Saving and Investing free essay sample

Saving and Investing (32. 0 points) 1. Describe a real or made up but realistic situation that could cause you or someone you know to have to use money from a financial reserve. (3-6 sentences. 2. 0 points): having to get a car. Another situation could be house repairs. 2. How many months worth of expenses do you think your financial reserve should include? Describe at least two reasons for this decision. (3-6 sentences. 2. 0 points): 6 months because I could lose my job. It will make me go into my financial reserve. I may also have to pay medical bills because someone got sick or injured. 3. Would you rather have a savings account that offered simple interest, or an account that offered compound interest? Why? (3-6 sentences. We will write a custom essay sample on Saving and Investing or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 2. 0 points): compound interest. Over time the compound interest will build up more interest in the account. In time, the interest generates its own interest. 4. If you were opening a savings account with compound interest, would you prefer an account that offers annual compounding, quarterly compounding, or daily compounding? Why? (3-6 sentences. 2. points): Daily compounding would give the best annual return, as the amount would grow faster than annual or quarterly compounding. Each day the savings grow a little bit, building upon the growth from the previous days. 5. Which strategy for saving do you think would work best for you? Why? (3-6 sentences. 2. 0 points): Make a monthly budget and save a percentage of what is left over after bills and groc eries. I set up an automatic monthly transfer from checking to savings. That way I wont forget and spend that money on something. 6. Describe two financial goals that you would want to meet before you begin investing. Explain why you would want to reach those goals first. (2-4 sentences. 2. 0 points) I would first want to create an emergency fund with enough money to live on for months, if I were to be fired from my job or have a family emergency. 7. Describe at least two factors of an investment that you would want to consider before putting money into that specific investment. (2-4 sentences. 2. 0 points) Interest yield and current value. 8. Calculate the return on investment in dollars and as a percentage for an investment that you purchase for $500 and sell for $600. 2. 0 points) 20 % ($100 profit) 9. Describe two examples of debt investments. (1-2 sentences. 1. 0 points): US Treasuries  (Government debt   what the government sells to pay for its) and corporate bonds (debt issues by companies to pay for usually new things the company wants to) 10. Describe two examples of equity investments. (1-2 sentences. 1. 0 points) A stock or any other security representing an ownership interest. On a companys balance sheet, the amount of the funds contributed by the owners. Also referred to as shareholders equity. 11. If you were a new investor who wanted to invest in stock, would you prefer to invest in registered public stock, or unregistered private stock? Why? (2-4 sentences. 1. 0 points) Registered public stock. Most people do, and I can be more confident if I invest in that. 12. Describe an alternative investment that you might invest in someday, and explain why this investment is appealing to you. (2-4 sentences. 2. 0 points) Peer-to-peer lending. Its a high return investment but also high risk. There are ways to invest in Peer-to-peer to minimize risk. Its a great alternative investment option. 3. Describe at least three other investments you want to make with your income either now or someday in the future. Explain why you think these particular investments would be good choices. (3-6 sentences. 3. 0 points)   FOREX trading, single-share companies, HYIP. These investments are more likely to stay afloat. Even if they are smaller than investments such as Google, small companies can also b e a good investment. 14. Describe two types of investment accounts that you might use in the future. For each type of account, list at least one reason why the type of account might be useful to you. 2-4 sentences. 2. 0 points) IRA and mutual funds. 15. Search online to find information about a stocks performance, and then provide the information below. You could choose a stock such as Amazon. com or Google, or you could choose another stock that interests you. TIP: Morningstar. com or Yahoo! Finance (finance. yahoo. com) are good sources of stock information. a. The date you collected this information. (0. 5 points)   April 30, 2013 b. The website where you collected this information. (0. 5 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  https://www. google. com/finance c. The name of the company you chose (0. points)   Google d. The stocks ticker symbol (0. 5 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Public. ASX:QAN e. The 52 week high (0. 5 points) 827. 64 f. Th e 52 week low (0. 5 points) 817. 68 g. The Yield percentage (0. 5 points) 1. 4% h. The Volume of stock sold (0. 5 points) 2,306,636 i. The stocks value at the close of business (0. 5 points)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  $824. 57 j. The net change in the stock over the course of the day (0. 5 points)   . 67% 16. Describe an example of an equity investment that can also produce income. (1-3 sentences. 1. 0 points) fixed annuities from insurance cos

The Connotations of 30 Synonyms for Cheat and Fool

The Connotations of 30 Synonyms for Cheat and Fool The Connotations of 30 Synonyms for Cheat and Fool The Connotations of 30 Synonyms for Cheat and Fool By Mark Nichol Numerous terms, many of them derived from colorful underworld slang, exist to refer to the action of cheating or fooling someone. This post describes the connotation inherent in some of these words and phrases. 1–2. The implication of the nonsense words bamboozle and hornswoggle is that the perpetrator sets out to confuse the mark, or victim. 3. Beguile suggests that the mark is lulled into a false sense of security. 4. Bluff implies that the perpetrator is boasting or making false claims, as someone would to gain an advantage in a card game. 5. Buffalo alludes to the stolid strength of an animal, appropriate to refer to the perpetrator’s efforts to overcome the mark’s caution or reluctance by sheer determination. 6–7. Bleed suggests slowly draining the mark of his or her wealth; squeeze has the same implication. 8. Burn implies that the mark has been damaged by the perpetrator, as if exposed to flame. 9. Chisel suggests that the perpetrator is whittling away at the mark’s defenses to achieve the desired outcome. 10. Con, a truncation of confidence, alludes to the perpetrator’s efforts to gain the mark’s trust so that the person is vulnerable to the persuasion necessary to cheat him or her. 11. Cozen suggests coaxing or trickery. 12. Euchre refers to the act of preventing someone from winning in the game of that name and, by extension, means â€Å"cheat† or, because the game rounds are called tricks, â€Å"trick.† 13–14. Fleece and skin allude to the idea of being deprived of one’s protection. 15. The origins of gaff are obscure, but the word was once slang for a music hall or theater, so the implication may allude to the deceitful promise of an entertainment that was falsely advertised as being worth the admission price. 16–17. Game- and gammon, perhaps derived in Middle English from game- connote both the playful and strategic aspects of cheating, as if the perpetrator is not only toying with the mark but has also carefully planned the ruse. 18. Gyp derives from the widespread association of the nomadic Romani people, long called gypsies (from the mistaken belief that they originated in Egypt, though the ethnic origins of the Romani are in India), with deceitfulness and thievery. (The terms are now widely considered offensive.) 19. Hoodwink originally meant â€Å"blindfold,† so the connotation is of the perpetrator blinding the mark about the truth. 20. Hoax implies an elaborate scheme to persuade the mark that something false is true. 21. Hustle conjures an image of someone being pushed and prodded along toward an outcome advantageous to the perpetrator and detrimental to the mark. 22. Juggle suggests manipulating the mark by constantly keeping him or her off balance as if the mark were being thrown about without a chance to ground himself or herself. 23. Mulct originally meant â€Å"fine,† but its meaning was extended to â€Å"defraud.† 24. Shortchange refers to the literal act of giving someone less money than he or she is owed. 25. Snooker may come from the name of the variation of the game of pool, perhaps from the notion that the mark is tricked into betting that he or she can defeat the perpetrator. 26. Snow compares the perpetrator’s effort to the blinding quality of a snowstorm, preventing the mark from seeing the trick. 27–28. Stick and sting, like burn, allude to the pain that the deception causes the mark. 29. â€Å"String along† implies that the mark is being led to perform an action that will be to his or her detriment. The perpetrator figurative pulls the mark along, but not so heavy-handedly that the mark is dragged; the suggestion is that the leading occurs subtly, little by little, encouraging the mark to do what the perpetrator wants of his or her own volition, with a minimum of provocation. 30. Swindle, which comes from a German word meaning â€Å"dizzy,† connotes disorientation of the mark. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Redundant Phrases to Avoid50 Diminutive Suffixes (and a Cute Little Prefix)Bail Out vs. Bale Out

Reading response 11 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reading response 11 - Assignment Example Every individual differs in ability to perform easy and difficult tasks which means it is the variation of WM that differentiates one person from the other. Numbers can be remembered by storing in phonological short-term memory (PSTM), and since such storage can rapidly decay therefore rehearsal process is adopted which is hindered by similar sounding items or long length of words. Short-term memory is enhanced through repetition of words known and the maximum ability to do so in correct order is known as digit span which again depends on articulation rate. In order to assess the capacity of PSTM, one needs to repeat nonsense words, and if long length of such words can be remembered it means PSTM’s capacity is strong. In digit span and nonword repetition, one has to remember not only the items but also the correct sequence. The composition of WM is important for language learning provided the learning process is explicit which means it is intentionally controlled. In another chapter, DeKeyser explores the age effects in second language (L2) learning. It is a common phenomenon that children brought up in a foreign country grow up to speak the native language in their true essence while the parents retain accent of their own language. Researchers have suggested that starting to learn L2 at early age is more convenient since brain plasticity decreases in later age. Although adults can easily learn L2 but still this theory is not opposed for three reasons. One is that adults already have the experience of leaning a language which means they are aware of the basics of learning. Secondly, adults have more cognitive power and so can easily learn specific facets of L2. Finally in spite of learning L2, adults fail to reach the native standard of pronunciation. There are other factors attached to the critical period hypothesis. Studies have shown that children invariably attain native standard L2 which however

Classroom Management Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Classroom Management Styles - Essay Example From this essay it is clear that the severity of the problems that some teachers face is different from others, but the basic issues are the same. The basic concern for every teacher is on how to handle student misbehaviors in their classrooms. Most teachers are aware of how to handle the extreme misbehaviors, like swearing, fighting, stealing, drug use, and so on. In regard to these issues, most schools have a clear protocol on how to handle them. Of greater concern are smaller issues such as sleeping in class, excessive talking, and students getting out of their desks without permission. These minor misbehaviors can be much more disruptive and stressful for a teacher than the extreme issues. This is because a majority of teachers do not have an effective plan in place ahead of time to handle them. As a result, teachers are forced to react on the spot without a prepared response. Such response may aggravate the issue and may pass a teacher as one who has lost control of the class. I t should always be stressed that the critical issue in classroom management is that the teacher must always ensure absolute control. This way student feel obliged to follow instructions and behave in a way that is not disruptive to the others. Classroom problems have their genesis early in the lives of children.  

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Freedom to Comment Reflection Essay

Starbucks HR Policies and Practices

Starbucks HR Policies and Practices Contents (Jump to) IntroductionBackground of the Study DefinitionsRationaleHRMOrganizational PerformanceHuman Capital Advantage Company Information [Starbucks] Literature ReviewHRM and Organizational PerformanceHRM Policies PracticesRecruitment Selection PolicyReward PolicyEmployees Development PolicyHuman Capital and Competitive Advantage Critical AnalysisCurrent and past HRM policies in StarbucksPast and current HRM challenges in Starbucks HRM Policies and StarbucksRecruitment selection Policy and StarbucksReward Policy and StarbucksEmployees Development Policy and Starbucks Personal Reflection LearningIssues Identified in Starbucks Policies Recommendations and ConclusionsRecommendationsConclusion References In this essay the impacts of Human Resource Management (HRM) policies are evaluated on organizational performance with a thorough study of Starbucks. It provides complete insides into the Human Resource (HR) three dimensional model and its implementation in Starbucks is evaluated. Introduction Background of the Study The workforce of an organization is considered as a source of competitive edge over the competitors for that organization (Barney, 1991) (Barney, 1991) (Pfeffer, 1998). So due to this the significance of the employees has risen greatly and the need of the organization to develop a better human resource system has become one of the major organizational concerns to ensure the optimum use of human capital to get their maximum productivity. This increasing importance of human capital has raised the interest of the researchers to understand the relationship between high performance and effective human resource management policies and so far many researchers have also confirmed that effective human resource policies have positive effects over the performance of the organization (Huselid, 1995). But still we can see a huge gap in studies that have been conducted to understand the impacts of that positive relationship between organizational performance and effective human resource management system for multinational companies. Most of the previous researches have been conducted to understand the implications of that relationship on Domestic industries of Europe (e.g., Guest and Hoque, 2008); USA and very few studies have been made in Asia. Rationale This essay is focused to understand the HRM policies adopted by big multinational retail service provider Starbucks and critically discusses what type of value they have created by successful implementation of these HRM policies in the form of more committed and motivated workforce. Definitions HRM HRM is an important function of organizations performed internally in order to hire the required workforce, manage them effectively and ensure that they are working in right direction in order to achieve overall organizational goals (Robert L. Mathis,ÂÂ  John H. Jackson, 2008). Organizational Performance When we compare the planned or expected output of the organization with the actual performance we can get the organizational performance level (Daniel M Wentland, 2009). Human Capital Advantage According to Boxal, 1996 the human capital advantage is collection of all specific HR activities that are considered as special features of that firm, although these practices are performed by using formal as well as informal both types of processes. Company Information [Starbucks] This essay discusses the effectiveness of HRM policies on the organizational performance of Starbucks. It is one of the some major organizations, dealing in retail sector that offers magnificent benefits to its both full time and part time employees. Starbucks is coffee Stores Company originated in 1917 in Seattle, USA and now it has become a large organization working at world level in 44 countries with 15000 stores. It is one of the leading organizations in retail business and is known for its special coffee brand and as roaster. The company has implemented five corporate strategies that are; offer best quality products, ensure maximum penetration in market, offering a highly social atmosphere, provide relaxing, develop the best working conditions and increase the profitability of the company by offering high margin products and reducing the costs (Jacqueline L, John L. Colley,ÂÂ   Doyle,ÂÂ  Robert D. Hardie, 2004). It has adopted the Laissez Faire management style and above the management at store level it has hour different levels of management in its organizational structure. The skills that give it advantage of its competitors are the ability to make drinks and the skills of employees. At Starbucks employees are considered as partners of the organization and provided with special trainings to develop better understanding of the product and teach them new methods of brewing and techniques of sales. Partners have powers to take decisions when needed and shift supervisors assign them duties. Evalua tions and Promotions are used to motivate them. The performance of the company is well observed through the balance sheet of last five years as the assets of the company have been doubled as they were in 2005. Owners equity is also raised (SBUX, Balance sheet) Literature Review HRM and Organizational Performance According to most of the HRM specialists the effective human resource management system is very much important to achieve high levels of organizational performance (Delery, 2009; MacDuffie, 1999). According to them the effective Human resource management system is mostly designed to ensure high organizational performance by getting optimum overall output of the company rather than having more focus on individual performance. As Reeves and Dare (2007) describes that we can get high performance from an employee by increasing his motivation and abilities by using any method. In the field of HRM and organizational performance a significant contribution is from Huczynski and Buchanan, 2009. According to them when HRM activities are designed in an organization according to its strategy it increases the productivity level of the organization, reduces its turnover and also enables it to perform well in financial sector (Huczynski Buchanan, 2009). Their findings proved that when organization succeeded to satisfy its workforce and make them committed it can make its performance in corporate sector much better. The productivity is also very much dependant on the job design (Huczynski Buchanan, 2009). HRM Policies Practices According to Huselid and Becker (1995) have critically examined the human resource management system and find out the three major dimensions of it. Recruitment Selection Policy Many studies have proved that an effective recruitment and selection process in organization is very much crucial for its success and to achieve high performance goal of the company. The system should be rigorous and should be designed to meet the overall organizational goals according to Reeves ad Dare (2007). The researchers have found that there is a positive relationship between effective recruitment and selection process of the company and overall organizational performance. When organization selects employees who best match its requirements and have enough abilities to contribute to the overall success of the company they can reduce their cost of employee development, they dont need to invest in employee training programs that costs a lot to the organizations. Reward Policy According to many researchers the compensation based on performance is a very successful tool to get high performance level (e.g. Arthur, 1998; Delery and Doty, 2009; Huselid, 1995; MacDuffie, 1999). Doty and Delery (2009) even declare the reward system based on performance as only method of achieving high performance level. Along these many other studies have discussed the positive relationship of performance based reward system with the overall performance of the organization Like in control theory by Snell, 1999, cost theory by Wright and Jones, 1992, and agency theory by Eisenhardt, 1988 and all these studies have found a positive relationship between the overall performance of the organization and the reward system based on performance. According to expectancy theory by Vroom 1964 the high performance level of an individual can be expected if organization meet his expected needs. But most important thing is that the reward system based on performance is dependent on other functi ons of human resource management. The individual output should not be the only basis of rewards provided by the company; organization should also consider the contributions of that person in the overall organizational performance. Employees Development Policy The performance of an organization is very much dependant on the employees development policy of the organization. Organizations use a number of practices in order to develop their human capital. First of all the investments made by the organization, to provide non-technical and technical trainings to its workforce, determines the success of organization to increase the knowledge level of its employees. According to many researchers like Huselid and Delaney (1995), McGrath and Koch (1996), Huselid (1995) the organizational performance can be increased greatly by providing proper training to the workforce. They all have developed a positive relationship between overall organizational performance and the employee development policies of the organization. Organizational are now more concerned to develop their employees in order to achieve high performance they invest in their trainings and also try to make it possible to have long-term mutually beneficial relationship with them (Doty an d Delery 2009). In order to enable their employees to plan their careers properly they design proper career development programs for them. The companies that have promotion system from within the organization they have usually more committed and motivated employees as they want to work hard in order to get promotion (Snell and Lepak, 1999) and when company adopts internal promotion system it shows the commitment of the organization towards its workforce. Human Capital and Competitive Advantage With the increasing globalization trends the importance of skilled human resource have raised greatly, now human resource is considered that if an organization invests its efforts to Develop its human resource as an advantage in result that human capital will contribute to establish overall competitive advantage of the organization (Boxal, 1999). Critical Analysis Current and past HRM policies in Starbucks The committed and motivated employees have great significance in the overall organizational success and Starbucks realize that very early. So Starbucks gave great importance to recruitment process in order to select right people for jobs and develop them and retain them in order to get sustainable high performance of the organization. And effective HRM policies adopted by the company also shows its commitment towards its human resource. From its start Starbucks has given great importance to its frontline staff and baristas because they give it competitive advantage by providing the customers the experience of the Starbucks. They always remained the center of the companys attentions. From first day while hiring someone for company, the qualities that are given great importance are dependability, adaptability and ability of the candidate to work as an effective member of a team. Still, as current HR policy to develop the right people the Starbucks is making huge investments in the development and training processes of the workforce. They are taught the techniques and skills that they will be required to perform their tasks while working at Starbucks and increase their efficiency as well. With these huge investments in human resource the Starbucks can expect to have strong employee satisfaction level (HRM, Starbucks). Past and current HRM challenges in Starbucks The biggest challenge that Starbucks cope with in first decade of 21st century is to maintain the goodwill of the organization while having a high expansion rate and to develop the qualified workforce to support its expansion policy. The analysts were in doubt that with this fast expansion policy whether it would be able to meet the goals to be a positive employer. In early years of 21st century the company claimed that its huge costs on human development have been showing great in the financial position of the organization. In fiscal year 2004 the spending on human resource development was more than its spending on advertising expenses that were $68.3 million. In mid of 2004 in order to meet these heavy costs the company needed to increase the price of its beverages with 11cents these were already premium prices for the Starbucks products. But other hand company was not in position to cut down the incentives that it provides to workforce because that action can lead a major decrease in their morale. Starbucks still keeps its high expansion policy as every day it is adding 5 new stores in its portfolio with 200 new employees. So the challenges for Starbucks are not changed as they were at the start of 21st century (SBUX, Daily Finance). HRM Policies and Starbucks Recruitment selection Policy and Starbucks Starbucks is one of the world biggest organizations and having each day addition of five new stores in its large profile and in order to maintain this magnificent growth Starbucks has to hire 200 new employees every day. The process of recruitment in Starbucks includes many tools like interview of the candidates in which they also attend the sessions of coffee tasting and the terms and conditions are being developed and they are emphasized to provide with notes that are handwritten rather than response letters also the use to phone calls if appreciated. By using all these tools Starbucks get to know the response time of candidates. Starbucks also asks its recruiters to regularly send gift cards of Starbucks to its job applicants whether they are selected or not for job they must be treated as customers for the company. The process of recruitment in Starbucks is specifically designed for the job that is needed to be filled. The mission of the Starbucks is to expect the diversity and p rovide the employees the opportunity to develop themselves. After passing the interview Starbucks first train its employees before final selection (Starbucks, ICMR India). Reward Policy and Starbucks Starbucks always give more importance to its people than products, in a store staff it has 16 partners and one manager and one assistant manager on them. The incentives that Starbucks provide to its workforce are free health care that also includes vision and dental care facilities. It offers Stock options as well in the form of extra benefits and along this the employees who work average 20 hours a week for the company and continue it for three months company provides them shift drinks free and free pound of tea or coffee in every week. The rise in salaries of employees is based on performance evaluations that are conducted semi annually and these raises can be from 0% to 5%. Company does not offer any monetary bonuses but provide many non monetary awards like it offers about 30% discounts to the employees on all goods that they buy (Starbucks, ICMR India). The contribution of partners in overall organizational performance is recognized by several different kinds of programs. Just l ike company has implemented a program of Green Apron, that is an evidence of Starbucks commitment towards environmental issues and its brand behavior. Green Apron book is provided to every partner that contains the values of the company and desired behaviors and peer recognition cards. Team contributions are also recognized to evaluate their performance. Employees Development Policy and Starbucks In employee development policy Starbucks has designed training programs and learning sessions for new as well as existing employees. The employees are provided refresher courses in order to align their skills with industry customer demands. In training programs that Starbucks offers to its employees include; customer dealing techniques, coffee making workshops, customer care programs. Personal Reflection: I will make the comparison of Starbucks with an IRAN based coffee provider named Tunnel Restaurant Coffee Shop. This is a big chain of Coffee shops and restaurants with 15000 employees in IRAN. The chain network of the company is spread in whole IRAN with 724 stores. If we compare the three HR dimensional model of this restaurant with Starbucks; The reward system in Tunnel restaurant is not based on performance of the workers they have fixed reward system and annual bonuses that are aligned with religious festivals. While Starbucks ha performance based reward system discussed above. They lack the business knowledge due to the nonexistence of capital based business. Employee development also not that much efficient as they still based on traditional views and take human resource as business costs. Employee selection process is much better and we can say too much extant same like Starbucks they have policy to hire the people from the area where they operate their store (ChefMoz Dining Guide, Tunnel Restaurant Coffee Shop, 2009). Learning: The application of three HR dimensional model for performance of Starbucks has helped me a lot to develop understanding about how to identify the organizational needs and designing systems according to those specific areas where need occurs and to cover the deficiencies. These three dimensions are very much crucial for the organizations as they help to develop the business to create most precious asset that is human capital. Issues Identified in Starbucks policies: Most of the workforce of Starbucks is below the 20 years of age and the incentives that Starbucks is providing are more focused on health facilities that include medical, vision and dental care facilities and also Stock options for employees. The numbers of monetary awards that are being offered to employees are very few include semi-annual raises and wage rates based on per hour working. Although the focus of the Starbucks is more on providing the third place atmosphere but still the turnover rate of employees is very high and one of the big reasons behind it is the exchange of managers in store whenever upper management wants so it has very bad impacts on the partners. One more issue that company is facing in this area is that although the focus of the company is equal on direct labors and high margin products but the performance of some stores is not satisfactory in this segment. Recommendations and Conclusions Recommendations Although Starbucks is one of those few multinationals that have strong commitment towards their people but after this study we can make many recommendations to the company to do in near future in order to increase their performance; While designing the incentive package for the employees company should also consider the age factor of them and offer benefits according to their needs. The number of monetary awards should also be increased with non monetary benefits as it is argued that monetary benefits motivate faster and have long term effects on employees. The exchange of managing level staff should not be frequent. The audit should be done carefully and the stores that are not performing well they should be closed as they cause extra costs to the company. Conclusion Starbucks is one of the big organizations of the globe it has a large employee base and the way through which it is managing its employees is very appreciable although the need for more work in some areas is always remain even in perfect systems. References Barney, Jay B, 2004, sustained competitive advantage and resources of Firm. Management journal, pp 99-120. Boxall, P. (1998), Achieving competitive advantage through human resource strategy: towards a theory of industry dynamics, Human Resource Management Review, pp. 265-288. ChefMoz Dining Guide, 2009, Tunnel Restaurant Coffee Shop Delaney and Huselid, 1995, HRM impact on organizational performance perceptions. Journal of Management, PP 949-969. Delery, Harold Doty, 2009, Models of theorizing in strategic human resource management, Academy of Management Journal, pp 802-835. Dyer, Lee Todd Reeves. 2007. Human resource strategies and firm performance, The International Journal of HRM, pp 656-670. Daniel M Wentland, 2009, Organizational Performance in a Nutshell, pp 3-7. Eisenhardt, Kathleen 1988, Agency and institutional-theory explanations: The case of retail sales compensation. Academy of Management Journal, pp 488-511. Guest and Kim Hoque, 2008, in new non-union workplaces the Employment relations. HRM Journal, pp 1-14. Huczynski, A.A., Buchanan, D.A. (2009), Organizational Behavior. 6th edn. Pearson Education. Jones, G. Patrick. Wright, 1992, an economic approach to conceptualizing the utility of human resource management practices, pp 271-300. Jacqueline L. Doyle,ÂÂ  John L. Colley,ÂÂ  Robert D. Hardie, 2004, Corporate Strategy, Corporate Strategy, pp 1-25. MacDuffie, John P, 1999, manufacturing performance and Human resource bundles: Industrial Relations Labor Review, pp 197-221. Robert L. Mathis,ÂÂ  John H. Jackson, 2008, Human resource management, strategic HR management and planning, pp 33-64. Pfeffer, Jeffrey. 2007. The human equation: Building profits by putting people first. Boston: Harvard Business Press. Snell, Lepak and D.P, 1999, the human resource architecture, academy of management, pp 31-48. Vroom, Victor. 1964. Work and motivation. New York: Wiley. Starbucks Growth Challenge and HRM Policies available at: http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Human%20Resource%20and%20Organization%20Behavior/Starbucks%20Human%20Resource%20Management-Growth%20Challenge-Case%20Studies.htm#The_Human_Resources_Challenge Starbucks, Wikipedia.org http://www.starbucks.com/

Managerial Competency

‘‘Competency-based strategic management is a relatively new way of thinking about how organizations gain high performance for a significant period of time. Established as a theory in the early 1990s, competence-based strategic management theory explains how organizations can develop sustainable competitive advantage in a systematic and structural way. The theory of competence-based strategic management is an integrative strategy theory that incorporates economic, organizational and behavioural concerns in a framework that is dynamic, systemic, cognitive and holistic (Sanchez and Heene, 2004).This theory defines competence as: the ability to sustain the coordinated deployment of resources in ways that helps an organization achieve its goals. In the content we shall be describing the six managerial competencies, going into detail and also relating them to an individual’s personality. These managerial competencies are: communication, planning and administration, self- management, strategic action, global awareness and team work competency.All these managerial competencies are also an aspect of our daily lives, in discussion we will examine these competency’s strengths and weaknesses. No one individual can have all of them as their strength. In communication competency we will talk about the types of communications, how communication is used as a competency by managers and to an individual. Teamwork competency we will be discussing the effectiveness of a team-building strategy in a business as well include examples.In planning and administration competency we show how to plan and the benefits of having a good planning and administration structure or system. Self-management simply has the inclusion of good ethical behaviour. Global awareness in tells knowing the world, in knowing the world research must be done and having a diverse open mind about other people’s culture. In order to progress in life an individual should have strategie s in place showing him a clear direction to be taken, this is known as the strategic action competency.We stress the importance of strategic action in the context. Communication competency ‘‘The term communication competency refers to the effective transfer and exchange of information that leads to understanding between yourself and others(). Because managing involves getting work done through people, communication competency is essential to effective managerial performance. Humans use communication day-in and day-out in order to understand each other, through that understanding they are able to interact.People use different types of communication, verbal/spoken or visual (use of images), without communication there would be no way forward the world would be in a stand still. Just as in an enterprise, managers must communicate with the staff in order for them to perform a specific task. This competency is one of the authors best strength as socializing to him comes natur ally. The author cannot sing so talking(communication) is one of his talents which makes up for not being able to sing, when it comes to communication there is always room for improvement.To take it to the next step one should engage in group discussion more often and also try debate societies, because communication involves passing messages in the most effective way. Being around people and talking will cause improvement of one’s communication competency skill. Planning and Administration Competency People plan their daily lives in order to have a sustainable life that is organized, planning for tomorrow is like drafting a timetable of the things to do.Relating to students planning is important, it enable them to manage their time management improving their academic efficiency. When it comes to planning and administration competency the author has a weakness. Finding it hard to plan what is to come tomorrow. The lacking of this skill causes time mismanagement to the authorâ €™s life and creating room for disruptions. To be able to bring change to this weakness, drafting a day to day to-do list could make a big difference. An alternative would be to set a reminder that will alert one on what to do at a specific time.Teamwork Competency Accomplishing tasks through small groups of people who are collectively responsible and whose work is interdependent requires teamwork competency (Hellriegel Jackson, Slocum Amos Klopper, Louw Oosthuizen, 2007, Page 15). A united nation is a winning nation; teamwork is about working together to achieve a certain goal. Communities work together for example to fight the socio-economic problem which is crime, in turn making it a safer environment. In the same sense businesses work as a team to improve efficiency in the working environment.When it comes to designing a team, team-building strategies work best, as the strategy brings employees together creating a close relationship amongst them and making them work as a mor e united team. Relating teamwork competency to the author, a negative result will be the outcomes, as the author believes that working alone is more effective, but people have different opinions on the subject. Global Awareness Competency Carrying out an organization’s managerial work by drawing on the human, financial, information, and material resources from multiple countries.People watch the news to stay informed of what is happening around the world and in their communities. Researching what causes inflation is part of global awareness, when an individual decides they want to go work overseas they undergo global awareness. ‘‘Nevertheless, over the course of your career, you will probably work for an organization that has an international component. To be prepared for such opportunities, one should begin to develop your global awareness competency (Hellriegel Jackson et al page18)Self-management competency . ‘‘Self-management competency demonstrate s desired values and behaviours of the organization and high personal standards of ethics and integrity by being honest and treating others with respect. Influences others to model these behaviours(). Self management revolves around how a certain individual carries themselves in all aspects of their daily life. When one goes to church their behaviour is different than when they are at a night club, this forms part of self management when it comes to society behaviour.Same applies to students, when they at school self management is applied, as they separate between their school life and personal life. In life as a person one has different characters, categorized by good values and bad values. Self-management competency to the author is strength and also a weakness. On the strength point of view the author can separate right from wrong, with that in mind the author can make rational decisions. On the weakness the author finds it hard to express himself in an audience of many people. S trategic Action CompetencyIn life strategies are needed in order to make things easier, when an individual is about to make a decision or create a specific product they first strategise. Strategising includes brainstorming, planning, and implementation plan/action. Humans strategise their lives on a daily basis, whether going shopping, going to work or just planning to cook. Pupils strategise in terms of what academic results they want to achieve, putting strategic action competency will lead to their success. Strategies alone are not very much useful an action must be taken to fully utilise the strategy at hand

Examine Shakespeare’s presentation of Ophelia Essay

Throughout the play, Ophelia is treated as an inferior by the men in her life. She is instructed and also used by them to achieve their own selfish goals. As Rex Gibson states, Shakespearean women were ‘virtually helpless pawns in the power games of their main relatives. ‘ Her tone towards them is most often submissive and accepting of their commands, although the audience is given occasional glimpses of the seemingly intelligent and opinionated young woman beneath her clichi d exterior. In the play, she is merely a side story. She has no particular role in the play rather than to reflect the traits of other characters, and this secondary importance to the plot reflects Shakespeare’s presentation of her. Upon Ophelia’s first appearance in the play, it becomes obvious that she and her brother have a close relationship. Laertes tells Ophelia, ‘let me hear from you’, to which she replies ‘Do you doubt that? ‘ Laertes mentions Hamlet as a cause for concern, ‘weigh what loss your honour may sustain, If with too credent ear you list his songs, Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open To his unmastered importunity. ‘ He believes that Hamlet’s intentions are dishonourable. He is quick to form this opinion, and as he feels he knows Hamlet’s true motives, this suggests that men of the era shared this abusive attitude towards women. While he may be expressing a genuine concern for his sister’s well-being, there is a tone of authority in his voice. He is not her father, but as a male he talks down to her. His primary concern may be more for the honour of his family, which Ophelia would destroy should she conduct a relationship with Hamlet. She does however retort defensively with, ‘Do not as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles like a puffed and reckless libertine Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads’. Here she is warning him against hypocrisy and recognising that some men (‘ungracious pastors’) are promiscuous while expecting women to be virtuous. In seeing that society has double standards, the audience is shown that there is a side to Ophelia deeper than is obvious in most of her appearances in the play. A modern audience would feel that her reply is justified, and would respect her for standing up for herself. She has a more relaxed attitude to verbalisation of her thoughts when she is in the presence of her brother, but still respects and accepts his will. In conversation with Polonius for the first time in the play, the audience sees the submissive side to Ophelia. Polonius is also quick to suspect Hamlet’s motives, reinforcing the suggestion that all men of this time have a common view of women. Polonius’ treatment of her reflects the double standards of Shakespeare’s society, as he at first seems disgruntled that she acts like an inexperienced ‘green girl | Unsifted in such perilous circumstance’ and then goes on to say ‘think yourself a baby’, enforcing her inexperience. Ophelia implies her own inability to form an opinion – ‘I do not know my lord what I should think’. This seemingly ‘air-headed’ behaviour could cause much annoyance to a modern audience, whether she simply cannot think for herself or has an opinion and is too intimidated to voice it. Polonius’ perception of his daughter becomes clear with the statement ‘you have ta’en these tenders for true pay | Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly’. The financial references here show that these ‘tenders’ are worth nothing to Polonius unless they become cash, or ‘stirling’, in his hand. The acquisition of wealth comprises all of Ophelia’s uses to him. She is a possession and a tool to him. This is noted by Gibson, ‘women were regarded as possessions, as capital to be exploited. ‘ He also harbours selfish concerns about his own social standing, and that Ophelia will ‘tender’ him ‘a fool’, as her behaviour reflects upon him as a father. Ophelia concludes by submitting yet again, ‘I shall obey, my lord. ‘ Despite the fact that Ophelia has firstly rebelled against expectations by meeting with a man without the permission of her father, or has ‘gone against social mores’ (Pitt), she continues to treat her father as her superior and conform to his wishes. Again the audience witnesses the dual personality of Ophelia. This could leave an audience confused, and unsure of exactly what to think of her as a character, as her true identity remains a mystery until her death. After Hamlet advances upon her looking like ‘he had been loosed out of hell’, Ophelia runs to her father, seeking protection and comfort. She enters the room saying ‘O my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted’. Modern audiences may draw comparisons between this and the behaviour of a small child. Not only is she treated like one by men, but at this point she proves their treatment to be right. This might anger a modern audience who could perceive her to be lacking common sense and therefore totally unable to deal with a hostile situation. To increase the antagonism of a post-feminist audience, she then goes on to relate that she was ‘sewing’ in her ‘closet’ at the time of incident – while to a Shakespearean audience sewing was part of life for women, a modern audience would see this as a stereotypically effeminate activity being used by Ophelia to play up her helplessness. As stated by A. C. Bradley in the Victorian era, ‘a large number of readers feel a personal kind of irritation against Ophelia; they seem unable to forgive her for not having been a heroine. ‘ While this does not represent the viewpoint of today’s audience, it shows that even in Victorian times when women were still much less free than they are now, Ophelia’s helplessness is exaggerated to the point of irritation. We witness Ophelia’s utter submissiveness yet again, and her acting as if she has no thoughts of her own – ‘I do not know, | But truly I do fear it. ‘ Ophelia incessantly addresses her father submissively as ‘my lord’. It can be presumed that Ophelia has been taught to address him thusly, reflecting on Polonius as a father, who is an example of men at the time of the play. Polonius sees Ophelia as being far inferior to him. He speaks to her in short commands – ‘Come, go with me’, rather than asking her to do things. He also seems to think that she is untrustworthy, as he questions her, ‘Have you given him any hard words of late? ‘ suspecting that she has not done what he told her to do. As Ophelia’s letters are read aloud, she stands on the stage in silence to endure this harsh and humiliating experience. She is utterly powerless as her most intimate secrets are exposed to the King and Queen. Her father has granted her no right to privacy, to the point that he publicly proclaims and meddles in her affairs. Polonius says ‘I have a daughter – have while she is mine’, this bluntly suggests his intentions to ‘sell’ her, and continues ‘Who in her duty and obedience, mark, | Hath given me this’. Here, it is as if he is marketing her, making her ‘good’ qualities known to the King and Queen, telling them to ‘mark’, possibly in the hopes that they approve of her as a wife to Hamlet. In this situation Polonius’ social standing would vastly improve. She is certainly seen by him as ‘capital to be exploited’. Upon the King’s questioning Ophelia’s chastity, Polonius asks him ‘What do you think of me? ‘ This shows that in a Shakespearean society, the behaviour of a daughter was seen to be an indication of how honourable her father was, again proving that women were taught ‘chastity, modesty, obedience and faithfulness to their husbands’ (Gibson), to be used as social and financial tools. Elaine Showalter accurately describes Ophelia as ‘that piece of bait’. She is used to confirm whether or not Hamlet’s separation from her is the cause of his madness. Before the first conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia (which is held under surveillance by Polonius and the King), Ophelia is not even given a greeting, but is spoken to only by the Queen, and exclusively about Hamlet – ‘And for your part Ophelia, I do wish That your good beauties be the happy cause Of Hamlet’s wildness’. Their main concern is Hamlet’s return to his prior sane state and hope to be able to use Ophelia as a way of bringing it about. Ophelia herself has absolutely no control over events relating to her. She speaks briefly, only when spoken to, and to express her desire to see Hamlet well again – ‘Madam, I wish it may. ‘ Her father again talks to her commandingly, as if she were a dog, ‘Ophelia, walk you here’. When she is at first left with Hamlet, she remains silent onstage throughout his long monologue, until he mentions her. A conversation begins with Ophelia’s greeting Hamlet, ‘Good my lord’, and hereafter she uses the words ‘my lord’ repetitively. When she mentions ‘rememberances’ that she as ‘longed long to re-deliver’, she is shunned by Hamlet, as he says ‘I never gave you aught’. Ophelia further shows the audience that she is an intelligent young woman rather than a girl who is full of nonsense. She elaborates on her feelings for Hamlet with the words: ‘My honoured lord, you know right well you did, And with them words of so sweet breath composed As made these things more rich. Their perfume lost, Take these again, for to the noble mind Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. There my lord. ‘ The audience sees here through her passionate statement that these ‘words’ held great importance to Ophelia and that she is expressing the depth of her emotion. With Hamlet she gives the first indications of her true feelings, things that she would not share with her father. She is however belittled and mocked by Hamlet (‘Ha, ha, are you honest? ‘). Her clever response to Hamlet’s mad ramblings gives us another insight into the more hidden side of Ophelia. Fundamentally, however, Ophelia is a side story, and is of secondary importance to the main plot and ‘has no story without Hamlet’. ‘She appears in only five of the play’s twenty scenes’ (Showalter) and is used to inform the audience of what Hamlet was like before his descent into madness. As stated by Angela Pitt, ‘Ophelia’s main function in the play is to illuminate a particular facet of Hamlet’s decline. She has known him in both friendship and gallant devotion’. She fulfils this role: ‘O what a noble mind is here o’erthrown! The courtier’s, soldier’s, scholar’s, eye, tongue, sword, Th’ expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion, and the mould of form’. While we see here that she is articulate, is underestimated by Polonius and does have something of value to say, it is quite tragic that this outburst of expression is not of herself, but of Hamlet’s personality prior to his father’s death. As she is used throughout the play by men, here Shakespeare uses her as a way of imparting information to the audience. At this point in the play, the audience can sympathise with Ophelia, as the pain of rejection by a lover exists outside of time. By proving to the audience that she is intelligent and educated, she wins respect, as modern society values these qualities highly in both men and women. Just before the play, Hamlet initiates a tirade of sexual references directed toward Ophelia. It begins with ‘here’s metal more attractive’, a mocking reference to her looks. He goes on to say to Ophelia ‘Lady, shall I lie in your lap? ‘ to which she replies ‘No my lord’. He persists in trying to humiliate Ophelia with phrases such as ‘Do you think I meant country matters? ‘ and ‘That’s a fair thought to lie between maid’s legs’. Ophelia’s responses are short and she again repeats ‘my lord’ – ‘No my lord’, ‘Ay my lord’, ‘I think nothing, my lord’. Her words are sharp and brief as she denies Hamlet the pleasure of provoking an outburst from her. While this repetition could show her merely being weak and submissive, as she is forced to take his insults, it can also be argued that she knows here exactly what she is doing, as she later goes on to retaliate, ‘You are naught, you are naught’ – ‘Ophelia’s naivety must be assumed and not genuine, because later she gives as good as she gets’ (Pitt): ‘Ophelia. You are keen my lord, you are keen. Hamlet. It would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge. Ophelia. Still better, and worse’. Here she neglects to say ‘my lord’, which shows that her tone has changed, and she has given up trying to be tolerant of Hamlet. Ophelia’s descent into madness portrays her in an ironic and rather tragic light. Her condition has caused her to be more vocal and to reject authority. Now people notice that Ophelia is speaking, and try to understand what she says, when her mind is not her own – nothing she says makes sense. Even though she is louder, her position is still largely unchanged – her madness expresses itself through her, but does not allow her to express her own true thoughts. At the time, women who were vocal and opinionated, who challenged authority or sought freedom were often portrayed as being insane. This overly emotional, nonsensical state was also thought to be womanhood in its purest, unsuppressed form – ‘Ophelia might confirm the impossibility of representing the feminine in patriarchal discourse as other than madness, incoherence, fluidity, or silence †¦ Ophelia represents the strong emotions that the Elizabethans as well as the Freudians thought womanish and unmanly. ‘ (Showalter). The themes of her songs are death and true love – the two issues that have most recently affected her. Firstly, her exploitation by Hamlet: ‘And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, And dupped the chamber door, Let in the maid, that out a maid, Never departed more. ‘ In Shakespearean times, it was extremely important that a woman maintained her chastity – it is implied quite obviously by these songs that Ophelia did engage in sexual relations with Hamlet. This would have meant the loss of her reputation altogether. People will now take notice of these open declarations, as a woman her promiscuity is condemned, whereas a man’s promiscuity (Hamlet’s) will be overlooked. This exposes Shakespearean society’s double standards. A woman of high social standing such as Ophelia was expected even more so to exhibit virtue, and so was very vulnerable and open to condemnation, with every relationship putting her in a potentially life-destroying position. Now, when the relationship has dissolved, she is in a difficult position. Her imprisonment is particularly distressing to a modern audience, who are very used to seeing women with much more freedom. While today’s morals are not quite as tight as Shakespearean morals, a modern audience will still feel a lot of sympathy for the poor abused and abandoned Ophelia. As well as being an issue of chastity, it also involves trust. She trusted Hamlet with her love and her reputation – wrongly. Secondly, she sings about her father’s death: ‘At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone. ‘ His death has marked the loss of two of the men in her life who, while they were controlling and dictating, were all that she had, and both of whom she loved dearly. When Ophelia falls into the river where she eventually perishes, she does nothing to save herself. She is as passive at the moment of her death as she was throughout life, doing nothing to save herself. Gertrude is able to describe Ophelia’s death in detail, down to the exact type of flowers Ophelia had decked herself with (‘crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples’). This may be seen as Gertrude’s expression of genuine sympathy for her fellow woman. Ophelia’s death can be seen as a suicide, but Gertrude, perhaps to prevent Ophelia from being denied a Christian burial, which would have deepened Laertes’ grief, describes her as having been ‘one incapable of her own distress’, suggesting that she fell in and simply did not care enough to get out. Ophelia’s last influence in the play is her funeral, where Laertes jumps into her grave in grief. Hamlet however jumps in after him, and they begin to grapple irreverently, arguing over who loved her more: ‘Hamlet. I loved Ophelia, forty thousand brothers Could not, with all their quantity of love, Make up my sum – what wilt thou do for her? Hamlet persists in trying to out-do Laertes in his love for his sister, to the point of ridiculousness – ‘Woo’t drink up eisel, eat a crocodile? | I’ll do’t. ‘ This sudden display of affection for Ophelia from Hamlet contrasts hugely with his treatment of her during her life, and seems unrealistic. Laertes’ grief for Ophelia is overshadowed by his desire for revenge as Hamlet has destroyed his family. The two use their ‘love’ for Ophelia as an excuse to let private rivalries surface, even at her funeral. This is symbolic of how she has been used throughout the play, by Polonius to get closer to the king and by Hamlet to portray his insanity. To a Shakespearean audience, people’s treatment of Ophelia would have been typical of the way in which women were treated. Her silence and oppression would have been met with sympathy, as well the empathy of women of the time. While her situation with regards to Hamlet and his cold rejection of her still holds poignancy with a modern audience, people today may question more why she made little attempt to defend herself in certain situations, and why she so blankly followed the instructions of her father and brother at the expense of her own mental and emotional well-being. Bibliography Shakespeare, William, ‘Hamlet’, Heinemann, 1996 Pitt, Angela, ‘Shakespeare’s Women’, David and Charles, 1981 Gibson, Rex, Cambridge Student Guide: ‘Hamlet’, Cambridge University Press, 2002 A. C. Bradley, Shakespearean Tragedy, 1904 Showalter, Elaine, ‘Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism. ‘ in ‘New Casebooks: Hamlet’, Macmillan, 1992 Eleanor Crossey Malone L6G.

Luminescence Dating in Archaeology

Luminescence Dating in Archaeology Luminescence dating (including thermoluminescence and optically stimulated luminescence) is a type of dating methodology that measures the amount of light emitted from energy stored in certain rock types and derived soils to obtain an absolute date for a specific event that occurred in the past. The method is a direct dating technique, meaning that the amount of energy emitted is a direct result of the event being measured. Better still, unlike radiocarbon dating, the effect luminescence dating measures increases with time. As a result, there is no upper date limit set by the sensitivity of the method itself, although other factors may limit the methods feasibility. How Luminescence Dating Works Two forms of luminescence dating are used by archaeologists to date events in the past: thermoluminescence (TL) or thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL), which measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to temperatures between 400 and 500 °C; and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), which measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to daylight. To put it simply, certain minerals (quartz, feldspar, and calcite), store energy from the sun at a known rate. This energy is lodged in the imperfect lattices of the minerals crystals. Heating these crystals (such as when a pottery vessel is fired or when rocks are heated) empties the stored energy, after which time the mineral begins absorbing energy again. TL dating is a matter of comparing the energy stored in a crystal to what ought to be there, thereby coming up with a date-of-last-heated. In the same way, more or less, OSL (optically stimulated luminescence) dating measures the last time an object was exposed to sunlight. Luminescence dating is good for between a few hundred to (at least) several hundred thousand years, making it much more useful than carbon dating. The Meaning of Luminescence The term luminescence refers to the energy emitted as light from minerals such as quartz and feldspar after theyve been exposed to an ionizing radiation of some sort. Minerals- and, in fact, everything on our planet- are exposed to cosmic radiation: luminescence dating takes advantage of the fact that certain minerals both collect and release energy from that radiation under specific conditions. Two forms of luminescence dating are used by archaeologists to date events in the past: thermoluminescence (TL) or thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL), which measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to temperatures between 400 and 500 °C; and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), which measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to daylight. Crystalline rock types and soils collect energy from the radioactive decay of cosmic uranium, thorium, and potassium-40. Electrons from these substances get trapped in the minerals crystalline structure, and continuing exposure of the rocks to these elements over time leads to predictable increases in the number of electrons caught in the matrices. But when the rock is exposed to high enough levels of heat or light, that exposure causes vibrations in the mineral lattices and the trapped electrons are freed. The exposure to radioactive elements continues, and the minerals begin again storing free electrons in their structures. If you can measure the rate of acquisition of the stored energy, you can figure out how long it has been since the exposure happened. Materials of geological origin will have absorbed considerable quantities of radiation since their formation, so any human-caused exposure to heat or light will reset the luminescence clock considerably more recently than that  since only the energy stored since the event will be recorded. Measuring Stored Energy The way you measure energy stored in an object that you expect has been exposed to heat or light in the past  is to stimulate that object again  and measure the amount of energy released. The energy released by stimulating the crystals is expressed in light (luminescence). The intensity of blue, green or infrared light that is created when an object is stimulated is proportional to the number of electrons stored in the minerals structure and, in turn, those light units are converted to dose units. The equations used by scholars to determine the date when the last exposure happened are typically: Age total luminescence/annual rate of luminescence acquisition, orAge paleodose (De)/annual dose(DT) Where De  is the laboratory beta dose that induces the same luminescence intensity in the sample emitted by the natural sample, and DT  is the annual dose rate comprised of several components of radiation that arise in the decay of natural radioactive elements. Datable Events and Objects Artifacts which can be dated using these methods include  ceramics, burned  lithics, burned bricks and soil from  hearths  (TL), and unburned stone surfaces that were exposed to light and then buried (OSL). Pottery: The most recent heating measured in pottery sherds is assumed to represent the manufacturing event; the signal arises from quartz or feldspar in the clay or other tempering additives. Although pottery vessels can be exposed to heat during cooking, cooking is never at sufficient levels to reset the luminescence clock. TL dating was used to determine the age of  Indus Valley  civilization occupations, which had proved resistant to radiocarbon dating, because of the local climate. Luminescence can also be used to determine the original firing temperature.Lithics: Raw material such as flints and cherts have been dated by TL; fire-cracked rock from hearths can also be dated by TL as long as they were fired to sufficiently high temperatures. The resetting mechanism is primarily heated  and works on the assumption that the raw stone material was heat-treated during stone tool manufacture. However, heat treatment normally involves temperatures between 300 and 400 °C, not alw ays sufficiently high enough. The best success from TL dates on chipped stone artifacts likely are from events when they were deposited into a hearth and accidentally fired. Surfaces of buildings and walls: The buried elements of standing walls of archaeological ruins have been dated using optically stimulated luminescence; the derived date provides the age of burial of the surface. In other words, the OSL date on a foundation wall of a building is the last time that foundation was exposed to light before being used as the initial layers in a building, and hence when the building was first built.Others: Some success has been found dating objects such as bone tools, bricks, mortar, mounds, and agricultural terraces. Ancient slag  left from early  metal production  have also been dated using TL, as well as absolute dating of kiln fragments or vitrified linings of furnaces and crucibles. Geologists have used OSL and TL to establish long, log chronologies of landscapes; luminescence dating is a powerful tool to help date sentiments dated to the  Quaternary  and much earlier periods. History of the Science Thermoluminescence was first clearly described in a paper presented to the Royal Society (of Britain) in 1663, by  Robert Boyle, who described the effect in a diamond which had been warmed to body temperature. The possibility of making use of TL stored in a mineral or pottery sample was first proposed by chemist  Farrington Daniels  in the 1950s. During the 1960s and 70s, the  Oxford University Research Laboratory for Archaeology and History of Art  led in the development of TL as a method of dating archaeological materials. Sources Forman SL. 1989.  Applications and limitations of thermoluminescence to date quaternary sediments.  Quaternary International  1:47-59. Forman SL, Jackson ME, McCalpin J, and Maat P. 1988.  The potential of using thermoluminescence to date buried soils developed on colluvial and fluvial sediments from Utah and Colorado, U.S.A.: Preliminary results.  Quaternary Science Reviews  7(3-4):287-293. Fraser JA, and Price DM. 2013.  A thermoluminescence (TL) analysis of ceramics from Applied Clay Science  82:24-30.cairns in Jordan: Using TL to integrate off-site features into regional chronologies.   Liritzis I, Singhvi AK, Feathers JK, Wagner GA, Kadereit A, Zacharais N, and Li S-H. 2013.  .Luminescence Dating in Archaeology, Anthropology, and Geoarchaeology: An Overview  Cham: Springer. Seeley M-A. 1975.  Thermoluminescent dating in its application to archaeology: A review.  Journal of Archaeological Science  2(1):17-43. Singhvi AK, and Mejdahl V. 1985.  Thermoluminescence dating of sediments.  Nuclear Tracks and Radiation Measurements  10(1-2):137-161. Wintle AG. 1990.  A review of current research on TL dating of loess.  Quaternary Science Reviews  9(4):385-397. Wintle AG, and Huntley DJ. 1982.  Thermoluminescence dating of sediments.  Quaternary Science Reviews  1(1):31-53.

buy custom Systems Planning and Selection essay

buy custom Systems Planning and Selection essay Information technology is an essential factor in the success of many aspects and businesses in the world. The wave of new technology and gadgets has brought with it a lot of desire and the rise and fall of companies. The best example is Amazon that is an online shop. With the invention of online businesses by many companies for any company to remain afloat, it has to take the same route. This is where the emerging concept of cloud computing comes in. It is defined as the storage of data by many companies so that they can be accessed by their workers and interested parties. This means that data and information can be stored over the web. The platform of IT is broadly divided into three groupings. The utmost grouping that can benefit any business is the Infrastructure as a service (IaaS). This is because it helps a business grow its available resources. The paper discusses in length the concept of cloud computing and its benefits and implementation in a business. Cloud Computing Cloud computing is defined as the usage and access of a computer as a service more than a merchandise. Data is provided over several computers in this process. The data include software and information. The services are easily linked through other computers instead of storing in one computer. This is enabled using the internet. The new technology provides the storage of software and data without using the same access point, hence, the users do not require knowing the source and specific location of the data. The users of this service are known as cloud users (Elsenpeter, 2009, p. 243). The users of the service can get information without using the resources that are currently required to carry out computing. The resources are, however, used within limits. This process can be compared to electricity consumption, in which people can access information over long distances, without acquiring the knowledge of how process of the manufacturing is done. The process is also beneficial for inf ormation technology, since it is based on internet protocols and is capable of provisioning of services that are unattainable in the current system. It is a product of the provisioning of services easily with remote computers. The programs that have been put easy to access by the new technology are website based tools and applications. They can be accessed via web browser, and when they are accessed, it will look as if they are installed in the computer that they are accessed. The cloud computers provide applications via the website that can be accessed from different web browsers via desktop computers, laptops or mobile devices. However, the business software and information are stored on servers at a location. The cloud computing technique provides an ideology in which there is a base of uniting infrastructure. The infrastructure in this case is the shared services (Knorr, 2011, p. 1). This enables businesses to unite their applications and speed up the process of internet growth. There is additionally less maintenance of the data that the company has in its web browser. This in the end leads to increasing demand and supply of goods by a business. The data presented are extremely essential because they are numerous and they are accessed from a single point. The new development has enabled United States government to reduce its expenditure on information technology as the new development reduces the expenses that are required. With the current move of resources to the internet by many businesses, it is essential that a person identifies the best resource that he or she can make use of, to maintain the face of the business. The current business world requires an organization to have adequate resources in the in internet in order to capitalize on the web. However, there are several challenges that the online business faces (Miller, 2008, p. 27). The key problem is being restricted to a single workspace. This problem affects many institutions. Nonetheless, cloud computing can be used to solve it. The effects of this action are that there are reduced costs and increased input. The cloud computing theory puts in practice th working of an organization over the internet. In the current world, many businesses do not initiate the proper control process and that is why many businesses fail. It is noted that the current business environment requires to a business diversify its resources and locate its services over t he web. Web advertising is the best way of increasing the working ratio and getting the best inputs after a business. Many corporations such as Coca-Cola have used the new strategy to increase its revenues and it has been proven to work. If a company does not have adequate internet access and resources, there are high chances that it will realize low outputs than a company that is already utilizing the new technology. Cloud computing further increases the number of workforce. This can be conceptualized by saying that a company can share its resources with many workers and yet they are working from their own homes. This is a classic example of realizing how a company can benefit from employing this strategy. The restriction of operating in a single workplace creates a lot of unnecessary jam in the business that can be avoided by employing new strategies that are beneficial for growth. Therefore, for the success of a firm to be realized it has to incorporate cloud computing into its systems (IBM Cloud Computer, 2011, p. 1). The number of workforces can be increased if a company has the right tools for the job. With cloud computing, an organization has to look at the way it wants to grow. If a person is operating a busi ness that can be operated from home, there is no need of carrying information in memory sticks as they are sometimes bulky and can easily get lost. The best way to operate on this issue is accepting cloud computing since the business can locate all its data over the internet and efficiently share it with its employees. This sharing is essential in ensuring that employees can work on the availed files and this in the end, increases the size and output of the business. The idea of cloud computing has been conceptualized for very many years and since it is here, it is the best opportunity as many people would wish to work together to realize profits. The success of Amazon can also be attributed to cloud computing. By creating a private cloud, the company, fully realizes its potential and goals. A private cloud means that one which is only shared by a business. This is essential since the corporation is ensured security, and in addition, there is the availability of resources that can be used to manage and enable an increase of ideas in the business. The use of diversification of business using information technology also ensures that there are distributed risks. This is a significant factor as it means that the business can run its operations without the fear of being run down through a risk. The diversification in the end is essential, as the other divisions of the business can employ different tactics and this in the end means that there would be many services that the business could offer. This ensures a constant cash flow and an increase in the finances of the business. The other factor that can be ensured by incorporating cloud computing is reduced costs. An example is using a plan that is not diverse. Therefore, the company will employ many employees who can access the business data and utilize it. This is in contrast to a business operating without the new technology, because it will have to construct new sites and in each new site, they will need and additional employee to foresee the running of the site. To avoid all these costs, a company, can employ cloud-computing (Han, 2011, p. 199). In any business setting, a distributed risk ensures that the workforce is working without fear, and this leads to more input, and for any company to survive it must employ this working criterion. Systems Restricted workspace is a major problem in many businesses and requires a whole lot of diversity to tackle it. The cause of having a restricted workplace is majorly finances. An upcoming company cannot manage to operate on vast resources and then maintain the working of its employees. This is because the task requires a lot of capital and it additionally neeeds a large number of workforces. This affects the growth of many businesses and the proper way to capitalize on this loss is to enter into the internet market. The entry into the internet market has additionally been boosted by the introduction of cloud computing (Elsenpeter, 2009, p. 123). Using cloud computing, many companies have managed to bring out excellent results and if any business is in doubt of the internet wave, he or she should look at the new strategies, that even financial institutions are employing to maintain the customer base. The main problem of space sometimes is not only brought forth by finances but also the lack of space. If an individual is operating, a company that he or she thinks can work with outsourced people then they can apply the formula of cloud computing. The effect of workplace immobility has led to innovations that are meant to counter the unavailability of space, but not many people have been able to come up with a clear and concrete solution like cloud computing. Therefore, for the success of a business to be realized, the best way is to follow this new trend. The lack of space is not a problem that only affects small business, as mentioned priory; the inadequacy can also be seen through the lack of land and not just merely finances. Therefore, it is essential that even gigantic firms try the new form of creating space (Han, 2011, p. 200). This will ensure that there is adequate competition and use of resources that will maintain the running of the industry as a whole. It is also notable that business has taken new shape and competition is notably moving to the internet. Therefore, for a company to survive and market itself, what better place than the web and utilizing the cloud computing in particular. Many current business leade rs, for example, Warren Buffet, have come up with ideas that the internet is the best source of gaining success by companies. In a research conducted by the University of Oxford, it was found out that the most profitable businesses had in one way or the other employed internet technology. This, therefore, calls for a new rise in technological and visionary ideas in companies and that is where cloud computing plays the key role. The main success factor for internet torrent sites is the ability to share files and this is the new concept that has been employed only that the files are secured this time round. Another case example is a company that has employed the best ideas and used adequate resources in maintaining its success in the IBM Company. Throughout history, innovative companies have always stood out as champions. Therefore, it is essential for a company to reconstruct its vision and mission plus the setting up ideas to incorporate the new technology of cloud computing. In a move, to gain a new and stronger market, the Money bookers organization chose the internet to further its interests and this has acted positively towards creating space and gaining new customers. The company is currently placed as one of the best companies that have emerged in the financial market. This is a good case example of identifying the need of cloud computing (IBM Cloud Computer, 2011, para 1). Technology is an essential factor in the very day growth of companies and is additionally a great market place to outsource ideas and that is the reason cloud computing should not be ignored as a new technological wave but a concept that is here to stay. Conclusion In conclusion, the best way that a company can ensure that it has a right way forward is through the utilization of the internet. Therefore, the idea of cloud computing is generally the best idea that has ever come up in the technological world. Therefore, utilizing it is one among the best strategies that a company can use. The new technology comes with many benefits and these benefits are represented in terms of common pull. A company can have set several goals and consequently it does not have a focal point in which it can share its resources and information. Cloud computing presents a base in which the business can operate and, therefore, utilizing it is the best way forward. Buy custom Systems Planning and Selection essay

Analyze the reasons for the United States involvement in Vietnam Essay - 2

Analyze the reasons for the United States involvement in Vietnam between 1953 and 1968 - Essay Example This therefore became a fully-fledged war and escalated drastically requiring the US to either withdraw or put more effort into the war and the effort was tripled. The US therefore entered Vietnam to fight USSR (Wiest 56). The taking over of the whole of Vietnam by the Northern Vietnamese would mean that the whole nation would fall under the communists rule. USA was heavily opposed to communism and hence would not stand aside and watch the South Vietnamese also drawn into this type of economic rule. US therefore fought so vehemently in order to prevent the whole of Vietnam falling under the communism system which they saw as oppressive of the hard working people while giving free pass of survival to others (Weatherbee 176). They therefore engaged the part of Vietnam that had yet to fall under communism and this was South Vietnam. They trained their soldiers and later fully joined them in fighting the North Vietnamese soldiers to prevent takeover. USA wanted to support France in still regaining control of Vietnam and expanding its reign to the northern part of Vietnam. It had already captured the South and the only difficult location was the North. Since France was anti-communist similar to USA, its support would mean a complete end to communism in the region and it would be a win for US (Peake 73). All this support was however only a faà §ade as US wanted to outdo USSR and show its military superiority to enforce its superiority among the two superpower nations. The fall or capturing of North Vietnam and the end of communism in that area would mean a fall in part of USSR and communism in general which was what US wanted from the beginning. The above mentioned reasons were the reasons in the 1950s but they later changed with change of administration. As the war in Vietnam continued, the North Vietnamese’s war strategy started leading to the defeat of the US and the South Vietnamese military forces.

Should College Athletes Get Paid Research Paper

Should College Athletes Get Paid - Research Paper Example Therefore, they are potential candidates for endorsing and advertising products. It is thus justified to pay them especially noting that athletes have a limited time for fame. Although some critiques argue that it is difficult to determine how much to pay each player, a good mechanism can be devised. It is ironical that athletic organizers can be able to organize college athletics and fail to make a good payment scheme for the players. It is also important to note that most of the college athletes who get into college with scholarship are actually from low-income families. Additionally, most of them are particularly talented in athletics and not in books. Whereas their academically talented counterparts are in class making their future, college athletes are on the field practicing. Therefore, they can hardly get formal employment in the job sector. This makes it important to consider them for payment since athletics is their career. If they do not start to be paid in college, they wi ll hardly make it in life since other better talented athletes will come and replace them with time. However, it is strongly argued that paying college athletes will turn college athletics into businesses such as FIFA. Rich colleges will attract the best talents and other colleges will be denied a chance to nurture their own talents. However, it is worth noting that colleges, including college athletics cannot be run without rules, laws, and regulations. Therefore, efficient and effective control mechanisms can be used to regulate how colleges source for athletes. Figures and statistics show that not all college athletes make to professional teams. This is because college athletes are large in number and therefore, cannot fit in the national or... This essay declares that figures and statistics show that not all college athletes make to professional teams. This is because college athletes are large in number and therefore, cannot fit in the national or professional teams. Although few make it through, those who are not lucky end up in poverty. It is thus justified to pay them while they are still in college. This way, they will be able to save some money for their studies. If well paid, they can even have enough money to start good businesses when they leave college. Those who do not make it to professional teams will thus be able to establish their lives from college savings. It is true that many colleges do not make profits out of college athletes. This paper makes a conclusion that there is a lot of support for pay for college athletes. Since the athletes are the primary source of athletics money, they should then be paid. College athletes are potential candidates for endorsements and advertising products. It is thus justified to pay them especially noting that athletes have a limited time for fame. If they do not start to be paid in college, they will hardly make it in life since other better talented athletes will come and replace them with time. Athletes should be paid while in college. This way, they will be able to save some money for their studies. If well paid, they can even have enough money to start good businesses when they leave college.