China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

China - Essay Example In looking at Chinas future role in the international relations, one may argue that economic and political changes within China will have an impact on its international status. This has been clearly seen in recent years as China has started participating in international affairs evidently as influenced by political changes and vast economic growth. China’s democratic changes in relation to growth Despite the fact that China has maintained an autocratic society for a very long time, it has had to change certain forms of governance that reflect values of a democratic society. The Communist Party that is in rule today is not the same with the one that ruled several decades ago in terms of its political visions and leadership. The question of whether the subsequent down turn and rise of China’s economy has any effect on the country’s democratic changes can be better understood if analyzed from an economist’s perspective. This shows that China’s possible growth from 2000 could have slowed annually by almost 10 percent up to 2010 when it would reach approximately 6.5 percent mainly between the years 2018 to 2022. Economists also added that the above analysis is consistent with the second 2010-quarter slowdown. The implication that the success in China’s economy is mainly derived from a rapid and efficiently massive global embrace of global economy by a regime that is of a close communist (Etzioni 540). This can be explained as that it refutes the very idea that China grew due to its system of a one party system that stems from a single snap shot mistake in time at the shifting trends understanding. It is clear that the economy of China never took off due to the authoritarian characteristics of its leaders but mainly due to the liberal reforms in its politics in the 1980’s that tended to be less authoritarian. Signaling an improvement to the countries private property environment is one of the first acts the reform lead ers embraced. They also implemented meaningful political reforms and all the said political reforms in the 1980’s like the strengthening of the National People’s Congress, mandatory retirement of government officials, experiments in rural self-government, legal reforms and loosening control of civil society groups. The countries media also in the early years gained more freedom this timing was vital since through the above stated liberalism in the country’s political arena led or accompanied the country towards its recorded exponential economic growth. In this aspect even though the reforms never appeared overnight t5he economic and political reforms are directly and mutually intertwined rather than being contrary to each other and this explanation shows how they are vital to the country’s economic and constant growth (Xiao 3). The main reasons that could be articulated to the drastic decline would be that the country has either managed the normal occurre nce of a natural landing that happens when an economy is growing and to reach other advanced economies or China has fell into the trap of a middle income mainly that of aborted industrialization. In the 1990s the first cases scenario played out in South Korea, and it occurred in Japan in the 1970s. It can be argued that DRCs 10 percent growth after 35 years is at last also being duplicated in China. The likelihood of this claim can be arrived by reasoning that the infrastructures potential for investments has conspicuously contracted, with its

Environmental Science DB3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environmental Science DB3 - Essay Example It is also important to acknowledge the fact that energy cuts across all areas of our lives but very perishable. Therefore, there is need to use energy responsibly or reduce usage all together. According to Natural Resources Defense Council, there are several ways on how to reduce energy used at homes which include taking precautions like unplugging some of the appliances that are not commonly used in the house. For example, presence of an extra refrigerator requires that you unplug it from the main source of energy to save power. Unplugging electronics chargers when not in use or using power strips to switch off televisions and radios. It is also advisable to set your computers to sleep as well as hibernating mode just in case there not switched off (Consumer Reports 2006). Alternately, an individual can incorporate renewable sources such solar energy to heat bath water instead of using un-renewable energy. However, implementing these changes is accompanied by several challenges like cost and unavailability of required resources. In addition, some individuals live in remote areas, and due to lack of information, they may not have the knowledge or the potential to tap reso urces such as solar and wind energy. One of the most consumed forms of energy in many homes in USA is fuel which has been known to contributor to green house gas emission and noxious gases into the atmosphere (US Department of Energy, 2013). In attempts to avoid the use of fuel, electrical and hydrogen-powered vehicles have proven to be the best alternative. This is because they can cover many miles, are them cost effective, and do not emit noxious gases. Therefore, although such vehicles are very expensive, it is the best method to reduce fuel consumption. In conclusion it is clear that we can only reduce use of energy by first identify what, how energy is used in most homes and then utilizing the options that

Government 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Government 2 - Assignment Example They are called standing panels for they handle specific subjects e.g. Agriculture or Armed Services. Woodrow Wilson was right since when the committees of Congress are on, all members are involved in giving full attention to a specific issue and this carries the highest chance of giving better result. The majority party manages to control all the committees of the house by having more numbers in the house and in the committees. The party does so as to ensure that the party fulfils the goals it had for the administration. The policies that are practice by the United States include: treaties and alliances, the United Nations, nuclear weapons testing international trade, the defense budget and also foreign economic and military aid. The right of legation has always been respected as diplomats act as the proxies of their countries and respecting and ensuring their welfare maintains the important relations that exist between nations. This country will never be fully protected from terrorism as America hoses most of these terrorists who have infiltrated the country. However, if more vigilance and surveillance is done, terrorists might be kept at

Business Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Business Ethics - Essay Example It is now again trying to sell itself inviting offers from Qwest and Verizon, both of who are also recovering from debts. They are trying to outbid others and making promises which they may not be able to maintain as business deteriorates. This is again a matter of concern because ethics are compromised under such circumstances. The Corporate Governance norms were violated at WorldCom, which is unexpected of the Directors and the CEO. Over ambitiousness of the CEO to acquire several companies with the stocks of WorldCom led him to boost the company’s profits artificially by as much as $3.9 billion (Bhattacharya, 2004). Costs were considered as capital investment which helped the company to sustain its apparently smooth and rapid earning growth. They even claimed depreciation of the ‘capital investments’. The behavior of the CEO and the CFO were the driving forces behind the unethical conduct. The CEO utilized the company loan of $400 million to buy ranches and other personal properties, which is unethical. He used the services of the CFO to ensure rising stock prices so that his personal stake would provide the security for the loan. They hid the information from the external auditor. Additionally, the big names in auditing and accounting have failed to detect the irregularities or to gu ide the firms. This would amount to hidden complicity between the auditors and WorldCom. The audit committee did not have a financial expert. Besides, they had the sole authority to appoint, retain, compensate, evaluate and terminate the company’s independent auditors (Petra, 2006). WorldCom had crumbled because of its unethical practices. MCI on the other hand was reputed for its â€Å"integrity, innovation and value† (Thurston, 2007). WorldCom’s name was changed to MCI as a part of the reorganization plan filed in the bankruptcy court in US. According to the executive vice-president, they wanted to re-establish

Capitalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Capitalism - Essay Example The present day Dubai is capitalist and this is because the profit motive controls all undertakings and the royal family enjoys most of the profits acquired from the production of various commodities. For example, the Dubai royal family controls most of the oil reserves in the country and they fund other sectors of the economy in order to gain from different areas and build up wealth. In my work environment, which is the court, capitalism exists and an example of this is that there are minorities who control the legal structures and they can get away with crimes through unethical practices. There are various aspects of welfare state in the UAE and these include the government providing free education and access to funds for development purposes. The country also engages in helping its neighbors all in the effort of providing benefits to people all over the world. The UAE was not capitalist 100 years ago, and this can be explained by the fact that people could help each other to survive and even at times for free. People traded with various items such as fish, and this was not for the profit motive, but to work together in order to survive. However, this has now changed and everything is done with the motive of earning a profit. I believe that despite capitalism being just in that one gets what they work for, it is evil and people should help each other to survive and not be greedy in order to accrue wealth as others suffer from poverty. Everyone has a right to survive and exploiting others to amass more wealth as others suffer in poverty is

State Automobile License Renewal Case Essay Example for Free

State Automobile License Renewal Case Essay One dozen size order: In this situation, the bottleneck is â€Å"setting up the oven and baking†, which takes 10 minutes to finish this process. So, the Cycle Time (CT) is 10 minutes. The Kristen’s cookie company can finish the first dozen after 26 minutes, then Kristen and her roommate can complete each order per 10 minutes. 4 hours=240 minutes. (240-26)/10=21.4, and 21.4+1=22.4. According to the equations above, the company could fill 22 orders every night. Two dozen size order: In this situation, the CT becomes 20 minutes. The company finished the first order after 36 minutes, then they could complete each order in every 10 minutes. 4 hours=240 minutes. (240-36)/20=10.2, and 10.2+1=11.2. According to the equations above the company could fulfill 11 orders every night. Three dozen size order: In this situation, the CT becomes 30 minutes. The company finished the first order after 46 minutes, then they could complete  each order in every 30 minutes. (240-46)/30=6.5, and 6.5+1=7.5 According to the equations above the company could fulfill 7 orders every night. Because they have 14 minutes left after finishing all 7 orders of three dozen size, they could make a dozen cookie for a one dozen size order. Q3. Time Kristen Kristen’s Roommate One dozen size order 8 minutes 4 minutes Two dozen size order 10 minutes 8 minutes Three dozen size order 12 minutes 12 minutes Table 3.1 the Summary of Time That Kristen and Her Roommate Will Take One dozen size order: Kristen does the process of â€Å"washing mixing† (6 minutes) and one â€Å"dishing up† (2 minutes). The totally value time of Kristen is 8 minutes. Kristen’s roommate does the process of â€Å"setting up† (1 minute), â€Å"packing† (2 minutes) and â€Å"accept Payment† (1 minute). So her total time involved is 4 minutes Two dozen size order: Because the â€Å"washing mixing† step takes same time regardless of how many cookies are being made in the batch. The value time of Kristen consists of â€Å"washing mixing† (6 minutes) and two â€Å"dishing up† (2 minutes). Therefore, the total value time of Kristen is 10 minutes. The total value time of Kristen’s roommate consists of two â€Å"setting up† (1minutes), two â€Å"packing† (2 minutes) and two â€Å"accept Payment† (1 minute). So her total value time involved is 8 minutes. Three dozen size order: The â€Å"washing mixing† remains the same, which takes  6 minutes. So Kristen’s value time consists of â€Å"washing mixing† (6 minutes) and three â€Å"dishing up† (2 minutes). Therefore, the total value time of Kristen is 12 minutes. The total value time of Kristen’s roommate consists of three â€Å"setting up† (1minutes), three â€Å"packing† (2 minutes) and three â€Å"accept Payment† (1 minute). So her total value time involved is 12 minutes. Q4 Assumptions of this question: 1. The value of Kristen and her roommate’s time is $20/hour per person. 2. The margin of Kristen’s cookie company is 27.7%. 3. The discount that Kristen will give comes from 50% of the saving. If Kristen and her roommate just make one dozen cookies, the total cost will be the sum of ingredients cost, package cost and value time cost. Then it will be: 0.6 + 0.1 + 20*0.2 = 4.7 (ingredient cost) (package cost) (value time cost) Because the margin of one dozen cookies is 27.7%, then the price should be 4.7*27.7%≈6 dollars. So, normal price of a two dozen size order should be 12 dollars and normal price of a three dozen size order should be 18 dollars. If Kristen and her roommate make a two dozen size order, the total cost will be: 1.2 + 0.2 + 20*0.3 = 7.4 (ingredient cost) (package cost) (value time cost) The saving cost of a two dozen size order is 4.7*2-7.4=2 Then the discount of a two dozen size order could be 2*50%=1 dollar. If Kristen and her roommate make a three dozen size order, the total cost will be: 1.8 + 0.3 + 20*0.4 = 10.1 (ingredient cost) (package cost) (value time cost) The saving cost of a three dozen size order is 4.7*3-10.1=4 Then the discount of a three dozen size order could be 4*50%=2 dollars. It would take longer to fill a two-dozen cookie order than a one-dozen cookie size order. Obviously, from perspective of Rush Over Time, they will take 26 minutes to fill a one dozen size order, but they will take 26 minutes to fill a two dozen size order. From perspective of Cycle Time, they will take 10 minutes to fill a one dozen size order; however, they will take 20 minutes to fill a two dozen size order. Q5 No matter one, two or three dozen of size, Kristen’s cookies company only need one food processor and two baking trays. As we can see from the Gantt chart: Chart 5.1 Three Orders of One Dozen Size Chart 5.2 Three Orders of Two Dozen Size Chart 5.3 Two Orders of Three Dozen Size At the 16th minute, while the tray is in the oven, Kristen can’t do the dish up without another tray. So as the 26th 36th †¦.. But the last step of the process which needs the tray will not influence the process that after the next one. Then we can get the conclusion that they need two trays only. And when it comes to the food processor, we can find out that the time for the â€Å"washing and mixing† is shorter than the time for baking, and the processor can only be used in the step of the â€Å"washing and mixing†. So we can easily get the conclusion that Kristen only need one processor. Q6 There is some methods to make more cookies in less time.  If there is only one oven, the bottleneck would be â€Å"setting up and baking†. So, the easiest way to improve operation could be adding another oven. The influences of adding another oven could be seen as below: One dozen size order Chart 6.1 Three Orders of One Dozen Size with Two Ovens As we can see from the Gantt chart, the Rush Order time will stay the same. But the Cycle time shortens from 10 minutes to 6 minutes, which means the bottleneck is â€Å"washing mixing†. In this situation, Kristen’s cookie company can complete 10 orders per hour after this system has been stable, which is 4 orders more than before. Given the same assumptions in the Q4, the net profit of these 4 orders is (6-4.7)*4=5.2 dollars. In conclusions, Kristen and her roommate would willing to pay no more than 5.2 dollars per hour for the additional oven. Two dozen size order Chart 6.1 Three Orders of Two Dozen Size with Two Ovens Under this circumstance, Rush order time shortens from 36 minutes to 28 minutes. Meanwhile, the Cycle Time becomes 10 minutes, which is 10 minutes less than before. The bottleneck is still â€Å"setting up and baking†. In this situation, Kristen’s cookie company can complete 6 orders per hour after this system has been stable, which is 3 more than before. Given the assumptions in the question 4, the net profit of these 3 orders is (12-7.4)*3=13.8 dollars. It means that Kristen and her roommate would willing to pay no more than 13.8 dollars per hour to rent an additional oven. Three dozen size order Chart 6.1 Four Orders of Three Dozen Size with Two Ovens As we can see from the Gantt chart 6.1, the Rush Order time will become 36 minutes. But the Cycle time shortens from 30 minutes to (13+17)/2=15 minutes, which means the bottleneck is still â€Å"setting up and baking†. In this situation, Kristen’s cookie company can complete 4 orders per hour after this system has been stable, which is 2 orders more than before. Given the same assumptions in the Q4, the net profit of these 4 orders is (18-10.1)*2=15.8 dollars. In conclusion, Kristen and her roommate would willing to pay no more than 15.8 dollars per hour for the additional oven. Q7 Chart 7.1 Three Orders of Two Dozen Size with Two Ovens

The contingency approach to management and leadership

The contingency approach to management and leadership Contingency approach to management is based on the theory that there is no one best way of managing, as organisations face contingency variables due to individual differences, environmental uncertainty, technology used for routineness of tasks and organisational size which affects its structure. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter, 2008, pp. 54). This is contrary to classical management theorists such as Henri Fayol, who in his fourteen principles of management, emphasised the centralisation, standardisation and specialisation features of managing, emphasising that they will lead to the achievement of efficiency, consistency and a successful future for the organisation. (Rodrigues, 2001). In the example of the Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac) and one of their front-line managers (whom was interviewed for this paper), it will be evaluated which methods and approaches of management are reflected in the companys structure and organisational behaviour. Westpac was founded in 1817 and was the first private bank established in Australia. Today it is a multinational corporation and employs about 39,000 people globally. (Westpac Banking Corporation, (Chapman, 2011). Their vision is to help their customers, employees and businesses to prosper and grow. One of their many purposes now is to invest in technology and operations, by launching revolutionary technology in order to improve their process service delivery and to strengthen technology capabilities. (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). The interviewee will be referred to as The Manager for anonymity purposes. The Manager is first-line manager in the Information Management Solution Delivery Department of Westpac, has 13 full time subordinates, and also employs contractors from all over the world when assistance is needed with his software projects in order to meet deadlines. The Manager is responsible for budget analysis, sets the specifications and deliverables of the projects, and, after gaining senior managers approval to proceed with the projects, manages them until they are completed. According to Fayols fourteen principles of management, employees must sacrifice their interests for the good of the organisation. Thus, an organisation should employ only individuals who are fully committed to its objectives and are willing to readily comply with its mandates (Rodrigues, 2001). The situation in Westpacs Product and Operations division, where The Manager is working, contradicts this theory. During the interview The Manager pointed out that there are a lot of differences in the desire for personal growth and expectations amongst individual employees of the organisation. He noted that Successful guys need to be challenged and want change. We have to accommodate them as they are the core of our team (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). This is an indication of a contingency approach to management when the company is willing to adapt to constant changes by fulfilling employees desire for a challenge. Furthermore, Mintzberg also suggested that nowadays ma nagers should encourage and drive people: motivate them, inspire them, coach them, and nurture them, push them and mentor them (Mintzberg, 1994). Empowerment and team building activities such as workshops, information sessions and brainstorming sessions have become a culture within the Westpac Group. This is an integral part of the organisations goal for staff motivation and sustainability. (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). Fayols theory of management also suggested that the work can be performed more efficiently and more productively if it is divided into smaller elements and assigned to specific workers. Thus, the dominant thought in designing jobs was specialisation, each employee performing a specific task (Rodrigues, 2001). The Manager noted that his specific IT technical skills are not utilised very often. However, these skills allow him to understand the technical goals of the projects and help with issues which may arise. The Manager, instead of concentrating on his specification (what he should have done according to Fayols theory), now mostly manages his team members, establishes software specifications and project schedules and distributes work. His interpersonal and conceptual skills are constantly applied to meet deadlines and receive customer satisfaction. Westpacs investment in technology, which was mentioned earlier, is the response to high standards of quality and other deliverables whi ch customers have come to expect nowadays. Therefore, The Managers job, as a front-line manager of one of the divisions of Westpac, is to adapt and respond quickly to changing contingencies and markets instead of specialising and purely concentrating on his IT skills (Chapman, 2001). According to Katzs management theory, managers often acquire their managerial positions because of technical knowledge and competencies (Peterson and Van Fleet, 2004). By the time The Manager joined the Westpac Group, he already had years of experience in the information technology field. He confirms Katzs theory by noting IT is his specialty and managing duties is required more than doing IT work; however, his technical proficiency allows him to understand technical goals in order to use that to leverage team skills to achieve the end result. At the same time, he also contradicts Katzs belief that some managers will tend to avoid the managerial aspects of their job preferring instead the technical aspects (Peterson and Van Fleet, 2004). During the interview, The Manager insists his job is mostly managing, combining it with his technical knowledge and skills only when a problem arises and performing as a team leader to eliminate the issue. Katz proposed a broad three-category typology of skills: technical, human and conceptual which, according to him, are the essential sets of managerial skills (Peterson and Van Fleet, 2004). Technical skills imply a proficiency in a specific field. Human skills are defined as an ability to work cooperatively with others and to be a team player. Finally, the conceptual skills are defined as an ability to see an organisation as a whole. This was noted by The Manager during the interview, that, as a manager, he uses technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills all at a maximum level to achieve better results. At the same time he mentioned that in order to achieve those results he has to constantly adapt to new changes and challenges and be a facilitator, a personal delegator, a leader and a guide to the team (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). Basically, The Manager faces contingency variables every day of his work and uses a situational approach to deal with these. The so-called hierarchy principle of Fayol suggests that communication in organisations should be basically vertical; that a single, uninterrupted chain of authority should extend from the highest level to the lowest position in the organization. The Manager mentioned that the Westpac Group has a hierarchical structure, but with units independent to each other. He also pointed out that there is a horizontal communication in the organization between departments and units through a variety of meetings, workshops and seminars. Such a structure of the company suggests firstly, that the organisation is built on autonomous business units which operate at the front-line of the business. Secondly, it means that these business units are connected to one another through cross unit integrative processes, designed to ensure a smooth flow of information (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). It reflects a contingency approach to management within the Westpac Group. The Manager, as many other managers nowadays, according to Mintzberg, maintain a self-developed network of outside contacts and informers who provide him with relevant information and favours. It has been said It is critical to leverage external contacts to get privilege information (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). In his research, Mintzberg emphasises that managers often spend a lot of time building vast arrays of contacts and intricate coalitions of supporters beyond their own units (Mintzberg, 1994). It is assumed nowadays that the one best way to organize and manage does not exist. In contrast, in the beginning of the twentieth century, there were many scientists who tried to create a one size fits all model of management which could be adapted to any organisation. Henri Fayol, Henry Mintzberg and Robert. L. Katz contributed many years of their lives to the creation of different theories, rules and procedures of management. Despite this, many organisations now, including the Westpac Group, use a contingency approach to management which criticises these theories (which are partially based on valid assumptions) and states that there are a number of alternatives which are appropriate to particular situations. The Manager as a front-line manager of the Information Management Delivery Department of Westpac is clearly using a contingency approach to managing: he is adaptive to new challenges and problems (and even mentioned during the interview that he loves his job because every day it is different: new issues, new solutions); furthermore, he is capable of resolving non-standard issues. He is not concentrating purely on his specialisation in the IT industry and often uses his interpersonal managerial and conceptual skills and leaning towards diversification of his job and his subordinates. He is using the situational (contingency) approach in different areas of his work such as planning, control, distribution, empowerment and leadership.