Civil Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Civil Rights - Essay Example The law was not an enough catalysts to bring about change. Blacks became convinced that only nonviolent resistance was the best tool for change. Nonviolent resistance attracted the attention of the nation and won the black movement support from Northern States and key statesmen. Strong civil right activism, through the use of non-violent resistance finally made United States to take action to guarantee equality before the law for all citizens. The framers of the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendment had one key objective: to make Black Americans equal citizens before the law. However, segregationist legislation (dubbed the Jim Crow laws) began sprouting from all states especially in the South following the Supreme Court separate but equal rule in Plessy v Ferguson. The Jim Crow laws negated the letter and spirit of the framers of the Amendments. They promoted inequality between blacks and whites in United States. According to lecture notes, Black people had to drink in sepa rate water fountain, and eat in separate restaurant. On the bus, if white people didn’t have enough seats, black people had to get out of the bus in order to give them seats (Lecture notes, 18 November 2013). Civil right activism developed in several phases, beginning with small isolated cases of protests such as by Rosa Parks who refused to give seat in a bus to a white person, but leading to the emergence of more militant movements, people and organization. Civil rights activism did not have much success stories until there emerged strong and coordinated Organizations. As Patterson explains, â€Å"though direct-action protest on behalf of civil rights for American Negroes (as African Americans were called in 1964) had a long history, it increased dramatically in the early 1960s. Militant young people in organizations such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) spearheaded protests, mainly in the racially segregate d South† (Patterson, Everything you know about the 1960s is wrong). The Montgomery bus boycott saw the beginning of a new phase of protests. It elevated the stature of some black leaders such as Martin Luther King jnr. It marked the beginning of nonviolent resistance to inequality in the American society and the discrimination of the blacks. Dr King, a charismatic religious leader employed religion to support nonviolent resistance. He justified protest using religion and natural law. According to Carman, Dr King argued that â€Å"Non-violent resistance is based on the belief that the universe is just. There is God or a creative force that is moving us toward universal love and wholeness continually† (Carman, Martin Luther King’s philosophy of non-violent resistance). Off course, Dr King faced a lot criticism from his fellow clergy who questioned his religious morality for calling protests, sometimes against the law. He brushed aside his critics. While addressing his followers, he stated that â€Å"we believe in the Christian religion. We believe in the teachings of Jesus. (Well) The only weapon that we have in our hands this evening is the weapon of protest (Address, Martin Luther King). The opponents of nonviolent protests were not only whites. Other black movements, such as the Black Panther Party advocated for the use of all means to achieve equality for the black man,

Descriptions of methods used to measure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Descriptions of methods used to measure - Essay Example The PD can be read directly from the instrument. The near PD can be measured in a similar manner by adjusting the instrument for a reasonable reading distance (usually 40cm). Monocular PDs can also be taken with ease. Despite the fact that the pupilometer is the best way to measure PDs, not every doctor has a pupilometer readily available. Practicing the method outlined above is arguably the next best method. 2. Before telling the patient to look at his or her other eye, the doctor is to note what value is aligned with the centre of the patient's bridge of the nose. Let's say that this value is 30mm for example. This is the monocular PD for the right eye. 3. Finally the doctor directs the patient to look at his or her right eye and notices where the reflection lines up with the PD ruler. Let us say that this value is 62. To obtain the Monocular PD for the left eye, the doctor is to subtract the value obtained from the step 2, with the value obtained here (62-30= 32). The monocular PD for the patient's left eye is therefore, 32mm. 2. Then the doctor glances over and sees where the reflection in the patient's left eye aligns with the PD ruler without having the patient change their gaze. Finally the doctor subtracts this value with the value that corresponds with the centre of the bridge of the patient's nose. This is the near monocular PD. III. ... The PD can be read directly from the instrument. The near PD can be measured in a similar manner by adjusting the instrument for a reasonable reading distance (usually 40cm). Monocular PDs can also be taken with ease. Despite the fact that the pupilometer is the best way to measure PDs, not every doctor has a pupilometer readily available. Practicing the method outlined above is arguably the next best method. II. To distance monocular PD: 1. The doctor follows steps 1-4 for the total distance PD above. 2. Before telling the patient to look at his or her other eye, the doctor is to note what value is aligned with the centre of the patient's bridge of the nose. Let's say that this value is 30mm for example. This is the monocular PD for the right eye. 3. Finally the doctor directs the patient to look at his or her right eye and notices where the reflection lines up with the PD ruler. Let us say that this value is 62. To obtain the Monocular PD for the left eye, the doctor is to subtract the value obtained from the step 2, with the value obtained here (62-30= 32). The monocular PD for the patient's left eye is therefore, 32mm. Then, like in the previous method, the near monocular PD is measured: 1. The doctor follows steps 1 and 2 for distance monocular PD. 2. Then the doctor glances over and sees where the reflection in the patient's left eye aligns with the PD ruler without having the patient change their gaze. Finally the doctor subtracts this value with the value that corresponds with the centre of the bridge of the patient's nose. This is the near monocular PD. Recording (Distance PD in millimetres)/(Near PD in millimetres) = 64/60 For monocular PDs OD (Monocular

PESTEL analysis of the macro-environments

PESTEL analysis of the macro-environments There are many factors in the macro-environment that will effect the decisions of the managers of any organisation. Tax changes, new laws, trade barriers, demographic change and government policy changes are all examples of macro change. To help analyse these factors managers can categorise them using the PESTEL model. This classification distinguishes between: Political factors. These refer to government policy such as the degree of intervention in the economy. What goods and services does a government want to provide? To what extent does it believe in subsidising firms? What are its priorities in terms of business support? Political decisions can impact on many vital areas for business such as the education of the workforce, the health of the nation and the quality of the infrastructure of the economy such as the road and rail system. Economic factors.  These include interest rates, taxation changes, economic growth, inflation and exchange rates. As you will see throughout the Foundations of Economics book economic change can have a major impact on a firms behaviour. For example: higher interest rates may deter investment because it costs more to borrow a strong currency may make exporting more difficult because it may raise the price in terms of foreign currency inflation may provoke higher wage demands from employees and raise costs higher national income growth may boost demand for a firms products Social factors.  Changes in social trends can impact on the demand for a firms products and the availability and willingness of individuals to work. In the UK, for example, the population has been ageing. This has increased the costs for firms who are committed to pension payments for their employees because their staff are living longer. It also means some firms such as Asda have started to recruit older employees to tap into this growing labour pool. The ageing population also has impact on demand: for example, demand for sheltered accommodation and medicines has increased whereas demand for toys is falling. Technological factors:  new technologies create new products and new processes. MP3 players, computer games, online gambling and high definition TVs are all new markets created by technological advances. Online shopping, bar coding and computer aided design are all improvements to the way we do business as a result of better technology. Technology can reduce costs, improve quality and lead to innovation. These developments can benefit consumers as well as the organisations providing the products. Environmental factors:  environmental factors include the weather and climate change. Changes in temperature can impact on many industries including farming, tourism and insurance. With major climate changes occurring due to global warming and with greater environmental awareness this external factor is becoming a significant issue for firms to consider. The growing desire to protect the environment is having an impact on many industries such as the travel and transportation industries (for example, more taxes being placed on air travel and the success of hybrid cars) and the general move towards more environmentally friendly products and processes is affecting demand patterns and creating business opportunities. Legal factors:  these are related to the legal environment in which firms operate. In recent years in the UK there have been many significant legal changes that have affected firms behaviour. The introduction of age discrimination and disability discrimination legislation, an increase in the minimum wage and greater requirements for firms to recycle are examples of relatively recent laws that affect an organisations actions. Legal changes can affect a firms costs (e.g. if new systems and procedures have to be developed) and demand (e.g. if the law affects the likelihood of customers buying the good or using the service). Different categories of law include: consumer laws; these are designed to protect customers against unfair practices such as misleading descriptions of the product competition laws; these are aimed at protecting small firms against bullying by larger firms and ensuring customers are not exploited by firms with monopoly power employment laws; these cover areas such as redundancy, dismissal, working hours and minimum wages. They aim to protect employees against the abuse of power by managers health and safety legislation; these laws are aimed at ensuring the workplace is as safe as is reasonably practical. They cover issues such as training, reporting accidents and the appropriate provision of safety equipment Typical PESTEL factors to consider include: Factor Could include: Political e.g. EU enlargement, the euro, international trade, taxation policy Economic e.g. interest rates, exchange rates, national income, inflation, unemployment, Stock Market Social e.g. ageing population, attitudes to work, income distribution Technological e.g. innovation, new product development, rate of technological obsolescence Environmental e.g. global warming, environmental issues Legal e.g. competition law, health and safety, employment law By using the PESTEL framework we can analyse the many different factors in a firms macro environment. In some cases particular issues may fit in several categories. For example, the creation of the Monetary Policy Committee by the Labour government in 1997 as a body that was independent of government but had the ability to set interest rates was a political decision but has economic consequences; meanwhile government economic policy can influence investment in technology via taxes and tax credits. If a factor can appear in several categories managers simply make a decision of where they think it best belongs. However, it is important not to just list PESTEL factors because this does not in itself tell managers very much. What managers need to do is to think about which factors are most likely to change and which ones will have the greatest impact on them i.e. each firm must identify the key factors in their own environment. For some such as pharmaceutical companies government regulation may be critical; for others, perhaps firms that have borrowed heavily, interest rate changes may be a huge issue. Managers must decide on the relative importance of various factors and one way of doing this is to rank or score the likelihood of a change occurring and also rate the impact if it did. The higher the likelihood of a change occurring and the greater the impact of any change the more significant this factor will be to the firms planning. It is also important when using PESTEL analysis to consider the level at which it is applied. When analysing companies such as Sony, Chrysler, Coca Cola, BP and Disney it is important to remember that they have many different parts to their overall business they include many different divisions and in some cases many different brands. Whilst it may be useful to consider the whole business when using PESTEL in that it may highlight some important factors, managers may want to narrow it down to a particular part of the business (e.g. a specific division of Sony); this may be more useful because it will focus on the factors relevant to that part of the business. They may also want to differentiate between factors which are very local, other which are national and those which are global. For example, a retailer undertaking PESTEL analysis may consider: Local factors  such as planning permission and local economic growth rates National factors  such as UK laws on retailer opening hours and trade descriptions legislation and UK interest rates Global factors  such as the opening up of new markets making trade easier. The entry of Bulgaria and Rumania into the European Union might make it easier to enter that market in terms of meeting the various regulations and provide new expansion opportunities. It might also change the labour force within the UK and recruitment opportunities. This version of PESTEL analysis is called LoNGPESTEL. This is illustrated below: LOCAL NATIONAL GLOBAL POLITICAL Provision of services by local council UK government policy on subsidies World trade agreements e.g. further expansion of the EU ECONOMIC Local income UK interest rates Overseas economic growth SOCIAL Local population growth Demographic change (e.g. ageing population) Migration flows TECHNOLOGICAL Improvements in local technologies e.g. availability of Digital TV UK wide technology e.g. UK online services International technological breakthroughs e.g. internet ENVIRONMENTAL Local waste issues UK weather Global climate change LEGAL Local licences/planning permission UK law International agreements on human rights or environmental policy In Foundations of Economics we focus on the economic environment. We examine issues such as the effect of interest rate changes, changes in exchange rates, changes in trade policy, government intervention in an economy via spending and taxation and economic growth rates. These can be incredibly important factors in a firms macro-environment. The growth of China and India, for example, have had massive effects on many organisations. Firms can relocate production there to benefit from lower costs; these emerging markets are also providing enormous markets for firms to aim their products at. With a population of over 1 billion, for example, the Chinese market is not one you would want to ignore; at the same time Chinese producers should not be ignored either. However, the relative importance of economic factors compared to other factors will depend on the particular position of a business. Exchange rate fluctuations may be critically important to a multinational but less significant to a local window cleaner. Rapid economic growth or economic decline may be very significant to a construction business that depends heavily on the level of income in the economy but may be slightly less significant to a milk producer whose product is less sensitive to income. So whilst the economy is important to all firms on both the supply side (e.g. unemployment levels affect the ease of recruitment) and demand side (e.g. income tax affects spending power) the relative importance of specific economic factors and the relative importance of the economy compared to, say, regulation or social trends will vary. Whilst we hope this book provides a good insight into the economy and the possible effects of economic change on a business these must be considered in the light of other macro and micro factors that influence a firms decisions and success. macro environment Hide links within definitions Definitions (2) 1. Major external and uncontrollable  factors  that  influencean  organizations  decision making, and affect itsperformance  and  strategies. These factors include theeconomic,  demographics,  legal, political, and socialconditions, technological  changes, and natural  forces. 2. Factors that influence a  companys  or  productsHYPERLINK http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/development.htmldevelopment  but that are outside of the companys  control. For example, the  macro  environment could includecompetitors, changes in  interest rates, changes in cultural tastes, or  government  regulations. How Macro Environment affects Financial Management Decision? Macro environment is a dynamic factor and has changed drastically in last few years, leading to increase in avenues, competition and complexity. Efficient financial management calls for better financial decisions. This is only possible when every factor is reviewed which can affect the decision in any way and macro environment is one of the most important factors. This has made financial management more critical and sensitive for any business. Effective evaluation of alternatives is very critical in financial decisions. The evaluation calls for analysis of various factors belonging to both macro as well as micro environment. Financial management; a specialized field of general management is affected to a large extent by macro situations. We have to make various decisions related to finance; broadly such decisions include capital budgeting, capital structure working capital decisions. Capital budgeting facilitates investment decisions, capital structure takes care of decisions relating to mix of sources of funds and, working capital assesses the day to day needs of business. While taking these decisions, one needs to understand the criticality of environmental forces. Since, there is no single factor that makes our macro environment but group of various forces like political, legal, economical, social, technological etc, together build it. An effective financial decision needs assessment of these factors. To evaluate various macro forces, it is necessary to be aware of the system and processes of the country constituting the economy. For e.g. financial system of a country which plays a major role while making financial decision. Awareness about financial environment helps us understand how it constraints or facilitate implementation of decisions. Financial environment comprises of various intermediaries as well as regulatory bodies. A simple example will help us understand the criticality of macro factors thoroughly. A change in credit policy like tightening of prudential norms for banks (for e.g. Increase in Cash Reserve Ratio and Statutory Liquidity Ratio by central bank of a country) will reduce the money supply in the economy. Decreased money supply will push up the interest rates and make credit costlier for people who want to borrow. Costly credit will directly affect the capital structure decision. It will also affect capital budgeting decision while assessing the feasibility of the investment alternative. Since, a higher cost of capital will increase the percentage of discounting factor (opportunity cost) with which the future cash flows are discounted. This may cause deferring or canceling the capital expenditure (CAPEX) plans. Also, one should be updated with various changes taking place around the world. We are living in an era of globalization where, nothing is stable and information technology has made the access to news and information of the world just a click away. World is becoming a level playing field where, not only national but international factor can also cause a threat. Like, Sub-prime Crisis brought a challenging time for almost entire world. To summarize, financial management and its decisions are greatly based on some major assumptions. These assumptions are greatly based on the macro factors such as country or worldwide interest rates, gross domestic product (GDP) of a country, growth rate of economy, production and sales figures, population census etc. It clarifies to a great extent that financial decisions may go wrong if proper study of macro factors is not done. If the foundation go wrong, dreaming about a strong building would be equivalent to day dreaming. The new Thinking The role of the Ministry ought to be facilitating industrialists to achieve their vision and being a catalyst in that process I was curious when invited to deliver the keynote address at a seminar which is on Investment Opportunities in the New Economy because the last person you would want to speak on investment opportunities is a bureaucrat.   I think investment opportunities come from the market. And if by the New Economy you are referring to the post-peace era, what we would want to see is not bureaucrats deciding on new investment opportunities, but letting the private sector decide what new opportunities are available for investment.   I have been in the Ministry for the last three months. And during the three months I have encouraged a soul-searching exercise within the Ministry as to what the role of the Ministry ought to be. We have asked ourselves the questions: What is the vision of the Ministry? Together with the Minister and with the senior staff of the Ministry, we have been trying to define the vision we hold for industry in Sri Lanka. And in order to achieve that vision, what is the mission of the Industries Ministry? I would like to share with you some of our conclusions.   We believe that the vision of the industrial sector, as well as that of the Ministry should be to create an internationally competitive, robust, modern industrial sector in Sri Lanka. If we are looking at five years or ten years from now, we would like to see our industrial sector being internationally competitive, self dependent, robust and modern. The age when government subsidized industry, when industry existed with handouts from government is over. If that is the vision that we hold out for industry, what is the mission of the Ministry? We intend sharing with the chambers our views on this matter because we want the chambers to either endorse or suggest what the Ministry ought to do. And in that context we will be unfolding before them the work programme of the Ministry. We will be accountable to industry and the chambers. Every six months we will tell them what we have achieved.   If making the industrial sector modern and internationally competitive is our vision, what is the role or the mission of the Ministry? We believe that the role of the Ministry ought to be facilitating industrialists to achieve their vision and being the catalyst in that process. And we have tried to ask ourselves the question, if we are a facilitator, if we want to be a catalyst in helping industry to achieve their vision, what should we be doing. The new organizational structure of the Ministry will reflect that mission.   Let me share some thoughts with you on what we feel are the areas that we should be involved in and we intend to get involved in. Firstly, all of you as business men and industrialists would agree that more than all the incentives and the tax breaks that you would desire, the fundamental question for industrialists is the macro environment. If you do not have a conducive macro environment in which to operate, I do not think we can talk of business or industry.   What do we mean by the macro environment? Macro environment comprises several factors like interest rates, labour policy, tariff regime, the regulatory framework, investment policy, entry policy and exit policy. There is a whole heap of factors including the legislative framework that creates the macro environment. If that macro environment is not right, I do not think any industry can flourish in a country. So we would have a Director in the Ministry in charge of these macro environmental issues. The last budget included a proposal to set up a permanent Tariff Commission to decide on tariff issues. The market is dynamic and tariff issues keep changing. The government will very soon appoint a Tariff Commission.   Similarly we intend to be represented on bodies that decide on other areas pertaining to industry, in creating that macro environment for industry, labour policy and interest rates.   The second area is industrial policy itself. I am sure many of you have either listened to or participated in debates which discussed what industries ought to be protected in Sri Lanka, if any. We find criticism at many fora where people say we opened up our economy too soon and too sudden. We did not give a chance to local industry to face competition from imported products. Even today there are people who believe that we should not allow some foreign products which have captured the markets to come into this country.   What is Government policy on this issue? We would like to develop that policy in the Ministry after discussions with industry and the chambers.   If you take a simple example, today the shoe industry is facing competition from imports from China. Huge amounts of shoes are on the pavements and in shops that have been imported at very low prices. The shoe industry in Sri Lanka employs more than 5,000 workers. And that is in the organised sector. I am ignoring the informal sector. That industry is crying for protection. Should we protect the shoe industry? There are some who argue that if our industry is to survive, they should be able to compete with any imported product.   In all the sectors of industry that we have dealt with, there are major issues of this kind. So, I think it is necessary for the Government to announce, after a dialogue with the industry and chambers, the policy of the government on protection. I am sure as consumers we would all like to pay a cheap price. We would not like to pay even more, even for the cause of protecting industry. I dont think our national consciousness goes to such an extent that we would agree to the government levying a duty of say, Rs. 900 in order to protect a local industry which manufactures the same products at a cost of Rs. 1,000 while the imported price is only Rs. 100.   If on the other hand, the imported product is Rs. 100 and the cost of the local product is Rs. 110, and there is also a likelihood that given the requisite support, given the assistance needed to upgrade technology and be more productive, the local product can also be sold at Rs 100 within a reasonable period of time, then you and I may not mind a duty of Rs. 10 being levied on the imported product in order to give that local industry a chance to improve and be competitive. In fact, if you look at examples in other countries, if you look at the Indian example, there was a time when milk produced in India was far more costly than imported milk. At that time, they imposed a duty on imported milk and used the money that was recovered to help the local milk industry. Today India is in a position to export milk. We should think carefully what our policy ought to be on tariff issues. So the Ministry would like to get into that exercise and help government make a declaration of its policy on tariffs. Similarly, there are other issues of industrial policy like the BOI and the non BOI regime. I am sure most of you are aware that the same industry within the BOI enjoys certain privileges which are not available to a similar non BOI industry operating in Sri Lanka. The budget has tried to take those differences away and unify the system. Similar issues are there on industrial policy with regard to environment, location of industries and the zones. All those areas are matters on which the Ministry wants to focus its attention. A third area is entrepreneurship development. Sri Lanka has a history of being a protected economy. We have few entrepreneurs in the country. Much less than the desired number we would need in a market economy. We have over the years got our people used to a static, comfortable state of affairs where risk taking is no more in our genes. We need to take some steps in the universities and in the schools to inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship in our future generations.   There is an excellent programme in schools, executed with the collaboration of an American organisation for creating entrepreneurship in the schools. There are 300 schools that have formed companies with the students. They produce and market products. We need similar exercises like the incubation programmes, the Vasanthaya Programme, and so on to create enterpreneurs in the country. Thus, the third area that we would like to get into is to invest in entrepreneur development. A fourth area that the Ministry would like to get into is small and medium industry.   With the assistance of the Asian Development Bank, we are now engaged in the process of finishing a white paper which will outline the strategy for development of SME industry in the county for the next five years. There is a short term plan and a medium and long term plan. That paper will be out for public scrutiny. There will be public hearings held about the white paper throughout the country. And we intend publishing and implementing the proposals embodied in that white paper.   These four areas are not sector specific. They cut across all sectors. In fact, without having a conducive macro environment, a rational industrial policy and entrepreneurs, I do not think we can develop industry. And the Ministry would devote much attention to those areas in the forthcoming years.   But, that alone will not do. There are sector specific problems and we need to get involved with such issues. For that purpose, we have selected 15 sectors based on two studies done for Sri Lanka. One, the JICA sponsored, Japanese assisted study, and the other, the USAID Competitiveness study. Based on those two studies we have selected 15 sectors and formed task forces in each of these sectors. 14 have already been formed. These task forces are led by the private sector and the Ministry only has a director who acts as the secretary to each task force.   The task force in each group will prepare a five year plan for the sector. The five year plan will have four elements. One, the state of the sector today in the country how many units are there, how many are employed, how much exports, what is the degree of technology, competitiveness in that particular sector. In other words, they will prepare a profile of the sector as it is today.   Secondly, they will do a SWOT analysis for that industry. They would look at the strengths and weaknesses of that industry in Sri Lanka and analyse the opportunities and threats faced by that industry. Thirdly, they would decide what would be reasonable targets for that sector to achieve in five years. They will create a vision for the sector in terms of increased number of units, increased exports and increased employment. And lastly, they will specify what they want the government to do in order to help them realize their vision. A simple five year plan is to be prepared by all 15 sectors. Two sectors have already completed their assignment and handed over the documents to the Ministry. The Ministry will monitor them and help them reach those targets. There could be policy changes that are required. Areas in which the industry needs the support of the Government as identified in these sector studies will receive the attention of the Ministry.   In reinventing the Ministry to playing that role of facilitator and catalyst, there is a tremendous contribution that the Ministry could make for industry. It is a challenge that I and my colleagues in the Ministry are eager to take on. PEST analysis From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia   Ãƒâ€šÃ‚  (Redirected from  PESTLE) PEST analysis  stands for Political,  Economic,  Social, and  Technological analysis and describes a framework of macro-environmental factors used in the  environmental scanning  component of  strategic management. Some analysts added  Legal and rearranged the mnemonic to SLEPT;1  inserting  Environmental factors expanded it to PESTEL or PESTLE, which is popular in the UK.2  The model has recently been further extended to STEEPLE and STEEPLED, adding education and  demographicfactors. It is a part of the external analysis when conducting a strategic analysis or doing  market research, and gives an overview of the different macroenvironmental factors that the company has to take into consideration. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. The growing importance of environmental or ecological factors in the first decade of the 21st century have given rise to  green business  and encouraged widespread use of an updated version of the PEST framework. STEER analysis systematically considers Socio-cultural, Technological, Economic, Ecological, and Regulatory factors. Contents   [hide] 1HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#The_Model.27s_Factors  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#The_Model.27s_FactorsThe Models Factors 2HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Applicability_of_the_Factors  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Applicability_of_the_FactorsApplicability of the Factors 3HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Use_of_PEST_analysis_with_other_models  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#Use_of_PEST_analysis_with_other_modelsUse of PEST analysis with other models 4HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#See_also  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#See_alsoSee also 5HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#References  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#ReferencesReferences 6HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#External_links  HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-PESTLE#External_linksExternal links The Models Factors Political  factors, are how and to what degree a  government  intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as  tax policy,  labour law,  environmental law,  trade restrictions,  tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided (merit goods) and those that the government does not want to be provided (demerit goods  or merit bads). Furthermore, governments have great influence on the  health,  education, and  infrastructure  of a nation. Economic  factors include  economic growth,  interest rates,  exchange rates  and the  inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a firms  cost of HYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-Cost_of_capitalcapital  and therefore to what extent a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy Social  factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates. For example, an aging population may imply a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labor). Furthermore, companies may change various management strategies to adapt to these social trends (such as recruiting older workers). Technological  factors include ecological and environmental aspects, such as  RHYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-RDHYPERLINK http://www.srilankadot.com/wiki-RDD  activity,  automation, technology incentives and the rate of  technological change. They can determine  barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence  outsourcing  decisions. Furthermore, technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to  innovation. Environmental  factors include weather, climate, and  climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance.Furthermore, growing awareness to climate change is affecting how companies operate and the products they offerit is both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. Legal  factors include  discrimination law,  consumer law,  antitrust law,  employment law, and  health and s

Essay examples --

Julius Caesar How did the Emperor rise to power? Julius was born from Aurelia and Gaius Julius Caesar. His family had nobility status, although they were neither rich nor influential in the time period. Caesar was made military tribune before 70 B.C. and was quaestor in Farther Spain in 69 B.C. he helped Pompey to obtain the supreme command for the war in the East. As a general, Caesar was the best Rome had ever seen. He returned to Rome in 68 B.C. and in Pompey's absence was becoming the recognized head of the popular party. His love of Marius and Cinna made him popular with the people, but earned him the hatred of the senate. In Dec. 63 B.C. Caesar advocated mercy for Catiline and the conspirators, thereby increasing the enmity of the senatorial party and its leaders, Cato the Younger and Quintus Lutatius Catulus. How did they change the Empire of Rome? Julius Caesar was Rome’s first dictator, although he did not ever officially become Emperor. Caesar was appointed a counsol, and went...

Christian beliefs about marriage and divorce Essay

How might Christian beliefs about marriage and divorce be applied to a Christian living. In your answer consider one or more situation in which Christian belief would â€Å"make a difference†. Consider whether all Christian couples would respond in the same way. Christian beliefs are to be applied to everyday life. The teaching affects couples and guides them to a content marriage. Every couple should strive to live up to their vows to successfully live-out their vocation. It’s a full time vocation and for the marriage to work, there needs to be constant effort and work. Overtime people mature and develop; this may lead to the couple becoming closer or further apart. Action and alteration then needs to be applied and the marriage should grow and change accordingly. Christians have to truly commit to their vows and have to promise love and fidelity and apply it to their daily lives. Some Christians may ignore God’s intentions for them by dismissing the Christian beliefs. By disregarding these beliefs, couples will not only gradually disconnect from eachother, they will disconnect from God as they’re rejecting his vocation for them. Some may say that the Christian beliefs are not being applied to life as much anymore, which is proven by the increase in divorce rate. However, The religious beliefs are lived out by the vast majority of couples. Those who do not fully apply the beliefs to their marriage but realise the beliefs importance, have something to aspire to and the beliefs can guide them to a successful Christian marriage with God. This is why the beliefs of permanence and exclusiveness of marriage are important and people still try to live to values outlined in the Gospel. I can only aspire to living in a joyful, stable marriage. I’ve been brought up in a fortunate atmosphere as my parents have been married for 30 years and hopefully will grow old blissfully together. They’ve followed the Christian beliefs closely, except for a few dents to the relationship but managed to pass through them, which can only inspire me to follow in their guidance. I’ve seen how beliefs are still present in their marriage and how the church teaching is certainly not out of date. As outlined in AO1, the beliefs of the life-giving potential of marriage are central and when couples enter marriage they must realise the affects their behaviour has on children. As I’ve been brought up in a successful co-operative marriage, I’m inspired to do the same as I realise the importance of Christian beliefs, so if one is brought-up in a unstable marriage this can affect the relations the children subsequently have. The grace given in the sacrament gives couples strength which can furnish couples concentration towards the Christian beliefs. Someone who takes their faith seriously is more likely to live up to the vows more rather than one who just simply goes through the marital service as tradition, without really regarding the ceremony for it’s deep meaning. These Christian beliefs taught to them can then encourage them to leave divorce as a last resort rather than take the easiest way out. Catechism teaches that â€Å"The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith – Catechism 1665† Although they will not accept divorce; the Roman Catholic Church will accept an annulment which is a way of saying that the marriage was void Different Christians approach marital breakdown and divorce in different ways. A Roman Catholic would have immense difficulties if their marriage broke down and ended in divorce, yet they are unable to get an annulment from the Church They feel that they have disowned the church by divorcing. Also, if that person remarries, in the eyes of the Roman Catholic Church it would be classed as adultery. This situation may involve them being asked to refrain from taking the Eucharist. This can result in real hurt and a feeling of isolation from the Church as the Eucharist is at the very heart of Catholic belief.. Whereas, someone belonging to the free church in the same position would have no such problem with remarriage in their church. Other Catholics may choose not to remarry and live life alone because their first marriage did not work and they do not want to go against their beliefs. Although some marriages conclude in divorce, marital help services such as Marriage Care and Relate offer support to couples so they understand the full responsibility they’re undertaking. Couples who haven’t got the deeper understanding of marriage may break the exclusive aspect of marriage and not consider preventing adultery as much as a couple who follow the Christian beliefs. Different Christians have various responses to contraception. Catholic teaching does not permit the use of artificial contraception. Pope Paul VI’s encyclical letter Humanae Vitae (1968) expressed it this way; â€Å"It is absolutely required that any use whatsoever of marriage must retain its natural potential to procreate human life.† This means that sex in marriage should be natural and always open to the possibility of creating new human life. All artificial chemical and physical methods of contraception are rejected by the teaching authority of the Catholic Church. In conclusion, I think the church does have a positive role in supporting couples through the sacrament; it blesses the couple with married life. With Christian belief and practice, the couple gain strength, while guiding the couple through the sacrament of marriage.

Augusta and Ncwo Essay

This report analyses the case study about â€Å"Augusta National Golf Club and NCWO battle for admitting female membership†. Mainly, this report will examine and identify the communication traits and flaws that can be found in this case study and will provide solutions and what should be done rather than taking a stand on who is right and wrong. Therefore, all the communications between Augusta’s Chairman, Mr. Johnson, NCWO’s Chairwoman, Ms. Burk, the CEOs of Sponsor companies, the Augusta members and the media were researched and studied. Furthermore, this report mainly uses secondary data such as newspaper articles and journals to support the arguments and ideas. Moreover, the core purposes of this report is to evaluate the interactions and point out some communication management factors and flaws from this dispute, set it as an example and provide solutions to be improved in the future business communication. Main body Augusta, the private golf club Augusta is the private golf club which its culture and membership are mainly reflected on its prestige and exclusiveness. Moreover, members of Augusta join the club to satisfy mutual interests and to fulfil the social needs and the need for self-esteem such as being a part of the highly regarded golf club in the country. Because it is a private club, it holds its legal rights to choose its own members. (Peraino, 2002). Furthermore, the club clearly specified the club (team) norms (obligation, preference and prohibition) such as â€Å"members are required to sign an agreement not to speak about the club† and have to withhold the membership information to the outsiders. Saporito). Therefore, Augusta organizational control can be identified as a bureaucratic control system where the Chairman, Mr. Johnson has the ultimate power to dominate the club’s affairs. NCWO On the other hand, the NCWO’s sole purpose is to promote women rights and members join the committee to achieve security and satisfy their mutual interests. As you can see from the case, Ms. Burk, the chair of NCWO usually do the decision making for the committee. Although the decision making criteria are not formally discussed in the case or in the media (newspaper articles), we can assume that NCWO lacks the rational decision making process in groups such as orientation, discussion, decision making and implementation. Also, in his article Munching (2002) states that â€Å"she (Burk) forgot to ask herself one question: What women want to do? † which clarify the lack of communication between members of the group and its chair. The dispute The offensive approach and the vulgar feedback It can be seen in the case that without deeply analysing the situation, Ms. Burk took an offensive approach demanding and insisting on female membership, base mainly on the speech about â€Å"inclusion of women in Augusta† by Mr. Lloyd Ward. Moreover, Augusta’s Chair, Mr. Johnson also gave a vulgar feedback to this demand which sparks into a dispute of gender issue. Moreover, negative impressions between them were formed on limited information and stereotyping where Burk is seems as the trouble maker and Johnson as the rigid discriminator. Therefore, this miscommunication and poor transaction of messages led to unnecessary conflicts and egotism of the two corresponding Chairs. The Sponsors, members and Burk When the direct demand fails, Burk took the indirect persuasion and argumentation approach through the Augusta’s sponsors for its prime event, the Masters. She appealed to CEOs of sponsor companies like Citigroup, IBM, Coca-cola, Cadillac and CBS using generalisation and cause-effect relationship methods of arguments to boycott the Masters. For example, she praised their stance in gender discrimination within their firm and point out the possible public opinion in the involvement with the Masters. However, only Citigroup and Coca-cola agreed to help her and these decisions can be seen as corporate social responsibility to raise their public images. On the other hand, others remain neutral to avoid uncertainties involving in the dispute. Moreover, she turns to persuade the members of Augusta, who are highly regarded CEOs of the corporate world. However, with them she used the illegitimate methods of arguments such as appeal to the masses and â€Å"ad hominem† whereby she threatens them and their organization by claiming to reveal the membership list and the â€Å"daily anecdotes of gender discriminations in their (members’) companies†. (2005). For instance, it is noted in Peraino’s (2002) article that â€Å"she told Newsweek that â€Å"We’ve already done quite a bit on the public-embarrassment front†Ã¢â‚¬ . In addition, she even tried to convince Tiger Wood not to participate in the Masters but he too was â€Å"criticized for suggesting that Augusta has a right to its exclusionary policies† (Gutner, 2002). Therefore, one can clearly see from the case study that Burk used many deductive logics and generalisations in influencing and communicating with the sponsors, the members and the players. Burk and Johnson From the start, Mr. Johnson strongly showed his assertiveness as well as his aggressiveness for his club and its membership rules. However, one can recognize the cognitive dissonances from Mr. Johnson’s feedbacks and replies where he imposed denials and unwillingness to change the traditional rules and culture. Moreover, this effect can also be found in Saporito’s article, as â€Å"he booted the Masters’ sponsors–Citigroup, Coca-Cola and IBM–so the companies wouldn’t face criticism by association† and adopted the commercial free move. In addition, Johnson and Burk took hold of some perceptual biases against each other and some of these are selective perception where both of them ignored each other’s rational reasons. Furthermore, stereotyping can clearly be seen between them where they posed each other as threats and arch enemies. Conclusion and results In conclusion, one can identify more communication flaws than the benefits in his case. This is mainly because the poor usage of appropriate communication features and the channels used to communicate, for example, Burk main communication channel with her advocates and opponents is through letters. Moreover, narcissism and egotism also got involved later in the dispute where both of the Chairs started to address and confront each other comments and feedback harshly rather than solving the dispute. (Munching, 2002). As a result, Johnson acquired victory by reasoning through generalization and analogy among private clubs and sororities claiming its legal rights to choose its own members. The dispute between Mr. Johnson (Augusta Golf Club) and Ms. Burk (NCWO) is very phenomenal in indicating miscommunications between two unfriendly organizations. As for the recommendations for this case, since the start, both parties should use more subtle and civil approaches to address the problem to each other and discuss in person how to compromise the situation. For example, Shiflett (2003) implies in his article that Augusta never meant to discriminate and it is only following its highly constructed social role as an all male-club. Moreover, they should utilize more â€Å"lateral thinking†, avoid what is right and wrong and conclude to the best possible solution. In addition, Burk should change her persuasion techniques towards more â€Å"features-benefits mix† and should drop her deductive logic on women rights and organizations. Furthermore, both of them should leave out their egotisms and stereotypical perceptions when dealing with the gender issue. On the other hand, while confronting with the members she should shows cause-effect relationships of their inaction and argues upon their specific reasoning. Munching, 2002). As for Mr. Johnson reactions, he should be more aware on the public images of the club and its members. Moreover, Augusta’s individual orientation of culture should swap with a more collective one where all stakeholders can give out their opinions. Last but not least, the channels used for communication in this case should be changed into more personal and face to face l ike personal meetings or through telephone. This was even suggested by Tiger Wood that â€Å"they’d sit down together and all would be resolved†. (Munching, 2002).

Facts About the Element Fermium

Facts About the Element Fermium Fermium is a heavy, man-made radioactive element on the periodic table. Here is a collection of interesting facts about this metal: Fermium Element Facts Fermium is named for the physicist Enrico Fermi.Fermium is the heaviest element that may be made from neutron bombardment of lighter elements.The element is one of those discovered in the products from the  first hydrogen bomb test at Eniwetok Atoll, the Marshall Islands in 1952. For security reasons, the discovery was not announced until 1955. The discovery is credited to  Albert Ghiorsos group at the University of California.The discovered isotope was Fm-255. which has a  half-life 20.07 hours. The most stable isotope that has been produced is Fm-257, with a half-life of 100.5 days.Fermium is a synthetic transuranium element. It belongs to the actinide element group.Although samples of fermium metal have not been produced for study, it is possible to make a fermium and ytterbium alloy. The resulting metal is shiny and silver-colored.The usual oxidation state of fermium is Fm2, although the Fm3 oxidation state also occurs.The most common fermium compound is fermium chloride, F mCl2.Fermium does not exist naturally in the Earths crust. However, its natural production was once seen from the decay of a sample of einsteinium. At present, there are no practical uses of this element. Fermium or Fm Chemical and Physical Properties Element Name: FermiumSymbol: FmAtomic Number: 100Atomic Weight: 257.0951Element Classification: Radioactive Rare Earth (Actinide)Discovery: Argonne, Los Alamos, U. of California 1953 (United States)Name Origin: Named in honor of the scientist Enrico Fermi.Melting Point (K): 1800Appearance: radioactive, synthetic metalAtomic Radius (pm): 290Pauling Negativity Number: 1.3First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): (630)Oxidation States: 3Electronic Configuration: [Rn] 5f12 7s2 References Los Alamos National Laboratory (2001)Crescent Chemical Company (2001), Langes Handbook of Chemistry (1952) CRC Handbook of Chemistry Physics (18th Ed.)