Critical Path Analysis: Its Use and Limitations Essay

Introduction As firms begin to realize the need to improve on their project management capabilities, many companies and software developers have charged to fill this need by offering tools and techniques for a variety of projects. Some are tools for portfolio management, and some focus on particular disciplines within the project management field. Tools for resource planning, task and time management, communications management, resource allocation, or other project needs abound. Being a mature academic and practical course, Project Management has developed many tools and methodologies to assist in the planning, execution, evaluation and closeout of various types of projects. Varied tools can be used throughout many categories of project needs, while some tools are specific to certain types of projects. Some of the benefits of using project management tools and techniques as opposed to general management procedures, as mentioned in this week’s lecture, are that they have been proven to work particularly in a project environment and the uniformity of terms and approaches allows for better understanding and communication between members of the project team and the stakeholders. Tools such as Decision Trees, Cost-Benefit Analysis and programs such as Agile and Prince2 have proven to be particularly useful in producing best practice and expert results for projects that have employed them. CPA Utility and Limitations Critical Path Method (CPM) or Critical Path Analysis (CPA), as a project management tool, operates as the basis for a project work schedule, and likewise of resource planning illustrating shortest possible time to complete a project. The tool outlines critical events noting their sequencing, precedence relations, and strict timing requirements (Shtub, Bard and Globerson, 2005:395). The authors further note that PERT and CPA approaches treat ‘Finish to Start’ precedence relations using ‘zero’ as lag time between finish of last activity to start of next task along the critical path. The CPA map shows what activities cannot begin without accomplishing the preceding task, it is dependent on and also defines parallel tasks or ‘non-dependent’ tasks which can be performed simultaneously. By plotting activities using circles to represent activities noting earliest start (EST) and end times (LFT), and arrows showing sequencing of tasks, CPA clearly defines the flow of tasks, timings and therefore resources that must be allocated to accomplish activities and timelines. CPA has similarities to a GANTT chart as both tools show tasks that need to be done and the corresponding time to accomplish each. However, unlike a GANTT chart, CPA activity timings are not drawn to scale in that arrows represented with the same length may correspond to differing measures of time (e. g. same size arrows may represent 1, 2 or 4 weeks). A GANTT chart will have the tasks on a vertical axis while the time required for each task is easily identified along its horizontal axis. For both GANTT and CPA, the plan’s ‘critical path’ is the longest and has no spare time or ‘slack’/’float’ in any of the tasks. If any delays between dependent tasks in the critical path are encountered, the whole project will be delayed unless the manager makes changes to bring the plan back on track. Bringing a project back on track may be done by possibly adding resources to cut delivery time of tasks (‘crashing’) affected by the delay. Obviously, adding or re-allocating resources usually mean additional costs to the project. A sample for a 10-week computer project using a CPA map is as below. Upper left numbers within nodes represent the EST and lower left numbers on nodes represent LFT. Number on the right is the activity number and task description and duration is along the arrow lines: Source: www. mindtools. com In managing a project, a CPA map allows the project team to monitor attainment of goals and assists the project manager to see where corrective action is required to get the project back on course. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:381) reiterate preparation and use of the tool requires a complete understanding of the project’s goals and structures. As most projects will have a number of stakeholders with different requirements, it must be assumed that a thorough knowledge and understanding of all these requirements are known and considered by the project manager in order to utilize a CPA approach. Moreover, considerable expertise is required in order to estimate the duration of each project task as performance and resource allocation are dependent on the accuracy of the ame. While CPA is recognized as an important part of project management, projects which may not benefit from use of this tool are those where there is a requirement for high flexibility in project tasks and schedules. ‘Project Flexibility’ is described by Maylor, (2010:86) as the capability of a project to adjust to changes. As CPA assumes that activity times are ‘deterministic’ – having a predictable outcome as all of its causes are clear and rigid, it is unlikely that the CPA tool can easily take in many adjustments during the execution stage without jeopardizing the project. Since only parallel tasks are afforded time slack within the plan, a project may experience detrimental delays and spiralling costs should situations arise where the schedules are not met, or resources cannot be re-allocated to a later or earlier timeline. In particular, R&D projects, where results of new technology or a new drug cannot be easily predicted, or may need further testing and numerous changes, may suffer from a very rigid CPA map. Moreover, project work on innovations will not have the benefit of historical basis for correctly estimating time requirements of many tasks involved which is ssential in using the CPA. The United States Food and Drug Administration (2004) comments, â€Å"A new product development toolkit — containing powerful new scientific and technical methods such as animal or computer-based predictive models, biomarkers for safety and effectiveness, and new clinical evaluation techniques — is urgently needed to improve predictability and efficiency along the critical path from laboratory concept to commercial product†. This lack of knowledge and systems in drug research and development negatively affects the proper implementation of a CPA as a project management tool. Conversely, Construction industry projects benefit widely from the use of CPA maps as there is a considerable body of knowledge, experience, and repetition in many of the tasks performed in such projects. Another weakness in the utilisation of the CPA tool highlighted by Woolf (2008) is the observation that there is as yet no â€Å"universally accepted definition of the term ‘critical path’†. He argues that this lack of consensus poses a problem in determining what is critical, nearcritical, or non-critical in nature when preparing a CPA map. Since parallel tasks falling outside of the critical path can still have grave effects on the total project should they fall behind in schedule, Woolf argues there is nothing ‘non-critical’ about a parallel activity which has -17weeks as float. It is suggested ‘criticality’ must be measurable and objective, free from comparisons which will make it subjective. Moreover, as a completed project is one unit, it is contended all tasks within the project are important/critical and contributes to its completion. This agreement in understanding and measure of terms is an important issue as one of the advantages of utilising tools and methods is its universality of understanding. In the case of R&D and highly innovative tasks in projects, this question poses an issue as unknown tasks at the start of the project which may arise and have significant implications on the project would not have been accounted for in the ‘critical path’. Shtub, Bard and Globerson (2005:382) cite overdependence on the CPA as a potential threat to project success. When pressure in sequential schedules is the primary focus, a team may cut short or totally exclude certain tasks in order to stay within timelines. This negative manner of management can be harmful to the project’s final outcome. This last observation though is not a weakness of the tool itself but is a case of weak project management. Conclusion and Recommendation: As with any tool, the user’s skill is key to its effective employment and management. CPA has been proven to be a valuable tool in project management for determining: Activities which must be performed, sequencing, prioritising, and timing Tasks which can be performed parallel to save time. The shortest time a project can be successfully delivered What and when resource will be required Remedial measures will be required and when during the performance of the project. As such, it is an integral part of the project management toolbox which can be harnessed efficiently in a variety of complex projects with proper inputs derived from experience, research, modelling and sound judgement.

Program Development and Evaluation Essay

Early Childhood Education focuses on the education, language, culture, development and care of young children. As a profession, Early Childhood Education has emerged as one of the major vehicles for child-advocacy in the provision of accessible, high-quality child care and pre-school education. Child care, in this society of increasingly busy working couples, is an important service in the community. Whether it is called child care, kindergarten, preschool, a developmental learning center, a child development center, or one of many other names, they are all providing the important service of caring for our precious children. The increased demand for early childhood education services is partly due to the increased recognition of the crucial importance of experiences during the earliest years of life. Children’s experiences during early childhood not only influence their later functioning in school but can have effects throughout life. For example, current research demonstrates the early and lasting effects of children’s environments and experiences on brain development and cognition (Chugani, Phelps, & Mazziotta, 1987). Positive, supportive relationships, important during the earliest years of life, appear essential not only for cognitive development but also for healthy emotional development and social attachment (Stern, 1985). The preschool years are an optimum time for development of fundamental motor skills, language development (Dyson & Genishi, 1993), and other key foundational aspects of development that have lifelong implications. In Australia, early childhood educational programs cover a 0-8 years age range. In the state of New South Wales, Kindergarten is the first year of compulsory schooling thus it is governed by the NSW Department of Education and Training and the curriculum content governed by the NSW Board of studies. Child care, on the other hand refers to the care of infants (ages 0-5) by other people during specific periods when the parents are at work. With this set-up, different programming methods are employed. The difference between child care and kindergarten is that kindergarten is an educational experience while child care tends to be care giving so that both parents can work. Good child care programs offer experienced, well-educated teachers who promote children’s cognitive and social development. Kindergarten programs, on the other hand, have set programming standards that are based on the curriculum content governed by the NSW Board of studies. However, in the light that infants and up to kindergarten age belong to the early childhood category, it is best that programming should be the same. It should be able to provide the necessary resources to ensure that every student is offered a high-quality learning environment that prepares a child for further schooling. The purpose of this paper is to present the basis that programming for all early childhood educational programs in NSW should, for the most part, be the same regardless of the setting in which the program exists. Main Body Programming is the process of setting an order and time for planned events or activities. It is the designing, scheduling, or planning of a program. In a formal education setting, syllabus is prepared to outline the set of activities or programs. In NSW schools, teaching and learning programs and the assessing and reporting of student achievement relate directly to the learning outcomes and curriculum content provided in the NSW Board of Studies K-6 syllabuses. As clearly stated in the K-6, programming for kindergarten falls under this curriculum. These syllabuses are grouped into six key learning areas (KLAs). Creative and Practical Arts English Human Society and Its Environment Mathematics Personal Development, Health and Physical Education Science and Technology (Retrived Aug. 31,2006 from http://www. curriculumsupport. education. nsw. gov. au/primary/index. htm) The Board of Studies develops a syllabus for each of the learning areas. Along with a defined aim, each syllabus has a set of objectives and outcomes, expressed in terms of knowledge and understandings, skills, values and attitudes. On the other hand, mostly day care in NSW are managed by community organizations, local councils or private operators. These day care and other children’s services are licensed by the Department of Community Services. NSW Department of Education and Training employs an early childhood trained teacher and a teacher’s aide in each preschool class. Teachers plan an educational program, which nurtures each child’s self esteem, well being and development. The preschool or day care program is designed to stimulate children’s thinking, communicating, investigating, exploring and problem solving skills. Children are encouraged to join in physical activities and to develop good health and safety habits. The program includes play based activities that help children learn how to interact positively with other children and to recognize and accept their own feelings and those of others. The program also supports the development of early language, literacy and numerical skills. In terms of child upbringing however, it is always advocated that child care is inherently inferior to parental care. However, independent studies suggest that good child care for non-infants is not harmful. In some cases, good child care can provide different experiences than parental care does, especially when children reach two and are ready to interact with other children. A study appearing in Child Development in July/August 2003 found that the amount of time spent in child care before four-and-a-half tended to correspond with the child’s tendency to be less likely to get along with others, to be disobedient, and to be aggressive, although still within the normal. On the other hand, bad child care puts the children at physical, emotional and attachment risk. As a matter of social policy, child care should also be regulated by the government so as to ensure quality early childhood education. A good early childhood education program should instruct children in different skill areas that they would need in further schooling. Such skill areas include learning to read, to do math, to progress in science, and to understand the world and how it works. Through early childhood education programs, children are able to become familiar with books, words, language use, numbers and problem solving, as well as important social skills (paying attention in class and peer relationships). Through all these activities, teachers should create positive relationships through warm, sensitive, and responsive care, which will help children feel valued and gain more from their learning experiences. Children need positive relationships so that they feel comfortable and learn how to cooperate with others. This is where skilled early childhood educators should come in. Early childhood care and kindergarten education need teachers who are educated enough to handle young children from infancy through age six. Relationships between teachers and families are also important, and help build environments that nurture children’s growth and development. Children observe the interactions between caregivers and their parents, and what they observe in these interactions is used to build their own relationship with these new adults in their lives. This is a process called social referencing (Hutchins & Sims, 1999). There are many ways that quality early childhood programs build relationships with children and among teachers and adults. In visiting a program, how teachers interact with the children fostering positive relationships is clearly seen. Classrooms are welcoming to all children, and children are encouraged to join the group. Teachers communicate with children in a warm manner, including laughing and showing affection, and responding to their needs. Teachers use a gentle tone of voice with children, and bend down to speak with them at eye level. Teachers provide a balance of group activities and one-on-one activities, to encourage children to develop both group and individual relationships. Children in turn have opportunities to play and interact with other children, who help them build friendships and develop social skills, such as working together and taking turns. In good child care program, infants get individual attention from teachers, who communicate with smiles and other nonverbal behavior, and also talk with them, so that infants start to recognize and understand words. Quality early childhood programs foster positive relationships – among the children, between children and adults, and among teachers and families – to help children get a great start on learning. In view of the need to acquire good educators, the development of professional standards for teachers has grown in importance in the field of education in Australia and overseas. At the national level, development of the National Framework for Professional Standards for Teaching is a key initiative. The Competency Framework for Teachers was created and standards were developed by national teaching associations for English, Mathematics and Science. This Framework is the product of a comprehensive consultation process involving teachers, professional associations, tertiary institutions, the Australian Education Union and other key stakeholders. The Competency Framework for Teachers articulates the complex nature of teaching by describing three professional elements of teachers’ work: attributes, practice and knowledge. These elements work in an interrelated way as they are put into practice in classrooms. Early childhood professionals working in diverse situations and resources are responsible for implementing practices that are developmentally appropriate for the children they serve. These teachers have an ethical responsibility to practice, to the best of their ability, according to the standards of their profession. They are required to acquire the knowledge and practical skills needed to practice through college-level specialized preparation in early childhood education/child development. Moreover, aside from teachers, administrators of early childhood programs are also encouraged to acquire necessary skills in maintaining good practices in their field. In addition to management and supervision skills, administrators have appropriate professional qualifications, including training specific to the education and development of young children, and they provide teachers time and opportunities to work collaboratively with colleagues and parents. Providing appropriate curriculums or programs to meet the desires of individual children who learn at different rates and in different ways needs much skill and knowledge from the educator or teacher. In planning the everyday program a wide range of teaching strategies will be needed that involve individual, and large and small group activities. Not simply should the provision offer children opportunities for a broad range of creative and ingenious play activities, but there must be sufficient time and space to permit children to develop and extend their play, sometimes alone and at times in the company of other children or an adult. Programs have changed in response to social, economic, and political forces. However, these changes have not always taken into account the basic developmental needs of young children, which have remained constant. Programs should be tailored to meet the needs of children, rather than expecting children to adjust to the demands of a specific program. In the Hyson, Hirsh-Pasek, and Rescorla study (1990), pre-school children enrolled in child-initiated programs displayed lower levels of test anxiety than children enrolled in academic programs, regardless of parental preferences for classroom approaches. In the second study (Burts et al. , 1990), children in inappropriate classrooms exhibited more total stress behaviors throughout the day and more stress behaviors during group times and workbook/worksheet activities. Early childhood teaching is simply and completely about children and their well being. The tenet that each child is unique is basic in early childhood philosophy. It is very important therefore that early childhood educators should plan flexible programs that accommodate individual growth. Additionally, an early childhood perspective acknowledges the importance of providing children with opportunities to interact, understand and cooperate in groups (Day & Drake, 1986). In view of these arguments, the principle of programming in the framework of the KLA and in the context of a formal academic education should not yet be employed in the early childhood education, in particular, kindergarten class. The Curriculum for early childhood education must be subjected to vigilant evaluation. The program should see children as active learners, supporting them to become self-determining, being problem solvers and decision makers. It should not be a stiff program but offers a framework for children’s learning. Though it has much in common with usual nursery practice, it places greater accountability upon children for planning and executing their own actions. Working on an idea of the plan, do and review, the environment is arranged so that it optimizes children’s learning, using key experiences to examine and plan for the individual needs of children, for instance adult-child communication strategies, partnership with parents, observation and record keeping. The key experiences embedded concept of active learning are: †¢ Using language such as depicting objects, events and relations; †¢ Active learning such as controlling, transforming and mixing materials; †¢ Characterizing ideas and experiences such as role playing, pretending; †¢ Developing rational reasoning such as learning to label, match and sort objects; †¢ Understanding time and space such as evoking and anticipating events, learning to get things in the classroom. (Curtis, A. , 1999) These key experiences not only offer the framework for planning and evaluating activities but also facilitate the staff to guide children from one learning incident to another. They suggest questions to put to the children and facilitate staff to assess children’s development and offer a basis for discussion with the parents. To achieve individually appropriate programs for young children, early childhood teachers must work in partnership with families and communicate regularly with the children’s parents. During early childhood, children are largely dependent on their families for identity, security, care, and a general sense of well being. Communication between families and teachers helps build mutual understanding and guidance, and provides greater consistency for children. Joint planning between families and teachers facilitates major socialization processes, such as toilet learning, developing peer relationships, and entering school. Mutual sharing of information and insights about the individual child’s needs and developmental strides help both the family and the program. Regular communication and understanding about child development form a basis for mutual problem solving about concerns regarding behavior and growth. Teachers seek information from parents about individual children. Teachers promote mutual respect by recognizing and acknowledging different points of view to help minimize confusion for children. The positive attributes of parent/teacher relationships are relatively easy to develop when teachers and parents have the same backgrounds, speak the same languages, share values and goals for children, and, in general, like one another. Parents are also more likely to relate to their children’s caregivers and teachers in positive ways, and are aware of the conditions under which the staff is working. For both parents and teachers, continuity of the children’s educational experience is critical to their development. Such continuity results from communication both horizontally, as children change programs within a given year, and vertically, as children move on to other settings. As such, programming of early childhood education should be based more on creative learning and not on rigid academic programs and they should be the same from child care to kindergarten. Lastly, the community and the society at large also have a stake in the quality of early childhood programs. Early childhood education entails an informed community willing to act upon the idea that high quality early education is necessary for future generations (Pascall, C. and Bertram, T. , 1997). When early childhood programs succeed in getting children off to a good start, families, schools, and communities will be strengthened. Children will grow up to be responsible, law abiding and productive citizens who will contribute to the country’s progress. In this sense, posterity itself eventually reaps the benefits of high-quality early educational experiences. Conclusion Curriculums and programs are frequently viewed only in terms of the product or the content to be taught. It is far more encompassing than this, though. The curriculum should also be considered in terms of the processes linking to learning and teaching, the objectives that both teachers and learners hold, the contradictory social and cultural experiences’ learners and teachers bring, and the realities that occur from classroom interactions and situations. In early childhood education, set programming standards that are based on academic formal structure and being practiced in classrooms should not be employed. Teaching and learning programs and the assessing and reporting of student achievement that relates directly to the learning outcomes and curriculum content provided in the NSW Board of Studies K-6 syllabuses is not yet applicable and favorable for very young minds. Instead, programs and teaching practices in early childhood settings should be more responsive to the needs and interests of the children. Programs should include a plan of activities that matches the children’s needs and promotes their independence. The plan should contain activities and exercises that help children to develop social, motor, language, and thinking skills. Programs should also provide a variety of experiences designed to encourage exploration and problem-solving, and an awareness of how diverse the world is beyond the home. Daily morning schedule for kindergarten as well as child care should be very similar. The only difference between the two settings is that kindergarten school children tend to arrive all at once while children arrive at child care centers according to their parents’ work schedules. Early childhood education in both kindergarten and child care settings must actively work to provide learning in a nurturing environment that matches the needs of the children. Parents also have active role in this endeavor. Children learn much from the adults around them, not simply from the planned learning opportunities but also from the customs and routines of daily living. The attitudes of the adults and other children and the shared relationships that are formed are as vital to children’s development as the activities in which they are engaged. The goals of the entire child care community, then, must be to encourage and support early childhood professionals to raise standards in our young children’s education. In providing an effective and successful program for early childhood education, our society and our country will reap the rewards of raising disciplined and productive children who will contribute greatly in our communities. References: †¢ Burts, Diane C. ; Hart, Craig H. ; Charlesworth, Rosalind; DeWolf, D. Michele; Ray, Jeanette; Manuel, Karen; & Fleege, Pamela O. (1993). Developmental appropriateness of kindergarten programs and academic outcomes in first grade. Journal of Research in Childhood Education. Vol 8(1), 23-31. †¢ Bredekamp, S. and Copple, S. (eds) (1997). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (revised edition). Washington DC: National Association for the Education of Young Children. †¢ Bredekamp, Sue (ed) (1998). Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs Serving Children from Birth through Age 8. Retrieved from http://www. newhorizons. org/lifelong/childhood/naeyc. html. †¢ Chugani, H. , M. E. Phelps, & J. C. Mazziotta. (1987). Positron emission tomography study of human brain functional development. Annals of Neurology 22 (4): 495 †¢ Curtis, A. (1998). Curriculum for the Pre-School Child, second edition, London and New York:Routledge. †¢ Curtis, A. (1999). Evaluating Early Childhood Programmes: Are we asking the right questions? Paper presented at Early Childhood Conference, Santiago, March 1999. †¢ Edwards, C. , Gandini, L. and Forman, G. (eds) (1998). The Hundred Languages of Children, second edition, London: Ablex Publishing Corporation. †¢ Glascot, Kathleen. (1994). A Problem Theory for Early Childhood Professional. Childhood Education. Proofquest Education Journal, Vol. 70,3,131. †¢ Hirsh-Pasek, Kathy; Hyson, Marion; & Rescorla, Leslie. (1990). Academic environments in preschool: Do they pressure or challenge young children? Early Education and Development, Vol. 1(6), 401-423. †¢ Hutchins, T. & Sims, M. (1999). Program Planning for Infants and Toddlers: An Ecological Approach. Sydney: Prentice Hall. †¢ University of Illinois, Children’s Research Center. DAP:What Does Research Tell Us?. Retrieved Aug 31 from http://ceep. crc. uiue. edu. †¢ Website of NSW Dept . of Education and Training. Retrieved Aug, 31, 2006 from http://www. curriculumsupport. education. nsw. gov. au/primary/index. html

Postmodernism, marketing and the media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Postmodernism, marketing and the media - Essay Example The paper "Postmodernism, Marketing and the Media" discusses profound issues behind the post modern marketing era and its influence on modern media and advertising. In this paper there is the broad plane upon which this question is based a detailed answer to this question would be like trying to lock up the entire ocean in one match box but this is what we as marketers do. We try to lock up happiness in a matchbox and will gladly market that given the chance. This is a big bad world of marketing where the entire marketing profession stands accused of crossing ethical boundaries, enticing children and adults alike and using to technology to the point of abuse. Visionaries were looking ahead when they described the post-modern period as one where there would be a growth of tertiary sector and the services industry would boom in the era of multi nationals and a rise in capitalism. However the booming free market would be unable to boast of free speech and democratic values. For Doherty post modernism as phenomena feared human progress and its realities. Other writers have said that this era is a time of uncertainty and doubt and a melting pot of pluralism, democracy and information and consumerism. The marketers have realised that this age has come with its packages of closeness and aids to overcome the physical barriers/social barriers through the media and information technology. Shorter has identified this with â€Å"anonymous intimacy† as people scramble to find emotional depth ... We try to lock up happiness in a matchbox and will gladly market that given the chance. This is a big bad world of marketing where the entire marketing profession stands accused of crossing ethical boundaries, enticing children and adults alike and using to technology to the point of abuse. Welcome to the post-modern marketing era! In this course we were able to discuss the more profound issues behind the post modern marketing era and its influence on modern media and advertising. Visionaries like C. Wright Mills were looking ahead when they described the post-modern period as one where there would be a growth of tertiary sector and the services industry would boom in the era of multi nationals and a rise in capitalism. However the booming free market would be unable to boast of free speech and democratic values in the guise of political and social turmoil. For Doherty (1991) post modernism as phenomena feared human progress and its realities. Other writers have said that this era is a time of uncertainty and doubt (Stacey 1990) and a melting pot of pluralism, democracy and information and consumerism. (Stacey 1990) The marketers have realised that this age has come with its packages of closeness and aids to overcome the physical barriers/social barriers through the media and information technology. Shorter (19 75) has identified this with "anonymous intimacy" as people scramble to find emotional depth due to family ties becoming more distant through TV talk and advice shows and texting and chatting. Technology has blurred the divide between home and work as the internet brings home the world.So are we "what we know" . This is an age of post-modern relativism and pluralism which has replaced the vials of the generally accepted universal

Global Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Global Business - Essay Example three countries have been considered from which Elecdyne can choose, along with a comparative analysis of the countries and Japan through a combined SWOT and PEST analysis. Some of the most important factors that Elecdyne should consider are cost minimization and profit maximization with respect to internationalization in a country leading to improvement in profits and sales revenue (Hurn, 2009). The other factors include access to technology and availability of technological expertise in a particular country. Elecdyne also must take into account the access to new markets through internationalization as well as evaluate size of target markets before selecting a country. Besides these, political and economic factors are also very important as Elecdyne should not be taking too many risks. The culture-fit factor, which is one of the most essential factors to be considered, estimates the amount of organizational conflict can arise due to difference in Japanese culture and that of the hos t nation. The target markets for Elecdyne are developed and developing markets, which have considerable demand for quality electronics goods. Since Elecdyne uses original licenses from MNCs, products offered are not too cheap. So, Elecdyne targets the middle and higher income group of people. The current shopping trends with improvement in economy of developing countries and rising demand for Japanese goods, which are known for their high quality standards, is an advantage for growth of Elecdyne in foreign markets. Since most of Elecdyne licenses are taken from MNCs, the technology employed is always high-end. The availability of research graduates in developing countries at lower wages rates than Japan is a major plus point, which will help Elecdyne to improve its technological capabilities. The general economic trends are not very encouraging as the world economy recovers from a recession; but, many governments are giving tax rebates and reducing duties in a bid to attract new

Why do states want nuclear weapons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Why do states want nuclear weapons - Essay Example First and foremost we have to understand that many states view the nuclear club as a prestigious guild, for them it is a quick and sure-fire way to not only gain entry into the club but also gain international standing and stature. (Perkovich (1998) p.2) On the other hand gaining the status of a nuclear state can also bolster support for a regime in a particular country. Cases in point are both India and Pakistan. The surge in popularity of the BJP the ruling coalition party in power at the time of weaponized nuclear tests and massive popularity for the Prime minister of Pakistan Mr. Nawaz Sharif and his ruling party after the nuclear tests both illustrate the point. The double standards of the worlds only super power the US, towards Israel has caused some dissent in other nations. This has caused a letup in nonproliferation efforts and leads to decreasing pressure on countries trying to acquire nuclear status, hence more countries try to acquire these weapons. (Perkovich (1998) p.3-4) Another possible reason given to justify the acquisition of nuclear capability is that nuclear weapons can prevent regional and international conflicts due to the threat of mutual destruction. The apprehension countries with regards to its adversaries' present or future strength can serve as a strong motivation for a country to go nuclear as nuclear weapons may be a cheaper (on the whole) alternative to an economically disastrous and militarily dangerous conventional arms race. (Perkovich (1998) p.4) India and Pakistan as well as Israel, the U.S, Russia and China all developed nuclear weapons for reasons of national security. But in some cases as mentioned earlier security was not the only concern. India, U.K, France and even South Africa (which later abandoned its nuclear programme and was declared a nuclear weapons free country) all developed nuclear weapons to further their standing in the regional and international arena, to show-off their national scientific competency and establish themselves as key players in regional and international politics. (Perkovich (1998) p.6) Finally there can only be two views of the current situation and the future line of action. One idea is allowing the induction of more states in to the nuclear club i.e. allowing them to have the weapons. Since the threat of mutual destruction increases, the idea of minimal deterrence pops up. The other option is to limit proliferation of nuclear weapons moving into phased reduction of weapons till the ultimate goal of de-armament is achieved (Perkovich (1998) p.10). But one has to admit regardless of however much optimistic one might be that this scenario at least in the present or in the near future is not probable "at all", given the never-ending quest of countries to acquire nuclear capability and the disagreement amongst the members of the nuclear club on major non-proliferation issues. Work Cited Perkovich, George (Autumn, 1998), "Nuclear Proliferation". Foreign Policy, Volume No.

Ink Painting - Lingnan School of Painting Essay

Ink Painting - Lingnan School of Painting - Essay Example The paper "Ink Painting - Lingnan School of Painting" analyzes how the Lingnan School of Painting contributed to the innovations of the traditional Chinese ink painting, and how it influenced the traditional Chinese ink painting; what were the dissatisfactions articulated by the emerging Lingnan School; how the Lingnan style distinguished itself, in both their underlying philosophy and the art through which they expressed it; and in what direction(s) has the Lingnan school led, in its influence on Chinese ink painting. There were a number of defining characteristics of traditional Chinese ink painting, prior to the emergence of the Lingnan School. These defining characteristic might be arranged into the categories. With respect to the audience, traditional Chinese ink paintings were not created for common people or for a mass audience, but were generally privately-commissioned and intended for an elite audience only. Because the usual form of the painting included calligraphy and poe try, as well as painting and signets, it was done by educated scholars, for whom it was their esoteric passion. As such, the traditional Chinese ink paintings were often too lofty to comprehend. For this reason, they had a limited appeal, though very beautiful. The painter was, in a mystic way, the subject of his/her own painting, whether the apparent subject was landscape, flowers, or animals. The painting expressed the sentiment of the painter, but it was more intimate than that. The painting expressed the personality.... It can be understood that all painting, by artists, should develop their skills. Traditional Chinese ink painting was understood to be more profound than this. The painter painted and developed intellectually and spiritually. It was about the deepest aspects of being and the sensitivity of consciousness 5. Landscape paintings, for example, were lovely and set a mood. More than that, they communicated the emotion that the scholar-poet-painter experienced in that environment. Beyond that, the mountain or waterfall or other landscape setting shown, revealed the personality of the painter, for those who understood how to read the clues. It was not merely a painting for an audience, but it was an opportunity for the painter to reflect and develop personality and spirit. It was this painted high being-ness that the elite audience of traditional Chinese ink painting was looking for and paying for. In appreciating a painting, then, the audience appreciated Spirit and Consciousness. It was co nceptual, rather than visual 6. The subject of traditional Chinese ink painting was always painted in an abstract manner. From the 10th century to the 20th, it was thought that realism somehow cheapened the aesthetics of a painting. So, Chinese traditional ink painting was always expressionist, and not realist, and eventually even the selected subject itself was abstract. For example, a favorite subject of traditional Chinese ink painting, by the nineteenth century, was Taoist and Buddhist teachings. It is no wonder that the subjects of the paintings, for 800 years, were considered by later painters to be aloof from worldly affairs 7. The subjects painted were human figures, landscapes, flowers and birds. These three categories, however, are more

The Connection between Bush and the Royal Saudi Family Essay

The Connection between Bush and the Royal Saudi Family - Essay Example (Sirota, Harvey, & Legum, 2004, np) That in and of itself was note worthy enough, but when coupled with the events surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks suddenly everything took on new meaning. It all began in the 1968 when Bush joined the Texas Air National Guard. He is introduced to and got acquainted with Jim Bath, a former Air Force pilot and the future mediator between Bush and the royal families in Saudi. Years later, Salem Bin Laden, older brother Osama bin Laden, would enter into a trust agreement with Jim Bath, whereby Bath acted as the bin Laden family's representative in North America, investing money in various business ventures. And as if by chance, the same Laden in 1978 invested more than 1 Billion dollars in a Texas based Oil Company called Arbusto - not so surprisingly a Bush venture. Thus began the legacy which has spanned nearly forty years to date. During this same time period George H. W. Bush was climbing his way up the political ladder. In 1976 he was named director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). As luck would have it for the Bush family, during his tenure as CIA Director, the senior Bush arranged training for the Saudi Royal Family's security force. This act sealed the association between the two families. During this time while still with the CIA, George H. W. Bush "privatized various CIA assets, with Bath considered one of the beneficiaries because of his involvement in the aircraft business." (Saudi, 2003, pp. 1) During 1980 the senior Bush was on the Primary Election ballot for the Presidency. He lost to Ronald Regan, but in a show of party unity Bush became Reagan's Vice-presidential running mate. In 1988 Bush ran for election and won. As early as 1991 there had been links place between the Bush and Saudi Royal Family, but its significance would not be truly felt for another 10 years. During 1991 Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI), a Mid-Eastern bank financed in part by Khalid Bin Mahfouz, who is closely tied to both the bin Laden and the Royal Family, was arrested for withdrawing huge sums of money from the bank prior to its being seized by the U. S. Government for money laundering and other fiscal illegalities. Instead of facing jail time, however, he was levied hefty fines which he paid. 1991 also saw the beginning of the first Gulf War. Bush ordered the military attack to expel Saddam Hussein and his forces from Kuwait in order to ensure the oil pipelines remained open. The decision to enter Kuwait was also discussed with the Saudi government and they urged Bush to use U. S. military forces to expel Hussein. Having the U. S. involved in the first Gulf War was in the Saudi's best interest. They didn't have to launch a military attack against a Middle East neighbor, and, further, if Hussein had been left unchecked he could have very well also invaded Saudi Arabia. The first Gulf War was very short lived and in a matter of just a few days Kuwait had been liberated. There was much debate by the American public at this time as to whether the President should have 'kept going' at that point and remove Hussein from power. However, under advice of his military strategists and political advisors, the military was ordered out of the country. Bush senior was not re-elected in 1992 and many people felt it was due

Welcome Letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Welcome Letter - Essay Example Foreigners are welcome in the United States. Due to the diverse ethnic and racial composition of the student population on campus few will actually realize that you are foreign students. Learning the basics about the United States culture is important. In the United States we eat three times a day. Eating at fast food restaurants is a common occurrence. I recommend that as you start meeting people inside and outside of class inviting them to enjoy a meal during lunchtime at the cafeteria or at fast food restaurants is a good way to enjoy time with other people while sharing a meal together. Sports are a major part of our culture. Our school has several sporting teams. Students at our university enjoy going to these sporting events. Most of them are free of charge for students. There are many extracurricular activities going on at our campus everyday. To enjoy the full college experience it would be good for you guys to attend the art expositions, theater events, music shows, and seminars by professionals that occur every semester at our university. Social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are a hot trend among young people in America. If you donâ€℠¢t have one you should open an account immediately particularly one in Facebook which is the industry leader in social networks. Facebook has 750 million users worldwide (Facebook, 2011). This is a great way to meet friends. You should invite your classmates to be your friends on Facebook or any other social network. As students that are enrolled at our university I know you have high educational goals. You should visit the educational counselors of our school to share with them your aspirations and goals. They can help you create a long term plan for your future. This university is not a walk in the park from an academic perspective. All curriculums are very hard and it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to succeed academically. If you need help don’t hesitate

Based upon your reading in The Worldly Philosophers by Robert L Essay

Based upon your reading in The Worldly Philosophers by Robert L. Helibroner, as well as CREDIBLE outside sources, outline the di - Essay Example Both Joseph Schumpeter and John Maynard Keynes were subjected to the same economic period, suffering from economic recession and aimed at developing theories aimed at economic development. However both analyzed the situation differently and thus observed different economic problems which made them to come with different definitions of the economics, which are very important in understanding the modern economic trends and situations. In an effort to solve the economic crisis, Keynes called for government intervention. Holding to the fact that money was not an just a means of exchange as was stipulated by the likes of Adam Smith and David Ricardo, but the supply of money, and to be specific money velocity had an adverse effect on the demand of goods, Keynes put it across that regulation of money supply would improve economic conditions during recession (Heilbroner 267). To come up to this conclusion, Keynes held lack of control of money supply in the capitalist system had caused the re cession. Schumpeter agreed to Keynes idea that the failure of capitalist system resulted to the economic recession but attributed the failure to poor relation between capitalist investors and the actual managers of the investment projects who happened to be employees. According to Schumpeter, the managers salaries are not correlated to the company’s profit and thus don’t strive to maintain or improve future returns. Although Schumpeter did not reject interventions, he held that capitalism could be maintained and its success accelerated ‘creative destruction’ that is replacement of old worn-out business models by new entrepreneurs’ innovations. What determines real price of commodities is a question that most economics have had in their minds. Keynes was not an exception, although his answers portrayed a view completely different from his predecessors. To develop his theories, Keynes held that money and credit were real, and greatly influenced commod ity prices (Heilbroner 270). Disregarding that firms and individuals had any impact the economy as demand which was only affected by money velocity influenced capital formation, productivity and employment. However Keynes held the assumption that his theory was only effective if the velocity of money was held constant. Schumpeter embedded on this assumption and criticized the whole theory on the fact that velocity of money can only be constant in primitive societies and not in the modern complex economic conditions. It was Keynes ideas, of fiscal and monetary policies that were used to solve the recession problem. However, equilibrium conditions were only obtained in the short run just as they were proposed by Keynes. Schumpeter criticized Keynes short run solutions as not caring about the future. Schumpeter identifies that the central economic problem was not equilibrium as stipulated by Keynes, and suggested that structural change was more realistic. In attempt to solve the proble m, he maintained that capitalist, not discarding intervention can still thrive given his theorem of the innovator. Schumpeter emphasized that equilibrium solutions were only short run that could not prevail in the long run due to structural changes. Contrary to their predecessors, Keynes and Schumpeter replaced the argument demand or supply of

Comparison and Contrast of The Hobbit Novel and The Hobbit Films Essay Example for Free

Comparison and Contrast of The Hobbit Novel and The Hobbit Films Essay The Hobbit: An unexpected journey and The Hobbit: The desolation of Smaug had a great director; Peter Jackson to keep every original concept that J. R. R. Tolkien would have in mind if he was the one to direct these movies. They kept that its not only about getting Dwarves their homeland back, but the development of a quiet, stay at home and stay safe Hobbit. Most of the characters were well interpreted into the movie like Thorins greed for the Arkenstone, how that is his childhood and the kingdom was balanced on the Arkenstones power. The films kept the same feeling that one would get from reading the novel. A Hobbit on his adventure, there and back again. Though they kept the same feeling, scenes and characters occurred even though they were never included in the novel. Tauriel was a she-elf that created a love triangle between Kili and Legolas. In the book, Kili goes with the other dwarves, entering Smaugs lair. In the film, he gets a injured in the leg by an arrow that becomes infected and hes forced to stay in Laketown with Bard and the others, and Tauriel and Fili his brother. Their deaths will become different from the original story. Also the size of Smaug became enormous compared to the book and J. R. R. Tolkien had his own artwork of the rough size of this dragon and the amount of gold he settled in. The treasure and how much dragon remained under the mountain was blown off the scale. These differences hardly impact the plot, but those are some differences between The Hobbit novel and The Hobbit movies.

Skills as a photographer

Skills as a photographer Annie Leibovitz was born in Connecticut on the 2nd of October, 1949. She was one of six children born to Sam and Marilyn Leibovitz, a dance instructor. In 1967, Leibovitz registered at the San Francisco Art Institute. She developed a love for photography while on a trip to Japan with her mother in the summer of her sophomore year. That autumn she started classes in photography [1]I was totally seduced by the wonderment of it all, she told a writer for Art News. To see something that afternoon and have it materialize before your eyes that same day. There was a real immediacy to it. I lived in the darkroom. A trip to Israel helped her to really develop her skills as a photographer. While she was still a student at the institute, Rolling Stone magazine gave Leibovitz her first commercial assignment after she approached Jann Wenner, in 1970, the founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine, which he had recently launched. The assignment was to take a picture of the Beatles musician John Lennon. The black and white image of the unkempt rock star was released on the cover of the 1971 issue on January 21st. In 1973 when she was only 23 years old she was given the job of being the magazines main photographer. She held this position for ten years. In 1974 Rolling Stone began printing the magazine in colour and Leibovitiz changed with it. [2]In school, I wasnt taught anything about lighting, and I was only taught black-and-white, she told ART news in 1992. So I had to learn colour myself. Using colour Leibovitz created her own signature style, the colours can be described as brilliant perhaps because it printed well. Some of the famous musicians she photographed include Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and Patti Smith. At first her photographs of celebrities were like snapshots, where she tried to capture her subject in the moment. But she soon noticed her ability to put people at ease and help them to let down their guard. She encouraged her subjects to pose for her doing eccentric or silly things which revealed much more of their personalities than a straight portrait ever could. One of Leibovitzs secrets to her success is researching her subjects before she has he photo shoots with them. She reads or watches their works if possible sh e spends time observing their daily lives. However one of the shots that really created her standing as a top photographer is her photo of John Lennon hours before he died. In 1980 leibovitz was sent to take a photograph of John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Leibovitz had originally planned that the couple would pose together nude. Even though Lennon happily obliged, Ono refused to take off her clothes, much to the disappointment of Liebovitz. She decided to work with Yoko Ono clothed and Lennon naked I was thinking that they had never been embarrassed to take their clothes off, that they could do a nude embrace, says Leibovitz, who was photographing them for a Rolling Stone cover to mark the release of Double Fantasy, their first album in five years.[3] John took his clothes off in a few seconds, but Yoko was very reluctant. She said, Ill take my shirt off but not my pants. I was kinda disappointed, and I said, Just leave everything on. We took one Polaroid, and the three of us knew it was profound right away.. The final image shows John Lennon nude, curled around a fully dressed Yoko Ono. This shot was used for the cover of the commemorative issue of the Rolling Stone. Another project which helped push her to the top was her documentation of the Rolling Stones 1975 world tour. The photographs she created while she lived and travelled with the band have been described as being [4]some of the most eloquent images ever made of the world of Rock and Roll.. This project helped give Leibovitz a big name among the top photographers. However she unfortunately became involved with drugs, being part of the groups entourage and with the burden of her career pushed her towards the usage of cocaine. She has been quoted in Vanity Fair that [5]I went on that [Rolling Stones] tour to get to the heart of something, to see what it was like. People always talk about the soul of the sitter [in a photograph], but the photographer has a soul, too. And I almost lost it. It took Leibovitz almost five years to get over the tour, which she did and her career continued to take new heights. In one interview Leibovitz talks about the effect being on the Rolling Stones tour aff ected her [6] Ive been on many tour buses and at many concerts, but the best photographs Ive made of musicians at work were done during that Rolling Stones tour. I probably spent more time on it than on any other subject. For me, the story about the pictures is about almost losing myself, and coming back, and what it means to be deeply involved in a subject. You can get amazing work, but youve got to be careful. The thing that saved me was that I had my camera by my side. It was there to remind me who I was and what I did. It separated me from them. Over time she became known for her picture of celebrities, some of these photos include Whoopi Goldberg with only her face, arms, and legs peeking out of a bathtub full of milk and the artist Christo wrapped in fabric as if he was in one of his own pieces of art. Andy Grundberg a well known photography writer and critic has pointed out that Leibovitz exaggerates the distinctive characteristic of [the celebrities] public image in a way thats funny and deflating. One of her most controversial photographs was a 1992 Vanity Fair cover. It featured the actress Demy Moore who was nude and pregnant. http://www.answers.com/topic/annie-leibovitz , 12:15, 04-12-09 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/annie-leibovitz/life-through-a-lens/16/ , 12:30, 04-12-09 http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6478087/behind_the_photo_john_and_yoko, 12:40 04-12-09 http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/ewb_09/ewb_09_03807.html, 12:45, 04-12-09 http://www.novelguide.com/a/discover/ewb_09/ewb_09_03807.html, 12:57,04-12-09 http://kottke.org/08/09/annie-leibovitz-on-photography 14:30, 04-12-09

Superconductivity Essay -- essays research papers fc

SUPERCONDUCTIVITY DEFINITION OF SUPERCONDUCTIVITY Superconductivity is a phenomenon displayed by certain conductors that show no resistance to the flow of electric current. Conductors are materials in which the electron current goes through. There are 4 different kinds of conductors. Insulators, like glass or wood, have a very high resistance to electron current while semi-conductors, such as silicon, have a medium resistance. Conductors, like copper and other metals, have very low resistance, and superconductors, comprised of certain metals such as mercury and ceramics such as lanthanum-barium-copper-oxide, have no resistance. Resistance is an obstacle in the flow of electricity. Superconductors also have strong diamagnetism. In other words, they are repelled by magnetic fields. Due to these special characteristics of superconductors, no electrical energy is lost while flowing and since magnetic levitation above a superconductor is possible. This principle is employed in high-speed trains that travel at 483 km/h (300 mph) while lev itating on a cushion of air. MAKING OF THE SUPERCONDUCTOR When superconductivity was first discovered, it was established that the compounds needed to be cooled to within several degrees Kelvin to absolute zero (zero Kelvin). The large amount of cooling was done by putting the compound in liquid helium. Helium, which is usually a gas, liquefies when its temperature drops to 4 K. Once the material had cooled to that temperature, it became a superconductor. However, using liquid helium to cool down material has been a problem. Liquid helium is very expensive, and the cooling equipment is very large. In the past, there was no economic incentive to replace ordinary conductors with superconductors because the cooling costs for superconductors were so high. Scientists have found two ways to overcome the cooling problems. The first is to find a way to cool the material using something less expensive and less bulky than liquid helium. The second way is to raise the temperatures that are necessary to cause superconductivity in the metals, or the cri tical temperatures. By combining materials into superconducting alloys, the temperature was raised slightly. By 1933, the critical temperature was at 10 K, and it wasn't until 1969 when the critical temperature was raised to 23 K and scientists tried, unsuccessfully, to raise it again. The... ...ving atoms wandered out of the field, while the coldest atoms stayed in the center. Very few atoms could escape the coldness at the center, and the center is what became the new state of matter. Future Developments In the future, many scientists expect to have many new things due to superconductivity. Room temperature superconductivity would totally revolutionize the electrical power industry by making copper wires obsolete. Superconductivity would also improve transportation by changing the way trains, cars, and ships run. Magnetically levitated trains have the advantages of speed and quiet operation and the same magnetic levitation could be used with cars. Drivers would travel as fast as 150 mph on a highway and they would never have to worry about collisions. Ships propelled by superconducting motors would weigh less and would be more maneuverable. In conclusion, superconductivity will have a tremendous impact on our future, totally revolutionizing our way of life. Works Cited Seeber, Bernd Handbook of Applied Superconductivity University of Geneva Switzerland, 1998 Kresin, Vladimir. and Wolf, Stuart Fundamentals of Superconductivity New York and London Plunum Press., 1990

Children: Innocent Victims of Domestic Violence Essay -- Violence Aga

Domestic violence is comprised of willful intimidation, assault, battery, sexual assault or other abusive behavior committed by an intimate partner against another. According to The National Center for Victims of Crime (2011), aggressors of domestic violence persistently disparage, degrade or humiliate their partners. Unfortunately, domestic violence victims are known to habitually blame their own actions, rather than the violent behavior of the abuser. Conversely, violence perpetrated by abusers is repetitively self-driven and depends little on the victims' behavior. The use of psychological, emotional, and physical abuse fused together with episodes of "respite, love, and happiness are premeditated coercive tools used to generate submission" (The National Center for Victims of Crime, 2011, para. 6). This confusing behavior generates a perplexing situation for victims. Domestic violence affects not only those abused. Regrettably, children are victims of domestic violence too. The ch allenging battle amid intimate partners is continuously a burning research topic correlated to the ill effects that the violence has on children. Therefore, it is reputed that the impact of witnessing domestic violence would have the capability to place a magnitude of severe consequences on children. Innocent Victims of Domestic Violence Each year, an overwhelming number of innocent children are exposed to domestic violence. Children witnessing domestic violence in America are a significant dilemma that continues to be of high concern. It is estimated within the United States that approximately 15.5 million children have observed domestic violence, while seven million have witnessed brutal violence incidents (Fortin, Doucet, & Damant, 2011). This f... ...f children who witness domestic violence. Child & Family Social Work, 14(4), 491-501. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00633.x Stiles, M. (2002). Witnessing domestic violence: The effect on children. 1;66(11):2052-2067. American Family Physician. Retrieved from http://www.aafp.org/afp/2002/1201/p2052.html Stover, C. (2005). Domestic violence research: What have we learned and where do we go from here? Journal of Interpersonal Violence, (20)4, 287-315. doi:10.1177/0886260504267755 The National Center for Victims of Crime. (2011). Domestic violence. Retrieved from http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32347#3 Vickerman, K., & Margolin, G. (2007). Posttraumatic stress in children and adolescents exposed to family violence: II. Treatment. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 38(6), 620-628. doi:10.1037/0735-7028.38.6.620

The Cognitive Dissonance Theory by John L. Cotton :: Cognition Psychology Essays

The Cognitive Dissonance Theory by John L. Cotton When I hear Cognitive Dissonance, I say to myself, "Cogna Who?" I could barely say the word let alone be able to explain the theory to someone else who has never heard of it. So I took it upon myself to get schooled up on the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. Doing this was no barrel of laughs. But one night while I was sitting by the fire having some wine and cheese I was reading Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, there was an article by John L. Cotton that explained the Cognitive Dissonance Theory. To my surprise the article which was named "Cognitive Dissonance in Selective Exposure." After reading the article several times so that I would not miss a single bit of information, I think I have a clear understanding of Cognitive Dissonance. Now for all that know me, I would never keep this information to myself, but I am going to share Cognitive Dissonance with all you web surfers out there. Are you ready? Well, ready or not get ready to set sail and ride into the world of Cognit ive Dissonance! Research Probably the best quote that Cotton gave was that everyone "selectively seek, choose, and screen the information that we use." How true is this in your day to day lives? Think about it, we are constantly making decisions that we think that are beneficial to us and the people around us. For instance, if all of the boys want to got to the bar and have a few smoothies, you are more inclined to go along with everyone else because you do not want to ruffle anyone's feathers. Let us dig a little deeper into this theory and break it down. First off, what is cognition? I was not too sure either until the article explained what cognition was. Cognitions are "attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge about one's behavior, or any other knowledge about oneself or the environment." So basically all of our actions and feelings that we have are cognitions. Understand the cognitive part of it a little better? Do not worry we will be back to explain this further. How about we tackle the dissonance part of th is theory and see where we can go with it. Dissonance is the concept that when a person becomes "aware that two or more of these cognition's are contradictory, dissonance is created.

A by John Updike – Short Essay

Write a critical commentary on John Updike's â€Å"A & P† John Updike’s â€Å"A is written during the early 1960’s in America. The short story is written in a first person narrative of Sammy, who is a young employee at a store. The tone of the story is direct and sounds as if one were partaking in a conversation with Sammy himself. The story, thus, is more personal. The reader follows Sammy’s train of thought as he makes observations of events that happen that lead up to climax of him quitting his job. Sammy can be seen as one who does not stand out, he is lost amongst the masses.He has an ordinary job, with ordinary co-workers at an ordinary store. This is how the middleclass, or working-class, is seen, especially during that time. When Sammy first sees the three girls that walk into the store with their bathing costumes on in the bread aisle, the reader notices how carefully Sammy watches them. He begins his descriptions of the first two girls and dismi sses them for the lack of attraction. He then focuses, and seems to be transfixed, on the third girl whom he deems the leader and names her â€Å"Queenie†. One immediately notices that Sammy finds a certain freedom in her beauty.The fact that she is barefoot and barely clothed defies the normal code of attire in a shop and so creates a freedom. One could say that he is interested in her for the fact that she does stand out, that she is not seen as ordinary, unlike him. In a sense, Sammy has a rather immature view of the world. When he hears that â€Å"Queenie† has been sent to the shop simply to buy a jar of herring snacks for her mother, Sammy immediately pictures a party of rich and sophisticated people. His idea of social statuses and class distinctions, could be said, are misguided.He has the idea that money can lead to freedom, and so climbing the social ladder helps gain that goal. When Lengel (the manager) approaches the girls and reproaches â€Å"Queenie† for her lack of clothing Sammy immediately feels the need to rise to the title of a hero. It is as though he now sees â€Å"Queenie†, the leader, change into a damsel in distress, and feels the need to save her from the words of Lengel. It is almost as though by ‘saving’ â€Å"Queenie† he will have a chance at climbing the social ladder that will lead to his success and freedom.One could also say that Sammy is reaching for individuality, to not simply be an ordinary employee, but be able to become someone that stands out as easily as â€Å"Queenie†. Sammy grasps at the romantic idea of a hero and quits his job, yearning to join the girls. However, the girls walk out the store and Sammy is left to talk to Lengel who states that Sammy wouldn’t want to do this to his mom and dad. Sammy is determined to quit. He realises that quitting is a gesture made that has to be followed through.As he stands outside the store, the romantic hero has died wi thin him. The girls are gone and he realises the situation he has put himself in and the financial straits he has put his parents in. Updike has given the reader a glance into a situation that changed Sammy’s life for good. It emphasises how choices can change a person’s life and how at that stage can seem insignificant. Updike shows the reader how complex life decisions can be. Bibliography A by John Updike: The World’s Greatest Short Stories, edited by James Daley, Dover Publications

Lakme Cosmetics Essay

Lakme is one of the cosmetic brands of the Unilever Bangladesh Ltd offers to the target market. The survey has been conducted to know cognitive components, affective components and behavioral components of the consumers in Dhaka city. Our sample size is 50. These respondents are from different professional such as Student, Housewife, Private Service holder, Public service holder and other professions. Among 50 respondents, 31 or 62% respondents are from the age of 16 years to 25years, 16 respondents from 26 to 35 and 3 respondents from 36 to 45 years and 31 respondents from 16 to 25 years use lipstick, 16 respondents from 26 to 35 years use lipstick and lastly 3 respondents from 36 to 45 respondents use lipstick. Maximum respondents are from lower higher class. According to our research 50% of the total respondents go to beauty parlor once a month, about 12% of the respondents go twice a month, 18% of the respondents go twice a week, 6% of the respondents go once a week, 7% of the re spondents go not in fix time interval. 36% of the total respondents watch TV or movies. In case of buying habit 54% of the respondents buy lipstick once a month, about 18% of the respondents buy lipstick twice an month, around 12% of the respondents buy lipstick twice a week and 16% of the respondents buy lipstick in different occasions. The respondents are a bit colorful, Organized, Moderate stylish, changing oriented, a bit youthful, somewhat rational, a bit formal, like to dominate, little bit calm. The schematic memory of the lakme is quite positive. Respondents perceive the lakme lipstick as Hygienic, Modern Outlook, Long Lasting, Fascinating, Bright, Color, Elegance, Distinct, High Price, High Class, Prestigious, Assured Quality, Fantastic, Satisfaction, and Best Quality. According to perceptual mapping Lakme has a strong brand image than Revlon and Loreal. Since weighted mean of lakme is 0.326 and the weighed mean of Revlon is 0.562 Lakme is closer to Ideal brand than Revlon and thus attitudes toward Lakme lipstick very favorable than attitudes toward Revlon lipsticks. Lakme has favorable emotion towards its lipstick. As per our research about 54% of the target market use Lakme and most of them will buy it next time. So it reveals the positive behavioral components of attitude in the mind of the consumers. Finally Lakme can change the cognitive attitudes by changing belief, adding belief, shifting importance  and changing ideal and through classical conditioning, mere exposure lakme can change the affective components of customers. And operant conditioning needs to alter behavioral components of the consumers. Background of the Report: Our course instructor Mr, Farhan Faruqui has recommended us to prepare a report on Lakme which will be regarded as the term paper for the Spring 2008 semester on the 7th April 2008. The report was supposed to find linkage among real-life advertisements by Lakme lipstick and the theories taught in the classes of the course of Consumer Behavior. Statement of the problem: the report will try to answer the following questions: †¢ Is Bangladesh Unilever Ltd, applying the theories of Consumer Behavior in their Marketing activities? †¢ Are the methods effective? †¢ Do the consumers like their marketing activities? †¢ What is Lakme lipstick’s position compared to other brands? †¢ What else Unilever Bangladesh Ltd could do to ensure future success? Statement of Purpose: the report will serve the following purposes †¢ Defining the practical application of theories of consumer behavior evident in Lakme lipstick’s marketing activities. †¢ Explaining the effectiveness of Lakme lipstick’s marketing activities. †¢ Presenting a total picture regarding consumer feedback and responses. †¢ Describing lakme lipstick’s position in the market. †¢ Proposing few suggestions for lakme lipsticks that will ensure long-term success for Lakme. Scope of the report: this report has been prepared with in the following parameters †¢ The Report covers the marketing activities for Lipstick offered by Lakme by Unilever Bangladesh. †¢ Throughout the survey, emphasis was given to female members of the market. †¢ The Report is primarily based on customer feedback derived from the survey which might not represent the actual information due to sampling error. †¢ The survey is  conducted in the Dhaka city as well as other developed cities. Methodology: this marketing report has been prepared based on primary data. This is basically a qualitative analysis. We have chosen non-comparative scaling technique because we wanted to measure the influence of each and every factor. Only by Non-comparative scaling technique we can do that. And among two types non-comparative technique we used itemize technique and between three itemize techniques we took Likert scaling for Affective components and semantic scale for cognitive components which range from 1 to 5 point scaling. Then after screening we have finally set sets of questions in our questionnaire. Our target population has been the female of Dhaka city and other developed cities in Bangladesh. We have chosen probability sampling. We are four members in our group. As we have been assigned to collect data, we have gone to the target market and got the questionnaires filled up by the females. And to analyze to data we use SPSS application. We analyze data by frequency distribution, different types of diagram and multiple variables comparison. Limitation: Like every research it has also some limitation. Among them time is the most significant constraint that affected our research very much. Within this short time it s was quite impossible to make this sort of research. We had only around 15 days to prepare a research which is quite impossible. Among the other constraints next significant was target market who was reluctant to fill the questionnaires. The product has been a low-involvement one so target market has been reluctant to answer them. There has been a lack of co-ordination among the group member. May be data does not represent the actual population. Organizational Background: This segment will provide a short description concerning the Unilever Bangladesh ltd. The segment will include the following topics- company background, mission statement, company objectives, company location. Company Background: The origin dates back to 1964, when the first Manufacturing Operations were set up as a part of Lever Brothers Pakistan operations. After independence, it was incorporated as a separate Company under the laws of Bangladesh. Later on the Company diversified into different categories. Unilever is a multinational company but for our term paper we are interested in Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. Over the last four decades, Unilever Bangladesh has been constantly bringing new and world-class products for the Bangladeshi people to remove the daily drudgery of life. Over 90% of the country’s households use one or more of Unilever’s products. Unilever Bangladesh conducts their operations with honesty, integrity and openness, and with respect for the human rights and interests of their employees. They will similarly respect the legitimate interests of those with whom they have relationships. Unilever companies and their employees are required to comply with the laws and regulations of the countries in which they operate. Employees: Unilever is committed to diversity in a working environment where there is mutual trust and respect and where everyone feels responsible for the performance and reputation of their company. They will recruit, employ and promote employees on the sole basis of the qualifications and abilities needed for the work to be performed. They are committed to safe and healthy working conditions for all employees. They will not use any form of forced, compulsory or child labor. They are committed to working with employees to develop and enhance each individual’s skills and capabilities. They respect the dignity of the individual and the right of employees to freedom of association. They will maintain good communications with employees through company based information and consultation procedures. Unilever Operations in Bangladesh provide employment to over 10,000 people directly and through its dedicated suppliers, distributors and service providers. 99.5% of UBL employees are locals and they have equal number of Bangladeshis working abroad in other Unilever companies as expatriates Consumers: Unilever is committed to providing branded products and services which  consistently offer value in terms of price and quality, and which are safe for their intended use. Products and services will be accurately and properly labeled, advertised and communicated. Shareholders: Unilever will conduct its operations in accordance with internationally accepted principles of good corporate governance. They will provide timely, regular and reliable information on their activities, structure, financial situation and performance to all shareholders. Business partners: Unilever is committed to establishing mutually beneficial relations with their suppliers, customers and business partners. In their business dealings they expect their partners to adhere to business principles consistent with their own. Community involvement: Unilever strives to be a trusted corporate citizen and, as an integral part of society, to fulfill their responsibilities to the societies and communities in which they operate. Public activities: Unilever companies are encouraged to promote and defend their legitimate business interests. Unilever will co-operate with governments and other organizations, both directly and through bodies such as trade associations, in the development of proposed legislation and other regulations which may affect legitimate business interests. Unilever neither supports political parties nor contributes to the funds of groups whose activities are calculated to promote party interests. The environment: Unilever is committed to making continuous improvements in the management of their environmental impact and to the longer-term goal of developing a sustainable business. Unilever will work in partnership with others to promote environmental care, increase understanding of environmental issues and disseminate good practice. Competition: Unilever believes in vigorous yet fair competition and supports the development of appropriate competition laws. Unilever companies and employees will conduct their operations in accordance with the principles of fair competition and all applicable regulations. Business integrity: Unilever does not give or receive, whether directly or indirectly, bribes or other improper advantages for business or financial gain. No employee may offer, give or receive any gift or payment which is, or may be construed as being, a bribe. Any demand for, or offer of, a bribe must be rejected immediately and reported to management. Unilever accounting records and supporting documents must accurately describe and reflect the nature of the underlying transactions. No undisclosed or unrecorded account, fund or asset will be established or maintained. Mission Statement: â€Å"Our mission is to add Vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people look good, feel good and get more out of life.† This is the mission statement of the Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. Brands: Unilever Bangladesh has several brands in the market. Those are Wheel, Lux, Lifebuoy, Fair & Lovely, Pond’s, Close Up, Sunsilk, Lipton Taaza, Pepsodent, Clear, Vim, Surf Excel, Rexona, Dove, Vaseline & Lakme. Type of business: Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company with local manufacturing facilities, reporting to regional business groups for innovation and business results. Constitution: Authority of the conducting the company is still in hand of Unilever. Unilever owns 60.75% of the total share and Bangladesh government owns 39.25% of the total share Objective: Their purpose in Unilever is to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere – to anticipate the aspirations their consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life. Their deep roots in local cultures and markets around the world are their unparalleled inheritance and the foundation for their future growth. They will bring their wealth of knowledge and international expertise to the service of local consumers – a truly multi-local multinational company. Their long-term success requires a total commitment to exceptional standards of performance and productivity, to working together effectively and to a willingness to embrace new ideas and learn continuously. They believe that to succeed requires the highest standards of corporate behavior towards their employees, consumers and the societies and world in which they live. This is Unilever’s road to sustainable, profitable growth for their business and long-term value creation for their shareholders and employees.. Company Location: The company has a Soap Manufacturing factory and a Personal Products Factory located in Chittagong. Besides these, there is a tea packaging operation in Chittagong and three manufacturing units in Dhaka, which are owned and run by third parties exclusively dedicated to Unilever Bangladesh Target Market Parameters: 1. Demographic Factors: Demography is the scientific study of characteristics and dynamics pertaining  to the human population. The characteristics encompassed by this study include size, growth rate, density, vital statistics, and distribution of a specified population. Demography is widely used for various purposes and can encompass small, targeted populations or mass populations. The target market can be divided based on demographic variables. Demographic variables encompasses various aspect of an human such as Age, Gender, Family size, Family lifecycle, baby-boomers, Income, Occupation, Education, Ethnicity, Nationality, Religion, Social class etc. To be successful as marketer one must understand the demographic factors of the population. 1.1: Age and Sex: Normally consumers’ needs and wants change with age. There are certain types of products which attract different types of aged people as well as different sex. There some product which attract male people and there are some products which get the attention of female people. In the same one there are some products which get attracted by the mature people and there are other types of product which attract the child. Therefore products like Lipstick attract the female people or segment. In case of Lakme lipstick the target market is urban female and other developed cities like Dhaka, Shylet, Chittagong e.t.c. although the targeted age is somewhere between 16 years and 45 years. It may be seen that male are buying the lipstick but the ultimate users are female. As a result our majority of targeted respondents are female. The proportion of the male and female respondents in the survey is like this. Figure1.1: Gender analysis According to Figure 1.1 the majority of the respondents are Female. Among 50 respondent female is 43 in case of percentage about 86% of the total sample. So from this Figure 1.1 it can be understood that the survey has been got answered by right people. Figure 1.2: Age analysis Figure1.2 is showing the age structure which has been used for our survey. Among 50 respondents, 31 or 62% respondents are from the age of 16 years to  25years, 16 respondents from26 to 35 and 3 respondents from 36 to 45 years. These respondents will give us the information about Lakme lipstick. They will inform us about Cognitive component, affective component as well as behavioral component of the Lakme lipstick. They will differentiate the lakme among the various lipsticks. Form their responses we will be able to understand the various aspect our research topic. Figure 1.3: Frequency of Brand According figure 1.2 among 50 respondents, 31 respondents from 16 to 25 years use lipstick, 16 respondents from 26 to 35 years use lipstick and lastly 3 respondents from 36 to 45 respondents use lipstick. So here we see the prime customer of lipstick is the people who fall in the range from 16 to 25. so Unilever Bangladesh Ltd should pay more attention on this segment as well as the segment range from 26 to 35. 1.2: Occupation: the purchasing behavior depends on the occupation of the individual. For our research we are simply interested about public service, private service, student, Housewife and for making our questionnaire non force we have kept an option blank. Figure 1.4: Occupation analysis Among 50 respondents, 25 are students, 17 are private service holders, 5 are public service holders. 1 is housewife and 2 are others. In case of percentages about 50% of the total respondents are students, 2% are housewife, 34% are private service holders, 10% are public service holders and 4% are from other occupation. So we have targeted the right people who generally use or buy lipsticks. The Unilever Bangladesh Ltd needs to be  serious about customer like student because this is the big portion of the lipstick users. Students basically use or buy lipstick frequently. They are the main customer of the lipstick. The Unilever Bangladesh Ltd has other potential segment like Private Service professional and public service professional to pay the attention. Because this second and third highest portion of the target market. These segments would be a profitable one for Lakme. Figure 1.5: Brand according to occupation According to above table 25 students use lipstick , 1 housewife uses lipstick, 17 Private service holders use lipstick, 5 public service holder use lipstick and 1 respondent from other profession use lipstick. So Lakme should seriously consider the segment of student since it is the main target market, the private service professionals as it is a great potential segment for Lakme and public service professionals. 1.3: Social Gathering: the respondents of the target market are generally do not like to attend the social gathering very often. Figure 1.6: Social gathering According to our research about 44% of respondent are generally attend the social gather once a month, around 34% of the respondents attend social gathering twice a month, 10% of the respondents are attend different time, 2%, 2% and 8% of the respondents attend the social gathering once a week, more than 4 a month and less than once a month respectively. Since they do not attend the social gathering the Lakme can organize a informal chats or road show with its target market to get the feedback and to spread the positive attributes of Lakme lipstick to others. 1.4: Income: Purchasing ability depends on the individual income. People tend to buy more who has very high income. It is proven that higher class of the society buys more than another. In our survey there are 16% respondents have the income 40000 and above, 24% respondents have the income between 30000 to 40000, 30% respondents have the income between 20000 to 30000 and 14%, 14% and 2% of the total respondents have the income somewhere between 10000 to 20000, below 10000 and no income respectively. Figure 1.7: Distribution of the income According to figure 1.6 among 50 respondents, 8 respondents have the income of 40000 and above, 12 respondents have income between 30000 to 40000, 15 respondents have the income between 20000 to 30000, 7 respondents have the income between 10000 to 20000, 7 respondents have the income less than 10000 and 1 respondent does not have any income. Figure 1.8: Buying behavior according to income The individuals have the income 20000 to 30000 are very much eager to buy lipstick The target market who have income 30000 to 40000 and above 40000 are also interested to buy the lipstick. So Lakme should maintain the customer segment of who have income between 20000 and 30000 and also to influence the segment like who have income between 30000 and 40000 and above 40000. Leisure: Member of the target market does have variety in their leisure time. They just make them busy with numerous activities which they do often. Figure 1.9: Leisure activities According to figure 1.8 most of our target markets spend their time at home during the leisure time and some of them tend to go out in the leisure time. From above frequency distribution it has been found that about 36% of the total respondent watch TV or movies during the leisure time, about 16% of the respondents go to parties or concerts at leisure time, 2% play computer games, 10% of the respondents read story books at the leisure time, 6% of the respondents play outdoor games, 12% of the respondents hangout with their friends, 12% of the respondents read newspaper at the leisure time, 2% of the respondent travel at the leisure time and 2% of the total respondents do other thing during the leisure time. it is clear that most of the respondents enjoy their leisure time by watching TV or movies. So TV and electronic media has become main source of entertainment of the target markets. As Television has become the main source of entertainment at leisure time, Marketer can easily reach the target market. Newspaper can be an effective to reach the target markets. Unilever Bangladesh can publish or put their advertisement into those Television and Newspaper to efficiently manipulate the target markets. Going beauty parlor: Every one likes to be looked beautiful. In case of female this statement is the most appropriate one. The female segments like to go to Beauty parlor.

Barangay Management System Essay

DE LA SALLE LIPA College of Information Technology & Engineering INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT Proponents : Gonzales, Maricar Lee, Kimberly Anne A. Suguitan, Constante III Section: IT4A Proposed Title: Barangay Management System for Brgy. Antipolo del Norte Problems/Opportunities: 1. The process of tracking records of daily, weekly and monthly records become less efficient and less accurate because in a manual system the data might be misplaced or lost. 2. Having a manual record management system requires a lot of storage space and filing equipment in the office because hard copies of the files are kept. 3. The process of writing the record manually in a piece of paper, keeping, and finding the records of the consumer are time consuming causing slow retrieval of information and transactions. Objectives: 1. To make a computerized record management system to easily find the records so that it is accurate, complete, accessible, and usable. 2. To reduce operating costs including office space, equipment and staff to maintain an organized filing system. 3. To minimize the time in writing the record, to eliminate the use of paper and to improve efficiency and productivity of the employee. Scope: The scope of this system is to provide user efficient working environment and generates more output. This system provides friendly user interface resulting in knowing each and every usability features of the system. It prepares and prints barangay permits and certifications (e.g. Community Tax Certificate, Barangay Clearance, etc.) It also processes fee such as barangay clearance fees and others. It also enables easy searching of records. This system also allows for other barangay related functions as those including security such as incident reporting, blotter, and other related services. It also provides that it maintains an updated record of residents for easy identification, and updated references. It also provides a back-up and recovery utility for security. Also, this system provides high level of security for specific people (e.g. administrators and staffs) who can access the system where administrators have the full access in using the system while the employee just have the limited access in terms of confidential records. No changes can be made in it until it verifies the user log in id and password. The salary of the employee will not be covered by the system. Beneficiaries: This paper can be used in future research and will benefit the following people: Workers/ Employee The workers will experience easier and faster way of record keeping and retrieval of records. Customer The customer will experience a faster service than before. Future Researchers The proposed system will help the future researchers to have more ideas about management system. Operational Framework Barangay Management System is a computerized system that provides fast and reliable processing of services to its users and customers. It also generates reports that are essential for statistical information, and research and accreditation purposes.

Is the Chinese Renminbi Undervalued Essay

Since July 2005, first time being revalued after 11 years of fixing at 8.27, Chinese Yuan has been heading towards only one direction – all the way from 8.27 to 6.27. Although Yuan is a highly regulated currency by government, Chinese officials could no longer peg the Yuan as it used to be in a closed economy because WTO had opened up doors for Chinese manufacturers in 2001 to export cheap goods and services to developed countries. With trillions of foreign capital flooding into the country, Yuan has appreciated over 30% over seven years. However, this one-way money flow cannot be sustained. Though it is not sure whether Yuan is at the absolute equilibrium, it is currently neither significantly undervalued nor overvalued. This essay is going to explain why Yuan is modestly priced with analysis in both the fundamentals and money flows. Needs for appreciation in past In theory, two open economies should have equivalent purchasing power – that is, if 10 units of foreign currency can buy something that is valued at 1 unit of domestic currency, the implied equilibrium exchange rate should also be 10(domestic as based money). Otherwise, there is an arbitrage opportunity. We call this Purchase Power Parity. In reality, despite some limitations about this theory, it explains most of the valuation problem in China. Take a look at China’s Balance of Payments over 2003-2010 and it is obvious to observe huge surplus annually in both current and capital & financial account, accumulating to a foreign reserve of $3.3 trillion. Reach equilibrium? At the government level, on one hand, it had to increase money base to maintain exchange rate against USD at a gradual appreciation pace. On the other hand, it needs to hold huge foreign assets, primarily in USD, to back up its currency from deprecation in the event of capital outflows. Amid the money inflow, Chinese central bank faced mounting pressure of inflation on local assets. The private sectors are impacted in two ways. Firstly, Chinese residents and companies feel much richer now because higher RMB increases their purchase power of foreign assets. This means more imports and capital account outflows. Secondly, inflation and appreciation means that Chinese products and services are more expensive. And this would lead to less exports. Pew Survey showed that 70% of Chinese people feel financially better off than five years ago, which among the best in the world. In the last a few years, the fact of continues Yuan appreciation, associated with stories about how China is cash rich and how Chinese investors are buying everything they can in the world, raises interesting discussion if Yuan had appreciated enough. There is also a trend that more goods are manufactured in new WTO members such as Nepal and Vietnam that have price advantage over China. Moreover, in the currency forward market, investors have priced in modest depreciation for Yuan in the next 12 months and spot market is no longer moving towards one direction. Data shows†¦ All those various observations reveal the same process that drives RMB exchange rate to an equilibrium level. Recent data also suggests that at current FX level, the rise in trade surplus and capital & finance account surplus slowed (see chart below). So does foreign reserve. What does it means? If we apply a popular formula: Capital out flow = Foreign Reserve – FDI – Trade surplus Numbers imply that 62.4 – 128.5 – 145.8 = 211.9 billions has flown out of China in the first three quarters of 2012. Although this estimation still lacks of actual evidence, the scale of growth slowing down in foreign reserve in 2012 is worth attention since it is so large that it is hard to be justified by seasonal adjustment or calculation period discrepancy. This might signal the start of reverse capital flows of Yuan, which means Yuan is no longer undervalued. Ultimately†¦ The answer to Yuan’s valuation problem is complex especially given that it is still mostly controlled by government and there are so many dynamic factors to consider. So far there are some money flows and data support the conclusion that Yuan is no longer significantly undervalued. In the long run, as expectation of Chinese government to allow a fully conversion Yuan is built on, maybe the real answer can only be found out by then.