Organizational Analysis and Design

Introduction Etisalat is an international telecommunications firm based in the UAE. Many recognize it as a formidable force in data and voice services across the Middle East, Africa and Asia. The organization’s net revenue illustrates this; on this basis, the company lies among the top 150 most profitable organizations in the world.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Analysis and Design – Etisalat specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Structural arrangement of the organization The company has a combination of the area-division structure and the product structure. Under the area division model, the organization divides its entities on the basis of their geographical regions. Through such an approach, the firm can analyze the profitability of each area and thus curve-out a strategy to correct cases of non-delivery. The firm also has a product structure that splits resources on the basi s of service portfolios. Some of them include data services, telephones, mobile network services, internet, sim-card manufacture, training services, financial management and many more (Etisalat, 2011). The company chose this approach owing to the need for greater standardization and specialization. It can also identify the non core or unproductive business services that it can eliminate. Shown below is an organizational chart for the firm. Forces for change and the obstacles to change in the organization Currently, the telecommunications sector in the UAE suffers from an oversupply. It is quite difficult for the firm to increase its penetration levels because of this fact. The degree of competition is a force for change because the company needs to innovate in order to ensure its survival. Etisalat faces a lot of competition in its international tariffs. The company’s competitors and other VoIP providers are causing the company to revisit its international tariffs. The preva lence of rigorous regulations in the international calls sector created these changes. Therefore, the organization needed to respond to these alterations in country regulations. Competition was not just limited to international tariffs; it also grew rapidly in the mobile data sector. Many rivals dwelt on smart phones, and this meant that the company’s voice revenue reduced dramatically. The need to increase its voice revenue was also a force for change.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Increased competition also emanated from the fact that Etisalat was no longer a monopoly in the UAE telecommunications market. Five years ago, a key service provider entered the market, and nothing has remained the same. This company now needs to guard it market share as it has been losing it to the new entrant (George-Cosh, 2010). Customers also required greater flexibility in connectivity arrangements. These needs applied to almost all product segments; television services, broadband services and fixed voice services. The organization needed to meet these needs promptly. However, it had to increase flexibility in a way that would not strain the consumers’ telecommunications budgets. The UAE is a high-growth state; it works on developing its economy through different sectors and channels. However, in order to achieve these benefits, the country must have a strong infrastructural base. The communications sector is imperative because it can facilitate greater transmission of oral and written information in voice and data services. Businesses now require greater convergence between data and voice, and since the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in the UAE allowed this convergence, then Etisalat needed to respond by giving clients an integrated network. Some clients did not have access to Etisalat’s services. In other words, the companyâ⠂¬â„¢s reach was not one hundred percent in the UAE. This meant that it needed to target a new client base with its products and service; this was also another force for change. Many businesses are facing a lot of pressure to produce or offer their services and products in environmentally friendly conditions (Durant, 1999). Carrying out activities in a green building has become a common requirement for many companies. Furthermore, business practices now address carbon footprints and energy efficiency. Environmental concerns are, therefore, a key driver for change. Etisalat is a profit making venture, like any other business; therefore, it needs to look for cost cutting measures at all levels. This need is even more pressing now that the UAE telecommunications market has matured. It is imperative for the company to strengthen its position in the market by increasing efficiency in its operations.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Analysis a nd Design – Etisalat specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Forces for change in Etisalat Resistance to Change Customers’ need for greater technology Staff hesitance, slow company response Dealing with greater competition Imitation, slow adoption Maximizing technology infrastructure for development Increased costs Environmentally friendly business practices Business disruptions Greater international expansion Unfavorable business climate Cost cutting Dwindling quality in services One of the main obstacles to change in this company includes reduced service offerings that may result for cost cutting measures. Employees may fear all these new changes or may be ill prepared for new technologies. Alternatively, if customers’ needs are always changing, the company may not respond promptly. With regard to greater competition, the rivals could imitate Etisalat’s new product innovations, and this may min imize company profitability. The need to practice business in an environmentally manner and the need to offer better technology infrastructure may cause increases in costs. They may also disrupt company flows. All these factors can minimize the incentive to change in the firm. Lastly, the company should consider international expansion, but it may find unfavorable business conditions in a new target market. Innovations that the organization has introduced It can be stated that this company has attained a perfect balance between incremental and quantum changes. Its innovations fall in the incremental category because it often improves its products and services (Morgan, 2006). The organization has achieved this by offering faster speeds for internet connectivity, better connectivity, greater reach and heightened value. It has done this by investing in fiber optic cables or by building its network infrastructures to a satisfactory level. In this regard, the firm has used existing techn ologies or methods that are not new to the country to alter service and product offerings. Conversely, the company has also implemented quantum changes. In this regard, the firm has introduced new technologies that did not exist before using breakthrough innovations. One such instance was the 3D TV; another was 4G technology. These emanated from the need to respond to greater pressures in the competitive landscape. Shown below is a summary of the two types of innovation prevalent in EtisalatAdvertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Source: (Morgan, 2006) How the firm sought to manage innovation through structure, culture and organization This company responded to the difficulties in penetration levels by developing broadband services and other value added services. Technological introduction of a new generation of handset services and tools ensured that the organization could deal with the shift in company revenue from the voice sector to the data sector. Therefore, innovation was at the heart of this company’s changes. One of the new services offered by the organization was an initiative called ‘My Plan’. Another scheme was ‘Business Edge’. In both these arrangements, the company sought to give its post paid consumers minutes on their international calls. Since there was a serious problem with revenue generation in the international calls department, then the organization felt that it was necessary to deal directly with this problem. Additionally, the plans also entailed pro vision of data bundles to clients (Etisalat, 2011). Since the UAE had a lot of competition in the data sector, then it was only natural to respond to these pressures through such an offering. On top of these two service packages, Etisalat also created something that addressed the need for greater flexibility in connectivity and that was ‘eLife’. This package allowed consumers to utilize optical fibers in order to access television services, fixed voice services and broadband services at enormous speeds. It also launched that plan at a reasonable price for the market. Furthermore, the company was the first to initiate 3D television. In fact, technology experts rank the UAE as one of the top five countries in the world that have achieved this fit. The firm also enhanced this need for greater flexibility by launching â€Å"Business One Super’ which is a high-speed broadband service that reaches the mass market. This has radically changed the broadband landscape in the UAE. The organization expanded its service and product reach through a new partnership with JAFZA. It did this in order to offer customers in the Dubai free Zone some of its telecom services. Since some customers did not have access to high quality networks from Etisalat, the firm launched a Fiber – to – the – home network. It hopes to have achieved 100% coverage by the end of 2012 (Etisalat, 2011). As a response to energy need pressures and green production business practices, the company has launched a brand of 4G technology called Long Term Evolution. In this plan, the firm has combined technology advancement with environmental friendliness. It has selected fiber optic cables that are exceptionally energy efficient. They also have a smaller carbon footprint. The plan is still on a trial basis, but it can alter the manner in which the company does business. All the latter responses have dealt with the company’s innovative endeavors. The forces of ch ange also necessitated a need to alter the culture and structure in the organization too. The company changed these elements through a cost optimization program. In the plan, the firm started outsourcing some of its non core services. Therefore, previous components covered by the international departments were no longer part of the company. Besides this, the organization implemented a cost-cutting measure to improve efficiency. The company had to change its culture from technology leadership alone to cost efficiency and technology leadership, as well. Value creation is now a prime issue in the company. Furthermore, the business now focuses on sharing its services and infrastructure with different partners in the communications sector. It is likely that the cost optimization program will yield full results at the end of 2012. The organization has worked on international expansion, as well. It realizes that this is the lifeblood of the company. It intends on dominating the Middle East ern market through aggressive acquisitions. One such case was in Kuwait through partnerships with Zain. The company has also worked hand in hand with other kinds of organizations in its existing regional branches in order to meet the needs of the local market. Etisalat is becoming a force to reckon with in the Nigerian telecommunications sector, and this is through a reorganization of the corporate culture within that country (George – Cosh, 2010). Since this organization has a product-based and regional-based structure, then any creation of new services and products also alters its structure. When the company introduces a new service, it often places a new body of personnel to be in charge of the product. However, most personnel come from the existing body of staff members in the institution. Most senior level staff emanate from the host countries when the firm engages in expansion strategies. Conclusion Etisalat is a leading telecommunications provider in the UAE. It has at tained this position through continual investments in technology. Etisalat has also used new-generation products (quantum change) and systematic process-oriented changes (Incremental change) to achieve the same. The major drivers for change are competition and a changing technological landscape. However, the company must contend with slow employee adoption and ineffective cost efficiencies. If it can tackle these resistors to change, then it will maintain its position as a market leader. References Durant, M. (1999). Managing organizational change. Web. CRF. Etisalat (2011). Annual report 2010. Web. Etisalat. George-Cosh, D. (2010). Competition forces change of strategy in Etisalat. Web. The National. Morgan, G. (2006). Images of organization. Thousand Oaks, Sage. This research paper on Organizational Analysis and Design – Etisalat was written and submitted by user Nickolas Roth to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Organizational Analysis and Design Introduction The analysis of the OAD case regarding two companies enables the students to understand the importance of management style in the overall performance of the organization. Those who will analyze the details pertaining to the case will come to realize that the management of a particular organization is dependent on leadership and management style of the top executive and how he or she deals with the different factors that affect the organization (Wasson, 2006, p.12).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Organizational Analysis and Design specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this particular case it is important to focus not only on the management style of the two leaders but also on the different factors that contributed to the outcome of the bidding war. It is of great importance to learn from the lessons that can be gleaned from this study, especially when it comes to developing strategies to ensure th e sustainability of the company. It can be argued that ACME was at the right place at the right time and they benefited from high demand of electronic products. But in an instant the circumstances can change so quickly and it may not favor them the second time around. Background Both Acme and Omega came from the same parent company. When the parent company was bought by a Cleveland manufacturer the buyer had no interest in the electronics division of the said company. Thus, this division was subsequently divided into two smaller companies based on the location of their respective manufacturing facilities. Thus, the facility located in Waterford, Pennsylvania became the Acme Electronics Company while the facility located in Erie became the core component of the Omega Electronics Company. The two investors retained the core personnel that were working at the time when they bought their respective businesses. But Acme promoted its general manager to President while Omega hired an outsi der, to fill in the position of president of the company. In the former it was the promotion of someone who has known the electronics business for a very long time especially when it comes to the projects that both Acme and Omega are competing against. On the other hand Omega hired someone from a research laboratory. This professional background would play a major role in the development of Jim Rawl’s leadership philosophy that he utilized in dealing with the problems he encountered at Omega. The different approaches to hiring the top leader of the company can help explain why Acme surpassed Omega in all aspects of the business. Acme is more profitable than Omega. Acme can hire more people than its rival. This means that it is able to secure more contracts and expected to work on more projects as compared to Omega. However, both companies will be tested when they come across a project that forced them to build from scratch.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Linkage to OAD This case relates to the issue of organizational structure (Daft, 2007, p. 99). It highlights the pros and cons of two types of organizational structures: the organic versus the mechanistic structure of corporate governance. It is important to tackle this issue and based on the details of the case there are certain ramifications if a leader chooses organic over mechanistic form of management. In this particular case the author made a clear argument that there is no method that can be used to deal with any specific issue or problem that would crop up in the course of a business cycle. However, there are principles that can be observed based on how Rawls and Tyler dealt with the situation. In the end management styles and leadership principles are overly dependent on the context of the issues that the leader has to deal with. Compare and contrast the management styles of Acme and Omega. Omega utilized an organic management style. This is based on the philosophical beliefs of the CEO Jim Rawls. It requires a certain leadership philosophy to develop a management strategy that relies more on networking and maintaining close relationships with co-workers. It is easy to understand why many leaders prefer this management style as opposed to the more formal method utilized in big corporations. In most cases, organic management styles are common in small firms. Due to the size of the company the CEO can afford to use a more personal approach. A more technical term is the utilization of a flat structure as opposed to the hierarchical structure found in most firms (Baligh, 2006, p.15). The second reason why an organic style is chosen over a mechanistic form of management has something to do with the history of the firm. In the case of Omega, the company was an offshoot from a bigger firm. Jim Rawls was an outsider and therefore he has not mastered the form and fun ction of an electronics company. His former job required him to oversee an electronic research laboratory. Although a research firm focused on developing cutting-edge technology for the electronics market has many things in common with an electronic manufacturing firm it can also be argued that these two are worlds apart. The laboratory background of Jim Rawls also explains why he utilized a flat structure and insisted that he did not believe in the importance of organizational charts. In the laboratory there is a greater need for collaboration because engineers and scientists are dealing with theoretical problems and issues that they have never encountered beforehand. Thus, they need to build professional working relationships that entail sharing of information.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Organizational Analysis and Design specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More John Tyler on the other hand believes in creat ing an organization that is managed like the military. Precision and speed is of utmost importance in a manufacturing facility. An electronics laboratory can afford to make mistakes and can afford to have slight delays in their projected goals. This is based on the fact that the laboratory does not have a clear deadline when it comes to the delivery date of their products. People working in the laboratory do not have to worry about the cost of the experiment because they are paid to produce experimental results. But there is nothing experimental with a manufacturing firm. The sub-contractors like Acme and Omega are expected to deliver on time and with lowered costs. How do the differences between the companies’ management styles explain the way they coordinated the production of the prototypes? These two types of management styles were heavily contrasted when Acme and Omega were faced with a new challenge. In the past they had to manufacture printed electronic circuits. But a t the decade of the 1960s came to a close, printed electronic circuits was about to be taken over by integrated circuits. As a consequence both Acme and Omega had to find new markets to be able to utilize the full power of their manufacturing facilities. In 1966 a photocopier manufacturer asked both companies to submit 100 prototypes of an internal memory unit that is built into the copier. This project requires the use of integrated circuits. Both companies where treading into uncharted territories and in order to deal with the new challenge Jim Rawls and John Tyler knew they had to start from scratch. How they complied with the requirements provided a glimpse into the inner-workings of a mechanistic and organic management styles. It is interesting to find out that Omega edged out Acme in the production of 100 prototypes. Omega passed the test with excellent results. Acme on the other hand failed miserably and their reputation was close to tatters. The explanation can be seen in ho w effective the organic management style can be when faced with a new problem. The secret of Acme is in its efficiency. But efficiency as demonstrated in this study is borne out of routine. In other words, Acme was able to surpass Omega for many years because John Tyler, the head of the said firm had a clear understanding of the industry. The same thing cannot be said of Jim Rawls who was relatively inexperienced when it comes to this particular industry.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Although, Acme had an excellent track record it soon became evident that new projects, with new requirements require an organic management approach in the initial phase. John Tyler used a more mechanistic method in dealing with the problems of a tight schedule and unreliable suppliers. John Tyler was in unfamiliar territory for probably the first time in his life as the head of an electronics company. They had to deal with other companies that they know little about. This unfamiliarity is the reason why they did not know that the main supplier of a memory chip shuts down during the holidays. Jim Rawls on the other hand succeeded because the lack of formal structure enabled his engineers and other employees to share ideas. The purchaser may have problems with their suppliers but an engineer who is not part of the procurement departments happens to know of an alternative component that they can use. John Tyler and his management style prevented his people to share ideas that are cruci al when it comes to developing prototypes. Jim Rawls understood this perfectly because in his previous job he was familiar with the requirements of developing a prototype. If Omega was so much more effective than Acme, why didn’t it win the final contract? Omega came on top and defeated Acme in the said bidding war. However, the final contract was awarded to Acme. Part of the reason was that Acme already built a reputation when it comes to efficiency. It can be argued that Omega also demonstrated its ability to become efficient especially in the way they handled the delivery of the 100 prototypes with zero error. Nevertheless, there is one particular factor that worked in favor of Acme. The industry experienced high demand. Therefore, the client cannot afford to simply rely on one company. The electronics boom of the 1960s enabled these two companies to continually share a significant portion of the market. In the long run this was beneficial to Acme because they were able to correct their mistakes. The mechanistic approach enabled them not only to become efficient but also cost-efficient. What changes would you recommend to Acme and Omega? Based on the case, it would be best if the leaders realize the importance of using both organic and mechanistic approach (Wesson 25). In the event that a prototype is needed, the organic management style is well-suited for this project since it would be the first time that the company has to deal with the specific requirements of such an assignment. On the other hand when the firm has already made the necessary adjustments then it would be best to utilize a mechanistic approach. This is important because both Acme and Omega will encounter significant changes in the future and both must learn to adapt to changing needs of the industry (Landy Conte, 2010, p.296). Do you think Acme and Omega should merge to better compete in the future? It is not advisable for these two companies to merge. The differences in leadership philosophy are too significant to be bridged. John Tyler will never be able to work under Jim Rawls. He seems to believe that he knows more about this industry as compared to his competitor. On the other hand a merger will enable both companies to reach a high-level of efficiency. A merger enables both companies to create a competitive advantage over other firms. These two groups can secure a significant portion of the electronics manufacturing market in their respective region. But for this to succeed, Acme has to absorb Omega in order to prevent conflicts in leadership styles. Conclusion This case study demonstrates the need to be flexible especially when an organization is faced with a new challenge. Due to the need to build a prototype, Acme was forced to tread into unfamiliar territory. As a result they were unable to setup a process that would have enabled them to work more efficiently. Omega on the other hand used the organic approach to solve a problem, a technique familiar to Jim Rawls because he used to work in an electronics laboratory. But in the long run the weakness of this approach was made evident. It is important that both leaders appreciate the strengths and weakness of both management styles in order to develop a sustainable business model. Reference List Baligh, H. (2006). Organization Structures: Theory and Design, Analysis and  Prescription. New York: Springer. Daft, R. (2007). Organization Theory and Design. OH: South-Western Cengage. Landy, F., Conte, J. (2010). Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to  Industrial and Organizational Psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill. Wasson, C. (2006). System Analysis, Design and Development: Concepts,  Principles, and Practices. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons. This case study on Organizational Analysis and Design was written and submitted by user Shane Winters to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A look into sectarian academic institutions selective student admission policy

A look into sectarian academic institutions selective student admission policy Hashtag: #TiwaLaSalle (â€Å"Trust in La Salle!† University) The Nature of Sectarian Schools About four years ago, several schoolchildren with lesbian parents were rejected by a Catholic school in Boston, Massachusetts. A Lutheran High School in California, on the other hand, expelled two students simply because they were members of the third sex. Sectarian schools are also famous for rejecting students with different religious belief, of different skin color or with a physical or mental disability, but gets away with it. How is that possible? Sectarian schools are private institutions, as they do not receive funding from federal government or directly administered by the state. For this reason, sectarian schools are self-governing entities with freedom to discriminate or reject a particular type admit a certain type of student. Therefore, those shouting #TiwaLaSalle are students who passed the discriminating standard of the university and deserving of education for the elite. Owners of sectarian schools are either Catholic or Protestant religious organizations aiming to propagate and advance their respective religious beliefs. A sectarian school, therefore, is only open to students with similar faith. Moreover, since government or people’s taxes do not fund private organizations, students in sectarian schools are normally sons and daughters of parents who can pay expensive tuition fees and support expenses associated with exclusive education. Get your portion of inspiration here: Why High School Years Are Often the Most Memorable in Later Life? What Are the Common Problems faced by Students in School? Relieving Students School-Related Stress High School Is a Must-Do? At School, I Have Been Bullied by a Teacher Discrimination in Schools of the Holy Most sectarian schools are named after a patron saint or religious figures (ex. Saint Anthony’s College, La Salle University, Saint Francis Xavier University) but their practices seem far from being divine. They continue to exist and operate under the law regardless of the fact that denying student’s admission on religious grounds result in racial exclusion and violation of children’s rights. Under the law, sectarian schools as private educational institutions can have different rules. For instance, a Roman Catholic nun and leader of a Catholic school in New Orleans openly admit that students and faculty have limited rights in a Catholic school. In fact, they are free to ignore freedom of speech and due process rights, hire and fire staff on religious grounds, employment regulations, and reject admission of anyone mainly because they are ministries funded by private donations. These practices according to school official are not religiously bias but simply a matter of choosing those who are members of the church. Moreover, since the school is part of the ministry, they need to model and protect Catholic values. This may be true as most textbooks according to the study of Christian schools are politically and religiously bias and often identical to materials produced by partisan organizations promoting conservative Christian ideas. Discriminatory practices of sectarian schools such as those promoting Catholic values, in particular, seem contradictory to Christian teaching. For instance, discrimination is never a Christian value. In fact, Jesus, through his ministry, emphasized the need to love one another, as God’s love for all is unconditional. Evidently, these include those we deemed unworthy or people with different belief, gender, and race. Sectarian schools should realize that independence from government funding and control does not necessarily mean freedom to discriminate and promote false religious values such as providing exclusive education for the elite.

An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America Essay Economic transactions have taken a toll of revolutions and evolutions from the most historic barter deals to currency minting to bank-to-bank transactions, and finally, electronic business. Undeniably, the phenomenal effect of information technology to the lives of common man has caught the complexities of all branches of science and economics in a single matrix. Similarly, it has extinguished spatial boundaries in the business arena. Upon the advent of the accessibility of the internet or the World Wide Web to the public in 2004, it has been deemed that e-commerce will shortly follow through. So thus soothsayers and journalists manifest into the world this forecast. Company websites and internet servers sprouted like wild mushrooms here and there, flooding the virtual world with what’s it’s’ people cannot usually find for themselves. A unique gadget which can be found nowhere at a shopping mall is now easy to find at Ebay or Amazon. om, or shopping for clothes can also be done via ordering online, and sending emails or conversing with another entity half an earth away through instant messengers now became a common activity to the technologically savvy. A worldwide acknowledgment of this phenomenon has now slowly shifted every human paradigm there is. This evolutionary way of business ‘anytime-anywhere scheme’ or transacting across the planet in only a matter of seconds has put leverage to the face of business vis-a-vis human technology. E-business or e-commerce, also known as EC, has now penetrated all elements of life, particularly the world of commerce and economics. Today, e-business is now the most preferred way of dealing with and between firms. In the fields of traveling, media, logistics, telecommunication, and manufacturing, as identified by Horsti, Tolonen and Brannback (2003) in their study of five electronic business models, it showed that operating a business backed by ecommerce and proper management of personnel skills and customer relationships is a critical success factor (CSF) and always has a direct correlation to business success. This gives light to the logic as to why bankers and corporations alike have resorted to sending orders and invoices via internet instead of sending messengers or bulky packages to each other and wait for days before the same arrives at each other’s doorstep. On an individual basis, transacting with another online instead of going to a bank and undergoing the tedious process of lining-up and filling out slips and various withdrawal or deposit forms has been the hip. Online credit card transactions has also been the trend nowadays especially to the technologically savvy. As Moslein (2001) would argue, the rise of ecommerce has extinguished traditional boundaries and spatial constraints of conducting business. So what really is it behind e-business and what makes everyone indubitably caught up with this intertwining net of transactions? In this paper, the aforementioned is put to a limelight along with a detailed analysis of the e-business phenomenon. A projection as to how e-business in America will perform in the short-run is also forecasted. Pros and cons of doing e-business as well as important dissections of it are also included herein. The first part of this paper shall serve as a guideline as to how discussion will flow and what models and methods were used in shedding light to the subject matter at hand. It also serves as briefer to the latter portions which delve deeper to the subject matter. The latter portions shall plainly consist of the author’s own views with regard to the topic, however, with sources to buttress proof of claims. The summary and conclusions are second to the last parts before providing a list of references used in this research. Statement of the Issues/Problems The dawning of the internet and the birth of ecommerce in which e-business arose forthwith has also given birth to online corporations and rebirth to traditional enterprises. However, the new age technology has also given birth to various risks and opportunities for misers to tamper with the gifts of technology to the disadvantage of those who are faithful in their dealings. In this regard, the primary thrust of this paper is to analyze the gradual paradigm shift of business in America to the modern e-business taking into consideration the management decisions of enterprises vis-a-vis the costs and risks in engaging into e-business. Further, this paper rests with the issue on how ecommerce evolved to what it is today. Given these matters, the ultimate question this paper aims to answer is: Why do businesses continue to prefer to do e-business despite online security threats and risks? Hypothesis E-business is a response of various industries to the market forces affecting it, and amidst costs and risks, the benefits of e-business to enterprises prove to shape corporate success, help industries maximize benefits and positively affect the entire business industry as a whole. Methodology This paper is a result of a collaboration, compilation, corroboration and interpretation from various sources of information gathered mostly through the internet. Various theories in economics and business management are also used to prove certain stands pertinent to the subject matter. The author has also included newspaper articles and opinions from renowned columnists all of which can also be accessed through the internet. The said sources were streamlined for this purpose of incorporating into this subject matter all indispensable elements of e-business. It is important to highlight that this paper is not to measure e-business per se because of the very volatility and fast speed of growth and advancement of the e-business itself. As stated by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), measuring e-business and quantifying the elements of convenience and easy access to information is impossible given the current fast-changing nature of the market (OECD, 1998). Hence, this paper has enumerated the costs and benefits instead and weighed both in the light of the evolution of e-business to the stage. Degree of Reliance of Statistical Data/Literature Search The author has chosen only those sources which are strongly correlated and are very pertinent to e-business. For statistical data, there is an interim degree of reliance from high to medium degree, since statistics were conducted by professional research institutions and quoted from high grade literature. With regard to articles and sources, most of the studies consulted where products of doctorate and master’s degree holders who are expert in this field notwithstanding those who gave garnered distinctions (i. e. Nobel Prize, Pulitzer, etc. in the field of economics. Therefore, there is a high level of reliance on their studies. A Description of the Research Design This paper is purely research based and one which does not involve interpretation of raw statistical data. Due to the broad and constantly changing nature of e-business, a survey of the entire America is implausible. Thus, it is best to resort to data that have been gathered by reliable research institutions concentrating on the same subject matter. The literatures used herein are mostly second-hand ones and are retroactive in its nature such that theories used are identified as paradigms. Despite being cited and further cited in various citations, the theory is not eroded. Thus, citations of the same coming from other citations, or a chain of citations in one citation, are valid. It is also important to note that despite the varying nature of the sources used in this paper, the discussion shall not be deprived of important knowledge as regards the subject matter. Models Followed The paper follows three specific models in economics: the law on supply and demand, the model on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) and the game theory. This is because these three easy-to-understand theories are also the primary considerations of CEOs in choosing management decisions and doing other management strategies. In accordance with the objectives of this paper, various researches shall also be inculcated herein to give various theories and conceptions an equal footing as regards the topic. As a clarification, there are no current researchers who have analyzed the nature of e-business extensively and collaboratively using the aforementioned theories. Therefore, literature reviews are primarily based on historical findings on the evolution of e-business, analyses of various researchers on the nature of economics vis-a-vis ecommerce and not on concurrent ecommerce theories. This is also because majority of ecommerce theories are offspring of the theories on economics. Moreover, ecommerce theories may be relevant to the subject matter but are not directly connected to the topic such that answers to the research questions as aforementioned were more founded by basic economic theories rather than the specialized ecommerce theories on web-hosting and online selling. An Analysis of the Evolution of the E-Business in America. (2017, Jan 27). We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Budgeting and reporting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Budgeting and reporting - Essay Example With such dominance in prices and number of consultations it is a disappointment that the firm has lower net income than the competitor. The advisory scheme is underutilized by the clients of the firm. On average they use around 75% of all prepaid consultations, which is not an advantage for the firm. The firm would prefer to have clients use all 100% and pay extra hours with regular fees. However, it has to be balanced with the satisfaction of the clients that might be happy to prepay current levels. Overall the firm looks more inefficient in managing costs compared to the competitor. Appendix 2 also reveals that the competitor attracts more new enquiries and gives more consultations to new clients. This is a sign of strong growth (Chadwick, 1997), combined with the number of complaints it indicates that the competitor is better at attracting and retaining new clients, which might provide substantial future advantage in the business development. The worrying number is the number of successful claims for negligent advice. Each successful claim undermines the reputation of the firm and projects a negative image to prospective and existing clients. It can be a big driver for clients to switch to the competitor in the future as it is a strong indicator of the service quality. The decision of the production director to source cheaper material and to use lower grade labour is reflected in the variance analysis. Material price increased, however, the material usage gace adverse effect due to increased wastage. Overall, the material variance is negative 5100-7500=-2400$, which signals that the benefit of using cheaper material with higher waste is questionable. The same goes for the lower grade labour, which improved labour rate and worsened labour efficiency. It shows that number of hours spent by the lower grade labour is higher than

International Marketing Strategies of Pepsi and Apple Inc Essay - 7

International Marketing Strategies of Pepsi and Apple Inc - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that PepsiCo and Apple Inc are two renowned international companies making a name while employing international marketing activity across the world. These companies have instituted what is vital to marketing in the international context. They employed the essential activities for them to be able to surpass a very tough competition in their industry around the world. Apple Inc has become popular with its capacity to innovate not just in marketing activities, but almost all components of its operation. PepsiCo, on the other hand, has become trendy with its ability to initiate the high level of market performance with a purpose, allowing it to rank next to Coca-Cola.   Ã‚  Ã‚  These two companies are therefore mostly studied because of their innovative approach and contribution to modern marketing techniques, allowing them to employ marketing strategies that at some point are cut above the other while adhering to the basics. They eventually do not just settle for less, but above all are market leaders willing to substantially innovate and create a difference in their respective industry.PepsiCo, for instance, has become the wide competitor of Coca-Cola, and in this situation, it is necessary for the firm not only to contend but create its brand as something worthy to be considered unique and one of a kind in its industry. On the other hand, Apple Inc is experiencing the same scenario, because of the linked many players in its industry. It is going to be hard for the company to compete in an industry where there are relevant key players mushrooming and aiming to get a substantial market share and a sustainable competitive advantage. However, Apple Inc has eventually proven its worth, allowing it to be as one of the top key players in its industry. In 2012, the firm was voted as the winner of the 2012 CMO Survey Award for Marketing Excellence.

Importance of Trees Essay Example for Free

Importance of Trees Essay Trees are the largest and longest living organisms on earth. To grow tall the tree has become a miracle of engineering and a complex chemical factory. It is able to take water and salts out of the earth and lift them up to the leaves, sometimes over 400 ft above. By means of photosynthesis the leaves combine the water and salts with carbon dioxide from the air to produce the nutrients which feed the tree. In this process, as well as wood, trees create many chemicals, seeds and fruit of great utility to man. Trees also remove carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas, from the air. Trees are of continued importance to the environment. Tropical rain forests have of particular significance; although they now occupy less than 6 per cent of the land surface of the earth they probable sustain more than half of the biological species on the planet. Notwithstanding the debt we owe to trees, their emotive power, and their importance to other forms of life, the forested area of the earth is steadily being depleted. This is leading to the degradation of the environment and the extinction of many species. There is now a real danger that in the not very distant future man will destroy a large proportion of the present population of species on earth, create an uninhabitable environment, and then die out himself. If this happens it will not be the first time that a large proportion of the species on the earth have been extinguished. Trees are our best friends. They play a very important role in our life. We can not live without them. They give us timber, paper and firewood. Timber is used in making houses, train compartments, big boxes, tools etc. Without paper life may be difficult for us. Paper is necessary for study and writing. People in villages use firewood to cook meals. They use wood to build houses, huts, carts and agriculture tools. Trees also give us food, gum and medicine. They also add to the beauty of life. Gardens can not be charming without them. We need them for oxygen and good health. Trees also help to control pollution: They absorb carbon dioxide. They improve our environment. They cause rainfall and protect water resources under the ground. They prevent floods and droughts. Therefore, we should try our best to grow more trees. Govt. and social welfare societies should start a movement. There should be awards for those persons who grow more trees. The Importance of Your Trees Trees are natures air conditioners. In one year the average tree inhales 26 pounds of carbon dioxide, the amount emitted by a car on an 11,000 mile trip.

Drugs Essay -- essays research papers

I was powerless over drinking and using... Imagine a cold, unheated apartment in the middle of Hollywood. A bachelor sized apartment. No pictures hanging on the wall, a mattress in the middle of the floor, a hard back folding chair sitting in the middle of the room, a few kitchen utensils and some old pots and pans laid on and around the kitchen stove with no place to go. You could hear the traffic zooming by on Franklin Avenue. When you opened the door with your key, you could see cockroaches running about on the walls and the floors. It felt was cold and smelled awful. The first time I was visited by my then boyfriend, I watched him shoot cocaine, and kept a careful eye on where all the cockroaches were headed. It wasn't long before I allowed him to shoot me up also. It happened in that apartment, the place two sick, suffering addicts, my boyfriend and I, called home. This is the place I remember when I think about taking another drink again. By God's grace, I will never have to go back there again. Thirteen years later, I am still so grateful for my sobriety and abstinence from all mind-altering drugs. I'd like to tell a bit of my story and a bit of my recovery. The feeling I got after cocaine went through my veins, into my brain was like nothing I'd ever felt before. It was sure ecstasy. My body convulsed as the drug took its effect. Time was no longer a part of my world. Who knows how long we spent in that awful apartment. I hallucinated and felt things touch me that weren't real clear to the naked eye. I was truly in another world, an evil, dark world. He always provided the drugs and alcohol. When the drug would start to wear off, panic would set in. I remember wishing I had a gun to kill myself. The pain that set in when my body began to crave more was again like no other feeling I've ever experienced, or want to experience again. I couldn't sleep, I felt extremely hopeless, my body couldn't sit still and my mind would not stop racing. It was absolute hell. Thank God there wasn't a loaded gun ar ound. This is what it was like. I was prey to misery and depression, did not have any real friends, and most of all I hated myself. I knew I could not take any more cocaine. If I did, I wouldn't be writing to you today. However, this is a disease that affects the body, mind and spirit. My mind was gone. If I was offered cocaine, I could not turn it down. I mi... ... me if I ever injected into my neck veins. I thought-I'll stop before it gets that bad. Later on in my addiction I collapsed veins in both sides of my neck. I said I would NEVER sell my body, but Sept. of 1997 I started doing just that. While in my current program, I made the difficult decision to have the family that adopted my first child adopt Amanda as well. I know it was the right choice. I have held the same job at a dog grooming shop for a year, and will graduate this program this year. I am saving my money to get a car. I have found some self esteem and forgiveness of myself. I like myself for the first time since early childhood. Next Fall I plan to go to college to get certification to be a Substance Abuse Counselor, or go to school to learn computer animation or computer graphics. I haven't decided yet. I just know that I want to help other addicts. I attend 12-Step meetings, and spend most weekends with my parents or birth mother. I have learned a sense of responsibility and have learned to take care of myself. I still have hard times, but they are a luxury compared to my problems I faced while on drugs. Just having a nice safe clean bed at night makes me grateful!

The Theory of Social Contracts

The period of Enlightenment ushered in an age of intellectual development as well as theoretical formations on the concept of society. English political thinker Thomas Hobbes and French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau posit political treatises on the formation of social contracts as a necessity of man and eventually leads to the establishment of an ideal government. The paper will discuss first the concept of man’s nature according to both philosophers in order to determine the reason behind the formation of such contracts which will subsequently lead to the conception of governments and sovereignty. Hobbes proposes that man is essentially at war with other men, motivated by personal desire and fear of death that inhibits the formation of a peaceful society. Rousseau however, contradicts Hobbes argument of man as naturally at war but looks into a different state wherein man possesses compassion which enables the formation of ideal relationships and eventually, social contracts. We look into Hobbes’s viewpoint in his treatise Leviathan and compare and contrast several arguments with Rousseau’s On The Origin of Inequality and Social Contracts. Hobbes’ Natural Man and Covenants Hobbes’ political theory in Leviathan stipulates the formation of covenants as the final end of man’s actions, transgressing from his natural state wherein man is in constant war with himself and with others. First, we define Hobbes’ argument on the natural state of man that provides the basis of conflict. In comparison with Rousseau’s viewpoint, the nature of social contracts is reversed, wherein Rousseau’s notion of social conventions is negative compared to Hobbes’ notion of contracts as a deviation from the erring state of human nature. Hobbes argues: â€Å"For every man look that his companion should value him at the same rate he sets upon himself, and upon all signs of contempt or undervaluing naturally endeavor to extort a greater value from his condemners. So that in the nature of man, we find three principal causes of quarrel. First, competition; secondly, diffidence; thirdly, glory (Hobbes 84). The primitive state of man is bordered on Hobbes’ statement â€Å"where every man is enemy to every man† (Hobbes 85). Each individual is focused on the aspiration for personal gain, thus creating conflict or an unharmonious relationship because of completion (gain), diffidence (safety, self-preservation), and glory (reputation). The chaotic context provided in Hobbes argument consequently inhibits the concept of justice in a particular social setting. Since man is motivated by personal gain, the fear of death through self-preservation, and personal glory, there is no concept of right and wrong or even justice. Where there is no common power, there is no law; where no law, no injustice† (Hobbes 85). Thus, we see Hobbes attempt to present his first law on man’s natural state: that man, motivated by personal gain, sets himself in conflict with other men who pursue the same object. He then narrates â€Å"the passions that incline men to peace are: fear of death; desire of such things as are necessary to commodious living; and a hope by their industry to obtain them† (Hobbes 86). According to Hobbes, the natural law governing social relationships is motivated by the passions; specifically, man’s fear of death. Thus, the first natural law, in context with the natural state, is that every man has innate rights or liberty to will himself to self-preservation and that one can do anything to his body, even to another person. As long as this natural law exists, there can be no harmonious buildup of society. The second law then obligates man to create peace or to achieve peace through any means necessary and from here, man is then obligated to set such rule to all and that every right of man is necessary to be withdrawn or transferred in order to build peace; since to maintain the second rule, man will be constantly at war. The renouncement of rights is essentially good in itself because it aspires for the majority rather than the self, governed by selfish passions. However, such rights are not to be taken away by force or for an individual to force himself of withdrawing his own, since â€Å"he cannot be understood to aim thereby at any good to himself† (Hobbes 91). Renouncement of rights should be voluntary and by choice, in order to determine the goodness which will benefit the majority. Thus, social contracts or covenants are formed. Hobbes argues that for a man to achieve peace, it is necessary to break away, through the tenets of reason, from the natural state wherein every individual is motivated by personal gain and fear of death. This fear motivates the individual, in relation to self-preservation, to create contracts with other men in order to achieve peace, wherein the value of life becomes the unifying factor for all; thus creating peace and harmony. Covenants are then considered to be the agreements that will benefit two parties aspiring for different objects. Justice then presents itself in the presence of covenants, for justice occurs when an individual performs or acts upon the agreement or covenant while injustice is the failure to establish covenants which inadvertently places the individual in his former natural state. Hobbes definition of the natural state and the natural law focuses on the importance of self-preservation or the fear of the death in relation to the individual. In contrast with Rousseau, the formation of contract is that of beneficial to man rather than Rousseau’s argument that society itself that provides inequality and conflict. Contracts, through reason, necessitate a societal framework that is governed by the inexpressible right of every man to survival and preservation of life. The Commonwealth. For Hobbes, the ideal form of government is the formation of the commonwealth which acts as the â€Å"final cause, end or design of men (who naturally love liberty and dominion over others) in the introduction of that restraint upon themselves, in which we see them live in Commonwealths, is the foresight of their own preservation, and of a more contented life thereby† (Hobbes 116). The formation of covenants, which represent a duty-bound notion to aspire for peaceful societal conditions, inevitably leads to its conception wherein the withdrawal of individual rights is penultimate toward its formation. Conventions serve the function as a mean toward the aspiration of the common power or will of the majority. Common power acts as a protection against external attack or injuries that an individual may cause upon the other and is formed through the transcendence of personal right to a man or an assembly: â€Å"Confer all their power and strength upon one man, or upon one assembly of men, that may reduce all their will, by plurality of their voice, unto one will: which is as much to say, to appoint one man, or assembly of men, to bear their person† (Hobbes 118). Every man should then willingly state: â€Å"I authorize and give up my right of governing myself to this man, or to this assembly of men, on this condition; that thou give up thy right to him and authorize all his action in like manner† (Hobbes 118). We take into context a mix between a democracy (representation of the few) and monarchy (rule by a sovereign). However, Hobbes’ monarchy is not entirely absolute, ruled by the elite or loyalty; rather Hobbes’ conception of monarchy focuses on the rule of a sovereign where powers are granted by the conventions of the majority. From such, the sovereign is then obligated to perform the powers bestowed upon the social covenants; the sovereign itself being a representation of the general will of the people. The Commonwealth The sovereign, either instituted in one man or an assembly of men, is bestowed power of the withheld rights by society or subjects. As sovereign, its responsibility lies on any action or authorization to ensure the presence of duration of peace and to create any means necessary to protect individuals from others as well as to protect attacks from other societies. According to Hobbes, there are only three kinds of commonwealth and nothing else; a democracy, monarchy, or aristocracy. Hobbes does not believe that no man aspires for a turbulent and rocky society. However, Hobbes is partial toward a monarchial government, which, according to him, generally embodies the conventions made by man, and in essence, the nature of a commonwealth: â€Å"The riches power and honor of a monarch arise only from the riches, strength, and reputation of his subject. For no king can be rich nor glorious, nor secure, whose subjects are either poor, or contemptible, or too weak through want, or dissension† (Hobbes 130). Amor Propre and Civil Society On the other hand, Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s work Discourse on Inequality and Social Contract primarily present arguments against Hobbes’ definition on the natural state of man in contrast with social systems and conventions. Rousseau argues on the condition of the human soul as it progresses from its distinct natural form up until the pure state of man is transformed through social relationships or systems. First, he argues the physical differences of man, which in essence, does not ultimately provide a firm basis of inequality: I conceive that there are two kinds of inequality among the human species; one which I call natural or physical, because it is established by nature, and consists in a difference of age, health, bodily strength, and the qualities of the mind or the soul; and another, which may be called moral or political inequality, because it depends on a kind of convention. (Rousseau 1) Apart from physical differences, inequality falls under the moral or political sense. In the context of social structure, inequality lies on the ladder of power and wealth, wherein the notion of civil society is created by the rich in order to suppress the poor of wealth and maintain power among the elite few. In contrast with Hobbes, Rousseau presents a different view of man’s natural state wherein man is savage in nature wherein ideas are generated by sense experience. But in opposition to regular animals, man has reason that establishes himself apart from common animals. The natural behavior of man is similar to that of Hobbes’ viewpoint but differs in motivation. According to Rousseau, the basic instinct of man is self-preservation, free will and compassion; the last being the most important part in man’s natural state wherein Hobbes contends to man’s natural war with the other. He contends Hobbes’ view of man’s nature which compels him with the fear of death. However, Rousseau argues: â€Å"the knowledge of death and its terrors being one of the first acquisitions made by man in departing from an animal state† (Rousseau 17). In contrast, Hobbes’ provides death as a motivator for withdrawing personal rights in order to achieve peace while Rousseau presents reason as a way of fighting the irrational passions that push him out of his natural state. In addition, compassion is the important natural virtue that contradicts selfish impulses or vices which come from the passions or irrational tendencies of man. Rousseau narrates that Hobbes’ definition of man does not provide himself with an idea of goodness, that man may be considered as evil. Rousseau’s view presents man, in his primitive state, as essentially good, and possesses virtue. â€Å"so many writers have hastily concluded that man is naturally cruel, and requires civil institutions to make him more mild; whereas nothing is more gentle than man in his primitive state, as he is placed by nature at an equal distance from the stupidity of brutes† (Rousseau 47). Compassion is the most important aspect of man, along with innate desires of preservation, reason and free will. It is this compassion that hurries us without reflection to the relief of those who are in distress: it is this which in a state of nature supplies the place of laws, morals, and virtue, with the advantage that none are tempted to disobey its gentle voice† (Rousseau 31). Compassion generates interaction with other men and the natural instinct of self-preservation, as times continue to progress, enables the individual to improve living conditions. Thus, the combination of compass ion, reason, self-preservation enables the individual to form conventions with other men. However, the problem lies with the development of amour propre, the subsequent regularity of conventions where man’s reason is garbled to a false sense of dependency on the individuals through improvement of self-perception and acquiring favor. The natural, non-invasive self-love is transformed to a more self-centered and jealous love of others. â€Å"Man must now, therefore, have been perpetually employed in getting others to interest themselves in his lot and in making them, apparently at least, if not really, find their advantage in promoting his own† (Rousseau 51). This corrosive notion of self-love produces competition, comparison with others, hatred, and the continuous search of ambition and power: â€Å"In a word, there arose rivalry and competition on the one hand and conflicting interests on the other, together with a secret desire on both profiting at the expense of others† (Rousseau 51). The Social Contract Thus, Rousseau defines man’s state of nature as it develops amour propre. To deviate from the natural state, the formation of social contract is evident in order to rid of the evils pertaining civil society. According to Rousseau, the conception of social contracts delimits the individual from inequality and therefore frees himself from the trappings of social classification. The purpose of the contract is to establish a body that will inadvertently defend the rights of the individual and the right of society as a while. Similar to that of Hobbes’ notion, social contracts are meant to deviate the condition of human nature from its amoral/evil sense in order to create society focused on peace. The social contract, in Rousseau’s perspective, is founded on the presence of the general will: â€Å"Each of us puts his person and all his power in common under the supreme direction of the general will, and in our corporate capacity, we receive each member as an indivisible part of the whole† (Rousseau Social Contract, 59). The general will is the summation of all opinions of the majority, which in turn acts as an abstract form that aims toward the good of all. Rousseau also posits the idea of a sovereign which acts a representative of the people. The people however, in Rousseau’s form of government, are not represented by senators or magistrates but represent themselves as a symbol of the general will. Sovereign Similarities Both philosophers argue on the importance of social contracts in establishing relationships with people in order to construct an acceptable and peaceful social framework. Both stress the importance of the ‘natural’ law of man to deviate himself from his primary state and is obligated to create a world without indifference and conflict through commonality of opinions and desire. The difference lies on both philosophers account of man’s nature, wherein Hobbes argues that man is essentially evil and it is through civil relationship that man refines himself and achieves peace. Rousseau contradicts Hobbes’ arguments that he had failed to include compassion as a virtue in man’s natural state. Rousseau opines negatively toward civil societies, that conventions itself ruin man’s natural state through social classification and levels of power. Instead, Rousseau posits man as a docile creature until society corrupts his natural state. On the subject of contracts, both thinkers apply the same rule for the formation of social agreement as majority of society transfers its rights toward a sovereign that which governs and protects them. However, Hobbes is partial toward a monarchial government wherein it is suited with the embodiment of his covenants while Rousseau proposes the same powers for a sovereign but also adds the presence of the government to mitigate the function of the sovereign who acts as the representation of the general will while the government attends to particular or private wills. Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments Economic theorist Adam Smith proposes on his treatise Theory of Moral Sentiments the formation of a consciousness in the perspective of a leader, or in Rousseau’s/Hobbes’ context, a sovereign, in order to determine, apart from proper behavior, the rules and regulations that one must impose upon the subjects of society. Smith narrates: â€Å"We suppose ourselves the spectators of our own behavior, and to endeavor to imagine what effect it would, in this light produce upon us† (Smith 112). In context of a sovereign, it is essential, according to Smith, to examine actions and decisions through a detached position wherein the leader supposes himself to be a common citizen that according to theory, provides the power and responsibility of governance. Thus, rules imposed upon the subjects of sovereignty should be taken into proper consideration by the sovereign, so as to measure the worth and value of behavior reflection upon society, according to Smith. For example, a ruler’s ethical behavior is dependent on the laws in which he imposes over the ruled. Harsh policies that generally disfavor society imply that the ruler may be arrogant and selfish and therefore does not suit the position. Lenient policies on the other hand may imply a carefree attitude with the lack of seriousness that a good leader must possess. Thus, rules and impositions should situate itself in the middle rather than the extreme and through Smith’s propositions, the leader must then view rules as an ordinary citizen. In relation to Hobbes’ and Rousseau’s social theories, the concept of the sovereign is created by the people and represents the general will. Therefore, there is an implication of a natural balance of power between the governed and the sovereign. In Hobbes view, the sovereign’s duty is dictated or authored by the subjects and therefore cannot harm the governed whether through abuse or dereliction of duty; rather, the formation of laws and policies are in relation toward the fulfillment of the commonwealth’s purpose – that is, the preservation of peace. However, Hobbes monarchial standpoint does not entirely agree with Smith’s proposition since the monarch, utilizing the commonwealth’s purpose, has the power of censorship on speech, publication or any other form of expression that may disturb the peaceful status quo. Thus, Smith’s proposal cannot be applied with Hobbes’s notion of government. However, Rousseau takes into consideration the general will of the populace that also gives right and power to the sovereign. But Rousseau does not imply the purpose of peace in his government; rather, he focuses on the general will as given power. The sovereign has then the duty to make sure that laws do not violate the freedom of every individual for it is they who had created power in the first place.

Family Tradition

Elizabeth Ashleigh Petersen Mrs. Perniciaro English 1101 MW March 15, 2010 Family Tradition I always know it is Thanksgiving morning when I awake to the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven and the cinnamon apple spice tea brewing on the stove. The rest of the morning is spent helpingmy mom and grandmother cooking in our large open kitchen. Every year for as long as I can remember, my grandmother uses my Nana’s recipies when cooking the thick butter garlic mashed potatoes, homemade sweet red cranberry sauce, and the rich creamy dark gravy. On the other hand, my mom and I always cook the french green beans, sausage and bread stuffing, and also our homemade pumpkin pie together. While the women spend most of the early afternoon in the kitchen getting things ready, the men normally gather in the living room and watch sports or play a board game on the coffee table. It is a rule in our house that no man is allowed in the kitchen while we are cooking unless he is coming to help with dishes; otherwise the men eat all the food as it is being prepared. Thanksgiving is a day where my entire family can get together and enjoy excellentfood as well as each other’s company. My father who lives in the beautiful Birmingham, Alabama drives down every year the day before Thanksgiving and stays with us throughout the weekend. He always brings the finest fresh sweet tea and homemade peach cobbler you can find in Alabama which are essential to our Thanksgiving meal. However, my maternal grandparents drive down from Memphis, Tennessee and bring along with them a small present for each of the kids; which include my two brothers, Johnathan and Harrison, and my sister Alise. Even though this is a day for my family to spend time together, we have always welcomed anyone without a place to go or family to be with to spend it with us as well. Some of the past years we have had neighbors join us and also friends of the children. As I’ve already stated, this day is very important and special to me and every member of my family. Although we each lead our own chaoticand busy lives, we will always make time for each other especially for holidays. Thanksgiving in our home promotes a sense of togetherness and thankfulness, while also incorporating homemade food. We have specific recipies and certain important family traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next and so on. Even though we do some of the same things each Thanksgiving, I cannot help but feel excitement for every year thereafter.

The Ultimate SAT Spanish Subject Test Study Guide

The Ultimate SAT Spanish Subject Test Study Guide SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Applying to highly selective schools often means submitting SAT Subject Test scores along with your regular SAT or ACT scores. Si espaà ±ol es pan comido para usted, then taking the SAT Spanish Subject Test is a great way to fulfill part of the subject test requirement. Read this guide to learn more about what’s on the SAT Spanish Subject Test and whether or not you should take it. We’ll go over format, test content, where to find good practice material, and tips to help you when studying and taking the test. Table of Contents What’s the Test Format? When Can You Take It? Should You Take the SAT Subject Test in Spanish? Choosing the Right SAT Subject Test: Spanish or Spanish with Listening? What Does the Test Cover? Part A: Vocabulary and Structure Part B: Paragraph Completion Part C: Reading Comprehension SAT Spanish with Listening Question Styles Where to Find SAT Spanish Practice Tests 4 SAT Spanish Study Tips Test-Day Tips En Conclusià ³n What’s Next? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or more? We've put our best advice into a single guide. These are the 5 strategies you MUST be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download this free SAT guide now: What’s the Test Format? There are two different SAT Spanish tests you can choose from. The regular SAT Spanish Subject Test is like most other standardized tests- you’ll be asked multiple choice questions about what you read in the test booklet. The Spanish with Listening Subject Test is a little different because the test starts by asking you to answer around 30 multiple choice questions based on listening to recordings (followed by ~55 questions you’ll answer based on what you read). SAT Spanish SAT Spanish with Listening What’s it out of? 200-800 points 200-800 points How long is it? 60 minutes for reading questions 60 minutes total (20 min for listening questions, 40 minutes for reading questions) How many questions is it? 85 Around 85 (around 30 listening questions, 55 reading questions) For both of these tests, you’ll need to answer about 85 multiple choice questions (each with four possible answer choices). Each correct answer is worth one point, each skipped or unanswered question is worth 0 points, and each incorrect answer is worth negative 0.25 points (to discourage random guessing). When you take the Spanish with Listening Subject Test, you’ll need to bring along an approved CD-player to use for the listening questions. Return to the table of contents. Robert Leverington/Flickr When Can You Take the SAT Subject Test in Spanish? The regular SAT Spanish Subject Test is offered in August, October, December, May, and June. The Spanish with Listening Subject Test is only offered in November*. Here’s a snapshot of what the SAT II Spanish test dates look like for the school year 2019-2020: SAT Spanish SAT Spanish with Listening August 24, 2019 âÅ"” October 5, 2019 âÅ"” November 2, 2019 âÅ"” December 7, 2019 âÅ"” May 2, 2020 âÅ"” June 6, 2020 âÅ"” In future years the dates may shift around a little, but the SAT Spanish Subject Test will always be offered in these months around the same dates. You can find the most up-to-date information about SAT Subject Test dates here. *SAT Language tests with listening will be offered in November up through November 2020; after that, they will only be offered in May (starting May 2021). Return to the table of contents. Should You Take the SAT Spanish Subject Test? The College Board recommends that you should only take the SAT Spanish Subject Test if you’ve studied 3-4 years of high school Spanish (or two years, if you’re an advanced student). To be blunt, SAT Language Subject Tests are extremely difficult to do well on for non-native speakers because your performance is being compared to that of native speakers who take the test. The curve isn’t quite as bad on Spanish as it is for some of the other language tests, but in general, there are only three cases in which you should think about taking a SAT Subject Test in Spanish. Case 1: Spanish Is Your Strongest Subject Some highly selective colleges require or recommend students to submit at least two SAT Subject Test scores along with their applications. If application requirements are why you’re taking an SAT Subject Test, Spanish should only be your choice if it’ll be one of your best scores. To know if you'll be able to do well on the SAT Spanish Subject Test, we've put together this table with what it takes to get a good score on the SAT Spanish Subject Test (excerpted from our article on what’s a good Subject Test score). 70th+ %ile score 80th+ %ile score 90th+ %ile score Spanish 730-740 760 790-800 Spanish with Listening 750-760 770 790 If you’re going to be able to hit a higher percentile score on the SAT Spanish Subject Test than you will with any other Subject Test, then you should take it. Otherwise, it's better to send colleges an excellent score in another area than to send them a mediocre Spanish SAT II score. Case 2: You’re Not Taking Spanish but Want to Show Fluency If you’re not taking AP or IB Spanish B and want to show you have a high level of fluency and ability in Spanish, then it makes sense to take the SAT Spanish Subject Test. Students who might fall into this category include native Spanish speakers or students who’ve taken a lot of Spanish outside of their high school and want to demonstrate their abilities. In fact, if you have a lot of experience and familiarity with spoken Spanish, the College Board particularly recommends taking the Spanish with Listening Subject Test to showcase your listening skills. Case 3: You Want to Place Into the Correct Level of Spanish Colleges often use standardized test scores to place you in the right level foreign language classes. If you’re not planning on taking the Spanish AP or IB test, then taking the SAT Subject Test in Spanish is a good substitute. Most colleges also have some kind of free placement exam, so if you don’t want to spend the time and money on a SAT Subject Test, you don’t have to. One bonus of taking the SAT Spanish Subject Test, though, is that all the questions are multiple choice- you won’t have to write any essays or even do any free-response questions. If you’re only taking the test to place into the correct level of Spanish and will be submitting other, likely higher, SAT II scores with your college applications, you should wait until you’re as far along in your Spanish classes as possible to take the Spanish SAT. You’ll need to double check with the colleges you’re applying to, but as a rule, if you’re only taking SAT II Spanish to place into the right level Spanish class, you should hold off on taking it until May or June of senior year. Return to the table of contents. Disappointed with your scores? Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points? We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now: Choosing the Right SAT Subject Test: Spanish or Spanish With Listening? We briefly went over the big difference between the two tests when discussing their formats, but that might not be enough information for you to decide which test to take. The difference between the two tests boils down to how comfortable you are with understanding spoken Spanish. On the informational page about the Spanish with Listening Subject Test, College Board states that â€Å"many colleges indicate the Spanish with Listening test gives them a fuller picture of your ability and may be more useful for placement purposes.† So if you can excel on Spanish with Listening, you should absolutely take that over the regular Spanish Subject Test (kind of like how you should take the Math 2C Subject Test over Math 1C). But if you’re not confident your Spanish listening comprehension skills are at a high enough level or are worried that anxiety about the listening section will negatively affect your score, you should take the regular SAT Spanish Subject Test. 40% of the questions on the Spanish with Listening Subject Test involve listening to spoken Spanish and answering questions on it. The three tasks you’ll be asked to perform are: Explaining a picture ("Pictures"). You’ll have to identify either what’s presented in a photograph or the most likely thing someone in the photograph would say. Continuing a conversation ("Rejoinders"). You’ll have to choose the answer that would be the best next line in a short conversation. Demonstrating listening comprehension ("Selections"). You’ll need to answer questions that demonstrate you’ve understood what was said in a longer spoken selection. Keep in mind that both exams test you on your knowledge of vocabulary and structure, paragraph completions, and reading comprehension. It’s just that answering questions based on written material makes up 100% of the SAT Spanish Subject Test, but only about 60% of the SAT Spanish with Listening Subject Test. For Rejoinders questions, if one person in the recording asks  ¿Dà ³nde est el baà ±o?, you'll need to choose an answer that makes sense in context. Return to the table of contents. What Does the Test Cover? The SAT Spanish Subject Test is designed to cover skills and topics that are taught in most high school Spanish classes. Specifically, the following three areas are heavily emphasized: Vocabulary (in the context of a sentence as well as throughout the test) Parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc.) Idiomatic expressions The test itself is divided up into three sections, each with roughly equal numbers of questions. Part A: Vocabulary and Structure Part B: Paragraph Completion Part C: Reading Comprehension In the next three sections of this guide, I’ll go over what’s on each of the three parts of the test. All sample questions come from the SAT Subject Test Student Guide 2016-2017. Return to the table of contents. Part A: Vocabulary and Structure The first part of the SAT Spanish Subject Test is the Vocabulary and Structure section (33% of the test). This section is made up of fill-in-the-blank questions which test your knowledge of both what word or phrase is correct grammatically and what makes sense in the context of the sentence. Here’s an example of a vocabulary and structure question you might see on the SAT II Spanish Test: Directions: This part consists of a number of incomplete statements, each having four suggested completions. Select the most appropriate completion and fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet. Si en el Brasil, hablarà ­amos portuguà ©s y no espaà ±ol. (A) vivamos(B) vivimos(C) vivà ­amos(D) vivià ©ramos Answer: D Return to thetable of contents. Part B: Paragraph Completion The next section on the Spanish SAT Subject Test is the Paragraph Completion section (33%). This section is very similar to the vocabulary and structure section, but instead of testing grammar and usage with isolated sentences, you’ll be given longer paragraphs and asked to complete them with the appropriate vocabulary or phrase choice. Here’s a sample paragraph and a paragraph completion question about it: Directions: In each of the following paragraphs, there are numbered blanks indicating that words or phrases have been omitted. For each numbered blank, four completions are provided. First, read through the entire paragraph. Then, for each numbered blank, choose the completion that is most appropriate given the context of the entire paragraph and fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet. La mquina ms infernal de hacer dinero se llama â€Å"Pedroso,† un osito electrà ³nico que (4) ha derramado sobre sus fabricantes beneficios superiores a los 100 millones de dà ³lares en el (5) aà ±o. La (6) de Pedroso es que habla. Claro, no hay ningà ºn misterio en la cinta sin fin y el grabador (7) en el interior del osito. Pero lo (8) novedoso es que (9) hablar su boca se mueve en sincronà ­a con las palabras y sus ojos pestaà ±ean. El juguete (10) vende a precios que oscilan entre 60 y 80 dà ³lares. (4): (A) todavà ­a(B) nunca(C) ya(D) tampoco Answer: C Return to the table of contents. Part C: Reading Comprehension The last third of the SAT Spanish Subject Test is Part C, the Reading Comprehension section. The questions in this section are based on short selections from: prose fiction historical works newspaper and magazine articles advertisements, flyers, and letters You'll be tested on your understanding of the passage or image with questions that ask you about: main and supporting ideas themes style tone spatial and temporal settings of the selection (where and when do the events described in the passage take place?) Below, you can try out a sample Reading Comprehension question based on an advertisement. Directions: Read the following texts carefully for comprehension. Each text is followed by a number of questions or incomplete statements. Select the answer or completion that is best according to the text and fill in the corresponding circle on the answer sheet.  ¿Quà © caracterà ­stica se destaca ms de la compaà ±Ãƒ ­a anunciada? (A) Su precio(B) Su cortesà ­a(C) Su rapidez(D) Su amplitud Answer: D Return to the table of contents. SAT Spanish With Listening Question Styles If you choose to take the SAT Spanish with Listening Subject Test, you’ll encounter three additional types of questions, all listening-based. For Pictures questions, you’ll be shown a printed picture in your test booklet and asked to listen to four sentences. The recording will specify whether the sentences are meant to illustrate what you see in the picture or be an example of what someone in the picture might say. The full sentences you listen to for the Pictures questions are not written out in your test booklet, just the answer choices (A), (B), (C), or (D). For an example of a Pictures question, try the first or second question in this set of official practice questions. The next type of Listening question is called "Rejoinders." You’ll hear either several short conversations or parts of conversations and then be asked to listen to four possible choices for how the conversation could continue. Again, only (A), (B), (C), or (D) will be in your test booklet, not the full text of the choices. To see an example of a Rejoinders question, try question #3, 4, or 5 in this set of official practice questions. The last type of Listening question, Selections, asks you to demonstrate you’ve listened to and understood a longer listening selection (around 10-25 seconds). For an example of this type of question, try any of the last four questions in this set of official practice questions. Return to the table of contents. Where to Find SAT Spanish Practice Tests The best source of realistic SAT Spanish Subject Test practice materials is the College Board, the maker of the test. If you want to practice with a full-length official SAT Spanish practice test, you’ll have to buy The Official Guide for ALL SAT Subject Tests, 2nd Edition, which costs around $18 and includes an audio CD for the Spanish with Listening practice test. Both of the SAT Subject Tests in Spanish ask you questions based on what you read, so you can use the reading section of the practice test you’re not taking for extra practice questions. If you’re taking the†¦ Take the†¦ Get extra practice questions from the†¦ Spanish Subject Test Spanish Subject Test practice test Spanish with Listening Subject Test practice test Spanish with Listening Subject Test Spanish with Listening Subject Test practice test Spanish Subject Test practice test The best free resource for official SAT Spanish practice is the College Board website, which allows you to answer 33 practice questions online and view your results (with answer explanations). Here's a breakdown of how many types of each question the College Board website has for the SAT Spanish Subject Test: Section Type Number of Questions Vocabulary and Structure 5 Paragraph Completion 15 (across two different paragraphs) Reading Comprehension 13 (across three different passages/ads) If you’re taking the Spanish with Listening Subject Test, you can also try out nine official online listening practice questions for free. If your browser supports Adobe Flash Player, you can actually listen to the questions, rather than just reading the written-out script, which is great practice! Here's a breakdown of the number of Spanish with Listening questions College Board has up online (spoiler alert: there are only nine questions total): Section Type Number of Questions Pictures 2 Rejoinders 3 Selections 4 Other Practice Resources The free SAT Subject Tests Student Guide PDF is useful if you want to print out the questions and take them on paper for more realistic practice, but it only includes some (not all) of the free online practice questions linked to in the previous section. If you want more practice tests, you can supplement your studying with non-official practice materials. The best of these seems to be Barron’s SAT Subject Test: Spanish, which includes ten full-length practice tests as well as review materials for specific topics. Return to Table of Contents 4 SAT Spanish Study Tips Now that you're fully equipped with information about what the test covers, what the question formats are, and what practice materials are out there, it's time to jump into studying. We've come up with four fundamental tips to help you as you prep for the SAT Spanish Subject Test. #1: Listen and Watch Spanish-Language Media A great way to get comfortable with colloquial Spanish is to listen to Spanish-language music and watch telenovelas or other Spanish-language media. This is one time where watching TV is a valid studying technique! Get on your online streaming service of choice and search for Spanish-language music and film/TV. Make sure to turn off English subtitles if you’re watching something in Spanish, or that will defeat the purpose. If you're looking for specific movie suggestions, Spanish teacher Carla Staffaroni suggests watching Diarios de motocicleta, La misma luna, Valentà ­n, and La historia oficial. #2: Memorize Irregular Verbs One thing the SAT Language Subject Tests love to test you on is irregular verbs, particularly ones that are commonly used. Study them and learn them well so you’re not unpleasantly surprised on test day. Here's a list of the top 25 most common irregular verbs: Spanish verb English meaning ser to be haber to have estar to be tener to have hacer to do, to make poder can, to be able decir to say, to tell ir to go ver to see dar to give saber to know querer to want, to love llegar to arrive, to reach, to come (to) poner to put, to place, to set parecer to seem creer to believe seguir to follow, to continue encontrar to find, to encounter venir to come pensar to think salir to leave, to go out volver to return, to go back conocer to know (people or places) sentir to feel, to regret contar to count, to tell We have an article specifically about ser for every tense, as a good starting place. For more irregular verbs, search online for "common irregular Spanish verbs." #3: Memorize the Question Formats Just knowing Spanish won’t be enough to ace this test if you are caught off guard by the ways you’re tested on your knowledge. Familiarize yourself ahead of time with the different question formats that will be on the test to avoid getting surprised on test day. To recap, those formats for the regular SAT Spanish Subject Test are: fill-in-the-blank vocab questions, paragraph completion questions, and reading comprehension questions. In addition to those three question formats, the Spanish with Listening test also has Picture, Rejoinder, and Selection questions. #4: Take Realistic Practice Tests Even if you’re completely fluent in Spanish, you should take at least one realistic practice test to familiarize yourself with the layout of the test. To get the most realistic practice-test experience, you’ll need to make sure you take the test in one sitting, stick to the 60-minute time limit, and don’t re-listen to audio recordings you’ll only get a chance to hear once on the real test. If you take a realistic practice test and ace it, then congratulations! You don’t need to spend extra time studying. If you take it and don’t do as well as you expected, that’s still helpful, because the questions you got wrong will tell you where you need to focus your studying. Part of making sure your practice test is realistic if you’re taking the Spanish with Listening Subject Test is using an approved CD player, preferably the one you’ll be using on test day. Yes, it’s easier to just pop the CD into your computer’s disc drive, but that won’t give you the most realistic testing experience. Make sure you have and practice with a CD player that: has headphones is handheld (no boomboxes or computers) is battery operated (no power cords permitted) can’t record or duplicate Return to the table of contents. You also cannot take a realistic practice test using your car's CD player. Test-Day Tips All of the usual test-taking tips apply to the Spanish Subject Test: get lots of sleep, bring a snack, get there early, and so forth. However, we’ve also compiled four tips below that are particularly helpful for taking the Spanish SAT II. #1: Only Guess Between Two Answers As with all SAT Subject Tests with questions with four answer choices, the Spanish and Spanish with Listening tests take off a third of a point for every wrong answer. Unless you can narrow your choices down to two possible correct answers, it’s too much of a risk to guess. You’re better off skipping the question, which leads right into the next test-day tip. #2: Skip Hard Questions Save time by skipping over harder questions and coming back to them later. Each question is worth the same amount of points, and there’s no rule that says you have to go through the test in order. It's much better to skip and come back to a difficult question than it is to burn five of your precious test-taking minutes staring it down. Unfortunately, if you want to get a good score on the SAT Spanish Subject Test, you're going to have to answer almost every question correctly. But it's better for your score to answer 81/85 questions correctly and leave four blank than it is to answer 85/85 and get four questions wrong. The next two tips are for the Spanish with Listening Subject Test only. #3: Don’t Forget Your CD Player! There is nothing worse than getting to a testing center and realizing you’ve forgotten some essential test-taking tool, whether it's your lucky number two pencil or your graphing calculator for SAT Math. All this is to say that if you're taking the SAT Spanish with Listening Subject Test, make sure you bring your College Board-approved CD player with you to the test. You might want to pack it (along with headphones and extra working batteries) the night before, just to be safe. Before test day, you’ll also want to check to make sure the CD player is working well and put in fresh batteries (no need to be changing your batteries out during the test). Similarly, make sure that the backup batteries you bring with you are functional. College Board even suggests bringing a backup CD player if possible, although that seems a little over the top. Still, you should do whatever will make you feel the most confident that you won’t encounter technical difficulties during the test. #4: Stay Calm During Listening Because it requires not just reading, but listening, some students can get very anxious about the listening section of the test, particularly since it’s the first 20 minutes of the test. You can do things ahead of time that will lessen this anxiety, like making sure you practice with the same CD player you’ll be using on the test so you can get familiar with it in the test-taking environment. We also have some great tips on decreasing test-taking anxiety in general here. Ultimately, though, even if you finish the listening section and feel like you’ve completely failed it, try not to let it faze you too much. You need to put your game face on and concentrate on hitting the next 55-ish written questions out of the park! Postpone your self-doubt and worrying for 40 minutes until you put down the pencil at the end of the test. Return to the table of contents. En Conclusià ³n The SAT Spanish Subject Test is 85 multiple choice questions taken over the course of 60 minutes. If you’re fluent in Spanish or know that your strongest SAT Subject Test Score will be in Spanish, you should take the SAT Spanish Subject Test. Consider taking the Spanish with Listening Subject Test if you have a good understanding of spoken Spanish, as it will give colleges a better idea of your Spanish abilities. Use the College Board website for free practice questions, or buy The Official Guide for ALL SAT Subject Tests, 2nd Edition for a complete official practice test. Try the Barron’s SAT Spanish Subject Test book for more non-official practice tests. You can also prepare for the SAT Spanish Subject Test by listening to Spanish-language music, watching Spanish-language TV and films, and memorizing common irregular verbs. On test day, remember to skip hard questions and come back to them later and only guessing if you can narrow it down to two choices. If you’re taking Spanish with Listening, don’t forget your CD player and try not to sweat the listening section after you’ve finished it.  ¡Feliz estudios! What’s Next? Want more in-depth information about the difficulty of the test before you make any decisions? Read our analysis of how hard the SAT Spanish Subject Test is here. Still trying to decide if it makes sense to take the SAT Spanish Subject Test? Take a look at our discussion of which SAT Subject Tests you should take. Not sure if you need to take an SAT Subject Test for the colleges you're applying to? Use our complete list of colleges that require SAT subject tests to figure out the answer! Need a little extra help prepping for your Subject Tests? We have the industry's leading SAT Subject Test prep programs (for all non-language Subject Tests). Built by Harvard grads and SAT Subject Test full or 99th %ile scorers, the program learns your strengths and weaknesses through advanced statistics, then customizes your prep program to you so that you get the most effective prep possible. Learn more about our Subject Test products below: