Study abroad application Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Study abroad application - Scholarship Essay Example Most importantly, the study abroad scholarship will be an important financial boost to my personal, academic, and professional goals and objectives. This is because the study abroad program will enhance my communication skills, broaden my adaptability and independence, and subsequently promote culturally diverse and interpersonal skills. In light of these insights, the scholarship will go a long way in enhancing my academic and career opportunities. The scholarship, therefore, is a significant platform upon which I will not only share, but also learn cultural competency. In conclusion, I value academic interactions with peers and teachers because every individual is different and unique in his/her own way. In that regard, the scholarship is a good opportunity for me to travel abroad, meet and make new friends, learn international differences in academic curriculum, and ultimately share my experiences and competencies with different cultures firsthand. It is my sincere hope that this study abroad scholarship application will be

The process of International Assignments Essay Example for Free

The process of International Assignments Essay Human resource management (HRM) is a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organization’s most valued assets: the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives. â€Å"HRM aims to help the organization to achieve success through people. As Ulrich and Lake (1990) remark, ’HRM systems can be the source of organizational capabilities that allow firms to learn and capitalize on new opportunities’. HRM is concerned with both meeting human capital requirements and the development of process capabilities: in other words, the ability to get things done effectively†1. These strategic goals and objectives are most important and mandatory in a world which becomes more and more global. To be successful, companies have to keep up with their competitors, which usually mean that getting things done effectively is crucial in everything they do. Globalization has brought remarkable developments in the diversity and complexity of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) and management of the global workforce is a critical dimension of companies’ international business. 2 1. 2 Objective of the term paper According to Harvey and Moeller3 there are currently 850,000 subsidiaries of multinational corporations operating globally. Furthermore, 65 per cent of Multinational Companies (MNCs) surveyed in a GMAC global relocation survey are expecting expatriate manager numbers to rise steadily over the next decade. Expatriate managers continue to be a viable means for exercising control over foreign operations and they can therefore have a direct impact on organizational performance. 4 Furthermore, international assignments are also the single most expensive per-person investment a company makes in globalizing its workforce, and unfortunately, most firms are getting anaemic returns on this investment. To improve their return, managers must understand the best practices, thinking, and scientific research on international assignments. 5 According to the above fact and the current worldwide growth of the expatriation missions worldwide, this term paper should give an overview of the Process of International Assignments and its importance for internationally operating Companies – with special focus on the Repatriation of Expatriates. 1. 3 Approach First of all, the question is answered on who should be recruited and how the best person possible for the job can be acquired. If a company is not able to find the right candidate internally, personnel are often recruited externally. But this brings along some other problems which should not be left behind, as insufficient commitment or lack of corporate identity and boundaries to the parent company. 6 Once some appropriate candidates for the vacant position are found, companies have to sort out according to the required characteristics and qualifications as well as the official job description, if available. Next, a number of objectives must be incorporated in the design of expatriates’ pay packages when it comes to negotiating and setting up contractual conditions for the future employee. Chapter three therefore deals with elements a contract should consist of as well as compensation itself. If the contract is finally set up and signed, training for the respective employee and proper preparation regarding the international assignment is fundamental. This can ensure the employee’s success as creating a global mind, overall understandings of the expatriates’ coming tasks as well as differences in local and domestic culture are only some of the toughest tasks an expatriate has to face during his international assignment. Preparation and support given by the company are therefore urgently needed, not only in giving information about host country, upcoming tasks and the stay itself but also in regards to questions related to family, friends, home-flights and all other social questions arising. The last stage of a foreign assignment is the process of repatriation. This phase is the most difficult and unpredictable one. The expatriate not only has to arrive and settle down at home, but also in headquarter where things, positions and people might have changed. â€Å"Often when they return home, expatriates face an organization that does not know what they have done for the past several years, does not know how to use their knowledge and does not care†7. As the process of international assignments is very complex and this term paper limited, each chapter only gives a short and simple overview of the single topics summing up important facts and figures submitting general conspectus. 2. Personnel recruitment and selection 2. 1 International staffing strategies Key question to international staffing regards the selection of one of the four different staffing strategies: ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric or regiocentric. 8 Choosing the right strategy generally depends on different influencing factors like the characteristics of the parent company or foreign company, conditions in the host country as well as individual characteristics of the employee. 2. 1. 1 Ethnocentric staffing The ethnocentric approach usually indicates that companies are satisfied and happy with the strategy of the headquarter and they now try to implement their domestic standards also in the host country. 9 Home personnel are educated to lead worldwide. This means that key positions in domestic and foreign operations are held by Parent Country Nationals (PCNs). 2. 1. 2 Polycentric staffing The polycentric orientation stands in direct contrast to the ethnocentric orientation, being more variable and independent. Evaluation and control is determined locally and therefore a high level of autonomy can be found in those subsidiaries. 10 Local personnel, Host Country Nationals (HCNs), are educated to lead locally. 11 2. 1. 3 Geocentric staffing Following the geocentric staffing approach organizations are generally complex and interdependent worldwide like McDonalds or Apple. Universal standards for evaluation and control apply and nationality does not matter in favour of ability. The best talent educated to lead worldwide. 12 This also implicates working with Third Country Nationals (TCNs). 2. 1. 4 Regiocentric staffing The fourth staffing strategy is a mixture of the polycentric and the geocentric approach. Managers are generally selected on the basis of being the best in the region, with international transfers generally being restricted to regions. This kind of strategy has become more and more popular during the last years with many MNCs choosing to organize operations regionally. 13 2. 2 Personnel recruitment General target of personnel recruitment is to find an appropriate candidate for the right job. This process may be either conducted from outside or inside the company. Both ways of recruitment possess of advantages and disadvantages, but these can only be named exactly in a concrete recruitment case. 2. 2. 1 Internal recruitment There are different ways of internal recruitment. Personnel may be transferred or promoted to the job as an example. Another form is an apprenticeship of young people, having the advantage to shape future personnel right from scratch. Employees may also perform an on-the-job training for their future position or responsibility. 14 According to Scherm recruitment for international assignments within the company is mostly done by above-mentioned promotions or relocation of staff from one facility to another. 15 The advantages of internal recruitment are on hand. Companies know their potential expatriate longer, are used to their behaviour, thinking, skills and company as well as product specific knowledge. This reduces the risk of selecting the wrong candidate. According to the Global Relocation Trends Survey 200916, only 11 % of the expatriates expected to go abroad have been newly recruited externally. Due to the high selection risks, internal recruiting dominates. As basis for the recruitment decision performance measurements, personal reports, interviews with the employee as well as career plans are taken into account. 17 2. 2. 2 External recruitment If qualified personnel cannot be found internally, recruitment is done outside the company. This is also the case if the company is not able to qualify their personnel within a set time frame or due to lack of experienced staff. It is most important that companies know the relevant job market if they want to succeed in recruiting employees externally as well as doing this in an economically way. External recruitment can then be divided into two segments, passive and active external recruitment. Whereas active external recruitment means addressing potential candidates through e. g. different institutions, media or by using social networks, passive external recruiting companies set their emphasis on spontaneous, speculative applications of respective candidates or mouth-to-mouth propaganda of their great company image. 18 In case recruitment for an international assignment is done externally the risk for selecting the wrong candidate is often minimized by outsourcing the task to an external consultant or agency as they generally have more experience. 19 Nevertheless, the traditional ways of searching for the right candidate, e. g. simply advertising the vacancies in the local newspapers or online, employment centres or job fairs, are still applicable. Candidates from outside the company may bring in new ideas and may have a wider range of experience due to their former tasks but the selection process might take longer, might require extensive personnel resources and might be more expensive (e. g. advertising and interview process, personnel consulter). 2. 3 Personnel selection For an international assignment to become a great success for both, company and expatriate, selecting the right candidate out of several is one of the most important steps of the whole process. Several selection strategies are used and quite common but failure situations in individual assignment cases are widely spread in MNCs. 20 In order to make sure that the candidate possesses the right characteristics, qualifications, and skills a detailed job description and information about coming management tasks can be very helpful during this process. Unfortunately, these proper specifications are often not available or only give a rough overview of upcoming challenges. 21 2. 3. 1 Selection criteria A first impression about the population of expatriates provides the demographic data study of the Bookfield Global Relocation Trend Surveys. 22 For 2009 it is stated that 75 % of all expatriates have been aged between 30 and 49 whereas 80 % of them have been male. Only 9 % have had prior experience as international expatriates. 27 % have been single and therefore sent without partner and almost half of them have been sent off together with their kids. 23 Usually the HR Manager selects the expatriate according to the following criteria: A specific or subject-related qualification as the expatriate often has no other specialist on site. Personal characteristics like motivation, discipline, patience, endurance, and readiness to take on responsibility. Cultural openness, willingness to learn and experience new things, open-minded, no resistance to change. Family-related criteria The single criteria may overlap to a certain point. In literature different weightings for all of these criteria exist but they all agree to the fact that Family and Cultural openness should be most taken into account. 24 2. 3. 2 Final selection process and instruments Generally, there are no other specific selection processes or criteria used for finding a candidate for an international assignment than the ones used in national context. Among selection process and criteria four are widely known, starting with the general application documents. Job requirements and the matching candidate personal profile decide in first instance who is to be invited to a personal interview. If it is decided to recruit a candidate internally, generally the previous career and the internal development of the employee are taken into account. Often, prior to an invitation to a personal interview, candidates have to successfully take part in an assessment centre focusing more and more on intercultural competences like empathy, cultural understanding, behaviour etc. 25 It is seen as an advantage of the external assessment of intercultural competence in intercultural assessment centres that the requirement regarding the behaviour and orientation are high and the candidates will be evaluated by several observers over a longer period. 26 In addition to this, personal interviews, together with wife or husband of the respective expatriate are increasing as it is important that they support and understand situation and coming tasks. They can help the expatriate to stay grounded and sometimes they even move with the expatriate to the new country. Last, tests can be used as a selection technique ranging from general mental ability tests to psychological tests. Finally, neither in literature nor in practice a general opinion which of the above mentioned selection processes and criteria are most appropriate or useful in regards to international assignments or the identification of intercultural competent employees exist. 27 3. Contractual conditions of the employment abroad 3. 1 Objectives of a contract No matter if a company operates nationally or internationally, the contract of an employee should be compliant with labour law standards, offer transparency and motivate staff in order to decrease fluctuation. Further, it should provide the legal and financial frame work of the working relation and last but not least should be economical and cost effective for the company. Protection of human life, health, and comfort by creating a strong and cohesive culture as well as safe working environment should been given highest priority and objective of contracts. 3. 2 Compensation Depending on the international orientation of the company as well as kind and duration of the international assignment there are three different compensation policies which can be differentiated, following below. 3. 2. 1 Ethnocentric compensation policy The Ethnocentric compensation policy is often used in combination with the Balance Sheet Approach: During a short-term assignment (delegation, 1 to 5 years)28, the employee retains his residence in the home country. His family usually stays back there, as moving those with the expatriate would exceed costs. The salary is paid by the parent company in the currency of the country of origin and charges can be passed on to the foreign company if applicable. The employee remains employee of the parent company and retains his employment contract. A supplementary agreement to this contract is set up for all specialties such as tasks, duration, home flights, remuneration vacation etc. 29 About 60 % of German companies are using this compensation policy for their assignments. 30 Advantages are on hand: The expatriate can maintain home country living standards and generally receives a surplus for the additional future challenges and efforts. Therefore, this approach is accepted by most employees. Disadvantages for the company are sometimes massive compensation differences within a country e. g. the salary of a PCN might be considerably higher as that of a HCN. This fact might de-motivate local employees. Furthermore, the ethnocentric compensation policy is complex in administration. 31 3. 2. 2 Regiocentric compensation policy The Regiocentric compensation policy is often used in combination with the Going Rate Approach: During long-term assignment (relocation, 1 to 5 years)32 compensation is based on the Host Country. As the term ‘relocation’ already says, the employee gets directly involved in the foreign company. Usually, the family moves with the expatriate to the hospitable country and the salary is paid in the local currency directly by the foreign company. However, there are ways to still pay out a part of the salary in the currency of the home country, if desired. The existing contract with the parent company is brought to rest. The employment relationship however is not cancelled just like during military service or parental leave. At the termination of employment abroad the contractual ties between employee and parent company come back to life again. 33 Currently, approximately 11 % of German companies are using this compensation policy for their assignments. 34 Advantages are quite obvious: As the salary of the expatriates is linked to the salary structure of the host country salaries might be less costly in low-wage countries. Further the approach encourages equality between locals and expatriates and the identification with the host country. Due to an expected change in the living standards as well as huge variation between the expatriates’ salaries in different countries this approach is often very low accepted by expatriates. 35 3. 2. 3 Global compensation policy The global compensation policy neither considers the standards of the parent country nor those of the host country. Compensation is set globally and independently from other countries. This approach should provide the basis for an international remuneration policy. It should fit into corporate identity and should give international expatriates of MNC the opportunity to gain international experiences on the same level, offering transparency and the same salaries worldwide. Although corporate guidelines for a compensation policy often exist, they can hardly be found in the above described pure form but are being mixed up as due to costs and laws in the host countries compensation policies often require adjustment. 36 4. Preparation and support In order to make the international assignment a huge success for both the candidate and the company there are several measures which can be taken to prepare and support the expatriate. Support is an on-going process and done by superiors, responsible persons or agencies. It does only end after repatriation whereas the preparation phase should start directly after recruitment and ends with the expatriate departing. According to Festing, training and support have to take the process of cultural adjustment into account, and can therefore be divided into the phases described below37. 4. 1 â€Å"Pre-Departure† Training Preparation and training can help to improve the ability to interact effectively and adequately with foreigners in working and non-working environments38. An ideal pre-departure preparation is therefore quite necessary. This preparation should enhance knowledge about cultural, political, legal, economic, and social conditions of the host country and provides the expatriate with all general information. If the expatriate is not fluent in the host country language, foreign language instructions and trainings should be offered. Other practices of pre-departure training include look-and-see-trips, orientation by lectures and briefings, cross-cultural trainings in order to understand why foreign partners think and behave in different ways as well as briefings by returnees who can give the expatriate valuable and important insider information. These pre-departure trainings should be extended to the expatriates’ family wherever possible and necessary. 39 4. 2 â€Å"Start-upâ€Å" Training After departure of the expatriate, the start-up training in the host country begins. The parent company helps the expatriate and his or her family in different forms (coping with the adaptation to a foreign environment, accommodation, school for children, safeguarding the interests of the expatriate in the parent company etc. ) and continues to be present. The intensity of the support varies depending on the resources and systems the different MNCs have implemented. A mentor system is most common and should ensure that each expatriate has been assigned a senior executive at home or on-site, who has a â€Å"parent† function. 40 Furthermore, a detailed employee orientation plan for the new position in the host country can be helpful for the expatriate to find his or her way around. The continuous and direct contact to the headquarter during this stage is crucial as the expatriates should still feel connected to the company and not be left behind. Often expatriates continue to learn the language of the new country in local courses, receive specific further trainings or coaching either by experts from the parent company or by local trainers. 4. 3 â€Å"Cultural shock preventionâ€Å" Training As adoption of new thoughts and behaviours of a new culture and situation requires more time than any cross-cultural training program can offer the expatriate in advance during this stage the expatriate requires extensive support. As expatriates tend to see everything more from a touristic point of view first, they finally arrive in the host country. They easily get frustrated or disappointed by a variety of things (language barriers, behavioural differences, climate etc. ) during this stage and the experience of unpredictability in combination with the feeling of abandonment and isolation possibly comes over the expatriate and his or her family. Helpful during this stage is the assigned mentor. The expatriate can talk with the mentor about his or her feelings and share information and experience. An information exchange with other expatriates is also advantageous as they often understand problems, feelings, and thoughts better as the mentor. If the expatriate is accompanied by his or her family and the spouse does not work during the international assignment, cultural adaptation difficulties are quite more problematic and more intense than the expatriates’. 41 5. Repatriation 5. 1 Reintegration Generals â€Å"When the expatriate is sent abroad he expects the new, unknown situation and the problems involved. But when he returns to his home country, he encounters it completely unexpected†42. This statement of Adler still describes the situation an expatriate often has to face when returning to the home country very well. They have left with a special task or order to complete but when they return they often do not exactly know how their position in the headquarter and their life will look like. Further problems are often connected to the duration of the assignment, the expatriates personal experiences made in the host country, cultural differences on-site and abroad, the expatriates personal situation as well as the repatriation support. 43 Therefore, it is hard to find a general recipe for successful reintegration planning. Individual solutions have to be found and every international assignment and expatriate has to be looked after individually. â€Å"The repatriation of staff into the parent company already starts with the selection and preparation decisions for the foreign assignment. The reintegration does not end with the return to the parent company and is not completed until the staff has been introduced to its new position in the company’s headquarters, performs effectively and feels comfortable with his job†44. In order for the expatriate to reintegrate successfully and not to quit the company after the assignment and a consequent loss for the mother company of investment and expertise (human capital), the reintegration process should be divided into the three stages following below. 5. 2 Before expatriation Already before the international assignment has taken place it should be discussed with the expatriate what he or she expects of a future position, how the expatriate would like to develop, how the expatriate sees the future career as well as tasks. This is often done by the mentor of the expatriate for the international assignment. As the expatriation program is very expensive and time consuming for a company, failure rate or the possibility of the expatriate leaving the company after the assignment should be eliminated. Generally, an employee, who is willing to work and live for probably years in a foreign country, with all personal consequences, should be integrated into an internal performance program, right at the beginning of the assignment. Setting up an agreement outlining the type of position expatriates will be placed in upon repatriation, the compensation and a general idea of their future job description should be arranged prior to going abroad. 45 Another possibility to limit reintegration problems is the idea to limit the assignment in its duration in advance to about 3-5 years. This limitation should prevent the expatriate from getting too attached to the way of living, behaviour, values, and culture of the host country and facilitate repatriation upon return. 46 It is seen as advantageous that the expatriate is able to foresee a concrete end to the assignment. 47 5. 3 During expatriation During the assignment, it is important that the expatriate has continuous contact and an on-going information exchange with the home office. This can be done by the mentoring program itself, regular home flights, company newsletters, information exchange platforms, and media like intranet or weekly telephone conferences with superiors and colleagues. 48 The expatriate should feel as a part of the company and should also be able to develop a worldwide network, learn to think global, and actively exchange information, knowledge and experience with other colleagues and expatriates. There should never come up the feeling to be forgotten or left behind. 5. 4 After expatriation As indicated by Johnston, from the repatriate’s perspective problems associated with reintegrating into the home country are loss of status, loss of autonomy, loss of career direction, and a feeling that the company undervalues international experience. 49 In order to avoid these problems, most MNCs offer a reorientation program where their repatriates take part in. These reorientation programs can provide immediate help in most of the work-related questions arising after expatriation. The repatriate is given information on new products, organizational changes, personnel, corporate culture, market and new strategies and developments. Sometimes also an experience exchange with former expatriates takes place in order to facilitate reintegration and manage the reverse culture shock as well as sudden change in lifestyle. The former expatriates can help the repatriates to cope with their new experiences as they have been mainly through the same. Additionally, repatriates are often used to train and coach colleagues that are about to begin their assignments to share their experience and give the expatriate the perception that their work and international expertise is valued, recognized, and needed. This should avoid professional disappointment and under-utilization of newly developed global skills of the expatriates. The new position of the repatriate should fit to newly developed skills and experience or the former position should be extended but not restricted to nine-to-five work. Career deficits upon returning should be compensated by HR training methods. Social repatriation measures also include support in the adjustment back to social lifestyle, status, housing, financial counselling, and tax assistance, school systems and children’s education as well as spouses new job search, if applicable. 50 6. Conclusion 6. 1 Target achievement â€Å"Expatriation is an important step towards becoming a global leader†51. Furthermore, an international assignment is a powerful experience in shaping the perspective and capabilities of effective global leaders. People are the key to success; they are the ones behind the strategy. Developing and retaining human capital becomes more and more important nowadays. â€Å"During expatriation, managers find the opportunity to acquire and/or master their coping, cross-cultural communication, conflict resolution, negotiation, networking, and coaching skills. They also develop business, technical, and managerial competencies while overseas, where they have to adapt to a variety of roles such as integrator, balancer, change agent, mentor/motivator, and talent developer. If international assignments are important to global leadership development, then this opportunity should be given early in a manager’s life†52. Additionally to give mangers and/or employees the opportunity to international assignments they have to be prepared and supported to become successful. This term paper points out that cross-cultural training, support, preparation, and repatriation training can make a difference in the history of successes of international assignments of MNCs, although it is mainly underestimated. Employees are hired everywhere in the world, wherever the necessary skills, training and experience can be found. Due to time pressure, employees are often sent to foreign countries on very short notice. Furthermore, there is still a prevalent belief that intercultural knowledge and skills are not really essential to success when collaboration with foreigners. In addition to this ignorance, there are doubts about the training effectiveness. Managers are frequently not convinced that cross-cultural training is really an effective means for gaining control of the complex issues of international cooperation. These facts make it somehow quite difficult to progress in the international assignment process. 53 6. 2 Prospects Today, an international assignment is more than only vacation abroad. The learning-by-doing approach had become outdated. In order to keep up with internationalization, companies should focus on developing global leaders and therefore structure their IHRM process quite well. This includes a strategic expatriation and repatriation policy as losing repatriates to the competition will sooner or later create a huge competitive risk and already costs the company quite a lot of money. In order to progress and ameliorate the international assignment process however, companies have to conduct further research in some fields. This starts with selecting the right candidate for the job. How does the job look like in detail and which requirements are set? How long should the assignment exactly take and what are the specific goals? A concrete job description is one step forward to a structured IHRM process. If the expatriate e. g. is accompanied by the spouse, which possibilities does the company have to find an adequate job for both in the same region (dual career couples)? If it would be possible to enhance satisfaction of the spouse of the expatriate, this might also reduce the risk of failure of the assignment. The same question is to be asked upon their return. Furthermore, research is also needed with regard to the question of how the allocation of the position the expatriate will receive upon return can be planned and implemented in the long run. The expatriate should have the impression that career planning is well structured and thought-out. Another question could be how expatriates are able to successfully pass on their knowledge generated abroad, in their home company. Organisational learning should be most important as otherwise the expensive purchased knowledge is lost and worthless. The above named questions are only several which could arise during each company’s individual research and amelioration process. List of references Adler, N. J. (1986): International Dimensions of Organizational Behavior, Boston 1986 Armstrong, M. (2003): A handbook of human resource management practice, 9th edition, Kogan Page Limited, London 2003 Bergemann, N. , Sourisseaux, A. L. (2003): Internationale Personalauswahl, in: Interkulturelles Management, pp. 181-235, Berlin, Heidelberg 2003 Black, J. S. , Mendenhall, M. (1990): Cross-cultural training effectiveness: A review and a theoretical framework for future research, in: Academy of Management Review 1990, 15. Jg. , Nr. 1, pp. 113-136 Brynningsen, G. (2009): Managing Expatriates on International Assignments, Otago Management Graduate Review 2009, 7. Jg. , pp. 1-17 Caligiuri, P. , Lazarova, M. (2001): Strategic repatriation policies to enhance global leadership in: M. Mendenhall, T. Kuhlmann and G. Stahl (Hrsg. ): Developing global business leaders: Policies, processes, and innovations, Westport 2001, pp. 243-256 Collings, D. G. , Scullion, H. (2004): Approaches to international staf? ng, Global staffing, New York 2004 De Cieri, H. , Dowling, P. J. (2006): Strategic international human resource management in multinational enterprises: Developments and directions, in: Stahl, G. K. , Bjorkmann, I. (Hrsg. ): Handbook of research in international human resource management, Glos (UK) 2006, pp. 15-35 Deshpande, S. P. , Viswesvaran, C. (1992): Is cross-cultural training of expatriate managers effective: A meta analysis, in: International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 1992, 16. Jg. , Nr. 3, pp. 295-310 Dowling, P. , Weber, W. , Engle, A. D. (2010): Internationales Personalmanagement, Berlin 2010 Feldman, D. , Thomas, D. (1992): Career management Issues Facing Expatriates, in: Journal of International Business Studies, 1992, Vol. 23, No. 2, 2nd Qtr. , pp. 271-293 Festing, M. , Dowling, P. J. , Weber, W. , Engle, A. D. (2011): Internationales Personalmanagement, 3. Auflage, Wiesbaden 2011 Gaugler, E. (1989): Repatriierung von Stammhausdelegierten, in: Macharzina, K. , Welge, M. K. (Hrsg): in: Handworterbuch: Export und internationale Unternehmung, Stuttgart 1989, Sp. 1937-1951 Gregersen, H. B. , Mendenhall, M. E. , Stroh, L. K. (1999): Globalizing people through international assignments, New Jersey 1999 Harvey, M. , Novicevic, M. (2006): The evolution from repatriation of managers in MNEs to ‘patriation’ in global organizations, in: Stahl, G. K. , Bjorkmann, I. (Hrsg. ): Handbook of research in international human resource management, Glos (UK) 2006, pp. 323-346 Harvey, M. , Moeller, M. (2009): Expatriate mangers: A historical review, in: International Journal of management reviews, 2009, 11. Jg. , Nr. 3, pp. 275-296 Hays, R. D. (1974): Expatriate selection: Insuring success and avoiding failure, in: Journal of International Business Studies, 1974, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 25-37 Johnston, J. (1991): An Empirical Study of Repatriation of Managers in UK Multinationals, in: Human Resource Management Journal, 1991, 1. Jg. , Nr. 4, pp. 102-109 Kealey, D. J. , Protheroe, D. R. (1996): The effectiveness of cross-cultural training for expatriates: An assessment of the literature on the issue, in: International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 1996, 20. Jg. , Nr. 2, pp. 141-165 Kuhlmann, T. M. , Stahl, G. K. (1998): Diagnose interkultureller Kompetenz und Examinierung eines Assessment Centers, in: Barmeyer, C. I. , Bolten, J. (Hrsg. ): Interkulturelle Personalorganisation, Berlin 1998 Mendenhall, M. E. , Kuhlmann, T. M. , Stahl, G. K. (Eds. ). (2001): Developing global business leaders: Policies, processes, and innovations, Porthsmouth 2001 Mendenhall, M. E. , Kuhlmann, T. M. , Stahl, G. K. , Osland, J. S. (2002): Employee Devopment and Expatriate Assignments, in: Gannon, M. J. , Newman, K. L. (Hrsg. ): The Blackwell handbook of cross-cultural management, Oxford 2002, pp. 155-183 Mertesacker, M. (2010): Die Interkulturelle Kompetenz im Internationalen Human Resource Management: Eine konfirmatorische Evaluation, Lohmar 2010 Pellico, M. T. , Stroh, L. K. (1997): Spousal assistance programs: An integral component of the international assignment, in: Aycam, Z. (Hrsg. ): New approaches to employee management, Expatriate Management: Theory and research, Vol. 4, Philadelphia 1997, pp. 227-243 Peltonen, T. , Ladwig, D. (2005): Repatriierung und Identitatsbildung: Eine neue Betrachtungsweise der Reintegration nach einem Auslandseinsatz, in: Stahl, G. K. , Mayrhofer, W. , Kuhlmann, T. M. (Hrsg. ): Internationales Personalmanagement, neue Aufgaben, neue Losungen, Munchen und Mering 2005, pp. 325-346 Scherm, E. (1999): Internationales Personalmanagement, 2. Auflage, Munchen 1999 Scherm, E. , Su? , S. (2009): Internationales Management III, Personal und Controlling, 2. Auflage, Hagen 2009 Scherm, E. , Su? , S. (2011): Personalmanagement, Munchen 2011 Solomon, C. (1995): Repatriation, Up, Down, or Out? â€Å", in: Personnel Journal, 1995, Vol. 74, No. 1, p. 28 Stahl, G. K. , Miller, E. L. , Tung, R. L. (2002): Toward the boundaryless career: a closer look at the expatriate career concept and the perceived implications of an international assignment, in: Journal of World Business, 2002, 37. Jg. , Nr. 3, pp. 216-227 Trends Survey 2009: Toronto et al. : Brookfield Global Relocation Services Wagner, D. , Zander, E. , Hauke, C. (1992): Handbuch der Personalleitung: Funktionen und Konzeptionen der Personalarbeit im Unternehmen, Munchen 1992 Weber, W. , Festing, M. , Dowling, P. , Schuler, R. (2001): Internationales Personal-Management, 2. Auflage, Wiesbaden 2001 Declaration in lieu of oath I hereby declare that I produced the submitted paper with no assistance from any other party and without the use of any unauthorized aids and, in particular, that I have marked as quotations all passages, which are reproduced verbatim or nearby-verbatim from publications. Also, I declare that the submitted print version of this term paper is identical with its digital version. Further, I declare that this term paper has never been submitted before to any other examination board in either its present form or in any other similar version. I herewith agree that this term paper may be published. I herewith consent that this term paper may be uploaded to the server of external contractors for the purpose of submitting it to the contractors’ plagiarism detection systems. Uploading this term paper for the purpose of submitting it to plagiarism detection systems is not a form of publication.

Company Background History Of Honda Motors

Company Background History Of Honda Motors Honda Motor Co., Ltd, Japanese Multinational Corporation, known as a manufacturer of Automobiles and Motorcycles, was found on 24th September 1948 by Mr. Soichiro Honda and Mr. Takeo Fujisawa. Honda in Japanese literal meaning is root field or origin field. Mr. Soichiro worked as a mechanic at Japanese tuning shop, Art Shokai, since in his young age. Then in a self-taught engineer, he designed his first drafts of piston design and sold to Toyota, but it was rejected. Because of shortage of gasoline during World War II, he was not able to develop in producing the car. After that he established The Honda Technical Research Institution in Japan of small engine for 2 bicycles. And his first motorcycle was Honda Cub; first automobile was T360 mini pick-up truck. PRODUCTS BRAND Automobile Hondas global lineup consists of the Fit, Civic, Accord, Insight, CR-V, and Odyssey. An early proponent of developing vehicles to cater to different needs and markets worldwide, Hondas lineup varies by country and may feature vehicles exclusive to that region. Moreover, Honda entered Formula One as a constructor for the first time in the 1964 season at the German Grand Prix with Ronnie Bucknum at the wheel. Some of Honda vehicle models are 2000-2006 Honda Insight (53 mpg-US/4.4 L/100 km; 64 mpg-imp combined), 1986-1987 Honda Civic Coupe HF (46 mpg-US/5.1 L/100 km; 55 mpg-imp combined), 1994-1995 Honda Civic hatchback VX (43 mpg-US/5.5 L/100 km; 52 mpg-imp mpg combined), 2006- Honda Civic Hybrid (42 mpg-US/5.6 L/100 km; 50 mpg-imp combined), and 2010- Honda Insight (41 mpg-US/5.7 L/100 km; 49 mpg-imp combined). Motorcycles Being the largest motorcycle manufacturer in Japan, Honda started its production in 1955. Honda reached its peak in 1892 for manufacturing almost 3 million motorcycles annually. By 2006 this figure had reduced to around 550,000 but was still higher than its three domestic competitors. Honda also appeared in the Motorsports called Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) in 1982. The company combines participation in motorcycle races throughout the world with the development of high potential racing machines. Its racing activities are an important source for the creation of leading edge technologies used in the development of Honda motorcycles. HRC also contributes to the advancement of motorcycle sports through a range of activities that include sales of production racing motorcycles, support for satellite teams, and rider education programs. Some of Honda Motorcycles Models are Honda CD 70, CD 100, and CG 125. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda). Power product Engine The company started engine production in 1953 with H-type. Honda power equipments reached record sales in 2007 with 6,4 million units. Its quality completes line of generators for commercial and consumer applications. All Honda Generators meet or exceed EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) emission standards. Some of Power Equipments are EU1000iA, EU2000iA Camo, and EU6500iSA. Honda is also the worlds largest manufacturer of engines and has earned its reputation for unsurpassed quality, performance and reliability. The purpose engines are designed to meet or exceed the demands of the customers through advanced engine technology, quality components and state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Honda Engine Products are GC160, GCV160, iGX340, and iGX440. Robots ASIMO is a robot developed under Hondas Research Development robotics program. It is the eleventh in a line of successive builds starting in 1986 with Honda E0 moving through the ensuing Honda E series and the Honda P series. Honda has also pioneered new technology in its HA-420 HondaJet that allows new levels of reduced drag, increased aerodynamics and fuel efficiency thus reducing operating costs. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda). SWOT TABLE Strengths à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ High and powerful research and development RD à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Innovation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Best market share leadership à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Strong and powerful brand equity à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Different and unique products à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ One major strength is the revolutionary engine technology with the help of which Honda is gaining success day by day à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Popularity is termed as one of the best strength which results in betterment for the company Weaknesses à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Cost structure of Honda is high as compare to other automobile manufacturers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Apart from Nissan Toyota, Honda requires privileged purchase deposit à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honda focus more on international deposits as compare to domestic deposits à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Civic model is consider as one of the major weakness for Honda Company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honda products are termed as inoffensive in terms of style and design à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Prices for non-luxury vehicles are far high as compare to other manufacturers à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ In truck line, Honda Company is not offering strong products and proposals Opportunities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honda has the best opportunity to use its RD in producing cars according to the needs and demands of their customer. This is only possible because of the increase in demand for less pollution cars. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Emerging market is one of the best opportunity for this company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Various models are there which caters the lower segment à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Fuel efficiency is now a days termed as one of the best opportunity which can results in the best productivity for the company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Alliances are the best opportunities for Honda Company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Honda can increase its production by focusing on sales and research à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ They can gain more popularity by doing better research and development Threats à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ One of the major threat is the economic slowdown à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All the external changes for instance taxes, politics as well as government are the major threats for Honda Company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Another threat is the lower cost competitors à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Price war is also consider as an important threat for this company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Oil pricesare contributing a lot towards the loss of Honda company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Second movers are the major threat for Honda company à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Substitute products are the major threats for the Honda company EMPLOYMENT SUBSIDIARIES Business of Honda Motor Co., Ltd are Automobiles, Motorcycles, Financial Service and Power products. According to fiscal report in 2006, around the world this company employed 144,785 employees. 28,783 employees worked in Motorcycle Business field. 105, 623 employees worked in Automobile Business field. 1,921 employees worked in Financial Service Business field. And 8,458 employees worked in Power Product and Others Business field. Its head office is located in Tokyo, Japan. It contains many subsidiaries around the world such as Europe (UK, Spain, Germany, Bdellium, France and Italy), Asia (Japan, China, Taiwan, Thai, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, India Pakistan, and Philippine), North Africa (USA, Canada, and Mexico) and others (Brazil, Turkey, Australia, and New Zealand). Due to net sale report in 2007, regularly income of Honda in Europe is 1,236,757 million yen, 5,980,876 million yen in North Africa, 2,964,344 million yen in Asia, and 905,163 million yen in others. Sale report ch art in 2007 category by region: COMPETITOR There are many competitor of the company. Automobile: Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Auto sale (Chevrolet), Camko Motor (Hyundai), Lexus, Mercedes, Toyota, Kia Motors and RM Asia (Ford). Motorcycle: Yamaha and Suzuki. III. COMPANY STUCTURE STAFF MOTIVATION Honda motivation system provide as below: + Training course for specific skill to abroad: staffs need to work for the company at least two year after coming back + Annual increasing salary: evaluation staff (A= 15%, B= 10%, C=5% of their current salary) +Annual bonus: evaluation staff (A= 100%, B= 85%, C=75% of their current salary) + Insurances: health insurance and life insurance + Disability: non discrimination + Paid time off (Overtime paid) + Retirement plan + Provide associate and their families IV. MANAGEMENT STUCTURE Honda is multinational company. It integrates itself into many part of the World in many different forms of management to adapt to the real environment. This flexible management style allows Honda to gain great benefits from their investment. Moreover, through this system of glocalization, Honda is still a strong company among its competitors. V. FINANCIAL STATUS Financial report Honda Motor Co., Ltd., and Subsidiaries Years ended March 31 2009 (http://khuram.synthasite.com)

Random Drug Testing is a Waste of Time Essay -- Essays on Drug Testing

Her grades fell. She was always tired. She never seemed to be able to focus at school. Classes she used to be interested in became utterly mundane. Friends she used to care about became replaceable. She stopped spending time with her family. She sat on the bench at every soccer game instead of becoming the star player her coaches thought she could. This is what addiction to drugs can do to a young person’s life. Addiction can take away everything that once made that young person happy. The only thing that matters anymore is the drug, getting high, and getting higher. It is a horrible and tragic thing that destroys so many young lives. Some people think that in order to prevent these situations, the best solution is random drug testing. But this is not a reasonable solution whatsoever. Many more students are using and selling drugs as they roam around the campus, but will never be â€Å"caught† with such a fickle and illusive process. Random student drug testing is not a plausible solution for the drug problem in public schools; it is unreliable and it infringes on the lives of those students involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who support random drug testing argue that the growing trend of drug testing a small population of students in a school is effective at attacking the drug abuse problem, because fewer students will use when there is an obvious consequence (Drug Testing in School Activities 2). They believe if a drug problem is identified early enough, there is a better chance for rehabilitation. This is true, and with this approach, maybe one life can be saved (Legal Issues of Dwiggins 2 School Drug Testing 1). Of course it is worth all the trouble of drug testing many innocent students if one drug addict can be identified and helped, but would it not be much better if that same student’s drug problem, and hundreds more, could have been prevented altogether? (Student Drug Testing News 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We cannot identify a drug problem in a significant number of students if only a small percentage is tested; a solid drug education program would be much more effective. It takes something a lot more earth shattering than the DARE program to steer young people away from experimenting with drugs. Sure, DARE does a great job at teaching kids different ways to say no, but do they ever really learn why they are saying no? Does DARE ... ... Joan. â€Å"Drug-testing case generates sparks; Lawsuit over school policy hotly debated.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  USA Today 20 March 2002, A02. â€Å"Drug Testing In Schools Should Be Sensibly Restricted.† Tampa Tribune 22 March 2002, 18. Franz MD, Joseph C. â€Å"Drug Testing in School Activities.† Fall 1997.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (14 April 2002) Greenberger, Robert S. â€Å"Court to Hear Arguments on Case Pitting Drug Tests Against Privacy.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Wall Street Journal 15 March 2002, B5. Lane, Charles. â€Å"Court to Weigh Drug Testing by Schools; Justices to Decide if Choir, Club   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Members’ Privacy, Like Athletes’, May Be Breached.† The Washington Post 17 March   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2002, A10. â€Å"Legal Issues of School Drug Testing.† (25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February 2002). â€Å"Student Drug Testing News.† (25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February 2002). â€Å"Urban75 Drug Infoâ€Å" (5 March 2002) Random Drug Testing is a Waste of Time Essay -- Essays on Drug Testing Her grades fell. She was always tired. She never seemed to be able to focus at school. Classes she used to be interested in became utterly mundane. Friends she used to care about became replaceable. She stopped spending time with her family. She sat on the bench at every soccer game instead of becoming the star player her coaches thought she could. This is what addiction to drugs can do to a young person’s life. Addiction can take away everything that once made that young person happy. The only thing that matters anymore is the drug, getting high, and getting higher. It is a horrible and tragic thing that destroys so many young lives. Some people think that in order to prevent these situations, the best solution is random drug testing. But this is not a reasonable solution whatsoever. Many more students are using and selling drugs as they roam around the campus, but will never be â€Å"caught† with such a fickle and illusive process. Random student drug testing is not a plausible solution for the drug problem in public schools; it is unreliable and it infringes on the lives of those students involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Those who support random drug testing argue that the growing trend of drug testing a small population of students in a school is effective at attacking the drug abuse problem, because fewer students will use when there is an obvious consequence (Drug Testing in School Activities 2). They believe if a drug problem is identified early enough, there is a better chance for rehabilitation. This is true, and with this approach, maybe one life can be saved (Legal Issues of Dwiggins 2 School Drug Testing 1). Of course it is worth all the trouble of drug testing many innocent students if one drug addict can be identified and helped, but would it not be much better if that same student’s drug problem, and hundreds more, could have been prevented altogether? (Student Drug Testing News 1)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We cannot identify a drug problem in a significant number of students if only a small percentage is tested; a solid drug education program would be much more effective. It takes something a lot more earth shattering than the DARE program to steer young people away from experimenting with drugs. Sure, DARE does a great job at teaching kids different ways to say no, but do they ever really learn why they are saying no? Does DARE ... ... Joan. â€Å"Drug-testing case generates sparks; Lawsuit over school policy hotly debated.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  USA Today 20 March 2002, A02. â€Å"Drug Testing In Schools Should Be Sensibly Restricted.† Tampa Tribune 22 March 2002, 18. Franz MD, Joseph C. â€Å"Drug Testing in School Activities.† Fall 1997.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   (14 April 2002) Greenberger, Robert S. â€Å"Court to Hear Arguments on Case Pitting Drug Tests Against Privacy.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Wall Street Journal 15 March 2002, B5. Lane, Charles. â€Å"Court to Weigh Drug Testing by Schools; Justices to Decide if Choir, Club   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Members’ Privacy, Like Athletes’, May Be Breached.† The Washington Post 17 March   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  2002, A10. â€Å"Legal Issues of School Drug Testing.† (25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February 2002). â€Å"Student Drug Testing News.† (25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February 2002). â€Å"Urban75 Drug Infoâ€Å" (5 March 2002)

Standard Procedure For Male Circumcision Health And Social Care Essay

In a combined survey from the USA and Kenya, the safety of big male Circumcision in the latter state was reviewed, peculiarly with the purported association between this process and a lower incidence of HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections. It was found that safe and acceptable grownup male Circumcision services could be delivered in developing states should this be advocated as a public wellness step. Aim To develop a standard process for male Circumcision in a resource-poor medical scene and prospectively measure the result in a randomized, controlled test with the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) as the chief result, as surveies suggest that Circumcision is associated with a lower incidence of HIV and other sexually familial infections in bad populations. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Healthy, uncircumcised, HIV-seronegative work forces aged 18-24 old ages from Kisumu District, Kenya, were offered engagement in a clinical test utilizing a standard Circumcision process based on ‘usual ‘ medical processs in Western Kenya. The followup included visits at 3, 8 and 30 yearss after Circumcision, with extra visits if necessary. Healing, satisfaction and recommencement of activities were assessed at these visits and 3 months from randomisation. Consequence Overall, 17 ( 3.5 % ) of the 479 Circumcisions were associated with inauspicious events judged decidedly, likely or perchance related to the process. The most common inauspicious events were wound infections ( 1.3 % ) , shed blooding ( 0.8 % ) , and delayed lesion healing or sutura line break ( 0.8 % ) . After 30 yearss, 99 % of participants reported being really satisfied with the process ; ?aˆS23 % reported holding had sex and 15 % reported that their spouses had expressed an sentiment, all of whom were really satisfied with the result. About 96 % of the work forces resumed normal general activities within the first hebdomad after the process. Decision Safe and acceptable grownup male Circumcision services can be delivered in developing states should male Circumcision finally be advocated as a public-health step. Abbreviations STI sexually transmitted infection KES Kenya shilling. Introduction Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions Of African work forces, ?aˆS62 % are circumcised [ 1 ] ; more African work forces are seeking clinical Circumcision to better hygiene, to cut down the hazard of sexually transmitted infections ( STIs ) , to look more ‘urban ‘ , or to be more like others [ 2-6 ] . Epidemiologic surveies suggest that male Circumcision is associated with a ?aˆS50 % decrease in the hazard of HIV infection, and with a lower hazard of ulcerative STI [ 4,7-10 ] . Male Circumcision eliminates the venereal jobs of balanoposthitis, phimosis and paraphimosis, well reduces penial carcinoma rates and, in one survey, reduced the cervical malignant neoplastic disease hazard in female spouses [ 3 ] . Despite increased involvement among medical governments and greater credence among African work forces, there are significant concerns about urging male Circumcision as a public-health step. These reserves include the deficiency of informations from randomized, controlled clinical tests demoing that Circumcision decreases the hazard of STIs and HIV. Considerable anecdotal grounds, including studies based on medical record reappraisal, suggests that Circumcision in traditional scenes exposes immature work forces to an inordinate hazard of complications [ 11-15 ] . Very few informations on Circumcision results are available from African clinical scenes. One survey from Tanzania found that infant Circumcision utilizing the Plastibell technique resulted in a 2 % complication rate [ 16 ] , comparable to reported rates in developed states [ 17 ] . We are carry oning a prospective, randomized controlled clinical test of grownup male Circumcision to measure its impact on the incidence of HIV among 18-24-year-old work forces in Kisumu District, Kenya. One of import aim was to develop a standard Circumcision process that would be applicable to resource-poor medical scenes. A 2nd aim was to find the inauspicious event rates associated with this process. Thus the intents of this study are to: ( I ) describe the proficient facets of the standard process ; ( two ) outline the processs for monitoring and sorting inauspicious events ; and ( three ) to depict results and inauspicious events associated with the first 479 Circumcisions. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions Uncircumcised, HIV-seronegative work forces aged 18-24 old ages shacking within Kisumu District, Kenya, were offered admittance to the test. After supplying written, informed consent, participants were randomized every bit to either Circumcision or delayed Circumcision after a 2-year followup ( the control group ) . Exclusion standards included: any medical indicant for Circumcision ( e.g. important phimosis, recurrent balanitis, paraphimosis, or extended venereal warts ) , history of a hemorrhage upset, keloid formation, or other status that might unduly increase the hazards of elected surgery. Work force in both weaponries of the test were given extended reding about the decrease in hazard of STI/HIV, including the proviso of limitless supplies of free rubbers. This survey was approved by institutional reappraisal boards at the Universities of Nairobi, Illinois at Chicago, Manitoba, Washington, and RTI International. A Data Safety and Monitoring Board reports to the USA National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. For Circumcision, a standard process was based on ‘usual ‘ medical Circumcision processs in Western Kenya [ 18 ] . One Medical Officer ( medical physician ) and two Clinical Military officers ( Kenyan paramedicals who conduct medical audiences and selected surgical processs ) were trained in techniques and inside informations of the process. All instruments and supplies were purchased from providers in Western Kenya. The genital organ were prepared with a povidone-iodine solution and draped in unfertile manner. A dorsal nervus block was applied utilizing 2 % Lidocaine, with extra anesthetic administered circumferentially about the penial base ( maximal 10 milliliter ) . The foreskin was grasped at the 3 and 9 o'clock places utilizing two mosquito clinchs, so pulled over the glans. The scratch was outlined with a taging pen analogue to and 1 centimeter proximal to the coronal sulcus. The mosquito clinchs were so used to draw the foreskin over the glans while a Kocher clinch was applied below the planned scratch, taking attention to avoid wounding the glans. The foreskin was excised by cutting above the Kocher clinch, which was so removed. Shed blooding vass were ligated utilizing 3/0 field intestine. The lesion was irrigated with physiological saline. The tegument and mucosal scratchs were aligned utilizing 3/0 chromic perpendicular mattress suturas at the 12, 3 and 9 o'clock places, and a horizontal mattress sutura at the 6 o'clock ( frenulum ) place. The four initial suturas were tagged with mosquito clinchs to supply grip during the balance of the closing. Four extra perpendicular mattress suturas were placed halfway between the initial suturas, with simple suturas so placed to jump between the mattress suturas. The lesion was covered utilizing a Vaseline gauze dressing. Each patient was given verbal and written instructions, including vesture and bathing patterns, and instructed to urinate often to minimise hard-ons. They were given Datrils, 1 g three times daily as needed for 5 yearss, and tramadol hydrochloride, 100 milligram at bedtime as needed for two darks. Participants were strongly counselled to abstain from sex for at least a month. Follow-up visits were scheduled for 3, 8 and 30 yearss after surgery. Patients were instructed to return to the clinic if there was shed blooding, infection or inordinate hurting. At each visit the lesion was checked, and standard inquiries assessed activities of day-to-day life, possible inauspicious events, and the participants ‘ satisfaction. Additional elaborate ratings were conducted at 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months from randomisation. Regular instance conferences reviewed all processs and results. Adverse events were categorized by badness and relatedness to the survey. Severity classs were mild, moderate and terrible. Relatedness to the process was classified as: ( 1 ) decidedly unrelated, clearly explained by another cause ; ( 2 ) perchance related, probably explained by other causes ; ( 3 ) likely related, most likely explained by the Circumcision ; and ( 4 ) decidedly related, a clear complication. Patient satisfaction was analysed at ?aˆS30 and 90 yearss after surgery as ( 1 ) really satisfied, ( 2 ) slightly satisfied, ( 3 ) slightly disgruntled, or ( 4 ) really disgruntled. We evaluated whether patients had resumed work and sexual activities and, if so, whether their sexual spouses had expressed an sentiment about their Circumcision position. The critical end points and definitions were determined before get downing the survey. Datas were collected prospectively and entered on site, and evaluated for quality and consistence continuously. Consequence Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions Between 4 February 2002 and 11 March 2004, 2160 work forces were screened, including 47 % who agreed to take part. Of these, 505 were randomized to Circumcision, including 479 ( 95 % ) who had the process. The balance either declined after randomisation or deferred Circumcision until subsequently. The average age of circumcised participants was 21 old ages and 96 % were of Luo cultural beginning ; 89 % had completed primary school, 53 % had completed secondary school and & A ; gt ; 90 % were single. Almost half classified themselves as unskilled workers and about a one-fourth were pupils. Merely 37 % reported regular employment. The median ( scope ) continuance of Circumcision was 30 ( 18-63 ) min ; Fig. 1 shows the continuance for each consecutive group with clip ( Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel rank correlativity statistic, chi-square 149.4, 1 d.f. , P & A ; lt ; 0.001 ) . Figure 1. Box-and-whisker secret plan comparing process continuance with the figure of Circumcisions. For each group of Circumcisions, the line in the box indicates the median ( 50th percentile ) , and the upper and lower bounds of the box the interquartile scope ( 25-75th percentiles ) . The mistake bars indicate the 10th and 90th percentiles. Valuess above the 90th or below the tenth percentiles are plotted as points. For all 479 Circumcisions, the median ( scope ) continuance was 30 ( 18-63 ) min ; the average continuance was 38 min for the first 100, 30 min for the 2nd 100, 30 min for the 3rd, 28 min for the 4th and 26 min for processs 401-479 ( Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel rank correlativity P & A ; lt ; 0.001 ) . Of the 479 Circumcisions, 17 ( 3.5 % ) were associated with 18 inauspicious events considered decidedly, likely or perchance related, including six wound infections ( 1.3 % ) , four bleeds ( 0.8 % ) , four delayed healing or disrupted lesions ( 0.8 % ) , two with inordinate puffiness ( 0.4 % ) , one anesthetic reaction, and one participant who reported erectile disfunction. Of the 18 inauspicious events, none was classified as terrible, 11 were moderate ( necessitating extra intervention, e.g. drainage of an infection or revising a sutura to command indecent hemorrhage ) , and seven were mild ( necessitating minimum extra intervention ) . Fourteen inauspicious events were considered decidedly related ( including most infections and shed blooding jobs, plus the anesthetic reaction ) , one was considered likely related ( an infection off from the lesion that represented a reaction to the dressing tape ) , and three perchance related ( including diminished erectile map reported, folliculitis at the pubic base, and a pubic abscess in one participant each ) . Overall, nine of 18 inauspicious events were considered to be both moderate and definitely/probably procedure-related, happening after eight of 479 processs ( 1.7 % ) . The decorative consequences were first-class, with no demand for alterations or secondary processs. There were no instances of extra preputial tegument remotion, unequal preputial tegument remotion, penial tortuosity, cheloid, other hapless decorative or functional results. At this analysis, 411 of 479 participants were evaluated at ?aˆS30 yearss after surgery ; 99 % reported being really satisfied, 23 % reported holding had sex since the Circumcision, and 15 % of these work forces reported that their female spouse had expressed an sentiment about the process, all of whom were really satisfied with the result. In all, 321 work forces had appraisals at ?aˆS90 yearss from surgery, when 65 % reported holding resumed sexual intercourse, and 54 % of their sex spouses had expressed an sentiment about the process. Of these spouses, 95 % were really satisfied with the result, 4 % were slightly satisfied and 2 % were slightly disgruntled. None was really disgruntled. At 30 yearss after surgery, 98 % of work forces who were employed reported holding returned to work, 91 % within a hebdomad of the process and 97 % within 2 hebdomads. At this visit, all work forces reported holding resumed normal general activities, 96 % within the first hebdomad and another 3 % during the 2nd hebdomad after surgery. Discussion Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions We developed a Circumcision process that was implemented efficaciously in an African medical scene. All instruments and supplies were purchased locally and local clinicians performed all processs. The standard method was based on medical processs used in eastern Africa [ 18 ] . To avoid trust on a engineering that is non widely available in developing states, we did non utilize electrocautery. Nevertheless, the overall inauspicious event rate was comparable to reported rates from the developed universe. Postoperative lesion infection ( 1.3 % ) and shed blooding ( 0.8 % ) were the most common inauspicious events, as would be predicted. The huge bulk of participants and their spouses who expressed sentiments were really satisfied at 30 and 90 yearss after surgery. This is one of the largest series of big male Circumcisions and it is alone in that results were monitored prospectively. Participants were followed utilizing a strict protocol. We used simple definitions that may turn out utile for other surgical tests, particularly surveies measuring Circumcision as a public-health step. The average clip to finish a Circumcision was 30 min ; runing continuance decreased from a median of 38 min for the first 100 processs to 26 min for processs 401-479 ( P & A ; lt ; 0.001 ) . This is of import, because if Circumcision were recommended as a public-health step for forestalling HIV, so it would be necessary to finish processs within an acceptable period in resource-poor states. The instruments and supplies were modest and all were obtained locally. In Kisumu the cost of supplies is 1500 Kenya shillings ( KES ) per process at our installation ( ? US $ 20 ) . In the Kisumu community, charges for Circumcision scope from 1000 KES ( US $ 13 ) at the authorities infirmary to 5800 KES ( US $ 77 ) at the taking private infirmary. Therefore, this survey suggests that our standard Circumcision method is consistent with bing pattern in Kenya and is likely to turn out practical within the underdeveloped universe. We besides showed that it is possible to obtain consequences that are tantamount to series of big male Circumcisions from the developed universe. The present survey has some advantages ; it represents a big series of big male Circumcisions and one of really few studies of surveies designed to supply an optimal prospective appraisal of results. We used strict definitions for events. The Circumcision process and resources were based on local medical pattern and resource handiness. All instruments and supplies were obtained locally, and clinicians trained and working in their ain community completed all processs. Therefore, our consequences should be straight applicable to similar clinical scenes in other countries. Two of the three clinicians were Clinical Military officers, the cell of professionals likely to execute most Circumcisions in sub-Saharan Africa. An of import lesson was that clear patient instructions are critical for lesion attention after surgery. Young work forces in many developing state scenes may miss easy entree to H2O and have trouble in keeping hygiene. Their timeserving employment forms frequently require high degrees of physical activity that can interrupt wound mending. Instruction manuals, both verbal and written in autochthonal linguistic communications, can help patients to restrict the possible effects of such lifestyle challenges. A determination that requires further attending is that 23 % of work forces reportedly resumed sexual activities before their 30-day follow-up visit, despite intensive reding to the contrary. Fortunately, merely one adult male reported holding had sexual intercourse at one of the early visits, and that was 19 yearss after the process. If work forces resume sexual contact before their scratchs are to the full healed, there is the danger of increased hazard of infection with HIV or other STIs. Once the test is complete, we will prove whether circumcised work forces have a higher incidence of HIV/STI than uncircumcised controls during this 1-month period after randomisation. Effective guidance of immature work forces is disputing, but developing effectual ways to advocate against sexual contact while the surgical lesion is mending will be important if male Circumcision is to be introduced as an intercession to forestall HIV. The present survey has of import restrictions ; the work forces were circumcised in a carefully designed, controlled research undertaking, with thorough preparation of clinicians, careful choice of healthy patients and uninterrupted monitoring of the result. It will be necessary to demo similar results in less strict scenes. The followup was short, but we will obtain more informations on sexual map. Most significantly, we need to find, through the test, whether grownup male Circumcision is effectual in cut downing the incidence of HIV. In decision, we developed a standard process for grownup male Circumcision that proved suited for resource-poor clinical scenes. The inauspicious event rate compares favorably with rates reported from developed states. Participants had first-class clinical results, acceptable morbidity and first-class patient satisfaction. They returned to work and to normal general activities really rapidly. These findings suggest that it should be possible to present grownup male Circumcision services with acceptable complication rates in developing states. Recognitions Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions We particularly thank the immature work forces in Kisumu who have so enthusiastically participated in the survey. We acknowledge the aid and indefatigable support provided by Dr J. Otieno. We greatly appreciate the tireless attempts of the UNIM undertaking staff. This survey was funded by grants from the National Institute of Allergy and Infections Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland USA, Grant No. AI150440, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research ( CIHR ) , Grant No. HCT 44180. S. Moses is the receiver of a CIHR research worker award. Conflict OF Interest Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions None declared. Mentions Top of page Abstraction Introduction SUBJECTS AND METHODS Consequence Discussion Recognitions Conflict OF Interest Mentions 1 Drain PK, Smith JS, Hughes JP, Halpern DT, Holmes KK. Correlates of national HIV seroprevalence: an ecologic analysis of 122 developing states. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2004 ; 35: 407-20 CrossRef, PubMed, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 21 2 Caldwell JC, Caldwell P. The African AIDS epidemic. Sci Am 1996 ; 274: 66-8 CrossRef 3 Castellsague X, Bosch FX, Munoz N et Al. Male Circumcision, penial human papillomavirus infection, and cervical malignant neoplastic disease in female spouses. N Engl J Med 2002 ; 346: 1105-12 CrossRef, PubMed, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 188 4 Bailey RC, Muga R, Poulussen R, Abicht H. The acceptableness of male Circumcision to cut down HIV infections in Nyanza Province, Kenya. AIDS Care 2002 ; 14: 27-40 CrossRef, PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 33 5 Lagarde E, Dirk T, Puren A, Reathe RT, Bertran A. Acceptability of male Circumcision as a tool for forestalling HIV infection in a extremely infected community in South Africa. Aids 2003 ; 17: 89-95 CrossRef, PubMed, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 25 6 Kebaabetswe P, Lockman S, Mogwe S et Al. Male Circumcision: an acceptable scheme for HIV bar in Botswana. Sex Transm Infect 2003 ; 79: 214-9 CrossRef, PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 24 7 Jessamine PG, Plummer FA, Ndinya Achola JO et Al. Human immunodeficiency virus, venereal ulcers and the male prepuce: synergy in HIV-1 transmittal. Scand J Infect Dis Suppl 1990 ; 69: 181-6 PubMed, ChemPort 8 Cameron DW, Simonsen JN, D'Costa LJ et Al. Female to male transmittal of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: hazard factors for seroconversion in work forces. Lancet 1989 ; 2: 403-7 CrossRef, PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 541 9 Todd J, Munguti K, Grosskurth H et Al. Hazard factors for active pox and TPHA seroconversion in a rural African population. Sex Transm Infect 2001 ; 77: 37-45 CrossRef, PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 15 10 Weiss HA, Quigley MA, Hayes RJ. Male Circumcision and hazard of HIV infection in sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic reappraisal and meta-analysis. Aids 2000 ; 14: 2361-70 CrossRef, PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 189 11 Mayatula V, Mavundla TR. A reappraisal on male Circumcision processs among South African inkinesss. Curationis 1997 ; 20: 16-20 PubMed, ChemPort 12 Ahmed A, Mbibi NH, Dawam D, Kalayi GD. Complications of traditional male Circumcision. Ann Trop Paediatr 1999 ; 19: 113-7 CrossRef, PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 19 13 Crowley IP, Kesner KM. Ritual Circumcision ( Umkhwetha ) amongst the Xhosa of the Ciskei. Br J Urol 1990 ; 66: 318-21 Direct Link: Abstraction PDF ( 630K ) Mentions 14 Magoha GA. Circumcision in assorted Nigerian and Kenyan infirmaries. East Afr Med J 1999 ; 76: 583-6 PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 24 15 Khalifa S. Implications of the protective consequence of male Circumcision against HIV. A reappraisal of male Circumcision processs presently used in Africa and their safety. [ Maestro of Science ] . London, UK. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 2000 16 Manji KP. January 1 of the immature baby in a underdeveloped state utilizing the Plastibell. Ann Trop Paediatr 2000 ; 20: 101-4 PubMed, ChemPort, Web of Science ® Times Cited: 9 17 Williams N, Kapila L. Complications of Circumcision. Br J Surg 1993 ; 80: 1231-6 Direct Link: Abstraction PDF ( 808K )

Anne Hutchinson Quotes

Anne Hutchinson Quotes Anne Hutchinsons  religious ideas and leadership of others who held them threatened to create a schism in Massachusetts colony in 1635-1638. She was accused by her opponents of antinomianism (anti-law), undermining authority, and overemphasizing salvation by grace. She in turn accused them of Legalism - overemphasizing salvation by works and rules over individual conscience. Selected Anne Hutchinson Quotations As I do understand it, laws, commands, rules and edicts are for those who have not the light which makes plain the pathway. He who has Gods grace in his heart cannot go astray. The power of the Holy Spirit dwelleth perfectly in every believer, and the inward revelations of her own spirit, and the conscious judgment of her own mind are of authority paramount to any word of God. I conceive there lies a clear rule in Titus that the elder women should instruct the younger and then I must have a time wherein I must do it. If any come to my house to be instructed in the ways of God what rule have I to put them away? Do you think it not lawful for me to teach women and why do you call me to teach the court? When I first came to this land because I did not go to such meetings as those were, it was presently reported that I did not allow of such meetings but held them unlawful and therefore in that regard they said I was proud and did despise all ordinances. Upon that a friend came unto me and told me of it and I to prevent such aspersions took it up, but it was in practice before I came. Therefore I was not the first. I am called here to answer before you, but I hear no things laid to my charge. I desire to know wherefore I am banished? Will it please you to answer me this and to give me a rule for then I will willingly submit to any truth. I do here speak it before the court. I look that the Lord should deliver me by his providence. If you please to give me leave I shall give you the ground of what I know to be true. The Lord judges not as man judges. Better to be cast out of the church than to deny Christ. A Christian is not bound to the law. But now having seen him which is invisible I fear not what man can do unto me. What from the Church at Boston? I know no such church, neither will I own it. Call it the whore and strumpet of Boston, no Church of Christ! You have power over my body but the Lord Jesus hath power over my body and soul; and assure yourselves thus much, you do as much as in you lies to put the Lord Jesus Christ from you, and if you go on in this course you begin, you will bring a curse upon you and your posterity, and the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. He that denies the testament denies the testator, and in this did open unto me and give me to see that those which did not teach the new covenant had the spirit of antichrist, and upon this he did discover the ministry unto me; and ever since, I bless the Lord, he hath let me see which was the clear ministry and which the wrong. For you see this scripture fulfilled this day and therefore I desire you as you tender the Lord and the church and commonwealth to consider and look what you do. But after he was pleased to reveal himself to me I did presently, like Abraham, run to Hagar. And after that he did let me see the atheism of my own heart, for which I begged of the Lord that it might not remain in my heart. I have been guilty of wrong thinking. They thought that I did conceive there was a difference between them and Mr. Cotton... I might say they might preach a covenant of works as did the apostles, but to preach a covenant of works and to be under a covenant of works is another business. One may preach a covenant of grace more clearly than another... But when they preach a covenant of works for salvation, that is not truth. I pray, Sir, prove it that I said they preached nothing but a covenant of works. Thomas Weld, on hearing of the death of the Hutchinsons: Thus the Lord heard our groans to heaven and freed us from this great and sore affliction. From the sentence at her trial read by Governor Winthrop: Mrs. Hutchinson, the sentence of the court you hear is that you are banished from out of our jurisdiction as being a woman not fit for our society.

taiga essays

taiga essays The taiga is the largest biome. The taiga is primarily a coniferous forest like the temperate rainforest, but the taiga is located between 50 degrees latitude north and the Arctic circle. Many coniferous trees grow in the taiga. The taiga has fewer animal species than the tropical or temperate deciduous forests. The taiga is very, very cold in the winter. But when the warm summer comes, the ice and snow melt. The sun shines for days in the summer, because the taiga is near the top of the world. Insects breed in the melting water. Birds come to the taiga to nest and lay their eggs in the spring and to eat the plentiful insects. In the taiga, the average temperature is below freezing for six months of the year. Total yearly precipitation in the taiga is 12 - 33 inches. Although the cold winters have some snowfall, most of the precipitation comes during the warm, humid summer months. Because of the tilt of the earth on its axis, in the taiga you'll find long nights in the winter and long days in the summer. During the summer months, the taiga fills up with millions of insects. Birds, who eat insects, migrate every year for the plentiful food supply. The taiga is prone to wildfires. Many trees have adapted to this by growing thick bark, which can protect a tree from a mild fire. Because of cool temperatures decomposition is slow in the taiga. Undecayed vegetation builds up on the forest floor, making it feel like a sponge. Since decomposition is slow, the soil is thin and lacking in nutrients. Trees grow taller where warmer temperatures allow for faster decompostion or by streams and rivers which carry nutrients from higher ground. There is not much diversity in the taiga. Evergreen trees reign supreme miles upon miles of the exact same species are tree is often the case in the taiga. Most trees in this biome tend to grow in dense patches of one or a few species. Spruce, hemlock and fir are the primary trees of the t...

Understanding the Definition of Symmetric Difference

Understanding the Definition of Symmetric Difference Set theory uses a number of different operations to construct new sets from old ones. There are a variety of ways to select certain elements from given sets while excluding others. The result is typically a set that differs from the original ones. It is important to have well-defined ways to construct these new sets, and examples of these include the union, intersection, and difference of two sets. A set operation that is perhaps less well-known is called the symmetric difference. Symmetric Difference Definition To understand the definition of the symmetric difference, we must first understand the word or. Although small, the word or has two different uses in the English language. It can be exclusive or inclusive (and it was just used exclusively in this sentence). If we are told that we may choose from A or B, and the sense is exclusive, then we may only have one of the two options. If the sense is inclusive, then we may have A, we may have B, or we may have both A and B. Typically the context guides us when we run up against the word or and we don’t even need to think about which way it’s being used. If we are asked if we would like cream or sugar in our coffee, it’s clearly implied that we may have both of these. In mathematics, we want to eliminate ambiguity. So the word or in mathematics has an inclusive sense. The word or is thus employed in the inclusive sense in the definition of the union. The union of the sets A and B is the set of elements in either A or B (including those elements that are in both sets). But it becomes worthwhile to have a set operation that constructs the set containing elements in A or B, where or is used in the exclusive sense. This is what we call the symmetric difference. The symmetric difference of the sets A and B are those elements in A or B, but not in both A and B. While notation varies for the symmetric difference, we will write this as A ∆ B For an example of the symmetric difference, we will consider the sets A {1,2,3,4,5} and B {2,4,6}. The symmetric difference between these sets is {1,3,5,6}. In Terms of Other Set Operations Other set operations can be used to define the symmetric difference. From the above definition, it is clear that we may express the symmetric difference of A and B as the difference of the union of A and B and the intersection of A and B. In symbols we write: A ∆ B (A ∠ª B) – (A ∠© B). An equivalent expression, using some different set operations, helps to explain the name symmetric difference. Rather than use the above formulation, we may write the symmetric difference as follows: (A – B ) ∠ª (B – A). Here we see again that the symmetric difference is the set of elements in A but not B, or in B but not A. Thus we have excluded those elements in the intersection of A and B. It is possible to prove mathematically that these two formulas are equivalent and refer to the same set.​ The Name Symmetric Difference The name symmetric difference suggests a connection with the difference of two sets. This set difference is evident in both formulas above. In each of them, a difference of two sets was computed. What sets the symmetric difference apart from the difference is its symmetry. By construction, the roles of A and B can be changed. This is not true for the difference between two sets. To stress this point, with just a little work we will see the symmetry of the symmetric difference since we see A ∆ B (A – B ) ∠ª (B – A) (B – A) ∠ª (A – B ) B ∆ A.

Professionalism. As A NonCommissioned Officer, Leader, what it means Essay

Professionalism. As A NonCommissioned Officer, Leader, what it means to be professional, and why we should always be professional as Leaders of Soldiers. What Professionalism mean to me as a Leaders - Essay Example NCOs have the skills to carry out special trainings to correct emerging weaknesses. NCOs train soldiers, so that they are prepared to conduct their responsibilities and duties and can also lead their people. Indeed, Noncommissioned officers make noncommissioned officers. NCOs know how to identify future leaders and help train the latter to be effective leaders too. Furthermore, NCOs are supposed to be the yardsticks for their men’s own performances. They are leaders by model; they act with the direct intent of influencing the behavior and attitudes of their men. Professionalism is also about taking care of the welfare of our soldiers. NCOs ensure the Soldier is taken care of and is mentally and physically gifted to defend this country. NCOs help soldiers deal with both professional and personal problems, so that these problems will not lead to one another or reinforce each other. NCOs educate soldiers about existing benefits and services for themselves and their families, because these can assist them in focusing on their missions. Professional noncommissioned officers understand that their jobs are not limited to that defined by the Military Occupational Specialty. They understand that as members of the volunteer force, they are ready to take initiative and apply themselves in situations that are not clearly defined by their original duties and responsibilities. They know that they are on duty all the time. The clock does not impact professional soldiers; they are on call all the time. Thus, professional NCOs know by heart that there are no permanent schedules and only the call of duty

Portfolio management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Portfolio management - Essay Example The most vital decision regarding investing that an investor can make involves the amount of risk he or she is willing to bear. Most investors will want to obtain the highest return for the lowest amount of possible risk. However, there tends to be a trade-off between risk and return, whereby larger returns are generally associated with larger risk. Portfolio management helps to bring together various securities and other assets into portfolios that address investor needs, and then to manage those portfolios in order to achieve investment objectives. Effective asset management revolves around a portfolio manager's ability to assess and effectively manage risk. With the explosion of technology, access to information has increased dramatically at all levels of the investment cycle. It is the job of the portfolio manager to manage the vast array of available information and to transform it into successful investments for the portfolio for which he/she has the remit to manage. Portfolio management has faced lots of ups and downs due to the market turbulences caused by the global market credit crunch. In this following section, the functions and roles played by the portfolio managers are discussed upon.Portfolio management is principally about risk and return strategies. It is concerned with the construction and management of investment assets. There are two fundamental ways that a portfolio manager can add value which are follows ( Lumby, 1994): Strategic diversification- The portfolio manager generates value by effectively exploiting diversification opportunities between the assets in the portfolio. For instance, two stocks that are not well correlated can be combined so as to get more return relative to risk. Alpha return- The second way that fund managers add value is by generating returns that are in excess of what could be obtained by a reasonable combination of the asset classes in the fund. Alpha generation may be due to the relative weight given to each of a series of asset classes at any given time or it may be due to the specific stocks selected within an asset class-finding the best stocks in a sector. Passive portfolios have predictable styles. A passive investor knows exactly what types of securities he or she is invested in. Active managers, on the other hand, can vary the composition of their portfolios significantly over time - a problem known as "style drift". The styles of portfolio management are discussed in the following section. Active portfolio manager An active portfolio manager is one who constantly makes decisions and appraises the value of investments within the portfolio by collecting information, using forecasting techniques, and predicting the future performance of the various asset classes, market sectors, individual equities or assets. His goal is to obtain better performance for the portfolio. He uses personal ability and judgment to select undervalued assets to attempt to outperform the market. The active managers adopt strategies, all involving detailed analysis, as given below (Brentani, C. 2004, p.93): i. Top-down approach- This approach involves assessing the prospects for particular market sectors or countries (depending on the index), following a detailed review of general economic, financial and political factors. Sector weightings may be changed by fund managers depending on their view of the prevailing economic cycle (known as sector rotation). If a recession is likely, shares in consumer sectors such as retailing, homebuilders and motor distributors will be sold and the proceeds reinvested in, say, the food manufacturing sector. A portfolio is then selected of individual shares in the favored

Personal Health Records Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal Health Records - Assignment Example A medical record serves as the doctor’s reference to the medical history of the patient. It records the diagnosis history and treatments received by the patient. By having a medical record available upon check-up, the doctor can easily correlate the current physical condition of the patient to the information found in the medical record for faster and more accurate diagnosis and treatment. Medical records are comprehensive file that account almost all of the patient’s clinical records. In the case of legal proceedings where evidence may be required, having your medical record within arm’s reach is a great edge. Medical records are particularly important for patients who have allergic reactions to certain medications. This type of information is included in medical records. For more concerned physicians and specialists, keeping medical records is just as important as preventing the counterproductive outcomes, which could be prevented by providing doctors with accurate and up-to-date medical records. The advantages of keeping medical records do not only save our lives but it also promotes good health and better relationship with our doctors. So if you are not used to keeping medical records, now is the perfect time to start. The Importance of Keeping Medical

A History of Mathematics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A History of Mathematics - Essay Example His idea used as basis the fact that the Greek mathematicians of his time knew how to square regular polygons. He proposed that if a regular polygon were to be inscribed in a circle, and if the number of sides of the polygon were doubled again and again, the polygon would eventually become indistinguishable from the circle. This solution was still incorrect, because making the polygon coincide with the circle required an infinite number of permutations. The Europeans of the Renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci among them, tried in vain to solve the problem. They did not realize that it was impossible to square a circle using the straight edge and compass method. The Scottish mathematician James Gregory (1638 - 1675) proposed that the ratio of the area of any sector of a circle to that of inscribed or circumscribed regular polygons cannot be expressed with a finite number of terms, thus concluding that squaring the circle is impossible. Ferdinand von Lindemann (1852 - 1939) published in 1882 his proof that pi is not an algebraic, but a transcendental number (not a solution of any polynomial with rational coefficients). This essentially means that there is no way to determine if any physical object or quantity has an exact measure of pi (regardless of the unit system). Because squaring the circle involves the use of pi, Lindemann's proof ended the quest for the plane technique of squaring the circle. Trisecting an Angle Another classic mathematical problem is that of trisecting an angle, again with the restriction of using only an unmarked straight edge and a compass. Although there are certain angles that can be trisected with this method, the problem is to trisect an arbitrary angle. It has been proven that this is impossible. It can be solved, however, without the said restriction. There is no certainty of when this specific problem first arose. It is known that Hippocrates in the 5th century B.C. considered the problem. For centuries the problem of trisecting an angle (using Euclidean constructions) was pondered upon by mathematicians, but these early mathematicians focused on plane methods of trisecting an arbitrary angle, and thus failed. The first known mathematician who worked on the problem was the Greek Hippias (460 - 400 BC). He came up with the curve called the quadratix, which was originally used for squaring the circle, and was also used to solve the problem of angle trisection. Archimedes (287 - 212 BC) came up with a curve, the Archimedean spiral, and also used it to solve the problem. The Greek mathematician Nicomedes (280 - 210 BC) also worked on the problem. He came up with the curve known as the conchoid, and used it for angle trisection. These solutions, however, break the straight-edge-and-compass restriction. It was only in 1837 that it was proven that there is no solution for the original problem of trisecting any angle with only an unmarked straight edge and a compass. The French mathematician Pierre Wantzel proved the impossibility of solving the problem under the straight edge and compass restriction. Antiphon Antiphon was an orator, writer, teacher, and philosopher. He was a contemporary of Socrates. He died, like Socrates, because of political troubles. There

Porter's Five Forces Model to the American automotive industry Research Paper

Porter's Five Forces Model to the American automotive industry - Research Paper Example Introduction In the automotive industry or any similar business field, an essential step is to identify the critical paths and limiting factors involved in profitability. Where does the power reside in a business situation? Based on the forces of supply and demand which party can command the most advantageous bargaining position? A number of business tools and theoretical models address these and other questions; the Five Forces model is among them. When the manager has a clearer understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of all parties involved in a potential transaction, it permits him or her to leverage the situation to maximum advantage, and prepare for the most likely responses from the other party (Samuelson & Marks, 2012) Overall, it is beneficial to acquire data allowing the manager to take a longer view of holistic market forces in order to define costs and risks in terms of doing business. In any competitive environment, an inevitable hierarchy will develop, likely throu gh a combination of simple random forces as well as actual merit. These forces are influenced by social and legal factors in a civilized environment, but within the competitive framework certain fundamental rules will remain universal. This analysis will focus upon Porter's Five Forces model as an explanatory tool to put these factors in perspective relative to the automotive industry. By 2009, the global recession crisis sent ripples through the banking sector, credit markets and then most productive industries across the industrialized world. The American automotive industry was no exception. Chrysler and General Motors were on the financial precipice, and Ford faced an uncertain future. 2008 automotive sales had plummeted to historic lows, with sharp declines in the disposable income and available lines of credit for the purchase of new vehicles. A loan process was deemed necessary in order to rescue these and other industries from total collapse, at the likelihood of further dam age to the American – and potentially the global economy. Industry Definition For the purposes of this analysis, the automobile industry will be defined as the American corporations involved in the direct manufacture of automobiles, and the challenges they have faced in light of the current financial crisis. The scope of this analysis will include the interests of car production as well as sale, and the companies in the United States that perform both functions. Specifically, this will focus on what are termed 'The Detroit Three', generally understood as Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors. Industry Profile With the immediate danger of total collapse averted as a result of the federal loans, it is necessary to take stock of the situation using sound theoretical planning in order to plot the next move forward for the automotive industry. Theoretical models to identify forces and threats must be given careful consideration during the planning process. The planning process must i nclude the prospects and profile of the 'big three' automakers as described above, specifically the damage to the economy that might ensue if they were allowed to go bankrupt and fail entirely. Structured bankruptcy agreements for General Motors and Chrysler were considered during the spring of 2009, with considerable national debate regarding the possible ripple effects from their collapse (McAlinden et al., 2009) Ultimately there were two approaches by which