Saturday, December 28, 2019

Critically Examine Hobbess Conception of the State of Nature

Critically Examine Hobbes’s Conception of the State of Nature The concept of state of nature was developed by Hobbes in his famous work, Leviathan, in which he also set out his doctrine of the foundation of states and legitimate governments which was based on his social contract theories. Leviathan was written during the English Civil War, so much of his theory concentrates on the need for the presence of a strong central authority within society in order to avoid the evils of rebellion and civil war. Hobbes developed his state of nature by contemplating what life would be like without any governing political authority, i.e. a state of anarchy. Hobbes wrote that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe,†¦show more content†¦Locke believes that reason teaches that no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty or possessions; and that transgressions of this should be punished. This view of the state of nature is partly influenced by Christian beliefs, unlike Hobbes, whose philosophy was not dep endent upon any religious ideals. Lock believed that the reason we would not harm one another is that we are all the possessions of God and do not own ourselves. Locke believed that in the state of nature men mostly kept their promises and honoured their obligations, and, though insecure, it was mostly peaceful, good, and pleasant. He quotes the American frontier and Soldania as examples of people in the state of nature, where property rights and (for the most part) peace existed. Princes are in a state of nature with regard to each other. Rome and Venice were in a state of nature shortly before they were officially founded. In any place where it is socially acceptable to oneself punish wrongdoings done against you, for example on the American frontier, people are in a state of nature. Though such places and times are insecure, violent conflicts are often ended by the forcible imposition of a just peace on evil doers, and peace is normal. Hobbess view was directly challenged in the eighteenth century by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who claimed that Hobbes was taking socialized persons and simply imagining them living outside of the society in which theyShow MoreRelatedSummary of the Whale and the Reactor by Langdon Winner Essay3304 Words   |  14 PagesSummary of The Whale and the Reactor by Langdon Winner (pp. ix-39, 99-200). Winner states implicitly that he wishes to add his book to a surprisingly short list of works that can be characterized as philosophy of technology (which includes Marx and Heidegger). His book will deal primarily with the political and social aspects of this philosophy, pertinent since as he notes the world is changing because of tech., no longer comprised of national entities--a global economy, etc. In this contextRead More Summary of The Whale and the Reactor by Langdon Winner Essay3245 Words   |  13 Pages Summary of The Whale and the Reactor by Langdon Winner (pp. ix-39, 99-200). Winner states implicitly that he wishes to add his book to a surprisingly short list of works that can be characterized as quot;philosophy of technologyquot; (which includes Marx and Heidegger). His book will deal primarily with the political and social aspects of this philosophy, pertinent since as he notes the world is changing because of tech., no longer comprised of national entities--a global economy, etc. In this

Saturday, December 21, 2019

Drug Dependency And Drug Related Crime - 6861 Words

Executive Summary Efforts to decrease drug dependency and drug-related crime in the United States have had the opposite effect, introducing increasing levels of crime and drug use within its population. The war on drugs has been lost as more drugs continue to be smuggled across the borders, increasing number of people are using drugs illegally, and violence in the streets continues to climb. A number of arguments have been made in favor of legalizing some less harmful drugs, such as marijuana, as a means of addressing this crisis. Legalization makes economic sense as it would save a net $14 billion/year in saved or redirected enforcement costs and taxes on the product which can be used toward treatment/reform programs and prevention. At†¦show more content†¦While studies do directly link alcohol with violence and narcotics with property crime, they only succeed in suggesting marijuana users are not any more or less likely to engage in crime when on the drug than non-users. T he current ‘solution’ is unsustainable and ineffective. Examples from England, Holland and several states in the U.S. such as Colorado suggest that legalization can achieve many positive effects over prohibition. By legalizing marijuana, it is possible to provide users of the drug with a safe, legal means of purchasing it, keeping them away from the criminal culture and reducing risks of violence. This discourages them from escalating into harder drugs as they won’t encounter dealers attempting to push them onto more expensive and addictive substances and keeps them in productive society. It also takes the drug lords out of the business, transferring their profits into taxes that can be applied to prevention and reform programs and reducing territory wars, which comprise the greatest portion of drug-related violence. Finally, it takes the burden of enforcement off of the law enforcement departments currently failing to keep the product from moving around

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Terror Of Osama Bin Laden - 1292 Words

The terrorists’ attacks on September 11, 2001 centered on New York City was a devastation that affected the United States as Al-Qaeda wanted to instill fear in the mass public, and also send a message simultaneously to their counterparts that they were not to be taken lightly. Since then, it has never been forgotten and was one of the worst tragedies to occur in recent history. In an otherwise positive note, Osama Bin Laden has since been killed and his death has directly caused a morale decrease in the terrorist faction. Terrorism was always in play when it came to the United States, but it only came into the limelight with the 9/11 attacks. The attacks brought numerous repercussions, such as future health issues, problems with economics,†¦show more content†¦Additionally, these women were found to be more prone to give birth prematurely and deliver babies with low birth weights. This would have been caused due to the dangerous pollution that the air had at the time. Since this was becoming a significant problem, the Bush administration ordered the (EPA) Environmental Protection Agency to affirm reassuring statements regarding the air quality in the aftermath of the attacks, citing national security, but they did not determine it was safe enough until June of 2002. People still living in the present are fraught with illnesses that were caused by the 9/11 attacks, and is something that has become part of their own life. Moreover, the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street has a significant economic influence as it known to be the leading financial center of the world. Following the attacks of 9/11, it was forced to close down due to security reasons, and wasn’t opened again until September 17. The week that it had opened back, many of the market’s stocks such as DJIA had decreased considerably. All of the markets that people had invested in had to be gradually brought up again as business wasn’t in circulation in the afterma th of 9/11. In 2001 revenue, U.S. stocks lost $1.4 trillion in valuation for the week after its initial opening. The U.S government provided $11.2 billion in immediate assistance to the Government of New York City along with $10.5 billion in early

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Medical Imaging/Radiology Lumbar Spine Fractures

Question: Discuss about theMedical Imaging/Radiology Lumbar Spine Fractures. Answer: Discussing the Condition/Pathological Process/Medical Significance The lumbar vertebrae are the very important parts of the spinal code that portions 5 strongest and largest vertebrae in the spine. Basically, these vertebrae are the section of lower back starting from thoracolumbar junction to sacrum. Any kind of vertebra collapse due to applied or extra force or traumatic condition is considered as lumber spine fracture. The forces leading to a fracture in this lumbar spine are compression, shear, rotation, extension, distraction and flexion (1,2). Further, (2) indicated that osteoporosis is also a leading cause of lumbar spine fracture that generally occurs in the postmenopausal situation. The most common category of lumbar spine fracture is compression fractures occurring due to vertebra weakening or trauma basically observed after osteoporosis. The major indications of lumbar fracture are the critical back pain, osteoporosis, loss of height etc. These lumbar vertebrae provide support, stability allowing the functionality of human body that includes proper walking; movement and upright stand basically the normal lumbar curve. Hence, the occurrence of fracture in lumbar spine alters the lumbering shape leading to reduction or extension in lumbar curve of the body. Secondly, fracture leads to severe pain in this region that can be unresolvable. Further, ignorance of pain can lead to thoracic kyphosis involving hip pain, spinal joints pain, and sacroiliac pain. Therefore, these situations increase the secondary fracture risk. The most common category of lumbar spine fracture are compression fracture occurring due to transverse, axial loading persisting increased chances of neurological injuries in compression fractures (3,4). The direct trauma on posterior spine due to flexion and rotation can give rise to spinous fractures. However, these spinous fractures do not cause neurological effects but maximise the chances of transverse fractures as well as they can cause retroperitoneal space bleeding that can cause ileus or acute anaemia. Further, spondylolisthesis is another medical consequence of lumbar spine fracture that can occur even after the recovery of fracture. The slip is present at the time of injury but can occur months or years later in life that leads to disk degeneration (5). Details about the Imaging Procedures Employed to Evaluate the Pathology There are different imaging procedures employed for imaging different categories of lumbar spine fractures where the most commonly applicable technique is Standard lateral, oblique and AP radiographs. The defects in height and shape of vertebrae are easily detectable through radiographic techniques. However, in plain radiography, there can be falsely positive or negative indications due to secondary ossification, previous kyphosis and superimposed bowel gas (false-positive) whereas spondylolisthesis gives the false negative indication. Further, the bone density measurement technique is applied to detect osteoporosis (3,6). For getting high-resolution imaging and clear detection of fracture the thin-section axial CT scanning process is used in lumbar spine fracture detection process. This technique is suitable for blunt traumatic conditions that are not detectable through plain radiograph. The other imaging procedures employed are Magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, and nuclear imaging process. The MRI is helpful for generating multiple projections imaging whereas ultrasonography helps to detect upper lumbar and chest wall injuries. Further, nuclear imaging is used to differentiate failure of epiphyseal endplate from fractures (2,3,7). Discussing the Radiologic Features The different types of lumbar spine fracture highlight different radiologic features in radiography where compression of superior L3 endplate indicates spinal compression fracture. The downward compression of L2 and fragment displacement determines anterior fracture in lateral radiography. Further, AP radiographs there are interpedicular distances between L1 to L5 that indicate fractures. There are swelling in soft tissue in AP view assures fracture even if the fracture is not directly visible. The major radiologic features of compression fracture are vertebra fall from height and the major radiologic features of burst fracture are angulation of thoracolumbar junction, canal narrowing and neurologic injury. Further, the oblique radiographs highlight the Scottie dog configuration where neck defect is dog shaped configuration that indicates spondylolysis. These were some of the most common radiologic features of lumbar spine fractures (2,3). Discussing the Treatment Options The treatment options for lumbar spine fractures depends on the fracture patterns Flexion Fracture Pattern The non-surgical treatment for fractures (burst and osteoporotic) due to flexion fracture includes physical activities and rehabilitation exercises. Bracing for 6-12 weeks is used to treat these fractures. However, the spine surgery is recommended in case of vertebral height loss, excessive bending or angulation, multiple bone fragments and nerve injuries. Extension Fracture Pattern The non-surgical treatment involves wearing cast or brace for 12 weeks, these fracture patterns generally wont need a surgery whereas in severe cases like disk falls and injury on posterior ligaments leads to spine surgery Rotation Fracture Pattern The non-surgical treatment involves motion increase exercises without brace or cast whereas surgery is needed in case of severe nerve damage or serious spinal cord injury. Comprehensive Fracture Pattern Back brace and bone heals are suitable for treatment of mild injuries whereas vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are used as the surgical process to induce cement into fractured bone (8,9,10). References Fractures of the Thoracic and Lumbar Spine-OrthoInfo AAOS. Orthoinfo.aaos.org. 2016 [cited 27 August 2016]. Available from: https://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00368 Lumbar Spine Fractures and Dislocations: Background, Anatomy, Pathophysiology. Emedicine.medscape.com. 2016 [cited 27 August 2016]. Available from: https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1264191-overview#a9 The Radiology Assistant : Spine - Thoracolumbar injury. Radiologyassistant.nl. 2016 [cited 27 August 2016]. Available from: https://www.radiologyassistant.nl/en/p4906c8352d8d2/spine-thoracolumbar-injury.html Reinhold M, Knop C, Beisse R, Audig L, Kandziora F, Pizanis A, Pranzl R, Gercek E, Schultheiss M, Weckbach A, Bhren V. Operative treatment of 733 patients with acute thoracolumbar spinal injuries: comprehensive results from the second, prospective, internet-based multicenter study of the Spine Study Group of the German Association of Trauma Surgery. European Spine Journal. 2010 Oct 1;19(10):1657-76. McPhee SJ, Papadakis MA, Tierney LM, editors. Current medical diagnosis treatment 2010. New York:: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2010 Nov 5. Rantakokko J, Frantzn JP, Heinnen J, Kajander S, Kotilainen E, Gullichsen E, Lindfors NC. Posterolateral Spondylodesis Using Bioactive Glass S53P4 and Autogenous Bone in Instrumented Unstable Lumbar Spine Burst Fractures; a Prospective 10-Year Follow-Up Study. Scandinavian Journal of Surgery. 2012 Mar 1;101(1):66-71. De Iure F, Cappuccio M, Paderni S, Bosco G, Amendola L. Minimal invasive percutaneous fixation of thoracic and lumbar spine fractures. Minimally invasive surgery. 2012 Jul 16;2012. Lehman RA, Paik H, Eckel TT, Helgeson MD, Cooper PB, Bellabarba C. Low lumbar burst fractures: a unique fracture mechanism sustained in our current overseas conflicts. The Spine Journal. 2012 Sep 30;12(9):784-90. Khalatbari MR, Khalatbari I, Moharamzad Y. Intracranial hemorrhage following lumbar spine surgery. European Spine Journal. 2012 Oct 1;21(10):2091-6. Meredith DS, Kepler CK, Huang RC, Brause BD, Boachie-Adjei O. Postoperative infections of the lumbar spine: presentation and management. International orthopaedics. 2012 Feb 1;36(2):439-44.

Real Gross Domestic Product Growth

Question: Discuss about the Real Gross Domestic Product Growth. Answer: Introduction Indonesia as a country has vast potential that for the large part of the last century was unnoticed by the international fraternity. The countrys economy is the ninth largest economy in the world in PPP terms and has posted a stellar economic performance in the recent times backed by vibrant domestic demand and consumer confidence. As a result, during the peak of the global financial crisis when the other economics had negative GDP growth, Indonesia was the worlds second fastest growing economy only next to China (Elias and Noone, 2011). In the above backdrop, the aim of the given report is to analyse the economic performance of Indonesia during the period 2004-2013 with the use of macroeconomic indicators for conducting an analysis of the labour, price and production output. The scope of this report not only reflects on the performance but also defines the various indicators use and reflects on the measures taken by the government with regards to resolving the various issues. Production output performance analysis Performance indicators The various performance indicators of output performance are discussed below. Real Gross domestic product (GDP) It is a value which sums up the market value at constant prices of the total goods and services that are produced in the nations within a given timeframe which normally is the financial year (Mankiw, 2012). Real GDP growth rate The above value highlights the percentage change in the GDP at constant prices during a given period which is usually quarter or year. This is a faithful indicator of the economic growth registered by a particular country. Per capita GDP This parameter is a reliable estimator of the standard of living of the residents of the country. Per capita GDP = Real GDP/National Population A growth in GDP on a per capita basis augers well for continuous improvement in iving standards of the people (Hoover, 2012). Performance output measures Indonesia Trends Real GDP It is apparent from the above graph that the GDP has continuously increased in the given period. In this regard, the GDP numbers in the aftermath of the global financial crisis are particularly impressive which indicate the overall resilience of the Indonesian economy from external shocks. The lowest GDP level was witnessed in 2004 when it stood at IDR 340,865.2 billion while the highest GDP level was that at the end of period i.e. 2013 which stood at IDR 2,353,207.6 billion (TradingEconomics, 2016). Real GDP growth rate It is impressive to see that during the given period, the real GDP growth has been in excess of 4% with the lowest value of 4.1% visible at the peak of the global financial crisis. The global financial crisis had limited influence on Indonesia as the economy is more driven by domestic demand and hence actually attracted huge capital in the aftermath of the crisis. The highest growth rate recorded in the period is 7.2% at the end of 2004 (TradingEconomics, 2016). GDP Per Capita The per capita GDP is showing an increasing trend during the given period with an increasing rate of increase in almost all years except 2009. This is evident of the fact that growth in Real GDP exceeds the growth in national population. Also, the lowest per capita GDP was witnessed in 2004 and stood at USD 2,420.58 while the highest levels was witnessed in 2013 and stood at USD 3,570.93 (TradingEconomics, 2016). Detailed Performance trends Indonesia It is evident that Indonesia has witnessed robust economic growth that is captured by the various parameters listed above. The growth trend did not reverse even during the global financial crisis as the economy had limited dependence on exports unlike other Asian economies. The economic growth is primarily on account of strong domestic growth fuelled by the rising standards of the domestic people as indicated in the per capita GDP growth. There has been constant rise in the consumer confidence which has reflected in increased spending by consumers. Further, a stable policy and political regime during the period also attracted significant capital especially from 2010 onwards which also led to economic growth and further rise in purchasing power of customers. Production output performance - Steps adopted by the Government In order to enhance, the output performance, the government has played a key role of enabler in the following manner (Elias and Noone, 2011). The government has simplified regulations and opened the economy so as to attract more foreign capital and provide a spur to the economy. Investments in infrastructure have been done so as to enhance the cost competitiveness of exports from Indonesia. These investments include both soft and hard infrastructure investment. Cheap credit has been provided to various SMEs along with entrepreneurs so as to enhance the overall output and leverage the available resources. The government is increasingly focus on services sector development through prudent measures so that there is a shift from the agriculture to services. During the economic crisis in 2008-2009, accommodative monetary policy along with prudent fiscal measures were deployed to keep the domestic demand robust. Labor market analysis Unemployment Types and Causes Unemployment occurs when an individual is finding a job but due to various reasons he/she is not getting any job opportunity. Unemployment is considered a major macroeconomic indicator to measure the economic status of the economy of a country as it is a key resource especially for a labour intensive economy such as Indonesia (McTaggart, Findlay Parkin, 2012). Unemployment rate - Indonesia It is evident from the graph above that the unemployment rate peaked at 11.6% in mid-2005 and has continued to decline since then till 2013 to reach a level of below 6%. In 2013, due to slowing economic growth, the unemployment rate has marginally increased to 6.1%. Robust economic growth which continued even during the global financial crisis is the main driver of the decreasing unemployment rate in Indonesia (TradingEconomics, 2016). Types of unemployment Frictional Structural Cyclical Frictional unemployment arises in the country when an individual leaves the job to search a suitable job and thus become unemployed (Mankiw, 2012). When there is a change in the process, technology or especially in the industry then the existing workforce do not have the caliber or requisite knowledge to sustain in the change hence, structural unemployment increases (Goodwin et al., 2013). Cyclical unemployment results when there is a variation in the business cycle and hence fall in the demand of the work force due to plummeting in the demand for goods and services (Weale Christodoulakis, 2015). Types of unemployment in Indonesia The major unemployment that exists in Indonesia is structural unemployment especially in the urban areas where there is high unemployment amongst the college and university graduates who do not get jobs as per their skills since the services sector has only recently started catching up. Most of the employment still is provided by the agriculture sector (Indonesia-Investments. 2015). Cyclical unemployment is low since the economy has been growing at a robust pace in the last decade. Further, frictional unemployment is comparatively lower in Indonesia since people cannot afford to remain jobless by choice for long and also unemployment continue to be high (Pigou, 2013). Government measures for reducing unemployment in Indonesia In order to tackle the menace of unemployment, the government has taken several positive measures which are expected to continue in the future. These measures have been highlighted below (G20, 2014). Improving rural infrastructure so as to stimulate jobs and cause a shift from the burdened agriculture sector. Providing a stable policy regime, cheap financing to SMEs along with lesser regulation to foster the growth of manufacturing sector. National Entrepreneurship program has been launched so as to provide training and support to young graduates to start small and medium businesses. There has been a massive revamping of public vocational training centres so as resolve the issue of labour mismatch along with enhancing the labour productivity and quality. Price level analysis Inflation Definition, inflation trends and cause Inflation Inflation is a situation in which the price of the products and services is increasing from their base rate which results reduction in the purchasing power of the particular currency of the country. Inflation rate is a percentage rate of the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on yearly basis. This inflation rate provides an estimate of % change in the price of the products in a year (McTaggart, Findlay Parkin, 2012). Inflation rate trend It is evident from the trend above that inflation has persistently remained high. The highest inflation level realised during the given period was 17.1% in 2005 while the lowest levels were at the height of the global financial crisis in 2009. However, despite this the lowest inflation level is 2.5%. Further, in 2013, there is an increase in inflation which has exceeded 9% which is much higher than the central banks inflation target 4% +/- 1% (TradingEconomics, 2016). There are two primary causes of inflation Increase in the demand of goods Increment in the cost of goods or service On the basis of the causes of inflation, it can be divided into two basic types namely cost-push and demand pull inflation. Cost-push inflation Manufacturing cost is a combination of four factors land, capital, labour and entrepreneurship. Enhancement in the manufacturing cost of any product leads to increase the market price and is termed as cost-push inflation. Hence, there would be shortfall in the supply of a product at the previous specified rate (Mankiw, 2012). Demand-pull inflation One of the reasons of demand pull inflation is full employment because when the economy of a country is sustainable enough to provide full employment to the people, it results in higher wages to the people. Thus, the purchasing power of the individual increases but market does not have enough supply to cater to this increased demand, hence the price increases (McTaggart, Findlay Parkin, 2012). Cause of inflation - Indonesia Indonesia has faced high inflation due to below mentioned reasons (UNAND, 2013). High amount to fuel subsidies which continue till the present and thus whenever there is rationalisation of these subsidies due to higher fuel prices, there is high inflation which was the case in 2005 when the inflation surged more than 17%. High economic growth coupled with increasing per capita income levels has contributed to higher demand from consumers, which has led to inflation. Currency fluctuation due to inflows and outflows of foreign money especially from 2010 onwards. Rising food inflation (especially due to high price of rice) which contributed to the overall inflation in an intermittent manner. Techniques adopted by Government to receive stable price range The various measures taken by the government to tackle inflation are mentioned below (Manurung, 2013). Indonesia has implemented a restrictive monetary policy by hiking rates so as to cool down demand Further, the government has embarked on initiatives to remove the structural issues with regards to supply constraints (especially with regards to rice) with the help of State Logistics Agency (Sambijantoro, 2014). Measures for rationalisation of fuel subsidies in a gradual manner so that they are brought down to sustainable levels and hence do not provide inflation spikes. Conclusion It is apparent on the discussion above that Indonesia has performed very well with robust economic growth during the period 2004-2013. The economic growth of the nations was unperturbed by the global financial crisis and as a result lot of foreign investors were attracted towards Indonesia. The unemployment in the country has also declined on the back of economic growth which increases the demand for labour coupled with proactive measures on the part of the government. However, structural unemployment still continues to be high, hence more needs to be done in this regard, Inflation has been persistently high in the given period partly due to robust economic growth. The faulty fuel subsidies along with food inflation have also contributed to sudden surges in inflation and it is expected through coordinated efforts of the government and central bank, this would be controlled. References Borio, C. (2014). The financial cycle and macroeconomics: What have we learnt?, Journal of Banking Finance, 45, 182-198. Elias, S. and Noone, C. (2011), The Growth and Development of the Indonesian Economy, Retrieved on August 10, 2016 from https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2011/dec/pdf/bu-1211-4.pdf G20 (2014), Employment Plan 2014 Indonesia, Retrieved on August 10, 2016 from www.g20ewg.org/index.php/.../5-employmentplans?...47...employment...indonesia Goodwin, N., Nelson, J., Harris, J., Torras, M. and Roach, B., (2013). Macroeconomics in context, New York : ME Sharpe. Hoover, K. (2012). Applied intermediate macroeconomics, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Indonesia-Investments (2015), Unemployment In Indonesia, Retrieved on August 10, 2016 from https://www.indonesia-investments.com/finance/macroeconomic-indicators/unemployment/item255 Mankiw, N. (2012).Macroeconomics, New York: Worth Publishers Manurung, N. (2013), Indonesia Inflation Rate at 4-Year High as Economy Set to Slow, Retrieved on August 10, 2016 from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-08-01/indonesia-inflation-rate-at-4-year-high-as-economy-set-to-slow McTaggart, D., Findlay, C., Parkin, M. (2012).Macroeconomics, French Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson Pigou, A. C. (2013).Theory of unemployment, New York: Routledge Sambijantoro, S. (2014), Bank Indonesia shifts focus to supply-side of inflation, Retrieved 7 August 2016, from https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/04/22/bank-indonesia-shifts-focus-supply-side-inflation.html Suryadarma, D.,Suryahadi, A. and Sumarto, S. (2007), Reducing Unemployment in Indonesia: Results from a Growth-Employment Elasticity Model, Retrieved 7 August 2016, from https://www.eaber.org/sites/default/files/documents/SMERU_Suryadarma_07_2.pdf Trading Economics (2016), 300,000 Indicators from 196 countries, Retrieved 7 August 2016, from https://www.tradingeconomics.com/ UNAND (2013), Chapter 1- Introduction, Retrieved 7 August 2016, from https://repo.unand.ac.id/1699/3/bab%25201.pdf Weale, M., Blake, A., Christodoulakis, N. (2015).Macroeconomic Policy, Florence: Taylor and Francis.

Thursday, December 5, 2019

Business Operations of Material Handling

Question: Discuss about the Business Operations of Material Handling. Answer: Introduction This study provides an outline of a research project aiming to assess as well as manage risks associated with the operations of material handling system in the business context. Thus, this study provides brief outline of the research problem along with establishing research aim and objectives. Moreover, this study also illustrates a brief idea regarding the methodologies to be used in the project. The operations of Material Handlings System involve the protection, control, storage and movement of material by fostering on providing place and time utility. However, Material Handling Systems have severe issues or challenges in regards to delivery precision, inventory levels, operation costs, delivery quality, information flow as well as safety (Fekete et al., 2015). Moreover, these issues ultimately create consequences to the business operations to the organizations who deal with selling this product. Therefore, the assessment as well as management of the risks associated with MHS is the major concern for this particular research. Research Aim and Objectives The major aim of this research is to assess as well as manage risks associated with the business operations of the Material Handling systems. The major objectives associated with this research are to To assess the risks associated with the business operations of MHS To explore the strategies through the issues with MHS can be addressed To demonstrate how the risk management plan of MHS mitigate the business issues Data Collection Method Data collection methodology can be termed as the procedure to collect and measure data over the targeted variables in a systematic manner. Data Collection Methods can be classified into two groups such as Primary and Secondary Data Collection Methods (Mackey Gass, 2015). Primary Data Collection technique deals with conducting questionnaires, interviews or surveys with a small group of individuals. Moreover, Secondary Data Collection methods utilize the past researches to gather data from several sources such as articles, peer-reviewed journals and others (Chang et al., 2013). However, Primary Data Collection technique would be utilized by conducting survey among near about 50 employees who are associated with the manufacturing of MHS. Data Analysis Method Data Analysis method is the technique of inspecting, cleansing, transforming and modeling data with the aim to support decision-making, discover helpful details and suggest conclusions. Qualitative and Quantitative Data Analysis techniques are two major categories of Data Analysis methodology (Taylor, Bogdan DeVault, 2015). Qualitative Data Analysis technique is the range of processes whereby researcher moves from the data gathered into some forms of explanation, understanding or interpretation of investigated scenarios (Flick, 2015). Furthermore, Quantitative Data Analysis is such a systematic way of investigation strategies during collecting numerical data, which allows researcher transforming what is noticed within the numerical data. This, quantitative data analysis method would be selected for analyzing the numerical data gathered from survey conducted among 50 employees who are associated with the manufacturing of MHS. Proposed Timeline Major Stages or activities Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Topic Selection Primary Data collection Creating layout Literature review Research Plan Formation Appropriate Research Technique Selection Analysis and Interpretation of Data Collection method Data Findings Conclusion of the Study Rough Draft Formation Final Project Submission Conclusion After outlining the research proposal, it can be stated that the risks associated with the operations of MHS would be assessed and managed properly based on this outline. Moreover, this risk assessment and management would also help the researcher to resolve the business issues with MHS. Bibliography Chang, Q., Pan, C., Xiao, G., Biller, S. (2013). Integrated modeling of automotive assembly line with material handling.Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering,135(1), 011018. Ezema, C. N., Okafor, E. C., Okezie, C. C. (2016). Industrial Design and Simulation of a JIT Material Handling System.European Journal of Engineering Research and Science,1(6), 52-57. Fekete, P., Lim, S., Martin, S., Kuhn, K., Wright, N. (2015). Combined Energy and Process Simulation to Foster Efficiency in Non-automated Material Handling System Design.Studies in Engineering and Technology,3(1), 28-39. Felshin, M., Frenkel, I., Khvatskin, L. (2016, February). Availability and Unloading Capacity Assessment of Multi-state Material Handling System, Operate in a Stochastic Environment and Material Handling Stochastic Demand. InStochastic Models in Reliability Engineering, Life Science and Operations Management (SMRLO), 2016 Second International Symposium on(pp. 357-364). IEEE. Flick, U. (2015).Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project. Sage. Mackey, A., Gass, S. M. (2015).Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge. Midday, J., Nelson, C. A., Oleynikov, D. (2013). Improvements in robotic natural orifice surgery with a novel material handling system.Surgical endoscopy,27(9), 3474-3477. Padole, A. K. G. S. (2014). DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF DUMP VALVE IN ASH HANDLING SYSTEM USING PRO-E AND ANSYS SOFTWARE.International Journal of Innovation in Engineering Research and Management ISSN 2348-4918, ISO 2000-9001 certified, E,1(2), 1-7. Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., DeVault, M. (2015).Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley Sons. Wang, C. N., Lin, H. S., Hsu, H. P., Wang, Y. H., Chang, Y. P. (2016, April). The Preemptive Stocker Dispatching Rule of Automatic Material Handling System in 300 mm Semiconductor Manufacturing Factories. InJournal of Physics: Conference Series(Vol. 710, No. 1, p. 012033). IOP Publishing.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Personal Management

Question: Choose any existing company in the service-related business (i.e. retail, hotel, restaurant, airline or tourism) industry in Singapore. Imagine that you have been appointed as the Human Resource (HR) Manager of your chosen company. Your boss has asked you to prepare a report recommending job design, job description (including specification), recruitment and selection strategies that can be adopted by the company to fulfil its staffing needs in view of HR strategies. The company wants to create an engaging and motivating work force in order to have a competitive advantage in the marketplace. Answer: Introduction The recruitment strategy for Conrad Centennial has been designed in the report. Conrad Centennial is a leading 5 star luxury hotel in Singapore. It is an award winning luxurious hotel in Singapore (Singapore, 2015). The recruitment strategy for the position of marketing manager and CEO has been discussed. Singapore is a highly developed economy in Asia Pacific. Globalization forces like high mobility of labor, capital investments have posed new challenges for the economy. It has affected the macro and micro environment of the country. The HR manager of Conrad Centennial has formulated the recruitment strategy on the basis of the socio-economic and political condition of the country. The new regulations of labor and the hotel industry have played a major role in formulating the strategy of recruitment. The hotel industry in Singapore has adopted a range of HR policies. The human resource of the organization has contribution on the bottom line. The HR strategies have been implemented to minimize the labor turnover via recruitment, selection and induction process (Cheng Brown, 1998). Job design Conrad Centennial will fill up the position of CEO and marketing manager. The job design is formulated for the position of CEO and Hotel manager. Job description for the position of CEO Responsible for management of the operations of the Hotel (Production, Maintenance, Quality , Innovation, Finance and IT , supply chain and sustainability) Industry Hotel Functional area Top Management Role CEO Report to Board of Directors Experience 20-25 years Desired profile of the candidate Educational qualification UG Any stream and PG ( MBA in marketing /operations/hospitality). Hotel management degree will be preferred. Summary of Job The individual will be responsible for providing leadership to the company at the forefront of the industry. He will be responsible for the development of a strategic plan for the growth of the revenue and profitability of the company. He will be responsible for providing a staregic direction to the business. Skills required The individual must be strategically oriented. Must possess leadership qualities, collaboration and interpersonal skills. He will be responsible for motivating the employees and assist them in decision making. He will be responsible for the promotion of the products and services to capture greater share of the market. The individual should possess in depth knowledge of the hotel business and know how to generate high volume of sales by using the techniques of marketing. Must possess immense knowledge of the core business areas of marketing, finance , IT and human resource. Job description for the position of Hotel Manager A hotel manager must be aware of everyone in the management team. Reports to the Senior Hotel Manager Objective of the job To deliver customer service in a friendly manner to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere for all the guests in the hotel. The hotel manager will be responsible for supervising, training and motivating the team. The key aim of the hotel manager will be retention of the existing customers and attracting new customers. Educational qualification The individual must possess a management degree from a reputed organization in Singapore. The person must have 5 years of working experience in the hotel industry. Main responsibility The individual will responsible for delivering excellent customer service ensuring that the guests receive comfort and safety. He must be able to deal with all the enquiries in a professional and courteous manner. He must assist the team in dealing with the complaints in a professional manner. He must manage the administration of all the reservations, cancelations which should be in line with the policy of the company. He must have the capacity to implement effective strategies of marketing in order to maximize the occupancy level. Recruitment strategy for Singapore Major changes have been seen in the labor policies in Singapore. The dependency ratio on foreign labor has been reduced. From 1 July, 2015, the service sector will have a dependency ratio of 40%. Since 2015, the unemployment rate of Singapore is the lowest. There is strong competition for labor for which the hotel industry faces difficulties in the recruitment and the retention of the employees especially in the hotel jobs (Mom.gov.sg, 2015); (BBC News, 2015). There is various negative perceptions about the hospitality industry. This has affected the recruitment and the selection process. The hospitality industry suffers from negative perception of long working hours and low rate of wage. The new implemented government regulation on foreign labor has been a major problem for the country. Thus it is favorable to hire Singaporeans than the foreign laborers. But it is difficult to get good candidates for the position of CEO and manager due to tough competition from the other hotel industries. Since it is difficult to hire suitable employees for the post of CEO and hotel manager, Conrad will offer competitive salaries to the employees. The competitive salary package must be according to the standards of the top five star hotels in Singapore. Competitive compensation is a feasible strategy for the retention and attracting the talents. The recruitment at Conrad is done by using the employer branding methods. Employer branding can be defined as the process of in which the external organizational image an identity is portrayed specifically a main element of the organizational culture. After the competitive salary has been offered to the employees, the culture of the organization will be second important focus of the employees. Thus Conrad shows strong culture of the organization to maximize its value (Economywatch.com, 2015). The recruitment process at Conrad is divided into four stages. They are HR planning, responsibility of the organization, strategic recruitment and decisions and methods of recruitment. Competitive salaries will be offered to the existing CEO and hotel manager of five star hotels in Singapore. Conrad will not outsource its recruitment (Singapore Business Review, 2015); (CNBC, 2013). Selection strategy for Singapore Conrad will use a strict selection strategy for recruiting for the position of CEO and hotel manager. The candidates have to pass through multitude of criteria before the final selection. The initial screening will be on the basis of the educational qualification, experience. After the base line requirements have been fulfilled, there will be various rounds of interview, water confidence test and psychometric test. The final interview round will be taken by the top HR manager of the organization. During the selection process there will be stringent rules regarding the appearance and behavior of the candidate. Negotiation regarding the right pay package will be a criteria for the selection of the candidate. Implementation of the strategies The strategies for recruiting the right candidate for the post of CEO and hotel manager are outlined below The recruitment will be conducted for the post CEO and Hotel manager. For the success of the recruitment process, the staffing resources will be identified at first. The number and type of employees attending the interview will be analyzed. On the basis of the analysis, the suitable candidates will be called for the interview. The differences between the anticipated demand and the forecasted supply of the candidates will be identified. The value of the company in the market will be used as an effective strategy to recruit qualified candidates for the position of CEO and manager. At first the applications of the candidates will be shortlisted on the basis of the educational qualifications and experience. The shortlisted candidates will have to undergo a psychometric test (Osborne, 2014). The test will help to analyze the EQ, IQ and personality of the candidate. The suitable candidate will be chosen. In the next phase, the candidate has to go through two rounds of interview. There will be a telephonic round of interview and the final round of interview will be the face to interview with the senior HR manager. The senior HR manager will conduct the interview and test the capability of the candidate to match up to the expectations of the organization. Conclusion The hospitality industry in Singapore is highly complex. It is affected by the stringent policies of the Government and the economic conditions of the country. The hotels have to constantly search for ways to maintain the competitive advantage. Hotel industry is a labor intensive sector. It has to develop the human resource as their core competent area to retain the right talent for the organization. The strategic human resource management will be successful if they can select the right candidate for maintaining the operations of the hotel. The CEO and the hotel manager are two highly esteemed positions. They carry the baggage of huge responsibility. They must possess the personality to preserve the culture of Conrad. The value of the organization will maximize depending on the strategies taken up by CEO. Since, the hotel industry is a highly competitive sector in Singapore, hiring the right candidate will be a tough job for the organization. In order to hire the right candidate, the organization has to pay competitive pay packages. The pay packages should be similar to the ones that are offered at the other five star hotels. During the process of recruitment, Conrad has to use its brand value to get potential candidates for the interview. References BBC News,. (2015). Singapore introduces new labour laws. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Cheng, A., Brown, A. (1998). HRM strategies and labour turnover in the hotel industry: A comparative study of Australia and Singapore. The International Journal Of Human Resource Management, 9(1), 136-154. doi:10.1080/095851998341233 CNBC,. (2013). Singapore Firms Hit by Foreign Labor Laws. Economywatch.com,. (2015). Singapore Economy | Economy Watch. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Mom.gov.sg,. (2015). Press Release Detail - Ministry of Manpower. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Osborne, H. (2014). Psychometric tests in job interviews: what are they looking for?. the Guardian. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Singapore Business Review,. (2015). Visitor arrivals to grow 7.7% in 2013: DBS. Retrieved 31 January 2015. Singapore, C. (2015). Conrad Singapore. Conradhotels3.hilton.com. Retrieved 31 January 2015.