The Handmaids Tale - short summary Essay Example for Free

The Handmaids Tale short summary Essay The novel The Handmaids Tale written by Margret Atwood is about how the government chose to control the way the community was run and control the lives of men and women. The novel tells the story from the perspective of a middle-aged woman named Offred who questions societys accepted beliefs and conventions. Offred is a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead who is constantly questioning the government beliefs and rules. Her character pushes the limits set out by the government. This is thoroughly illustrated through her defiance of against the social conventions, her methods of challenging them and the final outcome of her challenge. Firstly, Offred challenges many laws within The Handmaids Tale including socializing with the commander and Nick, and being in the sitting room. Handmaids are a class who are not to socialize with the commander; Offred explains, Its forbidden for us to be alone with the commanders (Atwood 128). She spends a large amount of time with the commander although she is well aware of the laws within the community. Being a handmaid Offred is not allowed into the sitting room. One night she wanders down to the sitting room to try something new, she is there to be independent; she likes to be on her own. I like this. I am doing something, on my own. The active Tense. Tensed. What I would like to steal is a knife from the kitchen, but Im not ready for that (Atwood 92). At this point Nick interrupts her. Nick and Offred are not allowed to associate with each other. I freeze, white was a mistake. Im snow in moonlight, even in the dark (Atwood 92). She breaks laws, knows what she is doing to be wrong but her need to test the laws convinces her to proceed. Secondly, the novel indicates that Offred breaks many laws by spending time alone with the commanders and her presence in the sitting room with Nick. Offred visits with the commander and plays scrabble with him. Id like you to play a game of Scrabble with me. he says (Atwood 130). In playing scrabble she breaks the law against handmaids spending independent time with commanders without the supervision of the wife. One night she heads down into the sitting room to do something rebellious. She has the thought of stealing. In the wood at midnight, magic flower. A withered daffodil with daffodils will soon be thrown out (Atwood 92). Shortly after Nick interrupts her. He puts his hand on my arm, pulls me against him, his mouth on mine, what else comes from such denial? Without a word. Both of us shaking, how Id like to. In Serenas parlour, with the direct flowers on the Chinese carpet, his thin body My hand goes down I could unbutton, and then. But its too dangerous (Atwood 92) Although she is cautious about her choices she still breaks the laws, she knows what she is doing and she still continues. Finally, while ignoring the laws, Offred gains many things including the need for and the suffering, excitement, laughter and love of a strong friendship. After her interaction with Nick she becomes confused and anxious You can wet the rim of a glass. This is what I feel like: this sound of glass. I feel like the word shatter. I want to be with someone (Atwood 97). She is afraid. She does not know what to think about this passion she is having. But this is wrong; nobody dies from lack of sex. Its lack of love we die from. There is nobody her I can love, all the people I could love are dead or elsewhere. Who knows where they are or what their names are now? They might as well be nowhere, as I am for them. (Atwood 97) The friendship she gains with the commander affects her in powerful ways, she begins to feel differently about herself. I am thirty-three years old. I have brown hair. I stand five seven without shoes. I have trouble remembering what I used to look like. I have viable ovaries. I have one more chance Circumstances have altered (Atwood 135). It is shown that her actions cause her confusion and she is in a state where she had begun to have hope. In conclusion, the author Margret Atwood follows the pattern of fictional novels with The Handmaids Tale by having the main character, Offred, constantly questioning the social beliefs and conventions in the Republic of Gilead. Offreds want for a better life is illustrated through her challenges against the social standards, her methods of testing them and the final outcome of her defiance. Sarah Driscoll January 17, 2005 Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Margaret Atwood section.

Effect of Foreign Direct Investment in the Retailing Sector

Effect of Foreign Direct Investment in the Retailing Sector The effect of foreign direct investment in the retailing sector  on the economy of Russia Abstract Following the dramatic, although sometime erratic growth of the retail sector in Russia, this paper provides an insight into the growth of this sector of the Russian economy, particularly concentrating upon the impact of foreign direct investment. As part of this process the research studies the potential benefits that are available to the foreign corporation together with the difficulties that making such an investment can experience. It is concluded that, providing Russia maintains a democratic political structure and can eliminate the adverse elements of their current system, such as corporate crime, the country provides an attractive market for retail globalisation, which will continue to benefit the Russian economy. Executive Summary Since the barriers of communism have been eradicated and a capitalist structure introduced, the Russian retail sector has experienced significant growth. As this report shows, much of this has been achieved through the relaxation of the Russian approach to foreign direct investment. From the research conducted for this paper it can be seen that FDI has contributed significantly to the present growth levels being experienced in Russia. Nevertheless, upon analysis of the benefits and disadvantages that face an international retailer wishing to take advantage of this emerging market place, it has been found that there are issues that need to be addressed if the current level of growth is to be sustained in the future. There is little doubt that, with the size of its consumer population and the continuing level of demand for western products, that Russia represents a major new market for the international retailer corporation. As revealed within this paper those who have already established outlets within this market place have already created a competitive advantage for their businesses. The report finds that there are some significant difficulties that still exist, which create a level of reluctance with new entrants. Most of these are based upon the demographic spread of the population, together with the cost of entry that is increased as a result of the current tax and regulatory regime. Similarly, the current domestic retailers are, in some instances, showing reluctance to participate in proposed mergers or takeovers. Whilst this low level of entry from external firms continues, the domestic retailers are also taking advantage of the situation by consolidating their own position within the market. This is being done by way of mergers and also by using the Western concept of retailing and extending their reach and coverage, not only through the main towns and cities, but also throughout the more rural areas. In reality, if they maintain these strategies, it will only serve to further increase the cost of entry to external firms and, from the FDI view, this would further delay their ability to benefit from the available market share. Therefore, we would suggest that two issues be addressed. That, if they wish to be active players in the increasing Russian retail market, the should evaluate whether the cost of immediate entry outweighs the potential loss of future competitive advantage. In respect of the Russian government, it is suggested that there should be consideration given to incorporating a more level of tariffs that is more in line with international standards, thereby increasing the attractiveness of their retail markets to foreign organisations. This is particularly important as they are also competing against other emerging countries and, if they want to benefit from the available investment, like the corporate retailers, they need to consider the advantage of early entry. Table of Contents Abstract Executive Summary Table of Contents List of Tables List of Figures List of Figures Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Motivation for the research 1.2. Aims and objectives 1.3 Overview Chapter 2: Literature Review 2.1 Russian change to capitalism 2.2 The Russian Retail Sector 2.3 Foreign Investment in Russia’s Retail sector 2.4 Summary Chapter 2: Methodology 2.1. Research method 2.2. Research material choice 2.3. Research performance Chapter 3: Findings and Analysis 4.1 Russian retail sector 4.2 Foreign Direct Investment 4.3 Problems and benefits to FDI 4.4 Advantages of FDI to Russian Retail Sector Chapter 6: Conclusion Bibliography Books Journals List of Tables Table 2 FDI in emerging countries in Europe Table 3 Russian major retailers. Table 3 FDI levels 2006-2007 Table 4 Potential FDI retail entrants List of Figures Figure 1 Russian retail growth Figure 2 Breakdown of retail sales Figure 3 Russia Hot Drink sales Figure 4 retail sales 2005 Chapter 1: Introduction 1.1 Motivation for the research Since the Russian political environment changed in the early 1990’s from the closed communistic approach to the more open capitalist format, which has allowed for the involvement of external financial institutions and corporations, the country’s economy has undergone a dramatic evolutionary process. As a result of this change, and notwithstanding the severe difficulties experienced in 1998, the Russian economy has achieved a remarkable pattern of growth over the past two decades. Nowhere has this growth factor been more noticeable that in the country’s retail sector, which according to recent research (RNOS 2006) has seen a recent growth of 30.8%, of which the food sector itself accounted for 22%. The same report forecasts a dramatic increase on these figures by the end of 2008, with food sector growth expected to double. However, such a dramatic increase in the rate of growth experience could not have been achieved solely by the privatisation of the internal marketplace. As with the economies of other emerging capitalists markets the Russian retail sector has attracted the attention of international corporate players, who have shown an interest in opening outlets in places like Moscow so that they can gain a significant share of the extremely large Russian consumer market. Many international corporations have already established a presence in this marketplace and other corporations such as the American giant Wal-Mart are seriously discussing projects that help them gain entry to this sector of the Russian economy. 1.2. Aims and objectives The purpose of this paper is to evaluate what effect this FDI[1] by external corporations has had upon the Russian retail sector. In conducting this research the objectives are to: To provide a better understanding of the economic forces that currently operates in the Russian retail sector. To evaluate the benefits and difficulties experienced by foreign corporations that have already established a presence in the Russian retail sector. To provide an indication of the issues that corporation intending to invest in the Russian retail economy will need to consider. To evaluate the impact that FDI has on the Russian Retail market It is intended that this paper will add to the existing literature available on the issues raised and provide an indication of areas whether further research needs to be considered. 1.3 Overview Following on from this introduction a review and evaluation of the current available literature relating to the issues raised will be conducted in chapter two. In chapter three the methodology for our research is explained in detail and this is followed by an analysis and discussion of the findings of that research. Chapter five concludes the paper and includes appropriate recommendations as well as indications of where the authors feel that further research on the subject may be beneficial. Chapter 2: Literature Review Within this literature review it is the intention to provide an understanding of the historical growth of the Russian retail sector economy since the capital free-market approach was adopted. As an integral part of this review will concentrate upon the political structure and how this differs from that of more developed countries, such as the UK and US. Furthermore, this chapter will review research that has previously been conducted in respect of the external organisations that have already began to operate within this sector of the Russian economy, outlining the experiences that they have had working within this relatively new capitalist environment. 2.1 Russian change to capitalism Following the collapse of communism in the late 1980’s, Russia began the slow steps towards building a free market economy, and this has caught the attention of numerous academic writers and observers. Many researchers, such as Dyker (2004), Medvedev (2000) and Gustafon (2001), have commented upon the fact that in the initial stages this free-market development was hampered by the continuing power struggle that was still taking place between the old hardliners and the new democratic factions. However, when Yeltsin defeated the attempted coup in 1992, power was finally wrestled from the central politicians and the process of conversion to capitalism could and did begin (Medevdev 2000, p.11). This forward move to a capitalist structure was reinforced in the same year by the â€Å"de-controlling† of prices (Gustafon 2001, 10). However, like fledgling free market economies, in the early stages of development the transition bought with it some difficulties. One of the major difficulties was the financial problem resulting from falling output. A Dyker (2004, p.5) and Granville and Oppenheimer (2001, p.3), comment in their research, it was expected that the transition would be â€Å"weak†, and they have expressed some surprise that the West â€Å"despite their expertise on communist regimes,† as Granville and Oppenheimer (2001, p.3) comment, were not prepared for this event. Others have also commented upon the levels of dishonesty in those early years. In Vadim Volkov (2002, p.3 and p.10) study of the Russian Mafia and organised crime, he reveals that there was a significant rise in business crime, particularly extortion and protection rackets. Volkov’s research shows that by the end of the 1980’s the reported incidences had exceeded 4,500 per annum and that it continued to grow dramatically during the early part of the 1990’s, reaching a peak of 17,169 cases in 1996 and the state was struggling to control this situation. The only beneficial effect of this racketeering as far as Volkov (2002, p.142) was that it led to a growth of a retail security sector. Russia also experienced a significant financial disaster in 1998, which saw the relatively new stock market index fall to 38 points, a 60% drop on its opening position, during which time the country fell back on it â€Å"familiar trade activities and exported natural resources, together with outside help to survive the crisis (Turnock 2005, p.130). Things began to change when President Putin came to power. Despite the fact that many researchers consider his approach to be the creation of a â€Å"managed democracy† (Terterov 2005, p.3), with observers being particularly critical of the lack of competition during the 2004 elections. Despite this perception, Putin was able to restore some measure of order to the process of transition. It is the general view that most of Putin’s reforms, perhaps with the exception of the variety of legislations that â€Å"restricted companies freedom of [financial] action† (Granville and Oppenheimer 2001, p.218), did contribute to a more positive free-market economy evolution (Dyker 2004; Granville and Oppeheimer 2001 and Turnock 2005). As Hoffman (2003, p.372), a trustworthy retail-banking environment was being built and additionally retailing outlets being released from state ownership into the hands of private owners. Granville and Oppenheimer’s (2001, p.511) produced evidence of this from a survey, which reported that, â€Å"by the end of 1995, 34 per cent of retail pharmacies had become independent juridical entities.† Oleinik (2005, p.214) confirms this position, revealing, â€Å"Roughly 50 percent of State-owned retailers, wholesale enterprises, public catering and transport enterprises were privatised as of July 1994.† In fact, in the early years much of the early change to capitalism was centred on internalised privatisation and restructuring of the various infrastructures, which researchers such as Burawoy (1996) and Turnock (2002) considered being a normal part of the process to be conducted before economic evolution can begin. 2.2 The Russian Retail Sector Whilst Russia has relied heavily upon its traditional manufacturing and natural resources to provide economic growth in the past, with the onset of capitalisation, it has been widely acknowledged within researches (Gufaston 2001 and Medvevev 2000 are two of these), the retail sector began to have an increasing impact. In fact it is held that in Moscow, which accounts for 27% of the country’s retail trade, this and â€Å"the growth of its consumer sector was the main factor in Russias economic turnaround† (Gustafson 2001, p.186). Many writers have studied the retail phenomena in an attempt to provide an understanding of the theory surrounding it, and how groups within the retail arena will react (e.g. Porter 1979, 1980; McGee Thomas 1986; Caves Porter 1977, 1978). Roth and Klein (1999, p.173), produce a general system theory that results in a multiple of outcomes irrespective of the fact that all firms may be subject to the same environment. The retail development in Russia over the past decade or tow certainly follows this theory. The growth of firms has been subjected to the many differing consumer demands, with a historical preference for open market and small store shopping. Similarly the geographical situation is Russia, whit a small number of major towns and cities dispersed over a wide area, has made also affected their growth patterns. Despite the fact that it is generally consider that the authorities approach to the retail sector has been correct (Terterov 2005, p. 28), there are others that argue that â€Å"business found it hard going, burdened as they were not only by taxes and the extortions of corrupt officials but also by the cruel racketeering that kept growing stronger† (Medvedev 2000, p.23). Similarly, others believe that there the development of the consumer sector was poor (Dyker 2004, p.57) and, in comparison with more developed economies, the levels of â€Å"integration were rather low† (Wehrheim 2002, p.19). Furthermore, this is said to have led to a wide variance of standards, with some improving and others not (Medvevev 2000, p.91). Thus it is little wonder that such researchers in the early 2000’s, should consider that â€Å"Russia was not the most successful country in pursuing the shift from plan to market( Wehrheim 2003, p.17). However during the last five years this position has begun to change, with the retail sector now growing at a dramatic rate. In fact its growth position is second only to India. This is being partially attributed to the increase in personal and disposable income (see table 1), GDP and the rise in the currency value. (Newswire Today 2007). This growth is encouraging attention from foreign businesses, who are looking for business or joint-venture opportunities in the Russian retail sector, such as the food industry (Wehrheim 2003, p.136) 2.3 Foreign Investment in Russia’s Retail sector Prior to Gorbachev’s accession to the Russian Presidency, FDI in Russia had been banned since the late 1920’s (Brady 2000, p.185). However, since this ban was lifted, and particularly during the past decade, FDI has become an increasingly important part of Russia’s economic growth (Dyker 2004, p.207), However, FDI interest was slow to begin with. Turnock (2005, p.3) advances the theory that this was due to the fact that â€Å"Whilst FDI and economic growth are linked, it does not necessarily follow that FDI helps in improving the investment climate, it usually requires the climate to be good in the first place.† Similarly, as foreign investors had learnt with other emerging countries, there is no â€Å"pain without Gain (Dyker, 2004, p.20). Nevertheless, once the free-market economy begun to flourish for internal organisations, Western corporation became interested, and this led to an increase in investment from overseas, which rose by â€Å"155 in dollar terms† by the end of 1994 (Brady 2000, p.205). Investors wanted to get a share of the market stock, â€Å"even though they often knew nothing about the companies , a situation encouraged by Russian tycoons (Hoffman 2003, p.207 and p.361). The one incident that did produce an adverse effect to FDI in Russia was the financial crisis of 1998 when, because of the apparent inability of the market â€Å"to restore order in its economy has forced foreign investors to take their money and head for the exit† (Medvedev 2000, p.296) However, once this crisis had been resolved, the flow of FDI continued to grow (see table 2). By the end of 1995 it had reached a position where five percent of the Russian consumer market was in the hands of foreign owners or their subsidiaries (Medvedecv 2000, p.156). Table 2 FDI in emerging countries in Europe Source: Turnock 2005, p.5 The position has also increased dramatically in the years post those in the above table. For example, the CIA Fact book (2007) showed that FDI doubled from $14.6 billion to $30 billion between 2005 and 2006. These figures were building on the back of a $9.4 billion FDI amount in 2004 (Special Report 2005), and there is little sign of this situation slowing down in the foreseeable future. In addition to the taking over of domestic retailers, foreign corporations are also setting up their own within the country, with Ikea, which â€Å"has 50,000 workers and 159 stores in 29 countries making and selling over 10,000 articles around the world and is one of the largest furniture companies† (Turnock 2005, p.237) being one of the most noticeable. 2.4 Summary It would appear from the literature that has been reviewed here that, whilst most academics agreed that Russia’s road to capitalism had a less than favourable start, and was also interrupted by the crisis of 1998, it’s economic growth has now become more stable and, despite the current political disquiet that exists about the country, the current levels of growth and FDI are set to continue for the foreseeable future. Chapter 2: Methodology 2.1. Research method Due to the complexities of the research being undertaken, together with the geographical and time constraints, it was felt that the best method of approach for this research was to use a quantitative approach. In view of the study being conducted, it is felt that this approach a wealth of literature, information that would span a sufficient level of governmental, independent observers and research sources to enable this paper to achieve its objectives. Similarly, such is the breadth of these resources that it is felt they ensure accuracy and ample range for comparative purposes. In the view of the author this approach has provided an adequate research base for purpose of this study. 2.2. Research material choice In terms of the government resources, the relevant data has been selected from various national international and global organisations. Other data in respect of FDI and the retail sector activity within the Russian market place, has been collected and researched using academic publications, together with industry news and press reports, supported by surveys and other technical data. Furthermore, we have used the data available on several corporate bodies that have secured a position within this market sector. 2.3. Research performance Using this data, the first step was to study the movement of the retail sector itself during the past few years, then to outline the events within the foreign direct investment factor, including a brief study of some of the external corporations that have sought to invest in this market place. During this process we have been able to also identify the benefits and disadvantage that such a move might bring to the investing corporation company. From these actions we have then been able to conduct analysis and outline areas for discussion. Chapter 3: Findings and Analysis 4.1 Russian retail sector The Russian retail sector, as previously indicated previously, has seen a period of continued growth since the beginning of this century. According to research carried out by RNCOS (2006), The market in 2004 grew to a value of $193.2 million, which represents a year-on-year performance increase of nearly thirty one percent, making in one of the most attractive retail markets globally. The same report also states that the expectation is for the growth rate to continue to exceed GDP during the course of the following years. Later resources available from the Russian Trade federation (see figure 1), show that this growth is continuing and is anticipated to accelerate in the next three years, with the major concentration on the main cities and towns. Figure 1 Russian retail growth Source http://www.russiantradeny.com/index.php?chapter=rtaction=showid=41 Additionally, the Russian statistics service (Rosstat) have released figures for the first quarter of 2007, which show that in that period alone the grown has been 13.6%, which at $117.456 billion, puts the sector on course to reach $500 billion for the who year. , in Russia, retail sales grew 13.6% YOY to reach the level of 3.043 Trillion Rubles (US$117.456757 Billion) from January to April 2007. However, retail sales grew 13.8% to reach around 814.8 billion rubles (US$31.4504652 Billion) in this April alone. A further report by Kuipers (2006) shows a further breakdown of these sales. From this analysis, it can be seen that, whilst food retail is growing appreciably at 17.6%, the non-feed area is doing even better (see figure 2). Figure 2 Breakdown of retail sales Of these amounts approximately 48% represent retail sales attributed to imported goods. The increases n this area has been brought about partially as a result of recent changes that the Russian authorities have made to various duties and levies. For example, as a recent Euromonitor (2006) study shows, the import duty on â€Å"raw coffee beans was abolished in 2006, with the direct intention of encouraging new players such as Nescafe and Starbucks. The following graph shows the effect that it is estimated this will have on the market for hot drink sales over the next few years. Figure 3 Russia Hot Drink sales There has been a significant growth of retail in the past few years in Russia and, as a result of this, Russia’s 76.3% increase in trade outlets is out-stripping the performance of other Eastern European countries (Czech 0% and Croatia 17%) and Europe as a whole (20%). The generally held view, as voiced by Vitaly Podolskyi, CFO of the Russian retailer Pyaterochka, during an interview with Kuipers (2006), is that by 2010 Russia could well become the largest retail market in Europe. However, in a later interview Vitaly Podolskyi, also stated that it was a difficult sector for domestic retailers, and for foreign entrants who were seeking to establish a profitable business in a reasonable timescale, simply because of the geographic fragmentation of the market place. In this respect his view was that for the foreseeable future, the best route for new entrants would be by mergers and acquisitions. As will be seen later this is a route already being preferred by some of the countries domiciled retail corporations. This view is supported by other research conducted by Kuipers (2006), which confirms that the country’s retail sales are still being generated upon old traditional lines. As can be seen from the following graph (figure 4) (Kuipers 2006), nearly half of all shopping is conducted in open-air markets, with modern trade outlets accounting for only around 20%. and the rest being generated through smaller outlets. Figure 4 retail sales 2005 Much of the reason for the slow pace of change in consumer buying habits is because of the fact that most development in this sector has taken place in the major cities such as Moscow and others mentioned in figure 1 above (see page 20). As mentioned earlier, with such a large geographical area and spread of population involved, it is difficult to impact these methods upon the larger population. However, as the growth rates in these metropolis begin to slow down, so the major retailers are beginning to look for growth further afield (Zeitung 2004), this is currentlu concentrated upon areas where the population is more than one million, but as this development continues, as with economies like the UK, smaller areas of population will no doubt be targeted in the future. As of 2004, as reported in a study conducted by Harri Larentz,, the major retailers within the Russian sector are still predominantly of domestic origin (see Table 3), with only three external competitors at that time. These can generally be broken down into three types of operators. †¢ discounters – developed by Magnit, Pyaterochka, Dixi and Kopeika. They feature a limited assortment (up to 4,500 SKUs), selling space of 250-1,000 m ², and a gross margin of 17-24 per cent. They are normally located in residential areas. †¢ traditional supermarkets – developed by Seventh Continent, Perekriostok, Ramstore, Rewe and, recently, by Auchan, with locations in city centres, along highways and in residential areas. Typically they generate a gross margin of 25-32 per cent and have an assortment of up to 20,000 SKUs. †¢ hypermarkets – developed by Auchan, Metro, Perekriostok, Mosmart, Lenta, Karousel and Seventh Continent – with selling space from 4,000-16,000 m ², 15,000-40,000 SKUs and a gross margin of 13-20 per cent. However, since this report was produced, the chains of Pyaterochka and Perekrestok have been merged to form the largest food retailer in the country by turnover.(X5 Retail Group NV 2007). Table 3 Russian major retailers. Source: Harri Lorentz 2004 From the consumers viewpoint, these new retail formats are having a beneficial effect, and not only in increasing the range of choice, but in the early days they increased the consumers purchasing power by bringing down price increases, although in latter years this has not been maintained (Anon 2005). Although the Russian economy experienced a downturn during the first half of 2005, from 7.6% to 5.6%, the position has improved since then, and the advances being made within the retail sector are driving much of this improvement. 4.2 Foreign Direct Investment As has been previously identified within this research, FDI is continuing to increase within the Russian economy (see table 2, p.16) and the latest figures produced by the Russian Federal state statistics service confirms this position for 2006-2007 (see table 3 below). However, as can be seen from this table. The amount of FDI directed at the retail sector is still a relatively small percentage of the overall investment. Table 3 FDI levels 2006-2007 Nevertheless, although this is the case, some of the balance of FDI is going to manufacturing industries that serve as production and supplier organisations for the retail sector. For example, in 2006 Nestle and their main competitor Kraft â€Å"launched and built† instant coffee production facilities (Eurmonitor 2006), which will no doubt encourage other foreign corporations to make the same move. Food Retailers There are already some international corporations already investing in the retail sector. As was noted in the report by Harri Larentz (2004), Auchan from France, Martloraf and Metro from Germany, Ramstore from Turkey, Spar from the Netherlands and Stockmann from Finland already have a foot in the door. But, apart from Ramstor and Metro, which have around 2 and six stores respec

Influence of IT on Organisational Behaviour

Influence of IT on Organisational Behaviour The Influence of IT on organisational behaviour Carr (2003) concludes that Information Technology (IT) has become the backbone of commerce and that IT empower companies to serve their customers better. IT can alter the basic nature of an industry (Luftman et al., 1993), and rightly so; IT has forever changed the world that we inhabit. With the use of computers and software, IT has altered how the finance sector operates, how the education system work, how companies conduct their business and how the healthcare sector can help their citizens. Ultimately, IT has been able to help every company and government institute alike to transform their daily operation by turning labour heavy and repetitive burdens into automatic and streamlined tasks that often require little to no human interaction. The use of IT in healthcare enables citizens, healthcare professionals, authorities and administrators to have access to real-time and relevant information through secure delivery without unnecessary barriers. With the help of online healthcare portals, citizens can schedule appointments with their general practitioner, check their patient journal, look up digital medical information such as X-rays or blood samples. Healthcare professionals can save time spent on paperwork and instead concentrate their valuable time on helping their patients. Authorities, such as Data Protection Agencies will be better equipped to help the healthcare to improve procedures, processes and patient safety. Finally, administrators will have access to data and information that could help them improve the decision-making in everyday operations. A practical example of an IT implementation that is showing to have a long-term positive consequence is the implementation of one (a single) centralised Electronic Patient Journal (EPJ) for the whole country of the Faroe Islands. While decentralisation may bring flexibility and fast response to changing needs, decentralisation also makes system integration difficult, presents a barrier to standardisation and acts as a disincentive toward achieving economies of scale (DeSanctis Jackson, 1994). Even though the Faroe Islands is a small country of only fifty thousand people, the country has three hospitals and around hundred general practitioners. With the centralised EPJ system, the healthcare sector has the basics in place to start exchanging digital medical information by integrating with other systems to receive descriptions and answers from a specialist (doctor). These other systems include computerised axial tomography (CAT) scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners, Lab oratory and blood systems and so on. On an entirely different subject, albeit all the positives social media might bring, one should not ignore the negative effects. Negative effects from social media include addiction and privacy concerns. The social media is comparable to drugs; once addicted it is hard to let to go. Griffiths (2010) mentions a research conducted on 415 medical technologists that Internet Abuse falls into three distinct categories: browsing, non-work-related e-mails and cyberloafing. According to Griffiths (2010), addition is related to Internet abuse and does have an impact on the workplace in regards to the loss of productivity. To conclude, information technology has spearheaded the digital revolution for some time and is moving companies, consumers and government ever closer to a constant change for globalisation. References Carr, N.G. (2003) Why IT Doesnt Matter Anymore Harvard Business Review. [Online] Available from: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/3520.html (Accessed: 15 January 2016) Luftman, J.N., Lewis, P.R. Oldach, S.H. (1993) Transforming the Enterprise: The alignment of business and information technology strategies. IBM Systems Journal Vol 32 (1). p. 198 DeSanctis, G. Jackson, B.M. (1994) Coordination of information technology management: Team-based structures and computer-based communication systems. Journal of Management Information Systems Vol 10 (4). p. 85-110. Alder, I. (2013) How Our Digital Devices Are Affecting Our Personal Relationships [Online] Available from: http://www.wbur.org/2013/01/17/digital-lives-i (Accessed: 1. June 2016) Griffiths, M.D. (2010) Internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 7, 463-472.

Thomas Malthus :: essays papers

Thomas Malthus Two hundred years ago, Thomas Robert Malthus wrote â€Å"An Essay on the principle of population† in which he argued that the world population would increase faster than the food supply. This would cause disastrous results for the general human welfare. A world population of 250 million at the time has now gone up to about 6 billion. This is in spite of wars, plagues, famine, and epidemics. World food production has been keeping pace with population growth until recently. If the world food supply had been distributed equally to each member of society in the mid 1980’s, with a population of 4.7 billion people, each person would have gotten a weekly diet of 11 ponds. This included meat, grains, and fish. In today’s society, the population has increased over one billion and the food supply has gone down to about 10 pounds per person per week. A world population of 10 to 11 billion by mid century would leave each person with only 6 to 7 pounds per week. This is the same as the diet that people living in poverty get in our present day society. However, by trying to help poverty, we are (according to Malthus) making the situation worse. IN the short run, there seems to be an improvement because those poor people are better off and can do well. This situation would lead to a larger population than before. This in turn would lead to more people becoming impoverished due to lack of food supply. Malthus believed that if people left poverty alone, it would take care of itself. At the start of the 21st Century, it is very easy to debunk his starting point that population grows â€Å"geometrically† while food supply only â€Å"arithmetically†. This will lead to a widening gap between population and food supply. However, by saying that, he was mistaken, the improving technology has meant that food supply has also increased geometrically. If we were to take a mathematical approach to this, population, food production, energy use, industrial production, waste production, etc. are all increasing under mechanisms that can shown on an exponential curve like a parabola, then all will be approaching a vertical asymptote.

Comparison of The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- The Lam

When do we change? When do we change from being the innocent children God sent into the world, to the corrupted ones that leave the earth? William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience examine these different states. Blake wanted to show the two contrary states in the human mind. The Lamb and the Tyger are just vehicles for Blake to express what he feels happens to people as they grow, develop and eventually become perverted by the world around them. Blake’s background and occupation greatly influenced the style and content of his poems. He lived during the 18th Century when the church was beginning to lose its grip on British society; science was rising up against the church. Blake was part of a group known as the Romantics. He began to challenge the church believing that an individual could discover God without going to church. His poems ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’ reflect this, as he is telling how God created these two animals and on another level how he created humanity. ‘We are called by his name’ (The Lamb) The message that Blake is trying to convey in this line is that it is God who calls us to discover him. He is saying that no one else has the power to tell you what to believe not even the church. God and the individual are the only ones privy to this ultimate power! His role as an engraver and artist is reflected in the details he gives about the two animals. In The Tyger he describes it as, ‘burning bright.’ He is describing it from a painter’s perspective in the way he is talking of the tiger’s colouring. At the time Blake was writing The Lamb the French Revolution was taking place. Blake was very supportive of the revolution, as he was deeply concerned about the poor social, economic and political ... ...is and see them as normal. It is then that people change from being the untainted children God sent to earth to the corrupted adults that leave it. Works Cited Blake, William. â€Å"The Tyger.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and et al. 2nd ed, Volume 2A. New York: Longman, 2003. Blake, William. "The Lamb." The Harbrace Anthology of Poetry. 3rd ed. Ed. Jon C. Stott, Raymond E. Jones, and Rick Bowers. Toronto: Nelson, 2002. 97 Internet Sources Consulted Blake, William. The Tyger. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015. Blake, William. The Lamb. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015. Comparison of The Lamb and The Tyger by William Blake Essay -- The Lam When do we change? When do we change from being the innocent children God sent into the world, to the corrupted ones that leave the earth? William Blake’s ‘Songs of Innocence and Experience examine these different states. Blake wanted to show the two contrary states in the human mind. The Lamb and the Tyger are just vehicles for Blake to express what he feels happens to people as they grow, develop and eventually become perverted by the world around them. Blake’s background and occupation greatly influenced the style and content of his poems. He lived during the 18th Century when the church was beginning to lose its grip on British society; science was rising up against the church. Blake was part of a group known as the Romantics. He began to challenge the church believing that an individual could discover God without going to church. His poems ‘The Lamb’ and ‘The Tyger’ reflect this, as he is telling how God created these two animals and on another level how he created humanity. ‘We are called by his name’ (The Lamb) The message that Blake is trying to convey in this line is that it is God who calls us to discover him. He is saying that no one else has the power to tell you what to believe not even the church. God and the individual are the only ones privy to this ultimate power! His role as an engraver and artist is reflected in the details he gives about the two animals. In The Tyger he describes it as, ‘burning bright.’ He is describing it from a painter’s perspective in the way he is talking of the tiger’s colouring. At the time Blake was writing The Lamb the French Revolution was taking place. Blake was very supportive of the revolution, as he was deeply concerned about the poor social, economic and political ... ...is and see them as normal. It is then that people change from being the untainted children God sent to earth to the corrupted adults that leave it. Works Cited Blake, William. â€Å"The Tyger.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature. Ed. David Damrosch and et al. 2nd ed, Volume 2A. New York: Longman, 2003. Blake, William. "The Lamb." The Harbrace Anthology of Poetry. 3rd ed. Ed. Jon C. Stott, Raymond E. Jones, and Rick Bowers. Toronto: Nelson, 2002. 97 Internet Sources Consulted Blake, William. The Tyger. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015. Blake, William. The Lamb. Songs of Innocence and of Experience. DjVu Editions E-Books, 2001. Web 7 may 2015.

Galileo Galilei :: Biography Biographies

Galileo Galilei Galileo Galilei was born at Pisa on the 18th of February in 1564. His father, Vincenzo Galilei, belonged to a noble family and had gained some distinction as a musician and a mathematician. At an early age, Galileo manifested his ability to learn both mathematical and mechanical types of things, but his parents, wishing to turn him aside from studies which promised no substantial return, steered him toward some sort of medical profession. But this had no effect on Galileo. During his youth he was allowed to follow the path that he wished to. Although in the popular mind Galileo is remembered chiefly as an astronomer, however, the science of mechanics and dynamics pretty much owe their existence to his findings. Before he was twenty, observation of the oscillations of a swinging lamp in the cathedral of Pisa led him to the discovery of the isochronism of the pendulum, which theory he utilized fifty years later in the construction of an astronomical clock. In 1588, an essay on the center of gravity in solids obtained for him the title of the Archimedes of his time, and secured him a teaching spot in the University of Pisa. During the years immediately following, taking advantage of the celebrated leaning tower, he laid the foundation experimentally of the theory of falling bodies and demonstrated the falsity of the peripatetic maxim, which is that an objects rate of descent is proportional to its weight. When he challenged this it made all of the followers of Aristotle extremely angry, they would not except the fact that t heir leader could have been wrong. Galileo, in result of this and other troubles, found it prudent to quit Pisa and move to Florence, the original home of his family. In Florence he was nominated by the Venetian Senate in 1592 to the chair of mathematics in the University of Padua, which he occupied for eighteen years, with ever-increasing fame. After that he was appointed philosopher and mathematician to the Grand Duke of Tuscany. During the whole of this period, and to the close of his life, his investigation of Nature, in all her fields, was never stopped. Following up his experiments at Pisa with others upon inclined planes, Galileo established the laws of falling bodies as they are still formulated. He likewise demonstrated the laws of projectiles, and largely anticipated the laws of motion as finally established by Newton.

Stat 250 Review

Final Exam Review Part VI Definitions and Terms: Know the major definitions and terms for example 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. Population Sample Descriptive Statistic Inferential Statistics Parameter vs Statistics Variable a. Categorical Statistic estimates Parameter b. Quantitative estimates , sample mean , population i. Discrete mean s, sample standard estimates , population ii. Continuous deviation standard deviation Random Variable estimates P, population ? p , sample Sampling Distributions proportion proportionParameter (Defines a population) Statistic (calculated from sample to estimate a parameter) Central Limit Theorem Law of Large Numbers Confidence Level (1- )*100 Type I error (rejecting the null hypothesis when in fact it is true) Type II error (not rejecting the null hypothesis when in fact the null is not true) What is true What you did Do not Reject H0 Reject H0 H0 true No Error Type I error Ha True Type II Error No Error 15. Level of Significance (The probability of making a Type I error) 16. Interpretation of a confidence interval 17. P-value a.The probability of making a type I error based on your sample b. The probability, computed supposing the H0 to be true, that the test statistic will take a value at least as extreme as that actually observed. 18. Interpretation of a test of significance (hypothesis test) Types of Problems 1. Reading and interpreting graphs (make sure you read the labels so you know units and whether the graph is frequency (counts) or relative frequency (percents, ratios, probabilities). 2. Calculating Measures of Center a. Mean b. Median 3. Calculating Measures of Spread a. Range b.You will not have to calculate the standard deviation, but you must understand what the standard deviation is – the average distance each data value is from the mean. c. Interquartile Range (Q3 – Q1) i. 1st quartile ii. 2nd quartile (median) iii. 3rd quartile 4. Shape of distributions 5. Shape of distributions an d effects on Mean and Median 6. Effects of outlier and skewed distribution a. Non-resistant measures of Center and Spread: mean and standard deviation b. Resistant measures of Center and Spread: median and interquartile range 7. Boxplot and 5 number summary: Min, Q1, Q2, Q3, Max 8.Binomial Distribution a. Calculating the mean , =np np(1 p) b. Calculating the standard deviation, c. Finding probabilities using the CDF output from MINITAB 9. Calculating Probabilities for a Normal distribution (Knowing how to use Table A, the standard normal distribution) a. Standardizing any normal random variable i. z x b. Unstandardizing any normal random variable i. x z 10. Sampling distributions a. Sampling distribution of the sample mean – samples of size n i. Mean, x= (can be calculated even if we do not know the shape of the distribution) ii. Standard deviation, x n the shape of the distribution) can be calculated even if we do not know iii. Shape of sampling distribution 1. If population the sample came from is normal, all sampling distributions of any size are normal 2. If the shape of the population is unknown or is NOT normal, then the sampling distribution of the sample mean is normal only if the sample size is 30 or more by the Central Limit Theorem (The shape of the sampling distribution becomes approximately Normal if the sample size is large enough. In our class a sample of size 30 or more is â€Å"large enough† to assume the sampling distribution is approximately Normally distributed. iv.Knowing how to compute probabilities based on the sampling distribution of the sample mean when applicable. v. Inferential Techniques based on sampling distribution when conditions are met (SRS and Normality) 1. Estimation – Confidence Intervals : statistic margin of error (margin of error = critical value * standard error) a. known: i. X z /2 * n ii. Sample size: We can determine the sample size needed so that a specific margin of error is observed at a spec ified confidence level: n b. z unknown: X * m 2 /2 t / 2,df * s n 2. Significance Tests (Hypothesis Tests) a. nown: test statistic, z0 X 0 n b. unknown: test statistic, t0 X s 0 n b. Sampling distribution of the sample proportions – samples of size n i. Mean, p (can be calculated even if we do not know the shape of the ? p distribution) ii. Standard deviation, p(1 P) (can be calculated even if we do not n ? p know the shape of the distribution iii. Shape of sampling distribution of the sample proportions becomes approximately normal if (our book states: np? 10 and n(1-p)? 10, that is the sample successes and failures must be 10 or more. ) np(1-p)? 10 , which is conservative. iv.Inferential Techniques based on sampling distribution when conditions are met (SRS and Normality) 1. Estimation – Confidence Intervals : statistic margin of error (margin of error = critical value * standard error) a. ? pz /2 * ? ? p (1 p ) n i. Sample size: We can determine the sample size need ed so that a specific margin of error is observed at a specified confidence level: n p(1 p) z /2 m 2 If a prior estimate for p is known, use it. If a prior estimate is not know, use p = 0. 5 2. Significance Tests (Hypothesis Tests) a. known: test statistic, z0 ? p p0 p0 (1 p0 ) n 11.Inferential techniques for 2 sample problems (means and proportions – on PowerPoint that is coming next) which are also based on Sampling distribution when conditions are met. a. You will be given the value of the standard error for two sample problems (two sample means dependent, you will be given the standard deviation of the differences, but you will have to calculate the standard error s .) n b. You will have to calculate the pooled proportion for the two sample proportions ? problems: p x1 x2 n1 n2 c. You will have to calculate confidence intervals and do tests of significance (hypothesis tests) 2. Goodness of fit test Best Way to Study 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Go over Test 1 and Test 2 Go over all qui zzes since Test 2 Go over all your quizzes Go over Post-Tests Go over Homework What you need for the final 1. 2. 3. 4. Pencil and eraser Calculator Table A and Table C Formula Sheet: you have two choices. You must choose either A or B a. HAND WRITTEN formula sheet – no copies. Must be the original. On an 8X11 sheet of paper, front and back, you can write whatever you wish. Hand written!!! b. Pristine, no writing on it, copy of the formula sheet on Blackboard. Scantron will be provided.