HOW TO WRITE AN ESSAY & QUESTIONNAIRE Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HOW TO WRITE AN & QUESTIONNAIRE - Essay Example One’s knowledge and writing skills, the ability to find appropriate literature to support one’s views and to add a greater number of perspectives, are expressed through the work. This paper proposes to provide guidelines on how to write an essay. The main parts of an essay are the introduction, the discussion or body of the essay and the conclusion. The essay may be structured further to organize the argument clearly under subtopics, if required. Spurr (2005) gives comprehensive guidelines on academic essay writing. To start with, it is important that the essay question or topic is understood clearly, without any ambiguity. Next, appropriate books, journals, newspaper and magazine articles where relevant, and recognized sources of information from the internet should be identified and accessed. Key arguments and theories which express the writer’s viewpoints should be summarized, and referencing should be done to support as well as counter these arguments. The introduction introduces the reader to the question at hand, explains the subject of the essay, defines terms and establishes the parameters of enquiry or investigation. An outline of the arguments that are to be put forth in the discussion and main theorists’ work that may be drawn upon will serve to present a map of the terrain that will be explored in the essay. The research topic is stated as a thesis statement, and this will form the focus point of the entire argument or discussion in the paper. A good introduction is essential because it helps to form a favourable impression about the essay in general. The discussion should remain focused on the main topic, throughout the work. Through extensive research, supporting approaches as well as counter arguments should be available for drawing upon. It is important to critically analyse the opinions and arguments of various scholars, in comparison with the writer’s viewpoints. To avoid plagiarism, other authors’ works should be

Feminism and Art Essay Example for Free

Feminism and Art Essay Feminist activity had been a rising concern in the late 1900’s which is based merely off of the emotional significance of personal and psychological reasoning. Rather than reacting on this issue based on historical evidence, the issue is based on immediate needs on the feminist attack. Linda Nochlin, and other important scholars and philosophers explain the psychology, philosophy, sociology, and history of art and the feminist movement pertaining to art. Linda Nochlin was the author of this piece, and used both her own knowledge to write this piece, as well as other scholars and philosophers arguments, injected them into her writing, and elaborated on their ideas and arguments. When pertaining to psychology, the issues mentioned and elaborated on were how women were rejected, which led to their thoughts, feelings, and emotions being affected. Because of this, this changed their way of interpreting things, and their views of things were different from men. From a philosophical stand point, Nochlin refers to John Stuart Mill who says that he suggests that we tend to accept things that come natural to us, or that are natural, like male domination; this means that males dominate over women, and women having no say in anything, accept what is natural because back in the day, male domination was a normal thing to women and was a natural behavior. Thinking about sociology, in society, men had to work and had to be educated. Women on the other hand were not allowed and treated as objects, and stayed home to have children and to continue on the male name. â€Å"In general, women’s experience and situation in society, and hence as artists, is different from men’s, and certainly the art produced by a group of consciously united and purposefully articulate women intent on bodying forth a group of consciousness of feminine experience might indeed be stylistically identifiable as feminists, if not feminine art. † Historically, women weren’t allowed to be educated unless they were wealthy, or had and greater importance over other women. This is why women didn’t know how to paint because they weren’t allowed to learn how, this is also why there were not so many women artists back then, and if there were, they were not well known. An important question that has been posed multiple times within this piece was, â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists? † 3 3 â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists† is what Linda is arguing. Her argument is that there are no great women artists that compare to all of these great and well-known artists that art historians study. These famous artists studied today are, Michelangelo, Rembrandt, Delacroix, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, etc. Linda also states that it is in human nature that men dominate women. It is an instinct that has been created ever since humans walked this earth, and is something that is still being battled today. By answering the question, â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists†, which has been questioned by many, Linda proves her arguments by referring to many who have either answered, or attempted to answer this question. Those who have either done it or attempted it are: John Stuart Mill, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Mary Ellmann. All of these theorists/writers attempted to answer the same exact question by simply reinforcing the negative implications, or by saying that there is a different kind of greatness that exists for women, and also how experiences that women go through in society affects their art, which may mean that they were not accepted by the great viewers, which were men. Men and women have different values and interpretation of art, and to men, women’s art was nothing. When structure of this essay is concerned, it is in fact structured in a number of 4 4 ways which include, historical events, arguments, theories, and facts. The argument is pronounced using different methods, which explains subjects using points from the other scholars and their explanations. Initially, the argument made was intangible, later it becomes clear when Nochlin first talks about the battle against feminism, and how it has been around for years, even decades. Later, she begins to say how feminism caused such emotional, and psychological damage and pain to women for a long period of time. Many reasons why feminism had occurred was explored by Nochlin, and answered the question by John Stuart Mill’s response to male dominancy. Her reasoning for why there were no famous female artists was because of men, and how they overruled women in society; her argument was supported with many arguments written from other writers in the past. At the end of each of her arguments, she ends with the famous question, â€Å"Why have there been no great women artists†, and leaves it to be answered by another writer. Many say it is in male nature to dominate, or maybe women just can’t achieve as much greatness as men. Maybe women paint from their psychological views of things, and this was frowned upon by men; women were not allowed to think, let alone paint about what they were thinking. When comparing known women artists to well known male artists, no woman artist compares to the master of art, Michelangelo. The next division of this essay was â€Å"The Question of the Nudes. † â€Å" We can now approach our question from a more reasonable standpoint, since it seems probable that the answer to why there have been no great women artists lies not in the nature of individual genius or lack of it, but in the nature of given institutions and what they forbid or encouraged in various classes or group of individuals†, p. 158. Since the 1800’s, nude models were females, and would go to school to help the new and sprouting artists to learn and practice art. Females who wanted to participate and learn to paint the human body were rejected because society did not allow women to look at another female or male nude. Men were allowed to study the female nude because to them, they were objects. However, male nudes (models) were never classified as objects. â€Å"As late as 1893, â€Å"lady† students were not admitted to life drawing at the Royal Academy in London, and even when they were, after that date, the model had to be â€Å"partially draped. † P. 158. Women had very little knowledge in painting and therefore were quite timid because of all the pressure that was placed on them by the society, and most commonly, men. Many of those who studied nude models and produced nude figure drawings later became doctors, and professional artists; once again women were not permitted to become either of those. In order to become a professional artist, however, you needed to be good in literature, and had to have knowledge of many techniques. It was uncommon for women to be educated because school’s had high expectations. There were consequences if a woman wanted to be a painter. If you were a woman painter, and were substantially committed to painting, you were expected to forget about having a future. This included a husband, family, career, etc. This was the case in the 19th century because women â€Å"couldn’t focus† on more than one thing at a time according to men and society, therefore our only options were to become a painter and have no outside life, or forget about being a painter and have a family. Women had come a long way by this time, and women were allowed to play music, sculpt, and draw, but were considered weak, and couldn’t pursue any labor work. One of the great women artists, Maurice Bompard, suffered greatly with her paintings because society classified them as being too sexual, and not serious enough; she struggled greatly to achieve the greatness she deserved. Rosa Bonheur was another well known woman artist, and her success changed the view of society on women artists, but still struggled because of her gender. Her father was a drawing master, so she loved to draw and paint at an early age. Rosa created a new style of painting in the 19th century, and this was to paint in smaller scale. She has the ability to capture naturalism, soul, and individuality, and was well known for her â€Å"Barbizon† landscapes. 6 , 6 The rhetorical method in this piece would be repeating the question, â€Å"Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists†, and this depicts the importance of this issue which has been raised by all of the philosophers, writers, and art historians that have been attempting to answer this question for decades. The tone of voice used in the essay is persuasion, frustration, and even determination, and this makes it easier for the reader to understand and illustrate what exactly the issue is and how important it is. In Nochlin’s â€Å"Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists†, she states the importance of women’s history, and makes women aware of how grateful they should be with everything women are allowed to do today. Because of those many strong women who stood up for what they believed in, women today have equal rights to men, and can pursue any path they so wish to take.

Time and Change in Poetry Essay -- Robert Herrick Thomas Hood Poems Es

Time and Change in Poetry Comparing and discussing two poems written by two different people in two different times on the subject of time and change. Time and Change I will be comparing and discussing two poems written by two different people in two different times on the subject of time and change. The subject time and change is part of our everyday lives and it affects our behaviour and attitudes. The first poem I will be studying is â€Å"To the Virgins, to Make Much of Time† which I will refer to as poem 1 and is by Robert Herrick in the 16th Century. The title of the poem makes the reader think that it has a sexually orientated meaning to it. The second poem is â€Å"I Remember, I Remember†, which I will be referring to as poem 2 and is by Thomas Hood in the 18th Century. The title of this poem suggests to the reader that it is a personal poem based on the poets own life experiences. Both poems talk about time and change in different ways. Poem 1 is written to instruct young people what to do with their time and poem 2 is written in first person narrative and talks about how different life is. Both poems encourage you to read them and put the same message across to enjoy what you have while it lasts. I think the time and change topic is very important and by studying and analysing each poem carefully, you can see a new perspective on life. A theme is something that you can find throughout a poem, play, book etc. It lets the reader/audience know what it is about and lets you understand the meaning of the piece more clearly. The themes of the two poems look at the concept of the changes between being youthful to growing old and discuss how time passes quickly in your life. They both convey natur... ...It is always instructing young people what to do with their time and how to spend it, as well as a instructive advice. I feel the poem repeats its message too many times but this helps to put the point of the poem across more strongly for people to underrstand what it is about. I think both poems put the point of time and change across strongly in their own, unique way and it helps people to understand what the actual subject matter means and is trying to demonstrate. The poems are written well and both discuss how ageing affects you. Poem 2 make sme think of my childhood and my most precious memories whereas poem 1 makes me think of my future and what could happen. Both poems have the impact to make you think of the past, present and future and lets you know that all three are different and its down to you as to what you do with your life and time.

Role of Language and Script in Raising the Religious Revivalism

Role of Language and Script in Raising the Religious Revivalism in Colonial Punjab aYESHA TABBASUM The language played the significant role in the creation of identities among the major communities in pr-parathion India. The Urdu language had developed as a common language among all the communities and was, in the absence of a common religion the North-western Provinces and various part other parts of the subcontinent. I. H. Qureshi, History of the Pakistan,(BCC& Press Karachi, university of karachi2006) 807.Language Controversy between Urdu and Hindi Although it was religion which was the key defining feature of Muslim identity, the Urdu language was an important symbol. For Hindus, except for the religious communities, the symbol of religion had to be played down to avoid alienating other major religious communities. However, despite linguistic pluralism, the Hindi language remained an important symbol in the construction of the Hindu identity for the Hindu community.Tariq Rahman, language and politics in Pakistan,(Karachi, oxford university press 1996) 60 As in colonial Punjab   Hindu patshalas,which taught mantras and basic knowledge of the shastras, Muslims Quran schools, and Sikhs educational institutions which taught the sacred text of Sikhism, the Granth ,and the Gurumukhi Script of the Punjabi language used by Sikhs. The stand read spoken language of north India in the British period was referred to interchangeably as Urdu, Hindi.Paul Brass, language, religion and politics in north India (Cambridge: Cambridge university press, 1974), 129 But its was written in different script: as Urdu was written in Persian script while Hindu community used it in Hindi for general communication purposes was generally written in Devanagri, also known as Nagri. as Urdu was incorporated various Arabic and Persian words while Hindi drew on Sanskrit was cited by Hindu nationalists as â€Å"proof† that Islam was foreign religion in India and there language should b e the language of country.Vickie Langhor, Colonial education system and spread of local religious movements; the cases of British Egypt and Punjab,(Cambridge university press,2005) 174 But it was the fact that Urdu language being used by Hindu community of north Indian. Till 1931 many Hindu in colonial Punjab were literate in Urdu instead of Hindi language. Before the partition of India, during the colonial Punjab Language and script become the major source of division among the major communities of as Hindus –Muslims and Sikhs.Ever since the beginning of the 11th century Northern India was remained under the Muslim rulers. During different periods different Muslims rulers ruled at different times and different dynasties spoke diverse languages as Afghans spoke Pushtu and Turks Turki and the Mughals spoke the Persian, Sikhs of the Punjab A Study of Confrontation and political mobilization, Dr Sarfraz Khawaja, (Islamabad, Pakistan: modern book dept, 1985) 41 As it was the fact that in the period of the later Mughals, Urdu and Persian both languages were the court languages.When British succeeded the subcontinent they continued the same languages as the court languages. Shan Muhammad, the growth of Muslim politics in india1900-1919 (New Delhi, shish publishing house, 1991) 35. These languages were understood, also spoke at large scale, but natives languages were also spoke by the native communities as Hindi, Punjabi Pahari Hindustani. In which Urdu and Hindi both languages were the mixture of native and foreign languages Two sides of one coin Hindi Urdu, or Urdu HindiAs Hindi and Urdu were two names of one language script differentiate between them it called Urdu when it written in perso-Arabic script (both languages were associated with Muslim community) and when written in the Nagari script (associated with Hindu community); there were some lexical and phrasal differences. Yet the two names for one language were frequently used for the same language and its literature segmented into parts largely on the basis of script and religions. S.Settar, Indira BaptistaGupta, Pangs of partition vol ?,(new Delhi: Manohar publisher,2002. ) 34. Punjabi Hindu community used Urdu language as the language of commerce, journalism and administration. Urdu language was also the major language of literary expression not only in Muslim community in Hindu community as well in British Punjab while Punjabi was the spoken language. Atamjit Singh, The languages divide in Punjab South Asian Graduate Research Journal, 9Achadmic of the Punjab new America) Volume 4, No. , spring 1997 Colonial government language policy in Bihar and its after effects Urdu was mixture of Persian, Arabic and Hindi Punjabi. As this spoken language soon become to be written in the Persian and Arabic languages language. Urdu gained the as official language status after the abolishment of the Persian language in various provinces of the northern India so at 1842 lord Lawrence confirme d that â€Å"the use of this language (Urdu) is rapidly spreading among all the ranks and is becoming a lingua Franca† Abid41Till the 2nd half of the 9th century Urdu not only became a dominate language but also symbol of Muslim influence and power But In 1837 Persian language had been replaced by Indian vernaculars and Urdu was introduced as the vernacular of ‘the vast tract of country known as Hindustani language, not only in Bihar and NWP and portions of central as well, However Government did not want personalized Urdu to be used as the vernacular. An order of 19 April 1839 declared:The pleading and proceedings be recorded in lucid intelligible Oordoo, and that the natives ministerial officers†¦ do not merely alternate a hindoostanee for a Persian verb at the end of sentence†¦ Tariq Rahman, language and politics in Pakistan,(Karachi, oxford university press 1996) 62 As various colonial officers discourage again and again Urdu language they were in the favo r to accepting Hindi as the vernacular language of the Hindustani people’s. The director of public instruction stated in his report:    Indo-Persian of the courts has no raisond’etre except as a remnan and reminiscence of mahomedan sovereignty Abid 62.In 1872 sir Gorge Cambell, Lieutenant Governor of Bihar, approved order in which Urdu replaced by Hindi language in the courts of the province and this order was strictly imposed in 1880 by Sir Ashley Eden. Abid 62. As Hindi language was not pure one language but the blend of the many natives’ dialects of north India in its widest perspective it could be assumed that Hindi language spoken in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and the Colonial Punjab. Dr Sarfraz Khawaga, Sikhs of the Punjab A study of confrontation and political mobilization, (Islamabad: Modern book depot, 1985. 43. As Hindi language had written in Nagari or Devengri script. The Nagri or Devangri alphabet originated sometime in the 11th century AD. initially developed to write Sanskrit it later modified to write   with several other languages. The name Devangri is made up of two Sanskrit words: Deva, which means god, Brahman or celestiai and nagari, which means city. The name is variously translated as ‘script of the city’, ‘heavenly/sacred script of the city’ or [script of the] city of the god or priests’.So for Hindu community Hindi language purged of all Persian and Arabic accretion which served to remind them of Muslim community ascendancy, As Devanagri script had a religious importance for Hindu community since it was the character which Brahmans used and in which Sanskrit books were written. So due to the religious association Hindu community insist to colonial government in various provinces that Urdu written in Persian script must be replaced by the Hindu with its Devanagari script.To fulfill their demand they presented the reason that: (Urdu language was an amal gam of Persian and Arabic languages -and it -and it was forced upon us by our former rulers†¦but it was by no means accepted by the peoples at large†¦no Hindu gentlemen would ever condescend to educate his female in    Urdu language and Persian because the books written   in   these languages are usually obscene. Report by the north western province and qudh provincial committee of education commission, (1884) ,   490. quated by Dr Sarfaz Khawaja op. cit, 72.Pro Hindi –script activities of Hindu community and Muslim response Pro Hindi agitation traveled from Bihar to the other provinces due to the two main reasons as: first when British replaced the Urdu language with Hindi language this decision provide the courage to the Hindu community due to this decision later Bengali Hindu community started protest in Bengal. Secondly then when Fateh chand established committees to press for Hindi language. Pro-Hindi movement quickly spread in    Hindu community of t he north colonial Indian.Then pro Hindi agitation travelled from Bihar, Bengal to other provinces such as NWFP. There was quashed manifestation occurred: a failure to introduce Devanagari in the colonial Punjab and NWFP. Jaswant Singh, Jinnah India-partition-independence (New Delhi: Rupa publisher, 2009. ) 41 Muslim reaction towards Urdu Hindi controversy in colonial Punjab Enforcement of Hindi language became a cause for grievance amongst major religious communities as Hindus and Muslims in various parts of indo-Pak Subcontinent. But in colonial Punjab arose for the very first time in 1882.Paul R. Brass, Language, Religion and Politics in North India (London :Cambridge university press,1974),287 The demand of substitute of Hindi language in davanagri script for Urdu in Persian script in colonial Punjab by urban Hindu community was not only cause the Hindu – Muslim communal conflict. But pro-Hindi campaign, Devanagri script form   Punjabi Hindu community    and   protec tive activities of Punjabi Muslim community for   Urdu language was pushed the both religious communities to protect and promote interest of their own communities.

Leadership Project Essay

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a renowned spiritual leader and multi-faceted humanitarian whose mission of uniting the world into a violence-free family has inspired millions of people worldwide. The icon of non-violence and universal human values, Sri Sri seeks global peace through service and dialog. Born in 1956 in southern India, Sri Sri’s appeal transcends class, race, religion and nationality. Millions of people revere him as their spiritual leader, and look up to him for inner peace and promoting ecumenical values. In 1981, Sri Sri started the Art of Living Foundation, an international nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization. The Foundation, now active in more than 140 countries, offers educational and self-development programs designed to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being. In Europe and the United States, the Foundation’s programs are helping inner city youth turn away from gang violence, drugs and alcohol. Sri Sri’s Prison Programs have helped transform the lives of an estimated 150,000 inmates around the world. In 1997, Sri Sri founded the International Association for Human Values, a humanitarian nonprofit organization that advances human values in political, economic, industrial, and social spheres. In South Asia, South Africa, and Latin America, the Association’s sustainable development programs have reached more than 30,000 rural communities. While his self development programs have popularized traditionally exclusive ancient techniques, Sri Sri’s social initiatives address an array of issues such as conflict resolution, disaster and trauma relief, prisoner rehabilitation, youth leadership, women’s empowerment, female foeticide, child labor, and access to education. In Kashmir and Sri Lanka, Sri Sri is working to further dialogue between opposing parties to resolve the conflicts peacefully. Sri Sri travels to more than 40 countries a year to share his message of social responsibility, and that all great spiritual traditions share common goals and values. His teachings of love, practical wisdom, and service promote harmony among people, and encourage individuals to follow their chosen spiritual path, while honoring other paths. Spreading the message of a One World Family Spreading the message of love, compassion and non-violence, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar tirelessly advocates harmonious co-existence among people. While he addresses innumerable forums on diverse subjects, the common thread through all his speeches is the principle of humanity, and brotherhood. His universal, and simple message is that love and wisdom can prevail over hatred and distress. Whether it is speaking to parliamentarians in Argentina, business leaders in Europe, peace organizations such as the United Nations and Muslim and Hindu leaders, Sri Sri emphasizes human values, and unity among people. Sri Sri has been invited to address the World Economic Forum at Davos on two occasions, the United Nations Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, the first World Congress of Imams and Rabbis in 2005 among other forums. With an aim of bringing together leaders from diverse walks of life, Sri Sri has also hosted a number of symposiums. The Truth & Reconciliation Conference to foster equality of the Dalit community (2007), International Conference on Human Values (2006) and the annual Corporate Culture and Spirituality Symposiums being a few of them. Through his public talks and symposiums, Sri Sri addresses issues of inter-faith harmony, environmental sustainability, poverty alleviation and grassroots development. He inspires thousands across the globe to live the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam or a One World Family. University Doctorates Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, Bangalore University, India, 2009 ?Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, Nagarjuna University, India, 2008 ?Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa, Maharaja Sayajirao University, India, 2007 ?Doctor of Science, Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, India, 2007 ?Doctor of Philosophy (Holistic Medicine), Open International University for Complementary Medicine in Sri Lanka, 2006 ?Honorary Doctorate from Kuvempu University, India, 2004 International Honours Culture in Balance Award, World Culture Forum, Dresden Germany, October 10, 2009 ?Professor Honoris Causa, Szent Istvan University, Budapest, (Hungary), June 24, 2009 ?The Ball of Peace awarded by The Peace Doves, Norway, June 13, 2009 ?Phoenix Award, Atlanta, USA, 2008 â€Å"Corporate Culture & Spirituality† (CCS) is an initiative of the International Association for Human Values. While central themes vary, this unique annual symposium provides business and spiritual leaders with a platform to share insights and experiences on social responsibility, business ethics, and sustainable and profitable leadership. CCS was first launched in 2003 in Bangalore, India, and was attended by business leaders, academicians, and spiritual leaders from across the world. Encouraged by its success, a second CCS conference was hosted in 2004 at the Art of Living Foundation Headquarters in Bangalore. In 2006, the conference was held in European Parliament, Brussels, where more than 300 participants from 20 countries engaged in a dynamic discussion on ethics and business as an integral part of innovative and sustainable development. The conference was once again hosted in Brussels in 2007, and was attended by prominent leaders such as Prof. Ruud Lubbers, Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands and co-Founder of The Earth Charter; Dr. Jacques Santer, Former Prime Minister of Luxemburg and Former President of the European Commission; Mr. Niels Christiansen, Vice-President, Nestle; Mr. Rutger Koopmans, General Manager, ING Wholesale Banking; Mr. Venugopal Dhoot, Chairman, Videocon Group; Dr. Hanns Glatz, Delegate of the Board of Management, Daimler; and Prof. Peter Eigen, Founder, Transparency International Germany. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS The Art of Living Course gives participants the practical knowledge and techniques to unlock their deepest potential and bring fullness to life. Whether happy and successful or feeling the stress of poor health, disappointments, or fear, every participant is cared for and comes away lighter, with effective techniques for releasing mental and physical stress and increasing his or her health, energy, peace, self-knowledge, awareness, and joy. Simple Techniques for Daily Life A remarkable feature of the course is that participants are able to re-discover the present moment, not as a concept but as a direct experience. Participants leave with simple but powerful techniques that they can practice every day. The Art of Living Course has been enjoyed by people of all traditions, religions, and walks of life, in universities, churches, governments, businesses, prisons, and war zones. The Art of Living Foundation is dedicated to inspiring, uplifting and empowering individuals to live life to its fullest potential. Its youth programs emphasize human values common to all cultures, religions and traditions such as non-violence, compassion, caring for the planet, enthusiasm for life, and an attitude of service toward others. Art Excel (All Round Training In Excellence) for ages 8 to 13 Presented in a practical and fun framework that appeals to youth of all ethnic, racial and religious backgrounds, ART Excel offers an enlightening approach that awakens youth to their deepest potential and life’s higher values. YES! for Teens (Youth Empowerment Seminar) for ages 14 to 18 Both fun and challenging, this 18 hour seminar provides teens with a comprehensive toolbox to both manage their own emotions and stress, as well as dynamically navigate through adolescence. YES+ for College Students and Young Professionals for ages 18 – 27 An innovative and dynamic educati onal and life skills program that provides young individuals with the tools to achieve their ideal life with ease, creativity, energy, and without inhibitions Balance can be achieved without lowering goals or lessening achievements ? it is about managing stress and managing ourselves. Based on the Sudarshan Kriya, the APEX Course is designed for business professionals. It is a simple, practical, and effective training program that empowers managers and employees, and promotes calmness and focus in the midst of any challenge or responsibility. The course is designed to improve concentration, enhance creativity, increase efficiency, and build a greater sense of purpose and teamwork. The APEX course differs from most management and employee development programs because it is not based on quick-fix solutions, theoretical concepts, or superficial success formulas, but rather on practical techniques that offer direct and tangible results. It has been developed for businesses to facilitate change from within each employee and manager. The course also incorporates basic principles of effective living and emphasizes the essential human values that help professionals lead more fulfilling and productive lives. SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS The Art of Living Foundation, a nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization, was founded by Sri Sri in 1981. The Foundation has chapters in more than 140 countries and its sustainable development projects, trauma-relief and self-development programs have benefited more than 25 million people around the world. By nurturing the spirit of service and compassion in every individual, the Foundation seeks to build a global society that is free of stress and violence. The mission of the International Association for Human Values (IAHV), a non profit organization founded by Sri Sri in 1997, is to foster a deeper understanding of the values that unite us as a global human community, and to encourage the practice of human values in everyday life. The IAHV, working in conjunction with the Art of Living Foundation, has initiated several disaster relief and sustainable development programs in South Asia, Africa, Europe, Central and South America and North America. Ved Vignan Maha Vidya Peeth (VVM) is the umbrella organization under which various service projects of the Art of Living Foundation in India operate. In addition to rural development programs, women’s empowerment projects and educational initiatives, VVM is also involved in Vedic research, medical research and social research. The upcoming Sri Sri University in Orissa, India, will be a full fledged 15,000 student multidisciplinary university that will combine quality education with leadership skills, social responsibility and ethics. The academic majors that will be offered are Management, Law, Government, Mass Communications, Cultural Studies, Engineering, Medicine, Ayurveda, Vedic Sciences, Biotechnology and Research Sciences. University admissions will be based on aptitude tests alone, and the campus will include recreational facilities, meditation halls, and a sports complex. The Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM) Trust was founded in 1999 as a Charitable Spiritual and Educational Public Institution to impart a valu-based education in a stress-free and child-friendly environment. The Trust supports several educational institutions, from rural schools to urban universities. The Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Pre-University College started in 2003 in Bangalore, India. Affiliated with the Pre-University Board of Karnataka, the College’s aim is to provide affordable and high quality education to students on the threshold of their careers. To overcome the increased burden of private tuitions outside the school, the concept of â€Å"Integrated Coaching† was started. The initiative gives students the special training needed to face competitive examinations for professional courses. The Sri Sri Center for Media Studies’ mandate is to train and empower responsible and committed media professionals who will be reliable and objective information resources for people in a democracy. The Sri Sri Institute of Management Studies was founded in 2005, with the vision of blending high quality management education with spirituality and human values to create 21st century managers. The institute offers a 2-year post-graduate diploma in Business Management, and diverse programs in investment and portfolio management, debt securities, modern manufacturing, and supply chain management. The Sri Sri Rural Development Trust was founded in 2001, with a vision to provide permanent and alternative sources of income to the rural population in India. The Trust works in conjunction with the Art of Living Foundation to implement initiatives such as empowerment of rural women, vocational training programs for women and youth, self development workshops, free medical camps, and the Youth Leadership Training Program. The Sri Sri School of Performing Arts and Fine Arts, located in Bangalore, India, is a centre of learning for traditional dance forms, folk and classical music, and the fine arts.   The Sri Sri College for Ayurvedic Science and Research was started by Sri Sri to revive Ayurveda, the ancient system of healthcare that is native to India. The college is affiliated to the to the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, and offers a five year B.A.M.S. (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) professional degree course. Some of the special features of the college include a herbal garden with diverse varieties of medicinal plants and a state of the art Research and Development Center. Incepted in 2003, the key objective of the Sri Sri Mobile Agricultural Institute is to provide guidance to farmers to become self-reliant, to revive organic farming, and to educate farmers on water management and irrigation. The Institute?s projects include workshops on chemical-free farming awareness, environmental conservation, and the advantages of organic fertilizers and pesticides. The use of indigenous seeds (instead of genetically modified ones) is also emphasized, and cooperative seed storages have been set up. WHY SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR IS MY LEADER? For me he is not only spiritual leader but also peace advocate, meditation teacher, humanitarian. I am really inspired with his concept of spirituality. He has made many efforts for people to become stress free. I also like his vision to make stress-free and violence free world. He is not just limited to spirituality; he has also performed many social activities such as peace, disaster relief, promoting literacy, women empowerment, prisoner’s rehabilitation etc. he has also set many educational programs for students which we have seen earlier. He teaches people love and wisdom spreads message of love, peace, brotherhood throughout the world. He aims at promoting spirituality amongst people and making them realize that there is goodness in every individual. He advises people to accept as well as respect each other.

China Construction Market The WritePass Journal

China Construction Market Intoduction China Construction Market ). As noted above, the potential to form a JV based on the technology and knowledge within the company is immense as Chinese builders look to rein in costs and compete more effectively in an oversupplied market. One area of consideration for a business would be the current structure of the market, with previous research noting that the Chinese construction market is largely made up of state-owned and local private enterprises (World Bank, 2014). According to recent research undertaken (EUSME, 2013) privately-owned companies control 81% of the market, state-owned 18%, while foreign-funded firms control less than 1% of the overall market. From this, it could be assumed that regulation and business practices may restrict some international companies from moving into the market. Regulation: many companies that have attempted to establish Chinese entities have experience strong regulatory constraints; with the Chinese see protective of their domestic industry (Rowley, 2014). It has previously been noted that it is difficult to obtain building sector licenses given that Chinese provinces will favour the use of local construction companies, with corruption still a major issue to overcome (US Department of Commerce, 2012). Furthermore, it could be mentioned that China is quite risk adverse to the introduction of new building/material techniques, with regulation in place that quite often restricts the entrance of new technology into the market due to an inability for the country to assess its implications on the wider industry, which to some could be seen as a form of protectionism given that the construction sector is such as large employer within the country. While a JV may be beneficial for an international company given its access to a local market player who understands the market, the company must be wary of the technology or knowledge it would be sacrificing in the process (Cameron, 2012). It may also be noted that given current market conditions in China, some Chinese companies may be willing to form JV’s with Western counterparts in a bid to gain access into the recovering markets in Europe and the U.S. Again, the difference in regulation may affect the attractiveness of the Chinese market to some businesses. Business Practices: taking into account practices, it could be seen that major contracts in China have been known to be awarded more through relationships rather than product/ service quality (World Bank, 2014). To some Western companies, this may be business practices they are unwilling to follow, or in some cases unwilling to support the management change that is needed to facilitate business in the Chinese market. Taking this into account, the business must ensure that is able to trust the business and its employee’s in the joint venture. Given the difference in doing business and ethics, the UK Company must ensure that the JV does not contradict its standards in the UK (Cameron, 2012). Key Characteristics: key characteristics of the market may also be of importance given that it could be assumed the Chinese growth in construction has to part been fuelled by quantity over quality. There have been a number of reports detailing the major $Billion efforts by cities within China to essentially support rapid expansion, however most of the building work appears to be of a much lower standard/ design than similar projects in the western economies. With this, it becomes a question of whether the current market in China would fit in with the interests and desired outcomes of the UK Company seeking the JV. To provide come concluding remarks, the UK must ensure that it picks a Chinese partner that meets its UK ethical standards and business practices, essentially aligning their priorities to develop a viable business plan for the JV’s development in the marketplace (Paton, 2008). The company must also ensure that it’s safeguarding its intellectual property, mainly when dealing with Chinese companies that are in need of new development/ technology to improve competitiveness in their home market. The company must also ensure that it picks a partner where it can be an equal stakeholder it he project (Bosshart et al, 2010) References AECOM (2013) Asia Construction Outlook 2014, London, AECOM. Anderson, D. and Anderson, L. (2010) Beyond Change Management, London, Wiley Publications. Bosshart, S., Luedi, T. and Wang, E. (2010) Past lessons for China’s new joint ventures, London, McKinsey Company. BREE (2014) China Resources Quarterly: Southern Winter- Northern Summer 2014, Sydney, Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics. Cameron, E. and Green, M. (2012) Making Sense of Change Management, London, Kogan Page Publishers. EUSME (2013) The construction sector in China, Beijing, European Union Research Centre. Financial Times (2014) [Online] Doing Business in China, Available at http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/892eae14-6323-11e4-8a63-00144feabdc0.pdf, Accessed 10.11.2014. Liu, B. Wang, X. Chen. C and Ma, Z. (2014) Research into the dynamic development trend of the competitiveness of China’s regional construction industry, KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering, 18(1), pp1-10. Paton, R. and McCalman, J. (2008) Change Management: A Guide to Effective Implementation, London, SAGE Publications. Rowley, C. and Cooke, F. (2014) The changing face of management in China (Vol. 6), London, Routledge. U.S Department of Commerce. (2012) 2012 Country Commercial Guide for U.S Companies, Washington, U. Department of Commerce. World Bank. (2014) Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency – Economy Profile 2015 China, Washington, World Bank. Wu, J. Deng, Y. and Liu, H. (2014) House price index construction in the nascent housing market: the case of China, The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, 48(3), pp522-545.

Mastaba, the Original Pyramids

Mastaba, the Original Pyramids A mastaba is a large rectangular structure that was used as a type of tomb, often for royalty, in Ancient Egypt. Mastabas were relatively low (especially when compared to pyramids), rectangular, flat-roofed, roughly bench shaped burial structures that were created and utilized for the pre-Dynastic pharaohs or nobility of Ancient Egypt. They had distinct sloping sides and were typically made of mud bricks or stones. The mastabas themselves served as visible monuments for the prominent Egyptian nobility that they housed, although the actual burial chambers for the mummified corpses were underground and were not visible to the public from the outside of the structure. Step Pyramid Technically, mastabas preceded the original pyramid. In fact, pyramids developed directly from mastabas, as the first pyramid was actually a type of step pyramid, which was constructed by stacking one mastaba directly on top of a slightly larger one. This process was repeated several times in order to create the initial pyramid. The original step pyramid was designed by Imhotepin the third millennium BC. The sloping sides of traditional pyramids were adopted directly from mastabas, although the flat roof typical of mastabas was replaced by a pointed roof in pyramids. The common flat-sided, pointed pyramid also developed directly from the mastabas. Such pyramids were created by modifying the step pyramid by filling in the uneven sides of the pyramids with stones and lime in order to create the flat, even outward appearance. This eliminated the stair-like appearance of step pyramids. Thus, the progression of pyramids went from the mastabas to the step pyramids to the bent pyramids (which was an in-between form of the step pyramid and the triangular shaped pyramids), and then finally the triangle shaped pyramids, like those seen at Giza. Usage Eventually, during the Old Kingdom in Egypt, Egyptian royalty such as kings stopped being buried in mastabas, and began being buried in more modern, and more aesthetically pleasing, pyramids. Egyptians of non-royal background continued to be buried in mastabas. From the Encyclopedia Britannica: â€Å"Old Kingdom mastabas were used chiefly for non-royal burials. In nonroyal tombs, a chapel was provided that included a formal tablet or stela on which the deceased was shown seated at a table of offerings. The earliest examples are simple and architecturally undemanding; later a suitable room, the tomb-chapel, was provided for the stela (now incorporated in a false door) in the tomb superstructure. Storage chambers were stocked with food and equipment, and walls were often decorated with scenes showing the deceased’s expected daily activities. What had earlier been a niche on the side grew into a chapel with an offering table and a false door through which the spirit of the deceased could leave and enter the burial chamber.†

How to Get Into Your Top-Choice College Infographic

How to Get Into Your Top-Choice College Infographic SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Applying to colleges can be a long and difficult process. You have to fill out a bunch of applications, write long essays, get letters of recommendation, and so many other things. It's almost impossible to keep track of everything. That's why we've put together this handy infographic full of helpful tips and pointers. Find out just how difficult it is to apply to colleges, where you should focus your attention, and learn how to avoid the most common mistakes. We want to give you the best shot at getting accepted to you top-choice colleges, so continue reading and get a jump start on your application! Share this Image On Your Site pstrongPlease include attribution to prepscholar.com with this graphic./strongbr /br /a href='http://blog.prepscholar.com/how-to-get-into-your-top-choice-college-infographic'img src='http://blog.prepscholar.com/hubfs/Infographic-Get-Into-College.png' alt='How to Get Into Your Top College' width='600px' border='0' //a/p Other Topics You May Be Interested In: Easiest Colleges to Get Into Which Colleges Require the SAT II? The SAT is an important part of college admissions. To find out more about the SAT and how to do well:

Application of Nursing Theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Application of Nursing Theory - Assignment Example A nurse manager who has authority over the staff calls them for a meeting whereby they highlight issues affecting their work and carry out collective decision-making. This way, they arrive at good conclusions and each staff is given a goal to attain. After a stipulated period, their work is evaluated whereby each staff is held staff accountable of the already assigned tasks. Nurse mangers can apply this to influence outcomes in patient-care delivery as well as patient satisfactory scores (Meleis, 2011). This theory is well applicable in patient care delivery because the nurses help the patients cope with stress (Meleis, 2011). Stress according to king entails a state where the patients interact with the nurses to maintain a balance for growth (Meleis, 2011). During the transaction between the patient and the health care provider, the patient is given a feeling of control by being involved in decision-making, the nurse listen to their complains as well as offer additional education besides aiding in decision acing (Meleis, 2011). The theory also applies in patient satisfactory scores since as the nurses provide medical and technical information, the patient contributes personal and emotional info. They combine their perceptions and judgments hence drive towards goal attainment (Meleis, 2011). If goals are attained, there will be satisfaction as well as e ffective nursing

Corporal Punishment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Corporal Punishment - Essay Example The message that violence is a way to solve problems is surely not lost on children. Parents who were beaten as children end up beating their own children. Teachers who attended schools in which corporal punishment was an accepted practice may in a like manner find it natural to turn to it themselves, although other people, beaten as children, react adversely to the notion of using physical force themselves (Straus and Donnelley 2004). Critics (Straus and Donnelley 2004) explain that the parents of children who are victims of the "battered child syndrome" are mentally ill. While corporal punishment applied by teachers is usually not so extreme in intent or result as the abuse inflicted on children by their own parents, its use by teachers who experienced corporal punishment as children suggests a tendency to "identify with the aggressor" which characterizes the authoritarian personality The use of force on children stems from an inherent cultural belief that violence is an acceptable way to solve problems. Carried far enough, that position could suggest that the society itself is "mentally ill," judged by its approach to violence (Straus and Donnelley 2004). Corporal punishment is ineffective because it has extremely negative impact on learning and child development.

How will augmented reality (AR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) Essay

How will augmented reality (AR) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) function, and how might - Essay Example That is a combination of the actual scene, which the user views and the virtual scene that the computer generates that augments the scene with additional information. The scene generated by a computer is designed to enhance the user’s sensory perception of the virtual world they are interacting with. The main objective of AR is to create a system whereby the user is unable to distinguish between the real world and the virtual augmentation of the real world. As noted above, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle is a powered aerial vehicle that does not take on board a human operator. This aerial vehicle can be recoverable or expendable and it may carry nonlethal or lethal payload. It uses aerodynamic forces in order to provide a vehicle lift, and it can fly autonomously or be piloted by the use of a remote. Augmented reality may be used in military training, engineering design, entertainment, robotics, manufacturing among other industries. The AR bundled with facial recognition programs may be used by law enforcers. An individual puts on the shades and looks at a given subject and the technology will automatically check the law enforcer’s database for any criminal records of the subject (Yuen et. al 2011). Consequently, the law enforcer is informed of the outcome. In addition, the military may use this technology to feed each other with information in a timely manner while in patrols. As such, AR technology can be efficiently used to facilitate effective law enforcement. On the other hand, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles may be used by soldiers in their operation tactics in urban areas in order to understand a given conflict area. Even though the UAV feed may not be used to identify specific elements in a particular conflict area, they are used to understand and consequently enhance soldiers’ situation awareness abilities (Cai et al. 2008). The presenting of a video feed both from the ground and unmanned aerial vehicles in a combined interface tend to

What caused the Euro crises of 2010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What caused the Euro crises of 2010 - Essay Example To reiterate, the euro crisis was but a function of lack of a common regulatory system to moderate free-riding and/or inject firepower to member states [economies] faced with insolvency risks, and that other factors such as the globalization of finance as well as the global recession that followed the 2007-2009 global financial crisis only added fodder to a system precariously on the edge. The Eurozone as originally structured was more of a gentleman’s agreement requiring member states to follow a similar fiscal path, yet with much weird freedom to follow own fiscal policies that includes masking of internal monetary undertakings. This feature brought on board fiscally free riding peripheral economies as represented by Greece economic dynamics; pursuing parallel fiscal policies in total disregard of the Maastricht treaty, under which member nations had pledged to limit their debt spending (Cameron 2012; European Commission 2008). Though Greece became the pillar of focus in a crisis that has proved counterproductive to a number of the austerity measures implemented, the pursuit of wealth in non-approved mechanisms were widespread across Europe, with quite a number of states securing future cash flows [via sovereign rights]; in effect, providing governments with a vehicle to raise future revenues that kept up with the debt targets, but in contravention to the lon g regarded conventional best practices and internationally agreed standards: â€Å"In â€Å"Boomerang† Mr. Lewis captures the utter folly and madness that spread across both sides of the Atlantic during the last decade, as individuals, institutions and entire nations mindlessly embraced instant gratification over long-term planning, the too good to be true over common sense† (Kakutani 2011). Like the bursting of the US housing bubble that ignited a second global financial crisis in less than a

Understanding The Relationship Between Organisational Structure and Assignment

Understanding The Relationship Between Organisational Structure and Culture - Assignment Example Organizational structure can be seen as the method in which interconnected groups and organizations are set up in order to permit them to function effortlessly from a larger standpoint. Two major purposes of a successful structure are to guarantee effective communication among different parts of the company and increase coordination among different departments. In practice, of course, it is impossible to separate structure and culture of an organization. So while we create organizational structure that spells out the positions to be filled by members of an organization. It is mostly culture that defines the roles that go with these positions and the kinds of people who will fill them. In a practical sense, it is difficult to differentiate structure and culture. â€Å"So while we create organizational structure that spells out the positions to be filled by members of an organization, it’s mostly culture that defines the roles that go with those positions and the kinds of peopl e who will fill them† (GTP Organizer Training 2007). 2. Explain how the relationship between an organization’s structure and culture can   impact the performance of the business. The relationship between organizational culture and organizational structure plays an important role in creating an impact on the performance of business. The culture of management and the employees, situations, events, substance, information, processes and such elements are necessary for organizational decisions and movement. In addition, power, task and responsibility of the employees also influence the performance of a business. The management fixes a structure for the business, which involves culture as a... Understanding The Relationship Between Organisational Structure and Culture Presently there is a lot of  information and data available on the culture of organizations. Organizational structure and organizational culture are closely intertwined with one another. It is also the point of view through which people see their organization and its atmosphere. Organizational culture is more of a bigger picture, a more universal term that refers to a big umbrella of smaller issues and topics in an organization. The organizational structure denotes to the infrastructure of the organization and the numerous practices and methods involved in that infrastructure. This organizational structure assists an organizational culture run with reliability and efficiency, which is be the trademark of a healthy organizational structure. It is seen in a sports team, corporation,  or any other group that is large enough to generate its own organizational culture. This makes the organization structure an integral component of the organizational culture of the organization, but al so narrows out a very particular section of the culture as its own duty and responsibility. In terms of work behavior, an individual is expected to be provided with employment when the organization recognizes and understands the values he or she is concerned about. The values of a firm are often portrayed in the mission and vision statements of the company, which an aspect of the planning function.

What caused the Euro crises of 2010 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What caused the Euro crises of 2010 - Essay Example To reiterate, the euro crisis was but a function of lack of a common regulatory system to moderate free-riding and/or inject firepower to member states [economies] faced with insolvency risks, and that other factors such as the globalization of finance as well as the global recession that followed the 2007-2009 global financial crisis only added fodder to a system precariously on the edge. The Eurozone as originally structured was more of a gentleman’s agreement requiring member states to follow a similar fiscal path, yet with much weird freedom to follow own fiscal policies that includes masking of internal monetary undertakings. This feature brought on board fiscally free riding peripheral economies as represented by Greece economic dynamics; pursuing parallel fiscal policies in total disregard of the Maastricht treaty, under which member nations had pledged to limit their debt spending (Cameron 2012; European Commission 2008). Though Greece became the pillar of focus in a crisis that has proved counterproductive to a number of the austerity measures implemented, the pursuit of wealth in non-approved mechanisms were widespread across Europe, with quite a number of states securing future cash flows [via sovereign rights]; in effect, providing governments with a vehicle to raise future revenues that kept up with the debt targets, but in contravention to the lon g regarded conventional best practices and internationally agreed standards: â€Å"In â€Å"Boomerang† Mr. Lewis captures the utter folly and madness that spread across both sides of the Atlantic during the last decade, as individuals, institutions and entire nations mindlessly embraced instant gratification over long-term planning, the too good to be true over common sense† (Kakutani 2011). Like the bursting of the US housing bubble that ignited a second global financial crisis in less than a

Catcher in the Rye Comparison to Author Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Catcher in the Rye Comparison to Author - Essay Example As Bloom (p.18) comments, â€Å"in addition to creating a maelstrom of controversy in its critical reception†, the novel clearly tell us about Salinger’s creativity, nature, and achievement. To illustrate, as a student, Salinger was considered poor in academics and he was criticized as the most worthless English student by one of his professors. He had to change a number of schools and had an unhealthy relationship with parents. In his novel, Salinger gave an identical image to Holden Caulfield. Holden also experiences such failures in his academics; fails to prove him better student and he was also sent away from parents for his studies. However, as Graham describes Holden, he was â€Å"expelled from his school, Pency Prep, just before the Christmas holidays for flunking everything else except English† (2007, p. IX).Salinger tried to explain much of his personal feelings and perceptions through Holden Caulfield in the Catcher in the Rye. â€Å"What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of a good-by. I mean I’ve left schools and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t, you will feel even worse† (Salinger, 2007, chapter 1).

Emergency preparedness Essay Example for Free

Emergency preparedness Essay Emergency preparedness is a fine art, and the individuals responsible for the planning and preparedness of the emergency response procedures have an awesome responsibility to make sure that they have all the necessary equipment to provide for the people of the community that the hospital serves. If I were the Emergency Preparedness Coordinator for a 300-bed urban hospital, I would be stockpiling things like airway management supplies, batteries, generators, flashlights, gowns, gloves, masks, hazmat materials, post-mortem bags, and sterilization equipment. These items would help in the immediate short term when it comes to helping those in need. To also help in the crisis situation, I would purchase water treatment chemicals, water testing equipment, and washers and decontaminators. This equipment is in addition to the equipment and supplies I would already have on hand. I would also make sure I had various antibiotics on hand. For anthrax, I would make sure to have Ciprofloxacin, Doxycycline, and Amoxicillin on hand. For botulism, I would have antibiotics on hand for wound botulism, though antibiotics are ineffective for food borne botulism. If there were an attack of the plague, I would make sure to have streptomycin or gentamycin on hand. I would try to make sure I had antiviral drugs on hand for smallpox, though smallpox does not have a cure. The main way that funding is received is through the state governments. The state governments get the federal funding and then disburse it to the local levels. I would also apply for grants in order to maximize funding to purchase what I needed for my hospital. With the cuts in federal funding, and the rise in prices, the emergency preparedness director’s job gets more difficult. With time and patience, the goal of protecting the public can be accomplished with efficacy and compassion. References Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2009). Anthrax: Treatment. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site: http://www. bt. cdc. gov/agent/anthrax/treatment Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2009). Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site: http://www. bt. cdc. gov/agent/agentlist-category. asp Chan-Tack, K (2009). Botulism: treatment and medication. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Emedicine Web site: http://emedicine. medscape. com/article/213311-treatment McGill, (2009). Treatment. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Plague Web site: http://sprojects. mmi. mcgill. ca/tropmed/diase/plauge/treatment. html Medline, (2009). Retrieved March 8, 2009, from Medline Industries Web site: http://www. medline. com/AcuteCare/hospitals. asp National Association of County and City Health Officials, (2007). Federal funding for public health emergency preparedness. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from naccho. org Web site: http://www. naccho. org/press/releases/upload/SurveyReport_Final. pdf WebMD, (2007 Jan 31). Smallpox. Retrieved March 8, 2009, from WebMD Web site: http://www. webmd. com/a-to-z-guides/smallpox-treatment-overview? print=true

Synopsis Of Tesco As A Company Business Essay

Synopsis Of Tesco As A Company Business Essay Tesco is the largest UK based supermarket and the worlds third largest grocery retailer with stores across Europe, USA and Asia. Tesco has a well-established and long-term strategy for growth. Tesco has net profits of around  £3 billion before tax. The objectives of the strategy are: Tesco was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen selling groceries in the markets of Londons East End. Tesco brand first appeared in 1924 when Cohen bought stocks of tea from T.E. Stockwell. They combined their names to form TESCO. In 1929, the first Tesco store opened in North London. Since then Tesco has expanded rapidly by opening more new stores and retail services, while adapting to consumers needs. In 1961, Tesco Leicester entered the Guinness Book of Records as the largest store in Europe. In 1968 Tesco opened its first superstore in Crawley, West Sussex. By the 1970s Tesco diversified into other products and opened its first petrol stations in 1974. In 1992, Tesco launched its slogan every little helps, followed by the Tesco Value range in 1993 and the Tesco Club card in 1995, helping Tesco to overtake Sainsburys as the UKs largest food retailer. Tesco.com was launched in 2000, followed by Tesco broadband in 2004 and Tesco Direct in 2006. Tescos Personal Finance Acquisition was completed in 2008. Tesco has now over 2,200 stores with 280,000 employees in the UK. From 1994 to 2007 Tesco expanded overseas by opening stores in Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Rep. of Ireland, Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Turkey, Japan, China and US under the name Fresh Easy. Last year Tesco announced plans to establish cash and carry business in India. TASK 2: Literature Review Differences between human resource management and personnel management Human resource management (HRM) is defined as a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organisations most valued assets the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives. (M Armstrong) Personnel management (PM) is concerned with obtaining, organising and motivating the human resources required by the enterprise. (M Armstrong) The concept of HRM places greater emphasis on: Integration with the business strategies rather than focusing on delivering basic services such as recruitment and training Adopting a management and business-oriented philosophy Using unitary approach rather than pluralist approach Treating people as assets (human capital) rather than costs Personnel management is workforce-centred, directed mainly at an organisations employees covering issues such as: Finding and training them, Arranging for them to be paid Satisfying employees work-related needs, Dealing with their problems and Seeking to change management action that could produce an unwelcome employee response. HRM is resource-centred, directed mainly at management needs for human resources (not necessarily employees) to be provided and deployed. Demand rather than supply is the focus of the activity. There is greater emphasis on planning, monitoring and control rather than mediation between employee and employer. Role of human resource (HR) practitioner The main roles of HR practitioners are: The strategic role To formulate and implement forward-looking HR strategies that are aligned to business objectives and integrated with one another. To contribute to the development of business strategies. To work alongside their line management colleagues to provide on an everyday basis continuous support to the implementation of the strategy of the organisation. The business partner role As business partners, HR specialists share responsibility with their line management colleagues for the success of the enterprise and get involved with them in implementing business strategy and running the business. The change agent role HR specialists act as change agents, facilitating change by providing advice and support on its introduction and management. The internal consultant role As internal consultants, HR practitioners work alongside their clients in analysing problems, diagnosing issues and proposing solutions. The service provider role As service provider, HR practitioners provide services to internal customers. The guardian of values role HR practitioners may act as the guardians of the organisations values and ethical standards concerning people. They point out when behaviour conflicts with those values or where proposed actions will be incompatible with them. Role and responsibilities of line managers in HR practices HR can initiate new policies and practices but the line managers have the main responsibility for implementing them. Line managers can achieve better ownership if: The practices benefit them. They are involved in the development and the testing of the practices. The practices are not too complicated, bureaucratic or time-consuming. Their responsibilities are defined and communicated clearly. They are provided with the guidance, support and training required to implement the practices. Human resource planning The need for HR planning HR planning determines the HR required by the organisation to achieve its strategic goals. HR planning at Tesco aims to ensure that the organisation has the right number of people with the right skills needed to meet forecast requirements. It also ensures that people with the right type of attitudes and motivation are available, who are committed to the organisation and engaged in their work, and behave accordingly. The process of HR planning Scenario planning: Making broad assessments of future developments in the organisations external environment and in the organisation itself and their likely impact on people requirements. Demand forecasts: Estimating the organisations future needs for people by reference to corporate and functional plans and forecasts of future activity levels. Supply forecasts: Estimating the supply of people to the organisation by reference to analyses of current resources and future availability, after allowing for wastage. Action plans: Deciding on what action to take to deal with shortages or surpluses of people. Recruitment process in two organisations Recruitment is the process of finding and engaging the people the organisation needs. Recruitment planning A recruitment plan covers: Number and types of employees required to cater for expansion or new developments and make up for any deficits. Sources of candidates. Plans for tapping alternative sources. How the recruitment programme will be conducted. Recruitment process at Tesco plc: At Tesco, HRM is regarded as an important activity, covering everything from recruitment to management development. The company aims to increase the number of training schemes and further develop its recruitment programmes so to provide the customer the benefits of a well recruited, well trained staff. For the Graduate Schemes, Tesco has planned to recruit 200 successful University leavers for 2010/11 intake. Applications are opened from September 2009, including Tesco Telecoms and Environmental Engineering. For the A-Level Schemes, 18 years school leavers have to follow a 12 months course in management that involves a store familiarisation programme of 3 weeks and a leadership and technical training. The Scheme, for those with 180 UCAS points offers candidates a 6 months management programme. Recruitment process at McDonalds: McDonalds is a franchise business. It is the largest food service company in the world with more than 30,000 restaurants serving more than 47 million people each day in 121 countries. Recruiting and selecting and appointing all new staff are under the operations department in McDonalds Training at McDonalds: The franchise system provides training for the franchisees, managers and their employees, usually done both at the franchisors home office and the franchisees place of business. This training prepares them in all facets of the business, including: purchasing and inventory maintenance, handling customer complaints, dealing with employee matters, etc. The level and length of training will vary from system to system. Interview as a selection technique The aims of an interview The purpose of an interview is to obtain the information required to decide on the extent to which candidates fit a person specification for the job. An interview can be described as a conversation with a purpose. It is a conversation because candidates should be induced to talk freely with their interviewers about themselves, their experience and their careers. Such a meeting enables judgements to be made by the interviewer on whether the candidate will fit the organization. Although these judgements are entirely subjective and are often biased or prejudiced, they will be made. But the conversation has to be planned, directed and controlled to achieve the main purpose of the interview, which is to make an accurate assessment of the candidates suitability for a job. Procedures involved in an interview: Interviewing arrangements: The candidate should be informed about the location and time for the interview and the next step after the interview. Preparing for the interview: Study the person specification and the candidates application form and/or CV, and identify those features of the applicant that do not fully match the specification so that these can be probed more deeply during the interview. Planning an interview: Consists of: welcome remarks; getting information on the candidate to assess against the person specification; provide candidates information about the organisation and the job; provide candidates information about the organisation and the job; answering questions from the candidate; and closing the interview with an indication of the next step. Types of interviews: Decide on which types of interview to be used. Timing the interview: For routine jobs, 20 to 30 minutes maybe enough while for demanding job one hour my be necessary. Interviewing techniques: Starting and finishing; asking questions. Selection interviewing skills: Establishing rapport; listening; maintaining continuity; keeping control; note taking. Coming to a conclusion: Candidates should be assessed against their knowledge; skills; competencies education; qualifications; training; experience; and overall suitability. Alternative selection methods: Selection tests: They provide more valid and reliable evidence of levels of intelligence, abilities, aptitudes, personality and attainments than can be obtained from an interview. It is best to combine them in a selection procedure with structured interviews. Assessment centres: They provide good opportunities for candidates to decide on the extent to which candidates fit a person specification for the job. The focus is centred on behaviour; group exercises and one-to-one role-play are used to predict behaviour on the job; several candidates are assessed together to allow interaction; several assessors and observers are used to increased the objectivity of the job. Work samples: Candidates are asked to take on mini-jobs in a selection situation where they can be assessed, for examples by a typing test for keyboard skills; role-playing; group decisions; presentations; or reports. Selection practices and procedures in two organisations compared to best practice Selection at Tesco involves choosing the most suitable people for a vacancy, while keeping the laws and regulations of employment. Tesco uses screening as part of the selection process to ensure that those selected candidates for interview match the job requirements. Tesco selectors start screening by first looking carefully at each applicants curriculum vitae. Tesco uses several stages in the process of selecting candidates: After passing the screening a candidate attends an assessment centre. The managers run the assessment centres in stores. Applicants should go through either team-working activities or problem solving exercises. An interview then is carried out for those candidates approved by assessment centres. Line managers responsible for the job offer have to participate in the interview to ensure that the candidate fits the job requirements. Selection at McDonalds: Selection is quite different from Tesco in the way that there are no screening and assessment centres. Here the manager only conducts an interview to identify an applicants potential to be a successful McDonalds employee. McDonalds prepares an interview guide to help the company forecast the applicants past behaviour and its influence on his future performance. The questions look for actual events or situations based on behavioural evidence in the applicants life history that fits with the specification for the job. Candidates are rated on their responses and those who earn the highest ratings are selected for the job. Process of job evaluation and the main factors determining pay Job evaluation is important in the reward management as it deals with equal pay for work of equal value. Approaches to job evaluation Job evaluation can be analytical or non-analytical. Analytical job evaluation schemes: Process of making decisions about the job value, which are based on a process of breaking down the whole jobs into a number of defined factors such as responsibility, decisions and the knowledge and skill required. It is systematic and judgemental. Non-analytical job evaluation schemes: Enables the whole jobs to be compared to place them in a grade or a rank order they are not analysed by reference to their factors. Choice of approach: Analytical job evaluation is the most common approach to job evaluation. The two main types of analytical job evaluation schemes are the point-factor schemes and analytical matching. Point-factor job evaluation scheme: Jobs are broken down into factors. Each factor is divided into a hierarchy of levels. Evaluators consult job description. A maximum point score is allocated to each factor. The total score for a factor is divided between the levels to produce the numerical factor scale. The complete scheme consists of the factor and level definitions and the scoring system. This comprises the factor plan. Points are allocated to jobs under each factor. The separate factor scores are then added together to give a total score, which indicates the relative value of each job and can be used to place the jobs in rank order. Market pricing Jobs can be also valued by their market rates market pricing. Market pricing is the process of obtaining information on market rates to inform decisions on pay structures and individual rates of pay. It is called extreme market pricing when market rates are the only means to decide on internal rates of pay and relativities, then conventional job evaluation is not used. Reward systems A reward system consists of policies, processes, practices and procedures that combine to ensure that reward management is carried out effectively for the benefit of the organisation and its employees. Examples of reward systems are: Total reward Total reward includes a combination of rewards, namely financial rewards such as basic pay, contingent pay, employee benefits; and non-financial rewards, which arise from the work itself. These rewards are linked together and treated as whole. Basic pay: Is the amount of money that constitutes the rate for the job. It varies according to the grade of the job or the level of skill required. Contingent pay Performance related pay: Additional financial rewards related to performance, competence, contribution, skill or experience that may be added to basic pay. Employee benefits: They include pensions, sick pay, insurance cover, company cars and annual holiday pay. Non-financial rewards: They do not involve any direct payment. They arise from the work itself, e.g. achievement, autonomy, recognition, and scope to develop skills. Tesco employs over 285,000 employees. They offer package of pay and benefits childcare vouchers and two share schemes: Save as You Earn and Buy as You Earn. Their Shares in Success scheme rewards employees who work hard with free Tesco shares and their award-winning offers pension scheme, which consists of 160,000 employees building a pension based on their earnings and service. Link between motivational theory and reward The process of motivation Motivation can be described as goal-directed behaviour. Types of motivation: Intrinsic motivation: The self-generated factors that influence peoples behaviour which may arise from the work itself. Extrinsic motivation: This occurs when something needs to be done to motivate people. Some people are self-motivated. However, most people need to be motivated to a lesser or greater extent. Organisations should provide high levels of motivation that can be achieved by using a range of rewards system in an attempt to satisfy employees needs so that they are motivated to work. Organisational approaches to monitoring performance The aim of performance management is: Empowering, motivating and rewarding employees to do their best. Armstrong World Industry It includes: Reward and recognition: Creating structures that maximise recruitment, retention and motivation; obtaining the best performance from the people available. Performance improvement throughout the organisation, for individual, team and organisational effectiveness Managing behaviour ensuring that individuals are encouraged to behave in a way that allows and fosters better working relationships. Organisations should continuously monitor their employees performance so that they make their best contribution. The approaches should centre on understanding the purpose of an organisation and its structure. They play emphasis on the planning of work, technical requirements, principles of management and behaviour. Attention is given to the division of work, duties, responsibilities, maintaining specialisation and co-ordination, hierarchy of management and formal organisational relationships. Tesco effectively controls the performance of their employees so that they can lead the UKs retailer. Tesco has a range of processes and techniques within their stores to monitor the performances of their employees. Tescos managers monitor their employers and the organisation through: Planning and setting goals and objectives; establishing standards of performance; correcting mistakes and taking prompt action. Exit procedures used by two organisations compared to best practice Exit procedures at Tesco and McDonalds On or before the employees last day request a letter of resignation. This letter provides documentation of the employees intention to resign, allowing the department to post and refill the position more efficiently. It should contain the last day of active work, the last day on payroll, and the reason for leaving. Prepare a notice of termination terminating the employee, obtain authorising signatures. Advise employee to: As soon as possible on or after employees last day, as appropriate -Cancel telephone and IT system accesses. -Cancel departmental computer passwords and computer accounts. -Cancel employees bank details. Selection criteria for redundancy The selection criteria used by the employer must be clearly defined so that they can be applied reasonably to each candidate. Selection criteria for redundancy includes: Duration of service and experience How long was the employee absent from work (last in, first out). Measure of skills and knowledge Qualifications, aptitude and performance, Attendance and disciplinary records. Conclusion The aim of human resource management is to ensure that the organisation is able to achieve success through people. My findings reveal that the introduction of strategic HR policies at Tesco has broadens the scope of the business by expansion of new markets in UK and abroad. Tescos HR strategy is based on long term perspective that addresses about how the best return can be obtained from the human resources available now and in the future. Tesco aims to get the right number of the right sorts of people in the right place at the right time and ethically getting rid of them when they are not needed. Tesco creates an environment in which employees and others associates get the necessary knowledge, skills and attitudes. Tesco manages the hard (structure, systems) and soft (culture, values) features of the organisation. Tesco creates structures that maximise recruitment, retention and motivation; obtaining the best performance from the people. Reference Module Tutor Lecture notes and emails: Sabir H Jafri., Managing Human Resources (Unit 1) H1, HND in Business. London: Guildhall College Websites: .http://www.lonympics.co.uk/new/Tesco.htm http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/tesco/tesco_14_full.pdf http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/. http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/about_us/strategy/non_food/ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/markets/2788089/A-history-of-Tesco-The-rise-of-Britains-biggest-supermarket.html http://www.tescoplc.com/plc/media/pr/pr2009/2009-09-17/ http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/hrm/chap8/ch8-links6.htm http://www.redundancyhelp.co.uk/LegFair.htm http://www.uwex.edu/secretary/policies/section10/S10-Exit.pdf http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/tesco/tesco_13_full.pdf http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+%28McDonalds%29HYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukHYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukcd=5HYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukHYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukhl=enHYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McD onalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukHYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukct=clnkHYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukHYPERLINK http://66.102.9.132/search?q=cache:XEsdkNJC0LcJ:www.thetimes100.co.uk/downloads/mcd/mcd_10_3.doc+selection+practices+and+procedures+(McDonalds)cd=5hl=enct=clnkgl=ukgl=uk http://hr.concordia.ca/eed/pdf/exit_procedure.pdf

Facing Death Essay -- Papers Death Dying Life Religion Essays

Facing Death Works Cited Not Included In today?s modern society we have a certain distaste for the subject of death. There are people in society feel uncomfortable with the subject of death. The subject of death is a reality that we need to face everyday. There is nothing any of us can do about death, and there is no virtue in dwelling on it or trying to penetrate its mystery. Is it possible to prepare for death? In our day and age as we know it, there have been astounding advancements in medicine. The average life expectancy has risen. People are being educated in issues that surround a healthy life style. As a society, we are trying to increase our life span and defeat death. While people are following strict diets and grueling exercise programs, the earth is creating new diseases, viruses, bacteria, and illnesses that cause death. Is the earth compensating for these new medical advancements by creating these deadly ailments to make life and death equal? We are all going to die; that?s not our problem. Our problem is how to live until we die. Our ...

An Export-Led Growth Strategy: Pakistan Essay

This essay makes no pretence to offer a novel concept or a new development strategy and most economists reading it will probably stifle a yawn and turn the page. Yet it is a subject worth talking about. Many countries round the world, most notably the former Asian Tigers, China, Brazil, Turkey and more recently India have followed such a strategy with great success. Pakistan has not and it is well to ask why and what we can do about it. Pakistan has never had a consistent, coherent and well-articulated export-led growth strategy. Indeed, exports are often treated as a residual, an after-thought, once the domestic market has been filled. This is inexplicable given our persistently large trade deficit which has not been reduced over time and we have difficulty financing it (filling the gap) each year. Economic growth has at various times been driven by either the public or private sector or more recently – and most disastrously in the previous government – by consumption which created dangerous asset- price bubbles in the domestic economy, led to overheating pressures and a surge in inflation and imports. Economic growth has never been driven by exports nor has building a dynamic export sector been at the forefront of any government’s economic strategy. While the large-scale manufacturing sector in Pakistan is the focus of policy attention not least because it has a powerful lobby, it is the tip of the manufacturing (and export) sector ice-berg. It is the small and medium-enterprise manufacturing (SME) sector in Pakistan that generates four-fifths of our manufacturing output, employment and exports. Sustained and focused policy-driven growth in this sector with its strong forward and backward inter-industry linkages is the kind of -inclusive- growth that Pakistan urgently needs. With labor-input a large component of capital and output, rapid SME growth has important positive implications for wages, employment, living standards and the goal of poverty alleviation. Why Pakistan has shied away from adopting such a strategy is not clear. Of course every now and then there is much bluff and bluster about boosting exports and grand plans to contain our external deficit and debt. Since the government is busy giving â€Å"top priority† to everything, the priority that should be given to exports is drowned amid the â€Å"noise† of the many – and often contradictory – pronouncements. Perhaps the first reason for not paying sufficient attention to the SME sector – and an incredible one at that – is that we don’t know much about the SME sector despite its size and importance in the economy. We have large bureaucracies dealing with SME in all provinces but it is unclear what they do. Surveys of activity this sector are taken in -frequently, sometimes as far apart as 15 years, and a inter-survey growth rate is calculated which is then put into the National Income Accounts and repeated year-after-year until the next survey. The real growth rate of the SME sector has been fixed at as low a figure as 2. 5% per annum. The present fixed rate is 7. 5% per annum. But what is really happening in the SME sector in the inter-survey years no one knows except through crude methods of linear interpolation. If there is no information and just a fixed assumed growth rate with fixed and outdated coefficients for employment and capital, there can be no meaningful strategy of export- led growth in the SME sector to begin with. The second reason could be that we don’t like to talk about exchange rate policy except in whispered conspiratorial terms. Maintaining a -stable† exchange rate is always thought to be a reflection of how well economic policies are being managed. Governments frequently interfere with exchange rate management issues and demand that the exchange rate is kept -stable. † An appreciating exchange rate is greeted with applause. Devaluation is always bad. Nominal â€Å"exchange rate stability† was one of the highly –touted achievements of the Musharraf years even though no one was noticing that Pakistan’s export to GDP ratio was falling (along with our notoriously under-performing and falling tax-to-GDP ratio). This presented prima facie evidence that export profitability was most probably being compressed and the authorities should have done something about it. But given that we were in an era of plentiful aid and other capital inflows there was no pressure on government to do much either on the export or the tax front. Added to the conspiracy theories, there is a widespread view that exchange rate devaluation which for exporters means more rupees earned per dollar exported, has no effect on export performance. The reality is more nuanced and worthy of some elaboration. There are fairly long lags between exchange rate depreciation and the response of exports. It takes time to gear up production to the new level of export profitability. Furthermore, for devaluation to impact exports in a positive way, the exchange rate must depreciate in â€Å"real,† rather than only â€Å"nominal,† terms, that is, the extent of depreciation (or increase in nominal export profitability), of say 10 percent, must exceed the going rate of domestic inflation, say 7 percent. Exports respond to increases in real profitability (in the above example the real increase in export profitability is 10 percent minus 7 percent = 3 percent, not just the nominal change in profitability, 10 percent). If the extent of devaluation is offset, or more than offset, by higher inflation because macro policies are insufficiently tight and there is cost-push inflation, there will be no stimulus to exports because there is no, or perhaps even a negative, change in real export profitability. Importantly, any increase in real export profitability needs to be sustained if the stimulus to exports is to be lasting. If exporters see that the improvement in real export profitability is likely to be fleeting and will dissipate through future inflation, or a change in government policy, they will have little incentive to export and would prefer to sell in the domestic market. Given the concentrated, oligopolistic structure of industry in Pakistan and the high-levels of protection afforded to producers in the domestic market from foreign import competition, real profitability in the domestic market can be very high, often a multiple of what can be earned in the export sector. In Pakistan this has been a strong disincentive to produce for exports. This brings to the foreground a â€Å"second-order condition† for a successful export drive. Even if there is a real increase in export profitability, the much higher real profitability levels, or â€Å"monopoly rents,† that can be earned in the domestic market will induce firms to sell domestically, eschewing exports. Worse, firms may actually switch back to selling in the domestic market and cease exporting altogether as the differential between domestic profitability and exports rises. Of course, a judicious application of trade, tax and tariff policies and other incentives can help countries achieve an incentive structure more favorable to exports. Many countries that are more aggressive with their export drive actually tilt profitability sharply towards the export sector and ensure it is sustained. The importance of establishing an incentive structure favorable to exports is underscored by the fact that exporting, per se, is a challenging task. Not only are quality requirements higher, strict adherences to, for example, packaging, labeling, and hygienic standards is essential. One often hears of Pakistani exports being banned in foreign markets because of our failure to adhere to high standards. Competition from other countries selling in the same market is intense; price wars and dumping can be ruinous, and there are tariff and non-tariff barriers and complex procedural regulations in the importing country that have to be negotiated and complied with. These â€Å"non-price† determinants of exports can be of significant importance. While price and non-price factors interact to determine competitiveness, exports also respond to export market income growth. The magnitude of the response of exports to income growth is the â€Å"income elasticity of demand for exports† which generally reflects the country’s export mix. Given the commodity composition of Pakistan’s exports, dominated by low-value textiles such as yarn and cloth, the income elasticity of our exports is not large, perhaps even less than unity (or less than one). This means that for every one percent increase in export market income growth, our exports respond by less than one percent. This less than â€Å"unitary income elasticity† of our exports explains why Pakistan’s export market share has lagged behind the growth in global income and trade. By contrast, in the more dynamic exporting countries, the income elasticity of exports of their higher-value added products can be as high as four or six and these countries have made impressive strides in expanding their global market share. Many countries use the exchange rate as a weapon of export competitiveness, most prominently China, where the exchange rate is kept artificially depreciated (by some calculations by as much as 42% but now down to 24%), when China’s massive trade surpluses with other countries, most notably the US, and even more massive foreign exchange reserves (presently $2. trillion) would point towards a policy of gradual appreciation of the currency that would slow down the torrid pace of China’s exports and pull in more imports driven by domestic demand. In doing so, China’s massive trade surpluses would start to diminish, and with other surplus countries adjusting in a similar manner, the global economy would be better balanced. According to a recent estimate a 20% appreciation of the Chinese currency would cut $150 billion off the US trade deficit with China and create 1 million US jobs by making US exports more competitive. Pakistan needs to change the commodity composition of its exports, add new higher value products for export and look for new export markets. After 62 years we still export the same products of largely unchanged quality to the same markets as reflected in the estimated â€Å"Commodity Concentration Index† of our exports which has remained broadly unchanged. We have made little progress in moving up the -value-added chain† and getting better unit prices for our exports. One study showed that the unit price our exports can be as low as one-third of the unit price other developing exporting countries earn for the same product. The unit price of our exports of garments, for example, was lower than the unit price received by exporters in Bangladesh for the same garments selling to the same market. This is a distressing fact since it shows the Is there any empirical econometric support to the view that the real exchange rate matters? There have been a surprisingly few studies done in Pakistan given the importance of the subject (most of the studies have been done by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and the IMF using Pakistani data). These studies do point to a strong and fairly robust relationship between the real exchange rate and exports. Of course, other factors too contribute as explanatory variables such as world income growth. The lags between real exchange rate changes and real exports mentioned earlier need to be carefully specified to get a better â€Å"fit† of the predictions of the econometric model to the actual data. Other than these models which are probably out-of-date, the projections that are made each year in the context of our export targets are based on what can be termed â€Å"casual empiricism. The government iterates to a target figure for each export commodity based on discussions with trade bodies and simply extrapolates by using an agreed compound growth rate from a given base-year figure. There is no rigorous forecasting model which specifies explanatory variables that underlies the export targets. To sum up, Pakistan needs more information and better information on what is going on in the SME sector from which most of our exports emanate. It will be costly since the SME sector is widely dispersed but the benefits would more than justify the cost of more frequent surveys of the full population of the SME sector, say every three years with smaller sample surveys taken each year so as to build-up a time-series profile of the dynamics of the SME sector. External donors would be more than willing to finance such a survey (s) with grant (non-debt-creating) funds if Pakistan can present a credible plan. The decision by the US to give $100 million to the SME sector could portend a new beginning for the sector but one has misgivings about the administrative and technical capacity of the SME establishment and whether they can or will deliver meaningful results. Discussion of the appropriateness of the exchange rate and how domestic inflation and relative inflation affects export profitability, the difference between nominal and real exchange rate, the overall conduct of exchange rate policy, and different exchange rate regimes followed by more successful exporting countries, needs to be more transparent, up-front and better understood. The point to drive home is that the real exchange rate does matter and is an important – albeit not exclusive – determinant of lasting export success. It is the most important price signal in any economy. The incentive structure needs to tilt towards exports versus selling in the domestic market through judicious adjustment in trade, tax, finance and tariff policies. Special, selective incentives should be given to exporters, especially new exports which should not be available to producers selling in the domestic market within of course the ambit of WTO rules. To prevent abuse of these incentives they should be tied to performance and withdrawn if performance is not forthcoming as measured by, say, actual exports in the previous three years. If this â€Å"tilt† is sustained, new exports will emerge of products and from sectors previously un-thought of A look at the rag-bag category of â€Å"Miscellaneous Exports† in the export data turns up some surprising high-value items that Pakistan exports (some to very sophisticated markets in Europe) but the amounts are small and their year-on-year growth is erratic. Since there is little targeted encouragement given to these new exports, they usually fade out of the export picture altogether. If there is no domestic market that they can turn to, these firms shut down. In both cases, Pakistan has lost a potential export item and valuable foreign exchange something that we can ill-afford. Focusing on fostering growth in these high-value exports which emanate from the SME sector would improve the export mix, diversify the export base, reduce the commodity concentration of our exports and increase the income elasticity of demand for our exports in world markets. The non-price determinants of exports need to be strengthened through emulating â€Å"best-practice† techniques employed by the leading exporters of the world. This is not rocket-science since most of the â€Å"best-practice† techniques can be gleaned from the internet. Furthermore, domestic investors and FDI proposals that are aimed at exports should be given the highest priority and placed on a fast-track of approval. FDI inflows offer the best route to securing structural shifts in the technological progress function in the SME sector while at the same time bringing in better managerial and marketing skills which are so critical in exporting. Enhancing productive efficiency in the SME sectors means being able to offer higher wages in line with productivity improvements which would lead to higher living standards and poverty levels dropping to the teens as demonstrated by the remarkable success of other exporting countries. As productivity growth responds to output growth (as in the P.  J. Verdoon and Kaldor models which inverts the causality of neo-classical models of Solow and Swan) with output growth being driven mainly by net exports as would be the case in an export-led development strategy, static and dynamic economies of scale can be reaped through the process of â€Å"Learning-by-Doing† as espoused by the US economist Kenneth Arrow in his path-breaking work. Such dynamic economies of scale and increasing returns can generate positive cumulative circular causation effects that impact costs, prices and profitability in the export sector.