Cross Cultural Management Report Plan Essay

Based in the uk I am a cc analyst for a large telecoms company,say who we are briefly, and what the industry is. We want to go abroad In the next 2 years, internationalisation must run smoothly, (what is inisation and what does it mean for a company?) an issue flagged in meetings will be Culture Shock and poor adjustment to the new environment. (What are these?) How will intlisation affect the whole company initially? Will the larger culture gap prove tougher than the smaller? Generic initial issues and frameworks,lecture 3, gives a good overview. (intro). What are the obvious issues faced? Language, distance, new, see the psychic distance thing. I need to provide a detailed account of CS in research and how it relates to CC working and our company. We need 3 good recommendations of how to minimise these affects. Look at successfully int’lised company vs company that is struggling, and the general principals to overcome issues used, can we use them? What does it all really mean according to the future? Has deregulation of the market meant we have to internationalise? conduct a detailed literature review of CS need to discuss the generic issues which the organisation will potentially face related to your chosen area in part one – So, the first part of your literature review will introduce exactly what ideas you’ll go on to discuss. Research lecture notes, text books, journal articles etc and pull together a detailed critical review of the relevant theories and models relating to the area. You also need to detail the relevance of your chosen area to the assignment scenario, with respect to the cross-cultural challenges/difficulties that it would pose for the organisation detail the relevant theories & models and the potential cross-cultural difficulties that could arise as a result of culture shock & adjustment back up your arguments using appropriate theories & models and appropriate real life examples from case studies/research articles/books etc. Give a bit of background for the telecommunication industry to set the scene for your organisation as the context is of course relevant to the assignment – but there is no need to do this in depth. You can still consider issues that are generic to any internationalisation. Source examples/case studies of telecommunications organisations that operate internationally in terms of providing best practice or illustrating failure that has taken place. Internationalisation– present a generic analysis of the issues facing the organisation when expanding into foreign countries in general. give examples to support some of your ideas around examining the likelihood of cultural difficulties being more prevalent when the ‘culture gap’ eg language is larger. Give examples of organisations which have attempted internationalisation and failed and/or succeeded, in order to elaborate and support your arguments and recommendations. need to discuss the generic issues which the organisation will potentially face related to your chosen area in part one – and potential solutions/ways to overcome these in part two. You can give hypothetical examples of different countries but the general principles of internationalisation and the issues that are applicable from a CCM perspective will be the same, no matter which country/countries are chosen for expansion. Give examples of differences in cultures that would cause potential difficulties such as culture shock etc and how these can vary from country to country. Your recommendations should obviously be related in part to your chosen area from part one but you may also talk about generic cross cultural challenges & difficulties which need to be overcome. It may also be useful to look back to lecture 3: Topical issues, as this has some useful practical frameworks you can draw on. There is flexibility with this – there is no particular requirement to have one recommendation about your specific issue and then 2 further general ones for instance. It is up to you. Crucially, a good assignment will evidence the links between whatever topic you have chosen and specific recommendations for alleviating that problem plus the fact that many cross cultural problems are interlinking and more broad in their scope. the first couple of sentences in your recommendations should set out what you’ll go on to address in this section. word count for this assignment is 3000 words. This should be split equally between part one and part two of the assignment A minimum of 15 references should be used. These need to be academic (i.e. authors of journals, textbooks). a range of academic sources should be consulted for research E.g. lecture notes, books, journals Please use the assignment template showing division of the two assignment areas (part one and part two). Whilst the remit of the report is advising an organisation, you’ll be aware by now that there are important interlinking factors between individual and organisational issues. You should position your assignment from both the individual and organisational viewpoints to show that you have an awareness of the interplay between the two and the complexities involved.

How Did the Gasoline Shortage of the Era Differ from the Energy Crisis of Our Time

In 1973, the United States was placed under an OPEC embargo for political reasons. Middle Eastern members of OPEC wished to protest American involvement in an ongoing conflict with Israel, and these nations struck the United States where it hurt, depriving them of oil in 1973 and again in 1977. About 60 percent of the oil that Americans consumed in the 1970s was produced at home, and large reserves remained under native ground. But vast quantities of crude were imported, and in October 1973, Americans discovered how little control they had over the 40 percent of their oil that came from abroad. 810) Since 2003, a rise in prices caused by continued global increases in petroleum demand together with production stagnation, the falling value of the U. S. dollar, and a numerous of other lesser causes. Fortunately, today we haven’t seen the fuel rationing of the 1970’s. â€Å"We remember when the phrase ‘sound as a dollar’ was an expression of absolute dependabi lity, until†¦ inflation began to shrink our dollar and our savings. We believed that our Nation's resources were limitless until†¦ we had to face a growing dependence on foreign oil,† Jimmy Carter, 1979. In his â€Å"Malaise Speech,† President Carter described American disappointment with government and a â€Å"crisis of confidence† in the ability of the nation’s leaders to work together to build a stronger America. You only have to open the newspaper today to note a comparable type of malaise caused by the overall perception that government is either unwilling or incapable of helping its people. In households across America, the term politician has become synonymous with power, self- interest, and ineffectiveness.

Client-Consultant Relationships Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Client-Consultant Relationships - Essay Example It is essential to realize that consultants are not usually as apart of the employees’ fraternity nor do they have direct involvement in any organization. In order to make the consultancy involvement work and be victorious, it is crucial for everyone to appreciate the nature and context of this connection. Many people have paid attention on how clients try to control the client-consultant relationship1. Their investigation discloses that managers tend to have indefinite and often contradictory views on how they utilize consultants2. Mostly, the close partnership with the client conflicts with the clients’ endeavors of being charge of and the consultants plan of making himself or herself very important in the project. Consultants ensure this so as to attain a nonstop exchange of the consultancy services and, therefore, a dependant relationship. For the client, this dual direct dilemma explains the client-consultant ambiguous relationship. While the reliance and trust on the consultant may be helpful for the corporation, it may also question the client’s capability to administer and, thus, intimidating his or hers professionalism. Over the years, consultants worked more as suppliers to their clients that it is in the current years3. However, increase in relationship associated with consulting has seen the client- consultant relationship upgrade to more of a partnership of respect and has caused improvement in client’s effectiveness4. It is essential to realize that consultants work with their clients in a complicated and fluid relationship that has trust as the great characteristic. The client-consultant relationship has increasingly become complex due to the focus on higher order task categories. Consultation is necessary in any business because it identifies problems, analyzes the problems and, hence, results to solutions5. These consultations are done to people who are able to provide general advice on strategic, organizational, and operational context in all businesses. For this reason, well-trained and qualified people conduct consultation services because both objective and independent ideas must be provided. Reasons for Client-Consultation Consultation has acquired great success because of its worthwhile reasons. First, the clients acquire skills, techniques, and knowledge acquired by the trained people. This brings the difference between a typical executive and an executive who underwent consultation. Client consultation has a lot of advantages in that it provides competence that is not available anywhere else. The people offering the clients advice have varied experience from various sources outside that of the customer. They are both independent and professionals, hence, have the ability to study and tackle problems accordingly. Actually, they increase significant value in problem solving by reducing resolution cycle time6. There are various types of consultants and it is essential to understand their d ifferences. This ensures that the appropriate person attends clients. The first category is the mental adventurer who has complete analysis of all problems and their effects, even the long-term ones. They mostly apply rigorous economic methods and use their experience to solve the problems. Another category is the strategic navigator bases that involve advice from quality understanding of markets and spirited dynamics. These types of

KATARIAN RESPECTING PATIENTS AUTONOMY Coursework - 1

KATARIAN RESPECTING PATIENTS AUTONOMY - Coursework Example Consequently, a hypertension care plan must be drafted at first. 2. Next, Miss Downs must pay more frequent visits to the patient and consistently labor to build confidence and engage in dialog. Miss Downs must tell her about cleaning herself. She must show firmness over the issues regarding proper sanitation. 3. After the initial counseling, there is less likeliness of a discernable effect. The reason is that Miss Jenkins has already got very much habituated in her appallingly untidy way of life. So, it should be clearly understood and elucidated at this stage that Miss Downs cannot come to see Miss Jenkins again and again and do the things like clearing her bedpan and mending her footwear. 4. Next, Miss Downs must first collect necessary feedbacks and reports from the neighbors of her patient. Then, she should utilize community care manpower for removing Jenkins from her place. This is to be done by force if necessary in the presence of a qualified gerontologist. 5. Finally, Jenkins would be referred to the community fiduciary. Psychiatric intervention will be immensely necessary at this stage. Medics experienced in handling psychiatric cases can figure out if Miss Jenkins is suffering from any mental disorder that makes her reluctant to clean herself. The matter of cleaning oneself cannot be left to one’s sole personal discretion. If there is an outbreak of a communicable disease (for example, influenza), then an old, untidy person is highly vulnerable. Moreover, Miss Jenkins lives alone and she won’t be able to take care of herself if she develops problems like skin disease or severe dysentery due to untidy living. She may also fall prey to food poisoning if she does not wash her hands before taking her meals. Instead of high level philosophical thinking, some practical work has to be done in this scenario. Experts like Bondeson and

Fraud And Errors of the Companys Financial Statement Case Study

Fraud And Errors of the Companys Financial Statement - Case Study Example Finally, the detection risk which analyses the risk that auditors’ procedures would fail to detect a material error (Hall, 2013, pp. 691). Accsys Technology PLC is a chemical technology group quoted on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) on the UK stock exchange. It develops and commercialises a range of transformational technologies that are based on the acetylating of wooden elements, such as particles, wood chips and fibres, and solid use for us as a leading, environmentally sustainable, construction materials. Analysis of the company’s most recent financial statements indicates some anomalies that need further investigations. These areas include revenue, gross profits, and remuneration whose balances show a large positive difference in 2014 as compared to 2013. Material misstatements in the financial statements are often as a result of an overstatement or understatement of revenues. It is crucial for auditors to presume that there are risks in revenue recognition. From the quantitative analysis (Appendix 1) it is clear that the company’s total revenue had materially increased by 78% in 2014 as compared to that reported in the year 2013. According to the financial director, the increase had been attributed to a 61% increase in Acoya revenue because of an increase in sales to Medite. This increase in sales to Medite is because the company had finished its built up stock which it was still utilizing earlier. There was also an increase in license income from Solvay and other revenues such as the sale of acetic acid. According to the financial statements, the increase in total revenue was as a result of an increase in revenues in the UK and Ireland by 183.70% (Appendix 2). This was further explained by an increase in revenue generated fro m one customer who represented 43% of this revenue and exceeded 10% of the group’s revenue. This area creates an audit risk because in 2013 the revenue generated from a customer did not exceed 10% of the Group’s revenue.  Ã‚  

Management Of Pressure Ulcers Among Chronic Care Patients Dissertation

Management Of Pressure Ulcers Among Chronic Care Patients - Dissertation Example Continued pressure on one part of the body may cause these pressure ulcers to manifest; and with continued neglect and without any medical and/or nursing intervention, these pressure ulcers can progress to their more serious stages. With adequate and appropriate nursing management, these pressure ulcers can however be prevented and treated. This paper shall discuss the various nursing management methods for pressure ulcers among the adult chronic care patients. This paper shall consider the risk factors for pressure ulcers and the different stages of the progression of this medical problem. It shall discuss the specific nursing management measures which can be applied in order to prevent the appearance and the progression of pressure ulcers among adult chronic care patients. This paper is being carried out in order to establish clear standards in the management of pressure ulcers. This topic was chosen because of this student’s current involvement with adult care practice, wit h much attention given to chronic care patients and the different issues they experience as long-term patients. Much attention needs to be given again to chronic care because these are domains of nursing practice which often calls for the most hours spent by nurses. Pressure ulcers in this paper shall be defined as â€Å"a lesion caused by unrelieved pressure with damage to the underlying tissue† (Mauk, 2009, p. 501). Adult chronic care patients shall refer to adult patients, aged 18 years and above suffering from chronic conditions (prolonged period of time). These chronic conditions are diseases or medical conditions which often persist for prolonged periods; they include conditions like paralysis, fracture, coma, cancer, osteoarthritis, and spinal injury. With these considerations, this paper aims to establish the different methods of managing pressure ulcers among elderly chronic care patients. Specifically, it shall discuss the different ways of preventing the appearance of pressure ulcers among patients at risk for pressure ulcers. A review of studies in relation to the current topic shall be undertaken in different databases including the library catalogues, research indices, the internet, and similar databases such as Medline, CI NAHL, and the Royal College of Nursing. Library searches shall be carried out by using library catalogues and search databases. Books and journals, as well as news articles shall be reviewed with particular focus on the keywords: nursing management and pressure ulcers. Internet searches shall include database searches using keywords nursing management and pressure ulcers, pressure sores, and decubitus ulcers. Relevant materials shall be set aside for further review. Materials which shall be included in this review shall be studies published from January 2000 to January 2011. Those which discuss the nursing management of pressure ulcers or sores shall be considered for this research. The credibility of these authors as well as their publishers shall also be reviewed. Those which discuss pressure ulcers among the elderly shall also be included in this paper. These parameters shall help provide inclusion criteria for this study. Main body Pressure ulcers are serious medical issues invo lving vulnerable patients. According to the Ministry of Health or MOH (2001, p. 6), incidents of pressure ulcer register at a rate of 5% to 16% among in-patients. It is therefore important to prevent this condition in order to avoid its worsening and progression into deeper skin layers. These pressure ulcers are assessed and described at different stages. For the sake of

David Cronenberg's A History Of Violence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

David Cronenberg's A History Of Violence - Essay Example The family, its struggles and its entirety are the focus of the story. Millbrook, Indiana, and the Stall residence are the structure in which Tom establishes his identity. The mise en scne is alive with little embellishments that suggest good nature and an ingenuousness of being. A History of Violence depicts the life of a small-town diner owner, Tom Stall (Viggo Mortensen), and his close-knit family of four. After defending their lives, killing two thugs during a robbery attempt, Tom becomes a local hero and, in turn, finds himself at the receiving end of some real trouble. The action is brutal, fast and sloppy but in many ways it gives the audience what they expect for the two wicked fellows. Tom's newfound celebrity brings Philadelphia mobster Carl Fogarty (Ed Harris) to Millbrook insisting that Tom is actually a man named Joey Cusack who Fogarty clearly has some unfinished business with - bringing you to a dimension where sudden burst of extreme violence takes place out of domestic tranquility. A History of Violence has an interesting technique. Most violent movies have a steady stream of violence spread throughout the film. Occasionally the violence will go over the top in an attempt to shock the audience, but the shock effect usually isn't strong. When the audience knows violence is coming, they can be somewhat prepared for it whether it is mild or extremely graphic. Peter Suschitzky's cinematography is definitely the b... Peter Suschitzky's cinematography is definitely the best. Colors come out rich and bright and brilliant; images are sharp, concise and clear, black's are dark and contrast comes out as it should; this is because Cronenberg and Director of Photography Peter Suschitzky have used a 27mm lens. A standard lens is 50mm focal length, so 27mm is very much a wide angle lens. To create 'normal' framings, the camera has to be placed closer and care is needed to avoid distortion. The effect is unnerving although a scene looks conventional, it feels wide of the mark SOUND English Dolby Digital 5.1 and Dolby stereo soundtracks are presented. The 5.1 makes great use of the set up as needed. Music comes through in all speakers but doesn't overwhelm. Sound effects come through sharply as does the dialogue, mostly pumped through the center channel. There was no noticeable distortion anywhere. New Line has presented a fine audio mix to accompany a fine video transfer. Sound adds life to the story as to signify the intense feeling of the characters, and the extremes of every scene, especially the extremely distressing violence. ASSESSMENT While it's just right, the film skillfully draws its audience into the graphic nature of violence and the way it later affects the film's protagonists. Some people might ignore the drama developed by Tom's actions, but Cronenberg handles the drama in such a way that is very effective; it doesn't come across as melodramatic. Everyone closely associated to Tom is changed or, at the very least, forced to look the consequences of their actions. The idea that violence breeds more violence and whether or not the vengeful and unforgiving instinct for destruction is imbedded in human DNA is in the heart of almost every scene. The

Raphael's influence on Peter Paul Rubens Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Raphael's influence on Peter Paul Rubens - Essay Example s quite clearly that Raphael was apprenticed to the Perugian Pietro Perugino, and that this is where he learnt his trade, and his first documented work, and altarpiece for the church San Nicola da Tolentino, is in Citta de Castello, between Perugia and Urbino. Other important early works of Raphael are dotted around Perugia, most notably his Crowning of the Virgin in the San Francesco chapel, and his The Marriage of the Virgin, which shows much maturity of style compared to his earlier works. In the four years he spent in Peruginos workshop, Raphael learned all that his master could teach him, and the period passed without problems or challenges; in his early works, Raphael remained faithful to the Perugino School, which is understandable, as the stylistic characteristics he had acquired from his teacher, namely a clear organization of the composition and the avoidance of excessive detail, also provided useful means through which to express the new spirit of the High Renaissance (Toman, 1998). In 1504, in his new home town of Siena, and then later in Florence, where he based himself from 1507, Raphael came in to contact with many artists, most notably Da Vinci and Michelangelo, through whose influence he came to develop a more grandiose, expressive, style. Here, he also learned new techniques, such as chiaroscuro and sfumato, and came under the influence of Da Vinci’s bold figure placements and gestures. During this time, Raphael was also introduced to the works of Paolo Uccello, Luca Signorelli, Melozzo da Forlà ­, as well as to the emerging Flemish artists Hieronymus Bosch and joos van Gent (Toman, 1998). During this time, Raphael produced one of his most famous early works, The Marriage of the Virgin, the conception, structure and style of which corresponds closely to those of the work of the same name by Perugino, and it is assumed that Raphael was here executing a repeat commission passed on to him by his teacher, however, while the faces of the figures,

Quality of Ball Pen Essay Example for Free

Quality of Ball Pen Essay pen A pen (Latin penna, feather) is a writing implement used to apply ink to a surface, usually paper, for writing or drawing. Historically, reed pens, quill pens, and dip pens were used, with a nib dipped in the ink. Ruling pens allow precise adjustment of line width, and still find a few specialized uses, but technical pens such as the Rapidograph are more commonly used. Modern types also include ballpoint, rollerball, fountain, and felt or ceramic tip pens. [l] Contents [hide] * 1 Modern pens * 2 Historic pens * 3 History * 4 Manufacturers * 4. 1 United States * 5 See also * 6 References * 7 External links I [edit] Modern pens The main modern types of pens can be categorized by the kind of writing tip or point: A mark made on paper with a rollerball pen, and the tip of that pen * A ballpoint pen dispenses viscous oil-based ink by rolling a small hard sphere, usually 0. 7- 1. 2 mm and made of brass, steel or tungsten carbide. [2] The ink dries almost immediately on contact with paper. The ballpoint pen is usually reliable and inexpensive. [citation needed] It has replaced the fountain pen as the most common tool for everyday writing. * A fountain pen uses water-based liquid ink delivered through a nib. The ink flows from a reservoir through a feed to the nib, then through the nib, due to capillary action and gravity. The nib has no moving parts and delivers ink through a thin slit to the writing surface. A fountain pen reservoir can be refillable or disposable, this disposable type being an ink cartridge. A pen with a refillable reservoir may have a mechanism, such as a piston, to draw ink from a bottle through the nib, or it may require refilling with an eyedropper. Refill reservoirs, also known as cartridge converters, are available for some pens which use disposable cartridges. A fountain pen * A marker, or felt-tip pen, has a porous tip of fibrous material. The smallest, finest- tipped markers are used for writing on paper. Medium-tip markers are often used by children for coloring and drawing. Larger markers are used for writing on other surfaces such as corrugated boxes, whiteboards and for chalkboards, often called liquid chalk or chalkboard markers. Markers with wide tips and bright but transparent ink, called highlighters, are used to mark existing text. Markers designed for children or for temporary writing (as with a whiteboard or overhead projector) ypically use non-permanent inks. Large markers used to label shipping cases or other packages are usually permanent markers. * A rollerball pen dispenses a water-based liquid or gel ink through a ball tip similar to that of a ballpoint pen. The less-viscous ink is more easily absorbed by paper than oil-based ink, and the pen moves more easily across a writing surface. The rollerball pen was initially designed to combine the convenience of a ballpoint pen with the smooth wet ink effect of a fountain pen. Gel inks are available in a range of colors, including metallic paint

Television broadcast Essay Example for Free

Television broadcast Essay 1. The pressure announced on last nights television weather broadcast was 29.92. Explain how this was measured and give the units. Would this be considered an unusually large or low pressure value? A pressure announced on the weather forecast of 29.92 is an average measurement. It is measured with a barometer and in the United States the units of measure are inches of mercury, or inHg. This is what meteorologist are referring to in their forecasts. 29.92 inHg is a measurement within the normal range. This may be referred to as air pressure, atmospheric pressure or barometric pressure. They are all the same thing. Low pressure readings are associated with stormy weather and precipitation, while high pressure readings are indicated by clear and calm weather. Here is Portland, Oregon, where it rains 9 months of the year, we experience normal pressure readings of 29.92 inHg or slightly higher or lower. It only changes when we have exceptionally worse or better weather. 2. If the earth did not rotate, how would you expect winds to blow with respect to high and low pressure centers? With no earth rotation, winds would blow in straight lines. They would move from a huge high pressure region, the side in direct sunlight, to the lowest pressure region. This would be the dark side of the earth. The side the sun never touches. Cold air from the dark side would then be pulled back to the sunny side in straight lines to be warmed and then pushed back again. The dark side would be in a constant state of stormy weather, while the sun side would experience beautiful clear, calm, sunny days. If it didn’t get cooked by the sun, that is. 3. If the pressure gradient force remained the same but the earths rate of rotation decreased slightly, would you expect the speed of the geostrophic wind to increase, decrease or remain about the same? If pressure gradient winds remained the same but the earth’s rotation slowed geostrophic winds would increase. The Coriolis force is a force based on the earth’s rotation. Because the earth spins objects in the atmosphere do not move in straight lines. The earth’s rotation causes them to veer of course. This is the CF. Pressure gradient winds (PGF) along with CF balance out geostrophic winds. If the earth slowed, the CF would decrease, so geostrophic winds would have to increase to maintain this balance. 4. Explain why it is much more difficult to measure snowfall amount than rainfall amount. Rain is measured by the amount of liquid contained in the measurement device. Whatever is amount of liquid is in the device, is the  measurement. However snow, has various factors that can impact its measurement. First of all snowfall measurement is based on how much liquid there would be if the snow was melted into liquid form. There are several factors that can impact how much snow is measured in a device. Wind can move snow from high points to low points and vice versa. The surface on which the snow is falling onto can also impact a measurement. The length of time the snow has been on the ground and how compact it is can also effect measurements. Measuring in several places and then using an average can give a more accurate total. Meteorologists usually forecast snow amounts giving a range of totals due to these factors which make it challenging to give an exact forecast. 5. Would you expect to find a subsidence inversion to be associated with high or low pressure? What effects might a subsidence inversion have on weather conditions at the ground? Subsidence inversions happen in areas of high pressure. A mass of cold air sinks slowly and is heated by adiabatic compression lower in the atmosphere. This causes this type of inversion. Subsidence inversions are high in the atmosphere and never reach the bottom because of turbulent mixing. The top of a subsidence inversion can usually be indicated by a smoky or dusty looking layer that has a distinguishable line. This line marks the top of this inversion. Effects can include low visibility and poor air quality. References Ahrens, C. D. (01/2014). Essentials of Meteorology: An Invitation to the Atmosphere, 7th Edition [VitalSource Bookshelf version]. Retrieved fromhttp://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781305439733

System to Filter Unwanted Messages from OSN User Walls

System to Filter Unwanted Messages from OSN User Walls M.Renuga Devi, G.Seetha lakshmi, M.Sarmila Abstract—One fundamental issue in today’s Online Social Networks (OSNs) is to give users the ability to control the messages posted on their own private space to avoid that unwanted content is displayed. Up to now, OSNs provide little support to this requirement. To fill the gap, in this paper, we propose a system allowing OSN users to have a direct control on the messages posted on their walls. This is achieved through a flexible rule-based system, that allows users to customize the filtering criteria to be applied to their walls, and a Machine Learning-based soft classifier automatically labeling messages in support of content-based filtering. 1. INTRODUCTION ONLINE Social Networks (OSNs) are today one of the most popular interactive medium to communicate, share, and disseminate a considerable amount of human life information. Daily and continuous communications imply the exchange of several types of content, including free text, image, audio, and video data. According to Facebookstatistics1 average user creates 90 pieces of content each month, whereas more than 30 billion pieces of content (web links, news, stories, blog posts, notes, photo albums, etc.) are shared each month. OSNs there is the possibility of posting or commenting other posts on particular public/private areas, called in general walls. Face book allows users to state who is allowed to insert messages in their walls (i.e., friends, friends of friends, or defined groups of friends). The aim of the present work is therefore to propose and experimentally evaluate an automated system, called Filtered Wall (FW), able to filter unwanted messages from OSN user walls. We exploit Machine Learning (ML) text categorization techniques. The major efforts in building a robust short text classifier (STC) are concentrated in the extraction and selection of a set of characterizing and discriminant features. We base the overall short text classification strategy on Radial Basis Function Networks (RBFN) for their proven capabilities in acting as soft classifiers, in managing noisy data and intrinsically vague classes. We insert the neural model within a hierarchical two level classification strategy. In the first level, the RBFN categorizes short messages as Neutral and Non-neutral; in the second stage, Non-neutral messages are classified producing gradual estimates of appropriateness to each of the considered category. The system provides a powerful rule layer exploiting a flexible language to specify Filtering Rules (FRs). In addition, the system provides the support for user-defined Black Lists (BLs), that is, lists of users that are temporarily prevented to post any kind of messages on a user wall. 2. RELATED WORK The main contribution of this paper is the design of a system providing customizable content-based message filtering for OSNs, based on ML techniques. As we have pointed out in the introduction, to the best of our knowledge, we are the first proposing such kind of application for OSNs. However, our work has relationships both with the state of the art in content-based filtering, as well as with the field of policy-based personalization for OSNs and, more in general, web contents. 2.1 Content-Based Filtering Information filtering systems are designed to classify a stream of dynamically generated information dispatched asynchronously by an information producer and present to the user those information that are likely to satisfy his/her requirements. In content-based filtering, each user is assumed to operate independently. As a result, a content-based filtering system selects information items based on the correlation between the content of the items and the user preferences as opposed to a collaborative filtering system that chooses items based on the correlation between people with similar preferences. Documents processed in content-based filtering are mostly textual in nature and this makes content-based filtering close to text classification. Single label, binary classification, partitioning incoming documents into relevant and non-relevant categories. More complex filtering systems include multi label text categorization automatically labeling messages into partial thematic categories. Content-based filtering is mainly based on the use of the ML paradigm according to which a classifier is automatically induced by learning from a set of pre-classified examples. Several experiments prove that Bag-of-Words (BoW) approaches yield good performance and prevail in general over more sophisticated text representation that may have superior semantics but lower statistical quality. The application of content-based filtering on messages posted on OSN user walls poses additional challenges given the short length of these messages other than the wide range of topics that can be discussed. 3. FILTERED WALL ARCHITECTURE The architecture in support of OSN services is a three-tier structure (Fig. 1). The first layer, called Social Network Manager (SNM), commonly aims to provide the basic OSN functionalities (i.e., profile and relationship management), whereas the second layer provides the support for external Social Network Applications (SNAs).The supported SNAs may in turn require an additional layer for their needed Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs). The core components of the proposed system are the Content-Based Messages Filtering (CBMF) and the Short Text Classifier modules. The latter component aims to classify messages according to a set of categories. In contrast, the first component exploits the message categorization provided by the STC module to enforce the FRs specified by the user. The possible final publication can be summarized as follows: 1. After entering the private wall of one of his/her contacts, the user tries to post a message, which is intercepted by FW. 2. A ML-based text classifier extracts metadata from the content of the message. 3. FW uses metadata provided by the classifier, together with data extracted from the social graph and users’ profiles, to enforce the filtering and BL rules. 4. Depending on the result of the previous step, the message will be published or filtered by FW. 4. SHORT TEXT CLASSIFIER Established techniques used for text classification work well on data sets with large documents such as newswires corpora but suffer when the documents in the corpus are short. In this context, critical aspects are the definition of a set of characterizing and discriminant features allowing the representation of underlying concepts and the collection of a complete and consistent set of supervised examples. We approach the task by defining a hierarchical two-level strategy assuming that it is better to identify and eliminate â€Å"neutral† sentences, and then classify â€Å"non-neutral† sentences. The first-level task is conceived as a hard classification in which short texts are labeled with crisp Neutral and Non-neutral labels. The second-level soft classifier acts on the crisp set of non-neutral short texts. 4.1 Text Representation The extraction of an appropriate set of features by which representing the text of a given document is a crucial task strongly affecting the performance of the overall classification strategy. We consider three types of features, BoW, Document properties (Dp) and Contextual Features (CF). Text representation using endogenous knowledge has a good general applicability; however, in operational settings, it is legitimate to use also exogenous knowledge, i.e., any source of information outside the message body but directly or indirectly related to the message itself. We introduce CF modeling information that characterizes the environment where the user is posting. These features play a key role in deterministically understanding the semantics of the messages. In the BoW representation, terms are identified with words. Dp features are heuristically assessed; their definition stems from intuitive considerations, domain specific criteria and in some cases required trial-and-error procedures. Bad words: They are computed similarly to the correct words feature, where the set K is a collection of â€Å"dirty words† for the domain language. Correct words: It expresses the amount of terms tk 2 T K, where tk is a term of the considered document dj and K is a set of known words for the domain language. Capital words: It expresses the amount of words mostly written with capital letters, calculated as the percentage of words within the message, having more than half of the characters in capital case. Punctuations characters: It is calculated as the percentage of the punctuation characters over the total number of characters in the message. For example, the value of the feature for the document â€Å"Hello!!! How’re u doing?† is 5/24. Exclamation marks: It is calculated as the percentage of exclamation marks over the total number of punctuation characters in the message. Referring to the aforementioned document, the value is 3/5. Question marks: It is calculated as the percentage of question marks over the total number of punctuations characters in the message. Referring to the aforementioned document, the value is 1/5. 4.2 Machine Learning-Based Classification We address short text categorization as a hierarchical two level classification process. The first-level classifier performs a binary hard categorization that labels messages as Neutral and Non-neutral. The first-level filtering task facilitates the subsequent second-level task in which a finer-grained Classification is performed. The second-level classifier performs a soft-partition of Non-neutral messages assigning a given message a gradual membership to each of the non-neutral classes. Among the variety of multiclass ML models well suited for text classification, we choose the RBFN model for the experimented competitive behavior with respect to other state-of-the-art classifiers. RFBNs have a single hidden layer of processing units with local, restricted activation domain: a Gaussian function is commonly used, but any other locally tunable function can be used. RBFN main advantages are that classification function is nonlinear, the model may produce confidence values and it may be robust to outliers; drawbacks are the potential sensitivity to input parameters, and potential overtraining sensitivity. The first-level classifier is then structured as a regular RBFN. In the second level of the classification stage, we introduce a modification of the standard use of RBFN. The collection of pre-classified messages presents some critical aspects greatly affecting the performance of the overall classification strategy. To work well, a ML-based classifier needs to be trained with a set of sufficiently complete and consistent pre-classified data. The difficulty of satisfying this constraint is essentially related to the subjective character of the interpretation process with which an expert decides whether to classify a document under a given category. A quantitative evaluation of the agreement among experts is then developed to make transparent the level of inconsistency under which the classification process has taken place. 5. FILTERING RULES AND BLACKLIST MANAGEMENT In this section, we introduce the rule layer adopted for filtering unwanted messages. We start by describing FRs, and then we illustrate the use of BLs. In what follows, we model a social network as a directed graph, where each node corresponds to a network user and edges denote relationships between two different users. In particular, each edge is labeled by the type of the established relationship (e.g., friend of, colleague of, parent of) and, possibly, the corresponding trust level, which represents how much a given user considers trustworthy with respect to that specific kind of relationship the user with whom he/ she is establishing the relationship. 5.1 Filtering Rules In defining the language for FRs specification, we consider three main issues that, in our opinion, should affect a message filtering decision. First of all, in OSNs like in everyday life, the same message may have different meanings and relevance based on who writes it. As a consequence, FRs should allow users to state constraints on message creators. Given the social network Scenario, creators may also be identified by exploiting information on their social graph. Definition 1 (Creator specification): A creator specification creator Spec implicitly denotes a set of OSN users. It can have one of the following forms, possibly combined. Definition2 (Filtering rule): A filtering rule FR is a tuple (author, creator Spec, content Spec, action), where author is the user who specifies the rule; creator Spec is a creator specification, specified according to Definition 1: Content Spec is a Boolean expression defined on content constraints of the form à °C; mlÞ, where C is a class of the first or second level and ml is the minimum membership level threshold required for class C to make the constraint satisfied; action 2fblock; notifying denotes the action to be performed by the system on the messages matching content Spec and created by users identified by creator Spec. In general, more than a filtering rule can apply to the same user. A message is therefore published only if it is not blocked by any of the filtering rules that apply to the message creator. Note moreover, that it may happen that a user profile does not contain a value for the attribute(s) referred by a FR (e.g., the profile does not specify a value for the attribute Hometown whereas the FR blocks all the messages authored by users coming from a specific city). 5.2 Online Setup Assistant for FRs Thresholds As mentioned in the previous section, we address the problem of setting thresholds to filter rules, by conceiving and implementing within FW, an Online Setup Assistant procedure. 5.3 Blacklists A further component of our system is a BL mechanism to avoid messages from undesired creators, independent from their contents. BLs are directly managed by the system, which should be able to determine who are the users to be inserted in the BL and decide when users retention in the BL is finished. To enhance flexibility, such information are given to the system through a set of rules, hereafter called BL rules. Such rules are not defined by the SNMP; therefore, they are not meant as general high-level directives to be applied to the whole community. Similar to FRs, our BL rules make the wall owner able to identify users to be blocked according to their profiles as well as their relationships in the OSN. Therefore, by means of a BL rule, wall owners are, for example, able to ban from their walls users they do not directly know (i.e., with which they have only indirect relationships), or users that are friend of a given person as they may have a bad opinion of this person. 6. EVALUATION In this section, we illustrate the performance evaluation study we have carried out the classification and filtering modules. We start by describing the data set. 6.1 Problem and Data Set Description The analysis of related work has highlighted the lack of an publicly available benchmark for comparing different approaches to content-based classification of OSN short texts. 6.2 Short Text Classifier Evaluation 6.2.1 Evaluation Metrics Two different types of measures will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of first-level and second-level classifications. In the first level, the short text classification procedure is evaluated on the basis of the contingency table approach. In particular, the derived well-known Overall Accuracy (OA) index capturing the simple percent agreement between truth and classification results, is complemented with the Cohen’s KAPPA (K) coefficient thought to be a more robust measure taking into account the agreement occurring by chance . At second level, we adopt measures widely accepted in the Information Retrieval and Document Analysis field, that is, Precision (P), that permits to evaluate the number of false positives, Recall (R), that permits to evaluate the number of false negatives, and the overall metric F-Measure (F_), defined as the harmonic mean between the above two indexes. 6.2.2 Numerical Results By trial and error, we found a quite good parameter configuration for the RBFN learning model. The best value for the M parameter, that determines the number of Basis Function, is heuristically addressed to N=2, where N is the number of input patterns from the data set. 6.2.3 Comparison Analysis The lack of benchmarks for OSN short text classification makes problematic the development of a reliable comparative analysis. However, an indirect comparison of our method can be done with work that show similarities or complementary aspects with our solution. 6.3 Overall Performance and Discussion In order to provide an overall assessment of how effectively the system applies a FR. This table allows us to estimate the Precision and Recall of our FRs, Let us suppose that the system applies a given rule on a certain message. In contrast, Recall has to be interpreted as the probability that, given a rule that must be applied over a certain message, the rule is really enforced. Results achieved by the content-based specification component, on the first-level classification, can be considered good enough and reasonably aligned with those obtained by well-known information filtering techniques. 7. DICOMFw DicomFW is a prototype Face book application8 that emulates a personal wall where the user can apply a simple combination of the proposed FR’s. Throughout the development of the prototype, we have focused our attention only on the FRs, leaving BL implementation as a future improvement. However, the implemented functionality is critical, since it permits the STC and CBMF components to interact. To summarize, our application permits to 1. View the list of users’ FWs; 2. View messages and post a new one on a FW; 3. Define FRs using the OSA tool. When a user tries to post a message on a wall, he/ she receive an alerting message if it is blocked by FW. 8 CONCLUSIONS In this paper, we have presented a system to filter undesired messages from OSN walls. The system exploits a ML soft classifier to enforce customizable content-dependent FR’s. Fig. 3. DicomFW: A message filtered by the wall’s owner FRs We plan to study strategies and techniques limiting the inferences that a user can do on the enforced filtering rules with the aim of bypassing the filtering system, such as for instance randomly notifying a message that should instead be blocked, or detecting modifications to profile attributes that have been made for the only purpose of defeating the filtering system. REFERENCES [1] A. Adomavicius and G. Tuzhilin, â€Å"Toward the Next Generation of Recommender Systems: A Survey of the State-of-the-Art and Possible Extensions,† IEEE Trans. Knowledge and Data Eng., vol. 17, no. 6, pp. 734-749, June 2005. [2] M. Chua and H. Chen, â€Å"A Machine Learning Approach to Web Page Filtering Using Content and Structure Analysis,† Decision Support Systems, vol. 44, no. 2, pp. 482-494, 2008.

Comparison between Jan van Eyck and Fra Angelico Essay -- essays rese

The Renaissance in Western Europe brought a â€Å"rebirth† to the arts. No longer was the church the only accredited patron for the arts. Instead, a wealthy middle class arose as patrons and were able to purchase artist’s works. Although many pieces still had religious themes, the styles, freedom of creativity, and less reserved pieces were created. The Renaissance was not only confined to Italy, although it is often mistaken as the birthplace of the movement. All over Western Europe artwork flourished. Artists from the north came to Italy to study the classical arts and the renowned Italian Renaissance artists. Many of the same themes and subject matters were depicted throughout Western Europe. One such subject matter, the Annunciation, was portrayed by Jan van Eyck, a Flemish panel painter, as well as, Fra Angelico, an Italian fresco painter. In short, the Annunciation occurred when God sends the angel, Gabriel to deliver the message to Mary that she will give birth to his only son. Although both artists had the same understanding of the biblical account, their styles varied to agree with the concerns and interests of the people of the time as well as where they lived. They were able to establish their individuality through their artwork, even with the same subject matter. The Annunciation by Jan van Eyck is a perfect reflection of Northern Renaissance panel painting while Annunciation by Fra Angelico is the essence of Italian Renaissance fresco painting. The compositions that each piece displays is different and prestige in its own right. Flemish panel painters were largely influential and created extraordinary developments in composition. The artwork tends to be very detailed and filled with symbolic meanings from surrounding objects or even coloring. Jan van Eyck was especially credited for paying exceptional attention to detail that creates such a realistic form, the figures seem lifelike. Much of this realistic appearance is due to the medium that was widely used in the North. The use of oil paints and techniques, such as finer detail with smaller brush strokes and layering of oil paints to create a glaze, were used and developed giving the Northern art distinct characteristics and composition. Italian painters created frescos by applying pigments to wet plaster. The result is a dull, flatter color and they were unable to achieve intricate detail. The com... ...ic meanings that still are puzzling art historians today. Some of the key symbols that Stokstad points out in the text is the dove, representing the Holy Spirit; the white lilies as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. She also points out, two rather unknown symbols to the sacrilegious, the date of the Annunciation in signs of the zodiac on the floor, as well as the lone stained glass window that is symbolizing God rising above the three windows that are placed in the background behind Mary. These three windows represent the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Jan van Eyck and Fra Angelico were revered artists for the advances in art that they created and displayed for the world to see. Their renditions of the Annunciation were both very different, however unique and perfect display of the typical styles used during the Renaissance. Jan van Eyck’s panel painting Annunciation held all the characteristics of the Northern Renaissance with its overwhelming symbolism and detail. Fra Angelico’s fresco Annunciation grasped the key elements used in the Italian Renaissance with usage of perspective as well as displaying the interest and knowledge of the classical arts.

A Comparison of Runes and Magic in Beowulf and in Anglo-Saxon England :: comparison compare contrast essays

Runes and Magic in Beowulf and in Anglo-Saxon England      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the Old English poem Beowulf we see the mention of runes, which were used with connotations of magic or charms. Examining evidence from historic times, we find that early Englishmen were fully conversant with the Germanic runic alphabet and that runes did have special connotations.    In Beowulf the hero is in deadly combat with Grendel’s mother in the mere. He is at the point of being killed by the monster when suddenly God shows to him the presence of a special sword nearby on the wall. Beowulf seizes the giant weapon and kills the monster. Then:      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   that sword had begun to melt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   in battle-bloody icicles; that it melted away  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   was as much a marvel as ice itself  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   when the Father unwinds the bonds of frost,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   loosens the freezing chains of water,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Who keeps the power of times and seasons;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   He is the true God. . . . Already the sword  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   had melted away, its blade had burned up;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   too hot the blood of the poisonous spirit  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   who had died within. . . . the wave-sword burned up,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   quenched in that blood. . . . then the strange gold hilt  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   was placed in the   hand of the gray-bearded king,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   wise war-leader old work of giants;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   after the fall of devils it came into the hands  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of the lord of the Dane-men, from magic smithies;  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   once the fierce spirit, long God’s opponent,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   guilty creature, and his murderous mother  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   had quitted this world, it came to the power  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of the best overlord between the two seas,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of all world-rulers in Scandanavia  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   who gave good treasures. Hrothgar spoke,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   examined the hilt, great treasure of old.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There was engraved the origin of past strife,   when the flood drowned, the pouring ocean killed  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the race of giants. . . . On its bright gold facings  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   there were also runes set down in order,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   engraved, inlaid, which told for whom   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the sword was first worked, its hair-keen edges,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   twisted gold scrolled in the hilt,  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   the woven snake-blade(1605ff).    Chickering in his â€Å"Commentary† would have us believe that the melting sword is a reference to patristic theology, to St.

Enlightenment Movie Study

The Enlightenment Movie Study Guide Part One 1. What other names is often used when referring to the Enlightenment? The Enlightenment is often referred to as the Age of Reason 2. What was Sir Issac Newton's role in the Enlightenment? Identified other natural laws to explain the workings of the universe 3. What changes did they encourage for social progress? Religious tolerance, education reforms, and prison reforms 4. What long-standing political belief did Enlightenment thinkers question? Monarchs rule by divine rightPart Two 5. What important idea did John Locke write about in the Two Treatises of Government? He argued that government should protect people's natural rights to life, liberty, and property 6. What was Voltaire's role in the Enlightenment Era? He wrote plays, novels, and essays attacking slavery, religious intolerance, and other social and political injustices. Passionate advocate for â€Å"Freedom of Speech† Part Three 7. What important political idea did Monte squieu introduce? Introduced the concept of â€Å"Check and balances† . How did Jean-Jacque Rousseau ideas differ from other Enlightenment philosophers? Criticized what he saw as the Enlightenment's excessive reliance on reason, argued  that people should trust their instincts and emotions Part Four 9. Explain the Main Idea behind Rousseau's Social Contract? He explained that government should be based on a contract that allows people to rule themselves by adhering to the general will 10. Analyze which Enlightenment philosopher expressed the most democratic ideas.Use at least three facts from the movies to support your answer. Charles de Montesquieu was a 18th century French philosopher who expressed the most democratic ideas during his time. He divided power between the king and parliament, much like the president and congress. He advocated dividing the government into three independent branches: the executive, legislative and judicial. He had a strong belief for equal dis tribution of power amongst the branches. Therefore, he introduced the concept of â€Å"Checks and Balances. †

Pericles Funeral Oration Essay

I do not think that everything Pericles said in his funeral Oration was true. Pericles goes on and on about how great the Athens city-state had become a strong democratic government. â€Å"He also talks about how they accept everyone into their city-state and give them the same rights as the Athens people regardless if they are foreigners†. â€Å"Pericles even compares his city-state to that of the Spartans; while using slanderous and defaming words to describe their culture†. Pericles believes from reading his Oration that the Athens are better people because of their equally of all in their city state and the freedom they have given their people. Pericles fails to see the contradiction in the culture and in the oration of the Speech he gives about the Athens way of life and this is because he is biased towards the men. Obviously everyone being equal is not true because woman is not equal to men and is certainly not treated as equals. â€Å"Pericles states himself that it is better for woman to never be spoken of whether it is glory or criticism†. He states that a woman’s place is in her home, the only jobs that are available to women are to bare children and to maintain the household, other than that everything else only a man should and could do. The fact that women are treated differently proves that the Athens were not a democratic state their laws to provide fairness to all the people were only catered to the males not the females. The Athens had a negative attitude towards woman and how they should be treated, Pericles seemed almost disgusted to even have to address woman in his speech and when he did he had nothing positive to say about them. Pericles exaggerates in his oration. He depicts a perfect picture of what the Athens society is thought to be, as if the people and the law have no imperfections that need to be spoken of. He illustrates a great city-state with no flaws but then continues to describe and speak of women as if they were not human and discrimination against them was normal. Pericles was in mourning and wanted to give the dead soldiers and their families and all the people of the city-state the honor and confidence they needed to continue on with the war so he exaggerated, he did not want to dishonor the soldier with his words so he chose to speak of their culture and everything they stood for. Coming from a leader’s perspective I think the ideology may be slightly off but much of it was true from the Athens culture and society.

Disadvantages of Globalization Essay

One of the disadvantages of globalization is the over-standardization of products through global branding. Using Emirate Airline to illustrate this point, globalization will means that their services are standardized which aim to serve all customers. They would lose their uniqueness of the business culture after they go global. Also, the over-globalization will result in the lack of creativity and product diversity Hongladarom (2002), Zekos (2004). Moreover, globalization can also create diseconomies of scale as not all countries have the same growth and economic cycle. For example, Emirate may operate very well in the Middle East and Europe market but expanding into Asia or America market will reduce their profit. This could be due to difficulties of coordinating activities in those new markets or the culture differences. It is also important to note that globalization will cause de-industrialization and high unemployment in the domestic market. Empirical evidences included: Mello (1997), Rodrik (1996), Fagerberg (1994).

Gufax Mf Bank Profile

GUFAX MF BANK www. gufaxmfbank. com COMPANY PROFILE GUFAX MICROFINANCE BANK LTD OUR VISION To be the leader in Microfinance Banking Services in Nigeria. OUR MISSION To reduce poverty and build smiles on the faces of our esteemed customers by transforming them into economically active population with full access and integration into the formal financial system. INTRODUCTION Gufax Microfinance bank Ltd. s licensed for operation in Akwa Ibom State by the Central Bank of Nigeria for the provision and administration of microfinance services, loans, advisory services, poverty alleviation programme-partners with Government or its agencies as well as other financial services. It was incorporated on 04 April, 2008 with the Corporate Affairs Commission and Licensed by CBN in September 2008. The Bank has an Authorised Share capital of N250million out of which the paid up is N120million and total asset base of over N500million, approximately $3. 2Million as at December 31st, 2011.We also have to tal employee/staff strength of seventy one (71); and our present customer base is approaching twenty thousand individuals and groups comprising mainly the market women, cooperative groups, transport unions and other small and medium business operators within the state and a percentage of government employees. OUR ADDRESS Corporate Head of is at FADUK HOUSE, No. 3 Udotung Ubo Street, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. Presently, the bank has seven meeting points within Akwa Ibom State as follows: Akpan Andem Entrepreneurial Market Uyo in Uyo Local Government. Nung Udoe Ibesikpo,in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government.Ikot Ekpene in Ikot Ekpene Local Government. Oku Iboku in Itu Local Government. Ishiet Uruan Beach Market in Uruan Local Government. Ibaka Beach Meeting Point, Mbo Local Government Area. Onna Meeting Point, Ikot Abasi Road, Abat. It is part of the strategic expansion plan of the bank to open a minimum of one meeting point every quarter. THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS The bank has a board members hip of 4 distinguished persons as shown below: Engr Nsikanabasi Ibanga – Chairman Engr. Ibanga Engr. Nsikanabasi Ibanga is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gufax Microfinance Bank Ltd. He is an experienced Civil Engineer.Engr. Ibanga served as an Executive Engineer with ENPLAN Group of Consulting Engineers Nigeria Ltd, EBASCO Consulting Engineers and Zeal Nigeria Limited for over 10years. He has been involved in many private and public building designs over the years and is still very active in current practice. He is a member, Nigeria Society of Engineers (MNSE) and also a registered member of the Council for Regulation of Engineering (COREN). He has attended Engineering Management Workshop and other courses within and outside the country. His experience has been brought to bear in his leadership of the Bank.Mr. Uduak Effiong Udo – Managing Director/CEO * MD/CEO Mr. Uduak Udo is the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Gufax Microfinance Bank Ltd. He is a seasoned Banker with over Ten (10) years of experience in Retail, Consumer and Public Sector Banking. Uduak had stints with Citizens International Bank Limited (now Enterprise Bank Ltd) from where he left for Zenith Bank Plc. He grew to a management position in Zenith Bank and subsequently left and co-found a group of financial service companies which Gufax Microfinance bank Ltd is one of them.He holds an MBA Degree in Business Administration from University of Calabar. He is a fellow of Portfolio and Debt Management Institute (PDMI), a member of the Risk Management Association of Nigeria (RIMAN), and a member of Institute of Strategic Management (ISMN) and also a member of chartered institute of Bankers of Nigeria. He is also an Alumnus of World Prestigious Harvard Business School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, where he has been exposed to world class management Education and Entrepreneurship. A serious minded and successful entrepreneur, Uduak has interest in Finance and Invest ment.He has attended courses within and outside the country. The experience of the MD/CEO is a springboard for successful service delivery to our clients. Engr Bassey A. Iton – Director QUALIFICATIONS: M. Sc Petrochemical Engineering, Moscow Institute of Petrochemical and Gas Industries, Moscow, (1977). Member Nigerian Institute of Chemical Engineers. Member Nigerian Society of Engineers. Associate Member AIChE (1978). General Manager, Process Engineering; NNPC H/Q. Abuja. Working experience covers the underlisted areas and companies:Federal Superphosphate Fertiliser Company Ltd. (FSFC), Kaduna†¦August 1977 – June 1978 Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company Ltd. (WRPC), Ekpan-Warri†¦October 1978 – January 1980 Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Ltd. (KRPC), Kaduna†¦January 1980 – December 1990 National Engineering and Technical Company Ltd. (NETCO), Lagos†¦January 1991 – January 2006 NNPC Investment, Engineering & Techn ical Divisions. Abuja†¦February 2007 – November 2009 Top Manaagement Duties in NNPC Headquarters Abuja. General Manager Upstream Investment in Commercial and Investment Directorate. .General Manager Process Engineering in Technology Directorate. Project Engineering and Management Services: National Engineering and Technical Company. January 1991 to December 2006. Managed underlisted projects: Strategic Management Training for world class managers. (June 2008) Mini –MBA for Oil & Gas in Houston TEXAS October 2009 Engr Iton is amiable & hardworking and is a very discipline Board member of Gufax MFB Mr Mbobo E. Mbobo (ACA) – Director * Mr Mbobo Mr. Mbobo Mbobo is a Director of Gufax Microfinance Bank Ltd. He is a seasoned Accountant. Mbobo has worked as an Accountant with A.C. T Nigeria Ltd, Lagos for 3years before moving on to Federal Mortgage Bank where he worked as a State Accountant for 10years and then another 3years as an Audit Manager with Eddy Ette & C o (Chartered Accountants). He is presently working with the University of Uyo as a part time Lecturer and an Acting Director of Finance with Akwa Ibom State University of Technology. He holds an MBA Degree in Accounting and is working on getting his Ph. D. He is an Associate of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Associate, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (ACTI).He has attended courses within and outside the country. He has served as a Resource person at Seminars and Workshops. The experience of this Director is a great boosts to our service to customers. CORRESPONDENCE BANKS First Bank of Nigeria Plc Access Bank Plc EcoBank International Plc Diamond Bank Plc United Bank for Africa Plc Zenith Bank Plc Skye Bank Ltd OUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: CURRENT ACCOUNT: Gufax MFB offers current account services. The account is necessary as most other cash management services are provided through the current account.VOLUNTARY SAVINGS ACCOUNTS: We provide a number of savings products. These include 1. Regular savings accounts: This is the regular savings account operated for a customer for his personal reason. 2. Gufax Heritage Account: This account is for Children under the age of 18years. Benefits include scholarships. 3. Gufax Daily Contribution: This is for traders who are desirous of saving a pre-agreed amount daily till month end. 4. Gufax Acquired Account: This account is for persons who have specific targeted items to acquire at a specific time 5. Gufax Festivity Account:This account is for savings for festivity such as Christmas, Easter, Salah, Marriages etc 6. Gufax Real Life Savings Scheme: This is an open ended Asset acquisition scheme for civil servants. Regardless of what you want the Bank buys it for you and your salary is deducted for repayment over a period not exceeding one year after you would have saved 50% of the total cost of the asset. COMPULSORY SAVINGS ACCOUNT 1. GROUP COMPULSORY SAVINGS : All group members benefiting from Gufax Group Loan operates a compulsory savings account expected to assist them to build wealth and instil a saving culture in them. . TRICYCLE SAVINGS ACCOUNT: All beneficiaries of the Gufax Tricycle Transport Scheme are made to do a weekly compulsory savings for themselves as part of the condition for being a beneficiary of the scheme. SPECIALISED CREDIT PRODUCTS Gufax Tricycle Scheme: This product is targeted at the former Motorcycle riders in the city of Uyo whose business has been band by the government and replaced with taxi and tricycles. It requires the beneficiary to save 25% of the product cost and the bank will acquire such for the person with a tenor of 8months. Gufax Reallife Scheme:This is targeted at low and medium income government and private sector employees. It is meant to make life meaningful to this class of people by making them have easy access to any asset that will add value to their lives and pay from their salary for a tenor not exceeding 18months. Gu fax Quick Loan: this product is a temporary overdraft facility granted to traders which must be liquidated at the close of work on the last work day of every month. It is targeted at traders who makes daily repayments and with clear potentials to liquidate on or before end of month. FIXED DEPOSIT ACCOUNT:GUFAX MFB has a unique fixed deposit regime that encourages growth in asset and accumulation of wealth with minimal risk. The rates are competitive and attractive but within the Financial and Fiscal Policy Framework of the Central Bank of Nigeria. From as low as a Hundred Thousand, You can own a fixed deposit account with Gufax. SALARY ACCOUNT: Salary account can be opened for employees of companies/organization at no cost. You only need to send us a letter indicating the names of those that need the account and the rest is for us to do. CO-OPERATIVE AND SMALL GROUP ACCOUNT:This account is opened for formal and informal groups and organizations who are engaged in small and medium bu sinesses targeted at poverty alleviation and wealth creation. CREDIT-RELATED SERVICES: The credit-related services of our bank include: 1. Advances and Overdraft 2. Group & Individual Loans 3. Short term facility against staff salaries. 1. Projects development financing 2. Small scale business finance 3. Asset acquisition Financing 4. Property/Household equipment Lease. 5. Micro-insurance 6. Co-operative and Small Group (Formal & Non-formal) lending 7. Bridge Finance/LPO financingFINANCIAL ADVISORY SERVICES Gufax MFB also offers a wide range of financial advisory services on optimal financial structure involving a mix of equity/debt financing, investment risk management and strategic finance options. CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITIES GUFAX’s Faduk Care Trust This is the philanthropic organ of Gufax MFB and is saddled with the responsibility of making sure that the Bank gives back to the society. Amongst the programme so far handled by the department includes: 1. Scholarships Scheme totalling over a million naira to over 50 beneficiaries from different Educational institutions in Nigeria. . Library Project in Collaboration with ICAN, Uyo District and Society. 3. Sponsorships of programmes, seminars and workshops. 4. Gufax Help. Com Tansport scheme for the frustrated Okada Riders affected by Government band of their operation within Uyo Capital City. PREVIOUS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS We have handled many micro credit programs amongst which are i. FADAMA III Programme in Akwa Ibom State still ongoing. ii. Shell Development micro credit for Uruan (LGA) Community iii. Akwa Ibom State Action Committee on Aids (SACA) in their ongoing micro credit programme. iv.Participating MFB for FGN/CBN/IFAD Rural Finance Institution Building Programme (RUFIN) for Akwa Ibom State. STRATERGIC BUSINESS PLAN FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF MICRO-CREDIT FOR THE RURAL ACTIVE POOR IN ONNA LGA. Our strategy of poverty alleviation partnership is a collaborative approach where the Local governm ent provides a counterpart fund and a guarantee for microcredit to be extended by the bank to the rural active poor within the Local Government Area; Pre-disbursement training, disbursement, monitoring, performance evaluation, recovery, refinancing planning, rendition of report, compulsory savings mobilisation are part of this partnership. Pre-disbursement Training: Each of the beneficiaries of our micro credit will be trained on the basic cash management technique to ensure that there is no diversion of these credits for other purposes. Small and medium enterprises will be duly examined to ensure the commitment of the promoters. We will organize trainings and workshops for the beneficiaries of the loans in line with their trades to help them keep simple books of accounts as well as exercise financial disciplines. These and other awareness seminars/workshops keep our beneficiaries on top performance. †¢ Selection/Disbursement:We engage the beneficiaries of loans/credits through a thorough and diligent selection /screening process. We disburse funds to groups (formal and informal) and organizations with proper co-ordinations and organization; skilled small and medium entrepreneurs as well as individuals with quality business plans for small and medium enterprises. †¢ Monitoring : We will monitor them through our well trained credit/field officers divided into teams and assigned to specific groups/communities and special products of the bank such as group fund management (Government and donor redit scheme funds). †¢ Recovery: Each group or individual is qualified for the loan with at least two guarantors which one of the following must sign: Village head of the beneficiaries/group; clan Head, Paramount ruler, councillors, House of Assembly member or any prominent member of the community with a net-worth over and above the loan amount. †¢ Repayment Plan: At the commencement of the programme, we shall draw up a repayment plan to enable them kno w the duration of the loan and the repayment period. Rendition of Report: We shall keep a chart (ledger) to monitor daily, weekly and monthly performances and shall constantly present monthly report on the performance of the scheme to the Board and Management for Assessment and Policy formulation. †¢ Our Charges: Our charges will be on commission basis which is negotiable or a subsidized interest rate. ORGANOGRAM: GUFAX MICROFINANCE BANK ORGANISATIONAL CHART [pic] MANAGEMENT STAFF PROFILE: Gufax Microfinance Bank stands out from among its peers because of our uniqueness and personalized services to customers.We parade a team of highly motivated and well trained staff, who will not rest until a customer is satisfied. MD/CEO – please see as in Director’s profiles Mgr-Business Development & Strategy(BDS) * Mr Ubong Udoh is an MBA student of ESUT, Holds B. Sc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. He is also a member of the Statistical Association of Nigeria, Member of the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, He has working experience with reputable companies, such as Zenith Bank, Intercontinental Bank and the Central bank of Nigeria spanning over 10 years.He is a a Certified Microfinance Banker(MCIB) of CIBN. He is involve in many Humanitarian services including, Action Aid Int’l, Society Against Malaria, SACA, ACOMIN and the UNHCR. He is hardworking and goal oriented. He is friendly but disciplined. * CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER & HEAD OF AUDIT: As Head of Internal Control/Audit Department of Gufax (MF) Bank, Ubon Akpan has over 20 years experience in Banking, Accounting, Finance, Auditing and General Management traversing both Public and Private Sector Establishments.He started his career at Mercantile Bank Plc, where he rose to the post of a Supervisor. He later joined A. T. Asikpo & Co (Chartered Accountants) as Audit Supervisor, from where he moved to Frank & General Associates (A f irm of Financial & Management Consultants) as Finance & Admin Manager. Thereafter, he got an appointment at ACCESS Group of Schools as Head of Accounts/ Bursar for 2 years and later as Head of Audit for 3 years, before taking up another appointment as the General Manager of Grafen Enterprises Ltd – a Human Resources Management Company in the Oil Services sub sector.He also worked with Ekondo (MF) Bank, Calabar, as a Manager before he joined Gufax (MF) Bank. A Cost and Management Accountant (ACMA), he holds a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Accounting, a Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Calabar. * MANAGER,BANKING OPERATIONS: ADEYANJU LANSEBE is a graduate * MANAGER,BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT: This department is managed by Ugomma Udonsi who is a highy skilled banker with over 10 years of experience in the banking sector.She started her banking career with Mutual Alliance Savings & Loans Ltd where she worke d as Head, Branch Operations/Treasury. She holds HND in Estate Management from Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Owerri. CONCLUSION: At Gufax, we pride ourselves in focusing on the individual customer because we appreciate the fact that each customer is unique. GUFAX MFB is an engine room and hope for economic growth and development of the devastated lower class of our society.As our vision and mission clearly states, we are committed to the evolution of a society where every active poor can smile, please come along. UDUAK UDO MD/CEO www. gufaxmfbank. com ———————– MD/CEO Board of Directors COO/SA to the MD M Head, Banking Operations Head, Admin/ Human Resource Head, Audit /Compliance Head, IT Unit Legal Department Head, Business Development Credit & Marketing Executive / Debt Recovery HR/Admin Cashiers/Customer Service Officers/Funds Transfer Internal Audit Officers Internal Ctrl Officers IT Officers and Trainees Transports / Securit y

Diffrent options Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Diffrent options - Essay Example In his opinion, firm strategy, structure and rivalry, factor conditions, demand conditions, related and supporting industries are the factors governments should control in order to manage the competitive power of nations. The following illustration provides a brief idea about the factors which affect the competitive power of nations. (Vision on Innovation: 2. Models on the dynamics of innovation, 2009). Michael Porter while teaching in Harvard University in the 70’s and 80’s has made lot of researches with the help of his associates formulated a frame work to assess the competitive advantages of nations which is illustrated above. Porter has introduced parameters such as clusters of companies, suppliers, related industries and institutions in particular locations as the factors which affect the competitive power of a nation in international market. This framework is known as Porter’s ‘diamond’ of National Competitive Advantage. This paper analyses th e competitive power of nations with the help of Michel Porter’s diamond model The competitive advantage of nations According to Porter (1990), â€Å"A nation’s competitiveness depends on the capacity of its industry to innovate and upgrade. Companies gain advantage against the world’s best competitors because of pressure and challenge. They benefit from having strong domestic rivals, aggressive home-based suppliers, and demanding local customers† (Porter, 1990). It is difficult for firms to survive in the market without innovation. The market is changing rapidly because of the advancements in science and technology and the arrival of new products. Competition or rivalry in the market always forces nations and firms to innovate new products. Until the beginning of 2000, Nokia was the leader in the mobile phone industry. However, Apple Inc introduced the touchscreen mobile phones at the beginning of 2000 and the leadership of Nokia in the mobile phone indus try is slowly diminishing now. Apple controlled the mobile phone industry until recently. However, Samsung captured the leadership of this industry from APPLE at present with the help of innovative smartphones such as Galaxy S2, S3 etc. In short, rivalry and ability to innovate new products determine the success and failures of companies in the market at present. No organization or country can take the leadership for granted. For example the technological dominance of America is currently challenged strongly by Asian countries such as China, Korea and India. America maintained leadership in the technology market until recent times; however, their supremacy seems to be challenged by many other countries at present. The following table provides the strengths and weakness of America as a country at present in the global market. Strategic Issues For the United States Strengths Weaknesses Innovation Science, technology, R&D Entrepreneurship Free and open competition Capital markets (curr ent uncertainty) Economic decentralization Human resources challenges Need to restructure public education Access to higher education Training Americans vs. low skilled immigration Falling U.S. leadership in international economic development U.S. influence, authority, and focus has diminished Weak transitional â€Å"Security Blanket† Retraining system Pension security Health insurance access and mobility Unnecessary cost of doing business. Burdensome regulations Litigation costs High-cost / high complexity tax system Energy inefficiency High healthcare

Significant Historical Event that Occurred Between 1945 and 2008 Essay

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Question 2 Z - Essay Example However, their distinct differences in terms of formation, structure and ultimate objective distinguishes them. Interest groups are encapsulated within the blanket of pressure groups, which are organizations that are formed on a voluntary basis and are private in nature operating not to form a government but aims at influencing and regulating policies that a government formulates. Pressure groups are either cause groups or Interest Groups (Kenneth 200). Pressure Groups are the groups that aim to influence the government politically, a significant distinctive feature. Interest groups are different from cause groups as they (interest groups) focus on occupational aspects that affect their members; be it issues to do with business, trading, and professional regulations among others. Its main focus revolves around the welfare of those they fight for in occupational capacities. For example, a Teacher’s Union would raise teachers’ grievances to the Ministry of Education concerning delayed salaries. Structures and hierarchical line of power that commands broad edges of issues affecting people with a belief that given a chance they can provide solutions to those problems. They aim to escalate to power and provide political governance to the people and the issues they touch on are much more general than those of interest groups, which are only about occupational issues. As referenced by Caramani (200), adapted from Huckshorns (1984:10), a political party is a group of independent individuals whose aim is to compete in nominations and run for elections in order to escalate to power and have control of the government. Arguably, political parties aim to escalate to power and capture government offices that give it a mandate for governance. According to Caramani (268), Social Movements are collections of individuals with a clearly recognized rival and are involved in a battle and share a central

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