Eleven Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Eleven - Essay Example In a time of emotional support, my family comes first in consoling and helping me. At least, family can remain genuine to you all the time. Long when I was little, I used to depend so much on my family for every decision-making support. However, this has changed greatly as I make more friends who can help me sort out some of my needs that my family cannot. Friends can even help me keep a secret that I do not wish my family to know. The communication pattern with my family is satisfactory, and it makes me achieve most of my needs. However, there are certain needs that the communication pattern in my family will not help me achieve. Such needs are easily achieved through the help of friends. Friends normally consider one someone mature at some point when your family still consider you a child. Therefore, in order to change the pattern, I would like my parents to consider me as someone who can sometimes make right decisions on their own. Therefore, I can sometimes be allowed of exercising independent-minded decisions. In my family, use mostly use communication as a way of reaching out to my parents whenever there is a need I want them to know about. Most of the time, everyone is busy in the family attending to different issues separately. Therefore, you only take a short time to pass a message to whoever is concerned when it is required to. My family is majoring on weekends and holidays to be family days. During such days, we go out as a family to relax together, and on vacation during long holidays. This creates a forum for us to be together as a family and be close to each other. However, I would wish that parents create more time for their children to attend to all their needs as they want them to. To other families, it is very important to watch your children grow and give them the best directions in

Performance Measurement System Of Tm Berhad

Performance Measurement System Of Tm Berhad Performance measurement system is defined as a set of measurable criteria and methodology to enable performance to be measured objectively. It comprises of financial and non-financial manners to establish and monitor the progress of organization towards its vision. In the past, organization used the financial measures to assess the performance of senior managements while non-financial measures were used to evaluate the performance of lower level of management. It is inappropriate to use the financial measure to examine the outcomes and not well-suited for predicting future prospect as the outcomes are the consequences of past performance. Thus, performance measurement systems were developed to merge the financial and non-financial measures at all level of the organization in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the management. The best known performance measurement framework is balanced scorecard introduced by Kaplan and Norton in early 1990s. The balanced scorecard approach retained measures of financial performance on past performance and supplemented them with the assessment on the strategic planning in order to drive the organization towards its vision. It maps an organizations strategic objectives into performance metrics in four perspectives: financial, internal processes, customers, and learning and growth. The term balanced signifies that the system is balanced between internal measures of business processes, innovation and learning and growth and external performance perspectives measures for customers and shareholders. It is then followed by the term scorecard which signifies quantified performance measures. In a nutshell, balanced scorecard contains four main processes. The process of balanced scorecard is begin with clarify and translate the organizations vision into strategy. Then, the strategic management will communicate and link strategic objectives and measures. Next process is planning, setting targets and aligning strategic initiatives. Lastly, balanced scorecard enhances strategic feedback and learning. Organization quantifies its current performance to identify where it is on its strategic capability building journey and predict possible changing business environment in future. This information provides relevant feedback as to how well the strategic plan is executing so that adjustments can be made as necessary. This article is primarily discussed on the growing importance of balanced scorecard performance systems and exploring the issues faced by the organization in building and implementing balance scorecard systems. b. Challenges in Performance Measurement System The used of balanced scorecard is very helpful in monitoring the management of the organization but it is very challenging as the implementation is very costly. It requires some cost in setting up this system such as software licenses expense and installation cost. This will results in large sum of money being expense before profit is generated. Besides, the needs of expertise to implement a comprehensive and proper system will consequently increases the cost of management as well. Different business unit using the different balanced scorecard measures to achieve its goal. In general, balanced scorecard consists of two types of measure. There are common measure (measures across all subsidiaries or units) and unique measure (measure each business unit). The use of unique measures in order to carry out the system is tough because unique measures are significant in capturing the units business strategy. If the manager does not actively participating in evaluating one units performance, thus significance of the unique measures may not be appreciated. The four perspectives in a well-designed balanced scorecard form a chain of cause-and-effect relationships that determine the effectiveness of the strategy implementation. Proper implementation will results in excellent performance. However, it is not easy to identify and establish the cause and effect relationship. Inappropriate measure will result in negative outcomes. Managers realize and understand that there are strong linkages between customer satisfactions, employees satisfactions, financial performance, internal business process and companys learning and growth activities. Nevertheless, the balanced scorecard system does not provide the detail guidelines on to how to improve performance to achieve organizations goals. In addition, balanced scorecard system need to be updated constantly. This update is useful as it requires repositioning with changing of strategies or company structure in order to keep in pace with the complex business environment. However, constant updating of balance scorecard may be tedious and time consuming. Lastly, lack of integration and communication of the objectives of the organization at difference level of management would cause the lower level of employees cant see the big picture of the system. Implementation of the balanced scorecard requires commitment from all management levels, especially companys top organizational structure. Most of them refuse to coordinate in the system because they may view the system as a threat that implies they have underperformed in the past. c. Advantages of Performance Measurement System First of all, balance scorecard is very reliable as it clearly defines financial and nonfinancial information to all parts of the organization. The traditional financial statements has failed to confine accurately the type of measurements those companies need around a profit sector. This is proven when all the intangible assets such as quality of services and skilful employees do not show on balance sheet compared with the balance scorecard that shows all those intangible assets in the balance sheet. The value of a company will be invisible to the workers, shareholders, customers and the society due to the unwritten intangible assets in the balance sheet. Secondly, balanced scorecard is useful in evaluating and planning for long-term strategy. In a traditional method, organizations only focus on short-term financial measures while balanced scorecard include customer, internal processes and the growth in societys needs. It is useful in a longer term strategic dimension as managers can measure performance in building key capabilities and examining on the overall strategic workability. Thirdly, balance scorecard enhances strategic feedback and learning. In this process of monitoring the system, the management evaluates the present performance of the company, how the strategies are going on in the company and identify the potential changes in the unpredictable surroundings. This information is useful for the purpose of decision making to ensure the organization is achieving towards its goal. Fourthly, balanced scorecard could be used as a measure of employees reward performance. When the individual exceeds the particular threshold levels, they will be rewarded for the excellent financial performance. It is proven that balanced scorecard makes some improvements if compared with the past performance measurements systems that did not often measure the employees performance which link to corporate strategy. Lastly, the balanced scorecard attempts to evaluate both the internal and external aspects of the organization. It is important to focus on the customers views and the contacts that have been established in the market-place on order to build long-term relationship with the potential customers. The learning and growth perspective encourage creativity and advance in information system in order to response quickly to the rapid changing in the global market. d. Central issue of the articles The first issue is the implementation of balanced scorecard in an organization. Each company should have its own version of the scorecard as different companies require different measurements, which are essential in achieving the company strategy. The most commonly used measurement categories are financial goals, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, productivity, and growth and innovation. A well-defined balanced scorecard should result in improved internal management system, greater customers satisfaction, educated employees and increased in financial usage. Identification, definition and integration of organizations capabilities with its objectives in all levels of the organization from top to down are essential to sustain long-term superior return in the competitive environment. Interaction within the organization is important to avoid optimizing the results of one business unit at the expense of others. In this stage of planning, setting targets and aligning strategic in itiatives, management will set ambitious but achievable targets for each perspective and initiatives are developed to align efforts to reach the targets. Lastly, the executives receive feedback on whether the strategy implementation is proceeding according to plan and evaluate whether the strategy itself is successful or control and corrective action is necessary to reflect real time learning. These four functions have made the Balanced Scorecard an effective management system for the implementation of short-term and long-term strategic planning. Besides, the four perspectives in the balanced scorecard are inter-dependent. It is not just a balance of measures in essential areas of the business, but also a balance of goals versus accountability. The reluctant of the people in the organization to accept accountability for achievement of the balanced measures and goals of the balanced scorecard will result in failure in balanced scorecard system. In the case study of Big W, has not only built competencies into each step of its performance management system but has now incorporated competencies in all position descriptions for store managers and buyers to extend their experience in areas other than that in which they are presently employed. Therefore, the human capital of the organization is the key to the success of the balanced scorecard system. The second issue is balanced scorecard will evolve as the culture change. Once the balanced scorecard is developed, it should immediately implement into the organizational system. It assists to link groups and individuals to the strategy by understanding the linkage of cause-and-effect relationship. This linkage enables them to understand the overall performance of the organization. For example, advanced in information system will leads to efficiency in information management and eventually save the cost of handling bulky information. Thus, the organizational culture is a one of the key factors of success or failure of implementation of balanced scorecard. Besides, organizational culture has also interceded entity learning. Entity learning is a driving force behind the successful implementation of balanced scorecard. The article mentions that there must be an understanding, commitment and support from the top levels of the company down to the lowest ranks. If there is any change in culture in any level of the organization, balanced scorecard performance will be affected. Therefore, new approach, new tings and new goals have to be developed and be adopted to make the balanced scorecard more balanced and effective. Management need to be alert with the changes in organization culture so that balanced scorecard system is designed in accordance with the culture. The next issue is customers play a significant role in determining the prospect of an organization. The customer perspectives in the balanced scorecard measure on how should the organization present itself to its customers in order to achieve its vision. The four perspectives that introduced by the balanced scorecard are useful to evaluate the overall performance of the business. In conjunction with this, customers are able to see the time dimension of the business that going from the bottom to top and the profitability of the past, present and future. Moreover, balanced scorecard includes the measurement of customers perspective aim to increase customer satisfaction to ensure the ultimate wants of customers are fulfilled. Thus, the objective of the organization must be always being designed according to the current market demand. Conclusion As we embark on the twenty-first century, managers are challenged by sweeping changes in the global arena. The implementation of balanced scorecard is essential to assists in the execution of corporate strategy in order to sustain in the competitive environment. Balanced scorecard encourages employees to act in accordance with desired goals of the company by reward them accordingly to their performance. Management has to be aware of the potential limitations of balanced scorecard and overcome the problems by designing the system that well-suited the organization. In a nutshell, balanced scorecard should be tailored for each part of the organization driven by the objective of the organization to make the balanced scorecard even more balanced and effective in supporting a living, growing, feasible organization in the competitive environment. 2. a. Introduction Telekom Malaysia is the largest integrated communications solutions provider in Malaysia and one of Asias leading Communications companies. Telekom Malaysia has officially changed its global brand from Telekom Malaysia to TM in 2005. The vision is to become Malaysias leading new generation communications by providing customers with innovative and excellent service environment. TM has a monopoly on the fixed line network, data, mobile, internet and multimedia. It combines satellite, terrestrial and submarine fibred-optic cable systems to facilitate the regional and international telecommunications. TMs core businesses are focused in Retail, Wholesale and Global Business. Besides, TM acquired Celcom and TMTouch to raise industry standards, provided product and service benchmarks in the country. Apart from that, TM Net is now the sole DSL broadband provider in the country. It offers a comprehensive range of services and solutions in broadband, data and fixed line. In addition, TMs investment philosophy is to play an active role in its international operations as well as to provide opportunities for wealth creation among the local population for social welfares purposes. b. Discussion of the Performance Measurement System used in the company. TM is using BSC to translate their visions and companys strategies into a set of measureable objectives that can be interpreted into some meaningful form as a check list to monitor the performance of the company. Basically, the BSC used by TM is an e-BSC where it uses an online system called MAPS (appendix) to allow employees to key in their performance according to different areas concerned in the scorecard and monitor by each division managers. The main concern of financial perspective will be to grow revenue profitably and to manage cost effectively, customer perspective is to delight the customers while creating the synergy with partners, internal business process is on execution of projects and plans on whether they are done effectively and the organizational learning and growth is to boost human capital execution capacity. The implementation of BSC in TM consists of three stages, which are business planning, performance cycle and then finally lead to a performance-based rewards system. In business planning, BSC and individual Key Performance Indicator (KPI) are developed in this stage where the KPI is used to measure the key performance in a specific division of the company. BSC is developed through a process of six steps which include: Firstly is to understand and develop the business strategic direction of TM and for example the vision of TM is to be Malaysias leading new generation communications provider, embracing customer needs through innovation and execution excellence and the mission is to strive towards customer service excellence, enrich consumer lifestyle and experience, deliver value to stakeholders and improve the performance of our business customers. From these two statements it is clear that TM is stressing highly on customers satisfaction and so its direction is clearly stated in its vision and mission statement (TM Annual Report, 2008). Next is to decompose those TMs visions and missions into smaller components called objectives that can drive the performance and measurable. With those components, TM Group top management now will be able to create a strategy map using cause-effect linkages for example, how an objective is dependent on another objective. A strategy map (appendix) is important in BSC as it is the fundamental part of it to achieve towards the objectives of the company and drive it towards the vision. In step 5 is to develop KPI (appendix) to measure and target to track strategic and operational progress of the company to see if it has achieved the desired outcomes of the objectives. Lastly is to identify the key strategic initiatives as a way to ensure the achievement of strategic objectives for example funding of resource and implementation mechanisms. In MAPS System, an individual employee will log into the system and key in their personal information and then the division scorecard will be displayed. This is the part where employees are required to submit their performance into the online system MAPS for the company to track their performance into a KPI template (appendix) provided in the system. Then, employees are required to choose the areas that are relevant to his/her field for each perspective. In the individual scorecard, the employee has to key in the target that is challenging but achievable. In performance cycle phase, he/she will then be required to key in the actual result and comment on the target. This performance scorecard will then linked to the reward system to reward the employees accordingly. c. Issues, Challenges and Advantages of BSC Issues The e-BSC used by TM is emphasizing a lot on the performance of its employees driving towards the vision and missions of the company which are mainly customers satisfaction and growth of the business. The biggest issue of BSC in TM is that it emphasizes too much on the internal business and performance rather than the quality of services provided to the customers. Each of the perspective emphasized by the BSC is not really focusing on the quality services. This is very important particularly for a service company like TM who provides telecommunication services to the public. For example does BSC implement by TM actually concern on the quality of its networks for the broadband services of TM Net, a division of TM? Measuring the quality of the services of TMs products is significantly important to be able to achieve the objectives of the company. Challenges A challenge faced by the BSC is where it could not answer some of the important question that a telecommunication company needs to know. For example, a manager can developed a set of measures for the scorecard, but it can never answer the question of what the competitors are doing out there (Andy Neely, 1995). This means that BSC has missed out one of the most important perspective which is the competitor perspective. In Malaysia, telecommunication industry is very competitive and TM is no longer the monopoly in the industry since the presence of other telecommunication companies such as Maxis and Digi. Thus, TM might risk itself if depend solely on the scorecard of not knowing what is happening with other competitors and might lose their market shares to them due to this reason. Advantages The BSC of TM has successfully provide a complete measurement on the four perspective which comprises of financial, customers, internal business control and organization and learning growth. Through the implementation using MAPS system, BSC in TM is done over the online system and electronically (e-BSC). The MAPS system provides a good way for the employees to set their own target, track their performance and finally evaluate their performance and give comments on whether is it hard to achieve the target. This is an advantage to TM as the managers from each division will be able to get direct feedback from the employees on their performance and able to report them to the top management to evaluate further on what can be done to improve and identify problems. This also enables long-term organizational learning at the same time to achieve continuous improvement on performance of the company. d. Recommendation Since the issue faced by TM is the quality of service, Total Quality Management (TQM) is able complement the shortcoming of BSC. A quality service is vital for a telecommunication company especially in such a competitive market in Malaysia. TQM is a type of performance system that is used as a long-term measure to reduce errors in a service or manufacturing process and focusing on customers satisfaction by ensuring workers have the highest level of training and modernization of equipment and limit errors to 1 per 1 million units produced. ISO 9000, the international standard defined that TQM as a management approach of an organization that centered on quality with participation of all members aiming at long term success through customers satisfaction and benefits to the members of the organization and society (Subburaj, 2005). TQM definitely benefits TM in many ways. It can apply this to the engineering of its telecommunication networks such as its fixed line division, cellular services division as well as the broadband division to improve the quality of services. Say for example, an uninterrupted broadband service for the customers that only allows 0.0001% of down time, same applies to the cellular networks and fixed line services. This definitely provides benefits and robust solutions to the company to enhance customers satisfactions on quality services. To achieve the TQM, TM must always from time to time send its engineers and other employees for training and make sure that they are experts in their field. Also, TM must spend more resources on its RD division, known as TMRND, to provide the latest equipment for the engineers to ensure that they have the best equipment to maintain the network to provide uninterrupted services. This is a long-term implementation for TM and it requires continuous improvement over time not only by the top management but also all the members of the organization working together. Also, TM will be benefited in the long run and enhanced its branding through attaining the TQM certification of ISO 9000. Conclusion In order for TM to remain dynamic in the globalization market, should always review its performance measurement system and constantly seek for improvement to better achieve its objectives and remain competitive. Performing well financially, increase in customers satisfaction, constantly improving the internal business process and improve in organizational learning and growth are equally important and TM has been doing well with its e-BSC and MAPS system. TM is also an innovative player in introducing new products and services such as the latest on the news, Unifi, a fiber optic solution for home and business which provide 5 to 20 Mbps of internet speed to the consumers and Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) (TheStar Online, 2010). However, innovative products and services are nothing if the service quality is not good enough. Now is the time for TM to embark on a new challenge in providing quality service through the implementation of TQM in its organization to achieve long-term success and customers satisfaction.

This Semblance of Movement :: Creative Writing Essays

This Semblance of Movement Afraid because my walking hurts the ground. Hesitate. That there would be nothing left to write. There are cracks in everything we've made. That does not mean futility. Father's faith in truth and then this stubborn repetition but what if. The moon looked paper-thin tonight. So I thought if I could slide more softly from now on. Sifting Liquid I am peeling off the liquid skin of a memory. Pulling crooked strings out of a silent field of dreams, sister keeps asking what she's missing in me. The sky was three shades of blue tonight, glass stars and frozen landscapes, caught in the pantomime of living. Time unfolds its battered wings and in that space I smile. Stealing blankets and the young girl fell. My first day home from the hospital, she only wanted to play, but reaching to tug, share a piece of my soft security, she tripped, cut her chin. The first blood of our tenuous intimacy. There was a safety scissors haircut (Mr. Rogers would have done it that way) and hours under chairs looking everywhere and up. Entranced by mobiles moving across distance, light, and eyes. In my crib, I would stand, arms reaching out for her, babbling. She, translating thoughts before lips knew how to form. My mother recalls a time early on when she woke in the middle of the night to noises down the hall. A four-year old and a three-year old at two in the morning, laughing. We had been building a bridge of cards from her bed to mine, so that we wouldn't fall in the water between us if we wanted to hold hands. The most unlikely of stories I never thought to question. Sister, less than a year old, lying on her mother's stomach. Head down, moving with the rhythm of familiar breath. One word. Baby. To discover, shortly after, for two months their silence had been shared. I remember the ways we used to pretend. In the water, we could have been dolphins, at home different versions of Barbie and Ken. Our Barbies lost countless heads perfecting dives off sofa's end and to think that's how I spent my years. Do I laugh or merely cry. When we played I think I was always the boy but I don't know if that changed the way I feel.

Francis King “Making It All Right”

The text â€Å"Making it all right† by Francis King is written in a style of fiction. This extract is about how Mary and her husband Bob were admiring their screen, which was picked up in a little junkshop, and how they had it remounted. So at the beginning of the text we see Bob, Mary and Diana friendly speaking about their friend Iris, whom they were going to make a call. Suddenly their attention was attracted by Diana Lucas, who began to edge a six-panel gold screen out from the wall. And they saw the filth behind it. During this Bob was sitting and staring at the Chinese silk carpet.The author describe him as a big and clumsy chap using such epithet â€Å"clumsy hands†. But Bob wasn’t going to grumble about her and he’s been with her twelve years. And he really appreciated in her the thing that she was a good cook and to show it the author uses the epithet â€Å"a lovely cook†. The clich? â€Å"on a good day† is used to show that they did not care very much about that carpet. After all they decided to call her but they did not know whether would be suitable. Besides she was on her own and seemed â€Å"utterly lost†, this metonymy which describes her in a very bad condition.But then Diana fidgeted with the screen and their attention again was attracted by the beauty of it. To show their admiration the author uses the proverb â€Å"The gold alone is worth a fortune†. And at the end of the text we can see the remembering of that how they picked up it in a small junkshop and how it had been remounted by a little man – a real artist. After that they anyway decided to put through that call. To my mind the idea of the story is that sometimes it is possible to remount thing which are in ghastly condition.

Assess the Aftermath and Impact That the First Opium War Had on China

Question: Assess the aftermath and impact that the first Opium War had on China Essay: The First Opium War fought between Britain and China from 1839-1842 was a clash between two vastly different cultures, one struggling to control trade rights, and the other desperate to limit the impact of foreign trade upon the local population. The war changed the way China acted towards its foreign counterparts, exposed the weaknesses of the Chinese feudal system and forcefully opened-up China to the rest of the world. There were severe economic, social and political consequences that the war had on China. Prior to the war China had believed that the Chinese empire was the ‘Heavenly Middle Kingdom’ and superior to all other civilisations. China had very little contact with the West and foreigners were continually looked down upon. Despite strict government regulations, foreign trade with the West in China grew during the late 18th & early 19th century. The West became desperate in trying to balance their thirst of coveted Chinese goods for their own goods but China showed little interest in Western products until 1817 when Britain sold 240 tons of opium into China and when the West found a product which China did not have, opium. Opium smuggling developed rapidly and the trade literally produced a country filled with opium dens and drug addicts. Thus the government decided to do something about this problem and sent Commissioner Lin Zexu to sort things out. However it was Zexu’s actions that eventually started a war in which brought China into a humiliating defeat. The Treaty of Nanking is an official document that marks the conclusion of the First Opium war; it is also considered an unequal treaty by the Chinese. China was ordered to handover Hong Kong, open up five more ports for trade and pay 21 million ounces of silver to Britain. Britain also received fixed tariffs, the ‘most favoured nation’ status and imprisoned British nationals were not to be tried under Chinese law. This treaty caused many problems for China as no restrictions were placed on British merchants who were free trade in China, the opium trade more than doubled in the three decades. As Hong Kong was to be ceded to Britain, it gave the British a base for further military, political and economical penetrations of China. Import duties were lowered from 65% to 5%, effectively traumatizing China's home industries. The treaty also exempted British nationals and any Chinese person who had either dealt with the British, lived with them or were employed by them, from Chinese law. This provided a refuge for Chinese criminals. No sooner had the Chinese emperor made concessions to Britain, he was faced with similar demands from US, French, Belgium, Sweden, Norway and Russian governments. Greatly weakened by war he had no choice but to grant their requests. Seeing China’s weakness, the foreign powers sailed up to impose treaties similar to that of Nanking. By 1860, a massive amount of 6400 tons of opium was being annually imported into China. Western merchants mainly bought silk and tea from China and the export of tea from China increased to 42,000,000 kg in 1855 from only 7,500,000 kg in 1843. The export of silk rose to 56,000 bales in 1855 from a relatively small sum of 2000 bales in 1843. The tea and silk producing regions around the treaty ports expanded and benefited from the foreign trade and resulted in more and more farmers who abandoned the production of food stuffs to produce silk and tea. When Shanghai opened up to foreign trade, the occupation shift for the coolies and boatmen who would transport tea and silk throughout the regions in Canton were now unemployed since the majority of trade moved from Canton to Shanghai. This caused a food price hike and the unemployment rise. As Canton wasn’t the only port open for trade, the inland boatmen who transported goods to Canton from other areas before the war, lost their business. The amount of European goods and opium that flooded china severely strained the economy and provoked an economic crisis which resulted in the shortage of the Spanish silver dollar. The Spanish dollar appreciated so much that Canton abolished it and introduced the Mexican dollar. The monetary disturbances in China was enhanced by the internal monetary crises in China were the Chinese copper cash continued to devalue due to poor management and insufficient supply of copper. The monetary crises devastated the Chinese financial system and caused the loss of morale. With the rush of cheaper Western machine-made products, the home textile industry in China was almost destroyed. For many centuries, clothes were made by hand so this business was heavily impacted by foreign trade. In order to survive, this industry had to decrease the price of their products but, because the production methods remained basically untouched, the cost of production was also unchanged. Therefore the lower price came at the cost of the lower of the living standards of the textile workers. The Opium War almost entirely collapsed China's economy. However, it also forced China's economy to quickly adapt and evolve. The war rushed China's development of capitalism. Even before the war, a market economy was already developing in China's urban areas. The â€Å"invasion† of foreign capitalistic powers enhanced this change. However, the coming of outside influences did not result in the independent development of capitalism in China; rather it turned China into a semi-colonial semi-feudal state. This happened because Chinese industries were exposed too soon to the outside world, being insufficiently prepared and poorly equipped to compete in international or even domestic markets. Western capitalism greatly changed and influenced the Chinese economy as on one hand, the opening of China damaged the basis of China's self-sufficient economy, the urban handicraft and rural homestead industries. But on the other hand, it greatly enhanced the development of China's urban market economy. After China's disastrous defeat in the Opium War, the Chinese realized that they were no longer the â€Å"Heavenly Middle Kingdom†. Having lost at the hands of the â€Å"barbarians†, Chinese intellectuals recognized that in order to deal with the strangers from the West, they must understand the Westerners and the place they came from. Before the Opium War, the Chinese concept of European countries was very vague and in some cases, even ridiculous. After the Opium War, China intellectually discovered the West as Western political ideas, social structures, and in some areas, new technologies were introduced. Western ideas of parliamentary democracy and capitalism were vaguely made known and international alliances became a concept. One of the writers, Wei Yuan, first proposed that in order to fight the West, China must learn from the West. Wei's proposal received many positive responses as it was after all that China lost to the Westerner's â€Å"strong ships and sharp weapons†. So, China for the first time established something on the equivalent of a foreign ministry which was mainly occupied with the study of Western technology, modernization of the Chinese army and the open of modern factories. The first factories opened were for the military, and specialized in the production of modern weapons and ships. The running of these factories did not depend on the profit it made, nor the demands of the market so money making was not a concern. This meant that administration techniques of managing a large commercial enterprise were not yet developed. Even so, seeing that Western enterprises made a profit, the Chinese government began to establish commercial enterprises. Immediately after the Opium War, Western merchants had not yet fully entered the Chinese market. The Manchu government, although short in profits, could still find enough funds to start new industries. The private sector also was quite wealthy. With the collapse of the feudalistic economy and the stimulations by Western capitalism, it was willing to invest in modern enterprises. At the same time, Western companies absorbed some Chinese capital. It could be said that shortly after the Opium War, Chinese capitalism had a good chance to develop. The Opium War exposed the weaknesses of the Chinese feudal system. The cost of the war and later the compensation all fell onto the shoulders of the farmers and civilians. The Manchu government could no longer protect, and govern its people and as China's economy collapsed, poverty was wide spread, and insurrection sprang up all over the country. The Manchu government showed its weaknesses when it signed the Treaty of Nanjing without using all possible methods of resistance. The Opium War helped to discredit the Manchu government and encouraged popular movements. For many Chinese, the Treaty of Nanking was a signal that the Manchu dynasty was at its end – humiliated, weak and corrupt. A republican movement ran across the political landscape, stimulating nearly fifteen years of civil war. Seeing the social chaos and the weakening of the Manchu dynasty, Chinese intellectuals sought to make China strong. Unlike the government, the intellectuals believed that adapting Western technologies and industries was not enough and that China must undergo political changes as well. Chinese intellectuals began to study Western countries and at the same time, the Chinese government imported Western technologies and industries. They, like the officials, believed that the government should allow and protect the growth of capitalism and that the army must be modernized to fight Westerners on the battlefields. But most importantly, private enterprises should be formed without government interventions and companies must be created to compete in the market place. The intellectuals also proposed a parliamentary system as a new, more democratic political system. This proposal was the first attempt of private citizens to get involved in the government. The Opium war created an entire new level of crime and disorder in Southeast China. The British navy drove away the pirates along the coast and up into the Kwangtung-Kwangsi highlands. There, the pirates would periodically raid plentiful villages up the river. To add to this, former militiamen used their weapons for banditry. The Opium War had led the people of China to witness the destruction of their military and navy by the strongest military force at the time. It led to a greater understanding and appreciation for West, despite their hatred for it. This led many people to consider and try to understand Western doctrines and beliefs. Also some British missionaries, who had knowledge of China and the language, played in the embarrassment of the country to which they had come perceived with no object other than to preach Christianity. Thus for the first time instances of foreign religion was seen. The Opium War was also one of the many factors that led on the famous Taiping Rebellion. Directly after the war feuds between the Punti and Hakkas clans rose. The Hakka people were Chinese that came from the north and had immigrated to southern China. They were treated as ethnic minorities by the Punti’s who were the Cantonese natives. This led to competition between the two in farming and economy. In the 1850’s the feuds and wars between these two clans resulted in the loss of hundreds of thousands of lives. The dislike towards the Hakkas eventually led them into following the Taiping Rebellion’s leader Hung Hsiu-chuan. Hung Hisu-chuan was the revolutionary leader who incorporated the Western ideals and beliefs of Christianity with classical Chinese themes. He believed himself to be the younger brother of Christ, and was sent on a mission to return Christianity to China. This belief was soon adopted by thousands of Hakkas alike, because of the loss of faith in the Ch’ing dynasty partially due to the defeat in the Opium War, it’s social and economic effects afterwards and the silver & copper crisis. The movement to change and restore China with Christianity finally resulted in the Taiping rebellion against the Ch’ing dynasty. The Taiping rebellion lasted from 1851 to 1864, causing the loss of millions of lives. The Ch’ing dynasty’s power was questionable during this time because the rebellion lasted so many years. Finally, the Ch’ing dynasty managed to organize an new army to overthrow the Taipings. This new army and organizations was aided by Western countries who wanted the Ch’ing dynasty to continue. If the Ch’ing dynasty was overthrown it would end the unequal treaties with between China and the West. The Opium War resulted in the dramatic changes in China economically, socially and politically. It no doubt opened China's doors to the outside world while changing China’s view and relationship with the Western world incredibly. The war shattered the idea that China was the ‘Heavenly Middle Kingdom’ as well as breaking China’s false sense of superiority over other nations. It resulted in a major change in the economy and the social relationship between the people of China and because of the Opium War, China was left with internal struggles and warfare, increased crime, an economy downfall in Canton and people without work or money. The Opium War led to the major influence of the Western cultures and belief in China, and the loss of power and control China had over Western nations. The unfair treaties that were created left China in weak position to the West, and opened China to Western influence which is still observed to this date. Bibliography: China, Opium Wars to Revolution by Michael Gibson. Wayland publishers, 1975 From Opium War to Liberation by Israel Epstein. New World Press, Beijing, 1956 The Chinese Opium Wars. by Jack Beeching. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1975 The Inner Opium War by James Polachek M. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, 1992 The Opium War Through Chinese Eyes by Arthur Waley. George Allen and Unwin Ltd. , 1958 The Treaty of Nanking, signed on the 29th of August, 1842

Organizational Culture in Change Management

Organizational Culture in Change Management Introduction The success of a story of a company depends on certain conditions. These conditions can be thought of as mandatory when starting a business. The conditions being referred to are:Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Culture in Change Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Tapping the market of products and services that has little or no competition. Offer services or products that cannot be provided by anyone else. If a product owns a large share of the market, then the organization has no worries regarding its competition. Getting rid of the competition by letting them compete against each other. If the company is the sole buyer of a product, then it is easy to negotiate a price with the supplier. These factors seem like the ideal situation to start a business and would most probably generate high revenue. But, in reality the top leading companies of the United States never eve n applied one of these rules, and yet their stocks rocketed in the capital markets from 1972 to 2002. So the question arises: What was their secret of success? What was the factor that made these companies one of the best companies of all time? The answer is quite simple organizational culture. Discussion It is understood that there is no universally accepted definition of organizational culture; however, we can say that organizational culture is the factors and the points that contribute the surroundings of an organization in multiple ways. These factors can range from the belief of an individual to the acts of an entire group the organization culture of any institution plays a huge role in its productivity. But, applying changes to the organizational culture is not easy it takes a lot of hard work, effort, and can be a time consuming process. A culture that develops within an organization is quite difficult to change and if someone joins the organization they have to adapt to the new culture, and eventually he or she becomes a part of that culture. These employees eventually try to preserve that environment to which they have gotten used to. Those who do not fit the culture usually tend to leave the place. Some institutions tend to penalize the person whose behavior is not in accordance to the culture that prevail wit in that organization. Learning within an organization is a difficult phase, but it is an important one if the person is to maintain his job (Todd, 1999).Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Research on the management of organizational culture and organizational control is very limited. Moreover, through studies it has been established that there is a relation between the two it is still not clear to what extent is the effect of organizational culture and how to control or manage it. Little has been known on the phenomenon of organizational culture, and there has still been no proper way known to measure it. While some believe that there is no method to measure organizational culture, others believe that some factors can be taken into account to measure organizational culture (Lawson Ventriss, 1992). A majority of researchers believe that organizational culture can increase the productivity of the company. These researches suggest that changes focused on the organizational culture and the implementation of a proper plan in the right sectors could move the company in the desired direction towards progress (Lawson Ventriss, 1992). The collective efficiencies are one of those facts that can have a huge impact on the financial and productive output of a company, with each individual performing to the best of his or her abilities can improve the culture of an organization and can bring about a positive change in the companies’ atmosphere. However, some scholars believe that attitude of employees towards their job is not the deciding factor towards the change in the organizational culture, but it is in fact the attitude of the CEO that makes the true difference. The CEO is responsible for setting the goal for the organization and making sure that everyone including himself work towards achieving that goal. He should inspire and motivate his employees by bringing out the best out of each of them.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Organizational Culture in Change Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More His attitude towards employees, the company and his own work is of real impact to bringing change in an organization. Also, the success of a CEO lies with his ability to decide when change in an organization is required and how to bring about that change. In short, the dynamic leadership of a CEO is the true essence of an organizational culture (Tsuia Zhang, 2006). Another author suggests that certai n individual figures within an organization play a vital role in the organization culture and through those individuals a change can be brought about within an organization (Curado, 2006). Defining organizational learning is a topic of great controversy. There is no single acceptable definition, and definitions vary with each author. Organizational learning has been defined by different authors through different means with little or no common grounds between them. But, it is the author’s personal view that organizational learning is a mutual sharing of ideas and resources. Since, organizational learning is relatively a new branch of studies; therefore, there is still time in a standard definition to emerge. It is not only the definition of organization learning that has raised confusion, but also different terms relating to organizational learning are in need of standardization, and just like the definition all these terms are defined by different authors in different ways. U nlike individual learning organizational learning depends upon information possessed by each member of the organization and his ability to interact and share this knowledge with his peers and his colleagues.Advertising Looking for research paper on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Organization learning is lot simpler and less time consuming than individual learning because in organizational learning, one has to observe the culture he is surrounded by and simply pick up information from there on. Another advantage of organizational learning is that it helps to cultivate competent employees, which in return attract clients towards the organization. It is believed that organizations with a better understanding of organizational learning can easily adapt to change providing the organization a competitive edge over other firms (Curado, 2006). On the other hand, Mackenzie states that organization learning cannot be used in a rapid changing environment. Organizational learning is a slow process and needs time to be implemented into the system. Even after the slow implementation of organizational learning there is no guarantee that the organization change would result in the financial benefit or would it result in the financial loss (Mackenzie, 2004). Organizational change is again a topic of great confusion. The facts and reasons for a change in an organization are not clear. Although, most authors believe that the real reason for change is the ever growing influence of information technology on other fields. IT has long been thought as the deciding factor in bringing change to an organization, and the organization culture has long been thought to be the opposing force. The world of business is changing every day, new competition, and changing monetary policies etc. are all things that organizations have to adapt to. In order to increase the life span of an organization, they have to bring about changes to their systems. Burke Litwin (1992) state that for a change to occur three factors must be present. First the trigger that would cause the need for a change, the second fact that must be taken into account is that the miniscule activities within the organization must not be ignored. Third and perhaps the most difficult principle to cope with is the sudden change when the organization least accepts it and is not ready or has not planned for it. No one knows why the sudden change occurs or if there are more than one factor causing this change. There are two ways of implementing change in an organization. Incremental change Radical change Incremental method, to put in simple words, is a change that is brought on in an organization slowly and gradually with the passage of time. Incremental method ensures that change is brought about in an organization without drastically disturbing the existing culture of the organization. Incremental method can be seen taking place in an organization though daily activities of the organization. For the incremental process to work properly, the organization has to define its goals and plan out the process keeping in view the competency and adaptability of the workforce of the organization. To implement incremental change successfully the company has to implement some policies or have to follow some guidelines. Firstly, the company before it starts out has to outline its objectives it intends to achieve from implementing the change and what steps will be undertaken to bring about that change. Secondly, allowing employees to familiarize themselves with the new system. Lastly, enabling a culture that allows growth and which can easily accept change (Myers Hulks, 2012). When it comes to the programs that can be implemented or used to bring change, managers have a range of choice. They could either have custom made programs specifically for their needs or they can buy general purpose programs. It all depends upon the needs of the organization. However, there are certain issues that must be given consideration when choosing the right types of programs. For example, corporate wide programs may be great to help familiarize employees with the inevitable change utilize a lot of resources and can reduce the efficiency of the organization. In the same way, general purpose pro grams can be bought right away without much planning, and they may not serve the purpose as these programs are not specific to the needs of the organization. These decisions have to be made properly after an analysis of the situation or opinion of a consultant to make such decisions on behalf of the company. Incremental change enables an organization to break large problems into small ones. Solving these small problems might not seem effective initially, but a collection of these small problems solved can make a huge difference to the organization (Orlikowski, 1993). Radical change is the change that occurs when the surrounding of an organization changes which in turn has an effect on the culture of the organization, and to negate the effect of that change the organization has to make some drastic changes. Usually, it is advised that radical change should not be managed by anyone within the company because a person needs to be able to set aside his own personal gains when planning t he future change of the company. In the same way as the individual planning, this change must be able to challenge the higher authority’s perspectives. Radical change is a very complex process, which requires high level of competency by the entire team, and not just the individual who is leading the charge. Technology should be implemented only if it is needed, otherwise it should be avoided. The team must be properly briefed when it comes to the use of information regarding each member (Todd, 1999). Organizational learning is viewed as one of the most important attributes that contributes towards organizational change. When employees within an organization go through learning phase then the company can expect some kind of change. The management needs to closely monitor employees of their organization and try to plan the change accordingly. Organizational learning focuses on both the past and future that a company may face. Analyzing and preparing for the future is also part of organizational learning (Schein, 1990). Preparing for the future refers to change that would be applied to the company. To make sure that the right decisions are taken in this matter, a method called scenario planning is used. Scenario planning basically is a strategy that provides a possible solution for possible scenarios that may arise in the future. Some organizations only allow the management staff to carry out such decisions. While in some companies, the management allows representation from all levels of the company including different departments and sectors. These employees are then briefed and trained on what factors to consider that would affect the change of the company (Geldenhuys Veldsman, 2011). Culture within an organization is passed on to employees from the organizations founders through a set of practices and talks. One way for an organization to determine its culture is by their treatment of employees. Explaining employees about the dos and don’ts enab les the formation of a culture within the organization shared among employees. Usually, introducing innovation disturbs the environment around an organization and that is the true nature of culture it resists change. Organization that is able to successfully apply change need to do so at a steady pace (Schein, 1990). Change is a very complex process and in order to manage change successfully appropriate managerial skills are required, and when it comes to radical change there should be no doubt when enforcing it. Change is not always successful and once the process of change starts the management must see the whole process through. Planning and attention to the details is very important, and employees must be ready to accept a change in the culture that might develop due to change that occurs within the organization. It is also important for the management to be ready for any reaction that might come from employees of the organization (Schein, 1996). Organizations with powerful fina ncial background are more likely to survive a change then that with a less powerful financial background. Changes made from mutual agreement of employees and the management staff is less likely to fail then the change taken based on the decision of just the managerial staff. It is important that the political nature of the organizational culture must be understood before making any major decisions regarding change within an organization. Communication between the managerial staff and employees is of utmost importance (Mackenzie, 2004). Paying attention to small details during the transition is of utmost importance, the neglect of even the smallest nature can cause great problems in the implementation of change in the organization. Every employee must be given a considerable amount of time to work with the change and should be removed from the organization if they are unable to adapt to the change. Bold and brave decisions could be very helpful in bringing about change within an orga nization. New leaders must act as pioneers of change and must remain firm in their decision of change (Myers Hulks, 2012). Conclusion Although, there is vast information regarding organizational learning and knowledge, but the confusion regarding terminologies and definitions prove to be a huge barrier in understanding the subject clearly. Moreover, empirical data is limited on the subject. To overcome these obstacles, there is a dire need for researchers to implement their research in the field and achieve some statistical data to support their theories. These researchers must compare notes and provide some proper terminologies regarding the subject. List of References Burke, W Litwin, G 1992, A Causal Model of Organizational Performance and Change, Journal of Change Management, vol. 18 no. 3, pp. 523-45. Geldenhuys, C A Veldsman, T H 2011, A change navigation-based, scenario planning process within a developing world context from an Afro-centric leadership perspective, SA Journ al of Human Resource Management, vol. 9 no. 1, pp. 1-17. Lawson, B R Ventriss, C L 1992, Organizational change: the role of organizational culture and organizational learning, Kenyon College, Vermont. Mackenzie, K D 2004, The Practitioners Guide for Organizing an Organization, Mackenzie and Company, New York. Myers, S P Hulks, W L 2012, Organizational Change: Perspectives on Theory and Practice, Oxford University Press, Oxford. Orlikowski, W J 1993, CASE Tools as Organizational Change: Investigating Incremental and Radical Changes in Systems Development. MIS Quarterly, vol. 17 no. 3, pp. 309-340. Schein, E 1996, Three Cultures of Management: The Key to Organizational Learning, Sloan Management Review, vol. Fall, pp. 9-20. Schein, E H 1990, Organizational Culture, American Psychologist, vol. 45 no. 2, pp. 109-119. Todd, A 1999, Managing Radical Change, Long Range Planning, April, vol. 32 no. 2, pp. 237-244. Tsuia, A S et al. 2006, Unpacking the relationship between CEO leadership b ehavior and organizational culture, The Leadership Quarterly, April, vol. 17 no. 2, pp. 113-137.

Term Limits In U.S. Government Essays - United States, Free Essays

Term Limits In U.S. Government Essays - United States, Free Essays Term Limits in U.S. Government Mark P. Petracca's idea that "government should be kept as near to the people as possible chiefly through frequent elections and rotation-in-office" is quite common in early republican thought and generally agreed upon by the America's revolutionary thinkers. Although the debate over limiting legislative terms dates back to the beginnings of political science, it was not until the 1990's that the doctrine began to be taken seriously when voters started to approve term limit initiatives (Sinclair 203). Petracca's statement captures a significant aspect of the democratic process- that every citizen retains the privilege to participate in the political system, yet his inclusion of "rotation-in-office" can both support and hinder such a privilege. This will be shown by discussing the views of America's founders, term limits legislation in Washington State, California, and Oklahoma, political mobilization of national groups, and the opinions of congressmen concerning the matter. Term limitation is not a strictly modern topic. Its roots date back to the creation of Republican thought and democratic theory of ancient Greece and Rome, and also aroused debates amongst the founding fathers of the United States (Sinclair 14). For the most part, the Antifederalists supported rotation-in-office because they feared its elimination, paired with the extensive powers given to Congress by the Constitution, would make the "federal rulers ...masters, not servants." On the other hand, the Federalists felt that the separation of powers in the federalist system served as a viable check on ambition and tyrannical government; therefore, rotation seemed unnecessary and was not mentioned in the Constitution (Peek 97). Melancton Smith, of New York, is considered the Antifederalist's most well-spoken and conscious supporter of rotation-in-office. In a speech given in June of 1788 which called for a constitutional amendment to solve the "evil" of the proposed Senate, Smith endorsed the point that rotation-in-office could be used as a check on the abuse of power and tyranny by proposing, rotation ...as the best possible mode of affecting a remedy. The amendment will not only have the tendency to defeat any plots, which may be formed against liberty and the authority of the state governments, but will be the best means to extinguish the factions which often prevail, and which are sometimes fatal in legislative bodies (Foley 23)." New York's "Brutus" also advocated rotation in the Senate, but he did so on grounds that more people would be given an opportunity to serve their government instead of a select few with lifetime membership. He felt that in addition to bringing a greater number of citizens forward to serve their country, it would force those who had served to return to their respective states and become more informed of the condition and politics of their constituencies (Foley 25). Both Smith and Brutus agreed that once an individual was elected to office his removal would be difficult, except in the rare occurrence that his outright misconduct would constitute grounds for dismissal. Sharing the Antifederalist doctrine of the dangers of permanent government, Brutus suggested that, "it would be wise to determine that a senator should not be eligible after he had served for the period assigned by the constitution for a certain number of years (Foley 26)." Although John Adams was a devout Federalist, he maintained that rotation, as well as frequent elections, would be necessary in order to keep government as near to the people as possible. Adams expressed these two beliefs in a speech given just before the American Revolution in which he proposed holding annual elections of representatives (Peek 101). He also compared men in a society with rotation-in-office to bubbles on the sea which "rise,...break, and to that sea return"; Adams later develops his thought by adding, "This will teach them the great political virtues of humility, patience, and moderation, without which every man in power becomes a ravenous beast of prey (Peek 102)." In response to the ideas of Melancton Smith, the strongest opposition from the Federalists came from Alexander Hamilton at the New York ratification convention. Hamilton, along with Roger Sherman and Robert Livingston, developed three strong arguments against implementing term limits in government: the people have a right to judge who they will and will not elect to public office, rotation reduces

Average National SAT Scores for 2012

Average National SAT Scores for 2012   Over a million high-schoolers registered for the SAT  in 2012. Their average scores provide some interesting insights into this group. Whether they wanted admission to the  top public universities  or another school of their choice, see how they performed. Overall SAT Scores for 2012 The mean is the average score of every student who took the SAT from the fall of 2011 through June of 2012. Here are the mean scores for all testers by section: Overall: 1498Critical Reading: 496Mathematics: 514Writing: 488 (subscores: multiple-choice: 48.1 / essay: 7.3) See how these compare: SAT Scores for 2013 SAT Scores by Gender As is often seen, boys were better on average in the Mathematics section and they also slightly outperformed girls as a whole in the Critical Reading Section. But females outperformed them on average in the Writing section. You can compare your scores with the average for your gender. Critical Reading:  Males: 498. Females: 493Mathematics:  Males: 532. Females: 499Writing:  Males: 481. Females: 494 SAT Scores by Reported Annual Income Higher parental income is associated with a higher SAT score. This doesnt necessarily mean that wealthier families produce smarter children. But it likely has some relationship to parents sending their children to better schools and being more willing to purchase SAT prep. They may also be more willing to spend money on retakes of the examination. $0 to $20,000: 1323$20,000 to $40,000: 1398$40,000 to $60,000: 1461$60,000 to $80,000: 1503$80,000 to $100,000: 1545$100,000 to $120,000: 1580$120,000 to $140,000: 1594$140,000 to $160,000: 1619$160,000 to $200,000: 1636$200,000 and more: 1721 SAT Scores by AP/Honors Classes It is helpful to know which courses in school tend to produce the highest SAT scores. You could guess that students who take AP courses or rigorous Honors courses are going to score higher on the SAT, but the degree to which they score better is significant. The question is which came first, the chicken or the egg? Do these students score higher due to their natural abilities, or do the courses themselves prepare students better for the SAT? Check out the stats: AP/Honors Math 1698: Mean SAT score for those enrolled in AP/Honors Math1404: Mean SAT score for those not enrolled Percentage of SAT Testers Enrolled in AP/Honors Math by Ethnicity All students: 36 percentAfrican American: 25 percentAmerican Indian: 31 percentAsian: 47 percentHispanic: 31 percentWhite: 40 percent AP/Honors English 1655: Mean SAT score for those enrolled in AP/Honors Math1404: Mean SAT score for those not enrolled Percentage of SAT Testers Enrolled in AP/Honors English by Ethnicity All students: 42 percentAfrican American: 34 percentAmerican Indian: 40 percentAsian: 44 percentHispanic: 39 percentWhite: 46 percent AP/Honors Natural Science 1698: Mean SAT score for those enrolled in AP/Honors Math1414: Mean SAT score for those not enrolled Percentage of SAT Testers Enrolled in AP/Honors Natural Science by Ethnicity All students: 35 percentAfrican American: 24 percentAmerican Indian: 28 percentAsian: 43 percentHispanic: 28 percentWhite: 38 percent 2012 SAT Scores Summary The statistics say youd have the best advantage on the SAT if you were a male of Asian ethnicity whose family who made more than $200,000 per year. You could always prepare regardless of your ethnic heritage or familial status. These statistics represent the mean but do not, of course, represent the individual. If you have nothing in common with the groups scoring the highest on the SAT, it does not mean that you cant secure a top-notch score. Start with some free SAT practice quizzes, grab some free SAT apps, and prepare yourself the best way you can.

Multinational company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Multinational company - Research Paper Example In order to find out reasons for divergence in work attitude of Japanese and German employees, the study has also assessed professional orientation of employees from mentioned countries. In the final section, on the basis of theoretical and empirical research findings, a relativistic overtime payment model has been proposed. Implementation of the recommended model has also been discussed in the report. Concept of statistical performance management has been used to formulate the proposed recommendation. Almost 30 years ago, Hofstede (1980) had developed the concept of cultural dimensions in order to understand ways in which cultural and personal orientation of people differs with change in geographic locations. In such context, Dong and Liu (2010) argued that organizational leaders not only need to manage cultural diversity, but also have to deal with diversity of expectations of employees nourished in different cultural dimensions. Consideration of research works of Jamal (2005) reveals the fact that, multi-national enterprises (MNEs) face three levels of problems in managing cultural diversity such as, cross-cultural knowledge sharing, development of team collaboration among cross-cultural employee pool and standard reward system for all employees. It is evident from the theoretical argument that MNEs face range of difficulties while managing different perspectives of cross-cultural diversity within organizational environment. In such a backdrop, a new leader of an organization h as approached the researcher, who is working as a consultant, to develop a report by evaluating reasons for the employees in Japan and Germany to have different attitudes towards work. From previous study, it has been found that Japanese employees are happy to work additional hours without pay, while German employees expect to be paid for every extra hour of work. As part of the report, the study will use the concept of cultural dimensions in order to understand

Immigration reform Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Immigration reform - Term Paper Example While these countries have immigration policies, they have often grappled with challenges brought about by the immigration. The main immigration problem that they have been facing relates to illegal immigration where the immigrants fail to follow the proper channels for immigration (Allport 19). The United States has been experiencing the problem of illegal immigration for many years as immigrants attempt or actually enter the country illegally through the border between the United States and Mexico, or entering the country legally but overstay their visas. It is against this background that the United States Reform debate is particularly targeting the challenge of between 12 and 20 million illegal immigrants within its borders (Stolz 21). The debate about immigration reform in the United States has been revolving around how to address the challenge of illegal immigration. While the focus of the debate is the same, the approach that is proposed by various individuals and groups diffe r in a number of ways. There have been different positions over the debate and how the reforms should be packaged (Hinojosa-Ojeda 178). A closer look at different positions point out to the fact that all the positions have taken either side of these two positions: on one side, there are individuals and groups who are focused mainly on the enforcement, while on the other side are those who are pro-amnesty. My position is that amnesty should be granted to the illegal immigrants, but efforts should be enhanced to prevent illegal immigration in the future. This position is informed by the view that this is the most practical solution to the problem of illegal immigration and considers all the aspects of the complex issue of immigration (Newton 41). This paper will be approached through comparative approach and analysis where various theories and perspectives will be analyzed in respect to this topic. After comparative analysis, solutions to this problem will be proposed. Comparative and Analysis One of the main theories that have been used in the immigration reform debate is social contract theory. This theory holds that the state has authority over its citizens and any other individual within its borders. It further argues that since individuals have consented to surrender certain freedoms to the state in exchange for protection of the remaining rights, they ought to submit to the state’s laws and policies. Those who use this theory in the debate believe that enforcement is vital in the immigration report and that the government should use its authority to regulate immigration and prevent illegal immigration (Allport 77). Classical liberalism theory has also been used by various individuals and groups in the debate about immigration reform. This theory advocates limited government and individual rights under the constitution and rule of law. The theory stresses minimal government and economic freedom. Those who subscribes to this theory are of the view tha t illegal immigrants should be granted amnesty (Muwonge 24). This view is informed by the argument of classical liberalism theory that emphasizes protection and guaranteeing of individual rights. While it is true that these individuals violated the law and were not procedural while entering into the United States, those who subscribe to this theory argue that their rights should be protected and they should be allowed to pursue

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 10

Economics - Essay Example Economics has been called and is known as a Social Science one that actually focuses on the subject matter that is concerned with the fair distribution, proper level production and the over all consumption of various Goods( products and services). It is estimated that the history of Economics can be divided up into three distinctive eras, the first era being named, the pre-modern era, the second era being named the early modern era, and the third and final time span being named the modern era of economics. Regardless of that though the three eras are not very important as it has been observed that the systematic theory the most advances have been made with the advent or let say the birth of the modern era. The complete amount of credit for the development in this field can be attributed as it is seen through history to the late Scholastics and to be more specific the development can be attributed to the finding and contribution, rather to the overall over done in the study of economic to the Scholastics of the 15th and 16th century Spain. Economics has been defined in many ways some say it’s the measurement of cost and production with reference to its actually consumption, some say it’s the level of production with respect to the distribution, some even say that economics generally refers to the developmental area of a country however one very specific definition that sort of does complete justice in explaining Economics is that one which calls economic that science that studies that human behavior as a relationship that occurs between the ends and the scarce means an those could have alternative uses. The word scarce here generally holds the meaning that the productivity or the availability of a certain resource is insufficient enough to fulfill the complete needs of the people. Economics has two very main stream branches those

Combinational and sequential logics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Combinational and sequential logics - Assignment Example The two binary digit full adders are found as the standard IC packages as 74LS283 and 74LS83 which add up and generate a CARRY and SUM output. Image for the two binary digits full adder Another very useful and a common combinational logic is that of one bit magnitude comparator. The comparator is comprised of the NOT, NOR, and AND logic gates. The logic gates compare the signals found in the input terminal and produce the output that depend on the input condition (Ross & Sheldon 75). For instance, despite adding and subtracting numbers, they are able to compare them and find if the value of A is smaller than, equal to, or greater than input B. The one bit magnitude comparator achieves this by using the above logic gates that use the mechanism of Boolean algebra. The one bit magnitude comparator comprises of the three terminals that act as the terminals. One is greater than A>B, equalityA=B, and less than A

Marriage equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage equality - Essay Example Marriage equality is a term that has been developed in the contemporary society to refer to same-sex marriage. In spite of the term appearing obnoxious, it has become difficult to define equality in marriage. The traditional meaning of equality depended on the natural act, which is the marriage between a man and a woman. â€Å"Equality and gay peoples’ rights spite the notion of procreation†. In such cases, equity was viewed as a process of recognizing the rights of both spouses in a relationship. In fact, it dealt with the development of understanding of the limits between violation and acceptance. However, the changes in morality and social development have led to serious challenges in the definition of marriage equality. Equality in controversial marriages such as gay and lesbian marriage is a challenge to the society. The use of terms such as straight to define heterosexual individuals is a product of the need to identify the gay or up-right people in the society. T he development of the diverse range of terms in explaining the new social development led to the creation of the term â€Å"marriage equality†. Therefore, when addressing marriage equality, it is vital to understand the various issues associated with the current term and the reasons for its development. Consequently, marriage equality is fundamentally a new term based on the cultural change witnessed in the world. The original meaning of the terms has been changed significantly because of the growing use of the term to mean new concepts in a marriage relationship (Wolfson 45). In fact, the new term has rendered the traditional term null or void based on the wide acceptance of the new meaning. The cultural meaning of the word is simple and easily understood, but with the current changes the world is becoming complex to understand such as the current terms like bootylicious and equality. Definition of marriage equality Marriage equality is defined as same-sex marriage that is l egally recognized in the society as the marriage between mature or adult persons. The major question posed by the proponents of the idea is based on the protection of human rights that is protected fundamentally by the constitution. The bill or rights stipulate the major issues that must be addressed in the protection of human freedom. Based on these freedoms including the freedom of association, it becomes challenging when defining marriage equality. Equality in marriage and marriage equality in the contemporary society means two different things today (Wolfson 73). Equality in marriage is the protection of the rights of individuals in marriage while marriage equality is the struggle to accept the new set of marriage partners resulting from homosexual and lesbian relationship in the society. In fact, the push for recognition has led to serious challenge in the society because of the resistance posed by conservatives. Despite the challenges in defining the term, it is widely accepte d culturally to mean the relationship between same-sex partners and their intention to live together has a couple. Equality and protection Marriage Equality relates to the protection of the choices made by the gay and lesbian individuals in the society. The protection against marriage discrimination and reduction of stigma associated with same sex marriage. The definition of marriage equality has changed significantly based on the acceptance of the new meaning, which is slightly different from traditional meaning. The new meaning has overshadowed the traditional meaning associated with the term (Wolfson 89). Marriage equality is a broad term in the contemporary society based on the understanding of the society. Language change is implemented by individuals in the society who lead to increased usage of the term. The actual meaning of equality in marriage is not clearly defined in the contemporary society based on the new meanings develop. The development of new terms illustrates the power of dynamic reasoning in the world,

Mozart's 40th Symphony Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Mozart's 40th Symphony - Essay Example In words of Donald Tovey, "it is not only difficult to see the depths of agony in the rhythms and idioms of comedy, but it is not very intelligent to attempt to see them." There are different views in realizing the essence of overall tone from tragedy, sorrow, dejection to lightness and grace. Alfred Heuss finds the aura of profundity is permeated and unified by grief-tinged interval of low tone second notes. The second movement is a lyrical work. The first is contemplative mood which tries to surmount the agony and despair of world. The theme the first movement is mirrored in a more subtle way in the second movement, Andante. The second movement is the submediant major of the overall G minor key of the symphony which carry us into darker expressions of urgency with further modulations with relying back on the recapitulations of the main theme. It features short two-note figures, called Seufzer (sighs) in Mozart's day. The bass-heavy instrumentation, 3-bar phrasing, cross-accented hemiola rhythm is although labeled as menuetto; it hardly offers joyous relief such dance-like movements typically offer. The forceful Menuetto (Allegretto) section, in G major, alternates the playing of the string section with that of the winds which offers a brief respite from this movement's grim dance. The main theme of last movement consists of a rising phrase followed by earth-bound one which suggests continuous struggle to go beyond the defeat with unresolved questions lurking in the background. The finale also includes the most harmonically challenging music in which Mozart disrupts his escalating theme with a bitter note and a semi-tone, and then plays a sequence of ten tones on the level of chromatic scale. The single left note is g-natural. The previously steady rhythm is interrupted into a movement which is not random but its forward motion; free of the questioning figures leaves a glimmer of hope. Its notes are structured in mathematical logic as an interlocking series of diminished 4th and 7th, the least tonally anchored of all intervals. As Heinrich Jalowetz noted, "For a fleeting moment the sequence escapes from the gravity of diatonic (tonal) space and sets up a genuine chromatic (atonal) segment." In words of Barbara Heninger,"Mozart has taken us on an unusual voyage, but in the end his musical language still achieves a balance, order, and resolution". Beauty of Mozart's composition is not enraptured in technical analysis but its ethereal effects which bring you into different realm of flight from sorrow, despair into rise, uplift and redemption. Bibliography Symphony No. 40 in

Marriage equality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marriage equality - Essay Example Marriage equality is a term that has been developed in the contemporary society to refer to same-sex marriage. In spite of the term appearing obnoxious, it has become difficult to define equality in marriage. The traditional meaning of equality depended on the natural act, which is the marriage between a man and a woman. â€Å"Equality and gay peoples’ rights spite the notion of procreation†. In such cases, equity was viewed as a process of recognizing the rights of both spouses in a relationship. In fact, it dealt with the development of understanding of the limits between violation and acceptance. However, the changes in morality and social development have led to serious challenges in the definition of marriage equality. Equality in controversial marriages such as gay and lesbian marriage is a challenge to the society. The use of terms such as straight to define heterosexual individuals is a product of the need to identify the gay or up-right people in the society. T he development of the diverse range of terms in explaining the new social development led to the creation of the term â€Å"marriage equality†. Therefore, when addressing marriage equality, it is vital to understand the various issues associated with the current term and the reasons for its development. Consequently, marriage equality is fundamentally a new term based on the cultural change witnessed in the world. The original meaning of the terms has been changed significantly because of the growing use of the term to mean new concepts in a marriage relationship (Wolfson 45). In fact, the new term has rendered the traditional term null or void based on the wide acceptance of the new meaning. The cultural meaning of the word is simple and easily understood, but with the current changes the world is becoming complex to understand such as the current terms like bootylicious and equality. Definition of marriage equality Marriage equality is defined as same-sex marriage that is l egally recognized in the society as the marriage between mature or adult persons. The major question posed by the proponents of the idea is based on the protection of human rights that is protected fundamentally by the constitution. The bill or rights stipulate the major issues that must be addressed in the protection of human freedom. Based on these freedoms including the freedom of association, it becomes challenging when defining marriage equality. Equality in marriage and marriage equality in the contemporary society means two different things today (Wolfson 73). Equality in marriage is the protection of the rights of individuals in marriage while marriage equality is the struggle to accept the new set of marriage partners resulting from homosexual and lesbian relationship in the society. In fact, the push for recognition has led to serious challenge in the society because of the resistance posed by conservatives. Despite the challenges in defining the term, it is widely accepte d culturally to mean the relationship between same-sex partners and their intention to live together has a couple. Equality and protection Marriage Equality relates to the protection of the choices made by the gay and lesbian individuals in the society. The protection against marriage discrimination and reduction of stigma associated with same sex marriage. The definition of marriage equality has changed significantly based on the acceptance of the new meaning, which is slightly different from traditional meaning. The new meaning has overshadowed the traditional meaning associated with the term (Wolfson 89). Marriage equality is a broad term in the contemporary society based on the understanding of the society. Language change is implemented by individuals in the society who lead to increased usage of the term. The actual meaning of equality in marriage is not clearly defined in the contemporary society based on the new meanings develop. The development of new terms illustrates the power of dynamic reasoning in the world,

Gender stereotypes in the media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Gender stereotypes in the media - Essay Example When analyzing several commercials from Gender Stereotype (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSIEXtDElOM), specific roles can be seen that are based on expectations of each gender. The first set of gender stereotypes presented in the first commercial show a distinct difference between the masculine and feminine roles. The male is seen working at a computer, which implies the function that men are supposed to have in society. When the woman comes into the room, she immediately begins undressing and getting into lingerie. Throughout the commercial, the woman represents the sex object that is able to entice men. Even though she walks in with a business suit, it becomes secondary to the lingerie. The masculine role is furthered by this when the sexual representation of the woman is able to interrupt the work that the man is doing in the commercial. More importantly, other men that see this on the webcam show the appeal to the sex object and the concept of men is based on the corporate and work figure. The second commercial that is used implies the same concepts about gender stereotype. The female figure is again seen as a sexual object through the lack of actions that she takes. She is seen bathing in the sun with a skimpy bikini and is unaware of what is occurring around her. The male is in the background with a fake lawn mower, which he is using to watch the woman. The gender role of the woman is based on creating a specific sexual object and figure, while the male looking at the female implies a working man that can easily be distracted or changed by watching the opposite sex. The third commercial holds to the same gender stereotypes that are incorporated in the media. There are several women that are seen throughout the commercial. Each are wearing shorter dresses, even with the work clothes that they are wearing. The size and figure of each of the women is a skinnier look, with

Regenerative Battery For Human Electric Hybrid Bicycle Engineering Essay

Regenerative Battery For Human Electric Hybrid Bicycle Engineering Essay In this report, a proposed project, the human-electric hybrid bicycle, also known as Pedelec driven mainly by human pedalling force with additional assistance force from the battery powered electric motor that has a regenerative power feature during declining slopes. Introduction Automobiles have always been essential for people living in cities as a form of transportation to carry out their daily routine. According to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers, a staggering number of 77,609,901 cars and commercial vehicles were produced in the year 2010. A 25.8 percent change compare to the previous year (OICA, 2011). Based on a research report of the Fifth U.S. Climate Action Report, transportation activities contribute thirty-three percent of the worlds emission of carbon dioxide in 2007 and nearly up to sixty percent of emission came from the combustion of petroleum from personal transportation (U.S. Climate Action Report, 2010). Consequently, it is without doubt, cars are one of the major causes of global warming due to the emission of green house gasses. Currently, hybrid and electrical vehicles seems to be the preeminent solution to counter the problem that arises from petrol powered automobiles without eliminating its advantages. Ho wever, electrical powered vehicles have its own disadvantages as it requires a certain amount of charging time. On the other hand, electric bicycle are making huge waves among town communities because it is less strenuous compare to the standard bicycle, thus, enable users to travel longer distance without using much energy. Amount of time needed for charging still arises in electric bicycles. The Regenerative Battery for Pedelecs on declining terrains is able to solve the problem by enabling the user to automatically charge the bicycle battery during downhill slopes. Literature Review Electric bicycle, Hybrid Bicycle and Human-Electric Bicycles or Pedelecs have only recently become a worldwide phenomenon due to the rise in petroleum prices. The technology of these types of bicycles is still relative new and research popularity has merely beginning to rise in the past recent years. Therefore, there is lack of research papers and literature available in the area of hybrid or electric bicycle in scholarly journals or professional organization such as the IEEE. The following literature review evaluates on eleven scholarly journals to elucidate the technology involved in developing electric, Hybrid or Pedelecs bicycles and its performance characteristics. Among the eleven journals included, a report by Muetze and Tan (2007) gave a detailed and organized report based on the characterization of electric bicycle, both theoretically and experimentally. The report includes as well the requirements of different performances ideal for electric bicycles and obstacles faced to endorse it. Regulations and safety factors for electrics bicycles in countries such as Japan, Europe, China and United States are outlined. Research was done to discover the advantages and disadvantages of technical performances for different part type of the bicycles such as the assist type, motor, motor assembly, motor placement, throttle and battery type. The report also includes a power over speed graph collected from results collected with different parameters such as the influence of weight, influence of the slope and influence of wind. Results gathered from the report is able to provide a guideline for developing an electric bicycle suitable for the market trend a nd improve the performances of electric bicycles for future developments. While the assessment on the performance of electric bicycle is essential, energy management too must be given consideration. Morchin (1998) identifies the energy consumed by electric bicycle and emission of green houses gasses can be reduced by two methods. Such aspects can be achieved by optimizing the ratings of the battery and engine while delivering power output by each source under expected driving conditions (Morchin, 1998). In the report, an on-board energy manager was mounted on an electric bicycle to track the energy level in the battery and effectively divide loads between the battery and the engine. The Langranges theorem was used to calculate the energy consumed under affecting parameters of air drag, hill slopes and friction. However, the study done only applies to electric powered bicycles and not for hybrid bicycles or Pedelecs. Research can be done to extend for various types of bicycles and different type of terrains. The term hybrid used in the paper is rather misle ading because the paper focuses on fully electric bicycle while the term hybrid bicycle often refers a bicycle that runs on both petroleum gas and electricity or human pedal force with a battery powered motor. In a related research on power management in electric assisted bicycle, Brand and Ertugrul (2007) examines and discover that an in-hub direct drive located on the front wheel of the bicycle could give better performance by electric braking and stable manoeuvring. Furthermore, the report conducted experiments on 17 riders from different categories. All riders are evenly divided based on gender, weight, age, regular and irregular cyclist. The report is comprehensive and able to substantiate the effectiveness of the in-hub direct drive. Additionally , the report concentrate on evaluating riding conditions of various type of rider group to determine the optimum power requirement and does no focuses on designing an alternative for electric bicycles. It is noted in the report that aerodynamic streamlining and development of a high efficiency inverter can be a further developed from the report. Most of the study done about electric bicycles revolves around the battery storage system. Solutions may compromise of electric regeneration (Liu et al., 2008); (Somchaiwong Ponglangka, 2006), or petroleum-electric bicycle (Nagendran Senthil, 2010);(Xiong, et al., 2010) . Liu, et al., (2008) designed four regenerative braking strategies by turning mechanical energy into electrical energy to extend the battery life-span. Matlab and Simulink were used to create a model of the electric bike and the four proposed regenerative braking strategies. The four braking control strategies are Most Feedback Power (MFP), Most System Efficiency (MSE), Fixed Torque Control Strategy (FTC) and Fixed Feedback Current Control (FFC) (Liu, et al., 2008). Clear description and illustration were given on all the four purposed strategies. The report illustrates theoretically using computer simulations and there were no prototype build or practical experiment conducted with bicycle users. Alternatively, Somchaiwong and Ponglangka (2006) proposed a regenerative power control system to solve the increment of cycle speed of motor that are redundant for example, during a downhill path. The research experiments on the relationship between the voltages supplied and motor speed. The result shows that if the cycle motor runs on the specific speed requirement, the motor would in turn generate a specific output voltage. Another prevalent solution battery problems faced in electric bicycles are petroleum-electric hybrid bicycles. Nagendran and Senthil (2010) proposed a Hybrid Bicycle with Three Speed Transmission System to solve problems faces in current electric bicycles. The purposed idea of the hybrid bicycle runs on both electric and petroleum to recharge the bicycles battery storage system. An added feature to the purposed idea is a three speed gear for effective control the speed of the motor and IC (Internal Combustion) engine. The bicycle runs like an ordinary electric bicycle on Phase One. When the battery storage system is depleted, the motor would then runs on the internal combustion engine. A Change Over is installed to connect and disconnects the motor from the IC engine or vice-versa. A shaft coupler is used to connect the chain drive while a chain drive is used to obtain balance of the bicycle. The research does not illustrate the practical construction of the three speed transmission system. In a related topic, Liu, et al., designed a LPG (Liqufied Petroleum Gas) electric hybrid bicycle that is able to run on fully engine driven, fully electric motor driven or hybrid mode. Due to space limitation in the bicycle a four-stroke spark ignition LPG engine power system is introduced in the research. The gasoline engine was modified into a LPG engine by increasing the compression ratio, enlarging the spark advance angle and increasing the ignition energy. The research also includes the design of the transmission system and control system of the hybrid bicycle. A prototype of the design was developed and several tests were conducted on city traffic conditions. While most studies focuses on a single bicycle type such as electric bicycle or Pedelecs, Indulal Nair (2007) incorporates both types of bicycle and the implementation of Fuzzy Logic as a control system. The bicycle runs on three different modes, Manual Mode, Power Mode and Automatic Mode. Manual Mode works like an ordinary where pedalling is required with no extra assistance. Power Mode fully runs on electricity and does not require any paddling while Automatic Mode provides electric assistance on top of manual pedalling. Fuzzy Logic is implemented to provide comfortable riding and sufficient drive assistance under any conditions. After the completion of the design, arrays of inputs were fed to the Fuzzy Logic Controller using Matlab Simulation to study the outputs. Results from the simulation found that the performance of the system over various conditions were acceptable. The research states that the design can be further extended into larger vehicles. To optimize the potential of battery storage system, Sousa, et al., (2007) developed an electronic converter powered by two type power supplies, the battery and super capacitors. Batteries are the primary storage while capacitors are used to avoid deep discharging of the battery and as a backup storage. In this research, supercapacitors are used instead and can able to serve as a primary storage source. The developed system was built on the electric bicycle and results were gathered. A decision circuit is needed because the design is capable in increasing the autonomy of electric vehicles to avoid high current peak and fast discharges of the batteries. The research open doors for future work such as improving power circuit to increase efficiency and analyse the autonomy by altering the role of the battery and supercapacitor. Coates and Charkey (2002) states that batteries testing on Sealed Nickel-Zinc Batteries are conducted for electric bicycle applications because it provides the s ame amount of energy with half the weight compare to the standard lead-acid batteries. Hsu,et al., (2011) poses a solution to provide comfort and safety measure in different types of Pedelecs riding environment while optimizing the performance of the battery. The quality of riding conditions can be improved by overcoming three forces of nature, air drag, friction and hill drag. The key to the solution is the pedalling power and total power of the required power should be constant and sufficient additional power is provided to overcome any of the three forces. The design is also able to solve instability problem in Pedelecs when the motor abruptly occurs by keeping the instantaneous acceleration of the assisted power be kept within the Safety Zone and Comfort Zone. Real environment simulation scenarios were conducted on different road types and pedal force in urban areas. Results confirms the design has better energy utilization compare to existing conventional and delta learning rule based assisted power methods. The report provides room for further research on solving the method to automatically adjust the motor to the different type of physical conditions of the riders. After the evaluation of all the eleven journals, it can be concluded that most of the journals focuses on solving the problems currently faced by electric bicycle that provide insufficient energy in the battery storage and insufficient power assistance. There are ample room for further development on electric bicycles and Pedelecs because it technology is relatively new. Further research done on this area would benefit societies living in urban area to be used as a form of environmental friendly transportation as opposed to conventional cars and motorcycles. Problem Statement Based on previous research done on electric bicycles, most studies concur that the depletion of petroleum and the rise in the emission of greenhouse gasses are the factor that contribute to the advancement of electric bicycles (Brand Ertugrul, 2007; Hsu, et al., 2011; Indulal Nair, 2007; Morchin, 1998; Nagendran Senthil, 2010; Sousa, et al., 2007; Xiong, et al., 2010). In spite of this, there are still plenty of room for further development and enhancement in the area of electrical bicycles. The battery storage system incorporated in electric bicycles provides insufficient energy for long distance travels and does not carry self-charging capabilities (Coates Charkey, 2002; Nagendran Senthil, 2010). Electric assisted bicycles or Pedelecs confront problems such as an abrupt driving force when the motor is triggered (Hsu, et al., 2011). Project Background The project focuses on improving the overall performance of electric assisted bicycle or Pedelecs. Since there is a demand on electric bicycles, it would be beneficial for society and business organization to enrol the development of Pedelecs. In a report by Time News, most electric bicycles run on lead-acid batteries and are unsuitable for the rising requirements of daily transportation (Ramsy, 2009). Numerous solutions were established by various engineers and organizations to counter these problems. Some researchers focus on the regeneration of electricity from external sources (Somchaiwong Ponglangka, 2006; Xiong, et al., 2010). While some concentrate on using distinctive forms of power management (Brand Ertugrul, 2007; Hsu, et al., 2011; Morchin, 1998; Nagendran Senthil, 2010). For the proposed Regenerative Battery for Pedelecs project, it confronts both of these methods to solve the battery problems that arise from conventional electrical bicycle. In addition to replacing ca rs to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses, the regenerative power during a declining gradient reduces the dependency on electricity. The generation of electricity from Independent Power Producers (IPP) indirectly affect the environment. For instance, the construction of Hydroelectric Plant requires large areas particularly in remote areas and substantial quantities of fossil fuels are used to power up machineries (McKinney, et al., 2007). The natural habitat, home to both flora and fauna would be destroyed in the process. The proposed regenerative power is designed to reduce the power consumption in the battery storage while providing rechargeable power supply at the same time. The regenerative power incorporated in the design would be able to solve issues relating to the insufficient power in the battery storage system. It would be able to expand the life cycle of the battery for longer distance travels. Most electric bicycles owners today complain that electric bicycles do no t provide sufficient power assistance. The latest Pedelecs today has power-assistance during hill climbing or on irregular surface roads to provide the additional boost without having the rider to exert much force. However, Hsu,et al., (2011) states that there are insufficient power assist to overcome three forces, air drag, friction and hill drag. Air drag and friction does not require much power compare to hill drag. The motor of the power assist provides enough force to overcome hill drag, friction or air drag while the pedalling power by the rider remains constant. This would be enable riders to conserve energy for longer riding. Most seniors find that conventional bicycles are strenuous and dangerous. Therefore, some seniors would rather stay in the comfort of their homes without getting much exercise and fresh air. Pedalecs would be able to encourage seniors to overcome their fear towards conventional bicycles. In urban town areas, getting out buying some groceries would sometimes be a hassle especially if the grocery shop is not within walking distance. Most people today would rather drive their car out to buy some fruits and vegetables or to fetch the daily newspaper. It is a very unhealthy habit that began to manifest among the town citizens. Little did they know that getting fresh air by cycling or taking a daily stroll would improve the well-being of the person and reduces health risk such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. According to a Congressional Report, less than one trip in one hundred percent is by bicycle (Congress, 2002). The report also mentioned that frequent bike trips would also cure the addiction of smokers and alcoholics. Regenerative braking in electric bicycles is gaining popularity too. The Panasonic Vivi RX 10-S features a braking system that recharges a 10AH Li-ion secondary batter located next to rear wheel of the bicycle (Toto, 2008). Liu, et al., (2008) mentioned that braking control can be used to convert mechanical energy to electric energy by improving battery life-span. Using the same theory, the proposed design is able to make use of hilly areas to generate electricity. Since no energy is needed for bicycle going downhill, the bicycle still moves downwards due to the forces of gravity. For certain cases, with the regenerative power, braking is not required because the regenerator is able to reduce the speed of the overall bicycle while going downhill. Methodology The scope of this research is divided into five stages. The time scope of the project is expected to be completed in 9 months. Research At the beginning of the Final Year Project, intensive research on the area of electric bicycles must be done before designing of the project takes place. Research would be an explanatory research in the beginning to obtain an overview on the research area and to discover alternatives to the research objective. Evaluation on other research papers done to identify the new developments in technology and rooms for further studies is noted. Solutions can be developed by acknowledging the problem faced by the society today. Qualitative Research such as surveys and Questionnaires can be conducted to identify the current problem faced for further development. This is important because the success of a product is determined by meeting the demand of society today. Brainstorming sessions are required after the collected data is evaluated to determine the feasibility of the project and to acquire various alternatives to the problem. This stage is expected to complete within a month. Design The designing process takes place after the evaluation of the collected data is finalised. A basic concept should be achieved at this stage. All the knowledge on mechanics, electronics and programming is required to design the proposed idea. Computer simulations are to be use to design and test the feasibility of the idea. Autodesk Inventor can be used to construct the framework and provide a visual overview of the bicycle. Matlab and Labview can be used in the programming development of the regenerative power system. Computer simulations are used before the construction of the bicycle to virtually simulating the design while reducing unnecessary expenditure. This stage is expected to complete in 2 months. Implementation The implementation stage involves building the prototype based on the finalized design. A conventional bicycle is required as the main structure of the design. Motor, Lithium Ion Battery and Transmission System is needed to modify the bicycle into an electrical-assisted bicycle. Torque Sensors, Slope Sensors or Tilt Sensors are installed to sense when the motor is needed. The Slope or Tilt Sensors can be replaced by Apple Application known as Gyroscope for an extra appealing feature. Additional hardware such as a state-of-charge indicator, power tab hub and throttle switch can be added later on. This stage is expected to complete in 3 months. Testing The testing phase involves the practical assessment on the now fully built bicycle. Various tests would be performed to determine the performance of the entire system. Two types of testing can be conducted, laboratory testing and field testing. Laboratory testing involves a set of variables such as power, efficiency, cycle speed, life-span of the rechargeable battery and the motor. For field testing, a laptop with a PCMIA card is incorporated to the system to acquire the data. The testing would involve around twenty volunteers from different age group, gender, weight and physical fitness level. All volunteers have to go through a predetermine path with different type of terrain in an urban area. The laptop is used to record data such as pedalling torque, bicycle speed and applied power. The data collected is to be used to evaluate the performance of the system. A set of feedback forms could be given out at the end of the testing to gauge the satisfactory level of each volunteer towar ds the system. This stage is expected to complete in 2 months. Report Report writing is to be conducted at the end of all the four stages. The scope and design process in building the system are to be complied. The data collected are tabulated in graph and figures to illustrate the outcomes. This stage is expected to complete within month. Limitations There is some limitation that would be encountered in the process of implementing the system. Budget constrain would be a factor due to the costly hardware needed to construct the bicycle. A full-size prototype is more appropriate because a smaller-scale prototype would not be serving its purpose. In a newspaper report by The Star, due to safety issues, electric bicycles may be taken off the road if the Cabinet accepts a recommendation from the Transport Ministry (Kong, 2011). If the amendment of banning electric bicycle is implemented throughout the country; it may also affect the field-testing of the system. Research Objectives This study embarks on the following objectives: To produce an environmental friendly transportation as an alternative to petrol consumption cars To solve instability issues involving the abrupt acceleration when the motor is turned on To provide an alternative regenerative power on declining slopes to lengthen the life-span of the battery storage system To improve the overall performance to Pedelecs that are available in the market today To design a form of transportation for suitable in dense populated urban areas Research Question What are the current impact on the environment and ways to solve the problem? What are the current issues faced by electric bicycle? What addition or alternative regenerative power can be installed to conventional electric bicycles? What can be done to appeal to the market segment to buy the product? How to solve issues involving unhealthy habits of the society by relying on cars for short distance travels? Significance of the Project The proposed regenerative bicycle would be able to serve as a stepping stone for further development on electric assisted bicycles. Studies by other researches can be done by referring of the design system used and the data collected. Limitations and problems identified can be solved by future research. The proposed design hopes to significantly reduce the emission of greenhouses gasses emitted by petrol driven cars. If the design meets the demands of the society, manufactures would start producing more electrical assisted-bicycle which in return, reduces the market price of the system to reach out to all segments of the society. Expected Results The expected outcome of this project is to successfully develop a working actual size electrical assist bicycle prototype capable of converting mechanical energy to electrical energy. From the project, novel theories can be established that would indirectly benefit other areas of sciences. Furthermore, the theories presented would lead to implementation for future potential applications. The tabulations of data collected from the project is to also encourage potential researchers especially budget constrain researchers to engage in the area of electric powered vehicles. A stable handling electrical assisted bicycle is expected to be built to provide safe and comfortable riding experience. In return, physically fit or unphysical fit riders would be able to fill the joy of riding a bicycle for travelling or recreational use. The design and technology incorporated in the project is expected to appeal to the society and provide as an alternative to cars and motorcycles. This would direct ly reduce carbon footprint and slower the process of global warming.