Project Management Research Paper Essay

The common denominator of all successful projects is the capacity and quality of its project managing mechanism. Project management is the discipline that integrates various processes towards the achievement of specific objectives and deliverables. This discipline is founded under the premise that all projects are unique, and no two are ever the same. Managing the efforts of those individuals involved requires a great deal of coordination, organization, and a forward thinking focus on the project’s objective[s]. Facilitating a successful integration of people variables and project variables towards specific objectives is the condition that the project management function provides. There is an enormous disparity between projects and operational processes. While each paradigms purpose is to yield a value and/or benefit to the organization the manner in which those values are created varies greatly. Operational processes involve the creation of organizational wealth through the manufacturing of a product or service. These processes are typically mechanistic and consuming specific resources while yielding linear and proportional revenues. In contrast, project objectives are unique, which inhibits the structuralizing of any procedural or mechanistic components. Projects occur within a lifecycle which begins with the projects selection. It is at this stage of the cycle that the project outcome is assessed for feasibility. â€Å"Project selection, the initial phase, refers to the time frame during which a strategic need is recognized by top management. It starts with identifying the needs and desires of the user of the project deliverables-the customer† (Jiang & Heiser, 2004). Very little resource consumption and collaborative efforts occur at this stage. The development stage of the project is a more involved process. It is during this stage that risk and impacts become realized and project management integration is applied. It is vital the project managers have a clear understanding of the project objective at this stage, and that risk mitigating plans be fully implemented. â€Å"The project manager and newly assigned team members meet to plan jointly at a macro level of detail the major activities that must be accomplished† (Jiang & Heiser, 2004). The third stage of a projects life cycle consists of implementation. It is during this stage that higher levels of risk are prevalent. â€Å"This is generally the longest phase of the project both in terms of duration and effort (Kloppenborg & Petrick, 1999). Implementation efforts can be highly involved and complex determined primarily by the scope and scale of the project. The fourth and final stage of the project life cycle is its termination. At this stage the project has beco me fully implemented, and any programs, products, or services are fully adopted by the end-users. A project that has achieved this stage on-or-under budget and time is considered successful. As budgets and time become inflated a projects success become proportionately debilitated. If the issues and impact affecting those consequences go unaddressed, the project will fail entirely. It is for this reason that measuring progress—at the micro level—and through each phase of the projects life cycle is crucial. A successful project manager not only maintains a constant focus on the projects end result, but also assesses task completion and progress on the basis of their costs and timing. When either these components become debilitated or show signs of retardation, it becomes the projects managers’ responsibility to escalate those efforts to appropriate levels of progress. Achieving this outcome requires that project managers possess those leadership qualities needed to motivate the necessary mechanisms. Furthermore, that assumes that leadership qualities affect accurate and effective communications to every layer of the organizational structure. One of the most important contributions project managers make to a project is the leadership capacity they fulfill. Effective leaders remain engaged throughout the projects lifecycle by the decisions they make and the efforts they put forward. However, effective leaders must also know when a situation/issue needs to escalated. The timing of the escalation is important, because it does not do any good if that  effort is reactive to the point that the solicited response becomes invalid. The study [Royal Air Force study] also found the universal applicability of the interpersonal sensitivity, influence and communication skills required to interact, whether it be in management co-ordination and problem solving, leadership motivation or command decision making, and that personal motivation, vigour and conscientious commitment that will lead to managerial control of the environment will also support leadership mastery and command success. (Turner, Mà ¼ller, & Dulewicz(2009). The impact these competencies have on the leadership and sponsorship capacity of project managers is invaluable to those efforts. Project managers that cannot effectively fulfill these conditions will find it difficult to motivate and escalate progress wh ere necessary. Capital improvement and traffic safety projects are the culmination of a series of complex phases. These phases consist of scoping and formalizing the projects charter; assigning authorization and responsibilities to each stakeholder; and procuring the necessary resources to execute and complete the project. Because these activities are performed by various project team members and outside stakeholders the activities require a great deal of coordination and communication in order to effectively perform the individual assignments and tasks. The success of these capital improvement and safety projects would not be possible without the implementation of various project management tools. The civil sector of the construction industry is the primary agent responsible for maintaining all public infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, water and sanitation systems, and pedestrian a vehicle safety devices. Assuming this responsibility involves implementing various maintenance and construction projects, each one with a different objective and scope of work. A project recently completed by the capital improvement projects (CIP) team involved both road-widening and drainage components. The project had a 24 month lifecycle, with 12 of those months used for securing funding and clearing the right-of-way for construction. The scale of this project warranted a great number of resources beyond financial and accounting. One such resource needed was consultants with design experience  whom had accomplished project of the same magnitude and in a similar fashion. Additional resources consisted of individuals with exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, as well as, organi zation, design[s] compilation, and documentation. A number of different project management tools were used to coordinate these efforts and efficiently consume these resources. The work authorization system was an invaluable asset of this project. The work authorization system was the instrument used by the project manager to account for project-specific work. Because there are always projects in various stages of a lifecycle that need attention, it is important to know how much time each project has consumed. In addition, work authorization allows the project manager to assess what efforts are needed for a specific phase of the project and determine if a member with a particular skillset can be added or reassigned to another project. Essentially, this tool allows the project manager to authorize the cash expenditures associated with that work, while tracking the capital budget for that fiscal year. â€Å"This process would be appropriate to define (or bound) the authorized or approved scope, schedule, and cost for the project. On most government projects, which are primarily funding limited, this work authorization process is the current year (or detailed ) work planning process intended to match the approved project work to the fiscal year funding plan.† (Douglas, 2000) Project status reports were vital to the cohesiveness of varying tasks towards objectives. The status reports for this particular project were formally submitted on a weekly basis, and involved meeting with all team members to discuss the previous week’s developments. The purpose of these progress meetings was to discuss any issues that may impact the project’s budget or its schedule. During these meetings the project manager reviews the reports and inquires on any events that â€Å"standout†. In addition, all pertinent information becomes available during these meetings, which allowed for a more collaborative and cooperative task engagement. Without this progress-tracking instrument, the progress status of the project’s varying phases would be difficult to assess and account for. The implementation of integrated manage tools has become a contributing factor of the capital improvement projects successes. Work authorization and scheduling systems provide the means to assess and control resources more efficiently, and the decision making process adopted by the CIP has dramatically minimized the costs associated with erroneous and/or delayed decisions. The use of these tools allowed for the high-profile road-widening and drainage project’s success, and continues to be an invaluable asset towards the efficient completion of subsequent projects. The project management plan is the method that establishes a link between efforts and outputs. Barkley (2006) â€Å"The project management plan defines how the project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed† The plans components include people, namely the roles the individuals will play and the responsibilities assigned to them. The plan also requires inputs in the form of technology and financing that will aid in bringing the project-objectives to fruition. In addition to these components, an effective project management plan will include accurate and frequent communications. The essence of a good project management plan (PMP), PSMJ contends, is to keep it brief (you can do that simply by making reference to other documents instead of incorporating them), to the point, well-indexed, and not cluttered with text-instead, use tables and figures to illustrate your points. Distributed and regularly updated, the plan becomes a reference for the client; the team members; and principals, top managers, and administrators of your firm. (PMP, 2004) These items are the specific components needed to exact a project management plan. Segmenting the project into specific milestones is an important condition needed to monitor progress, and more importantly weigh all inputs against the objectives met. Segmenting affords a more accurate means of measuring current progress (current progress – resources consumed) and make adjustments to meet the anticipated results outlined in the projects charter. Without this segmentation comparing progress to costs would not be possible until the project’s completion, at which point the desired outcome would be less than the resources allocated for its creation. In conclusion, the formal role of a project manager is not difficult to grasp. However, the manner in which an effective project manager exacts this  function can be difficult to understand. This complexity is the consequence of integrating people, systems, and resources into a harmonious and unique sequence of events that culminate to achieve an objective. The quantifiable and qualitative paradigms of this d iscipline can be learned in any academic institution. However, the effective application of these principles is inherent to an individual’s character. References Barkley, B. (2006). Integrated project management. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780390319944 Collins, J., & Rowe, J. (2005). Management challenges unique to transit projects. AACE International Transactions, , PM151-PM156. Retrieved from Douglas,Edward E., I.,II. (2000). Project trends and change control. AACE International Transactions, , C10.1-C10.5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/208184374?accountid=32521 Jiang, B., & Heiser, D. R. (2004). The eye diagram: A new perspective on the project life cycle. Journal of Education for Business, 80(1), 10-16. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/202820997?accountid=32521 Turner, J. R., Ralf Mà ¼ller, & Dulewicz, V. (2009). Comparing the leadership styles of functional and project managers. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 2(2), 198-216. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17538370910949266 Project management plan: A foundation for success. (2004). Design Firm Management & Administration R eport, 04(3), 1. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/223209894?accountid=32521

Tokyo ben and Kansai ben – Japanese has many local dialects

Japanese has many local dialects. The two dialects with the largest number of speakers are the eastern and western dialects. The eastern dialect is called â€Å"Tokyo ben† which is equivalent to standard Japanese and the western dialect is called â€Å"Kansai ben† which is spoken in western Japan such as Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe. There are four main differences between Tokyo ben and Kansai ben affecting vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation and grammar. The first difference is vocabulary. Different dialects use different words for the same things. For example, â€Å"arigato†(thank you) is used in Tokyo ben while â€Å"maido ookini†(thank you) is used in Kansai ben instead (Rie-Higuchi,2002). The easterners say â€Å"yano-assatte†(the day after tomorrow), â€Å"shoppai†(salty) and â€Å"-nai†(not) whereas the westerners use â€Å"shi-asatte† (the day after tomorrow), â€Å"ka-rai†(salty) and â€Å"-n† or â€Å"-nu† (not) (Shibatani,2002). The second difference between two dialects is spelling. The numbers of syllables decrease in Kansai ben. Many words in Tokyo ben are shorten when are used in Kansai ben. For example, he word â€Å"yoku†(very well) in Tokyo ben become â€Å"yo†(very well) in Kansai ben(Shibatani, 2002). â€Å"Omoshiroi† (interesting) is spelled in Tokyo ben while Kansai ben spells â€Å"omoroi†(interesting) ( Shibatani,2002). The most obvious difference between two dialects is pronunciation. Tokyo ben has such features as â€Å"z†, â€Å"chi† and â€Å"ku† are pronounced like â€Å"j† and â€Å"gu† in Kasai ben. For example, â€Å"0† (zero) is changed into â€Å"dero† or â€Å"jero†( Long,2002). â€Å"1†(ichi) is pronounced as † iji† (Long,2002). â€Å"6†(roku) is pronounced â€Å"rogu† in Kasai ben(Long,2002). Moreover, the first syllable is more emphasized in Tokyo ben while the second syllable is more carefully pronounced in Kasai ben. For example, â€Å"tabako† is pronounced like â€Å"tabako† in Kansai ben (Shibatani,2002). It is the same as in the case of the name of a person. â€Å"Mr. Tekeda† is pronounced in Tokyo ben while Kansai ben pronounces as † Mr. Tekeda†(Shibatani,2002). The last difference includes grammar which is concerned with the particle. The particle â€Å"-su† is omitted from verbs in Kansai ben. Therefore, â€Å"masu ka† in Tokyo ben (standard Japanese) ecome â€Å"makka† and † desu ka† become â€Å"dekka† in Kansai ben. For example, the verb â€Å"tabemasu ka†(eat) in Tokyo ben is changed into â€Å"tabemakka†(eat) in Kansai ben(Shibatani,2002). Also, â€Å"nan desu ka†(what's it? ) become â€Å"nan dekka†(what's it? ) in Kansai ben(Shibatani,2002). Furthermore, the particle â€Å"da†, which is thought to function as the verb â€Å"to be† or † to do†, is replaced by particle â€Å"ya† in Kansai ben. For example, â€Å"uso da†(you're kidding) in Tokyo ben is replaced by â€Å"uso ya† and † So dattara†(if it's true) is changed into † So yattara†(if it's true) in Kansai ben(Palter,2002).

Emotion and Stress – Does Guilt and Sympathy Affect Helping Behavior?

Helping behavior is perceived as socially acceptable and highly appreciated. Therefore, people tend to praise others when they have helped the needy. We used to think that only those people with positive personality, such as sensitive and kind, perform helping behaviors. Nevertheless, whether one acts good or not also greatly depends on his or her emotional states. Through this psychology project, I found that people are more likely to perform a helping behavior when they feel guilty or sympathetic. Emotion is an indispensable part of humanity. It is a way for people to understand what they feel towards events and people around.Unlike lower-order animals, emotion helps people to act like a human. Serial killers are emotionless. People with emotionless may probably feel nothing when they are hurting or harming others which are highly unacceptable in society. Since people tend to engage more when they are happy but withdraw from daily activities when they are upset, we can see that our behaviors are always determined by our emotions. Yet, people tend to perform more helping behaviors when they feel guilty or sympathetic. How do these negative emotions push people to help their neighbors?Guilt is an emotion that occurs when people believe that they have violated a moral standard while sympathy is the feeling of being sorry for somebody showing that people understand and care about somebody’s problem. They are both negative rather than positive emotions. People do not feel good when they are guilty or sympathetic towards somebody. Is that true people involve more in altruistic behaviors when they are guilty or sympathetic? There is an experiment conducted by Jean Decety (2009) who is a neuroscientist studying the relationship between guilt, sympathy and helping.He is a professor of Psychology at the University of Chigago and is specialized in affective neuroscience. In the study, student subjects are required to observe their coworkers receiving shock. Some of them are made to think they are responsible for the coworker’s suffering (guilt condition), while others merely observe the suffering (observer condition. There is also a group working with coworkers receiving no shock. Later the three groups are given opportunities to help a third party who is not in the original experiment.The result shows that subjects in the guilt and observer condition are more likely than the control group to give their helping hand to the third party. The finding suggests that the feeling of guilt and sympathy and the willingness in engaging in an altruistic act is highly correlated. Subjects are more willing to help others when they feel sorry for a third person even they do not responsible for their unfortunate. At the same time, altruism may aroused merely by witnessing one’s suffering. There are three reasons for people who feel guilty and sympathetic to engage in helping behaviors.Altruism is a form of disguised self-interest and helps i n mood management while restoring one’s self-image. People help others for their own benefits. It is always unpleasant to watch another organism suffer. When one empathizes because of their misfortune, strong negative emotion is arisen. People are actually seeking to alleviate the unpleasant feelings that their distress arouse in them. It is a kind of internal self-reward. This can reduce the negative feeling by saying they have at least done their part in helping the unfortunate. Therefore, altruism is the attempt to reduce the empathetic feeling that arises in people.Besides, people help others when they are guilty and sympathetic for mood management. Both guilt and sympathy are negative emotions which are unpleasant. Therefore, they can be reduced by performing a helpful act or any other positive means. In a study (Decety, 2009), subjects who had inflicted or witnessed an unfortunate situation received an unexpected monetary reward. The result shows that subjects who recei ved rewards are less likely than those who do not receive any and remain in bad mood in engaging helping behaviors. This indicates that helping is just one of the positive means which can uplift one’s emotion.People are motivated to engage in altruistic act in order to alleviate the negative emotion associated with guilt and sympathy. Apart from that, when people feel guilty, they have probably done something wrong and regret for their actions. For instance, students have cheated in an examination. Their self-images are broken due to the negative behaviors performed. They understand that their behaviors are unacceptable and they do not want to be perceived as bad. In order to restore the self-image in others’ eye, people will perform more pro-social behaviors.This is to prove that they are still the good guy. It seems to be upsetting that if humanity performs a helping behavior just for reforming their own self-image rather than from a genuine feeling of guilt in helpi ng others. Fortunately, it is not the case. Research suggests that unwitnessed transgression causes the same amount of donation as witnessed transgression. Therefore, it is acceptable to conclude that people perform altruistic act are at least partly caused by the feeling of guilt but not a need to repair their own self-image in others’ eye. Undoubtedly, there is a use for these findings.Since many charitable organizations know very well the psychology of human, many of the fund-raising activities we can see in daily lives make use of people’s empathy. It is common to see volunteers showing photos of the needy in the less-developed countries persuading pedestrians to donate money to them. Guilty may arises as people may recall they have wasted a lot of resources and sympathy may arises as living conditions in those less-developed countries are really poor. With the arousal of these negative emotions, people may therefore engage in altruism.It is true that one’s personality largely determines the likeliness in performing helping behaviors. Yet, our willingness in performing these behaviors also depends on the emotional states at that moment. The experiment done by professor, Jean Decety, proves that the feeling of guilt and sympathy can definitely facilitate altruistic behaviors. As a result, organizations may make use of this psychology as we know that even the meanest person may have the experience in helping others provided that they are at the right emotional state.

A basic outline of economic considerations that come to play in Essay

A basic outline of economic considerations that come to play in construction management - Essay Example According to the research findings economic theory, despite its crucial impact upon the ultimate success of construction projects and corporations, is often insufficiently understood by construction management professionals. Warren argues that this is due, at least in part, to an insufficient linkage between economic theory and the contexts of construction applications that such professionals hold as their primary disciplinary concern. After all, most construction professionals enter the engineering and building field because they want to design and construct physical structures, not in order to apply economic theory. However, as Hillebrandt argues, basic economic theories must be weighed when approaching construction management because they impact everything from cost of contracts, procurement of resources, and pricing of services offered. In this section, a very basic outline of economic principles that apply in construction management will be offered. The presentation here is kept deliberately simple because, as De Valence argues, construction economics has yet to define a consensus approach to economic theory that accommodates the conditional realities of construction management. Specifically, De Valence argues that construction economies, as a â€Å"still emergent† field, has not yet developed a set of disciplinary applications of economic theories, but merely borrows from a number of other fields, such as finance or economics itself. This is clear in discussions offered by Warren, (2001), Ruddock (2000), Hillebrandt (20002, and others, who often argue from theoretical principles that are applied generally to specific construction case studies. While De Valence (2001) argues that construction management has developed as a discipline for managing the processes and stages of production, therefore, construction economics has not yet found a suitable approach for managing the various economic implications that come to play at each of the various stages. In light of this realty, the discussion of economic theory here will include only the most basic concerns as they apply to the more general applications of construction management. There is no economic factor that impacts upon construction management to a greater degree than the relationship between price and demand for construction services. Ruddock (2009) argues that demand constitutes a major concern for construction economists because it is at the heart of the problem of forecasting costs as well as setting prices that ultimately drive competitiveness. Table 1 provides a simple view of demand concerns as they apply to such pricing and cost impacts. Table 1. Relationship between Demand and Price/Cost Source: Riley, 2006. This demand-price curve is perhaps the most basic general

College Algebra Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

College Algebra - Assignment Example This is due to human error associated with the way in which I measured the object. There are a couple sources of error that could have lead to this high level of experimental error. The first is the way in which the measurement was taken. By not keeping consistent when measuring, there will be a certain degree of error. Although it was easy to measure the diameter due to its linear nature, the circumference is probably where the majority of the measuring error occurred. This is because it has a curve which is hard to measure when using something linear such as a ruler because it becomes more of a measure of multiple tangent points rather than the actual circumference. In measuring and scientific studies, human error always plays a part in the error of science and mathematics. There are multiple skills that I have learned here which can help in my life. The first is to understanding the difference between precision and accuracy. In life, sometimes it is important to be consistent in your results rather than being accurate all of the time. Being aware of your biases and your tendencies in mathematics such as rounding and measurements are important, especially when dealing with aspects of business and finance. The value is probably more accurate in the assignment where we drew polygons inscribed into the circle. This is because on the polar graph paper, the straight lines were made in relation to the angles created at the intersecting points. Plus, the lines are all tangent to the circle which we use in calculus in order to find the values of curves, rather than as in algebra we find measurements using lines. The best approximation for inscribing the polygon was once a polygon with 36 sides was inscribed within the circle. This allowed for the most accurate measurement with only a variability of 10 degrees at each corner intersection point. When you divide the

Breaking loose from the Bondage of Racial Discrimination Slavery Essay

Breaking loose from the Bondage of Racial Discrimination Slavery - Essay Example The blacks were constantly arrested in the past; this case is still eminent nowadays lots of black people are in holding since they are considered violent. Minimal considerations have been made to handle this challenge. Theologically the blacks are viewed to be gang men yet the regime has not made efforts to prove why this case is so. The government only aims at removing them from the streets. It is common knowledge that most of the black people grow in a hostile environment. Securing favorable opportunities given these circumstances is a pressing issue hence many indulge in criminal activities. Moody was concerned with the concept of race. In her memoir, she explains of her two uncles who appeared white. The shift brought many challenges into her life. Moving to new places accrues many challenges particularly discrimination. The US is composed of various cultures and facts have it there is some level of hostility between these cultures. Eventually, violence breaks which result in loss of life and fundamentally opportunities are reduced. For instance the assassination of Martin Luther, who had a great vision for America, crippled his peace vision that resulted in chaos. Redemption for America was vital since it was a home and will forever be to this diverse people. While in high school her interests in politics were awakened, she tells the story of a young boy who was brutally murdered. In the memoir, her mother explains that the boy was killed by an evil spirit.

The British Royal Marine Corps Influence on the US Marine Corps Research Paper

The British Royal Marine Corps Influence on the US Marine Corps - Research Paper Example In order to understand the complexities of the reactions of the United States corps towards the British corps, it is imperative to first analyze the manner in which the British authority treated the Indians. The facts that have been publicized concerning the British rule in United States corps give a glimpse of the sad realities that faced the population of the Briton at that time. With respect to the British population in India at the time, the Indians did not have any rights. An example of the treatment they faced is best exemplified by the fact that they were not allowed to walk on the sidewalks next to the British. Failure to adhere to this and any other baseless law resulted in the incarceration of the Indian outlaw. It is right to refer to wrongdoers as such since they basically received treatment akin to outlaws. While inside the jails and prisons, the Indians were severely beaten and abused by the commanding British police officers. The treatment of the United Corpse at that time is akin to the treatment of the black population by the Americans in the nineteenth century. It is however imperative to note that this had not always been the status quo. In fact, at the beginning of the British presence in India, the relationship between the British and Indians was quite respectful. The harsh inhumane treatments were realized with the progress of time. The British had gone to the extent of taking on United States corps wives while at the same time embracing a number of Indian customs and traditions.... It is right to refer to wrong doers as such, since they basically received treatment akin to outlaws. While inside the jails and prisons, the Indians were severely beaten and abused by the commanding British police officers. The treatment of the United Corpse at that time is akin to the treatment of the black population by the Americans in the nineteenth centuryiii. It is however imperative to note that this had not always been the status quo. In fact, at the beginning of the British presence in India, the relationship between the British and Indians was quite respectful. The harsh inhumane treatments were realized with progress of time. At the beginning, the British had gone to the extent of taking on United States corps wives while at the same time embracing a number of Indian customs and traditions. So, what factors led to this drastic change in attitude? There is one conjecture that has been entertained by historians. This entails the industrialization of Britain with respect to United States Corps. With time, Britain became more industrialized at a higher rate than America. As such, the feelings of contempt on the Indians were sourced from this fact. This was rather vain of the British populace. Also of prime importance to note, is that the British power structure propagated the notion of being of a superior race with respect to all other races. As such, equality was essentially unheard of and therefore could not be entertained. Though there had been a few Britons calling for equality, a majority of them adopted a rather low regard for the Indian population. With the advance of education, a larger population of the native Indians started to become more and more educated. As a consequence of this trend, feelings of

Solar Thermal Energy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Solar Thermal Energy - Essay Example The first component of a solar thermal system is the solar collector. This is usually installed on the rooftop. It represents the major component of the system. It is made up of specially coated tubing that absorbs the solar radiation and converts it into heat. There is a need to minimize thermal losses. This need is addressed by embedding the tubing in a heat-insulated container that is equipped with a transparent cover. Inside this tubing, a heat transfer fluid flows inside and circulates between the collector and the hot water tank. This water is normally a mixture of water and an anti-freeze that is ecologically safe. The key part of the solar collector is the absorber, which comprises of several narrow metal strips. Typically, absorbers are made of aluminum or copper. These are good conductors of heat. These absorbers are often black so as to enable a high degree of light absorption. In order to reduce the loss of heat energy through heat emission, efficient absorbers have selective surface coating which enables the conversion a substantial amount of solar radiation into heat. This also reduces heat emission. The degree of absorption that can be provided by usual coatings is about 90% (Solar-is-Future.com 1). Selective coatings can also be applied using galvanizing, and such coatings include black nickel, black chrome, and aluminum oxide with nickel. As such, there are different types of solar collectors which include flat-plate collectors, parabolic collectors, and evacuated-tube collectors.

Advantages and disadvantages of using mail surveys Essay

Advantages and disadvantages of using mail surveys - Essay Example The respondents also have an interest in the subject of the survey (Mail Surveys, 2005). The person administering the survey should also possess beforehand a mailing list of the respondents (Mail Surveys, 2005). Mail survey is practical to use because the researcher need not consume a lot of time setting an appointment with the respondent for a personal interview or dialing each of the telephone numbers for a phone interview. In a phone interview, there is a possibility that the respondent cannot be contacted due to a number of reasons (e.g. sudden important appointment of respondent, emergency meeting). In a mail survey, once all the letters are delivered to the post office, the burden of delivery is shifted to the postal network (Mail Surveys, 2005). Mailing cost is cheaper (Mail Surveys, 2005) than commuting personally to reach a respondent. This method can reach a wider sample size because there is no personal interaction between the researcher and the respondents (Mail Surveys, 2005). Respondents are not time-pressured to answer the questionnaires but can do it any time at their convenience (Mail Surveys, 2005). Moreover, bias of the interviewer is reduced with lack of personal interaction with the respondent (Mail Surveys, 2005). It is appropriate in soliciting customer suggestions and proposals or feedback on the changes to be implemented by an organization (Mail Surveys, 2004). This is also an effective approach in acquiring sensitive information such as personal feedbacks of respondents who are discontented or disgruntled with a service or organization (Mail Surveys, 2004). Mail survey is disadvantageous because the respondent may simply ignore the questionnaire and not take the effort to answer it and mail it back. In short, there is no assurance that the target respondent will respond to the mail survey (Mail Surveys, 2004). People with low literacy usually have low response rate (around 20

7.Discuss womens position (in general) during 3 time periods Essay

7.Discuss womens position (in general) during 3 time periods - Essay Example Since the pre-Islamic Arabia was highly diverse, this influenced the role of women and their position in society. Before Islam, the core unit of the society in Arab was the tribe. Each tribe consisted of a clan, which further comprised of ‘hayy’ members, similar to today’s family members. Members of a tribe were related by blood, and headed by a chief, who also was charged with settling conflicts in the tribe. It is believed that most tribes bore feminine names, showing that the pre-Islamic Arabia was probably a matriarchal society (Muslim Women’s League Web). Diversity in pre-Islamic Arab led to different laws and customs among the people, depending on their communities. Therefore, it might be impossible to explain the position of women during this time using a single account. Different indications have pointed to the fact that women during this period were highly influential and allowed higher leadership positions in society. In this period, women had an upper hand in decision-making in different spheres of their personal life, as well as those issues that affected the society. This includes marriage and divorce, inheritance, and leadership, among others. However, despite this, women also were faced with challenges in society, including how men perceived them, and some were detrimental to womanhood. A major negative practice in pre-Islamic Arabia, which affected women adversely, was female infanticide. This mainly was performed on young girls, who would be buried alive upon birth. The main reason for female infanticide in pre-Islamic Arabia was for population control. Girls were chosen mainly because they were considered unproductive in society, except for their beauty. In addition, this would reduce the rate of poverty and famine during dry periods, since there would be no extra mouths to feed (Muslim Women’s League Web). With regard to marriage, men married women to increase the population of

Threats to customer data Essay Example for Free

Threats to customer data Essay A computer virus is a computer program that can copy itself and infect a computer without the permission or knowledge of the user. The term virus is also commonly but also used to refer to other types of malware, ad ware and spyware programs that do not have the ability to create itself again. A true virus can only spread from one computer to another when its host (some form of code) is taken to the target computer, for instance because a user sent it over a network or the Internet, or can increase their chances of spreading to other computers by infecting files on a network file system or a file system that is accessed by another computer. Viruses are sometimes confused with computer worms and Trojan horses which are like viruses but are technically different, in effect creating a damageable system to allow access to the users computer. A worm can spread itself to other computers without needing to be transferred from someone, Worms and Trojans, like viruses, can cause harm to a computer system, functional performance, or networking throughput, when they are made. Some viruses and other malwares are noticeable to the computer user, but most are not easy to find. This makes it hard for the average user to notice, find and disable and that is why specialist anti-virus programs are now made. Todays viruses may also take advantage of network services such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, Instant Messaging and file sharing systems to spread.   Getting an antivirus-viruses in the computer are detected by the antivirus and stopped and then removed, it also informs the users if they have entered any suspicious websites and tells us to avoid it or blocks us from it automatically. An antivirus completely removes viruses or other harmful soft wares which is also called malware in computing terms.   Not using the computer infected-if a computer has been infected by a virus, its not safe to continue using the same computer without completely reinstalling the operating system. There are still a number of recovery options that exist after a computer has a virus. These actions depend on severity of the type of virus. System Restore, which restores the computer and sensitive system files are removed and the computers status is back to what it was from when it was bought. Although you will lose all your files completely and will have reinstall everything. Ways to stop getting infected from virus   Run your virus scanner frequently. Hacking or Scamming is when some unauthorised person attempts to break into someones computer systems or accounts on someone elses website. Programmers for whom computing is its own reward; may enjoy the challenge of breaking into other computers but do no harm to anyone could be given another chance but if he hacks into someones system and takes their personal information or give them viruses he could be prosecuted if caught . There are many ways to stop hacking we can find out more information about hacking and what can help you to prevent from being hacked.   We should never give out personal information and never enter passwords to suspicious emails. The firewall will block out any unwanted spam and monitor whats attempting to get in our systems. Hacking or scamming percentages are rising but by knowing everything about them or how to prevent them we can reduce our chances of getting hacked. Prevent spywares to enter our system. Dont run unnecessary network services When installing systems, any non-essential features should be disabled. If a feature is installed but not actively used, it is less likely to be updated regularly, presenting a larger security threat. Also, allow only the softwares you need there because other softwares could give you many risks. Norton Internet Security is well known software which is secure and protects us from going on websites which arent safe. Implement a firewall A firewall is a kind of like a barrier that keeps hackers and viruses out of computer networks. Firewalls restrict network traffic and allow only authorized data to pass through and tell us if we have any risks also if we have our firewalls turned off it gives us warnings to turn it on. The threats can be stopped depending on just our actions for example, downloading files from unknown sites and poor habits of opening up strange email attachments and there are many other mistakes made by people which give more options to the hackers or make it easier for them to hack in.

Understand Sensory Loss Essay Example for Free

Understand Sensory Loss Essay 1. Understand the factors that impact on an individual with sensory loss. 1.1. Analyse how a range of factors can impact on individuals with sensory loss. There are a number of factors that can impact individuals with sensory loss. In many cases sensory loss is hidden and people can be unaware an individual has sensory loss. Communication is an area in which people with sensory loss have many issues. Normal day to day activities can cause them a great deal of stress and anxiety. For example if someone does not have a sensory loss they may enjoy watching television. Imagine if you could not hear what was begin said probably. The frustration that must be felt can lead to feelings of inadequacy. For someone who is unable to see the television. The can miss out on actions that are not spoken .For example someone smiling. We express facial expressions that allow to show how we are feeling. Imagine not being able to to tell by looking at someone you know if they are happy or not. This can lead a person feeling extremity frustrated see more:outline the main causes of sensory loss People with sensory loss can miss out on important information that people with out sensory loss take in day to day with out even realising. For example if we had an visual impairment we may not be able to read written material which is important to us such as a bank statement. A person with hearing loss could miss hear important Information such as someone shouting them to warn them of a danger. The environment around a person with sensory loss can have a large impact on a person. For example if a a person parks a car on the curb instead of next to the curb. This can cause a person with visionary loss a great deal of distress. They may not be able to see the car and they could walk into the car causing them embarrassment and physical injury/pain. All in all this factors can have a negative impact on their lives. Causing the individual to feel isolated, inadequate and frustrated. 1.2. Analyse how societal attitudes and beliefs impact on individuals with sensory loss. Societal attitudes and beliefs can impact individuals with sensory loss In a large way. This on the whole can be quite negative. For example we may not mean to but often we be extremely inconsiderate of people with sensory loss in our day to day life’s. A few people often hear sensory loss and assume that a persons intelligence and capacity to understand are effected. For example people often talk to deaf people slowly and loudly. This can make the individual feel undervalued, miss understood and stupid. People can often be very judgemental. A person could be asking a deaf person to move by saying excuse me and how often if they did not get a reaction or the person did not respond would people think they are rude over deaf? We often assume they are unable to complete tasks and treat them without meaning to disrespectfully by taking away there independence by assuming they are unable to do tasks such as cook there own tea. All these factors and make an individual feel insecure, frustrated, isolated, undervalued, stupid and inadequate. Although we are know getting much better at recognising the needs of individual with sensory loss such as audio descriptive screenings for films, subtitles, loop systems, signers and guide dogs. This are helping socially as people are becoming more aware of people with sensory loss and there needs. This is having a positive impact on individuals with sensory loss by allowing them to live more independently. 1.3. Explore how a range of factors, societal attitudes and beliefs impact on service provision. Due to recent changes in attitudes the service provision for individuals has  more about the person and there needs rather than their disability. In the past professionals would decided on the support an individual would need by using a gift model. Where individuals where expected to fit in with the service, not the service to fit them. Now the service has become person centred. This is the idea that a person has control over the services they need to support them. For example they are given a personal budget. This allows the individual a chance to decide on what support they need, how they want it delivered, who they want to deliver it, and when they want it. This is a positive move for individuals with sensory loss as it allows them to take back there independence and receive the correct support to help them life a fulfilling life. 2. Understand the importance of effective communication for individuals with sensory loss. 2.1. Explain the methods of communication used by individuals with: Sight loss Hearing loss Deaf-blindness Sight loss Firstly always identify yourself even in known environment e.g. Hello, its Hannah. Also any others that may be around. Always use names to identify people e.g. when in a group use names. Keep them aware of where you are and if people are moving around them, who is in the room and who is leaving. Keep them informed of where objects such as tables,chairs etc. Talk to them normally there is no need to shout or talk really slowly. Use everyday language dont be worried about using words such as look and see. Dont use non-verbal communication e.g. pulling faces, pointing When giving instructions be accurate and specific. Provide information in alternative formats e.g. audio, extra large pint,  electronic formats, Braille etc. Hearing Loss Firstly make sure you are facing the individual and they can see you clearly. Try to find out the persons preferred communication method When using speech, speak normal lip pattern, clearly, dont shout and don;t turn your head away from them or cover your mouth. Speak at ear level or if they have a preferred side to be on that side Repeat things if necessary or rephrase them. Use finger spelling, write things down Ensure the location is quiet and echos are not present e.g. a room with soft furnishings If there is a loop system present, ask if they want to use it. If necessary book note-takers, lip speaker. BSL interpreters etc. Deaf-blindness Communicating with deaf-blind individual can be difficult. Studying the individuals body language can be helpful. Follows the same guidelines for blind and deaf individuals and additionally. Good lighting of the environment. Plain backgrounds. Light on the person speaking and coming from behind the individual. Distance and positioning are important. Check their preferences. Use objects to help communicate. Provide a guide/communicator if needed. Tactile communication e.g. Braille, moon Finger spelling by the deaf-blind manual alphabet. 2.2. Describe how the environment facilitates effective communication for people with sensory loss. By providing a the correct environment we can provide effective communication for people with sensory loss. For example to put a person with visual  impairments in a room with poor lighting, with lot of objects around them and ask them to read a regular newspaper would be unfair. However if we provided an environment with the correct lighting such as brighter lighting, de clutter there environment also use colour to make things stand out from there background. Use a bigger print for the paper or get a audio version. There are three simple rules to remember for a visually impaired individual. Bigger. Bolder. Brighter. Bigger is simply making things bigger such as prints, buttons. This can also be done by illusion of moving things closer to someone so the object appears bigger. Bolder is making things easier to see. For example colour differences. Say you have a brown table on a brown carpet against a brown wall. By either making the background a light colour or the table it instantly will stand out to them. If this can not be done try a bold colour tape along the edges of an object, edge to make it stand out. It is all about creating a large contrast between things to help them differentiate between objects. Brighter is using better lighting to help make things easier to see. It should be the right amount to make the person feel comfortable. Lamps shinning directly onto items they directly want to see work well. Remember each individual is different so find the correct lighting for them. For individuals with hearing loss the most effective thing in an environment is reduced background noise. Again provide good lighting so peoples faces can bee seen. People are part of the environment also. So make sure they are aware of communication needs of others with sensory loss can help provide a positive environment for everyone. As this provides one another with consideration for one another and mutual respect. 2.3. Explain how effective communication may have a positive impact on lives on individuals with sensory loss. By providing the correct communication for individuals with sensory loss we will eliminate a lot of their anxiety, frustration and isolation. This will help the individuals an improved quality of life as they will be able to do more e.g. go to the cinema, Talk to others. By improving their quality of life this will improve their emotion well-being and their health. By being able to access the community they will feel like an active member of the community and as if they are providing a positive contribution. This will allow them to have a greater personal dignity. As we are all being more aware of sensory loss they will b freer from discrimination. In all by providing effective communication we give the individuals control over their lives. As they are able to express their wants, needs and aspirations. 3. Understand the main causes and conditions of sensory loss 3.1. Identify the main causes of sensory loss. The main course of sensory loss is the ageing process with individuals over 65 more likely to have some form experience sensory loss. The most common causes of vision impairment: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) Glaucoma Cataract Disease e.g. Diabetic Retinopathy Genetics e.g. Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) (Tunnel vision) Infection e.g. Meningitis Injury or physical trauma The most common causes of hearing impairment: Age related deafness Noise Induced deafness Infection e.g. meningitis, mumps, measles, Maternal Rubella Cochlea Ostosclerosis Disease e.g. Mà ©nià ¨re’s disease Genetics Drugs (ototoxic deafness) Physical trauma Presabyacusis The most common causes of deaf-blindness: Ageing process Genetics e.g. Usher Syndrome Maternal infection e.g Rubella Premature Birth Combination of cause of visual and hearing impairments. 3.2. Define congenital sensory loss and acquired sensory loss. Congenital sensory loss is present from birth. Acquired sensory loss is is a sensory loss that was not present at birth but has developed later. 3.3. Identify the demographic factors that influence the incidence of sensory loss in the population. Due to the main course of sensory loss being the ageing process . And people are now living longer and to a greater age this has increased the incidence of sensory loss within the demographics. More people are reaching above 65 so therefore more of the population are developing sensory loss. 4. Know how to recognise when an individual may be experiencing sight and / or loss and actions that may be taken. 4.1. Identify the indicators and signs of: Sight loss Hearing loss Deaf-blindness The indicators for sight loss are: Over cautious driving habits. Find lighting either: too bright or too dim. Frequent eye glass prescription changes. Holding books or reading material close to face or at arms length. Squinting or tilting the head to see. Difficulty in recognizing people. Changes in leisure time activities. Change in personal appearance. Changes in table etiquette. Moving about cautiously. Bumping into objects. Acting confused or disoriented. The indicators of hearing loss: Needing the volume on things turning up e.g. radio. Not hearing when someone knocks at the door or door bell. Often asking people to repeat what they have said. Having difficulty hearing when more than one person is talking. Complaining of people mumbling or talking too quickly. Not responding when you talk from to them from behind them. Having difficulty following people with unfamiliar accents or new to them. Having problems using the phone. Misunderstanding conversation. Avoiding social situations. Feeling stressed and tired. Indication of deaf-blindness can be a combination of both this lists. 4.2. Explain actions that should be taken if there are concerns about onset  of sensory loss or change in sensory status. If a person I was supporting was displaying any of this signs. I would mention it to them to see if they had noticed. They may be feeling ashamed, scared and unsure what to. I would help them by discussing their options and helping them to seek advice for the right health profession. I may also need to inform their support network and family. This will help them support the individual better and support them through the changes. I may be supporting someone who is unable to tell me or communicate that they are having problems. In this case I would discuss it with the relative people in the care management and also record and monitor any signs they are experiencing. This would allows us to help change how we support them to make it the support more effective and helpful to them. 4.3. Identify sources of support for those who may be experiencing onset of sensory loss. There are many sources of support for an individual that is experiencing sensory loss. Specialist support workers that are available to through their local authority and general adult services. Many primary care trust have sensory support teams that can be accessed for support or advice. There specialist organisations like the RNIB and RNID that have all the knowledge you may require and specialist advice. These organisations can provide you with a list of local facilities in your area.

The Merger of LINKdotNET and Mobilink

The Merger of LINKdotNET and Mobilink On daily basis we face several problems and we take certain steps or decisions to resolve those problems. Some decisions are proved to be good and useful and some result in loss however, the skill of problem solving and decision making power improves with the passage of time. Similarly in organizations, management has to take several decisions to resolve different problems in order to have smooth functionality of daily operations and above all for a continuous stream of profits. There are different models available in the literature for resolving the problems and making the decisions. This document is aimed to understand the decision making and problem solving tools and techniques. In this document identification of the problem in a renowned organization operating in Pakistan is done and analysis of the decisions taken to resolve that problem is conducted. The models used for decision making in response to the problem faced by the organization are also discussed along with the limita tions and shortcomings of those models. In the end a personal evaluation is done that explored skills gained by me personally after completing this brief research study on a particular organization (Simon, 1956). Company Overview Mobilink Infinity and LINKdotNET Mobilink is the leading telecommunication service provider operating in Pakistan. It is subsidiary of Orascom Telecom that is an Egyptian company. Mobilink is serving Pakistani market since 1994 and as per the latest report from PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority) Mobilink is a market leader with a market share of 31% (www.pta.gov.pk, 2010). Mobilink was only providing voice services to its customers before October 2008, when it launched Mobilink Infinity a WiMAX broadband service in one city Karachi. With high quality services and competitive pricing plans, Mobilink Infinity gained a subscriber base of more than 20,000 (www.mobilinkinfinity.com, 2010). Mobilink Infinity was being operated as a separate unit named Broad Band Unit. The major strength of the organization is its quality customer services which have set new benchmarks in Pakistan and set the new trends which were never practices before. Mobilinks broadband unit continued the same practice and delivered the service s with the same quality customer services, that is the reason that company was able to get a major market share just in one city (www.mobilinkinfinity.com, 2010). Another subsidiary of Orascom Telecom for providing broadband services in different countries is LINKdotNET. LINkdotNET commenced its operation in Pakistan by acquiring two already existing Internet Service Providers (ISPs) named as World Online (WOL) Telecom Limited and Dancom Online. LINKdotNET merged the resources of these two companies and by putting in more investment launched its operations officially on 02 February, 2008. LINKdotNET was offering its services in more than 130 cities in Pakistan and in two years this company raised its customer base up to 35,000. LINKdotNET provided services for both home and commercial users and was the second largest broadband service provider in Pakistan after PTCL (Pakistan Telecommunication Limited) (www.link.net.pk , 2010). The company got a tremendous response from the customers after its launch, but the poor management and lack of managerial skills the company failed to deliver the services as they promised. The result was that in the fi rst year of its operations the company gained a very bad reputation in the market and customers started to leave to the other service providers. However, in corporate sector LINKdotNET was still the major broadband service provider (www.link.net.pk , 2010). Background of the Problem To cater to the needs of the Broadband Internet market Orascom Telecom was operating two of its subsidiaries in Pakistan, one with the name of Mobilink Broadband Business Unit (BBU) which was mainly catering to the needs of WiMAX Internet users and was operating only in Karachi, and other was LINKdotNET with was operating in DSL, Dialup and Corporate Business Solutions for data and internet market with its operation in all major cities in Pakistan. Both of the companies were serving the same market, which was broadband internet market, to the users of same profile and almost same geographical regions. Both of the companies were independent and there was no coordination in any department, both of the companies had their separate departments, same target market and were treating each other as competitors, while both companies belonged to same parent company. This situation was causing different problems to the parent company such as confusion in the minds of consumer; high operational cost, and high marketing costs, diagram below will help understand the scenario of that time. Orascom Telecom Subsidiaries Source: (Author, 2010) Problem Identification By looking at the above diagram we it has been made clear the two companies were working in one market serving same kind of customer and with same organizational structure, at the time where competition was intense in the market, and due to increase in the operating costs and shrinking margins the profitability of the company was going down, and such structure was creating following problems for the organization. Presence of identical departments were creating increased human resource costs Marketing costs were high because of the separate marketing departments were targeting same customers and were virtually acting as competitors. Business operation costs were high because of separate network management, separate network procurement, and separate inventory management. Ambiguity in the mind of employees and consumers, who were confused about the status of both of subsidiaries, resulting in damage of brand in the eyes of customers. Managerial Decision Making Models Application In the below lines author will explore the current theories on different decision making models developed by management commentators and then author will explore the decision making process adopted by the management of Orascom Telecom, then this decision making process will be critically analyzed on managerial decision making models. Author will see which model was applies how the application of that model helped the management to make best possible decision regarding the problem identified earlier. Decision Making Models There are two decision making models that are widely used my managers in making their decision regarding their day to day business problems, one is rational decision making model and other is non-rationale decision making model (Bazerman Max, 1994). Rationale Model Rationale decision making is one the best known and most used approach, this model revolves around the thinking process and which is also called cognitive process, this model involves several steps which are explained below, there are several pros and cons of this model which are also described in below lines, this model focuses on problem solving where problem is already identified and clear in the minds of management (Bazerman Max, 1994). Rationale Decision Making Steps Source : (Author, 2010) As described in diagram above rationale decision making involves fives steps, the first step is to identify the problem, this step involves the careful analysis of the situation presented to the organization and then by this analysis the actual problem which is the cause of this situation is identified. Second step is to set the criteria for desired results required, this criteria is set to achieve the minimization of unwanted situation or elimination of them, this step is also called benchmarking of results (Gelatt, 1991). The thirds step is to find all possible solutions of the problem, this step involves the collection of all possible solutions to get rid of the current problem, this step is followed by the fourth step that is examining each of the decision option on the pre defined criteria of desired results. The final step is to identify the best possible solution to the problem and then apply that decision, and by doing this ration decision making process ends (John, 2001). Pros and Cons of Model This model supposes, before the application of the solution, that there is one best solution and hence adapts the perfectionist approach, more over critical evaluation of each and every option delays the decision making which some time cause the loses to business where external environment is turbulent (Graham, 1993). This model also take this assumption that every effect of every option can be predicted without having it tested in reality, and consequences and future implications of each decision related option are left on the discretion of decision maker (Simon, 1956). Rationale decision making requires the decision to be dependent upon the cognitive abilities and imagination of the decision maker, more over this model also require the extended time and information for the decision to be made (Bazerman Max, 1994). Non-Rationale Model Non-rationale models are the second widely used decision making models, in below lines author shall explore the main characteristics of these models. Non-Rationale Models Source: (Author, 2010) Satisficing Decision Making This is one the approaches adapted as non-rationale decision making, this approach aims for satisfying solution for the problem, rather than going for the most optimized approach, this approach is used when lengthy procedures of decision making like information needs, and evaluation of alternatives are to be avoided (Gelatt, 1991). Incremental Decision Making This decision making is required when problem at hand requires quick decision making, in this case managers make rather small responses to the problem and instead of completely eliminating it they reduce it to minimum level (John, 2001). Garbage-Can Decision Making This approach is used when the problem is clearly defined or the managers do not know what to do, this method uses trial and error approach and different solutions are tested on the basis of randomness, this approach is also used where there is emergency situation and management was not prepared to handle such situation (John, 2001). Approach Solution Employed by Orascom Telecom In below lines author will critically explore the decision making approach employed by Orascom Telecom the cater to the problem presented earlier, the problem faced by the organization was not urgent and turbulent in nature, rather its nature was more of strategic, for this kind of problem, rationale decision making is best to utilize, as the company had the time and information resources required to make such decision making, they logically opted for this and decision was made by using rationale decision making, in below lines we shall see that what decision was made how it was made by using said model. To explore this author will take step-by-step approach and will see that how each step was applied. Identification of Problem During the time in which both of the subsidiaries of Orascom Telecom were operating separately in the same market, management started to identify the problem that their profitability was decreasing due to increase in operating costs. At the same time the competition level in market was at its peak, prices were going down because of heavy competition and so was profit margins, the only way to increase or sustain profitability was to reduce costs. But Orascom Telecom was operating at redundant hierarchy by deploying two separate companies in the same market . In this scenario to sustain profitability was a challenge that management had face and to deal with they had no other option but to review their strategic business management in the broadband industry of Pakistan . Criteria Setting for Result Since Orascom Telecoms profitability was decreasing because of the high operating costs involved the criteria set for results was to increase profitability by reducing costs. Management had a clear understanding that business was growing at time as so was growing the market, but at the other hand competition was also increasing because of the entrance of new player in broadband internet market. So there was no chance of increasing profitability by increasing price and customer base. So the criteria set by the management to increase profitability by reducing costs was well justified and was based on rationality. List of Solutions At that time management of organization had two solutions to cater with this problem, the first one was to examine the profitability and operations of each of subsidiary and then close the operations of one subsidiary with less customer base and profitability. By doing this management can hand over one business to the other one and then get rid of unnecessary costs. The other solution that management was looking at to merge the operations of both of the subsidiaries and then form a new organization under the umbrella of their already well established GSM brand name Mobilink, since both the subsidiaries had same organizational structure and operational departments merger of both can be done without much disturbance in daily business operations. Examination of Each Solution Management of Orascom Telecom examined both of the solutions and their careful examination revealed following shortcomings and advantages of both of the solutions. The first which was to close the business of one unit and continue with the other one was not good for the overall image of the organization, this could have brought the negative messages for the consumer and could have hurt the brand image, the other short coming was the Mobilink BBU has the license of operating in WiMAX business and LINKdotNET had the license of operating in DSL and other high end technologies, and Orascom Telecom wanted to remain in both of the markets. So the closing of one operation would have resulted in loss of licenses and getting out of the business, however this solution could have reduced their operating costs and increase their profitability but with the above mentioned risks. Other solution which was merger of both of the unit into one consolidated unit was also expected to reduce costs by creating synergies and single operations at every department level by eliminating duel use of resources and duel costs, along with meeting the predefined selection criteria this solution also had certain benefits like merging both of the units and then re-launching operation with a big-bang was expected to bring a positive message to the potential customers that a large operator has merged their different operations and now they are in position to serve them even better. The other benefit that this solution could bring is the use of licenses of both of the subsidiaries and empowering the organization to use the full ground to play on. By employing this solution company could play in WiMAX market as well as DSL and other high end technology markets. Selection of Best Solution After the examination of the above mentioned solution choices, management decided to go for the second option and Mobilink BBU and LINKdotNET were merged for Mobilink Infinity in June 2009. After the merger, all relevant departments were merges and single point resources utilization and synergies with their GSM side of business were made possible, yes solution also resulted in layoffs but the number of employees losing jobs were less than the number could have been in case of selection of option one. Mobilink Infinity was launched to provide WiMAX and all other services that both of the organization were offering to both corporate and residential clients, that decision was able to achieve the desired results also came with the benefits of increased brand image, more clarity in employees and consumer perception of the company, so far it has been observed that companys business is growing and their profitability is increasing, and this decision is turning out to be successful one. Limitations of Process Employed Orascom Telecom employed the solution by opting for rationale decision making process, this decision turned out to be a successful decision but there are some limitations that needed to be taken care of and author have identified, by taking care of such limitations this decision could have been executed well and results could have been more fruitful, below author have discussed few limitations that are inherent in the decision (Bazerman Max, 1994). As rationale decision making is a lengthy process so it took a long time for management to complete this process, the evaluation of each option took more than a year and at the same time marketing of both subsidiaries were kept on hold, however the business didnt stop and they were selling to their customers but without marketing support (Gelatt, 1991). That time the competition in market was intense and there needed the full marketing support for any organization to win the market share, but the decision to hold all marketing activities for both of the subsidiaries and then taking one year to reach on any conclusion badly affected the business, the competition kept on building their brands, new comer were also aggressive that is why their business went down rapidly during the decision making process. Since this decision was made in the Egypt head quarters and same decision making process was in use to globally merge their broadband entities with their GSM entities, this factor also played its role in making this happen in a long time. The overall time taken by this decision was more than expected and suggested, that caused the business to miss some opportunities in the market that competition grabbed (Gelatt, 1991). Another shortcoming that author have observed with this methodology that this model is a step by step process and management cannot jump on to any other step without completing the previous one, even they know what is required and what is to be achieved and how it can be achieved they have to follow all the necessary procedures that again result in more time consuming. Since Orascom Telecom is a large organization, and they cannot afford their business to hold at any stage that is why they were unable to explore more options as solutions and only stick to two decision related options mentioned earlier, there could have been other option instead of closing and merging the business, but their evaluation stage would have cost them more loss in business that is why they were sticking to only two solutions to the defined problem (John, 2001). Another limitation with the model employed by Orascom Telecom was that this model does not support the creative decisions, since the result area is already defined and business managers are bounded with their rationality, they tend to seek and explore the decision that makes common sense and could be sold to management, to achieve the desired result of a problem there are always some run of the mill solution that pop-up in managers mind, and by following this rationale model, and in try to be rationale managers tend to ignore the creative ideas to problems that in one look may not make sense but after careful examination could have benefitted the organization more than the usual solutions(John, 2001). So there is a inherent limitation in rationale decision making model that is leads the manager to only stick to their rationale and make the decision that are acceptable in masses and ignore the creative options that come into mind, another reason of ignoring creative decision is that rationale model is already and lengthy process to follow and managers tend to stay away from creative process because such ideas would require them to evaluate and predict their implications, and this again will result in extended time taken in decision making and managers have the pressure to make the decision on time so that problem can be rectified in due time (Graham, 1993). How to Company Could Avoid Limitations As author mentioned above that decision making process took more than a year to get reached on, organization had to suffer their valuable opportunities that could have been exploited otherwise, and the solution to this limitation, in author point of view is that they should have employed the parallel analysis techniques, instead of deploying all the resources to one step at one time, they could have increased the number of managers working on the this problem and then ask them to parallel on each step, in this way the amount of time consumed in making decision could be reduced to few months. This could have also achieved by employing dedicated resources to this situation and realizing the fact the competitive environment in Pakistan in different from the competitive environment in Egypt and by using dedicated resources in Pakistan and by doing parallel analysis and execution of the process they could have achieved the desired results in minimum time(Graham, 1993). Another problem with the approach employed by the organization was to keep everything on hold for the period of decision making, while the external competitive environment was turbulent and competitive, their decision to hold all marketing activities for the period of transition was not effective, by doing this they lost the market opportunities and they position as leading telecom player was compromised. In order to avoid such situation they should have keep on giving marketing support to their products and by the time of reaching to any solution and actually launching the new entity formed they would have not missed the market (John, 2001). How this Module Affected My Decision Making Participation is this module has positively affected my problem solving and decision making abilities, as student of management and in daily life, on work or otherwise, we daily face different problems with different level of complexities, some problem are of critical nature and some are not that important, for some problems immediate decision making is required and for some problems we need a complex decision making for which time is also required, we also face the situations where we even dont know what the actual problem is, and all this happens on continues basis and in regular intervals. This module has transformed the way I used to look at the different situations, it has also taught me that there is a solution to every problem no matter how complex it may seem in first time, after going through this module I have learned that how a complex situation can be turned into a favorable situation by carefully analyzing it, how to find the actual problem by doing root cause analysis, and not to judge any situation on its face view. I have also learned that after finding the actual problem what approached that I can employee as road map to finding the solution to my problem, I have gone through various exercise that have taught me that how I can find solution and answer to various problem on my professional life and how I can use different decision making model on my working and then in my personal life. I have also came to know that which model of decision making and problem solving best suits the different situation, how to handle problems which are of immediate nature, how to solve problem which have long term affect, by going through this module I am confident on my decision making and problem solving abilities and I can use them in my professional and personal life. Conclusion This paper was aimed to explore the various decision making models and their applications by analyzing a real time problem case study that author have made on Pakistans leading telecom company Mobilink which is a subsidiary of one the largest telecom operators in the world Orascom Telecom. In this paper, author have examined real time problem which the organization had to face, while operating broadband industry of Pakistan and being a market leader they were running two of their subsidiaries with different names and operations but in the same market, and that dual operation was badly hitting their profitability. To cater to this problem organization then employed the rationale decision making model and after going through the process of decision making, they decided to merge the operations of both of the organization, later on author has examined the limitations in the study and then discussed the steps that can be taken to avoid such shortcomings. Later in this paper author have discussed that how participation in this module have affected his decision making and problem solving abilities and how author can use the knowledge and experience gained from this module in his personal and professional life.

The Masque Of Red Death :: essays research papers

The Masque Of Red Death. A virus had come. It killed all that it touched. No one could survive, the red death. Nothing had ever been like it. Sharp pain dizziness and bleeding at the pores where its signs. When prince Prospero's town was half dead he called on 'a thousand hale and light hearted friends among the knights and dames of his court." He called them into a castle. Guarded with a metal gate. They stayed there for 6 months, Eluding the 'red death." They had every thing they need there. Entertainment, food and all other things needed to survive. It was at the end of the 5th or 6th month that he called for a masked ball or 'of the most unusual magnificence." Abstract art filled the room with beauty. The masque was held in a suite with 7 rooms. The rooms were most curios with turns at every corner and gothic windows. The colors of each room varied. The 7th chamber was all black. The only thing different about this room was that the windows did not match with every thing else. The pains where blood red, there was no light of any kind. In there stood giant ebony clock 'whose pendulum swung with a dull heavy activities clang." All activities ceased with the sound of each hour. Everything stooped as if dead. ' But when the echoes had full ceased, a light laughter at once pervaded the assembly…..'; The first 6 rooms crowed unlike the 7th, until the clock struck midnight. Everything ceased like before until the last echo of the clock sounded. Many people became aware of the masked figure. 'There arose a length from the whole company." First surprise then horror to this figure. When the eyes of Prince Prospero saw him he did not know what to do.

Government and Politics - The Original Constitution Did Not Have Many D

Government and Politics - The Original Constitution Did Not Have Many Democratic Traits In two world wars, Korea, Vietnam, and the Persian Gulf, Americans fought and died so that democracy would prevail around the world. In the minds of many Americans, America is the bastion of democracy. But how democratic is America? Today’s America was â€Å"born† with the signing of the constitution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, it was determined how democratic America would be. And every American should ask himself how democratic America was made at that constitutional convention in Philadelphia. Before pondering the extent of democracy one must determine what the term â€Å"democracy† means. Democracy is a â€Å"means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to citizens’ preferences.†i[i] The traditional democratic theory further explains the ideas behind democracy. The five aspects of this theory are that one man equals one vote, there is good voter-turnout, citizens can obtain knowledge through free speech and press, the general public controls government agenda, and an extension of all rights to all citizens.ii[ii] From this, one could say a true democracy would submit every bill to the public for a popular vote, like the traditional town meetings of old New England where all eligible voters met to have their say in governmental agenda.iii[iii] One could also say that democracy implies protection of rights and equal rights for all. Or, as Abraham Lincoln said, a democracy is â€Å"gover nment of the people, by the people, and for the people.†iv[iv] The people make the government, they have a say in the agenda, and the government governs by the people’s consent. This ... ...rm Caucus in Action,† American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 18. xv[xv] Roche, John P., â€Å"The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action,† American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 10 & 12. xvi[xvi] Roche, John P., â€Å"The Founding Fathers: A Reform Caucus in Action,† American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 14. xvii[xvii] â€Å"The Constitution of the United States of America† from American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999) pgs 566-572. Article I, Section 2, Clause 1. xviii[xviii] Rakove, Jack, â€Å"A Tradition Born of Strife,† American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings (Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1999), 6.

The Integral Humanism of Mahatma Essay -- Philosophy Philosophical Gan

The Integral Humanism of Mahatma ABSTRACT: Humanism as a theistic, pragmatic theory was first conceived around 2000 BCE in India. It is a this-worldly, human-centered, secular philosophical outlook. Gandhi understands religion as connoting the individual’s integrity and society’s solidarity. Free-will for him is freedom of the "rational self." Morality is not a matter of outward conformity, but of inward fulfillment. His integral humanism is indicated by his enumerated seven social sins: (1) politics without principles; (2) wealth without work; (3) commerce without morality; (4) knowledge without character; (5) pleasure without conscience; (6) science without morality; and (7) worship without sacrifice. The eleven vows recited in his à Ã… ¡rama prayer began with Truth and Non-Violence as foundational for the integration of moral, social, political and economic values. Non-Violence should be a creed rather than a policy. Gandhi’s Truth meant freedom of self-actualization for societal developmen t. He fulfilled these two principal themes of humanism in the civic function of religion and religious tolerance which aimed at evolving moral individuals in moral societies. "The twenty-first century should bring a synthesis of science and spirituality, socialism with human rights, social-change with nonviolence. And this is Gandhi." The Origin of Humanism Humanism as a philosophical and literary movement originated in Italy in the Second half of the 14th Century and diffused all over Europe. As an atheistic theory it was conceived in 17th century by French philosopher but as a theistic-pragmatic theory it was conceived indirectly around 200 B.C. at the time of Vedas and Upanisads in India. The Prayer "Sarvatra Sukhinah Santu Sarve San... ...ayer, and the cooperation he received from the people of all faiths, confirm his genuine tolerance. Gandhi's religion was not narrow sectarian. He did not want his house to be walled in on all sides and windows to be stuffed. He wanted the cultures of all lands to be blown about his house as freely as possible. Conclusion As a humanist, Gandhi worshipped God through the service of man and looked upon all human beings as but the manifestations of God Himself. His humanism meant his utter devotion to the human interest. "The nineteenth Century was marked by Industrial Revolution, the twentieth century was a century of nuclear holocaust and environmental degradation, the Twenty-first should bring a synthesis of Science and spirituality, Socialism with human rights, Social change with non-violence national sovereignty with world citizenship. And this is Gandhi".

Women and Marriage

This paper presents an in-depth discussion about the changing relationship between women and marriage. Economic factors, a rise in feminism, parents† influence, attitudes about sex, educational pursuits, and divorce statistics are discussed and their influence on women†s attitudes toward marriage are explored. Cultural changes that have impacted women†s lives are also examined. The purpose of the paper is to explore the changes affecting women, their attitudes toward marriage, and their expectations of marriage. This paper will primarily concentrate on the question of why women delay marriage. The ources used to develop this paper are published journals, the text for this course along with other books related to this issue, and the The Changing Relationship Between Women and Marriage Over the past four decades there has been substantial changes in the attitudes toward marriage among women in the United States. These attitudes relate to gender roles and social changes in today†s society and have contributed to women marrying later than their ancestors married. Studies show American women are waiting longer than ever to get married. Their median age at first marriage hit a record high of 24. years in 1994, up from 20 years in the mid 1950†³s (Crispell, 1996). That†s the oldest age since the Census Bureau started to ask about age at marriage in 1890. Of course postponing marriage means an increase, at any given time, in the number of people who have never wed, and that is also reflected in the census study. From 1970 to 1994 the number of Americans aged 18 and over who never married more than doubled from 21. million to 44. 2 million. Additionally, women may be less likely to marry in the future. Projections show the proportion of never married women increasing between 1992 and 2010 for all age groups under 55 (Crispell). According to Allen & Kalish (1984), the timing of a first marriage is related to the attractiveness of the alternatives to marrying. When women value roles that provide viable alternatives to the role of wife, they delay marriage. The role of women has undergone significant transformation brought about by changes in society. Today†s families are smaller and live longer, thereby allowing women to devote a smaller part of their lives to raising children than was the case in earlier times (Allen & Kalish). Thus, more time is left for other pursuits. A woman who enters her first marriage at an older ge is less likely to exchange dependence on her parents for dependence on a husband (Unger & Crawford, 1992). Elder (1974) found that women who married later were more likely to have careers, financial stability and be middle class as opposed to lower class background. What has transformed societal attitudes toward marriage so that young women delay it, older women get out of it, and some women skip it altogether? Economic factors, a rise in feminism, parental influences, attitudes about sex, educational pursuits, and the divorce rate have all undergone significant cultural changes and are among ome of the reasons being credited for influencing the ideas women have about marriage. Let†s examine these influences and the attitudes of women which determine their decision to marry or delay marriage. We will also examine the expectations of marriage that today†s educated women may have and how these expectations differ from other women†s Economic factors have resulted in women working outside the home, and have had a strong influence over a woman†s decision to marry. â€Å"The ever increasing opportunities for women to work outside the home make her less and less dependent, economically, upon a husband† (Casler, 1974, p. 30). Late marrying women indicated that careers took relative precedence over marriage during the period of their lives when their â€Å"less achievement – oriented peers were opting for marriage† (Allen & Kalish, p. 141). Women now in the labor market want more than just a â€Å"job†, and therefore, actively pursue a â€Å"career†. Between 1969 and 1979, for example, percentages of women endorsing wanting to be â€Å"an authority in my field† increased from 54. 3% to 70. 5% and in 1979 were only 4. 8% lower than the percentage for men. Women endorsing wanting â€Å"to raise a family† declined in these years from 77. % to64. 8% which equals the percentage for men. Long, Becker†s (1981) theories of marriage and family behavior hypothesize that women†s increasing labor force participation has had a critical and presumably irreversible impact on the family. If half of all marriages are to fail, and with alimony for ex-wives less common, a woman cannot count upon marriage for a lifetime of economic security (Allen & Kalish). Men†s economic status has substantially deteriorated since the 1970†³s (Oppenheimer, 1994). The median income of men aged 25 to 34 fell by 26% between 1972 and 1994 (Koontz, 1997). The institution of marriage underwent a particularly rebellious and ramatic shift when women entered the work force. â€Å"People don†t have to stay married because of economic forces now . . . we are in the midst of trying to renegotiate what the marriage contracts is – what men and women are suppose to do as partners† (Gleick, 1995). Studies show the lowest marriage rate of all is for women professionals (i. e. , doctors, lawyers). While over three-fourths of all women in the United States aged 35 to 39 are married, fewer than two thirds of these are professional women. Further, when they do marry, professional women are more likely to divorce than their age peers. As for hildbearing, these women have significantly fewer children than their nonprofessional counterparts, when they have children at all (Allen & Kalish). In the case of having children Oppenheimer argues that â€Å"the major component of the cost of children is the â€Å"indirect† cost – the cost of the mother†s time† (p. 295). A rise in feminism is credited for being another strong influence in women†s lives. Feminism movements, with emphasis upon educational and vocational achievements for women, seem to encourage departure from traditional sex roles which were chiefly organized around marriage and children, and toward more extensive careers for omen, especially those who are well educated (Becker). â€Å"Even though not all young women label themselves feminists, the idea that women can and should have aspirations other than wife and mother has been widely accepted† (Unger & Crawford, pg. 364). While it is true the woman†s movement has made significant progress in its attempt to equalize opportunities, the situation continues to be blatantly unjust. It has been said that marriage diminishes man, which is often true; but almost always it annihilates woman† (Casler, p. 30). Women, struggling to rise above the â€Å"housewife† role, have a strong esire to be valued for some of the same qualities men are valued for: ambition, intelligence, and independence. Unfortunately, subservient status of the married woman is deeply embedded in history. â€Å"Conventional matrimony is seen by some to be a major stumbling block in the path toward women†s liberation† (Casler, pg. 177). Modernization has inevitably led to the growth of individualism with its emphasis on the importance of self fulfillment as opposed to the subordination of individual needs† (Oppenheimer). As a result, women not only are beginning to lead less traditional lives, but are also ncreasingly tolerant of differences in life styles among others (Becker). The old status order that granted men a privileged position in the family is crumbling. Proponents of women†s empowerment have emphasized the effect of women†s education and income on their decision making authority within the household (Lundberg & Pollack, 1996). Policies that empower women have been supported with claims that they will increase the well being of children. The belief that â€Å"kids do better† when their mothers control a larger fraction of family has been proven (Lundberg & Pollack). Parental influence and upbringing, no doubt, have a enetrating influence on a woman†s ideas and her perceptions on marriage. Several studies have focused on parents† influence on a woman†s marital timing. Late marriers had less dating experience and more parental restrictions than earlier marriers did (Elder). It was found that the parents of late marrying women did not stress education and career over marriage but, valued career in its own right in such a way that they provided their daughters with permission to pursue a non-normative path (Allen & Kalish). So, it appears that parents of late marrying women have put less pressure on their daughters to marry han parents of the normative groups. In studies of women†s educational achievements and family influences, it seems that women who pursue higher education goals and careers during the average marrying years have, if not encouragement, at least acceptance of their choice by their parents. Furthermore, father†s occupation and education and mother†s education account for one-half of the variance in marital timing for women, which is consistent with the idea that both parents support their daughter in academic and career achievement if they themselves have achieved more (Allen & Kalish). In another tudy, parents of high educational and occupational level status, exert positive influences on their daughter†s education and career plans. Working mothers or mothers who are career oriented, tend to influence their daughters in that direction. A close relationship with parents and identification with their fathers are also positive predictors of career orientations of young women. A number of studies also have indicated that women who marry late are close to their parents. Frequently, their career goals are consistent with their family backgrounds (Allen & Kalish). Modern attitudes about sex are also influencing women. Traditionally, marriage was seen as a way to legitimize sexual relations. With the arrival of easily available birth control, sexual freedom is no longer a â€Å"reward† to be associated with marriage (Allen & Kalish). Premarital sex and living together arrangements have become more acceptable to many (Unger & Crawford). Women who married late will have been more able to have adequate sexual lives before marriage than women who married during the average marrying years. Late marriers considered premarital sex more acceptable than normative marriers. Willingness to participate in intimate personal and sexual elationships outside of marriage reduces the attractiveness of the The pursuit of an education is another significant influence on women, with the level of education achieved by women being directly related to their marital age (Elder). College attendance among women has doubled – one out of five women obtained some college education in the mid 1960†³s compared to two out of five in the early 1980†³s. â€Å"With their rapid increase in college attendance, by 1983 women constituted over half of the student body at two-year colleges and closed to half of the students attending four-year colleges† (McLaughlin, 1988, . 35). The most dramatic changes have occurred in the professions of law and medicine. The number of women becoming lawyers increased from 230 in 1960 to approximately 12,000 in 1982 up from 3 to 33% of all lawyers. Similarly, the number of women who received medical degrees increased from 3% in 1960 to approximately 4,000 in 1981, representing a jump from 6 to 25% of all medical degrees. Women are also rapidly growing in the professions of architecture and business administration, professions previously dominated by males. By 1985 women were earning half of all bachelor and master degrees and over a hird of the doctorates, compared to the 42% of all bachelor degrees, 32% of master degrees and 10% of all doctorates in the 1960†³s (O†Neill, 1989). The result is that both education and experience levels of the female labor force have begun to increase at a faster rate than they have for the male labor force (McLaughlin). Koontz found that highly educated women in professional careers are less likely than women in general to be involved in marriage and parenting. In recent decades, the percentage of young women obtaining advanced degrees and pursuing a professional career has increased dramatically. Between 1971 and 1980 the percentage of women aged 30-39 who completed four or more years of college rose from 10. 3 to 18. 8 percent (Koontz). A positive relationship between educational attainment and the timing A woman†s completed fertility level is also highly correlated with her educational attainment in part because of the effect of delayed childbearing on fertility. Educational attainment is negatively associated with the likelihood that women will ever marry and/or bear children. Educational attainment is also related to the likelihood of divorce, for women but not for men. Women who have ompleted six or more years of college have significantly higher rates of divorce than woman at all other education levels, except high school drop-outs. High levels of education by women is highly predictive of delayed and reduced involvement in marital and parental Acknowledging the prevalence of divorce may influence a woman†s future decision to marry. Plenty of young women have seen unhappy marriages as they grew up – giving them an understandable fear of committing themselves. This may account for the rapid growth in the proportion of women rejecting marriage. We all know the statistics – alf of all marriages in the United States end in divorce and nearly a third of all children are born out of wedlock. As a result four out of 10 kids don†t live with both of their biological parents (Chollar, 1993). Delayed marriage and continued high divorce levels will combine to shrink the share of currently married men and women in most age groups. In the 21st century, men will remain more married than women because of the surplus of adult women in all but the under age 25 group (McLaughlin). Gottman found that a major complaint of divorced women was that their ex-husband†s had the majority of power. Moreover, it is still overwhelming women, not men, who are called upon to adjust their work lives to the demands of child rearing by quitting their jobs, working part-time or choosing a flexible job over one that offers higher pay (Cherlin, 1990). Women are also showing less patience with problem marriages as growing numbers unravel the The decline in the ideal of marital permanence – one of the most well documented value changes among Americans in recent decades – also has tended to make persons less willing and able to make the needed commitments to and investments in marriage (Gleick, 1993, p. ). While entering into marriage with the â€Å"utmost care and deepest consideration can only be to the good, it may be marriage itself – along with the most basic institutions like the work place – that continues to need refining† (Gleick, p. 28). Today†s women, all too aware of the current divorce numbers, may be hesitant to enter into I would say w e†re in a stalled revolution . . . women have gone into the labor force, but not much else has changed to adapt to that new situation. We have not rewired the notion of manhood so that it makes sense to men to participate at home (Gleick, pg. 56). Many married women report although their role has changed when they entered the work force, men primary have kept doing what they have always been doing, thus, putting additional burdens on women (Gleick). â€Å"However it seems that it is not the increased workload itself but rather the increased inequality that makes mothers less satisfied with their marriages than nonmothers† (Unger & Crawford, pg. 75). Men are making some progress though, in taking on household tasks, including child care, but women still shoulder most of the One of the most likely reasons for the decline in marital success is an increase in what persons expect of marriage. The levels of intimacy, emotional support, companionship, and sexual gratification that people believe they should get from marriage differ because of the breakdown of what it means to be husband or wife. Whereas, until recently, the rights and obligations of spouse†s were prescribed culturally and fairly well understood by just about everyone, they have become a matter for regulation in the individual marriages for some this has led to discord and Altogether then, cultural changes related to sex roles would seem to produce different expectations of marriage. A woman who has supported herself to the age of 25 or above and has lived on her own ntil that age has had time to get more education, be exposed more to a variety of view points and experiences, and therefore, is more likely to expect a peer relationship with her husband. All in all, she is more likely than a younger woman to enter marriage with a well developed sense of self worth and broad horizons for her life† (Unger & Crawford, pg. 364). Compared with a woman who marries younger – she is more likely to expect a more traditional relationship in which the husband is dominant (Everett, 1991). According to Everett, younger women expect greater communication, companionship, and ompatibility with their spouses than older women. Possibly younger women, still maturing, have not yet developed their own sense of self worth and, therefore, depend on their spouse to fulfill their needs of worthiness. As opposed to older women who, in most cases, have a more The traditional bargain struck between men and women – financial support for domestic services – is no longer valid. Women have shown outstanding improvements in education, and played a major part in the work force. With education and occupation in their hands, women do not need to rely on men for economic support, thus marriage s not an immediate concern anymore. However, it should be noted that when both husband and wife are employed the marriage is given an Nonetheless, all of these changes have spurred women to greater autonomy. Each has affected marriage in a different way, but all have worked in unity toward the same result – to make marriage less urgent and more arbitrary. Marriage may change for the better if people are committed to making the institution work, although in a new format. Still, studies show young adult women still care about marriage enough that the conflict between work life and family life remains intense.