Portfolio of Work Completed in Harbin Bank Term Paper

Portfolio of Work Completed in Harbin Bank - Term Paper Example Additionally, the banker’s magazine of china ranks Harbin bank at position 9 among the companies that trade with assets of more than 80 billion Yuan in the whole country. Harbin bank’s mission statement is â€Å"to create profits to her shareholders, make customers get more value, make the employees have hope in their future and also create wealth to the society†. This is in line with her philosophy of â€Å"inclusive finance and harmoniously getting rich†. Being based in the Northeast of China, Harbin bank is geared to supporting the SME’s and also in creating an international micro credit bank which is renowned. Harbin bank made a wise decision to offer loans to small and medium size enterprises (SME’s) since 2004 and the shifting of the focus to the SME’s has solved the financial problems of the SME’s. Harbin bank’s small loans are classified into four main parts, namely, loans for farmers, loans for small enterprises, loans for personal consumption, and loans for micro-enterprises. According to the banks financial statement, by the end of 2009, the small loan bank balance was 18.933 billion Yuan. This accounted for 60% of the bank’s total credit asset. ... The focus of my work specifically was in issuing of loans to the small and the medium sized enterprises. As part of the orientation to the company and to renaissance myself to the processes in the bank, the manager assigned one of the employees who was knowledgeable and very familiar with the processes of lending of the money to help me with most of the work. After some time, with the assistance I got from her, I got the whole idea and came to learn the whole process of issuing of the loans. This improved the rest of my working days with the bank. The initial step in the process of lending was communication between the customer with the bank. Moreover, the company which needs the money need to have a meeting with the bank for the purpose of sharing information between the bank and the company. The information arrives at a common agreement on the laid down conditions between the two parties. During this process we ask questions concerning the condition of the company. For instance, ho w much they need, their plans for the loan, the number of creditors and the number of the debtors and the collateral they plan to pledge. After analyzing their application and their documents, we give them information on how much the bank is willing and capable of lending them and their required payback amount. If the two parties strike a common ground in the negotiation table then, we ask the company to prepare materials for the bank to process the loan. The documents we always request to be provided are supposed to be original and their copies and they include company ownership documents, licenses of the business, loan application, financial report capital verification report, tax registration certificate among others.

Peoples behavior Essay Example for Free

Peoples behavior Essay Whenever I encounter any person from another culture, I am often struck by how much that person represents and is different from the idea I have of that culture. Particularly if the idea I have of that culture’s person is seen from his perspective. A recent conversation with a student of Japanese ancestry highlighted to me this realization. When I first saw him, I assumed that he would speak English with an accent or with some difficulty. To my surprise, it turned out that he was a native English speaker having been born in the United States. Sharing the experience with a friend, she related to me that one of her acquaintances who was born in Hong Kong who had difficulty with being understood in English because of a difference in accent despite having English as a first language. These incidents are prime examples of how cultural stereotypes. Considering the number of foreign students alone, many universities and other social institutions should be developing the competencies to accommodate their communication and cultural assimilation needs. Like in the article written by Brink Lindsey in 2007 titled The Culture Gap for the Cato Institute, culture, statistically and in practice, is an issue that is asserting itself significantly. Without these measures, many people are liable to have negative experiences associated with cultural difference which can motivate them to be ashamed or defensive about their heritage. Having had my own positive and negative experience in being associated with my culture, I know first hand the need to understand culture on an individual level. It has been very helful too that my recent experience with other cultures has been positive and has allowed me to constructively learn from the experience. Had it been otehrwiese, I can easily see myself to develop negative concepts regarding Japanese or Chinese cultures since I believe in positive reinforcement. More than anything else, communication ad technology is creating new dimensions to cultural exposure and exchange. Many of the stereotypes we have of cultures is being challenged not so much because of changes in these cultures itself. Even more importantly, I realize that my culture influences what I see in other in the same way that other peoples cultural backgrounds influence what they see in me.

Graduation Speech: Its Been Fun :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Hello students, faculty, members of the school board, Superintendent, and parents. When I was first told that I was going to be the speaker for graduation, I was overcome. I was overcome with pride and excitement, as I'm sure we all are today as we close this chapter on our lives, but most of all, I was overcome with a feeling. A feeling that I have fooled you all into electing a Canadian to speak on this very important occasion. (Canadian Accent) I bet about now, you are all finally realizing just what it is you've done, eh? But it's too late, eh? I can't be stopped.... (Drape Canadian flag over top of podium) The rich history of Canada is a very long and interesting one. One that begins in the early years of. ...(Trail off and give a moment of thought)" **remove flag" or better yet have someone do it for you.) Seriously though, after I got over my initial reaction, I realized that this was going to be a very difficult undertaking. So I did what any teen-age boy would do in a similar situation. I turn to my friends! I received two pieces of advice that not only helped me with the situation at hand, but I feel will be the predominant source of motivation for the next big step in my life and everything that follows thereafter. These two pieces of advice were. (Hold up palms with numbers inked on them) No. 1: Don't Screw up! No. 2: Be Funny! Obviously after these two gems of advice, I was prepared to write a stunning and powerful speech that will remain with every one of us till the day we die. Or at least until one of the real speakers come up here and says something meaningful. It's hard to believe that we'll all be leaving this place finally. It is even harder to believe that from now on, we're going to pretty much have to fend for ourselves. I think that whether we know it or not, we've gained a lot of the tools that we'll need to make it out there, right here at Welch. Personally, I've learned some of the most important messages of my life within these hallowed halls. I've learned that it's important to walk the road less traveled, because after a while, running down freshman in the packed hallways just loses some of its appeal.

Compare and Contrast Europe and Africa Essay -- Politics Political Eco

Europe and Africa have been linked together in evaluating the state formation process. Both regions have similarities, strengths, weaknesses, and room for improvement. To this day both regions are far from perfect. Some light can be shed on this subject, by evaluating Europe and Africa’s state formation process, evaluating what party benefits, and briefly explaining two economic consequences of European colonialism in Africa. Problems began for Africa when there was the â€Å"scramble for Africa. Africa was extremely divided throughout the continent. There was no nation intact. Even though they were divided into colonies, they still had no sovereignty. Since they had no form of nationalism it made it impossible to succeed as a nation. This really hurt Africa economically. If they would have been able to come together as a nation they could have pulled all of their assets together and exploit them in order to make money. By not doing this it allowed the government to exploit the people. This is why there are starving people in Africa on television. The states of Africa were created in order to make money by exporting all the various resources, whether it was slaves, minerals, or agriculture. There was much to gain by owning a chunk of land in Africa. This reason being because Africa is so rich in their resources for trade. After the race was over it left Africa severely divided. Africa was divided into a series of seven colonial empires. France and Britain had the... Compare and Contrast Europe and Africa Essay -- Politics Political Eco Europe and Africa have been linked together in evaluating the state formation process. Both regions have similarities, strengths, weaknesses, and room for improvement. To this day both regions are far from perfect. Some light can be shed on this subject, by evaluating Europe and Africa’s state formation process, evaluating what party benefits, and briefly explaining two economic consequences of European colonialism in Africa. Problems began for Africa when there was the â€Å"scramble for Africa. Africa was extremely divided throughout the continent. There was no nation intact. Even though they were divided into colonies, they still had no sovereignty. Since they had no form of nationalism it made it impossible to succeed as a nation. This really hurt Africa economically. If they would have been able to come together as a nation they could have pulled all of their assets together and exploit them in order to make money. By not doing this it allowed the government to exploit the people. This is why there are starving people in Africa on television. The states of Africa were created in order to make money by exporting all the various resources, whether it was slaves, minerals, or agriculture. There was much to gain by owning a chunk of land in Africa. This reason being because Africa is so rich in their resources for trade. After the race was over it left Africa severely divided. Africa was divided into a series of seven colonial empires. France and Britain had the...

Shc 32 1.1

When l arrive to my work place the first thing l do is to make sure the kitchen area is clear from hazards and safe for children to have breakfast. Then I go to the playroom (where l mainly work) and check the room for any unsafe items. Then l put some toys out. (Depending on the children on that day) When the children and parents/carers start arriving l am there to open the door and welcome them in and talk to them and comfort some children if they are unsettled. If there is a few arrivals at the same time l call a member staff for help. write the time they arrive on the register. Once all the children are in l play with them, talk to them and listen to them and make sure that they are happy and safe. The children have snack at mid-morning so my job is helping them with washing/drying their hands and preparing the snack and supervising them when eating. After snack we have play/craft times where l usually work with another member of staff and have fun and explore with the children. I implement the planned activities for that day.Before lunch time l help them with washing their hands for lunch and again supervise them when eating. If there are children that need to sleep after lunch l get the rooms ready and check the rooms and make sure that they are safe. If there is something suspicious/seems unsafe l talk to my manager immediately. When the children are asleep l go into their rooms every 10 minutes and check them if they are fine and write it down on the register so all the staff can see if need to.In the afternoons parents/carers come to pick up their children and l am there to let them in and talk to them about how their child/children has been in the day. (if the parents/carers have got time l like having a nice chat about their children) as l think it is very important that we share things and work together. But if parents/carers don’t have time or can not talk at that time it will be a brief discussion) When all the children have gone l briefly talk to my manager and reflect about how the day was and if there is any messages to pass on from parents/carers.

Crash from a Psychological Perspective Essay Example

Crash from a Psychological Perspective Essay Example Crash from a Psychological Perspective Paper Crash from a Psychological Perspective Paper Essay Topic: Film In the film Crash we are given a picture of all different kinds of social and multicultural differences, giving us an eye opening example of how these conducts and racisms affect our society. Two of the most obvious biases within the film are prejudice and stereotyping. These behaviors are viewed as thoughts and feelings that almost everyone has felt at some point. In the first scene we meet a Muslim man, attempting to buy a gun. The store owner is a Caucasian male that has a negative attitude towards the customer because of his Muslim background. The owners stereotypical feelings set off negative attitudes because of the bad feelings he had about the Muslim race; being immediately associated with the Al Qaeda terrorist group of 9/11. The negative attitude and hostility observed in this particular scene, is an example of prejudice. Although it has always existed in humanity, most would assume it would have fizzled out by the 21st century because we are now better educated and informed in understanding that one groups actions should not be stereotyped to the entire race. Unfortunately in this film, it does the complete opposite and shows our stereotyping by appearance attitude. Crash was made to intentionally show biased prejudices against minorities. Latinos are shown to be gang bangers; for example the depiction of Daniel the locksmith (Michael Pena); the wife of the D. A Jean Cabot (Sandra Bullock) insists on having the locks changed when Daniel leaves as she believes he is a (gang banger, with prison tattoos). Blacks either become gun-toting criminals as Anthony (Chris Ludacris Bridges) and his side- kick Peter Waters (Larenz Tate) are depicted as or are righteous upper class characters such as Cameron (Terrance Howard. Asians become greedy smugglers, and whites oversee this chaos with arrogance and bigotry. This is shown in the depiction of the two white police officers, Officer John Ryan (Matt Dillon) and Officer Tom Hansen (Ryan Phillippe). A more current representation is shown in the character of Farhad (Shaun Toub); Middle Easterners are depicted as stubborn, confused convenience store owners. Toubs character may reflect the current Middle Eastern stereotype caused by the aftermath of 9/11. This current representation is revealed when we see Farhad shoot a gun at a small child, many other guns are raised by characters of ethnic origin, but Farhad who is mistaken for being Iraqi (when he is actually Persian) is the only character to attempt murder. The only character that I believe shows us a true alternative to race negativity is the character of Daniel (Michael Pena). Daniel is mistaken to be a gang member because of his appearance (having a shaved head and prison tattoos) but he the movie then shows him in a more positive light as a father who is working hard to provide and protect his wife and young daughter. The alternative stereotype of an African American is offered in Crash through the characters of Christine and Cameron. Educated, successful and well off African American citizens, however after an unwarranted police stop, Christine is enraged by her husbands refusal to intervene when white cop Ryan takes frisking too far. She criticizes him for what she sees as a cowardly, he insists he acted the only way he could, that when a white man has power there is no way to win, so you do what you can to survive. This is a perfect example of the White Privilege that weve discussed in class. This exploitation of African Americans at the hand of white people would imply that racism is mostly institutional; however the thought behind the movie suggests that discrimination and racist attitudes are down to the people who enable it; for example Officer Ryan verbally abuses Shaniqua (Loretta Devine); a black case manager at an insurance company. She takes Ryans racism with dignity as he unloads his frustration with the insurance companys rules about his fathers care onto her. She seems to be a more reasonable character in the film. However this is short lived, in a key point at the end of the film. Shaniqua has a car crash were an Asian woman rear-ends Shaniquas car. She then emerges from her car shouting dont talk to me unless you speak American. The LAPD is represented by two characters and from two different perspectives. One perspective is from that of Officer Ryan. In contrast to his previous wrong doings, Ryan finds himself at the scene of a car crash where Christine the woman who he previously sexually attacked is in a life threatening situation. Ryan now challenges his previous stereotype and puts his own life in danger to rescue Christine, even after she hysterically rejects his help. Hanson in contrast to Ryan is compassionate and idealistic. Hanson tries to prevent the incident between Officer Ryan and Christine and throughout the film he tries to uphold his morals, he is the character who is most committed to racial justice but unfortunately at the end of the movie Hansons fear defeats justice and he shoots an innocent African American man. Officer Hanson later realizes that he holds a deep-rooted psychological racism within his consciousness; I believe Hanson is a good example of how many of us judge by appearances. As far as personal experience, living in Milwaukee, as a non-African American working at a runaway shelter for 75% African American teens makes it easier to have an insight into all kinds of prejudice and stereotypes within the African American society. After learning about this behavior and experiencing how segregation can really feel for some, its hard to not feel negatively judged by others when you dont belong to the majority group. Ive also realized my own negative biases and stereotypes when I am part of the majority. Unfortunately, prejudice is not just an attitude that internal; it also impacts behavior. When our attitudes show negativity because of differences within people whether its skin color or culture; the result produced is usually discrimination and the social inequality caused by it. Therefore, we in our efforts to reduce prejudice need to take the social context into consideration when focusing on individuals attitudes. The movie Crash illustrates the different points of view of people in our society; it gives us insights into the stereotypes we have developed within our society and around the world. It helps us to understand how such a small stereotype and negative attitude can really affect someone in several diverse ways. We need to learn to control prejudice and the stereotypes we hold against other groups, since these are our own attitudes and feelings that are learned and not innate we can teach ourselves to get rid of these negatives behaviors by not being judgmental and not having negative biases towards others. The key to changing stereotypes and prejudice is the responsibility of us as individuals. Each of us needs to take a better look at the assumptions that we make about other people and ask ourselves where those assumptions come from. Are they based on facts or personal experiences with others? Are your assumptions formed by things you have heard from others? Learned from the TV or media? Learned in school or from parents? Is it likely that some of your negative images are wrong; at least for some people? More often than not, the answer to that last question is likely to be yes. Most groups have moderates and extremists, trying to get to know people as individuals instead of generalizing the whole group will trim down on the stereotypes you hold against others, and it is also likely to reduce the stereotypes others hold of us. On a day-to-day basis we will be faced with reactions; it is how we interpret the situation and our actions in response to those reactions that will shadow our perception of daily life.

Mesopotamian Civilization

Mesopotamian Civilization Introduction The word Mesopotamia is derived from an ancient Greek work, which translates to â€Å"(land) between rivers.† The earliest known usage of the term has been recorded to be in the second century when it was used to refer to the land that sits on the east of the Euphrates River in Syria.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mesopotamian Civilization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This was coined by Anabasis Alexandri. It was not until much later when the name Mesopotamia was used to refer to the whole region that lies between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. Mesopotamia lay in what is today known as Syria, Iraq, and Turkey. The region can be further divided into two regions. The Northern Mesopotamia is also referred to as Jezirah and is the land that lies between the two rivers from their sources down to Baghdad (Heine and Nissen 45). The history of the region can be traced to the rise of urban societie s throughout the Ubaid period, which occurred around 5300BC. Mesopotamia can also be found in the history of the Ancient Near East beginning in the lower Paleolithic period. The Ancient Near East is suspected to have collapsed after the arrival of the Achaemenid Empire. This was during the late 6th century and some researchers say it happened during the Conquest of Mesopotamia by the Arabs. Some of the world’s most advanced states in the ancients times can be found in the Mesopotamian region. Mesopotamia is famous for being one of the regions where writing was invented and advanced. The other places include the Nile valley and the Yellow River Valley. The greatest cities that were ever built in Mesopotamia include Nippur, Uruk and Babylon. The other states that lay on the outskirts and territory of Mesopotamia include Ma-aesesblu. Several dynasties were formed in Mesopotamia and included Ur Kingdom, Akkadian Dynasty and the Assyrian Empire. Mesopotamia also saw great leaders emerge from the cities and states.Advertising Looking for essay on ancient history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They included Hammurabi, Sargon and Ashur-Uballit II who was instrumental in setting up the Assyrian Empire (Fiero 110). The history of this great land can be traced through looking at the history of different people who occupied it who included the Sumerians, the Akkadians, the Amorites, the Hitites, the Kassites, the Assyrians, and the Chaldeans (Kramer 75). The Sumerian: They reigned from 3500-1800 B.C. The Sumerians are among the first and earliest civilization in Mesopotamia and are suspected to have built the civilization around 3000 BC when they began building large city-states. Besides running the cities, the natives were involved in conquering and controlling the large areas around them. Some of these city-states included Ur, Lagash, and Eridu. The Sumerians were a warring people and fought amo ng themselves and with other people for control of watering holes. The wars led to people building large city-states which were used later to conquer the smaller ones. When the Sumerians went to war with the Akkadians they eventually lost control of their city-states, which were now being controlled by the Akkadian empire from, Akkad, a city that would later become Babylon. In 2125, the Sumerians residing in the city of Ur fought the Akkadians and took control of the city-states in the southern Mesopotamia region (Kramer 98). One the greatest thing from this period is the invention of writing. The early writing was done through use of pictograms and rough sketches of the words they were supposed to represent. They used to do their writing on wet clay using reeds as the writing instrument and this was effective in storage of information. The Sumerians also invented some of the earliest application of mathematics including abstract mathematics. They are also accredited for being the i nventors of astrology, where they tried to learn about the heaven as they sought answers regarding their gods. The most important creation from the Sumerian is considered to the law. Although not much is known about the Sumerian law scholars are for the opinion that the Code of Hammurabi, which was written by the Babylonian monarch, gives us a peek into how the Sumerian law was like.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Mesopotamian Civilization specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The Hammurabi code as used in the law exacts that revenge should be used when solving of cases. This is also known as the lex talionis law that governs that that you should reciprocate therefore, an eye for an eye. The law also recognized class distinction and people were judged according to the class they came from. The laws set marked a basis for many of the following Semitic conquerors including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. The Akkadians: they reigned from 2340-2125 B.C. The history of the Akkadians before they conquered the Sumerians is not well known though they are known to have migrated to the North. In the year 2340, the Akkadian built their empire under the leadership of Sargon. The capital city they built, Akkad, was later renamed to Babylon by those who conquered it later. The city was used as a commercial hub in the Mediterranean region and was used for close to 200 years for this purpose. The Akkadian empire under the leadership of Sargon was short lived because in 2125, the Sumerians in the city of Ur revolted against his rule and set pace for the renewal of other Sumerian cities (Heine and Nissen 89). The Amorites reigned from 1800 to1530 B.C. When the Sumeriam kingdom fell, Mesopotamia witnessed many battles that lasted for almost a century until the Amorites grouped and formed a Kingdom that had a centralized form of government. They based the capital of the government in the city of Babylon and this g ives the Amorites the name Old Babylonians (Heine and Nissen 110). The Amorite dynasty lasted from 1900 to 1600 BC and it is referred to as the Old Babylonian period. In this period, the Old Babylonians believed that the monarch was a god and his word was the law. The all-powerful monarch devised new ways of administering the states and the resources. He introduced taxation and involuntary military service. The greatest achievement made by the Amorites was centralization, unlike the Sumerian empire that had many autonomous and independent city-states the Old Babylonian was ruled from Babylon and consisted of several cities.Advertising Looking for essay on ancient history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More To achieve control and dominance of these cities the monarch took away the power and autonomy of most of them. The Amorites also adopted the code of Hammurabi and most of the crimes in the empire were punishable by death. The Amorites believed in many gods and took Marduk as the most powerful of all the gods (Somervill 156). The Hitites: they reigned from 1600 to 717 B.C. The Hitites are not known from where they came from but their empire was spread out across Mesopotamia to Palestine and Syria. The invasion of the Hitites marked the end of the Amorite dynasty and like those before them; they adopted the ways and culture of the natives thus continuing the heritage and tradition of the Sumerians. The empire is cited to have been greatest between 1600 and 1200 BC and even during the invasion of by the Assyrians in 1300 BC, most of the Hitites cities grew independently until 717 BC when they were finally occupied by the Assyrians and other enemies. The Hitites were traders and are res ponsible for spreading Mesopotamian law thought, political structure etc to the rest of the Mediterranean (Somervill 162). The Kassites: 1530-1170 B.C. The Hitites were among the most successful Indo-European invaders to conquer Mesopotamia, but their rule did not last long. When the Kassites conquered and controlled Mesopotamia, they renamed the Babylon city to Karanduniash. They set the capital city of their empire in a new city they built known as Dorkurigalzu. During the reign of the empire, the Mesopotamia region witnessed many wars and this attributed to the short life of the Kassites Empire. The Kassites are referred to as barbarians and savages by the Assyrians who would later conquer them (Somervill 82). The Assyrians: Their Reign was from 1170 to 612 B.C. The Assyrians are depicted in most of the history of Mesopotamia as being ruled rather than ruling. They tried to create their own empire under the rule of Shamshi-Adad though this was short lived after the dream was cras hed by Hammurabi. Control of the Assyrian cities over the centuries changed hands from the Assyrians and the southern people. The various times the region was under the rule of the Assyrians includes 1235-1198 BC under Tukulti-Ninurta, 116-1090 BC under Tiglat-Pileser, 883-824 under Ashurnarziparl II and Shalmeneser III who spread the reach of the kingdom to Syria and Babylon. It is also during the reign of this dynasty that saw the Jewish diaspora when Sargon II (721-705 BC), deported the Jews after conquering Israel. The Assyrian empire was built through wars, invasions, and conquests. The empire is accredited with innovation in the mathematics field. They were also the first to apply longitudes and latitude in geographical maps (Somervill 62). The Chaldeans: Also Known As Neo Babylon from reigned from 612 to 539 BC They are the last people who are Semites to rule Mesopotamia after the Assyrian Kingdom fell. After much suffering in the hands of the Assyrians Babylon revolted again st them and they burnt down the capital city of the Assyrian empire Nineveh. The leader of the Babylonians was Nabopolassar and was succeeded by Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC) who protected his empire from being conquered by the Egyptians and Syria. Under Nebuchadnezzar the capital city Babylon was rebuilt and upon its completion, it was the most splendid city in the Middle East. The whole period the empire was under the Babylonian there were many wars and this resulted to the empire ending in 555 BC after the rule of the empire fell to a king who was loyal to the Assyrians. He defiled Marduk the Babylonian god and this resulted to the priests welcoming the occupation of the region by Cyrus the Conqueror of Persia. This marked the end of the region dominance by the Semites (Heine and Nissen 120). Fiero, Gloria. Landmarks in Humanities. Boston : McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2009. Print. Heine, Peter and Nissen, Hans. From Mesopotamia to Iraq: a concise history. The University of Ch icago Press, 2009. Print. Kramer, Samuel. The Sumerians: their history, culture, and character. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1963. Print. Somervill, Barbara. Empires of Ancient Mesopotamia: Great Empires of the Past. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. Print.

About the US Federal Privacy Act

About the US Federal Privacy Act The Privacy Act of 1974 is intended to protect Americans against invasions of their personal privacy through the misuse of information about them collected and maintained by the federal government agencies. The Privacy Act controls what information can be legally collected and how that information is collected, maintained, used, and disseminated by the agencies in the executive branch of the federal government. Only information stored in a â€Å"system of records† as defined by the Privacy Act are covered. As defined in the Privacy Act, a system of records is â€Å"a group of any records under the control of any agency from which information is retrieved by the name of the individual or by some identifying number, symbol, or other identifying particular assigned to the individual.† Your Rights Under the Privacy Act The Privacy Act guarantees Americans three primary rights. These are: The right to see the records about them held by the government, subject to Privacy Act exemptions;The right to request that the records be changed to ensure that they are accurate, relevant, timely or complete; andThe right to be protected against unwarranted or illegal invasions of their privacy resulting from the collection, maintenance, use, and disclosure of their personal information. Where the Information Comes From It is a rare individual who has managed to keep at least some of their personal information from being stored in a government database. Doing just about anything will get your name and numbers recorded. Here are just few examples: Getting a Social Security cardGetting a paycheckFiling a tax returnRegistering for the draftServing in the militaryApplying for Social Security or other federal benefitsWorking or contracting for the federal government Information You Can Request The Privacy Act does not apply to all government information or agencies. Only executive branch agencies fall under the Privacy Act. In addition, you may only request information or records that can be retrieved by your name, Social Security Number, or some other personal identifier. For example: You cannot request information regarding your participation in a private club or organization unless the agency indexes and can retrieve the information by your name or other personal identifiers. As with the Freedom of Information Act, the agencies can withhold certain information exempted under the Privacy Act. Examples include information concerning national security or criminal investigations. Another commonly used Privacy Act exemption protects records that might identify an agencys source of confidential information. For Example: If you apply for a job in the CIA, you would probably not be allowed to find out the names of people the CIA interviewed in regard to your background. Exemptions and requirements of the Privacy Act are more complicated than those of the Freedom of Information Act. You should seek legal assistance if necessary. How to Request Privacy Information Under the Privacy Act, all U.S. citizens and aliens with legal permanent residence (green card) status are allowed to request personal information held on them. As with Freedom of Information Act requests, each agency handles its own Privacy Act requests. Each agency has a Privacy Act Officer, whose office should be contacted for Privacy Act information requests. The agencies are required to at least tell you whether they have information on you or not. Most federal agencies also have links to their specific Privacy and FOIA Act instructions on their websites. This information will tell you what types of data the agency collects on individuals, why they need it, what they do with it, and how you can get it. While some agencies may allow for Privacy Act requests to be made online, requests can also be made by regular mail. Send a letter addressed to the Privacy Officer or agency head. To speed handling, clearly mark Privacy Act Request on both the letter and the front of the envelope. Heres a sample letter: DatePrivacy Act RequestAgency Privacy or FOIA Officer [or Agency Head]Name of Agency or Component|AddressDear ____________:Under the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552, and the Privacy Act, 5 U.S.C. subsection 552a, I am requesting access to [identify the information you want in complete detail and state why you believe the agency has the information about you.]If there are any fees for searching or copying these records, please inform me before filling my request. [or, Please send me the records without informing me of the cost unless the fees exceed $______, which I agree to pay.]If you deny any or all of this request, please cite each specific exemption you feel justifies the refusal to release the information and notify me of appeal procedures available to me under the law.[Optionally: If you have any questions about this request, you may contact me by telephone at ______ (home phone) or _______ (office phone).]Sincerely,NameAddress What Will it Cost The Privacy Act allows agencies to charge no more than their costs for copying the information for you. They cannot charge for researching your request. How Long it Will Take? The Privacy Act places no time limits on the agencies to respond to information requests. Most agencies try to respond within 10 working days. If you have not received a reply within a month, send the request again and enclose a copy of your original request. What to Do if the Information is Wrong If you think the information the agency has on you is wrong and should be changed, write a letter addressed to the agency official who sent the information to you. Include the exact changes you think should be made along with any documentation you have that backs up your claim. Agencies have 10 working days to notify you of receipt of your request and to inform you if they need further proof or details of the changes from you. If the agency grants you request, they will inform you of exactly what they will do to amend the records. What to Do if Your Request is Denied If the agency denies your Privacy Act request (either to supply or change information), they will advise you in writing of their appeal process. You can also take your case to federal court and be awarded court costs and attorneys fees if you win.

Expanding our Business into Canada Research Paper

Expanding our Business into Canada - Research Paper Example While doing business in Canada and one wants to import any goods, the Canada Border Services Agency (2010) advices that, before importing any goods to Canada, one must be in possession of a business number from the Canada Revenue Agency for an export account. Also, one must have a clear knowledge of the goods that he/she wants to import and from which country the goods are manufactured. The goods must also no belong to some of those restricted to enter the country. Moreover, the tariff classification, rates of duties and tax charged on imports are a major consideration when it comes to importing of goods to Canada. According to the guideline on doing business in Canada (HLB Canada 2008), for one to expand his business in Canada, there are a number of things that must be considered and put in place. These issues include; for instance, if one wants to start a business in certain province in Canada, â€Å"he needs to register his business as an extra- provincial corporation in that pro vince† (DBC 2008). In addition, all the procedures must be followed to the later. First of all, for a company which seeks to expand its business in Canada but already has an existing business in their country of origin, it can apply to go to Canada as business immigrant, however, there are three types of business immigrants, which include investors, entrepreneurs and self employed business immigrants. According to the citizenship and immigration Canada (2010), â€Å"business immigrants have to make a C$800,000 investment or own and manage business in Canada and must also meet certain experience.† For investors who seek to expand their businesses to Canada, they must be experienced in business, they should at least have a â€Å"minimum of c$1,600,000 net which must have been obtained genuinely, and they should also manage to make a c$800,000 investment† (CIC 2010). Nevertheless, business is considered as the main backbone of any country and so, being cautious when it comes to foreign investors is very important. Cultural factors The economics of the country as it relates to doing business there and business etiquette (how to be polite in that country when doing business, their customs and manners) In Canada, the main spoken languages are English and French, both of which are national languages. Canada is mainly associated with polite and tolerant people. Generally, the main form of greeting in Canada is by a form of a firm handshake which is inclusive of a smile and a direct eye contact (Gorrill, 2009); however, other forms of greetings may involve a light kiss on the left and right cheek. While invited by somebody for dinner, it is always a good gesture to carry a gift, which may include wine, flowers or chocolates. In the business etiquette, Canadians practice politeness at all times and they expect that others will adhere to politeness as well. In a business meeting, it is essential to shake everyone’s hand in the meeting room. Sur names and honorable titles are not commonly used in Canada, instead, academic titles are found more appealing such as Dr, Mr. or Mrs. In addition it is a custom to make sure that business cards are in both English and French languages for easier clarity for the two languages speaking citizens (Gorrill, 2009). If one wishes to conduct business in Canada, then he/she should be aware that Canadians communication is indirect. Non-verbal expressions are mainly used to emphasis on a

US COIN Campaigns in Philippines and Vietnam Research Paper

US COIN Campaigns in Philippines and Vietnam - Research Paper Example Finally, this paper will strive to highlight the lessons that US learnt from its past COIN campaigns in the form of two consecutive successes; one achieved in Iraq and the other in Afghanistan. Introduction Counterinsurgencies (COIN) are described as a common war tactic. Foe groups engaged in wars often use this particular tactic to identify and overcome insurgencies prior to their occurrence. The authoritative governmental military groups since time immemorial have organized COIN campaigns. However, its rudimental intention remains the same. COIN campaigns were majorly covered in H100 when the US Army used many tactics and strategies in Vietnam and the Philippines. Governmental forces took a considerable amount of time to frame winning strategies in the COIN campaigns in both cases. The focus on these COIN campaigns was to make devastating offensive operations to defeat the insurgency disclosed, develop cultural understandings with the foes and to apply competent intelligence in mit igating chances for future insurgency attacks. Nonetheless, the results obtained in both the COIN campaigns proved drastically different. Even though the COIN campaign against Filipino insurgencies was a success, the US Army failed to defeat Vietnamese insurgencies in H100 (Gentile, 2009). Certainly, there are certain aspects essential for framing COIN strategies and thus ensuring their overall success. For instance, a COIN strategy must include an in-depth understanding of the motives and the objectives of insurgencies along with cultural and religious aspects of both insurgents and local populace in a differentiated manner. It is vital that the COIN strategy complies with the legal aspects of performing a counterinsurgency. Correspondingly, governmental policies to...However, its rudimental intention remains the same. COIN campaigns were majorly covered in H100 when the US Army used many tactics and strategies in Vietnam and the Philippines. Governmental forces took a considerable amount of time to frame winning strategies in the COIN campaigns in both cases. The focus on these COIN campaigns was to make devastating offensive operations to defeat the insurgency disclosed, develop cultural understandings with the foes and to apply competent intelligence in mitigating chances for future insurgency attacks. Nonetheless, the results obtained in both the COIN campaigns proved drastically different. Even though the COIN campaign against Filipino insurgencies was a success, the US Army failed to defeat Vietnamese insurgencies in H100 (Gentile, 2009). Certainly, there are certain aspects essential for framing COIN strategies and thus ensuring their overall success. For instance, a COIN strategy must include an in-depth understanding of the motives and the objectives of insurgencies along with cultural and religious aspects of both insurgents and local populace in a differentiated manner. It is vital that the COIN strategy complies with the legal aspects of performing a counterinsurgency. Correspondingly, governmental policies to combat insurgencies with effective COIN campaigns also play an essential role (Corum, 2007).

Marine pollotion in central New South Wales estuaries in australia Essay

Marine pollotion in central New South Wales estuaries in australia - Essay Example Preventive measures should be enacted to prevent pollution of the New South Wales estuaries as discussed in the essay. Marine pollution in Australia specifically in New South Wales estuaries An estuary is an enclosed water body having different streams flowing into it. It has an open connection to the sea. They are the most productive natural habitats in the world. This is because the inflow of both fresh water and seawater provides a high concentration of nutrients hence supporting marine life (Levinton, 2006:12). Estuaries are classified according to the water circulation patterns. Because of this, estuaries have different names that are inlets, harbors, bays, and lagoons (Wolanski & Mclusky, 2011:107). Many people live along the banks of the estuaries this has resulted to estuaries suffering pollution especially metals which greatly affect sea creatures. Other effects are soil erosion, overfishing, poor farming practices and excessive nutrients that are from sewage and animals was te. Estuaries of New South Wales are the places of transition. They are enclosed with an open connection to the sea. They vary in size and shape. It is an ecosystem to support different species (Wolanski & Mclusky, 2011:111). Estuaries are very important natural habitats. Research shows that 80% of the state’s population lives in areas surrounding estuaries (Mcclintock, 2003: 4). This has resulted to the pollution of the estuaries. They are relied as sources of tourism, commercial, recreation, and cultural areas. Due to the high population in New South Wales living in catchment surrounding estuaries, estuaries are subject to pressure because of the human activities. Apart from the human activities, natural events such as floods and storms accelerate the rate of sedimentation (Wolanski & Mclusky, 2011:127). Other effects include increased in nutrients due to the sewerage disposal, loss of habitat for the marine world life and biodiversity. Biodiversity is an ecosystem, which s upports a variety of plants and animals (Mcclintock, 2003: 23). The contamination rate in New South Wales is because of the increase in urbanization and industrialization. Industrialization activities realize harmful substances which pollute the ecosystem. In the 20th century estuaries, receive threat due to pollution and overfishing. The pollution is because of the high population living along the estuaries. Most of the pollutants are pesticides, plastics, and heavy metals (Mcclintock, 2003: 41). Due to the agricultural activities, land run-off greatly affects estuaries. The fertilizers used in agriculture pollute the estuaries thus affecting the sea creatures. Pollution results to depletion of oxygen due to the growth of algae (Wolanski & Mclusky, 2011:141). Depletion of oxygen results to creation of dead zones, which causes reduction of sea creatures. Marine pollution in Australia specifically in New South Wales is because of the urban and industrial activities. Industrialization pollutes estuaries greatly due to the waste materials that are channeled to the estuaries. The organic chemicals results to change in natural conditions in the water this is temperature, salinity, and levels of oxygen (Mcclintock, 2003: 67). The change in the natural condition of estuaries results to change in composition of the species. Some species of sea creatures cannot survive in high saline ecosystem. However, some have adaptation to support their survival in a saline

A literature review of gifted sutdents Dissertation

A literature review of gifted sutdents - Dissertation Example The paper tells that despite its wide usage, experts, scholars, academicians and scholars have yet not agreed on a single definition of the term â€Å"gifted†. In fact, they have even failed to develop a consensus on outlining a set of characteristics or behaviours relating to of giftedness, which is just another manifestation of the intensity to which this topic in debatable and undecided in educational, psychological, sociological, anthropological and other similar fields of study. Since the earliest human civilizations, the progress and accomplishments of humankind have been mainly dependent upon persons who have performed extraordinarily in their fields. These people have accounted for the bulk of accomplishments forcing the governments, administrations and local authorities to focus on exploring and developing to take charge of their respective fields. In fact, â€Å"as early as in the 2200 BC, evidence reveals that the Chinese authorities had developed a system of compe titive examinations for children to explore the gifted or extraordinary ones and groom them for taking the government positions in the later years. This fascination with giftedness remained there, in one form or the other, in Greek and Roman civilizations as well. However, it was Sir Francis Galton, a well-known scientist and researcher of the 19th century and the cousin of Charles Darwin, who used the term gifted for the first time in order to refer to people who showed exceptional and extraordinary talent in a particular field, such as a gifted writer or a gifted singer (Sternberg & Wilson, 2004, pp. 310). Furthermore, Galton also called the children who show the potential of becoming a gifted adult as gifted children. It was Lewis Terman, the guru of educational psychology and one the leadings American psychologists in the 20th century , who widened the scope of the research and provided some sort of platform and meaning to the term â€Å"gifted† (Sternberg, 2003, pp. 360) . Terman added the criteria of high IQ in order to determine the giftedness of any individual. The fact is that Terman was very much inspired with the ideas of Alfred Binet in this field that never became public because of his early death (Janos & Robinson, 1985, pp. 259). However, Alfred’s invention of the first useable IQ test gave the inspiration to Terman in order to look for and understand the students who have an IQ of 120 or more. In the 1920s, Terman selected almost 1500 students from different schools in California, which satisfied the IQ criteria. Over 1350 students out of this sample were white and a significant majority belonged from the upper and middle class families. The aim of Terman was to prove that most of the common stereotypes held about gifted children such as physically weak, socially misfit, unhealthy and others were incorrect (Treffinger & National Association for Gifted Children, 2004, pp. 145-149). After selecting the sample in 1920, Terman did seve n follow-ups with his â€Å"termites†, as he liked to call these gifted children. He followed the educational progress, interests, personalities, families and other related variables from their childhood to deep adulthood and found out that these gifted children were just as socially apt, physically strong, and tall and fit as others compared at their age. Even after the death of Terman, the study is still underway with many follow-ups by the students of Terman, making it longest running longitudinal study ever (Davis & Rimm, 1989, pp. 23-24; Sternberg, 2003, pp. 360). In addition, there have been some serious criticisms on this longest running longitudinal study. First, the sample that Terman selected in 1921 is highly unreliable and looking at the technique of

Properties of Materials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Properties of Materials - Essay Example There are two rules of thumb that have been given in comparing the density of materials i.e. titanium is nearly half the density of steel and that of aluminum is about one third the density of steel. Any heavy and weak material is considered bad but for a strong and light material is considered good. Stress and strain Stress has been described as the amount of force applied to a certain material divided by the cross sectional area of the material to the direction of the force. Strain properties, on the other hand, indicate how much a material lengthens under stress. Tensile and comprehensive strength The strength of a material can be measured by putting a material sample in a powerful materials testing machine, which pulls the materials apart and then records the force required to do so, plus the deformation to the material. Compression strength is determined by subjecting the material under pressure until it breaks i.e. heat, impact, et cetera. Tensile and compressive indicators are then recorded. These are good measure of how much impact the building materials can withstand without breaking if subjected to certain pressures (James, 2011, 35). Elastic and plastic deformation As explained in the stress strain diagrams above, elasticity and plastic deformation occurs prior and after application of a certain amount of stress on a certain material. In figure 2 above, below point A, we find that steel goes back to its original state hence it is elastic. Beyond point B, the steel cannot go back to its original length hence it is deformed or inelastic. Permanent elongation of a material is called plastic deformation. The same case applies to other building materials under different stress conditions. Below is the load deformation curve: Modulus of elasticity This is a coefficient which denotes the ratio of stress per unit area acting on, to cause deformation on a material to the resulting deformation therefrom. The elastic modulus, E, is usually determined after the compression tests are done on buildings. It differs in various types of materials for building. Elasticity modulus for steel is determined during manufacture while that of a concrete wall is calcula ted depending on the building dimensions. Task II Figure three: Graph of load against extension See the excel attachment Modulus of elasticity, E E = 2G(r+1) where G is the modulus of rigidity and r is the Poisson’s ratio. E= (F) (L1)/ (A) (L2) where F is the force or load, L1 is the original length of material (in this case mild steel), L2 is the amount the length changes on application of the load, A is the cross section area that the force is applied on the material. Area of the rod steel is given by the formula:, then A= 22/7* 12.52 = 491.07 mm2 E = {[50*195] / [491.07*0.09] + [100*195] / [491.07*0.19] + [150*195] / [491.07*0.29] + [160*195] / [491.07*0.34] + [165*195] / [491.07*0.46] + [170*195] / [491.07*0.78] + [180*195] / [491.07*0.84] + [190*195] / [491.07*0.91] + [200*195] / [491.07*0.98] + [210*195] / [491.07*1.07] + [220*195] / [491.07*1.24]

A literature review of gifted sutdents Dissertation

A literature review of gifted sutdents - Dissertation Example The paper tells that despite its wide usage, experts, scholars, academicians and scholars have yet not agreed on a single definition of the term â€Å"gifted†. In fact, they have even failed to develop a consensus on outlining a set of characteristics or behaviours relating to of giftedness, which is just another manifestation of the intensity to which this topic in debatable and undecided in educational, psychological, sociological, anthropological and other similar fields of study. Since the earliest human civilizations, the progress and accomplishments of humankind have been mainly dependent upon persons who have performed extraordinarily in their fields. These people have accounted for the bulk of accomplishments forcing the governments, administrations and local authorities to focus on exploring and developing to take charge of their respective fields. In fact, â€Å"as early as in the 2200 BC, evidence reveals that the Chinese authorities had developed a system of compe titive examinations for children to explore the gifted or extraordinary ones and groom them for taking the government positions in the later years. This fascination with giftedness remained there, in one form or the other, in Greek and Roman civilizations as well. However, it was Sir Francis Galton, a well-known scientist and researcher of the 19th century and the cousin of Charles Darwin, who used the term gifted for the first time in order to refer to people who showed exceptional and extraordinary talent in a particular field, such as a gifted writer or a gifted singer (Sternberg & Wilson, 2004, pp. 310). Furthermore, Galton also called the children who show the potential of becoming a gifted adult as gifted children. It was Lewis Terman, the guru of educational psychology and one the leadings American psychologists in the 20th century , who widened the scope of the research and provided some sort of platform and meaning to the term â€Å"gifted† (Sternberg, 2003, pp. 360) . Terman added the criteria of high IQ in order to determine the giftedness of any individual. The fact is that Terman was very much inspired with the ideas of Alfred Binet in this field that never became public because of his early death (Janos & Robinson, 1985, pp. 259). However, Alfred’s invention of the first useable IQ test gave the inspiration to Terman in order to look for and understand the students who have an IQ of 120 or more. In the 1920s, Terman selected almost 1500 students from different schools in California, which satisfied the IQ criteria. Over 1350 students out of this sample were white and a significant majority belonged from the upper and middle class families. The aim of Terman was to prove that most of the common stereotypes held about gifted children such as physically weak, socially misfit, unhealthy and others were incorrect (Treffinger & National Association for Gifted Children, 2004, pp. 145-149). After selecting the sample in 1920, Terman did seve n follow-ups with his â€Å"termites†, as he liked to call these gifted children. He followed the educational progress, interests, personalities, families and other related variables from their childhood to deep adulthood and found out that these gifted children were just as socially apt, physically strong, and tall and fit as others compared at their age. Even after the death of Terman, the study is still underway with many follow-ups by the students of Terman, making it longest running longitudinal study ever (Davis & Rimm, 1989, pp. 23-24; Sternberg, 2003, pp. 360). In addition, there have been some serious criticisms on this longest running longitudinal study. First, the sample that Terman selected in 1921 is highly unreliable and looking at the technique of

Self-Evaluation and Learning Needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Self-Evaluation and Learning Needs - Essay Example I was able to detect my learning needs through the novice to expert theory. I found out my weaknesses through consultation with fellow employees and patients. In addition, the self-analysis in my profession helped me in detecting my professional faults that need tightening. After the evaluation, I have learnt that knowledge and experiences are all around us; it takes a good deep look into our selves to tap it. Self-Evaluation and Learning Needs Assessment Learning needs assessment is the identification of gaps in knowledge, attributes and skills of a specific discipline that need improvement for proper delivery of services. This usually involves change of performance in order to improve quality. Learning needs assessment has been seen as a vital point for personal and professional development of all individual and organisations of all disciples. As a nurse who is a graduate of an associate degree program with a 20 years experience in medical-surgical nursing, I have felt a necessity to evaluate and identify my learning needs in order to become a better nurse. I developed an urge to evaluate myself during my experience as a nurse to level up with the best nursing services offered. With the evaluation of over 20 years, my pedigree of learning needs has been established for continuous professional development. ... This was normal for just from university or college student because, like Benner (2001) says in her book, being novice, like I was, meant I had no experience, the rules to nursing were context-free and were applied universally. Over the years though, I started gaining experience as an advanced beginner. I was then able to recognise recurring meaningful care components and started formulating principles because of the experiences I had gained in the short time and was able to demonstrate acceptable performance. Practising as a medical-surgical nurse requires one to be clean, neat, responsible and organised at all times. I had learnt this in school but had no experience to actualise the theoretical information until I started working as the main nurse for all surgical operations. This is when I understood why surgical tools should be sterilised and not just because the books say so. I had advanced as a beginner. After a 3 year experience working as a nurse, I became very analytical in terms of my thinking and choice of the best action to be taken based on experience and also became much aware of my long-term goals. According to Wakley and Steve (2000), I became a competent nurse with proper organisation and greater efficiency. Being a clinical nurse specialist entails educating patients and staff on proper care giving, identification of patients’ needs that require referral for more specialized care and attention, providing primary care to patients. Changing my practice and improving quality meant that I had to diagnose the individual problems that I had observed in myself and training on them to ensure continuity of professional development as a

Stereotyping Essay Example for Free

Stereotyping Essay Many would agree that stereotyping can be seen as an individual’s preconception about another individual depending on race, color, gender, or religion. Once an individual has built a stereotypical opinion he or she would view the communication and actions individuals of a different race, color, gender, or religion with prejudice. Racial stereotyping is an extremely detrimental facet of stereotyping. It actually paves the way for outright racism, which can cause communication barriers on multiple levels. For example, a stereotypical individual feels that some people are more intelligent that others due to their race, or the color of their skin. Racial stereotyping can lead to the suppression of the minority population in an area by the dominant culture, and this hinders societal development. The practice of racial stereotyping through the use of the media has been used throughout history by some members of society to attain various goals. The most effective way to get peoples reaction about an issue is through the media. Racial stereotyping is perpetuated highly through the film and television media, so it is important for people to mind what they watch, and how sincere the materials are being represented. In addition, a lot of movies are racially stereotypical. For example, in the movies members of gangs are most times, big black guys. This can be misinterpreted as showing that black people are usually gang members, which is not necessarily true. Furthermore, when a particular group is stereotyped, they will begin to internalize the inherent negative image, and might actually mimic some behaviors that have been portrayed in the negative imagery. The fact that they are already being criticized, can lead people to actually portray the action in reality. As mentioned above, the media can affect the way people react to certain matters, so when people are stereotyped negatively, they could change themselves in response to what is shown in the media. Ronald Takaki observed that â€Å"the pressure that the majority puts on a minority being stereotyped is high because their upward mobility will not reach equality† (Takaki, Ronald 1990 p. 101). This can cause people who are being stereotyped to feel isolated and can lead to a barrier being created between communities. In addition, a common reaction to stereotyping and criticism is that people become extremely defensive. This is a natural reaction, which most people tend to do when they feel trapped or scared. Racial stereotyping occurs between different races because many people are scared of being seen as different. For example, when a black or Hispanic family moves to a place like Canada, some people around might be initially reluctant to interact with them due to their racial difference. Hence, a communication barrier might be built between them. Stereotypical people are afraid of the idea of being different, and this is why they try to criticize others. They might also try to persecute the minority in the community, so that they would feel unwanted and eventually leave their country. As Anna Lisa Raya indicates her experience of having to define her self as what others thought in the article â€Å"it’s hard enough being me†. Overall, the idea of racial stereotyping will always be in our lives. However as time goes by we become more humanism because people are learning to not judge others by their race, gender, or religion. Therefore, we shouldn’t be afraid of being different and we should allow more cultural diversity into our lives, as stereotyping can lead to the suppression of minority populations by the dominant culture.

Theories Of Language Acquisition

Theories Of Language Acquisition This essay will deal with three theories of language acquisition: the linguistic theory, behaviourist theory and social interactionist theory. Each theory will include an explanation of the theory, a look at whether it is nativist or empirical, whether the evidence is more focused on competence or performance, the evidence supporting and criticising the theories and examples of how the theories apply to the areas of speech and language therapy will also be looked at. The concept of a language faculty was first proposed by Noam Chomsky in 1976 and suggested that humans have an innate knowledge of grammar which has two levels of linguistic processing; deep structure and surface structure. Level one incorporates phrase structure rules which are the basic relationships underlying all sentence organisation in all languages. Level two incorporates transformational rules that govern the rearrangement of the phrase structure rules based on a specific structure. He suggested that humans have a language acquisition device -replaced by Universal Grammar in his later work- that allows us to create symbols and organise communicative expressions. Harley (2008). He argues that it is acquired at a time when the childs intellectual capabilities are not yet developed and therefore cannot be dependent on cognition. Harley (2008) Recently Chomsky has revised some of his previous claims and his more recent approaches are the Minimalist Program and the Principles and Parameters theory. Chomsky refers to the idea of parameter setting to explain the acquisition of different languages, that exposure to a specific language is constrained by switches that are set off within a certain environment. Harley (2008). An example of a parameter setting is whether a language is pro-drop or not. If a child is exposed to a pro-drop language such as Italian or Spanish they automatically know that they are allowed to drop the pronoun, whereas an English language learner will have the parameter setting at non-pro-drop, and keep the pronoun. According to Chomsky, as cited in Harley (2008) the language faculty should involve a cognitive system that holds information, and a performance system that can use this information. Competence-which is a persons knowledge of language involving the rules of grammar-, is favoured over performance within linguistic theory. The focus of language learning in linguistic theory is on the child. Unlike in behaviourism, the environment does not shape or train verbal behaviour. Berko Gleason (2005). Nativists follow the idea that language is much too complex a process to learn and that it is learnt at such a fast rate, that it would be impossible for it not to be innate. Lennebergs critical period hypothesis states that language development occurs during a critical period of a childs life and that certain linguistic events must take place in order for it to progress. Harley (2008). However, evidence from second language acquisition research shows that this can be true for phonological and syntactic development, but research has shown that it is not a perfect test of the critical theory hypothesis overall, as second language learners will have already acquired a first language. Harley (2008). Supporting evidence cross-linguistically shows that regardless of the word order of a language, subject-object order is followed by children, which proves the existence of a language acquisition device universally. Berko Gleason (2005). If children are deprived of linguistic input during the critical period, studies have shown they are unable to acquire language normally, as is the case with Genie. Genie was a normal child who suffered extreme abuse in her home and spent most of her time tied up in isolation, so she was unexposed to speech from a young age. Because of this abuse, she was deprived physically and socially and her linguistic skills were undeveloped. When she was taken into care at almost 14 years of age, Genie was taught language but she never reached full fluency. She learned certain syntactic structures but her case proves that a limited amount of language can be learnt once the critical period has been passed. Harley (2008) Contrary evidence claims that just language alone is not sufficient to acquire language, that input is necessary and that the influence of environmental factors cannot be ignored. Pinkers (1984) poverty of stimulus idea offers that just because someone cannot imagine how a particular behaviour might have been learned, it does not mean it was not learned. Berko Gleason (2005) Chomsky does not focus on the link between syntax and semantics though he does refer to it in his book Syntactic structures with the quote colourless green ideas sleep furiously which shows an example of a syntactically correct sentence lacking meaning. In terms of how linguistic theory applies to the area of speech and language therapy, an explanation of aphasia and agrammatism is necessary. Aphasia is a language disorder that results from brain damage caused by disease, stroke or brain trauma. The main characteristics of one type of aphasia, Brocas, are; the speech being telegraphic, which means that articles, conjunctions, prepositions, auxiliary verbs and pronouns and morphological inflections are omitted. Agrammatism is a feature of BrocaÂÂ ´s aphasia and the various linguistic theories that deal with agrammatism are; trace deletion hypothesis, theta assigning principle, double dependency hypothesis and tree pruning hypothesis. Edwards (2005).One of these theories, the tree pruning hypothesis, is an example of how the syntax of a language can be affected. The impairment occurs on the highest nodes of the syntactic tree and in English, this means that Wh questions and yes/no questions are affected, although in other languag es, it can vary. The impairments are in word order, in embedded clauses and inflection for tense. Edwards (2005). While a syntactic explanation for language impairments in BrocaÂÂ ´s aphasia and agrammatism can show what needs to be worked on in therapy, the exact nature of the deficits are different depending on whether it is a production or comprehension deficit so the speech and language therapy case management plan would have to be modified depending on which one it is. In contrast to the linguistic emphasis on language use, the behavioural emphasis was mainly developed by the psychologist BF Skinner in his book Verbal Behaviour (1957).His basic premise is that children learn to talk because of imitation and reinforcement. Despite many variants of hypotheses concerning behaviourism, most theories consist of the idea that language is a subset of a behaviour which is learned through connections between a stimulus and a response. Owens (2008). They agree that there are some internal connections with language learning in the brain yet disagree with the idea of specific internal structures and suggest further research is necessary to understand the processes. Berko Gleason (2005) In comparison to linguistic theory where the focus is on competence, performance is highlighted more in behaviourism. Skinner (1957) described language as being something we do and that it is a learned behaviour like any other skill. Contrary to nativists, he claimed that syntactic forms were not important and defined language as verbal behaviour since a child is unable to create a rule and thus shaped by external stimuli (parents). The idea that language is a learnt behaviour opposes that of nativism. Skinner (1957) claimed that parental reinforcement allows a child to acquire language and that it is a process of imitation that a child must work at. In this model, children are seen as passive recipients of language training and it is suggested by Skinner that the child has no active role in acquisition. According to Whitehurst and Novak (1973) after a lot of trial-and-error modelling the adult role-models in the environment-by shaping and imitation training-reinforcement and punishment will improve childrens speech output. An example of this reinforcement is soothing or attending to the child when they produce correct speech sounds. It is said that with enough sound samples, the child will learn a word association pattern rather than rules of grammar. Owens (2008). What is suggested is that language behaviour is shaped by the environment and not governed by rules or maturation, unlike in Chomskys generativist a pproach. Supporting evidence for behaviourism include studies of both disordered and normal children. Since Skinners research, environmental input is considered an essential part of the acquisition of language, despite Chomskys conclusion that Skinners work was premature. Owens (2008). Lovaass (1977) advancement with behavioural modification of children with autism has shown that techniques such as shaping and reinforcement assist children with restricted speech abilities. It should be noted that despite this discovery, it is unclear how the acquisition process differs between normal and disordered children. In a 1968 study by Palermo and Eberhart, adults were shown to follow the same learning patterns as children, when they were taught an artificial language. Evidence against behaviourism shows that while lab studies on adults show positive results, they do not provide a full explanation on how children acquire language since they are not done in a childs environment. Adults also provide a poor model of imitation as their grammar is full of errors, dialects and slang. What this shows is that children do not copy parents because how could they select correct speech over erroneous speech? Additionally, research by Brown and Hanlon from 1970 shows that children are not punished or rewarded for using certain utterances and the main focus of correction or reward is more on the semantics than the syntax. What this shows is that in behaviourism, input is focused on excessively and is inadequate at explaining the full gamut of what is required to learn a language. Berko Gleason (2005) As previously mentioned, behaviourism has been useful in speech and language therapy in the area of autism. With the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), communication for children with autism can be vastly improved and act as an aid in devising strategies for solving issues and improving the standard of living for people. The interactionist approach puts forward the idea that a variety of factors influence the language development of a child, while using a mix of the linguistic and behavioural approaches. There are three different approaches concerning interactionism; Piagets cognitive theory, information processing and the social interactionist theory. Piagets interactive approach focuses on constructivism, which is the idea that linguistic structures are the emergent properties of language. His idea that childrens processes are essentially different to adults would also have an effect on language acquisition. The second approach sees cognition as being computational, deriving patterns from data while assuming the mind as a type of software and the brain as hardware. The third approach is one that will be focused on here and it concerns the social interactionist theory. According to Vygotsky (1962) cognitive and social factors can influence the development of language acquisition, which in turn can have a reciprocal influence on cognition and social abilities. Social interactionists believe that children influence their parents in their acquisition of language and that they and the language environment work together as a dynamic system. Berko Gleason (2005) In terms of competence and performance, interactionists need more performance input than what is suggested by generativists. Parents must provide the communication aids that children need in order to acquire language. According to Vygotsky (1962) language is only initially something used for young children to interact socially and is only developed over time to become something else. Interactionists also believe that maturation and cognition are an essential part of language acquisition and that until a child is at a certain level of cognition; they will be unable to acquire language. Similar to behaviourists, the environment is where interactionists believe language skills appear, but more emphasis is placed on social development than on Piagets cognitive development. Non-linguistic elements (turn-taking, mutual gaze and joint attention) are necessary for social development along with motherese, or child-directed speech (CDS) which is a specific way of speaking to children that differs to how adults communicate with one another. Bruner, as cited in Harley (2008) claims language development occurs within a language acquisition socialization system (LASS) which contains these innate non-linguistic elements. In positively evaluating this theory, those in favour, believe that CDS is an assisting factor in child language acquisition. This is confirmed by studies of fourteen different languages and proves that infants have preference over this kind of speech. In a study by De Casper and Fifer from 1980, infants are found to prefer their own Mothers CDS over another Mothers CDS. Berko Gleason (2005). In a study cited in Berko Gleason (2005), by Tomasello and Farrar from (1986), it appears that Mothers who focus on the object of their childs gaze have children who speak their first words earlier and also have larger vocabularies. Despite positive evidence from studies, detailed analysis on how development is influenced by social interactions is insufficient. As already mentioned, evidence suggests further testing is needed in the area of social interactionism. An explanation for the lack of detail is provided by Berko Gleason (2005) and suggests two of the issues with this theory are that it does not exist in all languages, and it has not been in existence for the same length of time as other theories, so may not have the counter evidence to compare it to. To date, studies have shown the difference of features between CDS and adult-like speech, yet the existence of these patterns does not prove the assistance in the acquisition of language for children. A suggestion is made by Baker and Nelson, cited in Berko Gleason (2005) that it is difficult to know whether language development is caused by parents lack of communication or childrens. Research of language delays in neglected children suggest that the childrens impairments may de-motivate parents with the result being neglectful parenting. An example where social interactionism can assist in the area of speech and language therapy is the previously mentioned example of Genie. Genies experience of neglect highlights the evidence that the correct environment is necessary for language learning, that a specific social context is required for normal language learning to occur. This knowledge can assist in the assessment and evaluation of a neglected child. Another example, such as the Hanen programme, is based on the social interactionist model where parents facilitate language learning in everyday situations, but as it requires a lot of parental input at home, it may be a difficult kind of intervention to apply in practice. To conclude the social interactionist analysis, this approach takes from both the linguistic theory in terms of children having an innate specialized language device and from the behaviourist theory; it values the influence of the environment on language acquisition. This essay looked at three theories of language acquisition: the linguistic theory, behaviourist theory and social interactionist theory. Each theory included an explanation of the theory, discussed whether it took a nativist or empirical approach and whether the evidence was more focused on competence or performance. The evidence supporting and criticising the theories was included along with examples of how the theories applied to the areas of speech and language therapy.

Ponder the Meaning of Life With 1984 and The Matrix Essay example --

The film The Matrix, directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, may seem to be a unique, original storyline to the untrained viewer, but the story of a totalitarian government and a hero who attempts to save the people is far from this. In reality, there are so many similarities that can be seen in other texts that were written and filmed before that it cannot be ignored. In particular, George Orwell’s 1984 has a similar government that controls its people and a â€Å"hero†, Winston, who is also searching for the truth. Winston lives Oceania where Big-Brother and â€Å"The Party† schedule your entire lives telling when to sleep, eat, and work and keep you under constant surveillance. This is similar in The Matrix, where most of the humans lived in a computer-programmed world which is also constantly surveyed by government authorities. The Wachowski siblings’ film, The Matrix, connects with the concept of dystopia as expressed in George Orwell’s novel, 198 4, by referring to a totalitarian government and the lack of choices, which it accomplishes through the introduction of new surveillance technology, comparing two worlds, and a hero’s journey to liberate the people. The use of new surveillance technology in both 1984 and The Matrix helps to make a world in which people are truly living under complete control believable. In The Matrix, it is possible to hack into the Matrix world, but the government is easily able to detect where the hack is happening and catch up to the hackers. One example in the film is when Neo goes with Morpheous and his crew back to the â€Å"Matrix† world and the government agents quickly catch up with them, breaks into their â€Å"warehouse†, and nearly stops them from leaving to go back to the real world. The government is an omn... ... point that the Wachowski’s are making: freedom and choices give life meaning. We can easily see how the Wachowski’s drew from similar ideas as Orwell in 1984, but has a more hopeful ending. Both texts use surveillance to show how the people are under complete control and show us a world where people believe the lies and are trapped in. The one major difference is that one text does not give us hope and belief that things can be changed, while the other one does. The Matrix does that latter. They give us hope by showing characters that live in a real world with freedoms and are happy. Neo’s life does have a meaning and a purpose. Without seeing the same conclusion in 1984, but with a depressing ending, one would not be able to see as clearly in The Matrix that having freedom and choices is what gives life meaning and we must strive to always keep our freedoms. Ponder the Meaning of Life With 1984 and The Matrix Essay example -- The film The Matrix, directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski, may seem to be a unique, original storyline to the untrained viewer, but the story of a totalitarian government and a hero who attempts to save the people is far from this. In reality, there are so many similarities that can be seen in other texts that were written and filmed before that it cannot be ignored. In particular, George Orwell’s 1984 has a similar government that controls its people and a â€Å"hero†, Winston, who is also searching for the truth. Winston lives Oceania where Big-Brother and â€Å"The Party† schedule your entire lives telling when to sleep, eat, and work and keep you under constant surveillance. This is similar in The Matrix, where most of the humans lived in a computer-programmed world which is also constantly surveyed by government authorities. The Wachowski siblings’ film, The Matrix, connects with the concept of dystopia as expressed in George Orwell’s novel, 198 4, by referring to a totalitarian government and the lack of choices, which it accomplishes through the introduction of new surveillance technology, comparing two worlds, and a hero’s journey to liberate the people. The use of new surveillance technology in both 1984 and The Matrix helps to make a world in which people are truly living under complete control believable. In The Matrix, it is possible to hack into the Matrix world, but the government is easily able to detect where the hack is happening and catch up to the hackers. One example in the film is when Neo goes with Morpheous and his crew back to the â€Å"Matrix† world and the government agents quickly catch up with them, breaks into their â€Å"warehouse†, and nearly stops them from leaving to go back to the real world. The government is an omn... ... point that the Wachowski’s are making: freedom and choices give life meaning. We can easily see how the Wachowski’s drew from similar ideas as Orwell in 1984, but has a more hopeful ending. Both texts use surveillance to show how the people are under complete control and show us a world where people believe the lies and are trapped in. The one major difference is that one text does not give us hope and belief that things can be changed, while the other one does. The Matrix does that latter. They give us hope by showing characters that live in a real world with freedoms and are happy. Neo’s life does have a meaning and a purpose. Without seeing the same conclusion in 1984, but with a depressing ending, one would not be able to see as clearly in The Matrix that having freedom and choices is what gives life meaning and we must strive to always keep our freedoms.

Comparing Gilliams Brazil and Radfords Adaptation of 1984 :: comparison compare contrast essays

Comparing Gilliam's Brazil and. Radford's Adaptation of 1984  Ã‚     Ã‚   While researching for a book on the making of and feud over the American release of Terry Gilliam's Brazil, author Jack Mathews read virtually every review of the film printed in the United States and found that very few failed to refer to the film as "futuristic" or "Orwellian." "The comparisons are understandable, if inaccurate," says Mathews, "There isn't a futuristic element in Brazil. The story is Orwellian, in the sense that it is set in a totalitarian state where individuality is smothered by enforced conformity. But where George Orwell...was envisioning a future ruled by fascism and technology, Gilliam was satirizing the bureaucratic, largely dysfunctional industrial world that had been driving him crazy all his life"(Mathews). Terry Gilliam's Brazil, made in 1985, at first glance, seems much like Michael Radford's film version of George Orwell's 1984, made in 1984, in its setting and story. However, upon further examination of the two films, there are differences in style and tone that distance them from each other. 1984 is dark and gloomy from beginning to end while Brazil, though still dark, has a much lighter atmosphere. The love stories presented in both films are unmistakably similar and make the plots seem closer to each other, but this is the only strong link they share, for differences in tone distance the films from each other. Because of its dark humor, Brazil is a satire of the very society in which the story takes place, while 1984, though also a satire, lacks any humor whatsoever and is more of a horror story of a society that might await mankind. In the opening scene, Terry Gilliam's Brazil seems to be quite jovial. A shot in which the camera hovers through the sky, passing in and out of clouds, starts the film off while the song "Brazil," after which the movie was named, fills the soundtrack. Titles begin to appear over the soaring shot. The titles read, "Somewhere in the 20th Century," informing the audience of the time period, but confusing them as well. The world in which the movie's main character dwells is a dreary, dystopian, retro-futuristic metropolis, a far cry from anything that has been seen this century. In this world, nobody is protected from the government; individuals are executed as a result of administrative errors. The compensation for these wrongful deaths is a simple refund check.

Acquisitions: Motivations & Challenges Essay

a. Identify five main motivations (discussed in class) for acquiring a company. Provide a specific, real-world acquisition example for each motivation. b. Which three motivations are most relevant to Paragon Tool’s potential acquisition of MonitoRobotics in the Growing for Broke case? c. Identify the four main challenges (discussed in class) when executing a corporate acquisition. Provide a specific, real-world acquisition example for each challenge. 2. Blue Ocean Strategy a. Draw a strategy canvas for the Nintendo Wii and briefly describe what it says about why Nintendo has been successful in such a competitive industry. Include the Sony Playstation and the Microsoft Xbox on the canvas. b. Identify and briefly describe the six paths to finding Blue Oceans. Give a specific, real-world example of each path (other than the examples I gave in class). 3. Cisco Systems’ Acquisition Strategy a. Outcomes of nearly 75% of corporate acquisitions fail to meet managerial expectations. Identify 7 reasons why Cisco Systems has been more successful than most other companies in executing over 100 acquisitions (see the two attached articles). b. Identify 3 reasons why Cisco Systems began having trouble with its acquisition strategy. 4. Diversification at Starbucks a. Illustrate and concisely explain the Boston Consulting Group’s Growth-Share Matrix. Make sure you identify: i. the dimensions upon which the Matrix is based ii. each type of businesses embodied in the Matrix’s quadrants iii. the three functional assumptions of the model b. Specifically apply the model to Starbuck’s product diversification efforts since the 1990s (see the attached article). c. Concisely explain two reasons why BCG’s Growth-Share Matrix might not accurately reflect Starbucks’ historical development. 5. Google’s International Strategy a. Identify and briefly explain the three types of international strategy. b. Identify Google’s international strategy and explain why Google Finance would have only been possible under that strategy (see Tom Friedman’s â€Å"Outsourcing, Schmoutsourcing! Out Is Over† article below). c. Give a specific, real-world example of each of the other two types of international strategy. 6. Reconfiguration in the Personal  Computer (PC) Industry a. Identify and briefly explain six distinct methods that firms can use to acquire the resources and capabilities they need to develop new products and businesses. b. Drawing on our discussion of the strategic sourcing framework, briefly describe and/or illustrate the relative advantages and disadvantages of these methods. c. Both PC software and hardware manufacturers have been forced to adapt to the rapidly evolving industry in order to survive. Using the PC industry, provide a specific example of 5 of these 6 methods. d. Briefly explain why Xerox may be greatest success and the worst failure in the history of the PC industry. 7. Outsourcing at GM a. Concisely describe the Strategic Sourcing Framework. Be sure to identify the relevant costs/advantages associated with the make-or-buy decision. b. In February 2006, GM announced a â€Å"huge package of outsourcing contracts.† See the attached article. Using the Strategic Sourcing Framework and our class discussions of GM, explain why GM chose to do this. c. Concisely describe the disadvantages GM faced in choosing to outsource, like this. 8. In the early 2000s, Boeing began aggressively outsourcing the development and production of the 787 airplane design. By late 2008, Boeing managers admitted that they made some mistakes in pursuing the outsourcing strategy and that Boeing would significantly curtail outsourcing. List Boeing’s initial motivations for outsourcing and the reasons behind its subsequent change of heart. 9. Diversification a. Concisely describe and explain the relationship between diversification and corporate performance. b. Give one example each of companies with very low diversification, very high diversification, and moderate diversification. Make sure these examples accurately reflect the relationship you described in part a. c. In class, I argued that Tyco could be considered an exception to the generally understood relationship between diversification and performance. Explain why you think this is true or untrue. d. Regardless of how you answered part c, identify 4 or 5 ways that Tyco’s diversification strategy is different from typical corporations’ corporate strategy. 10. Hybrid Engine Technology & Industry Evolution a. Concisely explain what type of industry disruption best describes Toyota’s  introduction of the first hybrid engine car targeted for the United States mass market. c. Give a specific historical example (from any industry) of the other major type industry disruption. d. Using a technological S-curve graph (Walker Figure 4.5), illustrate the evolution of the automobile engine. In your illustration, make sure you capture the development of 1) hybrid, 2) hydrogen fuel cell, and 3) standard gas-powered combustion engine technologies. Also include in the illustration indicators of today’s date in addition to the dates at which each technology was (will be) introduced to the U.S. mass market. e. Concisely explain Utterback’s model of innovation (Walker Figure 4.4). f. Use Utterback’s model to specifically and concisely explain why hydrogen fuel cell engines might not be commercially viable for a very, very lo ng time. How Cisco Makes Takeovers Work With Rules, Focus On Client Needs By Mike Angell, Investor’s Business Daily Investor’s Business Daily Investing in technology is risky. Just ask Cisco Systems. In 1997, the networking leader bought Dagaz, a company that made gear for digital subscriber lines. Dagaz wasn’t solid, and Cisco had to buy another company to get the right product. â€Å"You have to be ready to take those risks,† said Ammar Hanafi, Cisco’s business development manager. He’s been involved in almost every Cisco takeover since 1998. But Dagaz was an exception among the 70 companies Cisco has bought in the last seven years. That makes Cisco an exception, too. According to a study by consultant A.T. Kearney, more than half of mergers don’t work out. Here are some of Cisco’s rules: Stay close to home – 73% of Cisco’s targets make network gear. Deals make geographic sense, too. They’re close to a Cisco unit or a key talent capital. Get early wins – targets have products customers want right now. Familiarity – Cisco has stakes in 15% of its targets. Think small – Cisco buys start-ups mostly Management stays – and quickly learns the Cisco way. Beyond those factors, Cisco looks at what the target firm wants to accomplish, the needs of Cisco’s customers and how targets fit. â€Å"Cisco is the best example of a company with a well-established acquisition and post merger strategy,† Kearney’s Max Schroeck said. Many failed mergers stem from companies trying to enter new markets or just cut  costs. Successful mergers are between companies in related lines, the stud y says. That means joining people who share knowledge and experience. Cisco stays close to network gear. It strays, but not far. Smaller forays have been in Net-based phone gear (3%), software for content delivery (15%) and wireless gear (8%). Customer Focus â€Å"We’re always focused on our customers’ wants and needs,† Hanafi said. â€Å"We’re always expanding the range of products we have as our customers’ own networks expand.† The best example may be Cisco’s first acquisition in 1993. CEO John Chambers, then Cisco’s top salesman, was negotiating an order. But the client leaned toward a rival. So Cisco bought the rival, Crescendo Communications, for $ 89 million. Crescendo’s product was no â€Å"killer,† Hanafi said. But by the third generation, it brought in almost half of Cisco’s sales. â€Å"The first generation should be good enough for a customer,† Hanafi said. â€Å"The second generation is usually a great product. By the third, it should be a market leader.â⠂¬  Buy Vs. Invest But how does Cisco know this will be the case? Homework. Thirty people screen companies, probe market potential and talk to likely targets. Its engineers study products, and it queries customers. In some cases, this leads to an investment – one that helps Cisco learn about new technologies. If it’s a new market and product line, Cisco will invest. If the technology isn’t ready but looks right, Cisco will invest as well. â€Å"We’re always looking to enter new parts of the network,† Hanafi said. â€Å"Sometimes there are companies that are not as strategic, but we’d like to know what they do.† Of the 20 companies Cisco bought this year, it had stakes in eight. Overall, it has stakes in about 15% of its possible targets. Sometimes investments prompt Cisco to go with a rival. Two years ago, Cisco bought a stake in a company called Tellium that made an optical switch. Following some changes at Tellium, and after learning about that market, Cisco bought Monterey Networks instead for $ 500 million. Cisco still has a â€Å"passive† investment in Tellium but may sell its stake when it can, Hanafi says. For the most part, Cisco targets start-ups. Chambers doesn’t believe mergers of equals can work. The Kearney study agrees. It  said nearly one-third of mergers of equals destroy shareholder value. Cisco’s 1996 buy of StrataCom makes the point. At $ 4 billion, StrataCom was Cisco’s largest takeover to date. StrataCom’s sales force tou ted one data standard, Cisco’s another. Users were confused. â€Å"Integrating the two sales forces was more difficult,† Hanafi said. Geography’s Role Cisco also has a rule that targets must be physically near one another. This year, Cisco added a fourth company to its Israeli portfolio. And it added its second Canadian company, a software firm called PixStream. These areas are promising new high-tech hubs, and Cisco needs to â€Å"go where the talent is.† â€Å"People asked us why buy PixStream? It’s in Waterloo, Canada,† Hanafi said. â€Å"It’s right next to the University of Waterloo, a good school for engineers.† Though it may take up to two years to identify a potential acquisition, Cisco doesn’t waste time closing the deal. Hanafi has seen some sealed in as few as 10 days. Ultimately, Cisco buys talent. It woos people by telling them Cisco will help make their product No. 1. Integration Teams â€Å"We’re saying to them, ‘Use our sales force, our manufacturing size,’ † Hanafi said. â€Å"Come in and we’ll help make you a leader.† That’s kept 75% of acquired companies’ CEOs at Cisco. Cisco sets up a chain of command, and the CEO of the acquired company stays in charge. Integration is easier. Cisco has made integrating companies a discipline. Hanafi has a team of 10 people who run this process. They send up to 65 others from sales, human resources, manufacturing and finance to meet with every worker to discuss salaries, benefits and roles. †The first question people ask after being acquired by Cisco is, ‘What’s going to happen to my dentist?’ † Hanafi said. Cisco Shopped till It Nearly Dropped By John A. Byrne and Ben Elgin in San Jose, Calif., BusinessWeek It was an all-too-typical deal for Cisco Systems Inc. Monterey Networks Inc., an opticalrouting startup in which Cisco held a minority stake, was a quarry with no revenue, no products, and no customers  Ã¢â‚¬â€ just millions in losses it had racked up since its founding in 1997. Despite those deficits, Cisco plunked down a half-billion dollars in stock to buy the rest of the company in 1999. But within days of closing the deal, all three of Monterey’s founders, including its engineering guru and chief systems architect, walked out the door, taking with them millions of dollars in gains from the sale. †I came to the realization I wasn’t going to have any meaningful impact on the product by staying,† says H. Michael Zadikian, a Monterey founder. Eighteen months later, Cisco shut down the business altogether, sacking the rest of the management team and taking a $ 108 million write-off. That dismal tale hardly jibes with Cisco’s widespread reputation as an acquisitions whiz. Not since the conglomerate era has a company relied so heavily on its ability to identify, acquire, and integrate other companies for growth. CEO John T. Chambers believed that if Cisco lacked the internal resources to develop new products in six months, it had to buy its way into the market or miss the window of opportunity. Some put a new name on it: acquisitions and development, a way for the company to shortcut the usual research cycle. Its belief in the strategy has led Cisco to gobble up more than 70 companies in the past eight years. Analysts and academics heaped praise on Cisco’s acquisitions prowess in articles, books, and business-school case studies. In the early days, some of this praise was deserved, as Cisco morphed from a router company to a networking powerhouse. Its first acquisition, Crescendo Communications Inc., guided Cisco into the switching business, which generated $ 10 billion in sales last year. All told, acquisitions have laid the foundation for about 50% of Cisco’s business. But in early 1999, with exuberant investors enticing a growing number of unproven companies to go public, Cisco suddenly had to acquire companies at a much earlier stage. Cisco had long claimed an unprecedented success rate of 80% with its acquisitions. Chambers now says it fell to something like 50% during the Internet craze — still above the industry average. †We bet on products 12 to 18 months out,† concedes Chambers. †We took dramatically higher risks.† Chambers often maintained that his acquisition strategy was aimed at acquiring brainpower more than products. But an analysis of the 18 acquisitions Cisco made in 1999 shows that Monterey was no fluke. Many of the most valuable employees, the highly driven founders and chief executives of these acquired companies, have since  bolted, taking with them a good deal of the expertise and experience for which Cisco paid top dollar. The two founders of StratumOne Communications Inc., a maker of optical  semiconductors purchased for $ 435 million, left Cisco. The chief exec of GeoTel Communications Corp., a call-routing outfit acquired for $ 2 billion, walked out after nine months. So did the CEOs or founders of Sentient Networks, MaxComm Technologies, WebLine Communications, Tasmania Network Systems, Aironet Wireless Communications, V-Bits, and Worldwide Data System s — all high-priced acquisitions in 1999. Some simply felt Cisco had become too big and too slow. †People who crave risk don’t do so well at Cisco,† says Narad Networks CEO Dev Gupta, who sold Dagaz and MaxComm Technologies Inc. to Cisco in 1997 and 1999, respectively. †Cisco focuses much more on immediate customer needs, less on high-wire technology development that customers may want two to three years out.† Chambers maintains that Cisco’s turnover rates are the best in high technology. †In our industry, 40% to 80% of the top management team and top engineers are gone within two years,† he says. †Our voluntary attrition rate is about 12% over two years.† Difficulty holding on to top talent was not the only flaw in the Cisco acquisition machine. Cisco often paid outrageous sums for these unprofitable startups — a total of $ 15 billion in 1999 alone. Even some of the deals that Cisco considers successful look pretty dreadful using simple math. Its 1999 acquisition of Cerent Corp., a maker of opticalnetworking gear, is a good example. Cisco paid $ 6.9 billion for the company, or $ 24 million for each of Cerent’s 285 employees, even though the company had never earned a penny of profit and had an accumulated deficit of $ 60 million. Even if earnings bounce back to 2000 levels of roughly $ 335 million, it would take Cisco about 20 years to recoup the purchase price. Of course, deals such as Cerent found their rationale in Wall Street math. If investors were willing to pay 100 times earnings for Cisco’s stock in 1999, then a Cerent profit of, say, $ 300 million could effectively increase the market cap of Cisco by some $ 30 billion. Call it bubble economics. Besides, many of these deals were done for highly inflated Cisco stock instead of  cash. Even so, that wampum could have been used to buy other assets that could have delivered greater returns. Only in the months since the bubble burst has it become evident just how muddled Cisco’s mergers-and-acquisitions strategy became. In its haste to do deals, Cisco often purchased companies it didn’t need or couldn’t use. In some cases, the buying spree led to overlapping, duplicative technologies, political infighting, and just plain wasted resources, as Monterey shows. †M&A works to some extent, but at Cisco, it got out of hand,† says Iqbal Husain, a former engineering executive at Cisco. After losing many of the leaders of these businesses, product delays and other mishaps were not uncommon. When Cisco closed down Monterey, for example, the company still hadn’t put a product out for testing, which alone would take as long as a full year. †By the time the product was there to test, the market wasn’t,† says Joseph Bass, former CEO of Monterey. Chambers says he has moved to correct the flaws. Its acquisition binge has slowed —  from 41 companies from 1999 through 2000 to just two purchases in 2001. While Chambers expects to do 8 to 12 acquisitions this year, he insists that market conditions will let Cisco wait at least until a target company has a proven product, customers, and management team before cutting a deal. †We’re making the decisions to acquire a company based on a later point in time, which dramatically lowers the risk,† Chambers says. Anything more ambitious, Cisco now knows, may be foolhardy. A Costly Acquisition Strategy Often lauded for its buyout successes, Cisco has purchased more than 70 companies in the past eight years. In 1999 alone, it paid $15 billion for 18 startups, many of which never delivered on their early promise. Here are the most noteworthy: COMPANY PRICE STATUS SKINNY CERENT $6.9 Alive and Although Cerent has generated $1 billion well billion in estimated sales for Cisco, two decades could be needed to recoup the steep price. PIRELLI $2.2 Alive but A disappointing attempt to bolster OPTICAL billion struggling Cisco’s long-haul optical networking. SYSTEMS But Pirelli’s technology still trails that of rivals. MONTEREY $500 Dumped This  upstart optical company never NETWORKS million in April produced a viable product, and Cisco cut its losses with a $108 million write-off in April. AMTEVA $170 Sold at a Lackluster revenue forced Cisco to million loss in July sell this unified-messaging business. MAXCOMM $143 Part of their Founders and key technologists walked TECHNOLOGIES million DSL strategy out soon after the deal closed. Data: BusinessWeek The Toronto Star April 28, 2006 Friday SECTION: BUSINESS; Pg. F01 LENGTH: 631 words HEADLINE: Starbucks develops taste for independent films BYLINE: Sharda Prashad, Toronto Star BODY: First it was coffee, then CDs, now it’s movies. Today, the independent flick Akeelah and the Bee will make its debut in theatres, with a marketing boost from Starbucks. The java giant is advertising the Lionsgate Entertainment Corp. film about spelling bees, starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, by using promotional coffee sleeves, coasters and displays in stores. Neither party has disclosed the amount of cash that’s changing hands in this deal, other than divulging Starbucks will be receiving a cut of the film’s profits for its marketing efforts. And when the DVD goes on sale, it will get a share of those profits – the DVD, by the way, will be available at Starbucks. Akeelah’s soundtrack will also be flogged at the coffee house. â€Å"Our customer is the demographic that Hollywood needs as it is facing a double-digit decline in the box office and slowing DVD sales,† Howard Schultz, Starbucks’ chairman, told Business Week earlier this year. â€Å"We have a unique cross-section of assets – a foundation of trust and confidence in Starbucks – that can promote a move that our customers know is relevant.† But is the purveyor of java risking its strong brand appeal by moving away from its coffee core with this latest venture? Starbucks, named for a character in the literary classic Moby Dick, currently has 11,000 outlets in 37 countries and is planning to open 1,800 this year. Its long-term plan is to have 30,000 outlets around the world. â€Å"Starbucks doesn’t sell coffee, it sells a retail environment that’s chic, urban and  authentic,† says Jay Handelman, marketing professor at Queenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s University School of Business. â€Å"If they were just selling coffee, why would they (customers) pay $4?† Since Starbucks is in the business of selling an urban experience, the professor says, the foray into a movie such as Akeelah and the Bee is consistent with that brand since the film is an urban, intellectual tale. If the movies and coffee were selling different experiences, the brand strategy wouldn’t work since customers would be confused about what Starbucks stood for, adds Andrea Wojnicki, marketing professor at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Should the movie do poor box office sales, it won’t necessarily affect the Starbucks brand, she says. Starbucks is about connoisseurship, she argues. It introduced people to the subtleties of coffee and it’s attempting to do the same with its CDs, which it started selling in 1995. The CD venture has also involved an urban experience. In 2004, for example, it coproduced Ray Charles’ Genius Loves Company and last year it held exclusive distribution for Alanis Morissette’s Jagged Little Pill Acoustic. Should the movie become a box office flop, Starbucks isn’t necessarily in trouble, says Wojnicki. It could hold up its connoisseur flag and say its campaign is about appreciating art and not about flogging blockbusters. It could also be argued that Starbucks took a growth opportunity that has stretched its brand too far, argues Mary Crossan, business policy professor at the University of Western Ontario. â€Å"When they start to move into movies, they’re not leveraging their resources or capabilities (in coffee).† Starbucks has stated that it is not interested in producing movies, just promoting them, but Crossan warns that companies need be careful about taking focus away from the core business. And Starbucks has made some poor business choices. It has failed in previous ventures, including an attempt to get into the Internet business in the 1990s and an in-house magazine called Joe that folded after three issues. But Akeelah star Angela Bassett thinks the movie business is a good move for Starbucks. â€Å"Everybody’s got something to sell,† she told Newsweek. â€Å"You just have to be sure of what you’re trying to sell.† Copyright New York Times Company May 19, 2006 I was on my way from downtown Budapest to the airport the other day when my driver, Jozsef Bako, mentioned that if I had any friends who were planning to come to Hungary, they should just contact him through his Web site: www.fclimo.hu. He explained that he could show people online all the different cars he has to offer and they could choose what they wanted. †How much business do you get online?† I asked him. †About 20 to 25 percent,† the Communist-eraengineer-turned-limo-proprietor said. The former secretary of state James Baker III used to say that you know you’re out of office †when your limousine is yellow and your driver speaks Farsi.† I would say, †You know that the global economy is spinning off all kinds of new business models when your Hungarian driver has his own Web site in English, Magyar and German — with background music.† Jozsef’s online Hungarian limo company is one of many new business models I’ve come across lately that are clearly expanding the global economy in ways that are not visible to the naked eye. I was recently interviewing Ramalinga Raju, chairman of India’s Satyam Computer Services. Satyam is one of India’s top firms doing outsourced work from America, and Mr. Raju told me how Satyam had just started outsourcing some of its American work to Indian villages. The outsourcee has become the outsourcer. Mr. Raju said: †We told ourselves: if business process outsourcing can be done from cities in India to support cities in the developed world, why can’t it be done by villages in India to support cities in India. Things like processing employee records can be done from anywhere, so there is no reason it can’t be done from a village.† Satyam began with two villages a year ago and plans to scale up to 150. There is enough bandwidth now, even reaching big Indian villages, to parcel out this work, and the villagers are very eager. †The attrition level is low, and the commitment levels high,† Mr. Raju said. †It is a way of breathing economic life into villages.† It gives educated villagers a chance to stay on the land, he said, and not have to migrate to the cities. A short time later I was interviewing Katie Jacobs Stanton, a senior product  manager at Google, and Krishna Bharat, founder of Google’s India lab. They told me that Google had just launched Google Finance, but what was interesting was that Google Finance was entirely conceived by the Google team in India and then Google engineers from around the world fed into that team — rather than the project’s being driven by Google headquarters in Silicon Valley. It’s called †around sourcing† instead of outsourcing, because there is no more †out† anymore. Out is over. †We don’t have the idea of two kinds of engineers — ones who think of things and others who implement them,† Ms. Stanton said. †We just told the team in India to think big, and what they came back with was Google Finance.† Mr. Bharat added: †We have entered the generation of the virtual office. Product development happens across the global campus now.† Last story. I’m in gray Newark speaking to local businessmen. I meet Andy Astor, chief executive of EnterpriseDB, which provides special features for the open-source database called PostgreSQL. His primary development team, he tells me, consists of 60 Pakistani engineers in Islamabad, who interact with the New Jersey headquarters via Internet-based videoconferencing. †The New Jersey team — software architects, product managers and executives — comes to work a couple of hours early, while the Islamabad team comes in late, and we have at least five to six hours per day of overlap,† Mr. Astor said. †We therefore have multiple face-to-face meetings every day, which makes a huge difference for communication quality. We treat videoconference meetings as if we were all in the same room.† What all these stories tell me is that we are seeing the emergence of collaborative business models that were simply unimaginable a decade ago. Today, there are so many more tools, so many more ideas, so many more people able to put these ideas and tools together to discover new things, and so much better communications to disseminate these new ideas across the globe. If more countries can get just a few basic things right — enough telecom and bandwidth so their people can get connected; steadily improving education; decent, corruption-free economic governance; and the rule of law — and we can find more sources of clean energy, there is every reason for  optimism that we could see even faster global growth in this century, with many more people lifted out of poverty. GM’s Landmark in IT Outsourcing By Steve Hamm – BusinessWeek – 2/2/2006 A huge package of outsourcing contracts announced Feb. 2 by General Motors seems to signal shifting fortunes in the $600 billion-a-year information-technology services industry. EDS, GM’s longtime primary supplier, lost ground, while Hewlett-Packard’s sometimes-overlooked services unit got a big lift. The profile of India’s tech industry rose when GM named one of the country’s leading companies, Wipro, as a tier-one supplier. All told, about $7.5 billion in five-year contracts were awarded. Another $7.5 billion in contracts are expected to be parceled out as new projects come up over the next couple of years. EDS, which formerly had about two-thirds of GM’s outsourcing business, still has the biggest share. It got contracts worth $3.8 billion — or about half of the business. HP’s contracts totaled $700 million, and GM called it out as one of t he major gainers. IBM got $500 million in contracts. FINANCIAL SHADOW. The package is significant beyond its sheer size because it’s an indication of how GM Chief Information Officer Ralph Szygenda is reshaping the way the company handles tech outsourcing. He handed contracts in large chunks to companies that will handle them on a global basis rather than country by country. Also, GM and the tech suppliers worked together to create new standards for managing technology, which means all suppliers will do things in a uniform way. Szygenda says the new strategy will allow GM to improve global collaboration while assuring reliability of its computing systems and cutting costs. â€Å"It lets GM focus on innovation rather than spending a lot of time on managing its suppliers,† he said at a press conference. GM’s financial woes cast a shadow over the announcement, however. The carmaker reported a $4.8 billion quarterly loss on Jan. 26. While Szygenda said low prices were only a secondary impetus behind the way he structured the outsourcing contracts, some suppliers didn’t even participate in the bidding, most notably, Accenture. Others said they didn’t bid on all of the pieces because they were concerned they wouldn’t make enough money on them. â€Å"A BIG KICK.† Yet  those who did win contracts were jubilant. â€Å"HP selectively bid on areas where we know we can do a great job and where focus was on core areas of importance to HP and GM,† says Steve Smith, senior vice-president of HP Services. His business is often overshadowed by IBM and Accenture, but it has been gaining momentum lately. Its revenues grew 6% in HP’s fourth quarter, to $3.9 billion. Last quarter, IBM’s services revenues were in the doldrums, declining 5%, to $12 billion. Wipro had already been doing some work for GM, but the new package gives it a credibility lift. Its contracts were worth $300 million over five years. Wipro Executive Vice-President Girish Paranjpe says the company is delighted to be picked. â€Å"It’s a huge morale booster for us to be able to play with the big boys,† he says. â€Å"Also, because we’re the only tier-one player GM picked from India, it’s a big kick for us.† If GM’s new strategy for managing outsourcing works well, it could become a model for other large corporations. The package has five-year contracts instead of the more traditional 10-year pacts and splits the work up among several suppliers instead of relying predominantly on one. â€Å"This is a tipping point for IT,† says Robert McNeill, principal analyst at Forrester Research. â€Å"Organizations will have to add skills to their vendor management function and make transition management a key for success when moving to a more flexible services model.† Another lesson from the contract: Even financially troubled companies are spending big on IT. That’s great news for the tech titans that got a bigger piece of the GM pie. It should even provide solace to EDS, however diminished its share.