JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH - 3135 Words

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH Introduction The subject of â€Å"Justification by Faith† is an argument, proposed by the Apostle Paul in Romans 1:17 where he starts by introducing God’s revelation to humankind concerning unrighteousness: That this was a God-given revelation in the beginning and throughout man’s history (faith to faith) within the â€Å"Gentile’s law of nature and the Jews law of Moses. However, Paul further exclaims, â€Å"that neither of them could be justified by their obedience to the respective laws under which they were, but that they both stood in need of the righteousness of God.† [1] As Paul is strictly a preacher of the Gospel of salvation through Christ Jesus, there is no doubt he had to find another style of presenting the†¦show more content†¦What, or Who, is God’s Righteousness In Romans 1:17 we encounter the phrase â€Å"the righteousness of God†. This phrase does not necessarily refer to God’s uprightness, holiness, or purity, or His faithfulness in keeping His promises, nor the justice He will serve at the judgment but the means by which He provides salvation for humankind. Therefore, â€Å"the righteousness of God† refers to Christ Jesus for he obediently fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament, which began in Genesis 3:15, and faithfully accomplished the Father’s promises. â€Å"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. NIV Our faith in Christ Jesus, as our personal savior, justifies us in the sight of the Father because we testify to the pure, holy, and righteous blood that he shed to save us from sin, hell, the grave and eternal death. Here â€Å"the righteousness of God† and â€Å"the revelation of the wrath of God† compare to having a significant relationship. The Apostle Paul is actually teaching us that without receiving Christ and becoming a â€Å"son of God† (John 1:12) we remain criminals to the heavenly government of God and â€Å"the wrath of God†, which is eternal separation from the Father becomes the reward (in this case, punishment) for our unrighteousness. We cannot save ourselves and anything we claim good enough to make us free fromShow MoreRelatedJustification by Faith3436 Words   |  14 PagesUNIVERSITY JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH RESEARCH PAPER SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR BRADLEY MCDANIEL 201540 FALL 2015 BIBL 161-B01 LUO BY DEIRDRE JONES-SHOOK LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA OCTOBER 2015 Table of Contents Definition 3-5 How is the term justification defined by scholars? What is your own definition based on your research? Basis 5-6 What is the act of being justified based or grounded on, that is, what is necessary to have happened or to be true in order for justification to be possibleRead MoreJustification by Faith2775 Words   |  12 PagesJUSTIFICATION BY FAITH An Apologist View Professor John Markley BIBL 425 - ROMANS BY KELLY RANDALL JUNE 2012 Introduction Dating to the writing of the book of Romans there has been a basic misunderstanding as to what Paul meant by justification by faith. The Jewish culture had been educated in the law and yet the Gentile culture was being instructed that the law was death. The Jewish community was confused and aghast that God would justify sinners. Nonetheless that is exactly what PaulRead Morejustification by faith3306 Words   |  14 Pagesï » ¿Justification by Faith John Markley BIBL 425 Sylvia Evans L24579490 August 20, 2012 Knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but, a righteousness which comes from God. We know that a person is justified not by works of the law but through the faith of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the work ofRead MoreJustification by Faith Essay1162 Words   |  5 PagesJustification by Faith In verse 15, Paul writes, We who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners Paul seems to be telling his gentile reader that the Torah has no bearing on their salvation. I feel that he purposely or inadvertently gives the law merit more merit than intended by suggesting that Jews are not sinners because they received the law. He draws a distinction between himself and the gentile sinners yet he is telling his audience that the ways, some of which are still a partRead MoreThe Doctrine Of Justification By Faith932 Words   |  4 PagesThe Doctrine of Justification has been a vital teaching throughout the history of Christianity and it is the fulcrum upon which the Church balances; even minor tweaking could result in drastic changes to our core beliefs. This Doctrine can be summarized to say that Justification is God’s declaration, that only through faith in his son’s suffering are we saved and are righteous in God’s sight. This teaching is as old as our religion and we can see this through its expression from both old and newRead MoreJustification by Faith Essay1057 Words   |  5 PagesJustification by Faith When Jesus died at Calvary, He suffered the wrath of God that all of mankind deserves. Every sinner, Old Testament or New, Jew or Gentile, is justified by faith in Jesus as their sin bearer. In His death Jesus Christ satisfied God’s righteous anger. He also offered justified sinners a righteousness which men could never merit or earn by their works in following the law. Given the condemnation of all men, Jew and Gentile alike, and the fact Read MoreJustification by Faith Essay1894 Words   |  8 Pageswho have faith in and respond to Jesus Christ (Ziesler, 1989). It is therefore against this background that this essay will attempt to discuss Pauline doctrine of justification by faith as understood by scholars like Ziesler, Barclay, Kasemann, Lo and Heinecken and to highlight where relevant differences in their perceptions of the doctrine. In its latter part, this essay will take issue with contentions that the doctrine constitutes only a subsidiary crater (Schweitzer), that justification is onlyRead MoreChristianity: Justification by Faith Essay1244 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION Justification by faith is viewed by Christians as one of the greatest gifts from God given to the sons of Adams lost race. Nothing can compare to the God given gift. Since the beginning of the church however, the doctrine justification has been quite an issue. For many years, scholars have been researching justification, the basis, as well as the ways to attain it. Once the definition was defined, the problem that scholars faced was the outcomes that followed it. In order for oneRead MoreJustification By Faith ( Sola Fide )1945 Words   |  8 PagesJustification by faith (Sola Fide), which known to be the core value of the Reformation. Is the believe that righteousness from God is viewed as being credited to the sinner s account through faith alone, without works is the core value of the Reformation.(Reformation is a 16th-century movement for the reform of abuses in the Roman Catholic Church ending in the establishment of the Reformed and Protestant Churches). Reformers like â€Å"Martin Luther and John Calving† were known as one of the mostRead MorePaul s Idea Of Justification By Faith1477 Words   |  6 PagesStacie L. Torres Dr. Beauchamp PhD Biblical Studies REL2200 April 2, 2015 Paul’s Idea of Justification by Faith In an open letter to the church at Ephesus, and copied to other churches throughout Asia, the Apostle Paul wrote what would later be called the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith. (Wilson, Intro. to Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, n.p.) The very same doctrine that catapulted the Protestant Reformation when Martin Luther nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the church

Forest Diversity - 1485 Words

Discussion The distribution and presence of tree species within forests at various successional stages can be attributed to the shade tolerance of the tree. Late successional forests contain all age classes of trees growing in a multi-layered canopy where there is a high abundance of shade-tolerant species reproducing under their own shade. Therefore, it is logical that sugar maple, which is a very shade tolerant species is more frequently found in late successional stages according to figure 3. Likewise, sugar maple can occupy mid successional forests, but cannot endure high sunlight exposure of early successional habitats. Mid successional forests allow the growth of plants that are semi or shade tolerant such as sugar maple, red†¦show more content†¦Till parent materials are a mix of rocks, sand, silt and clay. In the Arboretum, most till sites were associated with mesic moisture regimes (Fig. 6) where water is removed at a moderate rate leaving the soil moist for short periods of t ime. Fluvial parent materials are mainly composed of sorted sand and are associated with sub-mesic moisture regimes as sand allows water to drain relatively rapidly. According to figure 4, sugar maple is largely associated with sub-mesic to mesic moisture conditions and should thus grow on both till and fluvial parent materials based on moisture regime only. However, Sugar Maple seems to only grow on till in the Morgan Arboretum (Fig. 4). Perhaps sand alone does not provide enough nutrients required for sugar maples to grow whilst the mixture of sand, silt and clay of till does. Conversely, wetter sites characterized by hygric or sub-hygric water regimes often have lacustrine parent materials (Fig. 6). These parent materials are made of clay which slows down drainage due to smaller pore size. However, Red Maple, Basswood and White Ash did not necessarily follow the â€Å"typical† moisture regime of each parent material. Red maple occupies mostly wet sites with moisture regime s that are sub-hygric to hygric overall, especially on glacial till where drainage is moderate. Furthermore, Red maple isShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Functional Diversity And C Stocks On Different Forest Ecosystems1417 Words   |  6 Pages Relationships between functional diversity and C stocks in different forest ecosystems Recent studies focused on biodiversity have begun to include the concept of functional diversity, which measures the range, value, and distribution of functional traits of organisms in a community ecosystem (Tilman et al. 1997; Mouchet et al. 2010). It is becoming increasingly accepted that biodiversity components of plant community, i.e. the species identity, abundance and divergence of functional traits, stronglyRead MoreBiological Diversity in Mangrove Forests Essay587 Words   |  3 PagesMangrove forests provide habitats for many marine and terrestrial species. These intertidal zone forest support richest biological diversity and primary productivity and it also support the livelihood of millions of people across the world that is why the mangrove consider an ecosystem by itself and has its own food chain. Mangrove food chain actually depends majorly on the recycling of detritus, which come from the falling of mangrove leaves, so the mangrove is the main producers of the mangroveRead MoreEcosystem Sustainability and Climate Change800 Words   |  4 Pagesmanagement, restricting ingress of salinity desertification, conservation of genetic diversity of native species, coastal protection, etc. Ecosystem based mitigation: Harnessing the capability of the ecosystems for their carbon storage potential through afforestation reforestation related carbon sequestration, maintenance of natural corridors for migration of species, restoration of ecosystems for the forest or peat conservation, biomass soil carbon conservation, etc. The above practices areRead MoreThe Evolutionary Process Of Pollination Of Flowers1279 Words   |  6 Pagesand Death in the Rain Forests of Central and South America has opened my eyes to another world that I had not paid much attention to. Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata introduced a new world of wonder filled with so much diversity. Ecology and evolution go hand and hand, and the rainforest—a beautiful ecosystem driven by the climate [biome]—is a phenomenal example as hot spot for evolution. From the humidity, the high temperatures, the canopy of the trees, and so much more. Diversity thrives in this environmentRead MoreThe Habitat Of A Habitat Essay1744 Words   |  7 Pageswhich habitat they live in, however their choices are made based on which habitat can benefit them most without providing many disadvantages. The habitats that will be explored by students throughout this unit of study include: grasslands, desert, forest, artic, and water (oceans, lakes, and ponds). For this reason, it is essential to not only have knowledge on the topic of habitats, but these habitats specifically. According to the article â€Å"Grasslands,† written by World Wild Life (WWF), the grasslandsRead MoreHow Fragmentation Will Impact On Ecosystem Function1240 Words   |  5 Pagescivilization, large forests are completely degraded, eliminated and converted to other types of land use on all continents. However, small pieces of forest are left on areas that are of little use owning to their adverse topography or poor drainage, or other reasons. When discussing the human impact on forests (Ledig 1992). Ledig and Kitzmiller (1992) listed fragmentation of forest as next in line after complete destruction degradation and loss of genetic diversity in forest area. Defined as an unbrokenRead MoreReducing Emissio n from Deforestation and Forest Degradation1316 Words   |  5 PagesEmission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) Program – Equity and Effectiveness Introduction Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD) is a program that, like its name suggests, has the main objective of reducing the emission levels of green-house gases from land uses, through incentives in developing countries. The program includes measures related to conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forests carbon stocks (United Nations FrameworkRead MoreThe Role Of Tropical Rainforest And Water Cycle1604 Words   |  7 Pagestranspiration and evaporation process. Transpiration is the water vapour loss from plants through stomata, and evaporation is the water loss from all other part of plants but leaves and other living things in the forest. Evapotranspiration are the accumulation of transpiration and evaporation in the forest. During transpiration, trees suck water from soil through the root system and transport the water to leaves through xylem, and then release the water to the air through stomata. Transpiration happens simul taneouslyRead MoreDeconstructing definitions of Forest and Woodland: a proposal of new conditions and criteria1305 Words   |  5 PagesWHAT IS A FOREST? WHAT IS A WOODLAND? The definition of forest, mostly accepted as a group of trees of determined height, disposed in a determined density and covering some percentage of the soil, can be included in a broader definition of woodlands, often seen as a group of trees with more flexible thresholds for height, density and coverage. So, from now on and arbitrarily, when the word â€Å"woodland† is mentioned, â€Å"forests† are also included. Referring to the introduction and analyzing the SpanishRead MoreAnimal Products And Its Effects On Myanmar1676 Words   |  7 PagesIn Myanmar, NTFPs is defined as â€Å"all kinds of forest produce other than timber and firewood.† This includes animals, vegetables, and mineral products (Khin Maung Lwin 1995). Myanmar Forest Law 1992 called NTFPs as minor forest produce. According to the Forest Law 1992, NTFPs are declared for revenue collection. Forest Department levy tax on 29 kinds of forest products including NTFPs according to the law. The production of NTFPs from 2010 to 2014 is shown in the Appendix 1. NTFPs in Myanmar can be

Atlanta Exposition By Washington Essay Example For Students

Atlanta Exposition By Washington Essay The chapter begins by telling the reader that Booker T. Washington, the author, was in the Atlanta Exposition representing the Negro enterprise and Negro civilization. He then describes how he gave a brief speech to the white and black community, and then continues by writing about some personal experiences and his point of view on some particular issues. Some of these experiences and issues include the outcome of his speech, how he meets and thinks about the President of the United States, the invitation to be a judge in an educational contest, the Negro ministry, and voting. In this chapter, Booker T. Washingtons main theme is how two different races can live together in order to achieve progress. In his persuasive speech, he tries to convince black and white people that they should give their best for the prosperity of the South. He also tries to persuade people to make friends, no matter what their skin color or place of birth is. He emphasizes that if two different races can get to the point where they can trust each other, then they will be surrounded by the most patient, faithful, law-abiding, and unresentful people that the world has ever seen. The fact that Up From Slavery is an autobiography clearly indicates that the books point of view is in first person. The reader can make sure of this by noticing that Booker T. Washington, the author, is the one who tells the reader what is going on, what he thinks about life, what his feelings are, and what he thinks about other people. In this chapter the reader can encounter some insights that will evoke feelings. In other words, a great deal of emotion is involved. An example of these insights would be when Booker T. Washington, the next day of the Atlanta Exposition, was surprised to find himself pointed out and surrounded by a crowd of men who whished to shake his hand. In order for the reader to feel something, he needs to understand that the author was black, and in that time, black people used to be slaves. The reader needs to know the author had never felt something like that in his life. By being black, nobody cared about him before until that moment. I think that in this chapter there are some very interesting and brilliant ideas. I actually thought that black people were illiterate, but now I know Im wrong. I thought that they were illiterate because, just as the author described the Negro ministry, a race with a few years out of slavery had no time or opportunity to educate themselves. I really think that Booker T. Washington was an honest, sincere, and extremely smart person. In order to think about life they way he did, that requires wisdom and not everyone has it.

Organizational Structure Pluralist Society

Question: Describe about the Organizational Structure for Pluralist Society. Answer: Introduction Primarily, this work delves on agricultural industry in Australia. Under this industry, the focal point would be on Australian Agricultural Company (AACo). The aforementioned company is a reputable firm that was established back in 1824 and headquartered at Brisbane. The operation of AACo is centrally pegged on cattle keeping and animal products. Ideally, AACo is established on a vast land of approximately 1000, 000 acres which covers a very expansive land that was set aside by the British parliament for cattle keeping. The company source most of its income from the Meat Processing Industry (Claydon, Knight Rado, 2012). For the last five years, financial records indicate that the firm has been performing well. This is attributed by the fact that in 2015, the company registered a revenue accruing to $561, 026, 000. This was an incredible performance considering some of the underlying factors as par that time of the year that most of the firm were experiencing stiff completion from ot her marketeers globally. AACo is under the leadership of Mr Jason Strong who is the Chief Executive Officer. Mr Strong works alongside the Chairman of AACo named Mr Donald McGauchie who is a non-member in the organization (Dessler, 2012).The firm has divided its operation into two major segments referred to as cattle and land. This piece of work will therefore explicate on companys Structure, its leadership style providing strategies that have been laid down in the view of improving on the efficiency and performance of the firm to realize its ultimate objective amid stiff competition from other countries producing the same products to the market. Companys Structure Accodimg to Gill (2012). AACo has come up with new business structure to meet the rising demands for the firm products in the market. This structure is geared towards bettering their performance and efficiency. Its supply chain is structured in three distinct chains namely; Grassfed cattle, Grainfed cattle and Northern Beef. It is important to underscore that AACo owns 18 cattle stations in different locations that covers 6.4 million hectares. The above mentioned is aimed at reducing some loopholes in its operation. Moreover, this chain is aimed at increasing ratio product (Collins, Leberman Trenberth, 2012). On the same breathe the CEO and the other executive team wants to establish $ 911 million abattoir in the view of increasing its sale and beef production to the market at appropriate time. The company has come up with three segmentation in the view of improving on their productivity to make the work to be in simpler way. Each segment is managed by the human resource who sees to it that everything is conducted well and that the welfare of the employees are met having been provided with the required items for the job before the commencement of duty. Moreover, the three segments make it easier during feeding of the said animals that is beef. It is important to note that cattle are fed differently and therefore require very distinctive segments where the requisite attention and care would be provided to the said animals to increase on their productivity. Companys leadership style AACo operates under strong leadership a fact that puts it at a better position and making it to be reputable firm globally. As earlier mentioned the CEO of AACo is Mr. Jason. This current CEO employs good leadership style that has made the firm to be very competitive and most importantly be able to perform well in the (Leberman, Collins Trenberth, 2012). Looking at the achievements of Mr. Jason, it is explicitly clear that the person employs different managerial techniques which is geared towards improving the performance of AACo and realize good profits. AACo has well-structured leadership starting from CEO to human resource managers who are assigned duties to be in charge of different segments for efficacy (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley Shepherd, 2012). Australian Beef Industry Foundation (ABIF) acknowledge the zealous effort that was made by Mr Jason in transforming the face of AACo. Notably, ABIF conferred him with the Life membership for his exemplary performance in the company considering the fact that he has worked in different capacities in the company. The CEO of AACo employs transformative type of leadership. A transformational leader is the one who would wish to see new changes have been affected in the system for better functionality and expansion of the business. A good indication of his transformative style of leadership is evidenced where the structure of the firm is segmented into three under the new plan postulated by Mr. Jason. Initially the company was operating under the two segments namely cattle and land which proved not to be very effective. Another breakthrough of the leadership is that $ 91 million has been set aside to expand this business by expanding abattoir (Eunson, 2012). As such, the company would be vale to meet the needs of the growing number of clients within Australia and globally. Moreover, it would be important to state that Mr. Jason is friendly leader and therefore accords the employee chance to air their view s in order to aid the company realize its setbacks for corrective measures to be put in place. This approach is seen to be the most effective and results to innumerable success to the company that employs such tactic in its leadership. A good leadership style is the one that is synchronized with some theoretical framework of leadership. Some of the notable theory of leadership are Path Goal theory, Managerial grid theory postulated by Blake and contingencies theory (Thorpe, Buti, Davies, Fridman Jonson, 2013). Looking at the leadership of Mr. Jason, one can easily deduce an element of Path Goal theory approach. Under the aforementioned theory, the leader is focussed to achieve something for the benefit of the company. All this effort is geared towards realizing the core goal of the organization. Similarly, the leadership of Mr. Jason may be identified through the use of managerial grid theory. Since the aforementioned theory is divide in some segments, there are different attribute s that are given depicting a particular leader. However, it is ideal to indicate that the CEO of AACo inspires his employees a reason that makes the firm to be among the leading company that deals with animal products globally. The table below shows the list of its directors and management team. Source: (Scott, 2013) Directors Name Position Start Date Mr Jason Strong Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director 24 Jan 2014 Mr David Charles Crombie Non-Executive Director 5 Oct 2011 Mr Thomas (Tom) B Keene Non-Executive Director 5 Oct 2011 Mr Stuart Alexander Black Non-Executive Director 5 Oct 2011 Mr Anthony Abraham Non-Executive Director 7 Sep 2014 Dr Shehan Dissanayake Non-Executive Director 27 Apr 2012 Mr Neil Reisman Non-Executive Director 10 May 2016 Mr Donald Gordon McGauchie Non-Executive Director, Non-Executive Chairman 19 May 2010 Management Name Position A. Slatter Chief Financial Officer Bruce Bennett Company Secretary G. Davis General Manager - Innovation and Technology A. Bourke General Manager - People and Culture C. Levick General Manager - Sales and Marketing Companys Strategies within Australia and/or overseas markets Seeleman, El As (2015) assert that AACo has laid down some good strategies to improve on their performance and service delivery to the growing market both locally and internationally. Some of the notable step it has embraced is the issue of using both online and offline means to market its brand. The use of offline means encompasses using the print media such as magazine, newspapers, journals, brochure and television means. This is considered to be the traditional means of marketing; however, its role cannot be underrated since they are many people who still rely on it for firsthand information (Strang, 2015). Since the company is serving vast market beyond the sphere of Australia, it has too embraced the use of online means such as opening a website where they market their brand globally. Through online means, AACo is able to reach diversified clients from different nation and therefore playing a significant role in expanding their market (Hoye, Smith, Nicholson Stewart, 2015). AAC o also deals with beef products a fact that enables it to distribute some of their canned meat to some restaurants and franchises that are located within Australia. Proper strategies and good managerial leadership makes it possible for the firm to have efficient distribution of its products (Weaver Willnat, 2012). Similarly, the company transports its products overseas to Asia countries and America where its consumption is very high. It also does proper marketing at this nation so as to fully sensitize the community on its product and informing them on variety of the products they offer to the market. Apart from marketing, AACo is establishing more stores where different clients from Australia may get access to its product from the nearest shopping centres. This has also been seen to have played significant role in widening its market and their sales. Due to the companys reputation, it is putting some good measures to see to it that it heightens its sale by reaching potential clients who are geographically spread in different destinations (Raphael, 2012). AACo has variety of products that best suits the needs of the clients. It is due to this diversification on products that they are at better position to increase their sale throughout the year. The better thing with AACo is that it does not h ave seasonality. This implies that they sale there produce throughout the year and their sale is not affected by any factor such as climate or festivities (Miner, 2015). Moreover, the firm has well trained personnel who are skilled and able to provide their services diligently. It is due to this expertise that the business it able to meet its objectives and maintain high standards of hygiene that makes most of the people have trust in their products. Comments on AACos structure and strategies I find the strategies laid down by AAACo to be the most effective and instrumental to the business field. Most importantly this is too enhanced by good leadership under the headship of Mr. Jason. The aforementioned CEO uses some variability of leadership technique to see to it that they are achieving their core objective in their organization. Moreover, the way the company has been structured make it easy for the CEO with other managers to carry out their duty effectively (Weaver Willnat, 2012). Proper structuring of this company into three segments make all the department run on smoothly as each departmental heads or human resource managers on each level is liable for any activities taking place. It is due to this proper division that AACo is on a better platform to realize multiple fruits amid competition from other companies of the same level. It is important to underscore that a companys structure and organization determines their performance. AACo is a company that has existed for more than 100 years due to good leadership and structure that have been observed for so long. Currently, AACo expands their market to Hong Kong and Broadleaf in US where they export red meat. They are sensitizing the on the importance of taking red meat obliterating some of the misconceptions that was previously held about the red meat. The focal point of establish AACo was to improve on quality of merino sheep for export to countries such as Britain. It has now expanded its cattle station to eighteen a fact that shows that is operating a profit making business. The financial records too indicate that they are registering some positive deviation in sale every year for the last five years a fact that puts it on a better place. In 2001, it entered the Australian Stock Exchange where the firm could now asses its performance in comparison with other firms in the nation. As earlier mentioned, transformative leaders wishes to see changes effected in their work of place before their term expires. It is due to this that Mr. Strong as a transformative leader has initiated some of the notable things in the company which would propel the company to realize its ultimate goals Vis a Vis underlying factors. This is the reason that the executive set aside $ 91 million to establish an abattoir in the view of expanding their market and improving on their production due to high demand of the products (Luthans, Doh Hodgetts, 2012). The abattoir is aimed at meeting the global demand for meat product from AACo. This company is amongst the leading company in production of meat products to the global market. This is the fact that makes the organization select a leader who is transformative to initiate good project that would s ee the company maintain its status and enjoy the economic advantage. Bibliography CLAYDON, L., KNIGHT, T., RADO, M. (2012).Curriculum and Culture: Schooling in a Pluralist Society. Hoboken, Taylor Francis. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=957284. COLLINS, C., LEBERMAN, S., TRENBERTH, L. (2012).Sport business management in New Zealand and Australia. South Melbourne, Vic, Cengage Learning Australia. DESSLER, G. (2012).Management and people: HRMG100. Fenches Forest, N.S.W., Pearson Education Australia. EUNSON, B. (2012).Communication in the Workplace. Hoboken, John Wiley Sons. https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=849919. GILL, P. (2012).Policing Politics: Security Intelligence and the Liberal Democratic State. Hoboken, Taylor and Francis. https://www.123library.org/book_details/?id=60132. GUPTA, M., WALP, J., SHARMAN, R. (2012).Strategic and practical approaches for information security governance: technologies and applied solutions. Hershey, Pa, IGI Global (701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, USA). https://public.eblib.com/choice/publicfullrecord.aspx?p=3311566. HOYE, R., SMITH, A. C., NICHOLSON, M., STEWART, B. (2015).Sport Management Principles and Applications. Florence, Taylor and Francis. LEBERMAN, S. I., COLLINS, C., TRENBERTH, L. (2012).Sport business management in Australia and New Zealand. South Melbourne, Vic, Cengage Learning Australia. LUTHANS, F., DOH, J. P., HODGETTS, R. M. (2012).International management: culture, strategy, and behavior. New York, McGraw-Hill. RAPHAEL, D. (2012).Tackling health inequalities: lessons from international experiences. Toronto, Canadian Scholars' Press. SCOTT, M. (2013).Making New Zealand's pop renaissance: state, markets, musicians. SEELEMAN, CONNY, ESSINK-BOT, MARIE-LOUISE, STRONKS, KARIEN, INGLEBY, DAVID. (2015).How should health service organizations respond to diversity? A content analysis of six approaches. BioMed Central Ltd. BioMed Central Ltd. https://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/15/510. STRANG, K. D. (2015).The Palgrave handbook of research design in business and management. Basingstoke, Palgrave Macmillan. https://www.palgraveconnect.com/doifinder/10.1057/9781137484956. THORPE, D., BUTI, A., DAVIES, C., FRIDMAN, S., JONSON, F. P. (2013).Sports Law. Sydney, Oxford University Press. https://public.eblib.com/choice/PublicFullRecord.aspx?p=4388628. WANIGANAYAKE, M., CHEESEMAN, S., FENECH, M., HADLEY, F., SHEPHERD, W. (2012).Leadership Contexts and Complexities in Early Childhood Education. Sydney, Oxford University Press. https://public.eblib.com/choice/PublicFullRecord.aspx?p=4389151. WEAVER, D. H., WILLNAT, L. (2012).The global journalist in the 21st century. New York, Routledge.

Memory is One Essay Example

Memory is One Paper Anything where memory is required to do well will thwart a reflex agent. ) There exists a task environment in which every agent is rational. True. Consider a task environment in which all actions (including no action) give the same, equal reward (d) The input to an agent program is the same as the input to the agent donation. False, The input to a agent function is the percept history, The input to a agent program is only the current percept; is up to the agent program to record any relevant history needed to make actions, (e) Every agent function is implantable by some program/machine combination, False. Consider an agent whose only action is to return an integer, ND who perceives a bit each turn. It gains a point of performance if the integer returned matches the value of the entire biting perceived so far. Eventually, any agent program will fail because it will run out of memory. Suppose an agent selects its action uniformly at random from the set Of possible actions. There exists a deterministic task environment in which this agent is rational. True. Again consider the all actions always give equal reward case (g) It is possible for a given agent to be perfectly rational in two distinct task environments. True. Consider two environments based on betting on the outcomes of a roll of two dice. We will write a custom essay sample on Memory is One specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Memory is One specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Memory is One specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In one environment, the dice are fair, in the other, the dice are biased to always give 3 and 4. The agent can bet on what the sum of the dice will be, with equal reward on all possible outcomes for guessing correctly. The agent that always bets on 7 will be rational in both cases. (h) Every agent is rational in an unobservable environment. False. Built-in knowledge can give a rational agent in an unobservable environment. A vacuum- agent that cleans, moves, cleans moves would be rational, but one that never moves would not be. (i) A perfectly playing poker-playing agent never loses. False, Pit two perfectly playing agents against each other. Someone (the one with poorer luck) must lose. 2. (Exercise 2. 4) For each of the following activities, give a PEAS description of the task environment and characterize it in terms of the properties listed in Section 2_3. 2 (Properties of Task Environments in RUN 2nd De) ; Playing soccer. P- Win/Lose E- Soccer field A- Legs,Head,lisper body S- Eyes,Ears. Partially observable, multivalent, stochastic, sequential, dynamic, continuous, unknown 1 HOW 1 Solutions 0171 ; Exploring the subsurface oceans of Titan. P- Surface area mapped, extraterrestrial life found E. Obfuscate oceans of Titan A. Steering accelerator, break, probe arm, S- camera, sonar, probe sensors. Partially observable, single agent, stochastic, sequential, dynamic, continuous, unknown ; Shopping for used AAA books on the Internet-P- Cost of book. Quality/relevance/ correct edition E- Internets used book shops A- key entry, cursor website interfaces, browser. Partially observable, multivalent, stochastic, sequential, dynamic, continuous, unknown ; Playing a tennis match. P- Win/Lose E- Tennis court A- Tennis racquet, Legs S- Eyes, Ears. Partially observable, multivalent, stochastic, sequential, dynamic, continuous, unknown practicing tennis against a wall. P- Improved performance in future tennis matches E- Near a wall A- Tennis racquet, Legs S- Eyes, Ears. Observable, single ; Performing a high jump. P- Clearing the jump or not E- Track A- Legs, Body S- Eyes observable, single agent, stochastic, sequential, dynamic, continuous, unknown ; Knitting a sweater. P- Quality Of resulting sweater E- Rocking chair A- Hands,Needles S- Eyes. Observable, single agent, stochastic, sequential, dynamic, continuous, unknown ; Bidding on an item at an auction. P- Item acquired, Final price paid for item E- Auction House (or online) A- Bidding S- Eyes, Ears. Partially observable, multivalent, stochastic (tie-breaking for two simultaneous bids), episodic, dynamic, continuous, known 3. (Exercise 2. 5) Define in your own words the following terms: agent, agent function, agent program, rationality, autonomy, reflex agent, model-based agent, goal. Based agent, utility-based agent, learning agent. Agent: An algorithmic entity capable of displaying intelligent-like behavior. Agent function: a mapping from input-sequences to actions defining the behavior of an agent. Agent program: physical program implementing or approximating an agent function, Rationality: he behavior of maximizing ones own reward or performance. Reflex agent: agent only capable of considering its current perception of the world. Model- based agent: agent that attempt to internalize aspects tooth world through an approximating model, Goal-based agent: agent whose performance measure does not directly depend on local actions but on some (potentially) distant goal. Utility-based agent: agent whose performance measure is given by a utility function which determines which states are preferable and which are not on a continuous or many-valued scale. Learning agent: An agent whose performance an improve with experience. 4. (Exercise 2. 6) This exercise explores the differences between agent functions and agent programs. (a) Can there be more than one agent program that implements a given agent function? Give an example, or show why one is not possible. Yes. Assume we are given an agent function whose actions only depend on the previous p percepts. One program can remember the previous p percepts to implement the agent function, while another could remember greater than p percepts and still implement the same agent function. (b) Are there agent functions that cannot be implemented by any agent program? Yes, See 1 (e) (c) Given a fixed machine architecture, does each agent program implement exactly one agent function? Yes. Given a percept sequence, an agent program will select an action. To implement multiple agent functions this would require the agent program to select different actions (or different distributions of actions) given the same percept sequence. D) Given an architecture with n bits of storage, how many different possible agent programs are there? If a is the total number of actions, then the number of possible n programs are AAA an internal states and a choices for each state (e) Suppose e keep the agent program fixed but speed up the machine by a factor Of two. Does that change the agent function? No, not directly. However this may allow the program to compress its memory further and to retain a better model Of the world. 5. (Exercise 3. 2) Your goal is to navigate a robot out Of a maze. The robot Starts in the center of the maze facing north. You can turn the robot to face north, east, south, or west. You can direct the robot to move forward a certain distance, although it will stop before hitting a wall. (a) Formulate the problem. How large is the state space? Initial State: (0. ) Facing( (O, 1) Successor Function( At(x), Facing(y) (Or-I) 1,0) 1} k blocks), (At(x 4 y min(k, Adam (x, where Adam (x, y) is the maximum distance the robot can move in direction y from point x without hitting a wall. Goal State: At(x), x e G, where G is the set of locations outside the maze. If the maze is comprised of S blocks, then the total number of states is AS. (b) In navigating a maze, the only place we need to turn is at the intersection of two or more corridors. Reformulate this problem using this observations How large is the state space now? The successor function remains the same for intersections, ND for locations x Vichy are straight corridors: Successor Function( At(x), Facing(y) ): k blocks), {At(x * y min(k, Adam (k, Thus if the maze has I intersection blocks then the size of the state space is 41 + 2(S l). HI ; solutions (c) From each point in the maze, we can move in any of the four directions until we reach a turning point, and this is the only action we need to do. Reformulate the problem using these actions. Do we need to keep track of the robots orientation now? For intersections x, Certifications( At(x) J: x 4 (O, l)Damn (x, (O, At(x+ (1, 0)Damn (x, (1, x 4 (O, -?l)Damn (x, (O, At(x + (-1, C)Damn (x, (-1, here Damn (x, y) is the minimum distance from to an intersection in they direction. We no longer need to keep track of the robots orientation since the new actions now contain the turning motions within them. The total number of states is now l. (d) In our initial description Of the problem we already abstracted from the real world, restricting actions and removing details. List three such simplifications we made. (I) The robot can move only in one Of four directions. (2) The robot can sense walls perfectly. (3) After attempting to move a certain distance, the robot knows With certainty how far it has moved. 6. (Exercise 3. ) Consider the n-queens problem using the efficient incremental oversimplification on page 72 (page 67 RUN 2nd De. Explain why the state space has at least 3 n! States and estimate the largest n for which exhaustive exploration is feasible. (Hint: Derive a lower bound on the branching factor by considering the maximum number of squares that a queen can attack in any column. ) We want a lower bound on the size of the state space of this formulation of the n-queens problem. In this formulation, each column contains a queen, and queens are filled in neighboring columns in locations that are not attacked by previous queens.

If UK accept Euro it is good or worst for UK economy

If UK accept Euro it is good or worst for UK economy Free Online Research Papers After the Second World War Europe was really devastated economically and politically and created a deep divide among the people. In general election of 2001 in United Kingdom discussed about its future participation in the European Monetary Union paying attention on issues concerning to the loss of political identity and national sovereignty. The Labour party stranded neutral wait and see policy and strong anti-euro policy by conservative party. The business community of United Kingdom such as Confederation of British Industry also expressed their attitude towards euro zone membership. EUROPEAN UNION In 1950 the six European countries Belgium, Germany, France, Italy the Netherland and Luxemburg began to join for secure peace. Then the nations took away the excise and custom duty and made a better business relation between each other. In 1973 the countries like United Kingdom, Ireland and the Denmark joined in European Union. Then in 1980 Spain, Portugal and Greek joined in European Union. In 1989 the west and East Germany were decided to join and form united Germany. The collapse of communism across the Europe results to reduce the distance between eastern and central Europe. The emerging of single market for four freedom, they were a movement of services, goods, money and people. In 1995 three new countries, Austria,Sweden and Finland were joined in European Union and they decided to open their boarders for exiting and entering the citizens of European Union without passport checking. Because of the development of new technology like internet and mobile phone, and many students came to Union countries for their higher education. Now Euro is the common currency of many European nations. These time every part of world faced problem with terrorists and the European Union countries took more precautions to prevent that .And in 2004 European Union is developed with ten new members. EURO In 1992 the Maastricht treaty agreed the plan to start a new currency. It was launched as an electronic currency and used by bank only. And in 1st January 2002 the first notes and coins were issued and became legal tender in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Netherland and Spain. And members like United Kingdom, Sweden and Denmark did not adopted. The countries like The Czech republic, Poland, Slovenia, Cyprus, Hungary, Estonia, Slovakia, Latria, Lithuania and Malta were joined in 2004 and accepted euro as their currency. Now almost 300 million people using single currency across the European Union. The European Central Bank (ESB) based in Frankfurt, Germany controls and regulates the interest rate of euro. According to the supporters of euro because of more transparency the competitiveness is increased significantly. Increased foreign investment reduces the cost of business and results price down in the shops. On other view this causes a significant i ncrease of unemployment. One euro is divided in to 100 parts called cents. Euro notes are available in 5,10,20,50,100,500 and coins are available in 1 and 2. And cent are available in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 cents. From its introduction onwards euro is the second used reserve currency in the world after the United States dollar. As an international reserve currency euro increased its position from 17.9% to 26.5% from 1999 to 2008 ,at the same time the share of the United States dollar fell from 70.9% to 64% and the Japanese Yen fell to 3.3% from 6.4%. The rise status of euro as reserve currency was not gradual. It shows a 4.4% rise in 2002, it was the outcome of the launch of euro coins and notes. Now euro remains as a major reserve currency in both developed and developing countries. According to the International Monetary Fund the total amount of euro as a reserve currency in 2008 was equal to $1.1 trillion and a share of 22%.And 31% share of the currency reserve of developing economies. According to the former chairman of Federal Reserve Mr. Alan Greenspan it is clear that euro should replace the dollar as a reserve currency or would be trade as an one and the same vital reserve currency a s United States dollar. THE EUROPEAN MONETARY UNION The single currency (euro) was introduced as a vital currency on 1999.All members of European monetary union replaced their currency in to euro. Now Euro is the official currency of 16 European countries. The key players of European monetary union are Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Netherland. The euro is managed and controlled by the German based European Central Bank and Euro system. PERFORMANCE OF EURO AGAINST US DOLLAR After the introduction of the single currency ,its exchange rate fells heavily against other currencies including United States dollar also. But after the launch of bank notes and coins on 1st January 2002 and the all members of European Monetary Union replaced its national currencies to euro, it starts to increase steadily. The euro surpassed the initial exchange value for first time on 23rd may 2003($1.18).And in 2004 euro achieved $1.366 against United States dollar. In 2005 it temporarily weakened against United states dollar and after November began to rise steadily. The euro achieved its all time high against United States dollar of $1.599. U.S. dollars per 1 euro 1999-2009 Year Lowest ? Highest ? Date Rate Date Rate 2009 05 March $1.259 02 January $1.386 2008 27 October $1.243 15 July $1.599 2007 12 January $1.286 27 November $1.487 2006 02 January $1.181 05 December $1.333 2005 15 November $1.164 03 January $1.350 2004 14 May $1.184 28 December $1.363 2003 08 January $1.032 31 December $1.263 2002 28 January $0.859 31 December $1.048 2001 06 July $0.834 05 January $0.954 2000 26 October $0.823 06 January $1.038 1999 03 December $1.002 05 January $1.179 Source: Euro exchange rates in USD, ECB after effect of two world wars and the elimination of Ireland from the union affected the economy in a bad way. The United Kingdom is the one of the major financial power in the world. This is the sixth largest economy in the world. The economy mainly depends on service and oil production industry and less depend on agriculture. Bank of England is the national authority to set base rate and regulate the economy. United Kingdom has strong business links with many nations particularly the United States and all deal are based in United States dollars. The economy has more relation with United States than Europe. United kingdom is the biggest European investor in United states and vice versa. The current economic recession and credit crunch harshly affected the economy. The Gordon Brown government offered huge package to retain the economy which includes reduction of taxes, nationalisation of banks and so many. The Bank of England reduced the base rate from 2.5% to 0.5% which helps to re duce the banking interest rates. ADVANTAGES OF PARTICIPATION IN EURO 1.Exchange Rate stability If United Kingdom joining the Euro it helps to reduce the volatility of exchange rate with the main European Union trading partners .By the use of single currency results the enhancement of European single market .The single currency would decrease uncertainties and risks experienced by exporters and investors in their business dealings all over the zone. However the pound is very volatile. The pound lost almost one third of its value against the German Mark between 1989 and 2000, although it recovered. But if UK does not join in euro it will be very difficult to recover if the pound will lose more value against single currency. 2. Inward Investment Joining the Euro results a significant increase in Inward investment. Foreign investment is one of the essential part of every economy. But last some years show a significant decrease in the foreign investment in UK. Some of the major foreign investors are expressed their interest to United Kingdom to join the euro, so if United Kingdom not joins it will lose much foreign investment. After the introduction of euro the foreign investment increased in Euro zone countries at the same time the percentage of foreign investment decreased in United Kingdom. Ireland attract more inward investment because of they are the only English speaking countries in the eurozone If United Kingdom joins they can enjoy the benefit also. 3. Economizing foreign currency reserves More economizing of foreign currencies would beneficial to finance sector. It will be easier to perform insurance and banking sector with this single currency. It could be very easier to buy or sell German shares in the stock market of United Kingdom. 4. Low inflation The participation in euro helps the country to make a strong framework of anti inflation. 5. Increasing value of euro The participation of many countries in a single currency will make a great challenge for the dollar. This results an increase in the investment in participating countries and more countries move forward to take euro as their reserve currency. This trend would tend to raise the value of euro. And the participation of United Kingdom in to the Eurozone also helps the euro to increase the value. 5. Free from conversion charges If UK joins single currency, the economy can enjoy reduced or no currency exchange charges. This will help to save a huge amount in every year. People would be able to get euro to other countries with in the European Union and this currency would be accepted. 6. Price transparency The usage of single currency results to increase price transparency, it means a product price in European Union members is almost equal. There would not be much difference in price for a particular product in all members. So it will be very easily to compare the price of a product because of single currency. 7. Trans National Corporations Adopting euro in UK will create more establishments of Trans National Corporations. This provides more job opportunity and increases the income and help to reduce the effect of credit crunch. DISADVANTAGES OF UK TO JOINING EURO On other hand participating euro is a discouraging aspect of loosing tradition, freedom and independence. If UK joins Euro the control of economy will be handed over to European Central Bank situated in Brussels. And affect the economy and economic policies like monetary, fiscal and exchange rate, all of these provide control and balance and with in the economy. 1. Independent monetary policy loss Which involves restrict of growth in total demand by the increase and decrease of base rate. For example if government increase the base rate because of the higher demand and raising prices , will reduce the demand and it results to lower consumer expenditure and there would be a high motivation to save and more cost of borrowing. On joining the Euro-zone the interest rate would be decided by the European Central Bank. This rate is based on the economic situation of all EU member countries. There are very clear economic structural differences within the members of European Union. So the decrease or increase of aggregate demand results a positive impact on an economy at the same time negative to another one. UK would not able to make any change in their monetary policy based on their economic situation if they join in Euro. 2. Fiscal policy Fiscal policy is used to control aggregate demand and it is closely related to monetary policy. Fiscal policy regulates the amount of taxation and government spending. Expansionary fiscal policy involves an increase in taxes or government expenditure and deflationary policy involves the opposite. Increase in taxation results lower income which causes to go down consumer expenditure and results decrease in aggregate demand. Adoption of euro severely affects fiscal policy means after that UK cannot raise the amount of government spending to boost total demand. 3. Exchange rate policy It is the revaluation and deflation of a currency in order to contract with equilibrium of payment deficit. After the membership this right changes from the British government to European Central Bank. History shows that care selected devaluations can help an economy to overcome difficulties. The lack of exchange rate affects the method for adjusting inequality between the nations that can come up from various shocks to their economies. 4. Instability of External Economy The effect is same as like in sole trading. In a sole trading death of a one partner would lead the whole business to loss or face more difficulties to run. Likewise there is a partnership between European Union members in the use of single currency. The European Union economy as a sizable significance when compared with the United States and Japan, they gained an vast success because of the integration of overall region. This makes sure that the integration of overall region has a vital role in economic development of any country. So any problem with economies of member states will affect the development of British economy also. 5. Difficulty to recover from recession It is very difficult to getting out from a recession because if UK is unable to reduce interest rates, it will be not easy to boost demand. 6. Sensitivity to interest Rates The nature of the housing market of UK shows the economy is too responsive to changes in interest rates. Unlike other countries of Europe most of UK residential has their own house and the variable mortgage is a high proportion of their returns. So a minute change in interest change can dramatically influence disposable income. 7. The cost of replacement There will be huge expenses to replace or alter the present systems and machineries like IT system, coin machines and the training cost for staff training. 8. More Fraud rate Detecting forgeries would be highly complicate because euro notes are come in more varieties compare with pound. BRITISH GOVERNMENT VIEW ABOUT JOINING THE EURO ZONE The government of United Kingdom proposed a five economic test, depends upon the results only they will decide to join or not in euro 1. Flexibility Ensure the ability of the economy of United Kingdom to response to the economic changes will be efficient and quickly. And also make sure that shock would not last for long. 2. Convergence By this test they need to ensure that it is practical that a single interest rate is good for a long period of time for all the members of European Monetary Union. 3. Financial services It is test for analysing the financial position of eurozone before and after the participation. 4. Investment To ensure that there no problem for any investors they are willing to invest for a long term for eurozone. 5. Growth, stability and employment If joining in eurozone, how affect the stability, growth and employment for public. They need to sure that all these will be secu Based on this analysis the government of United Kingdom decided to not join eurozone until the five test will pass in the future. CONCLUSION To conclude there is a lot of positive and negative aspects if United Kingdom joins the European Monetary Union. It is sure that euro would be the most important currency in future. Consider with the current financial crisis no one can predict the future of world economy and how it will recover from the recession. So there will be a chance to euro replace the United States dollar as a trade currency and reserve currency. And it is a true that euro shows more stability than pound sterling. At the same time If United kingdom joins with euro it will face so many problems, mainly because of the current economic recession. United Kingdom would loss its right for independent policies. And country is completely suffering due to the recession so it is not practical to take any decisions which affect the economy. If there is any change in base rate the reaction of highly sensitive mortgage market is unpredictable. The participation of single currency will give some more benefit to the bigger business mans and investors at the same time it will not be good for whole British market in present situation. The results of government’s five economic test also suggest this not good time to join with euro. And the government also take a ‘wait and see’ policy. To analysing all advantages and disadvantages it is clear that If United Kingdom joins with single currency it will face a lot of difficulties. And it is not a good decision whether United Kingdom decide to participate single currency now. . REFERENCE http://wiki.w2n.net/pages/Euro.w2n economicshelp.org/europe/benefits-euro.html economicshelp.org/europe/costs-euro.html economicshelp.org/europe/benefits-euro.html managementjournals.com/journals/finance/article87.htm historylearningsite.co.uk/euro.htm http:// rope.eu.int/comm./economy_finance/euro/benefit_2en.htm Research Papers on If UK accept Euro it is good or worst for UK economyAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Definition of Export QuotasPETSTEL analysis of IndiaTwilight of the UAWAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBringing Democracy to AfricaThe Effects of Illegal Immigration19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This Nice

To investigate and analyse the tax avoidance of Starbucks in UK Essay

To investigate and analyse the tax avoidance of Starbucks in UK - Essay Example The failure of the world major corporations to honour their tax responsibilities is not a new case of challenges facing the establishment of ethics  in  the business community. The extent of the implications of tax avoidance reflects accordingly across all nations, from the poorest to the most developed. The United Kingdom is not exception with corporations such as Amazon and Starbucks among others facing such cases. The case of such occurrences elicits angry comments and reactions from the residents and protest groups of human rights, as the tax dues constitute a key cause of implied financial crisis in the country. Starbucks Corporation is a US based coffee giant retailer (Behar & Goldstein, 2007, p 23). The coffee menu famously baffles the customers (Simon, 2009, p 56). The corporation has functioned in the UK for over 14 years since entering the markets in 1998. The Starbucks Corporation, since entering the UK market it has established over 750 stores and employs about 8500 employees in the country (Gilbert, 2009, p 65). The company also enjoys a warm reception in the country, engaging in its daily operations accordingly. However, in recent years, reports of its non-remittance of taxes have continued to cause confusion as to the profitability of the corporation (Pham-Gia, 2009, p 21). Consequently, the company continues to suffer from the claims as they extensively impact its reputation and operations. The failure of the major corporation to honour its tax pay cuts constitutes both legal and ethical issues of business operation. In view of the evidence realized in the cases that ensued in the corporation operations, the key factor of consideration includes the tax liabilities of the company, irrespective of the profits they realize. Notably, the corporation has in recent years been registering a steady growth curve, with an increase in profits. This trend in growth reflected

W4Q Follow Up-Managing Individuals and Their Behavior for Assignment

W4Q Follow Up-Managing Individuals and Their Behavior for Organizational Effectiveness - Assignment Example the cultures have undergone an immense change under the impact of current globalization and advancements in the communication technology which renders the results of Hofstede’s study as obsolete. Wibbeke and MacArthur (2013) studied the cross cultural leadership competencies called geoleadership that explain the leadership competencies of a person in culturally diverse environment. These dimensions include A capable leader has the skills to develop strong professional relationships based on trust and respect with people from other cultures across the horizontal and vertical hierarchy of the organization. Each project is unique in terms of its context, environment, objectives and the individuals who are part of the project team. Schwartz (1992) highlights that most of believe in universalism of our values. Lomranz (1976) argue personal space as the right distance measured by the cultural values. Evans and Edward (1973) describes that few cultures close distance between the persons is common like in Mediterranean cultures while in other cultures people maintain a specific distance. People from Vincentian culture may find the people from Jamaican culture as aggressive simply due to their high tone of voice. Wong (2007) is of the opinion that America culture values originality and distinctiveness at workplace despite the importance of team work where Americans may view cultures as weak who do not possess such characteristics which is a misconception than truth. Further, American businesses may seek benefit from characteristics of support and agreement in other cultures. The freedom of s peech and expression of personal views in a fearless manner can be valuable for people from cultures who do not encourage such behavior. Bond et al (1985) explains that friendly insults are acceptable in American culture. Similarly, American culture is time bound is they tend to maintain their schedules for meetings and other activities where perspective of time may be quite fluid

The Negative Effect of the Internet on Non Western Societies and Essay

The Negative Effect of the Internet on Non Western Societies and Should Cover Areas in Business and Culture - Essay Example On the other hand, some critics of the Internet believe that it encroaches on traditional values and practices. This essay focuses on the negative effects of the internet. It aims to discuss the negative effects of the internet on non-western societies, specifically on their business and culture. After doing secondary research on this topic, the Internet can have harmful effects on business because it is used as a tool for different cybercrimes and it can easily violate user privacy and confidentiality; moreover, the Internet also harms cultural values and practices by promoting unhealthy sexual beliefs and practices, converting actual political participation into superficial spectatorship politics and breaking down traditional socialisation relations and conduct. The Internet can enhance access to economies of scale, but because of its ability to reach an almost infinite number of organisations and consumers, criminals have also used it as a tool for their crimes. Internet crimes, a lso called cybercrimes, have become increasingly prevalent because of the widespread adoption of the Internet, the existence of unsecured websites, and lack of security measures on the part of online consumers. Hacking, for instance, can be used to steal financial and personal information. Hackers can and have used the Internet to steal credit card information and use that to make unauthorised purchases online. Internet fraud is one of the most alarming criminal activities. The U.S. Department of Justice (2000) defines internet fraud as: any type of fraud scheme that uses one or more components of the Internet - such as chat rooms, e-mail, message boards, or Websites - to present fraudulent solicitation to prospective victims, to conduct fraudulent transactions, or to transmit the proceeds of fraud to financial institutions or to others connected with the scheme. (cited in Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.12). In Africa, Nigeria has gained bad reputation because of Nigerian fr audsters working online. In the article ‘Effects of the electronic Nigerian money fraud on the brand equity of Nigeria and Africa,’ Viosca Jr, Bergiel and Balsmeier (2004) study the effect of Nigerian money fraud on Nigeria’s and Africa’s brand equity. Kotler and Armstrong (2004) define brand equity as something that stands for ‘consumers’ perception and feeling about a product and its performance’ (cited in Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.13). Countries and regions can also have brand equity because of the feelings and perceptions that consumers attach to them (Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.14). Viosca Jr, Bergiel and Balsmeier (2004) learned that because of Nigerian fraudsters, some foreigners see the county as a haven for criminals and unreliable as business partners and customers. Nwankwo (2003) stresses that: ‘Economic crimes have impacted negatively on the international image of Nigeria, giving it the toga of a crime-ridden nation according to the Central Bank of Nigeria’ (cited in Viosca Jr, Bergiel & Balsmeier 2004, p.14). Another article is concerned of the rise of West African criminal networks in ‘Are There Emerging West African Criminal Networks? The Case of Ghana,’ by Aning (2007). This article reveals that these criminal networks are using the Internet to conduct computer and Internet fraud. These journals reveal that many criminals in non-Western societies are exploiting the Internet as a tool for operating fraud and other crimes. As

Self Reflection on Communication Skills | Essay

Self Reflection on Communication Skills | Essay Introduction: The desire to have an understanding of the methods to use in improving relationships has led to the emergence of interpersonal communication. People normally assume that to effectively understand the process of interpersonal communication, they have to give an explanation of how relationships emerge and grow, factors that lead to their deterioration, and what makes these relationships to become static (Webster, 2002). Ever since scholars managed to demonstrate that people are able to grow relationally or personally through communication, information experts are sensitive on the importance of interpersonal interaction. It is virtually impossible to understand this process of interpersonal communication, without understanding the various theories and principles formed to explain the concept of interpersonal communication (Cherniss, 2001). Most of these theoretical frameworks normally address a wide range of topics, and some of themes they address include, social conflict, quality of relationship, interaction, communication competence and planning, accuracy required for people to understand one another. Therefore, the intention of this assignment is to compare two theoretical frameworks that are within the scope of interpersonal communication. These theories are, social penetration theory, and uncertainty reduction theory (Ellis, 2002)s. This paper is divided into five sections. The first section is the introduction, the second section highlights the concepts and philosophies of these theories, the third section identifies the similarities of these two theoretical frameworks, the fourth section highlights their differences, and the fifth section is a conclusion. The conclusion is a summary of the major points highlighted in this paper. Uncertainty Reduction Theory and Social Penetration Theory: Uncertainty reduction is a theoretical framework that seeks to understand the manner which people are able to reduce any uncertainty that occurs between them, during the early stages of interaction. This is always based on a sense of self-disclosure. Furthermore, this theoretical framework seeks to explain the different communication techniques that can be used for purposes of reducing uncertainty amongst two people, or a group of people, who have just met (Cherniss, 2001). The developers of this theoretical framework denoted that uncertainty is always unpleasant feeling that people normally want to avoid. For purposes of reducing this unpleasant feeling, people would try to look for information that seeks to address this uncertain feeling, hence create a more comfortable feeling. On the other hand, social penetration theory normally involves the development of a deeper intimacy, between the communicating parties, through a mutual self-disclosure. This theoretical framework has four major assumptions, and they include (Goleman and Boyatzis, 2004), The progress of relationships normally moves from non-intimate level, to the stage of intimacy. Development of relationships is systematic and predictable. The aspect of self-disclosure forms an integral part, in developing relationships. The development of relationships normally includes depenetration and dissolution. It is important to explain that the closeness between individuals under the social penetration theory is normally achieved through a sense of self disclosure. Without this aspect, it is virtually impossible for any relationship to occur. This is also one of the methods advocated by the uncertainty reduction theory, aimed at reducing uncertainties, and a feeling of uneasiness. Similarities: One of the major similarities between these two theoretical frameworks is that they deal with the creation of a relationship between individuals or people. For example, the social penetration theory explains that developing a close relationship with people, is achieved in an orderly and gradual manner, leading from a less intimate, to a more intimate relationship. On the other hand, uncertainty reduction theory explains that relationships are built through effective communication, between the parties involved (Blundel and Blundel, 2011). This means that the two theoretical frameworks are concerned with the creation and sustenance of relationships. Another similarity is that both theoretical frameworks advocate for a systematic and gradual process of building relationships. This means that a relationship is built through a systematic process that involves efficiency in the use of language tools and standards. For example, the two theories denote that it is possible to achieve and develop a close relationship through the process of self-disclosure (McLuhan and McLuhan, 2011). Differences: One major difference that exists between these two theoretical frameworks is on the process they use, to achieve their objectives. Under the uncertainty reduction theory, there are a series of steps and processes that an individual should use, for purposes of acquiring information. It seeks to acquire this information, by creating seven basic assumptions (Childre and Rozman, 2005). Some of these assumptions are, experience of uncertainty on personal issues, uncertainty is normally an aversive state, and it has the capability of generating cognitive stress, etc. On the other hand, under the social penetration theory, a relationship is created by disclosing information about an individual. Tools to use in improving my performance: For purposes of improving my communication performance, in a work related situation, there is a need of using the following tools of communication, Memos. Computer systems and technology, i.e. communicating through emails. Mobile phones and gadgets. Face to face communication. Conclusion: Interpersonal theories play an important role, in explaining the most efficient methods that an individual should use while communicating with other people. The social penetration theory and the uncertainty reduction theory are effective in explaining the most efficient methods of creating a personal, social, and work related relationships. Reflection Paper: This paper contains a reflection on my strengths and weaknesses in relation to how I communicate, and relate with my friends, family members, and colleagues. As an individual, I have come to appreciate the importance of developing and coming up with strong and good communication skills. This is because they would play an important role in determining whether I would sustain, create or develop a relationship. One of my major strengths lies in my ability to maintain a face to face conversation, through eye contacts (Worth, 2004). This is an important strength, mainly because I have the capability of gazing into the eyes of an individual that I communicate with, and hence instilling a sense of confidence, and creating some trusts. For efficient communication to occur, the parties to the communication must show some elements of confidence, and trust, amongst one another. Eye contact is one of the major methods that can be used to create a sense of confidence, amongst the parties to the c ommunication. It is important to explain that most people are always reluctant and unable to maintain some eye contacts. This is because they do not feel confidence about themselves, or some of them, are telling lies. Based on this fact, it is always difficult for an individual to maintain a relationship that is full of trust, if he or she finds it difficult to communicate while maintaining some eye contacts. It is also important to understand that, in most interviews, one of the characteristics that they look in an individual is his or her ability to maintain some elements of confidence (Worth, 2004). They are always concerned, if an individual can communicate without maintaining some eye contact. This means that the person under consideration is either telling lies, or is not confidence of him. Based on this fact, the candidate may fail an interview. Therefore, I would gladly say, that this trait, is one of my stronger points. Another major strength, that I have, is the capability of efficiently using the modern gadgets of technology to communicate (Worth, 2004). This includes, computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc. It is important to explain that these digital tools of communication are important in facilitating efficient communication between parties involved. Take for example the computers. Through the computers, an individual manages to get the capability of accessing the internet. The internet facilitates communication, mainly because it makes it possible for people to use the social media, as an avenue of meeting friends and communicating (Worth, 2004). As an individual, I have a heavy presence in the social media, and I am a member of virtually every social media platforms that exists. This includes twitter, Google +, Face book, Instagram, Linkedin, etc. These social media platforms normally help me to express myself, and to also create a network of friends. It is through these platforms, that I managed to learn on the importance of having efficient and good communication skills. However, it is important to explain that some of the relationships created through the social media platform are not necessary, and cannot last long (Stein, 2007). This is because of different personalities, and tastes that people would always have. Another major strength that I possess is my outgoing personality. I am an individual who likes to make friends, and sustain the friends under consideration. Because of this personality, I managed to develop some communication skills that involved better listening, and following up on any communication issue or problems that may occur between my friends and I. Through this personality, I have managed to create a number of friends, whom we understand each other. In conclusion, where strengths exist, weaknesses are also depicted. I have two weaknesses. One of my major weaknesses is my anger. I am an individual who is easily aroused to anger, and this is a very negative inter-personal communication skill. This is because; it has the capability of scaring my friends. This could result to inefficient communication between me, and my friends. Another major weakness is my talking habit. I am fast talkers, and it is always difficult for me to keep quiet, when I am with people. This normally compromises my ability to keep secrets, or confidential information. Despite these weaknesses, I normally make some efforts, aimed at concentrating on my strengths, while minimizing my weaknesses. Bibliography: Blundel, R., Blundel, R. (2004). Effective organisational communication:  Perspectives, principles and practices (2nd ed.). Harlow, England: Financial  Times Prentice Hall. Cherniss, C. (2001). The emotionally intelligent workplace how to select for measure,  and improve emotional intelligence in individuals, groups, and organizations.  San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Childre, D., Rozman, D. (2005). Transforming stress: The HeartMath solution for  relieving worry, fatigue, and tension. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger Publications. Ellis, R. (2002). Communication skills stepladders to success for the professional.  Bristol, UK: Intellect. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. (2004). Primal leadership: Learning to lead with emotional  intelligence. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press. McLuhan, E., McLuhan, M. (2011). Theories of communication. New York: Peter  Lang. Stein, S. (2007). Make your workplace great the 7 keys to an emotionally intelligent  organization. Mississauga, Ont.: J. Wiley Sons Canada. Webster, F. (2002). Theories of the information society (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. Worth, R. (2004). Communication skills (2nd ed.). New York: Ferguson.

Essay --

Poets commonly employ verse for praise or some degree of adoration. There lacks rarity of odes applauding love, time and attractive lovers; however, odes concerning the idea of the soul are quite scarce. In â€Å"Ode to Psyche, Keats elicits the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche to celebrate the union of a mortal Psyche and a god Cupid. Not unique to many of Keats’ work, the poem praises the unconventional yet stimulating. Keats’ lush imagery effectively depicts the speaker’s undying devotion to the eventual goddess of the soul though he is but mortal. Through replacement, the speaker becomes a priest of Psyche in that his mind serves as a sanctuary for Psyche, where he devotes himself to magnifying his consciousness through her inspiration. In the first and second stanza, the speaker describes witnessing two individuals in an embrace neither in a state of separation nor a state of union. He immediately recognizes the winged boy, but is astonished to discover Psyche, â€Å" But who was thou, O happy, happy dove?† (22). They are in a state of Eden enfolded by lush imagery and cool rooted flowers. A sense of serenity encapsulates the lovers, â€Å" The lips touched not but had not bade adieu† (11). The lovers exist in a state of symmetry; they are neither detached nor adjoined but instead are surrounded by their own essence, their â€Å"aurorean love† (13). The third stanza reads effortlessly and with little disturbance. The speaker communicates this ease through the soft syllabic â€Å"s† sounds repeated frequently throughout the stanza. Keats also employs the delicate adjectives of â€Å"hush’d† â€Å"fragrant-eyed† and â€Å"soft-handed† to show the delicate state in which the two lovers, Psyche and the winged figure, exist. In line 23, the speaker states â€Å"His Psyche tr... ...th his psyche, his soul. Similarly, through her inspiration he will expand his consciousness and praise her by allowing the â€Å"warm Love in† (68). Through the technical irregularities evident in the number of lines, rhyme scheme and even meter in each respective stanza, Keats constructs a playful sense about the poem; the poem develops to be more spontaneous than structured. Keats’ imagery contributes to the dreamlike sense about the poem and stresses the natural beauty of Psyche or the soul. The speaker experiences a journey realizing his desire to become a priest of Psyche, a worshipper of Psyche and inadvertently of his own soul. He transforms from questioning the lack of excitement surrounding Psyche to eventually igniting his own. The speaker becomes a priest of Psyche because he is able to praise his psyche himself without relying on the efforts of others.

Case Analysis: Medical Center of Southern Indiana Essay

Introduction The Medical Center of Southern Indiana (MCSI) has had a turbulent tenure as a hospital since its inception in 1973. Unprofitable from the very beginning, MCSI has gone through multiple ownership changes, creating a distrusting atmosphere between Clark County, IN residents, the local medical community, and MCSI. The city of Charlestown purchased the hospital at the end of 1991 in the hopes of turning the facility into a profitable medical center offering key services to the community. An aggressive expansion strategy was developed by management contractor American MedTrust in 1992 and this led to an operating profit in 1998 of $480,545. This marked a turning point for MCSI, as it was the first year in a very long time that the hospital had turned a profit. As they look to the future, MCSI needs to determine if it should continue with the aggressive strategy of expanding services or slow its expansion pace and focus on providing excellent service within its current capacity and looking for ways to reduce cost and enhance revenues. Key Demographics and Facts Certain elements of the MCSI case are essential in determining the appropriate strategy to pursue in the future. The external community general hospital environment has not been thriving during this time period. Of the roughly 5,000 community hospitals in the United States in 1997, 22% had bed capacity of 50-99. From the year 1980 to 1997, the number of hospitals with 50-99 beds decreased by 24%. As a 96 bed facility, the national trend does not bode well for MCSI. When the hospital was purchased by the city of Charlestown, American MedTrust came in with its aggressive â€Å"revitalization initiatives† to help MCSI become profitable. Under American MedTrust’s leadership, MCSI spent more than $3 million from 1992 to 1998 to accomplish these aggressive strategies. Two key elements of those initiatives involved expanding the services offered and rebuilding relationships with insurance companies and the local medical community. As a full-service hospital, MCSI already offered a variety of medical services. Because of a consistently low census (occupancy rate around 45%), developing ways to attract new patients was vital. A new inpatient geropsychiatric unit, skilled nursing facility, and a home health agency were added to the mix when hospital executives determined that there was a need in the community for these services and that the competition was not offering these services. By 1998, all three new service lines were bringing in at least $1 million in gross revenue. Other key investments included the creation of an outpatient mall, purchasing new technology, and the creation of satellite specialty and primary care clinics. Finding and expanding sources of revenue was also a key feature in the aggressive strategic plan. MCSI knew that to enhance revenue, the hospital had to contract with managed care companies. Because of sour relationships between MCSI and the insurance companies, MCSI enlisted the help of the state legislature and the state insurance commissioner to pass the Any Willing Provider bill that required insurance companies to work with providers like MCSI and provide written explanations for any declinations of contracts. In 1994, MCSI had two managed care contracts; there were twenty-five managed care contracts in 1998. With 65% of its patient base on Medicare, it was essential for MCSI to increase these managed care contracts if the organiza tion hoped to expand their revenue stream. Because of the enhanced services offered, the number of full time equivalent employees also increased from 183 in 1994 to 270 in 1998. MCSI has benefited from a low 11% employee turnover and a lean organizational structure. Even with these systems in place however, the salary and wage expense has nearly tripled from $3.3 million in 1992 to $9.88 million in 1998. Of the 270 FTE employees, there are 75 active members of the medical staff. Gross revenue generated by physician was a bit lopsided in 1998 with 11 out of 75 physicians generating almost 75% of the gross revenue. As MCSI plans for the future, revenues generated by physician, by department, and the related salary expenses need to be carefully examined to determine the optimal mix of services provided to the Clark County community. The location and demographics of Clark County continue to provide challenges for MCSI and the creation of future strategic plans. Clark County is a rural  area with the majority of its population living in the southern half of the county, near the Indiana and Kentucky border. While Clark County does enjoy a low 2.7% unemployment rate, the average county household income was a middling $36, 726 in 1997. Only 11% of Clark County residents had earned a bachelor’s degree as of 1998, thus the probability of the average household income increasing by any great degree was small. 65% of the MCSI patient base in 1998 was a Medicare patient. MCSI is located in the north central section of Clark County. Its closest competitor is Clark Memorial Hospital in the southern half of the county. Clark Memorial has about 3 times the number of beds as MCSI and the majority of the county’s population lives closer to Clark Memorial. Louisville, KY is about 15 miles from MCSI. Any future expansion plans must include a close analysis of the population growth trends in the area and an analysis of the service mix offered by both competitors, Clark Memorial and the Louisville-area health systems. Both of these competitors are better positioned to capitalize on any growth trends in the area and have the financial resources to aggressively expand to meet these trends. Even though MCSI has posted an operating profit for the first time in many years, the majority of MCSI’s assets are tied up in receivables. The current ratio and days cash on hand are well below industry standards. With increasing salary expenses and various interest expenses increasing, investing in capital expenditures or investing large sums of money in new service lines might cause MCSI’s operating profits be negative. Recommendations The Medical Center of Southern Indiana should continue to grow and improve the service lines that are currently offered such as home health, skilled nursing, and geropsychiatric services. These services have been marginally profitable in the past for the facility. The home health agency has seen a tremendous growth increasing from $422,000 to $1.75 million in four years. Skilled nursing facility revenues have grown in four years from $1.07 to $4.7 million. In order to keep these existing service lines thriving, MSCI should plan moderate renovations that keep the facility up to date with current service lines. Renovations should be similar to the $300,000 remodeling that was done to the outpatient service mall and should include the purchase of medical supply equipment that will help MCSI stay up to date  with its competitors. Large capital expenditures should be avoided at this time. Additionally, MCSI should expand its marketing campaign to target the local populations and keep patients from the surrounding five counties from migrating into the Louisville area to receive care. This has been a problem for the facility in the past, and has led to losses in revenues. Another point of emphasis that should be addressed is the inclusion of the Ivy Tech College population and the Indiana University Southeast population. This population of students has yet to be targeted by the facility, and are a large source of potential revenue. The marketing strategy should also focus on the recruitment and retention of physicians. Recruitment has been an issue in the past and recruiting and retaining quality physicians is a key component to the success of a facility. Currently, a minority of physicians bring in a majority of the revenues. Having quality physicians that provide services that the community wants and needs will also help enhance revenues. Because so much of the patient population is on Medicare, these revenue enhancement strategies need to be complemented by cost saving strategies. MCSI has a bit more control over their expenses than it does over their revenue sources. After years of having a defender style of strategic plan, this aggressive prospector strategy has allowed MCSI to have the resources to better meet the needs of the community and find a way to be profitable. However, at this point, it would be best to take a step back and shift to analyzer mode before continuing in an aggressive manner. Data The Medical Center of Southern Indiana created a decision matrix to identify decision criteria in pursuing a solution going forward. MCSI choose to analyze physician partnership, its top service lines, expansion of market campaign, and expansion of the Ivy Tech population in order to decide whether or not it should continue its aggressive expansion campaign. Major criteria areas taken into account included market position, competition, potential profitability, and alignment with MCSI’s mission. As shown in Figure 1, it was recommended for MCSI to continue building physician partnership and enhancing its top three service lines (home health agency, skilled nursing facility, and geropsychiatric services). There was the  recommendation to possibly pursue expansion of its marketing campaign and Ivy Tech population. MCSI should slow down its aggressive expansion strategy of adding new services and consolidate gains from those presently in place. In doing so, MCSI would shift from a prospector to an analyzer. MCSI achieved its largest operating profit of $480,545 in 1998. Looking to continue aggressive expansion could potentially lower its operating profit going forward. Overexpansion of services may lead to a dilution in the quality of care. The hospital is already structured as lean to help control costs. With such a low operating profit, MCSI does not have the resources to continue their expansion. As an analyzer, MCSI will look to enhance its existing resources and wait to see what the competition does. Improvements can be made to MCSI’s top three services lines. Allocating resources for future renovations and purchases of equipment will help keep these areas successful and allow them to continue generating profit. These three service lines respond to the needs of the Medicare patient base. For physician partnership, MCSI must keep its physicians who represent a majority of gross revenue. There is a large disparity for both gross revenue brought in and patients seen amongst physicians. Keeping MCSI’s top physicians while also looking to recruit other good physicians can lead to an increased efficiency of patient care and a reduction of cost. Involving the physicians in issues central to care and day-to-day operations is needed for a high physician retention rate for MCSI. It is important to have physicians included in the processes because they are the ones caring for the patients. If MCSI has the available resources, it should pursue expanding its marketing campaign and look into expansion of the Ivy Tech population. The solution for MCSI to focus on its current service lines instead of continued aggressive expansion will require coordination amongst a wide-range of sections within the medical center. Kevin J. Miller, the President and Chief Executive Officer of MCSI is responsible for asserting leadership of the planning and implementation of this solution. He must be involved in the process to avoid disengagement within MCSI. It is critical for him to be a leader, but not take over the entire process. The next step would be defining and communicating the responsibilities and roles of the  organizational leaders in the various departments of the medical center through the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees. It is their role to provide oversight and then let the organization take control. Physician partnership through Independent Practice Association (IPA), home health agency, skilled nursing facility, and geropsychiatric services would involve those under the Physician Affiliates, Chief Nursing Officer, and Assistant Administrator of Specialty Services, respectively. Expansion of marketing campaign and Ivy Tech population would involve those under the Director of Human Resources and Director of Business Development. Those under the Chief Quality Officer are then responsible for insuring the facilities are up-to-date through renovations for these service lines. Those under the Chief Financial Officer would be responsible for keeping track of the records and looking at the profitability from services already in place. All of these areas of MCSI must work with each other through active communication. It is necessary to have strategic plan schedules in order for the solution to be successful. Starting with monitoring day-to-day activities, MCSI should complete a full strategic planning process every three years with annual updates on each of the areas in the decision matrix. MCSI must have the resources to provide for this solution. The solution identified by the decision matrix is responsible for MCSI’s ability to earn and increase annual profit. Collecting data in these areas in addition to monitoring the internal and external environment can allow for MCSI to evaluate effectiveness of consolidating gains from services already in place in the future. Current Status of the Medical Center of Southern Indiana The Medical Center of Southern Indiana became a subsidiary of Saint Catherine Healthcare LLC on May 1, 2006. Questions from the end of the Case: 1.Should MCSI slow down its aggressive expansion strategy of adding new services and consolidate the gains from those presently in place, or continue the aggressive expansion strategy of adding and investing in even more services? We feel that MCSI should not continue its aggressive expansion strategy. Rather, they should focus on continuing the upkeep of their current service lines that have been so profitable for them the past  four years (home health, skilled nursing facilities, and geropsychiatric services) Continuing to expand these existing services is what has allowed MCSI to grow and beat out competitors in some areas. Instead of focusing on expanding the service lines any further, money should be invested to keep existing facilities â€Å"top of the line†. 2.Should MCSI reassess present services and retrench those that are not yet breaking even? MCSI should definitely carefully consider all present services, especially those that are not yet breaking even. Certain service lines will never break even, but are required as part of the community hospital services. However, reducing or retrenching these services could possibly be the best strategy moving forward. 3.Should MCSI change its fiscal orientation and focus on cost reduction versus revenue enhancement? With 65% of the patient base on Medicare, revenue enhancement might not be guaranteed. A combination of cost minimization and revenue enhancement strategies through increasing the number of managed care contracts would be the best orientation for MCSI. 4.Should MCSI pursue a joint venture with physicians in limited partnerships? Yes, MCSI should pursue a joint venture with physicians in limited partnerships. In 1998, 4 of MCSI’s 75 physicians brought in 44% of the gross revenue and 11 physicians brought in almost 75% of the gross revenue, which was $39,679,356. It is critical to identify the top earning physicians and keep them at MCSI. Part of MCSI’s mission is to â€Å"increase physician recruitment, retention, and collaboration.† MCSI must continue to involve the physicians in issues central to quality and their day-to-day operations.