Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Eating Disorders Among Children And Teens - 1216 Words

Eating disorders in children and teens cause serious changes in their health. Eating disorders are characteristics and cause by eating behaviors, also people with this disorder use eating, purging or restructuring with their issues. Eating disorders is divided into three parts as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, compulsive overeating, etc (Eating Disorders,n.d.).Eating disorders can overlap between and alternate of anorexia and bulimia. Eating disorders around the adolescence, but it can also start in childhood. Girls with bulimia nervosa fall within their normal range of body weight, but to them some girls feel that they are overweight. Almost 25 percent of females have bulimia in their lifetime. There are many celebrities who suffer from eating disorders while coming up in Hollywood or currently battling the disorder. Like, former pop singer/ performer Lady Gaga struggled with bulimia and anorexia while beginning her career. Another singer name Kesha, has recently been treated fo r an unspecified eating disorder (n.d.). Karen Carpenter, a former singer, died from cardiac arrest at the age of 32, for years she suffer from severe anorexia. Another singer name Demi Lovato, has become one of the most outspoken about her mental issues within her eating disorder (n.d.). Sharon Osbourne, wife of Ozzy Osbourne and former ‘The Talk’ host, Sharon has struggled with bulimia for over 30 years. Another famous daytime talk show host, Oprah Winfrey is a sufferer of disordered eating.Show MoreRelatedWhy Do Teens Suffer From Eating Disorders1596 Words   |  7 Pages010 October 20, 2015 Why Do Teens Suffer from Eating Disorders: Annotated Bib It is no new discovery that teenagers in America tend to have a conflict with eating disorders. This problematic issue tend to affect many young teens just as the people that surround them, those who care for them. People might stop to think why teens struggle so much with eating disorders or how can this issue be wiped out. The thing is people need to be well aware of eating disorders and there definition and try toRead MoreEating Disorders Destroy Lives Essay777 Words   |  4 PagesTitle Eating Disorder – a combination of 14 letters that has the power to rock the life of the person who has it. Some of the most common eating conditions are anorexia, bulimia, and binge-eating disorder. According to the LA Times, â€Å"In 2009 the government published data that showed that kids under 12 were the fastest-growing population of patients hospitalized for eating disorders.† Not only are eating disorders becoming more popular and not in a positive way, but also the teens who have themRead MorePeer Pressure And Media Cause Eating Disorders1743 Words   |  7 PagesPeer Pressure and Media Cause Eating Disorders A USA Today article reported, â€Å"According to a 2011 study in Archives of General Psychiatry about 6% of youths suffer from eating disorders. The report went on to say the 55% of high school girls and 30% of boys had eating disorder symptoms. They used diet pills, vomiting, laxatives, fasting and binge-eating to help them lose weight (Healy). Going along with the previous statistic, The Random House Dictionary defines peer pressure as a social pressureRead More The Media and How it is Killing America’s Future Essay1565 Words   |  7 Pagesattractive in the minds of young people. Therefore, it really shouldn’t come as any surprise that eating disorders are becoming more and more prevalent among young people, particularly girls, who are striving to achieve this model-thin look. Young people naturally seek role models in their lives, and in many cases Hollywood stars are some of the most influential. It is also common for teens to want to emulate these people they admire. However, it is unrealistic or even impossible for youngRead MorePreventing the Huge Problem of Obesity1208 Words   |  5 Pagesthings I want to cover is how can healthy eating habits, exercising daily help, and how can getting a good rest will help. `Obesity has become a huge problem among teens and adults in our society. The percentage of children and teens that are overweight is quickly growing. â€Å"Overweight† is defined as stored body fat that is over 20 percent heavier than that person’s ideal body weight. This paper will discuss how Obesity is a common eating disorder among teens with its definition. It will define obesityRead MoreTeenagers And Bulimia Social Issues1513 Words   |  7 Pagesillness. However, every problem has a solution. Bulimia can be reduced among teenagers if there is more attention drawn to it, especially as a mental illness, there should be a greater restriction on things like photoshop, schools should spread awareness and educate children about bulimia and other self-esteem issues. Fashion, music and film industries are the most controversial and influential businesses among teenagers. Teens all around the world look up to the actors and celebrities who standRead MoreEssay on Photo-shopped Lies1050 Words   |  5 Pagescelebrities, and models. This affects the way teens see themselves resulting in drastic measures such as eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, and bullying one another for being different. The first case of an eating disorder recognized medically was in 1873 (â€Å"Key Events†). The eating disorder was anorexia nervosa and was associated with one’s personal physiological factors. In this time period, it was unknown that a lot of cases of eating disorders was not an exclusively a mental illness, but aRead MoreEating Disorders Are Serious Conditions Involving Extremely Unhealthy Dietary Habits1046 Words   |  5 PagesJanuary 9, 2015 Eating Disorders in Adolescents Eating disorders are serious conditions involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. The two most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. In the past few decades, eating disorders have become more and more prevalent in western countries. A lot of people suffered from the diseases, for example, famous Princess Diana has struggled with bulimia for many years. It should be kept in mind that eating disorders occur not only inRead MoreEating Disorders: Anorexia and Bulimia1614 Words   |  6 Pagesdeadly eating disorders that can cause severe physical and mental health problems. Anorexia is an eating disorder of self- imposed starvation and a mental illness. In fact, anorexia has one of the highest death rates of any mental illness(Gerri FreidKramer, page 15). Bulimia is a mental eating disorder characterized by overeating followed by purging(Gerri Freid Kramer, page 21). People with bulimia are known for self induced vomiting, and using laxatives or diu retics. Both eating disorders areRead MoreThe Effects of the Media on Todays Youth1204 Words   |  5 Pageson society, especially its youth. When it comes to people’s behavior in society, adolescents usually look to the media for guidance. Teens today today are reliant on the media to tell them what is acceptable and what is not. It tells them how to look, how to act, even what to say. Social media definitely has an impact on the daily life of a teen. Most teens have some way to connect with friends using a social networking site. Young adults, much like the citizens of the distopian society in

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Internship Report on One Bank - 13005 Words

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Origin of the Report This internship report is generated under the supervision of Ms. Nadia Farhana Asst. Professor and Head of Marketing Department of Business Administration in North South University . This internship report is required to fulfill award of BBA Degree. The topic of this report is â€Å"General Banking Activities of one Bank Limited and Its Impact on Economic Development of Bangladesh†.A Case Study on ONE Bank Limited. The main objective of doing this report is to have a practical experience of the real life aspects that we have study in the classroom. To prepare this report I have selected and got opportunity to work as an internee†¦show more content†¦These are as follows: o The lack of enthusiasm of customers of the banks to provide all the required information. o Lack of experience to conduct such type of research. o The study was limited only to ONE Bank Limited Banasree Branch. o A worthwhile study requires the analysis of as much data as possible covering vario us aspects of the study. But I did not have access to the various types of information about Loans advances. o Since some of the fields of banking have not been covered by our courses, there was difficulty in understanding some activities. o Another PrOBLem was time constraints. The duration of my internship Program was only three months. But this time is not enough for a complete and fruitful study. CHAPTER TWO INDUSTRIAL THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Definition of Bank A Bank is a financial institution whose primary activity is to act as a payment agent for customers and to borrow and lend money. It is an institution for receiving, keeping, and lending money. Banks have influenced economies and politics for centuries. Historically, the primary purpose of a bank was to provide loans to trading companies. Banks provided funds to allow businesses to purchase inventory, and collected those fundsShow MoreRelatedAn Analysis On Performance Analysis For Conventional Banking In Bangladesh939 Words   |  4 Pagesâ€Å"Performance analysis for conventional banks in Bangladesh: CAMELS rating.† Dear Sir, It is my gratification to submit an analysis on â€Å"Performance analysis for conventional banks in Bangladesh: CAMELS rating.† as a part of my thesis program of MBA. I cordially tried to gather apposite information for preparing a paper by following and analyzing the proposal. I believe that the knowledge and experience I have congregated during my thesis period and while preparing the report; have enlarged my learning intoRead MoreData Visualization And Information Technology1006 Words   |  5 PagesTDWI is a research division who focuses on high-quality educational research on business intelligence (BI), and data warehousing. TDWI conducted a report which was designed to â€Å"educate technical and business professionals about new business intelligence, technologies, concepts, or approaches that address a significant problem or issue.† They also mention how users could discover data relationships that are hidden behind unappealing data structures by using data vis ualization software’s. These software’sRead MoreLetter Transmittal : Report On Customer Satisfaction Of Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited1206 Words   |  5 Pages Sub: Submission of Internship Report. Dear Sir, I am writing in construction with the internship report naming â€Å"Internal Practice Performance Impact on Customer Satisfaction of Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited† Under the state of the report, I have been given suitable information from the workers of Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd. for collecting primary data. I also have gone through various publications linking with Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd. and its operation. This report delivers me an insightRead MoreINTERNSHIP REPORT ON FOREIGN EXCHANGE OF BANKS1069 Words   |  5 PagesStudies International Marketing University of Chittagong. Sub : Submission of Internship Report. Dear Sir, Here is my report on â€Å"Foreign Exchange policy of EXIM BANK Limited : A Critical Evaluation † submitted to your honor. A methodological research was conducted to prepare the report for fulfillment of the requirement of Internship Program, an integral part to the academic curriculum for MBA. This report has been prepared on the basis of the findings out of the research work with practicalRead MoreInternship Report1565 Words   |  7 PagesInternships profile Chengdu Bank, founded in December 30, 1996, the former Chengdu 44 urban credit cooperatives founded Chengdu Urban Cooperative Bank, Department of Sichuan Province, the first city commercial banks. October 28, 2008, approved by the China Banking Regulatory Commission, the Bank of Chengdu in the Chengdu City Commercial Bank officially changed its name to mark the beginning of the line development by local banks to regional banks, national bank. At the same time, Bank ofRead MoreInclusive Study to Know the Prospective of Askari Bank Essay1537 Words   |  7 PagesINTERNSHIP LETTER â€Æ' EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The inclusive study of Askari bank helps to suggest the organizational wide plans that verify the long run success of the organization, finding new ways to add value, flexibility, and developing unique skills and ideas to manage people. After studying one can simplify that how a bank can provide various products services to the customers in order to provide them best value. The purpose of Askari bank is to provide professional reliability, customer satisfactionRead MoreInternship Reflection Essay987 Words   |  4 PagesMy Reflection: I have been very lucky to complete an internship with Wayne County Bank this summer. It was a rewarding experience and I have gained valuable knowledge that will be beneficial to me as I continue to pursue my career in Finance. Growing up in a small town with a bank that truly serves our community is inspiring. As a high school student, I volunteered to help WCB in any way needed at the Relay for Life or any other activity they hosted. The work day in the Bookkeeping departmentRead MorePractical Report1181 Words   |  5 Pagesaudit. KHR operates from 4 strategically located offices in Malaysia with its headquarter in Kuala Lumpur and 3 other branches in Kota Bharu, Alor Setar and Melaka with core staffs strength of about 80 people. Ahmad Khairuddin bin Mat Salleh is one of the founders and partners of Khairuddin Hasyudeen amp; Razi. He is an accountancy graduate from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and presently, a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and CPA Australia. On the other hand, Ahmad ShahrulRead MoreNarrative Report1029 Words   |  5 PagesGeneral de Jesus College Poblacion, San Isidro, Nueva Ecija Narrative Report In partial fulfillment of Internship under GM Bank of Luzon Inc., San Isidro Branch by Sarah Jane G. Cucio presented to Jeffrey Franco, CPA March 30, 2011 MEMORABLE MOMENTS The 40 days I have spent in GM Bank of Luzon was lavishly full of hilarious, crazy, yet fruitfull moments. But my favorite part had occured on my earlier days in the Bank. It was then the most exhauting part. Im pertaining to the task givenRead MoreAn Internship Report on Soneri Bank Ltd.1975 Words   |  8 PagesAn Internship Report on Soneri Bank Ltd. Muhammad Ali Jinnah University ISLAMABAD Internship Report At Submitted by: Mr. Umair Azim ME063005 MBA (BF) An Internship Report on Soneri Bank Ltd. Table of contents ï  ¶ History ï  ¶ Job Description ï  ¶ Departments, I served ï  ¶ Accounts Opening ï  ¶ Remittance ï  ¶ Clearing ï  ¶ Areas, I learnt ï  ¶ How my internship would influence my career ï  ¶ Conclusion An Internship Report on Soneri Bank Ltd. History Incorporated on September 28, 1991 the first Branch of Soneri

Saturday, December 14, 2019

The Value of College Education Free Essays

The Value of College Education Getting an education is something that is very important and is essential for the growth and development of an individual. By getting an education, a person is able to rise above the rest and is able to achieve so much more in life. This does not mean just in terms of monetary or career oriented way, education serves to enlighten the body, the mind, as well as the soul. We will write a custom essay sample on The Value of College Education or any similar topic only for you Order Now College education is a step further and takes a person into realms that can only be understood and appreciated by someone who has earned a college degree. So many benefits exist for a college education, all of which are impossible to list in the course of this essay. This classification essay shall attempt to classify some of the benefits that a person can reap from a college education. College education has a profound effect on a person and his or her life. It helps people choose their careers more wisely and the college experience makes people become more confident and can make better and well-judged decisions. To get a higher education is perhaps crossing the biggest milestone of your life. A college education is a very valuable thing and everyone should get one so that we can all be enlightened and help make our society a better place. A college is a place where people come together in an environment that helps nurture their educational and professional curiosities. People learn to read, reflect, explore, listen, argue, and especially, stretch their known boundaries. A college education helps people and prepares them for the entry into the real world of economics and social bindings. Students learn what exactly personal freedom is and then they learn how to enjoy that freedom in the real world once the education has been completed. College teaches people to dream of, to reach their highest aspirations, to choose well, and to choose wisely. It is sometimes very perplexing to think that many people undermine the value of a college education. A college is where people go so that their mental capabilities can be thoroughly challenged, where they can grow and mature as individuals and as future carriers of the society. People who complete their college education can be spotted out from a group instantly. Such people appear more poised and confident in every aspect of their lives. I believe that people who complete their college education are the ones who are most responsible in making a society a better place to live in. If everyone in a society gets a college education, the society can be improved tenfold because of the values and the traditions that a person learns in college. A college education can teach a person about his or her moral obligations and helps the people to realize what it is that is missing from their lives. It has also been noted that people who have had a college education are generally happier in life and that they appear more sophisticated and enlightened. Such people have a better quality of life as they understand more about the world and can appreciate the finer things in life such as art, music and theatre much more than a non-graduate. It has also been noted that people who have a college education tend to be more satisfied as individuals as it helps them to achieve a greater sense of personal development. They are more at ease within themselves and enjoy more prosperity than others enjoy. They find great satisfaction in the knowledge that they have achieved their education in life and they tend to take great pride in that. People meet many different kinds of people at college and this helps prepare them for the life in the field where one has to interact with all sorts of people who are working. This aids in a person’s personal development as well. Students attending a college learn to write more effectively and to express themselves more clearly. Studying with students from all different kinds of economic, ethnic and social backgrounds also help the person attending college into learning more about the world and this brings the people of the world closer as well. People at colleges come from every aspect of life; a person going to college is bound to interact with his classmates who can come from all sorts of different countries, cultures and generations. This interaction is another valuable aspect of a college education and it helps shape a person’s personality in a way that is unmatched by any other kind of an institution, whether it be a church or a home. A person, perhaps, learns the most throughout his or her college years and this not only includes academic education but also education in the social and political realms. All these things combined are very useful and very necessary for a person to obtain if he or she wants to lead a happier and brighter life. How to cite The Value of College Education, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Marketing Analysis of Telecel Zimbabwe Telecommunication Company

Question: Discuss about theMarketing Analysis of Telecel Zimbabwe Telecommunication Company. Answer: Introduction Telecel communications is one of the largest and leading mobile network companies in Zimbabwe. It enjoys a customer base of about 2 million active subscribers. The company was formed to be able to provide mobile related solutions to its customers at affordable rates. Over the years the company has strived and expanded to regions previously lacking network coverage. The company performance both externally and internally has led it to be the second leading communication company in Zimbabwe. Company Characteristics Telecel Zimbabwe, company characteristics and strategies has made it to be the most innovative and pioneering company in Zimbabwe. Any look on its product and service characteristics will explain Telecel Zimbabwe position in the market in meeting its customer needs. The company characteristics include: product differential, market segmentation, competitive advantage, product mix, commoditization, and sustainability. The analysis of the characteristics will enable to identify the performance and pattern of the organization in the market. Product Differentiation Product differentiation is a process in marketing in which companies showcase differences between their products (Andaleeb Hasan, 2016). Telecel Zimbabwe product differential ranges from a ray of products it is offering to its customers. It offers: Telecel broadband plus a solution to browsing needs, SMS bundles for subscribers wanting unbeatable value to messaging needs, Telecare a mobile insurance initiative, Telecash a money solution service to its customers. Customers from all background setting are able to enjoy product offered to them. Product differential goes hand in hand with different tariff prices set for different customer needs. Competitive Advantage Competitive advantage is what makes the company to supersede its rivals in the market (Agrawal Zeng, 2015). To be able to understand Telecel Zimbabwe competitive advantage in the market will use Michael porters two ways in which a company can take advantage over its competitors that is cost and differentiation. Telecel Zimbabwe costs of products are affordable to its customers, majority of customers have opted to the company over other service providers because of its affordable pricing. The company ensures that the price is affordable to its customers. Telecel Zimbabwe as invested on differentiating the product and making it unique over the other products. Availability of agents and distributors across the country the company ensures that the products are accessible to its customers. Branding Branding was one of the contributing factors of performance of the company. The company was awarded and honored as the best leading mobile company which as differentiated its product through branding in October 2016 during marketing Association awards. The award explained the simplicity and uniqueness of the company products over the other competitors. Through branding and rebranding of the product customer awareness is created that is through promotion (Lehdonviita, 2014). But majorly the company as focused on mixing price and product in its strategies. This is reflected on its mission which states that the aim to establish the most affordable and customer centric communication business in the country of unmatched and superior quality. Commoditization Solutions Commoditization and company operations, defines how the Telecel Zimbabwe products have economic value, and uniqueness of the product in the market (Hofacker et al, 2016). The visual rebranding of red and white as part of their corporate colors, and a simple logo as brought uniqueness, energy and strength of a promising modern company. The customers are able to identify Telecel Zimbabwe products from others in the market. The rebranding and reputation has enabled the customers to attract and retain its customer base (Bauer et al, 2005). Zimbabwe market is characterized with customers who would wish to buy products that are of high quality and at affordable price. Each customer base will be classified into a class of tariff suiting is buying needs (Tadesse Bahiigwa, 2015). Solutions approach is a technique employed by companies to solve any emerging problems and challenges in the market (Chitungo, S.K. Munongo, 2013). Solutions related to network service connection agreements, packages fair usage, agents terms conditions, and Telecash customer terms conditions are found in the website where relevant parties can read and submit any problem facing them (Bauer et al, 2005). The company strategies are based on strong foundation that meets Telecel corporate values for ensuring growth and sustainability. Conclusion In conclusion the company has been identified to provide diverse communication needs of required international standards to its customers. That was possible because of its unique product and service provision in the market. That is by employing better marketing strategies that have propelled it over its competitors. The company is focused on growth and continuation delivering and maintaining high level customer service and experience effectively. Expansion and investment of the business and development of infrastructure to wider regions in Zimbabwe is a good indicator of the company to operate for a longer period. Sustainability can be explained by growth of revenues over the previous years. Reference Lists Agrawal, R. Zeng, P,. 2015. Introduction to wireless and mobile systems, Chicago: Cengage learning Andaleeb, S.S. and Hasan, K., 2016. Marketing Research. In Strategic Marketing Management in Asia: Case Studies and Lessons across Industries (pp. 111-160). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Bauer, H.H., Reichardt, T., Barnes, S.J. Neumann, M.M., 2005. Driving consumer acceptance of mobile marketing: A theoretical framework and empirical study. Journal of electronic commerce research, 6(3), p.181 Chitungo, S.K. and Munongo, S., 2013. Extending the technology acceptance model to mobile banking adoption in rural Zimbabwe. Journal of Business Administration and Education, 3(1), p.51. Hofacker, C.F., De Ruyter, K., Lurie, N.H., Manchanda, P. and Donaldson, J., 2016. Gamification and mobile marketing effectiveness. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 34, pp.25-36 Lehdonviita, V. 2014. Market power and pricing: In virtual economics: design and analysis, pp.101-120 Scharl, A., Dickinger, A. and Murphy, J., 2005. Diffusion and success factors of mobile marketing. Electronic commerce research and applications, 4(2), pp.159-173 Tadesse, G. and Bahiigwa, G., 2015. Mobile phones and farmers marketing decisions in Ethiopia. World development, 68, pp.296-307.

Friday, November 29, 2019

8 Writing Tips for Beginners

8 Writing Tips for Beginners 8 Writing Tips for Beginners 8 Writing Tips for Beginners By Ali Hale Welcome to the wonderful world of writing! However young or old you are, writing can be so rewarding. For some writers, it’s a fun hobby and a creative outlet; for others, it’s a dream career. When you’re just getting started, you might feel excited but also a little daunted – where should you begin? What do you need to know and learn? The great thing about writing is that whatever stage you’re at, you can keep growing your skills and honing your craft. This applies whether you’re a total beginner or a best-selling author: there’s always something new to learn or try. In your early months (or even years) as a writer, these eight tips should help you on your way Tip #1: Try Lots of Different Types of Writing When you’re just starting out, you might not know what you want to write – you just want to write! Or, you might have a firm idea of the type of writing you’d like to do (maybe you want to be a novelist or a poet, for instance). As a beginner, you’re in a great position to try out lots of different types of writing, without needing to commit to one in particular: no-one’s (yet!) demanding your next book. So have a go at a wide range of genres and styles – you might surprise yourself with what you enjoy. I never set out to be a freelancer (my writing dreams were all about being a novelist) †¦ but ten years into freelancing, I still love it, and I’ve written and published three novels too. Tip #2: Read Some Good Writing Blogs or Books †¦ But Not Too Many There are some brilliant books and blogs out there that’ll teach you the basics of writing (and much more): Daily Writing Tips is a great place to begin, of course! For fiction-writers, I always recommend K.M. Weiland’s blog Helping Writers Become Authors, and Nigel Watts’ book Get Started in †¦ Writing a Novel; for non-fiction writers, the Copyblogger blog is a great read, as is Joanna Penn’s book How to Write Non-Fiction. One trap that beginner writers sometimes fall into, though, is that they read and read, trying to learn everything there is to know about writing – but they don’t actually write! So don’t get too caught up in reading: make sure you’re also setting aside time to try out writing exercises, or to develop your own ideas. Tip #3: Start With Small Projects, Not Book-Length Works If you’ve never written much before, launching straight into a novel probably won’t work: either you’ll run out of steam within a few chapters, or you’ll keep writing but you’ll end up with a story that needs an awful lot of work to make it publishable. It’s better to hone your skills on smaller projects first: think short stories if you’re a fiction-writer, or short articles or blog posts if you’re a non-fiction writer. These can be a great way to explore potential ideas and topics without committing to a book-length work straight away. Tip #4: Write Regularly So You Don’t Lose Momentum Some writers think you should write every day: personally, I don’t think that’s very good advice. Maybe your weekdays are very busy, because you work long hours, but your weekends are clear. Or perhaps it’s the other way round: you have some time during the week while your kids are at school, but your weekends are packed with activities. It’s fine to set a writing schedule that suits you and your life †¦ but do make sure you’re allowing yourself time to write on a regular basis. If weeks go by without you writing anything, you’ll inevitably lose momentum. Writing at least once a week works for most people. For those who need extra help fighting procrastination, this post has many tips to beat writers block. Tip #5: Use Clear, Straightforward Words While I’m a huge fan of words, and love the sound of some more unusual ones (eclectic is one of my favourites!) †¦ I think that as a writer, it’s normally best to keep things simple. Even if, in school, you got extra marks for showing off your impressive vocabulary, readers frankly don’t care! You should, of course, use the word that best fits what you mean: sometimes a precise, technical word is the best choice, even if it isn’t the simplest. But in general, keep George Orwell’s advice in mind: â€Å"Never use a long word where a short one will do,† and â€Å"Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent.† Needless to say that you should use clear, correct English as well. Using a spellchecker is not enough. Proofreading and editing is essential to produce quality prose. Tip #6: (Fiction Writers) Don’t Mix Past and Present Tense This can sometimes be tricky to get to grips with when you’re new to writing: but if you’re writing piece of fiction, you need to choose between past and present tense. You can tell the story as though it’s already happened: John hurried down the street. Sue ran after him, furious. â€Å"John!† she shouted. â€Å"Come back here!† Alternatively, you can tell the story as if it’s currently happening: John hurries down the street. Sue runs after him, furious. â€Å"John!† she shouts. â€Å"Come back here!† What you can’t do is mix past and present: John hurried down the street. Sue runs after him, furious†¦ Sometimes, there’s a place for switching from past to present tense or vice versa – but be careful that you don’t switch accidentally. Tip #7: (Fiction Writers) Don’t Use the Same Word Too Often If you use the same word repeatedly within a short space of time, it can start to stand out for the reader and become a distraction from your writing. This is particularly true of unusual words (I read a novel recently by an author with a particular liking for the word â€Å"stolid†). Here’s an example: John locked the door before opening the letter. He could hear Sue moving around in the kitchen, just outside the door. As he drew the letter from the envelope, there was a knock on the door. â€Å"John? What are you doing in there? Open the door!† The word â€Å"door† appears four times in that paragraph, and there’s a danger of it having a slightly comic effect. Some words are fine to repeat as often as you like, however: little ones like â€Å"a†, â€Å"the†, â€Å"and†, â€Å"he†, â€Å"she and so on. With character names, too, it’s best to just pick something to call them and stick with it. So don’t try to remove all repeated words – but do keep an eye out for words or phrases that you tend to over-use. Tip #8: (Fiction Writers) Stick to One Character’s Perspective at a Time Even if you’re writing in the third-person rather than the first-person, it’s a good idea to stick to just one character’s perspective in any given scene or passage – this is called â€Å"third-person limited† or sometimes â€Å"deep POV† and contrasts with the â€Å"third-person omniscient† viewpoint that’s typical of classic 19th century literature. Readers expect this close third-person perspective, and it allows you to give the thoughts and viewpoint of one character at a time – helping the reader to identify with that person and to really understand them. Beyond all these tips, though, there’s one thing I want to leave you with: the fact that no-one is born able to write. You may not yet have the skills you want as a writer †¦ but you can develop those skills. A year or so ago, my five-year-old daughter could only write a few words (and often got her letters backwards); now, it’s fascinating to watch her fledgling attempts at writing stories, messages, and even puzzles. Just like her, you could look back a year from now and be surprised at how far you’ve come. Wherever you are right now with your writing, keep on working at it, keep enjoying it, and keep finding new things to learn as you go along. Good luck! Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Capitalize Animal and Plant NamesThe Writing Process20 Names of Body Parts and Elements and Their Figurative Meanings

Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on In Our Time

show that women in this time where never in the â€Å"light†, always hidden from view and never listened to and always ignored. In â€Å"The Three-Day Blow†, Nick’s view of women is again corrupted by Bill, Nick’s childhood best friend. Bill says to Nick, â€Å"Once a man’s married he’s absolutely bitched,† and â€Å"You’ve seen the guys that get married†. Bill is trying to demonstrate to Nick that women would only hinder his lifestyle, something with which he would not like to be involved. Nick’s ideas of women are finally changed in â€Å"Cross-Country Snow†. He has impregnated a woman and is now taking responsibility and by marring her. He has become a mature young man and has to learn for him-self how to treat women instead of doing what he has been told. His decision no longer allows him to ski across Europe as he ... Free Essays on In Our Time Free Essays on In Our Time Change Of Nick In In Our Time In Ernest Hemingway’s 1925 short story collection In Our Time, the main character, Nick, changes from a naà ¯ve boy to an educated man. Through the stories, his view, on relationships, sanity, and death develop and intensify. His dynamic characteristics become apparent through his actions, dialogue, and inner monologue. Through the short stories, Nick’s perspective on relationships was changed by his family and friends. In the short story, â€Å"The Doctor and the Doctor’s Wife†, Nick is shown how to â€Å"treat† a woman by his father. Nick’s mother is just ignored and in a way is looked down upon in their household. When his mother says to Nick’s father, â€Å"If you see Nick, dear, will you tell him his mother wants to see him?†, he just â€Å"forgets† about telling Nick and allows his son to go hunting with him. Nick learns from this his experiences with his father that women aren’t important. Hemingway also uses clues to show that women don’t have a significant role by using a phrase such as â€Å"Then he heard his wife’s voice from the darkened room.† These words show that women in this time where never in the â€Å"light†, always hidden from view and never listened to and always ignored. In â€Å"The Three-Day Blow†, Nick’s view of women is again corrupted by Bill, Nick’s childhood best friend. Bill says to Nick, â€Å"Once a man’s married he’s absolutely bitched,† and â€Å"You’ve seen the guys that get married†. Bill is trying to demonstrate to Nick that women would only hinder his lifestyle, something with which he would not like to be involved. Nick’s ideas of women are finally changed in â€Å"Cross-Country Snow†. He has impregnated a woman and is now taking responsibility and by marring her. He has become a mature young man and has to learn for him-self how to treat women instead of doing what he has been told. His decision no longer allows him to ski across Europe as he ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

A Reflection on the Qur'an, Heritage and Education Essay

A Reflection on the Qur'an, Heritage and Education - Essay Example This essay reflects on his ideas on the subjects of the Qur’an, laws, and education. It agrees with the foundations that the Qur’an laid for a comprehensive viewpoint on lawmaking and legal interpretation, as well as on a modern educational system that balances religious and rational sciences. The Qur’an is the foundation of Islam, which supports it as a way of life. The Qur’an is different from other religious texts, because it focuses on the moral development of humanity in a tangible and communal way (Rahman 2). It is different from Buddhist and Taoist texts that tend to be metaphysical or individualist in orientation. The Holy Bible of Christianity also attempts to morally guide Christians as individuals and as a community, but it does not attempt to affect the legal and political dimensions of human living. The Qur’an, on the other hand, is a blueprint not only for individual living, but how individuals should live together. It is a practical a nd moral guide for numerous issues, including peace, war, and various other public and private affairs (Rahman 2). This paper believes then that the basis of saying that Islam is a way of living is because the Qur’an provides for the direction of that way of living. In Christian societies, the Church and the law are separate, and so are the Church and legislative and executive functions of society. Muslim jurists, on the contrary, use the Qur’an to find answers to both historical and present-day legal questions and cases (Rahman 2). The idea is that God lives through the words of the Qur’an and to follow it completely entails that Muslims should believe in and depend on the Qur’an completely. This way, they truly fully surrender to Allah through living the Qur’an in every aspect of their existence. This essay agrees with Rahman that one of the main problems with present Islamic jurisprudence is the failure of jurists to have a unified reading of th e Qur’an, which leads to an atomistic and insufficient understanding of the verses and the entire Qur’an itself. Rahman criticizes the deductive reasoning used on the Qur’an, such as using qiyas, or analogical reasoning, because it reduces it to its parts, instead of using the parts to appreciate it as a whole (Rahman 2). Like Rahman, this essay believes that to properly read the Qur’an, people must go beyond literally reading the verses, and instead, they must read it in relation to the whole of the text too. In other words, the process starts from the specific and then goes to the general goals and values of the text. Rahman is concerned that by diving the text into verses, they will have unintended legal and religious interpretations (Rahman 2-3). In order to properly read the Qur’an, this paper believes too that the thought systems must come from it, and not from external sources, like what the Sufis did (Rahman 3). This way, fundamental ideas and thought structures will be derived from the Qur’an itself and not from the outside, which are forced on the Qur’an instead (Rahman 3). Rahman calls his process as a new hermeneutical method that highlights the cognitive aspect of the Qur’an (4). It consists of studying the Qur’an using its text, instead of relying on external resources to make sense of it. For me, it means that interpreting the Qur’an does not require outside sources, but an analysis of what the text means in its parts and then as a whole. The idea is to go inside the

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Work Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Work Ethics - Essay Example Qualities like punctuality, cooperation and teamwork are traits that must be present in an employee given to any type of work. Be it the white collar professional or the blue collar laborer, all these groups have to abide by these rules. Every organization must ensure that their employees have perfect attendance along with productivity scores to create a profitable and professional environment. However, there are certain work ethics that are employed in white collar jobs at a far greater degree than for blue collar jobs: respect for different race or sex. Appearance is another ethic which is important in white collar jobs rather than blue collar ones. This gives the white collar workers a greater edge over manual jobs. 2) Upper middle class benefit the most from the work ethics produced by their organization. This is because these professional white collar workers are safe from problems like sexual or ethnic harassment, an ethic which is usually ignored amongst the lower classes: semi-professionals, working and marginalized members. Equality is an ethic which has not been mentioned in the work ethics program. It should be considered to ensure that no employee is disrespected because of their position at the job. The class differences can pose as a great source of inequality. These barriers should be removed before they create further problems within society.

Monday, November 18, 2019

Bit coin in monetary economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bit coin in monetary economics - Essay Example It allows the conversions once held bit coins are automatically stored without the requirement of a bank account (Barski and Wilmer, 31). Consequently, bit coin and other electronic coins reduce storage and business price, as well as it presents another option to control currency danger. Since bit coin floats against any money and it is attached to any nation’s financial system, it is by meaning affronted from the result of its fiscal rule and economic measures. Supports might argue that uneven balances to bit coin could guard against dips in money since the bit coin in result does not, does not shift while every other money changes instead. However, bit coin’s worth is unstable, driven by issues in numerous cases exterior to the distinctive supply and command for the money itself. Recently commerce in bit coin has been considerably influenced by news that regulatory organizations perceive the active currency as a refuge for money wash (Barski and Wilmer, 53). The lack of participants in the marketplace is also another important issue. Banks are not engaged in bit coin; therefore a business seeming to transact has inadequate alternatives. Even as a handful of treasury and risk controls portals will deal with practical currencies, the need for a system addition and formal confirmation actions will be vital. The legal activities increase the time and attempt for companies to total their diligence and narrow fulfillment to support these dealings (Barski and Wilmer, 122). Combine with the need for a copied marketplace and the requirement for business to evade projected money poses and the instruments just aren’t there for business to dependently use the bit coin. For business treasury and danger managers, the bit coin is not a considerable option to real market money owing to the need for cash. The quantity of bit coin in survival is little, which apparently makes it hard for

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Reduce Prevent And Cope With Stress English Language Essay

Reduce Prevent And Cope With Stress English Language Essay It may seem that theres nothing you can do about your stress level. The bills arent going to stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day for all your errands, and your career or family responsibilities will always be demanding. But you have a lot more control than you might think. In fact, the simple realization that youre in control of your life is the foundation of stress management. Managing stress is all about taking charge: taking charge of your thoughts, your emotions, your schedule, your environment, and the way you deal with problems. The ultimate goal is a balanced life, with time for work, relationships, relaxation, and fun plus the resilience to hold up under pressure and meet challenges head on. Identify the sources of stress in your life Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isnt as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress arent always obvious, and its all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that youre constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe its your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress. To identify your true sources of stress, look closely at your habits, attitude, and excuses: Do you explain away stress as temporary (I just have a million things going on right now) even though you cant remember the last time you took a breather? Do you define stress as an integral part of your work or home life (Things are always crazy around here) or as a part of your personality (I have a lot of nervous energy, thats all). Do you blame your stress on other people or outside events, or view it as entirely normal and unexceptional? Until you accept responsibility for the role you play in creating or maintaining it, your stress level will remain outside your control. Start a stress journal A stress journal can help you identify the regular stressors in your life and the way you deal with them. Each time you feel stressed, keep track of it in your journal. As you keep a daily log, you will begin to see patterns and common themes. Write down: What caused your stress (make a guess if youre unsure). How you felt, both physically and emotionally. How you acted in response. What you did to make yourself feel better. Look at how you currently cope with stress Think about the ways you currently manage and cope with stress in your life. Your stress journal can help you identify them. Are your coping strategies healthy or unhealthy, helpful or unproductive? Unfortunately, many people cope with stress in ways that compound the problem. Unhealthy ways of coping with stress These coping strategies may temporarily reduce stress, but they cause more damage in the long run: Smoking Drinking too much Overeating or under-eating Zoning out for hours in front of the TV or computer Withdrawing from friends, family, and activities Using pills or drugs to relax  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sleeping too much Procrastinating Filling up every minute of the day to avoid facing problems Taking out your stress on others (lashing out, angry outbursts, physical violence) Learning healthier ways to manage stress If your methods of coping with stress arent contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, its time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, its helpful to think of the four As: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept. Since everyone has a unique response to stress, there is no one size fits all solution to managing it. No single method works for everyone or in every situation, so experiment with different techniques and strategies. Focus on what makes you feel calm and in control. Dealing with Stressful Situations: The Four As Change the situation: Avoid the stressor. Alter the stressor.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Change your reaction: Adapt to the stressor. Accept the stressor. Stress management strategy #1: Avoid unnecessary stress Not all stress can be avoided, and its not healthy to avoid a situation that needs to be addressed. You may be surprised, however, by the number of stressors in your life that you can eliminate. Learn how to say no   Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when youre close to reaching them. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress. Avoid people who stress you out   If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you cant turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.   Take control of your environment   If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffics got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online. Avoid hot-button topics   If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when its the topic of discussion. Pare down your to-do list   Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If youve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the shoulds and the musts. Drop tasks that arent truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely. Stress management strategy #2: Alter the situation If you cant avoid a stressful situation, try to alter it. Figure out what you can do to change things so the problem doesnt present itself in the future. Often, this involves changing the way you communicate and operate in your daily life. Express your feelings instead of bottling them up.  If something or someone is bothering you, communicate your concerns in an open and respectful way. If you dont voice your feelings, resentment will build and the situation will likely remain the same. Be willing to compromise.  When you ask someone to change their behavior, be willing to do the same. If you both are willing to bend at least a little, youll have a good chance of finding a happy middle ground. Be more assertive.  Dont take a backseat in your own life. Deal with problems head on, doing your best to anticipate and prevent them. If youve got an exam to study for and your chatty roommate just got home, say up front that you only have five minutes to talk. Manage your time better.  Poor time management can cause a lot of stress. When youre stretched too thin and running behind, its hard to stay calm and focused. But if you plan ahead and make sure you dont overextend yourself, you can alter the amount of stress youre under. Stress management strategy #3: Adapt to the stressor If you cant change the stressor, change yourself. You can adapt to stressful situations and regain your sense of control by changing your expectations and attitude. Reframe problems.  Try to view stressful situations from a more positive perspective. Rather than fuming about a traffic jam, look at it as an opportunity to pause and regroup, listen to your favorite radio station, or enjoy some alone time. Look at the big picture.  Take perspective of the stressful situation. Ask yourself how important it will be in the long run. Will it matter in a month? A year? Is it really worth getting upset over? If the answer is no, focus your time and energy elsewhere. Adjust your standards.  Perfectionism is a major source of avoidable stress. Stop setting yourself up for failure by demanding perfection. Set reasonable standards for yourself and others, and learn to be okay with good enough. Focus on the positive.  When stress is getting you down, take a moment to reflect on all the things you appreciate in your life, including your own positive qualities and gifts. This simple strategy can help you keep things in perspective. Adjusting Your Attitude How you think can have a profound affect on your emotional and physical well-being. Each time you think a negative thought about yourself, your body reacts as if it were in the throes of a tension-filled situation. If you see good things about yourself, you are more likely to feel good; the reverse is also true. Eliminate words such as always, never, should, and must. These are telltale marks of self-defeating thoughts. Source:  National Victim Assistance Academy, U.S. Department of Justice Stress management strategy #4: Accept the things you cant change Some sources of stress are unavoidable. You cant prevent or change stressors such as the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or a national recession. In such cases, the best way to cope with stress is to accept things as they are. Acceptance may be difficult, but in the long run, its easier than railing against a situation you cant change. Dont try to control the uncontrollable.  Many things in life are beyond our control- particularly the behavior of other people. Rather than stressing out over them, focus on the things you can control such as the way you choose to react to problems. Look for the upside.  As the saying goes, What doesnt kill us makes us stronger. When facing major challenges, try to look at them as opportunities for personal growth. If your own poor choices contributed to a stressful situation, reflect on them and learn from your mistakes. Share your feelings.  Talk to a trusted friend or make an appointment with a therapist. Expressing what youre going through can be very cathartic, even if theres nothing you can do to alter the stressful situation. Learn to forgive.  Accept the fact that we live in an imperfect world and that people make mistakes. Let go of anger and resentments.  Free yourself from negative energy by forgiving and moving on. Stress management strategy #5: Make time for fun and relaxation Beyond a take-charge approach and a positive attitude, you can reduce stress in your life by nurturing yourself. If you regularly make time for fun and relaxation, youll be in a better place to handle lifes stressors when they inevitably come. Healthy ways to relax and recharge Go for a walk. Spend time in nature. Call a good friend. Sweat out tension with a good workout. Write in your journal. Take a long bath. Light scented candles Savor a warm cup of coffee or tea. Play with a pet. Work in your garden. Get a massage. Curl up with a good book. Listen to music. Watch a comedy Dont get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of life that you forget to take care of your own needs. Nurturing yourself is a necessity, not a luxury. Set aside relaxation time.  Include rest and relaxation in your daily schedule. Dont allow other obligations to encroach. This is your time to take a break from all responsibilities and recharge your batteries. Connect with others.  Spend time with positive people who enhance your life. A strong support system will buffer you from the negative effects of stress. Do something you enjoy every day.  Make time for leisure activities that bring you joy, whether it be stargazing, playing the piano, or working on your bike. Keep your sense of humor.  This includes the ability to laugh at yourself. The act of laughing helps your body fight stress in a number of ways. Learn the relaxation response You can control your stress levels with relaxation techniques that evoke the bodys relaxation response, a state of restfulness that is the opposite of the stress response. Regularly practicing these techniques will build your physical and emotional resilience, heal your body, and boost your overall feelings of joy and equanimity. Stress management strategy #6: Adopt a healthy lifestyle You can increase your resistance to stress by strengthening your physical health.   Exercise regularly.  Physical activity plays a key role in reducing and preventing the effects of stress. Make time for at least 30 minutes of exercise, three times per week. Nothing beats aerobic exercise for releasing pent-up stress and tension. Eat a healthy diet.  Well-nourished bodies are better prepared to cope with stress, so be mindful of what you eat. Start your day right with breakfast, and keep your energy up and your mind clear with balanced, nutritious meals throughout the day. Reduce caffeine and sugar.  The temporary highs caffeine and sugar provide often end in with a crash in mood and energy. By reducing the amount of coffee, soft drinks, chocolate, and sugar snacks in your diet, youll feel more relaxed and youll sleep better. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.  Self-medicating with alcohol or drugs may provide an easy escape from stress, but the relief is only temporary. Dont avoid or mask the issue at hand; deal with problems head on and with a clear mind. Get enough sleep.  Adequate sleep fuels your mind, as well as your body. Feeling tired will increase your stress because it may cause you to think irrationally.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

An Analysis of Richer Sounds PLC Essay -- Business Management TQM Essa

An Analysis of Richer Sounds PLC 1.0 A Report on How Richer Sounds Functions 4.1 A Classification of the business according to its ownership, and an explanation of the benefits and constraints of this type of ownership Richer Sounds is part of the Private Sector, which consists of businesses who seek to make a profit. Julian Richer is the sole owner of Richer Sounds, which means he has full control over the business, but the Directors run it. Richer Sounds is a regional unlisted Public Limited Company, which means it is not listed on the Stock Exchange. Julian Richer is owner of all the shares of Richer Sounds, but the official name of the company is still Richer Sounds PLC, even though the shares are not for sale to the public. Julian Richer also gains the advantage of limited liability, which means he is not personally liable for any of the company’s debts. The most he can lose is the money he has invested in the company, so he has not put any of his personal possessions at risk. 4.1.1 Richer Sounds’ Legal Requirements Richer Sounds also have legal requirements that it has to abide by; such as they must have its name and address, ect registered at the Companies House where they will also have to send annual returns and financial statements. This is one of the disadvantages of being a Limited Company the fact they have lots of paperwork due to annual statements. The advantages and disadvantages of Richer Sounds are shown further on in the report. Also the financial affairs of Richer Sounds have to be published because the company’s stakeholders need to see how the business is performing. 4.1.2 Memorandum and Articles of Association The documentation that Richer Sounds is likely to encou... ...follows: www.richersounds.co.uk www.msn.com (search engine); searched words such as Richer Sounds PLC, Richer Sounds’ products and prices, communication. Textbooks I used are as follows: Business Studies for you, authors David Needham and Robert Dransfield Business Studies, authors Ian Marcouse, Andrew Gillespie, Barry Martin, Malcolm Surridge, Nancy Wall. Line relationship . Each person has a superior and staff know whom they should report and for which staff or work area they are responsible for. Informal relationship. Staff have frequent contact through their work, but have no formal relationship. Staff relationship. This is where no formal authority exists, but advice is sought. Lateral relationship where the staff in different departments with the same level of responsibility need to co-operate or co-ordinate their activities.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Ccot Rome 100-600 C.E. Essay

Between 100 and 600 C.E., Rome underwent significant cultural and political changes. Culturally, the empires religious beliefs had changed, resulting in the predominance of Christianity. Politically, Rome’s economy divided. As for continuities, paterfamilias and women’s right remained the same throughout the time period. Religion was a large part of the roman culture, and made a major change to Christianity. When Rome was still n early empire, Paganism, where there was a belief in multiple gods, was the main religion. Initially the poor were the first to switch to Christianity, which later spread to the higher classes of society. The religion was rejected in 100 C.E., but Constantine legalized it in 313 C.E. The Roman Empire was quickly enveloped by Christianity and took over the other religions. A major political change was the division of the once united Roman Empire into the Byzantium to the East, and Rome remaining in the West. Rome was so massive that under one ruler, it was impossible to make everyone happy, which led to dividing the empire. Because of economic and leadership issues, Germanic tribes tried to take over the land to the east and west. Rome had to split its force to fight them, ultimately adding to the chaos that divided the empire. Women’s right had remained constant throughout the time period. Unlike in China and India women, mainly of the upper class, would have a larger participation in business and work. Woman were able to attend schooling together or similar to men at public schools, and attended religious and social events. Paterfamilias was another continuity in 100 to 600 C.E. Rome. The male father had complete control over his family, and his children’s full lives. This included occupations, spouses, possessions, he could even legally kill them.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Native American Stereotypes in Film and Television

Native American Stereotypes in Film and Television The 2013 remake of â€Å"The Lone Ranger,† featuring Native American sidekick Tonto (Johnny Depp), renewed concerns about whether the media promotes stereotypical images of Native Americans. In film and television, American Indians have long been portrayed as people of few words with magical powers. Often the Indians in Hollywood are dressed as â€Å"warriors,† which perpetuates the notion that Natives are savages. On the other hand, Native American women are depicted as beautiful maidens sexually available to white men. Collectively, the stereotypical images of American Indians in Hollywood continue to influence public perception of this racial group. Beautiful Maidens While the media often portrays Native American men as warriors and medicine men, their female counterparts are typically portrayed as beautiful Indian maidens. There is the maiden on the cover of Land O’ Lakes butter products, Hollywood’s various representations of  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Pocahontas† and Gwen Stefani’s controversial portrayal of an Indian princess for No Doubt’s 2012 music video for â€Å"Looking Hot.† Native American author Sherman Alexie tweeted that with the video No Doubt turned â€Å"500 years of colonialism into a silly dance song and fashion show.† Representations of Native American women as â€Å"easy squaws† have real-world consequences. American Indian women suffer from high rates of sexual assaults, often perpetrated by non-Native men. According to the book Feminisms and Womanisms: A Women’s Studies Reader, American Indian girls are also often subjected to derogatory sexual comments. â€Å"Whether princess or squaw, Native femininity is sexualized,† writes Kim Anderson in the book. â€Å"This understanding finds its way into our lives and our communities. Sometimes, it means constantly having to fend off the advances of people with an appetite for the ‘Other.’ It may involve a continual struggle to resist crass, sexualized interpretations of one’s being†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Stoic Indians Unsmiling Indians who speak few words can be found in classical cinema as well as in cinema of the 21st century. This representation of Native Americans paints them as one-dimensional people who lack the full range of emotions that other groups display. Adrienne Keene of the Native Appropriations blog says that portrayals of indigenous peoples as stoic can largely be traced to the pictures of Edward Curtis, who photographed American Indians in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. â€Å"The common theme throughout Edward Curtis’s portraits is stoicism,† Keene explains. â€Å"None of his subjects smile. Ever. †¦To anyone who has spent any time with Indians, you know that the ‘stoic Indian’ stereotype couldn’t be further from the truth. Natives joke, tease, and laugh more than anyone I know- I often leave Native events with my sides hurting from laughing so much.† Magical Medicine Men Like the â€Å"Magical Negro,† Native American males are often portrayed as wise men with magical powers in film and television shows. Usually medicine men of some sort, these characters have little function other than to guide white characters in the right direction. Oliver Stone’s 1991 film â€Å"The Doors† is a case in point. In this film about the famed rock group, a medicine man appears at key moments in Jim Morrison’s life to shape the singer’s consciousness. The real Jim Morrison may have really felt that he connected with a medicine man, but his thinking was likely influenced by Hollywood depictions of American Indians. In all cultures, there have traditionally been individuals with an impressive knowledge of the healing qualities of plants and herbs. Yet, Native Americans have been portrayed in film and television time and time again as medicine men who have no other purpose but to rescue hapless white people from harm. Bloodthirsty Warriors In films such as â€Å"The Last of The Mohicans,† based on James Fenimore Cooper’s book of the same name, there is no shortage of Indian warriors. Hollywood has traditionally portrayed Native Americans as tomahawk-wielding savages thirsty for the white man’s blood. These brutes engage in barbaric practices such as scalping and sexually violate white women. The Anti-Defamation League has attempted to set this stereotype straight, however. â€Å"While warfare and conflict did exist among Native Americans, the majority of tribes were peaceful and only attacked in self-defense,† the ADL reports. â€Å"Just like European nations, American Indian tribes had complex histories and relationships with one another that sometimes involved combat, but also included alliances, trade, intermarriage and the full spectrum of human ventures.† As the character, Thomas-Builds-the Fire notes in the film â€Å"Smoke Signals,† many First Nations peoples have no history of being warriors. Thomas points out that he came from a tribe of fishermen. The warrior stereotype is a â€Å"shallow† one the ADL asserts, as it â€Å"obscures family and community life, spirituality, and the intricacies inherent in every human society.† In the Wild and on the Rez In Hollywood films, Native Americans are typically found living in the wilderness and on reservations. In reality, considerable numbers of First Nations peoples live off the reservation and in major U.S. cities. According to Washington University in St. Louis, 60 percent of the Native American population lives in cities. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix boast the largest populations of Native Americans. In Hollywood, however, it’s rare to see an aboriginal character living in a metropolitan area.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

US Civil War essays

US Civil War essays The existence of United States of America as a separate independent country was declared during the American Revolution of 1789. Thus, Americans still had to fight for their independence in the War of 1812 against Great Britain. This war was considered to be Americas second Revolution. And due to the expansionist issues over slavery after the Mexican-American War the conflict broke into a Civil War that devastated the Southern states. Many consider the Civil War to be the Third American Revolution, which is a reasonable point due to the settlement of the argument of abolition of slavery during this war. The main reason that started the Civil War was the secession of Southern states from the Union in 1860-1861, after the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. Thus the battle fronts organized on both eastern and western sides of Appalachian Mountains and along the Atlantic coast of the states. Northern forces were much superior in numbers, equipment and supplies that were provided by the industrialization of the region and extensive railroad system. South had the only advantages of fighting on the home grounds and fighting a defensive war. In the course of battles Union naval fleet held a blockade of the Confederate shores, thus jeopardizing even the prosperous Southern cotton trade. On land, eastern front locked into a stalemate towards the end of 1862 between Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. While, quite successful Unionist forces in the west occupied most of the Mississippi river. At that point Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation that reshaped the war into the fight ag ainst slavery for the Union troops. Thus also allowing the recruitment of blacks into the army, Northern army experienced a good reinforcement that allowed it to push for victory in the war. Civil War proved to be the bloodiest war that US experienced so far, but the end was reached by May of 1865. North won and thus declared all slaves on the US terr...

Monday, November 4, 2019

Public University Funding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Public University Funding - Assignment Example There is problem in acquiring funds from private entities/foundations such as 'auxiliaries' that are affiliated to these public universities. The problem does not arise from acquiring funds. The problem arises when such 'auxiliaries' affiliated to the universities are not legally bound to disclose where they get funds from and are also exempt from any disclosure of their accounts. Such anomaly can lead to grave consequences for the universities. Instances have been quoted where certain 'auxiliaries' have not been as forthcoming as they were expected to be. A foundation affiliated with Sonoma State University lent money to a former member of its board. They then got stuck with a bill when he could not pay the money back. And a former chancellor of San Francisco City College has been indicted on charges that include allegedly diverting money from a foundation account to pay for a club membership, liquor and other expenses (Instructions). These malpractices cannot be allowed to go unchecked just because Californian Public Records Act does not cover foundations. There is a gap in the law if such malpractices are allowed to occur with impunity. The current financial scenario is fraught with ignoble implications and any gap in the legal process could even mean playing into the hands of terrorists. Californian Senator Leland Yee's legislative bill SB-218 deserves "swift and overwhelming approval" by the legislature. The bill will ensure transparency and accountability. In order that honest and bona fide "auxiliaries' are not discouraged from fund raising on the university's behalf, SB-218 has a provision for such donors to remain anonymous (Senate Judiciary Committee). There are legitimate and principled ways of raising funds. Sometimes it is easier to raise funds than disburse them. Universities must be as careful in their disbursements as they are when raising funds. Conclusion Accountability and transparency in financial affairs promote goodwill and developmental activities. People in general and donors in particular want to see funds utilized judiciously and donate in greater measure when funds are invested honestly and purposefully. Besides, universities are noble institutions and are expected to uphold exemplary standards of funds utility. Source: Instructions, Order No. 316961, Academia-Research.com Senate Judiciary C

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Horrible and Strange Practice Under the Context of Our Modern Culture Essay

Horrible and Strange Practice Under the Context of Our Modern Culture - Essay Example Initially, it would seem that suttee is such a horrible and strange practice if perceived under the context of our modern culture. However, the essence of this act bears such a close resemblance to our own values, particularly those pertaining to the level of love and piety of husbands and wives. Both cultures acknowledge the sacred union and celebrate the special bonding of couples. As mentioned, those people believe that suttee purged a couple of all accumulated sins, warranted salvation and guaranteed an afterlife reunion. In our modern culture, people believe that husbands and wives should work together to achieve their familial goals as well as enrich their spirituality. It is in this way that values of the modern and archaic cultures converge. It is in the â€Å"Til-Death-Do-Us-Part† concept that the two cultures differ. We believe that couples, those who enter into marriage at least, should stay together in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer. However, in the e vent that one of them dies, the marriage ties are severed. This means the church and the state grant the other the freedom to marry again. On the contrary, selected Hindu cultures practising suttee deem that the union of a husband and a wife does not end in death (of the man) and goes beyond the present life. This stems from the Hindu belief of the after-life. On the given scale, I believe that I fall on 3. I think that diversity of cultures should be respected. People should show consideration for the culture and customs of others. This is tantamount to upholding their inherent right as a people to practice their customs and nourish their culture no matter how different these are from our own.

Thursday, October 31, 2019

A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers Case Study

A Practical Manual for Job Hunters and Career Changers - Case Study Example If you love what you do and are naturally good at it- your talent will shine through and the money will follow. We should just concentrate on bettering ourselves at different aspects of the job and the rest will take care of itself. A career needs to be planned, as any top executive will tell you, and making the right choices will pay dividends in getting you to the right places so you can climb the corporate ladder and make a name for yourself. This paper will look at the salary data for three jobs of my choice and compare them in terms of overall suitability and usefulness as career choices. Discussion After a good introspective thinking session about my skills and abilities and the jobs I would like to be in, I have selected (1) College Teacher (2) Investment Analyst and (3) Business Process Consultant as the three professions I would most like to be in, in that order. Teaching is my first choice because I have an innate ability to learn and pick up facts quickly as well as to exp lain them to others in a way they would understand. Investment Analyst would be my second choice because I am good with numbers and have some interest in finance and how it runs the corporate world. The last choice would be Business Process Consultant in case I do not get into the first two professions of my choice. This again is a good choice for one who is good at dealing with people and processes and knows a bit about business problems in different areas and how to overcome bottlenecks or kick-start processes. It helps one understand what are the threats and opportunities to handle and how to use the company’s strengths and overcome its weaknesses to survive in a competitive environment, how the world works and what impacts on opinions. I think it is something we should all show a little interest in. All the professions I have chosen need some college and university education but what really matters is the long-term interest in these professions. Without this one would be a rolling stone (Bolles, 2011). Median, 25th and 75th Percentile Base Wages and Total Compensation (NYC) Profession 25th Percentile Median or 50th 75th Percentile College Teacher $14, 398 $17, 515 $21,786 Investment Analyst $53,767 $61,790 $82,401 Business Process Consultant $101,290 $114,367 $128,530 SOURCE: www.salary.com. Accessed on 23 Sep 2011. 1. Which jobs are paid more or less? Is this what you would have expected? Why or why not? What factors could explain the differences in the salaries? Yes, the price that a job commands in the marketplace is both a reflection of the demand and supply for that particular set of skills as well as the training and experience that is required to enter into a particular profession. For example, in the education sector, the basic qualification considered for a college professor is a Bachelors Degree. Similarly, for an Investment Analyst, the basic educational qualification would be a Business or Finance Degree. For a Business Process Consultan t this would be a degree in Project Management along with an innate sense of planning, organizing and problem-solving. Most definitely the cost of a college education is also included in starting pay considerations. As one gains experience in these fields, the pay also increases with promotions, bonuses, and further perks.  

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Controlling Case study Essay Example for Free

Controlling Case study Essay Abstract This paper studies management control design of supplier relationships in manufacturing, a supply chain phase currently under-explored. Compared to supplier relations during procurement and RD, which research found to be governed by a combination of formal and informal controls, supplier relations in manufacturing are more formal, so that they could be governed by more formal and less informal controls. To refine the management control system and influencing contingencies, we propose a theoretical framework specifically adapted for the manufacturing stage. This framework is investigated by an in depth case study of the supplier management control of a Volvo Cars production facility. We identify three types of suppliers visualizing the associations in the framework and illustrating the framework’s explicative power in (automotive) manufacturing. Furthermore, the case contradicts that supplier relations in the manufacturing phase are governed by little informal control, because the automaker highly values the role of trust building and social pressure. Most notably, a structured supplier team functions as a clan and establishes informal control among participating suppliers, which strengthens the automaker’s control on dyadic supplier relations. Keywords: Management control; Supplier relationships; Manufacturing; Contingency theory; Case research; Automotive 2 1. Introduction In the current economic environment, characterised by globalisation and enhanced levels of competition, companies require an effective supply chain with inter-organizational relationships (IORs) to strive for sustainable competitive advantage. Not surprisingly, studies show that IORs have a high potential impact on organization performance (e. g. Anderson Dekker, 2005). Literature, however, also argues that many IORs do not provide the expected benefits and are often terminated because of managing difficulties (Ireland, Hitt Vaidynanath, 2002). Academics often propose that lack of coordination and opportunistic behaviour of partners are the two main reasons for the relatively high relationship failure rate (e. g. Dekker, 2004). Hence, management control systems (MCSs) are argued to play a critical role in preventing such failure, by establishing governance mechanisms to control the relationship (Ireland et al. , 2002). The fundamental goal of MCSs is to influence decision making in attaining strategic objectives (Nixon Burns, 2005). In an inter-organizational setting, this implies creating bilateral incentives to pursue mutual goals. Already in the mid-nineties, scholars started calling for more attention for this topic (e.g. Hopwood, 1996; Otley, 1994), and have not stopped since (e. g. van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2006). Consequently, inter-organisational MCSs have been studied from several angles, including outsourcing (e. g. Anderson, Glenn Sedatole, 2000), inter-organizational cost management (e. g. Cooper Slagmulder, 2004), partnerships (e. g. Seal, Berry, Cullen, Dunlop Ahmed, 1999), strategic alliances (e. g. Dekker 2004), networks (e. g. Kajuter Kulmala, 2005) and joint ventures (e.g. Kamminga van der MeerKooistra, 2007). Yet, the main emphasis was put on relational collaboration during the first stages of the supply chain, namely procurement, which involves the make-or-buy decision, partner selection and contract design, and RD. Although this historical focus is certainly justified, management control in a later phase of the supply chain, namely manufacturing, remains relatively under-explored (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004; Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003). However, purchased products and services for manufacturing account for more than 60% of the average company’s total costs (Degraeve Roodhooft, 2001) and are subject to continuous improvement with suppliers, also requiring adequate management control. Therefore, this study illustrates how manufacturers design the MCS of supplier relations in the manufacturing phase of the supply chain, which we refer to as â€Å"manufacturer-supplier relationships† (MSRs). In other words, we abstract from 3  procurement and RD influences. 1 Nevertheless, management control research on previous supply chain stages, offers a first theoretical insight into how a MCS for MSRs could look like. In particular, prior empirical research on IORs such as RD collaboration (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004), strategic alliances (Dekker 2004) and joint ventures (Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007) found MCSs that combine both formal controls, like outcome controls, and more informal controls, such as trust building. Also the execution of service outsourcing projects, like industrial maintenance (van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000), IT (Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003) and accounting (Nicholson, Jones Espenlaub, 2006) is governed by a combined MCS. So if we assume these findings to hold for other IOR types (external validity) and neglect potential characteristic differences, MSRs could be expected to be governed by a combination of formal and informal control as well. Yet, by taking into account differences between MSRs and other types of IORs, the MCS design could be different. In that respect, we argue that manufacturing is more formal than procurement and RD. Indications for that argument and its consequences for management control can be found in the management control framework of Das Teng (2001). Based on the variables in their framework2, task programmability and outcome measurability, it should be clear that for manufacturing both variable levels are high, or at least higher than in the case of procurement and RD. Consequently, the framework indicates that formal controls are suited mechanisms to govern MSRs. This argument is strengthened by the type of knowledge usage in MSRs, for which organization literature provides a clear distinction between knowledge exploration and knowledge exploitation. On the one hand, it is argued that the first supply chain phases, think of procurement and RD, aim at knowledge exploration, while the later stages, like manufacturing, primarily 1 Obviously, procurement and RD do impact the manufacturing phase. Yet, as our aim is refining supplier MCS design in the  manufacturing phase, we deliberately exclude these influences. In terms of research methodology, this abstraction is put into operation by studying a MSR between a manufacturer facility and supplier facility only dealing with manufacturing, while procurement and RD are handled by their respective mother companies (cf part three of this paper â€Å"research methodology†). 2 Although this framework was originally developed by Ouchi (1979) for use in MCS design within organizations, Das Teng (2001) further adapted it for use in IORs. Task programmability refers to the degree to which managers understand the transformation process in which appropriate behaviour is to take place. Outcome measurability refers to the ability to measure outcome precisely and objectively. When outcome measurability is high/low and task programmability is low/high, formal outcome/behaviour control should be set up to govern the relation. When both dimensions are low, informal control is preferable, but when both measures are high, both outcome and behaviour control are suited control mechanisms (Das Teng, 2001). 4  aim at knowledge exploitation. On the other hand, research shows that the exploration of knowledge is best governed by informal controls, while knowledge exploitation is most adequately controlled by formal controls (Bijlsma-Frankema Costa, 2005). Thus, based on the characteristics of high task programmability, high outcome measurability and knowledge exploitation goals, MSRs could be expected to be governed by primarily formal controls with little informal controls. In other words, the literature offers different management control designs for MSRs regarding the informal control level. Therefore, this study investigates how the MCS of MSRs is designed and how important informal controls are in that design, in particular in IORs between an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and suppliers of outsourced manufacturing activities in the trend-setting automotive industry (cf Womack, Jones Roos, 1990). An automobile is a complex product manufactured with thousands of components. Consequently, also this industry increasingly outsourced non-core activities and started relying on suppliers to create lower costs. To that end, a variety of supply chain management practices has been implemented, such as lean supply and continuous improvement. Yet, these induce the need for appropriate management control structures and bi-directional communication to organize and manage the relation (Carr Ng, 1995; Scannell, Vickery Droge, 2000). In that respect, one particular automaker, namely Toyota, is known for partnering with suppliers, transferring its expertise to help suppliers and installing softer forms of control including trust. To govern the search for continuous improvement in manufacturing, Toyota established the â€Å"Toyota Group† by means of a supplier association, an operations management consulting division and voluntary small group learning teams (Dyer Nobeoka, 2000). However, practitioner literature (e. g. Automotive News/Automotive News Europe) describes several other automakers governing this search by heavily formalized supplier relations. Contrary to cooperation during procurement and RD, manufacturing is argued to become much more demanding towards suppliers. Automakers increasingly transfer manufacturing risk and supply responsibility to first-tier suppliers, which results in suppliers delivering to very tight just-in-time and in-sequence schedules (Alford, Sackett Nelder, 2000). As a result, OEMs install formal controls and supplier improvement techniques, which alert suppliers to the importance of ameliorating supply performance at lower costs. Hence, also automotive practice shows evidence of high and low levels of informal control. Therefore, this study specifically investigates how the MCS of automotive MSRs is designed. Yet, besides illustrating MCS design, this paper contributes to explaining MCS design of automotive 5 MSRs. To our knowledge, little inter-organizational management control research specifically investigated contingency theory’s explicative power in manufacturing. Naturally, several papers study influences on MCS design in production environments, like the impact of manufacturing flexibility (Abernethy Lillis, 1995), customization and related interdependence (Bouwens Abernethy, 2000), profit centre strategy (Lillis, 2002), production strategy, production technology and organization (van Veen-Dirks, 2006). However, these studies investigate characteristics explaining MCS design in one organisation, while our study focuses on inter-organizational relations. To that end, we propose a refined theoretical contingency framework based on recent inter-organizational management control theory, but specifically adapted for the manufacturing stage. This framework proposes several contingencies determining the level of risk, which is governed by different levels of management control techniques. In order to illustrate the validity of the framework in practice and answer how and why automakers design their MCS, we perform an in depth case study of the relations between a facility (VCG) of the international OEM Volvo Cars and a selection of its first-tier supplier facilities. The case study provides considerable evidence of three supplier types, namely batch, low value-added just-in-sequence and high value-added just-in-sequence suppliers, visualizing the associations in the framework between contingencies, risks and management controls. These controls include both formal and informal techniques, of which trust building and social pressure are highly valued. Most notably, VCG’s structured supplier team functions as a clan and establishes informal control among participating suppliers, which strengthens control on the OEM’s dyadic supplier relations. As our framework draws on case findings from other less formal IORs, it seems that our case findings offer more evidence of their external validity. That way, the findings contradict that informal controls play a minor role in automotive MSRs. In particular, VCG’s MCS, combining both formal and informal controls, is argued to be designed specifically to improve supply performance. The remainder of this paper is organized as follows. In the second part, we develop the theoretical contingency framework. The third part describes the case research methodology. The fourth part is the actual case study, which presents VCG, describes three supplier types by means of contingency levels and clarifies how VCG designed the MCS governing them. In the fifth part, we discuss our findings by comparing VCG’s management control with previous findings and elaborating on the significance of VCG’s supplier team. We conclude the paper with a summary of the main findings and some avenues for further research. 6 2. Theoretical framework In this part, we develop a theoretical contingency framework for MCS design of MSRs, which can be found in figure I. Contingency theory originated with the aim of explaining the structure of organizations by particular circumstances. Later, management accounting researchers adopted and further developed the theory in order to explain the shape of MCSs in organizations (e. g. Chenhall, 2003; Luft Shields, 2003). Therefore, contingency theory suits this study, regarding MCS design of MSRs and its explicative variables. The central concept of the framework is the level of risk a certain MSR runs. Inter-organizational management control theory proposes two types of risk, which result from five different situational antecedents, characterizing the MSR. Although we clarify both risk types separately, we stress the integrative interpretation of all contingencies jointly determining both levels of risk. Subsequently, this risk is governed by different management control instruments, either with a large or a small role for informal control. 3 2. 1. Performance risk The first risk type is performance risk, defined as the probability of not achieving the MSR objectives, despite satisfactory cooperation (Das Teng, 2001). This type of risk is also referred to as â€Å"coordination requirements† (Dekker, 2004; Gulati Singh, 1998) or â€Å"the mastery of events† (Tomkins, 2001). As the MSR objective concerns manufacturing as many products of the order book as possible, on time, with good quality at the lowest possible cost, performance risk is the risk of a supply chain interruption disturbing the realisation of this goal. Three contingencies related to technology increase this risk, namely complexity, task uncertainty and task interdependence (Chenhall, 2003). Yet as complexity and task uncertainty are highly related (Chenhall, 2003), the framework does not include complexity separately (cf Dekker, 2004). 3 According to van Veen-Dirks (2006), all situational characteristics and MCS characteristics are determined jointly instead of sequentially. Also Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra (2007) propose that the influence of contingencies is not determined by each antecedent as such, but by their interaction. In addition, they suggest studying control as an integrative concept, in which all control dimensions are incorporated. Consequently, we do not propose one-on-one associations between one specific contingency, one specific type of risk and one specific type of control, suggested to suit that risk type. Instead, our model simultaneously studies the associations between situational contingencies, risks and management control techniques, as put forward by the three boxes of figure I. The boxes of contingencies and risks are put together to stress their interdependence and joint impact on management control. 7 Task uncertainty relates to variability in transformation tasks and the available knowledge of methods for performing those tasks (Chenhall, 2003). This situational characteristic determines the measurability difficulty of output and activities (Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007; van der MeerKooistra Vosselman, 2000), which increases with increasing levels of complexity of both the delivered product and its operational processes (Woodward, 1965). The first complexity is related to the added value of the product and gradually increases depending on whether the supplier delivers a standard component or an important customized module (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004). The second complexity regards the added value of the production process and reflects the complexity of the supplier’s manufacturing processes needed to effectively produce and deliver products as required. Task interdependence refers to the degree to which subactivities of the value creation process have been split up and made dependent on each other (Dekker, 2004). In MSRs, this interdependence is sequential (Thompson, 1967)4, because the relation involves transferring the supplier’s output to the manufacturer’s input process. The level of sequential interdependence is impacted by the dependence level of the manufacturer’s operational performance on the supply quality (timeliness and product quality). Moreover, the interdependence level of a specific MSR is influenced by the production flexibility required from both parties and the manufacturer’s lack of precise knowledge to perform activities previously done in-house. 2. 2. Relational risk The second type of risk is relational risk, implying the probability of not having satisfactory cooperation because of opportunistic behaviour of the supplier, exemplified in shirking, cheating, distorting information and appropriating resources (Das and Teng, 2001). This type of risk is also referred to as â€Å"appropriation concerns† (Dekker, 2004; Gulati Singh, 1998) or â€Å"the generation of trust† (Tomkins, 2001). Transaction cost economics (TCE) theory5 proposes three contingencies that influence relational risk and subsequently determine appropriate control: asset specificity, environmental uncertainty and transaction frequency (Williamson, 1979). Yet, as the manufacturer possesses no specific assets related to a certain supplier, at 4 Thompson (1967) identifies three levels of task interdependence from low to high, which influence the level of inter-organisational coordination and communication: pooled, sequential and reciprocal interdependence. 5 TCE argues that parties are only boundedly rational and behave opportunistically. Therefore, the total cost of outsourcing is the sum of both the supplied component costs and the transaction costs, including costs for negotiation, drawing up contracts, coordination, control and risk of opportunistic behaviour (van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000). 8 least not in the manufacturing phase of the supply chain, there is no lock-in to supplier opportunistic behaviour. 6 Hence, unlike uncertainty and transaction frequency, asset specificity does not influence supplier opportunistic behaviour in MSRs and is not included in our theoretical framework. Consistent with being a central contingency research concept, environmental uncertainty also forms a powerful characteristic of MSRs (Chenhall, 2003). In particular, this contingency relates to general market uncertainties and uncertainty about unknown future contingencies (Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007; Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003; van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000). Because manufacturer and supplier interact under these uncertainties, both parties face changes over time, which require detailed contracts (Dekker, 2004). However, incomplete contract theory argues that there exist limitations in drawing up complete contracts, because all future contingencies can not be foreseen, are too expensive to foresee or are too expensive or impossible to contract upon (Gietzmann, 1996). Consequently, the combination of uncertainty and incomplete contracts leads to potential opportunistic behaviour of the supplier. According to TCE, more frequent interactions lower the possibility of opportunistic behaviour (Williamson, 1979). So, to preserve a positive relation between contingencies and relational risk, we could utilize infrequency as contingency variable (e. g. Anderson Dekker, 2005). Yet, as we study MSRs with no connection to commercial negotiations determining the contract term, we include the antecedent relational stability aim. This contingency relates to the manufacturer’s aim of continued future interactions with the supplier and serves to build bilateral commitment (Cooper Slagmulder, 2004). We argue that MSRs, in which relational stability is considered necessary and thus aspired by the manufacturer, are subject to higher relational risk. For example, if supplier switching costs are high due to high interdependence, high commitment from the manufacturer could incite the supplier to accept lower quality or delivery performance. Besides including a transaction environment characteristic and a transaction characteristic, we also incorporate a transaction party characteristic (Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003; van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2000). In particular, we include supplier knowledge importance, which encompasses the degree of importance for the manufacturer to know the supplier and to be able to assess characteristics, such as management competence, trustworthiness and willingness to share proprietary knowledge. Usually, this kind of assessment is done by means of first-hand or second-hand experience. Hence, we argue that when the 6 Obviously, suppliers do have specific assets in place, rendering them vulnerable to opportunistic behaviour from the part of the manufacturer. However, this study and the developed theoretical framework only focus on supplier opportunistic behaviour. 9 importance of supplier knowledge rises, the risk for insufficient or erroneous assessment and subsequent supplier opportunistic behaviour increases. 2. 3. Management control system Although MCSs have been conceptualised and categorised in various ways, the current management control literature has reached a consensus on two types of management controls, namely formal and informal control instruments (Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003). Obviously, studying the usage of informal controls compared to formal controls requires both control types to be included in the theoretical framework. Formal controls are explicitly set up to coordinate the MSR and include outcome controls and behaviour controls. Outcome control involves the measurement and evaluation of the outcomes of operations against pre-defined outcomes or targets, by using several performance measurement techniques (Ouchi, 1979; Dekker, 2004). The most important outcome metrics for MSRs are percentage of defects, quality of delivered goods and on time delivery of goods (Gunasekaran, Patel McGaughey, 2004). Behavioural control concerns the specification and actual surveillance of behaviour, by means of rules and standard procedures (Ouchi, 1979). Additionally, behaviour control includes evaluating compliance with pre-specified planning, procedures, rules and regulations (Dekker, 2004). Informal controls (also called social controls) are not explicitly designed, but are grown out of shared norms and values, shaped by frequent interaction, meetings and management attitude (Ouchi, 1979; Merchant, 1998). Especially trust building7 has emerged as a very important informal control instrument in inter-organizational MCSs (e. g.Dekker, 2004). While formal controls reduce the risk by altering the incentives for underperformance and opportunistic behaviour, trust mitigates risk by minimizing the fear of underperformance and opportunistic behaviour to occur (Das and Teng 2001). Therefore, we include three types of inter-organizational trust building, namely building contractual trust, competence trust and goodwill trust (Sako, 1992). 8 Contractual trust results from previous contractual relations or grows during the MSR 7 Rousseau, Sitkin, Burt Camerer (1998, p. 394). Define trust as â€Å"a psychological state comprising the intention to accept  vulnerability, based upon positive expectations of the intentions or behaviour of another†. According to them â€Å"trust is not a behaviour (cooperation), or a choice (e. g. taking a risk), but an underlying psychological condition that can cause or result from such actions† (Rousseau et al. , 1998, p. 395; italics added). As such, trust in itself can not be a control instrument in the MCS of MSRs. Instead, the control techniques are the actions the manufacturer performs to create and build trust in the supplier. 8 Contractual trust is based on the expectation that the supplier will keep promises and comply with agreements made, whether these10 (Sako, 1992). Competence trust is increased by previous good performance, i. e. good quality and delivery results. Moreover, competence trust results from buying activities from reputable suppliers or transferring competences to the supplier. Additionally, product and/or process certification and process standardisation enhance competence trust (Sako, 1992). To develop goodwill trust, Sako (1992) identifies shared values and norms as necessary, but insufficient, as transaction parties also need to show the willingness to be indebted to each other. Gulati (1995) stresses creating and growing an inter-organizational bond of friendship to trigger goodwill trust (Gulati, 1995). Other possible goodwill trust initiators are interactive goal setting, trustworthiness reputation and a long term relationship (Dekker, 2004). Next to these specific trust building mechanisms, the literature also proposes an important overall trust building technique, namely close interaction, based on mutual interests and established by means of joint decision making and joint problem solving via a joint relationship board and/or joint task groups (Das Teng, 2001; Dekker, 2004). 9 Besides trust building, MSRs can be governed by another type of informal control, which Ouchi (1979) refers to as clan control. Based on shared norms, values and a common inter-organizational goal, supplier behaviour in the interest of the MSR will be reinforced, because suppliers are motivated to achieve the goal (Das Teng, 2001). This incentive results from inter-organisational social pressure (Spekle, 2001) exerted by the manufacturer, which we believe is social control in its literal meaning. Because of high interdependence between manufacturer and supplier, below standard results of the supplier directly impact the manufacturer’s performance. Consequently, supplier management is unpleasantly confronted with manufacturer management and faces personal humiliation because of the error. Additionally, supplier management runs the risk of their reputation and personal relationship with interacting manufacturer management getting injured. Also Dyer Singh (1998) mention reputation and personal relations as social control mechanisms, besides norms and trust. By acting as negatively valued social sanctions (Bijlsma- are contractually stipulated or not. Competence trust concerns the expectation that the supplier possesses the necessary technical and managerial competences to deliver the order as agreed. Goodwill trust regards the expectation that the supplier shares an open commitment, with the willingness to perform activities beneficial to the MSR, but possibly neither in the supplier’s interest nor required by the contract (Sako, 1992). 9 Other potential overall trust building techniques in a MSR are communication via regular inter-organizational meetings (Chalos O’Connor, 2004; Das Teng, 2001), information sharing of problem areas (Chalos O’Connor, 2004), supplier development activities (Carr Ng, 1995), networking (Das Teng, 2001), training (Chalos O’Connor, 2004) and the extent to which the employees of both parties understand the factors ensuring the collaboration’s future success (Chalos O’Connor, 2004). 11 Frankema Costa, 2005), these social consequences create incentives for satisfactory supplier performance and render supplier opportunism hard to sustain (Spekle, 2001). If we assume operational snags to be day-today business in MSRs, this social pressure creates an informal means to mitigate risk in MSRs. 3. Research methodology 3. 1. Case study research The empirical part of this paper is based on an in depth case study, which is an investigation of a real life phenomenon, relying on multiple sources of evidence and benefiting from prior development of theoretical propositions (Yin, 1994). This research method suits our research that concerns refining existing interorganizational management control theory for the relatively under-explored manufacturing phase of the supply chain. 10 According to Keating (1995), such theory refinement needs a clear theoretical starting point, supplemented with openness to the discovery of unexpected findings. To balance these theory attachment and detachment requirements, we developed a theoretical framework to guide the data collection, but at the same time used data collection techniques allowing sufficient openness. Furthermore, several interorganizational management control case studies (e. g. Cooper Slagmulder, 2004; Dekker, 2004; Kamminga van der Meer-Kooistra, 2007; Nicholson et al. , 2006) strengthen the argument that cases allow investigating in detail the structure and influencing variables of IORs (Sartorius Kirsten, 2005). These studies show that theory refinement of MCS design can be adequately investigated by means of qualitative research. The social meaning of inter-organizational MCSs, especially regarding the use and interpretation of informal controls, and the subsequent behaviour of companies and employees is very complex. So if we only skim the surface, we will never discover how different parties interpret certain IORs and whether the MCS is designed accordingly. This argument not only justifies the choice for a case study, but also forms the reason 10 Our research corresponds to investigating a complex phenomenon within its real life context of which empirical evidence is rather limited, and answering how and why questions about this phenomenon, for which case study research is most suited (Eisenhardt, 1989; Yin, 1994). Furthermore, Keating (1995) argues that case studies suit three goals and that our theory refinement goal represents the middle ground between theory discovery (describing novel phenomena) and theory refutation (disconfirming well specified theories by bringing in negative evidence). More specifically, our case research is of the theory illustration type, documenting â€Å"previously unappreciated aspects of management accounting practice† and identifying â€Å"aspects of the illustrated theory that require reformulation or more rigorous specification† (Keating, 1995, p.71). Indeed, the goal of this study is to illustrate how manufacturers design supplier MCSs, to what extent this design differs from designs in other IORs and how the design can be explained by means of a specifically adapted theoretical framework. 12 why more of this research is requested (e. g. Langfield-Smith Smith, 2003; Dekker, 2004; van der MeerKooistra Vosselman, 2006). 3. 2. Unit of analysis In most inter-organizational studies, the unit of analysis is one dyadic relation between two independent parties (van der Meer-Kooistra Vosselman, 2006). Since there exist different dyadic MSRs within one manufacturer and we study MCS’s dependence on relationship contingencies, our unit of analysis consists of specific MSRs. Dyer Singh (1998) explicitly propose the â€Å"relational view†, focusing on the buyer-supplier dyad, as opposed to the â€Å"industry structure view† and â€Å"resource based view†, when analyzing cooperative strategy and sources of inter-organizational competitive advantage. In order to answer the proposed research questions concerning MSR MCS design, we analyzed all relations after the manufacturer had decided to outsource the manufacturing activities. In other words, we addressed neither the make-or-buy decision nor related commercial negotiations, but collected data from the start of production onwards. Furthermore, we only gathered data on standard MCSs for MSRs with good operational performance. 3. 3. Case company selection The selection of the case company and its suppliers was influenced by two selection concerns: theoretical sampling (Eisenhardt, 1989), and open and flexible access to.