Brazil’s Developing Economy Essay -- Brazil Economy

In the current economic times the development and growth of any economy has come to a near stop or at least to a drastic slow down. The face of the global economic environment has changed and many new countries are starting to change the way their country and the rest of the world does business. One such nation is Brazil, who has turned around their own economic troubles and is becoming one of the fastest growing economies in the world (World Factbook). Brazil has started developing its economy and using the opportunity to achieve a level of respect in the world. Brazil is both the fifth largest country in the world based off of land size and population (World Factbook). Brazil has used this demographic as a strength in its efforts to find some sort of stability in a very unstable economic climate. Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America the world's eighth largest economy at market exchange rates and the and 10 in purchasing power parity (PPP) or GDP, according to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank (World Fact Book). There are many factors to the development of the Brazilian economy, each having an impact, but the development is not complete. Brazil has many developmental goals they have hoped to attain. Economic policy since the late 1960s has had three prime objectives: control of inflation, gradual improvement of the welfare of the poorest sector, and a high economic growth rate (Encyclopedia of Nations). Also there are the Millennium Development Goals set out by the United Nations to developing countries, such as, reducing poverty, increase education gender equality, reduce child mortality and improve maternal health, combat diseases, ensure environmental sustainability, and devel... ...d-the- nation%E2%80%99s-world-sanding-in-the-era-of-rousseff%E2%80%99s-rule/> "Millennium Development Goals: Brazil." Index Mundi.com. February 15, 2007. November 19, 2010. Ruble, Kayla. "Six South American countries with the worst income distribution inequality." Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. November 1, 2010. November 19, 2010. "Weathering the Storm." Newsweek.com. July 26, 2008. November 19, 2010. Workman, Daniel. "Brazil's Trade Buddies." Suite101.com. September 13, 2006. November 19, 2010.

Essay --

During the late sixties, the Federal Republic of Germany was experiencing social upheavals during the late sixties which resulted in several student protest groups. The origins of these protests resulted from the maturation of the newer generation of Germans who did not live through World War II. A new generation of radical students, influenced by their own version Marxism, desired to dispel the hypocrisy of West Germany. (Judt, 469) They wanted to unveil the fascist nature of their government, which was hiding under the guise of a parliamentary democracy. The students were hoping that their civil disobedience would disrupt the infrastructure of West Germany. (Judt, 469) The students found their own self-identity, and they started to embrace various social issues such as race and gender equality, anti-imperialism, and several other leftwing movements. Furthermore, the historical legacy of Nazism was the driving impetus that divided the older and younger generations. The students viewed both their parents and government with increasing skepticism. The younger Germans felt that there were still elements of fascism and Nazism in the various institutions of the state. Moreover, this generation started to associate West Germany and America with fascism. Various events such as the war in Vietnam, America’s influence on West Germany, and the West German Government’s support of various autocracies, triggered several protests from the student body of Germany. These protests were met with brute force from the German State that resulted in various cases of police brutality. In the film, The Baader Meinhof Complex, the arrival of the Shah resulted in a conflict between the police and the protesters; and this incident resulted in the death of ... ... fear mongering were very similar to the tyrannical groups that they were opposing. The film delves into the psychology of the Baader Meinhof group by examining the relationships that each key member had with one another. At the outset the group held strong ties amongst one another. Nevertheless, the ties between them become more strained as the group carries out these acts and their leaders are imprisoned. The hysteria brought about by the arrests of key leaders of the group triggered a violent reaction from the RAF that led to more bank robberies, assassinations, bomb attacks, and taking more hostages. The film portrays the humanity of these terrorists. Their crimes are deplorable and their mission was primarily based upon terror not idealism. The film provides hones in on the brutal nature of the crimes as well as the relationships between the members of the RAF.

Brave New World Essay

Aldous Huxley was a writer of several novels, including the most famous Brave New World. He was born on 1894 and died on 1963. His interest includes politics, philosophy, parapsychology, psychology and mysticism. He was known to have close relationship to several people who have inclinations towards science. He has a botanical father and had worked in a chemical plant. Brave New World was written during an era where psychology and genetics play a vital role in explaining human behavior and reactions. It is then not impossible that there will come a time that humans will be experimented using psychology and genetics to be able to determine the extent of its effect. 1)Identify the characteristics (dimensions) of the narrative. A narrative is about telling stories, thus, it consist primarily of a plot structure, conflict, characters, setting, theme and point of view. The plot structure is basically the outline or the framework of the whole narrative; it includes the introduction followed by the rising action and the climax and then the falling action and finally the resolution. The conflict on the other hand is the disagreement in the narrative; usually it is where the whole plot revolves. The characters are the players or those who perform in the narrative. The setting is where the narrative takes place. The theme is the topic or the issue/s being portray or shown as the narrative progresses. The point of view is what the characters or the author seems to think from their perspective. 2)Discover an explanation for how the narrative creates meaning. The narrative creates a meaning by putting all of its dimensions together. Weaving one with another, it generates an idea that later result to a series of story which are connected with one another. 3)What is the setting? Where does the story takes place? Brave New World starts in ‘Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre’, there is a tour in the Hatcheries. The director is explaining to the students the process of reproduction of ‘customized’ human beings. The story takes place during A. F. otherwise known as After Ford. 4)Who are the characters? Are they human? Fleshed out? Known and unknown traits. The first character to be shown was the ‘Director’ Tomakin. He was the director of Central London Hatchery and Conditioning Centre. As the story succeeds, he was shown to be a part of a scandal involving his impregnation of Linda, a second caste or Beta and having a son with her named John, some 25 years ago. The next character was Linda Crowne, she is another Beta which depicts the typical female in the Brave New World. She is nineteen years old and is a lab worker at the Conditioning Center. She is Bernard’s love interest and she also like Bernard. Bernard is the main character in the story, he works as a psychologist in the Conditioning Centre and belongs to the Alpha class or the first class. He is the one to expose the son and wife of Director Tomakin. John or more commonly known as ‘the savage’ is the son of Linda and Tomakin. He lives in the savage Reservation along with her mother. He causes the big embarrassment for the director. He found his mother in the dying bed. He serves as the character who lives in the old world or something like that. Mustapha Mond is one of the World Controller. At the beginning of the narrative he told the students who are touring the Control Center about monogamy and the bond between mother and child, which he remarked as ‘horrifying’. Helmholtz Watson looks like Bernard’s Bestfriend and adviser. He like Bernard is not in favor of the ‘new order’ he thinks that there is something that is not right in the system. Ford is another term or shortcut for Freud which serves as the new ‘God’ as revealed in the story by Mond. Other characters are just minor characters. Among the characters, ‘the savages’ are the only one who is really humans’ or those who become humans in the natural sense. Other characters are fleshed out. Although they are till humans are homo sapiens, they are not created in the normal process. As stated above, they are somehow, customized. 5)Who is the narrator? Attitude toward story? Powers available to narrator? Characteristics? Trustworthy & reliable? The narrator is actually not among the characters thus he/she have the capability to tell the readers what is actually taking place in the narrative. The narrator’s attitude is somehow against the world order but it seems that the narrator is curios of what will happen after things are going this and that way. I could not say for sure if the narrator is trustworthy and reliable since there are instances wherein he/she tries to guess part of the story. Also, since the narrator is not an actual character it is hard to tell how much is his/her if his/her interpretations are coherent. 6)What are the events? Which are important for the story’s development? Which flesh out the story? The first three chapters generally describe that ‘brave new world’. The tour in the Control Center gives us a brief overview of the workings involved in the conditioning and reconditioning of the people, from conception to old age. Then the presentation of Lenina as the typical human being during that time in contrast with Bernard who seems to deviate with what is foreseen as natural. The visit to the Savage Reservation which shows the members of the old world and how they live corresponds to the presentation of a small part or population who still live in the ‘old system’. Meeting John and Linda who turns out to be the Director’s family, John being a child conceived through normal sexual intercourse which the new society or the Fordian society believes to be obscene. The presentation of John as the son followed by the fame of Bernard that was only short-lived since John did not show up in the conference which was arranged to confirm his identity. Then it shows the Shakespearean love that John felt for Lenina while Lenina shows the love she knows, this leads him to beat her. It was then followed by Linda’s death which leads to a riot at the hospital. This leads to the arrest of Helmholtz, Bernard and John. Bernard and Helmholtz were sent to another island far from England. John on the other hand was permitted to live n England. The people in England seems to drive John crazy, thus at the end, he killed himself. 7)How are events related in time? How are they told in the story? (Flashbacks? ) What is the speed or pace of the story? The events are related as the story progresses however there are indeed some flashbacks especially the scenes with John in the savage Reservation. The speed of the story is fast paced but there are enough explanation for every scenes. 8)What are the causes and effects? Are causes human? Supernatural? Are effects caused by accidents? Forces of nature? The Causes are the humans as can be seen since it is the humans who create the ‘brave new world’. Accordingly, the world is patterned to how Freud had conceived family as a disintegration of individual. The new order also aims to promote happiness by controlling everything in the human life. The effects are not merely accidents but an understanding of a ‘utopian’ view. 9)Who is the audience? What can we tell about the audience’s knowledge, personality, and abilities, on the basis of the speaker’s attitude toward audience? The audience is basically the reader which is also the spectators who are looking forward the development and progress in the narrative. The speaker speaks of the audience as someone who wants to join or be included in the ‘utopian like’ world where everything is equal yet individuality is missing. 10)What is the theme? It may be an underlying truth or saying. How obvious and clear is the theme? â€Å"Community, Identity and Stability has been the central theme of the whole novel since it is even the motto of the ‘new order’. The theme is very obvious since it is discussed in the novel. Stability is always mentioned with its reference to control and less conflict. Science seems to be the central source of power in the ‘brave new world’, science is used to provide less conflict through conditioning and minimizing conflicts. 11)Does the narrative fulfill its creator’s purpose? I believe it has fulfilled its creator purpose of delivering a novel that shows a future society if it will be designed or patterned to a ‘communal, scientific capital system’. Everyone will be treated in the same way. People do not experience loneliness because they are conditioned to be like this and do that. People are treated as mechanisms and/or things that can be rejected if it does not suffice its purpose. People live and die with the purpose of living together harmoniously in a fake reality. 12) Does the narrative provide useful ideas for living your life? Yes, it had me thinking of my own view regarding Utopia. It also gives me an insight about the way society has effects on the individual. The way the society can shape and somehow manipulate what an individual will think and how he/she will react. Also, it shows that although science, in general and genetic engineering in particular, may be used to treat illnesses and can improve life, it might also result to artificial human beings which are created in laboratories. Reference: Huxley, A. (1958). Brave New World.

Brain functions

Brain provides wider function in terms of biological changes that take place in one person; it is the central nervous system thus, it is responsible to overall functional development of the body. Moreover, the brain serves as the indicator of all the responses made by man, and so, any behavioral and/or psychological development coincides with his mental development. Scientists have made a very significant study on brain functioning of adolescents. A teen’s brain develops more rapidly according to them than what most people thought.Through the use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), they have found out that the human brain â€Å"undergoes changes after sensitive period,†1 and develop throughout adolescent. Brain continues to develop until the age of twenty, and this development is remarkable and must be given enough attention by concerned individual, for in this period lies the future of these teens. Many mental health experts believe that these changes that occur in on e’s brain to prepare them to adulthood.2 It is a crucial stage in the development of brain because, along the physiological changes that take place in the brain, the psychological and emotional functioning of an adolescent carries with it also. These health professional had commented that, â€Å"adolescence and young adulthood is a time of great potential for change and development – then policymakers need increasingly to focus in the opportunities for helping and influencing young adults that this crucial stage presents. †3 Biological Changes that Occur in an Adolescent BrainThe brain controls the overall function of the body: the basic instinct, immune system, sexuality, language capacity, and even abstract thinking. Not only has that, even a person’s behavior or responses depended largely on how his brain functions, specifically, his capacity to adapt to changes brought about by external forces. Adolescent period is the turning point in the life of any person to adulthood; many could observe how differently a person when he turns to this period. Not all can understand these changes, even the person himself.In the biological development of the brain, renowned Biologist and Psychologist Jean Piaget observed that â€Å"the developing child builds cognitive structure. †4 He meant the child develops mental ‘maps’ scheme, or network concept for â€Å"understanding and responding to physical experiences with in his or her environment. †5 Piaget confirmed that cognitive structure increases with development moving from instinctive baby responses to highly complex mental activities of adolescence. In his theory6, he identifies four development stages and processes by which children progress through them.These are: 1) the sensorimotor stage (birth – 2years old) is where the child first learns through physical interaction with his or her environment and forms a set of ideas about ‘reality and how it wo rks. 2) The preoperational stage (2-7 years old) is the stage that the child needs ‘concrete physical situation because he can not yet conceptualize abstractly. 3) The concrete operation (7-11 years old), at this ages, the child is able to conceptualize creating ‘logical structures’ that gives him idea of his or her physical experiences.4) The formal operations (11-12 years old), the child already develops cognitive structures like those of an adult which include conceptual reasoning. Piaget further explains that during all development stages, the child experiences his or her environment using whatever mental maps he or she has constructed. By this, he said that repeated experience easily fits or assimilated into child’s cognitive structure that maintains his or her mental equilibrium.But if it is a new experience, the child loses equilibrium and alters cognitive structure to â€Å"accommodate the new conditions. Through this, the child develops more and m ore concrete cognitive structures. †7 Men and women differ in many aspects not only in physical attributes and sexes. They also differ even in the way of solving intellectual problems. The differences accordingly are minimal and were merely consequence of â€Å"variations in experiences during development before and after adolescence.†8 They pointed out that recently, evidence suggests that the effect of sex hormones on brain organization occur so early in life that from the start, the environment is acting on differently wired brains in boys and girls. †9 These then, make evaluating the role of experience independent of physiological disposition which is a difficult task. The basis of biological sex differences in brain and behavior â€Å"have become much better known through increasing numbers of behavioral neurological endocrinological studies. 10 These studies also emphasized that observations show that males are more aggressive than females.Males engage in m ore rough play while females are more ‘nurturing. ’ It was also noted that males are better at a variety of spatial tasks. It concludes that male and female are better differentiated in the â€Å"level of exposure to various sex hormones early in life. †11 According to the studies conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Sowell, Assistant Professor of Neurology Laboratory of New Imaging, UCLA, â€Å"the discoveries particularly of post adolescent frontal lobe motivation provides new insight for interpreting occasionally trouble some behavior.She noted that â€Å"teens in typical western society are notorious for being poor planners, having difficulty interpreting potential consequences of their actions. 12 That these teens have difficulty controlling their emotions and having trouble inhibiting inappropriate behaviors. Dr. Sowell pointed out that â€Å"frontal lobes are responsible for planning, organization, and impulse control all functions typically underdeveloped during adolescence. †13 The result of the studies suggested that on-going changes in brain structure play a role.She said that â€Å"patterns of cortical maturation and degeneration between childhood and old age likely to reflect changing behavioral functions and cognitive abilities across the human life span. †14 The study used computerized brain image analyses to create three dimensional maps of gray matter change in the human cerebral cortex across a decades (7-87 years) involving 176 normal individuals and studies with MRI. Findings showed gray matter increase until about age 30. Whereas gray matter is also observed because of synaptic pruning, and continued myelination occurs during adolescent period.Both synaptic pruning and increased myelination are â€Å"cellular changes that result in a more fine tuned efficient brain. †15 It was also observed that pattern of gray matter loss were more rapid between 7 and 60 years old. Results of this study show that the †Å"trajectory of maturation aging effects vary considerably over the cortex with primary visual, auditory and limbic cortices known to myelinate relatively early in development showing a more linear pattern of aging. †16 Psychological Adjustment Due to Changes in BrainA group of health professionals explained some remarkable changes that take place in the behavior of a youth17 such as: sense of independence and exploration; formation of social bonds (they would choose to be with friends than with family members); they have powerful urges for sexual behavior; they have powerful emotional responses; they have greater tendency to acquire high-risk behavior because they cannot sustain with reason their impulsive behavior; youth are also vulnerable to addiction such as drugs and alcohol, their brain is sensitive with these elements; they also have inclination to materialism or consumerism; and in rare instances, some may experience mental illness or psychological disorder especially if the thinning of grey matter is greater, such as in the case of schizophrenia and bipolar. Conclusion Environment should not be blamed for what the behavior manifests in youth. Young people should not also be blamed for they themselves cannot comprehend what is going on inside them.At this crucial stage in their lives, they can experience different impulses and changes in their behavior. Sad to say, many of these youth have gone astray choosing a different path for them, which in turn, did not benefit them at all. Youth is the future of the nation, a country must invest on them, their energy and potential must be realized for greater benefit of all. But this could become possible if the government and the society must work hand in hand to meet the basic needs of the youth. As mental health professionals pointed out, services for these youth should be made available or else, we may never realize their full potential, they noted:18Commissioners need to consider the specific needs o f this age group when planning and commissioning services; failure to do so may contribute to the development of mental health service users being stuck in a cycle of hopelessness, unable to realize their full potential. Footnotes 1 â€Å"The Adolescent Brain. † http://www. sfn. org/index. cfm? pagename=brainBriefings_Adolescent _brain 2 â€Å"The Adolescent Brain. † http://www. sfn. org/index. cfm? pagename=brainBriefings_Adolescent _brain 3 â€Å"The Adolescent Brain. † http://www. sfn. org/index. cfm? pagename=brainBriefings_Adolescent _brain 4 Funderstanding. http://www. fundertanding. com/piaget. cfm5 Funderstanding. http://www. fundertanding. com/piaget. cfm 6 Funderstanding. http://www. fundertanding. com/piaget. cfm 7 Funderstanding. http://www. fundertanding. com/piaget. cfm 8Kimura, Doreen. â€Å"Sex Differences in the Brain. † SideBar. http://www. sciam. com/article. cfmID=00018E9D-1D06-8E49809EC588EEDF 9 Kimura, Doreen. â€Å"Sex Differences in the Brain. † SideBar. http://www. sciam. com/article. cfmID=00018E9D-1D06-8E49809EC588EEDF 10 Kimura, Doreen. â€Å"Sex Differences in the Brain. † SideBar. http://www. sciam. com/article. cfmID=00018E9D-1D06-8E49809EC588EEDF 11 Kimura, Doreen. â€Å"Sex Differences in the Brain. † SideBar. http://www. sciam. com/article.cfmID=00018E9D-1D06-8E49809EC588EEDF 12 Sowell, Elizabeth, Ph. D. â€Å"adolescent Brain Development. † http://www. loni. ucla. edu/-esowell/PBS. html 13 Sowell, Elizabeth, Ph. D. â€Å"adolescent Brain Development. † http://www. loni. ucla. edu/-esowell/PBS. html 14 Sowell, Elizabeth, Ph. D. â€Å"adolescent Brain Development. † http://www. loni. ucla. edu/-esowell/PBS. html 15 Sowell, Elizabeth, Ph. D. â€Å"adolescent Brain Development. † http://www. loni. ucla. edu/-esowell/PBS. html 16 Sowell, Elizabeth, Ph. D. â€Å"adolescent Brain Development. † http://www. loni. ucla. edu/-esowell/PBS. html 17  "The Adolescent Brain. † loc. cit. 18 â€Å"â€Å"A Work in Progress: loc. cit.

What Effects the Bounce of a Dropped Ball

Aim The aim of this experiment is to investigate the efficiency of a bouncing ball, and the factors which affect its efficiency. Hypothesis If I increase the height from which a ball is dropped, then the bounce height will increase because it will increase the speed and create a larger impact, causing the ball to bounce higher then dropping it from a lower height. Materials 1. High bounce ball 2. Measuring tape 3. Tape 4. Wall Risk AssessmentH- Cutting yourself with the measuring tape C- Handle with care and ensure that it is locked Method 1. Hold the measuring tape with the 0 centimeter end on the floor. Then tape the measuring tape to a wall. 2. Hold the bottom of the high bounce ball in place with the 100 centimeter mark on the measuring tape. 3. Drop the ball and determine the total bounce height of the ball, which would be the distance from the surface to the bottom of the ball at the top of its bounce. . Continue till you have data for 3 tests. 5. Repeat steps 2-5 for drop heig hts 80 cm 60 cm 40 cm 6. Average all the data. Variables Independent variable = drop height Dependent variable = bounce height Controlled variables = ball, surface, measuring tool Data Table Height a Ball Bounced From Different Drop Heights DROP HEIGHT (CM) TEST 1TEST 2TEST 3AVERAGE 10050495150 8038394039 6031293030 4022202120 Graph

Practice Exam 1

Choose four (4) of the following questions and answer them in short essay format. All questions are worth equal marks. (12. 5 marks each) QUESTION 1 (12. 5 marks) Discuss the key factors in the international environment that managers of emerging global organisations look to as threats to their international operations. Provide examples as appropriate. International Environment is the management of business operations conducted in more than one country and usually outside of the organisations normal environment (out of the country).Legal-Political Environment: Political systems the organisation may be unfamiliar with; dealing with the government. – Political stability – Quotas, tariffs and taxes – Law and regulation Economic Environment: Economic conditions in which the organisation operates in – Consumer Market – Exchange rates – Economic development (Developing country? Depression? ) Sociocultural Environment: Common behaviour and way of thi nking among the consumers. – Religion – Time orientation – Beliefs and values(Hofstede) – Language QUESTION 2 (12. 5 marks)What are Porter’s competitive forces in an organisation’s environment? Explain them and provide examples to illustrate your answer. Threat of new entrants: – Capital requirements and economic of scale are potential barriers – Easier to enter mail order business than automobile due to high capital cost – Technology made it easier for new entrants to enter market. – Threat of existing rivalry: – Coke VS Pepsi, Toyota VS Honda – Influenced by the other four forces and cost-product differentiation Threat of substitute products: – Affected by cost changes or trends Internet open new ways to meet customer needs – Low cost airline tickets VS travel agencies Bargaining power of buyers: – Few buyer, many suppliers. Goods are standardised. (High buyer power) – B uyer gets more information about the car they want to buy; accident before? Bargaining power of suppliers: – Many buyers, few suppliers. Highly valued products. (High supplier power) – Airplane engine suppliers will have great power due to lack of competition – Internet helps the suppliers to reach end users and greater number of buyersQUESTION 3 (12. 5 marks) What is the difference between organisational structure and organisational design? Outline the six elements of organisational design. Organisational structure is a framework that defines the way tasks are assigned, the formalization of reporting relationships and the effectiveness of coordination of employees across departments. It is an expression of who is performing various tasks and how they are related to one another whereas organisational design is the process of reshaping or changing the organisation structure.Organisation leaders develop plans to function or perform better. Six elements are: 1) Wor k Specialisation – A. k. a Division of labour. Main idea is to divide the jobs so that everything is not done by one individual. Employees can focus on doing specific functions in their own department allowing them to effectively and efficiently specialise in that particular job. 2) Chain Of Command – Line of authority from the upper level of organisation to lower level of organisation and classifies who reports to whom. Unity of command where each employee is held accountable to only one supervisor.Scalar Command defined line of authority that refers to all employees. 3) Responsibility, authority & delegation – Authority is the legitimate right of managers to issue orders, make decisions and allocate resources. Responsibility is the duty to perform a task an employee is assigned to and usually comes with authority for managers. Delegation is the transfer of authority to a lower level position in the hierarchy. 4) Span of management – Refers to the number of employees reporting to a supervisor. Also known as span of control.Determines the number of employees a supervisor can effectively and efficiently manage. 5) Centralization & decentralization – Centralization is when the authority is located at a single point usually at the top level of the organisation and decentralization is when decision authority is pushed down to lower organisation levels. Decentralization is believed to relieve burden on top managers, make greater use of worker skills and abilities and permit rapid response to external changes. 6) Formalization – Process of creating written documents to direct and control employees.These include rule books, regulations and job descriptions. These provide the employees with descriptions of tasks, responsibilities and decision authority. QUESTION 4 (12. 5 marks) A contingency approach to leadership seeks to explain the relationship between leadership styles and specific situations. Describe Hersey and Blanchard ’s situational leadership model. Provide examples to illustrate your answer. [pic] QUESTION 5 (12. 5 marks) Managers faced with ethical choices have a number of approaches that they may use to guide their decision making.Discuss the various approaches to ethical decision making, providing examples to help explain your answer. Utilitarian approach is the moral behaviour of producing the greatest good for the greatest number. Decision makers are to consider the effect of all parties and select one that best gives satisfaction to the greatest number of people. Squatter homes are not abolished because the government may find that leaving the squatter homes untouched may be a better option as it provides as a home for many people.Dunlop closed their manufacturing plant in Australia and decided to open one in Thailand and Malaysia, managers justified that decision on the basis that it produces greater good to the company as a whole. Individualism approach promotes the individualâ⠂¬â„¢s best long term interests which will lead to the greater good. The action in which is intended to produce greater good than bad to the individual rather than other alternatives. This will in turn, lead to greater good as individual’s behaviour fits the standards of behaviour people wants towards themselves.Moral rights approach defines the fact that human beings have rights and liberties that cannot be taken away by another individual. This approach suggests companies to maintain the rights of the people affected by it. Western countries give their people the right to have their own say (freedom of speech) and in some companies, they give their customers the freedom to speak and complain. Hence, the saying the customer is always right. Justice approach is the moral decision based on equality, fairness and impartiality. There are 3 types of justice concerning managers: distributive ustice where people should not be treated differently based on illogical characteristics s uch as gender. Procedural justice where rules should be administered fairly and consistently and Compensatory justice where individuals should be compensated for the cost of their injuries by the party responsible. QUESTION 6 (12. 5 marks) A current issue for HRM involves the changing nature of careers, and the evolving dynamic of relationships between employers and employees. Discuss the major issues involved in the changing nature of careers, and the HR issues in the new workplace. Provide examples as appropriate.Major Issue: Changing social contract Issues in new workplace: 1) Becoming employer of choice – company highly attractive to employees due to HR practices that focus on not only tangible benefits but intangible too. 2) Team & Projects – People who used to work alone now has to work in groups. Many workers handle multiple tasks and responsibilities. 3) Temporary employees – Demand has grown for professionals. Contingent workers means reduced payroll an d benefit costs as well as increased flexibility for both employer and employee. 4) Technology – Virtual teams and telecommunicating ) Work/Life Balance – Telecommunicating helps employees work from home to balance life and work. 6) Downsizing – Some companies have to downsize and let employees go. ———————– Old contractNew Contract Employee Employer – Job felt secure – One part of the organisation – Knowing – Routine Jobs – Standard training programs – Limited information – Traditional compensation package (typical benefits) – Manage own career (employment not guaranteed) – Partner in business improvement – Learning – Challenging assignments – Continuous learning, lateral career – Information & resources – Creative development opportunities Practice Exam 1 Choose four (4) of the following questions and answer them in short essay format. All questions are worth equal marks. (12. 5 marks each) QUESTION 1 (12. 5 marks) Discuss the key factors in the international environment that managers of emerging global organisations look to as threats to their international operations. Provide examples as appropriate. International Environment is the management of business operations conducted in more than one country and usually outside of the organisations normal environment (out of the country).Legal-Political Environment: Political systems the organisation may be unfamiliar with; dealing with the government. – Political stability – Quotas, tariffs and taxes – Law and regulation Economic Environment: Economic conditions in which the organisation operates in – Consumer Market – Exchange rates – Economic development (Developing country? Depression? ) Sociocultural Environment: Common behaviour and way of thi nking among the consumers. – Religion – Time orientation – Beliefs and values(Hofstede) – Language QUESTION 2 (12. 5 marks)What are Porter’s competitive forces in an organisation’s environment? Explain them and provide examples to illustrate your answer. Threat of new entrants: – Capital requirements and economic of scale are potential barriers – Easier to enter mail order business than automobile due to high capital cost – Technology made it easier for new entrants to enter market. – Threat of existing rivalry: – Coke VS Pepsi, Toyota VS Honda – Influenced by the other four forces and cost-product differentiation Threat of substitute products: – Affected by cost changes or trends Internet open new ways to meet customer needs – Low cost airline tickets VS travel agencies Bargaining power of buyers: – Few buyer, many suppliers. Goods are standardised. (High buyer power) – B uyer gets more information about the car they want to buy; accident before? Bargaining power of suppliers: – Many buyers, few suppliers. Highly valued products. (High supplier power) – Airplane engine suppliers will have great power due to lack of competition – Internet helps the suppliers to reach end users and greater number of buyersQUESTION 3 (12. 5 marks) What is the difference between organisational structure and organisational design? Outline the six elements of organisational design. Organisational structure is a framework that defines the way tasks are assigned, the formalization of reporting relationships and the effectiveness of coordination of employees across departments. It is an expression of who is performing various tasks and how they are related to one another whereas organisational design is the process of reshaping or changing the organisation structure.Organisation leaders develop plans to function or perform better. Six elements are: 1) Wor k Specialisation – A. k. a Division of labour. Main idea is to divide the jobs so that everything is not done by one individual. Employees can focus on doing specific functions in their own department allowing them to effectively and efficiently specialise in that particular job. 2) Chain Of Command – Line of authority from the upper level of organisation to lower level of organisation and classifies who reports to whom. Unity of command where each employee is held accountable to only one supervisor.Scalar Command defined line of authority that refers to all employees. 3) Responsibility, authority & delegation – Authority is the legitimate right of managers to issue orders, make decisions and allocate resources. Responsibility is the duty to perform a task an employee is assigned to and usually comes with authority for managers. Delegation is the transfer of authority to a lower level position in the hierarchy. 4) Span of management – Refers to the number of employees reporting to a supervisor. Also known as span of control.Determines the number of employees a supervisor can effectively and efficiently manage. 5) Centralization & decentralization – Centralization is when the authority is located at a single point usually at the top level of the organisation and decentralization is when decision authority is pushed down to lower organisation levels. Decentralization is believed to relieve burden on top managers, make greater use of worker skills and abilities and permit rapid response to external changes. 6) Formalization – Process of creating written documents to direct and control employees.These include rule books, regulations and job descriptions. These provide the employees with descriptions of tasks, responsibilities and decision authority. QUESTION 4 (12. 5 marks) A contingency approach to leadership seeks to explain the relationship between leadership styles and specific situations. Describe Hersey and Blanchard ’s situational leadership model. Provide examples to illustrate your answer. [pic] QUESTION 5 (12. 5 marks) Managers faced with ethical choices have a number of approaches that they may use to guide their decision making.Discuss the various approaches to ethical decision making, providing examples to help explain your answer. Utilitarian approach is the moral behaviour of producing the greatest good for the greatest number. Decision makers are to consider the effect of all parties and select one that best gives satisfaction to the greatest number of people. Squatter homes are not abolished because the government may find that leaving the squatter homes untouched may be a better option as it provides as a home for many people.Dunlop closed their manufacturing plant in Australia and decided to open one in Thailand and Malaysia, managers justified that decision on the basis that it produces greater good to the company as a whole. Individualism approach promotes the individualâ⠂¬â„¢s best long term interests which will lead to the greater good. The action in which is intended to produce greater good than bad to the individual rather than other alternatives. This will in turn, lead to greater good as individual’s behaviour fits the standards of behaviour people wants towards themselves.Moral rights approach defines the fact that human beings have rights and liberties that cannot be taken away by another individual. This approach suggests companies to maintain the rights of the people affected by it. Western countries give their people the right to have their own say (freedom of speech) and in some companies, they give their customers the freedom to speak and complain. Hence, the saying the customer is always right. Justice approach is the moral decision based on equality, fairness and impartiality. There are 3 types of justice concerning managers: distributive ustice where people should not be treated differently based on illogical characteristics s uch as gender. Procedural justice where rules should be administered fairly and consistently and Compensatory justice where individuals should be compensated for the cost of their injuries by the party responsible. QUESTION 6 (12. 5 marks) A current issue for HRM involves the changing nature of careers, and the evolving dynamic of relationships between employers and employees. Discuss the major issues involved in the changing nature of careers, and the HR issues in the new workplace. Provide examples as appropriate.Major Issue: Changing social contract Issues in new workplace: 1) Becoming employer of choice – company highly attractive to employees due to HR practices that focus on not only tangible benefits but intangible too. 2) Team & Projects – People who used to work alone now has to work in groups. Many workers handle multiple tasks and responsibilities. 3) Temporary employees – Demand has grown for professionals. Contingent workers means reduced payroll an d benefit costs as well as increased flexibility for both employer and employee. 4) Technology – Virtual teams and telecommunicating ) Work/Life Balance – Telecommunicating helps employees work from home to balance life and work. 6) Downsizing – Some companies have to downsize and let employees go. ———————– Old contractNew Contract Employee Employer – Job felt secure – One part of the organisation – Knowing – Routine Jobs – Standard training programs – Limited information – Traditional compensation package (typical benefits) – Manage own career (employment not guaranteed) – Partner in business improvement – Learning – Challenging assignments – Continuous learning, lateral career – Information & resources – Creative development opportunities

Volcanic Landforms

Volcanic Landforms Volcano is essentially a fissure or vent (opening) which serves as an outlet for hot magma from beneath the Earth’s crust. The hot liquid magma coming out in the form of lava (most commonly molten basalt) is potential of shaping different landforms on earth crust. The most common landforms that are results of volcanic activity include cones, craters, calderas, domes etc. This article gives a description of these volcanic landforms. SHIELD VOLCANOES- These are characterised by gentle upper slopes. The slope varies from only 5 degrees to 10 degrees.The shield volcanoes are made up of mainly thin lava flows around central vent. The low viscosity lava (low silica content) travels down gently and as it cools down it creates less steeper lower slope. These are also found at the flanks of bigger volcanoes like Kilauea is situated on the Hawaiian shield volcano. STRATOVOLCANOES- These are characterised somewhat steeper slopes (30 degrees to 40degees) near the vent a nd the summit due to highly viscous lava flows are not able to travel long distances before they cool down.The less steeper slopes at the base is due to erosional activity. The show inter layering of pyroclastic material and thus sometimes also called composite volcanoes. Pyroclastic material make upto 50% of a stratovolcano. They show a long time of repose which makes them quite dangerous. CINDER CONES- They are small volume cones build up by fall deposites around the eruptive vent. There slope is around 25-30 degrees. During later stages of eruptions the lava may come out from the flanks. Cinder and tephra cones usually occur around summit vents and flank vents of stratovolcanoes.MAARS- The magma heats up the groundwater and converts it into vapours which builds up pressure and results in eruptions containing water and pre-existing rocks. Walls of crater fall back into crater and fills it with loose material. If the crater depth reaches below the water table of the region, the maa rs often fill up with water. LAVA DOMES- The viscous lava or rhyolitic lava is not able to flow far away from the vent, it rather accumulates over the vent. The forecoming lava from the vent pushes and the upper solidified outer surface rolls down to the flank.The slope is very rough due to spines pushed up by the magma below. CRATERS AND CALDERAS- Craters are the depressions which are the results of explosions emitting gases and tephras. They can range upto 1km in diameter. Calderas are large depressions, circular or elliptical in shape with diameters ranging from 1 km to 50 km. Calderas form as a result of collapse of a volcanic structure. The collapse results from evacuation of the underlying magma chamber. The evacuation process of lava chambers in stratovolcanoes in rapid and as the lava goes out the walls collapse and form a large crater.They are enclosed depressions which often collect rain water and snow melt and may form lakes. Like Crater Lake in southern Oregon is about 8 km in diameter and dated to be formed around 6800years ago. FUMAROLES- A fumarole is vent where gases, either from a magma body at depth, or steam from heated groundwater, emerges at the surface of the Earth. Since most magmatic gas is H2O vapor, and since heated groundwater will produce H2O vapor, fumaroles will only be visible if the water condenses. H2O vapor is invisible, unless droplets of liquid water have condensed). HOT SPRINGS- Hot springs or thermal springs are areas where hot water comes to the surface of the Earth. Cool groundwater moves downward and is heated by a body of magma or hot rock. A hot spring results if this hot water can find its way back to the surface, usually along fault zonesGYESERS- A geyser results if the hot spring has a plumbing system that allows for the accumulation of steam from the boiling water.When the steam pressure builds so that it is higher than the pressure of the overlying water in the system, the steam will move rapidly toward the surfac e, causing the eruption of the overlying water. Some geysers, like Old Faithful in Yellowstone Park, erupt at regular intervals. The time between eruptions is controlled by the time it takes for the steam pressure to build in the underlying plumbing system. |