Business Plan for a Real Estate Business in Bangladesh Essay

It will make good quality flats for clients to live and enjoy lot more exclusive facilities. All these will be available at a very reasonable price. Since we believe in economies of scale. Slogan: â€Å"feel like living on heaven in every moment† Financing: To start up the business, Tk. 20 crores will be required, some additional needs to be financed by the bank. The loan will be repaid by five years. Confidentiality: This Business Plan is strictly confidential and is the property of the co-owners mentioned above. Any reproduction of the material inside will result is strictly prohibited. There has always been a good demand in the real estate market, and as the income level of the people of Bangladesh grows, that demand is surging even further. People want to buy unique, good-looking and attractive flats, but they want a good value for their money as well. That’s where we come in. We offer excellent quality flats, at reasonable prices. Another uniqueness of our business is that we have a separate line of apartments for office/bank use only. There is currently no such real estate companies in Bangladesh that offers an exclusive line of apartments. Therefore, in this segment, we can enjoy the benefits of being an oligopolist. On the other hand, we have the business-to-business prospect. Due to good economic growth, apartments are on the rise. Raihan with share of profit and loss according to ratio of equity invested. Together, we have gathered the necessary expertise required to run a real estate business. Initially, we will of course incur losses, but we plan to make profits in the fourth or fifth year. Real Estate Industry Analysis Industry Analysis: Real estate is a fixed, tangible and immovable asset in form of houses or commercial property. Real estate market involves developing, renting, selling/purchasing and renovating of these assets (houses). Market participants includes o Developers (contractors, engineers, and so on), o Facilitators (mortgage companies, real estate brokers, banks, anagement agents and so on), owners, renters (leasers) Each product (house) is unique in terms of buildings, location, and financing thus market has heterogeneous products. Transaction costs are high and the process is usually long. Though there are mobile homes, but the land underneath is till immobile, real estate is an immovable asset. Market Segmentations: The main factor that affects demand in real estate industry is demographic features. The demographic variables include population size and growth, cultural background, beliefs. However, other factors like income, price of housing, cost and availability of funds, consumer preference, supplier’s preference, price of substitutes and compliments. Future Outlook: One of the most startling statistics regarding real estate in this country, and a fact few people even realize, is that big portion of land in the Bangladesh is held either by the Government or is being used for agricultural purposes. The total farm area comprises about 62% of the total geographical area, forest area accounts for 15%, Perennial water 11% and urban area only 01%. The physical landscape is characterized by small arable fields. There are over 11 million farm holdings with more than 65 million fragments. The pattern of land ownership is highly skewed. 5% for the families having land above 7. 2 acres own 26% of the land and 70% of the families having land below 2. 5 acres own only 29% of the land. The per capita availability of crop land is at present only 0. 24 acre. Land utilization statistics indicate that 54% of the net cropped area is single cropped and area under double and triple cropping account for 72% of the gross cropped area. 20% of the total cropped areas have irrigation facilities. Yield is low i. e. rice -0. 703 metric ton per acre. Annual food deficit ranges between 1. 5 2. 0 million metric tons. Frequent natural calamities like cyclone, flood, drought, tidal bore etc. add to the shortfall of crops and livestock. What this means is that only few portion of the country is available to support all residential and commercial uses. This equates to nearly 1800 people per square mile of land by 2020. Despite the mortgage crisis and resulting financial meltdown of the last several years, these statistics seem to indicate that owning real estate in Bangladesh will continue to be a wise investment. In the very basic economic sense, there is no more land being created (limited supply) and more population density every day (increased demand). ? Economy: Growth in FY2010 was better than expected in April 2010 in Bangladesh, as a pickup in domestic demand neutralized the impact of weak expansion in exports. Inflation came in below the April projection, and the current account surplus was higher. For FY2011, this Update retains the outlook of a moderate uptick in growth, but with a slightly lower forecast for inflation and a larger fall in the current account surplus. To raise growth prospects, power and gas shortages need to be eliminated and reforms accelerated. More fundamentally, political stability will be critical to boosting growth. The bank’s Monetary Policy Statement (MPS), issued in July 2010, indicated that there may have been some diversion of private credit into consumer spending and into speculative investments in the stock market and real estate. . So we are expecting that, the economic condition in Bangladesh will be much better for business. If we also consider the given figures the scenario will be clear more.

American Revolution and William Byrd Essay

1. How did William Byrd’s life in Virginia reflect British influences? How did it reflect American characteristics? (Mention pertinent customs, interests, institutions, and objects.) 2. In view of William Byrd’s great wealth and influence in Virginia, why didn’t he simply stay in America? 3. In what respects was colonial Virginia an aristocratic society? In what respects was it democratic? 4. The author suggests that in England, William Byrd was something of a gadabout, whereas in America his life was more stable and constructive. In what ways do Byrd’s vocational, intellectual, and sexual activities support this argument? 5. This chapter describes several levels of authority in colonial Virginia. Describe the distribution of power in each of these relationships: husbands and wives, masters and slaves, local gentry and average colonists, Virginia and England. 6. William Byrd’s career reveals both the satisfaction and the frustration of being a British American. In what ways were the two identities compatible? In what ways did they come into conflict? â€Å"Reform in Early America: John Woolman on Goodness and Greed† 1.What were the principal beliefs of the early Quakers, and why were they persecuted? 2.What were the customs and practices in the colonies that John Woolman particularly condemned? What did these behaviors have in common? 3.What did John Woolman mean by the words â€Å"scramble† and â€Å"cumber,† and why did he condemn both? What did he mean by the â€Å"inner plantation†? 4.According to William Penn, what is the essence of a good marriage—and what force is most likely to undermine true love? 5. Why did John Woolman write: â€Å"the seeds of great calamity and desolation are sown and growing fast on this continent†? â€Å"Divided Loyalties: Jonathan Boucher and the Pre-Revolutionary Crisis† 1. What were Jonathan Boucher’s main criticisms of America in his early years as a colonist? What did he like about America? 2. In what ways did Boucher contribute to colonial society and education while he was in America? 3. Like the Patriots, Jonathan Boucher opposed the Stamp Act—why? 4. What was Boucher’s position on the questions of bishops and clerical salaries? How did his thinking on these issues influence his relationship to the Revolutionary movement? 5. Why did Jonathan Boucher leave America? How did other people treat him in his final months in the colonies? 6. What was the Lockean view of government? In what ways did Boucher support it? What was the philosophical basis of his opposition to the Revolution? 7. What did Jonathan Boucher mean when he argued that liberty is merely a â€Å"phantom†Ã¢â‚¬â€a â€Å"magical and misleading word†? 8. Were the Patriots justified in driving Jonathan Boucher into exile? Should they have allowed Tories the same liberty they demanded for themselves? â€Å"The American Revolution, 1776: The Continental Army in the Year of Independence† 1.The author claims that American independence did not become a reality on July 4, 1776. In what ways was America still subordinate to Britain after Independence Day? 2. For what reasons did people join and desert the Continental army? 3. What were George Washington’s principal accomplishments and weaknesses as a military leader in 1775–1776? 4. Why was Washington â€Å"wearied to death† in 1776? 5. Describe the contribution of each of these persons to the Revolutionary War: Nathanael Greene, Joseph Hodgkins, Joseph Plumb Martin, Nathan Hale, Lydia Minturn Post, and Thomas Paine. 6. How did each of the following contribute to American independence: the rhetoric of Nathan Hale and Thomas Paine and the victories of the Continental army at Trenton and Princeton? 7. In 1776 Americans took pride in being a small nation that fought bravely against a larger nation. America is now one of the most powerful nations in the world, but can you see evidence in our statesmanship of a tendency to associate ourselves with smaller, â€Å"oppressed†

Psychological Effects of Organ Donation on the Organ Donor Dissertation

Psychological Effects of Organ Donation on the Organ Donor - Dissertation Example The two sources of organ donation are live human donors, mostly close family relatives of the patient in need of the organ, and cadaveric donors. Â  Live donors usually do it for altruistic reasons in the hope of saving the life of a loved one. On the other hand, in the case of cadaveric donation, the issue of consent of the deceased donor comes into question.The two sources of organ donation are live human donors, mostly close family relatives of the patient in need of the organ, and cadaveric donors. Â  Live donors usually do it for altruistic reasons in the hope of saving the life of a loved one. On the other hand, in the case of cadaveric donation, the issue of consent of the deceased donor comes into question.Straus and Corbin (1990) wrote that any phenomenon with limited information can still be better understood by using qualitative research methods. Qualitative methods are useful in unearthing new insights or perspectives on phenomena that are already much studied. It is po ssible to acquire more depth of information than what has surfaced so far, which may otherwise be difficult to explain quantitatively. Â  For this study, the qualitative method will be used, specifically, interviews with organ donors and their family members recruited from an organ donor facility or hospital. Â  At least 8 participants are targeted and their interviews will be guided by the following questions and their insights will be encouraged. Â  Data will be analyzed using thematic analysis which looks for patterns emerging from the data such as predominant thoughts, emotions and opinions commonly shared by the respondents regarding organ transplantation. This study will not claim that the data gathered will be representative of the views of the general population of organ donors and their families, however, it will contribute information to the literature on Health Psychology based on the data gathered

(ONLINE CLASSES ARE NOT A GOOD IDEA) Annotated Bibliography

(ONLINE CLASSES ARE NOT A GOOD IDEA) - Annotated Bibliography Example They gave recommendations on supporting the ease and speed of use of CMS, and how it can support diverse teaching needs and goals of end users. These authors are credible sources, because Ioannou is a doctoral student in the educational technology program in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut, while Hannafin is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. They have worked on similar studies on technology enhanced learning environments and technology integration. The intended audiences are: school information technology or information systems manager or director and end users of CMS. The main limitation of the article is that it did not conduct any empirical research on a specific CMS to determine its strengths and limitations. It depends on existing studies to argue and support its preference for client-based CMS too. I plan to use this paper to explain existing CMS uses and limitations. Th is article can also help provide recommendations on CMS development. (251 words). Ramage, T.R. (2005). A system-level comparison of cost-efficiency and return on investment related to online course delivery. Dr. Thomas R. Ramage Publications. Paper 2. Retrieved from http://spark.parkland.edu/ramage_pubs/2/ Ramage (2005) compared the costs and revenues of Illinois community colleges and their online delivery systems, in order to examine their cost-efficiency and to contrast the outcomes among online courses at chosen community colleges. Findings showed that online programs at 83% of the community colleges were not cost efficient and did not give a positive return on investment. Apparently, online courses are not cost-efficient, since only two of the 12 participating colleges were determined to be cost efficient. The mean return on investment was negative at –15%. Cost per student credit also varied, which indicated that diverse factors influence the costs and

My abilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My abilities - Essay Example With reference to our previous conversation, I am very much for the idea of launching F&F's products in the international market. I have analyzed this, and found it to be an extremely viable idea. The international market is much bigger than the local one and the potential for sales and profits is great. Growth rate in many foreign markets can surpass domestic markets and can help in keeping the company's competitive local competitive advantage. Of course, as with any business venture, there are real risks involved, but I believe that with the proper execution and the right marketing strategy, the benefits would far outweigh the risks. Since F&F has already established itself in the local shoe market, I believe that extending this success internationally is but a natural and logical step. A product's domestic success is a good indicator of its chances in the overseas market, especially if similar conditions and needs are present. But what works here may be different in other countries, so each market should be treated individually, screening it for entry options for marketing as well as being sensitive of its cultural implications. I understand your apprehension about making foreign investments (building overseas factories, etc.) so I suggest exporting. This strategy would optimize the capabilities of local factories, and your plan of expanding the operations in Florida will be helpful in this matter. In addition to that, the excess local production capacities can be sold to other markets. My long-term objective is to make F&F the brand synonymous with high-demand, high-quality, luxury sporting goods. F&F is already known for making high-quality products without competition, and this could be our key to success. We must pursue an aggressive marketing campaign to build our brand image since this would maintain our considerable competitive advantage. Upscale markets in the sporting industry is very lucrative. My strategy is to fill untapped markets that desire high-end, high-quality shoes; to know what this market wants and fulfill its needs. Potential buyers are willing to spend more on products if it builds their image and makes them look good. F&F products, being of high quality and fashion would undoubtedly fill the niche for this market. Having no direct competitors makes this goal much easier. The possibility of counterfeit goods is a problem that could not be totally eradicated. However, I believe any potential competition from, say, Chinese imitations will not be great, as the competition is based on quality rather than price. Also, the target market is comprised of discriminating customers and will realize the inherent value of owning the real thing. Good planning should not be overlooked. Formulating a good export strategy by proper market assessment and knowing the right information will ensure that the company makes the best choices and that resources are optimally used. I am aware that taking you up on this kind offer is no easy task. But armed with the proper understanding of international markets and thorough planning, I am confident that we can pull this off. I am enthusiastically looking forward to the opportunity of working for F&F. I look forward to hearing from you soon

Oil Prices Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Oil Prices - Essay Example The oil market has highly inelastic demand and supply especially in the short run mainly because there are a few if any substitutes for it. Scientists have attempted tirelessly to create solar and CNG run cars and there has been an attempt to harness nuclear power at all levels of the industrial use. Oil supply is also inelastic because of the cost of the refining and infrastructure costs incurred by the crude oil suppliers to make the oil marketable. Also associated are the costs of maintaining such infrastructure because the cost of infrastructure remains constant regardless of any output. For example when in 1973 the OPEC cartel announced a US-Israel Boycott there was a reduced supply in the overall oil output therefore for any given price level, there would be lesser oil supplied. Natural causes like earth quakes or war situations also have a significant effect on oil supply. An example is the recent disaster of the Hurricane Katrina which affected production in the Gulf of Mexico. More so the increasing industrial demand for oil in the third world countries is also a factor in the rising oil prices. In the following diagram at any given level of price, more oil is demanded and the price increases. However with regard to oil prices in the long term there are other factors at play. The long term demand and supply of oil are very much elastic. Long term demand is likely to change if the oil shortage is constant. A short term disaster may change consumer behaviour temporarily but in the long term if the supply remains short constantly the following might happen; People might start adopting to the shortage by using more fuel efficient cars, using CNG,solar power or even nuclear power. At the industrial level nuclear power or coal power can replace oil powered generators.These are slow changes but have permanent long term effects on the demand of oil. There might be increased oil exploration in areas where previously it was too difficult to start wells. This may be because a supplier is restricting the oil supply. The effect of finding new oil fields will be to break already established cartels or oligopolies. There is not just one answer to the reasons behind the rising real oil prices.This has become an issue much influenced by war and politics.The demand and supply factors are very much influential in the short term but in the long term the consumption trends and investment are greater reasons for the shifts in the demand and supp

One flew over the cuckoo's nest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

One flew over the cuckoo's nest - Essay Example Originally entering the ward in a bid to escape having to serve jail time, McMurphy quickly sizes up the other patients and determines what each can do to help make his stay in the ward more comfortable and exciting. However, as he comes into direct conflict with the high level of manipulation and oppression directed through the heavy hand of Big Nurse Ratched, the Irishman's energy and focus becomes a driving need to thwart her efforts. Since it appears that Nurse Ratched's primary goal is to keep the patients on the ward completely subdued and under her control, McMurphy concentrates on helping them recover their own sense of power and independence. As he constantly challenges Nurse Ratched's authority and demonstrates to the men on the ward that they have their own inner power to defy her wishes, McMurphy reveals to the men various ways in which they can help themselves break out of the mental traps in which they'd allowed themselves to be trapped. Although he didn't set out to em power the patients or to play any role positive or negative in their rehabilitation, it can be argued that Randy McMurphy was more successful than Nurse Ratched in rehabilitating the patients. By comparing Nurse Ratched's approach to the patients with McMurphy's approach, it is easy to see that even though both characters lost something important to them, McMurphy was more successful in helping these patients rehabilitate. It is clear from the beginning of the book that Nurse Ratched's primary goal is to ensure all the people within her domain are completely subjugated to her command so that she can 'fix' them the way she sees fit. Her purpose in working with the patients is to break them down until they are completely submissive to her instructions and desires. These desires are that the patients be fixed to work like the well-oiled machine they were intended to be, which the narrator makes clear right away in his description of the tools of her trade that she carries in her handba g: "there's no compact or lipstick or woman stuff, she's got that bag full of a thousand parts she aims to use in her duties today - wheels and gears, cogs polished to a hard glitter, tiny pills that gleam like porcelain, needles, forceps, watchmakers pliers, rolls of copper wire ... " (10). The tools of her trade are the tools of a mechanic intent on putting broken machines back together. There is no sense that she values the human spirit that ignites each soul as she works to break down the patients' resistance so that she can organize their universe for them. "The Big Nurse tends to get real put out if something keeps her outfit from running like a smooth, accurate, precision-made machine ... what she dreams of there in those wires is a world of precision efficiency and tidiness like a pocket watch with a glass back" (30). This concept of the patient as a broken clock continues to be mentioned by the narrator, Chief Bromden, who illustrates the fear and mistrust the other men hav e of her motives. She appears in her description like a giant mechanical spider sitting â€Å"in the center of this web of wires like a watchful robot, tend[s] her network with mechanical insect skill, know[s] every second which wire runs where and just what current to send up to get the results she wants† (30). Whether or not she is truly intent on helping these men heal within the limits

Plantwide and Department Allocation Methods within an Activity Based Essay

Plantwide and Department Allocation Methods within an Activity Based Costing System - Essay Example Costs are first allocated from resource cost pools such as plant wide and department cost allocations. The resource cost pools may associate materials and labor costs. Second, resource drivers are identified. Resource drivers are also called cost drivers that measure the consumption of resources by an activity and assign costs to such consumption. The result of the assignment is an activity cost pool for each activity. Plant wide and department allocation methods are derived from the allocation of overheads to production and service departments and then reallocating service departments cost to production departments in order to obtain the plant wide cost allocation. On the other hand, the ABC system assigns overheads to each major activity instead of departments. Therefore, the plant wide and department cost allocations are primarily used during identification of resource drivers and assignment of costs of resource consumption by an activity. However, because of the complexity and large number of cost centers needed in an ABC system, plant wide and department allocation method are still widely used in performance measurement. The ABC system is utilized in strategic decision making processes such as pricing, cost reduction, and customer profitability (Drury,

Recommendation MEMO to Darla Domke Research Proposal

Recommendation MEMO to Darla Domke - Research Proposal Example She believes that she will have a upper hand in her business The most appropriate step for Darla Domke to take when setting up the I’ll cook for you business is to establish her own in house advertising and not hire an outside advertising agency (Dunung 2010, p. 22). Advertising comes with a number of drawbacks. Thus depending on the decision that an individual has made to start a business it is important that they choose the most appropriate kid of advertising strategy that will meet their needs as well as that of their customers. From the pros and cons listed in relation to whether Darla Domke should hire an outside advertising agency or develop an in-house advertising agency, it would be appropriate for her to set up her own advertising agency that she will be able to work within her own schedule and incorporate a number of ideas that are within her area of competency (Pringle & Starr, 2006, p. 161). With her own services, she can use them to serve as her advertising strategy at the same time (Provost 2014, par 1-8). Establishing an in house advertising agency as opposed to the hiring of an outside advertising agency has benefits that include the ability to effectively save on time and costs as well as the ease of control of activities. There is room to make faster and informed decisions. One of the disadvantages that is normally associated with the establishment of an in house advertising agency is that most of the people in the business may not have the required experience and expertise (Kazmi, Batra &U Satish 2008, p. 64). For the case of Darla who is a qualified nutritionist, getting time off her regular office job will give her more time to prepare high quality meals. She will also make use of her skills and abilitities to ensure that the meals she prepares are healthy and of the appropriate quality. In addition, if she requires any additional personnel, she should ensure that they have the relevant level of professionalism,

Memorandum Law Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Memorandum Law - Research Paper Example In recent international legislation, parental rights have been reduced and restricted with the rights of children being upheld over and above parental rights. ANSWER Parents have various rights and responsibilities. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) discusses that states must apply the principle of best interests of the child2. This principle basically sets forth that all activities involving children calls for active safeguards to be implemented in order to protect the rights of children and to ensure their survival and well-being. Under the CRC, all countries must respect the rights and duties of parents to provide direction in the protecting children’s rights3. States under the CRC must also recognize the principle that both parents have common rights in the raising of the child; and that assistance must be given to these parents in child-rearing. Working parents also have the right to benefit from child care services and facilities. In effect, countries must also ensure that parents have the right to access data on payments and services for the benefit of their children4. Parents with disability also have the right to be protected and assisted in their guardianship and adoption of children5. The CEDAW also requires states to protect the equality of men and women. In effect, both parents have the same rights and responsibilities, regardless of their marital status, in terms of rearing their children, in terms of guardianship, and in relation to adoption. Parents also have the right to not be separated from their children especially against the latter’s will, except when deemed necessary by authorities6. Parents have the right to be given equal opportunity to participate in proceedings where the custody over their children would be determined. In instances when separation would result from the actions of a country against a parent, parents have the right to be given information on the whereabouts of family members, unless this woul d be against the best interests of the child7. The CRDPD also protects the right of parents to marry, their rights of reproduction, to retain their fertility, to rear their children, and their right to a united family on equal footing with the community8. Parents with disabilities also have the right to be respected in and supported in their role of parents. In instances where the disabled parent is unable to care for the child, alternative means of care must be found first within the family, and if no appropriate alternative is found, another caregiver would have to be found in the community where the family is located. The current direction of international laws on the rights of parents has been towards reducing their rights and giving more power and rights to their children. The Convention for the Rights of the Child declares that children would have the right to choose their own religion and their parents can only advice them on their choice9. Another major change in the interna tional rights of parents also involve the application of the ‘best interest of the child’ concept where a parent’s right can be negated in instances where a government worker would disagree with such a decision10. A parent’s right to make the decisions would also be subjugated in favor of the child’s right to be heard, where the child is allowed to seek a

Social Behavior of the Silvered Leaf Monkey Essay Example for Free

Social Behavior of the Silvered Leaf Monkey Essay Adult Silvered Leaf Monkey (Trachyphitecus sp. ) can be distinguished by having silver-tip fur, with dark-skinned face, a feature which is entirely different from the infants. Infants can be seen as a starling bright orange. However, in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo) reddish adults also occur. Species Range Species of Silvered Leaf Monkeys can be found ranging from Indochina, Southern Burma, Southern Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia to Sumatra, Java, and Borneo. Group Size Species of Silvered Leaf Monkey are usually found in groups up to about ten. The average group size of Javan Langur is around seven individuals (V. Nijman, unpubl. data; cited in Nijman and van Balen, 1998). Based on Kool (1991) found that groups ranged in size from 6-21 individuals with one or two adult males in the group. Group sizes were observed to be larger on Lombok Island, Indonesia, in secondary and monsoon forests than in tropical forests (Supriatna et al. , 1986). Foraging Behavior of Silvered Leaf Monkey Silvered Leaf Monkeys are observed feeding on young leaf shoots or forest fruits in swampy areas, riverine forests and back-mangrove (â€Å"Silvered Leaf Monkey. † 2007). The diet of the Leaf Monkey consists of young leaves and leaf buds, including sweet and fleshy fruits (ripe and unripe), flowers, flower buds, and insect larvae (Kool, 1993). During times that fruits are unavailable or not in season, they increase the intake of young shoots/leaves. It was found out that half of the dietary intake for the subspecies T. auratus sondaicus consisted of protein-rich leaves (Kool, 1992, 1993). In addition to that, the leaves that, the Silver Leaf Monkey selects and prefers to eat consists of low-fiber contents which are easily digestible (Kool, 1992). Silver Leaf Monkey rarely eat mature leaves, they are observed to spent 20% of feeding time foraging on species of Moraceae. When the favored food are scares, their important food source are young leaves of the teak tree (Tectona grandis), (Kool, 1993, 1991). The midrib part of the leaf of teak tree are mostly preferred to be eaten by the Silver leaf Monkey. Nutritional Value of Their Diets Part of their diet, are high protein rich leaves and leaves with low fiber-content which are easily digestible. According to Kool (1993) twenty seven to thirty seven percent of their diets was fruit in which fifteen to twenty seven percent consists of the diets of unripe fruit, and ten to twelve percent of the diet ripe fruit. These fruits that they consume consists of higher amount of condensed tannins, (which according to Goltenboth 1976; Davies, et al. , 1998; Kool, 1992, is useful in the diet because they may reduce acidosis of the stomach by slowing down the rate of fermentation) and total phenolics. Part of the diet of the subpsecies T. auratus sondaicus are ripe fruits which was found causing acidosis in colobines, this is maybe the reason why colobines avoid eating this (Goltenboth, 1976; Kool, 1992). Some of the species also prefer eating fruits with seeds. Some of the important species of trees they prefer to consume are from Ficus sinulata, Ficis sumatrana and Vitex pinnata (Kool, 1993). Depending on what kind of fruits was in season especially during the month of July, August, September, January and February, the kind of food that different groups prefers, varies. Groups may feeds simultaneously having the same food preference. Individuals may be observed eating while the others are traveling or resting. It was also observed that compared to other group of adults and sub-adults the male Silvered Leaf Monkey fed less frequently (Brotoisworo and Dirgavusa, 1991). Locomotion It was observed that the silvered leaf monkey (Javan langur) moves through the forest, quadrupedally (Rowe, 1996). Social Behavior The species of Javan langur are found living in social groups of one or two adult males and some groups on Lombok islands are observed to have only one male. The males were observed to separate and travel solitarily or mixed with all-male groups. The male tends to maintain close proximity with other males the same is true with the females, who tend to maintain close proximity with other females. Aggressive behavior of adult females against one another of the same sex can be observed. Some females may tend to care infants which are not from them (Kool, 1991; Supriatna, etal. 1986; Bennett and Davies, 1994; Rowe, 1994; and Mengantara and Dirgayusa, 1994). Vocal Communication: Silvered leaf Monkey produced a sound like â€Å"ghek-ghok-ghek-ghok,† which serves as their alarm call (Gumaya et al). Reproduction: The species of silvered leaf monkey produces or gives birth to only one offspring at a time. References Bennett, E. L. and Davies, A. G. 1994. The Ecology of Asian Colobines. in Colobine Monkeys: Their Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution. eds. A. G. Davies and J. F. Oates. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. Brotoisworo, E. and Dirgayusa, I. W. A. 1991. Ranging and Feeding Behavior of Presbytis cristata in the Pangandaran Nature Reserve, West Java, Indonesia. in Primatology Today. eds. A. Ehara, T. Kimura, O. Takenaka, and M. Iwamoto. Elsevier Science Publishers: Amsterdam. Davies, A. G. , Bennett, E. L. , and Waterman, P. G. 1988. Food Selection By Two South-east Asian colobine monkeys (Presbytis rubicunda and Presbytis melalophos) in Relation to Plant Chemistry. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Vol. 34, 33-56. Djuwantoko. 1994. Habitat and Conservation of Ebony Leaf Monkey in Deciduous Forests (teak), in Central Java. (abstract) XVth Congress of the International Primatological Society. Bali-Indonesia. Goltenboth, R. 1976. Non Human Primates (apes, monkeys and prosimians). in The Handbook of Zoo Medicine. (translation) eds. H-G. Klos and E. M. Lang. Van Nostrand Reinhold: New York. Gurmaya, K. J. , Adiputra, I. M. W. , Saryatiman, A. B. , Danardono, S. N. , and Sibuea, T. T. H. 1994. A Preliminary Study on Ecology and Conservation of the Java Primates Kool, K. M. 1991. â€Å"Behavioral Ecology of the Silver Leaf Monkey, Trachypithecus auratus sondaicus, in the Pangandaran Nature Reserve,† West Java, Indonesia: (abstract) Primate Eye. Vol. 44, 19-20. Kool, K. M. 1992. Food Selection by the Silver Leaf Monkey, Trachypithecus auratus sondaicus, in Relation to Plant Chemistry. Oecologia. Vol. 90, 527-533. Kool, K. M. 1993. â€Å"The Diet and Feeding Behavior of the Slilver Leaf Monkey, (Trachypithecus auratus sondaicus) in Indonesia. † International Journal of Primatology: Vol. 14(5), 667-700. Mengantara, E. and Dirgayusa, I. W. A. 1994. Social Behavior of lutung (Trachypithecus auratus sondaicus) in Pangandaran Nature Reserve. (abstract) XVth Congress of t

Effect of Technology Development on Entertainment

Effect of Technology Development on Entertainment Table of Contents (Jump to) Introduction Delivering superior content Enhancing user experiences Platform mobility Conclusion References Introduction Over the years, the advancement of the digital technology has created a revolution in TV. Nielsen’s 2012 report stated that the number of homes with high definition TV grew in the US by more than 8 million (Nielsen 2011). This suggested that TV continues to be the dominant platform media for many households. Watching live or time-shifted TV programmes or games connected online via Internet are now using more of this conduit to deliver their contents to the many TV users. The continuous development and advancement in the digital technology continue to make a tremendous impact on television, playing an important part of family lives’ by offering quality entertainment and increasing the way of family bonding. They are achieved through delivering superior content, enhancing the user experiences’ in watching TV and offer excellent platform mobility for both network producers and users. Delivering superior content With the advancement of technologies like streaming video, high-quality video and Internet, it has offered different delivery platforms to deliver TV programs and dramas. However, the real focus remains on the content. In Kelly Scott Madison’s State of media report, it reiterated that â€Å"content is and always will remain, king† (Madison 2013). With quality programming content like ‘Who is HBO’s Girls for?’ (Smith 2012) that shows about different women and their lives, the show has differentiated itself from other media programming content. The show not only caters to mostly female audience demographics where most females are at home watching TV; the audience are able to relate their lives to the series show and this creates the ‘stickiness’ to the television drama series because of its content. This is similar to other shows like â€Å"Sex and the City†. Subscription TV penetration of TV households in Australia is increasing over the years. It is forecasted to increase from 30% in 2008 to 35% in 2017 (Maurer, Emmanuel Parker 2013). Through subscription TV, it provides different content and choices to the viewers like sport, movies, cartoons, variety shows. It also allows, through digital set-top boxes, the viewers can record and view the program as and when he prefers. This is not available in the traditional broadcast TV when the viewers have to watch a show through a fixed schedule. The regulatory environment for free-to-air television in Australia continues to change. In 2012, the Convergence Review highlighted the need for diversity in media and more Australian content (ABC News 2012). With digital and primary channels, it allows broadcasters the flexibility to provide more Australian content. (Cosgrove, Schaffer Horlin 2013) Through digital technologies, viewers can watch ‘live’ broadcast shows like Formula-1 racing, AFL, English Premier League or Australian Open Tennis. In most networks, it also allows viewers to have video-on-demand in which the viewer can select the movies at their own convenience. Viewers can also use time-shifting features in their set-top to skip the advertisements if they would like to. Thus, with superior content and rapid advancement in technology, TV providers and networks can create more value to the TV consumers (Maurer, Emmanuel Parker 2013). Consumers will now spend more hours watching TV and be willing to spend more money in subscription or video-on-demand fees. Enhancing user experiences TV has advanced tremendously in recent years because of digital technologies advancement. From traditional black and white or colour TV, it now has features like high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), Dolby surround effects to 3D technology offering real-life effects to viewers. In addition, in the digital era, TV has provided more connectivity with other devices such as Nintendo wii or Xbox 360 game machine, Internet access for online games, music and many more. Many of these devices provide multi-user games that allow family members to enjoy playing the games in the living room together. Imagine the effects on family bonding when parents and their children can enjoy a game of tennis for several hours in front of the television in the living room. Through technologies, TV has created a ‘cocooning impulse’ (Tryon 2012, p. 291) that unite families and brings them together (Cosgrove, Schaffer Horlin 2013), creating bonding and harmony in the family. User experiences are also enhanced through the superior content delivery through digital technologies. Movies are more readily available in household TV through Pay TV or Subscription TV options. TV drama series like ‘Serangoon’ made by Australian TV or Lena Dunham’s ‘Girls’ are some examples where these sitcoms series which are made for television (Mundell 2013) have created a ‘glueing’ effects on user experiences to the TV. Technologies like video-on-demand and built-in program recorders of TV show allows time-shifting, thus watching TV becomes a ‘pleasure and a treat’ for housewives (Venkatraman 2013). Statistics have also shown that users are now more than doubled spending time watching time-shifted TV using their DVR (digital video recorder) (Madison 2012). Interactive TV also allows viewers to interact with other viewers through polls, chats, online shopping or voting. 3D technology in TV has now experienced a worldwide resurgence together with high definition video capability and superior sound quality standards. It also brought about a drastic change in television viewing, creating vibrant three dimension and captivating real life effects on the viewers. This has created a ‘3D revolution’ (Uniyal 2012) in the user experiences watching TV at home and not only in cinemas. Technological innovations in 3D technology for TV offer a more interactive television user experience through captivating user interfaces like 3D animations or real-time interaction with online apps like Facebook and Twitter (Connected Media World 2013). Platform mobility Traditional scheduled television broadcasts and viewing through receive-only television sets have been increasingly supplanted by digital technologies offering viewer engagement and convenience through video-on-demand, viewing of television programs across a multitude of devices such as smart mobile phones, Apple iPad tablets, Smart Internet-Ready Television, and sophisticated digital set-top boxes provided by cable and internet television operators. As pointed out by Sterne, people can spend many hours of their time watching specific programs using their mobile devices and still not realizing and thinking of themselves ‘as watching television’ (Sterne 2012). Tyron defines â€Å"platform mobility† as the â€Å"idea that films and television shows can move seamlessly from one device to another with minimal interruption† (Tyron 2012). He also noted that digital delivery technologies allowed workers and families with hectic schedules, the ability to watch television programs ‘wherever and whenever they would like’ (Tyron 2012). This provides them the individual and personalized experiences that cater to their own tastes and needs, enhancing the overall compelling user viewing experiences. Tyron (2012) further argues that the viewer empowerment through digital technologies has an overarching impact on viewer engagement as more mobile devices like iPad tablets, laptops and smartphones can provide the platform mobility to the users. Members of the family can watch different or same television program in different places within the house. This also empowered individual viewer to access to a wide range of choice selection like viewing on-demand movies on personal mobile device, online chat using social media applications such as Twitter and Facebook or speaking with their friends on their mobile phones while watching a sport game. Platform mobility also allows producers like Warner to sell their films through this mode of digital delivery to viewers who can purchase them via iPhone apps. Viewers can choose to view their favorite movies as and when they would like, in the living room or on a bus. Thus it can be said that the resurgence of TV as a home for â€Å"quality† entertainment can be partly attributed to demand spawned by viewers’ mobile and digital era lifestyles, and their desire to be an engaged viewer instead of being a passive one. Conclusion In conclusion, it is apparent that digital technologies will continue to remain a dominant force in the television industry as a home for ‘quality’ entertainment. TV network services providers continue to capitalize on the advancement of the digital technologies so as to explore and offer more innovative and value-add services to TV subscribers. Advancement in the Internet or other media delivery channels like satellite, broadcast via cable, allows service providers to increase their revenue streams by offering more superior content and options and enhancing user experiences by making use of newer technology like 3D. Platform mobility remains the focus of the future research in the digital technologies in the TV industry. This is because of the ever changing lifestyles and demanding needs of the younger generation for more contents and mobility. Hence, we will not see the demise of the television but rather a revolution that television plays an important part in the home for quality entertainment, through the digital technologies; and it continues to provide intrinsic value in family bonding. References ABC News 2012, ‘Government releases convergence review’, viewed 7 June 2014, http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-04-30/govt-releases-convergence-review/3980316>. Cosgrove, C, Schaffer, B Horlin, S 2013, ‘Free-to-air television’, PWC Outlook: Australian Entertainment Media, viewed 7 June 2014, https://outlook2013.ezimerchant.com/category31_1.htm>. Connected Media World 2013, ‘The evolution of the TV User Experience’, viewed 7 June 2014, http://www.connectedmediaworld.com/NewsArticle.aspx?ArticleID=c73b0e36-43ca-4a84-93be-835f4bfe222e>. Madison, K.S 2012, ‘2012 State of media’, Chicago: KSCMedia Madison, K.S 2013, ‘2013 State of media’, Chicago: KSCMedia Maurer, D, Emmanuel, R Parker, A 2013, ‘Subscription television’, PWC Outlook: Australian Entertainment Media, viewed 7 June 2014, https://outlook2013.ezimerchant.com/category38_1.htm>. Mundell, I 2013, ‘Smallscreen fare makes a big splash’, Variety, viewed 2 June 2014, http://variety.com/2013/film/news/smallscreen-fare-makes-a-big-splash-1118064535/>. Nielsen 2011, ‘The cross-platform report’, State of The Media, pp. 2-10. Smith, S.E. 2012, ‘Who is HBO’s Girls for?’, Global Comment, viewed 7 June 2014, http://globalcomment.com/who-is-hbos-girls-for/#>. Sterne, J 2012, ‘Formatted to fit your screen’, FlowTV, vol. 15, no. 5, http://flowtv.org/2012/01/formatted-to-fit-your-screen/>. Tyron, C 2012, ‘’Make any room your TV room’: digital delivery and media mobility’, Autumn, 53(3), pp. 286-300. Uniyal, D 2012, ‘3D Technology: Shaping the future of entertainment’, Journal of Mass Communication, 10(1), pp. 50-55. Venkatraman, M 2013, ‘Consuming digital technologies and making home’, Journal of Business Research, Issue 66, p. 2 1

Ilm Al-raml In Islamic And Arabic Culture

Ilm Al-raml In Islamic And Arabic Culture Distant as it may seem, synergizing mathematics with divination systems and religious practices that transcend the realm of rational thought is an almost impossible endeavor. To get a clear understanding of into the nature of amtehatmical knowelegdew Nonetheless, a careful and detailed examination of some Historical Background Ilm Al-raml constitutes an omnipresent divination system in the Arabic and Islamic culture. The literature attributes the Arabic term Ilm Al-raml or ilm Al -khutut to Geomancy. Historically, Geomancy constituted a family of divination systems, including such famous members as Ifa, Fa, Sixteen Cowries (Nigeria and West Africa in general), Sikidy (Madagascar and Comoro Island), Ramalasastra (India), I Ching ( China), Hakata (Southern Africa), ilm al-raml or khutut al-raml (North Africa). According to the most recent historical re-enactments, the Hellenic, Jewish, Persian, African, Indian and Chinese borrowings into the Arabic body of geomancy point to a drafting of the classic, strongly astrological geomantic system in Southern Mesopotamia in an Ismaili context in the tenth century CE. Subsequently, the systems rapid and successful spread over the Islamic and Jewish intellectual world, and hence into Europe, Africa and the Indian Ocean region, was largely due to its being preserved in widely circulated treatises. Of these, perhaps the most famous and successful has been the Kitab al-fasl fi usul ilm al-raml) by the Berber sheikh Muhammad al-Zanati (c. 1200 CE) (Van Binsberg , 1996). A careful examination of the binary mathematical structure of both the Southern African four-tablet divination system, and the more directly Arabian-derived forms of geomancy found in the Indian Ocean region led many historians and researchers to hypothesize a series of historical connections. In Arabic Islamic culture, ilm al-raml or sand-science goes back to IdrÄ «s, the Egyptian third Islamic prophet of Allah who came between the prophets Adam and Noah and resided in Egypt during which he undertaken the mission to show people how to write, to sew, to build cities and to use the Science of the Sand(Al-Tokhi,1991). The narrative tells that Idriss was taught this science by an angel sent by Allah and he taught it to his people who were practicing astrology (Tanjjim). Description and interpretations According to the principles of Idrisian facts, all living creatures are made up of four elements: fire, air, water, earth and four results heat, cold, moist, dry, and four directions east, west, south, and north. Also, looking at peoples activities they found that they basically used four major practices: weighing, counting, planting, and farming (Van Binsberg, 1996). Then everything balances on four corners, four figures, four extremities (e.g. the human body), and four elements on which they have built unlimited configurations. Partly rooted in simple chance procedures and random processes (like hitting the earth, throwing tablets, beans, shells etc.), ilm al-raml is a binary system of 16 figures. Each figure is 4 rows high and each row consists of either one dot or two dots. The figures are determined through various methods both ancient and modern. The procedure is called darb al-raml or the forceful hitting of the sand with a stick, in order to produce a random number of dot tra ces or marks which can then be scored as either odd or even. Four figures are created, and a chart is depicted using simple binary multiplication, and is interpreted based on the meanings of each figure. The 4_(number)four binary elements of each figure allow for 24 or 16 different combinations. As there are 4 root figures in each chart, the total number of possible charts equals 16ÃÆ'-16ÃÆ'-16ÃÆ'-16 or 65536. The charts are also interpreted differently. Depending on the nature of the question, ilm al-raml can be considered as one of the most thorough kinds of divination based on only 16 figures which are extremely simple yet with deep connotations. The marks on the ground are interpreted through a process of transformation and elimination, from one horizontal line, with one or two dots (one for odd, two for even), to a four-line symbol, of which there are sixteen 24 configurations (Van Binsberg , 1996, p.5) : With two dots making a line, the above configurations can be written as: More complex procedures may raise this number to any higher power of 2. A written or memorized key (the catalogue) provides the interpretation of each generated symbol and of their combinations. (Van Binsberg , 1996) The origin of this science is the dot and its secret is the odd number. Each of the four basic elements has a dot representation. Knowing that the element fire is lighter than the element air and that air is lighter than water and the water lighter than sand and knowing that the heavy element carries the lighter and not vice versa, so the elements in ilm al-raml follow this order: fire then air then water then sand (Al-Tokhi, 1991). Moreover, they assigned 4 letters from the alphabets to designate each one of the 4 elements. Fire( naar) Air (hawa) Water (maa) Sand (torab) Ù†  (noun) Ù†¡Ãƒâ„¢Ã¢â€š ¬ (haa) Ù†¦ (meem) Ø ª (taa) Originally, the patterns were created when the munajjim or the geomancer traced dots with a stylus across a board of sand or dust. The geomancer then examines and construes the dots, deriving further patterns, and eventually gives an answer or forecast for his client. Ascribed to this pattern of dots are different meanings and interpretations, related to the colors, months, planets, the four elements, the signs of the zodiac and parts of the body. Conditions when using Ilm al-raml To hit the sand, the hitter or geomancer or Al-Darib should be facing AL Qubla (a place in Mecca where the Muslims do pilgrimage) and should be clean and wearing clean clothes. He should pray, read certain verses from the Quran and place an intention to hit the sand seeking an answer to a question in mind. In the Islamic culture, hitting the sand is not supposed to be done in the following times: during storms or rain, at sunset or sunrise. However, it is preferable to be done after sunset until dawn, the best time is during the night. Also, the hitter shouldnt speak to others while performing the act. He should be joyful and content and should start with hitting the sand from left to right saying these words: Tash 4 torbash 4 shaqoor 4 tazan 4. (Al-Tokhi, 1992). Procedure: How it is done The procedure is administered inductively through a set of pre-determined and systematic series of steps that are embellished by the diviners skill to intensify and epitomize the importance of the act. The series of steps constitutes a decision making algorithm that, upon execution, results in an outcome which is interpreted by the diviner as either good or bad. The steps are illustrated in the following example: Step 1: A customer comes to Al-Darib (the diviner or the person hitting the sand), seeking answers or advice on certain questions. The questions can be related to any type of day-to-day affairs such as marriage/divorce; life/death; finding a thief; pregnancy; happiness; profit/loss, etc.. Step 2: To find the answer, Al-Darib, after fulfilling the above mentioned conditions, makes 4 horizontal lines and on each line he designates 4 rows of random number of dots in such a way that each row has less number of dots than its precedent. Below is a demonstration: Then Al-Darib eliminates the dots two by two, if the remaining is a single dot he puts a dot otherwise he puts a dash sign. This concept is what is known in arithmetic as counting modulo 2. (Ascher, 2002) The above figure is called Al-takht (the board in Arabic) and the resulting 4 shapes or configurations are called the mothers from which the other twelve shapes (4 daughters; 4 granddaughters; 2 off springs; 1 arbitrator; 1 judge) are generated (Al-Tokhi, 1992). Each of the sixteen possible configurations is identified by a name, and for each a number of standard interpretations are given in a catalogue or some type of a written manual. These configurations are derived by a special form of juxtaposition, based on the following computational rules: even x odd = odd, i.e. x = ; odd x even = odd, i.e. x = even x even = even, i.e. x = ; odd x odd = even, i.e. x = In any given shape, the four parts designate from top to bottom: Head; chest; waist; legs. The above takhit produced the following four mothers configurations: Step 3: From the four shapes that constitute the mothers' configuration, four other shapes are generated by taking one shape from the mothers heads, another from their chests, a third from their waists and a fourth from their legs. These four configurations constitute the daughters. Juxtaposing the first two mothers then the second two mothers and the first two daughters and the second two daughters will generate the four granddaughters. The same procedure is repeated with every two granddaughters to get the 2 configurations which are called off springs. Juxtaposing the two off springs together will give one configuration and is called arbitrator. To generate the sixteenth configuration, Al-Darib multiplies the last shape with the first mother shape to get the judge. The sixteen configurations generated are shown below: x x x x Interpretation: Each of the sixteen configurations designates a house which holds the meanings on which interpretations are made. The houses are different from the configurations itself. While the configuration or shape is the piling up of 4 layers of dots and dashes, the houses are the locations in which these configurations fall (Al-Tokhi, 1992). The first house represents the life of the client, the second house is the house of capital, the third for the brothers, the fourth for the parents, the fifth for the children, the sixth for disease, the seventh for marriage, the eighth for death, the ninth for travel, the tenth for luxury and fame, the eleventh for hope, the twelfth for enemies, the thirteenth for the asker, the fourteenth for the sponsors, the fifteenth for balance and equilibrium and the last shape is for judgment . The shapes in the sand speak to Al_Darib: When he sees distressful or tragic configurations he pronounces bad news irrespective what the object of consultation is. When he sees a mixed configuration he pronounces middle results. When he sees happy configurations he pronounces good news and success. Kinship relations: A number of researches indicate that the mothers here do not primary stand for a kinship reference, but for fundamental cosmological entities such as planets or elements, However, in hitting the sand, the client has to give the name of his mother and not the father. (Al-Tokhi, 1991). This in turn makes the descent series mothers/ daughters/ off springs distinctly matrilateral. (Van Binsberg , 1996) Calendar: The sixteen shapes or configurations are divided among the days, weeks, months, and years. For the days of the week, the shapes are distributed as follows: Sunday Thurs. night Friday Tues. night Wed Sat. night Wed Fri. night Sat. Wed. night Thurs.Mon. night Tues. Sat. night Sat. rest of days Adopted from Al-Tokhi (1992). Al-usul wa al-wosoul fi ilm al-raml.(Translated from Arabic) Also, the first twelve of these sixteen configurations are identified with the twelve astrological houses and are interpreted accordingly, taking into account the usual correspondences and conventional meanings of the twelve houses, the planets and the zodiacal signs. The planetary and zodiacal associations of each of the sixteen names are listed in the following table: Adopted from Van Binsberg, The Astrological Origin of Geomancy, 1996, p.43. Closure Ilm al-raml in Islamic, Arabic culture is a complex cosmological tradition that is still practiced and is highly popular in most Arab countries today. Although it is highly contextual and mostly spread out among the more underprivileged, poverty stricken people, it is nonetheless highly sophisticated with a systematic set of procedures that underlies its implementation and interpretation. As a divination practice, Ilm al-raml encompasses a range of mathematical ideas that are embedded in the daily life of indigenous people and play an unprecedented role in impacting the decisions they undertake in their everyday encounters. Concomitantly, such an inductive, semiotic system is based on mathematical and probabilistic principles that are constantly proposed as vital in the mathematics school curricula. Introducing students to such cultural practices can help embed mathematics in meaningful and novel contexts and consequently build a more positive attitude toward mathematics.

William Tyndale :: essays research papers

The smell over whelming in the air. The brunt flesh cast a shadow with the dark smoke that the fire created. Some people cheered, some people cried, and yet others smiled greedily under hidden cloaks. The people of England had decided to burn one man that stood up and translated the bible from the original manuscripts into what we have today. William Tyndale cried out with his last breath, " O Lord, open the King of England's eyes." The executioner first strangled Tyndale in order to keep him quiet about "his" word of God. William Tyndale has since become known as "The Father of the English Bible." Without Tyndale and his translation of the original manuscripts later versions of the English bible would not be available. William Hutchinson, later changed to Tyndale, was born around the date of 1494 AD. Tyndale had an exceptional gift of speaking over seven known languages. Tyndale attended Oxford University and in 1512 he received his Bachelors Degree. After another three years at Oxford University Tyndale graduated with a Masters Degree. In order to support his education William Tyndale tutored students from the higher class society. Tyndale joined the group called "the White Horse Society." This group gathered together in order to discuss the teachings of Erasmus and Luther. Then Tyndale was learned and well practiced in God's matters, spared not to show unto them simply and plainly his judgment, and when they at any time did vary from Tyndale in opinions, he would show them in the Book, and lay plainly before them the open and manifest places of the Scriptures, to confute their errors, and confirm his sayings. And thus continued they for a certain season, reasoning and contending together divers times, until at length they waxed weary, and bare a secret grudge in their hearts against him. As this grew on, the priests of the country, clustering together, began to grudge and storm against Tyndale, railing against him in alehouses and other places, affirming that his sayings were heresy; and accused him secretly to the chancellor, and others of the bishop's officers. After a few short years Tyndale left "the White Horse Society" and moved back home to teach children. Tyndale preached at Saint Austen's Green which resided in front of the Cathedral of Bristol. During Tyndale's stay at home he caused a commotion that consisted charging him with heresy. All of this was due to the teachings of the "Lollardry.

Death Through Sacrifice :: Greek Culture Traditions Papers

Death Through Sacrifice Death is one of the most terrible things we humans have to go through. Where do we go after death? Is there a Hell or a Heaven? These are questions that still remain without answers. Since remote times, men have wondered about this, but not even technology has helped us to find answers. Some people are said to have answers; it is true they do have answers, but answers that mainly fix their religious beliefs. Almost all religions have a theory about death, but they vary from one to another, and sometimes the difference is big. But have we ever wondered: How long have cultures and religions proposed theories for life after death? The answer is, since millions of years ago. If we go to ancient cultures, like the Greek or the Aztec cultures, we can recognize their theories to be really close to our own. The idea that there is a hell and a heaven, and after death you are judged --if you were good during your life you go to heaven; if not, you are punished in hell-- still remains in present cultures. Even though the theories may have many similarities, there are a few aspects related to death in ancient culture that we see as obsolete and horrifying. An example of this is sacrifice. In today?s society, sacrifice is not legal, and it is considered cruel and barbarian. This is the way most people view animal sacrifices because we do not even consider human sacrifices to be possible. In ancient cultures, both animal and human sacrifices were normal. For many cultures it was an absolute necessity for human survival because if food was not offered to the gods then they could not keep the world going. If we analyze some of the oldest cultures like Greece and the Aztecs, we can see that even though they both practiced sacrifices, the way they did it and to what extent, varies considerably. For example, the Greek practice both animal and human sacrifices, but not so often; while in the other hand, the Aztecs practiced mainly human sacrifices and very often. The Greeks have a long history with sacrifices: "We see in Greece a society in which the basic ritual acts in daily practice are of a sacrificial type. For nearly ten centuries, guided by immutable cultic statutes, the Greeks never failed to maintain relations with the divine power through the highly ritualized killing of animal victim, whose flesh was consumed collectively according to precise strictures" (Detienne and Vernant 1).

Rabies: Closer Than You Think :: science

Rabies: Closer Than You Think Rabies, a virus of the nervous system and salivary glands is a fast moving killer; it’s not something to mess around with. Rabies comes from the Latin word â€Å"to rage†. Rabies is easily associated with rage. When people think of rabies, they usually think of a mad raccoon or dog, foaming at the mouth and running around crazy; dying soon after. The thought of going crazy is a pretty reasonable guess for how rabies torments its victims. The virus enters through a bite or transfer of infected saliva and makes its way through the nerves toward your spinal cord and brain. Obviously, rabies is an extremely deadly virus that affects the nervous system. Immediately after being bitten, you need to seek medical attention or death will come within a week. Rabies is a very fatal virus that, without proper medical attention, will kill its victims very swiftly, but there are ways to help. There is a vaccine for people who are likely to get rabies, and there is a vaccine that, if used immediately after the exposure to the rabid animal, can save the victim of rabies. These vaccines have saved the lives of many. Medical technology at its finest is what saves victims of these horrible diseases, but if you are too late and do not receive the proper treatment in time, well, death is a lot closer than you think. Rabies is a disease that requires fast treatment. Go too slow and all you can do is wait until death comes; painfully and tormenting you until you draw your last breath. Most often the cause of contamination is through the bite of a rabid animal. The virus then spreads through the nerves until it reaches the central nervous system (CNS) which is the spinal cord and the brain. Then the virus incubates in the infected creature’s body for approximately 3-12 weeks. The victim shows no signs of illness during this â€Å"incubation period†. When the virus reaches the brain, it multiplies rapidly, passes to the salivary glands, and the infected creature begins to show signs of disease. The infected creature usually dies within 1 week of becoming sick. Within four or five days, the victim my then either slip into a months long coma ending in death or die suddenly of cardiac arrest. Rabies is extremely dangerous. It’s important to treat the wound when you have been bitten, but the disease isn’t always transmitted through a bite.

Naked Body and Death in The Unbearable Lightness of Being Essay

This paper will argue that Teresa’s dreams in The Unbearable Lightness of Being foreground the character’s suppressed fear of uniformization and her alternative representation of Tomas, as the Apollonian, reasoning masculine figure par excellence. This argument will be developed alongside the lines of the interpretation of dreams provided by Sigmund Freud and by Carl Gustav Jung. In his Interpretation of Dreams, Sigmund Freud argued that dreams are manifestations of the unconscious and that their imagery is a combination of motifs drawn from reality and distortions operated by suppressed feelings like fear and sexuality residing in the subconscious: the strict seclusion or isolation of the dream from real, true life on the one hand, and on the other the continual encroachment of the one on the other, the constant dependence of the one on the other. —The dream is something altogether separate from the reality we experience when awake; one might call it an existence hermetically closed within itself, cut off from real life by an unbridgeable chasm. It frees us from reality, extinguishes our normal recollection of it, and places us in another world and in a quite different life-story, which has fundamentally nothing to do with our real one (Hildebrandt, quoted in Freud, 1976). The notion that dreams bring to the fore an alternative life story is quite significant for our analysis of the presence of dreams in Kundera’s novel. Teresa’s dreams represent a parallel life story in the novel, which compliments and explicates the character’s manifest life. As compared to Tomas, who strives for the obliteration of the differences between spirit and matter, Teresa recognizes the importance of individuality as translated by one’s awareness of the body. However, her relationship with her body is a problematic one because her mother had imposed a wholly different corporeal philosophy on her in her childhood. The exposure of the naked body, devoid of any reticence or libido represents, in the eyes of adult Teresa, the uniformization of the self. It is also a mark of endless anonymous sexual intercourse which is epitomized in the novel by Tomas’ illicit love affairs. In one of her recurrent dreams, which she recounts to Tomas, the fear of corporeal aneantization, which she suppresses while awake, surfaces with a vengeance: I was at a large indoor swimming pool. There were about twenty of us. All women. We were naked and had to march around the pool. There was a basket hanging from the ceiling and a man hanging in the basket. The man wore a broad-brimmed hat shading his face, but I could see it was you. You kept giving us orders. Shouting at us. We had to sing as we marched, sing and do knee bends. If one of us did a bad knee band, you would shoot her and she would fall dead into the pool. Which made everybody laugh and sing even louder. You never took your eyes off us, and the minute we did something wrong, you would shoot. The pool was full of corpses floating just below the surface. And I knew I lacked the strength to do the next knee bend and you would shoot me! (Kundera, 1999, p. 18). Corporeal sameness signifies, as the narrator explains, the anonymity of sexuality and individuality which Teresa fears intensely. As in Freud’s interpretation, the fear of homogenisation translates the fear of death, which Teresa clearly expresses in this dream in contrast to the other women whose laughter and song seem to celebrate the approaching absolute sameness in death. The particular instantiation of Tomas, wearing a hat is highly significant too. According to Jung, â€Å"the hat, as a covering for the head, has the general sense of something that epitomizes the head. [†¦] a stranger’s hat imparts a strange personality† (p. 120). Tomas appears in this dream as a conductor and murderer because, on the one hand, because of his philandering in real life, he forces Teresa into the anonymity of sexual bodies and, on the other hand, his â€Å"strangeness† could signify his equation with absolutism. Teresa’s dream therefore draws a parallel between unrepressed sexuality and death, the bodies’ nakedness ambiguously alluding either to sexuality or to the death camps. These dreams express Teresa’s fear of the obliteration of individuality (and ultimately, her fear of death) through Tomas’ infidelities which undermine her self-image as a wonderful accumulation of contingencies which she values so much. References: Freud, Sigmund. The Interpretation of Dreams. Penguin Books, 1976. Jung, Carl Gustav. Dreams. Routledge, 2001. Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being. trans Michael Henry Heim, New York: Harper Collins, 1999. Porter, Laurence M. The Interpretation of Dreams: Freud’s Theories Revisited. Twayne Publishers, 1987.

How to Write Book Review

How to write a book review Perhaps the best way to offer guidelines on how to write a book review is to give you an example of the kind of instructions and guidelines we (i. e. the academic staff) would be given by journals who invite us to review books for them. So, here are the instructions given to authors by the ‘Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders’. â€Å"A book review should be an objective and tactful evaluation of a book. The review should offer logic and fact in support of its evaluations.Without being just an abstract of the book, the review should indicate the nature and scope of the book’s content. It should indicate the goals of the author, the techniques used to achieve those goals, and the success of those techniques. You may also discuss how the book relates to its field and how it compares to other books in the field. It is important for your review to discuss what audience the book or other media best serves and to state whether the re viewer recommends it.The review should attempt to place the book within a context (e. g. , Is this a new approach? One that builds on an earlier one? ). Reviews should attempt to convey a flavor of the book overall (i. e. , not just summarize the table of contents. Quotes (see below – AQ: are there examples to be provided? ) can often help in this process. If you feel that the book does not merit a review in the Journal please let us know – there is no requirement that we review every book received and it is perfectly acceptable to do a negative review! † †¦. nd here is an example of an actual review written by Dermot Bowler and published in the European Journal of Disorders of Communication (Volume 31, pp 210-213). Note, however, that this review is somewhat longer than your word-limit permits. SAMPLE REVIEW (reproduced with permission of the author): Review of Baron-Cohen, S. (1995). Mindblindness: An Essay on Autism and Theory of Mind. Cambridge, MA. : MI T Press. The integration of a range of theoretical perspectives to provide a coherent scientific account of a natural phenomenon is an easy task only for those who have never had to do it.In this volume, Simon Baron-Cohen has attempted such a difficult exercise by integrating currently fashionable modularist cognitive science accounts of the social dysfunction found in people with autism into neuropsychological and evolutionary frameworks. In the first three Chapters of the book, he aims to persuade us firstly that the explanation of the behaviour of other people using the mentalistic language of folk-psychology (John took his umbrella with him because he thought it might rain) is both highly efficient and evolutionarily advantageous to a species such as ourselves that relies heavily on social organisation for survival.In Chapter 4, he generates a model of development which can account for the emergence of the capacity to mindread in non-autistic children and, taking the well docume nted deficits in autism of lack of protodeclarative pointing, lack of symbolic play and the failure to understand that another person can act in accordance with a belief that the observer knows to be false, their failure to develop in children with autism. His account draws heavily on Fodor's (1983) notion that the mind is made up of independent domain-specific modules, the outputs of which interact to yield mental life and behaviour.He also develops earlier accounts such as that of Leslie and Roth (1993), which posit a specific modular mechanism that enables people to understand minds. Specifically, Baron-Cohen outlines four modular systems that are necessary for the process he calls ‘mindreading'. The first of these he terms an intentionality detector (ID) which is triggered by stimuli exhibiting self-propelled motion and computes desire- or goal-based dyadic representations. The second is the eye direction detector (EDD) which is fired by eye-like stimuli and generates repr esentations of the contents of agents' visual fields.Mechanism number three is called the shared attention mechanism (SAM) which takes input from IDD and ED to compute triadic representations of the kind ‘Daddy sees I see the cat at the window'. Finally, there is the theory of mind mechanism (ToMM), a term borrowed from Leslie's work, which takes inputs from SAM and knowledge of mental states and their consequences which can be used in a hypothetico-deductive way by someone possessing a full ‘theory of mind'.I n Chapters 4 and 5 of the book, Baron-Cohen marshals a considerable body of evidence in support of the existence of these modules and of their selective breakdown in autism. Briefly, he argues that ID and ED are functional in autism, although he acknowledges that there are still considerable gaps in the evidence. By contrast, SAM and ToMM are severely impaired. In Chapter 6, he draws together evidence from neuropsychological and neurological studies on humans and o ther species to attempt to localise these modular systems in the brain.In the final two Chapters, he develops the theme that the capacity to read minds depends crucially on the ability to decode information from the eyes of others, and returns to the theme that this capacity can best be understood within an evolutionary framework. As I said at the outset, Mindreading is a tour de force, in that it draws together evidence from a variety of fields with the aim of providing a coherent picture of the phenomenon of how homo sapiens can account for and predict the behaviour of her conspecifics by means of reference to hypothetical internal mental states.Baron-Cohen's account is worthy of our admiration not just because it describes the current state of scientific play, but also because it permits us to generate propositions which, when tested against data, will refine and improve our understanding. Nevertheless, admirable as this attempt at integration of a range of perspectives might be, a reviewer is duty bound to point out unstated assumptions, weaknesses in analysis, un-expressed counter-arguments and problems of interpretation in an author's exposition.To this end I will now try to clarify what I see as the three major areas of weakness in this book. The first concerns Baron-Cohen's overall modularist orientation. Although accounts of psychological functioning that see behaviour as caused by discrete mental processes that are self-contained, domain-specific, automatic, impenetrable to conscious analysis and localised in specific brain sites has a respectable history, it is not, as its originator, Jerry Fodor would have us believe, the only game in town.It is quite possible to argue that the relationship between the categories we use to analyse behaviour and categories of brain state may be more subtle and more complex than a simple one-to-one correspondence, and that localisation of function may be the result either of anatomical happenstance or may not be a se rious contender, given the global and integrated manner in which some neuroscientists think brains work. Readers who might be tempted to call a child ‘SAM-impaired' or ‘IDD-but-not-EDD-impaired should read Bates et al. s (1988) critique of modularism, as well as of what she termed in a 1993 talk ‘thing-in-a-box neurology', before forming such opinions. My second problem with the book concerns the way in which evidence is presented in support of the argument. Baron-Cohen draws on a wide range of evidence to support the four main planks in his argument; evolutionary, cognitive, neuropsychological/neurological and cultural. Evolutionary evidence is notoriously difficult to assess, since it inevitably has a post-hoc element to it.This is all the more true of the evolution of behavioural adaptations, since they do not leave fossil records that can allow us to detect non-advantageous changes that have died out. I am also worried by arguments that infer survival value and evolutionary success on the basis of the widespread use of a particular behaviour. Baron-Cohen attributes the survival of Homo Sapiens to the fact that we have developed mindreading skills. But many other organisms – from a-social HIV through bees to the social great apes – are evolutionarily successful without mindreading skills.Moreover, I am suspicious about evolutionary accounts that argue that increasingly complex social organisation in primates led to the development of mind-reading skills. This is as if the behaviours called forth by the survival demands of living in complex societies produced a gene that coded for a brain structure that made a particular social behaviour possible. In my view, there is a worrying circularity about all this, not to mention a whiff of Lamarckianism. On the cognitive front, there is undoubtedly an impressive amount of evidence that supports Baron-Cohen's case, evidence which he presents cogently and skilfully.Indeed, this is the s trongest and most closely-argued section of the book. However, there are worrying instances where counter-evidence is either glossed over (e. g. Ozonoff et al's, 1991 evidence on the possession of mindreading skills in high-functioning individuals with autism) or relegated to footnotes (Ozonoff et al's, 1991 failure to replicate Baron-Cohen et al's, 1986 picture sequencing task). There are other instances where evidence appears to be presented where none exists – for example in his discussion of non-autistic people's use of mental state terms when describing Heider and Simmel's (1944) cartoon sequence.At the time the book was written, no published data existed on the use of this instrument with people with autism (but see Bowler ;amp; Thommen, 1995), although a less than careful reading of this text might lead one to conclude that there had been. My third set of reservations centre on often inconsistent or imprecise use of terminology. For example, is it justifiable to speak of a module such as ID as ‘interpreting' stimuli, rather than just generating output when such stimuli are present and not when they are not?On pp126-127, the discussion slides from ‘psychopathology' to ‘neuropathology' without explanation. In this section also, I am certain that blind people would not welcome being labelled as having a psychopathology. Examples can also be found of references cited in the text but not in the reference list at the back. All these shortcomings suggest a hasty compilation of the volume. A little more time spent on reflection, exposition and the more technical aspects of production would have paid dividends here.Most of the reservations I have expressed so far all seem to stem from the most major problem of this book, namely its length, or rather the mis-match between its length and the aims the author has set himself. Baron-Cohen acknowledges that he faced a difficult task in trying to write for experts in biological and cognitive sc iences, students of psychology and the general reader. Trying to please this four-faceted audience is a difficult enough task; it is even more difficult when the debate has to be engaged at several levels of academic discourse. It is well-nigh impossible in an essay of about 120 pages of printed text.Its very length constrains the book to contain a little, albeit very important, knowledge. However, a little knowledge can be a very dangerous thing. Although I would recommend this book to anyone with a personal, scientific or clinical interest in autism, to avoid danger, I would also recommend that it be consumed with some complementary material. The best I can suggest is a paper by the author himself (Baron-Cohen, 1994), which is accompanied by several commentaries and a reply by the author that gives a better flavour of the subtleties of the field than does the volume under review here.

Bullying Program

The issue of conflict and violence in the school is of considerable importance to students, staff, parents, school administrators, school district administrators and the community at large. By being aware of the behaviors, the communication, and the philosophical perspective a particular school adopts, these stakeholders can appreciate and understand the overall school culture that they create. Within the context of this culture, interactions occur and the potential for conflicts exists. The chosen community can be described in many ways.There are old buildings that look run down and there are new buildings in the neighborhood. There are restaurants around like the big daddy’s restaurant, spiro’s restaurant and baxter’s restaurant. The area has changed because new homes and town houses are being built in the community. The city of Norfolk have changed the names of some of the school who had the name park for example Richard Bowling Elementary school used to be ca ll Bowling park elementary school. The reason behind this name change is that most of the areas around these schools that had the name park in them were populated by lower income people.When the city of Norfolk started rebuilding these neighborhoods with diverse incomes, the names of the schools were changed also to meet the rebuilding of the area. Most of the people in the community have lived in this area for their whole life. This community is a diverse community so there are young, old, homeless, people who are single and people who have a families. Most of the population is African American making up 97% of the community, 2% of the community is Hispanics and Caucasians. 1% of the community is of another origin.In the community there weren’t any mosques and temples. In a three miles radius from Richard Bowling Elementary school there were three Baptist churches like the Unity Lutheran church, Temple of God, and St. Mary Pentecostal. So, the overall theme was that the cult ure was a positive, caring, and consistent environment. The community generally is a group who were committed to setting up a culture that was a safe, positive environment for the students. III. Subsystems The community around the school looks nice. There are new homes being built.There are still a few building that look run down and but for the most part they are trying to make the area around school look good. Across the street from the school there are mixers of homes being built which include town homes and houses. These same mixers of homes are being built in the back of the school too. There are health and social services available in the community. One shelter where most homeless people go is called the Union Mission. At the Union Mission they can only accept a certain amount of homeless people because they are limited on the amount of space provided to the homeless.The Salvation Army and habitat for humanity helps the homeless by giving them clothes for interviews. In the Sc hool there aren’t any homeless children who attend the school. Most of the families in the community go to the hospital id they have any problems with their health. In the community there are three clinics in the area called New Walk and Hunterville community center, and Parkplace community center. These clinics are limited on what they can offer the community and resources. At this clinic they see a variety of people from pregnant women to people with diabetes.Most of the people who are sick go to the emergency room because there are more hospitals in the area then local clinics. Some of the hospitals in the area include Norfolk General Hospital, Sentara Leigh Hospital and Depaul Hospital. The home health agency that is most common in the community is provided by the Sentara hospitals. In the area around the school there is only one nursing home called Norfolk Healthcare. There are resources outside the community such as WIC, Medicaid, and Famis from social services. Most of the resources can be accessible to the community by the health department.The health department makes these resources available but it is up to the community if the take advantage of these resources. Hence, this community seems like more of a thriving community because of the reconstruction they are doing with the neighborhoods and renaming the schools. Also, people in the community shop at the common stores such as Wal-Mart, Farm Fresh, Food Lion and the Spartan Market. Most of the people in the community use a variety of ways to travel such as bus, cabs, Hampton roads transit, walk, and a few ride their bike.90% of the children in the school ride the bus and the other 10% of the children walk to school because they live close to the school. There are sidewalks that they can use in going to school but there aren’t any bike trails. There are also private transportation that is available to the community like personal vehicles. The public transportation that is available to t he community include: buses, taxes and Hampton roads transit. There are also protective services that are available to the community are police, fire department and sanitation.But still there are crimes committed like robbery, thief, murders, stealing, and people doing and selling drugs. But in general, most of the people in the community feel safe because they have lived here so long that they have learn to adapt to the neighborhoods. Various forms of communication, formal and informal is also available like the door to door, email, and cell phones. There are also news papers such as Virginia pilot, apartment guides, trade post, USA today, and magazines. Most people also have TVs and radios.Most of them like to watch cartoons, music videos, sports, and realty shows. During the summer the children play at the park and basketball courts. In the winter time the children go to other recreation activities such at skating or boys and girls club. Their major forms of recreation are basket ball, football, and cheer dancing. Parents may sponsor and participate in events their children are in. Other recreations are the boys and girls club, Skating rings, but most of the children in the area participates in school activities. IV. PerceptionsMost of the people love this community and refuse to leave it. The only thing they would like is for their community to be more diverse. Most residents find their community`s strength is their older people. They considered the older people as the strength in the community because they have been in the community the longest and seen the way things use to be. They are the people who stand their ground and enforce change. Problems in the community that can be identified are gang violence, violence in general, discipline from parents, and obeying the city of Norfolk curfew regulations.V. Project The researcher is interested in selecting the elementary school in this community as I see that it has a positive reputation. The selected school was suggested through an extensive consultative process involving the principal of various elementary schools who were aware of the reputation of their feeder schools. Also used as criteria for the selection of the school was the responses that were collected from the community dwellers during the community assessment process.Insight and guidance were also sought from specialized personnel in the district`s central office who worked in the elementary school as their major role in their job description. The researcher then visited the school. The school was old, constructed of brick. The student population was approximately 200. It was located in a low to medium socio-economic area, as determined by the perceptions of the respondents. The researcher visited the school principal where she discussed the proposed program, the method of conducting the program.The principal of this school expressed enthusiasm for the proposed program and offered to take this idea to the staff. The respon se from the staff was overwhelmingly positive and the entire staff agreed verbally to be involved. It is believed, by the researcher, that this particular staff was proud of the school they worked at and subsequently were interested in further insights. The proposed program is a modification of the â€Å"Bully Proofing Your School† program developed by Garrity and her colleagues (1997), which , in turn, was modeled after Olweu`s core intervention program (1978).This program is unique in its emphasis on clinical support to victims and bullies in the form of individual and group counseling, as well as its collaboration with community services. The major goals of this program are to reduce bullying behaviors and create safe and secure school environments. The main components include the following: 1. VI. References Garrity, C. , Jens, K. , Porter, W. , Sager, N. , & Short-Camili, C. (1997). Bully proofing your school. Longmont, CO: Sopris West. Olweus, D. (1978). Aggression in t he schools: Bullies and whipping boys. Washington, DC: Hemisphere (Wiley).

Hrm, Performance Mgmt.

HR03 Performance Management Assignment No. I Assignment Code: 2013HR03A1Last Date of Submission: 15th April 2013 Maximum Marks:100 Attempt all the questions. All the questions are compulsory and carry equal marks. Section-A Ques. 1Discuss the role of Performance Planning in setting performance criteria for achievement of goals of an organization. Explain with an example how an organization attempts to synchronize individual performance targets with organizational goals. Ques. 2â€Å"Performance Management –It’s about performing not just appraising† comment on the statement using theoretical concepts to support your answer. Ques. Elucidate the role of HR departments in the successful implementation of performance appraisal system in organizations. Ques. 4Explain why KPAs and performance targets form the building blocks of any good performance planning system? Section-B Case Study In response to an advertisement Murali Dhar Yadav applied for the post of an assistan t supervisor at Kanpur unit of Manorama Industries (P) Ltd. , leading manufacturers of telephone cables. He was 22 and had passed the intermediate examination in science from Uttar Pradesh Board securing a second class as well as a three-year Diploma in mechanical engineering from Allahabad Polytechnic.The selection was made in the last week of December, 2005 through scientific procedures including screening, psychological tests, group discussion, interview and medical check-up and as Yadav was found to be the most suitable person among 34 applicants, the management was pleased to offer him the position. Yadav joined the company and after completing six months’ training successfully he was formally placed as an assistant supervisor on Rs. 8000/- p. m. in the extrusion section dealing with the coating of polyvinyl chloride on copper or bunched cables. He supervised approximately 60 workers and reported to the general supervisor.His duties and responsibilities in this position included planning, training new operators, chasing schedules, developing new methods, inspection and quality checks etc. etc. Yadav’s performance as assistant supervisor from the very beginning was found to be uniformally efficient. His general behavior in the company towards his superiors, fellow-supervisors and workers was highly appreciable. He used to participate actively in informal get-togethers and parties in the canteen of the company. He inspired confidence, respect and enthusiasm in his subordinates.He was instrumental in increasing production and did not hesitate to work with his own hands. He welcomed responsibilities and did not pass on the buck. On the recommendation of the general supervisor, he was confirmed in his position. Later on, Baldev Prasad Sinha, an assistant supervisor in the cabling section, took three months’ leave, and Yadav was transferred to this section for the specified period of time. Yadav again demonstrated his ability and leadership qualities while handling responsibilities of the new section. Then, he was placed again in the extrusion section. In course of time, Rakesh Kochar, a production supervisor (shift n-charge) of the extrusion section was transferred to Kolkata unit of the company and to fill-up the vacancy thus created the general supervisor recommended the name of Yadav on the following grounds: 1. He had fair knowledge of extrusion, cabling and tinning. 2. He could get things done and had a control over the workers. 3. He was the senior most diploma holder in the extrusion department. 4. He took responsibilities willingly. 5. He had potential for leadership. The management was pleased to accept the above recommendation and promoted Yadav as a Production Supervisor (shift in-charge) at a salary of Rs. 5,000/- p. m. Gradually the factory expanded, more workers were employed and more machines were brought. However, it was found that despite the expansion, the production in cabling section was not incre asing proportionately as expected because of low motivation among workers. Yadav was transferred to this section to get the expected results. He attempted to motivate the workers by providing them good facilities for work, valuing their ideas, recognizing good work, and by changing the programmes and schedules according to the capacity of each individual.He also tried to inject team spirit among the workers by encouraging competition between the two shifts of workers. His techniques proved to be very effective and consequently production in the section increased 1. 35 times. Besides this, he also made useful suggestions for cooling the cables at the die for getting a mat finish which was implemented and since then being practiced. Later on, his services were rendered to the wire drawing section where production was suspected to suffer because of poor personal relations among the workers as well as between the supervisors.He attempted to create a healthy atmosphere in the section, to settle the disputes among workers through mutual understanding and to inject a sense of brotherhood and respect for each other. He succeeded in his attempts to build-up good relations and consequently, production increased 1. 2 times. Then, he was again placed in the extrusion section and by the end of the year, the general supervisor and the works manager appraised his performance as almost â€Å"outstanding†. Subsequently, Yadav was promoted as a general supervisor in production planning and control department.He was to be paid a salary of Rs. 17000/- p. m. The duties and responsibilities in this section included the following: 1. Coordination of wire drawing, extrusion and cabling sections. 2. Assessment of target requirements of raw materials. 3. Programming, coordinating and controlling the processes for machines. 4. Assessment of customer requirements 5. Delivery scheduling 6. Export order execution. Yadav showed mixed reactions to his promotion as a general supervisor in production planning and control department.On the one hand, he was glad to acquire the status of the general supervisor as well as accompanying financial benefits. On the other hand, he felt uneasiness for he was completely removed from the shop floor team of workers, which he enjoyed to supervise. He put his best efforts to perform his functions in the new position. However, despite his efforts, next month, 70 km of wrong colour-coded twisted wires worth about Rs. 22,000 were produced because of his incorrect planning for which he was warned to be careful in future.Again after 3 weeks, he was responsible for wrong twisting of 75 km of switch-board wire for which he was asked to submit an explanation by the works manager. Though since then such mistakes did not occur in his planning, a number of different kind of mistakes crept in because of miscalculations. Next, considerable work accumulated in the coiling section due to his incorrect planning. Again, the process was held up b ecause he planned 200 kg of 0. 4mm wire for cables but only 185kg of the wire could be actually available for it.The works manager reprimanded him privately several times for such inaccuracies in planning and did not know what to do. It was extremely surprising why Yadav’s performance tended to fall substantially below the standards expected of him by the company. Questions 1. Discuss critically performance appraisals of Mr. Yadav. 2. What are the reasons for declining performance of Mr. Yadav in the context of his performance appraisals? HR03 Performance Management Assignment No. II Assignment Code: 2013HR03A2Last Date of Submission: 15th May 2013 Maximum Marks:100 Attempt all the questions.All the questions are compulsory and carry equal marks. Section-A Ques. 1Write a note on ‘Improving managee performance in rapidly changing organization’ Ques. 2Performance management is a critical final element of the performance appraisal process. Explain how effective mana gers help employees improve performance. Ques. 3We are living in a world of teamwork and collaboration, so much so that even, the Government at the Center and that in a number of states are being sustained through coalition politics. In such a scenario can you suggest any new way of measuring erformance of employees so that they are better performers in the new organizational context. Ques. 4Explain why in any performance appraisal form the appraisees are required to fill up much more than the appraisers? Section-B Case Study – SGM Education Enterprises is a company in Noida, which came into existence in 1986 but implemented 360 degree feedback only four years ago. However, owing to immense resistance, had to discontinue its implementation. It so happened that CEO of the company was earlier given a powerful demonstration by a vendor of 360 degree feedback and the CEO was quite impressed by it.Consequently he decided to implement it in SGM Education Enterprises as well. Once t he CEO decided to implement the 360 degree feedback, he took the initiative to appoint the vendor as consultant to ensure its implementation in the company. Towards this end, an e-mail was sent highlighting its benefits and the rationale for changing to the new system. It was informed as to how the ratings collected utilizing the new system will be linked to bonuses as well as the importance of finishing the On-line training and familiarization course on the system.Later, the consultant also imparted online training to all those who showed keenness to learn as well as provided links to various documents on how to observe, assess and record performance behavior. In case any employee had a doubt or needed clarification, he could contact HR personnel to resolve any problem. Question: Discuss in detail the method adopted by the CEO to implement 360-Degree feedback in the company. As per your opinion what could have gone wrong in this regard.