Thursday, January 30, 2020

Examining The Concept of Politically Correct Speech Essay Example for Free

Examining The Concept of Politically Correct Speech Essay Lets be politically correct about this. This is a common statement people make when they want to avoid offending people. This is the goal of the concept of being politically correct: avoid offending peoples sensibilities. Case in point, it is not uncommon to call blind people visually impaired. The reason for this is that somehow the word blind became derogatory. Well, actually it didnt and neither did a number of benign words but in the 1990s there was a movement that started with the clear intention of making words as antiseptic as possible. The movement was somewhat mocked at first and pop culture comedian George Carlin quipped It is just a means of people hiding their guilt without really atoning for their sins. But, the politically movement has far from gone away. In fact, it has gained significant momentum in certain quarters. This is good in some ways and negative in others. One of the most negative aspects of the political correctness movement is that perpetually trying to be politically correct has a tendency to hinder communications. That is, when people are always trying to choose their words or phrases carefully they may find the end result to be stilted. That is to say, the words they select in their writing or oral presentations may end up being silly. Again, most people assume a blind person is blind. If one refers to a blind person as optically challenged then one may discover the audience laughing at the choice of words. This is because it is obvious the individual is going really out of the way to avoid hurting anyones feelings. Granted, this end result may avoid offense but it could also yield laughter. If that was not the intended result of your actions then the actions would be deemed a flop. Sorry to be so blunt but this is the common end result of going to ridiculous extremes in order be politically correct at the expense of using good language. There are, however, some benefits to politically correct speech. This is most evident in the workplace. Remember when it comes to success in the workplace success will often be based around relationships with people. If your relationships with others are not as best as they can be then you may discover your career suffering. This would obviously be a bad situation and best avoided. Since one of the most common ways of developing bad relationships is through offending people seeking to be more politically correct in your dialogue would not be a bad idea. If you are involved in the insurance sales business there will be a multitude of people whom you will come in contact. As such, you would want these people to feel as comfortable as possible and opt to avoid using words that may prove offensive. For example, you would want to avoid calling the elderly old if you come in contact with such individuals. Sticking with the term senior citizen would be a much wiser option. Of course, you will want to select words that are sensible and not silly. There is a fine line between politeness and parody when it comes to speaking in a politically correct manner. However, if you use simple logic and common sense in your approach to selecting politically correct terms you will avoid many of the common political correctness pitfalls associated with the movement.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin - The Power of Love :: Uncle Toms Cabin

The Power of Love in Uncle Tom's Cabin In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe supplies the reader with two diametrically opposed characters, the two children, representatives of the two extremes of society. The fair, high-bred child, with her golden head, her deep eyes, her spiritual, noble brow, and prince-like movements; and her black, keen, subtle, cringing, yet acute neighbor. They stood representatives of their races. The Saxon, born of ages of cultivation, command, education, physical and moral eminence; the Afric, born of oppression, ignorance, toil and vice! The two children, Evangeline and Topsy, teach us a lesson about love. While Evangeline's "form was the perfection of childish beauty" and "there was about her an undulating and aerial grace," the "expression of (Topsy's) face was an odd mixture of shrewdness and cunning" and "there was something odd and goblin-like about her appearance." When "no word of chiding or reproof ever fell on (Evangeline's) ear for whatever she chose to do" Topsy was "whipped with a poker, knocked down with a shovel or tongs, whichever came the handiest." "Always dressed in white," Evangeline moved "through all sorts of places, without contracting a spot or stain" while Topsy "was dressed in a single filthy, ragged garment, made out of bagging." Of Evangeline, Miss Ophelia remarked, "Well, she's so loving! After all, she's no more than Christ-like," and of Topsy, "so heathenish." Evangeline told Tom her Christ-like feelings about slavery: "I've felt that I would be glad to die, if my dying could stop all this misery. I would die for them, Tom, if I could." The word "God," however, is meaningless to Topsy. When asked who her parents are, she responds, "I spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me." "A thousand times a day rough voices blessed (Evangeline), and smiles of unwonted softness stole over hard faces, as she passed; and when she tripped fearlessly over hard places, rough, sooty hands were stretched involuntarily to save her, and smooth her path." Such was not the case for our mischievous friend Topsy. When Evangeline spoke to Topsy about her habit of stealing things, she asked her, "Poor Topsy, why need you steal? You're going to be taken good care of, now. I'm sure I'd rather give you anything of mine, than have you steal it." These were "the first word(s) of kindness the child had ever heard in her life" and "something like a tear shone in (her) keen, round, glittering eye.

Tuesday, January 14, 2020

Precision Worldwide, Inc

Introduction When a competitor develops and introduces a superior product that is less costly to manufacture and even many times usable and durable, the key to people at Precision Worldwide must decide whether to match the competitor's product, when to do so, how to price or what sustainable competitive advantage it needs to adopt during the next strategic period, given that it holds a large inventory of its now inferior product. This issue concerns the steel and plastic rings which the company, Precision Worldwide, Inc. PWI) is opting to produce as a matter of competing intensively with a French company, Henri Poulenc, which was at the same time posing a big threat to the viability of the steel rings PWI is producing. . PWI is confronted not only with a substitute product which is both cheap and durable. Compared to PWI’s steel rings, the plastic rings being produced by Henri Poulenc is both cheaper and lasts longer. PWI is also facing the risk of earning the ire of its custo mers if it manufactures but selectively introduces the cheaper plastic rings in areas where it is faced with the ‘plastic’ competition. As a result, PWI is now confronted with a dilemma of differences in strategic measures to undertake given the differing opinions of its key people. Questions Posted for this Note: 1. You have to analyze the existing data, the conflicting views of the sales manager and the Development engineer. And make a decision as to whether PWI should begin the manufacture of a plastic ring. Answer: From the standpoint of the qualitative aspect of competition, PWI is encouraged to start manufacturing of the plastic ring if it is to avert a more serious consequence of being eased out of the market due to a cheaper, more durable plastic ring. Regardless of the fact that PWI still has an inventory of the special steel material and the completed steel rings, yet PWI should approach the problem with a resolve in terms of the qualitative factor of competition. The cost of the existing inventory will have to be matched with the opportunity cost of being eased out of the competition – that is, pitting the income from the substitute with the potential loss of the opportunity income due to a prompt entry into the plastics market. For PWI, the signs of change are showing: the presence of a cheaper and better substitute which should not be ignored totally. Hence, this needs to be seriously considered as a threat. The presence of alternatives as exemplified by Henri Poulenc should encourage PWI to explore this option. 2. In addition, a plan needs to be designed as to the pricing policy to follow for both the steel and the plastic rings. Answer: A plan for the pricing policy is similarly considered urgent to explore the opportunities of lower cost or such cost being at par with the competition, both for the steel and plastic rings. Any form of pricing policy will have to be dependent on the cost of production and operations of PWI. Opportunities for cost reductions through outsourcing, reengineering and redundancy layoffs should be seriously considered. Among the avenues that can be explored include outsourcing of the manufacturing of the steel and plastic rings, either with Henri Poulenc or with other equally cost-effective firms. A number of plastic or steel rings manufacturer may offer a cheaper cost structure for PWI. An additional strategy to a pricing policy for the steel and plastic ring is to reengineer the manufacturing operations for the rings to explore ways of reducing production cost to lower the selling price for the part. Part of this operations restructuring measure include: evaluation of the sources of raw materials as means of looking for cheaper suppliers. (Kaplan & Norton, 2004) Comparatively, indeed, the costs of raw materials for both plastic and steel rings are too big to be ignored. PWI has to take the initiative to explore the use of alternatives like plastic which has been found feasible by Henri Poulenc. On the other hand, the labor and overhead cost may be studied in detail to explore automated production to manage the cost-price relationship. Cost variance analysis is needed to determine areas for improvements and opportunities. Pricing policies will then come after target costing measures are explored. (Garrison & Noreen, 2003) 3. Finally, some considerations should be given to the effect of the decision upon the firm’s image in the marketplace. Answer: There are a number of considerations that may likely impact the image-building processes of PWI are to be seriously considered when making decisions. Thus the effect of decisions involving the following issues is considered: (1) the issues involving the cost structure which continue to hamper the pricing policies and market potentials of PWI’s products. It appears that PWI has not really looked into the possibility of actively pursuing efforts to compete in the market through cost-effective production processes, lower prices to recognize the availability of better-equality substitutes such as the plastic rings; (2) the possible discovery of distributing the planned cheaper plastic rings in areas where competition is tight. This issue might prove to be an indefensible issue if customers discover such unfair selective distribution scheme; (3) the disposal of the remaining inventory of special steel and the finished steel rings might not be acceptable to the market unless prices are made more attractive and useful to the buyer. However, disposal made at a cheaper price and the prompt introduction of the plastic rings at a competitive price might mitigate the possible losses of the steel materials and steel rings. This can bring a positive impact in favor of the PWI for its initiative at providing its customers with marked down prices of steel rings. And, (4) the production of plastic rings at a cheaper cost will enable the company to bring a message of dynamism to the market despite the prospect of competition. (Hill, 2008) 4. How long is it prudent to sell a short-lived highly profitable replacement part without jeopardizing the company’s image and market share? Answer: The introduction of the plastic rings into the market should be followed by a market survey to determine the acceptability of the market to the innovation. An analysis of the consumer behavior is important in planning the appropriate action to be taken on the period required to sell the plastic rings. The survey should be able to tell the effects of the innovation for PWI to assess how long the product can be introduced into the market without affecting the image and market share of the company. 5. What price relationship is likely to prevail between the steel rings and the plastic rings once the latter become widespread? Answer: The price relationship expected to prevail between the steel rings and the plastic rings might at a ratio of 5:1 which means that five plastic rings is equivalent to one steel ring. This relationship however, can significantly change as the cost structure is reevaluated and inputs analyzed to arrive at a more competitive cost structure enough to sustain the production of both the steel and the plastic rings. . How should the 15,100 finished steel rings that will still be on hand in September be treated for analytical purposes? Answer: The inventory of finished steel rings will be used up in due time by September based on estimates of periodic and regular consumption. The remaining inventory can be classified at scrap and marked down accordingly to encourage sales and turnover. 7. Will the price rings hold at $1,350 once plastic rings are introduced? Answer: The price will no longer hold at $1,350 for the steel rings. The price of the traditional steel rings will drop accordingly due to the presence of substitutes and the demand to become more competitive. 8. Will the price of steel rings fall to one-fourth of the plastic rings’ price? Answer: It is probable that the price of the steel rings will fall to one-fourth or even beyond as components of the cost become stable, but there are still variables to consider that may affect the pricing: that is, the issue of reengineering the production which may lead to lower costs. 9. What effects will the decision in respect to plastic rings and steel rings have on the sale of other PWI products?particularly of the industrial machines? Answer: Since the pricing policy of PWI will affect the options to be made by the company, the effect of decisions on the plastic and steel rings may rationalize the prices of the machines as the cost burden is shifted from the steel to the plastic area. (Garrison & Noreen 2003) 10. Can the plastic rings be sold in France without affecting PWI’s other markets? Answer: At the short run, there will be no effect. However, in the long run, when customers are able to gain access to the French market through the globalization phenomenon, customers will start to shift sourcing of rings from the traditional sources to France where are able to make good use of their financial resources. 11. What action should Hans Thorborg take? Why? Answer: Thorborg should explore existing and future capabilities to arrive at the various options. Here, the bottom line is the capability to produce the plastic rings at a competitive price while disposing the inventory of steel materials and the steel rings. Thorborg needs to start retooling the production lines for the plastic rings. The threat from Henri Poulenc is real and may soon take some market share from PWI. The cost structure is a very fluid support for decisions as these can significantly change with a decision to outsource, reengineer or rationalize the labor and overhead component. Whatever options Thorborg choose to act on, needs the support of his key people in the company especially Henk and Eisenbach. (Anthony & Govindarajan, 2003)

Monday, January 6, 2020

Research On The Banking System In Thailand Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 1991 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Thailand was regarded as Asias Tiger in 1990s, where the economic situation is thriving. Thailand had a strong growth in Gross Domestic Capital of 11.5% from year 1987-1996. However, Thailand was seriously affected by the Asian Financial turmoil. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Research On The Banking System In Thailand Finance Essay" essay for you Create order It is suggested that the great fall during Asian Financial turmoil is mainly caused by the poor monitoring and control over of various financial institutions there, mainly the commercial banks. Also, the recent political instability has driven lots of investment away from Thailand. Therefore, in the following parts, I will investigate the financial institutions, with the focus of the Banking sector. In this essay, we are going to look into the history of the banking sector in Thailand and some of the features of the banking institutions there which hopes to have an overview of the countrys banking sector. The History of the Banking System in Thailand The Thailand banking sector once had a close relationship with the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC). In 1865, the HSBC sent its staff into the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. Later in 1888, a new branch was set up in Thailand by HSBC. At that time, HSBC was the pioneer bank to have branch there to facilitate the capital movement in Thailand. Subsequently, the Chartered Bank followed in 1894, and in 1897 Banque de I Indochine (a bank from France) also built branches in Thailand with an aim to facilitate international trading with Thailand (Blanchard, 1958). This was the time the foreign banks enter the Thailand market. The officially first Thai bank, which is named as the Siam Commercial Bank, was actually formed in year 1906 by Chinese. After that, more and more local banks were being established which eventually captured back the market share from the foreign banks. In order to support and protect the local banks, Thailand had adopted a policy which restricts foreign bank to own only one branch in Thailand after the Second World War. This policy limits the growth of the foreign banks which in return provides opportunity for local bank to grow. Since the rapid economic growth in1960s brings an opportunity of facilitating economic investment and funding to support the improvement of banking system. A rapid development of banks in Thailand is resulted, and in the peak period, there are around 3,000 banks in Thailand. Introduction of the Banking Institutions in Thailand The banking system in Thailand can be divided into the following: Bank of Thailand(BOT), the central bank 12 domestic commercial banks and 18 commercial banks from other countries 27 international banking facilities (IBF) 5 specialized banks, including the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand, the Government Saving Bank (GSB), the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives (BAAC), the Government Housing Bank (GSB) and the Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank) Most of the IBFs in Thailand are controlled by the commercial banks in Thailand too. Among the twenty-seven IBF licenses, 8 is under the control of local commercial banks while 15 are under the control of foreign commercial banks. In the following parts, we will now explore the banking financial institutions respectively. The Central Bank in Thailand An organization which performs similar duty of the central bank was formed in 1939, named the Thai National Banking Bureau which is under a department of the Ministry of Finance in Thailand. Later, the Bureau was converted into a central bank (the Bank of Thailand, BOT), after the Bank of Thailand Act in 1942 when Thailand learnt from the successful experience of other countries powerful central banking system. The responsibilities of the Bank of Thailand include the following: To issue currencies that are in circulation in Thailand and other security documents in Thailand. The central bank has a monopoly banknotes-issuing as the sole-issuer. To Maintian monetary stability and formulate monetary policies by the following (BOT, 2007): mobilize the deposits, determine the interest rate for loans to financial institutions, trading foreign exchange and exchanging for the future cash flow, borrowing foreign exchange in order to maintain the monetary stability, borrowing money in order to implement the monetary policy, trading securities as necessary and exchanging for the future cash flow in order to control the money supply in the countrys financial system, borrowing or lending the securities with or without returns. Provide banking services to the government and act as the recorder of bonds issued by the government Provide banking services for the financial institutions, importantly acting as the last resort for financial instit ute Supervise and monitor financial institute by requesting explanation of report of the banks operation. Build or back the payment system control, monitors, and check the financial situation and porformance, and risk management system of the financial institutions in order to promote financial institutions stability. (BOT, 2008) handle and control Thailands foreign exchange rate and manage assets in the currency reserve according to the Currency Act. (BOT, 2008) express Thailands views and fight for Thailands interest in the international platforms including the IMF and Asian Development Bank The central bank of Thailand has an irreplaceable role in financial institutions supervision and monitoring the economics growth with useful monetary policies. Both on-site and off-site methods are used for monitoring. On-site methods refer to sudden tangible inspections performed at least once a year on the commercial banks. Off-site methods refer to investigating the wee kly, monthly, or annually reports collect from the existing financial institutions on various kinds of operations. (Supervision Group Policy, Bank of Thailand, 2002). It is believed that the tight supervision help to achieve a controlled level of GDP growth in a safety range of 5% which is close to the international standard. This helps to build confidence that Thailand will not make the same mistakes they did before the Asian Financial Crisis (Poor surveillance in banking sectors). Thailand Commercial Banks review The dominating group in the Banking sector is the commercial banks. There are a total of14 Thai Banks and 16 Foreign Banks taking control of 70% of the local household savings and credits in the whole banking system which is approximately 2,800 million dollars. 79 percent of the money was in the form of bill, loans, and overdrafts. Commercial banks lending are comprised 25% on manufacturing, 20%in wholesale and retail trade and 11% in the form of working capital financing, and imports and exports respectively. Currently, the dominating commercial banks are the following: The Bangkok Bank, The Thai Farmers Bank, The Krunk Thai Bank The Siam Commercial Bank. In the 1990s, the above four banks own almost 70% of the assets in the banking system and which is equivalent to 75% of total assets in Thai banking system in private banks. The functions of the commercial banks in Thailand includes the following Offers time deposits, saving deposits and Current deposits. issues certificate of deposit, provides mortgage, provides loans to foreigners and provides loans to meet domestic demand of loan, trades financial securities in the foreign exchange markets The sources of funding of the Thailand banking system are mainly from deposits, which is different from Hong Kong relying heavily on inter-bank borrowing. Control on Commercial Bank After the passing of Commercial Banking Act, Commercial banks have to follow strict regulations imposed by the local government. They also are required to get permission from the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Regulations for the maintenance of capital funds and reserves are created because of the Act. Since then, the commercial banks are restricted to maintain destined amount and fixed assets type in the country. (BOT 2008) it is regulated that the bank must transfer at least 15% of earnings into reserves. Dividends are limited to 15% of reserves unless the amount of reserves is greater than 60% of their paid-in capital. The banks must maintain a capital adequacy of approximately 10% to the two tiered capital standard regulated by the Basle Committee Capital Accord in 1988. After the Asian Financial turmoil, the regulated reform of banking sector had attracted many foreign banks and capitals entering into Thailand. Foreign banks are found out to be more competitive when compared to local banks with better management. It is believed that the reform is beneficial to the banking sector. The comparative advantages of the foreign banking were brought into Thailand by the foreign investors, and it also flows with capitals from other countries. The competitive environment can help customers to have a better service in the future. Overview of the Other Specialized Banks in Thailand There are 5 specialized banks and they are: Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives It is formed at 1966. The aim is to provide credit for farmers who find it difficult to make loan from commercial banks or the farmers cannot afford to pay the high interest in financing. The bank promotes agricultural industry by offering financial assistance to the farmers. Nowadays, it is regarded as a diversified rural bank which provides a large variety of financial services. The Small and Medium Enterprise Development Bank of Thailand It is established to assist the growth of small and medium enterprises by giving them financial support such as loans, venture capital or other consultancy service. The Government Saving Bank GSB was established in 1913. The GSBs original use was to gather and provide funds to support the large amount of government deficits. Nowadays, GSB focus more on the private sector. The Government Housing Bank GHB was formed in 1953, which specializes in providing mortgage lending to the targeted low or middle income group in order to provide funding for them to but houses at a lower interest. It also provides long-term mortgage loans for individual borrowers and construction loans for property developers to assist their residential building development projects. Export-Import Bank of Thailand (EXIM Bank) Established in 1993, provides financial aid for international trading and foreign investment which aims to help to boost Thailand exports and attract investors. If offers direct loans and guarantees loans, insurance on exports and consultancy service to Thai exporters and investors. The predicted Trend of the Thailand Banking System The Asian Financial Crisis helped to spot the problem of the absence of surveillance and monitoring in Thailand Banking system after 1997. With the new law requirement of handling in operational reports about transaction to the central Bank and the regulating body, the malpractice in banking sector is spotted and reforms are being made to prevent the problem. The fierce competition in banking sector brought from the entry of foreign bank in the banking sector in Thailand heat up the operational changes in terms of providing a wider source of capital, improving the technological level, updating management on operations with a focus of marketing strategies. In order to be customer friendly, many banks has increased the coverage and scale of Automatic machine use (ATMS) and build more branches in mass transit and supermarkets, to attract real estate purchases to use the service, flexible mortgage-loan package are provided in lower interest rate. To cope with the competitions, lo cal Thai banks are focusing more on customer relation management and also internal managing system. For example they have formed an e-banking systems and installing more ATM machines. We can foresee that with the improved management focusing customer perspectives, more customers are willing to use the banking system in Thailand. With the external monitoring system improvement and internal operation improvement in the banking sector, we can see the opportunities in Thailand banking sector and the potential of growth is high. Conclusion After looking into the different banking sector in Thailand, we can conclude that the Thailand banking system is developing in a moderate pace when compared to other banking systems in the world. As mentioned before, we can conclude that Thailand government has done quite a lot in improving the Banking sectors there. However, as the political situation In Thailand is very unstable, we cannot foresee an opportunity that the banking sector will grow as the instability will drives away foreign investments and capital and at the same time, affecting the currency and economics activities such as real estates performance, which is heavily-linked with the banking industry. Therefore, if the government needs to improve the banking sector, it must keep an eye on the political and social stability.