Moral choices Essay

Miller shows several characters who are faced with difficult moral choices. They are changed by the experience and the audience go through catharsis watching them. How does millers treatment of moral issues add to the drama? In this essay I will write about how Arthur Miller, director of â€Å"The Crucible† uses moral issues in the play to add to the drama and the thrilling scenes throughout the play. Every character in the play is faced with at least one or more moral issues, I will look at the main characters issues and explain how it adds to the drama. In the play we see the events of the Salem trials in Massachusetts and we see exactly what the characters get up to and what issues face them throughout. The play was written in thought of the more recent events of the time in which it was made. Arthur Miller wanted to show the people what came of passing blame onto other people to try and get them to think right and treat people correctly. In 1938 the House un-American Activities Committee Organization was made; it had the power to investigate any movement or person who threatened the safety of the state. They looked for people who agreed with communism in the 1940’s. America and the USSR were fighting, America was helping Korea to keep the freedom. America was worried that communism would spread to there land and that capitalism would be destroyed. People were asked if they were communist sympathizers and sometimes charged. They were also asked if they knew anyone else who went to meeting, and then forced to give there name. Actors, writers and film directors appeared in the committee and lost there job and industry. This made Miller write the play so the view of what happened then would relate with what was happening at this time. The play was set in the 17th century, everything that we see today was much different then, although the society was a theocratic one just like today everything was different. The society had a massive male dominance and women were seen as much less than today. In the 17th century God was perceived as male and men were seen as the natural enforcers of his will. Women were seen as unstable because of there biological function. This was a time when peoples roles were clearly defined by gender. Women were made to walk with their head down and arms by their side. People weren’t aloud to indulge in anything that seemed to much fun, because they saw it as being related to the devil.

Eco Study Question

The affordable bundle that yields the greatest satisfaction to the consumer is: Answer | | the maximum bundle. | | | the equilibrium consumption bundle. | | | the allowable purchasing bundle. | | | the most popular bundle. | Given that income is $500 and PX = $20 and PY = $5, what is the market rate of substitution between goods X and Y? Answer | | 100. | | | 4. | | | -20. | | | 25. | The budget set defines the combinations of good X and Y that Answer | | are desirable to the consumer. | | | are affordable to the consumer. | | | maximizes consumer's utility. | | | maximizes supplier's profit. |The difference between a price decrease and an increase in income is that Answer | | A price decrease does not affect the consumption of other goods while an increase in income does. | | | An increase in income does not affect the slope of the budget line while a decrease in price does change the slope. | | | A price decrease decreases real income while an increase in income increases real inco me. | | | A price decrease leaves real income unchanged while an increase in income increases real income. | All else held constant, as additional firms enter an industry Answer | | more output is available at each given price. | | less output is available at each given price. | | | the same output is available at each given price. | | | output could increase or decrease at each given price. | | | | The law of demand states that, holding all else constant: Answer | | as price falls, demand will fall also. | | | as price rises, demand will also rise. | | | price has no effect on quantity demanded. | | | as price falls, quantity demanded rises. | The economic principle that producers are willing to produce more output when price is high is depicted by the: Answer | | upward slope of the supply curve. | | | extreme steepness of the supply curve. | | downward slope of the supply curve. | | | interaction of the supply and demand curves. | Good X is a normal good if an increase in income leads to Answer | | an increase in the supply for good X. | | | an increase in the demand for good X. | | | a decrease in the demand for good X. | | | a decrease in the supply for good X. | If there are few close substitutes for a good, demand tends to be relatively Answer | | elastic. | | | inelastic. | | | unitary elastic. | | | neither elastic, inelastic nor unitary elastic. | Which of the following is used to determine the statistical significance of a regression coefficient?Answer | | t-statistic. | | | F-statistic. | | | R-square. | | | adjusted R-square. | Assume that the price elasticity of demand is -0. 75 for a certain firm's product. If the firm lowers price, the firm's managers can expect total revenue to Answer (lower than 1 so its inelastic) | | decrease| | | increase| | | remain constant| | | either increase or remain constant depending upon the size of the price decrease. | Assume that the price elasticity of demand is -2 for a certain firm's product. If the firm rai ses price, the firm's managers can expect total revenue to: Answer | | Decrease| | | Increase| | Remain constant| | | Either increase or remain constant depending upon the size of the price increase. | What is the marginal cost of producing the fifth unit? Answer | | 270. | | | 110. | | | 50. | | | 0. | Scarce resources are ultimately allocated toward the production of goods most wanted by society because: Answer | | firms attempt to maximize profits. | | | they are most efficiently utilized in these areas. | | | consumers demand inexpensive goods and services. | | | managers are benevolent. | The additional cost incurred by using an additional unit of the managerial control variable is defined as the: Answer | total cost. | | | net cost. | | | net benefit. | | | marginal cost. | Which is the correct statement about the relationship between government and the market? Answer | | Government should intervene on the consumers' behalf. | | | Government should intervene on the producers' behalf. | | | Government should not intervene on any party's behalf. | | | Government often plays a role in disciplining the market process. | Suppose the long-run average cost curve is U-shaped. When LRAC is in the increasing stage, there exist Answer | | economies of scope. | | | diseconomies of scope. | | economies of scale. | | | diseconomies of scale. | Fixed costs exist only in: Answer | | The long run. | | | Capital intensive markets. | | | The short run. | | | Labor intensive markets. | If the marginal product per dollar spent on capital is less than the marginal product per dollar spent on labor, then in order to minimize costs the firm should use Answer | | less capital and more labor. | | | less labor and more capital. | | | less labor and less capital. | | | more labor and more capital. | Suppose the marginal product of labor is 10 and the marginal product of capital is 8.If the wage rate is $5 and the price of capital is $2, then in order to minimize costs the firm shou ld use Answer | | more capital and less labor. | | | more labor and less capital. | | | equal amounts of labor and capital. | | | none of the statements associated with this question are correct. | A price decrease causes a consumer's â€Å"real† income to: Answer | | increase. | | | decrease. | | | remain unchanged. | | | decrease or increase depending on the size of the price change. | The idea that a consumer is limited to selecting a bundle of goods that is affordable is captured by the: Answer | budget constraint. | | | indifference curve. | | | consumer equilibrium. | | | price changes. | Suppose market demand and supply are given by Qd = 100 – 2P and QS = 5 + 3P. If a price ceiling of $15 is imposed, Answer | | there will be a surplus of 40 units. | | | there will be neither a surplus or shortage. | | | there will be a shortage of 40 units. | | | there will be a shortage of 20 units. | The minimum legal price that can be charged in a market is: Answer | | a pric e floor. | | | a price ceiling. | | | non-pecuniary price. | | | full economic price. | Suppose that good X is a substitute for good Y.Then an increase in the price of good Y leads to Answer | | an increase in the demand of good X. | | | a decrease in the demand of good X. | | | a decrease in the supply of good X. | | | an increase in the supply of good X. | In a competitive market, the market demand is Qd = 60 – 6P and the market supply is Qs = 4P. A price ceiling of $3 will result in a Answer | | shortage of 30 units. | | | shortage of 15 units. | | | surplus of 30 units. | | | surplus of 12 units| As the usage of an input increases, marginal product Answer | | initially increases then begins to decline. | | initially decreases then begins to increase. | | | consistently decreases. | | | consistently increases. | Costs that are forever lost after they have been paid are: Answer | | Production costs. | | | Fixed costs. | | | Sunk costs. | | | Variable costs. | The maximum am ount of output that can be produced with K units of capital and L units of labor is the: Answer | | Production function. | | | Technological constraint. | | | Research and development schedule. | | | Total product. | An isocost line Answer | | represents the combinations of w and K that cost the firm the same amount of money. | | represents the combinations of K and L that cost the firm the same amount of money. | | | represents the combinations of r and w that cost the firm the same amount of money. | | | has a convex shape. | Demand is more inelastic in the short-term because consumers: Answer | | are impatient. | | | have no time to find available substitutes. | | | are present-oriented. | | | are neither impatient, have no time to find available substitutes nor are present-oriented. | Which of the following factors would not affect the own-price elasticity of a good? Answer | | Time. | | | Price of an input. | | Available substitutes. | | | Expenditure share. | Use the figure ab ove to calculate the income elasticity of demand when income increases from $25,000 to $30,000. Answer | | -0. 10 | | | -1. 10 | | | 0. 1818 | | | 0. 20 | | | 1. 10| ? As a rule-of-thumb, a parameter estimate is statistically different from zero when the absolute value of the t-statistic is: Answer | | zero. | | | less than one. | | | greater than or equal to one. | | | greater than or equal to two. | In order to maximize net benefits, firms should produce where: Answer | | total benefits equal total costs. | | | profits are zero. | | marginal cost is minimized. | | | marginal benefits equal marginal costs| | | | Scarce resources are ultimately allocated toward the production of goods most wanted by society because: Answer | | firms attempt to maximize profits. | | | they are most efficiently utilized in these areas. | | | consumers demand inexpensive goods and services. | | | managers are benevolent. | Generally when calculating profits as total revenue minus total costs, accountin g profits are larger than economic profits because economists take into account Answer | | only explicit costs. | | | only implicit costs. | | both explicit and implicit costs. | | | both types of profits are always equal because they account for the same costs. | | | | To an economist, maximizing profit is: Answer | | maximizing the value of the firm. | | | maximizing the current year's profits. | | | minimizing the permanent total costs. | | | minimizing the future risks| At the point of consumer equilibrium the slope of the budget line is equal to the: Answer | | market rate of substitution. | | | indifference curve. | | | marginal rate of substitution. | | | consumer preference. | If the price of good X increases, what will happen to the budget line?Answer | | It will have a parallel shift inward. | | | It will have a parallel shift outward. | | | It will become steeper. | | | It will become flatter. | The possible goods and services a consumer can afford to consume represents t he: Answer | | consumer behavior. | | | consumer preferences. | | | consumer status. | | | consumer opportunities. | | | | | | | At what level of output does marginal cost equal marginal revenue? Answer | | 1. | | | 2. | | | 3. | | | 4. | If marginal benefits exceed marginal costs, it is profitable to: Answer | | increase Q. | | | decrease Q. | | | stay at that level of Q. | | all of the statements associated with this question are correct| The change in total output attributable to the last unit of an input is the: Answer | | Total product. | | | Average product. | | | Marginal product. | | | Marginal return. | The combinations of inputs that produce a given level of output are depicted by: Answer | | Indifference curves. | | | Budget lines. | | | Isocost curves. | | | Isoquants. | ? Suppose the demand for good X is given by Qdx = 20 – 4Px + 2Py + M. The price of good X is $5, the price of good Y is $15, and income is $150. Given these prices and income, how much of good X w ill be purchased?Answer | | 160. | | | 180. | | | 220. | | | None of the statements associated with this question are correct. | Which of the following pairs of goods are probably complements? Answer | | televisions and roller skates. | | | frozen yogurt and ice cream. | | | steak and chicken. | | | hamburgers and ketchup. | A change in income will not lead to: Answer | | a movement along the demand curve. | | | a leftward shift of the demand curve. | | | a rightward shift of the demand curve. | | | all of the statements associated with the question are correct. | Suppose market demand and supply are given by Qd = 100 – 2P and QS = 5 + 3P.The equilibrium price is: Answer | | $15. | | | $19. | | | $17. | | | $20. | The quantity consumed of a good is relatively unresponsive to changes in price whenever demand is: Answer | | elastic. | | | unitary. | | | falling. | | | inelastic. | In the figure above, what is the point price elasticity of demand when price is $60? Answer | | -0 . 50 | | | -0. 75 | | | -1. 00 | | | -1. 60 | | | -2. 00| Demand is perfectly elastic when the absolute value of the own price elasticity of demand is: Answer | | zero. | | | one. | | | infinite. | | | unknown. | Which of the following provides a measure of the overall fit of a regression?Answer | | t-statistic. | | | F-statistic and R-Square. | | | p-value. | | | the t-statistic and the p-value. | | | | When marginal revenue is positive, demand is Answer Selected Answer: elastic. The short run response of quantity demanded to a change in price is usually: Answer Selected Answer: Less than the long run response. Suppose demand is given by Q xd = 50 – 4Px + 6Py + Ax, where Px = $4, Py = $2, and Ax = $50. What is the quantity demanded of good x? Answer Selected Answer: 96. A price elasticity of zero corresponds to a demand curve that is: Answer Selected Answer: VerticalEconomics Answer Selected Answer: exists because of the scarcity. Good A is an inferior good, an increase in i ncome leads to: Answer Selected Answer: a decrease in the demand for good A. A price ceiling is Answer Selected Answer: the maximum legal price that can be charged in a market. A floor price is Answer Selected Answer: the minimum legal price that can be charged in a market. Suppose the demand for X is given by Qxd = 100 – 2PX + 4PY + 10M + 2A, where PX represents the price of good X, PY is the price of good Y, M is income and A is the amount of advertising on good X.Based on this information, we know that good X is a Answer Selected Answer: substitute for good Y and a normal good. The law of supply states that, holding all else constant, as the price of a good falls: Answer Selected Answer: quantity supplied falls. If the marginal product per dollar spent on capital is less than the marginal product per dollar spent on labor, then in order to minimize costs the firm should use Answer Selected Answer: less labor and more capital. Which of the following â€Å"costs† coul d a firm that wants to remain in business avoid if it halted current production? Answer Selected Answer:Variable costs. The marginal rate of technical substitution Answer Selected Answer: is the absolute value of the slope of the isoquant. Accounting profits are: Answer Selected Answer: total revenue minus total cost. Which of the following is an implicit cost to a firm that produces a good or service? Answer Selected Answer: foregone profits of producing a different good or service. The elasticity that measures the responsiveness of consumer demand to changes in income is the: Answer Selected Answer: income elasticity. Demand tends to be Answer Selected Answer: more inelastic in the short-term than in the long-term.What is/are the important things that must be developed when characterizing consumer behavior? Answer Selected Answer: Consumer preferences and consumer opportunities. When quantity demanded exceeds quantity supplied Answer Selected Answer: the price is below the equilib rium price. Graphically, an increase in the number of vegetarians will cause the demand curve for Tofu (a meat substitute) to Answer Selected Answer: shift rightward. Which of the following can explain an increase in the demand for housing in retirement communities? Answer Selected Answer: An increase in the population of the elderly.Demand shifters do not include Answer Selected Answer: the price of the good. If the price of an input rises, producers are willing to produce Answer Selected Answer: less output at each given price. If marginal costs exceed marginal benefits, then: Answer Selected Answer: the firm should decrease its production level. The optimal amount of studying is determined by comparing: Answer Selected Answer: marginal benefit and the marginal cost of studying. Each week Bill buys exactly 7 bottles of cola regardless of its price. Bill's own price elasticity of demand for cola in absolute value is: AnswerSelected Answer: less than one. The long-run is defined as Answer Selected Answer: the horizon in which the manager can adjust all factors of production. Economies of scale exist whenever long-run average costs Answer Selected Answer: decrease as output is increased. Constant returns to scale exist when long-run average costs Answer Selected Answer: remain constant as output is increased. Consumers adjust their purchasing behavior so that: Answer Selected Answer: the ratio of prices they pay equals their marginal rate of substitution. The demand curve for a good is horizontal when it is: Answer Selected Answer: perfectly elastic good. The cross price elasticity of demand between goods X and Y is -3. 5. If the price of X decreases by 7%, the quantity demanded of Y will: Answer Selected Answer: decrease by 24. 5%. If the absolute value of the own price elasticity of demand is greater than one, then demand is said to be Answer Selected Answer: elastic. If consumers expect future prices to be higher Answer Selected Answer: stockpiling will happ en when products are durable in nature. The market supply curve indicates the total quantity all producers in a competitive market would produce at each price, AnswerSelected Answer: allowing input price to vary. Technological advances will cause the supply curve to: Answer Selected Answer: shift to the right. The demand curve for a good is horizontal when it is: Answer Selected Answer: a perfectly elastic good. The market supply curve indicates the total quantity all producers in a competitive market would produce at each price, Answer Selected Answer: holding all supply shifters fixed. When government imposes a price floor above the market price, the result will be that Answer Selected Answer: surpluses occur. If income increases, the budget lineAnswer Selected Answer: shifts to the right. The value of marginal product of an input is the value of the Answer Selected Answer: output produced by the last unit of an input. Which of the following conditions is true when a producer mini mizes the cost of producing a given level of output? Answer Selected Answer: The marginal product per dollar spent on all inputs is equal and the MRTS is equal to the ratio of the quantity of inputs. Since most consumers spend very little on salt, a small increase in the price of salt will Answer Selected Answer: not reduce quantity demanded by very much.The elasticity which shows the responsiveness of the demand for a good due to changes in the price of a related good is the: Answer Selected Answer: cross-price elasticity. Good X is a normal good if an increase in income leads to Answer Selected Answer: an increase in the demand for good X. If A and B are complements, an increase in the price of good A would: Answer Selected Answer: lead to a decrease in demand for B. For a wood furniture manufacturer, an increase in the cost of lumber will cause the supply curve to:Answer Selected Answer: shift to the left.Which of the following conditions is true when a producer minimizes the cos t of producing a given level of output? Answer Selected Answer: The marginal product per dollar spent on all inputs is equal. The long-run is defined as Answer Selected Answer: the horizon in which the manager can adjust all factors of production. What is the horizontal intercept of the budget line, given that M = $1,000, PX = $50, and PY = $40? Answer Selected Answer: 20. 0. Given that income is $750 and PX = $32 and PY = $8, what is the market rate of substitution between goods X and Y? Answer Selected Answer: 4

Justification For The 9/11 Attacks Essay Example for Free (#911)

Justification For The 9/11 Attacks Essay ? The United States of America is a country, which has a free-market economy, freedom of expression for its citizens and the most influential power structure in the world. According to the CIA Fact Book (2009), â€Å"It is a country that has an average per capita GDP of $48,000 and population of around 307,212,123. America is a country, which is home to Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and atheists a like†. All of the above are the reasons for the attack on United States of America on September 11th 2001. According to Crenshaw (2003), â€Å"When the new kid in class wants to become popular, he can either be friends with the already popular guy who is strong, smart and captain of the football team, or he can pick on him and try to replace him† (P. 20). That is the psyche of the terrorists who attacked America. From the point of Al-Qaeda, it makes perfect sense to attack America because Saudi Arabia, Egypt and any other region they wanted to operate in became an ally of America. The terrorists could not operate in a state which was sharing intelligence with America, or who could foil their plans. After running from one country to another, Osama Bin Laden finds refuge in Afghanistan and uses one of America’s strengths against itself. The strength known as the free media is used to declare an open war against United States of America, and then America’s freedom is used for their own heinous agenda to carry out the attacks. In the path of world domination, the terrorists chose to attack the most leading state and come under the limelight. According to Abdullah (2003), â€Å"Their attack did not end on 9/11, but their implantation of fear in the hearts of people across the world began as a consequence of the attacks aftermath†. If you choose to believe that America could have prevented these attacks by choosing not to form allies with the chosen Middle Eastern countries, then you must also realize that could have served a major blow to America’s economy and foreign affairs. Even if America has allies in the Muslim world for global interests, it does not mean that America should become a target of terrorism. Organizations like Al-Qaeda have the ability to convert an average citizen into a extremist through their brainwashing techniques, creating hatred and blame for the Americans. This war cannot be won through infantry and missiles; this war can be won through diplomacy and open talks about foreign policy. Even if the prior bombing attacks were prevented, another set of attacks would have taken place. Suicide bombers are not apparent, these are men and women who are out to kill as much and give their life while doing it. These are people with a fatal death wish that can take hundreds of lives with them. We need to understand the reason behind this behavior; these people are coming from countries like Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon and countries, which are underdeveloped. Their governments cannot even provide the citizens with basic health insurance, education, clean water and even electricity at times. With conditions such as these, people are easier to make to believe in a purpose, which may be as irrational as suicide bombing, to attain the fruits of afterlife. Even if that is the case, that the American government could not prevent this attack because the enemy was so committed to make a statement by recruiting attackers through brainwashing people who at times were citizens of America. Even if this war is not biological, nuclear or any of such kind, yet its psychological. Still, the doubt remains that American government could still detect the sense of anti-American propaganda spreading in the world and if it did detect it, why did it not take measures to control or counter it? The American government could have carried out a campaign to insure that it would not seem unreasonable or offensive to the Muslim world. According to Adherents (2009), The Muslim community consists of over 1. 5 billion, which is over 21% of the population of the world. Thus, it is imperative that they should have been taken into consideration before making decisions such as the openly denying of the Palestine peace treaty and forming allies with Saudi Arab even though majority of the terrorists attackers in the past and of even 9/11 were Saudis. United Sates of America must realize that it couldn’t have prevented the 9/11 attacks, but it can try to take a different approach with its foreign and national policies because the present track has not proven to be affective. Therefore, America has to realize that it is in a position of power as the world leader and with that power has received some unwanted enemies who wish to take that power from the country. In order to win this war and not let this power go into the wrong hands, America must fight along side the rest of the world. Crenshaw, M. (2003). Why America is the Primary Target? Terrorism As A Globalized Civil War. New york: Longman. Middle East Review of International Affairs. (MERIA). (December 04 2003). Causes of anti-Americanism in the Arab world: a socio-political perspective by Abdel Mahdi Abdullah. Retrieved 05th June 2009. From http://meria. idc. ac. il/journal/2003/issue4/jv7n4a6. html Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). 06th June 2009. Fact Book. Retrieved June 06th 2009. from Justification For The 9/11 Attacks. (2017, Feb 23).

Change Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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Women An object of Sex Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Women An object of Sex - Essay Example The equality between men and women is near to non-existent. Generally, it is believed that this world is a man’s world. Even the English language does not support gender equality. According to transforming a rape culture, page 125, there are almost 220 words for sexual promiscuous women and around 20 such words for men. This language of rape culture has surrounded our daily lives and we have become ignorant to the inequality. We regularly ignore the degrading images and stereotypes of women created and reinforced by media. In the current world scenario, where males dominate, glamor is restricted to the people who are classified above middle class. Females are treated as sub-ordinates, emotional support seekers and a sex object. Media helps create and reinforce a gender duality based on traditional views of men and women. Often, females and males are shown in advertisements according to the roles they play in patriarchal structure i.e. males as dominating creatures and women as helpless ones. Media shows women as giving advices on how to please men, how to cook, and how to look attractive by loss of weight. These stereotypes, however, have become a part of our daily lives and are hardly escapable from the advertising industry. An average person is exposed to over 2000 ads a day. These ads sell a lot more than just the product. They promote values, images, love, success, popularity and worth. Unfortunately, these ads show images of female body to promote the product. Women sell everything from food to cars to deodorants. All leading models are shown as slim, tall, long-legged, white, and young. Now the question is why are all standards of beauty being imposed solely on females? B.Earl Puckett quoted in Stephen Donadio that the task of media is to make women feel dissatisfied and unhappy with their natural looks. A woman will, then, opt for beauty products, cosmetics, diet plans, and other such services. The messages from these advertisements indicate that a woman has only her body to offer. Women are considered as an object of sex and violence which can increase the sales of the products . It’s their body which can enable them to get whatever they want. They feel dissatisfied with their looks and body appearance and try to improve their appearance by using cosmetics, and going on diet. The images of young, thin, beautiful female models create a desire, a strong desire, in males to feel the body warmth. Such degrading images show women as just a sex object. Ads like those made for cigarettes and deodorants (AXE, etc.) show women half naked, craving for the sexual pleasure. If one believes in these images, then to some extent one actualizes them. These submissive, sex object roles have dehumanized women and give the power to men. These ads indicate that men are to rule, control females whereas females only seek to please males. The TV commercials for an age controlling cream, Pond’s age miracle by Lever Brothers (Unilever), depict men only love women who stay white, spotless, and young. These ads use women as an object of sex. Certain ads also portrayed that to gain one’s husband’s love and attention wife has to look young and fair. A TVC by pond’s – telecasted in 2009 on all media channels in South Asia – showed a wife using the pond’s age miracle cream. The husband expressed his love and feelings to the wife because she looked young and beautiful. The tag line for this ad was â€Å"see the change of your husband in just 7 days.† (Pond's, Pond's Age Miracle) Another ad telecasted in Thailand showed a girl who uses Pond’s age miracle. The concept of ad is that a girl will look beautiful and attractive only with fair color, spotless skin, and less wrinkles. The cream claims that within 7 days a girl can look beautiful and control the aging signs. Again the typical stereotype has been reinforced that a girl can only be attractive if she has fair complexion, spotless skin, and a younger looking skin. (Pond's, Pond's A

Current Events in Macroeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Current Events in Macroeconomics - Essay Example They are especially critical of many levels of government intervention, including the proposed guest worker program. The two concur in many areas, including the fact that despite the illegality of this immigration, it benefits the economic status we enjoy by having the illegal immigrants take positions which are those others would not take in service industries like housekeeping and landscaping and other such jobs. The two also state that there are many pluses, including the fact that taxes are often paid by these illegal immigrants. The negatives, unfortunately, are also easily seen, including the use of public education, fire and police protection, and all forms of government assistance including Medicaid, Food Stamps and other such assistance. The overall concept for this article is encompassing human factors, how humanity affects the economy. In this particular case, how the migration and immigration of people affects a particular economy in both good and bad ways. This is subjec t to a great deal of debate as to whether or not such immigration would be of benefit and whether the attempts to change the idea would be of any economic merit. In the Economy section David Wessel writes in A Tricky Move for the Fed, Wall Street Journal June 24, 2006 issue, that the decision to change the interest rate up or down is a tricky proposition in current economic times. The reason for this is that finding an appropriate level of balance is equally as tricky as regaining it once balance has been lost. In the case of current economic standings with inflation on the rise and a slowing economy it's a question of which fire would be the most urgent one to fight. Raising rates could slow the economy and cause a recession, something they don't want; lowering it too much might cause inflation to raise exponentially, also not something favorable in the eyes of economists. Consideration in either case causes concern in the employment factor, the consumer factor is also at issue and then we must also consider how they interact within the economy. Mark Whitehouse reveals, in the piece done in the June 26, 2006 Wall Street Journal titled A Housing Slowdown Can Put the Brakes on a Job Sector but Open Other Opportunities, that the housing boom which our country has been enjoying may be coming to an end and this end makes the appearance of a bad thing. In actuality, the revelations found within this potentially devastating slowdown, could in fact bring about benefits at first unseen. "From a macroeconomic perspective, the housing slowdown, and the attendant slowing of job growth, could be just what the economy needs."1 In essence, the fact that houses are not selling as swiftly as they can be built or as swiftly as someone needs to be transferred may actually prove beneficial in other areas of the economic landscape. This change can further cause a rise in movement elsewhere within the macroeconomic landscape, continuing the cycle that will bring economic relief. Isabelle Lindenmayer writes about the state of the US dollar in her article Dollar is to Enter an Unsteady Week Ahead of Fed Move. As in most cases, the dollar will have its good days and bad days on the market in regard to value, and on occasion, the Fed can influence those good and bad days. In an analysis of expert opinions, two factors,

Self reflections Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self reflections - Essay Example dicates, students of higher education are significantly involved and particular when it comes to the tools of assessment being utilized to measure their academic endeavor. While reading the journal, I could not help looking back on a personal experience as a student who equally desired understanding and meeting certain expectations according to my interpretation of the standards set by the school. I recall special moments when I had reached the extent of being definite about my career goals and naturally convicting myself that I wanted to be an educator. At this stage, I came to value the real essence of teaching and learning as well as how they work hand-in-hand to sustain each other within a system of free, assertive, and technical interactions. There had nevertheless been struggling times wherein passing or maintaining an impressive scholastic status due either to a course I could barely cope with or a competition seemed quite influential. Like some others who sneaked their way out of genuine efforts by gaming a hidden curriculum, I must admit the guilt of having strategized to obtain a favorable assessment even with poor quality of learning. Throu gh this assigned reading activity, thus, I have realized the degree at which I had defeated the objective of education myself on becoming a cue-seeker drawn into the implausible action of trading noble pursuit of studies with the sole benefit of an acceptable or remarkable grade. In this manner though, I manage to designate how the issue on one’s sense of fulfillment may be addressed properly. What strays one from the ideal purpose of learning turns out to be a misleading focus on assessment especially as students compromise with time and energy to persevere with not necessarily the path of academic development but the path that enables a learner to adapt to alternative means of yielding optimum yield at the end of the course. As long as they arrive at the desired grades, they hardly pay regard to whether or not

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Business Strategy - Essay Example This paper is going to look at the strategic planning process of TNT as well as the formulation of a new strategy. Strategic planning is a significant aspect when it comes to the operations of any organization. It is important for an organization to have a clear understanding on the process of strategic planning in order for it to implement it successfully (Johnson, 2004). This section is going to focus on the mission, objectives, vision as well as the core competencies of TNT, the issues that are involved in the process of strategic planning and lastly, the different planning techniques. A strategy can simply be defined as a long-term direction for any organization. According to Johnson et al, a strategy has the long-term direction that is required in achieving the set organizational goals (Johnson, 2004). In the case of TNT, the organization has established its own practical measures based on three aims. These aims are customer relationship, innovation and operational excellence. These measures in this context can be classified as the long term direction goals for TNT. The vision statement of an organization is simply focussed with the state of an organization that is desired based on future forecasting (Simerson, 2011). A vision statement for any organization should look at what the organization wants to achieve at present and in the future. The core competencies simply differentiate an organization from the competitors in the same industry. The resources, activities and skills which cannot be copied by the competitors may be regarded as the core competencies of that organization. TNT is known to have many core competencies in the industry and thus it has been able to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors through the available resources. According to Sadler et al, strategic planning is a form of systemized procedure that is used to develop a strategy for an organization. This

Bitter Competition The Holland Sweetener Company Versus NutraSweet Essay

Bitter Competition The Holland Sweetener Company Versus NutraSweet. Harvard Business School 9794079 Rev November 13, 2000 - Essay Example The company might also use its strong brand equity to combat threats of competition. Even though it gained a name in the consumer market, NutraSweet's revenue still largely come from other business organizations like Coke and Pepsi. In response to the entry of competitors, the company is expected to further forged stronger partnerships with them by giving them special discounts or by decreasing its prices outright. With the aforementioned discussion, it a price war is more likely to happen between NutraSweet and Holland Sweetener Company (HSC). In competing in the market, HSC will capitalize in its production efficiency which will enable it to price more competitively. In fact, what HSC really desires is the lower the price level of aspartame in the market. With this move, it is expected that NutraSweet will respond competitively by lowering its prices especially in the industrial sector. However, in the consumer segment, NutraSweet will maintain its prices and further differentiate its products from the offering of other industry entrants.

Interim Report IDBI Federal Essay Example for Free

Interim Report IDBI Federal Essay Problem statement: To study workmen compensation in IDBI and determine the satisfaction level of employees. Description of the Project: Reward system is a tool by which employee can attract, motivate, and retain employees. It involves everything the employee perceives to be of value resulting from the employment relationship successful. The reward system consists of many components out of which â€Å"Compensation† is one the most the important factor in employee satisfaction. Organization try to understand the type of compensation required for each of the employees and the one which has high impact on the system. Research Objective: Employee’s preference towards total rewards system depends on one’s perception and the motivation level he has achieved in life. Various theories have been incorporated to justify the preference. The theories are explained in Literature review. Based on the problem definition, we formulated our hypothesis. * Objectives of the Project: To study the workmen compensation in IDBI -Primary objectives: The main task of the project is to identify: * The various compensations offered to workmen in IDBI and policies used to evaluate various compensations. * The satisfaction level of employees with their compensation at IDBI. -Secondary objectives: * Is there any preference given to compensation by employees at any level of choosing job. * How compensation help organization to retain and attract employees. * Methodology: * Primary Data: the main data collection will be done by surveys on the present as well as past employees if possible. * Secondary Data: the secondary data will be as provided by the company guides through their records and manuals. Hypothesis 1: Employees are satisfied by the timely compensation provided to them under various circumstances by the IDBI. Hypothesis 2: Employees are not satisfied by the timely compensation provided to them under various circumstances by the IDBI. The research is restricted to IDBI employees only, the population size consist of all the employees present in the organization. We shall try to involve the response of every employee. The various theories which help us to understand the satisfaction and retention level of employees in the organization are: The motivational theories which were crucial for this kind of study were Maslow’s need Hierarchy and Herzberg’s two-factor theory * Maslow Need Hierarchy: People are motivated by inner needs. Needs form a hierarchy from most basic to higher order. The value of compensation will depend on the level of pyramid at which the person is residing. * Herzberg’s two factor theory: Employees are motivated by two ways of motivators: Hygiene factor and satisfiers. Hygiene factors in their absence prevent behaviors but their presence cannot motivate performance. Satisfiers such as recognition, promotion and achievement motivate performance. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs the person who has achieved the levels of physiological needs and safety would be motivated by other factors. For the people at level 3 may not consider monetary rewards as driving force. Therefore there are chances that employees will not take compensation into matter for changing their jobs. Reward system is a tool by which employee can attract, motivate, and retain employees. It involves everything the employee perceives to be of value resulting from the employment relationship successful. The reward system consists of many components out of which â€Å"Compensation† is one the most the important factor in employee satisfaction. Organization try to understand the type of compensation required for each of the employees and the one which has high impact on the system. Introduction * Insurance sector in India In India, insurance has a deep-rooted history. Insurance in various forms has been mentioned in the writings of Manu (Manusmrithi), Yagnavalkya (Dharmashastra) and Kautilya (Arthashastra). The fundamental basis of the historical reference to insurance in these ancient Indian texts is the same i.e. pooling of resources that could be re-distributed in times of calamities such as fire, floods, epidemics and famine. The early references to Insurance in these texts have reference to marine trade loans and carriers contracts. The insurance sector in India has grown at a fast rate post-liberalization in 1999. In the last decade, total premium grew at a CAGR of 25% and reached a total of $67 billion in 2010. Indian Life insurance industry (which contributes 88% of total Life and General insurance premium in India) has emerged as the 9th largest life insurance market in the world. Yet, Insurance penetration (measured as ratio of premium underwritten to GDP) was only at 5.2 % in 2010 – significantly lower than Asian peers like South Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong which boast an insurance density greater than 10%. With low insurance penetration levels, growth potential remains promising. More importantly, the pace and nature of growth will likely see a change where new behaviors and dynamics of demand and supply will apply. On the demand side, growth is being fuelled by the growing population base, rising purchasing power, increased insurance awareness, increased domestic savings and rising financial literacy. The suppliers are correspondingly playing a market making role as competition heightens and differentiation become necessary for profitable growth. The major insurance companies in India and their market share is as follows– Initially there were only two insurance companies that operated the insurance sector in India, namely, Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) and the other General Insurance Corporation of India (GIC). On December 2000, the subsidiaries were declared independent and began to operate as independent as independent insurance companies. According to statistics the life insurance premiums and general insurance premiums accounts to 2.5% and 0.65% of India’s GDP respectively * Role of HR in Insurance Industry The Human Resources function in the insurance industry is of utmost important. The business of acquiring clients, providing proper awareness and converting them into customers thoroughly depends on the sales force. India being a developing nation, majority of households do not have disposable income. There is a shift in customer loyalty in no time owing to the digital revolution. The population that has enough disposable income at hand also requires proper financial advice. The sales person, hence, need not only be well versed with the art of selling but also needs to be sound with financial knowledge about the products and its implications. Thus acquiring talent and retaining it is a major concern in this industry. The reason being a multifaceted personality is required to work for the company. The major compensation provided to these employees is often variable which keeps them on the edge of performing better every day. * Introduction (Company) IDBI Federal Life Insurance Company Ltd is a joint venture of IDBI Bank, Federal Bank and Fortis (Ageas) Insurance International holding 48%, 26% and 26% stake respectively. With the Insurance Regulatory and Developmental Authority (IRDA) setting regulations to protect the interest of the customers, the insurer companies need to maintain a capital structure in the form of solvency ratio. A higher solvency ratio will lead to the company with a higher surplus. As per the Annual Report 2011-12 released by IRDA, IDBI Federal holds a high solvency rate of 6.61 in March 2012. With a very high solvency rate which is second among all the private and public life insurers of India IDBI Federal poses as a healthy and safe insurer. As on March 2013, there are 10 products in the rack of IDBI federal. They are Bondsurance, Group Microsurance, Childsurance, Healthsurance, Homesurance, Incomesurance, Lifesurance, Loansurance, Termsurance, and Wealthsurance.

Long-Term & Short-Term Budgetting Essay Example for Free

Long-Term Short-Term Budgetting Essay Introduction Budgeting is indeed a key component in managing short and long term planning. To define a broad objective such as wealth maximization is clearly not sufficient to achieve the goal. It is very important for an entity to get into more details over how to work towards the objective. Businesses typically do this by crafting a long-term plan and short-term plan which I will be explaining in details. Budgeting Before I proceed, it is very important for us to understand what is budget and how it works. A budget is a formal written summary (or statement of management’s plan for a specified future time period, expressed in financial terms. A budget becomes an important basis for controlling operations and evaluating performance. Thus, it promotes efficiency and serves as a deterrent to waste and inefficiency (Carlon, et al., 2009, p. 882) Types of budget There are several types of budget namely trade receivables budget, sales budget, finished inventories budget, trade payables budget, production budget, direct labour budget and many more. The list continues and varies from industry to industry. Budget usefulness Budgets are generally regarded as having four area of usefulness. * Budgeting promotes forward thinking and the possible identification of short-term problem. * They can also be used to help co-ordinate various sections of the business. * They play an integral role into motivating managers to perform better. * Providing basis for a system control, and lastly * Budgets can provide a system of authorization for managers to spend within the limit. (Merchant, Hawkins, Anthony, 2006, p. 560) The Planning process Figure 1 the planning process Source: (Banham, 2000, p. N.A) The above shows the relationship between budgets, long-term planning and short-term planning. The budgeting process The development of the budget for the coming year generally starts several months before the end of the current year. The budgeting process usually begins with the collection of data from each of the subunits of the entity. Past performance is often the starting point in budgeting, from which future budget goals are formulated. The budget is developed within a framework of a sales forecast that shows potential sales for the industry and the entities expected share of such sales. Sales forecasting involves a consideration of such factors as: I. General economic conditions. II. Industry trends III. Market research studies development IV. Anticipated advertising and promotion V. Previous market share VI. Changes in prices VII. New products VIII. Technology Short-term planning Short-term planning or budgeting is a process that focuses on short term, commonly one year, and results in the production of budgets that set the financial framework for that period. It is likely to be expressed mainly in financial terms and is designed to convert the long-term plan into an actionable blueprint for the future. The short-term planning is mainly carried out by Tactical managers and Operational managers. The budget will define precise targets for sales revenues and expenses, cash flows, short-term credit to be given or taken, inventory requirements, personnel requirements, increase profits, control costs, and invest for the future. Long-term Planning â€Å"Exercise aimed at formulating a long-term plan, to meet future needs estimated usually by extrapolation of present or known needs. It begins with the current status and charts out a path to the projected status, and generally includes short-term (operational or tactical plans) for achieving interim goals.† (Business Dictionary, n.d.) The above is a definition of Long-term planning or Strategic planning is usually carried out by senior management. The long-term plan covers a period of at least three years (some go up to five years) on a quarterly basis, forcing the organization into that discipline of thinking further out than one year. These plans should be updated when the short-range plan is prepared. Long-term strategies defines its overall effort in building market share, increasing revenues, decreasing costs, issues such as business take overs, expansion plans, deletion of business segments and radical product/service segment. (Budgeting, 2010) The way in which planning process is conducted depends on the industry and culture of the entity. Nevertheless, the entity outlines its long-term goals and specifies its short-range plans in quantifiable terms which detail how it expects to accomplish its goals (Hillstrom, 2013, p. 4) Long term planning Vs. Short-term planning Now that I put the definition and the functions of long term and short term planning before you. We will now see the advantages of long term and short term planning. * The main difference is the time period involved. The maximum length of a budget (or short term) is usually one year, and these budgets are prepared often for shorter period of time. In contrast, long-range planning usually encompasses a period of 3-5 years. * A second significant difference is the emphasis. Budgeting is concerned with the achievement of specific short-term goals. Long-range planning, on the other hand, is a formalized process of selecting strategies to achieve long-term goals and developing policies and plan to implement the strategies. Management is also responsible to respond to opportunities and challenges with strategic response that arise from anticipated trends in the economic and political environment. * Thirdly, there is difference between the details in the planning. Short term planning can be very detailed, this is to provide a basis for control. While long-rang plans contain considerably less details, because the data are intended for a review of progress towards long-term goals rather than for an evaluation of specific results to be achieved. The main objective of long-range planning is to develop the best strategy to maximize the entity’s performance over an extended future period. * Lastly, many entities today use a continuous 12-month budget by dropping the month just ended and adding a future month. One advantage of continuous short-term budgeting is that it keeps management planning a full year ahead, compared to just one-time planning for long term. Conclusion The preparation of budget is a valuable exercise as it forces management to look ahead and plan long term goal rather than to look back at the past. Once the long term goal has been set, a detailed short term planning can then be created. It is hence vital that budgeting is created as accurately as possible, as an error in data collection could affect the whole of the company’s operational and financial activities. The full benefits of budgeting can only be gained when the actual results are compared with the budgeted results then corrective actions are in place. Thus budgeting is a key component in managing short and long term planning. References Banham, R. (2000). Better Budgets. Journal of Accountancy, N.A. Budgeting. (2010). Retrieved from Entrepreneur: http://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/term/82266.html Business Dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved from Defination of Long-term Planning: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/long-term-planning.html Carlon, S., Mladenovic-Mcalpine, R., Loftus, J., Palm, C., Kimmel, P. D., Kieso, D. E., Weygandt, J. J. (2009). Accounting building business skills. New York: John Wiley Sons. Hillstrom, E. K. (2013, Jan 27). Budgets and Budgeting.. Retrieved from Encyclopedia of Small Business.Vol. 1. Gale Cengage: http://www.enotes.com/budgeting-reference/ Merchant, K. A., Hawkins, D., Anthony, R. (2006). Accounting Text Cases. Australia: McGraw-Hill Education.

Factors that lead to employee motivation

Factors that lead to employee motivation Employees are considered as one of the most valuable asset of an organization and they contribute to various activities of an organization. There is a need in every organizational to motivate their employees in order to render organizational commitment of the employees and if an employee is committed toward to an organization than there will be strong desire in an employee to work toward s the goals of an organization and to remain in the organization which will in turn lead to success of the organization. The purpose of this research is to examine and evaluate the factors which motivate the employees. One reason for choosing this topic is that it is an important fact that employees spend a lot of time at work for almost 40 years of their lives therefore it is important that employees should be satisfied with their job and the working environment. Apart from this topic being so interesting and important, there are different theories than can be used to look at motivation from different angles. Reasons for choosing Pepsi Pepsi co has a work oriented approach with highly skilled and knowledgeable employees. Pepsi is a world leader in producing beverages and other consumer product. PepsiCo in Pakistan produces financial rewards for its investors and provide growth opportunities to its employees. The aim of the management of PepsiCo is to build a work force that is motivated and associated with the objectives of the organization. At PepsiCo both financial and non financial practices are undertaken to motivate the employees. My research will focus on the non financial practices for motivation. Project Objectives and research questions: The objective of this research is to understand the factors that motivate employees. Employees not only focus on financial rewards but also non financial rewards and benefits which are responsible for motivation among employees. The objective of this report focuses on the impacts of non financial practices on employee motivation. A smaller part of this report will focus on the financial factors responsible for motivating employees. The main aim of this research is to identify and analyze the factors that motivate the employess using different theories of motivation. Both primary and secondary sources will be used to identify these factors. Primary research will give more detailed and in depth analysis. The main primary question will be: Are PepsiCo employees motivated? What factors lead to employee motivation? How can PepsiCo improve motivation of its employees? The answers to the above three questions will help in identifying and analyzing the areas of strengths and weakness in overall motivation process at PepsiCo. At the end recommendation will be given that how Pepsi can improve and work on their areas of weakness. Overall research approach: To begin with the research first of all I will analyze whether the employees at PepsiCo are motivated or not. I will use results obtained from primary research and secondary sources to do the overall analysis of motivation. Once I have found that employees at PepsiCo are motivated or not I will identify and analyze the factors that are responsible for motivating employees or responsible for their dissatisfaction. The factors that I will use will be based on the theories of motivation I will be using. There is at least one question in the primary research questionnaire for each factor. The questionnaire will ask the participating employees to put in order of importance the factors they consider are most important and will motivate them. The theories that I will be using are: Herzbergs motivation hygiene theory Vrooms expectancy theory From the information that I will obtain from primary and secondary research I will make recommendations to PepsiCo that on which factors they can improve on and which factors they should not focus on as they do not help in motivating employees. Finally in the conclusion I will discuss the overall effectiveness of the motivation process of employees at PepsiCo. Part 2: Sources and methods used for collecting information: The secondary sources that I am using for my research are websites, books and business magazines, whereas primary research will be conducted through a questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed among different employees working at different positions at PepsiCo. The questionnaire has at least one question relating to the factor considered. The participating employees were asked to put in order of importance the factors that the considered are the most important for their motivation. This help me identifying that where PepsiCo is putting its emphasis and on what factors it is not putting much emphasis. Limitations of your information gathering Ethical issues and how they were resolved The main ethical issue concerned was of confidentiality as this report discusses private personal information as well as information about PepsiCo which gives PepsiCo completive advantage. To overcome the issue of confidentiality the surveys are kept anonymous and individual results will not be shown. I am a customer of PepsiCo and I am an admirer of it. However I ensure that my results are not biased in favor of PepsiCo. I made sure that I focused on the factual data for my results. Accounting and/or business techniques and their limitations Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired goal; the reason for the action; that which gives purpose and direction to behaviour (Princeton, 2010). There are two types of motivation theories, process theories and content theories. According to content theory man has needs which tend to change over time. Man will be motivated when these needs are satisfied. Therefore the theory identifies factors that are needed to be satisfied in order to motivate an individual. Whereas process theories believe that motivation leads to actions which will satisfy an individuals need. Content theory believes thats if needs of an individual are satisfied then he is motivated whereas process theories believe motivation leads to actions that can satisfy needs. There are two types of process theories, expectancy theory and equity theory. According to expectancy theory an individual has to expect that their ability and skill will help them to complete a task which will lead to fulfillment of desired need. Therefore a job design is important. Equity theory analyzes the ratio between an individual input and the expected outcome. An individual input includes his effort, his ability, his training etc where as the expected outcome includes the pay he is getting, his status etc. An individual is de-motivated when he believes that his input to output ratio is not similar to his coworkers in the company. For example if one employees earns à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200,000 of revenue for the company in a year and earns an income of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬30,000 whereas his coworker who has been at the company for 4 years longer than him earns an income of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬40,000 even though he also earns à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬200,000 of revenue for the company. For my research project the motivation theories I have chosen is one process and one content theory, which are discussed below: Herzbergs Hygiene Motivation theory Frederick Herzberg (1966) was a student of accountants and engineers in Pennsylvania and he identified the two-factor theorem for job satisfaction. He noted that the opposite of satisfaction is not, no satisfaction but is dissatisfaction. Therefore the two factors he indentified ere hygiene factors and motivating factors. The hygiene factors are those which remove job dissatisfaction and motivating factors are those which cause job satisfaction. Hygiene factors are the needs which an employer must provide in order to stop an employees dissatisfaction. Some of the primary hygiene factors are : Company policy Supervision Working conditions Relationship with peers Salary Security These factors are all external and will satisfy human physiological needs. Physiological needs include such as food and shelter etc Whereas motivating factors will satisfy a persons psychological needs and are fundamental. The important motivating factors are: Achievement Recognition Work itself Responsibility Advancement and Growth Motivating factors will not be met until and unless hygiene factors are not met. However if both factors are successful then the employees will be loyal and will be more productive. Now looking at the limitations of the theory: The first limitation this theory has is that it does not see employees as individuals with different personalities. As all human beings have different needs and different wants therefore it is inappropriate to consider that same factors will motivate everybody. The second limitation with this theory is that it assumes that only motivated employees are productive however this may not hold true in some cases. Therefore it can be seen that theory does not consider an individuals ability and his skills. Also at time the managers blame that hygiene factors lead to employees dissatisfaction and they tend to ignore the motivating factors, which may be the main reason for an employees de-motivation. Vrooms Expectancy theory of motivation. Vroom presented the following equation for motivation: Motivation = Valence x Expectancy (Instrumentality) In this equation Valence means the depth of want and expectancy and instrumentality considered the employees perception about his chances of receiving bonus or reward. This theory is based on the employees ability to predict whether he will be able to complete the given task. This ability to predict can be low for tasks which are complex and in such cases the theory will be considered ineffective. Part 3 Results, analysis conclusions and recommendations Are employees at PepsiCo motivated? Interest in task According to the content theories, when an individual is attracted in what they are doing it motivates them to complete the task. According to Herzberg this is an essential factor and therefore is a need to develop this factor in the employees. Therefore it is important to understand that if the need for interest of the employees is satisfied than they will be motivated to work and perform the task successfully. Process theorists also agree that interest fac t is important for motivation bur however according to them, individuals are motivated because they believe that they will get the desired reward. According to Vroom if an individual is interested in their wok and are satisfied with their job then they will believe that they will succeed and they are motivated to work for their success. Hence Interest in task by the employee is an important factor and PepsiCo should give time to it. Graph exp As in the questionnaire question 1 and 2 are about the factor interest in task. The results shows that employees at PepsiCo believe that their work task gives them personal satisfaction as they have answered these questions as agree and strongly agree. None of the employees said that they were dissatisfied with their job, however it is seen from the survey that satisfaction level of some employees need to be improved therefore there is a room for improvement for PepsiCo. Also on the important list of the survey this factor varies from levels 1 to 9, which shows that how different employees view this factors importance. This shows that the result match with Vrooms theory because the employees feel that interest in task does not have a positive relation with skills and ability and the results does not correlate with Herbergs theory which believes that interest in task is a motivator. Recognition Recognition means that you are acknowledged by the other because of your good performance in a task. According to Herzberg recognition is an important intrinsic motivating factor because it gives an employee the feeling of self worth and an employee feels good about himself. If an employee feels good about him and is confident then he will be motivated as well. According to Vroom recognition makes an employee motivated to do the work again as he knows that it will lead to success. Process Theorist believe on larger rewards such as financial bonuses where as Herzbergs theory prefers smaller rewards and frequents recognitions for making one feel good about himself. Graph Working environment According to Herzberg working environment is a hygiene factor that is required to keep away dissatisfaction but it is not a motivator itself. According to Process theories a factor is only motivating if it helps individuals in achieving a specific goal. According to Vroom a working environment is a motivator as it is required to perform a task. This factors shows that how both theories have different conclusions about it. Graph n explanation 4. Relationship with peers According to Herzberg relationships are not needed by individuals as they are an external factor. Content theories don not encourage companies to spend their resources on building relationships among peers. According to Vroom the need for relationship among peers is important depends on whether it is an important factor in achieving success. According to the equity theory motivation depends how individuals sees themselves by comparing himself with the others in the same organization. Graph n explanation Relationship with senior The use of the theories for this factor is alike to the conclusion drawn in the above factor relationships with peers but process theorist would see this factor as a motivating factor because it is important to build relationship with seniors and gain their respect in order to get promotion. Graph n explanation Reasonable expectations from the organization Reasonable expectations mean that a just quantity of work is given by the manager. According to Herzberg this factor is a hygiene factor and not a motivator because unreasonable expectations from the manager will lead to dissatisfaction even if other motivating factors are also present. According to Vroom this is a motivating factor because if they expectations are reasonable the employee will believe that he will be able to succeed and hence will be motivated to perform the task. Graph n explanation Career advancement According to Herzberg career advancement is a motivating factor because it indicates personal growth and the employee who is given growth opportunities and promotions will be motivated to work. According to process theorists career advancement is a motivating factor as long as the individual feels that it is realistic and the expectations for promotion are high. According to Vroom career advancement is a motivating factor as this will lead to employees ability to succeed. Graph n explanation Company Pride Graph n explanation 9. Monetary rewards Graph n explanation 10. Job Security Graph n explanation Sample questionnaire Gender: Male Female Age Length of time working at the company: Less than 1 year 1-3 years 4-6 years 7-10 years More than10 years Department: The numbers indicate the following: 1 Strongly disagree 2 -disagree 3 Neutral 4 -agree 5 Strongly agree My work is interesting. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Doing my job fine gives me personal satisfaction. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree My manager gives me recognition when I do an excellent job. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree The company has reasonable expectations from its employees. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am satisfied with the working environment 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree There is a feeling of teamwork in the company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree The people I work with improve my job satisfaction 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I respect my manager as a capable professional. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree My manager treats me with respect. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I have satisfactory opportunities for professional growth in this company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am satisfied with the level of training 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am rewarded for the work I perform 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I would leave the company if I was offered better salary at another company 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I feel my job is secure 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I expect to leave the company within the next 12 months 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree I am proud to work for the company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Overall, I am very satisfied with my job at the company. 1 2 3 4 5 . Strongly disagree disagree neutral agree strongly agree Put the following in order of importance to you regarding your satisfaction (number 1 most important, 9 Least important, next to each item) Interest in job Recognition Working conditions Relationship with peers Relationship with seniors Reasonable expectations from my manager Career progression Monetary rewards Job Security Other Please state

The Necessity Of Computer Security :: essays research papers

The Necessity Of Computer Security When the first electronic computers emerged from university and military laboratories in the late 1940s and early 1950s, visionaries proclaimed them the harbingers of a second industrial revolution that would transform business, government and industry. But few laymen, even if they were aware of the machines, could see the connection. Experts too, were sceptical. Not only were computers huge, expensive, one-of-a-kind devices designed for performing abstruse scientific and military calculations, such as cracking codes and calculations missile trajectories, they were also extremely difficult to handle. Now, it is clear that computers are not only here to stay, but they have a profound effect on society as well. As John McCarthy, Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, speculated in 1966: "The computer gives signs of becoming the contemporary counterpart of the steam engine that brought on the industrial revolution - one that is still gathering momentum and whose true nature had yet to be seen." Today's applications of computers are vast. They are used to run ordinary household appliances such as televisions and microwaves, to being tools in the workplaces through word processing, spreadsheets, and graphics software, to running monumental tasks such as being the heart and soul of the nations tax processing department, and managing the project timetables of the Space Shuttle. It is obvious that the computer is now and always will be inexorably linked to our lives, and we have no choice but to accept this technology and learn how to harness its total potential. With any progressing technology, an unauthorized application can almost be found for it. A computer could and has been used for theft and fraud - for example, as a database and manager of illegal activities such as drug trafficking and pornography. However, we must not just consider the harmful applications of the computer, but also take into account the good that they have caused. When society embraced the computer technology, we have to treat this as an extension of what we already have at hand. This means that some problems that we had before the computer era may also arise now, in the form where computers are an accessory to a crime. One of the problems that society has faced ever since the dawn of civilization is privacy. The issue of privacy on the Internet has risen many arguments for and against having it. The issue of privacy has gotten to the point where the government of the United States has placed a bill promoting a single chip to encrypt all private material on the Internet. Why is privacy so important? Hiding confidential material from intruders

Environment and Climate Change in Panama Essays -- Weather Panama Envi

Environment and Climate Change in Panama Home to vast tropical rainforests, an immense variety of animal and plant species and the seaway that connects the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, Panama relies heavily on all these resources for its economy. However, environmental challenges threaten the sustainability of these assets and therefore create a significant problem for the country. This paper will examine the effect of weather and climate change on Panama coupled with a specific focus on the Panama Canal. It concentrates largely on the effects of deforestation, coupled with the effect of El-Nino, and examines how this has had significant economic and social consequences. Panama has a tropical maritime climate, which provides the country with a long, rainy season between May and January and a short, dry season between January and May. Average temperatures are usually high and humidity levels almost never drop below 80%. The country’s carbon emissions are not significant to account for a percentage of the world emissions and they have relatively stayed the same during the period 1995-2000.[i] Forest area stood at 38.6% on 2002, with nationally protected areas at 21.7% of total area.[ii] In general, data has shown an increase in highly â€Å"unusual extreme weather events† since 1992 in the Latin America region and has predicted that these phenomena will become more frequent. These unusual events, coupled with local social and demographic factors, have created emergency conditions in Panama. One of the most significant challenges to Panama’s environment today is deforestation. Forest area has decreased from 45.6% in 1995 to 38.6% ... ....† Retrieved on 11/09/2007 from: Fonseca, Gustavo A.B. â€Å"No Forest Left Behind.† PLOS Biology. 08/14/2007. Retrieved on 11/10/2007 from: United Nations Environment Programme. â€Å"Climate Change Hits Hard on Latin America and the Caribbean.† Press Release. 2007. Retrieved on 12/13/2007 from: University Corporation of Atmospheric Research. Reducing the Impact of Environmental Emergencies Through Early Warning and Preparedness. â€Å"Panama Canal Case Study: Impacts and Responses to the 1997-98 El Nino Event.† Retrieved on 11/10/2007 from:

The Basis of Medical Practice Essay -- Health, The Birthmark, Hawthorn

Overall, medical practice is performed when physicians identify health concerns, including diseases, mental disorders, and physical injuries, and provide a treatment for their patients in order to properly cure them of their maladies. The appropriate basis for medical practice is a combination of physicians’ knowledge acquired from scientific research and education, and ethical considerations regarding the wellbeing of patients. Additionally, if no scientific support is available, patients must rely on intuition and experience in order to make a proper diagnosis. On the whole, science plays a major role in the realm of medicine, as it is the foundation for the creation of new treatments and education. Science is defined as â€Å"†¦research firmly based upon one or more past scientific achievements, achievements that some particular scientific community acknowledges for a time as supplying the foundation for its further practice† (Kuhn 70). The aspect of scientific research is important because as more diseases and medical conditions become recognized, scientists need to discover possible cures and develop medicine in order for physicians to treat their patients. For example, in A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness, neuroscientist V.S. Ramachandran recounts how patients with â€Å"reflex sympathetic dystrophy†, also known as RSD, were research subjects in a scientific experiment to discover if there was a way to cure their unremitting pain (17). As a result of this experiment, a new and effective treatment for those in chroni c pain was determined once it was discovered that the patients’ pain went away completely and mobility returned to limbs when mirrors were utilized (18). Through science, the answer to how physicians may prescribe a trea... ...per medical treatment. V.S. Ramachandran states that â€Å"randomized, controlled trial research do not make clinical decisions for physicians; rather, they must be applied to individual patients and clinical situations based on value judgments, both by physicians and patients. Clinical decision-making must entail value judgments about the costs and benefits of available treatments† (91). A patient can practice medicine by deciding whether a certain treatment option is right for him or her. For example, an individual might choose to take medication instead of having surgery because of monetary costs, or decide which prescription drug to take based on the potential side effects. Overall, though a physician may advise an individual on a certain treatment to cure him or her of a medical concern, it is ultimately the patients’ decision on whether or not to carry it out. â€Æ'

General Essay on Chinese Religions Essay

Early Chinese religion belongs to the mythical and prehistoric period. Tradition speaks of the origins of Chinese culture lying in the 3rd millennium BCE with the Hsia dynasty. As of yet no historical evidence has been found for such a dynasty; all references to it are mythical. It is only with the Shang dynasty, which is traditionally dated from 1766 to 1122 BCE, that we find evidence of a developing culture and religious practices. The religion of the Shang was principally characterised by the use of oracle bones for divination and the development of the cult of ancestors. It was believed that the cracks that resulted from burning ox bones or tortoise shells represented messages sent from the gods about a variety of matters such as illness, the weather or hunting. Belief in deities and the practice of the worship of ancestors has persisted in Chinese life, and has come to form the basis of what has broadly been termed popular religion. Popular religion in fact represents a mixture of early religion and elements of the three great religions: Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. At the heart of popular religion is the worship of deities and veneration of ancestors at shrines in the home or temples. There are many deities associated with this form of religion, but the best known are Shang Ti, the supreme ruler of heaven, and Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy and protector of women and children. In the Chou dynasty a more structured form of religion developed. This is associated with the teaching of Kung-Fu Tzu (551-479 BCE), whose Latinised name is Confucius. Confucius sought to establish a socio-political ethical system, with theological beliefs concerned with human destiny and the conduct of human relationships in society, based on a belief in the goodness of human nature. He believed in a providential Heaven (T’ien) and in prayer which encouraged him in his mission. He emphasised the five relationships – namely, Father-Son; Ruler-Subject; Husband-Wife; eldest son to brothers; friend and friend – to be expressed by ‘li’ (correct ceremony) to bring ‘he’ (harmony). Such relationships were rooted in family piety which came to give a prominent place to Ancestor Worship and to respect for deified men, which came to find expression in the Sacrifices of the State religion. The Confucian canon can be divided into two parts: the Five Classics and the Four Books. The Five Classics were handed down from earlier times and emphasised by Confucius. These are the Book of Odes; the Book of History; the Book of Rites; the Book of Divination; and the Spring and Autumn Annals. The Four Books consist of The Analects (Conversations of Confucius); the Doctrine of the Mean; The Great Learning; and the Book of Mencius. Out of the teachings of Confucius emerged various schools associated with a master. Notable was the work of Meng-Tzu (c. 371-c. 289 BCE) and Hsun-Tzu (300-230 BCE). Meng-Tzu and Hsun-Tzu formed rival schools whose doctrinal differences were based in a fundamentally different conception of human nature. Meng-Tzu taught that people were fundamentally good and that what made them bad was their environment. Consequently, Meng-Tzu emphasised the importance of education as a means for bringing out the innate goodness of people. By way of contrast, Hsun-Tzu had a more pessimistic view of human nature. Hsun-Tzu taught that people were inherently evil, and that they could only be taught to be good through training. He also was religiously sceptical, teaching that religious ritual had no purpose except to provide moral training. It was this negative attitude towards religion that was one of the main factors behind the subsequent rejection of the teachings of Hsun-Tzu by mainstream Confucianism and the establishment of Meng-Tzu’s teachings as orthodox. At the same time that Confucianism was developing, two rival schools were active in China: the Mohists and the Legalists. Mohism was founded by Mo Tzu (c. 470-390 BCE). Mo Tzu advocated universal love and opposed the elaborate and expensive rituals that defined Chinese religious life. This put him at odds with Confucianism in that Confucianism advocated particular love for one’s parents as well as the importance of ritual for interpersonal relations. Although during the 4th century Mohism was strong enough to rival Confucianism, it went into decline in the 3rd century, and by the time of the unification of China in 221 had virtually disappeared. It is unclear why the tradition declined so quickly. Legalism is more of a political philosophy than a religion. The various strands of legalist doctrine were systematised by Han Fei Tzu (d. 233 BCE). Han Fei Tzu had been taught by Hsun Tzu and adopted his pessimistic attitude to human nature. Unlike Hsun Tzu, Han Fei Tzu did not believe that people could be reformed, advocating instead a strong, even ruthless, form of government that could control human behaviour. Legalist principles were put into effect by the Chin dynasty, which unified China in 221 BCE, and was subsequently overthrown in 207 BCE. The brief rule of the Ch’in had a devastating impact on Confucianism, whose scholars it persecuted and whose books it destroyed. Fortunately for the tradition, Confucianism received official acceptance of the Han dynasty and flourished during the Han period. Under the Han dynasty (206 BCE – 220CE), the T’ang dynasty (618-907 CE), and the Sung dynasty (960-1127CE) Confucian teaching was used for public examinations. In 631 CE the Confucian canon was made the sole subject for the examination of aspirants to official positions, so Confucianism came to be known as â€Å"Ju-chiao†, â€Å"the Doctrine of the learned†. During the Sung dynasty (960-1126 CE) Neo-Confucianism emerged as a distinct movement in response to Taoism and Buddhism. Two traditions of Neo-Confucian thought emerged: the School of Principle, represented by Chu Hsi (1130-1200), and the School of Mind, represented by Lu Chiu Yuan (1139-1193) and, later, Wang Yang Ming (1472-1529). Chu Hsi sought to provide a metaphysical explanation of the nature of reality as well as an ethic for human conduct. For Chu Hsi the basis of all reality was the Supreme Ultimate (T’ai Chi). In order for people to live properly they had to purify their ch’i (vital energy) through taming their desires so that they could be united with the Supreme Ultimate. In reaction to Chu Hsi’s dualistic perception of reality Lu Chiu Yuan presented a monistic picture of the universe. He claimed that the universe and the mind are one. Therefore, through understanding one’s own mind one could understand the nature of the cosmos. This was developed by Wang Yang-ming. Wang Yang-ming believed that individuals could perfect themselves through moral self-cultivation. This involved returning to an original mind whose principal quality was love (jen). Also of ancient origin is Taoism – whose classic text, the Tao Te Ching, is attributed to a supposed contemporary of Confucius (551-479), Lao Tzu. This text has had many interpreters whose works have developed in various sects, some of which have been very influential. There are two streams of Taoism: Religious Taoism, which is represented by the many sects concerned with the quest for immortality, and Philosophical Taoism, which was concerned to explain the human condition. The major imported religion is Mahayana Buddhism which is believed to have entered China in the 1st century BCE. An important early Buddhist teacher was An Shih Kao who founded what came to be known as the Dhyana School, characterised by its emphasis on meditation. Another major early school was the Prajna school whose doctrines were based on the interpretation of the Perfection of Wisdom (Prajnaparamita). It was, however, between the 5th and 8th centuries that Buddhist schools flourished and developed in China. Schools that were active at this time were: San-Lun, Ch’ing-tu, Ti’en-t’ai, Ch’an, Chu-she, Hua-yen, Lu, San-chieh, Fa-hsiang and Chen-yen. The great persecution of Buddhism in the middle of the 9th century led to its rapid decline, and by the time of the Sung dynasty only the Ch’an and Ch’ing-tu schools remained significant. Incursions from the West began at an early date, mainly in regard to trade and commerce from Arabia and India, probably to Canton or Hangchow. Infiltration of a different kind took place under the Mongols (1260-1368), when the armies of Ghengis Khan spread westwards over countries occupied by the Muslims. The records of the Yuan dynasty indicate that many distinguished officials (both military and civil) were Muslims, bringing with them knowledge of Arabic science known to Kublai Khan and the use of catapults in siege warfare. In Ming times Arabic books on science came into the Imperial library. After the Mongol period, no great influx of Muslims took place, but they spread into most provinces of China, especially in the north-west and west (the provinces of Kansu, Szechwan and Yunnan) and in the north-east (in Manchuria and Hipei). They mainly live in their own communities in their mosques and schools. Their first mosque appears to have been built in Sian in 742. Another group attracted by commerce were the Jews who traded across Central Asia, during the T’ang dynasty (618-907), whose communities have mainly been along the sea board in cities such as Shanghai and Canton. The earliest evidence we have of a Jewish community in China derives from a letter written in the 8th century by a Jewish merchant I China. By the 9th century there was a distinct Jewish community in Kaifung, its continued presence evidenced by the construction of a synagogue in the city in 1163. From the 15th century onwards the Jews became increasingly integrated into Chinese life to the extent that by the 19th century the community had all but lost its distinctive identity. As a result of the western colonialism of China in the 19th century and the establishment of new trading contacts with Europe Jews settled in some of the major cities of China. Christianity came to China first by the way of Nestorian Christians, after the arrival of A-Lo-Pen in 781 where it flourished for two centuries (by favour of the imperial court) until the reign of Wu Tsung who closed the monasteries and persecuted the church. It flourished again under Mongol rule in the 13th century, and in 1289 Kublai Khan established an office for the supervision of Christians. At about this time the Roman Catholic Church came to the Mongol empire, when a Franciscan monk came to the Khan’s court of Kharatorui in 1246. Shortly after that St Louis of France sent an embassy, followed by Marco Polo in 1275; a request from Kublai Khan for a hundred teachers did not, however, bear fruit apart from a small Franciscan mission led by John of Monterovino, who was appointed Archbishop in Cantilec in 1289, and under him three bishops were appointed. Then in the 16th century the Society of Jesus became very active in China inspired by the work of Francis Xavier who had preached in India and Japan. Matteo Ricci came to Canton in 1610 and then to Peking, where he founded a Christian community and gained prominence as an outstanding astronomer. From that time the Roman Catholic Church has continued despite periods of persecution. Protestant missions date from 1807 with W. Morrison’s arrival in Canton for the London Missionary Society. Other missions soon followed – with the Presbyterians in 1847, the Anglicans in 1849 and the Methodists in 1850. Also prominent have been the China Inland Mission, under Hudson Taylor – an interdenominational missionary society. In the twentieth century house churches have been prominent, often associated with such evangelists as Watchman Key. These Protestant activists have contributed greatly to educational and medical developments as well as political and social influences from the West; these were often backed by military force and, therefore, deeply resented. Recent changes under Communist influence, led by Mao, have been profound, strengthening agnostic tendencies for many in the population. Traditional religious practices are still continued in many homes in China and among overseas Chinese. In recent times relaxation of restriction has given fresh opportunity for religious activity. Many Taoist and Buddhist temples, as well as mosques and churches, are being renovated and reopened. Greater openness to the West has been accompanied by renewed conversion to Christianity; the demise of communism has encouraged the rediscovery of traditional religious values. Taiwan has provided an important haven for traditional Chinese religions, as well as the establishment of new religions, since the Nationalist government established itself on the island in 1949. A number of syncretic movements such as San-I-Chiao (â€Å"Three in One Religion†), were suppressed in China following the Communist victory, but have found a haven in Taiwan. Other interesting traditions that have been transplanted to Taiwan are those which are collectively designated the Hsien T’ien Tao (â€Å"Way of Former Heaven sects†). Five of the best known of these are the I-kuan Tao, the T’ung shan She, the T’ien-te Shang-chiao, the the Tao-yuan, and the Tz’u-hui T’ang. These are characterised by a belief in a creator deity (usually a cosmic Mother figure) from whom humanity has strayed. These sects also claim to transcend all other religions and, therefore, provide a way by which all these religions can be united. All but one (the T’zu-hui T’ang) were founded in mailand China, later moving to Taiwan. The T’zu-hui T’ang was itself founded in Taiwn in 1949. Also originating from the mainland are the spirit-writing cults. These are cults which derive religious beliefs and practices from a deity mediating through an entranced medium. The practice of spirit writing has been a part of Chinese life probably since the T’ang dynasty (618-907). In the 19th century a spirit-writing movement developed in China and entered Taiwan in the same century. This continues to be part of the Taiwanese religious landscape to the present day. There are, of course, a number of recently emerged distinctively Taiwanese movements. Xuan Yuan Jiao (â€Å"Religion of the Yellow Emperor†) was founded in Taiwan in 1957. Xuan Yuan Jiao represents the attempt to recapture the spirit of pre-Han Chinese religion through incorporating Taoist, Confucianist and Mohist teachings and interpreting these as emanating from a tradition that derives from the Yellow Emperor. The religion is highly political in character since its purpose is to revive China’s national spirit following the â€Å"loss† of the mainland to communism. Buddhism continues to flourish in Taiwan. Following the Communist victory in mainland China in 1949 a further wave of Buddhist monks arrived in Taiwan from the mainland. This has strengthened the presence of Chinese Mahayana Buddhism in the island and influenced the character of earlier traditions. Since 1950 the Buddhist Association of the Republic of China has been the focal point of Taiwanese Buddhism. This is responsible for ordination ceremonies for Buddhist monks, nuns and lay people. In more recent years Taiwanese Buddhism has adopted a more missionary approach both within Taiwan and abroad, particularly in North America. In the 1960s two important Buddhist organizations emerged: the Tzu Chi Compassion Relief Foundation and Fo Kuang Shan. The first of these was founded in 1966 by a self-ordained nun named Cheng-yen. This organization has sought to introduce a strong degree of social concern into Taiwanese Buddhism. Fo Kuang Shan’s origins can be dated to 1967 when when a Chinese monk, the Ven. Hsing-yun, opened a temple at Fo Kuang Shan in Southern Taiwan. Like the Tzu Chi Compassion Relief Foundation, Fo Kuang Shan emphasizes social action as a means to promote Buddhist values. More recently, Ling Jiao Shan in the north of Taiwan has become a centre of Buddhist activity. Founded by Master Hsin Tao, Ling Jiao Shan has acquired prominence within Taiwan and beyond on account of its establishment of a museum of world religions with branches in Taiwan and the United States.