand out. Hence, teachers must implement such learning strategies that help dyslexic children retain information in their memory for longer time, while helping them maintain their self-esteem at the same

STRATEGIC REVIEW CASE ASSIGNMENT 1 THE EXCELLENT CONSULTING GROUP Essay

STRATEGIC REVIEW CASE ASSIGNMENT 1 THE EXCELLENT CONSULTING GROUP - Essay Example A thorough analysis of the external elements of the business as well as the current strategies has also been made, based on which a strong set of recommendations have been set down for the company. The next section will deal with the current situation of the company. Here we discuss the mission and vision of the company followed by the strategies that the company currently adopts. The company’s main objective is to grow to become the leaders in mobile computing. The company’s mission statement is â€Å"Our objective is to be the leader in mobile computing† (Palms Annual Report). The company’s vision statement has been noted to include a number of different areas, like, â€Å"a) Develop market-defining products that deliver a great user experience, b) Provide a choice of industry standard platforms, c) Differentiate our products through software and applications, d) Expand global presence and e) Build a brand synonymous with delightful mobile computing† (Palms Annual Report). It is evident that the company is focusing on becoming the world leaders and has taken all possible steps to ensure that they read their mission. As explained earlier, the company’s goal and objective is to become the world leaders in mobile computing. The company focuses on the providing the industry with a wide range of industry standard platforms (Palm Inc.). The company also focuses on ensuring that products and services provide a great customer experience and allow the customers gain the best of the industry. Based on the goals and objectives of the company, Palm Inc has been able to effectively develop a brand image, which has been consistent with one which provides high quality and excellent customer experience. The company has also been able to use the highest and best level of software and applications. The company’s main strength is the differentiation that the company has been able to achieve in the markets and the high choice of standard platforms that the

David Mamet's ascertains that actor training limits the narrative Dissertation

David Mamet's ascertains that actor training limits the narrative process is undermined by his own work - Dissertation Example Mamet’s works reflects a minimalist approach and it would appear that, given the meaning and elements of narrative in the performing arts, Mamet’s minimalist approach was demonstratively more inconsistent with the narrative process. This research study analyses Mamet’s contention that actor training limits the narrative process is undermined by his work. It is concluded that Mamet’s approach to acting is formalistic and although his approach to acting is interesting, actor training helps to create academy award winners none of whom can be accused of letting their acting techniques limit the narrative process. In fact, actor training is a more certain way of ensuring that the narrative process flows fluidly. Table of Contents Abstract 2 Introduction 5 Narrative in Film and the Visual Arts 5 Definitions 5 Narrative in Film and the Visual Arts 6 Actor Training and Acting Styles and Techniques 8 Mamet’s Works and The Narrative Process 10 Conclusion 20 B ibliography 21 Certification I certify that this dissertation is original and any ideas or material that are not the authors is properly cited and credited using Chicago referencing format. Introduction The fact that David Mamet’s claim that actor training limits the narrative process is undermined by his own work, is not surprising. As both a writer and director, Mamet’s works often contradict his style and philosophies. For example, Mamet’s writing is replete with realism, however, his directing produces minimalist styles rather than realism.1 This dissertation focuses on the contradiction between Mamet’s claim that actor training limits the narrative and his own work. It is hypothesized that Mamet’s claim is limited by his understanding of the narrative process as a screenwriter and playwright, yet his work reflects a directing style that understands that acting, directing, choreography and the ensemble of scenes and sounds produce a seamless na rrative. In order to explore and test this hypothesis this dissertation is divided into three main parts. The first part of this dissertation describes and analyses narrative in the film and visual arts. The second part of this dissertation analysing actor training and the styles contemplated by actor training. The third part of this dissertation demonstrates how Mamet’s claim is undermined by his claim. Narrative in Film and the Visual Arts Definitions According to action theory, narrative is story telling that moves the plot along. Thus narrative is action within a story that moves the plot along and this is usually driven by action and character.2 The theory of narratology of drams is represented in two ways. Prior to the 20th century, narratology of drams limited the concept and definition of drama to â€Å"the verbal transmission of fictional stories†.3 However, as the landscape of fiction changed, there was an increasing interest in narrative in all forms, includ ing paintings. Thus the theory of narratology of drama took into account the fact that there were â€Å"extranarrative† forms that not only helped to tell a story, but was a manifestation of the story itself.4 The theory of narratology of drama is now connected more firmly with the idea that narrative is any text that tells a story and narrative is therefore comprised of â€Å"temporal structure, a set of characters, and a setting.†5 Depending on the discipline, narrative can have a restrictive or very broad meaning. For example in psychology, narrative narrowly contemplates

Cross Listing Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cross Listing - Coursework Example The company obtains benefits by the economic activities of that foreign country especially from the financial market’s ability to provide greater strength to the market value of that domestic company. Cross listing is also one of the methods of diversifying the investors’ risk profile. By investing in a company which is not a domestic company, allows much more diversification to the local investors as they are now subject to different sorts of risk exposures as compared to their other counterparts. These investors are subject to the risk of the economy of that cross listed company’s country. In short, cross listing provides another avenue of financial resources to the domestic company as well as provides a safeguard from a likely hostile takeover. It also provides a greater opportunity and flexibility to the foreign investors in managing and maintaining their portfolio of investments in a diversified manner. Essar Energy plc is one of the best private groups of India which have substantial investments in both the oil & gas sector as well as the in the power sector. Established in 1989 with petroleum sector only, the company has made remarkable achievements such that the company remained highly successful even in diversifying its operations by investing in refinery and later on, in the power generation and distribution sector. In June 2010, the company cross listed itself in London Stock Exchange after already having a presence in the local stock exchanges in India. The company managed to raise net proceeds of around $1.8 billion from the UK investor. This had been the largest IPO subscription in London Stock Exchange after 2007 by any company. Currently, the company is a constituent of FTSE 100 index of London Stock Exchange. After a tremendous turnaround and interest of the foreign investors in the stakes of the Essar Energy plc, the company

Poverty in the United States and in India Essay Example for Free

Poverty in the United States and in India Essay Poverty is the inability to meet basic needs of life and to some extent the inability to meet essential material needs that ensure a safe and secure livelihood. The United States measures poverty using governments set poverty line. In rough estimate around 12% to 16% in the United States live below the poverty line. When statistics were done in the year 2006, people under the 18 were the ones highly affected by poverty. A research that was done recently by Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire, the rate of children who are poor is relatively higher in the rural parts than in the suburban areas. The US government and other nongovernmental organizations have been trying to reduce the level of poverty in the country. They have tried to educate as well as initiating campaigns that focus on poverty eradication. With this they place their focus especially on the homeless, people faced by atrocities like earthquakes, immigrants and others. The government has tried to build up charity programs and social workings based on improving the nature of the impoverished people. Faced with the heated up issue on poverty the Government has come up with 2017 poverty eradication plan, that is based on lowering or bringing to an end the poverty that faces some parts in the country. The Government embarks on raising the low- income workers minimum wage to 50 percent unlike the 30 percent that they earn. The Government also in tends to raise the Earned Income tax Credit and Child Tax Credit; the former enables people to invest on assets and the latter provides the child with a tax credit of $1000 per child. The Government wants to establish a policy that looks after the rights of employees, leading to better jobs and good salaries. It will also embark on child care help to those families that have got a low income and promote education for all. It will also create be able to place youths that are disadvantaged to schools and work so they are able to earn a living. They also want to make sure that they make it possible for higher education to be available in every state. These among many other solutions are being looked at by the US government in order to reduce the rate of poverty. Factors that result to poverty in the US include; parents not being married and raising children out of wedlock, Great amounts of taxes imposed even to the low income earning people, Public schools are run poorly, in addition to being funded heavily such that some people do not afford them. , children score very low in marks. Diseases like mental disabilities, abuse of drugs, domestic abuse and also natural disasters are other causes of poverty in the United States. INDIA India is one of the poorest countries in the world, unlike the US which is a world class country. Its most people live below the poverty line that is one third of the population. According to World Bank; 2005, â€Å"India has 456 million people, 46% of its population lives below the poverty line, it also has 828 million people, or 75. 6% living below $2 a day† Some of the causes of Indias poverty are the meager daily wages that employees receive. Most people in India live in rural India. They get very low of what they earn which is basically not possible to live a comfortable life with. There is also unequal distribution of wealth with very less people earning 33% of the income while most people in the country earn less than what is expected by the Government and that is $0. 40 per day. Others of those people work in informal job sectors that have got no job or social security hence leading them to extreme poverty. As a result of the income inequality, most children in India are affected by food, surviving rarely on very little. A high percentage of those children are suffering from malnutrition, than has been witnessed in other countries. The major causes of poverty in India are derived from two schools of thought. The first being the Developmental view which states, that Indias economy was completely deindustrialized. This resulted to all goods and services turning out to be very expensive and the India man could barely afford. As a result of the tremendous increase in prices and a decline in terms of trade, a massive hunger struck and resulted to many Indians dying. The land where the people grew food crops was all destroyed and cash crops such as cotton, opium, tea and grain for export and more so for animal feeds were planted. With this, it is evident that the colonial governments were part to blame for the impoverished country. The other school of thought; Neoliberal view states that both unemployment and underemployment were also a cause towards poor India. Farmers in India too over rely much on Agriculture products without looking for other investment areas. In other words the people of India have got great food security but low economic growth. Agriculture, unfortunately contributes to economy growth only 18% whereas 60% of the population depend on it. India too has got a high population growth that has immensely led to poverty since agriculture is their main source of income and the people are too many to be assisted by agriculture only. The â€Å"caste system† in India has also been blamed as a cause of poverty, since most people were left out in employment opportunities, education and other essentials. In conclusion, both India and the US have been faced with poverty issues; however, we cannot equate poverty in US to that in India. Indias economic growth is very low, the US are a bit privileged, since they are one of the most powerful countries economically. India might take a long time to recover but US is able to make sure that their goals towards curbing poverty are initiated and bring forth fruits.

Do you Hear the People Sing - Les Miserables Essay Example for Free

Do you Hear the People Sing Les Miserables Essay Looking at the political situation in the historical novel Les Miserables, the song â€Å"Do you hear the people sing? † is apparently a political song with the objective to express their disagreement towards injustices and stiff culture during those times. The character apparently struggle for redemption and revolution, and are joined by an ensemble that includes student revolutionaries, prostitutes, low class workers and other groups that are consider inferior. The first one who sang is Enjolras, a charismatic leader of a French group of revolutionary students. In his part specially the lines â€Å"Do you hear the people sing?.. It is the music of a people/ Who will not be slaves again! †, one can really see his belief in democratic freedom and equality. In his lines, Enjolras as a leader, rouses the revolutionaries and declares that it is now time to strike. The lines of Combeferre on the other hand suggest something attainable and practicable on how to be free. He motivates the people to join and to be involved personally as his lines says â€Å"Will you join in our crusade? / Who will be strong and stand with me? †. His desire in his lines is to instill into all minds the broad principles on how to be free. His lines suggest wisdom- from knowledge from Enjolras to application of knowledge. Feuilly on the other hand emphasizes the significance of honour in fighting for the good cause of humanity, â€Å"Will you stand up and take your chance? / The blood of the martyrs/ Will water the meadows of France! †. Despite their different tones and personalities manifested in their own respective lines, they all have the common aim to finally free themselves and France to different injustices due to the stiff embedded culture. They have a revolutionary tone where every word is pronounce properly and slowly with emphasis.

Personnel management and human resource management

Personnel management and human resource management Topic â€Å"Personnel Management Human Resource Management the same wine, only different bottle†. Explain clearly, what is meant by the term human resource management, noting the differences and similarities to personnel management. Argue in favor of one approach to managing employees. Introduction In this document we plan to assess how human resource management is different from personnel management, why companies switched from personnel management system to the well known human resource management system, how is HR Management different from Personnel management, and why we chose the HR approach to employees. Human Resource Management Definition There are many definitions of what human resource management is, many people think that there is no difference between the old personnel management practices and the new human resource practices expect the new â€Å"label†, one definition that we think reflects the human resource management of today is : â€Å"Human Resource Management is a distinctive approach to employment management which seeks to achieve competitive advantage through the strategic deployment of a highly committed and capable workforce, using an integrated array of cultural, structural and personnel techniques.† Background All organisations, from small firms to giant corporations, from service companies to hi-tech organisations, engage in human resource management activities. They needs to utilise their resources effectively in order to achieve their objectives and targets. Human Resource Management is an issue of vital concern to all managers, and is the most important resource which employs all other resources to produce the desired outcome of the organisation. Thus the effective deploying of employees is a key element that adds to the competitive advantage of the firm (Molander, 1989). However, as globalisation and growing economic interdependence among nations emerged, along with rapid socio-economic changes and intensifying of the competition between organisations, the management of people increasingly became a critical issue for businesses. Therefore Personnel Management has to ensure that personnel policies and practices are geared to the objectives and strategy of the organisation in order to cope with the turbulent environment and respond to the new business needs and the external threats from the competitors. Consequently, this resulted in perpetual development and change of personnel management. In this respect the language of Human Resource Management has emerged to translate a new term for the management of employees in this active and changing world. However, the literature demonstrates a debate about the ambiguity of differentiating personnel from human resource management. Hendry (1995:55) states that: â€Å"Human Resource Management has gained rapid and widespread acceptance as a new term for managing employment. It remains, however; an ambiguous concept. People question whether it is any different from the traditional personnel management, nor it is clear what it consists in practice†. Some scholars however argue that HRM is an evolution of the process of personnel management (PM) and not a new theory of management employees, for example according to Torrington and Hall (1993:3): â€Å" personnel management is experiencing the biggest change in its history. Many commentators believed that the arrival of human resource management was to be the greatest change in emphasis, but that was no more than re-thinking the process inside the organisation..†. Similarly Guest (1987) also supports this notion by saying that label has changed whilst the content continues to be the same. On the other hand, other writers attempt to make a distinction between HRM and PM. Hendry and Pettigrew (1990:25) state that â€Å"HRM is then a perspective on personnel management, not personnel management itself†. Additionally, they argue that the strategic character of HRM is distinctive. Underpinning this distinction, Legge (1995) identifies three features differentiating HRM from PM where the former is concerned with managerial staff and promotes integrated line management activities, with more focus on senior management being involved in the management of culture. The developing countries are characterised by weak economic, legal and political institutions that lead to corruption, insecurity, conflict and lack of competitiveness in labour, technology and skills. The introduction of trade liberalisation and increased international competition in such conditions can have serious consequences for the infant industries in the developing countries (Stiglitz, 2000). However it is generally claimed that opening to the global markets increases the flow of foreign direct investment into the developing countries, allows them to catch up with the latest technology without need for considerable investment or research, bring capital into the country, build expertise, induce innovation, and thus contribute to the general economic growth. Francois and Schuknecht (2000) provide some empirical evidence that openness to global markets leads to GDP growth. These findings are of course challenged by others. The Term â€Å"Human Resource† comes from 2 different fields, in political economy and economics it is known as labor and it is one of the four factors of production for any establishment. Nowadays â€Å"human resource† is one of the most important departments in any organization, compared to the old days where human resource was seen as a marginal department, where improvement and strategic planning wasnt needed. The Human Resource System started back in the 19th, where two important movements occurred that changed the way companies and industries would treat their workforce, the first two companies in the 19th to do so were Cadbury and Bournville that recognized the importance of looking after their employees, and their families by offering them benefits or services that would help them in their daily work. After the second world war, major companies in the USA that just emerged in the market, started hiring personnel from the military and thus where able to apply new, selections, training, leadership and management development. The role of Human Resource Management shifted throughout the middle of the 20th century, when critics started saying that two different HR systems where created, the â€Å"soft† and â€Å"hard† systems, where the soft HR system focused on areas such as leadership, cohesion, and loyalty which was seen as an important role in the organization, and the â€Å"hard† side which was the old system of the human resource where organizations still viewed human resource as a marginal department that didnt need improvement and strategic planning, and that employees would be used as commodities. Purpose and Role The purpose and role of human resource management is to maximize the return on investment of the organization from the human capital and to minimize its financial risk, Human resource seeks to achieve the organizations goals and objective by hiring skilled and qualified individuals and by aligning the capabilities of the current workforce, the human resource department must support and respect the workforce and take into account legal and ethical practices. Key Functions The key functions of human resource are to set strategic planning and develop policies and systems to be implemented in a whole range of areas in the organization, such as the following: Recruitment and Selection Organizational design and development Performance, conduct and behavior management Industrial and employee relations Management of workforce personnel data Compensation, rewards and benefits management Training and development Trends and Influences In order for the Human Resource function to know the business environment in which the organization operates, it needs to take into calculation three major trends. Demographics The characteristics of a workforce or population such as gender, age or social status need to taken into consideration, the result of this trend may have an effect on the organization and its policies toward the workforce/employees, such as pension offerings, insurance packages and so on. Diversity The diversity within a workforce or population might also affect the organization and its policies, by diversity we mean race, gender, sexual orientation and so on. As an example organizations of today might notice that the majority of the workforce is made up of â€Å"baby-boomers† or older employees, so the focus of their benefits and policies might also change. Skills and qualifications As todays organizations and industries go from a manual to a more managerial focus, so does the need of organizations to hire highly skilled graduates, in a tight market, meaning that there arent many employees or workforce, organizations and companies might compete for employees by offering them different benefits or rewards. Structure Human resource development is the main structure of this function, where employees are viewed by organizations as assets rather than commodities, where developing the workforce will benefit greatly the organization, and allows its workforce for individual development, where the employee, organization and nation will benefit from this. â€Å"Human resources primary focus is in the growth and employee developmentit emphasizes developing individual potential and skills†. (Elwood, Olton and Trott 1996) Ethical Management This new Human resource practices and function is seen today as a more ethical approach to employee management, where the organization is trying to grow its employees skills and knowledge, rather than using its workforce as commodities, that can be replaced anytime. Differences and Similarities to Personnel Management There have been many debates about whether Personnel Management and Human Resource management is the same thing, just with a different name, but after some research into this matter people came up with some differences between the two functions. Human resource management is focused more on long-term planning, where organizations develop and train their employees for the future benefit of the company, where Personnel management is focused on the short-term planning where employees are treated just as commodities and arent given any or slim training in their respective field, In the planning process human resource management focuses on a proactive and integrated strategic planning, where the department plans for the future of employees and its organization, where personnel management has a more reactive and marginal approach to planning, meaning that organizations that plan to use personnel management see this department as a marginal, not so important and doesnt accord any strategic planning to it. The psychological contract of human resources is focused on commitment, where employees will become committed to their work, throw development of skills or career, thus increasing productivity within the organization, in the other hand, personnel management focuses on compliance, where employees are seen as commodities and are required to do their job and tasks as they are given by the manager without room for personal development. The employee relation in this two workforce management systems are totally different, in human resource management the relation between the employer and the employees is seen as one of the most important in the organization, where employees are the asset of the company, there is high trust between the employer and the employees and they are treated in a unitarist and individual way; where in personnel management, employee relation is focused on a pluralist and collective system, where the organization or personnel management has low trust toward his employees, treating them in a collective perspective. The structure and system of the two functions are different too, where human resources structure is more organic, where teamwork is the focus for the workforce, meaning that the organization takes into consideration the needs of their employees, where the main focus for the organization is the workforce and not the product or service, where in personnel management the spotlights are on the product or service and the its structure is more Bureaucratic, meaning the needs and wants of employees are not taken into consideration by the organization, with pre-defined roles for each employee, and its system is centralized, compared to the human resources individual system and its flexible roles offered to their employees. These two functions are evaluated in different ways too, where in human resource management evaluation is done throw maximum utilization, where organization try to maximize their employee potential rather than cost minimization like in personnel management. Our Point of View For those who recognize a difference between personnel management and human resources, the difference can be described as philosophical. Personnel management is more administrative in nature, dealing with payroll, complying with employment law, and handling related tasks. Human resources, on the other hand, are responsible for managing a workforce as one of the primary resources that contributes to the success of an organization. Our point of view regarding which of these two approaches to employee management is better, is that human resource management is better in the long-run, where personnel management would have an advantage in the short-term and in some industries like manufacturing where people posses no or low skills and knowledge; after reading both meaning and seeing their differences and similarities in their practices we can say that human resources has a more ethical approach to employees and that productivity and performance can be increased throw this function rather than by using personnel management. We chose human resource management because more and more employee are looking for a workplace where their work and family can be related, where he feels needed and where the organization will help him develop his skills and knowledge, throw training and coaching. To some people it might sound like there is no difference between the two functions, as it was said â€Å"the same wine, only different bottle†, but we dont agree with this statement since it can be seen clearly that its a â€Å"new wine, in the same bottle† where the â€Å"wine† defines how the function is structured and what it focuses on and the â€Å"bottle† meaning the organizations goals and objective, as we can see from many big companies like McDonalds or Burger King, human resource management is the way to go. Personnel management can be simply explained as â€Å"Play by rules†. There would be some pre-determined laws, rules and regulations which are supposed to be followed by the workers. If not followed reprimands and punishments would follow. This type of management is best suited for manufacturing industries where the employee education level is low and they are in need of personnel to manage them. On the other hand, human resource management is a type of management where the employees are considered as one of the assets of the company. They are not just considered as means of producing something but they are considered as the key role in the organizations operation. More importance is given to the people than to the rules and regulations here. This set up works well in service based industries where creativity, customer service, knowledge, ideas are employed. When a difference between personnel management and human resources is recognized, human resources are described as much broader in scope than personnel management. Human resources is said to incorporate and develop personnel management tasks, while seeking to create and develop teams of workers for the benefit of the organization. A primary goal of human resources is to enable employees to work to a maximum level of efficiency. Personnel management is often considered an independent function of an organization. Human resource management, on the other hand, tends to be an integral part of overall company function. Personnel management is typically the sole responsibility of an organizations personnel department. With human resources, all of an organizations managers are often involved in some manner, and a chief goal may be to have managers of various departments develop the skills necessary to handle personnel-related tasks. References Cornelius, N. (2001). Human Resource Management. Cornwall: Thomson Learning. G.N, M. (2006). Human Resource Development. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Raffle, J. (2004). Advances in Developing Human Resources Vol 6. Boston: HR Learning. SHRM. (2008, August 23). Society for Human Resource Management. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from SHRM: http://www.shrm.org