Copyright Issues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Copyright Issues - Essay Example he originator realized that their contribution has received acknowledgement in different regions, and there is no mention of their name and contribution. Copyright laws have provided concrete protection to the misuse of art, however it fails to up bring and provides opportunities to other artist to work upon and carry forward the work of other master piece. Copyright laws have banned the duplication or any other form of plagiarisms, neither has it permitted any form of alteration or modification efforts of the individual for the improvement of the work piece. Therefore if Copyright laws are positive step towards protection of the master piece, however it has taken an offensive step against the emerging artist who seeks alteration in previous master piece. Therefore it is really important for the artist community to understand that the implementation of copyright laws have narrowed the spectrum of creativity that the young artist possessed to launch and experiment their skills in earl y stages. Internet has so far being partially successful in execution and implementation of the copyright laws, initially the services and offerings of the internet operated not under any international copyright agreement. During this period it was observed that the emerging artist seek guidance from the masterpiece available, this practice was enhancing their skills, but later when few of those involved themselves into malpractice the society realized that copyright laws needed to be implemented internationally. The positive aspects was ignored i.e. skills and motivations of the young artist was improving. The internet regulation and monitoring is however stable in developed countries, it is saddening to observe that in many developing countries like China, Pakistan and India, internet is still the frequent mode of plagiarism, all this is under the notice of the internet agencies based in United States and Europe, but no action has been taken because such regulations and violations

Sociology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 16

Sociology - Essay Example Karl Marx was an infamous theorist whose â€Å"Alienation† theory describes society as a whole striving to perfect the world and at its peak of success with abundant resources; it fails to do so because it is flawed through individual isolation (Kivisto 3). Humans cannot conquer nature or practice self-control when it comes to the exploitation of resources. Even the heavy operation of an object alienates a man. Marx explains: For it is clear on this presupposition that the more the worker expends himself in work the more powerful becomes the world of objects which he creates in face of himself, the poorer he becomes in his inner life, and the less he belongs to himself. (Wendling 13) Although, mankind has the ability to feed every one and counter hunger, people continue to starve. Marx says this is due to the fact that when a man alienates himself from other men, he in-turn alienates himself from human life (Wendling 17). Marx believes that a man does not belong to himself when he is performing an act that constitutes as cultural practice because it is society that is placing its social imprint on him. For example, â€Å"The worker puts his life into the object, and his life then belongs no longer to himself, but to the object† (Wendling 13). A man, therefore, belongs to the object. This is society affecting the self. Durkheim’s theory of â€Å"Social Fact† does not stray far from Marx’s idea. That is because he divides social facts into two categories: material and nonmaterial. The material aspect corresponds with Marx’s description of an object and how it influences an individual’s social behavior. Where Marx says this is what alienates a man, Durkheim describes it as the drive behind what society cherishes or assigns purpose to communally (Kivisto 16). If the social facts are revealed, it can help scientists and sociologists examine the causes and effects of behaviors and laws among mankind. For instance, Durkheim studied suicide rates

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Information Technology Essay

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods Information Technology Essay FMCG industry, on the other hand called as CPG Consumer packaged goods industry primarily deals with the production, distribution and marketing of consumer packaged goods. The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) is those consumables which are normally consumed by the consumers at a regular interval. Some of the prime activities of FMCG industry are selling, marketing, financing, purchasing, etc. The industry also betrothed in operations, supply chain, production and general management. FMCG industry provides a wide range of consumables and accordingly the amount of money circulated against FMCG products is also very high. The competition among FMCG manufacturers is also growing and as a result of this, investment in FMCG industry is also increasing, specifically in India, where FMCG industry is regarded as the fourth largest sector with total market size of US$13.1 billion. FMCG Sector in India is estimated to grow 60% by 2010. FMCG industry is regarded as the largest sector in New Zealand which accounts for 5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some common FMCG product categories include food and dairy products, glassware, paper products, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, packaged food products, plastic goods, printing and stationery, household products, photography, drinks etc. and some of the examples of FMCG products are coffee, tea, dry cells, greeting cards, gifts, detergents, tobacco and cigarettes, watches, soaps etc. Some of the well known FMCG companies are Sara Lee, Nestlà ©, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Procter Gamble, LOreal, Coca-Cola, Carlsberg, Kleenex, General Mills, Pepsi and Mars etc. The purpose of this topic is to investigate the relationship between the factors that affect the outsourcing decisions in FMCG industry of Pakistan. There are higher trends seen in the market for outsourcing in many FMCG companies but still it is reflecting as there are a number of factors which inhibit the FMCG companies to make outsourcing decisions. Outsourcing occurs as a result of intimate acquaintance between subcontractors and managing departments. Outsourcers want to decrease the cost of production and the cost of management by distributing work to avoid other costs such as wages and compensation. However, outsourcing helps society by decreasing unemployment, making the economy grow and decreasing social problems. Outsourcing is also a way to boost the economy and it helps producing industries to survive in the market. However, it is not a guarantee that the producing industries will survive. It is just one of the devices that FMCGs should use in management, but it depends on managerial efficiency in the industries. If FMCGs want to survive in the age of globalization, they have to adopt management techniques suitable for each situation in order to survive in the current industrial climate. Nowadays, macroeconomics and microeconomics have been changing very rapidly, in every region. This situation is forcing all countries in the world to adapt to competition resulting from globalization, including modifying government policies, international relations, free trade area agreements, etc. Changes are also occurring in industrial management, especially organizational management, production management and technology, delivery, and marketing management, in response to both local and international competition. In the competitive environment of manufacturing concerns and evolving technological era, to enhance efficiency and productivity, cost remains a challenge to overall manufacturing industry to compete with rivals in providing the best total lower cost to end customers and to secure the market share in order to add value to the shareholders. To invest heavily in capital investment such as machineries, buildings and land to expand space in supporting the production operation is a burden to most companies if the return of investment is not valuably. Organizations that outsource are seeking to realize benefits or address the following issues: Cost savings The lowering of the overall cost of the service to the business. This will involve reducing the scope, defining quality levels, re-pricing, re-negotiation, and cost re-structuring. Access to lower cost economies through off shoring called labor arbitrage generated by the wage gap between industrialized and developing nations. Focus on Core Business Resources (for example investment, people, and infrastructure) are focused on developing the core business. For example often organizations outsource their IT support to specialized IT services companies. Cost restructuring   Operating leverage  is a measure that compares fixed costs to variable costs. Outsourcing changes the balance of this ratio by offering a move from fixed to variable cost and also by making variable costs more predictable. Improve quality Achieve a steep change in quality through contracting out the service with a new service level agreement. Knowledge Access to intellectual property and wider experience and knowledge. Contract Services will be provided to a legally binding contract with financial penalties and legal redress. This is not the case with internal services. Operational expertise Access to operational best practice that would be too difficult or time consuming to develop in-house. Access to talent Access to a larger talent pool and a sustainable source of skills, in particular in science and engineering. Capacity management An improved method of capacity management of services and technology where the risk in providing the excess capacity is borne by the supplier. Catalyst for change An organization can use an outsourcing agreement as a catalyst for major step change that cannot be achieved alone. The outsourcer becomes a  Change agent  in the process. Enhance capacity for innovation Companies increasingly use external knowledge service providers to supplement limited in-house capacity for product innovation. Reduce time to market The acceleration of the development or production of a product through the additional capability brought by the supplier. Co modification The trend of standardizing business processes, IT Services, and application services which enable to buy at the right price, allows businesses access to services which were only available to large corporations. Risk management An approach to  risk management  for some types of risks is to partner with an outsourcer who is better able to provide the mitigation. Venture Capital Some countries match government funds venture capital with private  venture capital  for start-ups that start businesses in their country. Tax Benefit Countries offer tax incentives to move manufacturing operations to counter high corporate taxes within another country. Scalability The outsourced company will usually be prepared to manage a temporary or permanent increase or decrease in production. Creating leisure time Individuals may wish to outsource their work in order to optimize their work-leisure balance. FMCG Industry and Outsourcing Companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources. Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operating strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the activities that are being considered for outsourcing versus previously in sourced. Outsourcing becomes a basic strategy of the FMCG industry and is essential for FMCG firms to stay competitive in the global environment. From firms perspective, outsourcing offers several advantages, such as reducing or stabilizing overhead costs, gaining cost advantage over the competition, concentrating on core activities and organizational specializations, providing flexibility in response to changing market conditions, and reducing investment in high technology based manufacturing organizations. Through 2004 onward business growth strategy changes and business growth was restored as the first priority for most worldwide businesses, making cost reduction the second or third priority. Ensuring business growth as well as business process speed, agility and cost reduction requires a unique mix of internal and external capabilities, skills, services and processes. Only a business-driven sourcing strategy supported by good-enough sourcing execution capabilities will guarantee successful business outcomes as well as improved performance and competitiveness. Lack of an outsourcing strategy or relevant skills and processes to manage outsourcing relationships is the most important reason for the failure of service and manufacturing industry. Global competition, increasing regulation and inspection, the development of specific standards and the industrialization of services will raise the competitive bar for the FMCGs services and business processes, making it compulsory for the FMCGs to work on their core business in source let the others do their job for you. By competing on core competencies and outsourcing non-core areas, FMCG companies achieve consistently higher performance over the globe in all fields especially manufacturing and supply chains through consistent focusing and tracking their Key performance indicators. For any of the company to make decision for in source or outsource, its the company strategic decision which will make the basis for the whole in source or outsource process. For making any decision, decision maker will consider the following perspective in their mind or they must have good answers for these questions. Determine what your company needs to or should do best strategy driven long-term positioning Determine how best to do things profit driven short to intermediate term competitiveness INSOURCING/ OUTSOURCING STRATEGIC DECISION KEY STEPS IN SERVICE BASE INDUSTRY An executive level cross-functional decision-making process identifies core competencies and areas for internal investment. The level of internal control required by the companies and prospective direction for operational insource/ outsource decisions are identified and analyzed based on strategic value and relative competitiveness of the company in the market. Document complete strategic decision making process and the implementation process for the strategic decision being made as it provides closed-loop assessment for continuous improvement of the decision in the long run. Align the implementation strategies, processes and Key performance indicators with criteria and assumptions used in strategy formulation or development and in sourcing /outsourcing decision process. STANDARDIZED OUTSOURCING PROCESS FLOW IN FMCG INDUSTRY Stage Key Activities Rough Timeline BU Role COE Role Opportunity Consideration Align on business need gain mgmt commitment to evaluate options Identify options to consider (e.g., internal cost savings, consolidation, off-shoring, outsourcing) Perform Options Analysis / Size of Prize (not detailed financial analysis) If potential for outsourcing, contact outsourcing COE for support NA PR PR PR PR C C Evaluation Team Kick-Off Establish small team to perform preliminary evaluation of outsourcing (Project Mgr/Business Mgr, Deal Mgr, Purchases Mgr, FA Mgr, HR Mgr, External Rel.) 1-2 wks PR C Initiate Evaluation Project Agree on top-line preferred deal parameters with OS COE (e.g., general scope boundaries, sell all vs. partial assets) Develop Keep Price Analysis using the CBA model (COE website) Develop preliminary project success criteria Develop preliminary project process, timing and critical path Consider advisory needs (e.g. external consultants, legal support) Consider need for employee communication pre-market evaluation activity Confirm business management alignment support to evaluate the option 1-4 wks SR SR SR SR C SR PR SR SR SR SR PR SR C Market Evaluation/Discovery Analyze market and identify potential suppliers (e.g., market position, capabilities, potential for savings monetization) Develop supplier materials (cold call message operation review presentation) Meet with suppliers (generally worth meeting w/up to 10 or so if available) Evaluate findings of visits and determine potential for outsourcing RFI may go out as part of typical assessment activity 4-8 wks PR PR C SR C C PR SR Decision to Pursue Outsourcing Refine project objectives, scope, etc. (w/knowledge of market evaluation) Prepare recommendation to pursue outsourcing Gain management approval per Decision Authority PRIOR to RFP Determine the small group of suppliers to be engaged in an RFP (3-4 ideally) Execute CDAs with these suppliers Expand project team (RFP leader, Legal, Administrative support, etc) Develop communication plan communicate to employees if not yet been done Base Case Financials 2-3 wks PR PR PR SR PR PR C C C SR PR C C RFP Development Draft and gain approval to RFP Develop RFP timeline (release date, supplier engagements, site visits, submittal date) Release RFP and instructions to suppliers 4-6 wks PR C PR TPO PR TPO RFP Process Execution Perform step-by-step RFP completion process w/suppliers (e.g., RFP review session, electronic QA cycle, preliminary solution review) Receive review bids, and execute formal solution walk-thru process Get revised bids and perform evaluation (operational, HR, financial) 4-8 wks SR SR SR SR SR SR Downs elect Process Develop recommendation to down select to 1 or 2 suppliers (keep 2 suppliers ideally to maintain competitive environment) Get management agreement 1-2 wks PR PR C C Due Diligence Conduct due diligence as required (us on suppliers; suppliers on us) 1-2 wks PR TPO Final Bids Provides suppliers with draft contract Request Best Final Offers (if appropriate) 1-2 wks C C PR PR Negotiations and Contract Signing Negotiate detailed price and contract terms (w/2 suppliers as long as possible) Align on final down select Get management approval Finalize internal and external communication plans (with External Relations) Sign contract and execute related communications 4-6 wks C PR PR PR PR PR C TPO C C Transition and Closing Put full transition team in place Execute required transition steps (including road shows, job offers, etc) Develop and execute companion agreements in other countries Execute closing Prepare deal files 4-12 wks PR PR SR PR SR PR PR Primarily Responsible Total Time Required* SR Shared Responsibility 5 10 months (ex Transition) C Contributor 6 12 months (w/Transition) TPO Technical Process Oversight * will vary based on project scope Problem Statement The rapidly changing global industrial environment, cost of working capital, research and innovation, releasing key internal resources, concentrating on Core business functions, obtaining better organizational form has significant impact on outsourcing decision making in FMCG industry of Pakistan. Hypothesis H1: Outsourcing activities are increasing day by day in FMCG Industry of Pakistan. H2: FMCG industries are Outsourcing in all areas of their business not only manufacturing operation. H3: FMCG industries are Outsourcing to reduce Operating cost. H4: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to increase concentration on their core business. H5: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Improve Quality of Services. H6: FMCG Industries are outsourcing to Acquire Specialized expertise and knowledge H7: FMCG industries are focusing on Selective Outsourcing. H8: FMCG industries have midterm Outsourcing contracts. H9: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with good reputable companies. H10: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that produce at lower cost. H11: FMCG industries make Outsourcing contracts with companies that have advance technology and management experience. H12: Losing control of the certain business is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H13: Increasing dependence with outsourcers is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H14: Difficult to bring in source after conflicts is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H15: Disclosure of commercial secrets is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. H16: Conflict of Interest with outsourcing partner is the major concern in FMCG industries to make Outsourcing contracts. Outline of the Study The research structure based on five chapters as follows: Introduction about the Outsourcing and FMCG industry. The literature review had provided theoretical background of the research and cites author had previously researched on the topic of factors affecting outsourcing decision The research methods chapter included method of data collection, statistical technique and hypothesis development. The results chapter had included findings and interpretation of the results. The conclusion, discussions, implications and recommendation section provided the final logical analysis. Definitions Outsourcing Outsourcing is an agreement in which any task; operation, job or process that could be performed by employees within an organization, but is instead contracted to a third party for a significant period of time-one Company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. FMCGs   It is an acronym for  Fast Moving Consumer Goods. It is defined as fast selling, low unit value  consumer products  normally in universal  demand. It includes categories like foods, soft  drinks, toiletries, cosmetics and other non-durables. CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW Most of the companies that were struggling to increase the capacity to support the ramp up demand at times were upset when there was a drastic downturn of demand cut. As a result, the sudden downturn would affect the resources and investment that were put into supporting the end customers demand. Team of human resources and machineries that consumed production space and being idled would increase the overhead and fixed cost, thus affecting the companies badly in their financial statements. In addition, training and development to up skill internal resource skills set in terms of running the operation effectively, bringing up technical content expert, specialist ability to perform research and development to add value, effective management and maintaining the operation would require significant investment in human resources (David Mackey and Kaye Thorne, 2003). Thus, most of the companies started to explore opportunities to reduce cost and to improve profit margin in order to maintain competitive edge in the market. One of the identified opportunities was to outsource non-core business functions to external service providers at a lower operating cost. Outsourcing decisions are those strategic decisions that change the operations strategy of an organization both in manufacturing and services. The most important step in any outsourcing decision is to clearly define the scope of the operations that are being considered for outsourcing (Cook, Mary, F. and Gildner, Scoot B. 2008). Human resource professionals throughout the world are being asked to do more or less, to enhance productivity while controlling costs and to find out new ways to increase profitability. (Uddin, Gazi, M. 2005). Outsourcing is not a new notion. For decades, jobs have been migrated from other part of the countries namely American and European countries as well as other overseas countries to global service providers primarily India, China, Singapore and Malaysia due to lower operating cost. According to Cynthia A. Kroll (2004), a regional economist from University of California Berkeley, the recent wave of outsourcing affected a different mix of jobs, at different wage levels. It was not confined only to a small set of industries but cut across all industrial sectors in new geographic area rapidly (Cynthia A. Kroll, 2004). William P. DiMartini (2005), Senior Vice President at SunGard Availability Services said businesses in all industry segments found that limited internal resources would make outsourcing an attractive, cost-effective and prudent option that would allow them to focus on their core competencies (AccountingWEB.com, 2005). Demand for outsourcing is a result of demand for organizational products by the target audience. On the basis of organizational estimate of total turnover, practicing managers can attempt to establish the nature and type of outsourcing required to that esteemed goal (Uddin, Gazi M. 2005). Outsourcing advantages to name a few include lower operating cost, improve competitiveness, low in capital investment, shift resources to focus on core functions, generate demand for new growth and market segment, access to world class capability, sharing risks and make capital funds available for core business investment. Bangladesh is a least developed country, basically an agrarian economy, having around 24 million acres of cultivated land, employing about 14.5 million cultivators. Manufacturing industries have grown around Dhaka and Chittagong based on agriculture input of jute, cotton, chemical and gas based industries. Industrial production growth has averaged more than 6% over the last 5 years. The export sector has been the engine of industrial growth, with ready-made garments leading the way, having grown at an average of 30% over the last 5 years. Primary products constitute less than 10 percent of the countrys exports; the bulk of exports are manufactured/processed products, ready-made garments and knit wears in particular. (www.euroitx.com) There are many manufacturing concerns in Bangladesh that are looking into outsourcing opportunity to reduce cost and to overcome the internal limitations and achieve lower cost of operation. The country is now moving towards industry based economy from the agro-based one. Hence, this study was an attempt to access determinants influencing the outsourcing decision and to research the manufacturing concern in Bangladesh on how well the factors would influence the manufacturing industry in Bangladesh to outsource certain function of their business areas to external service providers. The study also aimed at finding out the influencing factors that influenced the companies in outsourcing decision and helped the companies to overcome the internal limitation barriers. In the early 1980s, outsourcing typically referred to the situation while organizations expanded their purchases of manufactured physical inputs, like car companies that purchased window cranks and seat fabrics from outside the firm rather than making them inside. Nowadays, outsourcing took on a different meaning. Presently it refers to a specific segment of the growing international trade. This segment consists of arms-length, or what Bhagvati (1984) called long-distance purchase of services abroad, principally, but not necessarily, via electronic mediums such as the telephone, fax and the Internet. Outsourcing can happen both though transactions by firms, like phone call centers staffed in Bangalore to sen7e customers in New York and X-rays transmitted digitally from Boston to be read in Bombay, or with direct consumption purchases by individuals, like when someone hires an offshore firm to provide plans for redesigning or redecorating a living room (Bhagwati, J. et al. 2004) In an era of rapid technological change and short product life cycles, companies were trying to reduce cost and maintain quality at the same time which implied that companies would need to specialize in what they did best and de-emphasize management attention from business processes that did not directly impact the business. Outsourcing was a means to partner with service providers so they could handle specific business processes better, faster and at a lower operating cost (V. Krishna Polineni, 2001). It was defined as the transferring one or more internal functions of an organization to an external service providers. According to the analyst Dean Davison, the outsourcing was growing about 20 percent to 25 percent per annum (Dean Davison, 2006). Outsourcing has become an alternative, which all major corporations must consider in order to remain competitive. It helped to increase efficiency, improve service quality, accountability, values, decreased headcounts and cash infusion and gain access to world class capability and sharing risk (The Outsourcing Institute, 2006). One of the primary advantages of outsourcing arises quickly from the reduction of overheads. This might give rise to an immediate, and possibly one-off, advantage in terms of the avoidance of future or recurrent capital outlay, and the savings in office space and equipment provisions if these could be released during the outsourcing decision. There was clearly a staff cost reduction possible here, and this could be the predominant element in directly-attributable, ongoing cost savings. The spin-off from this might benefit the business support services department where the outsourcing was partial, and could be especially useful where the capital cost was high and recurrent, particularly if there was uncertainty about the future costs of maintaining effective and competitive business support. It was an investment risk transfer, in other words. Where outsourcing is total, the benefit was accrued directly by the core business it translated to a capital injection to the customers busines s. This was one of the major driving reasons of the outsourcing of IT provision in the early 1990s generally agreed as having been led in 1989 by Kodak, which outsourced all of its IT operations to IBM (Jonathan Reuvid and John Hinks, 2001). This could also confer a great deal of flexibility on the company. For a centralized organization which was providing a range of its support services from its own personnel and offices, the move to outsourcing could allow a downsizing of the property commitments. Consider the impact on the organizational infrastructure requirements of a change to outsourcing IT provision, payroll and credit processing, pensions, catering, recruitment, training, Human Resource Management (HRM), cleaning, security, lettings, software development, estates and building management. It could also confer direct scope for downsizing or increased options for organizational re-structuring through property and HRM flexibility. The transfer of a non-core service provision to a variable cost would allow economies of scale to be passed on from the supplier, and also would mean that incremental changes in the process capacity of the customer (upwards or downwards) could be covered at proportional rather than quantum cost changes. Where scope to vary the scale of the contracted supply was agreed, this has allowed the business organization to make maximum use of its marginal capital for core process change rather than non-core process support change. This could allow decreased time to market for new products or processes, and also increased scope for changes. Outsourcing solutions can provide an excellent chance to get the company service provision out of a rut and, if properly managed, to stimulate new solutions to problems from the mixing of different approaches. A noticeable feature of the global economy is the enhancing international products. Robert Feenstra (1998) describes the remarkable international specialization in the manufacturing products. For example, the raw materials of manufacturing products like Barbie dolls (plastic and hair) are obtained from Taiwan and Japan. Assembly used to be done in those countries as well as to lower cost locations like Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and China. The growth in international specialization can also be observed in aggregate statistics. William Zeile and Gorden Hanson et al (2003) document the importance of trade within multinational firms. David Hummels et al. (2003) show that trade in intermediate inputs has grown faster than trade in finished products. While the globalization of production may yield important productivity benefits, there is a widespread view that it has also adversely affected low skilled workers. There are frequent media reports on how low-skilled labors in the firs t world countries are hurt when manufacturing jobs are relocated in the US and in many other countries have picked up on this theme to push for greater restrictions on trade with developing countries. Yet, despite its prominence in the public debate, there is little systematic evidence of the extent to which low-skilled workers are harmed by outsourcing to poor countries (Hsieh, Chang T. and Woo, Keong T., 2005). Outsourcing has existed in the USA for over 30 years particularly the business pr

A Look at Two Computer Hardware Review Websites :: Compare Contrast Papers

A Look at Two Computer Hardware Review Websites Although it is true that many people, when confronted with the task of buying a new computer, will simply go to the closest Best Buy and purchase whatever is on the shelf, an increasing number of people these days are turning to building their own computers. Whether they are interested in saving money, or just like the idea of being in control of what goes into their computer, they need to know which parts are the best for their needs, which parts are the best value. Getting this information from an impartial place can be challenging, but thankfully there are a few websites around today that have a reputation for giving honest reviews and going the extra mile to find the best hardware for your money. I am reviewing two of these sites today, Tom's Hardware Guide, and AnandTech. The first site I am reviewing is Tom's Hardware Guide. Tom's Hardware Guide(THG) is well known and is viewed as one of the most respected places to get information about computer hardware. It might not be immediately evident why anyone should believe that this website should have a lot of credibility, though. According to the "About Us" page, it was originally started in 1996 by Dr. Thomas Pabst, a doctor in Germany. Despite the fact that Tom was not a professional in a computer field, THG has grown to become one of the most popular and trusted places to get independent hardware reviews and has earned the credibility that it now has. I was not very impressed by the layout of the website. It looked like they were trying to put too much information onto the main page, and it was just too cluttered. The front page was full of news stories from the past few days that visitors to a computer hardware review site might find relevant, and links to some of their recent reviews even farther down on the main page. Along the sides there are a large number of computer related ads. I found it rather hard to find my way around the website.

The Legalization of Marijuana

There are many reasons why It should be legal. This essay will focus mostly on the medical benefits, but will also compare marl]nana to other drugs, as you can see with this table that marijuana is less toxic than compared to other drugs such as alcohol and prescription drugs. According to this table it is about as toxic and dangerous as caffeine. (Winnfield, 1994) Consuming alcohol excessively is the third leading preventable cause of death In the United States and can really damage the liver, yet this substance Is legal to consume In the United States.Take into the consideration that there are many accidents due to drunk driving or driving under the influence. There is little evidence that cannabis that is used long term causes permanent damage. Lung cancer can be prevented by using a vaporizer. Vaporizer are devices that heat the active constituents to a temperature below the ignition point of the cannabis, so that their vapors can be inhaled. Combustion of the plant material is a voided which prevents the harmful carcinogens such as carbon monoxide from forming† There are problems that cannabis can cause with certain people such as psychotic disorder.A 24 year old man whom we will call Mr.. Z was hospitalized for insomnia, irritability and aggressiveness 2 years after military service. A urine screening revealed that he used cannabises semi-daily and no other substance abuse. Four months later, he presented to a marijuana clinic complaining of chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety and was given a diagnosis of postgraduates stress disorder (POTS) and pain, along with a medical recommendation for cannabis. No psychotic symptoms were elicited. He also increased the frequency of his daily use from approximately once to twice daily. Six months later, Mr..Z was rationalized with new-onset auditory illustrations and delusions. Irreparable (1 5 MGM/day) was prescribed, with gradual symptomatic Improvement, and then tapered to a lower dose (7. 5 MGM/day) due to t remor. The patient reported that he believed smoking cannabis helped his chronic plan out Tanat It worsened Nils synoptic symptoms, sun Tanat en wanted Nell to stop smoking the drug. After 4 weeks, he was discharged to residential substance abuse treatment with only mild, residual psychotic symptoms and a discharge diagnosis of psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, POTS, and cannabis dependence.At a 3- month follow-up evaluation, while still taking irreparable, Mr.. Z remained off cannabis and free of psychotic symptoms. † (Pierre, 2010) Marijuana had benefits throughout history, there have been reports of the symptoms that marijuana has cured. The standard review set forth by the FED&C Act, demands clinical investigations and scientific proof by experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug involved.Therefore it is appropriate in detail that material regarding the safety and efficiency of medical marijuana is true (Coh en, 2009) . All drugs do have side effects but with marijuana the dangers are far less. It is used to treat nausea, vomiting, insomnia, lack of appetite, movement disorders, pain, cancer, alcohol abuse, bipolar disorder, inflammatory bowel disease and a host of other symptoms. With stress marijuana helps calm people down and not dwell on problems that they have, while the problems do not go away it is considered to help cope with the problems.Finding the balance to deal with your problems and have marijuana help cope is key to making the use successful. Not finding a balance can be negative as much as it is positive. In general everyone has some type of problem and smoking marijuana can help. In 1851, the United States granted marijuana the status of a legitimate medical compound. The complaints for doing this that cannabis had treated where neuralgia, gout, tetanus, hydrophobia, convulsions, mental depression, hysteria and insanity. This was supported by anecdotal input and not sci entific data.Anecdotal reports are suggestive and do not constitute the firm scientific reports that is essential to Justify the approval of marijuana to be completely legal. A recent study suggests that marijuana may be a useful addition to chemotherapy for hepatitis C, a deadly infection. Drugs that are used to treat HCI are effective but have ever side effects such as extreme fatigue, nausea, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and depression. Sylvester and colleagues found that smoking marijuana significantly ameliorated these symptoms.This enabled patients to complete treatment when patients who did not smoke opted to not complete treatment (Cohen, 2009). In 2007 the efficiency of smoking marijuana by the AIDS community was verified by a scientific peer-reviewed publication by Donald Abram and coworkers. In this publication random volunteers were assigned to smoke marijuana or identical placebo cigarettes three times daily for 5 days. The report stated that the percentage f subject s who smoked reported more than a 30% reduction in pain intensity, the study found that marijuana reduced daily pain by an average of 34% (Cohen, 2009).Even in friends and family that I have talked to also reported that this is true, that smoking marijuana has helped them deal with pain. They also stated that it has helped keep them calm and would rather smoke marijuana then drink alcohol. I en tests Ana Tact's snow Tanat ten Detentes AT marijuana outline ten rills information in this essay shows the risks of marijuana compared to other prescribed drugs are less. With all drugs there are side effects especially death which is almost inexistent in marijuana, people can benefit more from it especially using vaporizer which cuts down the chance for getting lung cancer. The Legalization of Marijuana There are many reasons why It should be legal. This essay will focus mostly on the medical benefits, but will also compare marl]nana to other drugs, as you can see with this table that marijuana is less toxic than compared to other drugs such as alcohol and prescription drugs. According to this table it is about as toxic and dangerous as caffeine. (Winnfield, 1994) Consuming alcohol excessively is the third leading preventable cause of death In the United States and can really damage the liver, yet this substance Is legal to consume In the United States.Take into the consideration that there are many accidents due to drunk driving or driving under the influence. There is little evidence that cannabis that is used long term causes permanent damage. Lung cancer can be prevented by using a vaporizer. Vaporizer are devices that heat the active constituents to a temperature below the ignition point of the cannabis, so that their vapors can be inhaled. Combustion of the plant material is a voided which prevents the harmful carcinogens such as carbon monoxide from forming† There are problems that cannabis can cause with certain people such as psychotic disorder.A 24 year old man whom we will call Mr.. Z was hospitalized for insomnia, irritability and aggressiveness 2 years after military service. A urine screening revealed that he used cannabises semi-daily and no other substance abuse. Four months later, he presented to a marijuana clinic complaining of chronic pain, insomnia, and anxiety and was given a diagnosis of postgraduates stress disorder (POTS) and pain, along with a medical recommendation for cannabis. No psychotic symptoms were elicited. He also increased the frequency of his daily use from approximately once to twice daily. Six months later, Mr..Z was rationalized with new-onset auditory illustrations and delusions. Irreparable (1 5 MGM/day) was prescribed, with gradual symptomatic Improvement, and then tapered to a lower dose (7. 5 MGM/day) due to t remor. The patient reported that he believed smoking cannabis helped his chronic plan out Tanat It worsened Nils synoptic symptoms, sun Tanat en wanted Nell to stop smoking the drug. After 4 weeks, he was discharged to residential substance abuse treatment with only mild, residual psychotic symptoms and a discharge diagnosis of psychotic disorder not otherwise specified, POTS, and cannabis dependence.At a 3- month follow-up evaluation, while still taking irreparable, Mr.. Z remained off cannabis and free of psychotic symptoms. † (Pierre, 2010) Marijuana had benefits throughout history, there have been reports of the symptoms that marijuana has cured. The standard review set forth by the FED&C Act, demands clinical investigations and scientific proof by experts qualified by scientific training and experience to evaluate the effectiveness of the drug involved.Therefore it is appropriate in detail that material regarding the safety and efficiency of medical marijuana is true (Coh en, 2009) . All drugs do have side effects but with marijuana the dangers are far less. It is used to treat nausea, vomiting, insomnia, lack of appetite, movement disorders, pain, cancer, alcohol abuse, bipolar disorder, inflammatory bowel disease and a host of other symptoms. With stress marijuana helps calm people down and not dwell on problems that they have, while the problems do not go away it is considered to help cope with the problems.Finding the balance to deal with your problems and have marijuana help cope is key to making the use successful. Not finding a balance can be negative as much as it is positive. In general everyone has some type of problem and smoking marijuana can help. In 1851, the United States granted marijuana the status of a legitimate medical compound. The complaints for doing this that cannabis had treated where neuralgia, gout, tetanus, hydrophobia, convulsions, mental depression, hysteria and insanity. This was supported by anecdotal input and not sci entific data.Anecdotal reports are suggestive and do not constitute the firm scientific reports that is essential to Justify the approval of marijuana to be completely legal. A recent study suggests that marijuana may be a useful addition to chemotherapy for hepatitis C, a deadly infection. Drugs that are used to treat HCI are effective but have ever side effects such as extreme fatigue, nausea, muscle aches, loss of appetite, and depression. Sylvester and colleagues found that smoking marijuana significantly ameliorated these symptoms.This enabled patients to complete treatment when patients who did not smoke opted to not complete treatment (Cohen, 2009). In 2007 the efficiency of smoking marijuana by the AIDS community was verified by a scientific peer-reviewed publication by Donald Abram and coworkers. In this publication random volunteers were assigned to smoke marijuana or identical placebo cigarettes three times daily for 5 days. The report stated that the percentage f subject s who smoked reported more than a 30% reduction in pain intensity, the study found that marijuana reduced daily pain by an average of 34% (Cohen, 2009).Even in friends and family that I have talked to also reported that this is true, that smoking marijuana has helped them deal with pain. They also stated that it has helped keep them calm and would rather smoke marijuana then drink alcohol. I en tests Ana Tact's snow Tanat ten Detentes AT marijuana outline ten rills information in this essay shows the risks of marijuana compared to other prescribed drugs are less. With all drugs there are side effects especially death which is almost inexistent in marijuana, people can benefit more from it especially using vaporizer which cuts down the chance for getting lung cancer.

Personality Analysis Essay

How Personality Affects Situational Behavior Relative to learning theory; human behavior is associated with cognitive and environmental factors (Feist & Feist, 2009). Bandura (1997) self-efficacy theory supposes a person’s individual perception on if a particular task could be achieved and influence a person’s aptitude to achieve. Bandura deemed the power of personal efficacy profoundly has an effect a person’s reaction in a particular circumstance. Conversely, even supposing an essential influence; it is not, the sole influence on behavior. Personal expectations, previous behavior, in addition to the environment play a role in what causes behavior (Feist & Feist, 2009). Presupposition of the behaviorist learning theory, individuals obtain learning by experimenting with alternatives; individuals evaluate diverse behaviors until they connect with a specific behavior. Learning theory considers humankind pertain past learned information as a process to acquiring particular expectation and common principles in related circumstances (Feist & Feist, 2009). An individual reviews similar experiences before generating behavior in a new circumstance this method determines the best action and selects one that will suggest a related result (Feist & Feist, 2009). It has been established in some theories; the learner is unreceptive and basically reacts to environmental motivation. Cognitive learning theory supposes individuals are sympathetic logical beings, thus individual behavior is established as a result of conception development. Personality theories stem from an array of developments; manipulations, effects, and many other aspects. The base of personality theories began with several prominent theorists, Jung, Freud, Klein, and Erikson, and many others. The similarity of influences and the development of personality on behavior remain in psychology today. An individual’s characteristic traits and personality is the combination to one’s uniqueness. The development method of personality transpires through environmental factors, heredity, life experiences, and behavioral changes. The relationship between personality and behavior derive from the internal work of the unconscious drive (Feist & Feist, 2009). Humanism is a standard approach that considers learning is applied as an individual process to accomplish a person’s individual capability (Feist & Feist, 2009). In humanistic theory, individual learners have an affecting and cognitive necessity; this reaction will motivate a response to a condition (Feist & Feist, 2009). Through a learners encouraging environment, when faced with a situation, an individual will learn and respond appositely. Through a humanistic viewpoint, a response to a particular situation is directed to an individual’s current needs and fulfillment. The ultimate response of the individual is in a way substantial to the fulfillment of current or aspiring needs (Feist & Feist, 2009). A behavioristic perception of personality is far from specific and accurate. Several theorists consider that even though personality is to some extent foreseeable, a fraction of it is contradictory because of the self-determination within all of us, whereas individuals respond outside of that which is predictable. For example, you may find a person that is moderately stable and unemotional who is all of a sudden confronted with a trauma or tragedy, such as being witness or victim to a violent crime or the tragic loss of a loved one. This may trigger aspects of their personality such as extreme anger and violence. Personality Characteristics within the Perspectives The learning theories support that personality is an accretion of learned tendencies that carry on all through the existence. Skinner considered genetics is a significant contribution in personality development and unique personality’s stems from genetic variance; the ultimate factor of shaping the personality is environmental (Feist & Feist, 2009). Skinner also supposed a person’s environment and personal physical strength in relative to animals assisted with influencing the common personality of human beings; however social environmental factors influences and creates distinctive personality traits. Skinner stated personality as â€Å"at best a repertoire of behavior imparted by an organized set of contingencies† (Skinner, 1974, as cited by Feist & Feist, 2009). According to the theory of Bandura, he believed human nature as â€Å"proactive, self- organizing, self-regulating, and self-reflective† (Feist & Feist, 2009). Bandura established observational learning allows individuals to learn devoid of performing behavior. In addition, Bandura supposed â€Å"learning theories are considered for accepting individual intelligence, differences, genetic factors or the whole realm of personality† (Feist & Feist, 2009). Humanistic psychology beliefs are determined towards the biological drive regarding personal development, despite of environmental factors; people freely make their own choices (Boeree, 1997). Free will is a significant origin in personality development. Self-actualization is a dominant purpose for the conception of the personality (Boeree, 1997). Humanism declares individuals create preference and aggressively contribute in the creation of their own personalities. Maslow supposed biological factors supplied the essential factor for the individual; though, cultural and environmental have an effect on shaping the self-image characteristics or personality (Feist & Feist, 2009). Rogers acknowledged self-awareness, and this consciousness allowed individuals to create preferences and partake in creating their own unique personalities (Boeree, 1997). Interpersonal Relations According to the humanist/existential viewpoint, Abraham Maslow theory involved satisfying love and acceptance was a primary requirement and must be fulfilled by establishing family, friendships, romantic relationships, and sustaining other personal relationships. Maslow projected contentment at this stage was essential for other stages of the contentment of humans (Feist & Feist, 2009). Carl Rogers’s philosophy involved a child who had a parent or caregiver that had a positive interest for the child encouraged positive psychological growth. Positive affection from others is essential for healthy development and success toward self-actualization (Boeree, 1997). The common viewpoint of humanism and existentialism observed interpersonal relationships as a essential role of human life, without these interpersonal relationships, growth and development may not be psychologically beneficial (Hoffman, 2004). According to Feist & Feist, (2009), Maslow alleged people content in interpersonal relationships have self-confidence in social affairs and have the knowledge and understanding of how to love. In a learning perspective, interpersonal relationships are built on shaped behaviors. For example if you smiled at a person, the person will smile back at you, then say I love animals and they smile leading both parties talking more about animals and intensifying those important aspects of the individuals personality that are socially related to conversations about animals. Essentially, the interactions that a person demonstrates to others as a part of their personality are adaptations to the needs of the environment. Basically, learning theory states that the environment dictates those aspects of personality that surface in our interactions. Conclusion Personality stems from learning theories which defines human learning and its consequential behavior and is created from environmental factors with some internal aspects, while humanistic theory supposes in a greater inclination for internal human drive toward an essential human state of self that is ascertained. The distinct viewpoint with regard to the influence of personalities on particular behavior, the unique description of human nature and personality, and the distinct clarification of interpersonal associations all represent a distinctive perception of humanity through psychological thought and relevance. Essentially, personality, though an excellent guide to what may happen, is highly influenced by outside factors, external threats and even internal traumas that emerge from our past. Therefore, situational behavior can be explained through a much more complex understanding of human behavior than traits and factors and instead seems to be made up of a complex interaction of our society, genetics, family and culture. References Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman. Boeree, C. G. (1997). Carl Rogers. My Webspace Files. Retrieved April 27, 2011, from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/rogers Colman, A. M. (Ed.). (2010). Humanistic psychology. In Oxford Reference Online. Retrieved May 7, 2011, from http://www.oxfordreference.com Feist, J. & Feist, G. J. (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill. Hoffman, L. (2004). Existential therapy. Existential Therapy Homepage. Retrieved May 08, 2011, from http://www.existential-therapy.com