Dion Lee

Sydney born Dion Lee is a 24 year old successful Australian born high end textile fashion designer who creates clear-cut, structured and tailored to perfection garments to create a perfect silhouette for the woman wearing his designs. He is one of the fashion industries youngest well known designers. Dion is inspired by the construction of clothing. He likes edge cutting garments which are extremely functional created with the combination of traditional tailoring techniques and modern concepts and techniques.His designs cater working class women who look for the smart casual look which is accomplished with the designer’s sharp blazers and also girls who are looking for a chic cocktail frock. Fashion designer Dion Lee launched his debut collection in 2008 and quickly cemented his status as one of Australia's leading talents. Best known for his translation of architecture and science into â€Å"relaxed sophistication† Dion now attracts global attention, but still calls Sy dney home.Believing that Sydney style reflects the physical landscape and its trans seasonal climate, Dion effortlessly designs collections balancing proportion and silhouette to create structures that â€Å"link the environment and the body†. â€Å"I design for a certain kind of contemporary feminine identity, there is a very strong connection within that kind of woman being Australian,† says Dion.With origami like precision, his work is an articulation of engineered construction and detailed resolution, running parallels between architecture and fashion with â€Å"the ability to draw something on a two dimensional level and materialising it on a three dimensional sensory level†. This season is no different. Utilising proportion, volume, texture and his signature prints, his current collection which recently debuted in the UK, is the perfect balance of structure and fluidity.Taking inspiration from the collaborations he seeks, Dion has previously joined forces with Cue Clothing to release his own collection and most recently worked with Kanye West and Fashion Editor of Harper’s Bazaar Christine Centenera on his London show, supported by a short film he created with Australian Director Lorin Askill. If it’s possible to balance complexity with simplicity, Dion Lee achieves this in volumes. An achievement that puts him on the â€Å"watch list†, a status that Sydney and the world will be monitoring. Check out Dion Lee’s collection at Westfield, David Jones and Incu.

Philosophy Reflection Essay

This was my first major introduction into the study of philosophy, and I can honestly say that it has had a major impact on my belief system. Many of my views have been changed and my overall view on life is much different than it was five months ago. To me, the two most interesting works were the Tao and The Mind’s I. The Tao describes a really interesting way of life. Of all the philosophies we’ve read, it is the simplest and most beautiful. Instead of scanning for hidden meanings and analyzing all parts of life, Laozi just tells us to live life. Do no more than you have to do, but do everything you have to do. He tells us not to worry about death and just live life. I honestly think very simple and peaceful way of living can bring us much more happiness than we have now in our current society. However, the only way it can be implemented is if everyone follows the Tao, and that is nearly impossible in our current society. We should honestly try to live simpler lives and see the beauty of everyday things. The other work that really impacted me was The Mind’s I. I’m not sure if it qualifies as a single work, but there were several important themes that really interested me and changed some of my views. The section that really interested me the most was the section describing intelligent machines and animals, and their relationship to humans. I had always considered humans superior to animals due to their intelligence and ability to communicate. I never thought too much about the idea of intelligent animals and even machines and their relationship to humans. An intelligent machine or animal that can communicate definitely would be on the same evolutionary level as humans, and thus there could be no way to justify creating an intelligent robotic servant or helper without harkening back to the ideology that prompted slavery. Also, destruction of this machine or animal would be equivalent to murder. However, I still so no moral objection to creating an intelligent robot, as long as we give it its own freedom, just as we would to one of our children. Its may be considered playing God, but if we are his greatest creations, we should have the right to test our limits. Only through a recreation of consciousness done and understood by us can we begin to understand our own consciousness as well as ourselves. I had never really thought about technology in this way and never seriously questioned the origin of my consciousness, so the Mind’s I really forced me to think about life in a different way. Throughout the term, I not only changed and reconsidered many of my views; I discovered things that I subconsciously believed without really thinking about it. My beliefs not only changed, I discovered beliefs that I never knew I had. Some of these views surfaced when reading certain works like The Mysterious Stranger and Nietzsche. Although these two works didn’t change my deep-set views that much, it was interesting to see my instinctual beliefs get challenged. I discovered I was a pretty moderate thinker, but these readings caused many of my views on life to change. However, I still disagreed with many of the views expressed in class discussions with certain works, like the Tao. But then I realized that the Tao is designed to have different meanings to everyone who reads it so they could find their own way of life and thus doesn’t lend itself well to class discussions. I saw that the way philosophy has evolved over the years mirrors the way society has changed throughout history. The older philosophies that we’ve read, like the Tao and Plato’ work, seem to try to tell us how to live our lives to get the most happiness and satisfaction out of it, and how to find the way or see the light. The more modern philosophies seem to disregard the idea of a true path and tell us how to live in the best way, but they don’t guarantee happiness from it. The most interesting pieces for me were a mix of the modern and older philosophies, like Nietzsche and Socrates’ Apology (I guess because he lived in a ancient but modern society). Even though they were completely different and I completely disagreed with one of them, they were much more compelling to me. One important thing that I learned is that I hate reading about something that I agree on, I dislike having my views â€Å"proven†?by another writer and rather read new ideas and opinions. From all the texts read and discussions we’ve had this year, it’s hard to highlight just three things that I learned. One of the most stimulating texts to me was The Circular Ruins. Especially when read right after Is God a Taoist, this simple story made me reconsider all my beliefs on existence and God. Just like the main character was, we are kept in the dark about our condition, where we came from and how we exist. We claim an all-mighty God as our creator, and call ourselves superior beings in his image. However, whose to say that we are not just insignificant nothings, created by another being of no importance. Would that make us less real and important? From this story I learned to stop attaching importance and purpose to everything I do. Maybe there is a reason we don’t know where we come from; perhaps we don’t want to know. Another important lesson came from Reservation Blues. The main characters all had to deal with finding a cultural identity while trying to escape the trap of the white man. The only ones who made it out were the ones who had a strong cultural identity. They knew themselves and identified with their past before they attempted to escape the reservation. Victor and Junior either tried to ignore their past or couldn’t come to terms with their heritage. They tried to escape before they were ready, and couldn’t cope with the failure. The book’s point, despite the suicide and Victor’s destruction, was amazingly positive, it showed that if you come to terms with your past and yourself you can overcome any obstacle set against you, but you must have this understanding or you will destroy yourself. From The Razor’s Edge I learned a lot about the purpose of life from each of the vastly different characters. At first, it seems like the point of the story is that there is a difference between what we want and what makes us happy and fulfilled. Suzanne, Gray and Elliot all got what they wanted yet all seem to live unhappy, unfulfilled lives. Further inspection showed that they all are living the life that they fully wanted and expected to live, and they are perfectly content. Isabel wanted both Larry and high society type of life, and thus is disappointed with her life because she couldn’t have both. Larry didn’t know what he wanted out of life, so he took basically a timeout from the real world, went into seclusion and discovered what he wanted out of life. Now he, knowing full well what he wants, is the most satisfied of all the characters. The lesson to be learned is that happiness is completely relative, and thus you cannot call anyone a failure unless he considers himself one. Also, it’s all right to take some time out of the real world and relax, take a step back and see what you really want to do next. In the end, this class really has changed my views on the best kind of life. I still believe that you need to live the type of life that will make you the happiest and most satisfied, but I don’t think that most people know what type of life that is. If you don’t have a passion, don’t force yourself into any profession. Explore the world and find something that really interests you otherwise you will get forced into a miserable life that you hate. If you have a passion, you have to follow it. You have to come in terms with who you are; understand and remember your past and childhood. We have to examine our lives to discover what we really want, then try to find it. We must simplify our actions, and we have to stop overanalyzing other’s actions and words. We have to lose our ego and sense of shame, and stop caring what people think of you. This is the simplest way to live and live happily, without having to adjust your actions to fit what other people expect from you. We have to stop fearing death and keep on living life in the happiest possible way. This will be the happiest, simplest and best life for everyone.

Learning Skills Improvement Service Essay

In my position as a workshop trainer at Deerbolt young offenders’ institute, the education I deliver for The Manchester College as part of their Offender Learning is supported, monitored and shaped by various professional bodies. The purpose of these bodies or sector skills councils vary however they all have a common goal in ensuring and enriching the quality of education being delivered. LSIS or the learning and skills improvement service are such a body who umbrella over every organisation that delivers qualifications throughout the country, and they do exactly what they say on the tin. LSIS improve quality, participation and increase standards in education and training. A lot of their work involves developing resources, implementing schemes, sharing delivery aids that improve quality and achievement and tailoring support to learners needs. â€Å"Colleges and providers helped by LSIS improved by one inspection grade at their next inspection.† (LSIS [ND] [online]) LSIS don’t just support the educational improvements though; in 2010 they recognised The Manchester College as a Healthy FE college, healthy initiatives offered throughout the college like loyalty cards, gym memberships and better eating schemes aimed to improve the health of students and staff. Another group that oversee our work as teachers is the professional body the IFL or the Institute for Learning. Their role is to register everyone practicing as a teacher or trainer in FE on to their database. They promote themselves as supporting professional excellence; they aim to increase the status of teachers as professionals, requiring a membership fee and proof of qualifications which is supported by the employer. They also champion the importance of CPD and require members to provide evidence of this and their teaching hours each year. This is seen to keep standards of teaching high, and promote quality and teaching as a profession. Until very recently this is how the IFL worked but due to the loss in government funding and teachers reluctantly to pay their own subscription the number of people renewing their subscription to the IFL fell by over half to just 85,000 signalling a loss of confidence in the body and an end to its presences. For many teachers and trainers in FE it was seen as a welcomed downfall as many believed the IFL did nothing for them, however now this professional body has collapsed there is no one regulating the qualifications or standard required to teach in FE which may lead to competiveness for jobs and or poor standards of teaching and training. These developments seemingly leave only Ofsted in place to assess the quality and standards of colleges and the individual teachers. â€Å"Ofsted would be made responsible for ensuring that FE teachers were appropriately qualified through inspections† (TES [30/03/2012] [Online]) However I see a huge flaw in this method of assessing quality and knowledge, not every Ofsted inspector can have the depth in knowledge of every subject of every teacher he or she is going to observe. For example if I am teaching bricklaying and I’m teaching unacceptable practices how is that inspector meant to know I am teaching the wrong methods? Surely the only way to overcome this problem is to have employed properly qualified teachers and trainers and not just people with some subject knowledge. Now that the IFL is a voluntary body the employers themselves have discretion over this matter. Construction Skills is another organisation that oversee and support the vocational training we deliver in offender learning. They are a massive organisation and have a lot of different strands from providing qualifications, courses and assessment and training support through CSkills as an awarding organisation. They also developing courses and provide support and training to local businesses through being an industry training board. In 2003 Construction Skills were awarded Sector Skills Council status, this allowed them to deliver valued support across the industry. Their main aims are to help reduce a shortage in specialise skills and help to bring a diverse workforce into the industry. They are also involved in improving business performance and developing professional standards for construction occupations both trade and professional. The other area that they cover is probably most relevant to my work as a vocational trainer; they have a large input on the improvement of education for apprenticeships and higher and further education. They achieve this by awarding grants for training, providing businesses with advice on getting the best from their work force offering card schemes, recognised qualifications and helping to link college learning with on the job experience. Professionalism As teachers, trainers, tutors or whatever you what to call us in FE we all have more than one hat we wear that makes us a professional. The IFL although seemingly no more used to keep everybody who worked as a ‘teacher’ under the status of a professional. They did this by having in place the requirement to achieve QTLS or ATLS within five years of working within the education sector. QTLS stand for qualified teacher learning and skills and ATLS associate teacher learning and skills. Everybody working as a teacher was required to register as one or the other of these statuses depending on your level of teaching qualification, the full Cert Ed being a level 5, I myself would have had to apply for QTLS status. However the following quote suggests that very little teachers working in the sector today have taken out the required status of QTLS/ATLS. â€Å"Only a small number of lecturers have become ‘fully qualified’ under the current arrangements: between 2,900 (GHK, August 2011) and some 6,000 (IfL submission, 2012). Whilst this number may rise as the five-year watershed approaches, some 85 per cent of FE lecturers have not embarked on the final supervised practice phase, following the diploma. We do not believe that so slight a result after such a long delay makes this qualification credible as a licence to practise which, properly speaking, should be earned before starting work, as it would be in other professions.† (Bis [03/2012] [Online]) By making this a requirement the IFL aimed at ensuring each individual teacher had the ability to work at the standards expected of a licenced practitioner. To meet this requirement you were expected to submit evidence of your teaching practice, subject and background knowledge, your continued professional development and your own reflective practice. I feel this was affair approach to the matter They may say the â€Å"licence to practice should be earned before starting work† but the profession of teaching is like no other. Its not really something you can learn out of a book you have to get out there and do it then reflect on it, prepare and do it again. My personal two hats consist of my subject specialism, Carpentry and Joinery level 3 qualification, and hopefully in a couple of months my Cert Ed teaching qualification. Other training and development also comes into it, like holding a CSCS card, which is the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme. Another initiative that Construction Skills mentioned earlier are responsible for putting in place. It means you must hold a valid card to work on any building site in the country. To get a card you must pass a construction health and safety test, the cards also state on the back your profession and level of qualification. This is another method of keeping this industry safe, to required standards and professional. â€Å"Professional formation allows teachers to describe how these standards are evidenced in their teaching practice, along with aspects of subject currency, teaching and learning, reflective practice and planning for continuing professional development.† (IFL [11/2008] [Online]) Professional formation isn’t just about your status or qualifications though. It’s a lot about your actions too. As professionals we are expected to present, conduct and discipline ourselves in a particular manor. However with this status we also have the benefits of being rewarded recognition for our work, enhancing collaborations, sharing good practices and having support and respect from our colleagues, colleges and partnering bodies. The importance of engaging in CPPD CPPD or Continuing Personal and Professional Development is something as professionals we should all be doing on a regular basis. It was a requirement of the IFL to record our CPPD hours each year and although a lot of teachers possibly never took this serious it is a good method of keeping in touch with current affairs and adapting to changing trends. The key thing to remember is that this is not just about completing a list of activities undertaken during the year that add up to 6 or 12 or 30 hours. The time spent can be meaningless unless it makes a difference. (IFL [08/2009] [online]) Education is one such sector that never stands still, the requirement to change and reform is evident and we do this to keep things interesting, relevant and to continually push up standards. From a personal point of view, if I’m teaching my subject specialism I want to be a fountain of knowledge in it, I think it’s important to have good subject knowledge and as I have been out of the trade a couple of years now this is something I aim the address on completion of the Cert Ed. I will look at gaining further qualifications in my subject, or maybe completing an assessor’s award. I have even considered going back to construction site work to gain further experience and update my knowledge. Ideally being out in the field working on actual jobs with students would be the perfect scenario for continually developing myself and I feel this would also benefit the learners immensely. As for CPPD in my teaching, I aim to complete all training events offered, for example we had smart board training at work the other day. I also aim to relish being thrown in at the deep end which regularly happens as a cover tutor. I’m lucky in the way my support role at the prison lets me observe a lot of different teachers each week and taking on their good practices and addressing learners needs is excellent CPPD for me. The importance of reflective practice Reflecting on our work as teachers is the best way to develop, its important to have regular teaching practice. We learn valuable things when were in lessons, under pressure and on the spot, however the real learning comes afterwards when we reflect and analyse the session. This is our time to put things right in our heads and prepare ourselves for the same scenarios the next time. It would be extremely difficult to pre-empt every situation that could occur and almost impossible to prepare for each. â€Å"teachers who explore their own teaching through critical reflection develop changes in attitudes and awareness which they believe can benefit their professional growth as teachers, as well as improve the kind of support they provide their students.† (tttjournal [ND] [Online]) Not only should we be reflecting from our own experiences but it’s also extremely valuable to reflect on observations, hearing opinions from another person’s point of view can really pin point things that may have been frustrating us for weeks. Critical reflective practice is more complex than just reflecting. It’s about planning how you will evaluate a lesson or even a CPPD event; it is good practice to critically review these situations through different people’s points of view. Your colleagues, students, boss, or even a person in the field actually doing what you’re teaching or being taught. With this in mind reflection is one of our most important tools. Bibliography Bis [03/2012] Professionalism in further education [Online] http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/further-education-skills/docs/p/12-670-professionalism-in-further-education-interim [Accessed 27/05/2012] IFL [08/2009] Guidelines for your continuing professional development (CPD) [online] http://www.ifl.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0011/5501/J11734-IfL-CPD-Guidelines-08.09-web-v3.pdf [Accessed 12/06/2012] IFL [11/2008] Professional Formation [Online] http://www.itslifejimbutnotasweknowit.org.uk/files/IfL-professional-formation-overview.pdf [Accessed 12/06/2012] LSIS [ND] Our Impact in the Sector [Online] http://www.lsis.org.uk/AboutLSIS/LSIS-impact/Pages/default.aspx [Accessed 20/06/12] TES [30/03/2012] FE professionalism gets radical shake-up [Online] http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6202944 [Accessed 15/04/2012] Tttjournal [ND] Towards Reflective Teaching [Online] http://www.tttjournal.co.uk/uploads/file/back_articles/towards_reflective_teaching.pdf [Accessed 03/06/12]

Corporate Social Responsibility and Law Assignment

Corporate Social Responsibility and Law - Assignment Example Relevance of Legal Context of CSR in the Business World The importance of the issue of legal aspects on CSR cannot be lost on business especially with debate raging on firms’ fiduciary duty to maximise profits for shareholders versus sacrificing part of the profits to benefit individuals. Although firms have found a business case to CSR initiatives, the legal aspect of CSR is a reality that they have to consider. It is important to state that businesses operate within states that are governed by the law. This is true since even internationally there are laws such as International Labour Regulations (Clavet et al. 2008, pp. 41-42). Impacts of the law on a firm’s CSR initiatives have been felt, for instance, in Denmark where there is a law requiring corporations to report on their CSR initiatives (DCCA 2010). The very concept of CSR involves undertaking more than the law requires; hence a legal element in corporate ventures is what CSR is built upon. Bantekas (2004, pp. 3 27-334) states that the core principles of CSR are human rights, labour rights and environmental rights which are subject to human rights, labour and environmental national and international laws; hence their pursuit is directly influenced by the law. Law Subjects related to CSR One of the most important considerations is the issue of CSR being ‘outside the law’ or ‘meeting the law’. In the ‘outside the law’ argument, an issue that transnational corporations can attest to is the lack of a standard framework of CSR to operate on as national laws and management may fail to provide the required standards. Besides, CSR is an enterprise-driven venture by firms beyond what they are legally required to undertake. In terms of the ‘meeting’ aspect, it is a consensus that CSR cannot be defined without taking the law into account. The concept of CSR involves voluntary initiatives and activities that are considered to exceed legal compliance. Thus, CSR is deeply rooted in the premise that hard law has to be met first with CSR initiatives then following on from this (Clavet et al. 2008, pp. 41-46). This aspect is a manifestation of the relationship between legal standards compliance and CSR. International law and the closely related international labour laws are other sets of legal aspects in action in a firm’s CSR initiatives. International legal instruments affecting transnational corporations are expressed through binding treaties with national entities concerned with rights and obligations and through ‘soft laws’ such as by the many International Labour Organisation conventions. Although ‘soft laws’ are heavily criticised for being indicative of transnational corporations’ ability to influence government policy, they are still a testimony of the inseparability of CSR initiatives by such firms and the law. Conceptual Frameworks Theoretical frameworks have been established to expl ain the interaction between CSR and law and its impacts. The mainstream conceptual framework is positivism, which is adapted from natural science and explains observable phenomena through general laws and the special conditions of the situation. Positivist CSR research seeks to provide a distinctive view of a firm’

The Role of Religion in Kwame Appiahs analysis Essay

The Role of Religion in Kwame Appiahs analysis - Essay Example One principle that Appiah beholds is the existent of a commonality in all human beings despite the various cultural backgrounds and is responsible for the diversity in the world. Case in point, Appiah demonstrates how his experience with a Ghanaian festival resonates with the attributes of a celebratory environment and feeling over the world in different festivals. Appiah explains that each culture has its own festival and one other worldwide event that appears to make a difference in non-existent culture is globalization. In this regard, Appiah identifies globalization’s main objective as promotion of commonness while getting rid of divisions amongst the world’s citizens. Appiah’s analysis has a religious perspective too. In one instance, Appiah identifies the role of Cosmopolitanism in elimination of what is morally wrong. In this regard, Cosmopolitanism plays the same role as religion would in the world. This expose elucidates the role of religion in Appiahâ⠂¬â„¢s analysis while comparing his approach to my approach. Appiah identifies globalization as an event each individual in the world identifies with. In this regard, he further identifies that the role of globalization is to make the one solid unit where people eliminated the divisions between them and embraced each other as one common people despite their race, religion, and ethnic affiliations. In addition, this commonness in people, as promoted by globalization, should exist regardless of different heritages. The roles of religion while Appiah carried out his analysis is that, religion enabled individuals acquire a global perspective (Livingston). In this regard, a global perspective amongst individuals enabled them to view the world as one homogenous group regardless of the different cultures and religions different people and individuals practiced. Appiah’s approach is not different from in regards to homogeneity of people through globalization. My approach to globalization is that, regardless of the different religions practiced in the word, people are one homogenous group since the role of religion is to enable individuals view others as one homogenous group. However, Appiah identifies people’s fear that the magnitude of globalization in the world posed a challenge whereby western civilization could greatly affect cultural diversity. Nevertheless, he analyses the situation and puts it that the right approach involves taking individuals as the appropriate object of moral apprehension instead of a nation or a particular plan. In this regard, religion plays a role in Appiah’s analysis in that, religions identifies each person as independent of a group regardless of what binds the groups together in this case religion being the common link. In addition, judgment will be passed to a person on an individual capacity (Livingston). This is true of the role of religion in that, an individual is independent of the religion, or creed they practiced. In addition, religion notes that we are humans. In ef fect, we think and reason as individuals and not as societies or as collectives on what is morally right or wrong. This approach is similar to my approach of life that there is nothing like collective thinking. In addition, each individual is responsible for their own actions that are independent of the creed they practiced and their society. Appiah notes that Cosmopolitan, denotes a citizen of this world and further acknowledges that each one of us has a responsibility over the other individual. In addition, it means that it is all right for us to be different but have differences in ideals while acknowledging that we are responsible for each

Construct an incident response plan Research Paper

Construct an incident response plan - Research Paper Example The metrics are further discussed in relation to what is to be measured in the policy, how it is to be measured and the kind of action to be performed with the information. This is to ensure that the policy is workable and makes sense in relation to the fact that the impacts can be quantified. In the Information Technology, being a continuously developing field, there are risks that come with dynamic nature of the field. The exposure to such risks, if not secured, normally leads to loss of income in the sector. These risks involve hacking, using the website for adverts among others (Beale et al., 2003).In addition, the risks deserve some scrutiny so as to understand how to tackle them. The policy is supposed to ensure that the risks that lead to vulnerability are taken into consideration so that they can be mitigated or reduced to the minimal state possible. Analysis of such risks will ensure that the firm does not experience unnecessary loses that could be controlled through the use of appropriate policies and institutional framework. The unsecured risks that include hacking are the major challenges experienced in the IT sector and, therefore, tackling it will be of a much relief to the firm. This will also make the firm outstanding in terms of competition since its products will not be able to be duplicated or pirated thus a fair competition (Johnson, 2013). Addressing the unsecured risks will ensure that the IT firm gets its profit to the maximum thus eliminating issues like retrenchments and early retirement that are proposed by the firm due to low profits. The employees will also be able to work in an IT secured environment whereby their personal information and their unique work that come from their expertise cannot be leaked to the public without their consent. Their work also cannot be lost due to the deliberate introduction of computer viruses by the competitors (Easttom, 2013). The policy will ensure that the

Gender roles and Marriage Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Gender roles and Marriage - Thesis Example While sex refers to the biological classification into male and female categories, gender indicates social classification of the masculine and feminine attributes. On the other hand identity depends on ones self realization about his or her sexual category. In the paper two stories have been taken up for study – ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber and ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Kate Chopin. In the former work, Mr. Mitty tries to build his masculine identity through his regular daydreams and in the second work, Mrs. Mallard tries to gain freedom from the repressive bond of marriage and a kind of sexual freedom is experienced after she hears the news of her husband’s death. In fact both these characters of opposite gender tries to gain freedom in their own ways. Mr. Walter Mitty attempts to gain freedom from the influence of his dominating wife who apparently always has the last word. The institution of marriage can be repressive ow ing to the influence of gender roles. ‘The Story of An Hour’ by the American writer Kate Chopin talks about the central character Mrs. Mallard’s reaction and mental transformation on hearing the news of her husband’s death and the mix of emotions experienced by the frail woman. Widowhood does cause some sorrow but within minutes it brings forth a new opportunity and light to the journey of life. The transformation in thoughts and a feeling of some kind of freedom gradually replaces the initial feeling of loss. In this case the freedom enjoyed within shows how repressive the marriage could be. This is not really written to criticize the character of Mr. Mallard as a repressive husband but through the reactions of his wife, it mocks this supposedly happy union. The open window, the comfortable chair, ‘delicious breath of rain’ and the tops of the trees that were ‘all aquiver with the new spring life’, all indicate an underlying feeling of regeneration or rebirth and a m ind which is open to the change and the new life that will belong solely to her. The open window through which she stares at the sky represents a glance at life through the eye of freedom. Mrs. Mallard was ‘young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength’; this description has been used as a tool to highlight the change that was taking place within. She was gaining her strength from the expectation of a new life approaching her. These new oncoming years have been portrayed like â€Å"creeping out of the sky, reaching toward her through the sounds, the scents, the color that filled the air†. (Chopin, 1894) Chopin’s story bears significance to The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Gilman where the wife finally protests against her husband who does not want her to write and always asks her to rest and sleep like a sick woman. Again, there are sexual overtones in the story that cannot be overlooked. The initial ‘stor m of grief’ is almost indicative of a sexual urge or release, which goes hand in hand with the term ‘wild abandonment’. The quivering of the trees is analogous with the thighs that aquiver with sexual anticipation. The term ‘haunted’ signifies that she was craving for it from within and therefore this freedom meant physical or sexual freedom as well (Eggins, 2004, p.39) She also prays that her life may be long. This shows the immense joy experienced. The expression in her eye has also changed from a dull glare to a look of ‘feverish triumph’. As she came down the stairs into the living room, being supported by her sister, Mr.

Bone Disorders Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Bone Disorders - Essay Example Bone problems are of different kinds. They may include osteoporosis caused by low density of bone and which makes bones weak and susceptible to breakage, osteogenesis imperfect which increases the brittleness of bones, and Paget’s bones disease which makes bones weaker. In addition to these bone disorders, bones may also develop a range of infections and cancers. There can be many reasons for the development of bone disorders. Some major causes of bone disorders include genetic factors, poor nutrition, and poor rate of rebuilding and growth of bones. The most important modulators of the process by which bones form are hormones. Optimal development and maintenance of bones depends upon parathyroid hormone, estrogen, and testosterone. Of these, the most direct impact on the cells of bone is made by estrogen which interacts with specific receptors or proteins on the surface of osteoclasts and osteoblasts (Zallone, 2006). Bones maintain their strength and integrity through a process of continuous renewal known as remodeling. Accelerated bone remodeling may cause a range of bone disorders that include but are not limited to familial expansile osteolysis (FEO), juvenile Pagets disease (JPD), Pagets disease of bone (PDB), early-onset Pagets disease of bone (EOPDB), and expansile skeletal hyperphosphatasia (ESH) (Beyens and Van Hul, 2007). Many stud ies have concluded that the main cells responsible for causing disease in these bone disorders are bone-resorbing osteoclasts. Connective tissues are unlike the parenchymal organs in that their form and function reflects the extracellular matrices of the matter they are made up of. These different compositions of matrices lend unique appearance and mechanical properties to cartilage, bone, and dense fibrous connective tissue (Teitelbaum and Bullough, 1979). Dense fibrous connective tissue is made up of collagen in the form of well-oriented collagen bundles whose main

Reflective Learning Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Reflective Learning - Case Study Example According to my observation, the concept of place value is equally hard for the teachers to make students develop an understanding of the same. Also known as Hindu Arabic system, it is fundamental to all further use of numerics. The multi digit numbers concept is quite tough to understand. The physical base 10 blocks help students to develop meaningful and conceptual structures for multi digit numbers(English & Halford, 1995) and also understand the analogical relationship between the blocks and numbers (Fuson, 1992). To overcome the difficulty of physical blocks, electronic system is also introduced which includes the grouping and regrouping of numbers and blocks with supported with an audio help. There are many mental and written strategies for understanding the concepts of the place value system and involving different calculations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, division etc. mental strategies are very important as it records methods which is very useful for future understanding and reference. According to my observation, students apply and record these mental and written concepts strategies like I added 21+20 to get 41 and then added 5 to get 46, similarly for other numerical operations. Also students' own mental strategies are more competent then the written ones. The diagrammatic strategies involve: Solving problem via flow chart Finding relation between a quarter, halves, one thirds etc by diagrams Source: Board of Study, NSW, obtained from http://www.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/syllabus_sc/pdf_doc/03_maths_syl_number.doc. Placing them on a number line Source: Board o

The Third Century Crisis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Third Century Crisis - Research Paper Example The fact that the murder was carried out by this own people is a fact that made the citizens of the country lose trust in the running of the empire (Sisem, 2014). People had different views regarding the administration and this lack of trust made people not operate as a unit as they had been doing prior to the death of Emperor Alexander (Liu & Xiaobing, 2013). Many of the people that worked for the Emperor did not believe in him and they stated that the reason for this was that Alexander was weak and did not have the required Leadership styles (Wolf, 2005). Contrary to their beliefs, they had the idea that Alexander Severus was on the German side and was the reason why he resorted to diplomacy as a way of dealing with them. Another event that led to the collapse of the empire was the increase in the number of raids that took place in the years that followed the death of the empire. These raids came from different people in the administration and the reason for them was the fact that they all wanted to have a word in the running of the empire (Latourette, 2014). Many of the people had different ideologies regarding the best manner through which the citizens of the country could maintain their resources. These differences made the leaders implicate each other, leading to people turning on each other, and the result was the collapse of the Roman Empire. The outbreak of small pox was another cause of the collapse of the Roman Empire. Small pox was a common disease in those ages and the fact that physicians were yet to come up with a cure made the empire suffer a lot with regard to the number of people that died from it (Wong, 2009). Small pox was a disease that affected people across different ages and the consequent of this was a weak empire. Regardless of whether individuals had the disease or not it affected people both directly and indirectly (Gao, 2008).

The communication method (or channel) that you select should depend on your message Essay Example for Free

The communication method (or channel) that you select should depend on your message Essay Interactive or static should your communication be one-way or two-way? Interactive means a back-and-forth conversation; static means delivery of a message. What does your message require? Brainstorming and questioning require interactivity. Updates can be static. ï‚ · Personal or impersonal Personal means face-to-face, or on the phone. Impersonal communication is in writing. Does your communication require you to hear or see your customers or colleagues? Are you trying to build relationships? Will the tone of voice be important for this particular message? Are the ideas potentially confusing? Put some thought into whether your presence is a vital component of your message. 1. Assess what kind of audience you are communicating with. Keeping in mind all of the differences among specific audience and the various manners in which they perceive your messages – you must realize that the use of all communication channels is not desirable at all times. For example, when speaking to a CEO, provide him with relevant and short information. When speaking to employees with the lower status, feel free to explain what you have to say in more detail. When you need to be convincing, try to communicate personally. 2. Assess the real value of the message you want to communicate. You should never overload your audience with information of little relevance that seems important only to you because you will lose their support and they will start perceiving you as a nuisance who rarely has something important to say. By avoiding this rule you risk becoming irrelevant. 3. Check the cost level you can bear when selecting communication channels. You should be aware that indirect communication, for instance, becoming involved in various events or charity activities, requires the greatest investment. On the other hand, established interpersonal communication channels are much less expensive. 4. Assess whether your choice of a ​​communication channel is justified. For instance, why should employees in your organization learn new standards of operations through mass media? On the other hand, it is more worthwhile to plan certain stories in a targeted and controlled manner with journalists than to â€Å"drag† them through all media. 5. Assess the long-term sustainability of selected communication channels. It is not the same if you establish a successful long-term manner of communication that is recognized by the target audience and the one that receives positive feedback from the public or if we constantly communicate in the manner that you receive feedback from two people or one medium. Do not forget that in this manner you are developing your long-term public relations! When all of the stated factors are taken into consideration, you will easily arrive to conclusion that different audience responds to your message in different ways so they always must be considered separately and, often, communicated to differently and through differing channels and tools. Message customized for the audience The title of this section probably best summarizes the wisdom of selecting a right communication channel – communication must be conducted differently with various audiences. It is good to note that communication and PR activities should not be directed to the ‘general public’. They are aimed at carefully selected groups of people who are subdivisions of the vast general public – for example, stakeholders, shareholders, employees, customers, suppliers, distributors, opinion makers, trade unions, institution representatives, Government members, media and many others. In terms of good communication with your key audience, it is preferable to become more â€Å"discriminating† towards your selection of desired audience. That means that communicating certain kinds of message only to selected audience is less wasteful and more successful. For the above-mentioned reasons, the usual methods of communication must be more and more adapted, which requires a greater use of tactics. Why? Simply because it is becoming increasingly challenging to transfer the message to specific section of the public from which we have concrete benefits and which can benefit from us. Everything else can be considered as a loss of our precious time.

Cisco Case Study Essay Example for Free

Cisco Case Study Essay Cisco Systems is an industry leader in network technology. Their primary business is technology that is used to enable communication with people all over the world with multiple functions. Whether it be email, voice video or general applications these service are transported over Cisco Networks. The current CEO is John Chambers who has held the position since 1995. This case study focuses on his vision and strategy over the past 17 years. Cisco is a market leader in networking technology. Financial Information: www. Bloomberg.com (1) Sales 2012 Sales/Revenue/Turnover: Total Operating Revenues. $46,681,000,000 Gross Profit $28,558,000,00 Net income $ 8,356,000,000 Key Milestones in Cisco’s History (2) 1997 All in One: Data/Voice/Video 2000 Network of Networks 2006 Network as Platform 2008-Current Collaboration/ Web 2.0 SWOT ANALYSIS Cisco’s’ internal strengths are its people. They have a built a corporation with over 70,000 employees. 1/3 of those are Engineering people who develop Cisco’s solutions. (2). These solutions come from internal design or from acquisitions. There weakness is the size of the corporation compared to when they were in there early days. They challenges adapting to customer demands at the rapid pace the technology industry changes. The opportunities have come with the use of acquisitions. When they want to add a piece of technology to their portfolio they at times bypass the development process and acquire a company with the needed expertise. The major threats to the business are the number of employees who leave and go to competitors. Many of Cisco’s competitors are run by former Cisco employees. See Juniper.com(7) ANALYSIS VIA PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL Analyze the competitive environment by listing the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in the industry (Chapter 2). Summarize your key points in a Figure. (25 points) Cisco’s’ threat of new entrants is limited due to Cisco’s market cap on network Switching: Modular/Fixed (2) . They currently hold a 69% market cap sue to their design and build of these devices. Their competitors have copied and duplicated these products and there are only handful that compete. The bargaining power as a buyer based on thre volume allows them to keep manufacturing costs low. There suppliers in turn have strong bargaining power with their silicon and chip manufactures. New Chipsets are developed rapidly and suppliers can gain a competitive advantage over the manufacturers. The threat of substitute products is a common theme with Cisco. An example was a Chinese company stole Cisco’s design and started producing replica hardware. Years of litigation was later settled however the cost to do so was a major impact. (3)This caused an intense rivalry with its competitor 3Com who partnered with the Chinese company (4). The other issue with its competitors is its talent pool. Many of Cisco’s engineers leave for competitor with hopes of creating the next generation of technology. STRATEGY USED Cisco’s competitive advantage in the switching market has led them into being market leaders in other sectors. Having the market share of the core network as the base layer of Infrastructure allows them to see the need of its customers. These sectors have all been supplicants that utilize the Cisco core networking products that today has brought them an industry market share in the following area. The core strategy used is there overall cost leadership to create this competitive advantage Performance Market share per sector Security 31% Digital Video: IPTV-64% Switching: Modular/Fixed- 69% Voice-37% Wireless: LAN-54% Storage: Area Networks-44% Routing: Edge/Core/Access-53% Networked Home-23% Web Conferencing-38% (2) One core strategy they used in the area of differentiation was the introduction of Voice over the network. Voice is a legacy technology created over 100 years ago and up until recently was run with the same original design concepts. Cisco changed that system buy running voice over the IP network. Today VOIP phone systems are a standard and the original POTS (plain old pots lines) are now considered legacy. They used acquisitions to buy phone providers and break down there core fundamental and produce them on IP networks., allowing today the use of voice over your PC Email Text. They were very successful in this space however not all companies can use this strategy for this particular technology. There install base is so strong the market is saturated and would not be cost effective. This strategy however is now in the maturity stage of the industry life cycle. They contain 69% of the voice market and they are continued to grow. The core installations will eventually decline however the service to maintain the phones systems will continue to remain in the maturity stage. Cisco’s strategy is based on catching market transitions—the market transitions that affect our customers. With the proliferation of video and collaborative Web 2.0 technologies, the network continues to evolve from the plumbing of the Internet—providing connectivity—to the platform that will change the way we work, live, play and learn.â€â€" John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco THE ISSUES AND CHALLENGES FACING THIS COMPANY Cisco’s’ competitive advantage in some sectors can be maintained. The overall progress should continue however weaker sectors where they have lost focus on have declined. In the example of the home Networked sector they maintain a low 23% market share. This has not been inline what the projections were when they entered these markets. Recently they have announced they are moving away from the home based market with a sale of their Linksys lien to Belkin (5) I believe the companies’ competitive advantage can be maintained if they focus on areas where they have control on market share. Shedding unprofitable business such as Linksys is a step in the right direction. This product is clearly on the decline side and Cisco should focus on growth areas such as storage area networks. The companies’ culture is changing from when they were a smaller enterprise they were able to maneuver with market needs more quickly. The fierce competition in the home market was one of the company problems. I believe that they are an enterprises corporation provider of services and do not understand the needs of home based users. COURSE OF ACTION RECOMMENDED I would advise Cisco to focus on server storage sectors. They are not a market leader in servers such as HP but have new products that are changing the way we companies utilize servers. This is a differentiation strategy that will change the industry if done correctly. They created a virtual server solution called UCS that if markets correctly could achieve future growth in the server storage sector. (6) I would use my market power and customer to base to provide these solutions at a low cost and this will expose a broad customer base to the product OPINION What do you think of this case study? Describe what you believe are the lessons learned from this case. (10 points) I think this case study showed me new concepts in strategic management. By studying Cisco’s market dominance based on 46 billion in revenues I now understand that having a competitive advantage must be maintained. Seeing Cisco now leaving markets is a new direction for them and these concepts have brought me to understand that. REFERENCES When you have completed the paper using the above sections, insert a page break and have a separate references page. The references should be listed in accordance with the APA guidelines as shown in the tutorial. (5 points) http://www.bloomberg.com/quote/CSCO:AR (1) http://newsroom.cisco.com/documents/10157/0/Corporate+Overview+-+Q2FY12.pdf (2) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/29/cisco_huawei_case_ends/ (3) http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/07/09/3com_welcome_to_join_ciscohuawei/(4) http://www.dailytech.com/Belkin+Plans+to+Purchase+Ciscos+Linksys+Home+Networking+Business+Unit/article29747.htm(5) http://www.cisco.com/assets/global/europe/powerofu/ucs_vs_hp_deployment.pdf(6) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniper_Networks(7)

Impact of Supply Chain Strategies on Performance

Impact of Supply Chain Strategies on Performance Introduction The concept of Supply Chain Management (SCM), introduced to address the issue of integration of organizational functions ranging from the ordering and receipt of raw materials through the manufacturing processes to the distribution and delivery of products to customers with a view to enable organizations to achieve higher quality in products and customer service and to lower inventory cost, has attracted considerable managerial attention in recent times mainly because of its huge potential competitive impact (Stevens, 1989). Experience, however, demonstrates that managers adopt a variety of disparate approaches to SCM implementation. In this context, design of an effective supply chain network has become a crucial issue for any company to survive in a fiercely competitive market. The SCM concerns with issues and characteristic features of several interrelated factors and activities of an organization, such as demand forecasting, procurement, manufacturing, distribution, inventory, tr ansportation, and customer service, and the resulting integrated approach is extended to customers and suppliers (Christopher, 1992). Considering the implications of all these aspects, a number of issues in SCM have assumed importance in the context of prevailing industrial scenario in India in order to make SCM more effective. Numerous papers have been published in the literature advocating the principles and the benefits of SCM [Beesley (1997), Lurquin (1996), Mason-Jones and Towill (1998), and Towill (1996)]. Many case studies have also been published evidencing the benefits of SCM [Arntzen, et al., (1995), Calza and Passaro (1997), and Lee and Billington (1995)]. There are several studies on SCM practices in different countries reported in the literature [Gilmour et al. (1995), Handfield and Withers (1993), Cilliers and Nagel (1994), McMullan (1996), Cox (1999)], and it is felt that an effort on design and development of SCM practices including issues, such as IT application, performance measures used, and barriers of SCM implementation is very much needed in India. On reviewing the existing SCM literature, several major weaknesses in the conceptualization and modeling of SCM are found. In particular, the SCM construct is perceived as an extension of integrated purchasing and supply management, or integrated logistics and transportation management. It appears that a coherent view on SCM concept has yet to develop in the existing literature, and it makes a prerequisite to conduct a survey on the important issues of SCM before a comprehensive methodology for supply chain performance measurement and evaluation system for the Indian Tyre manufacturing industries is prescribed. This paper reports the details of a questionnaire-based survey to study the status and scope of SCM practices in Indian Tyre manufacturing companies and also provides a brief overview of the similar surveys on SCM already undertaken in different industries. Objectives of the Survey The primary objective of the survey is to explore and understand, in quantitative terms wherever possible, the issues in SCM practices and concerns of the Tyre manufacturing industries in India. In specific terms, the objectives are related to the following aspects: †¢ Present status and scope of SCM practices; †¢ Role of Information Technology (IT) in SCM; †¢ Performance measures used in SCM, †¢ Benefits of employing SCM practices; and †¢ Specific issues hindering SCM practices. It is assumed that addressing the above-mentioned issues, as all of them are related to SCM strategies and practical constraints, would lead to understanding the status and scope of SCM practices in Indian Tyre manufacturing industries. Presently, the majority of the Indian companies have a weak alignment of supply chain strategy with business strategy. This is primarily so because the companies are rigidly structured along functional lines with department-specific performance measures. Survey Methodology A survey instrument, in the form of a questionnaire, is used in order to fulfill the objectives as mentioned. The questionnaire designed for the survey, will be conducted during December, 2010, for nearly 18 companies covering Tyre manufacturing industry in various regions of the country. Various lists of manufacturing companies, Internet websites of the companies, and personal contacts were the main sources for obtaining information about the companies and creating a database. The companies were selected randomly from the database. Although the survey will be conducted for a specific time period, the issues considered remain highly relevant for understanding the operating principles, norms, problems, and implementation aspects of SCM practices in the Indian Tyre manufacturing companies. The questionnaire is designed to know about the responding companies, their main objectives of employing SCM, positions of companies in the supply chain for their primary products, and views of the respondents on the principles of effective SCM practices. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: Section A and Section B. Section A was designed for the companies which have already implemented the SCM concepts like information sharing with suppliers and customers, or have decided to implement SCM concepts in near future, contains questions pertaining to several important issues related to SCM practices, such as a companys role in servicing customers needs, its role as a customer to its suppliers, the role of IT in SCM, the performance measures used in supply chain performance evaluation, and the activities or actions hindering SCM practices. Section B presents the items related to several types of barriers and government policies commonly found in implementing SCM practices in t he Indian Tyre manufacturing industries. A combination of checks, yes/no, `Likert scale, and multiple choice questions are framed against the issues as mentioned. The following specific tests will be employed on the data obtained: †¢ Two-Tailed Significance Test-this provides a level of significance for differences between two groups to a question requiring a response using a Likert scale. †¢ Bivariate Correlation (Pearson) Coefficient-this tests the relationships between responses to two different questions. The test provides a `p value indicating the strength of the relationship. A value of p=0 represents no relationship, and p= ±1 a strong relationship, and shows the significance level of the relationships. †¢ Reliability Analysis-In order to assess the homogeneity and inter-correlations of the factors used in an item, Cronbach alpha (a) [Cronbach (1951)], a measure of internal consistency often used in cases where participants respond to questions on a Likert scale The values of a lies in the range (0, 1). For the purpose of analysis, the survey responses are divided into three categories: Category 1: Questions that need ranking of alternatives (Likert-scale questions) The importance of the alternatives under each issue is established based on the values of statistics obtained. Category 2: Questions requiring degree of agreement (multiple choice questions) For the questions requiring degree of agreement, Specific issues such as main objectives of SCM, principles of effective SCM practices, integration of divisional areas in the supply chains, information communication tools with suppliers and customers, area of IT applications, and barriers of SCM implementation are included in this category. The percent responses of all the alternatives under each issue are computed and the rankings of the alternatives are done based on the percent responses resulting in identifying the important alternatives. Category 3: Yes/No type questions For this category, two yes/no type close-ended questions have been framed against different issues. The percent responses of `Yes/No is computed against each issue, which provide the general views of the respondents on a particular issue. Company Details Apollo Tyres Ltd Shanmugham Road Cochin, KL 682031 Phone : +91-0484-2381902/2381903/ 2380720/ 2372767/ 2363760 Birla Tyres Syed Amir Ali Avenue Kolkata, WB 700019     Email :  [emailprotected]  Phone : +91-33-22814516 Ceat Tyres Ceat Tyres. D 6/5, SMB ENGINEERS, TTC INUSTRIAL AREA MIDC TURBHE NAVI MUMBAI, MH 400705 Phone : +91-22-27622079 Elgitread (India) Ltd Elgitread (India) Ltd 2000 Trichy Road Coimbatore, TN 641005 Email :  [emailprotected]  Phone : +91-422- 4321000 Falcon Tyres Ltd Falcon Tyres Ltd K. R. S. Road Metagalli Mysore, KK 570 016 Email :  [emailprotected]  Phone : +91-821-2582453/ 2582055/ 2582041 Govind Rubber Limited Govind Rubber Limited G -15,Creative Industrial Estate,Sitaram Mill Compound,72-N. M. Joshi Marg Lower Parel Mumbai, MH 400 011 Email :  [emailprotected]  Phone : +91-22-2309 5641/1784 / 309 21124 / 309 21126 JK Tyres JK Tyres 3 Bahadurshah Zafar Marg New Delhi, DH 110002 Phone : +91-11-23311112/7 Malhotra Rubbers Limited Malhotra Rubbers Limited D-4, Sector 11 Noida, UP 201301 Email :  [emailprotected],[emailprotected],[emailprotected]  Phone : +91-120-2543028/2543029/2553724 Metro Tyres Metro Tyres Metro House, 134/4, 135/5 Zamrudpur Kailash Colony New Delhi, DH 110 048 Email :  [emailprotected],[emailprotected]  Phone : +91-11-6219097/98 Modi Rubber Modi Tyres Company Pvt. Limited. NH-58, Meerut Roorkee Road Modipuram 250110 MEERUT (Uttar Pradesh) MRF Tyres MRF LIMITED KOTTAYAM MANUFACTURING UNITS  P.B.No.2, Vadavathoor P.O., Kottayam, Kerala 686 010 Tel: 0481-2570461 (12 Lines) DID: 2575196/97/98, Royal Tyres Royal Tyres C-11 Mugappair Industrial Estate(East) Chennai, TN 600037 Email :  [emailprotected]        Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Ã‚     Phone : +91-44-26565643/42690079/42690089 TVS Srichakra Ltd TVS Building 7-B West Veli Street Madurai, 625001 India +91-45-2420461 (Phone) Questionnaire for The Impact of Supply Chain Strategies on the Performance of Indian Tyre Manufacturing Companies Part 1 Company Profile 1. Name of Company 2. Address 3. Country 4. Tel 5. Fax 6. Website 7. Contact person: 9. E-mail: 8. Position in company: No of employees: [______] Turnover 2009 : [_________________] Part 2 Theme 1 How do you manage your supply chain? Tick all that apply 1 Close partnership with suppliers 2 Close partnership with customers 3 JIT supply 4 e-procurement 5 EDI 6 Outsourcing 7 Subcontracting 8 3PL 9 Plan strategically 10 Supply Chain Benchmarking 11 Vertical integration 12 Few suppliers 13 Many suppliers 14 Holding safety stock 15 Use of external consultants 16 Other, please specify How successful do you think is your company in managing its supply chain in general? Not successful at all Not successful Somewhat successful Successful Very successful 1 2 3 4 5 Which of the following you think that your company needs to do in order to manage its supply chain better? Tick all that apply. Improve Start Implementing Satisfied already Not appropriate Close partnership with suppliers Close partnership with customers JIT supply e-procurement EDI Outsourcing Subcontracting 3PL Plan strategically Supply Chain Benchmarking Vertical integration Few suppliers Many suppliers Holding safety stock Use of external consultants Other (specify) Does your company have a clear logistics strategic plan? YES NO Part 3 Theme 2 What types of systems are currently in use in your company to support Supply Chain Management? Custom-made Standard package Not in use Material Requirements Planning (MRP) Manufacturing Resources Planning (MRPII) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Warehouse Management System (WMS) Supply Chain Management (SCM) Customer Relationships Management (CRM) Supplier Relationships Management (SRM) Advanced Planning System (APS) Just In Time (JIT) Other (specify) How much did you actually benefit from using these systems? Not at all Little Average Greatly A lot Dont know (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Better quality of information Better quantity of information Flexibility Reduced lead-time in production Cost saving Forecasting Resource planning Better operational efficiency Reduced inventory level More accurate costing Increased coordination between departments Increased coordination with suppliers Increased coordination with customers Increased sales Better quality of information Better quantity of information Flexibility In what level your company is facing the problems below when using SCM systems? No problem at all Little problem Some problem Significant problem Serious problem Dont know (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Resistance to change from employees Insufficient vendor support Hidden cost Integration with existing system Integration with suppliers system Integration with customers system Other (specify) What types of systems do you plan to implement in the near future (within the next 2 years)? Custom-made Standard package Not going to implement E-commerce E-business Decision support / expert system Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Bar coding Other (specify) Part 4 Theme 3 19 How satisfied are you with the current public policy regarding SCM and IT? Not at all Somewhat Satisfied Quite satisfied Very satisfied 1 2 3 4 5 How important are the following future measures for supporting your company effort in SCM and IT? Not at all somewhat important important quite important very important (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) More education, e.g. formal qualification More funding and financial support Better infrastructure e.g. telecommunications, road, etc Improved information provision Increased regional cooperation between institutions, e.g. chamber of commerce Closer cooperation between companies and governments Other (specify)

Essay --

The opposite trade binary options strategy covers both trade which resulted in profit and trades which resulted in loss. For this reason, it gives you either the opportunity to earn double profits, or the ability to recover from a loss. The correct setup and timing for execution are everything with this strategy. Master the correct use of when to use opposite trades and you'll have one more tool to utilize for building your profits. The foundation for the opposite trade strategy is to be able to note times when the purchase of a binary options contract which is the direct opposite of one you just purchased is likely to be profitable. Once you've mastered the use of this strategy, you're likely to discover plenty of applications for it as you go about your trading. Although the premise is simple, what you'll really need to pay attention to is how to identify such opportunities. The following are just a few examples that you can be on the lookout for on a regular basis. The best example may be times when a binary options trade has finished with the asset price being close to either i...

Symbols and Symbolism - Houses and Cars in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Symbolism of Houses and Cars in The Great Gatsby      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Francis Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, is full of symbolism, which is portrayed by the houses and cars in an array of ways. One of the more important qualities of symbolism within The Great Gatsby is the way in which it is so completely incorporated into the plot and structure. Symbols, such as Gatsby's house and car, symbolize material wealth.    Gatsby's house "[is] a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville in Normandy" which contains "a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy" is a symbol of Gatsby's large illegal income (Fitzgerald 9)(9). Gatsby's large income isn't enough to keep him happy. He needs "The house he feels he needs in order to win happiness" and it is also the perfect symbol of carelessness with money which is a major part of his personality (Bewley 24). Gatsby's house like his car symbolizes his vulgar and excessive trait of getting attention. Gatz's house is a mixture of different styles and periods which symbolizes an owner who does not know their true identity. The Buchanan's house is symbolic of their ideals.    East Egg is home to the more prominent established wealth families. Tom's and Daisy's home is on the East Egg. Their house, a "red and white Georgian Colonial mansion overlooking the bay" with its "wine-colored rug[s]" is just as impressive as Gatsby's house but much more low-key (Fitzgerald 11)(13). East egg and Tom's home represents the established wealth and traditions. Their stable wealth, although lacking the vulgarity of new wealth, is symbolic of their empty future and now purposelessness lives together. The House also has a cold sense to it according to Nick. This sense symbolizes Tom's brutality, and as Perkins's says in his manuscript to Fitzgerald "I would know...Buchanan if I met him and would avoid him," because Tom is so cold and brute (Perkins 199).    Nick lives in West Egg in a rented house that "[is] a small eye-sore" and "had been overlooked"(Fitzgerald 10). Nick lives in a new-rich West Egg because he is not wealthy enough to afford a house in the more prominent East Egg. His house symbolizes himself shy and overlooked. Nick is the Narrator and also the "trust worthy reporter and, ...judge" that has ties to both the East and West Egg crowd(Bruccoli xii).

Racism in Toni Morrisons Song of Solmon Essay -- Song of Solmon Essay

Racism in Toni Morrison's Song of Solmon Milkman is born on the day that Mr. Smith kills himself trying to fly; Milkman as a child wanted to fly until he found out that people could not. When he found, "that only birds and airplanes could fly&emdash;he lost all interest in himself" (9). The novel Song of Solomon is about an African American man nicknamed Milkman. This novel, by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison was first published in 1977, shows a great deal of the African American culture, and the discrimination within their culture at the time Song of Solomon takes place. In part one, the setting is in a North Carolina town in the 30's and 40's. Â   Part one introduces readers to not only Milkman, but also to his family and friends. His father holds power in the African American community because he has his own business and is ambitious. Milkman's mother is a center figure in the community simply because her father was the doctor. Milkman has a mysterious unmarried Aunt, with a single daughter and granddaughter. He also has a friend, Guitar who is a member of a group of seven African American men dedicated to keeping the 'ratio' between blacks and whites the same. Throughout the novel, Milkman gradually learns about his families past as well as forgotten pieces of his own childhood. Â   In part two, Milkman goes south to his father's hometown. He is looking for a fortune that his father and aunt had found long before. When he does not find the fortune he begins trying to find where it went. This takes him to where his great grandfather and mother originated. Milkman eventually is led to the town where he is a direct descendant of the town's legend, Solomon. It is in this town that Milkman finds himself and becomes his own m... ... lied for it, killed for it," (247). For her revenge, after all of the Butlers died Circe says "I want to see it all go, make sure it does go, and that nobody fixes it up. I brought the dogs in to make sure" (247). She allows everything they loved to be destroyed. Â   Morrison shows readers a side of American History rarely seen. She shows the deepness of prejudice and how many different ways it has effected people. While she does this she also tells a story of soul searching, Milkman tries to find himself among many people who are confused and ate up by hate and prejudice. In the end, he is able to find who he is and where he stands on all of the issues that are going on around him. When he gets this understanding Milkman retrieves, and achieves his childhood dream of flying. Works Cited Morrison, Toni. Song of Solomon. New York, Penguin Books USA Inc., 1987

Case Analysis (Tuesdays with Morrie) Essay

CASE ANALYSIS: TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE I. Synopsis Morrie was Mitch’s favourite teacher. He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. One night, Mitch saw and recognized his old professor in a television show. He suddenly remembered the promise he made with his teacher, so he called him to set up a visit. Mitch began visiting Morrie every Tuesday and every time they meet Morrie taught Mitch lessons about life. The disease gradually overcome Morrie as days go by and during their last meeting, Morrie was nearing death. Morrie and Mitch hugged for the last time, and as they did Morrie noticed that Mitch is finally crying. Morrie died simply and peacefully with his family around one Saturday morning. II. Character Description Morrie is a former sociology professor who is compassionate, free-willed, and clever. He is suffering from a disease called ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) which prevents him from doing what he loves most, dancing. Mitch is journalist who is living a very fast paced life and succumbs himself in work that it consumes him. After reuniting with his old professor, he finally discovered the meaning of his life. III. Answers to case questions and requisites 1) a. Morrie’s father brought him to a factory to work and on that day he realized that he has asthma. So he vowed that he will never do work that used people and so he became a teacher with the help of his stepmother. b. Mitch’s visit with Morrie. It taught him how to pause for a while and rediscover the meaning of his life. c. Mitch after graduation who throw away his dream as a pianist and became a newspaper reporter. 2) a. Mitch taking interviews b. Mitch as a journalist c. Mitch being a sports writer and a boyfriend to Janine d. Mitch who has a lot of deadlines 3) a. The case of Mitch Albom, he was a journalist, a boyfriend, a taxpayer, a son, an employer, a student but most of all he was a friend to Morrie. b. Morrie as a former sociology teacher. 4) In the movie Tuesdays with Morrie, the primary group of Mitch is Morrie and his family because Morrie and Mitch exemplified a lasting and personal relationship. The work group of Mitch on the other hand stands as his secondary group. 5) The type of leadership roles that is very apparent in the movie is instrumental leadership and the leadership style that is also noticeable is authoritarian as illustrated by Warner, the boss of Mitch who gives him orders to get things done and demands him of his deadlines. 6) Bureaucracy was obvious in the area work of Mitch. It demonstrated characteristics such as specialization, hierarchy of offices as exemplified by Mitch’s boss and Mitch being his subordinate, and impersonality demonstrated also by Warner who didn’t have an idea of Mitch’s personal whereabouts he found about Morrie’s condition later in the story. 7) In the film, Mcdonalization is present through the use of laptops and telephones these are mediums of equipment used by Mitch to be efficient in his work as a journalist and to quickly transmit articles to his boss especially when meeting deadlines. The presence of airplanes also exemplifies a Mcdonalization society because airplanes are also under the control of computers, pilots merely oversee the process. IV. Conclusions There are a lot of Mitch’s around us whose fear of death disillusioned us into living life racing with the clock. I too am like Mitch whose fear of death made me live life as if tomorrow will never come. But I realized that it’s only when we know how to die that’s time when we know how to live. Sometimes, I do things that I thought would fulfil and would give meaning to my existence. And I thought I’m happy doing that, but I realized that I’m only living in the emotions of the moment that is after that moment passes and I’m alone emptiness starts to crawl back. And because I live life to the extremes, I often forget about the things that matters the most and I know now that all I need to do is to click that pause button and to use every moment of that time doing something that I will never regret that is to appreciate and value everything and everyone life has given me. In the film, Morrie said that when we live we need other people to survive and when we die we need other people to survive and we must love one another or die. Indeed it’s true, because all of us are connected to one another. In some ways, I, function for other people. I play an important part in my professors’ lives because without students their roles as teachers will never have meaning. Since we are connected with one another, everyone is dependent to other people so we must love and treat well those who give meaning to our lives because they are one of the reasons why we are still alive. After watching the film, I know now, what scares me most about death, its saying goodbye to someone whom I will never have the chance to say hello again. When I think about death, I automatically linked it with nothingness that is when someone dies they become nothing. But what I didn’t realized is that soon they will return to something larger afterlife and I can still greet them again. I know I can never command life to treat me well and be the way I want it to be because life has it’s own mind but if there’s one thing I know I’m sure of, that is I can treat life well and make the most out of it. Morrie perceived life as a rubber band it pulls us back and forth – pull as one way we think that’s what we want to do, pull us the other way we think that’s  what we have to do. For him, this is the tension of the opposites, we learn from what hurts us as much as what loves us. In the movie, Morrie taught us to love those people who have hurt us. He recommends that we try to understand them and be selfless even if we have developed a hardness of heart against them. We must learn how to forget all the pain that they’ve inflicted in us because even if we try to erase them in our lives, they are still a part of the person that we become. And one important lesson Morrie taught is learning how to forgive, now. We shouldn’t wait for our death sentence to come before we could finally find it in our hearts to forgive everyone and everything because every day is an opportunity to die and opportunity to live.

How Students and Teachers Can Avoid and Prevent Plagiarism Essay

Plagiarism has been any and every writer’s concern, both in the scholarly and non scholarly sense. It is the dreaded term which implies various complications from those who choose to plagiarize, those plagiarized by accident, and those authors who are mere victims of such unfair treatment. From the students’ standpoint, great and keen consideration must be done in the process of how they choose to construct their ideas and write about a required topic. With the lenient accessibility of information within a click’s reach, plagiarism even gets more tempting. The Michigan Library Association (MLA) Forum (2008) adds â€Å"With the Internet offering students such a wealth of information at their fingertips, it is no surprise that one of the main reasons that they commit acts of plagiarism is simply due to how easy and convenient it has become† (n. p. ). Hence, students must understand the definitions and details of what plagiarism is and what to do and what not to do as a plagiaristic situation arises. Students always use plagiarism checker free. Students must maintain their academic responsibility as they fulfill the scholastic obligations. Students should be responsible in understanding and realizing other tools available to them as they fulfill certain literary requirements. The use of methods like proper paraphrasing, formal, and correct citing of references, being consistent to the requirements of a specific referencing style— plagiarism may be avoided given that all must be understood and well executed by the student. From the teachers’ standpoint, there are a series of issues which must be explained to the student. The clear discussion of what plagiarism is and the consequences it brings must be well and thoroughly comprehended by the students. Teachers should emphasis the valuable use and importance of the use of bibliography. As the Plagiarism. org (2008) writes: â€Å"Emphasize that the annotation has to be in their own voice and words, and should specifically discuss the relevance of the source to their research† (n. . ). Teachers should make themselves clear and specific in what they demand of their students. They should help exercise further the skills of their students such as by assigning the students to make a presentation which would enhance their research and idea conceptualization. It is also of beneficial importance for teachers to be creative in building their students’ skills in writing formal academic works.

Henry Dvid Thoreau Biography (in First Person)

I was born in Concord, Massachusetts on July 12, 1817. My family consisted of my Ma and Pa and three siblings; Helen, John Jr. and Sofia. We lived a very humble life; my father worked in a pencil company while my mother tended to the house and took care of me and my siblings. (Otfinoski pg. 60) My family was really pushing for me to start school at Harvard College but the cost was too expensive for my family. My father owned a small pencil factory and my mother took in boarders to help make ends meet.But, through great sacrifice my family was able to pitch in the money to send me to college, and so I entered the class of 1833 at the age of 16 and graduated in the year 1837. (Otfinoski pg. 60) After graduating Harvard College I went back to Concord to start my own academy with my brother John Jr. and teach the way I felt was right. Together with my brother we taught about 20 students. I believe that the academy would have lasted longer if my brother hadn’t taken ill, the work w as just too much for me to manage on my own. Otfinoski pg. 61-62) Shortly after closing the academy my brother died I was devastated. I walked 40 miles to attend one of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s lectures, soon after I was able to meet the great man. Emerson offered me a job; it was as a caretaker and a handyman in his home I would live there and work while he was away doing his lectures. In our free time we would discuss Transcendentalism, a philosophy for which he was well known. I was inspired by his radical view and ideas, and looked up to him as a mentor and hero. (Otfinoski pg. 2) Feeling it was time to see more of the world I left Emerson’s and headed back to Concord. In March 1845 I headed towards Walden Pond where I built a cabin for myself and stood there for two years. My reasons for going there were to experience life and discover the true account of it. During my time at the Walden Pond I worked tirelessly on the manuscripts that will later become my first two books. (Otfinoski pg. 62-64) In May of 1849 a Boston publisher published my first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.Although it sold poorly I never gave up. I later wrote about my experience living at the Walden Pond this book was entitled Walden which also wasn’t as popular as I would have hoped but that still didn’t bring me down. (Otfinoski pg. 64-66) Soon, nature being the very thing that I loved became my enemy as I contracted tuberculosis from living in the outdoors with the bad weather and the constant exposure to the graphite dust working in the pencil factory all caught up to me and on May 6, 1862 I died at the age of 45 years old. (Otfinoski pg. 67-69)

Forms of Business Organization Essay

The study of business organization is a study of complexity: as each business is different, each form of business organization is also unique. From a local hot-dog vendor to a trucking company, from a restaurant to a multinational, each business has different legal, moral and ethical concerns, and there is no â€Å"one-size-fits-all† approach to determine how a business should best be organized. Take the first two businesses, the hot-dog vendor and the trucking company, as an example: assume that each business is operated by a single individual. While one may argue that the proper form of organization for each would be a sole proprietorship, that would not be the case: the hot-dog vendor could clearly be operated as a sole proprietorship, but not the trucking company. Because of the nature of the trucking business, limiting the liability of the principals is vital: thus, the best form of organization for the trucking company would most likely be an LLC (limited liability company). There are six main forms of business organization, and each has very distinct advantages and disadvantages: some work best for small enterprises, some are better when outside vendors are involved, some are more suitable for larger companies†¦ indeed, there are many variables to consider when determining the organization of a business. Sole Proprietorship The most common form of business organization is called a sole proprietorship. The most common way to organize a business, Entrepreneur.com describes it thusly: The sole proprietorship is a popular business form due to its simplicity, ease of setup, and nominal cost. It is the easiest form of business to setup: again, according to Entrepreneur, a sole proprietor need only register his or her name and secure local licenses, and the sole proprietor is ready for business. As the business is not incorporated, all assets and liabilities relating to this form of business are under the control of the individual who started the business; thus, the business owner assumes full liability in the event of a legal judgment. In addition, as there is no legal protection for the business (it being indistinct from the owner), it is entirely possible for a sole proprietor to see their business liquidated as the result of a lawsuit. The owner has complete control of this form of business: no control has to be granted to anyone else. An advantage to this is that they retain all profits: nothing has to be shared with anyone else, and their return on investment is 100%. Income taxes are easy to calculate: a sole proprietor need only declare their business income on their individual tax form. Because of this, there is no real additional workload or burden to the owner unless they choose to do business under a name other than their own, in which case they would be required to register their business name with the particular jurisdiction they reside in. The location of the business only matters if an individual wants to avoid a particular jurisdiction’s individual income taxes (corporate taxes are not filed for this form of business): for instance, some states do not charge income tax. No separate legal entities have to be formed if the business changes location: the business is connected to the individual and the business exists as long as the individual chooses to operate it. This form of business has a limited longevity: according to Entrepreneur, sole proprietorships rarely survive the death or incapacity of their owners and so do not retain value. They generally dissolve upon the death of the principal and so cannot be passed on to heirs or others. General Partnership According to the Small Business Administration, a general partnership is a business owned by two or more people, with the business partners equally sharing the responsibilities of the business. Like a sole proprietorship, the individual owners of the business assume unlimited liability: it is possible for the business owners to be liquidated due to a legal judgment or the failure of the business. Additionally, because the actions of one of the partners are binding on all the others, the entire partnership can prosper or suffer due to the actions of a single member (The Free Dictionary). Also like a sole proprietorship, a general partnership is, as Quick MBA puts it, a â€Å"?†¦tax reporting entity, not a tax paying entity.†? In other words, the partnership is only a method of business organization; it is not a legal entity for tax purposes, and the individual business owners assume tax liability separately. The longevity of a partnership is potentially greater than a sole proprietorship: for example, since there are one or more other partners, the death of one member does not mean the end of the business since their share can be passed along to heirs. Control in a general partnership is shared equally: since there is no one owner, all decisions (and their effects) are shared equally. Profits are divided among the partners: while the liabilities are shared, the profits can sometimes be divided unequally upon agreement. This can affect return on investment: since it is possible to invest in a partnership without being an active member, it is possible to lose money on an investment if the active principals make decisions that affect the business negatively. As with a sole proprietorship, location is not a real concern with a general partnership: since the principals, not the business, are the ones responsible for the tax liability, the decision on where to locate has little to do with corporate tax liability. Like a sole proprietorship, the only real regulatory burden is if the general partnership chooses to do business under a name under their own: the name would have to be registered. Limited Partnership A limited partnership is similar to a general partnership. Quick MBA describes a limited partnership as a partnership with two or more partners, with one or more general and limited partners. The biggest difference is that a limited partner does not assume unlimited liability: their liability is limited to the amount of their investment. Also, since general partners are held wholly liable, they are often LLC’s (limited liability corporations) rather than individuals. Like a general partnership, income and income taxes are generally divided among the principals, but a limited partnership has to meet certain criteria to enjoy this right: otherwise it is taxed as a corporation. The rules of continuity in this sort of organization are different from those of a general partnership. The continuity of the organization is assured: while a general partnership generally must dissolve if a partner leaves, shares of a limited partnership can be created and can be transferred, bought or sold, though principals in the organization have the right to first bid (Quick MBA). Control of a limited partnership rests in the hands of the general partners: because they have management control, they do not have to grant control to anyone else in the organization: in fact, limited partners lose their status if they take a managing role in the business. Like the general partnership, the profits are shared between the partners: because limited partners are investors in the company, they often receive a greater share of the profits because of their financial contribution. Location concerns as the same as in a general partnership. Concerns of convenience or burden are also the same unless the partnership acts as a corporation, in which case corporate regulations must be followed. C-corporation According to Wikipedia, C-corporations are corporations that are taxed separately from their owners. In the United States, corporations are considered â€Å"people† for tax and liability purposes: in this form of business organization, C-corps are individual â€Å"persons† considered separate from shareholders and directors (Expertlaw.com). Because of this, the liability of the shareholders (note that in a corporation, shareholders are the owners of the organization) is limited: shareholders are protected from assuming the burdens of the corporation if it is unable to meet its obligations. Income taxes for the c-corp are calculated at the corporate tax rate: sometimes this rate is lower than the income tax rate of the shareholder’s, but oftentimes it proves to be much higher. Dividends are subject to the capital gains tax of 15%, then subject to the income tax rate of the shareholder; thus, the profits have been taxed twice. The longevity of this form of organization is perpetual: because the company is owned by shareholders, even if the owner leaves the company can continue to exist (The Company Corporation). Control of a C-Corp rests in the hands of shareholders: the owner has control only so far as their share of the company allows. Shareholders generally elect a board of directors to act on their behalf. As with control of the company, profits belong to the owner only in proportion to the amount of stock in the company they possess. Compared to the forms of organization discussed previously, location has a great deal to do with how and where a C-Corp does business. Phrases such as â€Å"Nevada corporation† or â€Å"Delaware corporation† have entered popular usage: they refer to corporations incorporated in these states solely due to their business-friendly incorporation laws (i.e. easy incorporation, no need to elect a board or issue stock, etc). Because corporations are regulated by the states, often times businesses will be incorporated in a state other than the one they do business in. This form of business organization comes with more of a burden on the business owner than the previous three: the states and the federal government heavily regulate corporations, these forms of business are more expensive to establish, and the paperwork burden is much greater. S-Corporation S- and C-corps are very similar, but there are some differences. Like a C-corporation, shareholders are not individually liable for business debts and resopnsibilities (BizFilings). Also, the are similar when it comes to the longevity, profit retention, and location requirements of an S- or C-corporation. The two biggest differences involve the control of the company and the income tax burden. In a C-corp, an unlimited number of shareholders are allowed, and they can be domestic or foreign nationals; however, a S-corp only allows 100 shareholders, and they must be US nationals. When it comes to income taxes, C-corps file as a corporation and corporate taxes are paid; however, an S-corp is a â€Å"pass-through†, meaning that taxes on earnings are filed and paid by the individual shareholders. Limited Liability Company A limited liability company, according to Wikipedia, is a form of organization that combines the features of a partnership with those of a corporation. Like a corporation, liability is limited: the personal assets of business owners are generally shielded from those of the company. Income taxes are treated differently from the other forms of organization: an LLC can elect how it wants to be treated for tax purposes. LLC’s are, like partnerships and sole proprietorships, pass-through entities: taxes are generally not calculated on the firm as a whole, but on the earnings reported on the individual tax returns of the principals. The continuity of the organization depends on how it is organized: if it is organized as a partnership, the longevity is assured. The principals of the company have control of the company: if one person alone is in charge, the LLC can operate as a sole proprietorship for control purposes. Profits are divided among the individual owners: a single owner retains control of all profits, but partners divide the proceeds. The location of an LLC can be important: for instance, in Washington D.C., LLC’s are not allowed to pass-through income for tax purposes, and some states assess levies for the privilege of operating as an LLC (Wikipedia). Compared to corporations, LLC’s have only a minor paperwork burden: though some states regulate them more than others, there is often little more to do aside from filing the standard sole proprietorship/partnership paperwork. Different companies call for different forms of organization: what may work for the sole owner of a shop may not be successful for a large organization. Oftentimes the greater paperwork or regulatory burden imposed on corporations is offset by the advantages of incorporation; sometimes an LLC or partnership may work better. Before deciding on the form of business organization, a prospective business owner will do well to perform a thoughtful analysis to determine which approach will suit their business model. References Internal Revenue Service. Sole Proprietorships. [->0][->1]. Accessed October 9, 2012. Enterpreneur. The Basics of Sole Proprietorships. [->2]. Accessed October 9, 2012. Small Business Administration. Partnerships. [->3]. Accessed October 6, 2012. Quick MBA. The General Partnership.