Bio of Stephen King essays

Bio of Stephen King essays Stephen Edwin King Thesis statement: Stephen king was an ambitious writer, who followed in the footsteps of his father. Stephen Kings life begins on September 21,1947. To, father Donald King and mother Ruth Pillsbury King. Stephen is the second son, their first son is David king. When Stephen was around two ,his father walked out on them leaving their mother with two boys to raise on her own. That didnt stop Stephen from inheriting his dads ability to write. When they moved to Durham, Maine in 1959 Stephen and his older brother David made a discovery that would change their live and the worlds forever. The King brothers found their fathers box full of his paperback books. They were not just any books, their fathers taste ran to science fiction and horror. His son Stephen devoured the books. At the age of nine Stephen king started writing. He started writing for his Aunt Gert, who paid him a quarter for every completed story. When he stopped writing for his aunt, he wrote one-page stories with a childhood friend named Chris Chesley, and stories by himself as a teenager and when he was 16 years o f age he wrote a 50,000 word science fiction novel titled The AfterMath. He even wrote when he was getting a degree at the University of Maine for the college newspaper. In 1967 he made he first professional sale to a long-forgotten, occasionally wonderful magazine titled Startling Mystery Stories which brought his story, The Glass Floor. King continued to write even after graduating from the University of Maine in 1970. King got a job teaching English at Hampden academy. Married to his college sweetheart, Tabitha Spruce, and their birth of their first child in 1971. And still he wrote. In 1973 king wrote the book entitled Carrie and it was published a year later. Things begin to change for Stephen, he wrote The Shinning, Salems Lot, and a collection of short storie ...

Hitting the Nail on the Head

Hitting the Nail on the Head Hitting the Nail on the Head Hitting the Nail on the Head By Maeve Maddox Somewhere, in an email or on Facebook or on a news blog, I saw this: But she hammered the head on the nail with this quote. How odd, I thought. Shouldn’t it be, â€Å"she hammered the nail on the head†? A Google search brings up 683,000 results for â€Å"hit the head on the nail† compared to 1,580,000 for â€Å"hit the nail on the head.† The phrase â€Å"the head on the nail† registers on the Ngram Viewer, but barely, compared to â€Å"the nail on the head.† The earliest citation of the expression in the OED is dated 1438. It’s not so easy to hit a nail squarely on the head. For that reason, â€Å"to hit the nail on the head† is a term of approbation. Figuratively, people who hit the nail on the head succeed in accomplishing what they are aiming for. Most of the examples I’ve found of the reversed idiom have been in readers’ comments, but I have found a few in presumably professional writing. For example, this one, with inexplicable hyphenation, is from a technical review: You have to remember though that Apple may or may not be upgrading the iPad again before the end of the year (this comes from John Gruber a known Apple pundit that tends to hit-the-head-on-the-nail when it comes to Apple rumors). A site dedicated to test preparation has this topic header: SAT Improvement or Hit the head on the nail This one is from a sports blog: These commercials are coolbut rarely do they hit the head on the nail of a player like Nike has done with these Calvin Johnson, P. Diddy advertisements. I found one example in which the reversal seems intended to be humorous: I could try for a long time to hit the head on the nail (as one of my writing students once said)- Writing advice site A review of the film Fifty Shades of Grey includes the following bit of dialogue: Christian – Have you been drinking?   Ana – Yup, you hit the head on the nail. It could be that this reversal is the result of Ana’s alcohol-impaired thinking. Changing â€Å"hit the nail on the head† to â€Å"hit the head on the nail† is jarring, to say the least. Writers who wish to be taken seriously will avoid doing it. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business Letter36 Poetry TermsPresent Participle as Adjective

Social Contract Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Contract Theory - Research Paper Example The social contract theory examines the notion of political legitimacy, which states that human beings have no ultimate right to exercise power over each other until the parties involved have mutual consent in an agreement (Rawls 223). According to the social contract theory, a natural basis for morality can be provided by the need for social order. The interaction between people forms the basis for certain incentives within the social system, which determine the peaceful coexistence between people in society. Social contract theory calls for the formation of certain agreements and follows some fundamental rules while at the same time treating each other with a lot of respect. Based on the social contract theory, humans find it beneficial to enter into some form of social contracts that will guide their moral judgments. Without such a contract, people would not exist peacefully as their interaction with one another would be disorderly (Rawls 225). The social contract theory also holds the view that the political, social, and moral obligations of a person largely borrow from the agreements they have made in their society. The modern political and moral theory is related to the social contract theory. In a nutshell, the social contract theory mainly focuses on the consensus that should emanate from explicit consent between several players in an agreement. The consent should be between people who reason properly and no one should be coerced to enter into an agreement. Social contract theorists, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau, strived to explain consensus with his explanation of the â€Å"general will.† For Rousseau, the social contract theory involves entering into a contract based on the collective interest of the entire group rather than focusing on the interests of a few individuals. The will of an individual should be appropriated with the interests of the entire group so as to

Model in the projection of equity portfolio Essay

Model in the projection of equity portfolio - Essay Example Company owners, executives, as well as all stakeholders assess various aspects in strategic planning and analysis of uncertainty using modeling techniques. Using financial modeling, various stakeholders can engage in calculated risks and as such minimize failure dangers while at the same time keeping client rewards at optimal levels. The aim of literally any investment analysis is being able to come up with appropriate investment decisions and even advice others on the best ways in making their investment decisions. Consequently, there exists an inextricable link between equity analysis and management of equity portfolio. Nonetheless, even for those with sufficient comprehension of equity analysis, there are a number of mechanical portfolio management elements which need to be addressed prior to construction and running of the respective equity portfolios. As exercised with professionals, real-life application of hypothetical investment ideas involves looking beyond expertise and one ’s training levels. More often than not, managing a group of portfolios incorporates comprehensive detail attention, computerization of the information, as well as embracing the need for administrative effectiveness. Generally, the mechanics of portfolio management and more particularly projection of equity portfolios require a comprehensive and more object-oriented approach. In essence, managers who look after equity portfolios have to make a choice as to whether or not they adopt a given approach in management of the respective equity portfolios (Onyango, 2003, pp. 45). Investment firms often have strict defined parameters which they make use of in stock selection and general management of their investment. Background information In the recent past, managers and many other stakeholders have taken to portfolio modeling. Portfolio modeling has come to occupy a central place in the business landscape. Whether one is running a single portfolio or lots of them in a single equity investment product, style construction and maintenance of a portfolio model is a common procedure in management of equity portfolio. More often, portfolio models acts as the standards upon which individual portfolios are equated. In general, the managers of a portfolio assign a weighting percentage to each stock in the model of the portfolio after which individual portfolios are further modified to match against the assigned weighting mix. Usually, computerized portfolio models assisted by software such as Excel, SPSS, and matlab, among others. As an example, after running a mix of corporation analyses, departmental analyses, as well as macro-economic analyses, a manager make a decision as to whether or not to own a substantial weight of a specified stock. In essence, models help in obtaining of portfolio efficiency with regard to portfolio analytics. With models, a portfolio manager may need to get an understanding of may be 30 or 50 stocks owned in similar ratios in the entire po rtfolio, instead of 100 or 250 stocks owned in different ratios in over a thousand varying portfolio accounts. Analyzing 30 or 50 stocks can be easily applied to the entire portfolio by altering weights in the model of portfolio over a specified time. What makes portfolio models outstanding is that as the individual stocks vary with time, a portfolio mana

History of Russian Thought Essay Example for Free

History of Russian Thought Essay Russian political and social thought remains a mystery to many historians, often insisting that Russia neatly follow western European categories of development and thought. Rejecting this odd sort of Euro-centrism is the first task of the intellectual historian, and from this point of view has Walicki made his career as the west’s premier historian of Russian political theory. Given the fact that this book is 467 pages, it is not this review’s intention to summarize the contents of this work, but rather to concern itself with method and the approach to this complex and ill-understood subject. A good place to start might be the basic class distinctions in Russian society. It is no accident that the book begins with two highly related objects: the rise of â€Å"enlightenment† thought under Catherine II (the Great) and, concomitant with this rise, the development of an elitist, aristocratic opposition to the crown. This start of some sort of Enlightenment-based criticism of monarchy derives both from western sources, that specifically of Montesquieu, as well as ancient Russian sources, that specifically of the ancient boyar duma, or elite assembly of the land. Hence, the stage is set for the remainder of the book: the constant fluctuation, often confusing, between modern, western models of political critique pleasantly seasoned with large doses of ancient political institutions. It is never made clear, and it is likely impossible to make clear, which element took center stage, the â€Å"west† or the ancient institutions. Among the Russian Slavophiles, major critics of Peter the Great and his western reforms, it is made clear. The Slavophiles, a specifically mystic, and Christian movement, almost Rousseauian in its basic social theory, based their approach on the criticism of the crown on the ancient Russian institutions of the peasant commune, the boyar Duma and the ancient piety of the Russian Church. Hence, early on, Walicki crates a typological distinction that defines the entire work: that between the more or less western-style, liberal rejection of monarchical absolutism, and a more peasant-based and communal criticism of the centralization of royal power. Neither approach rejects monarchy per se, but they criticize the development of the Petrine state, that is the centralized, expensive, militarized and bureaucratic absolutism introduced into Russia by Peter the Great as incompatible with Russian traditions. In terms of this typology, the most extreme of the first group might be the Decembrist movement, especially in the radical masonic societies of Paul Pestel. Unlike many historians, Walicki refuses to ignore the powerful part played by Masons in 18th and 19th century Russian history. The Decembrists, like nearly all opposition movements in the mid 19th century, was both Masonic and aristocratic, having few roots among the common people. Ultimately, Pestel rejected monarchy altogether, demanding an aristocratic based popular assembly elected by full and universal suffrage without property qualifications. He promised Poland its independence, and even became the first Russian Zionist, holding that Jews who refused to assimilate into the new Russia would be sent to Palestine to create a new Jewish nation with government assistance. He was joined in the revolutionary effort by the Society of United Slavs, also aristocratic and military based, who fought with Pestel over ideological concerns, chief of which was the place of old Russian institutions in the new society. The United Slavs, slightly less radical then Pestel’s organization, sought to base the new democratic order on the old Russian institutions of the duma and collective farming arrangements. Now, while the Decembrists ultimately failed, largely due to internal divisions and their lack of understanding of Russian conditions, the real significance of these movements was to give the aristocracy a public program run by semi-secret organizations, in the Decembrist case, military societies. The very fact that these groups were wealthy and aristocratic proves their limitations, and does show, as Walicki insists, that there is no distinction between class and political ideology, since political ideology was largely dictated by class status, at least in the sense that Russian nobles viewed themselves as heir to old Russia rather than to Petrine Russia. But just what they meant by â€Å"old Russia† is another story, and itself is a powerful subtext to this work. The approach to Freemasonry in Russia is worth a review in itself. Rarely dealt with in a serious way, the Masons are depicted by Walicki as the last refuge of the old aristocracy both accepting and rejecting the western Enlightenment. The failure in this otherwise excellent section is whether or not the public statements of the Masonic organizers were truly the belief of the order, or were simply exoteric utterances of the â€Å"initiated† speaking to a â€Å"backward† society. Nevertheless, Masonry (and Walicki holds that these were mostly funded by foreign sources) became a sort of pseudo-religion for the alienated old aristocrats long pushed out of power by the distant, upstart Petersburg bureaucracy. It is clear that the Masons were strictly clubs for the wealthy, sought to usher in a new â€Å"golden age† of history and looked down upon finance. These rather odd confluences of ideas simply tell us what little the Masons ere willing to speak about in public, or, even more, the fact that the aristocracy was using Masonry to challenge the organization of the Petersburg bureaucracy. Either way, masonry was a means whereby the old aristocracy could organize their forces and pool resources, but whether there was a political program that was basically agreed upon is another matter. Pestel’s group came the closest. It is rare that the western Enlightenment is imported wholesale into Russia. In fact, Pestel is an exception in that regard. At first, the famed Russian polemicist Peter Chaadaev held that western Europe should be imported to Russia, since, as he became famous for saying, â€Å"Russia has no history. Chaadaev made himself infamous in Russia by holding that there was no â€Å"Russian history† until Peter the Great made elite Russia European, slyly assuming that historical nations are European, technically advanced and based on baconian scientific models of administration. But his fascination with such things faded early on in his career, as both the revolutionary fervor of France and the dominance of the bourgeois repelled him. For Chaadaev, â€Å"Old Europe† was that of the medieval aristocracy rather than the modern, revolutionary bourgeois. Later figures like Alexander Herzen began their own careers with the same approach, only to actually live in England and France in exile, eventually returning to Russia with a loathing for European fashions and political ideologies. But all of these distinctions can be brought under our original methodological heading: the aristocratic opposition to the crown and the forms that this upper class agitation can take. The problem with this approach is that it leaves out the peasantry as a politically active part of the population. The fact that Walicki has no reference to the Old Believers and their strict, Russian Orthodox anarchism that numbered about 20 million followers by the middle of the 19th century is a major, glaring fault in the work itself. But, without saying so explicitly, this work seems to revolve around the aristocracy and the modes that their opposition to the Petrine state took over time. But the positive side to this approach is that it proves, contrary to typical courses in political theory, that radicalism in Russia was an upper class phenomenon and had few roots with the peasants, who were inclined to the Old Belief. Class status here meant that the higher one found oneself in the economic or aristocratic hierarchy, the more you were inclined to oppose the state (which itself, was based on a service bureaucracy rather than the old aristocracy) and the more one was to lean to radical theories of either economics or politics. The smattering of detail this review offers seeks to suggest that the aristocratic splits in Russian society are responsible for the development of its political ideas. Even more, if a thesis of this work can be found, this is likely it. Masonry, materialism, communitarianism, and even Marxism (though much later) all stem from the various battles among aristocratic and otherwise upper class factions. What they had in common was that they were wealthy, urban and sought to bring about a semi-utopia by force and revolution, bringing the â€Å"dark masses† to a â€Å"true knowledge† of their destiny and social importance. Hence, all of these movements opposed the monarchy in one sense or another. With very few exceptions, these movements all began rather enamored with western ideas, only to be repelled by them once actual contact with westerners became a fact. But the enlightenment was not rejected, only dressed in Russian clothing. Only the Leninists broke this mold, importing Marxism from Germany with few modifications, without the slightest concession to Russia as a cultural entity. The very fact that Leninism was so bizarre in Russian history shows how alien it was from currents of even the most radical thought in Russia and hence, how it was forced to impose itself by violence. What seems to link all Russian radical ideas together is that they were not Leninists, in the sense that they all looked to Russian tradition for the germs of radical institution-building. Hence, one can conclude by holding that Russian radicalism sought to build enlightenment ideas on old Russian institutions. A project destroyed by Lenin, largely never to be revived.

Anti-Semitism in The Merchant of Venice :: Merchant of Venice Essays

Anti-Semitism in"The Merchant of Venice" Anti-Semitism in "The Merchant of Venice" Throughout the play, "The Merchant of Venice" William Shakespeare portrays anti-Semitism through many of his characters. Audiences today may interpret the play to be offensive, where as people of Shakespeare’s time would have accepted the play as part of everyday life. The majority of London’s population at the time was anti-Semitic because there were very few Jews living there. Shakespeare’s "The Merchant of Venice" supports anti-Semitism actions and thoughts and therefore it is an anti- Semitic play. Anti- Semitism is demonstrated very strongly through the character of Antonio. It is clear that Antonio is prejudice towards Jews. Shylock confronts Antonio for spitting on his gabardine, calling him a ‘dog’, and scolding him in the Rialto about his moneys. Antonio replies with, "I am like to call thee so again, To spet on thee again, to spurn thee, too"(1.3.140-141). Antonio does not deny his actions and instead of apologizing he says he will do them again. He does not hold back his feelings for Shylock and in a broad sense his feelings toward Jews. In the second act, Launcelot is debating whether or not he should seek a new employer. His problem is that he works for Shylock, who is Jewish. Launcelot thinks to himself, "Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnation" (2.2.24). Eventually, he decides to run away from Shylock rather than continue working for a Jew. He then presents the argument, "I am a Jew if I serve the Jew any longer" (2.2.104) to his father. Before accepting the new job, Antonio discusses the matter with his father and reminds himself that Bassanio is much poorer than Shylock, b ut that he would much rather work for a Christian than a Jew. Lorenzo harshly insults Shylock when he tells Jessica that if her father ever makes it to heaven, it is only because Jessica converted to Christianity and that is portrayed through the line, "If e’er the Jew her father come to heaven, It will be for his gentle daughter’s sake" (2.4.36-7). Lorenzo describes Jessica using the word gentle. The word gentle in Shakespeare’s time can also be pronounced gentile which means against Judaism. In this quote and later on in the play through the line, "Our house is hell, and the, a merry devil"(2.3.2-3), Shakespeare is informing the reader that Jessica dislikes her father and that the house she has lived in with him is hell.

Marketing Mix Essay

Introduction Marketing Mix is a major concept in modern marketing and involves practically everything that a marketing company can use to influence consumer perception favorably towards its product or services so that consumer and organizational objectives are attained, i.e. Marketing mix is a model of crafting and implementing marketing strategy. In this assignment, I will discuss the major marketing mix variables as classified by Prof. E. Jerome McCarthy which are: i. Product ii. Price iii. Place (Distribution) iv. Promotion. Throughout the assignment I will prefer to use my reference to Sony Corporation. I will refer to this company how it has diversify its market products, the price range, places for distribution and the promotional strategies they have used to promote their products. SONY Corporation In Brief Sony Corporation is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, and one of the world’s largest media conglomerate with revenue of US$88.7 billion (as of 2008) based in Minato, Tokyo. Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Its name is derived from Sonus, the Greek goddess of sound. Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments—electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. These make Sony one of the most comprehensive entertainment companies in the world. Sony’s principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson and Sony Financial Holdings. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. The company’s slogan is Sony. Like no other. SONY Products The first market mix element is Product. A product is anything that can be offered to a market for attention, acquisition, use or consumption that might satisfy a need or want. Product decision normally base on brand name, Functionality, Styling, Quality, Safety, Packaging, Repairs and Support, Warranty, accessories and Services. These product attributes can be manipulated depending on what the target market wants. Also, customers always look for new and improved things, which is why marketers should improve existing products, develop new ones, and discontinue old ones that are no longer needed or wanted by the customer. Sony has a variety of products ranging from electronic devices, games and entertainment. So, briefly Sony products can be categorized in the following major product categories: i. Television and Projectors: Bravia LCD TV, CRT TV, Home theatre projector, Business Projector, Public Display Panel. ii. Home video: Blue-ray disc player, DVD player, DVD portable player. iii. Home Audio: Hi-Fi Systems, Home audio accessories. E.g. Digital media port. iv. Home Theatre system: DVD Home Theatre System, Home Theatre Component System, Home Theatre System Accessories. v. Digital Photography: Digital SLR, Cybershot Digital Camera, Digital Photo Printer, Digital Photo Frame vi. Hand cam video camera: Handycam high definition video Camera, Handycam Standard Definition Video Camera, Handycam Accessoriesiv, Digital Photo Printer, Digital Photo Frame. vii. Computer Peripherals: VAIO laptops and computers, VAIO accessories, Business Projectorsiv, Memory Stick. viii. Portable Audio: Walkman mp3 series, CD Walkman series, CD/Radio/Cassette player, Radio, Voice recorder, Audio Accessories ix. Game: Playstation 3, Playstation 2, PSP (Playstation Portable) x. In-Car entertainment: Xplod CD receiver, Xplod in car visual, Xplod Cassette receiver, Xplod Amplifier, Xplod Speaker/Subwoofer xi. Mobile phones : Phones, Phone Accessories. xii. Storage and Recording media: Memory Stick, USB storage media, Data storage media, Video Storage media, Audio media, Storage media, Professional media. xiii. Battery and Charger SONY Promotion Brief Introduction: Promotion is a key element of marketing program and is concerned with  effectively and efficiently communicating the decisions of marketing strategy, to favorably influence target customers’ perceptions to facilitate exchange between the marketer and the customer that may satisfy the objective of both customer and the company. A company’s promotional efforts are the only controllable means to create awareness among publics about itself, the products and services it offers , their features and influence their attitudes favorably. Advertising: SONY has advertised its products through many different ways and media. Through TV we have seen different advertisements of its products such as Bravia televisions or Sony wega TV. Sony also advertise its products by targeting those favorable television programs, like sports, series and also it has its own channel called Sony TV channel. Sony uses some events like Miss India2008 to promote its products. Also, Sony has advertised its games like Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and PSP using sports like football in England premiere league. Through newspapers like Times of India, Sony has advertised a wide range of products it offers to its customers. And also through Posters a message has been sent to a lot of people to be aware of the products which Sony offers. Sony also uses direct – response advertising. This is type of advertising that encourages the consumer to respond either by providing feedback to the advertiser or placing the order with the advertiser either by telephone, mail or the internet. Such advertising is done through direct mail or catalogues. Sony incorporates co-operative advertising in its advertising process. Sony corporation provides the dealers (e.g. Sony World) with the materials and guidelines to develop ads for print, television or radio commercials. This ensures that message is in line with, what the manufacture wants to communicate. The company and the dealers usually share the media costs and hence, the name ‘co-operative advertising’. Sales Promotion: Sales promotion is a marketing discipline that utilizes a variety of incentives techniques to structure sales – related programs targeted to customers, trade, and/or sales levels that generate a specific, measurable action or response for a product or service. Sales promotions for example includes free samples, discount, rebates, coupons, contents and sweepstakes, premiums, scratch cards, exchange offers, early bird prizes, etc. Sony has promoted its products through different sales promotional  strategies. For example after the release of the Sony BRAVIA television sets, Sony promoted them by earl bird prizes by saying that all BRAVIA full HD LCDTVs purchased during July 2008 and registered within two weeks of purchase qualify for a Bonus Playstation 3 as long as the customer claims is one of the first35,000 received and validated by Sony. Also Sony has promoted its Sony Ericsson P1i phones by including a scratch cards which gives the customer the offer to download 10 free software application for that mobile phone. Sony Ericsson has also promoted its Sony Ericsson K550i Mid-Range Cyber-shot Phone that if you buy it you get a free Bluetooth headset with one year manufacturer’s warranty Public Relations and Publicity: Public relations is a broad set of communication activities employed to create and maintain favorable relationship with employees, shareholders, suppliers, media, educators, potential investors, financial institutions, government agencies and officials and society in general. Through its website, Sony corporation has its provided contacts for those customers who will be in need of any information from the company. In this way Sony can create a mutual relationship with its customers and ensure that it serves the wishes and demands of its customers. SONY Place (Distribution) Decisions with respect to distribution channel focus on making the product available in adequate quantities at places where customers are normally expected to shop for them to satisfy their needs. Depending on the nature of the product, marketing management decides to put into place an exclusive, selective or intensive network of distribution, while selecting the appropriate dealers or wholesalers. Sony being the company which positions itself as a seller of durable and high-end products, it is practicing selective distribution of its products from the selective dealers i.e. SONY World. Apart from this there are grey-markets in India and other countries where a practice of intensive market coverage is practiced, and the products in these kind of markets normally do not posses all the features and benefits which Sony offers e.g. warranty and guarantee. Sony distributes its products in various channels. It uses Zero-level channel, one level channel  and two-level channel. In India, Sony has used the method of one-level distribution channel. This means that, customer buy their Sony product from the retailers recognized by Sony, and these retailers buy the products directly from the company itself. SONY Price Pricing decisions are almost always made in consultation with marketing management. Price is the only marketing mix variable that can be altered quickly. Price variables such as dealer price, retail price, discounts, allowances, credit terms etc. influence the development of marketing strategy, as price is a major factor that influences the assessment of value obtained by customers. Customers directly relate price to quality, particularly in case of products that are ego intensive of technology based. Sony being a company which emphasize product quality, it tends to sell its products with price range from moderately-high to high-prices, depending on the use and the targeted customers. For example, Lets consider Sony series of VAIO laptops. Sony has tried to categorize the laptops according to style, user, purpose, mobility and performance, and each a corresponding price. The laptops sold by Sony in India include a series of Sony VAIO, this are VAIO SR, VAIO FW, VAIO tokage, VAIO CR, VAIO NR, VAIO TZ and VAIO SZ. VAIO SR, boast on the excellence in mobility and perfection in performance. This laptop was designed for businessmen and its price is around Rs. 75,000/ VAIO FW, boast of theatrical experience and world class performance. This model was designed mainly for home user or casual user of laptops who aims on media playback. The price of it is around Rs. 80,000 and Rs.1,25,000. VAIO CR, boast on style and texture. Depending on the configuration, the prices are from Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 65,000. VAIO NR, boast of natural, chic design. It was designed to meet customers ambiance and lifestyle. For this reason the Sony corporation has decided the price of the laptop to be Rs. 40,000 and Rs. 50,000 depending on the configuration. VAIO TZ, boast of elite lifestyle, and high class performance. This laptop was designed purposely for business as it is light weight, high processing speed, and flash memory storage and longer backup power. For all this facts Sony has priced it to be between Rs. 1,15,000 and Rs. 1,40,000.VAIO SZ, boast of premier mobility and executive excellence. This laptop was  developed by Sony to target executives and business people who are mobile. The laptop is fitted with hybrid hard disk drive and motion eye camera and Bluetooth compatible headset with applications for increasing mobility and video conferencing. It’s price is about Rs. 1,24,000

Religious diversity Essay

A portion of chapter three talks about religious diversity wherein despite the domineering European immigrants taking part in Protestant belief during the time of colonization some were still generally not expressive about their faith or religion. Some people still keep their beliefs and practices private, if they have any such beliefs or affiliations to religious organizations. In contrast however, Asian countries still have people who openly and freely express their faith in and relationship with their Supernatural Being. Most of them assimilate their living values and beliefs from the teachings of religion in different kinds. From this topic, one can meet various people who express their faith in different manners. Muslims and Jewish, for example, express their faith by prohibiting themselves from eating pork. Meanwhile, some religious groups communicate their belief by following with piety and faith their Supreme Being in processions and the like. After reading the entire topic, the one thing I can comment on is the interest of every religious group to transmit values to its disciples despite its variation. Regardless of the religious teachings done by most institutions though, some families still have apparently considered school teachings in conflict with the families’ own beliefs and perspectives. Nevertheless, the scenario still shows that no matter how the religion of one is indifferent from the others, religion still remains to be something that has deeply marked everyone’s way of approaching to faith. And it is the simplicity of how things are done in expressing one’s faith that makes religion a combination of religious diversification and devotion. Religion in this way is promoted as an important asset for all even if they believe from different religions; young people and old, not just as personal interest, but as something that can be used to find peace for one’s mind and soul. These simple encounters from the article have taught me how to be freer to express my faith. More so, it has given me an impression to deal with all things in great fervor all for the love of my religion. Reference Olsen, G. , & Fuller, M. L. (2008) Home-School Relations: Working Successfully with Parents and Families, Third Edition. Merill.

Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essays

Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essays Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essay Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance in the Context of Pakistan Essay the Q12 and Overall Satisfaction). These 13 items - which were selected because of their importance at the business-unit or workgroup level - measure employee perceptions of the quality of people-related management practices in their business units. The overall study involved 410,225 independent employee responses to surveys and 13,751 independent business units in 82 companies, an average of 30 employees per business unit and 168 business units per company. One hundred seven (107) research studies were conducted across the 82 companies. In this meta-analysis lot of different were selected so that each company was represented once in each analysis. For several companies, multiple studies were conducted. In order to include the best possible information for each company represented in the study, some basic rules were used. If two concurrent studies were conducted for the same client (where GWA and outcome data were collected concurrently, i. e. , in the same year), then the weighted average effect sizes across the multiple studies were entered as the value for that company. If a company had both a concurrent and a predictive study (where the GWA was collected in Year 1 and outcomes were tracked in Year 2), then the effect sizes from the predictive study were entered. If a company had multiple predictive studies, then the mean of the correlations in these studies was entered. In this meta-analysis Pearson correlations were calculated, estimating the relationship between business-unit average measures of employee perceptions and general business outcomes. Correlations were calculated across business units within each company, and these correlation coefficients were entered into a database for each of the 13 items. The researchers then calculated mean validities, standard deviations of validities, and validity generalization statistics for each item for each of the five business-unit outcome measures. These studies have indicated a directional relationship from employee engagement to outcomes such as employee retention and customer loyalty/engagement, and a directional and somewhat reciprocal relationship between engagement and financials. They expect that in most healthy business units, a reciprocal relationship exist, in which engagement fuels better management and better management fuels ownership and engagement (involvement and enthusiasm). These studies have also indicated that, there are differences across business units in the way employees perceive their work environments, environment and these differences relate to differences in performance. Such differences represent substantial utility to businesses and other organizations Hakanen et al (2006). Conduct a study to investigate the burnout and engagement among teachers. In this study the Job Demands–Resources Model was used as the basis of the proposal that there are two parallel processes involved in work-related well-being among teachers, namely an energetically process(i. e. , job demands – burnout ill health) and a motivational process (i. e. , job resources engagement – organizational commitment). In addition, some cross-links between both processes were hypothesized. In this study they used the Structure Equation Model to test the hypothesis. The basic focus of this research was to investigate the drivers that lead to burnout and engagement in Finnish teachers. They conduct a survey to collect the data from 2038 Finnish teachers. They used the questionnaire technique to collect the data. They used the Maslach Burnout Inventory–General Scale (MBI– GS to measure the burnout. Work Engagement was assessed with the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) in this study. Results of this study shows that job control, information, supervisory support, innovative climate and social climate were all positively related to work engagement. This study shows a positive relationship between job resources and work engagement. The results of this study also confirmed the existence of both processes, although the energetically process seems to be more prominent. More specifically, (1) burnout mediated the effect of high job demands on ill health, (2) work engagement mediated the effects of job resources on organizational commitment, and (3) burnout mediated the effects of lacking resources on poor engagement. Bakker et al. 2006) conducted a study to explore the success factors among female school principals in primary teaching. They conduct a study on burnout, engagement and performance. They used the survey method to collect the data through questionnaire technique from the sample size of 105 school principals and 232 teachers. They used the Structural Equation Model to measure the hypothesis among principals. Their study showed significant and positive associations between school principals’ work engagement scores a nd teacher-ratings of school principals’ performance and leadership. More specifically, results of structural equation modeling showed that engaged principals scored higher on in-role and extra-role performance. In addition, engagement was strongly related to creativity; the higher school principals’ levels of work engagement, the better they were able to come up with a variety of ways to deal with work-related problems. Finally, engaged school principals were seen as transformational leaders – being able to inspire, stimulate and coach their co-workers. Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework Theoretical Model Role of Employee Engagement on Employee Performance Theoretical Foundation A stronger theoretical rationale for explaining employee engagement can be found in social exchange theory (SET). Social exchange theory argues that obligations are generated through a series of interactions between parties who in a state f reciprocal interdependence. A basic principal of theory is that relationships evolve over time into trusting, loyal, and mutual commitments as long as the parties abide by certain â€Å"rules of exchange (Cropanzano and Mictchell, 2005). Rules of exchange usually involve reciprocity or repayment rules such that the actions of one party lead to a response or actions by the other party. For example when individuals receive economic and socio emotional resources from their organization, they feel obliged to respond in kind and repay the organization. This is the two way relationship between employee and organization. One way for individuals to repay their organization is through their level of engagement. That is, employees will choose to engage themselves to varying degrees and in response to the resources they receive from their organization. Thus in summery social exchange theory tells that the employees choose to engage more or less with the organization on the basis of what resources they receive form the organization. This theory provides the theoretical foundation and explains that employees are more likely to exchange their engagement for resources and benefits provided by their organization. Kahn’s personal engagement theoretical framework is helpful in better understanding the concept of employee engagement. According to Kahn’s (1990) personal engagement theoretical framework, people express themselves physically, cognitively, and emotionally in the roles they occupy; people are more excited and content with their roles when they draw on themselves to perform their roles; and people vary in their levels of attachment to 1-3 their roles. Furthermore, Kahn suggested that people vary their levels of personal engagement according to the meaningfulness of a situation (or perceived benefits), the perceived safety of a situation, and their availability based on resources they perceive they have. On the other hand, an individual can become disengaged and protect himself or herself by withdrawing and hiding his or her true identity, ideas, and feelings. According to Holbeche and Springett (2003), people’s perceptions of ‘meaning’ with regard to the workplace are clearly linked to their levels of engagement and, ultimately, their performance. They argue that employees actively seek meaning through their work and, unless organizations try to provide a sense of meaning, employees are likely to quit. The research findings suggest that many people experience a greater search for meaning in the workplace (70 per cent) than in life in general (ibid). There are numerous possible reasons for this, for example, it may be because people generally spend longer at work than on other parts of their lives. Holbeche and Springett (2003) argue that high levels of engagement can only be achieved in workplaces where there is a shared sense of destiny and purpose that connects people at an emotional level and raises their personal aspirations. According to Schaufeli et al. (2002, p. 4) explain that engagement is a positive, fulfilling, work-related state of mind that is characterized by vigor, dedication, and absorption. † They further state that engagement is not a momentary and specific state, but rather, it is â€Å"a more persistent and pervasive affective-cognitive state that is not focused on any particular object, event, individual, or behavior†. Vigor is characterized by hig h levels of energy and mental resilience while working. Dedication refers to being strongly involved in one’s work and experiencing a sense of significance, enthusiasm, and challenge. Absorption is characterized by being fully concentrated and happily engrossed in one’s work, whereby time passes quickly and one has difficulties with detaching oneself from work. In short, engaged employees have high levels of energy and are enthusiastic about their work. Expectancy theory points to the importance of the individual’s expectations of his job in determining Employee Engagement. For individuals who have expectations that their job should give them opportunities for pay, challenge, a failure of the job to meet this expectation will lead to disengagement compared to a situation where no such expectation is involved. What expect expectation of individuals will have of a job may vary. For a large number of reasons, some is deriving from social others from individual causes. Another theory that has dominated the study of the nature of Employee Engagement is Herzberg? s famous â€Å"Two factory Theory? s of Employee Engagement. In this he claims that the factors which cause Employee Engagement are separate and distinct from the factors which job dissatisfaction. The factors causing Employee Engagement, which level factors such as their relating to satisfaction with the job itself. The factors which cause job dissatisfaction called hygiene factors are more concerned with conditions of work such as pay and supervision. At no time does Herzberg argue a job satisfactory, except may be for a short run. Chapter 4 Data Collection and Methodology. We chose the survey topic relating to the role of employee engagement on employee performance. To collect data, we adopted the ‘Survey Questionnaire Research Technique’. The questionnaire was solved by the sample size of 111 people working in different industries in Pakistan. We focused on interacting with people from all major sectors in Pakistan, including banking sector, academia, corporate aura and officials from the public sector as well. We used the questionnaire method to analyze the situation because participants’ responses to direct questions always are very revealing that adds value to the research purpose. The famous 5 point ‘Likert Scale’ designed by the psychologist Rensis Likert is used in the survey. This scale is widely used for the collection of data in questionnaire method. The respondents were asked to tell as to what level hey agreed or disagreed on different queries as the 1-5 likert scale ranges from strongly disagree to strongly agree. After collecting the data from respondents we computed the questions into variables through the SPSS software. After computing the question into variables we found the descriptive statistics. In descriptive statistics we have found the maximum and minimum range of the data and we a lso have found the mean and standard deviation of the data. We used the histogram to check the normal distribution of the data. We used the scatter plot to check the relationship between our independent and dependent variables. After that we have done the correlation by using SPSS software. We have done the correlation to find the relation between independent and dependent variable to find that the independent and dependent variable have the positive or negative relationship. We used the regression analysis to find the relationship between dependent and independent variables. In regression analysis we found the coefficient of variable and here we check the significance level and the effect of independent variable on dependent variable. Using SPSS software we have done regression analysis to find the relationship between dependent and independent variables. In regression analysis we found the coefficient of each variable and here we found the significance of each variable and the relationship between the variable is weather positive or negative. We used the t-test to check the level of significance to select the null or alternative hypothesis. We used the R-Square analysis to find the on what percentage the independent variable has on dependent variable. We used the f-test to check the joint effect of employee engagement on employee performance. Chapter 5 Data Analysis and Interpretation In this part of the study empirical findings have been shown and interpreted. Table 3. 1 presents the descriptive statistics which show the overall picture of the variables. Figure 5. 1 [pic] In this histogram we have the frequency distribution on Y-Axis and the independent variable on the X-Axis. The bell shape in this histogram shows that the data is normally distributed. Figure 5. 2 [pic] Figure 3. In this histogram we have the frequency distribution on Y-Axis and the Dependent variable employee performance on the X-Axis. The bell shape in this histogram shows that the data is normally distributed. Table 5. 1 Descriptive Statistics | |N |Minimum |Maximum | |Employee Engagement |Pearson Correlation |1 |. 690** | | |Sig. (2-tailed) | |. 00 | | |N |111 |111 | |Employee Performance |Pearson Correlation |. 690** |1 | | |Sig. (2-tailed) |. 000 | | | |N |111 |111 | |**. Correlation is significant at the 0. 01 level (2-tailed). | Table 5. 3 Regression Dependent Variable: Employee Performance |Variables |Coefficients |Std. Error |t-test |Significance Level | |(Constant) |1. 582 |. 239 |6. 608 |. 000 | |Employee Engagement |. 619 |. 062 |9. 955 |. 000 | | | EP=C+B1(EEi)+ Ei EP=1. 582+. 619(EEi)+ Ei Table 5. 3 presents the results of the regression analysis. The results show that the independent variable employee engagement is significantly affect the employee performance as shown by the values of the t-statistic and the corresponding P-Values. t-test is used to test the significance of the individual partial regression coefficients. Null hypothesis in this test is set as the partial regression coefficient is zero. This test shows that the coefficient of employee engagement is statistically significant at less than one percent level of significance. As the coefficient of the employee engagement has the positive sign so the effect of the employee engagement on employee performance is positive. The magnitude of the partial regression coefficient of the employee engagement is 0. 619, which suggests that holding other factors constant an increase of one unit in this variable would raise the employee performance by 0. 619 units. Our independent variable is employee engagement and its significance level is 0. 00 which is less than 0. 05 its means the relationship of employee engagement and employee performance is positive and statistically significant. Table 5. 4 Necessary Statistics |Coefficient of |Adjusted Coefficient of |F-Statistic |Sig. (F-Stat) | |Determination (R2) |Determination (Adj. R2) | | | |0. 476 |0. 471 |99. 093 |0. 000 | Table 5. 4 reflects the joint effect of the independent variable’s on dependent variable. Coefficient of Determination R-Square is used to find the percentage that to what extent the independent variable’s affect on dependent variable. The value of the coefficient of determination (R2) is . 476. This shows that the 38 percent affect on dependent variable employee performance is due to the independent variable employee performance and the other 52 percent affect on employee performance is due to the other variables which are not included in our research study. In 3. 4 the value of F-statistic is statistically significant at less than one percent which exhibits that our independent variable is jointly affecting our dependent variable that is employee performance. Chapter 6 Conclusion and Summery These days Employee Engagement has become a very hot topic of the management in this global competitive world. Everyone seems to be on the path to get their employees engaged. The claim has been made that engagement is needed for higher levels of firm performance while, consultant studies estimate that only 14 percent to 30 percent of employees are really engaged at work. In particular, very little attention has been given to the engagement levels of people running organizations. But unfortunately the importance of employee engagement has been only recognized by the top multinational organizations. While, in Pakistan the importance of the concept is still not really understood. The companies operational here are yet not paying yield to improving engagement of employees. Organizations need to concentrate on optimizing employee productivity and available organizational resources. This study has investigated the relationship between employee engagement and employee performance in Pakistani context. It provides the ground basis to organizations that are working in Pakistan and want more productivity with their human assets to gain more productivity by engaging their human assets nd investing on them. This study has the significant implications for the Pakistani organizations to engage their employees on workplace to gain the competitive advantage and more productivity. For this study we use the employee engagement as independent variable and employee performance as dependent variable. To study the relationship of employee engagement on employee performance we used various statistic al techniques. We used descriptive statistics and here we found the minimum and maximum range of data and also found the means and standard deviation of variables. The measure of central tendency (Mean) of employee engagement is 3. 82 which show that most of the respondents agree that they are engaged in their companies. The mean of employee performance is 3. 94 which show that those employees who are engaged in their organizations are more productive. To check the relationship between dependent and independent variable a scatter plot was drawn, the line goes left to right upward which shoes that the independent and dependent variable have positive relationship; it means that independent variable influences employee performance. A Histogram graph was drawn to find the frequency distribution of data and it was found that the data is distributed normally because it gives us a bell shape. The correlation between employee engagement and employee performance shows that the employee engagement has the moderate positive correlation with employee performance and this relationship is also statistically significant. According to our research model it is statistically proved that employee engagement have a positive impact on employee performance. Like several other studies (Schaufeli and Bakker, 2004; Sonnentag, 2003) the results of this study suggest that employee engagement partially mediates the relationship between antecedent variables and consequences. The results of this study also suggest that employee engagement can be understood in terms of SET. That is those employees who receive higher organizational support are more likely to respond with greater levels of engagement in their job and in the organization. Further this study provides some implications for the companies who have their operations in Pakistan; a need to focus on employees’ engagement. This research suggests that the companies should engage their employees on the workplace so that they can be willing to apply extra effort for more productivity. This study demonstrates that the organizations should invest on the engagement of their human assets that will consequently yield more profit for the organization. Limitations: 1. First of all, there is a need for more research in the field of employee engagement and employee performance. Not enough research has been done in order to describe the rel

Cause and Effect Essay Example Great Depression

Cause and Effect Essay Example Great Depression Cause and effect essays  are popular ways of helping students understand the relationship between various events. They’re extremely popular in history classes, although students are certainly going to encounter them in English and writing classes as well. English and writing classes are often geared towards helping students be better at critical thinking in general, and cause and effect essays can serve as excellent critical thinking exercises in general. Cause and effect essay outline is a five-paragraph essay with an introduction paragraph, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion paragraph. 50 WINNING CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY TOPICS If you are looking for cause and effect essay examples here is a great one below Cause and Effect Essay Example: GREAT DEPRESSION The World Great Depression hit the global economy from the late 1920s through the period in 1930s. The depression had enormous market implications: social, economic and political. In order to understand the implications of the global depression crisis, it is imperative to review the crisis causes. This essay reviews on the economic and political causes of  the crisis and their subsequent implications. Economically, the crisis onset was in 1929 characterized by the Wall Street collapse. At this time, the economy purchasing power was failing as money supply decreased. Initially, there was speculation on the eminent Wall Street collapse. At this time, the USA government resulted to financial measures aimed at reducing this influence. In this case, the federal government sought to reduce money supply in the economy through increased interest rates. This aimed at establishing avenues to reduce the increased money supply in the market. However, this process failed in the long run as the money supply continuously fell (Rosen, 2005). The Federal Reserve Bank, the central bank in America failed to institute mechanisms to reduce this crisis. Consequently, this led to the  reduced  money supply in the economy resulting in  the great depression. Reduced money supply in the market reduced the economy’s ability to purchase products. Politically, Rosen (2005) stated that the protectionism approach and regulations played a significant role in the emergence and escalation of the global recession crisis. In this regard, global economies such as European  markets developed strategies to regulate against increased importation into the markets. This sought to remedy the European market overproduction rates. Similarly, in order to protect the American multinational companies; the government in 1930 instituted the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. The tariff instituted high taxation rates for imports in the Unites States. In this regard, the strategy sought to limit importation into the economy. This was a strategy to mitigate against the increased overproduction in the economy. As such, the government sought to establish the structure  through which to reduce on the implications of increased overproduction in the economy. However, although this reduced instances of over production in the economy, it led to reduced international trade. Consequently, this reduced foreign exchange in the global markets. This trend was not only in the USA  but also in countries across the global economy. Increased tariffs and importation restrictions resulted to reduced international trade. As a result, economies were subjected to decreased foreign exchange. This implicated on the overall currency purchasing powers in the economy as currencies lost their value in the global market. International trade plays a significant role in enhancing increased currency purchasing through the development of balanced and favorable terms of trade. Through the establishment of favorable terms of trade, economies currencies increase their purchasing power enhancing increased spending and consumption levels in an economy. Reduction on the trade resulted in  reduced spending further reducing money supply in the market, thus propagating the global Great Depression crisis. The reduction in the  importation  and international trade rates resulted in  increased unemployment rates. The international trade distribution channels proved increased employment opportunities. Therefore, its collapse led to increased unemployment. Further, the trade allowed for increased government revenues through levied taxes and tariffs. To this effect, its reduction resulted to decreased government revenues. A combination of these factors reduced earnings and government spending in the economy. Consequently, the reduced international trade perpetuated reduced money supply in the global market. The global depression crisis emergence was because of reduced money supply in the market. An additional cause for the escalation of the global recession crisis was the existence of small and numerous banks. In this regard, the banks lacked enough capital and funds to support their systems. To this effect, the collapse of Wall Street resulted in an  increased lack of confidence in  the banking industry. As a result, there emerged the cash rush. This was a process through which banking customers sought to withdraw their funds and have them in liquid cash. Due to the advance and defaulted loans, the banking industry was unable to avail all the required funds. This led to the eventual collapse of the banking industry. The banking industry is an imperative component in the global market success and functioning. Therefore, the collapse of the banking industry led to the eventual collapse of the entire global economy as the banking services that enhanced transaction success no longer functions (Rosen, 2005). Consequently, the global market failed to result in the great recession. Moreover, the global depression crisis emergence can be hedged on the political systems and obligations imposed on nations after World War I. After the war, the USA emerged as a major power due to its late entry into the war. As a result, it advanced loans and funds towards the reconstruction of global nations such as Germany. On the other hand, Germany was burdened with increased loans repayment as damages for the war. This culminated in the banking industry overspending and due to inflation, the banks considerably raised their lending rates leading to global market supply deficiency. HOW TO WRITE A CAUSE AND EFFECT ESSAY If you need assistance with cause and effect essay writing, feel free to contact our friendly support team or place an order and we will gladly help you.

On the sources of international investment law Essay

On the sources of international investment law - Essay Example And it is in this course that we are to understand economic movements in China today. The "People's Republic of China (PRC) is the world's largest market, with a population of 1.3 billion people and an area about 9,600,000 square kilometers in the southeastern Eurasian continent." 2 Being such, it is no wonder that foreign investors are really gunning to do business with her. Thus, the 1978 Third Plenum of the Eleventh Party Central Committee that discarded the slogan "Take class struggle as the key link" and in its place embraced a shift to socialist modernization that entailed "economic and technical cooperation with other countries"3 has been welcomed with great enthusiasm by foreign investors. In fact, this " open door policy has been successful in attracting foreign direct investment (fdi)"4 thereby, making China a "new economic power"5 to reckon with. And everything is no easy task. ... "Hong Kong provides nearly "60 percent of cumulative FDI, its precise contribution is complicated by round tripping and the routing of FDI from many other countries via Hong Kong, especially overseas Chinese from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and South East Asia. Being such, the important role of Hong Kong in the international trade and foreign investments of China is something that cannot be relegated in the periphery of the economic reforms and development of China. The status of international trade in China is a result of China's embarking on liberalization coupled with reforms in exchange rates and prices plus decentralization of power. These reforms are made feasible because the government of China has seen that some socialist principles are no longer suitable in meeting the needs of the people. In fact, the restructuring that the Chinese government is working on is geared towards creating a more viable Chinese economy that has for its aim satisfying peoples needs. But all of these arrived only after China has seen the factors that lead her to her own stagnation in terms of economic development. Eight points6 are raised as the root causes of China's economic retardation. And these are first is the blind adherence to high targets in production and construction with out properly attending to economic results. Second, is the investment on heavy industry so much so that agriculture and light industries are relegated to the periphery of the econom y. Third is the focus on new enterprises and capitals while existing enterprises are given minimal support and attention. Fourth, is overemphasis on the output of primary and intermediate products instead of giving attention to production of