Rjft Organizational Management Task 2 Free Essays

string(76) " as the financial state of the opera is healthy, the leadership is as well\." Organizational Management RJFT2 Task 2 A1. The Utah Symphony was recognized as a Group II orchestra. Group I and Group II are distinguished by the endowment amount and level of annual expenditures. We will write a custom essay sample on Rjft Organizational Management Task 2 or any similar topic only for you Order Now For the year of 2001-2002, the average endowment for Group I orchestras was around $76 million and $8. 8 million for Group II orchestras. The Utah Symphony came in just shy of $12. 2 million in 2000-2001 and was projected to be upwards of $13. 7 million for 2001-2002. That being said, the Utah Symphony was considered to be at the top end of Group II symphony orchestras in the United States (Ager Delong, 2005). However, even with these strengths within the symphony, prior to the proposed merger of the two organizations, the Utah Symphony’s financial state was declining. There were several factors due to the weak financial state. The musicians were part of a union, which negotiated a contract requiring high salaries, benefits and annual pay increases, which would cause the organizations expenses to increase. So, while revenue was projected to increase, this was offset by the increase in expenses. The cash balance was $116,308 in fiscal year 2000-2001 and projected at $2,042 for the following year, yet another financial weakness. In order to ensure a successful start of the merger, Anne would need to would need to come up with a plan. She could start by addressing the musician’s salaries. By referring to the board, as well as union leaders, Anne can learn about the requests specifications of the last negotiation. When presenting a new contract, she can influence the musicians to either take a lower wage or not to take a pay increase by showing them the income statement and explaining that the life of the organization is dependent on cutting costs and increasing revenue. Through this, she can show how the organization will not be able to operate at a surplus if expenses continue to increase, offsetting the revenue earned. Eliminating pay raises could be presented as a temporary fix, or worst case scenario (assuming the organization would survive on its own without the merger and the musicians would be able to keep their jobs), wages could be decreased. Through this approach, she can show them that the success of the symphony and them keeping their jobs are dependent upon each other, but changes need to be made. In response to the increasing expenses offsetting he revenues, Anne could research their fundraising opportunities to determine what it is they do well and what could be improved. She can use fundraising ideas that work for her current organization as well as from the past. As there are financial strengths and weaknesses of the Utah Symphony, that applies to leadership as well. The organizations greatest strength in leadership is with Lockhart . Lockhart is known as one of the top rated conductors and his relationship with the musicians is very healthy. They look to him to support the group when decisions are being made. While this is strong, the board also appreciates and respects the leader, not wanting to compromise the relationship they have with him. Strength about this group is that Scott Parker, chairman of the board, realizes the difficulties the group is facing and cares enough to do something about it. While the symphony has great leaders, there are also some weaknesses involved. It’s possible that Lockhart’s focus is geared too much on the musicians and not enough on the survival of the organization. Parker is scheduled to move to New York and will be replaced by Peterson mid-merger. This could cause some confusion or instability due to lack of initial involvement on Peterson’s part. Another weakness is that there is no CEO. This organization needs a well defined leader to succeed. Anne will obviously have some leadership obstacles to overcome to ensure the successful start of the merger. Anne will need to convince Lockhart that while it is important to have the relationships he has with the musicians, it is important that this does not block his vision of the overall organization. He is a leader of the group and should focus on the well being of the organization. She can do this by showing Lockhart that the two (musicians and organization) are dependent upon each other, without musicians, there would be no symphony; likewise, without no symphony, there would be no jobs for the musicians. Also, with Parker moving to New York during the middle of the merger, Peterson will have some catching up to do. Anne should meet with Peterson periodically if possible before he joins the team full-time. She should also provide him updates as the process continues via face to face meetings, emails, phone calls, etc. Once he is full time, the merger should be his primary focus. Anne should also introduce him to Bill Bailey so that he can gather input from someone at the same level. In addition to that, Ewers should request ongoing open communication with Parker as a reference to help ensure the start of the merger is secure. A2. Unlike the financial and leadership status of the symphony, the opera appears to be in a much healthier state. Financially, the total revenue and contributions totaling approximately $5 million far outweighs expenses, leaving a surplus of $582,409 in fiscal year 2000-2001 and is projected to continue the same trend in the following year. Not only do they have a solid surplus, the opera is also financially stable in terms of assets. The large costume inventory and 2. 9 acres of land accumulate to roughly $4. 8 million in assets. Due to the strong financial state, no weaknesses were identified. In order to maintain the organization’s current financial state, Anne should be proactive and continue to coordinate fundraising, and seek funding through other areas. If the merger were to take place, the amount of performances would increase, boosting attendance and sales as well as overall revenue. Just as the financial state of the opera is healthy, the leadership is as well. You read "Rjft Organizational Management Task 2" in category "Essay examples" Anne has brought with her many accomplishments throughout her past experiences. While holding the general director position of Boston Lyric Opera, she was able to retire a $450,000 debt that was passed on to her from her predecessor. While there, she also built an endowment fund as well as increasing the number of productions from one to three. Anne also held the role of assistant director of both the San Francisco Opera and Canadian Opera Company. Within the USA and internationally, she has had the opportunity to act as stage director for more than 60 opera productions. During her 11 year tenure at UOC, she grew the organization’s annual budget from $1. 5 million to $5 million. Anne has a record of being successful at fundraising and is admired by both the opera and symphony boards. With this strong leadership, Anne will have lots of insight on how to address situations that come her way, based on her previous experience. The one weakness that is displayed is the resignation of Leslie Peterson. Leslie is the daughter of Glade Peterson, founder of the opera and is director of operations. Due to her disagreeing on the direction that the management is taking and her concerns about the merger, she resigned. To ensure a successful start of the merger, Anne has a few options. If the organization values Leslie and doesn’t want to see her go, Anne could meet with her and explain the plans for the merger. She could reassure Peterson that what her father built would remain the foundation of the organization going forward as it is built upon. Another direction Ewers could take would be to promote someone from within or hire a new addition to the team to replace Peterson. By replacing her, someone with a positive, supportive attitude that is excited and eager about the new merger would be a good fit for the combined groups. Anne could even look at replacing her with someone from the symphony to gain further trust and respect from that group. With very little leadership weakness, this is one less thing Anne has to worry about. A3. The Utah Symphony could be considered as having a combination of two different cultures, create- looking to grow and expand, and collaborative- having an extended family feel. However, the collaborative culture best fits this organization. In organizations like this, employees work closely with one another. Employees can look to their leaders as supportive figures and feel fulfilled and safe with the work they do (Kelly, 2010). An example of this is Keith Lockhart and his relationship between the musicians and the board. Keith’s primary concern is the musicians. The business review also stated that the board would ultimately not move forward with the merger if Keith did not approve (Ager Delong, 2005). The analysis of the scorecard is as follows: 1. Financial: The goal is to be financially stable and profitable by maintaining the same ticket price but increasing fundraising to be able to do so and measuring this by profitability. This addresses their financial weakness as listed above (by remaining profitable, the 83 symphony members will be able to keep their jobs). In regards to their organizational culture, this supports collaborative culture, securing and supporting musician positions. 2. Customer: The goal is to meet customer wants and demands of seeing world-class performers appear and the organization can make this happen by hiring the top notch talent. To measure if they are successful at this, they will gather reviews and feedback from customers to gauge how well they are meeting demands. Through constructive feedback, the symphony will know if they are reaching their goal and delivering what customers want. Positive feedback will assure the group that their goals are being reached. The Utah Symphony envisions being world class and this is compliant with the vision. . Internal Process: Through the renegotiation of contracts with the musicians, their goal is to have some flexibility in decreasing expenses. The organization can measure this through the improvement of profitability. This was addressed earlier as a financial weakness and noted that if Anne is able to renegotiate contracts the organization would benefit financially. 4. Learning and Growth: The goal he re is to offer a wider variety of symphonies to appeal to different audiences. This can be done by marketing towards those targeted groups, advertising symphonies of interest. An increase in ticket sales and returning audience is how this will be measured. While this exact scenario wasn’t listed above, it does reflect on the overall financial weakness and addresses the reducing the weakness by increasing profitability. All areas of this scorecard help address the financial weakness of the symphony and how to help alleviate it. In regards to the leadership weaknesses, the scorecard does not directly address them, but in the event they move forward with the merger, they (leadership weaknesses) will be addressed then. The Utah Opera’s vision is to become a nationally renowned opera house by improving the quality of performances and increasing endowment funds. A complete organizational culture would best describe this organization. Complete cultures bring a results-driven environment and focus on success and reputation (Kelly, 2010). The culture differs from that of the symphony because the performers are not employed full time here, therefore lacking the extended family aspect as seen with the musicians. The analysis of the scorecard is as follows: 1. Financial: Through raising additional funds and realizing endowments, the groups’ goal is to be financially stable and obtain an increasing reserve fund. This goal will be measured by improving the reserve fund amount. As stated earlier, the financial stability of the opera is healthy and this shows one of the strengths of the group. 2. Customer: By excelling in the quality of performances and increasing patron attendance to full capacity or nearly selling-out, the goal of having regionally and nationally acclaimed opera performances will be reached. This will increase ticket sales, resulting in an increase profit. Through this increased attraction, investments will increase, maintaining the organizations’ strength of being financially sound. 3. Internal Process: The goal to maintain financial stability and to attract top talent is dependent on successful negotiations with the top performers. Customer reviews and profitability are measurements of this process. Top talent performances will increase ticket sales and will also allow the organization to grow both nationally and internationally through these popular performers. The boards’ vision will come to fruition in the event that this goal is met. 4. Learning and Growth: Setting this goal of 5 high-quality performances per year relies on measuring the endowment fund growth and increasing ticket sales. This can be measured by covering capital need by revenue from the ticket sales. With the growing group, individuals will be more likely to invest, adding to the groups’ financial strength yet again. In terms of the Utah Opera, all four aspects of this scorecard focus on strengthening their existing financial stability. This will help achieve the goals and vision the group has set. While the financial strengths are established in the scorecard, the leadership weaknesses are not addressed. However, the leadership weakness did not exist in the individual organization until the merger was made public and Peterson resigned, and therefore does not require being addressed. B. Merged Company Balanced Scorecard: The vision of the new company is to attract top performers while providing quality performances, being noted as a successful merged opera/symphony combination following the merger and maintaining a profitable organization while doing so. 1. Financial: Strategic Goal- Secure financial stability throughout the entire organization * Critical Success Factor- Maintain funding through opera patrons and increase the symphony’s through endowments and fundraising * Measure- Recognizing an overall increase in Surplus of the combined groups from one fiscal year to the next 2. Customer: * Strategic Goal- Through combining the opera and symphony, become known nationa lly (and internationally if possible) as one of the first successful at accomplishing this merger, therefore bringing in top talent that draws a wider range of performance- goers * Critical Success Factor- Recruiting op rated performers that viewers would be interested in seeing and that would bring extra attention to the organization * Measure- The organization would see performance attendees and ticket sales both increase 3. Internal Process: * Strategic Goal- Having revenue far exceed expenses, leaving a much larger surplus * Critical Success Factor- Negotiating new contracts with the union for the musicians to hold off on pay raises and/or reduce salaries. Also, increasing fundraising and endowments * Measure- Successful increase in funding (endowments and fund-raising) as well as successful contract negotiations, reflected by an increased surplus 4. Learning and Growth: * Strategic Goal- Diversifying performances to attract different genres * Critical Success Factor- Making each performance unique and different from the last to attract different performance- goers * Measure- Gauge first time audience attendee by survey upon exiting performance and gather feedback C. When reviewing the proposed merged company, there will be some strengths and weaknesses of the new organization pertaining to each aspect of the scorecard as follows: 1. Financial: Historically, Anne has been successful in maintaining a healthy financial state of the opera. She exceeds in fundraising and attracting new endowments and is reflected in the surplus shown in Exhibit 3 (Ager Delong, 2005). However, the weakness of the proposed merged company is the lack of a healthy financial state for the symphony. While their revenue appears much larger than that of the opera, so are expenses. Through the addition of the symphony, the financial state will decrease the strength of the opera, in turn weakening the overall financial state. The contract negotiations and work to increase endowments and fundraising will help alleviate this weakness. 2. Customer: When combining the two groups, they will have a greater ability to bring in more well known special performers. This potentially will bring in new patrons. However, through this strength, also comes a weakness- they would need to figure out how to attract these new customers to get them to the performances. This could be resolved through advertisement and support of community involvement. From being involved with the community, they will have the opportunity to hear what patrons would like to see, and gauge performances based on interest. 3. Internal Process: The strength as the combined group is that they will be much more capable of offering a wider variety of arts. With the management team they have and past challenges they have accomplished, the two groups together will be able to succeed in things on a larger scale. The one weakness to having such a strong internal process is not having enough funding to support efforts. As mentioned above, funding issues can be resolved through contract negotiations, increased endowment contributions and fundraising. 4. Learning and Growth: Together, as one organization, they will be able to grow through recruiting top rated talent for performances and learn what it is that their customers want to see. While this is growing, the slight weakness they will encounter is the time it takes for the economy to rebound and for sales to start increasing. D. During the merger process, a few highly probable issues could arise in finance, human resources, and customer satisfaction. Financially, the opera is sound. However they will more than likely become reduced due to the fact that they will have to help make up for the lack of financial stability of the symphony. Eventually, this can be resolved through contract negotiations with the musicians, increased fundraising and endowments, and through the economic rebound, allowing more viewers to attend performances. In regards to human resources, an issue will probably arise when Ewers approaches the union to re-negotiate contracts. While both the organization and the musicians are dependent upon each other, some sort of agreement will have to be worked out and the human resources department will need to be involved. Finally, with all of the skepticism brewing in the community of combining the two groups, there will more than likely be some contributors that will be hesitant to continue donating their normal contributions. While it will be a difficult challenge to overcome, the new organization can rectify the situation by bringing in top rated performers as soon as possible that support the growth and excitement of the newly combined group. References Ager, David L. Delong, Thomas J. , â€Å"Utah Symphony and Utah Opera: A Merger Proposal† August 8, 2005, Harvard Business Review Kelly, The Types of Organizational Culture, May 4, 2010 retrieved March 10, 2013 from http://blorgtheory. com/2010/05/04/the-types-of-organizational-culture/ How to cite Rjft Organizational Management Task 2, Essay examples

Untitled Essay Research Paper Battle of the free essay sample

Untitled Essay, Research Paper Battle of the Bytes Macintosh vs. Windows 95 It used to be that the pick between a Mac and a Personal computer was reasonably clear. Ifyou wanted to travel for the more expensive, easier to utilize, and better artworks andsound, you went to purchase a Macintosh, for the cheaper monetary value, it was the Personal computer. Now itis a much different show. With the release of Windows 95 and the kineticss ofthe hardware market have changed the equation. On the other manus, Apple has made great monetary value decreases on many oftheir computing machines last October. You can now purchase a reasonably equipped PowerMacintosh at about the same monetary value as a Personal computer that has about the same things. Thismakes the competition much harder. Windows 3.x have been great betterments over the earlier versions ofWindows, and of class over DOS, but it still didn # 8217 ; t vie against the easiness ofuse on a Mac. The Windows 95 interface is much better than Windows 3.x. Itborrows some from the Macintosh interface and has improved on it. Some betterments are the ability to work with folder icons that representdirectories and subdirectories in DOS. Windows 95, unlike the Mac, logicallygroups informations and resources. A Taskbar bill of fare lets you name up and exchange betweenany package application at any clip. Therefore characteristic is better than the Mac # 8217 ; sbecause its usage is more obvious. It clearly shows what is running and allows youto switch plans with a individual chink of the mouse. Control panels have beenadded so you can configure your hardware. There is easy entree to frequentlyused files. You can do really long file names on Windows 95 alternatively of shortand unusual names that leave you inquiring approximately, such as on Windows 3.x Icould non call a booklet This is stuff for school it must be a batch shorter. The Helpsystem helps you implement its suggestions. A multilevel Undo bid for allfile operations precautions your work, something Macintosh does non have.Something that Windows 95 has, similar to the Macintosh Alias map, isshortcut icons. It ca lls up a plan really easy, alternatively of seeking throughyour difficult thrust. The Windows 95 cutoffs go beyond the Mac # 8217 ; s, they can referto informations indoors paperss every bit good as to files and booklets, and can besides name upinformation on a local country web waiter or Internet site. Windows 95 # 8217 ; s plugand drama system allows the operating system to read what # 8217 ; s on your machineand automatically configure your new package that you need to put in, nevertheless, this merely works if the added hardware is designed to back up it, and it will for amajority of hardware. All these things are major betterments, but hardware and CONFIG.SYSsettings left over from earlier plans can conflict with the new system, causingyour difficult thrust to crash. This is something all users of Windows 95 will fear. Even though Microsoft has made many fantastic alterations to Windows, Apple is working on developing a new operation system, called Copland. It maybeat many o f the Windows 95 betterments. Apple is still make up ones minding on what newthings to add when the system will get down transportation subsequently in the twelvemonth. Some newthings may be a customizable user interface an vitamin D characteristics such as shortss, constitutional indexing and automatically updated hunt templates to assist usersmanger their difficult thrusts much more expeditiously. The biggest betterment is tobe able to web systems from multiple sellers running multiple operatingsystems. Like Windows 95, Copland will besides hold a individual in-box for facsimile, e-mail, and other communications. The disadvantage of Copland is it can merely be usedon Power Macintoshes. I would personally travel for a Personal computer with Windows 95. I choose it because ofthe many plans that can be used on PC’s. Whenever I walk into a computerstore, such as Electronicss Boutique, half of the shop is taken up by programsthat can be used on an IBM compatible Personal computer. There is merely one small shelf forthings that run on Macs. It seems that the more people use PC’s. I have met veryfew people with a Macintosh. I can convey many things from my computing machines totheirs and the ot her manner around without badgering, What if I need to happen this fora Mac? Schools should utilize Windows95 PC’s because of the many moreeducational plans available for PC’s. Since of the devising of Windows 95many companies now make plans for the Personal computer. It may be a long clip, if of all time, that they will make up ones mind to do it for a Mac. Plus since of the many people with IBMPC’s at place, people can convey their work to and from school. If everyone hadthe same sort of computing machine on a web, pupils could travel into the computing machines atschools all over the universe to utilize plans at that place. So since now that the quality of computing machines are equal it is really difficult tomake your determination. For those that are non computing machine literate, the best thing to dois to travel for the Mac because of the relaxation involved in utilizing one. This meansyou get less pick of plans in a shop, and if you go on-line, many pe ople willbe utilizing something different from you so you have no thought what they are talkingabout. If you know how a computing machine is fundamentally used, a Windows 95 Personal computer will beno job. It doesn’t take that long to larn. You will hold a bigger pick ofprograms and may be able to make more things with other people that have acomputer. It comes down to this pick. Most of the choosing will travel to schoolsbecause of the many utilizing Macintosh computing machines, which most of Apple’s moneycomes from. It is merely late companies that made package for PC’s that gotinterested in doing plans for educational intents. So if you are make up ones minding a computing machine. I leave you to make up ones mind this. Windows 95or Macintosh, the pick is yours. I feel that this is the best journal entry I have of all time written. It informs thereader a great trade about the topic and it helps you make a determination that isvery of import if you decide to purchase a computing machine for work or place usage. It is veryhelpful because it can educate people in the universe that are non computing machine literatein a universe that is being taken over by computing machines. Thingss such as the cyberspace areused by many people, and it would surely assist if you needed to cognize what kindto purchase so your would be compatible with person else # 8217 ; s. This entry tells that I amone that is around computing machines a batch and have an involvement in them.

Euthyphro †Plato

The concept that needs to be defined is that of piety/ holiness. Euthyphro is in the verge of prosecuting his father because of the crime he committed. Socrates is surprised by the action of Euthyphro. However, Euthyphro argues that his action is pious.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Euthyphro – Plato specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This action makes Socrates to wonder whether impiety and piety knowledge that Euthyphro posses are adequate enough to allow him prosecute his father by not behaving impiously. As a result, they search for piety definition as understood by Euthyphro. The dialogue between the two terminates without getting a clear definition of what piety means (Cohen, N.D). Definition of piety by Euthyphro The definition of piety is offered by Euthyphro in four different perspectives. From the initial dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro, Euthyphro is in the verge of prosecuting his own fat her. This is because he murdered a murderer. The underlying philosophy behind the actions of Euthyphro is not understood by Socrates. However, he is keen to learn with an aim of understanding Euthyphro and how he ended holding such a super power in the whole state. Socrates was preparing himself to face trial. As such, he wanted to attain the same respect that had already been achieved by Euthyphro. In their dialogue, Euthyphro understands the various definition of piety. On the contrary, throughout their dialogue, Euthyphro gives out four different piety definitions some of which contradict each other (Brickhouse Smith, 1995). According to Socrates, there are numerous limitations with regards to his definitions and continues to insist for an answer that is satisfactory. His initial definition can be found in the following statement, â€Å"piety means prosecuting the unjust individual who has committed murder or sacrilege, or any other such crime† (Plato, N.D, p.5). This is in reference to his father’s prosecution for murder charges. Piety is therefore considered as that action which does not maintain the city justice. Therefore, if a single man acts in a disgraceful manner, he needs to face justice by being prosecuted and justice enforced. To emphasize on this point, a reference is made to Kronos the father of Zeus and Zeus himself. Kronos was bound by his son Zeus because he consumed his own children. After being bound, Zeus escaped. Ironically, Kronos managed to castrate his own father because he consumed his own children. However, it is argued by Euthyphro that, in comparison to all gods, Zeus is the most just. Therefore, Euthyphro is trying to appease the gods by being just. Thereby prosecuting the society wrong doers such as in the case of his father, Zeus and his father as presented in the book.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another defi nition of piety provided by Euthyphro to Socrates states that, â€Å"the pious is to do what I am doing now to prosecute the wrong doer† (Plato, N.D, p.9). In that case, he prosecutes his own father despite people being against his actions. This definition is not accepted by Socrates because it is only an example given rather than a definition. According to Socrates view, the definition of piety given by Euthyphro is not objective as they are not similar in each and every situation and they are not explanatory. Another definition of piety by Euthyphro is that† The pious is what is dear to gods (6c-8d). This definition is fine to Euthyphro. Nevertheless, Socrates argues that, a lot of things are disagreed upon by gods. For instance, the idea of him prosecuting his father might be okay with Zeus but not appealing to the overthrown Kronos. Socrates main goal From the dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro, the main goal of Socrates was to have a clear definition of what p iety was. However, Euthyphro gave him examples rather than a single definition. In addition to that, Socrates wanted to understand Euthyphro better and how he raised to that powerful position in the state. Socrates was about to face trial and his main objective was to make sure he worn the case by understanding the true meaning of piety. According to my own definition, piety is the reverence and devotion to God and religious practices. For instance, going to church and listening to sermons is a good example of piety. Therefore, Euthyphro was obeying his gods by prosecuting his father. Given the fact that his father had committed a crime, he was supposed to face justice and pay for his sins. Additionally, piety can be perceived as the science of sacrifice and prayer. In essence, piety is acknowledging what needs to be done in sacrifices and prayer in order to please gods. Therefore, individuals should have a clear knowledge of how they can address their gods in times of prayers and s acrifices. Hence, an individual needs to please god. However, according to Socrates arguments, he believes that there is no co-existence between the god-loved class and pious things class. His arguments are based on substituting the two terms† god-loved† and â€Å"pious† in his statements. The substitution result to sentences that are false. References Brickhouse, T. C., Smith, N. D. (1995). Plato’s Socrates. New York: Oxford University. Press.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Euthyphro – Plato specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Cohen, M.C. (n.d). Socrates on the Definition of Piety: Euthyphro 10a- 11b. Retrieved from http://faculty.washington.edu/smcohen/Euthyphro.pdf Plato, M Jowett, B. (n.d.). Euthyphro: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1642 This essay on Euthyphro – Plato was written and submitted by user Macy D. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Vague, Vagrant, and Vagabond

Vague, Vagrant, and Vagabond Vague, Vagrant, and Vagabond Vague, Vagrant, and Vagabond By Mark Nichol The three words in the title above, and others that share a derivation alluding to a lack of certainty or direction, are defined and discussed in this post. The Latin adjective vagus literally means â€Å"wandering† and figuratively refers to uncertainty. The name of either of a pair of nerves that extend from the brain to the abdominal organs is taken directly from this term, and vague means â€Å"uncertain† or â€Å"lacking specificity†; the noun form is vagueness. Some etymological sources trace vagrant, meaning â€Å"wanderer,† to early Germanic languages as a cognate with walk. However, it might also be derived from the Old French term vagant, from vagari, the Latin verb form of vagus. The word, also used as an adjective, generally refers to an itinerant person with no home or steady (or legal) employment. A similar and related (and more colorful) term is vagabond, from the Latin gerund vagabundus, meaning â€Å"wandering.† Vagari, meanwhile, is the source of vagary, a little-used noun meaning â€Å"aimless journey† by way of the Italian word vagare (or perhaps directly from the Latin word). The plural form, vagaries, much more common, refers to unpredictability. Two other terms derived from vagari, one rare and the other obsolete, are the nouns divagate (literally, â€Å"wander apart†) and evagation, meaning â€Å"the act of wandering.† A more prominent derivation is extravagant, which means â€Å"excessive† or â€Å"extreme.† Interestingly, stray, meaning â€Å"wanderer† as a noun (as when referring to a stray animal) and â€Å"wander† as a verb (including in the sense of deviating from proper conduct), may be derived from extravagant, though it possibly stems from Latin by way of Old French as a cognate of street. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterUse a Dash for Number RangesWords That Begin with Q

Religion a Standard in Public Education Research Paper

Religion a Standard in Public Education - Research Paper Example Since almost every individual of society contains direct or indirect linkage with the religion, basic knowledge about this social phenomenon is extremely necessary for all members of a social establishment; the same is applied on the multicultural and multi-religious US society, where the people belonging to divergent beliefs reside and adopt the teachings of their spiritual system both openly and secretly. Since sociology is the scientific study of different human institutions, the information about the cult and system of different religions is a matter of grave concern for the student of sociology. However, it is really startling to note that an overwhelming majority of the US population keeps very little knowledge about the faith prevailing in their culture. Not only this that they do not know about the religious belief of the fellow humans, but also it is a great tragedy to learn that the US citizens have given up taking interest in the religious values they follow. It has not on ly invited the concern of the philosophers and thinkers, but also alienation with the spiritual activities have alarmed them that aloofness and disinterest from religious fabrics may pave the way towards the serious decline of moral values from the very face of the US society. Consequently, the intellectuals and theorists have urged the authorities to include the subject of religion in different social sciences disciplines in order to get the students introduced with this primary institution of society. The present study aims to explore the need and significance of religion and importance of its study in the contemporary life. The study has also been supported with the theory of religion articulated by Max Weber. Essay By critically analyzing the history of the world at large, it becomes crystal clear that humans have always been the followers of one or more religions since their very arrival on the earth. The belief in supernatural powers is actually the outcome of their helplessne ss and inability to get their wishes and dreams fulfilled on the one hand, and the absence of their power to overcome certain problems and difficulties on the other. Although, humans have made tremendous developments in every field of life; yet such moments come in life when they undergo sentimental and emotional collapse and feel entirely helpless in the face of hardships; they are bound to seek the support of someone supernatural for their rescue as well as for the solution of their difficulties. Thus, religion provides spiritual guidance and emotional relief to the humans. In other words, humans have discovered the very reality that their survival in this world in a respectable and comfortable manner is directly dependent of seeking help from the unseen regulatory authorities of the universe. â€Å"Humans have formed their own beliefs (called probability belief in mathematics and science) about the set of unknowable elements of the universe.   They have branded their beliefs a bout the unknowable as religion.† (Acharya, 2006) Hence, they have found the very truth that there is present some metaphysical powers which are regulating the system of the universe. Consequently, having affiliations with these supernatural powers and begging before them for the elimination of hardships as well as removal of misfortunes is inevitable for their survival. The universality of religion is not based upon the forms of belief and practice, but upon the social functions which religion universally fulfills. Sociologically defined, a religion is a system of beliefs and symbolic practices and objects, governed by faith rather than

Podcast Summary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Podcast Summary - Essay Example ies like China which recycled plastics and sell it back eventually to Americans and European countries which recycled shredded papers and turn it into recycled papers, toilet papers, tissue papers, etc. However, they pointed out that not all trash are recyclables. When a person is able to gain profit from trash, it is called recyclables; whereas if it’s not, it is called trash/garbage. Curious as to where her used yogurt containers and Wall Street journal went through and to understand the flow or process of recycling business, the woman in the podcast followed Tom to a garage and found out that these items are recycled and produced approximately a 100-billion dollar earnings. This is where the people in the podcast linked recycling industry to microeconomics – in terms of economic prices. Microeconomics deals with the study of the economic behavior of an individual units of an economy (such as the recycling industry) and how does it affects the choices of an individual, makers, markets, and the law of demand and supply. For instance, the podcast revealed that recycling plastics is affected the price of petroleum in the market as plastics are considered as petroleum products. If the price of the petroleum gets lower, then the price of the fresh plastics are lower than the recycled plastics. In return, those who are engaged in recycling plastics industries h ave to lower their production of recyclable plastics as the demand for it would be low. The same goes through for recycled papers when European currency is higher than US’ currency. In microeconomics, we tackled about the effect of a single industry to the economic behavior of demand, supply, price, and

BUS Unit 3 Individual Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

BUS Unit 3 Individual Project - Essay Example Since then the firm has contributed in production of a large number of commercial cars (PRLOG, 2013). Several automotive components are also manufactured by the company. Apart from America, Ford Motors operates across all the continents in the globe. It offers a substantial amount of employment opportunities in all the economies in which it operates (Webster, 1995). Perhaps, that is the reason for which the Australian government fears for job losses, when Ford decided to cease its manufacturing outlet in Geelong by 2013 due to high manufacturing costs (News Geelong, 2013). Despite of being an American company, Ford cars were visible in the streets of London since 1903. At present its European branch serves 42 countries in the continent with excellent cars, buses and trucks (Banham, 2002). Answer 2: Ford Motors Company has many comparative advantages in the highly competitive market of automobile industry. It has an establish business and enjoys the benefits of a big learning curve. I ts expertise has introduced varied cars in terms of designs and prices, so it targets consumers of all income groups. It comprises of a big pool of resources, like 160000 employees across the world. Its visibility and marketing strategies are excellent. It participates in sponsorship programs in sports events like Formula 1 and taps the young potential consumers. As the company enjoys a wide customer base, it experiences lower cost of production due to economies of scale. The unique design and quality of the Ford cars have substantially helped its brand worth in the market (Moffett, n.d.). Answer 3: The current recession and the economic crisis in the European nations have reduced the overall circulation of money in the economy (Rogers, 2001). Low purchasing powers have created detrimental effect in the aggregate demand for cars in the automobile industry. Ford can always use its experienced technical expertise to feature new models of cars that are less in price and are affordable in the current crisis situations. The company has large pool of financial resources, these resources of the company should be utilized to open more branches and tap the potential customers of the emerging economies in the world like China and India. This would help the company augment its sales in this scarce epoch (Volti, 2004). Answer 4: The governments of most of the nations impose lot of rules and regulations in the automobile industry, primarily due to issues relating to environment. The automobile companies are now forced to pay higher taxes of manufacturing traditional petrol cars. This is a pivotal reason for which giant firms like Ford are engaging in the manufacture of hybrid or electric cars. The gross manufacturing costs of such cars are very high and require high investments in its required car technologies. The total number of consumers for such expensive cars is also less. ‘Focus Electric’ is the electric car manufactured by Ford (Ford, 2013). The company desires to successfully launch the pricy car in 2014 worldwide. The taxes imposed by the governments on companies like Ford are high as Ford cars are considered as luxury items. This reduces the economic reserves of the company, which could be otherwise used in the innovation and development purposes. Since the company operates across many nations in the world, it faces the exchange rate or currency fluctuations risks. Like the high value of Australian