Notes on Ecosystems

Topic 1: Ecosystems at Risk A. Ecosystems and Their Management 2. Vulnerability and Resilience of Ecosystems * Vunerability is the sensitivity of an ecosystem to cope with stress. * Resilience is the ability of an ecosystem (or a component of an ecosystem) to adapt to a changing environment and to restore function and structure following an episode of natural or human-induced stress. * All ecosystems function in a state of dynamic equilibrium or a continual state of balanced change. This state of dynamic equilibrium is the product of the interrelationship of the elements in the ecosystem: the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.* Change occurs because the interrelationship between minerals, energy and communities varies over time. * It is also the interdependence of these four elements that makes an ecosystem vulnerable. * A change beyond the limits of the equilibrium, in any of these elements, means that the system as a whole cannot exist in its original state. All ec osystems are, in a sense, vulnerable, but the level of vulnerability depends on how small a change is needed in any element to upset the equilibrium. * Ecosystems, are therefore, not equally at risk – some are more resilient than others. Which ecosystems have greater resilience? Resilience is the ability of an ecosystem (or component of an ecosystem) to adapt to a changing environment and to restore function and structure following an episode of natural or human- induced stress.Ecosystems rich in biodiversity generally have greater resilience than those with little diversity. They are able to recover more readily from naturally induced stress (including drought and fire) and human- induced habitat destruction. 2. Under what conditions does long-term degradation occur? Long-term degeneration occurs when the magnitude and duration of the stress exceed the ability of the component to repair itself. 3. Explain the process shown in Fig 1. 1. 28. Figure 1. 1. 28 shows the impact of stress on the functioning of ecosystems.It shows the Elasticity and the rate of recovery of an ecosystem property following disturbance. It also shows the rate of amplitude and the threshold level of strain beyond. The intensity and duration of stress is important in terms of the effect it has on ecosystems. 4. Outline how natural sources of stress can play an important role in the functioning of ecosystems. These changes could be in response to changes in the availability of water, average temperature or many other natural events. In nature, these changes usually take place very slowly.The biome gradually adapts as animals and plant species that have characteristics unsuited to the change die out and those more suited the environment remains alive to breed and pass on their characteristics to successive generations. This process is known as natural selection. Causes of Ecosystem Vulnerability * All ecosystems have some ability to withstand stress. * They tend to resist being distu rbed or altered and will restore themselves to their original condition if not disturbed too dramatically. * In other words, ecosystems maintain themselves within a tolerable range of conditions. A number of factors are relevant to the vulnerability of ecosystems to stress, including location, extent, biodiversity and linkages. a) Location * Where an ecosystem is will affect its functioning. * At a global scale, latitude, distance from the sea, and altitude play decisive roles in determining climate and ultimately the nature of particular ecosystems.* The microclimatic features of a location can be significant enough to create a range of distinctive ecosystem types within relatively small areas e. g. aspect. * Some ecosystems are located in nvironments that are extreme e. g. deserts, polar, hypersaline lagoons. * Organisms capable of living in such conditions are highly specialised. * The greater the degree of specialisation of an organism to a particular set of environmental condit ions the more vulnerable it is to changes in those conditions e. g. coral * Corals are highly specialised organisms that flourish in the relatively shallow, nutrient-deficient waters of the tropics. †¢ * Any increase in nutrient levels promotes the growth of algae, which reduces the amount of sunlight available for coral growth. If high nutrient levels continue the corals become stressed, reefs contract in size and the number of coral species declines. * Coral is also sensitive to changes in water temperature, and flourish between 25 °C to 29 °C. * A small increase in the temperature can kill the coral polyp, leaving only the white calcium skeleton (coral bleaching).* Proximity to large concentrations of people is another important contributing factor to ecosystem vulnerability; demand for land grows as populations grow. Urban, industrial and agricultural land uses destroy natural ecosystems, while oceans, rivers and the atmosphere become dumping grounds for pollutants. b) Extent The extent (size) of any particular ecosystem is the product of a variety of factors. †¢ Recent research has shown that the boundaries of ecosystems tend to overlap each other. †¢ E. g. river ecosystems extended beyond the river channel to include the whole drainage system. †¢ Thus, human activity in the drainage basin can impact on the river itself even when it occurs some distance from the channel. E. g. may increase soil erosion †¢ A study showed that stoneflies and other creatures living in shallow wells on the flood plain of the river, up to 2km away from the river, mated along the riverbanks before returning to lay their eggs in the wells.†¢ This means the floodplain and the river cannot be considered as separate systems. †¢ Ecosystems that are restricted to relatively small areas or have already been distributed extensively are especially vulnerable †¢ Tropical rainforest, have relatively small populations of a large number of pecies confined to relatively small, localised communities †¢ Loss of small areas of rainforest can lead to extinction of plant and animal species †¢ Savanna grasslands, have large populations of a small number of species spread out over much larger areas †¢ Loss of a small area of grassland therefore need not result in the extinction of species. †¢ Large herbivores typical of these regions require extensive grazing areas†¢ c) Biodiversity Biodiversity is usually considered at three levels: genetic diversity, species diversity and ecosystem diversity. ) Genetic diversity – Genetic diversity is the variety of genetic information contained in all the individual plants, animals and micro-organisms †¢ Genetic diversity occurs within and between populations of species as well as between species. †¢ Genetic diversity favours the survival of a species, because it increases the chance that some members of the species will have characteristics that aid thei r survival †¢ Often a gene has costs as well as benefits †¢ A study has shown that peach potato aphids that are resistant to common pesticides are less able to survive ii) Species diversity – Species diversity is a measure of the number of species at each trophic level of an ecosystem†¢ The greater the species diversity the more robust the ecosystem †¢ If the population of one consumer organism crashers there are other producers available that can fulfil a similar function in the ecosystem †¢ When ecosystems are diverse, there is a range of pathways for the ecological processes, such as nutrient recycling †¢ If one pathway is damaged or destroyed, an alternative may be used and the ecosystem can continue to function at its normal level †¢ If the level of biodiversity is greatly diminished, the functioning of the ecosystem is put at risk †¢ The greater the level of diversity, the greater the opportunity to adapt to change †¢ Many di verse ecosystems are characterised by highly specialised organisms †¢ A species may be vulnerable even if the ecosystem as a whole is not †¢ iii) Ecosystem diversity – Ecosystem diversity refers to the diversity present within ecosystems in terms of habitat differences, biotic communities and the variety of ecological processes d) LinkagesInterdependence, or linkages, is related to species diversity †¢ The greater the level of interdependence within an ecosystem the greater its ability to absorb change †¢ The loss of a primary consumer from a food web, e. g. s unlikely to have a major impact on secondary consumers if there is a range of alternative primary consumers on which to feed †¢ Ecosystems that have low levels of interdependence are much more vulnerable to change †¢ Krill are the dominant primary consumer organism and the main source of energy for some species of whale †¢ Interdependence can take very subtle forms e. g. some flowering plants can be fertilised by only one species of insect †¢ Anything that jeopardises this third organism, therefore, will affect the reproductive success of the flowing plant †¢ Primary consumers have highly specific food sources, and many parasitic organisms depend on specific hosts †¢ The same characteristics can be exploited by humans in the biological control of pest species †¢ Large consumer animals may range across a number of small, localised ecosystems, having genetically adapted to the variations in all of them †¢ 1.Outline (using examples) how the level of interdependence within an ecosystem will affect its vulnerability. Interdependence, or linkages, is related to species diversity. The greater the level of interdependence within an ecosystem the greater its ability to absorb change. The loss of a primary consumer from a food web, e. g. is unlikely to have a major impact on secondary consumers if there is a range of alternative primary consumers o n which to feed. Ecosystems that have low levels of interdependence are much more vulnerable to change 2. Give an example of the subtle forms this interdependence can take. Interdependence can take very subtle forms e. g. ome flowering plants can be fertilised by only one species of insect. This insect may turn, be dependent on some other organism for part of its life cycle. Case study: Vulnerability of Minnamurra Rainforest The Minnamurra rainforest is a small pocket of rainforest located on the South Coast of New South Wales near Kiama.The extent, biodiversity and location of the rainforest all work together to make this a vulnerable ecosystem. It is located close to urban development and is surrounded by farms. This increases the levels of pollutants entering the system and has lead to significant weed infestation. Natural and Human-Induced Environmental Stress Ecosystems are constantly changing and evolving in response to stress-induced changes within the total environment. * Th ese changes may be brought about naturally e. g. drought, or may be human-induced e. g. deforestation. * Natural changes usually take place more slowly than human-induced changes and the biome gradually adapts as animals and plant species that have characteristics unsuited to the change die out, and those more suited to the new environment remain alive to breed and pass on their characteristics to successive generations (a process known as natural selection).* Sudden natural disasters have occurred from time to time which have caused whole species to die out almost instantly because they had no time to adapt, however this is rare. In contrast, human-induced changes are usually rapid and do not allow species to adapt. * The ability to instigate large-scale environmental change means that people are able to push the state of dynamic equilibrium beyond its limits. * This means that people have created situations where they are required to maintain a state of equilibrium by utilising re sources found elsewhere e. g. the use of fertilisers and pesticides to maintain an agricultural monoculture, which would collapse without them.* Today, human activities destroy or seriously threaten species and destroy or degrade their habitat. Changes affecting ecosystems by cause and rate |Catastrophic |Gradual | |Natural sources of environmental stress |Drought |Climatic Change | | |Flood |Immigration of new species | | |Fire |Adaptation/evolution | | |Volcanic eruption |Ecological succession | | |Earth Quake |disease | | |Landslide | | | |Change in stream course | | | |Disease | | |Human-induced sources of environmental stress |Deforestation |Irrigation- salinization, waterlogging | | |Overgrazing |Soil compaction | | |Ploughing |Depletion of ground water | | |Erosion |Water/air pollution | | |Pesticide application |Loss and degradation of wildlife activity | | |Fire |Elimination of pests and predators | | |Mining |Introduction of new species | | |Toxic Contamination |Overhuntin g/Overfishing | |Urbanisation |Toxic contamination | | |Water/Air pollution |Urbanisation | | |Loss and degradation of wildlife activity |Excessive tourism | a) Natural environmental stress * Some natural sources of stress can be catastrophic and cause very rapid change e. g. droughts, floods, fire, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, disease, tsunamis and cyclones.* Most natural sources of environmental stress are more gradual and do allow species to adapt e. g. climatic change, immigration, adaption/evolution, ecological succession, disease, geographical isolation. Climate change was thought to be the reason behind the extinction of the dinosaur. * Ecological succession involves one species gradually taking over an environment from another as circumstances within the environment change e. g. as a climate becomes drier, drought-resistant species will gradually take over. Some of the effects of environmental stress Organism Level Physiological and biological changes Psychol ogical disorders Behavioural changes Fewer or no offspring Genetic defects in offspring Cancers Population Level Population increase or decrease Change in age structure Survival of different genetic strains based on stress threshold Loss of genetic diversity ExtinctionCommunity-ecosystem level Disruption of energy flows -Decrease or increase in solar energy uptake and heat output -Changes in trophic structure in food chains and webs Disruption of chemical cycles -Depletion of essential nutrients -excessive nutrient levels Simplification -reduction in species diversity -reduction or elimination of habitats -less complex food webs -possibility of lowered stability -possibility of ecosystem collapse Case study: Mt. St. Helens volcanic eruption 18th may 1980 at MT st Helens Washington state. A large volcanic eruption disrupts the natural order. New populations of flora and fauna were beginning to colonise the harsh environment.The new ecosystem formed and the process of regeneration was observed as the organisms with enough resilience survived and repaired. b) Human-induced environmental stress * People play a role in maintaining or disturbing the dynamic equilibrium of any ecosystem. * The impacts of human activity have a global dimension, operating within the context of an interdependent global environment. * Global co-operation is needed to address the threats to the world’s biophysical environment. * The causes of environmental degradation in today’s world include: – massive population growth – developing world poverty and the crippling burden of debt – non-sustainable agricultural practices in many countries environmentally damaging industrialisation and exploitation of natural resources, especially in poor countries struggling for export earnings* Each of these issues need to be effectively dealt with if humans are to combat environmental degradation. * Human threats to biodiversity include: – species introductions à ¢â‚¬â€œ habitat destruction – hunting/trade in animal products – pollution * The World Conservation Union’s analysis of animal extinctions since 1600 found that 39% resulted from species introductions, 36% from habitat destruction and 23% from deliberate extermination. answer the questions from the information on page 32-33 1. Outline the history of human-induced change. Humans have induced change in ecosystems since very early days in their evolution.The effects have been either caused intentionally or inadvertently. eg: Aboriginals burnt bushland to aid in hunting as well as inadvertently promoting growth and shaping the Australian bushland through natural selection promoting growth. 2. Outline how humans have simplified natural ecosystems and what this has resulted in the need for. Humans have been shaping ecosystems for their benefit. In this process the useful parts of the ecosystem have remained and the other parts have changed or died out. This process ha s also simplified the ecosystem in some cases making it unable to support itself. Eg crops, farms require money and time for upkeep. 3. What is the great environmental challenge for humans?The great challenge that humans face with their environment is to maintain a healthy balance between simplified ecosystems and neighbouring complex ecosystems. 4. Outline the ways in which humans modify natural vegetation, and the ability of the affected ecosystems to recover in each case. Human induced change can be either intentional, inadvertent or a result of negligence. The changes made can result in complete ecological destruction but occasionally the ecosystem can adapt due to its resilience and survive with the change. The Nature of Human-induced Modifications – Human-induced modifications to ecosystems may be either intentional or inadvertent. – In some cases they are the result of negligence on the part of people. i) Intentional ecosystem changeHumans bring about intentiona l ecosystem change for human benefit. An example of this can be found in the aboriginal burning for easier hunting or simply clearing land and producing food from crops or livestock. ii) Inadvertent ecosystem change ? These are changes that are not intended, but occur indirectly as a result of human activity. ? Meeting the needs and wants of humankind and a rapidly increasing human population will inevitably bring about large-scale environmental change. ? Unlike other species, humans have the ability to transfer resources from one region to another and to modify ecosystems in order to sustain continued population growth.Examples of human activities and the inadvertent effects they have include: Farming – Reduction of biodiversity, destruction of habitats, soil erosion, introduction of harmful pesticides killing native flora/fauna. Urbanisation- Total destruction of habitat, fragmentation of habitat destruction of ecosystem linkages, Increased pollution affecting surrounding e cosystems, Destruction of ozone o3 layer through use of cfcs iii) Ecosystem change caused through negligence People sometimes cause environmental change through negligence. Some of the more notorious examples of humanity’s failure to protect ecosystems at risk are the: ? Explosion of the reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the Ukraine ?Minamata children being poisoned by mercury accumulated in the food chain ? Grounding of the Exxon Valdez in Prince William Sound, Alaska which caused widespread environmental destruction Consequences of human-induced changes . Human induce change is occurring worldwide in ecosystems. . The magnitude and rate of change is closely linked to human population size. . Salinization and desertification are two large scale problems with deforestation a major cause of ecosystem destruction through change. . Almost 11 million ha of land is degraded each year. Takes between 100 and 250 years for topsoil to build up in an area, can be destroye d in less than 10 by human activity.

Construction Of Human Muscles Health And Social Care Essay

Smooth musculus contracts involuntarily, contraction of this musculus is controlled by the nervous system automatically and unconsciously. Contractions are rhythmic and slow. It is responsible for motion of nutrient through the digestive piece of land and for motion of other organic structure variety meats. Smooth musculuss control automatic, nonvoluntary motions such as those of take a breathing and of the digestive variety meats. It makes up the walls of the digestive piece of land, respiratory piece of land, GU piece of land, blood vass, and lymphatic vass. Smooth musculus is nonstriated because it lacks the striations ( sets ) of skeletal musculuss. Smooth musculus cells are little, mononucleated ( frequently with gap junction ) , and fusiform. There is merely one karyon located at the centre of the cell. Muscle tissue consist nuclei per fibre and nervus tissue consist of karyon of glial cells. Neuron and musculus tissue have nucleus and fibres. Neurotransmitters and musculus tissue have chondriosomes. Muscle tissue consists of cells that have the ability to contract and move organic structure. Muscle tissue is composed of long cells called musculus fibres that are capable of undertaking when stimulated by nervus urges. Nervous tissue sense stimulation and transmits signals form one portion to another. nervous tissue contains cells that react to stimuli and carry on an urge. The functional unit of nervous tissue is the nerve cell, or nervus cells, which is specialized to convey signals called nervus urges. It consists of a cell organic structure and two or more extensions, or procedures, called dendrites and axons. Dendrites are cell subdivisions that receive urges form other nerve cells or from receptors. The axon is a subdivision of the cell that transmits urges off from the cyton. Neurotransmitters are chemicals secreted into the synaptic spread ( spread between two nervousnesss or a nervus and a musculus ) by the terminal of a terminal subdivision. They transmit urges across th e synapse signifier one cell to another. In a spinal physiological reaction, urges pass from ( 1 ) a receptor to ( 2 ) a centripetal nerve cell to ( 3 ) an interneuron in the spinal cord to ( 4 ) a motor nerve cell to ( 5 ) a musculus or secretory organ. Motor nerve cells transmit and distribute urges from the cardinal nervous system to musculuss and secretory organs, or effecters. Epithelial tissue consists of cells fitted tightly together to organize a uninterrupted bed of cells. One surface of the sheet is exposed because it lines a pit, such as the lms of the bowel, or covers the organic structure. The other surface of an epithelial bed is attached to the underlying tissue by a acellular cellar membrane composed of bantam fibres and nonliving polysaccharide stuff produced by the epithelial cells. The cellar membrane attaches an epithelial tissue to the connective tissue. The cellar membrane consists of glycoproteins secreted by epithelial cells. Epithelial cells are held together by tight junctions and adhering junctions. Tight junctions extend throughout the surface and around the margin of an epithelial cell and seal it tightly to next cells. The junction is formed by blending the cell membranes of next cells with meshing membrane lipoproteins. The intercellular infinite is thin. Tight junctions seal epithelial cells to one another and have fused parts of the plasma membranes. Proteins in the membranes seal off the intercellular infinite, so it is hard for some substances to go through between the cells. In desmosomes, a submicroscopic infinite separates the opposing cell membranes, and intracellular ceratin fibres anchor transmembrane glycoproteins that bind the cells together. Desmosomes are seals between cells with ceratin fibrils grounding the two cells. Desmosomes are one type of adhering junction. Still another type of junction is the spread junction. Desmosomes and adhering junctions are found between cells that form a sheet of tissue. Gap junctions are protein composites that form channels in membranes. In the spread junction, cannular passageways and channels exist between cells, and little ions and molecules pass from cell to cell. Smooth and cardiac musculus tissue has these junctions, but epithelial tissues do non. Regeneration means cell or tissue growing that replaces lost constructions, damaged/dead cells by the same type of cells. It involves production of the same cell type, root cells may bring forth and distinguish to replace decease cells. Regeneration requires integral connective tissue staging. The regeneration takes topographic point in clean lesions where infection is non present in cut or scratch on the tegument. If the harm over a big country, so the underlying connective tissue cells and fibroblasts are involved in tissue fix. In a simple skin hurt, the deep bed of graded squamous epithelial tissue divides. The new stratified squamous epithelial cells push themselves upward toward the surface of the tegument. the harm or lesion is rapidly and wholly restored to normal. If a big country of tegument is damaged, fluid will get away from the broken capillaries. The capillary fluid prohibitionists and seals the lesions organizing a strikebreaker. Epithelial cells multiply at the borders of the strikebreaker and go on to turn over the damaged country until it is covered. When deep tissue is damaged the suturas bring together the borders of the lesion. The lesions have a enormous sum of serous fluid that leaks out onto the lesion. This helps to organize a curdling ( coagulum ) that seals the lesion. The clot contains tissue fragments and white blood cells. The epithelial cells run alonging the capillaries and fibroblasts of connective tissue are quickly renewing. New vascular tissue starts to organize and multiply across the lesion along with connective tissue formation. Fibroblast cells are active in doing new collagen fibres. Capillaries keeping the borders steadfastly together and collagenic fibres shorten cut downing cicatrix tissue less seeable. Fibrosis is a procedure of replacing of damaged tissue with cicatrix tissue. Scar tissue does non reconstruct normal map. The cicatrix tissue formed depends on the extent of tissue harm. It helps to keep an organ together. Granulation occur in a big unfastened lesion with little or big tissue loss. It causes the surface country to hold a gravelly texture. Fibroblasts will be active in production of new collagenic fibres. In granulation procedure a fluid is secreted, this fluid has strong bactericidal belong ingss which helps cut down the hazard of infection during lesion healing. The ureter would use smooth musculus, smooth musculus and specialised epithelial tissue of the vesica wall capable of great shrinking and stretching. Smooth musculus signifiers beds in the wall of the urinary piece of lands. The nephritic capsule consist of dense hempen connective tissue covers the kidney and is uninterrupted with the outer bed of the ureter at the hilum of the kidney. The nephritic facia is heavy hempen connective tissue, it surrounds an ground tackles and kidney. The outer bed of ureter composed of hempen connective tissue. In female the urethra is tightly bound to the anterior vaginal wall by hempen connective tissue. Adipose tissue is type of loose hempen connective tissue that consist of big sum of adipose cells. This adipose tissue is found around the kidneys.

Global Consultants Business Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Global Consultants Business Plan - Essay Example Businesses must also not disregard cultural concerns. They should set up specialists to ensure that their business' giveaways or advertisements do not go against any cultural norms. Businesses should also be adaptable regarding the advertising arrangement. For instance, Italy and Hong Kong set restrictions on cash prizes, while current policies in Canada have challenged the ability to organize a skill competition with a prerequisite purchase. There are usually simple workarounds like offering an alternative means of entry or prize. Businesses should also be ready to run the campaign structure differently. Some countries might require different methods of promotion administration and advertising. For instance, drawings may need to be locally held and witnessed by certain officials, and winners informed by certain means. Some provinces might require that the rules and promotion be in the language or dialect of the locality, while others might require newspaper publication. Also, in so me countries, some campaigns may need to be registered. Privacy law also differs from one country to another. Thus, the utilization, transmitting, accumulation, or gathering of exclusive data needs particular deliberation. Also, businesses should not believe that since a country in a specific territory allows a certain system that it will be permitted in all areas in that territory. Country-specific understanding of rules will spell a big difference. Lastly, businesses should budget funds and time to get it correctly accomplished. Synchronizing the legal issues in several regions is definitely more costly and time consuming than doing business in the U.S. alone. Be prepared to add around half a month to the time frame if the business intends on going global. Summary of the Business Plan The Philippine situation is presently characterized by the facts that investment appetites are low, budgets are being slashed, businesses are cutting costs, and times are tough. Being aware of this situation, Global Consultants (GC) has concluded that its potential clients would be interested in doing things in a smarter way, with adequate support of competent and dependable market intelligence. Global Consultants knows that it can offer both value creations and solutions to its potential clients. The senior consultants have been working with some highly regarded U.S.-based multi-national businesses for many years, andhave wide knowledge of Southeast Asian business environments. The company will aim to provide marketing services to targeted business environments in the Southeast Asia region, particularly the Philippines. The target start of operations is January 2009. Mission GC will offer businesses an excellent, dependable option to in-house resources for channel development, industrial sectors analysis, market intelligence, market development, and business development on a global range. A proper alternative to in house resources offers an exceptionally sophisticated practical experience, skill, connections, and privacy. Clients must be aware that working with the company is a less risky and more professional method of developing new areas compared to working in-house with their own employees. GC should be also able to maintain financial stability, charging a high value for its services and delivering an even higher worth of output to its clients. Primary focus will be expansion in the Southeast

Compare a commercial film with an auteur film (from the 2000s) Essay

Compare a commercial film with an auteur film (from the 2000s) - Essay Example The events in the while movie spout from this origin as Bruce goes through intense pain and mastery of fear in order to survive the high rate of crime in Gotham City. The same ways, Leonard goes through pain and fear after the death of his wife and undertakes to seek revenge. He goes through tough times, disappointment as he feels the efforts by the police are unfruitful and becomes very frustrated. Just like Bruce, Leonard suffers when seeking revenge as he suffers memory loss and this impedes his struggle to avenge for his wife. Eventually, he gets redemption as he kills the man who killed his wife. This paper seeks to compare the commercial film with an auteur film by focusing on â€Å"Dark knight† and â€Å"memento† both of which are directed by Nolan. â€Å"The Dark Knight† is a commercial film that turned out to be a gigantic blockbuster. The movie was based on a compelling comic book. The movies is set in medias res and revolves around, economic, social and political issues. The setting of the movie is very naturalistic to mirror the society and make the audience identify with the characters. The movie is set in the basement of Gotham police station in an interrogation room. The police station is a reflection of the police dramas and real police stations as he police offices have a desk with lots of files, records and desks. On the other hand, the interrogation room is isolated, grimy and dingy and only contains to chairs, a single metallic table and a lamp. This contrast is sued to show the harsh reality of crime life and to educate the audience of the luxury of freedom. The use of lighting is also important in enhancing the setting of this film. At the beginning of the film, the in interrogation room is very dark and t he joker is shown in a rather dim light that tends to alter his image. On the other hand, the face of Commissioner Gordon is not seen clearly as

Global youth culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Global youth culture - Essay Example These transnational corporations provide for a uniform ground and uniform commodities which the youth across the global divide can consume and share uniformly through media. Known for its historic architecture, Cincinnati is impacted by and impacts on global youth culture. The city of Cincinnati has sports teams that are identified by and supported by other youth from other nations. Cincinnati, for instance, is home to the oldest franchise in Major League Baseball in the Cincinnati Reds. The City is also home to the Cincinnati Bengals, a National Football League Franchise. Youths from other regions identify with sportsmen and women on these teams to which they may derive an identity or idea from. Youths may sport the sporting jerseys from these Cincinnati teams. The same can also be said of youths from Cincinnati who may identify with other sports teams and sporting heroes that may come from other regions. Through platforms provided by ICT technology, youths from Cincinnati can learn and follow their ideas and tastes. Cincinnati also hosts ‘taste of Cincinnati’, which represents the longest culinary arts festival in the US. This event is held annually in Downtown Cincinnati and attracts crowds of approximately 500,000 annually. The event showcases culinary delicacies from fine restaurants within the city while also highlighting local music talent. Through the event, the city gets to share its food culture with visitors from other regions of the country and the globe and may impact on their food preferences.

Four Aspects of a Community College President Research Paper

Four Aspects of a Community College President - Research Paper Example Such responsibilities become even more important when considering the fact that the personality traits to complete the jobs are far and few between (Dearlove, 1997). Community college Presidents require the ability to communicate enthusiastically and energetically the role of the college to internal/external constituencies to achieve a sense of common purpose. Moreover, they must possess the ability to provide for the common purpose of the students, teachers, and community at large. Additionally, Presidents require the ability to provide for the fostering of excellence in all college offerings through enthusiasm, vision and innovation. The President must also demonstrate the capacity to assume a leadership role in involving the college in the economic growth of the community. This means that the President must have a commitment to keep the college technologically up to date while expressing a level of sensitivity to the unique needs of faculty, staff and students. In this paper I wil l focus on 4 primary tasks for the President: 1. The CEO Contracts and Performance Evaluations 2. Institutional Advancements 3. Politics and Media (Damage Control) 4. Institutional Governance The President of a community college must function as a CEO and provide regular evaluations of the faculty and other individuals that help make up the organization. In fact, the Community College's mission statement cannot be realized without a competent, motivated, and efficient workforce. The performance evaluation is a necessary component to any performance management and professional development program for employees. Performance evaluations are intended to support skill building of each employee and to encourage an efficient and effective operation (Brubacher, 1982). They are extremely important not only for identifying weak links within an organizational structure, but also for identifying the strong points that are responsible for much success. Meaning that performance evaluations will n ot only show individuals how to improve where their staff is lacking, but also it can indicate where an organization is succeeding. In fact, performance evaluations are created for 3 primary reasons. The first is that it measures the extent to which the employee's performance meets the requirements of the position. It is the opportunity to appraise past performance by recognizing and supporting good performance and identifying areas that might require improvement. The second purpose of performance evaluations are to establish goals for the future. This is important because it allows institutions to identify a method through which they can advance their human resources and consequentially the organization as a collective institution. The third and final objective of the performance evaluations is to strengthen the relationship between the supervisor and the employee. This is done so by opening channels of communication and creating opportunities to assess the employee, the position a nd plan for the future of the departmental human resources (Brubacher, 1982). These goals are best accomplished through interactive review of the position description, identifying opportunities for performance growth and focusing on enhancement of all areas of performance. While there are many professors at a single community college, most Presidents do not personally interview each professor, instead they select department heads who are in control of each of their departments. Beyond the presidents specific roles,

Global ,societal,and contemporary lssues Research Proposal

Global ,societal,and contemporary lssues - Research Proposal Example Regarding global economy, the engineering profession is likely to change in the next 20 years due to developments in the global economy. The energy consumption in the world is expected to rise because of rapidly increasing population. Thus, the major source of fuel that is fossil fuel may diminish and fail to provide enough energy to cater for the population. At the same time, more emphasis is on the development of energy from renewable sources in order counter the effects of global warming caused by use of fossil fuels (Wuestenhagen 2689). Therefore, electrical engineering will change to accommodate the need to produce energy from alternative sources other than fossil fuels. These alternative sources include solar energy, geothermal energy, and wind energy. Concerning societal impact, the electronic engineering profession has documented a number of inventions and technological developments that have had impacts on societies and cultures. For instance, cell phones have eased communication across places and countries, even in the remotest regions of the world. This faster communication is of great advantage because it enhance faster transfer of information, and allows individuals to connect with family members who are far. At the same time, cell phones have had negative impacts on communities including contributing to anti-social behaviors among friends and family members (Baron 5). Thus, interaction between individuals has become digital more than physical leading to introduction of digital culture. Contemporary technical issues in engineering include nanotechnology, which plays an important role in the society. Nanotechnology is a combination of science and engineering disciplines that deal with units larger than molecules and atoms, but fall in the range of 1-100 nanometers (BBC 2). Nanotechnology has been applied in several aspects of life including medicine to

Internal marketing analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Internal marketing analysis - Assignment Example 83 – 84). The move will certainly create employee satisfaction, socializing and the fulfillment of the organizations goals and objectives. Although the new ways of internal marketing are at the disposal of different business entities, not all institutions can realize the benefits of the new techniques. In some particular cases, there is a probability of employees not obliging to new campaigns that are directed by the management. In other instances, there may be worldwide divisions and bureaucratic structures that may tend to create communication barriers and internal marketing problems. In addition, general understanding and coming up of a consensus on the definition of internal marketing and the best way to a successful execution does not take place. In other scenarios, the meanings tend to be vague in their alterations (Tap and Hughes 2004, pp 285 – 287). The above hindrances have found out and outlined in the following risk assessment. The invention of a new-internal marketing awareness campaign is easier in comparison with the delivery of the same. The acknowledgement of the difficulties encountered in the delivery of internal marketing plan is to be put down with the aim of overcoming the arising challenges (Ahmed, 2000 p 449). The occurrence of new awareness occurs more often in the short run of a new project. Studies of other organizations have shown that campaigns tend to highlight the potential situations and the best techniques of handling them. In other arguments, internal marketing should be accepted by all workers (Hughes 2004, p 285 – 287). Emphasis is put on the significance of satisfaction of workers in achieving the satisfaction of customers since the two have common characteristics. Prove of the link appears in numerous works of the likes of Owen and Teary. Studies also support the significance of internal marketing by showing the mutual relationship between both the employee and the customer

Annual Report on Vodafone Statistics Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Annual Report on Vodafone - Statistics Project Example The dynamics within the global telecommunication and IT market have had a great influence on the company’s progress hence the variation in its sales, profits and income and an analysis of these results will help identify some of these effects and also their extent. The data we are analyzing was collected from the annual financial reports of Vodafone published between 1998 and 2013. The information on sales, cost and profits was collected and used for statistical analysis. In this study, the time period is the variable in all cases and the sales, profit and cost data acts as the observation. The data is collected from the internet which is a secondary source of information. It is quantitative data and can be described as being continuous in nature since its values can be counted. The data about all the three variables is collected on quarterly basis ranging from the second quarter on 31st march 1998 to the last quarter in 31st September 2013. Analysis of this data will involve application of the different measures of central tendency including mean, median and mode; the measures of spread and the measures of dispersion which will show how the data is distributed. A forecasting of the future trends will be applied on the results obtains and will be used to predict the future trends. The graph above shows that sales increase with time but the increase is not linear. The trend line is not a smooth curve hence showing that there is no strong relationship between the variables. The quarterly sales increase from left to right and from the graph; we can gather that the sales depreciate at some instance with the peak being reached within the most recent quarters. The graph above shows that the behavior across the time;ine is not uniformly trending hence the curve is not a smooth linear curve. The costs show a great range of fluctuation thereby resulting in a jagged

Macbeths Change Through Lady Macbeth Essay Example for Free

Macbeths Change Through Lady Macbeth Essay What would make any man change himself and his personality? Marriage? Without a doubt, Macbeths real tragedy is his marriage. Macbeth changed from good to evil from Lady Macbeths influence through manipulation and her dominance in her marriage role. From the beginning Lady Macbeth is viewed as very controlling, strong, and certain. â€Å"First, she has very little regard for her husbands humanity and actually derides him for being too full oth milk of human kindness† (Thompson 1). This shows how cold Lady Macbeth is, as milk is the food of new born children, she is implying Macbeth is too much like a kind child to murder anyone. Once Macbeth has the courage to tell her he does not want to continue with the murder she rallies, calling him a ‘coward’, saying that if he could murder Duncan ‘he were a man’. This to Macbeth, a proud and mighty warrior is a deep insult, and he soon is convinced that he will carry out the murder. Macbeth’s real tragedy is his marriage lies with the fault of his wife Lady Macbeth (Thompson 1). â€Å"Macbeths violent behavior is correctly understood as, and deemed to be, bravery because it is in service of his friends and cousins. His loyalty is what is being lauded. But, mangled by the blood-spotted hands of his wife, he becomes a traitor to his brother band and to himself. Her monomaniacal ambition changes him into a monster.† She is literally awakened by her blind and vaulting ambition to realize she did not want the kind of man she thought she wanted (Scheil 2). â€Å"She is desperate to fit in with her husbands warrior society, and fails to do so.† Lady Macbeth’s downfall comes more quickly than Macbeths when we see her weaknesses coming through, only on her own however. We see that she is troubled by guilt, saying that they never should have murdered Duncan. She’s a guilty wreck; she is sleepwalking and talking gibberish. She says ‘What, will these hands never be clean? These words echo her word earlier in the play, when she talks of washing ‘their hands of this deed’; she has now realized that the guilt that has overcome her will never leave. She willingly commits suicide leaving her husband not to mourn her passing but to simply comment ,†She should have died hereafter† â€Å"Macbeths life of striving for greatness, as he himself now realizes, has blossomed into no more than a withered leaf† (Pellikha 2). Macbeth no longer fears anything, for he has seen too much violence and fear to be affected anymore. â€Å"Macbeth, on the other hand, determines not to surrender and not to fall upon his sword, for at the end his overconfidence blinds him to any possible danger† (Thompson 7).

Key Points Of Idealism In The Matrix

Key Points Of Idealism In The Matrix One of the best movie trilogy of the decade is The Matrix , made by Larry and Andy Wachowskis 1999 movie. The plot revolves around a young man by the name of Thomas Anderson who lives a double life; by day he is just another ordinary, anonymous citizen in a modern city, but by night, Thomas takes on the character of Neo, a renamed hacker. As a hacker, Thomas soon discovers that within the Internet lies a whole other network; one that is much more complex. Through this, Neo discovers that the world he had believed to be real was actually false a mirage, created by somebody. In reality, his idealistic, Utopian world, run by highly intelligent machines, differed immensely from the actual real world. One of the main idea that the film portrays draws on the possibility that humans actually hold a skewed image of our experiences, the objects we represent, and the world in general; what we well thought was real may not actually exist. The film Set is in the future after a nuclear war, the planet has been discovered to have been invaded by robots, thus making it uninhabitable by normal means. In order to control and dominate the human race, these robots have implanted small amounts of a special fluid, known as bio-port, in the nervous system of every human being. These bio-ports function as a means of brainwashing and influence the minds of the humans, causing them to believe that nothing in their world has changed. As a result, the humans fail to realize that they have become slaves to the robots. In other words, the world in which the people live in and their everyday experiences are in fact just illusions produced by computer acting directly on their brains (the matrix). People who live in this world live in a virtual world, created by the machine. Nevertheless, some individuals, it is unclear how, managed to escape the action of the computer and see the world as it, the real world. They then try to fight the machine with the help of their savior, Neo so they can live in the ideal world, where the machines are not in power. The Matrix illustrates the concept or theory of idealism that Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the United States, wanted to apply international relations/politics. When talking about global politics, Idealist sees international relation as they should be and not how it is (realism). For an idealist, international relation should be harmonious, with a balance of power between different Country and the respect for international law guaranteed by a global organization. Wilson also believed that what was profitable and advantageous for his country would also greatly benefit other foreign nations. Like Wilson, in movie, the main character Neo and a group of the human population want to fight the machine so they can live in an ideal world, different from the one they are currently living. Another concept in the movie that relate to idealism is based on the philosopher Socrates idea of the Allegory of the Cave. In the book the republic, Socrates is speaking about his ideal city, but also talk about how people sometimes believe they are living in the best world possible, when in fact they are not. The allegory of the cave describes a situation in which men have been chained inside a dark cave, facing the same blank wall since birth. The closest representations of images that these men have are projections of shadows from the entry of the cave that they cannot see. These projections, while not accurate representations of the real world, are the only images the men have ever seen since birth. Thus, they are regarded by the men to be true representations of the world. When one of them finally leaves or escapes the cave and sees the real world- Like Neo did in the movie by disconnecting himself from the fake world- he will try to tell the people who stayed in the cave that the world that they are living in is false. To relate it to idealism in international relation, we can pick a country like France or the United Sate who advocate idealism in a sense that they want other nations (or people living in other nation) to also live in the best possible country they can. For example, an idealist would like to see the citizens from North Korea live in a country with freedom and democracy, like Neo wanted to make people living in a dream world to see the real world as it was and then build their ideal world by fighting the machines. The movie also shows that not everybody chooses to see the truth even if presented to them, simply because it can be ugly at times. An example would be when Morpheus (the person that shows Neo the real world) in the beginning gives Neo the opportunity a choice between discovering the truth and staying in the dream world, or see the world as it is and make it better. In relation to politics and international relations, an example o f a country like that today would be North Korea or Ex-Communist countries such as Russia, where citizens believed that they were living in ideals worlds. In addition, the United States has also had some presidents that used Idealist policies as their international policy, like George W Bush or Woodrow Wilson. They wanted to be like the United States (democracy, capitalism). The good thing is that the US is a democracy, which means that even if they adopt an idealist position as their foreign policy is would not hurt other countries as bad as a communist country like North Korea, the USSR or a dictatorship Germany by Hitler was in power. Another theme in the movie that related to Wilsons idea of Idealism is liberty which is by definition The condition of being free from restriction or control . For example, for the founding fathers, liberty was their ideal, so they fought England to become a free nation. In the movie when Neo understand that he is controlled by the machine, he wants to become free. Is an individual considered to be free if he/she operates in world he believes to be true, but in reality is not? Is a human considered to be free if he/she is used like a toy in a virtual world? Those questions come in the mind of the viewers while watching the matrix, and challenge them to consider whether they are actually free or if in fact they would never know if they were in a dream. Since Neo had never experienced true freedom, he made the decision to seek out the truth in the real world, that was his ideal, but he also wanted to save the others that were still dreaming. In creating the character of Neo (who eventually succeeds in crossing the boundaries of his own universe into the real world), the film makers tried to share an understanding that we get caught in different dilemmas, having to be realistic or idealist; Pragmatic or idealist. Conclusion The Movie The Matrix illustrates the concept of Idealism, which can be applied in the field of International Relations. Many countries strongly believe that their views are the best and attempt to impose their ideals on other countries. President Woodrow. Wilsons idealistic vision of international relations focused on seeing things as they should be and as one would hope them to be. On the contrary, a realist would see things only as they are (Machiavelli). Wilson also believed that international relations ought to be harmonious and peaceful, enforced through the obedience of states with rules of international law and order guaranteed by supranational organization, There must be, not a balance of power, but a community of Powers, not organized rivalries, but an organized common peace (Speech, January 22, 1917 in the Senate, Wilson). Wilson challenged the traditional European diplomacy that was based on different alliances and behind the door contract. As a firm believer in the concep t of international alliance, he believed in the cooperation of states and multilateralism; decision making in terms of external action should be taken in consultation with the international community and / or based on joint action. The movie also demonstrates that we should be cautious of any sort of authority and that we should be wary of any form of obedience that requires some kind of blind submission to authority. Try to recap the MAIN POINTS of your paper at the end hereà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.need a good conclusionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦you want to explain how ALL your themes in the movie relate to Wilsons view of idealismà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦just make it clear à ¯Ã‚ Ã…  

The Most Successful Absolute Monarch in Europe was Louis XIV of France

Of all the absolute rulers in Europe, by far the best example of one, and the most powerful, was Louis XIV of France. Although Louis had some failures, he also had many successes. He controlled France’s money and had many different ways to get, as well as keep his power, and he knew how to delegate jobs to smart, but loyal people. According to the text book, an absolute monarch is a king or queen who has unlimited power and seeks to control all aspects of society (McDougall little, 1045). In more simple terms, it is a ruler who can do just about anything without having to get permission from anyone, or having to worry about the repercussions. This was a trend that started in the 1600’s by European leaders who were rich, and didn’t like to be told what to do. These conflicts arose with the States-General in France, or Parliament in England who had substantial control. The first countries to have absolute rulers were the traditionally strong countries, such as England, Spain, and of course Louis XIV’s France. In order to gain the power he desired as an absolute monarch, Louis used a few key techniques that were very successful. His first and most necessary step to get all control was to take all of the nobles’ power, and make it so they were completely under his control. He first did this by taking the nobles’ positions of power, and either getting rid of them by doing it himself, or giving the jobs to loyal middleclass or some nobles who were completely loyal and under his control. Louis had very simple reasoning for doing this, which was that if the nobles had any power or control, they would have a better chance of overthrowing him, and that since there can only be so much total power, the more they had, the less ... ...s was from a military stand point, which was rare for him. In 1667, Louis attacked a portion of the Netherlands that was owned by the Spanish. This resulted in the gaining of 12 towns, which encouraged Louis to attack the Dutch Netherlands, which did gain him a few wealthy port towns, before ending in disaster. Louis’ last great success was the building of the Palace of Versailles, which as described earlier was a feat never before matched by a ruler. Of all the absolute rulers in European history, Louis XIV of France was the most powerful, and the best example because of his successes, being able to continue his complete control even after failures, his ability to be able to use France’s money in any way he wanted, such as the Place of Versailles, taking away the nobles power, and his ability to delegate impotant jobs to smart yet loyal people.

The Benefits of Tai Chi Essay -- Research Essays Martial Arts Papers

The Benefits of T'ai Chi History of T'ai Chi One of the most relaxing forms of martial arts, T'ai Chi, can help to overcome such problems as arthritis, rheumatism, back problems, lack of balance, high blood pressure, stress, post-traumatic stress, lack of energy, and more. T'ai Chi is a non violent form of the martial arts whose roots are derived from the Chinese and correlated with Traditional Chinese Medicinal techniques. There are many forms of T'ai Chi, including T'ai Chi Chuan and T'ai Chi Chih; all of which have been studied for thousands of years to improve the Chinese way of life. There have been many records of the origin of T'ai Chi reaching as far back as over 3500 years ago. In addition to a Chinese Martial Art, T'ai Chi has origins related to Taoism, which revolved around calmness, "tranquillity of mind," and the improvement of health and persona (wysiwg://25/http://www.spiritweb.org/Spirit/tai-chi.html). Monks employed T'ai Chi as means of be coming more in tune with their bodies and their environment. Ther efore, this martial art helped them to "defend themselves against bandits and warlords through physical health and spiritual growth" (http://www.maui.net/~taichi4u/overview.html). What is T'ai Chi? T'ai Chi is an entire body experience meant to relax its participant and allow one to "effortlessly experience the vital life force, or Chi, in one's body" (http://www.fitnesslink.com/mind/chi.htm). T'ai Chi is literally translated to mean "Supreme Ultimate," and it teaches one to be more relaxed through a greater connection with one's body and awareness of one's movements and thoughts (http://members.tripod.com/~donalo/introd.htm). This experience differs from other "hard" martial arts, by i... ...every aspect of our lives and the world around us" (http://www.maui.net/~taichi4u/overview.html). Bibliography Lai, J. S., Lan, C., Wong, M. K., Teng, S.H. (1995). Two-year trends in cardiorespiratory function among older Tai Chi Chuan practitioners and sedentary objects. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 43, 1222-1227. Jin, P. (1992). Efficacy of Tai Chi, brisk walking, meditation, and reading in reducing mental and emotional stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 36, 361-369. Schaller, K. J. (1996). Tai Chi Chih: an exercise option for older adults. Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 22, 12-16. Wolf, S. L., Barnhart, H. X., Kutner, N. G., McNeely, E., Cooler, C., Xu, T. (1996). Reducing fraility and falls in older persons: an investigation of Tai Chi and computerized balance training. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 44, 489-497.

Individually Unified :: essays papers

Individually Unified We are Americans! We can customize our cars, homes, and even our lives. How did we become such individualists? During the late 1500’s, the Chinese government had several chances of becoming a vast world power and instilling their sense of loyalty and unity as a country. Since China believed that they were a self-sufficient entity, they were content to leave things as they were and saw no point in exploring the unknown. The Europeans on the other hand were forced to explore new worlds due to the lack of trading ability and natural resources. Thanks to Christopher Columbus and others that followed, their exploration and conquering of the New World made it possible for Europeans to expand and populate. However, the new findings also made it possible to spread their selfish nature and greedy culture that is passed off today as people being â€Å"individuals†. In 1492 Christopher Columbus started on his voyage to find what he thought would be a faster route to the West Indies, but in actuality stumbled upon small islands that we now call the Bahamas. When he left on his voyage, his intent was to find and take the riches that the West Indies had to offer but to his disappointment these things that were intended to pay for his voyage did not exist. â€Å"Clearly, Columbus had reason to worry that his voyage would be viewed as a failure. He had not found the gold mines he sought or the Asian cities described by Marco Polo. He thought he had discovered many spices, though only the chili peppers were new.† (Worlds of History, p.19) When Columbus realized that he had not found the riches he was expected to bring home to the Spanish king and queen, he knew that it was very important to make sure that he portrayed his journey in a pleasing light when he wrote to them (as to not make himself look like a failure). When reading the first hand account of Columbus’s voyage, it is in many ways hard to believe that what Columbus was saying was actually the truth. In no way did he talk about his voyage in a negative manner. He talks about how the Indians treated him and his crews like kings. Instead of making himself look like a failure, I feel that he made himself and the Europeans in general look like very greedy people.

Is There One Best Way to Structure an Organization? Essay

Organization is always an efficient way to achieve the goals since ancient time, high productivity with lowest input which is an important characteristic of it. Well-organized is a common ambition for every administrator. Therefore it is a primary task for managers to find out a most suitable structure for the company which can maximize the organization performance. Currently, many researchers are seeking for the relationships between an organizational structure and performance in order to adopt a best structure. However, base on contingency theory, a large number of researches proves that the optimal organizational structure depends on the strategy and among other factors (Pertusa-Ortega et al, 2010). The purpose of this essay is to explain that organizational structures are variable, which can be influenced by the scale, strategy and the operation technology of the business. Firstly, the size of a business is an important factor which could determine how an organization is structured; there are many different ways to manage a company according to the disparate capacity, number of personnel, and output of the business. Base on the studies from the Aston and National, both of them support this argument by finding there is a strong relationship between the size of the company and its structure variables (Cited in John Child, 1973). Thus, different structures are needed to administrate companies with different size. According to John Child (1973), specialization, documentation, standardized behavior, hierarchy, and a decentralization of decision making, are the core characteristics of the large companies, which could support the companies to make a decision accurately and efficiently as the power of decision-making are dispersive, the employers in big companies such as Telstra, Woolworth, could not supervise every employees simultaneously and could not make every decision for the company either. Therefore, tall structure is accepted widely in large businesses as everyone could be supervised. However, small business like local cafeteria and franchisee of McDonald, are more likely to use a flat structure to achieve well-organized, the employers could make every decision for the business as the centralization of making decisions and could supervise every workers as well due to a small number of employees. However, the correlation between two companies with disparate size are not linear, when the business has grown and achieved a certain size, the influence from size to structure is gradually reduced as large businesses are already mechanistic enough. Thus, size has a noticeable influence on the organizational structure; managers should determine an optimal framework which most fit the company to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the outcomes. Furthermore, strategy of the company is an essential factor for choosing an appropriate way to structure an organization. Strategic management which relates the future performance of a company, mangers should imply an appropriate strategy to gain the competitive advantages, to help themselves to compete against other competitors and to increase their market share. Different companies need different strategies to survive themselves to be profitable businesses. Chandler and other researchers state that the alteration of a strategy will leads to a change in organizational structure so that the development of strategy could be sufficient and a better profitability reached (Cited in Pertusa-Ortega et al, 2010). For example, for a manufacture, its strategy is to improve productivity with lower resource, therefore the structure of mechanistic is most suitable, which is high specialization, low cost and more efficiency, products can be produced with minimum time when this structure is implie. In contract, Pertusa-Ortega and other researchers claim that an organic structure is an optimal choice for firms which facing the dynamic context, thus, it needs to constantly change the productions and this flexible structure could make it easier to improve the products (2010), such as Google. The Cubic Contingency Model which consists of three strategies: local responsiveness, global integration and foreign product diversification and across other nine structures, 27 strategy-structure fits are turned out. This model is a comprehensive tool to provide useful information to managers to imply the best fitting structure base on their strategic choice (Qiu & Donaldson, 2010). Approximately 85% of these strategy-structure fits are supported by a German Multinational Corporations study, which could prove that strategy is an element to push structure to change to improve the performance. Additionally, economic environment has a strong relationship to the variables of organizational structure. The research to measure the relation between the perceived environmental uncertainty and the various organizational structures by Gordon and Narayanan (1984), they claims that the fluctuation of the economic environment has a dramatically correlation between how an organization be structured. When there is a high uncertain of environment, managers should imply a structure which could minimize the threatens of the uncertainty, and also should be flexible and adoptive enough to allow the products to change as required by the market, organic structure which is a most fitting framework for business to face the unstable environment as it could rapidly respond to the market uncertainty, it could reduce or increase the quantity of the products in a short time. On the other hand, when facing a lower environment uncertainty, mechanistic form is more tend to be effective and efficient, because the requirements of changing the products are less, this structure could help to improve the productivity. Stinchcombe suggests that environmental conditions are not only determine the particular goods or service that company should produced, moreover, it also determine the features of organization should be created to follow the market requirements (cited in Miles et al, 1974). Organizational structure should change in accordance with the various environments, so that the companies can produce the quantity and quality of the goods or services that the market required. In conclusion, this essay explains that organizational structure is contingent and it is very sensitive that could be affected by size, environment, and strategy. Forms of organization should be altered to improve performance and meet the requirements of external. Managers should choose an appreciate way to administrate the company by considering these elements. However, it is a challenge for decision makers to design an organization; managers should make sure that the new structure is sustainable and the employees are well-connected with each other. Child, J. (1973). Administrative Science Quarterly. Predicting and understanding of organization structure. Vol.18(2): 168-185. Pertusa-Ortega, E.M., Molian-Azorin, J.F,;Claver-Cortes,E.(2010). Competitive strategy, structure and firm performance. A comparison of the resource –based view and the contingency approach. Management Decision. Vol.48(7-8):1282-1303. Qiu,J. & Donaldson, L. (2010). â€Å"The Cubic Contingency Model: Towards a more comprehensive international strategy-structure model.† Journal of General Management, 36(1): 81-100. Miles, R.E., Sown, C.C. and Pfeffer, F. (1974), Organizational –Environment: Concepts and issues. Industrial relations, Vol.13(3):244-264. Gordon, L.A. and Narayanan, V.K. (1984), management accounting systems, perceived environmental uncertainty and organizational structure: an empirical investigation, Accounting, Organizational and Society. Vol.9, No.1, pp33-47.

Research Paper on Tax Incentives in Singapore

1. INTRODUCTION 1. Tax Incentives for Investments in Singapore Tax incentives have been an integral part of Singapore's economic development strategy since the 1960s. For more than 30 years, tax incentives have been used to attract investments and create jobs. Now we are the focal point for foreign investments, research and development and services in Asia. Over the years the government has introduced a wide range of tax incentives for a balanced economic growth of the various business sectors. This paper analyses how these incentives play a part in attracting foreign capital inflows to enhance the financial and industrial sectors in Singapore and their effectiveness in achieving our goals. 2. Purpose The purpose of this research is to gain an understanding of the tax incentives scene in Singapore, how it works and it effectiveness in achieving our aim of being a vibrant and robust global hub of knowledge-driven economy. 3. Our Research Questions for this Study As part of our research, the following questions were asked to direct us on our study: †¢ What are the tax incentives available under the ITA, EEIA and DTA to attract foreign capital inflows? †¢ How effective are these tax incentives? 4. Methodology We derived our information from books, online journals and other internet resources. 2. BACKGROUND 1. The Birth of the Income Tax Act, EEIA and DTA From a small fishing island to a cosmopolitan country within a span of 44 years is what Singapore has become today, with per capita GDP equal to that of the leading nations of Western Europe (Central Intelligence Agency, 2008)[1]. As a small island with limited, or rather, no resources to depend on, we have simply taken the world by surprise through the phenomenal economic growth that has taken place in a short period of time (Fordham, 1992)[2]. Our only resources are fish and deepwater sea and despite all the limitations that we were faced with, we have secured a place in the world map as the leading financial, educational, services, manufacturing and research and development hub. Then, â€Å"what is the clandestine of our achievements? † is the question that arises in all our minds. After being separated from Malaya, the government’s ambitious plans for the country to be industrially developed seemed too far-fetched especially with no natural resources to call its own (Fordham, 1992). It did not, however, relent to the fact that achieving its goals is uncertain now with its given economic state. Its leaders knew at that time Singapore needs to promote investment in new industries so that its goals can be achieved. Being under developed and with no achievements or resources to call its own, it was a palpable fact that Singapore had to make radical changes to attract foreign investors,. This is when tax incentives were spotted as a viable option to magnetize foreign capital inflows. The pre-existing Income Tax Act (1948) was evaluated to see how tax incentives could be integrated to accomplish these aspirations. Along with this, in 1967, the Economic Expansion Incentives Act (EEIA) was first introduced to solidify the expansion and development programs that were being carried out by the Economic Development Board (Fordham, 1992). In early 1960s, Singapore recognised the need for a dynamic manufacturing sector and export policies to draw MNCs so that we could be used as a production base to export goods worldwide. As a result of these aims, EEIA was introduced to grant tax benefits to manufacturing companies setting up production in pioneer areas in Singapore (Fordham, 1992). The development of international trade and multi national corporations has increased the issue of double taxation. As a company or individual looking beyond your own country for business opportunities and investments they would naturally be concerned with the problem of double taxation. Consequently they would seek to structure your operations at a minimum tax cost. This is where DTAs or tax treaties come into play 2. Incentives Available under ITA to Attract Foreign Capital Inflows Singapore has always been maintaining a competitive tax rate by being the lowest among the developed countries. Its purpose is to create an encouraging business environment for economic expansion (Tan, 1996). According to GuideMeSingapore, 2008, a web portal providing one-stop information on Singapore’s business environment to entrepreneurs, commented that â€Å"Singapore is often cited as the leading example of countries that continues to reduce corporate income tax rates and introduce various tax incentives to attract and keep global investments†. This is obvious in the frequent lowering of corporate tax rates since 1987. In 1989 the corporate income tax was reduced to 33 percent from 40 percent to follow the worldwide trend of lowering corporate taxes. The corporate tax rate was further lowered in 1990 to 31 percent to encourage multi-national companies (MNCs) to locate their treasury and financial operations here (Tan, 1996). From then on, corporate tax rate has been gradually decreasing. In 2004 corporate tax rate was reduced to 20 percent and with the release of the 2009 budget speech, corporate taxes will be cut to 17 percent in 2010. The aim of these reductions is to help businesses to curb operational costs so that Singapore can gain a competitive edge in continuing to attract high-tech and high value-added investments (Liu, 2007). From our research we found that there are several tax incentives in place to pull foreign investments to Singapore (IRAS, 2008) and we will be focusing on those that are relevant to our study. 1. DEDUCTION FOR EXPENSES ON RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT (R) This incentive was introduced in 2003 to allow company to deduct a second round of qualifying expenses from its income in addition to the automatic first deduction allowed under section 14D. Further amendments[3] were made in 2008 to entitle companies for an automatic 50 percent tax allowance (PWC, 2008). This R allowance can be used to offset against the company’s chargeable income for the next 3 years (i. e. 2009 to 2013) to motivate companies to carry out more R projects. This is coupled with meeting our aim to be a research and development hub in the global arena (MOF, 2008). After the introduction of the tax incentive, total R expenditure increased from $3. 4 billion to $4. 6 billion in 2005 (Lai, 2007)[4]. Majority of the R spending was contributed by the private sector, whose gross expenditure on R (GERD) increased by 1. 2 percent. By the end of 2005, GERD was at 2. 4 percent of GDP. Singapore had surpassed the EU-15’s[5] and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) averages of 1. percent and 2. 3 percent respectively (Lai, 2007). The increase in figures shows the effectiveness of the tax incentive program. According to the report, this figure is still lower compared to U. S (2. 7 percent) and Japan (3. 0 percent). Considering the fact that these countries are bigger in land and population size, our achievement is still commendable. 2. CONCESSIONARY RATE OF TAX FOR APPROVED HEADQUARTERS PROGRAM The purpose Headquarters Program was to encourage multinationals to base their main back offices in Singapore. This was to be achieved through reduced tax rate which is applied primarily to large-scale multinational corporations that relocate the management and headquarters functions of their subsidiaries and affiliates from other countries to Singapore. Section 43E of Income Tax Act provides that companies with their substantial operations located here can qualify for a 10 percent concessionary rate of tax (IRAS, 2008). This tax incentive has pulled and is continuing to pull foreign venture capitalists who provide the foreign capital infows. One such company is Societe Generale who received the OHQ award in January 2000. Besides this, Legg Mason Asset Management, Deutsche Asset Management, Merrill Lynch Mercury Asset Management and Zurich Scudder Investments are a few that were named in the MAS publication on New Initiatives for Enhancing Financial Sector Expertise, 2001. The motive for large-scale multinationals to relocate in Singapore is not only because of our highly advanced infrastructure, telecommunication and information facilities. It is also due to the support and encouragement that our government has been continuously offering through such tax incentives. 3. CONCESSIONARY RATE OF TAX FOR FINANCE AND TREASURY CENTRE (FTC) Foreign and Treasury Centre was introduced with the aim to entice foreign corporations to use Singapore as a base for conducting treasury management activities for related companies in the region. Under this scheme, foreign companies can enjoy a 10 percent concessionary tax rate from fee income from FTC subsidiaries, related companies and associates for provision of FTC services. According to Mr. Lee Chuan Teck, Executive Director for Financial Markets Strategy in MAS, by 2006 a total of 600 companies had chosen Singapore as their focal point to operate their financial services (MAS, 2006). According to the Survey on Corporate Risk Management Practices, 75 percent of the foreign MNCs cited EDB’s incentives as a reason for relocating their treasury centres in Singapore (Craig, 1997). This tells us the success of this incentive. 4. CONCESSIONARY RATE OF TAX FOR FINANCIAL SECTOR INCENTIVES (FSI) The FSI scheme offers a concessionary tax rate of 5% for qualifying high growth and high value-added activities and 10% for mature but tax-sensitive activities. The FSI is a measure designed to invite the front and back offices of multinational financial groups to Singapore so as to meet our overall goal to be a leading centre for competence in knowledge-driven activities and a choice location for company headquarters with responsibilities for product and capability charters (Geeta, 2002). Singapore’s vision is to be a pre-eminent financial centre in Asia. Technopreneurship 21 is the initiative that the government launched to achieve this goal. FSI plays a key role in attracting foreign multinationals to start-up their financial services in Singapore so that its dream of becoming a financial hub in the international arena can materialize. How far have been successful in this attempt is the question that we should be asking. As at 2005, 24 foreign full service licensees, 35 wholesale licensees and 46 offshore licensees operated in Singapore. Statistics provided by EDB (Embassy, 2006) for 2005 shows that foreign financial institution J. P Morgan Securities Asia, U. S. based MNC, had assets totalling up to US$14. 5 billion in Singapore. Singapore Department of Statistics reported that the financial and insurance services sector had generated US$49,223 of Foreign Direct Investments in 2003. That is 34 percent of the total FDI for that year (Embassy, 2006). 5. APPROVED GLOBAL TRADING COMPANY Global Trading Company was launched to facilitate and develop international trading activities. The GTP is a merger of the Approved Oil Trader (AOT) and the Approved International Trader (AIT) programmes. The programme encourages global trading companies to use Singapore as their regional or global base to conduct activities along the total trade value-add chain from procurement to distribution, in order to expand into the region and beyond (IEsingapore, 2009). Over the years, the programme has attracted a vibrant cluster of global trading companies to hub their strategic business functions in Singapore. These companies are key players in their respective industries such as oil trading, petrochemicals, agri-commodities and metals (IEsingapore, 2009). Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang announced in his speech during the Global Trader Networking Cocktail 2008 that in 2007, offshore trade by companies under IE Singapore’s Global Trader Programme, GTP, grew more than 30% to reach over US$465 billion. These companies employed over 7,000 staff and contributed S$7. 8 billion worth of total business spending. Much of the spending was in shipping, freight management and storage services, lending further testimony to Singapore’s strengths as a logistics and auxiliary services hub. From a modest start of 25 companies in 1989, there are currently more than 230 companies under the GTP (MTI, 2008) . 3. Incentives Available under EEIA Tax incentives available under EEIA are discussed below (IRAS, 2008). 1. PIONEER INDUSTRIES INCENTIVES The first aim of Pioneer Industries was to attract capital from both local and foreign companies who invest in new industries in Singapore. This incentive was introduced to draw investment in innovative areas to enhance Singapore’s industrial development (Fordham, 1992). Companies which qualified for PI were given a full tax exemption on qualifying profits for a period of time ranging from 5 years to 15 years. Implementation of this incentive saw a surge in the number of manufacturing industries that were set up here. By 1997, petroleum industries and electronics industries were dominating the Pioneer Manufacturing Establishments. MNCs like Exxon, Shell Sumitomo, Seagate, Hewlett-Packard and Compaq were already located here then contributing a total of S$117,104 million of foreign equity investment in Singapore (H H, 1997). As at 2004, the qualifying activities include services such as medical, publishing, education, automated warehousing facilities, exhibition and conference, financial, venture capital fund activity and so on (H H, 1997). 2. DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION INCENTIVE (DEI) This incentive is granted mainly to manufacturing and service industries that are engaged in capital investment to upgrade or modernize production capacity. The purpose of this incentive is to encourage greater growth and attract more companies to move into higher value-added activities. Under this scheme, eligible companies are entitled to preferential corporate tax rates for qualifying profits above a pre-determined base for a specific period (SPRING Singapore, 2008). According to the statistics collated by Ministry for Trade and Industry, the total investment by foreign companies in Singapore in development projects increased from$6,608 in 1997 to $17,187 in 2007. 3. OVERSEAS ENTERPRISE INCENTIVE (OEI) OEI was put in place to encourage local businesses to invest in a venture company, technology investment company or overseas investment company. OEI provides tax exemption on the qualifying income. Overseas investment should result in new business opportunities, activities as well as new technology to be introduced in Singapore. For instance DBS Bank, Bakerzin and Charles and Keith are a few prominent local bred companies which have ventured overseas. DBS Bank, Singapore’s local bank, has ventured into countries like Thailand, Hong Kong, India, Japan, U. S and many more (IESingapore, 2008). Bakerzin has franchises in KL, Jakarta, Shanghai and US while Charles and Keith had ventured into the Middle East and Asia Pacific markets (IESingapore, 2008). . Effect of DTA in attracting foreign capital inflows According to the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, we have 59 Double Taxation Agreements with various countries. These treaties were signed to relieve taxpayers from the burden of double taxation when they repatriate their earnings to their home country. These treaties aim to offer relief from double taxation, either by way of tax credit, tax exemption or a reduced tax rate. These reduced rates and exemptions vary among countries and specific items of income. Treaty provisions generally are reciprocal (apply to both treaty countries). Only Singapore tax residents and tax residents of the treaty country can enjoy the benefits of a DTA. Signing of these treaties has resulted in increased foreign investments from countries such as Europe, U. S. and Japan. In 1996 the total foreign investments was $125,274. The major investors then were Japan, Europe and U. S. In 2006 the investments rose to $363,935 and the major players are Japan, Europe, U. S, European Union and South and Central America and the Caribbean. 3. CONCLUSION Policies have been the driving force for a small nation like Singapore to achieve so much within a short period of time. With no natural resources, foreign capital inflows in the form of foreign direct investments has played major part in shaping our nation to what it is today. With less to offer, tax incentives are one of the key reasons that had attracted many foreign companies creating a pool of foreign capital inflows. Our research on the various tax incentives has showed us that, indeed, they were effective enough to attract foreign companies to locate here with their technology and know-how. The early years efforts to industrialize our economy paid off and that had enabled us to improve our air and seaport facilities, telecommunication, information technology, warehousing and logistics facilities. Tax incentives have been working in the background and today these are some of our achievements (www. sedb. govs. sg): Now as we move towards being knowledge based economy with technopreneurial goals, our tax incentives have been further enhanced through the R deductions and allowing more activities to be qualified under the Pioneer Industries. Thus in our opinion, the tax incentives offered under ITA, EEIA and DTA have been effective in attracting foreign capital inflows which have shaped our country thus far. BIBILIOGRAPHY Agency, C. I. (2008). Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from CIA: www. cia. gov Craig, F. (1997). Survey of Coporate Risk Management Practices 1997. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from Singapore Foreign Exchange Market Committee: http://www. sfemc. org/annual_report/Tansformation_AR_1997_-b. pdf D. J. (1996, December). Learning from Singapore: Road to Non-agonised Budgeting. Asian Journal of Public Administration . E. o. (2006, January). Singapore Investment Climate Report. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from http://singapore. usembassy. gov: http://singapore. usembassy. gov/uploads/images/HiMDAFJ23iuXGl0Th5mNsA/InvestClimate2006. pdf Fordham, M. (1992). Tax Incentives for Investment & Expansion (2 ed. ). Longman Singapore Publishers (Pte) Ltd. G. H. (2002). Singapore as an Investing Ground: A Review. Retrieved April 2009, from www. excelsol. com. sg: http://www. xcelsol. com/env/envsg. pdf GuideMeSingapore. (2008, April 14). Singapore Corporate Income Tax Guide. (GuideMeSingapore, Editor, & Janus Corporate Solutions 2006) Retrieved March 28, 2009, from GuideMeSingapore: http://www. guidemesingapore. com/corporate-taxation/c321-corporate-taxation-system-overview. htm H H, A. T. (1997, August 27). Official Efforts to Attract FDI: Case of Singapore's EDB. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from National University o f Singapore: http://www. fas. nus. edu. sg/ecs/pub/wp/previous/AHTAN2. pdf IEsingapore. (2009). Global Trader Program. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from IE Singapore: http://www. iesingapore. gov. sg/wps/portal/AssistanceProgrammes/FinancialIncentives/GTP IRAS. (2008, February 14). Applying for Tax Incentives. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore: http://www. iras. gov. sg/irasHome/page04. aspx? id=1746 L. D. (2007, March). Growth of Research and Development in Singapore: 2000 – 2005. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from Singapore Statistics Department: http://www. singstat. gov. sg/pubn/papers/economy/ssnmar07-pg1-7. df L. Y. (2007). Nanyang Technological University. Retrieved April 2, 2009, from ScienceDirect. com: http://www3. ntu. edu. sg/home/ayuliu/2007%20JPM%20LYH%20-%20Facing%20the%20challenge. pdf MAS. (2006). SPEECH ON REGIONAL TREASURY CENTRES IN SINGAPORE BY. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from Monetary Authority of Singapore: http://www. mas. gov. sg/news_room/statements/2006/Speech_on_Regional_Treasury_Centres_in_Singapore. html MOF. (2008). L iberalization of R&D Tax Deduction. Retrieved March 28, 2009, from Ministry of Finance: http://www. gpolitics. net/budget2008/annexb-2. pdf MTI. (2008, May 25). Global Trader Networking Cocktail 2008 Speech By Minister Lim Hng Kiang. Retrieved April 3, 2009, from Ministry for Trade and Industry: http://app. mti. gov. sg/default. asp? id=148&articleID=13861 PWC. (2008, November). IRAS issues a circular on research and development (R&D) tax measures . Retrieved April 2, 2009, from PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited: http://www. pwc. com/extweb/manissue. nsf/docid/6D2E3517BF8BE91DCA25753C00373526 T. T. (1996). Corporate Income Tax in Singapore: Issues and Future Directions. In M. G. Asher, & a. Tyabji (Eds. ), Fiscal System of Singapore (p. 196). Pagesetters Services Pte Ltd. ———————– [1] CIA – The World factbook – https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sn. html. [2] Fordham, Margaret BA Durham â€Å"Tax Incentives for Investment and Expansion 2/E 1992 [3] Based on the IRAS circular, definition of R&D was amended to incorporate the requirements that the R&D study must be systematic, investigative and experimental. R&D project must involve novelty or technical risk and be undertaken with the object of acquiring new knowledge or using the results of the study for the production or improvement of materials, devices, products, produce or processes. The list of specifically excluded activities in the definition of R&D has also been expanded so that routine modifications, cosmetic modifications or stylistic changes, as well as the development of software that is not intended for sale, lease or license to third parties are excluded. However, an exception is introduced for research in the social sciences and humanities and for software development that is undertaken wholly or mainly to support a qualifying R&D project. In these cases, the expenditure can be included as part of the qualifying R&D project expenditure. More information is available at http://www. pwc. com/extweb/manissue. nsf/docid/6D2E3517BF8BE91DCA25753C00373526 [4] The National R&D Survey is attached as Annex 2 [5] The European Union-15 comprises Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

Educational Opportunity Program Essay

The State University of New York Educational Opportunity Program was created by the state of New York in order to provide access, academic support and financial aid to students who may not otherwise be admitted to state graduate programs. This program falls under state university guidelines within the state government so there are specific enrollment rules such as the necessity of being a New York State resident at the time of application. The website for the program is http://www.suny. edu/Student/academic_eop. cfm. Mission The mission of the State University of New York Educational Opportunity Program is to provide access to graduate level education. This program focuses on students who show promise within their chosen field but who may not have access to a graduate education. The EOP program carefully considers all applicants but gives preference to students who are ineligible for enrollment under standard guidelines and/or come from disadvantaged backgrounds. Further, the program is designed to support students financially and academically in order to give them an opportunity to complete a higher education degree while also providing the support necessary to live up to their full potential. Resources The most important resource that the State University of New York Educational Opportunity Program provides is a graduate level education. Students who are part of the program receive support services including academic, career and personal counseling services as well as tutoring and additional instruction if necessary. The EOP program also provides financial aid for non tuition related expenses such as books and school supplies. However, the most important resource that the program offers is the monetary aid necessary to enroll in and complete a graduate level course of study. Good and Services While the State University New York Educational Opportunity Program does not provide tangible goods it does provide essential services to its more than ten thousand current students as well as its over fifty thousand alumni. The purpose of the services offered is to provide the tools necessary for economically or racially disadvantaged students to complete graduate level courses of study. These services help these students overcome the educational challenges they face in order to obtain higher education and go on to live successful and productive lives. To this end, the EOP program is customized to meet the academic, career and personal needs of all students through a variety of counseling programs. Further, the services offered are designed in such a way so that students receive the support necessary to complete their degree even when facing enormous struggles. Former students report feeling as if their support mentors enabled them to believe in themselves and to never give up on their educational dreams. Conclusion I chose this program because it is a very important part of the educational success of many disadvantaged students. I believe that all people should have access to higher education but this is not always the reality. Many students face such enormous struggles that they never receive a graduate level degree. This program has enabled many students to realize their dreams of an education through financial, career, academic and personal support. References DiNapoli, Thomas P. (2007). State University of New York Educational Opportunity Program. Division of State Government Accountability. Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from http://osc. state. ny. us/audits/allaudits/093008/07s99. pdf. Henehan, David. (2007). SUNY Educational Opportunity Program celebrates 40 years. The State University of New York. Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from https://www. suny. edu/SUNYNews/News. cfm? PrintFlag=Y&filname=2007-11-02+final+online+EOP+turns+40+II. htm. The State University of New York. (2009). Educational opportunity program. Retrieved on April 21, 2009 from http://www. suny. edu/Student/academic_eop. cfm.

Ethical Perspective: the Role of Social Media in Recruitment and Selection Essay

Ethical Perspective: The Role of Social Media in Recruitment and Selection â€Å"A† is a Bangladeshi holding company that conducts its business all over the world. The company aims to be recognized as a global brand and is currently in the process of expanding its operation. To achieve its goal of global expansion, â€Å"A† is looking to hire new executives who are young, energetic and outgoing. The executives should have good communication skill as they will have to correspond with potential clients from all over the world. They should also possess a likeable personality as their work will be people-oriented. The executives should be technologically competent as they may have to communicate online. Mr. Rahim is a senior manager who wants to use social media as a tool to collect more information about the potential recruits. He argues that, as the candidates themselves shared the information on public, it will be completely legal and ethical to use that information in their recruitment and selection process. Look more:  google recruitment process essay As the candidates themselves shared their personal information on a public website, it would not be a breach of privacy to use that information either. He also argues that, when people are asked to share information in a job interview, they are more like to only share the information that make them look good and conceal the information that make them look bad. Thus, the information collected from their personal Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts should help the company judge the candidate from an unbiased point of view. Mr.  Karim, another senior manager, is however against the use of social media to collect personal information. From his point of view, it will be an invasion of privacy to collect information from their social media accounts as the candidates intended their accounts for personal use. He also believes that the company should only use the information provided by the candidates themselves in the recruitment and selection process. He thinks that the data collected from social media sites are more likely to be biased as the candidates may not have been serious when posting them. He argues that although the potential recruits shared their personal information on a public website, they did not give them the permission to use it as a criterion to evaluate their job effectiveness. If this information relates to some aspect of a candidate’s background that could not be requested in an interview, such as age, cultural background, sexual orientation, etc, they could be contravening discrimination law. As the job requires good communicative skills, Mr.  Rahim believes that the company should look into the social media presence of their potential recruits. He argues, that if someone doesn’t have a social media account in this age, they are most likely to be backdated and quite incapable of working in a global company. Also, people who have more friends or followers in facebook and twitter are more likely to be outgoing. As the company is looking for outgoing people to join the organization, it should be a valid and reliable selection tool. Mr. Karim is strongly against this view. He argues that a person’s personality cannot be judged by looking at their social media profile. Just because someone has more friends or followers on social media sites, it cannot be said for certain that person has a more likeable personality. It will be unethical and discriminatory to exclude quality candidates just because they are not active on social media sites. Mr.  Rahim believes that people who post sexist, racist, homophobic remarks on facebook may damage the business reputation of â€Å"A†. Some international business partners of â€Å"A† may even stop doing business with them. So, â€Å"A† has every right to discriminate against employees who post controversial content on their social media accounts. People, who identify with extremist religious or political groups on social media sites, should not be selected as employees. Mr.  Karim argues people’s behavior on social media may not be a true reflection of their views. Just because someone appears sexist, racist or homophobic on social media, that doesn’t mean that that’s how they are in real life. Also, a person’s religious and political views are completely his own. It is certainly not ethical to judge a candidate simply based on what they do in their own time away from work. â€Å"A† cannot discriminate against potential candidates just because they shared their views strongly on social media sites.