According to Cronon, when and why did the contemporary American Essay

According to Cronon, when and why did the contemporary American conception of wilderness emerge, and why does he consider it dangerous to environmentalism - Essay Example part, have always defined the wilderness as being an environment in which ordinary human beings struggled to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Moreover, this unrealistic notion disregards the fact that the American Indians lived comfortably in that supposed ‘harsh wilderness’ for virtual centuries; only to be unceremoniously cast out of it so that pampered tourists could continue to take pleasure in the illusion that they still had places in their nation which were preserved in their original and pristine state. Cronon openly avows that the notion of the preservation of the wilderness is actually a myth of mainstream cultural construction (Cronon, LoPrete and Demos, 2003). The supposedly ‘American Wilderness’ was once the home of American Indians who farmed the land to produce food and lived on it as well. They also freely owned this land. Today, the notion of hunting societies gaining sustenance from the wilderness is in direct conflict with the statutes sustained the concept of environmentalism. Environmental dualism holds that environmentalists have a duty to safeguard â€Å"unspoiled† environments. This means that the natural inhabitants of these lands who farm or hunt in them are viewed as being threats to the natural condition of the

Compare, contrast and evaluate two theories of the distribution of Essay

Compare, contrast and evaluate two theories of the distribution of power in modern states - Essay Example The theory further establishes the point of view that Bourgeoisie are referred to as the class which rules, this means that they control the capitalist society in an indirect manner, such activities are evident in nations such as United Kingdom and other government institutions such as the cabinet, army police, criminal justice system, media and industries that have been nationalized. The early theory of the 19th century proposed by Marx was quite consistent with the era of 19th century because during that period aristocrats were dominating the society, there was limited amount of adult suffrage, voice of the labor was weak due to weak trade unions and parties that represented the workers did not exist (BRACKETT, 2010, p.85). Due to this scenario the working class had little to no say in the decision making process. During the 20th century, theories proposed by Marx started loosing its ground because scenario changed and trade unions gained power, universal suffrage had been initiate d and parties supporting the working class were formed (CAMPBELL, 2011, p. XVII). During the 20th century, the importance of the managers was realized, owners had lost control over organization’s decision making process and the aristocratic class had lost power and the way the political power was distributed was easy to understand under the light of Democratic pluralist theory (BLOKLAND, 2011). Still during the period 1960s, certain ideas proposed by Marx were present and his theory was once again revived in society by Miliband who tried to make Marx’s theory of ruling class acceptable during the period of 1960s (GAMBLE, 1999, p.178). Miliband stated that the theories proposed by Marx of capitalism have not died and are still witness able in the era of 19th Century and the theories of democratic pluralism and post capitalism were not correct and were not consistent with the 19th century (BRACKETT, 2010, p.85). According to this Marxists the capitalist class might have lost its power but is not out of the race for power, they have lost a little bit of power to the trade unions and workers party but still have more power than these two groups. He further went on to state that a particular state is controlled and governed by several elites within the society such as the civil service, military, judicial and the political elites but the way these elites were making decisions clearly reflected that they were highly influenced by the ruling class and were clearly making decisions in accordance to the decision making style of the ruling class. Miliband further states that the capitalist class is still the one who rule the decision making process and they do so by joining the government and making decisions and policies that benefits the business community and they are located in those positions of the government that have ample amount of authority. The capitalist classes are those who have gained education from top most universities such as Oxford and C ambridge universities and have been taught in a manner that is in favor of capitalism, due to this they make decisions that favor capitalism (WEBSTER, 2007, p.118). Miliband further

Introduction To The Activity Based Costing Accounting Essay

Introduction To The Activity Based Costing Accounting Essay Traditional managerial accounting is at best useless, and at worst dysfunctional and misleading. (Shank, 1994) The Relevance Lost: The rise and fall of Management Accounting published by Theodore Johnson and Robert Kaplan in 1987 marked as the revolutionary criticism of the traditional costing system. Traditional Costing System was developed in early 20s when companies were almost 99% labour intensive (Kidd, 1994), no automation (Jan Emblemsvag, 2008) and production processes were austere. Significant changes in most manufacturers product market and production technology demand more accurate cost allocations (Krumwiede and Roth 1997) and focusing more on labour productivity may not be the best solution for the present day manufacturing and service organizations (Gunasekaran et al, 1999). It was hailed as the beginning of change for the better in the world of accounting (Sharman, 2003). In the notoriety book, their disparagement was centred on the passà © cost allocation technique that distorts production cost for decision-making purposes. Instead of providing solutions to management, traditional costing system had failed in predictable ways (Daly, 2010). Activity Based Costing In 1988, Cooper and Kaplan disseminated the Activity Based Costing (ABC) system to overcome hindrances and the peanut-butter spreading cost allocation of traditional costing system. Gunasekaran and Sarhadi (1996) (Vol 1_1_4) found that the development and endorsement of ABC had been stimulated and largely persuaded by Cooper and Kaplan especially in the manufacturing sector. It is arduous to find an academic or practitioner journal that does not talk about ABC in the accounting world and it soon it began to widely spread to the non-manufacturing sector. It was perceived to be the solution to the management accounting needs of organizations (Sharman, 2003). It was also said that Activity-Based Costing is clearly the most significant managerial accounting development (Harrison Sullivan, 1996). In fact some have portrayed it as cure-all for all kinds of problems (Doost, 1997). Since then ABC plays a significant role as a management tools and gained its popularity to the academicians, practitioners and industries. ABC was initially designed by George Staubus in the United States during the 80s. ABC was promoted as a system that would reduce the level of arbitrary cost allocations associated with traditional costing systems and result in more accurate product costs (Baird et al, 2004). Many authors often depicted ABC to one simple and powerful word which is accurate (Cooper and Kaplan 1988; Dugdale, 1990; Innes and Mitchell 1991; Morrow, 1992; Bhimani and Piggott, 1992; Turney 1996; Krumwiede and Roth 1997). Accuracy in product costing is vital particularly in making decision and also in alleviating organization in cost reduction and profitability purposes. Inaccuracies created by improper allocation of costs can lead disastrous pricing, product profitability and customer profitability management decisions (Hardy et al, 2002). (Working paper series 2004) The core of ABC is the activity concept (Turney 1991). According to Turney (1996), ABC is a process which assigns costs to product according to the activities and resources consumed or generally a method of allocating indirect costs to cost objects. Cost drivers and cost activities are the terms synonymous to ABC. ABC enhances cost allocation by using smaller cost pools called activities (Wegmann, 2010) and costs are then traced to these activities by keys called cost drivers (Cooper, 1990). Gunasekaran et al (1999) stated that the ultimate goal of ABC as a cost allocation system is to trace the production costs generated by the production of a good or service, as accurate as desired, to the causing activities. ABC is not only basis for computing accurate product costing, but it plays a vital role in management in managing costs. The 1980s is seen as the advent and widespread use of management philosophies such as Just-in-Time (JIT), Balanced Scorecard, Total Quality Management (TQM), and Theory of Constraint (TOC). Huczynski (1993) described it as the age of the management guru. The appetite for new forms of managing is strong and ABC is quickly recruited to feed it and soon after, ABC evolved from a cost allocation method to a management philosophy (Jones and Dugdale, 2002). Two reputable systems which was derived from ABC philosophy was Activity-Based Management (ABM) and Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB) (Cooper and Kaplan, 1998). Second Phase of ABC: Activity-Based Management Johnson (1988) argued that companies should manage activities alongside with the costs based on the relying principle of activities consume resources and products consume activities and this was supported by Ostrenga (1990). As discussed, ABC system was initially presented as new way to establish more accurate product costs compared to the traditional costing system. However, ABC soon began to enter its second phase, in which it became known as Activity-Based Management (ABM). The second phase of ABC is perceived to be the rational development of ABC, in which it focuses on the management of indirect activities, at various levels beyond direct productions and activities where it still continues to draw its back on the existing ABC. This development is regarded as an improvement to the value received by customer and the profit achieved. Johnson (1988) still maintained and applies the existing ABC rules where the activity-based information would focus managers attention on underlying cost drivers and profit unlike the distorted cost provided by traditional costing system. This influenced Turney (1992) where he voiced a similar opinion and suggested that ABM system seek two goals, which are common to organizations which can be reached by focusing on managing activities. The first is to improve the value received by customers and the second is to improve profits by providing this value. Activity-Based Budgeting In todays arduous economic environment with the growing inflation rates, shrinking sales volumes and rocketing business expenses, the Activity-Based Budgeting (ABB) system could be a safeguard in stabilizing and strengthening an organizations operation (Pockevi iÃ…Â «tÄ-, 2008). Countries worldwide then began to practice and implement such strategy into their organizations. ABB is developed based on the management philosophy of activity-based costing (ABC), which is considered to be similar to zero-based budgeting (Shane, 2005) and it measures how members of an organization allocate their effort among activities performed and effortless to design. Pockevi iÃ…Â «tÄ- (2008) conducted a study and tested ABB on the agricultural sector in Lithuania. With an ABB system in place, major constraints can be identified while maintaining the future operations of the organizations. It can measure the efficiency within an organization process with a clear picture and understanding by linking all the individual budgets and the department in the organization. ABB is also known for its exposure of non value costs where waste can then be eliminated to reduce cost. ABCs pitfall and Time-Driven ABC: A new ABC development? Despite much attention on the ABC model since the appearance in the 1980s, interest gradually decreased during the 90s (Gosselin, 2006). ABC slowly began to experience its pitfall. As the global competition increases, the need of efficient and effective tools to fit business strategy are greatly in demand and ABC gradually went into the accounting worlds slump. Gosselin (2006) argued that ABC failed to succeed in practical use in todays management practices; this was also supported by few authors such as ÃÆ'-ker and Adigà ¼zel (2010) and Velmurugan (2010). Gosselin (1997) began to argue that a so-called ABC-paradox existed. Despite the various articles published in journals, books, and its involvement in the academic world and also being endorsed by consulting companies, it is quite ironic of how implementation of ABC is still relatively low. Innes and Mitchell was the first few to conduct surveys on the implementation of ABC in companies in 1995, their studies showed that only 21% adopted ABC in the UK. Bjornenak (1997) followed their footstep by conducting surveys in Norway and found that 40% implemented ABC in their companies whereas in the other part of the world such as the Australia, Ireland, the US, Dutch and Italy reportedly to have 12.5%, 11.8%, 17.7%, 12%, 10% respectively (Nguyen and Brooks, 1997; Clark et al, 1999; Groot, 1999; Cinquini et al, 1999). Many large companies, which tried to implement ABC in the 90s, abandoned it due to change in competitive circumstances and the birth of new and develop management tools. Many of those who argued that ABC, although effective in allocating cost, it does not necessarily contribute to the overall effective of business decisions (Fladkjà ¦r and Jensen, 2011). The information provided by ABC may be extraneous and not as accurate as most users believe. ABC is also regarded as not necessary for most companies systems (Fladkjà ¦r and Jensen, 2011). Kaplan and Anderson (2007) brought up the case of Hendee Enterprises which is a Houston-based manufacturer of awnings where they argued that the ABC software took three days to calculate costs for the companys 150 activities, 10,000 orders and 45,000 line items (Wegmann, 2010). In 2003, Kaplan started to redesign the ABC system when many argued that it is too complex and time intensive to implement. This has led to the much anticipated new approach of ABC, the Time-Driven ABC (TD-ABC). He claims that the new ABC development, TD-ABC, reveals excess capacity, processes faster, able to provide high accuracy and can be well supplied from existing IT-systems, such as ERP (Kaplan and Anderson, 2007). Kaplan (2007) went again to argue that TD-ABC skips the activity-definition stage and hence the allocation of costs to multiple performed activities. They also argued that TD-ABC is a simplified version of the current ABC system at that time (Everaert Bruggeman, 2007; Everaert et al, 2008; Kaplan Anderson, 2004; Max, 2007; ÃÆ'-ker Adigà ¼zel, 2010). This was also supported by Demeere et al (2009) and Wegmann (2010) where TD-ABC is hail to be an improved activity-based costing system compared to its previous development. TD-ABC differs from the existing ABC system where the time estimates require to calculate driver rates can be obtained by direct observation or by surveying managers (Kaplan and Anderson, 2010). This saves time and is able to reduce the cost of implementation and updating the system. He further argued that managers are considered the more reliable source concerning accuracy of information on time consumption and activities compared to existing ABC system where information are derived from employees who tend to be bias. Consequently, with TD-ABC, managers are able to generate accurate information and encounter fewer blunders. Impact of the new ideas on both companies and consultant Soon after its establishment, TD-ABC began to receive a growing interest among academicians and a growing number from 9 to 67 in the period of 2003 to 2009. This was presented by Google Scholar and since then TD-ABC has shown a positive trend in the online world (Alsamawi, 2010). Demeree et al (2009) also began to notice the story behind TD-ABC and tested TD-ABC at an outpatient clinic. For instance, Demeree et al. (2009) implemented TD-ABC at an outpatient clinic. They have gathered data through direct observations and interviews with department heads and outpatient clinic managers. To register different time consumptions for relevant activities a stopwatch was utilized. This process was repeated 3 months later to ensure that consistent results were obtained. This data gathering method was recorded as a success. Other authors point out that TD-ABC brings conceptual shortcomings connected to the use of time estimates (Cardinaels Labro, 2007). Gosselin (2007, p.649) concluded that TD-ABC is the most recent development in the field of activity-based costing methods, but does not solve the conceptual problems inherent to ABC. Conclusion

Essay example --

In today’s society, people are debating whether or not gardening is beneficial to one’s health or just a waste of taxpaying dollars. By growing our own food, we know exactly what we are eating and its nutritional value. Gardening is used as an escape from the real world and can be rather relaxing. I, for one, found gardening to be fun. What I enjoyed most was sorting the vegetables to distinguish the good from the bad. There are many pros to community gardening. Some of them include the health benefits, bringing the entire community together, and economic growth. I would first like to point out the health benefits of growing our own foods. How foods are grown or raised can impact both your health and the environment. By growing our own foods, we become aware of how natural the crops are when they are free of pesticides and other chemicals deemed dangerous for the human population’s health. Organic fruits and vegetables are grown in safe soil and farmers are not allowed to use pesticides or harmful chemicals. The First Lady, Michelle Obama, is a leading force in the fight for better ...

Ethics in Social Work

In psychology and social work, dual relationships and clinical boundaries are often common. They are often unclear and most times the professional has a difficult time noticing them developing. Ethical dilemmas are found in all professions, but are often different in type and solutions. They are hard to identify and even harder to make a clear decision. Dual relationships and clinical boundaries are one of the biggest ethical dilemmas social workers face because of the difficulties of finding the line between the professional role and the empathetic role a social worker plays.Social work is a profession that helps to solve complex human problems and create a more just and caring society. One of the foundations of social work is the focus on the strengths, as opposed to the shortcomings, of individuals, families and communities so that creative solutions for complex social problems can be found. The profession is characterized by a steadfast commitment to social justice in the service of empowering individuals, families and communities to meet their needs. Few professions offer many different types of employment opportunities.Social workers serve as counselors, in adoption, domestic violence, rehabilitation, hospice, mental health, youth, community development workers, public policy analysts, global rights workers; and in juvenile and adult justice systems, just to name a few. However, the main job of a social worker, however, is to help the client to reach a more stable environment, but to go about it a specific way dependent on the job the social worker held. Each job might come with different ethical problems, but social workers have to follow a strict code of ethics that have guidelines to help them make the correct decisions.The NASW, National Association of Social Work, is the largest group of professional social workers. It is the group that wrote the NASW code of ethics, which are followed by all social workers across the United States (NASW, 2008). Ethi cs are the underlying rules put in place to help society better function. Usually, they are hard to identify and can be interpreted in many different ways. Each person has their own ethical standards, which is why it’s necessary to have ethical codes that make it more general and help each professional make his or her own ethical decision.Ethics play a huge role into social work. Without an ethical background or a code of ethics it could harm not only a client, but also the social worker himself. The biggest struggle that comes along with ethics is the fact that each individual usually interprets them differently. Ethics is two things. First, ethics refers to right and wrong that advise what humans should do, in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues. Ethics can refer to those standards that make humans refrain from rape, stealing, murder, assault, slander, and fraud.Ethical standards also include ideals relating to rights, such as th e right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy. Secondly, ethics refers to the study and development of one's ethical standards. As mentioned above, feelings, laws, and social norms can deviate from what is ethical; therefore it is necessary to constantly examine one's standards to ensure that they are reasonable. The NASW Code of Ethics was written to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. It includes four sections.The first section, â€Å"Preamble,† summarizes the social work profession's mission and core values. The second section, â€Å"Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics,†Ã‚  provides an overview of the Code's main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice. The third section,  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Ethical Principles,† presents broad ethical principles, based on social work's core values, that inform social work practice. The final section, â€Å"Ethical S tandards,†Ã‚  includes specific ethical standards to guide social workers' conduct and to provide a basis for adjudication.The Code of Ethics, as used today, was approved  by the 1996 NASW Delegate Assembly and revised by the 1999 NASW Delegate Assembly. (NASW, 2008) The NASW code of ethics is used to help guide social workers when it comes to making ethical decisions in the field. It is used to help give every therapist and client the same treatment and ethical decisions. Usually, each profession has a different code of ethics due to the fact that each profession has a diverse set of ethical issues that come with it.Dual relationships or multiple relationships are interactions in which a client is treating a patient, but is also interacting with them in some other way. It can also be if a therapist is in a professional role with a person and promises to enter into another relationship in the future with that person or someone closely related to the individual. Dual roles re fer to two different roles and multiple roles are when more than two overlapping roles exist. For example if a therapist is treating their child’s teacher, their child’s friend, having sexual relations with the client, or are close to the client in some way.Dual relationships are against the APA ethics code and can cause harm to the patient in some cases. A therapist should never work with people who he or she might have to interact with on a causal level instead of a patient-therapist level, not only for the patient’s confidentiality, but also to help keep the therapist from giving preferential treatment (Barnett, Vasquez, Moorehead-Slaughter, Johnson, 2007) Dual relationships can also allow a therapist to misuse their power and influence. The practitioner is in a position to exploit the client for his or her own personal gain.The problem of the dual relationships and the second relationship, the counselor is now susceptible to other interests (personal, financ ial, or social) that he or she may put before the best interests of the client. Problems that arise usually occur when the professional boundaries are not clear to begin with. Therefore, boundaries should be included as part of the intake paperwork. The wording should be clear and specifically state the therapist's intentions. The therapist-client relationship is one that does not permit contact in a casual manner outside the therapy session.This includes work relationships, social conversations or any type of romantic or sexual contact. † The therapist can state something about not giving personal information to a client, as there is no need for them to know this kind of thing. If the client signs the consent form, a contract is in effect and should not be breached by either party. Not only does the therapist have to gauge the client and the way he or she processes things, but also what the client could take inappropriate.Although it may seem appropriate in a therapistâ€℠¢s eyes it could be inappropriate in the client’s eyes and vice versa. (Syme, 2003) The therapist has to keep a close eye on their actions and make sure their client is not seeing it differently than they are. There are three factors that counselors should consider. First, there is a greater risk of harm when the expectations of client and counselor are mismatched. When clients have one set of assumptions about the ground rules of the relationship, and the professional has a different set of assumptions, there is an increased chance of susceptibility.Another factor is that there is potential for divided loyalties and an associated loss of objectivity. Counselors who have personal, social or business relationships with their clients, are at risk because their self-interest may be involved and thus compromise the client's best interest. Finally, by the very nature of the counselor/client relationship, clients are more dependent, have less authority and are vulnerable. Due to th is power differential, it is the responsibility of the professional to ensure that the client in the relationship is not harmed.One key feature of boundary issues is a conflict of interest that harms clients. Conflicts of interest occur when professionals find themselves in a relationship that could prejudice or give the appearance of prejudicing their decision-making. Thus a counselor who provides services to a client with whom he would like to develop a sexual relationship faces a conflict of interest; the professional’s personal interests collide with his or her professional duty to avoid harming his or her client. Zur, American Psychological Association, 2007) Social workers should be alert to and avoid conflicts of interest that interfere with the exercise of professional discretion and impartial judgment. Social workers should also inform clients when a real or potential conflict of interest arises and take reasonable steps to resolve the issue in a manner that makes th e clients’ interests primary and protects clients’ interests to the greatest extent possible. In some cases, protecting clients’ interests may require termination of the professional relationship with proper referral of the client (standard 1. 6[a]), NASW, 2008). The code goes on to say that â€Å"social workers should not engage in dual or multiple relationships with clients or former clients in which there is a risk of exploitation or potential harm to the client† (standard 1. 06[c], NASW, 2008). While treating someone in therapy, a counselor has to be careful about how their patient is going to interpret their actions and words. When a patient is in therapy, a lot of times they don’t have anyone around to support them and help them overcome their obstacles.That being said, it’s the job of the therapist to be that person for their client and help them to succeed. As a client gets closer to his or her therapist, sometimes the slightest of t hings can be taken in the wrong way. For example, as trust is built the slightest of things can trigger a client to see their therapist in a different light. As a counselor, a pat on the back, hand touch, ect can seem like nothing to you, but to the client can seem like a sexual advance. This an be detrimental to a client and can break all the trust the therapist had built up, putting the patient back to the beginning of the process (Smith, Fitzpatrick, 1995) When the psychologist and the patient develop an extracurricular relationship, this dual relationship can threaten the psychologist's ability to act impartially as a therapist and the patient's ability to receive proper treatment in their vulnerable state. If psychologists are not held accountable to prevent this type of behavior, they can harm the reputation of all clinical psychologists.Personal relationships imply a bias and the private relationship can cross over into therapy and treatment. The term â€Å"conflict of inter est† applies to dual relationships because no matter how objective a psychologist tries to be, their own emotions may taint their trained perceptions. Conflict of interest can be applied to a variety of situations, such as the psychologist should not treat a family member or close friend due to the possibility of favoritism or being non-objective, and could interfere with the treatment being given and received.The psychological ethical codes clearly prohibit the interaction of a personal relationship between the psychologist and the client. Dual relationships and clinical boundaries are one of the biggest ethical dilemmas social workers are faced with; trying to find the line between the professional role and the empathetic role a social worker plays. This being said, as a social worker it is important to distance the client, but also to build trust. It takes time to learn the boundaries and how to avoid crossing them.This is just one of the biggest challenges social workers h ave to overcome in their field. Reference Page: Barnett J, Lazarus A, Vasquez M, Moorehead-Slaughter O, Johnson W (2007) Boundary Issues and Multiple Relationships: Fantasy and Reality; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38 (4) 401-410 doi: 10. 1037/0735-7028. 38. 4. 401 Herlihy, B and Corey G. (1992) Dual Relationships in Counseling. Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling Development Reamer, G. F. PhD (2011, October 13). Eye on Ethics Social Work Today, retrieved from http://www. socialworktoday. om/news/eoe_101311. shtml Smith, D. and Fitzpatrick, M. (1995) Patent-Therapist Boundary Issues: An Integrative Review of Theory and Research, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26 (5), 499-506 doi: 10. 1037/0735-7028. 26. 5. 499 Syme, G (2003) Dual Relationships in Counseling and Psychotherapy: Exploring the Limits, London: Sage Publications Zur, O and American Psychological Association (2007) Boundaries in Psychotherapy Ethical and Clinical Explorat ions. Washington, DC : American Psychological Association http://www. socialworkers. org/pubs/code/code. asp

Costco mini case study Essay

1. What is Costco’s business model? Is the company’s business model appealing? Why or why not? Generating high sales volume and rapid inventory turnover by offering fee-paying members low prices on nationally branded and private-label products. Yes, it is appealing because the fees paid by members allowed for sufficient supplemental revenues while the turnover rates allowed Costco to receive cash for inventory before it had to pay many of its merchandise vendors. 2. What are the chief elements of Costco’s strategy? How good is the strategy? Pricing, product selection, treasure hunt merchandising, low cost emphasis, and growth are the chief elements of Costco’s strategy. It is a very good strategy because they offer the lowest prices no matter what. 3. Do you think Jim Sinegal has been an effective CEO? What grades would you give him in leading the process of crafting and executing Costco’s strategy? What support can you offer for these grades? Refer to Figure 2.1 in Chapter 2 in developing your answers. Yes, I do think Jim Sinegal has been an effective CEO. I would give him an A in crafting and executing Costco’s strategy because he has been excellent in developing a strategic vision of a no-frills and low-cost store, mission, and core values, along with setting objectives of fast inventory turnover and offering the lowest prices at Costco. He has also done a good job of crafting the strategy by finding out what works best while in charge of his first store, Price Club. He executes and monitors the strategy to achieve the objectives and vision by visiting his own stores and making sure that operations are running in the most smooth and cost efficient way possible for both businesses and individual members. 4. What core values or business principles has Jim Sinegal stressed at Costco? Sinegal’s five core values include: Obey the law, take care of our members, take care of our employees, respect our suppliers, and reward our shareholders. 5. What is competition like in the North American wholesale club industry? Which of the five competitive forces is strongest and why? Use the information in Figures 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, and 3.8 (and the related discussions in Chapter 3) to do a complete five-forces analysis of competition in the North American wholesale club industry. Competition in the North American wholesale club industry is growing 15-20 percent faster than retailing as a whole. The three main competitors are Costco, Sam’s, and BJs Wholesale. Firms in other industries  offering substitute products is the strongest of the five competitive forces because companies like Wal-Mart or internet retailers are not in the retail wholesale industry but put increased pressure on Costco by selling many of the same types of merchandise at very low prices as well. All wholesale clubs (Costco, Sam’s Club, and BJ’s Wholesale) offer low prices to attract members and provide them with considerable cost savings enough cover or exceed membership fees. It is easy for a consumer to switch their membership from wholesaler to wholesaler, thus increasing rivalry, which is a strong force in this industry. The window to enter the warehouse club industry is relatively small, unless an outsider decided to acquire BJ’s Wholesale Club, intending to expand into places where there are no BJ’s stores. The barriers for a newcomer are high; therefor the threat of new entrants is weak. While a big percentage of manufacturers for these retailers or discounters are large, they aren’t always in a strong bargaining position that could allow them to dictate the terms or conditions by which they would supply their products to their respective warehouse clubs, thus making bargaining power of the suppliers weak. The bargaining power of the buyer is also weak because of the small influence that an individual buyer has in relation to the wholesaler’s total sales. The threat of substitutes is very high in this industry. There are many places that one could go to purchase the same item. The buyer is also often times more familiar with a substitute retailer. 6. How well is Costco performing from a financial perspective? They are doing very well from a financial perspective. Some of the numbers do not look good to the traditional investor, but that is because Costco is not a traditional company. The current ratio shows that Costco can meet all current liabilities, while liquidity is also high (which means the company can quickly convert assets into cash). Profit is also constantly increased by not having to store inventory. 7. Based on the data in case Exhibits 1, 5, and 6, is Costco’s financial performance superior to that at Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale? Costco is turning in much higher numbers for total revenue than BJ’s and higher sales than Sam’s. Costco holds 57 percent of the market share while BJ’s has 8 and Sam’s has 35 percent. 8. How well is Costco performing from a strategic perspective? Does Costco enjoy a competitive advantage over Sam’s Club? Over BJ’s Wholesale? If so, what is the nature of its competitive advantage? Does Costco have a winning strategy? Why or why not? They are performing very well from a strategic perspective. No, Costco does not enjoy a clear competitive advantage over Sam’s. It does however enjoy a competitive advantage over BJ’s. the nature of this competitive advantage includes the fact that BJ’s has too many products, which makes rapid turnover harder to achieve. I think that Costco has a winning strategy because they are selective with the products they choose to sell, they treat their workers well (which in turn creates higher productivity), and they are able to sell a big volume of products, keeping prices down, along with expenses and overhead costs. 9. Are Costco’s prices too low? Why or why not?  Many would argue that their prices are too low, with only 14% markup. I do not believe that they are. If the prices weren’t so drastically low, the company would not attract so many interested buyers. These prices are what set the company apart from many other competitors, and are therefor necessary for the company’s success. 10. What do you think of Costco’s compensation practices? Does it surprise you that Costco employees apparently are rather well-compensated? Better compensated than employees at Sam’s Club or BJ’s? I think that Costco’s compensation practices are once again, smart. When employees are happy, they are productive. When they are productive, they get more done. When they get more done, it eliminates the need for excess employees to do what could be done by productive employees in the workplace. It would slightly surprise me that they are so well compensated (better compensated than Sam’s Club of BJ’s) before reading the entirety of this case because of the â€Å"no-frills† policy that Costco has obviously adopted, but it also makes sense after reading this case study that the employees are so well cared for. It saves and earns Costco excess money in the long run through rising productivity and encouraging positive word-of-mouth. 11. What recommendations would you make to Costco top executives regarding how best to sustain the company’s growth and improve its financial performance? I would tell Costco’s top executives to try and acquire BJ’s wholesale, thus acquiring their 8 percent market share. I would also encourage the implementation of self-checkout in stores for ease and convenience of the  individual consumer. Other than that, I think that Costco has a strong business strategy and is implementing strategies currently to sustain the company’s growth and improve financial performance.

Greek Literature and Archetypes Essays

Greek Literature and Archetypes Essays Greek Literature and Archetypes Paper Greek Literature and Archetypes Paper Essay Topic: Literature They next arrived at the country of the Cyclopes. The Cyclopes were giants who inhabited an island of which they were the only possessors. The name means round eye, and these giants were so called because they had but one eye, and that placed in the middle of the forehead. They dwelt in caves and fed on the wild productions of the island and on what their flocks yielded, for they were shepherds. Ulysses left the main body of his ships at anchor and with one vessel went to the Cyclopes island to explore for supplies. He landed with his companions, carrying with them a jar of wine for a present, and coming to a large cave they entered it, and finding no one within examined its contents. They found it stored with the richest of the flock, quantities of cheese, pails and bowls of milk, lambs and kids in their pens, all in nice order. Presently arrived the master of the cave, Polyphemus, bearing an immense bundle of firewood, which he threw down before the caverns mouth. He then drove into the cave the sheep and goats to be milked, and, entering, rolled to the caves mouth an enormous rock that twenty oxen could not draw. Next, he sat down and milked his ewes, preparing a part for cheese, and setting the rest aside for his customary drink. Then, turning round his great eye, he discerned the strangers, and growled out to them, demanding who they were, and where from. Ulysses replied most humbly, stating that they were Greeks, from the great expedition that had lately won so much glory in the conquest of Troy; that they were now on their way home, and finished by imploring his hospitality in the name of the gods. Polyphemus deigned no answer, but reaching out his hand seized two of the Greeks, whom he hurled against the side of the cave, and dashed out their brains. He proceeded to devour them with great relish, and having made a hearty meal, stretched himself out on the floor to sleep. Ulysses was tempted to seize the opportunity and plunge his sword into him as he slept, but recollected that it would only expose them all to certain destruction, as the rock with which the giant had closed up the door was far beyond their power to remove, and they would, therefore, be in hopeless imprisonment. Next morning the giant seized two more of the Greeks, and dispatched them in the same manner as their companions, feasting on their flesh till no fragment was left. He then moved away from the rock from the door, drove out his flocks, and went out, carefully replacing the barrier after him. When he was gone Ulysses planned how he might take vengeance for his murdered friends, and effect his escape with his surviving companions. He made his men prepare a massive bar of wood cut by the Cyclops for a staff, which they found in the cave. They sharpened the end of it, and seasoned it in the fire, and hid it under the straw on the cavern floor. Then four of the boldest were selected, with whom Ulysses joined himself as a fifth. The Cyclops came home at evening, rolled away the stone and drove in his flock as usual. After milking them and making his arrangements as before, he seized two more of Ulysses companions and dashed their brains out, and made his evening meal upon them as he had on the others. After he had supped, Ulysses approaching him handed him a bowl of wine, saying, Cyclops, this is wine; taste and drink after thy meal of mens flesh. He took and drank it, and was hugely delighted with it, and called for more. Ulysses supplied him once again, which pleased the gia nt so much that he promised him as a favor that he should be the last of the party devoured. He asked his name, to which Ulysses replied, My name is Noman. 1. Identify the archetypal situation represented in the excerpt from The Odyssey. Support your decision with details from the story. 2. which archetypal character fits the character of Polyphemos *best*? 3. identify the archetype represented by the character of Ulysses. Support your decision with details from the story. 4. What is the *best* choice to describe the purpose of this myth? 1. This passage is an example of the battle between good and evil. Ulysses and his men represent the good. They are weary travelers simply looking for a place to rest and expect the hospitality required by the gods. Instead, they are eaten and imprisoned by the villain, Polyphemus, who represents the evil in the world. He ignores the laws of the gods. 2. the Villain 3. Ulysses is an excellent example of the Hero archetype. He is brave, cunning, and risks his own life to save his men. 4. history The influence of ancient Greece can be seen in all of the following fields *except* religion Which archetype fits the character of Arachne *best*? the Outcast Identify the purposes of myth found in the story of Arachne and explain how it illustrates each purpose. The story of Arachne illustrates several purposes of myth. First, it demonstrates the power of the gods and the consequences of angering them, so one purpose is religious. It also illustrates a code of behavior that is acceptable in Greek society. They looked down upon those who have too much pride (hubris), so this myth illustrates the danger of that fault. Another purpose illustrated by Arachne is explaining natural phenomena. It tells the story of how spiders came to weave their webs. Finally, it is an entertaining story that fills the purpose of early literature. The Quest is a situational archetype found in many stories. Choose a story you know that is an example of this kind of archetype. Explain how it illustrates the Quest archetype. In the Quest archetype, a person or group is searching for someone or something. Generally, finding that person or thing will restore order in the society or cure someone. One example of a quest is illustrated by the story of Jason and the Argonauts and their search for the golden fleece. It was said to heal any wound and bring pece to the country that owned it. Which archetypal character is the enchantress in the story Rapunzel? the Wicked Witch *The Metamorphosis of the Dnieper, the Volga, and the Dvina translated by M.A. Ralston and W.R.S. Ralston* Which purpose of mythyology does this story fulfill? explanation of natural phenomena The story of Arachne, as told in the lecture, illustrates which of the purposes of mythology? ethics and behavior Homers, The Odyssey, is an ancient Greek poem about a man who goes on an epic journey home after years in captivity. This classic work *most likely* influenced the film O Brother, Where Art Thou?, about a man who escapes prison to find a treasure and reunite with his family. William Shakerpeares, Hamlet, *most likely* influenced the animated film The Lion King. *Read the myth of Hero and Leander.* 1. Which situational archetype fits the story *best*? 2. Which archetype fits the character of Hero *best*? 1. the Star-Crossed Lovers 2. the Ingenue *Hansel and Gretel* 1. What archetype fits the wife of this story *best*? 2. Which character represents the archetype of the Hero *best*? 1. the Wicked Stepmother 2. Hansel :

Stock Market and Genentech Essay

Stock Market and Genentech Essay Stock Market and Genentech Essay Case Study 1. Why is Roche seeking to acquire the 44% of Genentech it does not own? From Roche’s point of view, what are the advantages of owning 100% of Genentech? What are the risks? Roche already had 56% of shares of Genentech and now it seeks to acquire rest of the 44% shares so as to get the benefits of synergies. The pharmaceutical companies have been unable to introduce new products lately, and their only way to remain profitable is by mergers and acquisitions. Roche also used this method. Acquisition will help the firm compete in the market and thus will help it grow. Advantages of owning 100% of Genentech’s shares: The merger will lead to formation of the world’s largest biotechnology company. Value of total benefit from synergies will be $5billion. This will be a result of M&D, manufacturing, development and administrative costs reduction. Complete ownership will give the company complete access to technology and R&D projects. It will also give the company access to its cash amounting to $9.5billion, which can also be used to make payment for debt raised for acquisition. The company can also create a contract allowing it to distribute Genentech’s best selling drugs. Risks of owning 100% of Genentech’s shares: The acquired company’s minority shareholders are mostly its employees. The company’s culture is like a family environment where all the employees work in cohesion. Acquisition may destroy this culture. The culture of Genentech will have to be matched and combined with the culture of Roche. This may create problems for the human resources which may even lead to high employee turnover. There is a chance that the company pays higher than the premium required for the benefits of synergies. Such a situation may lead to drop in the prices of Roche’s shares. For the deal, Roche has to borrow around $30 billion. The ongoing financial crisis could make the debt financing even more difficult to obtain as well as more expensive. The contract gives Roche the right to sell Genentech on non US markets, but only till 2015. After that the company faces a high risk of losing the right. Genentech’s cancer drug, Avastin, may not be successfully tested and may be banned from sale. This risk of loss of revenue will also have to be borne by the company. New competitors may come with competing best selling drugs, which will again lead to a risk of reduction in growth prospects. 2. As a majority shareholder of Genentech, what responsibilities does Roche have to the minority shareholders? The affiliation agreement signed in 1999 stated the obligations to minority shareholders, which are as follows: Board approval is sufficient in case of a friendly bid. Roche can buy all shares for same price When the takeover is hostile, in which Roche would get at least 90% of shares and would hold them for at least 2 months, it will squeeze out the existing shareholders and will merge the company. It is an optional measure and not a necessary one, as per Delaware law. As explained earlier, minority shareholders are majorly the employees of the company. It is Roche’s duty to explain the benefits of merger to them and retain them. 3. As of June 2008, what is the value of the synergies Roche anticipates from a merger with Genentech? Assess the value of synergies per share of Genentech. Please use a 9% weighted average cost of capital in your analysis. Synergies are given in an exhibit. Value of synergies: WACC 9% 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 and thereafter FCF $138.05 $362.36 $436.47 $475.58 $488.81 Terminal Value $5,431.22 Discounted $3,529.92 Shares 1052 NPV $1,423.28 Shares to buy 463 Total value $4,953.21 Value per share $10.70 2013 cash flows are treated as a perpetuity (ignoring 2% long term growth rate). 4. Based on DCF valuation techniques, what range of values is reasonable for Genentech as a stand-alone company in June 2008? Please exclude synergies from your valuation and

Is the ACT Easier Than the SAT

Is the ACT Easier Than the SAT SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Because all US colleges accept scores from either the ACT or SAT, picking the test on which you’ll perform better is critical to your admission chances. But when parents and students ask whether the ACT is easier than the SAT, it can be hard to give a good answer. You might not know how the tests compare with each other or which one you're more likely to do better on. There aredifferences between the SAT and ACT that can make one or the other legitimately easier or harder for test takers. So how do you know whether the SAT or ACT is easier for you? Keep reading to learn the eight key factors that'll help you determine whether the ACT or SAT is easier. Although theACT and SAT differ in a lot of ways, only a few are really important to understanding whether the ACT or SAT is a better fit for you. Each student is different in each of the below factors. As a result,one testwill be easier for you depending on your own strengths and weaknesses. We’ve broken down our analysis into two major sections: content-related and format-related. ACT and SAT Content-Related Abilities: 6 Factors Before we get into specific content-related abilities, let's quickly go over the structures of the two tests. The SAT contains three sections: Reading Writing and Language (hereafter Writing) Math By contrast, the ACT contains four sections: English Math Reading Science Both tests also have an optional essay.Each section has a different format on the ACT than on the SAT, but only some of these differences really matter. Here are the most crucial factors to consider as well as our tips on what these might indicate about which test is easier for you. Factor 1: HowBroad Is Your Mathematical Knowledge? While the SAT and ACT both emphasize algebra questions in their math sections,the ACT's Math section typically tests a wider range of mathematical concepts- such aslogarithms, graphs of trig functions, and matrices- that the SAT doesn't cover. The ACT also has significantlymore questions dealing with geometry and trigonometrythan the SAT does.On the ACT's Math section, about a quarter to a third of the questions will be about geometry or trigonometry, while less than 10% of the SAT's math questions will focus on either of these topics. More SAT Math questions will focus on algebra, along with some other topics such as data analysis and modeling. In addition to testing a wider range of math topics,the ACT doesn't give you any math formulas at the beginning of the Math section, so you’ll need to have them all memorized. On the contrary, the SAT will give you most of the major math formulas you'll need for the test. Here are some key questions to ask yourself: Can I memorize all the formulas I'll need to know? Do I have strong geometry and trigonometry skills? Would I prefer to have primarilyalgebra-related questions? Bottom Line:If you’re more comfortable with algebra than you are with geometry and trigonometry, SAT Math will likely be easier for you than ACT Math will be. Factor 2: How Confident Are You Without a Calculator? Students are not allowed to have a calculator for part of the SAT Math section. The SAT Math section has two parts: a No Calculator part (20 questions) and a Calculator part (38 questions). By contrast, the ACT allows you to use a calculator for all math questions. Every question on the SAT No Calculator subsection is solvable by hand; however, these problems will sometimes require complicated calculations. If you aren't comfortable solving these questions without having a calculator to help you out, this part of the SAT might be challenging for you. Bottom Line:If you prefer always having access to a calculator on math problems, you might find ACT Math easier. Factor 3: Are You Comfortable With Scientific Terminology for ACT Science? Lots of people make a big deal out of the ACT Science section, but the truth is thatit's not actually about science. It doesn't test much knowledge of actual scientific facts, such as freezing points or solubility rules, but it does use a lot of scientific language. The Science sectionalso uses charts and graphs that will be familiar to students with strong science backgrounds. While the SAT incorporates some of these concepts into its three sections, you'll still be answering more questions like thison the ACT. The sample data below is typical of the ACT Science section: Source: Official ACT Practice Test 2005-06 You can answer questions about this information without knowing thatMg means magnesium, or that mol stands for the unit of measurement mole, or that˚C means degrees Celsius. That said, it's a lot faster and easier if you do know these things. And because your Science score factors into yourACT composite score, if you don't know Science well, the Science section can lower your overall score. Bottom Line:Comfort with scientific terms and experience gathering scientific data from charts and graphs will give you a greater advantage on the ACT. While you don't need experience in a lab, you should have some basic science knowledge for the ACT. Factor 4: Can You Remember the Location of Details in Reading Passages? An often-overlooked aspect concerning whether the SAT or ACT is easier for a student is the detail questions on the Reading sections of each test. In short, the SAT gives you more information to work with than the ACT does. Look at it like this: after you read about two pages of an academic book, do you tend to remember where the different pieces of information are located in that reading? Or do you need to go back over it to find specific details? Your answer to these questions canmake adifference between your SAT and ACT Reading scores. This is because one big, somewhat odd difference between the SAT and ACT is their treatment of details in their respective Reading sections. While both tests have questions about small, specific details from the readings,the SAT will usuallytell you what line they're referring to, whereas the ACT frequently does not. Here's a simple example from an ACT Reading section: This kind of question (we call it "fact-finding" at PrepScholar) isn't a challenge if you have the line numbers where the information is located. During the ACT, though, it can be difficult and time-consuming to skim a passageto figure out which specific parta question is referring to. On the SAT, most questions have a line number. Even if they don't, SAT Reading questions always proceed in chronological order. This means you'll have a general idea of where the key information is even if you're not given an exact line reference. If you can easily remember where information is located in a passage, these ACTquestions will be a piece of cake and give you extra time for the harder ones. If you don't, ACT Readingwill frustrate you and simply suck up your precious time. Bottom Line:The ability to remember the locations of details in reading passageswill give you a greater advantage on the ACT. Factor 5: How Easily Can You Cite Evidence for Your Answers? On Reading, the SAT has questions calledevidence-support questions, whichthe ACT doesn't have. These are two-part questions: thefirst question will ask you something general about the passage, whereasthe following question will ask you to cite the specific evidence that supports your answer to the previous question. Here's an exampleof one of these question pairs on the SAT: Source: Official SAT Practice Lesson Plans for Teachers by Teachers As you can see, these questions can be tricky because theyrequire higher-level thinking and strong reasoning skills. If you're stuck on the first question, you likely won't get the second one right either. Take the ACT, though, and you won't have to worry about Reading questions like these. Bottom Line:If you aren’t used to finding evidence to support your reasoning, SAT Reading might be more challenging for you than ACT Reading. Factor 6: Which Types of Writing Questions Do You Prefer? Both the SAT and the ACT Writing/English sections have passage-based questions, but the topics these questions focus on differ between the two tests. ACT English is slightly more focused on grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. This sectionalso includes big picture questions thatask about the main idea of the passage, whereas SAT Writing doesn't include these types of questions. On the other hand,the SAT focuses more on questions about writing style. It also includes what are known as precision questions; these require you to select the most appropriate word or phrase. Because of precision and other similar questions, the SAT tends to test vocabulary a little more than the ACT does. Bottom Line:The Writing/English sections for both testsare highly similar. However, if you have a solid knowledge of grammar and sentence structure, youmight find ACT English easier, whereas if you prefer questions aboutwriting style and vocabulary,SAT Writing might be easier for you. Instead of flipping through a dictionary to learn vocab, why not check out our SAT vocab list? ACT and SAT Format-Related Abilities: 2 Factors For this section major section, we look at format-related abilities. Unlike content-related abilities, which deal with the content of the ACT and SAT, format-related abilities deal with the overall structures of the two tests and the testing requirements of your state. Below are the top two format-related factors to consider as well as our advice on whether the ACT or SAT might be easier for you. Factor 7: Are You Able to Avoid Getting Stuck on Challenging Questions? Especially in the Math sections of both tests and theSciencesection of the ACT, it's easy for many students to get wrapped up in trying to figure out a particularly challenging problem. This can turn into spending four or five minutes on a single question and missing other ones as a result. Why is this important? The ACT gives much less time per question. Here is a chart showing the time per question on both tests, for reference: Test Section Total Time # of Questions Time per Question ACT English 45 minutes 75 36 seconds Math 60 minutes 60 60 seconds Reading 35 minutes 40 53 seconds Science 35 minutes 40 53 seconds SAT Reading 65 minutes 52 75 seconds Writing 35 minutes 44 48 seconds Math No Calculator: 25 minutes Calculator: 55 minutes No Calculator: 20 Calculator: 38 No Calculator: 75 seconds Calculator: 86 seconds As you can see from this comparison chart, in all sections the ACT offers less time per question than the SAT does.While the ACT English and SAT Writing sections only differ by 12 seconds per question, the two tests' Reading sections differ by 22 seconds- that's almost half a minute more per question! With the Math sections, too, the ACT offers far less time per question. On the SAT Math Calculator subsection, you'll get about 86 seconds per question; however, you'll get 26 seconds less on each ACT Math question. Bottom Line:The ability to move on from difficult questions and work quickly will give you a greater advantage on the ACT. Factor 8: Do You Live in a State That Requires ACT or SAT Testing? This last factor is pretty cut and dried: if your state requires you to take one of the two tests, you'll likely find that test easier. The following 15 states use the ACT as part of their statewide testing regimen: Alabama Hawaii Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada North Carolina North Dakota (students must take ACT or WorkKeys) South Carolina Utah Wisconsin Wyoming And the following eight regions use the SATas part of their testing regimen: Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Illinois Maine Michigan New Hampshire Having a required test can help you be more prepared for that exam. For example, if you live in a state that requires you to take the ACT, you'll likely receive significant in-school preparation for that exam, and yourteachers will be more familiar with how the ACT is formatted and what skills it tests. Even though you can still take the test your state doesn't require, you'll likely be less familiar with it and won't have had as much exposure to it as you did with the one required by your state. Bottom Line:Living in one of the states where the ACT or SAT is requiredwillgive you a slight advantage on that test.That said, if you’re committed toprepping seriously, you’ll get so much exposure to whichevertest you choose that this initial boost won’t make much of a difference in the end. What's your move: ACT or SAT? ACT vs SAT: How Do I Decide Which Test to Take? In this article, we’ve listed tons of important factors to help you figure out whether the ACT or SAT will be easier for you. But is there a quicker way to determine which test you should take? We recommend using the chart below to help organize your thoughts. For each question, answer yes or no (by marking it with an X or check mark) in accordance with your own personal strengths and weaknesses. Once finished, tally up your yes marks and give yourselfonepoint for each yes. For example, if you answered yes to the first question about trigonometry, you'd get one point. However, if you answered no, you'd earn zero points for that question. Question Yes No Are you good at applying trigonometry and geometry skills? Do you like being able to use a calculator on math questions? Are you good at memorizing lots of math formulas? Are you comfortable with scientific terms? Can you easily remember the locations of details in passages? Do you have strong grammar and punctuation skills? Can you work quickly and efficiently? Do you live in one of the mandatory ACT testing states? Are you OK with answering questions that arenot in chronological order? Is it difficult for you to find evidence in passages to support your answers? Do you struggle to answer questions about writing style? Do you often have trouble with vocabulary questions? Once you've tallied up your points, find your score below to learn what it means about which test will be easier for you: 1-4 points: The SAT's got your name on it! If you answered mostly "no" in the chart above, then you'll likely find the SAT easier than the ACT. With the SAT, you don't have to worry about as many geometry questions or a science section, and you'll get more time per question. 5-8 points: You can take the ACT or SAT If you answered "yes" and "no" an equal (or nearly equal) number of times, you can take either test. In other words,the SAT and ACT will be roughly the same difficulty based on the combination of strengths and weaknesses you noted above. 9-12 points: The ACT's the one for you! If you answered mostly "yes," then the ACT will be the easier test for you. With the ACT, you'll get to flex your science and trig muscles. You'll also get to focus more on grammar and punctuation knowledge and less on vocab and writing style. What's the Best Way to Figure Out Whether to Take the ACT or SAT? The above factors we covered are just general principles to guide your thinking. In the end, the best gauge of which test fits you better is to take a full-length practice test of each test and compare your scores on them.You can access all officialSAT practice tests and ACT practice testsfor free on our blog. We’ve also written guides on how to figure out what your target SAT score and target ACT score should be. Knowing this can help you determine how far you'll have to improve on each test. If your practice test score for one test is higher than it is for the other in relation to your target score, you'll likely have a better shot at getting into your target colleges using that test! What's Next? If you're aiming for a top ACT or SAT score, check out our guides togettinga perfect SAT scoreand a perfect ACT score. Both were written by our resident full scorer! Not sure when to take the ACT or SAT? Figure out the best test dates to take the SAT or ACT, and learn how to create an ACT/SAT study schedule for yourself. Whether you decide to take the SAT or ACT,youhaveto know what your target score is. Figure this out using ourSAT target score guideandACT target score guide. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? Check out our best-in-class online SAT and ACT prep classes. We guarantee your money back if you don't improve your SAT score by 160+ points or your ACT score by 4+ points. Our classes are entirely online, and they're taught by experts. If you liked this article, you'll love our classes. Along with expert-led classes, you'll get personalized homework with thousands of practice problems organized by individual skills so you learn most effectively. We'll also give you a step-by-step, custom program to follow so you'll never be confused about what to study next. Try it risk-free today:

Diffusion and network effects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Diffusion and network effects - Essay Example It starts with Innovators, who are the educated, risk oriented, information seeking people and who like to try new experiences. These roughly comprise of 5% of the population (Davidoff and Kleiner, 1991; Dewett, Whittier and Williams,, 2007). Next, are the early adopters, who are educated young and popular people and may be opinion leaders in their groups (David, 1985). Next are the early majority who are cautious and wait out to see how new products are reviewed by the early adopters. The early majority consist of a large number of people and these are also instrumental in propelling the late majority (who are older, conservative and low on social activity) into adopting the technology. The Laggards are the remaining people who missed out on adoption and may adopt the product toward the maturity of the product (Farrell and Saloner, 1985). Figure 1: Diffusion of Innovation Curve (Source: Rogers, 2003) In the case of Facebook, the adoption process started with ‘‘Innovators ’, but these e Innovators were the people who already had adopted older social networking versions like MySpace and Orkut. With the creation of Facebook, these ‘Innovators’ simply converted to Facebook and encouraged the early adopters to choose Facebook when they were ready to embrace the online social-networking concept (Fernandes, 2011). However, the diffusion of Facebook during the initial phases was also constrained by the diffusion of the Internet. Innovators and early adopters were therefore largely confined to the USA, Western Europe, Australia, and parts of India and China. As the Internet penetration increased with the development of broadband technology and liberalisation in other parts of the world, it spread to Middle East and then to the Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe and Russia (Fowler, 2012). So, while regions like the Middle East, Brazil, South Africa and Russia were now in the ‘Innovators’ and ‘Early Adopters’ phases, at the same time, the USA had and Western Europe had moved on to ‘Late Majority’ and the ‘Laggards’ phase as shown in the following figure. Figure 2: Stage of Adoption (Facebook) Source: CheckFacebook.com, 2010 3. Five Factors that Determine Success or Failure of Adoption Adoption, which is an individual process that depends on several attributes of the innovation like the relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability and observability. Figure 3: Factors Determining Success of Adoption (Facebook) Relative Advantage Relative advantage, as the phrase suggests, is the perceived value added or additional advantage that a person thinks he can derive from adopting the new product (Haggman, 2009). In the context of Facebook, it offered the relative advantage over sites like MySpace and Orkut because of its higher level of security, the ability to limit who views the profile and ease in uploading and managing photographs. The user interface o f Facebook is also much more user friendly. Also, the spam prevention mechanism on Facebook is much stronger when compared to other social networking sites such as Orkut. So, users perceive it to be a more secure and private option than the existing ones. Compatibility Compatibility is the level of ‘

External influence on health care organization Essay

External influence on health care organization - Essay Example P.R. Manager: External influences most applicable to the organization include political, trade and industry and socio-cultural, ecological and complementary external pressures upon healthcare policy proposals and organizational agendas. A comparison with eternal elements affecting medical organizations reveals the balance in significance of each factor towards the organization’s performance (Mannion, 2000, p. 111). However, the internal features have straight, instant, and authoritative impacts. These effects are far more open to adjustment at a domestic level of the organization than eternal factors. An organizational discussion should appreciate individual experience alongside objective information. As a result, the debate will promote positive change within the organization (Ford, Menachemi & Phillips, 2006, p. 108). Joining the organization creates the utmost confidence that has systematic expertise in association administration and understanding of the current healthcare frameworks. As a healthcare administrator, I will be able to prove valuable as I progress and exploit opportunities in my profession (Ford, Menachemi & Phillips, 2006, p. 106). Daake, D. and Anthony, W. P. (2000). Understanding Stakeholder Power and Influence Gaps in a Health Care Organization: An Empirical Study. Health Care Management Review: July, Volume 25 - Issue 3 - pp

Discussion Questions - About Outsourcing Article

Discussion Questions - About Outsourcing - Article Example The case clearly shows that the organization exploited the demands of the industry by serving as a niche player in the provision of specific core competences’ services. The success of the company can therefore be linked to the ability to provide services that are specifically to the core competences in contrast to their ability of not using fake accents and pseudo names. This case is so because the organization seemed to have avoided risks by applying a method of service provision that other big companies could not venture into. It would not be wise for other BPO organizations to adopt the strategy of the company, as well as making them common. The reason behind this notion is that the strategy was developed by one organization in the industry, with the sole aim of capturing the core competences of the niche market. The fact that the strategy required a number of skilled personnel would rule out the urge for other companies to try developing the idea (Samarpan, 25). Such an idea would prove to add extra operational costs that some of the BPOs would not like to

Art Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Art Presentation - Essay Example This piece of work depicts the second coming of Christ, Christ’s ascension, and the Virgin Mary with Jesus on her lap. According to (Gardner, Helen, Kleiner pg), Mary’s eminence in Roman Catholic is clearly elaborated in the ornamentation of the Romanesque church Culture: The piece of architecture was established through eagerness of the Germany architects to embrace the architectural style from French Gothic. Initially, Germans expressed themselves through sculptures and according to (Gardner, Helen, Kleiner pg), the Chartres Cathedral art piece marked a new era in art and architecture in Germany. The Carolingian artwork can trace its origin when Charlemagne was at the helm of the new Roman Emperor in the year 800. To commemorate his achievement, Charlemagne revived the culture, art and political ideals for the new Holy Roman Emperor. The Carolingian artwork was characterized by illuminated manuscripts that Charlemagne brought during his many visits to North Europe. His era experienced the transformation of Carolingian art to classical style borrowed from Italy. A phenomenal Carolingian artwork is the image of St. Mark Gospels from Ebbo. The figure depicts a moment of frenzy and revitalization. In addition, the piece is illustrated in three-dimensional form and in a landscape. The artwork stands tall for the era since most of the artworks in the era were oriented on the ground. The architects of ottonian era advanced the skills and expertise inherited from the Carolingian architects after the fall of the United Holy Empire. Unlike the Carolingian architects, they also implemented Byzantine knowledge in order to customize architectural concepts for a unique identity. The era experienced intermarriages with the Byzantine, an incident that brought about a merge in the artwork and architecture. The Byzantine styles had a considerable influence on the presentation and orientation of the

Assignment (training and development ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment (training and development ) - Essay Example he human resource management must have an appropriate evaluation design that will give an elaborate indication on the training outcome (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). An elaborate data collection design can determine the conclusions made from a training and development program. A collection design compares a trained person to an untrained person or the same individual prior and after the training process. Equally, a trained person can be compared to a set standard of training. When the collection design does not compare a trained person to an untrained person, it forms a non-experimental design. When a trained person is compared to an untrained person in a randomized manner, it is an experimental design. Moreover, when the comparison is made with an untrained person in a non-random manner, it forms the quasi-experiment design (Lou, Duever, & Budman, 2004). Experimental collection design for training evaluation offers the best design to use in the determination of the training outcome. The design offers a stronger link between the training outcome and the learning process. Experimental training design can evaluate that the training process led to a change in behavior. As much as the design may be difficult to implement, it avails accurate information needed for organizational growth (Arthur et al., 2003). Arthur, W., Bennett, W., Edens, P. S., & Bell, S. T. (2003). Effectiveness of training in organizations: a meta-analysis of design and evaluation features. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 88,

Social Implications of IT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words - 1

Social Implications of IT - Essay Example In the year 1923, the Capek Brothers first used the term robot in a play named Rossum’s Universal Robots or RUR. The word robot was derived from the Czech word robota, which means forced labor. In 1942, Isaac Asimov, the renowned science fiction writer, employed the word robotics in his science fiction story the Runabout. Since then, robotics has become a branch of science, and it has revolutionized the technology behind robots in a number of ways. The rapid growth of robotics and the development of robots based on it had brought about some fears among the people. Science fiction movies and novels served to generate creativity in the field of robotics. The law of robotics regulates the creation of robots and provides some safety measures. The works of Isaac Asimov had inspired the creation of the law of robotics. The concept of positronic brained robots was introduced by Asimov in his stories such as Robbie and Reason. These two stories have also described the restrictions to be imposed on the behavior of robots2. Â  The concept of artificial intelligence has historical evidence. The ancient Egyptians had documented ideas that almost match the principles of artificial intelligence. In a Dartmouth Conference in 1956, researchers in computer science and cognitive science introduced the term artificial intelligence. The Dartmouth Conference was the first ever meeting of scientists in pursuit of making machines that could think. In the same year, there was another meeting of scientists termed the Symposium on Information Theory, which was organized by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This conference developed the principles, which constitute the foundations of artificial intelligence and cognitive science. These two conferences attempted to find out the similarities and to compare human thinking and the computer’s processes.

Assignment (training and development ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Assignment (training and development ) - Essay Example he human resource management must have an appropriate evaluation design that will give an elaborate indication on the training outcome (Aguinis & Kraiger, 2009). An elaborate data collection design can determine the conclusions made from a training and development program. A collection design compares a trained person to an untrained person or the same individual prior and after the training process. Equally, a trained person can be compared to a set standard of training. When the collection design does not compare a trained person to an untrained person, it forms a non-experimental design. When a trained person is compared to an untrained person in a randomized manner, it is an experimental design. Moreover, when the comparison is made with an untrained person in a non-random manner, it forms the quasi-experiment design (Lou, Duever, & Budman, 2004). Experimental collection design for training evaluation offers the best design to use in the determination of the training outcome. The design offers a stronger link between the training outcome and the learning process. Experimental training design can evaluate that the training process led to a change in behavior. As much as the design may be difficult to implement, it avails accurate information needed for organizational growth (Arthur et al., 2003). Arthur, W., Bennett, W., Edens, P. S., & Bell, S. T. (2003). Effectiveness of training in organizations: a meta-analysis of design and evaluation features. The Journal of Applied Psychology, 88,

Bowlbys research Essay Example for Free

Bowlbys research Essay The maternal deprivation hypothesis was developed in post second world wartime and Bowlbys research was based on children that were extremely traumatized, having possibly lost both parents at war. As a result a lot of children ended up in institutions which more than likely had substandard conditions and numerous untrained carers. It is very important to bear in mind the context of that time as there was a national need for family life to be recreated and stabilised after the war. Thus, Bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis was interpreted as an opposition to the employment of women with young children and therefore the use of day-care facilities. It is important to acknowledge that Bowlby was primarily concerned with the welfare of children and that his theory of maternal deprivation played a huge role in reforming child care practices by pointing out the damaging effect of been cared for by numerous staff. In the years since however, the maternal deprivation hypothesis has been largely discredited in light of subsequent research which suggests that some separation, for example some time in a high quality day-care, may not necessarily have long-term effects on future relationships. Bowlbys monotropic model of attachment has also been highly criticised as recent evidence is revealing that children do form attachments with more than one adult, in particular with fathers, siblings and other adult carers with whom they have developed a stable relationship. Research has shown that children generally favour their fathers company to the company of a stranger. According to Lewis (1986) the attachment bond between a father and child is dependant on the quality of their relationship, that is, a child with a sensitive father that is focused on their needs will develop a stronger attachment bond with them. Nonetheless, in times of distress infants are more likely to seek out the comfort of their mother over their father (Lamb, 1981). Given the changing times and the steady increase in the proportion of working mothers, it is necessary to focus more on the effects of multiple attachments and specifically to the childs relationship with adult caregivers other than parents and relatives. Studies however, carried out by Tizard and Rees (1975) and Tizard and Hodges (1978) caution that while children can be cared for and attached to more than one adult, having a large number of caregivers may have an adverse effect on their ability to develop close relationships. Bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis was further developed by the work of Mary Ainsworth (1969), who devised a method for observing and assessing the attachment behaviour babies display towards their mothers/caregivers. This is known as the Strange Situation (ED209 TV4 programme) and is essentially a method for measuring a one year-olds attachment to its mother and assessing how the child reacts to separation and more importantly to reunion with its mother when placed in a slightly stressful situation. Briefly, the experiment involves taking mother and child to a strange room and observing the childs responses to the introduction of a stranger, the mothers departure, reunion with the mother, leaving the child alone for a few minutes in the room (most stressful event), and leaving the child alone with the stranger. Researchers classify the maternal-child attachment relationship based on the childs behaviour during reunion with the mother. Ainsworth suggests that attachment relations fall into three categories: securely attached, insecure-avoidant and insecure-ambivalent infants. Sometimes an additional category (disorganised) has been used. According to Ainsworth securely attached infants explore freely when their mother is present and use her as a secure base when a stranger appears. They greet her warmly on reunion and show a clear preference for her over the stranger. Children who do not behave this way, for example by clinging (insecure-ambivalent) or been more detached (insecure-avoidant) during reunion with their mother, are described as insecurely attached. Ainsworth et al (1978) believed that children who are separated from their mother, for example children who attend day-care, are likely to form insecure attachments. This is supported by Belsky (1988) who, it is interesting to note, revised his conclusions regarding the consequences of placing children in non-maternal day-care. Initially, he believed that day care did not effect a childs attachment to his/her mother, however subsequently in his review of a number of US studies, he concluded that children who are subjected to more than twenty hours a week of non-maternal day-care in their first year of life are at risk of developing insecure attachments. It is important to note that although the strange situation technique has been widely used by Belsky and others to assess the quality of a childs attachment to its caregiver, it may not however be the best method for comparing children who experience day care with those who do not. Belskys conclusions regarding day-care have been disputed by Clark-Stewart (1988) who argues that the differences in attachment styles between infants attending non-maternal day-care for less than twenty hours a week and more than 20 hours a week are not large enough to conclude that working mothers put their children at risk of suffering from psychological problems. Furthermore, she points out that children who attend day care are used to separation and therefore react differently on reunion with their mothers than children who are with their mothers all day. Thus, children may appear detached not because they are insecure but because they are more independent and more accustomed to been separated from their mother (Clark-Stewart, 1988) . Like Bowlby, Ainsworth believed in a universal model of attachment however, evidence from cross-cultural research on secure and insecure attachments carried out by Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) revealed cultural differences in the mother-child relationship. This evidence questions the validity of using the strange situation method to measure and compare attachment in different cultures. For example, children from Japan showed intense distress in the strange situation when separated from their mother, as in their culture children are never left alone at twelve months. These cultural differences highlight the importance of moving away from a universal model of attachment towards a more cultural perspective. Bowlbys ethnocentric perspective, which sees the biological mother as the all-important person for the infants first attachment, has received a lot of criticism and has been branded as a Western cultural construction by some psychologists. It is interesting to note that out of 186 non-industrial societies Weisner and Gallimore (1977) found that, in only five of these societies was the child (almost) solely looked after by the mother! Moreover, research carried out in different countries showed the grandmother as having a special and unique attachment to the child due to her long life experience and wisdom (Tyszowka, 1991) thereby lending support to a more polyadic model of attachment.

The Case Of Colombia Politics Essay

The Case Of Colombia Politics Essay No society is immune to corruption, however, it is obvious that the developing world has been prone to suffer more than developed countries; corruption is a problem that many governments as well as citizens from different communities in the third world prefer to ignore. This essay attempts to present the reader the most prominent forms of corruption in the developing world specifically the case of Colombia in a comparative perspective with Latin American, Asian and African countries where corruption is one of the main problems that have affected these parts of the world. This essay includes three sections; the first one presents the relevant literature review; definition of important concepts, types of corruption, and approaches of corruption in developing countries. The second section refers in detail to the case of Colombia and its most prominent forms of corruption. The third section covers the analysis of the Colombian case in a comparative perspective with some Latin American, Asian and African countries and portraits relevant ideas as conclusions. LITERATURE REVIEW Corruption in the last few years has become a contested concept due to the considerable overlap between various components and wide connotations to agree on a single definition; additionally, different perceptions and understanding of situations and behaviours have influenced the concept of corruption. The understanding of corruption among nations guarantees that no definition of corruption will be equally accepted in every nation. Therefore, this essay agrees with the definition of corruption presented by Transparency International (TI) because it is an international organization that reaches most of the countries in the world and maintains an unbiased performance. (TI) defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain  [1]  . In order to understand the implications of corruption, it is necessary to bear in mind the different types of corruption that have been considered by some authors. Each type of corruption has different origins and characteristics and therefore, they require diverse strategies to tackle it and different degrees of severity to punish it. Corrupt behaviour was coded in terms of black, grey and white (Gardiner: 2009) Black Corruption: indicates that certain actions in a majority consensus of elites and mass opinion would condemn and would want to see punished as a matter of principle. Grey Corruption: indicates that some elements, usually elites may want to see the action punished, others not. And the majority may well be ambivalent. White Corruption: signifies that the majority of both elite and mass opinion probably would not support an attempt to punish a form of corruption that they regarded as tolerable which implies less attachment to the values. (Gardiner: 2009) The critical emphasis of this essay is on developing countries and corrupt activities in the political sphere at the public and private level. It is clear that there exist different forms of political corruption with a range of characteristics, which need to be mapped. Alatas in 1990 distinguished between transactive and extortive corruption. The former refers to a mutual arrangement concerning a donor and a recipient to the mutual advantage of both parties, whereas the latter entails a sort of pressure, usually to avoid the harm being imposed on the donor or those close to him/her. It is possible to consider other categories which could contribute to a typology of political corruption: differences could be drawn between high and low level (grand corruption versus petty); the first one involves a substantial amount of money, it involves political decision-makers, the laws and regulations are abused by the rulers, ignored, or tailored to fit interests. Whereas the latter refers to the bending of rules in favour of friends, its the everyday corruption in connection with the implementation of existing laws, rules and regulations at the street level with minor public administration officials and services. (Heidenheimer: 2002, p. 150) In most developing countries, corruption has been widespread and has become part of everyday life; most societies are aware of it and some even make it look like part of their culture. Developing countries are more likely to experience à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²State Captureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²Kleptoraticà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² corruption. State Capture represents a form of corruption Introduced by Hellman and Kaufmann and used by the World Bank in 2000  [2]   The World Bank report refers to State Capture as the actions of individuals, groups or firms in both in the public and private sectors. This is done to influence the formation of laws, regulations and other government policies to their own advantage by illicit and non-transparent provision of private benefits to public officials. Alternatively, the state can be captured to serve the private interest of a political leader who shapes the framework of reforms to ensure his private control over key resources State capture refers to the capacity of private interest groups to exert influence in high spheres of public decision making through corrupt practices (World Bank report: 2002).  [3]  . On the other side, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ²Kleptocratic corruptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ² refers to the actions of people within the government who use their power to exploit natural resources and wealth for personal enrichment by establishing policies that favour personal interests  [4]  , its very common in authoritarian governments specially in African countries characterized by the lacked of accountability and unqualified public officials. Kleptocratic corruption is characterized by nepotism, favouritism, cronyism, reflecting problems in the public services; where citizens may go to prison or be executed for treason. In some nations citizens do not even try to hold elections which allow leaders to remain in power for ever. (Case of the Philippines)  [5]  . Some of these characteristics are shared by some Caribbean, Asian and African countries. This will be presented and discussed later on. Many scholars have studied corruption through different approaches in order to understand how corruption affects the performance of a country; the first approach to consider is the Modernization Thesis established by Samuel Huntington. He stated that Corruption may be more prevalent in some cultures than others and seem to be more intense during the period of modernization and reflect their differences in political modernization and political development (Huntington: 2009, Ch. 15 pp. 253) The Modernization Thesis proposed by Huntington suggests that modernization involves a change in the basic values of a society; he refers to certain behaviours that were legitimate but became intolerable and corrupt when viewed through modern eyes, consequently, the fact that levels of education provide citizens with a more critical view of situations to demand an accountable and efficient government, however it contributes to corruption by generating new sources of wealth and power where new laws multiply opportunities for corruption and hence increase the capacity for violence. To comprehend the cultural approach this essay first understand culture as The deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving (Samovar Porter, 2003, p. 8) Abdiweli, M and Said Isse, H. (2003) identified the determinants of corruption by examining on factors related to corruption such as such as education, political regimes, the type of the state, ethnicity, judicial efficiency, political freedom, and the size of government to explain the differences across countries and how those actions considered corruption in the west are considered traditional gift giving in developing countries. Sandholz and Taagepara: 2004, referred to the cultural approach to corruption as: The most significant obstacle to democratization and economic development. Structural and cultural factors lead to higher levels of corruption, low levels of competition and increase the incentives for corrupt practices among bureaucrats or among those being regulated. Cultural patterns tendency to reproduce themselves through socialization entails a general expectation of continuity, culture changes but it tends to change slowly even when substantial changes occur (Sandholz and Taagepara 200,4 pp.109-111) THE CASE OF COLOMBIA This section outlines the case of corruption in Colombia as a developing country, where corruption has left political, social and economic effects; corruption has contributed to political instability, undermined governmental institutions, increase the lack of trust and the perception that corruption is normal. Despite its effort to fight corruption the Corruption perception index (CPI) seems to get worst.  [6]   In Colombia a clear example of petty corruption are the traffic violations where drivers may bribe a police officer to avoid a fine or get the car impounded; since traffic violations are extremely expensive, paying a bribe sounds more reasonable. Most of Colombian drivers have developed persuasive skills to approach a police officer finding a way to relate or build any personal connection such as economic difficulties or family problems. Sometimes the police officer will understand and will give in a ticket with a lower infraction without making personal profit. Sometimes, they will accept the bribe, give a verbal warning and just let the driver go; it basically depends on how the driver approaches the police officer. In terms of Grand Corruption, the problem of Colombia can be expressed in one world: Politiquerà ­a- bad politics, where it is hard to tell if corruption is the cause or the consequence of bad politics. A significant factor that determines corruption, is the illegitimate actors Guerrillas, paramilitary groups and drug dealers; they control large amounts of drug money, induce violence as a way to regulate the illegal and legal sector and resort to kidnappings for funding; they are influential in some parts of the country called red zone or conflict zone. There, Government has less control or there is absence of authority allowing these groups to reach several levels of public organizations. (Misas 2005: 120-122). In Colombia scandals of all kinds and cases of Grand Corruption And State Capture are characterized by the flaws in the political system, the non-existence of political parties as independent actors, the Internal division within political parties and the opposition at the inner and outer level enhancing contradictory performances responding to political rivalry or lack of competence; political parties use opposition to exert tension and pressure and bring to light the scandals. In this dynamic mass media plays a big role, in Colombia some cases of corruption are interconnected as a network of corruption; corruption becomes a scandal when it is impossible to hide or when it is convenient to bring it to light. The illegitimate impact of private interests on political decisions is another major problem in Colombia. Political parties system and campaign financing create some sort of liability of the politician towards the donor. In Colombia, is common to see that candidates pay back the favour after being elected. Positions within the government and the local level are given out due to personal relations rather than through academic careers and competition. (Lambsdorff, 2006) This is illustrated by the typical pattern of Grand Corruption, referred to as trià ¡ngulo de hierro (iron triangle) figure 3 The structure of a corrupt relationship is pictured as a triangle where each corner represents an actor and the sides the relationship between them. (Misas: 2005) Figure 3: iron triangle MAKES A CAMPAIGN DONATION HELPS GETTING A POSTION IN PUBLIC ADMINISRATION HELPS WINNING A PUBLIC CONTRACT In most of the countries in South America; cronyism, nepotism, conflict of interests, abuse of power, embezzlement and extortion to name a few are part of the main problems of public life and can be observed at all levels, from the local up to the National level. In Colombia there are rules and regulations properly designed but not correctly applied, the fundamental problem causing high levels of corruption in Colombia appears to be the failure to apply the existing rules. Therefore, a cultural pattern such as the consideration of sayings in daily life activities implies a rather flexible interpretation of rules. Hecha la ley, hecha la trampa (every law made, there is also made the loophole) (Lambsdorff, 2006) P.25. In addition to cultural patterns, Colombia is a developing country with a low GDP  [7]  where social inequality, great income differences between strata, poverty and exclusion predominate and lead to violence. It is not a secret that Guerrilla and Paramilitary groups control highways charging truck drivers a toll to use the road having the truck burnt or taken away. They also kidnap journalists, politicians, government officials and military men for extortion or to cause pressure in the government. (Lambsdorff, 2006) Although Colombians are aware that corruption exists, its not accepted. However, people instead use sarcasm or irony to refer to this issue influenced by cultural features such as morality, values and ethics. The cases of corruption in Colombia are innumerable and it is hard to tell if one is worst that the other first because some are related or connected and second because all of them have affected the country economically, socially and also in the way Colombia is perceived at the international level, affecting relations with other countries and levels of trust towards those in power who are supposed to look after the citizens rights. Examples that illustrate corruption in Colombia  [8]   8000 process  [9]  (embezzlement, illegal funding for political campaign) This is the name given to the process against the ex-president Ernesto Samper accused of receiving money from drug dealers Cali cartel for his presidential campaign. Despite the proofs, he denied it. Moreover, Fernando Botero Zea as the campaign director offered his bank account in New York to receive the donations from different business man to avoid taxes and exceed the amount of money permitted to develop the campaign. Botero seized control of US$413.898 to buy a country house and cover personal expenses. Botero moved to Mexico where he is originally from to avoid extradition and has not gone back to pay his time in prison which affected the relations and image with neighbouring countries. DMG  [10]  (campaign funding with money laundering- illicit enrichment) DMG is the acronym for the millionaire company of David Murcia Guzman which worked under the pyramid scheme for cocaine money laundering. DMG was also funding the referendum for the third consecutive presidential term of Alvaro Uribe as well as for the candidate in Panama  [11]  . This company worked across some Latin American countries (Panama, Venezuela and Ecuador) where not only politicians but also thousands of citizens invested their savings expecting high profits, in some parts of the countries people relied and depended on this profit as a regular income. Murcia accepted the charges and was extradited to the US. Para-politics  [12]   Para-politics is the term used to refer to the political scandals since 2006 that show connections between more than 200 politicians and government officials with the paramilitary group Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia (AUC) which has direct implications with drug dealing and has used intimidation, extortion, slaughter, genocide, displacement and kidnapping towards public citizens to help politicians and public officers to reach positions in the government and then manipulate decisions and funds. Recordings, videos and intercepted calls are some of the proofs that involve government bodies and important national entities. Carousel contraction (Conflict of interest, Clientelism, Cronyism, Abuse of power, State Capture) This is the name given to one of the biggest scandals of political corruption that left obvious scars in the city, indignation and huge economic lost. Carousel contraction involves a group of recognized business men Los Nule  [13]  who won the grant for the biggest project in building an important highway in the country and several other contracts for the transportation system in the city of Bogota using retainers as bribes. Other people involved and found guilty are The ex-mayor of Bogota, (Samuel Moreno  [14]  ) who was suspended from office and is under police custody, some of Morenos relatives as his brother (Ivan Moreno) and several friends, government bodies, public officers and more than 30 companies who were sub-contracted to carry out they project. Health system embezzlement  [15]   A scandal in the Colombian health system involved five health insurance companies acronym for (EPS) associated with millionaire embezzlement. These EPS were audited and intervened with a police raid due to the irregularities in the provision of medications and misuse of funds. This has resulted in huge number of cases of double billing, seeking reimbursement for medications EPS are supposed to provide to patients. Public officers, EPS board members and the minister of social protection are some of the people involved in the scandal. These are just some of the examples that can provide a wide picture of what Grand corruption/ State Capture look like in Colombia; in the following section a comparative perspective is presented to illustrate corruption across developing countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa. This section refers to corruption in developing countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa in a comparative perspective with the case of Colombia. LATIN AMERICA Corruption in Latin America specifically in the case of Ecuador is a structural problem that goes beyond political parties or businessman funding campaigns; it has become an issue deep-rooted to cultural features. Low levels of education, weak Social Capital, and low levels of participation in elections are characteristics shared with Colombia. The most common forms of corruption in Ecuador are bribes, nepotism and cronyism used to speed up processes or get contracts. As an example, In June 2009 the media reported that companies associated with businessman Fabricio Correa (the presidents brother), had signed large public-sector contracts during the Correa administration. Another example is the contraction of unqualified unnecessary or inexistent public employees in the national congress known as Piponazgo  [16]  . According to CPI 2012 edition by (TI) the most corrupt country in Latin America is Venezuela; some causes of corruption are the lack of effective strategies to fight corruption and poor freedom of the press. In Venezuela more than 30 radio stations, TV channel and newspapers have been harassed and threaten by the government which creates opportunities for corruption. This situation is slightly different in Colombia where although its one of the most insecure countries for journalists; the aggressions are not provoked by the government but related to the armed conflict: (guerrilla, drug traffickers and paramilitary). Additionally, Venezuela shares two characteristics of corruption with African countries: mismanagement of oil resources, authoritarian government seeking influence through oil diplomacy and control of oil funds by the Government which has caused several scandals  [17]  . Another country that has suffered from similar types of corruption is Mexico, (kickbacks and bribery  [18]  from wealthy businessman, kidnappings of civilians and drug trafficking by the Cartels of Mexico  [19]  ). However, the comparative study carried out by (De la Torre L., 2000) showed that although the Police system in Colombia is not necessarily uncorrupted is one of the most efficient in Latin America. Colombia has implemented long term strategies, there is a better recruitment process, salaries, training and drug- related corruption remains confined to individual or smaller groups of policeman  [20]  . Figure 4: data taken from Transparency International web site CPI results 2012  [21]   ASIA In 2012 India ranked 94th out of 176 countries in TI with a CPI of 3.6 tied with Colombia and Greece. Apart from sharing the ranking position in the CPI score, India and Colombia share bribery, kickbacks and nepotism as some forms of corruption although at different levels of impact in the society. Transparency International India developed a Corruption Study in 2005  [22]  showing that the problem of corruption in India lies at the public service level (health care system, electricity, water supply and black money) affecting citizens daily needs. As a result, corruption in India is due to the Excessive regulations, poor implementation/ monitoring of laws, lack of punishment and highly strong cultural patterns create opportunity for corruption. (Vito Tanzi: 1998). While the perception, cases of corruption and impact in the population regarding public services (water supply, electricity and taxes black money  [23]  are higher in India, in Colombia Organized Crime and drug trafficking plays the main role dominating almost 50% of the country. Another Asian country which has been prone to suffer from widespread corruption and poor CPI score is Bangladesh; the most common forms of corruption are bribes, abuse of authority, nepotism, favouritism, fraud and patronage. Likewise Colombia many cases of corruption are intertwined with their consequences at the national or local level. In Bangladesh payoff include luxury gifts, overseas travel hotels, restaurant bills and personal liabilities while in Colombia payoff are mostly in the form of money or jobs. However in terms of political corruption both countries share the same characteristic Using position while in power to grant undue favour and benefit to ones relatives, friends and key supporters is a hallmark of politics. (Khan, 1997). Nonetheless, in terms of administrative corruption, in Bangladesh civil officers involved in corrupt practices in most cases do not lose their jobs. Very rarely they are dismissed from service on charges pertaining to corruption. Still more rarely they are sent to prison for misusing public funds (Khan, 1997), this is considerably different in Colombia where if found guilty most likely, they will go to prison although the sentence may not be significant; Corruption is all-pervasive in Bangladesh, is a part of the politico-administrative heritage, not only citizens have accepted it as a part of their daily life but also they feel themselves powerless to address the phenomenon at any level (Lewis, 1996). AFRICA Corruption in the developing world has been harmful for economic growth specially for transition or emerging economies and poor countries in Africa; where the influence of decolonization, type of economy (based on natural resources as a source of rent), low levels of education and types of governments (regimes or dictatorships) are directly related to levels of corruption. Africa is a continent where Kleptocracy dominates and leads to grand Corruption; an example of this is the rule of Mobutu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (1965-1997). Characterized by the misuse of foreign aid and rent from natural resources leading to worse governance, embezzlement and illegal enrichment. In the case of Nigeria, 2007 elections candidates were more likely to buy votes because is more reliable and less difficult.  [24]  In Nigeria, the misadministration of oil and natural gas resources from Kleptocratic governments, nepotism and graft are the most common forms of corruption. Another case worth looking at is Kenya which demonstrates how corruption can turn a stable country into political crisis. Corruption comes in the form of a little something to speed up processes or to ignore infractions; and Tribalism loyalty first to families then clan and then tribes. Kenya likewise Colombia has suffered from scandals within the government Goldenberg case  [25]  where the Kenyan government of Daniel Arap was found to have subsidised exports of gold beyond standard arrangements by paying the company Goldenberg International 35% more. Despite the fact that Colombia is an older democracy and the GDP less affected by corruption in Latin America than in African countries  [26]  ; clientelism, graft, bribery misuse of funds at the national level and embezzlement are shared forms of corruption; however, corruption in Colombia is highly generated by drugs traffic while in Africa is due to misuse of natural resources and abuse of power. CONCLUSION This paper has given an account of the most prominent forms of corruption in the developing world with deep focus on Colombia in a comparative perspective with other Latin American, Asian and African countries. In this paper, becomes evident and implicit that regardless the geographical position of a country, the developing countries studied in this essay share mostly the same types of corruption. Instead some variations in terms of forms and levels of perception of corruption may appear depending on type of government, levels of education, poverty and whether it is an emerging or established democracy. At the same time history plays an important role in places of Africa and Colombia where in order to understand the reasons and causes behind levels of corruption it is not only important to recognize the political, social, economic and cultural conditions of these countries but also to understand the impact of these situation on the levels of corruption, this will enhance comprehension of the strategies implemented or reasons for not implementing as well as for punishing or not corruption. From this essay can conclude that; Even though forms and types of corruption are shared across countries the political, social, economic and cultural patterns should be considered individually to fight corruption where political will and anticorruption programs work in reality effectively. In Latin American countries like Colombia where the drug war fosters corruption and increases private gain (money) at public expense (violence) while in Africa and Asia corruption affects foreign direct investment.