The Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt- book report free essay sample

A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Goldratt and Cox KEY IDEA The Goal centers around the protagonist Alex Rogo, who is a manager at a manufacturing and production plant for UniCo that is performing badly and is given three months to improve or face closing. His old physics professor, Jonah, is his guide and mentor through the story, using the Socratic Method, as Alex and his team learn to formulate what later becomes the Theory of Constraints to turn the plant around and eventually earn him a promotion to division manager. SUMMARY The story begins with outlining the problems Alex Rogo is facing. His plant is incredibly late on shipments because of inefficient processes. It takes the entire plant to make sure one order goes out before the end of the day. Rogo works in a high stress environment where daily, processes must be restructured just to get out an order of the most upset customer that day. We will write a custom essay sample on The Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt- book report or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page His manager, Bill Peach, gives him an ultimatum of three months to turn the plant around or face closure. In addition to this, his marriage is suffering because of his long hours at work. Alex is deeply worried with this deadline. Alex embarks on tracking down Jonah, his old physics professor, to help him begin to isolate the problems in his factory. Jonah uses the Socratic method of questioning Alex, instead of feeding him the answers directly to what he BOOK REPORT: THE GOAL 1 seeks. He forms a team of department heads; Bob the plant’s head supervisor, Lou his chief accountant, Stacey the inventory manager, and Ralph the data processing manager. With the team assembled, and the Socratic guidance of Jonah, they use the logic of the scientific method to discover bottlenecks within the plant. Additionally, a hiking trip with his son’s boy scout group helps him stumble upon the solution to statistical fluctuations and independent events (embodied by Herbie, a boy carrying too much in his rucksack and walking slower than the rest of the group), which also allude to alleviating the bottleneck problem with in his plant. As a result of these experiences and problem solving meetings, the group learns to apply the earlier techniques to overcome new bottlenecks that develop later on. Along the way Alex learns that goal of business is to make money, and any efforts that detract from that prevent the company from reaching the goal. Jonah helps Alex discover the three measurements of productivity and profit; operational expense, throughput, and inventory. Alex later revises what the goal is and states that the goal is to increase throughput while simultaneously reducing both inventory and operating expense†. Balancing the flow of inventory through the plant becomes the key to solving their problem, instead of their previous answer of capacity. Alex and the team turn to restructuring the process of operations so time is not wasted at the bottleneck machines, which are the NCX-10 and Heat treatment processes/machines. Because capacity was being taken up by quality control being performed on parts at those machines, they moved quality control ahead of them in their processes to effectively increase their capacity. They also create a green and red tagging system to help push through late orders quicker. These measures increased their throughput and decreased inventory and operating expense, achieving the goal by making the plant profitable. Although Alex is relatively unaffected by this since his company is making money, the company is using incorrect metrics in measuring the profitability of his plant.   Because of their drastic innovation to old processes, Alex is promoted to manager of the division, with many of the team members being promoted as well, Lou going along with Alex to the division headquarters. Upon consulting with Jonah one last time, Alex starts on the last task for his team, to help him determine what techniques of effective managers. The fivestep process consists of: 1. IDENTIFY the systems constraint(s). 2. Decide how to EXPLOIT the systems constraint(s). Lastly, Alex applies the Socratic method to his marriage problems with his wife Julie. This side story makes the book more realistic to its audience, all the while showing real life stresses of balancing work and personal struggles and how these methods of problem solving can be applied universally, not just in a business setting. The lessons learned in The Goal are not strictly relevant to manufacturing business, they are about life and any problem you approach. The techniques of questioning taught through the Socratic Method allow you to draw your own questions and conclusions about problems encountered. Furthermore, the book outlines techniques on the creation of clear metrics on improvements and productivity in any business. By asking what the goal(s) of the business is/are, and how throughput (the rate at which the system generates money through sales), operational expenses (all the money the system spends in order to turn inventory into throughput), and inventory (all the money that the system has invested in purchasing things it BOOK REPORT: THE GOAL 3 intends to sell) are defined in relation to those terms, thus key metric units and measurements can be formed when data is collected. Increasing throughput while decreasing operational expenses and inventory is the goal of business and is usually expressed as profits, or making money. A huge lesson learned in this book is that numbers can be distorted, hence a true and accurate system of performance and profitability measurement cannot be based on what is assumed as an industry standard. Because many performance measurement techniques at UniCo are accepted at face value, the new profitability increases at Alex’s plant are underrepresented. The bottom line is not considered in his case, even though operating costs per unit are down and efficiencies are up, this productivity is being unrecognized. The lack in upper management’s questioning of metric definition is a real problem within many businesses today. Productivity is meaningless unless you know what the goal is. This theme in the book looks to stress that exercising common sense and the Socratic method in creating metrics is essential in profitable and productive businesses. APPLICATION As I intend on owning my own business in the future, I will apply what I learned in the book by using the five step process for ongoing improvement when I hit an s-curve in profitability or efficiency. Being able to identify bottlenecks and constraints in my own business will enable me to be a problem-solver. I have received much advice already in my path to business owner. Thus, applying the Socratic method to this advice will help me to be comparative and consider by which standards is this advice given. I want to stand out against my future competition, so my belief is that questioning the status quo in my methods will help me to produce a product and business that is truly unique in my intended market. Most of all, keeping the goal in sight is crucial. If you lose sight of what you are trying to achieve.

Employment and Hrm Essay

Employment and Hrm Essay Employment and Hrm Essay The main purpose of the article One of the main responsibilities of the Human Resource department and any business is to recruit and sustain the work force of the company. This article discusses the challenges the Human resource department encounters while facing the complex global economy. Additionally, it will discuss the future of workers, the work itself and the changes that needs to be made to keep up with what is to come in the future such as changes in technology and society, so that they are well prepared for when these changes occur. The largest change within the work force for HRM to adjust to is over the past few centuries more women and culturally different people are entering the workforce. This change makes it difficult of standing legalities to stay in place, such as dress codes and codes of conducts. Additionally, the HRM is tasked with finding appropriate health insurance coverage for the entire company, what may have been ample coverage for a workforce full of men, may not be suitable for the new women who are now working within the company, considering men are not the human beings who are bearing children. Making sure that the workforce is diverse and there are statutes in place for those of whom decided to be racists, sexist and culturally sheltered will be reprimanded accordingly so that no member of the workforce feels uncomfortable in their place of work. Another aspect of HRM with the addition to women entering the workforce, if the implementation of sexual harassment policies, as it goes now many companies have hotlines for this these types of instances. It is the HRMs duties to ensure that violators of these policies are punished properly, suspension without pay as far as to go to lengths of termination to prove a point that that type of behavior will not be tolerated I nteh workplace no matter how good of an employee one is they need to know that no matter the quality of their performance they are not exempt from the rules. In a nut shell the HRM is responsible for ensuring the safety and emotional contentment of their employees while they are employed with the company. In any range from the employees not feeling comfortable due to an interaction with a coworker or even management, as well as if they feel underappreciated or over whelmed with their workflow, HRM is there to help figure out a solution to retain their employees as well as use these situation among others to attract new employees to the company. The key questions being asked. The key question being addressed in the article is how HRM is facing and dealing with the challenging changes that they are facing with society, technology, the workforce and the work itself. Whether their solution to these changes are implementing new codes of conduct, code of ethics, new information barrier policies, or updating their sexual harassment policies are all changes that the HRM is responsible for. In addition to this, they need to continue to make sure that their current codes are still up to par with industry standards. An example of this would be if said company handled confidential information and could face serious legal troubles in certain information was leaked to other customers by mistake by one of the account managers accidentally sending an email to the wrong person. It is imperative that all employees be trained on the information barriers policy and the consequences of breaching the policy. All staff members should take regular annual information barriers tr aining to ensure that any updates or changes to the policy are passed along to the company as a whole. If a women enters an all-male workforce, such as an auto shop, machine shop or industry of that nature where they have never had a female in the workforce, all new policies will have to into place to ensure that the male employees do not make the female employee uncomfortable while she is working. This means that the HRM will need to go above and beyond to make sure

Total Quality Management (TQM) Practices and Traditional Management Assignment

Total Quality Management (TQM) Practices and Traditional Management Practices - Assignment Example According to the research findings, the difference between Total quality management (TQM) practices and traditional management practices in relation with management systems is that in TQM, all employees of the organization play their role in improving the efficiency of the organization in order to achieve long-term success through customer satisfaction. Both management and the employees make their efforts to improve the business processes and policies. Whereas if we talk about traditional management practices, we can say that the management staff practicing tradition management is more concerned with business processes and the customer side is often ignored or given less attention. Another negative aspect regarding traditional management practices is that the management is less innovative and does not want to involve employees’ views in decision-making processes. Organizational structure refers to the way through which management of an organization use employees and department s to drive the organization towards the achievement of different goals and objectives. For any organization, such as healthcare organizations, the structure plays an important role in its success because structure clarifies roles and responsibilities of every employee. â€Å"Organizational structure provides the guidelines for the system of reporting that drives an organization†. TQM views organizational structure as one unit whereas traditional management takes it as different units putting their efforts to achieve their respective goals. TQM gives importance to collective efforts to reach organizational goals and objectives whereas traditional managers do not want to take ideas of employees in making any kind of policy and views all departments as different units of the organization. Management’s role is critical to the success of any organization. For example, in a healthcare organization, management assigns tasks to different departments based on the nature of task s and the departments make their efforts to complete those tasks. The role of management using TQM is quite different to the role of the management practicing traditional management style. â€Å"TQM takes into account all quality measures taken at all levels and involving all company employees†.

Is there a connection between human freedom and modern physics Essay - 1

Is there a connection between human freedom and modern physics - Essay Example Every man has a natural right to pursue happiness but the human thought process is very tricky. This is Maya, and Maya incites the human mind to dance to its tune. Through its thoughts the human mind can create individual and societies but these very thoughts bring it to a state of confusion. Thinking cannot control the forces of nature, says Wilhelm (Ch1, p45). Thoughts like to drown itself in the assumption that it has control over the senses and nature. Ideas are intelligent perceptions but they too can take different forms. An individual has to assume responsibility to express ideas and this may eventually lead to a new reality. This demonstrates the power in human thoughts, and this very power of ideas, reality and thoughts have led to discoveries in science. Ideas have the power to make us believe in the reality or turn the ideas into reality. It also has the power to create chaos. Human beings are always struggling for freedom – freedom not from other human beings but from their own thoughts. Freedom is not external to the self. Freedom lies in one’s own thinking process, in one’s own perception. It is freedom from one’s own confusion. This is precisely what Lord Krishna in Bhagwad Gita has conveyed. Human beings are forever fighting with their own inner selves – sometimes the divine mind reigns Supreme only to be overpowered by the demonic thoughts. Freedom is to evolve from this Maya and und erstand the Reality. It is freedom from the inner conflict and not a fight between two individuals that has been portrayed. Arjuna’s thoughts and ideas formed a chain and distorted the Reality; he was far away from the Truth. Today human beings view freedom as a right without responsibility. Standards of behavior are determined through the use of statistical curves. Money and success is the yardstick of freedom. Money is linked to spirituality. Spiritualism is a profession and those

I project 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

I project 1 - Essay Example Besides, iProject would allow me to gain practical knowledge in the field of technology marketing, develop understanding on importance of documentation and in turn generate a high quality report. With the advent of Smart Phone technology, a number of apps are being released on daily basis with a sole aim of gaining more business (Audely, 2011) and to provide customers with better after sales services in a way to facilitate them in gaining access to required information, saving time and ensure customer loyalty and customer satisfaction (Owen, 2010). iProject attempts to highlight the significance of the Smart Phone Applications in the developing the market strategy by illustrating the new creative application technology which is Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) in this website asmaalghafis.wix.com/asma. The project is aimed and planned for completion with minimum cost and resources. iProject has two main phases i.e., short term and medium term plan. For this purpose, project has been divided into two phases where phase 1 corresponds to short term career goals and phase 2 corresponds to medium term goals. Figure below shows the short term plan The main purpose of short term plan is to develop understanding of project management and planning, real world application of the knowledge and learning gained through formal courses that would help to comprehend the main essence of the topic of the assignment. I, Asma Ibrahim Al Ghafis would be managing the entire project and the website would be www.asmaalghafis.wix.com/asma. In this project, I would be assisted by Mr. Waqas Jeral, who has extensive knowledge and experience in marking as he has been working with a number of firms as a marketing consultant. He has extensive interest in techniques and method that circumference the online marketing strategy and building online, the personality identity. We

Good Governance Vs Good Administration Politics Essay

Good Governance Vs Good Administration Politics Essay Good governance and good public administration are essential aspects of democracy. The ability to distribute societys resources, curb the abuse of power and corruption and guarantee equality of all persons before the law is fundamental to a well-functioning society. The starting point of this research has been the hypothesis that our new commitment to governance norms is interlocked with the emergence of a new model (or new models) of legitimate political action and state regulation. The present analysis will concentrate of the following factors among others: the enforceable content of the right, including the role of the European Ombudsman; the relationship between good governance and good administration; the uncertain reach of the concept of maladministration; Democratic governance differs from the concept of good governance in recognizing that political and civil freedoms and participation have basic value as developmental ends in themselves and not just means for achieving socio-economic progress. Democratic governance is built on the concept of human development in its full sense of the term, which is about expanding capabilities people have, to be free and able to lead lives that they would choose to. The capability to be free from threats of violence and to be able to speak freely is as important as being literate for a full life. While the range of capabilities that people have is huge and almost infinite, several key capabilities are fundamental in human life and are universally valued, not only those in the socioeconomic sphere such as health and survival, education and access to knowledge, minimum material means for a decent standard of living, but those in the political sphere such as security from violence, and political freedom and participation. Indeed, these are core elements of human well being reflected in the Millennium Declaration. Democratic governance needs to be underpinned by a political regime that guarantees civil and political liberties as human rights, and that ensures participation of people and accountability of decision makers. In 1977, the Council of Europe argued in its Resolution 77 (31)  [1]  that since the development of the modern state had resulted in an increasing importance of public administrative activities, individuals were more frequently affected by administrative procedures. The principal task of the Council of Europe was to protect the individuals fundamental rights and freedoms, hence they intended to undertake efforts to improve the individuals procedural position vis-à  -vis the administration by promoting the adoption of rules, which would ensure fairness in the relations between the citizen and the administrative authorities  [2]  . The following principles were stated: I Right to be heard II Access to information III Assistance and representation IV Statement of reasons V Indication of remedies  [3]   Article 41 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union stipulate that every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions and bodies of the Union. This right includes the right of every person to be heard, before any individual measure which would affect him or her adversely is taken; the right of every person to have access to his or her file, while respecting the legitimate interests of confidentiality and of professional and business secrecy; the obligation of the administration to give reasons for its decisions  [4]  . Every person has the right to have the Community make good any damage caused by its institutions or by its servants in the performance of their duties, in accordance with the general principles common to the laws of the Member States. Every person may write to the institutions of the Union in one of the languages of the Treaties and must have an answer in the same language. The setting out of the right to good administration represents the establishment of a new fundamental right. The principle of good administration has been developed by the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice and in the rulings of the Court of First Instance, and is based on the existence of a Community governed by the rule of law. Paragraph 1 reaffirms this general right, the essential elements of which are expanded on in paragraph 2. The right to good administration arises from a concern for equal treatment, in accordance with the jurisprudence of the Court, and with the right to an effective remedy (article 47 of the Charter) as well as rights which go with it. (the right to be heard and each persons right to access to his or her file) This right is also contained in article 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and article 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The institutions obligations arise from the provisions of the Treaties: the general ob ligation to give reasons for decisions, (article 253 EC) making good of damages (article 288 EC) and the possibility of communicating with the institutions of the Union in one of the languages of the Treaty. (article 21 EC) Unlike in the Treaty, in the Charter this possibility is open to every person  [5]  . The European Ombudsman instituted by the Treaty of Maastricht (articles 21 and 195 EC) is authorized to receive complaints in cases of maladministration in the activities of Community institutions and bodies. In April 2000, the Ombudsman made a recommendation containing the principles to be included in a Code of good administrative conduct applicable to the servants of institutions and bodies of the Union in their relations with the public  [6]  . The Commission has added a Code of this type in annex to its internal regulations, in the context of the reform of its services and operations. The other institutions and bodies of the Union have also adopted a Code of good administrative conduct based on the Ombudsmans recommendations, or are in the process of doing so. Furthermore, in the context of police and legal cooperation, and in order to create an area of freedom, security and justice, the Union is committed to a global anti-corruption policy, set out in the Commissions communication of 1997. So we can say that democratic local governance is the process of governing democratically at the local level, viewed broadly to include not only the machinery of government, but also the community at-large and its interaction with local authorities. (Use of the term .local. refers to all sub-national levels of government.) When effective decentralization and democratic local governance advance in tandem, local governments and the communities they govern gain the authority, resources, and skills to make responsive choices and to act on them effectively and accountably. Advancing the capacity of local governments to act effectively and accountably requires promoting the desire and capacity of civil society organizations and individual citizens to take responsibility for their communities, participate in local priority-setting, assist in the implementation of those decisions, and then monitor their effectiveness  [7]  . Local autonomy is an important factor which enhances progress towards local democracy and the achievement of good governance (Ron Duncan, 2004). Governance nowadays occupies a central stage in the development discourse but is also considered as the crucial element to be incorporated in the development strategy. However, apart from the universal acceptance of its importance, differences prevail in respect of theoretical formulations, policy prescriptions and conceptualization of the subject itself. Governance as a theoretical construct, separate from the theory of state, is not only in an embryonic stage, but its formulation also differs among researchers depending on their ideological convictions. According to Larry Diamond (2005) good governance consists of several dimensions. One is the capacity of the state to function in the service of the public good. Effective functioning requires knowledge of the policies and rules that best serve the public good, and hence training of state officials in their various professional realms. It requires a professional civil service with a set of norms and structures that promote fidelity to public rules and duties, in part by rewarding those who perform well in their roles. This relates intimately to the second dimension of good governance, commitment to the public good. Where does this commitment come from? It may be generated by dedicated and charismatic leadership. Or it may derive from a cultural ethic that appreciates and a structure of institutional incentives that rewards disciplined service to the nation or the general community. In every modern society, however, it must (at a minimum) be reinforced by institutions that punish betrayals of the public trust, and so this normative element is strongly linked to the concrete institutional ones. A third dimension of good governance is transparency, the openness of state business and conduct to the scrutiny of other state actors and of the public. Transparency requires freedom of information, including an act to ensure that citizens can acquire information about how government makes decisions, conducts business, and spends public money. Needless to say, it requires full openness and competitiveness in public procurement, but it also requires openness with regard to the personal finances of government officials. Transparency is intimately related to accountability, the fourth dimension of good governance. Governing agents are more likely to be responsible and good when they are answerable for their conduct to the society in general and to other specific institutions that monitor their behaviour and can impose sanctions upon them. Effective oversight requires open flows of information, and hence transparency, so that monitors can discover facts and mobilize evidence. This requires a system of government by which different institutions check and hold one another accountable, compelling them to justify their actions. Power is thus constrained, bound not only by legal constraints but also by the logic of public reasoning. Transparency and accountability are thus intimately bound up with a fifth dimension of good governance, the rule of law. Governance can only be good when it is restrained by the law: when the constitution and laws (including individual rights under them) are widely known, when the law is applied equally to the mighty and the meek, when everyone has reasonable access to justice, and when there are capable, independent authorities to adjudicate and enforce the law in a neutral, predictable, and efficient fashion. Both effective government and well functioning markets require that there be clear rules about what constitutes acceptable conduct in all realms of economic, social and political life. All actors, public and private, must have confidence that those rules will be observed. Only under a rule of law can property rights be secure and contracts enforceable. Only through a rule of law can individuals be secure against arbitrary harm from the state or powerful private actors. A fifth dimension of good governance consists of mechanisms of conflict resolution. Participation is one means for doing so. Development is not only about choice at the individual level but also about making difficult choices at the collective level. Often there is no clear answer to the question of what is in the public interest. Only through a process of political participation and dialogue can conflicting interests be reconciled in a way that is deemed minimally fair by all (or most), and that generates broad commitment among the relevant constituencies or stakeholders in the policy arena. But participation in itself can also stimulate conflict. Conflict resolution requires as well fairness, justice, and transparency, and often more specific mechanisms to ensure that all groups are heard and included and that power and resources are decentralized and dispersed in a way that gives each community or region some real control over its own affairs. Finally, when good governance functions in the above five ways, it also breeds social capital, in the form of networks and associations that draw people together in relations of trust, reciprocity, and voluntary cooperation for common ends. The deeper a countrys reservoirs of social capital, and the more these are based on horizontal relations of equality, the more vigorous is coordination for and commitment to the public good. Social capital thus not only fosters the expansion of investment and commerce, embedded in relations of trust and predictability, it also breeds the civic spirit, participation, and respect for law that are crucial foundations of political development and good governance. In other words, it generates a political culture of responsible citizenship. All of this in turn breeds political legitimacy and stability-further deepening the societys appeal to investors who must risk capital in the effort to create new wealth. In many respects then, good governance consti tutes a virtuous cycle in which the several elements reinforce one another in a dense interplay. Shalendra D. Sharma (2007) demonstrates that good governance has several characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective, efficient, equitable, and inclusive and follows the rule of law. At a minimum, good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially by an independent judiciary and its decisions and enforcement are transparent or carried out in a manner that follows established rules and regulations. Since accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law, accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Policy analysis based empirically on the historical experiences of governance gives prominence to government failures to deliver, leading to propositions for downsizing or rightsizing, while policy prescriptions for good governance take an evolutionary view of the matter questioning relevance of public sector management of certain activities in a changed context (Hye Hasnat, 2001). Good governance is the term that symbolizes the paradigm shift of the role of governments (Holzer, 2002).. Moreover, governance is not only about the organs or actors as affirmed by Hasnat Abdul Hye. More importantly, it is about the quality of governance, which expresses itself through elements and dimensions, which will be listed in this study. Nevertheless, he states that: Just as the dancer cannot be separated from the dance, the organs or actors executing governance in their respective spheres cannot be relegated to the background. It has become a truism to say that good governance is essential for successful development. This simply begs the question what is good governance? Governance is about processes, not about ends. Common definitions describe governance as a process by which power is exercised without explicitly stating the ends being sought (Hyden, 2000). At international levels some definitions were depicted. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Given that the term governance means different things to different people, it is useful, therefore, for the UNDP to clarify, at the very outset, the sense in which it understands the word. Among the many definitions of governance that exist, the one that appears the most appropriate from the viewpoint of the UNDP is the exercise of economic, political and administrative authority to manage a countrys affairs at all levels. It comprises mechanisms, processes and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their legal rights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences.  [8]   Good governance is, among other things, participatory, transparent and accountable, effective and equitable, and it promotes the rule of law. It ensures that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in society and that the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable are heard in decision-making over the allocation of development resources. The World Bank: According to the World Bank, governance is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾the manner in which power is exercised in the management of a countrys economic and social resources for development. On this meaning, the concept of governance is concerned directly with the management of the development process, involving both the public and the private sectors. It encompasses the functioning and capability of the public sector, as well as the rules and institutions that create the framework for the conduct of both public and private business, including accountability for economic and financial performance, and regulatory frameworks relating to companies, corporations, and partnerships. In broad terms, then, governance is about the institutional environment in which citizens interact among themselves and with government agencies/officials. UN concept Governance is the process whereby public institutions conduct public affairs, manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights. Good governance accomplishes this in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption, and with due regard for the rule of law. The true test of good governance is the degree to which it delivers on the promise of human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. The key question in the UNs concept is: are the institutions of governance effectively guaranteeing the right to health, adequate housing, sufficient food, quality education, fair justice and personal security? The concept of good governance has been clarified by the work of the Commission on Human Rights. In its resolution 2000/64 the Commission identified the key attributes of good governance as: transparency responsibility accountability participation responsiveness (to the needs of the people) Resolution 2000/64 expressly linked good governance to an enabling environment conducive to the enjoyment of human rights and prompting growth and sustainable human development. In underscoring the importance of development cooperation for securing good governance in countries in need of external support, the resolution recognized the value of partnership approaches to development cooperation and the inappropriateness of prescriptive approaches. By linking good governance to sustainable human development, emphasizing principles such as accountability, participation and the enjoyment of human rights, and rejecting prescriptive approaches to development assistance, the resolution stands as an implicit endorsement of the rights-based approach to development. OECD The concept of governance denotes the use of political authority and exercise of control in a society in relation to the management of its resources for social and economic development. This broad definition encompasses the role of public authorities in establishing the environment in which economic operators function and in determining the distribution of benefits as well as the nature of the relationship between the ruler and the ruled. (OECD DAC, 1995); At the Local Development and Governance in Central, East and South East Europe Conference  [9]  aroused two questions: What are the obstacles in coordinating policies, adapting them at the local conditions and involving business and civil society in strategic planning and the orientation of measures, and what are the best mechanism and initiatives to overcome these obstacles? Can these initiatives be mainstreamed and extended to all regions of the country to connect the various actors of local development around long term goals and concrete implementation tasks whatever the local conditions? At the same conference Professor Xavier Greffe (2005) enounced several types of instruments that could help good governance at local level: a proper allocation of responsibilities between the different levels of government involved (the institutional environment for governance), a sound organization of forums where stakeholders could interact and create synergy (institutional design), good management of project execution in its different dimensions: legal, financial or cultural (regulation of governance).  [10]   USAID Governance encompasses the capacity of the state, the commitment to the public good, the rule of law, the degree of transparency and accountability, the level of popular participation, and the stock of social capital. Without good governance, it is impossible to foster development. No amount of resources transferred or infrastructure built can compensate for-or survive-bad governance. It can be concluded that the introduction of democratic institutions in the form of more ample political rights, civil rights, and freedom of the press, among others, may or may not be associated with improved governance. Are the various cases of enlightened dictatorship the rule or the exception in the recent past? Do most democracies allow their population to choose more effective policymakers or are they just used as a tool by specific classes and oligarchies to control political power and sustain ineffective, corrupt regimes? Before making any predictions, it needs to be established whether the notion of good administration now acts as a kind of umbrella for the numerous disparate rules previously grouped around the notion of user protection in which case the change would be a quantitative one or whether it is of an entirely new nature in which case there has been a qualitative shift. It is still too early to give a definite answer. There is good reason to think, however, that in future, any oversight brought to bear on the activities of the administration will focus not just on specific administrative acts, but also on the administrative procedures themselves. In other words, there has been a shift in emphasis from the outcome of administrative action (result) to administrative behaviour (functioning). Other clues, the discussion of which is beyond the compass of the present report, suggest that this is indeed the direction in which the concept of good administration is moving. Good administration, go od governance, good legislation all effectively presuppose the existence of a large pool of good people. Is a good administration one that makes good decisions (i.e. legal decisions) or will we eventually come round to the view that good acts are ones that are produced by a good administration, without the need for any other reference to some predefined legality? In other words, are good acts to be defined objectively in their own right or should they, as Aristotle suggests, more properly be regarded as the acts of a good person? (Fortsakis, 2005) The features of good administration cannot be fixed or fully enunciated, but are identified only when the conduct of the administration fails to reach an acceptable standard, a standard that varies over time and context. And in the modes of the concept most often embraced-such as the notion of citizen as consumer with marketplace choice, and the notion of consultation, a form of participatory democracy which privileges those individuals and communities who have the political sophistication to organise themselves and further marginalise large sectors of unorganised society-she finds a virtual denial of the democratic concept of citizen as sovereign, the creator of state power who can dictate the exact limits to be placed on personal autonomy.

John F. Kennedy :: essays research papers

John F. Kennedy was destined to be president of the United States. He would rather mold history than let history mold itself. John Kennedy was born in Brookline, MA in 1917. His mother was Irish and his father was a graduate of Harvard University and had entered the business world. After their arrival as immigrants, John’s grandparents entered politics. John had attended four different schools before attending Harvard. He first attended Dexter School in Brookline where he played football. He was then enrolled at the Riverdale Country Day School in Bronxville, NY because his father had moved for business reason. He had also attended the Canterbury School in New Milford, MA and then he spent his secondary school years at Choate in Wallingford, CT. As a student, Kennedy was average. He had potential of a great intellect and had a capacity to learn but he failed to apply himself. Therefore, he was happy as a B student. In 1946, JFK started down the road mapped out for him by his father. Since Kennedy was more of a scholar than a politician, it wasn’t easy when he ran for Congress from Massachusetts’ 11th district. Since his family was well known, he fit right in. He served in the House of Representatives for six years. Then in 1952, he ran for the Senate against Henry Cabot Lodge. He won and then began to capture the eyes of men in the Democratic Party. In 1956 he decided to run as the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee, but he lost to the Senator of Tennessee. His effort, however, earned him national prominence, exactly what he wanted. In 1960 he won the Democratic Presidential Contest. From that time on JFK had developed into one of the most effective speakers in the history of the presidency. While a junior member of the Senate in 1952, Kennedy me Jacquelin Lee Bouvier, who was working as a photographer for the Washington Times Herald. On September 12, 1953, they married in Hyannis Port on Cape Cod. Although Kennedy was not born a politician, he learned the trade fast. His quest for presidency started in 1959. His campaign was a very exhausting experience for him. He had planned early on that he would â€Å"cover everything, do everything and see everyone.† The highlight of the 1960 Presidential Campaign was the series of four television debates between Kennedy and his opponent, Richard M. Nixon. Even off screen, Kennedy had a way of turning the debates to his advantage. When the ratings were in, Kennedy had clearly passed up his opponent by a considerable margin. Many experts believe that his appearance on television was the key factor in winning most of the votes.

Media pays too much attention on famous people Essay

Television, newspapers and other media tackle many issues such as various national and international news, namely sports, business issues and other events, as well as keep people updated with news about famous people. However in my view, nowadays the media spends an inordinate amount of time reporting on famous people. With the remarkable development of media, the personal life of a famous person is no longer ‘personal’. Every day, there are plenty of news reporters and journalists waiting outside the homes of famous people. They take pictures of the things they do, and the people they meet. Anything that seems strange or unusual and often the most ordinary things too, would make the next day’s front page and headlines followed by all kinds of wild stories. Sometimes it is absurd and annoying, and has greatly disturbed the normal life of those people. Personally, I cannot agree more with media paying too much attention to them. Some people say that it is actually ‘fun’ to read about the reports on famous people. Mostly none of them are true, so why do people even bother reading them? Honestly, I must say that people are forgetting that every single human being in this world is just a person with feelings and do not deserve to be driven into insanity and drug abuse- for instance, like young celebrities are. No matter where we stand because of our achievements, our luck or destiny, the truth is that we are all equals, competing each other in the great human race. A typical example of this issue is the untimely death of the beautiful princess known by all, Princess Diana. It was due to an accident while trying to run away from the paparazzi following her and her boyfriend. This is proof that the excessive attention media pays on such personalities can even be fatal. It not only disturbs them, but can harm them in ways we cannot expect. After weighing up the pros and cons of this issue, I strongly believe that television and newspapers spend too much time reporting on famous people. Media should stop this obsession, and focus on informing people more about important world events instead. Even celebrities and famous people are humans just like us; they too have a right to live their personal lives in happiness and peace.

A Just Life Leads To A Prosperous Life †Philosophy Essay

A Just Life Leads To A Prosperous Life – Philosophy Essay Free Online Research Papers A Just Life Leads To A Prosperous Life Philosophy Essay Plato’s view on leading a just life – as asserted through Socrates in Republic – lends one to suggest that being just leads to a life of happiness. I will attempt to show that leading a just life can be rewarding to someone who chooses to follow it. In the Republic, Socrates is engaged in a spirited debate with Thrasymachus in which at one point the two men argue whether or not leading a just life would have an advantage over an unjust life. Thrasymachus maintains (using an analogy) that â€Å"†¦when a partnership is wound up, you will never find that the more honest of two partners comes off with the larger share† . Through cross-examination, Socrates concludes – based on the answers of Thrasymachus – that the problems that occur when injustice occurs – ignorance, lack of cooperation between others, etc. – culminates into an unsuccessful life where nothing can be achieved. The claim in which leading a just life carries more rewards than leading an unjust life is true in the sense that what is achieved by leading a just life – knowledge, cooperation and happiness – far outweighs the product of leading an unjust life. Therefore, I find Thrasymachus flawed in his view on justice and injustice in regards to his argument that those leading just lives do not lead rewarding lives because his argument is based on a ‘worst case scenario’. I find his line of reasoning narrow because his argument fails to acknowledge the fact that a just life is also capable of being a happy life. He also fails to acknowledge the fact that leading an unjust life could also potentially lead to an unhappy life. Take for example, a successful businessman practicing shady business tactics. He does so to achieve a high status within the business community but gets caught in this unjust act, loosing all the acclaim and honour he had, while his happy life going south. This goes contrary to what Thrasymachus believes the just man is worse off than those who practice injustice , where being unjust in this case does not necessarily lead to happiness. This situation is plausible today in such a wired society such as ours in which many transactions are tracked and human error in covering up the breaking of business regulations is probable. Socrates later goes on to say in his discussion with Thrasymacus that the function of the soul – which is living a happy life – is dependant on whether the virtue of justice is present . This is true in the case that being just in discerning what is right or wrong is reliant on whether or not society will punish you if caught. Those who are just – according to Socrates – possess high intelligence and character ; essential elements for leading a just life. It is easier to view injustice and justice as two branching paths: the path of justice is the harder path to take while the path of injustice is the easier, high-risk path. To put this into perspective, we could use an example to prove this in the form of a typical student project situation involving the path of justice and the path of injustice. If you took the path of injustice and chose to ride the coat tails of your peers in a school project, you could do nothing to contribute to the project while achieving a high mark than researching, collaborating and contributing ideas with your peers in order to achieve a high mark. However, if you took the path of justice, you would be a willing contributor to the group, assisting in research and throwing in ideas in order to help your team mates. If you helped your teammates, it would display the character you possess to your peers and shows the intelligence you have in being able to contribute ideas to the final product, therefore leading a just path. On the opposite ends of the spectrum, failing to contribute can lead to your peers seeing how despicable you are and causing a break down in group chemistry, showing the people you work with how horrible of a team member you are and ultimately you could be reported as a faulty member of the group to the professor and be given a fail. In this case, the path of least resistance does not pay off as opposed to working hard and contributing. One of the most common rebuttals that have been tossed around in response to Plato’s works is in the form of an example. A man who is at his wits ends, poor and unable to support himself through legal means. He is then forced to stealing food in order to support himself and his family, committing an injustice while being happy and content with his action. I find this example flawed, as it does not address certain issues. One must ask how he ended up in such a dire state. In many cases, it is the government’s role to reach out to every citizen’s needs – as many politicians claim – and succeed in doing so. However, this is not something that is done in many cases, and therefore an injustice has been committed by the government in being unable to fulfill their obligations in assisting the people that they are expected or pressured by citizens to help. Therefore, it is in my opinion that stealing in order to extend one’s lifespan and others he or she is responsible for is justified in this case due to the fact that the elected authority has failed to service this person. Maintaining a sense of justice serves as a cog in the soul’s primary function of leading a happy life. Despite the fact that the path of justice is harder than following the path of injustice, the payoff and self-gratification one can get from the riches of a just life outweigh the massive risks one takes in taking a path of injustice. Bibliography: Plato, Republic, A. Johnson, A. Reath, Ethics Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers, (Thomson Wadsworth), 2004 Research Papers on A Just Life Leads To A Prosperous Life - Philosophy EssayComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoCapital PunishmentLifes What Ifs19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraUnreasonable Searches and SeizuresThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Bionic Assembly System: A New Concept of Self

External observations of earth Worm essays

External observations of earth Worm essays The texture of the surface is slimy and wet and the color of the worm was brown. It was in the shape of a cylinderand the size of the worm is 27 1/2 cm. We measured three other things as well 1.clitellum and it was 1 cm long 2. the width of the worm and it was .6 cm is width 3. was the lenght of one of the segments on the worm and it was 2 mm. We also counted the all the segments on the worm and the total number of segments was143. Another word for a segment is a somite. On each segment their are a pair of setea which are located on the ventral side of the worm. The texture of the worms setea was rough, firm, and prickley. next we located the mouth and we came to the conclusion that their are no bones in the mouth. The worm crushes or eats its food by using its gizzard to crush the food. Which broight me to the next question which is what do worms eat and they eat soil and organic material. The mouth is on the anterior end of the worm and the anus is located on the posterior en d of the worm. Liquid wastes are filteres out using the nifridia then the filtered wastes exit using the anus. Then we had to find the clitellum and describe what it looked like and it is a cylinder that is larger then rest of the worm and the clitellum also dosent have and segments on it like the rest of the worm does. The clitellum is locatec 37 segments back from the anterior end of the worm. The clitellum is has key role in the reproduction of earthworms. The clitellum is where the mucus which is holdening the frtilized eggs is secreated and the clitellum is where the sex cells are located. The anus is located 105 segments behind the clitellum. The next thing was to find out about the gential pore and they are the pores in which the eggs and sperm are exchanged and yes you can see the genital pores. I also observed that the worm kept tryingfind a moist spot on our tray and when he did he just covered himself in ...

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) planning in Toyota Motor in Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) planning in Toyota Motor in Europe in 2010 - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that with the onset of the economic slowdown during the recession period Toyota have gone through several challenges for a sustainable growth in the business environment. In spite of such a tough situation the company has always ensured safety and customer satisfaction to the top priority and implemented several strategies for a better understanding of the market as well as for the environment. After the recession period, the company has gone through a fresh start and steer towards a new growth direction with its new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) approach. Always committed to supplying safe and reliable vehicles for the market the company always looked after the dynamic need of the customers and the marketplace together. In the process, the company has great support from the stakeholders and the people related to the company who helped for this sustainable growth of the company in the competitive environment. The company is not only into the development of safer car as its CSR approach but also involved into serving the people associated with the company business who provides the high-quality products from the company for the growing market needs. With the global crisis of energy Toyota also looks after developing eco-friendly cars for the society and grows in hand with the environment with the safe and reliable vehicles for the society. For an efficient handling of the Corporate Social Responsibility program, the corporate team has established the CSR committee who are into the management process of the CSR departments and the promotion of the approach and help the company to implement strategies for its CSR activities. The legal compliance is looked after by the core Corporate Ethics Committee and the Philanthropy Committee manages the social activities for a better reach and promotional activities which facilitates the process of long-term growth for the company. The management of CSR activities for Toyota consistently looks after the improvements of the different processes for the firm. The Corporate Social Responsibility program for the company is primarily focused towards the assessment of the internal as well as the external entities for the firm. The assessment program gives the chance for the company to look after and identify the weak points of the company and evaluate strategies accordingly for the midlevel and long-term growth of Toyota.

Abstract to my project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abstract to my project - Essay Example Recent efforts have seen the move towards the convergence of international accounting standards. This is fundamentally the move to having all kinds off financial reporting produce a common result. This concept has been adopted by the SEC and the FASB to ensure the synchronization of all partners who have subscribed to these standards. The IFRS offers this opportunity by having a standard and uniform template upon which all financial reporting will be scrutinized. There is need to conduct further research on the issue of taking up a uniform standards of financial reporting globally. This is because there are some underlying effects that these standards may have on SME (small and medium size enterprises). The standards are developed to favour multinational cooperation, negatively impacting the small and medium size enterprises. Financial accounting practices are essential for determining the performance of organisations and their financial situations. Private, governmental and non-governmental organisations use accounting standards to improve their performance (Godfrey & Chalmers, 2007). There are many stakeholders of financial information who have an interest in the financial report for various purposes. Therefore, the method used and the influence of that method to the organisation and its financial statement is of great significance to the stakeholders of those organisations (Godfrey & Chalmers, 2007) The document focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of globalisation of accounting standards to various stakeholders. The project contains an abstract, introduction, the body of the report, glossary, conclusion, list of references and bibliography. International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) is the main accounting systems under consideration for application as an international accounting system (Samak et al., 2012). The expansion of businesses