Learning Style Inventory

The two personality inventories that my cousin and I took part in measure the five factors that most psychologists use in studying the personality of the individual. However, each test was administered by a different group and found on a different website. Both tests provide a set of questions that measure what are considered to be the five basic dimensions of one’s personality: extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience. Collectively, these dimensions are called the Big-5 dimensions. The first test is found on the website http://test.personality-project.org/. According to the website, the personality survey had two main objectives. The first is, â€Å"to find out more about these five dimensions of personality.† The second objective is, â€Å"To take part in and further the use of the internet as a collaborative and data collection tool.† Furthermore, the questions in the test were taken from International Personality Item Pool. The descriptions of each of the basic dimension were derived from the work of John Johnson. The participant was asked to rate the phrases that describe people’s behavior depending on how accurate they describe him. In addition to measuring the big-5 dimensions, the test also included items about one’s musical preferences and cognitive ability. There were a total of 60 questions about the big-5 dimensions and an additional 26 about musical preference and cognitive ability. Upon comparing my results of the test to that of my cousin, I found out that of the five dimensions measured, we differed significantly in only one dimension, extraversion. My cousin is considered to be more of an extravert than I am. In fact, he scored very high in the said dimension. On the other hand, out of 100, I only rated 34. He is considered to be highly sociable, energetic, and outgoing. My score, on the other hand, is seen as average. According to the description given, I am neither a loner nor a social butterfly. In other words, there are times I prefer to be around other people enjoying their company but there are also times that I prefer to be alone. For the dimension of agreeableness, we both were rated high, meaning, we both possess a strong interest in other people’s needs. As both our reports said, â€Å"You are pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative.† For conscientiousness, both my cousin and I scored high. This high score indicates that we set our goals and aim to achieve these goals. Likewise, we are both considered to be hard-working and reliable. With regards to the dimension of emotional stability, both of us scored high which indicates that we are calm and not easily rattled or stressed. Furthermore, it says that we remain unaffected by intense situations. For the last dimension, openness, both my cousin and I scored average. According to our reports, this meant that we are not purely conventional nor are completely radical. In other words, we enjoy certain traditional things but are somewhat open to venturing out to unfamiliar things as well. The second personality inventory we took measure the same personality dimensions as the first. The test is available to anyone through the website: http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/. There are a total of 48 items in the test. The participant is asked to rate their agreement with a given statement about themselves from a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 meaning complete disagreement and 5 meaning complete agreement. These items will see how the participant perceives himself to be like. My results in this test did not differ much from the first test. The main difference was that in this test, I scored low in openness to experience. In this test, I found out that I am conventional. In the earlier test I was neither conventional nor the opposite. For the other dimensions, my scores were very similar to the first. Basically, the test told me that I am well-organized and reliable. Also, it said that I am neither reserved nor particularly social. Furthermore, my results indicated that I was considerate of the feelings of other people and that I remain calm even in tense situations. On the other hand, the results of my cousin in this test remained consistent with his earlier test. As such, in this test, our differences lie in the dimensions of extraversion and openness. This test revealed that he was highly sociable and that was neither conventional nor complex. As for the dimensions of conscientiousness, agreeableness and emotional stability or neuroticism, our scores did not differ significantly indicating that we shared such personality traits. I learned several things from taking the two tests. First, it was able to tell me certain things about my personality. I discovered that I should not consider my self as completely unsociable for I do have the capability to mingle and enjoy my time with other people. I have long seen myself as being a loner but the tests have shown me that I indeed have it in me to enjoy the company of other people. Secondly, taking the test made me realize that indeed people who are alike tend to stay together. I am very close to my cousin. With our results being very similar, I realized that it was because we were very much alike in certain areas. Finally, the tests gave me a glimpse as to who I am. Although I know that the results do not sum up who I really am, I am glad to gain even just a faint idea as to who I really am. Reference: John, O (2003). The big-5 personality test. University of California, Berkeley. Retrieved 29 October 2007 from: http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/. Revelle, W. (n.d). Internet Personality Inventory Survey. Northwestern University. Retrieved 29 October 2007 from: http://test.personality-project.org/.   

Larry Ellison Essay

Lawrence Joseph â€Å"Larryâ€Å" Ellison is a co-finder of Oracle Corporation. It’s one of the world’s leading enterprise software company. As of 2012 he is considered one of the wealthiest men alive, with a net worth of $41 Billion. His Early Years Larry Ellison was born in Manhattan, New York City. His mother, Florence Spellman, was an un-married 19-year-old of Jewish women, and his father was an Italian American U.S. Air Force pilot. After Larry Ellison was born he was very sick with pneumonia at the nine months, his mother realized that she was unable to care for him anymore, and arranged for him to be adopted by her aunt and uncle in Chicago. Lillian Spellman Ellison and Louis Ellison adopted him when he was nine months old. Lillian was the second wife of Louis Ellison, an immigrant. Larry Ellison did not meet his biological mother again until he was 48. Ellison grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in Chicago’s South Shore middle-class Jewish neighborhood. Louis, his adoptive father, was an government employee who had made a small fortune in Chicago real estate, he lost it during the Great Depression. Larry was a very intelligent young man, he unfortunately had to leave because his adopted mother (his aunt) passed away . After her passing Ellison went to Northern California to attend University of Chicago. In 1964, he moved to Northern California permanently. His Career During the 1970s, Ellison worked for Ampex Corporation. Ellison was inspired by the paper written by Edgar F. Codd on database systems called â€Å"A Relational Model of Data for Large Shared Data Banks†. In 1977, he founded Software Development Laboratories. In 1979, the company was renamed Relational Software Inc. later it was named Oracle. In 1994, Informix took over Sybase and became Oracle’s most important rival. In April 1997, Informix announced a major decrease in their earnings; Phil White soon landed in jail, and Informix was again taken over by IBM in 2001. Also in 1997, Ellison was made a director of Apple Computer after Steve Jobs came back to the company. Ellison resigned in 2002. In April 2009, Oracle announced its intent to buy Sun Microsystems. On August 9, 2010, Ellison let Hewlett-Packard’s board go for firing CEO Mark Hurd .Ellison and Hurd are close personal friends. On September 6, Oracle hired Mark Hurd and made him Co-President. Ellison refused to take the CEO position. Ellison owns stakes in Salesforce.com, NetSuite, Quark Biotechnology Inc. and Astex Pharmaceuticals. On June 20, 2012 it was reported that Ellison had agreed to buy the 98 percent of the Hawaiian island of Lana’i. The price was reported to be between $500 million and $600 million

Researching the marketing mix Essay

In this task, I am going to research the marketing mix and I am going to apply this to The Marketing mix is a general phrase used to describe the different kinds of choices organizations have to make in the whole process of bringing a product or service to market. The 4Ps is the best-known way of defining the marketing mix. The 4ps are: Product- what is sold? Place- where is the product is sold? Price-how much the product costs? Promotion- how a business communicates with its customers Place McDonald’s sell various food and drink products all over the world and will need to use methods to get their goods made available to consumers. McDonald’s use a distribution channel to get their products from the producer to the consumer. Here are the different distribution channels which exist. This is a direct channel between the producer and the consumer. They will deal together without intermediaries involved. This can be beneficial for businesses because it allows a larger proportion of profit and means they can have more control over the marketing of the product. The disadvantage is that the costs will be larger to distribute the products. Retailers such as farm shops and dell use this channel as they sell the products they make directly to the consumer. This is an indirect channel between customer and producer because of the use of a retailer as an intermediary. The producer will distribute their goods to retailers who will then sell the products individually to consumers. Retailers are focused on consumer markets and offer customers advice, convenience, financial assistance and after-sales support. An example of a retailer which uses this channel would be Next. Next will receive their products from their producer and then sell them in store to the consumers. This is an indirect channel between the producer and consumer because a wholesaler is an intermediary in this channel. The producer will supply the wholesaler with a large number of products and then will break the order into smaller quantities to supply to the consumer. The advantage of this is that the consumer can get the goods at a cheaper price because the transport costs are reduced due fewer journeys. The wholesaler makes its profit by buying the product at a cheaper price and adding a profit margin to the price paid by the retailer. Many small businesses such as cafes use this channel as they will get their products supplied by a wholesaler so they can supply the products to consumers. This is a longer indirect channel. There are two intermediaries in this channel which is a wholesaler and a retailer. The producer will supply large quantities to wholesalers who will then break the orders into smaller ones to send out to the retailer who will sell the product directly to the consumer. The retailer will make a profit by charging the consumers more money per unit than what they paid the wholesaler. An example of a retailer which uses this channel is a newsagent. The producers will send bulk orders to wholesalers. The newsagents will then buy the goods to sell in their store from the wholesaler and then sell the products to consumers in store. Product McDonald’s sell fast food and drink products all over the world. McDonald’s will need to continue to create customer interest and satisfy their needs by developing new products and releasing them into the market. For example, McDonald’s recently released their signature collection which was a new set of meals which created customer interest and demand. I will now apply the marketing mix to the McDonalds and using their most well-known McDonalds product which is the Big Mac to show how it is used. The Marketing Mix and the McDonalds Big Mac Product-The Big Mac McDonald’s most well-known burger. The burger is a low budget product. A Big Mac contains to beef burger patties, cheese, salad and a three-part bun. A Big Mac contains around 490 calories. You can also buy a Big Mac meal which comes with a drink and fries. Meals come in medium or large sizes. It is important that McDonald’s have a product like the Big Mac because it gives them a good reputation and image which makes them a successful and well-known brand. Place-The only place a Big Mac can be purchased is at a McDonald’s restaurant. McDonald’s restaurants can be found all over the country, some open 24 hours. There are 1,208 McDonald’s restaurants in the UK and 34,492 worldwide. The benefits of McDonald’s selling the Big Mac only at their stores is that they get all the profit from the product, where if they sold their products at other places they would have less profit. Promotion-McDonalds advertise the Big Mac on T.V, radio, the internet and in magazines. McDonald’s also offer promotions on the Big Mac such as giving away a free Coca-Cola glass with Big Mac meals and offering the chance to win prizes with the Monopoly stickers. Promotion is important for McDonald’s because it gains them more sales which makes them more successful. Price-An individual Big Mac would cost  £2.59 in the UK. A medium Big Mac meal  £4.19 and  £4.59 for a large. The Big Mac costs this much because it is a fast food budget product. It is important that McDonald’s sell the Big Mac at the right price because if it is too high people won’t buy the product and if it’s too low they won’t make a profit. The price is successful because it is relatively cheap and McDonald’s can make a profit out of it.

Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Marijuana - Essay Example It also indicates that a large percentage of the individuals are regular users of the drug. I intend to use the source to demonstrate marijuana’s benefits in controlling anxiety. Ejelonu, Akudo. â€Å"How Does Marijuana Affect the Brain?† Serendip. 01 October 2008. Web. 31 July 2012. The article reviews ways in which marijuana affects people’s mental capacity. The author illustrates both positive and negative effects of the drug, including Marijuana’s medicinal value but focuses attention on marijuana’s effect on people’s ability to recall and how the drug influence emotions. Some of the drug’s components, according to the article, for example impair coordination among neurons in the brain to weaken a person’s cognitive ability upon consumption of the drug. The article also identifies factors that drive people into using marijuana, and secondary effects of marijuana among college students. While it identifies stress as the main cause of usage, the article explains that the drug sends the students into a state of uncontrollable emotions. It also explains that the stimulating impacts of the drug are temporary and users are able to regain their sober status once the drug wears out of the body. I will apply the article in exploring the existing debate on marijuana. Hogan, Julianna, Gonzalez, Adam, Howell, Ashley, Miller, Marcel, and Zvolensky, Michael. â€Å"Pain-related Anxiety and Marijuana Use Motives: A pilot Test Among Active Marijuana- using Young Adults.† Cognitive Behavior Therapy. 39. 4. 238- 292, 2010. The article seeks to investigate anxiety that is caused by pain as a factor that influences the use of marijuana. Based on an experimental research, the article identifies a significant relationship and concludes that pain motivates people to use marijuana. I will use the article to illustrate medicinal benefits of marijuana. National Institute of Drug Abuse. â€Å"How Does Marijuana Use Affect School, Work and Social Life?† Research Reports: Marijuana Abuse. 2010. Web. 31 July 2012. P. 1 The article reports on the impacts of marijuana on people’s lives. Based on existing literature, it explains that intoxication from marijuana lasts for a longer duration that the user experiences its stimulating effect. It further explains that the drug negatively affects academic performance of students who relies on its use. Similarly, it leads to drop out from academic institutions and lower rates of income in people who heavily rely on it as compared to those who do not. The article also associates the drug with other negative social conditions. I will use this source to highlight reasons for illegalization calls. Nida for Teens. â€Å"What are the Long-term Health Effects of Marijuana Use?† Nida For Teens. 2012. Web. 29 July 2012. P. 1 With the article’s aim of discussing ‘long-term’ impacts of marijuana usage, it identifies a reduced mental c apacity to comprehend complexities and coordinate body parts besides increasing a person’s vulnerability to some genetic diseases. The article also identifies addiction as a health risk factor of marijuana besides increasing a user’s risk of developing respiratory complications. Similarly, the article reports possibility of drug’s usage leading to use of other drug as well as its use as a medicine. I plan to use the article to

Discuss the logics, illogics, meanings, function, or non functions of Essay

Discuss the logics, illogics, meanings, function, or non functions of war from an anthropological viewpoint - Essay Example The matters of anthropological discussion are the individual motivations, socio-cultural purposes, biological predispositions, and causal significance manifest in warfare (Peter, Ember and Human Relations Area Files 415). For example, in Yanomani territory, there lived uncontested Yanomani known as Moxateteu that had the highest population of illegal gold miners. The gold miners, who were illegally working in yanomani, transmitted deadly diseases such as malaria and caused pollution in forests and rivers with mercury. Ecological models illustrated that war had a constructive feedback for smaller scale communities by exercising a hidden role in intervening relationships with the surrounding. However, warfare was ethnographically considered to maintain a space between settlements and therefore, prevented the degradation of the resources. Lastly, the models of socio culture developed the fact that some social organization encouraged people to war as illustrated by (Lockard 944). The opp osed constitution clan and linage groupings were practiced to create perennial tensions that might result into war. Nevertheless, the inadequacies of such models become very clear when clarifying the meanings and motivations that warriors gave to their acts.

BENCHMARKING ( MEASURES AND METRICS) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

BENCHMARKING ( MEASURES AND METRICS) - Essay Example Part of this deals with the employee satisfaction analysis. Having an effectual incident management facility prepared is a significant component of the operation as well as execution of any â€Å"software, hardware, or related business process† (Knapp, 1999, p. 82). Businesses are starting to understand that communication and interactions among â€Å"system and software developers† (Malone, 2010, p. 99) and personnel carrying out incident management activities can give insights for forming enhanced infrastructure â€Å"defenses and response processes† (Malone, 2010, p. 99) to overcome or avoid harmful and illegal movement and intimidation. The central objective of incident management is to recognize, evaluate, and rectify any possible risks. Once an appropriate incident management program is put prepared, then any incidents that take place should be dealt with the accurate strategy. One of the issues to be faced in creating successful incident management ability is acknowledging the wider extent of incident management effort. It is not sufficient any longer to only ‘handle’ happenings and incidents in a technological security perspective; the company must be able to include security into all aspects of its functions. In view of the fact that incidents can have extensive outcomes and allegations having an effect on the internal defense - privacy, accessibility, reliability - of important information and resources, confidentiality of records and beyond, incident management actions can entail several factions within the company. External groups may as well be engaged, together with dogmatic bodies, law enforcement agencies, and perhaps other computer-response safety companies. Incident Management should as well maintain a record of incidents for coverage, and incorporate with other procedures to ascertain nonstop enhancement (Johnson and Help Desk Institute Staff, 2002, p. 70). The company places immense stress on the suitable rec ording, categorization, analysis, intensification, and resolution of incidents. Here, Help Desk plays the most important function, performing as the initial line of support and dynamically routing incidents to professionals as well as subject matter experts. To be completely useful, the Help Desk has to function in agreement with other sustaining processes (Rossett, 2009, p. 103). For example, if a number of incidents are traced at the same time, the Help Desk agent requires adequate data to prioritize every incident. Technology can be a very important contributing part by positioning incidents in accordance with business force and necessity. These days, several tools facilitate the mechanical recording of incidents in the Service Desk operation, but need the means to associate incidents and link them with business service levels (Ellis, 1999, p. 22). Several Help Desk solutions offer self-assistance in addition to knowledge based ability, but even if users resolve the concern thems elves, they must record the incident. This is essential, in view of the fact that the IT function can positively utilize a precise foundation of recorded incidents to assist effective process developments along other IT Service Management process lines. In addition, giving end users the facility to â€Å"log noontime critical incidents† (Info-Tech Research Group, 2003, p. 10) by means of a web enabled interface

Marketing for Construction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Marketing for Construction - Essay Example Marketing decision variables play a central role in the retailing company's overall strategy. There are a range of priorities for the businesses which need to prioritised according to the business philosophy of the business. In fact, market segmentation and opportunity prioritization go hand in hand. Construction related products like houses cannot be replaced as frequently as FMCG goods. Therefore, the company in FMCG sector requires to be regularly in touch with the customers and take care of their future needs as well. While in FMCG the packaging of the products holds a significant value proposition, in construction business, packaging doesn't hold much significance. Instead, the quality of the construction material is more crucial for the customer In the FMCG sector, in order to bring about a difference in product, the research and development activities are always on the lookout for a product or system, which can deliver better value for money. But the construction sector being capital intensive doesn't require such frequent upgrades. What needs to be ensured is that the building material being supplied happens to be of the best quality. ii. A1b. What do you believe are the main reasons for the differences that you identified in Ans: The main reasons for the difference in marketing approach are; i. The nature of product: While a majority of the products from FMCG sector are meant to be discarded after using it for a while, the product from construction sector last really long. ii. Consumption pattern: While making use of a product from FMCG, the consumer realises the time spent with the product, value delivered by the product etc. but in case of a house, if the consumer is getting good value for the money spent, then such a realisation seldom comes. iii. There has been a marked shift in the treatment of a supply chain over the last couple of decades, especially in retail and grocery markets. It is widely accepted that the most influential members of marketing channels for FMCGs are now the retail supermarkets (Stem and El-Ansary, 1992). But there are no such outlets for the construction sector as yet. iv. While the constructed house or property can be easily customised to suit the specific needs of the customer even after the purchase, by adding or altering the construction. But such customisation is not easily possible for FMCG products. A1c. Identify three (3) marketing activities common to leading FMCG companies that you believe are; (i.)

Practise report PARAPHRASING Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Practise report PARAPHRASING - Assignment Example Whether a subject in the material is a fact or a personal opinion is also important. Facts supported by other evidences are given more weight compared to personal opinions. The blog Anthropologists in Cross Cultural Management does not comply with some of the criteria provided in the CRAP method. This method requires that a source be current and reliable and that its authority be well defined. Even though the material is current having been written in February 2009, it is the opinion of and individual and has not been supported by any form of reference. The material is also quite short and does not cover the entire topic managing multicultural environment. In the CRAP criteria, it is preferred that the publisher of a material have a knowledge of the subject to be addressed and if possible give a comprehensive introduction to the contents of the work. Emerald publishers draw journals from several university libraries all over the world and such introduction is not possible. Moreover, the journal may be lacking citations. Managing and harnessing the powers of Cross-Cultural differences has much of what is required. A list of materials read given at the end of the work indicates that it is not purely an individual’s opinion and that similar observation and argument can be obtained from other materials as well. It is also current having been modified on August 03, 2009 at 7:02:55 PM. This source also has links to other and referring to these sources is quite convenient. The several advertisements on the page all relate to the same topic and therefore cannot bore the reader. The sources of materials from Wikipedia are not known. Worse still, anonymous writers can join the team and make changes to an existing document. Therefore, the information from such sources can only be used to obtain a general overview of a topic. This can then be used to obtain references from the valid

How will Management Strategic Changes help reduce Labour Turnover in Dissertation

How will Management Strategic Changes help reduce Labour Turnover in Calvin Klein - Dissertation Example A proactive management can intervene suitably and avoid labor turnover caused due to personal reasons by assisting the people to overcome those problems. This will increase the retention level and the investment made by the company to train them during the period of their services will be justified, if the general retention level is at satisfactory level. The study focuses the strategic management changes required in relation to labor turnover in Calvin Klein. Calvin Klein is a publicly traded company in the fashion industry founded by American fashion designer  Calvin Klein with its head quarters in New York. The product portfolio is wider and includes women's and men's clothing, handbags, footwear, bedding, bath, dinnerware, perfumes underwear for men and women and panties, bras, and sleepwear for women with worldwide operations. The research questions are directed at study and analysis of the current trend in labor turnover and the causes thereof with the aim of seeking logical solutions for taking effective measures to reduce the labor turnover and introduce changes in the style of the management to address the important and long term issue of labor turnover. The chief objectives of introducing changes and formulating strategies are discussed along with the limitations involved in introducing the changes and implementing the strategies. The recommendations are given along with the managerial implications thereof after a thorough analysis of various factors and management issues involved. Strategic Management Changes to reduce Labor Turnover in Calvin Klein Table of contents 1. Research questions 4 2. Project aims 4 3. Objectives 5 4. Literature review 7 Causes of labor turnover 7 Trends in the labor market 8 Retention policy 9 Converting the problems into opportunities 10 5. Analysis 11 Calvin Klein’s operations and business 11 Labor environment 12 Leveraging the strengths in the operations and business 12 Human resources management 13 Measures to mitigate labor turnover 15 Retention policy 16 Tactics to keep labor turnover under control 16 Retention vs. Labor turnover 18 Evaluation of Performance and performance rewards 19 6. Discussion 20 Diversity in work places 20 Maintaining labor turnover at healthier level 21 Role of HRD 21 Exit interviews 22 Changes in human resources management structure 22 7. Methodology 23 8. Project approach and planning 23 9. Conclusion 25 10. References 28 11. Appendices 30 1. Research questions What are the reasons for the current level of labor turnover? Is the labor turnover in tune with the prevailing trend? What are strategic management changes which will have positive impact on labor turnover? What are the changes required in management policy in respect of retention of labor to keep labor turnover under control? 2. Project aims The issues of labor turnover and retention policy of the management are two sides of the coin. Due to the interrelationship between these two concepts, changes in the management style will have positive effects on the overall performance. The research aims 1. To analyze the causes of labor turnover for the purpose of introducing changes and 2. Formulating strategies for reduction in labor turnover and strengthening the retention policy. The causes of labor turnover are multifarious in an organization. A company with international operations in several countries of the world has several

Business leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Business leadership - Essay Example Hence, both leadership and management are complementary in nature (Kotter, 6). What does it mean to say, â€Å"leadership is about change?† and how does the concept of â€Å"alignment† relate to leadership? The phrase â€Å"leadership is about change† signifies not just any type of chance but an alteration in the business environment. When the surroundings change new strategies will be required to match the changing needs. This is ensured by leadership the term â€Å"enabling† can therefore sum up the idea of change in this context (Heifetz, xii). Leadership is all about adapting to the changes, which will require effective communications with the subordinates. â€Å"Aligning† refers to empowering people to carry out tasks and is a problem of communications (Kotter, 10). What is â€Å"emotional hijacking†? Emotions certainly play an important role in leadership. This is most evident in the way two leaders might handle a same situation differe ntly. Temperament is very important and if a leader becomes enraged during communications, its effectiveness is lost.

Historical Themes Schindlers List Essay Example for Free

Historical Themes Schindlers List Essay Light can still be found even in the darkest of times; Oskar Schindler shows this through his actions during the Holocaust. In the novel Oskar Schindler’s portrayed his motives and ways one man can help thousands of the struggling Polish Jews. What he did absolutely contradict what his country and leader wanted; they were planning to eradicate all Jews from the face of the Earth. By using his factory as a place for the helpless Jews to work, he avoided thousands from being sent to the concentration camps where they would work as slaves and eventually die. At first Schindler liked the idea of Polish workers but after he found out what Hitler’s true intentions were he quickly felt remorse for them and determined himself to save as many as humanly possible. He began employing more and more Jews, he saved thousands of lives but ruined his business in doing so. Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally brilliantly portrayed the courage and human spirit in one man in the midst of terrible evil. Schindler proved the difference that one man can make by using his wit against the Nazis. Without the historical validity incorporated into the novel, the themes and overall story would not be up as great as it is already. Hitler’s Nazi regime ran a dictatorship with Adolf Hitler at the very head of the tyranny. Hitler’s master plan led to hopefully conquering the world and creates his version of society with perfect people and culture. Starting with the invasion of Poland he took Jews from their homes and forced them to do tedious work as slaves in concentration camps claiming that it was for their own protection. He tore families apart, and treated them with indignity in the camps by giving them very little food and forcing public nudity. Entire clans or families died at the order of the Nazis and no mercy could be seen from them as they killed the Jews in ways which would be seen as cruel and evil, even to humans. These events led to the deaths of six million Jewish citizens during World War II. Jews’ murders took place in many various ways; one way was in gas chambers disguised as showers. Corpses and left over residues burned in huge infernos that made it snow ashes of people. Human remains were also being used for the benefit of the Nazis; they used skin and lamp shades, hair as insulation, and skin also as a type of paper. Many Jewish families were desperate to not find themselves in the terrible camps that they did everything they could not to be captured and sent to their demise. Thomas Keneally describes the setting of Germany in the novel very accurately to the time period, and also the social status that some people had at the time. Germans lived being treated very normally by all soldiers of Hitler’s rule, but all others were treated as second class citizens or actually sub human. In the eyes of the Nazis Jews must be the lowest of the low to the, they were considered not as human but as some kind of sub species below all other humans. This aspect that was included in the novel is very true to history in Germany for 1943. Owning businesses or running one was against the law for any Jewish citizen. Many businesses burned down to the ground at the hand of the soldiers, ruining even wealthy land owners and workers. During World War II over six million Jews were killed by the Nazis and that is a fact included into the novel also. After the rest of European Jews heard about the genocide of Jews they and many others began hiding and helped hide people to avoid capture. People did everything to save themselves and others, some hid in the attics of Germans or in the barn of farmers. They started to become desperate to hide; Oskar Schindler used his very own factory where he produced pottery as a way to protect the Polish Jews. Oskar Schindler’s career led him to becoming a business man and entrepreneur in the pots and pans industry. His factory had become very successful because of the labor force provided by the Jews that were crowded into cities by the Nazis. In 1942 the Nazis really did begin to round up all the available Jews into ghettos or slums in the city to contain them like in the concentration camps. At the same time as Oskar Schindler a lady named Irena Sendler helped to save over two thousand Jewish children from the ghettos that the Nazis set up for them. . She and many others helped humanity by using their intellect, courage, and resources. If an event like this happened in any other time period it just would not be the same. Thomas Keneally’s Schindler’s List showed how one person can make a giant difference for many people. His novel’s historical aspects were accurate in most ways, it helped to enforce the themes in the story of the human spirit and one man can make a change. Throughout history it has been proven that if one person does one change it can help thousands of peoples’ lives forever. Adolf Hitler and his attempt to eradicate the Jewish population is the darkest time in history of humanity. But still, light can be found in the midst of total darkness and evil.

Microeconomics Samuelson Essay Example for Free

Microeconomics Samuelson Essay Explain how the cool head might provide the essential positive economic analysis to implement the normative value judgments of the warm heart. Do you agree with Marshall’s view of the role of the teacher? Do you accept his challenge? In order to achieve the ultimate goal of economic science which is to â€Å"improve the living conditions of people in their everyday lives† (*) a cool head attitude has the knowledge and wisdom acquired through a lifetime relation to the economic momentum. Balancing this with a warm heart compassion vision, and a willingness to improve society, is the most appropriate way to use certain economic models in order to acquire economic sustainability with social improvement. We agree with Marshall’s view which was conceived through a social corporate responsibility. We, as leaders, accept his challenge through developing projects which should be not only profitable but also socially accepted and with respect to the environment. Also, we should use our cool heads to objectively take challenges and make difficult decisions that will lead us to a prosperous society with a sustainable economic growth. Some scientists believe that we are rapidly depleting our natural resources. Assume that there have only two inputs (labor and natural resources) producing two goods (concerts and gasoline) with no improvements in society’s technology over time. A. Show what would happen to the PPF over time as natural resources are exhausted. B. How would invention and technological improvement modify your answer? On the basis of this example, explain why it is said that â€Å"economic growth is a race between depletion and invention. It is said that economic growth is a race between depletion and invention because the continuous use of the natural resources of a country will tend to deplete them, over a long period of time but in the contrary, the invention of new technologies can extend a country PPF – making a race between them, since both things usually happens at the same time. Chapter 2 1. Question 1 . What determines the composition of national output? In some cases, we say th at there is â€Å"consumer sovereignty† meaning that consumers decide how to spend their income on the basis of taste and market prices. In other cases, decisions are made by political choices of legislatures. Consider the following examples: transportation, education, police, energy efficiency of appliances, health-care coverage, television advertising. For each, describe whether the allocation is by consumer sovereignty or by political decision. Would you change the method of allocation for any of these goods? National Output includes the total amount of goods and services that a country is capable to produce in a certain period of time. It is also known as the country? A country has the responsibility to decide what outputs to produce and in what quantity, how to produce them and for whom should they be produced. In a market society, the national output is influenced by consumer tastes and the resources and technology available in the country. On the other hand, governments may intervene to compensate for market failures that usually occurs inside a country, or to fund social programs. Here there are some examples that show mixed economies between consumer sovereignty and government interventions. Generally speaking transportation means are controlled by the private sector through companies that provide transportation services such as airlines, company taxis, trains, etc. Inside a country, there also exists public transportation for those people who can not afford the private one. In Peru, specially for the ground transportation, the government plays a fundamental role regulating tariffs, taxes and making sure we have a safe an organized transportation system in the country for the society. Education In a country generally exists public and private education. Usually, private schools tend to have a higher price but also delivering high quality and it is market driven. There are different private schools with different prices in the market. On the other hand, public education is provided by the government to lower socio economic levels in order to make education accessible to the whole population. Government applies procedures in order to maximize its quality. In Peru for example the government is trying to break the poverty cycle incentivizing the rural population to attend school through monetary allowances. There are also regulations in terms of the requirements asked for being a public teacher, the education syllabus of the country, etc. Police Police is a government regulated service to the population which is part of the arm forces of a country. Its function is to assure security to the population. However, in some countries where there is scarce resources allocated to this public entity, private police petrol are created. In Peru even in rural areas where police is not present, communities organize themselves to fight against crime. Energy efficiency of appliances Energy is a strategic scarce resource for a country. Therefore, the importance of having government regulations to control it, its tariffs while having private companies supplying the service in order to assure this service on the long term to the community. Health care coverage Health care is a private and public good also. Government provides health care services to the majority of the population by building public hospitals and providing insurance coverage programs. Usually private health care provides a higher quality service and is accessible to higher socio-economic levels of the population. Television advertising It is a consumer sovereignty good, driven basically by program ratings and market price. Usually, the government owns public television channels but even in those cases the advertising is not controlled. What government usually does is to control advertising of some products such as cigars, or the time and programs where you can advertise such products. Would you change the method of allocation for any of these goods? We would not change the method of allocation for any of the goods mentioned above. We think that in the examples mentioned, a mixed economy of public and private goods is the best to make services accessible to the whole population while having a market driven economy. However, if we customized this question to the Peruvian reality, we think that an example where government could intervene more is the banking regulations entity which should improve the credit policies in order to create a sustainable finance growth. 2. Question 3. This chapter discusses many â€Å"market failures† areas in which the invisible hand guides the economy poorly, and describes the role of government. It is possible that there are, as well, â€Å"government failures† government attempts to curb market failures that are worse than the original market failures? Think of some examples of government failures. Give some examples in which government failures are so bad that it is better to live with the market failures than to try and correct them. A possible failure can be represented by a tax system that discourages private and foreign investments in the country that at the end will affect government’s income. Another example is a bad monetary policy in which inorganic emission of currency will impact over inflation rate dramatically, affecting purchasing power of nationals (Peru 1985) . During this time Peru suffered more than 7000% inflation generating scarcity of basic goods and creating a parallel black market. During this time, another bad example would be that the banking system was nationalized and generated a lack of confidence in the population towards the banking system, loosing a high percentage of the savings of the population decreasing the country’s investment.

The Important Car Industry In Malaysia Marketing Essay

The Important Car Industry In Malaysia Marketing Essay The automotive industry is one of the most important industries in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia. Comparing with other manufacturing industries, the automotive industry is a promising one and contributes boosting and evolving economic and industrialization processes which leads Malaysia to change into a developed country in the foreseeable future. The automotive industry in Malaysia started in the 1960s and the Government of Malaysia began to encourage the establishment of the automotive industry in 1963. Initially, the assembly plants were mainly joint venture projects between European automobile manufacturers and local partners were previously their local distributors. Although at the beginning there was requirement to promote the growth of components manufacturing, but the industry was not very successful until 1980s. At that time there were some assemblers who just produced vehicles for European and Japanese manufacturers and there were large amounts of import. In fact the development in auto industry was started by launching of the National Car Project which was PROTON in 1983. Proton Company profile Proton which is the acronym of Perusahan Otomobil Nasional Berhad was founded in 1983 as manufacturing, assembling and selling motor vehicles and related products which were then produced Malaysias first car named Proton Saga. The main plant of the company was established in Shah Alam, with the capacity of 80000 units per year. Proton could increase this capacity to 230000 units per year in 1997 by constructing another factory next to its main plant. Today, the factory in Shah Alam has the capacity of producing 240000 vehicles per year. PROTON has a total of 11 subsidiaries and 11 associate companies, which are involved in manufacturing, research and development, as well as sales and service activities. Proton exports to 50 countries including the competitive markets of UK and continental European markets as its objectives include research and development capabilities, world class manufacturing and production standards, design capabilities as well as a presence in the global market. Considering Malaysias short and long term economic objectives, Proton was established to fulfill these goals with the help of technological knowledge and know-how. As a result, with the use of resources, technology, innovations, and design capabilities the national car project resulted in remarkable impact on automotive industry. PROTON was Malaysias dominant auto manufacturer until the establishment of PERODUA, in the year 1993. Now the Malaysian auto market is dominated by Malaysias national cars, PROTON and PERODUA which jointly accounted for 90 per cent of the vehicles sold annually. PROTONS production was based on technology and parts from Mitsubishi Motors, and it produced the first model which was Proton Saga in September 1985 at its first manufacturing plant in Shah Alam. At the beginning the components were made by Mitsubishi but gradually the company began producing those parts with the help of technological knowledge. PROTON also entered to international markets through exporting. For instance it began its exports from Malaysia to other right hand drive markets like New Zealand and UK as well as the Middle East, South-East Asia and Australasia, but it was mostly successful in UK. It is possible to say that proton which came as a national auto manufacturer 25 years ago, now evolved to an international auto maker. 1.2. Ethical considerations One of the important issues regarding proton is consideration of ethical issues as well as its social responsibilities. As a result, in addition to its focus on the profitability, it also focuses on human resource development, the environment and the society within its operations. Proton objectives include meeting expectations of good corporate governance, ethnical corporate values and responsible corporate citizens. MARKET STRUCTURE CHARACTERISTICS OLIGOPOLY Number of firms competing Small number Nature of the product Undifferentiated or differentiated Entry Many barriers Information availability Asymmetric Firms control over price Some An oligopolistic market is the one which is dominated by some large suppliers. Homogeneous products, mutual interdependence, few large producers and high entry barriers are oligopoly characteristics prevalent in such markets. The three most import characteristics of oligopoly include: Industry dominance by few large firms Products sold by these firms are either differentiated or identical in nature Various entry barriers depending upon the industry Few large firms is a very crucial oligopoly characteristics which states that these markets include few large firms which are dominant in existence, and each of these firms is comparatively larger than the market size. This particular oligopoly characteristic ensures that all these large firms have a fair amount of market control. The automobile industry is a very good example of an oligopolistic market. There are a few car manufacturers in the market across the world as against the demand for millions of cars every day. The dominant car manufacturers include General Motors, Honda, Chrysler, Toyota and Ford, to name a few. The automobile industry in an oligopolistic market is a Differentiate Product Oligopoly where the products manufactured are for personal consumption as consumers need a variety of products since they have different needs and wants. In Malaysia, the national automobile industry is dominated by the countrys two leading manufacturers, namely PROTON and PERODUA. PROTON is 42% owned by the Government. Rising car sales in 2010 has pushed up production in all car assemblers in Malaysia except for the national car maker, PROTON. PROTONs market share has reached 80% at its peak but now it has lost its market share to local and foreign competitors from 60% of the domestic passenger car market in 2001 to 26% for year 2010. Protons brand value has also dropped from RM239 million in 2007 (rank 19) to RM150 million in 2008 (rank 23). It was revealed in November 2009 that Protons ranking has dropped from Malaysias 30 Most Valuable Brand (MMVB) ranking. It was reported in the newspapers that PROTON is only operating at half of its capacity. PROTON Shah Alam was operating at 54% while PROTON Tanjung Malim is at 42%. The combined installed capacity production for PROTONs two plants is 350,000 units per year and PERODUA 250,000 per year that is about 48.7% and 79% respectively, accounting for about 61%, more than half of the total industry output. As reported by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA), UMW Toyota Motor Subsidiary, Assembly Services, was operating at 215 per cent production capacity, Honda at 212 per cent, Tan Chong Motors at 143 per cent, and PERODUA at 164 per cent.  [i]   For years, both PROTON and PERODUA have led charmed lives as national car companies, indulged by the Government and over-protected behind a wall of tariff and non-tariff barriers, tax exemptions, rebates, subsidies and other special favors. PROTON has only introduced four (4) new models in recent years the second generation Proton Saga in 2008, Exora in 2009 and Inspira in 2010. PROTON was knocked off as the top Malaysian car producer in 2006 by PERODUA which becomes Malaysias largest vehicle maker. PROTON is the second most popular marque for year 2010. PERODUA remains the most popular make in the passenger vehicle category while third-place Toyota is the most popular foreign car at 12.9% market share. PROTONs market share is 26% and PERODUA is 31.2%. Their combined market share has fallen to 57% today, with more than 30 foreign makers now in Malaysia competing for the remainder.  [ii]   PROTON remains handicapped by lack of scale, overcapacity, outdated technology, a limited product line up, and other disabilities. The company suffers from state protectionist policies and need a strategic partner for growth. PROTON also needs technology it does not have to produce attractive new models. Malaysias revised National Automotive Policy (NAP) that took effects on 1 January 2010 ostensibly to deregulate the domestic market attract more foreign auto makers into the country and would not likely meet the governments expectations. To sop up some of the excess capacity, PROTON managers are adopting an Asian multi-local OEM strategy focused mainly on expanding exports into Southeast Asia, China, India, the Middle East and North Africa. How well this will work is questionable given the intensifying competition among global auto makers for export sales, the models PROTON has to offer, and the minor role of exports so far in the auto makers operations. Proton exports 81,000 units of cars between 2008 2010. For year 2010, total export revenues amounted to only RM889 million. The Kinked Demand Curve A very common and important feature of oligopoly is that the action of, or on, one specific manufacturer will affect the other manufacturers, especially their sales. The kinked demand curve model best described PROTONs oligopoly behavior. PROTON faces a downward sloping demand curve but its elasticity may depend on the reaction of its competitors to changes in its prices or outputs. The competitors for example may not follow the increase in PROTONs prices in their attempt to maintain a high level of profits and market share. Demand therefore will be relatively elastic and a rise in price instead would lead to a fall in the total revenue of PROTON. On the other hand, the competitors might more likely to match a price fall by PROTON to avoid a loss of market share, causing demand to become inelastic leading to a fall in total revenue. As all these producers in an oligopolistic market are interdependent they need to consider the impact and reactions on other firms while determining their own pricing and investment policies. For example, when PROTON launches a new product (Exora) , it affects other producers and their sales causing them to react with a new product (e.g. PERODUA: Alza), which inflates the market price.  ­Ã‚ ­4.Competitive Environment For Proton Company The first Malaysia national car is PROTON. The main competitor in Malaysia in term of automobile companies and affordable car is PERODUA. The competitive environment as we can see approximately in Malaysia is affordable car where all native of a Malaysia can buy it and the car maintenances also cheap. You see, the porter five are been applied for more obviously because the competitive environment not only about the competitor. It can be about the economic decline, natural misfortune and etc. Porter five 1. Competitive Rivalry 2. Threat of New Entrant 3. Threat of Substitutes   4. Buyer Power 5. Supplier Power Competitive Rivalry   In Malaysia, after PERODUA that is main competitor for proton , there is not too much competitor around affordable car. The low cost car as mentioned above is not have a lot of competitor in generally. The affordable car in Malaysia has a more potential to sell compared to luxury car that only specific people are used it. A family will have more than 1 car. Definitely, the first car they will choose the cheaper car and affordable car. New Entrant has a high threat    Recession the economic will be a big threat for PROTON. We know that, all big company will facing over budget or does not achieve the sale for that year. The government will lose a lot of money cause of policy and shareholders. By the way, economic downward tendency actually comes suddenly without notice. High threat from Substitutes Malaysia has tow national car. First : PROTON , second : PERODUA. The substitutes will high in term of car model and some of them looks similar. Buyer Power Buyer will choose the cheap car for the first car and buyer also actually are fragmented. Therefore, it will not has much influence.   Supplier Power Nowadays compared to the many years ago, this is not giving a big threat for PROTON. Government and PROTON As a Government connected Company, Proton is protected in term of financial capabilities. Furthermore, as the first  national automotive manufacturer they have more than 20 years of experience and backed by the more than 1000 suppliers and highly concentrated distributed the service and distribution way out. As financial year ender 31  March 2006 denoted, the net value of asset is more than RM 5 billion while the liabilities is only about RM 2 billion. Proton had begun on a project with the Lotus. Group to improve a hybrid vehicle proficient of running on both gasoline and electricity and others special projects that are concentrating on technology development. This program direct to raise high the technology to a level that is on par with their global rivals by creating an alternative vehicle for the future which provides customers with less fuel consumption, decrease emanation and uncompromising performance. The increase numbers of substantial order by the different overseas markets were far in surplus of the number shipped, the difference was due to restrictions in the supply chain. There is no uncertain that demand for Proton cars in the overseas markets exists. As such, looking forward into financial year 2007, the company predicts a meaningful improvement in the number of Proton cars sold overseas. International Market for Proton The objectives of the Malaysian National Car:   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rationalize the local automotive industry à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Spearhead the development of a local component industry and to enhance greater use of local components.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Encourage the upgrading of technology, engineering knowledge and technical skills of the countrys workforce.   à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Assist and develop Bumiputera (the indigenous people of Malaysia) participation in the automotive industry.  [1] Social, Economy, Politic and Technology analyses Proton Holdings Berhad Proton is a Malaysian national automobile manufacturer. Proton Holdings Berhad is the holding company which is listed on the Bursa Malaysia. 14,706 Proton cars were exported in 2006 to other countries/ Proton exports cars to the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia and the company is aggressively marketing its cars in several other countries including the Middle East. Proton cars has also been exporting a small volume of cars to other countries like: 1.Singapore 2.Brunei 3.Indonesia 4.Nepal 5.Sri 6.Pakistan 7.Bangladesh 8.Taiwan 9.Cyprus   10.Mauritius Proton has never succeeded to export their car to the US, because the cars required many changes to meet American safety standards in order to secure coverage from auto insurers and satisfy legislative requirements. In some countries,    Proton cars suffer somewhat from a poor public image because of their designs. Strengths   Proton has over 20 years of experience in Automotive industry Many cars are exported by Proton to many countries every years, proves that proton has the experience of exporting cars. Did the financial crisis in 2008/09 have any impact on the group? What about the current economic turmoil in Europe? Mohd Nadzmi,( chairman),said : The global automotive industry was affected by the financial crisis in 2008/09, and this included Proton. However, in our case, being small was actually an advantage, and because of our size, we were able to minimise the impact on our business. Protons presence in Europe is also small, hence we were not affected by the economic turmoil there. Because Lotus has a bigger presence globally, the impact of the crisis on it is bigger. However, Lotus operates on small volumes, hence any financial damage was minimised.  [2] Swot Analyze: The inability to succeed by Proton to find a foreign associate is a cautioning gesture that it is no longer a competitive and economically capable to living entity with present market condition and debatable management determinations that reason Proton to lose money when other finds profits. Hence, Proton Holdings Berhad requires to regard a foreign participation to more develop on its quality and service to the buyers. Khazanah Malaysia, the Malaysian governments investment arm, holding about 42.74% of Proton, followed by the Employees Provident Fund with 15.4 per cent and Petronas with 7.9 per cent. Price/Earnings: Not Meaningful Price/Sales: 0.3x (2/5 points) Price/Book: 0.4x (2/5 points) Price/Cash Flow: Not Meaningful TEV/Sales: 0.1x (3/5 points) A integrator has its profits economies of scale, market domination, etc. but an expand national car company could produce many duplications i.e. product, merchants network, sellers etc. Proton is finding it tough to decorate its network of providers and distributors.National car company Proton Holdings Berhad once dominated with a majority share in the market. It has since not only lost that majority, its sales in unit terms have even dropped below that of unlisted Perusahaan Otomobil Kedua Berhad (Perodua). UMW Holdings Berhad is the biggest in the sector, with a market value of RM5.9 billion, compared with Protons RM1 billion. Although, UMW has an important oil and gas division, it derives most of its profits from its Toyota division, the most profitable in the industry. In the other hand, Proton reported a loss of RM75 million in the October December quarter last year. It is surpassed in market value by Oriental Holdings Berhad (RM2.3 billion) and DRB-HICOM Berhad (RM1.4 billion), both of which are variegated motor-based groups. In my deduction, Proton should go on to strive strategic alliances and further expand its market in the whole world because of the finishing of conversations with Volkswagen AG in the year of 2007. In an outlook, Proton requires to basically join more into the global supply chain and the global market. Fundamentally, we have not attained the type of sell overseas permeation projected when the company was based. Global motor vehicle industry was enduring a solidification and Proton should be component of this mode. We require to be part of the greater family in a path that works for us.Up to now, there were not any explanation regarding The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) submit its report on Proton Holdings Berhads sale of Italian motorbike manufacturer, MV Augusta to GEVI s.p.a at one euro to Parliament because Proton had obtained a 57.75 percent risk in MV Augusta in December 2004 for 70 million euro (RM367.6 million). The factory is recently producing 240,000 units per year. Opened in 2005, a phase of the art assembly plant was put together at Tanjung Malim, 60 miles north of Kuala Lumpur. This area has been named Proton City and be made up of 500 hectare site containing the factory, plant, housing, a university and other commercial buildings to lodge part suppliers. This plant produces the 3 novel model ranges, the GEN-2, Savvy and Satria Neo. Protons total workplace in Malaysia totals just over 6,000 staffs working in all areas of vehicle design, RD, production and manufacturing. By way of a strong base built up since 1983, Malaysias car manufacturing industry is growing fast.   Proton apparatus a major step forward in upgrading its engineering capabilities when it acquired a share in Lotus are closely involved in Protons new model development, with a group of engineers perpetually based at the design and development centre in Malaysia. The Company has come a long way since 1983, PROTON was publicly listed on the Kuala Lumpur stock conversion in 1992, and current day, Proton cars are sent abroad to more than 50 countries throughout the world. Key export markets contain Australia, Singappore, the far East and the UK, where during 2009 it celebrates 20 years in the market place.   From 1989 until now, Proton Cars (UK) Ltd have been presenting the British public dependable value for money vehicles. 6. Market Power With governments protection and general tariff set up to protect Malaysias fragile automobile industry, Proton continue to record as one of the most profitable car in Malaysia and continue to profit and churn out new cars almost every year. Some of the best selling models, like the MyVi also continue to generate income to the Proton Holdings. In the early days of Proton, the market share was small compared to the other Japanese made cars which were highly used here. But, by 2002 Proton held a market share of over 60% in Malaysia, which was reduced to barely 30% by 2005 and is expected to reduce further in 2008 when AFTA mandates reduce import tariffs to a maximum of 5%. The national car company, Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional or Proton, was established in the early 1980s as a key component of Malaysias heavy industrialization program. From the onset of the projects implementation, the government tilted playing field in the domestic car market in Protons favor by exempting it from import duties on CKD kits. As a result, Proton was able to sell its cars at prices 20-30 percent cheaper than comparable cars produced by other car assemblers in the country. By the 1990s, Proton had become the dominant car producer in the Malaysian Market. Today, about 75 percent of vehicle sales are controlled by Proton (45 percent) and the second national car company Perodua (30 percent). This dominance was however threatened by Malaysias commitment under the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement to reduce import duties to 20 percent in 2005 and between zeros to five percent in 2008. The implementation of these trade liberalization commitments would seriously affect Protons (and Peroduas) competitiveness vis-à  -vis their competitors. The governments response in 2004 was to raise the excise duties to neutralize the reduction in import duty. The import duty on CKD passenger cars from ASEAN countries were reduced from 42%-80% to 25% while excise duty was increased from 55% to between 60%-100%. For CBU units from ASEAN countries, the import duty was reduced from between 140%-300% to 70%-190% while excise duty was increased by between 60%-100%. The above case illustrates how the impact of trade liberalization (e.g. via import tariff reduction) can be neutralized by the use domestic policies (such as excise tax) by the government to support its industrial policy. In Malaysias case, this strategy is probably an interim strategy aimed at buying some time for restructuring of the national industry. The restructuring, for example, may take the form of a future joint venture with a major foreign car producer. (a) Industrial Policy, Market Entry and Competition: The EON Proton Edar Case Industrial policy may also create anti-competition problems. The recent case of EON vs. Proton Edar illustrates this point. Cars produced by the national car company, Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Berhad (Proton), have been traditionally distributed domestically by two firms, namely, Proton Edar Sdn Bhd (Proton Edar) and Edaran Otomobil Nasional Bhd (EON). EON was established in 1984 as the sole distributor of the national car (Proton Saga). The strategy adopted then was to separate the manufacturing activity from the distribution activity. Proton Edar was established in 1985 and it later evolved into a joint-venture between DRB and Proton Berhad in 1993 to distribute Protons cars (Proton Wira). Proton Edar became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Proton in 2000 and subsequently began to distribute other Proton models (Wira, Perdana and Iswara) that were previously distributed by EON. In the same year, the 10-year distribution agreement between Proton and EON ended. A new dealership agreement have since not been concluded. These changes set the stage for further intensification of the rivalry between EON and Proton Edar to distribute Protons cars. Problems arose with the launching of a new Proton car, namely the Gen.2 on 8th February 2003. Not surprising, Proton chose to initially distribute Gen.2 solely through its wholly-owned subsidiary Proton Edar. In addition, EON will have to obtain its supply of Gen.2 from Proton Edar Proton has also argued that EON should restrict itself to selling a single brand in a single showroom, referring to EONs current practice of selling Protons cars as well as that of Audi and Chevrolet. Anti-competitive conduct is fairly obvious in the EON-Proton Edar case. There is a severe conflict of interest due to Protons ownership of Proton Edar. It is in Protons commercial interest to favor its own subsidiary Proton Edar against EON. This has manifested in Protons conduct to vertically restraint EONs competitiveness by restricting its access to a new product. Worse, EONs only source of supply of the new product is now its rival Proton Edar. Furthermore, Protons insistence on the a single brand in a single showroom distribution policy is akin to market foreclosure to reduce inter-brand competition in the car market. There was no government intervention at the initial stages of these controversies surrounding the EON-Proton Edar case. As the above debate became more public and acrimonious, the government did intervene to hasten both parties to sign a five-year dealership agreement on 2 March 2004. Part of the government ability to intervene in the above case is due to the fact that it is a major shareholder in both Proton and EON. The dealership agreement signed may contain elements that should go under competition policy scrutiny. One such clause is the requirement that EON allocates 70 percent of its servicing capacity to Proton cars. This may be construed as the use of market power by the supplier firm (Proton) to force a buyer firm (EON) to limit the latters ancillary services to other competing suppliers. This is an important issue given the importance of the ancillary services to the actual sale of the primary product (cars). Industrial policy can also restrict competition via the promotion of strong vertically integrated structures. In the Proton case, this took the form of car production and distribution. The absence of a competition law obviously exacerbated these vertical restraint problems. If such a law had existed and if Proton was found to be guilty of anti-competitive conduct, it could have been forced to divests its distribution subsidiary. Furthermore, the government currently regulates these companies via its substantial shareholdings in these companies. If the government were to divest its controlling shareholding in these companies, these companies would need to be regulated by competition laws. Barriers to Entry The barriers to enter the automotive industry are substantial. For a new company, the startup capital required to establish manufacturing capacity to achieve minimum efficient scale is prohibitive. An automotive manufacturing facility is quite specialized and in the event of failure could not be easily retooled. Although the barriers to new companies are substantial, established companies are entering new markets through strategic partnerships or through buying out or merging with other companies. In fact, the barriers to entry for new (or different) markets may be quite low; in the 1980s, U.S. companies Team A 4 practically invited Japanese makers into the U.S. by failing to offer quality vehicles in the lower price markets. All of the large automotive companies have globalize and entered foreign markets with varying degrees of success. In the newer, undeveloped markets of Asia, Africa, and South America, the barriers to entry similarly exist. However, a domestic start up, with local knowledge and expertise, has the potential to compete in its home market against the global firms who are not yet well established there. Such an operation, if successful, would surely be snatched up by one of the global giants and incorporated into its fold. 1. The threat of new entrants in the auto manufacturing industry, this is generally a very low threat. Factors to examine for this threat include all barriers to entry such as upfront capital requirements (it costs a lot to set up a car manufacturing facility), brand equity (a new firm may have none), legislation and government policy (think safety, EPA and emissions), ability to distribute the product 2. The bargaining power of buyers/customers who has ever bought a car without bargaining? In early 1990s especially, Proton dealers were giving great deals to buyers to get the industry moving. While quantity a buyer purchases is usually a good factor in determining this force, even in the automotive industry when buyers only usually purchase one car at a time, they still wield considerable power. However, this may be different in other markets. In Singapore it sure is lower than in the US, creating a more favorable situation for the industry but not the buyers. Generally, however, its safe to say the customers have some buying power, but it depends on the market. 3. The threat of substitute products If buyers can look to the competition or other comparable products, and switch easily (they have low switching costs) there may be a high threat of this force. With new cars, the switching cost is high because you cant sell a brand new car for the same price you paid for it. A P5F analysis of the car industry covers the new market, not used or second-hand. But what about the threat of substitute products before the buyer makes the purchase? You need to know whether the market you are analyzing has many good alternatives to new cars. A vibrant used car market perhaps? Used cars threaten the new market. How about a very good mass-transportation system? Product differentiation is important too. In the car industry, typically there are many cars that are similar just look at any mid-range Toyota and you can easily find a very similar Nissan, Honda, or Mazda. However, if you are looking at amphibious cars, there may be little threat of substitute products (this is an extreme example!). I n Protons case, the substitute of this car remains low as its continuos support from the government being the national car of Malaysia plays an integral part in Protons operations. 4. The amount of bargaining power suppliers have In the car industry this refers to all the suppliers of parts, tires, components, electronics, and even the assembly line workers. We know that some suppliers are small firms who rely on the carmakers, and may only have one carmaker as a client. So this force can be tricky to evaluate. The Proton still commands a relatively stronger market despite the ample suppliers available thanks to the government policy. 5. The intensity of the competitive rivalry We know that in most countries all carmakers are engaged in fierce competition. Tit-for-tat price slashes, ad campaigns, and product developments keep them on the edge of innovation and profitability. Margins are low and pressure between rivals is high. All major car-producing nations experience this

Cultural Bias In Assessment Essays -- Persuasive Testing Education Ess

Cultural Bias In Assessment In the society of today, there are various educators who believe in assessment as proper method to measure the performance of a child in school as well as the overall achievement of a specific school system. The assessment may be presented in the form of verbal, written, or multiple choice, and it usually pertains to certain academic subjects in the school curriculum. Recently, many educators began to issue standardized tests to measure the intelligence of a common student body. (Rudner, 1989) These standardized tests were initially created to reveal the success in institutional school programs, and exhibit the abilities of students today. The standardized tests can reveal the strengths and weaknesses of a student as well as the admission into certain programs. The test results also assist various schools in determining the proper curriculum, evaluate a specific school system, or a particular school related program. There are numerous types of standardized tests in which educators choose to measure the academic level of students. The first common standardized test, the standardized achievement test, are used to measure how much knowledge students have retained from a particular subject. The results generally assist teachers in designing achievement programs in each subject area, such as reading, math language skills, spelling, or science. (Samuda, 1990) The second common standardized test is known as the Standardized aptitude tests. Instead of focusing on a particular academic subject, the aptitude tests measure a broad range of skills that would ensure success during the school career. The skills include daily activities such as verbal ability, mechanical ability, creativity, cleric... ...hoice questions on the SAT up to date. Women are able to do better on exams which do not require a specific time limit. The Talent Indentification Program, proved that women "performed significantly better under untimed conditions than under timed. In fact the young women performed as well as males or even better under untimed conditions." Although the tests have still been proven to be bias against women, the large amount of mulitiple choice questions as well as the timed tests still remain in todays society. Although standardized testing has been proven to be ineffective, the creators of the tests are still humans of different races. As a creator of the tests much be created to represent all races and ethnic backrounds. When considering the contents of the tests, people should be looked at as an individual and not placed uder a category with their race.

Piracy Essay -- Technology Software Computers Essays

Piracy Piracy is the unauthorized copying, counterfeiting or distribution of software. Piracy is essentially stealing someone else's intellectual property. The five most common types of software piracy are end user piracy, client-server overuse, Internet piracy, hard disk loading, and software counterfeiting. End User Piracy occurs when an employee of a company reproduces software without the proper authorization. End User Piracy can be done in several different ways: . Using one licensed copy to install a program on multiple computers . Copying disks for installation and distribution . Taking advantage of upgrade offers without having a legal copy of the version to be upgraded . Acquiring academic or other restricted or non-retail software without a license for commercial use . Swapping disks in or outside the workplace [6] Client-Server overuse occurs when too many employees on a network are using a central copy of a program at the same time. When using a program in this way, it must be stated in the license. By having more employees using the software than stated in the license, is defined as overuse. Internet Piracy occurs when software is downloaded from the Internet. Although the product was acquired through the Internet, the same rules apply as if it were bought in a store. Internet Piracy can be done in several different ways: . Pirate websites that make software available for free download or in exchange for uploaded programs . Internet auction sites that offer counterfeit, out-of-channel, infringing copyright software . Peer-to-Peer networks that enable unauthorized transfer of copyrighted programs. [6] Hard-Disk Loading occurs when a business w... ...chelle, "China on Pirates: Blow 'Em Down," Wired Online Magazine, October 17, 2001. <http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,47617,00.html> [6] Business Software Alliance, "Types of Piracy, " Business Software Alliance, 2004. <http://www.bsa.org/usa/antipiracy/Types-of-Piracy.cfm> [7] Copyright Law of the United States of America, US Copyright Office. <http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#102> [8] Travel Pictures. <http://www.cs.unm.edu/~dlchao/travel/> [9] Business Software Alliance, "Sixth Annual BSA Global Software Piracy Study," Business Software Alliance, June 2000. <http://global.bsa.org/resources/2001-05- 21.55.pdf> [10] The Complete Reference to the Web Sites of China Law, <http://www.chinasite.com/Law.html> [11] Markkula Center for Applied Ethics,<http://www.scu.edu/ethics/>

rights fees in sport :: essays research papers

The steadfast rule when it comes to sports and rights fees is that it’s the business of entertainment. The dollars are going to go where the value is. With Rights fees, networks pay fees to have the rights to a particular broadcast, for example march madness, the NFL or the Olympics. Rights fees are determined by the value a certain property holds, this is determined by the ratings. The most important ratings market world wide is undisputedly the North American, and in particular the US market as we will later discuss with the Olympic media coverage. With in the US it is a battle field to increase ratings because of the dollar value associated with the opportunity to sell advertising and consequently the rights fees. Personally I believe that 1.725 billion is a ridiculous amount for NBC to pay for the rights fees of March Madness. But obviously they are not mad. The economics and financials behind their decisions to continually pay more and more is justifiable. Once again boiling down to the ratings. The 70 hours of March Madness are extremely popular in the US and boast extremely high ratings. Therefore, advertisers are willing to pay the big bucks to get their ads on the air. The same is true about the Superbowl, with 30 second advertising sports reaching astronomical highs networks are lining up to buy the rights fees for the event. As Bill Brown the senior vice president of Fox Sports stated, â€Å" we want entertainment†¦we want to televise the teams that will deliver us the highest ratings†. That truly summarizes the essence of sport media today, and why rights fees are working. â€Å"Fox, paying MLB about $417 million a year in a deal†, which expires next year. With base ball’s popularity on the rise again the rights fees for the league are undoubtadly going to increase. But as the numbers have shown the Fox network is the big spender when it comes to rights fees, dispensing $2.5 billion from 2001 to 2006 on MLB alone. While Fox has a hold on baseball, Time Warner and ABC/ESPN seem to be focusing their dollars on the NBA, both handing over just over $2 billion over a 6 year period . But as aformentioned the rating speak volumes and while the NBA is very popular in the US, from a network point of view March Madness, NCAA basketball is a winner.

Physics Cantilever Lab

Independent Assessment Physics Lab (SL): Cantilever Flexion Cherno Okafor Mr. Ebrahimi SPH4U7 October 21st, 2012 Introduction Purpose: The purpose of this Physics Lab is to investigate what factors determine the amount of flexion of the cantilever. Hence, the objective is to establish a relationship between the length of a cantilever, which may give some insight into the physics of cantilevers. Hypothesis: If one increases the length of a cantilever, one would expect there to be an increase in deflection/flexion of the cantilever.Similarly, if one increases the mass of the load, one would expect there to be an increase in the deflexion/flexion of the cantilever. In addition, I predict that proportionality will also occur between the independent and dependent variables. If the length of the cantilever doubles, it is expected that the flexion/deflexion would also double. Similarly, if the mass of the load doubles, the deflexion/flexion would also double. Variables: In this investigatio n, I chose two variables: the length of the cantilever and the mass of the load.First, I chose to measure the effect of the length of the cantilever on its deflection when loaded with a constant mass because I knew from prior experience that there was some relationship between the two variables. * Independent Variable: The length of the cantilever in metres, which will be varied by changing the length of the yardstick functioning as a cantilever that extends over the edge of a table. This will be measured indirectly by measuring the length of the portion of the yardstick not in use and subtracting that from the entire length of the yardstick.The other independent variable is the mass loaded onto the cantilever, which will be controlled by initially using the same mass for each trial, then for the second part, changing the mass of the load by increasing and decreasing the mass, and subsequently investigating what the relationship is between load mass and cantilever length. The initia l location of the mass in relation to the entire yardstick will be controlled by placing the mass at the same end of the yardstick for each trial and marking the flexion/deflexion. Dependent Variable: The deflection/flexion of the cantilever in metres. This will be measured indirectly by measuring the initial height of the bottom of the cantilever with no mass added (which is equal to the height of the table) and the new height of the bottom of the cantilever after each trial, which will be measured with mass added. Hence, the difference between these heights is equal to the deflection/flexion of the cantilever. The material and other physical properties of the cantilever will be controlled by using the same yardstick as a cantilever for each trial.Data Collection and Processing My experiment is divided into two parts; experiment A (involving the relationship between flexion and the mass of the load) and experiment B (involving the relationship between the flexion and the length of the cantilever). Below are two tables in which I have recorded the data which I obtained during the experiment. The first table reflects the Relationship between the deflection/flexion of the cantilever and the mass of the load and the second table reflects the relationship between the flexion of the cantilever and the length of the cantilever. i) Relationship between the deflection/flexion of the cantilever and the load mass (5 trials) Table #1-Experiment A Factor/Variable| Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Trial 4| Trial 5| Trial 6| Trial 7| Trial 8| Trial 9| Trial 10| Trial 11| Load (g)| 0| 100| 200| 300| 400| 500| 600| 700| 800| 900| 1000| Without Load (cm)| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| 96| With Load (cm)| 96| 92. 7| 90| 87. 6| 85| 82. 2| 79. 5| 77| 74. 6| 71. 5| 69. 5| Flexion (cm)| 0| 3. 3| 6| 8. 4| 11| 13. 8| 16. 5| 19| 21. 4| 24. 5| 26. 5| Now, I will graph this relation:We can see that there is a linear relationship between flexion and the load mass. (ii) Relationship b etween the deflection/flexion and the length of the cantilever (5 trials) Table #2- Experiment B Factor/Variable| Trial 1| Trial 2| Trial 3| Trial 4| Trial 5| Trial 6| Trial 7| Trial 8| Trial 9| Trial 10| Length of cantilever (cm)| 90| 80| 70| 60| 50| 40| 30| 20| 10| 0| Height without Load (cm)| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| 95. 5| Height with Load (cm)| 69. 5| 76. 5| 82. 5| 87. 4| 90. 9| 93. 2| 94. 5| 95. 5| 95. | 95. 5| Flexion (cm)| 26| 19| 13| 8. 1| 4. 6| 2. 3| 1| 0| 0| 0| Now I will graph this relation: We can see that there is an exponential/power relationship (curved) between the flexion and the cantilever length. Analyzing Evidence Patterns: 1) In experiment A, the relationship between the flexion and the load is proportional as predicted. As the load increases, the flexion increases as well. As the load doubles from 200g to 400g, the deflection almost doubles too. 2) In experiment B, the deflection increases as the length of the cantilever i ncreases.But this time, it reaches a point (20cm, 10cm, 0cm) where the deflection stays the same even if the cantilever length changes. Conclusion and Evaluation Conclusion: The experimental results agree with my prediction/hypothesis because I predicted that in experiment A, the deflection is proportional to the mass of the load. In experiment B, I predicted that flexion/deflexion would increase as the length of the cantilever increases. As the load and the length of the cantilever increases, then the deflection/flexion increases.This happens because of forces acting on the particles in the cantilever. At the top of the cantilever, particles are pulled apart proportionately to the load because they are in tension. The forces between particles increase. However, the attractive force is bigger than the repelling force in the particles so therefore, the particles are held together. The particles at the bottom will be pushed together proportionately to the load because they are in comp ression. The forces get larger and the repelling force which is bigger pushes the particles away from each other.So they are not disordered. We can also say that they obey Hooke’s law. Evaluation: From the results that I got after performing the experiment, I can say that the experiment worked quite well. In the analyzing evidence section, I can draw the conclusion that the first table reflects a linear straight line graph and the second table reflects a curved graph. On this basis, I can say that the experiment worked out pretty well. I think the data I obtained was accurate since I did indeed try to graph these relationships.A possible improvement to this experiment should be repeating the experiment twice or more if possible. Then I would get the average results in a table and in this way, my results would be even more accurate. General Conclusion: The general conclusion we can draw from this experiment is that as the mass that we put on the cantilever increases, the defle ction increases too until the elastic point is reached where the cantilever cannot hold any more masses so it breaks. Also, we can see from the second graph that the larger the length of the cantilever, the large the flexion is.

An Introduction to Cataracts

Abstract Cataracts will affect almost everyone’s vision at some point in their life. Some people may be able to deal with the cataracts with glasses while others must have cataract surgery in order to improve their vision. The paper explains what a cataract is, who it affects, the development of cataract surgery leading to modern day surgical techniques, as well as the possible complications and benefits after cataract surgery. There was once a time that cataracts caused people to become what they considered blind, but now with modern technology and modern medicine people have the ability to proceed with their life with just minor adjustments to their daily activities. An Introduction to Cataracts and Cataract Surgery Everyone has different vision, and everyone has different points in their life where they may notice their vision changing. One major medical condition that can affect a person’s vision is a cataract. It is important to understand what a cataract is and who it commonly impacts, the development of cataract surgery leading to the modern surgical technique, and the possible complications and benefits of having cataract surgery. What is a Cataract and Who is Commonly Impacted? A cataract, simply put, is the cloudiness of the clear natural lens in the eye (Buettner, p. 101). People who have cataracts have trouble seeing sharp figures, often times the objects they see are fuzzy or dim. The cataracts do not form suddenly but progress and get more advanced with time. The natural proteins of the lens begin to deteriorate between the age of 40 and 45 (Newmark, 38). People with cataracts often have trouble driving, difficulty reading, and even trouble seeing expressions on other’s faces. Cataracts can also cause extreme trouble with sensitivity to sunlight and headlights or streetlights (p. 101). Cataracts occur with the normal aging sclerosis, as the lens becomes less resilient, less transparent, and thicker (Gordon, p. 50). In The Eye Book cataracts are compared to wrinkles and gray hair, eventually it is something everyone will get. It just isn’t acknowledged until someone has a lot of the above mentioned gray hair and wrinkles (Cassel, p. 128). Most Americans by the age of 65 have some type of cataracts or clouding of the lens. According to the National Eye Institute, cataracts occur in roughly half of Americans aged 65 and over (Gordon, p. 49). Certain factors can also increase the risk for developing cataracts. The factors include: advanced age, diabetes, a family history of cataracts, extensive exposure to sunlight, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure, previous eye injury or inflammation or swelling to the eye (American Academy of Ophthalmology, p. 1). Cataracts are also found to be more present in women than in men, more common in African Americans than in Caucasians, and more common in developing countries along the tropical belt than in the United States and Europe (Cassel, p. 132). A recent study also showed that poor nutrition also increased the percentage of cataract formation (Guttman, p. 1). The formation of cataracts can also be advanced by the use of corticosteroid use and excessive alcohol consumption (Buettner, p. 106). It is also worth mentioning that occasionally children can be born with cataracts or develop them at a very young age, this is called a Congenital cataract. This can be caused by the mother having German measles during pregnancy, due to a chemical imbalance, or a developmental imbalance. These cataracts are removed quickly if they are determined to be affecting the child’s vision (p. 106). If a person truly feels that they do not see to their full potential then it is in their best interest to consult with their ophthalmologist and have their vision evaluated to see if surgery would be beneficial. What is the Process of Cataract Surgery? Once the patient decides they are ready to pursue cataract surgery a few steps need to be taken. The patient will need to be seen by an ophthalmologist. The patient will have a dilated eye exam with the doctor along with testing prior to surgery. The testing performed is done to determine what power of Intraocular lens, or IOL, should be placed in the eye to give the patient to best vision possible. The testing is often called an A-scan or an IOL Master. The patient may also have a Corneal Topography done if they have an astigmatism. An astigmatism is an irregular shaping of the cornea and the corneal topography is just a picture or mapping of the cornea. The doctor also uses this test when determining which power of lens will be implanted at the time of surgery. Of course before any surgery can take place the patient must also complete the necessary paperwork. Cataract surgery used to be a major surgery, an inpatient procedure with general anesthesia and about a week stay in the local hospital (Gordon, p. 59). The procedure itself was much harder on patient. The physician made an incision about a half-inch long, through which they removed the cataract and replaced it with a thick glass lens and then later an artificial lens (p. 9). Today the procedure is done on an outpatient basis under local anesthesia in about thirty minutes. In fact, each year over 1. 5 million cataract surgeries are performed in the United States (p. 49). There two different ways a cataract can be removed, either by extracapsular surgery or phacoemulsification (Kanski, p. 346). Extracapsular surgery became common in the 1980s when IOLs became more widely used (p . 346). The capsular bag is opened approximately 10 mm and the lens material is removed in one piece. This technique is beneficial for dense and firm cataracts that would be difficult to break up by phacoemulsification, which will be discussed later (Cassel, p. 150). Once the artificial lens is implanted the incision is stitched. The stitches rarely have to be removed, and usually disintegrate over time (Gordon, p. 60). Because the size of the incision on the eye is rather large, healing does take a few weeks (p. 60). This type of cataract surgery can also induce significant post-operative astigmatism resulting from the large incision and the need for stitches (Kanski, p. 346). Phacoemulsification is the newest and most common method of cataract extraction (Gordon, p. 60). The doctor makes a tiny incision, about 3mm long and uses a tool, called a phaco handpiece, that breaks up the solid cataract into tiny pieces using ultrasound. Then a vacuum is used to essentially suck out the tiny fragments of the cataract from the capsule. (Buettner, p. 111). No stitches are needed to close the incision because the incision is so small that the natural pressure within the eye holds the incision tightly closed, and allows the wound to heal quickly (Gordon, pp. 60-61). Another major difference is how the artificial lens is implanted. The lens is actually folded before it is inserted into the capsule and once placed into the capsule it is unfolded. This is done because the incision is so small the unfolded lens wouldn’t be able to fit through the opening (p. 61). The smaller incision makes the procedure safer and provides an earlier refraction postoperatively (Kanski, pp. 346-347). There is also less risk for iris prolapse (p. 347). Phacoemulsification offers good long-term results and in 97-98 percent of all cases there are no complications, when done by a well experienced surgeon (Gordon, p. 1). Following surgery a protective shield is placed over the eye and the patient is sent home with instructions to use postoperative drops to prevent infection and inflammation (p. 67). The patient will follow up with their doctor the day after surgery and then during the following 6 weeks to check the eyes healing (Buettner, p. 112). Former restriction s were placed on patients that kept them from bending and lifting are becoming things of the past. Patients can resume normal activities almost immediately following surgery, of course any activites should be cleared by the patients physician (Cassel, p. 52). Patients will need to wear dark sunglasses following surgery when they are outdoors in order to reduce the effects of glare (Gordon, p. 67). What are the Complications and Benefits of Surgery? As with any type of surgery there is always risk involved when you have an operative procedure done. Although cataract surgery is one of the lower risk surgeries performed in the United States, there are some complications that should be discussed. Some complications can happen during the surgery and some can happen after the surgery during the healing process. While the physician is extracting the cataract the posterior capsule can rupture (Kanski, p. 349). If this happens the patient can be left with long term complications including vitreous loss, an up-drawn pupil, uveitis, vitreous touch, vitreous wick syndrome, endophthalmitis, glaucoma, posterior dislocation of the IOL, retinal detachment, and chronic cystoid macular edema (p. 349). Another serious risk is dislocation of the IOL after surgery, the IOL can become dislodged into the vitreous cavity and is a result of improper implantation (p. 53). If left untreated it can lead to vitreous hemorrhage, retinal detachment, uveitis, and chronic cystoid macular edema (p. 353). A suprachoroidal hemorrhage is a bleed into the suprachorooidal space which could result in the extrusion of intraocular contents, it is an unlikely complication with the phacoemulsification technique (p. 353). Unfortunately, dislocated IOLs are becoming more frequent with the changing IOL designs and it is necessary that those dislocated lens be addressed immediately for the patient’s benefit (Rajecki, p. 1). Endophthalmitis is a rare but serious infection, symptoms include vision loss, pain not relieved by OTC pain medications, a significant increase in eye redness, flashes of light or floaters, nausea or vomiting (Buettner, p. 113). Of course the benefits of surgery are very clear. The patients can walk away with improved vision and also the possibility of not having to wear glasses. Technology continues to improve and there are multiple lenses for patients to choose from. These lenses offer deluxe options such as correction for astigmatism and multiple focal points. This allows people who have never been able to function without their glasses on to have cataract surgery to live their lives without glasses, and in a true sense live a whole new life! The patients that have successful cataract surgery do not regret the choice they made; in fact they likely wonder why they waited so long to make the choice to proceed with surgery. They often times say they didn’t realize the house was so dirty or they had so many wrinkles until they got home from the cataract surgery. It is clear that cataracts and cataract surgery is a very complicated and detailed subject. It should be very important to the patient that they make a wise decision when it comes to their eyes and the care they receive. Patients will continue to see ophthalmology care grow and change all the time and it will continue to get better. It is encouraging to see that through time things have only gotten better and more advanced for patient care. References American Academy of Ophthalmology. (2011). Who Is at Risk for Cataracts? Billig, O. D. , Michael, Cassel, M. D. , Gary, Randall, M. D. , Harry. (1998). The Eye Book: A Complete Guide to Eye Disorders and Health. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Press. Buettner, M. D. Helmut. (2002). Mayo Clinic on Vision and Eye Health. Rochester, MN:Kensington Publishing. Gordon, Sandra. (2001). The Aging Eye. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Guttman, Cheryl. (2009, October 1). Analyses Examine Association Between Risk Factors,Cataracts. Ophthalmology Times. Kanski, Jack J. (2007). Clinical Ophthalmology: A Systemic Approach. Philadelphia, PA:Butt erworth, Heinemann, Elsevier. Newmark, M. D. , Emanuel. (2006). Ophthalmic Medical Assisting. San Francisco, CA: Essilor Rajecki, Ron. (2008, October 15). Advances in Cataract Surgery Bring New ComplicationsAlong with Benefits. Ophthalmology Times.