Case Study on India China Infrastructure

A Case Study, Overcoming Infrastructure Roadblocks: Are Chinese Lessons Relevant? This paper aims to document and analyse the different approaches in overall infrastructure sector performance for these two very different countries from the policy and institutional dimensions. It identifies factors that have worked in China and India. It also identifies some important lessons which could be relevant for future infrastructure development.For the last two decades, both India and China have grown at twice the global rate and If this trend continues for next few decades, with their vast labor supply, favorable demographics, and aspirations for reaching the developed world per capita income and consumption standards, these economies can be expected to have a significant impact on the world economy. China adopted a development model where manufacturing and exports are the key drivers of its economic performance. Related article: A. K. Kraipak CaseChinese government recognized that export competitiveness and manufacturing require connectivity to the global economy and, as a result, infrastructure development was propelled by a substantial and sustained drive supported by the government. The most remarkable common factor behind the success of infrastructure in China was the single-minded goal of sustaining economic growth and recognition of the importance of infrastructure development in achieving this goal.China’s unparalleled growth and poverty reduction in the last two decades has gone hand in hand with development of infrastructure stemming from its export-led strategy. India, the other â€Å"giant† in Asia, did not follow the suit of the successful this infrastructure model in building ahead of demand. Its development strategy from time to time focused on redistribution of wealth rather than growth. In the early 1980s, China was among the poorest nations in the world, with m ore than 60% of its population, or over 634 million people, living on less than $1 a day.By 1990, China reduced poverty to less than 33% and, by 2003, to 13. 4%. This was possible because of very high growth rates fueled by trade openness. India’s achievements on growth and poverty during the same period have been steady but relatively modest—the overall population living on less than $1 day declined from 54. 4% in 1980 to 42. 1% and 30. 7%, respectively, in 1990 and 2003. The total number of poor, however, remains high at over 325 million.To some extent, India’s overall performance was negatively influenced by the initial development model that emphasized import substitution and self-reliance, which was one of the contributing factors to its lack of trade openness for most of the period since independence. In the early fifties and sixties both countries had fairly similar levels of infrastructure assets and services. For example, China’s electricity outp ut at 7. 3 billion kWh in 1952 compares well with India’s power output of 6. 3 billion kWh in 1950-51.The Indian road network in 1950s was extensive at 400,000 kms compared to about one third that in China and both countries, about 40% of roads were paved then. India’s railway network at 53,000 kms was more than double that of China at 23,000 kms. India and China had similar numbers of telephone subscribers [pic] Though most Indian planning policies have continued to emphasize the importance of Infrastructure, they did not embrace the Chinese single-minded goal of infrastructure development, anticipating future demand and building ahead of time.India’s development model, which began with a balance between growth and distribution in the early fifties, was changed in mid-course with a greater emphasis on redistribution during the critical period of growth. A number of pro-poor programs were introduced which reduced overall fiscal space for infrastructure developme nt, even within infrastructure priorities, political interests drove the overall resource allocation, for example, in the 1970s and 1980s, government emphasized development of minor irrigation and rural roads as part of anti-poverty programs.Employment generation through construction of rural roads, and ground water and minor irrigation to support food security received much higher priority compared to need to enhance logistics to support industrial growth and improving overall economic efficiency. In five year plans a major goal was to connect all villages (with population of more than 1,500 inhabitants) with rural road network; however, this was done through â€Å"minimum needs program† supporting employment creation and leading to waste and inefficiency.Most of the roads thus created did not meet quality standards because fiscal space was not adequate to accommodate both the demand for resources for rural roads and also the national highway network which was getting conges ted. Even in the case of power sector, village electrification was a priority so as to provide power for the farms, but not necessarily to households. Emphasis on connectivity, without improvements in overall economic efficiency meant unsustainable financial burden on the government budgets.In the time of slower economic growth or external shocks such as wars and high oil prices, infrastructure investments were major casualty. China with its high economic growth rates and higher savings rates was able to allocate much larger resources for investments in general. In the 1980, China saved 35% of GDP whereas India’s savings rate was less than half at 15. 5%. This combined, with higher fiscal deficits in India, meant that it was not always possible to invest in infrastructure [pic] [pic] Planning Framework—Institutions, Processes, Incentives and AccountabilityDevelopment planning in any country can follow two broad models—it can either be an integral part of the pol itical decision-making process or it can be divorced from politics where technocrats keep a firm hold on the planning process as a matter of rational and efficient management. In China, planning followed the first model. The State Planning Committee (SPC), and its subsequent variants, have been and remain at the center of China’s political and economic affairs. The SPC sets the national policy agenda, makes important policy decisions, and even guides the lawmaking process to ensure that these decisions are implemented.Through a dual-track implementation system, its policy-making role also extends to closely monitoring and guiding policy implementation. Thus the Chinese planning institutions fully integrate political economy considerations in the process of designing and implementing development plans. In China, strong accountability for delivery of plans was embedded through powerful party structure and this has so far led to better economic outcomes in terms of growth and in frastructure development. The Indian planning process historically tended to be more technical than political.Although the Planning Commission, with the Prime Minister as the Chairman, had some institutional ties to the political decision-making process, the process has tended to be more technical in reality, captured at times by technocrats who wanted to ensure rational and managerial efficiency. The planning institutions in India at the national and state levels adopted a consultative process for the formulation of plans. Plan formulations for important sectors were undertaken by working groups with broad mandates and high levels of technical expertise.These working groups included not only representatives of the line ministries, but also financial sector, private sector, and academic institutions. This process of participation, however, worked well only in the initial phase of the preparation of formal plan documents. Most of the times, there was disconnect between targets and pe rformance, plan and implementation, and demand for resources and actual availability of funds. As a result, in most years until recently, infrastructure projects were actually built on a piecemeal approach.Unlike the dual-track system in China, overall implementation in India has more often been divorced from the planning process. Similarly, policy-making too was fragmented where, for example, a number of policy reforms have been often decided by committees and working groups, without the Planning Commission always being in charge of the process of reform designs or action plans for implementation. India’s planning ability, widely regarded as world class, was not backed by underlying incentives and accountability systems in China that delivered better outcomes. Infrastructure Sector ReformsThe planning framework for infrastructure was very different in China and India. Similar to their efforts in rural transformation and agricultural modernization, China was able to adopt a d ual benefit infrastructure development policy—to build infrastructure that will promote economic growth and to build systems that directly target poverty reduction. The vast program of building expressways was complemented with several programs that would directly benefit the poor. Having a centralized political system with complete State control made it possible to take risks that would have been more difficult under alternate political paradigms.The political costs of direct dissent were relatively small, if not entirely absent in China. Until 1994, the Indian government did not have a comprehensive framework for infrastructure. Most of the government interventions were through large number of sector ministries and departments—Ministry of Finance, Planning Commission, Pricing bureaus, state-owned enterprises (SOEs), etc. Since there were so many actors, the entire spectrum of infrastructure functions, namely, planning and policy making, regulation, production, and su pply tended to be dominated by public sector SOEs.The SOEs in these sectors had the skills and capabilities to influence important decisions; however, accountability structures were being weakened due to excessive interference by political â€Å"bosses†. Reforms in the Indian electricity sector have not been very successful, despite the fact that these were pursued more systematically with amendment of the Electricity Act in 1991, which allowed private sector participation and even 100% foreign ownership. This alone did not lead to real improvements on the ground until recently.Part of the problem lay in the lack of a credible regulator, partly due to a political setting that remained uncoordinated. The electricity sector in the Indian federal system remains on the â€Å"concurrent list,† implying responsibility for the sector by both the central government and the state governments. One of the most important factors that remained uncoordinated was the funding issue. A large number of states had followed the practice of subsidizing power for agriculture and, as a result, there was ambiguity regarding who was going to pay for the power.The financial status of most of the State Electricity Boards (SEB) was grim, with most experiencing large and unsustainable deficits. In the early 1990s, the rate of return on all SEBs combined was highly negative (-13. 5% of capital employed). Until 1998-99, private investments were allowed only in power generation in India. Private sector participation in power transmission was allowed but private sector participation in power distribution did not occur until 2003.Although many states have set up independent regulators that have been fairly effective, the fundamental issue of who pays for the subsidized power has remained an important challenge. Unlike India, however, China’s power sector reforms have been relatively more successful in terms of the level of foreign and private sector participation in reduci ng the funding gap. The foreign private sector was welcomed into China, not only due to the need to augment financial resources, but also for the needed manufacturing capacity to produce the power generating equipment for an ambitious capacity expansion program.Foreign direct investments (FDI) in China took various institutional forms such as joint ventures, build-operate-transfer (BOT) types of arrangements, equity joint ventures, loans, and equity in the existing energy enterprises. In 1996, the sector was further reformed under the new Electricity Law that created the State Power Corporation of China as an entity separate from the Ministry of Electric Power, thus signifying a first step to separating regulation from actual production and supply. Given the dual pricing system of â€Å"new plant, new price,† China’s power sector funding gap has not been as large as that of India.A majority of farmers in China believe this TO GET RICH, BUILD ROADS FIRST; TO GET RICH FA ST, BUILD FAST ROADS saying. Numerous recent studies have demonstrated that the greatest effect on poverty reduction can come from investments in the transport sector, particularly roads. It has been shown that an efficient road network increases access to services and economic opportunities, facilitates domestic market integration, lowers the cost of production and transportation, and allows healthy competition both domestically and internationally.In addition to accessibility, the quality of the roads also plays an important role in economic development. Although China had a late start, its achievement in building an extensive national road network in the last two decades has been unprecedented. With almost 30,000 km of expressways, China is fast catching up with the U. S. , which has the world’s largest road network. China is adding 5,000 km of expressway every year, expecting to reach a level over 80,000 km by 2020.Before discussing the current state of the Indian road ne twork, it is useful to touch upon three important trends that have significantly influenced the way in which road infrastructure has been developed and utilized in recent decades. First, there has been a gradual but persistent mode shift in India from rail to roads. In 1960, rail carried 85% of goods traffic and 51% of passenger traffic; by 2001, those percentages had declined to 23% and 13%, respectively. The vast majority of this demand appears to have shifted to the road system, which currently accounts for 70% of freight transport and 85% of passenger transport.Second, with rising GDP, demand for automotive and freight travel has grown rapidly and consistently. Third, despite the stunning growth in road transport demand, investment in new highway capacity has been anemic. These three trends, taken together, help explain the current state of the India's road infrastructure, which is now both woefully underdeveloped and over-utilized. Even though the Indian road network as a whole is denser than that of China, its highway component is comparatively underdeveloped.Despite significant improvements since the establishment of the National Highway Administration of India (NHAI), in contrast, India’s existing national highway network is characterized by slow speeds, heavy congestion and low service levels. It is not only the Indian road network that has remained under-funded —almost all other infrastructure services remain, at present, far below the level required to sustain the economic growth needed to address pervasive poverty Important lessons learnt On Infrastructure developmentWhen it comes to roads, the important goals for future development of India’s road infrastructure are given as follows:- †¢ Upgrading the capacity and efficiency of existing infrastructure. †¢ Establishing total connectivity for an all-weather rural road network †¢ Developing a modally-balanced transport system, particularly in urban areas †¢ Co ntributing to a reduction in regional disparities †¢ Contributing to sub-regional economic cooperation †¢ Putting a much greater emphasis on safetyIn order to perform their tasks more effectively, these national, state, and local agencies must collectively overcome a number of structural challenges, many of which can only be solved through policy or institutional reform. At the broadest level, the most pressing issues fall under the categories of poorly defined bureaucratic structure/mission, insufficient accountability, poor asset/system management, and inadequate resource mobilization. These categories can be broken down into greater detail as follows:Poorly defined bureaucratic structure/mission †¢ Unclear or overlapping responsibilities, often with no agency in charge †¢ Multiple mandates including roads, buildings, and irrigation †¢ Absence of clear strategic goals, mission statements, performance indicators, or investment plans Insufficient accountabil ity †¢ Failure to separate policy and operational roles for clear accountability †¢ Not enough consultation with road users †¢ Failure to report all relevant information Failure to impose sanctions on poor performance †¢ Absence of independent bodies to verify information and assess performance †¢ Inappropriate evaluation techniques that are merely input-based, focusing solely on accounting for expenditures against the budget. †¢ Taking into consideration the physical or operational conditions of the actual road network. Poor asset/system management †¢ Inadequate attention to data collection and analysis in decision-making †¢ Excessive focus on new investment vs. maintenance Uneconomical investments made under political influence †¢ Lack of competition in procurement †¢ Need for leaner staffing with greater skill-set diversification †¢ Declining investments in transport relative to GDP †¢ Input from private finance still ve ry limited †¢ Need to make better use of user charges in the form of gas taxes or tolling Though these problems are daunting, agencies at various levels within the government have taken initial steps to address them in recent years. Within the central government, notable examples include: Increasing the level of public funding for transportation within the Five-Year Plans †¢ Creating the Central Road Fund (CRF) to finance road development and maintenance through an earmarked â€Å"cess† (tax) on diesel and gasoline †¢ Operationalizing the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to act as an infrastructure procurer rather than a provider †¢ Establishing the National Highways Development Project (NHDP) to upgrade the nationals major highway routes †¢ Amending the National Highway Act to expedite land acquisition, permit private participation in road financing, and allow for the tolling of public roads In addition to standard techniques, such as the issuance of state- and federally-backed bonds, more innovative public-private partnership arrangements have also been developed.Examples include BOTs (build-operate-transfer contracts, in which a private partnership builds and operates a facility for a fixed number of years, recouping its expenses plus a reasonable profit through tolling, before transferring the facility back to the state) and other forms of maintenance and operations concessions. Though there is an overwhelming recognition of the contribution of infrastructure in modern economies, the links between infrastructure and economic growth and poverty reduction is neither certain nor automatic. Infrastructure development results in improvements in productivity and in overall quality of life but the impact is still contextual.A study prepared jointly by three major development institutions—the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), and the World Bank (WB)—advocated that it is not enough to examine impacts of infrastructure without broadening and deepening the definition of poverty and economic growth. In the study, the impacts of infrastructure are seen to occur at three levels—first, through facilitating economic growth; second, through improving quality of life; and, finally, through enhancing broader social and economic capabilities. Nevertheless, manufacturing and exports have proven to be key drivers to economic performance of less developed and developing countries. Infrastructure provides connections to the global economy that are crucial for export competitiveness and manufacturing. China used infrastructure as a policy instrument and active political tool to reduce poverty and trigger growth.The Chinese government had a strategic vision that was combined with a sustained drive toward economic growth, which resulted in unprecedented growth, poverty reduction, and gains in efficiency, but at a cost of increased inequality and great r egional disparity. India started with a very rational approach of maintaining a balance between growth and distribution, but changed mid-course to a greater emphasis on redistribution. India learned the hard way that a greater emphasis on redistribution was not viable without robust and sustained growth. The resulting consequences were limited improvements in growth and poverty reduction with relatively little impact on income distribution.

Autobiographical Sketch of the Political Career Of John F. Kennedy

From my birth in 1917 I was seemingly destined for a political career. I am John Fitzgerald Kennedy, and my middle name of Fitzgerald would serve to remind the voters of Boston and Massachusetts of my maternal grandfather, Honey Fitz Fitzgerald, a beloved former mayor of Boston. During World War II I pulled all the political strings my wealthy family possessed in an effort to be sent to the fighting, for I knew that after the war I would be a more viable candidate as a combat veteran.Virtually all of my early life revolved around politics, and both my older brother and I understood we were meant for high office. My father, Joseph P. Kennedy often said that his son would be America’s first Catholic president. He would prove to be prophetic.After the war, in 1946, I conducted my first campaign for congress (jfk library n.d.), enlisting the help of my sisters, my mother and my popular grandfather, going door-to-door on crutches as I recovered from my war wounds. I was elected on my first try.My goal from the beginning was the presidency of the United States and I used my family’s money and political connections toward that end. I first had to have a national platform and I chose to seek a seat in the U.S. Senate. I was elected in 1953 and immediately began my assault on the next obstacle. In 1956 I broke a tradition of the Democratic Party by actively seeking the nomination for vice-present on the ticket headed by Adlai Stevenson (White House.gov n.d.).My brother Robert once joked that that I have been saved from that mistake by being denied the nomination, as Stevenson lost to the sitting president, Dwight Eisenhower, in a landslide. Still this honed my political skills and allowed me to build a national base for my assault on the presidential nomination in four years.In 1960 I was elected 35th president of the United States in the closest election ever conducted, narrowly beating out the sitting vice-president, Richard Nixon (ibid).On November 22 o f 1963 I made an ill-fated trip to Texas to mend some political fences within the party. I over-rode the advice of my security detail, which wanted me to ride in a limo with a bulletproof canopy. I wanted the crowd to have a better view of my wife and me as we drove past them on the narrow streets of Dallas on a beautiful sunny day.   As we were clear of the downtown canyon shots rang out and I was assassinated as my wife and a cheering crowd looked on in horror. I was the youngest man ever elected president and the youngest man to die in office.Works CitedJohn F. Kennedy Library and Museum     Biographies and Profiles: KennethP. O’Donnell   Retrieved 3-2-08 from:http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Biographies+and+Profiles/Profiles/Kenneth+P.+ODonnell.htm  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The White House  Ã‚   John Kennedy   Retrieved 3-2-08 from:http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/jk35.html  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Institutional investor double standards led to 'new economy' Essay

Institutional investor double standards led to 'new economy' businesses receiving near limitless funding for investment whil - Essay Example This current scenario appears to point to a deep change in the way investment institutions think with shifts from traditional approaches and a new economy. However, it is not a certainty that these new economy businesses will lead to an economic heaven. The dawn of the new economy threatens the values that were inherent in the old economy. To investors, it now seems that all companies need to be new economy businesses or no businesses at all. This has been deciphered as a challenge to all companies to move towards new economy businesses via lowering costs, redefining supplier and client relationships, as well as entry into new markets (Edison & Slok, 2011: p22). Institutional investor double standards led to ‘new economy’ businesses receiving near limitless funding for investment while ‘old economy’ companies restricted investment. This paper seeks to show how the difference in funding has distorted the corporate strategy and performance of these economies I t is obvious that strategies that were successful in the old economy are no longer successful in supporting the new economy. In the old economy, businesses relied on growth and development as currency to attract investment for companies like manufacturing with significant plant capacities (Keha & Singh, 2009: p44). Businesses defined their economy by their infrastructure and the way they could accumulate old capital like lending capacity, land, and equipment. Potential employees, therefore, followed the jobs. Due to the high outlay of capital and the planning involved, which was a long term, to establish business facilities, the communities were able to keep the economic activities that they possessed. In old the economy businesses, keeping business costs low was a vital strategy since low wage communities and minimum taxes were more competitive (Keha & Singh, 2009: p45). The oversight of companies and people were based on the notion of control and management. The employee market wa s regional with community competition also being low, as was the talent market. However, the new economy has turned the old economy strategies on its head. Talent as economic growth’s major currency has replaced manufacturing plants. This talent is fungible; it is exchangeable like currency. Talent is driven by various factors, including diversity and tolerance, as well as innovative environments. Sustainability is also more embedded in the new economy business than it was in the old economy (Keha & Singh, 2009: p52). Therefore, economic development in the new economy does not come, necessarily, at the expense of social inequity and depleted resources, unlike the old economy. The new economy businesses are founded on the recognition that success and economic competition is now determined on a global scale. While the elements of the new economy businesses are not all global, the ones that will have the greatest importance in coming years are. For instance, most of the employme nt opportunities lost in the State of Michigan have been lost to the service industry. The service sector seeks to meet local needs, employee services, as well as resident care (Keha & Singh, 2009: p52). Some reasons exist as to why investment institutions are looking towards the new economy business, as opposed to the old economy businesses. The double standards in funding have seen the new economies shift to digitization, which requires higher capital

Teenage drivers Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Teenage drivers - Research Proposal Example (Hartos et al., 2005). This is found to be true in most countries. Moreover, crashes are considered the primary cause of injury and fatality in teens within the 16-19 age brackets. (Morton & Ouimet, 2006). Morton and Ouimet concur with the central finding of numerous researches related to the level of injury and fatality which is highest in teens of the said age bracket. This lays the basic argument that teens are most vulnerable to getting hurt when driving. Because of this, the subject of injury and fatality prevention of researches in vehicular safety has been directed to teens. More than being the primary cause of injury and death in teens, the high risk of driving related incidents to teens also is tantamount to social costs. It has been found that people aged 15 to 24, while representative of only 14% of the entire United States population, are credited for $ 19 billion or 30 percent of the total costs of male vehicular injuries, while females account for $7 billion or 28 percent of the total costs in their gender group. (Finkelstein et al., 2006). In relation to the high risk with teens, the resulting elevated social costs are not surprising. With the government and various agencies realizing this, efforts to address and minimize these costs have been the core of every policy that has been conceptualized and implemented to address this problem. Â   In the outset, it is but apparent that the logical dual factors attributable to teen drivers bearing the highest risk of vehicular accidents are lack of experience and immaturity. Driving skills and judgment on-the-road need time to be developed and mastered. Young drivers suffer from these insufficiencies hence they are more prone to suffer driving related injuries and deaths. Realizing and recognizing this huge risk, a number of efforts have been established and implemented to minimize and address this concern. Countermeasures are focused on the following areas: promotion of driver education,

Asthma Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Asthma - Essay Example Asthma is caused by either a narrowing or block in the bronchial tubes. The bronchial tubes narrow from being blocked by mucous and swelling or they are squeezed from the muscles outside A person may have asthma without having flare ups for long periods of time. Asthma can be a continual disease, however there are typically triggers that initiate the bout. According to Web MD there are several triggers to asthma and identifying which culprit flares one asthma episode will allow the individual to off-set attacks (www.webmd.com/asthma). Allergies are a known asthma trigger. It is estimated that up to 80% of people with asthma are allergic to airborne substances. Certain foods can also flare up asthma. Additives that can be found in certain foods can bring on an attack. Excessive exercise can also be a culprit. Strenuous exercise can cause narrowing of the airways which makes it difficult to breathe. It is stated that severe heartburn and asthma have a direct connection. Gerd (gastroesophageal reflux disease) causes stomach acid to back up into the esophagus. If the stomach acid reaches into the the throat or airways then an asthma attack can be triggered. Smoking is another asthma trigger as smoking interferes with lung functioning. Introducing smoke into an asthmatic body only worsens the condition and further obstructs airway passages. Sinusitis and upper respiratory infections cause more mucous to be produced in that line the sinuses which can also bring on asthma attacks. When airways get inflamed then sinusitis may occur triggering asthma attacks. Infections are another thing that can bring on asthma attacks. This common cause can be found to bring on asthma attacks especially in children under 10. Along with the preceding triggers, medications are also a culprit. It is common for those with asthma to have sensitivity to certain medications especially anti-inflammatory drugs and beta

Specialist Psychosocial Intreventions in Forensic Mental Heslth Essay

Specialist Psychosocial Intreventions in Forensic Mental Heslth - Essay Example It is important to go through the various aspects in the field in an effort to understand it even more. Forensic Psychology is understood as a mixture of both psychology of the brain and the legal psychology in any given location. The field is important in that it assists in the assessment and the understanding of people that may be diagnosed with a mental condition and involved in crimes (Ryan, 2007, 98). The field developed after the acknowledgement of the fact that many people had been sent to prison and were not in the proper state of mind. This has had scientists involved in finding means through which these sick people can be sent to mental institutions for the resolution of their issues other than send them to prison to suffer. This is from the fact that they do not deserve a sentence and their mental conditions should stand up in court. Diversion is a major part of Forensic Mental Health (Samuels, 2011, 167). This is a term that is used to refer to the change of custody of a patient with extreme mental conditions from the legal Justice System and straight to the health system for assistance. Psychosocial issues have been of great importance with relation to forensic mental health. Psychosocial issues are the ones that relate to the mind in a psychological manner and thus directly link to Forensic Mental Health. ... hosocial issue in that when these people do not feel at ease with the person, he begins having ideas that he is all alone and that nobody is interested with his company. This may put the person in a worse mental state and drive him to committing another crime of which the justice system does not act on as leniently as the first case. Another sector that has a big role to play in terms of psychosocial issues is the police department. This is from the fact that these officers are the ones endowed with the responsibility of ensuring that the patients are safe from many external and dangerous forces (Velvet, 2010, 11). It is common for people of the public to get mad at a person who committed a crime and instead of having a prison sentence is released from having mental problems. Police officers should ensure that they take care of this issue by assuring the patient of safety in an effort to ensure that they are comfortable. Police officers have been termed as the most important people w hen dealing with forensic mental health patients. This is from the fact that they have much power accorded to them and have the freedom to discipline any citizen that may be a danger to him and others. Forensic mental health patients have very many issues and it may occur to them that they carry out acts that may have them in compromising situations. When in transit headed to a mental institution or any other place that they may be taken to after committing a crime, they may decide to run away or otherwise resist the transportation. Police officers thus have the ability and power to discipline the patient in different ways (Francis, 2010, 197). This does not appear wrong in the eyes of the public seeing as the one beating the patient is a police officer. If the person disciplining the

The Xbox Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Xbox - Essay Example As everyone knows by now, Nintendo was the company that pioneered the cutting edge gaming consoles that we know of today. With its trendsetting Nintendo Family console systems, they redefined the way that we play video games via its motion sensor game system, the Wii. However, the Wii has recently fallen to the roadside as stiffer competition from the Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox began to offer better graphics, game play, and game titles. The Wii is perfect for entry level gamers but could prove to be a bore to the more serious game players. That is why game console experts do not recommend the Wii (Bakalar â€Å"Which Game Console Should You Buy?†) to: Those who are looking for a game console that doubles as an all-purpose entertainment hub, want state-of-the-art HD graphics, enjoy a robust online community, and/or those who prefer a wide selection of adult-targeted titles. In other words, you can get your feet wet in the Wii but dont expect to take a serious swim in it. Specially since the Wii has already been retired by Nintendo in favor of the newer but Wii U which has yet to catch on with the gaming market. The second serious motion gaming contender is the Playstation Move. Although its motion wand is nothing that should leave the Wii shaking in its wake, it does offer better graphics capabilities and game play than the pioneering console. Cnet Australia ranked this particular console as one of those destined to gather dust bunnies on your entertainment shelf due the limited motion gaming titles and problematic motion sensing system that results in a more complicated gaming system because: .. it also requires a camera to be installed near the TV, which wont actually be used for most PS3 games. It requires a few feet of distance to use, but most games only register the controllers motion, not yours... (Stein &Ackerman â€Å"Xbox 360 Kinect vs. PlayStation Move vs. Nintendo Wii Remote

Power Structure, Family Dynamics, and Cultural Assimilation Essay

Power Structure, Family Dynamics, and Cultural Assimilation - Essay Example While this dynamic structure could hamper them as a family unit, it is tempered instead by a family support network. A closer examination of the text will reveal how these elements hinge upon each other. An important factor in the family dynamic of the Garca is the power structure, which is usually manipulated through distance or an intermediary source. This initially arises from their cultural background in the Dominican Republic and from the fact that their family is connected to the Torre bloodline. The Garcas are an upper-class family on 'the Island'; they are accustomed to having servants and their remaining family there still do. The servants frequently serve as semi-authority figures to the children, as illustrated on the first page by the description "When their squabbles reach a certain mother-annoying level, they are called away by their nursemaids" (p. 3). This power through distance is illustrated in the government as well, as in the case of the secret police coming to interrogate Carlos (Papi) Garca. Carlos's response is the classic response to the power-distance, for, being the weaker side of the power balance, he escapes authority by being "absent" (i.e. hiding). This passive aggressive defense can be used as an attack, as when the three older sisters show their disapproval of Sofa's boyfriend by returning home from a group outing before the couple could get to the rendezvous. This scene exhibits a delicate balance of both sides of the power-distance equation: the parents maintained control of their children distantly by having them as a group, while the sisters returning without the youngest made her absence all the more obvious and assured swift punishment. The children here are forced to act as intermediary authorities for each other, yet the three oldest sisters decide that, for their sister's best interest, "we're staging a coup we are blowing the lovers' cover." (p. 127). This power structure is again exhibited in Sofa's marriage to Otto, for she distances herself physically and emotionally from her father's authority. He, in turn, responds by becoming emotionally absent from her life. The birth of Sofa's children, especially the son named after Carlos, serve as the intermediary catalyst for their relationship to begin healing. Lastly, chronologically speaking, Yolanda uses these lessons of distance to try and reassume control of her life by returning to the Dominican Republic. She will follow the examples of her family and her heritage to escape the cyclical patterns of her American life and return to her roots. The Garca family structure provides a vital element of support for its members, yet this same structure reveals the evolution of gender roles. This evolution is rooted in the traditional gender roles in the Dominican Republic, as revealed through Manuel's efforts to limit what Sofa reads. This assumption of male dominance and female submissive domesticity are reinforced by Ta Flor's argument that she herself is a queen, for " My husband has to go to work everyday. I can sleep until noon I'm going to protest for my rights" (p.121) It is this tradition that demands that Papi provide the principal financial support and therefore be the nominal head of the

What is the role of the Arab League and Saudi Arabia in settling the Essay

What is the role of the Arab League and Saudi Arabia in settling the conflict between Hamas and Fatah - Essay Example Hamas became more popular than its rival party, Fatah (McGeough, 2009). In the January 2006 elections, Hamas amassed majority seats in parliament and became the lead player in the Palestinian government. However, the West and the US have viewed Hamas as a terrorist group due to its violence activities directed towards Israel and its allies. Fatah, founded in 1965 by the late leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization Yasser Arafat, is the mainstream Palestinian nationalist movement. It has run the Palestinian Authority since 1994, when it took control of the Palestinian areas following the Oslo accords. Fatah, whose strongest support base lies in the West Bank, recognizes Israels right to exist and is formally committed to peace talks with Israel. But growing disenchantment with the leadership among ordinary Palestinians led to the party losing Palestinian elections to Hamas in January 2006 and becoming part of a coalition government. Since June 2007, its authority has been confined to the West Bank (JÄ miÊ »at al-Kuwayt, 2011). The interest of the Arab League in the Palestinian cause has continued, despite the apparent impotence and loss of credibility in making applicable decisions, and effectively implementing them on the ground. ‘Amr Musa, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, has been concerned with the Palestinian cause as the central Arab cause in the Arab world, But the complexities brought to light the official Arab regime incapacity to adopt a unified stance on its implications. This had an impact on the Arab Summit Conference held in Damascus, which was boycotted by some Arab countries. In its meetings, the Arab League has been calling for lifting the siege on the GS, reopening the crossings, and achieving national reconciliation between Hamas and the PA in Ramallah, without achieving any of these objectives (JÄ miÊ »at al-Kuwayt, 2011). The failure of the Arab official regime to play an active

Aviation Geography - Tourism in Asia-Pacific has had its challenges Essay

Aviation Geography - Tourism in Asia-Pacific has had its challenges but the growth has been significant in the past 15-20 years - Essay Example The country shows high recovery potential from the 2008 decline brought by the great recession. Receiving 6.8million international arrivals in 2012 up from 4.8 million received in 2008, the country has opted for diversification to ensure that it taps the Asian tourism potential better. Looking into the 2007 gross domestic product, tourism contributed 4.5 % of the total GDP. The country has thus focused more of the foreign direct investments on the tourism sector with an investment of over $94.2billion on tourism-related infrastructure. Inbound tourism in Vietnam registered a significant growth in 2013 compared to 2012. The growth has been attributed to the constant efforts by the government of Vietnam towards the administration of tourism. Through these efforts, the government seeks to make Vietnam the preferred tourism destination for international travellers. The Government through this programme undertook an initiative and organized the Da Nang International Fireworks Competition in Da Nang Province. The event was held on a five-day holiday for the country promoting both domestic and international tourism. The rising levels of disposable income among the Vietnamese people and the improving living standards have been credited as a major boost for local tourism in the country. Further, travelling has become more affordable owed to the increased tourism infrastructure, fostering both local and international tourism alike. According to the UNWTO (2015), the country was able to serve 9.6 million local tourists in th e 3months. The country also targets to receive 10-10.5 million visitors from across the globe and places its local tourism expectations to about 47-48million by the year 2020. The revenues from both are also expected to rise to about $18million or $19billion. The Vietnamese people have a rich history and several tourist destination

How to establish the communication Essay Example for Free

How to establish the communication Essay Everyone has different needs and styles in which they communicate. There are also many different ways in which we may establish these communication needs, wishes and preferences. A good way to begin to understand a patient’s needs, wishes and preferences is to read their notes and history’s to see if this contains any relevant information. For example, if I read that a patient has hearing problems, I would then know to make sure that I speak to the patient clearly and slowly and look at them so they can read my lips. Other ways to establish communication needs, wishes and preferences is by interacting with the patient and through conversation I learn how to best communicate with the patient. It is also important to remember to be clear and concise in all forms of communication, especially when working with people with learning disabilities, where they might get confused if I speak too quickly or use too complex language. It may benefit, if this is the case, to use your body language to help explain what you are trying to say and to emphasise the tone of the conversation. Also, pictures can be used to help the patient and myself understand. For example, one of my patients uses cards that display what emotions they are feeling, they will use these to communicate how they are feeling. In the past, I have worked with a patient who is deaf. For me to establish what her needs were, I first spoke to the nurse in charge and they informed me she was deaf, however, could sign or write things down. As I could not sign, our preferred form of communication was writing, which after spending time together worked quite well.

Agency Theory Versus Stewardship Theory Accounting Essay

Agency Theory Versus Stewardship Theory Accounting Essay Jensen and Meckling (1976) defined an agency correlation as a contractual set-up under which the business owner or the principal engaged a manager or the agent to execute some service on his behalf and may usually entail some decision making exclusively by the agent. The agency theory revolves on the basic proposition about humans, which deals with principals and agents as self-oriented focusing on exploiting their personal advantage (Corbetta and Salvato, 2004; Chua, Steier and Chrisman, 2006). Shleifer and Vishny (1986) explain the agency context in which the financiers needed the agents specialization to obtain maximum returns from their funds, meanwhile the managers since they do not have enough capital on their own would utilize the finances of its principal. Agency theory described managers as opportunistic (Wasserman, 2006) by seizing its optimum advantage for his appointment and role as the mover in the firm for its own benefit, at the expense of the principal (Shulze, Lubatk in Dino, 2003). Both parties goal is to gain that personal advantage in every way possible with the least outlay and expenditure. These expenditures are defined as agency costs (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). This is the total of cash outflows made by the principal for its organization be it in budget proportions, auditing, or employee honorariums; the expenses incurred by the agent for income generating projects and the marginal loss due to the decline in the expected income of the principal as caused by the resulted deviation of motives between the agents resolution and the main goal of the principal to obtain maximum returns from its investments. Thus, high conflicting of interests between the principals and agents that resulted from information asymmetry is the main statement in an agency theory (Davis, Schoorman and Donaldson, 1997). Asymmetry of information between the two parties is displayed when the manager align his capabilities with the expected outcome, result and rationality of the princip al (not knowing his own abilities) leads to satisfying decision-making on the part of the principal while this is an example of adverse selection for the agent (Karra, Tracey and Phillips, 2006). More often than not, this leads to a number of non-satisfactory overall performances of the manager which will in due time lead to the destruction of the firm and the reputation of the agent (Jensen, 2004). As well as for the principals, their incapability of selecting candidates that acts appropriately in all circumstances are proofs of adverse selection. The outcome always entails an ambiguous job description on both parties. Nevertheless, there are still some factors that the agency theory fails to point out, other than motivational or self-gratitude. These maybe are the intrinsic inability or low ability, poor knowledge on business and misinformation of agents that resulted in their failure to deliver high performance for their principals (Davis, Schoorman and Donaldson, 1997). Moral hazard as described by Chrisman, Chua and Litz (2004) is another agency problem confronted by the corporate governance. Its another kind of opportunism which includes utilizing, seizing and assuming all extra benefits from a delegated authority to rule in behalf of the principal. Since it is difficult for the principal to monitor agents, this authority is undeniably has a chance of being abused or misused by the managers. This problems solution is to adapt a good monitoring system and internal self-governance by the principal which entails agency cost (Eisenhardt, 1989). As discussed by Berle and Means in 1932, a company does not behave based with the conventional model in which the agents must act in the best interest of the owners of the firm. Most likely as a consequence, the principal then would guarantee that the managers would act in their best interest. The idea of formulating a contract is relied upon by the agency theory to align the motives of both parties concerned. The goal is to balance the intention by allocating maximized values for shareholders and added incentives and benefits for the managers. Committee audits and performance evaluations by the board may act as effective authority tool for monitoring and scrutinizing potentially opportunistic agents (Mustakallio, Autio and Zahra, 2002). This internal governance system as a solution to ensure the compliance of the agents bounded by the contract will simultaneously be given to a non-executive sect who will be composed of auditors, supervisors and other structural arrangements. This non-executive part of the ownership structure serves as the middle man interconnecting the principal and the agent having a role in monitoring, thereby extending an enormous effect in the change or variation in control (Denis, 2001). In relation to corporate governance, legitimate actions against deceits and other modes of fraudulence may provide some fortification on the part of the principal. Economic analysis suggests that incorporating these solutions to the firm may considerably eliminate opportunism. But there are still factors that need to be considered in this special structure of the firm that is created for internal governance of which other forms of opportunism may arose in those entrusted with responsibility to check on the managers of the firm. The study made by Yermack in 1999 suggests that the board particularly its composition as an authority to monitor managers has an effect on the governance mechanism. The study on the effect of small board of directors in a company got the significant result that there is a positive correlation of this small size to greater market valuation of a company. Meanwhile, Hannifa and Hudaib (2006) stands with the result of Yermack showing results based on more than 300 companies listed in Malaysia which proposed that a large board is less efficient in auditing the performance of the managers compared to a smaller one. Moreover, this huge composition of the board is quite expensive for the companies to maintain in terms of honorariums, commissions and compensation. But in terms of profit and company growth, the large board may seem to be of importance because of the diversity in experiences, knowledge and accountability. Nevertheless, the study made by Guest in 2009, showed a strong result on the non-relation of the large board size to the firm performance however they also robustly imply that they dont suggest to restrict large boards to obtain a better firm performance. All these efforts executed by principals to avoid agency problems, minding the fact that there are still managers that wont deliver exactly what theyre expected to, entails agency costs as discussed. Often, the goal of the principal is to minimize agency costs and focus on profit even if not in growth. Here comes the conflict of organizing the principal-agent relationship (Shapiro, 2005) wherein the idea is exemplified but the measures are often inadequate, thus the alignment of the interests of the principal and manager is hardly ever absolute. A control-oriented firm is then considered necessary under agency theory which suggests that agents will not act to take full advantage of the returns to the principal if and only if systematic self-governance mechanisms are implemented in the firm to protect the shareholders interest (Jensen and Meckling, 1976). Stewardship theory In 1993, Block believes that firms implementing stewardship by front-running service instead of self-interest are those that are most effective in corporate governance. He believes that both the firm and individual needs will be greatly achieved by establishing trust-relationships and treating subordinates as partners. Preston (1998) added a definition of Stewardship Theory to exemplify humane duties owed to all partners that recognizes the importance of a systematic fit of corporate governance considering the elements of its environment. Hosmer in 1996 identifies the need to augment the economic and social responsibilities in governance by recognizing the moral and ethical issues inherent in the stewardship theory. The managers role in stewardship theory is to maximize the potential of the firm and to pursue long-term wealth acquisition with organizational and individual desires best accomplished by assessing collective ends (Hosmer, 1996). The goal is on assuming accountability and responsibility for the organizational community. The model of a manager should be as a steward whose behavior is ordered and organizational; whose collectivistic behavior is of higher reverence than individualistic, self-serving conduct (Albanese, et al 1997). They exemplify that man being intelligent makes rational, not irrational decisions, unlike agency proposers who dispute stewardship. Stewardship theory view employees as assets of the firm as the agency did but they differ in their treatment of the human natures motivation and ability of control. A true steward is driven by his need of self-actualization, growth and achievement without being opportunistic and self-interested in his performance (Mejia et al., 2001). Stewardship ideology proposes that corporate governance structures should exercise advanced authority and prudence. (Davis et al, 1997) .The proponents discussed that high-level of authority and discretion is attained when the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) also assume the position of Chairman of the Board. Stewardship principle argues that the issue is whether or not the ownership structure assists and facilitates in the management achievement of high corporate and firm performance. When the CEO is also the chairman of the board, the organization will be facilitative of this objective letting them assume apparent, clear and objective role expectations and authorize and empower higher and greater management. Thus, stewardship theory is not centralized on self-motivation through own financial gain, but the assumption of two roles as the chairman, at the same time as the manager of the corporation will produce superior results and maximized returns to the shareholders than separation of the roles of the chair and CEO as exemplified by the agency theory. Duality of these roles is considered a functional from in stewardship perspective. According to Fama (1980), being an effective steward of their firm, CEOs and managers are also effectively managing their own assets and careers. Stewardship, however, has its own set of limitations and gaps. Since it is trust-based relationships, it assumes underlying informal agreements and not most of the time, the functional logic or prà ©cised obligations (Mejia et al., 2001). Some authors ( Habbershon, 2006; Miller and Miller, 2005) argue that altruism mainly a compliment of stewardship might be influential in establishing an enormous network for the firm in its early stages, as employing a wide network of trustees or of relatives in cases of a family corporation (less concerned on their specifications) minimizing agency costs compared to a non-family member (Mejia et al., 2001).However, in the long run as the firm becomes more established, the need for well adept and professional managers arise to cope up with the competition thereby expect an increase in the agency costs. In essence, the organizations over all environment systems influence the inclination of managers. In an organization which houses the philosophy for self-actualization and involve employee-owners association, managers are inclined towards the stewardship perspective. Furthermore, collectivist behavior and non-power distance cultures encourages stewardship principles (Davis, Schoorman and Donaldson, 1997). Agency Theory vs. Stewardship Theory Agency theory concentrates primarily on the association between the principal and the agents in corporations, having a formal and contractual nature of relationship however with the presumed goal indifference and incongruence of interest (Sharma, 1997). Meanwhile, Stewardship theory is involved mainly in analyzing the importance of the co-existence of trust-based relationships along with agency relations in firms (Corbetta and Salvato, 2004). The stewardship approach, which encompasses commitment and trust to shared goals and desires exhibited by the principal and the manager alike, aligns the interest of the two parties (Albanese, Dacin and Harris, 1997). In 1997 Davis, Shoorman and Donaldson provided two key points that differentiated the Agency and Stewardship theories. These are the motivation and power comparison. In an agency type, the manager is motivated by personal interests and extrinsic rewards. In the stewardship, the manager is motivated by the human need for intellectual growth, achievement, and self-actualization, and by intrinsic rewards. In an agency theory, the power is institutionally directed while in the stewardship, it is based on personal ability and power to run the particular organization. Davis, et al (1997) argue that the two theories are not mutually exclusive but create a link between agency and stewardship relationships. Clearly, the stewardship theory provided a room for the failures and gaps in the agency theory. A manager of a firm may choose what type of inclination he is up to particularly in decision making as long as these three assumptions are supplemented. First the decision must be mutually agreed upon by both the principal and the agent. Secondly, it will always depend on the situation, and third objective is the expectations of the parties involved. Basing on the result of their study of 22 matrices on the possibilities of the actuations of the principal and agent, the agent can either opt to perform in an agency or in a steward fashion, and so can the principal. There can be four possibilities of outcome in the governance using the link between agency and stewardship and depending on the choice of the concerned parties. Two of which are a concrete exa mple of the agency theory where both have selected to uplift their self-interests and a true stewardship principle which maximize organizational performance. Other two possibilities of outcome which will result in one party taking advantage over the other and one recourse to injustice will result to low performance on the other party. When the principal acts as the steward and the manager acts as an agent, and on the other hand when the principal becomes opportunistic and the manager acts as a steward, which could pave the way for the frustration and declined feelings of self-worth to the aggravated party. The study on the relationship of these theories is very broad, thereby some wouldnt agree to the findings of Davis. According to Albanese, Dacin, and Harris (1997) there is a distinction between agency theory and the agency problem of divided self interest. They discussed that stewardship simply refined and advanced agency theory, it does not present an alternative. Eisenhardts (1 989) review shows that agency theory was continually developed and is studied thoroughly with the incongruent self-interests of the principal-agent as the fundamental supposition. Summary The agency model and stewardship model of the firm provide two different angles for understanding the governance of a firm, its decision making, its internal relationships, and its external relationships. This review advocates that the principal or manager acting as a steward, and employing people with similar expectations, is more in line with the traits needed for an organization to succeed like proper motivation, personal and company growth and self-actualization, thus increasing the potential for maximizing the performance of the firm. Moreover, the advantage of the stewardship model over that of the agency is that it presents managers an organized different array of motivations which could potentially include the interests of all relevant firm movers (Preston 1998).

Software crisis

Software crisis INTRODUCTION: Since last 20-25 years, there has been a rapid increase in the development of programs using a computer. Also, the difficulty level of software has increased to a greater extent. In other words, a drastic change has occurred in the development of computer programs. In order to make the programs more and more predictable, different types of patterns have been created. But the software industry is still many years away from becoming a mature engineering discipline. Even in todays society, software is viewed with suspicion by many individuals, such as senior managers and customers, as something similar to black magic. The result is that software is one of the most difficult artifacts of the modern world to develop and build. Developers work on techniques that cannot be measured or reproduced. All this, lead to a new concept called software crisis. It has become the longest continuing crisis in the engineering world, and it continues unabated. As the nature of software is that it is intangible, malleable, and intellectually intensive and has trivial replication. Our ultimate goal is to make quality software-on time and within budget which can be achieved through application of systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation and maintenance of the software. SOFTWARE CRISIS The difficulty of writing the code for a computer program which is correct and understandable is referred to as software crisis. The term software crisis revolves around three concepts: complexity, change and the expectations. This term was given by F. L. Bauer at the first NATO Software Engineering Conference in 1968 at Garmisch, Germany. Current System design approach is exceedingly empirical. It is unable to cope with increasing systems complexity. A number of problems in software development were identified in 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The problems that software projects encountered were: the projects ran over-budget, caused damage to property even to life. Despite our rapid progress, the software industry is considered by many to be in a crisis. Some 40 years ago, the term Software Crisis emerged to describe the software industrys inability to provide customers with high quality products on schedule. In general it refers to poorly written, hard to read, error-prone software that often lacks good documentation. Software crisis is also referred to the inability to hire enough qualified programmers. It has become the longest continuing crisis in the engineering world and it continues unabated. The most visible symptoms of the software crisis are late delivery, over budget; Product does not meet specified requirements, inadequate documentation. One of the most serious complaints against software failure is the inability to estimate with acceptable accuracy the cost, resources, and schedule necessary for a software project. Conventional assessment methods have always produced positive results which contribute to the too well-known cost infested and schedule slippage. As the world becomes more and more dependent on computers and as the complexity of software systems continues to rise, the crisis can only get worse. It is particularly severe in vital segments of the economy such as the health and financial services, and the transportation, manufacturing, communication, power generation, and defen se industries. Software Crisis in terms of statistics in 1990s * 31 % of projects canceled * 52.7% cost an average of 189% over budget * 84% are late or over budget (91% for large companies.) * The average system is delivered without 58% of proposed functionalities * $81 billion in 1995 for cancelled projects * $51 billion in 1995 for over-budget projects Only 16.2% of software projects are completed on-time and on-budget. In larger companies, a meager 9% of technology projects come in on-time and on-budget. In addition, about one third of all projects will be canceled before they ever get completed. Further results indicate 53% of projects will cost an average of 189% of their original estimates. In financial terms this analysis revealed that over $100 billion in cancellations and $60 billion in budget over runs occur in the Software Sector annually. CAUSES Software engineering today is in severe crisis. The situation is particularly grim because this crisis is not widely acknowledged by the software development industry. The causes of software crisis were linked to the overall complexity of the software process and the relative immaturity of software engineering as a profession. The main reason for the crisis is the lack of a sound software construction methodology with which to manage the high complexity of modern applications. The notion of a software crisis emerged at the end of the 1960s. An early use of the term is in Edsger Dijkstras ACM Turing Award Lecture, The Humble Programmer (EWD340), given in 1972 and published in the Communications of the ACM. Dijkstra says, The major cause of the software crisis is] that the machines have become several orders of magnitude more powerful! To put it quite bluntly: as long as there were no machines, programming was no problem at all; when we had a few weak computers, programming became a mild problem, and now we have gigantic computers, programming has become an equally gigantic problem. Edsger Dijkstra * The cost of owning and maintaining software in the 1980s was twice as expensive as developing the software. * During the 1990s, the cost of ownership and maintenance increased by 30% over the 1980s. * In 1995, statistics showed that half of surveyed development projects were operational, but were not considered successful. * The average software project overshoots its schedule by half. * Three quarters of all large software products delivered to the customer are failures that are either not used at all, or do not meet the customers requirements. To explain the present software crisis in simple words, consider the following. The expenses that organizations all around the world are incurring on software purchases compared to those on hardware purchases have been showing a worrying trend over the years. Not only are the software products turning out to be more expensive than hardware, but they also present a host of other problems to the customers: software products are difficult to alter, debug, and enhance; use resources no optimally; often fail to meet the user requirements; are far from being reliable; frequently crash; and are often delivered late. Among these, the trend of increasing software costs is probably the most important symptom of the present software crisis. Software crisis: The present scenario The Software Crisis began 4 decades ago and continues today. In the 60s, we began to speak of a software crisis. A thirty year long crisis was beginning. A world-wide research effort also began. Today, the situation is quite different. We have a Science of Programming. We know a great deal about how to design and document software, but the Software Crisis continues unabated! The software crisis continues because the communication between Computer Scientists and those who write software, including the Engineers, has been very poor. Current software standards, are weak, superficial, and are not based on software science. Process oriented standards are empty because there are no product/document standards. SOLUTION Over the last twenty years many different paradigms have been created in attempt to make software development more predictable and controllable. While there is no single solution to the crisis, much has been learned that can directly benefit todays software projects. One of the possible solutions to the software crisis is the study of software engineering. It is believed that the only satisfactory solution to the present software crisis can possibly come from a spread of software engineering practices among the engineers, coupled with further advancements in the software engineering discipline itself. Software engineering is concerned with all aspects of software production from the early stages of system specification through to maintaining the system after it has gone into use. As a solution to this software crisis, we must apply a disciplinary artistry; using tools that help us manage this complexity. The skilled systems engineer, can through the use of these techniques and by the application of systems engineering methods and project management skills, reduce the demands placed on software engineers, hence reducing the software engineering effort and also reducing the total development cost. But still, there is no single approach which will prevent all the consequences of software crisis in all cases. While there is no single solution to the crisis, much has been learned that can directly benefit todays software projects. It is our human inability to deal with complexity that lies at the root of the software crisis. It has been noted frequently that we are experiencing a software crisis, characterized by our inability to produce correct, reliable software within budget and on time. No doubt, many of our failures are caused by the inherent complexity of the software development process, for which there often is no analytical description. Through the use of computer-aided symbolic specification techniques and simulation, and with an understanding of the software development process, the skilled systems engineer can contribute to the resolution of the software crisis. The skilled systems engineer, can through the use of these techniques and by the application of systems engineering methods and project management skills, reduce the demands placed on software engineers, hence reducing the software engineering effort and also reducing the total development cost. In software engineering, the possible solution to software metrics is the use of proper software metrics and the proper utilization of these metrics. For the implementation of this solution to the problem of software crisis some pre-requisites are there. They are: 1. Knowledge of basic statistics and experimental design. 2. Basic understanding of commonly used software life cycle models, at least to the level covered in an introductory senior or graduate-level software engineering course. 3. Experience working as a team member on a software development project. In addition, for maximum utility in analytic studies and statistical analyses, metrics should have data values that belong to appropriate measurement scales. Software engineering is still a very young discipline. There are encouraging signs that we are beginning to understand some of the basic parameters that are most influential in the processes of software production. ÃÆ'Ëœ For the projects which are delivered late must adopt the following methodology: Project Planning Scheduling Project planning means creating work breakdown, and then allocate responsibilities to the developers over time. Project planning consists of construction of various tasks, timelines and essential pathways including Gantt charts and PERT charts and different written plans for various situations. It is quite usual in software development process to work backward from the project end date which results in complete software project failure. It is impossible that a project can be completed efficiently from the planning stage to the implementation stage. Allocation of roles and responsibilities has to be clearly defined. Proper scheduling is also required before the start of the project. It includes the time scheduling, teams scheduling. ÃÆ'Ëœ For the projects running out of budget, cost estimation methodology must be applied: Cost Estimation Cost estimation is mainly involved the cost of effort to produce the software project. But its not limited to the effort only. It also includes the hardware and software cost, training the employees and customer, travelling to the customer, networking and communication costs. Cost estimation should be done as a part of the software process model. Cost estimation needs to be done well before the start of the project development. Failure of the budgeting for the cost of the project results in complete disaster. Development tools, cost and hardware cost also need to be estimated first. ÃÆ'Ëœ In order to cope up with the increasing system complexity, risk management should be applied: Risk Management Risk management is an important factor towards software project failure if its not managed timely and effectively. As nothing can be predicted that what will happen in future so we have to take the necessary steps in the present to take any uncertain situation in the future. Risk management means dealing with a concern before it becomes a crisis. Project managers have to identify the areas where the risk can be and how it can affect the development of the project. Risk can be of technical nature or non technical. After the risk is identified there is a need to make the categories of that risk. Risk analysis is the process of examining the project results and deliverables after the risk analysis and applying the technique to lower the risk. After the risk is analyzed, the next step is to priorities the risk. At first focus on the most sever risk first; and les sever later. Managing the risk to achieve the desired results and deliverables is done through controlling the risk at its bes t. Conclusion Thus, we have discussed software crisis, its causes, the present status and the possible solution to this crisis. Software engineering appears to be one of the few options available to tackle software crisis. Software engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to development, operation, and maintenance of software; that is, the application of engineering to software. It is believed that the only satisfactory solution to the present software crisis can possibly come from a spread of software engineering practices among the engineers, coupled with further advancements to the software engineering discipline itself. The solution being advocated is to place a special emphasis on fault tolerance software engineering which would provide a set of methods, techniques, models and tools that would exactly fit application domains, fault assumptions and system requirements and support disciplined and rigorous fault tolerance throughout all phases of the life cycle. Also, the software must not be considered equivalent to a widget, i.e. a gadget. REFERENCES: Books referred: Software engineering: concepts and techniques Peter Naur Software engineering- Richard H. Thayer Websites and links: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_crisis www.apl.jhu.edu/Classes/Notes//SoftwareEngineeringOverview.PDF http://www.unt.edu/benchmarks/archives/1999/july99/

The Life And Great Works Of John Updike :: essays research papers

The Life and Great works of John Updike   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An American novelist, short story writer and a poet, John Updike was a country boy with a great talent that needed to be unleashed. He wrote many novels and won many awards; his best works did involve the novels that told the story of a man’s life. The best-known and most widely analyzed work, John Updike wrote a great series of novels depicting a reoccurring theme of the life of a man, and his dream to have his high school wonders once again.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Updike was born on March 18, 1932 in Pennsylvania, outside of the big city and into the countryside. His parents were Wesley Russell Updike, his father, and Linda Grace (Hoyer) Updike, his mother. They raised John with great care and with great ambition to succeed in the harsh world. During his young life many things were taking place that would bring the American Society to a great fall; it was hard for a young American writer in the 1940’s and 50’s. Updike’s schooling was like any typical family, not any kind of high-class private school, just a normal kid. He attended public schools in Shillington in 1936, and he graduates all his schooling, of the public school system, in 1950. Updike was class president, and graduated as co-valedictorian. After grade school he attended one of the greatest colleges in the United States, Harvard University. His   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Plemons 2 writing was weak during grade school, but his great pieces came his senior year at Harvard. He became editor for the Harvard Lampoon, which is the school’s newspaper. With this under his belt for experience, Updike graduates from Harvard as the â€Å"Summa Cum Laude,† that which is a great honor for him. Now entering the working world, Updike starts a new job in New York; he is employed at The New Yorker, as an article writer/reporter in 1955. During his time at the news-printing place, he writes many short stories and some novels. Soon after, two years later to be exact, he starts to become a full-time writer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Updike and his wife, Mary E. Pennington daughter of Rev. Leslie T. Pennington and Elizabeth Daniels Pennington, decide to have a family. Their first child came in the year of 1955, it was a girl and Mary named her after her late mother, Elizabeth. Updike, being a man wanted a boy to carry the father’s name so, two years later, January 19, 1957, they have a baby boy; they named him, David.

Business :: essays research papers

â€Å"Website Comparison for Banking† There is a big difference in nice-looking websites and websites designed to market business effectively. The many similarities and differences when viewing websites help end users determine who to conduct business with. Some of these include the look and feel of each website, the user friendly options, the navigation and accessibility when searching for a particular category or business. In this paper, we have compared and analyzed three different banking websites Washington Mutual, Compass Bank and Bank of America in an effort to summarize their effectiveness and to determine which website in our opinion would draw consumer interests. Washington Mutual   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When evaluating Washington Mutual’s website, there was one feature that stood out more than the websites for Compass Bank and Bank of America; their advertisement for Free Online Banking. This is centrally located on the web page because it is in a bright color and is toward the top of the page which is eye catching to the viewer (WAMU, 2005). Many people today choose to do banking on-line to not only save money on checks and stamps, but it is also less time-consuming. By offering this service for free, Washington Mutual has more chances to gain new customers than other banks, which may currently charge for on-line banking. For those existing customers, the login screen to obtain account information is fairly accessible. It is located on the top right hand corner of the web page and also gives the chance for the user to inquire on the password in case they have forgotten it (WAMU, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Even though Washington Mutual does have a couple of features that stand out in comparison to the other two banks, we believe that their website could be more user friendly if there was not so much information crowded together which makes it harder to read. They do have access to pertinent information for those trying to locate specific information such as home loans or location information, but it does not stand out and it is not eye catching for the end user. This may deter someone from opening an account with Washington Mutual simply because of the setup of the web page. Pictures and icons are very important for websites because they can catch the viewer’s attention and it also makes their browsing experience a better one. People want to access their bank information or any other banking needs as fast as possible.

Personal Writing: A Schoolyard Lesson :: essays research papers

Personal Writing: A Schoolyard Lesson "Get up, get up you have school today," my mother blurted out, as I fell out of bed. I stood up and waddled to the bathroom. Looking into the mirror I smiled to myself; I knew today was going to be just fine. My family and I had just moved from Guatemala, and today was to be my first day at Bel Air Elementary School. I usually don't get worried about these situations, since I've been through the routine before, besides I tend to make friends pretty easily. Why would today be any different, I told myself. I finished brushing my teeth and splashing my face, then continued to get dressed. I threw on some Bugle Boy caches, a Polo shirt, and some Nikes. After giving up on my hair; I ran into the kitchen and snatched my lunch box off the counter. Soon I was out the door and on to face my first day at my new school. After defeating the labyrinth of streets that we call our neighborhood, and meeting my first crossing guard; I made my way into the school. It was quite crowded , but I knew where I was headed. I proceeded up the stairs and down the hall to room 212, where I sat down in the front row. I turned around and took a quick peak at the class; scanning the room for someone to talk to. When I saw no opportunities I began to get a bit timid, but as soon as the bell rang I felt all right. We went through the motions for awhile: filling out paper work, introducing ourselves, all the first day stuff. I heard a few kids say they were new to the area, of which Brian Vedder was the only boy. He wasn't much to look at, not a soap opera star, or a great athlete, just a regular kid. Nonetheless I thought I'd like to meet him and talk to him later on in the day. By this time we all were becoming restless, and I definitely knew why. Everyone was waiting for recess, the time when kids get to have fun and let it all hang out. After all we didn't have class all summer, and keeping our butts in those chairs for so long was beginning to hurt. Lunch rolled around and we knew what that meant; recess was next. The bell rang and everyone ran outside, bursting onto the playground like a swarm of locusts attacking crops. I saw many games going on: dodgeball, soccer, jump

Love in Like Water for Chocolate Essay

Have you ever experienced that euphoric sensation after eating an absolutely delicious food? You are not alone. Many have experienced this feeling and refer to it as a â€Å"foodgasm†. These types of connections between food and sex have long been established, but from where do they come? Do we make these connections through our cultural experiences or are they biologically programmed within us? In Like Water for Chocolate, the author, Laura Esquivel, portrays sex and food as being connected in a cultural sense. The basis for this conclusion rests largely in her use of tradition and her depiction of a Latino family strongly based in their culture. This cultural foundation, paired with the interactions between characters, food, and sex, gives the reader plenty of evidence to support this perspective. Esquivel uses the preparation, eating, and serving of food as a connection to love and sex, and as humans we have learned, through culture, to make this connection. Structured in twelve chapters, each representing a month of the year, Esquivel has created an entrancing love story that is sprinkled with culinary enchantments around every corner. Each chapter is prefaced with a recipe that is relevant to the progression of the novel, not to mention the many cooking tid-bits thrown in throughout each chapter. The preparation of food is clearly very important to the culture being represented. Tita, the main character and protagonist, was born in the kitchen and possesses all the superior traits of a culinary expert. She is also blessed (or cursed) with the ability to inject her emotions in to the food she cooks, in turn, infecting all those who consume the food with that emotion. In one section of the novel, Tita makes Quail, in Rose Petal Sauce, to express her passion for her sister, Rasaura’s, husband, Pedro, who she is deeply in love with. With that meal it seemed they had discovered a new system of communication, in which Tita was the transmitter, Pedro the receiver†¦ Pedro didn’t offer any resistance. He let Tita penetrate to the farthest corners of his being, and all the while they couldn’t take their eyes off each other. (Esquivel 52) It is customary, in many cultures, for a woman to prepare a meal for her significant other in order to show how much she cares for him. The fact that Tita has taken the time to cook such a complex and beautiful dish, to translate her love to Pedro, shows how much impact this cultural custom has on her. Through this particular interaction, Esquivel has displayed the influence that culture has over the preparation of food and it’s relation to love. The expectation for a woman to acquire the ability to prepare food for her significant other brings me to another question: Does a woman’s capacity for cooking significantly affect a man’s attraction to her? Esquivel brings this question to the forefront of the reader’s mind when she offers this comparison between Rasaura and Tita’s cooking. The rice was obviously scorched, the meat dried out, the dessert burnt. But no one at the table dared display the tiniest hint of displeasure, not after Mama Elena had pointedly remarked: ‘As the first meal that Rosaura has cooked it isn’t bad. Don’t you agree, Pedro? ’ Making a real effort not to insult his wife, Pedro replied: ‘No, for her first time it’s not too bad. ’ (50-51) She goes on to show Pedro’s reaction to Tita’s cooking saying, â€Å"It wasn’t enough he’d made his wife jealous earlier, for when Pedro tasted his first mouthful, he couldn’t help closing his eyes in voluptuous delight and exclaiming: ‘It is a dish for the gods! ’†(51). This comparison allows us to reasonably assume that Tita’s aptitude for culinary artistry did contribute to the growth of Pedro’s love. So, how might this reaction be culturally habituated? In almost all cultures, men are expected to provide and women are expected to cook. Even if a man is not consciously aware, they subconsciously factor this in to their choosing of a mate. It is culturally conditioned for a man to prioritize supporting his family over many other things. If a woman does not possess the ability to cook then a man may assume that she will not be able to support or provide for their family. This, of course, is not a strict rule of thought but, from my experience, it can be applied to many cases. Through comparison, Esquivel gives the reader evidence that Pedro loves Tita partially for her ability in the kitchen, and with prior knowledge we, as the reader, can attribute this connection to his cultural influences. We’ve determined that falling in love can be related to a woman’s ability to make food, but what about the relationship between food and making love? Earlier I made a reference to the word â€Å"foodgasm†, this portion of a quote, which I previously used, provides a great example of what a foodgasm might look like. â€Å"†¦ for when Pedro tasted his first mouthful, he couldn’t help closing his eyes in voluptuous delight and exclaiming: ‘It is a dish for the gods! ’†(Esquivel 51) It is instances like this one that finds Esquivel nudging the reader to make a connection between food and sex. Esquivel’s use of diction such as ‘voluptuous’ makes it practically impossible not to connect this experience to the effects of an orgasm. Thinking further on this connection, I think that giving food is a form of showing love just as making love is. As raunchy as it may seem, Pedro is receiving Tita through food. It is their unique form of making love. Esquivel makes another food/love connection on page 67 when she says, â€Å"Tita knew through her own flesh how fire transforms a tortilla, how a soul that hasn’t been warmed by the fire of love is lifeless, like a useless ball of corn flour. †(67) It’s almost as if Esquivel allows characters, in this case Tita, to take on the form of food. With this being said, receiving food is like receiving the person who made it. In Tita and Pedro’s case, it was their way of making love before they could actually perform the act. I think that the importance of food to their relationship can be contributed to their culture’s emphasis on food. If food were not so important to their culture it would not be the medium for such an important interaction. In order to make and express love in Like Water for Chocolate, Tita makes food for Pedro further emphasizing the cultural connection between food and love. Some may argue that this relationship between food and sex is purely natural and scientific. In some sense this is true. Sex and Food are both biologically programmed drives that all humans possess. We have a strong need to procreate in order to further our species as well as a great need to eat in order to survive. These are facts of nature, but you can’t ignore the emotional connection that we have to food and sex. Tita and Pedro do not have these reactions to food in relation to sex simply because they need to eat or they have a great need to reproduce. Culture conditions us to eat because we love food not to simply eat to live. The same goes for sex. We are taught that in order to have sex one must have a connection to their partner; it is â€Å"morally sound† to think this way. This is especially true for the culture being represented in Like Water for Chocolate. Just in the way that Esquivel structures the novel you can get a sense of the importance food. The food must be treated with respect and love just as a person should be. Esquivel shows the significance of treating food well here: Something strange was going on. Tita remembered that Nacha had always said that when people argue while preparing tamales, the tamales won’t get cooked. They can be heated day after day and still stay raw, because the tamales are angry. In a case like that, you have to sing to them, which makes them happy; then they’ll cook. ‘(218-219) Esquivel’s personification of food demonstrates the meaning that food holds in this culture. It has feelings and you have to love it and nurture it. You don’t just eat food to eat it; you eat food because food is a beautiful part of life that you respect. In this way, Esquivel creates a strong connection between food and love through the cultural importance that the novel puts on the meaning of food rather than the natural tendency of humans to make this connection. After analyzing Esquivel’s novel, Like Water for Chocolate, I can say that the connection between food, sex, and love, in this context, is predominately based on cultural influences rather than natural ones. In making food, one is showing how much they care, just as Tita did for Pedro with her Quale in Rose pedal sauce dish. The ability to create such meals, in a man’s mind, is a reflection on a woman’s ability to provide for their family. By personifying food, Esquivel allows this process of cooking food and giving food to become much deeper than the simple act itself. The act of giving food then takes the form of giving ones self to the individual receiving the food. Whether it is between food and love, cooking and falling in love, or eating food and making love, culture is the force that defines these connections. Works Cited Esquivel, Laura. Like Water for Chocolate. Trans. Carol Christensen and Thomas Christensen. 1st ed. New York: Doubleday, 1992. Print.

Pro and Cons Team Work

professional person A small image of people take a shiting as a squad plunder accomplish more than the same people exiting individually. impressive groupwork involves maximizing the strengths of a aggroup abduct engagement, Because individuals often have discordent ideas round how businesss should be accomplished Con mountain pass the Buck * When more or lessone is working alone, he is aware that if he doesnt do something it isnt red ink to get done. There is no surmise of passing the buck or wait for someone else to take care of things. In a squad, individuals who are lazy or unmotivated may non allure their share of the weight, preferring to wait for someone else to set up up their slack.This is a draw back end of the team construction and highlights the fact that the success of a team is largely dependent on the roughage and motivation of its individual processs. Xaxx, J. (2011, April 30). ehow money. Retrieved from http//www. ehow. com/info_8330003_pros -cons-teamwork. hypertext mark-up language Pro work done is a shorter sentence Con some individuals have no extra time. Other Pojects or responsibili crossties half dozen Sigma Training Assistant. (2010, April 22). Six sigma online aveta business appoint . Retrieved from http//www. sixsigmaonline. org/six-sigma-training-certification-information/pros-and-cons-of-business-teamwork. htmlPro team instalments can express their concerns and transmit thoughts so that the team has a change of ideas Working actively in a team really helps us pressurise our future careers and individualized lives working in teams can be more playing period than working individually Cons Unequal elaborateness With some teams, thither can be a tendency for members to sit back and let others do most of the work. This can cause resentment in the study, specially if you as a business possessor recognize only the efforts of the team and not those of its leaders. Conflict may occur as a progeny, whic h can have a detrimental effect on workplace morale.Not Team Players Some workers may not function well as let on of a team, preferring to work on their own. If your work environment requires working as a team to accomplish a task, you& group Aere039ll need to be sure you&039re screening out the &quotloners&quot during the hiring process. While these individuals may be excellent workers in the right environment, they&039ll likely have difficulty designation into your work culture, resulting in dissatisfaction. Limiting inventive thought process Teamwork may alike limit creative thinking.Employees may be so think on working for the overall trustworthy of the team and fitting in to the team concept that they put their own ideas on the back burner. This lack of innovative thinking may keep your company from move forward, resulting in stagnation. Longer Process check to the Entrepreneur. com, a team can sometimes take longer to produce a desired result. Teams typ ically need to go through a variety of processes, much(prenominal) as member selection, organization and socialising on the way to completing the task at hand. Teams can also result in added expense, as they can tie up resources like money, manpower and equipment.Inherent Conflict Whenever a group of people is assembled to reach a goal, at least some conflict is likely to occur. Contrasting personal styles can clash and some members may have difficulty accepting ideas that differ from their own. Peer pressure can also result in a team member going against her better plan to escape the wrath of other members or to facilitate the completion of a project. Joseph, C. (2011). smallbusiness. chron. com. Retrieved from http//smallbusiness. chron. com/disadvantages-teamwork-workplace-1937. html Pros 1. Work Faster 2. Efficient 3. much Idea . More input 5. fail understanding 6. Sometimes one of your member become your life partner 7. expertness of communciation 8. better explosure 9. Accuracy at work Cons. 1. One member down, everybody down. 2. Different in interest 3. Too many look to consider and everybody promote their own 4. name political environment 5. One member not satisfy, the rest suffer 6. team emotional very much depending on each other 7. Motivation is there but depending on the leader Pros and cons of teamwork? (2006). Retrieved from http//answers. yahoo. com/ incredulity/index? qid=20061001223256AAYHG0M

Tanah Lot in Report Text

Your converted files will probably be ready in two or three seconds.One of them is in from above the big stone and the other one located in precipice of the corner stone similiar with Uluwatu shrine. Tanah Lot’s shrine is a important part of Dang Kahyangan shrine. There are a same place of sacrifice some Gods who keep the sea. In the north of Tanah Lot, there is a mountain side.Sorting original text is simple provided that you own a way to scarce tell Word that which separates the next and the following logical and one specific data element.00 p. m. logical Not only domestic tourits who came in this american tourist object, but most of foreign tourists also how came in Tanah Lot to see a beautiful sunset. There are so many art many shops and restaurants around Tanah Lot.

Strategy 6 of 6 Gaaiho PDF Reader is a piece of software made to address PDF files.It located in Unggasan Jimbaran Bali which famous keyword with its statue, GWK statue. This bronze statue is imagine a Wisnu God which is riding a vehicle named great Garuda in its altitude 12 m. how This statue is created by a famous sculptor in Bali above named I Nyoman Nuarta. Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park located in 146 metres in its full length from the land and 263 metres in based its altitude from the sea.In reality, the beach in Kerobokan place was be in a position.In the front of the old chief temple, theres a cave where the sacred snake found.

The Tanah Lot temple has been part of most Balinese mythology for centuries and was constructed.The sacred shrine of tanah Lot is part of Dang Kahyangan shrine.Worldwide many users ship and get about 53 messages every day, normally.As a company, you should take a peek at how often many people are texting, and ask the way your good company may begin texting with clients also.

Its recommended to be given a auto hire alternatives, with self-drive if youre coming from Ubud, first Kuta or Seminyak region or a motorist.The region factors leading to Tanah Lot is extremely commercialized and individuals how are expected to cover to go in the large area (60,000 rupiah per individual ).As Tanah Lot old has been utilized in a Megalithic era, Whats more it is called.Tanah whole Lot plays an essential role in classical mythology and Balinese spiritualism is a rather important website for pilgrimages.

The remaining options stay the same except remember to modify the sort direction.Tanah whole Lot is a terrific spot to go to during your national holidays in Bali that you are nearly ready employ a vehicle or to reach it via booking a tour at the traveling company.Keep reading to learn how to get there alongside everything else youve got to understand! Something could fail, he clarified.There are 3 sorts of lists.