Friday, November 29, 2019

Taoism Essays (708 words) - Taoism, Chinese Philosophy,

Taoism Taoism is a religion that originated in Ching, probably during the 300s B.C. Taoism is also the name of a religion that began in the 100s B.C. Through the many years this religion has influenced artists and writers in the East and West. The word Tao (also spelled Dao) originally meant road or way. The Taoist studied their religion and they believed that everything in the world was explained by the way. The word (the way) is also meant as reality as a whole or individual ways The beliefs of Taoism appear in two books, the Lao-tzu (later renamed the Tao Te Ching The Classic Way and Virtue) and the Chuan-tzu are all the different books that they often read. The Lao-tzu is a book that was brought together by many unknown authors. At first Confucianism was very popular among the Chinese but they believed they had to many rules. In Confucianism people can live a good life only in a well-disciplined society that stresses attention to ceremony, duty, mortality, and public service. Although in Taoism it was not as strict. In the Taoist religion they believed to live a simple life yet still mediated and was close to nature. The Taoist religion had an influence on many of the artist involved. Tao Qian was highly against any type of violence and wanted a life in harmony with nature. Xia Gui painted paintings and landscapes that reflected the Taoist sensitivity to nature. Taoism was influenced by Chinese folk religion. In folk religion their gods are represented as human being who displayed exceptional powers during their lifetime. One of many they believed was a god that was a human being in there past lives was Guan Di, who is the protector of business people, lived as a general during the A.D. 200s. The priests would display public rituals in which they submit the peoples prayers to the gods of folk religion. The chief priest, who is in a trance, prays to other divinities for the worshipers. These divinities are not former human beings but represent aspects of Tao. The members of some Taoist groups have sought to attention immortality through magic, meditation and special diets, breath control, or the recitation of scriptures. Tao is the first-cause of the universe. It is a force that flows through all life. The goal of everyone is one with the Tao. The concept of a personified deity is foreign to Taoism, as is the concept of the creation of the universe. Thus, they do not pray as Christians do; there is no God to hear the prayers or act upon them. They seek answers to lifes problems through inner meditation and other observation. Time cyclical, not linear as in western thinking. Yin (dark side) is a breath that formed the earth. Yang (light side) is the breath that formed the heavens. They symbolize pairs of opposites that are seen through the universe, such as good and evil, light and dark, male and female. Intervention by human civilization upsets the balances of Yin and Yang. The Tao surrounds everyone therefore everyone must listen to find enlightenment. Five main organs and the body that complement Taoism are the five parts of the sky: water, fire, wood, metal and earth. Each person must nurture the ChI (air, breath) that has been given to him or her. Development of virtue is ones major task. The three jewels that identify Taoism are compassion, moderation, and humility. Taoists follow the art of wu wei, which is to achieve action through minimal action. It is the practice of going against the stream not by struggling against it and trashing about, but by standing still and letting the stream do all the work. Thus the sage knows that relative to the river, he still moves against the current. To the outside world the sage appears to take no action-but in fact he takes action long before others ever foresee the need for action. Taoists believe that people are compassionate by nature... left to their own devices [they] will show this compassion without expecting an award. Bibliography Sivin, N. Taoism The World Book Encyclopedia. 1997, Volume19 page 36 www.taoism.com Religion Essays

Monday, November 25, 2019

Maturation of the Plantation System 17761860 essays

Maturation of the Plantation System 17761860 essays In the essay, Maturation of the Plantation System 1776-1860, John B. Boles writes about the evolution of the Southern way of life from the end of the Revolutionary war to the beginning of the Civil war. Unlike the North, the South depended on agricultural products for revenue such as sugar, indigo, and tobacco, but mainly cotton in the later years. In order to produce these products, the plantation owners of the South used the cheapest labor available, which was slave labor. Slavery evolved to become the backbone of the South. Slavery was upheld in the early stages of the United States because Southern slaveholders referred to their slaves as property. Slaves realized that all men arent created equal as stated in the Declaration of Independence written by Thomas Jefferson. Freedom was only a dream. Slavery increased because of the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 that doubled the size of the United States. In 1810, the Census reported that there were 1,163,854 slaves in the South, mainly due to the growing production of cotton and sugar. England first realized the potential of black slaves when in 1775, Lord Dunmore granted freedom to all indented servants, Negroes, or others...(83). Southern whites did not like this proposition and they took emergency militia and police action to prevent a slave exodus to the British side. By 1777, the need for men forced the English and Colonials to rely on the use of black troops. However, although some blacks did fight side by side with their white counterparts, the majority of black involvement in the war was in a supporting role as cooks, wagoneers, and servants. After the war, there was an industrial revolution in the production of cotton cloth in England. Several species of cotton were known in the South before the revolution, but it was not easy to produce. However, with the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, the production of cotton in the...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Financial Crisis of 2007 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Financial Crisis of 2007 - Essay Example This led to domination of speculative activities in the economy. Speculators are only interested in short term gain from the economy. Thus the long term yield on assets is not properly ensured. In the process of globalization, the role of nation-state has been undermined by the economies. Due to the lack of fiscal intervention of governments for ensuring sustaining growth, global finance and de-regulation were adopted by the economy as an alternative paradigm and it led to the booms and bust in the global economy. A sound long term macro economic policy was not adopted by the countries and thus the financial and economic stability affected badly and the conditions of financial crisis emerged. 2) Explain the factors that caused the current financial crisis. Discuss the theoretical views of the following three theories below and explain which are more relevant towards the current financial crisis Financial market instability in the economy is the result of defaulted free market system and capitalism. It causes booms and bust conditions in the global economy. The defaults in the operations of banking and monetary system are another root cause of the crisis situation. The rising protectionism among various countries led to rejection of free trade and thus the export opportunities were greatly reduced. As a result of the decreased export opportunities in the economy national income also reduced greatly. It led to contraction of the GDP together with currency devaluation. (Global economic crisis- a different view 2009). Excess liquidity in the market: Unsound methods of debt financing adopted by major central banks generate excess liquidity in the market. Through their irresponsible actions in the economy, increased debt financing without proper guarantee for returns has highly increased. The resulted sudden cash flow in the economy created a more risky environment. Due to the financial recession the returns to financial institutions were restricted and thus bad debts rate highly increased. It affected their financial position badly. (Karam 2008). Stock market crash: Sub prime mortgage loan and excess credit creation led to speculative economic environment. Due to the baseless marketing actions, the stock market faced severe crash situation which affected the entire economy badly. When the speculative borrowings increased it forced the banks and other lenders to tighten credit. As a result the availability of money in the economy contracted, and even to companies that can afford, loan was restricted and thus the economy subsequently contracted. When analysing the nature of the banking systems in the countries, it revealed that the baseless lending actions of the banks are the root cause of the current crisis. Through the expansion of easy credit, boom and bust cycles created in the US economy. Due to the uncontrolled monetary policy adopted by central banks and endorsed by the political regulatory through application of mechanisms of fiat money and fractional reserve banking, there emerged uncertain economic boom and bust cycles. (The global financial/ economic crisis 2008). The financial crisis is started with the mortgage issue. The uncontrolled sub prime borrowings and subsequent depression in the value of the homes leads to

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Conflict in Darfur Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Conflict in Darfur - Research Paper Example The armed forces of the government and the Janjaweed have responded to the growing fight of the rebels with crushing violence. They have killed a large number of people in and around the ethnic tribes who are supporting the rebel groups. Most of the countries around the world, particularly the US, have recognized this killing as genocide and have been forcing the Sudanese government to stop these atrocities. UN Security Council has passed a resolution, deploying UN Peace Keeping Forces to Darfur. This is the situation under which this research is being conducted. The primary question in front of us now is whether the Darfur situation will affect efforts in the global war on terrorism. With the known support for Al-Qaeda by the Sudanese Government and the Janjaweed, it is not a surprise that the Al-Qaeda has an on going interest in the happenings at Darfur. At the same time, the rest of world is also interested because of the large support that Al-Qaeda enjoys and its close link with the world terrorism. To identify the various possibilities of the research question, consequently its impact on the hypothesis, a survey will be conducted with the interested parties. This will comprise of people who are directly involved and people who are knowledgeable on the said issues. Twenty people who are resident or were residents of Darfur will be picked up for the purpose of this survey. In addition to this, similar opinion will be elicited from twenty other people who are interested in the making of a solution for Darfur. Another ten people who are from the general public who are not directly or indirectly involved in Darfur will also be queried to identify the right kind of an impact that they have all had on the topic. The entire process will be completed in a month's time and this would involve traveling to the relevant locations. Since this involves meeting some of the people who are directly involved in the fight at Darfur, there is a mild risk for the interviewer and for the participant too. But the impact is very minor. The survey will make use of a questionnaire that will have a Likert Scale in place. This would make comparison easy. However, there will also be five numbers of open ended questions posed to the participants which will bring out their thoughts on the subject. Participating in this study is not a risk for the participants. However, safety precautions should be taken up. If the subject or the participant has to travel and incur expenses for participating in this survey, then the same is refunded to the person. However, the researcher will be keen to avoid disturbing the life of the subject; instead, he or she will travel down to the location of the subject to interview him / her. Quantitative and Qualitative analysis methods will be adopted to make use of the data

Monday, November 18, 2019

Change management (organisation) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Change management (organisation) - Essay Example To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident It is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better. It would be appropriate to distinguish between â€Å"change† and a â€Å"project† right at the out-set. A project is a temporary and one-time endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service, that brings about beneficial change or added value. (1). A change, referred to in this context, includes a broad array of topics. From an individual perspective, the change may be a new behavior. From a business perspective, the change may be a new business process or new technology. From a societal perspective, the change may be a new public policy or the passing of new legislation. Successful change, however, requires more than a new process, technology or public policy. Successful change requires the engagement and participation of the people involved. (1). For organizations to develop, they often must undergo significant change at various points in their development. Change in organizations occurs when the organization changes its overall strategy for success, adds or removes a major section or practice, and/or wants to change the very nature by which it operates. (2). It also occurs when an organization evolves through various life cycles, just like people must successfully evolve through life cycles. (3). Ackerman (1997) has distinguished between three types of changes:- Transformational Change Also known as Organisational Change it is radical in nature comprising basically a paradigm shift in the organisation and its members. Transformation results in significantly different structure, processes, culture and strategy. Although the concepts and principles of change presented in this paper are applicable to all types of change, the essence of this paper is biased towards Transformational Change in higher educational institutions, particularly Northumbria University. (4). Northumbria University

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Principle-Agent Model of Employment Relationship

Principle-Agent Model of Employment Relationship Outline the principal-agent model relating to the employment relationship, and describe how pay models can help overcome some of the problems of performance in developing country governments. Introduction Managing scarcity is a major concern both in the private and the public sector all around the world. As the cornerstone of the economic theory the efficient and effective use of the scarce resources has been, since the acknowledgment of this social science, a paramount responsibility for public officials. Whether it was on behalf of the absolutist ruler or about the peoples interest, managing the states resources is a craft that not only has evolved in its tools but also in the scope that it covers, as new necessities arise and evolve at the pace of civilization. In the following sections, we aim to cover the Principal-Agent Model relating it to the employment relationship within the public sector, for which we will develop the main characteristics of the model with a political economy perspective. As Solow (1974) acknowledges, the world has been consuming its exhaustible resources since the beginning of time, and as the process will continue and new necessities will emerge, the state in all its forms needs to enhance its output and efficiency to address these situations. As one of the main inputs for government delivery is human capital, the choice of a proper compensation scheme, with incentives effects considering performance and quality can provide significant effects on output (Lazear, 2000). From this perspective, we will cover different payment models and incentives as tools to achieve a better and wider output in the environment of developing economies where scarce resources are more acute and social needs are more demanding, focused in the provision of the basic elements and services to help people to develop. Finally, and after going through the theoretical ground of the Principal-Agent Model and the mentioned compensation methods, we will relate them with developing country experiences and outcomes in the framework of new public management where, working altogether with other theories and components that includes a varied mix of characteristics (Gruening, 2001) such as, budget cuts, privatization, user charges, competition, separation of politics and administration, performance measurement and improved accounting, among others that we can relate to the neo-liberalist agenda, that emphasises management tools in order to achieve the goal of better public sector performance. Principal-Agent Model In theory of delegation, the core idea of the Principal-Agent Model is that the Principal needs to delegate a certain activity or job because its too busy to do it by himself. This is made by hiring a third party or Agent who will be responsible to perform the defined activities, but as the Principal is busy, it also means that he cannot observe the Agent actions perfectly. So, several ways are to be considered to motivate the actions of the Agent to favour with her actions the interests of the Principal (Gibbons, 2017). To be defined as a Principal-Agent Model some necessary features or core assumptions are required. According to the settings explained by Miller (2005), first, the agent takes actions that establishes a payoff to the principal, along with a risk variable. Secondly, there exists information asymmetries as the principal can view the outcome provided by the agent but not the actions that the latter undertook. Moreover, in many cases, the associated costs of monitoring the agent actions can be prohibitively expensive. Third, there also exists asymmetry in the preferences as those of the agents, as are assumed to diverge from the principals preferences. Also, the agent is taken to be more risk-averse than the principal.   Fourth, the principal is expected to act rationally based upon coherent preferences and is able to take the initiative by offering a contract. Fifth, agent and principal have common knowledge about the game structure, the costs, probabilities of the different outcomes and other variables. Moreover, they are conscious of the agents rationality and her preferences regarding an incentive package that its expected utility is above the agents opportunity cost. Finally, the principal is assumed to have the ability to impose the best possible solution regarding the agents inferred best response equation. In other words, The principal is endowed with all of the bargaining power in this simple setting, and thus can make a take-it-or-leave-it offer to the agent (Sappington, 1991, p. 47). Furthermore, Miller (2005) defines, from the above-mentioned assumptions, two initial results. Outcome-based incentives, to partially overcome any moral hazard problems despite information asymmetries. And, Efficiency Trade-Offs, as moral hazard sets boundaries to both transaction efficiency and the principals benefits. Efficiency in incentives endures a trade-off with risk-bearing efficiency, and the best trade-off or second best solution must involve risky outcome-based bonuses for the risk-averse agent (Shavell, 1979 in Miller, 2005). Asymmetries and Costs The relationship between the principal and the agent is not exempt of unbalances of power that operate in both ways. The former is threatened by moral hazard or informational asymmetries regarding the actions that are to be undertook by the agent. To balance this situation, the theory presumes that the principal will try to narrow these asymmetries by installing information systems and monitoring the agent. Also, they will offer incentives as a way to align the parties interests. In this alignment, principals compensate the agents not only for the collaboration agreement but for the actual result of this enterprise, performing contracts that are output oriented (Shapiro, 2005). Moreover, given the insurmountably costs of monitoring the agent, or public servant, the outcome based contract is a clear alternative against a retribution based on actions (Miller, 2005). In the public-sector sphere, if the official fails in his task, e.g. inclusive poverty alleviation programme, must be removed from office even if his actions were in the best interests of the public. This is not done out of vengeance, but as an incentive for future officials under the same information asymmetry and output-based contracts. Of course, if the programme succeeds, the official must be rewarded. This shows that there is inefficiency along the process, even though the output-based contract succeeds in reducing the moral hazard problem, it does it whilst recognizes the inefficiencies that come along with the solutions achieved, that in most cases are not Pareto-optimal in the relationship between the agent and the principal (Downs and Rocke, 1994). Moral hazard is a key component in the contract formulation. The principals are assumed to be risk neutral and the agents risk averse, as they have bet all in into the contract with the principal, the information asymmetry plays an important part as the agent will do things that might go against the principals goals in order to preserve themselves from risk. Thus, the importance to design tools to minimize this hazards (Shapiro, 2005). In addition, the principals are faced with situations that modify substantially the assumption that is the latter the one who is in control of creating incentives, specifying the preferences and making the contracts for the agents to follow. There exists many common situations in which principals need agents with expertise, or with experience that goes far beyond that of theirs, in this cases the asymmetry of information is reinforced by the shift in the asymmetry of power as it shifts from the principal to the agent (Shapiro, 2005) a common case observed with public officials and politicians. Therefore, by manipulating the incentives offered to the agent, the principal attempts to minimize agency costs or shirking, that is the losses assumed by the principal by her incapacity to align the self-interests of the agent with her owns (Miller, 2005). When it comes to the public service, two observations must be made. First, as there exists knowledge and information asymmetries and they are characteristic in many agency relationships that are opaque and quite difficult to be subject of surveillance, agents self-regulation provides a very important monitoring role. Secondly, many regulatory provisions and self-regulatory arrangements established to control agency relationships are as well agency relationships. Whether they are compliance officers, auditors, internal affairs departments, insurance companies, investment advisors or government regulators, the monitors act on behalf of the principals. Therefore, they also comprise agency problems (Shapiro, 2005). Shirking, cooptation or corruption becomes part of the equation. So, the question of Who monitors the monitors? (Shapiro, 1987) arises, creating a structure of agents controlling agents. The later question demands more attention from the political science view as sanctions are required to induce agents to properly perform their duties. Budget cuts, firing officials, recontracting or voting them out of office are ways used in the public sector to align the agents objectives with those of the principals. As Mitnick (1998, in Shapiro, 2005) explains, these situations inevitably comes with associated agency costs, when they are too high, either in political or economic terms, principals might choose not to expend resources on them. Furthermore, as politicians might not bear the burden of the consequences of the agents self-interested, opportunistic actions, the costs most likely are passed through to the public. This creates the perfect environment for increased laxity of monitoring activities in the public sector (Meier and Waterman, 1998). Contracts, Pay Models and Performance It is clear now that the channel to implement the required balances of power and influence is through the correct design of the contracts where the principals delegation to the agent will be embodied. Sadly, there is not a golden rule for contract design as every relationship is different and requires diverse considerations to achieve the best possible outcome considering most of the contingencies. Nevertheless, there is a caveat to consider as there are substantially different scenarios between the contracts and incentives options for the public sector than those of the private, more flexible, one. We must remember that the beginnings of the new public management and the considerations of the principal-agent theory are rooted in the developments in management techniques provided by the private sector in its search for efficiency and productivity. For this particular reason, we cover the more standardized retributive models to, afterwards, be able to apply them to the public sector with the necessary considerations. One of the entrepreneurs in compensation techniques was Henry Ford who addressed the high rotation of personnel and absenteeism that his motor company suffered by increasing the hourly wages high above the average threshold in the industry. This basic action provided immediate effects as productivity, commitment increased whilst personnel rotation decreased. This decision, though basic today provided a clear example of what incentives can produce in a given organization. But, Fords times are over and the complexity of transactions, markets and peoples needs have evolved into a more sophisticated retribution design. A rather common output-based contract is the Piece-rate payment instead of the classic hourly payment. This kind of contract works for certain organizations, and has proven to be effective in the increase of productivity due to two components: the increased production per worker due to incentive effects and a natural shift towards more capable, results driven employees recruited to fill the posts of those that are unable to produce enough to maintain their previous level of income. This generates profits sharing between the company and the labour force as part of the productivity gains are split among them, whilst encouraging more ambitious workers to differentiate themselves, both characteristics are unable to be achieved with a basic salary retribution (Lazear, 2000). Is understood that covenants regarding quality and other issues must be addressed in the contract to avoid future backfires. There exist different alternatives of contracts regarding the agents retributions. But they all aim to be the optimal solution to the information asymmetry problem. Authors also suggest the analysis of retribution in a time frame perspective, where initially the agent will be paid a wage lower than his alternative wage, with the promise of future, career attached, above the threshold wages as an alternative to avoid shirking when monitoring the agents activities is imperfect. Moreover, this method of delayed-payment or bonding contract is efficient as it doesnt alter the present value of the best alternative compensation. Also, this system provides the principal with an additional tool which is the increasing cost of job loss to keep the agent focused on the principals objectives (Krueger, 1990). A tool that is also related with bonuses or options related compensations. In jobs that are capital intensive and highly routinized, there is also room for shirking, absenteeism, theft, high turnover, waste, misuse of equipment or poor service that have a significant effect on output and performance (Krueger, 1990). These situations observed in certain industries can be also seen in some public offices, with the condiment that in many cases there also exists the limitation of law and regulation regarding the protection of the public employment that creates a further layer of asymmetry in the principal-agent relationship. The relationship can be turned-over as the principal becomes the employees that are unionized and the agent, the organization for whom they work. In cases where it has full negotiation power for determining the labour contract, the unions will demand higher salaries and in-kind payments that goes straight against the goal of maximizing the output as the cost increases (Laffont and Martimore, 2001). Moreover, there exists the risks of overemployment due to the mentioned legislation coverage, that prevents the organization to restructure its personnel and achieve a maximization of output through increased productivity. As Shapiro (2005) acknowledges, over time the agents acquire influence over other groups than their principals that increases their protection against any sanction that might be cast upon them. And as in many cases agents -government officials or corporate directors- outlive their principals (politicians, shareholders), the balance of power may shift. Performance and Development From all the above covered, we clearly observe that performance enhancing measures are activities that arent free of charge. In fact, even in private companies the application of any structural change regarding increasing output or efficiency comes with stressful situations that might be so disruptive that can stop the process. This situation, when taken to the public sector, where the motors of change are elected official with a fixed term in office, provides situations that require strong commitment and enough negotiations skills to prove the workforce and the ultimate principals, the voters, of the necessity of change. In this section, we will cover the approach that developing countries have taken to address and minimize situations that reduce performance or hold back efficiency. Improving Health Service Delivery Performance enhancement is a key factor to achieve the health-associated Millennium Development Goals. Hence, looking for improved ways for service delivery is significantly important. A way to achieve this goals has been the application of government contracting with third parties such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) practitioners, universities or companies. As Loevinsohn and Harding (2005) expose, contracts for health service delivery provides some interesting characteristics. First, they ensure a more precise focus on measurable results, especially when the contracts are defined objectively with measurable outputs. Secondly, they overcome some constraints that can prevent governments to efficiently use the available resources, such as the ones mentioned in the previous section. Third, the use of the private sectors flexibility can improve service delivery. Fourth, increased autonomy and decentralization in the decision-making process allows a faster response to peoples ne eds. Fifth, as contracting is through public offers, it will increase the efficiency because of price competition or, if its recruiting for staff, will attract better qualified agents. Finally, as these activities are outsourced in its execution allows governments to focus more on its other roles, such as planning, financing, regulation and more varied public health functions. Of course, in addition to the caveats covered in this paper, the thought of contracting non-state institutions to perform public activities comes with other difficulties as contracting should cover a sufficiently large scale to make a difference in aggregate service output. Which in turn, leads to both more expensive contracts and a shift in the balance of power due to principals (government) limited capacity to manage this contracts in the most efficient way once the service is instituted. Hence, there will be unsustainability risks in the contracting (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). However, governments have different types of contracts to provide a principal-agent relationship with positive results for society. In a service delivery contract, the state decides the services to be provided, where, and the integration scale in the infrastructure and supply management, where, personnel, equipment or consumables will be, or provided. There are intermediate options such as a management contract, where the agent will take over on the government health workers and take care of the increase in the salary, which will be linked to outcome based indicators (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). In this case, there is a limited effect in the principals shift of power as the agent remains in a rather weak position as it can be dismissed if does not accomplish the performance levels pre-contracted. When contrasted with some average scenarios in many developing countries, where the public sector underperforms or barely function at all, due to factors such as poverty, corruption, chronical economic crisis and political instability. Public officials morale is undermined and in some situations absenteeism increases or there are a lack of tasks or resources to work with, pervasive corruption and rent seeking characterises the public sector in many places in the world (Grindle, 1997). Reforms to increase performance and effectiveness are demanded both by the public and by the politicians, whos agency contract with society depends on their performance. Nevertheless, Loevinsohn and Harding (2005) research provides evidence of the impressive improvements achieved by government contracting with third parties in the performance of the service delivery. Whether primary health care in Guatemala or nutrition programmes in Africa, contracting yielded positive results. In some case studies the contractors were proven to be more effective than the state agencies, regarding several measures on quality of service and coverage. As an example, in India a NGO was able to deliver an increase of 14% in tuberculosis treatment completion rates at a lower cost than the public services in a nearby area (Murthy et al. 2001). Contracting under specific, results driven conditions has proven to deliver impressive and rapid results. The studies made on programmes that are ongoing suggest that there is a link between the high performing programmes with increased autonomy given to contractors, cases such as Cambodia, where Rural Primary Health Provision and District Hospitals, where output-based service delivery contracts provided better results than traditional management contracts. A result consistent with the characteristics of hospital services where autonomy in the workforce management is significantly important to improve performance (Harding and Preker, 2003). It is to be expected to generate controversy by contracting with non-governmental institutions to provide services. Critics often relate this movements as pro neo-liberal desires of privatization, while financing them with public resources with the objective to limit the government involvement in services such as health care or education. However, some programmes are designed and implemented due to internal analysis of the lack of expertise or proper resources to cover and deliver a defined set of services, a process that can lead to more efficient expenditures without reducing the public expenditure for that item (Loevinsohn and Harding, 2005). Hence, increasing performance and output. The above-mentioned examples are among many others where new public management techniques or concepts apply. The Principal-Agent model expressed in the relationship between the state and a third party specialized in service delivery shows that such a complex relationship should be followed in those activities that allow to be critically measurable, without being put through subjectivities in the performance analysis. When the Principal-Agent relationship is put under the scope of political science there are interesting considerations to be made. When we analyse the delegation process or the objective we might observe that maybe the goal is to provide an enhanced credibility in the commitments made, or to avoid the cost of unpopular policies. Instead of aligning the interests of the agents with theirs, principals who seek credibility from their agents choose other agents with different preferences regarding policies and provide them with considerable autonomy and discretion as a way to provide contracts with independence whilst seeking accountability for their actions (Majone, 2001 in Shapiro, 2005). As we can see, contracting under the principal-agent model is not a simple activity. There are so many variables that can affect the efficiency of the objective rather than its effectiveness, that it proves complicated to perform corrective measures. Therefore, the monitor eye is so important. The threat of future sanctions provides the agents, and in the public arena, some principals, with the incentives to perform their activities properly. Moreover, in democracies, where congressional oversight is available, and where effective incentives systems are applied, less often sanctions should be observed in the form of hearings and investigations. Direct and continuous monitoring of inputs rather than results proves to be an inefficient tool for controlling the agent (Miller, 2005). This provides a further incentive for the proper implementation and design of outcome-based contracts. Conclusion In the present paper, we have gone through the standard framework of the Principal-Agent model, where we have covered the technical requirements to be met in order to perform this kind of contracts. Always from the basis that is the Principals need of delegation of a certain activity, the trigger for entering in this contract based relationship in which there exists characteristics such as information asymmetries, efficiency trade-offs and relatively high monitoring costs associated. Furthermore, we have gone into a deeper analysis of the causes and costs related to the different asymmetries that can be observed in the principal-agent relationship and the particular impact that this can cause in contracts performed with the public sector. For which we have also covered the mainstream contract typology, the intrinsic objectives of the correct formulation of the agreement in order to avoid shirking and goals divergences. To finally, approach performance issues with developing country experiences related to the health sector as it is one of the public services that can have its output clearly and objectively measured without further complications or subjectivities. From all the above covered, we clearly can see that Principal-Agent contracts applied to governments is possible and yields positive results. But, it is also clear that is not an easy or systematic task. As it requires many considerations and attention to the caveats mentioned and many others that can apply due to the intrinsic characteristics of the tasks and the outcomes negotiated. We must also bear in mind that this kind of contracts also bear internal difficulties within the government agencies as not all of them are fit to be part of this kind of arrangements. In addition, we cannot think of implementing an effective principal-agent relationship without pursuing other structural changes in the governmental structures. As Robert McNamara, former president of the World Bank, claimed in most countries, the centralized administration of scarce resources both money and skills has usually resulted in most of them being allocated to a small group of the rich and powerful. This is not surprising since economic rationalizing, political pressure and selfish interest often conspire to the detriment of the poor. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] experience shows that there is a greater chance of success if institutions provide for popular participation, local leadership and decentralization of authority (World Bank, 1975, p.93). Moreover, Rondinelli (1981) focuses on the efficient delivery of services depending upon the effective organization at community levels to have a strong interaction with the agencies in charge of service delivery to establish priorities and set objectives. This paper aimed to observe the impact of the Principal-Agent Model as a tool to gain in efficiency and increase performance levels in the public sector. From all the above covered, we can see that, if properly implemented and with the necessary systemic view, this incentive-based tool is strong enough to help government agencies to increase their output and provide better services for the community. Again, is not the easy path, but it can payoff. References Downs, George W. and Rocke, David M. (1994) Conflict, agency and gambling for resurrection: The principal-agent problem goes to war. American Journal of Political Science. Vol. 38 pp. 362-380. Gibbons, Robert (2017) Lecture Note 1: Agency Theory. MBA Course 15.903: Organizational Economics and Corporate Strategy. MIT Sloan School of Management. Massachusetts. Grindle, Merilee S. (1997) Divergent Cultures? When Public Organizations Perform Well in Developing Countries. World Development. Vol. 25, pp. 481-495. Gruening, Gernod (2001). Origin and theoretical basis of New Public Management. International Public Management Journal 4 (2001) 1-25. Harding, April and Preker, Alexander S. (2003) Innovations in Health Service Delivery: The Corporatization of Public Hospitals. Health, Nutrition, and Population. World Bank. Washington D.C. Krueger, Alan B. (1990) Ownership, Agency and Wages: An examination of franchising in the Fast food industry. National Bureau of Economic Research. Working Paper No. 3.334. Laffont, Jean-Jacques and Martimore, David (2001) The Theory of Incentives: The Principal-Agent Model. Princeton University Press. New Jersey. Lazear, Edward P. (2000) Performance Pay and Productivity. The American Economic Review. Vol. 90, pp. 1346-1361. Loevinsohn, Benjamin and Harding, April (2005) Buying results? Contracting for health service delivery in developing countries. The Lancet. Vol. 366, pp. 676-681. Meier, Kenneth J. and Waterman, Richard W. (1998) Principal-agent models: an expansion? Journal of Public Administration and Research Theory. Vol. 8, pp. 173-202. Miller, Gary J. (2005) The Political Evolution of Principal-Agent Models. Annual Review of Political Science. Vol. 8, pp. 203-225. Murthy K.J.R., Frieden T.R., Yazdani A. and Hreshikesh P. (2001) Public private partnership in tuberculosis control: experience in Hyderabad, India. The International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. Vol. 5, pp. 354 -359. Sappington, David E. M. (1991) Incentives in principal-agent relationships. Journal of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 5, pp. 45-66. Shapiro, Susan P. (1987) The social control of impersonal trust. American Journal of Sociology. Vol. 93, pp. 623-658. Rondinelli, Dennis A. (1981) Government Decentralization in Comparative Perspective: Theory and Practice in Developing Countries. International Review of Administrative Sciences. Vol. 47, pp. 133-145. Shapiro, Susan P. (2005) Agency Theory. Annual Review of Sociology. Vol. 30, pp. 263-284. Solow, Robert M. (1974) The Economics of Resources or the Resources of Economics. The American Economic Review. Vol. 64, pp. 1-14. World Bank (1975) The Assault on World Poverty. John Hopkins University Press. Baltimore.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Macbeth And His Wife :: essays research papers

The Changing Relationship Between Macbeth and his Wife â€Å". . . my dearest partner of greatness . . .† writes Macbeth to his wife when he receives the first three prophecies from the witches. The relationship between Macbeth and his wife is a complicated one. At the start, they seem as in love with each other as when they were when married, the language used by both is intimate and playful. However there is a darker side to their relationship. Lady Macbeth has a change of heart and refers to her husband as a coward when they prepare to murder Duncan. â€Å" . . . I have given suck, and know how tender ‘tis to love the babe that milks me I would, while it was smiling in my face, have pluck’d my nipple from his boneless gums, and dash’d the brains out, had I so sworn as you . . .† Dialogues such as this show her darker side, the side that finally convinces Macbeth to commit the murder of King Duncan. It appears that Macbeth may even be afraid of his cruel wife. After the deed is done, she continues to look down upon him, â€Å" My hands are of your colour, but I shame to wear a heart so white . . .† She still thinks of him as a coward and mocks him about worrying about the deed. Her language and actions display this to us. She sarcastically calls him â€Å" . . . worthy thane . . .† Even though he has done exactly what she wanted him to do; Lady Macbeth still will tease him. This is one of the reasons that drive them apart further on in the play. Apart from her feigning a feint, we don’t see much of the lady until the coronation banquet. Macbeth arranges for his long time friend, Banquo, to be killed so the prophecy would not be fulfilled. When Lady Macbeth asks her husband what he was planning he tells her nothing, â€Å"Be innocent of knowledge, dearest chuck . . .† This from the man who confided everything with his wife in the letter he wrote about the witches, already they have started to drift apart, and Macbeth has only just risen to the throne. Macbeth although outwardly confident that his plan will succeed, appears to be afraid to let his wife know what he is planning, possibly he is afraid of her interfering like she did when they murdered Duncan in his bed.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Georges Trains A Conservative Approach

It will recommend areas of improvement to endure success. Lastly, this paper revised conclusion on the overall capital budgeting analysis Of George's Trains. Key words: working capital, investing conservatively, pitfalls Working Capital Practices of George's Trains George's of George's Trains started his business as a conservative investor. He understood and applied this practice properly; as a low-risk, low-return strategy. As an investor, George understood the two definitions by which to invest conservatively.First, a conservative investment is one that carries the greatest likelihood of preserving the purchasing power of one's capital with the least amount of risk. Second, George knew what a conservative investment was, and then followed the course of action needed to properly determine whether particular investments are indeed conservative investments (Gad, 2014). George did not have the background as an entrepreneur so he needed to have a safety factor to be able to weather mark et storms better than his competitors is.With this, he needs to have a low cost of production (Gad, 2014). When a bad year hits George's Trains, the chance of still churning out a profit or reporting a smaller net loss is achievable. A company that cannot compete by staying abreast of market hanged and trends is doomed in the end. George realized this and moved to expanding his product line outside of a one-man band – trains! Finally, management should possess financial skill (Gad, 2014). George relied on his bank and trending past years as well as utilizing the books from the previous owner.In doing this, George is able to maximize his return on investment capital, and other important components of business success (Gad, 2014). Beware Of Potential Pitfalls George realizes that model trains are seasonal. With that in mind, George orders inventory based on demand and utilizes past reports on trends. When business is slow, he decreases his inventory so he is not tying up his ca pital. When he sells an item, he makes sure that the replacement is ordered before the shelf is empty. This ensure maximum cash flow in his business.Managing working capital is the operational side of budgeting. When businesses put a budget together, they anticipate future cash flow and the timing of that cash flow. This planning is critical, especially in small businesses and practices (Kelly, 2014). Another pitfall that George realized was â€Å"The people Factor† (Moody, 2014). He realized that in order to be successful he added to cultivate his loyal customer's that used to come to his home business, as well as building a broader base.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

 Nissim Ezekiel’S “Enterprise” Essay

Nissim Ezekiel’S â€Å"Enterprise† ‘Enterprise’ is an allegory of human condition on this planet and of the frequent efforts, failure and frustrations to which man is subject by the very nature of earthly life. The poet describes a spiritual pilgrimage where each pilgrim faces difficulties and disillusionment along the way. Thus, in the ‘Enterprise’ a group of people undertake a journey moved by noble aspirations, but it all ends in failures and frustrations as is usually the case with human attempts at some noble achievement. The pilgrimage becomes a weary trek, by the time the goal is reached. The goal is alluring but the process of reaching it empties the victory of its glamour and glory. A number of people, including the poet decide to go on a pilgrimage. They are city dwellers and the journey they undertake is to some romantic, primitive hinterland. They start with hope, courage and determination, with their minds full of noble ideas and ideals. They are out to make some heroic effort, which will lead to some noble achievements. Their minds are exalted and they are not afraid of any dangers and difficulties. This stage of the journey symbolizes the stage of innocence that man enjoys in his boyhood and early youth, when he is entirely unconscious of the frustrations and failures which life brings at every stage. But this innocence is lost and in the next stage of the journey the pilgrims face dangers and difficulties. They continue on their onward journey of exploration. The objects and forces of nature are out to frustrate human endeavor like the oppressive heat of the sun. The group of travelers is able to put up very well with the dangers and difficulties for sometime and continue to journey in hope. They note down the goods being bought and sold by the peasants and observe the ways of serpents and goats. They pass through three cities where a sage had taught, but does not care to find out what he had taught. But soon there are distractions and diversions. The difficulties and dangers posed by man’s physical environment are not as damaging as those that result from his own insufficiency. Soon there are differences of opinion among the travelers and they began to quarrel over petty matters. They had to cross a piece of wasteland a ‘desert patch’, and they could not agree as to the best way of doing so. One of vtheir friends-rather proud of him stylish prose-was so angry that he left their company. The shadow of discord fell on their enterprise, and it has continued to grow. Bickering over petty matters, needless quarrels over trifles, hatred of, and hostility to, those who hold different opinions, is ingrained in human nature, and thus man carries the seeds of his failure and frustration within his own self. So do these pilgrims who, despite their quarrel, continue their onward journey. But none the less, they are divided into groups, each group attacking the other. Engrossed in their quarrel, they lose their ways and forget noble aspirations which had motivated their enterprise. Their goal and their purpose were forgotten and their idealism is all gone. Some of them decide to leave the group. Frustration and difficulties overwhelm the human spirit and many do not have the courage to face the realities of life. They seek relief in escape and withdrawal. Many of us are such introverts. Some try to pray and seek Divine assistance and blessings, forgetting that God help those who help themselves. Their leader feels that he smelt the sea and he feels that they have reached a dead end, and must go back. Their pilgrimage must end. Still they persist, though their journey has lost all its’ significance. They are dirty and shabby for they have been deprived of such common needs as soap, are broken in spirit and bent down physically. Such is the ultimate end of all human enterprises; this is the essential truth of human life. Absorbed in their pretty quarrels and tried and exhausted, frustrated and at bay, the travelers do not even hear the thunder and even if they do so, they ignore their significance. The thunder is symbolic of spiritual regeneration and fertility but they do not care for it. The extreme hopelessness of man at the end of life’s journey is thus stressed. The pilgrims even come to doubt the very worth and significance of the journey. It seems to them to have been meaningless and futile. All their noble aspirations are forgotten, there is sorrow and suffering on every face, and they are conscious of the fact that their actions have neither been great nor even. Efforts to escape from the realities of human existence are futile. We must accept the limitations of our lot and do our best within those limitations. Heroism means the acceptance of our lot in life and the  doing of our best in the service of God and humanity. Therefore the poem concludes on a note of exultation and optimism when the pilgrims realize that it is not by undertaking long hazardous journeys but by doing the right deeds that everyone can receive God’s grace. If you want to thank the person who shared the link with me you may send chocolates to room no 417 B in Jhonas hall in Christ University Recommend this on Google No comments: First Semester 2012 (20) First Semester 2013 (6) Note to the reader (2) Third Semester (5) Semester Index ââ€" ¼ 2013 (33) ââ€" º October (8) ââ€" º September (3) ââ€" ¼ March (22) Disclaimer Father (Prafulla Roy) THE WRITING ON THE WALL (BINOO K JOHN) Letter to a Dear Friend (L Kharma Wphlang) ENTERPRISE (NISSIM EZEKIEL) Father -(Prafulla Roy) Train To Pakistan- Khushwant Singh Comparison (The Patriot VS The Mistress) Comment on the professional approach Subroto Bagch†¦ What are the five minds of the future that Subroto†¦ Father -Prafulla Roy Summary of Nissim Ezekiel’S â€Å"Enterprise† OF KITCHENS AND GODDESSES – Shashi Deshpande And of Clay Are We Created – Isabel Allende Tonight I Can Write -Pablo Neruda The Patriot – Nissim Ezekiel Mending Wall – Robert Frost Themes analysis â€Å"Mending Wall† – Robert Frost A Literary Analysis of Nadine Gordimer’s â€Å"Once Upo†¦ â€Å"Once Upon a Time† by Nadine Gordimer – Theme Introduction to the Blog Dream Deferred -Langston Hughes(1902-1967) Blog Archive Share 0 More Next Blog » Create Blog Sign In 10/18/13 Mindscapes Analysis: Summary of Nissim Ezekiel’S â€Å"Enterprise† cumindscapes.blogspot.in/2013/03/summary-of-nissim-ezekiels-enterprise.html 2/2 Newer Post Home Older Post Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) Enter your comment†¦ Comment as: Google Account Publish

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

The Efficency of Golf Carts essays

The Efficency of Golf Carts essays Review of Literature: Golf Cart Efficiency In Peachtree City, 9 out of every 10 people own a golf cart. Most just sit in garages sprawled throughout the city limits, and occasionally get driven around for short distances. Some people actually use them to play golf! But how much money does it actually cost to drive those helpful yet sometimes sparingly driven machines? Well thats just about to be answered. To compare, a car, the most driven vehicle on the planet, will be used for comparison. First, though, one must understand the inter-workings of both cars and golf carts to further understand the efficiency of either. Golf carts work similarly to cars, but have different types of power sources. Most golf carts are powered by DC (direct current) electric motors, but some are powered by AC (alternating current) electric motors. The basic DC electric motor is shown in the diagram below. The basic electric motor uses magnets to create movement. The attracting and repelling forces of the magnets create the rotational motion of the armature (or rotor). The armature is an electromagnet that spins inside the field magnet. This part of the motor is normally encased in a steel shell. On the exterior of the motor, you will find two leads, or battery connections. This is where you run the wires to the batteries. These leads are connected to the brushes, which transfer power from the battery to the commutator. Most batteries in golf carts are deep cycle batteries. Car batteries and golf cart batteries are both lead-acid batteries, and have the same chemistry. Golf cart batteries provide minimal short bursts of power when needed, and is designed to be drained of energy completely many times over (100+). To accomplish this, it uses thicker plates. Golf cart batteries also have almost two to three times the Reserve Capacity (RC). RC is defined as The number of minutes that the battery can deliver 25 amps...

Monday, November 4, 2019

LOU Survey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

LOU Survey - Essay Example n; Level III – state of mechanical use; Level IV A – state of routine; Level IV B – state of refinement; Level V – state of integration; Level VI – state of renewal. The behavior of the majority of the users or specific groups of users will dictate the decision of the organization on the terms of intervention, planning and preparation for the technology or technologies that they will have to adopt. Orr and Mrazek (2008) have used the LoU along with Stages of Concern (CoN) to assess the â€Å"professional growth of among the professionals pursuing graduate course work in educational technology† (p. 2) at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. What they did was to formulate statements that describe the level of their use or the extent of their confidence with respect to their manner of using technologies instead of just labeling the choices with numbers similar to a Likert scale. This was deemed much better since the respondents will not be biased in their answers. Examples of the statements used in their study are as follows: I really don’t know anything about this technology, or am not sure that it would be useful for my classes – to reflect level 0; I am collaborating with colleagues to develop ways in which we can use this technology to better meet our common objectives for our classes – to reflect level V; and finally I still use this technology, but I am exploring other technologies to replace it that will better meet the objectives for my classes – to reflect level VI. The interpretation of the data gathered from this survey is a simple computation of the mean, median and standard deviation of the responses of the respondents. The data gathered will of course reflect the common technologies being used by the respondents and what they do not know how to use or what they don’t use. This will somehow provide insight on what technologies they need to be trained on and the possible technologies that would be practically fit for

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Australian Indigenous Education in Modern Life Essay

Australian Indigenous Education in Modern Life - Essay Example There was also much concern over high unemployment rates in some ethnic communities, largely a result of economic recession and the decline of the manufacturing sector, which had previously provided a substantial portion of migrant jobs (Castles et al., 1986; O'Loughlin and Watson, 1997; VEAC, 1983, 1984). Since the late 1980s, discussions about the apparent success of professional and business migrants have supplanted the discourse of migrant disadvantage. As a result of the Federal government's increasing emphasis on credentials and skills in the migration programme, migrants' human capital endowments have increased, apparently resulting in higher labour force participation rates and better employment outcomes. The government argues that migration is more economically efficient than ever before, with migrants adding to government coffers rather than becoming a drain on the public purse (Ruddock, 2003). Contemporary academic research on migrant employment experiences neatly undersco res governmental discourses on migration policy. It is dominated by studies presenting a 'success story' narrative of recent, mostly highly skilled, migrants achieving increasingly positive outcomes in the Australian labour market. These are generally economic, quantitative studies based on the Longitudinal Survey of Immigrants to Australia (LSIA) (Cobb-Clark, 2000, 2001; Cobb-Clark and Chapman, 1999; Richardson et al., 2001, 2002; VandenHeuvel and Wooden, 1999, 2000). The LSIA, commissioned by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA), surveyed migrants about their settlement experiences during their first years in Australia. LSIA1 targeted migrants entering Australia between September 1993 and August 1995, surveying them three times: six months (wave 1), 18 months (wave 2) and three and a half years (wave 3) after arrival. LSIA2 targeted migrants entering Australia between September 1999 and August 2000, surveying them twice: six months (wave 1 ) and 18 months (wave 2) after arrival (see DIMIA, 2002, for more information about the LSIA). Weighted data were used in the analyses for this article to offset the attrition rate in the sample over the three waves. These studies continue a dominant tradition within social science research on migration, namely an approach derived from human capital theory. Essentially an 'application of neo-classical economics to labour markets' (Wooden, 1994: 220), human capital theory has become the prevailing wisdom within academic and business circles for explaining the economic success of individuals, firms and nations. Human capital theory emerged in the 1970s in the writings of economists such as Mincer (1974) and Becker (1975) to explain differences in individual earnings. Income was treated as a function of workers' investment in marketable skills, particularly in the form of training. Individuals were seen as making rational choices about investments in education and training that would i ncrease their productivity and thereby deliver suitable returns to them once evaluated on the market (see Blaug, 1976: 830). Applied to immigrants, as Wooden (1994: 220) notes, the theory proposes that 'differences in pay, occupational status, probability of employment, and so forth, between immigrants and natives reflect differences in the average