Indian Judiciary System Essay

In a political system based on constitutional Government , the functions of rule making, rule enforcement and rule interpretation are separated into the three institutions of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. A judiciary that is independent of and acting as a check on arbitrary exercise of legislative and executive power is an essential feature of a constitutional itself means. In a federal system, the judiciary also serves as a tribunal for the final determination of disputes between the union and its constituent units. Given the tremendous importance of the role and functions of the Supreme Court & High Courts, various measures have been adopted to ensure the independence of the judiciary. The judiciary in India is paradoxical institution. On the one hand courts are extraordinarily powerful on the other, its working seems manipulated by the executive. Through a creative interpretation of the constitution, courts have not only exercised their power of judicial review but also have to managed to place the limits on the power of parliament to amend the constitution. There are 20 million case pending in Indian courts, of which 3.2 million are in the High Courts. The entire judicature has been divided into three tiers. At the top there is a Supreme court (apex), below it is the High Court and the lowest rank is occupied by session’s court. The supreme Court is the highest court of law. The constitution says that the law declared by the supreme court shall be binding on all small courts within the territory of India(Art. 141). Below the Supreme Court, are the High Courts located in the states. Under each High Court there are District Sessions Courts. Subordinate Courts and Courts of Minor Jurisdiction called Small cause courts. Given the importance of the judiciary in a federal system resting on limited government , The Supreme Court was designed to make it the final authority in the interpretation of the constitution . While framing the judicial provisions, the constituent assembly gave a great deal of attention of the courts, the power of the supreme court and the issue of judicial review. The Constitution makes sure that the Supreme Court is independent as much as possible. Eligibility -The person must be a citizen of India -Judge of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession for at least five years, or -An Advocate of a High Court or of two or more such Courts in succession for at least ten years, or -The person must be, in the opinion of the President, a distinguished jurist. -A Judge of a High Court or retired Judge of the Supreme Court or High Courts may be appointed as an ad-hoc Judge of the Supreme Court. Appointment: Though the President has the appointing authority with the advice of his Council of ministers the appointment of the Supreme Court Judge has been lifted from the realm of pure politics by requiring the President to consult the Chief Justice of India in the matter. Salary: The salary and allowances of a judge cannot be reduced after appointment.the salaraies of the judges are fixed by the constitution and providing that though the allowances,leave and pension may be determined by law made by the Parliament,these shall not be varied to the disadvantage of a judge during his term of office except may be during a ‘financial emergency’.the adminstrative expenses of the Supreme Court,the salaries and allowances of the Judges and staff of the Supreme Court shall not be subjected to vote in Parliament and would be charged on the ‘Consolidated Fund of India’. Contempt of court: The Constituion allows the Supreme Court to punish anyone for contempt of any law court in India,under Articles 129 and 142. The Supreme Court perforemed an unprecedneted action when it directed a sitting minister of the state of Maharashtra,Swaroop singh Naik,to be jailed for one month incharge of contempt of court on 12 May 2006.This was the first time a serving minister was ever jailed.He was sentenced for allowing an illegal saw mill to run in a forest in Vidarbha near Tadoba santuary when he wa the Maharashtra forest minister.The court had directed in 1997 to the state ministers to not renew the licenses of sawmills in the forest areas. Violation of Laws: The Supeme Court has the right to invalidate any law made by the Parliament if it violates the â€Å"Basic Stucture† of the constituion or if it violates any of the fundamental rights of the citizens. On 24th April,1973 the Supreme Court in the ‘Kesavananda Bharti v/s The state of Kerela’ case responded to the Parliament that although the amendments made were constituional the court still reserved for itself the discretion to reject any constituional amendments passed by Parliament declaring that the amendments cannot change the Basic Structure. Removal: The judge cannot be removed from office before time except by an order of the president passed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha supported by a majority of the total membership of that house and by a majority of not less than two thirds oh the members present and voting,and presented to the president in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity. There were two judges who were removed by this process the first was Justice V.Ramaswami:He was the Punjab and Haryana High Court chief justice of the year 1993 when he was impeached by the Lok Sabha by 196 votes because of his incapacity to do work. The Supreme Court charged him for his failure to do complete justice. The second was that of Justcice Soumitra Sen.He was the Calcutta High Court chief justice,the justice of India K.G Balakrishnanhad recommended him for impeachement to the Parliament because he had misappropriating rs.22.83 lakh than on than on 2009 a three member committee was set up and investigation was staretd and he was found guilty and finally on 17th August 2011 he was impeached by Rajya Sabha. The Supreme Court has original, appellate and advisory jurisdiction. Its exclusive original jurisdiction extends to any dispute between the Government of India and one or more States or between the Government of India and any State or States on one side and one or more States on the other or between two or more States, if and insofar as the dispute involves any question (whether of law or of fact) on which the existence or extent of a legal right depends. In addition, Article 32 of the Constitution gives an extensive original jurisdiction to the Supreme Court in regard to enforcement of Fundamental Rights. It is empowered to issue directions, orders or writs, including writs in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari to enforce them. The Supreme Court has been conferred with power to direct transfer of any civil or criminal case from one State High Court to another State High Court or from a Court subordinate to another State High Court. The Supreme Court, if satisfied that cases involving the same or substantially the same questions of law are pending before it and one or more High Courts or before two or more High Courts and that such questions are substantial questions of general importance, may withdraw a case or cases pending before the High Court or High Courts and dispose of all such cases itself. Under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, International Commercial Arbitration can also be initiated in the Supreme Court. The appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court can be invoked by a certificate granted by the High Court concerned under Article 132(1), 133(1) or 134 of the Constitution in respect of any judgement, decree or final order of a High Court in both civil and criminal cases, involving substantial questions of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution. Appeals also lie to the Supreme Court in civil matters if the High Court concerned certifies : (a) that the case involves a substantial question of law of general importance, and (b) that, in the opinion of the High Court, the said question needs to be decided by the Supreme Court. In criminal cases, an appeal lies to the Supreme Court if the High Court (a) has on appeal reversed an order of acquittal of an accused person and sentenced him to death or to imprisonment for life or for a period of not less than 10 years, or (b) has withdrawn for trial before itself any case from any Court subordinate to its authority and has in such trial convicted the accused and sentenced him to death or to imprisonment for life or for a period of not less than 10 years, or (c) certified that the case is a fit one for appeal to the Supreme Court. Parliament is authorised to confer on the Supreme Court any further powers to entertain and hear appeals from any judgement, final order or sentence in a criminal proceeding of a High Court. The Supreme Court has also a very wide appellate jurisdiction over all Courts and Tribunals in India in as much as it may, in its discretion, grant special leave to appeal under Article 136 of the Constitution from any judgment, decree, determination, sentence or order in any cause or matter passed or made by any Court or Tribunal in the territory of India. The Supreme Court has special advisory jurisdiction in matters which may specifically be referred to it by the President of India under Article 143 of the Constitution. The supreme court is vested with the power to render advisory opinions on any question of fact or law that may be referred to it by the president. The advisory role of the supreme court is different from orinary jurisdiction in three senses.  ·There is no litigation between two parties  ·The advisory opinion of the court is not binding on the govt.  ·It is not executable as a judgement of the court. The practice of seeking advisory opinion of the supreme court helps the executive as a judgement of the court. It gives a soft opinion to the indian govt. on some politically difficult issues. As in case of Babri Masjid complex and Ayodhya. The govt. decided to refer aspects of the dispute to the supreme court for an opinion. Since there was no legal point at issue, the referral to the supreme court had the potential for politicizing the judiciary instead resolving. Although the proceedings in the Supreme Court arise out of the judgments or orders made by the Subordinate Courts including the High Courts, but of late the Supreme Court has started entertaining matters in which interest of the public at large is involved and the Court can be moved by any individual or group of persons either by filing a Writ Petition at the Filing Counter of the Court or by addressing a letter to Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India highlighting the question of public importance for invoking this jurisdiction. Such concept is popularly known as ‘Public Interest Litigation’ and several matters of public importance have become landmark cases. This concept is unique to the Supreme Court of India only and perhaps no other Court in the world has been exercising this extraordinary jurisdiction. A Writ Petition filed at the Filing Counter is dealt with like any other Writ Petition and processed as such. In case of a letter addressed to Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India the same is dealt with in accordance with the guidelines framed for the purpose. If a petition is received from the jail or in any other criminal matter if the accused is unrepresented then an Advocate is appointed as amicus curiae by the Court to defend and argue the case of the accused. In civil matters also the Court can appoint an Advocate as amicus curiae if it thinks it necessary in case of an unrepresented party; the Court can also appoint amicus curiae in any matter of general public importance or in which the interest of the public at large is involved. As in case of Kasab, A bench of justices Aftab Alam and C K Prasad dismissed 25-year-old Kasab’s plea against his conviction and death sentence confirmed by the Bombay high court, saying he was given free[->0]and fair trial in the case. â€Å"Kasab’s confessional statement was very much voluntary except a very small portion,† the bench held.It also dismissed Kasab’s contention that the trial was not fair because the government did notprovide[->1] him advocate during the time when he was arrested and put on trial. The apex court said the trial court had made repeated attempts o provide Kasab with a lawyer but he had spurned the offer initially and said he did not want to accept Indian lawyers. The judges said that in the totality of facts, evidences and circumstances the court had no option but to impose death sentence on Kasab. The bench also observed that going by the evidence, it was clear that the conspiracy and planning of the 26/11 attack was hatched in Pakistan. The High Court stands at the head of a State’s judicial administration. There are 18 High Courts in the country, three having jurisdiction over more than one State. Among the Union Territories Delhi alone has a High Court of its own. Other six Union Territories come under the jurisdiction of different State High Courts. Each High Court comprises of a Chief Justice and such other Judges as the President may, from time to time, appoint. The Chief Justice of a High Court is appointed by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice of India and the Governor of the State. The procedure for appointing Judges is the same except that the Chief Justice of the High Court concerned is also consulted. They hold office until the age of 62 years and are removable in the same manner as a Judge of the Supreme Court. To be eligible for appointment as a Judge one must be a citizen of India and have held a judicial office in India for ten years or must have practised as an Adovcate of a High Court or two or more such Courts in succession for a similar period. Each High Court has power to issue to any person within its jurisdiction directions, orders, or writs including writs which are in the nature of habeas corpus, mandamus, prohibition, quo warranto and certiorari for enforcement of Fundamental Rights and for any other purpose. This power may also be exercised by any High Court exercising jurisdiction in relation to territories within which the cause of action, wholly or in part, arises for exercise of such power, notwithstanding that the seat of such Government or authority or residence of such person is not within those territories. Each High Court has powers of superintendence over all Courts within its jurisdiction. It can call for returns from such Courts, make and issue general rules and prescribe forms to regulate their practice and proceedings and determine the manner and form in which book entries and accounts shall be kept.

Leisure and recreational activities Essay

CONCLUSION Leisure and recreational activities engaged in by the majority of adults, teenagers and children were generally passive or non-active, and tended to occur in the home. There is, however, a desire for more variety, particularly for activities outside the home. Shortage of time and money limited leisure opportunities for both adults and teenagers, along with the shortage of entertainment venues and transport difficulties reported by teenagers. Choices about leisure and recreation, the type and extent of involvement, are subject to the practicalities and reality of one’s life: it is much easier to constrain or vary leisure pursuits than to cut down on work/study or family commitments. It is with home-based leisure and recreation that constraints and variations can be most easily accommodated. LEISURE AND RECREATION Violet Kolar Participating in leisure and recreational activity can foster a range of positive experiences: from simple relaxation, fun and enjoyment to personal development and fulfilment, and improved health. Choices about types of activity and extent of involvement are not unilaterally made but are influenced by the demands and practicalities of every-day life. This paper presents some of the findings from the Institute’ Australian Living Standards Study undertaken in an outer Melbourne area. Leisure and recreation constitute one of the 14 ‘spheres of life’explored in the study. Here, discussion focuses on the leisure and recreational behaviour of 1269 people, comprising 717 adults, 193 secondary school teenagers, and 359 primary school children. Adults and teenagers were asked to complete their own questionnaires, while children’ activities were reported on during interviews with parents. http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fm1/fm34vk.html Destinations of the World (DOTW- Qatar) performance is in keeping with the organisation’s long-term strategic plan, which focuses on continuously building and expanding its core business operations. The travel and tourism industries have suffered in current times due to poor world economic conditions and global uncertainty. Despite this downward spiral, in terms of  international visitors on a global scale, our results are more encouraging than ever. The recent inauguration of our offices in Europe (DOTW-London), (DOTW-Austria) and in the Far East (DOTW-Malaysia, DOTW-Thailand) have been largely successful and already show positive signs of proactive cost management and sound customer service. Services Offered Provide personalized touch to the trip by offering unsurpassed services such as Travel Insurance, Hotel Booking, Car Rental, . You can choose from Incentive Tours readily provided for a memorable trip ahead. Its services are majorly spread over world’s key destinations like Qatar, Australia, Uae, India, Pakistan, Austria http://www.hellotravel.com/destinationsoftheworld On the year anniversary of Qatar’s successful bid to bring the FIFA World Cupâ„ ¢ to the Middle East for the first time in 2022, the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has started the process of distributing all ticketing proceeds from the international friendly match (Brazil v Egypt – November 14 2011) held in Doha last month to famine victims in Somalia. The Supreme Committee has partnered with Qatar Charity to ensure that the funds – totaling $400,000 (USD) – reach the people that are most in need in Somalia. The partnership was announced by Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Communications Director, Nasser Al Khater and Director of Public Relations for Qatar Charity, Khalid Ahmad Fakhro. Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Secretary General, Hassan Al Thawadi said: ‘One year on from what was a historic day for our country, we are pleased to announce this initiative for those in need in Somalia with Qatar Charity as our partner. During the bidding process we always stressed the importance of football and the FIFA World Cup as catalysts for positive change. This initiative is one of many initiatives that we will undertake with the goal of harnessing the power of football to make a difference in people’s lives – in our region and beyond.’ Commenting on the international friendly, Al Thawadi said: ‘The game demonstrated yet again the appetite for top-class football in Qatar and the  Middle East. Guests and media traveling from abroad were given a taste of what 2022 will offer – a full stadium with people from many different nationalities, coming together to create a carnival atmosphere.’ The match was held at Al Rayyan stadium on the outskirts of Doha on November 14, with Brazil beating Egypt 2-0 thanks to two goals by Valencia striker Jonas. http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/qatar2022/media/newsid=1552120/index.html The FIFA World Cupâ„ ¢ will be coming to the Middle East for the first time in 2022. Even before Qatarwas announced as hosting the World Cup, the country has been keen to stress the many legacies that the tournament will create in the region for the years after 2022. That legacy element in football has taken another great stride in Qatar as top U-17 teams from around the world compete in the first ever Al Kass International Cup. Emerging junior teams from top clubs such as FC Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Vasco Da Gama, Juventus, Ajax, Kashima Antlers, Al Jazira and Al Ahly and Qatar’s very own Aspire Qatar and Aspire International, will gather at Aspire in Doha to compete and display their skills for those seeking to witness the future global foo tball stars. Playing in the 2022 World Cup host nation is an exciting event for all the best young players in the world, as they dream to return in ten years to represent their national teams. In addition, the head coaches from each team have taken time out to visit the 2022 Legacy Pavilion that was visited by the FIFA Inspection Committee during the bidding process for the World Cup. Here they were provided an opportunity to see first-hand the great advances Qatar is undergoing to ensure the hosting of a truly spectacular World Cup. FIFA and the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee have held their first working meeting on Qatari soil this week, with members from both organisations coming together to discuss a wide array of subjects relating to the 2022 FIFA World Cupâ„ ¢ Qatar. The FIFA delegation headed by its Competitions Director Mustapha Fahmy, Marketing Director Thierry Weil, TV Director Niclas Ericson and Communications and Public Affairs Director Walter De Gregorio met with Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee Secretary General Hassan Al Thawadi and his team during the visit and attended a series of presentations by various  Qatari organisations engaged in projects directly and indirectly related to the preparations for the 2022 FIFA World Cupâ„ ¢ Qatar. â€Å"It was FIFA’s first visit since the bid inspection. We are impressed by the overall vision developed by the Qataris and the first steps of the preparations taken already. It is great to see the commitment and excitement of the 2022 Supreme Committee and other key stakeholders to create amazing. We are looking forward to continuing the path started over the last few days and seeing these visionary projects coming together on the way to the first FIFA World Cup in the Middle East,† explained Mustapha Fahmy. Commenting on the visit, Hassan Al Thawadi (Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee – Secretary General) said, ‘We are pleased to have held our first working meetings this week in Qatar with our counterparts from FIFA. There is no doubt in my mind that the discussions and presentations held this week were of mutual benefit in terms of aligning our visions for the journey toward 2022. We have always insisted upon the importance of taking the time to ensure the proper foundations are in place for the next ten years. After our meetings this week with FIFA and our appointment of our delivery partner early last month, we believe we are on the right track.’ Stakeholders involved in the presentations included representatives from the New Doha International Airport project, Qatar Rail, the Gulf Organisation for Research and Development, Qatar Foundation andQatar’s Central Planning Office. FIFA’s team also toured various facilities and sites in Qatar, including the Aspire Academy For Sports Excellence and the newly established Qatar National Convention Centre, which will serve as a key non-competition venue during the 2022 FIFA World Cupâ„ ¢ Qatar.

Autobiography Example Essay Example for Free (#2)

Autobiography Example Essay My name is Gelliza Z. Quiambao, and I am currently in college studying education. I was born on 12th of September year 1996, four o’clock in the afternoon, in Jose Payumo Memorial Hospital. My parents are Gilbert and Josephine and I have two brothers who are Gil Joseph and Gianni. I started studying when I was three. My grandparents are the ones who served as my babysitter since my parents weren’t home for work, so my granddad enrolled me in a Daycare Center. You may not believe this but my grandma told me that I always sleep and cry in school. After that, my parents enrolled me in Kindergarten then to Elementary. I was only five years old when I was on the first grade. Had to say, I was the youngest but I’m subsequent. Â  My elementary days are incredibly awesome. I gained many friends; I achieved honors and awards, academic and sports, specifically chess. It’s been quite jaded studying six years on the same school but it’s totally fine with me because I have friends to laugh with, have fun with, and learn with. In 2008, I graduated from elementary and became a high school freshman in Bataan Peninsula State University. It’s great that I found true friends that same year, and it’s quite funny how I always wanted a sister and God gave me nine super cool and amazing friends that actually treated me like a sister. I had so much fun with them. We went hiking on a mountain. It’s really unforgettable because we took a ride on a horse. It’s my sophomore year in 2009, and the best moment that I remembered back there is when we ditched class. Yeah, I know it’s not a really good thing to do but, best moments come from worst ideas, right? We cleaned the faculty room as our punishment. We did it for three months. In 2010, I fell in love with music. It’s like, my world revolves around music. There’s something about the songs that I can somehow relate myself into the lyrics. I learned so much from it. Also this year is when I fell in love with a boy. Honestly, it wasn’t a pretty story. I fell deeply in love with him then when we broke up; it’s like my worst nightmare ever. But I learned that maybe we’re not really meant to be together. Then, I realized that the fact between ‘boy love’ and ‘boy hate’ is the belief that whatever happens, I’ll be fine. Good friends, competitive teachers and one wonderful family are the ones who mold me for who I am today. Everything good I have inside of me, I get from them. Â  I experienced lots of challenges that test my skills and personality. All those challenges and problems that I’ve been through leaves a wonderful lesson. Good days gave me happiness, bad days gave me experiences, which are both essential to life. Success keeps me growing and failures make me humble. Right now, I’m studying very well so if I finished college, I can have a good job in order for me to help my family and raise the style of living that we have now with God’s grace and guidance. Just always remember that, life is like a roller coaster. It has ups and downs. But it’s your choice to scream or just enjoy the ride. Autobiography Example. (2017, Jan 06).

Summary and response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Summary and response - Essay Example No shooting has occurred in recent times and men were laid back in informal gear and are generally having a relaxed time before they jumped into battle on this day. The American soldiers at Restrepo (one of the American bases) then witness an Afghani soldier, alongside the author, crawl to his death on the mountainside; and celebrate. This disturbs the author and he begins to explain the effects this type of experiences has on the American soldier; that according to him, no one seems to be paying enough attention to. He says that some of these men have died at war, and they together with the society they come from never take time to evaluate the real effects of sacrificing themselves for their country. In the author’s view, the country should at least do this for the soldiers. The men lack mentors, necessary physiological needs etc. and have all learnt to embrace this life they lead. It is their source of excitement and they discuss it often with everyone but the public. In th e author’s view, the important thing in war is survival. The fear of going back to rejoin society’s normal way of life appears boring and even sad. I would like to respond to the author’s idea that the soldiers are not bothered by death at the battlefield and the psychological effects are immense. In the past this may have been possible but the American government began employing the use of clinical psychologists to deal with such effects. The clinical psychologist gets to work with the soldiers themselves as well as with their families. This greatly reduces the effects this has on their psyche. I also believe that no one is forced to join the American army and this is a choice they should be prepared to live with. I, however, feel that it is a noble thing for these men and women to sacrifice so much for their country and they shouldn’t be made to feel as if they are suffering. The author describes

Urben design reflection paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Urben design reflection paper - Essay Example The actors in this case, are city dwellers and the stage provides room for acting scripts that make up their lives. The life in urban places usually affect people and their lives as they undertake their daily chores. People’s lives comprising of actions, relationships among city dwellers, and other activities are essential physical structures in any setting deemed to be a city Lewis Mumford’s point of view coincides with Louis Wirth’s stand that the city influences entire relationships among people living within it as well as their development activities. The author also decries the failure by city dwellers to comprehend and embrace the functional social setups of the city. Mumford expands the point of projection that people view the city from and delves into the analysis of the same a social institution instead of the traditional physical fact perspective. According to him, the city is a wholesome sense in itself, is a topographical plexus, an institutional proc ess, an economic organization, a platform for social action, and a hitherto artistic symbol of collective unity. Mumford moves away from the built environment while making analysis of a city. His viewpoint is rather broad and includes evaluation of the city as a centre of social set of connections and a theatre where people work out their definite activities by engaging in both cooperative and conflicting personalities, groups, and events to produce results that are more significant. The author appreciates the role of built environment as a natural habitat but he limits that role to a well-choreographed set stage. According to him, the built environment facilitates and in the process intensifies the performance of actors who are people in this case. The author explains that the primary character of a city is to create drama as much as all the basic structures of cities exist in other setups including suburbs as well. However, Mumford asserts the opportunity of engaging in social dis harmony and conflict only happens to those who access urban proximities and densities. In his words, a city is a special framework shaped towards the creation and development of differentiated chances for common life and an integral component of social drama. Lewis Mumford advanced the polynucleated ideology in the setup of contemporary cities. This idea proposes cities with various centres, which differs from mononucleated cities. These are cities with one centre. Mumford believes that his proposal comes with multiple benefits including the capacity to allow cities to expand constantly while the administration subdivides them into districts. This ideology would allow the expansion of emerging sprawls but with human considerations understanding aspects that are both manageable and practical. According to him, the practical factors should get the chance to determine the limiting factors including density, size, layout of the city, and area that deviate from the traditional technologi cal concerns and geographical reasons. Mumford highlights that limitations on size, area, and density are important to enhance effective social interactions bringing a better sociological understanding. Cities have the capacity to promote acceptable social values among the dwellers and increase the ability of human relationships and personalities. Mumford further defines a city as a space of societal culture and civilization. He holds this as the modern

AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROPOSAL Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

AN INDIVIDUAL PROJECT PROPOSAL - Dissertation Example The Standards for acquiring accessibility through technical specifications and interface design have been laid down for the conventional Web, but, how far e-learning systems are conforming to these standards is still unclear. More so, there remains conflicts between educational features and usability. There is a need for Institutions to meet recent accessibility andb fulfil government targets to deliver growing access to Higher Education. It can only be achieved by evaluating e-learning system usability and identifying the arising accessibility needs. Aims of the research The project intends to fulfil certain objectives. The research project will look at the current levels of accessibility in e-learning systems, that is the Virtual Learning Environments. It will go ahead to assess theproblems faced by disabled users in accessing system features these will include textual resources, interactive content, navigation features and tools for communication. The other things that will be car ried out may include semi-structured interviews with educational support staff, among them lecturers and Information Services staff that support the disabled users example, disability support staff,e-learning support. When it comes to the empirical research with learners, six to seven university sites will be taken to assess practices and policies in accessibility support that is within different e-learning systems. This practical investigation and research activities will help gain user views and perspectives on system usability example through questionnaires or interviews. There is a need for Institutions to know which features should be avoided or used with care so that to enable disabled students to access e-learning systems. They should also be able to know the features that are educationally valuable and if they can be supported with more training for disabled learners. General context descr?pt?on This project is personal research in the field of Information Science,especially within the area of end-user systems accessibility. It a coomon issue that in Higher Education there is constant innovation and changing methods to provision of online services, but , there remains grey areas when it comes to issue of user accessibility. This issue has turned into a neede requires secondary consideration. This research looks towards underpinning improved provision of accessible systems for disabled adult learners. It has been discovered that one of the major barriers for people with intellectual disabilities in accessing electronic programmes is due to the lack of accessible adult training material and information in simple language. Through focusing directly on people with disabilities, and also on the staff of adult education or e-learning providers, this Project tackles this problem and focuses on improving the accessibility of lifelong learning programmes. Research questions The research is aimed at answering the following questions: 1. What are the major obstac le faced by students when undertaking learning in an online setting? 2. What are the usability and accessibility issues in e-learning systems? 3. What are the training needs of disabled users in facilitating online learning? 4. How can usability and access issues be practically addressed? Research methodology The research will go for a practical research element to investigate questions outlined in the study mainly targeted at

Battered women Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Battered women - Research Paper Example A report published in the year 2008 showed that the number of women who suffered injuries at the hands of their intimate partners was 2 million ( The Facts). These statistics show how serious and life threatening the problem of domestic violence is for a woman. Steps like implementing laws against violence, victim support programs, teaching the youngsters the wrongness of violence etc., have been taken to reduce the domestic violence ( The Facts). However, many a times, even after providing social and legal support, a woman chooses not to report violence against her. This is because the women who are battered are victim not only of the violence at the hands of their intimate partners, but also are victims of the psychological pattern, social structure, emotional attachment to the family and the behavior pattern of learned helplessness that they are subconsciously trained to follow. The solution to the domestic violence lies not only in the financial independence of women but also in their emotional and psychological independence. The question as to why a woman stays in a violent relationship is not easy to answer. There are many psychological aspects, both conscious and subconscious, that make a woman to tolerate the violence at the hands of a husband or a boyfriend. When Bandura (1973) studied the history of the women who were the victim of the domestic violence, he found that these women had experienced aggressive behavior and responses to aggressive behavior in their childhood (Walker 2000, p.104). The childhood experience had ‘trained’ the women suffering from domestic violence to psychologically and emotionally cope with the violence they were suffering. Also, Walker (1979) found that what made

Designing to apply new concepts in a practical way Assignment - 1

Designing to apply new concepts in a practical way - Assignment Example such as early contractor involvement, design and construction, management contractor services, construction only, cost planning and design management. The company has also demonstrated its capacity to deliver in diverse projects, such as commercial buildings, industrial and educational institutions, leisure, interiors, community and green projects. This is a preliminary qualification assessment of ADCO Construction for the construction of the Monash University proposed Green Amphitheatre based on their website. It will also explain the benefits of a careful prequalification process in determining successful project outcomes. The ADCO website helps me to establish the quality that this company is likely to bring on board should they be awarded the tender. To begin with, the company is able to deliver in a project, such as the proposed library because of their green architecture credentials (Hatush and Skitmore 1997, 129). From the website, one can decipher their experience in delivering highly rated sustainable projects. Subsequently, the ADCO website will help to determine their ability to meet the unique utility needs that form the basis of this project, which is to put up a building that complies with sustainable development architecture requirements (Saha and Hardie 2010, 671). The website also facilitates one to establish the capability of the management, as well as the qualification of the staff who are green star accredited professionals. The construction credentials of the board of directors, the national management team, and the regional management teams can also be accessed through the website, a factor which increases one’s confidence in their ability to deliver on the project (Lam et al.. 2000, 252). The diverse technical ability of the company allows it to experiment on new technologies and apply them. This is because the company employs best practices in the construction industry, such as safety management, environment management and quality

Interim-report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Interim-report - Essay Example Stereo vision came about also to solve the problems by generating 3D images of the original objects. A stereo vision can be yield from a stereo camera where the user of the stereo camera is able to compare different images obtained from the same scene using the camera (Buckingham, 2004). Different methods have been used to develop stereo cameras including the estimation of the perspective projection matrix which involves developing of equations for estimation. The original aim of the development of the project is to achieve a 3D effect on images through the use of an ordinary camera. Another effect would be merging the images that are multi viewed into a finer one. The effect would involve processing the images through the use of volumetric reconstruction procedures (Buckingham, 2004). The development is to bring the user of the camera to get an image which is stereoscopic through the ability of one being able to compare two or more views from the same scene where the images are taken. The 3D effect is attained when the person taking the image is able to distinguish the images using the eye or separation using a lenticular lens. The images that are maintained are then to be registered in 3D mesh model. Making of two images to be used in a stereo camera is the main objective of the project on the stereo camera. The process will also involve calibrating the stereo camera system using two standing cameras. The project will also do with getting the estimations, both external and internal parameters of the camera. The estimated parameters are also to be used in the making the camera produce the 3D effect (Buckingham, 2004). Having a sliding mounting device between two marked points can be done to minimize the effect of moving the camera to take the second picture after taking the first picture. This brings the problem of not being able to take moving objects. The development of the stereo camera will ensure minimizing this

The Effects of Stress Among Female Registered Nurses Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Stress Among Female Registered Nurses Essay Prior research has suggested that nurses, regardless of workplace or culture, are confronted with a variety of stressors. As the worldwide nursing shortage increases, the aged population becomes larger, there is an increase in the incidence of chronic illnesses and technology continues to advance, nurses continually will be faced with numerous workplace stressors. Thus, nurses need to learn how to identify their workplace stressors and to cope effectively with these stressors to attain and maintain both their physical and mental health. This article describes workplace stressors and coping strategies, compares and contrasts cross-cultural literature on nurses workplace stressors and coping strategies, and delineates a variety of stress management activities that could prove helpful for contending with stressors in the workplace. (Lambert and Lambert 2010, Nurses’ workplace stressors and coping strategies). In Baguio City, hospital nurses are not spared from the environmental culprit called stress. They are too prone to this even a seated individual can easily observe, but stress as they say always come with the work, nurses chose to be of service to the sick, and sick people are in the verge of experiencing most of the stresses, sometimes the nurses who takes good care of them are the absorbers to some of these stresses. Possibly yet, stress is also present in the work place when nurses are overworked and unavoidably there are build up tension among themselves causing now a strained working relationship. According to Betty Neuman, a nurse theorist she said that stressful environment causes the majority of illnesses and when it becomes severe and neglected it could lead to death. Stress has been categorized as an antecedent or stimulus, as a consequence or response, and as an interaction. It has been studied from many different frameworks (or perspectives? ). For example, Selye proposed a physiological assessment that supports considering the association between stress and illness. Conversely, Lazarus advocated a psychological view in which stress is â€Å"a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well-being. † Nevertheless, stress has been regarded as an occupational hazard since the mid-1950. In fact, occupational stress has been cited as a significant health problem. Work stress in nursing was first assessed in 1960 when Menzies identified four sources of anxiety among nurses: patient care, decision making, taking responsibility, and change. The nurse’s role has long been regarded as stress-filled based upon the physical labor, human suffering, work hours, staffing, and interpersonal relationships that are central to the work nurses do. Since the mid-1980s, however, nurses’ work stress may be escalating due to the increasing use of technology, continuing rises in health care costs, and turbulence within the work environment. (B. M. Jennings, 2010, Work Stress and Burnout among Nurses). The writer’s opinion with regards to the sudden rise and use of technology in the hospital, these are true and stressful especially among older nurses. Some of them feel intimidated about it since they need to learn how to use computerized gadgets and equipments needed to fasten treatment. Some institutions require knowledge to advance technology in order to be hired, some they assume all nurses are computer literate, if they are not; this becomes a failure to their evaluation which later on could serve as basis for their termination a major impact to the life of a nurse. Workplace stress can be described as the physical and emotional outcomes that occur when there is disparity between the demands of the job and the amount of control the individual has in meeting those demands. Anytime stress occurs, it is an indication that the demands placed upon the person have exceeded the persons personal resources, whether these resources are physical, emotional, economic, social, or spiritual. Thus, workplace stress occurs when the challenges and demands of work become excessive, the pressures of the workplace exceed the workers ability to handle them, and job satisfaction turns to frustration and exhaustion. (Lambert and Lambert, 2010). Nevertheless, work stress and burnout remain significant concerns in nursing, affecting both individuals and organizations. For the individual nurse, regardless of whether stress is perceived positively or negatively, the neuroendocrine response yields physiologic reactions that may ultimately contribute to illness. In the health care organization, work stress may contribute to absenteeism and turnover, both of which detract from the quality of care. Hospitals in particular are facing a workforce crisis. The demand for acute care services is increasing concurrently with changing career expectations among potential health care workers and growing dissatisfaction among existing hospital staff. By turning toxic work environments into healthy workplaces, researchers and nurse leaders believe that improvements can be realized in recruitment and retention of nurses, job satisfaction for all health care staff, and patient outcomes particularly those related patient safety (B. M. Jennings, Chapter26 Work Stress and Burnout among Nurses: Role of the Work Environment and Working Conditions). In one article entitled â€Å"Job Stressors and Coping Mechanisms among Emergency Department Nurses in the Armed Force Hospitals in Taiwan† it states that, nurses, as one of the professional service groups, tend to be exposed to extreme workloads. Their works are generally characterized by having a high contagious potential, being labor-intensive, having an overwhelming job shifting, and experiencing malicious complaints from patients. Compare to other general and professional service jobs, nursing requires handling complicated and dynamic occurrences under strict time pressures. Studies have generally revealed that continuously excessive workloads tend to lower their job satisfaction and deteriorate in turnover intentions. These contextual difficulties indeed continuously challenge a nurse’s temper and professional performance. This may be particularly true for nurses in the emergency departments of the AFH. (Wei-Wen Liu, Feng-Chuan Pan, Pei-Chi wen Sen-Ji Chen, Su-Hui-Lin, 2010). In another study entitled â€Å"Effects of job rotation and role stress among nurses on job satisfaction and organizational commitment†, they mentioned that Job rotation inspires nurses to achieve higher performance, allowing continuous growth at work, extended knowledge and skill, and increasing clinic patient care-taking quality. Scholars have all proposed that job rotation may help employees to acquire multiple capabilities and expand vision, and that it can be an approach to reduce job burnout. But emotional pressure often occurs in the work environment where interpersonal interactions are highly involved. Especially, the nurses working at hospitals not only implement independent and professional nursing activities in accordance with doctors advice, but take responsibility for any immediate threat to patients lives as well. Thus, the importance of nurses is undeniable, and the influence of urses qualities and capabilities on medical care quality can never be ignored. Therefore, the primary concern of the practical field of medical care is to exhaustively recognize how role stress among nurses could affect their job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and effectively utilize the job rotation system to enhance and develop nurses job satisfaction and organizational commitment, in order to promote competitive advantages (Wen-Hsien Ho, Ching S. Chang, Ying-Ling Shih and Rong-Da Liang, 2010, Effects of Job Rotation and role stress among nurses on job satisfaction and organizational Commitment). It is the writer’s point of view that stressful lives among nurses are sometimes not all related to work, some nurses go to work stressed. This maybe due to presence of children, relationships or overworked at home so that when they report for work they are already exhausted and becomes exhausted all the more if there are many patients to attend to. These are also true most especially among women, since they do much of the work at home; attending to school activities of their children and attending to the needs of the whole family, physically, financially, and socially they become vulnerable to stress and illness. Despite all the work stress that the nurses endure, there are also some ways that help nurses cope with stress. To keep them physically, emotionally, and mentally stable if not strong, they divert their attention to activities which they consider relaxing. Nurses learn techniques on how to control their temper when being stressed at work, for some they just endure tensions and exhaustion but once they reached home it is there that they find comfort and peace of mind, but to others, home sometimes adds to more stress, so they prefer staying out like malling. In an article entitled â€Å"Nurses’ Workplace stressors and coping strategies† it describes strategies to help nurses cope; coping can be defined as the constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person. Coping activities may be problem-focused in that they are directed externally and involve attempts to manage or change the problem causing the stress. On the other hand, coping activities may be emotion-focused in that they are internally directed and involve attempts to alleviate emotional distress. Examples of problem-focused coping includes problem-solving activities, recognizing ones role in solving a problem and confronting the situation by using some degree of risk-taking behavior; while emotion-focused coping includes wishful thinking, avoidance of confrontive behavior, and detachment or disengagement from the situation. This study will use the Integrative Transactional Process Model by Beehr and Schuler to guide on the effects of stress among registered Nurses in the workplace. According to the Integrative Transactional Process Model by Beehr schuler’s 1982, it corporate environmental stressors, perceptions, the stress response and stress outcomes, plus a host of moderator variables. The environmental stressors pertain to what the registered nurse encounters in his/her workplace perceived as stressful stimuli. The coping mechanisms that registered nurses utilize in combating the effect of stress to her/himself pertains to the perceptions and the response of a registered nurse to stress. This method model is in accordance with Lazaru’s conceptualization of stress by focusing on the role of cognitive appraisal (individual perception) which also highlights the nature of the (mis) fit between the organism and the environmental demands. The discrepancy between, whether challenges or goals, and the way the person perceives his potential responses to his demands cognitive stress. It is the person’s own perception of the stressful event and the appraisal of one’s ability to cope that stress. Time (duration of stress) is incorporated through the separation of the immediate perception of stress and longer term response segment of model. The name of the model implies that its relationship is reciprocal, happens across time and/or stressor and integrated diverse areas of theory. This had implied the importance of time in the stress process. That is why the years of service and the age of the registered nurse was taken as variables in the scope of the study. Individual and contextual differences such as organizational changes, job qualities personal experiences, and individual needs/values are given central role in the models which are also considered strengths of this model. These qualities correlate to the variables specifically to the ward assignments of these registered nurses and their working relationship among nurse supervisors and other health personnel. Their everyday encounter in the workplace give them the opportunity to gain experience which maybe a nurturing or bad experience that may contribute to the stress of the registered nurse. This model considers the individual and contextual differences among registered nurses which in the study pertaining to their age and gender. The aim of the study is to find out the following effects of stress among registered nurses in the workplace. It specifically aims to find answers to the questions: 1. ) what are the effects of stress among registered nurses in the workplace considering the following a. ) Physical health b. ) Emotional health c. ) Mental health 2. ) Is there a significant difference on the effects of stress among registered nurses considering the following a. Age b) Gender and c. )Years of service in the hospital, 3. ) Is there a significant difference on the effects of stress among registered nurses when assigned to a. ) Emergency ward b. ) Operating Room c. ) Surgical ward, and lastly, 4) What are the coping mechanisms utilized by registered nurses to overcome stress in the workplace?   This study is for the nurses themselves, the outcome of this will serve as a guide for them to determine, where thus the highest stress related factor occur in the lives of hospital nurses particularly the female nurses. It will be an eye opener for them in a way that they will know that simple interaction among other people could mean two different things; it can be negative or positive in effect that could cause stress. To the nursing profession especially in the field of research, this study would serve as a tool to use, as a source of information and guide not only among nurses but to other health practitioners as well, from this output, they can yield flyers or pamphlets entitled â€Å"what causes stress in the workplace†, which would contain vital information’s about stress, its causes and effects to ourselves and to the people that surrounds us. Lastly, to the Hospital administrators, this research would serve as a source of information, so that they will become aware, up to what extent does stress do among workers. This could also serve as basis in giving rest days among workers when needed. â€Å"A well rested employee becomes a productive, efficient and successful employee†. The study will utilize a questionnaire in the form of a self-assessment checklist that was developed by the researchers based on review of literatures. The first part of the questionnaire is a letter to the respondents that informs them of the purpose of the study to give full disclosure of information. The second part includes the demographic data inclusive of name (which is optional) and workplace of the respondents, followed by the questionnaire proper. This will be answered by the respondents thru checking the correct rating in assessing the Effects of Stress among Registered Nurses in the Workplace. The questionnaire will be subjected by a research expert, Ms. Geraldine D. Delson, M.A.N. She was chosen to validate the questionnaire for the reason that she is an instructor in the SLU- School of Nursing, major in Psychiatry and therefore she is well-knowledgeable on the topic. She will be asked to evaluate the relevance of the items in the questionnaire using a four-point scale, where a score of 1 is not relevant, 2 as somewhat relevant, 3 as quite relevant and 4 as very relevant. After rating, all the items with a score of 3 and 4 will be counted and divided by the total number of items in the questionnaire. Her comments and suggestions will be taken into consideration during the revision of the tool. Reliability of the questionnaire will be subjected to a preliminary item analysis. The questionnaire will be distributed to thirty (30) staff nurses having their duty at the operating room, emergency ward and medical-surgical ward of SLU-Hospital of the Sacred Heart. After answering, the questionnaires will be collected and will be asked for their comments and feedbacks regarding the questionnaire. Answers in the tool will be checked by the researchers to check for presence of ambiguity. Their comments will be taken into consideration in the revision of the tool before finally floating it. In the data gathering procedure, initially, the researchers will be giving a letter to the Chief Administrator of the Hospital informing her about the purpose of the study and that their respective Institution is chosen to be the locale wherein a number of nurses having their duty there will be taken as the respondents. Also, the letter will ask for permission to float questionnaires to the chosen respondents. After granted the permission, data gathering follows. During the data collection, the researchers will be given different hospital wards based from the selected special wards of SLU-Hospital of the Sacred Heart where they will collect data. In all the special wards chosen, the researchers will introduce themselves to the respondents and will establish rapport. The researchers will also inform the participants of the purpose and nature of the study before consent will be taken. In cases wherein the respondents decline to be part of the study, their decision will be respected. For the respondents who will agree, the researchers will present the checklist and they will give instructions as to how they will answer it. After giving the necessary instructions and reminders, the respondents will be given enough time to answer the questionnaire. The researchers will maintain a distance of 1-2 meters from the respondents while the questionnaires are being answered. To ensure anonymity, names will not be required to be written. The researchers will emphasize that any unanswered item will make their whole answers invalid. To prevent such occurrence, the researchers will stay with the respondents and double check on the answers of the questionnaire once it is passed to the researcher. After the respondents finish answering the checklist, the researchers will retrieve it and the researchers’ gratitude for participation will be expressed. The researchers will assure the respondents that they will be informed of the results of the study. After collecting the checklist, the researchers will check it for any unanswered item. All incompletely filled out questionnaire will be disregarded. The data collected will be collated, tabulated, organized and analyzed. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe and summarize the data that will be gathered, making the data readily comprehensible. Through it, the researchers will be able to identify significant differences between the variables of the study. Frequency count and percentage (Sanchez, 1988) will be utilized to measure and compare data such as age, total number of male and female nurse respondents and years of service. For the physical, emotional and mental health effects, as well as the effects on whether they are nurses assigned at the operating room, emergency department or the surgical department, frequency count, and the coping mechanisms utilized, weighted mean and ranking will be used. Weighted mean measures the average of the responses (f) in relation to the weight or the rating (r) allotted to the said response. To determine the significant difference on the respondents responses on the effects of stress among registered nurses in the workplace, nurses are grouped based on age and gender, the F-test or analysis of variance (ANOVA) test ( Tan, 1997) will be utilized. A statistical technique designed to whether the means of more than two quantitative populations are equal. The variances are used to test the quality of more than two populations. The effects of stress among registered nurses are categorized according to physical health, mental health and emotional health. The study was conducted among registered nurses of SLU-Hospital of the Sacred Heart regardless of gender, and those who are twenty five years of age and above, assigned at the operating room, emergency and surgical ward. The nurse respondents are also categorized according to their number of years in service After the researchers collected, collated, tabulated and organized the data, results were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe and summarize the data that were gathered. Through it, the researchers were able to identify the significant differences between variables of the study. In table one (1), weighted mean and ranking were used, weighted mean measures the average of the responses. Looking at the table, in category one (1) effects of stress among nurses in their physical health, question number one (1) increase in overall sickness absence has the highest mean score of 3.1, while question number three (3) I do not want to go to work early garnered the least mean score of 2.4, meaning most of the nurses assigned at the operating room, emergency ward and surgical ward when under physical stress opt to absent from work by filing a sick leave. And only few nurses do not want to report to work early when under stress. Second category which is the effect of stress in the mental health of nurses, question number eight (8) conflicts arise with colleagues, garnered the highest mean score which is 2.8 while question number six (6) I have ethical problems with my job, garnered the lowest mean of 2.1, while questions 11, 13, 14,15,16,17 and 19 (please refer to table 3) are all ranked as second question with the highest mean score of 2.6 and 2.7 respectively. The highest result means that nurses when under stress have this tendency to create tension at work and lots of misunderstandings happen between and among them, which sometimes become evident when they are doing their job then suddenly commit mistakes. Then it is good that the lowest mean score is number six, having ethical problems with job, meaning nurses despite stressors and other problems, they still respect each other and remain professional when dealing with it. The third and last category which is effect of stress to nurses in their emotional health, question number twenty five (25) I feel overloaded at work has the highest mean score which is 2.7, while question numbers twenty seven (27) my relationship with co-workers are poor and twenty eight (28) poor relationship with patients, are the two with the least mean score of 2.2 respectively. The meaning of the highest result which is I feel overloaded at work goes to show that nurses becomes work engine at the hospital, this could be due to under staffing or un equal division of work load. While it is a good remark that number 27 and 28 garnered the lowest mean score, because poor relationship with co-workers as well as with patients does not bring out the best in a nurse and in nursing service. In an article entitled â€Å"Nurses’ workplace stressors and coping strategies†, it defined stress as the physical and emotional outcomes that occur when there is disparity between the demands of the job and the amount of control the individual has in meeting those demands. Table two (2) is the coping mechanisms used by nurses when under stress in the workplace. Weighted mean and ranking are the statistical treatment used to determine the results. Coping mechanism number five (5) I say no to overtime if I do not feel happy to do it garnered the highest mean score of 3.4, while coping mechanisms numbers two (2) I exercise regularly and number thirteen (13) I allow myself to feel angry and express this in a safe way have the least mean score of 2.4, meaning nurses are but human beings, they feel and they learn to say no when it comes to overtime because of exhaustion. They reach the point when they are totally burn-out. In an article entitled â€Å"Stress Management†, it says that these stressors can lead to the classic â€Å"burn-out† syndrome. Instead of persisting until this happens, nurses can learn more effective coping strategies, become self-aware, acknowledge their own limitations, and acquire emotion-fcused and problem-solving skills (Selye, 1956). While that is the highest result, we come to the lowest which are numbers two and thirteen. Exercising regularly got a low mean score most probably because nurses when they get home from work they are already tired and there is no more time for them to do some exercising. While the latter expressing anger the safe way, it got also a low score most probably because it was not clear to the respondents what was meant by safe way to express anger. Safe way can be counting from one to one hundred, inhaling and exhaling until the body feels calm. Or maybe drinking or eating your favorite dish, food can become an outlet of anger; these are few ways of safe outlet for anger.

Mergers Of Abbey National And Santander Finance Essay

Mergers Of Abbey National And Santander Finance Essay As Watson Head (2007: 310-311) explained the terms Merger and Acquisition are used interchangeably but the differences are quite noticeable. The term Merger suggests the friendly reorganisations of assets into a new organization; the two similar sized organizations will then become one entity with both sets of existing shareholders. On the other hand, Acquisition or a Takeover suggests obtaining ones companys ordinary share capital by another one. In an acquisition the one of the organizations is larger in size and financial stability and has the dominant power over the other one. The Acquisition process is lengthy and very complicated in nature. Acquisition of any particular organization can have several motives, the acquirer may want to amplify their economies of scale, market share or to attain the financial synergy through declining the companys cost of capital. All these can be classified as: Horizontal Merger and Acquisition: Involves companies at the same stage of production in the same industry. i.e.: the acquisition of Cadbury by Kraft in 2010 Vertical Merger and Acquisition: This involves companies at different stage of production but within the same industry. The vertical integration can either be: Forward movement towards the production process, i.e: A furniture manufacturer merging with a retail furniture outlet. Backward movement towards securing the suppliers, i.e: A furniture manufacturer merging with a wood supplier. Conglomerate Merger and Acquisition: involves companies in unrelated business lines. i.e.: A clothing company acquiring a jewellery company. Trends in MA activity 2004 to 2010 in Europe Banking Industry: Figure 1: One in Five companies plans to go for large scale Acquisition in 2010 some industries expect to be even more active. Source: USB and BCG CEO/Senior Management MA survey- 2009 on 166 European Companies. As from the Figure:1 and Graph:1 , The MA trend in Retail and Insurance industries are in inclining nature, but we can observe an inclining trend in the Banking industry MA in Western Europe compared to the global trend. The Western Europe Banking sector MA shows a parallel movement with the global MA trend, suggesting that the Western Market is very susceptible to the overall market movement. The inclining nature of the MA in the Western Baking Sector (from mid 2005- mid 2009) suggests the upturn of the MA trend in the during the current recession crisis, the banks were making profits with the global trends in M&A; as these banks are also earning fees from their advisory and other services, such as; syndicated banking facilities to support leveraged bids. The trend also suggests the wave of cross-border MA with the movement of the global trend in order to expand the business. Graph 1: Trend in Global MA activity (2004-2010), compared to Eastern and Western Europe banking industry MA. Source: Bloomberg In the current recession years; with low interest rate, poor bond yields and high level of liquidity- the banking industry within the Western Europe is embracing the MA opportunity as many corporations have pushed back the bidding deals.  [1]   Table 1: MA trend from 1/01/2010 to 29/03/2010. Source: Bloomberg Acquirer Region Target Region Average Size (GBP million) Global Global 110.63M Global North America 174.94M Global Europe 79.60M Global Asia Pacific 65.29M Global Latin America Caribbean 331.65M Global Middle East Africa 106.65M North America North America 159.79M North America Europe 114.29M North America Asia Pacific 48.36M North America Latin America Caribbean 47.84M North America Middle East Africa 17.54M Europe North America 546.90M Europe Europe 65.42M Europe Asia Pacific 636.53M Europe Latin America Caribbean 1.14B Europe Middle East Africa 95.87M Asia Pacific North America 128.86M Asia Pacific Europe 41.68M Asia Pacific Asia Pacific 46.56M Asia Pacific Latin America Caribbean 180.35M Asia Pacific Middle East Africa 94.18M Latin America Caribbean North America 183.26M Latin America Caribbean Europe 455.35M Latin America Caribbean Asia Pacific 73.86M Latin America Caribbean Latin America Caribbean 506.03M Latin America Caribbean Middle East Africa 11.21M Middle East Africa North America 10.50M Middle East Africa Europe 485.98M Middle East Africa Asia Pacific 21.17M Middle East Africa Latin America Caribbean 7.62M Middle East Africa Middle East Africa 134.77M From the table above, the MA trend is inclining more towards emerging markets as the target regions; although, emerging markets are also opting for MA activities in the same or different emerging markets to expand the business. An Acquisition CASE: Abbey national PLC acquired by Banco Santander SA: Background of Abbey National PLC: The Abbey National Building Society was formed following the merger of the Abbey Road Building Society and the National Building Society in 1944  [2]  . In July 1989, Abbey became a public limited company and floated on the London Stock Exchange. With 12 million customers and assets of  £ 177 billion, it is ranked the sixth largest bank in the UK by assets and the fifth largest by deposits (with a 9% share of the market). Reflecting its origins as a building society, it is the second largest mortgage provider in the UK, with an 11% share of the market. Furthermore, with 15% of the market, at the time of acquisition, it was the third largest provider of insurance protection products and has a large distribution network with more than 700 branches (EMCC, 2008). Abbey had two main business divisions, Personal Financial Services and the Portfolio Business Unit. Background of Banco Santander Central Hispano SA: Santander is a bank that has transformed itself: from being a middle player in the Spanish banking market 20 years ago, it is now a major global bank operating in Spain, Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom and other European countries, as well as in Latin America. The group is currently the leading consumer bank in Europe and has over 10,500 branches globally (excluding those branches gained through the acquisition of Banco Real as a result of a deal with ABN AMRO). Santander is a technologically advanced bank, with an information technology platform that is regarded as a strong competitive advantage. Excluding Banco Real employees, the group currently employs approximately 130,000 people worldwide, of whom 50% are working in Latin America. There are also large numbers of employees working in the UK and Spain. (EMCC, 2008). Banco Santander was a small retail bank when it started its business in 1985, since then it initiated its local market growth through mergers and strategic alliances; and later implemented Low-scale cross-border expansion through strategic alliances and acquisitions. Gradually, the implementation of Large-scale cross border expansion took place. Chart 1: Banco Santander Acquisition Transaction Overview till January 2010. Source: Reuters Overview of the Acquisition: The objectivity of this particular acquisition/takeover was to diversify the business of Banco Santander PLC to mortgage and financial services; not to mention to explore the retail banking opportunities in the UK market. Therefore, the motive for this MA was to gain economies of scale through synergy and also to entering a new market in order to optimize their market share, hence; buying Abbey was a mean to enter into Europes second largest consumer financing market. In 2003 Abbey National PLC was pricey for Santander and in 2004, Abbey incurred losses from its entry into the money market and Santander decided to go ahead with the Acquisition plan in order to penetrate the UK market. Moreover, the secondary objective of this acquisition was to under-cut the local competition for Banco Santander with the hopes of obtaining higher profitability in the UK market. Moreover, Banco Santander already had the expertise in the retail banking and built a strategic alliance with the Royal Bank of Scotland from 1988. Therefore, Santander had already gathered banking knowledge and futuristic opportunities. As stated by Parada et al., (2009: 666-667) Acquiring Abbey National PLC would make Banco Santander the biggest bank in Europe and Latin America and dominating their business in the strong currencies- the Euro, US dollar and the Pound. The acquisition had boosted the companys operation in six segments: Retail Banking, Global Banking Markets, Corporate Banking, Private Banking, Group Infrastructure and Sold Life Businesses. After the acquisition Abbey National PLC became Santander UK PLC in January 2010.  [3]   Abbeys leadership position in the United Kingdoms mortgage lending market, together with its extensive branch network, represent for the shareholders of Banco Santander and of Abbey an opportunity to create value based on the application of the best business and technological practices of Banco Santander to Abbeys banking operations. Abbeys business heavily contributes to reinforce our pan-European franchise and provides the Group with a more balanced earnings stream.-(Emilio Botà ­n, Chairman of Banco Santander, July 2004).  [4]   Table 2: Overview of the Abbey National PLC acquisition. Source: Reuters As noted in Parada et al., (2009, 666-668) in 2004 Abbey was suffering from losses from entering in the whole-sale money market; therefore, Santander grabbed the opportunity to launch a friendly bid. Santander managed to overpower all the regulatory obstacles. Although the acquisition was initiated in 2004; but the tentative completion of this acquisition is expected to be at the end of 2010; given Abbey National PLC will be renamed as Santander UK PLC. Figure 2: The 3 steps of internationalization implemented by Santander in 2004. Source: Authors. Acquisition of Abbey National PLC Graph 2: The dimensions of Santander acquisition with its growth (2000 to 2004). Source: Bloomberg The graph above portrays the rising nature of Santander Share price after the Abbey acquisition at the end of year 2004. Defence Strategy implemented by Abbey National PLC: During the Acquisition offer, Abbey National PLC urged its rivals British banks to make counter-bid offer in order to push back the  £8.9 billion offer made by Banco Santander. Moreover Abbey spent out  £9 million worth of Legal documentation to its approximately 1.8 million shareholders in the hopes of bouncing off the Acquisition offer made by Banco Santander.  [5]   Valuation of the Acquisition: The asking price for the acquisition was  £10 billion and the sold price was  £8.9 billion. The terms of the Acquisition were based on the equity market capitalisation of the two companies over the three months prior to 23 July 2004. Based on the average closing market price for a Banco Santander Share on the Spanish stock market was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.70 and the average closing mid-market price for an Abbey Share on the London Stock Exchange was  £4.69 at an exchange rate of à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5054:  £1, the terms of the represent a premium of approximately 28.4 % with a value of each Abbey Share at  £6.03 or 603 pence ( taking into account the 6 pence for dividend differential, see the financing section), and the entire issued ordinary share capital of Abbey at approximately  £8.9 billion.  [6]   Financing the Acquisition Bid: The acquisition was finance through the purchase of Abbey shares and Mixed Bid offer was initially offered to precede the acquisition; where, Santander (the largest bank in North American and Spain) offered one of its own shares and 31 pence in cash for each share of London-based Abbey shareholders.  [7]  The special dividend of 25 pence will be paid along with 6 pence (31 pence in total) worth dividend differential to compensate the Abbey National shareholders; as historically the dividend payment of Banco Santander was usually lower than Abbey National Dividend payment (Table:3). Later on, in November 2004, the acquisition was carried out through an exchange of one new Santander Share for each of Abbey share. 94.6% backing support (based on the share counting only 64.8 % shareholders agreed to the acquisition deal) was received from the Abbeys shareholders in order to proceed with the takeover. The deal was worth almost  £9 billion (or à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 13.5 billion to be exact; at the time of acquisition offer the exchange rate was à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬1.5054 to  £1). The enlarged company would be 76%-owned by existing Santander shareholders, with the rest in the hands of Abbey shareholders.  [8]   Regulatory Framework: The acquisition took place under section 425 of UK Companies Act 1985. Moreover, Santander had to provide many paper-works and detailed plans to the European Authorities regarding the Abbey Acquisition (See Appendix, Illustration: 2). As a result of the acquisition, Abbeys remaining private shareholders became entitled to one Santander share and the shares are traded in Euros in the Madrid Stock Exchange.  [9]   Table 3: Capital Value estimated for the Abbey Shareholders, Source: http://www.vernimmen.com/ftp/sch-abbey.pdf Cultural Differences: Although, the Spanish culture and British culture vary in many ways they run business. In British Culture, organizations rely mainly on their Human Resource, whereas, Spanish Culture relies more on the technological upgrading. Abbey National PLC had about 33% back-office employees; whereas, Santander had about 6% to 10% employees as back-end personnel. Therefore, after the acquisition the employee number in Santander PLC came down to 16 thousands from 24 thousands in the UK. At the time of acquisition Santanders cost to income was 42%, whereas in UK it was on about 50% or more.  [10]   The acquisition may be affected by different tax incentives and regulations. Any change in the Spanish Banking policy will affect the Santander UK subsidiary both economically and financially. Moreover at the time of acquisition in 2004, the UK national savings rate is only 14.7% of GDP, compared with over 23% in Spain. Therefore, the spending and saving nature in the UK are very diverse than in Spain. As quoted in the Guardian (2005): Santander .. treats its Spanish shareholders to an unusually attractive range of perks, from discounted medical insurance and dental care to cut-price hams and crates of wine.  [11]  . Therefore, such treatments in the UK can be perceived as manipulative technique due to the variance in these two cultures. Performance in Share Price and Stock Market- Post Acquisition: Since Banco Santander is a Spanish bank, the shares was listed in Spanish Stock Market and the shareholders had to face exchange rate volatility since the dividend were being paid in Euros; nonetheless, the Spanish taxation issue can be quite complicated to the UK shareholders. The Abbey shareholders were given the option to sell the shares to any Spanish Organization in the UK, but Abbey shareholders who held on to their Santander shares over time have to pay tax on any dividends they get.  [12]  Banco Santander new shares after the acquisition were not admitted to the Official List or to trading on the London Stock Exchange during the post period of the acquisition.  [13]   In 2009 Santander 1.1 million new current accounts with our 25 million customers, and reported to deliver more than 30% profit in five successive years after the acquisition. Chart 2: The Overview of UK Competitors. Source: H1 09 Reports Data and BBA Abstract by HSBC Graph 3: Santander UK PLC share price performance. Source: http://www.h-l.co.uk/shares/shares-search-results/s/santander-uk-plc10-38-non-cum-stlg-pre/charts The Santander UK PLC is in the second place after Lloyds Banking Group in the Mortgage market share in UK with relatively reasonable Market share in Retail Banking (Chart: 2). Moreover, The EPS of Banco Santander has been performing quite poorly after 2005, it has declined from 0.337 in 2005 to 0.27 in 2009 (See Appendix, Illustration: 3 ). The share price of Santander UK PLC has been rising from the year 2005 (Graph: 3), partly because the dividend was 15% higher than that paid in the mid of the year 2005. As of in 2006, 25% higher dividend was paid. In 2008, Banco Santander announced its agreement to take over Alliance Leicester PLC (AL). Under the terms of the agreement Banco Santander will offer one Company share for every three AL shares. The European Commission had approved Banco Santander  £1.3 billion takeover of Alliance Leicester Plc. Moreover, in year 2008, Banco Santander had agreed to buy Bradford Bingley PLC retail deposits and branch network. Santander had agreed to pay about  £400 million to acquire 2.7 million Bradford Bingley customer savings accounts containing some  £21 billion of deposits. Therefore, Santander UK PLC is still at its growth stage in the UK Market and it is focusing more on acquiring local financial institutions. Reuters reported in October 2009 that, Banco Santander SA planes to maintain its policy of paying half its net profit in dividends in 2010. Moreover, according to the Yahoo Finance (April, 2010), Banco Santander SA has higher Dividend yield of 6.80 % and global Foreign Money Centre Banks Industry has the rate at 1.96%, which suggest a favourable investment option to the potential shareholders. The Santander Group is working towards the policy of maximizing shareholders profit. Moreover, as reported in Bloomberg, Banco Santander SA is seeking to list its UK business in London Stock Exchange listing from February 2010 in order to raise funds for possible future buy-up opportunities, the listing offering may value at more than  £15 billion. Banco Santander is looking for funds to bid for Royal Bank of Scotland PLC network of 300 branches. On the other hand, Santander UK is willing to sell 25% of its stake in order to be listed in FTSE 100 and also to pay out about  £1 billion a year in dividends to construe an attractive deal to the investors (Source: The Times). Conclusion: Although, there were many speculation against the Abbey acquisition due to its cross-border nature, but all the speculations were proven wrong. Although, this particular acquisition was the most talked about topic in the UK financial market, and many believed the acquisition would not create any value for the Abbey Shareholders. With proper understanding of the local market, Banco Santander had utilized its previous acquisition knowledge when it came to this acquisition. Banco Santander knows what its UK shareholders want and trying to live up that expectation to serve their UK shareholders. Banco Santander is seeking to expand its business in the UK. Although, till date the Abbey bank transformation is still under progress, but Banco Santander had been patient with the UK market because they know- slow and steady wins the race. Bibliography: Huws, U. OKeefe, B. 2008. Managing Change in EU Cross-Border Acquisition, Case example Santander and Abbey: Expansion Enabling access to new markets. EMCC Company Network, 1-4. Mayer-Sommer, A. P. , Sweeney, S. Walker, D.A. 2005. Effect of Bank Acquisition on Shareholder Returns. Bank Accounting and Finance, 1-7, June-July. Lausberg, C. Stahl, T. 2009. Motives and Non-Economic Reasons for Bank Mergers and Acquisitions. The Icfai University Journal of Bank Management, 8(1): 1-25.

Orientalist Musings and their Applicability to Three Kings :: Essays Papers

Orientalist Musings and their Applicability to Three Kings The concept of Orientalism is one in which Edward Said, a renowned intellectual with a solid background in the field of Arab study, is particularly knowledgeable. If the concepts surrounding Orientalism are broken down into specific elemental degrees, then Said portrays the American conception of Arabic entities and their inhabitants with a plethora of stereotypes that generate a false depiction of the Arabic culture. This, of course, is only an extremely small portion of the grandiose Orientalist dilemma that is currently quite prevalent in modern day society. Yet, for this paper’s ultimate purpose, this sector will be the sole focus. As Said intimates, the lens that the Americans utilize in order to acquire information about Arabs is one that reflects perceptions falsely. This lens is skewed in order to protect and support certain interests, whether they be American or western based. Movies, particularly when generated through the Hollywood action- based gen re, have an false generalization of the way in which an Arabic people are. In some respects, the Hollywood produced movie, Three Kings, is a pertinent acknowledgment of the former. In many portions of the film, the enumerated antics may cause for a feeling of disdain toward the Arab nation. Yet, compared to the majority of the typical Hollywood action-based films, Three Kings manages to break away from these abhorrent stereotypes and provide a more than average acknowledgment of the sheer complexity of the Arab people as individual, separate from Saddam Hussein. Therefore, Said’s primary proposed conception of Orientalism is challenged and the Arab is depicted as a person trying to fight Hussein. In correlation with Said’s Orientalist argument, American film portrays the Arab as the enemy, but in Three Kings this concept is challenged. Typically, by the end of an American film, there are a significantly greater number of Arab bodies than that of the superpower, in this case the United States of America. To a greater extent, Three Kings plays around with this typical film-like mentality. In the film, when the men are stranded and are looking for some way to escape from the village and rescue their man Troy, George Clooney states, â€Å"we are not supposed to be involved with this, we killed Iraqi soldiers, violated the peace accord, and a plane will not come for us.

History Of Music Essay -- essays research papers

It can be argued that the vanguard of development has always been reflected in the arts of a culture. It is the poets, the dreamers and artists who are the architects of the future; the ones who ‘build the world they want to live in, the ones who dream out loud’1. Music is an elaborate art form, tempered by the emotions of those who create it and as such the dreams, creations and inventions are partly the products - or at least artifacts - of the world around them. As such, the social, economic and technological changes in society reflect themselves in the arts of the time also. The common question â€Å"Does art imitate life, or does life imitate art?† when inspected proves rhetorical: they are parallel mirrors which reflect each other. W.H. Auden best expressed this when he said, â€Å"A verbal art like poetry is reflective; it stops to think. Music is immediate, it goes on to become.† Tracing the course of musical development through history shows how closely music (of all the art forms) in particular represents the time in which it was written. The â€Å"immediacy† Auden speaks of is evidenced in music’s ability to associate itself with a specific point in time or event and always remind the listener of that time or place. It is impossible to analyse individual interpretation of music, however it is interesting to examine what caused musicians to write what they did, when they did. The personal interpretation or association of a work is superimposed; it is the music â€Å"going on to become.† By correlating musical developments with historical events or conditions, we can see not only why certain styles of music were written when they were, but also how the times dictated the styles as much as the styles dictated the times. The exact origin of music is unknown. We can only form educated guesses from the evidence that remains today: pictures on fragments on broken vases of musical instruments, or cave paintings of dancing figures. It is generally accepted that music was first used in prehistoric times in spiritual or magical rituals. This knowledge comes from the fact that music still forms a vital part of most religious ceremonies today. Whereas with ancient pictures, we can imagine missing pieces, or envision brighter colours, when it comes to music we have no idea of what instruments were used, or the sounds they made. Our relationship with the music of the time is ... ...tury. However, since most artists thrived on the emotional and irrational abstract that they were writing about, there was no specific category that this mode of thinking could fall into. This was a strength since the freedom to explore nature was infinite and without any restriction based on rules or laws. This invariably led to a reintroduction into religion and mysticism; people wanted to explore the unknown spiritual side of things. Music as a whole has had a gradual evolution throughout history. The tie between Man’s search for the unknown, quest for Truth and longing for spiritual fulfillment and the Arts is undeniable. Reactionary, or ‘pro-actionary’ music ties us tight to places or events both in our lives and in those of others. While architecture and artifacts can give us clues to what society was like in the past (Roman ruins tell us much about life two thousand years ago), it is only the music that can communicate what our predecessors were thinking or feeling. It is the poets, the dreamers and artists of old who were the architects of their future, which allow us to glimpse our past. And it has been said, to know where one is going, you must know where you came from.

Voodooism in Haiti Essay -- Science Religion Religious Essays

Voodooism in Haiti Introduction: My Exposure to Voodooism Voodooism is a fascinating way of life. Ever since living in Haiti in the early 1980's, the constant thumping of drums in the twilight has intrigued me. Their melody and rhythm seemed to consume the moist evening air like a pungent odor that will not dissipate. Life is very different in Haiti than it is in the United States, and however odd it seems to Western mentality, I could feel the presence of spirits in and around almost every aspect of life in Haiti. Since living in Haiti as a child, this is the first time I have researched the impact of Voodooism on the lives of Haitians. As a scientist, I want to document how the religion of Haiti quantitatively affects the worldview and lives of the people. I want to know if the science that I have learned and been taught would make sense in the Haitian culture; and as I have been trying to relate my faith to my scientific understanding, I wonder if Voodooism and theoretical science can coexist? Are US American methods of science appropriate and applicable to the Haitian context? I am on a journey to discover what Voodooism is and means and then how that relates to science. Science as a Worldview Science is a way of approaching the world, knowing why and how things around us are occurring. The scientific method allows scientists to be precise and focused. Through that medium, they can determine which hypotheses are consistently supported such that they become theories and which need more modification or rejection. This type of knowing can be tested and quantified. Scientists strive to make their observations as objective as possible, to be devoid of human interest. Scientists try to control all the variables ... ...ax or a strange form of acting. Maybe my world view prevents me from embracing the religion of the people in Haiti and they have a fluid tradition that is willing to accept scientific proofs into it's reality. I want to test more circumstances and explore more variables before I will be able to conclude with a probable theory. Bibliography Bellegarde-Smith. Haiti: The Breached Citadel. 1990. Corbett, Bob. Introduction to Voodoo in Haiti. http://www.primenet.com/~rafreid/voodoo.html Foster, Charles. Haiti-Today and Tomorrow. 1984. Franciscus, John. Haiti: Voodoo Kingdom to Modern Rivera. 1980. Herskovits, Melville. Life in a Haitian Village. 1971. Lawless, Robert. Haiti: A Research Handbook. 1990. The Vodun (Voodoo) Religion. http://web.canlink.com/ocrt/voodoo.html Weinstein, Brian. Haiti: Political Failures, Cultural Successes. 1984.

Organizational Structure Essay

†¢ Describe the organizational structure of your selected organization. Compare and contrast that structure with two different organizational structures. Google seems like a logical choice to use for my selected organization. Google is innovative and braces technology while others are not. Google understands its organizational structure well and that is where the innovation starts. Google embraces the fact that they can use the internet to conduct business and can hire in any country that allows this. How does this model differ from Sears? Sears and Kmart merged and are still having a hard time making the organization viable. Sears used to have mail order catalogues available to their customers and quit using this means a few years back. They lost business because that was their staple and this came as this sort of business was booming. They went backwards in my opinion and hurt sales. While Google diversifies into technological areas Sears does not. The company Amazon has seen the potential of the internet and has made strides selling their product to many world-wide. They embrace technology and prosper because of it. If Sears wants to evolve into the twenty first century, they need to use technology to compete with competitors. There are many tools in the organizational structure and technology is just one used for this paper. I think that Sears is a bureaucratic structure in nature. They have changed their organizational structure a few times probably because the board of directors were not happy with the old one and did not see it as viable. Sears is probably a matrix structure now. They need to diversify to compete and picked a winning organizational structure and stick with it will see them prosper in the futur e. Unless they change, they will not have a chance in the future. Amazon and Google are virtual structures. Some may argue that Amazon is a network structure. â€Å"One of the important issues for business model design is to develop a method for identifying a specific company’s business model structure. The purpose of this research is thus to propose a new systematical method for understanding and identifying business model structure.† (Ming-Hone, Yu-De, & Yea-Huey, 2011, p.232) †¢ Evaluate how organizational functions (such as marketing, finance, human resources, and operations) influence and determine the organizational structure of your selected organization. Marketing in Google is one of the best organizational functions. They have a market that other could only dream of. The Google search engine is used by millions if not billions of potential customers. This is an already established means of marketing. By diversifying into other services, Google can target a multitude of potential customers on their search engine. Finances are cut to a minimum when most of the information and marketing is online. The virtual structure has done well for Google. They can hire from all over the world to expand their operations with ease. Google uses grounded theory that incorporates systematic and rigorous procedures for qualitative data collection and analysis. This lets them use data to see trends and capitalize on the information. Data collection, analysis, and theory are their bread and butter. Google took one million dollars and turned it into four billion dollars with this business model. Social networking is a tool used by Google in determining goals set forth by this organization. Google Ads was a good idea and worked out well. Google AdSense empowers online publishers to earn revenue by displaying relevant ads on a wide variety of online content. This gives everyone the chance to market a product in a cost effective way. The diversity of Google and the data mined from customers has made this company a giant in the industry. Face it Google is everywhere. Finance is minimal in a virtual organization for obvious reasons. They need servers to keep the information that is data mined and programmers to setup programming for the business. Technology can keep the cost down but it is still expensive to keep this sort of business going. It is still cheaper than traditional means. †¢ Explain how organizational design (such as geographic, functional, customer-based, product, service, hybrid, matrix, marketing channels, and departmentalization) helps determine which structure best suits your selected organization’s needs. Organizational design plays a major part in the business model of Google. Geographical location is not a problem for Google. The internet has made the world smaller and cost effective to do business around the world. Functional design is already in place for Google. They have a brand that everyone in the world knows. Google is customer based and that is their product. This works well together with the services aspect. They came out with Google Maps that was a big success. AdSense has taken off. Google Sky is another product. The main product is Google’s search engine. This by itself gives them trends into the minds of millions of people every single day. This also can be used for advertising anything they want to market. Data mining and watching trends of their customers would be a great way to diversify into something that is taking off. Sometimes I think this is too much power for one company. Monopoly laws will have to change world-wide for others to compete. Innovation is the mother of invention and I feel the world will adjust. The visions of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the founders of Google have surpassed even their expectations. Departmentalization breaks processes up into departments. This is usually by taking a certain function of a company and dividing it into a functional department with specialists. Google does that well. A matrix groups employees by both function and product. This would be an ideal structure if specialists were taken into consideration in my opinion. Working well between those groups is where the problem lies. Google has its share of problems as do most organizations. Google is getting huge and I can see this being a problem in the future. I am sure this will evolve for the better. Fee based products are also in Google’s arsenal. There is a Google store and well as Google Books. The diversification is mind boggling. I have seen the Google Car was a bust. Only time will tell if this was viable.