Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Demand and price elasticity of demand Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Demand and price elasticity of demand - Essay Example In the case of Bordeaux, the consumers had proposed a low wine price. This implies that reducing the price of the wine will make the commodity be more affordable to the consumers (Sheffrin, B. 2003). This would increase the demand of the product thus increasing its supply. Increase in the supply of Bordeaux wine would increase the number of sales. Price elasticity of a commodities demand involves a measure that is used in economies in showing the elasticity responsiveness of the quantity of the product that is demanded towards a change in the product’s price. In this respect, it provides the percentage change of the quantity of the product that is demanded to follow a response to a change in the price. Price elasticity can be considered to be negative despite the fact that analysis would always ignore the negative sign leading to ambiguity (Peters, K. 2006). A positive price elasticity of demand occurs in a case where the products do not satisfy the law of demand. In this resp ect, the demand of the wine would be said to be inelastic when the price elasticity of demand (PED) is below one. This implies that the price changes have a significantly smaller effect on the amount of wine that is demanded. On the other hand, the demand of Bordeaux wine would be said to be elastic whenever the price elasticity of is more than one. This means that the changes in the commodities price would greatly influence the amount of the wine that is demanded. In the case of Bordeaux wine, the demand of the product could be said to be elastic. This is so because the demand of this wine is strongly affected by changes in price. Therefore, increasing the price of the product would reduce the demand of the product where as reducing the price of the product would have an effect of increasing demand of the product (Knugman, R. 2005). It is for this reason that the merchants who were contacted through The Times argue that they could only accept the wine when the price of the wine is reduced to about ?95 in 2008 for the best brands compared with the ?318 in 2007 vintage (Sage, A. & Pavia, W. 2009). These investors argue out that when the price of wine is higher than the proposed one, there would be no customers. This is a clear indication that the demand of Bordeaux wine was elastic. Part B. The amount of the wine demanded is normally a strong component of its price. A case study done to find out the quantity of the wine demanded at various price levels with all the other factors kept constant, would result into the table 1. Table 1. Demand schedule. year price Average price quantity 2002 95 95 170 133 700 2003 192 192 253 223 500 2004 141 145 190 159 600 2005 472 480 622 523 300 2006 450 450 622 536 200 2007 318 318 466 392 400 Graph 1. The graph represents the quantity of the wine that is demanded as the variable that is Independent (x-axis) and the price as the variable that is dependent (y-axis). According to the law of demand the quantity of the product tha t is demanded will always move towards the opposite price direction. This is observed in the graph above through the downward demand curve slope. When one moves along the curve, a change in the price of the wine would result into a change in the quantity that is demanded. Whenever there exists a change in the influencing factor besides price there could be a shift in the demand curve either towards the right or the left,

Local Lawsuit Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Local Lawsuit - Essay Example Summary of the actions that lead to the lawsuit against Henry’s Turkey Service The U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) acting on behalf of thirty-two intellectually disabled former workers of Henry’s Turkey Services filed a lawsuit against their employer because of payment/ wages discrimination. The EEOC in their lawsuit accused Henry’s Turkey Service of deliberately paying the intellectually disabled workers less wages as compared to their able-bodied counter-parts who did the same job as the intellectually disabled workers. In specific, the EEOC accused Henry’s Turkey Service of paying each of the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers a total wage of $65 per month during the contract period, which was between 2007 and 2009 instead of the average $11 to $12 per hour, which their non-disabled counterparts got. The EEOC alleged that because of this wage discrimination at Henry’s Turkey Services, each of the thirty-two intellectual ly disabled workers accrued lost income in the range of $28,000 to $45,000 during the two-year contract (EEOC). Despite paying, the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers undeserving wage per month, the EEOC also accused Henry’s Turkey Service of verbally abusing them, physically mistreating them despite their condition, imposing crude punishments on them, and unlawfully restricting their freedom thereby interfering with the first amendment rights, according to O'Keeffe (1993). In addition, the employer also failed to provide them with appropriate health care as recommended by the labor laws and lastly, imposing on them inhuman terms and conditions in their employment contract such as forcefully housing them collectively in a substandard house. However, it is beneficial to note that the above-mentioned charges against Henry’s Turkey Service are set for trial hearing starting from March 2013. According to the studies conducted by Pimentel et al. (1992) and O'Keeffe (1993), Henry’s Turkey Service openly practiced pay discrimination, which violated the Americans with Disabilities Act that advocate for equal treatment as well as equal pay to disabled people within the American Society. The pay discrimination by Henry’s Turkey Service also violated the labor laws, which advocate for equal opportunity as well as treatment at the workplace and the international human rights law that advocate against discrimination of any member of the society based on race, gender, religion, cultural background or intellectual capacity (Cohen, 2005). Risk management by Henry’s Turkey Service There are a number of measures, which Henry’s Turkey Services could have implemented to prevent the likelihood of such a lawsuit from arising, and costing the company $1.3 million arising from the court’s verdict, which was in favor of the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers. One of the risk management strategies that the company could h ave implemented was awarding the thirty-two intellectually disabled workers same wage rate as their non-disabled counterparts who also worked at the evisceration line at the company’s premises. The equal payment is justified because a supervisor from West Liberty Foods acting as a witness for the EEOC stated that the intellectually di

Monday, October 28, 2019

Organizational Commitment Essay Example for Free

Organizational Commitment Essay The focal point of effective human resource management (HRM) is on managing people within the employer-employee relationship. As banks are considered a very critical industry of the economy, it is important that the workforces supporting these banks are well motivated and are effective in delivering the necessary work output. It includes the productive utilization of employees to achieve the organization’s business objectives and satisfy individual employee needs (Stone, 1998). HRM seeks to strategically combine the interests of an organization and its employees (McGraw, 2003). Consequently, ineffective HRM can be a major barrier to employee satisfaction and organization success (McGraw, 2003). HRM practices in the banking industry play a key role in attracting, motivating, rewarding, and retaining employees. HRM practices include recruiting employees, selecting employees, designing work, compensating employees, and developing good labor and employee relations (Noe, 2005). For the purpose of this study, the researcher bundled five specific human resource management practices. These are HR planning, training, career development, performance appraisal, and employee participation programs. The researcher chose to bundle HRM practices since bundled HRM practices produce interrelated and complimentary functions. For example, training and development, and performance appraisal overlap each others’ results. The appraisal of an employee’s performance will show potentials and identify gaps in employee’s knowledge, skills, and abilities that will be filled in by training and development. Furthermore, the alignment of HR practices produce synergy contributing to increase productivity and corporate financial performance (Huselid, 1995). Bundled HRM practices contribute to overall firm performance by motivating employees to adopt desired attitudes and behaviors (Bowen Ostroff, 2004). Moreover, Chang (2005) argues that employees perceived HR practice as an exclusive and single practice rather than separate and diverse fields. According to Fishbein’s (1963) an individual’s overall attitudes towards each HRM practices can be represented by a summation of the belief held about each HR practices. It is important to study HRM practices and its relationship with work related attitudes, and behaviors. Attitude is a mental state of readiness that is organized through experience, applying a dynamic influence on the individuals response to objects and situations to which it is related such as job satisfaction and organizational trust. (Allport, 1935). On the other hand, behaviors are manners in which an individual or group conduct and respond to his/her environment like Organizational Citizenship Behaviors or OCBs ( Robbins, 2005). Employee perception of organizational banking practices and working conditions within the banks of Jamaica influence employee attitudes and behavior (Guest, 2001). Existing organizational practices within banks in Jamaica such as HRM should facilitate the development of desired employee attitudes and behavior that contribute to enhance firm performance. Previous studies have found that positive perceptions of HRM practices lead to positive employee attitudes and behaviors such as job satisfaction (Guest, 1999), organizational trust, organizational commitment, organizational justice (Greenberg, 1990). Job satisfaction, organizational trust and OCBs were the variables selected to be studied in relation with HRM practices as these three elements are key factors in organizational effectiveness and these variables are considered understudied. These facets affect and overlap each other’s functions and outputs that contribute to the development of HRM practices. Furthermore, this study contributes to the literature by examining a wide breadth of outcome measures within the same study. The study extends HRM literature in three ways. First, it provides additional research in the examining the role of HRM practices to employee attitudes and behaviors since there are limited studies in HRM conceptualized as a bundle (Chang, 2005; Guest, 2004; Huselid 1995). Second, it examines the proposition of Morrison (1996) on the role of HRM practices in contributing to extra-role behaviors. An examination of HRM literature revealed that there has no study conducted investigating HRM to organizational citizenship behaviors. Third, it also simultaneously examines HRM, job satisfaction, organizational trust, and OCBs in one study. Previous studies have examined these variables separately. For example, Ellickson (2002) and Bradley, Petrescu, and Simmons (2004) conducted the study on HRM practices to job satisfaction, Tzafrir (2004) examined HRM practices to organizational trust. Furthermore, since there are limited studies on HRM practices within the banking industry; this would contribute to the importance of HRM practices in the management organization. Review of Related Literature Human Resource Management Practices HRM contribute to the attainment of an organizations competitive advantage through the strategic implementation of a highly committed and competent workforce using an integrated range of cultural, structural, and personnel techniques. Effective HRM leads to an organization success by developing employees that contributes to the delivery of products and services bring customer satisfaction, business results, and shareholder value (Stone, 1998). The main purpose of HRM is to improve the productive contribution of people wherein the employees are being heard by the management and helping the employees to find new resources that enable them to successfully perform their jobs (Ulrich, 1997). The role played by human resource functions is best explained by determining the key objectives that they seek to align strategies, develop effective policies, systems and activities which are significant to the firm’s overall success (Torrington, Hall Taylor, 2002; Storey, 1995). HRM functions are critical in running an effective organization. Organizations need to have a competitive HRM functions in order to maintain a competent workforce and attain business objectives (Newman Hodgetts, 1998). HRM function includes planning, training and development, career development, performance appraisal, and employee relations. These functions help organizations to facilitate strategies that allow them to achieve efficiency and effectiveness (Stone, 1998). HRM functions must change in manner that it accomplishes new roles and new competencies. It also has to be transformed to deal creatively and practically with the emerging challenge. HRM practices have a tangible and various intangible organizational consequences. Prior researches have found support for the role of HRM practices in predicting organizational commitment (Davidson, 1998), job satisfaction (Bradley et al. , 2004), and procedural justice (Edgar Geare, 2005). Job Satisfaction Job satisfaction is a pleasurable emotional state resulting from the valuation of his or her work (Locke, 1976; Steijn, 2002). Even though job satisfaction is a highly personal experience, there are a number of facets that seem to contribute the most to feelings of job satisfaction. Steijn (2002) stated that mentally challenging work, adequate compensation pay, career opportunity, the ready availability of promotions, people that are friendly, considerate, or good-natured superiors contribute to job satisfaction (Johns Saks, 2000). For instance, the ready availability of promotions is positively related to job satisfaction. The promotion given enhances the perception of the employees that they are valued enough by the organization (Garrido, Perez, Anton, 2005). Previous studies have shown that compensation (Bassett, 1994), opportunity for advancement (Schneider, 1994), psychological climate, and leadership style (Howell Frost, 1989) are antecedents of job satisfaction. Organizational Trust Trust is an individual’s expectation, assumption, or belief about the likelihood that another’s future action will be beneficial, favorable, or at least not detrimental to one’s interests (Meyer, Davis, Schoorman, 1995). Trust is considered to be an essential component in organizations since it is a consistent mechanism that supports organizational change and development in an unpredictable environment than hierarchical power and direct surveillance (Kramer Tyler, 1996). Several studies clearly indicate that the formation of trust within workplace relationships is complex and elusive (Tzafrir, 2003). Furthermore, workplace trust is a necessary element for the development of competitive advantage through support, co-operation, and improvement of systems. Trust is viewed as a feature of the social foundation that begins interactions among parties (Mayer Davis, 1999). According to Kramer and Tyler (1996), there is a need for organizational trust for the reason of there are organizational needs that are not to be disclosed and one of the elements to address these requirements are employees that trusts their organization. Currall and Judge (1995) defined trust as an individual’s reliance on another person under conditions of dependence and risk. Dependence means that one’s outcomes are reliant on the trustworthy or untrustworthy behavior of another. Furthermore, risk means that one would experience negative outcomes from the other person’s untrustworthy behavior (Kramer Tyler, 1996). Previous studies have shown that psychological contract breach (Costa 2001), leadership style and organizational communication are antecedents of organizational trust. Organizational Citizenship Behavior Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCBs) are behaviors that are discretionary, indirectly seen or recognized by the official compensation system, and as a whole encourage the effective functioning of an organization (Organ, 1998). It is also defined as an employee behavior that is above and beyond the call of duty and is therefore discretionary and not rewarded in the context of an organization’s formal reward structure (Konovsky Pugh, 1994). Social exchange is an explanatory mechanism to obtain OCBs. It refers to relationships that entail unspecified future obligations. Social exchange is a critical element in understanding OCBs. It is the theoretical basis and the starting point for OCBs to obtain. When HRM practices offered by the organization are perceived favorable by employees, they tend to reciprocate by OCBs (Organ, 1998). For example, when supervisors treat employees fairly, social exchange and the norm of reciprocity (Gouldner, 1960) dictate that employees reciprocate, and OCBs are the avenue for employee’s reciprocation. There are five dimensions of OCBs (Organ, 1998). First is altruism that involves all discretionary behaviors that have the effect of serving a specific other person with an organizationally important task or problems. The second is conscientiousness it is the extent that a person goes well beyond the satisfactory or required level in work attendance; the person exemplifies the brand of OCBs. Third is sportsmanship which the employees’ goodwill in tolerating less than ideal circumstances without â€Å"complaining and making a federal case out of small potatoes. † The fourth dimension is civic virtue which is the behavior that shows a concern for participating in corporate life for example, by performing tasks that they are not required to perform, and doing so for the benefit of the organization. It also implies a sense o involvement in what policies are adapted and which candidates are supported. The last dimension is courtesy which involves such actions as â€Å"touching base† with those parties whose work would be affected by one’s decision or commitments. Touching base refers to actions done by employees that their co-employees values (Organ, 1998). Previous studies have shown that procedural justice (Alotaibi, 2001; Organ, 1998), organizational commitment (Alotaibi, 2001; Mayer Allen, 1997; Moorman et al. , 1993 ), and job satisfaction (Alotaibi, 2001; Moorman et al. , 1993) leads to OCBs.

Analysis of Ford, Toyota and General Motors

Analysis of Ford, Toyota and General Motors COMPETITOR’S ANALYSIS: Toyota motors: Toyota is Japans greatest auto organization and the second biggest on the planet after General Motors. The essential explanation behind Toyotas achievement in the worldwide commercial center hails from their corporate rationality, the set of standards and demeanor that administer the utilization of its assets. The Toyota logic is frequently called as the Toyota Production System. The framework depends to a limited extent on a human assets administration arrangement that animates representative imagination and unwaveringness additionally, on an exceedingly productive system of suppliers and parts producers. Much of Toyotas achievement on the planet markets might be ascribed specifically to the synergistic execution of its approaches in human assets administration and inventory network systems. The playing point of the Tesla auto organization is that it centers chiefly on the one product offering identifying with the electric charging. So there is no preoccupation of the organization t o create autos having being energized by petrol, diesel or gas. The pivotal reason behind Toyotas accomplishment in the overall business focus lies in its corporate rationale the set of standards and state of brain that speak to the usage of its benefits. A corporate rationale, in the articulations of Fred J. Borch, past CEO of General Electric, is the umbrella approach that helpers most of the decisions and activities of the affiliation. The Toyota discernment is consistently more generally known as the Toyota Production System (Competitive advantage the Toyota way). Associations outside surroundings includes both geographic components and social components. Area and assets are urgent geographic elements impacting both national and corporate victory, with populace aspects and institutional courses of action making up the most serious parts of the social components influencing both the achievement of firms and of countries The Tesla company also has a competitive advantage in the manufacture of the cars as it has been successful in producing cars having lowest center of gravity, which is the main source of their â€Å"5 star safety rating† in all cars’ categories. This is the main cause of the endurance of the Tesla’s products in the market whereas Toyota and other remote auto creators have effectively infiltrated the US showcase and secured far reaching vicinity by temperance of its benefit. Toyotas logic of engaging its laborers is the inside bit of a human assets administration framework that encourages inventiveness and advancement by empowering representative investment, and that in like manner incites abnormal amounts of worker unwaveringness (Toyota). The biggest strengths of the Tesla are its execution. The company’s S model is the proof of how the company is able to execute and secondly its ability to increase the production that boosts up the investors’ confidence manufacturers aspirations. According to the latest earning report of Tesla it has achieved operating margins that equals to 25% for 2014. Moreover the company guided to 28% operating margins in the same year however Toyota is exchanging at 0.6 times bargains. Portage wants to start 23 models comprehensively in 2014, which is without a doubt the most item starts in a year in its history. Accordingly, development could quicken and this serves as a colossal impetus into 2014. The revenue of the Tesla is 9.3% that of Toyota moreover Tesla has much higher gross profit of 25%. The gross profit percentage of Toyota is 18.7% (Toyota). Ford motors: It was established by Henry Ford and fused on June 16, 1903. The Ford Motor Company (otherwise called essentially Ford) is an American multinational automaker headquartered Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It was established by Henry Ford and fused on June 16, 1903. The organization offers cars and business vehicles under the Ford brand and most extravagance autos under the Lincoln brand. Passage additionally claims Brazilian SUV producer, Troller, and execution auto maker FPV. In the past it has additionally transformed tractors and auto segments (Our Company). Ford is one of the biggest car makers on the planet. The organizations head auto brands incorporate Aston Martin, Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. The organization fabricates and conveys vehicles in over 200 businesses over six main lands. The organizations solid brand portfolio provides for it a huge preference. Return on equity indicates what amount of benefit an organization creates from shareholders cash. The return for equity champion around the automakers is Ford (F). Alternate automakers are not as compelling in changing over shareholder cash into benefit. Return on equity is a measure of administrations viability, so I see this as a paramount metric and preference for Fords proceeded victory. The profit for equity is computed by taking net salary and separating it by the shareholders equity. Being investors we can envision ourselves as one of the board parts on Shark Tank. In spite of the fact that we dont have almost to the extent that as the Shark Tank board parts, we can assess these organizations to figure out whether they deserve of our speculation cash. Portage is changing over 28.5% of shareholder cash into benefit. This multiplies the ROE of alternate automakers. This shows that speculators can trust in the work that CEO, Alan Mullaly and his group are doing from a business outlook. This administration group is getting the most excitement for its speculators hard earned money. The administration adequacy is eventually reflected in the outperformance of Fords stock cost as contrasted with its rivals (Ford Vs. Tesla Which Stock Should You Buy?, 2013). After a remarkable year in 2013, shares of Ford (NYSE: F) dropped lower by almost 8% once the organizations 2014 standpoint was exhibited.Consistent with Ford CFO Bob Shanks, the organizations pretax profit in 2014 will be lower than in 2013. The organization refers to various purposes behind this absence of change, incorporating unanticipated government activity in developing markets, item reviews, and likewise an annuity commitment support. Elon Musk launched Tesla motors after 100 years when Ford Motors started but recently Ford motors has become the laggard. From investors point of view Tesla has a far higher esteem.Tesla has a lack of operational history in comparison with Ford and that might be the biggest strength in short term because the engineers start to work from a blank slate but from other point of view it can be a greatest risk in long-term as Ford has survived in every economic climate. Talking about the shares of the Ford they are valued on the basis of the companyâ €™s journey and where it stands now where as Tesla is judged from the perspective of future standing (SWOT analysis of Ford). Client unwaveringness will dependably be an exceptionally paramount pressure indicator of car bargains victory, said Jeffrey Anderson, executive of counseling and dissection for Experian Automotive. Portage has created greatly devoted clients over an extensive variety of vehicles. That consistency crosswise over its product offering has helped vault Fords unwaveringness rankings past its adversaries in our most recent study. Investors are paying great willingness to invest in Tesla as its sales are likely to increase from $400 million to more than $2billion. Mercedes Benz was second with 43.7 percent, which is a noteworthy build over the past quarter when they came in ninth spot with 34.6 percent. Talking about Tesla its supporters are watching the 10 year ramp of revenue as the entrance of sedan in 2017 which will have a moderate price in the mainstream market. General motors’: General Motors is the second greatest vehicles collecting association on the planet. They have divisions all far and wide that give plans and parts to each other. By offering parts and plans all far and wide, GM has the capability further reinforcing expansion a favorable luck over their opponents by saving on arrangement bunches. They similarly use economy of scales to cut down their liability on their parts. Entry motors gained the system that allowed it low taking care of expense by cutting all the excessive upkeep included in these operations. The goliath use on unrefined materials was slashed down and the web collecting strategy was introduced that focus on the change of automobiles on one technique as opposed to having various segments of building and arrangement. This strategy was secures overhead purpose of investment and give the association advantage over its adversaries in regards to additional level out of pocket (concierge, 1983), in the mean while association watched tr ansforming sharp automobiles that were not esteem sensitive and offered the suitability of expected section cars (About GM: Our Company). China is the biggest car business and is a rising economy that develops consistently. It is likewise the second biggest business sector for GM as far as vehicle units sold. An early passage into China, well performing organizations and neighborhood Buick brand are the primary reasons why GM has a solid position in Chinas auto market. GM is the biggest auto maker in US and at present holds more than 18% piece of the overall industry. This is essentially because of broad learning of US market and its consumers. Gm’s Cadillac, GMC, Chevrolet and Buick are around the top rated brands in US and China and acquire more than 80% of all General Motors deals. Tesla has become a media and stock market hero as it created gorgeous cars the Roadster and Model S. GM is a good competitor as it pools its resources and invest them into much focused projects. Some of the advantages that GM has over Tesla are the scale which is important for high profitability in the automobile industry and GMâ⠂¬â„¢s technology development that is used in several of its models. Tesla has a tiny product lineup (About GM: Our Company). General Motors has performed well starting late, however with GM, there had been the negative stigma encompassing its biggest guru, which obviously is the administration. Consequently, while the legislature possessed such a huge stake, shares of GM remained less expensive than its associates, and the organization still does not pay a profit. The Treasury has been offering shares at a quick rate in the course of the most recent year, and on Dec. 9 it affirmed that its remaining 31.1 million shares had been sold. In this manner, GM is no more government possessed, and has given or takes $37 billion in liquidity that might be utilized for profits and to make different speculations. U.S. automakers blasted after WWII, yet the impending blast in this hot auto business will put that surge to disgrace! Buyers in creating nations are developing wealthier, so clever moguls can exploit this ideal chance with the assistance of this brand-new Motley Fool report that distinguishes two automakers to purchase for a surging remote business (About GM: Our Company). Bibliography (n.d.). Retrieved from Toyota: http://www.toyota.com/ About GM: Our Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from gm: http://www.gm.com/company/aboutGM/our_company.html Competitive advantage the Toyota way. (n.d.). Retrieved from bsr.london.edu: http://bsr.london.edu/lbs-article/481/index.html Ford Motor Company passes General Motors and Toyota. (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2014, from finance.yahoo: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/ford-motor-company-passes-general-123000026.html Ford Vs. Tesla Which Stock Should You Buy? (2013). Retrieved 2014, from NASDAQ: http://www.nasdaq.com/article/ford-vs-tesla-which-stock-should-you-buy-cm288233 Our Company. (n.d.). Retrieved from ford: http://www.ford.com/ SWOT analysis of Ford. (n.d.). Retrieved from strategicmanagementinsight: http://www.strategicmanagementinsight.com/swot-analyses/ford-swot-analysis.html

Saturday, October 26, 2019

APPLICATIONS OF SILICON :: essays research papers

Applications of Silicon Silicon is one of man’s most useful elements. In the form of sand and clay it is used to make concrete and brick; it is a useful refractory material for high-temperature work, and in the form of silicates it is used in making enamels, pottery, etc. Silica, as sand, is a principal ingredient of glass, one of the most inexpensive of materials with excellent mechanical, optical, thermal and electrical properties. Hyperpure silicon can be doped with boron, gallium, phosphorus, or arsenic to produce silicon for use in transistors, solar cells, rectifiers, and other solid-state devices, which are used extensively in the electronics and space-age industries. Though silicon was originally discovered in 1810 and thought to be a compound silicon was discovered as an element in 1823 by Jons Berzelius. In 1824 Berzelius prepared amorphous silicon by the same general method and purified the product by removing the fluosilicates by repeated washings. Deville in 1854 first prepared crystalline silicon, the second allotropic form of the element. Davy in1800 thought silica to be a compound and not an element; later in 1811, Gay Lussac and Thenard probably prepared impure amorphous silicon by heating potassium with silicon tetrafluoride. Silicon is a metalloid at room temperature with an atomic number of 14, 14 electrons, 14 neutrons, and an average atomic mass of 28.0855. In its pure form,silicon melts at 2,570 degrees, and boils at 4,271 degrees Fahrenheit. This element belongs to the metalloid family, the 14th family on the periodic table of elements. This element is a solid metalloid at room temperature and turns to liquid at 2,570 degrees. Silicon is prepared as a brown amorphous powder or as gray-black crystals. Crystalline silicon has a metallic luster and grayish color. It is hard, non-magnetic, and most acids do not effect it, but it does dissolve in hydrofluoric acid, forming the gas, silicon tetrafluoride, SiF 4. At ordinary temperatures silicon is impervious to air, but at high temperatures it reacts with oxygen, forming a layer of silica that does not react further. At high temperatures it also reacts with nitrogen and chlorine to form silicon nitride and silicon chloride, respectively. Elemental silicon transmits more than 95% of all wavelengths of infrared, from 1.3 to 6.y micro-m. Silicon is present in the soil and makes up about 25.7% of the earth’s crust. Silicon also promotes firmness and strength in human tissues. It is part of the arteries, tendons, skin, connective tissue, and eyes.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Keller Williams One Man Band :: essays research papers fc

Imagine attending a concert in which if you were to close your eyes, you would assume that the music you are hearing is being created by a cast of band members, each playing their respective instruments. Contrary to your assumptions, however, this band only consists of one member. Keller Williams, dubbed by critics as a one-man-band, is one of a kind both in his musical talent and his solo act. Very few solo musicians have mastered such a multi-dimensional sound and captivating live show as Keller, making him standout amongst today’s musicians. Keller’s ability to perform improvisational live shows, form a large and dedicated fan base, and share the beliefs and attitudes of the hippie generation has given him the musical identity of the jam band genre in addition to his personal identity of being a solo act.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Keller grew up in of Fredericksburg, Virginia and first began performing at the early age of 16. Without any formal teaching, he taught himself how to the play the guitar, mimicking the styles of his role models John Fahey, Leo Kottke, and the late Michael Hedges. Williams started out playing in bars and restaurants in his hometown. He played in various bands to help him get a feel for his own skills. After doing so, he decided that a band would not suite the type of music path he was set out for and quickly decided to take a more solo-oriented route. The type of music Keller creates fuses elements of rock, funk, jazz, folk, bluegrass, and techno. His lyrics are â€Å"usually lighthearted, inventive and conjuring images of a twisted reality† (â€Å"Keller Williams Bio†). It is these characteristics, combined with the looping techniques that he uses to create a full-band sound with only himself on stage, which is what further distinguishes Williams fr om all other musicians.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Placed in the genre of jam bands, Keller is able to create a solo jamming experience with the use of his arsenal of various instruments. Keller was â€Å"introduced to looping techniques by ‘Flecktones’ bassist Victor Wooten,† which he now uses â€Å"to build a full-band sound with only one man on stage† (â€Å"Keller Williams Brings†). A typical song will begin by Williams playing a guitar riff which he will then â€Å"loop† so that it repeats continuously. Next, he might pick up another guitar, of which he has collection numbering eight or so, and record another riff which he will loop on top of the original riff.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Instructional Communication Essay

Instructional Communication Instructional Communication can be best explained as the transfer of information in a teaching environment. There are a lot of aspects that is associated with Instructional Communication. The contexts that are most relevant to my career are teacher to teacher communication, teacher to student communication, comprehension of information, and technology used in the setting. These four aspects make up my career as a public affairs instructor for the Department of Defense. Instructional communication is very important to the field of communication. Instructional communication is implemented everyday all around the world. It is implemented in schools and in job settings. This type of communication is how we relate information to new people on the job or students in a classroom. In order to determine the depth of comprehension we have to analyze formal and summative assessments of the students. During the course that I instruct, we also use technology to convey information as well as have the students to use technology to complete projects that are due during the course. Instructional communication has several different contexts located within it. I feel that the most important context would be teacher to student communication. It is extremely important as a teacher or an instructor to be able to convey the information to your audience and them be able to comprehend what you are talking about. It is also very important that students ask questions or talk about the material that is being covered to show understanding. According to Karaduz, (Karaduz, 2010) â€Å"An important part of instructional services involves giving messages to students about how they should learn and become involved in the learning process, giving those stimuli for reinforcement, identifying the gaps in their learning, and amending these gaps. An effective instructional process thus requires strong communication skills along every step. It is through language that a healthy communication is established, student interest is aroused, and ways of comprehending, practicing and retaining information are clarified. Karaduz said a lot in these few sentences. He talked about how important communication is between student and teachers. What good do teachers do when the students cannot understand the teacher’s message? Teacher and student communication is so important in any instructional setting. The next most important part of instructional communication is teacher to teacher communication. It is handy to have colleagues that you can ask questions or get advice about certain criteria. I have worked as a public affairs person for the last seven years. Of that seven years 2 ? of them has been in a combat area. In this intense atmosphere I have learned pretty much everything that I teach my students at the Defense Information School. A lot of times other instructors come to me for information on what should happen in a certain situation in a combat area. I think that teacher to teacher communication is extremely valuable and you should take a advantage of it. According to Lance (Lance, 2010), â€Å"when administrators value collaboration between teacher-librarians and classroom teachers and when teacher-librarians and their classroom colleagues report that it happens more frequently, students are more likely to master ICT standards and more likely to earn advanced scores on state reading and language arts tests. † This study linked collaboration between faculty and students scores. Lance showed that when faculty collaborated on instructional information and objectives the student’s scores went up on formal assessments. Another context of instructional communication is comprehension assessment. As an instructor I have to assess the students learning to see if they have learned the specific objectives to move on to the next part of the course. If students do not meet those objectives then they fail and are recycled to another program. I use different kinds of assessments to check the depth of their knowledge of the material. The students have written assignments, formal assessments, and a Field Training Exercise (FTX). The students also have time to redo any work that they have failed in order to receive a better grade. I provide feedback within two days of the after the due date of the assignment. I provide feedback and remedial for any student that is deemed in need or feels that they need the extra help. Since we try to communicate very well with the students our fail rate is between 2 to 4% each course. Technology is the last item that is very important to instructional communication. â€Å"Based on the immersive interface that underlies virtual worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, virtual environments allow the enactment of complex situations with tacit clues, imulation of scientific instruments, virtual experimentation, simulated collaboration in a team, and adaptive responses to students’ choice—all captured and recorded in data streams (Clarke-Midura, 2010),† according to Jody Clarke-Midura and Chris Dede. In this century technology has advanced so much. We have social media sites, PowerPoint presentations, email, and other was to communicate in and out of t he classroom. I learned that when you do not have proper communication things tend to follow apart.

Cph Herbal Medicines

10 Herbal Medicine RA NO. 8423- Phil Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC) Mnemonic is BUBLY/SANTA B-AWANG (Hypertesion,Lowers Cholesterol, Toothache) U-LISIMANG BATO (PANCIT-PANCITAN) (Lowers uric acid, Rheumatism) B-AYABAS (Diarrhea, Wounds, Toothache) L-AGUNDI (Cough, Asthma, Fever) Y-ERBA BUENA (Muscle Pain, Athritis, Rheumatism, Cough, Headache) S- AMBONG (anti-Edema, Diuretic, Anti-Urolithiasis) A-MPLAYA (Diabetes, Mellitus) N-NIOG-NIOGAN (Paratism, Arcariasis, Anti-Helmintic) T-SANG GUBAT (Stomachache, Diarrhea) A-KAPULKO (Scabies, Anti-Fungal & Athletes Foot) Aromatic Medicinal PlantsContains volatile oil for treatment of fever, cough, colds, itchiness and gaspain. 1. Petals- (sampaguita, Rosal, jasmine) * Sore eyes, conjunctivitis, eye wash. 2. Leaves- (ex. Suha, Calamansi, Mangga) * Fever 3. Plant: a. Tanglad/Sale- Fever (whole plants) b. Damong Maria- Cough/Colds/Dysminorrhea (whole plant) c. Leaves of Mansanilya- Gaspain d. Camias- Fever e. Sibuyas - Ferver Astringent and bitter tasting Medicinal Plants * Tannin and pectin (decrease peristalsis) A-VOCADO LEAVES B-AYABAS LEAVES K-AIMITO LEAVES D-UHAT LEAVES S-AGING LEAVES S-ANTOL LEAVES M- ANGOSTEEN FRUIT K- ASUY (NUTS/LEAVES) T-SAANG GUBAT (MOUTH WASH)EFFECT: ANESTHETIC AND DEPRESSANT EFFECT TREATMENT/DS: SKIN Problems 1. Akapulko Leaves 2. Kalachuchi 3. Malungay 4. Kakawati 5. Makabuhay DEPRESANTS 1. Dapdap Leaves 2. Dita 3. Makahiya ACHES/PAINS 1. Damong Marya 2. Sambong ASCABIES/ANTI-CANCER DRUG/ DEPRESSANTS 1. Chichirica 2. Mabuhay IMPOTENCE/ERECTILE DISFUNCTION/DEPRESSANT/SLEEPING 1. MAKAHIYA BRONCHODILATOR 1. TALAMTUNAY PIGSA 1. MAYANA PLANT SEEDS- most of the time, anti-helmentic 1. Patola Seeds- ABORTION/ANTI HELMENTIC 2. IPIL-IPIL 3. BETEL NUT 4. SQUASH SEED 5. LANSONES- insect-repelant GRASS FAMILY- diuretic (edema,urinary problem,ihi-ihi) . Tubo 2. Tanglad 3. Pandan Lalaki FOR ASTHMAS 1. KAGON 2. PUGO-PUGO 3. BUTO-BUTONES 4. GATAS-GATAS RENAL STONE- bato sa bato 1. CORN HAIR (BUHOK NG MAIS) Natural Family Planning (kulang yung family planning ko, please hanap nalang po kayo sa iba ng additional. Thanks) Girls 1. Spacing # of Prenancy & Ideal Timing a. Barriers b. Hormones- IUD, Condoms (male/female) cervical cup, vanginal sponge, spermicites 2. Scientific Family Planning a. Natural Method A. 1 Cervical Mucus Method A. 2 Basal Body Temperature A. 3 Lactating Amenorrhea b. Standard Days Method 3. Tubal Ligation

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Essay for Toyota’Human Resource Management

List of abbreviation There are some common words which often appear in this report will use the abbreviation to reduce the repeating of words through the report. Toyota Motor CompanyTMC Human resource managementHRM Human Resource HR Total Quality Management TQM Toyota Management Principles TMP Financial Year FY Research and Development R&DThe United States U. S Abstract: Toyota Motor Company is the one of world's leading automotive companies and is a global benchmark for quality and continuous improvement. However, in recent years, they faced a recall crisis unlike any they had seen before. Mr. Akio Toyoda, Toyota's president and grandson of the founder, was called to testify before the U. S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about the company's response to the recall (Greto et al, 2010).Many researchers analysed Toyota’ problems and pointed out several causes for this situation such as Toyota production system’s problem, quality mana gement, and human resource management and so on. This report will focus on human resource management problems in this case, based on information from media and theories of human resource management such as human resource strategy, employee development and career management, performance development, and compensation and etc ; the report will then give not only a conclusion but also recommendations with regard to Toyota’s situation. I.Introduction: I. Toyota’s overview: Kiichiro Toyoda founded Toyota Motor Corporation in 1937 as a spinoff from his father's company Toyota Industries to create automobiles. Three years earlier, in 1934, while still a department of Toyota Industries. The Type A engine was created in 1936, its first passenger car, the Toyota AA. Toyota Motor Corporation group companies are Toyota (including the Scion brand), Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino Motors, along with several â€Å"non-automotive† companies. The numbers of employees worldwide including consolidated and non-consolidated are 386. 841 in 31 March 2011.The company produced more than 7. 000. 000 vehicles per year both inside and outside Japan from 2009. As of the end of March 2011, Toyota businesses worldwide consist of 50 overseas manufacturing companies in 26 countries and regions. Toyota's vehicles are sold in more than 170 countries and regions (Toyota Annual Report, 2009) Katsuaki Watanabe, President of Toyota, had famous words: We are doing the same thing we always did; we are consistent. There’s no genius in our company. We just do whatever we believe is right, trying every day to improve every little bit and piece.But when 70 years of very small improvements accumulate, they become a revolution There are some business results, production and sales results in consolidated basis market Table 1 : Business results (2009_2011) | FY 2009 (April 2008 to March 2009)| FY 2010 (April 2009 to March 2010)| FY 2011 (April 2010 to March 2011)| Sales*1| 20,529. 5| 18, 950. 9| 18,993. 6| Operating income*1| -461| 147. 5| 468. 2| Net income*1| -436. 9| 209. 4| 408. 1| Capital Expenditures*1*2| 1302. 5| 579. 0| 642. 3| R;D*1| 904. 0| 725. 3| 730. 3| Number of consolidated subsidiaries| 529| 522| 511| No. of Affil.Accounted for Under the Equity Method| 56| 56| 56| (unit = 1 billion yen or 1 company) *1 Monetary figures rounded down to the nearest 100 million yen *2 Figures for depreciation expenses and capital expenditures do not include vehicles in operating lease * Table 2 : Production results | FY 2009 (April 2008 to March 2009)| FY 2010 (April 2009 to March 2010)| FY 2011 (April 2010 to March 2011)| Vehicles| Japan| 4,255,000| 3,956,000| 3,721,000| | Overseas| 2,796,000| 2,853,000| 3,448,000| | Total| 7,051,000| 6,809,000| 7,169,000| * Table 3 : Sales results | FY 2009 (April 2008 to March 2009)| FY 2010 April 2009 to March 2010)| FY 2011 (April 2010 to March 2011)| Vehicles| Japan| 1,945,000| 2,163,000| 1,913,000| | Overseas| 5,622,000| 5,074,00 0| 5,395,000| | Total| 7,567,000| 7,237,000| 7,308,000| Homes| 5,442| 5,281| 5,157| (Source: http://www. toyota-global. com/company/profile/overview/) II. Toyota’s problems in recent years: In late 2009, Toyota became the subject of media and U. S. government scrutiny after multiple deaths and injuries were attributed to accidents resulting from the unintended and uncontrolled acceleration of its cars. According to Smith (2012), despite Toyota's voluntary recall of 4. million vehicles for floor mats that could jam the accelerator pedal and a later recall to increase the space between the gas pedal and the floor, the company insisted there was no underlying defect and defended itself against media reports and regulatory statements that said otherwise. As the crisis escalated, Toyota was further criticized for its unwillingness to share information from its data recorders about possible problems with electronic throttle controls and sticky accelerator pedals, as well as braking problems with the production system. Cole said that â€Å"†¦ y the time Toyota Motor Company president Akio Toyoda apologized in his testimony to the U. S. Congress, Toyota's stock price had declined, in just over a month, by 20 percent-a $35 billion loss of market value† (2011, p3) Furthermore, Toyota in Australia revealed that it was halving production at its Altona plant in Melbourne, citing components shortages resulting from Japan’s earthquake and tsunami. The company announced that for the next two months, its 3,000 Australian workers would receive only 75 percent of their wages, operating on half shifts, and that it would review its production schedules in June of 2011 (Marshall, 2011)II. Methodology: The methodology used to make this report is data collection and analysis from two sources including sources of Toyota’s issue from the Internet, Toyota Motor Corporation’s Website, magazines, journal articles and academic materials such as books , lectures and etc. After collecting, those data have analysing about Toyota’s issues. Besides, the data collects the commentary from authors and experts about issues of Toyota and its HRM in order to observe those issues in many sides of views, especially in human resource views.The sources of case study also comes from magazines and news from quality source such as the New York Times, Human Resource Management Magazine, Harvard Business Publishing, Human Capital Online Magazine, and other HR magazines in order to guarantees the quality of the data. Finally, both HR theories and practice were compared in order to give recommendations and conclusions in this issue. III. Analysis about Human Resource Management of Toyota 1. Toyota human resource management views and practice:Toyota is known for many world class products and quality initiatives that include the famous Toyota production system that later became popular as JIT (just-in-time inventory). Toyota maintains a high pro file in its HRM policies and practices too (Smith, 2008). The global vision in human resource management in Toyota Motor Company (TMC) is create working environments for various employees to work proudly and with loyalty and confidence in fulfilling their potential, which realize their self- growth (Akio, 2005).The company focus on relationship with their employees based on basic principles of human resource management including creating a workplace environment where employees can work with their trust in the company; creating a mechanism for promoting constant and voluntary initiatives in continuous improvements; fully committed and thorough human resources development; and promoting teamwork aimed at pursuit of individual roles and optimization of the entire team (Toyota ‘s sustainability report, 1998).According to Ian Winfied, Professor of university of Derby in UK, said that human resource practices of Toyota’s company can serve as a model, particularly in manufactu ring and production oriented organizations. Toyota’s HRM framework broadly comprises of four goals including four goal follow: a) The goal of organizational integration: The integration of employees at individual and collective level with organization is seen as the primary goal of Toyota HRM strategy. This goal has been achieved through extensive use of teams that are subordinate to organizational goals.Welfare of employees also received wide attention as a part of this goal (Toyota global overview, 1998) b) The goal of commitment. In order to achieve this goal, a two-pronged strategy was followed. Firstly, Toyota preferred a semi-rural workforce for induction in their plants. They believe that people who are not contaminated by industrial culture and influences tend to retain with them a kind of feudal value of loyalty, which can be converted into organizational commitment.Secondly, measures such as suggestion schemes, quality circles and employee involvement methods are us ed to gain commitment. (Toyota global overview, 1998) c) The goal of flexibility and adaptability. Team authority in place of single individual holding all the powers has paved the way for realizing flexibility in the organization. These teams are task-based and can be dismantled or restructured, depending upon the situation. The adaptability trait is institutionalized through the approach of multi-skilling and job rotations. Toyota global overview, 1998) d) The goal of quality. Self, peer and teams surveillance techniques are used to ensure quality of products. Further, a series of measures employed, such as time and motion study, benchmarking, continuous process improvement and employee involvement contributed in the achievement of this goal (Toyota global overview, 1998) In addition, Toyota has recomposed the aforementioned four HRM goals into 17 specific practices.These 17 practices are classified into production practices and employment practices. The production practices are: JIT, Kanban, Line stop, Level scheduling, Continuous flow and Processing. The employment practices are: Continuous improvement, Single status facilities, Performance appraisal, Daily team briefings, Temporary contracts, Performance related pay, Company council, Cross training and group decision-making (Toyota annual report, 1998) Moreover, Toyota seeks to develop human resources through the activity of making things.Honorary Advisor Eiji Toyoda said that â€Å"†¦. Because people make our automobiles, nothing gets started until we train and educate our people†. As seen in these words, which were expressed by president of the company, Toyota believes that the development of human resources requires the handing down of values and perspectives. In conjunction with the geographic expansion of business and the growth of business areas, undertaking global actions for the development of human resources has become a priority issue.Toyota is building both tangible (a new learning facility) and intangible (course content) structures relating to team member development that ensures a secure and steady flow of qualified human resources to conduct Toyota's global business in the 21st century (Toyota global overview, 2000) * Fully Committed and Thorough Human Resources Development: Toyota conducts systematic company-wide and divisional training and assignments for training purposes with an emphasis on on-the-job training (OJT) to ensure that associates can fully utilize their abilities.Toyota has defined the required qualifications of â€Å"professional staff†1 for office and engineering positions, and â€Å"T shaped human resources’ who are able to perform day-to-day activities and expand their skills in technical positions. Company-wide training is conducted based on employee qualifications, as well as specialized training for individual divisions, language training, and special knowledge and skill training (Toyota’s sustainability Report, 2005)The basis for human resource development is putting the Toyota Way into practice. Toyota is working to develop human resources by seizing times of adversity as opportunities to learn, planning greater enhancement and reinforcement of educational programs based on the five Toyota Way keywords, and on-the-job training (OJT) essential to the progress and succession of building excellent products. (Source: http://www. toyota-global. com/company/profile/overview/) Toyota Management Principles (TMP): Continuous Improvement * Challenge: The company form a long-term vision, meeting challenges with courage and creativity to realize our dreams * Kaizen: â€Å"Continuous Improvement†: They improve their business operations continuously, always driving for innovation and evolution. * Genchi Genbutsu: â€Å"Go and see for yourself† They go to the source to find the facts to make correct decisions, build consensus, and achieve their goals. * The Toyota Production System (TPS): + Jidoka: quality at the source + Kaizen: continuous improvement Heijunka: even flow + Kanban: pull system + Just-in-Time: minimal inventories + Work teams + Total Quality Management + Supplier Partnerships * Total Quality Management (TQM): Implementation of TQM has been promoted based on the philosophies of â€Å"Customer First,† â€Å"Continuous Kaizen† and â€Å"Total Participation. † In order to raise the awareness of TQM, several measures are taken to promote resolution, provide every employee working in Toyota's global organization with ideas for action to improve product and service quality, motivate people and revitalize the corporate structure. Source: http://www. toyota-global. com/company/profile/overview/) * Employees Training Procedure: The purpose of training is to make sure that employees have the right skills and capabilities to identify and handle all situations they may encounter. Toyota is famous for its four-step cycle — plan/do/check /act. Company-Wide Training to Key principles of the Toyota Way support Professional Staff (Source: http://www. toyota-global. com/company/profile/overview/) Outline of Training Programs (Source: http://www. oyota-global. com/company/profile/overview/) * Rewards and recognition The purpose of any corporate reward process is to encourage and promote the right behaviours and to discourage the negative ones. It’s important for the reward process to involve the gathering of information about problems. It’s equally important to reward employees who are successful in getting executives to take immediate action on negative information (Toyota annual report, 2000) ( Source: http://www. toyota-global. com/company/profile/overview/) 2.Toyota’s human resource management problems: In the late of 2009, by the first of a series of highly publicized recalls of Toyota vehicles in the United States, Cole (2011) cited Toyota announced that it was recalling 3. 8 million U. S. vehi cles as potential problem in which poorly placed or incorrect floor mats under the driver's seat could lead to uncontrolled acceleration in a range of models. For manufacturing executives who have strived for decades to emulate Toyota, the mere suggestion that it had not only quality issues but also was a serious matter.Furthermore, Toyota said that it will close its New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated (NUMMI) plant in Fremont, California. NUMMI, opened in 1984 as a joint venture by Toyota and General Motors, currently employs about 5,400 workers all over the world (Kearney, 2009). Similarly, Byrne and O’Connor (2011) showed that Toyota Australia has threatened to end its manufacturing of cars in Australia, after workers went on strike against the company’s wage-cutting drive.Strikes were held on September 2, and September 15 and 16 in 2011, involving more than 3,000 workers at Toyota’s main plant at Altona, in Melbourne’s west, and hundreds more workers at its parts centres in Melbourne and Sydney. The Altona plant produces around 560 cars per day, with 70 percent of them exported, mainly to the Middle East. Toyota is demanding that workers accept a new enterprise agreement that entrenches real wage cuts over the next three years, with nominal wage increases of 1-2 percent now, 2. percent in April 2012, 3 percent in 2013 and 3. 5 percent in 2014. The official annual cost of living is currently 4. 5 percent (Petter, 2011) Moreover, Business Week  Magazine pointed out that employee errors were the root cause of Toyota issues and estimated that Toyota is losing $155 million per week as a result of their recent recall. Toyota had lost nearly $30 billion in stock valuation. The long-term impacts of the root causes that led to Toyota’s current situation could cost the company hundreds of billions of dollars.In addition, poor handling of the issue in the public eye has damaged the automaker’s brand reputation and c aused sales to decline to their lowest point in more than a decade (Hunter, 2010) Furthermore, According to Dr John Sullivan, who is a well-known thought leader in human resource a and professor of management at San Francisco State University, with case study â€Å"How Human resource caused Toyota crash† said that Toyota’s current predicament is a result of poorly designed practices and weak execution on the part of the human resource department (2010).This opinion was supported and confirmed by Hunter (2010) â€Å"†¦Toyota’s current predicament is a result of poorly designed practices and weak execution on the part of the human resource department†. IV. Discussions Although, Toyota is famous with the production system but when they apply this system in global, it is not mean that this system can work effectively in the same way (Sullivan, 2010).For instance, Toyota concentrates exclusively on the hard administration of a production system that produ ced vehicles to the customer’s order in Japan instead of the Western method of producing as many cars as possible as fast as possible, then trying to sell those cars to the customer (Smith et al, 2011).For instance, in response to the growth, Toyota had to delegate more design work to outside contract engineers with more than 1000 new engineers around the globe and take one new suppliers because the internal engineering resources and existing suppliers base could not keep up with the demands (Cole, 2011) It is obviously that the most important in Toyota problems is that the Toyota philosophy is so radical and requires such a change of management strategy that the change in the production process itself overshadows some even more fundamental differences between the drivers of performance in the Orient and in the West.For this reason when Toyota went into production in the West the emphasis was on the detail of the process, not on the people who carried out that process. Accord ing to Bob Nelson, the author of â€Å"Keeping Up In A Down Economy† told that: The average number of suggestions given by an American worker to improve the performance of Toyota company is 1. 1 per year. The same figure for a Japanese worker is 167 suggestions per year.This seems to indicate that there is a significant difference between the way that the Japanese worker feels about what he does and the way that the North American workers feel about what they do. In addition, when the new Toyota plants in the West or other countries were built they slavishly tried to copy the detail of the Toyota production system without understanding the difference between the ways that the workers in the East, compared to the West, felt about what they did.Today that difference is called engagement (Hunter, 2010). Employers in the West are becoming aware of the huge value that is realised when a workforce is engaged but, other than running surveys to find out how engaged, or not, their wor kforce is, very few understand that it is possible to create engagement in an otherwise unengaged workforce, and fewer know how to do it.The cars that Toyota recalled were all built in the West. Is it possible that the faults that caused the recalls did not occur in vehicles produced in the East because they were spotted and rectified by an â€Å"engaged† workforce, while in the West the â€Å"disengaged† workforce knew of the problems but never reported them to Toyota because Western managers do not know how to engage their workforces (Cole, 2011).According Sullivan (2010), in any situation where employees fail to perform as expected, investigators must determine if the human error could have been caused by factors beyond the employee’s control. Such external factors might include actions by senior management, lack of adequate information or job training, faulty inputs to the process, or rewards those intent actions not in line with documented goals.Therefore, if managers believe in accountability, they have to accept that human errors that lead to corporate catastrophes could be the result of faulty HR processes, most notably those related to acquiring, developing, motivating, and managing labour (Hunter, 2010) Furthermore, the mechanical failures were known to Toyota leaders long before corrective action was taken, and many close to the issue are indicating that the company took decisive action to hide the facts and distort the scope of the problem (Greto et el, 2010). When the organization disproportionately rewarded managers for ost-containment versus sustaining product quality, it created the incentive for everyone involved to ignore the facts and to deny that a problem existed. Employees who are well-trained and subject to balanced rewards and performance monitoring systems would not have allowed the situation to grow as it did. If the root cause of the problems Toyota is facing are failure by employees to make good decisions, confr ont negative news, and make a convincing business case for immediate action, then the HR processes that may have influenced those decisions must be examined.The HR processes that must at least be considered as suspect include rewards processes, training processes, performance management processes, and the hiring process (Sullivan, 2011) V. Recommendations: Toyota traditionally has ranked best in its relationship compared with other automakers. However, its ranking has fallen steadily from 2007 through 2010. The roof of Toyota’s recent quality problems, any thorough analysis would also need to acknowledge the role of the company’s centralized management structure (Cole, 2011).From previous parts of this report, there are some recommendations for this issue. The first recommendation is that Toyota should focus on training employees system because the purpose of training is to make sure that employees have the right skills and capabilities to identify and handle all situa tions they may encounter. Toyota is famous for its four-step cycle — plan/do/check/act, but with Toyota plants clearly the training among managers now needs to focus more on new engineers and general staffs.In addition, in an environment where safety is paramount, everyone should have been trained on the symptoms of â€Å"groupthink† and how to avoid the excess discounting or ignoring of negative external safety information (Cole, 2011). The Toyota managers should encourage employees to detect errors and propose solutions. The second recommendation is recruiting process. According to Kramar et al (2011), the purpose of great hiring is to bring on board top-performing individuals with the high level of skills and capabilities that are required to handle the most complex problems.Poorly designed recruiting and  assessment  elements can result in the hiring of individuals who sweep problems under the rug and who are not willing to stand up to management. Therefore, To yota should do not for the purpose of rapid development that ignores the evaluation stage of the recruitment processes otherwise Toyota should maintain the hiring procedures which ensure quality for human resource management.The company can adopt external or internal recruitment in order to looking for high quality employees (Robin et al, 2011) Another recommendation is performance management process. According to Sullivan (2010), the purpose of a performance management process is to periodically monitor or appraise performance, in order to identify problem behaviours before they get out of hand. Hence, The Toyota should check and ensure that the performance measurement system included performance factors to measure responsiveness to negative information.Furthermore, the Toyota’s Human Resource Department also need check or audit the performance appraisal , Performance planning and evaluation (PPE) systems, performance feedback, and performance monitoring process effectively in order to help employees identify, report and alerts errors to warn senior managers before minor problems got out of control (Krmar et al , 2011, p 475). For example, the company should base on performance appraisal to make administrative decisions such as salary administration (pay rises or bonuses), promotion, retention and termination, retrenchment and recognition of an individual's performance.Finally yet importantly, the recommendation is psychological contract. According to Rousseau (1989), the psychological contract is defined as an individual's beliefs about the terms and conditions of a reciprocal exchange agreement between that person and another party. In other word, a psychological contract emerges when one party believes that a promise of future return has been made, a contribution has been given and thus, an obligation has been created to provide future benefits.Many researchers illustrated that psychological contract has a huge impact to the performance of employees . As the results, Toyota should consider and ensure the conditions of wages, bonuses, compensation, and welfare as well as avoid violating the psychological contract with employees to create healthy environment workplace. Thus, the company can motivate their staffs make contributions to the success of the company. VI. Conclusion: Human resource management refer to the policies, practices, and systems that influence employees’ behaviour, attitudes and performance.Krmar et al, 2011 said that Human resource impacting the bottom line and customer’s satisfaction, diversity management, and the health and well- being of employees. Therefore, human resource managements is not only about the achievement organization’s goals but also employees health and well –being. It is important for any budding manager to remember that a happy employee is often a productive employee. Furthermore, according to Sullivan (2010), Toyota’s problems are not the result of a sin gle individual making an isolated mistake, but rather due to a companywide series of mistakes that are all related to each other.So many corporate functions were involved, including human resource management, customer service, government relations, vendor management and public relationship, that one cannot help but attribute the crash of Toyota to systemic management failure. As discussed above, employee errors in recruitment, selection, performance management, compensation and benefits, international human resource management and so on were the root cause of several mechanical and financial failures in Toyota automobiles (Cole, 2011).Therefore, to restore credibility, quality and brand, Toyota should not only focus on overcoming the technical problems but also need to review, correct remedy all the processes related to the creation of products that the most important factors is human resources management. To sum up, the key lesson is that others should learn from Toyota’s mi stakes is that HRM system needs to periodically test or audit each of the processes with considering all factors and fix problems as soon as possible otherwise it could allow this type of billion-dollar error to occur.References lists: 1/ The sources of Toyota issues: Byrne, P & O’Connor, P 2011, Toyota Australia executives threaten shutdown after strike, Word Socialist Web Site, http://www. wsws. org/articles/2011/sep2011/toyo-s20. shtml. Cole, R E, 2011, What really happend to Toyota, 01 June, http://hbr. org/product/what-really-happened-to-toyota/an/SMR395-PDF-ENG. Hunter, P 2010, Root cause of Toyota failure: Emplyee Engagement, Human

How hunger and malnutrition influence the health and development of communities Essay

Discuss how hunger and malnutrition influence the health and development of communities .Then explain how community participation and national political commitment can help to address the effects of hunger and malnutrition ?. Firstly I will describe health, hunger and malnutrition , then discuss the social , physical and economic effects of hunger and malnutrition and illustrate how hunger and malnutrition are linked. I will explain community participation and show how it links to primary health care and the political commitment and .I will conclude by giving examples of community participation and national political commitment and as well as insight opinion as to how they can address the effect of hunger and malnutrition to improve the lives of those affected. â€Å"Health the state of complete physically ,mentally and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity â€Å" (United Nations 1974:4) health designates process of adaptation ,It designates the abilit y to adapt to changing environments and embraces the future. Hunger is a condition in which people do not get enough food to provide the nutrients for example carbohydrates ,fats proteins and minerals. Hunger occurs in three forms. 1. Acute –the starving skinned bones at this stage death is a loaming reality 2. Chronic hunger-is characterized by a constant lack of access to food of sufficient quality and quantity as well as lack of good health care and caring practices . 3. Hidden hunger –results from quality diet ,lack of balanced diet food and to lesser extent illness which will reduce appetite affects the body’s ability to use key nutrients. Malnutrition refers to improper consumption of food ,it is most commonly used to refer to under nutrition. Malnutrition mostly affect the poor but it is not just a problem among the poor ,it is about vulnerability not poverty . The social effect of hunger and malnutrition ,is the premature death and disability wreck havoc upon social institutions ,familial ties and civil society .Ma lnourished children endure poorer educational prospects than those who are well-fed ,with the resultant negative impact on their occupational opportunities. Eleven million children die each year before the age of five ,and the death of child can dissolve a marriage especially in African cultures .An estimated 60% of these children are vulnerable because  they are hungry (Regan 80:20 274). Under nutrition’s most damaging effects occur during pregnancy and in the first two years of life because this is when cognitive development is most rapid. The physical effect of hunger and malnutrition is stunded growth of a child .Children who are malnourished have longer and more severe illness that would not kill them if they weren’t malnourished. Malnourishment and undernourishment can affect for their entire lives. A malnourished individual may group with physical or cognitive disabilities and face a life of hardship as a result. Being malnourished or undernourished will make the body of the person physically weak that the person will not be able to do his/her day to day duties and will also lead to poor performance at work and as a result that person will loose the job and the company will have low production as well due to the lose of the staff. The effects of hunger and malnutrition in the economic factor .A malnourished individual may grow up with physical or cognitive disabilities also have a debilitating effects upon a country’s workforce and subsequently it is economic productivity. Medical cost can be long-lasting problem pregnancies often lead to the delivery underweight babies who require medical attention from the moment they are born .Malnutrition increases a child’s susceptibility to malaria , pneumonia, diarrhea or measles lead to a spiral of even further medical expenditure. Malnutrition and hunger are linked in the sense that they both lead to poverty and they are both caused by poverty .Hunger will lead to malnutrition ,malnutrition in pregnant women will lead to giving birth to underweight babies who require medical attention from the moment they are born ,which will cost the family some money and at the same time taking most of the families time of going to work or to do productive activities. Community participation is the process through which people gain control over the social ,political , economic and environmental factors that determine their health. The process of participation starts with an evaluation of the situation by everyone invo lved. During the process the community defines its most important health problems ,it decides or priorities finally the community participates in implementing monitoring and evaluating a health programme ,all these things are possible even when people are poor or illiterate. Community participation links to primary health care in sense that ,the community members are the one who participate in the primary health care. Primary  health care is essential health care based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology made universally accessible to individuals and families ,in the community through their full participation and at a cast that community can afford. National political commitment ,health services operate with a particular political structure .The decisions that determine the allocation of resources ,human resource policy and the availability and accessibility of services are primary political.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Target readership Essays

Target readership Essays Target readership Paper Target readership Paper How do editors of tabloids and broadsheet newspapers use content, language, layout and images to attract and reflect their target readership? An analysis of the front pages of The Guardian and The Daily Mail from 16th March 2001. Targets: 1. To show insight into the idea of readership. 2. To analyse the way that the style and presentation are used in the media. 3. To analyse the way that language and images are used to create an impact. 4. To present and explain my opinions clearly and logically. British newspapers have been around for nearly three centuries.There are ten British national papers divided into two main categories: the tabloids and the broadsheets. The tabloids contain many articles on celebrities and gossip, some news and many large pictures. The most popular tabloids are The Sun and The Mirror (red tops). The broadsheets are larger papers and more serious. They include more news stories and cover politics and world issues. The most popular broadsheet is The Daily Telegraph. The circulation of the national papers has lowered from 15,672,431 in 1989, to 14,270,111 in 1994.This is because there is more technology today. People can receive instant news on the television, radio and internet. It is important for newspapers to know, target, attract and reflect their readership. With this information, they can write articles that interest their readers. It creates an image of what the readers are attracted to. The Guardian is a broadsheet. It is a slightly left-wing newspaper generally supporting the Government and Labour Party. According to stereotypes, people with professional jobs mainly read this paper.Statistics show that about twenty per cent of people aged 20-45 read The Guardian. The Daily Mail is one of two newspapers called the middle market dailies. It is a tabloid paper, but has a balance of news and feature articles. Stereotypes of the readers of The Daily Mail suggest that this paper is read mostly by less professional people. However, statistics prove that mostly professionals or people in junior management read The Daily Mail with a wide age group. The top of a newspaper can encourage sales if the readers are interested in what they see.As The Guardian is a very large newspaper, it is folded when in the shop so that only the top is seen by the customers. For this reason, the top of The Guardian has to be attractive and contain articles that interest its readers; Rewriting history. Why South Africas schools are stuck in the past. This is in the strapline that focuses on a different story than the main article. This suggests that the newspapers readers are interested in history and world issues, as this paper focuses on Africa and education.It seems that the editor of the newspaper wants to include all articles that its readers are interested in. The top of The Daily Mail is quite different to The Guardian. The style of the name suggests the newspaper is traditional as it has a royal crest in between. This suggests that the newspaper wants to create a traditional style paper. The main strapline reflects the readership of the newspaper; Britains farmers are suffering terribly. For them, and for the sake of our rural heritage Firstly, this shows that The Daily Mails readers are concerned about Britain and its farmers.Secondly, it shows that its readers are interested in the countryside and want to keep up the tradition of farming. The Daily Mail uses emotive language as it asks for their readers contribution to their Farm Aid Appeal. An emotional photograph is placed in the top right corner of newborn lambs, which attracts people, especially animal-lovers. This will make the readers feel sympathetic and will feel like they have to contribute to the appeal. Both papers focus on the foot and mouth story on the same day as it gives the latest information on a disease that indirectly affects almost everyone.Most cows and sheep are being killed, even if they are healthy, to try to stop the disease from spreading. Farmers are losing their money and the general election has been postponed as politics are also affected. This story will attract most readers for different reasons: farmers will want to know the latest information as it affects their business; any member of the public will want to an update on the disease as it affects the food they buy; and the people interested in the Government will want to know the date for the election.Also, animal-lovers will be concerned about the disease. Considering the stereotypes and statistics of the two different newspapers, it is clear that the two different newspapers will have different types of articles regarding the foot and mouth story. One can expect The Guardian to focus on the political side of any story and how business is affected by the news. The reader of The Daily Mail can predict to read less about politics, but about personal views and their opinions to the story. The Guardian focuses on the political side of the foot and mouth disease.It contains information on the latest news about the election and what the Government is planning to do about the crisis. The reporter is an environment correspondent and is trying not to be biased. Instead, he quotes the NFU president as he is more biased. This suggests that the newspaper aims to be as fair as possible and to produce mainly facts for its readers. This indicates that the reader does not want to read any gossip, but news that can inform them of the latest. The Daily Mail focuses on a personal point of view;It was when Blackie caught his eye that it really hit Leyland Branfield. This gives an emotional view about a specific farmer. It is the introduction to the article and makes the reader question who Blackie and Leyland Branfield are, encouraging them to read on. This, along with the heading, makes the article sound like it is a story. This will attract more readers. The heading of The Guardian is less attractive than The Daily Mail; Ministers gamble on mass cull This is the main headline and tells the reader that the main story is focused on politics.The word gamble is emotive language, which could suggest to the reader that Labour is lacking control or giving up. This will attract readers, as it is close to the election, and if Labour is not achieving what they should, the public could change their mind on who to vote for. In addition, there is a small article next to this about Labour, proving that the Government is a subject that most readers are concerned about. Some of the language used in the two different newspapers is quite different. However, a few techniques are used in both papers.

UNITED STATES NAVY SEALS essays

UNITED STATES NAVY SEALS essays One of the most famous Special Forces divisions in the United States military arsenal is the Navy SEALS. They are known throughout the world as one of the most States military has other Special Forces, such as the Army Rangers and Green Berets disciplined, skilled, and motivated teams ever. Although the United. However they are the most famous for the numerous operations that they have carried out. The United States Navy SEALS were formed as an extension of the World War Two Underwater Demolition Teams in 1962. President Kennedy was uncertain whether or not the Cold War would turn into a Hot War, so he directed the United States armed services to create special units dedicated to unconventional warfare. And the navys answer to this request was the formation of the United States Navy SEALs. For a trainee to become a SEAL he or she first needs to decide whether or not they have the dedication, will power, and commitment to make it through the intense training program that they must undergo. And if he or she is unable to make that decision themselves then the intense training program will soon help them decide. On December 25, 1996 one hundred forty-four men made the trip to the Navys Basic Underwater Demolitions school (BUDS). This is the first step to the yearlong training required to qualify as a Navy SEAL. This training camp is located on San Diegos Coronado Island during training there is a seventy percent dropout rate. This is completely due to the six months of hard-core training that they must endure. Some of the training that they must undergo is as follows. The applicants are plunged in frigid water until they are nearly hypothermic, they are knocked dizzy as they trudge through crashing surf, and forced to carry muscle-melting rubber rafts over their heads every time they jog from place to place. Finally comes Hell Week, it is the fifth week of training. This is wh ...

Monday, October 21, 2019

Free Essays on Loosening Knots In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight

In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the poet represents the protagonist Gawain with two different types of knots. Initially, Gawain is portrayed as the noble knight of King Arthur’s court who is the quintessence of chivalry; he is loyal, courteous and above all honest. The poet portrays his chivalric character with the pentangle on the shield because he is void of faults and â€Å"tulk of tale most trwe/ And gentylest knygt of lote.† (ll. 638-639). These traits are put to the test, and he proves himself honorable except for the last test in which he accepts a girdle from Lady Bercilak for the sake of saving his life. The poet uses the girdle to show how Gawain’s character and motivations change. The evolution of symbolic identification reveals that the love of life causes human beings to lose virtuousness but can be redeemed with spiritual and humanistic moral correction. In stanza 27 the poet introduces the symbol of the pentangle and draws a parallel between trawà ¾ and endlessness. The image of the pentangle dates back to King Solomon and was used by the Hebrews as an attribute of Truth and the five books of the Pentateuch. Already, one can see that the origin of the pentangle has theological significance. Hit is a syngne Þat Salamon set sumquyle In bytoknyng of TrawÞe, bi tytle Þat hit habbez, For hit is a figure Þat haldez fyue poyntez, And vche lyne vmbelappez and loukez in oà ¾er, And ayquere hit is endelez (ll. 625-629). The important word in the preceding passage is trawà ¾e, which roughly translates to the word truth. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word trawà ¾e in the 14th century has several meanings. One definition, which is the more frequently known definition in Modern English, â€Å"is the character of being, or disposition to be, true to a person, principle, cause, etc.† The other definitions pertain to a person’s moral character. One definition relates to virtue in a more general, worldl... Free Essays on Loosening Knots In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight Free Essays on Loosening Knots In Sir Gawain And The Green Knight In Sir Gawain and The Green Knight, the poet represents the protagonist Gawain with two different types of knots. Initially, Gawain is portrayed as the noble knight of King Arthur’s court who is the quintessence of chivalry; he is loyal, courteous and above all honest. The poet portrays his chivalric character with the pentangle on the shield because he is void of faults and â€Å"tulk of tale most trwe/ And gentylest knygt of lote.† (ll. 638-639). These traits are put to the test, and he proves himself honorable except for the last test in which he accepts a girdle from Lady Bercilak for the sake of saving his life. The poet uses the girdle to show how Gawain’s character and motivations change. The evolution of symbolic identification reveals that the love of life causes human beings to lose virtuousness but can be redeemed with spiritual and humanistic moral correction. In stanza 27 the poet introduces the symbol of the pentangle and draws a parallel between trawà ¾ and endlessness. The image of the pentangle dates back to King Solomon and was used by the Hebrews as an attribute of Truth and the five books of the Pentateuch. Already, one can see that the origin of the pentangle has theological significance. Hit is a syngne Þat Salamon set sumquyle In bytoknyng of TrawÞe, bi tytle Þat hit habbez, For hit is a figure Þat haldez fyue poyntez, And vche lyne vmbelappez and loukez in oà ¾er, And ayquere hit is endelez (ll. 625-629). The important word in the preceding passage is trawà ¾e, which roughly translates to the word truth. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word trawà ¾e in the 14th century has several meanings. One definition, which is the more frequently known definition in Modern English, â€Å"is the character of being, or disposition to be, true to a person, principle, cause, etc.† The other definitions pertain to a person’s moral character. One definition relates to virtue in a more general, worldl...

Essay on The Image of Villain in Ramayana

Essay on The Image of Villain in Ramayana Essay on The Image of Villain in Ramayana Essay on The Image of Villain in RamayanaThe book â€Å"Ramayana† by Narayan reveals the topic of villains and their impact on people along with the possible resistance of people to villains and effective ways, which people can use to defeat villains. In fact, the entire book raises the problem of the clash between good and evil and villains stand on the evil side. They personify evil and cause the average people woe and problems preventing them from the normal life. At the same time, the book gives implications that villains are defeatable and good can always win and defeat the evil. This topic becomes very important for the book, while the image of villains and their actions are subjects to the particular attention of the author.The demon Ravan personifies the image of the villain, who wants to play people like puppets and whose power makes him even crueler. In such a way, the author of the book gives implications that the person, who has the power can turn into villain, whi le the villain, who has the power can increase his cruelty, if he finds no resistance and sees the inability of people to confront him as is the case of Ravan. The cruelty turns out to be one of the distinct features of the villain in â€Å"Ramayana† because villains are truly evil by their nature (Narayan, 2012, P.152). Therefore, they commit evil acts since their cruelty rules their decisions and actions and they run people, play their fates, and implement their evil and cruel plans.Using the image of the demon Ravan, the author attempts to show the villain character that causes harm and troubles to the average people and how defenseless people may be in face of such villains. The villain is ambidextrous and can pretend to be a different person than he/she really is: â€Å"I came in several times and spoke, but perhaps you were asleep when I thought you were awake’† (Narayan, 2012, P.185). In such a way, villains are very dangerous since one can never know wha t they plan and what they are going to do as is the case of Ravan. He acts in a treacherous way and people can never know what to expect from him. Therefore, one of the distinct features of villains is hypocrisy. Being ambidextrous, they can pretend to be good, while they have evil plans at the same time. Such trait of character is apparently the attribute of the villain because the lack of transparency and sincerity of villains makes them really dangerous for other people, who cannot foresee their actions. Villains are particularly dangerous, when they have wicked plans but pretend to have good plans and intentions and, thus, deceive people.At the same time, the author of the book shows that the prince Rama, who is Vishnu reborn protects people from the evil demon and, thus, personifies the opponent of the villain. The presence of the positive character fighting against the villain uncover the vulnerability of villains because the villain turns out to be unable to confront the oppo nent, who is equal to him in power, force, or intellect. In fact, villains cannot confront opponents in the open struggle because they are too weak (Narayan, 2012, p.169). At any rate, they do not have the spirit power that would guide them through the open fight against their opponents. Obviously, the open and fair fight or struggle are not the methods villains can and do use in their life. On the contrary, they try to do their evil acts secretly, making complex schemes and uncovering the essence of their evil nature. At the same time, their unwillingness to confront their opponents in the open and fair struggle proves the fact that villains are cowards in their essence. They fear the defeat and they do not rely on their own physical force or spiritual power, when they have to fight openly. Instead, they tend to use their complex schemes to undermine the power of their opponents and, thus, defeat them.Therefore, the book reveals the negative impact of power on villains, who become extremely cruel, if they see that they can exercise their full power, while humans cannot resist to such villains, unless they have the spiritual power and the support of authorities, both divine and civil ones. The author of the book shows that the unlimited power makes the main villain of the book even worse and people cannot cope with the villain without the assistance of the authorities that is one of the main messages of the book. At the same time, villains are deceitful, ambidextrous, hypocritical, and evil by their nature. At any rate, the villain depicted in â€Å"Ramayana† has all these features. Villains cannot confront their opponents in the fair struggle. Instead, they are scheming, deceiving and corrupt their opponents to win.

Sunday, October 20, 2019

25 Favorite Portmanteau Words

25 Favorite Portmanteau Words 25 Favorite Portmanteau Words 25 Favorite Portmanteau Words By Mark Nichol One of the many compensating charms of the often infuriating English language is the ease with which speakers and writers may exercise creativity and inventiveness. One of its most inventive components is the portmanteau word one formed by combining two words into a single (and often deprecating and/or ironically humorous) term that denotes a new concept, or one for which a satisfactory term was heretofore unavailable. Here are twenty-five such terms, their parent words, and their meanings. 1. Affluenza (affluence/influenza): anxiety or dissatisfaction caused by submission to consumerism 2. Anacronym (anachronism/acronym): an acronym derived from a phrase no longer widely known (for example, radar) 3. Anticipointment (anticipation/disappointment): the letdown after hype gives way to reality 4. Backronym (back/acronym): a word presented as an acronym after the fact (for example, the name of the car brand Ford was derisively backronymed to stand for â€Å"Fix Or Repair Daily†) or mistakenly believed to be an acronym (the Morse code distress signal is erroneously said to stand for â€Å"Save Our Souls†) 5. Blaxploitation (black/exploitation): a genre of pulp entertainment most prevalent during the 1970s, when African American culture began to permeate US society that exploits clichà ©s about black people 6. Bodacious (bold/audacious): insolent or unrestrained, extraordinary or impressively large, or extremely attractive 7. Celebutant(e) (celebrity/debutant(e)): someone famous for being famous, with no apparent talent except self-promotion 8. Chillax (chill/relax): behave, calm down, or relax 9. Cocacolonization (Coca-Cola/colonization): the aggressive introduction or pervasive influence of American consumerism on other cultures 10. Cosplay (costume/play): wearing costumes and accessories that resemble those of characters from various forms of popular culture, or the subculture that engages in cosplay 11. Craptacular (crap/spectacular): entertainment so poor in quality as to be ironically captivating, or hyped but ultimately disappointing 12. Edutainment (education/entertainment): educational material presented in a format intended to attract with its entertainment value) 13. Frankenfood (Frankenstein/food): genetically modified food 14. Frenemy (friend/enemy): a supposed friend whose actions and/or behavior are characteristic of a foe 15. Gaydar (gay/radar): the ability to identify a person as a homosexual based on observation of the person’s appearance and/or behavior 16. Ginormous (gigantic/enormous): huge 17. Infotainment (information/entertainment): information presented in a format intended to attract with its entertainment value 18. Interrobang (interrogative/bang): a combination question mark and exclamation point 19. McMansion (McDonalds/mansion): a blandly generic large house 20. Metrosexual (metropolitan/heterosexual): a man who appears to be inordinately concerned about personal aesthetics and/or is perceived for this quality as being homosexual 21. Mockumentary (mock/documentary): a feature film that spoofs the documentary form 22. Netocracy (Internet/aristocracy): an elite demographic distinguished by facility with technology and online networking 23. Screenager (screen/teenager): the typical adolescent who indulges excessively in screen entertainment 24. Sexploitation (sex/exploitation): pulp entertainment intended primarily to titillate 25. Shopaholic (shop/alcoholic): someone addicted to shopping A portmanteau word, as described by Humpty Dumpty in Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass, is (inspired by the word for a suitcase with two opposite compartments) a case of â€Å"two meanings packed up into one word.† Many such terms, most of which are in the mainstream vocabulary and some of which are not widely recognized as invented terms already exist. More mundane portmanteau words represent dual ideas in many contexts, including entertainment (cineplex, docudrama, infomercial), sports (heliskiing, parasailing, slurve), and technology (avionics, camcorder, pixel), as well as hybridization of breeds or species (cockapoo, jackalope, liger). Some older examples include electrocution (electricity/execution), motel (motor/hotel), motorcade (motor/cavalcade), prissy (prim/sissy, though it may be simply a variation of precise), rollicking (rolling/frolicking), and ruckus (ruction, rumpus). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Whimsical Words50 Latin Phrases You Should KnowProverb vs. Adage