Application Virtualization For A Virtual Machine Monitor (...

1. Introduction Virtualization is a term used to describe technology that uses abstraction to instruct a guest operating system, data storage, or network device to use underlying shared hardware or software as described by Pearce et al. [1]. Abstraction is managed at a software layer known as a virtual machine monitor (VMM) or hypervisor. The VMM or hypervisor emulates hardware to guest operating systems and applications, which includes core processor unit (CPU), memory, input/output (I/O), and network traffic [1, pp.2]. There are different areas of virtualization, which include server virtualization, application virtualization, network virtualization, storage virtualization, and desktop virtualization [1, pp.8]. The branching out of virtualization into different areas displays the rapid growth of this technology. The VMM and hypervisor software layer provides security challenges that should be addressed in order to protect resources and data within virtualization. For example, this additional layer of technology opens up new paths which an attacker can use to break into and interrupt a system or network. The VMM can also be a single point of failure in a virtualized environment [1, pp. 33]. If the VMM is compromised, then the virtual environment managed by the VMM could be compromised as well. The primary focus of this literature review will be physical hosts, which are VMMs and hypervisors managing a virtualization environment. The Important Ideas section willShow MoreRelatedThe Development Of Drivers For Virtual Machines1074 Words   |  5 PagesI. Introduction to the topic This paper will be analyzing the development of drivers for virtual machines, as well as how virtual machines access host hardware. Topics covered will include what interest what interest I/O driver virtualization holds for the computer information science field, a general overview of virtualization, I/O hardware virtualization, and virtualization of I/O drivers. II. 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Frederick Douglass is Recognized as an Implausible...

When slavery had become societal, Christianity was the preeminent religion in America. Frederick Douglass is recognized as an implausible abolitionist. He has worked incredibly hard to abolish slavery and everything it stood for. He portrays the ways religion and its literature had a repugnant effect on slavery and the slave owners. Christianity had more of a jaundiced effect on the slave owners than it did unmitigated. Throughout the novel we find that Frederick’s friends were all religious and swayed Douglass toward Christianity. He often references religion in the novel to explain that the slave owners who are Christian, are more vicious than the ones who aren’t, nevertheless, Douglass is on the edge to find out if there really is a God; if there is, Frederick wants an answer as to why He lets slavery go on. Some slaves were religious fanatics who would not let anyone sway their beliefs. No matter how valuable the reason or how hard a person tries, they will always stick to their ways. Almost all of Douglass’s friends were a part of the abolitionist movement. The proposition of the movement was to try to get emancipation, or equality, of all slaves throughout the United States. Frederick is recognized as being a preposterous abolitionist. He used his personal life experiences to protest against slavery. By being a part of this movement, Frederick was exposed to Christianity. From my earliest recollection, I date the entertainment of a deep conviction that

Assessing Strategic Sport Event Management - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Assessing Strategic Sport Event Management. Answer: Introduction An event can be understood as a public assembly for the purpose of celebration, education, reunion, marketing creating awareness (Masterman, 2014). Events are further classified on the basis of type, size and content, events can be social, business, education, career event, sports event, entertainment, fundraiser, cultural, corporate, political, cause related and so on(Jones, 2014). The success of any event is based on the pillars of Production, marketing communication, revenue plan, sales operations execution; if any of the above mentioned pillars falls weak the entire event collapses (Testa Metter, 2017) The Event which will be discussed in the report is Moore Park Foodies and Farmers Market; it is one of its kind weekly events starting from 6th January 2018. The event starts at morning 9 and goes up till 2 PM in the afternoon. The USP of the event lies in its offering of top quality famers produce at a great price in an absolutely convenient location. The purpose if the study is to identify the purpose, goals objectives of the event, event location, duration and frequency. Understand the nature of the event, community and corporate stakeholder relationship along with event governance. At the end, event impact assessment will be done in order to analyse the impact the event will have on the community or the society(Sydney.com Destination NSW, 2017). Purpose, Objective Goal of the Event It is high priority to define the objective goal and purpose of any event, the reason behind defining the goal is to measure the result and the effectiveness of the event. In absence of goal and purpose the relevancy of the event gets lost and it becomes extremely impossible to measure and compare the results of the event with the historical ones. Moore Park Foodies and farmers market is a weekly event which will make its way until the last day of December 2018. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the contribution of the friendly farmers celebrate their achievement in their habitat. The event is organized at Moores park which is located at a very convenient location, which is, 10 minutes journey from the Sydney Central Business District. Event showcases some of the amazing produce of the farmers in terms of vegetable, food, flowers, live food counters and a never to be seen price. The event embarks on the achievements of the farmers and is a way of saying thank you for their services in feeding the nation. Hence, the goal of the Event is to create a fun filled happy environment for the visitor s including family households, kids, newly wed and working professionals and provide them with an opportunity to buy products at a very reasonable price. Another USP of the event is its timing and the day; the event commences in the morning around 9 and goes up till 2 PM on a Saturday, which is equally comfortable and relaxing for the people attending the event(Sydney.com Destination NSW, 2017) Event Location, duration frequency of the event Event Description Moore Park Foodies and Farmers Market Event Duration 5 Hours duration, 0900 Hours till 1400 Hours, Saturday Frequency of the event It is a weekly event Event Program An event program can be understood as a comprehensive guide in depth which will provide overlay of the event according to the timelines (Murphy, 2017). Event program lays down in detail the attractions of the event along with the timeline. In the case of Moore Park foodies and market there is no specific program or an agenda. The market which was curated by Famous Chef Matt Kemp few years back has quickly become one of the famous events of Australia. The market is committed to provide quality product, integrity and provenance. The market is located at a very convenient location which is extremely friendly for kids and families. Another USP of the Moore Park Foodies and market is that people can get free parking and can also enjoy extended stay at lesser parking cost. The event happening next to the EQ (The entertainment quarter) makes it more appealing to the general public, as the venue promises a fun filled morning, afternoon and evening. The event is greatly facilitated by the venues at the Entertainment quarter. Community and corporate stakeholder relationship Community and corporate stakeholder relationship is what organizers have to take care of at every step of the event formation and planning. In the case of Moore park produce market the stakeholders is the local community, the local government, the population, farmers and artisans. Hence the organizers have to ensure that they have to maintain a steady relationship and balance between the community stakeholders. Another important aspect of community stakeholder relationship is taking care of the environment and ensuring the environmental sustainability at every cost. Australia is extremely poignant about its environment and has imposed hefty penalties on corporates, industries, organization damaging the environment, and hence at Moore park special attention is given to not cause any harm to the nature and stop people from throwing away the waste and littering. EQ, another prominent venue located near the Moore Park has additional responsibility towards the community, preserving the nature and ensuring the sustainability of the nature is the primary concern of the organizers. It is often seen that the venue is often very crowded and gets a lot of rush during Saturday, thus keeping the law and order and traffic in place is another responsibility while ensuring the community stakeholder relationship. Hence it is clear that stakeholders who form an important part of stakeholders are to be treated with utmost care and respect, the surrounding properties and the environment sustainability have to be ensured while maintaining the relationship with the stakeholders. Like every business organization has to take care of its stakeholders, the same goes with the event. Event Governance Establishing appropriate and effective governance framework is the responsibility of every event organizer before designing an operating model for the event and the execution. Event governance helps in conducting a risk assessment of the event and hence proper measures can be taken to tone down the risk the risks can be related to financial, health, safety and hence a special care has to be taken with event governance (Parent, 2016) some of the points which fall under the purview of Event governance are: Health Safety: According to the health and safety act 2015 all the arrangements have to be made. Hence, ambulances, wheelchairs and necessary facilities will be provided at appropriate intervals. Crowd management also forms a part of it. Leverage Legacy planning: It is linked to the engagement the event drives and the eye balls it attracts leading to amazing memories for the participants Marketing Communications: IMC campaign falls under the event governance, without a proper marketing and communication the effectiveness and the purpose of the event is sure to get lost Security and accreditation: Measures for safety falls a big part of event governance. Significant number of security personnel is required to keep the crowd in control and prevent any damages, fights or any adverse situation. Sponsorship Management: Sponsors are the ones who get maximum attraction from the event and also spend in a lot of money for the run, hence it is extremely important to take care of the sponsors and have a collaboration with sponsors relevant to the run Workforce and volunteers: Volunteers are required to guide the participants, distribute medals, t-shirts, drinks, first aid kits etc., and the workforce to organize such a huge event. This also falls under the event governance Transport and logistics: Logistics is one of the most important parts of an event and hence have to be ably managed by the event organizers. Any less of efforts to ensure proper transport and logistics can cause mayhem and ruckus in the event. Risk Management: After conceptualizing the event, risk assessment has to be done by the event authority and the organizers. Risk assessment helps in doing a proactive risk management(Haimes, 2015) Parking: As mentioned earlier in the report, the nature of the event makes the location very crowded and hence it is the duty of the event organizers to stop the traffic from blocking other peoples way and ensure a smooth flow of the traffic. As mentioned earlier, the parking is free for two hours hence a lot of people park the vehicles just for free parking and wander around. Thus the governance has to take care of this aspect as well. Expected event impact and impact assessment Every event is conducted with a purpose of making a difference and creating a stir in the existing system. On the similar lines Moore Park foodies and farm market is organized (Christianson, 2016). Since the inception the event had SMART goals identified for itself, which it achieved and set new goals in comparison to the milestone achieved last year. Some pointers of Event impact identified are: Increase the number of farmers participating at the event, at least by 10% Increase the popularity of the event by conducting a year round exercise of marketing and communications. The organizers are in process of creating an independent website for the event, and hence the same has to be completed at the earliest. It is also being thought of how to make the event more engaging and increasing the conversation around the event. The Facebook page of the Moore Farm produce market has to be revamped to grab the attention of more people. One of the major impact that Moore Farm produce Market wants to bring is empowering the farmers and giving them a wonderful platform to celebrate their success and give the population a medium to appreciate their efforts in producing rich quality food products. Increase the variety of vegetable, food products, flowers and live counters at the venue. Conclusion Moore farm produce and farmers market is a weekly event which has been happening in Sydney from last couple of years. It is Australias one of the finest famers produce market which has gained immense popularity since its inception. The people attending the event get to enjoy the spectacular view of the Moore Park and spend an eventful Saturday morning. The farmers produce is available at a very reasonable price and hence it is one of the most popular choices for the people staying in Sydney. It has often been seen that people from nearby areas come to attend the event and enjoy the produce of the farmers. Lively atmosphere infused with plethora of products from farmers is the USP of the event. The weekly nature of the event allows the visitors to not miss an opportunity to have a fun filled Saturday while enjoying food at amazing prices along with buying organic vegetables directly from the farmland of Australia. References Masterman, G., 2014.Strategic sports event management. Routledge. Jones, M., 2014.Sustainable event management: A practical guide. Routledge. Testa, M.R. and Metter, M., 2017. Assessing Economic Impact as a Means for Event Efficacy: A Proposed Model and Case Study.Event Management,21(1), pp.61-70. Murphy, T., 2017. Campus Author 2016 Event Program. Parent, M.M., 2016. The governance of the Olympic Games in Canada.Sport in Society,19(6), pp.796-816. Haimes, Y.Y., 2015.Risk modeling, assessment, and management. John Wiley Sons. Christianson, S.A., 2014.The handbook of emotion and memory: Research and theory. Psychology Press. Sydney.com Destination NSW. , 2017. Moore park foodies and farmers market [Online]. Available at https://in.sydney.com/destinations/sydney/sydney-east/moore-park/events/moore-park-foodies-and-farmers-market [ accessed on 5th January 2018]

Mini Company and Kaizen Essay Example

Mini Company and Kaizen Paper The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at http://www. emerald-library. com IJOPM 19,11 Continuous improvement and the mini-company concept Jan de Leede and Jan Kees Looise University of Twente, The Netherlands Keywords Continuous improvement, Teamwork, Organizational design, Case studies, Kaizen Abstract The key issue of continuous improvement (CI) seems to be the problem of combining extensive employee involvement with market orientation and continuation of CI. In this article we review some existing organisational designs for CI on these three essential characteristics of CI. As an alternative to the shortcomings of current organisational designs for CI we present the mini-company concept, related to the sociotechnical concept of the self-managing team. The minicompany concept incorporates the three key issues: it has a self-propelling capacity for CI, involving everyone on the shop floor. A constant and market-oriented source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the mini-company. Results of an in-depth case-study are presented, showing some strong effects of the mini-company concept. 1188 International Journal of Operations Production Management, Vol. 19 No. 1, 1999, pp. 1188-1202. # MCB University Press, 0144-3577 Introduction Continuous improvement (CI) is viewed as vital in todays business environments. CI is one of the core strategies towards manufacturing excellence, as it appears, for example, within the context of world-class manufacturing (Schonberger, 1986; Schonberger, 1996) or total quality management (Hackman and Wageman, 1995). Furthermore, CI as a concept is nothing difficult to understand or new. Bessant and Caffyn (1997) define the concept as an organisation-wide process of focused and sustained incremental innovation Many tools and . echniques are developed to support these processes of incremental innovation. However, the difficulty lies within the consistent application of the CI-philosophy and the CI-tools and -techniques. As an organisation-wide process, CI requires the efforts of employees on all levels. Here, the CI-approach can be linked with long established traditions of employee involvement and employee participation. This line of research showed that the involvement of employees is not just a matter of the application of tools and techniques alone (among many others: Cotton (1993)). We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Mini Company and Kaizen specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Other organisational elements such as organisational frameworks, leadership and management styles, culture, employee needs, values and norms are needed as well. Only an integrated approach will lead to lasting results. The key problem of CI seems to be the issue of employee involvement (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Berger, 1997). How to involve the employees of all levels in the process of market-oriented continuous improvement? What motivational aspects have to be taken into account in making CI a lasting routine? It is our statement that existing organisational frameworks do not address this issue to a satisfying extent. In spite of the recognition of the people orientation of kaizen (Imai, 1986) and the broad participation and high involvement of CI (Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Berger, 1997), CI still needs thorough elaboration on organisational designs in which these aspects are realised. Especially, the problem is how to direct the CI activities to customer requirements and business strategy, while maintaining true employee involvement. In this article we want to contribute to this issue. We focus on the organisational aspects of employee involvement in CI. Therefore, the focus of this article is the shop floor. We present a concept that is derived from sociotechnical systems theory but is enriched by principles from Shop Floor Management (Suzaki, 1993). This concept is called the mini-company. The most important characteristic of the mini-company concept is the integration of the customer in operations. An interesting example of the mini-company concept is presented in the case of a manufacturing plant. We show its organisational aspects and its effects on the contribution of the operators in improvement activities. This article is structured as follows. First, we present a framework in order to identify the links of the core principles of CI with market orientation and employee involvement. Second, a brief review is presented of organisational designs of CI. We present another organisational design in the next section: the mini-company concept. This concept entails some strong points in which the reviewed organisational designs are weaker. The case of Philips CMA is an illustration of the mini-company concept and shows some good results with respect to the contribution of operators in product and process improvement. Finally, some conclusions are drawn from the case discussion. CI, market orientation and employee involvement We view organisations as configurations of at least three domains. Every domain is related to the outside world. Products are related to the market place, processes are related to technology and human capital is related to labour. The three domains are interrelated. Innovation occurs in each of these domains when we look at product innovation, process innovation and social innovation, but are interrelated as well (Looise, 1996). In Figure 1 this framework is presented in a schematic way. Based on this general framework, one can analyse the strengths and weaknesses of various new production concepts. Some concepts start from the interaction of market and technology, while others are rooted in the interaction between market and labour or technology and labour. For instance classical sociotechnical systems design talked about the joint optimisation of the social and the technical system (Trist, 1981). This is exactly the interaction of technology and labour. The modern sociotechnical approach is aimed at reduction of complexity, and tries to create efficient product flows (De Sitter et al. 1997). The concept of the autonomous group is still very important in modern sociotechnical theory. The main contribution of sociotechnical thinking is to design a structural basis for enhancing the quality of the organisation in line with an increase in the quality of working life and the quality of the industrial relations. However, this approach too is one-sided. It is too much of a design approach stressing the technological and the structural aspects of organising, but to some extent neglecting the market perspective and the social-dynamical aspects of organising. On company level a sociotechnical Mini-company concept 1189 IJOPM 19,11 1190 Figure 1. Organizations as configurations of product, process and personnel (after Looise, 1996) structure intends to enhance the companys responsiveness to the market, but a closer look at the design principles reveals that on the shop floor level the market or even the customer focus is far away. Let us return to CI and characterise CI using this framework. Following Berger (1997), we distinguish some core principles of CI by using the ideal characteristics of Imais kaizen (Imai, 1996). The first principle is processorientation. Before results can be improved, it is the central tenet of CI that processes must be improved. Good results will follow automatically when processes are both understood and controlled. The orientation is towards the activities and work methods and not towards the outcomes. The second principle is small step improvement of work standards. Imai states it very decisively: There can be no improvement where there are no standards (Imai, 1986, p. 74). For all major operations Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are formulated and improved in an ongoing process of small improvements. One requirement of these SOPs is discipline. All employees have to comply with the established standard operating procedures. Adherence to standards is also stressed in a tool for CI called CEDAC (Fukuda, 1989). Another aspect of this principle is the never-ending process of kaizen. It is an ongoing process. This is symbolised in the PDCA problem-solving format for improvement: a wheel. The PDCA-loop itself is a standardisation of the improvement process. The third principle is people-orientation. CI needs the involvement of everyone in the organisation from shop floor workers to top management. Managementoriented, group-oriented and individual-oriented kaizen have their specific focus within the overall improvement process. In terms of our framework, one can see the primary focus of CI in the interaction of technology and labour. The first and second principle both refer to the process, while the third principle is people oriented. CI has an internal focus and looks for the policy, tools and techniques to integrate processes and personnel in order to improve operational and management processes. So, the market is not in the picture. However, CI is often integrated in broader management philosophies like total quality management (Hackman and Wageman, 1995). Then, of course the market orientation is included in CI. Organizational designs of CI: a brief review In this article we focus on organisational designs for CI. Which organisational mechanisms exist in literature to enable such an organisation-wide process of focused and sustained incremental innovation? We reviewed some specific CIliterature (Imai, 1986; Fukuda, 1989; Bailey, 1997; Berger, 1997; Bessant and Caffyn, 1997; Lindberg and Berger, 1997), and analysed their descriptions of organisational designs. Here are the results. The prime source for CI is still the Japanese kaizen approach (Imai, 1986). According to Imai (1986) there are at least three types of kaizen: managementoriented, group-oriented and individual oriented kaizen. The managementoriented type is focused on the improvement of organisational systems, organisational procedures and machinery and equipment. The group-oriented type has its primary focus on the improvement of work methods, routines and procedures. Organisational vehicles to perform these improvements are quality circles and other small-group-activities using various statistical tools to solve problems. The individual-oriented type of kaizen is focused on improvements in ones own work area and resources. Most often, this is organised by traditional individual suggestion systems. Improvement in every type is aimed at cost reduction and the elimination of waste. Although CI and elimination of waste is something like second nature in the Japanese work system, CI takes place in parallel structures and is not integrated in normal work. Group-oriented kaizen occurs in small groups that are established to improve work methods or to solve specific problems. When management approves a solution, it must be implemented and all employees must adhere to the new standard. In sum, employees are performing their routine tasks and at regular times they participate in off-line small groups to improve their daily routines. Berger (1997) presents a typology of organisational designs for CI. The typology is based on two dimensions: basic task design (individual vs group tasks) and improvement task (parallel vs integrated). His typology (see Figure 2) presents five organisational designs: Mini-company concept 191 Figure 2. Bergers typology of organizational designs for CI IJOPM 19,11 1192 (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) Quality control circles. Wide-focus CI. Organic CI. Expert task-force CI. Individual CI. The two extremes of this typology are Organic CI and Expert task-force. Organic CI means that improvement activities are integrated in the operational multi-functional work groups. Improvements are not left to experts or staff for design and planning and they do not presuppose decision making by other authorities outside the group. On the other hand, expert task-force CI means that staff from outside the operational working group perform the improvement in a temporary parallel team. On the basis of their expertise, it is possible for worker representatives to participate in the parallel team. Widefocus CI is partly a combination of organic CI and expert task-force CI. It combines parallel process improvement teams and CI in (self-managed) permanent work groups. However, it is not experts from higher levels or other functions who are participating in the parallel teams but members of adjacent work groups at the same level. The parallel CI-teams are covering a complete process. To be complete, individual CI is organised in some form of an individual suggestion scheme. Quality Control Circles are similar to the Japanese group-oriented kaizen approach: a parallel structure where ideas are generated and tested and where senior management approves good solutions. Another typology of CI organisational designs could be found in Bailey (1997). She found three types of manufacturing team improvement programs in the semi-conductor industry: (1) Continuous improvement team programs. (2) Quality circle programs. 3) Self-directed work team programs. The first two programs are parallel structures with off-line teams. Operators participate on a voluntary basis to solve small problems (1) or on a mandatory basis together with direct supervisors to solve problems within a specific work area adopted by the operational work group (2). Within the third program (SDWT program) the work teams are held responsible for CI. The y create temporary teams with other staff or work group members for problems beyond their capacities. We see significant overlaps in these three sources on organisational designs for CI. The CI team programs and the QC programs of Bailey are similar to the QCC of Berger and group-oriented kaizen of Imai. In addition, individual CI of Berger is similar to the individual-oriented type of Imai. There is one major difference: both Berger and Bailey mention one type of CI (wide-focus CI, organic CI and SDWT programs) in which CI is integrated in normal day-today operations of the shop floor. Imai does not mention this kind of integrated group-oriented CI. The provisional conclusion must be that western literature on CI is providing more alternatives to organisational design for CI than Japanese literature does. What do we learn from this short review of organisational designs for CI? . Parallel versus integrated. We see a fundamental distinction of CIactivities parallel or integrated with routine tasks. Traditional kaizen activities are performed within parallel structures, like small-group activities, quality control circles, process improvement teams and so on. In Scandinavian countries (Berger, 1997; Lindberg and Berger, 1997) and in North America (Bailey, 1997) on-line CI activities are also in use. Here it seems that CI is seen as a normal, daily activity performed by work groups. On-line CI is made possible because basic task design  ± inspired by sociotechnical systems theory  ± is an enabling mechanism for such activities. That means that tasks are broadly defined, members of work groups are more functional and highly educated, work groups are responsible for a complete part of the process and last but not least work groups do have a lot of authorities. . Fragmented work versus team-based work. A second fundamental distinction is between fragmented and individual work design and teambased work design. Again, traditional kaizen activities are performed within highly standardised, fragmented work environments. Employees have to improve their own small task and related procedures. Unlike in team-based structures it is the team that is responsible for both operations and improvement of the team tasks. A good example of this basic distinction is the discussion on fragmented versus holistic learning in Volvo Uddevalla and NUMMI Fremont (Adler and Cole, 1993; Berggren, 1994). This can be traced exactly to the difference in basic task design. . Many options. Within these two fundamental dichotomies, we encounter in the reviewed literature and in practice (De Leede, 1997) many options and combinations. Combinations of parallel CI-structures and CI integrated in normal daily activities are possible, for instance for CIactivities with different focus. That is, integrated CI for problems within the scope of the work group, and parallel CI for problems beyond the groups scope. Individual CI can be used in combination with grouporiented parallel or integrated CI. In short, every context requires its own CI design. In addition, it is also a matter of management choice: how do we want to involve our employees in CI? . Source of improvement: management, staff or workers. Three sources of improvement are derived from literature. Problems are generated either by management, by staff or by workers themselves. These problem generators have to be constantly active to generate new problems or goals. We did not find a problem generator built into the organisational design to ensure a constant flow of issues to improve. This is a serious weakness in these organisational designs. Mini-company concept 1193 IJOPM 19,11 1194 In the remainder of this article we present a relatively new organisational design for CI: the mini-company concept (Suzaki, 1993; De Leede, 1997; Verkerk et al. , 1997). The mini-company concept builds upon several elements of the reviewed organisational designs. It is developed to address the major shortcoming of the existing designs in generating a continuous source for improvement. That is the special feature of this concept: its self-propelling capacity. A dynamic and constant source for improvement is found in the clients and suppliers of the work groups. The mini-company concept It was Suzaki (1993) who coined the term mini-company for work groups who are responsible for their supplier-client relationships. Each work group within the company has its own process. The next process is viewed as the customer and the previous process is viewed as the supplier of every unit. Involving the chain of processes is potentially powerful in cases where improvement and innovation is needed, since it is known that diverse contacts outside ones own group enhance innovation ideas generation (Pelz and Andrews, 1966). In fact, it is an external criterion that stimulates improvement and innovation. For our purposes, here we adapt this insight from Suzaki and transform it into a European concept of team-based work: sociotechnical systems design (Trist, 1981; De Sitter et al. 1997; De Leede, 1997). We use the term minicompany as a metaphor in thinking on the organisation of the factory (Verkerk et al. , 1997). The word mini-company provides us with ideas like ownership, commitment, entrepreneurship, client-supplier relationships. The structural basis of the mini-company is similar to the sociotechnical view on the semi-autonomous group, albeit complemented by the concept of client and supplier relationships. The mini-company has four characteristics, distinct from sociotechnical semi-autonomous groups: (1) The mini-company has a name and a mission statement. Both are formulated by the mini-company itself. (2) The mini-company identifies its clients and suppliers and is responsible for managing its relationships. While external clients and suppliers are not always appropriate for having direct contacts with the mini-company, the internal client-supplier relationships are in most cases suitable. (3) The mini-company is responsible for its own improvement programme. Based on its contacts with clients, suppliers and management, the minicompany is able to identify its weak points, which are due for improvement. 4) The mini-company presents its name, mission, members, customers, suppliers, improvement programme and results on display walls. This has been called glass wall management (Suzaki, 1993). Everyone, including a stranger, must be able to see and understand the process and the actual state. The mini-company process is the dynamic side of the mini-company concept. It represents a cycle in which in every period the name and mission are un der discussion, and in which in every period the relevant clients and suppliers are identified and visited. These visits are oriented at overall assessments of the mini-company. In realising the cycle of the mini-company process every time the requirements of (internal or external) customers and suppliers are made visible for the mini-company by itself. These requirements are the inputs for the improvement programme. At the end of each cycle, the results are reported to management. Since every cycle in the end is restarted in fact this is a regular evaluation of the functioning of the mini-company on the basis of market requirements. Case study design The question now remains how this concept performs in practice. What is the contribution of mini-companies to improvement? Therefore, we next present a case-study of the application of the mini-company concept in a Philips business unit. The case-study design consisted of the following methods: document analysis (notes and company reports), observation techniques (one of the authors took part in the action team program and did a two-week internship on the shop floor) and interviews (a total of 30 interviews with all-level managers and operators). In addition, two surveys have been carried out on some socialdynamic aspects on teamwork and on the effects of the mini-companies. The first survey (N=102) was answered by 80 per cent of the (first) operators. The second survey was answered (N=23) by 50 per cent of indirect staff. The time span of the case-study was from early 1995 until mid 1996. Case Philips CMA Market and product In 1992 Philips Components decided to start a new business unit. The new business unit was to be held responsible for the development, production and marketing of Ceramic Multilayer Actuators. It was located at Roermond, The Netherlands, because there was available both an industrial infrastructure and a development laboratory for ceramic and multilayer technology. The market perspectives were promising from the start. The demand for the main product (CMA) was rapidly increasing. However, the market for ceramic multilayer actuators is very dynamic. The product is an important device for ink-jet printers. In fact, Philips CMA is a sub-contractor for a company operating in the turbulent market for ink-jet printers. Short time-to-market, high flexibility and very tough competition are typical for this market, and these are part of the market situation of Philips CMA. The dynamic situation caused by the market is even increased by the complexity of the product. CMA is a new product, applied in a new technology. The product itself was not completely ready for production. Further development was needed in co-operation with the (Japanese) customer. Co-development  ± both in co-operation with the customer Mini-company concept 1195 IJOPM 19,11 1196 and some suppliers  ± was needed. Only then could some technological problems be tackled. These characteristics of the market and the product do imply high demands on the organisation. At Philips the solution has been sought in concurrent engineering  ± that is, development and production at overlapping stages. The product is in production, though not fully developed. Test series are made in the shop floor, not in the laboratory. This implies a very strict co-operation between production and development. In addition to the concept of concurrent engineering, continuous improvement is needed to ensure higher yields, better quality and timely delivery. To cope with the growing demand for the product, it is necessary to enhance the production capacity. Design and implementation of mini-companies at CMA The mini-company concept was introduced in 1994, after two years of operation. In fact it was no more than an intensive continuation and formalisation of former management policies. In the years 1992 ±1994 the business unit was growing from 25 to 125 people. The quality and the yield of the production had to be enhanced dramatically. The general approach was characterised by a focus on process control and step by step improvement. No breakthrough by one big innovation, only many small improvements were attained by an interdisciplinary approach: many joint efforts of development, factory engineering, repair and maintenance, quality department and purchasing. In addition to this, operator involvement was arranged by teamwork. Many so-called Process Inventory Teams dealt with problems for one specific part of the process. Members of the teams were one developer, one factory engineer, at least one first-operator and, depending on the problem, other indirect people. The results of these teams were very promising. Quality and yield increased, and products could be delivered to the customers. In 1994 the specifications of the customers were set even more tightly. Again, the organisation faced a challenge. Then, factory management introduced the minicompany concept. The structural basis of the mini-company is the unit structure, already designed on sociotechnical principles. The units are responsible for a complete part of the process, which is well identified. The boundaries of the units are carefully chosen, based on the principle that the number of internal relationships exceeds the number of external relationships. The mini-company is designed to be the unit. It is not their own shift, it is not the entire factory, but it is the unit with which they should identify themselves. In five shifts the operators make one discernible product, which is a distinct phase in the process. The production structure consists of five units: foil casting, screen printing and pressing, furnace processes, dicing, visual inspection and packing. The hierarchy within Philips CMA includes four layers: general manager, factory manager, unit leader and operator. Every shift has one first operator and several other operators. Operators are working in a five-shift schedule. There are three unit leaders, who have a span-of-control varying from 16 to 55. See Figure 3 for the organisation chart. The units, i. e. all operators including the unit leader, form a mini-company. They have followed a training programme. In this programme, the minicompany philosophy and the mini-company process was explained. Also the improvement techniques were trained. The mini-company process The mini-company process incorporates two separate cycles, a nine-step-cycle and a seven-step-cycle. The nine-step-cycle is a long-term cycle lasting one year. This cycle is a modification of the cycle mentioned in Suzaki (1993). The most important activities of every cycle are the formulation of the mission statement, the identification and interviewing of suppliers and customers, and the design and implementation of an improvement programme. Based on the interview results with suppliers, customers and management, the minicompany itself sets the priorities of the needed improvement activities. Management has to affirm the improvement programme, and demands thorough arguments; however, it never happened that the programme of the mini-company was changed by management. In this way, management values the contribution of the mini-companies on the basis of solid arguments. The improvement programme is realised by improvement teams, so-called action teams. These teams carry out the seven-step cycle, a short-term cycle, which is in fact an extended version of the plan-do-check-action circle. The planning stage consists of four phases. The action teams consist of one operator of every shift in the mini-company and  ± depending on the problem  ± several indirect people from quality, factory engineering, development, etc. The chairman of this action team is in most cases the unit leader. Some examples of improvements realised by the mini-companies are the following. Several mini-companies improved their shift change procedures. One mini-company changed the layout of their process. Another mini-company tried successfully to reduce the frequency of some maintenance activities. Also Mini-company concept 1197 Figure 3. Organization chart Philips CMA IJOPM 19,11 the registration procedures to the computer-aided-manufacturing system were reduced. Another action team focused on a specific quality problem and identified the hidden process parameter causing the problem. Effects What are the results of this application of the mini-company concept? We only resent four effects: (1) the contribution of the mini-companies to improvement; (2) the number of contacts with internal and external clients, suppliers and experts; (3) the power relations within the business unit CMA; (4) the trust relations within the business unit CMA. The results presented in this section are based on the two surveys, respectively among the (first) operators (N=102) and the indirect employees (N=23). The results are supported by the interviews and documents. First, we give an indication of the kind of contribution the mini-companies deliver  ± three different types of innovation. We distinguish between small improvements, rather big improvements and big innovations. Improvements are changes within the existing process, while innovations are changes resulting in radical new processes. In Figure 4 the results are presented, based on the survey among the (first) operators. A similar picture arose from the survey among the indirect employees, with one exception. The indirect employees indicated that the operators usually delivered valuable observations and experiences also in the case of big innovations. According to them, this is a prerequisite for a smooth innovation process. They view the operators as the eyes, ears and hands of the developers on the shop floor. The conclusion is that the mini-companies in most cases deliver a contribution towards improvements, and they play a relatively small, though valuable, role in innovations. Their role is in the co-operation with developers in Failure Mode and Effect Analyses in the assessment of ergonomic aspects of new equipment, in the design of the lay-out of new workplaces, in the support of new tests and samples, and so on. Another effect in this area is that the number of improvement actions increased so much, that the department of 198 Figure 4. Contribution of minicompanies to improvements/ innovations (percentage of (first)operators (N=102); 0=no contribution, 1=contribution) technical maintenance was not able to respond to all requests for assistance. This seems to be an indication of the self-propelling characteristic of CI in a mini-company process. A second effect of working in mini-companies is the number of contacts with internal and external customers and suppliers. Figure 5 shows the results of the survey, indicating the percentages of (first) operators who have regular direct contacts with the relevant outside world. Included are also the contacts with internal and external experts. It is obvious that most operators have regular contact with internal clients and suppliers and internal experts (developers, factory engineers, technicians). External contacts are not usual. The third effect of the mini-company concept is the change in the power relations. We have measured the power relations with the control graph, an instrument developed by Tannenbaum (1968). In Figure 6 the control graph of this case is presented. This control graph is based on the survey among the (first) operators (N=102). This control graph shows high levels of influence among all hierarchical levels, as perceived by (first) operators. In the words of Tannenbaum (1968), this indicates a large total amount of control, which is an indicator of effectiveness. The fourth effect is on trust relations. When we view the relationships between hierarchical levels, it is not only power that comes in. It is also a matter of trust. In this case 85 per cent of the (first) that they had operators stated to have trust in the management, which is quite high. Both observation and Mini-company concept 1199 Figure 5. Internal and external contacts of the minicompanies (N=102) Figure 6. Control graph (N=102; 1=very little influence, 6=very much influence) IJOPM 19,11 interviews confirmed this result. These high trust relations are in line with the successful implementation of the mini-company concept and in the real changes in management style the operators report. Discussion and conclusion We interpret these case results as a good illustration of the mini-company concept. In the case, this concept proved to be implemented carefully, with a balanced attention to both structural and social-dynamic matters. This appears to be crucial: it is not only the structural features of the mini-company concept that are important, but also the social-dynamic factors like power and trust of the mini-company process. The control graph of the Philips case illustrated this. Some authors (Van Haren, 1984; Van Oostrum, 1989) have elaborated on the reasons for the relation between total amount of control and effectiveness. They view the relationships between the hierarchical levels as exchange relations in which power plays an important role. The higher the total amount of control, the higher the intensity of the exchange relationships between the levels. It is necessary to have information exchange and joint decision making to increase this intensity. This joint decision making, and at least the information exchange, is a prerequisite for effectiveness in many situations. They specify also some situations in which it is not effective to have a high amount of control. In short, in standard situations this is not appropriate, but where uncertainty plays a role, it is wise to incorporate in decision making processes as much knowledge and as many stakeholders as possible. In cases of improvement and innovation, uncertainty by definition plays a role. Therefore it is important to create a structure fostering intense exchange relationships between the different hierarchical levels and between the different groups in production, development and support. The mini-company concept is an attempt to provide such a structure. How can we characterise the mini-company concept in the light of our theoretical review of organisational designs for CI? First, the mini-company concept embodies parallel CI-activities as well as integrated CI-activities. Integrated activities include the job consultation mechanisms with all minicompany members and the awareness of all employees in the need for improvement and client orientation. The parallel CI-activities strengthened this awareness by circulating the progress of the action teams by shift representatives. In addition, the glass wall is the medium for information sharing. Second, the mini-company concept is based on a team-based work design. The sociotechnical analysis created the boundaries of the minicompanies, indicating a natural group-orientation of the involved employees. The combination of these two characteristics implies the hybrid nature of the mini-company concept in terms of Berger: the most dominant type is widefocus CI, but for some activities this is combined with expert task-force CI and organic CI. Third, the factory management of this case strongly advocates a true involvement of employees in improvement activities. This is illustrated in the positive power and trust relations. Also, the co-operative 1200 working styles of operators, factory engineers and developers are illustrations of this consistent approach of operator involvement. Fourth, the mini-company concept incorporates the self-propelling capacity for improvement: from clients, suppliers and management a constant stream of ideas for improvement is regenerated in every cycle. Particularly at this point, the mini-company concept seems to be powerful, compared to other organisational designs for CI. This is in line with old findings like Pelz and Andrews (1966). Our final question is this one: Is the mini-company concept as an organisational design for CI the promising bridge between day-to-day operations and improvement activities, with a strong market orientation and with true and sufficient employee involvement? The answer is yes and no. On the one hand, the concept offers promising elements in the integration of market and client relations. The mini-company process ensures a constant connection with clients and suppliers, which starts a continuous source of improvement possibilities. When it is managed well, the concept enhances the decision latitude of the employees including CI activities. On the other hand, this is precisely the Achilles heel of this concept: the management. True employee involvement  ± which is a prerequisite for successful and lasting CI  ± depends on the way management is willing to share power and to build trust. In the Philips case, we demonstrated the success of this application of the minicompany concept, but highlighted also the relatively flat power relations and high trust relations. We think power sharing and high trust both are essential in managing an effective CI programme. References Adler, P. and Cole, R. E. (1993), Designed for learning: a tale of two autoplants, Sloan Management Review, Spring, pp. 85-94. Bailey, D. E. (1997), Manufacturing improvement team programs in the semiconductor industry, IEEE Transactions on semiconductor manufacturing, Vol. 10 No. 1, pp. 1-10. Berger, A. 1997), Continuous improvement and kaizen: standardization and organizational designs, Integrated Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp. 110-17. Berggren, C. (1994), NUMMI vs. Uddevalla, Sloan Management Review, Winter, pp. 37-45. Bessant, J. and Caffyn, S. (1997), High-involvement innovation through continuous improvement, Int. J. Technology Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 7-28. Cotton, J. L. (1993), Employee Involvement. Methods For Improving Performance and Work Attitudes, Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA. Fukuda, R. (1989), CEDAC. A Tool for Continuous Systematic Improvement, Productivity Press, Cambridge, MA. Hackman, J. R. and Wageman, R. (1995), Total quality management: empirical, conceptual, and practical issues, Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 40, June, pp. 309-42. Haren, T. H. C. van (1984), Power in Organisations, PhD thesis, University of Utrecht, Utrecht (in Dutch). Imai, M. (1986), Kaizen. The Key to Japans Competitive Success, Random House, New York, NY. Leede, J. de (1997), Bottom-up Innovation; on the Contribution of Semi-autonomous Groups in Product and Process Innovation, PhD thesis University of Twente, Kluwer Bedrijfsinformatie, Deventer (in Dutch). Mini-company concept 1201 IJOPM 19,11 202 Lindberg, P. and Berger, A. (1997), Continuous improvement: design, organization and management, International Journal of Technology Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 86-101. Looise, J. C. (1996), Social Innovation is a Must, but How? , oration University of Twente, Enschede (in Dutch). Oostrum, J. G. M. P. van (1989), Power and Control in Organisations in an Uncertainty-reduction Perspective: an Experimental Approach, PhD thesis University of Utrecht (in Dutch). Pelz, D. C. and Andrews, F. M. (1966), Scientists in Organizations; Productive Climates for Research and Development, Wiley, New York, NY. Schonberger, R. J. (1986), World Class Manufacturing: The Lessons of Simplicity Applied, The Free Press, New York, NY. Schonberger, R. J. (1996), World Class Manufacturing: The Next Decade: Building Power, Strength, and Value, The Free Press, New York, NY. Sitter, L. U. de, Hertog, J. F. den, and Dankbaar, B. (1997), From complex organizations with simple jobs to simple organizations with complex jobs, Human Relations, Vol. 50 No. 5, pp. 497-534. Suzaki, K. (1993), The New Shop Floor Management; Empowering People for Continuous Improvement, The Free Press, New York, NY. Tannenbaum, A. S. (1968), Control in Organizations, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Trist, E. L. (1981), The sociotechnical perspective; the evolution of sociotechnical systems as a conceptual framework and as an action research program, in Ven, A. H. van de, and Joyce, W. F. , Perspectives on Organization Design and Behavior, John Wiley Sons, New York, NY, pp. 19-75. Verkerk, M. J. , Leede, J. de, and Tas, H. J. van der (1997), Market-oriented Production Management; from Semi-autonomous Group to Mini-company, Kluwer Bedrijfsinformatie, Deventer (in Dutch).

Mankind vs. Humankind

Mankind vs. Humankind Mankind vs. Humankind Mankind vs. Humankind By Mark Nichol The issue of gender-neutral language reemerged recently in the form of a publicized incident involving a college student who was (mildly) penalized for the use of the term mankind in a paper she wrote for a class. Why was the score on her assignment lowered by one point out of fifty? The course’s professor had explicitly admonished students to use gender-neutral language such as humankind in place of the gender-specific mankind in their papers. The student (a woman), to test the instructor’s conviction about the point, deliberately used mankind in the assignment and discovered that the professor was serious. So, what’s the big deal? Mankind has been used to refer collectively to humans since the Middle Ages. (Humankind, by the way, is younger but also dates back hundreds of years.) Why is the term widely considered sexist and exclusive? For the same reason that writers are encouraged to refer to police officers, not policemen, and chairs, not chairmen, and servers, not waiters or waitresses (though chairperson is considered cumbersome, and it is inoffensive to use waiters for either gender, thanks to the fact that waiter, though originally a designation for what was at the time of its coinage an exclusively male occupation, is not masculine in form). Many people, including numerous women, decry this supposedly politically correct linguistic reformation, which is based on the belief that terms that encourage one to engage with a concept with the assumption that it pertains primarily to males perpetuates a perception that women are second-class citizens. The backlash is not without merit, as proposed gender-neutral language can be absurd (as with waitperson or waitron, gender-neutral substitutions for waiter or waitress, or in regard to gender-neutral pronouns that, absurdly, have been coined in an attempt to replace the gender-specific pronoun he, when effective solutions already exist). But extending mankind with two letters, or even replacing the collective man with humanity, seems a reasonable accommodation to bend language to reflect an effort to achieve gender equality. Many authorities agree. Bryan A. Garner, in Garner’s Modern American Usage, recommends humankind- and on a related topic writes, â€Å"The writer’s point of view matters less than the reader’s† (with the implication that, in addition, the writer should not presuppose the reader’s preference, but should as a default use inclusive language). The Modern Language Association supports gender-neutral language, and The Chicago Manual of Style advises it, too. Three of the pillars of society- education, politics, and business- champion gender-neutral language, with justifications that are distinct yet universally applicable: In education, inclusiveness encourages a perception of the human race that doesn’t conjure an image of a man or men by default; in politics, it discourages discrimination in laws and policy; and in business, it welcomes all potential customers and clients. Gender-neutral language also accommodates those who reject a binary gender system, and regardless of one’s ideology about gender identity, gender fluidity is a scientifically validated concept. This issue is ultimately one of style, and, as always in regard to style, if one self-publishes, one does so with the freedom to choose how one conducts oneself in writing, with the attendant consequences of assuming that responsibility. But writers who elect to submit content to publishing companies or to contribute to an employer’s or client’s publications must accept that most publishers will heed Garner’s admonition stated above. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:What is the Difference Between "These" and "Those"?Precedent vs. PrecedenceDrama vs. Melodrama

The 5 Best AP World History Books for Practice and Review

The 5 Best AP World History Books for Practice and Review SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips It's hard to know where to begin when studying for AP World History. Though the exam mainly covers broad themes and trends, there's so much information to sift through that it can be easy to get lost in the weeds. Review books can help guide your study plan, ensure that you revisit the most important concepts, and provide critical test-taking strategies. In this article, I'll go through the best books to use for studying AP World History and how you can choose one that will give you the tools you need to ace this test. What’s in This Guide? This is a list of the most helpful review books that you can use to study for the AP World History exam and other assessments in class throughout the year.These books are meant to be used in conjunction with a high-quality textbook, so most of them are not stand-alone resources for self-studying.However, some are more thorough than others. For world history, review books can make the choice to either focus exclusively on the content you need to know for the AP exam (which is what most of them do), or go more in-depth and market themselves as in-class study aids as well.I’ll list the books that are the most reliable resources for long-term and short-term studying as well as a few that you might consider buying as supplemental resources.I’ll also give you specific pros and cons for each book so you can make a more informed decision about which one fits your needs best. Best Overall Review Book Cracking the AP World History Exam (Princeton Review) Price: about $15 Pros Focuses on larger trends and themes rather than small superfluous details; it only tells you about the essential stuff you need to know for the test Easy to follow and written in a conversational style Two full-length AP practice tests with analytical multiple-choice questions that closely model College Board materials Timeline of events at the end of every section to help you organize the information you’ve learned chronologically Good tips for designing your study plan and for taking the actual test Cons Could improve on essay-writing advice/practice, and doesn’t contain sample essays Not quite detailed enough to use for self-studying Summary I’d consider this book to be the best overall resource because you can make it work for you no matter what your study timeline or score goals happen to be.It doesn’t go overboard in the information it provides, but it also isn’t so sparse that it’s only useful for a quick review before the test.The practice tests are good quality with questions that accurately reflect the difficulty level of the AP exam.Its engaging writing style combined with a focus on key themes and overall chronology of events make this a great resource for almost any student. Best Book for Short-Term Review AP World History Crash Course Price: about $13 Pros Really good for a quick content review in the weeks before the test Great test-taking tips Contains only the information you need to know for the exam Chapters are written in easy-to-digest outline form Cons No practice exams Can’t be used to review for in-class tests and assignments or self-study without supplementing with a textbook Summary This book is called â€Å"Crash Course† for a reason; it’s made for those of you who’ve waited until the last minute to start studying.This book covers everything you need to know for the test and doesn’t mess around with any extra unnecessary details.Students find this book to be a helpful refresher that can be useful even as late as a week before the AP test.Just be warned that you’ll need to get your practice tests elsewhere if you want to estimate your AP score! Best Book for Long-Term Review Barron’s AP World History, 7th Edition Price: about $15 Pros Good tips for free-response questions (and sample essays!) Very thorough in its coverage of information Connects all the themes of the course to the events in each historical era Two full-length exams with answer explanations Cons Too much material to use for short-term AP review; it's more textbook than review book Overall dry, academic writing style that might make it hard to engage with the material No shorter practice tests at the end of each section for review Practice questions may be more challenging than exam questions Summary As is the norm with Barron’s books, this is a dense, highly detailed look at the course material that goes a bit overboard in its capacity as a â€Å"review book.†If you get it a couple of weeks before the AP test in hopes of quickly going over everything you need to know, you’re going to be overwhelmed.You should only buy this book if you plan to use it for a couple of months to prepare for the AP test or as a self-study resource that will accompany you throughout the course. I’d say this book is also for intense students who are genuinely very interested in the subject and would like to review content in more depth.If you have trouble paying attention to textbooks because of their dull writing style and are looking for something more student-friendly to keep you awake, you should probably get one of the first two books on this list instead. Best Supplemental Books 5 Steps to a 5 AP World History Price: about $18 Pros Comes with access to McGraw-Hill Education’s interactive AP Planner app, which gives you a customizable study schedule on your mobile device Four complete practice exams A few different sample study plans to choose from to guide your studying accompanied by a calendar so you can see everything laid out Helpful charts and short quizzes for each unit Short and more digestible than other review books Cons Not detailed enough to use to study for assignments throughout the year Two practice tests are on the computer, which isn't how you'll take the real AP exam Summary This book falls between the Princeton Review and Crash Course regarding its level of detail.It’s easy to grasp, and it has a decent amount of practice materials.If you need more sample questions and want a book that gives you a straightforward, step-by-step study process, this is a nice resource to have. AP World History Study Guide Price: about $11 Pros High-quality 50-question practice quiz with answer explanations Strong section on test-taking strategies In-depth summaries for key concepts Short and sweet - doesn’t give you more information than you need Cons Format could use some work - there’s a lot of text and not a lot of graphics No DBQ prompt Not good for long-term studying because it’s tailored to cover only the material on the AP exam Summary This book is sparse on practice questions and graphics, so if you zone out easily, it could be tough getting through the walls of text.Still, it’s very short, and it is good at going through only what you need to know.This is a book that you could buy if you’re a week or two away from the test and want a way to review all the information quickly and learn good test-taking strategies. Which AP World HistoryBook Should You Get? All of these books are helpful in their own ways. I'd recommend starting with one of the first three, ideally whichever one aligns best with your time limits and style of learning. The Princeton Review book should be a good fit for a wide variety of students. If you have a month or two to study and are looking for a one-size-fits-all accessible guide to the test, you should go with that one. The Crash Course book is better if you're short on time and just need a way to review all the concepts quickly and efficiently. This is the best option if you only have a week or two until the exam or are looking for a book that just outlines the most essential concepts. Barron's is best for self-study throughout the year or review over the course of a few months. If you're an intense student and want a book that you can use throughout the year to study for both in-class assessments and the AP test, Barron's isa good option for you. If you get one of the first three books and run out of practice materials or aren't a fan of the way the information is presented, you can go ahead and try one of the supplementary resources! Five Steps to a 5 is more suited to long-term study, and the AP World History Study Guide is better for a quick review. What's Next? Need more practice materials? Check out this article with links to every AP World History practice test available onlineand this article with links to the best DBQ examples. You don't necessarily need to buy a review book to get some great study tips. Read our list of six key strategies for doing well on the AP World History exam. When do you actually have to get yourself in gear and start studying?Find out when you should begin studying for your AP exams based on your goals. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Personal Ethic Statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Personal Ethic Statement - Essay Example I affirm Leopold correctly states â€Å"land should be both respected and loved† (Nelson 1). Respecting land means avoiding the use of pesticides because pesticides produce poisoned food. I feel that loving the land means understanding which plants will grow on the land. Respecting and loving the land will bring health benefits. Furthermore, I feel Leopold correctly states the â€Å"land ethics concept affects the people’s health† (Nelson 1). Pesticide-induced food products are unhealthy. Pesticide food is poisoned. Land ethics requires using non-pesticide inputs. Health-based management of the land will increase economic benefits. Moreover, I confirm Leopold’s land ethics ensures higher economic benefits. Leopold correct insisted that â€Å"people must take care of the land’s health† (Nelson 1). Most health-conscious persons will not buy the pesticide-induced food products. The same individuals will patronize pesticide-absent grown food. Consequently, selling pesticide-absent food generates high food sales. Concluding, I personally affirm Leopold’s land ethics concept of compulsory ethics-based healthy land management. I propose the right future land management requires planting foods that will thrive best on the land. Likewise, I insist that right future land management requires avoidance of poison-based pesticides inputs. I adhere to Leopold’s espousing the healthy management of the land will result to a healthy environment. Evidently, I affirm land-inclusive ethics rightfully governs the actions of human

Winston Churchills War Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Winston Churchills War Leadership - Essay Example Having worked as the first leader in Britain, Churchill took part in the development of British intelligent system between 1918 and 1921. Churchill admired intelligence at an early age because, at the age of twenty, he appreciated the intelligence he used when the guerrillas from Cuba fought the Spanish. He also worked for the British imperial army at the in the forces in South Africa and Sudan. As an intelligent consumer, Churchill was enthusiastic, had individual confidence, assertive, had a lot of emotional firmness, he was friendly and very honest (Dubrin, Dalglish & Miller, 2006, p.67). Therefore, it is the information from intelligent reports that guided his victory. It is important to note that Larders who use consumer intelligence are in a position to understand and control their emotions, and for individuals who work with them. There are traits that can be used to describe effective leaders like Churchill. He can be said to have enthusiasm, individual confidence, assertiveness, sociability, sense of wit, emotional firmness, friendliness, high acceptance to obstruction and honesty (Dubrin et al, 2006, p.67). Therefore using these traits he was in a position to work with different professional advisors. He was responsible for several posts during his career, and he was consummate of all public servants (Best, 2005, p. 45). He took part in the civil war at Cuba, Egypt, India, and Sudan, which was the major influence of the First World War (Best, 2005, p. 45). His experience of survival behind enemy lines added to his repertoire of expertise this motivated his passion for intelligence and how he believed the use of intelligence was military operations. However, Churchill also made several mistakes despite having intelligence (Dubrin, Dalglish & Miller, 2006, p.67). He was also able to learn from his own mistakes this gave him an experience that no any other leader ever had (Dubrin, Dalglish & Miller, 2006, p.67). Therefore, as an intelligent consumer, he also made mistakes but was ready to learn from his own mistakes.

Interpersonal Communication Essay Example for Free

Interpersonal Communication Essay The capability of every individual create effective and efficient communicative mechanisms can help prevent the further escalation of a conflict. Each action, movement, speech is important in establishing such idea. Thus, proper facilitation of interpersonal communication can bridge the gap between two parties and help create possibilities for cooperation. Analyzing the problem critically, there are certain communicative lapses present between the parents and the owner of the day care. These lapses tend to create different perceptions and ideas that in the end result into conflict among members of the group. Another issue that can be argued revolves around the responsibility of the owner of the daycare. It has been elaborated that there are only certain parameters of care that the organization has to offer which is mandated by the handbook of DHA. These contending of ideas of how responsibility of care is administered also bring about struggles and conflict that can further impede and deteriorate the process of interpersonal communication. With these, solutions must be created to administer proper changes and facilitate communication. One important aspect to consider is to be sensitive to the situation and cultural background of the individuals. â€Å"A stereotype, a fixed impression about a group, may influence your perceptions of individual members; you may see individuals only as members of the group instead of as unique individuals. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 4’, p. 1) The next thing to consider is the importance of creating effective listening skills both to individuals and groups. However, there are many factors that affect the way people listen and comprehend things. â€Å"Members of different cultures vary on a number of communication dimensions that influence listening: speech and language, nonverbal behavioral differences, and preferences for direct and indirect styles of communication. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 5’, p. 1) In addition, individuals must be gender sensitive when it comes to listening. â€Å"Men and women may listen differently; generally, women give more specific listening cues to show theyre listening than do men. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 5’, p. 1) Thus, different strategies must be created to facilitate better avenues for listening. The next possible solution can be characterized how people perceive and interpret communication by means of verbal and non-verbal messages. The way to creating effective interpersonal communication is the advancing and merging of both listener and speaker. â€Å"Meaning is more than words and gestures; meaning includes what speaker and listener brings to interpersonal interaction. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 6’, p. ) With this, words, gestures and other meanings given are important in establishing interpersonal communication. â€Å"Meanings are context-based; the context heavily influences the meanings that words and gestures are given. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 6’, p. 1) Thus, these ideas prove to be a main catalyst in achieving interpersonal communication. The last process in trying to resolve this conflict is the communication process itself. The conversation between the listener and speaker plus the mechanisms that were used can be a vital tool in shaping the outcome of interpersonal communication. â€Å"Maintaining conversations depends on the principle of cooperation; the maxims of quantity, quality, relation, and manner; the principle of dialogue; and the principle of turn taking. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 9’, p. 1) With mechanisms in place, conversation may be able to bridge the communication gap brought about by conflict. â€Å"Preventing conversational problems may be aided by the disclaimer, a statement that helps to ensure that your message will be understood and will not reflect negatively on the speaker. † (DeVito, ‘Chapter 9’, p. 1) In the end, giving solutions to the problem of communication revolves around the capability of an individual to harness and foster efficient and effective mechanisms that will create an environment of understanding, collaboration and sensitivity among the group/s. References DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 4:Perception in Interpersonal Communication’ in Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11047/2828208. cw/index. html DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 5: Listening in Interpersonal Communication. In Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11047/2828276. cw/index. html DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 6: Universals of Verbal and Non-verbal messages’ in Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11048/2828345. cw/index. html DeVito, J. A. (2005) ‘Chapter 9: Conversation. ’ in Pearson Education. [on-line] Retrieved December 9, 2007 from http://wpscms. pearsoncmg. com/ab_devito_intrprsnl_11/43/11049/2828563. cw/index. html

A Short History of Fingerprinting Essay -- Exploratory Essays

A Short History of Fingerprinting The use of fingerprinting as a means of identification was born out of the need of law enforcement officials to have permanent records that could determine if a convict had been previously arrested or imprisoned. Before the advent of fingerprinting, law enforcement used a number of different methods to try to accomplish this. Ancient civilizations would tattoo or physically maim prisoners. In more recent times, daguerreotyping (that is, photographing) was used, but proved to be less than reliable, because people had the ability to dramatically alter their appearance (Skopitz). As a result, this method too, became obsolete with the discovery of fingerprinting, an absolutely infallible method of identification. Variations of fingerprinting have existed since the very beginning of civilization. Originally, it was used primarily as a type of signature. However, in the Fourteenth Century, it was discovered by a Persian official that no two people had identical fingerprints (The History of Fingerprints). Over the next 300 years or so, there was little development in fingerprinting, except for the work of two professors, Marcelo Malpighi and John Evangelist Purkinji. Each had works on types of fingerprint patterns published - Malpighi in 1686 and Purkinji in 1823 (The History of Fingerprints). The middle to late Nineteenth Century was the time when interest in fingerprinting peaked and a number of important discoveries were made. This all started with the English Chief Magistrate in India, Sir William Herschel, who required natives to have their fingerprints impressed on all business contracts, a tradition which dated back thousands of years (The Hi... ...y in recent years was the computerization of the process. Fingerprints are now stored and matched using computers. Fingerprinting is still used in criminal investigations, although DNA testing is becoming increasingly prevalent and will likely, in cases in which such evidence is available, eventually replace fingerprinting (Skopitz). Brief Summary of Sources http://onin.com/fp/fphistory.html - This site provides a list of people who made significant advancements in fingerprinting. The list is structured chronologically by the date on which the advancements were made. http://kyky.essortment.com/fingerprinthist_rmmv.htm - This site provides a more detailed history of fingerprinting. It describes methods of identification used prior to the advent of fingerprinting, follows the development of fingerprinting, and speculates on the future of fingerprinting.

The Truth Will Set You Free

Isaiah Houston Mrs. Dempsey English 3, Period4 October 15, 2012 The Truth will set You Free â€Å"Honesty is the best Policy†- Benjamin Franklin. Ever since we were young our parents, teachers and mentors have told us that we should be honest with ourselves and each other. When people lie and act deceitful it will eventually catch up to them. I think that the lies people tell will start to pile up and weigh down your conscience. A prime example of this is in Arthur Miller’s play, the Crucible, when John Proctor hides his affair with Abigail and it continues to haunt him.In Arthur Miller’s the Crucible, he uses John Proctor’s character to illustrate that the truth will put one’s mind at ease and he/she will be set free. With witch trials going on, lies are eminent and they overshadow the truth. People are getting accused of witchcraft for the wrong reasons. The good names of all the respected citizens and being ruined and there’s little to not hing they can do about it. Proctor finds out that his wife Elizabeth is being accused by Abigail, the young lady he has come to know, and he sought revenge against her.John Proctor prepares to face his demons head on and come out with honesty. In order to save his wife, Proctor comes out and admits himself as a lecher in court in order to further convict Abigail and free Elizabeth. Proctor tells the Judge, â€Å"I have known her, sir. I have known her† (page 110). Saying that statement, Proctor crossed the threshold into a more open and honest life. He feels relieved to have the burden of his guilt lifted. By telling the truth Proctor feels free for one of the first times in his life. People can truly be considered honest when they’re willing to put their good name on the line.Once he comes out as a lecher, John Proctor puts his good name on the line and lifts the guilt off of his conscience. The good names of all the respected citizens and being ruined and thereâ€⠄¢s little they can do about it. In the midst of pleading his case Proctor tells the Judge Danforth, â€Å"I have made a bell of my honor! I have rung the doom of my good name ? you will believe me, Mr. Danforth! My wife is innocent, except she knew a whore when she saw one† (page 111)! Judge Danforth is skeptical about believing Proctor so it is up to John to make a convincing case as to why charges on Elizabeth should be dropped.Proctor has all his cards on the table by relying on Mary Warren’s testimony and is willing to ruin his good name for the sake of his wife and friends. From the beginning of the play up to this point people can tell that there has been a change of behavior in John. He seems more aware and selfless when it comes to the feelings and needs of other people. On his mission to save Elizabeth John is joined by his friends Giles Corey and Francis Nurse whose wives have been charged with witchcraft as well.It almost seems like a lost cause until they find out that Mary Warren is aware of Abigail’s lies and she is reluctant to testify on their behalf. But once they get to court Mary Warren betrays them because she cracks from the peer pressure, to maintain the lie that Abigail is telling. Mary Warren soon enough sides with Abigail and Proctor is convicted of wizardry. At this point, no one in Salem is safe, they are all in danger of being convicted or accused of witchcraft. Proctor, even though he was convicted, has a chance at freedom for him and Elizabeth.But that freedom would require him to lie and put flaw on his good name. Eventually Proctor refuses to further dirty his name and was put to death along with all his innocent friends Martha Corey, Rebecca Nurse, and Giles Corey. Upon his deathbed his wife Elizabeth now free and says, â€Å"He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him† (page 145)! Personally I think that Elizabeth can speak for everyone when she says that John has made right with everyb ody and has a clear conscience as he goes to his grave. People can truly be considered honest when they’re willing to sacrifice yourself for others.In Arthur Miller’s the Crucible, he uses John Proctor’s character to illustrate that the truth will put your mind at ease and set you free. When you lie and act deceitful it will eventually catch up to you. Like when Abigail tells all her lies and they eventually catch up to her, causing her to flee Salem. A prime example of this is in Arthur Miller’s play, the Crucible, when John Proctor hides his affair with Abigail and it continues to haunt him. Ever since we were young our parents, teachers and mentors have told us that we should be honest with ourselves and each other. â€Å"Honesty is the best Policy†- Benjamin Franklin.

Asgn

Direction: â€Å"Design and Innovation† Audi| Answers:   ( )| [ ]| Q5| ( )| [ ]| A1| (x)| [+]| R8| ( )| [ ]| TT| | Direction: â€Å"Fits all† Maruti| Answers:   ( )| [ ]| Eeco| (x)| [+]| Omni| ( )| [ ]| Versa| ( )| [ ]| WagonR| | Direction: â€Å"Built for the unwritten road† Volvo| Answers:   ( )| [ ]| XC60| ( )| [ ]| V70| (x)| [+]| S80| ( )| [ ]| C30| | â€Å"Let’s go† Maruti| Answers:   (x)| [+]| Alto| ( )| [ ]| 800| ( )| [ ]| Swift| ( )| [ ]| Estilo| | Just do it! A. Nike B. Adidas C. Reebok D. Goodyear The correct answer is A. Nike Q. 14)  Ã‚  There are some things money can't buy, for everything else there's ______. A. Visa B.American Express C. Mastercard D. Discover The correct answer is C. Mastercard A rainbow (or any other color now) fruit with a bite taken out of it? a) Macintosh Mowers b) Musselman's c) Apple d) Chiquita The correct answer is c) Apple 0. The ‘wave'? a) Big Sur Waterbeds b) Coca-Cola c) Shoreline telephone d) Beech-nut gum The correct answer is b) Coca-Cola What is ‘Six Sigma'? a. A mathematical model for increasing output while lowering costs b. A system of quality management c. A form of industrial dispute arbitration d. An ad-hoc grouping of the world's six most valuable companies The correct answer is b.A system of quality management . Jack Welch is regarded as one of the great business innovators of the modern era. Of which company was he CEO? a. Pfizer b. IBM c. Wal-Mart d. General Electric The correct answer is d. General Electric The production system of which car giant is often held up as a model of business innovation? a. Fiat b. Volkswagen c. Peugeot d. Toyota The correct answer is d. Toyota According to World Health Organization estimates, how many people are currently living with HIV/AIDS worldwide? a. 9. 6 million b. 20. 4 million c. 39. 4 million d. 40. 2 million The correct answer is c. 9. 4 million A loan to pay for a home, business or other real estate over a period of time is a a) deposit b) bankruptcy c) mortgage The correct answer is c) mortgage You read ____ news paper because – You deserve to know a) Times of India b) Hindustan Times c) The Hindu d) Bombay Times The correct answer is b) Hindustan Times Which companies mobile phone are marketed with the slogan – Big inside. Small Outside a) Nokia b) Sony c) Samsung d) Motorola The correct answer is c) Samsung Louie Philippe is the brand name of a a) shirt b) paper c) car d) luggage ware The correct answer is a) shirt   Power is the name of oil from which of the following Oil gaints? a) IOCL b) HP c) BPCL d) Shell The correct answer is b) HP According to the Economic Survey, India is placed at which place in Wireless Network mobile users in the World? a) First b) Second c) Third d) Fourth The correct answer is b) Second hat was the achieved growth rate of GDP in Ninth Five Year Plan? a) 8. 0% b) 7. 0% c) 7. 5% d) 8. 5% The correct answer is b) 7. 0% When did ICC World Cup 2012 Cricket Tournament start? a) February 14, 2012 b) September 18, 2012 c) January 13, 2012 d) August 14, 2012 The correct answer is b) September 18, 2012Finance Bold one is right Financial accounting is focused on the __________ financial statements of a company. | external  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  internal| Which of these two accounting methods has the most potential to distort financial operating results? | a. | Cash basis| | b. | Accrual basis| | c. | Neither – they produce the same result| | The Marketing Mix consists of: | | | :-)| A   | Product, Price, Place, Promotion  | | | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    B   | People, Products, Price, Place  | | | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    C   | Process, People, Physical Evidence, Product| | | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    D   | Price, Promotion, Advertising, Place  | | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    E   | Process, Place, Physical Eviden ce, Product| | Positioning refers to: |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    A   | How consumers perceive the product. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    B   | How competitors perceive the product. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    C   | How products are viewed on the shelf. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    D   | Your product compared to your competitors. | Brand names are primarily used to: |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    A   | Show consumers you own the product. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    B   | Spice up the image of a product. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    C   | To help identify a product. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    D   | To help consumers select a product/service. | Market segmentation refers to:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    A   | Dividing products into distinct groups. |    |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    B   | Dividing competitors into distinct groups. | à ‚   |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    C   | Analysing consumer behaviour. |    |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    D   | The process of dividing markets into distinct groups of buyers. | | | | | PEST is used for: |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    A   | Customer analysis. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    B   | Environmental analysis. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    C   | Competitor analysis. | |   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  |    D   | Product adoption analysis. | .  Name the Person of India who was appointed as Chief Economist of World Bank. (a) Kaushik basu (b) Jaideep Sarkar (c) Narayan Murthy (d) Nandan NilkeniAnswer:   (a) Kaushik basu The Supreme Court of India on 4 September 2012 directed the Union Government of India to re-fix the pay scale of army officers affected by the which Pay Commission? (a) Fourth pay Commission (b) Sixth   pay Commission (c) Fifth Pay Commission (d) None of these Answer:   (a) Fourth p ay Commission 2. At what interest rate percent per annum, The Union Cabinet gave its approval to continue interest subsidy to Public Sector Banks (PSBs), Regional Rural Banks (RRBs), Cooperatives Banks and NABARD enabling them to provide short-term crop loans of up to Rs 3 lakhs to farmers during the year 2012-13? a) 7% Per annum (b) 8. 5 % Per annum (c) 6 %   Per annum (d) 5 % per annum Answer:   (a) 7 % per annum To what percent Government of India on 11 September 2012 reduced interest rates on rescheduled crop loans from 12 percent in the drought-affected areas for the fiscal year 2012-13 (a) 8 percent (b) 5 percent (c) 7 percent (d) 6 percent Answer:   (c) 7 Percent 4. The State Health Ministry of Arunachal Pradesh launched a scheme in Itanagar on 14 September 2012 for providing financial assistance upto 1. 5 lakh rupees to BPL patients suffering from life threatening diseases in the form of a onetime grant.What was the name of that scheme? (a) Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi (b) Rashtriya Janseva Nidhi (c) Rashtriya Sarvoklayan Prayojna (d) None of these Answer:   (a) Rashtriya Aarogya Nidhi 5. Name the Person of India who was appointed as Chief Economist of World Bank. (a) Kaushik basu (b) Jaideep Sarkar (c) Narayan Murthy (d) Nandan Nilkeni Answer:   (a) Kaushik basu Name the Indian boxer and London Olympic bronze medalist  Ã‚   who on 24 September 2012 named as the brand ambassador of super fight league. (a) Vijendra Singh (b) M C Mary Kom (c) Manoj Kumar (d) Vikas Krishan Answer: (b) M C Mary Kom 3.Name the Former Cricketer and all-rounder, who was appointed as the Chairman of the five member senior selection committee of BCCI on 27 September 2012. (a) Saba Karim (b) Vikram Rathour (c) Sandeep Patil (d) Rajinder Singh Hans. Answer: (c) Sandeep Patil 4. Deepika Kumari the Sports Person from India, won Silver at Recurve World Cup on 23 September 2012 in Tokyo. Recurve world Cup is related to which Sports Event? (a) Archery (b) Shooting (c) Disc Thro wing (d) Volley ball Answer: (a) Archery 5. Which Indian golfer wrapped up a four-shot victory at the Yeangder tournament players Championship in Chinese Taipei on 17 September 2012? a) Gaganjeet Bhullar (b) Jeev Mikha Singh (c) Shiv Kapur (d) Jyoti Randhawa Answer: (a) Gaganjeet Bhullar Name the person who on 13 September 2012 was appointed as the 39th chief justice of India (a) Justice Altamas Kabir (b) Justice A. K. Sikri (c) Rajeev Gupta (d) Justice Mohit Shantilal Shah Answer: (a) Justice Altamas Kabir 2. Which person was appointed as the president of, The Indian Newspaper Society for the year 2012-2013 on 13 September 2012 during the 73rd annual meet of the Newspaper Society? (a) K. N. Tilak Kumar (b) Ravindra Kumar (c) Ashish Bagga (d) Pradeep Gupta Answer: (a) K. N. Tilak Kumar 3.On which date Vayalar Ravi, Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs inaugurated the 7th Heads of Indian Missions (HoMs) conference and announced revised Indian Community Welfare Fund (ICWF) scheme. (a) 15 September 2012 (b) 16 September 2012 (c) 17 September 2012 (d) 20 September 2012 Answer: (c) 17 September 2012 4. The Supreme Court of India on 14 September 2012 lifted the gag order on media reporting of troop movement that was ordered by one of the High Court. HC order was in violation of the fundamental right under Article 19(1) (a) of the Constitution, granted to the media and every citizen of the country.The order came from which of the high court? (a) Allahabad High court (b) Calcutta high court (c) Karnataka high court (d) Madras high court Answer: (a) Allahabad High court 5. The Union government hiked Dearness Allowance (DA) by what percent benefiting its 80 lakh employees and pensioners and costing the exchequer an additional Rs7,408 crore annually? (a) 4 percent (b) 8 percent (c) 7 percent (d) 6 percent Answer: (c) 7 percent For what percent, The Government of India on 20 September 2012 hiked the foreign investment cap for the broadcasting service providers? (a) 65 perc ent (b) 74 percent (c) 80 percent d) 54 percent Answer: (b) 74 percent 2. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) on 24 September 2012 approved a package on debt restructuring for the state-electricity boards. What was net worth of that package? (a) 1. 90 lakh Crore (b) 3. 5 lakh Crore (c) 2. 6 lakh Crore (d) 1. 25 lakh Crore Answer: (a) 1. 90 lakh crore 3. Which agency was instructed by the Central Vigilance Commission on 24 September 2012 to expand its investigation scope on Coal Block Allocation to private firms in between 1993 to 2004? (a) Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (b) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) c) CAG Committee (d) None of These Answer: (b) Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) 4. Market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has approved a proposed hike of the government's stake in Industrial Finance Corporation of India Ltd (IFCI) to make it a state-run company. What was hike that Percent? (a) 56. 25 Percent (b) 55. 57 Percent (c ) 54. 35 Percent (d) 58. 65 Percent Answer: (b) 55. 5 Percent 5. State Bank of India, the country’s largest bank, cuts its base rate with how much point making it to 9. 75 percent? (a) 25 basis point (b) 45 basis point (c) 35 basis point d) 50 basis point Answer: (a) 15 basis point The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited introduced a system for making the payment of the bookings via mobile phones. What is the name of that system? (a) Interbank Mobile Payment System (IMPS) (b) Sybase mobile banking System (c) Railway mobile banking system (d) PNB mobile banking System Answer: (a) Interbank Mobile Payment System (IMPS) 2. Name the Union Minister who had suggested setting up of a National Investment Board (NIB) under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to accord speedy clearances to mega proposals. a) Sharad Pawar (b) A. K. Antony (c) Kapil Sibal (d) P. Chidambaram Answer (d) P. Chidambaram 3. Reserve Bank of India injected a liquidity of around ___________by slash ing down the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points to 4. 50 percent from 4. 75 percent. (a) 17000 crore (b) 15000 crore (c) 10000 crore (d) 12000 crore Answer: (a) 17000 crore 4. Shimla Municipal Corporation introduced a Tax on Shimla entry of vehicles that are not registered in Himachal Pradesh. What was the name of that tax? (a) Envy Tax (b) Green Tax (c) Carbon tax (d) Natural resource consumption taxAnswer: (b) Green tax 5. Name the report which was submitted to the finance minister of India by the Shome Committee constituted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, after the approval of Prime Minister of India. (a) GARR   Report (b) CAG Report (c) Financial Credit Report (d) Tax Mitigation Report Answer: (a) GARR Report Name the astronaut of Indian American origin who took over the command of International Space Station on 15 September 2012. (a) Sunita Williams (b) Kalpana Chawla (c) Ravish Malhotra (d) None of these Answer: (a) Sunita Williams 2.Scientists at Goddard Inst itute for Space Studies (GISS) warned that most of Earth's land areas might face an extreme summer heat wave than they did faced in between 1951 to 1980. Goddard Institute of Space Studies is a division of which space research centre? (a) ISRO (b) NASA (c) Centre of astrophysics (d) European Space Agency Answer: (b) NASA 3. On which date from 1995 onwards the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer is celebrated worldwide? (a) 15 September (b) 18 September (c) 16 September (d) 12 September Answer: (c) 16 September 4.Where the ozone layer is mainly found in the Earth’s atmosphere? (a) Stratosphere (b) Hemisphere (c) Ozonosphere (d) Troposphere Answer: (a) Stratosphere 5. The environment ministry on 12 September 2012 suspended the clearance of environmental guidelines issued to 93 Mines across which state? (a) Himachal Pradesh (b) Rajasthan (c) Goa (d) Madhya Pradesh Answer: (c) Goa The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation Limited introduced a syste m for making the payment of the bookings via mobile phones. What is the name of that system? (a) Interbank Mobile Payment System (IMPS) (b) Sybase mobile banking System c) Railway mobile banking system (d) PNB mobile banking System Answer: (a) Interbank Mobile Payment System (IMPS) 2. Name the Union Minister who had suggested setting up of a National Investment Board (NIB) under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to accord speedy clearances to mega proposals. (a) Sharad Pawar (b) A. K. Antony (c) Kapil Sibal (d) P. Chidambaram Answer (d) P. Chidambaram 3. Reserve Bank of India injected a liquidity of around ___________by slashing down the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) by 25 basis points to 4. 50 percent from 4. 75 percent. (a) 17000 crore (b) 15000 crore (c) 10000 crore d) 12000 crore Answer: (a) 17000 crore 4. Shimla Municipal Corporation introduced a Tax on Shimla entry of vehicles that are not registered in Himachal Pradesh. What was the name of that tax? (a) Envy Tax (b) Green Tax (c) Car bon tax (d) Natural resource consumption tax Answer: (b) Green tax 5. Name the report which was submitted to the finance minister of India by the Shome Committee constituted by the Central Board of Direct Taxes, after the approval of Prime Minister of India. (a) GARR   Report (b) CAG Report (c) Financial Credit Report (d) Tax Mitigation Report Answer: (a) GARR Report