Decision Analysis in Financial Services Corporation Assignment

Decision Analysis in Financial Services Corporation - Assignment Example This was particularly true post-September 11, 2001, when the Patriot Act and its companion Banking Secrecy Act changed and further complicated the way financial institutions did business, by requiring them to detect and stop money laundering procedures. Like many others in the banking industry, in the decade prior to 2006 FSC had acquired and merged with many other like firms. By that year the corporation was in the process of its largest merger to date, which was still some months off. In order to make the merger smooth and efficient, it became evident that most of their divisions needed to be streamlined and HR was one those divisions that were singled out. One of those options was the balanced scorecard; an idea that had been around since the early 1990’s and had been implemented several times during the decade by the Human Resources of FSC, albeit without much success. Issues Based upon â€Å"How to Analyze a Case† from Harvard Business School’s Case Study Ha ndbook, there are four situations that occur in most cases. The first is the problem or in modern speak, the issues involved. FSC needed to develop a balanced scorecard (BSC) for is merger and had begun to identify problems with its Human Resources Division as early as 2002. ...With regard to the HR Division, the study revealed several weaknesses. Of the six flaws discovered, five of those dealt with measuring the division’s progress and using those indicators to predict the future of the department and deal with any changes that would come about. To quote the paper, â€Å"the HR Leadership Team, which consisted of the HR CFO and managers of the various HR departments, did not regularly review departmental metrics or indicators; rather, it relied on anecdotal information from colleagues and internal customers relating to how the HR Division was performing.† Still, it took another two years before the first primitive version of the BSC was first implemented. The divisio n had also been making an attempt to implement the BSC since 2004, with a lot of resistance from the employees, who for the most part considered the scorecards a waste of their valuable time and another â€Å"fad† brought about by the whims of the top leadership. As expected without enthusiastic cooperation in the HR Division, especially in senior leadership, that first BSC failed miserably as did several reincarnations thereafter. Yet Corporate Headquarters was determined to see the BSC brought about in the HR Division and bring Leadership’s thinking in line with the concept. After all, such things as Human Resources had long been considered of having no value addition and mostly referred to as overhead. The people at the top looked at exactly that, money, and if they weren’t convinced HR was a viable asset, it could be even further trimmed and the BSC was the best tool to prevent that.

Public Budgeting Essay Example for Free

Public Budgeting Essay Public budgeting touches every sector of the economy and it thus demands clear and accurate contribution of all the parties involved which include policymakers, financial institutions and the public at large. A national budget is a document which once approved by the legislature gives the government the mandate to collect revenue, incur debts on behalf of the public and come up with means of expenditure for the country to achieve certain goals (Cargill and Garcia, 2005). A budget outlines the origin and the application of public resources and for this reason, it plays a central role in the government processes, economic, political, legal and administrative functions of a country. Budgeting is responsible for shaping the macroeconomic status of a country, reflect the political power of the actors who are involved in different stages of the budgeting process, determine which projects get funded with how much and at what level and come up with proper budgetary reforms of both the technical and political budgeting. In this case, monetary control is necessary for a country to achieve the desired level of growth and stability of its economy. It is the responsibility of central banks to conduct monetary policies for the purposes of monetary control. A monetary policy can be defined as a deliberate effort by the Central Bank to influence the economic activities of a country through variation of the money supply, limited control of the amount of credit available and the use of interest rates which are consistent with political objectives of the country. Some of the objectives achieved by the monetary policy include stabilization of the prices of goods and services, stability of exchange rates, availability of employment and maximization of the outputs as well as high rates of economic growth. Most monetary authorities employ operations in the open markets, bank rate regulation policies and credit control policies to control monetary values and achieve the above named objectives. The federal reserve Banks in U. S for instance uses credit control policies to increase or decrease the amount of money and credit present in the U.  S economy at any given financial year. If the monetary value increases, the credit control is said to be on the loose end and to control this, the interests rates for the financial institutions tend to drop, the amount of money spent by businesses and individual consumers increase and the employment opportunities also increase as well. However, if too much money is located to any one sector of the economy when budgeting, it might lead to inflation and a decline in the monetary value of the dollar might result. On the other hand, if too little money is available in the economy, levels of unemployment in the country might increase. An example of how monetary policy and credit controls are applied in public budgeting was seen back in the early 1970s where the Federal Reserve Banks in the U. S facilitated rapid credit expansion to combat unemployment in the country. However, this move led to inflation of the economy forcing the Central Bank to implement a monetary policy in 1979 to slow down the high inflation rates and regulate its public budget plan (Carrigan, 2004). From a different perspective, money can be used to estimate the amount of credit in a country. For instance, some contemporary research findings indicate that the U. S GDP in the year 2006 was around 12. 98 trillion dollars and such values are very important in the process of public budgeting to ensure that money is available to every one in the community. Apart from being affected by monetary and credit control policies, public budgeting is an inherently political process. Political governance and politics related to budgeting affect the operations and reforms of public financial budgeting systems. Several studies carried out on the Ghanaians, Mozambique and Malawian political systems show a significant gap between the formal and informal systems budgeting systems with practices such as clientelism, rent seeking and patronage which lead to dysfunctions and distortions leading to an interference with the public budgeting procedures (Donald, 2002). Many research findings have indicated that the budget making process is more of a political process than a technical one. In this case, it is not possible to separate any reforms made on a technical budget from the political environment on which they are embedded. Therefore, for any reforms on a public budget to be effective, they have to be technically viable, administratively sound and politically feasible. Power politics in budgeting are responsible for shaping the rules of the game including ownership, time schedules, sequence of reforms and a review of the governments commitment to such reforms. Budget politics offer as many challenges as the opportunities since power politics in itself is not only a mitigation of risks but is also an opportunity to seize up the economy of a country. Understanding the politics of budgets thus facilitates effective implementation of reforms and it also helps to identify and support change in the public financial management. According to the Journal of Association Budgeting and Financial Management, understanding the relationship between power politics and budgeting helps a nation to understand and appreciate the institutional factors which affect the proper functioning of budgetary reforms. In addition, good fiscal governance helps to identify factors which might trigger pro-poor changes, streamline the checks and balances and aid proper budgetary reforms. Political governance of a country affects the functioning of all the financial systems and the sustainability of the budget reforms (Cargill and Garcia, 2005). For instance, studies of the power politics in the U. S have shown that the political economic factors have a significant effect on the trajectory change as well as the credibility of its federal government commitment to budgetary reforms. These studies also suggest that the demand for better political governance and financial accountability is a major driver for budgetary reforms in the public budgeting systems. In addition, the political power of a state influences public budgeting in the redistribution of wealth and allocation of resources depending on the priorities. Public budgeting as a political process reflects a public consensus, a relative power and financial accountability of the whole process. Conclusion.  From the discussion above, it is clear that public budgeting is very important for the proper functioning of all the sectors of the economy in a country. As indicated above, most budgeting processes have shown a political inclination rather than a technical one. The political stability of a country affects its economic stability, the monetary value of its currency and the availability of credit facilities both in its local financial institutions as well as the international financial institutions. The monetary policies and the credit controls by the central banks influence the amount of money available for public budgeting. On the other hand, the political power of a state affects the implementation of budgetary reforms which are important for budgeting in any country. It can thus be concluded that, there is a very close relationship between monetary and credit controls, budgeting and power politics in the process of public budgeting.

The Tragedy of the Commons Theory Analysis

The Tragedy of the Commons Theory Analysis In The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin argues that appeals to conscience are not effective in solving common problems. First, I will explain Hardins arguments against appealing to conscience and why he thinks it is ineffective, and then show what he thinks will work instead of appeals to conscience. After that, I will describe why I dont think his reasoning is correct and offer an alternate proposal for why appealing to conscience can solve commons problems. Next, I will respond to my proposal to make a reasonable case for it. Finally, I will show that I make a stronger case than Hardin and that appealing to conscience is very effective means of solving common problems. Hardin states that conscience is self-eliminating (Hardin, p. 1246). He references Charles Galton Darwin who shows that persons who appeal to conscience would when confronted with appeals to limit breeding, would respond by limiting breeding. C.G Darwin argues that this does not fit with the theory of natural selection and these people would, after hundreds of generations, cease to exist. Hardin argues that based on natural selection and the heredity of conscience, persons who are more susceptible to appeals to conscience have a system set up to eliminate that trait form the race. He uses heredity generally to include germ cell transmission of traits and exosomatical transmission of traits. Hardin also discusses how asking someone to stop doing something, he uses exploiting the commons as an example, in the name of conscience (Hardin, p. 1246) is a contradiction. He describes the two different messages being sent as intended and unintended communication. This is referred to as the double bind by Bateson. When one makes a request for an appeal to conscience what is intended to come across is that If you dont do as we ask we will openly condemn you for not acting like a responsible citizen. (Hardin, p. 1246). The unintended message one receives is that If you do behave as we ask, we will secretly condemn you for a simpleton who can be shamed into standing aside while the rest of us exploit the commons. (Hardin, p. 1246). This unintended message, Hardin claims, triggers guilt and anxiety. While this can be effective, Hardin questions whether the ends justify the means. He doesnt think it is acceptable to use techniques that are psychologically pathogenic. His response to t his is that instead of psychologically manipulating persons who exploit commons we should adjust the social arrangements in regards to responsibility. His response leads from the philosopher Charles Frankel who defines responsibility as the product of definite social arrangements. (Hardin, p. 1247). Hardin explains that to keep a bank robber from using the bank as a commons, you dont reprimand him or aim to psychologically coerce him you change the social arrangements. If you say the bank is not a commons then the social arrangements will keep it from becoming a commons. According to Hardin the way in which we can alter social arrangements is through privatization and taxes. I dont think that Hardins view that conscience is self-eliminating is valid. If one can make the appeal to conscience to limit breeding, than they should also be able appeal to their conscience to increase population when necessary. This is to say that persons who appeal to conscience can adhere to many appeals to conscience, not only ones that would decrease their population. Take into account religious organizations that preach that persons are put on this earth solely to reproduce and that by not doing so they will face disapproval or judgment. This is an appeal to conscience. Having as many kids as you can is the right thing to do; it is your obligation to have as many children as possible. This works as well with many people as appealing to conscious to save the earth and decrease our population does with another type of persons. His argument that being susceptible to conscience will cause them to go extinct does not hold for all persons of conscience. In relation to common problems I believe that appeals to conscience can provide a solution so long as it is paired with education. I think it is unreasonable to say that there can only be one way to solve common problems, allowing for appeals to conscience be paired with education. By incorporating an educational piece into an appeal to stop exploiting commons it solves the problem of the double bind. You are able to clearly convey the intended message as before. However, the unintended message is cleared because you are actually showing facts and figures on why people should stop exploiting commons. If you have the evidence that shows that the pros out way the cons to cutting back on usage, then people wont feel like they are being swindled. While this may take more time than privatizing land or charging taxes because you may have to try multiple time to get people to fully understand the facts it can still work. People that are more susceptible to appeals of conscience will agree more readily to stop exploiting the commons. As more people make appeals to conscience the persons that are less susceptible can see the improvements that are being made by those that have stopped exploiting the commons. The research and education piece will build on itself making a stronger case for everyone to appeal to conscience. An objection that can be made is whether it is morally acceptable to come at people on a psychological level. Exposing a person as irresponsible citizen can still cause stress and make some people appeal to conscience when they are merely afraid of being judged. This can cause a problem when the actions and advocacy of individuals that have appealed to conscience is a large part of appropriately educating people. If this happens it will be less effective than originally thought. I think that because of the psychological pathogen that is conscience, Hardin makes a better argument for staying away from using it to solve commons problems. While appealing to conscience while appropriately educating can work, it would take more time and effort than merely changing the social arrangements. I also believe that his claim that conscience is self-eliminating is not accurate. This however, does not affect the larger issues of using conscience to solve common problems. In The Tragedy of the Commons, Garrett Hardin argues that appeals to conscience are not effective in solving common problems. Hardins argues against appealing to conscience because he thinks that conscience is self eliminating and that using a psychological pathogen is ineffective and morally problematic. He suggests changing the social implication of a commons by using privatization and taxes to solve commons problems. I disagree that conscience is self eliminating and that appeals to conscience can work as long as people are properly educated at the same time to solve the problem of the double bind. Unfortunately, this does not solve the problems that may come up as conscience is still a psychological tool and may have negative effects to the plan. I think that Hardin makes a stronger case that taxation and privatization are the most effective ways to solve commons problems.

Oman Essay -- essays research papers

Oman is a small country located in the northeast by the gulf of Oman and southeast by the Arabian Sea, southeast by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The capitol of this country is Muscat. Oman covers an area of about 119,500 sq mi. Oman borders Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. The Oman government, from what I have read, is ran by a sultan and seems to be somewhat democratic. The population is overwhelmingly Arab, but significant minorities of Indians, Pakistanis, and East Africans are found in the principal ports. The majority of the population is Ibadhi Muslim; Sunni Muslims form the other major religious group. Arabic is the official language. The Life expectancy on average, is 70.25 years, however females seem to live longer; males: 68.31 years female: 72.29 years (1995 est.). There are about 6 children born to each woman. That just shows how much they value family as well as procreation in itself. The Languages are Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, and Indian dialects. (1) One of the most interesting pieces I came across about Oman is how the women are treated. Usually when you think of Middle East women you assume they are oppressed or considered to be uneducated. However the women of Oman play a more active and visible role in society than in most of the Arabian Peninsula, where the role of women is still restricted. They have received encouragement and support from the government, which provides schooling and university education for girls on a par with that for boys, and has decreed that women should be given career opportunities and equal pay. In the capital many women now have jobs, especially with the government. In the countryside women have always played an active role in the agricultural communities. For the most part Oman women are not veiled, although the women of some tribes still wear the burqa or facemask and black cloak, the abaya. After viewing many pictures of the women of this culture the majority of Oman women, however, wear very colorful clothes arranged in loose and flowing layers. They are generally not self-effacing and may be willing to talk to strangers, once the ice has been broken. But they are deeply Muslim and should always be treated with deference and respect. (1) However, the film I chose to watch is called Osama. This film describes the life of women during the Taliban rule. Althoug... ...far as what websites are available. The print media is mainly available in Arabic, and only about 2 Omani papers are in both English and Arabic. Tourist attractions such as hotels, may carry more of a variety of national papers. Overall Oman is a very interesting country. They are progressing more into the future and at the same time not leaving their heritage or culture behind, but instead modernizing it. The sultan of this country has been in reign for over 30 years and has done nothing but allowed his country to progress. The fact that this is one of the few Arabic countries that actually allows women certain rights will hopefully educate other Arabic countries about equalization or steps towards allowing women to be freer. Work Cited: (1)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.arab.de/arabinfo/omanhis.htm (2)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.omanobserver.com/ (3)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.arabji.com/Oman/media.htm (4)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Osama, directed by Siddiq Barmak , 2004 (5)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   WHO COMPARES HEALTH-CARE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE GLOBE , By: Ashraf, Haroon, Lancet, 00995355, 06/24/2000, Vol. 355, Issue 9222

Custom Coffee Essay

I believe Custom Coffee & Chocolate mission is to establish a small cafà © where they and their customers could indulge their love of good coffee and fine chocolates. Bonnie and Stacy, recent college roommates, wanted a location that got a lot of foot traffic from shoppers and businesses. Their desire was to target a place near the university because they knew and understood those customers well. The purpose of the cafe’ is to serve unique coffee blends and specialty chocolates, and the business plan included purchasing only fair trade coffee and chocolates made by a few local suppliers. SWOT ANALYSIS: Strengths – Having a good location where public transportation is not a issue. The owners will be selling products that are considered to be good quality, near top of the line. Customers have the options of eating in or taking out their purchases. Weakness – The shop is pretty small, and can only hold a certain amount of customers, and they will need more funding to expand. Opportunity – The opportunities are unlimited, expanding the menu to include baked chocolates, desserts, tea and other beverages. If the businesses continue to grow, Bonnie & Stacy may be able to start a small franchise. Threats – I don’t detect any threats, unless a similar business moves in the same location. Bonnie & Stacy are doing all the right things to make their cafe’ affordable, and customer friendly. It is a nice place for friends and family to meet and chat while having a cup of coffee or reading the newspaper. Comfort is always important to me, so I like the idea of them having comfortable seating. Putting up a website and blog page might be helpful to customers and potential customers, for information and feedback. I don’t believe that delivery would be a good thing right now, maybe in another six months. Great job Bonnie & Stacy, you knew what you wanted and went for it. I wish you much success.

My Virtual Child Final Paper Essay

With what I have learned from the My Virtual Child program, I now understand the complexities of raising and guiding a child. Mere decisions made during infancy can affect a child long term, physically, cognitively, and even emotionally. To make important developmental decisions cannot simply be classified as a challenge, it is one of the hardest things parents experience. Making decisions for one’s self, as opposed to making decisions for one’s child is so challenging that most people will not understand until they have children. Even with the realistic impression this program has, I would venture to say that even the majority of my classmates and I do not understand parenting difficulties to the fullest extent. In terms of physical and motor development, Noah was above average at a young age and this continued on through his early childhood. My virtual partner and I never had trouble getting Noah to eat and once a bedtime routine was established only on occasion would he have trouble sleeping through the night. In my opinion, I would classify Noah as an easy baby. He adapted to most situations rather quickly and the majority of the time was very happy, but easy to calm if a tense situation occurred. As for his emotional well-being, it was reported in a parenting questionnaire when Noah was four that I scored in the average range in affection and warmth. Noah had a great family relationship with his father, sister, and myself and demonstrated a secure attachment from an early age. Noah was a very social boy; he had a close group of friends that stayed about the same from the time he was in grade school until he graduated. Noah excelled in school from the very beginning, and continued to surpass his academic challenges until he graduated high school. He was accepted into Honors and AP level classes as a sophomore and scored above average in most all of his classes. Noah was pretty well rounded, and for the most part did average – if not excellent – in most activities he partook in. He was active in sports at a young age but I knew that wasn’t his passion from the beginning. He was a  very musical person and showed his interest and love for it in middle schoo l. At age 12 he was playing the saxophone in the middle school band, joined the high school jazz band, he sang, and taught himself to play the guitar. From the beginning I thought I would take on an authoritative parenting style, but I believe at the end I realized I was hovering somewhere in between authoritative and authoritarian. At first I didn’t want to admit it to myself but looking back I have no regrets because it seemed to work out for both Noah and our family. Growing up I always thought my parents were a little tough on me, perhaps a bit old school but my parenting decisions seemed to mirror theirs. Also, my sister now has two daughters and I have watched my sister and her husband raise them. My sister reads a lot of parenting books and blogs and has shared a lot with me. While raising Noah, I took some of what I had read into account and made some decisions based on the research. On occasion, my boyfriend would participate with me and help me make decisions on how to raise Noah. With all of these resources I believe that the majority of decisions made were for the best, and Noah was raised to the best of my abilities. At age six, Noah told me that he thought I was as â€Å"nice† to him as other parents and that I had â€Å"as many rules† as they did too. I was surprised that at s uch a young age he was aware of what other parents were doing but I believe by the time he got a little older, I got a little stricter. He was expected to do household chores and keep up with homework, but he was able to negotiate times and an allowance for all of this to get done. However, I did not use money as an incentive for good grades – that was expected from both my partner and me. Reflecting on how this may have affected his development I think that this was good for Noah because it challenged him to prioritize his time, for both things that he needed to do and things that he wanted to do (i.e. hang out with friends, participate in extracurricular activities, etc.). At one point, Noah was frustrated with me because he thought I did not allow him to do things his friends’ parents let them do. At the time I was a little confused because Noah was able to negotiate most anything he wanted but there was always a price – chores or family time. Neither of which I thought were unreasonable of my partner or me to ask. Either way, I do not regret my choices because Noah turned out to be very happy , he had a great family values, and when he applied for colleges he was accepted to  several and received a scholarship from a prestigious institution. With guidance from my partner and me, Noah made the right decisions for him that I believe worked out for the best. Looking back, I do not believe that I would have made any major changes to how I decided to raise Noah. I may have tried to encourage him to be a little more active, but only to ensure his health. Whether it was sports or simply working out I would rather he live a healthy, active life, than a sedentary life. However, with all of the activities that Noah participated in I am not sure he would have been able to dedicate enough time to keep it consistent. Outside of that, I may have given Noah a little bit more freedom because at one point he decided to demonstrate his independence by getting a tattoo with his girlfriend. This was very disappointing to me, simply because I don’t think it was a decision he should have made at sixteen with his high school girlfriend. As I previously mentioned, I believe that Noah had a secure attachment with both my partner and me. An examiner noted at Noah’s 19-month developmental testing that it was clear we were a secure base for him and we were encouraged to continue with the same parenting practices (Berk, 2014, pp. 187). As a toddler he often ventured off to explore, but would always check back to make sure we were still there for him. Also, when Noah was an infant and I attempted to go back to work, he would act very distressed when I left. When I returned home Noah seemed more than happy to see me and for the majority of the following evening he demanded almost constant attention (Berk, 2014, pp. 197). It was clear that Noah preferred my partner or me to a stranger and instead of taking him to daycare we had to ask a family member to watch Noah while we were at work. At age four we noticed that Noah was somewhat rigid with gender roles. He had gender schemas established for both men and women and did not stray from his beliefs very often. Once while Noah was in the car with me, I was pulled over by a female police officer and Noah did not believe that she was a real officer because she was a woman. At the time, Noah could have been classified as a gender-schematic child because he identified the behaviors of men and women as either masculine or feminine (Berk, 2014, pp. 277). This was something that my partner and I had trouble with until Noah was about six. We attempted to model non-stereotypical behaviors for men and women to break Noah’s initial ideas about gender roles and to open his mind to the variety  of roles both men and women can take on. For example, he often tried to help his father or mimic what he was doing, so his father began cooking in the kitchen and asking for Noah’s help. From that point on he seemed to better understand the range of tasks both men and women can do. Early on it was evident that Noah was a musically gifted child. At age six he started taking piano lessons and singing aloud to the songs he would play. This continued to be a passion of his throughout his adolescent years. He participated in the middle school band, playing the saxophone, and because of how talented he was the high school jazz band recruited Noah to be a member of their group. Even more impressive to my partner and me at the time, Noah began to play the guitar and that was primarily self-taught. According to Howard Gardner, Noah would have been categorized as a musically intelligent individual (Berk, 2014, pp. 312). I believe that my partner and I instilled Noah with the ability to recognize the difference in actions that were right versus actions that were wrong. He had a strong set of morals and values that were shaped, yet not entirely created by us. While at a competition with his vocal group from school a few of the members stole trinkets from a store and were caught. Noah agreed with their punishment and was aware of how wrong their decisions were. However, he based his recognition of these immoral actions on how the children let down their parents, coach and teammates while taking part in the unlawful activities. This could be classified as conventional level moral understanding (Berk, 2014, pp. 408). To Noah, these were wrong choices because they were wrong in the eyes of society. I urged Noah to hypothetically think about how the situation may have been different than what he thought; I suggested that maybe his teammates stole medicine for a sick teammate. With that I attempted to encourage Noah to use more post-conventional judgment, where he could define morality with abstract ideas as opposed to those ideas set for him by society (Berk, 2014, pp. 408). Although parenting was a challenge, I don’t believe I would ha ve done it any differently than what I did. There were ups and downs; however that is expected in any type of relationship. Once finished with the program I was a little disappointed I didn’t get more feedback on how Noah finished out in life. However, I was very happy with Noah’s development and was glad to know that, the majority of the time, the best decision was made. With the skill set that he had acquired I believe  that Noah was prepared to lead a successful and happy life. A very intelligent and capable young adult, he was prepared for nearly anything his life intended him to encounter. Having said that, I have no regrets with the decisions I made for my virtual son and could not be happier with the person he turned out to be. References Berk, L.A. (2014). Development through the Lifespan. Boston: Pearson.

Keller EAS 131 Writing Assignment 5 Essay

Keller EAS 131 Writing Assignment 5 Essay Keller EAS 131 Writing Assignment 5 Essay Running head:â€Å"FORECASTING METHODS AND LIMITATIONS†. 1 Capabilities And Limitations Of Forecasting Methods Past And Present ANDREW KELLER†¨ THOMAS EDISON ONLINE†¨ Running head:â€Å"FORECASTING METHODS AND LIMITATIONS†. 2 Abstract This paper will focus on weather forecasting models of the past and present and include key parameters used in making accurate forecasts. I will examine the advances in computers and mathematics which allow forecasters to have increased accuracy over models of the past. I will also attempt to highlight the challenges and limitations of making computer model forecasts and explain how errors might compound for forecasts of increasing duration. Running head:â€Å"FORECASTING METHODS AND LIMITATIONS†. 3 Capabilities And Limitations Of Forecasting Methods Past And Present Weather forecasting is the attempt by meteorologists to predict the state of the atmosphere at some future time and the weather conditions that may be expected. Weather forecasting is the single most important practical reason for the existence of meteorology as a science. It is obvious that knowing the future of the weather can be important for individuals and organizations. Accurate weather forecasts can tell a farmer the best time to plant, an airport control tower what information to send to planes that are landing and taking off, and residents of a coastal region when a hurricane might strike. As important as this field of study is and as detailed as the level of technology is, very little is understood by the end ­user about complexities involved in making an accurate forecast. Global weather data are collected at more than 1,000 observation points around the world and then sent to central stations maintained by the World Meteorological Organization, a division of the United Nations. Global data also are sent to NWS's NCEPs for analysis and publication. The less one knows about the way the atmosphere works the simpler weather forecasting appears to be. For example, if clouds appear in the sky and a light rain begins to fall, one might predict that rain will continue throughout the day. This type of weather forecast is known as a persistent forecast. A persistent forecast assumes the weather over a particular geographic area simply will continue into the future. The validity of persistent forecasting lasts for a few hours, but not much longer because weather conditions result from a complex interaction of many factors that still are not well understood and that may change rapidly. How then can meteorologists be expected to accurately predict the weather over a week in advance? In the coming pages we will look at what advances are being made in technology and algorithms in helping advance the accuracy of forecasting and contrast the forecasting methods of several decades ago with forecasting methods in use today. We will also examine how input variations and processing errors can accumulate over multiple forecasted time periods. Running head:â€Å"FORECASTING METHODS AND LIMITATIONS†. 4 Steady ­state or trend method: A somewhat reliable approach to weather forecasting is known as the steady ­state or trend method. This method is based on the knowledge that weather conditions are strongly influenced by the movement of air masses that often can be charted quite accurately. A weather map might show that a cold front is moving across the Great Plains of the United States from west to east and it might be reasonable to predict

Free Essays on Two Towers

To begin with, let us examine the nature of Tolkien’s fiction. J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth literature, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in particular, are usually referred to and even marketed as fantasy. But would Tolkien himself think of his work as fantasy? Traditionally, the genre of fantasy has been defined as stories concerned with things which cannot, or could not, happen. This definition becomes problematic, though, as it would easily apply to the literature of mythology: modern rationality tells us that much of the events described in Greek, Norse or even Judeo-Christian mythology could not have happened without the aid of supernatural forces that clearly are absent from the world as we know it. Mythology, however, is not fantasy: the purpose of mythology is to provide a culture with an acceptable explanation for how that culture’s world came to be. The originators of a mythology believed not only that the events described could happen, but really did happen. It would be convenient to simply levy upon fantastic literature the requirement that the story be concerned with a world other than our own, or that it take place only in the present or the future. But that would introduce unnecessary and equally problematic distinctions. Consider instead a definition of fantasy proposed by the author Joanna Russ: fantasy is a journey by a traveler (perhaps the reader) to a world so beautiful or wondrous that the traveler/reader wishes to or does stay in that fantastic world. This definition excludes mythology: mythologies are not about an alternate reality, but about the past of the world that we know. Fantasy, then, is escapist, while mythology is reality-bound, if obsolete. Further, the mythology of a fantastic world would still be considered a proper mythology, if it attempted to explain the origins of that fantastic world; but it would be fantastic mythology a fantasy nonetheless. Thi... Free Essays on Two Towers Free Essays on Two Towers To begin with, let us examine the nature of Tolkien’s fiction. J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth literature, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in particular, are usually referred to and even marketed as fantasy. But would Tolkien himself think of his work as fantasy? Traditionally, the genre of fantasy has been defined as stories concerned with things which cannot, or could not, happen. This definition becomes problematic, though, as it would easily apply to the literature of mythology: modern rationality tells us that much of the events described in Greek, Norse or even Judeo-Christian mythology could not have happened without the aid of supernatural forces that clearly are absent from the world as we know it. Mythology, however, is not fantasy: the purpose of mythology is to provide a culture with an acceptable explanation for how that culture’s world came to be. The originators of a mythology believed not only that the events described could happen, but really did happen. It would be convenient to simply levy upon fantastic literature the requirement that the story be concerned with a world other than our own, or that it take place only in the present or the future. But that would introduce unnecessary and equally problematic distinctions. Consider instead a definition of fantasy proposed by the author Joanna Russ: fantasy is a journey by a traveler (perhaps the reader) to a world so beautiful or wondrous that the traveler/reader wishes to or does stay in that fantastic world. This definition excludes mythology: mythologies are not about an alternate reality, but about the past of the world that we know. Fantasy, then, is escapist, while mythology is reality-bound, if obsolete. Further, the mythology of a fantastic world would still be considered a proper mythology, if it attempted to explain the origins of that fantastic world; but it would be fantastic mythology a fantasy nonetheless. Thi...

Models of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Models of Change - Essay Example In addition, the team also wanted to use the human performance improved methods to promote success. Initially, the team’s department had developed a long term goal which frequently inconvenienced the team members, especially when there was a new project. Historically, training on the projects was being focused for the clients. The incoming projects were also beyond the team members’ capacity to handle them. The team needed a training that would promote an individual’s capacity to handle more work, rather than an individual’s skill on a specific topic or area. Additionally, all projects were monitored individually rather than collectively (Van Tiem, Moseley & Dessinger, 2012). There is a clear relationship between the company’s change program and the HPT model in implementing change. The company significantly wanted to expand its operations capacity and its employee’s level of service by using non training methods in order to realize the projects value (Binder, 1998). The HTP models were used to improve the employees’ performance in order to enhance effectiveness in the organization. The HPT model recognizes the importance of the organizational and the individual factors in influencing an employee’s performance. The individual’s factors include capacity, knowledge and motives. The organizational factors include incentives, its instruments and data. The company hopes to improve its capacity and employees skills which are linked to the HPT individual factors of influencing behavior (Binder, 1998). The company’s change initiative is interrelated with the HPT model, such that the organization will not achieve its goal unless it changes the HPT individual factors. The company will need to equip its employees with the right knowledge in order to explain to the customers effectively. Through the employees acquiring the right skills and knowledge, the problem of over burdening

Talk about my quality and school life time Personal Statement

Talk about my quality and school life time - Personal Statement Example Throughout my educational background I have worked hard to prove my capability. Mathematics had always been a strong subject of mine. During my middle school in Taiwan, I have been honored with an award of Mathematics excellence in the 7th grade. Later on while completing my high school in America I was presented the Academic Awards Of excellence in Mathematics in the freshman year. My hard work has always proved to be fruitful and the encouragement in the form of these awards had always motivated me to thrive and flourish in the career I had always desired for. Moreover, I have been actively taking part in Mahjong competitions since I was sixteen. Mahjong is game of strategy, skill and calculation that involve a certain level of luck. As I have played many Mahjong games, I have gained experience in tackling complicated problems with ease and fortunately have always managed to rank between the first five positions. Mahjong has sharpened my skill to think logically and since my childhood it had always been my area of expertise. Being a practical person I believe in what I see and observe around me. This trait in my personality has led me to analyze the never-ending use of computers and my increasing awareness of their use in every occupation and profession have led me to opt for a career that involves the extensive application of computers. My fascination with computers have grown to be more profound and passionate since I had the fortunate chance of being exposed to this most modern equipment that science has put into the hands of the manki nd. Mathematics and computer science had always been interlinked as I came to realize that different concepts of mathematics such as vectors, logarithms and algebra are extensively used in computing. With the fine blend of computing and mathematics, I believe I can discover the unfamiliar for the betterment of the mankind. As Gail Devers said â€Å"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything

Dangers of Childhood Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Dangers of Childhood Obesity - Research Paper Example This increase has also been coupled with illnesses and medical conditions associated with obesity among children and it has become a matter of grave concern. The result of the increase in the prevalence in childhood obesity have been increasing calls in the political arena for more legislation to be passed at the state level to ensure that this problem is brought under control. Furthermore, Mitgang states that the appropriateness of these legislative interventions have, however, been brought into questions especially when one considers that it might be an infringement on the rights of individuals. There have been arguments for direct intervention by the state governments because a large number of obese children tend to also develop other medical complications related to their condition. Among these complications are diabetes, hypertension, as well as the risk of cardiovascular diseases which make it more difficult for the public health sector to shoulder the burden of dealing with th ese children. While this may be the case, despite the wide support for there to be legislative interventions to curb childhood obesity, there are some who believe that interventions should be limited to such instances where obese children are at a short-term risk of loss of life, or when it is judged that their condition might cause serious harm to them. Therefore, according to Mitgang (2011) in current political and medical circles, there has been a proposition for the development of a specific standard for intervention which involves the adoption of a case by case study with the intention of determining the risk factors of health problems for children with obesity. The first of these is that healthcare practitioners have to determine the severity of a child’s illness associated with obesity because this is the only way through which the risk to his health can be

Did women have a Renaissance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Did women have a Renaissance - Term Paper Example It is also pertinent to note that the female gender saw an increase in educational opportunities during the renaissance. Though, this was actually slight when compared to the opportunities that came the way of men during this period, but the fact remains that the women saw an improvement in the educational opportunities that came their way during the renaissance especially the women in the upper class. The renaissance was a period when the world had more women from rich families attending private lessons at home or schools of the royal court. However, there was a limitation in this regard as the women were only made to study subjects that are suited for them. Subjects such as: art, dancing, music, needlework, and poetry were the ones that people felt should be studied by women. According to Matthews & Platt, â€Å"Work was increasingly divided according to gender, with women being assigned domestic duties and subordinated and restricted within the economic, social, legal, and cultur al system.† (120). Hence, women had restrictions in the area of education during the renaissance. It could then be right to argue that women did not have a total renaissance, but a partial one. The middle and lower class women were not given the kind of privilege that was given to the upper-class women as they limited them, especially the rural peasants to training in household duties such as sewing and cooking. However, there are several women that had the kind of privileges that was given to men and one of them is Isabella d'Este. She was born in 1474 and died in 1539. Isabella was an assiduous woman and a highly intelligent diplomat. Isabella received male education and she collected works of art from foremost artists of the century she lived through. The case of Isabella is just one out of several thousands of women. The fact that Isabella Este rose to the heights that was deemed impossible for women to reach does not necessarily mean that women really had a significant re naissance, but it could be argued that some women showed that what men can do, women can even do far better. The educational status that was attained by Isabella could only be attained by women that were given the kind of educational opportunity that Isabella had. It should also be noted that the education that women received were dominated by the males, hence they could only learn the things that the males allowed them to learn. Hence, women still played second fiddle to their male counterparts in the area of education (Cairns). There were also well-grounded female scholars that were writing during the period of the Renaissance. Women began to participate freely during the Renaissance as this period saw an increase in the number of female artists, musicians and poets. Though, the period of Renaissance saw more women entering the intellectual life, but they did play any significant role when compared to the roles that the men played during this period. Some women actually proved to their male counterparts that they were capable of holding political powers during the Renaissance period. One of them was Queen Elizabeth I of England. The manner at which Queen Elizabeth ruled her kingdom showed that women were ready to take over key leadership roles from their male counterparts. The impact made by Elizabeth as a woman did not really change the

Compare Deaths of General Washington with that of Alexander Hamilton Research Paper

Compare Deaths of General Washington with that of Alexander Hamilton - Research Paper Example Alexander Hamilton died as Aaron Burr shot him. Aaron was a political opponent in the famous duel that ended his life in 1804. Some Hamilton’s last words were about his faith in Christ and his firm belief in Christianity and fervent hope of clemency through the virtues and mediations of Christ1. Washington’s religious convictions Washington and his family were initially Anglicans. Washington used to go to church in his wife’s company. He never participated in some rituals like taking communion. He therefore, used to leave the church before the services ended so that he did not take the communion. This went on until he ceased attending church on communion occasions since a priest reprimanded him. He attended many services at many churches as a President. Among those churches he attended were Presbyterian, Catholic, Quaker, and Congregational. He officially addressed twenty-two religious groups, which gave him more understanding on religion. Washington was a very g enerous man who attended many charity events and donated to the poor, schools, and colleges. In 1793, widows and orphans in Philadelphia suffered from yellow fever endemic that distressed the capital city. As a leading citizen, Washington led the country in demonstrating charity to the affected2. General Washington’s Christian affiliations General Washington was an honest leader who believed in religious rights, and used his powers as general and president to enhance goodwill among Protestants, Catholics, and Jews. Both in public and in private, he denounced prejudicial tendencies of diverse kinds together with religious bigotry. He was always deluding of making every American to enjoy the provisions within their boundaries as illustrated by his ideologies in the book of Micah. He was not superstitious since he hoped that America would be a place where truth and reason will overcome biases and superstition. Washington also used to go to church and he was an affiliate of the A nglican Church. Before the war began, he was a successful proprietor who served on the vestry for Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia and for Pohick Church, which was close to his Mount Vernon home. The parish was the part of local government and it deal mostly with public matters like roads. Washington and other Framers emphasized the Christian ideologies of America. He did not separate his Christian principles from his public policies. This is evident in the American Revolution when he reminded his soldiers, that for them to be patriotic, they should show the characters of true Christians. He called on every man and officer to live and act like Christian soldiers shielding the treasured rights and autonomy of his country. He also assured the Delaware Indians who had their children in American schools that the congress would do everything to assist them in their wise intentions of wanting to learn the religion of Jesus Christ. Washington liked using Christian references and rheto ric in official acts and writings.3 Washington used to declare his Christianity loyalty openly. This is what all the honest Christians do unless they are hypocrites. Washington was not a hypocrite because most of the people who knew him best proved that. Washington was a true deist who appeared to have the characteristics disregard of the past Deist for the appearance and doctrine of institutional belief. Additionally he had a strong hatred of the â€Å"upper-class Deist for sectarian†

American Society is a Society of Denial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Society is a Society of Denial - Essay Example The troops too have been conditioned on the power of silence, and so they have no one to share their stories to. Apparently, the civilians have learnt to shut out the war veterans, literary, as they attempt to share their experiences and tribulations at war. Who then, can dispute that the United States is indeed a society in denial In his 1994 publication titled, "Achilles in Vietnam: combat trauma and the undoing of character", Jonathan Shay (1994) describes, through the testimonies of veterans in Vietnam, how the war commanders would habitually attempt to eradicate normal compassion feelings and perception that were elicited by troops from the United States who were in this war. During times of war, military necessity, along with political propaganda acts as a yardstick of not just what the troops are able to perceive, but also the manners in which they are able to do so. According to Shay (1994), military superiors that were charged with the responsibility of handling both trauma and crime had a habit of telling their troops that these two occurrence never happened in the first place, and that the troops did not also experience them (Shay 1994). With such a mindset therefore, little wonder then, that when they were being interviewed by news reporters, the troops would not hesitate to point out that that trauma never occurred, and if it did, they somewhat expected it. Shay recounts how he recorded the testimony of one former troop in Vietnam, and how he recounted the ordeals back then with a taste of anger and bitterness. Apparently, his superiors were trying to alter the veteran's perception as regards the collective murder that he had not only contributed to, but also saw the dead bodies when daylight came. The comforting words of his superior were that he need not worry about the ordeal, and that his superiors would handle it. The superiors would then go ahead and commend the officers for what they called 'a job well done'. Ultimately, the trend found its way into the United States after the war was over (Bacevich 2005). Those soldiers that make it back home often get medals of Honor, albeit with a condition; that they ma intain silence as regards the pathos, realities, as well as the bizarre ills of war. To the war veterans, obstinate ignorance of the members of the public becomes a basis for pain. Through his short story titled Soldier's Home, Ernest Hemingway sheds light on how reluctant the civilians were to attend to the intuitive requirements of the troops who were returning back to the United States upon the end of the First World War. This book by Hemingway was published in 1925, and it therefore coincides with the end of the war. The story talks about Kerbs, a young soldier from Oklahoma. Upon return, he is not keen to disclose war issues. With time however, the urge to address war matter builds up. He thus desires to share these issues with his family, friends, as well as neighbors. However, Hemingway observes that "Nobody wanted to hear about it" (Rockwell 2008). Apparently, the young man's town had no wish to learn about war atrocities. Krebs finally discovered that if the town people were to listen to his stories, then he hand no choice but to lie about the war. Apparently the capability of this young man to absorb into the way of life of the civilians hinged upon how keen he has to put

Did women have a Renaissance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Did women have a Renaissance - Term Paper Example It is also pertinent to note that the female gender saw an increase in educational opportunities during the renaissance. Though, this was actually slight when compared to the opportunities that came the way of men during this period, but the fact remains that the women saw an improvement in the educational opportunities that came their way during the renaissance especially the women in the upper class. The renaissance was a period when the world had more women from rich families attending private lessons at home or schools of the royal court. However, there was a limitation in this regard as the women were only made to study subjects that are suited for them. Subjects such as: art, dancing, music, needlework, and poetry were the ones that people felt should be studied by women. According to Matthews & Platt, â€Å"Work was increasingly divided according to gender, with women being assigned domestic duties and subordinated and restricted within the economic, social, legal, and cultur al system.† (120). Hence, women had restrictions in the area of education during the renaissance. It could then be right to argue that women did not have a total renaissance, but a partial one. The middle and lower class women were not given the kind of privilege that was given to the upper-class women as they limited them, especially the rural peasants to training in household duties such as sewing and cooking. However, there are several women that had the kind of privileges that was given to men and one of them is Isabella d'Este. She was born in 1474 and died in 1539. Isabella was an assiduous woman and a highly intelligent diplomat. Isabella received male education and she collected works of art from foremost artists of the century she lived through. The case of Isabella is just one out of several thousands of women. The fact that Isabella Este rose to the heights that was deemed impossible for women to reach does not necessarily mean that women really had a significant re naissance, but it could be argued that some women showed that what men can do, women can even do far better. The educational status that was attained by Isabella could only be attained by women that were given the kind of educational opportunity that Isabella had. It should also be noted that the education that women received were dominated by the males, hence they could only learn the things that the males allowed them to learn. Hence, women still played second fiddle to their male counterparts in the area of education (Cairns). There were also well-grounded female scholars that were writing during the period of the Renaissance. Women began to participate freely during the Renaissance as this period saw an increase in the number of female artists, musicians and poets. Though, the period of Renaissance saw more women entering the intellectual life, but they did play any significant role when compared to the roles that the men played during this period. Some women actually proved to their male counterparts that they were capable of holding political powers during the Renaissance period. One of them was Queen Elizabeth I of England. The manner at which Queen Elizabeth ruled her kingdom showed that women were ready to take over key leadership roles from their male counterparts. The impact made by Elizabeth as a woman did not really change the

American Society is a Society of Denial Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

American Society is a Society of Denial - Essay Example The troops too have been conditioned on the power of silence, and so they have no one to share their stories to. Apparently, the civilians have learnt to shut out the war veterans, literary, as they attempt to share their experiences and tribulations at war. Who then, can dispute that the United States is indeed a society in denial In his 1994 publication titled, "Achilles in Vietnam: combat trauma and the undoing of character", Jonathan Shay (1994) describes, through the testimonies of veterans in Vietnam, how the war commanders would habitually attempt to eradicate normal compassion feelings and perception that were elicited by troops from the United States who were in this war. During times of war, military necessity, along with political propaganda acts as a yardstick of not just what the troops are able to perceive, but also the manners in which they are able to do so. According to Shay (1994), military superiors that were charged with the responsibility of handling both trauma and crime had a habit of telling their troops that these two occurrence never happened in the first place, and that the troops did not also experience them (Shay 1994). With such a mindset therefore, little wonder then, that when they were being interviewed by news reporters, the troops would not hesitate to point out that that trauma never occurred, and if it did, they somewhat expected it. Shay recounts how he recorded the testimony of one former troop in Vietnam, and how he recounted the ordeals back then with a taste of anger and bitterness. Apparently, his superiors were trying to alter the veteran's perception as regards the collective murder that he had not only contributed to, but also saw the dead bodies when daylight came. The comforting words of his superior were that he need not worry about the ordeal, and that his superiors would handle it. The superiors would then go ahead and commend the officers for what they called 'a job well done'. Ultimately, the trend found its way into the United States after the war was over (Bacevich 2005). Those soldiers that make it back home often get medals of Honor, albeit with a condition; that they ma intain silence as regards the pathos, realities, as well as the bizarre ills of war. To the war veterans, obstinate ignorance of the members of the public becomes a basis for pain. Through his short story titled Soldier's Home, Ernest Hemingway sheds light on how reluctant the civilians were to attend to the intuitive requirements of the troops who were returning back to the United States upon the end of the First World War. This book by Hemingway was published in 1925, and it therefore coincides with the end of the war. The story talks about Kerbs, a young soldier from Oklahoma. Upon return, he is not keen to disclose war issues. With time however, the urge to address war matter builds up. He thus desires to share these issues with his family, friends, as well as neighbors. However, Hemingway observes that "Nobody wanted to hear about it" (Rockwell 2008). Apparently, the young man's town had no wish to learn about war atrocities. Krebs finally discovered that if the town people were to listen to his stories, then he hand no choice but to lie about the war. Apparently the capability of this young man to absorb into the way of life of the civilians hinged upon how keen he has to put

Warranty and Contracts Essay Example for Free

Warranty and Contracts Essay Did the â€Å"I accept† note scribbled on the napkin mailed to Ms. Daughtery create a binding contract between the two parties over the sale of 1965 Corvette Stingray, even though she has not received the acceptance note yet? Yes this is a binding contract between the two parties. While this may be an unconventional acceptance of an offer, it is still binding contract between our client, Mr. deCapo and Ms. Daughtery.  Ms Daughtery sent our client an offer note on February 13, 2008, selling her 1965 Corvette Stingray for the amount of 25,995 plus all title transfer fees. Approximately thirty days later our client Mr. deCapo sent Ms. Daughtery his acceptance of her terms for the sale of her vehicle with the additional cost for title transfer fees. Our client chose accept her terms, via a note on a napkin and sent in the mail. The note sent from Ms. Daughtery is in fact a valid offer of sales to Mr. deCapo. It was a simple offer and only asking the price of the car as well as transfer title fee. Once Mr. deCapo accepted the offer it became a binding contract. Even though Ms. Daughtery has not received the acceptance note from our client, according to the mailbox rule once it went into the mail it became a binding contract. There were no stipulations in Ms. Daughtery’s note to a specific timeline, the thirty days it took our client to respond has no bearing. The performance is the means of acceptance in this case under the mailbox rule. The mailed acceptance is a reasonable form to commit to the offer. If our client was responding with a revocation of his offer this would not be acceptable under the mailbox rule. Especially if it was sent after the acceptance was sent. The offer of acceptance would  arrive first therefore making it a binding contract between the two parties. In the case Adams v. Lindsell, â€Å"The acceptance was mailed on September 5; was not received until September 9. The offeror changed his mind in the meantime and claimed there was no binding contract. But the court held the contract was formed on September 5 when the acceptance was mailed† (www.kentlaw.edu). There is nothing about this process that would cause this to not be a valid binding contract. The note was sent by Ms. Daughtery and the acceptance was sent by our client. The acceptance became valid once the scribble acceptance napkin by our client was put in the mail. Even though Ms. Daughtery has not received the communication from Mr. deCapo it does not change the fact that he has accepted the offer from Ms. Daughtery. There was never a communication of an in-person delivery of the acceptance nor was there a stipulation of an expired time period for the acceptance offer, thus making this a binding contract between our client and Ms. Daughtery. Seller warrants that: (1) Clarice Daughtery (seller) is the sole owner of the vehicle; (2) such vehicle is free of all encumbrances, security interests, and other defenses against seller; (3) the cash price of $25995.00 and the additional amount all transfer title fees; (4) the vehicle will be delivered to and accepted by Leo deCapo (buyer) on day of payment; (5) Leo deCapo is of legal age and legally competent to execute the contract on the date thereof; (6) all disclosures to buyer and other matters in connection with such transaction, are in all respects as required by, and in accordance with, all applicable laws and regulations governing them. (7) Inspection and Acceptance of Vehicle: the buyer will assume cost of the inspection of the vehicle, if the vehicle is not found to be mechanically sound per sellers description; buyer  shall return vehicle and cancel payment of check. Inspection and Acceptance of Vehicle: 4 hours prior to completion of transaction. (8) The seller and/or buyer agree to sign related documents necessary to complete the sale to establish title. Dated: Resources Mailbox rules cases, retrieved on February 5, 2011, www.kentlaw.edu//classes/contracts/Docs/offer_acceptance/​mailbox%​20rule%​20cases.rtf South University Online Lectures, retrieved on February 5, 2011 http://myeclassonline.com Twomey, D. and Jennings, M. (2008) Business Law and Legal Environment 21st ed.

Margaret Atwood, The Circle Game

Margaret Atwood, The Circle Game Her first publication was a book of poetry, The Circle Game 1964, which received the Governor Generals Literary Award for poetry (Canada), Several other poetry collections have followed since, including Interlunar (1995) , Morning in the Burned House (1995) and the latest, Eating Fire: Selected poetry, 1965-1995 (1998). She was also as a short story writer and her books of short fiction include Dancing Girls and Other stories (1982), Wilderness Tips (1991) and good Bones (1992). Margaret Atwood is best known for her novels, in which she created strong and puzzling women characters. Her first novel was The Edible Woman (1969), which is about a woman who cannot eat and feels that she is being eaten. Surfacing (1973); Lady Oracle (1977); Life Before Man (1980); Bodily Harm (1982 and The Handmaids Tale (1986) is a futuristic novel describing a womans struggle to break free from her role. Her latest novels have been; Cats Eye (1989), dealing with the subject of bullying among young girls; The Robber Bride (1993); Alias Grace (1996); The Blind Assassin (2000); and Oryx and Crake (2003), a version of a scientific dystopia. These novels have received many awards. The most vital crisis in the life of a modern man is that of identity. Twentieth century literature reflects this very accurately. The important issue dealt in modern literature is the search for identity or the quest for self. The strength of todays literature is found in its evocation of the individuals predicament in terms of alienation or exile or quest for identity. (Srivastava 130) In fiction, the attention has shifted from the society in the century to the individual in the twentieth century. The individual is given more important and man is seen as one who creates societies rather than one who is created by it. The subject of the self has gained universal importance and it, is most dominant in Common Wealth countries. The Common Wealth countries in the twentieth century feel that they do not belong anywhere as they were under the rule of the British for long time and the suddenly let free. These countries strive to seek a separate identity of their own new and the same is seen in their literature. The Common Wealth writers feel that they have a responsibility in giving a unique identity to their countries. The question of identity first started with the nationality and slowly it narrowed down to the individual itself. Canada being a Common Wealth country faces both the problems of national and individual identity. The very word Canada gives the meaning. It is derived from the Spanish word Canada-aca-nada which means nothing here. 3 The search for a recognizable and meaningful Canadian has been a main Pre-occupation in Canada. M.F. Salat says that the Pre-occupation with self-definition and the search for a distinctive Canadian identity has been such a central aspect of Canadian imagination, it can be said , the discourse on identity is the Canadian discourse. (salat 62) What distinguishes Canadian predicament from other Countries is the continuation of the identity crisis is the continuation of identity crisis over a long period of time. This is because Canada has never been free of what is called the Colonial identity. In the beginning it was under the influence of the British culture and lately it suffers from the psycho- social and economic colonization by the United States of America. The issue of the Canadian identity rose up most vehemently in the post 1960. It was mostly dealt by women writers as it was the period of the womens Liberation Movement. The women writers also had a personal reason behind it as they wanted to establish their identity as writers without any prejudice on gender. The Womens Liberation Movement helped to release Canadian Women from many of the restrictions and inhibitions of the society. It helped to create the new women. This, says Barabara Godard, astonished, amused and frightened Canadians in the period before the First World War. (Janeja 172) 4 Many women took to writing as a profession and portrayed their ambitions and aspirations of the new women Their writings portrayed their yearning for freedom from the limited constrains of a conventional society. In Canada women began to assert consciously and confidently their potential as writers in the post- 1960s. The wide spread preoccupation with the quest for a distinctive cultural identity in Canada in the post 1960s, was responsible for strengthening the desire to assert a distinctive feminine identity comparable to and compatible with the male, in culture as well as in literature. (salat 78) The most important women writers of this period are Margaret Atwood, Margaret Laurence, Ruby Wiebe, and Alice Munro. A among these writers the most noticed and appreciated. Women writers is Margaret Atwood. Atwood has implicit and successfully problematised Canadas quest for identity in her novels by making her women protagonists undergo a similar crisis. She has a predominantly feminine search for a distinctive identity. Atwoods reaction to this sensitive issue of identity has been the most articulate and she has deliberately set out to create all her novels in such a way that towards the end, each of her protagonists emerges as a woman who knows her own self. Margaret Atwood is a Canadian novelist, poet, short-story writer and also a well established critic. She was born in Ottawa in 1939. She spent a 5 Considerable part of her early life in the northern Ontoria and Quebec bush country. She started writing at the early age of five. Her father who is an entomologist often took his family on field trips. This produced in Atwood an early and an avid interest in the wilderness. In 1946, the family went to Leaside, a suburb of Toronto and settled there. This change is also reflected in her writing. The contrasts beween its Christian, middle-class morality and its blatant materialism define the spiritual wasteland through which many of Atwoods characters pass on their way from childhood to maturity.(75) Atwood is a graduate from the University of Toronto, where she won a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship. She took her Masters Degree from Radcliffe College. Since 1973 Atwood has live with Graeme Gibson a Canadian novelist and Cultural activist. They have a daughter, Eleanor Jess. They now live in Toronto. Atwood has been a write- in residence at Universities in Canada, the USA and Australia. She has taught in several Universities such as the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, Sir George Williams University, Montreal and at York University Toronto. She was the founding member of the writers Union 1984-86. She is still an effective spokesperson, and activist on behalf of Canadian writers and of womens right, Native rights and the environment.

In Christa Wolfs Cassandra, the story of the fall of Troy is cleverly

In Christa Wolf's Cassandra, the story of the fall of Troy is cleverly retold in a monologue that focuses on patriarchy and war. In Christa Wolf's Cassandra, the story of the fall of Troy is cleverly retold in a monologue that focuses on patriarchy and war. The novel tells the tale of the Trojan War through the eyes of Cassandra, who is the daughter of Priam and prisoner of Agamemnon. While reading the book, the reader must wonder what changes Troy is going through before and after the war. In the months leading up to the war, changes to Troy were already starting to develop as its tension with Greece increased. However, these changes didn't become obvious until after the war was over with. In the beginning, Troy was meant to be a perfect city built by the Gods. After it was taken over by humans, it was a proud and happy city that was full of freedom. The women in Troy were especially free, given most of the same freedoms as men were given. King Priam and Queen Hecuba ruled together and made mutual decisions. Other women in the city were given important positions as well. This is what made Troy a special city, unique from the other cities at the time. As the tension between Troy and Greece heightened, Troy did everything in its power to ward off the Greeks. The Trojans were known to be a race of kind people who fought with honor. The Greeks, however, were known as the "bad boys" and never fought by the rules. This is illustrated throughout the war, ...

Acid Rain :: essays research papers

Acid Rain If you have ever wondered why precious monuments are fading away, or the reason your car starts to look old, or if you can't understand why the bricks on the side of your house are breaking, look up the term Acid rain in your encyclopedia. Acid rain is the cause of all of this and much more. Acid rain is a widespread term used to describe all forms of acid precipitation (rain, snow, hail, fog, etc.)( ). Precipitation is naturally acidic because of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Acid rain begins with the production of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal, natural gas, oil, and from certain kinds of manufacturing. Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides react with water and other chemicals in the air to from sulfuric acid, nitric acid, and other pollutants ( ). What was once a local problem for towns and cities is now an international problem. The spread of this problem originated from tall chimneys dispersing pollutants high into the atmosphere, which then traveled with the wind for thousands of kilometers until once again reaching the ground in an invisible state. The effect of acid rain when it reaches the ground reacts chemically with any object it comes in contact with. Acids are corrosive chemicals that react with other chemicals by giving up hydrogen atoms ( ). The acidity of a substance comes from the abundance of free hydrogen atoms when the substance is dissolved in water ( ). Acidity can be measured using a "pH" scale with units from 0 to 14. Rain (snow, fog, etc.) measured at a pH below 5.6 is considered acid rain. Acid rain is responsible for a widespread of environmental damage. Such examples of this include soil and plant degradation, depleted life in lakes and streams, and erosion of man-made structures( ). When acid rain enters the soil it dissolves and washes away the nutrients needed by plants. It can also dissolve toxic substances, such as aluminum and mercury, which are naturally present in some soils, freeing these toxins to pollute water or to poison plants that absorb them ( ). After events like this take place animals and humans are soon effected. If one plant or animal is adversely affected by acid rain, animals that feed on that organism may suffer and animals that feed on that animal may suffer also (usually humans).

Assignment: Leadership and Cost Company Essay

COST Company tried their best to grasp the sophisticated technology, thus the COST Company used highly to training the professionals, like the geologists, geophysicists, and the engineers. The COST Company also trained the skilled and semiskilled labor that run the company’s field operations. On the other hand the professional labor and the skilled labor, the two groups always occurs the clashed. As Martin Bouchard as the present and CEO in the COST Company, and his top goals was to introduce teams as a way of solving the morale and productivity problems at the company’s Alberta field operations site. According to those problems the COST Company hired Algoma Howard, who is a First Nations descendant, to be success in solving teamwork. Howard invited Carlos Debrito as the leader worked for the Alberta pilot program, and Debrito is a long-time employee in the COST Company who was highly respect by the employees in the Alberta Office, and Debrito was looking for one final challenging project before his retiring. There are three functional groups at the Alberta site; they are â€Å"operations† group, the â€Å"below ground† group, and the â€Å"maintenance† group. The â€Å"operation† group included the hourly workers who operated and maintained the equipment; the â€Å"below ground† group, which are the professionals include the engineers, geologists and geophysicists; the â€Å"maintenance† group who are the employees always on call. As the Howard and Debrito were the leaders in the COST Company, they tried their best to solving the morale and productivity problems for the Alberta field operations site. The first step was the â€Å"fireside chats† which is to get the employees together, ask them to give several ideas to solve the problems. As many people join the â€Å"fireside chats† and almost every session came to fisticuffs until Debrito announced someone needed to go out. Moreover, during the next session, Debrito and Howard established the â€Å"rules of engagement† which is better for them to organize. The next step for the Howard and Debrito is to introduce the official â€Å"problem busting† teams, which is the temporary team, and the team members are coming from each of the three functional areas and from various hierarchical levels, and each was assigned a team leader. Their aims are to help the COST Company solving the problems, and after they finishing the work, the team disbanded. Moreover, the problems what they addressed, which within certain cost guidelines and without the management approval. After this the COST Company identified the Colorado office as their next facility, Howard want to introduce her leadership of the cross-functional teams that was successful in the Alberta, however, the employees are all stressful in the Colorado. On the following paragraph, I will focus on what the Howard and Debrito did in the COST Company. 2. 0 Team development stages The role of Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito in Alberta As we can see from the case, the COST Company hired Algoma Howard, who was the First Nations descendant. He tried his best to develop the teamwork program which is better for the COST Company to improve the productivity as well as the morale at the Calgary facility. Howard was success before by using the teams, he tried his best to bring the people together, and tried his best to coordinate the employees and everything, to let them understand one another’s problems and challenges, and coordinate their effort to achieve the organizational goals. Furthermore, his teamwork idea was success and was implementing at other COST locations after the pilot project. As we can see from the case, Carlos Debrito, he was a long-time COST employee who was highly respected by the other employees in the Alberta office. As he was a skilled and experienced employee, he was looking for a big final project before his retiring. Debrito has served in every possible line and staff position at the COST in his 26 years career timing. He is an experienced leader who knows the problems workers faced on both technical and business, thus Howard invited Debrito as a leader, who served for the Alberta pilot program. Therefore, as we can see the relationship from the Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito in Alberta sites, Howard as the president in the Alberta pilot program, and Debrito as the leaders who served in every possible line and staff position at the Alberta pilot program. Thus we can say that Algoma Howard and Carlos Debrito are the leaders in the Alberta pilot program, who want to develop the teamwork in the Alberta sites. â€Å"Fireside chats† The first step what the Howard and Debrito decided was to get these different groups talking to each other and share the ideas together; this was the main purpose of the â€Å"fireside chats†. The chats were held in the cafeteria during the late afternoon, and the people who show up the chats have the free coffee/tea and some snake which were all bought by Howard and Debrito. Furthermore, the idea was to give the employees a chance to share the difficulties and unresolved problems in such relaxing time and relaxing places, if the employees get together and share the difficulties and the unresolved problems together, maybe they can solve the difficulties, or share the creativity ideas with the unresolved parts. Initially, there are only two people who attend the â€Å"fireside chats†, gradually, more and more people attended the meetings. At first, the early session was focused on the employees saw their needs, as well as the problems in working with other group. The disadvantage of the early session was that the sessions came to fisticuffs until Debrito announced that somebody had to go out, however, after this session, Howard and Debrito established the guidelines which are the rules of the engagement. Within the six months development, the â€Å"fireside chats† had involved lively problem-solving discussions focus on the three important groups. â€Å"Problem busting† The nest step for Howard and Debrito to introduce was the â€Å"problem busting† teams, which was the temporary team. The temporary team included the members who from each three functional areas as well as from various hierarchical levels, and which were assigned by the team leaders. The training by the team leader was including in team-building, shared-leadership, as well as the creative problems-solving techniques. The team was established for the solving the problems which from the â€Å"fireside chat†, after solving the problems, the teams were disbanded, furthermore, the CEO in the COST announced that the problems addressing by the â€Å"problem busting† team within the certain cost guidelines without seeking management approval. After a year and a half into the team-building program, the entire workforces in the Alberta were empowering to make their owner decisions as well as to select their own leaders. Team development â€Å"Team development creates a captivating atmosphere by encouraging co-operation, teamwork, interdependence and by building trust among team members. † (Motivating, Bonding & Aligning team, 2012) Actually the team goes through five stages of the team development, the each stage present its own challenge and in each stage, the leaders should adapt the challenging and developing the needs of the group. The team development has five stages, which are the forming stage, storming stage, norming stage, performing stage and adjourning stage. On the following paragraph I will talk about each stage, and I will combine the case together to analysis the each stage of the team development, and what the leaders need to do in the stage. First of all, I will show the graph, as we can see: Performing: Cooperation, problem solving Leaders: facilitates task accomplishment Performing: Cooperation, problem solving Leaders: facilitates task accomplishment Storming: Conflict, disagreement Leaders: encourage participation, surfaces differences Storming: Conflict, disagreement Leaders: encourage participation, surfaces differences Norming: Establishment of order and cohesion Leader: helps clarify team roles, norm, and values Norming: Establishment of order and cohesion Leader: helps clarify team roles, norm, and values Adjourning: Task completion Leaders: brings closure, signifies completion Adjourning: Task completion Leaders: brings closure, signifies completion Team development: Forming: Orientation, break the ice. Leaders: facilitates social interchanges Forming: Orientation, break the ice. Leaders: facilitates social interchanges The first stage is the forming stage, â€Å"during this stage, group members maybe anxious and adopt wait-and see attitude, they will be formal towards each other. There would be no clear idea of goals or expectations. Besides, they may not be sure why they are there† (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) as we can see from the forming stage which is the orientation stage and the members in teams tried their best to getting the acquainted. The members in the team tried their best to know each other and for the friendship possibilities as well as the task orientation. In the forming stage, the team leaders provide time and place for the members to understand each other, to encourage them for the social discussions. The second stage which is storming stage, â€Å"during this stage, team members are eager to get going, conflict can arise as people tend to different ideas of how to accomplish goals. At this time, they notice differences rather than similarities. This leads to some members dropping out mentally physically. (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) During the storming stage, the members in the team become more assertive in clarifying their roles, thus in this stage, there exist a lot of conflict and disagreement. The members in the team maybe disagree with teams’ goals; maybe disagree with the partners and so on. What the leaders need to do in this stage is to encourage the participation by each member. â€Å"Mem bers should propose ideas, dis agree with one another, and work through the uncertainties and conflicting perceptions about team tasks and goals† (Richard L. Daft, 2012) The third stage is norming stage, â€Å"this stage is when people begin to recognize ways in which they are alike. They realize that they are in this together. Hence, they tend to get more social and may forget their focus in favor of having a good time. This is the time to help with training if applicable. It becomes important to encourage them in order to feel comfortable with each other and with systems. Also, the group needs to stay focus on goal† (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) As we can see from the norming stage, in this stage the conflict is resolved and the tem is getting harmony and unity emerge, and what the leaders need to do is to help clarifying the teams’ values and norms. The fourth stage is the performance stage, â€Å"this stage is when tea members are trained, competent, as well as able to do their own problem-solving. At this time, ways need to be looked t in order to challenge then as well as develop them. The team is mature now. The members understand their roles and responsibilities. † (Susan M. Heathfield, 2012) during this stage, it is emphasis on solving the problems and accomplishing the assigned task. Members are all committed to the teams’ mission, the members are coordinated with each other for the problems solving. During this stage, the leader should concentrate on the higher task performances. The last stage is the adjourning stage, in this stage we can see that the team has limited task to perform and disbanded eventually. In this stage, it is emphasis on the wrapping up and gearing down. The members in this stage feel heighted emotionality, strong cohesiveness and regret for the teams’ disbandment. During this stage, the leaders should signify the team has disbanded. Combine the COST Company’s case According to the case we can see that the Howard and the Debrito are the leaders in the Alberta pilot program. As we can see that the Howard and Debrito established the â€Å"fireside chats† which is open for the employees, and it is the optional meetings provide for the employees and to getting the acquainted, and to get the different groups together to share the ideas, this is the idea for the â€Å"fireside chats†, and the fireside chats was established in the cafeteria which provide the free coffee, tea and snake for the employees. First of all, the only people who showed up the meeting were the couple of engineers. Thus Debrito and Howards go to a small talk with the couple of the engineers, thus we can see that the first day of meeting was the forming stage of the team development. After the first meeting, the words spread, and gradually, many people attended the meetings, thus the early sessions focused on talking about the each group’s needs, and the problems in other groups. This is also the forming stage in the team development, however, during the one session, there exist the fisticuffs during the meeting, the fisticuffs stopped until the Debrito announced that someone need to get out, therefore, we can see that the â€Å"fireside chat† became the storming stage in the team development which the team occurring the conflict for each other. Furthermore, during the next session, Debrito and Howard establish the â€Å"rules of engagement† which is the guidelines to avoid such conflicts happened in the meeting again, thus we can see that the stage is the norming stage, which is for the leaders to solve the conflict and let them form the norms as well as the values in the company. As we can see that the next step for the Howard and Debrito is to establish the â€Å"problem busting† team which is the temporary teams for solving the problems which was unsolved in the â€Å"fireside chats†, thus we can see that the team was in the performance stage, which is the cooperation, and for the problems solving. Finally, the operation workers suggested that the team members should get rid of the weekly sessions and they could focus on their job, and limited problems for solving. Thus we can see the program already in the last stage which is adjourning stage; the team is facing the disbanded. 3. 0 member roles and leadership approach Member roles In the team there are two types of roles one is task specialist and the other is the socio- emotional, the two roles are different, they focus on different part. First of all we can see that the specialist role in the team which is focus on the task accomplishment by the human needs. On the other hand, we can see that socio-emotional role in a team which is focus on the people’s emotion needs. Task specialist is an employee who is assigned to the development of valid and reliable tasks for other people working for one and the same organization. † (Glossary, 2012) as we can see that the task specialist who focus on the task accomplishment over the people’s needs, thus the â€Å"task specialist knows and understand task management standard, performance measure, and assessment practices required for identifying and developing tasks descriptions and for use by dedicated human resources† (Glossary, 2012) there are several behaviors which display the task specialist. First of all, the task specialists are the persons who always propose the new solutions for solving the team problems, which is so called initiate ideas. Secondly, the task specialists are the persons who provide the opinions on the task accomplishment, also give the fair chances to others’ suggestions. Thirdly, the task specialists are the persons who always seeking the information which is asking for the task-reverent facts. Fourthly, the task specialists are the persons who get a various ideas of the problems at hand, and summary them together, that is so called summarize. Last but not at least, the task specialists are the persons who encourage the team into action when the teams’ interest dropped. â€Å"Socio-emotional is a process that consists of variations that occur in an individual’s personality, emotions and relationships with others during one’s lifetime; Socio-emotional role team members devote their time and nergy to supporting the emotional needs of team members and to maintaining the team as a social unit† (Santrock, 2007) the people who adopt the socio-emotional role are the person who support the team members’ needs over the task accomplishment. There are several behaviors which are for the socio-emotional display. First of all, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who are warm and well to receipt the others’ ideas, and also forth others to m ake the contribution for the team. Secondly, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who are well for harmonize the groups’ conflict, as well as help the teams to achieve the agreement. Thirdly, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who help the team reduce the tension; they help the team to reduce the tensional environment, like telling the jokes. Fourthly, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who always go along with the team, and always agree the team members’ ideas, that’s we called follow. Last but not at least, the socio-emotional roles are the persons who always shift their own opinions which are better for maintain the teams’ harmony. In the COST Company’s case (Carlos Debrito) As we can see from the COST Company’s case, Carlos Debrito who is a long-time COST employee who is highly respected by the employees in the Alberta office and he was also looking for the final project before his retiring and Algoma Howard invited the Debrito as a leader for the Alberta pilot program. Debrito did a lot of things to help the Howard to achieve the goals, as far as I am concerned, Carlos Debrito displays the task specialist as well as the socio-emotional roles. As we can see from the case, that Debrito tried his best to help the Howard to achieve the goals which is to solving the morale as well as the problems of productivity. Thus Debrito established the â€Å"fireside chats† and also established the â€Å"problem busting† team, which helped the Company to achieve its goals, according to this situation; we can see that Debrito is the task specialist, who help the team to realize the task accomplishment, and he always proposed the solutions which is â€Å"fireside chats† and â€Å"problem busting† team, to help the team solve the problems. Furthermore, he always was seeking the information for the relevant task which is better for the team to solving the problems, and Debrito always encourage his members when their interests are dropped. Moreover, we can see that after the â€Å"fireside chats†, we can see that Debrito always helped the team to summarize the relevant ideas and summarize the perspectives for the organization. On the other hand, we can see form the case that, Debrito displays the socio-emotional roles in the team, and he supports the team members’ emotional needs. As we can see from the case, that Debrito find several ways for the team to solve the conflict between the labor and the professionals, moreover, Debrito tried his best to make the compromise which shift his opinions to maintain the harmony of the team. Thus we can say that Debrito display both task specialist roles as well as the socio-emotional roles, Debrito not only achieve the organizational goals, but also do a lot of things to consider the team members’ emotional needs. Leadership approach â€Å"participative leadership is a style of leadership that involves all members of a team in identifying essential goals and developing procedures or strategies for reach those goals† (wiseGEEK, 2012)as we can see that the participative leadership which is the leadership approach required all the members join the team to solving the problems as well as making the decisions together. As we can see from the COST Company’s case, which the Algoma Howard and the Carlos Debrito tried their best to achieve their goals. The goals of the COST Company are to solving the morale as well as to solving the productivity problems. Thus Howard and Debrito established the â€Å"fireside chats†, which is for the optimal meeting provided for the employees to understand them each other. At the first time, there are only two people join the meeting, Howard and Debrito established a small chatting with them and talk to them. After the first meeting finished many people know the meeting and want to join the meeting, thus gradually many people join the meeting, and the meeting becoming very important in a team. As we can see that the meetings are very important in the organization, and many people join the meetings. Furthermore, we can see that during the meeting many team members share the ideas each other, and talk to each other with the departments’ needs, making the decisions together, and solving the problems together. During this process we can see that the leaders using the participative leadership approach to help the organization to achieve their goals. Situational leadership is a leadership style that has been developed and studied by Kenneth Blanchard and Paul Hersey. The situational leadership refers to when the leader or manager of an organization must adjust his style to fit the development level of the followers he is trying to influence. † (Small Business, 2012)As we can see th at the situational leadership approach is the leadership style which depends on the situation, it is focus on the situations as well as the development of the company and the members in the company As we can see from the COST Company case, in this case we can see that the Howard and Debrito using the â€Å"fireside chat† to help the employees understand each other as well as share the ideas for each other, however, when the â€Å"fireside chat† are famous in the organization, there exist some conflicts between the member, thus according to this situation, Debrito establishes the â€Å"rules of the engagement† which include the guidelines that to let the employees obey the rules for the meeting. Furthermore, during the â€Å"fireside chat† developing, Debrito established another team which is â€Å"problem busting† team. This team is established for solving the problems which discovered the in â€Å"fireside chat†, thus according to this situation we can see that leaders who is according to the situations of the organizational development. Furthermore, as we can see that, as the â€Å"fireside chat† developed, and after this the members find the information is limited to share and the employees have limited problems to share, according to this situation, the leaders reduce the frequency of the â€Å"fireside chat† times. Thus we can say that the leaders who is Howard and Debrito are using the situational leadership approach as well as the participative leadership approach, which ask the members to join the â€Å"fireside chat† and share the ideas each other, and the leaders also adjust the leadership style according to the development of the â€Å"fireside chat† as well as the members’ emotions. Do you agree the project will succeed or not? As far as I am concerned I disagree with Algoma Howard that just has a Carlos Debrito in the Colorado project. As we can see from the case, Carlos Debrito is the employee who worked in the Alberta office in the COST Company, and he is respected by the employees in the COST Company, as we can see from the case he served in every possible line and staff position at COST Company, thus he know the COST Company well, for the each possible line and the staff’s position. Furthermore, as we can see from the case, that he understand the problems what the staffs facing now, and the technical problems that the company facing now, thus he is an skilled as well as the experienced employees in the Alberta office in the COST Company. Furthermore, he worked 26 years old in the Alberta office in the COST Company, and he knows the COST Company well. Moreover, as we can see from the case, Howard invited Debrito as the leaders in the Alberta project, and during the project, he point many methods to help the organization to achieve the goals, as well as to help them solving the conflict between the labors and the professionals. Although Debrito know how to solve the problems during the Alberta offices, Debrito know how to solve the conflict between labors and professions, and he has ability, he has knowledge and he a skilled as well as experienced employees and leaders. When happened in the Colorado the situations are different, as Debrito worked just in the Alberta office, and he do many researches on the Alberta office, and although he understand the problems of the employees, but he do not know the details in the Colorado office, thus if Howard just has Debrito in the Colorado project, as far as I am concerned it is not enough. The best way for the Howard is to invite the leaders who understand the Colorado project well, and combine the leader with Debrito together to solving the problems and help the COST Company solving the problems as well as achieving the goals. . 0 Conclusion: work team effectiveness What is team effectiveness? â€Å"Team effectiveness refers to the system of getting people in a company or institution to work together effectively. The idea behind team effectiveness is that a group of people working together can achieve much more than if the individuals of the team were working on their own. † (WiseGEEK, 2012) As we ca n see that it is better for the company to achieve the team working effectiveness, if the companies make the team effectiveness, they can solve the problems effectively and they can achieve the goals effectively as well. There are several ways for the organization to testing their team effectiveness, on the following paragraph I will focus on the methods what to testing the team effectiveness as well as give some recommendations for the COST Company to develop their team effectiveness. First of all, is the right mix skill, â€Å"team effectiveness depends in part on bringing together people who have different skills that somehow complement each other. † (WiseGEEK, 2012) as we can see that it is important for the company to bringing all the skilled, experienced together in a team to help the company solving to problems as well as to help them achieving the goals. Thus as we can see from the COST Company, when the Howard became the CEO in the Alberta office, he invited Debrito as a leader in the Alterta’s project, and Alberta is the employee who respect by the employees and he is the skilled people and experienced people. Moreover, as far as I am concerned, the COST Company should invite more skilled and experienced people, who can help the COST Company solving the problems as well as to help them achieve the goals. The second is the right motivation, â€Å"team effectiveness is directly linked to the interest that the group has on the project. If the job is too easy or too difficult, or if the rewards for achieving the end result do not seem worth the effort, the team may end up working half-heartedly in the project. † (WiseGEEK, 2012) As we can see that the motivations are very important to the team, if the team leaders always do the motivations for the employees, the employees will worked well and will help the organization solving the problems as well as to achieving the goals. Thus in the CSOT Company, the leaders in the organization should do a lot of things to do the motivations for the employees, make sure every employees are happy working in the organization, and to improve their working effectively. Last but not at least, â€Å"is the ability to solve conflicts without compromising the quality of the project, the team work has one major downfall. Sometimes groups end up making decisions they know are not in the best interest of the project, just so they can keep the process moving. Conflict is innate to any work done in group, and should be taken as part of the challenge rather than as something to be avoided by compromising. †(WiseGEEK, 2012) as we can see that if want make the team effectiveness, the organization has to solving the problems of conflict, as we can see from the COST Company, in Alberta project, the leaders tried their best to solving the conflict between the labors and the professionals. Moreover, as far as I am concerned, the team has to solve more conflict between the labors. All in all, the organization want to make the team effectiveness, they must organize the skilled person together, and to provide the motivation for the employees, moreover, to solve the conflict in the organization. If the organization establishes the effectiveness team, they can solve the problems as well as to achieving the organization goals. Bibliography 1. Susan M. Heathfield (2012) what are the stages of team development [Online] Available at: http://humanresources. about. com/od/teambuilding/f/team_stages. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 2. MSG (2012) Team Development- meaning, stages and forming an effective team [Online] Available at: http://www. managementstudyguide. com/team-development. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 3. Center for Management & Organization effectiveness (2012) Team Development & Team Building [Online] Available at: http://www. cmoe. com/team-development. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 4. Harvard Business Review (2012) Choose the right leadership approach [Online] available at: http://business. time. com/2012/07/27/choose-the-right-leadership-approach/ (Accessed date: 15th, 2012) . JoomlArt (2012) Five Approaches to Leadership [Online] Available at: http://www. roxburghmissionalnet. com/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=139:five-approaches&catid=45:leadership&Itemid=89 (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012) 6. WISEGEEK (2012) what is Team Effectiveness? [Online] Available at: http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-team-effectiveness. htm#lbss (Accessed date: 15th N ov, 2012) 7. Mind Tool Ltd (2012) Team Effectiveness Assessment [Online] Available at: http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newTMM_84. htm (Accessed date: 15th Nov, 2012)