Empowerment of the Girl Child Essay

I. Introduction In a seminal article in 1990, Amartya Sen suggested that worldwide, particularly in Asia, millions of women were missing from the population totals of many countries. He also noted the alarming fact that the sex ratio for female children in China, India and South Korea is actually deteriorating while the overall sex ratio for females in those countries has marginally improved. Sen argued that the number of women missing in any population could be estimated by calculating the numbers of extra women who would have survived in that society. This would have been so if it had the same ratio of women to men as in other regions of the world where both sexes receive similar care. Given the low ratio of 0.94 women to men in South Asia, West Asia and China indicating a deficit of 6 percent, he surmised that since in countries where women and men receive similar care the ratio is about 1.05, the real deficit is about 11percent of their women. These numbers tell, †quietly a terrible story of inequality and neglect leading to excess mortality of women† (Sen, 1990). In India, the widening gap in the ratio of girls to boys is clearly brought to light in the Census of 2001, confirming a trend that has been in place since 1901. This is most pronounced in the youngest age group, 0-6, thus indicating the scale of injustice as well as the long-term social and economic consequences implied. Ansley Coale (1991) also drew attention to unusually high sex ratios at birth and high female mortality rates relative to males, especially in the early years of life and for daughters with elder sisters. To give a rough approximation of the numerical impact of excessive female mortality, he also estimated the ratio of males to females in selected populations that would exist in the absence of discriminatory treatment of females, and thus the total number of ’missing’ females. For the populations of China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, West Asia, and Egypt, he calculated the total number of missing females to be about 60 million, a figure lower than.

Business Aims and Objectives Essay

Knowing that you are taking a qualification at Bloomsbury Regional Technical College, you have been approached by several friends who would like you to help with the setting up of their businesses. You enjoy business because the subject constantly changes and you can see the relevance of all that you are learning. You can also apply what you are learning to different situations. a. Alice is thinking of setting up a small restaurant in a village two miles from the town centre. The setting is attractive. Her restaurant will only cater for a maximum of 36 customers, for whom she wants to serve gourmet food. b. Perminder wants to create a small charity that locally supports children with cerebral palsy. She represents a network of 30 parents who experience the illness and she wants to make sure that the charity can provide them with many of the resources and experiences they require in order to make their lives more comfortable. 1. You meet both Alice and Perminder for a cup of tea. Explain why organisations need aims and objectives. (P1) Every organisation needs to set aims and objectives to be able to run the business more easily and effectively. Objectives are more like goals, it’s more realistic than aims. Objectives are far more sensible and achievable. Aims are what an organisation wants to achieve. These are long-term plans, probably over next 3 to 5 years. This allows the business to move forward. Objectives set out how the organisation will meet their aims. 2. Describe to Alice and Perminder how they could use their aims and objectives. As you do so, explain the purpose of setting SMART objectives. (P2) An obvious objective for Alice and Perminder is to achieve goals. Precise, measurable targets will help you do this. You will have to concentrate on doing your best as you achieve one goal at a time. You should set these goals using SMART objectives. * Specific- You needs a clear  statement about what will do. Usually, it is quantified, which means it has a number in it. * Measurable – achievement can be checked. Recording your progress and keeping a record of your completed assessments will enable you to measure your achievements * Achievable – you can attain your target if you work hard. You can do really well if you stretch yourself * Realistic- your target should be sensible so that you stand a chance of achieving it. * Time-constrained – every objective should include a date for achievement or review/ these acts as a warning, as well as a spur if you are falling behind. You either achieve a SMART objective or need a good reason for not doing so. These types of objective are important for managers and employees in a business to measure success in achieving business aims. 3. Produce a mission statement for Alice for her business as well as for Perminder’s charity, alongside a series of objectives. Many large organisations have a mission statement that briefly identifies the main purpose of the business and how it sees itself. Alice: Alice wants to open a small restaurant in a village two miles from the town centre. The setting is attractive. Her restaurant will only cater for a maximum of 36 customers, for whom she wants to serve gourmet food. This is known as a privately owned business and will focus on customers, employees. The cost of their products or how they give values for money. Sainsbury’s mission statement is: â€Å"Our mission is to be the consumer’s first choice for food, delivering products of outstanding quality and great service at a competitive cost through working ‘faster, simpler and together.† Alice’s Mission Statement: ‘We take pride in working together to providing the best quality food for our customers of outstanding value to delight our customers’. Objectives for Alice: To provide good services and must make a profit to survive, to make sure that you only break even or make a loss for a very short time or the business can fail. Perminder: Perminder wants to create a small charity that locally supports children with cerebral palsy. She represents a network of 30 parents who experience the illness and she wants to make sure that the charity can provide them with many of the resources and experiences they require in order to make their lives more comfortable. This is known as Not- For-Profit and voluntary organisations and focus on the services they provide, the causes they support their aims in helping those in need. For example the mission of the Oxfam International is an ‘international group of independent non-governmental organizations dedicated to fighting poverty and related injustice around the world’. ‘ Perminder’s Mission Statement: ‘Our mission is to support children with cerebral palsy. So that is no longer causing a disability and premature death to children. Objectives for Perminder: To raise money that is used to support children. To aim to make surplus, after the cost of the business have been deducted, and reinvest this into the business and the services it offers.

Sustainable transportation Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Sustainable transportation - Dissertation Example This paper shall discuss sustainable transportation, including its essential elements and applications in the current society where oil fuelled transport is the dominant form of transport. This portion of the research seeks to link the previous elements on sustainable transport in the Riyadh region, where the first part discussed scenarios, Delphi and the strength of combining them. This paper is being undertaken in order to establish the importance of sustainable transportation including its application in Riyadh and how improvements in its application can be implemented. Body Definition In general, it is easy enough to understand what sustainable means. If something can be sustained, it can also be maintained and it can therefore endure. At present, sustainability is about establishing a balance between economic, social needs, and the environment in the hope of securing healthy and equitable lifestyles and tools for future communities (Deakin, 2001). Sustainability also highlights the importance of environmental quality, economic wellness, and social equality. Economic and social development must not impact on the environment within the worldwide context, instead, such developments must improve it (Deakin, 2001). Sustainable economics ensure that there is a distinction between growth or increased quantity and development of increased development; in other words, the notion of quality over quantity. Under this context, sustainable transport refers to transportation which fulfils mobility needs while preserving and supporting human and environmental health, economic progress, as well as social justice not just for the current, but also for the future generation (Deakin, 2001). Planning for sustainable development seeks to achieve these three goals all at the same time in a just manner, ensuring access and mobility in the process (Deakin, 2001). The idea of sustainability came from various meetings and reports in the 1970s and 1980s where in 1972, at the UN Stoc kholm Conference on the Human Environment, the first international meeting was set discussing the impact of human activities on the environment and humans (Hopwood, et.al., 2005). The 1980 World Conservation Strategy set by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature as well as the UN Environment Program and the World Wildlife Fund established the idea of environmental protection. In 1987, the UN supported Brundtland Commission published the report Our Common Future where they discussed concerns related to the environment and poverty in various parts of the globe (Hopwood, et.al., 2005). The report expressed that although economic development cannot be stopped, its course must be changed in order to fit environmental and ecological limitations. The report also gave credence to the term sustainable development which the commission defined as: development which supports current needs without endangering the ability of future generations to secure their own purposes and need s (Hopwood, et.al., 2005). Much attention on sustainability was seen at the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (Sustainability Report Program, 2000). This conference gathered senior officials from 179 countries; this conference also included the Earth Summit which is considered to be the largest ever gathering of world leaders (Sustainability R

Miami Beach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Miami Beach - Essay Example Miami Beach is one of my favorite cities; I have spent many vacations there since my childhood and have developed memorable moments and sites. This paper â€Å"Miami Beach† is based on author’s last visit to the city. The author offers a narrative essay about the place.Even though I had made many previous visits to the city, they had been self centered and purely recreational. We would spend time together as a family, visit a few places and friends in the city before travelling back home. I however made my last visit with a peer and the visit’s core objective was to explore the city for knowledge development. We therefore hired a guide to lead us and respond to our possible questions, an initiative from which we learnt of the city’s history that developed from a farm to a real estate city. Planners in the nineteenth century designated the region for coconut plantation but housing developers changed the idea, decades later, to the current city’s scop e. The generally hot weather, a characteristic of the city’s climate, was enjoyable, a climate that promotes recreational activities at the beach. Even though the city experiences occasional durations of cold weather, it is generally hot and is either dry or humid, depending on its seasons. Further, we interacted with local residents but embraced a challenge in communication because they predominantly communicate in Spanish.My last trip to Miami Beach was therefore more informative as I learnt about the city, its geography, its history, and I directly interacted with its people.

V of Plato's Republic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

V of Plato's Republic - Term Paper Example In the novel entitled Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, a society based on the eradication of individuality is described. All members of society are given a drug called â€Å"soma† in order to live in a chemically induced euphoria as prescribed by the social leaders. Similarly, in Plato’s Book V of the Republic, it is intended that society eliminate the barriers imposed by family units in order for the community as a whole to contain people that are all equally affiliated with one another in order for the community to act as one organism in and of itself. As far as a communist theory goes, this is described as ideal because the overall whole of the population is then able to see itself as one equally related group of people, without one person having special interest in the well being of another person more so than they would anyone else within that society. In addition to making each person equally associated to all other persons within this society, it is pointed out by Plato that women and men are capable of performing many of the same tasks therefore somewhat eliminating gender roles and furthering the elimination of the family unit. Plato did however tend to express his thoughts that women were inferior to men in many ways including intellect, â€Å" For men born and educated like our citizens, the only way, in my opinion, of arriving at a right conclusion about the possession and use of women and children is to follow the path on which we originally started, when we said that the men were to be the guardians and watchdogs of the herd† (Plato, pp. 2). This quote serves to illustrate Plato’s intention to expand on a woman’s role in his idealistic society, but yet he still places men in a leadership position above women. It can also be said that Plato examined the notion of the whole populace as a gene pool and only the best specimens out of that gene pool should reproduce thus rendering the best possible offspring. In Brave New World, there

Possession of the Pubescent Female as Represented in The Exorcist Research Paper

Possession of the Pubescent Female as Represented in The Exorcist - Research Paper Example The invasive context in which the monster in The Exorcist (1973) has manifested represents the ways in which biological changes occur without the will of an individual. Regan is not under her own control, but is controlled by forces within her body that she cannot escape. No one can control what is happening to her. The priest, a representation of the male dominant gender, has no true power over the changes that are occurring within the little girl. He is flummoxed by the changes and is impotent in stopping what is happening to her. However, the male figure is still charged with saving the girl from her own spill of identity, the demon representing the psychological and physical changes that she cannot control and will set her life on a new course in which she must navigate the newness.According to Davies, human beings are fascinated by monsters because they most often have elements of explanation that real life does not often provide. As well, the ’paradox of horror’ c an be explained in terms of the ’disowned self’, the parts of the mind that a person may not want to own or acknowledge. The monster represents â€Å"the struggle between oppressive social norms and our repressed desires†, creating a tangible link between the parts of the self that cannot be expressed and the parts of the biological development that cannot be denied (330). The identity is often complicated by physical changes and manifestations of mental desires that are beyond the direct control of the self.

The New Deal 1932-1940 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The New Deal 1932-1940 - Essay Example It was the extreme poverty that afflicted certain sections of the society, in the backdrop of the economic recession that became the immediate provocation for a vision about a new deal. This essay is to suggest that though it was the New Deal that removed the stark social disparities that existed in the US society and paved way for the emergence of the US as a nation of equal opportunities, it cannot be called a totally fair deal when it comes to the long term welfare of social minorities and deprived groups. Background New Deal envisaged to deal with the socio-economic threats faced by American society as during that period, the unemployment rate in US was 25%, production output was drastically decreasing, deflation was at its worse, and all major industrial sectors were under the peril of economic depression Edsforth, 22-23; 153). Relief, recovery and reform were the â€Å"3Rs† of New Deal (Edsforth, 54). The concept underlying the motto, ‘relief’, was to bring relief to the poor and unemployed sections of the society (Edsforth, 52). ... ts two stages of implementation, included many people-friendly legislations including the Works Progress Administration Relief Program, which gave relief to migrant laborers who were mostly Mexicans and Black people (Edsforth, 220, 231). The Social Security Act of this era was also an all-encompassing legislation, which provided relief to American women, Indians, and racial minorities (Edsforth, 213) . Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) was another new law that ensured minimum wages for all categories of workers and also laid down the maximum working hours (Edsforth, 277). The limits of change When the Great Depression came, Americans were unwarily celebrating the â€Å"New Era Prosperity† (Edsforth, 20). Edsforth has described this scenario by calling it â€Å"the new American dreamscape of universal mass consumption† (Edsforth, 21). But soon the stock markets crashed, construction and automobile sectors which were having a boom declined suddenly, and these changes  "indicated that the practical limits of those able to buy into the new American Dream were fast being approached† (Edsforth, 21). The wealth distribution was greatly tilted towards a small group of rich people and â€Å"nearly 80 of all families had no savings whatsoever in 1929† (Edsforth, 22). It was in this context that New Deal became an empathetic pat on the shoulder for the deprived groups. The New Deal and American Women The most important New Deal program that could be considered, pro-woman, was the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which was introduced in 1935 (Edsforth, 288). It opened up new job opportunities for single women, widows, and women who had physically handicapped husband or whose husbands had even temporarily abandoned them. Most of these women were given jobs in sewing, cloth

Paraphrase 2 body paragraphs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Paraphrase 2 body paragraphs - Essay Example During the leadership of her husband, she assisted him greatly. She was strong in supporting her husband and the government (â€Å"Eleanor Roosevelt†). Very notably, she was very active in many human rights activities. We see that the challenges of her life did not stop her from being a hero since she had extraordinary mental strength. Truly, Bill Gates had a strong desire and passion for computers. Even when he was flagged as a threat to internet security by making a virus, he did not give up his desire to be an icon in computing world. Actually, Gates was forced to keep off computers for a whole year because of his cyber threat. He once again took the chance to work with computers when he went to Harvard University and made an innovation, which was named BASIC interpreter (â€Å"Bill Gates†). Despite his strong desire for computers, he demonstrated strong mental strength in obeying the rules. Again, he went ahead to learn more about computers and became one of the most successful men in the world of

Business Corporate Strategy (Starbucks in China) Essay

Business Corporate Strategy (Starbucks in China) - Essay Example To go ahead with this task, Starbucks needs to have a detailed customer profile depending on the targeted segments because in general, as a long term strategy, customers are segmented based on their demographics, marketing habits etc. Such an analysis is to be preceded by a detailed analysis of the company, with a Chinese perspective, using some of the following strategic tools. A committed managerial team is headed by Howard Schultz, the present Chairman, who has proved to be a man with a mission. A dynamic person, he known to be full of energy who successfully transformed the US operations to their present proposition. Over time and with experience, Starbucks has developed a sophisticated store-development process based on a six-month opening schedule. This target driven strategy helped the company in opening large number of stores in US and elsewhere. Starbucks has been doing the ground work in China since 1994. Therefore comparing the growth of its operations in other nations, Starbuck could not successfully implement this experience in China and had to be content with relatively modest success. The company has taken little too long in building the foundation. Though Starbucks has shown its commitment to environment and health by maintaining a no-smoking policy, but in this part of the world, people prefer to sit out and chat with a cup of coffee on the table and a cigarette in hand. Opportunities For long China carried the reputation of being the world's greatest opponent of globalisation. But now things are perceptibly different. Today China has transformed itself into a committed member of WTO. Under the globalization, China is a rapidly growing market Though dominantly a tea drinker nation, Chinese consumer is rapidly accepting Coffee as one of the main beverages. According to Euromonitor, total sales of coffee in China has grown by nearly 90% between 1998 and 2003. Estimates for future point out that the market is bound to grow by about 70% in the period 2004-2008. Consumption of coffee has so far been concentrated in big cities only. Now with the establishment of a firm foundation the company can plan out a formidable plan for mediums sized cities and hamlets. Chinese beverages market is still vastly (more than 42%) dominated by Tea drinkers, this leaves enough room for inviting these people

Employee Voice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Employee Voice - Essay Example This calls for change in organizations’ strategies to enable the organization to respond to the changes in a timely and flexible manner. To achieve this, an organization needs to gain workforce commitment by enabling them to have a voice on matters that affect them. Employees have, therefore, been empowered through involvement and participation in organization decision making process by the use of direct or indirect voice mechanisms. The paper will discuss the employee voice mechanisms in use today and the outcome of such mechanisms for workers. The employee voice literature began with Hirschman in the 1970s and was further popularised by Freeman and Medoff in the 1980s. Dundon et al (2005) views employee voice as an articulation of individual dissatisfaction, expression of collective organization, contribution to decision making, and mutuality. To articulate dissatisfaction, an individual has only two options according to Hirschman’s exit-voice theory; he can decide to exit or stay and fight from within by voicing his concerns. Hirschman (1970:30) therefore refers to voice as ‘any attempt at all to change rather than escape from an objectionable state of affairs whether through individual or collective petition to management’. ... The role of management is to provide voice mechanisms for workers so as to air their opinions. Freeman and Medoff (1984) built on Hirschman’s theory of exit-voice to emphasize the importance of having a collective voice in organizations especially through trade unions. This form of voice mechanism entails negotiations between employees and employer through the union and has many advantages. The union helps to reduce exits hence retention of qualified staff thus minimising on hiring and training costs. The employment contracts negotiated through collective bargaining also protects the employees’ interests thus enhancing cooperation and job security. The union can also assist the management in introduction of new work practices thus minimising resistance to change (Bennett & Kaufman, 2007). However, unions also can manage to force the organization to increase wages above competitive levels hence a loss to the company. Moreover, most of the workers organized in unions are dissatisfied with their jobs since the union leaders raise their job outcome expectations beyond what is realistic. According to Rose (2007), there is increased decline in unionisation as new sectors emerge hence making unions unrepresentative of employee voice. Many organizations are non-unionized and apply alternative voice mechanisms such as communication, training and development, attitude surveys, financial participation, and quality circles. However, employee voice is driven by various factors. The availability of voice mechanisms in the organization is a key driver of voice as employees can utilise various means to air their grievances but management support is required. For example, the management can put up suggestion boxes to get their opinions and adopt a culture of

Poem If Essay Example for Free

Poem If Essay Mr. Curran The poem If by Rudyard Kipling is a very interesting poem. The main idea of the poem is a father speaking to a son. We do not know who the father is or who the son is, but we know that is the relationship between the speaker and the person being spoken too. There is a lot of different interpretations that can be made about this poem also. Some people think that it is God speaking to Jesus, or God speaking to someone through prayer. I personally think that it is a very wise man speaking to his son while he is on his deathbed. There are also many literary devices used. Like connotation and denotation, the literal and the figurative meaning. When the poet writes certain lines I think of it as the literal meaning and then of the figurative meaning, and see what best fits the poem. The line Yours is the Earth is a good line to do this to. The literal meaning would be that the person has the whole Earth, like he owns it. The figurative meaning would be that the person has the whole world at his disposal; he can do whatever he wants and take the world by storm. It can also be another way of saying do not take anything for granite. There are many other lines that make me think this way too. If can be an outline for any person who wants to succeed in life and be a better man. The poem is basically saying that if you follow all of these things that are mentioned, then you will be a true and respected man. I believe that this is true because there are many life lessons inside the poem that are very true. Turn the other cheek is a common lesson that is mentioned in the poem and in real life. He also gives lessons like do not show your failure, get back up as if it never happened. This is the most important lesson to me, and if you can perfect it, then you will never show fear and you will be respected. You will become a better man. As I get older I learned these lessons more and more. If we can teach these attributes to younger children, then we will have a lot of better men in this world. We can’t always have what we want, and we shouldn’t take what we

Limitations of ERP

Limitations of ERP ERP systems have emerged as one of the latest that organizations are using to meet the needs of a global market. Many companies hope that these systems will help leapfrog to the next level but ERP systems are fraught with limitations that can prove difficult to manage. This paper tries to analyze some of the limitations and provides directions that will help overcome the same Introduction In todays increasingly competitive world where the world is converging into a single market place, organizations are looking for ways to become globally competitive. Companies must be able to meet customer requirements in the shortest possible time faster than competition and this requires extensive production planning and close coordination between the company and its suppliers and customers. MRP (Materials Requirement Planning) was one of the most widely used systems for production planning but its main focus was only on managing the production requirements in an organization. MRP systems helped in time phase release of production orders and aggregating planning for material requirements. With time, companies realized that there needed to be an integration of all the functions in an organization and this lead to the development of ERP (Enterprise resource planning) systems. Dr. Suresh Subramoniam et.al [1] defines ERP as ERP is an Enterprise wide system that facilitates integrated and real-time planning, production and customer response. ERP has multilingual capability, multi-currency handling ability, and can recognize legal and tax reporting needs of various nations across the world. Traditionally, each department of an organization uses a software application of its own and the interaction between these systems is very limited. Thus there is no way of generating consolidated information that is accessible to the entire company. ERP systems were created to address this issue by treating the entire organization as a single enterprise and making information available to all the departments as and when needed. Many companies across the world have either implemented or are in the process of implementing ERP systems across their organizations with the intention of making their businesses globally competitive. Despite their best intentions, there are widespread instances where ERP systems have failed to live up to their expectations and have even lead to the demise of companies. Some companies have been able to absorb these losses (Hersheys, Whirlpool, Nestle, IBM, Apple, etc.) but most havent. Even those companies that have successfully implemented ERP have found it difficult to realize the true potential of the system. A few findings as reported by Panorama consulting in their 2010 ERP Report are as follows: Close to 57% of the ERP implementations take longer than expected About 54% of ERP implementations cost more than expected Most ERP implementations under-deliver business value (Fig 1) Companies do not effectively manage the organizational changes of ERP Limitations of ERP Limited to the four walls of the company ERP is an evolution of MRP which was solely focused on manufacturing and materials planning. ERP systems were designed to manage more functions of enterprises thus integrating all business management functions, including planning, inventory and materials management, engineering, order processing, manufacturing, purchasing, accounting and finance, human resources, etc. Though considered as a revolution during its time, ERP did not take into account any of the external relationships that a company had as enterprises were run as independent entities during those times. Within an organization the system was able to support all functions but was unable to handle the various interactions that the enterprise had with its suppliers and customers. Conventional ERP helped automate individual departments but did not integrate its back-office benefits into the front-office to help businesses manage people, workloads and supply-chain issues; it could not establish consistent control of all the processes of the business Even within the organization, some of the difficulties faced by managers were Only the current status could be accessed, such as open orders. But managers often need to look beyond the current status to find trends and patterns for better decision-making. The data in the ERP application was not integrated with other enterprise systems and did not include external intelligence. ERP systems could not meet all of the analytical and reporting needs of organizations. ERP systems are generally very expensive to install. They call for voluminous and exorbitant investments in terms of time and money without guaranteeing the said benefits. The time taken for an organization to migrate to an ERP system is quite substantial. Extensive training has to be provided at the expense of existing working hours which can also result in a loss of business during the transition period. Apart from the installation costs, companies also charge annual maintenance and renewal costs. These costs put together may not justify the implementation of ERP systems especially for companies that are smaller in scale Since each business has different needs there has to be a level of customization to ensure that the all the factors relevant to the industry are considered. This may call for changing the ERP software structure to match the business workflow which is generally not allowed by the software vendors. ERP systems are built as per industry standards and when company wants to implement the system, it may have to change its way of functioning to match these standards. This can either be beneficial or can lead to the business loosing its competitive advantage Some companies have relatively simple operations and the use of ERP may complicate the existing setup thus leading to an over-engineering as compared to customers needs The biggest advantage of ERP is its ability to provide an information across the organization. There are instances where departments are unwilling to share information due to reasons best known to them thus reducing the effectiveness of the ERP system Many companies run on legacy systems and implementing ERP results in compatibility problems across departments. Conversion of these legacy systems into modern ones in itself results in huge cost overruns The easy availability of information also raises the question of security and privacy. Access to the various functionalities has to be carefully regulated to prevent unauthorized access and information theft. The time frame to realize the full benefits of a successful ERP implementation is longer that most companies would have initially expected. There would be a dip in the performance immediately after it goes live as employees take time to adjust to the new systems. With time, there will be changes in the requirements of the organization. Since the ERP system would be customized during the installation phase, there would be a limit to which the system can be scalable. Like for example, if a company wishes to add more fields to a data recording system there may be a pre set limits for the same. In order to overcome this, companies would have to pay the vendor an extra fee for such future upgrades Ongoing support After the implementation, companies would require constant support. The technical support provided by the software vendors maybe insufficient if the ERP systems encounter some major issue Overcoming the Limitations ERP as discussed before is a very comprehensive when it comes to handling the transactions within an enterprise but fails when there is an interaction with systems external to the organization. To overcome this, the concept of ERP II has been developed which integrates the ERP systems of an enterprise with that of the suppliers and event the customers. Using Enabling Technologies ERP can be considered as the backbone of an enterprises applications, but successfully handling the complexities of modern business will depend on a companys ability to share information promptly, securely, and effectively with customers, partners and suppliers. Organizations must seamlessly integrate their supply and value chains. The figure below shows the enabling technologies that will help organizations achieve the same Companies should constantly work towards integrating new technologies with their existing ERP systems. ERP systems are expensive to implement, but if they are not constantly updated they tend to get obsolete and may result in lost opportunities in terms of meeting customer needs. ERP is the central or the core component around which the various technologies are integrated, and these combine to enable an organization automate most of its processes. The technologies that will enable companies to do business at Internet speed when integrated with the ERP system are Business Intelligence (BI), Data Warehousing, Data Mining, On-line Analytical Processing (OLAP), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). A case in point is AM machines which is a world leader in the design manufacture, and support of automobile engines and power systems. The market demand for this industry is to develop high performance components at lowest cost. AM was one of the first organizations to use an ERP system to improve the efficiency of its manufacturing process systems. The ERP systems so developed were used across various functions such as finance, quality management, plant maintenance, materials management, controlling, program management, logistics, accounting, and sales and distribution transactions. Even though the ERP solution replaced a number of disparate legacy systems and provided a common ground to pull a lot of business functions together, the manual processes for managing large volumes of unstructured content (information such as digital photos, scanned images, and CAD drawings, not easily managed by any ERP system) still remained. To overcome this difficulty, AM realized that it needed to complement its ERP solution with a Product Data Management (PDM) solution. PDM is the use of software or other tools to track and control data related to a particular product. The data tracked usually involves the technical specifications of the product, specifications for manufacture and development, and the types of materials that will be required to produce goods. The PDM system integrated the document repository and ERP applications, empowering ERP users to collect, securely store, find, link, and easily retrieve the required documents. Retaining Customers Traditional ERP packages generally include functions that are required for Sales Force Automation (SFA) and other call center operations but not on personalizing customers experiences. In todays times the focus of companies is retaining customers and after a given point, ERP systems fail in contributing to this objective. ERP implementations leave many companies saddled with massive, isolated systems containing vital customer, product, or service data. These systems lack the functionality needed to optimize customer-facing operations. The solution is to integrate a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with the ERP system. CRM is not just a software application or a database that is used to store customer information, it is an effort taken by the company to continuously improve the relationship it has with its customers. Automated CRM processes are used to generate personalized marketing and customer care based on the customer information stored in the system. Integrating the CRM and ERP systems makes customer information available across the organization. One of the immediate benefits would be in improving the ability of companies to deliver personalized services to their customers based on information that has been stored previously. CRM systems also help companies in launching targeted promotional campaigns and also in informing customers about new product launches based on their previous usage patterns. The call center operations are also improved as preferential treatment can be provided using past data. Understanding the importance of information When companies are competing for one another more or less in the same markets, just having information from within the organization would not be sufficient. Organizations must thus have information from the external environment to modify their business decisions accordingly. Knowing the external factors such as changes in the business environment, customer preferences and trends, new rules and regulations, competitor strategy, market trends, etc. are more important. This information is critical for survival and is more difficult to get when compared to the internal information. Another important factor is the manner in which companies manage historical information. As companies grow older, they collect a gold mine of information that can provide valuable insights regarding demand, customer demographics, customer preferences, etc. The challenge faced by enterprises today is to avoid information overload by intelligently selecting available data and presenting it in a way that is intuitively meaningful. Business and Competitive Intelligence Business Intelligence was term coined by the Gartner group in a report as early as 1996. It can be said that Business intelligence (BI) is a broad category of applications and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help enterprise users make better business decisions. BI applications include the activities ofÂÂ  decision support systems, query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, andÂÂ  data mining. Using the existing data warehouses as a foundation and then building upon them using BI helps organizations predict the future in terms of trends, preferences and market variations. A data warehouse organizes ERP data so that it is easily accessible for online analysis. Business intelligence systems improve business competitiveness by providing reporting and analysis tools to the desktop, enabling communication with the entire supply chain via the Web thus automating alerts and actions. Competitive intelligence (CI) is a branch of BI which deals with managing the hyper-competitive environments that are a part and parcel of todays markets. CI gathers information that helps organizations formulate strategies to beat competition and assists decision-makers predict future trends and take smart decisions. Arik R. Johnson Managing Director of the CI consultancy Aurora WDC, describes CI as CI is the purposeful and coordinatedÂÂ  monitoringÂÂ  of your competitor(s), wherever and whoever they may be, within a specificÂÂ  marketplace Your competitors are those firms which you considerÂÂ  rivalsÂÂ  in business, and with whom you compete forÂÂ  market share. CI also has to do with determining what your business rivals WILL DOÂÂ  beforeÂÂ  they do it. Strategically, there is a need to gainÂÂ  fore knowledgeÂÂ  of your competitors plans and to plan your business strategy to countervail their plans. This will involve many methods at the tacticalÂÂ  collectionÂÂ  level, but it will also requireÂÂ  integrationÂÂ  into your existing information infrastructure,ÂÂ  analysisÂÂ  andÂÂ  distributionÂÂ  of the information, and finally, the calculation of business decisionsÂÂ  on the grounds of that information and the analysis of same. This is the intelligence part of the formula. Valuable in its own right, ERP information becomes even more valuable when it is combined with information from other sources. A BI system allows this. For example, a marketing manager might want to combine sales information from the ERP system with consumer demographics from A. C. Nielsen or business demographics from Dun Bradstreet. With this information, the company can better segment its customers and improve customer relationship management. An automobile manufacturer for instance, can combine its internal ERP data with external databases to identify customers likely to be receptive to advertisements for a sports car, sedan, van or sports vehicle. Similarly the purchasing department of a computer manufacturer might combine its ERP data with external data about sales forecasts for microprocessors. With this information, the purchase department can react to rising demand by consolidating all purchases stored in memory to obtain a better price from a single supplier Businesses can thus optimize their investment in ERP systems by closing the loop between the BI system and the ERP system. The loop begins when the company discovers valuable business information from the ERP system; it closes when the company feeds those discoveries back into the ERP system to continually improve business processes. The reports generated by traditional ERP systems provide only a fraction of the useful information in the system. Using data warehousing and BI overcomes this limitation and unlocks the true potential of an ERP system. Leveraging on the Internet The true value of an ERP investment results from integrating the ERP system not only with a business intelligence front end, but also with the Internet. When a Web-based interface is provided to the information in the business intelligence system, the Internet becomes an enterprise information utility for employees, partners, suppliers and customers. An early application for integrating ERP business intelligence with the Internet is supply chain management. All participants like engineering and product design, vendors and suppliers, production, marketing, distributors and customers can get the information at real time, from wherever they want it, like they want it over the internet. This enables for example, the marketing people to provide customers with the latest product details and pricing information. Inventory management can be done based on real-time information, production can be fine tuned so that the right quantities are produced, as and when required. The suppliers and partners in turn, can share the information with their suppliers. Product designers, both for manufacturing and service companies, can capture customer information in real-time, refining their products for greater market appeal or customizing them for key customers. By adding a Web-based interface to the ERP business intelligence, the supply chain can be integrated thus speeding time to market and gaining manufacturing efficiencies. Role of CIO The CIO plays a pivotal role in the implementation of an ERP system in an organization. In most cases the CIO is appointed as the process owner for the implementation as the CEO would be in charge of the core operations of the business. The CEO and upper management would be involved in the pre implementation phase and would play a major role in the selection of the ERP vendor, external consultants and the implementation team members. The CIO would be in charge of the implementation and in ensuring that the project is on schedule as per the requirements agreed upon. Apart from the implementation, the CIO should also ensure that all the end users are provided with sufficient training and education to ensure that the full benefit of the system is exploited. Most of the employees are generally apprehensive of ERP systems fearing the change it brings about and the impact it will have on their jobs. The CIO should put to rest such fears through effective communication, constant updates and sharing details of the future plans after ERP implementation. The CIO should ensure that knowledge transfer happens from the external consultants and ERP vendor representatives to the employees before they leave. There should be enough trained employees within the company who are capable of handling the system to ensure its smooth functioning. The CIO thus plays an important role in successfully managing the transition to ERP systems and ensuring that the full potential of the ERP system is utilized after implementation. Conclusion World class competition, modern business environment and the availability of the Internet are the premises which stress the need for ERP. These systems are effective in integrating the different functions across an organization but should not be used in isolation especially during current times. Many ERP implementations end up as failures and the ones successfully implemented face limitations of their own as mentioned. This should not dissuade companies from implementing ERP systems as the benefits of a successful implementation outweigh the limitations. Organizations should now graduate to the next level of ERP systems that are termed as ERP II which integrate the organization and the members across the value chain with the help of enabling technologies. A sound management with clear focus, long term vision and well defined achievable targets set from ERP systems will help overcome the limitations of these systems

Supply and Demand Analysis for the Notebook

Supply and Demand Analysis for the Notebook Introduction Of Supply And Demand In The World Supply and demand is perhaps one of the most fundamental concepts of economics, which is the backbone of a market economy. Demand refers to the number of products or services (quantity) needed by the buyer. The quantity demanded is the amounts of a product are willing to buy at a certain price. Nowadays there are many types of notebook that can be found in the market such as Acer, Dell, Lenovo and so forth. Whether it is for personal or business’s use, there are plenty of choices that customer can choose. Also, they can make choices by referring on the design, price and specifications of the notebooks which provided to them. The demand for notebook will increase but the quantity supply still constant due to the process of research and development (RD) for notebook and tablet. Although they speculate that notebook will be replaced by tablet but they still need to maintain their business by selling notebook. Graph Of Supply And Demand Of Notebook In The World Diagram 1 Diagram 1 shows a graph for the notebook’s demand increases and supply remains constant in Malaysia. Thus, the price and quantity demanded of the goods are increased when the demand is increased but the supply is still constant. Reason Of Demand Increase Supply Constant On Notebook In The world According to NPD Display Search in Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report, it states that Tablets will edge out notebooks in global shipments this year. Tablet PC shipments are expected to more than 240 million, while shipments of laptops will reach about 207 million. This is the first time, Tablet PC will more than 50% of the annual market share this year, increase from around 38 percent last year and 26 percent in 2011. The graph refers to Appendix 1. Based on the statistic the emerging and mature market for notebook and tablet, the tablet shipment will ride 64 percent to 2013 from 2012. Thus, both research groups NPD and DIC have been carried out on the process of Research and Development (RD). It is because they want to know the consumer reaction on the notebook and tablet in related market. Tablet has been observed in the market which the situation of demand increases and supply constant will be happened relate the notebook. Although they speculate that notebook will be replaced by tablet at any time but they have still need to maintain their business by selling notebook. Besides that, the supply of the notebook will be remaining constant because it is easy to stock clearance through the process of Research and Development (RD). The way they are using in notebook’s stock clearance by using the promotional strategy. For example, supplier or seller can promote their notebook either gives a cheaper price to the customer who wants to purchase or give the promotion such as buy 1 free 2 to attract the customer to purchase through in Information Technology (IT) fair. Conclusion of Supply And Demand In The World Notebook is a technology that will bring convenience to customer and business user. But with the development technology nowadays, the notebook become less of demanded it is because the tablet will substitute the laptop. Thus, both research groups NPD and DIC have been carried out on the process of Research and Development (RD) to know the consumer reaction on the notebook and tablet in related market. In conclusion, the supplier of notebook can produce a new function for notebook to attract consumer to purchase and do not be replaced by tablet. It also to avoid the demanded quantity of notebook will decrease. Introduction Of Substitute Effect Substitution effect is the change in the quantity of that good consumed when the budget constraints reflect the new amount of prices, but keep the original agent indifference curve. Consumers are always spending on higher-priced goods to lower-priced ones as they tried to maintain their living standard when facing inflation. The product is considered as a substitute good in a certain period where if the price of coffee is increased, people will go for tea and vice versa. According to Geoff Riley, he said that the substitute goods such as coffee, an increase in the price of coffee will lead to an increase in demand for the tea. Thus, the cross price elasticity for two substitutes will be positive. Some of the consumers will replace to another similar good such as coffee being substituted with tea due to their salary income still constant. Besides that, they also can replace to cheaper price in coffee when they want to drink coffee such as Starbucks Coffee will be replaced to Mc Cafà ©. Substitute Good For Coffee And Tea The price of the coffee increase, there are two effects that are left behind which are the income effect where people will feel as if they are no longer can able to afford a particular good, because their monthly income and also the substitution effect where a person will replace to another similar good such as coffee being substituted with tea. According to Geoff Riley  showed that the substitute goods such as coffee, an increase in the price of coffee will lead to an increase in demand for the tea. Thus, the cross price elasticity for two substitutes will be positive. Some consumer will replace to another similar good such as coffee being substituted with tea it is because the price of coffee is higher than tea. Thus, consumers are wanted to maintain their income. According to Indexmundi show that the comparison in between the rate of change in the price of Tea and the rate of change in the price of Coffee, Other Mild Arabicas. The report refers to Appendix 2. If the price of coffee increases, the price of the tea will decrease. Thus, the demand of the tea will increase. Otherwise, consumer can replace to cheaper coffee when they want to drink coffee such as Starbucks Coffee will be replaced into Mc Cafà ©. JILL KRASNY (2012) has proposed that â€Å"McDonald’s introduced the McCafà © Cherry Berry Chiller ($2.89 for a 16-ounce cup) and McCafà © Frappà © Chocolate Chip ($3.99 for a 16-ounce). Starbucks’ Frappuccino is more expensive ($5.45 for a 16-ounce cup) than McDonald’s version.† However, the price of the coffee increases but there are some consumers still continue to drink coffee in their daily life although their income remain the same. Thus, they will consume the quantity of drinking coffee in everyday. For example, before the price of coffee increase consumer have to drink coffee everyday but when the price of coffee increase consumers will reduce consume at least 2 to 3cups per day. Conclusion Of Substitute Effect Coffee and tea is a type of beverage that people always drink in everyday. The tea will be substituted by coffee it is because the price of the coffee is increases. Thus, the consumer will change to drink tea or their drink another brand of coffee to maintain their income. The graph of relationship between substitute goods such as coffee, the price of coffee increase will influence the demanded for the tea will increase. Thus, the demanded quantity of tea increases, the price of tea is decreased. In conclusion, some consumer will change to drink tea when the price of coffee is increased and some consumer still will drink coffee although the price of coffee is increased. Thus, consumer will consume their quantity of drink coffee to maintain their income and living standard.

The Power of Preparation Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Power of Preparation There is an old adage that claims it is better to be safe than sorry. Most people living on planet Earth would agree. The art of preparation is a skill every old person wants the youth of America to possess. Business leaders want their employees to be better prepared. Simple everyday people want to be ready for all kinds of disasters that life may have in store for them. Someone who was trying to be wise once said,  ¡Ã‚ °Dig the well before you are thirsty ¡Ã‚ ±. This person was obviously relatively smart. Preparation is an essential tool for making life a more positive experience. First, success could come more easily if enough work was done beforehand. For example, many students dislike final examinations for one reason: the  ¡Ã‚ °cramming ¡Ã‚ ± study method. This method is ineffective, and makes students cranky and tired. Relationships at all levels become strained, and everyone is unhappy with everyone else. This situation can easily be avoided with one simple solution. It is preparation. If they had reviewed their notes and read their books periodically, then they would most likely retain all the necessary information to pass any final. Second, preparation can make lives of thousands more pleasant. Picture a red-brick building that is large enough for approximately 1,400 young adults. Now, picture about 400 extra people. Are there any problems that could rise from this high population density? Perhaps, there would be difficulties shifting from room to room...

The Psychology Behind the Serial Killer Essay -- Psychological Essays

The Psychology Behind the Serial Killer Creeping around the shadowy house, the predator found its prey waking to strange sounds. The victim lay facedown, with a sweating forehead pressed fearfully into the pillow, silently praying the noises would just go away. Suddenly the victim found himself straddled and pinned to the bed. He was unable to scream for help due to the pressure of the handle of a pick-axe against his throat, preventing any breath from escaping, much less any sound. The victim struggled beneath the weight of the assailant. The scant light from the sodium-arc street light outside cast a peculiar silhouette on the walls of the darkened room, projecting an image that looked oddly like that of a cowboy saddled upon a bucking bull at a rodeo. Struggling to dismount the attacker, the victim felt the piercing blows of the sharp point of the pickaxe, succumbing to death only after receiving eleven stab wounds to the chest and throat. The thrill of the kill was stimulating enough that, when interviewed later, the murderer reported â€Å"popping a nut,† that is, becoming so sexually aroused by the event, to the point of having an orgasm (Pearson, 1998). Does this sound like the heinous acts of Jeffrey Dahmer, Jack The Ripper, or Ted Bundy? How about the petite, pretty, fawnlike, Texas teen named Karla Faye Tucker? A woman? A killer? A sexual predator? Never before had such a thing been heard of, until Miss Tucker. Typically, when one thinks of serial killers, such images as Son of Sam, John Wayne Gacy, or the Boston Strangler, come to mind. Though these men do indeed fit the description, there are many myths and misconceptions surrounding the definition of serial killer, first and foremost that serial ... ...1998). Essential criminology. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. Monahan, J. & Steadman, H. (1984). Crime and mental disorder: Research in brief. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice. Pearson, P. (1998). When she was bad: How and why women get away with murder. New York: Penguin Putnam, Inc. Redl, F. & Toch, H. (1979). The psychological approach to crime, in Toch, H. (Ed.). Psychology of Crime and Criminal Justice. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Redl, F. & Wineman, D. (1951). Children who hate. New York: Free Press. Ressler, R. K. & Shachtman, T. (1997). I have lived in the monster. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Severence, L., Goodman, J., & Loftus, E. (1992). Inferring the criminal mind: Toward a bridge between legal doctrine and psychological understanding. Journal Of Criminal Justice, 20. 107-120.

The Technological Revolution Essay -- Technology

Due to continuous innovations, the American view of science and technology is constantly fluctuating. The ever-evolving image of science and technology in the United States is usually due to how the most recent developments in science and technology contribute, whether in a perceived positive of negative light. In times such as war, where technology essentially determines the outcome, the public’s perception of technology becomes essential, as well as the implementation of said technology. Many other factors are pertinent in determining the way the public identifies science and technology. After World War II and the evolution of nuclear weapons because of the Manhattan Project, the image of science and technology evolved in the United States for a variety of reasons. These motives include noteworthy historical events in which the technology is relevant, the mutable idea of development and popular culture and the media. After World War II, nuclear weapons dramatically grew in prominence. This omniscience of nuclear power also led to a general race to achieve technological hegemony. In 1950, only a few years after the conclusion of World War II, the Korean War began. Due to this escalation of military research because of the Korean War, â€Å"the importance of applied research in universities increased dramatically† (Hughes 113). Although universities are the premier research institutions in America, those against the war effort were appalled that such forces could simply invade universities to achieve an uncommon goal. Some, such as Alvin Weinberg, Director of the AEC Oak Ridge National Laboratories, complained about the â€Å"corruption of science by Big Science† (Hughes 128). The ‘corruption’ Weinberg refers to is the use of science to... ...American fear of Japanese technical dominance and racist sentiments by describing a dystopian Los Angeles, overcome by Japanese manufactured genetically altered robots that begin to replace humans. Both of these cinematic productions reflect a chief trepidation that pervaded America after the Second World War: the potential of technology, specifically robots, to supersede humans. Despite great benefits of the ample innovations since World War II, the image of science and technology remained tarnished by the apprehension that machines would one day replace humans as well as its potential for violence and unwarranted usage. Works Cited Hughes, Jeff. The Manhattan Project: Big Science and the Atom Bomb. New York: Columbia UP, 2002. Print. Pursell, Carroll W. The Machine in America: A Social History of Technology. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1995. Print.

Oregon Oxford Debate Essay

OREGON OXFORD DEBATE †¢. Rules and Guidelines On Debate Prepared by:Ma. Martha Manette A. Madrid, Ed.D. Professor marztmonette@yahoo.com †¢2. Proposition:Resolved: â€Å"That Parliamentary Form of Government Be Adopted† †¢3. Format of Debate:Oxford-Oregon Type †¢4. Three Speakers fromeach sideFirst Affirmative -Constructive SpeechFirst Negative -Interpellation of the first affirmative SpeakerFirst Negative -Constructive SpeechFirst Affirmative -Interpellation of the first negative speakerSecond Affirmative -Constructive SpeechSecond Negative -Interpellation of the second affirmativeSecond Negative -ConstructiveSecond Affirmative -Interpellation of the second negativeThird Affirmative -Constructive SpeechThird Negative -Interpellation of the third affirmativeThird Negative -Constructive SpeechThird Affirmative -Interpellation of the third negative †¢5. Three Speakers fromeach sideRebuttal of the Team Captainof the Affirmative SideSUR- Rebuttal of the Team Captainof the Negative Side †¢6. Duration Constructive Speech: Minimum of five (5) and maximum of seven (7) minutesInterpellation: Five (5) minutesRebuttal Speech: Three (3) minutesSUR- Rebuttal: Three (3) minutes †¢7. Issues for Debate A. Whether or not it is Necessary?(Necessity)B. Whether or not it is beneficial?(Beneficial)C. Whether or not it is practical?(Practicability) †¢8. Criteria for JudgingA. Evidence – 25%B. Delivery – 30%C. Interpellation – 30%D. Rebuttal &SUR-Rebuttal – 15% †¢9. Criteria for Judging- The judges, based on theirdiscretion, shall have the authority todetermine who will be the BestSpeaker and Best Debater. Thewinning team shall be determined bythe majority decision of the Board ofJudges. †¢10. Guides for Constructive SpeechSpeech types of Constructive Speech maybe:Reading MethodMemory MethodExtemporaneousMix method of memory andconversational or dramatic †¢11. Guides for Constructive SpeechPoise, gestures, audience contact and voice projection are highlyrecommended. †¢12. Rules on Interpellation1. Questions should primarily focused on argumentsdeveloped in the speech of your opponent. However,matters relevant and material to the proposition areadmissible.2. Questioner and opponent should treat each other withcourtesy.3. Both speakers stand and face the audience during thequestion or Interpellation period.4. Once the questioning  has begun, neither the questionernor his opponent may consult a colleague. Consultationshould be done before but as quietly as possible . †¢13. Rules on Interpellation5. Questioners should ask brief and easily understandablequestion. Answers should equally be brief. Categorical questionsanswerable by yes or no is allowed, however, opponent if hechoose, may qualify his answer why yes or why no.6. Questioner may not cut off a reasonable and qualifyinganswer, but he may cut off a nervous response with a statementsuch as a â€Å"thank you† â€Å"that is enough information† or â€Å"yourpoint is quite clear† or â€Å"I’m satisfied.†7. Questioner should not comment on the response of hisopponent.8. Your opponent may refuse to answer ambiguous, irrelevant orloaded questions by asking the questioner to rephrase or reformhis question. †¢14. Rules on Rebuttal SpeechA. Rebuttal speaker should point out clearlythe fallacies committed by his opponentstating clearly what particularly statement orargument constitute said fallac y.B. If not familiar with the fallacies of logic,the debater may counter arguments directlyby stating what arguments or statement isincorrect or false. †¢15. Role of the ModeratorThe moderator of the debate has the followingduties:1. To reveal the issue involve the debate;2. To rule on points of clarification about theissues or questions and answers made during theInterpellation; and3. To see to it that the debate is orderly andfollows the rules of parliamentary procedures. †¢16. Role of the Timer1. To time the speakers and debatersaccurately;2. To give the speakers a one-minutewarning with the ringing of the bell oncebefore his/her time is up.3. To prevent the debaters from exceedingthe time allotted to them by ringing thebell twice. †¢17. Tips on Interpellationand RebuttalCROSS EXAMINATIONA. The cross-examination period of a debate is a time when the person who is not going to speak next in the constructive questions the person who has just finished speaking.B. Consider cross examination an information exchange period – it is not the time to role play lawyer. †¢18. CROSS EXAMINATION C. Cross examination may serve six objectives: 1. To clarify points 2. To expose errors 3. To obtain admissions 4. To setup arguments 5. To save prep time 6. To show the judge how cool you are so they WANT to vote †¢19. CROSS EXAMINATION D. Most debaters tend to ignore the value of good cross- examination. Remember, 30% of the entire debate is spent in cross-examination — it should be a meaningful and essential part of the debate. If nothing else, debaters tend  to underestimate the importance that cross-examination may have on the judge. E. Cross-examination will indicate to the judge just how sharp and spontaneous the debaters are. Invisible bias will always occur in a debate round and judges would always like the sharpest team to win. Good, effective cross- examination of the opponents can play an important psychological role in winning the ballot of the judge. †¢20. CROSS EXAMINATION F. Be dynamic. Have questions and be ready to go, answer questions actively and with confidence whenever you can. The image you project will be very important to the audience/judge. This is the one opportunity the audience/judge has to compare you with opponent’s side-by-side. †¢21. GUIDELINES FOR ASKINGQUESTIONS:1. Ask a short Q designed to get a short A2. Indicate the object of your Q3. Dont telegraph your argument, dontmake it too obvious.4. Dont ask Q they wont answerproperly.†So, we win, right?† †¢22. GUIDELINES FOR ASKINGQUESTIONS:5. Make Q seem important, even if it isjust an attempt to clarify.6. Politeness is a must — emphasize thedifference if they are rude.7. Approach things from a non-obviousdirection. Then trap them.8. Mark your flow/notes as to what youwant to question them about. †¢23. GUIDELINES FOR ASKINGQUESTIONS:9. Avoid open ended Qs unless you aresure they are clueless.10. Face the judge/audience, not youropponent.11. CX answers must be integrated intoyour arguments made during a speech. †¢24. GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERINGQUESTIONS:1. Concise A.2. Refer to something you have alreadysaid whenever possible. This is safe.3. Answer based on your position in thedebate so far. Keep options open.4. Dont make promises of what you oryour partner will do later. †¢25. GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERINGQUESTIONS:5. Qualify your answers.6. Be willing to exchange documentsread into the debate.7. Answer only relevant questions.8. Address the judge. †¢26. GUIDELINES FOR ANSWERINGQUESTIONS:9. Try and not answer hypothetical Q. Ifthey demand, say you will give ahypothetical A.10. Signal each other, dont tag-team.11. Dont say†I dont know,†say†I am notsure at this time†¦.† †¢27. REBUTTALSA. Most debaters, coaches, and judges would agr ee that rebuttals are the most difficult and yet the most important parts of the debate.B. Not only is there less time within each speech, but each debater has to sort through all of the issues to determine which ones are the most important ones!C. What a debater does or does not do in rebuttals will decide who wins the debate. Very few debaters (especially beginners) can hope to extend everything that  happened in the constructive speeches. †¢28. REBUTTALSD. Debaters dont have to do that and just because a team may have dropped a point or an argument is not an automatic reason to vote against that team.E. What matters is the type of argument that is extended or dropped in rebuttals-this will determine the winner of the round. †¢29. REBUTTALSThink about these four issues when rebuttalshappen:1. Which arguments have more weight at theend of the round?2. Which outcomes (disads, counter plans)are more likely given lots of internal links?3. What about time frame-what happensfirst?4. What about the quality of evidence? †¢30. REBUTTALSHere are some other helpful hints:1. Avoid repetition. Dont just repeat yourconstructive arguments. Beat the other teamsarguments and tell the judge why your argumentsare better.2. Avoid passing ships. Dont avoid what theother team said. You must clash directly withtheir responses.3. Avoid reading evidence only. You must beexplaining and telling the judge why these issueswin the de bate. †¢31. REBUTTALS4. Avoid rereading evidence that has alreadybeen read in constructive. You can makereference to it by referring to it, but dont re-read it.5. Avoid â€Å"lumping and dumping.†Dont try togo for everything. You cant make 12responses to each argument in a few minutes.6. Be organized. Dont jump from issue toissue at random. Be specific and logical aboutwinning issues. †¢32. REBUTTALS7. Dont be a blabbering motor mouth. Speakquickly but not beyond your ability. If you speaktoo fast, you will stumble and not get through asmuch.8. Dont whine to the judge about fairness or whatthe other team might have done that you think isunethical. Make responses and beat them.9. Dont make new arguments. You can read newevidence but you cant run new disadvantages ortopicality responses. You are limiting to extendingthe positions laid out in the constructive speeches. †¢33. REBUTTALS10. Use signposting. Make sure the judge knowswhere you are on the flow sheet. This is not the timeto lose the judge on the flow.11. Use issue packages. Organize your argumentsinto issue packages. Choose arguments which youwant to win. Dont go for everything. Extend thosearguments that you need to win.12. Cross-apply arguments. If you dropped anargument in a prior speech that you think wasimportant dont act like your losing. Cross-applyarguments you made somewhere else in the d ebate toanswer it.

Diversity at Work

A major issue that many companies face today is how to promote diversity in the workplace. While federal laws and company policies give protection to diversity on the workplace, there still stand certain barriers that inhibit its growth. In effect, the purposes of these efforts are defeated. Therefore, it is important for firms to address how to overcome these barriers.Having been a longstanding issue, many studies have been devoted to defining and managing diversity, identifying obstacles to diversity, and ways in which these hurdles can be won. In all these studies, experts agreed that diversity is not an easy task.Moreover, promoting diversity in the workplace requires proponents to face the issues of fear, lack of cooperation from the workgroup, mistakes in planning, and problems with funding and training schedules, among other dilemmas. Diversity at Work—How to Make it Work? presents and explores these barriers that impede the expansion of diversity in workplaces, as iden tified by experts. In turn, the paper will also attempt to raise suggestions as to how these barriers can be overcome as well as how diversity can be promoted more effectively. Barriers to Diversity There is never any fool-proof plan.Companies most especially, regardless of size or industry, are fragile to facing challenges when they introduce plans that can adversely affect its operations and employees. However, companies should not be hindered by these challenges, and thus continue with plans that can contribute to the growth of the firm and its workforce. This applies essentially when a company decides to take a step in making theirs a diverse workplace. Diversity, being a sensitive issue that it is, can be filled with difficulties that many companies who subscribe to it end up unsuccessful.While it is impressive for a company to put efforts in promoting diversity in their firm, it is equally important for it to know that there are hurdles to their efforts to promote diversity in their workplaces. It is also necessary for them to identify and address these obstacles to allow for diversity to be effective. In doing so, the time, money, and effort that the company will put in to promoting diversity will not be put to waste. Here are some of the things that experts identified as barriers to making diversity flourish in organizations:Wrong leaders. Diversity is a sensitive initiative, and because it involves the employees it is normal for companies to create committees to lead the program, or appoint the human resources people to do the job. However, the sensitive nature of promoting diversity can make employees defenseless against other employees, even if they are human resources heads. (Simmons, 2003) Fear. According to Thiederman (2003), many companies who decide to face diversity tend to be afraid with the things attached to it.In many cases, diversity committees take considerable time planning the diversity initiatives because of their many fears such as t o offend a minor group, or to make a mistake in the policies that they are making. Defective objectives. Companies may become unrealistic with their goals and either create objectives which are not applicable to their workplace, or too ideal that it can never be executed at all. (Thiederman, 2003) Simmons (2003) seconds this by saying that often, companies create diversity objectives that are not in line with the vision and mission of the company, to which everything should be based.Lack of cooperation from employees. The mere promotion of diversity introduces the fact that differences exist in the organization, and in fact further proves the existence of such. Despite the fact that diversity aims to equalize and create inclusiveness with all members of the workforce, there are instances when employees see loopholes and will not want to cooperate. (Thiederman, 2003) By promoting diversity, the dominant party or majority may also feel that they are receiving less opportunities in the company’s effort to promote equality and inclusion.These employees may feel that in the company’s efforts t please the minority, they are being left out and thus it will be difficult for them to cooperate. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Stereotypes. It is human nature to stereotype people. Often, people make assumptions of others consciously or not without considering how it can affect others and the environment in which they are in. Stereotyping affects companies in such a way that when employees judge each other, they are already working against diversity. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000)Co-membership Syndrome. It is not surprising that employees will likely group themselves according to their similarities. Thus commonly, white males will most likely group together in the same way that employees in their mid-20s will group together. However, this is one defect in companies that prevent diversity from happening. When employees group themselves, they unconsc iously form factions that tend to be exclusive to them based on their similarities. A negative effect of this scenario is the tendency for these factions to create biases within their groups.For instance, when a member of the group has to be evaluated by a co-member fair and true judgment may not be given. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Insider Dynamics. In the creation of informal splinter groups in the workplace, it is inevitable for employees to feel either included or excluded in the factions. This highly affects the performance of the employees. When an employee is a member of a group, he considers himself an insider and can get the support of her co-members in any corporate initiative.On the other hand, employees who are different and thus does not enjoy the membership to a group (the outsiders to a group) do not get the backing they need in corporate initiatives. This damages their confidence and self-esteem. On a larger scale, it denies them the right to influence othe rs, make decisions for themselves, their positions, and their departments, and may give them less access to vital information that can help them play their professional roles. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Cues and gestures.With the differences in race, gender, culture, education, age, and other aspects, people may have different cues and gestures that may mean differently to others. While this is normal, it greatly affects diversity efforts and can even create communication chaos. (Common barriers to diversity, 2000) Generalities in diversity training. Because diversity involves the inclusion of all employees regardless of differences, diversity trainings also tend to be diverse in nature and given on a whim without consideration on the different levels of understanding and acceptance that employees have as well as roles that they play.This makes most diversity trainings ineffective and wasteful. (Simmons, 2003) Lack of professional trainers. The demand for diversity trainin gs is on the rise, and it attracted non-professionals to join the bandwagon of diversity trainers despite lack of training and expertise on the subject. This creates more problem than solution, as non-skilled trainers can give unnecessary or wrong ideas to employees who can end up confused and frustrated. (Bennet, n. d. ) Time and cost.Promoting diversity and using diversity seminars is a mean feat. It can cost thousands of dollars to hire a diversity speaker, additional expenses to set up the training with all the requirements of it, and additional money for formulating policies and implementing them. Apart from this, it will also take time from employees and corporate heads alike, and in business time is also commensurate to money. When a company decides to promote diversity, both top-level executives and employees need to allot and spend time in cooperating.Company officials need to take the time to plan the initiative, create policies, assign executors, and monitor the progress of the plan first-hand to ensure that efforts are not put in vain. Employees will likewise need the time to meet with company officials and executors to discuss the plan for diversity, as well as allot a notch in their schedules to attend trainings and seminars. Thereafter, every member of the company must take time every single day at work to see that diversity is being practiced.Thus, time and cost are also barriers for many companies who are willing to promote diversity in their firms. (Bennet, n. d. ) Overcoming Barriers After identifying the barriers that companies experience in promoting diversity at work, it is essential for solutions to be classified as well. To begin with, Simmons (2003) states that diversity initiatives should be lead by the chief executive officers and top-level executives. This will make the plan appear to be of primary importance, as what it already is.The involvement of the higher ranks will also induce cooperation among employees. Fear is yet another obstacle in achieving corporate diversity and to aid this, Thiederman (2003) says that it will be helpful for the proponents and leaders of the initiative to speak with their people and find out exactly what their thoughts and views are to bring about the actual necessities in the issue and avoid mistakes, especially in the area of policy making. Matching the goals of diversity with the goals, mission, and vision of the company will also set the goals of the initiative straight.(Simmons, 2003) It is important for companies to create realistic objectives that are consistent with the beliefs that their companies subscribe into. Likewise, companies that are just starting with their diversity plans should study and learn from companies who have already succeeded in managing diversity in their firms. (Thiederman, 2003) However, it is inevitable to have employees who are not willing to cooperate with diversity efforts regardless of attempts in the part of the company.According Thiederman (2003), involving everyone is the key to soliciting cooperation. Because diversity plans often put importance to the members of the minority in the workplace, dominant parties can feel left out and refuse to collaborate. Likewise, members of minor parties may feel that diversity highlights their difference all the more, especially when companies overdo the use of political correctness to the point of pretentiousness. Thus, companies should strive to make everyone a part of the effort in diversifying.The proponents should also refrain from adjusting and minimizing the company standards just to accommodate the minority as this will not be agreeable to all employees, dominant or not, and can cause them to think twice about cooperating. Heathfield (2007) agrees, saying that to promote diversity the company must keep itself on the winning court. Simmons (2003) also stressed that any complaint on reverse discrimination should be readily addressed. Trainings and information dissemination m ay also address most concerns related to diversity such as stereotyping, co-membership, insider dynamics, and cues and gesture differences.Companies who invest on and effectively carry out such trainings encourage and inform their employees that holding and sharing assumptions and judgments about other people, especially their co-employees, can adversely affect them, their relationships, and their workplace. Efficient trainings and seminars on diversity can also eliminate the formation of factions and, ultimately, avoid the existence of insider and outsider dynamics within the organization. Differences in cues and gestures and the multiplicity of their interpretations may also be addressed by proper training and information.When employees understand that their cues and gestures may mean differently with others, they will become more sensitive with their actions and strive to act more appropriately in a manner that is appropriately understandable to others according to what they real ly mean. However, diversity trainings must be executed efficiently. One problem on diversity training is the use of generalities, often to address the need for diversity information of all employees at one time. This leaves a part of the audience informed, and a part of the audience misinformed or uninformed.Diversity trainings should therefore consider that every employee hold positions that require them to play different roles. Thus, every employee will need to learn how to inject diversity according to the tasks that they do on a daily basis and the responsibilities that they handle. (Simmons, 2003) Interestingly, however, Simmons (2003) suggests that in defining diversity, one should be as broad as possible and attempt to cover the different aspects in which an organization should be diverse. This allows diversity to cover a global scope, as compared to merely promoting race or gender equality.These explain that while diversity training should be as specific as possible accordin g to the skills and roles of each employee, discussing diversity per se should be generalized and cover as much difference as one company can cover based on the cases within the organization. Lack of professional trainers also poses a problem in many diversity efforts. While the number of companies who are willing to subscribe to diversity is on a steep rise, the number of diversity trainers is also on the fast track up. However, the number of professional trainers—the experts—, which is an entirely different thing, is on a forward drag.While the solution to this problem may not be on the hands of companies, it is important that firms trying to start diversity trainings in their workplaces do not hire just any available trainer around. Professional trainers provide high-quality trainings and give expert consultation that no low-cost, readily available trainer can offer. If financially feasible, companies may also outsource the training to third-party consulting firms i f professional trainers are not available. Time is also an essential consideration that hinders diversity programs from becoming effective.As shown, diversity can take a lot of precious time; and as mentioned above time in business equals money. It is therefore important that every minute spent on diversity is used efficiently. Monitoring and consistent evaluation can help companies achieve this and avoid wastage. Costs may also be a hurdle for companies to provide diversity plans for their employees. To get by, companies must assess how much actual money they are willing to spend on their diversity initiative. It is also important to allot the money properly according to the priorities of the plan so that each aspect of the plan is funded accordingly.Similar as the time barrier, monitoring and evaluation should be done to ensure that the money being allotted for the diversity plan is properly spent. Apart from these means in overcoming the barriers identified, it is worthy to consi der several other suggestions from experts in managing and promoting diversity at work. According to Bennet (n. d. ), storytelling is one of the experts’ ways to promote variety because by sharing stories of both discrimination and diversity, listeners tend to think and feel.This allows for emotions to be tapped, a powerful way to convince people to support diversity and do away with discrimination. Heathfield (2007), on the other hand, presents an interesting key in unlocking diversity. While it has been mentioned a while ago that a barrier to diversity is the co-membership syndrome where employees tend to bond with others who are like them, Heathfield suggests that similarities be used to promote diversity saying that by highlighting the things where the employees are alike diversity can be promoted.One common ground to begin with is the goal set that employees may have for working in the firm. Most importantly, diversity initiatives must respect and value people, specifica lly employees, and their contributions. It is important for companies to understand that diversity does not aim to widen the privilege entitlement of minority groups. By doing so, the workplace will be a more interesting and enjoyable place to be in.

Value Management

Q. 1 Using your emerging knowledge of Value Management (VM), critically appraise the report and make suggestions as to how the VM study might have been run differently / more effectively. A Value Management report is the basis to a well-constructed project in the sense that all parties involved or potentially affected will be content with the final outcome. It is vital to understand and elaborate on the key aspects that determine a value management study in order to gain an agreeable conclusion. Often these guidelines are met, yet comparatively and with no due culpability, some guidelines are overseen. The causes of these significant errors are often mistakes and rarely intentional however they greatly skew the findings and lead to inevitable issues raised in the future. The Value Management Workshop Report, dated 26 November 2009, is focused on the Road and Traffic Authority’ (RTA) Mount Victoria to Lithgow Project. It incorporates many of the procedures and strategies that are set out in a report titled Total Asset Management, September 2004, which has been developed by New South Wales Government Treasury’s Office. This particular documents basis is value management guideline. In order to construct an argument as to how the Mount Victoria to Lithgow Project workshop could have been run differently and more effectively I will juxtapose these two documents. There are two main criteria that will be focused on; the stages of a Value Management and when such stages should be initiated and pre workshop planning and what it should comprise of. For a major project/program, several Value Management studies may be needed, for example at the service planning stage, the concept development stage, at the construction stage, at the operation and maintenance stage and, ultimately, at disposal’. (Value Management guideline, 2004) There is no question that the 6 major stages of a project listed above require a Value Management Plan. In this particular instance the concept development stage is the main focus of the RTA report. Concept development should include the scope of the project, what the project a ims to achieve and the general reasoning behind such a development. The general concept of this proposed project can be described as ‘light’ meaning that the reason for undertaking a public infrastructure project, estimated in excess of $275 million excluding the three phases included in the Mount Victoria section, is a little unclear. It is stated that ‘The highway upgrade work that has already been completed [on The Great Western Highway] has led to improved travel times for motorists and a safer road environment for all motorists, pedestrians and cyclists’. RTA: Mount Victoria to Lithgow Project, 26 November 2009) The New South Wales Governments plan to upgrade state roads, is therefore a green light to develop and upgrade new roads as the RTA deems fit. There is no thought or mention of rejuvenating existing infrastructure, which would be presumably economically healthier and time efficient. Although such a consideration may have become immediately redundant once ousted, there should have been ample opportunity for consi deration by all members of the workshop, which in fact there wasn’t. It is effective to conduct pre workshops programmes in a smaller group to develop issues that can be readily raised in the major Value Management workshop. Identifying issues early rather than over the two days of the workshop will give organisers and sub sequentially the members of the workshop the ability to address and answer problems with relevant facts, current data and more importantly directly. This would be a substitute of ‘ball park’ figures and broad/ assumed answers that would have been put forward if pre workshop programmes were not conducted.

French Existentialism Philosophers Essay

Gabriel Marcel is known to be one of the more religious philosophers who was a French Existentialist. He was a committed Catholic Philosopher and he believed that by being connected to others he will be connected to god. He believed that philosophy should be about hope and wanted to portray the more positive aspects of human characteristics through his writings and thoughts. Marcel has a belief that problems and mysteries were two separate ideas where problems exist outside and apart from ourselves and mysteries were unsolved queries that were more internal to one’s self. For example determining what a body is, is a problem and determining what my body is, is a mystery. He believes that we can use primary and secondary reflections in order to seek a solution to the problem or mystery being faced with. Primary reflections use analytical skills to separate the thinker from the problematic object in order to find a resolution. Separating the thinker from the problem is important in order to effectively reflect and create intellectual and moral means to a solution. Primary reflections use means of abstracting data and using it in order to manipulate the world and deal with the problem that is not always black and white or a right or wrong answer. Primary reflection approaches problems from an objective standpoint where the thinker is separate from the problem while the secondary reflection begins with the experience of existence within the problem and is used with reflection of a mystery. The secondary reflection is open to contemplation by looking at it as a unique presence. The existence within the world is not a problem that needs to be solved because humans and their bodies are intrinsically related to the world and they are in relation to each other, not objects or problems that can be manipulated. Marcel believed that Philosophy is a part of reflecting on a mystery and the mystery requires participation of the person reflecting because it is an experience of presence itself. A mystery involves you as an intrinsical part of the question which is a question of yourself and requires a solution by secondary reflection. A question becomes a mystery when it takes itself into the subject. Marcel believes that humans are increasingly becoming defined by their problems which cause alienation of themselves from themselves and also causing separation from others. The questions of â€Å"being† and humans are mysteries within the Marcel philosophies. When something is recognized as â€Å"not being† it cannot be a mystery. As humans we have a need for â€Å"being† with â€Å"ontological exigence† which consumes â€Å"being† upsurges of joy, happiness, hopefulness, expectations and desires. â€Å"Being† as a human means existing and experiencing the world and the subjects within it. Having something means exercising power over that thing by possession and rights to those possessions. By having rights over a possession can also enables that person to have the ability of disposal of that subject as well. Having something is different from experiencing that thing, for example having a body is different form experiencing your body because you cannot rid yourself of your body without ceasing to be. Life is not identical to a person’s â€Å"being† because â€Å"being† is the whole self which is more than life and it is what a person aspires to be. Humans can only evoke the fullness of â€Å"being† by engaging with others and coming together as a community. Marcel promotes the idea of living I-Thou which opens up and enhances a person’s â€Å"being† which God being the ultimate Thou. The I-Thou idea requires a person to be open to the â€Å"being† of others within their lives and not living only for themselves. Marcel has an interesting stance on the subject of love and how it should be defined. He believes that love has to do with inner subjectivity and it is about seeking and experiencing the â€Å"being† of the other. Love is not about possession or having another person which is commonly thought to be the main definition of what love means. Marcel believes that a self does not love, but it is the self that is constituted by love. When we attach predicates to a thou we limit our love for another and it’s trust and faith which constitutes love in the â€Å"being† of the other. I always thought that love had to do with possessing and labeling a person or subject as yours. However, Marcel’s philosophy on love has changed my point of view into believing that love is about fully accepting a person as who they are instead of trying to possess them and changing them into being an object of your desire and control. Part B: In Simone Beauvoir’s writing of The Ethics of Ambiguity she begins to elaborate on ethics and the importance of a moral obligation to overcome oppression. Moral acts and willing one’s self free is an obligation of a person in order to become a moral person. With moral freedom a person is not free unless they can deal with free individuals. We all should strive for our freedom as well as the freedom of others and the freedom of all. The freedom to choose is shaped by social and political freedom of people. Beauvoir believes that in order to free all we must take a stand for justice especially in the political sense. We ought to respect freedom when it serves freedom, but not when freedom distances itself from itself. For example when freedom is used in the oppression and the abuse of others, we ought not to respect it in cases such as a dictatorship oppressing the freedom of its people. Oppressing an oppressor is justified even when it requires violence and in cases of people rising up and rebelling the person or the system that has been oppressing them it is justifiable. In such cases casualties of war with sacrifices is justified when fighting for freedom because it makes it a just war. Simone Beauvoir states â€Å"the truth is that if division and violence define war, the world has always been at war and will always be; if man is waiting for universal peace in order to establish his existence validly, he will wait indefinitely: there will never be any other future. † (Beauvoir ) With this she means that if the only reasons for war are for violence to annihilate the other opponent because of division then war will never end and people will never reach complete liberation. However, oppressing and oppressor should never be driven by blind faith. The actions must be considered fully well and deliberate over choice. Each circumstance should be considered on a case by case basis and analyzed by practical problems. Ethics emphasize physical and social interaction in relation to other human beings because of freedom. Authentic morality involves engagement with the world that is not abstract intellectualism. People who sit by and talk about the problems and the circumstances that accustom the world are not engaging with the world directly. Beauvoir stresses that in order to achieve authentic morality people must do something to engage with the world not intellectualize the problems within it. Humans have a moral commitment to liberate the oppressed individuals because it causes limited liberation of their own freedom. Oppressed individuals may not even know that they are being oppressed and this why it is important for others to enlighten them and help them become liberated from their situation. With an oppressed individual, their own judgment that they are oppressed is what counts and this is why it’s an obligation of others who recognize the oppression to give them knowledge of their situation. Oppressed people are cut off from the future without the power of liberation to decide what is next for them in their lives. With liberation a person must be able to question values and oppressed individuals are not able to do this. Being oppressed does not gain moral character because character is not built by suffering. A person cannot say that they are a strong person because they have been accepting oppression and the suffering that comes with it. A person is strong when they take a stand for their liberation and fight for their own values as well as the liberation of others. However, power is limited within liberation, Beauvoir enforces this by stating that â€Å"to be free is not to have the power to do anything you like; it is to be able to surpass the given toward an open future; the existence of others as a freedom defines my situation and is even the condition of my own freedom. † (Beauvoir ) Power is a foundation of moral freedom and in order to engage the world a person must have power, but it is a limited power. Not only individuals of the world, but state also has an obligation to ensure that it’s people have a minimum level of well-being because this is necessary to freely act within the world. External help is needed in order to alleviate oppression and once an oppressed individual is placed within the presence of freedom they must pursue freedom for themselves and one cannot force freedom upon them or it would not be recognized as freedom at all. Works cited Beauvoir, S. D. The Works of Simone de Beauvoir. Zuubooks. com, 2010. Print. Marcel, Gabriel. A Gabriel Marcel Reader. 1st edition. St. Augustines Press, 2011. Print.