Monday, December 30, 2019

Biography of Sigmund Freud - 2805 Words

Sigmund Freud has been heralded as one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century. He is renowned for his discoveries about the human mind, particularly dreams, fantasies, and the role of the unconscious. Even though many of his theories were (and are) viewed as controversial, his ideas revolutionized the way people think about themselves. The potency of his notions have permeated almost every discipline, including literature, art, and medicine. This paper will examine the life, the influences, and the impact of Sigmund Freud. It will begin by discussing who he is, his personal history, and then talk about his role in the development of psychoanalysis. Next it will discuss some of the individuals who greatly inspired Freud.†¦show more content†¦All of Freud’s works, ideas, and techniques led to the development of his theory of psychoanalysis (Gay, 1989). Paul Larson (2002) proposes a model of understanding peoples’ roles, contexts, interests, and a ctivities. This model helps define said factors through categorizing individuals into certain archetypes. Given the aforementioned information presented about Freud, one can see that he has taken on many roles throughout his career. As a result, he falls under more than one archetype. The first archetype befitting to Freud is that of the Scientist. According to Larson, the archetype of the scientist materialized in the sixteenth century with the development of astronomy and physics, and later became more solidified as the biological and psychological sciences emerged in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Scientists, by nature, are logical, calculating, and tend to be reductionists. Freud, first and foremost, saw himself as a scientist with an interest in discovering methods of uncovering the mysteries of the mind (Thornton, n.d.) His education was comprised of being schooled in the scientific methods of the nineteenth century lab, which stressed the importance of experi mentation, observation, and measurement (McLeod, 2009). As mentioned prior, he began his career working in a laboratory studying brain anatomy and histology. In this lab, he conducted experiments on frogs to determine ifShow MoreRelatedA Brief Biography of Sigmund Freud2548 Words   |  10 PagesIntroduction: A Brief Biography of Sigmund Freud â€Å"A trailblazer of modern-day psychology,† Sigmund Freud presented new ways of thinking about human nature, pioneered new techniques of understanding human behavior, and created the most comprehensive theory of personality and psychotherapy ever developed (Himmat, 1997). Sigmund Freud was born on the sixth of May in 1856 in what is now Pribor in the Czech Republic, or at the time, Freiberg, a rural town in Moravia. The firstborn son of a merchant, Freud’sRead MoreSigmund Freud Biography1317 Words   |  6 PagesSigmund Frued, Austrian physician, neurologist, and founder of psychoanalysis. Freud was born in Freiberg (now Prà ­bor, Czech Republic), on May 6, 1856, and educated at the University of Vienna. When he was three years old his family, fleeing from the anti-Semitic riots then raging in Freiberg, moved to Leipzig. Shortly thereafter, the family settled in Vienna, where Freud remained for most of his life. Although Freud s ambition from childhood had been a career in law, he decided to become a medicalRead MoreSigmund Freud: A Very Brief Biography1582 Words   |  7 Pages INTRO Sigmund Freud is considered one of the most influential figures in modern psychology. He is best known as the father of psychoanalysis. 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Although he may have the most of influenceRead MoreSigmund Freud Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Man is a wolf to man.† These are the words that surprised millions when Freud first opened the discussion of human nature (Freud). Sigmund Freud, born in 1856 and died in 1939, was known to be the father of psychoanalysis (Jones). He lived his whole life trying to reach into the human unconsciousness and unravel the puzzle of life, human personality, and human nature (Chiriac). Sigmund Freud was influenced by the environment post World War I, and influenced the world through his theories and hisRead MorePsychoanalysis of Holde n Caulfield1173 Words   |  5 Pagesa psychoanalytical theory and therapy that aims to treat mental disorders by investigating the conscious and unconscious elements in a human mind by bringing fears to the conscious mind. According to Sigmund Freud, â€Å"The unconscious silently directs the thoughts and behavior of the individual† (Freud 95). Holden Caulfield, the main character in J.D Salinger’s novel, The Catcher in the Rye, is sixteen years old and does not act his own age for he is stuck in his own private world, filled with painRead MoreThe Impact Of Sigmund Freud On Psychiatric Practice1826 Words   |  8 Pages The Impact of Sigmund Freud on Psychiatric Practice The psychiatric practice would terrify the mentally ill, but not until Sigmund Freud came along. During the early 1800 s, the Catholic Church would torture people that were mentally ill, blaming them to be sinners because of their illness. Freud graduated as a general doctor, but soon found a great interest in the human brain. He came up with the theories of psychoanalysis, Oedipus complex, Electra complex, and even with dream interpretationRead MoreEssay about Sigmund Frueds Psychology1339 Words   |  6 PagesSigmund Freud was born in 1856 in Frieber, Moravia; his father was a wool merchant and his mother was twenty years younger than his father. Freud had two step brothers which were around the same age as his mother; one stepbrother had a son who became Freud’s playmate growing up (Sigmund). Around the age of four, Freud and his family moved to Vienna where he stayed for a majority of his life. (Boeree) When Freud’s family moved to Vienna, they lived in an area that was highly populated with JewsRead MoreDracula Essay747 Words   |  3 Pageswas basically intertwined with this book, because his psychoanalytical reasonings was based on this book. All human experiences of morbid dread and aggressive wishes and in vampirism we see these repressed wishes becoming plainly visible. -Sigmund Freud. The way psychoanalysis and this book relate is how the Victorian ideology affects the war how people think and act according to the situation. Such as many of the characters in this book had suffered from the fog of confusion which they had believedRead MoreAnna Freud1216 Words   |  5 PagesANNA FREUD Anna Freud Anna Freud Selecting a woman that made significant contributions to the field of psychology between the years 1850 and 1950 is not an easy task as there is more than one woman who made significant contributions to the field of Psychology. Out of those talented women Anna Freud, overshadows her colleagues. Anna can be considered to have a fascinating background, which influenced her later development of unique theoretical perspectives. Her father, Sigmund Freud famous

Sunday, December 22, 2019

The Past and Present of Terrorism and Counterterrorism in...

The Past and Present of Terrorism and Counterterrorism in China Introduction This paper traces the evolution of China’s indigenous conceptualization of terrorism and counter-terrorism practice from Imperial China to the modern era. It mainly explores the historical and cultural underpinnings and the current pragmatic diplomacy that have shaped the evolution. Since the concept of terrorism did not originate in China and retains much ambiguity, it is helpful to understand the local characters within a comparative framework. The fundamental question then becomes what is terrorism in the contemporary world. In the United States (â€Å"U.S.†), the Executive Order 13224 defines â€Å"terrorism† as â€Å"activity that (1) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life, property, or infrastructure, and (2) appears to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination, kidnapping, or hostage-taking.† Despite that existing legal scholarship has paid much attention to the wide range of definitions of terrorism, the U.S. version is sufficient for the purpose of this paper. Interestingly, notwithstanding a want of the word â€Å"terrorism† in Imperial China and workable official legal definition of terrorism in modern China, terrorist-like activities have long existed and been viewed as politically motivated violence against the state.Show MoreRelatedU.s. National Security Strategy1382 Words   |  6 Pages The Way Ahead for American and Iranian Relations: Engaging in a Cold War Over the past 37 years, Iran has become one of the most complex and stubborn national security strategy issues that the United States has had to deal with. Once a key U.S. ally in the region, Iran is now a chief protagonist. To complicate matters, recently, the U.S. has found itself simultaneously an adversary and a quasi-ally of Iran. An example of this duality would be: on one hand, Iran has provided support to terroristRead MoreIndonesi The Largest Economy Of South East Asia1110 Words   |  5 Pagesdid not start immediately as outsiders entered. The Dutch first arrived in the country during the end of the 16th century, but it took a slow process of political expansion and centuries later before they would reach the territorial boundaries of present-day Indonesia. During the 18th century the United East India Company established itself as a major political and economical power on the island of Java. This Dutch trading company had been a major power in Asian trade for centuries but had justRead MoreThe Cyber Warfare Struggle Of The Technological Era1744 Words   |  7 PagesFigure 1: The number of incidents reported to CERT/CC from 1988-2003. (Source: from â€Å"Cyber-Warfare Threatens Corporations: Expansion Into Commercial Environments† by Knapp, Kenneth J. and Boulton, William R.) The figures above show the rise in cyber terrorism in recent years. This is expected due to the increase in use of technology. Still, the amount of attacks is high. In â€Å"Cyber Warfare Threatens Corporations†, Knapp and Boulton go on to say: Although the security incident numbers appear large, theyRead MoreThe End Of World War II And Creation Of The United Nations4715 Words   |  19 Pagesevolution transits into new superpowers; the United States – an established power and China – a rising power. In contrast to the US – USSR relations, the new superpowers emphasize on constructive bilateral relations that propose to foster cooperation, mutual respect and promote global development. This essay, indicates the importance of unified trilateral efforts and collaborative multilateral cooperation between the US, China and the UN. These world powers have thriven through socio-economic decline toRead MoreEssay about Counter Terrorism Unit 2699 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction *Note: information concerning the formation of the CTU is fictional Terrorism is one of the greatest concerns of the 21st century. It is a method that has been embraced by many groups with many different ideologies. It has the potential of causing major devastation, especially with the specter of acts of nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism. There have been many references by both the media and politicians to a â€Å"War on Terror,† and if we are to characterize this as a warRead MoreTaking a Look at the Kashmir Conflict2667 Words   |  11 Pageshave long been striving for autonomy and ultimately independence. At its core, this is a conflict that is both intrastate and interstate in its nature. However, the lives lost and the lingering wounds have caused the dispute to remain as an ever-present threat. So while many paths to peace have been proposed, none have proven to be the answer. The intense conflict and India’s unwillingness to hold a plebiscite has shaped the status of modern-day Kashmir. Ultimately, the Kashmir conflict embodiesRead MoreTerrorism in Southeast Asia17760 Words   |  72 PagesTerrorism in Southeast Asia Bruce Vaughn, Coordinator Specialist in Asian Affairs Emma Chanlett-Avery Specialist in Asian Affairs Ben Dolven Section Research Manager Mark E. Manyin Specialist in Asian Affairs Michael F. Martin Analyst in Asian Trade and Finance Larry A. Niksch Specialist in Asian Affairs October 16, 2009 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RL34194 CRS Report for Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress Terrorism in SoutheastRead MoreTerrorism and Its Effects on International Relations5812 Words   |  24 PagesTerrorism and its Effects on International Relations Introduction Over the years there have been significant changes in how terrorism is carried out. With the changes in how terrorism is carried out there have also been dramatic changes in how countries counter terrorist attacks. The modifications in the way a country counters these terrorist attacks affects international relations of these countries. These issues bring about the question of how have counter terrorism methods affected internationalRead MoreRp-Us Visiting Forces Agreement12890 Words   |  52 Pagesclose American military installations in 1992, bilateral security cooperation resumed following territorial disputes between the Philippines and China in 1994 and the launching of the Global War on Terrorism in 2002. After 2001, the Philippines received one of the most dramatic increases in U.S. foreign aid in Southeast Asia, largely for counterterrorism purposes, including not only military assistance but also health, education, and economic assistances in Muslim areas in Mindanao (Lu m, 2011). HistoricallyRead MoreCase Study148348 Words   |  594 Pagestogether with comprehensive teaching notes (in this manual and on the website). The case collection contains a rich mixture of material, including long and short cases from many different sectors and different countries. Thirty-four ‘classic cases’ from past editions (where they are not carried forward into 9th edition but are still useful to tutors and students) A tutor DVD contains video presentations from each author and supplementary material to support a selection of the case studies. The accompanying

Saturday, December 14, 2019

Staff Training And Development Essay Free Essays

Sustaining Effective Staff Training And Development Essay Introduction What is training and development? Training and development is a concept in management which allow the organisational activity to be aimed directly at performance of individuals, groups and the organization (Landale, 1999). There are three main activities under the guise of training and development which are interlinked – training, education and development. It is not just the role of the employer to identify training and development needs, the employee also needs to be able to identify their role in the organization and how they can effectively develop themselves (Landale, 1999). We will write a custom essay sample on Staff Training And Development Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now Van der Bossche et al (2010) acknowledge that due to the rapid advancements in technology and knowledge require the individual to participate in personal and professional development. The development of talent within the organization is necessary for competitive advantage to exist, it is also necessary for the retention of employees. The organization needs to identify talent and to support the individuals through all their training needs Staff Training and Development is described as the necessity to cover the essential skills used in the everyday work situation. Within the promotion of training and development, the individual needs to be focused on the goal of developing their skills, knowledge and understanding of how the organization exists within its environment (Jerling, 1996). If the manager can motivate the employee in their work and can encourage development then the employee will see it in a positive light and will work towards the goals.I I Background Having effective employees is instrumental to the success of any business organization. This is the case because of the high employee turnover rates and high unemployment rates evident in most countries. Since the 2008 recession in the U.S, other countries of the world have experienced the ripple effects as the world largest economy struggles to recover. The European nations have suffered under the current debt crisis that has shrunk economies in Europe. Other countries in African and Asia have also felt the impact, as their economies are most dependent on both the U.S and European markets for trade. The subject of having effective employees has therefore, gained relevance as employers look for ways to sustain their workers. In an effort to keep their most important asset, organizations are heavily involved in the training and development of employees (Hung Wong 2007). Training and development has been a tool used by organizations to mitigate the risks of losing employee to other org anizations. It has also been used to groom future leaders of the company, as well as assist organizations in saving time and money. This essay shall discuss two theories that discuss employer support and training, as well as the impacts of employee performance in relation to training and development of employees.III Development Humphry Hung and Yiu Wong have come up with two theories that discuss the relationship between the employer and the workers when it comes to training, continuing education and work study performance (Hung and Wong, 2007). The theories were introduced because of a case study of Hong Kong students who were in school and worked at the same time. The authors then came up with the theories to help explain the student or employee’s performance in relations to their employees and employer relationship (Hung and Wong, 2007). The first theory was the psychological contract theory while the second one was the expectancy dis-confirmation theory. The researchers realized the need for employees to have an education so that they are able to move up the ladder as far as the work force is concerned. The researchers used the employee and employer relations as the subject of research, and came up with a model to explain how training and development can be effectively used in the workplace (Hung Wong2007). Psychological contract theory According to the psychological theory, the employer and the employee have a set of beliefs, promises and obligations that go beyond the formal contract between the two. This psychological contract theory is attributed to the second wave of research in this subject, namely where the basis is a mutual loyalty between employees and organization (Hall and Moss, 1998). The elements of the third wave of research on the psychological contract, which measures the attitudes and perpceptions of employees towards organization are demonstrated below (Robinson, 1996). In other words, once an employer hires an employee, the employee has to abide by certain rules while the employer is obligated to behave professionally. This means that the employees expect to exchange their loyalty and productivity for wages and other forms of compensation (Kimberly 2009). This theory may be regarded to be limited in delivery of depth of investigation of relations between organization and employees (Robinson and Morrisson, 1995). This suggests that recent research has failed to acknowledge the fact that psychological contact theory is more multi-dimensional as opposed to what has been presented in the research (Trunley and Feldamn, 1999a). As a result, there were two kinds of contents presented, namely transactional and relational. Transactional content involves measurable economic exchanges between the two parties. For instance, an employee works 40 hours a week for a paycheck at the end of the week. Relational contents are based on trust and long-term relationships. In such a case, an employee can delegate a certain role to the employee based on trust (McConnell 2004). In the study, three principles can emerged. First, there is interaction at an individual level, mutual relationship between the two parties and finally tactical exchanges. Most people believe that the relationship between the employee and the employer is based on personal ties because the employer is an embodiment of the organization, and the experience of their interaction dictates the success of an organization (Hung Hing 2007). On the other hand, some believe that there has to be a mutual relationship between the employer and the employee for organizations to succeed. The mutual obligation is based on the belief that the employer is obliged to the employee in return for a commitment. Finally, the tactical exchanges occur between the workers in which case, the employee insists on a mental connection between the two parties (Kimberly 2009). The significance of the psychological contract theory is that it attempts to explain the employee’s behavior in regards to how he is treated by the employer. In other words, the employee relationship to the employer is imperative to matters regarding how employees react when subjected to training by organizations. The development of the employee dictates the performance of the employee in the continuing work-study. The research found that students who had a good working relationship with their employer performed well in their training and education compared to those who had a bad relationship (Hung Hing 2007). Another limitation is attributed to the assumption, that psychological contact theory fails to address the specifics of individual work behaviour (Robinson, 1996a). From methodological perspective, this theory was developed on the basis of employee’s self-appraisals. As a result, it failed to include the actual supervisor’s appraisals, which are perceived to be quite crucial in delivery of objective opinion on the subject of job performance (Keeney and Svyantek, 2000). Expectancy disconfirmation theory The expectancy disconfirmation theory is similar to that of consumer dissonance. Only that in this case, it deals with the employee, as opposed to the consumer. The theory was brought about from the comparison of a worker and a consumer when dealing with their products. An employee is believed to have positively disconfirmed their role in the organisation when their perceived performance exceeds their expected performance (RoughtonMercurio 2002). The opposite is true and referred to as negative disconfirmation. Negative disconfirmation occurs when an employee believes that their expectations exceed their perceived The ability for the organisation to be able to sustain effective staff training and development in the workplace is a necessity in the global market. The purpose of this paper is to reflect on training and development in the workplace (Venkatesh and Goyal, 2010). Other considerations which must be taken into consideration when discussing this topic are in relation to the culture and structure of the organisation as well as the importance of communication and the impact of the leadership styles on the overall behaviour of the organisation (Venkatesh and Goyal, 2010). The global market has allowed the transfer of skills and knowledge through migration and the internationalisation of organisations. Training and development are important to how the organisation can compete in the market, if the organisation can sustain their employees through training and development they will be able to compete in the market. The effectiveness of employees will prove to be a valuable asset to the organisation and it is important that the organisation holds on to their employees (Klein, 1998). It has been argued that the resources of an organisation are the key sources of competitiveness. There is a need to examine the background of the organisation – culture and structure to see how these can determine how the organisation perceives training and development opportunities within the organisation. This theory has also proved to have some limitations attributed to it. This implies that it has been a subject to limitations imposed on the methodlogical approach. This implies that there have been some concerns reported in relation to the measurement of expectations that have been met (Irving and Meyer, 1999). This implies that direct measurement which is utilized in prediction of the disrepency between the expectations in relation to the job and actual behavioural intentions (Irving and Meyer, 1999). Strategic Management Strategic management is an essential process which needs to be considered in any organisation. Thompson Martin (2005) explain the process as being concerned with organisational actions and activities which identify and deal with threats, opportunities etc in both the internal and external environment. How strategic management is managed shows how well the organisation can adapt to change and how training and development will be welcomed in the organisational context. Lamb (1984) states that strategic management assesses competitors of the organisation and sets goals and strategies which can be seen in the context of training and development and how the organisation views the importance of its employees. One of the most important strategic processes is the practice of retaining employees. It is best practice to keep the skills and knowledge available to the organisation to remain competitive and to be able to recruit the most talented individuals in the market. If an organisation has the pick of the talent through their recruitment process they can sustain their competitive advantage which will allow them to compete consistently. The type of culture is reflected through the recruitment and selection processes as well the organisational structure and culture. If an organisation can effectively train and develop their workforce as well as retain their employees. Performance management and a competitive incentive programme can enhance the ability of the organisation to select and recruit the individuals they want to recruit to positions and not just because they have to fill the position (Phillips Pulliam Phillips (2002). Lambin (2000) defines the strategic process as allowing management to identify advantages and disadvantages. It will be important to identify the advantages and disadvantages of training and development further on in this paper but it is extremely necessary that these are identified so that the organisation can identify the skills and knowledge which they require in their organisation. The human element to the resources of the organisation are extremely important, Armstrong (2006) cites that the skills and competencies identified within the human resources process need to meet the future demands and challenges of the organisation and the environment. It will be necessary for the organisation to meet the pressures from the competitive environment and it should be prepared for this. Most organisations would not be able to function effectively in their environment without sustaining effective training and development in their workplaces. It is important that employees can be motivated i nto performing and target meeting. Organisational Culture The culture of the organisation is an integral factor of organisational activity. Holbeche (2006) believes that there are issues linking corporate social responsibility, accountability and the stakeholder environment. The culture of the organisation will impact on the behaviour of the employees in reference to how they behave, their work attitudes, the ability to embrace change and how the organisational objectives are achievable or not. Motivational theory is extremely important (Alderfer, 1969, Vroom, 1964, Maslow, 1943, Herzberg, 1966) link the goals of the organisation to the performance and achievement of personal goals which in turn can be fuelled by how skilled and knowledgeable the individual is. The culture of the organisation can be linked to success through the achievement of the competitive advantage. Deal Kennedy (1982) believe that the most important factor for the success or failure of the organisation is the culture. Culture by its very nature is implicit of behaviours within the organisation. Leadership and management are also essential to the understanding of culture and how it affects all mechanisms within the organisation (Rabey, 2003). This is also essential to the concept of training and development within the organisation as the development of management within the organisation, as the leadership role needs to grow both personally and professionally thus the impetus is on the development through training and development. The leader plays a role in the development of the organisation and if this individual is in tune with the development and training of the human resources, the organisation will embrace this concept. Schein (2004) reflects that the leadership and culture are inseparable. Structure is also important to the training and development environment within an organisation. The more rigid the hierarchical structure the less likely the culture will embrace training and development p ractices. While many organisations realise the need for progressive training and development it should be noted that not every organisation is a learning organisation (Schein, 2004). Leadership It is necessary to understand leadership as a concept before attempting to evaluate training and development. The development of the leader, according to Pedlar et al (2003), is that the concept is based on unexamined assumptions. There is no single definition of a leader, however, there are many attributes attached to leadership such as an ability to adapt, to make decisions, to be flexible and to be able to recognise skills within themselves and within others. The ability of the strategic manager is to be able to create an environment where employees want to participate and make a significant contribution to their role in the organisation. It is through this communicative process that the leader can identify the development requirements of the employee. The employee should be able to trust the judgement of the leader to allow them to participate in any programmes for development and learning within the organisation (Rabey, 2003). It is also necessary that the leader can identify any developmental needs in their own career progression. If the leader is forward thinking they will bring the organisation into line with the requirement of the selection and recruitment process to enhance the competitive nature of the organisation. The performance of the individual is impacted by the authority figure in the organisational relationship and can be highly influenced by the use of incentives. One such incentive which can be used to motivate the employee is that of training and development opportunities. These types of incentives are extremely important in today’s global environment with the internationalisation of organisations and the free movement of the workforce. The more skilled the workforce, the more ability the employee has to dictate their position within the organisation. This position allows the employee to hold some power over the authority figure as they can determine where they want to go in terms of their career and their development. Communication is key to this process so that the employee knows what kind of training is available to them and for the leader to be able to communicate the type of training which may best suit the employee. It is important that the leader can apply self development to themselves before they apply it to the individuals within their organisation and there should be an ethos throughout the organisation on lifelong learning . Learning Organisation In today’s global environment the concept of lifelong learning is extremely important and it is necessary for all employees to keep their development and learning up to date. The availability of learning to employees should be a pre-requisite to any organisation who profess to be a global leader. It is necessary for all employees to keep their skills, resources and knowledge updated so that they can compete in their business market. The markets while very dynamic and complex are also extremely competitive, and organisations are always looking for the right individual to take up a position within the organisation, who will ultimately enhance their competitive advantage (Lambin, 2000). Lifelong learning as a concept is not new, however, the concept of learning within the organisational context is very new. This allows the individual to learn around their own experiences. Both the organisation and the individual should be in synch with each other to allow their goals to be achieved. The service which the individual can apply to their customer greatly leaves a mark on the organisation as to how proficient it is in dealing with its customer. The ability of the organisation to provide professional training for their employees will successfully promote the organisation as well as the role of the employee. It is necessary that lifelong learning should be promoted more readily in today’s global markets due to the expansion of business and the free movement of employees to other countries. Lifelong learning can be provided throughout the organisation and does not necessary mean that it must be formal, it can be on the job training, but it should be used to encourage and motivate the individual. It is important to understand that the concept of lifelong learning is not without it disadvantages and within many organisations the facility is very much available. However, it is up to the individual to decide that they wish to partake in any programme, and also up to the manager to put the employee forward for training and development. This is very much about communication. Depending on how free flowing communication is, depends on the availability of these facilities. If the employee does not push for these opportunities they can hardly be expected to be handed the opportunity. However, the manager must communicate that these opportunities are available to the employee and explain the positive features for the employee. It is also necessary that the vision and politics of the organisation match the service and opportunities which can be given to employees. The need to preserve the abilities of employees within the organisation has become increasingly important, especially for the organisation to retain the skills, knowledge and resources which it currently holds. Lifelong learning can in effect change the labour market and the direction which the organisation is heading. Smith (2001) identifies the need of an organisation to be progressive, to allow the individual to gain more knowledge throughout their career and to persuade the individual to use the resources available to them for educational and growth purposes. Benefits of Training and Development Training and development is a particularly helpful feature to the organisation as well as the individual. The process allows both the organisation and the individual to grow alongside with the global market. It allows the individual within the organisation to recognise that they should be motivated to perform their job to the best of their ability because they can feel more valued by the incentives which they can receive from the organisation. There are many benefits to the organisation and the employee but it should also be recognised that there are also disadvantages to this. Lifelong learning does not necessary mean that the employee has to go off site on participate in in-house training, it also means a variety of opportunities within the organisation such as job rotation, secondment etc. These types of roles allow the employee to try out the role but also it means that they can avail of training in other positions within the organisation. This type of training can also motivate the employee as it can be seen as a performance reward for their hard work. It would seem in today’s environment, the emphasis would be very much on a culture of performance equals rewards. Other types of training and development include attending classes and online courses. Advantages and disadvantages of Training and Development The advantages which can be beneficial to the organisation is the retention of the current employees who are competent in their positions and have the ability to take on new roles within the organisation. If the employee can be trained in other positions it will benefit the organisation when it comes to employees leaving, thus the need for an urgent replacement for the position is no longer made a priority as the organisation can often promote or second from within. This allows the organisation some time to proceed with the recruitment and selection process to allow for them to find the right candidate. This also allows the employee to try other positions within the organisation and to decide if they wish to apply for these positions. With these types of training and development opportunities, the employee gets an opportunity to experience other roles and they may also provide a monetary incentive such as a pay rise while they are in the position. The ability of the organisation to p rovide these types of roles will also allow the organisation to retain their workforce and the skills and knowledge which come with that. It also enhances the skills of the employee. While there are advantages to training and development, there are also disadvantages. These disadvantages are predominately to the organisation but those which are important factors to the employee are the amount of time they would have to spend on the training and they may not be fully aware of the training opportunities which are afforded to them. This could be due to a lack of communication within the organisation or that the organisation is not overly interested in the development of their employees. One major reason that an organisation may not provide training and development would be down to cost in time and money. It may not be convenient for the organisation to spent time and money on an employee when the end result could be that they lose the skills and knowledge of the employee to another organisation due to the training and development they received. This has become more common as employees are more empowered and acknowledge the freedom to move to another job, even to mov e to another country. How Training and Development is Changing Garrison Anderson (2003: p.i) state that ‘The growth of e-learning is being described as explosive, unprecedented, and above all, disruptive.’ E-learning is associated with providing a framework for understanding the application and to goal set. This method of learning has become increasingly adopted as technology is evolving and transforming work practices. Many organisations have acknowledged the need to change according to reviewing the values and culture of their organisations. It has become increasingly important for organisations to adapt to the new learning environment. Training and development has changed rapidly due to global expansion. The employee no longer needs to take time off work to participate in training. Along with on the job training, it has become cost effective for employees to educate themselves through online and DVD/ CD’s. Technology has afforded organisations and employees easier ways to participate in training and development. Study can take place at the workstation or at home rather than the traditional format where the employee had to leave the workplace and travel to a destination where they could be facilitated. This has become extremely cost effective for the organisation as they are not losing man hours when the employee is studying/ on their course and it also means that workloads are not high because the work is still being completed. Along with the rise in popularity of the Internet and its main feature, namely interactivity, the human resource managers have found out that this may be used to the advantage for training and development purposes (Venkatesh and Goyal, 2010). The internet, as an interactive and communication medium provides wider access to the information and enables distance learning for knowledge transfer purposes. This suggests that it is much easier to engage in learning programs from any location in the world, if an individual has an Internet connection (Venkatesh and Goyal, 2010). Additionally, it has been estimated that the Internet is associated with lower costs, imposed on the training and development strategies. This implies that the main costs are reduced in the areas of physical distribution of training and development programs and the need for hiring a specific staff in order to maintain those. Online training allow the individual to manage the training program by himself, where he is r egarded to be in control over the situation (Venkatesh and Goyal, 2010). Van Dam, (2002) suggests that online training is utilized in combination with the offline channel, suggesting that in the majority of cases, the users of the online training system tend to maintain an offline contact whilst receiving the necessary instructions. The online training system is mainly utilized for the development of computer skills, job-related skills and technical competencies. Recently, there has been an emergence of economic recession that has affected the planning and implementation process of training and development programs. This implies that economic recession has made the companies to reconsider their costs and thereby plan the cuts, where necessary. CIPD, (in EWCO, 2009) has estimated that the performance of the majority of companies in the previous 12 months has been worsened. With regard to training and development, it has been estimated that 32 % of surveyed companies have reported cuts in the training and development budget in the previous 12 months. However, in the light of recession, despite the imposed cuts in budget, the majority of companies has estimated that training and development has not been viewed as an expendable commodity. This implies that the management of the companies still view training and development programs as the key priority for company’s achievement of organizational objectives (CIPD in EWCO, 2009; Bourke, 2009) . This suggests that there is a great potential for further investments in training and development programs, given its significance in the corporate world. Methods used in Training and Development This type of training also encourages the employee as they can do all their study with the use of a pc and can do it during working hours at their workstation. It also allows the employee to have more say in their development and to enhance their skills. The use of IT has allowed the development of more globalised skills which are transferrable. It is also appropriate for the organisation to provide the employee with the information about training and development opportunities which is extremely easy compared to how the traditional methods had been. The employee and the organisation can research the courses/ training and development opportunities. The manager has the ability to distinguish worthwhile courses/ training opportunities according to the need of the employee with the use of IT. This is where the ability to communicate and identify the individual needs of the employee as well as their own needs. References 1.Alderfer, C.P. (1969): An Empirical Test of a New Theory of Human Needs, Organizational Behaviour and Human Performance, Vol. 4, Issue 2, May, pps. 142-175 2.Armstrong, M., (2006): A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 10th Edition, Kogan Bourke A. (2010). ‘Recession Affects Training and Development Programs’. Available from: http://www.aicpcu.org/MediaCenter/docs/articles/Recession_Affects_Training_and_Development_for_Web_10-09.pdf. Last Accessed: 13th Feb. 2012 CIPD in EWCO (2009). ‘Impact of recession on workplace training’. Available from: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/ewco/2009/09/UK0909039I.htm. Last Accessed on 13th Dec. 2012 3.Deal, T.E., Kennedy, A.A., (1982) :Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life, Harmondsworth, Penguin Books 4.Garrison, D.R., Anderson, T., (2003) :E-Learning in the 21st Century, RoutledgeFalmer, Taylor Francis Group Hall, D. T., Moss, J. E. (1998). ‘The new protean career contract: Helping organizations and employees adapt’.Organizational Dynamics, 26, 22–37. Herzberg, F. (1966) :Work and the Nature of Man, Staples Press Holbeche, L. (2006), Understanding Change: Theory, Implementation and Success, Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann Hung, H. Wong Y. (2007), ‘The relationship between employer endorsement of continuing education and training and work and study performance’: A Hong Kong case study’. International Journal of Training Development, 11, 4, pp. 295-313. Irving, P. G., and Meyer, J. P. (1999). ‘On Using Residual Difference Scores in the Measurement of Congruence: The Case of Met Expectation Research. A Longitudinal Analysis’, Personnel Psychology, 52(1), pp. 85-95. Jerling K. (1996). Education, Training, and Development in Organisation. Pearson: South Africa Keeney, M. J., Svyantek, D. J. (2000). ‘A review of psychological contract theory and research: Promise nothing and they still may get angry’. Current Trends in Management, 5, 65–94. Kimberly, W. 2009, Value Initiatives Improving Performance in the Workplace. NY:GRIN Verlag 9.Lamb, R., (1984) Competitive Strategic Management, Prentice Hall 10.Lambin, J.J., (2000) Market-Driven Management: Strategic Operational Marketing, MacMillan Business Landale A. (1999). Gower handbook of training and development. 3rd ed., Gower Publishing: UK 11.Maslow, A.H. (1943), ‘A theory of human motivation’, Psychological Review, Vol. 50 No. 4, pp. 370 – 396. 12.McConnell, C. R. 2004, ‘Managing Employee Performance’, Health Care Manager, Vol. 23, No. 3, p. 273, Supplemental Index. 13.Pedler, M., Burgoyne, J., Boydell, T., (2003) A Manager’s Guide to Leadership, McGraw-Hill Phillips, J.J., Pulliam Phillips, P., (2002) Retaining Your Best Employees: In Action Case Study Series, American Society for Training and Development Rabey, G., (2003) The Paradox of Teamwork, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 158 – 162 Robinson, S. L. (1996). ‘Trust and breach of the psychological contract’. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41:574–599. Robinson, S. L., Morrison, E.W. (1995a). ‘Psychological contracts and OCB: The effect of unfulfilled obligations on civic virtue behavior’. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 16: 289–298 Roughton, J. Mercurio, J. 2002, Developing an effective safety culture: A Leadership Approach. NY: Butterworth-Heinemann 17.Schein, E.H. (2004): Organizational Culture and Leadership, Jossey-Bass 18.Thompson, J.L., Martin, F., (2005) Strategic Management: Awareness and Change, 5th Edition, Thomson Learning 19.Smith, M. K., (2001) ‘Peter Senge and the learning organisation’, the encyclopaedia of informal education, available online at www.infed.org/thinkers/senge.htm Turnley, W. H., Feldman, D. C. (1999a). ‘The impact of psychological contract violations on exit, voice, loyalty, and neglect’. Human Relations, 52, 895–922. Van den Bossche, P., Segers, M., Jansen, N., (2010) Transfer of Training: The Role of Feedback in Supportive Social Networks, International Journal of Training and Development, Vol. 14, Iss. 2, pp. 81 – 94 van Dam, N. (2002). E-learning by design: Can a better-designed course help you learn moree-learning. 3(1), 38-39. Venkatesh, V. and Goyal, S.(2010). ‘Expectation Disconfirmation and Technology Adoption: Polynomial Modeling and Response Surface Analysis,’MIS Quarterly 34, (2), 281-303 Vroom, V.H. (1964), Work and Motivation, John Wiley How to cite Staff Training And Development Essay, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Effect of Mining Boom Economy System †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Effect of Mining Boom Economy. Answer: Introduction: Mining has been essential to the Australian economy in bursts since the mid 19th century. In the 1850s there was a great boom induced by finding Gold and Copper in Queensland and Victoria and also South Australia. In the 1970s there was soaring prices of cal gas and iron that brought the current account of the economy into surplus which is not something that has happened since ("Australia' boom-bust history", 2013). Then there is the current boom which has driven up the prices of coal, iron ore, uranium and gas Management. This boom has been known to originate from the iron ore mines of Pilbara or from the coal fields of the Bowen basin (Philips, 2016). This rise in the prices have totally transformed Australian society beyond anything ever before and has raised the standard of living of the general population. It has in particular been of huge help to the communities of Western Australia and has helped them come to their own (Sharma, 2010). This is one of the most important events in the economy for many years. It is one of the biggest shocks that have come to the Australian economy in decades and it is a very positive shock that has helped improve the standard of living of the general population beyond what could have been ever been possible without this boom. A good way to thus measure what is the positive effect of this boom would have been to compare what would have been the situation if the boom had not happened to what has happened now that this boom is there. This is the way of considering a counterfactual and would provide good way to gauge the effects. Firstly it is to be noted that GDP has risen by 6 per cent due to this boom. Then that the price of global exports has also more than triples from what they were in 2003 at the start of this boom. It now accounts for 8 per cent of the GDP of the country where it before used to account for only 2 per cent. There has been a remarkable rise in the disposable income of the households which is 13 per cent higher due to this boom than it would have been without (Downes, Hanslow and Tulip, 2014). There is two ways this boom has affected the economy especially with the exports. There is an in the purchasing power of the people due to the positive externality of this boom as well as there is an increase in the volume of output that has been produced. The greater price of the produced output means that there are higher terms of trade and this in turn helps to boost the domestic economys purchasing power (Brueckner, Durey, Mayes, Pforr, 2013). The Australian dollar also appreciated due to this boom. The real exchange rate is thought to have been 44 percent higher than what it would have been without the boom. This boom was also able to bring down the unemployment in certain sectors with now mining involving more people and thus driving down the rates of the unemployment in the country which has been reduced by about 1.25 percent due this. There was a lso a tendency to control the nominal interest rates so as to control the money supply of the economy during these times. Due to this boom also saw an increase in the volume of trade in the economy mainly from the demand originated in China. This increase in the spending variables helps to increase the capital stock of the country and thus help in the growth of the economy (Jones and Vollarath, 2013). Australia did grow in huge rates at the start of the boom. The most appropriate model to explain this would thus be the Aggregate supply aggregate demand model as this would be able to perfectly encapsulate the effect of this unprecedented shock on the economy. As shown in the figure below it can be seen that point at which the initial equilibrium was situated was E. This is where the initial AD curve and the AS 1 curve would intersect. The GDP level was Y and the price level as P. However, with the positive shock the output level increased to Y*. To adjust accordingly and as there is a supply shock the AS curve would shift to AS2 and the equilibrium is now at E* with price level P*. The entire phenomenon is represented. At the start of the period the monetary policy Management basically consisted of the cash rate being the instrument through which the Reserve Bank of Australia which had by then started taking decisions separate to the government controlled the money supply of the economy. They also had policies of medium target inflation. They began controlling the short term nominal loan rates so as to follow a tight monetary policy so as to control the inflation in the economy. With a decrease in money supply the AD curve as shown in figure 1 moves inwards and the level of Y that it now has becomes less than the full employment level so the price level also drops below the expected price level. This makes the AS curve shift till it comes to an equilibrium at the point E1 with the same Y* but the price level decreased. This is shown. With the increased reserves brought about by the increase in the income due to the boom the Australian got into the programme of slashing the income taxes and was also giving a lot of transfer payment to the households. This causes the aggregate demand curve to shift outwards and then the AS curve shifts to adjust and there is a new equilibrium at E2 as seen in the figure 3. The level of output remains the same but there is an increase in the price level. Structural deficit is something that has been always present in the government due to imbalances in the reserves and surplus. Cyclical deficit occurs due to the business cycles and the recovery that the Australian reserves had due to the mining boom was in a large way the cyclical reserve. The government went into surplus and has maintained that for some years before the Global financial Crisis in 2007-2008. It was also able to clear its debt which is unlike other advanced countries which are often heavily leveraged, government expenditures and the revenues collected. From figure 4 it becomes clear that the increase in the reserves of the country was so the budget line shifts outward. Conclusion: The Australian mining boom has been a boon for the country no doubt. However a lot of doubters Management remain about if the bon has been put to its best possible use. A lot of detractors of the government comment that the increased welfare spending was the government basically sundering the reserves instead of building up its stocks. It is also to be noted that there has recently been a downturn and the growth numbers of Western Australia (Haeney, 2016). It would now be a very good time for the government to try and re-boost the economy through attracting Foreign Direct investment and other types of public investment which is sorely lacking in Australia. It is good news that this sector saw a further boom in 2017 and will hopefully be able to sustain it. References: Australia' boom-bust history. (2013).NewsComAu. Retrieved 4 May 2017, from https://www.news.com.au/national/australias-history-of-mining-boom-and-bust/news-story/6c7ac1c0c58df6a0b7ee2ccef019827a Brueckner, M., Durey, A., Mayes, R., Pforr, C. (2013). The mining boom and Western Australias changing landscape: Towards sustainability or business as usual?.Rural Society,22(2), 111-124. https://dx.doi.org/10.5172/rsj.2013.22.2.111 Downes, P., Hanslow, K., Tulip, P. (2014). The Effect of the Mining Boom on the Australian Economy.SSRN Electronic Journal. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2701080 Haeney, R. (2016).How Western Australia is handling the end of the mining boom.The Conversation. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://theconversation.com/how-western-australia-is-handling-the-end-of-the-mining-boom-69217 Hajkowicz, S., Heyenga, S., Moffat, K. (2011). The relationship between mining and socio-economic well being in Australias regions.Resources Policy,36(1), 30-38. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2010.08.007 Jones, C., Vollrath, D. (2013).Introduction to economic growth(1st ed.). New York: W. W. Norton. Perry, M., Rowe, J. (2015). Fly-in, fly-out, drive-in, drive-out: The Australian mining boom Management and its impacts on the local economy.Local Economy,30(1), 139-148. https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0269094214564957 Philips, K. (2016).The mining boom that changed Australia.Radio National. Retrieved 3 May 2017, from https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/rearvision/the-mining-boom-that-changed-australia/7319586 Sharma, S. (2010). The impact of mining on women: lessons from the coal mining Bowen Basin of Queensland, Australia.Impact Assessment And Project Appraisal,28(3), 201-215. https://dx.doi.org/10.3152/146155110x12772982841041

Friday, November 29, 2019

Contemporary Approaches to Management Essay Example

Contemporary Approaches to Management Paper Contemporary Management Approaches and Their Environments In the following paper, will be describing how the four contemporary approaches to management are different from one another. Will also be describing open systems and the types of environments these systems exist under. The last part of the assignment is to interrelate the two and explain why or why not. The four contemporary approaches to management theory include the following: the esoterically systems theory, the quantitative management theory, organizational behavior, and the systems theory. First, lets begin with beefing the esoterically systems theory. The esoterically systems theory is an approach to job design that attempts to redesign tasks to optimize operation Of a new tech oenology while preserving employees interpersonal relationships and other human aspects of the work. The quantitative management theory emphasizes the application of quantitative analysis to managerial decisions and problems. Organizational behavior is an approach that studies and identifies management activities that promote employee effectiveness by examining the complex and dynamic nature of individual, roof and organizational processes. Finally, the last approach the systems theory, states that an organization is a managed system that changes inputs into outputs. Inputs can be described as the goods and services businesses take into use and create products or services. Outputs are the resulting product or service that the business creates from the inputs. The second part of this assignment was to define and explain an open system. All businesses are going to be open systems. Open systems are organizations that are affected by, and that affect, their environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Approaches to Management specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Approaches to Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Contemporary Approaches to Management specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Open systems take in inputs in the forms of goods and services and these inputs are used to create a product or a service. Some common examples of inputs include raw materials, equipment, capital, information, and services. The resulting product or service the system makes is referred to as the output. Outputs are in constant interaction with the firms environment. Some common examples of outputs include products, such as cars, furniture, and computers, or services, such as accountants, medical services, and insurance providers. The internal environment of the company can be defined as all internal forces inside an organization such as the mangers, employees, and resources. The external environment includes all relevant forces outside of the businesses boundaries. Common examples of external environment forces include competitors, customers, the government, and the economy. The micromanagement is best described as the general environment; it includes governments, economic conditions, and other fundamental factors that generally affect all organizations. The final part of this assignment was to indicate whether the four contemporary approaches to management are relevant in the three environments I described in the last paragraph, and why or why not. Lets take a look at the first contemporary approach to management. The esoterically systems theory is present by far in the internal environment, since it focuses primarily on employees interpersonal relationships, thus impacting the external environment. The second approach, quantitative management, is relative to the external external environment and micromanagement. It can be useful during forecasting equines trends and analysis of the markets. Organization behavior is relative in both the internal and external environment. The last approach, the systems theory, concerns all three of these environments since all of these environments can be expressed relating back to inputs and outputs. The following paper describes how the different business environments can be related the four contemporary approaches to management. In closing, the systems theory, seems to be the best since it accurately addresses the internal, external, and micromanagement.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Quotes About What a 50th Birthday Means

Quotes About What a 50th Birthday Means If you are turning fifty, my hearty congratulations on the golden jubilee celebrations! Let the wine pour and the music roll, as you watch your life unfurl. Now that you are free of several responsibilities, you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor. Here are some wonderful 50th birthday quotes to keep you rocking for the next decade! Victor Hugo: Forty is the old age of youth; fifty is the youth of old age.TS Eliot: The years between fifty and seventy are the hardest. You are always being asked to do things, and yet you are not decrepit enough to turn them down.Sophie Tucker: From birth to age eighteen, a girl needs good parents. From eighteen to thirty-five, she needs good looks. From thirty-five to fifty-five, she needs a good personality. From fifty-five on she needs good cash.Coco Chanel: Nature gives you the face you have at twenty, but its up to you to merit the face you have at fifty.Elizabeth Cady Stanton: The heyday of womans life is the shady side of fifty!Bob Geldof: I do think I feel it but you dont think you are cause at a certain time you are no age but you dont think you are anything. You feel the life you have lived. I feel that. Its been a long fifty years.Dawn Wells: Just because a woman is over fifty does not mean she no longer has anything to offer. If anything, we have so much more to offer! We have lived life, we get better with age. I do my best work now in my 60s. Sure, I could retire; but what would I do? Play Bingo? I think not! Cindy Crawford: The face you have at age twenty-five is the face God gave you, but the face you have after fifty is the face you earned.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Online education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online education - Essay Example There is no doubt about the fact that online education is increasing, however, just how effective is it and what exactly are its advantages and disadvantages are questions that need to be answered. There is no doubt that online education has some advantages; whether it is saving a lot of valuable resources, like time and money, or being more convenient for certain students, online education does have an edge over traditional education. Students can log on from their homes and not have to spend so much time commuting to and from the institution, for instance, what is more the institutes do not have to spend so much money on infrastructure when the classes are online, resulting in lowered tuition fees. However, online education also has certain disadvantages. The students taking online courses do not have much, if any, social interaction with their peers, as they would in a traditional classroom, therefore, they might end up not only missing out on normal social growth, but most defini tely also on the total experience of school life, which is considered a rite of passage in our society. Moreover, by missing out on face-to-face instruction by their teacher, the students also have less of a chance to be monitored for comprehension, i.e. it is harder for the teacher to know whether the student has understood the lesson or not.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Stratejik Financial Management, provide an evaluation of two projects, Essay

Stratejik Financial Management, provide an evaluation of two projects, both with five year expected lives and identical initial outlays of 110,000 - Essay Example A thorough analysis of what a business venture or investment will impart the company is one of the most important steps in sustaining profitability, maximizing company's resources, and accepting or rejecting prospective projects (Brealey et al, 2005). The payback period is regarded and widely used because of its relative simplicity. Managers prefer to use it because it is generally easy to memorize and to use (Peterson and Fabozzi, 2002). However, this technique disregards the additional cash flow which can be recouped from the project as it only focuses on the time when the whole investment will be recovered (Higgins 2005). Since the concern of the payback period is when, it does not really tell a business organization whether an investment is worth pursuing or not. Also, because of the relative view of managers on when the amount of investment should be recovered, there is no definite conclusion if project should be accepted or not. The following tables show the computation of the Net Present Value (NPVs) of the two projects under consideration. Using the expect annual cash flow, the computed NPV for project 1 is $31,740 while it is $34,200 for project 2. If NPV is only the man consideration of the business organization in capital budgeting decision, it is apparent that both of the projects should be accepted. It should be noted that using the NPV method, any project which does not yield zero NPV should be considered and pursued by the business organization. Thus, in the case of the evaluated projects above, both should be considered as they both yield positive values of NPV. 4. Explain the logic behind the NPV approach. Net Present Value (NPV) is the difference between the present value of cash inflows and the present value of cash outflows (Keown, et al, 2005). The Net Present Value (NPV) analysis is very much different from other capital budgeting techniques like payback period because it takes into account the time value of money. In the computation for total cash flow, it also takes into account the total cash flow from the investment including the depreciation and the tax shield resulting from it. Starting from the expected annual cash flows from the prospective project, managers should assign a specific required rate of return, that is, the rate of return that the companies want to generate from the investment. This is often indicated as an interest rate. For example, if the company's rate of return is 12%, the company will only accept investments which will yield 12% or higher. This method recognizes that the value of dollar today is greater than its expected value tomorrow. Thus, all the cas h flows are discounted according to the required rate of return. After generating the present value of all the expected future cash flows, it then takes the sum of these present values. Logically, if the sum is positive, it means that the project exceeds the required rate of return. In contrast, if the NPV is negative then the project fails to generate the set return. This technique is favored by more economists and managers because it is more realistic. 5. What would happen to NPV if the required rate

Monday, November 18, 2019

Summry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Summry - Essay Example The first article to be considered in this review is â€Å"Apple Mac Computers Hit in Hacker Attack, Researcher Says†; written by Jordan Robertson and has been sourced from Bloomberg where it featured on 5 April 2012. According to this article, a recent research has shown that over 6 Million users of Mac computers had reportedly fallen victim to hacker attacks; this is an indication that Apple Inc, a company that had been predominantly untargeted by hackers, had now become a prime target. The article further relates that, according to a Russian antivirus software maker Doctor Web, the hacking attack predominantly targets computers using Apple’s Mac OS X software as opposed to windows systems. The research makes it apparent that most of the attacks occurred in the US and Canada, and the company had successively sealed off a security hole that had been a passageway for the virus. In addition to that, the research determined that the malware in question, specifically meant for Mac computers, capitalized on a weakness in a version of Oracle Corp’s Java software that functions as a plug-in on web browsers. The research also rebuffs traditional claims that Mac computers cannot be hacked, by pointing out the shift in hacker activities from computers that use Microsoft’s windows operating systems to those using Apple’s Mac OS X. ... Initially, Apple Inc has been an underdog in the computer operation systems business, and as such, it has been largely ignored by hackers due to its constrained market share. However, in the recent past, Apple Inc has risen above competition in this sector to rival industry giants like Microsoft Corp. In this respect, Apple Inc has taken a strategic position in the industry by increasing its market share considerably, that it has now attracted hacker activities. Conversely, industry giants like Microsoft Corp have traditionally been a haven for hackers and hacker activities due to their large market share; it is estimated that about 90% of the world’s desktop computers use the Microsoft Corps’s windows OS and this means that it has the largest numbers of victims. Numbers are very significant to the hackers because then they are able to transfer the malware to a large proportion of victims in a single attack; this highly promotes the hackers’ illicit money making schemes. The research establishes that Apple’s spokesman Bill Evans has declined to comment on the recent attacks, perhaps due to the implications of the incidence to the future strategic direction of the company. The sudden realization that the company was not hacker resistant anymore could potentially ruin the company’s prospects in the future because then it has lost one of its competitive advantages in the industry. It is understood that computers that use Apple Inc’s Mac OS X operating systems are equally vulnerable to hackers, just like the computers operating on Microsoft Corp’s windows operating system. The second article â€Å"Exclusive: Hacked companies still not telling investors† is by Joseph Menn, and

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Education and Employment Issues in Malaysia

Education and Employment Issues in Malaysia Introduction Education is rapidly in Malaysia since independence. Education in Malaysia consist five stages of education which are pre-school, primary education, secondary education, tertiary education and post-graduate education. Education can be seen as the process which is transmits its knowledge, values and skills from one generation to the next generation. In this education is not used only to instill the values and norms of a given society. Different forms of education have different stucture of learning that define the learning process. Education is as a tool to reduce poverty, restructure the economy and to raise the standard of living for the people in this country. The government must take a serious stand of the on the development of higher and smooth education to work transition. Education is one of the most important investment that country can make it to reducing poverty and inequality. With education, it give a people critical skills and tools to help them better to provide for themselves and their children. Besides, it can helps people to work better and create opportunities for sustainable economic growth now and into the future. Girls and boys who learn to read, write and count will provide a better future for families and country. In short, education has the power that can make the world a better place. The raising of quality education in the country is critical for Malaysia to achieve a high performing education system which provides the human capital needed for a high income economy. It is important to ensure the stability of the individual in social function whereas good education gives way to the status of a job and a good salary, contribute positively to the sosioeconomy impact and generate psychological development. Many of issue that faced by Malaysia’s education system in managing the transition of those who complete their studies as they enter the world of work such as the problem of job mismatches, gender imbalance in education and so on. So this topic can analyze what issues that faced by Malaysia’s education system. Problems faced by employers in hiring fresh graduates From the graph above the command problems is poor command of English (55.8%) and these skills are lacking among new graduatres. Fresh graduates must have skills when they are applying a job which are devide to two categories comprising hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills is a mastery and practice of a body knowledge whereas soft skills are the development of largerly inter and itra-personnel skills. Issues in education The problem of job mismatches Mismatches of qualifications with employers’ needs means that what is expected by the employers in the job market does not match (Kalaimagal and Norizan, 2012). Lack of experience are the major cause of unemployment among fresh graduates. The market is oversupplied with young and inexperience graduates as the number of graduates increasing over the year. The graduate oversupply has resulted that imbalance of the number graduates in the relation of the job opportunities available in the market. According to the article on â€Å"Close to half of Malaysian graduates either jobless or employed in mismatches fields†, which is attributes up the 40% public university graduates in Malaysia are either jobless or are stuck in mismatches occupation on July 27, 2013. In this article, one of the ways of overcoming such problems is to encourage more (graduates) to be more entrepreneurial and to do that, must ensure they have more experience that will enable them to be more sustainable. Among the reason side for the unemployment was the lack of language proficiency particularly in English as well as not having sufficient knowledge and competency in the jobs that they applied for. The skills mismatches between employers and worker is one is one of many reasons leading to high graduate unemployment. Malaysia has produced many skilled workers in IT, science, and professional graduates that were aim to increase RD and raise productivity in our key leading sectors. The absence of quality leading institutions to absorb the lead such initiatives has resulted in high unemployment. Gender Imbalance In Education Gender inequality in education and employment poses a major challenge to development. The female advantage in terms of tertiary enrolment does not necessary directly into advantageous participation in the labour market. Although women are likely more than man to have a university education, female graduate are more likely than male graduates to be lower paying jobs or to be unemployed. Female enrolment has outnumber of males and this phenomenon has been attributed to the new gender gap. Closing the gender gap education has now become a development priority. This identified that education is the primary vehicle for woman that not only to build basic capabilities but also to play a meaningful role in bring equitable social and economic development. The government regards education is an important tool to empower the women of Malaysia and constantly strengthened its education system in addition to providing more educational opportunities for woman. Now, in our system woman in Malaysia are attending universities and are enrolled in various courses such as arts and humanities, science and technology as well as vocational and technical field. Males need to perform well at the school level in order to compete for places in university. Fewer high paying jobs would be available to men leading to changes in future workforce composition. Table 8.3 below in 2013 show the percentage and ratio of students at public higher education institutes by gender. Percentage of female students is the higher which is 61.02% than the male students which is 38.98%. This data showed the imbalances of gender between female and male students. This is because female students more to hardworking and to study in the higher instituition than male students. Lack of Science and Technical Graduates Malaysia is going to the rapid shift of production based economy to knowledge-based economy, so companies are progressively needed more of science and technical graduates. On the other hands, new graduates who are not meeting needs of industry due to the lack of crucial skills and innovations. So, it will be difficult when many companies are not willing to invest time and money to train new graduates due to budget and time constraints because companies have to conduct training workshops and courses which can be typically take up to two years. Some employers poor in English command of the English language among fresh graduates. In general, local graduates are highly qualified but not proficient in English language. Lack of skills issue Soft skills are nontechnical skills such as communication, management and leadership which are required to successful practice. This is because majority of students are not confident with their soft. Soft skills are very important in securing a job in the job market. They are unable to communicate effectively because they lack confident and have a poor command in English language. In addition, local companies are demanding English proficiency too (The Star, 10 April 2011). Even local company, they are looking for graduates who are creative, inventive and bold to success in the market job. It had stated that most employees require workers to possess qualities such as good attitude, strong work ethics, and the ability to communicate well, a willingness to learn and to contribute new ideas. It has been acknowledge by the general consensus of Malaysian employers that Malaysian graduates lack the soft skills although are well trained in their areas of specialization (Nurita, Shaharudin, Ainon, 2004). Soft skills is the most important skill, this is because they have to communicate clearly and persuasively during the job interviews. Malaysian education system focus to exam oriented. So, for those who complete their studies have a lack of these skill is common everywhere. Here, new graduate are a little more aware about it now and there has been a slight improvement but the challenge are the same. There is a fear of failure or being put in the spotlight. The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has identified seven soft skills that should be possessed by all graduates as indicated in the Module for the Development of Soft Skills for Higher Learning Institution Malaysia, 2006 which include the skills for tertiary institutions need to inculcate among the local graduates: critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication skills, lifelong learning and information literacy, team working skills, professional ethics and morality, entrepreneurship skills and leadership skills. Soft skills are identified as generic skills and require training in contrast to hard skills which are associated with procedures or tasks that are observable, quantity and measurable. In facing the challenge of the job market, soft skills are required by university graduates. So, learning in tertiary classroom has moved away from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. Thus, it can be a necessary for those are searching a job nowadays especially for new graduates. Our system is through exam oriented, so many of the student are lack in their soft skills. In other to work transition is the supply of work to new fresh graduates are little bit. Many of company now need a graduates who have a soft skills that will be an innovative persons. So, our Malaysian education system must improve their system which is exam oriented. Another academic in a private institution of higher learning commented on lack of leadership in his institution. Poor leadership and lack of commitment and motivation from top management is one of the main reasons which creates a barrier to the growth and effectiveness of many private institutions and management school. A number of institutions employ retired academicians to occupy prime and decision-making positions and many of these retired academics lack vision, motivation and commitment with no interest in promoting the institutions and management education. Quality Issue Companies overwhelmingly agree that the content and quality of local university education do not adequately prepare students for the workforce while a weak basic education is also to be blame for producing graduates with adequate soft skills. The Malaysia education system must to differentiate between the various type of unemployment graduates, the reason why they are unable to find a work, and the interventions that must be taken to help them find employment. One possible explanation for the relatively high rate of graduate unemployment could be employers unwillingness to offer the level of compensation needed to meet the expectations of recent graduates and attract the required talent. So, Malaysia need to address the mismatch in skill formation and build a functioning feedback mechanism between educational institutions and the industry. A university of Malaya seven year longitudinal study of the school work transition (Nagaraj et al., 2009: 219) found that university graduates to have low regard for creativity and for risk taking. This bring us that fresh graduates increasingly view of the ability to think critically and creatively, and work independently. But graduates from Malaysian Universities seem to be lacking in these areas. In addition, government should look at improving incentives and recruitment for them for promoting professional development and career management (text book) Through the analysis of the current performance of national education based on the blueprint, government public examination lack of the ability to assess and reflect objectively the academic proficiency of students. This according to not only did our students performed poorly in higher level thinking, they also had difficulties with basic knowledge. This shows it is a very serious problem in managing the transition of our students. Besides, the public perception of the quality of education from industry perspective is based on the graph below. Industry perspective is refer to employers opinions about university graduates and these can be into five weaknesses listed as follows (Jobstreet survey, 2011): (1) unrealistic salary demands, (2) bad character, attitude and personality, (3) poor command of English language, (4) lack of good communication skills, (5) too choosy about the job. Thus, issues are faced by Malaysias education system are students problem to more to their attitude. The problems not only in the students knowledge and learning skills but also in their ways to interacting with people and handle their personal matters. Conclusion As the conclusion, Malaysian education system must have an incentive to managing work transition for those who complete their studies as they enter the world of work because many of fresh graduates had been seen was unemployment phenomenon. We notice there is over-emphasis on the number of students enrolment. This has reflected that our education is pay more attention to quantity instead of quality. The issues such as the problem of job mismatches, gender imbalance in education, lack of science and technical graduates, lack of skills issue, quality issue can be a problem for education system in managing for those who complete their studies as they enter the world of work. This bring us that fresh graduates increasingly view of the ability to think critically and creatively, and work independently. Then, issues are faced by Malaysias education system are students problem to more to their attitude. The problems not only in the students knowledge and learning skills but also in their ways to interacting with people and handle their personal matters. This problem can be overcome among the students if they have alternatives to change their attitude. Thus, the work transition will be going smoothly. References Azina Ismail. (2011), Graduates’ Characteristics And Unemployment: A Study Among Malaysian Graduates at https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CBwQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fijbssnet.com%2Fjournals%2FVol_2_No_16_September_2011%2F11.pdfei=q3VYVI3EMJS uQTtsoDwAQusg=AFQjCNG_ZNPiJMafyPAb3f2z9pKlwkR7ewsig2=oY8T8Hod1JLQLQzlES7X0wbvm=bv.78677474,d.c2E Yu Ji. (July 27, 2013). Close to half of Malaysian graduates either jobless or employed in mismatches fields. The Star. Zainah Anwar. (July 13, 2007). Why boys are lagging behind girls. New Straits Times. Kalaimagal and Norizan. (20121), Employment issues among Malaysian information and communication technology (ICT) graduates: A case study at https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=8cad=rjauact=8ved=0CEgQFjAHurl=http%3A%2F%2Fumexpert.um.edu.my%2Ffile%2Fpublication%2F00005131_86042.pdfei=63pjVNeGBY6yuATRpoLgDwusg=AFQjCNHi_NvMbvrYEErFjGF5k7XxzkuTuAsig2=m1lBnW15DbwSByNTxHDzMQbvm=bv.79189006,d.c2E The star (2011). Employment, Pg. F20, 10 April 2011. Nurita, Shaharudin and Ainon (2004). Percieved employability skills of graduating students: Implications for SMEs. Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia, Module for the Development of Soft Skills for Higher Learning Institution Malaysia, 2006. Azmi Anshar. (2011), Don’t fret, let gender ratio evolve naturally at http://www.perdana.org.my/emagazine/2011/07/nst-dont-fret-let-gender-ratio-evolve-naturally/ Blueprint: https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=1cad=rjauact=8ved=0CBwQFjAAurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjpt.moe.gov.my%2FPENGUMUMAN%2FGE%2520blueprint%25202012-2017.pdfei=D7h0VKm6Bo6CuwSgu4KQCwusg=AFQjCNFlZFST4__guwp25NKpubE_7olKBAsig2=dMhw3RXGPOLNDYtfC81N5wbvm=bv.80185997,d.c2E reforming national education https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=3cad=rjauact=8ved=0CCgQFjACurl=http%3A%2F%2Fklscah.org.my%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2013%2F07%2FReforming-National-Education.pdfei=gEZ3VIbGB4eyuASotIKYCgusg=AFQjCNFWXtxgfKhdXtDptdW2cipR6Dqb4wsig2=UBgLZwYQayOstiRFIPbewQbvm=bv.80642063,d.c2E Nagaraj, S.; Chew, S.B.; Lee, K.H.; and Rahimah, A.H (eds.) (2009), Education and Work: The world of Work, Kuala Lumpur: Faculty of economics and administration, University of Malaya. jobstreet.com http://www.jobstreet.com.my/aboutus/preleases163.htm Malaysia educational statistics 2014 https://www.google.com.my/url?sa=trct=jq=esrc=ssource=webcd=2cad=rjauact=8ved=0CCYQFjABurl=http://emisportal.moe.gov.my/emis/emis2/emisportal2/doc/fckeditor/File/Quickfacts_2014/Buku%20Quick%20Facts%202014.pdf?PHPSESSID=6f0e912c366b9e08e2d1e97d78f59373ei=aXd3VOydH8O-uATHhYDQDgusg=AFQjCNFKlEP6LDq7xuUucVm8OZKGCdx08gsig2=yOHEjtw6Cmm1jilkqSq0wwbvm=bv.80642063,d.c2E

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Light Observations :: essays research papers

Light Observations Made on 2-17-05 From the hours of 1800 to 2200 on Thursday 2-17-05, an inspection of the lights found on the exterior of the warehouses, container lots, pipe yard, and dock took place. After searching all the light fixtures on the outside of the warehouses there were only two found that possibly could cause a hazard to someone. The first one found was at bay door 1A-1, the fixture was hanging loose off the wall with wires exposed. 2B-2 was the other site with a possible hazard. The light fixture was missing it’s covering exposing it to the elements as well as anyone who goes to use it. There were also some lights found that were inoperable upon completion of the inspection. All lights found on the front side of warehouse 1 were in working condition, except for one of the sidelights found on the left of door 1B-3. The same can be said about the backside of the warehouse, the only one that was not working was the one found at 1A-2. Lights 2C-3, 2D-1, 2D-2, and 2D-3 on the front side of warehouse 2 worked, but all others were found to be inoperable. Only one of the sidelights found at 2D-3 on the backside of the warehouse works, but all others were in sufficient working condition. The light post, closest to 95 found behind warehouse 3, had one bulb that was not working. The second light post found at the back of the pipe yard, right next to 95, also looked like it was also about ready to go out. Light coming from that pole was very dim and in my observation not adequate. In J-Lot down by the gate, the first light that runs along the 95 side turns off and on randomly. This could cause a major hazard concern because the line of sight for individuals is greatly depleted. When entering A-Lot the light to the right is out. One of the quad lights found at the back of the lot is also out, along with one of the quads found at the front of the lot, facing the water. The whole container area located in Lot-A closest to the water needs to have more light because there is no light coming from the water side, making it very hard to see. After completing a survey of the dock it was noted that lighting is barely adequate for operation. Light Observations :: essays research papers Light Observations Made on 2-17-05 From the hours of 1800 to 2200 on Thursday 2-17-05, an inspection of the lights found on the exterior of the warehouses, container lots, pipe yard, and dock took place. After searching all the light fixtures on the outside of the warehouses there were only two found that possibly could cause a hazard to someone. The first one found was at bay door 1A-1, the fixture was hanging loose off the wall with wires exposed. 2B-2 was the other site with a possible hazard. The light fixture was missing it’s covering exposing it to the elements as well as anyone who goes to use it. There were also some lights found that were inoperable upon completion of the inspection. All lights found on the front side of warehouse 1 were in working condition, except for one of the sidelights found on the left of door 1B-3. The same can be said about the backside of the warehouse, the only one that was not working was the one found at 1A-2. Lights 2C-3, 2D-1, 2D-2, and 2D-3 on the front side of warehouse 2 worked, but all others were found to be inoperable. Only one of the sidelights found at 2D-3 on the backside of the warehouse works, but all others were in sufficient working condition. The light post, closest to 95 found behind warehouse 3, had one bulb that was not working. The second light post found at the back of the pipe yard, right next to 95, also looked like it was also about ready to go out. Light coming from that pole was very dim and in my observation not adequate. In J-Lot down by the gate, the first light that runs along the 95 side turns off and on randomly. This could cause a major hazard concern because the line of sight for individuals is greatly depleted. When entering A-Lot the light to the right is out. One of the quad lights found at the back of the lot is also out, along with one of the quads found at the front of the lot, facing the water. The whole container area located in Lot-A closest to the water needs to have more light because there is no light coming from the water side, making it very hard to see. After completing a survey of the dock it was noted that lighting is barely adequate for operation.

Monday, November 11, 2019

One offers a sliding fee and charges $110 to $119 per session

As a very concerned friend and one that has the background to realize that what my friend is undergoing is bordering on severe depression, I   know that she should really seek professional help. Although therapy is expensive, there are certain measures that could be used as an alternative to therapy, but I would be more comfortable if she will go to counseling.This is why I researched a number of internet resources to really identify the best sources for reputable and accredited psychologists, as much as possible I would want her to not be under medication because in counseling she would have a better chance of developing the skills she would need for healthy adjustment to life’s challenges.In psychotherapy, she would be given anti-depression drugs and sometimes it is not as helpful as it is meant to be, and I fear that she may only become dependent on the drugs instead of really learning and realizing her problems and issues.I found the Psych Central website very informativ e and helpful. It has a list of help centers where the fees are not that expensive and some of the sessions can be done online, on the other hand, it also has a list of accredited psychologists and psychiatrists and their contact and office numbers as well as descriptions of their fields of expertise and work experience.I simply went online to find the resources, aside from Psych Central, I also found that San Jose, CA has a list of psychiatrists and psychologists on the yellow pages, but unless I have someone who can refer them, it is not much help.From the Psych Central resource list, I found two probable psychologists that are within the San Jose area, they both offer the first session free of charge and present a very comprehensive introduction to their practice. I feel comfortable with the approaches that the psychologists have on treatment and they have outstanding credentials.One offers a sliding fee and charges $110 to $119 per session and can be bargained if financially inc apable, likewise there is no need to pay for the sessions in advance which would suit my friend’s needs. The other site however does not indicate the schedule of fees.They both work with individuals in counseling and specialize in depression and adjustment problems. The first psychologist however accepts payment sessions through health insurance and she says that the client just have to contact the insurance provider before arranging the first session. This could be advantageous to my friend if she decides to use her insurance plan but I doubt that she would, but it is good to have options.The second therapist however requires that a personal call or an email be sent to her to settle the business side of the counseling sessions, which is basically positive in the sense that my friend would get to communicate with the therapist before she commits to visiting her and her practice is also within the San Jose area and can be checked out anytime if the need arises.I think that my friend would really benefit with the first counselor, she would be given the counseling that she very much needs within her own budget constraints, as well as be able to stay in her apartment and job for the psychologists are within her residence and job. If there is a need for her to be institutionalized, or if she thinks that she might be safer there, and then there are some available institutions in the area, but as for now, I am confident that she would work well with counseling.Resources:Psych Central.com for list of therapy centers found at: http://psychcentral.com/resources/Psychotherapy/Treatment_Centers/Dr. Lisa Shieldshttp://cms.psychologytoday.com/usnews/prof_detail.php?profid=40512&sid=1178634615.479_19565&city=San+Jose&county=Santa+Clara&state=CaliforniaSan Jose Therapy and Counseling.org with Maria Lloyd, MFT Therapist License #38399 check:http://www.sanjosetherapy.org/#depression  

Friday, November 8, 2019

And now for a number of points - Emphasis

And now for a number of points And now for a number of points If you watched the recent Horizon programme on BBC Two 31 March at 9pm to be precise you cant have failed to have been moved by the power of maths and how we are literally surrounded by myriad aspects of it in our daily lives. Professor Marcus du Santoy, an Oxford mathematician led Alan Davies, comedian, through a series of interesting exercises to help him conceptualise how we assess probability, angles, and one, two, three and four spatial dimensions. Professor du Santoys enthusiasm for his subject was infectious. Maths is fundamental. We use it constantly whether we are aware of it or not. It helps us make good, rational decisions. And yet, how many of us are confident about expressing numbers in print? At first sight this may look amazingly straightforward but recent courses have revealed that lots of delegates are unsure when to use figures or words to express numbers. And many fudge a perfectly good point by using a number of rather than the exact amount. Why not see which of the following you think are correct and why? Then send us in your answers. 1. The Bank of Englands interest rate is now half of one percent. 2. Rates remain exceptionally low after 6 cuts since October last year. 3. The government looks set to inject around 30 billion into the economy through quantitative easing. 4. The government looks set to inject around 30 bn into the economy through quantitative easing. 5. Three sheep stood up to their necks in 3 feet of water. 6. 1,000 curses on your head. 7. His office is on the 1st floor. 8. Lets meet on Friday the 10th of May.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Gathering Blue Essay Essay Essays

Gathering Blue Essay Essay Essays Gathering Blue Essay Essay Essay Gathering Blue Essay Essay Essay Kira is a miss with a distorted leg who lives in a more crude society where people who can non work. dice. She has been kept alive by her female parent. and when her female parent dies. Kira is brought before the Council of Guardians. Kira’s life is spared when she proves she can weave really good. and she is assigned to the undertaking of repairing up the robe worn by the vocalist whose lone occupation is to sing the narrative of human civilisation one time a twelvemonth. She meets Thomas. the male child whose responsibility is to carve the Singer’s staff. When happening out she needs to dye her ain yarn. Kira begins doing a trip to the hut of Annabella. an old adult female who teaches Kira dyeing. Annabella shows her the workss needed to do every colour. except for blue. : Kira easy learns that her life is less than idyllic. She hears shouting in her edifice. and she and Thomas discover another orphan miss whose ability is to sing and will finally replace the current Singer. The orphan miss is scolded and punished if she does non sing ; Kira befriends her but realizes she. Thomas. and the orphan miss do non hold every bit much freedom as idea. At the Ceremony. she sees the Singer ( whose robe she is repairing ) . She realizes that his pess are chained. and he is basically a captive. The deduction is that she and the others with gifts are besides captives. Kira is besides friends with a male child named Matt. He tells Kira of a small town he one time came across while lost in the forests. This small town had blue. When the twenty-four hours that the Singer sings his vocal comes. Matt is nowhere to be found. He finally returns with a unsighted adult male from the small town in a bluish shirt. The adult male. it turns out. is the male parent whom Kira tho ught was dead: Christopher. He now lives in a community made up of injured and handicapped people who help one another. Christopher has enemies on the council and is forced to return. Kira decides to remain in the small town to go on to repair the singer’s robe and assist better the society she lives in. Finally. shut to the terminal of the book Matt tells Kira about a male child with bluish eyes from the community her pa is from. He says he has bluish eyes and is non injured in any manner. He thinks Kira should acquire married with him. but Kira diminutions. That male child is subsequently revealed to be ‘Jonas’ from The Giver.a book besides by Lowry. Fictional characters: Kira – a immature miss with a distorted leg and gifted in weaving ; She is the supporter of the novel Vandara – an evil enemy of Kira’s ; she requests that Kira be sent to the field to decease Annabella – an aged adult female who teaches Kira about dyes Thomas – Kira’s friend. a immature adult male gifted in wood carvings Jo – a yearling miss gifted in singing Matt – a immature male child who helps Kira. Thomas. and ( subsequently ) Christopher Jamison – an older adult male. Kira’s patron and wise man from the Council of Guardians ; subsequently found to be the adult male who attempted to kill Christopher. Christopher – Kira’s male parent Katrina – Kira’s Mother Branch – Matt’s Canis familiaris