Mumbai Slums Essay

An earthquake occurs when there is a sudden release of energy in the Earth’s crust that causes seismic waves. Earthquakes are typically caused by opening of geological faults. They are however also caused by volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. The effects of earthquakes are many and far reaching. Earthquakes cause shaking and ground ruptures which result in less or sometimes more severe damage to buildings or other rigid structures. Earthquakes also results in landslides and avalanches, which sometimes causes damage in hilly and mountain areas. After an earthquake, the place can catch fire by breaking of the electrical power or gas lines. Because of the shaking, sometimes the soil liquefies, the loose saturated cohesion less soil loses its strength and temporarily transforms from a solid to a liquid state. Soil liquefaction causes firm structures like buildings and bridges to slant or sink into a liquefied state. Earthquakes result in loss of life, damage to property, fatal diseases, lack of basic necessities and it affects the financial and economical structure of the country. Some safety measures are used so that the government, individual and businesses can prepare themselves against this calamity. To reduce the damage, retrofitting techniques and modern earthquake resistant designs of new buildings and lifeline structures like bridges, hospitals and power plants are used in earthquake prone areas. The emergency services under the local and state government ensure that the public is safe by dealing with the crisis. Individuals and businesses are encouraged by governments to have an earthquake kit and supplies for three days at hand. As a result of an increase of the number of seismic stations today, the earthquakes are reported more than in the past, which help in the preparation process. Slums in Mumbai Slums always existed in Mumbai. In 19th century, slums grew around mills and other places of employment. Now they grow where ever there is empty space. Slum dwellers today cover 60% of Mumbai’s population. The government tried to rectify the problem in 1985 by passing the Slum Upgradation Project. Regrettable the project targeted only 10-12% of the slum population, those who were able to of upgrade their homes. It ignored inhabitants in slums, those who did not have homes at all. In spite of all the attempts to cure the problem of slums in Mumbai, slums are still growing. The growth rate of slums is actually greater than the growth rate of general urban. It is estimated that everyday 100 to 300 new families come to Mumbai. Most of them end up in a slum colony or just put up a shanty on the on the footpath. Due to migration, the city’s population is increasing and with it the slums. These facts show that migration has to stop to cure the problem of slums. According to Professor RN Sharma, (the head of the Urban Studies Unit in Tata Institute of Social Sciences), Mumbai, the city is unquestionably disintegrating into slums. A Jockin of SPARC, (the NGO that works for slums) said that the rehabilitation process is the only solution to the problem of slums in Mumbai. He said: â€Å"This talk about Mumbai having predominantly slums is rubbish. Already 67 per cent of slums on railway land have been re-settled. The airport project and the rehabilitation near Mithi River is also happening at a good pace. These figures of slum population rising is not true†. Former housing minister Nawab Mallik also agreed that rehabilitation is a best way to get rid of slums. References: Earthquake. (2007, November 4). Retrieved November 5, 2007 from World Wide Web: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Earthquake Juneja, Saakshi. (2006, January 9). Mumbai Slums. Retrieved November 5, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://mumbai. metblogs. com/archives/2006/01/mumbai_slums. phtml Slums. Retrieved November 5, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www. macalester. edu/courses/GEOG61/espencer/slums. html Slums: The Magnitude of the Problem. Retrieved November 5, 2007 from World Wide Web: http://theory. tifr. res. in/bombay/amenities/housing/slum-stats. html

Cmgt/554 Week 2

Patton-Fuller Community Hospital IT Department Patton-Fuller Community Hospital IT Department In order for an organization to be able to have an efficient and successful organization the proper Information Technology system (IT) must be in place, this document will demonstrate what system is in place to make sure system is running successfully. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital is a prominent hospital that is known for specializing in pharmacy, radiology, surgery, and physical therapy.This community hospital has numerous departments and each has a different IT need, so understanding which programs will work and be compatible is their major objective. The patients of Patton-Fuller Hospital are accustomed to the quality service that the hospital provides with a focus on the different programs and services to help maintain a high degree of concern for its patients. Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has an great quantity of technology and can be divided into many different areas providing an in-depth review of the advancements and shortfalls of organization.Understanding the OSI model is important to getting the proper IT system job done, so knowing how to fit these elements together to form working system is what will be explained. The networking department has the challenge of breaking down the current infrastructure to ensure a comprehensive analysis is done to provide a solution that will last for the three to five years. A major goal of the hospital is to protect the personal information of the patients who fall under the guidelines of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).HIPAA requires the protection and confidential handling of protected health information (â€Å"Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act†,  2012). To make sure that standards are meet, Patton-Fuller uses an encrypted storage system known as Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) (Apollo Group, 2011). According to  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Encryption Algorithms†Ã‚  (2012), Encryption is the process of converting a plaintext message into cipher text which can be decoded back into the original message. An encryption algorithm along with a key is used in the encryption and decryption of data.There are several types of data encryptions which form the basis of network security. Encryption schemes are based on block or stream ciphers. The hospital transmits information off a network called 1000Base-T. The information is s broken down to other departments such as Radiology, which uses a section of this network called 1000BaseF. â€Å"1000BASE-T is Gigabit Ethernet (1 gigabit is 1000 megabits per second) on copper cables, using four pairs of Category 5 unshielded twisted pair to achieve the gigabit data rate. 000BASE-T can be used in data centers for server switching, for uplinks from desktop computer switches, or directly to the desktop for broadband applications (Apollo Group, 2011). The nodes of the administrative function network utilize CAT 6 cabling. The connection point of the administrative functions network are connected to an Ethernet backbone. A single mode fiber cable, transmitting 1000 Base F, physically connects nodes attached to the clinical segment. The nodes attached to the clinical function segment is physically linked by single mode fiber cable and transmitting 1000 Base F.Both segments connect via a network bridge (Apollo Group, 2011). A DHCP server provides all workstations on the administrative function sectors with IP addresses. This is a good security practice to apply for the network black/white and color laser printers that utilize a static IP, so the MAC address is registered with the DHCP server to prevent malicious activity that would harm the networks and the DHCP service is run on the Exchange Server housed in the IT data center (Apollo Group, 2011).The Radiology department has special needs to be able to manage pictures and archive them. Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) is one of the standards used by the Radiology department along with the Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS) to run the flow of work. The Patton-Fuller Community Hospital runs this type of photo technology to be able to determine what the situation is with patients that are requiring images to determine the problem that the patient is facing (Apollo Group, 2011).Patton-Fuller Community Hospital uses layers 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 of the OSI model. The OSI model is broken into seven layers that play a major important role in how the model functions on a functioning level. Patton-Fuller Hospital uses certain layers of the model, below is the function of each layer: Layer 1: Physical – This is the level of the actual hardware. It defines the physical characteristics of the network such as connections, voltage levels and timing.Layer 3: Network – The way that the data will be sent to the recipient device is determined in this layer. Logical protocols, routing and ad dressing are handled here. Layer 4: Transport  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ This layer maintains  flow control  of data and provides for error checking and recovery of data between the devices. Layer 5: Session – Layer 5 establishes, maintains and ends communication with the receiving device. Layer 6: Presentation – Layer 6 takes the data provided by the Application layer and converts it into a standard format that the other layers can understand.Layer 7: Application – This is the layer that actually interacts with the operating system or application whenever the user chooses to transfer files, read messages or performs other network-related activities (Bhagchandani,  2011). The hospitals IT data center uses a Cisco router model, at the transport layer it is responsible for breaking large strings of data into manageable smaller packets. Error checking and elimination of duplicate packets is done at this layer as well.Patton-Fuller Community Hospital utilizes a network gatew ay device to interface both their clinical and administrative networks, along with the Internet Bhagchandani,  2011). Patton-Fuller Community Hospital also has a backbone infrastructure provides providing enough bandwidth to support video and other high quality of service services, these services are provided by most major hospitals across the nation so Patton must make sure that services provided can be achieved with a good system.However it does not have the necessary requirements for future needs. With the sale and deployment of networked equipment within the medical industry it is becoming more apparent that Patton-Fuller Community Hospital invest their future to be able to keep up with hospitals that provide these same services at a faster speed Patton-Fuller Community Hospital has the backbone infrastructure that provides sufficient bandwidth to support video and other high quality of service services. However it does not have the necessary requirements for future needs.With the sale and deployment of networked tools within the medical industry it is becoming more obvious that Patton-Fuller Community Hospital should think about investing in means of more bandwidth for further years. The whole system that the hospital uses takes the layers of the model and uses them as needed, information is pasted through the cables that in turn break the information down so that it can be divided into different operating systems for translation to doctors, nurses, insurance companies, lawyers, and more.The information is formatting so that it can be passed internally and externally. The layers in use by the hospital make it possible for the photo imagery to be sent via the chains in and out of the hospital to individuals who have a need to know. While using all the layers that they use the first priority of the day is to make sure each layer is safe to use for the reason that HIPPA information being shipped to different areas in and outside the hospital should always be secure.Any organization today must understand the OSI model and what goes into making a system work so that they are able to set their IT department in the most useful approach to flow great with the work being provided. Patton-Fuller Hospital understands that they have needs of privacy and being able to pass this delicate information to sources outside the hospital so they have chosen the systems that fit their needs. There are many different types of protocols that Patton-Fuller Community Hospital can benefit from to improve the services they provide to their patients and make it an easier job for its employees.Staying up-to-date with the technology that is present today will be able to help Patton-Fuller do that. References Bhagchandani, R. (2011). Networking Cheat Sheet . Retrieved from http://www. climbupon. com/stuffs/techmenu/45-networking-cheat-sheet? &lang=en_us&output=json&session-id=6030d5bf6d0f58e0de3ea68fb6a8c6e8 Encryption algorithms. (2012). Retrieved f rom http://www. networksorcery. com/enp/data/encryption. htm Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. (2012). Retrieved from http://www. dhcs. ca. gov/formsandpubs/laws/hipaa/Pages/1. 00%20WhatisHIPAA. aspx

How to Decrease Customer Turnover due to the impersonal touch of Research Paper

How to Decrease Customer Turnover due to the impersonal touch of e-commerce - Research Paper Example But the problem arises when it involves in a matter of customization or suggestion for a particular product. It mainly happens with the service sector. It can be better understood by an example. Suppose, in case of an insurance company, a customer may be in need of a child policy and he has various requirements. E-commerce will enable him to see all the available child policies. It will even ask for more specifications such as age of the child and his parents, premium amount, or amount of sum assured, mode of payment, etc but e-commerce can never really understand the actual requirements of the customer or his future expectations from the policy. Therefore, it will not show the most suitable policy for the customer. If the customer goes with the policy identified by electronic communication system, which will be the result of customized search option, then it may lead to future dissatisfaction of the customer and he may not opt the company for his next policy which will invariably de crease the customer turn over for the insurance company. An electronic media can provide several options to the customers, even through it, a buyer or a seller can customize their choice but an electronic media fails to understand the need and requirement of the customer in the truest essence. That is why, they will not be able to provide apt suggestions or can not give a perfectly suitable product as per the customer’s requirement. Sometimes the customer might feel that they are less valuable for the organization because they find that there is no one to hear their requirements or problems and give a suitable suggestion accordingly. E-commerce is not only used for purchase or selling products and services but also for customer care. When a customer will buy a product, he can directly choose the option for the product and can buy it at once or can go through the features of the products and then purchase it. But

Sensory Perception Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sensory Perception - Essay Example There is no doubt that sensory information will always often be subjected to (personal) interpretation of the individual, and these personal interpretations will most likely affect the cognitive process regardless of whether the information processed is correct or not. Fortunately there are a number of reasons to believe in the accuracy (or even in the inaccuracy) of sensory information. The first reason talks about the source of the information and the cognitive capacity of the individual to interpret the data fed to him/her. In order for an information/data to be considered accurate, it must first be received through the senses of touch, sight, sound, smell and taste. The second reason pertains to the reliability of the data/information observed. The formation of â€Å"reliable† sensory data depends on how accurate the â€Å"observation† process was, and whether it would be able to provide enough supporting facts and data that is important to sensory perception. The third reason simply states that the accuracy (or inaccuracy) of sensory information is linked to the interpretation of the brain regarding the information observed or received from the senses. Naturally the ability to correctly analyze and interpret sensory information is affected by whether your brain is considered to be healthy or not. If inaccurate data is sent to the brain and the brain is not able to analyze that there is something wrong with the information, misinterpretation would surely be the result and the view of a person about a certain issue of problem would be greatly affected. Aside from reasons to help an individual decide whether to believe that a particular sensory data is accurate or inaccurate, there are also factors that affect the quality and/or accuracy of sensory data gathered. The sensory data may be affected by objects that are external to it and the individual doing the sensory information gathering, such as amplifiers, various forms of

Compose a report on management performance characteristics Essay

Compose a report on management performance characteristics - Essay Example I studied the essentialities of the skill in detail, considering the context of the role of the Head of MLT. I plan to develop my communication skills through a number of interventions, over a period of time. Nurturing my communication skills shall take place through simulation games, skill improvement exercises, understanding the 7Cs of communication and taking part in cross-cultural communication training. These evaluation and diagnostic tools would facilitate in furthering my skills and contribute towards the success of my career. Management has been my favourite subject since my childhood. After completing my undergraduate course, I wish to study Masters In Business Administration, under the discipline of Marketing Management. During this undergraduate course, I also happened to learn about the prospects offered by Information Technology and could cognise that it is a flourishing industry. Under this context, I set the role of Manager of a Marketing Leadership Team in a multinational software organisation as my career goal. This job involves understanding the markets, facilitating transformations that improve the efficiency of marketing function in the entire organisation, by increasing its impact on the prospective customers, giving due consideration to the job satisfaction of the marketing team and managing the lower level marketing leaders. The job description depicts that my aim is not easy to embrace and is a step-by-step process, where I need to attain the eligibility and highlight myself as the most qualified and appropriate candidate at every instance. Advancement in this direction should be a planned self-development exercise that instils new skills and boosts the existing ones to the desired intensity. Along with the educational background and experience, I need to recognise my internal capabilities and shoulder the responsibility of developing my management and leadership skills too, in order to attain that position and efficiently manage

Government Intervention in Market Operations Essay

Government Intervention in Market Operations - Essay Example In addition, the firm may create differences in employee skills like the education level or training received. Products may be differentiated through the distribution of the products. This could occur through internet shopping like the Amazon.com that is a modern online store and differentiates itself from the traditional stores. This type of market structure is realistic since there is product differentiation. Firms make independent decisions in regards to prices and production costs (Bordo & Humpage, 2006). In addition, since there are no major barriers to market entry or exit, people are free to enter or leave the market. Moreover, firms make independent decisions in regards to price and the output as well as the production costs. The U.S government has implemented the fiscal policy that helps control the level of demand for different products as well as the economic demand pattern. It generally describes the impacts on the aggregate economy and the overall spending and taxation. Taxes are the major source of revenue by the government. The government also provides subsidies and contracts to public works as well as the salaries of the employees. The taxation and spending are sources for driving demand and increase the growth of the economy. Fiscal policy entails the government making a decision about the goods and services it buys, the collection of taxes and distribution of transfer payments. The main goal of the fiscal policy is to observe and maintain a high economic growth as well as ensure there is full employment (Fatum & Hutchison, 2003). Moreover, it helps the U.S government make decisions on whether it will spend more or less than it gains. There are two types of Fiscal policy, the expansionary, and th e contractionary policy. The main objective of the expansionary policy is to create growth and stimulate the economy. In addition, the government either reduces taxes or spends more.  Ã‚  

Ethics and Governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 2

Ethics and Governance - Essay Example Historically, interest in business ethics accelerated dramatically during the 1980s and 1990s, both within major corporations and within academia. For example, today most major corporate websites lay emphasis on commitment to promoting non-economic social values under a variety of headings (e.g. ethics codes, social responsibility charters). In some cases, corporations have redefined their core values in the light of business ethical considerations. The emergence of business ethics is similar to other management disciplines. For example, organizations realized that they needed to manage a more positive image to the public and so the recent discipline of public relations was born. Organizations realized they needed to better manage their human resources and so the recent discipline of human resources was born. As commerce became more complicated and dynamic, organizations realized they needed more guidance to ensure their dealings supported the common good and did not harm others so business ethics were born. Now 90% of business schools now provide some form of training in business ethics. Today, ethics in the workplace can be managed through use of codes of ethics, codes of conduct, roles of ethicists and ethics committees, policies and procedures, procedures to resolve ethical dilemmas, ethics training, etc. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is an American public corporation that runs a chain of large, discount department stores. It is the worlds largest public corporation by revenue. It was Founded by Sam Walton in 1962 and it was incorporated on October 31, 1969. It was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. It is the largest private employer in the world and the fourth largest utility or commercial employer, trailing the Chinese army, the British National Health Service, and the Indian Railways. Wal-Mart is the largest grocery

Organizational Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Organizational Issues - Essay Example The company gives a provision for daycare where children are kept safe when their guardians are away to school or work. The company acts as a custodian of the community’s interest and profits. The external pressure has not entirely had an effect on the organizational ethics of the company. The external pressure would have informed the organization’s leader to opt to research employees with potential. A good number of organizations need to know the entire background of workers to avoid unnecessary turnarounds by the employees. The Greyston’s hiring process is a thing many firms have considered outdated. External pressures have transformed the ethics somehow in another way. The organization concentrates highly on community of its origin. The community does have problems with assistance provided where it is needed much by the company. The community members have faced problems in the past and have no variety of options where they can choose from mainly in the market of jobs. Moreover, the community do not enjoy from the option of daycare either. The company has made it possible for the children to be taken care of in educational facilities that are safe. The issues are associated to personal and organizational decisions as they are role models. The company illustrates to the workers on how they are supposed to live in the community. The firm gives the employees second chances despite of the problems they might have caused in the past. By doing this the company tries to show the community that one should always be given a second chance to correct the situation. The company also provides education and daycares portraying social responsibility. The company aids the community in educating and taking care of the children. All this is an example to the society on how they should live. Greyston Bakery always has a slogan that gives an inspiration. It states that a company is bounded

Target audiences and presentational devices Essay Example for Free

Target audiences and presentational devices Essay Newspapers have changed overtime in many ways even though most people are subscribed to at least one newspaper likeThe Seattle Times, The New York Times, The Sun, and The Daily Telegraph and so on. Now, because of the internet and online news publications for nearly every newspaper, newspapers have become a thing of the past. This means that people no longer have to spend money on buying a newspaper and also means that they can be more personalised. But in the early 19th century, many cities in Europe, as well as North and South America, published newspaper-type publications though not all of them developed in the same way; content was vastly shaped by regional and cultural preferences. Advances in printing technology related to the Industrial Revolution enabled newspapers to become an even more widely circulated means of communication. In 1814, The Times (London) acquired a printing press capable of making 1,100 impressions per minute. A wide variety of material has been published in newspapers, including editorial opinions, criticism, persuasion and op-eds; obituaries; entertainment features such as crosswords, sudoku and horoscopes; weather news and forecasts; advice, food and other columns; reviews of movies, plays and restaurants classified ads including display ads, editorial cartoons and comic strips. Most traditional papers also featured an editorial page containing editorials written by an editor and columns that express the personal opinions of writers. Another way they have changed is that they have included more stories which appeal to their target audience, meaning that they will include more pictures and stories depending on what the audience want for example: the sun tends to have lots of people with the socio economic of E-C which can connote that for most male adults and young male teenagers, they are mostly interested in page 3 models and sport. Before the internet, everyone received the good old Sunday paper. There are still some benefits of having a newspaper. You receive all of the news at once, and something that you might not think of clicking on online, you may glance across on a newspaper and find yourself interested in it. Also, the pure fact that a newspaper is a hard copy, easier to read for a longer period of time, counts towards the positives of newspapers. By 2007 there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a day. The worldwide recession of 2008, combined with the rapid growth of web-based alternatives, caused a serious decline in advertising and circulation, as many papers closed or sharply retrenched operations. These days, most people find it a lot easier and quicker to turn on their computer and browse their favourite news website not to mention that online news sites are generally free, compared to newspaper subscriptions. All in all, the newspaper business is slowly fading out of our everyday life, being replaced by various online publications. All the funding and budget they get to make the newspapers is the newspaper is typically funded by paid subscriptions and advertising. There are many different types of newspaper job roles: Journalists reporters editor columnist copy editor meteorologist news presenter photographer political commenter Industrial Revolution Soon, it was adapted to print on both sides of a page at once. This innovation made newspapers cheaper and thus available to a larger part of the population. In 1830, the first penny press newspaper came to the market: Lynde M. Walters Boston Transcript. Penny press papers cost about one sixth the price of other newspapers and appealed to a wider audience. In France, i mile de Girardin started La Presse in 1836, introducing cheap, advertising-supported dailies to France. In 1848, August Zang, an Austrian who knew Girardin in Paris, returned to Vienna to introduce the same methods with Die Presse (which was named for and frankly copied Girardins publication). Impact of television and Internet By the late 1990s the availability of news via 24-hour television channels and then the Internet posed an ongoing challenge to the business model of most newspapers in developed countries. Paid circulation has declined, while advertising revenue which makes up the bulk of most newspapers income has been shifting from print to the new media, resulting in a general decline in profits. Many newspapers around the world launched online editions in an attempt to follow or stay ahead of their audience. However, in the rest of the world, cheaper printing and distribution, increased literacy, the growing middle class and other factors have more than compensated for the emergence of electronic media and newspapers continue to grow. On April 10, 1995, The American Reporter became the first daily newspaper, with its own paid reporters around the world and all-original content, to start on the Internet. The Editor-in-Chief and founder is Joe Shea. The site is owned by 400 journalists. Newspaper typically generates 70-80% of its revenue from advertising, and the remainder from sales and subscriptions. The portion of the newspaper that is not advertising is called editorial content, editorial matter, or simply editorial, although the last term is also used to refer specifically to those articles in which the newspaper and its guest writers express their opinions. (This distinction, however, developed over time early publishers like Girardin (France) and Zang (Austria) did not always distinguish paid items from editorial content. ) Newspapers have been hurt by the decline of many traditional advertisers. Department stores and supermarkets could be relied upon in the past to buy pages of newspaper advertisements, but due to industry consolidation are much less likely to do so now. Additionally, newspapers are seeing traditional advertisers shift to new media platforms. The classified category is shifting to sites including craigslist, employment websites, and auto sites. National advertisers are shifting to many types of digital content including websites, rich media platforms, and mobile. In recent years, the advertorial emerged. Advertorials are most commonly recognized as an opposite-editorial which third-parties pay a fee to have included in the paper. Advertorials commonly advertise new products or techniques, such as a new design for golf equipment, a new form of laser surgery, or weight-loss drugs, the tone are usually closer to that of a press release than of an objective news story. In all, only 39 percent of the stories were related to dangerousness, smaller than the 50 to 75 percent of stories reported in earlier research but consistent with the approximately 30 percent of stories found by Wahl and colleagues. However, more stories fell into the dangerousness category than any other category. Hence, the public is still being influenced with messages about mental illness and dangerousness. Findings suggest the complexity of these results. A majority of stories are about violent crime against others or legal defences related to mental illness. However, stories in this group also included themes of suicidal or self-injurious behaviours and non-violent crimes. Stories related to dangerousness often ended up in the front sections of newspaper, making them more visible to readers. The target audience depends on the section of the paper. The funnies would be children. The sports would (most likely) be men. The economical section would be adults in general; usually newspapers and magazines targeted audience is the General Public. In the case of newspapers, it its own local people. In some magazines, their target audience is business owners and well to do rich folk. Some have specific audiences like music lovers, car lovers, or nature lovers. In most newspapers and magazines theres something in there to read for everyone.

Facebook Manic Essay Example for Free

Facebook Manic Essay Facebook is a social networking service launched in February 4, 2004, owned and operated by Facebook, Incorporated. The name of the service stems from the colloquial name for the book given to students at the start of the academic year by some university administrations in the United States to help students get to know each other. Facebook was founded by Mark Zuckerberg with his college roommates and fellow Harvard University students Eduardo Saverin (business aspects), Andrew McCollum, (graphic artist), Dustin Moskovitz (programmer), and Chris Hughes. According to The Harvard Crimson, the site was comparable to â€Å"Hot or Not† and used photos compiled from the online facebooks of nine houses, placing two next to each other at a time and asking users to choose the hotter person. The websites membership was initially limited by the founders to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It gradually added support for students at various other universities before opening to high school students, and eventually to anyone aged 13 and over. Facebook has affected the social life and activity of people in various ways. With its availability on many mobile devices. Facebook allows users to continuously stay in touch with friends, relatives and other acquaintances wherever they are in the world, as long as there is access to the Internet. It can also unite people with common interests and/or beliefs through groups and other pages, and has been known to reunite lost family members and friends because of the widespread reach of its network. January 2009 Compete.com study ranked Facebook as the most used social networking service by worldwide monthly active users. Quantcast estimates Facebook has 138.9 million monthly unique U.S. visitors in May 2011. According to Social Media Today, in April 2010 an estimated 41.6% of the U.S. population had a Facebook account. Facebook has turned into a national obsession in the United States, resulting in vast amounts of time lost and encouraging narcissism. Facebook being one of the most famous social networking site comes with it’s own pros and cons. There are many disadvantages of using facebook. Many people believe that  facebook has a lot of advantages and is convenient to use. But they ignore all the disadvantages that come with it. Excess of everything is bad and the statement is true for facebook.

Evaluating the Growth and Competitive Strategy of Coca Cola

Evaluating the Growth and Competitive Strategy of Coca Cola INTRODUCTION: The Coca-Cola Company is the worlds largest beverage company, largest manufacturer and marketer of non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups in the world and in one of the largest corporations in the United States. The Company is best known for its flagship product Coca-Cola, invented by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton at Atlanta USA, in 1886. They used to make Coca-Cola syrup by melted sugar, water, and some other ingredients (especially coca leaf and the kola nut). Frank M. Robinson, Pembertons bookkeepers, was the person who suggested the name Coca-Cola. The company has 92,400 employees in 200+ countries. It refreshes the consumers nearly 1.6 billion per day. The companys portfolio includes 13 billion dollar brands. The Coca-Cola Company is a nonalcoholic beverage brands which is the worlds largest manufacturer, distributor. It is worlds most valuable brands where the company got license for more than 500 nonalcoholic beverage brands mostly sparkling beverages and a mixture of still beverages such as water, juices, teas and coffees, energy and sports drinks. Basically, the company produces beverage concentrates and syrups which are sold to authorized bottling and canning operations (which are called Bottlers) where they manufacture the concentrates and syrups to produce finished beverage products (The Coca-cola, 2009). It has worlds largest distribution networks through bottling partners, distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. FINANCIAL POSITION: Revenue US$ 31.0 Billion (FY 2009) Operating income US$ 8.23 Billion (FY 2009) Net Income US$ 5.82 Billion (FY 2009) Total Assets US$ 48.7 Billion (FY2009) Total Equity US$ 24.8 Billion (FY2009) One year Growth: 3.0% Income Growth: 17.5% Employee Growth 0.4% Coca-Cola, a $62 Bn Brand (The Coca-Cola, Annual Report, 2009) COMPETITIORS: PepsiCo Nestle S.A. Dr Pepper Snapple Group Cadbury Schweppes plc Group Danone Kraft Foods Inc. THE COCA-COLA COMPANYS GROWTH: 1886-1892: The Coca-Cola Company was acquired the complete ownership of its business by Asa Candler for $2300 in 1891. In 1898 the company entered the market of Canada and Mexico. 1893-1904: An invention into a business, introduced promotion, advertisement, building plants in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles, establishing first bottling franchises. 1905-1918: Cuba and Panama became the first two countries outside the U.S. to bottle the Coca-Cola. The company started delivering a unique bottle to ensure people are getting real Coca-Cola with free of cocaine, and introduced new shape of coke bottle. 1919-1940: The Company was sold for $25 million to Atlanta banker Ernest Woodruff and a group of investors in 1919. The Company established a manufacturing operation in France in 1923. The company became the public limited at $40 per share. It delivered 53 countries worldwide. 1940-1959: Expanding in 120 countries, promoting the word COKE, setting up new Coca-Cola plants in North America and Europe. 1960-1981: Expanding with new flavors, Fanta, Sprite, TAB, Fresca, acquiring the Minute Maid Company, promoting exciting and dynamic advertisement. In 1960, metal cans were introduced first time which are now available in the market. 1982-1989: 165 countries enjoyed Coca-Cola, introducing Diet coke, Cherry Coke. 1990-1999: 200 Countries enjoyed Coca-Cola, associated with Sports including the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. 2000-Now: More than 200 countries enjoy Coke, delivering global marketing platform. Ingredients and Packaging The Coca-Colas Manufacturing and Distribution Process: Ingredients and Bulk Packaging Concentrate Plants Transport Production and Sales Facilities Third-Party Transport by Rail/Road SalesMarketing Equipment Consumers Customers e.g.Tesco, Asda (Coca-cola Enterprise, 2009, Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability Report) THE COCA-COLA BUSINESS SYSTEM: The Coca-Cola Company and/or subsidiaries only produce syrup concentrate which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold a Coca-Cola franchise. The Coca-Cola bottlers, who hold territorially exclusive contracts with the company, produce finished product in cans and bottles from the concentrate in combination with filtered water and sweeteners. The bottlers then sell, distribute and merchandise the resulting Coca-Cola product to retail stores, vending machines, restaurants and food service distributors. The Coca-Cola Enterprise (CCE) is the largest bottler of Coca-Cola beverage who manufactures and distributes the most popular beverage brands in the world. The CCE is one of more than 300 bottling companies CCE delivered approximately 41 billion bottles and cans in 2009. It represents approximately 16 % of total Coca-Cola product volumes. It creates revenues of $21.6 billion, with free cash flow of $872 million (Coca-Cola Enterprise, 2009). In North America, it operates 46 U.S States and all 10provinces of Canada, composed of five business units. It has 59 production facilities and 314 principal distribution facilities. It also has 59000 employees in US Canada. In Europe, it has 16 beverage production facilities and 35 principal distributors facilities with approximately 11000 employees. (www.answer.com) THE COCA-COLAS USE OF STRATEGIC CHOICES: Strategic choices are concerned with decisions about an organizations future and the way in which it has to respond to the myriad of pressures and influences as a result of its immediate and macro environment. To this end there are three basic choices to be made as shown below. Strategic choices Strategic choices Methods for pursuing strategies The choices about how strategies are to be pursued Strategy directions The choices of products and markets available to an organization Bases of competitive Strategy The choices as how to an organization positions itself in relation to competitors Bases of competitive Strategy directions Methods for pursuing Strategy strategies Whittington (2008, p. 217) Bases of competitive strategy: This area has to do with how Coca-Cola has positioned itself in relation to its competitors. The Coca-Cola Company competes in the non-alcoholic beverages segment of the commercial beverages industry. The non-alcoholic beverages segment of the commercial beverages industry is highly competitive, consisting of numerous firms. These include firms that, like Coca-Cola, compete in multiple geographic areas, as well as firms that are primarily regional or local in operation. Competitive products include numerous non-alcoholic sparkling beverages; various water products, including packaged, flavored and enhanced waters; juices and nectars; fruit drinks and dilatable (including syrups and powdered drinks); coffees and teas; energy and sports and other performance-enhancing drinks; dairy-based drinks; functional beverages; and various other non-alcoholic beverages. These competitive beverages are sold to consumers in both ready-to-drink and other than ready-to-drink form. In many of the coun tries in which Coca-Cola does business, including the United States, PepsiCo. Inc. is one of its primary competitors. Other significant competitors include, Nestlà ©, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Inc., Group DANONE, Kraft Foods Inc, and Unilever etc. In certain markets, its competition includes beer companies. Coca-Cola also competes against numerous regional and local firms and, in some markets, against retailers that have developed their own store or private label beverage brands. The strategy clock: competitive strategy option: High Differentiation 2 4 Hybrid Focused differentiation 5 3 Perceived Product/ Service 2 Low price 6 No frills 7 1 Strategies destined for ultimate failure 8 Low High Low Price Whittington (2008, pp. 225) The strategy clock above represents different positions in a market, where customers or potential customers have different requirement in terms of value for money. Coca-Cola has therefore taken the strategy option of hybrid, in which case it maintains its price but tries to differentiate itself from competitors. The Company has had a mix of pricing, advertising, sales promotion programs, product innovation, increased efficiency in production techniques, the introduction of new packaging, new vending and dispensing equipment, and brand and trademark development and protection. In this regard Coca-Cola has increased its annual marketing budget substantially, launched many new products, and developed a model to help its retail customers maximize their sales while it continue to plan for the future. The risk of this choice is that one could lose market share due to its low prices but then it can be tackled through economies of scale where the company produces in large quantities to cover cost and tries to penetrate different geographies as is the case of Coca-Cola. This choice has actually proved beneficial to Coca-Cola even though its market share has not grown tremendously as one would think over the last ten years but it definitely has a much higher market share than its competitors, especially Pepsi Co. This has been possible for Coca-Cola due to its recognized brand name and strong presence in so many geographies including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and the Pacific spanning across 200 countries. Strategy Direction: This has to do with the scope of a company in terms of its products. Over the last few years Coca-Cola has introduced a lot of products to its portfolio, including the recent Coca-Cola zero, which sold more than 600 million cases globally. Today Coca-Cola does not only deal in non-alcoholic soft drinks, but it also makes a lot of juices and juice drinks, still and carbonated products. As a matter of fact Coca-Cola has more than 3,300 products in more than 200 countries. In general one can rightly say that Coca-Cola has gone into diversification since it has not only shifted from soft drink to juices and even energy drinks but has also ventured and penetrated larger market over the years. Diversification is simply a strategy that takes the organization away from both its existing market and its existing products. We have therefore used the Ansoff matrix below to identify the strategy direction which Coca-Cola is taking Box D, which is diversification. The Ansoff matrix provides a simp lified way of generating four basic alternative directions for strategic development. Strategic directions (ansoff matrix) Products Existing New A B Market penetration Product development Consolidation C D Market development Diversification Existing Markets New Whittington, (2008, p.258) Diversification happened to be a good strategic option for Coca-Cola as it helped the Company to break new grounds in business. For instance a new product like the Coca-Cola zero did so well in terms of sales. This therefore impacted positively on the companys market share. Again shifting from soft drinks to energy and sports drinks also gave Coca-Cola an opportunity of a larger market share. However diversification can be capital intensive as not all organizations will be able to cope with the finances involved since a lot of finances will be needed to go into research and development for the new product. For instance Pepsi-cola once came up with a new product called Meca cola but it wasnt successful and the product was withdrawn later on. Surely there will be a lot of laboratory works and feasibility studies to go with a new product and this will equally require skilled people getting involved and consequently hiring more employees so if the organization does not have enough finances it may not be able to cope. Again the organization which decides to diversify will put in place an adequate amount of public awareness in terms of advertisements and trainings. This may involve using news papers, television, internet etc. All these can be very enormous for an organization so suffice it to say that diversification requires careful planning. Methods for pursuing strategies: Most of Coca-Cola products are manufactured and sold by its bottling partners. The Company typically sells concentrates and syrups to its bottling partners, who convert them into finished packaged products which they sell to distributors and other customers. Separate contracts (Bottlers Agreements) exist between the Company and each of its bottling partners regarding the manufacture and sale of Company products. Subject to specified terms and conditions and certain variations, the Bottlers Agreements generally authorize the bottlers to prepare specified Company Trademark Beverages, to package the same in authorized containers, and to distribute and sell the same in (but, subject to applicable local law, generally only in) an identified territory. The bottler is obligated to purchase its entire requirement of concentrates or syrups for the designated Company Trademark Beverages from the Company or Company-authorized suppliers. Coca-Cola agrees to refrain from selling or distributing, or from authorizing third parties to sell or distribute, the designated Company Trademark Beverages throughout the identified territory in the particular authorized containers. The Coca-Cola Company has created and achieved a strategic lock-in such that it has achieved dominance in the industry. For instance many people will think of Coke once they think of using or taking a soft drink. Strategic Implementation: International strategic management is divided by Strategies monitoring, goal setting, strategies formulation, strategic implementation. Mostly, companies is going to face challenges when they implement their strategies. There are following challenges such as; Resistance to change and inertia Insufficient attention to context Wrong choice of style for managing the change Education, participation, intervention, direction, coercion Insufficient understanding of power and political processes Lack of clarity Lack of stakeholder support Insufficient resources or capabilities Say in example coca cola Company decided to launch a new product in the market. So they consider with how do they decide what new product to sell? And who to sell them to? After that company has to do market research through the hypothesis test. They can do research two methods. Such as primary data and secondary data methods. According to coca cola company products they can do the following research such as; Desk research which is identify their gap in the market in particular product Detailed research which is using small groups like qualitative research such as survey. Quantitative research which is a large scale surveys to collect information. This method can identify which type of product and what design of product Trial test market which is a sample that mean company launch their product in the market after finishing and if consumers like the product they can increase their production and tracking success of product and in the other hand if consumers dont like the product they can stop their new product activities. People: People are a most valuable asset and greatest liability in any organization. If people dont perform well with productivity standards, provide good service business that will affect the organization business is doomed. Mostly organization select the people who can do get more jobs done, developed implement support program to the people and sell their goods and services. Employees are the best source of competitive advantage because cant copy by the customers. In case coca cola companys employees are sacrificing their competences within organization. They treated employees as good as well. They have to maintain their organizational structure to motivate their employees. As a reason that can do their work well done company needs to implementing compensation, performance management, training, reward and retention programs. Finally they may able to stave off competitors. They wanted caliber people for this century. They would use facts and the knowledge in order to add value to the organization. In any stage everyone should have the same information in order quickly put it to effective and profitable use. They believed having right people in right place can create competitive advantage. People participate all levels of product delivery from production workers to salespeople and corporate managers in Coca-Cola Company. Rebuilding the coke bubble is important issues of people within the coca cola company. Coca cola company is unable to control their people internally because poor handling of public relations. In globalization Coca-Cola Company will increase social pressure say as community friendly. Coca cola Companys future profitability depends on societal marketing with on ethics and corporate social responsibility. Cola Company has challenge with profitability and responsibility into stakeholders such as consumers, customers, employees, communities, governments and environment. Culture is effect on Cola Company with their managers and workers. If they dont have warm and genial culture they will face among staff and managers likely say staffs will not be motivated to work say in example staff may have to lose their rest days. This cause will effect with staff will be tired from their day to day working and also not have time to enjoy with their family. I think Coca Cola Company has warm culture because success of their company mainly depends on their employees. They sacrificed their skills and ability on their particular task. Company has friendly environment and they motivated themselves. Resources: Appropriate resources are time, money, talent and tools. Water is a main source of coca cola companys products. It is a limited resource. Which is availability, quality and sustainability nature resource? In addition principal raw materials are nutritive and non- nutritive sweeteners. Nutritive sweeteners are High Fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and Sucrose. Which is form of sugar? Which are available from numerous domestic sources? Those are fluctuation of market price. Coca Cola Company has no experience in difficulty in nutritive sweetener. Coca cola bottlers sales and services (CCBSS) is limited liability Company owned by coca cola bottlers. Non-nutritive sweeteners are aspartame, acesulfame, potassium, saccharin, cyclamate, sucrose. These raw materials are ready to available from numerous sources. Aspartame is a important non-nutritive sweetener. This is used alone or mixed with other sweeteners. According to coca cola company has above production factors such as people, system, raw materials, capital and brands etc. focus on the last ten years coca cola company has changed within the production factors to improve their business efficiency and competitive with other companies. Mostly start of their production people is most part of their business. Increase the cost of production is going to affect to decrease the marginal revenue and increase the marginal cost. Coca cola has Increasing completion which that they can develop their business in globally. In the economics most part is production factors which are limited resources and scarcity. With the limited resource Coca Cola Company has many choices. They consider with opportunity cost. I suggest that Coca Cola Company is using more with their production through water. Water is unlimited resources. So they cant use without control. Because geographical condition is going to affect in the environment, that is also affected to people. Finance: Coca Cola Company is doing their business with not only their money but also they have debt. Due to coca cola is a global presence and strong capital position now. They can increase their funds through low effective cost. In order to they could achieve mix of short term and long term debt and mix of fixed rate and variable rate debt. As a result is lower overall cost of borrowing. Basically funds are vital in order invest in new asset including people, machinery. The structure change would require more funds in order to move closer to the customer. It considered how the company has been raised the fund both internally (retain profits) and externally (capital markets sources: long term loans, share issues) over ten years. Lower interest rate is increase to consumer demand in economy. In this situation Coca Cola Company will increase their debt as result of low borrowing rates. It can use of debt on innovation of new products. In the point of view Coca Cola Company has spent less cost and also sell low price to the people. Due to this low price people get feel cheaper products in coca cola. Most of the non alcoholic beverage industry particularly coca cola company has high sales due to they have got major role in success and growing market in non-alcoholic beverage industry The non-alcoholic beverage industry has high sales in countries outside the U.S. According to the Standard and Poors Industry surveys, For major soft drink companies, 32 there has been economic improvement in many major international markets, such as Japan, Brazil, and Germany. These markets will continue to play a major role in the success and stable growth for a majority of the non-alcoholic beverage industry. This analysis basically examines the local, national and world economy impact which includes issues of recession and inflation rates. Since the September 11 attack the world has been facing a rapid change with increase instability further more give to the period of recession there has been a cut in the interest rate by ten times due to which the companys can increase the use of debt as result of low borrowing rates. Cola company contracts with larger number of bottling partners in the world to increase their distribution of beverages. The Company has threatened of stability due to the dependent relationship that impact with bottling partners. GROWTH ACROSS ALL CATEGORIES: 2008-2020 Percentage of NARTD Industry Incremental Growth: Vol. Value Sparkling 17% 24% Juice Juice Drink 13% 19% RTD Tea / Coffee 18% 13% ENERGY 4% 12% Packaged Water 25% 10% Sports 5% 9% (The Coca-Cola, Annual Report, 2009) Winning with Coca-Cola TM + Core and New in Developed and Emerging Markets: COCA-COLA TM CORE AND NEW MEXICO 3% 12% TURKEY 5% 24% RUSSIA 7% 13% BRAZIL 8% 18% S AFRICA 4% 6% CHINA 11% 20% Volume CAGR 2005 2008 Coca-Cola TM Growth Potential Is Just Beginning To Be Unlocked: (2008 PER CAPITA) Delivering Through Unique Global System Capabilities: Consumer Consumer Marketing Shopper Coca-Cola Growth Franchise Leadership System Customer Commercial Leadership CONSUMER MARKETING: 1.6 Bn serving per day 1 MM per minute 206 Countries CUSTOMER LEADERSHIP: 20 MM customer per week 7 MM Coolers FRANCHISE LEADERSHIP: $64 Bn supply chain 900 + mfg operations 8500 sales centers and warehouses 500,000 vehicles KEY SUCCESS FACTORS: The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest, most successful and most widely recognized corporations in existence. Coca-Cola is a dominating force in the beverage industry and sets a very high standard of competition. Research shows that its trademark is recognized by over 94% of the worlds population. There are many factors contributing to Coca-Colas success. It is believed that their key success factors are Marketing, Innovation, and Globalization. MARKETING: Coca- Cola is seen as one of the winning business model. They were among the pioneers of advertising techniques and styles used to capture the markets. Through its intense marketing campaigns, Coke has developed an image that is reflected in what we think of when we buy Coke and what we associate with drinking Coke. This image has been subconsciously installed in our brain by the advertising campaigns that show Coca-Cola associated with good times. Marketing Strategy of Coca-Cola: Speed up carbonated soft-drink growth, led by Coca-Cola. Selectively expand the family of beverage brands to oblige gainful growth. Develop system productivity and capability together with bottling partners. Provide customers with inspiration and consistency to generate growth across all channels. Direct investments to highest potential areas across markets. Drive efficiency and cost-effectiveness everywhere. Incorporated promotional activities. (Www. Scribd.com) INNOVATION: Coca-Cola has been able to continue to exist and develop in an ever-changing market because of its ability to steadily innovate and deliver new products. Coca-Cola began to a strategy referred to as play to win innovation. The company started operating in a decentralized environment that was unfeasible in few years ago. Now Coca-Cola offers nearly 500 different products in and is still dominating the beverage industry. This is made possible by the companys ability to innovate and adapt to changing markets. Innovation brings markets faster. To satisfy the needs of older consumers, the Company made sophisticated Soda for social occasion. The Coca-Cola Company develops innovative premium brands, such as; Burn Soft Drinks- now in 85 countries. New Burn Intense Soft Drinks- Now in 7 countries. Illy Coffee- Now in 18 countries. The Company is also acquiring and expanding premium brands, such as; Making Glaceau vitamin water will be next global brand. Investing in premium platforms, such as; Innocent, Juice Smoothies, Lunch pack Smoothies, 100% NFC Orange Juice. Now they are in 11 countries in Europe. GLOBALIZATION: Todays big business takes place on a global scale, and Coca-Cola is no exception. Technology is continually changing business, and these constant changes have been making it more feasible and profitable for business to expand their operations globally in order to serve all different types of diverse markets around the world. Coca-Cola is taking advantages of the large revenue opportunities made possible by participating in global market and now offers products in 200+ countries around the world. $ 20 TRILLION GDP GROWTH BY 2020: Global Real GDP ($T) $70 $50 2020 2008 INCRIMENTAL GLOBAL GDP GROWTH RATE: COUNTRY / REGION PERCENTAGE Rest of the World 21% China, India, Latin America 39% USA 21% Japan 3% Europe 16% THE COCA-COLAS CONFIDENCE IN THE BEVERAGE INDUSTRY LONG TERM OPPORTUNITIES: 5% CAGR 145 Bn Cases 4% CAGR $1,100 Bn 55 Bn Cases Incremental Growth $500 Bn Incremental Growth 90 Bn Cases $600 Bn 2008 2020 2008 2020 Industry Value Industry Volume TRACK RECORD OF PROFITABLE GROWTH: GROWTH SINCE 1977 22X 16X 13XXX 6X 9X 4XX Operating Income Net Revenue Operating Income Operating Income Net Revenue Net Revenue Total World Rest of World UNITED STATES HEALTHY SYSTEM INVESTING TO GROW: Higher Margin Reinvesting -Long term Improving Profitability Capital Expenditures Return on Invested Capital EBIT / Revenue 14.9% 14.6% 11.2% 13.8% $4 Bn $6 Bn 2005 2008 2005 2008 2005 20088 Comparison of Five Year Cumulative Among The Coca-Cola Company, The Peer Group Index and The SP 500 Index: Total Return Stock Price Plus Reinvested Dividends: KO Peer Group SP 31/12/04 $100 $100 $100 31/12/05 $99 $111 $105 31/12/06 $122 $132 $121 31/12/07 $160 $158 $128 31/12/08 $121 $120 $81 31/12/09 $158 $146 $102 The total return assumes that dividends were reinvested quarterly and is based on a $100 investment on December 31, 2004. PERFORMANCE AT-A-GLANCE: 2007 2008 2009 Unit Case Volume (in billions) 22.7 23.7 24.4 2007 2008 2009 Net Operating Revenues (in millions) $28,857 $31,944 $30,990 2007 2008 2009 Operating Income (in millions) $7,252 $8,446 $8,231 2007 2008 2009 Operating Cash Flow (in millions) $7,150 $7,571 $8,186 2006 2007 2008 2009 Total Assets (in millions) $29,963 $43,269 $40,519 $48,671 Long -Term Debt (in millions) $1,314 $3,277 $2,781 $5,059 The Comparison with PepsiCo: PepsiCo is the main competitors and threats to the Coca-Cola. (Year Ended December 31, 2009) (In Millions except per share data, and no.) DESCRIPTIONS The Coca-Cola The PepsiCo Total Assets

Epic of Beowulf Essay - Dating and Locating the Composition of Beowulf

Dating and Locating the Composition of Beowulf      Ã‚  Ã‚   Dating and locating the composition of Beowulf is impossible to do with precision at this time because we do not have enough information about the poem’s specific historical context and because the poem is not constructed in such a consistently symbolic way to warrant a single allegorical-historical interpretation..    Estimates of the date of the poem’s composition â€Å"range from 340 to 1025, with ca. 515-530 and 1000 being almost universally acknowledged as the possible extremes† (Bjork 13). Current thinking is balanced between roughly this view and the late ninth to early tenth centuries. â€Å"critics generally agree upon an early period, ranging from the late seventh to the early ninth century (Greenfield 66). The Cambridge History of English and American Literature states in v1, ch3, s3,n11: â€Å". . . most of the historical events mentioned in Beowulf are to be dated within the first three decades of the sixth century.†    One clue to dating the composition was thought to lie in the use of the word merewioingas (translated by some scholars as Merovingian), a word which is used only in this poem and in no other Old English poetry or prose. In 752 the Merovingian dynasty ended, but poetic reference to it could have been added later – so this is no real help. â€Å". . . the composition of the poem, thich is usually thought to have taken place no later than the eighth century† (Stanley 4).    Scholars now consider that there were only five times and places possessing the power and culture that could have supported the production of such a sophisticated work of art as Beowulf: (1) seventh century east Anglia (the age of Sutton Hoo); (2) late seventh to earl... ...ert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.    Fulk, R.D.. â€Å"Textual Criticism.† In A Beowulf Handbook, edited by Robert Bjork and John D. Niles. Lincoln, Nebraska: Uiversity of Nebraska Press, 1997.    Greenfield, Stanley B. â€Å"Nature and Quality of Old English Poetry.† In Beowulf: The Donaldson Translation, edited by Joseph F. Tuso. New York, W.W.Norton and Co.: 1975.    Stanley, E.G.. â€Å"Beowulf.† In The Beowulf Reader, edited by Peter S. Baker. New York: Garland Publishing, 2000.    Thompson, Stephen P. â€Å"The Beowulf poet and His World.† In Readings on Beowulf, edited by Stephen P. Thompson. San Diego: Greenhaven Press,1998.    Ward & Trent, et al. The Cambridge History of English and American Literature. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1907–21; New York: Bartleby.com, 2000   

The Multicultural Workplace Essay -- Occupational Issues

The modern American workplace has become culturally diverse as different immigrant communities increased in size. According to the US Department of Immigration, 148,426 immigrants received their residency in 2011 in New York. Because of the increased workplace diversity, businesses have to deal with a variety of cultural awareness and multiple language issues. These are very pressing issues in New York City, the â€Å"melting pot† of cultures from all over the world. Each workplace in New York City has at least one employee of a non-American background or a bilingual employee. While exploring the multinational workplace, which consisted of immigrants from a variety of countries, I was able to distinguish three distinctive themes. The first is immigrants’ self-consciousness of having an accent. The second is mixing two languages in speech. The third is the problem of building an effective multicultural team. Full-time employed adults spend at least 40% of their time at work and for many adults it accounts for 100% of their â€Å"public† life. Workplace has become a place of social interaction. Vicky Schultz described the importance of the workplace to individual’s growth in her work The Sanitized Workplace as the following: For most people, working isn’t just a way to earn a livelihood. It’s a way †¦ to make friends and form communities †¦ and to know themselves and others in a deep way. †¦ [Workplace] is also a source of citizenship, community, and self-understanding. From this perspective, for immigrants learning the language of the host country is a tool to develop a net of useful social contacts. Cristina Rodriguez states that in addition to its role in developing social bonds, the language use assists with preserving a multilingual en... ...ogy.uchicago.edu/people/faculty/LevAriKeysar.pdf 6. Rodriguez, Cristina. "Language Diversity in the Workplace." www.law.northwestern.edu. Northwestern University School of Law, 2006. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.law.northwestern.edu/lawreview/v100/n4/1689/lr100n4rodriguez.pdf 7. Shultz, Vicky. The Sanitized Workplace. Yale L.J., 2003. 2069-70. Print. 8. Estlund, Cynthia. Working Together: How Workplace Bonds Strengthen a Diverse Democracy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. 256. Print. 9. Keogh, Jack. "International Teams: Beyond Cultural Difference." www.jackkeogh.com. Keogh and Associate Consulting, LLC, n.d. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.jackkeogh.com/Multicultural team article by JK.pdf 10. "Masculinity." www.clearlycultural.com. ClearlyCultural.com, 2009. Web. 6 May 2012. http://www.clearlycultural.com/geert-hofstede-cultural-dimensions/masculinity/

GFP Bunny Essay

Oswald Chambers once said that, â€Å"We are in danger of forgetting that we cannot do what God does, and that God will not do what we can do† (http://home. att. net/~quotesabout/god. html). In a society which is constantly making progress, human beings do not understand the repercussions of new scientific discoveries and often cross the delicate line of being human and playing God. Science gives us security as it is considered to be the cure to all evil. What eludes us is that in the act of eradicating this ‘evil’, we inadvertently bring into being a newer, more powerful evil. Victor Frankenstein, the focal character in Mary Shelly’s novel â€Å"Frankenstein† and Aylmer, the antagonistic character in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s short story â€Å"The Birthmark† both become so devoted in their pursuits of creation, that they forget their human limitations ending up with chaos and destruction. In the story, â€Å"The Birthmark†, Aylmer tells his newly wed wife that he is ‘shocked’ by the birthmark on her face, as it is the â€Å"visible mark of earthly imperfection† (Hawthorne 1131). His thoughts and words hurt his wife greatly, which drives her to a point where she would rather die than live on another day with the hideous birthmark on her face. As Georgiana imparts on to her husband, her wish to get the birthmark removed once and for all, Aylmer is fueled to succeed at all costs. He rents out an extensive apartment where he observes Georgina and delves in a variety of natural philosophies so that he can remove her birthmark once and for all. Aylmer is so engrossed in playing God to remove a human imperfection so his wife can get rid of her mortal nature that he does not realize that he lacks the powers to make things around him flawless. It is this obsession, which eventually eradicates the birthmark. But along with the birthmark, a fair Georgiana becomes a martyr for her husband’s cause. Similarly Victor Frankenstein, the character created by Mary Shelly, wishes to indulge in â€Å"the secrets of heaven and earth† (Shelley 45); however, despite having the intentions to â€Å"banish disease from the human frame† (Shelley 47), he is completely careless in accepting responsibilities for his creation. After his mother’s death, Frankenstein becomes a victim of fate. It is fate coupled with his eternal thirst for knowledge that leads to the monsters creation. An ambitious Frankenstein eventually goes against Mother Nature by creating the monster. Frankenstein and Aylmer’s actions of creating life and beauty respectively parallel the nature of recent cloning efforts by the Clonaid Corporation. According to The Economist â€Å"On December 27th Clonaid, a firm associated with the Raelians, a religious sect, announced that it had succeeded in producing the world’s first human clone–an allegedly healthy baby girl called Eve, born to an unnamed American woman at an undisclosed location† (61-62). Cloning has been going on for years and numerous animals have been cloned. Critics, skeptics and supporters have paid minimal attention to this sensitive subject because it has never affected our lives in a direct way. But as our own species are being cloned, we can’t help but to stop and think about the implications of cloning. In science’s great pursuit to take over god’s duties, one wonders whether creating clones is ethical and moral, not only to the clone that may suffer serious deformities but to the society it will be unleashed upon. Science is trying to create a life which they cannot govern later on as nature’s will eventually take over. Paranoid. Human Beings have always been inclined towards art and beauty. It is in our nature to lay emphasis on beauty and creation. It is something that mesmerizes us and wheels us into great depths. Art that is created naturally can be exquisite at times, but when our obsession with superficiality drives us to inject science into this artistic force, we are looking at a grotesque and unethical piece of creation. Aylmer was so fixated on his wife’s beauty that he saw the birthmark as a sign of her mortal nature. He saw the birthmark as a symbol of imperfection, sorrow, decay and death; all things ugly. He is eager to remove the birthmark and tells Georgiana, his humble wife that he is â€Å"convinced of the perfect practicability of it’s removal† (Hawthorne 1132). Aylmer with his previous experiences at taming nature sees no reason why he should not further beautify his nearly perfect wife upon whom nature has placed its ugly stamp. Frankenstein’s creation ‘The monster’ has also been judged at a superficial level from the very beginning. Following the birth of his creation, he instantly gives the monster a feeling of being on the outside of society. Victor responds to his creation by saying, â€Å"I beheld the wretch–the miserable monster whom I had created† (Shelley 61). It is his initial rejection which leads the monster to plead with Frankenstein: â€Å"You, my creator, abhor me; what hope can I gather from your fellow-creatures, who owe me nothing? they spurn and hate me† (Shelley 94). The creature struggles with the thought of being unwanted because of his grotesque looks. The ‘monster’ was a benevolent creature, but as he was shunned by people for his external appearance, he turned miserable and vengeful.

On the Consequential Validity of ESP tests in Iran

The eventful facet of concept cogency has been defined in different ways. Harmonizing to Messick ( 1989 ) eventful cogency includes grounds and principles for measuring the intended and unintended effects of mark reading and usage in both the short- and long term, peculiarly those associated with prejudice in hiting and reading, with unfairness in trial usage, and with positive or negative washback effects on instruction and acquisition. However, this signifier of grounds should non be viewed as a separate type of cogency, say, of ‘consequential cogency ‘ or, worse still, ‘washback cogency ‘ ( Messick, 1998 ) . Whereas, Bachman ( 1990 ) and Bachman & A ; Palmer ( 1996 ) used the term impact to depict these effects of trials. The impact of trial usage operates at two degrees: a micro degree, in footings of the persons who are influenced by the peculiar trial usage, and a macro degree, in footings of the educational system or society ( Bachman & A ; Palmer, 1996 ) . In this survey, following the taxonomy of Bachman and Palmer, the effects of trials on instruction and acquisition are viewed washback effects and the effects on single interest holders i.e. , scholars, instructors, parents, and test takers ‘ household members, and society are considered as impact. Since a few decennaries ago, the impacts of different linguistic communication trials either at macro or micro degrees have been studied. The literature reappraisal indicates that there has been a general consensus that high-stakes trials produce strong washback. High-stakes trials are those whose consequences are used to do of import determinations which instantly and straight impact the trial takers ( Luxia, 2005 ; Madaus, 1988 ; Shohamy, 1993a, 1993b, 2001 ) and other stakeholders such as instructors who are assisting the trial takers to go through the trials, and the other participates who are engaged in course of study development and class designing ( Baily, 1999 ; Spolsky, 1997 ) . The term ‘backwash ‘ has been used to mention to the manner a trial influences learning stuffs and schoolroom direction ( Hughes,1989 ) , although in applied linguistics and linguistic communication proving community the term ‘washback ‘ is more widely used today ( Weir 1990 ; Alderson & A ; Wall 1993 ; Alderson, 2004 ) . Washback is by and large known as being either negative or positive ( Taylor,2005 ) . Negative washback is said to happen when the content or format of a trial is based on a narrow definition of linguistic communication ability, and so constrains the teaching/learning context. Positive washback is said to ensue when a testing process encourages ‘good ‘ instruction pattern ; for illustration, an unwritten proficiency trial is introduced in the outlook that it will advance the instruction of talking accomplishments ( Taylor, 2005 ) . The impact of a trial can be immediate or delayed ( Andrews, 1994 ; Andrews & A ; Fullilove 1994 ) . Harmonizing to these research workers, washback seems to be associated chiefly with ‘high-stakes ‘ trials, that is, trials used for doing of import determinations that affect different sectors. , for illustration, finding who receives admittance into farther instruction or employment chances ( Chapman & A ; Snyder, 2000 ) . Shohamy, Donitza-Schmitdt & A ; Ferman ( 1996 ) believe that the state of affairss in which admittance, publicity, arrangement or graduation is dependent on the trial are really of import and great attention is needed. Harmonizing to Taylor ( 2005 ) , linguistic communication trials can hold effects beyond merely the schoolroom. That is, trials and trial consequences have a important impact on the calling or life opportunities of single trial takers ( educational/employment chances ) . They besides influence educational systems and society more widely ; for illustration, trial consequences are used to do determinations about school course of study planning, in-migration policy, or professional enrollment for physicians ; and the growing of a trial may take publishing houses and establishments to bring forth trial readying stuffs and run trial readying classs. Bachman ( 1990 ) used the term impact to depict these effects of trials. Some linguistic communication examiners consider washback as one dimension of impact, depicting effects on the educational context ( Hamp-Lyons 1997 ) ; others see washback and impact as separate constructs associating severally to ‘micro ‘ and ‘macro â €˜ effects within society ( Bachman & A ; Palmer, 1996 ) . Most examiners locate both constructs within the theoretical impression of ‘consequential cogency ‘ in which the societal effects of proving are portion of a broader, incorporate construct of trial cogency ( Messick, 1989, 1996 ) . Consequential cogency has been extensively discussed among linguistic communication examiners in recent old ages ( Kunnan, 2000 ) . As eventful cogency is a complex impression, we try to analyze specific portion of it known trials effects on trial takers, instructors, and society. Although washback effects on instruction and acquisition has been both theoretically and through empirical observation discussed and several washback hypotheses were put frontward, rather a few empirical surveies have been carried out to research the ESP trials negative or positive effects on trial takers ‘ life and society at big. Therefore, the present survey purposes at researching the ESP trials ‘ effects on Persian interest holders ‘ life, and society. In making so, the undermentioned research inquiry was raised: What impacts do ESP/ EAP trials have on the life of campaigners for station alumnus surveies as good the system of higher instruction at Persian local universities?Method and processThis survey is portion of an extended probe to research ESP trials, constituents of maestro and doctorial enterance scrutiny to province universities, effects on maestro, Ph.D campaigners and ESP instructors. To merely set it, the intent of this component was to place and depict the effects which these trials may hold on the Persian interest holders including instructors, trial takers, parents and scholars ‘ household memebers, and society. A qualitative attack was selected because this facet of eventful cogency is underpinned by personal and organisational civilization and small of relevancy has been reported in the literature. Qualitative research is context based, therefore it is imperative for research workers to enroll participants in a crystalline mode. The participants were 16 maestro and 10 Ph.D pupils of different big leagues and 5 ESP instructors at different universities in Iran. Datas were gathered during face-to-face in-depth interviews. The research workers informed the participants of the intent of the research and obtained their written consent. The research workers besides obtained the participants ‘ permission to audiotape each interview for intents of content analysis and audit trail. The interviews were conducted in both an unstructured and a semi-structured mode. All participants were interviewed in privateness. Each interview began with the inquiry: ‘What do you believe of ESP trials effects? The reply to which was followed by inquiries designed to arouse specific effects of the mark trials, such as: ‘what was the most positive or negative effects of these trials? The participants were besides asked to depict their experiences, attitudes and beliefs about the ESP trials and their impacts on their life. The interviews lasted on norm for about 30 proceedingss. Interviewing took topographic point during all yearss over a six-week period, until the informations collected were being systematically duplicated. No new information was gained from the last three interviews, therefore informations impregnation was considered to hold been achieved. The interview informations were instantly transcribed verbatim and analyzed utilizing qualitative content analysis. Contented analysis is a subjective reading of the content of textual informations utilizing a procedure of systematic categorization. This procedure uses chiefly inductive logical thinking, by which subjects and classs emerge from natural informations under careful scrutiny and changeless comparing ( Strauss and Corbin, 1990 ) . One feature of qualitative content analysis is that the method, to a great extent, focuses on the topic and the context, and emphasizes differences between and similarities within subjects and classs. Another feature is that this method trades with manifest every bit good as latent content in a text. Manifest content consists of respondents ‘ existent words organizing constructs, while subjects are seen as looks of the latent content. In this survey the method of coding harmonizing to qualitative content analysis was used to deduce classs and subjects from the informations, which were identified from the first interviews and so tested and revised through analysis of wining interview ( Marvast, 2004 ) . To guarantee dependability and supply an appraisal of inter-rater dependability, the research worker and the research helper coded interviews separately, discussed the result, agreed on alterations and so individually coded the following interview. In the first five interviews, over 80 % of the codifications were shown to be consistent between the two research workers. These interviews were re-coded after a two-day interval by the same squad and found to be stable. The same cryptography strategy was so applied to a re-analysis of all interviews. The research workers besides reviewed and discussed the full interview coding to guarantee consistence.FindingssThe 31 participants consisted of 16 maestro and 10 Ph.D pupils and 5 ESP instructors. Four subjects were extracted from the interview informations utilizing qualitative content analysis: psychological, societal, fiscal, and household effects. Each of these chief classs is farther divided into subcategories which are described in ins ide informations in the undermentioned parts of the survey.Psychological effectsAbout all participants stated that ESP trials had great psychological effects. This chief class is subcategorized into emphasis, anxiousness, assurance, depression, learning efficaciousness, and letdown.Stress and anxiousnessMany of the participants acknowledged that they had experienced a sort of anxiousness before or even after ESP trials are administered. The undermentioned illustrations illustrate this subject. Clairvoyance trials are truly hard and the transitions are long. When I do non cognize the significance of unknown words, I become nervous and I do non try all the points. My public presentation on these trials influences my hereafter so believing about the consequence causes me emphasis. In fact, all trials are nerve-racking but linguistic communication trials are something different because a specific readying is needed ( participant 1 ) . Another participant described test effects as stressful. He said: The consequences are non announced shortly. Sometimes, I have to wait for approximately three months. During this clip, I ever think about the trial consequences. Such ideas cause me a batch of emphasis ( participant 3 ) . Ph.D campaigners besides acknowledged that the ESP subdivision of entryway scrutiny was awfully nerve-racking. A participant said: I had no jobs in content topics. My lone job was specific English. I about translated about 70 pages of my ESP book but the transitions given to us to be translated were unobserved. When I did non cognize the significances of some unknown words, I got confused. Such confusion led to my mental emphasis. That is why ; I could non hold a good public presentation. Even one point can do a alteration in the opportunity of admittance. When the consequences were announced, I noticed that if my mark on ESP subdivision were one point higher, I would go through the entryway test ( participant 12 ) .DepressionMajority of the participants argued that the consequences of the trials and trial phobic disorder greatly influenced and depressed them so that they could non analyze any longer. Such a sort of depression sometimes affected their day-to-day activities. The undermentioned illustrations illustrate this subject. You may non cognize about trial effects. The English trials sometimes turn out to be a sort of catastrophe in our life. Due to many known and unknown factors, we are depressed before and after taking linguistic communication trials. Sometimes we feel so down that we can non make anything. We can non even acquire out of bed to eat breakfast or tiffin. Even, we do non speak to anyone for a twosome of yearss ( participant 6 ) . Another participant stated: Regardless of trial consequences, whether to neglect or go through, due to the nature of ESP trials administered at province and nonstate universities in my state, I become down. The trials are non mensurating what I need. They merely test interlingual rendition ability of the pupils ; whereas, I do non necessitate interlingual rendition. I may go through the trial but I can non utilize ESP linguistic communication to run into my academic demands. My mark is non bad but I can non even compose a paragraph or sum up a transition. That is why ; I ever feel down ( participant 16 ) .DisappointmentThe participants of the survey believed that they sometimes felt defeated and gave up perusal. The undermentioned illustrations are given to exemplify this subject: I took Ph.D trial several times but I ever failed because of my bad public presentation in ESP subdivision of the trial. I got tired and eventually defeated. Even if I pass the ESP portion of the trial, I am non pleased because these trials do non mensurate what we need at all. Therefore, I ever felt defeated and planned to give up my analyzing for Ph.D scrutiny ( participant 8 ) . Another participant added: At first I was truly interested in analyzing for Ph.D entryway scrutiny but holding failed the trial several times I lost my motive and felt defeated. Such a sort of feeling lasted for a long clip. Despite the undependability and invalidness of these trials, they had great influence on the campaigners ‘ admittance. I got defeated and unwillingly gave up Ph.D ( participant 2 ) . As the participants do non cognize anything about the range of contents which are given in the trial, they may non try hard to acquire prepared. They believed that their cognition in English is limited and they may non be able to make their best in the unobserved contents. One of the participants said: The campaigners do non cognize how much readying is needed. The ESP texts are infinite. I remember I studied and translated more than 200 pages but the trial transitions were non in the scope of stuffs which I was familiar with. Even an unknown word confused me. That is why I am non certain I can reply all the transitions because they may be unfamiliar to me and this makes me defeated. I gave up analyzing ESP ( participant 10 ) . Furthermore, the participants acknowledged that their public presentation on ESP trials depends on their general linguistic communication public presentation to a great extent. As they are non good at general linguistic communication, they have no opportunity to larn ESP. They believed that they about know some proficient words which they can non utilize in context because of their general linguistic communication. As the consequences, they are hopeless to larn English for ESP/EAP intents. One of the participants stated: English linguistic communication is non given appropriate attending in our state. The clip allocated to learning English at secondary and third schools is non plenty. Teachers merely focus on grammar and reading. Because we have no exposure to reliable linguistic communication we easy bury what we learned in high schools. How one does anticipate us to larn English in such a sort of instruction system in which merely a few grammatical constructions and a twosome of words are taught. I studied English for approximately seven old ages but I can non even compose a short paragraph. I think the consequences of ESP trials indirectly disappoint the pupils. I myself am one of those defeated 1s. I think I ne'er pass ESP/ EAP trials such as IELTS or IBT TOFEl. In one of the Ph.D trial taken two old ages ago, the trial takers were asked to interpret a transition from Persian to English. Although I knew all words, I could non make the undertaking because I did non cognize how to unite the words t o do a text ( participant 18 ) .Self- assurance and efficaciousnessThe participants believed that their assurance is greatly influenced by these trials. They stated that by utilizing their short memory capacity they can memorise a list of proficient words and some specific transitions. They may achieve a good mark which leads to a sort of false assurance. They may believe that this mark indicates their true ability and may give up analyzing English. One of the participants said: I merely studied for two months. In fact, I got a good mark. Having seen my mark on ESP trial, I felt a high self-confident. I thought I could run into my all academic demands ; hence, I stopped reading my English books. During my maestro categories, I noticed how weak I was in English. I could non even interpret a paper. I had to apportion about all my clip analyzing English. You can non conceive of how hard it was for me to go through ESP classs in two semesters ( participant 17 ) . Refering the impact of the trials on assurance, another participant stated: When I saw my mark I became really confident and felt proud. Some of my friends failed the trial. I sneered at them. It was a great accomplishment for me. Majority of the trial takers failed these ESP trials but I passed. Therefore, it was a good bravery for me to take even hard trials. English trials differ from the other trials, so go throughing them successfully is truly of much significance in my assurance ( participant 13 ) . The consequences of the survey besides indicate that the pupils ‘ low tonss on ESP trials led to assurance waking up. One of the participants said: I have taken Ph.D entryway scrutiny three times. My tonss on capable trials were non bad, but I had no good public presentation in ESP sub-test of entryway scrutiny. My friends who were good at English could go through the entryway scrutiny and enter the university. Such a failure in ESP trials caused me to lose my assurance and give up fixing for Ph.D scrutinies because I knew it does non worth the monetary value to pass clip larning English ( participant 6 ) . The consequences besides indicate that ESP trials will do a sort of false positive sense of learning efficaciousness among ESP teachers. The undermentioned illustration illustrated this subject. The alleged ESP trials administered at our universities merely lay accent on proficient vocabulary and proficient reading transitions. I am good at these accomplishments. I am able to learn these accomplishments really good. Because of such prepardness, I think I am a good ESP instructor and feel efficaciouse. However, when the pupils require to the other academic accomplishments, I about ever to hedge their petitions ( participant 19 ) .Social effectsThe 2nd emerged subject of the survey is categorized as the effects of the trials on the society at big. The participants acknowledged that the entryway exams peculiarly ESP sub-tests surely have great impacts on the society. The societal impacts can be subcategorized as: want from high instruction, unfairness and unethical issues, and credence of unqualified campaigners. Each of these subcategories is elaborated as follows ( participant 14 ) .Want from instructionThe participants acknowledged that the consequences of choice tests- eith er norm-referenced or criterion-referenced- will surely ensue in some campaigners ‘ want from instruction. They believed that ESP tests non unlike the other trials do hold such impacts. They believe the campaigners whose English is good can accomplish a good mark on ESP trials and are ranked higher than those with low English proficiency. Therefore, the 1s with low English proficiency are deprived from analyzing for maestro and Ph.D grades although their tonss on the content sub-tests are non bad in comparing with the other campaigners. One of the participants said: I answered about all points of entryway test except ESP points. That is why, I did non go through the trial but my friends who answered English points passed and were accepted in really good and modern universities such as Tehran universities. Two or three times I failed. Finally, I got tired and did non try entryway scrutinies to post graduation schools. I was deprived. Such a failure is merely due to my failing in English ( participant 20 ) . Another participant stated: If I had been able to reply the points of ESP sub-part of the Ph.D entryway scrutiny I would hold passed the trial and I could hold become a extremely educated individual in my state. In fact, my lone job was merely my failing in English. Damn English trial turned out to be a catastrophe in my life. As the consequences, the societey disadvantages the qualified people ( participant 18 ) .Injustice and unethical issuesParticipants of the survey besides stated that the ESP trials administered at our universities lead to injustice and unethical issues. That is, about all campaigners acknowledged that Persian people in different metropoliss do non hold entree to the same educational installations such as linguistic communication and trial readying institutes to larn a foreign linguistic communication ; whereas, they have to take the same norm-referenced trials. Therefore, any determination made based on the campaigners ‘ public presentation on these trials in which the campaigners d o non hold the same privileges, is to a great extent unethical and unjust. The undermentioned illustrations are given to exemplify this subject: In fact I do non hold with the policy of trial development and disposal which is presently practiced in our state. Some of the trial takers live in large metropoliss with adequate educational installations. They can go to linguistic communication categories. They can fix instructional stuffs easy. They benefit from really experient linguistic communication instructors. I do non hold the opportunity to do usage of these necessary things. In Iran, the Ph.D campaigners have to take the same trial. Those who began larning English at the earlier age and attended different linguistic communication categories can surely reply all linguistic communication trial points. Sometimes, the campaigners ‘ tonss on content classs are the same but their tonss on English trial are different. Therefore, I think it is non just and ethical to do a determination about the campaigner based on their differences in English tonss ( participant 12 ) . Another participant added: It is truly pathetic. I know some of the maestro pupils whose tonss on content sub-parts of the trial such as applied Chemistry, Physics chemical science were in fact below my tonss. His mark on ESP trial was 90 but mine was 40. He was accepted but I was non. Make you believe it is just? I am certain that neither can he compose a paper nor understand a talk in English. So why should he go through but I fail? . Truly, it is unethical ( participant 5 ) . The consequences of the survey besides indicate that although ESP trials play of import functions in credence or non credence of the campaigners into station alumnus schools ; no 1 knows for certain that these trials measure the scholars ‘ true ESP cognition. Therefore, deficiency of correspondence between ESP trial contents and mark linguistic communication usage state of affairs undertakings will do a sort of unethical and unjust issue. A participant mentioned: How does one cognize that ESP trials are reliable, dependable, and valid? Surely those with good tonss are accepted. Even one point is of import. But are those who scored high on ESP trials able to utilize linguistic communication in mark linguistic communication usage state of affairss? — — I truly doubt. Is it just to accept campaigners based on the consequences of such unimportant trials? — – These are non just and ethical ( participant 19 ) .Credence of unqualified campaignersAnother emerged subject is credence of unqualified campaigners. The participants of the survey believed that entryway scrutiny to third and station alumnus schools are all norm-referenced. In norm-referenced trials even one decimal is finding. Naturally, the mean mark and percentile rank of the trial takers are the standards for credence or non- credence. Therefore, ESP portion of the entryway scrutinies is of much significance. Assuming that the campaigners are all equal in their tonss on content trials but different from each other in ESP trial, those with a better mark on ESP trial are accepted. There are times when the more qualified campaigners are rejected and less adept 1s are accepted. These so- called Ph.D campaigners will be the hereafter directors, professors, etc. They may be less qualified than the 1s non accepted. The undermentioned illustrations are given to exemplify this subject. I think the campaigners should be accepted or rejected merely based on their tonss on proficient trials. How one is proficient in English is non of import. Those who are good at proficient topics are in fact more qualified to come in station alumnus surveies than those who are adept in English but weak at proficient topics ( participant 16 ) . Another participant stated If the campaigners are accepted based on their average tonss on proficient and ESP sub-tests of choice trial, it is more likely that a good mark one a one separate sub-test influences the mean mark and increases the chance of credence. ESP sub-test can besides hold the same function. Therefore, those campaigners whose average mark is positively influenced by ESP mark may be less qualified than those with proper tonss on proficient sub-tests but bad mark on ESP trial ( participant 11 ) .Fiscal effectsThe consequences of the survey indicated that linguistic communication trials peculiarly EAP entryway scrutiny trials have great fiscal effect for both persons and parents. The pupils who are serious about come ining a extremely ranked university spend eventides, weekends and even holidaies fixing for the trial at assorted exam readying schools which provide a assortment of training services. The participants acknowledged that auxiliary instruction of this sort costs a good trade of money and the pupils and their households are willing to do such forfeits. The fiscal effects include text editions, linguistic communication establishment, private coachs, and test readying schoolroom disbursals. The undermentioned illustrations illustrate this subject. I am a pupil and I do non hold excessively much money. I spent rather a batch of money on purchasing text editions and sample EAP trials. I besides spent some money for trial readying categories. Even a penny was of import to me but I had to pass it to purchase the needed books ( participant 6 ) . Another participant stated: My English was non good. I decided to travel to some linguistic communication instructors to learn me. The private category tuition was someway high. Although paying that sum of money was truly hard I had to pay it because I had to ( participant 14 ) . Entrance scrutinies peculiarly linguistic communication trials sometimes have indirect fiscal effects. Participants argued that alternatively of blowing clip to larn English, they can work someplace and gain a great trade of money. One participant argued: I have Master of Science grade in Chemistry. I can hold a good occupation with a great salary but I determined to acquire prepared for Ph.D entryway scrutiny. I studied for about 12 months. If I had worked 12 months, I would hold earned about 12000 dollars. I merely studied difficult but I failed the trial merely because o my bad public presentation in English trials. My mark on the other topics was non bad. I am certain if I had got a better mark on English subpart of the trial, I could hold passed the trial successfully ( participant 9 ) .Family effectsThe EAP/ESP trials have besides some household effects. Participants acknowledged that the consequences of these trials influence the household members of the trial takers to a great extent straight or indirectly. They are emotionally, financially, and psychologically influenced. The undermentioned illustrations are given to exemplify this subject. As I had to analyze hard for the entryway scrutinies, I had no more clip to pass with my household ( my married woman and kids ) . Whenever they asked me to take them out, I did non hold, because I merely wanted to analyze. They got worried and they ever complained. Two or three times my married woman decided to disassociate ( participant 3 ) . Another participant stated: I am married and I have to pass a portion of my clip with my household. But because of the importance of scrutiny, I merely studied. When I was analyzing I could non gain adequate money. Therefore, I could non run into my household fiscal demands. It is their right to hold everything they like. They sometimes did non understand me and in fact felt depressed ( participant 13 ) . The trial takers ‘ psychological and societal jobs caused by trials indirectly influence their household members. One of the household members stated: Persian households are really emotionally closed. They can non be apathetic to each other. Whenever a household member feels worried, down, or disappointed, the other members have the same feelings. When I was fixing myself for the trial I had to travel to bed late and my household stayed awake ( participant 20 ) .DiscussionThe consequences obtained from a trial can hold seriouse effects for persons every bit good the programmes, because many of import determinations are made on the footing of the trials ‘ consequences ( Herman & A ; Golan, 1993 ) . Language scholars and the other participants may be influenced by official information about a trial prior to its administeration including advertisement stuffs from the trial publishing houses or by folk-knowledge such as studies from the pupils who have taken the trials earlier. They may besides be affected by several beginnings of feedback following trial administeration. These would include the existent trial tonss provided by the test hiting service, feedback from the trial takers such as what was easy or hard, what seemed just or unjust, expected, or unexpected, feedback from the monitors, and feedback from the instructors in reaction to the pupils ‘ tonss ( Baily, 1999 ) . Taylor ( 2005 ) besides believes that linguistic communication trials can hold effects beyond merely the schoolroom. Trials and trial consequences have a important impact on the calling or life opportunities of single trial takers. The impacts of different types of trials in different countries of the universe have been studied through empirical observation. The types of trials include national school scrutinies in Sri Lanka ( Wall and Alderson, 1993 ; Wall, 1997,2000 ) , Israel Shohamy et al. , 1996 ) , and Hong Kong ( Cheng, 1997, 1998 ) ; university entryway scrutinies in Japan ( Watanabe, 1997 & A ; 2004 ) ; and international proficiency trials ( Alderson and Hamp-Lyons, 1996 ) . Much of what was revealed by these surveies had to make with what Hughes ( 1989,1988 ) would name the â€Å" procedures † of instruction: the choice of content ( accomplishments, learning stuffs, exam readying stuffs ) , the methodological analysis instructors used and the ways in which they assessed their ain pupils. The findings associating to `participants ‘ frequently had to make with the emphasis and anxiousness felt by instructors and scholars. In line with findings of the above mentioned impact surveies, the consequences of the present survey indicated that maestro and doctorial ESP trials administered as national entryway scrutiny to Persian province universities influence scholars, ESP instructors and society in different ways. The first subject emerged from the content analysis of the interviews was describrd as the psychological effects. The psychological impacts were subcategorized into emphasis and anxiousness, depression, letdown, and false self- assurance and learning efficay. The findings of the impact surveies carried out in different parts of the universe merely confirmed scholars and instructors ‘ emphasis and anxiousness before and after trial administeration ; whereas, the consequences of the present survey indicate that in adition to emphasize and anxiousness, the scholars become down and defeated. Furthermore, their assurance is negatively influenced by such trials. Pearson ( 1988 ) says it is accepted that public scrutinies influence the attitudes, behaviours, and motives of the scholars, parents, and instructors. This influence is frequently seen as negative. The reappraisal of literature besides indicated that scrutinies distort course of study. The fidings of the present survey besides indicated that a chief negative effect of ESP trials on Persian ESP instructors is deformation of course of study. That is, they ignore linguistic communication accomplishments which do non lend straight to go throughing the test. Rather, they merely lay accent on learning proficient vocabulary and reading through limited learning schemes such as interlingual rendition to pupils ‘ native linguistic communication. As such a sort of learning method does non necessitate proficiency in the other linguistic communication accomplishments, the instructor think they are really efficaciouse. That is why, they think they have a high instruction efficaciousness. Participants of the survey besides reported that ESP/EAP trials have societal effects. Not unlike the findings of washback surveies, the consequences of the survey indicated that societal effects of ESP trials including want from high instruction, unfairness, and credence of unqualified campaigners are all negative. Therefore, in line with Davies, 1997 ; Messick,1989,1994, 1996 ; Hamp-Lyons, 1997a, 1997b, 1989,2000,1999 ; McNamara, 1999 reasoning for a professional morality among linguistic communication examiners to protect the profession ‘s members and persons from the abuse and maltreatment of the trial, it could be argued that ESP trials in Iran are unjust and violate moralss premises. Sing the usage of ESP trials use as instruments of societal policy and control and their gate-keeping map ( Spolsky, 1997, 1981, 1994 ) , it could be argued that ESP trials in Iran will take to acceptance and rejection of some campaigners whom we are non certain of their true ability ; accord ingly, the society does non profit from the qualified campaigners and some qualified campaigners are deprived from instruction while it is their ain civil and societal right to be accepted in universities. ESP trials practiced at Persian universities, to set in words of Shohamy ( 1997, 1993,1998, 2000 ) , contain contents or employ methods which are non just to all test-takers. As the consequences, utilizations of such trials which exercise control and manipulate stakeholders instead than supplying information on the proficiency degrees seem to be against moralss of linguistic communication testing. Fiscal impact of ESP trials on trial takers was the 3rd subject emerged from the content analysis of the present survey informations. Due to the impacts of the enterance scrutinies on the calling or life opportunities of single trial takers, they have to pass a great trade of money for readying categories, sample trials, and even private tuition. As bulk of the trial takers are pupils or unemployed, it is someway hard for them to gain money. Therefore, their life is greatly influenced by the consequences of trials. Furthermore, the trial takers who are bread victors of the household can non fulfill their households financially, because they do non hold clip to work someplace to gain money. Furthermore, the consequences indicated that the trial takers ‘ household members such as parents, kids, hubbies, and married womans, are all straight or indirectly influence by the trials effects. The findings of the other surveies indicated trial effects on the scholars ‘ parents ; whereas, this survey showed that in add-on to scholars ‘ parents, their kids, hubbies, and married womans were all influenced by psychological, societal, and fiscal effects of the trials. Such clear difference between the findings of this survey and the other surveies is profoundly rooted in the differences between the cultural and societal values of the scholars. In Iran, household members closely related and experience sympathy with each other. About all effects reported by the participants were negative. That is, niether do they ensue in great inventions in acquisition and learning ESP nor do they hold posotive and good effects on the interest holders. The great negative effects of ESP trials, acoording to Kiani, Akbari, and Alibakhshi ( forthcoming ) are due their deficiency of straightness and genuineness. They believe that reliable trials will surely take to great posotive effects. Another justification for such negative effects is the intent of ESP trials and the decicisions which are made on the footing of trials. Naturally the negative effects of norm-referenced trials are more serious than criterion-referenced 1s.DecisionThis survey was an effort to expolre the effects of ESP trials on trial takers and instructors ‘ life and society. The premise is that valid trials have posotive effects on the interest holders, society and educational systems and invalid trials have negative effects on all interest holders an d distort course of study. The consequences of the present survey showed that the effects of the ESP trials were all negative. Therefore, it could be concluded that these trials lack eventful cogency which is a chief constituent of costruct cogency ( Messick, ) . Sing such a fatal defect in ESP trials, we suggest that great alterations in the contents, intent and determinations made on the footing of these trials consequences are needed so that we can do a alteration in learning ESP at our local universities. That is, it is concluded that the invalid trials should non be used as the instruments which filter the entery and nonentry of some candiadates to province universities. Furthermore, any determination made on the footing of invalid trials is against the critical issues of equity and moralss. Therfore, it is indispensable that the trial developers try to devlope more reliable and direct trials, because reliable and direct trials have a good washback cogency.