Macroeconomic Performance of China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Macroeconomic Performance of China - Essay Example The country's economic progress is visible in terms of all these factors - the huge jump in per capita incomes, the increased scope of activities for non - state sector enterprises, and its closer integration with the global economy. The Chinese economy grew at a healthy rate of 8% in the year 2000. The growth was stimulated by supportive macroeconomic policies, and a favorable external environment. PESTLE Analysis - an Introduction: PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding the "big picture" of the environment, in which you are operating, and the opportunities and threats that lie within it. By understanding the environment in which you operate (external to your company or department), you can take advantage of the opportunities and minimize the threats (RAPIDBI). Specifically the PEST or PESTLE analysis is a useful tool for understanding risks associated with market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business or organization. Political Environment: Political forces influence the legislations and government rules and regulations under which the firm operates. Every company faces political constraints in the form of antitrust laws, fair trade decisions, and tax programs, minimum usage legislations, pollution and pricing policies, administrative activities and many other actions, aimed at protecting the consumers and the local environment. These laws, rules and regulations affect a company's profits. However, there are other political actions such as patent laws, government subsidies and product research grants that support business activities. Thus, political forces influence the organization both positively and negatively. Political activity also influences three additional functions, viz. the supplier function, the customer function and the competitor function. The customer function is influenced by the political activity when government demand for products and services can create, sustain, enhance or eliminate many market opportunities. Economic Environment: Economic factors clearly indicate the nature and direction of the economy in which a firm operates. Every market is unique and consumption patterns change along with the wealth of the consumers in various market segments. For strategic planning all the economic trends at national and international levels have to be considered. Prime interest rates, inflation rates and trends in the growth of the Gross National Product (GNP), general availability of credit, the level of disposable income and the propensity of people to spend are the economic trends that have to be analyzed. The potential economic impact of international forces appeared to be severely restricted and was largely discounted until recently. The focus of economic environmental forecasting was changed by the new international power brokers. The European Economic Community (EEC), the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and coalitions of lesser-developed countries (LDC) are three well known examples of influential international power brokers. Social Environment: The social environment is an important factor as changes in the values, beliefs, attitudes, opinions and lifestyles in society create potential opportunities for an organization. For a company to grow, it is necessary to take advantage of societal

RFID and NFC Comparison and Analysis

RFID and NFC Comparison and Analysis RFID and NFC RFID JRI faces multiple problems that can be resolved with Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology and NFC card payments. RFID technology consists of three main components: a chip, a reader, and a database. RFID works through a series of steps. First, the RFID reader sends energy to the RFID chip that is placed within or on the exterior of any type of device. The RFID chip receives the energy from the reader, and transmits information to it. The reader can process this information and send it to a database (Bonsor Felon, 2017). The chips will be placed onto devices that need to be used for tracking purposes such as rental equipment, golf clubs, and tennis rackets. This source of information will be transformed into data through the RFID reader and tracked in a database in order to determine how long someone used the object and where it is. Then, when the guest pays, they will have their accounts automatically charged without having someone input that information. RFID differentia tes itself from barcodes in many ways. Traditionally, almost every object in a store is tagged with a barcode that must be scanned one by one by a clerk at the checkout. RFID chips will still be placed on object like the barcodes, but there will be no need for them to be scanned on by one because the RFID readers can detect them within a roughly 20-foot range (Bonsor Felon, 2017). Suppose that guests wanted to purchase an assortment of items on the JRI resort. They would simply grab what they want, walk out and make their payment with the NFC card (will be explained later). This will overall reduce the bottlenecks of checkout lines by a significant margin. Business Processes The way this will influence the business process is that the important resources of JRI will be managed more efficiently using crucial information. Guests at JRI will also have an RFID chip on their NFC card that will allow them to enter and exit certain facilities without having to put their card up to the door. The reason this process works is because the RFID chip will contain all the ID of the customer such as their age and their name. Activities use information to determine how inputs transfer into outputs, and in this case, the input will be the identification of the customer and the output will be the ability for the information system to grant them access or not. As mentioned before, the most crucial information in this system will be all the data of the specific object the RFID chip is attached to just like a barcode. Facilities at JRI will need to be updated to accommodate this technology for one important reason: checkpoints. When a customer has their items they want and w ant to leave the store, there needs to be checkpoints that customers walk through that will indicate that they want to purchase the item and pay for it with their NFC card. The readers need to be placed in strategic positions depending on the product, but in general, they would be in the same place a traditional barcode scanner would be. And finally, the resources of the company will be positively influenced because the suppliers of products to the resort will have more accurate tracking systems and they will know when they need to restock their inventories. Less workers will be required to check out items too which will alleviate labor costs of the business. NFC The second component of my alternative is the NFC card reader. The way this information system would work is this: before customers arrive at the resort, they will go to the website of JRI and sign up for an NFC card. They will enter relevant information like their name, credit card number, and email address. When they arrive at the resort, they will receive an NFC card that has their picture identification and will be used to make payments; the charges will be deducted from their credit card account accordingly. The benefit of this system is that the card will also contain a username and password that will be used to log into various computers that will be spread out through the resort so that they can log on to preorder meals, book golf games, and much more. Any purchases they make at these computers will automatically be charged to their account because it already includes their login information that is tied to their accounts. The NFC purposes of the card will serve to facilitate payments because items will already have an RFID chip and customers will simply have to grab their items, walk past the checkout checkpoint, then they cap their card at an NFC terminal and all leave. A benefit of the NFC payment method is also that the existing payment terminals at JRI will only need to be updated for roughly $150 dollars each and there would be no additional fees that the guests would have to pay (5). And since they already leave their phones when they check in, this feature must be embedded onto a card, like Tim Hortons cards that are used across Canada. Business Processes The business process would be impacted by the NFC card payment because of its impact on how the business works. The activities of the customer would be the purchases of different items at the resort. Rather than carry both and ID and credit card, they would simply be able to use their NFC card that would already contain all their relevant information that must be submitted before they come to the resort. Therefore, the NFC card would convert the identification and payment information into a payment transaction, and because the items already have RFID chips embedded in them, shipping invoices would automatically be made and sent to the supplier for more products (and resources).ÂÂ   For the customer however, they will mostly be impacted by the fact that tapping their card at any payment terminal will automatically connect their identification and credit card info to the purchase to that they can receive items in return. This transaction also impacts the information aspect of the business process too. The final two business processes that are impacted by the NFC payment are the resources of JRI which include the workers, customers, and cash. The workers will not need any additional training for this system because it is already like the existing tap to pay transactions that exist on traditional payment systems, and the customers will be familiar with the system too. The other resources that JRI will no longer need to be concerned with is credit cards and identification because it will be combined onto the NFC. The structures within the business process that will need to be updated will be, as mentioned before, the payment terminals. This is overall a small compromise to make in return for the benefits of a tap to pay transaction that will improve the overall experience of the customer and speed up the transactions. Advantages and Disadvantages of RFID and NFC system RFID The benefits of the RFID system are that it has multiple functions such as the ability to track items and provide meaningful information to the owners of JRI. Knowing where items are, how long they have been checked out and used, and being able to transfer that information into orders is a huge benefit to the organization. The other advantage of passive RFID technology is that the RFID tags can be attached on the outside of objects or inside them (Bonsor Felon, 2017). Most of the major downsides of RFID technology are concerns about privacy and security. Also, to implement RFID, there would need to be coordinated efforts by the management at JRI to transition from barcodes to RFID tags on items; the doors would have to be updated to detect RFID tags as well. The constraints of RFID are that the only cost-effective solution is through the passive technology that can only be activated if it is somewhat close to an RFID terminal. If management wanted to track the range of certain items within the distance of the entire resort, they would need to make significant investment that would not be worth the overall cost. NFC The main advantages of the NFC system are the ease of payments that are provided with the tap to pay system. Customers can simply approach the payment terminal and tap their cards and go about their day without any delays. Compared to RFID, NFC does have some security advantages because it works within a much shorter range and the user data cannot be accessed by someone else without them being pretty much in contact with the card. The benefit of the username and password system of the NFC card is basically that guests at JRI will be able to plan their evenings. They can preorder meals, book a table, book a tee time to golf, and do much more. The disadvantages and constraints of NFC payments are that they are not hands free and work within a close range. Guests will also need to carry a car wherever they go and take it out of their pocket when they make purchases. Also, usernames and passwords can be stolen. If someone happens to drop their card, another guest could simply use it to m ake purchases either through the computer or the NFC payment systems. Cost / Benefit Analysis According to RFID Journal (n.d.), RFID tag costs range from 7 to 15 cents and the readers cost $500 to $2000 dollars. Comparing the cost to the benefit for the customer, this system overall provides a clear advantage over traditional barcodes. The ability for guests to not wait in line and walk through a checkpoint with their items without waiting for them to be scanned is worth the extra implementation costs of this new system. The information that management will receive about the location of their items too will provide meaningful rewards for their investments. There would also be costs for the business to set up computers around the resort. The price of desktop computers varies significantly, but JRI could buy around thirty computers to start with for $1000 dollars per unit and place them strategically around the resort. Comparing the costs to the benefits, its clear that the quick payment method of NFC cards will be a huge value to JRI and the customers. Even families that bring their kids to the resort can easily show them how to use their card, or add another card to their parents account, which they be given permission to use for small purchases. A user-friendly and familiar system will contribute to the profitability and user experience. And finally, the benefit of the username and password system that is implemented on the NFC card will provide value to customers that like to plan and do not like to wait. References Bonsor, K. Fenlon, W. (November 5, 2017). How RFID Works [Web]. Retrieved from http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/high-tech-gadgets/rfid1.htm RFID Journal (n.d.) RFID Frequently Asked Question [Web]. Retrieved from https://www.rfidjournal.com/faq/show?86

The Winslow Boy by Terrance Rattigan :: Free Essay Writer

The Winslow Boy by Terrance Rattigan The Winslow Boy is a play by Terrance Rattigan. It is based on the Archer-Shee case, and is about a young fourteen-year-old boy named Ronnie, who is expelled from the Osbourne Naval Cadets for stealing a five-shilling postal order. This essay is all about some of Ronnie’s friends and family, and their different views on the case. Arthur is Ronnie’s father. He believes that Ronnie is innocent because he knows his son better than anybody and can tell when he is lying or not. On page 34-35, Arthur asks Ronnie, â€Å"Did you steal this postal order?† Ronnie’s then replies, â€Å"No, Father. I didn’t.† Arthur asks again, staring into his eyes, â€Å"Did you steal this postal order?† â€Å"No, Father. I didn’t.† Arthur continued to stare into his eyes for a moment, then relaxes. This tells us that Arthur has decided that Ronnie is innocent. At one point, he had been talking to Grace, and she had almost convinced him to give the case up, and he nearly did. He told Sir Robert Moreton and Catherine that he wasn’t going to go through with the case, but they knew that he didn’t mean it, so they gave him a few days and he decided that he had made the wrong decision and went back to Sir Robert. Grace is Ronnie’s mother. She believes that Ronnie is innocent, and that he didn’t steal the postal order, but she was very shocked when Ronnie was expelled. However, she is not as involved in the case as Arthur, and believes that he is â€Å"Blowing the whole thing out of proportion†. On page 78, for example, Grace is having a conversation with Arthur, â€Å"Oh! I wish I could see the sense of it all! (She points to Ronnie) He’s perfectly happy at a good school, doing very well. No need to ever have known about Osbourne, if you hadn’t gone and shouted it out to the whole world. As it is, whatever happens now, he’ll go through the rest of his life as ‘That boy in the Winslow Case’ â€Å" She is very motherly and comforting towards Ronnie and doesn’t like the amount of stress being put on Ronnie by the case. Catherine, Ronnie’s older sister, is a very strong-minded and intelligent person. She definitely knows that Ronnie did not steal the postal order and will not give up the case without a fight, and is prepared to sacrifice even her husband for Ronnie’s rights (This shows strong family bonds).

Developing a Philosophy of Leadership Essay

A leadership philosophy is the way we see ourselves as leaders. This philosophy guides our actions, our behaviors, and our thoughts. Our philosophies are influenced by external and internal forces. We can change who we are as leaders by simply changing our philosophy of leadership. Leadership philosophies can change as you grow to understand yourself within the context of leading. Creating or finding your leadership philosophy means that you must explore and reflect upon your personal values, assumptions, and beliefs about leadership. Personal values are qualities or characteristics that you value. You would rather leave an organization or step down as a leader than violate your values. Your values guide your intentions and they influence how you lead. When your personal values are clear and you are conscious of them, you create a solid foundation for leading. Assumptions are ideas that are assumed or believed to be true. As a leader it is important to understand what assumptions fuel your leadership thinking. Often leaders are not aware of the assumptions because they are operating from certain paradigms that will not allow them to see assumptions. Reflection into one’s leadership is an excellent way to uncover assumptions. Beliefs are ideas that we hold to be true; they shape our realities. If a leader believes that the only individuals in an organization that can make decisions is the management staff, then that belief will influence how the leader treats others. Beliefs can also be unconscious; they are for us a habitual way of thinking and acting that it doesn’t cross our minds that our beliefs may be prohibiting us. The following is an exercise to help you create, find, or define your personal philosophy of leadership. Exercise 1: Identifying Your Leadership Values From the list below, pick five core values that you feel describe and guide who you are as a leader. You may choose other values that are not on this list. Place them in the following chart and answer the questions in the matrix. 1. Write down two stories of leadership. One story should describe a positive experience you’ve had with leadership and the second story should describe a time when you had a negative experience with leadership. 2. In the space below, write down your definition of leadership. 3. Using your definition of leadership, please elaborate how you first came to understand (or know) your leadership definition. 4. Describe who are the individuals or organizations that influence your leadership definition. For each of the questions in this section, ask yourself: 1. What were my assumptions? 2. What influenced my assumptions? 3. Would others (co-workers, friends, supervisors) see the situations I described differently? Exercise 3: Understanding Your Leadership Beliefs Answer the following questions about leadership beliefs. By reflecting on these questions, you will find what beliefs you hold about leadership. 1. Can people who have caused others harm be leaders, e.g. Adolph Hitler? 2. Should leaders have certain qualities to be able to lead? 3. Who decides who leads? 4. How do leaders gain credibility? 5. In general, is there something good about leadership? 6. What do you think is the purpose for leadership? 7. Is leadership behavior developed through personal experiences or through external forces? For the questions above, write down one statement for each question that best illustrates your belief about that question. For example, if you answered #6 with: The purpose of leadership is to provide vision, guidance, and bring people together for a common good. It unites people and gets them to join together for a goal, then your belief statement may be: I believe that leadership provides a vision to create a common good. Write a statement for each question. These statements will be used in combination with the other activities to create a philosophy of leadership for you. Exercise 4: Finalizing Your Leadership Philosophy Now that you’ve identified your leadership values, uncovered your leadership assumptions, and understand what beliefs guide your leadership thinking, you are now ready to write statements reflecting your leadership philosophy using the responses above. Statements about your leadership should be written in the present moment not in the future tense. Creating â€Å"present moment† statements helps you to internalize and visualize your philosophy as it is happening now, not in the future or the past. Your leadership philosophy should be a statement that consists of your responses from the above exercise. It doesn’t have to include everything, but it should encompass the general idea of what you’ve written. It doesn’t have to be formatted in a certain way – just whatever makes sense to you. You can write one sentence statements or you can write a story explaining your philosophy. Start with an initial draft of your philosophy and write it down. Revise it as often as you need. Remember, your philosophy can change depending on where you are at with your leadership. After you’ve finished, type out your philosophy on a nice sheet of paper and frame it. Add pictures or artwork to your philosophy. Place it in an area where you will see it all the time; this will serve as a reminder to you to remain true to your leadership. The following is a sample philosophy statement consisting of one sentence statements. Remember, you can write your philosophy in any way that makes sense to you. My Leadership Philosophy is†¦ I believe that leadership is a journey that consists of followers and leaders. I balance my work and personal success. I always help people to find the best in themselves. I spend time reflecting on my leadership and its implications on others. I value integrity in personal and professional development. I respect leadership from different perspectives and ways of knowing. I listen with respect and gratitude to others.

Antibiotic Sensitivity Lab

Antibiotic Sensitivity lab A. Define the term selectively toxic. Why is it an important feature of antimicrobial agents? Selective toxicity is the ability of a chemical or drug to kill a microorganism without harming its host. Selective toxicity is important to microbial agents because it enables these agents to inhibit or kill a microorganism by interacting with microbial functions or structures different from those of the host thereby showing little or no effect to the host. B. What are broad and narrow spectrum antimicrobials? What are the pros and cons of each?Broad spectrum antimicrobials are drugs that are effective against a wide variety of both gram positive and gram negative bacteria. Narrow spectrum antimicrobials are effective only against gram negative bacteria. Pros and cons of each: Narrow spectrum microbial is normally better to use because they cause less damage to the body's normal flora. They are less likely to cause drugs resistant strains of microorganisms because they are specific in nature and are less likely to cause super infection by opportunistic microorganisms like yeast infections.The main disadvantages are that Narrow spectrum microbial sometimes is more prone to allergic reaction to the host. Broad spectrum antimicrobials on the other hand also have their own advantages in that they are able to deal with more than one kind of bacteria and as such one does not have to use drugs indiscriminately reducing chances of allergic reactions and drug toxicity. The main disadvantage is that they cause more harm to the body's normal flora. C. What is direct selection? Direct selection is the selection of antibiotic-resistant normal floras in an individual whenever this individual is given an antibiotic.This process is normally accelerated significantly by either improper use or the overuse of antibiotics. D. What is the difference between an antibiotic and an antimicrobial chemical? Antibiotics are substances that are produced as metabolic pro ducts of one Microorganism which are able to inhibit or kill other microorganisms. Antimicrobial chemicals are chemicals that are synthesized in a laboratory and can be used therapeutically on microorganisms. E. What is the mode of action for each of the following: a. acitracin: works by inhibiting peptidoglycan synthesis in actively dividing bacteria which normally results in osmotic lysis. b. nystatin: exerts its antifungal activity by binding to ergosterol found in fungal cell membranes. Binding to ergosterol causes the formation of pores in the membrane. Potassium and other cellular constituents leak from the pores causing cell death. c. tetracycline: exert their bacteriostatic effect by inhibiting protein synthesis in bacteria. This antibiotic prevents transfer-RNA (tRNA) molecules from binding to the 30S subunit of bacterial ribosomes. . ciprofloxin: Contains agents that inhibit one or more enzymes in the DNA synthesis pathway F. Describe three mechanisms by which microbes mig ht become resistant to the action of an antimicrobial drug? Microbes may become resistant by producing enzymes that will detoxify or inactivate the antibiotic such as penicillinase and other beta-lactamases. Microbes may also alter the target site in the bacterium to reduce or block binding of the antibiotic in the process producing a slightly altered ribosomal subunit that still functions but to which the drug can't bind.Microbes may also prevent the transport of the antimicrobial agent into the bacterium thereby producing an altered cytoplasmic membrane or outer membrane. G. Why do you think neglecting to finish a prescribed course of antibiotics might contribute to the rise of antibiotic resistance? If you don't finish the medication, all the bacteria causing the infection may not be killed. Then, the infection could come back in that same place or even show up somewhere else. When the bacteria are undertreated, some of them may have enough time to have these mistakes occur in th eir DNA.Then, when they multiply, you get a bunch of bacteria that no longer respond to the antibiotics. H. What is a tube dilution test? How is it used to determine susceptibility? Tube dilution test is one of the tests that can be used to tell which antimicrobial agent is most likely to combat a specific pathogen. This test is conducted by preparing a series of culture tubes where each tube contains a liquid medium and a different concentration of an antimicrobial agent. These tubes are then inoculated with the test organism and then incubated. After the incubation they are examined for growth.I. Define the following: a. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC): this is the lowest concentration of antimicrobial agent that is capable of preventing growth of the organism undergoing the tube dilution test b. Zone of Inhibition: this is the area surrounding the high potency disk of a chemotherapeutic agent where growth is inhibited in an agar diffusion test. J. What were the results of the Kirby-Bauer test for S. epidermidis? S. epidermidis was sensitive to Novobiacin S. epidermidis was resistant to Penicillin S. epidermidis was intermediate in the case of Gentamicin