Question Assess The Main Achievements Of The First Four Caliphs (632

Question: Assess the main achievements of the first four caliphs (632 to 661 AD). How powerful and united was the Arab Empire at the death of Ali? {1996} Question: Assess the main achievements of the first four caliphs (632 to 661 AD). How powerful and united was the Arab Empire at the death of Ali? {1996} Abu Bakr,, was the father-in-law of Mohammed and was the first converts to Islam. After the demise of Mohammed, Abu Bakar's main objective was to maintain the heritage of the prophet. However, distance tribes refused to recognize Abu Bakr's authority as their treaty relation was with the late Mohammed only. Thus after learning about the death of Mohammed, their nomadic instincts recoiled at the prospect of being subordinate to the men at Medina. These tribes refused allegience to Abu Bakr, Mohammed's successor as they felt that they had no part in electing him. This *repudiation is known as The Ridda or Apostasy. In fact, many of the tribes involved had never formally adopted Islam and thus they reverted to paganism soon after the death of Mohammed. In order to reassert control over Medina, Abu Bakr sent Khalid, one of the pagan Korayish military leaders Mohammed converted on entering Mecca, to reconvert these tribes. He succeeded and the Arabs members, who were now convinced of the power of the Medina, expanded his Moslem army. Khalid also launched a surprise invasion eastward across the Euphrates and surrounded the provincial capital of Hira. Being a Ummayad, Abu Bakr had political and military powers to complement his religious authority and at the start of Abu Bakr's reign, the Arabs were able to conquer the whole of the Middle East. In less than a century, the mobile Moslems were able to successfully defeat the Byzantine and in the entire fertile cresent. At about 634, when Khalid was marching into Damascus, Omar another Ummayad, succeeded Abu Bakr as the next Caliph. Omar being more worldly and ambitious, asserted control over the raiding armies and gain control over the independent and far flung army commanders who were left to make their own decisions during Abu Bakr's reign. Omar issued military orders to Khalid but instead of attacking Damascus, Khalid was to gain control of the surrounding territories and eventually, the Arabs plunderes as far south as Gaza in Palestine. The battles in Palestine ended in Arab victories and with the weakening of Damascus' power, it was conquered together with other major cities of the northern region by 636 AD. After the Persians' failed attempt to launch an offensive to regain control over the Western Mesopotamia. The Moslem army under the orders of Omar, counterattacked from the direction of Syria and destroyed the Persian army. They then proceeded to capture the entire Mesopotamia. Thus by 637, both Mesopotamia and Syria came under the Medina's control. In 639, a Bedouin General named Amr was sent to the frontier of Egypt with 4000 men and plundered across Eastern Egypt to the Nile Valley. Thus in 642, Amr captured the Byzantine Capital at Alexandria, but there was a brief recapture by the Byzantines in 645 but a Moslem counterattack drove the Byzantines out of Egypt by 646. Caliph Omar also organised Syria and Mesopotamia into a single province, while Egypt was to exist as another. Governors appointed to rule the respective regions were Ummayads. In 640, Omar appointed Muawiya as the governor of Syria-Mesopotamia and in 642, he appointed his foster brother to administer Egypt. Although these governors owed their loyalty to Caliph Omar but in reality, they had absolute powers therefore they soon overtook Medina in importance. In 644, a member of the small but growing "Shites" sect murdered Omar. Caliph Othman reigned from 644-655 A.D. Although Othman like the earlier two caliphs, was an Ummayad, he was not as competent as them. In terms of character, Othman was uninspiring as he was cowardly, weak and guilty of Nepotism hence causing even more resentment. During his reign, the resentment for the Ummayad clans by the other clans intensified but the Ummayads continued to prosper at the expense of other clans. Lesser wealth was now coming back to Medina as the areas of conquests got smaller. Arab Expansion began to slow down during Othman's reign as firstly there were no longer pressures on land among the Arabs. The Arabs now have sufficient land and thus had little need to expand their territories. Secondly, expansion was beginning to reach the natural boundaries such as the high plateau and unfriendly populations of Persia and Anatolia i.e. Eastern Turkey. Thus this gave the non-Ummayad Arabs more opportunities to channel

DermaCare Essay Example

DermaCare Essay Example DermaCare Essay DermaCare Essay Headquartered in Livermore, California, Deer macabre was a start-up even true that planned to market its There unclear acne-treatment device d directly to consume mere using direct response television Scimitar was Dressmakers CEO, and he h and his co founders, Lu Uzi Dad Silva and George Choir were excited AIBO UT the company NYSE prospects. Early clinical trials show wed that the Thermonuclear acne device made pimp apples disappear twice as quo quickly as those left untreated. With those results in hand, Iconic mar and Chi hoi approached angel investors, including Silicon Valley-based V Band of Angels, to raise a Series A ROR undo. Just beef re Thanksgiving vine, the Band Of Angels sent Scimitar a term sheet that offered the company NY $1. 5 million on, assuming a $4. 5 million n pacification Eng valuation. Shortly thereafter, the CEO unexpectedly received d a competing Eng term sheet from Foundation Capital, a venture capital (PVC) firm where his good friend and form mere businesses school classmate Charles Mold was partner. The Vics term sheet offered the com many $4. 0 million in fun ending, assuming a $7. 65 million fascinating value caution. Mold owe structured d the proposed d deal so that Daydreamer would receive e$l million on up front an ND the remain ender after thee Food and Drug D Administration (FDA A) gave Dermatome clearance to market its acne deep vice. Scimitar was in a quandary. The angel and PVC offers were markedly different, and Scimitar was still deciding which one to t recommend d to Dad Silvia and Chi. On O first glean once, the angel term sheet seemed Moore attractive. It offered thee level of fun ending the com many had asked for with h less who whether the $11. 5 million was w really ad adequate to get the dilution. However, the CEO wondered company past the next hurdle. The clinical trials were taking longer than expected, which would w delay FDA paper oval; and thee manufacturing costs for the device were comic Eng in higher than anticipated. On en thing Scimitar knew for certain: He H was eager to close the financing ROR undo. The corn many was running short on cash an ND had recently increased its monthly burn rate after hiring its first employ eye-?an Eng ginger. Furthermore, Deer macabre was at best several months from launching Eng its There unclear device, and a com imitative prod duct-?the Ozone Zit Zapper-?had already beaten them to market. Scimitar a was also ready to get a paycheck; he h had spent the last year working on 0 the Deer macabre venture without pay. Jasper barked at the front door, clearly anxious to get outside De. As mar thought about the or out they woo old take aura undo the tree-lined neighbor Rhoda, he decided to vary their usual walk to avoid his friend Mallows ho use a block away way. Professor or Richard G. Ham mummers and Research Associate Lauren Barley prepared d this case. HOBS cases are developed solely as the basis for class discussion. Cases are not in intended to serve ass endorsements, so urges of primary data, or illustrations of effective or ineffective management. Get 0 2007, 2010 President and Fellow of Harvard College. To order copies or request perm mission to reproduce materials, call 1 -8800-copyright 7685, write Harvard Busing news School publish hint, Boston, MA 021 63, or go to Hobs. Hard vary. Deed. No part of this publication n may be reproduce cued, stored in a retrieval system, used in a spread dishes, or transmitted in any form or by any mean ins-?electronic, mechanical, photocopy Opining, recording or o otherwise-?with hoot the permission of Harvard Busing news School. This document is authorized for use only by Rachel van Muenster in Entrepreneurial Law and Finance taught by Rafael P. Ribs, at HE OTHER from February 2015 to March 2015. 808-064 Daydreamer: Zapping Zits Directly Daydreamer Expounders Luis Dad Silva Dad Silva, a native of Canada, received a PhD in physics from the University of British Columbia in 1988. Soon thereafter, Dad Silva moved to California for the opportunity to work with the worlds most powerful laser at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LEN). By 1997, Dad Silva was ready for a new halogen. He and his boss then started the medical technology program at LEN, and Dad Silva explained his role as its associate program director: Our mission was to take technology and patents developed at the lab and transfer them to the medical industry. My first experience was to pitch some technology the lab had for treating strokes. We visited some Vs., and eventually a group of Vs. found a CEO and formed a startup to license and commercialism our technology. I was the science guy responsible for the patents and technology, and my involvement with the company lasted about year until the start-up grew up and took over the opportunity. Dad Silva continued to grow the medical technology program within LEN, earning a Federal Laboratory Consortium award for excellence in technology transfer in 1998. But Dad Silva left the LEN in 2001. As he recalled, Increasing security concerns at the lab arose, which made growth more difficult. Bureaucracy began to slow everything down until I was doing very little real science and very little real business. Dad Silva and two colleagues started a technology incubator in 2001 to form companies around ideas the three tainted. Two of their companies, Tetrahedral Systems (a plastic surgery device company) and Imaging Corporation (a consumer products company), were already operational and had received funding by 2002. George Choc Choc met Dad Silva in late 2001. Choc had graduated from University of California, Berkeley, with a BBS in electrical engineering and computer science. After receiving a law degree from the university of California, Los Angels, Choc joined the law firm Wilson, Session, Goodrich Roasts in 1 990 and worked primarily with PVC-backed medical device start-up companies in the Bay Area. In 1995, Choc hopped the fence, becoming a venture capitalist with Indenture Associates, a firm founded in 1986 to fund seed and early- stage investments in medical technology. It was at Indentures that Choc met Dad Silva, who pitched Choc several companies Dad Silva was thinking of incubating and running. Choc described their first meeting: Luis came to me with some deals, which I turned down. But I must have done it in a reasonable manner, because we kept up a relationship, talking at times about various medical technologies. One of the ideas Choc and Dad Silva discussed was using lasers for acne applications. There were many forms of acne, ranging from blackheads, whiteheads, and pimples to severe forms such as cystic or modular acne. Dad Silva, whose scientific background was with lasers, had seen dermatologists use laser technologies in the treatment of mild to moderate inflammatory acne, most commonly referred to as pimples, breakouts, blemishes, or zits. Choc summarized the science behind the laser treatments: Lasers treat acne in two possible ways. At certain wavelengths-?or colors-?lasers go into the skin tissue and generate oxygen radicals, which kill the bacteria and reduce inflammation. At other wavelengths, lasers are basically heat sources that reduce sebum [an oily substance produced by certain skin glands] production by killing and reducing the number of se baceous glands. This decreases the likelihood that excess sebum clogs pores, which can lead to acne. 2 Entrepreneurial Law and Finance taught by Rafael p. Ribs, at HE OTHER from However, a laser was an expensive solution for treating acne. Dad Silva and Choc believed they could replace a laser, which cost between $20,000 and $50,000, with a $5 to $10 heater using a thinning resistor (a thin piece of metal that converts electrical current into heat). As Choc explained, We believed our device could offer similar therapeutic benefits to a laser, but at a much lower cost. Peter Scotch Scimitar Born in Switzerland to a Swiss father and Greek mother, Scimitar earned a bachelors degree from Brown Leistering and an MBA from Harvard University in 1993. By 2002, Scimitar joined Weber Communications (a software company that provided on-demand collaboration applications such as web conferencing), where he was vice president of customer success. A couple of years later, Scimitar left Weber to become vice president of sales and marketing for Lives Inc. Scimitar recalled his experience there: Lives was a virtual call center, and I ran revenue, sales and marketing, product management, and account management. I learned the direct- response television business there. I got to know products like proactive [a three-step skin-care system for clearing and preventing acne], the George Foreman Grill, and Jack Lane Juicer. We tend to think of direct-response businesses-?with their infomercials-?as real schlock businesses. But I watched these companies come up with product ideas, put them on TV, and the phones were ringing off the hook. I learned that when you matched the right products with the right audiences, they were great businesses. A few months into his job at Lives, Scimitar had Choc over to his home. The two had become good friends several years earlier while organizing a school camping trip for their same-aged daughters. Scimitar described the conversation they had in October 2004: George said he wanted to start distributing a printer that could print any JEEP image you wanted on a fingernail-?like a flag or a picture of your kids or dog-?that Luis developed for his Start-up company Imaging. He wanted to know if DRAT would work for it. Old George it was never going to fly. If he looked at the number of people who owned computers, who also watched TV infomercials, and who bought products on TV, there wasnt a big enough market. Plus, the cost of sales was going to be $45 at best, which meant theyd have to sell it for $250 to make any money after marketing and fulfillment costs. A little later into the evening, the two discussed another business opportunity. Scimitar continued: Then George said, What if had a product with a much lower cost of goods-?that was under $10 to manufacture-?that could help clear pimples faster? I replied, Ill write you a check for $100,000 right now if it works. George couldnt understand why I would do that. Coming from his world of PVC-backed medical device start-ups, George assumed the acne device would be sold to dermatologists using a specialized sales force. There are 7,500 dermatologists; the product would sell for $400; each patient would buy a $30 replaceable tip; at the end of the day, it would be a $50 million business. I responded, Why waste your time with 7,500 dermatologists? There are millions of people with acne. And, at a $10 cost of goods, could sell it for $49. 95 on TV, all day long. Sell a million at $50 a pop, and that starts to look more interesting. Then make it two million, then three million. Add some topical acne treatments to the product line and turn a $50 sale into $150. 3 Company Background By November 2004, Dad Silva and Choc were ready to form a company around their Thermonuclear acne-treatment device. Choc sought Scimitars advice as they began their CEO search. Choc recalled, l had largely forgotten the discussion Scotch and had had the previous month. Hough Scotch might know someone he could recommend for the CEO position. I was surprised when he said he wanted the job. As Scimitar took Choc down to Los Angels to meet with gurus in the DRAT industry, Choc warmed to the idea of having Scimitar as the companys CEO. Choc recalled, The head guru didnt throw us out, which I thought was a good sign. In fact, he gave us a allowable offer for the company. I could have been offende d. Instead, thought, Wow, there must be something there. And you know what? Scotch could make a good CEO. Dad Silva quickly agreed, adding, All Scotchs previous employers had glowing comments about him. He also really believed in the product-?he tested the device on himself, and he was ailing to put his own money in down the road and not take a salary until we could raise money. Scimitar remained at Lives over the next five months but began working on a business plan with Choc. In late November, Choc and Dad Silva filed the articles of incorporation, calling their new company Daydreamer. The two contributed $10,000 each for early product development and intellectual property work. They wrote and filed provisional patents on their idea by the end of the year. The Thermonuclear Acne-Treatment Device In January 2005, Dad Silva began early concept work on the first prototype of the acne device. He farmed the project out to a group of Russian nuclear scientists he had met while working at LEN. The Russian scientists chose equity in the company instead of getting paid for their services. Scimitar commented: These guys are gods in the physics world. There are material scientists, electrical engineers-?all under one roof. Luis told them what we wanted, and what it had to do. In two weeks, We had the first concept. Luis burned his face, but that was part of the development cycle. We tested a whole bunch of different capacitance capabilities, and wed sit there and say, Wows that feel? Gaga! By February 2005, the first prototype was ready for testing. The device, which was AC powered, used a very short blast of high heat on the surface of the skin to reduce the inflammation and redness caused by acne pimples. It was a big box with knobs that controlled the four temperature settings, ranging from 60 degrees to 1 20 degrees Celsius. Two wires ran from the box to a thin- film resistor that was applied directly to the skin. Dad Silva called it the Frankincense version of the device. Choc added, l had friends who told me, Dont get near me with that thing. Nonetheless, the three found some ailing family members (including Cohos wife and daughter), friends, and colleagues who tried the device, accumulating anecdotal evidence that their invention worked. Business Model In spring 2005, Scimitar fine-tuned Dressmakers business model. His research indicated that roughly 45 million people suffered from acne in the U. S. Lone and spent approximately $2 billion on over-the-counter (ETC) treatments, many of which were ineffective. ETC treatments could be classified as either preventative or spot. Preventative treatments were designed to clean skin to prevent pore blockages (e. G. , daily cleansers or exfoliates) or deliver medication (e. G. , benzene peroxide or salicylic acid) to the surface Of the skin to help prevent n ew acne breakouts. Topical spot 4 treatments were used to clear pimples faster once they had occurred. Scimitar commented, There was no clear evidence that any of these spot treatments worked. They were basically marketed as hope in a Daydreamer planned to sell the Thereafter product line, which included the acne device (spot) and a line of topical acne treatments (preventative), directly to consumers using infomercials that targeted women and mothers of teens with acne. Scimitar explained the companys rationale behind using DRAT to distribute its products: We believed the potential market was much larger by selling our product line directly to end users rather than using a specialized sales force to call On the 7,500 dermatologists who would then sell it to their patients. We debated using the retail channels for distribution, but a typical brand-management company spends $50 to $1 00 million to launch a consumer product at retail. It gives 40% to 60% of the profit away immediately to the retailer who is selling it. And the company still needs to spend money on building wariness of its product. I thought we could sell Thereafter directly to the consumer using DRAT. Our marketing and fulfillment costs would be high, but they wouldnt equal the amount we would give away to the retailer under the first scenario. According to Scimitar, there were several keys to success in the DRAT environment. He described what these were and why Thermonuclear was well positioned for success: First, there has to be a large population of people who want or need the product, which means it typically has to appeal to one of three core needs: l want to feel better about myself-? or look better; l want there to like me more; or l want to save time and be more efficient. Second, the product has to be demonstrable with compelling testimonials.

The Disorders of Mobility and Balance in the Hospital Environment Essay

The Disorders of Mobility and Balance in the Hospital Environment - Essay Example Reflective research was the means of learning from experience. Nurses had become busy practitioners considering the complexity of the environment they work in. The difficult and varying interpersonal relationships in the hospital milieu warranted that the nurse was to possess characteristics which helped her survive (Taylor, 2001). Whatever the constraints, the nurse had to deliver. Action research and reflection were two components which involved almost all the work that was done by a nurse. The educative nature of action research contributed to the learning experience. The relationship with patients could grow through psychosocial aspects of behaviour. Problem-focused research was possible with this kind of research. The specific context also was significant for reflection and remembering for future recall (Taylor, 2001). Trying out a specific intervention which was going to benefit patients in the future was possible. Improvement in therapy and involvement to change it could add t o the learning process through reflection. The change process could involve participants and nurses in a research relationship. Action research had contributed to many of the changes in the nurse’s life. The self-directed learning process was conducive to more effectiveness in their practice and the clarification of their roles (Taylor, 2001). Even participants could be empowered through the efforts of the nurse. The diverse aspects of solving problems, planning for changes and frequent evaluation were dealt with in reflective research.

Providing Feedback and Communicating About Change Assignment

Providing Feedback and Communicating About Change - Assignment Example fectively but times have changed and new tactics are required for improving efficiency and effectiveness of the organization and for the advancement of your career. Through market research and analysis and using benchmarks, we have come to the conclusion that the 360 Degree feedback method of performance appraisal is very effective in enhancing performance (Clampitt, 2010, p. 161). This will be used alongside management by objectives method for your own self-appraisal. The critical incident method was being considered but we found that it would be unfair to some employees as it requires the discretion of supervisor who is vulnerable to bias. We therefore chose this method as it will also be an indicator of whether all the stakeholders are contented with our services and they can also make recommendations to us on how to improve. This will help the organization achieve success and credibility (Dainton & Zelley, 2010). You also stand to benefit as you will know how other people rate your performance and you can also be able to improve your skills through the training and development we will offer you through this process. Moreover, you also stand to benefit in the end through the various rewards such as promotion and bonuses that will offered. Through this method, each and every employee will be evaluated by different stakeholders including the shareholders, customers, suppliers, supervisors and your fellow colleagues. They will fill out forms regarding how they view your performance and return at the end of every month. After every three months, a meeting will be arranged between you and your supervisors in your respective departments to review your performance and to see how your performance can be improved (Clampitt, 2010). This will assist you to improve on your weak areas and also ensure that production requirements are met in time. Those of you who will perform well will be rewarded at the end of the year with whichever type of reward the management will deem

Why Our Troops Battle Essay Example for Free

Why Our Troops Battle Essay Along the span of time and history, there are several reasons why certain countries would commence a war against another. Scholars would often state it as an alter ego principle, which is possessed naturally by any form of government, given of course the real disposition of any individual. Even until today, there exists a raging war between the United States of America and Iraq (Price, 2003). Thus, unlike before where power and supremacy has been the explicit reason, the contemporary society caters mysterious facts on why one country would want to conquer another. 9/11, global warming, Kyoto Protocol, biological weapons—these are just a few examples of the events that shook the world, and apparently started the 21st century warm. However, a blunt question sprouts in the schema of such activity, when will the war end? What are they fighting for? Every individual is astonished. Dredged in a coat of defining the events during the nineteenth century, Michael Perman, world-renowned political historian who has made numerous books establishing the twists and the turns which took place during the time when the North and the South had a clash in ideas and on perspective during the period after the Civil War, creating a new world of prose historical writing in several renditions of his books. The whole package of the scholarly monographic masterpiece on the events and the instances that endured during that certain time had been wrapped into one book – Emancipation and Reconstruction. Perceivably one of the most accurate and precise elaboration of the realistic events when both poles of the North and the South, it catered what happened to those citizens as well as with the political situation of the country upon reaching the edge of struggles. It was mainly defined as to be â€Å"winning the war, but on the other hand, losing the peace† (Perman, 2003). Historians’ quest for defining historical icons Amongst those who have had huge enthusiasm on historical events, Perman’s indulgence on the role of the civilians anchoring the federal governments’ constant involvement in Reconstruction often created a conflict with regards to the concerns on the state relations. During that era, added disputes of such, Southerners depended on the support taken from the blacks and the whites on the participation of those who had been freed. On the level of distinguishing the form and the effectiveness of democracy, the book rendered the precise illustration onto the limits adhered by the Northerners, as well as with the Southerners (Pickering Kisangani, 2006). The North enjoyed more on their rights on democracy, which as a matter of fact was only inhabited by 5 percent of black individuals. But the main gist of the event for the South’s downfall laid on the matter that they were cohesively divided into two, making them formidable to be in unison (Miller, 2006). The British invasion on the United Arab Emirates began consequently after the ntervention of Europe in the budding years of the 16th century with Portugal. A century and a half later, Dutch and British conquests began to outdo one another in terms of dominating the UAE. In the closing years of the 18th century, Britain eventually became the major dominating force in the Arab territory (Schofield Zenko, 2004). Both the contemporary ruling clans of Ra’s al Khaymah as well as Ash Shariqah, known as the Qawasim back in the days, grew to a significant level of marine power in the lower gulf eventually raiding maritime vessels from the British colony of India. After routing the naval force of the Qawasim, the British forces mandated in 1820 a number of treaties that brought forth and maintained a maritime truce. This later paved the way for the creation of the United Arab of Emirates after being labeled with the name as Trucial States. Two years after, the external security issues as well as the foreign relationship of the state with other countries became absorbed by British responsibility. The British continued its protective control over the area of the UAE until 1971. Over the course of these years, the inner affairs of the UAE were devoid of British intervention as the latter was more after the protection of the maritime commerce in the area of the Persian Gulf (Price, 2003). Moreover, it has been observed that part of the British control of the UAE established overall peace as well as the Western notion of territorial states was also introduced. Far more importantly, the cooperative characteristic among the seven emirates was further amplified after the formulation of the Trucial States Council in 1952. The foundation of the UAE’s Supreme Federal Council is traceable in such council (Goodman, 2006). The dilemma may evidently the main reason of the wars, which transcribed in Iran and in Vietnam (Lovett, 1987). Given the fact that history relevantly established which countries are the culprits and which are not—it is under the conviction and understanding of those who live in the present era as to which story they believe is credible. These perspectives may not be considered in other culture, but then the rule of moral standards is what prevails in this story. For every country suspected to be making grave activities which will shatter the advent of peace and prosperity worldwide, then the United Nations—controlled and supervised of course by the general masses—will make a move to eradicate the unlawful deed an eventually take all means in doing so. Diversity and cultural beliefs are no longer considerable when it is the lives of many which will be compromised. Conclusions and further remarks Perhaps there is no definite answer to the question on â€Å"truth† and acceptability—since each race, class or culture have different views and perceptions in life or on any other form of belief. Some may regard these moves as unjust, but it is the society who needs to speak and it is the responsibility of the government to answer their call and act upon it. It is the main reason why the United Nations has been created, so that the power is not only vested on one country alone, or on the wealthiest, or the most popular. Without allies and without the help of the full force amongst all nations, one country will not be able to succeed. And so the blame on why these countries have been â€Å"controlled† is because they would not agree. References Goodman, R. (2006). Humanitarian Intervention and Pretexts for War. The American Journal of International Law, 100(1), 107-141. Lovett, C. C. (1987). We Held the Day in the Palm of Our Hand: A Review of Recent Sources on the War in Vietnam. Military Affairs, 51(2), 67-72. Miller, R. A. (2006). Democratic Accountability and the Use of Force in International Law by Charlotte Ku and Harold Jacobson. The American Journal of International Law, 100(4), 980-986. Perman, M. (2003). Emancipation and Reconstruction (American History Series (Arlington Heights, Ill. ) (Second ed. ). Wheeling IL: Harlan Davidson. Pickering, J. , Kisangani, E. F. (2006). Political, Economic, and Social Consequences of Foreign Military Intervention. Political Research Quarterly, 59(3), 363-376. Price, M. T. (2003). The Concept Culture Conflict: in What Sense Valid? Social Forces, 9(2), 164-167. Schofield, J. , Zenko, M. (2004). Designing a Secure Iraq: A US Policy Prescription. Third World Quarterly, 25(4), 677-687.

The Role of Participation in Budgeting Essay -- essays research papers

The Role of Participation in Budgeting Introduction Although participation in budgeting may enforce the managerial performance, it has constrains and can cause some problems as well. This article analyses the possible advantages and limitations of the role of participation in budget setting. In the next section, the possible merits of budgetary participation are demonstrated. This is followed by a section that explains the equivocation existing in the relationship between budgetary participation and performance. Then, in the following section, some negative effects on the application of participation in budgeting progress are illustrated. The final section is the conclusion of the study. The Possible Advantages of Budgetary Participation According to the definition of budgeting, it is the  ¡Ã‚ ®estimation of all income and expenses for an accounting period or financial forecasting, planning, and controlling ¡Ã‚ ¯. (http://www.yourwebassistant.net/glossary/b11.htm#budgeting) Comparing the budget with the real achievement of the company, it is possible to improve the decision-making process for the future development of the enterprise. So budgeting takes a crucial role in management accounting. Therefore, studying how to make budget setting more effective is important for the benefit of the enterprise. Participation in budgeting is one of the useful approaches. It bears some possible advantages, which may enhance manager ¡Ã‚ ¯s commitment to budget objectives. The following discussion (adapted from Lecture notes by Professor S. G. Ogden, 2004) bears the assumption that there is positive relationship between participation and performance. The contradictions will be discussed later in the following sections. First of all, participation in budget setting can inspire the enthusiasm of the managers. Then they will intend to input more energy and time into the work to meet the budget targets. Because if they are involved in the process of budget setting, they will link it with their own knowledge, experience, and so on to make the judgment. This linkage renders the target of the company to be the participator ¡Ã‚ ¯s personal target. Secondly, participation may encourage the creation of the participators. Creation is the characteristic of human beings. However, not everybody at any time has the motivation to create. When the budget is settled, and what the managers and employ... ...nteraction of budget characteristics and personality variables with budget response attitudes ¡Ã‚ ¯. The Accounting Review. Vol. 53. pp. 324-335. Dunk, A. S. (1989).  ¡Ã‚ ®Budget emphasis, budgetary participation and managerial performance: A note ¡Ã‚ ¯. Accounting, Organizations and Society. Vol. 14. pp. 321-324 Dunk, A. S. (1993).  ¡Ã‚ ®The effects of job-related tension on managerial performance in participative budgetary settings ¡Ã‚ ®. Accounting, Organizations and Society. Vol. 18. pp. 575-585. Hartmann, F. G. H. (2000).  ¡Ã‚ ®The appropriateness of RAPM: toward the further development of theory ¡Ã‚ ¯. Accounting, Organizations and Society. Vol. 25. pp. 451-482. Lau, M. C. (2001).  ¡Ã‚ ®Budget emphasis, participation, task difficulty and performance: the effect of diversity within culture ¡Ã‚ ¯. Accounting and Business Research. Vol. 31. pp. 37. Abstract. Merchant, K. A. (1981).  ¡Ã‚ ®The Design of the Corporate Budgeting System: Influences on Managerial Behavior and Performance ¡Ã‚ ¯. The Accounting Review. Vol. 56. pp. 813-829. Milani, K. (1975).  ¡Ã‚ ®The relationship of participation in budget setting to industrial supervisor performance and attitudes: a field study ¡Ã‚ ¯. The Accounting Review. Vol. 50. pp. 274-284.

Google Inc. in China Essay

PROBLEM Tom Maclean is in dilemma of identifying the possible appropriate course of action he would take, acknowledging all negative attention of Google, Inc. entering the Chinese territory through the development of Google.cn, a search engine residing in China. OBJECTIVES * To provide the best possible course of action that is appropriate for Tom Maclean to communicate in the meeting with supervisor and his peer group. * To assess thoroughly the factors and courses of action concerning Google.cn that may affect the company. AREAS OF CONSIDERATION 1. Google had adopted the informal corporate motto â€Å"Don’t be evil† from the founders’ letter and also developed an ethical code of conduct for both internal and external audiences. 2. Google’s mission is â€Å"to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.† 3. China’s well-documented abuses of human rights are in violation of internationally recognized norms, stemming both from the authorities’ intolerance of dissent and the inadequacy of legal safeguards for basic freedoms. In 2005, China stepped up monitoring, harassment, intimidation, and arrest of journalists, Internet writers, defense lawyers, religious activists, and political dissidents. 4. China took a two-pronged approach to censoring the Internet. First, authorities restricted the production, development, and dissemination of improper content. Second, authorities monitored the perusal of content or receipt of information. â€Å"Harmful† content included material concerning democracy (e.g., freedom), religious cults (e.g., Falun Gong), or antigovernment protests (e.g., Tiananmen Square). 5. Google, Inc. first entered the Chinese market in early 2000 by creating a Chinese-language version of its home page. Google’s approach was to maintain a Chinese-language version of Google.com that was housed in the United States but could handle search requests originating within China. 6. In September 2002, Google.com was inaccessible for two weeks. When reinstated, it was slow and temperamental for all Chinese users and completely inaccessible for Chinese colleges and universities. According to Elliot Schrage, Google’s vice president of Global Communications and Public Affairs, â€Å"The average time to download a Google Web page was more than seven times slower than for Baidu, the leading Chinese search engine.† 7. In 2004, Google realized that its approach in China was not sustainable. Google was losing market share to Baidu, and others, including Yahoo! and Microsoft, were gaining ground through their local presence. 8. Tom MacLean, director of International Business at Google, Inc. managed the decision to physically enter Chinese territory through the development of Google.cn—a search engine residing in China. This product was â€Å"faster and more reliable, and provide more and better search results for all but a handful of politically sensitive subjects.† 9. The search results of Google.cn were subject to Chinese filtering and monitoring, which drew ire from nongovernmental organizations, academics, press, and the general public, culminating in a U.S. congressional hearing on February 15, 2005. Critics blamed Google for supporting a country with a totalitarian regime, known for its numerous human-rights violations. 10. Andrew McLaughlin, an attorney for Google, stated: â€Å"While removing search results is inconsistent with Google’s mission, providing no information †¦ is more inconsistent with our mission.† ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION 1. Remain in China through Google.cn and comply with Chinese laws and regulations that require the search results to be censored. Advantages * There will be more global connections. * The need for information across all borders. * They will expand their market share. Disadvantages * It does not conform to their mission. * Criticisms of the society will continue to arise. * Diminishing of free speech due to censorship. 2. Discontinue Google.cn and withdraw their stay in China Advantages * It would give good impression to the public by not supporting a country with a totalitarian regime. * Criticisms will diminish. Disadvantages * They would be missing out one of the largest economies. * Losing the Chinese market would hurt global strategy. * It would decrease their market share. * It will be more inconsistent to their mission. RECOMMENDATION After judging the internal and external factors, and considering Google’s stated commitment to organize and make information universally accessible and useful on the internet, I have come to the conclusion that Tom MacLean and Google, Inc. should choose to stay in China and respect the country’s custom and tradition. Google’s presence in China would undoubtedly have had  a liberalizing influence in the country, while being a huge investment for its shareholders. The company would make more money, and keep the business and employees. It will make meaningful contributions to the overall expansion of access to information in China, though imperfect. As what Andrew McLaughlin said, while removing search results is inconsistent with Google’s mission, providing no information is more inconsistent with our mission.