Limitations on President Essay Example

Limitations on President Essay Among the specific factors which Newsstands work highlighted are Congress, the Supreme Court, the Constitution and its amendments, the federal system, mass media, pressure groups and the federal bureaucracy. Imperial presidency The term the imperial presidency gained popularity in the early sass as a consequence of Arthur Schlesinger book in 1973. Schlesinger charts the abuse of power by successive twentieth-century presidents, in particular Lyndon Johnson (1963-69) and Richard Nixon (1969-74), which was due to the growth of the US presidency since the sass. In 1964, during the Vietnam War, Congress passed an authorization, the Tonic Gulf Resolution which states that Congress approves and purports the determination of the President, as Commander in Chief, to take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression. This wasnt so much a power grab by Lyndon Johnson as an abdication of the power of Congress as it was a blank queue which President Johnson took as the moral and equal equivalent of a declaration of war. The president is as imperial as the Congress, the press and the public allow him to be therefore there are effective limitations on the presidents power. In the President f the united States (1990), British academic David Mervin states his belief that the concept of the imperial presidency was always something of a click as it up images of the president as an emperor, a supreme sovereign authority, a master of all he survey which is clearly not the case. We will write a custom essay sample on Limitations on President specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Limitations on President specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Limitations on President specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In that sense the debate about the imperial presidency in US politics parallels closely the debate in the I-J about the position of the prime minister as an elective dictatorship a term coined by Lord Hails in the same decade. In Sam Athenians article in the Wall Street Journey of 27th December 2002, he illustrates some of the problems associated tit the imperial presidency debate. Athenians concludes the imperial president not a useful idea. It is an epithet, dredged up whenever a president combines strength with imagination. Presidents are, in sum, leaders not rulers which means of course, they are not imperial at all. Offices of persuasion Professor Richard Nauseated writes presidential power is he power to persuade. Where the I-J prime minister can wield real power, the US president must usually persuade: the prime minister commands; the president influences. In 2003, George W Bush proposed a $726 billion tax cut to Congress, one in which his Republicans had a charity in both Houses but the President headed out of Washington on a tour of targeted states to rally support for his proposal. The president uses formal and informal management techniques in an attempt to give their priorities an advantage in the Washington policy process. The Executive Office of the President has grown substantially since it was established in 1939, and now includes dozen separate units, including such important elements as the National Security Council, the Council of Economic Advisors and the Office of Management and Budget. These units have a role in bringing together expertise to help and support efficient administration-led policy making and implementation making it an ineffective limitation on presidential power. Tim Homes (2000) points out that the different political context within which presidential administrations operate and the electorate advantages with which an administration starts provide an individual framework of constraint on the presidential ability to persuade. Supreme Court The Supreme Court plays a vital role in checking and controlling the powers of the presidency. The court can damage a president and negate a particular activity. An example of this is shown with Roosevelt over his Court packing scheme which would eave enlarged its and curtailed the power of older members. The Supreme Court has power to argue against a bill if it is against the US Constitution. In the case of Ursula v Bush (2004), the Supreme Court ruled that the detainees at Augmentation Bay did have access to the US federal courts to challenge their detention, thereby striking down an important part of the Bush administrations legal policy regarding the war on terror. In 2005, when Bush approved unauthorized spying on US citizens after 9/1 1, the Supreme Court challenged this bill as it violated the Constitution. Charles Evans Hughes, the 1 lath Chief Justice of the Supreme Court once said, We are under a Constitution, but the Constitution is what the Judges say it is. Since Mammary v Madison 1803 established the doctrine of Judicial review, the Supreme Court has been able to limit presidential powers by shaping the parameters of the Constitution to bring about social and legal change. The Supreme Court is effective in limiting the presidents powers as it is expected to be a Judicial body which is politically impartial and which must attempt to transcend passing political passions an uphold the eternal values of the Constitution. In the spirit of the British constitution, the premiership is undergoing change through the force of practice and convention. The result is of pure derivative of institutional authority or established arrangements of power so much as a qualitative shift in form and interior substance that transcends the formal infrastructure of Britains political system. In the I-J, the Courts are able to limit the powers of the prime minister through Judicial review. However the absence of a codified constitution makes Judicial review not so far-reaching. In particular, edges cannot overturn Acts of Parliament because of the principle of parliamentary sovereignty. Nevertheless they can determine the lawfulness of actions that are carries out on the basis of delegated legislation. This can be seen as an ineffective limitation on the presidency as some Presidents have the opportunity to elect new judges if a vacancy arises. Although the Supreme Court was able to limit Bushs power with regards to spying on US citizens, he was given the opportunity to elect 2 Republican Justices. Congress The president needs congressional support, and in the more assertive mood of Congress in recent years incumbents have found this difficult to achieve even with their own party in Control. Faced by hostility from Congress, Bush and Clinton in his last 6 years had difficulties in carrying out aspects of their programmer, resulting in gridlock, a situation in which the two branches of government were locked inch conflict. The tendency of Congress to appoint special prosecutors to probe every aspect of a presidents affairs, and the relentless media interest which this creates, have paralyzing impact on presidential policy. Investigations drag on, seemingly for artisan reasons, and there is always the ultimate borrow of the threat of impeachment. Although the case against Clinton originated in a sexual harassment case concerning Paula Jones, he east impeached as Silicons answers regarding his relationship with Monica Leninism, a former White House intern, were untruthful and the perjury involved enabled the Republican persecutor, Kenneth Starr, to recommend that President Clinton should be impeached in 1999. Four articles of impeachment were laid down before the House Judiciary Committee which in December 1998 voted to approve further action on all of them namely; Article 1 hearing perjury before Ken Stars federal grand Jury, Article 2 charging perjury in the Paula Jones deposition, Article 3 charging obstruction of Justice in the Paula Jones case and article 4 charging failure to respond to the 81 questions posed by the House Judicial Committee during the impeachment inquiry. Congress is an effective limitation on the presidency and powers vested within it as Congress function of oversight of the executive branch and has powers to subpoena documents and testimony, hold individuals in contempt if they fail to comply with Congresss demands. However unlike in the British Parliament, the executive is not present so there is no opportunity for Question Time in Congress. It is only in the committee rooms where members of the executive branch can be questioned so despite the whole of the executive branch being limited by Congress, limitations on the resident himself and his powers. The US Congress has more of difficult role in limiting the powers of the president and calling him to account than Parliament has simply because the executive branch arent members of the legislature as seen in the I-J. Federal bureaucracy Although the president has plenty of constitutional authority, he is limited by the federal bureaucracy. The federal bureaucracy has three principle functions, executing laws, creating rules and adjudication. The constitution states in Article 2 section that the president shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed and is the main reason why the president needs the federal bureaucracy. No modern president seems to have been able to stop and tame the bureaucracy, as a result the majority of the agencies created since the sass have survived intact into the twenty- first century. American writers burns et al make a series of fair observations when they write of one of the persisting paradoxes of the American presidency On the one hand, the institution is too powerful, and on the other, it is always too weak. It is too strong because in many ways it is contrary to the ideals of government by the people and decentralization of power. It is too weak because presidents seldom are able to keep the promises they make. The president is limited by the federal bureaucracy as it is the federal bureaucracy who are required to write the specific rules that decide how the laws will be executed. When compared to the I-J, the civil servants are in control, serving any government impartially, whatever its political complexion. They must carry out decision with which they personally may disagree and not involve themselves in any partisan activity. The issue regarding the federal bureaucracy is problematic as the problem of management and control of bureaucracies has become a central issue of modern democratic government. In addition, the federal bureaucracy is said to be insufficient especially due to the response of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to hurricanes Strain and Rata in 2005. Pressure groups Presidency groups can mobiles public opinion either for or against the president himself or his policies. President Clinton experience this in 1993-93 over his proposed healthcare reforms. The Health Insurance Association of American that aired the highly effective series of Harry and Louise commercials which went a long way to skippering the Presidents proposals by turning public opinion against them. Edward Achebe and Engel Seafood (1999) identified another close link between producer groups and the executive branch. Pressure groups are an effective limit n the presidents powers as they are able to use their representative function to ensure the president doesnt abuse his powers. Interest groups remain a powerful force in American politics as they continue to organize and represent significant sections of the community. As a result, they will continue to have a privileged claim on the attention of the executive branch and the president himself. In the I-J, pressure groups seek to influence and limit the power of the prime minister as they are the heart of the core executive which develop and make government policy. However pressure groups are ineffective as they priorities the need to shape the content of public policy. This was demonstrated with the National Farmers Union which works with the Department for Rural Affairs in implementing policies related to farm subsidies, disease control and animal welfare. Problems arise with pressure groups as they can be seen as being incompatible with a pluralist society where political resources and access to government are spread widely in the hands of many diverse groups. Pressure groups are fostering an elitist view of society in which lattice resources are in the hands of few not many. Media Administrations have taken media relations seriously for many years. Before the advent of the electronic media, successive presidential administrations had on occasion suffered from adversarial press coverage, and benefited from supportive reporting. What the media reports and say can have a profound limit to what presidents can do. President Theodore Roosevelt was an active campaigner for his policies, and believed that press dissemination of his energetic and well-structured speeches could act to maintain his proposals high on the public agenda, even to the extent of appealing directly to the public in an attempt to influence the congressional receptiveness to presidential initiatives. Newsstands analysis is central to the scholarship of the presidency, but it is not universally accepted. Among the dissenters, Charles O. Jones 1994, similarly accepts that the presidents authority is limited but Jones is not convinced by Newsstands argument that the resources exist whereby the system can in practice be adapted to become presidency-centered. This alternative to the Nauseated view points out the presidents media centrality is a result f recent developments in the communications industry, rather than the consequence of presidential actions, and argues that focusing in the president as the pivot of American government ignores the more complex reality of how American government operates. This indicates an individual level of constraint on the presidents powers. The media is an effective limit on presidential power as it assists with the success of a policy campaign. Success of this kind has proved a valuable asset in the longer term by enhancing an administrations reputation for influencing public opinion and political outcomes. In comparison, the media in the UK is becoming more critical of politicians. This was evident in battles between the Blair government and the BBC over allegations that, in the run-up to the Iraq War, the government had sexed up a dossier emphasizing the military threat posed by Iraq to the I-J. The medias coverage of politics has become more difficult for prime ministers to manage due to a tendency to hype, blurring if facts and interpretation and television increasingly following print media in its style of political and current affairs coverage. In British politics, Estelle Morris seemed like a misfit because she acted as a normal human being. When eccentrics are put in charge of a set of institutions, they will obviously modify their behavior to some extent; but they are likely to cause far more modification to the institution they inherit. Robbers arise as the presidency has not only an advantage in attracting media attention but that it also applies considerable resources to spin that attention to its greatest advantage. For all the work that goes into maintaining and developing the presidents media centrality this cannot be counted on always to offer the same potential and there are indications that media coverage of hard news, political news and the presidency itself has declined in recent years. Conclusion To conclude, there are very effective limitations on the presidents powers as the Founding Fathers intended whilst writing the US Constitution. Effective limitations include the other branches of government, Judiciary and legislature, due to their effective checks and balances on the executive branch in avoiding a tyrannical government. In addition, the media has proven an effective limitation s their role in providing vital information does influence public opinion and affect political outcomes as well as the presidents reputation. Other constraints include pressure groups and offices of persuasion however due to their person agendas limiting presidential power is not a priority resulting in effective constraints by these administrations. Lastly, the idea of an imperial president can be disregarded as the president is as imperial as his constraints allow him to be. Mark Garnett argues in comparison that the unconfined I-J constitution gives too much power to the Prime Minister and that the 2003 reshuffle underlined this problem rather than tackle it.

Effective Management in International Business Lessons from Four Seasons Expansion to France

Effective Management in International Business Lessons from Four Seasons Expansion to France Introduction Managing in an international business presents unique challenges due to differences in aspects such as culture and legislation among countries. For instance, a manager from a monochronic culture (e.g. North America) may find it challenging to work with employees from a polychronic culture (e.g. France) due to their different perceptions of time.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Effective Management in International Business: Lessons from Four Seasons’ Expansion to France specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The monochronic-oriented manager would, for instance, focus on individual goals, sequentially, while the polychronic-oriented employees would be more comfortable working on multiple goals simultaneously (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003; Nardon Steers 2009). With respect to legislation, differences in legislation, for instance on labor and environment, may imply different operating costs for an en tity. This report analyzes how Four Seasons managed such dynamics when it expanded its services to France, to operate the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris as reported in the case study by Hallowell, Bowen and Knoop (2003). Four Seasons has had a phenomenal history of operating luxury hotels and resorts as evidenced by its performance from 1996 through 2000. During this period, its revenues increased at a compound rate of 22.6% annually, with the operating margins increasing by approximately 9% (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003, p. 1). The entity’s revenue per room was also higher than the industry average in the U.S. and Europe (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Such success was ensured by its effective management approach and well-informed principles that guided its international growth. Despite this success, its entry into France was challenging; for instance, labor legislation in France lowered working hours for employees, while the French cultural-orientation differed significa ntly from cultures in the other regions in which Four Seasons had existing operations (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). This report assesses how four seasons overcame such challenges. Following the introduction, the report evaluates the appropriateness of management approach used to open the Parisian hotel, the core values demonstrated by various members of Four Seasons, and the impact of management approach on service delivery. The conclusion subsequently identifies the key aspects discussed throughout the report.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Four Seasons Approach when Opening Parisian Hotel The appropriateness of the management approach used by Four Seasons to open its operations in France was evident from factors such as awareness of French culture, adaptation to such a culture, and the principles that conferred the hotel with the ability to drive change. These aspects are highlighted in subsequent sections. Cultural awareness and adaptation Differences in cultures among countries affects aspects such as negotiations, communication, trust, commitment and cooperation (Hurn 2007; Wendt, Euwema van Emmerik 2009), hence may lead to unfavorable performance for an entity (Mullen Copper 1994; Pillai Williams 2004). Following the realization that cultural distance influences business outcomes, the need for managers to have an awareness of cultures in countries in which they run business activities has necessitated such practices as cultural training to ease adjustment to foreign cultures (Waxin Pannaccio 2005; Causin, Ayoun Moreo 2011). The awareness of Four Seasons management about cultural orientation of the French was primarily evident in the choice of the entry mode. For instance, by recognizing the opportunity that hotel George V presented, Four Seasons mnagement was able to avoid liabilities such as the label of a foreign entity t hat could influence its start-up performance. Such approach prevented an unsuccessful entry into the French market that had been a characteristic of other American entities such as Disney (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Additionally, Four Seasons’ management cultural awareness was evident with their choice of a French interior designer to overcome the challenges imposed by the choice of George V. The George V opportunity presented a challenge of establishing the appropriate balance between maintaining George V’s reputation and rebuilding the premises to meet preferences of contemporary visitors (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). By choosing a designer familiar with the French people’s perception of aspects such as luxury, thus capable of capturing the symbolism attached to the old hotel while creating a new look that would better customer satisfaction, the entity was able to enhance the hotel’s reputation with contemporary visitors while and retain the reput ation that hotel George V held (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Other instances that indicate cultural awareness and adaptation were related to the entity’s adherence to employment legislation existing in France and its hiring of a non-Four Seasons executive chef (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Effective Management in International Business: Lessons from Four Seasons’ Expansion to France specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Whereas the chef had challenges meeting expectations of contemporary visitors (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003), hiring such an individual with experience in French cuisine helped to reinforce the perspective of Four Seasons being a French palace hotel. Ability to drive change and Impact on Performance Four seasons opening of their Parisian hotel faced various cultural challenges due to differences in culture between North America and France. For instanc e, the managers faced challenges in the process of performance evaluation since the French culture did not favor a direct and explicit approach to discussing employees’ weaknesses, an approach that would be easy to apply in their North American establishments (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Similarly, whereas front-line and middle managers in North America assumed more responsibility and accountability for their roles, such managers in France tended to refer accountability for their decisions and policies to their superiors (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Other conflicting cultural aspects included the differences in perception of time and the French emotional way of doing tasks, which could, on the negative, result into the French temper lashing out (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Such differences implied that whereas Four Seasons management needed to adjust to some aspects of the French culture, in other aspects they would need to implement strategies that would help in cul tural transmission to help the entity meet its principle of providing services based on globally uniform standards. The approach taken by the management in opening the French hotel indicated the ability of Four Seasons to drive change. The entity for instance had established a strategy that enhanced cultural transformation to meet its established standards.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The entity’s strategy for instance encouraged the development of the right attitude to work by promoting employees who remained committed to the appropriate culture and attitude (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Eventually, such employees would form a critical mass that would form force required to achieve a cultural transformation for the whole entity. To achieve such a cultural-transforming effect in France, Four seasons hired individuals with prior experience working in North America; such individuals helped to demystify negative perception of the North-American aspects of culture that Four seasons intended to introduce at hotel George V (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Similarly, the managers hired had experience in other Four Seasons operations thus could help in training the employees on the expected standards of service (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). The cultural transformation was also aided by the direct involvement of top management as exemplified by the general manag ers (Le Calvez) encouraging the use of first names, an aspect that was rare in the French culture (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). The ability of the Four Seasons management to drive change was evident with changes in quality rating reported following second audit of quality of service at the hotel. In the first audit, various drawbacks to quality service included: staff’s inappropriate attitude, inability to sell the entity’s services and preoccupation with rules and policy to guide their actions (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). During the second audit, such aspects had given way to exemplary service that led to a quality rating comparable to other Four Seasons establishments (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Additionally, such an effect was notable in the high staff satisfaction with their job at Four Seasons as revealed via an Employee Opinion Survey (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Core Values Instilled in Four Seasons Team The successful opening and favorable performan ce of Four Seasons establishment in France resulted from various core values the entity entrenched in its staff. Among these values is the human resources’ â€Å"Golden Rule† that stipulates that staff ought to treat each other as they would wish to be treated (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). The top management demonstrates this principle for instance by inviting employees and their families to an open door event at the hotel for about three times a year (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Additionally, the human resource approach that rewarded employees based only on meritocracy evidenced the application of this rule. Further, such a value was evident in Le Calvez’s approach of encouraging the use of first name to create a more-relaxed environment that ensured effective communication among employees at different levels of the organization’s hierarchy (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Four Seasons favorable performance was also a factor of the entity insisting o n each employee rendering professional service to the clients. Such is evident, for instance, with the stipulation that there should not have been a reason to offer below-par service to the customer (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). For instance, managers in Four Seasons were noted to routinely help in clearing the restaurant tables in passing (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Such an act avoided cases where staff shortage would result into a lower level of service thus lowering customer satisfaction with the entity’s service. The performance of four seasons was further aided by the strong allegiance of employees to the entity. For instance, Four Seasons had a low staff turnover with some employees staying with the firm for a period extending over 25 years (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). The general manager appointed to head the entity’s operations in France had been with Four Seasons for such a lengthy period having been an employee at The Pierre in New York, a hotel oper ated by Four Seasons, for 11 years (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Finally, Four Seasons performance derived from its promotion of diverse cultures but maintaining uniform standards. Such diversity in cultures was, for instance, evident in the observation that the entity’s top managers were comfortable in various international settings (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Through such knowledge, the managers could help employees learn about different cultures thus alleviating the challenges associated with cultural adjustment in foreign operations. Impact of Management Approach on Service Delivery The Four Seasons’ management approach enhances the service delivery within its establishments since it offers the motivation that employees need to remain committed to organizational goals. Such an effect is evident with the improvement in quality rating during the second audit of Four Seasons’ Parisian hotel (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). For instance, allowing middle and front-line managers to become accountable and responsible for decisions at their points of work (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003), empowers them to develop innovative approaches that better business outcomes (Cohen 2004; Burke et al., 2006). The management approach also supported the goals and principles of Four Seasons in a variety of ways. By instituting a cultural transformation, the management for instance sought to establish the attitude and behaviors that would result into a globally uniform service, irrespective of the location of the establishment. Such an approach reflected on Four Seasons’ notion of establishing service based on globally uniform standards, irrespective of the location of the establishment (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Additionally, by basing employee promotion and rewards on meritocracy, the management practiced the human resources’ golden rule which stipulated that each employee was to treat others according to the treatment that one would e xpect from them (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). Four Seasons’ approach to improve communication among employees at various levels of the organization, through such ways as employees’ meetings with the general manager, improved the capacity of the entity to deliver intelligent, anticipatory and enthusiastic service as envisioned in the entity’s principles (Hallowell, Bowen Knoop 2003). For instance, the improved communication helps in identifying potential risks that could lower the service provision at the entity, thus help in initiating timely corrective actions. Conclusion Wide cultural and legislative differences between the home and host country present a barrier to the establishment of effective management practices in the host country. This report evaluates how Four Seasons, a company with roots in North America, was able to manage such challenges in its operations in France. Factors such as management’s cultural awareness, adaptation and capacity to institute change, helped Four Seasons to open and run its operations in France successfully. The management’s cultural awareness was for instance noted in incorporating features of the French culture during the renovations and hiring of French individuals such as a chef to enhance cultural learning. Nevertheless, due to conflicting aspects between the French culture and Four Seasons established norms, the entity’s ability to institute change was the core determinant of success. Such change was established through ways such as hiring individuals with experience working in North America, who would act as the foundation for the transformation other employees’ attitudes. The management experience and skills were also critical in ensuring success of Four Seasons in France. Managerial aspects that enhanced Four Seasons outcomes included empowering middle and front-line managers to make decisions at their place of work, establishing effective communication channels at all levels of the organization’s hierarchy and sharing the commitment to the principles envisaged in the entity’s goals. Through such aspects, the entity’s quality rating had improved to levels comparable with existing establishment by the time the second quality audit was performed. References Burke, CS, Stagl, KC, Klein, C, Goodwin, GF, Salas, E Halpin, SM 2006, ‘What type of leadership behaviors are functional in teams?A meta-analysis’, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 17, pp. 288-307. Causin, GF, Ayoun, B Moreo, P 2011, ‘Expatriation in the hotel industry: an exploratory study of management skills and cultural training’, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, vol. 23, no. 7 Cohen, AR 2004 ‘Building a company of leaders’, Leader to Leader, vol. 34, pp.16-20. Web. Hallowell, R, Bowen, D Knoop, CI 2003, ‘Four Seasons goes to Paris: â€Å"53 properties, 24 countries, 1 philosophy†Ã¢â‚ ¬â„¢, Harvard Business Review, Case 9-803-069. Hurn, BJ 2007, ‘The influence of culture on international business negotiations’, Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 39, no. 7, pp. 354-360. Mullen, B Copper, C 1994, ‘The relationship between group cohesiveness and performance: An integration’, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 115, no. 2, pp. 210-227. Nardon, L Steers, RM 2009, ‘The culture theory jungle: divergence and convergence in models of national culture’, Cultural Foundations (part 1) in Cambridge handbook of culture, organizations, and work, eds RS Bhagat RM Steers, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 3-23. Web. Pillai, R Williams, EA 2004, ‘Transformational leadership, self-efficacy, group cohesiveness, commitment and performance’, Journal of Organization Change, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 144-159. Waxin, MF Panaccio, A 2005, ‘Cross-cultural training to facilitate expatriate adjustment: it works! Personnel Revie w, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 51-67. Wendt, H, Euwema, MC van Emmerick, IJH 2009, ‘Leadership and team cohesiveness across cultures’, The Leadership Quarterly, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 358-370.

GDP - Gross Domestic Product Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

GDP - Gross Domestic Product - Essay Example Nominal GDP is the GDP according to current year prices while real GDP accounts for the effect of inflation on prices and is therefore also known as inflation adjusted GDP. By the use of a base year and elimination of effects due to price changes, real GDP allows useful comparisons to be made regarding the production of goods and services in an economy. For instance if the economy were growing at the rate of 4% per year while the rate of inflation was 1% then only 3% of the growth would be due to an increase in the economic output while 1% would be only due to price changes. GDP per capita describes the average number of goods and services consumed per person in a country. The significance of GDP as an instrument for channeling of aid and investments into countries is highlighted by Canoy and Lerais in the research titled ‘Beyond GDP’ that was composed for the European Commission in which they say: ‘GDP is the best-recognized measure of economic performance in the world, often used as a generic indicator of well-being. GDP is used in a large variety of political and financial arenas. It serves as a criterion to decide who has access to funds at international organizations such as the EU, UN, IMF and World Bank, GDP plays an important part in the Stability and Growth Pact, and it is a lead indicator for forecasts of financial markets and banks, to mention just a few examples. It is also used for international comparison and rankings and plays a crucial role in political debates.’ (Canoy and Lerais, 2007) The GDP of any given country fails to adequately explain its overall economic well being since its calculation either excludes or overstates a number of crucial aspects that describe the standard of living of a population. The notion of ‘well being’ has been described as a multidimensional concept ‘with both an individual interpretation in the Aristotelian spirit and a collective one to capture the progress of a nation’ (Canoy and Lerais, 2007).   Although GDP per capita i.e. goods and services consumed by the average person measures the spending by an individual yet it does not accurately depict an individuals’ well being. Materialistic expenditure is not all that characterizes individual well being. Rather it is a much more comprehensive idea including psychological well being as well as happiness derived from non material sources. An individual’s health, diet, achievements, mobility and participation in society are all essential sources o f contentment that are not included in calculation of GDP.

Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Supply Chain Management - Essay Example These end users regard companies who refuse to abide by the regulations as irresponsible and try to avoid them. This means that should all factors in the supply chain process be put in place but common actions on abiding by regulations that borders on the wellbeing of people and the environment be ignored, there is no way customers would accept or patronise products from such irresponsible companies (Bowman, 1997). This way, the core motifs of companies in going into production would totally be defeated. It is in light of this that corporate organisations and companies have always taken steps to be accepted in the face of customers and the general public as corporately responsible. To achieve such tags of corporate responsibility, companies take a number of corporate responses to address specific issues. In the following sections, three companies and how they have taken specific corporate responses to address certain issues that borders on the environment and the growing challenges o f global supply chain have been addressed. GlaxoSmithKline As a company, GlaxoSmithKline has taken a number of initiatives that are based on the principles and core values of supply chain management: particularly, supply chain business process integration to address a number of social and environmental issues (Lambert, 2008, p.15). Three of these and how the company facilitated change in the given directions have been discussed below. Environmental degradation As a pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline has been faced with several issues that concerns environmental degradation. Environmental degradation has been explained as an act that deliberately or unintentionally causes damage to the environment (Burgess, 1998). Such practices have bordered the company because it depends on some raw materials that are acquired directly from undertaking environmentally threatening acts like the cutting down of trees. In the course of manufacturing also, there is the release of large volumes of waste fumes into the environment. Through the supply chain management practice of manufacturing flow management, the company has been able to ensure that what could otherwise had been serious damage to the environment has been controlled. According to Goldsby (2003), manufacturing flow management â€Å"includes all activities necessary to move products through the plants and to obtain, implement, and manage manufacturing flexibility in the supply chain (p. 23)†. Specifically, the company has been engaged in the purchase of production plants that have been designed to internally recycle waste fumes for the generation of power. This way, waste fumes are not thrown into the open atmosphere. Rising energy and materials prices Recently global events including outbreak of wars and political uprising in major oil producing countries have led to rising price of crude on the world market. This has apparently led to increase in the cost of energy. Most commonly, increase in prices of e nergy leads to increase in prices of raw materials (Copacino, 1998, p.31). This is because of the high cost of transportation that increase in the prices of energy brings about. For GlaxoSmithKline as a company, steps have been taken with reference to the order demand

Human Resource Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Human Resource Management - Case Study Example The company that is discussed in the case study is the Oceanic Airways. The case is about the human resource management of the company and how the organization has failed to maintain profitability due to a massive failure in managing in its human resource. The case discusses the factors that have led the company to its downfall. The case also gives brief information on the airline industry of Asia. The main focus of the case is on Oceanic Airway’s HR practices. The case presents the failure of the HR department of Oceanic Airways due to many factors. The information about the practices of the company is given and the main players in the organization are also discussed with the comments of the employees. The case study also identifies many problems in the organizational structure of the company. The company is has seen any interference from the government and that is considered one of the main problems of the company. Communication gap was another problem identified. There are other factors like high fuel prices and other economic factors that have contributed to the downfall of the company. These factors are more or less uncontrollable for the organization. The main information is on the human resource management practices of the company and how different human resource department work in order to perform basic functions of recruiting, selecting, training and promoting. The details of how human resource department work is provided in the case. Human resource problems of the company are actually increasing with the day with more and more employees getting disgruntle about the situation. The company has to start to think about its practices and should revamp all its policies in order to satisfy employees and in turn make profits. Employees actually are a source of income for the company especially in times of uncertainty when the airline industry is facing intense competition and fuel prices are fluctuating like anything.

Contributions Of Galileo Galilei To Modern Astronomy Religion Essay

Contributions Of Galileo Galilei To Modern Astronomy Religion Essay Galileos Early Life and Career Galileo was born in Pisa, Italy. He was the oldest son of Vincenzo Galilei, a musician who made important contributions to the theory and practice of music. In the early 1570s, the family moved to Florence where they had lived for generations. In his middle teenager years, Galileo attended the monastery school at Vallombrosa, near Florence, and then in 1581 matriculated at the University of Pisa, where he was to study medicine but he decided to study mathematics instead.[3] In 1585, Galileo left the university without having obtained a degree and for several years he gave private lessons in the mathematics in Florence and Siena. During this period he designed a new form of hydrostatic balance for weighing small quantities.[3] He also began his studies on motion for the next two decades. Galileo discovered some ingenious theorems on gravity which brought him recognition among mathematicians, which resulted in him obtaining the chair of mathematics at the University of Pisa in 1589. It was here where he was reported to have shown his students the error of Aristotles belief that speed of fall is proportional to weight, by dropping two objects of different weight simultaneously from the Leaning Tower of Pisa.[4] His contract was not renewed in 1592, probably because he contradicted Aristotelian professors.[4] The same year he was appointed to the chair of mathematics at the University of Padua, where he taught geometry, mechanics and astronomy until 1610. It was during this period that Galileo made significant discoveries in both pure fundamental science and practical applied science. It was because of these discoveries that Galileo has been called the father of modern observational astronomy, the father of modern physics, the father of science, and the Father of Modern Science.[5] Galileos Work and Contributions to Modern Astronomy At Padua, Galileo invented a calculating compass for solving mathematical problems.[6] He discovered the law of falling bodies and of the parabolic path of projectiles. He also studied the motions of pendulums and investigated mechanics and the strength of materials.[7] In 1595, Galileo began to support the Copernican theory of the Earth revolving around the Sun (Heliocentric model) rather than the Aristotelian and Ptolemaic theory of the Earth at the centre of the universe (Geocentric model). The Copernican model had supported Galileos tide theory which was based on the motions of the Earth.[5] In the spring of 1609, Galileo heard that a spyglass had been invented in Holland. By trial and error, he quickly figured out the secret of the invention and made his own three-powered spyglass from lenses for sale in spectacle makers shops.[5] Others had done the same, but what set Galileo apart was that he quickly figured out how to improve the instrument, having taught himself the art of lens grinding, and thus, produced increasingly powerful telescopes. galileostele.jpg A Photo of The Original Galileo Telescope[8] By December 1609, Galileo had built a telescope of 20 times magnification and began observing the heavens. He discovered that the moon was not smooth, as had been thought by Aristotle and in fact, there were mountains and craters present on it making it rough and uneven.[9] Moon1.jpg Picture Showing Craters on the Moon[10] In January 1610, Galileo discovered four moons revolving around Jupiter thus proving that not all objects orbit the Earth (which was thought by Aristotle and Ptolemy).[11] These moons are now referred to as Galilean Moons. FG11_16.jpg Galilean Moons of Jupiter[12] These discoveries were tremendous and Galileo described them in a small book called The Sidereal Messenger which he dedicated to Cosimo II de Medici, the grand duke of his native Tuscany. He had also named the moons of Jupiter after the Medici family referring to them as the Sidera Medicea or Medicean Stars.[3] As a reward, Galileo was appointed as mathematician and philosopher of the grand duke of Tuscany. In Florence of that same year, he observed that Venus exhibited a full set of phases similar to that of the moon, which proved that it must orbit the Sun and not the Earth.[1] This observation was among the most important in human history, for it provided the first conclusive observational proof that was consistent with the Copernican system but not the Ptolemaic system. According to Nicholas Copernicus heliocentric model of the solar system, the Sun is at the centre of the solar system with the Earth being just another planet orbiting the Sun. The orbit of Venus around the sun would allow all the phases of Venus to be visible from the Earth. On the other hand, Claudius Ptolemys geocentric model, with Earth at the centre and Venus orbiting Earth, only the crescent and new moon phases of Venus would be observed. venus_orbit.png Ptolemaic View versus Copernican View of Venus[11] Galileos telescopic observations of the crescent, gibbous and full phases of Venus provided empirical and conclusive evidence that the Ptolemaics model was incorrect. Galileo was now confirmed in his belief, that the Sun is the centre of the universe and that the Earth is a planet, as Copernicus had previously argued. Galileos conversion to Copernicanism was a key turning point in the scientific revolution. In 1613, Galileo also observed the Sun through his telescope and saw that there were dark patches present on it, (now referred to as sunspots,) which were considered to be imperfections at the time.[13] sunspots.gif Sunspots on the Sun as Observed by Galileo through his Telescope[14] This was contrary to what Aristotle had proposed in that, the heavenly spheres and bodies were made from a divine, unchanging, perfect substance which he said was the fifth element called aether.[15] (The four elements were earth, fire, air and water.) Aristotle held that this perfect substance, had by nature to execute perfect (uniform, circular) motion.[16] Galileo observed the motion of these sunspots which indicated that the Sun was rotating on an axis which made it possible that the Earth might be rotating on an axis as well, as required by the Copernican model. Thus, if the heavens were in fact not perfect, then the idea of elliptical orbits (according to Kepler) was not so objectionable.[11] These new facts were both unknown to Aristotle and Ptolemy. The Greeks rejected the Heliocentric model partly because they could not detect stellar parallax, which was the apparent shifts in stellar positions when observed from two separate points over the course of the year. Galileo observed with his telescope that the Milky Way resolved into countless individual stars, which helped him argue that the stars were far more numerous and more distant than the Greeks had believed. With this in mind, Galileo was able to conclude that stars were so far away that stellar parallax were undetectable, thus further supporting the Heliocentric model.[11] In 1616, Galileo also discovered the planet Saturn which had seen as a three-body system, which was later found out to be the rings of Saturn but, he was unable to see this because his telescope was not powerful enough, showing them as extensions on either side of the planet. DSC08891-Saturn.jpgPic26-ears.jpg Galileos Sketch of Saturn[17] View of Saturn through Galileos Telescope in 1616[17] Galileo also conducted experiments using rolling balls to demonstrate that a moving object remains in motion unless a force acts to stop it (now codified as Newtons First Law of Motion). This explained why objects such as birds, falling stones and clouds, which share Earths motion in space, should stay with Earth rather than fall behind as Aristotle had argued.[11] Thus, it was Galileo who had laid the final groundwork in modern astronomy (originally started by Copernicus and continued with Brahe and Kepler) which was used to overthrow the views of Aristotle and Ptolemaic model. It was then the work of Issac Newton who put all the pieces together and demonstrated that the laws that governed the heavens were the same laws that governed motion on Earth. Galileos Writings and Publications In Astronomy Many philosophy professors had scorned Galileos discoveries because they had strongly believed in Aristotles views of perfectly spherical bodies existing in the heavens. In 1610, Sidereus Nuncius (The Starry/Sidereal Messenger) was the first scientific paper to be published based on Galileos telescopic observations which reported about the Galilean Moons, the craters and mountains on the Moons surface, the Milky Way and the numerous stars which it contains and the appearances of planets and fixed stars.[18] In 1613 he published work on the sunspots he discovered called the Letters on Sunspots. This publication also included the full set of phases of Venus as well as the puzzling appearance of the three-body system of Saturn. In 1614 a Florentine priest denounced Galileo from the pulpit because a Pisan professor (in Galileos absence) told the Medici that belief in a moving earth was unorthodox. Galileo wrote a letter on the irrelevance of biblical passages in scientific arguments, stating that the Bible should be adapted to increased knowledge and that no scientific person should be made a critique of the Roman Catholic faith.[3] In early 1616, Copernican books were subjected to censorship by law and that Galileo must no longer hold or defend the concept that the earth moves. Galileo remained silent on the subject for some years until 1623 when he published The Assayer. This book set forth his views on the mathematical formulation of scientific reasoning as well as experiments he conducted in determining longitudes at sea by using his predictions of Jupiters satellites. This book was successful and got support among the higher levels of Christian Churches. In 1624, Galileo went to Rome where he had a few interviews with the Pope (Urban VIII at that time), whom he told about his theory on tides that he developed in 1616. Galileo put forward proof of the annual and diurnal motions of the Earth, whereby he was granted the permission to write a book about the theories of the universe, but was warned to treat Copernican theory only hypothetically.[18] In 1630, the book titled the Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems was allowed to print by the Roman Catholic sensors at Rome, but they altered the title, excluding the words Ptolemaic and Copernican (at the end of the above title). The book was finally published at Florence in 1632. However, in 1633 Galileo was summoned by the Roman Inquisition to stand trial for suspicion of heresy, on the grounds that he had been personally ordered in 1616 not to discuss Copernicanism either orally or in writing and was sentenced to life imprisonment which was commuted to house arrest.[18] The Dialogue was ordered to be burned. galilei_image01.jpg Painting depicts Galileo standing trial in Rome for his belief in Copernicanism[19] In 1638 at Leiden, Galileos final book was published entitled the Discourses Concerning Two New Sciences, which reviewed and refined his earlier studies of motion and mechanics. This book led Newton to the law of gravitation that linked Keplers laws with Galileos physics. Conclusion Galileo became blind before his last book was published. He died at his home in Arcetri, near Florence on January 8th 1642. It was not until 1979 an investigation into Galileos condemnation called for a reversal by Pope John Paul II and in October 1992, a papal commission acknowledged the Churchs error. Fifty years after his death the city of Florence erected a monument in Galileos honour in Santa Croce. 800px-Tomb_of_Galileo_Galilei.jpg Tomb of Galileo in Santa Croce[20] In December 2008, during the events to mark the 400th anniversary of Galileos telescopic observations, Pope Benedict XVI praised his contributions to astronomy. Galileo still remains one of the most important scientists of his time and even though he had a difficult lifetime and personally suffered because of his ideas, he is greatly appreciated today.

Critical Pedagogy Essay -- Teaching Education Philosophy

Critical Pedagogy The acclaimed lyricist Oscar Hammerstein once wrote, "You have to be carefully taught." Most will agree that properly educating children is essential for the good of a society. However, the best method of educating students is a much more debatable topic. What is the best way to educate a student? Is it through memorization? Discussion? Exploration? Experimentation? Through the ages many scholars, teachers, and other accredited individuals have offered their opinions on the science of teaching, or pedagogy. One such man is Henry Giroux, the author of Modernism, Postmodernism, and Feminism. In his introductory chapter to this novel, Giroux sets his principles for critical pedagogy. Among these principles is one belief that reads, "Critical pedagogy needs to create new forms of knowledge through its emphasis on breaking down disciplinary boundaries and creating new spaces where knowledge can be produced." What does this belief mean to me? In order to understand my interpretation of the principle as a whole, it is necessary to understand my interpretations of the various words and phrases that make up the rule. Take the first phrase, "†¦ to create new forms of knowledge†¦" I interpret "new forms of knowledge" as knowledge expressed in forms other than the traditional. For example, "old" forms of knowledge may be names, dates, numbers, and concrete facts that are memorized without being fully understood. On the other hand, "new" forms of knowledge may refer to abstract ideas, concepts, and theory, without definite answers. The next phrase of the principle speaks of, "†¦breaking down disciplinary boundaries†¦" I would define "disciplinary boundaries" as any boundaries or limits that prevent learning from taking pla... ...-hand. For example, no one should have to figure out on their own body that hair is flammable, or that a wet tongue will stick to a metal flagpole on a cold day. So, does critical pedagogy really need to create new forms of knowledge through its emphasis on breaking down disciplinary boundaries and creating new places where knowledge can be developed? Learning in this manner can be beneficial because the information is better understood, more fully realized, and more easily applied by the student. However, this manner of learning can also be counter-productive because the information is obtained much more slowly, and little effort is made to learn from previous research and mistakes. What is the most effective way to teach? While the best method of teaching will be under constant scrutiny, all will agree on one point. You have to be carefully taught.

Coca Cola Market Segmentation Essay

Introduction Coca cola utilizes both internal and external marketing strategies to gain a competitive advantage over its competitors becoming a successful company with great earnings. Additionally, the company claims that the innovation is at the heart of everything they do add to their success. The company has segmented its market in terms of demographics, psychographic, geographic and lifestyle. Discussions After building a strong reputation and brand image, the Coca-Cola Company changed its name from Coke to New Coke in 1985 as they continued to offer customers a better taste. Demographically, although the company seems to focus on the whole population globally, its particular target is the young generation showing the energy giving element to the customers. According to world demographics 2013, 57.4 percent of the global population lies in the age bracket of 15-54 years of age. The statistics provide a clear indicator that the Coca-Cola focus on the largest demographic in the world with potential customers thus a right strategy to ensure sustainability and growth. In regard to family size, the company serve its in different bottle sizes for families to choose according to their sizes ranging from 200ml to 2 Liters pack (Global Functional Drinks Industry Profile, 2014). The Coca-Cola Company practice geographic segmentation in terms of regions. Through the price remains constant in all parts, the brands vary according to the weather of the region. For example, in Hong Kong during summer season Coca-cola has a unique brand called freezing coke (Global Functional Drinks Industry Profile, 2014). The strategy ensures continued brand loyalty by providing all weather drinks at the same price. Further in terms of place of  consumption. Coca-Cola puts up vending machines in meeting terminus and stations to ensure access to all. Locally in states the company provides equal and continuous supply to the local shops. Low-income earners have access to returnable glass bottle with medium income earners having plastic non-returnable bottle and Coke tin for high-income earners. In psychographic segmentation, Coca-Cola distinguishes customers into different groups based on buyer’s values, lifestyle or personality. Although people share the same demographic group, they exhibit diverse psychographic profiles forcing Coca-Cola to design and manufacture products suiting personality. In terms of lifestyle, consumers portray different lifestyles. Coca-Cola Company presented a more portable packaging for their soft drinks in order to provide for the modern ever busy user. The company endows its products with brand personality in line with a particular consumer personality. Further in observing culture and especially the diet matter, Coca-Cola produced health conscious products such as Coke Zero and Diet Coke (Global Functional Drinks Industry Profile, 2014). Conclusion The Coca-Cola Company boasts of high market and business share globally. The company has continuously gained more profits through use of different marketing strategies and market segmentation. Through segmentation, the company has managed to ensure continuous customer satisfaction by providing goods and services that meet all the social classes. Sales wise, the company have continuously experienced increasing sales by increasing the benefits derived from each segment for their products and services. The trend also benefits from the ever increasing customer loyalty as a result of satisfaction. Through its franchising model, the company runs a successful business in non-alcoholic beverage industry globally. It stands to capture any new drink type in the market as it has done before. A slight decline in segment consumption attracts careful analysis from the company to dig down into the cause and innovative measures to curb such loss. References Global Functional Drinks Industry Profile. (2014). Functional Drinks Industry Profile: Global, 1-35.

Term Paper Topics

Term Paper Topics Term Paper Topics Term Paper Topics If you have a term paper due, the first step is conducting a research.   You cannot start writing a term paper without have enough information on the topic.   If you are not sure which topic to select and if do not know how to collect information, do not panic.   Most of the students do not know as well.   It is a problem of many students, however, there is always a way out.   In this short article you will find some useful suggestions that can help with writing a term paper.   Pick one small aspect of the topic and write one-page papers just about this idea in your own words. Based on this one page, you can develop your ideas further.   Make a list of all ideas you want to describe and then choose the most interesting for you. Write down a thesis statement.   Next, you can start analyzing the information you have collected.   It gives you a point to start the main paragraph. Remember that APA style term paper is the most appropriate term paper format. Term Paper Writing While writing a term paper, try to find as many articles and books on your topic as possible. Your goal is not to write a compare and contrast term paper as many students mistakenly believe.   While writing a literary term paper you should write about similarities only or differences only, however, some combination is possible. Pay attention to the relationship between the two texts. You should not compare two works, but rather find the meaning of the book and discuss the ideas raised by the authors.   First, try to organize your ideas and then think how to present them logically.   While writing an introduction, you should present general information on the topic.   If your term paper writing is about the book, do not forget to mention the name of the author and the title of his work. Take into account that the reader has read these works. It means that you should not provide plot description and summary.   Do not describe the author's life.   Stay focused on the ideas r aised by the author in a book.   Irrelevant information distracts the reader from the purpose of your term paper.   While writing a term paper, you should analyze the topic critically. Custom Term Paper Help If you are not sure in your ability to write a term paper, you may ask professional writing experts for assistance.   There is no topic we cannot research.   Experience and education of our writers empowers us to claim that every term paper we deliver is original and interesting to read.

About Different Essay Writing Formats

About Different Essay Writing Formats About Different Essay Writing Formats An essay writing format is something that concerns students who are not aware of their peculiarities. True, it is sometimes possible to get totally lost in the variety of those page numbering techniques and the and Bibliography sections. If you are one of those students who do not have a clear understanding of what distinguishes MLA from APA, then the following content is just for you. The present article will try to narrate of the most common formats for academic papers of the modern educational institutions. The most frequently used formats in the modern high schools, colleges and universities are APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Oxford and Harvard. Apart from these ones, there are a few more, but they are used not so often. The tutors, in their majority, prefer the listed ones for the students who compose written assignments. These formats have their unique peculiarities, so the students would need to master these all in order to get the high marks and no complaints from their tutors. No need to panic. These are not too complicated and all of the students who have the desire to write well and obey the formatting rules would eventually master all of these formats. In case you belong to the category of students who have no or minimal desire to learn all of the mentioned formats and their peculiar characteristic, you are welcome to order the paper online – from the Internet-based custom paper writing company. Its staff knows how to work with any of the mentioned formats, so you will have no troubles in this regard. Once you order a paper composed by a freelance writer, you obtain the high-quality product and what is even more pleasant, you would not need to bother formatting the paper on your own. All you would need to do is to state which particular format you need during the order placement procedure. The rest will be done for you at quite an affordable price. You will get the completed essay formatted as needed within the time frame you specify in the order instructions. Leave the headache of formatting to the freelance writers from the online custom paper writing company and you will still succeed in this case. All you would need to do is to care about the credible online agency you address – you need the good assistance, not the poor one. So, select the writing agency with consideration and mind the price you might pay for addressing a poor company – you may lose the academic position and be accused of academic dishonesty. To avoid the latter ones – choose the writer to work with the utmost attention. offers professional essay writing help you can fully rely on. You will get a high-quality custom essay paper from highly qualified writers.

How are the index number used to display economics or financial data Essay

How are the index number used to display economics or financial data Identify some examples to illustrate your answer - Essay Example assigned a value of unity, or even 100, in some reference period, and the value of other index for other given periods of time are intended to indicate the average proportionate or even the percentage change in price from this price reference period. For example if a given product is costing thrice as much as in 1990 as it did in 1980, its index could be taken to be 300 times relative to 1980. Price indices can be used to measure differences in price levels between different regions, countries and cities at the same point in time. For example, the Bic Mac price have been noted to occur in China at 51% reduction from U.S. prices. Considering such indices, it can be possible to forecast currency values. Based on this illustration China currency is undervalued and provides a currency investment opportunity. The price indices have three important characteristics. They are published frequently, usually every month but at times every quarter. They are available quickly, about two weeks after the end of the month or quarter. They are usually not revised, and they are closely monitored hence attracts a lot of publicity (Moulton et al, 2002). As a result of continuous publication, the price index provides timely information about the rate of inflation, and at times they are used to provide a wide variety of purposes, in addition to indexing wages. For example, consumer price indices are used to index other payments such as interest payment or rents, and at times the price of bonds. They are also used to provide index pensions and social security benefits. There are different kinds of index of numbers that can be used. Most economists and compliers of consumer price index agree that the index formula to be used should belong to a small class of indices called superlative indices (Turvey, 2004). This superlative index is expected to provide an approximation to a cost of living index. The main feature of superlative index is that it treats both periods being compared

Healthcare Business & Financing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Healthcare Business & Financing - Essay Example Various empirical studies that have done over the past by the researchers to prove that there is a relationship between social, economic status and heath results. For example, a group of researchers of Internal medicine carried out research to determine whether there is a correlation between socioeconomic status and results for patients with a heart attack. The research discovered that poor patients who have been with a heart attack perform worse as compared to patients from the rich families. The argument may be by the fact that the poorest patient tend to undergo via extreme stress because they cannot meet their medical expenses as compared to the rich patients. Further, the study discovered those poor patients diagnosed with a heart attack were found to die early as compared to the rich. The reason for early death is due to the social, economic status. It was observed that patients from power social and economic background could not afford quality health care due to their low inco mes. In addition, patients from the poor background are unable to adapt/change their lifestyle as compared to the rich. The discussion indicates that there is a relationship between socioeconomic status and health outcomes (Alter et al., 2006). In America, health care is a privilege but not a right. Americans believe in conservatism; every individual should be able to cater for their needs including health care. The federal government has a role of empowering its citizens so that they can take care of their needs. The US constitution does not provide health care as a right. The Americans have been paying their medical bills without relying for the government to pay their medical bills. It is imperative to note that there is various reimbursement methods in healthcare system used to pay medical bills and include; billed, historical, specific service charge, bundle charge and capitulated reimbursement