Enviornmental Catastrophes :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many people throughout the world deal with environmental destruction. Whether it is natural or man created, both end in sudden calamities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An example of a natural catastrophe is the 1997 Red River Flood in Grand Forks, North Dakota. One of the unique aspects of the Red River is that it flows North and empties into the lake Winnepeg in Canada. However, since temperature tends to get colder the farther north you get, ice-jamming is often a concern of the Red River during the spring season. The National Weather Service began putting out warnings as early as February that a flood due to the spring melt was likely to occur. Due to Grand Forks harsh winter that consisted of a cruel blizzard, the amount of snow melts exceeded. In an effort to prevent the flood, the North Dakota National Guard dumped sand on the river in hopes to use the suns’ thermal energy to speed up the thawing and eliminate the ice-jams. Unable to control the excessive water the flood of the century began. On April 18, 1997, the Red River’s water level was at 52.19 ft high and had risen at a rate of an inch each hour follo wing. The flood began to take out areas of the city one by one, and people with what little possessions the could grab had to evacuate immediately. After six days of flooding the river finally began to recede and people were allowed to return. The amount of filth left behind from the flood was incredible. Much of the property had been destroyed and basically everything else had been contaminated by the water. Everything that was washed out by the water turned into trash and many had to start all over again. The post-flood clean up that was taken to the dump totaled 224 million ton, which is usually nine months of garbage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An example of a man-created catastrophe is the Tragedy of the World Trade Centers. September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America had a big effect on New York City environment, and the political and emotional landscapes of the United States. This will be remembered as one of the most shocking days in American history. Armed terrorists hijacked four passenger jets and used them as weapons against the U.S.. The attacks destroyed the World Trade Center, damaged the Pentagon and killed three thousand people. The cleanup was a very emotional and strenuous effort by fire fighters, policeman and many volunteers.

Baque-Manalang Dental Clinic Online Reservation Essay

Introduction The use of online services nowadays becomes more necessary in the various fields. It is because of the advantage and useful effects to many people when it comes to online reservation because our society is facing rapid growths of need, availability and development of different commercial web-based application. The online reservation services differ from the traditional mode in the capacity to provide services regardless of temporal and spatial constraints. They are also different from traditional interpersonal services that are delivered face-to-face. It allows persons to employ Information Technology without being tied to a single location. This technology enables users to access the site at any time in any location. A suitable use of the online reservation services and wireless technology allows new application, management and reservation for dental clinic via online services. The objective of online reservation is to reduce the effort and the time for the customers to set appointm ent and to receive services and improved the reservation validation efficiency. Background of the study Baque-Manalang Clinic is a dental clinic located at Hilario St., Ligtasan, Tarlac, Tarlac. It is owned by Dr. Eillen B. Manalang, DMD, established since 1992. The said clinic is operated by one dentist, two dental assistants, one dental photographer, four front desk staff, and one dental technician. It offers teeth maintenance, enhancement techniques and cosmetic dentistry services. The clinic’s operating hours is 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on weekdays and 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Saturdays. Daily they are accommodating an estimated 15 to 20 patients from Tarlac and nearby provinces. Despite its popularity, the said clinic is still using traditional reservation system. Statement of the Objective Despite its popularity, the said dental clinic is still using traditional reservation system which is time consuming and prone to problems like long waiting line and crowded queue. So in line with it, the following objectives are enumerated to cognate the problems. Specifically, it aims to accomplish the following: 1. To design and develop an online reservation system that aims to strengthen the weakness found in existing traditional reservation system. 2. To validate the developed system in terms of: 3.1. Effectiveness and efficiency 3.2. User friendliness 3.3. Security of data 3. To determine the proposed system feasible through Cost Benefits Analysis. Scope of the Study The scope of this study will focus on the patients, who will use the system to make the appointment via online service. The prototype can be used by the staff and dentist to manage the appointment for the dental clinic via online system for those who would like to set an appointment anytime, anywhere. This study is mainly focused on providing a website for Baque – Manalang Dental Clinic. The said website includes: * Online reservation or scheduling exclusively for registered patients. * Clinic information – address, site map, profile of dentist, etc. * List and price of services offered and the time allotted for services to be consumed. * Services-directory where the patients can view the information about the preferred service to take. * Information and tips on how to prevent dental problems. Delimitations The proponents limit this study for Baque – Manalang Dental Clinic only. Only current patients with previous transactions are given with accounts for the online reservation system. Only trained personnel can conduct the site maintenance of the proposed system. Significance of the Study This study is viewed to be valuable to following: Clinic. The proposed system will simplify and automate the clinic task inline with reservation to provide the clients with better service. Dentist and Staff. The proposed system will help the dentist easily identify the patients as scheduled online. Patients. The proposed system will help patients reduce their waiting time and provide them assurance to be accommodated as scheduled online. Definition of Terms In order to provide an adequate channel of communication between the researcher and the readers, the following terms arranged alphabetically and defined conceptually. Access. Access is to obtain entry to a particular program; with records and network entry procedure. Computer. Machine that performs a wide variety of activities with reliability, accuracy, speed and tasks, such as mathematical calculations or electronic communication, under a control of a set of instructions called a program. Internet. A means of connecting a computer to any other computer anywhere in the world via dedicated routers and server. Online. Activated and ready for operation; capable of communicating with or being controlled by a computer. Prototype. An original, full-scale, and usually working model of a new product or new version on an existing product. System. Any collection of component elements that work together to perform a task. Website. The file of information located on a server connected to World Wide Web (WWW). It includes text, photographs, illustrations and video, music and computer programs. It also often include links to other sites in the form of hypertext, highlighted or colored text that the user can click on with their mouse, instructing their computer to jump to the new site. Reservation System. A system that involves the process of reserving and booking of appointments on a specific date and time. CHAPTER 2 Review of related Literature and Studies This chapter presents a review of conceptual literature which is supported by studies relevant to this study. The review of literature focuses on online reservation for Baque-Dental Clinic. Related Literature Foreign Eric Richard (2012) .Consumers these days almost expects an online presence from a company or business. In fact, they may look past businesses that are not online or consider another provider. Convenience is a big factor in an individual’s decision-making process, and not offering customers what they want can put a business at a big disadvantage, especially if their  competitors offer this benefit. Convenience plays a big role in our â€Å"24-7† world. Many people simply do not have the time to pick up a phone during business hours to book an appointment. Some would much rather go online and schedule it when it’s most convenient for them. Online scheduling software makes it easy to accomplish this. Once a business sets up its scheduler, it can then add a button or link on its Web site for customers to access its online scheduler. Once on the scheduler page, customers typically can view and select available appointment or reservation times and dates, as well as other information such as services and specific staff members. Depending on internal preferences set by the business operator, the scheduler may also require the customer to register to use the service. Even businesses without a Web site can implement online scheduling into their operations. Once a business creates an account and scheduler, the service will issue it a URL link. In essence, the scheduler itself is a Web site. Entering this link in a Web browser will take a user directly to the scheduling application. Businesses can simply provide this link to customers. Eric Richard (2012) .For many service oriented business, accurate and timely reservations are necessity to ensure proper service and a positive customer experience. From tour operators and boat rental providers to managers of athletic fields and facilities, these groups must have a proven reservation system in place, not only for internal scheduling processes, but also for the convenience of their customers. Traditional reservation procedures often come up short in both regards. And it’s for these reasons that many business, organizations and individuals are incorporating online reservation systems into their operations. Booking and managing customer reservations, although a vital component of many service-based groups is generally viewed as time-consuming and tedious. The traditional manner of scheduling reservations doesn’t help refute this statement: It usually involves booking reservation over the phone and by e-mail, then recording and managing the dates, times, services and customer contact information in separate appointment books, files, spreadsheets or folders. Not only does this method require a considerable amount of staff time, it also does not give customers the ability to book their reservations when it’s most convenient for them. Many individuals simply do not have the time to call in a reservations or appointment during normal business hours. This can lead to two different scenarios: The person  can either book the reservation online (if the service provider offers this option), or he or she can leave a voice message, in which case the provider must take the time to follow up with the individual (and possibly engage in a game of â€Å"phone-tag† until a specific reservation time is agree upon). Most will agree that the former is the more appealing of these two schemes. An online reservation system is generally the best option for these service-providers to automate and improve their booking processes. Commonly referred to as Software as a Service (SaaS) and cloud-computing applications, this technology is accessible through any Internet connection and typically does not require any installations, downloads or expensive hardware. SaaS is software delivery method that provides access to software and its functions remotely as a Web-based service. Software as a Service allow organizations to access business functionality at a cost typically less than paying for licensed applications since SaaS pricing is based on a monthly fee. Also, because the software is hosted remotely, users don’t need to invest in additional hardware. Software as a Service removes the need for organization to handle the installation, set up and often daily upkeep and maintenance. Software as a service may also be referred to a simply hosted application. Both the service provider and its customers access is in the same manner as any Web page. Like online data storage and document uploads applications, online reservation systems are securely housed online and not confined to an individual computer terminal or network. This characteristic not only makes it possible for customers to book reservations online, it also give service providers and their staff the ability to access their reservation calendar and customer details from any Internet connection, a valuable benefit for those individuals who must have access to this information from outside their office. Booking customer reservations with a pen and paper appointment book simply doesn’t cut it in today’s busy, 24-7 world. Technology has caught up with all office procedures, including booking processes, and service providers that tap into these online reservation systems can expect a significant improvement in their overall operations. And on top of that, they’ll have more satisfied customers. Local Alice Adams (2011).Kabayan Hotel Cubao has recently integrated a reservation  system in its website for a more efficient online booking. Through this technology, travellers worldwide save time and effort in reserving accommodations as the user-friendly booking engine makes the whole process a simple and effortless activity. Online hotel reservations are becoming popular method for booking hotel rooms, and Kabayan Hotel Cubao takes this opportunity to ensure fast reservations for guests from different parts of the world. This easy-to-use system, powered by DirectWithHotels, is now fully functioning at its website, http://www.kabayanhotel.com.ph/cubao.php. With this, guest only have to go through a very short booking process to be entitled of a comfortable stay at this budget hotel. Upon clicking the â€Å"Reserve Now † button, visitors can immediately select arrival and departure dates, navigate their way to their preferred guestrooms, and view the inclusive amenities and room rates. And after paying a 10% deposit, which is certified by Trust wave and secured by VeriSign, they instantly receive confirmation directly from the hotel via e-mail. With just a few clicks of the mouse, guests are guaranteed to experience amazing ease and warm Filipino hospitality at this budget hotel in Quezon City, Philippines. Manila Bulletin Publishing Corporation (2012). BooktoEat.ph now offers the opportunity to book restaurants online, in real-time just like booking in a hotel or an airline. The days of waiting hours for a restaurant to open, call back, respond to an e-mail or a telephone message will soon be over. A real-time reservation completely automates the reservation process. When making a reservation using BookToEat.ph the reservation is instantly confirmed in the restaurant’s Electronic Reservation System. This is the same Reservation System that used by the restaurant to manage all of its bookings so it automatically checks for real-time availability. The difference between BookToEat.ph and most other restaurant reservation services that we are genuinely â€Å"real-time† so no more busy signals, waiting until the restaurant opens or waiting hours for an e-mail response. BookToEat.ph now allows you to book your favourite restaurants on online in real-time just like booking in a hotel or an airline. The soon introduction of real-time bookings into Philippines presents a significant development for the restaurant industry. The concept has been hugely successful in the USA and UK markets, and in 2008 over 36 million bookings were made online in real-time. Related studies The application of modern information technology dominated so far by the use of internet websites and online reservation systems, gives competitive advance to other with same establishment. However the potential competitive advantage can be transformed into real advantage if only the websites have proper design. As a result, the advocator conducted research on the facts related to the system that might be helpful to its development. Foreign StormSource (2002).An online reservation system has booked over 50 million appointments and reservations since its launch in 2002. Over 4,000 businesses throughout the United States, Canada and 10 other countries rely on the software for such tasks as online reservation system of customer services, booking rooms, facilities and equipment, accepting online payments, sending reminders, and e-marketing. Scottsdale, Ariz.-based technology firm specializing in the development of online appointment software for a wide variety of applications and industries. Geared primarily toward small businesses such as doctors’ offices, spas, health clubs and massage therapists, users of Appointment-Plus also include Fortune 500 companies; colleges and universities; healthcare agencies and facilities; federal and local government; and freight and delivery services. Scharl, Wà ¶ber and Bauer (2003).Evaluate the effectiveness of hotel websites. Authors identify personal, system and media factors that contribute to hotel website adoption. In the system factors group, that is more controllable by the hotel management compared to personal and media factors, they identify the perceived utility of the product, speed of the system, intelligence, layout, services, navigation, interactivity, reliability of the system. Michael Pearce (2012). The online program at ksoutdoors.com – click on â€Å"reservations† – is part of the Reserve America system, which is used by about 20 states and 30 private groups to help customers reserve camping spots. Reservations for Kansas parks also can be made by calling 620-672-5911. The new system gets money into state park coffers quicker, and also saves time that the state park staff would have spent handling the money. Those are huge benefits for the department, which is constantly battling budget and staffing issues. Lanterman said it also allows the department to better study the demographics of its users. Adjustments can  then be made to make sure the public is best served. Wilson State Park is getting the most online reservations; Cheney and El Dorado State Parks are about tied for second place. Lanterman said usually no more than about half of the camping spots can be reserved online. The rest are first-come, first-served, as they have been for years. She said a few campers have been frustrated to arrive at a park and see their favourite site empty but reserved by another camper. Park managers, though, say support for the reservation system is strong and growing. â€Å"People like that they can go online, reserve the site they want, and when they show up it’s ready,† said Ryan Stucky, Cheney State Park manager. â€Å"Most are figuring out the system and that it’s more convenient for them.† Local Studies â€Å"An online inquiry and reservation system with virtual tour for La Maja Rica Hotel and Restaurant Tarlac City† a thesis conducted by Duenias, Kathleen Joy J., Ilagan, Keneth D. and Tolenceda, Niccolo Andrei P. AMA Computer College Tarlac City (March 2010), allows management for their hotel and restaurant to be more organized in terms of reservation, inquiry and customer avail of the available services and inquire for the details even without personal appearances which they can spare time, money and efforts. The Thesis entitled â€Å"Online Cagayan Valley Economic Zone Authority Information System† by Anwar Saludsong (April 2002), discuss the advantage of web-based application to allow user acquire information through online that is accessible through any internet. â€Å"Luisita Gold And Country Club Online Reservation† a Study conducted by Rina Lyn C. Burgos and Rowena S. Cortez at AMA Computer College Tarlac City (Aug 2005) discuss the capabilities of the internet and modern application to update users about the advantage and reliability of features of an online reservation system.A real-time reservation that completely automates the reservation process and reduce the effort and the time consume of customer. Theoretical Framework The proponents proposed system is a program that has a set of elements that work together to understand some objective that will help the Baque- Manalang Dental Clinic with regards to their manual reservation. One of the problems in most clinics nowadays is how to accommodate and serve  as many patients as possible, where patients do not need to go to the clinic for appointment scheduling. An online reservation system is generally the best option for these service-providers to automate and improve their booking processes. Not only that, this will also avoid patients not to experience a longer waiting time. Online reservations also assure the availability of schedule as these are shown online and security of information is provided. The literature has its similarity to the proponents propose system in the sense of both project utilize the internet function such as the availability of date and time which is one of the features that the proponents included in the study. The proponents are looking forward that the propose system will improve the manual reservation of the Baque- Manalang Dental Clinic. Conceptual Framework Below is the research paradigm which states the input data that will process to produce an output. Research, works, books, interviews, publication, net-surfing and studies are the researches mean gathering and compiling information and data that can help in the investigation improvement and development of the system

Reflective analysis of my leadership approach Essay

â€Å"†¦..beyond the horizon of time is a changed world, very different from today’s world. Some people see beyond that horizon and into the future. They believe that dreams can become reality. They open our eyes and lift our spirits. They build trust and strengthen our relationships. They stand firm against the wind of resistance and give us the courage to continue the quest; we call these people leaders† (Kouzes and Posner, 1995). For a number of us leadership can be described as quality – even though we know it when we see it but it is quiet difficult to define or describe. In this respect, Kouzes and Posner (1995) aptly capture what I think about when I was asked to describe a leader and leadership. In the course of my education and career, I have come across some touch points that shaped my opinions and influenced my general perspectives regarding the roles of leaders and leadership. Fundamentally, I have been able to experience my various roles as a le ader who articulates and puts into words into action to develop vision for a future that inspires others to join. It is within this context that my perspectives on leadership have been developed. My thoughts on concepts of leadership are an amalgam of what I have was taught in Leadership in Healthcare Module, what I have read, what I have experienced as an individual, and the lessons that I have picked up along the way. Due to complex nature of leadership especially regarding the number of theories that have been suggested by scholars, it is important that not only leaders, but also people who aspire be leaders develop their own personal philosophy leadership. This could be achievable by engaging in reflective exercise. I have come to realise that some fundamental principles have sharpened my opinions and also driven my beliefs and perception about leadership as an ongoing process, rather than a destination or an achievement. Frequently, I also know that additional learning, unlearning and relearning (through books read on the subject of inquiry, or book read out of mere curiosity) have supplemented the theorizing process of leadership, and fall short of being consistent with grounded theory methodology in which a review of academic literature often occurs following initial data and prior to formation of theory (McGhee et al., 2007). Therefore, this essay will adopt the model of ground theory, starting from the scratch, a collection of my personal  observations, beliefs and experience regarding the concept of leadership approach. Reflective analysis of my leadership approach is based on three principles: (1) Maintaining a steady focus on mission and vision; (2) risk taking and (3) empowering peopl e. Starting with maintaining a steady focus on mission and vision, I have been able to learn that one of the greatest challenges that a leader can face is staying on mission of the organization. People, the led, need to know the direction they are heading to, and to know the expectation of the leader regarding the organizational vision and mission. Maintaining a consistent focus on the organization’s vision and mission is a key attribute required for leadership and it is a critical task for a leader. The leader starts its task by clearly defining the vision of the organization then keeping it alive. The leader is also responsible for achieving such vision; the buck stops at his table and must therefore communicate such both within and outside of the organization. In this regard, the leader serves as a bridge between the organization and its environment. Beyond just communicating the organization’s vision, the leader must be a source of inspiration in order to the vision and to develop a positive mental attitude and belief that it can be achieved. Covey (2012) refers to this attitude as principle-centred leadership. This is a key attribute, especially, in light of the dynamic environment in operation today. This is an attitude I have adopted over and over again in the course of my leadership role. Risk taking; this is an embodiment of 2nd principle of my personal philosophy of leadership. Like my first principle of maintenance focus on vision and mission of the organization, I consider this as another critical factor that distinguishes leaders from their followers. The rar e courage of risk-taking, to step out in front, to test water, to be a pathfinder has been long considered as an attribute that sets the leader apart from the followers and rest of the organization. According to Kouzes and Posner (1995), leaders must take a role of â€Å"pioneers.† They should develop courage to venture the horizon’s edge and report back about what is seen. Leaders take calculated risks for the sake of the vision and mission of the organization. I have done this in a couple of times and I have succeeded. I agree that some leaders are more comfortable in taking risk than others; and it is noteworthy to realise that there are different degrees of risk associated with the decisions to be taken by leaders. Over  the years, I have learnt that it is better to take a calculated risk. And I agree with school of thoughts that believe that people who are â€Å"risk averse† are not fit to be leaders. Empowerment of others: The third principle of my leadership philosophy, the final portion of my analysis, relates to the role of leaders in empowering others. Empowerment entails conveying the mission and vision in such a way that other people in the organization can make use of their initiative to make decisions on their own. This also involves some amount of boldness, confidence and risk-taking. While I was Senior Carer in a Care Home, I always encourage my colleagues to come up with, at least, two initiatives to move the association forward at each meeting day. According to Senge (2012), a certain limit of error in an organization is acceptable as long as such error provides an opportunity for people to learn and also lends credence to empowering others while carrying out the organiza tion’s mission and goals. I agree with Senge, 110%. In conclusion, I have been able to present reflective analysis of my role as a leader in various capacities I have served before. I draw my experience from past and ongoing learning processes and experience, and I have developed a set of personal leadership philosophy which are maintaining a steady focus on mission and vision, risk-taking and empowering people. I hope I will be able to develop myself further in preparation of leadership role I will engage in the future. References Covey, S. (2012). Principle-centered leadership. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster Kouzes, J. M. and Posner, B. Z. (1995). The Leadership Challenge: How to Keep Getting Extraordinary Things Done in Organizations. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Senge, P. M. (2012). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. New York, NY: Doubleday/Currency

Theory of Organizational Culture

It should have made clear and obvious that sustained profitability and high financial turns are not enough to survive and remain successful in today's highly competitive markets because there Is considerable evidence of conflicts and misunderstandings caused by cultural differences. Therefore It Is sensual that firms need to understand their own and other firms' organizational culture and need to adjust their ways and traditions while conducting business with other firms, organizations or individuals with different cultural values. 1. Generally, in lay man terms, culture in an organization can be answered as simple as the way we do things here'. This defines the consistent way in which the tasks were reformed, conflicts were resolved and how customers and employees were treated. In a more articulate manner, an organizational culture can be defined as a core values that defined that particular organization itself. It comprised of its member shared values, behaviors, beliefs and teamwo rk that guide and determine the organization decisions and actions and how it behaves in the local as well international market. 1. 3 Why Does it Matter?In the context of whether it matters or not, an organizational culture is something that cannot be easily capture or define but at the same time it is not something that NY of the organization should take for granted. Many anthropologists and coaches had noticed that ineffective leadership tends to be the major factors of an organization diminishing and weakening (Alveolus, 2002). Rolling back to the Ancient Rome era, the great empire had endured a series of terrible emperors. Due to the culture and structure of the empire was great enough; the tide was often overcome even after decades long.However, one cannot be in denial that without a strong top leadership eventually would be the cause of the fall of even the great empire. 1. 4 Understanding the Organization Culture There is proverb that goes â€Å"When in Rome, do as the Roman s do†. The essence of this is that blending oneself into the foreign environment. Every organization is unique in nature; which is to say the culture of an organization may vary from one another despite having the same nature of business or having the same geographical locality.Even in cases where top managers have strong awareness of the significant of culture, there is often the case that lack of understanding on how the people and organization function in terms of culture. It is normally difficult to attain high level of cultural awareness to decide actions. Understanding organizational culture is essential as a way of understanding the organizational life in all forms and variations (Rachel Parker). Section 2: The Types of Organizational Culture 2. Types Organizational Culture There are few quadrants to be relating to where most of the organizations will fall organization feels comfortable to operate in. However it should be noted that none of the quadrants is inherently b etter than one another Just as there is no culture is necessarily better than another (Tarp). 2. 1. 1 Control (Hierarchy) This culture focused on stability and control in the organization. It strongly emphasized on standardization, integration as well as the decision making mechanism.This means there is layers of management for the decision to go through before the final decision is made. One of the giant companies that practices this pattern of organization culture is Ford Motor Company; they have seventeen levels of management. Government agencies are also well to be associated with this type of culture. 2. 1. 2 Compete (Market) This type of culture focusing on external orientation rather than internal and they emphasized on differentiation greatly than anything else. This culture concentrates n competitiveness and productivity through emphasis on partnership. 2. 1. Collaborate (Clan) Collaborate approach emphasize more on flexibility and discretion over stability and control. The total opposite of individualism, this culture give due credits to team work. Take for example; the Japanese firms have strong Collaborate culture among themselves. They appreciate cohesion, loyalty, and group commitment, and therefore they operated more like families than a team. 2. 1. 4 Create (Autocracy) In this value matrix, they value flexibility and discretion however not to the extent of sharing the inward focus. Instead this culture focused on flexibility and adaptability.This is essential in thriving in the world that many would view as impossible. Google is a good example of a prototypical autocracy organization. Their ability to capture market share has made them leaders in the marketplace and eliminating competition among the industry players. Section 3: The Patterns of Organizational Culture 3. 1 The Cultural Patterns in Construction Industry Due to the rapid internationalization of the construction industry, there is a growing of interest in developing a deep understan ding in the organizational culture and how t can be implemented in this competitive market.It appears that one of the reasons for why the organizational culture gained importance is because more construction companies are conducting business in international markets. (Low, 2001) In addition to the emphasis put on the internationalization of the construction business, the adversarial relations between different stakeholders is considered to be the sensitivity of different project participants to cultural differences which have a culture is claimed to be an effective way to respond to the environment; thus achieving a superior performance.Considering the hyper-turbulent environment and fragmented nature of the construction industry; understanding and managing organizational culture is of particular importance in enhancing organizational performance (Ankara, 2005). 3. 2 The Organization Culture in Malaysian Construction In Malaysian construction industry, Malaysian contractors shared t he same views that the project culture plays enormous impact on the construction project control dimensions such as time, cost, quality and loyalty.In Malaysian construction industry, there are few types of culture that are being practiced by many of the construction rims. These cultures are presented in the below table: Types of Culture Tiger Culture Monkey Culture Rabbits Culture Elephant Culture Dragon Culture Definitions Competitive and Achievement Orientated Teamwork and loyalty Flexibility and creative Strong hierarchies and order Combines the disparate and beneficent attributes of lesser beings into one of extraordinary capability and power Table 1 : Types of Cultural Practices in Malaysia Based on the current research paper produced by C.Wang and H. Abdul Raman (Raman, 2010), the findings below has shown that the â€Å"Monkey Culture† is insider as the most applicable type for the organizational culture in Malaysia. Figure 1: Applicable cultural practices Through the questionnaire survey forms collected from this research, Malaysian contractors have ranked that teamwork and loyalty as highly important in an organization culture. Therefore this has puts â€Å"Monkey Culture† above the rest of the other cultures.In contrast with the US firms which very often considered as individualistic, the Malaysian contractors are very similar to the Japanese culture in the sense of the Japanese has always been a collectivist culture and communities hat put group's welfare over any own individual welfare. The Japanese companies have successfully created an environment and culture where the sense of family has greatly prevails among the employees. Take for example, Toyota, one of the Japanese cars manufacturers, has provided a day-care center for young mothers who wish to work.While the Malaysian contractors have not gone to the extent of creating the family culture in their practice, they have emphasize strongly on good teamwork and coordination between the management and the employees. Figure 2 below shows the analysis extracted from the Hypotheses dimension on Malaysia's organizational Figure 2: Hypotheses Dimension: Malaysia dimension namely Power Distance Index (PDP), Individualism (DVD), Masculinity (MASS) and Uncertainty Avoidance Index (AJAX).The fifth dimension which is not included in this analysis is found later after the implementation of the four dimensions. The fifth dimension is the Long-term Orientation (L TO). As shown in Figure 2, individualism (DVD) has ranked the lowest among the rest dimensions. This shows that Malaysian do not prefer to work alone. Malaysian in fact are very social community and they also practice collectivist culture like the Japanese do. This applies in the case of the construction industry. All members work in a team and like a team.The Project Manager needs his subordinates to cooperate with him in order to get the project running and this applies to the subordinates as well. Like the prov erb goes â€Å"No man is an island†. Therefore, Malaysian construction industry sees this as an important elemental culture that should not be ignored. During the tenure of Tuna Dry Mathis Mohammad as the Malaysia's fourth premier way back in the asses, Dry Mathis has ladled for the citizens of Malaysia to practice the â€Å"Look East Policy'.He considered that the secret of Japanese success and its remarkable development lies in its labor ethics, morale, and management capability. For this purpose, Malaysia decided to dispatch their students to Japan, to study not only academics and technical know- how but also to learn labor ethics and discipline of the Japanese people. One good example of the Japanese culture that should be implemented in the Malaysian construction industry would be the Japanese strong sense of family.

Unit 3 -IP- Samples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 3 -IP- Samples - Essay Example In order to test whether the two variables have the same means, a two – sample, two – sided t – test must be performed. The two - tailed test is used because the concern is not whether some variable has a larger or lower mean, but whether the two means are different. As a result, the null hypothesis was established in equation (1) below, stating that the difference in means of the two samples is random. Since the sample sizes are relatively small, the t – test is used as the preferred test (Baltagi, 2008, p.31). The confidence interval is constructed in order to test this hypothesis. The confidence set with confidence level must be determined such that the true difference of the sample means is included in this set. What this implies is that the confidence set will include the true difference of population means with probability â€Å"at least † (Paolella, 2011, p. 13), as shown in equation (3) below: The confidence level chosen is 0.95, which implies that the corresponding confidence set will contain the true population mean difference with 95% probability (Paolella, 2011, p.13). The probability of rejecting the null hypothesis when it is true is as a result 5% (Baltagi, 2008, p.21). This error is denoted as type I error. The larger the confidence interval, the larger the probability that the null hypothesis will be accepted when it is in fact false (Baltagi, 2008, p.22). This error is denoted as type II error. A t – score must be calculated by subtracting the sample means and dividing by the square root of the adjusted population variances, which can be estimated through sample variances. There are in total degree of freedom (Neustadl, n.d.). The resulting t – value is  ± 2.009, which is also the critical region (Dawson, 2012;Ruud, 2000, p.224). The t – test can be seen in equation (4) below: The t – test is preferred because of the data dependence. Both variables have in common the type of

The Economy, Monetary Policy and Monopolies Essay

The Economy, Monetary Policy and Monopolies - Essay Example For instance, in 2007 the interest rate was recorded to be approximately 5% which decreased to below 1% by the end of 2009. Since then, till the current phase of the economic conditions prevailing within United States the interest rates has been recorded below 0.5% which shows further decline in the country’s financial market (US Department of the Treasury, 2012). Inflation Rates Fig.2: US Inflation Rates 2002-2012 (US Inflation Calculator, 2012) The inflation rates of the United States which was recorded as 4.1% during the year 2007 which further declined to 0.1% by the year 2008. However, it augmented to an average of 2% within the period of 2009 to 2012. This indicates that in terms of inflation rates the economy is regaining its stability performing almost similarly as during the period prior to 2007 (US Inflation Calculator, 2012). Unemployment Rates Fig.3: US Unemployment Rates 2007-2012 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012) In relation to the above represented statist ics, it can be observed that United States witnessed an unemployment rate between 4-5% during 2007-2008. This further augmented to above 8% by 2012. This indicates that the economy had been witnessing a continuous de-gradation of its employment situation in the labor market over the past five years (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2012). 2. Propose two (2) strategies that the federal government could implement that would encourage people to spend more money in order to create employment opportunities. Financial Leverage Financial leverage can be considered as one of the effective sets of practices in which the Return on Equity (RoE) is increased through the escalating rate of debt amounts. With this concern, the federal government of the U.S. should be focused on magnifying the amount of RoE even in situations when debt amounts tend to be increasing. Therefore, the financial strategy of the federal government should consider the investable assets related to the amount of equity as it would promote financial growth (Financial Literacy and Education Commission, 2011). Financial Decision Making and Financial Literacy Strategies related to the augmentation of financial literacy and effective decision making process would further provide competent direction in relation to financial education, policy, research, practice as well as coordination among the stakeholders, investors and other financial institutions. Moreover, effective forms of financial education and decision making process would offer the benefits of evaluating the risk of interest rates and provide an effective way to trim down the debt amounts (Financial Literacy and Education Commission, 2011). 3. Identify a situation in the past 50 years in which the government used antitrust policies to stop a monopoly from occurring. Include the circumstances of the proposed monopoly and the reason the government stepped in. Predict what would have occurred had the monopoly succeeded. Various antitrust policies h ave been implemented by the US government over the past decades to prohibit unhealthy competition in terms of monopoly within its national business environment. One of such Act can be identified as the National Cooperative Research Act of 1984 (15 U.S.C. Â § Â § 4301-05). The reason behind implementing this act can be

Multinational Corporations in Third World Countries Essay

Multinational Corporations in Third World Countries - Essay Example Globalization is a phenomenon where the world is increasingly becoming integrated socially, economically and politically. These is mainly due to advancements in information communication technology( ICT), improvement in transport infrastructure, expedite mass migration and movement of people as well as the trade in goods and services leading to an increased economic activity that has surpassed national markets necessitating the need to exploit markets outside the borders (Jan A S, 2000). Increased technological advancement, liberalized world markets and intense competition has resulted to increased globalization. Third world countries is a term that refers to the least developed countries of the south which includes countries found in Asia, Africa, Latin America Oceania and the Caribbean. The term came about after world war two where the bourgeoisie regimes of the west were referred to as the west while the antagonistic regimes of the orient were referred to as the East and were socialist. The newly independent countries of the south coined the term third world to signify their non aligned disposition. These countries are generally characterized by low levels of investments, rampant poverty and diseases, high illiteracy levels, poor infrastructure, political instability, poor governance where the ruling elites are wealthy (comprador bourgeoisie) coupled with high birth rate with low economic growth rate (Breda P, 1983). Other features include distorted and highly dependent economies(dependency) on aid, grants and technical assistance, a key feature that is furthered by the actions of the MNC 'S and global institutions like the world bank and the International Monetary Fund(IMF). These economies generally produce primary goods that are exported to the west for value addition while they act as markets for finished products from the west. As they are technologically inferior. Third world countries lag behind in development because of various factors but it should be noted that they why brought into the global capitalistic system through colonization-a stage in globalization, a phenomena whose effect was to be felt later more so with end of the cold war. This is one of the major reasons for the cause of under development in the least developed countries. These poor countries have always sought various ways by which they can solve these development problems mainly through foreign aid and technical assistance that is overly done under the auspice of international institutions e.g. the World Bank and the IMF. These efforts have failed over the years to stem the sinking of these countries further down the path of under development hence today there is a new approach to development in the south through the need to attract and retain the foreign direct investments (FDI's). One way of achieving these objectives has been through the privatization of state enterprises.Privatization is the sale, transfer or concession of government assets or services to a privately owned entity. This has been the cornerstone of the structural adjustment program advocated by the World Bank and the IMF in the 1980's to try and stimulate growth and development in the third world (Emmanuel S S, 1987). The aim has always been to increase efficiency brought by the need for profit maximization, and increase revenue to the state in