David Ricardo: Law of Diminishing Returns Essay

David Ricardo, a 17 century English political economist, is considered an extremelyinfluential classical economist along with Adam Smith and Thomas Malthus. Ricardo was bornon the 27th April 1772 and helped develop key economic theories until his death on the 11thSeptember 1823 1. Ricardo grew up in a dominate English family where his father was also aneconomist, Ricardo credits his father and the reading of Adam Smith’s book The Wealth ofNations for his interest of the social science, economics2. Ricardo did not reach immediate fame,in fact it quite the opposite. It was not until age 37 when Ricardo first published his views oneconomics, after he reached the milestone of publishing his first article he continued to work anddeveloped his theories, it was ten years later, at the age 47 when most say Ricardo reached hispeak of fame. While developing economic theories Ricardo worked on the Stock Exchange inLondon, this increased his wealth, by the time he was 42 he was completely retired from theexchange and his sole focus was surrounding economic 3. In the remainder of this essay I willexamen some of Ricardo’s economic theories with a focus on the law of diminishing returns. David Ricardo is responsible for the creation as well as the development of a number ofkey economic theories which allowed past and current economist to better understand todaysever changing economy. The three accomplishments that Ricardo has received most credit for arethe labor theory of value, the law of diminishing return as well as the Barro Ricardo equivalence4. The labor theory of values are a set of theories that suggests that the value of any good orservice is equal to the amount of labor that was put in to the good or service either directly orindirectly to produce it. The labor theories of value were furthered developed by Ricardo as wellas fellow classical economists including Adam Smith, the Labor theory of value is not commonlyused in current times and instead it has been replaced with the marginal utility approach. The third law or theory that Ricardo helped develop is the law of diminishing returns, thelaw of diminishing returns is a simple theory however it is imperative that it is observed by firmsas it can cause great financial loss. According to the law of diminishing returns, while in aproduction system with fixed and variable inputs including factory size and the size of the  workforce each additional input will create a lesser and lesser output as the additional input increases6. Ricardo was an economist who was responsible for the development of the law ofdiminishing return. Ricardo developed this theory with other classical economists of his timewhich some of the most notable being Johann Heinrich von Thà ¼nen, Turgot and finally ThomasMalthus. The idea was first developed by Ricardo when he used the example of agricultureproducts to demonstrate his ideas into a working theory. All Ricardo, von Thà ¼nen, Turgot andMalthus lived in a time where land was a valuable, scares and needed. This helped this group ofeconomists develop the law of diminishing return because these economists were worries that asland was in diminishing supply this factor of production would run out and cause diminishingreturns. In order for firms to continue to grow their product they must move to location to a lessfertile location which boasts poor soil, this will lead to the agriculture firm needing to put moremoney into growth steroids for the product or good they grow. This over time with out questionwill diminish the returns received. This is how the theory that is still in place and consideredvaluable today was founded and developed by several key classical economists includingRicardo, von Thà ¼nen, Turgot and Malthus. I will now demonstrate the idea of the law of diminishing return in a example of a t-shirtproducing firm. If a shirt producing firm was to start off with one worker who can produce ten t-shirts in a hour the this workers marginal benefit would be ten. If the owner of the firm decide hewanted to increase his workforce to two workers. When the owner does this he finds that withtwo employees their output grows to a combined 25 t-shirts per hour, this gives he new employeea marginal benefit of 15. This pattern will continue until a number is met that can not keep upwith fixed variables of production. In this case we will say that the fixed factors of productionwill allow for up to three workers to be employed and be able to grow at a increasing rate. Withthree workers the group will be able to produce up to 45 t-shirts in an hour, giving the thirdworker a marginal benefit of 20. As the fixed factors of production will only be able to handlethree workers and work up to full potential. The next worker that is added will not increase theoutput at the  same level as the others would as the fixed factors of production will not be able tohandle the work load to a maximum level. The now team of 4 would be only able to make a totalof 60 t- shirts effectively rendering the fourth employes marginal benefit to be 15. The fifth willbe added, 70 t-shirts will me made in an hour and the marginal benefit will become 10 as there isa 10 unit increase in the product from when there were five workers. This downgrade willcontinue until to many workers are employed and the additional workers are have negativemarginal benefits. This is an example of what will happen once a sixth worker is added. Whenthe sixth worker is added there will be an output of 60 shirts in an hour giving the sixth workeran marginal benefit of negative 10. This is when a firm will be operating at a loss as they will bepaying an extra employee money to decrease the total output of the firm. This can be changed byletting on of the six workers go as they will then be making more out and paying less employeesthis equals more money for the firm to spend as they feel needed. This same idea can be seen inappendix I. The law of diminishing return can only take place in the in the short run. This is becausethe law of diminishing return is where you will only change one of the fixed variables ofproduction, in the case of the law of diminishing return the only factor of production that ischanged is the amount of people in the workforce therefore the law of diminishing returns takesplace only in the short run as only one factor is altered. The law of diminishing returns will also effect the firms on a long term basis, as this lawhas a effect on how much income the firm will at its disposal. The law of diminishing return hasa direct effect on the amount of money that a firm has, therefore as the law of diminishing returnplays it self out companies will be adjusting their workforce causing either an increase ordecrease in their expenditure leaving them more money to spend later on in some cases. Withthis the firm will be able to upgrade their factors of production in the long term and this willdirectly effect their performance in the long run. This is because with this extra money the firmwill receive form the firing of wasteful employees can be used to upgrade factories, fields orother factors of production. When the other  factors of production are increased in the long termthan this will allow more workers to be hired and they will be able to make more revenue as wellas increases their output. For the steak holders and management of the firm the law of diminishing returns is aninvaluable resource that is used to maximize productivity of a firm. As perviously mentioned inthis paper the law of diminishing returns is a theory that was set in place so that firms, large orsmall will be able to maximize production as well as income. This will keep the firm is businessfor time to come as well as allow it to grow substantially with out hurting its feature. This willalso allow the firm owners to become more wealthy and this will give the owners andmanagement the option of using this extra income to improve the firms factors of production. In conclusion, the law of diminishing returns is a resource that is valuable to firmsby allowing them to ensure they are working at maximum efficiency. The law of diminishingreturns is a simple yet vital theory and concept for people to understand. The basis of firms canbe built upon the law of diminishing returns and can be extremely valuable. With out such a lawor theory firms would be lost and unable to produce goods at the same rate of productively asthey do with such a law. In all this law is one that must be understood for those looking tomanage and operate a effective firm in order for the firm to stay a completive business. Works Cited -Websites-1. Cannan, Edwin. â€Å"Economic Journal.† McMaster. 23 Mar. 1998. THE ORIGINOF THELAW OF DIMINISHING RETURNS. 16 Oct. 2008 . 2. â€Å"David Ricardo.† Library of Economics and Liberty. 23 Dec. 2007. 16 Oct. 2008.

The Overwhelming Legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte

The legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte began in 1793 and continues to this day. Although the French general Napoleon left France smaller than it originally was at the beginning of the Revolution in 1789, he was widely respected during his lifetime and thereafter. Napoleon Bonaparte produced an everlasting imprint on the history of Europe as a result of his great military genius, development of political ideas, and the remodeling of French law. At the root of Napoleon's success lay his military genius. Much of Napoleon's military genius comes from his studies of history's finest commanders. Of these influences on Napoleon were Alexander, Caesar, Hannibal, Gustavus Adolphus, Turenne, Eugene, and most of all Frederick the Great. Napoleon used Frederick's strategies and adapted them to his own tactical system (Chandler 70). Napoleon's military tactics were based around the corps d' armee, a small army containing the elements of cavalry, infantry, and artillery. The most important advantage of the small army was its capability of fighting alone for a long period of time against superior enemy forces until help could be attained (Chandler 79). With speed, good order, and carefully maintained formations, a successful cavalry was developed. Every type of cavalry was placed in one of three categories, each with specific tasks. The heavy cavalry used their size and weight to create holes in the enemies line of battle. The cavalry of the line was expected to protect lines of communication and carry out raids. The light cavalry was mainly used for pursuit and to explore areas in order to gain military information (Chandler 94). Napoleon was the first general to employ cavalry simultaneously to conceal his main troop movements and to recognize the front. The foot soldiers of the infantry were the backbone of Napoleon's army (Chandler 97). The infantry marched in a column up to the attack instead of a line. This column was more maneuverable than lines, and could swing into a flexible alteration of columns and three-rank lines (Herold 97). Eventually, Napoleon's enemies were influenced by these grand tactics. The enemy reformed and devised countermeasures that proved to bring down Napoleon (Chandler 69). Boldness, the hallmark of the Napoleonic tactics, influenced warfare for a century. Napoleon Bonaparte carried through a series of reforms that were begun during the Revolution. He established the Bank of France, which has continued to function, more or less unchanged, up to the present time, as a national bank and as the source of the French government for currency, public loans, and the deposit of public funds (Thompson 169). In addition to the influence on Banks, Napoleon also reformed the education system. The present secularly controlled French educational system was begun during the Reign of Terror and completed by Napoleon. A corporation, known as the University of France was organized. The University was responsible for seeing that all education (including private), would turn out citizens to be attached to their religion, ruler, and family (Cronin 204). Primary schools were reopened with priests as teachers, but Napoleon gave most of his attention to secondary schools, where he changed the curriculum to allow early specialization. At age fifteen, a boy chose to study either mathematics and history of science, or classics and philosophy (Cronin 204). This system of education still remains in France. One of Napoleon's greatest constructive works lies in the remodeling of French law. The Code Napoleon, although established by Napoleon about 200 years ago, has had lasting effects and influences to this day. This remodeled the entire body of French law, and is contained in five codes dealing with civil, commercial, and criminal law. The civil code established the citizens right to equality before the law, religious toleration, the inviolability of property, and the superior place of the father in a family. The commercial code reordered every part of industrial and agricultural life. It brought about full employment, more stable prices, and a balance of trade. The criminal code set up a superior system of circuit judges, but rejected the idea of juries (Chandler 104). As a result of the Napoleonic conquests, the code was introduced into a number of European countries, notably Belgium, where it is still in force. It also became the model for the civil codes of Quebec Province, Canada, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, some Latin American republics, and the state of Louisiana. Napoleon's influence is evident in France even today. His spirit has spread throughout the constitution of the Fifth Republic. The country's basic law is still the Code Napoleon, the administrative and judicial systems are essentially Napoleonic, and a uniform state-regulated system of education persists. Napoleon's reforms in all parts of Europe cultivated the ground for the revolutions of the 19th century. Today, the impact of the Code Napoleon is apparent in the law of most European countries. Napoleon Bonaparte, who once studied the greatest commanders to have lived, could now find himself recognized along with those same great names.

Billy elliot notes

Takes opportunity Headset, tracking shots Billy In cage hits other student â€Å"there's always next year† not for Billy this Is his shot He wants this opportunity his reaction Is violent as this Is all he knows and this Is a sign that he needs you grow beyond this.Quotes from ballet dude â€Å"No child can succeed without the 100 percent support of their family' We see the growth In Othello men as Cackle supports Billy Headset music of swan lake motif l feel like a bird it feels like electricity† Billy says this as he describes what it is like for him to dance These quotes convince the board that Billy is a natural talent and show his passion for his chosen path Montage Billy's emotional reaction to getting in and Jackass's pride in announcing it to the miners who face going back to the pit at reduced wages Juxtaposition of Billy getting away from the mines and the need for the family and other miners to return Landscape shot, voice over change in lighting Billy and Ja ckie at the grave yard mines in the distanceRelationship is now close and has grown through the mutual experience and understanding that is now there Montage of images swan lake music , motif of closing doors, costuming headset Billy preparing to leave and the final scene of him dancing, Jackie and Tony in London at the performance and engaging with a now adult Michael Jack's and Tony going back down the mines in a cage Mrs. Wilkinson alone in the gym her role in getting Billy into the works is done she has no evolution on the film Billy is now a success and is starting in swan lake the family are purporting him showing their growth as Billy is a success and has evolved Jack's and Tony are well dressed and appear familiar with London , they do not Judge Michael Jacky pride is evident in his tears Billy Elliot notes By Barack Billy in cage hits other student â€Å"there's always next year† not for Billy this is his shot He wants this opportunity his reaction is violent as this is all he knows and this is a â€Å"No child can succeed without the 100 percent support of their family† We see the growth in Othello men as Jackie supports Billy Jack's pride is evident in his tears .

Impact of Media Technologies on the Structure of Environment Essay

Impact of Media Technologies on the Structure of Environment - Essay Example The environment which is deemed to be a messaging system in itself, is supposed to have a bearing on what people see and say and therefore how they act, how roles are assigned to people and the boundaries in which these roles are discharged in a society (Postman, 1980). It is observed that with rapid growth in media technology, physical spaces have shrunk and there is an integration between the physical and the social sciences. As pointed by Monberg (2005) "changes in media technology change patterns of social interaction, and changing patterns of social interaction have political consequences". The author likens the advancement of media technology to the "steel era" because steel changed the way people lived, worked, travelled, and fought wars. It is believed that new media technology will do just that in the 21st century. The impact of new media is also worth evaluating because of the notice convergent media nexus has received by the international community. It is acknowledged that media technology has an impact in facilitating or impeding man's chances of survival (Postman, 1980). As pointed by Bhuiyan (2006): "with the rapid growth of new media technology including the internet, interactive television net... It is also predicted that media technology will help preserve free speech and privacy and strengthen communication opportunities, largely owing to the use of digital media technologies such as PCs, the internet, computer games, cell phones in the ever shrinking global community. Such advancement has resulted in the advent of telecommunications, print, broadcast and computing into new domains to create a product that coalesces the elements of all these technologies, to create a brand new channel of communication and information storage. So consumers use iPods to make their own music playlists, personal video recorders to customize television schedules, digital audio broadcasting or DAB Digital Radio pumps static-free music to their homes and cars. With the heavy reliance on new media technologies, wired and wireless, into our daily life, the impact is such that it not only influences those who are using it but also those who are not because they have no access to them, lack the necessary skills, or simply do not want to. The world around is changing quickly. How it is changing is discussed in the following pages. The digital culture New media technologies have a telling effect on the culture we live in. Culture, as pointed by Stalder (2005) is "systems of meaning articulated through material and immaterial symbols". The culture is now becoming digital. The impact is felt even in the world of tangibles like chairs, automobiles, and buildings, which are designed digitally and produced through a process of information flow. Given that digital information is easy to copy, distribute and transform, it has become easier to incorporate the work of others not by

Internet censorship Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Internet censorship - Term Paper Example Some of the reasons cited for internet censorship include the need to preserve social morals and to the need to safeguard national security. On the other hand, opponents of internet censorship argue that such a move by the government limits the freedom of speech and the access to crucial information thus leading to reduction of the citizens’ welfare (Zuchora-Walske 2). One of the arguments that have been put across for the censorship of the internet is the need to protect the social norms. Proponents of internet censorship argue that unlimited internet access exposes children to pornography and hate speech thus negatively affecting their morals. In addition, the government should censor the access to homosexuality sites and religious sites that try to propagate negative religious doctrines that may affect social cohesion in the society (Russell and Cohn 67). Opponents of this argument assert that parents have the primary responsibility of safeguarding their children from porno graphic sites by implementing internet filtering systems thus government should not censor the internet. They argue that censorship jeopardizes the right to information and right to conversation through the internet (Day 10). Another argument for internet censorship is the protection of national security. ... Google has in the past protested against China’s decision thus leading to removal of the servers. However, Chinese people can still access Google servers using Hong Kong name, but cannot access certain search names especially that deal with online entertainment sites and government information (Russell and Cohn 126). According to the proponents of internet censorship, the suppression of some internet information usually upholds the social values in the society. In fact, some countries have implemented different censorship strategies in order to uphold the existing values and traditions of the citizen. This type of censorship upholds the moral of the society. For instance, Asian countries such as China have blocked internet sites that promote homosexuality and internet gambling. According to this argument, it is the responsibility of the government to protect the moral fabric of the society such as the family values, the gender roles and cohesion through preventing access to in formation that is contrary with the morals of the society. In addition, censorship will protect the population from sexism, segregation and racism that is usually exposed to children and citizens in the social websites. A further related argument of internet censorship is a need to ensure religious tolerance through preventing the furtherance of negative religious doctrines that may expose the country to religious based violence. In addition, censorship ensures that customs and taboos of the society are preserved. The dress code, sexual expression and religious beliefs are preserved through censuring the internet. However, critics argue that social values, taboos, dress code and religious beliefs change with changes in the society.

The impact and influence of social media, and how it affects our world Essay

The impact and influence of social media, and how it affects our world - Essay Example The way the modern society interacts with social media has profound effects on their lives. For instance, it is easy to connect with a friend through Facebook when he or she is not responding to phone calls or text messages. Furthermore, it is easy to get entertainment by watching videos and listening to music in social media sites. There are many ways through which the modern society interacts with the society thus this essay seeks to find out how the interaction has changed the lifestyle of modern society. The interaction in social media has changed how the society socializes (Kaplan and Michael 60). In the modern society, cases of people lining up for long hours in telephone conversations are rare. To catch up with someone, it only takes a computer to communicate through email or other social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. In this scale, social media offer an opportunity to connect with people, make friends, share pictures and contents and exchange ideas or information. Nonetheless, the enhancement of communication between friends implies that social media influences the relationships within a society (Bolton et al. 247). Through social media, people can know their true friends and can count on them as trustworthy. Another influence on how people socialize is the influence that social media has in keeping the society informed. Social media sites are rich sources of information about global issues and local news. Therefore, the manner in which people interact with social media keeps the society informed and abreast of what is happening in the world. Social media have reduced or done away with individual gaps that existed before (Bolton et al. 246). Development of technology for sure provides secure means of communication where individuals can talk to anyone at any time. People work overseas and leave their families behind but still able to talk to them through social media. Channels like

America's global ascendancy, 1918-1945. Why, and to what extent, did Essay

America's global ascendancy, 1918-1945. Why, and to what extent, did the united states eclipse Great Britain as the worlds leadi - Essay Example The value of the Pound Sterling, its consumer expenditure, fell by more than 60%. The coal Germany sent to Britain as reparations depressed the victor’s local economy, hastening General Strike of 1926. During the World War I private investments made by the British abroad were sold, raising some ?550 million. Nevertheless ?250 million new investments were made within the course of war. As a result the net loss was some ?300 million. During the war Great Britain lost some 40% fleet sunk by German submarines. Most of these losses were replaced in 1918 and soon after the war was over. As military historian Correlli Barnett argued, that war made no serious economic damage on Britain yet â€Å"crippled the British psychology† (Barnett 2002) Other changes have included increasing British Dominions’ assertiveness. Such battles as Vimy Ridge and Gallipoli for Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders led to grown national pride as well as a growing reluctance to be subord inate to the Crown. Those battles used to be depicted favorably in these nations propaganda as significant of their power and valor during the War. The War also released pent up native nationalisms, as native elites and often populations tried to take advantage of the precedent of introduction of self-determination in the counties of Eastern Europe. Great Britain had to face disturbances in Ireland, Egypt, Iraq, India and Palestine within a period of time when those territories were supposed to be demilitarized. This notwithstanding, the only territorial loss Great Britain sustained was the loss of Ireland, where the delay in resolving the home rule issue, along with the Easter Rising of 1916 increased popular support for separatists and led immediately to the outbreak of the 1919 Irish War of Independence. Consequent change followed in 1919. With the Treaty of Versailles, the Great Britain found herself in charge of more than 13 million of people and 4,000,000 square kilometers. Fo rmer German colonies as well as possessions of Ottoman Empire were distributed among the Allied powers as mandates of League of Nations. It was the time when the British Empire reached its territorial peak (Ferguson 2004, p.315). Unlike Great Britain the Unites States of America participated in hostilities but a year and a half and did was not as devastated as European belligerents. Furthermore that war gave a tremendous impetus to the development of US national economy. As it goes in a song popular soon after the War was over, having seen Paris American soldiers were reluctant to stay at their farms no more. They moved from their farms to the nearby smaller cities and towns offering labor force for the industry. Agriculture was becoming increasingly mechanized due to the widespread used of such heavy equipment as tractors. As a result the output of American agriculture increased rapidly. A year after World War I was over Woodrow Wilson crusaded for United States to join the League of Nations that he had been effective in creating yet he rejected the Republican compromise over the issue so it was not possible to obtain a 2/3 majority. During a cross country tour to promote the League of Nations Woodrow Wilson sustained a number of strokes. He never recovered completely and lost its skills of the leadership so he was rendered unable to compromise or negotiate. Consequently the Senate rejected America’s entry into the League of Nations (Cooper 2009, ch 23-24). During the course of War America rendered successfully

The Meth Epidemic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Meth Epidemic - Essay Example There is a general deterioration of mind and body. Injuries and death can result from meth usage, as well as other dangers of explosions when preparing the drug. Apart from these physical changes, meth consumption will result in poor choices, impaired judgment, and psychological problems. The users family, especially children, will suffer psychological and physical trauma. Users violence, inability to protect their family, sexual abuse of women and children as well as abandonment are some of the changes a family can expect, hence the advice for women and children to seek restraining orders and other means of keeping the user away to prevent harm to family members. Women addicts will most likely abandon children, expose them to harm or even harm them if they are mothers; engage in irresponsible sexual behavior and spoil their looks. The Congress refused to contain the problem, as they either did not know about it in its early days, think of it as a big problem in the face of other hard drugs like cocaine and heroin or were influenced by pharmaceutical lobbyists to shoot down preventive measures and laws proposed by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). This allowed the meth epidemic to get out of control while it could have been nipped in the bud. Recent actions to contain the epidemic in Oregon have been successful, especially after Meth Caucus made pseudoephedrine a behind the counter drug. Also useful was the limitation of the amount imported to other countries to the needed amount of cold medicines in important countries like Mexico. Lobbyists, acting the behest of pharmaceutical companies to protect their profits, have also helped along the spread of the epidemic. Gene Haislips drive to go after the chemical components for meth productions was watered down by removal of a vital clause that created a loophole exploited by meth cooks and Mexican cartels. Another fatal decision lobbyists were responsible for was the delay in coming

Bergquists four cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Bergquists four cultures - Essay Example Delaune and Ladner (2006) in their book on Fundamentals of Nursing defined culture as â€Å"knowledge, beliefs, behaviors, ideas, attitudes, values, habits, customs, languages, symbols, rituals, ceremonies, and practices that are unique to a particular group of people† (p. 388). Simple folks ordinarily know culture as a way of life. Aretz (2007), in his article Managing Change in Health Professions Education -Experiences from the Trenches explored two definitions of culture as: â€Å"â€Å"the deeply embedded patterns of organizational behavior and the shared values, assumptions, beliefs, or ideologies that members have about their organizations or its work† (Petersen and Spencer) and culture is â€Å"Obedience to the Unenforceable†; â€Å"It is a realm in which not law, not caprice, but virtues such as duty, fairness, judgment, †¦ hold sway. In a word, it †¦ covers all cases of right doing where there is no one to make you do it but yourself.† (John Fletcher Moulton) (p. 22). In an academic research written by William H. Bergquist, an international consultant and professor in the fields of organizational psychology and management, he identified four cultures in higher education which are interrelated and have profound effects to an organization, to wit: collegial, managerial, developmental and negotiating. Walter (2007) distinguished between collegial and developmental as: â€Å"the collegial culture is one in which individuals find meaning primarily through their discplines and through the original research that helps to further knowledge in that discipline. The developmental culture, by contrast, is one in which individuals find meaning primarily through their participation in teaching, learning, and professional development activities† (pp. 11-12) Collegial culture emphasize the value of scholarship, governance, rationality and decision making as opposed to personal and professional growth as the focus of developmental

The Systems Development Life Cycle Methodology Essay

The Systems Development Life Cycle Methodology - Essay Example Moreover, the other steps of system development lifecycle includes a comprehensive system design and actual implementation and testing (DocStoc, 2009; Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2009; Pressman, 2001). However, a lot of researches have shown that the use of traditional software development life cycle causes various issues and concerns regarding effective software development. This paper is aimed at presenting a number of issues which significantly control the process of the software development and can be changed to offer more flexible and unstructured approach for software development (DocStoc, 2009; Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2009; Pressman, 2001). Actually, the traditional software development lifecycle is composed of a rigid set of development stages that are aligned to each other in a less flexible way. As a result, entire software development process faces several serious issues and concerns regarding software development. For example, what if the design stage of a software development proc ess uncovers requirements that are strictly impracticable or very expensive to establish or develop? What if issues and errors found in the software requirements and design stages are encountered in implementation phase? In addition, the time duration between preliminary investigation and testing typically spread over several months. What if basic needs, requirements or priorities of a client are changed or system users understand they ignored critical needs all through the software development analysis phase? In fact, there are numerous issues and concerns which make the traditional software development lifecycle a more rigid and inflexible process. In addition, there can be numerous other issues which can create serious problems for entire software development process and can result in projects failure or do not able to convene the user’s expectations when deployed (DocStoc, 2009; Shelly & Rosenblatt, 2009; Pressman, 2001). In order to analyze issues and problems in traditi onal rigid and inflexible software development approach, I will present some facts and figures from international software development reports. In this scenario, Standish Group's well-known CHAOS Report of 2000 shows that more than 25 percent software development projects still fail. In many cases projects suffer from issues and problems as a result it becomes a failure, or without practical software deployment. Unluckily, this report demonstrates a huge increase over CHAOS reports from previous years. Moreover, at the present there is additional proof of the same kind (VersionOne, Inc., 2012; Bender RBT Inc., 2003; Erdil, Finn, Keating, Meattle, Park, & Yoon, 2003). In addition, failure issues and numbers strengthen what a vast majority of us experienced personally. Additionally, the waterfall software development approach is a risky and expensive methodology to develop software systems. That is why, majority of software development firms is adopting agile and new software developm ent methodologies for the reason that they are more flexible and innovative alternatives (VersionOne, Inc., 2012; Bender RBT Inc., 2003; Erdil, Finn, Keating, Meattle, Park, & Yoon, 2003). Moreover, when we look for a better approach for software development we see Agile as one of best approaches. In fact, agile software development techniques came out of the real-life development experiences of experienced and skilled software professionals who had practiced the main issues and

Private equity & Venture capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Private equity & Venture capital - Essay Example The sale price for the company that would make sense for the venture capital fund to convert its convertible preferred stock will be ($3/1.75) = $1.714 per share. d) Explain how a participating convertible preferred stock (PCPT) differs from a standard convertible preferred stock, and what benefits it has for the investor purchasing the PCPT. Why would existing investors agree to use a PCPT security in a new financing round? PCPT is a convertible stock that basically provides a specific dividend that in the event of liquidation can be paid or converted before any other stock while a standard convertible preferred stock takes precedence after other categories of stocks such as PCPT. PCPT enables an investor to get precedence claim over other categories of stocks hence ensuring that their investment is assured with some gain. An existing investors would agree to use a PCPT security in a new financing round because it offers a first claim in the case of liquidation. Further, it is easier to convert existing stocks into PCPT. Private equity firms have well informed and highly sophisticated investors. This ensures that the process of establishing and crafting operational strategies and priorities is basically built on deep transparency between the stakeholders. Further, they align themselves around an explicit and focused drive, objectives and interests hence resulting to comparative advantage. Private equity requires that an engaged and effective board be built to manage the funds. Further, they aim at buying a company using debts and then considerably reducing or cutting costs so that they can realize short term profits to settle the debts and further increase in the growth prospects. Proprietary deals gives a specific investor an opportunity a first chance to bur or purchase a company or a business , before the said company or business is actually presented to other investors by the investment banker or

Despite Criticisms Essay Example for Free

Despite Criticisms Essay 1. Despite criticisms, the classical approach to business management is still relevant today. Discuss one example to support this statement. (25%) Classical approach on management can be in terms of three major perspective: scientific management, Bureaucracy and administrative principles, which are emphasis on purpose and formal structure, for instance, planing of work, technical requirements of organisation, principles of management, etc. Although this idea was emerged at 19th century, it does influence the management style today and some of its ideas are still relevant. UPS, a well-known shipping, freight and logistics company globally, which is a very good example of using classical approach to their management in nowadays business, especially in the bureaucracy aspect. UPS is not only follow the idea of Max Weber (1864 1920), the advocate of the idea of bureaucracy and also a sociologist, that the separation of management and ownership like many companies today, but also focus on the impersonal and rational management. UPS set out a huge amount of rules, procedures and regulations on every departments, for example, They teach their drivers 340 steps for how to deliver a package correctly, such as how to load the truck, fasten their seat belt, walk, carry their keys, etc. Strict dress code is a must: clean uniform, black or brown polished shoes with nonslip soles, no beard, no hair below the collar, no tattoo visible during deliveries, and so on. They also has well division of labour: specialized drivers, loaders, clerks, washers, sorters and main tenance personnel. All of them have to do formal record keeping, like, drivers have daily worksheets that specify performance goals and work output. When UPS want to hiring or promote employees, technical qualification is the main criterion. UPS use those impersonal management style to avoid irrationality in order to be more efficient and adaptable to change, because continuity is related to formal structure and positions rather then particular person who may leave or even die. Also, those rules and procedures provide a standard way of dealing with employees. Hence, everyone gets equal treatment, and everyone knows what the rules are, this has enabled them to become efficient as well. Although, classical approach contribute a lot in todays management, it ignore the humanistic factory and psychological need. It may cause other problems, for instance, over relying on technical qualification ignore the human aspect, since working ability cannot only be measured by technical qualification. Moreover, If organisations lose the balance, employees may be frustrated by endless rules and red tape which may eventually lower the effectiveness. And it makes work become boring and repetitive, employees become a cog of a big machines, that would lead to high levels of absenteeism and labour turnover. That the reason why classical approach is not the mainstream of todays management, although its still relevant.

Four Functions of Business: Case Study of Asda and Kwik-Fit

Four Functions of Business: Case Study of Asda and Kwik-Fit Functional areas of business operation Introduction This paper studies four distinct functions of business and how they interrelate. The chosen areas are human resources, distribution, marketing and customer services. Human Resources The function of human resources is to provide a focus and strategy for the efficient management of business employees. Employee management is a primary task of modern corporations. If not dealt with appropriately, employees can have an adverse effect upon the success of the business (Alan Price 2003). Employee satisfaction affects all areas of the business. For example, if an employee is happy at work it will show in the customer service they provide. It also helps promote the business, justify the marketing and promotion message and ensure the smooth running of the distribution function. Distribution Distribution is the function by which the product or service is moved from the manufacturer to the end user (P. Kolter 1991), ultimately the consumer. This can be represented by physical methods, such as transportation and storage or, in a service industry, the method by which that service is packaged and delivered. A breakdown in the distribution process affects customer services, as the business may not be able to deliver the product or service required. The marketing function would be undermined, as promises made cannot be kept. Ultimately, this situation would de-motivate employees, as they are the ones receiving consumer complaints. Marketing Effective marketing and promotion is essential as a method of ensuring the message regarding products or services attracts the attention of the consumer. (George Belch 2004). The marketing function is to deliver a message that is seen, believed and remembered. A successful marketing campaign is heavily reliant upon the efficiency of other business functions. If the business cannot deliver the goods, customers will stop listening to the promotional message. Similarly, if the employees have not received training in customer care, a marketing campaign suggesting consumer care is paramount will not be believed. Customer Services Delivery of customer services is probably the most crucial function. The consumer adds value to the success of the business by purchasing their product or service (Sean Kelly 2005). Therefore, every business has to build and maintain a close relationship with consumers. They have to deliver what the customer needs at a quality and price that meets their requirements. In a competitive marketplace, the correct level of customer service is essential if a business is to achieve a growth in market share. Two organisations, Asda Plc., and Kwik-Fit Insurance Services have been chosen to demonstrate how these functions work in practice. Asda The Asda supermarket chain is a subsidiary of the American Wal-Mart retailer, one of the UK’s leading supermarket chains, with over 150,000 employees. Human Resources Asda’s HR strategy is built on the basis that every employee (All about Asda, 2006) â€Å"plays a part in making the business a success.† To achieve employee satisfaction, retention and succession, Asda runs a programme that provides training covering every area of the business, including in-store and external processes, as well as company policy and customer care. The business is committed to achieving in house succession and to promote this aim, it includes management training as part of its HR programme (See Asda Website Training page). Understanding the need for employees to feel an affinity with the business, Asda encourages staff to take an active part in work meetings, which take place in-store, regionally and nationally, where views can be expressed and discussed. The core of its HR function is to gain the best from employees by encouraging involvement with the business at all levels. Distribution Asda works closely with suppliers to maintain efficient distribution services. This ensures levels of goods required are fed through warehousing centres and to individual stores in a manner that maintains consistent product availability for customers. To allow for regional variances, the business delegates an element of the distribution decision-making process to local store management. Marketing Faced with changing consumer demands (Sean Kelly 2005), Asda now focuses its marketing and promotion on the dual aspect of quality at the right price. This has enabled the business to achieve second position within the grocery industry. Customer Services Asda has consistently sought to improve its customer services. In addition to staff customer care training Asda has expanded the product range throughout its stores. Internet shopping and expansion of till services, including self-service options, are other areas of the business where customer service improvements have been introduced. Kwik-Fit Insurance Services KFIS is an insurance call centre based in Glasgow. Although it was founded with the view to concentrating on the motor industry insurance, the business has expanded into more general areas of insurance. Human Resources To compete with other local call-centre operations, KFIS had to completely revise its HR strategy. This was partially achieved through improving the working environment. Like Asda it introduced training programmes to improve employee standards and encourage involvement. In addition, KFIS operates a â€Å"guardian angel† scheme (Jill Boulton, 2004), where existing staff act as mentors to new recruits. It also appointed a â€Å"minister of fun,† to organise staff social activities. The success of these measures has been reflected in business results. Distribution Unlike Asda, KFIS does not have a need for a physical distribution function. The distribution element here is to ensure the insurance products offered are designed to match consumer requirements. As the service KFIS offers is distributed through call centre operators, the importance of staff and producer knowledge levels is essential in distributing the correct range of products to the end user. Marketing Whilst much of its marketing is directed through Kwik-Fit auto centres, and dependent upon the quality of their service, a significant proportion of promotion is undertaken through advertising and the call centre operators. For example, when engaging with a customer an operator may attract them to other insurance products. In this business the interaction between employee and customer is an integral part of the marketing process (George Belch 2004). Customer Services The customer service aspect of KFIS is more directly linked to the reaction of the employee than with Asda. In a call centre situation consumers instantly judge the services they are receiving by their perception of the operator. The operator’s reaction, explanation and provision of the most appropriate product, and efficiency of service, will determine whether the customer is satisfied and will remain loyal to the business. HR director (Keren Edwards 2006) believes that the strategy in place in the business is contributing to the success in terms of customer retention. Conclusion From the information within this paper it is clear that every function described is dependent upon, and influenced either positively or adversely by the others. If one function, for instance, customer services, does not perform at its most efficient, the result will affect the other functions. Customers will stop believing the marketing, resulting in fewer products sold, parts of the distribution function becoming redundant and a reduction in employee moral and efficiency. References All about Asda (2006). Asda People. Asda Plc. Retreived 19 January from http://asdacares.gpalm.co.uk/people/people_load.html Armstrong, Michael (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. Kogan Page. UK. Price, Alan (2003). Human Resource Management in a Business Context. Thomson Learning, UK. Kotler, P. (1991). Marketing Management. FT Prentice Hall, 7th Ed. UK Belch, George. E (2004) Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective. McGraw-Hill Inc. U.S. Kelly, Sean. (2005) Customer intelligence From Data to Dialogue. John Wiley Sons Ltd., UK Boulton, Jill (2004). Kwik-Fit hires fun guy to keep staff smiling. The Scotsman, Friday 21 May 2004. Edwards, Keren (2006). Keep Fit Scheme. People Management Scheme. UK. 6th April 2006. Caffà ¨ Nero: Strategy and Balanced Scorecard Caffà ¨ Nero: Strategy and Balanced Scorecard Introduction The aim of this essay is to design a strategy and two balanced scorecards for a coffee shop company called Caffà © Nero to compliment their mission statement. This will be done after conducting extensive secondary research to gain a clear insight into what a balanced scorecard involves as well as looking into how Caffà © Nero operates. This will hopefully provide knowledge of potential benefits and difficulties to consider when attempting to successfully implement scorecards for both Headquarter and Store Levels for Caffà © Nero. In addition to this, for each scorecard, a strategy map is used to demonstrate how each key performance indicator (KPI) contributes to the overall vision of the company. Finally both levels are then assessed on its contributions to Cafà © Neros strategy and a conclusion is drawn on the main points outlined throughout the essay. What is the Balanced Scorecard? Kaplan introduced the balanced scorecard in 1992 with the aim to translate strategy into action, he stated, The balanced scorecard translates an organisations mission into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for implementing its strategy. (Kaplan Norton, 1996: p88). Having understood an organisations vision and strategy, the balanced scorecard aids to develop creative objectives to help measure performance. These objectives can be split into four main perspectives: Financial, Customer, Internal Business Process and Learning and Growth all of which link together to form a strategy map. Implementation of the Balanced Scorecard Benefits and difficulties Bourne Bourne (2007) presents reasons to why once implemented the balanced scorecard can fail. It is beneficial for Caffà © Nero to be conscious of potential problems that may arise in the near future when implementing their balanced scorecards. Looking at the difficulties and problems portrayed by theorists and other organisations experiences should present Caffà © Nero with a competitive advantage. The opportunity of being able to use other organisations failures and theorists advice to overcome the issues presented is valuable. It is particularly important as large amounts of time and money from the company are being invested into this performance management tool. One potential problem is the complexity of the system, resulting in unachieved objectives which will affect the overall vision and strategy of Caffà © Nero. Organisations are faced with de-motivated staff as they steer away from the main objectives that are originally assigned. Although, this is a common problem for the majority of companies when introducing the scorecards, Caffà © Nero is aware of this problem and can therefore take this into consideration throughout the design stage. In particular consideration would be beneficial, in terms of the strategy map when linking the objectives together, so that they are easy to follow and comprehensive for the whole company. As for overcoming the complexity issue, Caffà © Nero can focus on their employees with training, conferences, group and one to one meetings to ensure that every employee within the organisation fully understands what a balanced scorecard is. Their objectives and how they are being measured as well as how each pers pective interlinks in achieving Caffà © Neros strategy. Drury (2004) suggests another difficulty with the scorecard, he identifies that the assumptions of the cause and effect relationships are being excessively vague as well as lacking empirical support. Further research has concluded that is it difficult to link non financial data with future financial performance if at all. Caffà © Nero needs to consider this, as their main objective is to achieve future revenue growth both within the UK and internationally. So perhaps with measures and objectives that are assigned, should be more focused around revenue and financial aspects where possible. An additional difficulty concerning the perspectives shown within the management tool is that it does not factor in other aspects of the business to incorporate customers, employees, suppliers and other environment perspectives. Although Caffà © Nero is not restricted to adding additional perspectives, it could complicate the scorecard further making it difficult to achieve all objectives assigned and some may overlap with existing objectives. Traditionally, when implementing a scorecard the assumption is, the decisions sit with the senior management throughout the design stage as they fully understand the ins and outs of the organisation. Although this may be the case, it is not always in the best interest of the organisation to design a scorecard that only looks at all levels of the business from a top heavy approach. To overcome this Caffà © Nero can be smart and ensure that all functional representatives of their hierarchy from store-level to headquarter level are included within the design. This in turn will show teamwork in working together to understand where each individual fits in to the overall strategy in order to meet the companys objectives. Although the scorecard demonstrates various difficulties that Caffà © Nero should be aware of. Not all is bad; the on-going popularity of the balanced scorecard from other organisations makes it extremely hard to not notice some of the benefits of this management tool. One important trait of the scorecard is its use of effectively combining all the separate elements of the company into one simple model, with help from the strategy map. The tool is also able to help employees and the company to understand how everything interlinks and contributes to the overall strategy. For example, looking at how employees from Caffà © Nero store-level are able to contribute and work with headquarters objectives by improving customer service at store-level in aid to reduce customer complaints for headquarter level at the other end. This management tool is also enabling managers to consider all objectives and measures together as a whole by looking at the bigger picture. Therefore Caffà © Nero can take advantage of these benefits and make necessary improvements to the costs of the company with cost reductions at headquarter level. Lynch (2009) comments that the real benefit of the scorecard is the linkage between strategy and implementation. Most theorists argue that the main goal of the majority of organisations is a form of shareholder value added. Caffà © Nero should consider this when implementing both scorecards. By looking into both quantitative and qualitative measures within the strategy, they should hopefully determine the expectations of their shareholders within performance measures in their strategy and scorecards to achieve growth in shareholder value. Caffà © Nero Strategy Grant (2008) outlines various strategies an organisation can adopt when trying to achieve growth. Having viewed this, Caffà © Nero is more geared towards a business strategy, as it concerns the company with competing within a particular coffee shop market. To prosper within this market it is important to concentrate on establishing a competitive advantage over rivals. To support this Caffà © Nero should base their strategy around product differentiation, by providing customers with quality ranges of espresso that is exclusive to Caffà © Nero stores, will only contribute to concreting a competitive advantage for the company. It also works on shielding Caffà © Nero from their prices being levelled down to the bottom part of the price spectrum, due to potential competitive price wars of the same product between their competitors. This is an important strategy to implement as due to the increase of popularity of coffee shops it is likely for these price wars to occur. As a result, Caffà © Nero can look to improve further, with the quality of their products as well as launching new products in the future as part of their strategy. This can be achieved with product innovation to cater to larger consumer base within the market, hopefully contributing to the growth in both revenue and size within the UK and internationally. Cafà © Nero is well known for its acquisition of Aroma which increased the amount of sites they owned to 106 by 2002; this made them the largest independent owned coffee shop. The company now has 400 stores operating in various locations within the UK, Turkey and the Middle East. Caffà © Nero should now look towards the future of the company, by expanding the number of sites owned. Therefore it is important that part of the strategy should reflect in achieving expansion both internationally and UK based. Caffà © Nero will incorporate this in the scorecard within the financial perspective at headquarter level, as Kaplan and Norton (1996) states that the designing of the strategy of the company is combined with the process of the balanced scorecard. However Caffà © Nero may be faced with great difficulty with trying to implement their strategy due to the diversity of locations they operate in. As it is harder to standardise a scorecard for all site levels throughout the business internationally, as culture and expectations of customers and employees may be different throughout locations. This can be said the same about different locations within the UK. For example Londons objectives may incorporate a faster pace of service to compliment their busy, on the go customers in comparison to another site in a quieter location that may prefer much more of a mellow approach, at a slower pace and friendlier atmosphere where everyone is a community. Caffà © Nero tries to incorporate all of these elements within the overall strategy. Balanced Scorecard Strategy Map The following models demonstrate Caffà © Neros scorecards for both headquarter level and store-level. As well as strategy maps to illustrate how each objective will link together. It is important to note that although the scorecards produced are for the same company, they may differ in objectives for each level, to incorporate all personnel throughout the company. Objectives of headquarter level will focus more on the overall performance of the company, in terms of how they can grow in revenue, size and customers. The model will also focus on innovating products and retention rates of employees and customers. Where as, with the store-level objectives will be more centred around individual stores in terms of customer service, delivery times and empowering and motivating staff with training and incentive programmes. Once the following scorecards have been implemented for Caffà © Nero, it is then important to ensure that everyone throughout the company understands the balanced scoreca rd and where they are contributing to achieving Caffà © Neros vision. As well as considering how all of the objectives from each level will interlink between the two scorecards. This can be done through training centres, conferences and meetings. Scorecard Evaluation Having designed both scorecards (Figure 1 and 2) an evaluation will be conducted to explore both the similarities and differences presented within each models. Additional to this, supporting evidence will add weight to justify reasons for selecting objectives and indicator to contribute to Caffà © Neros overall strategy. Financial Perspective The first objective shown in the financial perspective (figure 1 2) is revenue growth this relates to achieving an increase in growth in some form or another. To drive revenue growth Caffà © Nero objectives concentrate on diversifying into new markets internationally and within UK. As well as branching out into new customer markets and increasing the number of stores owned by Caffà © Nero. Each of these objectives chosen all tie in with Caffà © Neros overall strategy of expansion of the business in the near future. The key performance indicators incorporated into this perspective help to measure each objective for the company. The main similar measure here is (F1 F4) percentage of increase in revenue growth in the overall company and individual store-level (F5). To achieve these objectives they would have to be based upon implementing bonus and incentive schemes for employees so that they are motivated to achieve targets set. They would also need to target larger segments of new customer markets by advertising in new locations such as near to universities to appeal to students or offices to appeal to the working customers. However a drawback of this measure is due to the population suffering from the effects of the recession and the economy resulting to a decrease in disposal income. Meaning growth in revenue for Caffà © Nero will be delicate as new potential customers may not be as opened to trying new coffee shops then their norm as well as lifestyle changes that will affect the amount of r evenue that each store generates. This is why a mark up % was not included in aid to limit other problems such as the affect on shareholder value, as incorporating percentages would put further pressure on the company in case they were unable to achieve resulting to shareholders expectations to decline. Another important objective within the financial section is (F6) improve operational efficiency, which is reducing wastage costs for the business. It is important to achieve this objective as it saves the company money and better for the environment. This can be done by providing more awareness of how to reduce wastage i.e. not leaving taps of water on just for the convenience element for coffee shops. Being aware of waste problems presents benefits as in turn this will maintain the companies overall brand image, which links in will the customer perspective (C3 figure 1) of maintaining brand image. Customer Perspective It is important to measure this objective (C3), as it involves the public with collating feedback and results in reference to how the general public perceive Caffà © Nero as a company. This objective also gives the company an opportunity with participating in charity and environmental work that will help several organisations as well as portraying a better image for the company. This is with the intention to increase in revenue and customer satisfaction, as customers like to be involved in supporting good causes. This is why it was important to incorporate this within the headquarter scorecard. Figure 2 also looks at customer retention (C5), customer satisfaction (C6) and customer profitability (C4) as main objectives to achieve. Each of these objectives link with each other, for example if the customers are satisfied with the service and products offered by staff then they are likely to come back time after time. Creating customer loyal will result in increasing customer retention rates hopefully leading to customer profitability. Therefore ensuring customers are provided with great customer service and high standards of quality products will cement this relationship with customers and employees. Where the employees are concerned this is incorporated into the internal process and learning and growth perspectives. It is significant to note that both levels differ in objectives as the store-level is more involved with direct customer improvement as they adopt a more personal approach with more of a face to face relationship. Therefore objectives will be focused around the service element. In comparison to the headquarters that will look more to indirectly improving service by site quality, reducing complaints and activities involving improving brand image. However one similarity between them is that they are measured by customer feedback in one form or another. Internal Business Processes Perspective The first objective presented in figure 1 is (IP1) innovating products involved, this objective is important for businesses to maintain as their strategy and brand image pride themselves on producing unique high quality products in espresso and food. Therefore it is important for Caffà © Nero to innovate new products in order to compete within such a popular market. To measure this objective Caffà © Nero will look at increase in sales from new products in order to measure if they are successful or not. For that reason employee should be aware of the new products that are available by offering them at pay out areas in order to advertise new products, which links into objective (IP4) developing internal product knowledge. This will be achieved by daily staff meeting and work booklets to test staffs knowledge. Again, this perspective demonstrates some similarities between figures 1 2. Objectives are set to improve on delivery times for customers (IP2 IP5), this is aid of achieving h igh quality of service to link to customer satisfaction (C6), retention (IP3) and profitability (C4). If customers are dissatisfied they will go elsewhere which will affect growth in revenue (F1). To measure delivery times, focus as obtain comparing where Caffà © Nero are in terms of the market, as customers will have a certain level of expectations. However if Caffà © Nero are able to excel over this, it will create customer satisfaction which in theory will lead to more business from that customer. Also by ensuring there is a balanced customer to employee ratio in each site helps to improve delivery and customer service for customers as waiting times will decrease. Learning and Growth Perspective This area focuses on employees in terms of creating objectives to maintain training, in aid of retaining employee loyalty (LG1), improving both job and employee satisfaction (LG2), increasing employees capabilities in skills (LG4) as well as motivating and empowering employees (LG5). In theory these objectives should participate to maintaining a customer centric focus (LG3). Within this perspective, there are many differences between the scorecards as store-level focus on individual needs of employees to drive employee satisfaction. In comparison to headquarters which looks at overall achieving programmes to assist employee satisfaction, presenting a common objective in both scorecards. To measure these objectives appraisal and one to one meetings are used to assess their performance and how to improve in growth in revenue for the business. Each level is assessed by individual employees at store-level and individuals stores for headquarter level. Olve (2003) looked into how incentive and reward programmes can be aligned with scorecards in order to promote realization of intended strategy. This has been incorporated into the learning and growth stage of the scorecards. In aid to attract employees attention, to perform well at store level, contributing to the overall objective of increasing revenue growth for the company. Although there are many differences between the models as each scorecard targets a different audience, it is important to note that they both interlink to together to achieve Cafà © Neros objectives. As store-level focuses on direct customer service it is important that they get it right to achieve sales, retention as well as maintain a happy working environment for staff as getting these objective help to achieve objectives set for headquarter level. In terms of employee retention, training programmes, customer profitability and satisfaction as well as product innovation Conclusion To summarise the main points of this essay, it is essential to consider the information available in order to successfully design and implement a scorecard for a company. As statics show that 70% of balanced scorecards fail due to lack of research within their own individual company and the scorecard. The second point was to fully understand what Caffà © Nero wanted to achieve in regards to their strategy, as it is vital to not incorporate everything as this will only present more problems then benefits. Thirdly, when designing the scorecards for Caffà © Nero, it was crucial to ensure that they were easy to follow for all members of the organisation, as every objective interlinks and filters up the model in a form of a chain. If one objective is not met then this will affect the rest of the model creating a cause and affect relationship throughout the scorecard. For example consequences may lead to losing customers due to bad customer service, lack of high quality products and product knowledge due to limited training. As to measurements within the scorecards Caffà © Nero tried to be realistic so that they are able achieve their strategy as unrealistic measurements can disadvantage a business, as the costs of implementing balanced scorecards is a large investment to make as large amounts of money and time is needed. It is also important that Caffà © Nero adopted a trial and error approach so they could keep reviewing their scorecards to ensure they were aligned with their strategy. Overall a balanced scorecard is an affective management tool to translate strategy into a vision. Word Count: 3299

What are Malaysias main imports and exports

What are Malaysias main imports and exports Illustrate the components of Malaysias imports and exports using a graph or chart and elaborate on it. Which countries are Malaysias main trading partners? Components of Malaysias exports According to Malaysias top 10 trade statistics for year 2009 by MATRADE, the major export products are divided into nine subcategories. Electrical and electronic products are the highest export products valued at RM22.68 billion which is equal to 41.5% of the total exports. While for palm oil, it takes off 6.3% of the total exports and it is equal to RM3.44 billion. Ranking number three for Malaysias export product is the liquefied natural gas which account for 6% or RM3.31 billion of total exports. Crude petroleum is account for 5.9% of total exports. The chemicals and chemical products hold 5.8% of the total exports are rank at number five of Malaysias total export. As for refined petroleum products, it represents 4.2% of Malaysias total export or RM2.29 billion. For machinery, appliances, and parts, these components are rank at number seven which take-up 3.5% or RM1.94 billion of total exports. Manufactures of metal hold 2.6% of total exports. The wood products hold 2.4% of total exports in Malaysia. Optical and scientific equipment are categorized as minority of Malaysia export as it stand for 2.3% or RM1.25 billion for total exports. The remaining percentages represent other export products in Malaysia. Components of Malaysias imports For component of Malaysias imports, there are three main categories of imports by end use. Intermediate goods are valued at 66.4% of total imports. For capital goods, it take-up 15.8% of total imports and for consumption goods, it is account for 7.3% of total imports. Other major import products of Malaysia import products include electrical and electronic products which are valued at 38.4% of total imports. Besides that, machinery, appliances, and parts are account for 8.6% and chemicals and chemical products take-up 8.4%. While for manufactures of metal, it is account for 5.2% of total imports. Furthermore, transport equipment account for 5.1%, refined petroleum products take-up 5%, and iron and steel products take-up 3.7% of total imports. For optical and scientific equipment, it has 3% of total imports and processed food take-up 1.7% of total imports. Crude petroleum is the minority of total imports where it takes up of 1.6% of total imports. The remaining percentages represent other import products in Malaysia. Malaysias Main Trading Partners Main trading partners of Malaysia include Peoples Republic of China which it accounted for 12.9%, Singapore hold 12.7%, and United States of America take-up 11.1% of total trade with Malaysia. Besides that, Japan is also trading partner for Malaysia where there is 11.0% total trade between both Japan and Malaysia. Another trade partner for Malaysia is Thailand. Thailand holds 5.7% total trade with Malaysia. On top of that, total trade between Malaysia and Republic of Korea take-up 4.2%. There are 4.1% trade between Malaysia and Indonesia. While for Hong Kong, Germany and Taiwan, those three countries have 4.0%, 3.4%, and 3.3% trading with Malaysia. The remaining percentages represent other countries which also have trade with Malaysia. Malaysias top 10 export markets are Singapore which taken up 14.0% of Malaysias total exports, Republic of China accounted for 12.2%, United States of America holds 11.0%, and Japan holds 9.8% of Malaysias total exports. For Thailand, Hong Kong Republic of Korea, and Australia, those countries respectively hold 5.4%, 5.2%, 3.8%, and 3.6% of total exports. As for Netherlands and Indonesia, both countries are the minority markets of Malaysias export markets as there are only 3.3% and 3.1%. The remaining percentages represent other export markets trade with Malaysia. Malaysias top 10 import origins are Republic of China (14.0%), Japan (12.5%), United States of America (11.2%), Singapore (11.1%), and Thailand (6.1%). While for other import markets, Indonesia account for 5.3%, Republic of Korea account for 4.6%, Taiwan holds 4.3%, and Germany also holds 4.2% of total imports with Malaysia. Hong Kong only holds 2.5% of imports with Malaysia. The remaining percentages represent other import markets trade with Malaysia. For the export components, we compare between the year 1989 and 2009. We use the commodity sections for comparison. The export for foods has increased from 3, 128.9 in year 1989 to 15, 800.9 in year 2009. As the population has increased and there are more and more countries that involved in open economy, this has lead to the increasing in the exports for food in Malaysia. For beverages and tobacco, from the table, it showed that it is increasing from RM80.2 million to 2, 482.3 million. Besides that, the crude materials and inedible goods also increased from RM12, 656.9 million to RM 13, 161.1 million. This does not show much increased. While for mineral fuels and lubricants, it has more significantly rose from year 1989 to 2009, which it rose from RM11, 023.6 million to 81, 685.7 million. From the table, we can see that there is 605% increase in animal and vegetable oils and fats. The growing rate of animal and vegetables oils and fats is more than 600 is logic as it growth for 20 years long. Furthermore for chemicals, there was significant increase which it increased from RM1, 234.2 million to RM33, 345.4 million between year 1989 and 2009. This is because nowadays, there are many companies which need chemical products for the daily operating. With globalization, export products will raise from one year to another as many companies have came into the industry. Increasing in quantity demanded will also follow by increasing in quantity supplied. That is why export of manufactured goods which includes tin has rose 764.1% for the past 20 years. While for machinery and transport equipment, it has grown from RM21, 982.9 million to RM257, 248.7 million. As the technology in Malaysia has improved, we export our technology to other least development countries. On top of that for miscellaneous manufactured articles, the data showed there is 826.12% increased from year 1989 until 2009. Miscellaneous transactions and commodities also increased from RM201.5 million in year 1989 to RM4, 607.3 million in year 2009. Compare using the same data, we now evaluate on import components. According to external trade data taken from Department of Statistics of Malaysia website, Malaysia import food has increased from year 1989 to 2009. The data shown in 1989, we import RM4, 613.9 million of food and in 2009, we import RM26, 770.3 million of food. For beverages and tobacco, our import has increased 769.7% within the 20 years. In average, it increased 38.48% per year. Besides that, crude materials and inedible has also increased 498.11% that is increased from RM 2, 488.9 million in year 1989 to RM 14, 886.3 million in year 2009. Averagely, it increased 24.91% per year. While for mineral fuels and lubricants, it increased from RM 2, 911.1 million to RM35, 686 million for this 20 years. Furthermore, animal and vegetable oils and fats rose from RM257.1 million to RM4, 977.6 million. As we can see from chemicals, it was RM5, 412.7 million in year 1989 and increased to RM39, 492.2 million in year 2009. Manufactured goods includes tin has rose 432.79% where in average; it increased 21.64% per year from 1989 until 2009. Machinery and transport equipment has the most changes where in 1989, Malaysia import RM29, 233.1 million and it increased to RM222, 578.8 million in 2009. As Malaysia is in developing, we need more high technology machines to increase our production. For miscellaneous manufactured articles, we have total of RM3, 257.5 million import in it and it increased to RM25, 735.7million in 2009. Besides that, miscellaneous transactions and commodities have increased from RM2, 522.8 million to RM9, 865.5 million. When we compare those import and export components for 20 years, overall, Malaysia still has positive net export. In 1989, Malaysia has RM6, 966.4 million. While in 2009, Malaysia also has positive net export with RM118, 354.9 million. What are the benefits of engaging in international trading? Are there disadvantages as well? International trade is known as the trade of goods, services, and capital across the international borders with not much difficulty. The international trade accounts for a good part of countrys gross domestic product. International trade system is growing and spreading quickly because of modern production techniques, advanced transportation system, outsourcing in term of manufacturing and services, and rapid industrialization. It is an essential resource of returns for a developing country. The advantages of international trading have been the most important drivers of development for the last half of 20th century. Countries with well-built international trade have turn out to be successful and have the authority to control the world economy. International trade has also turn into one of the main contributor to the decreasing of poverty. There are several benefits from international trade activities which are: Competitiveness. International trade could maintain cost competitiveness in domestic market where they increase effectiveness in productions, because countries will attempt to accept better ways of production to maintain cost as lowest as possible on order to remain competitive. Employment. It helps a lot in generate more employment through the development of newer industries to serve to the demands of various countries. As a result, international trade can reduce the unemployment rate. Inflation. Due to international trade, a new trend has been observed. Countries, all over the world are making all effort to adhere to monetary policies, which have zero inflation, thereby reducing restrictions in trade worldwide. Offer greater variety of goods for consumption. International trade offer users a lot of options which will not only get better in their quality of life but altogether it will help out the nation to develop. Increase sales and profit. International trade provides an opportunity to the countries to boost up their sales and automatically generate higher profit. Effective allocate and fully utilize the resources since countries are going to manufacture merchandises where they have gain in a comparative advantage. The effect is the waste in replication of resources can be prevented. It aids a lot in protecting the environment from any such of pollution and also gives countries with a superior marketing control. Disadvantage of International trade There are numerous disadvantages arising from international trade. First disadvantage is exhausted of Natural Resources. It means all natural resource will decrease over the time of international trade. It encourages a developing country to export all of its raw material early on to gain the return and become the developed company. Secondly is in term of dependence, import of low quality products increases dependence of foreign countries to the extent which lead to that country has no productive. This mean that businesses, workers and customers are tend to decline in the economies of our trading partners. The production between two countries will stop all together. As example during recession in the Malaysia leads to decreased demand for China exports, leading to diminishing in export profits, lower GDP, lower earnings, decrease in domestic demand and increase unemployment. Loss on agricultural countries in considered as one disadvantage of international trade. In international trade predominantly agricultural countries are loser to the maximum extent. This happen as the demand for agricultural  product is less elastic; there is hardly any increase in their demand despite fall in the price. International trade also create unemployment to country. It occurs when labour market is competitive where lead to higher wages and together decrease the employment. Trade unions can cause salary to go higher than equilibrium via the threat of strikes. However when the salary is over the equilibrium, it will cause a drop in employment because the company have to pay higher salary or wages and it become the cost to company. So they will decide to reduce the employment. Barriers in long distance trade and different language also create disadvantage of international trade. The long distance such it becomes hard to keep a close rapport linking the buyers and sellers. Every country has possesses its own language, this in because international trade engage in trade connecting two or more countries where there is variety of languages. The different in language creates problem in international trade. International trade involves preparation of number of documents which also creates difficult in the way of international trade. Some laws and regulations are imposing on export and import of products. International trade involves a great deal of risk on long distance, even though the risk has been covered by insurance but there is still involve the extra cost of production because the insurance cost is added to cost. Lastly is the disadvantage in pollution and other environmental problem. International trade can caused pollution and other ecological problems as corporations fail to take account of these costs in the price of merchandise in trying to fight with corporations operating under weaker environmental laws and legislation in some countries. As a company produce product, the pollution will always occurs and to produce the product they will get raw material from export country. Then as long as they have the part or material to use together with demand of good lead to increase in production and pollution. Define foreign direct investment (FDI). What are some of the policies and incentives provided by the local government to boost FDI in Malaysia? DEFINITION OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT ( FDI ) FDI is a component of a countrys national financial account. It can be defined as an investment of foreign assets into a domestic structure. A parent business enterprise and its foreign affiliate are the two parties of this relationship. These two sides of entity, they both comprise a Multinational Company (MNC). An example of FDI is when American company taking a major stake in one of the company in china. The company in china is said to be the parent business enterprise whereas an American company is said to be the foreign affiliate for the investment. On the other word, FDI also exists when there is any joint venture between local and foreign company. Naza Kia Sdn Bhd can be stated as one of a joint venture company in Malaysia where the Kia Motors has made its investment to Naza Sdn Bhd. Instead of having an investment via joint venture, FDI also involves in participation in management, transfer of technologies and expertise. FDI can be classified into two types; Inward and Outward. The Inward FDI means that, when theres an investment of foreign capital in our local resources. There are some factors that determine the growth of Inward FDI. The factors are the tax breaks, the relaxation of existence regulations, loans of low rates of interest and the specific grants. On the other hand, the Outward FDI also can be stated as a direct investment abroad which means, our local capital is being invested to foreign resources. Basically, Outward FDI is dealing with the import and export of a country. MALAYSIA: FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT POLICIES. THE FDI REGIME Basically, FDI policies are some set of a rules and regulations to regulate the investment made within those countries. In Malaysia, there is no specific laws that governed FDI activities. However, it is regulated that all foreign manufacturing activity must be licensed no matter what is the nature of the business it is. Malaysia only has Foreign Equity Guideline as a guideline any foreign investment. Until 1998, under the foreign equity guideline, the share limits were made on the performance and conditions set by the industrial policies of the time. For example, in the past years, the size of foreign equity share that allowed for investment in manufacturing sector is based on the share of the product exported. FDI projects that export at least 80% of production. However, the restriction was abolished through decision made by Ministry of Trade and Industry (MITI) when Malaysia desperately needs FDI after the economic crisis in 1998. Besides abandoning the export, Malaysia also has minimized the negative incentives such as: Nationalization and appropriation Double taxation Joint venture: requirements. Domestic employment: restrictions. Restriction on remittance of profit. Other than that, there is also some guidance in order to protect the foreign investment. Foreign investors are guaranteed against expropriation of property without compensation by virtue of Article 13 of the Federal Constitution. Due to the absence of the investment law, Malaysia has relied on the bilateral investment guarantee agreement or IGAs to: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Protect against nationalisation and expropriation à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ensure prompt and adequate compensation in the event of nationalisation or expropriation. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Provide free transfer of profits, capital and other fees. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Ensure settlement of investment disputes between private parties and Government under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) of which Malaysia has been a member since 1966 Investment Regime: Malaysia, from http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2004/investment_country_report_malaysia.pdf Other than IGAs, our country also has bilateral Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreements. For the employment restrictions, one must examine the restriction in a domestic context For example, Dobson (1998) wrote that while each foreign Banks subsidiary is limited to hiring two expatriate personnel, this restriction was in fact less stringent than that imposed on domestic banks. Furthermore, the restriction has been somewhat relaxed lately to allow for intra-corporate exchanges and short-term assignments after the economic crisis. On 17 June 2003, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MITI) has established new guidelines on the employment of expatriate personnel that guarantee automatic approval of certain number of expatriate posts and extend the length of maximum employment for both executive and nonexecutive posts. Again this shows the extreme fluidity of the investment regime in Malaysia. Investment Regime: Malaysia, from http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2004/investment_country_report_malaysia.pdf Here, we can conclude that, even with the absence of specific laws regarding to the foreign investment. Malaysia Government still has some guidance to follow in related with Foreign Direct Investment. MITI plays an important role in determining the guidelines for Foreign Direct Investment. INVESTMENT AND INDUSTRIAL POLICIES By the absence of specific laws considering the investment, however Malaysia do has some policies on Investment and Industries. These policies can be referred as trade policies as well. Basically, Malaysia has begun to have the industrial policies since the 70s and 80s which was focusing on the export. However, this was resulting to the export performance to be the main conditionality for foreign equity ownership and incentives were based on investment project. However, after the years, incentives were based on the product and the activities in order to steer investment towards the 12- targeted industries in the First Malaysian Industrial Plan in the 1986 until 1995. Therefore, investment incentive has become more selective and will be depending on the priority sectors. Below are the lists of major incentives for investment: Pioneer Status Investment Tax Allowance Reinvestment Allowance Incentives for industrial adjustment Incentives to strengthen the Industrial Linkage Scheme: Incentives for both large companies and vendors) Incentives for export Incentives for promoting Malaysian Brand Name Training incentives: including the pre training incentives, Double deduction for expenses incurred for approval training, and Human Resource development fund. Infrastructure Allowance Incentives for Research and Development companies

Education System in the Philiphines Essay -- Education

The Philippines has a recent overflowing issue on its education system, which is the implementation of K+12 education system as the basic education curriculum (BEC). This issue is one of the most controversial things that Aquino Administration proposes. First of all, K+12 is an education system that includes Kindergarten with twelve years of elementary and secondary education (Department of Education, 2010). The Kindergarten is basically started at the age of 5 and the elementary education (primary education) holds for 6 or 7 years of education while secondary education, which holds for 5 or 6 years of education, is defined as high school (Department of Education, 2010). In comparison to the current 10-year education system, the K+12 system adds two extra years of education. According to the Department of Education of the Philippines (DepEd), their main purpose is not just adding two extra years of education rather to enhance the BEC in the Philippines (Department of Education, 2010). Discussions over the K+12 program have already been on since the Commonwealth era. The Americans has suggested this system to be implemented but President Manuel L. Quezon has set aside the issue to deal with more important problems in the country at that time (Vargas, 2012). Throughout the years after the Commonwealth era, suggestions have been made by foreign organizations (Department of Education, 2010). Then, a survey made by Presidential Commission to Survey Philippine Education in 1970 has recommended the government to give a high importance in implementing the 11-year program with 6 years of elementary education and 5 years of secondary education; but it never pushes through (Department of Education, 2010). The current 10-year program has n... ...s literacy rate and its quality of education system but also it would lessen the number of unemployment and underemployment in the country. Works Cited Cruz, I. R. (2012, January 19). Preparing, Developing and Equipping K to 12 School Leaders. Makati, NCR, Philippines. Department of Education. (2010, October 5). Discussion Paper on the Enhanced K+12 Basic Education Program. Manila, NCR, Philippines. Dizon, D. (2011). PH Education System Not Ready for K+12. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from ABS-CBN News: abs-cbnnews.com Manila Bulletin. (2010, October 6). Senators Divided on DepEd's 'K+12' Years Education System. Retrieved February 27, 2012, from Manila Bulletin News: mb.com.ph Valenzuela, E. (2012). K to 12 Trends in Southeast Asia. Manila, NCR, Philippines. Vargas, Y. (2012, February 11). K+12 as Basic Education Curriculum. (I. Stamboel, Interviewer)

Twelve Angry Men Essay -- essays research papers

Twelve Angry Men is a very interesting play about an unfortunate young man, who was convicted of killing his dad. The worst part was, the young man was only nineteen, and his life was just starting. The jurors listened to all the evidence, then came the hard part, making the decision: guilty, or innocent. Eleven jurors said guilty and only one said innocent. There was a lot of peer pressure involved. I decided to write about different peer pressures three of the jurors used. The three jurors I picked are juror #10, juror #7, and juror #8.The first juror I want to write about is #10. Juror #10 was using a lot of sarcasm, whenever he was trying to prove his point, or prove someone else wrong. I think that this method of peer pressure is one of the most powerful ones. I believes so, because when you are embarrassed in front of 11 other people (in this case jurors) you do not know, really lowers your self-esteem. It may lower it to the point where you will say guilty, eve though deep down inside, you will feel that the person is innocent. This is a quote I picked to illustrate sarcasm skillfully used by #10: "You're a pretty smart fellow, aren't you?" I think this one sentence could really put anyone down, and make anyone feel embarrassed, and maybe stupid. Another juror I decided to write about is #7. He was muscle flexing most of the time. Muscle flexing means, he was raising his voice, even screaming at everyone, as if he was the boss. Whenever #8 was trying to ...

Cosmopolitanism: Cultures Essay

The essay â€Å"Making Conversation† by Kwame Antony Appiah is a reflection on the term â€Å"cosmopolitanism† and the steps people in any nation have to take in order to achieve â€Å"cosmopolitanism† and â€Å"globalization†. He brings up the point of how all cultures have their similarities and differences and in most cases these differences are so different that it makes these cultures hard to connect with one another. He believes that conversation is the first and most important step to the understanding of others. Appiah explains how all cultures have standards that they believe to be the norm and how some cultures with also find these customs acceptable while others will find them repulsive. Due to the nature of all human beings, people tend to only think of themselves as having the correct views on the world and are less accepting of the beliefs of others. I wholeheartedly agree with Appiah as he says how small agreements essential to eventually having two cultures that work in harmony for long periods of time. Over time, this will eventually open up people’s minds to other cultures, customs and beliefs. Citizens of each culture will then learn to accept the beliefs of others and by â€Å"changing our minds† we will slowly move towards becoming more cosmopolitan and globalized. But only when all citizens of a nation become completely accepting of everyone’s beliefs without necessarily agreeing with them at all will the nation and culture fit the definition of cosmopolitan and become completely globalized. Only the nations that will strive to accept other cultures will become globalized. These countries will then become an asset to communications between all other countries on this Earth and become a successful and thriving nation.

Good vs. Evil in Psycho Essay

â€Å"Psycho† is a classic suspense film directed by Alfred Hitchcock which features a central female protagonist, a seemingly ordinary young woman named Marion Crane, who crosses paths with a dangerous mentally ill motel owner, Norman Bates. As their strange relationship develops, a dominant theme of good versus evil is introduced to the audience through the use of characterisation, editing, mise-en-scene and various other media techniques. From the outset, Hitchcock introduces an initial theme of good versus evil during the opening credits. The title scene could be seen as a reflection of the personality of Norman Bates as the credits themselves are presented as fragmented titles which come together as one on the screen but then shake and split up again, which hints towards the disjointed personality of Bates. The fact that the titles are dotted around the screen suggests that his character is severely unbalanced and not in a stable condition, foreshadowing the idea that his mind is in different places at different times and it is hard to tell when his mind-set will alter. The contrasting colours used in this scene are also important to the later character development as the black, white and grey each reflect the constantly conflicting part of Bates’ temperament. The darker areas on the screen reflect the deepest inner shadow of his mind, while the lighter areas show that he can also be a good person. They show the persistent inner conflict and the constant battle between good and evil. The grey, however, represents the uncertain parts of his split personality but could also be interpreted to refer to the indecision and doubt seen in the character of Marion as the film develops. This primary theme is developed as we are familiarised with the character of Marion Crane, the dominant leading role. We first see her meeting up with her boyfriend, Sam, in a hotel room during her lunch hour. The camera enters the room by zooming through the window and Hitchcock wants us to feel as if we are intruding on a private moment between the characters inside. This sense of voyeurism is clearly accentuated by the very first shot of the couple which is very personal and intimate – making the viewer feel rather awkward. This scene acts as a vital link to the film as a whole and is fundamental for the expansion of the theme of good and evil as it gives Marion a clear reason to steal the money in the scene that follows. Marion is presented as a good character at this point as her good intentions are outlined: we see that she just wants to marry Sam and for them to be able to be together respectably. When Sam states that he would not be able to provide for her, Marion is given an obvious ulterior motive and a chance to make the transition from good to evil, therefore setting up the entire film. We also notice that, the first time we see Marion, she is wearing white underwear: hinting to her kind and innocent personality but, when we see her after she has made the decision to steal the money, she is wearing black underwear. This visual symbolism presents a contrast between the two different stages of characterisation and depicts the character change of Marion as she goes from good to evil. Similar to the original view of Marion, when we first meet Norman Bates he seems like a very ordinary person, but as the scenes progress we begin to notice slight abnormalities in his behaviour. When Marion arrives at the Bates Motel, the heavy rain which forces her to stop is foreshadowing her impending doom while acting as effective pathetic fallacy as she is feeling isolated and guilty at this point. The fact that Norman hesitates before giving her the key to cabin one hints at his irregularity, along with the fact that he opens the window as soon as he enters the room – as if he is setting up his own escape route – and he never mentions the bathroom, foretelling the event which will take place there. Also, when Marion is checking into the motel, what should have been a clear view of Bates is blurred in the mirror: showing that he is changeable and that his personality is hazy. In a similar shot, only half of his face is shown and this clearly symbolises the fact that only one half of him can ever be fully good at any one time – the other half will always remain evil. However, sympathy is also evoked for Norman in this scene as we see that his mother takes an instant dislike to Marion – something which you would not normally see between two strangers. We see how close – and slightly strange – the relationship between Norman and his mother and the unnatural dependence they have on each other, showing that Norman is trapped in his current situation and making him seem like a good person. A similar effect is used throughout the scene in Norman’s parlour by with the use of light and dark as the lighting picks out significant features such as only one side of Norman’s face and the underside of the owl’s wings. The owl with its wings spread signifies his mother controlling his mind and shows that she is ever present, although we never see her, even when he is behaving normally she will always be inside his mind, therefore making the viewer feel sympathetic towards him as he has no control over his actions. Conversely, framing him next to an owl may suggest that Norman is a predator and the owl is his equal. Like the owl, many other birds are featured in the parlour scene, linking back to the recurring theme. Framing Marion next to them when she first enters the room makes her seem vulnerable and presents her as equal to the birds which Norman has stuffed. The shower scene is important to the character development of Marion as we see her clear transition from the evil character she turned into after stealing the money back to the good character we saw in the beginning. She has changed her mind about stealing the money and has made the decision to go home. We are able to pinpoint the exact moment of relief as she flushes the toilet: it is as if she is flushing away her problems and guilt. This effect is also used when the water goes down the plughole in the shower: representing the washing away of her sins. However, I feel that this image could also be taken to represent evil as Marion’s life is being washed away and she is going to down to Hell for the sins she has committed. A contrast between Norman and his Mother is clearly displayed in this scene although we also see that Norman can be evil while being totally himself as we see him spying on Marion before she is murdered. After the murder, Norman is linked to the crime in many ways. The camera work and editing assists this by panning directly to a view of Norman’s house, telling the story without the need for dialogue. Almost immediately following this we see Norman running from the house and consequently directly linking himself to the murder. We see him automatically assume that his mother has killed Marion without questioning her, making the viewer even more suspicious of him. Both good and evil sides of Norman are presented to the audience at this point as, although he seems flustered and hurried when he first discovers what his mother has done, he is able to relax into a state of unemotional professionalism which allows the viewer to realise that this has happened before. By pretending so strongly that it was in fact his mother who killed Marion, I think it is obvious he is trying to convince himself that he has done nothing wrong and, ultimately, that he is not mentally ill. The mise-en-scene when he sinks Marion’s car is representative of this. We see him framed next to a tree with a split trunk, suggestive to his split personality. The contrast between the two sides of Norman’s personality is extended in the scene which features Marion’s sister, Lila, as she searches the house for evidence relating to the murder. When she enters mother’s room, it looks very inhabited: the bed seems as if someone has just gotten up and the wardrobe is full of neatly stored clothes. Despite the clutter, everything is organised and tidy. I believe this highlights the extent of Bates’ mental illness as we see how much effort he has gone to keep up the illusion. The subjective close-up shot of the hands when Lila scans the dressing table suggests that Norman is still in the clutches of his mother and the darker side of his personality hence reminding us that he is not in control of his situation. Norman’s room provides a total contrast when compared with his mother’s. It is a lot smaller and appears to have remained the same since he was a child and contains an eclectic mix of the possessions of a childish boy and those of a twisted man. This conveys the idea that perhaps he is refusing to grow up or his mind has never developed past this stage. This idea combined with the toys explains his dependence on his mother and why he is so unwilling to leave her. The stuffed owl which sits at his door brings back the recurring motif of birds while also representing the ever present Mrs Bates. She is always watching him and he allows her to control him completely and make his decisions – just as if he were a child. The battle between good and evil continues as Lila makes her way down to the cellar and mother is finally revealed. As the scene ends the climax is completed with a close-up shot of â€Å"mother† which allows us to clearly see the light and dark reflecting in her eye sockets – representing the fact that it is possible for Norman to be both a fully good and fully evil character. Although we are now aware that mother is dead in reality, she continues to live on inside Norman. The last time we see the character of Norman Bates, he has been arrested and we are able to see that the dominant evil personality of â€Å"mother† has won and taken over. To display this, we hear Norman thinking in his mother’s voice and understand that he believes that he is her – unnervingly outlining the severity of his mental illness. The medium shot of Norman sitting in the chair is effective as it shows his body language while he behaves like an old woman; the image is creepy and, in my opinion, really gets under your skin. At this stage I think that it is important we hear mother before we see Norman as it allows the audience to realise that he is not really Norman any more, showing that he is still and not fighting with his inner self as it appears the battle for good over evil has finally been lost. As the camera zooms in on Norman, we see his blank stare change to a sinister grin and a super imposed shot of mother’s skull on his face which shows that the good side of him is trapped inside for what looks like forever. For me, the film did have a satisfying ending as we see the detective bring the case to a close so there are no more remaining questions, but the creepy smile we see at the end makes me think otherwise; leaving us at a cliff hanger of sorts. In conclusion, I believe that, with the use of media features such as characterisation and editing, Hitchcock is able to present a highly engaging struggle between good and evil. Although I did feel sympathy for the character of Norman, I believe that he did have the option to control his actions and get help to fight back against his evil personality but, as he relied on his mother too much, he did not want to push her away. However, while Marion’s decision to steal the money was irresponsible and out of character, I still feel that she did it with good intentions. Overall, I felt that the fact that evil came out on top rather than the more typical outcome made it particularly realistic as, in a real life situation, good would not always prevail.