Cathedral

Blindness can manifest itself in many ways. Disputably the most damaging form of this condition may be the figurative blindness of one’s own situation and ignorance towards the feeling of others. In Raymond carver’s short story â€Å"cathedral,† the narrator’s emotional and psychological blindness is immediately apparent. The many issues faced by the narrator as well as the turn-around experienced at the culmination of the tale are the main idea for the theme of this story and these ideas aid the narrator in eventually collapse to character transformation by simply regarding the literal blind man in a positive way.The narrator’s statement at the very beginning of the story explains his own lack of knowledge concerning physical blindness. His lack of knowledge relating to the visitor’s disability is undeniable, he make it very clear that he is aware of this stating that he â€Å"wasn’t very enthusiastic about his visit. †(81) Bes ide he doesn’t know the blind guy and his being blind bothered him too. I believe that you can’t make judgment about a person or dislike just because he can’t see. The narrator was judgment him because of the relation that the blind had with his wife not just because he is enable to see.The introduction of the story explains the relationship between narrator’s wife and the blind man, detailing how it evolved to its present status. It is in this part that I as a reader I see an example of the figurative blindness from which the narrator suffers because of his knowledge of the relationship between the two which seem to stem from his own troubled relationship with his wife. Is here when his wife gave him an ultimatum to accept Robert, stating that if her husband loves her, he would â€Å"do this for me if you don’t love okay. (83) Throughout the story the narrator show his jealousies toward the relationship his wife and the blind man share. Insecurit y gives a way to a troubled relationship with his wife. The narrator revaluates his suspicious ideas regarding to the relationship with his wife and the blind men.Drug and alcohol usage throughout the entire story significantly adds to another blindness of which the subject is unaware. Once Robert arrives he is immediately introduced to a social drinking, especially when he is questioned for his choice of drink. He stated that him and his wife carry â€Å"a little of everything, it is one of our pastime. (85) This is a point that is described on the plot. The final enlightenment experienced by the narrator is a direct result of the mindset brought upon by his marijuana usage. In fact I believed that many of his described problems may be attributed to his drinking and drug use. Someone that is under the influence of a foreign substance does things and says things that they may never say on their five senses. The story climaxes after the wife falls asleep and the two men are finally allowed to converse with each other. It is at this time when the narrator finally gets to see the attitude and thoughts of the blind man.This lead to his own personal transformation when Robert ask whether or not the narrator is religious and his answer was â€Å" I guess I don’t believe in it . in anything†(91) this answer was unsure of his own knowledge because he wanted to impress the blind man that I say he just respond that to keep the conversation with Robert. This made me see that the narrator is in need of something which means more than just physical blindness. I think that Robert feels the necessity to help the narrator both mentally and emotionally bringing understanding to a man filled with bad ideas and opinion about others.Today society have a minute understanding of what it is to truly see that this initiative is more than physical viewing and is based more on emotional understanding for an instance. Figuratively seeing is what it is inside of other peop le and also is what they can feel and how they think. The final drawing of the cathedral truly helps me to understand the meaning of achieve through working together. The two men hold hands while drawing the cathedral which for me is the basis for the story being told. This changing experience helps me to understand between looking and seeing.This narrator would simple have continued on his close-minded lifestyle and never had learn about or accepting other people as they are. The last few sentences of this story made me realize that being blind is not an affliction that is limited solely to the body. I learn that a person can be blind to the feelings of others and the problem that can affect our everyday life. I believe that with tolerance to an individual can find both respect for themselves and awareness for people around us. I agree with the author of this story blindness is not an obstacle to continue being a normal person in life.

The Avengers Review

The Avengers PG-13 Nick Mantegani 5/7/2012 EN121 The Avengers is a Sci-Fi/Action movie directed by Joss Whedon. It is rated PG-13. The movie stars a vast assortment of stars, including Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson and more. It was released in May 2012, and is available in a 3D format. The Avengers is the first movie in an ongoing series.The film acts as a sort of sequel to several films made by Marvel Comics, including Iron Man and Iron Man 2 (starring Downey, 2008 and 2010, respectively), The Incredible Hulk (Edward Norton, though the character has been replaced by Mark Ruffalo, 2008), Thor (Chris Hemsworth, 2011), and Captain America: The First Avenger (Evans, 2011). In The Avengers, ancient Norse god Loki (Tom Hiddleston), brother of Thor, gathers an army from an alternate universe to enslave the people of Earth. He acquires a powerful weapon called the Tesseract, capable of destroying nearly anything.Nick Fury (Jackson), director of S. H. I. E. L. D. , an ag ency protecting the world, enlists the help of a group of superheroes. Iron Man, Captain America, Hulk, and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) join the effort, and are later joined by Thor and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). Though at first the big personalities of the heroes clash and they fight each other, Fury eventually teaches them the importance of working together as a team to defeat the enemy. Fighting alongside each other, the Avengers manage to thwart Loki’s evil plan and send him, along with Thor, and Loki’s army, back to where they came from.The Avengers is every comic book lovers dream come true. The individual hero movies leading up to the release of this movie were such a success that fans had been salivating to see these extraordinary beings come together and fight alongside each other. Whedon brought the characters together in a spectacular way. The banter between Iron Man and Bruce Banner (Hulk) shows a meeting of great minds. The relationship between the Black Widow and Hawkeye creates many questions that make these two lesser characters seem much more significant, which is important to the appeal of the movie.The clashing personalities of Iron Man, a self-described â€Å"Playboy billionaire† who questions everything and doesn’t play by the rules and Captain America, a man thrust forward in time from the 1940’s who still has his sense of values and morals from the his time, shows two men who have to work together who couldn’t be any different. All these relationships and more are what makes the fact that all these people coming together is truly a remarkable thing and could potentially have been disappointing if Whedon had downplayed any of the elements that makes each character who they are.Whedon managed to take each character and let them act as they are intended to, such as Stark’s cockiness and Thor’s nobility, and still be able to not glorify or discourage any of them to make the team more significant than the individual heroes. Roger Ebert compares the Avengers to the dogs in the Best in Show category at the Westminster Dog Club. â€Å"You have breeds that seem completely different from one another (Labradors, poodles, boxers, Dalmatians), and yet they're all champions,† says Ebert.He is right; though the characters differ in many ways, they are all the same in that they have spectacular powers that they use to fight evil. This makes the â€Å"team mentality† work perfectly in this film. Never did one character seem to mean more to the group than any of the others (except for when Hawkeye was brainwashed to fighting for Loki, but once he returned, he was just as much as part of the Avengers as anybody). The Avengers did not start acting like a team at first, but once they did, they managed to defeat Loki with relative ease.The message of the film is that it stresses the importance of teamwork. It shows that no matter how talented the individuals in a group may be, they can’t perform to their best abilities until they all start working together and use each other to bring out the best in themselves. The acting in The Avengers was fantastic all around. Those who were fans of the original Avengers comics (or the individual heroes’ comics) expect their idols to be portrayed accurately, and just about every single one is done so to a great degree.Ruffalo, Renner, and Johansson do great justice to their characters, and are very likeable and portrayed well. Ruffalo does a particularly good job in showing his struggle to keep his cool so as not to transform into the Hulk. Hemsworth shows that apart from his fantastic resemblance to the comic book character and his obvious good looks, he has the right idea as to what Thor is really like. He is a god and a mighty warrior, but he knows he is not above anyone and will protect the earth no matter what. Evans and Downey both fit their characters perfectly, and their attitudes are correct for who they play.Samuel L. Jackson does a great acting job in the movie. You cheer for him at times, and then despise him at others, which is always impressive when a character can get that sort of reaction out of an audience. However, as great as his acting was, it seems as if the creators of the recent Marvel Comics movies wanted to put him in The Avengers somehow, so they stuck him in the role as Nick Fury. To Avengers fans, this could be slightly irritating. Clearly he looks nothing like the original character, and the original character never acted like Samuel L.Jackson, but now Nick Fury will be remembered always by many, many people as a Jackson-like character, which is frowned upon by fans of the comic book. A more accurate portrayal of Fury could’ve been done by George Clooney, who is also a talented actor and, when one compares the two, looks exactly like the character in the comic book. The textbook says, â€Å"There is the ever-present danger that a ll the [special effects] in action, adventure, and science-fiction films will dazzle us but do little to increase our understanding of the world we live in or the drama of human life. (264). The Avengers relies heavily on the use of special effects and CGI to portray the heroes in action or the world itself, from the giant, levitating headquarters of S. H. I. E. L. D. to monsters only Ebert can describe as â€Å"Loki's ginormous slithering, undulating snake-lizard-dragon machine, which seems almost to have a mind of its own and is backed up by countless snakelings. † Indeed, it would be impossible to show the same movie without as much CGI as was used to make it. However, the heavy amount of CGI doesn’t take away from the acting and story of the ovie. If anything, it enhances the characters in not just a visual way, but it shows the viewer who the characters are and what they are truly capable of. In addition, the 3D format of The Avengers is a nice touch. For decades, comic book fans have enjoyed the adventures of the Avengers and have grown up in love with the heroes in the super group. A large scale movie featuring this group is what the fans have always desired. Each superhero received their own movie, building anticipation for the combining of these extraordinary people.Whedon made that combination happen, and the actors involved brought these heroes to life in grand style. Works Cited Barsam, Richard Meran. , and Dave Monahan. Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 2010. Print. Ebert, Roger. â€Å"The Avengers. † Roger Ebert. com. 2 May 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. . IMDb. â€Å"The Avengers. † Internet Movie Database. Web. 07 May 2012. .

Development of the United Kingdom Essay

Officially known as the Republic of Ghana, it was Europe’s first trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa – initially trading in gold and then later as a primary supplier of slaves. Although it was subsequently colonized by the British, it later became the first country in Africa to obtain independence from its colonizer (BBC News). Ghana came into existence in 1957 when what was then known as the Gold Coast acquired its independence from the British. Situated along the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa (see U. S. State Department map reproduced below), the country occupies an area of about 238,538 sq. km. composed of plains, rainforest, and some scrubland (U. S. State Department). Its capital city is Accra (population: 3 million) and the other principal cities are Kumasi, with an estimated population of 1 million, Tema (500,000), and Sekondi-Takoradi (population: 370,000). English has been designated official language of the Ghanaians but several dialects are spoken like Akan, which is spoken by about 49% of the population, Mole-Dagbani (16%), Ewe (13%), Ga-Adangbe (8%), and Guan, the dialect of 4% of the population. Sixty-nine percent of its estimated population of 23 million are Christians while 15. 6% are Muslims. Indigenous religious beliefs are being practiced by 8. 5% of Ghanaians. Although it existed as a democratic republic since its independence in 1957, the constitution of Ghana took effect only on January 7, 1993 (U. S. State Department). The cultural practices of Ghanaians which are mainly related to â€Å"conception, childbirth, and childrearing† consist of some harmful customs and traditions. One of these is â€Å"female genital mutilation (FGM). † This is a procedure which is conducted to partially or totally remove the external genitalia of a girl to turn her into a real woman. Another is a belief in dietary taboos which often leads to anemia or nutritional deficiency on the part of pregnant women. In Ghana, when a marriage does not produce an offspring after two years, it is considered defective. After a woman gives birth, the Ghanaians believe that burying the placenta near the house of the family would prevent the child from growing up into an errant or rebellious individual. In addition, they would wait for eight days after birth before naming the child and treating the umbilical cord with herbal preparations (Nyinah). Ghana is rich in natural resources with gold and cocoa being two of its major dollar earners. Its other export products are timber, diamonds, aluminum, tuna, manganese ore, and bauxite. In spite of this, the country still relies heavily on the assistance of international financial and technical institutions to remain viable. Thirty-five percent of its gross domestic product comes from the agricultural sector which also accounts for 55% of total employment in the country, mostly in the form of small landowners. Aside from seeking debt relief in 2002 under the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) program, Ghana was also one of the beneficiaries of the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative which came into force in 2006 (CIA World Factbook). As of 2006, total exports reached an estimated $3. 9 billion while imports totaled $6. 8 billion. Identified trade partners were the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Germany, France, Spain, Nigeria, the Netherlands, and Togo (U. S. State Department). Statistics gleaned by Global Health Reporting. org from the CIA World Factbook and a report published by UNAIDS in May 2006 about the global epidemic on AIDS showed that as at end of 2005, an estimated 29,000 had already died from AIDS in Ghana, leaving behind them about 170,000 children below 17 years old who had lost one or both parents to the disease. The same sources also revealed that by the end of 2005, there were 320,000 Ghanaians who were living with HIV/AIDS, 25,000 of whom were children below 14 years old. Aside from AIDS, another major health concern of the country is malaria. With about three million new cases being reported every year, malaria accounts for approximately 61% of total hospital admissions in the country among children below five years old (Global Health Reporting. org). In its fight against AIDS, malaria, and other diseases which have been plaguing Ghanaians, the country has received varying degrees of support from international organizations such as the World Health Organization, Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the World Bank, the Department for International Development of the United Kingdom, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Accra Daily Mail, 3/17 as cited in Global Health Reporting. org). On March 17, 2008, a campaign named â€Å"Voices for Malaria-Free Future† was launched in the country to educate the people about the techniques and the key concepts and practices used in fighting malaria. Rosemary Ardayfio, who represented the media in the launching ceremony, announced the formation of the Media Malaria Network composed of journalists from the print and online organizations. Ardayfio explained that aside from recognizing the role of the different media organizations in malaria advocacy, the network specifically aims â€Å"to disseminate information about the use of insecticide-treated nets and appropriate medication† (Global Health Reporting. org). Ghana was among the 177 countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol which aims to require industrialized countries to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases to prevent global warming (UNFCCC). In addition, Ghana was also a party to other international agreements governing hazardous wastes, biodiversity, endangered species, law of the sea, ship pollution, environmental modification, ozone layer protection, wetlands, and tropical timber (CIA World Factbook). The Republic of Ghana faces a bright future. It is endowed with plenty of natural resources. Its leadership has commitment itself to free and compulsory basic education. In fact, its â€Å"free, compulsory, universal basic education (FCUBE)† which was launched in 1996 has been labeled the â€Å"most ambitious pre-tertiary education programs in West Africa† (U. S. State Department). It has also been described as a â€Å"well-administered country by regional standards† and considered a model for economic and political reforms in the region. And, most of all, a major oil reserve was discovered in 2007 (BBC News). For these reasons alone, the country and its people have no reason to remain impoverished. Works Cited BBC News. â€Å"Country profile: Ghana. † International version. 6 February 2008. 22 March 2008. CIA World Factbook. â€Å"Ghana. † 6 March 2008. 22 March 2008. https://www. cia. gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/gh. html Global Health Reporting. org. â€Å"Ghana. † 22 March 2008. http://globalhealthreporting. org/countries/ghana. asp? collID=11&id=144&malID=187 &tbID=188&hivIC=189&malIC=190&tbIC=191&map=192&con=Ghana&p=1 Nyinah, S. â€Å"Cultural practices in Ghana. † World Health. March-April 1997. 22 March 2008. UNFCCC. â€Å"Kyoto Protocol. † 22 March 2008. U. S. State Department. â€Å"Background note: Ghana. † January 2008. 22 March 2008.

Modern Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Modern Philosophy - Essay Example Kant’s investigations into the Rationalists’ and the Empiricists’ definitions of the origin of knowledge led to what Kant described as his â€Å"Copernican Revolution† in philosophy wherein he refuted the long-held belief that the mind is passive; Kant, instead, credit the rational, thinking mind for providing us with a systematic structuring of a representation of the world that makes our experience of it possible (McCormick). That is, how the world appears to us depends on how our mind perceives it based on our position and movement, thus the reference to Copernicus’ revolutionary theory. Based on this definition, Kant struggled to answer the question of what can we know and what can we not know. Kant argued that our knowledge is then constrained to the universal laws of mathematics and the empirical sciences and cannot extend to speculative metaphysics because our mind cannot fathom beyond what it holds within the spatiotemporal framework. A good starting point in any in-depth discussion of Kant’s philosophy and, especially, how he revolutionized the way the world, in general, and philosophers, in particular, think is to revisit the series of events that led him to his thesis and resulting treatises. Kant was indoctrinated in Wolff’s modified dogmatic rationalism, the thought prevalent in Germany during Kant’s academic years between 1747 and 1781; he taught about reason being the basis of knowledge (Turner). Towards the end of that period though, Kant started to question this belief. There were contradictions in the physical sciences he could not reconcile using the rationalists’ point of view and he began to reject the validity of metaphysical reasoning because of its shaky foundations (Turner). On top of it all, Kant revealed that it was his careful reading of David Hume’s analysis of the principle of causation that "interrupted my dogmatic slumbers and gave my investigations in th e field of speculative philosophy a

U07d1 Three Reform Models Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U07d1 Three Reform Models - Essay Example RG or Diagnostic Relate Group was implemented in 1983 and was basically a system where the groups were formed based on diagnoses, age, sex, discharge status, medical complications and also procedures. This is the basis by which Medicare pays the hospitals and has been quite successful. This system makes it simpler for Medicare to correctly identify each group and base the possible demand for each group (The New England Journal of Medicine, 2010). This is an accurate mode of medical care and is helpful in ensuring clearer working processes. State Childrens Health Insurance Program: This program was developed with an intension to provide health care for children and families that were uninsured and with incomes that was low but enough to gain a Medicaid. This program had a number of arguments and there was a complete slow down in the program as President George Bush felt that the program was losing focus and was covering more of middle class children rather than the poor children. The program has however again been put back into track by President Obama and over four million children and pregnant women have been treated under the Childrens Health Insurance Reauthorization Act of 2009 (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2010). Mental Health Parity Act: This act was introduced on January 2010 and aims at providing alignment for health and substance abuse benefits and also providing medical health benefits for companies with 50 or more employees. This however is not a group health plan of any sort (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008). As seen all these reforms have been developed with an intension to improve and address all the healthcare system issues. They are all very beneficial in terms of providing the assistance to the patients, however there is a clear issue where all the systems lack the availability of funds (Valueoptions, 2010). Also with the newer reforms coming up each day there is clearly a lack of enough money available to invest into the

Limited Liability Corporations and Partnerships Essay

Limited Liability Corporations and Partnerships - Essay Example It integrates properties of general partnerships with properties of corporations. This form of business ownership is common among professionals in ‘service-oriented’ industries such as law and accountancy. The partnership restricts liability to partners who either directly or indirectly, through negligence or malpractice, initiate such liabilities. Other aspects of the form of business are however similar to those of the general partnership (Miller, 2012). The scope of a limited liability partnership, as a business enterprise, therefore identifies a number of roles. One of such roles is to undertake production process. Whether the partnership deals in goods or services, it converts resources such as labor and raw materials into more refined and consumable products. As a result, limited liability partnerships play the role of ensuring consumer’s utility through provision of either goods or services or both. Another role of a limited liability partnership involves m arketing of its products. Based on competition among players in a market, each enterprise develops strategies towards attracting and retaining customers. The organizations also face the role of financial management. Being profit oriented enterprises, limited liability partnerships focuses on managing their finances to meet their production costs and needs. Financial management is also important in ensuring minimized production costs for higher profit margins. Another role of the organization involves recruitment and management of human resource. Being an employer together with the need to develop an efficient labor force initiates the responsibility of managing personnel. Like any other form of business organization, limited liability partnerships have a role in social responsibility. The organizations must ensure that their activities are friendly to their environments and that they make efforts to benefit their immediate societies (Miller, 2012; Sde, n.d.). Advantages of limited l iability partnerships The main advantage of a limited liability partnership is the limitation of partner’s liabilities. This protects partners from negligence, mistakes, and fraud by other partners. In addition, limitation of partners’ liability to responsibility over losses promotes diligence and improved efficiency in operations. This is because partners know that they are solely responsible for their faults. Another advantage of a limited liability partnership is its wider base for raising capital from many partners (Miller, 2012). Disadvantages of limited liability partnerships One of the major disadvantages of limited liability partnerships is the freedom of partners to operate independently within the partnership. This means that decisions are individually made and may conflict with the organization’s objectives. Limiting liability to responsibility of partners is also a threat to innovation due to fear of bearing associated losses (Miller, 2012). Limited liability corporations and their roles Limited liability corporations are business organizations with separate legal entities. The owners of the business are different from the management team that is normally composed of board of directors and senior employees. Like in limited liability

Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 11

Report - Essay Example Various alternate services are available in the new market in terms of usability and value. For example an individual wants to watch an episode of a missed serial via Internet on the computer. This may decrease the use of mobile TV. The era of a dynamic environment also brings challenges for vendors to make considerations regarding consumer preferences. The new market continues to be robust and evolving media, Internet services, mobile communications and consumer electronic products. The mobile TV global ecosystem consists of content providers, aggregators, retailers, service providers, networks, device software solution providers, and device OEMs. It concludes that the mobile TV ecosystem cooperatively provides an end-to-end information services and entertainment that is widespread from permanent and broadband networks above broadband wireless networks for the consumers of mobile devices in the 3rd generation or 4th generation mobile networks. Advanced mobile data networks consist of IPTV and mobile TV services provided by mobile operators in the western countries. A comprehensive definition of IPTV is available on www.iptvdictionary.com which says â€Å"Internet protocol television (IPTV) is a process of providing television (video and/or audio) services through the use Internet protocol (IP) networks. These IP networks initiate, process, and receive voice or multimedia communications using Internet protocol. These IP systems may be public IP systems (e.g. th e Internet), private data systems (e.g. LAN based), or a hybrid of public and private systems†.Mobile TV is considered as a superb application by stakeholders in the context of falling ARPU and profits of mobile operators. Organizations are involved in content provision and they have learned the technological improvements and advancements along with service availability. These factors lead to adoption globally with high revenue streams. Although the predictions related to the mobile

Successful Music Publication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Successful Music Publication - Essay Example The keys to be successful in this venture is by analyzing different aspects of how the publication will possibly survive in competition such as this one. The competition among music publications is undoubtedly very tight, and even more imposing is the fact that so many publications have already held their ground and established their names as household names, benchmarks in the industry, namely the KERRANG, SNIFFING and NME, all of which have made names for themselves in the 1980's. It is sheer impossibility to surpass the name established by those popular magazine, it is even more difficult to get even closer, but what should be kept in mind is that is not the goal that should be hurriedly achieved. What should be the first in considerations is how to turn the heads of music blokes, along with their curiosities. Until now, KERRANG, NME and SNIFFING are still enjoying relative popularity like their other counterparts. As the researcher had earlier done, having visited the websites of the aforementioned music publications, the three of them possess almost all of the same qualities that contribute to their existence after decades. Their w Their websites are all very eye-catching, all of them are attention-grabbers because of the loud colors and enticing headlines they possess. NME, KERRANG and SNIFFING all give a chance of publicity to new artists, and yet they never neglect the great artists of yesterday along with their immortal hits. An example is the front webpage of NME dated May 12, 2007, posted is the black and white picture of the Beatles, and yet they have links to news concerning artists of this generation. That is a vivid example of how they prioritize their readership. Another aspect they share is they all have the opinion section, for the readers and website browsers to post their opinions regarding anything, about music, the magazine or the website itself, or even their suggestions. The posting of these suggestions on their sites and their print magazines is a surefire way to establish a personal relationship with the readers, making them feel that they are of utmost priority. In the aspect of the news, without the evidence of reading every issue of these magazines and their websites, the researcher noticed that their news is very well-written, especially the headlines. But they are in no way offensive to the readers and they are not even showing a hint of bias towards their posting of news. This is the proof that all music publications should by all means be honest about news, they should give sheer priority to the delivery of accurate statistics, and in-depth and yet impartial analysis of music news around the world. These three music publications have their own style and originality, shown by their mere taglines. NME has the tagline "First for Music News," while for KERRANG, it is "the world's biggest-selling weekly rock magazine." The taglines are proofs of their originality. They are still enjoying success because of the things that they have done and still doing up until today. Task 2 - Chosen Music Genre I choose pop music. Why Because virtually all music lovers are indulged in this genre, all ages,

Archaeology Research paper, on the evolution, origin of bipedality, Essay

Archaeology Research paper, on the evolution, origin of bipedality, and the different perspectives on it - Essay Example The evolution into bipedality because of climate change and the alterations which have occurred in various regions of the world all provide support which shows that environmental stimulation has also regulated the evolution of men. Environmental Stimuli in Hominids There are several theories which show that the environmental stimulation in an environment also affects the way in which ontogeny, organismal adaptation and spectation occur throughout time. Most of the adaptation which has been noted with evolution is from the ideal that there is a response to the needs of a specific species as well as the requirements to survive within a given region. While the adaptation is noted as a component of evolution, many have disregarded the environmental stimuli and the way in which this has altered the functions and evolutionary changes. The concept of neo-Darwinism is one of the main approaches to this. According to Darwin, all species would respond with evolution by competition within the s pecies and with the need to survive. In the neo-Darwinism thought process, there is a link to the understanding that the physical alterations in a species occur specifically because there is the need to adapt to various elements in the surroundings, such as the environment (Vrba, 1442). While there are several links to physical alterations and dimensions related to why evolution occurs, adaptation to the environment is one of the considerations which has evidence in relation to evolution. This is also known as allopatic speciation, which fragments and segments species into various populations. When looking at these populations, it can be seen that the original homo sapiens were fragmented into one sector of the world. The environmental tables within these regions then included adaptation to components such as food intake, temperature, vegetation cover, light intensity and the climatic and tectonic changes. When a species adapted from one region, also known as the stenobiomic region to a eurybiomic, or across biome region, changes would have to be made in regards to the various elements of the environment. Adaptation to the environment, such as different types of water, responses from the skin because of the light and changing behaviors from the climate then become a part of the natural adaptation process, specifically from the environmental stimulus which has occurred (Vrda, 1446). Evolution Into Bipedality While environmental stimuli shows a direct relationship to the anatomical features of hominids and the potential adaptations which are a part of the evolution. According to the adaptability hypothesis, the evolution of individuals is based on the need to endure environmental fluctuations, specifically as different species began to move into different regions of the world. This is combined with the theory of the turnover hypothesis, which states that the adaptability to different environments occurred over a longer period of time and evolved specifically as the environment began to change. The evidence of this occurs in the African Pliocene which shows fossils as evidence of older species of hominids that are now extinct. The body shape, looks of the species and the physical applications draw evidence to the climate alterations and the functions of the society, such as stone making, which no longer fit into the environment. The timing that leads to the specific evidence of the species relates directly to features that show

Linguistics Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Linguistics Assignment 2 - Essay Example When derivational morphemes are added to the stem it turns the element into a different grammatical category. For instance when ‘-ness’ is added at the end of the word ‘good’ it forms a new word ‘goodness’. Contrary to the derivational morpheme, an inflectional morpheme does not change the grammatical structure of the word upon adding it to the stem. However, it does indicate grammatical aspects of its function. Adding the past form to the word ‘jump’ turns it into ‘jumped’ indicating the past form (grammatical aspect) of the word. b) How important is it to teach students of English as an L2 about these categories? Critically discuss what you would and would not teach them and why. Justify your answer with examples from the classroom context. It is critical to teach students about morpheme categories but it is not vital to teach them everything. The purpose is not to cloud their minds with unnecessary details that will hinder their efforts in grasping the core concepts. The nature of English language is transforming everyday around the world. It is not wise to feed the new learners of English language rigid facts that will probably modify in the coming years. Despite the changing nature of English language, there is no denying the importance of the basics. I will teach my students about morphemes, what they are, what their usage is and most importantly make the students practice them to use it. The ultimate goal of teaching English as a second language is not to make the students appear in PhD exams in English language. They primary goal is to make them effective communicators. In the classroom, the majority of focus is on theory. Theoretical learning has its benefits but my class will be much more activity driven. I would teach my students about morphemes through activities and not by just writing it on the white board. They will be given hand-outs that will have

How to enhance expatriate motivation and effectiveness within a Term Paper

How to enhance expatriate motivation and effectiveness within a cross-cultural organization - Term Paper Example ................. 4 1.4 Structure ...................................................................................................................5 2. Theory Review.......................................................................................................... 5 2.1 Work motivation ...................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Definition of motivation ........................................................................................ 6 2.1.2 Motivation theories............................................................................................... 6 2.3.1 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..6 2.3.1 Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ ..8 2.3.3 Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension Model†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..10 2.1.4 Limitation of motivation theory ........................................................................... 12 3. Case Analysis: Nokia in China †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 13 4. Discussion and Recommendation.......................................................................... 13 5. Conclusion ............................................................................................................... 14 References........................................ ... In the modern world, it is common to find people from different countries and cultures working in the same environment. It is important for these organisations to improve effectiveness so as to better their competitive advantage so as to cope with the mounting competition in the global market. Employees are always willing to realise their goals in the work place. Thereby motivation factors are a concern of the employees and the human resource management. This boils down to the questions on whether employees from different cultural organisations are motivated in different ways and how management can improve overall effectiveness in cross- cultural organisations (Becker, 2000:33). In point of fact, there could be many problems arising in these organisations such as communication difficulties and cultural differences which might negatively impact on the efficiency and cause major problems for the HR department. It is therefore important for the HR department to maintain a motivated work force. Even though, firms face related HRM problems, the duty for culturally diverse organisations is far more intricate than that of their single- culture equals. In order cross- cultural companies to develop a motivate work force it is important for organisations to have a developed understanding of motivation factors (Becker, 2000:35). It is of great importance for companies to find out how employees from different cultural settings react to similar motivating factors, as culture has been found to have a an intense impact on human behaviour (Matic, 2008:94). Recent studies have revealed that people want more than money from work. There are five important issues including the link between work and life, relationship between

How Computers Effect Our Daily Lives Essay Example for Free

How Computers Effect Our Daily Lives Essay 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Communication Communication is defined as a process. We determine and convey it meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertory of skills in listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. Use of these processes is developmental and transfers to all areas of life as home, school, community, work, and beyond. Union and support occur owing to communication. 1.2 The Importance of Communication Communication is easily overlooked, but it is necessary to carry out the thoughts and visions of an organization to the people . The importance of speech and words whether through a paper or a voice is a communication medium to convey directions. Without communication, there is no way to express thoughts, ideas and feelings. There are many ways to provide communication from the organization to the people of your community. Whether through a phone, fax, email, letter, website, you are able to communicate your organization to the world. Things can be expressed, ideas can be shared, and thoughts can be joined. The ability and the importance of communication become much more crucial when you are on a purpose or need to perform aim. The ability to effectively communicate is very important when it is usually underestimated and overlooked. Men and women have different communication forms in many places such as at home, at work and in social life. 2. COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AT HOME Women always are under the responsibility at home. They incline chores in the family. Men only are to have a say on important issues. When they decide about the subject, women usually express their opinions. Men decide to determine with their attitudes. A writer says in her article â€Å" The relation between the sexes occurs around a single concept: superiority of man; women are a lower position in value, reputation and power issues.† ( FiÅŸek 5 ) In fact, we can divide into two section at this point as the behaviors of men and the behaviors of women. 2.1 The Behaviors of Men As we said above, when men decide about one subject, they see themselves superior than women. The study was done about it in the U.S.A by Sandra Lipsitz Bem. According to him, â€Å" Men are characters putting themselves out, independent, determined and risk-taking.† Characteristic of men’s sexual role are more pronounced than women in our society. It is an obvious situation that men are always at the front and on stage. If we think these on men, results aren’t surprising. This is an expected finding in a culture where male dominance. 2.2 The Behaviors of Women Women have great responsibilities in the home. Care of children, chores, attitude toward her husband are very important for them. If a woman is a female employee, it is also important. Women become more sensitive and soft communicating with men. They try to talk about the events. This situation is relevant training of girls and boys. â€Å" The researches which done in our society on educational and development differences between the sexes shows that men were aggressive and competitive. They are trained in establishing power and domination. It shows that women are raised for interpersonal relationship.† ( FiÅŸek 8 ) Women create feelings of closeness by conversing with their friends. But men dont use this way in communication, so they cant figure out why their women are continually talk, talk, talking. Eventually, many men just tune their women out. The ubiquitous image of the housewife at the breakfast table talking to her husband who has his head buried in the newspaper comes to mind. Tannen observed that, â€Å" For males, conversation is the way you negotiate your status in the group and keep people from pushing you around; you use talk to preserve your independence for boys, activities, doing things together, are central. Just sitting and talking is not an essential part of friendship. Theyre friends with the boys they do things with.†As a result, women should inhibit men’s repression to gain themselves strenght. They should exhibit required behaviors to be of equal status. In next section, we will deal with communication between men and women at work. 3.COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN AT WORK Communication is very important for gender in the business life. Problems may arise between sexes at various time.Men and women use strategies in with each other that the opposite sex may view negatively. Often, misunderstandings can be avoided when co-workers look beyond personalities and consider the different ways men and women communicate.Women are more verbally skilled than men. Men’s goals in using tend to be about getting things done whereas women’s tend to be about making connections to other people. Men talk to more things and fact whereas women walk more about people relationship and feeling. Journalist Katja Ridderbusch says in an article: â€Å" The problem between men and woman in the workplace is not the fact that they play by a different set of rules†, Connie Glaser points out(she is America’s guru of gender talk). â€Å"The problem is that they don’t know these rules.† She considers herself a translator, a mediator between the male and the female culture. A supporter of women in the business world. But she is not a feminist, nor does she hate men, quite the opposite. With her husband Tom, who serves as the president to the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce in Atlanta, she has two sons, 22 and 24 years old. In a household of three men, she says, â€Å"you quickly learn to become very thick skinned.† As in all field, there are also several problems at work. The sexes should do whatever is necessary to solve them. We can see more detailed this issue with two sub-title as success of men and the value given women in business life by society. 3.1 The Success of Man Business life has become a universe to men until recent years. According to them, it is built on male values and behaviors. Even writer Leyla Navaro talks about that an attitude emerged under the name of ‘professional behavior’ in her book. Furthermore, it is an enviable behavior’s definition. of authority. Men criticise business interest to pass in human relationship. It includes comportments as supress feeling, impersonality, decide quickly, compete use of authority. Business conducts have been to expected of women because men think in this way.Research results that measure the relationship between high intelligence and success indicates that a high propotion of men. Men don’t want to query their achievements in competition with women. There are also times they are unlucky. † Male job applicants have to prove that they possess the necessary skills, whereas women are just assumed to possess them. In todays increasingly service-based economy, this may not be good news for men†. (â€Å" Do men and women the same language†) As shown in this article, although women are more comfortable communicating, unfortunately men don’t have this feature. 3.2 The Value Given Women in Business Life by Society Although men and women work under the same conditions, the society doesn’t value women enough. A study which done on the success resulted different in women. Two thirds of those continue their lives as housewife. The others work in small position at workplace. According to Alice Rose: â€Å" The society expect achievements appropriate to their abilities of men. Whereas women do business under the talent and skills. We don’t wink at this situation and we will support them at the same time.† A successful women wants to move away both men and other women. Due to competition and jealously, women want to leave alone her. According to them, this is the most effective way of punishing a woman. Women are continious communication in society. Pushing out events affects profoundly them. Internal concerns such as unloved, exclusion lead to failure for women in business life and reduce their potential powers. They strive to show loyalty and retation to workplace. They show de pendent and helpless behaviors in the face of authority figures. This situation exposes that how much value given to women in society. If women defend their rights, they can gain their freedom at work.In last section,we will look at communication between men and women in social life.

Die fusion von hewlett-packard

Die fusion von hewlett-packard 1. Einleitung „Aus zwei Verlierern wird kein Gewinner, diese auf die Fusion von Hewlett-Packard und Compaq bezogene Aussage stammt von Bob Djurdjevic. (Schießel, 2001) Ist das wirklich wahr? Mà ¼ssen vermeintliche Verlierer auch immer solche bleiben? Resultiert daraus, dass aus zwei Gewinnern immer ein neuer wird? Fast tà ¤glich berichten die Medien à ¼ber Unternehmenszusammenschlà ¼sse, immer wieder ist die Rede von „Mergers and Acquisitions und jedes hat seine eigene Meinung darà ¼ber, ob die einzelnen Transaktionen erfolgreich waren oder nicht. Es muss sich niemand die Meinung eines Anderen aneignen, wenn er die Mittel dafà ¼r hat, sich seine eigene bilden zu kà ¶nnen. In unserer Seminararbeit geht es um Erfolgsfaktoren von „Mergers and Acquisitions. Wir mà ¶chten nicht nur die Erfolgsfaktoren vorstellen, sondern dem Leser ein Werkzeug in die Hand geben. Mit diesem Hilfsmittel sollte er in der Lage sein Unternehmenszusammenschlà ¼sse von einer neuen Perspektive, nà ¤mlich die des Kritikers, zu betrachten. Es wird ihm eine Checkliste als Grundschema vorgegeben, anhand dessen er seine persà ¶nliche Einstufung eines Zusammenschlusses in Erfolg bzw. Misserfolg vornehmen kann. Zum Schluss unserer Seminararbeit wenden wir unsere aus der Theorie abgeleitete Liste auf das Fallbeispiel Hewlett-Packard und Compaq an. Daher werden wir soweit es unsere Literatur erlaubt insbesondere auf „Mergers and Acquisitions in der IT-Branche eingehen. Eine detaillierte Erarbeitung von finanziellen Aspekten insbesondere Aktienkursen werden wir vernachlà ¤ssigen, weil wir davon ausgehen, dass diese Informationen fà ¼r jeden Interessenten leicht auffindbar sind. Auch das Thema der Unternehmenskultur wird nur erwà ¤hnt, aber nicht bearbeitet, da dieses Thema den Rahmen unserer Arbeit sprengen wà ¼rde. Jeder Leser unserer Seminararbeit soll im Nachhinein sein eigenes Werkzeug, d.h. seine eigene Checkliste zur Beurteilung von Unternehmenszusammenschlà ¼ssen erstellen und auch anwenden kà ¶nnen. Denn wir sind der Meinung dass Erfolg keine objektive sondern subjektive Einschà ¤tzung ist. Die Arbeit ist in die Kapitel Begriffliche Grundlagen, Motive fà ¼r Merger Acquisitions Transaktionen, Wandel der IT-Branche, Die drei Phasen der Fusionen, Kritische Erfolgsfaktoren von Mergers Acqusitions, Praxisbeispiel: Fusion von HP und Compaq sowie einem Fazit untergliedert. Im Kapitel Begriffliche Grundlagen werden die fà ¼r diese Arbeit notwendigen Begriffe definiert. Das Kapitel Motive fà ¼r Merger Acquisitions Transaktionen zeigt aus der Literatur, welche Motivationen Unternehmen haben eine Fusion oder Unternehmensà ¼bernahme zu tà ¤tigen. Im Kapitel Wandel der IT-Branche wird gezeigt wie sich der relevante Markt im laufe der Zeit verà ¤ndert. Im Kapitel Die drei Phasen der Fusionen wird detailliert der Ablauf einer Fusion aufgezeigt. Das Kapitel Kritische Erfolgsfaktoren von Mergers Acqusitions arbeitet aus der Literatur Erfolgsfaktoren heraus welche man bei einer Fusion wahrnehmen kann und arbeitet diese fà ¼r den IT-Markt aus. Im Praxisbeispiel Kapitel wird d ie herausgearbeitete Theorie an einem Vorgestellten Beispiel erprobt. Im Fazit wird der Wert und die Aussagekraft der Erfolgsfaktoren kritisch gewà ¼rdigt. 2. Begriffliche Grundlagen Das Kapitel Begriffliche Grundlagen ist der Grundstein der Arbeit. Es werden die Begriffe Mergers and Acquisitions und Erfolgsfaktoren definiert. Eine Eingrenzung und Definition der IT-Branche, wie sie in dieser Arbeit verwendet wird, erfolgt im dritten Unterpunkt. Alle nachfolgen Kapitel verwenden diese Begrifflichkeiten. 2.1 Mergers and Acquisitions Externe Wachstumsstrategien durch Unternehmenszusammenfà ¼hrungen in Form von Fusionen oder Erwerbe bieten Unternehmen eine Alternative zum internen Wachstum, die durch Aktivierung eigener Potenziale realisiert werden kà ¶nnten.[1] (Bea Haas, 2001: 171ff) Das fà ¼r Fusionen und Erwerbe stehende englische Begriffspaar Mergers and Acquisitions (MA) gehà ¶rt mittlerweile zum deutschen Sprachgebrauch (Picot, 2000: 15), wobei Merger auch als „Verschmelzung, „Vereinigung oder als „Zusammenschluss von Unternehmen à ¼bersetzt werden kann (Macharzina, 2003: 636). Acquistitions steht fà ¼r den „() Kauf ganzer Unternehmen bzw. einzelner Unternehmensteile oder strategischer Anteilspakete () (Mà ¼ller-Stewens, Spickers Deiss, 1999: 1). In einigen Bà ¼chern werden die beiden Wachstumsarten „Merger und „Acquisition nicht differenziert, sondern syonym verwendet (Schrà ¶der, 2007: 2). Falls doch eine Unterscheidung erfolgen soll, so kann diese durch die Bindungsintensità ¤t durch die Analyse rechtlicher und wirtschaftlicher Selbststà ¤ndigkeit vor und nach des Zusammenschlusses ausgearbeitet werden (Lucks Meckel, 2002: 23). „Nach der Richtung der Diversifikation kà ¶nnen horizontale, vertikale und konglomerate Zusammenschlà ¼sse unterschieden werden (Bà ¼hner, 1985: 28) Tà ¤tigen zwei Unternehmen der selben Branche eine MA so spricht man von einem horizontalen Zusammenschluss. Wenn die Unternehmen an einer Produktionskette liegen, so spricht von einem vertikalen Zusammenschluss. Um einen konglomeraten MA handelt es sich, wenn die Unternehmen weder auf Produkt- noch auf Marktebene Gemeinsamkeiten aufweisen.[2] (Bà ¼hner, 1990: 5f) Wir werden in unserer Arbeit die Begriffe „Merger und „Acquisition synonym verwenden. 2.2 Erfolgsfaktoren Nach (Daschmann, 1994: 1) versteht man unter Erfolgsfaktoren alle in einem Unternehmen vorkommenden Determinanten, Maßnahmen und Aktività ¤ten, die den zukà ¼nftigen Erfolg positiv beeinflussen kà ¶nnen. Um seine Wettbewerbsfà ¤higkeit zu erhà ¶hen muss ein Unternehmen seine Erfolgsfaktoren, d.h. seine eigenen Stà ¤rken und Mà ¶glichkeiten kennen und sie bei seinen strategischen Entscheidungen heranziehen. Auch seine Investition sollten gezielt in deren Richtung gelenkt werden um seinen wirtschaftlichen Erfolg verbessern zu kà ¶nnen. (Mandorf, 2008) Der Unternehmenserfolg hà ¤ngt zum grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸ten Teil von sog. kritischen Erfolgsfaktoren ab, wà ¤hrend die meisten anderen Faktoren diesen untergeordnet sind. (Hoffmann, 1986: 832) 2.3 IT-Branche Bei der Definiton der IT-Branche treten methodische Probleme auf, denn es handelt sich um einen à ¼ber mehrere klassische Branchen verteilten Sektor. Selbst die offizielle Wirtschaftsstatistik weist keine allgemein gà ¼ltige Begriffsbestimmung auf, sondern zà ¤hlt einzelne IT-relevante Wirtschaftsbereiche zusammen. (Langenstein, 2006: 14f) Somit ist der IT-Sektor nur durch die Angabe der betroffenen Wirtschaftszweige definierbar. (Menez, Munder, , Tà ¶psch, 2001) In unserer Arbeit stellen wir nur eine Mà ¶glichkeit zur Abgrenzung des IT-Sektors vor: Nach dem Global Industry Classification Standard (GICS) umfasst der IT-Sektor die folgenden allgemeinen drei Bereiche: Softwaretechnologie und Softwaredienstleistung, diese umfasst unter anderem Unternehmen, die Softwareentwicklung in verschiedenen Bereichen wie z.B. dem Internet und Datenbanken anbieten. Auch Beratungs- und Dienstleistungsunternehmen der Informationstechnologie gehà ¶ren in diese Kategorie. Hardware und Ausrà ¼stung, in diesen Bereich fallen die Hersteller und Vertreiber von elektornischen Gerà ¤ten und den zugehà ¶rigen Intsrumenten. Halbleiter und Halbleiterausrà ¼stungs Hersteller 3. Motive fà ¼r Merger Acquisitions Transaktionen Nachdem die begrifflichen Grundlagen im 2.Kapitel geschafft wurden sind, stellen wir nun die Antriebskrà ¤fte, die das Handeln der Unternehmen auf die Akquisitionsziele ausrichten, vor. (Bamberger, 1994: 59) In diesem Kapitel werden die wichtigsten und hà ¤ufigsten Motive fà ¼r MA dargestellt. Achleitner (2002) unterscheidet die Fusionsmotive in wertmaximierende Motive, die generell durch Ertrags- und Kostensynergien ergeben ist, und die nicht wertmaximierende Motive. (Kirchhoff, 2009: 20). Dem zu Folge kategorisiert der (Achleitner, 2002) die Fusionsmotive in Strategische, finanzielle und persà ¶nliche Motive. 3.1 Strategische Motive In diesem Unterpunkt werden die strategischen Motive von Unternehmen in die Punkte Synergieeffekte, Ausnutzung von Marktmacht und Markterweiterung unterteilt und dargestellt. Alle drei Punkt sind von gleicher Bedeutung. 3.1.1 Synergieeffekte Ein wichtiges Motiv fà ¼r MA stellt die Realisierung von Synergieeffekten dar. Es werden die bereits vorhandenen Ressourcen beider oder mehrer Kooperationsunternehmen gebà ¼ndelt. Damit wird auf verschiedenste Art und Weise das Ziel verfolgt, die Effizienz in Unternehmen zu erhà ¶hen und Kosten einzusparen. Aufgrund von Grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸envorteilen ( Economie of scale ) kà ¶nnen produktionswirtschaftliche Synergieeffekte erzielt werden. Dabei sinken die Stà ¼ckkosten durch die Massenproduktion. Dies fà ¼hrt teilweise dazu, dass Rationalisierungsgewinne durch Personalabbau, erzielt werden. (Budzinski Kerber 2003: 42; Park 2004: 51f). Weiterhin treten aufgrund von Verbundvorteilen ( Economies of scope ) operationale Synergieeffekte auf. D.h. die Leistung, die jedes Unternehmen unabhà ¤ngig von einander erbracht hat, wird zusammengefasst. Auf dieser Weise kà ¶nnen hà ¶here Skalenertrà ¤ge erzielt werden. In vielen Branchen mit hohen Investitionskosten ist es von zentraler Bedeutung Forschungs- und Entwicklungs-Synergieeffekte zu erzielen, damit durch Unternehmenszusammenschà ¼sse sowohl die Kosten, als auch das Risiko gestreut werden kann (Budzinski Kerber 2003: 44; Park 2004: 52). Ist die Grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸e eines Unternehmens gestiegen, so kann man von den finanzwirtschaftlichen Synergieeffekten profitieren, da das Unternehmen fà ¼r die potentiellen Anleger attraktiver erscheint. Dies erleichtert die Aufnahme in Bà ¶rsenindices und somit den Anstieg der Kreditlinie bei Banken (Kleinert Klodt, 2002: 43). 3.1.2 Ausnutzung von Marktmacht Bei einem Zusammenschließen erhoffen sich die Unternehmen zum einen Wettbewerber aus dem Markt genommen zu haben und zum anderen den Marktanteil des à ¼berlebenden Unternehmens zu steigern. Die dadurch gestiegene Marktmacht der Unternehmen ermà ¶glicht ihnen eine flexiblere Preisgestaltung gegenà ¼ber Kunden sowie Lieferanten. Somit kann die Marktmacht zu einem erheblichen Wettbewerbsvorteil auf dem Markt beitragen. Die Unternehmen kà ¶nnen durch MA Eintrittsbarrieren fà ¼r die zukà ¼nftigen Konkurrenten aufbauen. Durch den Nichteintritt weiterer Konkurrenten sichern sie sich eine stabilere Preismacht auf dem Markt. (Klopfer, 2008: 44) 3.1.3 Markterweiterung Ein weiteres klassisches Ziel der strategischen Unternehmensakquisition ist das Streben nach dem Marktwachstum. Damit verfolgen Unternehmen in erster Linie das Ziel der Umsatzsteigerung und der Stabilisierung ihrer Ertrà ¤ge. Die Umsatzsteigerung resultiert aus dem Eintritt in neue attraktive Mà ¤rkte und aus der Erhà ¶hung der Wertschà ¶pfungspotenziale. Bei der geographischen Expansion wird zwischen den grenzà ¼berschreitenden, so genannten „Cross- Border- Zusammenschlà ¼ssen und den nationalen MA differenziert. (Jansen Kà ¶rner, 2000: 18) (Jansen, 2000b: 388) Es ist beobachtbar, dass in den vergangenen Jahren die grenzà ¼berschreitenden Zusammenschlà ¼sse mehr an Bedeutung gewonnen haben. Die Unternehmen kà ¶nnen sich dadurch den langwierigen und risikoreichen Eigenaufbau in einem fremden Land ersparen. (Amihud Lev , 2002: 21). Allerdings sind dabei die kulturellen oder sprachlichen Unterschiede nicht zu unterschà ¤tzen. In diesem Zusammenhang bestà ¤tigt auch Wolfgang Wagner, Senior Partner und CEO der PricewaterhouseCoopers Eurofirms ( PWC ) die Relevanz dieses Motivs mit der Aussage: CEOs kleiner und großer Unternehmen aus der ganzen Welt sehen zunehmend Wachstumsmà ¶glichkeiten fà ¼r ihre Unternehmen. Sie nutzen die Globalisierung nicht mehr primà ¤r zum Outsourcing oder der Produktionsverlagerung in Niedriglohnlà ¤nder, sondern um neue Produkte, neue Absatzmà ¤rkte und neue Kunden zu finden (presseportal.de, 2009) 3.2 Persà ¶nliche Motive Als treibende Kraft fà ¼r Fusionen wird hà ¤ufig das Management genannt. Unterstellt man einen perfekten Kapitalmarkt, so ist nach Manne (1965) der Kapitalwert einer Unternehmung direkt von der Leistung des Managementteams der Unternehmung abhà ¤ngig. Er folgert, dass eine schlechter bewertete Unternehmung von einem ineffizienten Managementteam geleitet wird und bei einer à ¼bernahme von einem effizienteren Managementteam abgelà ¶st wird. Dieses kann durch einen besseren Fà ¼hrungsstil die Effizienzpotentiale als Gewinn realisieren. Bei einem intensiven Unternehmenskontrollen Wettbewerb der Managementteams wà ¤ren keine Freirà ¤ume fà ¼r deren eigenen Ziele oder Interessen vorhanden. Nach dieser Theorie sind die Interessen der Eigentà ¼mer und des Managementteams kongruent. Da die Prà ¤missen in der Globalisierten Welt von Heute nicht zutreffen und es keinen perfekten Kapitalmarkt gibt, entstehen Freirà ¤ume fà ¼r das Managementteam um seine von den Eigentà ¼mern abweichenden Ziele zu verfolgen. Es entsteht nach Bà ¼hner (1990, 19) eine Pricipal- Agenten Situation zwischen Eigentà ¼mer und Management. Das Hauptziel der Eigentà ¼mer ist eine Gewinnmaximierung. Das Hauptziel des Managements kann hiervon abweichen. Es kann nach persà ¶nlichen Motiven handeln, um sein eigenes Einkommen zu maximieren. Die Gehà ¤lter hà ¤ngen von vielen Faktoren ab wie z.B. der Grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸e der Unternehmung, der Umsatzhà ¶he, der Mitarbeiterzahlen oder der Aktienkurse. Diese Faktoren kà ¶nnen vermeintlich durch eine Fusion oder à ¼bernahme herbeigefà ¼hrt werden. Das eigene Prestige und der Bekanntheitsgrad sind Eigenschaften des Managementteams, welche durch eine Fusion gesteigert werden kà ¶nnen und sich auf das eigene Einkommen in der Zukunft positiv auswirken kà ¶nnen, aber nicht der Gewinnmaximierung der Unternehmung dienen. Es besteht nun das Risiko von „unprofitablen Fusionen oder à ¼bernahmen von Managementteams, falls diese nicht von den Eigentà ¼mern kontrolliert werden. Eine Kontrolle von den Eigentà ¼mern kann durch ein Anreizsystem geschehen. Nach Faulli-Oller und Motta (1996) mà ¼ssen mit dem Managementteam Vertrà ¤ge geschlossen werden, die einen Anreiz fà ¼r die Entlohnung geben. Sie schlagen eine à ¼bernahmesteuer vor, diese wà ¼rde dem Management von dem Gehalt abgezogen werden. Die Entscheidung fà ¼r eine à ¼bernahme soll aber bei dem Managementteam bleiben, da diese sich mit dem Tagesgeschà ¤ft beschà ¤ftigen und sich besser mit der Materie auskennen. Fusionen dienen auch dem Management als Schutz vor der eigenen à ¼bernahme. Je grà ¶ÃƒÅ¸er ein Unternehmen ist, umso schwerer ist es sie zu à ¼bernehmen. Als Folge dieser Tatsache entsteht fà ¼r das Management ein Arbeitsplatz und dieser ist einer geringeren Bedrohung von Außen ausgesetzt. Als Zusammenfassung kann man bestà ¤tigen, dass es ein heterogenes Feld zwischen den Eigentà ¼mern und dem Management gibt. Neben den strategischen Motiven geben die Management Motive eine Erklà ¤rung dafà ¼r, warum es so viele und auch unprofitable Fusionen gibt. Das gelingen einer Fusion hà ¤ngt somit zum Teil auch von dem Management und dessen Interessen ab. 3.3 Branchenspezifische Motivationen In der Literatur lassen sich spezifische Motivationen feststellen, die insbesondere fà ¼r die IT-Branche gelten. Nach Fox (2002) ist die Motivation von Technologie Erwerb durch MAs in der IT-Branche sehr hoch. Das fà ¼hrt er auf den Wandel in der IT-Branche und dem damit entstehenden Druck sich Sektoren à ¼bergreifend zu positionieren und zu einem Anbieter von Produkten aller Sektoren zu werden. Die schnellste Là ¶sung eine Technologie zugà ¤nglich zu machen, ist der Zusammenschluss mit einem Unternehmen, welches diese Technologie besitzt. Wenn ein sektorenà ¼bergreifendes Angebot von Produkten geboten wird, haben die Unternehmen den Vorteil, dass sie sich nicht auf ein Segment fixieren und von den Wachstumsschwankungen abhà ¤ngig sind. Insbesondere ist dieses bei dem PC-Sektor so. Dieser Sektor ist sehr von der Performance der anderen Mà ¤rkte abhà ¤ngig und neigt zu starken Schwankungen. Die Motivation sich horizontal zu erweitern hà ¤ngt stark von dem Wandel in der IT-Br anche ab. Denn die Unternehmen mà ¼ssen sich den Nachfragen an diesem Markt anpassen. (Westerwelle, 2003: 41ff) 4. Wandel der IT-Branche In den Kapiteln vorhergehenden Kapiteln wurden die Begriffe dieser Arbeit definiert und die mà ¶glichen Motivationen fà ¼r MA insbesondere des IT-Sektors vorgestellt. Wir bleiben in diesem Kapitel in der IT-Branche und erlà ¤utern die anhaltenden Verà ¤nderungen der Branche. „Die IT-Branche ist im Fusionsfieber. Unternehmen versuchen, ihre Konkurrenten durch Expansion zu à ¼berrunden und sich neue Geschà ¤fte zu erschließen. Immer mehr Firmen setzten auf Dienstleistungen. (Berger, 2009) In Anlehnung von Westerwelle (2003: 37ff) kann man den Wandel wie folgt skizzieren. Mit dem Erfolg von Dell, welcher durch die Sà ¤ttigung des PC-Marktes und seinen sehr kostengà ¼nstigen direkt Vertrieb von PCs her kam, wurde der PC-Sektor Ende 2000 zu einem margenschwachen Sektor. Alle großen PC-Hersteller außer Dell machten in dem Jahr ab 2001 große Verluste von Marktanteil dieses Sektors. Der Sektor hatte kaum Wachstumspotential da eine Sà ¤ttigung am Markt bestand. Diese Sà ¤ttigung kam von den Leistungs-Level der PCs zu diesem Zeitpunkt, denn ihre Leistung war ausreichend und folglich waren die Unternehmen nicht mehr willig hohe Kosten fà ¼r die Herstellung von leistungsstà ¤rkerem PCs zu à ¼bernehmen. Die Kundenwà ¼nsche, insbesondere die der lukrativen Großkunden, à ¤nderten sich. Sie gingen zu einem Komplettangebot à ¼ber. Diese Kunden wollten eine ganze PC Infrastruktur kaufen und nicht mehr nur einen PC. Um das zu gewà ¤hrleisten mussten große Unternehmen wie IBM, HP oder Compaq ihre Angebotspalette stetig ausbauen. Da die Technologien im IT-Markt schnelllebig sind, behalfen sich diese Unternehmen einer schnellen Methode, die der MAs, um sich wichtige Technologien zugà ¤nglich zumachen. Der IT-Dienstleistungssektor welcher am margenreichsten ist wurde von IBM dominiert, da sich z.B. IBM auf die Integration von Netzwerkstrukturen verstand wurden von diesem Unternehmen nicht nur das Know-how sondern auch die spezifische Hardware bezogen. Dieses ist Resultat der Erkenntnis, dass eine effiziente und sehr gut abgestimmte Netzwerkstruktur nur mit abgestimmten Komponenten aus einer Hand preiswert realisiert werden kann. Diese gestiegene Nachfrage von effizienten Netzwerkstrukturen kam durch einen Wandel, die Einfà ¼hrung von Verteilung des Unternehmens à ¼ber das Internet. Die Nutzung des Internets von Kunden, hat einen Wandel im IT-Markt gebracht. Was die Spieler in diesem Markt noch immer zu massiven Verà ¤nderungen Ihrer Angebote zwingt. Mit diesem Kapitel werden die Branchenbedingungen von HP und Compaq wà ¤hrend unserer Untersuchungszeitspanne bis zum Jahr 2003 erà ¶rtert. 5. Die drei Phasen der Fusionen In dem folgenden Kapitel werden die Schritte eines Fusionsprozesses allgemein erklà ¤rt. Der Fusionsprozess là ¤sst sich grob in drei Phasen unterteilen, die chronologisch aufeinander bauen. Sie lauten Pre Merger- , Merger- und Post Mergerphase. Diesen Phasen werden wir, die von uns betrachteten, Erfolgsfaktoren zuordnen. 5.1 Pre Mergerphase Am Anfang des Prozesses steht die Pre Mergerphase. In dieser Phase wird zunà ¤chst eine allgemeine Grundstrategie formuliert. Bei dieser Formulierung geht es darum zuerst die Stà ¤rken und Schwà ¤chen des eigenen Unternehmens herauszuarbeiten und zu analysieren. Somit kann à ¼berprà ¼ft werden, ob das Unternehmen à ¼berhaupt eine Fusion benà ¶tigt. Als Abschluss des ersten Schrittes wird ein strategisches Konzept erstellt, welches die zusammenfassenden Erkenntnisse à ¼ber die Unternehmensanalyse sowie Motive und Ziele fà ¼r die bevorstehende Fusion beinhaltet. Ferner kà ¶nnte man aus dem erstellten Konzept erkennen, welche Bindungsintensità ¤t fà ¼r das Unternehmen besser geeignet wà ¤re. (Grube Tà ¶pfer, 2002: 44ff). Es ist wichtig, dass das Konzept sorgfà ¤ltig bearbeitet wird, da letztendlich der Erfolg oder Misserfolg einer Fusion bereits in dieser Phase bestimmt wird. (Middelmann, 2000: 113) „Diese Kenntnisse erleichtern in der anschließenden Phase die Suche nach dem optimalen Partner, das so genannte Screening (Stegmann, 2002: 32) Dementsprechend werden die mà ¶glichen Kooperationspartner auf einer Liste aufgefà ¼hrt und nach wichtigen Kriterien wie beispielweise potenziellen Synergieeffekten bewertet. (Rà ¶dl, 2002: 39) Fà ¼r die Kandidatenauswahl sollte das Unternehmen einen kontinuierlichen und systematischen Prozess einfà ¼hren, bis sie den optimalen Partner gefunden haben. (Wirtschaftswoche, 2008, Nr. 28) 5.2 Merger- Phase Die Merger- Phase beginnt nach der erfolgeichen Suche eines geeigneten Fusionspartners und verlà ¤uft à ¼ber Verhandlungsstrategien bis hin zum endgà ¼ltigen Vertragabschluss. Um eine endgà ¼ltige Entscheidung zu treffen, ob der potenzielle Fusionspartner wirklich geeignet ist, werden externe Spezialisten wie Unternehmensberater und Wirtschaftsprà ¼fer zur Hilfe gebeten, diese bilden das sog. Due Dilligence- Team. Um die in der Pre Merger- Phase formulierten Ziele der angestrebten Fusion erreichen zu kà ¶nnen, à ¼berprà ¼fen die Spezialisten, wo sich die Schwà ¤chen des eigenen Unternehmens und die Stà ¤rken des potenziellen Partners ausgleichen. Dieses Vorgehen wird in der Literatur als strategisches Fit bezeichnet. (Middelmann, 2000: 114) „ Due Dilligence bedeutet, dass die zu erstellenden Analysen mit hà ¶chster Sorgfalt durchzufà ¼hren sind. Dabei sollen Gefahren, aber auch Chancen des bevorstehenden Unternehmenszusammenschlusses erkannt werden. (Scott, 2002: 14) Kommt das betrachtete Zielunternehmen als Fusionspartner in Frage, so werden in einer weiteren Analyse seine Wirtschaftlichkeit, seine Geschichte und das finanzielle Risiko, das mit der angestrebten Fusion aufkommen wà ¼rde, unter die Lupe genommen. (Middelmann, 2000: 114f) Falls die Analyse ein positives Ergebnis liefert und das Zielunternehmen zu einem Zusammenschluss bereit ist, wird unter der Prà ¤misse die rechtlichen Kartellbedingungen nicht zu verletzen, Vertragsverhandlungen gefà ¼hrt und letztendlich ein Vertrag ausgearbeitet und abgeschlossen. 5.3 Post Merger- Phase Am Ende des Fusionsprozesses steht die Post Merger- Phase an, die sich sehr intensiv mit der Integration und deren Planung beschà ¤ftigt. Die Integrationsplanung orientiert sich an den, in den vergangenen Phasen ermittelten, Potenzialen vom Fusionspartner. Eine vorhergehende detaillierte Planung der Integration ist wichtig, um von den Synergien optimal gebrauch machen zu kà ¶nnen. (Grube Tà ¶pfer, 2002: 45ff) Die Aufgabe beider Unternehmensfà ¼hrungen ist es nun, trotz der gravierenden Unterschiede in den Bereichen wie Kultur und Organisation, ein neues einheitliches Unternehmen zu errichten. Des Weitern mà ¼ssen alle betrieblichen Ablà ¤ufe in der Fertigung und Steuerung, wie Controlling, Rechnungswesen und Personal, aufeinander abgestimmt sein. (Middelmann, 2000: 118f) Nicht zu vernachlà ¤ssigen ist die intensive Zusammenarbeit mit der Personalorganisation, damit Unsicherheit und eine eventuelle Demotivation bei den Mitarbeitern vermieden werden kann. Hier spricht man von der internen Kommunikation im Unternehmen, die gestà ¤rkt werden muss. Neben der internen Kommunikation spielt die externe Kommunikation auch eine sehr große Rolle. Das heißt, dass die Gesprà ¤che und Informationen à ¼ber den Ablauf der Fusion in den Veranstaltungen und Verà ¶ffentlichungen sehr gezielt und vertrauenerweckend sein mà ¼ssen, um die Skepsis von Kunden, Lieferanten und Wettbewerbern gegenà ¼ber dem neu entstandenen Unternehmen abzubauen. (Middelmann, 2000: 118f) Die besondere Schwierigkeit dieser Phase liegt bei dieser Integrationsaufgabe. Gelingt der reibungslose Zusammenschluss nicht oder nur unzureichend, so war die Fusion nicht erfolgreich. Darà ¼ber hinaus sollte das Unternehmen die Dauer des Integrationsprozesses genau festlegen, denn meistens treten die gewà ¼nschten Synergieeffekte der Fusion erst nach mehreren Jahren nach der Fusion ein. (Grube Tà ¶pfer, 2002: 45ff) Wird der Integrationsprozess zu kurz bemessen, so kà ¶nnte die Fusion als Misserfolg ausgelegt werden, was wiederum bà ¶se Konsequenzen, wie z.B. extreme Kursschwankungen in der Bà ¶rse und gar die Aufhebung der Fusion, mit sich bringen kà ¶nnte. Der letzte Schritt dieser Phase beinhaltet die Erfolgskontrolle. Es werden dabei die Ergebnisse der Fusion mit der Zielsetzung der Anfangsstrategie verglichen und eine Bilanz gezogen. Werden Abweichungen und Probleme bei der Umsetzung erkannt, wird versucht diesen entgegen zu steuern. 6. Kritische Erfolgsfaktoren von Mergers Acqusitions 6.1 Due Dilligence Due Dilligence hat eine sehr zentrale Bedeutung in allen Mergers und Akqusitionspozessen. Dieser Faktor kà ¶nnte sogar alleine den Erfolg oder Misserfolg einer Fusion bestimmen. „ Der Begriff „Due Diligence stammt aus den angelsà ¤chsischen Rechtswissenschaften und bedeutet unzureichend à ¼bersetzt „gebà ¼hrende Sorgfalt. Der Begriff hat à ¼ber die juristische Verwendung hinaus bei Mergers Acquisitions Anwendung gefunden und stellt bei heutigen Projekten die Grundlage zur Bewertung und Analyse einer Organisation dar. (Bischoff, Jà ¼rgen M.,2007 : 73 ) Im Wesentlichen verfolgt „ Due Dilligence drei Hauptziele: Endecken und beschreiben der wesentlichen Unterschiede zwischen den beiden Unternehmen und deren mà ¶gliche Auswirkungen Generierung von Integrationsrichtlinien sowie von Ansatzpunkten fà ¼r die erfolgreiche Gestaltung der Post-Merger-Phase Unterstà ¼tzung bei der Kaufentscheidung, der Preisfindung sowie zur Risikominimierung (Bischoff, Jà ¼rgen M., 2007 : 74) Die gewonnen Informationen von Due Dilligence bestimmen letztendlich den Umfang und den Schwerpunkt in der Post Merger Integration. Das Due Dilligence- Team besteht aus externen Spezialisten wie Wirtschaftsprà ¼fern, Anwà ¤lten und Unternehmensberatern und internen Mitarbeitern. Die Unternehmen arbeiten bewusst mit unternehmensexternen Spezialisten, weil die eigenen Mitarbeiter emotional und nicht neutral handeln kà ¶nnten. Das Due Dilligence- Team muss ein hohes Maß an Pflichtbewusstsein mitbringen, damit die Grà ¼ndlichkeit der Bewertung und die Interessen des Unternehmens nicht darunter leiden. Die Unternehmensbewertung sollte explizite Informationen à ¼ber den ausgewà ¤hlten Fusionspartner geben. Die zur Verfà ¼gung gestellten Informationen werden auf Finanzkraft, Unternehmenswert und Synergiepotenziale analysiert. Nach Abschluss der Prà ¼fung mà ¼sste der Auftraggeber der Due Dilligence in der Lage sein, zu entscheiden, ob es sich bei dem ausgewà ¤hlten Fusionspartner um ein geeignetes Unternehmen handelt. Ist dies der Fall so wird à ¼ber Due Dilligence eine Verhandlungsbasis fà ¼r die Entscheidung der weiteren Integrationsschritte zur Verfà ¼gung gestellt. (Blà ¶cher, 2002: 35ff) „ Die gewonnen Informationen werden dem Auftraggeber der Due Dilligence in so genannten Data Rooms zur Verfà ¼gung gestellt. Dabei kann es sich sowohl um elektronische Datenbanken als auch um Akten oder Dokumente handeln (Krà ¼ger, 2000: 157ff) 6.2 Personalmanagement Human Resources ist ein weiterer wichtiger Faktor, der zum Fusionserfolg beitrà ¤gt. Das gut ausgebildete Personal wie z.B. Entwickler , Fà ¼hrungskrà ¤fte und Fachleute gehà ¶ren zum „menschlichen Kapital eines Unternehmens. Da die Mitarbeiter ganz unterschiedlich auf die Verà ¤nderungen wà ¤hrend der Fusion reagieren, sollte das Unternehmen deren Auswirkung im Fusionsprozess nicht unterschà ¤tzen. (Klodt, H. , 2002:S. 106.) Das Humankapital beeinflusst eine Fusion positiv sowie negativ. Einerseits kann es als Motivation fà ¼r eine Motivation einer Fusion dienen, das ist dann der Fall, wenn ein Unternehmen auf der Suche nach qualifizierten Mitarbeitern im Zielunternehmen ist. Andererseits entsteht eine negative Beeinflussung, die ihren Ursprung in persà ¶nlichen Anliegen hat. Verlustà ¤ngste des Arbeitsplatzes oder Gehaltverschlechterung kà ¶nnen das qualitative Arbeiten erheblich mindern und fà ¼hren zu einer Skepsis gegenà ¼ber einer Fusion. Das kann sogar dazu fà ¼hren, dass kompetente Mitarbeiter das Unternehmen verlassen. Um das zu vermeiden, muss sich das Personalmanagement zur Aufgabe machen in direktem Kontakt zu den Mitarbeitern zu stehen. Die Organisation muss in der Integrationsphase Antworten auf offene Fragen haben und einen sicheren und ehrlichen Umgang mit den Mitarbeitern pflegen. Die Aufgaben des Personalmanagements kà ¶nnten folgendermaßen in den jeweiligen Fusionsphasen aussehen: In der Pre Merger Phase muss die Bedeutung des Human Kapitals geklà ¤rt werden, damit das Personal im Verlauf der Fusion ausreichend berà ¼cksichtigt wird. In der Merger- Phase werden sà ¤mtliche Mitarbeiterdaten, Lohnabrechnungen oder Arbeitzeiten ausgewertet und miteinander verglichen. So wird die Kombinierbarkeit der unterschiedlichen Strukturen und Systeme der Personalorganisationen auf eine Vereinheitlichung hin geprà ¼ft. In der Post Merger- Phase muss geklà ¤rt werden, zu welchem Zeitpunkt bestimmte Ziele erreicht werden sollen, ob und wann Umstrukturierungsmaßnahmen oder à ¼bergangsregelungen erfolgen und auf welche Art und Weise die Mitarbeiter zu informieren sind (Pribilla, P.: Personalmanagement bei Mergers Acquisitions, in: Picot, A./Nordmeyer, A./Pribilla, P. (Hrsg.), Stuttgart, 2000, S. 64-67.) Um all diese Maßnahmen durchfà ¼hren zu kà ¶nnen ist eine gezielte und gute Kommunikation unausweichlich. Dies kann à ¼ber verschiedene Wege erfolgen. Z.B. à ¼ber Mitarbeiterversammlungen, regelmà ¤ÃƒÅ¸ige Email und Newsletter oder Diskussionsforen. Ferner sollte dem Angestellten ermà ¶glicht werden, direkte Fragen an das Management zu stellen zu kà ¶nnen. . ( Grube, R./Tà ¶pfer, A., 2002, S. 152.) Schließlich erfolgt die eigentliche Integration durch die Integrationsteams, die nur die Aufgabe haben die Fusion zu koordinieren. Damit eine schnelle gegenseitige Akzeptanz unt

Risk management by indian banks

Risk management by indian banks Case analysis: Risk management by Indian banks The banking and financial crises in recent years in emerging economies have demonstrated that, when things go wrong with the financial system, they can result in a severe economic downturn. From this perspective, financial sector reforms are essential in order to avoid such costs. These reforms have become the tools for banks to manage risk. Some of the tools are: 1) Interest Rate Scenario The first important issue that I would like to highlight relates to interest rates. Interest rates reflect strongly to inflation rates, there has been a distinct downward drift in the inflation rate during the second half of the 1990s, which is now at around half the level as compared with the first half of the 1990s. Both the popular measures of inflation the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) have shown a definite fall in the recent period. This is clearly reflected in the downward trend in nominal interest rates. The banks have also reduced their deposit rates. But the lending rates of banks have not come down as much. While banks have reduced their prime lending rates (PLRs) to some extent and are also extending sub-PLR loans and effective lending rates continue to remain high (Table 1 and Chart 1). 2) Lending to Small and Medium Enterprises Banks have now understood the problems with lending large organizations. The large organization not only reduces the interest rates by bargaining but also makes default payments by which banks are under tremendous risk, and hence banks are now making a move to provide more loans to small and medium enterprises. 3) Revival of Long-Term Financing The development finance institutions (DFIs) were set up in the 1950s to provide medium and long-term finance to the private sector. Many of these institutions were sponsored by the Government. DFIs were expected to resolve long-term credit shortages and to acquire and disseminate skills necessary to assess projects and banks creditworthiness. The current trend is of DFIs converting themselves into banks. In this context, the future of long-term lending acquires great importance. 4) Non-Performing Assets As of March 31, 2002, the gross NPAs of scheduled commercial banks stood at Rs.71,000 crore, of which the NPAs of public sector banks constituted Rs.57,000 crore. The absolute amount of NPAs continues to be a major drag on the performance of banks. Banks uses the process of securitisation of assets to remove NPAs from the balance sheets. 5) Investing in government securities: In the current interest rate environment, banks are finding it more profitable to invest in government securities. In 2001-02, trading profits of public sector banks more than doubled to Rs.5,999 crore from Rs.2,250 crore in 2000-01. The net profits of these banks during these two years were Rs.4,317 crore and Rs.8,301 crore respectively and this includes an additional Rs.1,365 crore and Rs.1,547 crore from forex operations. The Reserve Bank has been encouraging banks to be proactive in risk management and banks have been directed to maintain a certain level of Investment Fluctuation Reserve (IFR). TABLE 1 : REAL INTEREST RATES Year Weighted Weighted Average Average Inflation Rate Real Interest Rate Ended Average Average Cost of Cost of WPI Manufact- CPI-IW Borrowers Central Depositors March Lending Interest Rate Aggregate Time uring Price Government Rate of of Central Deposits Deposits SCBs Government of SCBs of SCBs Securities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9=(2-7) 10=(3-6) 11=(5-8) 1990-91 15.0 11.4 8.1 10.6 10.3 8.4 4.6 6.6 1.1 6.0 1991-92 16.5 11.8 7.1 9.1 13.7 11.3 13.5 5.2 -1.9 -4.4 1992-93 16.8 12.5 7.7 9.6 10.1 10.9 9.6 5.9 2.4 0.0 1993-94 16.5 12.6 6.9 8.7 8.4 7.8 7.5 8.7 4.2 1.2 1994-95 16.1 11.9 6.4 7.0 12.5 12.2 10.1 3.9 -0.6 -3.1 1995-96 17.1 13.8 6.9 8.5 8.1 8.6 10.2 8.5 5.7 -1.7 1996-97 16.9 13.7 7.6 9.4 4.6 2.1 9.4 14.8 9.1 0.0 1997-98 16.3 12.0 7.3 8.8 4.4 2.9 6.8 13.4 7.6 2.0 1998-99 15.5 11.9 7.4 8.9 5.9 4.4 13.1 11.1 6.0 -4.2 1999-00 15.0 11.8 7.1 8.6 3.3 2.7 3.4 12.3 8.5 5.2 2000-01 14.3 11.0 6.8 8.1 7.2 3.3 3.8 11.0 3.8 4.3 2001-02 13.9 9.4 7.0* 8.3* 3.6 1.8 4.3 12.1 5.8 4.0 Average 1990-91 to 1995-96 16.3 12.3 7.2 8.9 10.5 9.9 10.4 6.5 1.8 -0.3 1996-97 to 2001-02 15.3 11.6 7.2 8.7 4.8 2.9 6.8 12.5 6.8 1.9 Table 2 : Comparative Position of International Real Interest Rates Country / Money Long-term Prime Rate Inflation Rate GDP Growth Period Average Market Rate G-sec Yield United States 1991 to 1996 1.50 3.71 4.40 3.09 2.58 1997 to 2001 2.73 3.20 5.73 2.46 3.37 United Kingdom 1991 to 1996 4.05 5.30 4.25 3.25 1.92 1997 to 2001 3.40 2.77 3.46 2.57 2.76 Germany 1991 to 1996 3.63 4.09 9.04 2.85 3.20 1997 to 2001 1.99 3.17 7.75 1.57 1.75 Japan 1991 to 1996 2.00 2.78 3.57 1.16 1.74 1997 to 2001 0.09 1.40 2.07 0.13 0.69 Korea 1991 to 1996 7.50 7.21 3.16 5.99 7.35 1997 to 2001 4.79 5.85 6.74 3.82 4.31 Thailand 1991 to 1996 3.71 5.78 7.74 4.97 8.17 1997 to 2001 3.22 4.65 6.98 3.44 -0.20 China 1991 to 1996 N.A. N.A. -2.09 12.32 11.61 1997 to 2001 N.A. N.A. 6.28 0.23 7.93 India 1991 to 1996 3.43 N.A. 6.57 10.52 5.41 1997 to 2001 3.40 5.87 7.62 5.08 6.14 Hungary 1991 to 1996 N.A. N.A. 5.11 25.04 -1.63 1997 to 2001 N.A. N.A. 4.13 12.29 4.52

Why Is Religion Important? Essay -- Why Study Religion?

"Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without a spiritual life." -- Buddha "So I say to you, Ask and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you." --Jesus Christ Whether you consider yourself a religious person or not, or whether you think religion has played a positive or negative role in history, it is an incontrovertible fact that from the beginning of time, humans have engaged in activities that we now call religion, such as worship, prayer, and rituals marking important life passages. Moreover, religions have always asked fundamental questions, such as: What is the true meaning of life? What happens to us after death? How do we explain human suffering and injustices? The answers different religious traditions give to these important questions are many and varied and often contradictory. But the questions themselves are ones with which humans throughout time have grappled, and probably will continue to grapple with into the indefinite future. Thus, one of the first reasons to study religion is sim...

Ferris Beach: Automobiles and Motorcycles as Symbols :: McCorkle Ferris Beach Essays

Ferris Beach:  Ã‚   Automobiles and Motorcycles as Symbols  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚      During adolescence, one makes a transition from a child to a young adult. It is common for an adolescent to be confused and frustrated with new ideas regarding morals and beliefs. People, places, and experiences teach adolescents about life and how to handle different situations., and the environments of the individuals become instrumental for their development. In the novel Ferris Beach, Jill McCorkle provides an example of the learning process of an adolescent girl in the 1970's. Kate Burns accepts the changes of a shifting South and eventually embraces a change within herself. In McCorkle's novel, cars and highways provide an index for understanding the new changes in the South. At this time, cars became possessions of most families and the automobile's prevalence sparked many changes for adolescents in America. McCorkle uses the car in her novel as a "vehicle" for Kate Burns to learn about life and growing up. The car was first considered a common household item in the 1970's, which signified a sizable change in American life and increased opportunity for all people. One major change made with the increase in cars was the building of roads which McCorkle notes, "...Mrs. Poole rented out Brown's Econo Lodge on Old 301, which had gone bust with the building of I-95" (McCorkle 35). The process of the old Econo Lodge being torn down and replaced by the new road calls for a lot of physical changes. The destruction of the Econo Lodge is comparable to Kate losing her girlish attributes. As the new road is being paved, Kate's figure is maturing and taking on a more womanly shape. Most people enjoy knowing they have security in a situation and dislike periods of transition. Therefore, when towns across America experienced the construction of roads, citizens were anticipating and impatiently waiting its completion. Kate possess a similar attitude regarding the culmination of her adolescence. She lon gs for this growth to reach finality and hopes that she will someday appear as womanly as Angela, "...so young-looking and glamorous in her two-piece sparkly gold suit right below her navel (16).    The building of I-95 increased opportunities for those with cars. Distances between cities seemed shorter and many consumer goods became widely accessible. The ability to travel on modern roads allows Kate and her dad to make the trip to Ferris Beach.

How to Run a Good Meeting :: essays research papers

How to Run a Good Meeting Most people don’t like meetings. They say they are boring, go on too long, and don’t get anything done. And often that’s the truth. So to have a good meeting, you need to make it interesting, keep it on track, and make sure something gets done. Here are eight steps toward making your next meeting a success. 1. Make sure you need to have a meeting. Meetings are needed when a group of people must be involved in an action or a decision. Don’t schedule a meeting just because it’s time to have one. 2. Set a goal for the meeting. Be very clear about why you’re having the meeting, and what needs to get done or be decided. Break that task into steps, or divide the discussion into sections—that’s the agenda for your meeting. At the start of the meeting say, this is our goal, and if we can get this done, the meeting will be a success. At the end of the meeting remind them that you achieved your goal. This lets everyone leave feeling successful, and they’ll be glad to come to your next meeting. 3. Put decisions to the group. The participants own the meeting. Let them set the agenda before the meeting, or at least add to it when you begin. If decisions need to be made about the process (whether to end a discussion that’s going too long, for example) then ask that question to the group. 4. Stay on schedule. Remember that every minute a person spends in your meeting, they could be doing other things. They’re with you because they’ve decided your meeting is important, so treat them like their time is important. Start on time and end on time! 5. Pay attention to what’s important. Set a certain amount of time for each item on the agenda, based on how important it is. If the group starts spending a lot of time on details, ask them â€Å"Is this what we want to spend our time talking about?† A lot of details can be worked out by individuals or committees—meetings are for the decisions that need to involve the whole group. 6. Keep the meeting on track. Your agenda is the tool you use to make sure you’re on time and on the right topic. When side issues come up, help the group get back on track. If the issue sounds important, check with the group.

Language and translation Essay

Language is the basic tool people use to communicate with each other, including verbal language and non-verbal language. Language is used to announce, to persuade, to queries, to express emotions, to transmit complicated ideas or even to hurt people. Generally speaking, using the language correctly allows people to communicate better, compared with animals. However, we live in a big world, which has more than 6 billion people now. With the existence of many different languages, the issues of translation are generated. After reading Alberto Rios essay – Translating Translation: Finding the Beginning, I know Rios understands languages and translation in complex and stratified ways, from cultures and manners. He writes â€Å"Language is more than what we say – it’s also how we say it, and whether or not we even understand what we are saying. † in his short essay (508). It can be understood easily why Rios pays so much attention to languages and translation. He grew up on the southwestern borderlands, having a Mexican father and an English mother. (504) The place he grew up is a place where cultures of the United States and Mexico meet and collide. Based on his own experience of dealing with different cultures and different languages, he points out how to say is more significant than what we say. The elements making his essay to be persuasive and compelling is worth to be analyzed, such as his personal background, the examples of his experience he gives, the way he arrange the examples and the his unique writing style. Rios’ personal background not only determine the topics he prefers to write about languages, but also make his writing on these topics become more convincing because he experiences many problems of languages and cultural conflicts by himself and it cannot been denied. As I mentioned before, he grew up in a place where cultures of the United States and Mexico meet and collide. â€Å"My father was born in Mexico, on the border of Guatemala, and my mother was born in England. I had languages. †(506) We can see that, because of his parents, he is doomed to face a lot of bi-languages problems. In order to understand both people speaking Spanish and people speaking English, he has to know how they say in different way rather than just know what the words mean in Spanish and English. He needs to understand the ways of how people say for getting the real meanings beyond the simple words. Because of his experience of languages differences, he has special interests in figuring out how people use languages in different ways. That’s also why he is fond of topics on languages and translations between different languages. Due to the special background Rios has, he has some interesting experiences of translation problems. All three examples Rios gives help to make his writing persuasive since the examples are typical and are related to his idea of importance of how we say perfectly. Through those three examples, Rios tries to demonstrate that translation incorporates understanding what it says and how it say, instead of explaining what is translation and how to move from one language to another. In order to claim his viewpoint, he picks up three typical examples. In the first example: â€Å"My mother when asked what color she wanted the kitchen, said to the workers who were all Mexican, and who spoke very little English, limon. But when we came back the next day, the kitchen was painted bright green, like a small jungle. Mexican limones, my mother found out, are small and green that color exactly, no mistake. † (506) Rios’s mother asks the workers to paint their kitchen in the color of limon, but the workers understand it as limones, which is different from limon. It’s a small understanding in the communication. The misunderstanding happens because author mother’s wrong pronunciation but the workers do not really understand what she wants. It’s quite normal for a new leaner to have incorrect pronunciations. But in native speakers’ ears, they will think that may be another word. This is a small example that different understandings of words cause misunderstand between people who speak different languages. The second example tells a story that a man, who was arrested for illegally crossing the border from Mexico into the United States was arrested, and then was left in the jail without anyone coming to see him from a Thursday to a Saturday because of lack of understanding between the man and his jailers. (507) In that situation, everyone is supposed to say something even yell out when finding their own are forgotten by the jailers. But the man didn’t because he had manners. This example let me think of an observation of mine. Americans say â€Å"can I have a†¦Ã¢â‚¬  when they order in the restaurant, but most Chinese are accustomed to say â€Å"I want a †¦Ã¢â‚¬  when ordering. This difference cannot jump to the conclusion that Chinese are impolite. The expression difference happens due to the difference manners of language. This kind of case is more complicated than the first example. People have the same understanding of words but different manners still cause misunderstandings. Rios select this example to tell people if you want to understand other completely, the manner behind word cannot be ignored. The third example is interesting. The conversation took place between Rios and one of his students. â€Å"Hey,ese,† he said to me, with a small pointing of the right hand. â€Å"Hey† I said. He nodded his head. â€Å"You really like this poetry shit. † He asked. â€Å"Yes. † I said. And then he followed with the very best thing I could ever hoped for. †So how many fights you had? † (508) A student of Rios asks Rios â€Å"how many fights you had? † Rios understands the student is using his way to communicate. The boy was just looking for an equation for something to understand instead of embarrassing the teacher. If at that time, Rios didn’t understand what the boy really tried to do, Rios would be mad at the boy. This example perfectly shows that language is more than what we say, it’s also how we say it. If Rios just cares about the language that the boy says from his mouth, he will misapprehend the boy and have very bad impression of the boy. When we try to understand what others say, how can we only understand the words others say? We also should try to dig out the original meanings of the speaker in order to avoid the misunderstandings of verbal communication. The author, Rios, tries to illustrate the idea that language is more than what we say and we need to understand the way of how we say it by these three examples step by step. There is a point deserved to highlight. Rios does not arrange these examples randomly. Rios organizes the examples in a progressive relation rather than choose three examples in the same layer. He puts his mother’s example in the first place because it was very small example but it’s also enough to let people have the first understanding of what translation problem can happen between different languages. Compared with first example, the second example doesn’t only lead people to consider the issues of words, but also manners behind the words that different cultures hold. The progressive relation can be noticed here easily. The focus is moving from simple misunderstanding of words to misunderstand of manners because of different cultures. The feature of third example is more obvious. Rios add many action descriptions. For example, â€Å"Hey,ese,† he said to me, with a small pointing of the right hand. (508) Languages include body languages. By adding action description, Rios leads the focus move again, to a higher layer – action expression. Perhaps â€Å"pointing of the right hand† shows nervous in this case, so Rios notices that his student was looking for an equation but he just didn’t know how to do that and felt nervous. Rios arranging the examples in this order makes his essay persuasive because readers can reach the main idea of the essay step by step which helps his main idea to be more acceptable. Apart from adopting three appropriate examples to express his idea, Rios also has his own unique writing style to make his essay compelling. In an interview, he said â€Å"I would say that I write in Spanish – it just looks like English. †(504) I found the entire interview from Internet, he says† I do occasionally write in Spanish, but when I do it’s from another time, from childhood, often, I listen hard for how ideas come to me, in what container they are being delivered, and I try to be true to it. Sometimes that container is Spanish. † (Twenty-Four Questions: A conversation with Alberto Alvaro Rios) It means Rios sometimes form his ideas in Spanish although he writes in English. As a non-English speaker who but lives in an English speaking country, I got a deep feeling for this. Although I live in America where I listen English and speak English everyday, I still think in Chinese. I form my ideas in Chinese way and then say it from my mouth in English. Rios grew up in a Spanish speaking environment, and he used to think in Spanish. As he says, Spanish sometime is the container which holds his ideas in his mind. So his poems and stories are written in English but flavored by the sensibilities of his first language, Spanish. As Rios writes in his essay, â€Å"I often talk about the duality of language using the metaphor of binoculars, how by using two lenses one might see something better, closer, with more detail. †(506) We can see Rios regards the duality of language as a significant part of translation. Rios claims that the body itself speaks a language differently, so that moving from one language to another is more than translate words. (506) He changes the expression method rather than just translate the words from Spanish to English in order to keep the original meanings expressed in Spanish. Compared with other writers, this specialty of his writing makes his writing compelling. Language is the bridge of communication. According to Alberto Alvaro Rios, just understanding what we say is not enough. It’s necessary to know how we say it if we need to really understand what other say. Misunderstandings take place easily because of the unsuccessful translation of language or act. When a person says something or do something, but the listener misunderstand the person, it’s a unsuccessful translation. Especially in different languages, unsuccessful translations happen more frequently due to the different cultures. Therefore, when we listen to others, we should consider the different cultural background, different manners and different way of using language. That’s also what Rios means by â€Å"Language is more than what we say – it’s also how we say it. † Work Cited Bartholomae, David, and Tony Petrosky. â€Å"Short Talks. † Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 264. 67. Print. â€Å"Twenty-Four Questions: A Conversation with Alberto Alvaro Rios. † Alberto Alvaro Rios. N. p. , n. d. Web. 25 Oct. 2013.