The Russian Revolution s Influence On Joseph Stalin

Serene Singh Psarakis SL History G1 21 November 2014 The Russian Revolution’s Influence on Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin greatly influenced Russia in the years 1924 through 1932. His rise to this power can be explained by the Russian Revolutionary experience that allowed him to gain authority in Russia. Although historians often refer to Stalin as a ruthless, mindless dictator, he redirected the Russian Revolution to major economic development. Stalin’s character in Russia during the Revolution catalyzed the many events that took place during the time period. Because of Stalin’s ability to both appeal to the masses, and take advantage of events, like Lenin’s death, Stalin was able to rise to power. Essentially, the Russian Revolution fostered the development of Stalin’s dictatorship leading the country into a state of economic growth and influence. The Revolution fostered Stalin’s ability to maintain a central leadership, use violence to gain control, and regenerate a previously disconnected econ omy. During the early 1900’s, the tsar government became progressively weaker and increasingly aware of its vulnerability in Europe. An average industrial employee worked twelve hours daily in Russia. Alongside this, factory conditions were extremely harsh and the workers felt like little concern was given to their safety and health. Even though attempts to lessen the harsh conditions were made by the workers, little was accomplished. Russian workers wanted to cutback on the hoursShow MoreRelatedThe Russian Revolution s Influence On Joseph Stalin1436 Words   |  6 PagesSerene Singh Psarakis SL History G1 5 November 2014 The Russian Revolution’s Influence on Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin greatly influenced Russia and the international community in the years 1924 through 1932. His rise to this power can be explained by the Russian Revolutionary experience that allowed him to gain influence in Russia. Although historians often refer to Stalin as a ruthless, mindless dictator, he redirected the Russian Revolution to later present economic development and opportunityRead MoreLeon Trotsky s Influence On The Soviet Revolution1496 Words   |  6 Pagesrevolutionary who played a leading role in the 1905 Revolution, in the eventual Communist Revolution of October 1917, and in the Russian Civil War. Without Trotsky’s impact in the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks would have been defeated. His own beliefs on Marxism combined with his intellect made Trotsky a target and influential leader in the Soviets. From his studies on Marxism, he created Trotskyism, a Marxist ideology based on the theory of permanent revolution. Also, his organization-building skil ls andRead MoreJoseph Stalin : The Dictator Of The Soviet Union Essay1265 Words   |  6 PagesJoseph Stalin was a former general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist party of the Soviet Union. Stalin was the dictator of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from 1929 to 1953. His Red Army helped defeat Nazi Germany during WWII. On December 18th, 1879, in the Russian peasant village of Gori, Georgia, Joseph Stalin was born. His full birthname was Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili. He died on March 5th, 1953 in Kuntsevo Dacha. Joseph was buried in the Kremlin Wall NecropolisRead MoreStalins Rise To Power984 Words   |  4 Pages Comrade General Secretary Joseph Stalin’s rise to power in the former Soviet Union was born in the midst of the Russian Revolution of 1917. His association and friendship with Vladimir Lenin also played an integral part in the dictator’s power grab. Stalin participated in the December 1904 oil worker strike in Baku, Georgia, which ended successfully later that month. It was the first time in Russian history that a collective bargaining agreement was signed between oil company owners and oil workersRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Vladimir Lenin And The Rise Of Joseph Stalin1331 Words   |  6 Pages Some of the most tragic moments in Russian history occurred during the tumultuous period between the death of Vladimir Lenin and the rise of Joseph Stalin during the 1930s. This was a time of massive devastation during which almost 5 million peasants died of starvation due to the failures of collective farming. Thousands of men and women were also falsely accused of anti-patriotism and sent to Siberian labor camps in which they experienced rampant disease, physical and emotional abuse, and oftenRead MoreJoseph Stalins Power1574 Words   |  7 Pages Joseph Stalin is one of the most notorious figures in history. It all started in 1875, with a young Caucasian, Vissarion Ivanovich (son of Ivan) Djugashvili, set out from the village Didi – Lilo, near Tiflis, the capital of the Caucasus, to settle in the little Georgian country town of Gori. There he started a small shoemakers business. Vissarion Djugashvili was the son of Geogian peasants who only ten years before had still been surfs. He was just a slave to some Georgian landlord. He would neverRead MoreEssay on The life of Joseph Stalin554 Words   |  3 PagesThe life of Joseph Stalin Joseph Stalin. One of the Russias most supreme leaders. But one of its most horrid as well. He brought them up while also letting them down. Some could say where would we be without him. But others wish they never were led by him. He went from nothing to the most powerful man in the now most powerful country. In the early years. He was first born Josef Vissarionovich Djugashvili to a poor shoemaker of a father on December 21 1879. It was a small village calledRead MoreStalin And The Soviet Revolutionary War1065 Words   |  5 PagesJoseph Stalin and Adolf Hitler are two of the most tyrannical and charismatic leaders of the world, but behind that perfect face and political success were two- men that had ambitions of conquering the world. Stalin’s used his brand of totalitarianism-communism slowly to make him the unquestioned leader and the eventual â€Å"Premier† of Russia. Hitler used fascism creates anti-government sentiment and blamed anyone who is not of Aryan Appearance for Germany’s economic downfalls. The military machineRead More Russian Avant-Garde Essay1663 Words   |  7 PagesRussian Avant-Garde was born at the start of the 20th century out of intellectual and cultural turmoil. Through the analysis of artworks by Aleksandr Rodchenko and El Lissitzky this essay attempts to e xplore the freedom experienced by artists after the Russian Revolution in 1917. This avant-garde movement was among the boldest and most advanced in Europe. It signified for many artists an end to the past academic conventions as they began to experiment with the notions of space, following the basicRead MoreStalin s Power Of The Communist Party Essay3755 Words   |  16 PagesHow was Stalin able to assume control of the Communist Party by 1929? The assumption of power by Joseph Stalin was arguably one of the most significant periods of Bolshevik Russia’s history. Stalin is recognised as one of the most influential men to have ever lead Russia, and he did so through the largest war the world has ever faced, World War II, and through the beginning of one of the most tense periods of modern history, the Cold War. It is easy however, to get lost in the legacy Stalin left behind

Human Impact on the Environment †Problems caused by population growth Free Essays

In about 1830 the human population reached one billion, there are now somewhere around six billion people on the planet today and that figure is growing at a very high and very rapid rate. Past populations were controlled by disease, war and famine but now because of technology and modern medicine. The environment around us has been built to support these growing numbers but this development is having a huge effect on the world’s ecosystems. We will write a custom essay sample on Human Impact on the Environment – Problems caused by population growth or any similar topic only for you Order Now Human population’s clear other space and habitats of other species to make way for their own. This ignorance has killed many species to extinction and polluted the environment; this has endangered our survival and the survival of other species at risk. Read this Ch. 22 Respiratory System However, in natural ecosystems factors are limiting whereas human ecosystems are different as we have the technology to maximise resources and find new ones when existing ones run out. The planet obviously can only hold a certain number of people, most species never reach their maximum numbers but they have a peak, then the numbers start to decline. Activities that have changed the landscape Industrial and domestic waste has to be disposed of, and as the population is increasing the waste is becoming more and more difficult to get rid of. There are a lot of things that cause pollution in varying rates on a big scale oil spill to a normal deodorant can which uses cfc’s. Here is a table that shows the pollutant and its effects on humans and the environment. Pollutant Effects on humans and the environment. Air Smoke Makes breathing difficult. Sulphur Dioxide Causes acid rain. Ozone Damages leaves. CFC’s Damages ozone layer. Carbon Dioxide Increases the ‘Greenhouse Effect’. Water Sewage Eutrophication. Fertilisers Eutrophication. Acid Rain Makes soils, lakes and rivers acidic. Oil Spills Kill fish. Toxic Chemicals e.g. mercury Kill fish and other aquatic life. Land Solid waste disposal at landfill sites Methane causes explosions and increases the ‘Greenhouse Effect’. Mining waste e.g. Lead Water run-off poisons plants and animals. Heavy metals kill most plants and animals. The Pollution of the Water There are a number of different ways and processes of water pollution the main ones are ‘waste disposal’, ‘organic pollution’ and ‘eutrophication’. Waste disposal is the domestic and industrial waste which is treated in sewage plants to remove impurities. The problem is that some of this waste is being disposed in many rivers and canals and polluting them heavily. This has destroyed many freshwater ecosystems like the ‘Great Lakes of North America’ and parts of the ‘Norfolk Broads’. Organic pollution is where domestic sewage is disposed in rivers and canals and the organic content in the sewage is a food source for bacteria and fungi. These organisms also take the dissolved oxygen in the water so that fish and other aquatic animals die out. Eutrophication is when the nitrate and phosphate levels are high this encourages the growth of algae. These algae can cause a lot of damage to the water ecosystem. * Algae grow rapidly and give an ‘algal bloom’ over the surface of the water. * Many blue-green algae produce toxins which kill some plants and animals. * Small animals that feed on algae do not multiply fast enough to check the increase in the algae. * Algae block out the light for the rooted plants growing on beds of lakes and they die. This reduces the amount of oxygen. * The algal population crashed due to competition for resources. The algae are then decomposed by bacteria which use the oxygen in the water. * This lack of oxygen kills many invertebrates and fish. All this is the process of eutrophication. The pollution of the atmosphere Pollution is a term used to describe the presence of an unwanted substance. Although air contains lots of microscopic particles, like volcanic dust and tiny sand grains from deserts, this pollution is natural in origin. Man-made pollution of the atmosphere however, is now causing a lot of concern. Most of this air pollution comes from the burning of coal, oil and gas – the fossil fuels – in power stations, factories and homes, and petrol and diesel in cars and other road vehicles. We need energy and electricity to keep us warm and to cook our food, but unfortunately we do not make enough from other non-polluting sources. Burning fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases into the air. This may be changing the climate and causing global warming. Other pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are also given off. This can reduce the quality of air which we breathe, leading to health problems, and can cause acid rain. Global Warming Global air temperatures as measured by land-based weather stations show an increase of about 0.45 degrees Celsius over the past century. These may be mistakes in data or climatic variation. Satellite data indicate a slight cooling in the climate in the last 18 years. These satellites use advanced technology and are not subject to the â€Å"heat island† effect around major cities that alters ground-based thermometers. Projections of future climate changes are uncertain. Although some computer models predict warming in the next century, these models are very limited. The effects of cloud formations, precipitation, the role of the oceans, or the sun, are still not well known and often inadequately represented in the climate models although all play a major role in determining our climate. Scientists who work on these models are quick to point out that they are far from perfect representations of reality, and are probably not advanced enough for direct use in policy implementation. Interestingly, as the computer climate models have become more sophisticated in recent years, the predicted increase in temperature has been lowered. However, 98% of total global greenhouse gas emissions are natural (mostly water vapour) and only 2% are from man-made sources. Sustained Development Sustainable development is where a population can make developments and improvements to their area or their needs without causing harm to the environment. Sustainable development is all about a greener planet in both developed and developing countries by not polluting the environment and being more energy friendly. Sustainable development is * Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone * Effective protection of the environment * Prudent use of natural resources Sustained development can be achieved by using less fossil fuels and researching into environmentally friendly sources of energy like solar and geothermic sources. Be less wasteful so that we use fewer resources so that they are prolonged and regenerate, find more effective ways of disposing of waste and producing less waste in the first place. How to cite Human Impact on the Environment – Problems caused by population growth, Papers

Current Role Accounting Information Systems -Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Current Role Accounting Information Systems? Answer: Introduction B bakery is the family owned business organisation that is indulged in producing the bakery items such as cakes, pastries, breads and other items of similar nature. The business is in existence for more than 50 years and has a workforce of around 70 people. It also has a drastic growth in sales due to increased demand of its products in the market. The firm has only one accountant to handle all its accounting related operations. Therefore, it is looking forward to the implementation of accounting information system in the business. AIS is the software program used in managing the accounting and other related functions of the business without any manual intervention. These systems assists the business with its accuracy and efficiency of operations. There are number of accounting software available in the market these days but the bakery organisation has to select an appropriate program for its business on the basis of its needs and size of business. All about baker and bakery business processes A baker is a person who is involved in the business of preparation of bakery items such as cakes, bread, pastries, cookies etc. These items are then sold and distributed in the potential markets such as departmental stores, confectionary shops, restaurants for their ultimate consumption. A baker can also sell his bakery products directly to the ultimate consumers in the case when he is carrying on the business on retail basis. There are a number of activities involved in the bakery business such as requisition of raw material and the other necessary items, production process, selling and distribution activities etc. However, there is no specific set of activities that are undertaken in the bakery business. The activities and processes that forms part of bakery business varies depending upon the size and nature of business. Few processes that could commonly be recognised in every bakery business whether it is conducted on small medium or large scale are explained below: Supply Chain Management: It involves purchasing and storing the raw materials that are necessary to prepare cake and other bakery items. Along with raw material a bakers also requires machines moulds and other types of equipment to run their business. Production Activities: It involves conversion of raw materials i.e. the ingredients into final products such as cookies, cakes etc. using different recipes and techniques of production. Packaging Process: Once the production process is completed the produced goods are required to be packed in the suitable containers and boxes so that proper distribution of bakery items could be made. Branding and labelling: Brand helps the business in providing it the unique identification in the market. The bakery items produced by any bakery organisation needs to be stamped by its own brand in order to be recognised differently from its competitors. Labelling includes putting up necessary information about the products on the packages such as the description of its ingredients, the quality mark, the price of the items, management and expiry date etc. Logistic management process: It is the process which includes the storage and warehousing of produced bakery items and also includes practices to support order management. Selling and distribution process: To sell whatever manufactured and produced is the ultimate motive of bakery business. Hence, it sells out the produced bakery items in various target markets using different channels of distribution. Marketing activities: Marketing is undertaken to create awareness among the potential customers about the new bakery products that the company produces. It is sometimes done with the motive of promoting the existing product in the market so as to gain a competitive edge over competitors. Human resource management process: The human resource management process is undertaken with the objective of recruiting and training the employees for the company and managing their payroll functions. Accounts and finance: Accounting process includes recording of all the significant accounting related data in an organised form to be represented as relevant information. It also includes arrangement and deployment of the funds to run the basic operations of bakery business. Accounting operations include management of accounts payables and receivables, maintaining the fixed assets and calculation of depreciation there upon etc., payment of various expenses such as utility bills and rents bank interests. Research and development: This process is undertaken with the aim of exploring the possibilities of business expansion with new bakery products and the new markets. It also covers defining new product recipes and techniques to prepare bakery products. Administrative process: It includes all the back office functioning which are miscellaneous in nature. Like maintaining the petty cash, conducting meetings etc. The processes that are indispensable to be performed in the bakery business are as followed: Purchase of raw materials and machines: Without ingredients a bakery business cannot start its basic functioning of producing different bakery items. Hence, this process is indispensable for every bakery business. Production of bakery items: Producing the required bakery items is necessary as without producing them the business would not have anything to sell and distribute. Packaging of bakery items: As the produced items are edible in nature, they require proper packaging so as to preserve and protect them and for the effective transportation thereof. Branding and labelling This process enables the business in delivering the appropriate information to its potential customers it is necessary to be performed. Selling and distribution: This is the important process as it involves the sales function for all the output produced by the bakery organisation. The distribution is carried out through various mediums depending upon the suitability of business. Logistic management: When the business produces certain range of outputs there arises a requirement for their storage so as to keep them readily available anytime when demand arises. The manufactured goods are thus stored in the companys warehouses where they are kept safely. This process also helps business in determination of appropriate level of inventory to be maintained by the bakery operations in order to avoid excessive warehousing and other costs of carrying inventories. Human resource management As bakery organisation may involves few or more workforce to handle the bakery operations such as the chefs, deliveryman and the other necessary personnel. This process is important for their recruitment and trainings and to manage their payroll functions (Rosemann Brocke, 2015). All the above mentioned processes are interdependent to each other and hence requires to be operated in harmony (Jeston Nelis, 2014). If failure occurs in the functioning of a single process, the overall performance of the organisation will be hindered. Hence, the business manager must strive to promote coordination among all the key processes of the organisation in order to take the business to the next level of growth and success (Jeong et al., 2013). Outcome required from the above explained processes Outcomes are the ultimate results delivered by the business processes. Every process in the business is carried out for some goals and targets. Following are the desired expected outcomes from the processes of the business: The purchase function is aimed at obtaining the top quality raw materials and other items necessary for the bakery business on time so as to initiate the production process on time. Moreover the purchases must be made in the cost effective manner without excessive deployment of funds of company. Purchase function must enable the business in anticipating the product demand before ordering the raw materials from the suppliers. It will also identify the potential suppliers of ingredients required by the organisation. Production process must be able to produce the required items on the timely basis with the minimum possible cost. The process of production must be undertaken in such way that it avoids the excessive wastage of necessary resources of business. It has a goal of effective and efficient utilisation of companys resources while converting inputs into outputs. The logistic management process must enable the business to determine the correct and economic level of inventories to be maintained by the bakery organisation so as to avoid unnecessary carrying cost of the bakery items and the stock-out positions. Marketing and promotion process must help the business in identifying the target market and to make the business able to reach the potential customers of bakery products. Selling and distribution must bring in the maximum revenue for the bakery business by selling the produced items in the most profitable manner. Accounts handling process must be provide the business with the necessary record maintenance with accuracy so as to fulfil its financial reporting requirements. The finance process must make the deployment of right amount of funds in the right place at the right time so that with the least cost of finance highest returns can be earned (Toth, 2012). Human resource function should bring the competent and skilled personnel to the business so that their efforts can contribute the organisations success. Accounting Software Features Possible features an accounting software must possess to achieve the enterprises I.T. investment: The accounting software must provide the accuracy in whatever functionality it performs. As it processes the accounting data which may be sensitive to the organisation, it must provide the secured enough to carry the information that is critical to organisations success. Moreover, the accounting software must be sufficiently compatible for the devices of the company so that the functions performed by it would not get hampered by the companys use of different devices (Dimitriu Matei, 2014). These software program must be easy to implement, use and maintain for the user so that they do not have to invest so much of time and efforts for to understand and work on these programs. Furthermore, the functions provided by the accounting software must be performed on time by speedier transaction processing in real time so that the relevant and significant actions and decisions could be taken on time (Ghasemi, et al., 2011). Automated invoicing: This feature enables the business with automatic invoice issuance to the customers whenever the payment is due from them. This feature will help in avoiding delayed collection of receivables from the debtors of the company. Payment reminders: This feature works as an alarm by reminding the business managers on regular basis for all the payments due on them either via e-mails or messages so that timely payments could be made without any penalties and interests. Bank reconciliation: This function plays an important role as it enables the business managers to tally the account balances which involved banking transactions with the bank statements on a regular basis. Payroll functions: It is used to calculate the basic wages and salaries to be paid to the employees of the company. It also maintains the records of attendance as well as leaves taken by the employees of the company. Reporting and analysis: This feature helps the businesses in adhering to the financial reporting requirements as prescribed by various regulatory bodies. The accounting software follows the basic rules of accounting while processing the accounting data. This feature also enables the business in making the analysis of all the relevant data so that proper comparison of companys financial results can be made. Tax calculators: It is used to report to various fiscal bodies like income tax department, service tax department etc. about the tax obligations of the firm. With the help of this feature a business manager can comply with all the statutory requirements with accuracy. This features calculates the tax amounts under various statutes in accordance with the amended tax structures. Budgeting and projections: This function is used to make projections about the subsequent periods for the business in order to comply with the terms and conditions of providers of finance. Budget functionality helps to provide the business managers an estimation of cash outflows and inflows a business would make based on the previous trends followed by the business. Depreciation calculator: This feature will assist the business managers in determining the correct amount of depreciation required to be charged to entitys fixed assets to provide for the obsolesce and wearing out of various machines and equipment. Accounting software calculates the depreciation in accordance with the recent most reforms in this context. Payment processing: This feature automatically updates the account balances when the amounts are directly paid or received in the bank accounts by keeping track of all the banking transactions thereby avoiding the risk of misstated account balances. However, there is no inclusive list of accounting features that a software must provide in order to be called as appropriate one. The business managers must analyse its own requirements bearing in mind the business it is dealing in and in accordance with the demands and requirements of the business they must select a suitable accounting software for their business. Category of accounting software that is suitable to the business of B Bakery: Accounting software are the computer programs that aids the business in handling its accounting operations by the innovative and robust features that works on automated basis. In general, there exists three categories of accounting information software (Baxter Thibodeau, 2011). First one is the entry level software which is suitable for low level enterprises, second is small to medium sized software which is suitable for middle sized firms and the third is enterprise accounting software which is suitable for large sized firms (Romney Steinbart, 2012).There are various factors on the basis of which the accounting software are so bifurcated in the three categories (Al-Hiyari, Mashre Mat, 2013). Few of them are: the size of the firm, the number of users, preferred functionalities, and the cost of the software (Ismail King, 2014). As given in the case, business of B Bakery involves around 70 employees and generating a revenue of more than $13.5 million per year hence it can be said t hat its business is small to medium sized and therefore medium level of software will be appropriate selection for B Bakery. Small to Medium level accounting software allows up to 25 users to work on the software system simultaneously. It performs the financial functions as provided by the entry level software and along with that it additionally performs non-financial functionalities such as inventory management, management of purchase and sales functions, human resource management etc. The medium level software are more costly than the low level accounting software but much cheaper than high end Accounting information system (Gelinas, Dull Wheeler, 2011). As the business of B Bakery does not only require financial functions relating to revenue generation, to be performed but also requires other functions like management of payroll, inventory, accounts payables and receivables together with the sales and purchase functions. However, since the size of the firm is not too large it mus t not invest its funds in paying for the unnecessary features as provided by high end accounting software (Salehi, Rostami Mogadam, 2010). Comparison Table of XERO MYOB Comparison of XERO and MYOB accounting software for small to middle sized firm: Features XERO MYOB Better option Invoicing Invoice is sent directly to the customers and provides the features of customisation to the invoice formats. Invoice is sent directly to the customers and provides the features of customisation to the invoice formats. Both performs almost similar functions However, invoice customisation is more flexible in XERO. Reporting It can run multiple reports at a time. Only one report can be processed in one go. Therefore, XERO is better than MYOB. Inventory management It includes functions like basic tracking of inventory and its management thereupon. It only provides basic inventory tracking features. Management of inventory is provided merely in the case of Account Right MYOB. XERO is better as it offers integration with the third parties which makes it more flexible than MYOB and also it is user specific in terms of needs. Foreign currency Multicurrency is supported by XERO on the basis of premium subscription. MYOB does not support multicurrency transactions. XERO is preferable. Technical online support It provides online documentation, user training videos and online community to resolve the queries. It also provides the online training videos, user manual documentation and online community. XERO is preferable than MYOB as XERO has simplified tier structure which makes support more helping and understanding. End of financial year Data Rollover For XERO data is perpetual and hence need not to be closed for every financial year. For MYOB Account Right data requires two separate roll over functions at the end of every financial year. One for accounting and other for payroll (P?curari Nechita, 2013). XERO is preferable as the rollover requirement of Account Right MYOB is quite cumbersome. Employee login It includes a feature called my payroll which allows employees to enter their timesheets, request for leave sanction, view their own play-slips (Walther, 2013). MYOB provides a featured called your pay which also allows them to enter timesheets, can request for the leaves and also can view the pay-slips. But MYOB Account Right provides no employees login. XERO is better. Selection of suitable accounting software: On the basis of above comparison XERO can be selected: As accounting operations does not form part of revenue generating activities of business, these functions can be handed over to such software since they provide the best business solutions with the help of artificial intelligence (Darvasi et al., 2011). The accounting information software requires investment of considerable amount for one time so as to receive its benefits for the long term. Therefore, the business managers must make a detailed study of all the possible software before selecting one (Ivancevich, Ivancevich Elikai, 2010). Accounting software for small to medium sized firms must be able to perform functions relating to the financial transactions such as general ledger functions, management of accounts payables and receivables, payroll functions, maintenance of adequate level of inventory etc. (Christauskas Miseviciene, 2012) (Warren, Reeve Duchac, 2013). B Bakery can consider investment in XERO software as it is suitable for its key business functions. Following are some prime reasons to select XERO: XERO is developed and designed in such a way that the new users would not find it difficult to work on this software. It also provides the best technical supports also to answer the queries of the users of the software (Pulakanam Suraweera, 2010). Hence, the employees of the company does not require heavy trainings before starting to use such software. Thus XERO helps in avoiding the huge training costs for the novices. XERO helps in simplifying the complex information by interpreting it easily. Complex data is difficult to be understood by the users of financial information thus the accounting software removes the complexities of data by processing it appropriately (Soudani, 2012) Inventory of the business could also be managed adequately by using the XERO accounting software. It assists the business in tracking the inventory that is kept in various warehouses of the company (Lim, 2013). So that the business may account for the total stock that is lying in its stores. This function enables the business manager to avoid the overlapping cost of inventory maintenance by controlling the multiple stocking of the inventories. The invoicing process of XERO software is also easy as it provides the facility of invoice layout customisation as per the needs of the business (Seethamraju, 2012). Financial reporting and other business reports can be drawn with an ease as XERO prepares easily understandable reports. The reports are prepared using the raw data provided by the entity (Grabski, Leech Schmidt, 2011). Bank reconciliation feature provided by the XERO accounting software will enable the business managers to match the account balances with the bank statements by identifying the reasons of deviations and making corrections thereon. Conclusion From the above research about the business of B Bakery it can be well concluded that the business is small to medium sized keeping in mind the level of revenue and the number of employees it has hired. Hence, it is difficult for the firm to continue with the manual system of accounting using the services of a single accountant. The firm therefore requires an appropriate accounting information system for its business. However, implementation of such software program involves due consideration of several factors as it is a one-time investment which entails long term benefits. B Bakery must make a detailed study of suitable software available in the market and select the one which is best suited to the business of bakery. References Al-Hiyari, A., AL-Mashre, M.H.H. and Mat, N.K.N., 2013. Factors that affect accounting information system implementation and accounting information quality: A survey in University Utara Malaysia.American Journal of Economics,3(1), pp.27-31. Baxter, R.J. and Thibodeau, J.C., 2011. Does the use of intelligent learning and assessment software enhance the acquisition of financial accounting knowledge?.Issues in Accounting Education,26(4), pp.647-656. Christauskas, C. and Miseviciene, R., 2012. Cloudcomputing based accounting for small to medium sized business.Engineering Economics,23(1), pp.14-21. Darvasi, D., Badescu, A., Dobritoiu, C., Molnar, F. and Slavici, T., 2011. 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Some considerations on cloud accounting.Studies and Scientific Researches: Economic Edition,18, pp.193-198. Pulakanam, V. and Suraweera, T., 2010. Implementing accounting software in small business in New Zealand: an exploratory investigation.Accountancy Business and the Public Interest,9(64), pp.98-124. Romney, M.B. and Steinbart, P.J., 2012.Accounting information systems. Boston: Pearson. Rosemann, M. and vom Brocke, J., 2015. The six core elements of business process management. InHandbook on business process management 1(pp. 105-122). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Salehi, M., Rostami, V. and Mogadam, A., 2010. Usefulness of accounting information system in emerging economy: Empirical evidence of Iran.International Journal of Economics and Finance,2(2), p.186. Seethamraju, R., 2012. Work Integrated Learning (Wil) Through A Field ProjectA Study Of Design, Delivery Challenges.Work,7, pp.15-2012. Smith, H., 2017.Xero for dummies. John Wiley Sons. Soudani, S.N., 2012. The usefulness of an accounting information system for effective organizational performance.International Journal of Economics and Finance,4(5), p.136. Toth, Z., 2012. The current role of accounting information systems.Theory, Methodology, Practice,8(1), p.91. Walther, S., Sedera, D., Sarker, S. and Eymann, T., 2013. Evaluating Operational Cloud Enterprise System Success: An Organizational Perspective. InECIS(p. 16). Warren, C.S., Reeve, J.M. and Duchac, J., 2013.Financial managerial accounting. Cengage Learning

Where in the World Classroom Icebreaker

'Where in the World' Classroom Icebreaker Technology and transportation in the modern world have given us the opportunity to learn so much more, often first hand, about the rest of the world. If you haven’t had the privilege of global traveling, you may have experienced the thrill of conversing with foreigners online or working side-by-side with them in your industry. The world becomes a smaller place the more we get to know each other. When you have a gathering of people from various countries, this icebreaker is a breeze, but it’s also fun when participants are all from the same place and know each other well. Everyone is capable of dreams that cross borders. To make this icebreaker kinetic, require that one of the three clues be a physical motion. For example, skiing, golfing, painting, fishing, etc. Basic information about the Where in the World Icebreaker: Ideal Size: Up to 30. Divide larger groups.Use For: Introductions in the classroom or at a meeting, especially when you have an international group of participants or an international topic to discuss.Time Needed: 30 minutes, depending on the size of the group. Instructions Give people a minute or two to think of three clues that describe, but don’t give away, either the country they are from (if different from the one you’re in) or their favorite foreign place they have visited or dream of visiting. When ready, each person gives their name and their three clues, and the rest of the group guesses where in the world they are describing. Give each person a minute or two to explain what they like best about their favorite place in the world. Start with yourself so they have an example. If you want students on their feet and moving, require that one clue be a physical motion like swimming, hiking, golfing, etc. This clue may include verbal help or not. You choose. For example: Hi, my name is Deb. One of my favorite places in the world is tropical, has a beautiful body of water you can climb, and is near a popular cruise port (I am physically imitating climbing). After guessing is finished: One of my favorite places in the world is Dunn’s River Falls near Ocho Rios, Jamaica. We stopped there on a Caribbean cruise and had the marvelous opportunity of climbing the falls. You start at sea level and can climb 600 feet gradually up the river, swimming in pools, standing under small falls, sliding down smooth rocks. It’s a beautiful and fantastic experience. Debriefing Your Students Debrief by asking for reactions from the group and asking if anybody has a question for another participant. You will have listened carefully to the introductions. If somebody has chosen a place related to your topic, use that place as a transition to your first lecture or activity.

Blue Mountain Resorts

Blue Mountain Resorts Introduction Blue Mountain Resort is a successful ski resort in Canada. The company has shown considerable increase in its activities due to its lucrative business plan. In 1991, the company hired a new human resource manager. The new manager noted that despite the fact that the company was profitable, its reputation was beginning to suffer.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Blue Mountain Resorts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The services offered by the company were poor and the employees had morale problems. After noting the problems, the new manager decided on a plan that began with an executive retreat. During the retreat, the senior managers of Blue Mountain Resort formulated a comprehensive plan that the company would use to improve its services. The company initiated a service quality program in 1991-1992 ski season (Sheppard 6). This program forced the management act on data collected from customers. In 1993, the company changed the strategy they used in hiring. The purpose of this was to improve the staff quality. The results obtained from the service program encouraged management. However, management felt that they needed to do more. While focusing on quality, the company had ignored process management. Therefore, in 1994-1995 season, the company organized a process team to cater for problems of signage and call center. By 1998-1999 season, the company’s reputation improved considerably while the customer base also increased (Sheppard 11). In 1999, the human resource manager organized a team to do a SWOT analysis. The team compiled the report and presented to the human resource manager, he chose three proposals that required careful consideration. Proposals on customer flow, speed of service, and information system were to be addressed in order to improve the quality service quality. Can Blue Mountain Resort be sure of Delivering Good Service to each Segment? Blue Moun tain Resort is very capable of delivering good services to its customers. This is very evident from their activities in the previous years. Previously, the company had poor services and the staff did not serve customers properly. However, after hiring the new human resource manager the company had improved its service quality considerably. In fact, the customers’ ratings to the staff improved. In 1991-1992 season, 19.6 percent of the customers classified the resort as better than previously. During the same period, the rating of other resorts in Canada fell from 16.5 percent to three percent (Sheppard 6). In addition to the fact, the company managers showed composure when they realized that, their plan had not encompassed the element of process management.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They created a process team to assist in eliminating the chall enges that were arising due to their negligence. The process team helped the company to improve its rating further and increase its market share by increasing the number of customers. The ability portrayed by the company throughout its development period clearly shows that the company is able to deliver goods and services to the different segments despite the challenges. If history serves to predict the future, then, the ability and composure shown by the company through the challenges they faced is evidence enough to prove that the company has the ability to deliver goods and services to each segment. What is the most Appropriate Course of Action for Dave Sinclair? Blue Mountain Resort has three major challenges that the human resource manager, Dave Sinclair, has to address in order to improve the services. From the report, it is clear that the customer influx in the resort increased. However, the new guests have a problem of familiarizing with the resort. The new customers are som etimes misdirected and usually fail to find some basic services. In addition to this, the problem of parking is also affecting the guests who park in restricted areas. The SWOP team identified that the best method of solving this problem is by collecting feedback from customers and acting on the propositions provided by the customers. However, the resort can do more than just identifying the problem and solving it. For a long-term solution, the use of a strategic plan is recommendable. A strategy is a plan of action adopted by management of organizations for achieving goals and objectives (Kaplan and David 56). This strategy plan will ensure that company can achieve its long-term marketing goals and cater for the increase in customer numbers without losing a considerable market share to the competitors (Lancaster and Frank 15). Sanchez encourages managers to measure what matters in order to improve the customer relationships (31). The resort also faces the challenge of delivering se rvices at a commendable speed. The guests are complaining that the speed of service delivery is decreasing. The SWOP team proposed six ways that the human resource manager may use to solve the problem of speed.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Blue Mountain Resorts specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Included in the proposals are; better forecasting, improved communications, provision of accurate information, training staff, use of self-service technology, and using scientific methods to schedule staff levels. All these proposals are highly viable and can be adopted by the human resource director in order to improve the services. However, some of these proposals are short term and may only provide temporary solution. For the resort to work properly they should incorporate all these elements in their strategic plan. The proposal on staff training is extremely important and may improve the speed of service delive ry considerably. However, to ensure that the element of training staff is not a waste of time, the manager should also encourage the idea of using scientific methods to determine the staffing levels. This will ensure that the company maintains staff cost effectively and provides services at the required speed (Friedman 23). The company also has a challenge in maintaining a proper information system. The swop team found out that the cost of a new information system was extremely high. Moreover, the cost of hiring a profession would escalate the costs further. To cut on the cost the SWOP team proposed hiring a co-op student. This idea is brilliant, however for a resort like Blue Mountain the room for error is extremely small, and hiring a co-op student may lead to some errors that may be costly later. Therefore, the human resource director should hire a professional and experienced ICT technician to assist in implementing and monitoring the system. The costs incurred may be high initi ally but in the long run, these costs may be negligible if the project is well implemented. Professionalism and experience are handy when a business is installing and implementing a new system (Gruen et al. 42). Anticipating risks that may arise due to lack of professionalism should be part of managerial decisions (Gruca and Lopo 117).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Therefore, in the case of Dave, he should ensure that no risks that may arise if they employ the co-op student. In case the human resource manager sees any risks that may be costly, he should abort the idea and employ a professional ICT technician to monitor and implement the new system. Friedman, Lawrence. Go to Market Strategy: Advanced Techniques and Tools for  Selling More Products, to More Customers, More Profitably. Boston: Butterworth-Heinemann 2002. Print. Gruca, Thomas S., and Lopo L. Rego. â€Å"Customer Satisfaction, Cash Flow, and Shareholder Value.† Journal of Marketing. 69.3 (2005): 115-130. Print. Gruen, Thomas, John Summers, and Frank Acito. â€Å"Relationship Marketing Activities, Commitment, and Membership Behaviors in Professional Associations.† Journal of Marketing, 64.3(2000), 34–49. Print. Kaplan, Robert and David, Norton. The Strategy Focused Organization: How Balanced Scorecard companies thrive in the new business environment, Boston m ass: Harvard Business School Press, 2000. Print. Lancaster, Geoff. and Frank, Withey. Marketing Fundamentals. London: Macmillan, 2007. Print. Sanchez, John. â€Å"Building Customer Relationship For Enduring Profit in a Wired Economy.† Customer Relationship Marketing. 10.2 (2009): 1-38. JSTOR. Web. Sheppard, Mark. â€Å"Blue Mountains Resorts: The Service Quality Journey.† Ivey Management Services. 22.2 (2002): 1-19

9 English Words You Might Not Know Have Spanish Origins - ProofreadMyEssays Academic Blog

9 English Words You Might Not Know Have Spanish Origins - ProofreadMyEssays Academic Blog 9 English Words You Might Not Know Have Spanish Origins It is Cinco de Mayo soon, so we thought it was about time to look at some English words drawn from Spanish. While some words have obviously Spanish origins, like â€Å"churro† or â€Å"fiesta,† we’re going to focus on terms you might not realize have Hispanic roots. Incidentally, will someone please remind us to throw a â€Å"churro fiesta† soon? It sounds like it would be an awesome/delicious party. 1. Creepy Crawlies: â€Å"Cockroach† Nobody likes to think about roaches if they dont have to, so you might not have considered where the term â€Å"cockroach† comes from. But the English as we know it is a version of the Spanish word cucaracha, which spread during colonial times. Pretty, aint he? [Photo: Sharadpunita] Lots of other animals get their names from Spanish too, including the alligator (el lagarto), the albatross (alcatraz), and mosquitoes (the diminutive of mosca, meaning â€Å"fly,† with mosquito literally meaning â€Å"little fly†). Given this range of beasties, it’s almost a shame the word â€Å"menagerie† is French. 2. Culinary Delights: â€Å"Chocolate† and â€Å"Cannibal† OK, so maybe this one isn’t so surprising. Chocolate comes from cocoa, after all. And the Spanish â€Å"chocolate† is itself borrowed from the Aztec word xocolatl. Sweet, Aztec deliciousness [Photo: SKopp] But there’s still an impressive number of American English words for foodstuffs that come from Spanish, including â€Å"banana,† â€Å"potato,† â€Å"jerky† and â€Å"tuna.† In case all this has made you hungry, it might be worth noting that â€Å"cannibal† also comes from the Spanish caribal. Which is a decidedly less delicious etymological claim. 3. Windy Weather: â€Å"Hurricane† and â€Å"Breeze† The term â€Å"El Nià ±o† clearly has Spanish origins, but did you know that other weather words do too? â€Å"Hurricane,† for instance, is adapted from the Spanish huracan, while â€Å"breeze† comes from the Old Spanish briza. Come to think of it, it probably makes sense that the language of a nation known for exploring the world in sail boats has a lot of words for different kinds of wind. When youre being shipwrecked, its important to know the type of storm youre going to die in. 4. Wild West: â€Å"Cowboy† and â€Å"Ten-Gallon Hat† If you ask around the world, most people would agree that there’s no image more American than a cowboy sipping Coca-Cola. They would therefore be surprised to find out that â€Å"cowboy† is originally a direct translation of the Spanish vaquero. Coca Colas advertising department seems to agree. Plenty of other Wild West words have Spanish origins too, including â€Å"ranch,† â€Å"rodeo† and â€Å"bronco.† Our favorite has to be â€Å"ten-gallon hat,† which is named after a mishearing of the Spanish word galà ³n, meaning â€Å"braid,† rather than anything to do with its capacity to hold water. 5. Literary Contributions: â€Å"Quixotic† and â€Å"Lothario† As well as words borrowed from Spanish, American English uses some words inspired by Spanish writers. The brilliant-but-deluded title character of Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, for instance, gave us the word â€Å"quixotic,† meaning â€Å"hopeful but impractical.† With Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Cervantes prefigured the buddy movie. Another lesser-known term spawned by the same novel is â€Å"lothario,† which means â€Å"a man whose chief interest is seducing women.†

Anti-Descrimination Laws Related to Employment Research Paper

Anti-Descrimination Laws Related to Employment - Research Paper Example In order to control these tendencies by employees who use company electronic media, especially the internet, for activities, which are not work related, many companies and organizations have chosen to adopt electronic usage policies whose purpose is to ensure that there is responsible use of this resource. In addition, these policies have been put in place to ensure that electronic resources are not used by employees for purposes, which are not compatible with the objectives of the organizations in which they are used. Recent surveys by human resource managers on employees in a diverse number of companies have found that approximately two thirds of employees spend at least some of their work time on non- work related internet activity. Among the employees who use social networks sites, it has been found that approximately half of them check their social network profiles during their normal workdays and that fifteen percent of this group spends at least one hour a day browsing the int ernet on non-work related sites. It was further found that over half of employees sent personal emails, with nineteen percent sending more than five personal emails per day. The response of many institutions and organizations to non-work related internet activity has been to establish tougher  policies  regarding internet  usage  and  electronic  means to ensure that their employees are monitored. It has been found that the most dominant method of controlling the internet behavior of employees, is through the blocking of those sites that are most commonly used, the monitoring of internet usage  and email, as well as the firing employees for  violating the electronic usage policies of their companies. The developments in employee potential misuse of electronic technology, and the reactions of employers to this changing environment, has further come to be evidenced by surveys that were conducted between 2001 and 2007. These surveys show that there was a dramatic increa se in the  use  of  electronic monitoring by employers, and this was mainly used as a tool to avoid potential lawsuits. According to a survey conducted in 2001, over half of the companies that responded monitored their employees' internet activities, with forty six percent monitoring e-mail, and thirty six percent monitoring storage and the retrieval of company files (Cappel, 1993). By the time another survey was conducted some six years later, the figures had risen to sixty six percent of companies monitoring Internet connections. There is a high possibility that this trend in  electronic  monitoring by companies as well as other employers will continue as the technological development of both hardware and software continues to improve and becomes less resource intensive to install and  use. Ethical Concerns Ethics have come to play an immense role in influencing the process of regulation of the internet within a diverse number of businesses and their success will depen d on how strict the said businesses are in implementing its electronic usage policy. The regulations of the content displayed on the internet are done ethically because they mostly deal with material that is of no use to the business, illegal or both and this is done to ensure that employees get to use this resource responsibly. A responsible business should ensure that the internet content that has been proven to have been wrongfully

Database implementation and querying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Database implementation and querying - Essay Example SQL> create table a1_language ( language varchar2(15) constraint language primar y key); Table created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Romanian'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('English'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('French'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('German'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Afrikaans'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Spanish'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Catalan'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Portuguese'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Italian'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Turkish'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Lithuanian'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Russian'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Japanese'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Slovenian'); 1 r ow created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Norwegian'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Chinese'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Serbian'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Slovak'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Czech'); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_language values ('Polish'); 1 row created. ... l ( issn varchar2(9) constraint issn primary key, tit le varchar2(100), url varchar2(110), publisher_id number(3), keyword varchar2(18 0), start_year number(4), end_year number(4) ); Table created. SQL> commit; Commit complete. SQL> insert into a1_journal values ('1222-569X','Annals of the University of Ora dea : Economic Science','http://steconomice.uoradea.ro/anale/en_index.html',114, 'financial accounting, banking, management, marketing, statistics',2005,NULL); i nsert into a1_journal values ('1311-0160','Balkan Journal of Medical Genetics',' http://versita.metapress.com/content/120841/',118,'genetics, genetic engineering ',2007,NULL); insert into a1_journal values ('1222-569X','Annals of the University of Oradea : Economic Science','http://steconomice.uoradea.ro/anale/en_index.html',114,'fina ncial accounting, banking, management, marketing, statistics',2005,NULL); insert into a1_journal values ('1311-0160','Balkan Journal of Medical Genetics','http: //versita.metapress.com/conte nt/120841/',118,'genetics, genetic engineering',200 7,NULL) * ERROR at line 1: ORA-00911: invalid character SQL> insert into a1_journal values ('1222-569X','Annals of the University of Ora dea : Economic Science','http://steconomice.uoradea.ro/anale/en_index.html',114, 'financial accounting, banking, management, marketing, statistics',2005,NULL); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_journal values ('1311-0160','Balkan Journal of Medical Genet ics','http://versita.metapress.com/content/120841/',118,'genetics, genetic engin eering',2007,NULL); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_journal values ('0259-9422','Hervormde Teologiese Studies',' http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php',115,' theological disciplines, bible study' ,2008,NULL); 1 row created. SQL> insert into a1_journal values

Ethics Audit Question Essay Example for Free

Ethics Audit Question Essay Board Does the board have a clear and concise plan of action to deal with problems that arise from regular assessment? This question is important when assessing an organization’s ethical performance. This question will help the organization create a plan of action to deal with any problem that may arise. Staff- Are all staff members educated equally about how to advance in the organization? This question would help the organization make sure that they are treating all employees the same, as well as giving them all the same opportunities. The question would also aid in the assessment of the organizations ethical performance. Donors and Fundraisers- Does the organization give the donors the proper instructions or information on how to write their donations as tax write offs or deductions? In an ethical performance review, the organization will show that it cares about the donors, and is following government procedures. Clients/Customers- Is there a policy in place to ensure that all clients are given the same amount of time to be helped and processed? In an ethical review this shows that all clients are treated equally without prejudice or bias regardless of age, ethnicity, race, origin, or sex. Volunteers- Are all volunteers treated the same, and given equal opportunities for employment in the organization? It is important for the organization to show their volunteers that they are valued and important to the organization. Society- Is the organization doing everything it can, to meet the expectations of the public it serves? It is important for the organizations ethical committee to know that the organization is doing all that it can to serve the public’s needs. The public will feel like they can trust the organization.

Voltaires Affect on Modern Western Society Essay -- Fracois Marie Aro

â€Å"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to death your right to say it,† were the famous words of Fracois Marie Arouet, more commonly known under the pen name of Voltaire. He was known for being very outspoken and rebellious, which got him into trouble with the authorities for most of his life. Voltaire advocated the French bourgeoisie as being ineffective, the aristocracy as being corrupt, and the commoners as being too superstitious. Voltaire’s beliefs on freedom and reason is what ultimately led to the French Revolution, the United States Bill of Rights, and the decrease in the power of the Catholic Church, which have all affected modern western society. The French Revolution was a period of upheaval in France, during which the French governmental structure and Catholic clergy underwent a large change due to Enlightenment ideas. The commoners of France began to revolt after hearing the ideas of famous philosophes like Voltaire. Voltaire was a deist who believed that the Catholic Church and its doctrines were not to be trusted since they used propoganda to get followers rather than the actual religion. He believed it was unfair that there wasn’t any religious freedom since you were expected to be a Catholic. He spoke openly about this, which of course got him into a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, the French commoners took his word into thought and decided to act upon what he said by revolting against the church. Voltaire’s ideas also critized royal absolutism because they had, in his opinion, too much power. He favored an elightened absolutist, which is an absolutist who adopts Enlightenment ideas. Once again, the French commoners took this to heart and agreed with Voltaire that the French government was too ... ... to make you commit injustices.† Voltaire studied natural sciences and reason because he was against supestition. Although he advocated religious tolerance, he believed that any one church should not have absolute power. By the time he was executed, he had already brought about the end of the power and right of the church to torture France. People in France still are not as faithful to the Catholic Church as they had been before Voltaire had introduced them to the idea of â€Å"reasoning†. The Enlightenment is held to be the source of many modern ideas, such as the primary values of freedom and reason. The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society. Voltaire's Affect on Modern Western Society Essay -- Fracois Marie Aro â€Å"I do not agree with what you have to say, but I’ll defend to death your right to say it,† were the famous words of Fracois Marie Arouet, more commonly known under the pen name of Voltaire. He was known for being very outspoken and rebellious, which got him into trouble with the authorities for most of his life. Voltaire advocated the French bourgeoisie as being ineffective, the aristocracy as being corrupt, and the commoners as being too superstitious. Voltaire’s beliefs on freedom and reason is what ultimately led to the French Revolution, the United States Bill of Rights, and the decrease in the power of the Catholic Church, which have all affected modern western society. The French Revolution was a period of upheaval in France, during which the French governmental structure and Catholic clergy underwent a large change due to Enlightenment ideas. The commoners of France began to revolt after hearing the ideas of famous philosophes like Voltaire. Voltaire was a deist who believed that the Catholic Church and its doctrines were not to be trusted since they used propoganda to get followers rather than the actual religion. He believed it was unfair that there wasn’t any religious freedom since you were expected to be a Catholic. He spoke openly about this, which of course got him into a lot of trouble. Nevertheless, the French commoners took his word into thought and decided to act upon what he said by revolting against the church. Voltaire’s ideas also critized royal absolutism because they had, in his opinion, too much power. He favored an elightened absolutist, which is an absolutist who adopts Enlightenment ideas. Once again, the French commoners took this to heart and agreed with Voltaire that the French government was too ... ... to make you commit injustices.† Voltaire studied natural sciences and reason because he was against supestition. Although he advocated religious tolerance, he believed that any one church should not have absolute power. By the time he was executed, he had already brought about the end of the power and right of the church to torture France. People in France still are not as faithful to the Catholic Church as they had been before Voltaire had introduced them to the idea of â€Å"reasoning†. The Enlightenment is held to be the source of many modern ideas, such as the primary values of freedom and reason. The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society.

Edgar Allen Poe “The Tell Tale Heart” and ” Cask of Amontillado” Comparison

Edgar Allen Poe: The Tell – Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† and â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† deals with a man’s mental deterioration and decent into madness. The story focuses on the narrator and his obsessions. The story is told from the first person point of view. So the reader knows what the narrator thinks and sees. The narrator reveals his insanity through his obsessions. The narrator’s obsessions include obsessions with the old man’s eye, beating heart and the narrator’s own sanity. The story is about the narrator who for eight consecutive nights goes to the bedroom of an old man. He stands at the door and watches the man sleep with a single ray of light pointing to the old man’s pale blue film covered evil eye. On the eighth night the man hears something in his room and sits up on his bed with his evil eye open and racing heartbeat consumes the narrator and he races to the bed and suffocates the old man. After the murder the narrator dismembers the body and buries the old man in the floorboards. The murder of the old man illustrates the extent to which the narrator separates the old man’s identity from his physical eye. The narrator sees the eye as completely separate from the man, and as a result, he is capable of murdering him while maintaining that he loves him. As the story progresses, the narrator expresses that he is not mad but he is really trying to convince himself he is not insane. For instance, the narrator, at one point simply says, â€Å"If still you think me mad, you will think so no longer when I describe the wise precautions I took for the concealment of the body. † The narrator also has an unusual obsession with the old man’s eye. The idea of the â€Å"evil eye† carries on throughout the story, until finally the narrator snaps, and does something about it. The narrator had no real motive for killing the old man. He even states this at the beginning saying, â€Å"Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. I think it was his eye! Yes, it was this! † It’s almost as if the narrator, as he is retelling the story, attempts to make up a motive for the murder. The narrator’s paranoia and guilt make it inevitable that he will give himself away. The police arrive on the scene to give him the opportunity to betray himself. The more the narrator proclaims his own cool manner, the more he cannot escape the beating of his own heart, which he mistakes for the beating of the old man’s heart. As he confesses to the crime in the final sentence, he addresses the policemen as â€Å"villains,† indicating his inability to distinguish between their real identity and his own villainy and mental deterioration. In the short story â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† the story is told from the first person and features revenge by means of murder. Montresor claims that Fortunato has insulted him a thousand times. Montresor uses â€Å" Thousand injuries† and â€Å"insult† to make himself judge, jury and executioner like in the story â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† when he uses the old man’s vulture like evil eye as excuse to murder the old man, which makes him an unreliable narrator. The name Fortunato that means â€Å"fortunate one†is a use of irony in the story because Fortunato is by the end of the story unfortunate. Montresor chooses to murder Fortunato during a carnival where Fortunato is dressed as a jester I think says something about Fortunato’s character. It may suggest that Fortunato is a jokester that Montresor took far too serious to want to murder him. There are also elements of foreshadowing taking place. For example, Montresor leading Fortunato down to the depths of the catacombs is like leading him down to hell and death to come. Also when Fortunato says, â€Å"I shall not die of a cough† and Montresor says â€Å"true† foreshadows Fortunato’s death not by cough but by suffocation and dehydration. Fortunato’s conversation with Montresor about Free Masons foreshadows his demise. Fortunato challenges Montresor’s claim that he is a free mason is the last insult thrown at Montresor. Montresor shows him a trowel, which means he is a stonemason in the literal sense. To go though these great lengths to kill someone because of insults shows Montresor’s diabolical insane nature. Fortunato is like the old man where they are innocent of any major wrongdoing, unable to defend themselves, entombed in the home, and murdered by an insane man. Works Cited Poe, Edgar Allen. â€Å" The Cask of Amontillado. † Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. 7th ed. Kirszner & Mandell. Boston, MA Wadsworth Cage Learning, 2007. 331 – 336 Print. _. â€Å" The Tell Tale Heart. † Literature Reading, Reacting, Writing. 7th ed. Kirszner & Mandell. Boston, MA Wadsworth Cage Learning, 2007. 677 – 680 Print.

Commedia All’ Italiana

Commanded Alternating Films that are made In Italy are well-known worldwide, especially the Italian-style comedy, which has won a lot academic awards and earned enormous applause and praises. However, there are something behind the laughter tries to tell the audience within the Italian-style comedy. Comedic Alliteration thrives for its uses of innovative and bold subjects and contents, and a profound and twisted ending; besides, humor in Italy are manipulated as a tool to expose social issues of different fields while reflecting poverty and misery.Comedic Lithuanian starts from a street performance, and it works its way toward the stage of world. The origin of Italian-style comedy can be traced back to the birth of Comedic delegate in 1 1 century, which becomes influential to the development of comedy In 15 century (Turner). Soon, Comedic delegate spreads to Europe for Its uses of music, dance, humorous dialogue In stage performance and even slapstick and lay foundation for the Comed ic Alternating. After World War II, the enactment of the Marshall Plan directly affects the prosperity of Italian-style modem.According to Turner in her article, â€Å"Comedic Lithuanian: Comedy, Italian- Style†, the growth of the economy significantly improves people's living conditions and stimulate the development of art, and she exposes that the most prosperous and memorable period of Italian film industry is around the late 1 sass and sass (Turner). The booming and success of Italian film industry introduce the unique perspectives of art of Italy as a name card to the world, and they start to attract the attention and popularity from the worldwide audience. The success of the ComedicLatitudinal Is that films are boldly using the sensitive subjects and contents from the society Instead of acting Like a clown only. There are lots of things a film Is trying to tell the audience through every scene and laughter. Comedic Allotments Is famous for its ending, which is always tw isted into a kind of imperfect ending. From a famous comedy film called Eel not did Siberia (The Nights of Siberia) tells a dramatic story of a young prostitute named Siberia who pursues her true love through several stories, but unfortunately, all the endings of those stories are tragic.A woman, who lives in the bottom of society and has a not respected Job, devotes everything she has into a way of seeking true love as traditionally as a common woman does in reality should deserve what she wants in return. But, the ending is not like what it is wished to be so; instead, the ending Is sad, but it also happens in reality. Comedic Lithuanian is trying to remind people that there will not always have a happy ending even though one has tried his or her best; and there will be something negative potentially happens In reality. A director named Francesca Commencing says, â€Å"There Is no happy ending, only lots of loose ends.Italy has lost, but doesn't know It†¦ That's why a film l ike this is necessary, so people can become aware† (Evolved). Things always change people in Italy there is no such thing which is destined; to be aware, it is not yet a dream world. Besides telling the truth of reality, the Comedic Lithuanian is used to mock the social issues. â€Å"The Italian-style comedy was able to talk about social problems and still be popular,† said Peter Bandoleer, â€Å"It was a way of having a illegal about what was going on in Italy, of addressing questions that were not being discussed in the government† (Grimes).An Italian-style comedy called â€Å"Divorcee: Italian-style† tells that a Sicilian gentleman wants to murder his wife because he wants to marry his younger and prettier cousin. The reason that he has such an evil purpose is that divorce was against the Italian laws at the time because of the strict religion's requirements in Italy. Therefore, this gentleman chooses to have an honor killing because â€Å"honor was so important in society, the legal enmeshment for this special kind of murder was oh-so lenient† (Turner). It is so ironic that a person takes such a method to get divorced.This film successfully attracts the public attention, not only for it is an Italian-style comedy but also for it makes the government and the public to reconsider the restorability of the legislation of outlaw divorce. The issues which always make no sense and bother and perplex people are subject to be talked about in Comedic Lithuanian and it is easy to be accepted by government. Comedic Lithuanian is considered a special communication between society and government, which people are reflecting what is happening in their lives to government.Because of the Comedic Lithuanian, a scene of Joking something tragic becomes a part of the Italian culture. Mr.. McNeill, known as the king of Italian comedy, defined Italian humor as something â€Å"lack of a happy ending, seemingly antithetical to comedy,† and he comments that themes make Italians laugh â€Å"stem from poverty, hunger, misery, old age, sickness, and death† (Grimes). It may be considered strange if a person laughs at something sad in some other countries, but the whole Italy is mocking itself with distress. â€Å"The goal is to consider the reality around you, from the point of view of the humorist.I think you need to look deeper to make people laugh at things that aren't ridiculous or funny,† said Mr.. McNeill (Torah). Italians look at misery of life from a different view but a humorous view, and thus, it is considered as a complaint to the society and life. Comedic Lithuanian is to only something makes ones laugh but also something makes ones think, such as a famous film named â€Å"Life is beautiful†, directed by Roberto Benign, which describes how a Jewish man create a wonderful family and protect his son in a Nazi concentration camp with uses of his humor.Mr.. McNeill admits that â€Å"you can ma ke people laugh at the most horrible of things. It's hard, but it's more profound† (Torah). Life is always full of things that are too sensitive to be mentioned, but through humor, they can be talked about directly in public, and even worldwide. Italians know here is something seriously horrible happening in reality, and they are able to criticize those issues by Comedic Lithuanian and Italian-style humor; this unique comprehension of misery of life gradually becomes a part of Italian culture.

Free Essays on Gender And Communication

The different ways men and women communicate has been a problem throughout time. This difference in communication style has created conflict in romantic relationships, marriages, and even friendships. To think of a world where men and women communicate on the same level is almost impossible to comprehend. We have been conditioned to believe that the genders will never see on an eye-to-eye basis and have accepted this. But, is it to hard to expect that the genders speak on the same level? From my findings in research, I think there is going to be a change in the way communication in relationships is conducted. This change may even arise in my own lifetime. Studies have shown that women are superior to men in verbal ability and men are better at visual/spatial ability. Unfortunately in most of these tests, this was only noted as slight difference and not always the case. It was only true on the average and didn’t account for those who scored substantially above or below their ge nder group’s level. These conclusions may also be based on cultural expectations and learned behaviors (Rathus 383). Psychological studies also revealed that men are more likely to show aggression in an open environment. Women tend to avoid confrontation until they are fully aware of all circumstances and consequences. Males tend to brag about their accomplishments in a confrontational situation, whereas women may show compassion for their victim (Rathus 383). Again these may be learned behaviors, or perhaps the levels of aggression causing chemicals running through a person’s body. Communication is linked with behavior and beliefs. The way people perceive themselves and the world around them affect the way they communicate. It was once believed that males were more intelligent than females because of their greater knowledge of world affairs and their skill in science and industry. We now recognize that greater male knowledge and skill reflected not differenc... Free Essays on Gender And Communication Free Essays on Gender And Communication The different ways men and women communicate has been a problem throughout time. This difference in communication style has created conflict in romantic relationships, marriages, and even friendships. To think of a world where men and women communicate on the same level is almost impossible to comprehend. We have been conditioned to believe that the genders will never see on an eye-to-eye basis and have accepted this. But, is it to hard to expect that the genders speak on the same level? From my findings in research, I think there is going to be a change in the way communication in relationships is conducted. This change may even arise in my own lifetime. Studies have shown that women are superior to men in verbal ability and men are better at visual/spatial ability. Unfortunately in most of these tests, this was only noted as slight difference and not always the case. It was only true on the average and didn’t account for those who scored substantially above or below their ge nder group’s level. These conclusions may also be based on cultural expectations and learned behaviors (Rathus 383). Psychological studies also revealed that men are more likely to show aggression in an open environment. Women tend to avoid confrontation until they are fully aware of all circumstances and consequences. Males tend to brag about their accomplishments in a confrontational situation, whereas women may show compassion for their victim (Rathus 383). Again these may be learned behaviors, or perhaps the levels of aggression causing chemicals running through a person’s body. Communication is linked with behavior and beliefs. The way people perceive themselves and the world around them affect the way they communicate. It was once believed that males were more intelligent than females because of their greater knowledge of world affairs and their skill in science and industry. We now recognize that greater male knowledge and skill reflected not differenc...

Using Calculus to Calculate Price Elasticity of Supply

Using Calculus to Calculate Price Elasticity of Supply In introductory economics courses, students are taught that elasticities are calculated as ratios of percent changes. Â  Specifically, they are told that price elasticity of supply is equal to the percent change in quantity supposed divided by the percent change in price. While this is a helpful measure, it is an approximation to some degree, and it calculates what can (roughly) be thought of as an average elasticity over a range of prices and quantities. To calculate a more exact measure of elasticity at a particular point on a supply or demand curve, we need to think about infinitesimally small changes in price and, as a result, incorporate mathematical derivatives into our elasticity formulas. Â  to see how this is done, lets take a look at an example. An Example Suppose youre given the following question: Demand is Q 100 - 3C - 4C2, where Q is the amount of the good supplied, and C is the production cost of the good. What is the price elasticity of supply when our per unit cost is $2? We saw that we can calculate any elasticity by the formula: Elasticity of Z with respect to Y (dZ / dY)*(Y/Z) In the case of price elasticity of supply, we are interested in the elasticity of quantity supplied with respect to our unit cost C. Thus we can use the following equation: Price elasticity of supply (dQ / dC)*(C/Q) In order to use this equation, we must have quantity alone on the left-hand side, and the right-hand side be some function of cost. That is the case in our demand equation of Q 400 - 3C - 2C2. Thus we differentiate with respect to C and get: dQ/dC -3-4C So we substitute dQ/dC -3-4C and Q 400 - 3C - 2C2 into our price elasticity of supply equation: Price elasticity of supply (dQ / dC)*(C/Q)Price elasticity of supply (-3-4C)*(C/(400 - 3C - 2C2)) Were interested in finding what the price elasticity of supply is at C 2, so we substitute these into our price elasticity of supply equation: Price elasticity of supply (-3-4C)*(C/(100 - 3C - 2C2))Price elasticity of supply (-3-8)*(2/(100 - 6 - 8))Price elasticity of supply (-11)*(2/(100 - 6 - 8))Price elasticity of supply (-11)*(2/86)Price elasticity of supply -0.256 Thus our price elasticity of supply is -0.256. Since it is less than 1 in absolute terms, we say that goods are substitutes. Other Price Elasticity Equations Using Calculus To Calculate Price Elasticity of DemandUsing Calculus To Calculate Income Elasticity of DemandUsing Calculus To Calculate Cross-Price Elasticity of Demand

Obese Chirdren Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Obese Chirdren - Essay Example The health care sector and the federal government of America has a challenge to fund initiatives and programs to prevent overweight and obesity. Researches to determine the best preventive measures for childhood obesity explore the environment, food, and behavioral practices in terms of engaging the body physically. However, the theoretical framework tends to limit overweight and obesity to foods alone. Fast foods are always palatable to the mouth and children enjoy partaking them without considerations on the fatty and cholesterol levels in the foods (Freemark, 2010). The theoretical model highlights other causative agents that lead to the prevalence of childhood obesity. The parents should feed their children cholesterol free foods to avoid the risks of contracting obesity. Obesity is a blend of genetic and environmental causes. Poskitt and Edmunds (2008) prove that 70 to 80 percent of obese children have one of his or her parents obese. In addition, a 20 to 40 percent of obese children have both parents obese. Since the parents live together with the children, it is clear that the environment induces obesity (Poskitt & Edmun, 2008). As a leading cause of death, validating the obesity theories through research and studies is critical and essential. Rowe, S. B., Borra, S., & Kelly, L. J. (2003). Obesity as a Public Health Crisis in America. Cereal Foods World, 48(3), 120-122. Retrieved from

Poor marketing strategies at Bedaya center Research Paper

Poor marketing strategies at Bedaya center - Research Paper Example From the research, it can be comprehended that Bedaya center has a clear vision which clearly states that it helps individuals to discover more about themselves and available career options, but unfortunately marketing strategies are not aligned with the vision of the company. The effectiveness of marketing strategy decides a company’s position in the market; any lacking in the marketing strategy can reduce the effectiveness of service and can slow down the pace of growth and development. Bedaya’s mismatch of marketing strategy and company’s vision is affecting the overall image of the company. Bedaya also needs to focus more on students preference on courses offered, the duration of the courses can be one the reason as short time period courses are more preferred among students; flexibility of hours can also be an effective approach as time flexibility creates ease for them to manage educational and vocational studies. Promotional strategies are also not effecti ve to the acceptable level; Bedaya needs to adopt effective internet branding strategies to position the product rightly in the customers’ minds. Bedaya needs to add more information about the company and services offered on the internet. Only the use of social networks doesn’t determine the effectiveness of branding strategies but the content also matters. It is important for any organization to clearly define its marketing objectives and strive to fulfill the needs and demands of the customers.

Comparison of Editonals Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Comparison of Editonals - Research Paper Example However, up to the end of the entire article, this desire is not brought out clearly as being achievable. It is stated that the elimination of Osama may, to a great extent, fail to end the terrorist threat or even weaken the ideological motivation held by the Al Qaeda’s supporters. The strongest argument found within the article states that in the future, the death of Osama Bin Laden may bring much encouragement to the Al Qaeda. The argument points out that more threats shall come from the local affiliates which had already been designed to operate largely independently to organize attacks on America and other places (Clarke, 2011). Their network no longer required Osama and it had been strong with minimal or no directions from Bin Laden for many years. This directs us to a conclusion that the death of Osama Bin Laden did not bring much impact to the Al Qaeda network and that they are more likely to accomplish their goals. The second article points out the life of Osama Bin Laden as a sacrificial life. He is depicted as a leader of a certain sect in the Muslim religion who gave up his luxury life to fight a holy war (Soufan, 2011). Besides being the leader and the founder of the Al Qaeda group, Bin Laden had also been an idea to them. He organized the terrorism idea which according to the Al Qaeda had appeared the correct version for Islam (Lüsted, 2012). This article has its premises that the death of Osama would be championed. It would be welcomed and celebrated as martyrdom while songs and videos were to be composed. The Al Qaeda would consider him a more effective propaganda tool when dead than while alive. This argument does not come into line with the conclusion. At the end, the article brings into light the suffering of the Al Qaeda after the elimination of its leader. The group no longer had its best fund-raiser and recruiter. Its new leaders lacked charisma and good connections. This come s out as the best argument in the article since it

Technical And Vocational Education

Technical And Vocational Education The development of Technical and Vocational Education and Training has clearly been seen as a key to national poverty reduction and socio-economic development in Cambodia, as defined in the Rectangle Strategy of the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) and the five-year National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) 2006-2010. These show a commitment to skills development. The National TVET Development Plan, 2006-2011, also identifies the TVET sector as an important element in alleviating poverty, promoting peace, conserving the environment, improving the quality of life for all, and helping achieve sustainable development in Cambodia. However, Cambodias current TVET system is facing several critical issues such as: lack of access to formal training on a national basis, weak links with industry, lack of entrepreneurial focus, poor quality control, inadequate institutional financing, low rates of information and communication technology (ICT) usage and low capacity of TVET teachers, which h ave limited the quantity and quality of system outputs for years (e.g., Asian Development Bank [ADB], 2009; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 2004b; International Project on Technical and Vocational Education [UNEVOC], 1997). With the critical importance of the TVET sector, the TVET curriculum must be well prepared for the success of students at the workplace. It can mean the difference between success and failure for TVET students in terms of theoretical knowledge and technical skills as well as being abreast with new technologies in the workplace (African Union, 2007). Similarly, Ben-Peretz (2009) specified the school curriculum as one of three critical domains of education, which should prepare students for their future success. As reported by United Nations Development Program (UNDP) (2011) one of the most vital aspects of education is to produce a workforce which is skillful and able to gain returns on their education and for the overall economy when they are in their careers. Therefore, the education system must be able to understand the needs and necessities of the economy and prepare learners for their economic lives (UNDP, 2011). However, TVET curricula have not focused their relevance to the requirements of the labor market in many countries; and in other nations, for various reasons, employers or managers may prefer to hire unskilled workers or academic graduates and provide on-the-job training programs (Maclean Lai, 2011). There do not seem to be strong gains and work advancement in Cambodia (UNDP, 2011). Additionally, the balance between theory and practice has shifted in recent years. There seems to be a case about the (under)graduates perceptions of the relevance of TVET curriculum to their existing jobs. However, this anecdotal information was only heard second-hand from employers. That is, many employers in Cambodia have complained about the curriculum mismatch that most graduates from universities and technical schools are not well equipped with knowledge and skills needed at workplace, especially soft skills (ADB, 2009; UNDP, 2011). Actually, the importance of survey of (under)graduates perceptions of their study programs helps to improve the quality of TVET curriculum, and could be important for TVET curriculum reform as conducted in many countries (e.g., Lubasha Tripathi, 2012; Singh Singh, 2008). Indeed, the value of surveying the perceptions of students on the relevance of the study program is something that the school committee should consider as being of practical importance to our own educational institution. The lack of feedback from students may probably have been problematic to the school curricular that were intended to offer knowledge and skills for the world of work. Since there is little information about students perceptions on the curricular in Cambodian TVET especially at my workplace, my study on this topic will serve as a helpful source for TVET curriculum development and improvement and brings the school to success in filling gaps between the curriculum mismatch and the needs of the industr ies. The study of student interests will focus on graduates of a TVET institution, which is located in Phnom Penh and offers educational and training services from certificate levels to bachelor degrees in business and engineering studies. The study will be conducted in Phnom Penh, and a group of graduates of civil engineering field between the academic years 2011-12 will be contacted for questionnaires and individual interview. Those graduates work in different job positions and in different companies. The survey research will help to inform the leaders of the institution to look at the importance of student survey on the relevance of TVET curricular and the result will best serve for the school curriculum reform. Statement of Problem The mismatch between education and employment is critically concerning to many related stakeholders. They are also concerned that most universities and TVET institutions have provided knowledge and skills, which are not relevant to industries (ADB, 2009; UNDP, 2011). Therefore, as in many countries, Cambodian graduates find it difficult to deal with the jobs available in labor market when their knowledge and skills are far different from what they have experienced in schools (e.g., Lubasha Tripathi, 2012; Singh Singh, 2008). The perceptions from students are often neglected by many universities and TVET schools in Cambodia; that is why study programs are often found out of date in the current world of work where graduates find it hard to enter. The student voice is often silenced, but it can be regarded as a key mirror to reflect the good match of school curriculum and the industry needs. Moreover, the irrelevance of school curricula is the critical issue faced by many educational institutions in Cambodia (ADB, 2009; UNDP, 2011). Therefore, the knowledge and skills needed by employers cannot be matched when employers hire graduates to perform the jobs. Thus, there are some frustrations for employers to employ graduates who have the knowledge and skills which are irrelevant to their needs. Many employers have complained about the knowledge and skills provided at schools while graduates have expressed their discontentment about what they have learned from schools. Research Question Given this background to the study, the research study will propose the following research question, in order to explore and examine undergraduates perceptions of the relevance of TVET study programs toward their current jobs: What perceptions do graduates in a civil engineering degree (the academic year 2011-12) at one Cambodian Institution hold in terms of the relevance of their studies to their current jobs? Significance of the Research Study The focal findings of this research study will contribute to the quality of school curriculum development, and to the determination of the relevance of the study programs in terms of providing students with skills and knowledge required in the world of work in the field of civil engineering. Specifically, the study will be a helpful reference for the development of TVET quality improvements. Furthermore, the result will provide important information to relevant stakeholders in the TVET sector in order to help create the TVET stream as a main tool for equipping people with high knowledge, skills and competence for their employment and employability in the competitive world. Data in the study will hopefully be utilized for the improvement of curriculum and will also be used to determine areas of weaknesses. The findings can be used as a tool to provide instructors to better master their teaching practices and to aid TVET institutions to create a database on students perceptions of thei r study programs. In order to make effective changes in offering any study programs, it is vital to receive feedback from students who are involved in the specific programs. Hopefully, this survey study will be a valuable asset, and its findings will also serve as a supportive document for researchers from different fields of study to use and build their foundation knowledge of TVET students perceptions of the quality and relevance of study programs to job industries in the TVET system. Chapter Two Literature Review By using the search engine Google Scholar and the James Cook University Library search engine with key terms including: the perceptions of TVET students, the purpose of higher education and further education, the use of student feedback and survey, the quality of higher education and further education, the role of higher education (HE) and TVET, the relevance of study programs to industries, and TVET, I have found and downloaded many useful materials for my literature review of my topic. Although some materials seem to be out of date, they are still useful for the research study, because they can give an overview on the topic, and they can work as a foundation of knowledge to support the literature review. The Role of Higher Education in Preparing Undergraduates for Workforce The international context. An article by Haveman and Smeeding (2006) stated that most Americans expect the nations colleges and universities to promote the aim of social mobilization to make it possible for a student with capability to succeed. According to Mortese (2003), higher education can serve as a model of sustainability by fully integrating all aspects of campus life that students have experienced for their future lives. Furthermore, higher education has become a major driver of economic competitiveness in an increasingly knowledge-driven global economy when the world has faced many matters (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2010). To improve employment skills calls for quality teaching and holistic approaches within universities (OECD, 2010; Ben-Peretz, 2009). National and transnational discussions like the Bologna Process, regarding state regulations and incentives, as well as competition among private and state-run institutions all urge universities and educational and te chnical providers to put quality teaching on their agenda (OECD, 2010). In addition, national quality assurance agencies push for reflection on the subject, even if their influence is controversial. Since higher education systems are increasingly diversifying, society is increasingly concerned about the quality of study programs offered to their consumers. This is not only the case in the academic stream, but is the case in the TVET stream. As many relevant stakeholders have recognized the importance of the study program in preparing students for jobs, Lauglo (2006) explained that TVET curricular refer to deliberate interventions to bring about learning which would make people more productive (or simply adequately productive) in designated areas of economic activity (e.g., economic sectors, occupations, specific work tasks) (p. 11). This is because TVET has its great potential to enhance human capabilities and enlarge peoples choices (Ayuba and Pascal, n.d.). Therefore, the education system must be able to understand the needs and necessities of the economy and prepare learners for their economic lives (UNDP, 2011). Additionally, Klimek (2010) noticed that a skill refers to an ability to perform a particular mental or physical activity that may be developed through vocational training or practice. Klimek (2010) also noted that vocational education and training provides people with occupational or work-related knowledge and skills. TVET also includes programs which provide the basis for subsequent vocational programs (p. xxviii). Therefore, TVET curricular are designed and developed as an education alternative to prepare students for the world of work (Klimek, 2010; Ayuba Pascal, n.d.). The changing demands of the workforce in the 21st century have created great challenging problems for TVET providers to respond quickly and efficiently to the continually changing skills requirements of the industries (Rafik, Treadwell, Triki, Gupta, Najah, n.d.). This is important if developed countries are to stay competitive and challenging but it is even more important for developing countries to catch up and fill the gap with the industrialized world (Rafik et al., n.d.). These challenges have resulted in growing debates and demanding solutions on developing better and more effective TVET systems that satisfy the national needs (Rafik et al., n.d.). The Cambodian context. The state of the higher education system in Cambodia, consisting of both university education and vocational and technical training, is largely formed by three factors: very disparate organization mechanisms, poor quality output, and low enrolment (UNDP, 2011). These three factors are greatly slowing down the advancement of higher education and more capable human resources in the whole country, and there should be a major concentrated point when undertaking reforms in education. A total number of eleven ministries and agencies which provide higher education service thus have access to the public education budgets of Cambodia (UNDP, 2011). The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports (MoEYS) and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training (MoLVT) are the two most important ministries regarding higher education in Cambodia, and while the Cambodian Education Law states that MoEYS is responsible for general, higher and vocational education, it does not provide any explanation for the r ole of MoLVT, which has resulted in a high level of challenges, and hardship in developing strong cooperation links between these Ministries in providing educational and training services to learners (UNDP, 2011). Understandably, this makes coordination of the higher education system very difficult for the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to take actions on this issue. There are 38 public TVET institutions spread over 24 provinces of Cambodia under the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training; and many NGOs, large-and-small enterprises, local centers, and other relevant stakeholders also operate TVET practice on a very small and localized scale with few exceptional cases (National TVET Development Plan, 2008). However, NGOs move in and out of skills training, depending on donor funds availability and/or donor interest. At present, there are approximately 12 national NGOs that run institution-based skills training courses (National TVET Development Plan, 2008). The public TVET provision does not fully meet the need for basic and mid-level skills in the formal and informal economies, of NGOs and other local private centers, like Don Bosco schools, TAYAMA Business school, and EDC Training Center help to fill gaps. Lack of access to formal training on a national basis, weak links with industry, lack of entrepreneurial focus, poor quality control, and inadequate institutional financing continue to limit the quantity and quality of system outputs. Pich (2010) indicated a number of students are smaller in the TVET system than that in the academic stream while the employers need technical knowledge and skills for their business practices. This is the mismatch between higher education and the needs of industries, concerned by many stakeholders if the availability of solutions is not at hand (UNDP, 2011). In summary, we can say that the quality in TVET in Cambodia is low. There should be coordination amongst these ministries to link the educational services to match the requirements of the industries while the relevance of curricular seems to be low when graduates tend to work (UNDP, 2011; ADB, 2009). The Use of Student Feedback for Curriculum Development in Higher Education The international context. Authorities in higher and TVET education often use student feedback as a mechanism to improve course content and delivery. In the TVET sector internationally, survey questionnaires have been used to explore stakeholder perceptions of the quality of TVET education and of the match between the skills of graduates and the needs of industry. For Munro (2008), it is ideal that feedback results are used to assert the strengths and find out areas of improvements in organization. As the practice of survey research is important, Lubasha and Tripathi (2012) surveyed stakeholders perceptions in VET programs in Tanzania, which are relevant to the quality all stakeholders may think, while Singh and Singh (2008) mainly focused on employability skills in Malaysia. Both studies have aimed at the improvement of study programs offered at educational and training institutions in order to perceive the quality of education and training as the key for graduates to be employable after they graduate from schools (Lubasha Tripathi, 2012; Singh Singh, 2008). In the study, Lubasha and Tripathi (2012) found that the determinants of quality in the VET programs such as the quality of VET programs, the relevance of VET programs to employment trends and entrepreneurship, and the perception of delivering the quality VET programs, which are critical for improving the quality of education provided by VET programs in Tanzania. The survey result of Singh Singh (2008) indicated that si gnificantly employers tend to hire local graduates from public universities to non-public graduates. This is because they believe that public graduates have the knowledge and skills they need for their business. Another survey study of 434 TVET graduates in Ghana which was done by Dasmani (2011) indicated that limited teaching and learning facilities for instructors and learners, large class sizes, and weak linkages with employers can lead to poor training and education of students. Dasmani (2011) added that this lack of preparation for the job entries put more pressure and working place difficulties to those graduates. This means that the survey finding is not only important for universities, but it also helps to inform TVET institutions about the perceptions of employers and students whether the TVET programs are at best quality to fill the gaps. It can also serve as an informant in offering better quality TVET programs. Therefore, many countries (e.g., Australia, England, Wales, and so forth) have created specialized research centers for VET and HE (Chalmers, 2007) and many international conferences are organized each year to disseminate and share the results of research in this area, in order to help the TVET sector to be flexible in the world of work (Rafik et al., n.d.). Rafik et al. (n.d.) also added that the main aims of this survey research are: (a) to investigate the current skills gaps in the Libyan manufacturing sector; (b) to make recommendations to the national TVET providers to enhance the skills they provide; and (c) to make recommendations to establish systems that improves the responsiveness of the TVET providers to the emergent needs of the industry (p. 1). Like the above points by Rafik et al. (n.d.), Chalmers (2007) claimed that experience, satisfaction and engagement of each student can be reached through using survey practice. Additionally, Chalmers (2007) recognized that using national student surveys are intended to demonstrate trustfulness and worthwhileness of study programs, and to explicitly articulate a particular view on what constitutes the quality of teaching and learning through student perceptions. Therefore, how the survey results can be used for the evidence-based curriculum development and improvement (Chalmers, 2007; Rafik et al, n.d.). The Cambodian context. As discussed in the global context, the survey of student feedback or perceptions is a useful tool in order to make school curricular change in according to the needs of industries. However, at this Cambodian TVET institutions, the survey of students perceptions and feedback is not yet conducted although survey research can give the school a great deal of information from labor market and industries. Because no surveys have been done or published on student perceptions in Cambodia, it is difficult to find the literature review to support the research study. As seen recently at the Cambodian TVET institution, the school management team has used the telephone survey on graduates whether those graduates hold job positions. The result of the telephone survey has been kept secretly. Furthermore, student surveys on teacher teaching have been done, but no survey on student perceptions on the relevance of the study program. Although information from student feedback can help the school make reform the school curriculum in order to keep abreast with the needs of industries, this case is absent from the school. The action of keeping old curricular is the weak point that should be urgently considered if the school is in the competitive world of providing technical services to students. Chapter Three Methodology As the topic of this study suggests, the study is a type of a survey research. Survey research is sometimes used by schools or other stakeholders of the related fields in order to get feedback from graduates, and which can be excellent vehicles for measuring opinions and orientations in a large population (Rubin Babbie, 2011). In order to get a deep understanding of perceptions of TVET graduates through survey research, this study will use the qualitative and quantitative data collection methods to get both primary and secondary data. The use of mixed methods is to build the synergy and strength that exists between quantitative and qualitative research methods to understand a phenomenon more fully that is possible using either quantitative or qualitative alone (Gay, Mills Airsian, 2009, p. 462). Creswell (2009) also highlighted that most researchers use a mixed methods design because they want to enlarge understanding by integrating both qualitative and quantitative research, or th ey want to better understand, explain or build the results from this approach. In this research, the following sampling methods, data collection methods, limitations of methods, data analysis, ethical issues, and other cases will be raised and discussed in detail in order to capture the practice of the whole research methodology of the study. Sampling Methods Berg (2009) indicated that the rationale of using of subjects is to make inference about some larger population from a smaller one-the sample (p. 48). That is, it is important in quantitative research that researchers keenly consider the probability sampling method (Berg, 2009). However, for qualitative research, sampling is the process of selecting a small number of individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals chosen will be good key informants (e.g., collaborators, co-researchers) who will contribute to the researchers understanding of a given phenomenon (Gay et al., 2009, p. 135). Since a deep understanding of participants perspectives creates the very core of a qualitative research study, the researcher will use a purposive sampling method (one of nonprobability sampling techniques); that is, the researcher relies on his or her expert judgment to select a typical sample of the population (Gay et al., 2009; Singleton Straits, 2005). This is also because each participant is believed to be thoughtful, informative, articulate, and experienced with the area of research topic (Gay et al., 2009, p. 135). Therefore, the researcher will use homogenous sampling which is selecting participants who are very similar in experience, perspective, or outlook; this produces a narrow, homogeneous sample and makes data collection and analysis simple (Gay et al., 2009, p. 137). As indicated above, the participants are ex-students who graduated with a civil engineering degree in the academic years 2011-2012, and they are currently employees holding various positions at different companies. Thus, the researcher can purposefully access the participants in order to get the deep understanding of their opinions about the quality and relevance of their study program of civil engineering and the needs of knowledge and skills from the employers. As the purpose and importance are clearly explained by the researcher, the participants will be asked to volunteer in the research study. With this regard, they are believed to have a deep understanding of the relevance of their study programs to their current jobs. With the purposive selection of a group of graduates with a civil engineering degree in years 2011-2012, the participants with their current jobs are strongly believed to be best for the research topic. The researcher hopes that the participants will be able to give the truths about their study program relevance to the needs of employers. However, the limitation of this selection method will not be able to make a wide generalization of the whole population of the school because a number of participants will be small and limited to the field of engineering (Gay et al., 2009; Berg, 2009). Data Collection Methods The survey research method is sometimes used by many schools in order to get feedback from graduates, and it can be an excellent tool for measuring opinions and orientations in large populations (Rubin Babbie, 2011). With the purpose of getting the views of undergraduates about the relevance of their study program to the needs of employers, the following research methods will be used in order to gather important data from the field. Questionnaires. A questionnaire method is widely useful to many researchers in both the private and public sectors because questionnaires can conveniently be given or sent to relevant individuals to answer or complete a number of questions, and respondents are asked to return questionnaires (Kothari, 2004; Singleton et al., 2005). They are convenient because questionnaires can easily be offered to the respondents, and the respondents can answer the questions on their own when they have enough time to complete the whole questionnaires. Many researchers have also used the questionnaire method because questionnaires are low-cost, accessible to larger participants, extensively geographic, and free from bias from researchers (Kothari, 2004; Creswell, 2009). Kothari (2004) and Gay et al. (2009) showed that a survey is a vehicle for collecting data describing one or more characteristics of a specific population by asking members a series of questions using questionnaire forms. In spite of the wide use of questionnaires, Kothari (2004) pointed out the main limitations of using questionnaires as follows: (a) low rate of return of the duly filled in questionnaires and bias due to no-response is often indeterminate; (b) it can be used only when respondents are educated and cooperating; (c) the control over questionnaire may be lost once it is sent; (d) there is inbuilt inflexibility because of the difficulty of amending the approach once questionnaires have been dispatched; (e) there is also the possibility of ambiguous replies or omission of replies altogether to certain questions; interpretation of omissions is difficult; (f) it is difficult to know whether willing respondents are truly representative; and (g) this method is likely to be the slowest of all (p. 101). In light of the above reasons, the researcher will carefully prepare the general form, the question sequence, and question formulation and words in the structured questionnaires as the researcher is not experienced with the use the survey questionnaires (Kothari, 2004). In the questionnaires, the researcher will focus on the following points: demographic data, the quality of study programs, the relevance of the study programs to the jobs, and the participants perceptions of their jobs in terms of study programs. These points will help the researcher to answer the research questions about understanding the perceptions of undergraduates about the relevance of their study programs to their current jobs. With help of a lecturer from Civil Engineering Department and a list of graduates of civil engineering degree in years 2011-2012, the researcher will contact graduates through phone calls and emails in order for volunteering for answering and completing the questionnaires. According to Gay et al. (2009), the sample size for survey research is common between 10% and 20% of the whole population because the population of this research is about 250. However, the researcher will ask 120 graduates who have jobs, and they will be given questionnaires to voluntarily answer and complete the questionnaires with their honesty and kindness in case that some of respondents will not return questionnaires. The participants themselves will administer the questionnaires. Nonetheless, an explanation of some questions will help the participants answer with clarity and accuracy. The questionnaires will be written in Khmer language that all the participants can fully understand and answer those questions clearly. Individual interviews. After the researcher uses the questionnaire method, the researcher will employ the interview method that is another alternative to collect data survey. The interview method involves presentation of oral-verbal stimuli and reply in terms of oral-verbal responses (Kothari, 2004; Rubin Babbie, 2011). Furthermore, it is a tool that allows the researcher to flexibly move beyond the line of question, and it is helpful if the participants can be observed directly, and allows the participants to give more information (Creswell, 2009). With the analysis of the questionnaire results to find out the main themes of responses, the researcher can identify who the participants are for personal interviews in the second step of the research. Thus eight participants will be carefully selected through the results of questionnaires. They are representatives for civil engineering graduates because they are believed to answer the questionnaire questions accurately and have a deep understanding of the relevance of their study programs to their current jobs. Time for each participant to be interviewed will be during time break in order to avoid work interruptions. The interview method can be structured, unstructured, or semi-structured, as to allow the flexibility of questions and answers in order to fully understand graduates perceptions on the curriculum relevance to their current jobs (Williman, 2011). However, the researcher will choose to conduct the personal interview with a small number of graduates with a structured interview model. This is because the research has less experience in the research field. On the other hand, the researcher will gain a clear understanding of information from respondents when respondents understand the purpose of the interview (Kothari, 2004). Despite the advantages of using the method to go beyond simple responses from the participants, there are the limitations of this method (e.g., indirect information filtered by the views of participants, information is gathered in an arranged site rather than in a natural setting, the presence of the researcher which can bias responses, and not all the participants having equal thoughts, feelings and understanding of the same questions and topics) (Creswell, 2009). Similarly, Okojie, Okojie-Boulder and Boulder (n.d.) also added that a limitation of this method is that it can be time consuming and the truth of participant responses will be limited. Therefore, the role and art of the researcher is vital in using the method when the in-depth interviews are the key to get a full understanding of the research topic (Berg, 2009; Creswell, 2009). Ethical Considerations There will be ethical problems in research when the research deals with humans. As Williman (2001) stated that there are two aspects of ethical issues in