People and Leadership

People and Leadership Abstract During the development of youth employment programs as a pilot project, the Department of Employment faced an issue associated with the ineffective leadership. The project failed because of problems with the work of the team. Several employees quitted participating in the project development after six weeks because of the overwork and exhaustion.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on People and Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The analysis of the case demonstrates that the leader set unrealistic deadlines for the project completion, and the schedule was organized inefficiently. Moreover, there were no clear goals communicated to the employees to coordinate their work. The necessity to replace the employees who rejected to participate in the team made the leadership decide on shifting responsibilities, and employees spent much time for adapting to the work for which they did not have enough experien ce. In addition, they did not receive the necessary training. The informal leader of the team became to act as a manager, and his tasks contradicted the previously set objectives. As a result, the project was frozen. To address the leadership and management problems, it is planned to reorganize the project team with the focus on the scope of tasks and concrete goals. Thus, the number of high-skilled employees in the team needs to be increased. The followed leadership style should be improved with the focus on supportive or inspirational leadership. The proposed schedule and deadlines should be set depending on concrete objectives and the working potential of the staff. These actions are necessary to overcome the problematic situation and predict failures in the future. People and Leadership Case Study The development of new programs and policies is typical for such agencies as the Department of Employment. However, there are cases when the development and implementation of the progr am can fail because of the inappropriate leadership and management. The team working on the youth employment program faced a problem of completing the pilot project because the leader invited the unreasonable number of employees (6 individuals) for the 12-week project. The scope of the tasks was considerable, but there were only weekly meetings, and the final goal was not communicated appropriately. The leader avoided any additional discussions of the projects, but he encouraged the overwork. As a result, two employees quitted the team because of unclear tasks and the increased stress levels. This situation made the leader re-distribute the duties among new team members, but they were expected to demonstrate high results in a week to fit in the schedule. The productivity decreased because they had no enough skills, and no additional training was provided. The lack of communication and motivation from the leader made team members choose the informal leader and insist on freezing the project.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The discussed issues are important because they indicate how the ineffective planning and communication strategies selected by the leader can affect the success of the whole project because employees are stressed and not aware of the goals (Van Wart, 2014; Yukl, 2014).  The problem was in the fact that the pilot project developed by the team failed because of the leader’s impossibility to make effective decisions regarding the distribution of tasks among employees, planning, setting deadlines, and communicating. Therefore, it is important to propose improvements in the sphere of organizing the teamwork, planning tasks, appointing responsible persons, communicating with employees and motivating them. In addition to summarizing the issues in the case, this paper aims to present the analysis of the situation with the focus on the MORETOOLS framework and the leadership role in the project failure. In addition, the solution is proposed, and conclusions are made regarding the case importance for the future practice. The Analysis of the Case Mission and Purpose of the Agency The mission of the Department of Employment is to develop policies and implement programs that are effective to address the employment questions in Australia while creating the advantageous environments for employees. The purpose of the Department’s activities is to improve the current policies and develop new ones to address unemployment issues and protect the vulnerable categories of the population in terms of employment. As a result, the mission is to create the secure and socially friendly workplaces for the Australians (Australian Government Department of Employment, 2015). The mission and purpose are followed while planning and implementing any project oriented to reforming the current policy or proposing a new one. Objectives of the Manager Guided by the main agency’s mission, each unit of the department has its own management team, and it is responsible for developing concrete projects with specific objectives. The objective of a manager responsible for introducing new employment campaigns for the youth in Australia is to develop programs addressing the mission regarding the secure and advantageous environment and launch them within the fixed period of time. In the near future, the aim is to organize the work of a project team. Therefore, in the critical situation of the project failure, the leader of the unit and team is responsible for completing such short-term objectives as the reorganization of the team and the implementation of the new working strategy to achieve higher results and improve productivity (Felà ­cio, Gonà §alves, da Conceià §o Gonà §alves, 2013, p. 2140). The team reorganization is necessary to respond to such problems as the exhaustion, impossibility to a ddress the deadline, and low-quality outcomes of the project work. The manager’s long-term objective in this case is to create the single unit in the agency formed of experts in the area of the youth and employment.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on People and Leadership specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Risks and Problems Focusing on the discussed project failure and such manager’s objectives as the organization of the team’s work to address schedules and high productivity, it is possible to prioritize identified leadership risks and problems in the following manner: The absence of the clearly communicated goal and adequate training sessions, team meetings, and discussions of the progress. Ineffective distribution of roles and tasks among the team members that leads to the employees’ exhaustion. The lack of the progress monitoring and coordination according to the observed success. Th e inappropriateness of the fixed schedule in relation to the scope of the project and tasks that lead to the inability to address deadlines. The performance of the leadership role by more than one team member. The failure of first pilot projects in relation to proposing the effective program in the sphere of youth employment within the fixed deadlines depends on the absence of clearly communicated goal of the project to guide the team members’ activities. Thus, the leader used only the formal approach to informing the team about the project goal. The ideas were shared and discussed during weekly meetings, the additional training was not provided, and the discussion of the progress was limited and irregular. Focusing on the theory of ethical and motivating leadership, the leader failed to demonstrate the supportive communication style to inspire employees to achieve higher results (Schyns Schilling, 2013). The employees lacked the opportunity to be informed of the short-term goals and progress, as well as to receive the additional consultation or guidelines.  In addition, the leader distributed the tasks and roles within the project team without referring to the employees’ position responsibilities. Certain team members were not skilled enough to adapt their knowledge to the new area and perform successfully. According to De Vries, Bakker-Pieper, and Oostenveld (2010), such persons experience much stress while adapting to new conditions and cannot demonstrate high results within the short period of time. The leader did not motivate employees to perform better in the new area because of failing to provide opportunities for training and adaptation (Schyns Schilling, 2013, p. 139). In this situation, the schedule was proposed without focusing on such risks as the inability to employees to complete tasks before starting the other project stage. As a result, the lack of the necessary monitoring and coordination led to failures in addressing the pr oject deadlines. The other important problem is the appearance of another informal leader as a result of the lack of the main leader’s communication with the team (De Vries, Bakker-Pieper, Oostenveld, 2010, p. 369). The absence of trust in the leader’s competence and success led to delegating some leadership responsibilities to the informal team leader at the final period of the project development. The reason is that feeling the constant stress, employees need support, and the informal participative leadership works better than the task-oriented formal leadership in this case.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More External and Internal Actors and the Environment While focusing on the approaches to reorganize the teamwork to complete the primary project effectively in contrast to the pilot ones, it is necessary to analyze the role of stakeholders in the process. The most influential actors are the staff of the Department of Employment. To address the problem and predict further failures, it is necessary to organize the collaboration of the team leader and the agency’s human resources coordinators who can provide the additional training for the team members in the context of the project (Yukl, 2014). In addition, the reorganization of the current team leads to inviting other professionals working in the Department to complete set tasks with the focus on their expertise and skills. The external stakeholders include the youth because the project is developed to address their needs and the social organizations working with the young people. It is important to plan more time for analyzing th e statistical information regarding the situation in the sphere of youth employment and collaborate with the Bureau of Statistics. Tools and Constraints The observed project failure can be analyzed in terms of contributing tools and determined constraints. One of the most important tools contributing to the project success is the skilled employees (Van Wart, 2014). The employees were skilled enough in their particular areas, but they needed the additional experience to work in the areas determined by the leader. As a result, the potential tool became discussed as a constraint. At the current stage, the available tools include the required number of the high-quality employees, the availability of the skilled workforce, and the increased funds for the project completion. However, barriers to the project improvement and the reorganization of the team are still significant. The observed constraints include strict deadlines, lack of the training, lack of the set time for employees meetin gs, and underdeveloped communication channels. If a leader fails to overcome barriers with the focus on the available tools, the primary projects can also fail. Opportunities In spite of being associated with a crisis in the leadership, the discussed situation provides many opportunities for the manager to develop the new model of the work in the agency. The reorganization of the teamwork associated with projects in the concrete sphere leads to the development of the specific working model or pattern that improves the performance and increases the productivity of the staff. If a new proposed strategy for managing the project is effective enough, the small number of the skilled employees can complete the larger number of tasks within the limited period of time (Felà ­cio et al., 2013). The leader needs to organize the work of the team in such a way that this team can serve as the expert team for providing consultancy in further similar projects to decrease the time and costs associa ted with the training of other employees. Outcomes and Elements of a Stable Solution To achieve the efficient solution to the determined problem associated with the project failure in the agency, it is necessary to focus on the outcomes of the proposed solution to discuss it as stable and sustainable: The team working on the development of programs comprises out of the adequate number of employees that is correlated with the scope of the project. 80% of assigned tasks are completed at the high-quality level. The productivity of the team increases by 25%. The team works according to the stated schedule, and delays decrease by 30%. The leadership is effective, and the monitoring of the project progress is regular. The degree of cooperation between employees representing different project teams and units of the Department increases by 20%. The level of the stress in employees decreases by 25%. These outcomes of the solution are identified as important because the discussed aspects le d to the failure of pilot projects, and the planned reorganization is aimed to address these issues. Long-Term Improvement The improved approach to organizing the team regarding its size and responsibilities will lead to optimizing the work of the staff and reducing associated costs. Thus, the increases in funds can be required only for the additional training of employees and their compensation. The other long-term benefits include the changes in the approach to the leadership in the organization. It is important to focus on developing the role model of a leader who is flexible, emotionally involved, motivating, communicable, and decisive (Yukl, 2014, p. 121). The currently followed task-oriented leadership style is not appropriate, and the reorganization of the teamwork can also lead to shifting to the supportive and even inspirational leadership styles (Van Wart, 2014). In addition, the long-term improvement involves the enhancement of the work with external stakeholders with the focus on building partnerships with social organizations oriented to the youth well-being and development. Strategies for Actions To solve the identified problems and address the future risks in leadership and management of projects on the subject of youth employment, it is necessary to formulate the clear steps for the solution implementation. The first step is contacting the HRM team, unit leaders, and project coordinators for forming the working team that will include the increased number of skilled employees with the expertise in the sphere of youth and employment programs development. It is also necessary to discuss the opportunities for the training sessions.  The second step is the actual formation of the working group. Those persons who worked on the pilot projects need to be invited to work further. Those employees who experienced the stress and problems in communicating with the leader needs to be replaced with the representatives of other units to increase the workforc e potential. Only high-quality professionals are expected to be invited for the work. This approach guarantees the reasonable distribution of tasks among team members. The third step is the identification of the communication channels to share ideas, visions, tasks, and feedbacks. It is necessary to plan not only weekly meetings but also face-to-face sessions and e-mail reports, as well as training sessions. The next step is the development of the realistic schedule for achieving the goal and completing concrete tasks. It is important to take into account the time for training, meetings, completing tasks, coordinating tasks, revising, and addressing possible barriers while planning the schedule and setting the deadline. The tough deadline is one of the main constraints for this project. Thus, the effective leader needs to develop the schedule while addressing the objectives and responding to the real work potential of the team without leading them to the burnout (Schyns Schilling, 2013). Another point is the correlation of the available workforce and deadlines with the proposed funds. The distribution of resources should depend on the project goals and the number of involved employees. When the communication channels are determined, and the schedule is set, it is important to motivate employees to work at completing tasks for achieving the concrete goal. Therefore, the next step is the building of the cooperating team during the first weeks of the project through the effective communication and supportive leadership. This step also includes the building of partnerships with social organizations and the Bureau of Statistics to receive the outdated information on changes in the sphere.  Ã‚  It is also important to address such constraints as the set short deadlines for projects and destructive leadership. The deadlines need to be set with the focus on the scope of tasks and its priority for the Department. The manager demonstrating the destructive leadership techniques needs to be replaced with the other person, who was discussed as the informal leader during the development of pilot projects (Schyns Schilling, 2013, p. 139). The range of tasks can be delegated according to the partnerships agreement with social organizations and the Bureau of Statistics. Assessment of the Potential for Success The effectiveness of the proposed strategy needs to be assessed in order to guarantee the completion of long-term goals. In this context, the assessment should include the following steps: the weekly monitoring of changes in the team workers’ quality of work and stress levels; the weekly monitoring of the achievements within the set schedule; the monthly monitoring of the performance and progress of the project implementation; evaluations of the individuals’ work with the focus on personal performance assessments. It is important for a leader to evaluate the employees’ attitudes to the work regularly in order to predict po ssible risky situations. Conclusion The Department of Employment faced a problem of developing the effective youth employment programs because the first pilot project failed to be appropriately developed and implemented by the project team. The analysis of the case demonstrated that the problem was in the destructive leadership techniques followed by the manager. As the result of the ineffective leadership, employees had to share responsibilities for which they did not have enough experience; they was not properly informed of the project goal and trained; they suffered from the tension to complete the unrealistic deadlines; and they chose the informal leader among them to address the stressful situation. In order to address similar problematic cases, it is necessary to reorganize the working team according to the project scope and goals. In addition, the selected project leader should follow the supportive or even inspirational leadership style to build a team that can effectively w ork to address the agency’s mission and develop secure and advantageous employment programs for the population, including your people. This case study analysis is important to refer to while discussing similar issues associated with the ineffective leadership, when a leader ignores interaction with the team, cannot communicate the objectives, cannot analyze the project scope, and determine what resources are required to achieve the goal. Moreover, this case study is an example of the leadership that cannot motivate employees, leading to their dissatisfaction. References Australian Government Department of Employment. (2015). De Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., Oostenveld, W. (2010). Leadership = communication? The relations of leaders’ communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 367-380. Felà ­cio, J. A., Gonà §alves, H. M., da Conceià §o Gonà §alves, V. (2013). Social value an d organizational performance in non-profit social organizations: Social entrepreneurship, leadership, and socioeconomic context effects. Journal of Business Research, 66(10), 2139-2146. Schyns, B., Schilling, J. (2013). How bad are the effects of bad leaders? A meta-analysis of destructive leadership and its outcomes. The Leadership Quarterly, 24(1), 138-158. Van Wart, M. (2014). Leadership in public organizations: An introduction. New York, NY: Routledge. Yukl, G. (2014). Leadership in organizations. New York, NY: Prentice Hall.

Alphonse Capone essays

Alphonse Capone essays Alphonse Capone a.k.a. Al Capone was born on January 17, 1899 in Brooklyn, New York. Alphonse Capone which parents were baptizes grew up in a rough district and he was a member of two kid gangs, the Brooklyn Rippers and the Forty Thieves Juniors. Although Al Capone was a bright young man, he quit school in the sixth grade at age fourteen. Although Al Capone was a criminal he had normal jobs on the side e.g. he was a clerk in a candy store, an assistant in a bowling alley and a cutter in a book bindery. Soon he became part of the notorious Five Points gang in Manhattan and now he worked in gangster Frankie Yales Brooklyn dive, Harvard In, which was an illegal gambling den. While working here he received his famous facial scars which resulted in the nickname Scarface. He had insulted a costumer and was attacked by her brother with a glass. In 1918 Capone met an Irish girl named Mary Mae Coughlin at a dance. On December 4, 1918 Mae gave birth to their son, Albert Sonny Francis. Capone a nd Mae married later that year on December 30. Capone was arrested for the first time while he was working for Yale because of a disorderly Conduct. He also murdered two men in his first years as a gangster, but nobody wanted to testimony against him, because they were either his friends or afraid of him. After Capone had sent a gang member from an Irish gang called Finnegan on the hospital, Yale sent him to Chicago because the Irish gangs where furious and threatened to kill him. So Capone now moved to Chicago with his family, were they moved into a house at 7244 South Prairie Avenue. After Capones move to Chicago he became member of the Four Deuces, a gang which were lead by his old friend from New York, John Torrio. The Year was now 1919 and a new kind of underground crime/business, illegal distribution of liquor was becoming attractive for the gangsters because...

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Scientific literacy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Scientific literacy - Essay Example 81). This paper explores some of the reasons why scientific literacy is not important in all subjects. My personal experience demonstrates that scientific literacy should not be incorporated in every subject of study, instead students should be allowed to study their areas of interest scientific or otherwise. For instance, I was hardly interested in the study of organic foods until I came across a recent feature on the news. The feature was scientific in nature and caught my attention owing to the fact that I found it interesting and educative. The feature focused on a Chinese based company known as "Bai Wei Yua" and specialized in agricultural trade. The company is involved in the sale of organic products and vegetables. However, recent reports have revealed that the company the company buys regular fruits and vegetables and packages them as organic products and sells them at inflated prices. This is ethically wrong as the company dupes the customers into thinking that they are buying organic products. "Bai Wei Yua" uses the appropriate procedures to produce and trade the organic products that is highly impressive. However, they are wrong in labeling regular foods as organic foods. I was stunned to realize that a legitimate company was packaging regular fruits and vegetables, packaging them as organic products, and selling them to the market at high prices. This issue aroused my curiosity in the topic of organic foods. I was more interested in government regulations and policies with regards to organic foods. This case study shows that individuals should be allowed to pursue the kind of scientific knowledge they are interested in pursuing. Mara, a thirty one year old woman who works as a technical worker holds a different view with regards problems of immunity. She has had a personal experience as she was a caregiver to a sick friend and all her college roommates died of AIDS. She was

Impact of Globalization Essay Example for Free

Impact of Globalization Essay It has gradually evolved from the 1970s after the advent of different forms of high speed transportation and communication to the age of information technologies around the millennium, to make a single unified community where all the major sources of various social conflicts have disappeared (Scheuerman, 2010 and World Regional Geography, 2009). There are several ways of defining Globalization. As defined by Dr. Nayef R. F. Al-Rodhan (2006), â€Å"Globalization is a process that encompasses the causes, course, and consequences of transnational and transcultural integration of human and non-human activities. The effects of Globalization are manifold. It influences industrial sector, financial sector, labour markets and consumers of a particular country. On one hand it gives rise to more jobs and industries, however, on the other hand, countries are becoming dependant on the other country for a specific product/raw material. Additionally, because of outsourcing jobs from developed economy are being transferred to the developing economy, which has a negative effect on the developed economy and positive on the developing economy. 2. 2 Consumer Packaged Goods and Globalization Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) are sold at relatively low price and are non durable goods like grocery items, soft drinks etc. Large CPG manufacturer has an advantage of strong brands, greater geographical coverage and having major retailers. CPG industry is affected by the change in fashion, fads and consumer preferences, which in turn effects the purchasing decision of a consumer. Therefore, I believe that in the fast and ever changing world of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) it is imperative to discuss the effects of globalization on this industry. Additionally, there is immense pressure and intense competition between the manufacturers globally to fulfill the demand of consumers. 2. 0 Impact of Globalization on CPG Industry 3. 3 Costs and Benefits of Globalization on CPG Industry There are diverse ways in which globalization impinge on CPG industry. Some are beneficial for the industry and some aren’t. The good side of globalization is explained as follows: a. Profits from emerging markets: Procter and Gamble in year 2006, showed a total sales of US $ 68 billion, out of which US $ 21 billion was from emerging markets. Additionally, from 1992 to 2006, globalization has boosted the American economy by US $ one trillion in Gross Domestic Product (Veiders, 9th July 2007, Supermarket news). b. Consumer’s advantage: The consumer gets the advantage of choosing from wide variety of goods, in addition to the comparative advantage. Additionally, the offshore markets are producing goods at a price which is lower than the domestic production of a particular country. Though this is an advantage to the consumer, this could hamper production and associated profits in some countries (Oline Thompson, 2006, CPG Manufacturing) c. Foreign capital access: Foreign capital access is the main driving force of globalization. This in turn increases the investment power of a particular country to produce better produce economically (13th February, 1996, WTO News (press releases). The other side of globalization illustrates some problems faced by CPG Industry: a. Cultural disparity: A product that might be a necessity in one country might not be even known or used in the other, which would have a negative effect on the CPG industry while trying to encourage its use in a particular country. To cite a salient example, Brazilians usually don’t have breakfast, because they sleep late at night and consumers in China for breakfast eat hot, soft and savoury, while the North Americans love cold, crunchy and sweet breakfast. This was the difference analyzed by Kellogg Company in 2007 (Veiders, 9th July 2007, Supermarket news). b. Global Competition: In this fast paced environment any CPG company have to constantly innovate and differentiate their product, to maintain or increase their market share. Every year large number of new products are being roduced and capture the shelve space of the existing labels and compete with them.

Conflict in the play A Rising in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Essay

Conflict in the play A Rising in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry In "A Rising in the Sun" (Lorraine Hansberry) we find three main conflicts within the play. These conflicts are interrelated and emerge mainly from one primer issue – Racism. In this essay, I will highlight these three conflicts and explain their connection. First, I will explain the conflict of family. Second, I will explain the conflict of money. Third, I will explain the conflict of racism and how the first two could be seen as a "by-product" of it. Lena (Mama) recalls her late husband words. Family was the most important thing for Lena and him. However, there are conflicts around this issue which could be seen through three generations. First, present generation Vs past. For example, Walter Lee blames his failure in life partly on his mother's "lack of support". The conflict appears since the only person who could be blamed for the situation is Walter Lee himself. Second, present generation Vs present. For example, Beneatha and Walter Lee fight over the check and its utilization. The conflict appea... Conflict in the play A Rising in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry Essay Conflict in the play A Rising in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry In "A Rising in the Sun" (Lorraine Hansberry) we find three main conflicts within the play. These conflicts are interrelated and emerge mainly from one primer issue – Racism. In this essay, I will highlight these three conflicts and explain their connection. First, I will explain the conflict of family. Second, I will explain the conflict of money. Third, I will explain the conflict of racism and how the first two could be seen as a "by-product" of it. Lena (Mama) recalls her late husband words. Family was the most important thing for Lena and him. However, there are conflicts around this issue which could be seen through three generations. First, present generation Vs past. For example, Walter Lee blames his failure in life partly on his mother's "lack of support". The conflict appears since the only person who could be blamed for the situation is Walter Lee himself. Second, present generation Vs present. For example, Beneatha and Walter Lee fight over the check and its utilization. The conflict appea...

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Past Paper

NSS MATHEMATICS IN ACTION HONG KONG DIPLOMA OF SECONDARY EDUCATION EXAMINATION MOCK PAPER MATHEMATICS Compulsory Part Paper 2 Time allowed: 1 hour 15 minutes 1. Read carefully the instructions on the Answer Sheet and insert the information required in the spaces provided. 2. There are 45 questions in this book. All questions carry equal marks. 3. Answer ALL Questions. You are advised to use an HB pencil to mark all the answers on the Answer Sheet. Wrong marks must be completely erased with a clean rubber. 4. You should mark only ONE answer for each question. If you mark more than one answer, you will receive NO MARKS for that question. . No marks will be deducted for wrong answers.  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 There are 30 questions in Section A and 15 questions in Section B. The diagrams in this paper are not necessarily drawn to scale. Choose the best answer for each question. Section A 1. If n is an integer, then 33 n = 9 n ? 1 6. Which of the following statements about the equation 3( x ? 2) 2 ? 6 x ? 2 is true? A. It has distinct, rational real roots. B. It has distinct, irrational real roots. C. It has equal real roots. D. It has no real roots. 7. It is known that a polynomial g(x) is ivisible by 2x + 3. Which of the following must be a factor of g(4x – 3)? 2 n ? 1 A. B. C. D. 2. x 2 ? y 2 ? 2 xy ? 4 ? A. B. C. D. 3. A. B. C. D. 8. 1. 5. 8049. 8053. a = 3, b = ? 2 . a = 3, b = ? 3 . a = ? 2, b = ? 2 . a = ? 2, b = ? 3 . B. C. D. 9. Let p be a constant. Solve the equation ( x ? p )( x ? p ? 1) ? x ? p . A. B. C. D.  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 –2– 1. 1 . 6 –1. –2. ? Peter sold a vase to Mary at a profit of 15 %. Later, Mary sold the vase to David for $ 6400 and gained $ 420. What was the cost price of the vase for Peter? A. B. C. D. x ? ?p x ? p ? 1 ? ? p or x ? p ? 1 x ? ? p or x ? p 2x ? 3 4x ? 3 8x ? 3 8x ? 9 If x is an integer satisfying 4x ? 1 , then the 2(1 ? x) ? 6 x and x ? ?2 greatest value of x is A. If 5a ? 2b ? a ? 4b ? 11 , then A. B. C. D. 5. ( x ? y ? 2)( x ? y ? 2) ( x ? y ? 2)( x ? y ? 2) ( x ? y ? 2)( x ? y ? 2) ( x ? y ? 2)( x ? y ? 2) If f ( x) ? x 2012 ? 2012 x ? 2012 , then 2 f (? 1) ? 3 = A. B. C. D. 4. ?1? . ?3? 3n ? 1 . 3n ? 2 . 35 n ? 2 . $ 5200 $ 5970 $ 6877 $ 7780 10. The scale of a map is 1: 250. If the area of a playground on the map is 20 cm2, what is the actual area of the playground? A. B. C. D. 11. 5000 cm2 125 m2 625 m2 5000 m2 A.B. C. D. Let an be the nth term of a sequence. If a1 ? ?2 , a2 ? 1 and a n ? 2 ? 4a n ? 1 ? a n for any positive integer n, then a5 = A. B. C. D. 14. The circumference of a circle is measured to be 10 cm, correct to the nearest 0. 5 cm. Which of the following is a possible area of the circle? 15. 86. 66. 46. 26. In the figure, CDE and BDF are straight lines. If DF = DE and AB // CE, find ?ABD. 12. It is given that s varies jointly as t2 and u. If t is increased by 15% and u is decreased by 20%, then s A. B. C. D. is decreased by 8 %. is decreased by 5. 8 %. is increased by 5. 8 %. is increased by 8 %. 13. If z ? y and y 2 ? 4. 2 cm2 8. 55 cm2 8. 14 cm2 7. 11 cm2 A. B. C. D. 76? 104? 116? 128? 16. In the figure, a = 1 , which of the x following is true? III. z2 ? y2 1 x? y 2 3xz is a non-zero constant. A. B. C. D. I and II only I and III only II and III only I, II and III I. II.  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 A. B. C. D. –3– 40?. 45?. 50?. 55?. 17. In the figure, ABCD is a rhombus and FBC is a triangle. If FA = 2 cm and BC = 3 cm, find ED. 19. In the figure, a circular cone is cut into two parts A and B by a plane parallel to the base. 4 that of the 9 original cone, find the ratio of the olumes of A and B. If the base area of A is A. B. C. D. A. B. C. D. 1 cm 1. 2 cm 1. 5 cm 1. 8 cm 18. The figure shows a right pyramid with a square base and a slant edge of length 17 cm. If the total length of the edges of the pyramid is 132 cm, find the total surface area of the pyramid. 2:3 8 : 19 8 : 27 19 : 27 20. Through which of the following transformations, would figure A be transformed to figure B? I. Translation II. Rotation III. Reflection A. B. C. D. A. B. C. D. 544 cm2 608 cm2 736 cm2 800 cm2 II III I and III only II and III only 21. If the point P(7, –1) is rotated clockwise about the origin through 90? o Q, what is the distance between P and Q? A. B. C. D.  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 –4– 5 units 72 units 10 units 128 units 22. If a > 0, b > 0 and c < 0, which of the following may represent the graph of the straight line ax ? by ? c ? 0 ? 23. In the figure, 2BC = 5AC. Find sin ? . A. 2 29 A. B. C. B. D. 24. 29 2 cos(180? ? ? ) 1 ? ? sin(180? ? ? ) tan(90? ? ? ) A. B. C. D. C. 2 5 5 2 tan 2 ? tan ? 1 †“1 25. In the figure, O is the centre of the circle ABCD. Find x. D. A. B. C. D. 36? 40? 42? 45? 26. What is the area of the circle x2 + y2 + 12x ? y + 9 = 0? A. B. C. D.  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 –5– 9? 43? 52? 61? 27. Two fair dice are thrown once. What is the probability of getting a sum of 4 or 6? A. B. C. D. 1 6 2 9 5 9 5 36 30. The pie chart below shows the distribution of the nationalities of 60 students randomly selected from an international school. It is given that 9 of them are American. 28. The box-and-whisker diagram below shows the distribution of the heights (in cm) of 40 students in a class. Find the number of students whose heights are between 145 cm and 150 cm. A. B. C. D. 5 10 20 30If there are 840 students in the international school, estimate the number of Australian students in the school. A. 196 B. 208 C. 216 D. 224 Section B 31. 29. {a , a, a + d, a + 3d and a + 6d} is a grou p of numbers. Which of the following must be true? A. B. I. The mean of the group of numbers is a + 2d. II. The median of the group of numbers is a + d. III. The mode of the group of numbers is 2. A. B. C. D. C. D. I and II only I and III only II and III only I, II and III  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 1? –6– ab b ? ? 2 a ? b b? a 2 1 a2 a2 ? b2 b2 a2 ? b2 a 2 ? 2ab ? b 2 a2 ? b2 32. Which of the following best represent the graph of y ? 2 log 3 x ? x 2 x ? 1 34. Solve 16 ? 2 ? A. A. B. C. D. B. 15 ? 0. 2 5 2 5 or –3 2 5 log 8 log 5 ? log 2 log 4 35. If a and k are real numbers and a ? 11i ? (2 ? 3i )(3 ? ki) , then A. B. C. D. C. D. NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 ? ? 1 . ? 1. ? ? 1 . ? 1. 36. Find the maximum value of P = 1 – x – 4y subject to the following constraints. 1 ? x ? 3 2 ? y ? 4 ? ? ?2 y ? x ? 2 ? x ? 2 ? ?2 y ? 33. If ? and ? are the roots of the quadratic equation 4 x 2 ? 5 x ? 3 ? 0 , find the value 1 1 + . of 2? 2? 3 A. ? 5 2 B. ? 5 5 C. 8 5D. 6  © Pearson Education Asia Limited a ? 3, k a ? 3, k a ? 9, k a ? 9, k A. B. C. D. –7– 3 4 6 7 37. It is given that three positive numbers x, y and z are in geometric sequence. Which of the following must be true? I. x3, y3, z3 are in geometric sequence. II. 3x, 3y, 3z are in geometric sequence. III. log x2, log y2, log z2 are in arithmetic sequence. A. B. C. D. 40. The figure shows a circle with centre O. BC and BA are the tangents to the circle at C and D respectively. If ? BAC = 42? , find ? BOC. I and II only I and III only II and III only I, II and III 38. Find x in the figure, correct to the nearest integer. A. B.C. D. 66? 72? 84? 90? 41. The figure shows a triangular prism ABCDEF, where both ? ABF and ?DCE are right-angled isosceles A. B. C. D. 12 13 14 15 triangles. If AB = 10 and BC = 5, find the angle between the line AE and the plane ABCD, correct to the nearest degree. 39. Solve 1 + sin? cos ? = 3sin2? for 0? ? ? ? 360?. A. B. C. D. ? = 45? or 225? ? = 135? , 207? or 225? ? = 45? , 153? , 225? or 333? ? = 135? , 153? , 315? or 333?  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 A. B. C. D. –8– 14? 17? 22? 45? 42. The figure shows a circle which is symmetrical about the y-axis. A(4, –1) nd B are two end points of a diameter of the circle. If the equation of the tangent to the circle at B is 4 x ? 3 y ? 31 ? 0 , find the coordinates of the centre of the circle. A. B. C. D. 3 (0, ) 2 (0, 2) 5 (0, ) 2 1 ( ? , 2) 2 44. A box contains 50 bulbs and 8 of them are defective. Two bulbs are drawn at random from the box without replacement. Given that at least one bulb drawn is defective, find the probability that exactly one bulb drawn is defective. 4 A. 13 3 B. 5 4 C. 5 12 D. 13 45. In a Chinese test, the standard scores of the marks obtained by John and Mary are †“1. 05 and 0. 8 respectively. Which of the following are true? I.II. III. 43. There are 2 different English books and 4 different Chinese books on a table. If all the books are put onto a shelf and the two books at the two ends must be of different languages, in how many ways can the books be arranged? A. B. C. D. A. B. C. D. 32 40 192 384  © Pearson Education Asia Limited NSS MIA 2012 Mock Paper (Compulsory Part) – Paper 2 Mary performs better than John in the test. Compared with John, the mark obtained by Mary is closer to the mean mark of the test. The mark obtained by John is below the 16th percentile of the marks in the test. I and II only I and III only II and III only I, II and III End of test –9–

Another Evening At The Club Essay Essay Example

Another Evening At The Club Essay Essay Example Another Evening At The Club Essay Paper Another Evening At The Club Essay Paper Essay Topic: The Joy Luck Club Alifa Rifaat’s story â€Å"Another evening at the club† gives a reflection of a woman’s perspective on life and marriage in a patriarchal society. It brings to light the unconventional reasons for a woman’s acceptance of marriage in a society such as material gain and power. Rifaat’s story is the protagonist Samia’s journey to realizing the true meaning of her place and authority in her marriage. Through various flashbacks the author attempts to bring a cohesive end to the protagonists realizations at the end of the story. The final passage of the story is the defining point of realization of her role in establishing the status quo of her marriage. The story reinforces the theme of materialism and societal influences on a person and their desires. Social norms and values play a significant role in shaping Samia’s perception of life and love. The final passage is the moment when Samia realizes that the idea of marriage that she had been taught to believe in was just an empty negotiated contract. In that moment she understands that the secondary position that she had accepted and the riches she had received was a form of payment. A price she paid for compromising a husband’s love and marrying an older man. Samia’s journey of realization to that moment begins when the terms of her marriage to Abboud Bey is negotiated. The author also shows how Samia’s mother and the patriarchal society have shaped her expectations and desires for materialistic pleasures. Her mother’s words in turn solidify her view that marriage should provide her with money, power and status: You’re a lucky girl he is a real find. Any girl would be happy to have him. He’s an inspector of irrigation though he is not yet forty. He earns a big salary and gets fully furnished government house wherever he’s posted, which will save us the expense of setting up a house – and I don’t have to tell you what our situation is and that’s beside the house he owns in Alexandria where you’ll be spending you’re holidays. (Rifaat 310) The basis of Samia decision may not only have been her family’s financial state but also the allure of being a member of higher society. Rafat exposes this human but materialistic side of Samia’s personality when she says, â€Å"in particular she noticed the well cut coat of English tweed and the silk shirt and the gold cuff links† (Rifaat 309). The emerald ring, the diamond bracelet, the lifestyle all symbolize the illusion of necessities that Samia now has. The author adds to this side of her personality when she contrasts how Samia felt when she saw Abboud Bey’s authority and feels â€Å"a guilty shame at her father’s inadequacy†(Rifaat 309). Samia associates money with power and poverty with inadequacy. The house and the money were all compensations she received for compromising who she was. Her husband asks her to tell people that her â€Å"father was a judge† (Rifaat 310), indicating a life started with a lie and based on image. Samia’s decision to marry him is only human, she wanted something that didn’t understand but needed. Her marriage to Abboud Bey was not only a chance for him to enhance his image in society but for her to become a member of high society. The physical gestures displayed by Abboud Bey impacts the way Samia see her position in her marriage. Abboud Bey’s simple gesture of â€Å"gently patting her cheeks in a fatherly reassuring gesture† (Rifaat 312), which initially made Samia feel safe completely changed meaning in the final passage of the story. This gesture triggers Samia’s realization that her husband slapping the maid or patting her cheeks were synonymous in displaying his authority and power over them. Samia reveals her realization of this authority: The gesture told her more eloquently than any words that he was the man and she was the woman, he the one who carried the responsibilities, made the decision, she was the whose role it was to be beautiful, happy, carefree. Now, though, for the first time in their life together the gesture came like a slap in the face. (Rifaat 312) Samia calls the gesture a slap in the face not because it was used to silence her but as a wake up call. It was like the slap had destroyed the illusion, which she has been living, and woken her up to a cruel reality. When he removes his hand the realization of her husband’s true authority over her rattles every fiber of being as â€Å"her whole body was seized with an uncontrollable trembling† (Rifaat 312). Samia understood that his every gesture had slowly taken over her autonomy was with her permission. When she tells Abboud Bey, â€Å"I thought I’d better leave it to you† (Rifaat 311) she was giving him more authority, as he was the man and she the woman. When she could have confronted the maid herself she hands it over to her husband and â€Å"took herself to the corner of the room† (Rifaat 311) avoiding any responsibility. This was a position that Samia had been taught to accept being brought up in a patriarchal society where the man has the authority. Upon finding the ring â€Å"she felt tempted to†¦throw it into the river so as to be rid of the unpleasantness that lay ahead† (Rifaat 312). Samia had enjoyed the benefits but could not endure the consequences of her decisions. Power had bought her swift action but also brought her guilt. The ‘slap’ begins the series of thoughts that act as her prequel to her ultimate realization in the final passage. The setting of the final moment supports the development of Samia’s thoughts to that realization point. The window, the boat and the lilies all exemplify and support Samia’s feelings. When she leans against the large window and â€Å"close [s] her eyes tightly† (Rifaat 313) she remembers that is what she had wanted all along. The large comforting window acts like a barrier to her thoughts and leads her to the point where she remembers her compromise. The image of â€Å"the dark shape of the boat had momentarily blocked out the cafà © scene† (Rifaat 313), as she had momentarily forgotten her place and now it was visible to her. It was not a realization; Samia had just forgotten for a moment that this is the reality of her life. The power and allure of society had blocked out her sense and logic, which a simple gesture had now let lose. As the boat cut through the â€Å"Nile water lilies that, rootless, are swept along the current† (Rifaat 313) every misconception that she had slowly swept away. When Samia opens her eyes she sees just another evening at the club with the â€Å"the cafà © lights strung between the trees on the opposite shore †¦ and the men seated under [the trees] and a waiter moving among the tables† (Rifaat 313). When she looks at the people playing chess and eating at the club through the comforting warmth of her window she sees her every desire. The waiters moving in between them shows the contrast in power and the life she may have had. When she opens her eyes it was like a curtain had been raised and the show was over and it was time to go back to the real world. This memory had brought with it a realization and its own questions. The decision lies in Samia’s hands to chose the life she lived from that moment onwards. Comfort, luxury and status were all waiting outside that window for her decision. Samia’s smile at the end symbolized her surrender to power and status. She was smiling as she had understood and made peace with her reality. Now it was time for her to go out to the club and join the society she wanted to part of. It was a smile of a mother and wife but most of all of a woman who knew what she wanted and how much she had given up for it. In conclusion the story explores the materialistic but humane characteristics of a woman in a patriarchal society. Through Samia’s point of view the author illustrates the influences of societal expectations and mans authority over women. The image of Samia leaning against the window and closing her eyes compels one to understand the true meaning of her compromise. It is difficult to understand a woman’s desires especially when she realizes that they aren’t completely hers.

The Launch of Toyota Prius in Domestic and International Market

The Launch of Toyota Prius in Domestic and International Market Toyota Motor Corporation is the world’s largest motor manufacturer and seller; it has its headquarters in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. According to the company’s accounts 2010, the company had a total of 317,734 people worldwide. With contemporary globalized world, the company’s operations are affected by internal and external factors. This report offers a recommendation on how the company can launch â€Å"Toyota Prius† in domestic and international market.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Launch of â€Å"Toyota Prius† in Domestic and International Market specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The world is recovering from global financial crisis of 2008; this has limited the growth in demand of motor vehicles by industries, governments, and private owners. Other than the crisis, Japan 2011earthquake has hindered transportation from the country thus the company is facing a challenge selling t o the global world. There are numerous players in the motor vehicle industry; they include Mitsubishi, Ford, and British Motor Works. The companies are offering substitutes to customers who get a wide selection of products. Other than using road transport, consumers are having the option of using rail and air transport. Consumers are offering pressure to the company; there are moves to environmentally friendly motor vehicles as people move to sustainable development. The pressures from the customers are keeping the company on its toes to develop customer focused products. Toyota has been in operation since 1936, during this time, the company has created a strong brand name for its products. The strong brand name for the company is a strength that the management dells on; when launching new products, the company is favoured by its brand strength. With a strong brand, the companies sales are high with comfortable profit margin; the margins give the company good financial strength that it can develop new product with ease. High sales have led to enjoyment of economies of scale making the products affordable. Toyota automobiles are known to be fuel-economical; getting original spare-parts for the products is easy thus people prefer the products. Opportunities for Toyota are many; the company has implemented the â€Å"blue-ocean† management whereby it’s focusing on areas other than japan where competition is lower. Economic development in different countries is offering potential market for the company. The main threat and risk that Toyota faces is competition and world economics operations; there are many players in the motor vehicle industry thus increasing the competition the company has to fight with. Internal structures of Toyota has been challenged of their inability to maintain human resources; with the structures, there are an increasing number of people who quit jobs and with them goes much wisdom to the disadvantage of the company. Some of t he strategies that the company should implement during implementation include integrated marketing management system and customer relation management schemes.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More When launching a product, Toyota needs to research on the target market and adopt such policies that will see the products sell more easily. â€Å"Toyota Pius† is a hybrid motor vehicle which can use both fossil fuels and bio-fuels; the product is an eco-friendly product by the company. When developing the product, the company aims at fulfilling the demand of customers and environment conservers on sustainable development. The strength of the product will be the selling point or the strength of the product. When marketing and selling the product, the company should emphasis on the benefits that the product will have on the customers and the world in general. For instanc e the marketing team should inform target customers that the product is fuel economical as well as it will protect the environment. Some of the strategies that the company should implement during implementation include integrated marketing management system and customer relation management schemes.

For two companies with which you are familiar, compare and contrast Essay

For two companies with which you are familiar, compare and contrast the main operations processes in terms of their volume, vari - Essay Example In simpler terms, operation management is the conversion of input into output using the resources available to the organization with an aim to meet the organizational objectives such as efficiency, consistency and effectiveness (Kumar and Suresh, 2009). This assignment will highlight the factors such as volume, variety, variation and visibility of two automobile organizations, i.e. BMW and Nissan. To further highlight the importance of operation management in company’s success, the performance objectives, i.e. speed, quality, dependability, flexibility and cost, would be analyzed in order to evaluate the respective operation strategies of both the companies. COMPARING AND CONTRASTING OPERATION MANAGEMENT To compare and contrast the operation management in automobile industry, two familiar and recognized organizations BMW and Nissan have been selected. Both companies would be analyzed and evaluated in terms of volume, variety, variation and visibility characteristics. NISSAN Ni ssan is the world’s fourth largest automobile manufacturer. The company is located in Japan. With its aim to enrich the lives of its customers by providing them with high quality cars, the company operates in a number of countries. With the use of technology, the company aims to provide its customers with innovative vehicles. In order to evaluate the company’s operation management and its processes, volume, variety, variation and visibility characteristics have been analyzed one by one. Volume In order to consistently meet the demands of the customers, the company manufactures vehicles in high volume. This repetition of the processes has made the workforce specialize in the operation processes which eventually lead to the low units cost. With the ability to manufacture vehicles at low cost, the company is capital intensive. Variety To effectively meet the needs of the customers, Nissan provides them with variety of vehicles. With extensive product line at Nissan, the c ompany is able to attract the customers in the market. The variety in product line at Nissan includes sports cars, minivans and vans, trucks and pickup trucks (Nissan, 2013). With such variety, the company is able to match the needs of the customers effectively. Variation The variation in demand for Nissan’s vehicle is low. This implicates that the demand is predictable and the variation in the vehicle is stable. With low variation in demand, the cost associated with the manufacturing of vehicle is also low. Visibility characteristics In operations management, visibility character indicates the level of activities that can be observed by the customer. In Nissan’s case, the visibility characteristics are low which indicates that the company utilizes its staff effectively. Since the time lag between the production and consumption is high, the visibility factor could be said as low. BMW BMW continuously strives to become the leader in the automobile industry and to do so, the company provide its customers with high quality vehicles to enrich their customer’s experience. The company is one of the top quality vehicle providers in the globe due to which the company charges premium price from its customers. Being the world’s leader of premium products, the company has its own unique identity and persona. The same way Nissan

The Architecture of Sleep and the Function of Dreams Essay

The Architecture of Sleep and the Function of Dreams - Essay Example This stage is called stage 1 or NREM sleep. Sleep spindles appear in Stage 2, as EEG further reduces; and it keeps on decreasing while the amplitude of slow waves increases during stage 3. This mixed pattern causes high amplitude delta waves in the deepest sleep or Stage 4; which is also called SWS. Shifts in posture occur; followed by REM. ‘At an interval of 90 minutes, REM/NREM phases alternate; while the NREM stages dominate the first third of the night and REM stages dominates the last third’. (McNamara, 2004, p.p 1-2) We dream during the REM phases of sleep. The dreams of the REM phase have the dream-like quality of emotional drama, fantasy, excitement, and liveliness. The dreams during the NREM phases are more like conceptual thinking and the scenes are usually taken or adapted from our everyday lives. Moreover, the dream intervals at the onset of sleep are short; and they increase in each subsequent REM-NREM cycle after every 90 minutes. The last dream could be of 30-40 minute duration. Freud believed in his Interpretation of Dreams (1911) that the basic function of dreams was wish-fulfillment. ‘We now see what this function is.