The Asian Financial Crises Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

The Asian Financial Crises - Essay Example The result was a much deeper Crisis than was necessary or inevitable ( Radelet and Sachs, 1998, p 12). † Asian financial crises led to the development of technology or psychology. Also, the availability of credit led to the creation of a leveraged economic environment and led to increases in the prices of assets to a level which the Asian countries could not sustain. The increase in asset prices, at last, collapsed, making companies and individuals fail to meet their debt obligations. If it could not be for the collapsing of the companies and organizations, the Asian countries would be far ahead with developments. The withdrawal of loans by the lenders also played a major role in development in Asian countries. The government of these countries had to implement new strategies that would not lead to declining of the standards of living of the people. They sought to borrow from the IMF and to refund at a certain interest. In addition, the exchange markets were engulfed with foreign currencies, hence depreciation on their currencies. In order to prevent loss of value of their currencies, the Asian country's government raised their interest rates so that they could attract foreign investors. These governments also intervened in the exchange markets by buying the excess currencies in the market at a fixed rate though neither of all these policies was sustained for long. Without the panic and contagion, the Asian countries were so stable and they were to be amongst the leading developed countries in the world. ‘‘ In fact, a socially irrational response in the sense that, without the panic, the situation was reasonably stable - the debt could have been repaid on plausible assumptions about the economic performance of companies, banks, and economies (Wade, 1998, p 2). †

Congenital Heart Disease Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Congenital Heart Disease - Essay Example These are: congenital heart disease in the babys mother or father; congenital heart disease in the babys brother or sister; diabetes in the mother; German measles, toxoplasmosis (an infection that is passed through contact with cat feces), or HIV infection in the mother; the mothers use of alcohol during pregnancy; the mothers use of cocaine or other drugs during pregnancy; and the mothers use of certain over-the-counter and prescription medicines during pregnancy. It should be noted though, that the presence of any one or more of these factors will not absolutely result to the disease. Likewise, the absence of these factors does not assure a pregnant woman that her baby will be safe from any congenital heart disorders, which might be an important point to consider when a woman is pregnant. All safety measures should be observed all throughout the pregnancy as there is no single identifiable factor in contracting life-threatening diseases such as this. This also leads us to the impor tance of having a thorough knowledge of the subject, for one can never be too sure if one of the members of the family will suffer from such disease. Knowledge on the disease might just be the best way to go about the situation when prevention is not so possible. The heart is a muscular organ about the size of the fist. It has two sides, separated by a wall-like structure called a septum. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs where it is oxygenated. The oxygenated blood then goes from the lungs to the left side of the heart, and is pumped out to the rest of the body. The heart is made up of four chambers: the right and left ventricles and the left and right atria. The atria, which are located at the upper portion of the heart, receive the blood coming into the heart, while the ventricles which are located at the lower part of the heart, pump blood out of the heart and into the lungs and the other parts of the

Franz Peter Schubert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Franz Peter Schubert - Essay Example He worked at his father’s office until the spring of 1986 and pursued his application for a higher position. From that year onwards, he failed to get a regular job. He became a freelance musician, earning money only where and when opportunity allowed him. The popularity of his music won him a lot of friends who supported him when he was financially incapable. He was not really concerned with generating income to feed and clothe himself. All he wanted to do was to focus on his musical career by writing compositions (Hurd 294).Schubert’s works have gained wide popularity and they began to appear in print in 1821. At first, his musical compositions were paid for by private subscribers. However, his musical genius was highly regarded as he was later paid by regular publishers. Entering a new a more assured phase, he wrote more piano sonatas and was elected to the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Franz Schubert).Schubert became famous in Viennese musical circles. Schube rt-Evenings or Schubertiads were frequently conducted where he played his latest works to his friends who were artists, poets, and wealthy bourgeoisie. His circle of friends includes Josef von Spaun, Johann Mayrhofer, and Franz von Schober. This elite circle gave him access to influential contacts like the Sonnleithners and the baritone J.M. Volg (Franz Schubert). The death of Schubert in 1828 was due to typhus. After a few days’ illness, he died and was buried in a grave near Beethoven’s (Hurd 294).... However, his musical genius was highly regarded as he was later paid by regular publishers. Entering a new a more assured phase, he wrote more piano sonatas and was elected to the Vienna Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde (Franz Schubert). Schubert became famous in Viennese musical circles. Schubert-Evenings or Schubertiads were frequently conducted where he played his latest works to his friends who were artists, poets, and wealthy bourgeoisie. His circle of friends includes Josef von Spaun, Johann Mayrhofer and Franz von Schober. This elite circle gave him access to influential contacts like the Sonnleithners and the baritone J.M. Volg (Franz Schubert). The death of Schubert in 1828 was due to typhus. After a few days' illness, he died and was buried in a grave near Beethoven's (Hurd 294). His Music: Schubert is known as one o the most prolific composers of melodies in his period, with his capacity to write almost eight compositions in a day. Schubert wrote over 600 songs. The two most famous are Die Schune Mullerin and Die Winterreise. His most well known chamber music includes Piano Quintet in A major-The Trout, Piano Quartet in D minor-'The Death of the Maiden,' Octet in F major and String Quintet in C major. He was able to writ 15 string quartets, 14 piano sonatas, and sets of dances and variations for piano, as well as the remarkable 'Wanderer Fantasy.' Schubert has composed 10 symphonies, the most important ones are No. 4 in C minor-'The Tragic,' No. 5 in B flat major, No. 6 in C major, No. 8 in B minor--'The Unfinished,' and No. 9 in C major-'The Great C major." His choral music includes Mass in A flat, Mass in E flat, and many short choral songs with piano accompaniment. Schubert also

Web based training management system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Web based training management system - Essay Example The continuous search for value in the business organizations aided by technological revolution has led to significant investment into the development of the most critical resource of the organizations, the human resource. There have been radical changes in the area of organizational training. LRH Manufacturing Inc. has also decided to use a Web Based Training Management System. The project is aimed at improving the deliverables of the training activity by way use of IT in rigorous planning, deployment, feedback, data compilation, review and improve aspects of training. The traditional classroom training in organizations is increasingly being replaced by web based training because of its user friendliness, low cost and amount of content it can offer to users. At the same time it is a change activity which is to be positioned as change in cultural aspect of the organizations.The key to success of the change is communication with the people who will be affected by the new training proj ect to gain their support. In line with the government regulation which stipulates Web Based Training Management. Key to success is creating awareness and managing project stakeholders' expectations to minimize resistance and gain the necessary support to make implementation of improvement solutions successful.Stakeholders are individuals and groups who have the ability to influence or are impacted by the direction and success of the project. In the project under discussion, the stakeholders in the case of LRH Manufacturing Inc. have been defined as all the managers and executives of all the key departments viz. Sales & Marketing, Customer Service, Finance, Human Resources, Information Technology, Office Management, Product Development Research and Manufacturing Distribution. A stakeholder analysis was carried to differentiate communication needs among the stakeholders. A project stakeholder map (1) was developed which involved steps like listing of stake holders, listing of impact of project, organizational importance and attitudinal response to the project. Accordingly two main distinct groups have emerged i.e. Core Functions and support function. The prevailing regulations are aimed at the requirement that the product which is in the medical care area is reliable, accurate and cost effective since it is used for human life. Accordingly product research and manufacturing distribution are taken as core function. As the project is about web training, human resource and IT have been clubbed with core functions. The support function is sales & marketing; finance and office management. Higher level of acceptance and involvement is a critical success factor especially among the core functions and not so critical for support function, the communication plan will be different for the two categories. The Project Communication Plan Communication is defined as, "The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information, as by speech, signals, or writing." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition). This essentially means that communication associated with a project has a single focus - bringing or aligning different minds associated with the event / plan of the organization on to a platform of similar understanding on the issue to achieve collaboration and unidirectional response to the issue involved. The communication plan is divided into following elements: Content / Theme The content type has been developed by reviewing the goal of the project and its value addition to the organization. The information content contains relevant details which include the compelling need to change, impact of change on individuals and organization, the process of change, time schedules. The company vision and policy will be a part of the communication Mode The specific mode of communication for specific identified communication has been selected taking relevant factors in account. It is necessary that the communication target for change management is to be carried out by

The Sociological Imagination SOC 131 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Sociological Imagination SOC 131 - Assignment Example In the Jakarta Post, Achmad Munjid talks about how religion can be used as a social critique. He commented that the social critique of religion is lessened when religion is controlled too much by those in power. This causes religion to not provide sociological imagination because those in authority tend to make religion as strict as possible, with those unable to keep up being punished for their sins. Munjid gives the example of Christianity under the rule of Constantine. He also makes reference to Islam after the great prophet Muhammad had passed away. Despite these examples, Munjid also mentions such individuals as Martin Luther, the Buddha, and Confucius, all of whom came to bring about social reform through their actions and words. More people today need to come from the point of view of one of these role models and not look to take advantage of

The First Driving-Lesson Day Essay Example for Free

The First Driving-Lesson Day Essay The Cost of Carelessness Driving a genuine car was my initial dream when I was a young child because I really love speed and sports car. Eventually, with a lot of efforts, my dream comes true and the day I got my driver license was one of the happiest days in my life. Hence, I can drive a car and go to everywhere I want, but it also reminds me of the first day I sat behind the wheel. That day was a cool, breezy Sunday with a mild temperature on the morning of February 20, 2011. It was the first exciting driving-lesson I ever took and little did I know, it was about to teach me a practical lesson I will never forget. A week before that day, my mom registered for me a six-driving-lesson package at Pleasant School, a moto school near my house in Chelsea, MA. The first driving-lesson day would be taught next week so I was absolutely excited about what would happen to me in that day. My mind was really possessed with a lot of thoughts about that day and I couldn’t wait to see it coming true. Finally, the day which I dreamed of was about to come. At 7am, I woke up with a happy mood and an eager attitude, and then I had a delicious breakfast with a big bowl of cereals and milk. After that, I changed my clothes and went outside my house to wait for my teacher’s car coming. In front of my house, there is a one-way street with its width that can barely let one car pass another one, and there weren’t a lot of cars rolling on the street at that moment. From outside, I could see that today was really a beautiful day with the vivid sun, the wide-and-high cloudless sky; the breezy wind and the fresh air. That was a good omen for the start of something new. I loosened my whole body, let my mind stay empty, closed my eyes and took a deep breath to enjoy that never-forgotten moment. Finally, my teacher arrived at my house with a black, 2008 model Toyota. I felt really relieved and delighted, and I ran quickly to him with a big smile on my face while he opened the car-door. He was an African-American man in sport clothes with a pair of glasses. He gave me a warm smile and seemed to be a good, patient, experienced instructor because he asked me gently about my information and smiled all the time he talked with me. After that, John, my teacher, told me to get in the car and sit on the driver’s seat position while he sat on my right seat for passenger. I felt absolutely comfortable with the cool air-conditioned system and the soft seat in that car. By seeing my satisfied appearance, John looked at me and asked with a friendly smile, â€Å"Are you ready? † â€Å"Yes, I hope so. I’m actually excited about this moment but I still feel a little nervous and worried about what I’m going to do next,† I answered. â€Å"Well, that’s just a normal feeling because it’s your first time. All you need to do is try your best, stay focused and practice as much as you can. Everything will be fine,† he said. â€Å"Oh, I will, thank you,† I looked at him and said. After that brief and open conversation, John began to teach me about the steering wheel, gearshift, accelerator, clutch, brake, mirror, light signal, etc, and how they work. Then, on the street outside my house, he taught me how to adjust my seat, how to start or stop the car, how to use hand signal, how to check the mirror and the blind spot, how to look over behind my shoulder to check the traffic, how to turn left and right, how to pull over on the right side of the street, etc. He talked slowly to me with a gentle voice. After the verbal instruction, he told me it was time for me to take action about what I just learned. By hearing that, I felt extremely happy because my driving-a-car dream was about to come true, so I couldn’t hold that moment back. Without hesitating, I started the engine; signal left; change the gearshift from P-Park into D-Drive and I did all the preparation before driving a car that was taught by my instructor, except one important step that can cost me my whole life: carefully look over behind your left-shoulder to check the upcoming traffic. Then, without a careful thought, I turned the wheel to the left, directed the head of my car to the traffic lane and try to merge into it. I didn’t see a coming car behind me at a distance of 20 feet. The coming car got to my car closer and closer, and I didn’t realize how terrible it was going to be. But John could foresee what would happen to me next because he kept his eyes carefully to whatever I had done. So he pedaled quickly into the second brake beneath his seat to make the car stop immediately. The coming car just passed my car in a very small space; it seemed like nearly hit the head of my car. By observing what just happened to me, it took my breath away for a while. My whole body was totally and completely frozen, I couldn’t say or do anything else but shivering from head to toe. My face was becoming pale with fear and a lot of goose-pimples rose on my skin. I couldn’t believe that I just got out of an accident which would have hurt me or somebody else badly. After a couple of minutes, I still felt panic about that moment. I tried to take a deep breath and turned my head to my teacher and said, â€Å"I’m so sorry. Thanks for helping me out and saving me. † â€Å"That’s my pleasure and it’s also a lesson for you: You should think carefully and stay focused on what you’re going to do, don’t ever hurry because you always have time to do it,† he said with a beautiful voice just like my father did when he tried to teach me how to ride a bike twelve years ago. â€Å"I appreciate that and I will concentrate more on what I’m doing. Thank you again. Later then, I tried my best to listen to John and to practice what I had learnt from him. And the results not only made him happy but also help me get over that horrible moment. I did all the practices successfully and we had a happy, comfortable time after the incident. Finally, my one-hour driving lesson came to an end and John took me home with a big smile on his face. He seemed so happy right because he kn ew that he did a good job. And to me, I had learned a useful lesson for both my driving skills and my normal life. In conclusion, I never think I can learn a vital lesson from my driving lesson but now I completely change my mind and the way I approach things. So after the first driving-lesson day, I actually grow up my mind with one more experience added to my life to help me pay attention to what I’m doing and what I’m going to do next, and the final purpose is to make me become a good man with better personality. Needless to mention, at the bottom of my heart, I’m really grateful to my driving teacher for what he had taught me that day.

Eastman Kodak Products

Eastman Kodak Products External analysis of Eastman Kodak Introduction Kodak is the market leader in providing photographic products and services to consumers and commercial customers around the globe for memories, entertainment and information. The company brings inventive and modern products to the market that allows people to take, make and share pictures and experience the magic of photography (History of Kodak, 2008). As the world leader, Eastman Kodak is always looking for talented people. Kodak has continued to expand the ways and images touch peoples daily lives. Kodak is a top supplier of innovative solutions for digital, conventional and blended print production environment (History of Kodak, 2008). Eastman Kodak Company is an American multinational public company which produces imaging and photographic materials and equipment. It is known for its extensive variety of pictorial film products. Eastman Kodak is actually concentrating on two major markets; the first is digital photography and the second is digital printing (About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, 2008). In Rochester and Jamestown New York, Kodak was founded by George Eastman and businessman Henry Strong. George Eastman as president purchased the stock of American Aristotype Company. In the year 1982, the Eastman Kodak Company was founded. The company is incorporated in New Jersey but has its offices in Rochester, New York. The slogan, You press the button; we do the rest, was given by the founder of the company, George Eastman (About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, 2008). External analysis of Eastman Kodak Porters five forces Model According to Michael porter, an authority on competitive strategy contends that a corporation is most concerned with the intensity of competition within its industry. The level of this intensity is determined by basic competitive forces like potential entrants, suppliers, buyers and substitutes available. Using this model a high force can be regarded as a threat because it is likely to reduce profits and a low force can be viewed as an opportunity because it may allow company to earn profit. Analysis of Kodak on the basis of Porters Five Force model: Threats of new entrants: In recent years, the growing demand of digital cameras has been attracting many new comers, domestically as well as internationally. The threats of new entrant are always an issue when dealing with new technology. Often, new technology is developed by an individual looking for a better way to do something. These companies are expected to drastically alter the Kodak Companys structure with their technology, scale of operations and brand power. With Xerox, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Sony, Cannon and other major companies has already established in the market, it will be easy for new companies to enter the market and make a substantial impact. Bargaining power of customers: In the camera industry, the bargaining power of customer is relatively limited. Eastman Kodak is entering the consumer printer market which is full of competitors who produce products that allow the consumer to have significant buying power. From the sale of replacement cartridges, most producers rely on their profit margins. The buyers have a lot of power, with the companies producing quality printers at extremely reasonable values and often providing significant discounts. Eastman Kodak is responsive to this and they are launching their product into the consumer printer market. They are also making a play in the commercial printing market where the bargaining power of the buyer is not immense. Bargaining power of suppliers: The bargaining power of suppliers to Eastman Kodak is more significant than its rivals who expand and manufacture their own parts. Eastman Kodak should develop its printers, by using off the projection parts, as to get its printers on the market quicker. Rather than trying to plan everything from scratch, the Kodak Eastman should work with technology partners like SigmaTel, Inc. a chip-design specialist (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). This approach will allow the Kodak to develop faster and lower the expansion costs. The confidence for producing the parts of the printers gives the suppliers greater buying power (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). As compared to the traditional manufacturing, in the market that expanding and producing own parts may be risky in the long run risky and could pay off for Kodak. Threat of substitutes: Eastman Kodak cannot overlook the manufacturing and launching of their new consumer inkjet printers. Where on the other side, the competitors of company like H-P, Sony, Cannon and Lexmark are relying not on the turnover margin from the printer and handy cameras but they are emphasizing on the profit margin on replacing the cartridges. Eastman Kodak is marketing a quality printer, affordable cartridges, and quality paper combination to produce the highest quality prints (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The concern of the Kodak should be same as HP, Lexmark, and Epson. The emphasis of the major producers of consumer printers should be that the generic replacement cartridges and ink refill market is very strong whereas the cartridges may not produce the same quality as the name brand. The quality differentiation is not adequate to force customers from brand name to general (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). Rivalry among competitors: Rivalry among competitors could be the most significant in the Eastman Kodak. Change is rapid and fuming, with the new technology. The bundling of printers with the computers, discounts, and rebates makes this market extremely competitive (Symonds, 2006). Antonio Perez CEO of Eastman Kodak says that he has no individual rivalry with HP, but the fact is that during his 25 successful years at HP, he organized the explosive growth of HPs printer business. HP Company invests nearly $1 billion a year on research and development of printer (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). Industry forecaster anticipates HP to sit back and observe till Kodaks new equipments get grip. It is important to look at the political, economic, social, and technological components of the macro-environment, while examining the macro environment. In relation to political issues, Kodak is on par with its competitors (Symonds, 2006). To all the key competitors in the digital printing industry, social and employment legislation, tax policy, the directive and de-regulation trends and trade and tariff controls, and environmental and consumer-protection legislation applies equally (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). Economic factors that must be considered by the Kodak are rate of inflation, tax rates, capital markets and the stage of the business cycle. Eastman Kodak is a well recognized company, with the declining importance on film and an enlarged importance on digital printing; the company is behind the influence curve of their well-known competitors (Symonds, 2006). The other economical issues that Kodak must keep in mind are disposable income, GDP trends, purchasing power and wages/ price control (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). Another economic issue is cost of labor. Kodak has moved much of its labor to Mexico, this can cause decline in the sale as the company concentrates on moving labor outside of the U.S (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The political environment exercises great impact on industry and business. The political factors that Kodak must keep in view are antitrust regulations, environmental protection laws, tax laws, political stability, foreign trade regulations and stability of government. The social considerations in the macro environment of Eastman Kodak are population profiles, public opinion, and cultural changes (Ramaswamy Namakumari, 2005). The social factors which should be kept in view are lifestyle changes, rate of family formation, growth rate f population, age distribution of population. Another significant factors related to social consideration is opinion of public. In the case of Kodak, there are significant issues such as accusations of irresponsible environmental practices due to excessive pollution in the Rochester, NY area (Hamm, Lee Ante, 2007). The technological environment will play a key role in the future of Kodak. The company should emphasize on the new development in technology transfer from lab to marketplace. The company should emphasis on the internet availability, telecommunication infrastructure. Kodak should mainly concentrate on the research and development areas (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). For this, it is important that the research is well led and established with detailed visions and goals. Kodak should enlarge and produce the large number of parts as opposed to other competitors, to be developed and manufactured internally. Conclusion Thus, it can be concluded that the Kodak has the opportunity to be a leading player in the market of digital printing. The Company should carry on with their existing vision to produce printers and cameras that generate the highest quality of prints and construct the printer reasonably priced so as the average consumer afford it to buy (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). With this, the company should persist to expand the latest equipment for the profitable printing market and should try to merge flexibility, speed and quality with each other. To gain the market share, the most essential thing that the company should do is repetitively appraise their actions and procedure to make sure that they are right way. All the most it is important for the members of company to follow the lead of CEO, Antonio Perez. It is necessary that the strategies are timely formulated and implemented and processed forward with research, development, and implementation of new products (Hunger Wheelen, 2001). References About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://graphics1.kodak.com/global/about_gcg/default.htm Kazmi, A. (2002). Business Policy and Strategic Management, (2nd Edition), New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Company Limited. Hamm, S., Lee, L., Ante, S., E. (2007). Kodaks Moment of Truth; How the ailing film giant, led by a refugee from HP, embarked on a risky strategy to reinvent the inkjet printer. Business Week. New York: February 19, 2007, Issue 4022; page 42. Hunger, J.D. Wheelen, T.L. (2001). Strategic Management and Business policy, (7th Edition). New Delhi: Pearson Education Inc. History of Kodak, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/about_Kodak.jhtml?pq-path=2217 Ramaswamy, V.S Namakumari, S. (2005). Strategic Planning Formulation of Corporate Strategy, (5th Edition). New Delhi: Macmillan India Ltd. Symonds, W.C.(2006). Kodak Rewrites the Book on Printing. Business Week. New York: September 4, 2006., Issue 3999; page 83. http://www.hoovers.com/eastman-kodak/ID__10500/free-co-profile.xhtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_manufactured_by_Kodak http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_products_manufactured_by_Kodak http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=2/6868pq-locale=en_US_requestid=684 Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/kodakHistory/eastmanTheMan.shtml History of Kodak, (2008). Retrieved April 29, 2008 from http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/about_Kodak.jhtml?pq-path=2217 About Kodaks Graphic Communications Group, (2008). Retreived April 29, 2008 from http://graphics1.kodak.com/global/about_gcg/default.htm