Why Sex With Boss Is a Bad Idea for Your Career

Why Sex With Boss Is a Bad Idea for Your Career He may be attractive and give you all the right signals, but having sex with the boss is a bad idea and a potential career killer. Youre not living in isolation with him on a desert island, but sharing a workplace where your illicit relationship affects everyone. Many companies have clear policies on office dating and while relationships between co-workers have become commonplace, an employees affair with the boss still continues to be frowned upon. Even if it turns into something serious and long-lasting, chances are one of you will have to go. Power Playmate Look beyond the physical act of sex with your boss and youll see that power is at the heart of the relationship. Writing for the Times Online, Susie Godson sums it up as a power trip and a huge ego boost and adds, Peel away the perks and what exactly are you left with? The inequity of power, desire to associate with power or attain more power all factor into the situation. Theres also the power that comes from flying in the face of convention and sampling forbidden fruit. Stop and ask yourself: If he wasnt your boss, would you still be attracted to him? Are the excitement and passion based on the fact that although he has control over your life and career, you feel like you have control over him? Do you think that if you sleep with him, hell fast-track you to the top or at least promote you or give you a raise? Or do you just like the buzz that follows you around the workplace because co-workers sense that theres something more to your relationship than supervisor and subordinate? Sex as a Skill Set Sex clouds everyones judgment. You may have been hired because of your skills, your experience, your talent, drive, and enthusiasm. But when youre involved with the boss, you may find your competence in question. Opportunities that come your way, successes you achieve, goals you meet and exceed all may be perceived as arising out of your special relationship with the boss and not your own hard work. You may not get credit where credit is due. And if you end up working for someone else in the same company, that person may be reluctant to believe that youve gotten to where you are based on merit alone. Youll have that relationship with your ex-boss hanging over your head, and it may stunt your career advancement under future supervisors. Some Girl or Another The odds are against an enduring relationship. And when it falls apart, it probably wont wrap itself up with all loose ends tucked in neatly and both parties acting like adults. If the two of you remain in the same workplace and hes still your boss, therell be jealousy on one end or the other, and its going to affect your professional relationship and judgment. He may stall your career out of spite, revenge, or simply because he can, or behave in ways that make it difficult to continue to work for him. Or you may have to sit back, bite your tongue, and watch him launch another steamy affair with someone new under him (in more ways than one.) Because heres the painful truth: many bosses who sleep with their employees dont do it just once. Theyre serial subordinate seducers. As much as youd like to think that youre special the irresistible one he broke all the rules for- its probably not that way. As journalist Dominique Jackson observed in her article An Affair to Forget in Marie Claire, she found out she wasnt the only one to fall for her sexy, dazzling boss when she had dinner with a colleague of his: Great guy. Excellent writer. Underrated, too, said my companion. Trouble is, he always has some girl or other in tow. Usually one of the junior journalists or a secretary. I really dont know how his wife puts up with it. No Employees With Benefits From a purely business standpoint, the relationship is a no-win situation for the company you work for, even if you end up together. Human resources professional Laurie Ruettimann, the founder of Punk Rock HR, says that companies frame the issue of dating under Code of Conduct policies: As an employee, you are not allowed to personally benefit from your role at the office at the expense of the organization. Therefore, you are not allowed to sleep with a subordinate and continue supervising his/her work. Additionally, most companies will not allow you to supervise your family members. The way a friend with benefits is a tricky relationship to manage, an employee with benefits is a liability to the boss who has exceeded the bounds of appropriate behavior and has opened himself up to charges of sexual harassment, even if the sex was consensual. So sex with the boss jeopardizes his position as well as yours. But just suppose its the real thing? After all, according to the Times Online, four out of every ten people meet their spouses at the office. Lets say hes the one. Even if your wildest fantasies come true and you two get married, he cannot continue to supervise you. Someones going to have to leave, and its probably not going to be the boss. Think Before You Act Keep in mind that sex with the boss may poison any other potential future relationships with your co-workers. And since work continues to be the main way in which we meet, socialize with, and get to know people, that would shut the door to many opportunities, both platonic and romantic. As Ruettiman points out, I met my husband at work and weve been together for over a decade. My career wasnt impacted because I am not a drama queen. I used common sense and kept my private dalliances out of my professional role. And finally, for those who say that its sexist to assume the boss is male (since over 36 percent of managers and supervisors are female) and want to view this issue from the perspective of a boss whos female, the truth is theres little difference. The same rules apply. The best advice for any boss, female or male, comes from Marty Nemko in his tips for workplace dating in U.S. News World Report: Think twice about a relationship with your supervisor...Think 10 times before getting involved with a subordinate.

KOZLOWSKI Surname Meaning and Origin

KOZLOWSKI Surname Meaning and Origin The Polish surname Kozlowski is generally considered to be a geographical surname, bestowed upon an individual originally from a place named Kozlow, Kozlowo, or something similar, from the root koziol, meaning he-goat. KozÅ‚owski is the 12th most common surname in Poland. KozÅ‚owska, the  feminine version of the surname, is the 12th most common surname among females. Surname Origin:  Polish Alternate Surname Spellings: KOZLOWSKI, KOZLOWICZ, KOZLOWICZ, KOZLOW, KOZLOW, KOZLOWSKA Where do People With the Surname KOZLOWSKI Live? According to WorldNames publicprofiler, individuals with the Kozlowski last name are found in the greatest numbers in Poland, followed by the United States, Australia and Germany The greatest concentration of individuals named Kozlowski are found in northern and central Poland, especially the voivodeships (provinces)  of Podlaski, Warminsko-Marzurskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Mazowieckie and Wielkopolskie.  The Polish-specific surname distribution map on  moikrewni.pl calculates the population distribution of surnames down to the district level, identifying over 34,000 people with the Kozlowski surname living in Poland, with the majority found in Ã… Ãƒ ³dÃ… º, followed by Bialystok, PoznaÅ„, WrocÅ‚aw, GdaÅ„sk, Bydgoszcz, Krakà ³w and Szczecin. Famous People With the Surname KOZLOWSKI Leon KozÅ‚owski: Polish archaeologist and politician; Prime Minister of Poland 1934–1935Maciej Kozlowski: Polish actorGlen Kozlowski: former NFL wide receiver for the Chicago Bears Genealogy Resources for the Surname KOZLOWSKI Kozlowski Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Kozlowski surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Kozlowski surname query.FamilySearch - KOZLOWSKI Genealogy: Access over 144,000 free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Kozlowski surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.Polish Genealogy Databases Online: Search for information on Kozlowski ancestors in this collection of Polish genealogy databases and indexes from Poland, the United States and other countries. Resources and Further Reading Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Bergenfield, NJ: Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia.  Bergenfield, NJ:  Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.Hoffman, William F. Polish Surnames: Origins and Meanings.  Chicago:  Polish Genealogical Society, 1993.Rymut, Kazimierz. Nazwiska Polakow.  Wroclaw: Zaklad Narodowy im. Ossolinskich - Wydawnictwo, 1991.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

EMPLOYEE RESOURCING Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

EMPLOYEE RESOURCING - Essay Example rt will finally attempt to provide necessary recommendations which may affect employee resourcing issues that may help ADT Ltd establish a policy to satisfy all members of staff. The recommendations would be drawn from case studies in UK from a legal stand point with the aim of showing the effectiveness of work-life balance and flexible working for APT Ltd as a measure of motivating the employees as well as motivating them. Employees are the backbone of every organisation hence effective recruitment, improving their performance as well as putting measures that reduce staff turnover are major factors that determine success of business during the contemporary period. More often than not, employ resourcing mainly depends on the available human resources tools and their ability to cope with the environment they will be operating in. Before attempting to give a critical analysis of how ADT Ltd can establish a policy to satisfy all members of staff through striking a fine balance between flexible working and work-life balance, it is imperative to give a definition of employee resourcing for easier understanding of the issues raised in the case study. Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining qualified job candidates and it gives the organisation the opportunity to select the most appropriate persons to fill its job needs (Carrell, R. et al 1995). Effective recruitment often attracts individuals to the organisation and also increases the chances of retaining the individuals once they have been hired. Thus, recruitment efforts seek to satisfy the needs of job applicants as well as the needs of managers hence the need for careful consideration by the HRM. ER in itself is more concerned with people management of how work is done and who would do it. In some cases unemployment rates may be high for instance in UK but still there would be shortages of people with particular skills that are in demand and often the few with those skills often find themselves working

Human Factors Affecting the Safe Operation of the Unmanned Aerial Research Paper

Human Factors Affecting the Safe Operation of the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) - Research Paper Example The researcher states that as many as 19 different types of UAVs were operating with the coalition forces in 2005 over Iraq, emphasizing the increasing role of UAVs in today’s war front. Advances in automation enable UAVs to be flown autonomously for long periods of time, which necessitate making their own decisions based on input data fed by remote control into them by the human operator positioned on the ground station. UAVs are set to dominate the military skies in a big way, with at least 90% of reconnaissance aircraft predicted to be made up of UAVs by 2015. However, the increasing dominance of the skies by UAVs has been considerably overshadowed by a marked increase in their accident rates as well in comparison with conventional aircraft, in which the human error emerges as a significant contributing factor. This paper discusses the various types of UAVs, the human errors contributing to UAV mishaps and the various related issues. As per US classification, UAVs are essen tially classified into the following types: i) Micro UAVs ii) Low altitude Long endurance UAVs iii) High altitude long endurance UAVs using a conventional design iv) High altitude long endurance UAVs incorporating a low observable design. Notwithstanding the above, Agostino, Mammone Nelson & Zhou argue that UAVs can be classified into different subgroups in five different ways based on their Performance Characteristics such as Weight, Endurance &Range, Maximum Altitude, Wing Loading or the Engine Type. UAVs can also be categorized depending on their Mission Capabilities. Accordingly, depending on weight, a UAV can be of Super Heavy, Heavy, Medium, Light or Micro category. Table-1 gives the classification by weight of some well known UAVs. As per this classification, Global Hawk is a super heavy UAV of over two tons by weight while Raven is a medium UAV and Dragon Eye a micro UAV of under 5Kg by weight. A comparison of weights of the different types of UAVs on a logarithmic scale is given at Fig-1. According to the endurance and range UAVs are classified to enable the type of UAVs to be selected for a particular mission based on the distance it has to travel and the frequency of refueling needs requiring it to be grounded. While long-endurance UAVs can stay on a sortie for more than 24 hours at a stretch, medium endurance UAVs stay afloat for 5-24 hours and low endurance UAVs can fly only less than 5 hours continuously. The range of long endurance UAVs tends to be high, with around 22,000kms for Global Hawk. The ranges of Gnat and Heron are less than 5000km as shown at Fig-2.

Horror in Frankenstein Essay Example for Free

Horror in Frankenstein Essay There are many forms of tension and horror in this novel. There is a monster, theres grave robbing, the whole story is against religion and it is warning the reader that trying to play God can only have bad consequences. The novel is controversial in its content and it focuses on peoples prejudice and discrimination together with how people judge others too readily. Another thing that could have been scary for the readers at the time is the idea of electricity bringing life. Since electricity was a reasonably new thing, the concept of this new, weird technology described in the book could have been seen as horrific. Also, the atmosphere was a big part of the horror and tension, pathetic fallacy was used when Dr Frankenstein was creating his monster It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was nearly burnt out, It was strange, at the time of the novel being published, for a woman to write a book quite as horrific as Frankenstein. There were many things which could have influenced Mary Shelley in writing a book of this sort, myths, religion, other novels. She could have been influenced by the legends of the poles when creating Robert Waltons character. She was most likely to have been influenced by scientific research and advances at the time such as discovering electricity. She could have been trying to get people to understand that this type or research and messing around with life and death were wrong. Lastly I think she also had literary influences and I believe that Mary Shelley wanted the novel to be romantic in a way. Mary Shelley creates a lot of tension in the novel, this all starts in letter four from Robert Walton to his sister. She does this very effectively the whole way through the letter, the first line shows this, So strange an accident has happened to us that I cannot forbear recording it it then takes Walton quite a while to get to the point of explaining the accident, this creates a lot of tension. The whole story about Victor Frankenstein and the events in the letter four are told slowly and gradually adding to the sense of tension, mystery and intrigue for the reader. This effect is carried on throughout the whole novel which is, I think, one of the main reasons for the novel being so well known and enjoyed. There are quite a few causes of tension in letter four, another example is when Waltons ship was surrounded by ice, which closed it in scarcely leaving her the sea-room in which she floated. This creates tension by giving the impression of them being trapped in a dangerous environment. After this, the spotting of the creature creates tension, we perceived a low carriage a being which had the shape of a man, but apparently of gigantic stature, sat in the sledge. The fact that this is a creature unlike a normal person adds to the tension. Also as the crew and Walton thought that they were alone, being away from civilization, trapped on a boat with a strange creature nearby creates fear as there would be no help at hand if needed. The next thing that created tension was having Dr Frankenstein on board; he was quite a strange person and did not appear normal. When he was found he asked Walton where he was going before he boarded. This, under the circumstances, is a weird question to ask. Walton wrote, You may conceive my astonishment on hearing such a question from a man on the brink of destruction.

Longitude Essay -- essays research papers

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time is written by Dava Sobel. The book is called Longitude because it is about a clock maker who was able to determine longitude. Determining longitude was the superlative scientific question in the eighteenth century that Galileo and Newton were not able to resolve.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The principal inspiration behind the invention completed in this book is that many sailors were lost at seas as a result of their ignorance regarding longitude. So, without the competence to determine longitude, many innocent lives were disintegrated at seas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  England’s Parliament was desperate for an answer to this problem. So, in 1714 England’s Parliament offered 20,000 pounds to anyone who invented a method or a device for measuring longitude and then proved successful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a result, a Frenchman, sieur de St. Pierre, frowned on the moons of Jupiter as means of determining longitude. He theorized that longitude could be found by the position of the moon and select stars. At the time, Dr. Edmond Halley proved this theory wrong. After many observations, Halley concluded that the moon’s rate of revolution around the earth was accelerating overtime.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  John Harrison was a simple clockmaker and a self-educated person who was accredited for finding longitude by means of a timeke...

APC 309 Strategic Management Accounting

Module Title: Strategic Management Accounting Module Code: APC309 Individual assignment SUNDERLAND BUSINESS SCHOOL Date: 16/04/2011 Introduction: As Gowthope (2005, p. 148) said that: â€Å"A budget is a plan, expressed in financial and/or more general quantitative terms, which extends forward for a period into the future. Budgets are widely used in organisations of all types and sizes. † –Budgeting actually refers to the process that, after the strategic plan of the business has been made, companies made a short term plan (usually one year) to meet the strategic purpose. Traditional budgeting has offered a lot of contributions in so many years? ractice; no one has a better summary of all advantage of traditional budget as (Umapathy, 1987, p. xxii): â€Å"I believe that budgeting provides managers with a wonderful opportunity to rejuvenate their organisations. There is no other managerial process I am aware of that translates qualitative mission statements and corporat e strategies into action plans, links the short term with the long term, brings together managers from different hierarchical levels and from different functional areas, and at the same time provides continuity by the sheer regularity of the process. . So, many organisations use a „traditional budget? –the short term plan that meet the strategic purpose of the organisation- because of the easiness of preparation and its simplicity to coordinate budget across various departments. But it seems it is more and more unsuitable for the modern business. In this paper, I will give a brief induction for traditional budgeting; and then discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the traditional budgeting; last I will explain and evaluate the alternative approach that will be more accurate and work for today? dynamic markets. In the second part I will tackle the working capital concept by giving some ways to improve parts of Working capital in XYZ limited which is a medium sized manuf acturing business. Today, reducing costs, improving quality, and saving time through all parts of an organisation are the mantra of executives in every industry. In their pursuit of those goals, however, they tend to overlook working capital productivity because it is an indirect measure. They see it as a narrow financial calculation and miss its link to the overall systemic performance of an organisation. As a result, executives forfeit a powerful lens to track improvements across the company. Section 1: Budget and Budgeting: â€Å"Budget reflects a choice – not an easy choice, but the right choice. And when you think about it, the only choice. The choice to take the responsible, prudent path to fiscal stability, economic growth and opportunity. † –George E. Pataki. An American politician. The use of budgets dates back to 1920 where it was used as a financial tool for business enterprises (Hofstede, 1968, p. 20). The budget is an indispensable management tool or as Horngren, T. et al, (2000, p. 178) said: â€Å"the most widely used accounting tool for planning and controlling organisations†. A budget is an estimated plan over a given period of time expressed in monetary terms for the allocation of funds and distribution of scarce resources through internal communication to get the planned activities done. When used properly a well designed budget can be a helpful tool in decision-making, it can ensure the controlling process and performance measurements, facilitate communication, and can act as a motivational tool. (Highered. mcgrawhill, accessed 2011) â€Å"Budgeting may be defined quite simply as the process of compiling budgets and subsequently adhering to them as closely as possible† (Maitland, 2000, p. 1). Though budgeting process is complex, time consuming and requires a lot of decision-making (refer to Appendix, figure. for an outline of the budgetary process), it is an essential part of the strategic planning process that helps communicating the goals of the organization and facilitates, coordinates and controls various departments of the organization in order to steer the company to its desired goals, it involves the annual cycle to plan actions, better coordination and allocation of resources, and at the end measuring and controlling performance with regard to the pla ns agreed. Traditional Budgeting Approach (TBA): There are various methods to prepare a budget. Here we are concerned with the traditional approach to budgeting known also as the incremental budgeting which involves basing next year? s budget on the current year? s results plus an extra amount for estimated growth or inflation (APC309 Workbook, 2008). It is claimed that in many organisations the traditional budgeting remains widespread, and that 99% of European and US companies are using budgets and have no intention of abandoning them, it was also stated that over 60% of those companies claim that they are not highly satisfied with their current budgeting systems and are continuously trying to improve the budgeting process to meet the demands set for management in creating sustainable value (report: Better Budgeting, 2004, p. 2-3). From this perspective it is obvious that traditional budgeting approach and budgets in general hold many benefits as well as problems. Implementing TBA on a static market: When implemented within businesses, such technique will be more suitable for firms where each year? s performance and activities are similar to the previous one and conditions are predictable, an active market that can take up large sales which do not change much in relation with changes in prices and where demand is slack. If we take an example of a company „A? operating in a static market, let? s say that our company is selling „sugar?. So for such company using the TBA (Traditional Budgeting Approach) will be perfect and will work well because first, sugar is a necessary good so the market demand is steady i. e. the buying behavior of sugar does not change much, it is a food basic that people consume on a daily basis, the market demand in this case is predicted and quite unchanged, so „A? an constantly base its expenditures and estimated revenues on those of previous year and that makes it suitable for our company here to be using an annual budget based on historical data, thus, will make it easier to compare actual results with budgets and monitor organizational functions. Second, senior managers won? t be forced to spend an amount of time reviewing budgets. Again, focusing on the benefits of TBA we can say that this approach enhance controlling and is asy to prepare and understand , administratively unambiguous and simple to operate, so this method is cheap. It is probably the simplest method that ensures a quick and low preparation costs, however, I would insist on the point that for any business it? s good to provide and introduce change gradually, therefore, the only major weakness that would limit our company „A? is the fact that senior managers will never be able to have a general and overall picture of the performance, and also some people will be offended when it comes to supervision, humans tend o work at their lowest possible standards especially when there is lack of motivation and rewards, as a matter of fact the budgetary control touch on the culture of blame and mistrust, plus there is a fact that scarce resources will not be allocated effectively and efficiently so that would create an obstacle and prevent employees from performing at their best, and their creative spirit would then be stamp down. Implementing TBA on a dynamic market: â₠¬Å"Fixed budgets don? t work today. A budget is a too static instrument and locks managers into the past – into something they thought last year that it was right. To be effective in a global economy with rapidly shifting market conditions and quick and nimble competitors, organisations have to be able to adapt constantly their priorities and have to put their resources where they can create most value for customers and shareholders. † Juergen H. Daum. (A management and executive adviser) As Juergen explained, budgeting tools that were created to serve businesses back in the manufacturing era where production costs and revenues were foreseeable will not be effective in today? s „information age? where the market is globalised. This traditional annual budgeting system is not suitable or relevant in rapidly changing markets, many companies believe that budgets do not deal with intangible assets like brands and knowledge and fail to focus value (Davies T. and Boczko T. 2005 p. 408). In today? s global market where conditions and demands are unpredictable and hard to be determined in advance, an event like 9/11, the Arab? s revolution, and the earthquake that hit Japan will definitely change the way organisations do their businesses especially those big companies that are opened to the global market, in this matter, adopting a raditional budgeting approach will cause more damages. Considering a company „B? operating in a typical dynamic changing market let? s assume here that „B? is a hotel business where each year? s activities and number of tourists accommodated are completely different than the previous year and hard to be predicted, this kind of businesses system is changeable, adjusted constan tly and boost employees to give their best with waking up their creativity spirits, our company „B? needs a full use of its potentials and should keep innovating in order to survive in its market and that would not be achieved if employees and managers are not motivated. For „B? to become the success that all companies are striving to reach today, it has to avoid relying on historical performances or fix their employees performance on fixed budget to deliver the planned outcome, and if adopting any method of budgeting it should do so by designing it on a „bottom-up? basis. So, in a dynamic market a use of TBA would cause more problems to such companies. TBA is inaccurate for our company „B? where each year is very different to the previous one in terms of activities, cost, and market demand. Here, I would suggest the use of the ZBB (Zero Based Budgeting) approach since the number of tourists change according to seasons and unexpected events worldwide, it will be beneficial to re evaluate all of the company? s activities from a zero base annually and respond to any condition changes within the environment each year. Thus, inefficient and inaccurate activities will be removed and any wasteful cost will be cut which means a better allocation of resources, also, this technique promotes the bottom-up of budgeting which will automatically lead to bring up the motivation of employees. Nevertheless, the weakness of this method is that each pound spent must be justified, and if we have a big company which held too many activities, using a ZBB will generates more work that is hard to managed, and because decisions are made at the budget time, it will be difficult to react and deal with changes that might occur during the year, so here as a suggestion the company while performing the zero based budget may use a rolling budget every year. Furthermore, it will be challenging especially for private organisations that have indefinable activities and discretionary cost to be put into decision packages. There were some argues about the traditional budgeting approach being as a barrier to change. For that Hope and Fraser (1997) suggested a new alternative process to budgeting which is termed as â€Å"Beyond budgeting approach†. They claimed that this approach will free people from the top-down performance contract and allows a use of knowledge and best allocation of resources to satisfy customers and beat competitors. This alternative way of budgeting is about the development of leadership principles and help decision making to be made. The thing about it is that this model does not lead to change in some parts but require a systems transformation. (Refer to appendix, figure: 2 for a budgeting and beyond budgeting model). However, even with this model that will break managers free from the annual performance of budgeting, it has a disadvantage that it underpinned their organisation? s performance transformation. To alleviate all those limitations, companies must seek for alternatives approaches that combines and put in practice the benefits of each approach without forgetting to give priority to employees and managers? otivation, the human aspect behavior plays a crucial part in every business because success of any company nowadays rely on its number one asset which is the human labor (knowledge, know-how, expertise, experience†¦.. etc. ). Section 2: Working Capital: Nowadays, the market requires companies to diversify its products and services within a short time delivery, so, companies are striving to keep o n track with global markets? need and competition from other rivals in order to meet the customers? expectations and satisfy their needs. For that, companies will have to focus its resources and potentials to create the business? value, satisfy the shareholders and balance between its liquidity and profitability, this will be through improving all forms of cash flow and increasing their working capital productivity. In an article from (tutor2u, accessed 2011) working capital is: â€Å"The period of time which elapses between the point at which cash begins to be expended on the production of a product and the collection of cash from a customer† (Refer to appendix, figure. 3 for working capital cycle) Working capital is the concern of all firms; it is defined as the current assets minus the current liabilities (working capital = current assets – current liabilities). While in the APC309 Workbook, (2008) it was said that: â€Å"Working capital required because the company has to pay for goods and services before recovering the money from customers, and represented by the difference between current assets and current liabilities. † Company XYZ: a manufacturing business: Considering XYZ Limited, a medium sized manufacturing business. For such manufacturing businesses, XYZ needs to spend cash to purchase raw materials (inventories) and manufacture them. While waiting for the finished goods to be sold it needs to stock them. After selling the goods it can incur some costs. And before receiving the revenue (cash) it waits for the cash receipts from the customers (accounts receivable) and can delay the payments to vendors (accounts payable). So, working capital is an important source of cash throughout the business cycle. (Refer to Appendix, figure. 4 for a diagram of the Working capital cycle in manufacturing firms). Improving XYZ’s working capital: Focusing on working capital will help XYZ? s manager to create lasting value, examine the organisation? productivity and efficiency, and XYZ will become stronger. Starting with the following formula: (working capital = current assets – current liabilities) to analyze the operating cycle of XYZ in order to improve its working capital. Liquidity assessment: cut-down the operating cycle. Shorten XYZ? s operating cycle and cash holding costs by maintaining a cash balance, this would be done through a trim of the stock on hand – the XYZ company however should pay attention not to be in short of stock which will affect it badly and will be unable to meet its customers? emand-, also, make a consignment of stock obtained, lowering the time needed to manufacture the goods and selling them, and a cut down of cost which will definitely increase their cash. Stock when necessary: reduce inventories. Inventory surplus is one of the ways to neglect any cash sources, so in order to boost cash flow; XYZ would better reduce production time and its inventories and lowering them to avoid over production. By a reduction in inventories meaning made a consignment of stock, managing the supply chain and varying the goods manufactures. Also, to increase profitability, XYZ can benefit from cutting costs through this reduction in both inventories and warehouse space needed. Accounts receivable funding: get paid now. Until the customer pays XYZ, the sale is not considered as achieved. The working capital cycle must be completed or the company will regret making the sale if the customer went away without paying. So, XYZ should take into consideration terms of payments, invoices and well manage the cash. Some ways to improve the cash will be speeding up cash collection, ameliorate the reduction of payment terms and collection processes, besides, a strong credit control and a rigorous collection procedures will help to positively improve profitability. While collecting past due cash, XYZ should secure favorable payment terms, obtain payments, approve new customers and maintain a good relationship with clients that pay on time while keep an eye and be careful from both doubtful and risky clients. Accounts payable: negotiating the best agreements possible. While dealing with suppliers, XYZ should rethink payment terms and avoid early payments. Paying its suppliers before the due date is strongly unacceptable and better be avoided, and accomplished within or after the due date. Raising terms and procedures of payments, and optimizing discount is highly recommended. Seeking an increase in cash flow operation and the company? s profitability will be achieved by asking for longer credit terms from suppliers, and if possible take inventories on consignment. Other ways to improve working capital can be to consider leasing when thinking of purchasing equipments this will improve the amount of cash in short term only but can lead to additional costs in long term. Also, consider outsourcing and benefit from price differences. And always negotiate and try to get discounts, besides there is the possibility of converting debtors? cash into factoring or utilizing a bank loan or overdraft. For a XYZ Limited to have working capital the current assets must exceed the current liabilities, it is managing the use of both current assets and current liabilities to improve the company? s short-term liquidity. There is a direct connection between working capital cycle and business performance. Hence, the most important thing that? s needed to improve and have an efficient working capital cycle is not actually focusing on components of balance sheet that are: inventory, accounts receivable, and accounts payable but is the business cycle TIME that is measured from the time we identify the customer? s need, till we receive the payment of the finished product. Then, by reducing any necessary cash or inventory we will succeed to reduce our working capital cycle. Almost any business performance improvement effort influences the working capital (W. C) cycle productivity of the business here talking about XYZ and will also affect other businesses that deals either directly or indirectly with it. For example if XYZ did not succeed in collecting cash from its clients it cannot be able to pay its suppliers and debtors and that will be bad since the relationship between them and XYZ will be sensitive so, that would build a miss trust and XYZ will find difficulties to be supplied or get credits this later will cause trouble because it will not have any raw materials and the business will then stop operating. Taking XYZ limited as a manufacturing business, any of the ways to improve its W. C that was mentioned above will help cut down costs and boost overall working capital productivity by shrinking inventories and driving down accounts receivable. Also, the results behind paying suppliers before the due date would lead to reduction in working capital productivity. XYZ and should closely track its competitors? improvements to ensure that it is performing better. Furthermore, it can be useful to benchmark itself with regard to other industries for perceptions and opportunities to improve working capital productivity and cash flow. Benchmarking the performance of XYZ? system as a whole more accurately with regard to benchmark with other companies in the same sector would be of benefits. References: -APC309 Module Workbook, 2008. „Strategic Management Accounting Version 1. 0?. University of Sunderland. -Davies T. and Boczko T. , 2005. „Business Accounting And Finance. Second Edition.? Mc Graw Hill Education, p. 408. -Drury C. , (2001) „Management Account ing for Business Decisions. Second Edition.? Thomson Learning. -Gowthope C. , (2005) „Management Accounting for non specialists, 2nd Edition?. Thomson Learning, p. 148. -Hofstede G. H. , (1968) „The Game of Budget Control?. Koninklijke Van Gorcum & Comp. N. V. , Assen, p. 20. -Hope J. and Fraser R. , (1997) „Beyond budgeting: breaking through the barrier to „The third wave. Management Accounting, London. -Horngren Charles T. , Foster G. , Datar M. (2000) „Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis, 10th edition?. Upper Saddle River (NJ). Prentice Hall, p. 178. -Lucey T. (1996) „Management Accounting, 4th Edition?. London: Letts, p. 108. -Maitland I. (2000) „Budgeting for Non-Financial Managers: how to Master and Maintain Effective Budgets?. London. Pearson Education, p. 1. -Satish B. M. (2002) „Working Capital Management and Control: Principles & Practice?. New Age International (P) Limited, Publishers. Web sites: ? Behavioral Aspect of Budgeting: http://highered. mcgraw-hill. com/sites/dl/free/0074711717/57451/Budgeting_Ch09. pdf [Accessed the 25th February 2011] ? Better Budgeting: A report on the Better Budgeting forum from CIMA and ICAEW. (2004), Chartered Institute Of Management Accountants. P. 2-3 http://www. cimaglobal. com/Documents/ImportedDocuments/betterbudgeting_techrpt_2004. pdf [Accessed the 28th February 2011] ? The Beyond Budgeting Round Table (BBRT) www. bbrt. org [Accessed the 5th March 2011] ? Beyond budgeting http://www. juergendaum. com/bb. tm [Accessed 5th March 2011] ? Working capital cycle http://tutor2u. net/business/finance/workingcapital_cycle. htm [Accessed 20th March 2011] http://blog. maia-intelligence. com/2009/06/15/working-capital-management-and-bi-part-ii/ [Accessed 20th March 2011] Appendix: Source: Lucey, 1996, p. 108. Figure. 1: Outline of the budgetary process. Figure. 2: From traditional budgeting model to the emerging management model „beyond budgeting? Source: http://blog. maia-intelligence. com Figure. 3: Working capital cycle. Source: tutor2u. net [accessed 20th March 2011] Figure. 4: working capital cycle for a manufacturing firm

Steppenwolf

The story of Steppenwolf (1927) is the Herman Hesse’s most widely read book. The main character Harry Hiller, Steppenwolf, is influenced by Hesse’s exposure to Western philosophers as well as Indian and Chinese philosophy. Concepts of Eastern spiritual wisdom which Hesse was interested in can be seen in the novel. Following the record of Harry Hiller’s manuscript, Hesse exposes the struggle of human mind through describing the lack of acceptance, rejection, broken dreams and division in the society and individuality to the readers. This is a realistic picture of despair, depression and isolation.Eastern wisdom such as Indian and Chinese philosophy plays an important role in the structure of the novel. The introduction of ‘magic theatre’ in the novel exudes a sense of transcendence from place and time. In effect, ‘magic theatre’ brings about a tinge of Eastern charm and Indian cultural identity. Indian philosophy on the discovery about â €˜centrality of consciousness’ states that dualistic nature exists in individuals. Personal identity of the ‘Witness self’ is the crucial point of our individual nature, and is also utilized in the realization of the Absolute Self.The Indian spiritual and philosophical wisdom sees the finite self characterized by the individual ‘I’. The concept of such relates to physical body and mind, and prevents the individual from engaging with the infinite self. Infinite self expands the finite mind a soul and realizes our true unification with the ‘Godhead’. Hesse incorporates this ideology into the Immortals for example, Hermine, as well as the human part of Steppenwolf. Harry cannot be a peace with himself due to his wolf inner tendencies.He cannot gain peace in society because everyone else is fixated on the finite self. The only way Steppenwolf can achieve unity with the Godhead is through suicide. (Kheper, 2001) The ideology of Chinese phi losophy also can be seen in novel. The themes of Confucianism emphasize the importance of humaneness towards others (ren), righteousness (Yi), integrity and human-heartedness. (Confucianism, n. d. ) Fairness and devotion of one’s life passively for the sake of moral value of ren and yi are considered trademarks of honor. Cheung, 1999) Steppenwolf despises bourgeois society. When he attempts to reveal his true identity, in order to gain acceptance, individuals who are used to order, logic and restraint are frightened. These individuals are the representative of middle class. The middle class’ commitment to respectability, responsibility, and morality reflect the Confucian thought and the sense of honor. Taoist theory argues that individuals move through a series of state of being in order to search for immortality.Taoist theory focuses on the interrelationship between humanity and the cosmos, promoting harmony and peace with nature and the universe. (Herzog,n. d. ) Both teachings of Confucianism and Taoism are present in Steppenwolf. Harry’s numerous encounters and experiences revealed aspects of his true nature and this prepared his participation into the Magic Theatre. In the Magic Theatre, the Steppenwolf is forced to confront his multiple souls, his past and his future. At last, he is told that he simply takes life too seriously.The concept of change in the Magic Theatre mirrors the Taoist theory of changing states. Hesse’s other writing, Siddhartha, tells the story of a young Indian man’s journey of seeking spiritual knowledge and salvation. This book is published in 1921 and it has become the culmination of Hesse’s studies of Eastern philosophy. In Siddhartha Eastern wisdom is an essential foundation for the religious and philosophical ideas of the narrative. (Herzog, n. d. ) Elements of Eastern wisdom such as Hinduism, Buddhism and Taoism can be seen from this work.The ending of Siddhartha turns to be more Taoist ic than Indian. The master of Taoism Lao-Tse says that the gentlest overcomes the strongest. One instance in the writing, Hesse’s description of Siddhartha’s merging into ‘unity’ displays the core idea of the doctrine of Tao. In the novel, it states that ‘real doing is that same as suffering; both are the execution of fate; to wait, to submit. ’ This is the teaching of the Vedanta and of Lao-Tse. Siddhartha delivers himself to God’s will as the result of waking by God.This is synonymous with the idea of accepting the inevitable fate, the enlightened passiveness of the Chinese-Taoistic philosophy and the submission of the Bhagavad-Gita. When Siddhartha dissolved all conflicts after reaching a degree of intensification of feeling, Siddhartha had merged into unity. These words of Hesse can be referred to Lao-Tse’s Tao Te King: ‘Can you discipline your soul to embrace the one without destroying itself? (Herzog, n. d. ) Although Hesse was brought up in a Pietist family, however his later visit to India in 1911 initiated his study of Eastern religions.His discovery of eastern mysteries and religious belief are reflected in his work. Reference List Confucianism (n. d. ) Retrieved at 20th of May From http://confucianism. freehostingguru. com/ cheung L,P (1999), Confucian Ethic of Death with Dignity and its contemporary Relevance Retrieved from http://arts. hkbu. edu. hk/~pclo/e5. pdf Herzog, PH. (n. d. ) Hermann Hesse and China II Chinese influence in Siddhartha; Steppenwolf and the journey to the east. Kheper, (2001), Eastern Philosophy, The centrality of consciousness-the ego and the self, retrieved from http://www. kheper. net/topics/eastern/ego_and_Self. htm

Developing a Website essays

Developing a Website essays 1) To offer some features of the website, the manager must choose between hiring a set of dedicated professionals (e.g., system administrator, maintenance programmer, copywriter/editor, designer, and webmaster) and outsourcing these functions. If the manager makes the human resource investment to hire the group of professionals, they need to be fully utilized to help generate profits. How would you make this decision, and how would it affect the selection of the package of features you offer on The Website writers are as much of human beings as all others and are similarly susceptible to human foibles as others. One of the stories among them is that when a site is submitted to the major search engines, it automatically increases traffic to the site, and that will increase sales from the site and thus profits. On the other side, some experts do not believe this to be true, and this can be checked by querying the search engine on the sites products or services, the site may not even in the top 10 or 20 matches. Competition may however appear there and get more queries. It is also well known that there has to be a good standing in a major search engine to generate traffic and the effect is higher than any major expensive advertising campaign. Most ordinary users of the Web begin their search at one of the major search engines, and the position in the search engines determine to a large extent how many people end up at the There are other forms of advertising for sites, but that is an expensive exercise, and it is cheaper in many instances to improve the ranking under a few important keywords to get the same or better results. The other solution is thought to be in the Yellow Pages, but most of the time it doesn't even get the organization a telephone call. In the Inter...

Free sample - The Change in Oedipus A Psychological Analysis. translation missing

The Change in Oedipus A Psychological Analysis. The Change in Oedipus A Psychological AnalysisThe play of Oedipus began with an energetic, healthy, and wealthy man who was a famous king of Thebes. He was a man with a high strength of mind and courageous. He was a hero and a man of people for the pleasurable things that he did for them. This made him boastful, he could be heard declaring loudly that all knew him and the world too for his fame. At the start, his emotional and psychological state is stable. He is happy because of the honor, and respect he receives for his will power. Oedipus was an adopted child of Polybus the King of Corinth, and his wife Queen Merope, a fact that he did not know. As a grown-up man, someone told him that he was not Polybus’s real son. This triggered a state of mental and emotional instability. This fact makes him to undergo a state of repression as he thinks about his identity and physical appearance (the cause of the clubfeet).Physically, he is a man of strength, handsome, and fully sighted but he has a bodily defect. He has clubfeet (swollen feet), a defect he got when his real father, Laius, the King of Thebes, hanged him to die. This was after the gods’ prophesized that Oedipus would kill Laius, and marry Queen Jocaste (Oedipus’ real mother). Oedipus’s psychological state is agitated by this fact and he is very anxious. He moves from Corinth and goes to Thebes to search for the truth. He is mentally disturbed and feels that he has to know his identity and the reason for his adoption. The prophecy that a man would marry his mother after killing his father gave him overwhelming fear that he runs away from Corinth. On his way to Thebes, he meets a man and because he is irritated, they argue on who should pave way for the other. This act further irritates the psychologically disturbed Oedipus. He relieves his highly charged emotions by killing the man who happens to be Laius, his father. In Thebes, he is desperate to find the truth. The city was in a distressed state. The Sphinx, a monster was killing the people of Thebes after they failed to answer a riddle. He answered the riddle and the monster killed itself. Oedipus got the honor of the people who crowned him the King of Thebes and consequently married the widow of the dead king, Jocaste. At this level, his emotions are at a latent stage. He calms his emotions and temporarily abandons the search for his identity. He is happy as a king and is emotionally satisfied. They give birth to four children; two sons, and two daughters. After the death of Polybus, a messenger comes from Corinth to request Oedipus to take the place of Polybus. Oedipus reveals what the oracles had told him and he feels relive that he had not killed Polybus. At this stage, the psychological and emotional state of Oedipus is unstable. Jocasta told him that his husband was killed by a stranger and not by his own son. Oedipus notices that it was he, who had murdered his father and married his mother. His clubfeet make Jocaste realizes that she has committed incest by marrying her own blood. She kills herself due to shame and denial. On the same note, Oedipus is mentally unstable, angry with the issue, and undecided on what to do. He takes a pin from Jocaste’s dress, pokes his eyes, and blinds himself. This act indicates marks the peak of insanity, and emotional instability of Oedipus. Oedipus and his two daughters are forced to go into exile by the Thebans. They seek refuge in Athens. It is clear that before his death in Athens, he psychologically goes into a state of denial and. Like a dying man, he isolates himself (both from the physical and mental state) aware of imminent death. Just before he died, the divided people of Thebes wanted him to return to Thebes, a fact that made Oedipus to start bargaining. He thinks of his destiny and the gains the Thebans will get from his return. These results into his mental depression die finally he accepts the universal fate of every mortal man-Death.

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 5

Operations Management - Essay Example In operation, technology is beneficial for handling and developing practices in both product and service distribution and comprehensive supply chain management. In present days, efficient process administration becomes essential for transitioning from traditional to modern industrial economy. The information flow related with the operational processes is a key motivation for employing more and more information technology (IT) based initiatives. The prime motive for implementing IT in operations management is to increase the speed, flexibility, dependability, and quality of operation procedures such as supply chain management, production management, quality management, and inventory management. IT can help to decrease the cost of excess time by reducing unnecessary operations in business (University of Virginia Darden School of Business, 2011). Technology in Operations Management The improvements in technology have changed the crucial features of operations management in several organ isations. Modern tools and technologies have been integrated in the plan and the operation of service and production systems. The ubiquity of IT including computers and internet has become obvious for many operations (Lari, 2002). Technology in Manufacturing Operations In current days, the technological advancements have presented new prospects for organizations to generate competitive advantage. Through employing technology in manufacturing procedure, organisations try to respond quicker to the requirements of customers, accomplish extensive selection of product offering and preserve high level of output. In the operations management of the manufacturing sector, technology can deliver exclusive benefit to organizations by providing superior products and services to the consumers. Technology can provide following benefits for manufacturing operations: Better machine operation: Technology based system can allow organisations to use machine to their highest capacity for manufacturing product faster Flexibility: Technology often improves the flexibility in arranging various works in an orderly way and it allows organisations to respond to the changes rapidly Simplicity of production change: Through technology, organisations can accommodate any modifications in production plan or procedure. Technology enables organisations to manage compound manufacturing operations with lesser effort and preferred quality Expansion of production: Technology helps organisations the flexibility to expand their production with response to the growing demand of market (Mahadevan, 2010). Analysis of Proctor & Gamble Proctor & Gamble which is one of the leading organisations in consumer products seeks to decrease the manufacturing expenses and increase the productivity of the organisation. To sustain in the leading position, Proctor & Gamble (P&G) needs to manufacture products quicker with less overhead expenses. It was necessary for minimizing the manufacturing cost of products. Thus, Proctor & Gamble had employed Predictive Adaptive Control (PAC) technology and ‘Overlapping Feed Technology’ in their manufacturing operations for achieving better speed and constant accuracy on production. P&G selected the Lima manufacturing facility for first implementation of those technologies to improve the material transfer procedure. As a result of PAC and